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Nations in Prophecy
NOTE: The following is a review (interspersed with notes by the reviewer) of chapter 2 in Dr. David R. Reagan’s book, America the Beautiful?—The United States in Bible Prophecy, Lamb & Lion Ministries, 2003. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible, Copyright 2003 by Holman Bible Publishers.
Preface
Dr. David R. Reagan is the senior evangelist of Lamb & Lions Ministries, its web site is www.lamblion.com and its purpose is to proclaim the soon return of the Lord Jesus Christ. In Dr. Reagan’s book, America the Beautiful?—The United States in Bible Prophecy, he deals in depth with this controversial question. Dr. Reagan surveys all the places in the Bible where the United States has traditionally been "found" and shows that none of them are valid. But he proceeds to argue that America can be found in Bible prophecy in what is called "prophetic type." He then reveals America's prophetic type and shows that the United States is a nation on the threshold of being delivered from judgment to destruction. The book also offers an in-depth analysis of the principles that guide God's relationship with the nations of the world. The following will be a review of a portion of his book.
The Review of Chapter 2—“The Nations in Prophecy”
Opening Remarks
He makes nations great, then destroys them; He enlarges nations, then leads them away. (Job 12:23)
After the Soviet Union fell in 1991, Dr. Reagan began receiving messages from detractors regarding his teaching that the Bible predicts that Russia will invade Israel in the “end-times.” They claimed that this couldn’t “now” take place due to the collapse of the Soviet Union and the death of Communism.
Dr. Reagan’s answer was, “But that doesn’t change what the Bible says is going to happen in the end-times.” He further explained that anti-Semitism is deeply rooted in Russian culture, a product of the Czars and later the Communists. He also explained that Russia has no cultural values or historical traditions to support a democratic form of government; therefore, “Democracy has no hope in Russia. Sooner or later the democratic façade will give way to the rise of a dictator, and he will blame all the problems of Russia on the Jews—just as did the Czars and the Commissars.”
Note from Reviewer:
This year—2004— Russian President Vladimir Putin announced plans to restructure the Russian political system, in the process of which he has dramatically increased his executive power while stifling the opposition.
Since Putin took power in 1999 he has established unrivaled dominance of both houses of parliament, reasserted control over the country's huge energy industry, forced the closure of the last independent national television network, strengthened Russia’s ties to its former communist allies, and employed what he calls "managed democracy". Putin has manipulated elections, silenced critics, and gradually tightened his grip on the nation. He is a former KGB officer and reports estimate that one in every four of Putin's government has a background in the military or security services.
Democratic ideals, such as the freedom of speech, are rapidly eroding under Vladimir Putin's autocratic leadership. During the first US presidential debate both candidates criticized Putin for the proposed reforms, but when the debate aired on Russian national television their comments were edited out. This latest incident is only a shadow of what is to come. Once thought to be a growing capitalist ally, Russia is returning to its Soviet roots. This change may eventually pave the way for the Magog Invasion to take place. (Koinonia House E-News, January 2005)
Prophecy and World Events
The interpretation of Bible prophecy cannot be dictated by world events, world trends or world politics. The Russian invasion of Israel predicted in Bible prophecy is not dependent upon Russia being a Communist state.
C.I. Scofield when he published his famous study bible in 1909 interpreted Ezekiel 38 and 39 to mean that Russia would invade Israel in the end-times, and he was challenged and mocked for this—since at the time Russia was a Christian Orthodox nation and the nation of Israel didn’t even exist. Scofield’s response was: “I don’t understand it, and I can’t explain it, but the Bible says it, and therefore I believe it.”
Today, a hundred years later, the state of Israel exists and Russia is anything but a Christian nation. Even though it sports a thin democratic veneer, its true image is one of a dictatorship, repression, and anti-Semitism; not to mention that it is wallowing in economic chaos and Mafia-type violence. On top of this, Russia’s republics now contain an enormous Islamic population that is vehemently opposed to the state of Israel.
