Daniel and the Europe
by Victor N. Harrison
While many Bible prophecies have been fulfilled, the tide
rolls unstoppably toward divinely foretold events yet to occur.
In an unsuspecting world, this does not surprise those who take
seriously their Lord's advice to "watch and pray."
What time is it, and how close are we to that glorious day
when all will be revealed? Manv students view current events in
our world as the development of that prophesied evil world
government that will oppose Christ at His return.
Of the futuristic writings in Scripture, few fuel
imagination or spark interest as does Daniel's book. Interpreting
the terrible fourth beast of Daniel 7, Bible watchers have
theorized that the loss of three of its ten horns and the rise of
the persecuting little horn began to be realized in the fifth and
sixth centuries AD.
When Emperor Constantine turned to Christianity and the
Roman Church later forged ties with secular states, Europe became
the seat of the beast system of political, economic, and
religious control foreseen by Daniel. Papal Rome exercised a
hegemony that dominated the continent for a millennium or more,
until its decline in the Protestant Reformation (early 1600s) and
its later humiliation at the French Revolution. Some believe that
this fallen power is not dead but only wounded - to be healed and
again exercise its iron rule over an unsuspecting world.
If the prophecy has both early and late fulfillments,
Daniel's writing may portend Europe at the heart of an evil
system once again. This allows for a controlling involvement by
the modern European Union of nations. Those upholding this
concept see Europe at the heart of a false peace process that
will initiate tribulations spoken of in Christ's Revelation to
John, and that will culminate in the battle of Armageddon. In the
next segment, we approach the same possibility from another
perspective in the same book.
Image of Nebuchadnezzar
History is a great teacher, showing with certainty that the
curtain has opened and drawn on the first four world-ruling
kingdoms prophesied through Nebuchadnezzar's dream in Daniel 2.
His Babylonian kingdom was the first prophesied here; the Medes
and Persians composed the second, and the Greeks under Alexander
the Great became the third "universal" empire.
The final world kingdom was the mighty Roman Empire. The
legs of the image suggest Rome's eventual split into two halves,
with capitals in Rome and in Constantinople (now Istanbul,
Turkey). Now read the Bible's description of the colossus that
was Rome and how those legs connect with the feet below:
finally, there will be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron ... so it
will crush and break all the others. Just as you saw that the
feet and toes were partly of baked clay and partly of iron ... so
this kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle. So the
people will be a mixture and will not remain united, any more
than iron mixes with clay (Daniel 2:40-43).
This suggests an extension - partly strong and partly weak -
of the fourth kingdom that will exist when the fifth and final
world empire arrives to strike the feet and overpower all of the
above (v.44). Could this fourth human kingdom be advancing in the
current development of the European Union?
In this scenario, the feet and toes of Nebuchadnezzar's
man-image is the re-creation of the unit that was once Europe in
all its power and might. In spite of the potential dominance this
last form of the Roman Empire will have, clay mixed w ith the
iron is not permanently strong, indicating that this con-
glomeration of states will he flawed with prominent rifts and
ruptures - an unworkable union that cannot last.
Europe in the post-war era
The twentieth century began with Europe, the heart of the
former Roman Empire, in a state of fomentation, with competing
nationalistic ambitions giving rise to two devastating world wars
before the century was half over. Still, the continent's economic
recovery by the mid-] 950s was seen as a modern miracle. A key
dilemma remained: to realize the continent's harmony of purpose
and effort that was often dreamed by political theorists and
intellectuals.
Strong economic dynamics, coupled with prophetic Providence,
suggest that Europe was being pulled toward a pre-charted course
as the old empire centered in Rome - fallen but never fully
evaporated - began to take shape again! After World War II,
conditions favored the confederacy of the European continent,
seen by many thinkers as an escape from the intense forms of
nationalism that had so recently devastated the region.
A first step toward European unity came when the French
foreign minister and the West German chancellor proposed that
their nations' steel and coal production be conjoined. After
discussion, a six-nation European Coal and Steel Community
resulted, with no other commitments that would compromise the
autonomy of each national government. This minor step served as
the magnet to pull the old Roman system back together.
This economic experiment gave reason to think on a wider
scale. Political strategists of the region got together to map
out the direction of the European continent. Fever-pitched
discussions for deeper economic integration ensued, which
culminated in the signing of the Treaties of Rome. What until
recently was known as the European Economic Community (EEC) was
established, followed by forming the European Atomic Energy
Commission (EURACOM). Signatures were put to the agricultural
treaty, followed sharply by the Brussels accord, dubbed the
Second Treaty of Rome.
