William Terry James

European Union on the Brink
By Arno Froese

If we take into consideration science and technological development, particularly concerning travel and communication, there is no doubt we are living in the most exciting time in human history.
Empire One
Based on the Bible, man is about 6,000 years old. During the first 4,000 years, we saw mighty civilizations arise, attaining a high level of intellectual capacity and building an amazing infrastructure philosophically, politically, economically and militarily. Even today, ruins of ancient Babylon testify to the greatness of past days.
Empire Two
Babylon was the first Gentile world empire. Then came the Medo-Persian Empire, which achieved unprecedented greatness. The biblical book of Esther describes some of the glorious days of that kingdom. Ezra, Nehemiah and other prophets write about the great Persian king who allowed the temple to be rebuilt in Jerusalem.
Empire Three
If we want to know more about the Grecian Empire, we only need to look at our own Constitution and our governmental system to quickly discover the influence of Greek culture and civilization. A closer look at Washington, D.C., for example, reveals an astonishing number of buildings precisely patterned after Greek architecture. The influence is undeniable. And most scholars agree that the New Testament was originally written in Greek.
Empire Four
The last Gentile world empire, Rome, most certainly has not vanished. Not only do we have amazing buildings and structures dating from the empire's times as evidence of Rome's great culture, but the Roman government of democratic philosophy and freedom of religion is evidenced in virtually all western civilized nations. For example, the United States was built on biblical as well as Roman principles. We will see more about that later in this chapter.
Governments Authorized by God
At this point, I need to emphasize that all nations, regardless of their religion or political structure, are built on biblical principles. The law in every country on the face of the globe tells its citizens, "Do not steal, lie, cheat, kill, commit adultery," and so on. No nation, regardless of what type of government, encourages or permits violations against the fundamental principles of the Ten Commandments. As a matter of fact, if a government encouraged murder, theft, lying, disregard of authority of parents, adultery and the like, it would, within a generation, cease to exist.
Four Thousand Years with No Change
If we combine the four mentioned empires and analyze the first 4,000 years in human history, we must confess that not much has changed in relationship to our day. They plowed the ground with beasts of burden, they planted seed in the same manner and brought in the harvest by hard labor, sometimes assisted by an animal.
Even the last 1,800 years saw very little change, although some mechanical tools were employed in agriculture, warfare and communication. But the fundamentals of that civilization were not significantly different from the first 4,000 years.
The Last Two Centuries
The beginning of notable change, although virtually unknown to the public, began in the mid-1700s with the first workable steam engine, which France and England played a major role in developing. Not until the end of the 1800s, when Etienne Lenoir of France assembled the first internal combustion engine and Karl Benz of Germany completed the first automobile in 1885, did a change begin to take place. For all practical purposes, the Industrial Revolution became visible only at the beginning of the twentieth century.
Parallel in time, Italian Guglielmo Marconi was successful in transferring communication over a wireless telegraph. That was another major contribution to the development of modern communication through the airwaves. Hundreds, thousands, even tens of thousands of others could be named in this process, but these are some of the earliest signs of the new civilization. For the first time in history, man could travel without a ship, a horse, a mule or a camel. People were able to accomplish work with mechanical devices, using energy not based on human or animal muscle power. They began to communicate across vast distances in moments, not based on audible sound or written letter.
Also important to mention is air travel, which developed parallel to the internal combustion engine. Pioneering work, as far back as 1783, paved the way for airplanes with several successful flying machines in 1810, 1842, 1866, 1878 and 1890. Even a steampowered plane with a crew was in the air in 1894. From that time on, hundreds, even thousands, of scientists and engineers were busy the world over improving and developing better transportation by land, sea and air.
Equally important, communication was being developed with astonishing speed. The major contributor of implementing ideas was, no doubt, the new country-the United States of America. But no individual country could really claim superiority, except to say that most developments were developed within the European civilization, which, of course, was solidly established on three Continents: Europe, America and Australia. Today, the USA leads in avionics, computers and communication.
Now and Then
I have listed these relatively recent inventions to show that until the middle of the 1800s, the world was much the same as it was in the beginning. Man had to sweat to earn a living. The only reliable and practical help he had were the beasts of burden-the horse, donkey, mule, ox and camel. But by the middle of the 1800s, everything began to change with explosive speed.
For the first time in history it became possible, due to transportation and communication, to fulfill Scriptures such as Revelation 13:3: "and all the world wondered after the beast." Before that time, it had been impossible for "all the world" to wonder after someone because the continents were separated by time and distance and even oceans. Before the 1900s, Revelation 13:8 could not have been fulfilled: "And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him."