A Perplexing Issue
The collapse of the Soviet Union also prompted the scoffers to make another assertion to Dr. Reagan; which is that since the United States stands as the world’s super power and there doesn’t seem to be any mention of it in end-time Bible prophecy, the Lord’s return and the Tribulation must be a long way off.
This provide a provocative thought, which is that the signs of the times clearly indicate there is very little time left before the Tribulation and the Lord’s return; yet, the world dominance of the United States does not jive with what the Bible seems to say will be the end-time pattern of world politics.
This prompts the question, “Is the United States going to be suddenly removed from the world scene?” Revelation 18:8, 10 speaks of a super power that dominates the world in the end-times and which will be destroyed near the end of the Tribulation in one hour of one day. Could this be the United States?
The Key Nation
But before that question is addressed, readers should look at the centerpiece of end-time Bible prophecy regarding the nations. It is the nation of Israel. The Old Testament often prophesied that there would be a great end-time regathering of the Jewish people and the reestablishment of the nation of Israel, which is the most prolific prophecy in the Old Testament mentioned more than any other event. For example, Isaiah 11:10-12:
On that day the root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples. The nations will seek Him, and His resting place will be glorious.
As a teenager, Dr. Reagan was told that this passage was about the return of the Jewish people from Babylonian captivity, that it was already fulfilled and that it had nothing to do with the future.
Sleuthing Isaiah’s Prophecy
But this interpretation was and is inaccurate, since these verses in Isaiah speak of a “second” regathering. The first was from Babylon, but the second would be worldwide. The second one would include Babylon along with many other nations. In fact the passage uses the phrase “from the islands of the west [“sea” in some translations],” which is a Hebrew colloquialism for the “whole world.” This is reaffirmed with the phrase “four corners of the earth,” in verse 12.
The other clue that the prophecy isn’t about the return from Babylon is in verse 12. It says that the recovered (those regathered) people will include “the dispersed of Israel” and “the scattered of Judah.” Those who returned from the Babylonian captivity were only from Judah. They did not include the people of the northern kingdom of Israel who had been captured and dispersed 200 years earlier by the Assyrians. In this passage in Isaiah it will include Jews from both Israel and Judah.
Then there is the third clue in verse 10 where it says that the prophecy will be fulfilled in a time when a “banner” is raised for the Jewish people—a banner that contains “the root of Jesse.” The word “banner” also means flag or pennant. The flag adopted for the modern state of Israel displays the Star of David, the son of Jesse—a symbol not used by the Jewish people in biblical times.
Other Regathering Prophecies
Similar passages that record God’s promise to regather the Jews to the land He promised them are as follows:
Zechariah 10:6, 9
I will strengthen the house of Judah and deliver the house of Joseph. I will restore them because I have compassion on them, and they will be as though I had never rejected them. . . . Though I sow them among the nations, they will remember Me in the distant lands; they and their children will live and return.
This passage speaks of a regathering of both Judah and the “house of Joseph”—a term used for the northern tribes of Israel—from the “distant lands” (“far countries”). The significance of this passage is that it was written after the return from Babylon; therefore, it is clearly pointing to a future regathering of all the Jewish people.
Ezekiel 37
This is the prophecy of the “valley of the dry bones,” in which Ezekiel was brought by the Spirit of God to a valley strewn with bones and was told to preach to them. And as he preached to them, the bones came to life—coming together with flesh, and then they began to breathe and finally stood up.
Ezekiel was told by the Lord that the bones represented the Jewish people who had been scattered and had no hope, but that He would bring them back to life and to their land of Israel (Ezekiel 37:11, 12). The passage affirms that the regathering will include both Israel and Judah (vs. 19), and that this will occur right before the return of the Messiah to reign over the nations from Jerusalem (vv. 24-28).
Triggering the Prophecies
Historically, these prophecies were initiated near the end of the 19th Century when a Viennese journalist, an Hungarian Jew, by the name of Theodor Herzl (1860-1904) had a vision for the re-establishment of the state of Israel after he became convinced of the massive and incurable anti-Semitism in France.
