By COGwriter
While nearly everybody has heard of Europe, many do not know much about it and most do not know what is prophesied to happen to it.
Europe gets its name from Europa of Roman/Greek mythology. Essentially all Teutonic languages, except English, call Europe, Europa.
The Church of God (COG) has long taught that the last, and most dangerous, resurrection of the Roman empire will take place in Europe. We in the Continuing Church of God realize that this empire is represented by as a "beast" throughout the books of Revelation and Daniel. We also understand that there is a woman, representing some type of church, that Revelation shows rides that beast Revelation 17:3,7). Some within the Roman Catholic Church also tend to teach that there will be another resurrection of the "Holy Roman Empire" in Europe, but their view towards it is that it is a tool for good.
This article will discuss some of that as well as certain myths, news items, and facts of history that tie Europe into some of the prophecies in the Book of Revelation and other parts of the Bible. (Most of the prophetic section is in the last 1/2 of this article.)
Here is are links to related videos: European history and the Bible, Europe In Prophecy, The End of European Babylon, and Can You Prove that the Beast to Come is European?
Here is a version of the story of Europa from the San Diego State University website:
Zeus Lovers...One night Europa had a dream. In this dream two continents, which were in the forms of women were arguing over Europa. Asia maintained that since Europa had been born in Asia she belonged to it. The other continent, which was nameless, said that her birth was not important, that Zeus would give her to it. It was early morning, disturbed by the dream Europa did not go back to sleep. She summoned her companions, who were all daughters of nobility and of her age. It was a beautiful day and they went off gathering flowers by the sea. Zeus noticed this charming group, particularly Europa, who was the prettest [sic] of the maidens…Zeus appeared to the group as a white bull. A white bull more beautiful then any other…The bull laid down in front of Europa. She slid on to its back. Instantly, the bull charged off, plunging into the sea, and began to swim rapidly from the shore. Europa saw that a procession had joined them, Nereids riding dolphins, Triton blowing his horn, even Poseidon. From this she realized that the bull must be a god. She pleaded with him to pity her. Zeus spoke to her and explained his love. He took her to Crete, where he had been raised. He promised that she would bear him many famous sons (Hunt J.M. Zeus Lovers. http://edweb.sdsu.edu/people/bdodge/scaffold/GG/zeusLover.html, 4/9/04).
Notice that the story claims that Europa was actually born in Asia (some accounts say Europa was raped, others suggest she was seduced, by Zeus). Supposedly, according to other stories, once she was made "immortal" the continent was named after her.
Astarte, often called the 'queen of heaven', is widely believed to be of Asian origin. Ishtar/Astarte/Eostre (from where the name Easter is derived) was a Babylonia goddess. This woman was probably originally based upon Semiramis (the mother of Nimrod of Genesis 10:8-9), who was considered the first queen of Babylon. Semiramis had herself deified as the mother of the god Damu and installed as the "queen of heaven" pictured in the constellation Cassiopeia. She is sometimes shown as a virgin with child, while she was widely believed to originally have been a harlot.
A connection between Astarte (the 'queen of heaven') and Europa was noticed long ago. The following account was written by one called Lucian in the second century:
In Phoenicia is another great temple which the people of Sidon keep. They say it belongs to Astarte, and Astarte ... is Selene the Moon. The Emperor Elagabalus, being the Sun, brought Astarte the Moon from Phoenicia and wedded her. But she was not originally or at any time primarily the moon; and in Babylonia, as Ishtar, she had for Her emblem a star, the planet Venus. But one of the priests told me it belongs to Europa, sister of Cadmus. She was daughter of King Agenor; and after she vanished, Phoenicians honored her with that temple, and told a holy tale about her that says she was beautiful; Zeus desired her and transformed himself into the likeness of a bull, and then snatched her away and bore her on his back to Crete. That same story I heard from other Phoenicians as well; and the coinage which the Sidonians use depicts Europa sitting on the bull that is Zeus. Nonetheless, they do not agree that the temple is that of Europa. The temple itself contained, in later days at least, a painting of the Europa episode. The story was also localized at Tyre, where the house of Agenor and the bower of Europa were shown and where in the eighth century the people still mourned the abduction in a feast called the kake'opsin'. The name Europa is considered Greek; whether this particular myth is Cretan or Phoenician in origin the evidence does not seem sufficient to determine (Peri Tes Syries Theoy De Dea Syria Concerning the Syrian Goddess by Lucian of Samosata 2nd Century C.E., http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Lofts/2938/deasyria1.html 4/08/04).
Here is another view of the story:
According to Greek mythology the chief Greek god Zeus fell in love with the human daughter of the Phoenician king, named Europa; in the shape of a white bull he abducted her, and had three sons through her. In order to 'make up' for his behavior, she was honored by naming a continent after her: Europa. This 'love' affair, though illegal, is 'covenantal behavior.' And giving names to territories is also 'covenantal behavior'. Zeus can be identified as Satan (Rev. 2:13). Has he tried, by establishing a false covenantal relationship with this continent, to have a 'legal' claim on this continent?...As mentioned, Europa was a Phoenician princess. In Syria she was equated with Astarte, an adaptation of the demonic principality named in the bible as the queen of heaven. She is also known as Ishtar. One of Ishtar's sacred symbols was the bull. At Knossos the queen-priestess represented the 'mother goddess,' the queen of heaven. Bulls were sacred; bull-games had a very important...Europe bore him three sons, one of whom was Minos. Then Europe married Asterios, the king of Crete (Bos, Helene. EUROPE, WHAT'S IN THE NAME? February 2004. http://216.239.41.104/search?q=cache:ercf9u3roXgJ:www.joelnews.nl/NameofEurope.doc+europa+consolation+continent+named&hl=en&i.e.=UTF-8 4/8/04).
Finally, here is another version of the story of Europa from the Greek government:
The final destination was Crete and in particular Gortyna where Zeus was joined in a "sacred marriage" with Europa, beneath a plane tree which has never lost its leaves ever since. It is interesting that the coins of Gortyna found had maintained the memory of this scene. One can see Europa seated on the trunk of the sacred tree, while on the other side of the coin the bull looks at her for one last time…She was worshipped with the name of Hellotis and at the celebrations, the Hellotia a celebration of joy for the blossoming of nature, people used to weave wreaths around her thighs as an indication of fertility. It was believed that Europa was initially a nymph, daughter of Oceanus. This version coincides with the myth of cosmogony in that the lands arose from the ocean. According to another similar version, Europa seems to be the personification of a brilliant meteor or a bright star. Europa, the daughter of Telephassa, "the one who shines from afar", might have been a figure for the moon, each morning eloping with the solar bull and each night appearing brilliant on the dark sky (Hellenic Republic, Ministry of Foreign Affairs http://www.mfa.gr/english/greece/through_time/mythology/europa.html 4/10/04).
Apparently then, Europa was originally considered to be a nymph. It should perhaps also be noted that nymphs were unmarried semi-goddesses that frequently were involved in fornication in mythology. Many accounts of Europa also mention that she had a least two kingly husbands. And she seems to be tied in to "the queen of heaven."
It is also interesting to note that Lucian reported that there was an ancient coin pictured Europa riding a beast. Interestingly, the Greeks currentlyhave a similar coin. The 2 Euro coin in Greece (a couple of which this author actually owns as I have been to Greece a few times) has a woman riding a beast on one side of it:
Thus, the story of Europa riding a beast it still a symbol for modern Europe.
The Bible itself warns about worship of the 'queen of heaven.' Jeremiah 7:18-20 states:
The children gather wood, the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead dough, to make cakes for the queen of heaven; and they pour out drink offerings to other gods, that they may provoke Me to anger. Do they provoke Me to anger?" says the LORD. "Do they not provoke themselves, to the shame of their own faces?" Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: "Behold, My anger and My fury will be poured out on this place--on man and on beast, on the trees of the field and on the fruit of the ground. And it will burn and not be quenched.
Lest the comments about female symbology seem to be all negative, it needs to be understood that two different women are represented in the Book of Revelation--one approved (Revelation 12), while the other condemned (Revelation 17).
Some practices associated with this Queen of Heaven are currently promoted by Rome. Notice a condemnation of one from Jeremiah 44:
17 But we will certainly do whatever has gone out of our own mouth, to burn incense to the queen of heaven...
The Church of Rome has candles, etc. burned for its non-biblical version of Mary, who they also call the Queen of Heaven (see Mary, the Mother of Jesus and the Apparitions). I have personally witnessed this in numerous Roman Catholic churches in Europe, and elsewhere.
Revelation 12 uses the analogy of a woman who brought forth Christ and needs to flee to the wilderness and receive God's protection (she represents the church). The final verse of that chapter concludes with:
17 And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ (Revelation 12:17).
Thus, it is clear that the offspring of the woman in Revelation 12 includes those in the true Church as they are the ones who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. These must be those in the true church--but this is NOT the Queen of Heaven!
2 John also appears to use the analogy of a good woman ("the elect lady" 2 John 1) as a symbol the church. And the Apostle Paul does as well in Ephesians 5:25-32)--and these references cannot all be related to "Mary" as some Greco-Roman Catholics seem to wish to believe as the woman is shown to be on the earth and to need physical protection (Revelation 12:13-16)--Mary, who died long ago, would not (for more on Mary and the documented Roman Catholic position, see Mary, the Mother of Jesus and the Apparitions). Even Roman Catholic bishops have repeatedly approved writings that say this was woman is NOT Mary. And obviously, since Revelation is understood to have been written well AFTER Mary died, then the future prophetic references in Revelation 12 could not possibly have been referring to her.
Now there is also a second 'church' woman in Revelation. The woman in Revelation 17:3 is unfaithful and she rides a scarlet beast with seven heads and ten horns. According to Revelation 12:3, there is a dragon that also shares those same characteristics:
"behold, a great, fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads."
It is the dragon in Revelation 12:17 that goes to make war against those who keep God's commandments. The woman that rides this beast in Revelation 17 is not representative of the true church--in a sense it is the eighth church mentioned in the Book of Revelation. (It is also "eighth" in the sense that it endorses worship on the "eighth" day. This is documented in the article Which Is Faithful: The Roman Catholic Church or the Continuing Church of God?).
Thus, there are two distinct women, representing two differing churches, in the Book of Revelation (articles of related interest may be What Does Rome Teach About Early Church History? and Location of the Early Church: Another Look at Ephesus, Smyrna, and Rome). One whose offspring keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ (Revelation 12:17;19:7). While the other commits fornications with the kings of the earth and rides a dragon-like beast (Revelation 17:1-7).
To learn more about the true one, check out the free online booklet: Where is the True Christian Church Today?
To learn what church most closely holds to the original beliefs, check out the free online booklet: Beliefs of the Original Catholic Church: Could a remnant group have continuing apostolic succession?
Interestingly, even Roman Catholic scholars often teach that the Apostle John's references to Babylon in the Book of Revelation (circa 95 A.D.) are references to Rome. Notice what the commentary in the Rheims' New Testament, the Catholic accepted translation of the Latin Vulgate Bible into English, states:
The author of the Commentaries upon the Apocalypse set forth in St. Ambrose name, writeth thus: This ... sometime signifieth Rome, specially which at that time when the Apostle wrote this, did persecute the Church of God. But otherwise it signifieth the whole city of the Devil, that is, the universal corps of the reprobate. Tertullian also taketh it for Rome, thus, Babylon (saith he) in St. John is a figure of the city of Rome, being so great, so proud of the Empire, and the destroyer of the saints. Which is plainly spoken of that city, when it was heathen, the head of the terrene dominion of the world, the persecutor of the Apostles and their successors, the seat of Nero, Domitian, and the like, Christ's special enemies, the sink of idolatry, and false worship of the Pagan gods (Annotations on Chapter 17 of the Apocalypse. The Original And True Rheims New Testament Of Anno Domini 1582. Prepared and Edited by Dr. William G. von Peters. Ph.D. 2004, copyright assigned to VSC Corp. Page 583).
The woman sits on a scarlet beast, which is full of blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns (illustrating the close relationship between the historical city of Rome and the beast, the symbol of the Roman Empire, see Revelation 17:3). This woman (Rome) has been called Babylon the great and is drunk with the blood the saints and martyrs (see 17:5-6). (Kurz, W. What Does the Bible Say About the End Times? A Catholic View. Servant Books, Cincinnati. Nihil Obstat: Kistner H., Schehr T.P. Imprimi Potest: Link F., Paul J.M. Imprimatur: Carl K. Moeddel, Vicar General and Auxillary Bishop, Archdiocese of Cincinnati, July 19, 2004, pp. 165,166)
Thus, Roman Catholic scholars often realize that it was commonly understood from the earliest times that Apostle John's biblical references to Babylon are referring to Rome. It should probably also be mentioned since "Mystery Babylon" of Revelation 17:9 sits on seven hills/mountains, yet the Babylon of Mesopotamia was on a plain, that obviously, this is a changed location from the Babylon of Old Testament times.
Therefore, despite the false claims of some Protestant 'prophecy' watchers, this is not the Babylon near the Euphrates. Furthermore that one was not to arise again according to scripture:
63 Now it shall be, when you have finished reading this book, that you shall tie a stone to it and throw it out into the Euphrates. 64 Then you shall say, 'Thus Babylon shall sink and not rise from the catastrophe that I will bring upon her. And they shall be weary.'" Thus far are the words of Jeremiah. (Jeremiah 51:63-64)
However, Bible prophecy reveals the coming final Babylon is a northern power, also called the "King of the North" (Daniel 11:40) sometimes this final Babylon is referred to as "the daughter of Babylon" in the end times in Jeremiah 50:41-42 and apparently Zechariah 2:6-7. Hence prophetic Babylon comes from a different geographical location. (Ancient Babylon was NOT a northern power, but end time Babylon is.) Even Roman Catholic writers realize that the "Babylon" Jeremiah speaks most often of Jeremiah 51 is the "Roman Empire" as opposed to the ancient Babylon (Kurz, p. 49).
Polycarp, a disciple of the Apostle John, may have been the first Christian leader who specifically identified a leader of the Roman Empire with the number 666 (please see the article SDA/CCOG Differences: Two Horned Beast of Revelation and 666). And Polycarp even once went to Rome in the second century to warn the Roman Bishop Anicetus not to observe Passover on a Sunday as well as to denounce the one who first tried to teach that the Christian Godhead existed as three hypostases (Valentinus).
On a related note, in the late second century, Irenaeus, who claimed to have met Polycarp, wrote:
Valentinus came to Rome in the time of Hyginus, flourished under Pius, and remained until Anicetus. Cerdon, too ... Marcion, then, succeeding him, flourished under Anicetus ...
But Polycarp also was not only instructed by apostles, and conversed with many who had seen Christ, but was also, by apostles in Asia, appointed bishop of the Church in Smyrna ... always taught the things which he had learned from the apostles, and which the Church has handed down, and which alone are true. To these things all the Asiatic Churches testify, as do also those men who have succeeded Polycarp down to the present time -- a man who was of much greater weight, and a more stedfast witness of truth, than Valentinus, and Marcion, and the rest of the heretics. He it was who, coming to Rome in the time of Anicetus caused many to turn away from the aforesaid heretics to the Church of God, proclaiming that he had received this one and sole truth from the apostles ... (Irenaeus. Adversus Haeres. Book III, Chapter 4, Verse 3 and Chapter 3, Verse 4).
Then also Lateinos (LATEINOS) has the number six hundred and sixty-six; and it is a very probable [solution], this being the name of the last kingdom [of the four seen by Daniel]. For the Latins are they who at present bear rule: I will not, however, make any boast over this (Irenaeus. Against Heresies. Book V, Chapter 30, Verse 3).
It should thus be clear that the idea of tying the Latin leader of Rome with 666 and the last worldly kingdom prophesied by Daniel has been around for ages (more details can be found in the article SDA/CCOG Differences: Two Horned Beast of Revelation and 666).
Church of God writers have long tied prophecies in Isaiah 10 and Psalm 83 related to Assyria in with the final King of the North European Beast power who will spark WWIII (see Hoeh H. Germany in Prophecy! Part 2. Plain Truth, January 1963 and Hoeh H. U.S. and Britain Admit NAZI UNDERGROUND Behind Arab Crisis! Plain Truth, October 1958).
Now, back in the third century, famous Roman Catholic theologian and Bishop Hippolytus tied Assyria in with the Antichrist/King of the North power:
But Isaiah also speaks thus: "And it shall come to pass, that when the Lord has performed His whole work upon Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, He will punish (visit) the stout mind, the king of Assyria, and the greatness (height) of the glory of his eyes"... For when he has the power, he will begin to exalt himself against God, neither in truth fearing God, nor regarding the Son of God ... And Isaiah also to the like effect: “Forasmuch as the people refuses ... therefore, lo, the Lord brings up upon you the water of the river, strong and full, even the king of Assyria.” By the king he means metaphorically Antichrist ... (Hippolytus. On the Antichrist, chapters 16, 57).
Although he believes that the final Antichrist springs from the tribe of Dan (Ibid, chapter 15), Hippolytus seems to be connecting attributes of the King of the North who exalts himself above God (Daniel 11:36-37) with the king of Assyria (Isaiah 8:3-8; 10:5-11) who is punished in Isaiah 10:12. The Bible is clear that Assyria will be an end time northern power that God will punish per Zephaniah 2:13-15, which seems to go along with Revelation 18:1-10. Jerome, in his passage involving Assur and Germany, also mentioned Antichrist, hence he may have continued with an aspect of Hippolytus' view.
The famous third century Greco-Roman Catholic theologian and Bishop Victorinus tied Assur the Antichrist/Beast power of Revelation 11:7; 13:1):
7:2..."Then shall there be peace for our land, when there shall arise in it seven shepherds and eight attacks of men; and they shall encircle Assur," that is, Antichrist ...
11:7. And the beast which ascends from the abyss. After many plagues completed in the world, in the end he says that a beast ascended from the abyss. But that he shall ascend from the abyss is proved by many testimonies; for he says in the thirty-first chapter of Ezekiel: Behold, Assur was a cypress in Mount Lebanon. Assur, deeply rooted, was a lofty and branching cypress -- that is, a numerous people -- in Mount Lebanon, in the kingdom of kingdoms, that is, of the Romans. (Victorinus. Commentary on the Apocalypse. Translated by Robert Ernest Wallis. From Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 7. Edited by Alexander Roberts, James Donaldson, and A. Cleveland Coxe. (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1886.) Revised and edited for New Advent by Kevin Knight. <http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0712.htm>)
Notice that Victorinus tied end time Assur (Assyria) in with representing the Beast and kingdom of the Romans during the time of Antichrist. This is somewhat consistent with prophecies in Isaiah 10:5-11, though his reference was Ezekiel 31:3-9.
More on Assyria/Assur can be found in the following:
Germany's Assyrian Roots Throughout History Are the Germanic peoples descended from Asshur of the Bible? Have there been real Christians in Germanic history? What about the "Holy Roman Empire"? There is also a You-Tube video sermon on this titled Germany's Biblical Origins.
Germany in Biblical Prophecy Does Assyria in the Bible equate to an end time power inhabiting the area of the old Roman Empire? What does prophecy say Germany will do and what does it say will happen to most of the German people? Here are links to two sermon videos Germany in Bible Prophecy and The Rise of the Germanic Beast Power of Prophecy.
How is any of this information relevant to the current continent of Europe?
Biblically we have seen that a type of woman (who seemingly represents the main religion of Europa) is associated with the dragon, is associated with secular governments (17:2), and is involved with persecution of the saints:
1 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and talked with me, saying to me, "Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters, 2 with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication."
3 So he carried me away in the Spirit into the wilderness. And I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast which was full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. 4 The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication. 5 And on her forehead a name was written:
MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
6 I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And when I saw her, I marveled with great amazement. (Revelation 17:1-6, NKJV)
Is there any church who has approved of or ordained emperors, kings, and other leaders of Europe throughout history? Is there any church, which rules from the famed 'city of seven hills' (Revelation 17:9), that has instigated persecution of what it calls 'heretics' throughout its history?
And if so, how did this alliance between Europe and a church take place?
It should first be noted that the ancient Roman religion had ties to the mystery cults of ancient Babylon. Roman Emperors were the head of the State religion and held the title Pontifex Maximus.
As it turned out the Roman Catholic Church, and most historians, credit the Roman Emperor Constantine for making a changed Greco-Roman version of 'Christianity' the religion of the Roman Empire.
But what kind of Christianity? Well a kind that claims to have a Pontifex Maximus.
In the 300s A.D., Constantine was having some dissension within his empire. Prior to a battle, he claimed to have received a vision from heaven that he should conquer in the sign of a military type of cross,
In 312, the Roman Emperor Constantine I the Great was in Trier, Germany where he had an unexpected vision of a cross that appeared in the sky with the haunting words, “In hoc signum vinces” (“In this sign you conquer”). The Emperor was buoyed by the apparition and encouraged his 20,000 troops for the upcoming bloody battle against Maxentius and his 100,000 men. Constantine’s soldiers, the majority of whom were pagans, placed the sacred image of the cross on their shields (Mangan C.M. In This Sign You Conquer, 10/15/03 Copyright © 2004 Catholic Online).
He {Constantine} said that about noon, when the day was already beginning to decline, he saw with his own eyes the trophy of a cross of light in the heavens , above the sun, and bearing the inscription , Conquer by this...in his sleep the Christ of God appeared to him with the same sign which he had seen in the heavens , and commanded him to make a likeness of that sign which he had seen in the heavens , and to use it as a safeguard in all engagements with his enemies....At dawn of day he arose, and communicated the marvel to his friends: and then, calling together the workers in gold and precious stones, he sat in the midst of them, and described to them the figure of the sign he had seen, bidding them represent it in gold and precious stones...Now it was made in the following manner. A long spear, overlaid with gold, formed the figure of the cross by means of a transverse bar laid over it. On the top of the whole was fixed a wreath of gold and precious stones; and within this, the symbol of the Saviour's name, two letters indicating the name of Christ by means of its initial characters, the letter P being intersected by X in its centre...(Eusebius. The Life of Constantine, Chapters 28,30,31).
Well, a majority of compromised confessors of Christ liked this, and Constantine brought some bishops to Rome and exalted them. They in turn exalted him, and he crowned himself Pontifex Maximus (also spelled Pontificus Maximus or Pontifax Maximus). Pontifex Maximus was a title that the earlier Roman emperors had taken for themselves signifying that they were the bridge between God and humankind. With that title one essentially is claiming to be the true physical and spiritual leader of the world.
The title Pontifex Maximus had been held by many Roman Emperors, including Constantine. Here is a report from The Catholic Encyclopedia about the early reign of Constantine:
Could not Sol Deus Invictus, to whom even Constantine dedicated his coins for a long time, or Sol Mithras Deus Invictus, venerated by Diocletian and Galerius, become the supreme god of the empire? Constantine may have pondered over this. Nor had he absolutely rejected the thought even after a miraculous event had strongly influenced him in favour of the God of the Christians…As pontifex maximus he watched over the heathen worship and protected its rights (Herbermann, Charles, and Georg Grupp. Constantine the Great. The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 4. Nihil Obstat. Remy Lafort, Censor. Imprimatur. +John M. Farley, Archbishop of New York. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1908. 1 Sept. 2008 <http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04295c.htm>).
In 313, Constantine had issued the Edict of Milan which began with:
When I, Constantine Augustus, as well as I Licinius Augustus fortunately met near Mediolanurn (Milan), and were considering everything that pertained to the public welfare and security, we thought -, among other things which we saw would be for the good of many, those regulations pertaining to the reverence of the Divinity ought certainly to be made first, so that we might grant to the Christians and others full authority to observe that religion which each preferred.
That is what most Greco-Roman Catholics and many Protestants want remembered--as they have tended to endorse Constantine's version of "Christianity." But this was the sheep's clothing over the true anti-Church of God wolf lying beneath.
Constantine's decree also stated:
And thus, by this wholesome counsel and most upright provision we thought to arrange that no one should be denied the opportunity to give his heart for the observance of the Christian religion, of that religion that he should think best for himself, so that the Supreme Deity, to whose worship we freely yield our hearts, may show in all things His usual favor and benevolence. ...
Therefore, your Worship should know that it has pleased us to remove all conditions whatsoever, which were in the rescripts formerly given to you officially, concerning the Christians and now any one of these who wishes to observe Christian religion may do so freely and openly, without molestation. We thought it fit to commend these things most fully to your care that you may know that we have given to those Christians free and unrestricted opportunity of religious worship. When you see that this has been granted to them by us, your Worship will know that we have also conceded to other religions the right of open and free observance of their worship for the sake of the peace of our times, that each one may have the free opportunity to worship as he pleases ; this regulation is made we that we may not seem to detract from any dignity or any religion. (Goldstein N. Religion and State. Infobase Publishing, 2010, p. 190)
But Emperor Constantine later decided to go against his own decree! According to Eusebius' Life of Constantine, Book III chapter 18, in the fourth century, the sun-god worshiping Roman emperor Constantine stated the following concerning the date of Passover:
Let us then have nothing in common with the detestable Jewish crowd; for we have received from our Saviour a different way.
Jesus never stated that the Jews were detestable (He was a Jew) nor that He wanted to change the date of Passover. Constantine endorsed changing the date of Passover to a Sunday, whereas the original Christians kept it on the 14th of Nisan, the same date as the Jews.
Constantine decreed circa March 7, 321:
Let all judges, the people of cities, and those employed in all trades, remain quiet on the Holy Day of Sunday. Persons residing in the country, however, can freely and lawfully proceed with the cultivation of the fields; as it frequently happens that the sowing of grain or the planting of vines cannot be deferred to a more suitable day, and by making concessions to Heaven the advantage of the time may be lost (Code of Justinian, Book III, Title XII, III. THE JUSTINIAN CODE FROM THE CORPUS JURIS CIVILIS. Translated from the original Latin by Samuel P. Scott. Central Trust Company, Cincinnati, 1932).
It may be of interest to note that although the Bible calls the seventh-day Sabbath holy (Exodus 20:8), it never does call Sunday holy. This edict was clearly a compromise away from biblical Christianity. And this edict had a major effect of the Western world:
There is a large body of civil legislation on the Sunday rest side by side with the ecclesiastical. It begins with an Edict of Constantine, the first Christian emperor, who forbade judges to sit and townspeople to work on Sunday (Slater T. Transcribed by Scott Anthony Hibbs. Sunday. The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume XIV Copyright © 1912 by Robert Appleton Company Online Edition Copyright © 2003 by K. Knight).
The bolded quote shows one of the first official intertwinings of European politics and Roman Catholic doctrine--even though the foundations were being laid in the mid-late second century (how the Greco-Roman confederation attained the influence to become predominant in the third century is discussed in the article The History of Early Christianity).
Some have indicated that Sunday may be the "mark of the Beast" (see also Mark of the Beast and The Mark of Antichrist). Certain Catholic published positions seem to lean in that direction as the following indicate:
“Sunday is our mark of authority. . . .The church is above the Bible, and this transference is proof of that fact.” The Catholic Record, September 1, 1923.
“Of course the Catholic Church claims that the change (from Saturday to Sunday) was her act. It could not have been otherwise, as none in those days would have dreamed of doing anything in matters spiritual and religious without her, and the act is a mark of her ecclesiastical power and authority in religious matters.” The Catholic Mirror, September 23, 1893.
(as reported in: Wehr J. Who Are These Three Angels? Hartland Publications, 1997, p. 112)
Interestingly, here is what Tertullian of Carthage (in eastern Egypt) noted near the beginning of the third century:
Mithra there, (in the kingdom of Satan,) sets his marks on the foreheads of his soldiers (Tertullian. The Prescription against Heretics, Chapter 40. Translated by Peter Holmes, D.D., F.R.A.S.)
Constantine had been a follower of Mithras, and Sunday was Mithras' day (more information on Mithras can be found in the article Do You Practice Mithraism?).
When Constantine established Sunday as a day of rest (which Greco-Roman Catholics now call the "eighth day"), he, and those that followed him, apparently wanted to ignore what is written in the Book of Hebrews 4:4,9-11 (using both Protestant and Roman Catholic translations):
4 For somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day in these words: "And on the seventh day God rested from all his work." ... 9 There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; 10 for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his. 11 Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience (NIV).
4 as one text says, referring to the seventh day: And God rested on the seventh day after all the work he had been doing ... 9 There must still be, therefore, a seventh-day rest reserved for God's people, 10 since to enter the place of rest is to rest after your work, as God did after his. 11 Let us, then, press forward to enter this place of rest, or some of you might copy this example of refusal to believe and be lost. (NJB)
About one year after conquering the Eastern empire, and thus resurrecting the combined Roman empire, Emperor Constantine convened the Council of Nicea in 325 AD that declared:
1) The Roman Sun-day or day of the Sun was to be the Christian sabbath.
2) Rules regarding seasonal prayers, penance, and indulgences.
3) That the Greco-Roman Catholics believed that Jesus was God in some fashion.
4) Passover would be on Sunday and not the biblical date of Nisan 14
The last point above was somewhat a follow-up to the Quartodeciman controversies where Polycarp assured Ancicetus that Passover was to be celebrated on the 14th of Nisan according to what he had learned from the Bible and the Apostle John (the term "Quartadecima" means fourteenth, a reference to the 14th day of Nisan of the Hebrew calendar). And then the dissession decades later between Polycrates and the Roman Catholic Bishop of Rome Victor where Polycrates argued in a letter against accepting a false Sunday date (Polycrates did not accept that Victor had that authority to enforce such a change above the Bible or the practices of the original apostles).
So in 325 A.D., approximately one hundred and thirty years after Polycrates' letter, Emperor Constantine (at the Council of Nicea) made sure that his form of 'Christianity' would not keep the Passover on the correct date--the sun-worshipping Constantine insisted on Sunday for his empire.
It should be noted that the Bible clearly shows:
For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. Therefore let us keep the feast (I Corinthians 5:7b-8a).
Yet it is reported that, "The Council also fixed the time for observing Easter" (Nicene Councils. World Book Encyclopedia, 1966) after again deciding against proper Passover observance (in continuance of the position taken during the quartodeciman controversy).
The Catholic Encyclopedia states:
The emperor himself, writing to the Churches after the Council of Nicaea, exhorts them to adopt its conclusions and says among other things: "At this meeting the question concerning the most holy day of Easter was discussed, and it was resolved by the united judgment of all present that this feast ought to be kept by all and in every place on one and the same day" (Easter Controversy. The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume V Copyright © 1909 by Robert Appleton Company Online Edition Copyright © 2003 by K. Knight).
It should be noted that apparently several historians (and translators) have forgotten that it was not the date of Easter, but the date that was originally Passover that the Council claimed to decide. The Catholic Epiphanius noted this when he wrote in the mid-4th century:
... the emperor ... convened a council of 318 bishops ... in the city of Nicea ...They passed certain ecclesiastical canons at the council besides, and at the same time decreed in regard to the Passover that there must be one unanimous concord on the celebration of God's holy and supremely excellent day. For it was variously observed by people ..."(Epiphanius. The Panarion of Epiphanius of Salamis, Books II and III (Sects 47-80), De Fide). Section VI, Verses 1,1 and 1,3. Translated by Frank Williams. EJ Brill, New York, 1994, pp.471-472).
Eventually, those in parts of Europe changed the name from Passover to Easter. Easter is another name for the Babylonian goddess Ishtar (which can be pronounced as Easter), the so-called 'queen of heaven.' And of course, "the queen of heaven" is also a title that has been given to Europa, for whom the continent of Europe is named.
However, it may be even more astounding to note it has been reported that:
More Christians were killed (by other Christians!) in the first century after the Council of Nicea than had been killed by pagans in the century before Nicea. Constantine, only one year after convening the Council of Nicea, had his own son (Crispus) put to death. Later he suffocated Fausta (his wife) in an overheated bath. Then he had his sister's son flogged to death and her husband strangled. (1) It was also during the reign of Constantine that the cross became a sacred symbol in Christianity, just as it had been in pagan religions. (2) Throughout his reign, Constantine treated the bishops as political aides. He agreed to enforce whatever opinion the majority of the bishops formulated (Chaimberlin RA. Anti-Judiasm and the Council of Nicea. From Petah Tikvah Magazine Vol. 14, No. 3, http://www.yashanet.com/library/antisem.htm 4/28/04).
Of course, it should be understood that those in the faithful Church of God do not believe those doing or supporting any of those killings were truly Christian (for more information, please see the article COGs and Military Service). But it was not until the time of Constantine that even the majority of Greco-Romans who professed Christ decided to ignore the Bible and tradition and become militaristic.
