The prophecy in Isaiah 19:19\u201325<\/strong> speaks of a future blessing for Egypt: \u201cIn that day there will be an altar to the LORD<\/strong> in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar at its border\u2026 the Egyptians will know the LORD<\/strong> in that day and offer sacrifice and offering\u2026\u201d<\/em> This message was startling in Isaiah\u2019s time. Under the Old Covenant law, the only<\/strong> place an altar to the Lord was permitted was the Jerusalem Temple. No altar for Yahweh<\/strong> could lawfully exist outside Solomon\u2019s Temple. Deuteronomy had commanded Israel to worship in one chosen place<\/strong> (ultimately Jerusalem) and forbade multiple altars (Deut. 12:13\u201314). Thus, Isaiah\u2019s prediction of an altar in Egypt<\/strong> \u2013 a land of Gentiles and idols \u2013 would have sounded radical. As one commentator notes, \u201cthe Levitical altar was confined to one place,\u201d<\/em>, so Isaiah must be envisioning \u201cnot a Levitical, but a spiritual and evangelical altar\u201d<\/strong> to the Lord. In other words, this prophecy looked beyond the old Temple-centric worship to a coming era when God would be worshiped beyond the bounds of Israel<\/strong>. Isaiah foresaw a time when even Egypt, formerly known for idolatry, would erect an altar to the true God \u2013 a sign of true worship<\/strong> in an unlikely place.<\/p>\n According to ancient and patristic interpretation, this prophecy was fulfilled with the establishment of the Christian Church in Egypt<\/strong>, i.e. the Coptic Orthodox Church. In the first century A.D., Christianity was brought to Egypt by St. Mark the Evangelist<\/strong>, and with it the first Christian altars were set up in the land. This, the Copts believe, is the very \u201caltar to the Lord in the midst of Egypt\u201d of which Isaiah spoke. Early Church Fathers themselves made this connection. St. Cyril of Alexandria<\/strong> (5th century) explicitly interpreted Isaiah\u2019s words in light of Christ\u2019s coming: \u201cThe \u2018altar\u2019 which was established in the midst of the land of Egypt is the Christian Church, which replaced the pagan temples as the idols collapsed\u2026in the presence of the Lord Jesus.\u201d<\/em>. In other words, once Egypt turned to Christ, the sacrifices of paganism ceased and were replaced by the Eucharistic altar<\/strong> of the Church.<\/p>\n St. Jerome<\/strong> in the 4th century marveled at how Isaiah\u2019s prophecy had come true in his own time. He wrote, \u201cNow truly is Isaiah\u2019s prophecy fulfilled: \u2018In that day shall there be an altar to the Lord in the land of Egypt\u2019\u2026 Where sin hath abounded, grace doth much more abound. They who fostered the infant Christ now with glowing faith defend Him in His manhood\u2026\u201d<\/em>. Here Jerome alludes to Egypt\u2019s transformation: the land that once harbored the fleeing Christ Child later became a bastion of Christianity, \u201cglowing\u201d<\/strong> with faith and even defending orthodoxy<\/strong> (as Egyptian saints and monks did in the early Church). The formerly pagan Egypt turned into \u201cEgypt My people\u201d<\/em>, as Isaiah 19:25 says, with thriving churches and monasteries. By the late 4th century, one observer could even say \u201cHe that hath not seen the cathedral church of Alexandria hath never seen the glory of Israel\u201d<\/em>, implying that the glory of God\u2019s people was now manifest in the Church of Egypt<\/strong>.<\/p>\n It is noteworthy that even before<\/strong> Christ, some Jewish exiles in Egypt sensed this prophecy\u2019s significance. In the 2nd century B.C., the Jewish priest Onias<\/strong> IV, barred from the Jerusalem priesthood, built a temple in Leontopolis, Egypt, and cited Isaiah 19:19 as justification<\/strong> for an altar to the Lord in Egypt. This suggests Isaiah\u2019s words were long seen as extraordinary. However, that temple of Onias was a temporary and controversial measure \u2013 it lacked prophetic confirmation like miracles or messianic fulfillment. The full realization<\/strong> of Isaiah\u2019s oracle came with Christianity<\/strong>. Unlike Onias\u2019s short-lived temple, the Christian altars in Egypt were established by divine mandate, accompanied by the coming of the Messiah and the conversion of Egyptians to the Lord. In Christian understanding, once Christ inaugurated the New Covenant, worship of God was no longer tied to one location (John 4:21). Altars \u201cin every nation\u201d became acceptable. Thus the altar in Egypt stands as a symbol of the spread of true worship<\/strong> beyond Israel, fulfilled when Egypt embraced the Gospel.