Military Moves by Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Libya

Muammar al-Gaddafi

Events still are happening in the Middle East:

King of Bahrain declares state of emergency

Telegraph.co.uk – ‎15 March 2011

The king of Bahrain has declared a three month state of emergency following weeks of unrest in the kingdom.

Saudi sends troops, Bahrain Shi’ites call it “war”

Reuters – March 14, 2011

Saudi Arabia sent troops into Bahrain on Monday to help calm weeks of protests by the Shi’ite Muslim majority, a move opponents of the Sunni ruling family on the island called a declaration of war.

In Libya itself, its problems seem to be getting even more difficult for those opposed to Muammar Gaddafi:

Libyan rebels lose last stronghold west of Tripoli

CBS News – Hadeel al-Shalchi – ‎15 March 2011

(AP) TOBRUK, Libya (AP) — Rebels say they are fortifying the town of Ajdabiya against a possible assault by advancing forces loyal to Libya’s longtime leader Moammar Gadhafi. Rebel spokesman Ahmed al-Zwei said Tuesday that “intermittent” fighting…

Gadhafi threatens to join forces with al-Qaida if West attacks Libya

Libyan leader says he is shocked by betrayal of European leaders, his former allies, who have slapped economic sanctions on Tripoli following a violent crackdown on protests in the country.

Reuters – March 15, 2011

Embattled Libyan leader Muammar Gadhafi has warned Western leaders that if they dare to attack the North African country, he would form an alliance with al-Qaida – who he previously claimed are responsible for the domestic rebellion currently taking place in Libya – and together declare holy war against the West.

While Muammar Gaddafi, in the past, has indicated that he wanted to lead Islam and Africa (see Qaddafi Hailed as “King of Kings”), I never really felt he would be the final King of the South. But in the current Middle East turmoil, the seeds seem to be being set for the rise of that leader.

Military moves, civil unrest, and the toppling of governments (like Egypt) show that change is occurring in the Middle East.

Of course, the President of Iran, already claims that the Imam Mahdi (a prophesied Islamic leader) is currently managing and apparently responsible for the turmoil and other events that have been happening in the Middle East (for some details, please see Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: World Order About to Collapse, Mahdi Behind it).

Though not all Muslims expect the Imam Mahdi, many still seem to long for a leader to unify the Arab World. Some Muslims are looking for a political-spiritual leader, sometimes called the Caliph in English, to rise up (Caliph is a shortened version of “Khalifah rasul Allah” meaning “Successor to the Messenger of God”). The title caliph has been given to the head of state in Muslim-governed countries in the past, though the latter ones lacked the power of the earlier ones:

The supreme office of caliph, originally elective, became hereditary…Eventually…caliphs became figurehead or “puppet” leaders…Many Arabs…seek to re-create the political and theological unity of the early Islamic caliphate (Stump K. The Arab World in Prophecy. Plain Truth, December 1979, pp. 9-10).

Today this pattern is repeating itself, as a “third wave” of leaders is sweeping across the Middle East. Rejecting both the capitalism of the West and the discredited Marxism of the former Soviet Union, these would-be “third wave” leaders have emphasized a fundamentalist brand of Islam that leaves no room for compromise. Looking back to the glory days of Arab conquest and dominance in the first centuries after Muhammad, they also dream of a pan-Arab union. This will not be a union under a monarch from one of the old Bedouin dynasties, or a secular-educated army officer turned dictator, but rather a new Caliph who will unify the Faithful under the banner of purified Islam. This, they reason, is the only way that Western influence can be expelled from their region, and that Israel can be subjugated…The yearnings across much of the Middle East for a new Saladin—one who will restore Arab glory by conquering the Jews and expelling Western influence—were foreseen by Bible prophecy. In Daniel 11:40, we read of a future “King of the South” who will ultimately “push at” a coming European superpower at the time of the end. This individual, called in Bible prophecy the King of the South because his center of power is south of Jerusalem, will undoubtedly be a charismatic person who will whip up much of the Muslim Middle East into a frenzy against Israel and Europe. (Ogwyn J. Conflict Over the “City of Peace”. Tomorrow’s World magazine, March-April 2002).

Perhaps it should be mentioned that for the past couple of years I have wondered how a pan-Arabic entity would form. And over the past couple of years at least two somewhat have. One is the Union of Mediterranean States which includes nearly all the Arab nations in somewhat of a pack with Europe. The other is the monetary union that the Gulf-oil states have been working on (on December 15, 2009 Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Qatar announced the creation of a Monetary Council to come up essentially with their own currency and to get away from the US dollar).

The tie of religion, which has existed for centuries among most of the Arabs, has always been in the back of my mind. There have been supranational groups like the Taliban, Al Qaeda, Hamas, and the Muslim Brotherhood, but the time was not right for any of them to bring about pan-Arabic unity. The first three groups have tended to be considered too radical, while many have considered that the Muslim Brotherhood was not radical enough (though this seems to be changing). The Muslim Brotherhood, which was formed in Egypt in 1928, has long been banned in Egypt (which is why its members/leaders are sometimes jailed there).

As far as what the Muslim Brotherhood wants to accomplish, Wikipedia reports:

In the group’s belief, the Quran and Sunnah constitute a perfect way of life and social and political organization that God has set out for man. Islamic governments must be based on this system and eventually unified in a Caliphate. The Muslim Brotherhood’s goal, as stated by Brotherhood founder Hassan al-Banna was to reclaim Islam’s manifest destiny, an empire, stretching from Spain to Indonesia.

To bring enough Arab nations together, I have felt that some type of “strongman” needed to rise up. One who Arabs would tend to respect. The time may be now and the Muslim Brotherhood may play an important role. The Muslim Brotherhood is is the world’s oldest and largest Islamic political group and has been called the “world’s most influential Islamist movement” (http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/2010/11/2010111681527837704.html)

Given enough turmoil, people make odd decisions and the situation in the Middle East may change beyond what Western analysts truly believe.

Watch (cf. Mark 13:33-37).

Some articles of possibly related interest may include:

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?
Who is the King of the North? Is there one? Do biblical and Roman Catholic prophecies point to the same leader? Should he be followed? Who will be the King of the North discussed in Daniel 11? Is a nuclear attack prophesied to happen to the English-speaking peoples of the United States, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand? When do the 1335 days, 1290 days, and 1260 days (the time, times, and half a time) of Daniel 12 begin? When does the Bible show that economic collapse will affect the United States?
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?
Africa: Its Biblical Past and Prophesied Future What does the Bible teach about Africa and its future? Did the early Church reach Africa? Will God call all the Africans?