He was convinced that the only hope for the Jews was for them to form a state of their own, and in 1896 he expressed this view in a pamphlet called, “Der Judenstaat” (“The Jewish State”), which pamphlet lead to the convocation of the First Zionist Congress, held in Basel, Switzerland in August of 1897. Herzl took credit for founding the “Jewish state” at Basel and predicted that within 50 years his boast would be proven true.
Fifty years later in November 1947 the United Nations authorized the creation of a Jewish state in Palestine. And on May 14, 1948 the state of Israel was born.
Steps toward Statehood
At the start of the 20th Century there were only 40,000 Jews in Palestine. But in response to the urging of the World Zionist Organization, Jewish immigrants began to flood into Palestine, buying land from the Arabs and establishing collective farms called kibbutzim.
The Zionist vision for the state of Israel was endorsed by England in November of 1917 when it issued the Balfour Declaration, a product of the politics of World War I. The Turkish Empire sided with the Germans during this war, but by late 1917 it was obvious that they would be defeated. In anticipation of that victory, the Allies began to plan the division of the German and Turkish empires. Britain was designated to receive Palestine as a League of Nations Mandate—to lead Palestine toward self-government.
The Balfour Declaration declared Britain’s intention “to establish in Palestine . . . a national home for the Jewish people.” But after opposition (intifada or uprising) by the Arabs, Britain in 1922 attempted to placate the Arabs by converting 2/3rds of Palestine into the state of Jordan, leaving a small sliver of land for the Jews on the west side of the Jordan River.
At end of World War II there were almost 600,000 Jews in Palestine, most having fled from the Nazi Holocaust. As previously stated, in 1947 the United Nations voted to allow the creation of the state of Israel; but they also voted to divide the remaining sliver of land called Palestine between the Jews and the Arabs. Although disappointed, the Jewish leaders accepted the decision and proclaimed their state on May 14, 1948.
The Arabs rejected the UN decision and launched an all-out war against the new Jewish state, determined to annihilate it. They were soundly defeated. Since that time, the Arabs have fought five more wars with Israel: the Suez War of 1956, the Six Day War of 1967, the Yom Kippur War of 1973, the Lebanese War in 1982, and the Gulf War in 1991. But even though they have had a great preponderance of power, the Arabs have lost all wars with Israel.
The miraculous survival of Israel is a fulfillment of the prophecy in the book of Amos where God declares that once the Jews are restored to their land, they will never again be “uprooted from the land.”
I will plant them on their land, and they will never again be uprooted from the land I have given them. Yahweh your God has spoken. (Amos 9:15)
The Importance of Jerusalem
On June 7, 1967, during the Six Day War, the Jews re-conquered the city of Jerusalem, which they were unable to hold during their War of Independence (1948-1949). This was significant, because the Jews had not exercised true sovereignty over the capital city since 70 AD—a span of 1,897 years.
Jesus Christ, during His Olivet discourse, said to watch the city of Jerusalem. He prophesied that it would fall by the sword, which happened 40 years later when the Romans destroyed it in 70 AD. He further prophesied that the city would be trampled down by the Gentiles “until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled” (Luke 21:24).
This has been a fact of history; it has been trampled by the Romans (70-640), the Arabs (640-1090), the Crusaders (1090-1291), the Mamelukes (1291-1517), the Turks (1517-1918), the League of Nations (1918-1922), the British (1922-1948), and the Jordanians (1948-1967).
And this “trampling down” by the Gentiles has not yet finished, for Jerusalem will be a battleground during the Tribulation. But the re-occupation of the city by the Jews is prophetically significant, because end-time prophecies always portray the Jews back in their land and in their beloved city of Jerusalem (e.g., Zechariah 12:1-6).