Britain, widely viewed as part of Europe, was accepted as a
member of the EEC in 1973, only after its two previous
applications were vetoed by French President Charles de Gaulle.
Ireland and Denmark joined the same year. A unified EU needs a
common monetary system; hence the European Monetary Union (EMU)
arrived in stages. The single European unit of currency, the
euro, came into effect January 1, 2002.
These are signs aplenty for the attentive student to realize
that our generation could see the final fulfillment of Daniel's
and Christ's prophetic words. The EU is bigger than it has ever
been before, despite the internal squabbles and Britain's
refusing to join the monetary system.
Ten kings?
The EU presently consists of more than 25 states with a
population of over 700 million. The prophetic voice mentioned
only ten kings (ten toes, horns, etc.), but the union of Europe
more than doubles that figure. Some see only ten core members in
the EU; the others are associates. Former Eastern Bloc states
have applied for membership, like the heavily Islamic Turkey.
Many in Europe question this move.
The influence of the EU is growing rapidly around the world.
Many see this testing the U.S. and Russia politically,
economically, and even militarily. The EU is like a long-caged
beast ready to be released upon a naive humanity. Many hold that
Europe has long removed its ceremonial dress of Christianity and
now is fulfilling its envisaged economic and political function
within a reinvigorated Babylonian system - essentially ten kings
having influence over the world. From this strange mixture of
"iron and clay" a man of immense power will appear, who the
prophet predicts will be a genius forging deals. Let us be
vigilant in scrutinizing current events.
.......
November-December 2010 "Bible Advocate" - a publication of the
Church of God, 7th Day, Denver, CO.USA
Note:
Many in the Church of God in the last 60, 70, 80, years have
taught that Europe will for the 7th and last time resurrect the
Holy Roman Empire, that will be the Babylon Beast of the book of
Revelation, whom a woman (a church in prophecy) will ride once
more as she did during the Middle Ages. There is only ONE church
that rode that Beast during those so-called Dark Ages - the
Papacy of Rome. It will be no different for the last resurrection
of this secular/military/religious Europe Empire yet to come to
full power over the Western world. She will eventually rule the
West, but NOT the East. There will arise a "man beast" - a
political/military man in Europe, and he, with the head of the
church of Europe (which can only be, as it was in the past, the
Roman Catholic church) - The Pope - the false prophet of
Revelation; they both will with miracles from the false prophet,
bring the Western world under politiacl and religious deception
that people will worship the image of the Beast (the church) and
say "who can make war with the Beast" - so mighty in power she
will be.
Europe is not there yet to take this role in prophecy. She has
right now many iron and clay problems to sort out and to fix. The
fixing of which may yet take a number of years. But mark my
words, underline them in RED - it WILL COME TO PASS IN DUE TIME,
the time of which only God knows.
You should be at times, a few times a week, watching BBC World
News. They bring you news from around the world. They have the
best broadest news of the world that I am aware of.
I've said it before and will say it again. The Beast of Europe
will NEVER RULE THE WORLD, they will never rule the EAST (Russia,
China, India, Japan). The East will be its own power on the world
prophectic scene. They will be prepared for a day and an hour,
when prophecy will reach its climax - when the TWO world powers
will face off at each other (Revelation 9) and it will be the war
that IF Jesus did not come to STOP would indeed destroy every
human on the face of the earth. Jesus will come, and the saints
with Him (for they will be resurrected at His coming) and the
battle to end all battles - Armageddon - will happen. Jesus and
His army will be VICTORIOUS! The Kingdom of God will then finally
come to earth and rule all nations.
It is when this Beast power decides to fight Christ that it will
be only 10 nations giving their mind to the beast man. Until then
this Beast of Europe can have dozens that are part of it (Rev.17:
12-15)
I've told you many times on this Website HOW the end of this age
will unfold - it is so written and it WILL so come to pass. You
who are reading this have been told before it comes. You need to
realize prophecy is taking shape right before your eyes, and you
need to be on God's side. You need to come out of her, the
Babylon of this world, that you be not partakers of her sins that
you receive not of her plagues.
He that has an ear to hear should hear!!
Keith Hunt
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