We may not yet fully realize the significance of global communication. On one hand, it benefits mankind, but on the other hand it also provides for the fulfillment of negative Bible prophecy. Regarding communication, Peter Lalonde writes:
... The pope encourages the media in this "noble" effort [to covertly modify public perception]. On World Communications Day, he exhorted media leaders to transmit a "message of trust" to the world and reminded them that their "task" seems to go beyond human possibilities: informing in order to form [public opinion].
However, although the causes may often seem noble, the surreptitious implanting of ideas into the mass consciousness through the power of modern media is cause for serious concern. This is especially true when the media present a preprogrammed anti-American, pro-globalist perspective.
For example, when Ted Turner was criticized for outright distortions in his much-publicized special, "A Portrait of the Soviet Union," he responded, "When you paint a portrait, you can paint whatever you want; I didn't say it was a true picture."'
But we also need to keep in mind that we all benefit from the new global communication system. Many ministries are taking advantage of new technology to preach the precious, liberating gospel to all parts of the world.
I mention these things so we will definitely realize that we are living in an exciting time, a time during which technological progress is making fulfillment of many Bible prophecies a possibility. And, actually, the technology itself is a fulfillment of Daniel 12:4: "But thou, 0 Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased."
Visible Fulfillment of Bible Prophecy
While mankind's achievements are remarkable, one specific event outshines all others in history, save the Word becoming flesh: the reestablishment of the nation of Israel in the Promised Land. Our forefathers searched the Scripture diligently and studied the promises that spoke of the return of the Jews to the land of Israel, yet during the years since the destruction of the Temple in A.D. 70 by Rome, it was impossible for the Jews to return and build their own nation. When we observe these developments in the light of Bible prophecy, we understand why it was necessary for the civilized world to change into an industrialized and computerized global society. This all was necessary to accommodate the fulfillment of the prophetic Word.
The Peculiar People
The Jews have always been a peculiar people among the nations of the world. No matter where they settled, it wasn't long before they established themselves successfully and proved they were a step ahead of the rest of the people. While no prophetic fulfillment was visible, such as their return to the land of Israel, the Jews remained an example of fulfillment of Bible prophecy to the Gentiles.
Frederick the Great one day asked one of his close counselors to prove the existence of God. The counselor answered: "The Jews, your majesty, the Jews." The uniqueness of the Jews was eloquently penned by no less than author Mark Twain in 1899:
If the statistics are correct, the Jews represent merely one percent of humanity-an irrelevant spark in the light of the Milky Way. Normally speaking, the Jews should hardly be heard of, and yet we heard and hear of them again and again. They can rival any people on Earth for fame, and their significance in economy and trade are in no ratio to their population.
Their contribution to the list of great names in literature, natural science, art, music, finance, medicine and profound learning is just as amazing. They have done extremely Well in this world-with their hands tied behind their backs. They could rightly be proud of themselves.
The Egyptians, Babylonians and Persians came into power, filled the Earth with their glory, but perished. The Greeks and Romans followed, made a lot of noise, and then disappeared. Other nations arose, their torches burned for a while and then they were extinguished, and today they sit in the twilight or are completely disappeared.
The Jews saw it all. They beat them all, and are today what they always were, showing no decay, no aging, no weakening, no decline of energy, no blunting of their wideawake dynamic spirit. Everything is mortal except the Jew. All other powers perish, but he remains. What is the mystery of his immortality?
The Bible answers Mr. Twain's question in Deuteronomy 14:2: "For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God, and the LORD hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself, above all the nations that are upon the earth." Furthermore, in Deuteronomy 15:6 we read, "For the LORD thy God blesseth thee, as he promised thee: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, but thou shalt not borrow; and thou shalt reign over many nations, but they shall not reign over thee." One day, the Jews will no longer be dependent on foreign aid, but they will graciously "lend unto nations."
Israel Shall Reign
The Jews will also "reign over many nations." That has not taken place yet. Although someone may argue that this was fulfilled during the time of David and Solomon, we cannot deny that these promises go much further because they are spoken by the Eternal One, and Israel as a nation is eternal. Let's reconfirm this fact through additional Scripture: "And all people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the LORD; and they shall be afraid of thee" (Deuteronomy 28:10). This verse clearly says "all people of the earth"! We must admit that it has never happened. At the height of Israel's glory, under King Solomon, the Bible makes this statement, "And there came of all people to hear the wisdom of Solomon, from all kings of the earth, which had heard of his wisdom" (1 Kings 4:34).
They came to hear the wisdom of Solomon, but Israel did not reign over them; neither were these people afraid of Israel because they came voluntarily in peace.
When John the Baptist was born, his father Zacharias expressed the desire of the Jewish people for the fulfillment of those prophecies. Luke 1:71 reads: "That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us." Note that Zacharias was not giving us his desires or opinions. What the Bible says is that "Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied" (Luke 1:67). This shows that the Jews had enemies and many hated them. This rejection of the Jews has been painfully experienced for thousands of years. Until this very day, Zacharias' prophecy has not been fulfilled. Plenty of enemies still surround Israel, and the Jews are still hated by the majority of the world's population.