Note from Reviewer:
The Israeli plan to abandon its settlements in the West Bank and Gaza Strip has left the Palestinian leadership deadlocked in a massive power struggle, with various groups and factions battling for control. The question also remains as to who will lead the Palestinian Authority now that Arafat is dead. Elections are scheduled for early January, however Mahmoud Abbas appears to be the frontrunner. While Abbas has publicly called for an end to the violence he has also pledged to continue in Arafat’s footsteps, making the prospects for peace in Israel seem grim.
Meanwhile Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon faces his own set of challenges. Sharon’s controversial decision to dismantle Israeli settlements under the "Road Map" peace plan has drawn widespread criticism. Under pressure from the international community he agreed to the removal all 21 settlements in Gaza and four of the 120 settlements in the West Bank by the end of 2005. Sharon’s plan to dismantle the settlements has angered settlers and conservatives and there has even been talk of civil war.
Over the last year Israel has waged an aggressive military campaign against terrorism. Their efforts have been highlighted by the assassination of Hamas founder and spiritual leader Ahmed Yassin and his replacement Abdel Aziz Rantisi earlier this year, and also by the construction of the controversial West Bank barrier wall. (Koinonia House E-News, January 2005)
A Great Miracle
Today there are 5.2 million Jews in Israel out of a total population of 13 million worldwide. From over 100 countries they have mass-migrated to their home land, and they continue to come. Why? It is because God has put the road to Zion in their hearts (Psalm 84:5). For over 300 years they have been ending every Passover meal with the prayer, “Next year in Jerusalem!” God has activated the instinct of their hearts, and like homing pigeons, they are streaming home.
Jeremiah stated in Jeremiah 16:14, 15 that when God has completed His purposes for the Jews, they will look back on their history and consider their regathering from all over the world to be a greater miracle than their deliverance from Egyptian captivity. Against all odds, God has accomplished the impossible by preserving the Jewish people, restoring them to their land, and enabling them to reestablish their state—the key piece in the pattern of nations in end-time prophecy, i.e., the nation of Israel exists again. The rest of the pattern revolves around Israel.
The Arab Threat
Bible prophecy indicates that after the reestablishment of the state of Israel, it will be threatened by nations from all directions, first and foremost by surrounding Arab states. As Dr. Reagan puts it: “Ezekiel prophesied that ‘at the time of the punishment of the end’ (his term for the end-times), God will pour out His wrath upon ‘Mount Seir’ (his collective term for the Arab peoples) because they will covet the land which He has given the Jews (Ezekiel 35:5, 10-11).” Isaiah said the same when he stated that a time will come when God will punish Edom (his collective term for the Arabs) for their maltreatment of the Jews (Isaiah 34:5, 6).
Additionally, Psalm 83:5-12 details the Arab conspiracy to destroy Israel. And all these prophecies have been fulfilled since the reestablishment of the Jewish state in 1948. The Arab nations have launched six wars in a never-ceasing attempt to annihilate the state of Israel, not to mention the many intifadas (Palestinian uprisings) to do the same. But all to no avail.
Note from Reviewer:
The Muslim faith is becoming an increasingly volatile catalyst in today's international scene. With the continuing threat of terrorist attacks in the United States, it has become of paramount importance to understand the origin, nature, and agenda of Islam.
Many Americans believe that Islam is a religion of peace and that Christians and Muslims worship the same God. In public schools we teach our children a doctrine of tolerance, and in some schools students are even required to memorize passages of the Koran. While in comparison Islamic children are taught that America is the Infidel. We are the enemy. When the towers came crashing down on September 11, 2001 and thousands of innocent people were killed, Muslims all over the world danced in the streets and praised the hijackers.
A survey taken in Saudi Arabia shortly after the September 11 attacks reported that 95 percent of educated Saudi men between the ages of 25 and 41 backed bin Laden’s cause. Islamic terrorists are referred to in the West as radicals and extremists, while in the mid-east they are heralded by fundamentalists as martyrs and heroes, and the families of suicide bombers are rewarded monetary pensions. The disparity between the two perspectives is staggering.
