A King of the South?

“Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait are discussing the creation of a military pact to take on Islamic militants, with the possibility of a joint force to intervene around the Middle East” (Times of Israel, November 4, 2014). “The countries have already shown an unprecedented willingness to intervene together. Egypt and the UAE cooperated in carrying out airstrikes against Islamic militants in Libya during the summer, according to US and Egyptian officials, and last month Egypt carried out strikes of its own” (ibid.). 

Just weeks ago, “[Saudi] King Abdullah appealed to the people and leadership of Egypt to support the march toward ‘Arab solidarity’” (AP, November 19, 2014). On December 9, the six-state Gulf Cooperation Council agreed “to create a regional police force based out of the United Arab Emirates’ capital of Abu Dhabi and a joint naval force based out of Bahrain” (Ynetnews, December 10, 2014). This joint military force composed of powerful Sunni nations in the Middle East is intended to counter the threat posed by Islamic extremists and Shiite-dominated Iran. 

Bible prophecies have long foretold the rise of a “king of the south” just before the return of Jesus Christ at the end of the age (see Daniel 11:40). This dramatic move toward “Arab solidarity” between historically independent and adversarial nations could lead to the fulfillment of this ancient prophecy.

For more on this sobering topic, be sure to read “Five Prophetic Signs for the Middle East.”