EU a Vatican Plot?

Europa sitting on Beast (Approximately 470 B.C.)

A writer named Matthew Cantirino had some comments (bolding his):

Is the European Union a Catholic Plot?

One of the more fascinating conspiracy theories surrounding the movement toward European integration is the allegation that it’s all a Vatican plot. Of course, spend enough time digging around online and it becomes apparent that the Pope has a hand in just about all significant world events….

There’s something about it that seems intrinsic to the Catholic worldview, with the Church’s characteristic balance of universality and particularity naturally lending itself to sympathy for European integration, while, on paper at least, “subsidiarity” is an integral principle of the Union. This almost-perfect theoretical accord led Prospect magazine, examining the issue in 2004, to straightly declare that “Catholics are natural pro-Europeans.”

But the Vatican’s plot, if there is one, is clearly not going well…it is more accurate to call the EU a post-Catholic project than to see it as the fulfillment of some sort of Catholic fantasy. It is the bitter, secularized residue of the Holy Roman Empire, not a second coming of the empire itself…

Today’s EU architects—successors to Gasperi, Schuman, and Adenauer—must acknowledge that the old patterns of religious ties are the only source from which they can hope to achieve enduring integration. In other words, they may just want to adopt the purported Vatican conspiracy as their own. http://www.firstthings.com/onthesquare/2012/01/is-the-european-union-a-catholic-plot

So the author claims that the EU is pretty secular, but needs some common religious ideas to stay together. One of the many things the article has overlooked is that the Bible warns of a time that there will be public signs and lying wonders (2 Thessalonians 2:8-11) and a “false prophet” (Revelation 16:13-14) that will help convince people to follow the end time European Beast power and accept the type of economic controls which will be implemented (Revelation 13:11-17).

Of course, we in the Living Church of God have taught for many decades that a European power would rise up in Europe with Vatican influence. We also teach that the Bible shows this will, for a time, be a successful military power (Daniel 11:39-43; Revelation 13:4). Thus, this is view more than a recent “internet rumor.”

Furthermore, even when Europe was still recovering from being devasted in World War II, in the December 1948 issue of The Plain Truth Herbert W. Armstrong predicted a coming “United States of Europe” after attending an international conference. 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).

Herbert Armstrong later 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)

As far as the EU being a “Catholic plot,” let me simply state that Catholic prophecy looks forward to a time that there will be a revived “Holy Roman Empire,” that will rule Europe. The leader of this “Holy Roman Empire,” according to “private prophecies” also is supposed to eliminate the English and invade the Arab/Muslim lands, which seems consistent with the warnings of the final King of the North in Bible prophecy (Daniel 11:39-43). My book, 2012 and the Rise of the Secret Sect goes into this in more depth and cites the applicable biblical, Catholic, and Byzantine prophecies that support that.

As I have mentioned many times on this webpage, the Bible is clear that Europe will appear fragile and have problems (Daniel 2:42-44). Yet, it will also reorganize (Revelation 17:12-13) and ultimately the world will marvel at its military power (Revelation 13:4).

The following call for more EU military spending and cooperation is important in view of biblical prophecy:

EU: Members must share military resources to cope with change in US strategy

By Associated Press

BRUSSELS — European Union nations must increasingly pool their military resources, especially as individual members keep trimming their budgets and the U.S reshapes its military strategy to focus on regions beyond Europe, the bloc’s top defense officials said Tuesday.http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/eu-members-must-share-military-resources-to-cope-with-change-in-us-strategy/2012/01/31/gIQACBlweQ_story.html

Europe, despite its current economic and social problems (one or both of which will likely worsen for a time), realizes that as the USA cuts more of its own defense spending that Europe will need to actually develop the ability to not only defend itself, but also to be able to have a military with a real offensive capability. And that is what the Bible shows.