To say that Islam is a peaceful religion requires turning a blind eye to the various conflicts in Northern Africa including the growing humanitarian crisis in Darfur, the bloodshed in Chechnya, the Madrid railway bombing, and the ethnic conflicts in China, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Pakistan and India – not to mention the ongoing violence throughout the Middle East. (Koinonia House E-News, January 2005)
The Oslo Process
The Olso Accords of 1993, supported by the White House, was a sham. Yassar Arafat reminded his people, who accused him of selling out to the Israelis, of Mohammad’s Treaty of Qurish—a treaty between Mohammad and a Saudi Arabian tribe that refused to convert to Islam in which he reneged and forcibly subdued the tribe.
In doing this, Arafat was assuring the Arab world that the Oslo Accord was a temporary measure designed to give him a toe-hold on territory in Israel from which he would launch the final assault on the Israelis as soon as he had sufficient power.
This was in accord with Arafat’s “The Phased Plan,” which he published in detail in 1974. The plan realized that defeating Israel militarily was impossible; therefore, it called for a diplomatic defeat by rallying the United States, Western Europe, and the United Nations to put pressure on Israel to trade land for peace—a Trojan horse strategy.
This process was birthed in 1991 when the Soviet Union collapsed and Israel was flooded with Jewish immigrants, arriving at the rate of 2-3 thousand a day. Because of this, Israel desperately needed financial help and turned to the United States asking it to guarantee a $5 billion loan from the World Bank. The Bush Administration agreed to do so only if the Israelis would start negotiating with the Palestinians, offering to trade land for peace.
The Russian Threat
The Bible speaks of another nemesis of the Jews, Russia. In Ezekiel 38:6, 15 the Bible declares that a nation from “the remote parts of the north” will prove to be Israel’s greatest enemy. Since all directions in the Bible are given in reference to Jerusalem, a line drawn from Jerusalem northward passes through Moscow, the capital of Russia.
Also, in Ezekiel 38:2 it is learned that this nation will comprise the land of Magog, which Josephus identified as the area occupied by the Scythians in south central Russia. In the same verse it is also identified as the land ruled by “the prince of Rosh,” an ancient root word for Russia, who is in control of Meshech and Tubal (probably ancient names for Moscow and Tobolsk).
The Russians are pictured as invading Israel with a coalition of nations—Persia (including modern day Syria, Iraq, Iran, and Afghanistan), Ethiopia, Put (Libya), and two areas—Gomer and Beth-togarmah—included in modern day Turkey (Ezekiel 38:5, 6). The invasion will occur at a time when the Jews are living in unwalled cities, as is the case today (Ezekiel 38:11), for the purpose “to capture spoil and to seize plunder” (Ezekiel 38:12).
The Role of Europe
The prophecies in Daniel and Revelation clearly indicate that in the end-times, the Roman Empire will be revived and out of it the Antichrist will arise. The dream of Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 2:31-45 reveals a progression of future Gentile empires: Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome, in addition to a final Gentile empire related to the Roman Empire consisting of a loose confederation of ten nations or regions.
Daniel’s vision, given to him 48 years later as recorded in Daniel 7:8-12, 23-26, confirms that the last Gentile empire of history would be a confederation of ten units that would be located in the area of the old Roman Empire (Daniel 7:1-8); and that the Antichrist would rise out of this reconstructed Roman Empire, who would eventually take over the entire empire.
Again, in Daniel 9, it is confirmed that the Antichrist will rise out of a revised Roman Empire—an empire of the people who one day would destroy the Jewish temple, i.e, the Romans in 70 A.D. (Daniel 9:26).
New Testament Confirmation
The apostle John confirmed the message of Daniel’s visions in the book of Revelation. In chapter 17 he sees a “woman sitting on a scarlet beast . . . having seven heads and ten horns” (Revelation 17:3). The beast is Satan (Revelation 12:9), and the woman is symbolic of the apostate church which the Antichrist will use to inspire worldwide worship of himself (Revelation 13:12). The seven heads of the beast represent “seven kings,” five which had already fallen [Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, and Greece], one which existed at that time [Rome], and the seventh which is yet to come [the end-time European confederation, representing a revival of the Roman Empire] (Revelation 17:10). John then reveals that the revived Roman Empire will evolve into the eighth and final Gentile empire of history—namely, the worldwide empire of the Antichrist (Revelation 17:11, 12).