Also, a year after the Council of Nicea, Constantine sanctioned the confiscation and destruction of all works that challenged 'orthodox' teachings - works by pagan authors that referred to Jesus, as well as works by "heretical" Christians. He also arranged for a fixed income to be allocated to the Church and installed the bishop of Rome in the Lateran Palace--that particular building is THE cathedra as far as the Church of Rome is concerned. Constantine's views were clearly the beginning of a new type of persecution: a persecution for not being a 'Constantinian Christian.'
To enforce persecution against Christians who did not accept Constantine's doctrines, around 332, Constantine issued what is known as the Edict Against the Heretics:
Victor Constantinus, Maximus Augustus, to the heretics. “Understand now, by this present statute, ye Novatians, Valentinians, Marcionites, Paulians, ye who are called Cataphrygians, and all ye who devise and support heresies by means of your private assemblies, with what a tissue of falsehood and vanity, with what destructive and venomous errors, your doctrines are inseparably interwoven; so that through you the healthy soul is stricken with disease, and the living becomes the prey of everlasting death. Ye haters and enemies of truth and life, in league with destruction! All your counsels are opposed to the truth, but familiar with deeds of baseness; full of absurdities and fictions: and by these ye frame falsehoods, oppress the innocent, and withhold the light from them that believe. Ever trespassing under the mask of godliness, ye fill all things with defilement: ye pierce the pure and guileless conscience with deadly wounds, while ye withdraw, one may almost say, the very light of day from the eyes of men. But why should I particularize, when to speak of your criminality as it deserves demands more time and leisure than I can give? For so long and unmeasured is the catalogue of your offenses, so hateful and altogether atrocious are they, that a single day would not suffice to recount them all. And, indeed, it is well to turn one’s ears and eyes from such a subject, lest by a description of each particular evil, the pure sincerity and freshness of one’s own faith be impaired. Why then do I still bear with such abounding evil; especially since this protracted clemency is the cause that some who were sound are become tainted with this pestilent disease? Why not at once strike, as it were, at the root of so great a mischief by a public manifestation of displeasure? (Chapter LXIV.—Constantine’s Edict against the Heretics)
“FORASMUCH, then, as it is no longer possible to bear with your pernicious errors, we give warning by this present statute that none of you henceforth presume to assemble yourselves together. We have directed, accordingly, that you be deprived of all the houses in which you are accustomed to hold your assemblies: and our care in this respect extends so far as to forbid the holding of your superstitious and senseless meetings, not in public merely, but in any private house or place whatsoever. …
And in order that this remedy may be applied with effectual power, we have commanded, as before said, that you be positively deprived of every gathering point for your superstitious meetings, I mean all the houses of prayer, if such be worthy of the name, which belong to heretics, and that these be made over without delay to the catholic Church; that any other places be confiscated to the public service, and no facility whatever be left for any future gathering; in order that from this day forward none of your unlawful assemblies may presume to appear in any public or private place. Let this edict be made public.” (Chapter LXV.—Constantine’s Edict against the Heretics)
Thus, began more official persecution from a combined Church and State in the old Roman Empire (see also Persecutions by Church and State). Some (probably a minority) of those referred to as Paulians (Paulicians) and Cataphrygians were part of the true Church of God (please see the article The Churches of Revelation 2 & 3). Note that they are condemned for private assemblies and being haters of truth. Apparently Constantine felt that supporting the biblical sabbath, the biblical Passover, and other biblical doctrines were against his non-Christian version of the truth.
It is important to understand that Constantine, himself, was not baptized as any type of 'Christian' until he was lying on his deathbed in 337, thus remained declared sun worshiper essentially all his life. Even many of the coins he had produced after he allegedly saw a type of cross in the sky pictured the sun-god on them.
Even in the fourth century, Constantine's declarations against "heretics" did not stop everyone from properly observing Passover. Therefore, Theodosius, a later Roman Emperor, decreed the death penalty for those who followed the biblical teachings on this matter:
Edicts of Theodosius against the heretics, A.D. 380-394...Theodosius...decreed that...by the death of the offender; and the same capital punishment was inflicted on the Audians, or Quartodecimans, who should dare to perpetrate the atrocious crime of celebrating on an improper day the festival (Gibbon E. Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Volume III, Chapter XXVII. ca. 1776-1788).
Is killing those that followed the example of Jesus and John to observe the Passover on the 14th instead of Sunday a sign of a true Christian leader or a sign of supporting Antichrist?
Was the true Church to be the persecuted or the persecutors (see Persecutions by Church and State)? Persecution of those who held to original Christianity is what happened from edicts European-based Roman Emperors (more on early, original, Christian beliefs can be found in the free online booklet Continuing History of the Church of God).
After Constantine, persecutions against the true Church of God and others continued (of course, prior to Constantine, the Roman empire did persecute the Greco-Roman Catholics, those in the COG, as well as others--but after Constantine, persecution was limited to those who did not accept the State form of "Christianity").
In 364 A.D. the Council of Laodicea declared:
CANON XXIX. CHRISTIANS must not judaize by resting on the Sabbath, but must work on that day, rather honouring the Lord's Day; and, if they can, resting then as Christians. But if any shall be found to be judaizers, let them be anathema from Christ (THE COMPLETE CANONS OF THE SYNOD OF LAODICEA IN PHRYGIA PACATIANA).
Although some Roman Catholics point out that the bishop of Rome did not attend this Council, the fact is that he did nothing to stop the Council's declaration from being implemented.
While Roman Catholics refer to many early 'Bishops of Rome' as popes, the reality is that the term pope, or more specifically Pontifex Maximus, was not held by the Bishops of Rome until a few decades after Constantine.
A few decades after Constantine died, the Roman Emperor Gratian refused the title of pontifex maximus. Here is one report:
Pontifex Maximus ... Gratian refused the pontifical robe. He was the last Roman emperor to hold that title, for the college of Pontiffs was abolished under Emperor Theodosius in 395 C.E. (White C. The Emergence of Christianity. Greenwood Publishing Group, 2007 p. 89).
However, Roman Catholic sources confirm that the Bishop of Rome Siricius quickly picked up the title:
SIRICIUS, ST. (384-399) ... was the first to assume the title of pope from the Greek papa meaning father (Lopes A. The Popes: The lives of the pontiffs through 2000 years of history. Futura Edizoni, Roma, 1997, p. 13).
The title pope (papa) ... It was apparently in the fourth century that it began to become a distinctive title of the Roman Pontiff. Pope Siricius (d. 398) seems so to use it (Ep. vi in P. L., XIII, 1164) (Joyce G. H. Transcribed by Gerard Haffner. The Pope. The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume XII. Copyright © 1911 by Robert Appleton Company. Online Edition Copyright © 2003 by Kevin Knight. Nihil Obstat, June 1, 1911. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York).
This adoption of pagan titles raised concerns amongst many, including faithful Christians.
Pontifex Maximus Siricius was reigning during the time that the Council of Constantinople pronounced the death sentence on those who kept to the biblical date of Passover and that initiated persecution against those that would not accept the trinitarian formula adopted at that Council (see also Did the True Church Ever Teach a Trinity).
Catholic Cardinal Newman wrote about a developing connection between the Pontifex Maximus (Pope) being identified as Antichrist as early as about this time:
Now, one of the first questions which it is natural to ask on entering upon the subject is, whereas the Pope is said to be Antichrist, sometimes from the fourth, sometimes from the seventh century, when was he first detected and denounced, and by whom?
On this point Dr. Todd supplies us with much information, from which it appears that the belief that the Pope was Antichrist was the conclusion gradually formed and matured out of the belief that the Church of Rome was Babylon, by three heretical bodies, between the eleventh and sixteenth centuries, in consequence of their being submitted to persecution for their opinions:
"In the middle of the eleventh century, numerous emigrants from Thrace and the East had established themselves in the north of Italy, and especially in the neighbourhood of Milan; and some, despising a fixed habitation, or unable to obtain one, itinerated throughout various parts of France and Germany. The doctrines of these sects exhibit various shades of extravagance and error, and appear to have had a close affinity with the Oriental Manichees or Paulicians, from whom they are historically descended...they despised all external religion, ridiculed the office and powers of the priesthood, the efficacy of the Sacraments, and especially the use of baptism."—Pp. 28-30.
These were the Albigenses, the first of the three independent families of heresy above mentioned...It would appear from these that the Albigenses founded their opposition to the Church on a Manichæan principle, viz., that, as there was an evil deity, and he the author of the visible world, so was he author also of the visible Church, which in consequence was "the devil's basilica and synagogue of Satan," and, in the language of the Apocalypse, "the mother of fornications." (Newman JH. The Protestant Idea of Antichrist. [British Critic, Oct. 1840]. Newman Reader -- Works of John Henry Newman. Copyright © 2004 by The National Institute for Newman Studies. http://www.newmanreader.org/works/essays/volume2/antichrist1.html viewed 12/03/07).
What the Cardinal seems to be teaching is that beginning in the fourth-seventh century one or two groups apparently began to feel that the Pontifex Maximus was an antichrist and that one who calls himself Pontifex Maximus may be the final antichrist. The Bishops of Rome did not refer to themselves by the pagan title of Pontifex Maximus (literally meaning the "greatest bridge-builder" between mortals and the gods) until the late 4th century--hence that it probably why they began to be referred to as "anti-Christ" or at least his representative back then.
But their cooperation with State authorities and the related perssecutions made it clear to some of the faithful that a horrible persecuting Beast power had developed (cf. Daniel 7; Revelation 13). More on Antichrist can be found in the article Doctrines of Antichrist.
The title Pontifex Maximus it is currently still used by the bishops of Rome. Actually, if you visit Rome, you can see a variety of monuments that have the letters P.M. on them, and signifying that the Bishop of Rome is the Pontifex Maximus. Since Pontifex Maximus was a term used to show that the pagan emperors should be worshiped and were a bridge between God and man, no true Christian would want their leader to use such a title (the first century heretic Simon Magus was perhaps the first associated with Christianity to want to hold a similar position).
Various forms and waves of persecution of true Christians have occurred throughout European history, with perhaps the Spanish Inquisition of the late middle ages the most famous.
One Protestant scholar noted this about "Pontifex Maximus" Innocent III and those who followed him:
The next major step in the establishment of the Inquisition was taken by Innocent III ... In the West, the same pope launched a "Crusade" against the Cathars, or Albigenses, of Southern France in 1208 ... In the second century of the Christian Era, most Christians refused to take up arms at all.. One millennium later, Christians were not only fighting for the church against "infidels" who had conquered ancient biblical lands, but against other Christians, heretical ones, who only asked to be able to live in peace on their ancestral soil ... No matter how dreadful the use of violence against the dualistic Albigenses was, it must be acknowledged that their heresy is incompatible with Christianity, indeed with biblical religion as such ... Perhaps for medieval popes the crucial factor that caused them to condemn dissidents was really the dissidents' rejection of papal authority (Brown HOJ. Heresies: Heresy and Orthodoxy in the History of the Church. Hendrickson Publishers, Peabody (MA), 1988, p. 260-261).
Notice that the Protestant scholar seems to feel that murdering Cathars and Albigenses who simply wanted to live in peace (but were not accepting of the Greco-Roman trinitarian position) is more compatible with Catholic/Protestant "Christianity" than being faithful to the teachings of Christ and the early Christians who were against warfare. Are the real heretics those who were faithful to New Testament teachings against warfare or those who changed those teachings and killed?
Later, the famous inquisition also in southern France, began in earnest in 1233 when Pope Gregory IX charged the Dominican order with wiping out Cathari (their name means Puritan, and that is where the Puritan developed from) and others they considered to be heretics. There is a long history of European church leaders attempting to eliminate those part of, or sympathetic to, the Church of God (some of this is discussed in the article The Churches of Revelation 2 & 3).
And while it is true that the Catholic Church sometimes had problems with some protesting European leaders, most of these persecutions against the Church of God had some type of blessing from those claiming to be representatives the Roman Catholic Church or its Eastern Orthodox relative.
Many countries, especially in Latin America, officially became Roman Catholic in the 1800s or so, thus making it difficult for true Christians to exist without social and other difficulties.
Some persecutions have been direct, but most have been implementations based upon interpretations by politicians of statements made by Greco-Roman Catholic leaders. Yet, these persecutions do not seem to be over yet.
In the early 21st century, a Roman Catholic supporter wrote:
I believe, heart and soul, that we must begin a REAL Crusade, the First Crusade of the 21st Century. Now, by calling for a crusade, I mean one in which all are united under the banner "In Hoc Signo Vinces" (In His Sign we shall conquer). The "sign" is that of the Cross of Christ. Under this banner there can be but one voice (Una voce) crying out to God to bring harmony, unity within Holy Mother Church through the Pontificate of Pope John Paul II (In this Sign you will conquer with One Voice. Cyndi Cain's SYMPHONY OF SUFFERING column www.DailyCatholic.org September 3-5, 2001 volume 12, no. 148).
Since many died the first time "In Hoc Signo Vinces" was raised as a battle cry, how many would die now if political leaders started to heed these types of statements?
What church, or combination of churches, fits the description of the woman that rides the beast who is "drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus"? Sadly, carnal warfare is endorsed by most Catholic leaders.
Even Pope John Paul II considered that the military is part of the Roman Church's teaching of peace:
The Church's teaching on the subject of peace is an essential aspect of her social doctrine. Grafted onto very ancient roots, it continued to develop in the past century in a sort of "crescendo" which culminated in the Pastoral Constitution "Gaudium et Spes," in the Encyclicals of Bl. John XXIII and of the Servants of God Paul VI and John Paul II, as well as in their Addresses to the United Nations Organization and their Messages for each World Day of Peace.
This insistent appeal for peace has influenced Western culture, fostering the ideal that the Armed Forces are "an exclusive service for the security and freedom of peoples" (John Paul II, Address, Third International Convention of Military Ordinariates; ORE, 23 March 1994, n. 5, p. 6). (Benedict XVI. Giving Priority to the Soldier's Christian Formation. Vatican translation of the address Benedict XVI delivered in the Vatican on Oct. 26 to the participants in the 5th International Congress of Military Ordinariates. From http://www.zenit.org/english/ 11/13/06 ).
Notice that in the above, the pontiff equates the use of the military part the Roman Catholic Church's teaching on peace. And while not all associated with the Roman Church endorse war or persecutions, sadly history continually demonstrates that some leaders associated with it often have. (Two articles of possibly related interest may include Persecutions by Church and State and Military Service and the Churches of God.)
In Daniel 2:31-33, Daniel reports that a great image (which is another way to look at the Beast of Revelation) has two legs, which suggests two halves or two main parts of the Beast:
31 This great image, whose splendor was excellent, stood before you; and its form was awesome. 32 This image’s head was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, 33 its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. (Daniel 2:31-33)
Historically, the “Roman Empire” often had two parts: a Western (Rome) and Eastern (Constantinople) one, with the center of power switching sometimes throughout the ages.
Essentially, the Council of Laodicea was apparently from the eastern leg (sometimes referred to presently as the Orthodox Church) of the image in Daniel 2 (vs. 33).
The old Worldwide Church of God taught that it could be Western and Eastern/Central Europe that would consistent the two feet:
.As students of Bible prophecy understand, the "ten horns" (10 nations or groups of nations) of Revelation 17 correspond to the 10 toes on the great statue described in Daniel 2. The prophecy of Daniel reveals that these 10 entities will constitute a political system that will exist at the return of Jesus Christ to establish the Kingdom of God on this earth (Dan. 2:44-45).
There are, of course, five toes on each foot. This may well indicate that, as historically, the coming reconstituted Roman Empire will include elements of both Western and Central Europe! (Central Europe as used here, refers to that tier of states west of Russia and east of the nations of Western Europe.) (Stump K. Ahead ... Religious Unity of Europe. Plain Truth, April 1982)
Note the above was published long BEFORE of the old Soviet Union collapsed.
The late Pope John-Paul II once publicly stated that the Roman and Orthodox Churches were the two lungs of the church, which suggests that they mutually are supportive, as two legs are. Hence Pope John-Paul II has acknowledged that the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches are two parts of the same body. They apparently make up the two legs and somewhat the two feet (with ten toes) of the image of the Beast warned against in Daniel 2:33.
Here is what Pope John Paul II specifically stated:
By rediscovering the great cultural treasures of the Christian East, in a new dialogue of communion, we will also allow Christian witness to breathe at this level, with two “lungs“, making our rightful contribution to humanity’s future (Pope John Paul II. CHRISTIANITY HAS DEEPLY MARKED CULTURE OF PEOPLES. Angelus, 1 September 1996. Taken from: L’Osservatore Romano, Weekly Edition in English, 4 September 1996, “L’Osservatore Romano is the newspaper of the Holy See”. http://www.ewtn.com/library/PAPALDOC/JP960901.HTM viewed 11/16/07).
The Orthodox apparently agreed that they were and are one of the lungs as the Orthodox Metropolitan John of Pergamon stated to John Paul II:
As Your Holiness has aptly put it some years ago, East and West are the two lungs by which the Church breaths; their unity is essential to the healthy life of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church (Speeches of Pope John Paul II and Metropolitan John of Pergamon. Made in private audience following a Mass to celebrate the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul. Rome, 28 June 1998. http://www.orthodoxresearchinstitute.org/articles/ecumenical/john_pergamon_john_paul2.htm viewed 11/16/07).
Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, then Pope Benedict XVI (now deceased), interestingly wrote of Europe (the Mediterranean continent) and its two "wings," Greek and Latin:
In the process of replacing boundaries, the conceptual continuity with the preceding Mediterranean continent ... was assured by a theological interpretation of history: in connection with the Book of Daniel, the Roman Empire--renewed and transformed by the Christian faith -- was considered to be the final and permanent kingdom in the history of the world in general, and therefore the association of peoples and states that was taking shape was defined as the permanent Sacrum Imperium Romanum [Holy Roman Empire]. (Raztinger J. Europe today and tomorrow: addressing the fundamental issues. Translated by Michael Miller. Ignatius Press, 2007, p. 13)
We can consider the rise of the Carolingian Empire, on the one hand, and the continuation of the Roman empire in Byzantium and its mission to the Slavic people, on the other, as the true and proper birth of the continent of Europe ... (ibid, p. 17)
Greco-Christian, European culture of Byzantium ... one of the two wings of Europe (ibid, p. 18).
Latin [that is, Western] Europe ... (ibid, p. 19)
…the Christian idea of empire ... the sacred foundation for history ... (ibid, p. 20)
The two halves of the old Europe, before the modern era, had known essentially only one opponent that it had to confront in a life-or-death battle, namely, the Islamic world. (ibid, p. 22)
Believing Christians should ... contribute to Europe’s recovery of the best of its heritage and thus to the service of all mankind. (ibid, p. 34)
The successor to the Roman empire was the so-called “Holy Roman Empire.” Thus, even the former Pope Benedict XVI considered that the “Holy Roman Empire” is part of the image in Daniel 2 and that one leg/wing represents the Roman/Latin Catholic west with the other the Eastern/Greco/Byzantine east. Cardinal Ratzinger also seems to be teaching that the “Holy Roman Empire” is the last part of the image of Daniel 2 and he is suggesting that it is a good thing.
Yet, he seems not to realize that in the end, God intentionally destroys the image, by attacking the last part (striking the feet it stands upon in Daniel 2:34,44) which demonstrates that God was not pleased with this image or its supposedly “sacred foundation.”
Since the Bible is clear that God will destroy the final formation of that empire (Daniel 2:34,40-44), the development of a unified Europe to fulfill this is not something that should be encouraged. (It is also of interest that Cardinal Ratzinger pointed out Europe’s historic opponent Islam, as both biblical prophecy–like Daniel 11:40-43–and Greco-Roman Catholic private prophecy seem to tell of a time that the Europeans will defeat the forces of Islam once again.)
It should also be noted that the Eastern Orthodox Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew (whose “official title” is His All Holiness, Bartholomew I, Archbishop of Constantinople, New Rome and Ecumenical Patriarch) wrote:
Today, then, it is our obligation more than ever to reclaim the Christian roots of Europe and the spiritual, sacramental and doctrinal unity that it enjoyed prior to the schism of our two Churches. The re-evangelization of our peoples is “today, more so than ever before, timely and necessary, even within traditional Christian lands,” as we admitted and confessed in common here exactly one year ago.
Thus, we believe that Western and Eastern Europe must cease regarding themselves as foreign to one another…
Elder Rome has the foremost St. Peter as its apostle and patron. New Rome, Constantinople, has the brother of St. Peter, the first-called of the apostles, Andrew. Both invite us to the fraternal unity that they shared with each other and that can only be acquired when the cross becomes our point of reference and experience of approach.
Let us, therefore, beseech these two brothers and greatest of apostles that they may grant peace to the world and lead everyone to unity. (Bartholomew I’s Letter to Vatican Delegation. Zenit. December 5, 2007 http://www.zenit.org/article-21198?l=english).
The Patriarch of Constantinople is generally considered the first among equals within the Eastern Orthodox “sees.” Even if this unity with the Romans occurs (which it basically will), individually the Orthodox Must Reject Unity with the Roman Catholics as unifying will make them part of Babylon (according to both biblical and Roman Catholic prophecy) and turn to the "faith once for all delivered to the saints" (Jude 3).
As far as the feet of clay go, notice something from the EU Observer:
20 January 2022
Power in Europe is becoming more intergovernmental and less democratic. ...
The world today is a very inhospitable place for the giant on clay feet that the EU has grown into. (Sophie in 't Veld. Macron's vision will hit EU Council veto buffers. https://euobserver.com/opinion/154133)
The prophecy in Daniel 2 is coming to pass.
Consider also tat Pope Francis has called on his followers to reclaim the ‘Christian roots’ of Europe:
For his mission intention, the Holy Father prays “that Europe may rediscover its Christian roots through the witness of believers.” (Unemployed Remembered in Pope’s June Prayer Intentions, Also Prays Europe Can Rediscover Its Christian Roots. Vatican City, May 30, 2014. http://www.zenit.org/en/articles/unemployed-remembered-in-pope-s-june-prayer-intentionsviewed 05/30/14)
Pope Francis keeps pushing an agenda that will not be good.
I strongly believe the Orthodox Must Reject Unity with the Roman Catholics and have had this published back in 2007 on the internet and in The Journal: News of the Churches of God. Furthermore, many ecumenical meetings and pronouncements have been coming from those groups (for documented details see Ecumenism Advancing). I also believe this is very dangerous for Protestants (for documented details, see Beware: Protestants Going Towards Ecumenical Destruction!) and Roman Catholics as well (for documented details, please see Why Should American Roman Catholics Fear Unity with the Orthodox?).
Despite biblical warnings, the Church of Rome wants a united Europe with an ecumenical bent:
EU Bishops call for solidarity in EuropeFor the first time ever, a meeting of a national Bishops’ Conference took place in Brussels. Under the Chairmanship of Cardinal Schönborn, the Plenary Assembly of the Austrian Bishops gathered together from 5 to 8 November in the COMECE premises to deliver a clear sign of support for Europe. “Europe needs Solidarity from all quarters “ explained Cardinal Schönborn.“As COMECE President, I am glad that such a meeting is taking place in the EU capital,” said Cardinal Marx. “It shows the Catholic Church is willing to accompany the project of European integration at all levels: the universal one, through representation of the Holy See to the EU; the European one, through activities of the permanent COMECE Secretariat in Brussels; but also at national level, through the participation of Catholic Bishops’ Conferences in the political and ethical debates on the EU. My wish therefore is that this meeting inspires other Bishops from EU Member States to follow a similar initiative.“ http://www.indcatholicnews.com/news.php?viewStory=21406
Interestingly, the Roman Catholic saint Jerome recognized that the Prophet Daniel warned against such a Roman kingdom when he commented on Daniel 2:
Verse 40. “And there shall be a fourth empire like unto iron. Just as iron breaks to pieces and overcomes all else, so it shall break to pieces and shatter all these preceding empires. ...” Now the fourth empire, which clearly refers to the Romans, is the iron empire which breaks in pieces and overcomes all others…
While they are all included in the one Empire of the Romans, we recognize at the same time those kingdoms which were previously separate. And as for the next statement, “. . .devouring and crushing, and pounding all the rest to pieces under his feet,” this signifies that all nations have either been slain by the Romans or else have been subjected to tribute and servitude…”. . .And I saw that the beast was slain and its body perished.” In the one empire of the Romans, all the kingdoms at once are to be destroyed, because of the blasphemy of the Antichrist.
... the other beast whose name was not specified but which represented the kingdom of the Romans (Jerome. Commentary on Daniel, Chapters 2,7,12. Translated by Gleason L. Archer. (1958). http://www.tertullian.org/fathers/jerome_daniel_02_text.htm viewed 07/30/11)
The Vatican has repeatedly called for more influence in Europe. Notice some other items from Pope Francis:
September 14, 2015
Pope Francis: ... Europe has to take on it’s role: that is, to recover her identity. It’s true that Europe went wrong. I’m not throwing it back in her face. I’m reminding of it: nothing more. When I wanted to speak of her identity, I didn’t recognize, perhaps, the deepest part of her identity, which are her Christian roots, right? …
And now, with this Jubilee of Mercy, I hope that many people feel the Church a mother, because the same thing can happen to the Church as to Europe, right? To be too much of a grandmother and not a mother, right? and unable to generate life, right? http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/full-text-of-pope-francis-interview-with-portuguese-radio-station-44460/
Francis, the first non-European pope in 1,300 years, said he was afraid of "very dangerous alliances among (foreign) powers that have a distorted vision of the world: America and Russia, China and North Korea, (Vladimir) Putin and (Bashar al-)Assad in the war in Syria." ...
Pope Francis was also quoted as saying Europe should adopt a federal structure as soon as possible or "it won't count for anything in the world" http://www.reuters.com/article/us-g20-germany-pope-idUSKBN19T09W
June 3, 2019
“We are all responsible for the European Union,” stressed the Holy Father, while Romania held for another month the presidency of the EU. “If Europe doesn’t look thoroughly at the future challenges, Europe will suffer, it will be reduced. It’s about not letting it become “grandmother Europe,” but to take up the mystique of the Founding Fathers.”
“Europe needs to be itself, to have its own identity, its own unity. There is a globalization where the cultures of all are respected, but all united. Please, let Europe not be defeated by pessimism or by ideologies. At present, Europe isn’t attacked by cannons or bombs, but by ideologies; ideologies that aren’t European, that come from elsewhere, or are born in small groups,” he continued.
As a sign of his concern, the Pontiff asked believing journalists to “pray” for Europe to “become again the dream of the Founding Fathers.” https://zenit.org/articles/ecumenism-emigration-europe-themes-of-popes-press-conference-zenit-was-on-papal-flight/
Pope Francis wants a powerfully unified Europe! Pope Francis, along with the United Nations and others, seems to believe that his way will result in peace. The time will come when there is a type of ‘peace deal’ in the Middle East per Daniel 9:27. The Vatican would be expected to promote/endorse such a deal, but that deal will NOT last also according to Daniel 9:27 (see also The ‘Peace Deal’ of Daniel 9:27).
Sadly, history records that the Orthodox and the Roman Catholics were part of the old Roman Empire, that they both have had efforts to persecute the true Church of God (please see the article Persecutions by Church and State), and the Bible indicates that together they (with others) will accept a changed version of their religion and fulfill prophecies related to Babylon.
Does the Bible or other evidence show any relationship between Rome, Europe, and the Queen of Heaven? Are there connections to Europe in the 21st century?
In Jeremiah 44:25-28, the Bible states:
Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, saying: 'You and your wives have spoken with your mouths and fulfilled with your hands, saying, "We will surely keep our vows that we have made, to burn incense to the queen of heaven and pour out drink offerings to her." You will surely keep your vows and perform your vows!' "Therefore hear the word of the LORD, all Judah who dwell in the land of Egypt: 'Behold, I have sworn by My great name,' says the LORD, 'that My name shall no more be named in the mouth of any man of Judah in all the land of Egypt, saying, "The Lord GOD lives."'Behold, I will watch over them for adversity and not for good. And all the men of Judah who are in the land of Egypt shall be consumed by the sword and by famine, until there is an end to them.
In other words, God was not happy that people wanted to worship the queen of heaven and He would punish them for it.
He also has other warnings about her modern, 21st century, versions.
Revelation 17:1-6 states:
Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and talked with me, saying to me, "Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters, 2 with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication." 3 So he carried me away in the Spirit into the wilderness. And I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast which was full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. 4 The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication. 5 And on her forehead a name was written: MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. 6 I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And when I saw her, I marveled with great amazement.
There still is a queen of heaven worshiped throughout the world. And she has become an interesting part of the symbol of the European Union.
Who, according to the Roman Catholics is the queen of heaven?
There version of Mary, of course. There is even a praise song with the expression:
Ave regina caelorum (Hail, Queen of Heaven). It is one of the four Antiphons of the Blessed Virgin sung in the Divine Office in turn throughout the year (Ave Regina. Catholic Encyclopedia, 1907).
Interestingly, there was even a Roman Catholic order founded in 1889 called The Daughters of the Queen of Heaven (Queen's Daughters. The Catholic Encyclopedia, 1914). Hence, this queen of heaven has official daughters (there are many unofficial ones {like the other churches that descended from Rome} as well). (For more about Mary, please see the article Mary, the Mother of Jesus and the Apparitions.)
Obviously, Europa, who comes from Greek mythology (and before the time of Jesus) is not Mary of the Bible. Yet, some of the carvings claimed to be their faces are about the same and it is likely that there will be more of a connection made in the future between the two.
There is something called Nuestra Señora de Europa or Virgen de Europa; a Roman Catholic action declared that the European continent was consecrated under the protection of "Our Lady of Europe" in the early 14th century. Since after Europa was supposedly made immortal, the continent of Europe was named after her, in a sense it would be under her dominance/protection. So, this may be considered as another tie between the two.
The EU itself has Europa symbols all around it and even put Europa's face on some Euro notes (EU Plans to Put Picture of Woman Who Rode the Beast on Euro Notes). So, that "Queen of Heaven" is embedded within the current European Union.
Regarding European symbols, did you realize that although there were 15 nations in 1953 involved in the initial Council of Europe, a twelve star flag was adopted in 1955?
But why use twelve stars? Why hasn't the Council of Europe (which has 46 member states, including the EU--which has 27 member nations, with several other nations waiting to join) used another number or changed it?
There seem to be two reasons.
The first is that Mary is prominent in an unusual way in the new European Union as she was the "inspiration" for its flag. According to the Times Online (November 16, 2005):
"The chosen flag was designed by Arsene Heitz, a German Roman Catholic who said that he had been inspired by a line in the Book of Revelation about the Virgin Mary wearing a crown of 12 stars, a common depiction in Christian iconography."
Hence, we see a clear tie between Mary (called the "Queen of Heaven" by the Roman Catholics) and the flag for the European Union. The final European power will also be a religious one (Revelation 13:4,8).
Note: Many Roman Catholics now believe that the reason that Mary has been shown with the twelve stars is that she is the one specifically mentioned in Revelation 12:1. However, this interpretation of Revelation 12:1 is a change of Roman Catholic tradition as in the third century and the twentieth century notice what was taught:
"Victorinus said this is "the ancient church of fathers, and prophets, and saints, and apostles" (Ante-Nicene Fathers, VII, 355) {Source: from The Wycliffe Bible Commentary, Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1962 by Moody Press}.
The woman of chapter 12 is not the Blessed Virgin Mary. The ancient interpreters beginning with Hippolytus and Methodius understood this was a figure of the Church. (Kramer HB. The Book of Destiny. Nihil Obstat: J.S. Considine, O.P., Censor Deputatus. Imprimatur: +Joseph M. Mueller, Bishop of Sioux City, Iowa, January 26, 1956. Reprint TAN Books, Rockford (IL), p. 276)
Thus, in the third and fourth centuries, prominent bishops like Hippolytus, Victorinus, and Methodius did not believe that Revelation 12:1 referred to Mary--they believed it referred to the church (more quotes and details on this are in the article Mary, the Mother of Jesus and the Apparitions).
Mary worship, etc. was NOT a major factor in the Roman Catholic Church for quite some time as even The Catholic Encyclopedia even admits "we do not meet with any clear traces of the cultus of the Blessed Virgin in the first Christian centuries" (see also Mary, the Mother of Jesus and the Apparitions).
Rome has made MANY changes (see also the free online book:Beliefs of the Original Catholic Church: Could a remnant group have continuing apostolic succession?).
As far as Marian symbols go, Vatican News concurs that the EU flag has intended Marian symbols:
The symbol of Europe was conceived by a Catholic and tomorrow, for the first time, the statue of Our Lady of Fatima will be carried past the EU Parliament building ...
Lorenzo Fontana and Mario Borghesio said the arrival of the statue of Our Lady of Fatima in Strasbourg is “a unique event.” “Few people know that the symbol of unified Europe has exquisitely Marian origins, as the European Union’s official flag proves with its twelve stars and the Virgin Mary’s blue and white colours.”…
A competition was held in order to choose the flag and French Catholic designer Arsène Heitz won. The meaning of the flag’s symbolism can be found in an image of Marian devotion ...
