Arab League agrees to arming Syrian opposition

جامعة الدول العربية
Jāmaʻat ad-Duwwal al-ʻArabiyya Arab League Flag

The primarily Sunni Muslim Arab League has agreed to allow its member nations to supply the predominantly Sunni Muslim opposition to Shi’ite Muslim Bashar Assad (President of Syria) arms:

(Reuters) – Arab League ministers decided on Wednesday to let member nations arm Syrian rebels fighting President Bashar al-Assad, and invited an opposition coalition to take the League seat formerly occupied by Damascus.

Previously the League had stressed that the Syrian political opposition and rebels should be supported by humanitarian and diplomatic means during the civil war, which has cost an estimated 70,000 lives.

However, a final statement issued at the end of a ministerial meeting in Cairo said they had “stressed the right of each state according to its wishes to offer all types of self defence, including military, to support the resilience of the Syrian people and the Free (Syrian) Army.” http://in.reuters.com/article/2013/03/06/syria-league-statement-idINDEE9250E720130306

The Bible tells of the rise of a power that seems to include mainly Arab and Islamic peoples called the King of the South (Daniel 11:40-43). Now, the Bible specifically includes a variety of Arabic states in this confederation (see also Ezekiel 30:1-8).

According to my read of Bible prophecy, Syria seems to be one of the nations that will support the coming King of the South (which is why I have long said that changes must happen in and/or from the Assad regime)

As it turns out, the idea of a predominantly Sunni Muslim confederation is basically the goal of the Egyptian-based Muslim Brotherhood. Notice some of what it wants:

What is the Muslim Brotherhood?
The world’s largest and most influential Islamist movement. Founded in Egypt in 1928, the group was originally focused on ridding the country of corrupting secular influences brought by British colonial rule. Over the years, it established branches and affiliates in many countries to promote traditional Sunni Islamic morals, social justice, and the eradication of poverty and corruption. “The Islamic nation,” its charter states, “must be fully prepared to fight the tyrants and the enemies of Allah as a prelude to establishing an Islamic state”—ideally a re-established caliphate, stretching from Spain across the Middle East and Central Asia to Indonesia, to be governed according to Islamic sharia law. (Understanding the Muslim Brotherhood. February 14, 2011. © The Muslim Brotherhood. http://www.ikhwanweb.com/article.php?id=28019 viewed 11/21/2011)

The Muslim Brotherhood apparently wants as its top priority a pan-national Islamic caliphate ruled by an Imam. Many Muslims long for the rising up of a leader called the 12th Imam, often referred to as the Imam Mahdi. It will not end up with Spain if I understand certain aspects of Bible prophecy correctly, but the confederation of the final King of the South may go from around Western Sahara and/or Mauritania to Oman (with possible involvement and/or coordination with Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan and/or Indonesia)–and that would seem to have to include Syria.

Egypt is currently headed by a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, and the time will come that many will ally with Egypt Egypt for a while:

1 The word of the LORD came to me: 2 “Son of man, prophesy and say: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says:

“‘Wail and say, “Alas for that day!” 3 For the day is near, the day of the LORD is near- a day of clouds, a time of doom for the nations. 4 A sword will come against Egypt, and anguish will come upon Cush. When the slain fall in Egypt, her wealth will be carried away and her foundations torn down.

5 Cush and Put, Lydia and all Arabia, Libya and the people of the covenant land will fall by the sword along with Egypt.

6 “‘This is what the LORD says:

“‘The allies of Egypt will fall and her proud strength will fail. From Migdol to Aswan they will fall by the sword within her, declares the Sovereign LORD. 7 “‘They will be desolate among desolate lands, and their cities will lie among ruined cities. 8 Then they will know that I am the LORD, when I set fire to Egypt and all her helpers are crushed.

9 “‘On that day messengers will go out from me in ships to frighten Cush out of her complacency. Anguish will take hold of them on the day of Egypt’s doom, for it is sure to come (Ezekiel 30:1-9, NIV).

Notice who the Arabic League nations now are:

Member states of the Arab League (Arab World, Wikipedia, viewed 02/17/13)

Algeria (Arabic: الجزائر‎ al-Jazāʾir)

Bahrain (Arabic: البحرين‎ al-Baḥrayn)

Comoros (Arabic: جزر القمر‎ Juzur al-Qamar) (Comorian and French are the other official languages)

Djibouti (Arabic: جيبوتي‎ Djībūtī ) (French is the other official language)

Egypt (Arabic: مصر‎ Miṣr)

Iraq (Arabic: العراق‎ al-ʿIrāq) (Kurdish is the other official language (minority))

Jordan (Arabic: الأردن‎ al-ʾUrdun)

Kuwait (Arabic: الكويت‎ al-Kuwayt)

Lebanon (Arabic: لبنان‎ Lubnān)

Libya (Arabic: ليبيا‎ Lībyā)

Mauritania (Arabic: موريتانيا‎ Mōrītānyā)

Morocco (Arabic: المغرب‎ al-Maġrib) (Berber is the other official language)

Oman (Arabic: عمان‎ ʿUmān)

Palestine (Arabic: فلسطين‎ Filasṭīn) (Full member of Arab League and recognized by the majority of the countries in the world)

Qatar (Arabic: قطر‎ Qaṭar)

Saudi Arabia (Arabic: المملكة العربية السعودية‎ al-Mamlakah al-ʿArabiyyah as-Saʿūdiyyah)

Somalia (Arabic: الصومال‎ aṣ-Ṣūmāl) (Somali is the other official language)

Sudan (Arabic: السودان‎ as-Sūdān) (English is the other official language (minority))

Syria (Arabic: سوريا‎ Sūryā)

Tunisia (Arabic: تونس‎ Tūnis)

United Arab Emirates (Arabic: الإمارات العربيّة المتّحدة‎ al-ʾImārāt al-ʿArabiyyah al-Muttaḥidah)

Yemen (Arabic: اليمن‎ al-Yaman)

These nations are mainly descended from the peoples listed in Ezekiel 30:1-9 and Daniel 11:40-43. The fact that the Arab League has now back the idea of army Syrian opposition means that they expect to have closer ties with the opposition than they now have with Syria’s President Assad.

Things must change in Syria, yet the Bible also clearly shows that Damascus will be destroyed (Isaiah 17:1).

The increased arming of the opposition in Syria will be a factor leading to this.

For more information, here are two articles of possibly related interest:

The Arab World In the Bible, History, and Prophecy The Bible discusses the origins of the Arab world and discusses the Middle East in prophecy. What is ahead for the Middle East and those who follow Islam?
Is There A Future King of the South? Some no longer believe there needs to be. Might Egypt, Islam, Iran, Arabs, or Ethiopia be involved? What does the Bible say?