Austria’s militaristic tale of silver for Europe

10 Euro Silvercoin “Charlemagne in the Untersberg. Source: Austrian Mint

A reader forwarded me information on the fact that Austria recently issued a new coin as part of its “Tales and Legends” series. The silver image to the right, is supposed to depict (on its left side) as sleeping Emperor Charlemagne.

Now although the Bible shows that, along with gold, silver will have some value into the Great Tribulation (Daniel 11:40-43; Revelation 9:20), that is not why I reported about it.

It is the story associated with the coin that is of interest. Here is one version of it:

“The story tells that Charlemagne and his army dwell under the Untersberg, a mountain between Salzburg and Bavaria, where he rules over princes, warriors and dwarfs. Charlemagne and his court have fallen into a deep sleep over the centuries and the emperor’s beard has continued to grow, winding itself twice around a great stone table before him. When the beard has wound itself around the table three times and the ravens have ceased to circle over the Untersberg, Charlemagne and his soldier will awake and return to the world of men to fight a final battle on the Walser Field near Salzburg. In another version of the tale, the emperor awakes every hundred years and sends to find out if the ravens are still flying over the mountain, in which case he falls back into his sleep for another hundred years.” http://eurocollections.com/store/product.asp?id=6189&tid=blg

Why is that story of interest?

Essentially, because Charlemagne was known as the first “Holy Roman Emperor” as he helped unite Europe in support of Roman Catholicism. Many see Europe uniting as a revival of the old “Holy Roman Empire”. There are also Catholic prophecies that proclaim that there will be a new, and militaristic Holy Roman Emperor, also known as the Great Monarch. Notice the following:

Several private prophecies of canonized Saints specifically state that there will be a latter restoration of the Holy Roman Empire and that there will be at least one last Holy Roman Emperor. The authenticity of the authorship of such prophecies of canonized Saints (e.g., St. Hildegard, St. Vincent Ferrer, St. Francis of Paula, and St. John Vianney) at least over the last eight hundred years is scholastically unquestionable. (Birch, DA. Trial, Tribulation & Triumph: Before During and After Antichrist. Queenship Publishing Company, Goleta (CA), 1996, p. 281)

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).

It may be of interest to note that Charlemagne, an apparent ancestor of the 38 year old German Defense Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, was considered to be of Franco-German descent. Charlemagne remains a hero for much of Europe, and especially the Vatican. After Charlemagne conquered Italy he was crowned Imperator Augustus by Pope Leo III on 25 December 800. Charlemagne is widely known as the first “Holy Roman Emperor”.

He is an important figure in world, and especially European, history.

Currently in Europe, both Austria and Germany are moving to have a professional military:

“Neutral Austria mulls changeover to a professional army“

Irish Times – Nov 1, 2010 http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/world/2010/1102/1224282483150.html

Final Blow for Conscription in Germany

Defense News – Nov 16, 2010

KARLSRUHE, Germany – Probably next summer, the last conscripts will get drafted in Germany. A clear majority at the conservative Christian Democratic Union’s (CDU’s) party conference approved a motion Nov. 15 to end the draft.

German Defense Secretary Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, a member of the smaller conservative Christian Socialist Union (CSU), campaigned at the conference here to win official approval from the 1,000 delegates. http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?i=5055786&c=EUR&s=TOP

A professional military can tend to be better trained than a conscripted one. A professional military also tends to be able to better handle sophisticated weaponry–which I suspect is being developed in Europe as German Defense Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg called for this in August 2010 (Guttenberg Proposes Major Modernization of Germany’s Military).

The silver coin is a reminder to peoples in Europe that they have a legend that a military leader will again rise up and conquer. And this is consistent with what the Bible teaches (Revelation 13:3-4; Daniel 11:39-43).

More and more, Europeans are being reminded that their history involves them militaristically supporting a political leader who claims religious objectives. The production of the coin in Austria is just one more reminder, which I believe is helping to set the Europeans up for what will happen in the future.

Some articles of possibly related interest may include:

Catholic Prophecies: Do They Mirror, Highlight, or Contradict Biblical Prophecies? People of all faiths may be surprised to see what various Roman and Orthodox Catholic prophets have been predicting as many of their predictions will be looked to in the 21st century.
The Plain Truth About Gold in Prophecy. How Should a Christian View Gold? What do economists and the Bible teach about gold? Gold and silver may drop in value. Inflation/deflation? What do Christians need to know about gold?
Europa, the Beast, and Revelation Where did Europe get its name? What might Europe have to do with the Book of Revelation? What about “the Beast”? Is an emerging European power “the daughter of Babylon”? What is ahead for Europe?
Might German Baron Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg become the King of the North? Is the German Defense Minister one to watch? What do Catholic, Byzantine, and biblical prophecies suggest?
Who is the King of the North? Is there one? Do biblical and Roman Catholic prophecies point to the same leader? Should he be followed? Who will be the King of the North discussed in Daniel 11? Is a nuclear attack prophesied to happen to the English-speaking peoples of the United States, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand? When do the 1335 days, 1290 days, and 1260 days (the time, times, and half a time) of Daniel 12 begin? When does the Bible show that economic collapse will affect the United States?