Heitz was inspired by the “Miraculous Medal” he wore around his neck: a medal named after apparition of the Virgin Mary to St Catherine Laboure in 1830. It was the Virgin Mary who told the nun to have twelve stars struck on the medal, in representation of the the stars on the crown worn by the woman in the Book of Revelation. Saint Bernadette Soubirous also had a necklace made of tin and string around her neck when the Virgin Mary appeared to her on 11 February 1858, dressed in white and blue.
Arsène Heitz did not reveal the symbol’s biblical origin (he only did so later on), but claimed the number twelve was meant to symbolise ancient wisdom, a “symbol of completeness”. This interpretation stuck and the number was confirmed in the constitutional treaty. So the European flag has a powerful Christian and Marian significance. Tomorrow Mary will “take back” the EU. (Galeazzi G. Symbolism of EU flag is Marian. Vatican News, October 22, 2012. http://vaticaninsider.lastampa.it/en/inquiries-and-interviews/detail/articolo/europa-europe-19118/
(It may be of interest to note that the statue claimed to be the Lady of Fatima does not look like what the three children who saw the apparition in Fatima described it. For details, including pictures of the Fatima statue and what was really seen, please check out the book Fatima Shock! What the Vatican Does Not Want You to Know About Fatima, Dogmas of Mary, and Future Apparitions. In addition to the print version, there is a Kindle version of Fatima Shock! which you can acquire in seconds.) It should also be noted that the Coat of Arms for the EU military has the same twelve stars and appears to be based upon the EU flag (to see it, go to EU Looking for a New Military Structure Without UK).
The second reason for 12 stars may, at least indirectly be because of private Roman Catholic prophecies concerning 12 kings at the end.
Notice:
St. Francis of Paola (Born in Italy, 15th century). "By the grace of the Almighty, the Great Monarch will annihilate heretics and unbelievers. He will have a great army, and angels will fight at his side. He will be like the sun among the stars. His influence will spread over the whole earth. All in all, there will be on earth twelve Kings, one Emperor, one Pope and a few Princes. They will all lead holy lives." (Dupont, Yves. Catholic Prophecy. TAN Books, 1973, p.38)
The above shows that many Roman Catholics will believe that God is on the side of the one the Book of Revelation calls the beast--who they call "the Great Monarch" (additional specific prophecies are listed in the articles The Great Monarch: Biblical and Catholic Prophecies and Who is the King of the North?).
Hence the flag seems to tie Roman Catholic symbols in with a "Queen of Heaven" and a the future European Emperor--one who is expected in the 21st century (see also Could God Have a 6,000 Year Plan? What Year Does the 6,000 Years End?).
A peculiar part of the above prophecy is that many Roman Catholics seemingly believe that there will be twelve kings associated with the beast (who they often seem to look forward to as "the Great Monarch"), yet the Bible states Europe will reorganize and that there are ten kings (Daniel 7:24; Revelation 17:12; see also Must the Ten Kings of Revelation 17:12 Rule over Ten Currently Existing Nations?).
However, this is not necessarily a contradiction. Daniel 7:24 says the last kingdom arises from ten kings, while Revelation 17:12 states that ten kings will give their power to the beast. However, it may be that after the beast power is fully formed, that he may add two additional kings and/or perhaps some princes. Of course, another way to get twelve is to consider the Beast and Antichrist as kings, in addition to the 10, or to simply conclude that the Roman Catholic prophecy is in error.
And the great army?
Here are two Roman Catholic, two Protestant, and one Jewish translation of that biblical prophecy:
15 The king of the north ... 25 He will summon up his might and courage against the king of the south with a great army (Daniel 11:15,25, NJB).
15 And the king of the north ... 25 And his strength and his heart shall be stirred up against the king of the south with a great army (Daniel 11:15,25, DRB).
15 Then the king of the north ... 25 And he shall stir up his power and his heart against the king of the south with a great army. (Daniel 11:15,25, ESB).
15 So the king of the north ... 25 "He shall stir up his power and his courage against the king of the South with a great army. (Daniel 11:15,25, NKJV)
15 And the king of the north ... 25 And he shall stir up his power and his courage against the king of the south with a great army; (Daniel 11:15,25, JPS).
So, do not heed any who say that Europe will not end up with a "great army."
And getting one is clearly consistent with a Catholic 'Great Monarch" prophecy.And interestingly, some Greco-Roman Catholic private prophecies tie Mary in with a future leader of Europe. Here are three that seem to do that:
The Ecstatic of Tours ... "The revolution will spread to every French town. Wholesale slaughter will take place. This revolution will last only a few months but it will be frightful; blood will flow everywhere because the malice of the wicked will reach its highest pitch. Victims will be inumerable. Paris will look like a slaughter-house. Persecutions against the Church will be even greater, but it will not last long...Many bishops and priest will be put to death. The archbishop of Paris will be murdered...At this juncture, the French people will turn back to God and implore the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Mary Immaculate... "The French people will ask for the good King, he who was chosen by God. He will come, this saviour whom God has spared for France, this King who is not wanted now because he is dear to God's Heart. He will ascend to the throne; he will free the church and reassert the Pope's rights..." (Dupont, p.37)
St. Louis-Marie Grignion De Montfort (18th century). "The power of Mary over all the devils will be particularly outstanding in the last period of time. She will extend the Kingdom of Christ over the idolaters and Moslems, and there will come glorious era when Mary is the Ruler and Queen of Hearts." (Dupont, p. 33).
Anna-Katarina Emmerick ... July 12, 1820. "I had a vision of the holy Emperor Henry. I saw him at night kneeling alone at the foot of the main alter in a great and beautiful church ... and I saw the Blessed Virgin coming down all alone ... The wine was as red as blood, and there was also some water. The Mass was short. The Gospel of St. John was not read at the end. When the Mass had ended, Mary came up to Henry (the Emperor), and she extended her right hand towards him, saying that it was in recognition of his purity. Then, she urged him not to falter ..." (Dupont, p.62)
Essentially, the above prophecies suggest that "Mary" will support the future emperor of Europe (sometimes called "the Great Monarch" in Catholic prophecies (and Mary is to have "devils" work for her) and "the Beast" and/or the King of the North in biblical ones) who is to arise up further after major unrest in Europe (to see why Baron Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg may be the beast, see the detailed article Might German Baron Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg become the King of the North?). It seems likely that it will be apparitions supposedly of Mary combined with the performance of "signs and lying wonders" (2 Thessalonians 2:7-9) apparently involving "sorcery" (Revelation 18:21; Isaiah 47:8-9), that will help persuade many otherwise irreligious Europeans to unite behind a future ecumenical "Catholic" leader.
It perhaps should be mentioned that various European leaders have called for a 'Christian' Europe--including two considered to be somewhat opposites:
Merkel: Germany doesn’t have “too much Islam” but “too little Christianity
November 15, 2010
Chancellor Angela Merkel urged Germans debating Muslim integration to stand up more for Christian values, saying ...
“We don’t have too much Islam, we have too little Christianity. We have too few discussions about the Christian view of mankind,” she said to applause from the hall.
Germany needs more public discussion “about the values that guide us (and) about our Judeo-Christian tradition,” she said. “We have to stress this again with confidence, then we will also be able to bring about cohesion in our society.” (Merkel: Germany doesn’t have “too much Islam” but “too little Christianity”. Reuters, November 15, 2010. http://blogs.reuters.com/faithworld/2010/11/15/merkel-germany-doesnt-have-too-much-islam-but-too-little-christianity/)
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s speech at the 29th Bálványos Summer Open University and Student Camp
July 29, 2018
I have formulated five tenets for the project of building up Central Europe. The first is that every European country has the right to defend its Christian culture, and the right to reject the ideology of multiculturalism. http://www.kormany.hu/en/the-prime-minister/the-prime-minister-s-speeches/prime-minister-viktor-orban-s-speech-at-the-29th-balvanyos-summer-open-university-and-student-camp
These calls are significant, as they lay the groundwork for others to build on this theme. And the Europeans will get more religious.
"Catholic" prophetic writings strongly suggest that visions of one claiming to be Mary are extremely likely to be a major unifying factor for the European Beast power and its future allies around the world.
Furthermore, notice the following:
St. Thomas a'Becket (12th Century). St. Thomas says:
"A knight shall come from the West. He shall capture Milan, Lombardy, and the three Crowns. He shall then sail to Cyprus and Famagoste and land at Jaffa, and reach Christ's grave where he will fight. Wars and wonders shall befall till the people believe in Christ toward the end of the world."
Notice that St. Thomas says wars and wonders will precede a resurgence in belief in Christ during the latter times (Birch, p. 255). {The comments in italics were from Birch personally}.
The Bible is absolutely clear that "signs and lying wonders" will be associated with the final Beast power (which some private "prophecies" call the "Great Monarch") and the final Antichrist. Notice:
9 The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, 10 and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, 12 that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12).
It seem that such signs and lying wonders will be factors in the final emergence of the European Beast power (see also 2 Thessalonians 2:7-12 and Mary, the Mother of Jesus and the Apparitions). And that is consistent with various "Catholic" writings as well. It should also be noted that many Orthodox and Roman Catholics expect signs and wonders will announce the Great Monarch, as he will be a lesser known leader before coming into power. Here is one from an Orthodox source:
Anonymou Paraphrasis (10th century): The one true King ... is destined to become manifest [be revealed] ... by means ... of signs ... The King will hear the voice and instructions by an Angel appearing to him ... he has foresight and is cognizant of the text of the prophecies ... the name of the King is hidden [concealed] among the nations ... And the particular manner of the king’s manifestation to the public [to the world] will take place as follows: A star will appear for three days ... And a herald speaking with a very loud voice in the course of the three days will summon and unveil the hoped for one ... There will become visible in the sky a ‘nebulous firmament of the sun’ ... under that image will be suspended a cross ... And the invisible herald from Heaven with his thunderous voice will say to the people: Is this man agreeable to you? At that moment everybody will be taken by fear and terror (Tzima Otto, H. The Great Monarch and WWIII in Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Scriptural Prophecies.Verenika Press, Rock City (SC), 2000pp. 30, 31, 32, 50-51,52).
Additionally, some Greco-Roman Catholic writers/accepted writings clearly have understood that the two-horned beast in Revelation 13 is likely to be an antipope:
The Didache (circa 100 A.D.): For in the last days false prophets and seducers shall be multiplied, and the sheep shall be turned into wolves, and love shall be turned into hate; and because iniquity aboundeth they shall hate each other, and persecute each other, and deliver each other up; and then shall the Deceiver of the world appear as the Son of God, and shall do signs and wonders, and the earth shall be delivered into his hands; and he shall do unlawful things, such as have never happened since the beginning of the world. (Didache, 16:3-4. Translated by C. Hoole).
Priest Herman Kramer (20th century): This false prophet possibly at the behest of Antichrist usurps the papal supremacy. (Kramer HBL, p. 319 )
Catholic writers Ted and Maureen Flynn (1993): Catholic prophecy warns us of severe problems threatening the papacy in these end times ... An Antipope will seize papal authority ... It will be those who hold fast to the truths of the faith who will be labelled as the perpetuators of this horrible schism, according to some visionaries. (Flynn, p. 255)
Priest E. Sylvester Berry (published 1920): The two horns denote a twofold authority – spiritual and temporal. As indicated by the resemblance to a lamb, the prophet will probably set himself up in Rome as a sort of anti-pope ... Antichrist will establish himself in Jerusalem ... with his ‘lying wonders’ ... (Berry ES. The Apocalypse of St. John, 1920. Quoted in Culleton RG. The Reign of Antichrist. Reprint 1974, TAN Books, Rockford (IL), pp. 199-200).
The combination of the signs and wonders associated with the Beast/Great Monarch and the final Antichrist/antipope is warned about in various prophecies, but the Bible teaches that Satan signs and sorcery will deceive many to support the coming new Bablyon (Revelation 18:21-23). Thus, Europe, which is considered to be a place that is highly irreligious is apparently going to change once various signs, apparitions, wonders, and sorceries are made manifest.
It should also be mentioned that Pope Francis seems to be the most 'Marian' pontiff in quite a long time (some details are in the article Pope Francis: Could this Marian Focused Pontiff be Fulfilling Prophecy?).
If you want a deeper understanding of these apparition/Marian matters than can be covered in short articles, you should read the book Fatima Shock! Fatima Shock! provides concerned Christians enough Catholic-documented facts needed to effectively counter every false Marian argument.
German Chancelle Angela Merkel made it clear that she wants more than an economic union for Europe:
Chancellor Angela Merkel ..."We need a so-called fiscal union," she said during an appearance on German public broadcaster ARD last week. "Which means more joint budgetary policy." Up to that point, Merkel had merely repeated that which she always demanded. But then came the new tone: "More than anything, we need a political union," she said. "That means that we must, step by step through the process, give up more powers to Europe as well and allow Europe oversight possibilities." http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/europe-looks-at-plans-for-poltical-union-and-budgetary-oversight-a-838142.html
And Europe will develop a political union, as well as have a type of religious union, as she also advocated in another speech.
Notice also the following statement made by European Member of Parliament Maria do Céu Patrão Neves back in 2009:
At a time when the world economic and financial situation is not at its best, Europe needs a strong leader who can breathe life into the European project. http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=CRE&reference=20090916&secondRef=ITEM-008&language=EN
It has also been reported:
There are powerful forces in the EU pushing for a dictatorship, which is what political union would ultimately mean.
Democracy in Europe is a fragile thing, just a couple of decades old in the continent's centre and east; only a few decades more than that in most of the rest. Only a fool with no sense of history would dismiss the possibility that authoritarianism could reassert itself, or that European soil is anything other than fertile ground for it to grow in. ...
Without coming within a million miles of being explicit about it, that was what European Commission Vice President Viviane Reding was on about yesterday in Cambridge.
"There is a strong case for a true fiscal and ultimately political union. In my personal view, the eurozone should become the United States of Europe," she said, while acknowledging Britain would not be part of it.
Political union must mean a form of dictatorship since power would be removed from the nation state -- the only political construct with a meaningful demos -- and placed in a no man's land dominated by the bureaucracy. This point surfaces now and again, but is rarely internalised. It needs to be. (The EU dictatorship they want but won't get. The Commentator, 18 February 2014. http://www.thecommentator.com/article/4735/the_eu_dictatorship_they_want_but_won_t_get viewed 11/08/14)
Right now, the European Union is kind of an empire, but without a strong leader. That strong leader will be the seventh king of Revelation 17:10. As far as the possible connections between the EU being the sixth king, check out the article: The European Union and the Seven Kings of Revelation 17.
The Bible clearly warns against a truly strong leader that it teaches will arise in Europe (Daniel 11:21-43; Revelation 13:1-10). Dictatorial political union in Europe will happen after two reorganizations (Revelation 17:12-13, see also Must the Ten Kings of Revelation 17:12 Rule over Ten Currently Existing Nations?).
Notice a couple of warnings I made about that over the years:
Similar to how Germany gave Adolf Hitler dictatorial powers in order to run Germany, the EU will ultimately give power to a European dictator (biblically called “the beast” and “the King of the North“) who will run things his way.
And for a while, he will be quite victorious.
The power transfer is prophesied in the Book of Revelation ... (Revelation 17:12-13). (Thiel B. Sweden Wants EU to Use its Battle Groups. COGwriter, September 9, 2009)
The Bible is clear that the someone who sounds like a dictator will rise up in Europe:
12 “The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority for one hour as kings with the beast. 13 These are of one mind, and they will give their power and authority to the beast. (Revelation 17:12-13)
And while now is not quite yet the dictator’s time, despite problems (Daniel 2:40-43), a major dictator in Europe (and I do not anticipate at this time that it will be Herman van Rompuy) will rise up (Revelation 13:1-8), Europe will reorganize (Revelation 17:12-13), and become the final King of the North, European Beast power of Bible prophecy (Daniel 11:21-44). (Thiel B. On ‘Europe Day’ Van Rompuy says EU ‘Never to become the United States of Europe,’ Yet Farage Says Dictatorship Planned. COGwriter, May 9, 2012).
In light of that, consider:
4 May 2017
Just half of Europeans aged 16-26 believe democracy is the best form of government. The figure was revealed in a survey that polled 6,000 young Europeans in seven countries. http://www.dw.com/en/study-reveals-half-of-young-europeans-are-skeptical-about-democracy/a-38689788
A less democratic government will come to Europe and we are starting to see signs that more there will accept it. It should perhaps also be pointed out that various ones already believe that Europe is not only not democratic, but that it fears democracy. Notice something from former Finance Minister of Greece, Yanis Varoufakis (bolding mine):
3 May 2017
In truth, Brussels is a democracy-free zone. From the EU’s inception in 1950, Brussels became the seat of a bureaucracy administering a heavy industry cartel, vested with unprecedented law-making capacities. Even though the EU has evolved a great deal since, and acquired many of the trappings of a confederacy, it remains in the nature of the beast to treat the will of electorates as a nuisance that must be, somehow, negated. ...
For all their concerns with rules, treaties, processes, competitiveness, freedom of movement, terrorism etc, only one prospect truly terrifies the EU’s deep establishment: democracy. They speak in its name to exorcise it, and suppress it . . . https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/may/03/the-six-brexit-traps-that-will-defeat-theresa-may
Perhaps it should be added that Hindus seem to be looking for a leader like the final European Beast power that they refer to as the Bhagwan Kalki (for details, see India and the Beast of Revelation 13). The Chinese also seem to have prophecies that are looking forward to a leader from the West that seems to be him as well (see Asia in Prophecy).
In 2014, the Prime Minister of Hungary called for a more autocratic leadership. Notice excerpts from one of Viktor Orbán's speeches translated into English at a Hungarian government website (bolding mine):
This, Ladies and Gentlemen, is the explanation for the fact that the most popular topic in thinking today is trying to understand how systems that are not Western, not liberal, not liberal democracies and perhaps not even democracies, can nevertheless make their nations successful. The stars of the international analysts today are Singapore, China, India, Russia and Turkey. ...
Just because a state is not liberal, it can still be a democracy. And in fact we also had to and did state that societies that are built on the state organisation principle of liberal democracy will probably be incapable of maintaining their global competitiveness in the upcoming decades and will instead probably be scaled down unless they are capable of changing themselves significantly. ...
The liberal democracy was incapable of openly stating and committing the prevailing government, including through the use of its constitutional powers, to serving the interests of the nation with their work. And it in fact challenged the very idea of the existence of national interests. It did not commit the prevailing government to accepting that Hungarians living throughout the world are part of the Hungarian nation and to try and reinforce this community through its work. The liberal democracy and liberal Hungarian state did not protect community assets. ...
And so we can safely make the statement that the liberal democracy also proved to be incapable of protecting the community assets that are required for the self-sufficiency of the nation compared and in comparison to the other states of Europe.
Hungary’s citizens are expecting Hungary’s leaders to find, formulate and forge a new method of Hungarian state organisation that, following the liberal state and the era of liberal democracy and while of course respecting the values of Christianity, freedom and human rights, can again make the Hungarian community competitive and which adheres to and completes the unfinished tasks and unperformed duties that I have just listed.
Pointing out that Russia and China are examples of how places should be governed should concern those in Europe. While mentioning Christianity will appeal to some, Victor Orbán is making the way for an autocratic state alliance with the Vatican. An alliance that the Bible warns against in Revelation 17.
In late 2016, EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker sent out a tweet over Twitter:
Trump wins … Wake up call for Europe to further unite & take charge of its own destiny (11/09/16)
Notice the following from Finian Cunningham:
America’s Nuclear Death Wish – Europe Must Rebel
29 October 2018
The Trump administration’s declared scrapping of a crucial arms control treaty is putting the world on notice of a nuclear war, sooner or later. …
With Trump intending to rip up the INF Treaty, as his predecessor GW Bush had done with the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty in 2002, Europe is now facing the disastrous prospect of American missiles being reinstalled across its territory as they were in the 1980s. However, a big distinction between then and now is that after years of expansion by NATO, European territory is at an even sharper interface with Russia’s heartland. ...
Moscow vowed ... that it will respond “militarily” if Washington goes ahead with scrapping the INF Treaty. Russia can be expected to counter by deploying shorter-range missiles that will put NATO-allied Europe in the firing line.
Surely, the European states must be asking themselves what kind of ally they supposedly have in the US. What kind of ally puts its supposed friends in the firing line, under the name of “protecting them”, while it remains at relatively safer distance?
The European Union has reacted to Trump’s announced withdrawal from the INF Treaty with horror. The EU is calling on the US to adhere to the treaty and to negotiate with Russia over purported complaints. French President Emmanuel Macron telephoned Trump, appealing that the treaty has been a vital element of Europe’s peace for the past 30 years. ...
American arrogance is fomenting a European rebellion against its death-wish criminal leaders. https://www.strategic-culture.org/news/2018/10/29/america-nuclear-death-wish-europe-must-rebel.html
The Bible shows that Europe will rebel against the USA–but worse than Finian Cunningham probably believes is possible (cf. Daniel 11:39, Lamentations 1:1-2).
I do not think most in the USA realize how concerned the European leaders became because of the rhetoric and policies of Donald Trump.
The Bible warns against what will arise in Europe, despite the fact that it will have internal problems (Daniel 2:41-44).
The Bible itself does more than just warn against the "queen of heaven" it gives more information to identify where the false religious power will be based.
Revelation 17:3,9,18 states:
3 And I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast which was full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns ... 9 Here is the mind which has wisdom: The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits ... 18 And the woman whom you saw is that great city which reigns over the kings of the earth.
It is universally recognized that the Rome is the great European city of seven mountains. This fact is also noted by various Protestant and even Greco-Roman Catholic theologians. Here are two from Roman Catholic writers:
The seven headed city is probably Rome (septicolis-- seven hills) (Dupont Yves. Catholic Prophecy. TAN Books, 1973, p.24).
Another code for the symbols of the beast is announced in Revelation 17:9: "This calls for a mind with wisdom: the seven mountains on which the woman is seated" (an obvious reference to the city of Rome built on seven hills). (Kurz, W. What Does the Bible Say About the End Times? A Catholic View. Servant Books, Cincinnati. Nihil Obstat: Kistner H., Schehr T.P. Imprimi Potest: Link F., Paul J.M. Imprimatur: Carl K. Moeddel, Vicar General and Auxillary Bishop, Archdiocese of Cincinnati, July 19, 2004, p. 165)
Other than Ammon Jordan, Rome is apparently one of few great cities in the world to have the seven hills/mountains (though there may be some less important cities with seven mountains, and there seems to be seven near Constantinople/Istanbul).
While Rome itself was the ruling city of the Western world for several centuries, the Roman Catholic Church, whose headquarters is completely within the boundaries of modern Rome, has maintained tremendous influence over kings and governments of the earth for even more centuries. And still does today. Furthermore notice that the Bible specifically warns about a certain city ruling--Vatican City, with its cathedra at St. John's Lateran--which is within the original 7 hills of Rome, is the only city that appears to have possibly had such rule since John penned the Book of Revelation.
Some dimiss this because of various misconceptions about church history. It perhaps needs to be emphasized that contrary to claims to the contrary, the Church of Rome simply does NOT have the type of Apostolic Succession that most of its followers think that it has.
It should be noted that even Roman Catholic scholars realize this:
The historical lists of the popes, from those drawn up in the second century to those of the present day, form in themselves a considerable body of literature ... Lightfoot has argued that this list originally contained nothing but the names of the bishops and the duration of their episcopates, the remaining notes being additions by a later hand ... The "Liber Pontificalis", long accepted as an authority of the highest value, is now acknowledged to have been originally composed at the beginning of the fifth century, and, as regards the early popes, to be dependent on the "Liberian Catalogue" (The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume XII Copyright © 1911 by Robert Appleton Company Online Edition Copyright © 2003 by K. Knight Nihil Obstat, June 1, 1911. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York).
ALTHOUGH CATHOLIC TRADITION, BEGINNING IN the late second and early third centuries, regards St. Peter as the first bishop of Rome and, therefore, as the first pope, there is no evidence that Peter was involved in the initial establishment of the Christian community in Rome (indeed, what evidence there is would seem to point in the opposite direction) or that he served as Rome's first bishop. Not until the pontificate of St. Pius I in the middle of the second century (ca. 142-ca. 155) did the Roman Church have a monoepiscopal structure of government (one bishop as pastoral leader of a diocese). Those who Catholic tradition lists as Peter's immediate successors (Linus, Anacletus, Clement, et al.) did not function as the one bishop of Rome (McBrien, Richard P. Lives of the Popes: The Pontiffs from St. Peter to Benedict XVI. Harper, San Francisco, 2005 updated ed., p.25).
The above statements mean that researchers in the Roman Catholic Church know that their list of papal succession was finalized long after the fact, hence it is not a reliable guide that the Roman Catholic Church had an unbroken succession of popes (though various ones associated with their beliefs have existed throughout history). This is also consistent with the previously cited reference that the first known 'bishop of Rome' to take the title "Pontifex Maximus" was not until in 384 A.D. (See also What Do Roman Catholic Scholars Actually Teach About Early Church History? and Apostolic Succession.)
Hence instead of looking to the "city of seven hills" as the bastion of faithful Christianity, the Bible seemingly warns against Rome. Furthermore, those interested in the truth, may be surprised to learn that the Church of Rome CHANGED many doctrines that many that it considered to be early saints held. For details, please see Which Is Faithful: The Roman Catholic Church or the Genuine Church of God?
Interestingly, as far back as the Book of Daniel, the Bible prophesied that a little horn would develop into what apparently is becoming a European entity. Actually what is now the EU began as a small organization involving three small countries located in the northern and western regions of Europe (Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg, called the 'Benelux' nations)--they then helped form the Council of Europe and the European Economic Community. Which expanded into the European Union (see also the article: The European Union and the Seven Kings of Revelation 17).
Notice that, the Bible prophesied that a little horn would mainly expand South and East:
And out of one of them came a little horn which grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the Glorious Land. And it grew up to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and some of the stars to the ground, and trampled them. He even exalted himself as high as the Prince of the host; and by him the daily sacrifices were taken away, and the place of His sanctuary was cast down. Because of transgression, an army was given over to the horn to oppose the daily sacrifices; and he cast truth down to the ground. He did all this and prospered (Daniel 8:9-12).
And while the above has had a past fulfillment, this prophecy seems to be dual (compare with Daniel 11:27-39). Anyway, the European Union has mainly expanded south and east of the Benelux nations. Now, approximately 450 million people are under a new, single (though not completed united) government, called the European Union, headquartered in Brussels.
The late Dr. Herman Hoeh concurred that Daniel 8 was related to the end time European King of the North power as he wrote:
Turn in your Bible to verse 9: "And out of one of them came forth a little horn, which waxed exceeding great, toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the pleasant land." ...
The King of the North
The little horn in Daniel 8 is none other than the LAST KING of one of the four divisions of Alexander's Empire. He is, in fact, the final "King of the North" described in Daniel 11. (Hoeh H. The 2300 Days. Plain Truth, August 1965)
Let me add that while some Protestants are finally starting to wake up to the reality of an emerging European superpower being the revival of the old Roman Empire to represent the Beast of Revelation, the true Church of God has known much of this since the Apostle John and Polycarp.
Furthermore, even when Europe was still recovering from being devastated in World War II, after attending a conference related to the start of the UN, in the December 1948 issue of The Plain Truth Herbert W. Armstrong predicted a coming "United States of Europe" when he wrote:
It was the SERMON that shot forth that spark, impregnating the minds of world leaders in attendance. This amazing sermon was delivered by a foremost radio speaker of the Catholic Church, Bishop Duane G. Hunt of Salt Lake City ... Without the guidance, supervision, authority of the Catholic Church, he told these men, they were laboring in vain ...
This was the Roman Catholic bid to resurrect the so-called “HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE” ! And PROPHECY says they will succeed! ... At the psychological time, the pope will step in ... Thru this political movement, he will UNIFY ... nations in Europe. It will be a “The UNITED STATES OF EUROPE,” but that probably will never become its official name. (Armstrong HW. Now It Can Be Told...The Plain Truth, December 1948, pp. 2,5).
In the past few years, Europe took significant steps to do something that the old Worldwide Church of God warned about decades ago. It is trying to get together militarily, while it appears that the USA and UK are more throwing their lot in together. Notice something published back in 1981:
Either Western Europe slides slowly into the Soviet orbit by default-- or Europe awakes to the threat, and leaders rise to the fore demanding that free Europe become a "Third Force" to protect Western civilization.
Bible prophecy predicts the latter -- that there will be yet again, for the final time, a revival of the Roman Empire in what historians call "classic Europe" -- stern and Central Europe. ...
The stage is being set for some dramatic realignments of power in Europe. ...
The Christian Science Monitor's Joseph C. Harsch, of the reconstitution of what he calls "the whole of classic Europe."
"Classic Europe" is nothing other than a new European alignment along the lines of the old Holy Roman Empire, under the Catholic aegis.
Thus, the final resurrection of the Roman Empire may be closer than you think. This will not be good news for the United States -- decoupled from Europe -- or Britain either. As British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher recently told President Reagan: "We in Britain stand with you." And a British Foreign Office source told the Associated Press: "She is convinced that Britain's lot lies with America." (Hogberg G. AMERICA and EUROPE The Falling Out Begins! Plain Truth, June-July 1981)
"Third Force" Coming
The dim outline of Europe's destined future is becoming clear. For decades -- even before the conclusion of the Second World War -- the editors of The Plain Truth have announced to readers that, based upon history and biblical prophecy -- specifically the 13th and 17th chapters of Revelation (coupled with the book of Daniel, chapters 2 and 7) -- there would eventually arise a powerful "third force" in Europe, one last reconstitution, in modern form, of the ancient Roman Empire.
For the past three decades the nations of free Europe have inch by inch coalesced into a common economic bloc. But the impetus to go beyond economics to political union has ground to a halt, crippled by national jealousies and suspicions. ...
Religion -- part of Europe's historic past that today's youth overlooks -- is critical to its future. Dr. von Habsburg regards Christianity -- in the form of the Roman Catholic Church -- as Europe's ultimate bulwark. "The cross doesn't need Europe," he says, "but Europe needs the cross."
Thus the stage is being set for that final, dramatic revival of the Roman Empire. When it actually occurs it will shock an unexpecting world (Rev. 17:8) -- all peoples except those few who understand Bible prophecy and God's Plan, and who are called in this age to be in spiritual training for the World Tomorrow. The good news is from that date onward it will be but a short step in time to that happy World Tomorrow when Jesus Christ will return the second time and the government of God and world peace will be restored to this earth. (Hogberg G. EUROPE: Winds of Change Before the Storm. Plain Truth, December 1981)
As far as reorganization of Europe goes, the Bible tells of at least two more reorganizations to come in Revelation 17:2-13 (see also Must the Ten Kings of Revelation 17:12 Rule over Ten Currently Existing Nations?).
Notice also something else Herbert Armstrong wrote:
“And in the days of these kings ... ”–it is here speaking of the ten toes, part of iron and part of brittle clay. This, by connecting the prophecy with Daniel 7, and Revelation 13 and 17, is referring to the new UNITED STATES OF EUROPE that is now forming, out of the European Common Market, before your very eyes! Revelation 17:12 makes plain the detail that it shall be a union of TEN KINGS OR KINGDOMS that (Rev. 17:8) shall resurrect the old ROMAN EMPIRE. So, mark carefully the time element! “In the days of these kings”–in the days of these then nations or groups of nations that shall, IN OUR TIME, resurrect briefly the Roman Empire… (The members of the European Common Market are probably not the same ten that will resurrect the Holy Roman Empire.) (Armstrong HW. Mystery of the Ages. Dood, Mead & Company, New York, 1985, pp. 301,302-303)
These ten nations, or groups of nations, comprising the modern revived Beast, are to fight Christ at His coming. This shows the time for the fulfillment of this prophecy…Remember that there must be TEN NATIONS or groups of nations to comprise the final resurrection of the modern “Holy Roman Empire”! (AMBASSADOR COLLEGE, BIBLE CORRESPONDENCE COURSE. LESSON 32 (1963, 1965, 1967, 1969)
So, back as far as at least 1969, those of us in the Church of God did not limit the final coming European power to the ten nations that were in the old European Common Market. Since Revelation 17:12 says the kings of Europe did not have a kingdom until that time, this suggests some type of restructure in Europe needs to happen before the Beast truly rises up. The European power could contain a lot of nations (see also Must the Ten Kings of Revelation 17:12 Rule over Ten Currently Existing Nations?).