<\/p>\n Isaiah continues, \u201cThey will cry to the LORD because of oppressors, and He will send them a Savior<\/strong> and a Mighty One, and He will deliver them\u201d<\/em> (Isa. 19:20). The Coptic Orthodox interpretation sees this as a clear reference to Jesus Christ<\/strong>, reinforcing that the prophecy points to the Christian era. In the time of Isaiah, no purely Jewish<\/strong> context would describe God sending a \u201csavior\u201d to Egypt that causes Egyptians to \u201cknow the Lord\u201d (v.21) en masse. Indeed, some historical figures have been suggested as partial fulfillments \u2013 for example, Alexander the Great<\/strong> was welcomed as a liberator in Egypt (freeing it from Persian rule) and was even called \u201cthe Great\u201d and s\u014dt\u0113r (\u201csavior\u201d) by some. Yet, while Alexander\u2019s arrival (and the later benevolence of the Ptolemaic kings) did bring relief and even exposure to Jewish religion in Egypt, these events only foreshadowed a greater salvation<\/strong>. The ultimate \u201cgreat Savior\u201d<\/em> who truly made the God of Israel known to Egyptians was Christ<\/strong>. As one commentary notes, \u201cdoubtless this prediction\u2026refers to that spiritual redemption and salvation<\/strong> which the Egyptians\u2026received by the coming of Christ, the great and only Saviour of lost mankind, and by the publication of His gospel to them\u201d.<\/p>\n Early Christians saw an even more literal sign of this in the Gospel story: the infant Jesus\u2019 sojourn in Egypt<\/strong>. The Holy Family fled to Egypt to escape King Herod, and thus the land of Egypt literally \u201ccried unto the Lord because of oppressors\u201d<\/em> and received the Christ Child as a savior in exile. The prophet Isaiah had earlier declared, \u201cBehold, the Lord rides on a swift cloud and will come into Egypt; the idols of Egypt will totter at His presence\u201d<\/em> (Isa. 19:1). Church Fathers like St. Cyril<\/strong> taught that the \u201cswift cloud\u201d was the Virgin Mary carrying baby Jesus<\/strong> into Egypt. According to ancient tradition, when Christ entered Egypt, the idols fell and the temples were deserted \u2013 a fulfillment of Isaiah 19:1 and a harbinger of Egypt\u2019s conversion. Thus, Jesus is the divinely-sent Savior<\/strong> who entered Egypt quietly as a child and later, through the preaching of Christianity, \u201cdelivered\u201d the Egyptians from the oppression of spiritual darkness.<\/p>\n Isaiah\u2019s oracle concludes with a remarkable vision of unity: \u201cIn that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria\u2026 and Israel will be one of three with Egypt and Assyria \u2013 a blessing in the midst of the land, whom the LORD of hosts shall bless, saying, \u2018Blessed be Egypt My people, and Assyria the work of My hands, and Israel My inheritance\u2019<\/strong>\u201d<\/em> (Isa. 19:23\u201325). This was a revolutionary concept in the ancient world. Egypt<\/strong> and Assyria<\/strong> were longtime enemies of Israel; yet here God calls these Gentiles \u201cMy people\u201d and \u201cthe work of My hands,\u201d titles elsewhere reserved for Israel. The patristic understanding is that this prophecy finds its fulfillment in the New Testament Church<\/strong>, where former foes and foreigners are reconciled in Christ. As one Coptic commentary explains, the coming of Christ \u201cbrought peace to all and all can worship together.\u201d<\/strong> The old national rivalries fade as \u201call nations gather together\u201d in \u201cspiritual unity,\u201d sharing in the blessings of knowing the true God. The once-pagan Egypt and once-pagan Assyria are no longer outside God\u2019s covenant; they join Israel as equal recipients of God\u2019s grace<\/strong>. The three together symbolize the universal Church.