This Is the Way... A Different Kind of King of the South
by Robin Webber
The Middle East is a very tough neighborhood
when it comes to nations dealing with nations. There is the continual
challenge between Israel and her Arab or Islamic neighbors. There is the
geopolitical quagmire of many of these nations sitting on much of the
world's known oil reserves.
As students of the Bible read through chapter
11 of Daniel, they are aware of an evil "King of the South." Over the
years, a number of potential candidates have been prophetically coronated
by various preachers as being the "King of the South." Nasser of Egypt,
Khadafi of Libya and Hussein of Iraq have all rotated through this process.
Let me introduce you to a different kind of "King of the South," Sultan
Kaboos bin Said (also transliterated as Qaboos). He rules the kingdom
of Oman, which is about as far south as you can go on the Arabian Peninsula.
"We started with nothing"
Sultan Kaboos' success story
comes to life in an article titled "Oman's Arabian Knight" by John Daniszewski
in the Los
Angeles Times on December 15, 1999. Mr. Daniszewski shares the incredible
legacy of a country and ruler that have both come a long way over the
past 30 years due to Sultan Kaboos' vision. The story begins, "There once was
a boy who was shunned by his wealthy and powerful father. He was sent to
a foreign land to be educated. To support himself, he had to join a foreign
army. When at last his father sent for him, the young man hurried home full
of expectations-only to learn he was to be kept out of sight again." His
story of rags to riches is coupled by the story of a kingdom that 30
years ago was more like the Middle Ages. The wooden gates to Muscat,
the capital, were closed each night, the country only had three miles of
paved road, and there were 12 telephones in the kingdom."
