The best place to begin is by understanding where and in what context prophecy makes a reference to Egypt and the nation of Israel.
The earliest point in time that prophecy references Egypt, in respect to the nation of Israel, occurs shortly after Israel makes their escape during the time of the Exodus. Towards the end of Israel’s wandering in the wilderness, Moses pronounces blessings on obedience to God and cursings on disobedience. He presents many of the curses as prophetic events, many to still take place in the future. “The LORD will strike you with the boils of Egypt, with tumors, with the scab, and with the itch, from which you cannot be healed” (Deuteronomy 28:27). “Moreover He will bring back on you all the diseases of Egypt, of which you were afraid, and they shall cling to you” (Deuteronomy 28:60). Moses prophesies these and many more terrible consequences to Israel in his warning against disobedience. The sicknesses of Egypt can be expected in fulfillment of end-time prophecy.
In addition to the sicknesses, Moses refers to a future time of slavery. “And the LORD will take you back to Egypt in ships, by the way of which I said to you, ‘You shall never see it again.’ And there you shall be offered for sale to your enemies as male and female slaves, but no one will buy you” (Deuteronomy 28:68). Of the conditions considered when understanding Israel’s experience in Egypt, slavery stands out as the most prominent. It is clear from this passage that the same slavery that Israel experienced in Egypt will again take place.
Hosea prophesies of a future time when modern descendants of Ephraim, who are identified below, will be punished for their disobedience to God and following the way of sin. He references a return to Egypt as well, “…Now He will remember their iniquity and punish their sins. They shall return to Egypt” (compare Hosea 8:11-13). In addition to this return to Egypt, Hosea states that Ephraim will not literally be in Egypt, but rather, in the land of modern-day Assyria. “They shall not dwell in the LORD’s land, But Ephraim shall return to Egypt, And shall eat unclean things in Assyria” (Hosea 9:3). We do not see the specific details about what exactly the return to Egypt entails here, but it is a clear allusion to the conditions they lived in during the time of their bondage before the Exodus, while physically being in the land of modern-day Assyria, which today is mainly Germany. Since this passage references Assyria as the place in which the people of Ephraim will eat unclean things, this implies that the return to Egypt is a symbolic return to slavery, not a literal return to the land of Egypt.
Isaiah prophesies a future time when the remnant of Israel will experience conditions similar to the days in which they were slaves in Egypt while they will be captive in Assyria. This reinforces the prophecy of Hosea. “Therefore thus says the Lord GOD of hosts: ‘O My people, who dwell in Zion, do not be afraid of the Assyrian. He shall strike you with a rod and lift up his staff against you, in the manner of Egypt’” (Isaiah 10:24). This passage further supports the fact that the modern-day descendants of Israel will suffer subjection and abuse like ancient Israel did during their Egyptian slavery. This passage makes it even clearer that the reference to Egypt represents the conditions symbolically, explaining that they will be abused in the same manner. This abuse will take place in a different land.
While the remnant of Israel will return to the condition of Egypt in the land of Assyria, a remnant of Judah will return to literal slavery in Egypt. “So it shall be in that day: The great trumpet will be blown; They will come, who are about to perish in the land of Assyria, And they who are outcasts in the land of Egypt, And shall worship the LORD in the holy mount at Jerusalem” (Isaiah 27:13). This reference shows the time that follows the return of Jesus Christ, when the “outcasts” will come out of the literal land of Egypt. Assyria will not be the only place in which people will be taken captive. We prove below that the outcasts in the land of Egypt refer to the people of Judah.
From this Q&A, “What will be the future relationship between major Middle Eastern Nations and Israel?” we explain in more depth how to interpret prophecies of Egyptian slavery as they apply to Israel and Judah.
“Regarding EGYPT, we read that Jews will be enslaved in Egypt just prior to Christ’s return. Isaiah 27:13 explains that when the great trumpet sounds ‘in that day’—designating the resurrection of the just from the dead in the end time–captives from the Houses of Israel and Judah will be released from slavery. We are also told that prior to their freedom, some will perish in the LAND of Assyria, and some will be outcasts in the LAND of Egypt.
“Hosea 9:3 states that Ephraim (mainly the UK, but by extension including the USA, Canada and other English-speaking nations) shall return to Egypt and eat unclean things in Assyria. On the other hand, Hosea 11:5, 10-11 informs us that Ephraim shall not return to the LAND of Egypt; rather, it will go into the kind of ‘Egyptian’ slavery which ancient Israel experienced when it was in Egyptian captivity. The modern king ruling over the modern House of Israel (including the UK and the USA) will be Assyria. Deuteronomy 28:68; 17:16 confirms as well that ‘Egyptian’ slavery is decreed over both the Houses of Israel and Judah.
