As a student of bible prophecy and someone who has dedicated an enormous amount of time to examining current events through the lens of bible prophecy (and sharing my findings with others), there have been a number of moments when my jaw has figuratively hit the floor as a result of a headline from the news of our world today. Today is one of those days! The headline that made my teeth rattle? It's this: 10 countries for a United States of Europe!
Those of you who have been following along with me for any amount of time know my expectation has been we would see the European Union, which I believe to be the revived Roman empire foreseen by the prophet Daniel (or a forerunner thereof), move into position to play a prominent role in end times affairs. This is particularly true where the rise of the prophesied Antichrist and the establishment of his global kingdom/dictatorship to come is concerned.
Could the headline above be demonstrative that the events I've been encouraging people to keep watch for are coming into view on the prophetic horizon more visibly than ever before? Time will tell, but current events hold potential for things to head precisely that direction.
Before digging into the particulars of the strikingly intriguing news story itself, let's review how scripture demonstrates a group of ten leaders from the European Union forming a 'United States of Europe' could play into end times bible prophecy.
POTENTIAL SCRIPTURAL CONNECTIONS
References to ten horns, kings or leaders sitting in power in the end times appear in Daniel 2 & 7, as well asRevelation 13 & 17 so there is no doubt about it. Ten influential leaders are clearly going to be in play in the revived Roman empire at the time of the advent of the Antichrist. Not five, seven or three, but ten!
After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it [was] diverse from all the beasts that [were] before it; and it had ten horns. I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn [were] eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things (Daniel 7:7-8).
From the passage above we see that ten leaders (horns) seated in positions of prominence and authority will be followed onto the global stage by another, the prophesied Antichrist. He will decisively humble three of the ten while ascending to his ultimate role as dictator over the entire world as documented in Revelation 13:7.
David Guzik, pastor and longtime commentator for Blue Letter Bible, is one of many students of bible prophecy who I suspect will be every bit as awe-stricken by the news story this commentary documents as I am. He wrote the following many years before this story ever made news:
The conspicuous horn must be the Antichrist, arising out of a confederation of ten nations that is in some way a restoration of the Roman Empire.
A VEHICLE FOR THE ANTICHRIST?
Having established the scriptural basis for ten horns (kings or leaders) being followed by another coming to prominence, the following excerpt from the news story linked above is of great interest to me:
Ten EU foreign ministers participating in a “study group for the future of Europe” aim to exert pressure to transform the EU into a federation along the lines of the US. Together they have prepared what the front-page headline in Die Presse describes as a “Plan for transformation into a European state.” On 19 June, the ten ministers presented an initial report to the EU officials who will likely benefit the most from the initiative: Commission President José Manuel Barroso, European Council President Herman Van Rompuy, European Central Bank President Mario Draghi and Eurogroup President Jean-Claude Juncker.The "study group for the future” initiated by Germany's Guido Westerwelle, which does not currently include an official French representative, proposes to put an end to the dominance of national government leaders and give greater authority to the European Commission—in particular the European Commission president, who will be elected by universal suffrage and granted the right to form a “governmental team", making him or her the most powerful politician in Europe.
Should the ten foreign ministers from Germany, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal and Spain succeed in their efforts, will their efforts eventually lead to the rise of the Antichrist? And if so, will he begin his meteoric rise as an elected European Commission president, a role which would make him "the most powerful politician in Europe?" It's not for us to know this side of the Rapture of the Church. But if you haven't been looking up, keeping watch for the return of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ? This may well be an ideal time to start. Seriously.
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