Current Events

Ever since the proposal for, and establishment of, the Common Market after WWII, later evolving into the European Union, there has been speculation whether this could be the beginning of the feet and toes of Nebuchadnezzar’s image: the major empire ultimately to be ruled over by Antichrist. The furore over the UK referendum in June 2016 to decide their continued membership of the EU probably brought this to the forefront of some people’s minds, with ‘Intercessors for Britain’ and David Hathaway amongst others, stating that the EU was evolving into the fulfilment of this prophecy (see David's YouTube video Rape of Europe). However, one criticism of this idea is that there are far more than ten nations involved in the EU, while there are ten nations prophesied for this confederation, as shown by the ten toes of the image. So we’ll look at this.

There are three key Bible prophecies:

Daniel 2:31–45

Daniel 7:7–11, 19–26

Revelation 12:3; 13:1–8; 17:1–18.

While the first Daniel passage talks about feet and toes, the rest refer to a beast with seven heads and ten horns. Because we are told the ten horns represent ten kings, it has been assumed this means a confederation of ten nations; but this is not what it says!

According to Daniel these ten kings arise from one kingdom.

The ten horns are ten kings who shall arise from this kingdom. And another shall rise after them; he shall be different from the first ones, and shall subdue three kings.

Daniel 7:24

So the number ten does not relate to the number of nations involved in the kingdom, but simply the number of rulers. The EU has five presidents; but of course it is still in the process of evolution. At the original time of writing this, according to secular, on-line, news source, the Express, dated 29 June, some of those in power...

“see the Brexit vote as an opportunity to push ahead with the European elite’s long-cherished dream of creating a United States of Europe.”

(See also the Sun dated 28 June and the Mail dated 27 June.)

Were this to happen there is no reason why the five should not morph into ten! I do not profess to be an expert in world history, but I am unaware of any time when there has been a single kingdom ruled by multiple kings/presidents. However, the EU could be just around the corner from being exactly that. So we are possibly on the cusp of seeing a replica of this prophecy for the first time in world history.

The beast has seven heads, we are told. What do these represent? Revelation tells us they are seven mountains.

"Here is the mind which has wisdom: The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits.

Revelation 17:9

In the Bible mountains represent nations. For example, Babylon is called a mountain in:

"And I will repay Babylon And all the inhabitants of Chaldea For all the evil they have done In Zion in your sight," says the LORD. "Behold, I am against you, O destroying mountain, Who destroys all the earth," says the LORD. "And I will stretch out My hand against you, Roll you down from the rocks, And make you a burnt mountain.

Jeremiah 51:24–25

But there are more than seven nations in Europe, so how does that work? A living beast is never just a head, though: it must also have a body. In 1 Corinthians 12:12–27 the Church is called a body, with the people being different parts. Likewise, the seven heads of the beast could represent the seven most dominant nations, with the other participating nations being its body.

People have been saying ‘the end is nigh’ for the past 2,000 years, we are told, so why should now be any different? The Bible says,

…knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, and saying, "Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation." But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

2 Peter 3:3–4, 8

In God’s eyes it is just like a mere couple of days since the New Testament prophecies were given, and no more than 2½ - 3 days since most of the Old Testament ones! See here for Dr Michael Youssef’s belief that we are very close to the fruition of end-time prophecy. We are presently in a unique set of circumstances.

• For the first time since their exile during the Roman Empire, the people of Israel are back in their own land. Jesus said Jerusalem would be ‘trampled by the Gentiles’ until the times of the Gentiles were fulfilled.

And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

Luke 21:24

There is still one part of Jerusalem not fully under the control of Israel, though. The Temple Mount still bears the Islamic Mosque. Therefore the times of the Gentiles are not yet ended, but are surely drawing rapidly to a close.

• The developments over the past decade or so in China, Russia, North Korea, the Middle East, Europe and IS/Daesh bring these people groups very close to the relevant prophecies for them at the time of the end. E.g. the two following prophecies could refer to a gigantic army from some of these regions.

…saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, "Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates." So the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were released to kill a third of mankind. Now the number of the army of the horsemen was two hundred million; I heard the number of them.

Rev 9:14–16

Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, so that the way of the kings from the east might be prepared.

Revelation 16:12

• In July 2016 Iran claimed they had 100,000 missiles in Lebanon and large numbers of long range missiles in Iran, all aimed at Israel; with dozens of terror tunnels and masses of missiles in Gaza preparing for a major conflict. The sabre rattling continues and their declared plan is to aim a simultaneous barrage at Israel that will overwhelm their ‘Iron Dome’ defence system and destroy the nation ‘at a stroke’. It would be politically impossible for Israel to remove the mosque sitting on Temple Mount, but this could easily do it for them and end the ‘Times of the Gentiles’.
   

• The European Parliament building in Strasbourg is designed as close as it possibly could be to the famous 1563 painting of Babel by Brueghel, as can be seen on page 10 of  the PDF by Intercessors for Britain; and on page 11 the statues and depiction on the 2 Euro coin of the rape of Europa are a clear reflection of Rev 17:7. Why on Earth would anyone want to depict such an event?