Conditional Blessings
Certain blessings were also given to the Jews conditionally upon their obedience to the Lord's commandment: "And the LORD shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the LORD thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them" (Deuteronomy 28:13). We all know that Israel was not obedient. The Jews rebelled against God and the negative fulfillment took place. For example, in Deuteronomy 28:1519,25, 37,64:
But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee: Cursed shalt thou be in the city, and cursed shalt thou be in the field. Cursed shall be thy basket and thy store. Cursed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy land, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep. Cursed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and cursed shalt thou be when thou goest out.... The LORD shall cause thee to be smitten before thine enemies: thou shalt go out one way against them, and flee seven ways before them: and shalt be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth.... And thou shalt become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword, among all nations whither the LORD shall lead thee.... And the LORD shall scatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other; and there thou shalt serve other gods, which neither thou nor thy fathers have known, even wood and stone.
Unconditional Blessings
It is important to emphasize that in spite of terrible persecution and dispersion God repeatedly promised that He would gather the .Jews from all the nations back to their homeland: "then the LORD thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath scattered thee" (Deuteronomy 30:3).
Moses, just before he died, summarized God's view of Israel: "Happy art thou, 0 Israel: who is like unto thee, 0 people saved by the LORD, the shield of thy help, and who is the sword of thy excellency! and thine enemies shall be found liars unto thee; and thou shalt tread upon their high places" (Deuteronomy 33:29).
Israel Cast Away?
Some people say that "Israel was cast away; they ceased to be a nation. Since the birth of the church, Israel has been replaced by the spiritual calling of the church from among the Gentiles." Let's investigate this statement so we won't be misled regarding Israel's future. The prophet Jeremiah clears up any misunderstandings when he says, "Thus saith the LORD, which giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, which divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar; the LORD of hosts is his name: If those ordinances depart from before me, saith the LORD, then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before me for ever" (Jeremiah 31:35,36).
Even though Israel was not a visible identity as a nation, it nevertheless existed even during that time of dispersion. When you get up in the morning and see daylight, and in the evening, the moon and the stars, or if you are at the coast and hear the roar of the ocean, then you can be assured that Israel lives!
Jews Are Prophetic
Do you wonder why I write about the Jews and Israel when my chapter is titled "European Union on the Brink"? I do so because it is absolutely necessary to understand that God called a man named Abraham and chose a special people through him. That promise was confirmed to Isaac, Jacob and the 12 tribes of Israel. From these people, Jesus-the Word of God who became flesh and dwelt among us-came.
We can't talk about prophecy without targeting the prophetic nation of Israel. Only through the Jews will God establish peace on earth. Only through the Jews can people be saved, as the Lord Jesus confirmed, "Salvation is of the Jews" (John 4:22). That settles the matter as to where salvation comes from!
Realizing these facts, we immediately begin to understand that the devil, the opposer of God, the father of lies, is forced to imitate the Creator. So don't be surprised that the devil must bring about a people called by his name.
The God of This World Rules
What I am going to write now may be very offensive and certainly will hurt the pride of many nationalists, whether they be Americans, Canadians, French, Italians, Germans, Austrians, Russians, Chinese or others. But I must say it because the truth is that all the nations on earth are under the jurisdiction of Satan, the great imitator.
The Bible says that the world is ruled by the prince of darkness, "the god of this world." That, however, does not diminish God's authority; He still stands above all the nations of the world, in spite of the fact that He has given the direct rulership temporarily to Satan.
So, it stands to reason that the devil must attempt to bring about a new world society that will challenge Israel and, finally, challenge the Lord Jesus. Now, we understand what Psalm 2:1-3 says, "Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us." The center of this new global world is now being built on the richest and most sophisticated continent on earth-Europe.
The Other "New Nation"
A simple fact often overlooked is that from among the nations of the world, God has graciously chosen those who come by faith to Jesus and become children of God. They are God's new holy nation. This "new nation" is present in the midst of all people around the globe. Just as the Jews were scattered across all the nations of the world, but are now returning to their own land, the church of Jesus Christ, the new nation, is scattered abroad, too. It is living among the children of the world in the midst of the crooked and perverse nations. But we, too, will return to "the land" where we belongBeulah Land-in the presence of our Lord! This will take place at the moment of the rapture, when we will be taken up to Him in the twinkling of an eye at the last trump of God.
