Another step has just been taken in the eschatological journey towards fulfillment of Revelation 17 and 18. According to Reuters, Saudi Arabia bombed Yemen last night:
(Reuters) – Warplanes from Saudi Arabia and Arab allies struck Shi’ite Muslim rebels fighting to oust Yemen’s president on Thursday, a gamble by the world’s top oil exporter to check Iranian influence in its backyard without direct military backing from Washington. Riyadh’s rival Iran denounced the assault on the Houthi militia group, which it backs, and made clear the kingdom’s deployment of a Sunni coalition against Shi’ite enemies would complicate efforts to end a conflict likely to inflame the sectarian animosities fuelling wars around the Middle East. …
Yemen’s crisis now risks spiraling into a major war with Iran backing the Houthis, and Sunni Muslim monarchies in the Gulf supporting Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi and his fellow Sunni loyalists in Yemen’s south. Read more.
Do you ever forget who is on whose side? Here is a refresher for you:
- Saudi Arabia, i.e., the Royal family, is Sunni Muslim, and supposedly an ally of America;
- Yemen has just been overrun by Iranian backed rebels, Al-Houthis, a sect of Shiism not existing outside of Yemen, and principally located in north Yemen. Regardless, Iran backs them and has assisted them in their ouster of Yemen’s President Hadi, a United States ally.
- Al Qaeda of the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) is the Yemen based branch of Al Qaeda, enemies of Saudi Arabia as well as Iran. AQAP is Sunni Salafi. AQAP and the Houthis are also enemies so any attack by Saudi Arabia on the Houthis is a help to AQAP.
- Islamic State (ISIS) are enemies with everyone, including Iran, the Houthis, and AQAP. ISIS is Sunni Salafi-jihadist but it is not an ally of AQAP. ISIS was at one time an al-Qaeda branch but broke away from Al Qaeda because its brand of Islam was not violent enough. This past week, Reuters reported that ISIS attacked interests in both Yemen and Tunisia making its reach more and more global. This was the first attack by ISIS in Yemen and was of great surprise to many.
With four different groups at war with one another all within the confines of Yemen, no wonder the country is near collapse. This is particularly relevant with the overnight bombing of Yemen by Saudi Arabia. We now have two ancient enemies entering the same fray, Iran and Saudi Arabia, major players in end-times prophecy interpretations. In my book, Islam the Cloak of Antichrist, I interpret Revelation 17 and 18 as being fulfilled by Iran attacking Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia, the “mystical Babylon the Great,” and the birthplace of Islam, is destroyed in “one hour” (Revelation 18:17-19) after the formation of a ten-member coalition (Revelation 17:12) led by the prophesied Muhammad al-Mahdi of Shia Islam. If this interpretation is correct, the conflict in Yemen between Saudi Arabia and Iran will escalate. With each escalation it will bring more nations, countries and groups into the conflict, until the United States and Israel, Russia and Turkey, join opposing sides of the conflict to fulfill Ezekiel 38 and 39. Of course, Iran is with Russia and Turkey (Ezekiel 38:5-6) and America is with …. (perhaps, Daniel 12:7?).
Related posts:.
- Abdullah’s death and the fall of Yemen to the Houthis – Will Iran see the will of Allah?
- Iran – the trigger for the beginning of the Tribulation.
- Iran and Russia form strategic partnership
- Ayatollah calls for united Islam
Jesus come quickly.
Blessings.
Jack