While some will scoff and claim that the EU could not possibly be the world’s most important military power, and that no nation can overcome the USA as it has the strongest military in the world, Bible prophecy shows that the land of the “strongest fortresses” will be defeated and divided:

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” above is the King of the North and this passage in Daniel is also consistent with certain Catholic and Byzantine (Eastern Orthodox) prophecies related to one commonly now referred to as the Great Monarch. The Great Monarch is supposed to be a military power who will conquer the Anglo/English-speakers. With its emphasis on the Large Hadron Collider project, the EU is likely to spin-off unique military capabilities from that which are consistent with Revelation 13:4, and which would allow it to fulfill Daniel 11:39.

At the beginning of this post is an ancient statue picturing the woman Europa sitting on a beast, which is supposed to be Zeus pretending to be a gentle bull. The old story of Europe is that a female named Europa was enticed to sit on and ride a beast that appeared to be gentle (Europe takes its name from this Europa story). Both the woman and the beast found the arrangement mutually beneficial, for a time, and that is similar to what the Bible warns will happen in the end time about a religious power that is highly involved with human governments (Revelation 17:1-4). The discussion in the first portions of Revelation 17 sounds a lot like the history of the Vatican and Europe. It should be noted that even Catholic scholars recognize that the city of seven hills/mountain that Revelation 17:9,18 refers to is Rome. Notice a quote as far back as the third century, followed by one from 16th century, and then one from the 21st century:

9. The seven heads are the seven hills, on which the woman sits. That is, the city of Rome. (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>)

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)…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, pp. 165,166)

So, the idea that Revelation 17 is referring to Rome is a concept long known in Catholic writings.

Now going back to to the story of Europa, in it, the beast turns against and attacks Europa (though gifts of land are then given). The Bible warns that the supporters of the end time Beast will turn against the religious power that it had earlier cooperated with (Revelation 17:15-17).

While the EU is not a Vatican plot per se (there are economic and other interests also involved in its formation), the reality is that the Vatican is interested in the revival of what it has historically called the Holy Roman Empire. And while Europe itself is quite secular, it does have a lot of Catholic ties, and once signs and lying wonders publicly appear, it will fairly quickly accept more of the influence of the Vatican. Secular sources overlook this, but that will be a major factor in getting millions to accept the final European Beast power which is in the process of now forming.

Some articles of possibly related interest may include:

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?
Might German Baron Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg become the King of the North? Could He Become “the Beast”? What makes the German Defense Minister a candidate?
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?
End of Mayan Calendar 2012–Might 2012 Mean Something? Are there Mayan calendar predictions for change in 2012? Changes were centuries ago predicted by the Hopi Native Americans. Do Mayan/Hindu/Hopi/Buddhist/New Age/Nostradamus prophecies have any value here? Why might Satan have inspired this date? Does the Dresden codex show destruction of the earth by flood? Can the great tribulation start before 2012? How might Barack Obama be involved in 2012?
2012 and the Rise of the Secret Sect This is a link related to a book by Bob Thiel (COGwriter). This link also has YouTube videos. This book documents and explains hundreds of prophecies. And since it was published, world events have aligned with at least 20 predictions in the book and many more will to come to pass. Those who purchase the book at the www.thesecretsect.com website receive a lengthy bonus report documenting world events that aligned with the book.
2012 and the Rise of the Secret Sect (English Kindle edition). This is the 2nd edition of the book, released in January 2012, and includes a summary of the 20 predictions that world events have aligned with since the book originally came out in September 2009.
2012 y el surgimiento de la secta secreta 2012 libro del Dr. Thiel en Español.
2012 und das Auftreten der geheimen Sekte (German Edition) 2012 Buch von Dr. Thiel in deutscher Sprache. 2012 und das Auftreten der geheimen Sekte (German Kindle Edition)
2012 e o Surgimento da Seita Secreta (Portuguese Edition) 2012 livro do Dr. Thiel em português. Este livro documenta e explica centenas de profecias. E desde que foi publicado pela primeira vez, pelo menos 20 já começaram a acontecer.
2012 e o Surgimento da Seita Secreta (Brazilian Portuguese Edition) 2012 livro do Dr. Thiel. Edição em português do Brasil. Este livro documenta e explica centenas de profecias. E desde que foi publicado pela primeira vez, pelo menos 20 já começaram a acontecer.