Unconditional Grace
It is essential to realize that God's promises to Israel and to the church are unconditional. We have just seen that some promises were based on the condition that Israel would obey the commandments of the Lord. They failed to fulfill that condition; thus, they were unable to receive the fulfillment of the promises God had given them. However, that does not change the eternal "I will" of God: "And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: and I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed" (Genesis 12:2,3).
This is distinctively clear. When God addresses Abraham, He speaks about "a great nation" and "all families of the earth." Note that God did not say, "If you will hear my voice, follow my commandment and do as I tell you." This promise was based exclusively on the will of God.
The Roots of the Church
Let's take a look at the relationship between Israel and the church. In Romans 11:13, the apostle Paul takes great pain to emphasize that he addresses the Gentiles: "For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office." In the beginning of the chapter, Paul identifies himself as "an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin" (11:1). Note that he does not say, "I am a Christian." Why not? Because we are all one in Jesus. "There is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him" (Romans 10:12).
Paul also writes of his physical nation and asks, "Hath God cast away his people?" What is the answer? "God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew" (Romans 11:2). Then in verses 15-18, he begins to explain:
For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead? For if the firstfruit be holy, the lump is also holy: and if the root be holy, so are the branches. And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree; boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee. These few verses clearly demonstrate Israel's continuing existence.
We should not be confused regarding Israel's position and the position of the church. Paul further explains, "For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in" (Romans 11:25). Only when the fullness of the Gentiles, meaning the number of believers to be added to the church, will verse 26 take place, "And so all Israel shall be saved...."
Never must we be so naive to think that God has rejected Israel and replaced her with the church. The erroneous conclusion is being made that all the promises given in the Old Testament now belong to the church. Unfortunately, this teaching is widely accepted among the established Protestant denominations and reinforced under the leadership of the Roman Catholic Church. This false doctrine is easily refuted because the prophets clearly write about the return of the Jewish people from the dispersion to the land of Israel, giving an abundance of literal geographic references. Some Scriptures raise even more difficulties with the concept of the church replacing Israel. Jeremiah 30:7 is a good example: "Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob's trouble; but he shall be saved out of it." If we were to apply this Scripture to the church, we obviously have a problem because it doesn't say, "Israel's trouble" but "Jacob's trouble." This is addressed to Israel because "Jacob," which in English means "supplanter or deceiver," still has the "Jacob" nature. Even until this very day, the Jews have not yet experienced a conversion, but all who belong to the church have.
We can say with reasonable assurance that when the Bible says Israel, the Jews, or Hebrews, it is referring to the biological descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Quite often the word Gentile is found in the Scripture in opposition to Israel or the Jew. Further, we read in Jeremiah 30:11 about Israel and the nation, "For I am with thee, saith the LORD to save thee: though I make a full end of all nations whither I have scattered thee ......
The Covenant to the Church
What about the unconditional covenant for the church? Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, has this to say: I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. And now, 0 Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was. I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word. Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee. For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me.
I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine. And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them. And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are....
Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world" (John 17:4-11,24).
That is the Lord's plan for the church. Will He fulfill His intention? We do not need to belabor the answer because our salvation is exclusively and unconditionally based on His grace. We haven't earned it; we don't deserve it; we are not able to keep it through our own efforts. In spite of our rebellion, disobedience and unfaithfulness, Jesus is faithful. He is gracious, and He will bring to pass that which He has promised. Paul exclaims, "For I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day" (2 Timothy 1: 12).
The church will not be brought into His presence and glorified because we are such great people who have worked so diligently for the Lord and faithfully kept His Word. If that were the case, we would never stand a chance. We will only be glorified because our Lord saved us. All that which we have committed unto Him, Ile will keep: "If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself" (2 Timothy 2:13).
Only to Him Belongs Honor
In Revelation 4: 10,11, we can see a wonderful picture of the fact that the Lord has brought His promises to pass: "The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, 0 Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created."
There will be no place for anyone to exclaim: "Look what I did!" "I earned this crown!" "I have been faithful!" or "I received my just reward!" No, not at all. We will cast our crowns before the throne and exclusively give Him all the glory!
Revival or Apostasy?
I strongly disagree with the many statements published today prophesying of a great revival sweeping the land and thereby preparing the church for the coming of the Lord. The "Kingdom Dominion" teaching insists that the Christian's involvement in the political process will prepare the United States for an unprecedented Christianizing of the nation so that the entire government will be run exclusively by Christians. As a result, so the teaching goes, peace, justice and righteousness will be established for all people. If that were to happen, then indeed the Lord could congratulate us when He comes. But it will not happen. The Bible gives us a picture opposite of that worldwide revival view.
Jesus actually asks, "When the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?" (Luke 18:8). Those who place their hope in the success of the church on earth will be greatly disappointed. But all who put their trust exclusively in the already accomplished work of the Lord Jesus on Calvary's cross are preparing themselves for the great day of the marriage supper of the Lamb, as we read in Revelation 19:7,8: "Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints."
