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Did the 1999 Death
of
Jordan's King Hussein
fulfill a Biblical warning?
Did the loss of
this pro-Western Muslim lead to
a prophetic "swelling of Jordan"?
By Ken Raggio
 Shortly
before his death in February , 1999, Jordan’s King
Hussein spent grueling days in Washington DC working with
President Clinton in an attempt to hammer out any kind of meaningful
progress in the
stalemate between Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
and the Palestinian
Authority’s Yasser Arafat.
King Hussein had been
recognized for decades as the most
sympathetic of all Arab leaders to the Israeli cause. Not surprisingly,
most of the well-intended efforts of the so-called Wye River Accord
quickly evaporated into thin air as
Arab-Israeli hostilities almost immediately resurfaced.
Nevertheless, most
international observers would insist
that Hussein’s presence in the Middle East was
often a decisive factor in
stabilizing otherwise explosive political situations between Israel and
the Arab world.
Even when significant portions of Jordanian territory was captured by
Israel in the 1967
war, Hussein pursued a moderate plan of action, and in 1993 reached an
agreement with
Israel in the Oslo Accords.
Hussein persistently stated
his ecumenical wishes for the
Middle East. As a devout Muslim, he attempted to provide for the
peaceful coexistence of
all of the sons of Abraham – Muslims, Jews and Christians. He
was a benevolent and
empathic leader who was well-loved by his people and by Arabs and Jews
alike.
Until shortly before his
death, Hussein’s successor was expected to
be his brother, Prince Hassan. Hassan was selected when he was young,
and carefully
groomed for years under Hussein’s tutelage. Toward the end,
however, a consensus had
surfaced among many Jordanians that Hassan was too modern, too liberal
and too
"Western" to be trusted to maintain the ultra-conservative and
religious
leanings of the Jordanian culture.
Just before
dying, Hussein tapped Prince Abdullah
to replace Hassan. Abdullah is the son of the King's second wife,
Englishwoman Toni
Gardiner known as Princess Muna. Those closest to the King expressed
the belief that the
arduous stresses of determining his successors greatly contributed to
his relapse of
sickness and ultimate death. (Photo: Jordan's King Abdullah with Saudi King Abdullah in 2005).
The London "Telegraph" on
January 24, 1999
said, "In Jerusalem, there is alarm at the downfall of Prince Hassan, a
Hebrew-speaker known as a friend of Israel and the West. Israeli
security concerns are
fanned by the territorial aspirations Syria and Iraq have shown towards
Jordan in the
past."
Ze'ev Schiff, an Israeli
defense analyst, expressed a
commonly held belief that all of Hussein’s sons "lack
experience in the thorny
art of Middle East government. They would probably look like children
against rivals such
as Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, Syrian President Hafez Assad and
Iraqi President
Saddam Hussein." Other commentators fear that neighboring Arab leaders
would
"make mincemeat" of them.
This carried ominous
overtones for Israel. No
one can say for sure how things may have progressed had Hussein lived,
but the Jordanian component of
Middle Eastern politics is certainly far more fragile since his
passing.
Prince Abdullah was a
relative novice to politics and public
leadership. Meanwhile, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan itself
is vulnerable to the
vulture-like intents of its volatile neighbors, Iran and Iraq. The
Hashemites are the
descendants of Mohammed. The presence of so many adversaries in the
region could eventually spell a
literal overthrow in Jordan, or an unwelcome insurgency of outside
trouble-makers and a dramatic, even lethal shift in political
orientation.
Jordan’s neighbors
all contain radical and unstable
elements that could eventually pose a threat not only to Jordan but to
the entire region.
With Yassar Arafat dead, and
the Palestinian Authority is extremely unstabble under Fatah leader
Mahmoud Abbas and his contenders from Hamas.
Hafez al-Assad of Syria has
been linked to anti-Western, anti-Israel insurgencies in Iraq, Lebanon
and Israel.
King Abdullah of
Saudi
Arabia, President Mubarak of Egypt, President Al-Malaki of
Iraq, and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Ayatollah Ali
Khamenei,
Iran's hardline spiritual leader ALL preside over deadly explosive
situations domestically and
internationally. They all have major terrorist organizations
operating within their
jurisdictions.
The entire Middle East is a
ticking time-bomb. Any one of those nations
might be seen as taking advantage of Jordan’s weakened status.
Israel in particular has
already expressed concerns that
contingencies should be made in the event that Jordan becomes unstable.
Since King
Hussein died, King Abdullah of Jordan has been very cooperative with
the West in attempting to work toward peace, but support
for Israel appears to be diminishing daily in Jordan.
From a Biblical perspective
it is interesting to consider
the prophecies of Jeremiah 12:5. "If thou hast run with the footmen,
and they have
wearied thee, then how canst thou contend with horses? and if in the
land of peace,
wherein thou trustedst, they wearied thee, then how wilt thou do in the
swelling of
Jordan?"
What might happen to Israel
if Jordan swells? Allegorically, "the swelling
of Jordan" could be a warning to Israel of an adversarial
force coming from Jordan. Strong's Concordance defines "swelling" as
"arrogancy, excellency (-lent), majesty, pomp, pride, proud, swelling."
Hussein's tenure was clearly marked with modesty and humility. Although
King Abdullah has been mostly helpful, his Arab/Muslim allegiances are
being tested severely, and the risks of his being assassinated or
forced into a different political posture are great.
The likelihood of Jordan's
diplomatic demeanor now becoming less temperate, especially if more
aggressive voices
succeed in taking advantage of the situation, could easily bring this
prophecy of Jordan's
"swelling" to pass.
Please read my article about the "Roadmap for Peace" sponsored by the United Nations "Quartet." You will see exactly how Jordan's King Hussein played an ENORMOUS role in bringing that document into existence.
Read The "Roadmap for Peace" - Fast-track to Armageddon
Most significant would be a further
breakdown of Mideast diplomacy that could produce the most volatile
political environment
in recent memory. Certainly there are not a few hostile neighbors that
would love to take
advantage of Israel's diminished ally.
Students of Bible prophecy expect to see
international pressures on Israel continue to increase until Jerusalem
is
finallysurrounded by enemies. For additional information, read Is
Ezekiel's War Armageddon?, Israel
in the New Millenium and UN and the Vatican to
rule Jerusalem?
All the Muslim forces in the
region, whether legitimate governments or terrorist organization are
morbidly determined to squash Israel and formally declare a
Palestinian State, with East Jerusalem as its capital. No
one should doubt that such an action would produce a
horrific international conflict, if not another holocaust.
It will be of the highest
interest to see what takes place
in the weeks and months that lie ahead.
Now would be a good time for
us to be reminded to
"pray for the peace of Jerusalem".
Ken Raggio
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THANKS!
And God bless you!
Ken Raggio
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