In the 21st century, various European leaders have pushed for or pointed to a United States of Europe:
Note: Ursula von der Leyen was elected to be the EU Commission President in 2019.
While the precise name of United States of Europe is not necessary, these statements do show that the Church of God's basic view has long been correct. The Continuing Church of God, of course, continues to warn about this emerging European Beast power.
Consider also the following related to the European Commission and its then President Juncker:
22 June 2017
The Commission earlier this month had proposed to add €500 million in 2019 and 2020 for new military development.
Post 2020, the figure increases to some €1.5 billion every year for both research and development of new military technology.
"European defence policy was supposed to start in 1954, we proposed it in 2014, it's happening now," said EU commission president Jean-Claude Juncker.
EU council chief Donald Tusk said the plans would allow much deeper integration on defence.
Public money for military industries
Critics say the plans amount to subsidising the EU's defence industry to develop new weaponry. https://euobserver.com/political/138324
So, it has been the plan for many decades for Europe to become a military power--and Europe is taking those steps!
It may be of interest to realize that the last pontiff taught that his version of Europe (as is apparently the foundation of the beliefs of his church) is built upon the combination of Greek philosophy and the Bible. Notice what he stated:
This inner rapprochement between Biblical faith and Greek philosophical inquiry was an event of decisive importance not only from the standpoint of the history of religions, but also from that of world history - it is an event which concerns us even today. Given this convergence, it is not surprising that Christianity, despite its origins and some significant developments in the East, finally took on its historically decisive character in Europe. We can also express this the other way around: this convergence, with the subsequent addition of the Roman heritage, created Europe and remains the foundation of what can rightly be called Europe (Benedict XVI. REGENSBURG, Germany, SEPT. 12, 2006 (Zenit.org). Vatican translation of the address Benedict XVI delivered to scientists at the University of Regensburg).
Europe is north of Jerusalem and the one that will become the King of the North (Daniel 11:40) will lead an empire that had roots in the old empire of Rome (Daniel 9:26-27).
This empire is European and has connections to a particular sea. Notice:
1 Then I stood on the sand of the sea. And I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name. 2 Now the beast which I saw was like a leopard, his feet were like the feet of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority. 3 And I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded, and his deadly wound was healed. And all the world marveled and followed the beast. 4 So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?” (Revelation 13:1-4)
2 Daniel spoke, saying, “I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the Great Sea. 3 And four great beasts came up from the sea, each different from the other. 4 The first was like a lion, and had eagle’s wings. I watched till its wings were plucked off; and it was lifted up from the earth and made to stand on two feet like a man, and a man’s heart was given to it. 5 “And suddenly another beast, a second, like a bear. It was raised up on one side, and had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. And they said thus to it: ‘Arise, devour much flesh!’ 6 “After this I looked, and there was another, like a leopard, which had on its back four wings of a bird. The beast also had four heads, and dominion was given to it. 7 “After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, exceedingly strong. It had huge iron teeth; it was devouring, breaking in pieces, and trampling the residue with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns. (Daniel 7:2-8)
The “Great Sea” that bordered the ancient lands of Israel (Numbers 34:6-7; Joshua 1:4; 9:1; 23:4; Ezekiel 47:13-16) is the Mediterranean Sea--and that is the sea that Daniel was referring to. Despite some false claims by some, the Beast power is not a nation like Russia, which does not border the Mediterranean Sea, but Europe which does (Russia, however, will be a factor in eliminating the European beast power, see also The Eurasian Union, the Kings of the East, and Bible Prophecy). A comparison of the beasts in Revelation 13 and Daniel 7 shows that they share many of the same characteristics (for some details, you may wish to watch the YouTube video Can You Prove that the Beast to Come is European?).
Europe is the power that will control the “Great Sea.” And while the southern border of the Mediterranean Sea is currently under Arab control, the Bible shows that the King of the North will take over the Arab powers (Daniel 11:40-43; Ezekiel 30:1-9).
40 And at the time of the end, a king of the south pushes himself forward with him, and a king of the north storms against him, with chariot, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he has come into the lands, and has overflowed, and passed over, 41 and has come into the desirable land, and many stumble, and these escape from his hand: Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the sons of Ammon. 42 And he sends forth his hand on the lands, and the land of Egypt is not for an escape; 43 and he has ruled over treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the desirable things of Egypt, and Lubim and Cushim [are] at his steps. (Daniel 11:40-43, Literal Standard Version)
The above lands to be conquered are basically on the eastern and southern shores of the Mediterranean Sea.
Before he destroys the King of the South power, he and the southern king will make one or more deals together. One of which they will involve a lot of lying:
27 Both these kings' hearts shall be bent on evil, and they shall speak lies at the same table; but it shall not prosper, for the end will still be at the appointed time. 28 While returning to his land with great riches, his heart shall be moved against the holy covenant; so he shall do damage and return to his own land. ( Daniel 11:27-28)
Before going further, we also see the King of the North is moved against the holy covenant--more on what he will do to those that hold to that can be found in the articles Persecutions by Church and State and Who is the King of the North?
To further show that the Beast is European, notice what Daniel 9:26-27 states:
26 And the people of the prince who is to come
Shall destroy the city and the sanctuary.
The end of it shall be with a flood,
And till the end of the war desolations are determined.
27 Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week;
But in the middle of the week
He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering.
And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate,
Even until the consummation, which is determined,
Is poured out on the desolate (Daniel 9:26-27).
The above is referring to a deal or covenant that has a time element attached to it that is confirmed by a prince.
While Daniel 9:26 calls this leader a "prince," he is later is referred to as the king of a developing European empire (Daniel 11:40; see also King of the North and Europa, the Beast, and the Book of Revelation). Daniel 9:26-27 tie directly in with Daniel 11:
31 And forces shall be mustered by him, and they shall defile the sanctuary fortress; then they shall take away the daily sacrifices, and place there the abomination of desolation. (Daniel 11:31)
The prince who confirmed the deal is the King of the North (cf. Daniel 11:40) when he musters forces, stops sacrifices, and puts in the abomination of desolation.
A prince from where?
The people of the area of the old Roman Empire. It was they that in the 1st century fulfilled the portion of Daniel 9:26 as they destroyed the city (Jerusalem) and the sanctuary (the Jewish temple) in 70 A.D.
Jewish sources, while not understanding all of this, also agree that it was Roman sources that destroyed the city and sanctuary as the following demonstrates:
“The people of the prince will come and destroy the city and the Sanctuary” Daniel 9:26, refers to the Roman legions of Vespasian and Titus, who destroyed Jerusalem. (Daniel 9 – A True Biblical Interpretation. Jews for Judaism. https://jewsforjudaism.org/knowledge/articles/answers/jewish-polemics/texts/daniel-9-a-true-biblical-interpretation/ accessed 07/30/16)
In the 21st century, the European Union includes much of the land and peoples that were part of the ancient Roman Empire. And it is the "prince" coming from that people that verse 27 of Daniel 9 is referring to. Thus, this prophecy tells us that a lower level European leader will somewhat officially start to rise up about 3 1/2 years before the great tribulation (and yes, according to Jesus, troubles happen prior to the start of the Great Tribulation, per Mark 13:8).
So, one prophecy we see is that someone other than the top leader of Europe will confirm a deal for seven years. Whether he does so formally (like signing one) or less formally, like endorsing it), this is something to look out for--though I suspect that most people, Christian or otherwise, will not believe the confirmation will have taken place until it is too late to properly respond.
That said, the EU wants to expand:
4 October 2019
INCOMING EU chief Ursula von der Leyen has confirmed plans to usher West Balkan states North Macedonia and Albania into the bloc ...
by a letter jointly signed by Ms von der Leyen, current President Jean-Claude Juncker, European Council President Donald Tusk, and David Sassoli, President of the European Parliament ...
In September current Austrian Chancellor Brigitte Bierlein reaffirmed the “objective of a rapid enlargement of the European Union to include the countries of the Western Balkans”.
At the time, Dr Sheila Lawlor, director of the Politeia think tank, told Express.co.uk the EU’s approach was “reminiscent of the Roman empire”. https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1186375/EU-news-european-union-albania-north-macedonia-von-der-leyen-eu-expansion-latest
But this empire, which the Bible warns will never truly be fully unified (Daniel 2:42-43), still is not unifed enough yet as the reorganizations in Revelation 17:12-13 still need to occur (see also Must the Ten Kings of Revelation 17:12 Rule over Ten Currently Existing Nations?).
Other than "signs and lying wonders," what will bring Europe to the point of real unification?
Economic concerns, civil unrest, and religion will all play a role.
In 1965, the late Herbert W. Armstrong wrote:
... European countries urgently want political union, the very UNITED STATES OF EUROPE I have been assuring PLAIN TRUTH readers for 31 years is definitely coming. It will unite them into a giant third World Power ...
There is a definite German "Kultur! There is a French culture that is in many respects quite different. Then there is a still different Italian culture, a Spanish culture, a Scandinavian culture, a Swiss culture--and all are different! European nations speak different languages, have different aspirations, different customs, different traditions. Europe is often called a "crazy-quilt" of nations.
HOW, THEN, CAN THEY AGREE TOGETHER AND UNITE? For years The PLAIN TRUTH has said these nations are going to have to realize their inability to unite themselves politically-to choose a common political-military Leader that all can trust. They are going to finally face the fact they must look to a Supreme Authority they can all trust! That Supreme Authority cannot be a politician, or a general (De Gaulle is both). The only possible answer is a Religious Leader! (Armstrong HW. Personal. Plain Truth, November 1965, pp.1-2)
So, he felt that while they needed a political-military leader, some type of religious leader was needed to unify Europeans.
But there was more. In a sermon on July 7, 1984, he added:
And I can see now, the event that is going to trigger the formation of the reunification in Europe; the resurrection of the medieval Holy Roman Empire that we’ve been looking forward to that is prophesied to come ...
But I believe that some event is going to happen suddenly just like out a blue sky that is going to shock the whole world and is going to cause the nations in Europe to realize they must unite! … Well now I think I can see what may be the very event that is going to trigger ... that is the economic situation in the world ...
The whole banking structure in the United States is a network all jointed together. But not only that, one nation has to deal with other nations and imports and exports. And so they have to have a means of transforming money from one nation to another. And so the banking structure is international and interwoven…
Now when the financial structure breaks down, all civilization is going to break down…
European banks are at risk in the 21st century:
May 8, 2023
European banks have strengthened their balance sheet with a very risky and volatile instrument, contingent convertible hybrid bonds. These look incredibly attractive due to the high yield they have, but they can create a negative domino effect on the equity of the firm when things turn sour. Furthermore, European banks’ core capital is stronger than in 2009, but it can deteriorate rapidly in a declining market.
European banks lend massively to governments, public companies, and large conglomerates. The contagion effect of a rising concern about sovereign risk is immediate. Additionally, many of these large conglomerates are zombie firms that cannot cover their interest expenses with operating profit. In periods of monetary excess, these loans seem extremely attractive and negligible risk, but any decline in confidence in sovereigns can rapidly deteriorate the asset side of the financial system rapidly.
According to the ECB, euro area banks’ exposures to domestic sovereign debt securities have risen significantly since 2020 in nominal amount. The share of total assets invested in domestic sovereign debt securities has increased to 11.9% for Italian banks and 7.2% for Spanish banks, and close to 2% for French and German banks. However, this is only part of the picture. There is also a high exposure to state-owned or government-backed companies. One of the main reasons for this is that the Capital Requirements Directive (CRD), permits a 0% risk weight to be assigned to government bonds.
What does this mean? That the biggest risk for European banks is not deposit flight or investment in tech companies. It is the direct and uncovered connection to sovereign risk. This may seem irrelevant, but it changes fast and when it does it takes years to recover, as we saw in the 2011 crisis. ...
European banks’ assets are more exposed to sovereign risk and the worsening of solvency in small businesses, but also significantly exposed to large zombie industrial firms. ...
Another distinct feature of European banks is how fast the ratio of non-performing loans may deteriorate. ...
So far, analysts are saying -again- that the banking crisis has nothing to do with Europe because regulation is stronger, and capitalization is more robust.
The same things consensus repeated in 2008.
Depositors have withdrawn €214bn from eurozone banks over the past five months, with outflows hitting a record level in February, according to the FT and the ECB. It is not true that deposit flight is not an issue in Europe.
The biggest mistake European authorities and investors can make is to thing -again- that this time is different, and the banking crisis will not hit the euro area system. It is important to strengthen the core capital base, buy-back the convertible bonds that may wipe out the equity and put in place strong procedures to avoid a sovereign-to-real economy negative effect.
The combination of ignorance and arrogance led Europeans to believe they were immune to the 2008 crisis because they believed in the miraculous power of their bureaucratic and bloated regulation. No amount of regulation helps when the rules are all designed to allow rising exposure to almost-insolvent governments under the excuse that it requires zero capital and has no risk. Sovereign risk is the worst risk of all. European banks should not fall into the trap of thinking that tons of rules will eliminate the risk of a financial system crisis. https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/european-banks-may-be-riskier-us-and-more-regulation-wont-solve-it
Despite grumblings from some modern observers, Europe has actually more and more uniting because of the economic matters:
Crisis Forces Europe to Unite on Financial Reform
IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn urges leaders to cede more sovereignty to EU
European nations need to cede more of their sovereignty and hand greater powers to the centre to avoid future crises, the head of the International Monetary Fund has said.(Oborne P. IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn urges leaders to cede more sovereignty to EUTelegraph – Nov 19, 2010 http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/peteroborne/100064330/margaret-thatcher-knew-the-single-currency-would-devastate-europe/)
Nick Clegg: Public fury at euro crisis will fuel extremism
A wave of “extremism and xenophobia” will sweep across Europe unless political leaders take urgent action to deal with the debt crisis, Nick Clegg has warned. (Ross T, Kirkup J. Nick Clegg: Public fury at euro crisis will fuel extremism. Telegraph.co.uk , May 21, 2012. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/9278574/Nick-Clegg-Public-fury-at-euro-crisis-will-fuel-extremism.html)
Commission sets out Roadmap for deepening Europe's Economic and Monetary Union
Brussels, 6 December 2017
With a Roadmap for action and several concrete measures, the European Commission is delivering today on the commitment made by President Jean-Claude Juncker in his 2017 State of the Union address and the Five Presidents' Report of 2015 to deepen Europe's Economic and Monetary Union.
http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-17-5005_en.htm
Notice a video produced in December 2021:
Is the incoming coalition German government pushing for something called a ‘United States of Europe’? Is this consistent with recent comments from German leaders such as incoming chancellor Olaf Schulz, incoming foreign minister Annalena Bierbock, European Union President Ursula con der Leyen, SDP spokesman Udo Bullmann, politician Martin Schultz, and others? What about warnings dating back to 1948 from the old Radio Church of God? Is Europe prophesied to reorganize? Could the Lisbon Treaty be changed or replaced? Will there be a coming European power that is militaristic? How might this affect the USA and its British-descended allies? What is the only hope for our lives? Dr. Thiel provides quotes and other information on these matters.
Here is a link to the sermonette video: German push for a ‘United States of Europe’.
So news reports in the 21st century seem to be waking up to something that Herbert W. Armstrong warned of decades ago.
But yes, there will be more financial disruptions in Europe before the Europeans rise as the Bble predicts.
Herbert Armstrong also felt fear related to Russia would be a factor in Europe uniting. In the October 1962 Plain Truth, Herbert W. Armstrong wrote that “the leaders of Western Europe do not feel sure that America would really act to protect them! They are suspicious of America. They would feel a lot safer if they, themselves, by uniting, can become the strongest power--stronger than Russia -- with their own nuclear deterrent!”
Furthermore, notice something he said in 1982:
Now one of the great things that is urging Europe on, and perhaps the greatest thing that will cause them to hurry and get together on this, is their fear of what’s going on in the Kremlin and the Soviet Union. (Armstrong HW. United States of EUROPE IS COMING! Sermon, November 27, 1982)
Europe's reaction to Russia's 'special military operation' in Ukraine is consistent with that.
The Continuing Church of God (CCOG) put together the following video on our Bible News Prophecy YouTube channel:
18:27
Is the European Beast Growing Horns?
Does the conflict between Russia and Ukraine have prophetic ramifications? What about Ezekiel 38? Are we seeing a ‘historic shift’ in Europe to move towards more unity? What about non-EU nations like Sweden and Switzerland? Is Germany’s announcement to double its military spending to 100 million euros a big deal? Does the Bible tell of changes coming to Europe for it to rise up as a Babylonian unity successful military power? What about the United States of America and its British-descended allies? Could USA sanctions against Russia, including SWIFT restrictions, decrease international demand for USA dollars and cause inflation? Dr. Thiel addresses these issues and more in this video.
Here is a link to our video: Is the European Beast Growing Horns?
Consider also the following:
1 April 2023
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has laid out the challenges facing the Bundeswehr and how he plans to solve them. ...
The minister, who first took the job at the beginning of the year, has pledged to boost military spending and modernize the Bundeswehr after years of underinvestment. ...
In his interview, Pistorius gave his reasoning for the urgent need to boost Germany's defense.
"Should the worst case happen, and an American president enters the White House who ends up distancing themselves from Europe and NATO, we would be faced with a challenge which at the moment is barely imaginable," he said.
Even a pro-European US president will be shifting their focus to the Indo-Pacific region, according to the German defense minister.
"That means for us in any case: more European responsibility for security and defense in Europe," he said. https://www.dw.com/en/german-minister-expects-bundeswehr-shortages-beyond-2030/a-65202599
Europe is less and less trusting of the USA for its defense and more are publicly speaking out to increase its military strength.
It should also be mentioned that Herbert Armstrong felt that religious events would be a factor, for the end time. Including "a 'man of sin' be revealed" by "signs and lying wonders" and that "the Roman Empire, is again restored with a great religious leader ... In Revelation 19:19-20 is pictured the beast "and with him the false prophet that does miracles before him..."(Armstrong HW. Who or What is the Prophetic Beast? pp. 21,24).
Certain "Catholic" prophecies indicate that civil unrest and religious signs and wonders would be factors in the final unification. Notice some of the civil unrest prophecies:
Jean Paul Richter (died 1809): Through a terrible purgatory Europe will return to the faith. (Culleton, The Prophets and Our Times, p. 182)
Monk Hilarion (15th century): The people of the peninsula of Europe will suffer by needless wars until the Holy Man comes. The Lion will come from a high mountain in the enlightened nation. (Dupont, pp. 21-22)
Brother Louis Rocco (19th century): All over Europe there will rage terrible civil wars...The German sections of Austria will join Germany, so will also the commercial cities of Belgium and Switzerland. A Catholic descendant of a German imperial house will rule a united Germany with peace, prosperity and great power, for God will be with this sovereign (the Great Monarch?) ... A Great Monarch will arise after a period of terrible wars and persecutions in Europe. He will be a Catholic ... (Culleton, The Prophets and Our Times, p. 195).
Notice, for another example, signs and wonders that are supposed to accompany the rising up of the "Great Monarch" (seemingly known in the Bible as the final King of the North):
Discourse of a Holy Man to Emperor Manuel II Palaeologous (15th century): And the members of the clergy and the monastics as well as every social stratum of humanity, against their own will, but led by a divine sign will come to Constantinople ... Then, an angel...will descend from heaven ... and he will crown the Emperor of Peace. The King will be present in Constantinople (Tzima Otto, pp. 99-100).
Anonymou Paraphrasis (10th century): The one true King..will hear the voice and instructions by an Angel appearing to him…the name of the King is hidden [concealed] among the nations ... And the particular manner of the king’s manifestation to the public [to the world] will take place as follows: A star will appear [will become visible] for three days long and during the third hour of the night, on the eve of the feast day of the Morther of the Most High (it will become visible) in the Middle of the City. And this star is not one among the planets ... And a herald speaking with a very loud voice in the course of the three days will summon and unveil the hoped for one ... There will become visible in the sky a ‘nebulous firmament of the sun’ ... under that image will be suspended a cross ... And the invisible herald from Heaven with his thunderous voice will say to the people: Is this man agreeable to you? At that moment everybody will be taken by fear and terror...they will elevate him on a high spot and will proclaim him (their) hereditary Monarch (Tzima Otto, pp. 30,32, 50-51, 52,53).
The combination of economic issues, civil unrest, and signs and wonders apparently will result in a fully unified Europe. Despite how things look, God will have it work out. Notice also the following:
5 Behold ye among the nations, and see: wonder, and be astonished: for a work is done in your days, which no man will believe when it shall be told. 6 For behold, I will raise up the Chaldeans, a bitter and swift nation, marching upon the breadth of the earth, to possess the dwelling places that are not their own. 7 They are dreadful, and terrible: from themselves shall their judgment, and their burden proceed. 8 Their horses are lighter than leopards, and swifter than evening wolves; and their horsemen shall be spread abroad: for their horsemen shall come from afar, they shall fly as an eagle that maketh haste to eat. 9 They shall all come to the prey, their face is like a burning wind: and they shall gather together captives as the sand. 10 And their prince shall triumph over kings, and princes shall be his laughingstock: and he shall laugh at every strong hold, and shall cast up a mount, and shall take it. 11 Then shall his spirit be changed, and he shall pass, and fall: this is his strength of his god. (Habakkuk 1:5-11, Douay-Rheims)
So, despite the fact that relatively few seem to think that Europe can rise up and take over nations, the Bible says it will.
How will Europe be able to dominate?
Europe will be able to do this because of deception (Daniel 8:23-25; 1 Thessalonians 5:3), military success (Revelation 13:1-4; Daniel 11:39), and 'signs and lying wonders' (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12; Revelation 13:). Europe will likely be able to accomplish this also because of technological progress it is working on (see European Technology and the Beast of Revelation).
Notice some scriptures related to the coming deception of a European leader:
23 "And in the latter time of their kingdom,
When the transgressors have reached their fullness,
A king shall arise,
Having fierce features,
Who understands sinister schemes.
24 His power shall be mighty, but not by his own power;
He shall destroy fearfully,
And shall prosper and thrive;
He shall destroy the mighty, and also the holy people.25 "Through his cunning
He shall cause deceit to prosper under his rule;
And he shall exalt himself in his heart.
He shall destroy many in their prosperity.
He shall even rise against the Prince of princes;
But he shall be broken without human means. (Daniel 8:23-25)
As far as technology goes, here is something from a paper (bolding in the online paper he released) by Jean-Claude Juncker who was elected to be the President of the European Commission, then was the apparently most powerful single position in the European Union:
As we enter the new legislative cycle following the European Parliament elections in May 2014, the time has come for a new approach ... I see it as my key task to rebuild bridges in Europe after the crisis. To restore European citizens’ confidence ... I want a European Union that is bigger and more ambitious on big things, and smaller and more modest on small things ...
My first priority as Commission President will be to strengthen Europe’s competitiveness and to stimulate investment for the purpose of job creation . I intend to present, within the first three months of my mandate and in the context of the Europe 2020 review , an ambitious Jobs, Growth and Investment Package ... I do not believe that we can build sustainable growth on ever -- growing mountains of debt ...
The focus of this additional investment should be in infrastructure, notably broadband and energy networks as well as transport infrastructure in industrial centres; education, research and innovation; and renewable energy and energy efficiency ...
I believe that we must make much better use of the great opportunities offered by digital technologies , which know no borders ... By creating a connected digital singl e market, we can generate up to € 25 0 billion of additional growth in Europe in the course of the mandate of the next Commission, thereby creating hundreds of thousands of new jobs , notably for younger job – seekers, and a vibrant knowledge – based society ... To achieve this, I intend to take , within the first six months of my mandate, ambitious legislative steps towards a connected digital single market, notably by swiftly concluding negotiations on common European data protection rules ...
We need to diversify our energy sources, and reduce the high energy dependency of several of our Member States ... I strongly believe in the potential of green growth. I therefore want Europe’s Energy Union to become the world number one in renewable energies . I would also like to significantly enhance energy efficiency beyond the 2020 objective…
We need to bring industry’s weight in the EU ’s GDP back to 20% by 2020, from less than 16% today. This should ensure that Europe maintain s its global leadership in strategic sectors with high-value jobs such as the automotive, aeronautics, engineering, space, chemicals and pharmaceutical industries. To achieve this, we need to stimulate investment in new technologies, improve the business environment, ease access to markets and to finance, particularly for SMEs, and ensure that workers have the skills industry needs.
A continuing priority is to finish fixing the problems of our banking sector and to boost private investment. I have been a strong supporter of the development of stricter controls on banks through a Single Supervisory Mechanism and a Single Resolution Mechanism with a Single Resolution Fund that will be built up progressively. My Commission will be active and vigilant in ensuring that we implement the new supervisory and resolution rules fully , making European banks more robust so that they can get back to lending to the real economy ...
I will notably press ahead with administrative cooperation between tax authorities and work for the adoption at EU level of a Common Consolidated Corporate Tax Base and a Financial Transaction Tax ...
I want to launch legislative and non-legislative initiatives to deepen our Economic and Monetary Union during the first year of my mandate ...
Under my presidency, the Commission will negotiate a reasonable and balanced trade agreement with the United States of America ... However, as Commission President, I will also be very clear that I will not sacrifice Europe’s safety, health, social and data protection standards or our cultural diversity on the altar of free trade. Notably, the safety of the food we eat and the protection of Europeans’ personal data will be non-negotiable for me as Commission President ...
Data protection is a fundamental right of particular importance in the digital age. In addition to swiftly finalising the legislative work on common data protection rules within the European Union, we also need to uphold this right in our external relations. In view of recent mass surveillance revelations, close partners such as the United States must convince us that the current safe harbour arrangements really are safe if they want them to continue. The U.S. must also guarantee that all EU citizens have the right to enforce data protect ion rights in U.S. courts, whether or not they reside on U.S. soil. This will be essential for restoring trust in transatlantic relations ...
I also believe that we need to work on a stronger Europe when it comes to security and defence matters. (Juncker JC. A New Start for Europe: My Agenda for Jobs, Growth, Fairness and Democratic Change: Political Guidelines for the next European Commission. Strasbourg, July 15, 2014. http://ec.europa.eu/about/juncker-commission/docs/pg_en.pdf)
I have warned for years that Europe would utilize technology to rise up (see European Technology and the Beast of Revelation), and the person elected to hold the most powerful position in the European Union put out a document proving that is his intent. He wants to do this without massive debt.
Jean-Claude Juncker wants to raise taxes and seeming plans on implementing new ones (cf. Daniel 11:20). Notice that Jean-Claude Juncker WANTS THE USA TO AGREE TO STOP COLLECTING MASSIVE DATA ON THE EUROPEANS AND TO ACCEPT EUROPEAN DATA STANDARDS and wants a stronger European military. Notice also that Jean-Claude Juncker wants stricter controls on banks--others, since him, have been implementing those things.
The Bible tells of a time of a successful military power in Europe rising up that will have greater financial controls (Revelation 13:16-18).
Does Rome have plans for Europe?
It most certainly does. For example, do you recall hearing why Cardinal Ratzinger chose the name of "Pope Benedict"? He did it because he wants Europe unitied!
The Catholic News Agency reported:
"He said he also chose the name because Saint Benedict, founder of the Benedictine order, is one of the patron saints of Europe. "St Benedict is therefore much venerated in Germany and in particular, in Bavaria, my native land; constituting a fundamental point of reference for the unity of Europe, and a strong call to the inalienable Christian roots of its culture and civilisation."" (Source http://www.cathnews.com/news/504/151.php)
And it is of interest to note that the Germans found an incredibly clever way to get the Vatican indirectly mentioned. Notice the following news accounts:
VATICAN CITY, DEC. 3, 2007 (Zenit) - Here is the address Benedict XVI delivered today to the bishops of the Korean episcopal conference and Apostolic Prefect of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, in Rome for their five-yearly visit.
Dear Brother Bishops,
As servants of the Gospel, you have come to see Peter (cf. Gal 1:18) and to strengthen the bonds of collegiality which express the Church’s unity in diversity and safeguard the tradition handed down by the Apostles (Benedict XVI’s Address to Korean Bishops. http://www.zenit.org/article-21179?l=english).
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Germany seeks to enshrine EU flagTelegraph - Dec 12, 2007
Germany has mounted a last-ditch effort to get the European Union flag, anthem, motto and single currency recognised in the new EU Reform Treaty.
Along with 15 other nations, Germany is attempting to add a new clause that enshrines those symbols of the EU that were not included in the original treaty. Gordon Brown had specifically been against them being included.
It comes just days before the controversial treaty - which is almost identical to the rejected EU Constitution - is signed in Lisbon ...
Germany wants the document to support the EU “Stars” flag, the anthem Ode to Joy, and its motto “United in Diversity“ ...
The other countries backing the plan are Belgium, Bulgaria, Greece, Spain, Italy, Cyprus, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Hungary, Malta, Austria, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia and the Slovak Republic.http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/12/11/wflag111.xml
Both the flag and the expression “united in diversity” are interesting ways to bring Catholicism (which means universalism) into the EU officially, without actually mentioning religion. I suspect that when the future King of the North emerges he will tell the Europeans that with a Marian-Catholic derived flag and unity among diversity, that the EU always was intended to be Greco-Roman Catholic and following him will help make this happen.
But irrespective of how the Vatican becomes viewed by the EU, this union between church and state will not be permanent--nor will the states truly be closely bound together.
As far as Europe goes, there are certainly issues there. Consider some public comments from top leaders there:
May 5, 2016
Depression reigns as EU presidents debate future of Europe
The presidents of Europe’s three main institutions on Thursday presented a bleak picture of the European Union, saying the 28-nation bloc lacked leadership and was descending into petty, nationalistic politics.
“We have a lot of salesmen in the European Council and only a few statesmen,” said Martin Schulz, the president of the European Parliament, bemoaning the current crop of EU government chiefs who are struggling to overcome a string of crises.
Schulz joined European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and EU Council President Donald Tusk for a debate on the future of Europe in the room where the Treaty of Rome was signed in 1957, which laid the foundations of today’s European Union.
“The idea of one EU state, one vision ... was an illusion,” said Tusk, a former Polish prime minister, who is now tasked with finding consensus and cohesion amongst EU leaders.
Such unity has become an almost impossible mission at a time when hundreds of thousands of migrants are fleeing into Europe in search of a better life, sending a shockwave through the staid and conservative continent.
Britain, the Union’s second biggest economy, is due to hold a referendum in June on whether to withdrawal from the bloc.
Years of economic underperformance, particularly in the continent’s southern rim, have also frayed the fabric of European solidarity. ...
Juncker, a former Luxembourg prime minister who has been at the heart of EU policy making for three decades, reminisced about the time when Europe moved towards economic union and created the single euro currency.
“In former times we were working together … we were in charge of a big piece of history. This has totally gone,” he said, complaining that EU citizens did not understand what the European Union was trying to do.
“This is fertile ground for the populists.” http://www.reuters.com/article/us-europe-presidents-idUSKCN0XW23L
Their words paint a gloomy picture.
But the next day, many of those same European leaders praised Pope Francis.
On May 6, 2016, Pope Francis was given the ‘International Charlemagne Prize.’ It is awarded annually by the German city of Aachen for “contributions to European unity.” Charlemagne, himself, was the first one crowned emperor of the old ‘Holy Roman Empire’ (800 A.D.).
Here is some of Pope Francis’ acceptance speech:
May 6, 2016
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen,
I offer you a cordial welcome and I thank you for your presence. I am particularly grateful to Messrs Marcel Philipp, Jürgen Linden, Martin Schulz, Jean-Claude Juncker and Donald Tusk for their kind words. I would like to reiterate my intention to offer this prestigious award for Europe. For ours is not so much a celebration as a moment to express our shared hope for a new and courageous step forward for this beloved continent.
Creativity, genius and a capacity for rebirth and renewal are part of the soul of Europe. In the last century, Europe bore witness to humanity that a new beginning was indeed possible. After years of tragic conflicts, culminating in the most horrific war ever known, there emerged, by God’s grace, something completely new in human history. The ashes of the ruins could not extinguish the ardent hope and the quest of solidarity that inspired the founders of the European project. They laid the foundations for a bastion of peace, an edifice made up of states united not by force but by free commitment to the common good and a definitive end to confrontation. Europe, so long divided, finally found its true self and began to build its house. ...
The roots of our peoples, the roots of Europe, were consolidated down the centuries by the constant need to integrate in new syntheses the most varied and discrete cultures. The identity of Europe is, and always has been, a dynamic and multicultural identity. ...
In addressing the European Parliament, I used the image of Europe as a grandmother. I noted that there is a growing impression that Europe is weary, aging, no longer fertile and vital, that the great ideals that inspired Europe seem to have lost their appeal. There is an impression that Europe is declining, that it has lost its ability to be innovative and creative, and that it is more concerned with preserving and dominating spaces than with generating processes of inclusion and change. There is an impression that Europe is tending to become increasingly “entrenched”, rather than open to initiating new social processes capable of engaging all individuals and groups in the search for new and productive solutions to current problems. Europe, rather than protecting spaces, is called to be a mother who generates processes (cf. Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, 223). ...