Have you noticed how the Lamb's wife made herself ready? To her "was granted fine linen." She did not produce the righteousness that is necessary to appear before the Lamb.
We didn't earn it; we didn't deserve it; we couldn't produce it. It was, is and always shall be "granted" unto us! The church and Israel's choosing is based on the eternal unconditional promises of God.
The European Union
With our new understanding of the position of Israel and the church, let's now take a look at the Gentile world. Fundamentally speaking, there are three major groups of people, four superpowers, and five continents.* The three groups of people are:
. Europeans
. Asians
. Africans
Note: In the USA and a few other countries, the counting of the continents is different, but internationally, only five are recognized, as we can see, for example in the five rings of the symbol of the Olympic Games.
The four superpowers are:
. Babylon
. Medo-Persia
. Greece
. Rome
The five continents are:
. Europe
. Asia
. Africa
. America
. Australia
It is interesting to realize that Israel lies in the center of the three groups of people: Europeans, Asians and Africans. Israel is separated from Europe by the Mediterranean, from Africa by the desert and from Asia by the great Euphrates River. Note also that Israel became part of the four Gentile superpowers.
First, it became subject to Babylon as Jeremiah proclaimed in the Word of God: And now have I given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant; and the beasts of the field have I given him also to serve him. And all nations shall serve him, and his son, and his son's son, until the very time of his land come: and then many nations and great kings shall serve themselves of him. And it shall come to pass, that the nation and kingdom which will not serve the same Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, and that will not put their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, that nation will I punish, saith the LORD, with the sword, and with the famine, and with the pestilence, until I have consumed them by his hand (Jeremiah 27:6- 8).
Second, under the Medo-Persian Empire, the Jews were permitted to rebuild Jerusalem and the temple. "Now in the first year of C yrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and putting it in writing, saying: ... Who is there among you of all his people? his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of the LORD God of Israel, (he is the God,) which is in Jerusalem" (Ezra 1:1,3).
Third, the very short-lived Grecian Empire also occupied the Promised Land, and Israel became subject to the great Grecian world empire.
Fourth, Rome was in charge when Jesus was born, and, as we will see in this chapter, Rome will again rule. But this time, not only Israel, but the entire world will be ruled by Rome!
Europe, the World Leader
We have already alluded to the fact that God chose only one special nation on earth through which to bring forth salvation. Europe, however, which ruled Israel in the form of the Roman Empire during the time when God implemented His salvation through Jesus, is attempting to consolidate world leadership today.
Candidates for World Leadership
Before we take a closer look at Europe, let's quickly eliminate all other candidates for world rulership. From the three peoples already mentioned: Europeans, Asians and Africans, only the Europeans have had the upper hand for the last 2,000 years. Africa is the most backward continent and has no chance of challenging Europe. Asia, the mighty power bloc to the east, has been considered the great danger for Europeans for many centuries, but this perceived threat never became a reality. The Mongolian leader, Ghengis Khan, penetrated deeply into Europe, but his empire was short-lived, and it was the only significant Asian infiltration into Europe. Asia never established colonies in Africa, America or Australia.
At this point, I must explain that it is not my intention to glorify Europe, nor to diminish the significance of other races, nations or continents. But we cannot ignore historical facts when we deal with Bible prophecy. Only Europe successfully established colonies around the world and instituted European civilization and technology in virtually every country. Until this day, when a businessman from Zimbabwe wants to speak to someone in Algeria, he probably will speak French. When an Indian does business with China, he most likely will use English. Indonesian people still speak Dutch when dealing with the Netherlands.
The continent of America can be divided into four basic languages: English, Spanish, Portuguese and French. No Asian or African languages or culture have found deep roots in the New World. This also applies to Australia. These few facts demonstrate European dominion the world over.
Someone may now object and say, "What about the United States of America? Isn't it the greatest nation?" That is a legitimate question because the United States, although only for a short period of time, superseded Europe. However, we must realize that the United States, as all other America nations, is the end-product of primarily European immigrants. It's also important to point out that when speaking on the prophetic level, we must see things from a longterm point of view. When the Bible speaks of the "fourth beast," it reveals a period of about 2,000 years.
I am reminded of the words Dr. Wim Malgo, founder of Midnight Call, once said when asked if America would become communist: "America will not be communist, but will return to her roots, which is Roman Catholicism." Note that he said this in 1968, when Soviet communism was marching across the globe victoriously, swallowing up one country after another. Since then, communism has died. Although some insignificant pockets of resistance remain, sooner or later they will be done away with as world democracy takes over. It doesn't matter how important or how mighty the United States may or may not be. What is important and decisive is what the Word of God says, and as we have seen in the beginning of this chapter, there are only four Gentile superpowers, Rome being the last one. Therefore, based on the Word of God, all other candidates for world dominion are eliminated.
