(Isaiah 19:5–7 in 2025)
I never thought I’d live to see an Old Testament prophecy turn into satellite photos and breaking news.
But here we are.
Isaiah 19 opens with a judgment on ancient Egypt, and the very first physical sign is unmistakable:
“The waters from the sea will dry up,
The river will be parched and dry…
The canals will emit a stench,
The streams of Egypt will diminish and dry up,
Reeds and rushes will rot away.”
(Isaiah 19:5–7)
For most of history we read that as symbolism or ancient history.
It isn’t anymore.
In 2025 the Nile is literally beginning to fail.
- Ethiopia’s Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), filled between 2020–2025, has slashed Egypt’s historic water share by up to 25 %.
- Lake Nasser is at its lowest recorded level.
- Saltwater is pushing dozens of kilometres inland; Delta canals are turning foul.
- Satellite imagery shows the once-lush papyrus marshes dying. Fisheries have collapsed 40–60 %. Egypt’s own government now calls it an “existential threat.”
This is not random climate misfortune.
It is the opening act of Isaiah 19 playing out in real time.
The rest of the chapter is even more astonishing:
- Internal strife and fear of Israel (still simmering)
- Five cities in Egypt speaking the language of Canaan and swearing allegiance to the Lord (underground revival already happening)
- An altar and pillar to the Lord in Egypt
- And finally, Egypt, Assyria, and Israel together called “My people,” “the work of My hands,” and “My inheritance” (vv. 24–25)
The river that once sustained Pharaoh’s empire is rotting, exactly as the prophet said it would, right on schedule for the final chapter of history.
We’re not called to set dates or hoard supplies.
We’re called to wake up.
Jesus is coming back.
Egypt herself will one day cry out to Him and be saved.
And we are the generation watching the waters dry up while the promise still stands.
Maranatha.
(If you want to see how this fits into the entire biblical redemptive storyline, my book “The Theory of Everything: God’s Redemptive Plan for Humanity” walks through it from Genesis to Revelation. Order The Theory of Everything here.