The Chaos in Egypt and The Unshakable Kingdom

Mubarak's speech, telling the Egyptian people that he had stepped aside and was no longer running the government, brought to mind the scene in the Wizard of Oz when Toto discovers the "Wizard" behind the curtain manipulating the controls producing the "giant talking head." The Wizard says, "Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain."

Mubarak was telling the people in the streets of Cairo to "ignore the man behind the curtain." I seriously doubt that the protesters are that stupid. Promising reforms, elections in September, and supposedly turning the reins of the nation over to his vice-president, who is the former chief of intelligence, is like throwing a bone to a raging pit bull. It only sets the stage for more chaos and bloodshed in the streets. The fuse on the dynamite has already been lit, and Mubarak's patronizing speech, expressing his sorrow for those who have died in the streets, falls on deaf ears.

It appears to me that the United States has been left on the sidelines in this conflict. Mubarak is a dictator, but he is "our dictator." He has been an ally in the war on terrorism, he has helped maintain peace in the Middle East, and has helped serve our national interests while we supplied them with billions in foreign aid. On the other hand, the United States cannot ignore a cry for "democracy" without looking complicit with an oppressive regime. It is a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" situation.

The wild card in all this is the "Muslim Brotherhood" and the influence they are exerting in this climate of chaos. If one examines the history of this group formed in the 1920's, you find that they had ties with Nazi Germany, and have been a breeding ground for Al-Qada. The leadership vacuum that can be left by Mubarak's removal, which I believe will ultimately come, sets the stage for a far worse situation in the Middle East as the fire spreads beyond the Egyptian borders.

If I did not believe in a sovereign God who rules over the affairs of men, and the power of prayer, knowing that he is still seated upon His throne, I would be unduly alarmed. But I do believe in these things, and rest in the fact that He is in control. Hebrews 12:28 tells us that we, as believers in Christ, have received "a kingdom that that cannot be shaken." Though the kingdoms of this world are being shaken, economically and politically, God's kingdom remains unshaken.