Nearly twenty people were arrested by authorities in Jordan, including a number of top officials and a royal family member according to the state news agency, in what appears to have been a thwarted attempted coup.

The arrests were announced by the state-run Petra News agency, who said Sharif Hassan bin Zaid, a member of the royal family, and Bassem Awadallah, a prominent official who once ran the royal court, were arrested for security reasons along with others.

Also, the former Crown Prince Hamzah bin Hussein, half-brother of the current King Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein, was placed under house arrest, and told to “stop all activities that can be exploited to harm national security.”

The news of the sweeping security operation thwarting the coup, came as a shock in the desert kingdom, which is a close regional ally of the U.S., often lauded for its stability in a crisis-ridden neighborhood.

But a senior Middle East intelligence official was reported as saying that this move followed the discovery of what palace officials described as a complex and far-reaching plot.

The reports added that the complex plot included other leaders and security figures with one intelligence official strangely saying that the plotters had “foreign ties,” but not explaining further.

The attempted coup comes as Jordan was preparing to mark 100 years since the new kingdom, previously named Transjordan, was established alongside what was called Palestine under the British mandate.

Jordan declared independence in 1946, and despite having little oil wealth, severely lacking water and repeatedly being rocked by wars on its borders, it has survived.

But for the last century, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan has been filled with intrigue.

Abdullah ibn Hussein became the first King of Jordan, but was assassinated. And since then there have been multiple successions with some surprises along with rumored or attempted coups.

Jordan’s current king, 59-year-old King Abdullah, came to power in 1999. When King Hussein his father before his death, elevated the British-educated eldest son from his first marriage. Where he was lifted from his relatively obscure position as head of Jordan’s special forces to become the new monarch.

Since then, King Abdullah has been a top U.S. ally, often allowing U.S. troops to stage operations from Jordanian territory. The kingdom, which has scant resources, receives billions of dollars in assistance from the U.S., as a result of King Abdullah’s popularity among congressional leaders.

But he is less popular at home. Where Jordanians often compare him negatively to his father, who was a very popular and charismatic figure who steered the country through several regional wars, a military coup and more than a dozen assassination attempts.

And some of that nostalgia has rubbed off on Prince Hamzah, who bears a striking resemblance to his father King Hussein and was often considered his favorite.

Abdullah had appointed his half-brother Hamzeh crown prince in line with his father’s dying wish, but in 2004 stripped him of the title and gave it to his own eldest son.

This news of a thwarted coup comes at a precarious time for the Jordanian monarchy.

The country is experiencing a serious coronavirus epidemic with significant fatalities. After there were also large numbers of Palestinian and Syrian refugees into the country, which exacerbated endemic political, economic, and resource challenges in Jordan.

And as discontent has risen, Jordanians have increasingly become angry over the government’s handling of the pandemic and its inability to contain economic devastation.

Also, relations with Israel are at a low point as there are tensions over Israel’s plans to annex the West Bank with Jordan threatening war over it. As well as a series of tit-for-tat diplomatic slights going on between Jordan with the Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu.

But the Saudi royal court and a host of other Arab governments have all expressed support for King Abdullah in maintaining “security and stability” of his kingdom.

And the U.S. State Department said, “We are closely following the reports and in touch with Jordanian officials. King Abdullah is a key partner of the United States, and he has our full support.”

The Biblical Prophecies (Matthew 24, Luke 21, Daniel 11, 2 Thessalonians 2) foretell that there will be an environment of mystery, intrigue, delusion, and conflict, signaling that the world is nearing the end of this age.

These events and conditions happening now are warning signs pointing to the nearing fulfillment of the Last Days prophecies at the end of this age revealing it’s time to prepare now for the nearing appearance of Jesus Christ for His Church by being born again spiritually into the Kingdom of God as Jesus said we must (John 3) and His Apostles who were authorized (Matthew 16:19) described how (Acts 2).

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