“According to Isaiah 27:13, a part of the enslaved remnant will return from the LAND of Egypt. Since Ephraim will not be enslaved in the LAND of Egypt, it follows that those who will be enslaved in the LAND of Egypt will be mainly those from the House of Judah (the Jews). This fact is supported in Joel 3:19, which tells us that Egypt will become a desolation, because of their violence against the people of JUDAH or the Jews.
“Zechariah 10:10-12 tells us as well that some (apparently referring to Judah) will be freed from slavery and brought back from the LAND of Egypt, while others (Ephraim) will be freed from Assyria.”
The examples set forth so far explain a dreadful time in the future when the modern-day descendants of Israel and Judah will experience a return to “Egyptian” slavery. We get a sense of what this return to Egypt means from the context, but to fully comprehend what those conditions will be like, we need to review what ancient Israel actually experienced.
What are some examples in Scripture that explain what the conditions were like?
Israel’s time in Egypt started out finding favor in their host nation. The sons of Israel all moved to Egypt during the famine in the area, being reunited with their brother Joseph. While Joseph was alive and second-in-command, Egypt thrived under his leadership. This is where the family of Israel settled and multiplied greatly (compare Genesis 47:27). What started well for this family turned out so bad after living there for several generations that God had to intervene to free them from their bondage.
The Egyptians, feeling threatened by their swelling population, enslaved the Israelites. “Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. And he said to his people, ‘Look, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we; come, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply, and it happen, in the event of war, that they also join our enemies and fight against us, and so go up out of the land.’ Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh supply cities, Pithom and Raamses. But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were in dread of the children of Israel. So the Egyptians made the children of Israel serve with rigor. And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage—in mortar, in brick, and in all manner of service in the field. All their service in which they made them serve was with rigor” (Exodus 1:8-14).
In this passage we can see that the conditions in Egypt were utterly terrible for the Israelites. They experienced forced labor and were kept in subjection. The kind of forced work they had to do was hard, physical labor. When it says that “the Egyptians made the children of Israel serve with rigor “, the English word “rigor” does not even come close to conveying the full meaning of the word. The Hebrew word for “rigor” is “perek”, which Strong’s concordance defines as “to break apart; fracture, i.e. severity: — cruelty, rigour.” From this it is clear that the way Egypt forced Israel into labor goes beyond mere hard work, expanding to cruel servitude. Israel’s quality of life was awful, as shown by the example of how the Egyptians made their lives bitter. Israel suffered tremendously under these conditions and cried out because of it (compare Exodus 2:23).
Further explaining the arduous condition of slavery, the account in Exodus shows the cruelty Israel experienced after Moses pleaded with Pharaoh to let them worship God. “And the taskmasters of the people and their officers went out and spoke to the people, saying, ‘Thus says Pharaoh: “I will not give you straw. Go, get yourselves straw where you can find it; yet none of your work will be reduced.”’ So the people were scattered abroad throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble instead of straw. And the taskmasters forced them to hurry, saying, ‘Fulfill your work, your daily quota, as when there was straw.’ Also the officers of the children of Israel, whom Pharaoh’s taskmasters had set over them, were beaten and were asked, ‘Why have you not fulfilled your task in making brick both yesterday and today, as before?’” (Exodus 5:10-14). The hard work given to Israel to do was made even harder by neglecting them the resources they needed to complete it. Furthermore, the Egyptian taskmasters beat the Israelite servants when they struggled to complete the impossible task of making bricks without the necessary materials. The slavery they experienced was brutal.
With the view of history for us to learn from, we can see the terrible conditions that Israel experienced. Being an Israelite in Egypt meant living in fear of being beaten and forced into menial labor, being treated like animals. This history gives us the foundation from which we can understand the prophecies about returning to “Egyptian” slavery more fully. God inspired His prophets to warn His people about the consequences of disobedience, using the “Egyptian” slavery as the benchmark of comparison to illustrate the terrible conditions that will be experienced again.
It is difficult to comprehend the terrible conditions of slavery that ancient Israel experienced from the comforts of modern life in the 21st century. To consider that these same awful conditions will again be experienced by the modern descendants of Israel and Judah is mind-boggling, almost to the point of disbelief. Yet, the prophecies referenced in the Bible that proclaim a return to “Egyptian” slavery make it clear there are dire consequences for disobedience that must take place again.
These are serious warnings, but they must be given. We hope that some of those who hear these warnings will repent, become converted and change their way of life so that they can be spared from the horrific events to come, including the prophesied “Egyptian slavery” for the modern Houses of Israel and Judah, and to stand before the Son of Man when He returns.
Lead Writer: Eric Rank