A Persistent Dream
Ever since the Roman Empire ceased to exist in 476 AD, repeated attempts have been made throughout history to revive it—in the Middle Ages the Pope tried through the creation of the “Holy Roman Empire,” and Napoleon and Hitler both tried to unite Europe through military power. All attempts are undoubtedly inspired by Satan, who knows Bible prophecy (Revelation 12:12), and thereby understands that he cannot raise up his false messiah, the Antichrist, until he is able to orchestrate the reunification of Europe.
The Impact of World War II
World War II motivated the movement toward European unity—a series of economic mergers which were ultimately to lead to political integration. The plan began on May 9, 1950 when the French foreign minister, Robert Schuman, announced a plan conceived by a French businessman, Jean Monnet. The plan was to pool European coal and steel production, which resulted in the formation in 1951 of the European Coal and Steel Community, consisting of France, German, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg. This proved so successful that the member states decided to expand their scope to include all aspects of their economies.
From Economic to Political Union
The step toward economic union was taken in March of 1957 with the signing of the Treaty of Rome, which gave rise to the Common Market in January 1958 and resulted in the economic integration and unification of the economies of the participating nations.
Then, in 1973 three nations were added to the European Economic Community—Denmark, Ireland, and Britain. Later additions included Greece (1981), Spain and Portugal (1986), and Austria, Finland and Sweden (1995)—a total of 15 nations.
In February of 1992 the Maastricht Treaty was signed, transforming the European Economic Community into a political and economic entity called the European Union—a Union that came into existence in 1993.
The Emergence of a Super State
Over time each member state has surrendered various degrees of sovereignty to the European Union (EU), so that now it is a super state. The chief legislative body of the EU, located in Brussels, Belgium and called the Council of Europe, has the power to overrule all national laws of member states. The European Court of Justice, located in Luxembourg, has the power to override the decisions made by the supreme courts of the member states.
At the present time there is a collective executive branch called the European Commission, headquartered in Brussels, consisting of 20 members appointed by the member states for terms of 5 years. This group selects the chief administrative officer of the European Union—a position likely to be that of the future Antichrist.
Then there is the EU’s European Parliament, located in Strasbourg, France, and consisting of 626 members who are directly elected by regions for 5 year terms. Members of this parliament sit in political blocs according to ideology, not nationalities—a concerted effort to break down national allegiances.
Yet this is not the chief legislative body; the Council is the legislative body. It is a parliament in name only—actually only a public forum, a sort of European town hall. But still most legislative proposals originate from its deliberations. It is growing in power, emerging as the lower house of what is likely to become a two house parliament—with the Council serving as the upper house, or the Senate.
Financial Aspects
The European Central Bank, located in Frankfurt, Germany, handles the EU finances. In 1999 the bank introduced the Euro, a new currency that replaced the national currencies of all the member states except Denmark, Sweden, and England. The trend is to eventually replace the national currencies of all member states. Revenue for the EU is generated by taxing each member state’s gross national income. Revenue is also derived from a VAT tax and custom duties.
The Missing Element
At present, the European Union has all the trappings of a state—governmental agencies (legislative, executive and judicial), taxing power, and a common currency. The main element missing is a police force. But the EU is currently forming an army of 60,000 called “the rapid-action Eurocorps,” whose Commander-in-Chief is presently General Gustav Hagglund of Finland.
A Revived Empire
A new European holiday has been created—May 9th—to celebrate the building of this new European empire—a new world empire. In comparison to the United States and Japan, the EU excels both in population and in world trade. And it is poised for major expansion. The treaty of Nice, negotiated in December 2000 and ratified in October 2002, provides for the admission of Cypress and Malta, plus eight former Communist countries in Eastern Europe: Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Slovenia.