To the rebirth of a Europe weary, yet still rich in energies and possibilities, the Church can and must play her part. ...
Only a Church rich in witnesses will be able to bring back the pure water of the Gospel to the roots of Europe. In this enterprise, the path of Christians towards full unity is a great sign of the times and a response to the Lord’s prayer “that they may all be one” (Jn 17:21).
With mind and heart, with hope and without vain nostalgia, like a son who rediscovers in Mother Europe his roots of life and faith, I dream of a new European humanism, one that involves “a constant work of humanization” and calls for “memory, courage, [and] a sound and humane utopian vision”. https://zenit.org/articles/popes-address-for-being-awarded-charlemagne-prize/
The Vatican has long pushed European unity. Notice that Pope Francis is pushing for Europe to bring about a human form of utopia–that will NOT happen. Europe needs the Kingdom of God (consider also watching the video Millennial Utopia).
Consider also Pope Francis said that his Church could help lead to a humane European utopia. The Bible tells of a Babylonian unity between Europe and the church on the seven-hills in Revelation 17:1-9. It won't be a utopia. That will take the Kingdom of God (see our free online booklet The Gospel of the Kingdom of God).
Some Roman Catholic writers have warned about what is now happening in Europe. Notice:
Priest Paul Kramer (2010): We are now under a very undemocratic — one might say bureaucratic — dictatorship like the directorate dictatorship of the French Revolution, imposed on all of the member states of the European Union from Brussels...(Kramer, P. What are the missing contents of the third secret? Fatima Crusader, 95, Summer 2010, p. 50)
…Our Lady spoke of the annihilation of nations…The European Union is intent on destroying nation states, suppressing national identities and borders (Semin M. The European Union: USSR Repackaged. Fatima Crusader, 95, Summer 2010, p. 75)
The situation in Europe bears watching.
It needs to be understood that for centuries, Catholic writers have believed that a major king would rise up in Europe, change the "Catholic" religion, and force an ecumenical religion upon the entire world.
First, here are some accounts from those who seem to feel that this is a good thing:
St. Francis de Paul (1470): ... From your lordship shall be born the great leader of the holy militia...These devout men shall wear on their breasts, and much more in their hearts, the sign of the living God, namely the cross...members of this holy order. ... the Great Monarch ...He shall be a great captain and prince of holy men, who shall be called 'the holy Cross-bearers of Jesus Christ,' with whom he will destroy the Mahometan sect and the rest of the infidels. He shall annihilate all the heresies and tyrannies of the world. He shall reform the Church of God by means of his followers, who shall be the best men upon the earth in holiness, in arms, in science, and in every virtue ...They shall obtain dominion over the whole world, both temporal and spiritual...God Almighty will exalt a very poor man of the blood of Emperor Constantine ...who shall on his breast wear a sign which you have seen at the beginning of this letter (a red Cross) ... He will gather a grand army, and the angels shall fight for them...This religious order shall be the last and best in the Church: it shall proceed with arms...Woe to tyrants, to heretics, and to infidels to whom no pity will be shown...He shall be the great founder of a new religious order different from all the others. This shall be the last religious order in the Church and shall do more good for our holy religion than all other religious institutes. By force of arms he shall take possession of a great kingdom. He shall destroy the sect of Mahomet ... There will be one fold, one shepherd. He shall reign until the end of time. On the whole earth there will be twelve kings, one emperor and one pope. (Culleton, p. 157-161).
Venerable Bartholomew Holzhauser (Born in the 17th century, in Germany) ... there will be an ecumenical council ... by the power of the Great Monarch, and by the authority of the Holy Pontiff, and by the union of the most devout princes, atheism and every heresy will be banished from the earth. The Council will...will be believed and accepted by everyone (Dupont, p. 40).
Bl. Rabanus Maurus (d. 856): Our principal doctors agree in announcing to us, that towards the end of time one of the descendants of France shall reign over all the Roman Empire; that he shall be the greatest of the Empire; and that he shall be the greatest of the French monarch, and the last of his race. After happily governed his kingdom, he will go to Jerusalem, and depose on Mount of Olives his sceptre and crown. This shall be the end and conclusion of the Roman Empire (Culleton, p. 136).
Joseph Goires (d. 1848): The people will be united under a powerful monarch who will make new laws (Culleton, p. 197; Connor, Edward. Prophecy for Today. Imprimatur + A.J. Willinger, Bishop of Monterey-Fresno; Reprint: Tan Books and Publishers, Rockford (IL), 1984, p. 38).
Venerable Magdalene Porzat (died 1850) (Great Monarch)...shall...restore to their dominions the legitimate kings. A just and pious man born in Galacia shall be the Supreme Pontiff: then the whole world will be united and prosperous. One faith only and one emperor shall reign over the whole earth (Connor, p. 38).
Monk Hilarion (d. 1476): Before the Christian churches are renovated and united, God will send the Eagle (Great Monarch) who will travel to Rome and bring much happiness and good. The Holy Man (Angelic Pastor?) will bring peace between the clergy and the Eagle and his reign will last for four years (Culleton, p. 137; also Dupont, p. 20).
Would God institute a military order for Christians? This is NOT something that God would approve for true followers of Christ--this is another CHANGE that the Church of Rome has accepted (for details, see Military Service and the Churches of God: Do Real Christians Participate in Carnal Warfare?).
Notice also that Francis prophesied that there will be a new essentially "Catholic" crossbearing religious order that will do more for this revised "Catholic" Church than all other religious institutions. This is probably because the King of the North will work with the Pope to make the world nominally Catholic. Notice also that this is called the Roman Empire with a European to lead it.
But notice that many Roman Catholics have warned against this:
The Prophecy of Premol (5th century) "... And I see the King of Rome and his Cross and his tiara, shaking the dust off of his shoes, and hastening his flight to other shores. Thy Church, O Lord, is torn apart by her own children. One camp is faithful to the fleeing Pontiff, the other is subject to the new government of Rome which has broken the tiara. But Almighty God will, in His mercy, put an end to this confusion and a new age will begin. Then, said the Spirit, this is the beginning of the End of Time."
Comment: From this prophecy, it is clear that the true Church will be faithful to the Pope in exile; whereas the new Pope in Rome will be, in fact, an anti-pope ... a large number of Catholics will be misled into accepting the leadership of the anti-pope. (Dupont, pp. 72-73) {comment from Dupont personally}
Jeanne le Royer (d. 1978) I see that when the Second Coming of Christ approaches a bad priest will do much harm to the Church (Culligan, p. 128).
St. Methodius (385): A day will come when the enemies of Christ will boast ... Then a Roman emperor will rise in great fury against them ... In the last period Christians will not appreciate the great grace of God who provided a Great Monarch, a long duration of peace, a splendid fertility of the earth ... Many men will wonder if the Catholic faith is the true and only saving one ... ( Culleton, p. 110).
Yves Dupont (reader and collector of Catholic prophecies) "prophecies are quite explicit about the election of an anti-pope...Many prophecies predict an anti-pope and a schism " (Dupont, pp. 34,60-61).
Frederick William Faber (died 1863):... Antichrist ... Many believe in a demonical incarnation--this will not be so--but he will be utterly possessed ... His doctrine as apparent contradiction of no religion, yet a new religion ... He has an attending pontiff, so separating regal and prophetic office (Connor, p. 87).
Blessed Joachim (died 1202): Towards the end of the world Antichrist will overthrow the Pope and usurp his See (Connor, p. 76).
Merlin (7th century): There will come a German Anti-Pope. (Culleton, p. 132).
"But as early as Scivias, Hildegard shockingly portrayed Ecclesia {the Catholic Church} as giving birth to Antichrist himself ... Some other early works of Hildegard's, written before 1159, show a similar sourness of tone with respect to the institutional church" (Newman, Barbara. Voice of the Living Light: Hildegard of Bingen and Her World. Published by University of California Press, 1998, p. 83).
St. Hildegard (d. 1179): But now you see her from the waist down; for you see her in her full dignity as the Church ... And from her waist to the place that denotes the female, she has various scaly blemishes ... And thus in the place where the female is recognized is a black and monstrous head. For the son of perdition will come raging with the arts he first used to seduce ... causing people to deny God and tainting their minds and tearing the Church with the greed of rapine. (Hildegard of Bingen. Scivias. Paulist Press, Mahwah (NJ), pp. 497,498).
St. Hildegard (d. 1179): When the great ruler exterminates the Turks almost entirely, one of the remaining Mohammedans will be converted, become a priest, bishop and cardinal, and when the new Pope is elected (immediately before Antichrist) this cardinal will kill the pope before he is crowned, through jealousy, he wishing to be pope himself; then when the other cardinals elect the next pope this cardinal will proclaim himself Anti-Pope, and two thirds of the Christians will go with him. He, also well as Antichrist, are descendants of Dan (Culleton, Reign of Antichrist, p. 128).
St. Francis of Assisi (d. 1226): There will be an uncanonically elected pope who will cause a great Schism, there will be divers thoughts preached which will cause many, even those in the different orders to doubt, yea even agree with the heretics, which will cause my Order to divide (Culleton, R. Gerald. The Reign of Antichrist, p. 130).
Priest H. Kramer (20th century): The False Prophet ... will persuade all infidels, apostates and apostate nations to worship and adore him ... Antichrist "sitteth in the temple of God" (I Thes. II. 4). This is not the ancient Temple in Jerusalem ... this temple is shown to be a Catholic Church, possibly one of the churches in Jerusalem or St. Peter's in Rome ... The False Prophet will proclaim the resurrection of the Roman Empire...The False Prophet...will advise his followers to chisel a statue...will animate it and order it to speak. The word "image" is in the singular number, indicating only one statue, which he may set up in the great church, St. Peter's (Kramer H., p. 320-323).
Priest Paul Kramer (20th century): The errors of Orthodoxy and of Protestantism will be embraced by that false church, it will be an ecumenical church because the Anti-Pope will be recognized by the world — not by the faithful, but by the world -- by the secular world and the secular governments. The Anti-Pope will be recognized as the legitimate Pope of the "church," and the legitimate head of the Vatican State. That "church" will be united with all the false religions...In that motley ecumenical union will be the established religion of the so-called civilized world. This is how we will get into the time of great persecution such as the world has never seen. (Kramer P. The Imminent Chastisement for Not Fulfilling Our Lady’s Request. An edited transcript of a speech given at the Ambassadors of Jesus and Mary Seminar in Glendale, California, September 24, 2004.THE FATIMA CRUSADER Issue 80, Summer 2005, pp. 32-45 http://www.fatimacrusader.com/cr80/cr80pg32.asp viewed 4/15/08)
St. Gregory the Great, Pope (d. 604): In those days, near the end, hardly a Bishop, but an army of priest and two-thirds of the Christians will join the Schism (Culleton, R. Gerald. The Reign of Antichrist, p. 122).
Thus a "false pope" is expected and a great loss in Catholic members is prophesied (for more information, see also Catholic Prophecies: Do They Mirror, Highlight, or Contradict Biblical Prophecies?).
Hence, if you are Catholic, you too need to be concerned that the Beast of Europe is rising up, will likely attach the name "Catholic" to his new religious order, change Catholic practices to make them ecumenical, and represent something very bad.
Everyone in the entire world needs to be wary of this as the seeds for this are being sown today!
An article of related interest may be Why Should American Catholics Fear Unity with the Orthodox? (And the Protestants).
The Holy Roman Empire had Roman Catholic support and the Vatican wants it again. Notice an older article related to that back in 1982:
Pope Paul VI said...After reviewing Europe's tortuous past , its divisions and wars, he told those in his audience that it was their "mission as bishops in Europe" to " reawaken Europe's Christian soul, where its unity is rooted." It was the Catholic faith "that made ' Europe" in the past, the Pontiff stressed. In discovering this "secret of its identity" the Continent could then perform the providential service to which God is still calling it." ...
The Holy Roman Empire spanned the millennium from the coronation of Charlemagne as Holy Roman emperor by Pope Leo III in A.D. 800 to the . empire's abolition by Napoleon in 1806. It saw a close association between the ruling dynasties of Frankish and German kings and the papacy in Rome, although there were frequent church-state quarrels. Until the 16th century, the Holy Roman emperor was personally crowned by the Pope. The Holy Roman Empire held forth the pretension, at least , of political unity, but its primary unity was found in the religious sphere. The Roman church was the real rallying point, providing a unifying theme among the diverse national and political elements on the Continent. Personal loyalty to the church transcended, as a rule, lesser secular loyalties and divisions.
But since the passing of the Holy Roman Empire, Europe has been hopelessly divided without even the semblance of any kind of unity. Two world wars have ravaged the Continent and divisive national and factional quarrels have flared up periodically.
In a reference to this, Pope Paul observed in November 1963 : "Everyone knows the tragic history of our century. If there is a means of preventing this from happening again, it is the construction of a peaceful, orgariic united Europe. " The need for European unity, he added, becomes more urgent by the day."
A long, arduous path lies ahead," the pontiff asserted in 1965 in a reaffirmation of the church's support for the building of a united Europe. "How ever," he continued, "the Holy See hopes to see the day born when a new Europe will arise, rich with the fullness of its traditions arid animated by a common will to build the best possible future for the millions of inhabitants of Europe."
Pope Paul observed in 1969 during a meeting with West German Chancellor Willy Brandt that the Vatican "notes with pleasure that the German government contributes actively to "the achievement of the aim [of European unification]." In light of the dominant role of the German nation in the medieval Holy Roman Empire, this statement carried added significance.
Ties to EEC
The Vatican provided a tanigible demonstration of its support of unification by establishing diplomatic relations in 1970 with the European Common Market Commission in Brussels and naming a papal nuncio (ambassador) to the EEC. Speaking personally with the president of the European Parliament in November 1973, the pontiff said the search for European unity must combine both "boldness and realism." He reminded the Common Market official of the "profound interest which the Holy See has long felt for the progress of European unity." The pope at that time also indicated two reasons why he believed Europe should unite on a supranational level. First, the people of Europe needed to collaborate to find solutions to the social, economic, and human problems facing them. Secondly, a united Europe , he suggested, could be desirable in relation to other countries of the world which look to Europe as a guide to the values of civilization. In view of the Vatican's continual support of the United Europe idea - restated again only last month - Roman Catholicism may once again provide the unifying theme to override the long-standing differences obstructing the road to European unity. A modern-day "Holy Roman Empire" may be just over the horizon. (VATICAN ISSUES NEW CALL FOR EUROPEAN UNITY ' ''Reawaken Europe's Christian Soul," Paul VI Tells Bishops in Rome Conference. Plain Truth, November 22, 1975, pp. 3,5)
During his well-publicized trip to his native Poland in June, 1979, Pope John Paul II declared: "Europe, despite its present and long-lasting division of regimes, ideologies and economic and political systems, cannot cease to seek its fundamental unity and must turn to Christianity. ... Economic and political reasons cannot do it. We must go deeper ..."
Nine months later, John Paul II renewed his call for a united Europe including the Western European nations and the Communist bloc countries. During an audience with more than 3,000 Yugoslavs on March 21, 1980, he stressed that Europe must seek religious unity if it is to advance beyond its present divisions.
The world's large, mass-circulation newspapers and magazines took little notice of these and similar statements -- overlooking one of the potentially biggest stories of this century!
In a private audience on October 25, 1980, John Paul II told a group of 200 European journalists that they had a serious responsibility to help shape public opinion in the effort to create "a united Europe." Yet they still appeared not to realize the significance of his words. (Stump K. Ahead... RELIGIOUS UNITY OF EUROPE. Plain Truth, April, 1982)
Here is something from the European Union in 2015:
The Holy See is the governing institution of the Catholic Church. The Pope is the head of both the Vatican City State - a sovereign, independent territory - and the Holy See. The Holy See is a sovereign entity under international law, conducting its own international policy and maintaining diplomatic relations with over 170 states around the world. It is a member of, or observer in, many international organisations.
The Holy See and the EU established diplomatic relations in 1970. The first Head of EU Delegation to the Holy See was appointed in 2006.
The EU and the Holy See maintain a dialogue on a number of European and global issues, such as:
( EU Relations with Holy See (Vatican) http://eeas.europa.eu/vatican/index_en.htm accessed 09/16/15)
Of course, we have seen more attempts at unity among the European nations, with some difficulties.
Daniel 2:42-44 warns:
42 And as the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly fragile. 43 As you saw iron mixed with ceramic clay, they will mingle with the seed of men; but they will not adhere to one another, just as iron does not mix with clay. 44 And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever..
So, the Bible warns that there will be a fragile lack of cohesiveness in the final Beast kingdom. Does not Europe still have that problem?
It may be of interest to note that the crown of the first "Holy Roman Empire" includes iron and clay amongst its materials:
... one of Europe's great symbols of power the Iron Crown of the first Holy Roman Emperor, Charlemagne...The Iron Crown, made of gold and iron and set with precious stones, is held in the Cathedral at Monza, near Milan, in Italy ... a recent refurbishment of the crown it was discovered that its precious stones were held in place by a mixture of beeswax and clay, a common adhesive of the times ...
Charlemagne was crowned the first Holy Roman Emperor, reputedly with the Iron Crown, by Pope Leo III in Rome on Christmas Night, 800 AD. He lived from {DOB 742} 782-814 and, as King of the Franks, established and ruled over a kingdom that spanned virtually all the Christian States of western Europe, including what is now France, Switzerland, Belgium, The Netherlands, half of Italy and Germany, part of Austria and a small part of Spain. His role in uniting much of Europe is regarded as having an impact that remains until today (source Australian Government: http://www.ansto.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/41878/ANSTO_pinpoints_age_of_Charlemagnes_Crown.pdf accessed 07/04/15).
Even a secular news article by Europe's World noticed that Europe may have partially feet of clay as the following headline shows:
PARIS - France’s imposing EU presidency has feet of clay (Autumn 2008 by Sabine Saurugger. Europe's World. viewed 11/05/08. http://www.europesworld.org/EWSettings/Article/tabid/191/ArticleType/articleview/ArticleID/21226/Default.aspx)
Europe not only fits the prophecies related to the Beast, its relics seem to as well.
The Bible, in Revelation 17:15-17, states:
Then he said to me, "The waters which you saw, where the harlot sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues. 16 And the ten horns which you saw on the beast, these will hate the harlot, make her desolate and naked, eat her flesh and burn her with fire. 17 For God has put it into their hearts to fulfill His purpose, to be of one mind, and to give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled."
The European Union now consists of around 28 nations (plus it has associate members), numerous languages, numerous peoples and various multitudes and well fits verse 15. It also is partly strong and partly fragile as Daniel 2:42-44 shows--and at some point in time it will be a strong kindgom--the biblical beast.
Note that in a sense, one could consider Zeus as the beast of Revelation as in mythology he commits fornication with Europa (the woman the rides the Beast in the modern Greek 2 Euro coin), plus he turns on her in mythology--perhaps raping her--while the beast of Revelation turns on the false church. For, as verses 16 and 17 show, the time will come when the ten horns (some version of the European Union) of the beast will no longer wish to be ridden by the woman (the future ecumenical Babylonish Catholicism) and will destroy her as it will decide that even that woman's form of religion interferes with its political ambitions.
The Babylonian religion, began by Nimrod under Satan's influence, became (in modified form) the religion of ancient Greece and Rome, and has been transformed to call itself Christianity in the forms that support many teachings of Catholicism and the Orthodox Church. Thus, the Bible, who identifies Satan as 'the god of this world' (I Corinthians 4:4 KJV), also identifies for those who wish to see it, that the European Union fits the description of the Beast power in the Book of Revelation.
Notice that even the European Union identifies itself with the tower of Babel that Nimrod formed:
The above poster was produced by the Europeans over a decade ago. It may be of interest to note that the above inverted stars are pentagrams, a satanic symbol. The poster tower was based upon a painting of the Tower of Babel by a European, Pieter Brueghel the Elder, in 1563 .
In ancient times, Nimrod began his kingdom with the city of Babel (Genesis 10:10). The Tower of Babel was began in that city as a human attempt at unity (Genesis 11:1-4) in direct opposition to God's command for humans to disperse around the world (Genesis 9:1). God insured that project came to naught (Genesis 11:5-7) and His will would be done (Genesis 11:8-9). He will do the same with the current European attempts for its empire when it is God's time, though with different methods (see Revelation 17-19).
Here some of what Herbert W. Armstrong wrote about end time Babylon in 1948:
Her name is BABYLON THE GREAT -- and she is the daughter of the ancient Babylon. Her doctrines and rituals and traditions and forms ARE THE VERY PAGANISM of the ancient Babylon, but masquerading UNDER CHRISTIAN-SOUNDING NAMES ! Thus, once this EMPIRE is revived in Europe – AND BY UNITED STATES HELP AT THAT—so gullible are we and dull of UNDERSTANDING!—the new-born Fascist-Nazi military power will without warning DESTROY AMERICAN AND BRITISH CITIES OVERNIGHT WITH ATOMIC BOMBS, conquering our peoples, taking our survivors to Europe as THEIR SLAVES! (Armstrong HW. Now it Can Be Told. The Plain Truth magazine. December 1948, p. 6)
Notice the European Parliament headquarters building in Strasbourg, France (which was made after the death of Herbert W. Armstrong), like the Tower of Babel, was unfinished and resembles that ancient tower:
Yet in the Bible, God warns His people against being affiliated with the future system of Babylon:
2 Babylon ... 4 Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues (Revelation 18:2,4).
Thus, the true Church would not be trying to reunite a Europe symbolizing itself as Babylonian. Even in 2012, Europe was considered to be related to the Tower of Babel:
The 17-nation euro zone at times has resembled a crumbling Tower of Babel (Burton J. Stock ETFs to eye if Greece gets better. Marketwatch, February 6, 2012. http://www.marketwatch.com/story/stock-etfs-to-consider-if-europe-gets-it-together-2012-02-06?dist=countdown)
On May 27, 2012, then Pope Benedict XVI warned that the world was becoming like ancient Babel (Babylon) and mentioned the Tower of Babel (Pope Discusses Modern ‘Tower of Babel’). Yet, it should be realized that there are Roman and Byzantine Catholic prophecies that look forward to Babel/Babylon being re-established. Notice:
Monk Leontios (died 543): Rejoice, oh most unhappy one, oh New Babylon! ... You, who are the New Babylon rejoice now on behalf of Zion! New Babylon, dance, bounce and leap greatly, make known even those in Haydes what a Grace you have received. Because that peace which was yours to enjoy in times past, and which God has deprived you of in course of battles, receive it once more from the hand of an Angel ... oh, the City of Seven Hills the dominion will be yours. (Tzima Otto, pp. 82-83).
Abbott Joachim (died 1202) ... A remarkable Pope will be seated on the pontifical throne, under special protection of the angels. Holy and full of gentleness, he shall undo all wrong, he shall recover the states of the Church, and reunite the exiled temporal powers. As the only Pastor, he shall reunite the Eastern to the Western Church...This holy Pope shall be both pastor and reformer. Through him the East and West shall be in ever lasting concord. The city of Babylon shall then be the head and guide of the world. Rome, weakened in temporal power, shall forever preserve her spiritual dominion, and shall enjoy great peace ... At the beginning, in order to bring these happy results, having need of a powerful assistance, this holy Pontiff will ask the cooperation of the generous monarch of France (Great Monarch). (Connor, pp. 31-32)
Despite the fact that the former Pope Benedict XVI seemed to warn against certain aspects of Babylon, Europe is trying to become the end time Babylon and the next pontiff (even if he makes some anti-Babylon statements) may be the one who truly supports the final Babylon. The Bible, itself, warns against being part of the new Babylon (Revelation 18:4-5). And it could possibly include a cross as one of its symbols, as ancient Babylon did as well (Hislop A. The Two Babylons. First published as a pamphlet in 1853--greatly expanded in 1858).
As far as symbols go, the Continuing Church of God (CCOG) put out the following video on our Bible News Prophecy YouTube channel:
19:38EU Babylonian Beast Symbols?
Does the European Union openly use pictures, statues, coins, and other symbols which may tie it in with the prophesied “Mystery Babylon the Great” that the Bible warns against? Where did the name Babylon come from? What about the Tower of Babel? Where did Europe get its name? Did a nymph ride a beast that was supposed to be the pagan god Zeus? Have we seen growth in the European project consistent with warnings in the Book of Daniel? Why does the flag of the EU have twelve stars? Are there ties to Marianism? Does the Bible warn people to come out of Babylon? Yet, do Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic prophecies actual look forward to ‘New Babylon’? Is the time for the rise of this Babylon getting closer? Dr. Thiel addresses these issues and points to various symbols being used in Europe.
Here is a link to our video: EU Babylonian Beast Symbols?
As far as other symbols go, it needs to be understood that even an approved Roman Catholic source suggests that the symbol originally adopted by Emperor Constantine (the Chi-Rho, also known as Labarum cross) may be the symbol of the beast powers of Revelation 13:
Priest P. Huchedé (19th century): What this sign shall be time alone will reveal. Yet there are some {Catholic} commentators of the Holt Writ, who, according to a special revelation pretend to say that it shall be formed out of the Greek letters X and P, interlaced ... which resembles the number of Christ. (Cornelius a Lapide in Epis. 2 to Thes.). No one can either buy or sell without that ... (Huchedé, P. Translated by JBD. History of Antichrist. Imprimatur: Edward Charles Fabre, Bishop of Montreal. English edition 1884, Reprint 1976. TAN Books, Rockford (IL), p. 24).
In the above book, Priest Huchedé actually indicates that some type of cross symbol will be the symbol of Antichrist.
What is interesting is that in the Middle Ages, some of the Cathari had a similar idea. Historian Philip Schaff wrote:
Agreed as the Cathari were in opposing many customs and doctrines of the established Church ... There are two Churches they held; one of the wicked and one of the righteous ... They called the cross the mark of the beast, and declared it had no more virtue than a ribbon for binding the hair. It was the instrument of Christ’s shame and death, and therefore not to be used. (Schaff, Philip, History of the Christian Church, Chapter X)
Thus, there are many symbols that have been historically associated with Europe that may be associated with warnings in the Bible (e.g. the buy and sell symbol warning is in Revelation 13:16-17).
Now, this article is not saying that, based upon Roman Catholic and other private prophecies (like from the Cathari) that “the image of the beast” and/or the “mark of the beast” (Revelation 13:16-16) must be a cross of some type (day of worship seems to be involved for the mark, cf. Daniel 7:25; especially since Sunday was a sign of Mithraism. The late Herbert Armstrong felt that there were only two commandments that would be candidates for the mark, the one against idolatry and the other against Sabbath breaking per his Mark of the Beast sermon, given December 11, 1982).
Since so many people accept the cross as a valid religious symbol, it seems logical that Sunday and some type of cross could be major symbols for the coming ecumenical Beast power (see also What is the Origin of the Cross as a 'Christian' Symbol? a related YouTube video would be Origin of the Cross. ). A type of cross/crucifix may be the mark of the beast.
It is more than only religious leaders who point to the old ‘Holy Roman Empire’ as some type of model for Europe.
Notice the following:
24.01.2016
THE HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE CAN HELP INSPIRE A DIFFERENT EUROPEAN UNION
Germany’s past casts a long shadow. ... with the questions of how Germany will use its current economic and political influence, and how far the EU can or should contain that power. For answers we should look back in time to when Germany was part of the Holy Roman Empire. ...
The empire scarcely seems worthy of discussion today. If it has any resonance at all, it is usually thanks to Voltaire’s quip that it was “neither holy, Roman nor an empire”. Founded by Charlemagne on Christmas Day 800, the empire appeared to go into decline almost immediately until being swept away as an obsolete irrelevance by Napoleon in 1806. ...
The negative interpretation of the empire rests on seeing it as a series of failed attempts to create a German nation state. In this version of history, a succession of monarchs tried to create central institutions capable of imposing a uniform system of rule, only to be thwarted by the selfish ambitions of petty German princes.
In fact, the empire was never simply “Germany”. It covered what is now Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands, the Czech Republic, much of Italy, and parts of France and Poland. …
We expect empires to have a clear and stable core inhabited by an imperial people that imposes its will on peripheral regions. But the Holy Roman Empire had no core, because it never possessed a clear centre of government or even an official capital. Instead, power was always multiple and plural. The management of daily life was devolved to more local powers.
The most significant change across the centuries was not a progressive fragmentation of an originally centralised power, as previous generations of historians believed.
Rather, it was a gradual thickening of local power that drew its legitimacy from its relationship to the empire as a whole. Imperial charters and laws sanctioned local rights and liberties. http://katehon.com/article/holy-roman-empire-can-help-inspire-different-european-union
So, the above article basically thinks that a confederation with a lot of local power is what can drive the European Union. But this left out religion and overlooks biblical prophecy.
Now, there have been some other items that have brought up the European Union and the old ‘Holy Roman Empire.’ Notice:
26.01.2016
The Holy Roman Empire has been much maligned
The vast, sprawling entity, generally considered a byword for inefficiency, actually worked remarkably well, according to Peter H. Wilson
Last month in the Financial Times, Tony Barber closed a gloomy summary of the European Union’s future with this comparison:
Like the Holy Roman Empire which lasted for 1,000 years before Napoleon put it out of its misery in 1806, the EU may not disintegrate but slip into a glacial decline, its political and bureaucratic elites continuing faithfully to observe the rites of a confederacy bereft of power and relevance.
This vivid comparison has much to commend it. Both institutions defy definition. …
Today’s successors to ... cannot decide if the EU is a union of states or a superstate. It rests on treaties among the members but also on several hundred thousand pages of the acquis communautaire: decisions, resolutions, directives and judgments by various bodies in the EU itself. ...
Peter H. Wilson’s The Holy Roman Empire. ... covers the entire 1,000 years ...
The Holy Roman Empire began symbolically in 800 ad, when Charlemagne, the Carolingian king, received an ‘imperial’ crown from the Pope; and that union of church and state gave it a special status. …
The establishment of the Habsburg family after 1493 as permanent holders of the imperial title gave new prestige and stability to the imperial crown ...
The establishment of bishoprics and archbishoprics under Charlemagne created a church landscape which lasted for a millennium, and the accumulation of local patronage solidified the structures. The Reichskirchensystem (the imperial church system) a unique feature of the empire, became part of the governing structure. That history explains the state system of support for churches in the Germanic world, including Switzerland, even today, where the state collects a church tax from members to support the institutions of the church.
‘The decentralised, fragmented political structures do not lend themselves to common direct democratic control’, Wilson concludes on the last page, arguing that ‘democracy derives from the openness of debate, not the practice of voting’. But therein lies the difficulty: the vast bureaucracy of the European Union in its huge Brussels buildings makes everything available online, but the citizens either do not read the material or cannot understand Euro-speak if they try. Eurosceptics profit from this ignorance. http://www.spectator.co.uk/2016/01/the-holy-roman-empire-has-been-much-maligned/
So, both of the article saw flaws and possibilities in the old ‘Holy Roman Empire.’
Though they did not endorse religion as the 'glue,' religion will play a role in the future of Europe.
The old ‘Holy Roman Empire’ will be a model for some of what will happen in Europe. A video on this is available: Europe and the 'Holy Roman Empire'.
As far as the Habsburg's go, notice the following:
Why Does the Right-Wing Scion of a Failed European Dynasty Want to Tell Us How to Live?
In 2023 even Habsburgs are influencers.
Eduard Karl Joseph Michael Marcus Koloman Volkhold Maria Habsburg-Lothringen, aka Archduke Eduard of Austria. He’s a 56-year-old social media influencer who also has a make-work job as Hungary’s ambassador to the Holy See. … As part of his one-man Habsburg family charm offensive, he has now published a book: The Habsburg Way: Seven Rules for Turbulent Times. …
The Habsburg Way is a subtle but persistent case for monarchy as a political system …
Eduard repeatedly teases the notion that it may be—someday. “Are we waiting for the monarchy to return? No,” he writes, then adds, coyly: “Or are we?” Surely, in these “turbulent times,” our yearning for the gentle but firm hand of a monarch to gather the fractured pieces of the modern state will lead us back to the leadership of august dynasties like the Habsburgs. 04/21/23 https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2023/04/eduard-habsburg-advice-book-twitter.html
Anyway, after reading about it, I ordered the book in April 2023.
