There are three levels of subjects to consider in this new paradigm of the Signposts as written about in my book Hidden In Plain Sight.

First is the Signposts themselves.  They should be self-evident and obvious.  We are talking about Iran invading the Middle East and Turkey and Egypt taking everything back. These things are self-evident when they happen.

Second are the trends leading to the Signposts.  Here it gets fuzzier.  Whatever we may think causes each Signpost is the basis for our guess of the significance of the various trends in the Middle East.  For the Third Signposts, increased Islamism in the populations and governments of the countries involved would be something important to watch.  For the Second Signpost, there are two trends – the growing power of the IRGC, and the increase in Sunni-Shia hostilities.

Third are the details.  These are merely stops along the way in the trends.  Which details mean something significant, and which do not?  This whole subject of how to handle the Signposts has been a lesson for me as well as for readers.  Case in point is the recent ouster of Egyptian president Mursi.  I have been asked by a few readers what does it mean?  Does it mean Islamism is on the retreat in Egypt?  How does it relate to the Signposts?

The first thing we must do is take a step back and look at the trend.

One of the two major trends for the Third Signpost is increased Islamism.  Muhammad Mursi was the Islamist president of Egypt until he was ousted by the military on July 3, 2013.  He was the head of the (Islamist) Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt before coming to power last year.  As far as the world knows, the elections held that brought Mursi to power as president, were fair elections.  This means half the population of Egypt wanted him as president, and so half the Egyptian people are Islamists.

Whether Mursi is reinstated or is kept out doesn’t change Islamism in Egypt in a significant way.  In fact, word has it that the new interim president has already reinstated three articles from Mursi’s constitution assuring that sharia is the law of the land.  Just because Mursi was removed does not mean that all those Islamist people have changed their minds.  No, they will only seek another way to power.

Egypt is stuck in the same quandary as other nations in the past have been where it is shown that democracy is actually a bad thing when the majority of people want to bring in an ideology that is destructive to power.  An example is the ascent of the Nazis to power in Germany, via free and fair elections.  It’s like being stuck between a rock and a hard place.  A majority want greater tyranny, and yet if you reverse the results and say the election is no good in the name of freedom, do you not still have tyranny but in a different form?  Egypt finds itself in that spot today.

Yes, I wrote here and here that Mursi being elected was proof of encroaching Islamism, Turkey and Egypt having closer ties, and that Egypt was ready for the Third Signpost.  Admittedly that last part was an overreach.  Mursi being elected was affirmation that Islamism is alive, well, and creeping.  But just because he is out does not mean Islamism has suddenly stopped or that Turkey and Egypt will forever not be friends anymore.  What this does show is that a detail can lead one (in this case me) to make premature assumptions.

The shock event that eventually brings Turkey and Egypt together is the invasion by Iran – which hasn’t happened yet.  The right crisis will easily drive them back together.  Turkey and Egypt are predisposed to unite and that brief time where both leaders were standing next to each other was also a peek behind the veil that God gave us to show the two countries’ predisposition toward each other.

So the lesson here for all of us is do not place too much importance on single detailed events.  They are not the ends, but are merely hints at the means, or the trends.  The trends are more reliable.  Keep your eyes on the trends if you are waiting for the next Signpost.  Syria’s civil war is showing to us the trend that Sunni versus Shia hostilities are increasing, giving Shia Iran an excuse to invade.  Egypt is showing us that there may be civil war, in which case it will be Sunni against Sunni, and will be a war of Islamism versus secularism.  Turkey is showing us with events around Gezi Park that the leaders of Islamism need to be careful and not play their whole hand until the right time, i.e. not reveal what they want and spook a lot of Muslims who are still secular.

Watching the Signposts has taught me how applicable they are to the real world and real events right in front of our faces.  This also reminds me of how many times recently I have seen so many false topics out there in the prophecy world.  I believe those who are watching the Signposts are not waiting in vain like those who are waiting for Russia, or the European Union, or the Nephilim, or aliens – all of which have no basis in Scripture.  One data point for this confidence is that the First Signpost has already occurred.  How many Europe or Nephilim watchers can claim something like that?

Categories: Signpost #3: Four Nations, The Four Signposts