Eurozone leaders grant Greece an extension: Babylon the Great will form

Poster for the European Union

Greece has been able to make a deal related to its debt:

February 24, 2015

Eurozone finance ministers approved a four-month extension of debt-ridden Greece’s $270-billion bailout Tuesday after Athens pledged to carry out more financial reforms.

National parliaments in Europe’s 19-nation euro currency bloc must still give their approval, with the key vote Friday in Germany.

With the finance chiefs giving their approval, though, Greece appears headed toward solving its immediate financial crisis with its current bailout expiring Saturday.

In its latest commitment to boost its economy and cut government spending, the new leftist Greek government, headed by Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, promised tax and public spending reforms and a campaign against tax evasion.

Greece also said it would not interfere with the ongoing sale of state assets, a key provision demanded by its creditors to boost Greece’s revenues.

The finance ministers’ approval came after Athens officials submitted their proposals late Monday, meeting the deadline the creditors imposed last week when they agreed in general terms to the four-month loan extension. If the lenders had not agreed to the bailout, Greece could have defaulted on its debts and been forced from the euro currency bloc.

Tough negotiations still lie ahead, however, over Greece’s long-term economic plan. Its economy is very weak and a quarter of the Greek workforce is unemployed.

Greece’s stock markets responded favorably to Tuesday’s developments, surging seven percent in early trading.

Despite the initial European approval of Greece’s plan, Tsipras is facing some criticism at home over the bailout extension pact because he pledged as head of the Syriza party in January’s election campaign to end the loan program and the austerity measures imposed by the lenders. http://www.voanews.com/content/greece-set-to-offer-reform-proposals-to-extend-bailout/2656209.html

This should not be a surprise to regular readers of this Church of God news page as this is consistent with what has been reported here in the past.

The Bible tells of a rise of a European power composed of strong and weak parts that do not get along particularly well (Daniel 2:41-43).

The Bible refers to it (or aspects associated with) as “daughter of Babylon’ (e.g. Zechariah 2:7), “Mystery Babylon the Great” (Revelation 17:4), and as “Babylon the Great” (Revelation 18:2). Babylon the Great will rise up and then fall:

2… “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! 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 18:2-3)

9 “The kings of the earth who committed fornication and lived luxuriously with her will weep and lament for her, when they see the smoke of her burning, 10 standing at a distance for fear of her torment, saying, ‘Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! For in one hour your judgment has come.’

11 “And the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her, for no one buys their merchandise anymore: 12 merchandise of gold and silver, precious stones and pearls, fine linen and purple, silk and scarlet, every kind of citron wood, every kind of object of ivory, every kind of object of most precious wood, bronze, iron, and marble; 13 and cinnamon and incense, fragrant oil and frankincense, wine and oil, fine flour and wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots, and bodies and souls of men. 14 The fruit that your soul longed for has gone from you, and all the things which are rich and splendid have gone from you, and you shall find them no more at all. 15 The merchants of these things, who became rich by her, will stand at a distance for fear of her torment, weeping and wailing, 16 and saying, ‘Alas, alas, that great city that was clothed in fine linen, purple, and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls! 17 For in one hour such great riches came to nothing.’ Every shipmaster, all who travel by ship, sailors, and as many as trade on the sea, stood at a distance 18 and cried out when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, ‘What is like this great city?’

19 “They threw dust on their heads and cried out, weeping and wailing, and saying, ‘Alas, alas, that great city, in which all who had ships on the sea became rich by her wealth! For in one hour she is made desolate.’ (Revelation 18:9-19)

For Babylon the Great to fall, it first must rise up. And despite problems with Greece, the Baltics, Ukraine, and other issues, it will arise.

The Bible shows that this end time Babylon is a European power and that it borders the Mediterranean Sea (called the Great Sea below):

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. 8 I was considering the horns, and there was another horn, a little one, coming up among them, before whom three of the first horns were plucked out by the roots. And there, in this horn, were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking pompous words. (Daniel 7:2-8)

Greece was part of at least two of the beasts shown above that have already appeared.

For reasons of history and geography, Greece is wanted by the European Union. Greece is a nation that would be expected to be part of the final European Beast power, hence, although there will likely be problems with Greece, it would seem to have to align with Europe.

The Bible also shows that there will be several reorganizations in Europe, and that they will lead to a dictatorship:

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)

Greece, whether or not it pays or defaults or continues to renegotiate its debt, will ultimately be part of the end time Babylonian beast power.

But we should expect to see civil unrest in Greece and other parts of Europe before it all comes together.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

Must the Ten Kings of Revelation 17:12 Rule over Ten Currently Existing Nations? Some claim that these passages refer to a gathering of 10 currently existing nations together, while one group teaches that this is referring to 11 nations getting together. Is that what Revelation 17:12-13 refers to? The ramifications of misunderstanding this are enormous. A related sermon is titled Ten Kings of Revelation and the Great Tribulation.
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 and Catholic 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?
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? Here is a link to a video titled: Can You Prove that the Beast to Come is European?
European Technology and the Beast of Revelation Will the coming European Beast power would use and develop technology that will result in the taking over of the USA and its Anglo-Saxon allies? Is this possible? What does the Bible teach? Here is a related YouTube video: Military Technology and the Beast of Revelation.
Who is the King of the North? Is there one? Do biblical and Roman Catholic prophecies for the Great Monarch 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? In the Spanish language check out ¿Quién es el Rey del Norte? Here is a link to a video titled: The Future King of the North.
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?
The ‘Lost Tribe’ of Reuben: France in Prophecy? What is the origin of this in France? What is prophesied to happen to them? A two-part sermon related to history and prophecy is available online: The ‘Lost Tribe’ of Reuben and France and Prophecy.
Ten clues tying Belgium and Luxembourg with the tribe of Asher Who did some in Belgium and Luxembourg descend from?
Ten clues tying Zebulun with the Dutch Who did some in the Netherlands descend from?