Here is some of what Eduard Habsburg wrote:
I’d like to ask whether our lives, politics–indeed our world–wouldn’t be better if we tried to do at least a few things “the Habsburg Way.” …
For all their faults, the Habsburg rulers appear to have cared for their subjects quite well. … we do not need to “bring back the Habsburgs” or “re-introduce monarchy” (although I’d never say never) … these ideas–and requiring them from our political leaders–would greatly improve our contemporary world. …
The Seven Rules
1. GET MARRIED…
2. BE CATHOLIC …
3. BELIEVE IN THE EMPIRE …
4. STAND FOR LAW AND JUSTICE…
5. KNOW WHO YOU ARE …
6. BE BRAVE IN BATTLE (or Have a Great General)
7. DIE WELL …
The fact is, the Habsburgs–and for the most part still are–Catholic. Period. Full stop. …
If the reign of Leopold I was the pinnacle of Catholic faith in the Habsburg lands, many other Habsburgs were devout … For example, Maria Theresia made pilgrimages … But here faith was very strict … Meanwhile her husband was … actually a Freemason … The sons and daughters of Maria Theresia and Francis were raised between the very severe faith of their mother and the very humanistic faith of their father. It is perhaps no wonder that many preferred their father’s faith.
After eight hundred years of the intimate Habsburg presence in European politics, members of our family are still putting their faith first and making it the center of our lives.
The Holy Roman Empire … was shaped by, the Habsburg family for hundreds of years …
Holy Roman Empire … by the Middle Ages, this state structure governed most of the Roman Empire’s former territory including Germany, Netherlands, Austria, Slovenia, Czeck Republic, the territory of today’s Poland, and Northern Italy.
The idea of centralized government in the Habsburg lands began to advance under Maria Theresia. … In some ways, centalization was inspired by the Masonic idea that reason could determine the best policy, and therefore that all change could come from above and be implemented by a small, virtuous elite.
In the end, the idea of empire (in German reich) has shaped Europe for nearly six hundred years, with greater and lesser success. But one historical curiosity above the Holy Roman Empire is that, according to legal scholars, it never officially, legally ended. … even after 1806 when the Holy Roman Empire ended. … So, very technically speaking, empire continues to even to this day. … perhaps one day in the future it will once again be “en-soul” a united Europe?
monarchs … Contrast this mindset with some modern politicians. Not having been raised to responsibility, and with less permanently secure positions, they will quite understandably be more naturally tempted to use their careers as paths to personal advancement …
I leave you with this question: Who protects the voters from their politicians today? …
Dr. Otto von Habsburg … From the birth of the Paneuropa Union, in 1952, Otto fought for a united Europe … In 1973, Otto became head of the International Paneuropa Movement, and in 1979 he was elected to the European Parliament for the first time. … he insisted that symbolic seats in the Parliament be kept empty for the future for countries still trapped behind the Iron Curtain. …
We Habsburgs still live by traditional family values and live by them. … Are we waiting for the monarchy to return? No. (Or are we?) …
And the next time a politician does something outlandish, ask yourself: What would a Habsburg do?
(Habsburg E. The Habsburg Way: Seven Rules for Turbulent Times. Sophia Institute Press, 2023, pp. 5, 7-8, 10, 11, 49, 65-66, 75, 79, 81, 84, 89, 99, 147,149, 152, 155)
So, Archduke Eduard Habsburg, who is “Hungary’s Ambassador to the Holy See and Sovereign Order of Malta” (Ibid, p. 159), seems to be pushing for a return to the monarchy and a revived “Holy Roman Empire.”
Could that fit in with biblical and other prophecies?
Yes.
Archduke Habsburg wants Europe to reorganize and consider the monarchy. The Bible shows that will happen in Europe:
12 “The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority for one hour as kings with the beast. 13 These are of one mind, and they will give their power and authority to the beast. (Revelation 17:12-13)
The leader of this superstate is called the King of the North in Daniel 11.
Prior to this reorganization, this kingly beast leader does not have much power, but with a small group (of elites?) backing him, he will attain it (Daniel 11:23). The Habsburgs, themselves, do not have much power now, but do have influence.
Let me add that Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg comes from the Habsburg/Constantine line (see also Might German Baron Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg become the King of the North?).
The Europeans have learned a lot about the USA.
Here are twelve actions by the USA that have concerned the Europeans:
The first three items are often reported in the news, and points four through eight are related to revelations related to the Snowden leaks (see The Snowden Leaks are Leading to the Destruction of the USA). That tenth item is simply another insult that the Europeans will tend to remember (this was leaked in February 2014). All twelve are reasons for the Europeans to move ahead and become less dependent upon the USA.
Notice something related to the eleventh item:
30 January 2017
The European Union's chief Brexit negotiator said Donald Trump's presidency is the newest threat to the European Union.
Speaking to a group of scholars at a public policy institute in London, Guy Verhofstadt said the EU is facing a three-pronged attack from radical Islamists, Russia's Vladimir Putin and now US President Trump.
"I have just come back from US and my view is that we have a third front that is undermining the EU ... and that is Donald Trump," Verhofstadt said in a speech at the Chatham House think-tank.
"Trump spoke very favorably of the fact that also other countries will want to break away from the European Union, and that he hoped for a disintegration of the European Union," he added. http://www.dw.com/en/eu-parliaments-brexit-negotiator-says-us-joins-russia-and-is-as-threats-to-eu/a-37341378
Europe is realizing that it cannot rely on the USA and hates Donald Trump. Since it often fears Russia and China, it will take more steps to deal with that, as well as steps to move further away from the USA.
Notice also that in 2014, the then EU President basically was calling for the world to recognized that Europe can be a military force:
In his opening statement to the Saturday program of the Munich Security Conference on Feb. 1, European Union Council President Herman Van Rompuy, after expressing his full support and sympathy for the Ukrainian demonstrators, underlined that “Some people think Europeans are naïve; that we prefer carrots over sticks. Now, I am not saying that we cannot sometimes play our hand more strongly.“I know the EU is sometimes looked at as somewhat of a Florence Nightingale — after all, we are the world’s biggest donor of development and humanitarian aid. But we do not just send nurses and nutritionists, we also send judges and policemen, soldiers and marines. In fact, we just decided to send in principle around 600 troops to Bangui. They will work side by side with those of France ….”This would be the first time since their creation in 2007, that a military unit of the EU Battlegroup (EUBG) would be deployed under direct command of the Council of the European Union.http://larouchepac.com/node/29732
Changes in Europe and Germany are taking place. Europe will not remain a peaceful entity forever (Revelation 13:4; Daniel 11:40-43).
Europe is telling the world that it is not as soft as it may appear. And that is true.
If the Snowden leaks were not enough, something else happened--the election of Donald Trump.
His flamboyance and brashness have already offended the Europeans, and ultimately that will not turn out well for the USA (cf. Lamentations 1:1-2; Daniel 11:39).
In December 2015, former German Defense Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg called Donald Trump "that blonde lunatic named Donald" (Wish List or Reality? Digital Trends in 2016 | Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg | hub conference. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgdZUA96UBU. Posted December 11, 2015).
Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, former German Defense Minister, warns of an erosion in transatlantic trust, exacerbated by the U.S. presidential-election season. The campaign anthem will be “forget Europe,” he says—and it won’t come only from Donald Trump. ...
There is growing division between U.S. and European leaders. Transatlantic ties depend on common values. http://time.com/4154044/geopolitics-2016/
Consider also that the comments from Germany’s former chancellor have been called “a watershed” moment in a Twitter post by Richard N. Haas, the president of the Council on Foreign Relations:
Richard N. Haass
@RichardHaass
Merkel saying Europe cannot rely on others & needs to take matters into its own hands is a watershed-& what US has sought to avoid since WW2
More and more leaders in Europe are now willing to publicly state that Europe needs to take care of itself and not rely on others.
The USA has been encouraging Europe to spend more on defense for years, but since the election of Donald Trump, more in Europe are agreeing.
Clearly, many in Europe have issues with Donald Trump.
The Bible tells of a warring, King of the North, power that will arise in Europe and surprise the world:
3 And I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded, and his deadly wound was healed. And all the world marveled and followed the beast. 4 So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?” (Revelation 13:3-4)
Since Donald Trump's election, the European Commission made proposals moving towards a European army:
30 November 2016
The prospect of Brexit and Trump has spurred the EU into action on the military front …
The Commission proposal comes amid wider plans to create an EU “defence union” in response to Brexit and to the election of Donald Trump, a Nato-sceptic, in the US.
France, Germany, Italy and Spain have said the European public wanted the EU to play a larger role in the security arena in reaction to Britain’s decision to leave the bloc and to the migration crisis.
Earlier this month, EU states agreed to create a new military command HQ in the EU foreign service and joint rapid-reaction forces that could be sent into action in African or Middle Eastern states. https://euobserver.com/foreign/136091
November 30, 2016
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The European Union will … send a message to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump that Europe wants to pay for its own security. http://www.businessinsider.com/r-after-trump-and-brexit-eu-to-launch-defense-research-plan-2016-11
Newsletter 2016/11/29 – Shock as Opportunity
BERLIN (Own report) – Thanks to Donald Trump’s electoral victory,
Berlin sees its opportunities for pushing for the creation of EU
military structures and possibly European nuclear armed forces
growing. Wolfgang Ischinger, the influential diplomat and Chairman of
the Munich Security Conference, is “hoping” that the “Trump shock” has
“dramatically increased” the willingness to militarize the European
Union. Last week, the European Parliament adopted a resolution that
includes setting up an EU Operational Headquarters, establishing a
“political leadership” for EU military operations, and raising the
military budgets of all member states to at least 2% of their GDP. EU
High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security, Federica
Mogherini, continues to promote the idea of an “EU superpower.”
Leading politicians and commentators are beginning to pick up the
idea, previously launched by a number of experts, of the EU developing
its own nuclear military forces on the basis of French and British
nuclear weapons. However, for this, the French and British arsenals
would be insufficient, according to a suggestive article published in
one of Germany’s leading opinion-forming dailies. http://www.german-foreign-policy.com/en/fulltext/58988
I have warned for some time that the rise and/or election of Donald Trump would trigger the desire for a European army and additional European unity, as would the Brexit vote. Since then Europe has PESCO, which is a structured European army.
Notice two items I posted here before the Brexit vote:
The departure of the UK from the EU has been called a Brixit or Brexit, meaning a British exit. As far as the UK’s role in the future, as I have written many times before, the UK will not remain a major power in the final European configuration. … The Bible shows that a couple of reorganizations will take place in Europe in Revelation 17:12-13) and this will result in a type of strong leader that many in Europe seem to crave. (Thiel B. EU leaders keeping low profile on Brexit vote. COGwriter, June 6, 2016)
Does the European leadership think they need their own military, one that will ultimately not be dependent upon the USA?
Yes.
Are they now trying to take steps to make this happen?
Yes.
Will a vote in the UK for it to exit from the European Union stop this from happening?
No.
The Bible prophesies that the final European King of the North Beast power will destroy the USA and its Anglo-Saxon descended allies, including Canada, and UK:
39 Thus he shall act against the strongest fortresses with a foreign god, which he shall acknowledge, and advance its glory; and he shall cause them to rule over many, and divide the land for gain (Daniel 11:39).
The ‘he’ is the final European King of the North Beast. And the strongest fortresses in the world belong to the USA and to a much lessor extent, its English-speaking allies (for a more detailed explanation of why the USA and its Anglo-allies are involved, as well as the dividing of their lands, please see Anglo – America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel). Some would call this attack World War III (WWIII).
Daniel 11:24-25 seems to parallel this as it teaches that the King of the North has plans against the strongholds and succeeds against the prosperous:
24 He shall enter peaceably, even into the richest places of the province; and he shall do what his fathers have not done, nor his forefathers: he shall disperse among them the plunder, spoil, and riches; and he shall devise his plans against the strongholds, but only for a time.
25 “He shall stir up his power and his courage against the king of the South with a great army. (Daniel 11:24-25)
Notice that the ‘he,’the European power, will first seem peaceful, but will have a great army! And the Europeans have a secret plan for the start of one! (Thiel B. EU’s post UK secret army plan. COGwriter, May 28, 2016)
Consider also something posted here one day BEFORE the US election in 2016:
If Donald Trump is elected, the Germans will see this as proof that they cannot rely on the USA for their defense, etc. Germany will push for a European army. Some in Europe actually want Donald Trump to win for this basic reason (see ‘Why Europe Secretly Roots For Donald Trump’?). (Thiel B. Germans opposed to Donald Trump, but not too optimistic about Hillary Clinton. COGwriter, November 7, 2016)
The Bible shows that Europe will have a great army (Daniel 11:25). Because of Brexit and Donald Trump, the European Commission has now taken more steps towards one.
Notice also the following from German-Foreign-Policy.com:
8 November 2017
According to Germany's Ministry of Defense "notification" for the expansion of THE EU's military cooperation will be given at the beginning of next week. As the ministry announced, "more than 20 EU member countries" are expected to sign up to "PESCO" at next Monday's EU defense ministers meeting. Within the PESCO framework, an EU Army - still opposed by some EU member countries - is to be initiated "from below." First plans include the establishment of a logistics hub and a core element of a military headquarters in Brussels. "We Europeans must finally take our defense into our own hands," says the CDU parliamentarian and foreign policy expert Elmar Brok. These measures taken by the EU are designed to supplement a merger of European armed forces, which Berlin is also promoting within NATO, for example with the subordination of foreign military units to German command. The defense ministry declares that this is "a grassroots issue." ...
As confirmed in a current study by the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP), "three multinational divisions, with up to five armored brigades each, should be fielded" by 2032; two of these should be comprised from "German divisional staffs and structures" with the incorporation of units from other nations. According to current planning, an aerial task force - to be created - will have "more than 75 percent reliance on German capability," and a "German-dominated naval commando is foreseen for the Baltic Sea." The SWP concludes that "on land, at sea or in the air, Germany's role in these formations and structures will be significant." ...
According to Germany's Defense Ministry, the militarization of the EU is a "grassroots issue." "European citizens" expect the EU to be more active in areas of "security and defense."[10] With the militarization of the EU, Berlin and Brussels are merely fulfilling these expectations. https://www.german-foreign-policy.com/en/news/detail/7443/ accessed 11/10/17
Notice also:
The making of a European Defence Union
12 December 2017
The decision to establish the Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) and plans presented by 25 European Union member states to work together on a first set of 17 collaborative defence projects has been welcomed by the European Commission.
“In June I said it was time to wake up the Sleeping Beauty of the Lisbon Treaty: permanent structured cooperation,” said European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker. “Six months later, it is happening.”
Juncker said Europe cannot and should not outsource our security and defence.
“The European Defence Fund that the European Commission proposed will complement these efforts and act as a further incentive for defence cooperation – including potential funding for some of the projects presented today,” he added.
According to a European Commission press release, PESCO is an instrument in the EU Treaty to enable willing member states to pursue greater cooperation in defence and security.
On November 13, there were 23 member states (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Croatia, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia, Spain and Sweden) that took a first step towards launching the Permanent Structured Cooperation on defence. Since then, Ireland and Portugal have also joined, bringing the total number of participating countries to 25. https://www.neweurope.eu/article/making-european-defence-union/
PESCO is not about peace, it is about preparing for EU wars
20 March 2018
IN recent weeks, EU Defence Ministers, met in “PESCO format” for the first time.
They pushed plans to strengthen European Union security and defence and cooperation between the European Union and NATO, and discussed the European Defence Fund and new laws to establish a European Defence Industrial Development Programme. …
The law establishing PESCO doesn’t contain a single mention of the United Nations, nor does it refer to peacekeeping, nor even “peace”. …
Let’s look at a few facts:
1) This legally binding EU decision mandates PESCO member states to increase defence budgets, to provide troops (on stand-by) for use in EU Battle-Groups, to join “structures partaking in European external action in the military field”, and for “common funding of military CSDP operations and missions”.
2) It states quite bluntly that “increasing joint and collaborative defence capability development projects, is among the binding commitments under PESCO”.
3) PESCO aims to establish an EU-wide arms industry, and the EU’s European Defence Agency will tell PESCO members, including Ireland, what weapons to buy. 03/20/18 https://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/views/analysis/pesco-is-not-about-peace-it-is-about-preparing-for-eu-wars-833488.html
May 6, 2019
Long blocked by London, PESCO, is one of the most tangible steps in EU integration since Britons voted to leave the bloc, as militaries begin to plan, spend and deploy together.
The eventual aim of PESCO is to develop and deploy forces together, backed by a multi-billion-euro fund for defense research and development. The idea aims to bring together European countries with a military capacity and political desire to collaborate on planning, carry out joint analyses of emerging crises and to react to them quickly. https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2019/05/06/european-union-tees-up-new-military-cooperation-proposals/
I have written for years that Europe would end up with its own military. (Watch also the video: PESCO and a Great European Army).
The Europeans will take more steps to separate themselves from the USA. This does not mean that NATO must be abandoned, but I have felt for decades that the Europeans would attack the USA deceptively under the guise of a NATO exercise, and probably will have ground assistance from Mexico, a nation that Donald Trump has repeatedly offended.
It does matter that Europe hates Donald Trump. Since his election, the Europeans have intensified their desire to arm themselves.
Here is one such example of this:
Merkel Says Europe Can’t Count on U.S. Military Umbrella Anymore
May 10, 2018
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Europe can no longer count on the U.S. for military protection and must “take its destiny into its own hands.”
Merkel’s comments on Thursday reprise a theme she first sounded last year in response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s “America First” foreign policy and his hectoring of European NATO allies for allegedly spending too little on defense. It’s her latest retort to Trump, who this week withdrew the U.S. from a nuclear accord with Iran that European powers say they will uphold.
“It’s no longer the case that the United States will simply just protect us,” Merkel said to applause in a speech honoring French President Emmanuel Macron, who sat behind her at a prize ceremony in Aachen, Germany. “Rather, Europe needs to take its fate into its own hands. That’s the task for the future.” https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-05-10/merkel-says-europe-can-t-count-on-u-s-military-umbrella-anymore
European leaders and advocating and applauding no longer relying on the USA for Europe's defense.
Remember that the Bible teaches that Europe will have a "great army" (Daniel 11:25).
Church of God leaders have warned that Europe would have a great army for decades:
John also pictures this BEAST, not as a church, or as an individual man, but as a powerful GOVERNMENT having a great ARMY. For they worshipped the Beast by saying: "WHO IS ABLE TO MAKE WAR WITH HIM?" (Rev. 13:4). (Armstrong HW. Who is BEAST of Revelation? - Part 1. Plain Truth, August 1934)
It will be a “The UNITED STATES OF EUROPE,” but that probably will never become its official name. ... Once Europe is economically revived, and powerfully armed, a new Hitler will appear upon the scene ... (Armstrong HW. Now It Can Be Told...The Plain Truth, December 1948, pp. 5-6).
"The king of the north" -- all Bible scholars know that the 'king of the north' originally meant Syria in Old Testament times; but when Rome conquered Syria, the 'king of the north' became Rome; and when Rome fell, the German Nation and its allies wok over Rome and now have become the 'king of the north' (verses 36-39 — the German Nation, now working through the Nazi Underground, "shall..." notice it! "... shall enter into the countries ...). Why? Because these nations shall finally be in league with Germany [the descendants of Assur or Assyria] according to Psalm 83! Germany's coming Fuhrer ... is "the king of the north." (Hoeh H. U.S. and Britain Admit NAZI UNDERGROUND Behind Arab Crisis! Plain Truth, October 1958)
German leaders once again — just as in centuries past — openly are attempting to unite all Europe in a United States of Europe — and, through Europe, to reshape the world in order to fasten German leadership and culture on all nations and peoples. (Hoeh H. Germany in Prophecy! - Part 1. Plain Truth, December 1962)
For well over 20 years, Mr. Armstrong has made plain to our readers that the prophecies of the Bible foretell that Germany will rise again to become a mighty world power. And, if the English- speaking world does not repent, bring about our national destruction! In 1945, when Germany lay prostrate and statesmen boasted that Ger- many would not rise again for 50 years or more, Mr . Armstrong told listeners of The WORLD TOMORROW broadcast about Germany's quick recovery and eventual development into a giant power. Since that time, many articles have appeared in The PLAIN TRUTH magazine warning our peoples of the rise of Germany and the ultimate formation of a United States of Europe. (Marx GO. Why Germans Long for a Leader. Plain Truth, September 1965, p. 30)
John also pictures this beast, not as a church or as an individual man, but as a powerful government having a great army. For they worshiped the beast by saying, "Who is able to make war with him?" (Revelation 13:4). (Armstrong HW. Who or What Is the Prophetic Beast? - Part 1. Good News, October-November 1985)
This is because of various biblical prophecies (e.g. Isaiah 10:5-12; Revelation 13; Daniel 11; see also Germany in Biblical and Catholic Prophecy).
We are seeing Europe start to move in that direction.
The time will come when Europe will turn to a ‘strongman’ of its own (cf. Revelation 17:12-13; see also Must the Ten Kings of Revelation 17:12 Rule over Ten Currently Existing Nations?) I have also long written that I believe that trade conflict could be the trigger for the start of WWIII.
Europe is mentioned, prophetically, in various parts of the Bible.
It should be pointed out that the leader of the ten-horned Beast of Revelation 13:1-10 and the one called 666 in Revelation 13:10 (see SDA/COG Differences: 666) is also the one who the Bible shows is the final King of the North.
The Bible shows that at "the appointed time," something will trigger the King of the North going towards the south:
29 At the appointed time he shall return and go toward the south; but it shall not be like the former or the latter. 30 For ships from Cyprus shall come against him; therefore he shall be grieved, and return in rage against the holy covenant, and do damage. So he shall return and show regard for those who forsake the holy covenant (Daniel 11:29-30).
30 For warships from western coastlands will scare him off, and he will withdraw and return home. But he will vent his anger against the people of the holy covenant and reward those who forsake the covenant. (Daniel 11:30 New Living Translation 1996 Greg Laurie).
Note: the Hebrew term translated as "Cyprus" in the NKJV is a mistranslation. The KJV uses the term Chittim which means "Western lands." Hence the King of the North will apparently be temporarily stopped by a Western naval power (see also Germany in Biblical and Catholic Prophecy). A similar passage is in Numbers 24:24, which according to Numbers 24:14, is for the latter times--and in it the Western naval power troubles descendants of Asshur/Assyria (many of whom now seem to be residing in Europe, see Germany’s Assyrian Roots Throughout History, see also Anglo–America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel for more of a discussion of Numbers 24:24). Warning the world that the King of the North is fulfilling Bible prophecy when he does this is likely to be part of the "short work" of Romans 9:28 that God will accomplish through His most faithful.
Here is a Roman Catholic writing related to this passage in Daniel 11 and what follows:
It seems he will probably be defeated by by certain people of the Western nations, who will give him a naval battle ... (11:30). But he will soon recover from this defeat. (Huchedé P. History of Antichrist. Imprimatur Edward Charles Fabre, Bishop of Montreal, First English edition 1884. 1976 reprint from TAN Books, Rockford (IL), p. 22)
No later than 2003, I first thought that Daniel 11:30 could be referring to United States warships alarming the European King of the North. Then in 2008, I came across the following in a book written about Catholic prophecies by Gerald Culleton:
Countess Francesca de Billiante (died 1935): When the land with the great fleet enters the Mediterranean (England or the United States?) then Europe will tremble ... God will save Rome (Culleton, The Prophets and Our Times, p. 226).
Note: The comments ( ) in are from the Catholic writer Gerald Culleton. And while he did not connect this Roman Catholic prophecy to Daniel 11:30 in that writing, that passage certainly may be related.
Because the Bible shows that the spirit world has knowledge of scripture (Matthew 4:5–6), it would appear that some spirits, inspired this and certain private prophets to make a variety of statements throughout history to try to confuse people at the end. The statement from the Countess may have been intended to tell the Europeans that they should not be too afraid of the coming “American” ships.
Someone sent me a link to the following in 2019:
When The European Union Becomes An Empire, Its Clash With The United States Is Inevitable
September 17, 2019
“The world order of tomorrow is not a world order based on nation-states or countries, it’s a world order that is based on empires,”said former Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt, the current leader of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe in the European Parliament, in a barn-storming speech in the Liberal-Democrat conference in London.
“China is not a nation, it’s a civilization. ... The U.S. is also an empire, more than a nation -- maybe tomorrow they will speak more Spanish than English, I don’t know what will happen. And then finally, the Russian Federation,” he continued. “The world of tomorrow is a world of empires, in which we Europeans and you British can only defend your interests, your way of life, by doing it together in a European framework and a European Union.” ...
Dealing with the EU Empire
To return therefore to the problem at hand, the European Union is shaping into an empire, and sooner or later the United States, as a maritime great power, will come into conflict with it. That is a structural issue, and it is inevitable. Any power consolidating the European landmass would have so much material, financial, and demographic power, it would be a threat to other land and maritime powers around, including the United States, United Kingdom, or even Russia.
As I have repeatedly said, the EU as one single empire under one flag, one liberal faith, and one fiscal and military union will never coexist with an American-led world. Sooner or later, due to their difference of interests, Washington and Brussels will be on opposing ends.
The EU won’t need to match toe to toe with U.S. military might. It can simply have a separate currency to the dollar’s domination and take away the U.S.’s financial coercive power of sanctions, or even worse, throw its weight behind China or even Russia against U.S. companies.
The U.S. policymakers who still think geopolitically will have to think of “divide and rule” for EU sooner or later. And the U.K. will have to decide whether to side with the EU empire or American empire.
All of that is true and inevitable, and someone should remember this column when that comes to pass. But more importantly, any Brit and American who values sovereignty needs to realize that, more than the EU, the issue at hand is internationalists within, working tirelessly to capture the institutions to promote their stateless and genderless egalitarian utopia.
(Maitra S. When The European Union Becomes An Empire, Its Clash With The United States Is Inevitable. September 17, 2019)
Yes, conflict between the USA and Europe is coming. And yes, many in Europe believe they are working towards a utopian empire.
Despite some improper claims on Daniel 11, notice that a major battle is not shown to have occurred in verse 30; it may only involve a show of naval force. Thus, that verse may possibly indicate that this is when the European Beast power may temporarily make a deceptive deal with a major Western power (probably the United States) which will ultimately allow it to destroy the USA and its English-speaking allies (see also verse 39).
The Bible shows that the coming European/Babylonian power will invade and take over the United States and its Anglo allies:
39 Thus he shall act against the strongest fortresses with a foreign god, which he shall acknowledge, and advance its glory; and he shall cause them to rule over many, and divide the land for gain (Daniel 11:39).
It is the USA and its Anglo-allies that currently have "the strongest fortresses." The "he" is the one previously referred to in Daniel 11 as the King of the North.
By the time this European power destroys the United States and its Anglo-allies (see also Anglo - America in Prophecy), it will have completely upset the world's economic system (the US dollar will be perhaps worse than worthless near then).
Now I would like all Europeans, and everyone else on the planet, to understand that the power that destroys the United States and its Anglo-allies is the prophesied Beast power (who will also cooperate for a short time with the Muslims). Those in Europe and everywhere else need to resist following it. By this time, God will raise up two witnesses who will be able to perform miracles that the miracle-appearing Beast power will destroy (Revelation 11:2-7). Unlike the Beast power, God's witnesses will be pointing out the Jesus is about to return and that everyone should resist the Beast power (see Who Are The Two Witnesses?). Will you listen to God's true servants now? Will you listen to God's true servants then WHEN YOU SEE THAT THE US AND ITS ANGLO ALLIES ARE DESTROYED?
While some have questioned how Europe can possibly do this, at risk of some redundancy, here are twelve things (facts and conjecture) to consider:
Because of the destruction of the US and its dollar and its allies, the Beast may then see the acquisition of the "gold of Egypt" (Egypt became a major gold producing region in the past two years) as necessary to stabilize its own European currency (see also The Plain Truth About Gold in Prophecy. How Should a Christian View Gold?).
Notice what the Bible shows happens shortly after taking over the USA, and immediately after a battle with the King of the South (Daniel 11:40):
40 ... the king of the North ... 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.
So, the European power will have more gold and will have invaded the Middle East--will you listen by then?
Interestingly, supporting the Euro, is the reason that the European banks are holding so much gold now:
Bundesbank said ... "National gold reserves have a confidence and stability-building function for the single currency in a monetary union. This function has become even more important given the geopolitical situation and the risks present in financial market developments." (Gold reserves more important than before-Bundesbank Reuters - Aug 22, 2008. http://www.iii.co.uk/shares/?type=news&articleid=6861332&subject=markets&action=article)
If the above was true in 2008, how much more so now as USA debt has almost tripled since? What will happen once the United States dollar becomes totally worthless? (See also The End of US Dollar Dominance.)
The Europeans will want to keep their currency valuable once they break all connections to paper/electronic USA dollars. Having major gold reserves will make them quite powerful economically. It may be of interest to note that Orthodox prophecy shows that the coming Great Monarch (the King of the North) will accumulate gold (those prophecies are quoted in the article on the King of the North).
But even though this European/Babylonian power will grow, it will not last. Part of the reason will be for what it has done to the Anglo-nations (Isaiah ), while having images will also be a problem:
47 Therefore behold, the days are coming
That I will bring judgment on the carved images of Babylon;
Her whole land shall be ashamed,
And all her slain shall fall in her midst.
48 Then the heavens and the earth and all that is in them
Shall sing joyously over Babylon;
For the plunderers shall come to her from the north," says the Lord.49 As Babylon has caused the slain of Israel to fall,
So at Babylon the slain of all the earth shall fall. (Jeremiah 51:47-49)
A northern power will be used to punish Europe. "And the men of war are terrified" (Jeremiah 51:32).
20 "But I will remove far from you the northern army,
And will drive him away into a barren and desolate land,
With his face toward the eastern sea
And his back toward the western sea;
His stench will come up,
And his foul odor will rise,
Because he has done monstrous things." (Joel 2:20)
Massive destruction will come to Europe!
The Bible clearly shows that the leader of the final Babylonian European Empire, who will be called "the King of the North," will be troubled by those from the north (Russia) and the east (China and other Asians):
44 But news from the east and the north shall trouble him; therefore he shall go out with great fury to destroy and annihilate many. 45 And he shall plant the tents of his palace between the seas and the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and no one will help him (Daniel 11:40,43-45).
These seem to be the same peoples that the Bible shows goes against "the daughter of Babylon" (which is the Babylon of Revelation, a European power):
50:41 "Behold, a people shall come from the north,
And a great nation and many kings
Shall be raised up from the ends of the earth.
42 They shall hold the bow and the lance;
They are cruel and shall not show mercy.
Their voice shall roar like the sea;
They shall ride on horses,
Set in array, like a man for the battle,
Against you, O daughter of Babylon.43 "The king of Babylon has heard the report about them,
And his hands grow feeble;
Anguish has taken hold of him,
Pangs as of a woman in childbirth..."(Jeremiah 50:41-43).1 The burden against Babylon which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw...
17 "Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them,
Who will not regard silver;
And as for gold, they will not delight in it.
18 Also their bows will dash the young men to pieces,
And they will have no pity on the fruit of the womb;
Their eye will not spare children.
19 And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms,
The beauty of the Chaldeans' pride,
Will be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. (Isaiah 13:1, 17-19)
A Catholic private prophecy also seems to suggest that those of the east (yellow) and north (red) attack Europe:
Countess Francesca de Brillante (20th Century). "I see yellow warriors and red warriors marching against Europe and Europe will be covered by a yellow fog. The cattle in the fields will die from this fog. The nations who have risen against Christ will be destroyed by flames (Culleton, R. Gerald. The Prophets and Our Times. Nihil Obstat: L. Arvin. Imprimatur: Philip G. Scher, Bishop of Monterey-Fresno, November 15, 1941. Reprint 1974, TAN Books, Rockford (IL), p. 227).
The Bible also shows that this "Babylonian" empire will be destroyed by a northern power (apparently Russia and its allies as Russia is really the only powerful nation north of Europe):
50:1 The word that the LORD spoke against Babylon and against the land of the Chaldeans by Jeremiah the prophet.
2 "Declare among the nations,
Proclaim, and set up a standard;
Proclaim--do not conceal it--
Say, 'Babylon is taken, Bel is shamed.
Merodach is broken in pieces;
Her idols are humiliated,
Her images are broken in pieces.'
3 For out of the north a nation comes up against her,
Which shall make her land desolate,
And no one shall dwell therein.
They shall move, they shall depart,
Both man and beast (Jeremiah 50:1-3).
Thus, the European empire is to experience destruction by a Russian led force (for more information, please see Russia: Its Origins and Prophesied Future and The Eurasian Union, the Kings of the East, and Bible Prophecy). Do you want to wait until then? Or perhaps you should do something about your own life now.
Perhaps it should also be mentioned that the fall of Babylon will also have a physical flood related to it (Jeremiah 51:42-43). Whether the flood precedes or comes after the attack by the Russian led force not completely clear, but since it this flood seems to be alluded to in Revelation 16 as well, it may be that it weakens Babylon Europe enough for it to be attacked (more on the flooding can be found in the article Islands and Bible Prophecy).
