Saudis Flex Muscles in Middle East

A recent BBC report notes, “Something is stirring in Saudi Arabia. Gone is the historically conservative, don’t-rock-the-boat, tip-toeing approach to the big strategic issues of the Middle East. In its place has come a new, assertive attitude that is seeing the oil-rich kingdom set off on previously untried and risky ventures” (BBC, August 8, 2015). Seasoned observers note “in the wake of the disastrous Arab Spring that has brought such misery to much of the Arab world, Saudi Arabia had no choice but to look after its own interests, form its own alliances and forge its own path, irrespective of what Washington is up to” (ibid.).

For many Washington policy-makers, the Saudis taking care of their part of the world is seen as a relief. However, Bible prophecy sheds a different light on these events. Long ago, God warned at the time of the end, a “king of the south” would unite the Arab world against a European “king of the north” (Daniel 11:40). The increasingly assertive actions by Saudi Arabia could become the catalyst to create this end-time “Arab confederacy.”

To learn more about the future of this volatile area of the world, read “Five Prophetic Signs for the Middle East.”