Despite Having a population base that is overwhelmingly Muslim, Saudi Arabia is mentioned very little in latter-day prophecies. From this we surmise Saudi Arabia will, in the end, be a friendly ally of Israel rather than a foe in contrast to Iran and Libya who are specifically mentioned as part of the Gogian coalition. This month we consider the present status of these countries.
The Saudi quagmire
The Saudi government advertises itself as a staunch ally of the United States. In ads playing on U.S. TV, the Saudis have positioned themselves as friends, allies and partners together in the war on terrorism and in seeking a peaceful solution to the Middle East. However, it is this position of friendship that has caused the Saudi government to make enemies with both the Saudi people and its neighboring allies.
For instance, in early April, 2002, Saudi Foreign Minister, Prince Saud al Faisal, traveled to Moscow to seek Russia’s help in countering a belligerent U.S. agenda against Iraq. As reported in Stratfor on-line on April 23, 2002: “Saudi Arabia is seeking Russia’s help to counter the U.S. agenda in the Middle East. They are frightened by the potential consequences of a U.S. strike against Iraq, an attack that Riyadh hopes to reverse. The government in Riyadh is worried that a U.S. war against Iraq would incite opposition within Saudi Arabia. It has already tried to counter the U.S. agenda by reviving the Middle East peace process and attempting to bring all the Arab states on board.”
Despite the outreach of the Saudi government, its actions may be classified as too little too late, in that opposition within the kingdom of Saudi Arabia is intensifying daily. The attacks against the Saudi government have come from both within the country and from outside influences. As reported by Stratfor on-line: “An unprecedented wave of political protests swept across Saudi Arabia in early April, with demonstrations breaking out in Dhahran, Damman, Sakaka, Jeddah and even in Riyadh, which saw a few scattered rallies. Riyadh must also concern itself not only with internal dissent from every corner, but also with the influence of outside players. Iraq, Jordan and Yemen all border the desert kingdom and each has had trouble with the Saudi government in the past. Across the narrow Persian Gulf, Iran and Saudi still eye each other with trepidation despite a security cooperation agreement.”
By far the most interesting aspect of the Saudi quagmire is the fact the royal family insists that Iran exerts influence over Saudi Arabia’s minority Shiite community in the east and has funded radical groups opposed to the government in Riyadh. For instance, several members of the group allegedly responsible for the 1996 U.S. military base bombing are Shiites from the eastern province. It is also the Iranian influence that has instilled an anti-American sentiment amongst the Saudi people. This sentiment has grown in a grass roots effort to boycott American products. As reported in the May 10, 2002, New York Times: “Efforts to boycott American products throughout the Arab world is starting to take hold. With word spread via the Internet, mosque sermons, fliers and even mobile phone messages, the boycott seems to be slowly gathering force, especially against consumer products.”
Iran and Libya
It remains as no surprise that Iran has taken a stance that can be construed as anti-Israeli and anti-American. In addition to the events noted above regarding Saudi Arabia, Iran has stated several times over the past few months its hatred toward the Jewish people. Specifically, in early April the IRNA news agency reported: “Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, during Friday prayers in Tehran, called on Islamic oil producers to halt exports to Israel and its allies. Khamenei recommended that exports be suspended for a symbolic period of one month.” On April 5, Khamenei said, “the United States shared in the responsibility for Israeli ‘crimes’ against the Palestinians,” and added that he rejected the most recent U.S. peace initiative. He then called on Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and Palestinian militants to fight the Jewish State to the death.
Again in April, Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharazi traveled to Lebanon to meet with President Emile Lahoud and then to Syria to meet with President Assad. The purpose of the meetings was to discuss with officials of the respective countries the “deterioration of the situation in Palestine” and “the Israeli aggression against Lebanon.”
Whether through divine intervention or coincidence, Libya has been classified by the United States government as part of President Bush’s “axis of evil.” Ten years ago Libya was a staunch enemy of most of the western world, including Israel. However, during the past ten years Libyan President Gadhafi, spent most of the 1990s trying to rehabilitate himself in the eyes of United States and Europe by backing away from terrorist groups. As well, Gadhafi increased his U.S. friendly efforts in the wake of September 11. He quickly condemned the attacks and reportedly gave Western intelligence officials lists of Libyan militants at large. At the same time, he has continued to crack down on Islamic militants in Libya. Despite these efforts, the U.S. government has added Libya to its “axis of evil” list along with Iran, Iraq and North Korea.
Undersecretary of State John Bolton provided the reason the U.S. changed its position on Libya. Bolton said: “Despite signs of decreasing tensions between Washington and Tripoli, Libya remains a major concern. Following the lifting of U.N. sanctions on Libya in 1999, he said, Gadhafi’s government re-established ties with illicit suppliers of chemical weapons all over the world. He also said Libya has a fledgling biological weapons program that “may be capable of producing small quantities of biological agent.”
All eyes are turned to the Middle East, but more importantly, the eyes of the Lrod scan to and fro throughout the whole earth shaping events for the final consumation which will usher in the return of Jesus to the earth and the establishment of a worldwide kingdom of peace.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One