Furthermore, the Bible is clear that Babylon will fall because of false religious leaders and sorceries. Notice a couple of passages that show that:
5 "A sword is against the Chaldeans," says the Lord, "Against the inhabitants of Babylon, And against her princes and her wise men. 36 A sword is against the soothsayers, and they will be fools. A sword is against her mighty men, and they will be dismayed. 37 A sword is against their horses, Against their chariots, And against all the mixed peoples who are in her midst; And they will become like women. A sword is against her treasures, and they will be robbed. 38 A drought is against her waters, and they will be dried up. For it is the land of carved images, And they are insane with their idols. (Jeremiah 50:35-38)
21 Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, "Thus with violence the great city Babylon shall be thrown down, and shall not be found anymore. 22 The sound of harpists, musicians, flutists, and trumpeters shall not be heard in you anymore. No craftsman of any craft shall be found in you anymore, and the sound of a millstone shall not be heard in you anymore. 23 The light of a lamp shall not shine in you anymore, and the voice of bridegroom and bride shall not be heard in you anymore. For your merchants were the great men of the earth, for by your sorcery all the nations were deceived. (Revelation 18:21-23)
The Bible warns:
4 And I heard another voice from heaven saying, "Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues. 5 For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities. (Revelation 18:4-5)
Will you listen before it is too late?
Here is something that the late Herbert W. Armstrong taught a Russian-led alliance would do to Europe related to Jeremiah 50:
Now then, that Roman Empire is to be revived and is coming out of what is called the bottomless pit. It is going to be resurrected and it is going to last just a short time, and it'll be with ten dictators and in the territory of the ancient Roman Empire, Europe and around the Mediterranean. There isn't any definite territory because the Roman Empire continued for many centuries, and at one stage, it occupied one geographical location and at another stage, another geographical location. There isn't any definite geographical outline that it must occupy but it will be the old Roman Empire. Essentially, it will be fascist; you can be sure of that. And, it is now rising and it's going on underground and we seem too stupid somehow to see it. We don't realize what's going on in the world. God says that it's going to come up. But this, my friends, is the final resurrection of this whole system of Gentile empires and Gentile governments. ...
The Eternals message for the prophet Jeremiah about Babylon. Now this part of it is about Babylon, but you'll see there's a connection with Russia. Alright, listen. In the land of the Chaldeans, it the land of the ancient Chaldeans, tell the nations and proclaim it, and let the news go free. That Babylon is captured. Her idols are disgraced. Now here's the prophecy that begins with the fact this modern Babylon is to be captured. This is the modern Babylon. It's not speaking of that ancient Babylon; it's something that is yet to happen. It coming to pass in our time. Her idols are disgraced, her blocks of gods are in dismay. A foe from the north has attack her to lay waste her land until not a man dwells there; till man and beast are gone — (Jer. 50: 1-3). There's the prophecy. ...
Now, a foe from the north means from the north, not of this nation, but from the north of Palestine. Remember that the Bible is always speaking from the point of view of Palestine, from the point of view of Israel. Now Israel is, except for the Jewish people that have gone back over their now and they are Judah, Israel is not in Palestine now except for that. But, this is speaking geographically and it's means the north of Palestine. ... This then, my friends, is introducing Russia right here! ...
This foe from the north then is communist Russia and her allies. And they're going to finally raise an army bigger than this revived Roman Empire is going to have!
Now, here you are, a foe from the north has attacked her. That's this resurrected Roman Empire. To lay her land waste! Until not a man dwells there. Until man and beast are gone! That's speaking of this territory of the Roman Empire in Europe, my friends. And that is their destiny! That is what is going to happen. Let me tell you that as certain as the rising and the setting of the sun. And you are going to see it this very century. It's going to happen in your lifetime. I'm not sticking my neck out. I'm not taking any chance, my friends. This is the very word of God. This carries authority! And when that's written, it's in your Bible! I'm reading the Moffet translation just now. I have authorized and the modern revised right here in front of me but it's a little plainer right here in the Moffet translation and so I prefer to read it; it's in your Bible, I don't care which translation you have. The same message is there. But it's a little plainer English here and I think you'll understand it better. I'm reading it from this translation. Now, listen,
"Then, says the ETERNAL, at that hour, [now that's the hour when this modern fascist system in Europe is to be destroyed, and the whole land laid desolate, of southern Europe and over in there, then] at that hour, the Israelites return, they, and the men of Judah; winding their way weeping in search of the ETERNAL their God" — (Jer. 50:4). [That's the time of the second coming of Jesus Christ]. ...
And so, my friends, at the time of the second coming of Christ, Communist Russia will have invaded this land..., in turn, to punish and annihilate them! (Armstrong HW. Outline of Prophecy 13 - Russia's Coming Attack On Europe! World Tomorrow telecast. Prior to 1986)
Of course, Russia not currently communist--but was when Herbert Armstrong made those declarations. While there may be some hyperbole in what he said, the Bible shows that a Russian-supporting alliance will eliminate Europe.
Orthodox and Russian prophecies, which are not part of the Bible, also foretell the time that a Chinese and Russian power will take over Europe (see also The Eurasian Union, the Kings of the East, and Bible Prophecy)?
The Bible teaches that Jesus will crush whatever remains of the European Beast power when He returns (Revelation 17:14; 19:21; cf. Daniel 2:44-45).
Astoundingly, Europe is not ashamed of its mythological/pagan roots.
It may be of interest to note that in the European Union, there are many depictions of the woman Europa riding a beast. There is, for example, a 20th Century sculpture in front of the Council of Ministers Office in Brussels, Belgium of an immodest female Europa on a beast. Actually, all the modern pictures of Europa on a beast that I have seen seem to be that of a non-modest woman. Years ago, a Larry Blake sent me several pictures of the woman (Europa) riding the bull (a beast) as symbols of European Union which are linked for additional proof.
Revelation 17:3 states:
3 And I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast which was full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns (NKJV).
Even the Roman Catholic priest and Jesuit scholar William Kurz understands that this woman is Rome:
The woman sits on a scarlet beast, which is full of blasphemous names and has seven heads and ten horns (illustrating the close relationship between the historical city of Rome and the beast, symbol of the Roman Empire, see Revelation 17:3). This woman (Rome) has been called Babylon the great and is drunk with the blood of the saints and martyrs (Kurz W. What Does the Bible Say About the End Times? A Catholic View. Servant Books, Cincinnati. Nihil Obstat: Kistner H., Schehr T.P. Imprimi Potest: Link F., Paul J.M. Imprimatur: Carl K. Moeddel, Vicar General and Auxillary Bishop, Archdiocese of Cincinnati, July 19, 2004. Servant Books, Cincinnati, 2004, p. 165-166).
Hence, even Roman Catholics seem to understand that the woman that rides the beast is some type of connection between Rome and some type of Roman Empire. Would that not be the relationship between the Vatican and the European Union?
Now perhaps the biggest biblical problem with tying all the pictures and the story of Europa to the account of the woman in the Bible is that the Book of Revelation shows that the woman rides a seven-headed scarlet beast, while the available pictures show Europa as only riding a one-headed beast (of various colors).
It is important to note that Nebuchadnezzar's image is declared by Daniel to be an arising (or multiple resurrections) of ruling human governments (Daniel 2:31-43), which have many of the same physical characteristics as the individual beasts of Daniel 7:2-25. And the apparently one-headed fourth beast (7:19-25) has ten horns the same as beast in Revelation 17:3,12 does.
Therefore, the Bible does show the beast as one composite creature with multiple heads as well as as individual beast entities. Furthermore, while the Bible shows the ancient Greek empire as a four-headed leopard-like beast (Daniel 7:6), it also shows the same Greek empire as a single-headed goat beast with four horns (Daniel 8:21-22). Thus, the Bible allows for the concept of showing the woman (Europa) riding a single-headed beast as various arisings of the beast empire.
Is it only a coincidence that even anciently Europa was believed to be another representation of the Babylonia goddess Ishtar?
Is it only a coincidence Constantine and then the 'bishops of Rome' took the title of Pontificus Maximus, as a continuance of the old Roman empire?
Is it only a coincidence that the symbol of Europe is an immodest woman riding a beast?
Is it only a coincidence that a major church headquartered in a great city with seven mountains also oversaw the ordination of European emperors (including, for example, Napoleon)?
Is it only a coincidence that this alliance of the Roman church and the European state persecuted and killed those who kept the same Sabbath day as Jesus did throughout its history?
If anyone claims to believe the Bible and also believes these are coincidences, can they point out what other church the woman of Revelation 17 represents? What other great ruling city has seven mountains? What other political entity other than the European Union uses a symbol of a woman riding a beast? What other alliance of church and state has so persecuted the COG throughout history?
However, there are reasons that many Roman Catholics do not understand very well what Revelation actually teaches. And that is because that church tends to rely on its own tradition and private prophetic understandings in preference to the Bible.
One prophecy, that was given no later than 1202, by Abbott Joachim states:
A remarkable Pope will be seated on the pontifical throne, under special protection of the angels. Holy and full of gentleness, he shall undo all wrong, he shall recover the states of the Church, and reunite the exiled temporal powers. As the only Pastor, he shall reunite the Eastern to the Western Church...This holy Pope shall be both pastor and reformer. Through him the East and West shall be in ever lasting concord. The city of Babylon shall then be the head and guide of the world. Rome, weakened in temporal power, shall forever preserve her spiritual dominion, and shall enjoy great peace...At the beginning, in order to bring these happy results, having need of a powerful assistance, this holy Pontiff will ask the cooperation of the generous monarch of France (Great Monarch). (Cited in Connor, Edward. Prophecy for Today. Tan Books and Publishers, Rockford (IL), 1984, pp. 31-32).
This suggests that some Roman Catholics believe that they have to reunite with the Eastern Orthodox as well as support the reuniting of the Europeans (the "temporal powers" is a term used by Catholics to mean the political leaders in the world) and that Babylon will then be the head of the world!
Amazingly, at least one Roman Catholic prophecy teaches:
Antichrist will be an iconoclast ... Most of the world will adore him. He will teach that the Christian religion is false, confiscation of Christian property is legal, Saturday is to be observed instead of Sunday, and he will change the ten commandments. All his wonders could not be written in a book. They will be more wonderful than the Old and New Testaments! ... He will read people's minds, raise the dead, reward his followers and punish the rest (Dionysius of Luxemburg, died 1682. as quoted in Prophecy For Today. TAN Books, 1984 version, p. 85. Imprimatur + A.J. Willinger, C.Ss, D.D. Bishop of Monterey-Fresno).
An iconoclast is one who is strongly against the use of idols. The last verse of 1 John 5:21 states,
21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.
Yet, every Roman Catholic and Orthodox Church this author has been in have been filled with idols (in the Orthodox churches, the idols are called icons, and are sometimes more like paintings than sculptures; those icons the serve the same purpose as the idols do in Roman Catholic Churches and often have raised, sculpted, silver covering much of the painting).
As mentioned before, certain private Catholic/Orthodox prophecies (the Orthodox Church did not have its great schism with the Roman Catholic Church until 1054 A.D.) seem to suggest that the returning Christ will be the Antichrist. The comment about changing the ten commandments is probably because the Roman Catholics (as well as those in the Orthodox churches) combine what is commonly considered to be the first and second commandments (which helps them justify their use of idols/icons), while splitting the tenth commandment into two commands--hence when Christ returns and repeats the ten commandments as God intended (because He is against IDOLS), those supporting Roman Catholic and Orthodox Churches will not approve.
Also, the monk by stating that Christ will teach against the 'Christian religion', he means the religion of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox Churches--not necessarily the true religion established by Christ.
What other church is trying to set up the world to resist the returning Christ?
But prior to Christ's return, many biblical and Greco-Roman Catholic prophecies say Europe would be reunited--which is happening now. This is one of the reasons that those who support the Vatican are working towards increasing the strength of the current European Union.
The main difference between the biblical and Greco-Roman Catholic version of prophecy is that those in the biblically-based Churches of God see this as a fulfillment of terrifying end-time prophecies, whereas the Catholics teach that this re-formation of a European empire is a good thing (see also Do Certain Greco-Roman Catholic Prophecies About Antichrist Warn Against Jesus?).
For example, a monk by the name of Adso in the 10th century wrote:
Some of our teachers say that a King of the Franks will possess the entire Roman Empire. He will be the greatest and last of all the Monarchs. After having wisely governed his kingdom, he will go to the end in Jerusalem and will lay down his sceptre and his crown upon the Mount of Olives. Immediately afterwards, Antichrist will come (Monk Adso, 10th century. as quoted in Catholic Prophecy. TAN Books, p. 18).
Yet in the Bible, Jesus warns:
15 Therefore when you see the 'abomination of desolation,' spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place" (whoever reads, let him understand), 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. 18 And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. 19 But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! 20 And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be (Matthew 24:16-21).
It should be noted that those in the Churches of God believe that the expression " 'abomination of desolation,' spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place" refers to a major Vatican presence (probably including the Pope) in Jerusalem and that this will probably come to pass sometime after a major European leader makes come type of treaty with Israel and the Europeans will later violate (see Daniel 9:27).
And although most Roman Catholic scholars realize that the expression, "Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird!" (Revelation 18:2) is referring to Rome and that the Bible says this happens after the Antichrist comes, their prophets, as well as the Catholic doctor Robert Bellarmine, teach that before the coming of the Antichrist will be "the devastation of the Roman Empire" (as quoted in Birch D.A. Trial, Tribulation & Triumph. Queenship Publishing, Goleta (CA), 1996, p. 474).
Is it not obvious that these Greco-Roman Catholic teachers are confused and in conflict with scripture? (See also Do Certain Greco-Roman Catholic Prophecies About Antichrist Warn Against Jesus?)
Is it any wonder that the average Roman Catholic is confused?
For what its worth, as one raised as a Roman Catholic, I too accepted the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church in all areas that I understood when I was a child. However, after I "searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so" (Acts 17:11), I felt led to follow the truth as revealed in the Bible (recall that Jesus taught that the word of God is truth and that God sanctifies, sets apart, those who live by the truth--John 17:17).
I then concluded that although I believed that the typical Roman Catholic member, priest, and even Pope was/is dedicated and sincere, that many have been misled by some of the early leaders who they never should not have listened to (Justin Martyr and Irenaeus are examples of two such persons). The typical Roman Catholic is unaware of the historical role of Europa and the Queen of Heaven throughout European history. And unaware of the major persecutions against true Christians (they are aware of battles involving Protestants, but that is not the same--the true Church of God is not Protestant--as it does not claim to have descended from the Reformation, but from the beginning of the Church on the first Pentecost in the Book of Acts--please see the articles Location of the Early Church: Another Look at Ephesus, Smyrna, and Rome and The Churches of Revelation 2 & 3).
The Bible is clear that in the end-times, it is needed to for all to have a "love of the truth, that they might be saved" (2 Thessalonians 2:10-11).
Are you one who has a love of the truth more than a lover for the revised traditions of men? (See also Matthew 15:9).
While many act like Europe is just lying around with no military deterrent, the reality is that even if the USA took no further steps, Europe has direct access to American nuclear weapons.
Notice something from Time:
Is Italy capable of delivering a thermonuclear strike? Could the Belgians and the Dutch drop hydrogen bombs on enemy targets? And what about Germany -- a country where fear of atomkraft is so great that the last government opposed all civilian nuclear power? Germany's air force couldn't possibly be training to deliver bombs 13 times more powerful than the one that destroyed Hiroshima, could it?
It is Europe's dirty secret that the list of nuclear-capable countries extends beyond those that have built their own weapons -- Britain, France and Russia. The truth is that Belgium, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands store nuclear bombs on their air-force bases and have planes capable of delivering them. There are an estimated 200 B-61 thermonuclear-gravity bombs scattered across these four countries. Under a NATO agreement struck during the Cold War, the bombs, which are owned by the U.S., can be transferred to the control of a host nation's air force in time of conflict. Twenty years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, Dutch, Belgian, Italian and German pilots remain ready to engage in nuclear war. (Harrall E. What to Do About Europe's Secret Nukes . Time, January 4, 2010. http://content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1943799,00.html, viewed 05/09/14)
The reality is that if Europe chooses to turn against the USA, it has the nuclear ability to do so pretty much any time. Another report says that Germany is producing nuclear weapons for France and that the amount of nuclear bombs that the USA has given Europe is about double the amount that Time estimated--for more details, see European Technology and the Beast of Revelation.
Notice something that the late Herbert W. Armstrong wrote in 1978:
The Europeans are far more disturbed about their safety in relying on United States military power to protect them than Americans realize! The United States is not loved in Europe. European confidence in U.S. protection against their next door communist neighbor has been lessening and lessening. EUROPEANS WANT THEIR OWN UNITED MILITARY POWER! They know that a political union of Europe would produce a THIRD MAJOR WORLD POWER, as strong as either the United States or the U.S.S.R. — possibly stronger! They have made a real effort toward union in the Common Market. It has made them economically strong. United they could become stronger economically than the United States. (Armstrong HW. Where Are We Now In The Panorama Of Prophesied World Events? Good News, August 28, 1978)
This are even more with that view in Europe today.
While the average European does not think much about world or economic domination, leaders associated with the European Union have been taking steps that appear to be preparing it to fulfill its prophesied roles.
Europe has been developing its own military, its own replacement of the GPS location system (called Galileo), and definitely its own economic system. "The EU wants to dominate the future with a system known as Galileo that is more precise and more reliable than GPS" (Czechs sign deal to host EU's satellite navigation. Associated Press, January 27, 2012. http://www.denverpost.com/nationworld/ci_19833882).
Notice something from 1980:
You may be sure the West European leaders are conferring hurriedly and secretly about how and how soon they may UNITE and provide a united EUROPEAN MILITARY FORCE so they can DEFEND THEMSELVES! And so they will no longer have to give in meekly to Russia! And WHO WILL THEY BLAME for their humiliation and their necessity NOW to have a UNITED EUROPE, with a united GOVERNMENT, a COMMON CURRENCY, and a COMMON MILITARY FORCE AS GREAT OR GREATER THAN EITHER THE U.S.S.R. OR THE U.S.A.? They will blame the United States! (Armstrong HW. Where Does the U.S. Go from Here? Plain Truth, April 1980)
In addition to its own currency, the EU has formed and has been working for years to develop various standards for manufacturing and manufactured goods.
The EU appears to be positioning itself to be a leader in the world.
Notice the following about a European military (see also EU Votes for New Military):
MEPs promote a strong and effective foreign, security and defence policy European Parliament
- Feb 19, 2009
MEPs point out that the European Union needs to develop its strategic autonomy. This strategic autonomy will help the EU to promote peace and international security, to defend its interests in the world, to protect the security of its own citizens, to contribute to effective multilateralism, to advance respect for human rights and democratic values worldwide and to safeguard world peace. The report was adopted with 482 votes in favour, 111 against with 55 abstentions. The Parliament recognises the need for the EU to develop its strategic autonomy through multilateral cooperation in international organisations, above all the United Nations, and through partnerships with other key actors, according to the report on the European Security Strategy (ESS) and European security and defence policy (ESDP), drafted by Karl Von Wogau (EPP-ED, DE)…
“SAFE” – Synchronised Armed Forces Europe
The cooperation between national armed forces should increasingly synchronised and called “SAFE” – Synchronised Armed Forces Europe. The European Parliament notes that a common defence policy in Europe requires an integrated European Armed Force which needs to be equipped with common weapon systems so as to guarantee commonality and interoperability. (source: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/expert/infopress_page/031-49775-047-02-08-903-20090218IPR49774-16-02-2009-2009-false/default_en.htm)
European Space Agency predicts European space revolution
Defence Web – Jan 18, 2011The European Space Agency will add two new types of satellite launch vehicle to its rocket fleet in a move it says will revolutionise the European space launch industry with an increase in launch capacity. As a result, its Arianespace arm, which launches half the world’s commercial satellites, is preparing for an exceptionally busy year.
Having three rockets to launch satellites means the European Space Agency (ESA) has greater flexibility in deciding which rocket will be the best for its payloads. This will also widen its operational menu, leading to more launches. Indeed, after all three rockets become operational in the second half of the year, the ESA could be conducting at least one launch a month.
At a press conference last week, ESA head Jean-Jacques Dordain said that 2011 is be the year of the launchers. “By the end of 2011 the ESA will not look like it does today. It is a revolution for Europe,” he said (http://www.defenceweb.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=13081:european-space-agency-predicts-european-space-revolution&catid=35:Aerospace&Itemid=107).
Europe wants a leader like the Bible warns against in the Book of Daniel:
'Europe Needs a Directly Elected Leader with Charisma'
The left-leaning Die Tageszeitung writes:
"According to surveys, every second European feels apathetic toward the European Union. …. Therefore, it would be in the interest of the president of the European Commission to ignite a bit of enthusiasm for Europe among Europeans. But passion is not Jose Manuel Barroso's thing. Even in his second term, in which he no longer has to rely on the support of national leaders, he has continued with his bland approach. It seems that the most important thing for him is to avoid conflict with the member states."
"Instead of revealing what he really thinks, Barroso remained true to his nickname of the 'chameleon' and spouted elegant, meaningless phrases about 'green' jobs, the fight against racism and the blessings of the internal market. Such a speech does nothing to reduce the general dissatisfaction with the EU. In order to stand up to the self-centeredness of the national capitals, Europe needs a directly elected leader with charisma."(http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/
0,1518,716361,00.html)
As mentioned earlier, the Europeans are planning on having their own global positioning system, called Galileo, available for military applications (European Parliament Approves Military Use of Galileo Satellite. DPA news agency. Deutsche Welle - July 10, 2008. http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,3474226,00.html viewed 05/14/09). This will allow the Europeans to have their own system for tracking the world and will allow them to attack others without having to rely on the U.S.A.’s GPS. This will be the first time in the 21st century that Europeans will be able to have that type of independent military capability.
Furthermore, according to a 2010 report from the U.S. government, the U.S. Air Force will start relying on the European Galileo system (at least to a degree) (U.S. + E.U ... Positioning Partners (SATCOM). August 1, 2010. http://www.satnews.com/cgi-bin/story.cgi?number=1014062728) as its GPS capabilities are expected to significantly deteriorate by then (Lytle JM. Maintenance delays mean EU’s Galileo may step in. TechRadar UK - May 14, 2009. http://www.techradar.com/news/portable-devices/satnav/us-says-gps-satellite-coverage-may-fail-soon-599431 viewed 05/17/09 ).
Since the Europeans will be able to control Galileo, they will thus be capable of derailing certain sophisticated military applications of the U.S.A.
This will give the Europeans a unique defensive (as well as offensive) capability that no others on the planet will have.
But there is more.Notice the following items about physics and who will benefit from the LHC:
Europe leaps ahead on physics frontier ...
The buzz of activity at CERN's Swiss campus dramatically illustrates a changing of the guard on the frontier of physics, with Europe taking over from the United States. For the past 14 years, Europeans have taken the lead role in building and financing the $10 billion Large Hadron Collider, which was started up on Wednesday. The U.S. federal government kicked in $531 million for construction.
The LHC is just this week's most obvious example of Eurocentrism in science: Less than 200 miles (300 kilometers) away, an even costlier international physics project, the $13 billion ITER fusion research center, is just getting started in southern France. And European officials are currently considering how to move forward with yet another fusion project, the $1 billion HiPER laser-fusion facility (Boyle A. Europe leaps ahead on physics frontier. MSNBC, September 11, 2008).
Collider Sets Record, and Europe Takes U.S.’s Lead...
Large Hadron Collider ... Officials at CERN, the European Center for Nuclear Research, which built the collider, said that the collisions lasted just a few minutes as a byproduct of testing, and that the Champagne was still on ice in Geneva. But in conjunction with other recent successes, those tiny fireballs displaced American physicists as the leaders in the art of banging subatomic particles together to see what nature is made of... “Particle accelerators and detectors (initially with the bold and innovative ideas and technologies) have touched our lives in many ways and I have no doubt that this will continue,” Dr. Kim wrote in an e-mail message. Those spinoffs now will invigorate the careers and labs of Europe, not the United States, pointed out Steven Weinberg, a physicist at the University of Texas in Austin ... (Overbye D. Collider Sets Record, and Europe Takes U.S.’s Lead. New York Times, December 9, 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/10/science/10collide.html).
Antimatter captured by CERN scientists in dramatic physics breakthrough
Antimatter has been captured by scientists for the first time in a physics breakthrough that echoes the hit Hollywood movie Angels & Demons.
Physicists at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Geneva have created the stuff of "Star Trek" for the first time ever: genuine antimatter.
A 17-member team announced the production and preservation of 38 antihydrogen atoms. Physicists Emilio Segre and Owen Chamberlain of the University California, Berkeley, earned the 1959 Nobel Prize for producing part of an antihydrogen atom, antiprotons. (Martin M. Antimatter captured by CERN scientists in dramatic physics breakthrough. TechNews World, November 18, 2010. http://www.technewsworld.com/story/CERN-Physicists-Create-Antimatter-and-Could-Build-a-Bomb-in-a-Billion-Years-71269.html?wlc=1290143968)
Major new breakthrough for CERN scientists
Fabiola Gianotti, Director of the Atlas Project, said: ...
“LHC is a very important physics programme. It will allow us to find answers to some fundamental questions that are still unsolved mysteries. One of the most personally fascinating is to understand what antimatter is made of. We know that 20 per cent of the universe is made of an unknown matter, unlike the ordinary matter of atoms that we are made of.”
It is the latest in a line of successful experiments for CERN, after already producing temperatures hotter than the sun, and even trapping antimatter, which was once thought impossible. (Major new breakthrough for CERN scientists. Euronews, 27 November 2010. (http://www.euronews.net/2010/11/27/major-new-breakthrough-for-cern-scientists/)
A New Particle Could Be Physics' Holy Grail
Physicists working at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider said Wednesday that they had discovered a new subatomic particle that looks for all the world like the Higgs boson, a potential key to understanding why elementary particles have mass and indeed to the existence of diversity and life in the universe. “I think we have it,” said Rolf Heuer, the director general of CERN, in an interview from his office outside of Geneva, calling the discovery “a historic milestone.” ... “It’s great to discover a new particle but you have find out what its properties are,” said John Ellis, a theorist at CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research. (Overbye D. A New Particle Could Be Physics' Holy Grail. New York Times, July 4, 2012. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/05/science/cern-physicists-may-have-discovered-higgs-boson-particle.html)
Notice the what the Europeans were able to do had been considered to be impossible. Also notice whatever technologies are spun-off from this project are expected to primarily benefit the Europeans and not the Americans.
Perhaps I should mention that I have long suspected that CERN projects may give the EU a unique type of military weapon to empower it to become what will be perceived as the the premier military power in the world (for more about CERN, please see Why Prophecy? Because the World Will NOT End Next Week and Large Hadron Collider may result in military applications). And the LHC is not the only project of that type in Europe.
Apparently desiring to build upon and surpass what has been discovered with CERN’s Large Hadron Collider (LHC), Germany has decided on its own particle accelerator project:
Plans to build a €1.6 billion particle accelerator in Germany cleared the first main hurdle on Tuesday when authorities gave the go-ahead for construction to begin ...
“With it, Germany has secured a leading place in field of fundamental physics research,” said Education Minister Annette Schavan on Tuesday.
In what is being described as one of the biggest research projects in the world, more than 3,000 scientists from more than 50 countries will work at FAIR from 2018, studying the nature and origins of the universe. JCW. Go-ahead for €1.6 billion particle accelerator. The Local, 13 June 2012 http://www.thelocal.de/sci-tech/20120613-43113.html)
FAIR stands for the Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research.
I believe that it (FAIR), along with the LHC, will help the Europeans produce military weaponry to fulfill certain end time prophecies (e.g. Revelation 13:4). They (FAIR and the LHC) are also likely to spin-off economic benefits that may help propel Europe to be (for a short while) the economic leader of the world (cf. Revelation 18). No other nation or group of nations will have the type of access to what will develop from the Large Hadron Collider or FAIR than the Europeans. The Bible is clear that the final “Beast power” (which will be primarily European) will have such unique military capabilities that the entire world will marvel (cf. Revelation 13:3-4). It appears that these capabilities are starting to be becoming developed now.
Europe also plans a lot of technological research:
The European Commission’s 2012 policy Communication on the European Research Area (ERA) should lead to a significant improvement in Europe’s research performance to promote growth and job creation. The measures in the Communication will have to be implemented by EU Member States, the Commission and Research Organisations to ensure the completion of ERA by 2014 as called for by the European Council.
To complete ERA and maximise the return on research investment, Europe must increase the efficiency and effectiveness of its public research system. This requires more cooperation so that the brightest minds work together to make greater impact on grand challenges (e.g. demographic-ageing, energy security, mobility, environmental degradation), and to avoid unnecessary duplication of research and infrastructure investment at national level. http://ec.europa.eu/research/era/era_communication_en.htm
The European Space Agency (ESA) is Europe’s gateway to space. Its mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world.
ESA is an international organisation with 20 Member States. By coordinating the financial and intellectual resources of its members, it can undertake programmes and activities far beyond the scope of any single European country. http://www.esa.int/About_Us/Welcome_to_ESA/What_is_ESA
Horizon 2020 is the financial instrument implementing the Innovation Union2, a Europe 20203 flagship initiative aimed at securing Europe’s global competitiveness. Running from 2014 to 2020 with an €80 billion budget, the EU’s new programme for research and innovation is part of the drive to create new growth and jobs in Europe.
Horizon 2020 provides major simplification through a single set of rules. It will combine all research and innovation funding currently provided through the Framework Programmes for Research and Technical Development4, the innovation related activities of the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP5) and the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT6)…
Horizon 2020 will tackle societal challenges by helping to bridge the gap between research and the market by, for example, helping innovative enterprise to develop their technological breakthroughs into viable products with real commercial potential. http://ec.europa.eu/research/horizon2020/index_en.cfm?pg=h2020
By end 2013: Adoption of legislative acts by Parliament and Council on Horizon 2020
1/1/2014: Horizon 2020 starts; launch of first calls
Horizon 2020 will be adopted using the “ordinary legislative procedure” (formerly known as “co-decision”). http://ec.europa.eu/research/horizon2020/index_en.cfm?pg=h2020-timeline
See also European Technology and the Beast of Revelation as well as a related YouTube video titled Military Technology and the Beast of Revelation.
Additionally, Europe wants to set various standards for the world.
It was reported that it is the EU's intent to make its standards the standards that the rest of the world should follow:
EU wants rest of world to adopt its rules
Financial Times - Feb 18, 2007
Brussels wants the rest of the world to adopt the European Union’s regulations, the European Commission will say this week . A Commission policy paper that examines the future of the Union’s single market says European single market rules have inspired global standard-setting in areas such as product safety, the environment, securities and corporate governance.“Increasingly the world is looking to Europe and adopts the standards that are set here,” the paper, seen by the Financial Times, says.
The paper calls on the EU to encourage other jurisdictions to follow suit – for example by “promoting European standards internationally through international organisation and bilateral agreements.”
This strategy, it claims, will help European businesses beat their rivals abroad since it “works to the advantage of those already geared up to meet these standards”.
The EU’s drive to establish itself as the pacesetter for worldwide business regulation could well lead the bloc into conflict with the US and other trading partners ...
Some critics of the European approach argue that the Union’s stance on issues such as GM foods may also reflect a desire to protect the region’s commercial interests.
However, as the Commission paper points out, the sheer size and wealth of the Union’s single market mean that few corporations can afford to ignore it. By harmonising the rules for a market boasting 500m consumers, the Union has set standards “which partners then have to meet if they are to benefit from the single market”, it says.
“[The single market] gives the EU the potential to shape global norms and to ensure that fair rules are applied to worldwide trade and investment. The single market of the future should be the launch pad of an ambitious global agenda.” The Commission paper forms part of an ambitious review of the Union’s single market – widely seen as one of the proudest achievement of European integration. Thanks to product harmonisation, common business rules and the erosion of national trade barriers, the single market means that goods, services, capital and people can move freely among the EU’s 27 member states.http://www.ft.com/cms/s/af609b2c-bf72-11db-9ac2-000b5df10621.html
The above standards and developments will help the stage for the EU to fulfill many prophecies. Notice the following that this type of system may help fulfill:
4 "Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?" (Revelation 13:4)
17 ... that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name (Revelation 13:17).
3 For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury (Revelation 18:3).
The proposed Eurasian Union involving Russia and others (but which is outside of the EU) is also expected to adopt a lot of European standards.
Notice also the following:
Europe's tech ambition: To be the world's digital policeman
August 21, 2017
The Continent’s policymakers want to determine how companies and their users behave online.