<\/p>\n In summary, both scripture and sacred tradition strongly support the view that Isaiah 19:19\u201325 foresees the conversion of Egypt and the founding of the Coptic Orthodox Church<\/strong>. At the time Isaiah spoke, an altar to Yahweh outside Jerusalem was unthinkable \u2013 yet he prophesied one in Egypt, signalling the coming of a new covenant where Gentiles would worship the God of Israel<\/strong>. The advent of Christ and the work of St. Mark in Alexandria fulfilled this in full. Patristic writers like St. Cyril and St. Jerome rejoiced in seeing Egypt transformed into \u201cGod\u2019s people,\u201d with thriving altars of Christian worship. The \u201csavior\u201d sent to Egypt is none other than Jesus Christ<\/strong>, who delivered the Egyptians from spiritual oppression and through the Gospel made them God\u2019s own. And the once-hostile nations \u2013 Egypt, Assyria (representing the Gentile world), together with Israel \u2013 are envisioned as united in the worship of the Lord, which the Church realizes by gathering all peoples into one Body<\/strong>. Far from being a vague or still-unfulfilled prophecy, Isaiah\u2019s words have been corroborated by the dramatic religious shift in Egypt two millennia ago. The existence of the Coptic Orthodox Church\u2014one of the most ancient churches in the world\u2014stands as a living \u201csign and witness to the LORD of hosts in the land of Egypt.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n All of this highlights the providence of God: He foretold the extension of His grace to Egypt, and in the age of the Church it came to pass. The Coptic Church today cherishes Isaiah 19:25, \u201cBlessed be Egypt My people,\u201d<\/em> as a biblical validation of its unique place in salvation history. Through the rise of the altar in the midst of Egypt, we see the broader truth that Christ\u2019s salvation knows no boundaries<\/strong>. What was once an \u201cabhorred\u201d<\/em> land to Israel became a beloved people of God<\/strong>. Thus the prophecy not only exalts Egypt\u2019s conversion, but also reveals the universal scope of the Messiah\u2019s kingdom \u2013 uniting Jew and Gentile, Israel and Egypt and Assyria, in one blessed family under the Lord of hosts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Context of Isaiah\u2019s Prophecy and the Forbidden Altar The prophecy in Isaiah 19:19\u201325 speaks of a future blessing for Egypt:…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3514,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[197,45],"tags":[210,217,220,216,213,214,212,211,215,209,219,218],"class_list":["post-3513","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-coptic-orthodox-church","category-spiritual","tag-altar-in-egypt","tag-biblical-prophecy-fulfilled","tag-blessed-be-egypt-my-people","tag-christianity-in-egypt","tag-church-of-alexandria","tag-coptic-christianity","tag-coptic-orthodox-church","tag-egypt-my-people","tag-holy-family-in-egypt","tag-isaiah-19","tag-isaiah-commentary","tag-messianic-prophecy"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/myagpeya.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3513","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/myagpeya.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/myagpeya.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/myagpeya.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/myagpeya.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3513"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/myagpeya.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3513\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3515,"href":"http:\/\/myagpeya.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3513\/revisions\/3515"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/myagpeya.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3514"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/myagpeya.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3513"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/myagpeya.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3513"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/myagpeya.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3513"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\u201cAltar in the Midst of Egypt\u201d \u2013 The Coptic Church\u2019s Birth<\/h2>\n
\u201cHe Shall Send Them a Savior\u201d \u2013 A Reference to Christ<\/h2>\n
Egypt, Assyria, and Israel \u2013 United by God\u2019s Favor<\/h2>\n
Conclusion: A Prophecy Vindicated by History and Tradition<\/h2>\n