While detractors give an alternative explanation of the reason for the building’s design, it stretches credulity beyond the limit to believe it is mere coincidence that this key EU building copies the iconic depiction of arguably mankind’s greatest, unified rebellion against God since the flood.

men's hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth…

Luke 21:26

• According to the Global Peace Index 2016:

“The 2016 Global Peace Index (GPI) shows the world became less peaceful in the last year, reinforcing the underlying trend of declining peace over the last decade… The last decade has seen a historic decline in world peace.”

It said the number of deaths from terrorism had risen dramatically since 2011 from under 10,000 to over 30,000 per year. With random individuals turning guns on innocent bystanders indiscriminately in countries where they are freely available, using ordinary vehicles as weapons to kill and maim, and attempting mass murder by suicide bombings, there is little governments can do to prevent such attacks, and the atmosphere of fear is starting to ratchet upwards. (Those seeking their own death in the process of murdering others believe this guarantees them a privileged life after death. The Bible says no murderer has eternal life abiding in him (1 John 3:15) and will be cut off from God for eternity (Revelation 21:8).)

According to the Global Peace Index 2020:

“The results this year show that the level of global peacefulness deteriorated, with the average country score falling by 0.34 per cent. This is the ninth deterioration in peacefulness in the last twelve years, with 81 countries improving, and 80 recording deteriorations over the past year. The 2020 GPI reveals a world in which the conflicts and crises that emerged in the past decade have begun to abate, only to be replaced with a new wave of tension and uncertainty as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

So things have not improved since 2016!

Taking all this into account, I believe the most likely eventuality is that the EU is soon to become the United States of Europe, in preparation for the emergence of the prophesied, Satan-inspired dictator to become its President and initiate the events described in the second section on this page.

Following the UK decision to separate from the EU, it is very possible the rest of Europe will push forward with full integration into the United States of Europe in order to prevent any other countries from doing the same as the UK, and it will have been the grace of God that has enabled us to escape

It was Britain standing against the Third Reich during the Second World War that enabled Europe to have its freedom; who knows if history will repeat itself yet again and the EU be given one last chance to choose democracy and move away from full political union, and by so doing stave off the prophesied end time events?

I will not categorically say that the EU is the foundation for antichrist’s kingdom, but if it is then there are extremely powerful forces determined to keep it intact and only a miracle can prevent it from reaching its goal. I would want to stand with all believers in praying that God will intervene in our nation of Great Britain to ensure it does not go further away from Him than it already has done, that it will make no future alliances that will bring it into conflict with His will, and that there might be yet one more move of His Spirit across this nation to set its people free from the lies of the enemy and into the delights of a close, intimate relationship with Him. There have been several such moves over the centuries and I pray for one more.

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Added August 2022

It is now just over six months since Russia effectively declared war on Ukraine, and while Putin clearly thought he could walk into the country quickly and easily, the stiff resistance by the vast majority of the Ukraine citizens prevented him from doing so. In fact this is a war not merely against Ukraine, but against Europe, UK, USA plus other nations, since they are enabling the resistance of Ukraine by supplying arms, etc. The result of all this is a massive world-wide economic crisis, vastly inflated fuel prices, along with the death of tens of thousands of soldiers on both sides and literally millions of people displaced from their homes. Along with sabre rattling on the part of other countries, this surely is a perfect example of ‘wars and rumours of wars’.

But when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be troubled; for such things must happen, but the end is not yet.

(Mark 13:7)

There is increasing panic over ‘climate change’, with huge large-scale disasters like huge areas of land destroyed by fire and huge areas of land covered by massive flooding, resulting in death and or displacement for very many people. I am not here saying this is God’s fury presently being poured out on the earth, but these are ways in which it will happen…

And I will bring him to judgment with pestilence and bloodshed; I will rain down on him, on his troops, and on the many peoples who are with him, flooding rain, great hailstones, fire, and brimstone.

(Ezekiel 38:22)

Then the fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and power was given to him to scorch men with fire. And men were scorched with great heat, and they blasphemed the name of God who has power over these plagues; and they did not repent and give Him glory.

(Rev 16:8-9)

…and perhaps this is the beginning of sorrows?

For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.

(Matthew 24:7-8)

As mentioned previously, for many centuries people have been saying the end is here; but surely, never has there been a time with such world-wide problems – famine, war with weaponry capable of far greater destruction than ever before, flooding, drought, wild fires, economic crises – coupled with global temperature change and a world-wide health epidemic with Covid? Put alongside this the fact that nations which for centuries have been bastions of Christianity are now turning away in droves (although there are also many people turning to Christ in other regions), surely there has never been a time when the world is more ripe for God’s judgement to fall?

Since this will not take place while His people are on the earth (more detail in  'pretribulation rapture' later) it is my belief it is time for us to follow what Jesus said we should do:

"And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; men's hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near."

(Luke 21:25-28)

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