Europe's Dream
The dream of Europe can be summarized with one word: unity. This unity is absolutely essential to fulfill the prophetic Word. We find the final development of the global world in Revelation 17:13, "These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast." This was absolutely impossible only 50 years ago. Why? Because the world, particularly Europe, was in total disunity. The eastern part of Europe was ruled by communism and the western part by socialism, under the auspices of democracy.
With, the fall of the Soviet empire, everything changed. That event, vividly demonstrated by the dismantling of the infamous Berlin Wall in October 1989, caused shock waves around the world, especially in Europe. Now it is history. Former communist countries are open for business, and during the last ten years some of those nations have made tremendous progress, having built an impressive economic base to such an extent that they are being accepted as members of the European Union.
What seemed impossible just a few years ago is now a reality, not only for Europe, but for the entire world. This is absolutely necessary, for if Europe is to lead the world effectively it must unify. Only through European unity can the rest of the world be united.
The World Shall Be One
From Scripture, we know that the world will not only have "one mind," but the unity will progress to such an extent that one leader will arise to world prominence, so that "all the world wondered after the beast" (Revelation 13:3). If you think President John F. Kennedy was popular in the United States and Adolf Hitler in Germany, then let me tell you that their prominence will pale when compared to what is yet to come!
Martin Luther translates Revelation 13:3 this way, "And all the inhabitants of the Earth were s urprised at the Beast. " The Amplified Version makes it even clearer, "And the whole earth went after the beast in amazement and admiration." We haven't seen anything yet! But that's not all. When reading Revelation 13:8, I'm astonished because it says, "And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him. " This is almost impossible to comprehend. The entire world-the new, intelligent, enlightened global society-will begin to worship a man!
Again, it must be emphasized that this was not possible less than two decades ago. Communism ruled a quarter of the world, and the communists surely wouldn't have worshiped anyone because the official philosophy of communism is atheism, which denies the existence of any god. Today, religion and democracy go hand in hand. You can't have one without the other. For all practical purposes, this global worship was impossible until now. The idea that the entire world would actually admire one person, accept him as God, and worship him was out of the question until this day. Four important areas must be developed for such a prophecy to be fulfilled:
Politics
It is impossible for the world to unite unless it comes under one political system. For 70 years the world was primarily divided between communism and democracy. This hindrance is now done away with as democracy marches victoriously around the world.
Financial
It is impossible to financially unite various currencies unless a one-world system is established. Again, with the fall of communism, this has changed. In our day, we have a one-world system that allows us to use credit cards in any part of the world, allowing us to make purchases in any currency. The funds are automatically converted. Such a system was unthinkable 50 years ago, but today it is a fact of life. Money, it is said, rules the world, and money must have free course in order to unite the nations.
Economy
In our newspapers and on the news daily we hear about corporations swallowing up other corporations. Although this has happened on a national basis in the past, we are now seeing for the first time that this corporate consolidation is crossing national boundaries to take place globally. Today there is no significant difference between driving an "American-made" or a "foreign-made" car. Our "American" cars may be primarily manufactured in other countries while our "foreign" cars may be mostly built in the United States.
The globalization of the world's economy is in full swing and is successfully establishing a New World Order, whether we like it or not. At the beginning of 1998, the news media reported the merger of Germany's Daimler-Benz with United States' Chrysler. This global New World Order deal was criticized by William J. Lynott, president of Buy America Foundation, in a letter to lime magazine:
What is being highly acclaimed as a "merger" between Daimler-Benz and Chrysler (Business, May 18) is far more ominous. A close look reveals the disturbing truth. The new company will be incorporated in Germany. After a three-year transition period of cochairmanship, a single chairman will take charge of the company. That chairman, you can wager, will come from Daimler-Benz. In short, Chrysler has been "bought" by Daimler-Benz.
With only two American auto manufacturers left, we are at risk of losing the automobile industry, much as we have lost the consumer electronics industry.'
Many Americans who fear globalization of American industry agree with Mr. Lynott. What is overlooked, however, is the fact that in times past, America was leading in the establishment of global firms throughout the world. Regardless of whether we agree with it or oppose it, globalism is definitely in and nationalism is out.
Religion
One significant need for the new one-world order is a united religion: "All that dwell upon the earth shall worship him." This cannot happen in the present framework of diverse religions. Thus, I ask, "How far are we on the path to a united world religion?" Answer: Much further than we may think! The leader of the world's largest religion (Catholicism), Pope John Paul 11, said this in an address to Muslims:
Today, dialogue between our two religions is more necessary than ever. This dialogue needs to be credible and marked by mutual respect, knowledge and acceptance. There remains a spiritual bond which unites us and which we must strive to recognize and develop.'
In my book How Democracy Will Elect the Antichrist, I quoted a paragraph from the Louvain Declaration: Buddhists, Christians, Confucianists, Hindus, Jains, Jews, Muslims, Shintoists, Sikhs, Zoroastrians and still others, we have sought here to listen to the spirit within our varied and venerable religious traditions. We have grappled with the towering issues that our societies must resolve in order to bring about peace, justice, and an ennobling quality of life for every person, and every people .... We rejoice that ... the long era of prideful, and even prejudiced isolation of the religions of humanity is, we hope, gone forever. We appeal to the religious communities of the world to inculcate the attitude of planetary citizenship.'
Not only are the various ecumenical movements at work to unite the world religiously, but a recent article in Sky magazine shows how music is uniting the world religiously as well:
Last May, I traveled to Fes with a tour group from the World Music Institute, which sponsors a subscription series of concerts by international performers each year in New York. Our appetites were whetted for a whole week of world sacred music. Although the bill ... promised an American gospel choir and Bach cantatas performed by a Swiss chamber ensemble, I was personally more hungry for non-Western sacred music, especially the kind of ecstatic singing that pushes the human voice to the farthest edges of emotional expressiveness.
Sure enough, there was some wild devotional praise-singing on display in Fes. A raven-haired diva named Aicha Redouane, for instance, made the stones of the palace courtyard ring with her rendition of Egyptian classical vocals. Singing 27-note phrases with her mouth closed, she inspired grown men to leap to their feet shouting "Allah!" Unlike the '96 festival, though, last year's Fes Festival of World Sacred Music focused less on exuberant displays of devotion and more on contained expressions of spiritual ecstasy or, to use [his] word, "interiority."
A Lebanese Maronite nun with a doctorate in musicology from the Sorbonne sings Byzantine Christian liturgy in Arabic. She appeared onstage in a traditional black nun's habit and in what looked like a constant state of prayer. She sang quietly and delicately with her eyes closed and her fists propped under her chin or against her heart. Spinning out long lines in a wobbly vibrato that proved to be precisely controlled modal singing, she sounded like an eerie combination of opera diva Maria Callas, the legendary Egyptian singer Om Kolthom and a ghostly night wind. Her 12 musicians and eight-piece choir emitted the faintest of drones, providing a hush cloud of sonic padding. This was music so inward-focused as to be practically hallucinatory.
And whatever the spiritual origins of the Arab-Andalusian melodies played in unison by the 51-piece Ensemble Al Brihi from Fes, the hometown audience received it as all-purpose good-time music, clapping along as enthusiastically as they did to the doo-wop gospel offered by the ARC Choir from Harlem, New York, on the closing night of the festival.
"What the public senses, even if they don't know it consciously, is that there's a deep link between traditional music and sacred music," [he] told me. "They invoke a nostalgia that's not personal but archetypal. It's the nostalgia of anyone on Earth trying to get in touch with transcendence or eternity."
Does this not remind us of Daniel 3:5,6, "At what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of music, ye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up: And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace."
Europe Today
When we ask, "Will Europe dominate?" we are actually behind the times because that is already an established fact. A publication entitled The Single Market, published by the European Commission, states: "The [European] Community accounts for 38% of world trade as opposed to 11% for the United States and 9% for Japan. Its economic well-being thus depends on its imports and exports. It is therefore very open to all states wishing to trade with it." This clearly shows that the future is already here. Regarding global responsibility, the publication says:
The creation of the single market reinforces the Union's importance as the world's leading trading power. It gives the E.U. a more solid internal base to help carry out its international responsibilities and to defend its legitimate trading interests. It has stated its intention to do so vigorously within the framework of trade policy instruments available under the new World Trade Organization (WTO), successor to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT).'
Treaty of Rome
The development of the European Union did not happen overnight but is due to an evolutionary process. The Single Market says, Although they took 35 years to realize, the goals of the single market are enshrined in the European Union's founding Treaty of Rome, which became the constitution for the future European Union in 1958. There we find already the list of the single market's four freedoms: the free movement of goods, services, capital and people.'
It is noteworthy to realize that the foundation of the European Union rests on the Treaty of Rome. Just as in ancient times, the Roman democratic system is reemerging as the main denominator in the uniting of the world!
We can easily forget that our own nation, the United States, is built on Roman principles. For example, "The supreme council of ancient Rome was called the Senate. This identical system is used today in the US and Canada. This also applies to Italy, France, Ireland, South Africa and Australia, just to name a few."'
In my book Saddam's Mystery Babylon, I quote from The National Geographic: Just as a modern democracy, the Romans granted rights, but requested duties. Rights and Duties of Citizens Within the broad sweep of uniformity, Roman administration at the local level was flexible, tolerant, and open. When Rome conquered a new province, the defeated general and his army were carted away in chains; almost everyone else came out ahead. The local elite were given positions in the Roman hierarchy. Local businesses gained the benefit of Roman roads, water systems, the laws of commerce and the courts. Roman soldiers guarded the town against pirates and marauders. And within a fairly short period, many of the provincial residents would be made cives Romani-citizens of Rome-with all the commensurate rights and duties. The Roman "pro-life movement" was actively supported by no one less than Augustus.
Anti-Abortion
Augustus used all the tools of governing. Concerned about a decline in the birthrate, he employed both the stick (a crackdown on abortion) and the carrot (tax incentives for big families). To see if his policies were effective, he took a census of his empire now and then.
Thus it did in fact come to pass in those days that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. And just as St. Luke's Gospel tells us, this happened "when Quirinius was governor of Syria," in A.D. 6. Without Roman law, today's democracies would not function.
Literacy and Law
The English historian Peter Salway notes that England under Roman rule had a higher rate of literacy than any British government was able to achieve for the next 14 centuries. One of the most important documentary legacies the Romans left behind was the law-the comprehensive body of statute and case law that some scholars consider our greatest inheritance from ancient Rome.
The idea of written law as a shield-to protect individuals against one another and against the awesome power of the state-was a concept the Romans took from the Greeks. But it was Rome that put this abstract notion into daily practice, and the practice is today honored around the world. Ancient Rome was also concerned with the liberties of its citizens.
Innocent Until Proven Guilty
The emperor Justinian's monumental compilation of the Digests, the Institutes, and the Revised Code, completed in A.D. 534, has served as the foundation of Western law ever since. Two millennia before the Miranda warnings, the Romans also established safeguards to assure the rights of accused criminals. We can see this process at work in the case against the Christian pioneer St. Paul, as set forth in the New Testament in the Acts of the Apostles. America's democratic system is clearly modeled after the Roman Republic.
Rome-U.S.A.
The Roman process of making laws also had a deep influence on the American' system. During the era of the Roman Republic (509 to 49 B.C.) lawmaking was a bicameral activity. Legislation was first passed by the comitia, the assembly of the citizens, then approved by the representative of the upper class, the senate, and issued in the name of the senate and the people of Rome.
Centuries later, when the American Founding Fathers launched their bold experiment in democratic government, they took republican Rome as their model. Our laws, too, must go through two legislative bodies. The House of Representatives is our assembly of citizens, and, like its counterpart in ancient Rome, the U.S. Senate was originally designed as a chamber for the elite (it was not until the 17th Amendment, in 1913, that ordinary people were allowed to vote for their senators).
Impressed by the checks and balances of the Roman system, the authors of American government also made sure that an official who violated the law could be "impeached," a word we take from the Roman practice of putting wayward magistrates in pedica.
The reliance on Roman structures at the birth of the United States was reflected in early American popular culture, which delighted in drawing parallels between U.S. leaders and the noble Romans.
There was a great vogue for marble statues depicting George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, even Andrew Jackson in Roman attire. A larger-than-life statue of Washington in a toga and sandals is still on exhibit at the National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C.
These few quotations offer overwhelming proof that our modern world, regardless of where we reside, is based, built, and directed by Roman European principles that will lead to the solidifying of all the nations of the world, regardless of race, national origin, religion or whatever else may be considered. All nations and peoples must become one under a one-world government.
Europe's Future
In the introductory letter of the European Commission's The Single Market, the editor writes: Across Europe, millions of citizens and thousands of companies, big and small, benefit from the European single market. The removal of frontiers inside the European Union in 1993 is now a fact of life. Companies have entered new markets, have struck up transnational partnerships, have restructured production to exploit the opportunities of a home market of 370 million."'
We must note that this was written in 1995 and is now old news. At this moment, dozens of nations are standing in line, in hopes of being admitted into the exclusive club of the European Union. By some estimates, Europe could be 800 million strong by the year 2010. There is no need to belabor this point regarding their significance at that time. With the "euro" currency in place, the European Union will dominate the largest part of the world market. Being the originator of the world's civilized philosophies, Europe will be waiting for the one man who is able to take leadership and literally rule the world!
In view of these facts, we, the church of Jesus of Christ, have more reasons than ever to rejoice because our redemption is drawing nigh. The extreme success of the Roman system with free markets, free speech, free elections and free enterprise is creating a free society unprecedented in the history of mankind ... but the Bible states that this will lead to the greatest catastrophe man has ever known.
Therefore, dear reader, ground yourself in the Word of God because it is guaranteed by the Son of God, who became flesh and dwelt among us. This is the warning and admonition He gives us: "Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man" (Luke 21:36).