EU Wants Middle East Peace Deal by September

Jerusalem

The European Union is trying to push for a “peace plan” that will establish a Palestinian State:

EU’s Ashton targets Palestinian state by September

By Steve Weizman (AFP) – 15 February 2011

JERUSALEM — EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton on Tuesday said the international community still sought to achieve a peace deal and a Palestinian state by September, despite the region’s political turmoil.

Despite the impasse in Israeli-Palestinian peace talks and the resignation of the Palestinian cabinet as well as Saab Erakat, their chief negotiator, Ashton said the goal was still achievable.

“It’s a timeframe that everybody has signed up to,” she told reporters in Jerusalem ahead of talks with Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas in the West Bank town of Ramallah.

“I think that we have to try and reach that target,” she said, while admitting it would be “challenging.” (http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5i2SXFoczv0eZ3e57W1SuNfoGOtvg?docId=CNG.45ed54b37a8da7196eec4d99230b920e.51)

The idea of a peace plan in the Middle East is consistent with end time Bible prophecy.

In the book of Daniel there is a prophecy related to the end times that 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).

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)

This is a deal involving Europeans–but notice that the deal is broken. There are several reasons that this “prince” is referring to the leader of the developing European empire (see King of the North and Europa, the Beast, and the Book of Revelation)–the prince seems also to be the him of Daniel 11:31. Understand that it was the people of the Roman Empire of the 1st century that fulfilled the portion of Daniel 9:26 as they destroyed the city (Jerusalem) in 70 A.D. And it is the “prince” coming from that people that verse 27 is referring to. Hence, this prophecy tells us that a European leader will start to rise up about 3 1/2 years before the great tribulation.

A Peace Deal is Expected

The idea of this being a seven-year end-time deal was even understood by the Catholic theologian Hippolytus (died 235) in the third century:

…the iron and the clay shall be mingled together. Now Daniel will set forth this subject to us. For he says, “And one week will make a covenant with many, and it shall be that in the midst (half) of the week my sacrifice and oblation shall cease.” By one week, therefore, he meant the last week which is to be at the end of the whole world of which week the two prophets… will take up the half. For they will preach 1,260 days clothed in sackcloth, proclaiming repentance to the people and to all the nations…(Hippolytus. On Christ and Antichrist, Chapter 43. Online edition Copyright © 2008 by Kevin Knight).

While the leader in Daniel 9:27 is only referred to as a prince when he confirms the one week covenant, he probably will not be known as the “King” until shortly before he breaks the covenant at the mid-week point (most likely he will be considered simply one of several leaders negotiating and/or approving a treaty when this deal in Daniel 9:27 is initially made). The two witnesses (who are prophets) rise up around the mid-point of the week. The iron and clay mingled together refers to a power (like Europe) that is not totally cohesive.

(It may be of interest to note that within Islam, there does exist the idea that an Islamic leader, Imam Mahdi, will be part of a seven-year golden age and will make a peace deal with the Europeans, that the Europeans will break–for details, please see The Arab and Islamic World In the Bible, History, and Prophecy).

Although he has several events out of sequence, even the famed Protestant theologian John Walvoord understood the importance of the deal in Daniel 9:27:

The seven-year peace treaty with Israel; consumated seven years before the second coming of Christ (Dan. 9:27; Revelation 19:11-16). (Walvoord J. The Prophecy Knowledge Handbook. Victor Books, 1990, p. 551)

Why is this believed to be a peace deal?

There are several reasons, but notice some other scriptures that discuss this leader:

25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand. (Daniel 8:25, KJV).

23 And after the league is made with him he shall act deceitfully, for he shall come up and become strong with a small number of people. 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. (Daniel 11:23-24, NKJV)

So this leader gives people the impression that there will be “peace” and is involved in some type of deal. Term is translated as “peace” in Daniel 8:25 is from the Hebrew term shalvah and essentially means security. In other words, this leader will destroy “many” who are under the impression that they are secure because of some type of security arrangement. Such arrangements are now commonly referred to as peace deals.

Jesus seems to tie to the events of Daniel 11:31 and Daniel 9:27 in one of His prophecies:

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 24:15-22)

Consider that Daniel was inspired to write that a seven year deal was made, that in the middle of the deal it would be broken, and that this break happens when the abomination is set up. The elements of something happening in the middle of the seven year deal (which is 3 1/2 years after the deal), combined with Jesus’ warnings in Matthew 24, suggest it is then that the suddenness is a factor. And when you consider that the King of the North destroys after a “league” (probable peace deal) is made, this supports the idea that there would be a gap between the peace deal of Daniel 9:27/11:23 and the destruction that comes later (Daniel 11:31-39; Matthew 24:15-22).

Thus, if we look at all the scriptures, we see that there will be a peace deal that will precede the establishment of the abomination of desolation being set up and that once that abomination is set up there will be a new urgency as that is when the Great Tribulation will be ready to commence. As I have written in both my 2012 and the Rise of the Secret Sect book as well as my article about the King of the North, the King of the North will pretend to be promoting peace even though he will be a military leader according to Bible prophecy (Daniel 11:24; 29-43; Revelation 13:3-4).

The prophesied peace is to proceed sudden destruction. And when the faithful proclaim this is what is happening, many will not like to hear that (see Who is the King of the North?).

The events in Europe and in the Middle East are moving in the direction to fulfill many biblical prophecies. And if a seven-year peace deal is made (or a deal with some portion that is agreed to seven-years before it is supposed to end) this September, a major countdown until the Great Tribulation may begin.

For more information, please check out the following:

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?
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?
Anglo – America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel Are the Americans, Canadians, British, Scottish, Welsh, Australians, Anglo-Southern Africans, and New Zealanders descendants of Joseph? Where are the lost ten-tribes of Israel? Who are the lost tribes of Israel? What will happen to the Jews in Israel? Will God punish the U.S.A., Canada, United Kingdom, and other Anglo nations? Why might God allow them to be punished first?
Does God Have a 6,000 Year Plan? What Year Does the 6,000 Years End? Was a 6000 year time allowed for humans to rule followed by a literal thousand year reign of Christ on Earth taught by the early Christians? What year may the six thousand years of human rule end? When will Jesus return? 2018 or 2019?
Can the Great Tribulation Begin in 2011, 2012, or 2013? Can the Great Tribulation begin today? What happens before the Great Tribulation in the “beginning of sorrows”? What happens in the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord? Is this the time of the Gentiles? When is the earliest that the Great Tribulation can begin? What is the Day of the Lord?