The Pentagon is pushing for more involvement of Sunni-dominated nations in the region to coalesce and fight the so-called Islamic State:

November 21, 2015
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon is pressing European and Arab allies to provide more troops and support for the war against the Islamic State group, hoping that the horror of the Paris attacks – and the fear more are coming – will compel them to get more deeply involved. …
Gen. Joseph Dunford, the new chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said … “We would like to see particularly Sunni (Arab) nations … contribute to a greater degree on the ground,” he said, citing in particular the predominantly Sunni states in the Persian Gulf region, some of whom have flown combat missions over Iraq and Syria but are not engaged in ground combat.
“I think they would have the credibility and, frankly, come without some of the baggage of Western forces to be on the ground,” Dunford told the same Wall Street Journal forum, speaking one day after Carter. “I think there’s some possibility of doing that … that’s something we need to work on.”
One senior U.S. official described the goal as “pie in the sky,” acknowledging it will be difficult to get any of the Sunni nations to agree to send ground troops.
But others suggest that nations such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar and UAE could be tapped for more assistance, including special operations troops and trainers. And in some cases, those Arab nations could provide more help to the Syrian opposition forces by providing both military supplies and support as well and exercising political influence to get the groups better aligned. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_ISLAMIC_STATE_COALITION?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2015-11-21-05-02-57

The Bible tells of a time when the Arabs and others in the Middle East, Persian Gulf, and North Africa will form a militaristic confederation led by one called the King of the South:

40 “At the time of the end the king of the South shall attack him; and the king of the North shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter the countries, overwhelm them, and pass through. 41 He shall also enter the Glorious Land, and many countries shall be overthrown; but these shall escape from his hand: Edom, Moab, and the prominent people of Ammon. 42 He shall stretch out his hand against the countries, and the land of Egypt shall not escape. 43 He shall have power over the treasures of gold and silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt; also the Libyans and Ethiopians shall follow at his heels. (Daniel 11:40-43)

The territory dominated by the King of the South is consistent with the territory dominated by the Umayyad caliphate of the late 7th century (shown at the beginning of this post). It is similar, but not exactly the same, as the Bible does NOT indicate that Spain or Portugal will be part of the territories that support the King of the South. Also, while the old Umayyad caliphate included part of Turkey, the Bible indicates that all of Turkey will be aligned with the final King of the South, but will not remain part of it (Daniel 11:41; cf. 11:25-26; watch also What Should You Know About Turkey in Prophecy). While Persia (Iran) was part of the Ummayed caliphate, as a Shi’ite, not Sunni nation, Iran is not listed in Daniel 11:40-43 as part of the final King of the South. Yet Iran might provide support per Ezekiel 30:3-8 seems to indicate.

The Bible specifically shows that this final King of the South will make deals with the Europeans (Daniel 11:26-27; Psalm 83:3-8). While the Bible clearly teaches the defeat of the King of the South by the Europeans (Daniel 11:40-43; cf. Ezekiel 30:2-8), perhaps it should be mentioned that the Bible also shows that the USA (the land in the 21st century with the “strongest fortresses”) will be defeated first (Daniel 11:39).

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