Note from Reviewer:
Over the last few years we have watched closely as the European Union has emerged as a growing world power. The value of the Euro has surpassed that of the dollar, and in May the EU welcomed 10 new members increasing its influence in the UN and expanding its potential for economic growth. Bulgaria and Romania are set to join the EU in January of 2007, and both Croatia and Turkey are scheduled to begin negotiations next year.
The EU has begun to challenge the US in an effort to increase its influence in international politics. The bitter debate over Iraq between the United States, Germany, and France has been seen by many as a foreshadow of what is to come. A battle in which the EU, lead by France and Germany, is positioning itself to surpass the United States as the dominant world power. (Koinonia House E-News, January 2005)
This super state lacks only a super leader. The attitude exists for the emergence of such a person. One of the early leaders toward European unity was Paul Henri Spaak of Belgium, who has said, “We do not want another committee . . . What we want is a man of sufficient stature to hold the allegiance of all the people . . . Send us such a man and, be he God or the devil, we will receive him.”
Spiritual Implications
The many spiritual implications of the EU make it clear that Satan is the motivating force behind the movement. Consider, for example, the Tower of Babel motif that the EU frequently uses in its advertising, together with the slogan, “Many tongues, one voice.” This symbol that spiritually represents mankind’s rebellion against God has been selected to serve as one of the identifying themes of the European Union. The parliament building in Strasbourg, France is designed to look like artist’s renditions of the ancient tower of Babel! As Dr. Reagan states, “It is as if all of Europe is saying that they will succeed where Babylon failed by uniting mankind against God and reversing God’s judgment of converting one voice into many languages.”
Catholic Influence
There is a spiritual theme incorporated into the EU flag that is taken from Catholic doctrine. The flag features 12 gold stars in a circle on a blue background—symbolism taken from Roman Catholicism’s traditional portrayal of Mary with a halo of 12 stars. The church’s imagery is drawn from Revelation 12 where a woman appears with a halo or crown of 12 stars, which imagery is drawn directly from Joseph’s dream in the Old Testament—but, the image represents Israel, not Mary.
A former Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Leon Marchal, affirmed that the stars on the EU flag are those of “the woman of the Apoclypse.” Enthusiastically, he explained, “It’s wonderful that we have gotten back to the Introit of the new Mass of the Assumption. The symbol is the corona stellarum duodecim (the crown of the twelve stars) of the woman of the Apocalypse.” It is no wonder that Vatican authorities have endorsed the European Union from its inception.
More Demonic Symbolism
The EU Anthem is “Ode to Joy,” the prelude of the last movement of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony; and the words, by Fredrich von Schiller, concern mankind entering the shrine of a pagan goddess who unites all men by the power of magic. The EU logo is a woman riding on a beast, right out of the satanic imagery of Revelation 17 where a harlot is portrayed on a beast in the sea—representing the apostate world religion of the Antichrist.
Note from Reviewer:
It may seem difficult to imagine the world united under one ruler and one religion, especially with the bloody ethnic battles taking place in the world today. However, the violence caused by religious and cultural conflicts could in fact be the catalyst that brings about drastic change. The desire for world peace, the deterioration of moral values in the Western world, the restriction of religious freedom in America, and the continued persecution of Christians in other parts of the world could all pave the way for the emergence of a global religion. (Koinonia House E-News, January 2005)
According to Dr. Reagan, “This symbol can be found in a mammoth painting in the EU Parliament’s new building in Brussels. It is also featured in a huge sculpture located in the courtyard of the Council of Ministers office in Brussels. The symbol is portrayed on several of the Euro coins and stamps and is being used widely on items like telephone cards and credit cards. To the modern European mind, this symbol represents the taming of the beast of nationalism through European unity.”
Fulfilled Prophecy
The end-time super state prophesied by Daniel has been born. The Roman Empire is being revived, resurrected from the dead in these present days. It will soon give birth to the Antichrist who will use it in his conquest of the world.