At the center of this global tussle between technology and politics stands Europe, whose policymakers have set their sights on becoming the de facto global arbiters for how companies — and, in some cases, their users — behave online.
It’s an ambitious task with many supporters, in Europe and further afield, hoping to bring these mostly Silicon Valley tech giants down a peg or two. But Europe’s aggressive push to control the digital world also may come with some serious downsides.
For every attempt to rein in the activities of Google or Facebook, among others, the Continent’s lawmakers could embolden the efforts of more repressive regimes worldwide to tighten their own grip on what happens online. And if more and more countries impose their own rules on the web, such a race to define the digital world may eventually carve up the global nature of our online lives into a Balkanized version of the internet.
That’s certainly not what European lawmakers are hoping for, but it is a stark reminder of the law of unintended consequences.
“As Europe, we must set the global standards,” said Věra Jourová, the European commissioner for justice, who will travel to Washington next month to discuss how the U.S. can keep pace with European digital privacy rules, which already are among the toughest in the world.
Europe’s ambition to become the world’s digital policeman may sound surprising to those who scoff at the region’s inability to keep pace with the United States and China in churning out tech giants from Google and Amazon to Alibaba and Tencent.
But that lackluster record hasn’t stopped Europe’s lawmakers from seeking to export the bloc’s growing list of digital rules beyond its borders, aiming to expand its hands-on approach to technology to all four corners of the planet (with, importantly, the significant exception of China). ...
Europe’s efforts to corral the digital world are part of a longstanding tradition of the Continent’s governments taking a more paternalistic (some would say overly-interventionist) stance to their citizens’ lives, compared to the United States. http://www.politico.eu/article/europe-tech-ambition-to-be-world-digital-policeman/
January 31, 2018
Europe wants to conquer the world all over again.
Only this time, its killer app isn't steel or gunpowder. It's an EU legal juggernaut aimed at imposing ever tougher privacy rules on governments and companies from San Francisco to Seoul. ...
For years, Europe has served as the world's privacy police officer.
Since the mid-1990s, EU policymakers have rolled out a series of data protection rules that quickly became the de facto global standards for most countries except for a few holdouts like China, Russia and the United States.
But, as companies like Google, Facebook and Amazon vacuumed up more of people’s private information, European lawmakers upped the ante, intent on setting a new bar for data protection worldwide.
"We want to set the global standard," Věra Jourová, the European commissioner for justice, told POLITICO last year. "Privacy is a high priority for us."
Most multinational companies from Google to General Electric must comply with the new standards because of their existing activities in Europe. And smaller firms, even those currently with no operations in the EU, face a tough decision to either comply with the region’s stance on privacy or risk potential sanctions if European customers eventually sign up to their services. https://www.politico.eu/article/europe-data-protection-privacy-standards-gdpr-general-protection-data-regulation/ accessed 06/21/19
According to biblical prophecy, Europe is expected to take more than a paternalistic approach to matters, it will embrace a totalitarian approach. It wants its standards for basically everything.
Even the UK is adopting European Union standards as part of its Brexit as it declared with its Article 50 notification that it would "convert the body of existing European Union law (the “acquis”) into UK law"(see UK officially informs EU of its intent to withdraw).
It probably also should be mentioned that while the current European Union is not the final Beast power per se, the Bible shows that there will be a structural change will occur:
12 "The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority for one hour as kings with the beast. 13 These are of one mind, and they will give their power and authority to the beast. (Revelation 17:12-13)
So, there will come a restructure change in Europe. And many current events are lining up for this to happen (see, for example, Britain’s Ostracization, Euro-geddon, & China-geddon). Notice the following:
Led by Germany’s Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle, foreign ministers of France, Italy, Spain, Poland, Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Austria, Portugal and Luxembourg were part of the “Future of Europe” group that developed radical proposals to solve the long term European crisis. However, not all members of the group signed up to every the proposal… The most radical proposal was the call for a common foreign and defence policy…
“Aim for a European defence policy with joint efforts regarding the defence industry (eg the creation of a single market for armament projects); for some members of the group this could eventually involve a European army.”
This would mean a fundamental change to current European treaties...They suggest that instead of unanimity, the treaty changes should be done by a super qualified majority. (Germany wants a federal Europe but where UK has no veto By: Information Daily. September 19, 2012. http://www.egovmonitor.com/2012/09/19/germany-wants-a-federal-europe-but-where-uk-has-no-veto)
July 13, 2016
“Germany is ready to lead,” German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen said as she presented the so-called “white paper” on security policy approved by the cabinet earlier on Wednesday. …
Today, as Europe is grappling with the shock of the Brexit referendum and warily eyeing Russia, Germany’s security policy paper sees the country gradually assuming a larger defense role within the frameworks of NATO and the European Union. It also envisions a future defense union of European states.
“Germany is increasingly seen as a key player in Europe,” the document noted. According to the paper, which states that Germany is ready to “assume responsibility” and “help meet current and future security and humanitarian challenges,” the country has a responsibility to actively help shape the world order.
Paradigm shift
The 2016 White Paper marks a major shift for the country.
For decades, post-World War Two Germany was cast in the role of economic giant, but “political dwarf” that long refrained from sending troops abroad in international conflicts. It was not until 1994 that Germany’s highest court allowed the country to take part in multinational peacekeeping missions.
The world expects Germany to take on a greater foreign and security policy role, and that demands “a turnaround,” the German defense minister said. …
The Bundeswehr, seen domestically as overstretched, underfunded and beset by equipment failures, is now set to see its budget boosted and will implement its first increase in troop strength since it was a conscript army in the Cold War. Plans call for recruiting nearly 20,000 additional personnel over seven years.
Pulling its weight
The Defense Ministry’s plan stressed that Germany will act within transatlantic and European frameworks. http://www.dw.com/en/germany-presents-new-military-roadmap/a-19397153
13 November 2018
NATO’S Secretary-General Jens Stoltenburg … said the EU and US should work on forming stronger joint security operations rather than pursuing separate agendas. Mr Stoltenburg’s comments come after a public clash of o00pinions between Mr Trump and Mr Macron following the French President’s call for a “real European army” in a broadcast interview. …
Mr Macron, however, received one high-profile support for his EU-wide army suggestion in the shape of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Mr Putin told its state funded broadcaster Russia Today: “Europe is a powerful economic entity, a powerful economic union and it is quite natural that it wants to be independent, self-sufficient and sovereign in matters of defence and security.”
And in a move that likely caused fury in Washington, the French President’s finance minister backed a return to European “empire” during a newspaper interview.
Bruno Le Maire suggested Brussels should go one further and establish itself as an “empire” when following up on Mr Macron’s EU army demands.
“It’s about Europe having to become a kind of Empire, as China is. And how the US is,” the French finance minister told the Handelsblatt newspaper. https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1044581/Emmanuel-Macron-latest-Donald-Trump-Twitter-news-EU-army-NATO-Jens-Stoltenburg
12 November 2018
And although thanks to their wartime history, some Germans may find his talk of empire unattractive, Le Maire explains that, “I am using this phrase because, in tomorrow’s world, it’s going to be all about power … technological power, economic, financial, monetary, cultural power – all will be decisive. Europe cannot be shy any longer about using its power.”
Le Maire won’t go as far as to say that German politicians have been two-faced about European unity. But he did set a small deadline: “We have talked about it for a long time. Now it’s time for decisions. And there will be decisions made on December 4, at the next meeting of the economy and finance ministers. I cannot imagine anything else.”
“Everybody knows it takes guts to stand in the way of Donald Trump’s administration,” Le Maire said. “The people of Europe have had enough of the babble from Brussels. They want to see action.” https://global.handelsblatt.com/politics/french-finance-minister-need-european-empire-980351
December 21, 2018
Wolfgang Ischinger: European army is necessary amid Russia threat
leaders, the Munich Security Conference and similar meetings are now taking on extra importance.
"We are facing various intrusion attempts in our cyberspace and into our democratic life ... We have to protect ourselves with respect to China, Russia and even the United States," said French President Emmanuel Macron in November 2018.
But how bad are the prospects for managing global tensions and trouble spots? What risks and opportunities lie ahead in 2019? And what's the state of NATO under President Donald Trump?
"I can't think of a decade when the Transatlantic Alliance didn't have a problem," Wolfgang Ischinger, chairman of the Munich Security Conference, tells Al Jazeera.
"There is a clear commitment by the United States in the military field. The US has not deserted Europe, but ... at the political level, some of the words spoken, some of the tweets tweeted [by President Trump] have created uncertainties in the minds of many Europeans. That's bad," says Ischinger. ...
Ischinger believes that a more common European defence policy and the creation of a European army is inevitable. "It's necessary ... if there is a question mark about the reliability of our American partner (and) if we have a huge question mark about Russian intentions. Look what's going on in the Russian neighbourhood. There are Russian troops in Ukraine; there are Russian troops in parts of what used to be Georgia; there are Russian troops still in Moldova. There is still the unresolved conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh. All around this zone surrounding Russia, we have military issues."
As a result, Ischinger says, "We as Europeans need to hedge against the possibility that there might be yet another, a military issue coming our way. That is unfortunately the case."
"All our welfare, all our social expenditures, all our accumulated wealth, all our employment is worth nothing if we don't have security," stresses Ischinger. ...
"The European Union should be far more capable than it is today, to speak with one voice and to defend and represent the interests of 500 million people. That's the European Union." 12/21/18 https://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/talktojazeera/2018/12/wolfgang-ischinger-european-army-russia-threat-181221002109383.html
Notice something that German Chancellor Angela Merkel said November 2018 that was reported in English the following month:
Submitted by Tapainfo.com
“Nation states must today be prepared to give up their sovereignty”, according to German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who told an audience in Berlin that sovereign nation states must not listen to the will of their citizens when it comes to questions of immigration, borders, or even sovereignty.
No this wasn’t something Adolf Hitler said many decades ago, this is what German Chancellor Angela Merkel told attendants at an event by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Berlin. https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-12-27/angela-merkel-nation-states-must-give-sovereignty-new-world-order
Do not think that the European Beast must be 10 currently existing nations!
Steps are happening to turn the EU into a military power.
Notice the following news item from February 28, 2008:
Coming: A New Trade Block. Fifty-five U.S. Senators and Congressmen currently serve as advisors to a “working group” for the Transatlantic Common Market between the U.S. and the European Union. “An economist from the World Bank has argued in print that the formation of the Transatlantic Common Market is designed to follow the blueprint of Jean Monet, a key intellectual architect of the European Union, recognizing that economic integration must inevitably lead to political integration.” The idea of this union came to light in April 2007, when President Bush, German Chancellor Merkel, and European Commission President Barroso launched the Transatlantic Economic Council. Efforts are already underway to create a North American Community, including the U.S., Mexico and Canada. This community is to be based on security and economic issues and is intended to be in place by 2010 (WorldNetDaily.com, July 20, 2005; September 25, 2006). The Transatlantic Common Market is intended to combine the North American Community with the EU, creating the world’s most formidable trade bloc—a trade bloc that would be so large that its trading policies would automatically become policies for the world. Plans for this new “common market” are proceeding and are intended to pass through in a “treaty” form, much like the most recent EU Treaty, in order to avoid the scrutiny and debate that often come with more “formal” agreements (January 16, 2008). Revelation 18 warns of a future Beast, known as Babylon the Great, through which “the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury” (v. 3).
This type of proposed agreement has been expected for some time.
These negotiations will continue and some type of loose agreements will happen. Notice that although I wrote the preceding statement in 2008, it is still being fulfilled:
November 22, 2013
EU trade negotiators are optimistic that they can secure a place for financial services regulation within key trade talks next week (27 November), offering some hope that this will help spur the US towards more convergence in international corporate reporting. Europe and the US launched negotiations on the so-called Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (see background) earlier this year with Europe hopeful that the deal would include financial regulation and markets-related activity, since the EU and US account for 80% of global financial transactions. But there were doubts on the US side about whether financial regulation could be incorporated. http://www.euractiv.com/specialreport-european-corporate/eu-us-trade-deal-offers-hope-rep-news-531870
May 13, 2015
What is TTIP and what is it for?
The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, or it will be if the negotiations are completed. The aim is to boost the economies of the EU and the US by removing or reducing barriers to trade and foreign investment.
President Obama said, when the talks were launched, that TTIP would promote “new growth and jobs on both sides of the Atlantic”. Critics reject that claim…
How would TTIP work?
By eliminating almost all tariffs (taxes applied only to imported goods) on trade between the US and the EU.
But the tariffs imposed by the US and EU are already relatively low for the most part, although there are some exceptions in, for example, farm produce and textiles.
The bigger gains envisaged would come from reducing what are called non-tariff barriers. In particular the two sides think they can promote trade through what they call regulatory co-operation. …
Why is TTIP controversial?
Regulation
Much of the concern is about the regulatory aspect: that it would lead to lower standards of consumer and environmental protection and safety at work. A group of 170 European civil society organisations said in a statement that regulatory co-operation as envisaged in TTIP would result in “downward harmonisation”. …
What is the timetable?
A summit of European leaders in December called for a comprehensive agreement by the end of 2015.
That will be challenging, given the technical complexity and the vigorous opposition. It would then have to be approved by the US Congress, European Trade Ministers (voting by what is called qualified majority) and the European Parliament. http://www.bbc.com/news/business-32691589
Consider also the following:
31 August 2018
The EU ... is trying to steer the US towards reforming the WTO rather than abandoning it.
Bernd Lange, chair of the European Parliament’s trade committee, told Politico magazine that it would submit plans to overhaul the organisation in September. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-45364150
So, Europe sees an opportunity to write many of the rules for the WTO. This place their standards as the standards.
Europe itself is right now rising up in terms of world economic influence:
4 February 2021
Despite its long list of crises in recent years - including the most recent vaccine snafu - the European Union has become a global pacesetter. Its laws and regulations have established global norms. This has made the bloc a 21st century model. ... despite everything, the European Union is in fact a world power ...
China is already having to defer to Europe's ideas and regulations in many areas. For not only is the EU an economic superpower, it is now also the No. 1 global regulator. ...
Technology companies in California build their devices according to EU regulations. Cocoa producers in Ghana and Ecuador are transforming their operations to meet European standards. In Argentina, Israel and Russia, plaintiffs are suing internet companies and invoking the "right to be forgotten” that was formulated in the EU. Regional blocs of countries in South America are organizing themselves along the lines of the EU. Laws drafted in Europe are adopted almost verbatim into national law in countries around the world.
Fast food chains like McDonald’s, Subway and Wendy’s are taking chemical additives out of their products because the EU doesn’t allow them. The Brazilian company Citrosuco, the world’s largest producer of orange juice, strictly adheres to European regulations, even in countries where they do not apply. Adidas, Nike, and Zara are changing the composition of the plastic in sneakers around the world to make less toxic, EU-compliant goods. It’s a tremendous list, and it is very long. ...
Europe's view of data protection, as laid out in the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), has quickly become a global standard that no company and no country can ignore. Google alone claims it was forced to spend "hundreds of years of human time” to comply with the Brussels regulations, but it did so nonetheless. ...
These examples lead to the equally unbelievable and correct conclusion that globalization today is actually a "Europeanization" – and this was not written in EU advertising brochures, but in Britain’s Economist, the must-read newspaper of laissez-faire capitalists.
A global player like today's Europe has never existed in this form in the history of the world. By regulating the affairs of its internal market step by step, the EU is formulating globally effective standards along the way.
Whether it's chemicals, hazardous waste, hormone-treated meat, electronic waste, emissions standards, animal testing, antitrust, privacy, crop protection, competition or air pollution control – the EU is always somehow already there. It sets standards and criteria worldwide based on scientific findings and equipped with recognized scientific, legal and also moral competence – even in areas where, by law, it would actually have no say. https://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/from-brussels-to-the-rest-of-the-world-how-europe-became-a-model-for-the-21st-century-a-1fa5e710-7e18-4ad5-a0be-e26118f3a22f
Yes, Europe is setting standards for the world and that is consistent with propehecies such as in Revelation 18.
For more news and information on the trade deals, check out the article WTO/TTIP and the Babylonian Beast.
The Bible tells of a time when the European power will dominate international commerce (cf. Revelation 18). A European power also will have financial regulatory control:
16 He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, 17 and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
18 Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666. (Revelation 13:16-18)
Regulatory standards are a step towards financial control. 666 is coming (see also Two Horned Beast of Revelation and 666 in Spanish SDA/COG Diferencias: La bestia de dos cuernos de Apocalipsis y 666 and Some Doctrines of Antichrist you can also watch a video titled What Does the Bible teach about the Antichrist?)
Many of the "standards" of the European Union will be adopted by nearly all of the countries of the world.
However, over time (and before the fulfillment of Revelation 13:16-18), it will become increasingly clear that the British will be in more agreement with the Canadians and Americans and that the European Union in more agreement with the Mexicans than the EU will have with the English-speaking nations.
Trade wars and/or serious trade disputes will most likely arise.
The Brits will likely decide that they are more supportive of the Americans and Canadians. They will be so much more supportive that they will end up in a trading agreement with them (with the Australians and New Zealanders probably also becoming part of that agreement).
The EU will decide that Mexico and the rest of Latin America are in more agreement with it and thus make some type of serious trading agreement with most (or all) of Latin America (see also Mexico, Central America, South America, and Brazil in Prophecy). Additionally, because of widespread declining European birthrates, it is likely that there will be increase immigration from Latin America to Europe in the future. The Vatican will also have influence with all of this as Latin America is highly Roman Catholic.
The Europeans and Americans, however, will continue to have military agreements, though many will be tense about them.
Eventually, the Europeans (probably under the cover of pretending that they are involved in a "NATO-like" exercise in North America) will eventually launch a surprise attack against the United States in fulfillment of both biblical (Daniel 11:39) and Catholic prophecies. The Mexicans will most likely be allied with the Europeans for this to happen.
For at least 70 years, and perhaps for much, much longer, the Church of God has generally understood that when the Bible refers to Assyria in end-time prophecy, it is referring to the Germanic peoples that will be the main force behind the Vatican supporting European superstate.
Here are two such writings from the late John Ogwyn:
Coming threats of catastrophic economic and social collapse will set the stage for some soon-coming events, according to Bible prophecy. In answer to growing fears, there will suddenly emerge onto the world scene a powerful and charismatic leader in Europe. In alliance with a religious leader who will ignite an emotional mass hysteria through what the scripture terms "lying wonders" (2 Thessalonians 2:9), this military-political leader will use deceit to achieve great power. He will lead a revived Holy Roman Empire, called in scripture "Babylon the Great" (Revelation 17; 18).
This European union of church and state will promise universal prosperity and will exercise worldwide economic dominance for a short while. Ezekiel 27, using the figure of the ancient commercial city of Tyre, speaks of this global economic combine which will include nations of Europe, Africa, Latin America, and Asia along with Israel and Judah (v. 17). Portions of Ezekiel 27 are paraphrased or quoted in Revelation 18 where the end-time system, called Babylon the Great, is described.
The English-speaking nations will not prosper for long in connection with this system, however. In fact, they will ultimately be overpowered and destroyed by it militarily. Prior to military attack and occupation, devastating weather problems, combined with internal civil strife ("tumults in the midst" cf. Amos 3:9) will bring our nations to the point of internal collapse. (Ogywn J. The United States and Great Britain in Prophecy. Booklet, Charlotte (NC)).
A great worldwide trading combine will seem to offer incredible profits to international cartels. Later, responding to crises involving both the Middle East and the English-speaking nations, this leader will move with lightning speed and iron determination. Annulling a treaty previously made with the Jewish state, his armies will overwhelm Jerusalem and will take half of the city into captivity (Zechariah 14:2). At the same time, an attack of overwhelming force will be launched on America, Britain, Canada and related nations (Ogwyn J. The Beast of Revelation Myth, Metaphor or Soon-Coming Reality? Booklet, Charlotte, NC).
(To read the historic Church of God position on the United Kingdom's position in the final European power, please check out the article Anglo - America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel.)
While some historians do not believe that ancient Assyria is now essentially modern Germany, there is evidence that is still available for public view in Germany that suggests otherwise. There is also a very old legend that claims that the city of Trier in Germany was founded by an Assyrian leader:
For legend, going history better by more than 2000 years, ascribes the founding' of Trier to Assyrian Prince Trebeta, who gave it his name, in 2053 BC. (Fodor E. Germany 1962. D. McKay, 1962 Original from the University of Michigan Digitized Oct 12, 2006, p. 175; see also Treverorum A. British Quarterly Review, July 1875, pp. 1-3)
Hence, the idea that at least some of the Germans have Assyrian heritage is not a new idea. Various researchers, including Pliny in the first century, reported that the Assyrians migrated to north of the Black Sea, while others noted that they ended up in Central Europe, like the areas of Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Bavaria (which is in Southern Germany) (Winnail, Resurgent Germany: A Fourth Reich? Tomorrow’s World, Volume 9, Issue 5, September-October 2007; White C. The Great German Nation. Author House 2007, pp. 85-100; Pratt MR. The capture of the Kaiser: his trial and death and the death of the crown prince as foretold in prophecy. 1918 Original from Princeton University, Digitized Apr 27, 2010, p. 32).
It is also of interest to note that Germany also has the physical gates of entrance to ancient Babylonian, which is interesting for the Bible warns of Babylon, as this article mentioned before.
Anyway, notice some of what God had the prophet Isaiah write about Assyria:
5 "Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger And the staff in whose hand is My indignation. 6 I will send him against an ungodly nation, And against the people of My wrath I will give him charge, To seize the spoil, to take the prey, And to tread them down like the mire of the streets. 7 Yet he does not mean so, Nor does his heart think so; But it is in his heart to destroy, And cut off not a few nations. (Isaiah 10:5-7.)
Notice that the Assyrian does not mean to do so. But will do it anyway. Thus while I am not saying that the European Union is full of people who now intend to destroy the USA and its Anglo-Allies, this is prophesied to happen anyway.
Notice, however, the groundwork to consider the USA a potential enemy was ans still is being publicly indicated:
The German people are now asking themselves: "Can we rely on the Americans and British?" ... These questions lead to rhe logical conclusion that maybe the only people the Germans can rely on themselves. They are now thinking: "Perhaps we can strike a better bargain with the Russians ourselves." ...
Once a German-dominated Europe is fully established, Germany will be ready to negotiate and bargain with Russia- and behind the backs of the Western Allies if necessary. ...
When will a Russo-German deal be made? Here is a quotation from a circular letter issued in September, 1950 by the Nazi Geo-political Center in Madrid: "However long we may continue to milk the Americans of millions of dollars, there must come the inevitable moment when we shall have to make it crystal clear to them that we are not willing to join the fight against Russia for American interests ... (Germany Plots with the Kremlin by T H. Terens, p. 15). ...
Most Americans and Britons are not aware of what Germany and Europe are planning against them. This is partly due to the cunning of German. politics. ...
World events are moving swiftly toward the climax when Great Britain and the United. States will be attacked, conquered and DESTROYED! (Boraker R. Are the Germans Secretly Dealing with Moscow? Plain Truth, May 1962, pp. 45-47)
Helmut Schmidt, the former German chancellor who initiated the US arms buildup against the Soviet Union during his term in office, considers today's Russia to be less dangerous than the United States...
Former Chancellor Helmut Schmidt ... says: "Russia poses far less of a threat to world peace today than, for example, the United States. You can go ahead and print that." These were the words Schmidt uttered in an interview with his own paper, the weekly Die Zeit (How Dangerous Is America? Spiegel - Nov 20, 2007 http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,518399,00.html).
15 May 2018
As many voiced their concerns over Donald Trump’s move, President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker did not remain on the sidelines either, slamming Washington for “no longer” willing to “cooperate with other parts of the world.”
“At this point, we have to replace the United States, which as an international actor has lost vigor, and because of it, in the long term, influence,” the EU chief said, suggesting that Europe should take over the US’ role as global leader. https://sputniknews.com/europe/201805101064314245-juncker-eu-replace-us-iran-deal/
16 May 2018
Looking at latest decisions of @realDonaldTrump someone could even think: with friends like that who needs enemies. But frankly, EU should be grateful. Thanks to him we got rid of all illusions. We realise that if you need a helping hand, you will find one at the end of your arm. (Tweet from EU Council President Donald Tusk 5:36 AM - May 16, 2018)
20 May 2018
On Friday, Vladimir Putin held talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Sochi, Russia.
During the meeting, both politicians reiterated their commitment to the Iran nuclear deal and readiness to further the implementation of the Nord Stream 2 project. They also stressed the need for a political settlement to the Syrian conflict.
According to the Russian president, the discussions were meaningful and right on time, while Angela Merkel said, in turn, that good relations with Russia meet Germany’s strategic interests. 05/20/18 https://sputniknews.com/viral/201805201064630208-german-tabloid-putin-bouquet-for-merkel/
So even though most Germans are not intending at this instant to destroy the USA and its English-speaking allies, the fact that some of its and other European leaders consider the USA a threat should be sobering to all (for more about who the Anglo-American peoples are descended from and why God may allow them to receive this attack, please see the article Where Are the Lost Ten Tribes of Israel?).
Now, there are also modern writers not part of the Church of God who see that a European Empire is being formed that will have military ambitions:
The EU is an empire, and empires mean war
Partisans of the European project invariably argue that nationalism leads to war and while the development of Europe will safeguard peace – a noble objective that is more than sufficient compensation for any loss in democracy, sovereignty and transparency caused by Brussels. However, this theory is fundamentally flawed.
Nationalism does not lead to war. Attempts to build European empires lead to war. The urge to impose a straitjacket on the will of peoples will leads to war. In short, the European project will lead to war…
The irrational fear of nationalism could ultimately result in the establishment of a restrictive empire in Brussels. The time has come to call a halt and restore the nation state. (Baudet T. The EU is an empire, and empires mean war. NRC Handelsblad, Press Europ, July 9, 2012. http://www.presseurop.eu/en/content/article/2300601-eu-empire-and-empires-mean-war)
Thus, even some secular sources can see where this is leading. Hopefully, you can as well.
With all that is going on with the Middle East, perhaps this article should mention that the Bible suggests that the Arab nations will make eventually make a deal to destroy Israel, and with a European (Assyrian) power. Notice the following:
They have taken crafty counsel against Your people, And consulted together against Your sheltered ones. They have said, "Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation, That the name of Israel may be remembered no more." For they have consulted together with one consent; They form a confederacy against You: The tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites; Moab and the Hagrites; Gebal, Ammon, and Amalek; Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre; Assyria also has joined with them; They have helped the children of Lot. (Psalm 83:3-8.)
Many Moslem nations have been contacting the Europeans in order to make various deals supposedly for peace in the Middle East. And as Psalm 83 shows, a deal to destroy will be made (see also Deal Leading to Psalm 83?).
Some Roman Catholics suggest this is a time of peace (and others have warned that it is a time of false peace), but the Bible shows that it will not be a time of real peace. Also notice what Jeremiah was inspired to write:
14 They have also healed the hurt of My people slightly, Saying, 'Peace, peace!' When there is no peace. 15 Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? No! They were not at all ashamed; Nor did they know how to blush. Therefore they shall fall among those who fall; At the time I punish them, They shall be cast down," says the LORD (Jeremiah 6:14-15).
Jeremiah also was inspired to write that God will punish end-time Babylon, who is the European King of the North, for God will remember what was done to Israel (which includes the USA and many of its major English-speaking allies) and Judah:
Thus says the LORD:
"Behold, I will raise up against Babylon, Against those who dwell in Leb Kamai, A destroying wind. 2 And I will send winnowers to Babylon, Who shall winnow her and empty her land. For in the day of doom they shall be against her all around. 3 Against her let the archer bend his bow, And lift himself up against her in his armor. Do not spare her young men; Utterly destroy all her army. 4 Thus the slain shall fall in the land of the Chaldeans, And those thrust through in her streets. 5 For Israel is not forsaken, nor Judah, By his God, the LORD of hosts, Though their land was filled with sin against the Holy One of Israel."
6 Flee from the midst of Babylon, And every one save his life! Do not be cut off in her iniquity, For this is the time of the LORD's vengeance; He shall recompense her ...
49 As Babylon has caused the slain of Israel to fall, So at Babylon the slain of all the earth shall fall (Jeremiah 51:1-6).
Furthermore, it needs to be understood that the idea of a revived "Holy Roman Empire" in Europe being led by a Great Monarch who attacks the English-descended peoples is NOT simply a viewpoint of the genuine Church of God. Many Roman Catholic private prophecies also teach this. Here is one related Greco-Roman Catholic "prophecy":
Saint Cataldus of Tarentino (c. 500): "The Great Monarch will be in war till he is forty years of age. ... he will assemble great armies and expel tyrants from his empire. He will conquer England and other island empires" (Connor, Edward. Prophecy for Today. Imprimatur + A.J. Willinger, Bishop of Monterey-Fresno; Reprint: Tan Books and Publishers, Rockford (IL), 1984, p.30; also Culleton , p.118-119).
The island empires would seem to include Great Britain, Australia, and New Zealand (also the term translated as England above would probably be better translated as the English because of the time that "prophecy" was given, hence the "prophecy" would seem to include the United States). There are other Catholic prophecies, biblical, and Church of God writings that indicate that this same European leader will conquer the United States (for more information, please see the article Who is the King of the North?).
What does all this mean? It means that despite the current fragility within Europe, the final European power will be the endtime "daughter of Babylon."
It means that the current EU, which could be the sixth king of Revelation 17:10 (see the article: The European Union and the Seven Kings of Revelation 17.) will be reorganized (Revelation 17:12-13; see also Must the Ten Kings of Revelation 17:12 Rule over Ten Currently Existing Nations?) and it will transformed into a major military power (Revelation 13:4)--despite the fact that it does not think it so (Isaiah 10:7), it is not well united (Daniel 2:41-42), and people do not think that it will emerge that way (Habakkuk 1:5-11).
It means that many within the current Roman Church do not now properly seem to understand biblical prophecy related to that religion and Europe. Yet, some Roman Church of its own writers have long warned that compromises will lead to it changing to an ecumenical faith that the Bible also warns against.
Europe will make one or more dangerous deals with the Arabs. History shows that Europe has pagan roots. History shows that when the Roman Church has had a lot of power, original Christians have tended to suffer persecution.
The current European Union has the trappings of the old Holy Roman Empire and certain Catholics believe that it will be reborn as a peaceful Holy Roman Empire. Europe has always had a woman as its symbol. It still has a woman as its symbol now. A revised ecumenical forced religion calling itself "Catholic" will be embraced by this Babylonian empire that God warns against being part of (Revelation 18:4). Apparitions claiming to be Mary (along with other signs and lying wonders) are likely to become a significant factor leading to the rise of the European Beast power. Those who to, and/or still wonder about who the Beast power is, can watch a watch the YouTube video Can You Prove that the Beast to Come is European?
Once the European empire gets its full power, true Christians will have persecution (see Persecutions by Church and State), the U.S.A. and its English-speaking allies conquered (see Anglo-Saxon America in Prophecy), and the world ultimately, tribulation, like never before (see Can the Great Tribulation Begin in 2015, 2016, or 2017?).
The Bible shows that most in the world, because of fear, economic pressures, and lying wonders will get caught up in it.
Just because the whole world will be temporarily deceived by the rising European Beast power, you do not have to be. Hopefully this article has given you some reasons to look at the world and your life and will motivate to come to God now on His terms. To learn more about what happened to Christianity, a good place to start may be The History of Early Christianity page. May God call you today and grant you the understanding so that you will "pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man" (Luke 21:36).
Yet, because most in Europe do not truly stive now to know the true God, God will punish them as well as the other inhabitants on the Earth. The beginnings of this empire are taking shape.
More on Europe in prophecy is found in the following free online book as well as discussed in several related sermons. Check out the following:
Lost Tribes and Prophecies: What will happen to Australia, the British Isles, Canada, Europe, New Zealand and the United States of America? Where did those people come from? Can you totally rely on DNA? What about other peoples? Do you really know what will happen to Europe and the English-speaking peoples? What about Africa, Asia, South America, and the Islands? This free online book provides scriptural, scientific, historical references, and commentary to address those matters. Here are links to related sermons: Lost tribes, the Bible, and DNA; Lost tribes, prophecies, and identifications; 11 Tribes, 144,000, and Multitudes; Israel, Jeremiah, Tea Tephi, and British Royalty; Gentile European Beast; Royal Succession, Samaria, and Prophecies; Asia, Islands, Latin America, Africa, and Armageddon; When Will the End of the Age Come?; Rise of the Prophesied King of the North; Christian Persecution from the Beast; WWIII and the Coming New World Order; and Woes, WWIV, and the Good News of the Kingdom of God.
The Apostle Paul taught:
20 Do not despise prophecies. (1 Thessalonians 5:20)
Remember that Jesus taught:
