This week a friend of mine died. He wasn't an ordinary friend; he was a world fixture. Even people who could not place Jordan on a map would recognize King Hussein. If ever a man ruled under the sword of Damocles, it was this king. Such was his role in the affairs of the Middle East.

I first met King Hussein when I was 21 years old. I had just graduated from Ambassador College and had been asked by Herbert W. Armstrong to work on his Gulfstream II jet airplane. I accepted, and in June of 1974 I found myself in Palestine, traveling between Jerusalem, Israel and Amman, Jordan. I talked for some time with the king's younger brother, Crown Prince Hassan as he flew on our aircraft from Amman to Aquaba, the king's southern palace on the Red Sea where the king was staying.

The king was not a large man, yet his presence was larger than life. I only spent a few minutes with him as he greeted our group before going off to a private meeting with my boss. Yet in these few minutes I could sense that he seemed to be acting out some kind of destiny. Peace hung on a narrow thread.

Over the next 20 years my work with the Ambassador Foundation took me to Jordan many times to check on several projects we supported. These trips led to many more meetings with the king, his queen, and other members of the royal family, all of whom were involved in the projects for the betterment of the Jordanian people. Oil poor, but problem rich, the Jordanians needed the support of others. The king capably guided his country through the political ramifications of accepting the "right" help and avoiding political and economic suicide.

King Hussein had been installed as king at age 17 after the assassination of the former king. He himself had taken a bullet as a teenager, saved by a medallion he was wearing which deflected the impact of the bullet. It obviously was not his time to go.

He faced a world largely shaped by western powers as land was divided between the Jews and the Arabs after World War II. Palestinians fled to the closest border as the war for Israel's independence commenced. Emotions, with just cause, were high. How can a foreign power take land from one and give it to another without strong emotions? The young king was to rule over not only his people, but also these displaced Palestinians who wanted nothing less than a war to seize what they felt was theirs.

As King Hussein began to realize the solution was peace, he was faced with an environment that was not prepared for it. In a private meeting with King Hussein in 1981, Mr. Armstrong asked King Hussein, "Would you meet with Prime Minister Begin of Israel?" I watched his eyes as he answered, "Yes, if...."

The "if" was hinged upon the preparation of King Hussein's people and the Arab world for peace. They were not ready at that time. I was happy as I watched conditions change to where King Hussein would be able to make those meetings toward peace. I am sure it was a time of personal satisfaction for him.

Though King Hussein never achieved peace in his lifetime, he certainly did his utmost in striving for this noble goal. I respect him for that. He truly was a man for his time. He helped his own people while delicately balancing the concerns of the rest of the region. Without his positive influence I am convinced the world would be quite different today.

It makes one wonder if God put King Hussein in his position for a specific purpose. For those that believe in prophecy, much of which centers around this small portion of the globe, was it God that had this man there at this time for His purpose? If so, does his death set the stage for a fulfillment of those Biblical prophecies, some of which are scary as they describe the end of man's civilization? Will this time be followed, as the Book says, by the return of Jesus Christ and finally true millennial peace?

Hopefully King Hussein's son, King Abdullah will be able to continue in his father's footsteps by continuing the peace process. If he doesn't, we may face a new millennium with even more terrorism than has marked the end of this one. With virtually all of the middle eastern monarchs, sultans and sheiks in ill health or approaching old age, young King Abdullah may be the first of many to be in the position to pursue peace.

With the coming change in leadership in the Middle East, the economic, political and probable military union of Europe, the resurgence of the Catholic church under its long-reigning yet aging pope, the economic turbulence of most of the world, and the nearing of 6,000 years of man, it certainly seems the stage is set for what God intends for the world at this time. Are you ready for a new millennium?