According to Dr. Reagan, “Every possible effort is being made to replace national identities with a common European identity. The EU flag has replaced national flags on driver’s licenses and auto license plates. Passports now identify the carriers primarily as citizens of the European Union. Members of the European Parliament are elected from regions, not from nations, and they are not allowed to sit in the parliament by national groupings. It is probably only a mater of time before the EU will suppress national identities even further by dividing all of Europe into ten administrative units.”
NOTE: The following three sections are taken word-for-word from Dr. Reagan’s book.
The Likely Scenario
Now that the prophesied end-time pattern of world politics is in place for the first time, what is likely to be the outcome of international politics?
The Bible says that as we approach the threshold of the Tribulation, leading up to the day of the Lord’s return, the world will become increasingly hostile to Israel. In fact, we are told that the whole world will come together against Israel over the issue of Jerusalem (Zechariah 12:2-3).
That is precisely where we are today in the end-time scenario of events. The Arab nations are demanding sovereignty over Jerusalem. The European Union is insisting that the city be divided between the Arabs and the Jews. The United Nations would like to see the city internationalized, and the Vatican would like to see it put under its control. Even Israel’s greatest ally, the United States, is pressuring the Jews to surrender a part of the city.
A War for Jerusalem
All of this international pressure is leading up to a major conflagration over the control of the city. When the war breaks out, the Israelis will win it quickly, prompting the Palestinians to send out a call for help to the Arab world. The Syrians are most likely the ones who will jump in first, due to their implacable hatred of the Jews. They will target both Tel Aviv and Haifa with missiles, and the only way Israel will be able to survive is to retaliate with its own missiles, possibly using nuclear warheads. This would explain the fact that Bible prophecy clearly states that Damascus, the capital of Syria, will cease to exist in the end-times (Isaiah 17:1-14 and Jeremiah 49:23-27).
The whole Arab world will be thrown into a panic over the destruction of Damascus, and the Arab leaders will turn to their natural ally for help—Russia. The Russians will respond gleefully to the Arab invitation because they will see it as an opportunity not only to destroy Israel, but to seize the oil fields of the Middle East. This is the “plunder” that will draw them into the area (Ezekiel 38:12).
The Russian troops will be destroyed supernaturally on the hills of Israel. It will happen in such a way that even the Israelis will realize that the defeat came from God, and many Jewish hearts will be turned to the Lord (Ezekiel 39:1-6).
The Rise of the Antichrist
At this point the whole world will be thrown into a panic, and into that atmosphere will step a dynamic, charismatic political leader from Europe who will seem to have all the answers. He will broker an amazing settlement for the Middle East that will enable the Jews to truly live in peace and even to rebuild their temple.
He will use his success in the Middle East to take over the European Union, and he will use that empire as his base for launching a war to take over the world. He will be spectacularly successful, due to his ruthlessness. He will slaughter one-half of the world’s population in a nuclear war that will enable him to become the first person in history to conquer all the nations of the world. He will combine them into the final Gentile empire of history which he will rule from Rome (Daniel 7:23-26, Daniel 8:23:26, and Revelation 6-9).
Note from Reviewer:
The destruction and calamity caused by the Antichrist during this period of history is known in Bible prophecy as the “Tribulation Period,” which is a 7-year period divided into two segments of three and one-half years each (the second segment known as the “Great Tribulation”). Prior to these events, the Church (all who by faith alone in Christ alone have received the grace-gift of eternal life) will be raptured (snatched) from the earth when Jesus Christ returns and receives them to Himself in the atmosphere (1 Corinthians 16:51-57; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). After this Tribulation Period Christ will return—referred to as the Second Coming of Christ—to earth to reign for 1,000 years; and, after this, one last great battle between Christ and Satan with his armies, which will end in the final deposition of Satan and all those who have rejected Christ in the eternal Lake of Fire. But for Christians, the new heaven and the new earth, and the new Jerusalem along with eternal bliss in the presence of God.
End of Review
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