And I saw a beast arise

I saw a great beast, with ten horns and seven heads, rise from the sea out of its own mortal ruins.

The origins of the European Union trace back to 1951, when the European Iron and Steel community formed an alliance with the founding members of the union.

Later events, such as the Maastricht treaty, introduced new member states, but the UK only joined in 1973 after relaxation of a ban originally determined by Charles de Gaulle.

The original concept of the union was cooperation between member states with a view to creating a new trade bloc. It was not intended to restrict member states from their own trade practices, but to collaborate for mutual benefit.

Over the years the union has elaborated into a sophisticated pan-European organization with common currency and citizenship status across a borderless Europe. Britain’s late entry has left them holding onto their own currency, which has turned out to be a blessing in disguise: it may permanently preclude them from currency integration.

The problem with the EU is that bureaucrats have learnt to harness the beast and manipulate its enormous power. Some of that bureaucratic power is wielded in the most pedantic ways as when UK grocers were recently sued for selling bananas that were either not bent enough or bent too far.

Unfortunately, the union has restricted democracy and member states are being forced to toe the line, leading to a very centrist political context. This is unfortunate, because European farmers are largely inefficient, but Europeans are nonetheless obliged to pay premium prices in a restricted market instead of enjoying the free-market efficiencies of open-trade: which would also help to uplift many poorer countries.

The bible predicts the emergence of a final world power, comprising ten nations rising out of the sea (the nations or peoples) and comprising ten horns and seven heads. It is described in Revelation 14:9-10, the way that a bear symbolizes Russia or an Eagle symbolizes America. Thus it has the body of a leopard, the feet of a bear and the mouth of a lion, suggesting a power that would exceed, yet synthesize, the great empires of Greece (Leopard), Russia (Bear) and Britain (Lion).

The ten nation confederacy may refer to earlier membership of the EU or to the historic national boundaries of Europe. It could also refer to the United Nations, which Prime Minister Gordon Brown hopes to reform, by increasing permanent member status of the Security Council, to ten.

There are other schools of thought about all of this, but my own view is that the final, anti-Christ, one-world government will be European. This is because the vision given to Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar and interpreted by Daniel, suggested that the ten horns of the final world power would emerge out of the two prongs of ancient Rome. They would consist of iron mixed with clay, reflecting the humanism of the renaissance and the power of Rome (including the successive Holy Roman Empires).

The two great wars of history were contested in Europe, but the current EU model has peacefully co-opted former adversaries into an affiliation that places the great lion, Britain, in the same seat of authority as her traditional enemies: Germany and France. The other key consideration for a European seat of world power is that the Catholic church of Rome, once so totalitarian in its hold over Europe, is the most likely spiritual consort of the emergent world order. The bible refers to the spiritual arm of the new world order as the false prophet, as it will be used to sway the masses and manipulate their support for antichrist. The seven heads of Revelation 14 may refer to the Seven Hills of Rome.

It is no coincidence that the Euro is fast emerging as the world’s next reserve currency as it has continued to out-muscle the Dollar for top-dog status. It is a very powerful currency, vested across a diversified economic base and founded on some of the world’s most powerful economies (Germany, France, UK).

The seat of power at the pinnacle of this awesome beast is already emerging. Tony Blair is vying for election as the first president of Europe. I don’t think he is the antichrist, but he may well have to warm the seat and smooth the way for the ultimate supreme leader. The time for these events is not far off and other world-related prophecies are in an advanced state of fulfillment. Never has the world known such a heady time as this. We are living in the last days of grace facing the imminent return of Christ.

The world is in turmoil. Financial, economic, political, climactic and physical events are now reaching a climax as prophetic events race towards the final showdown on the great plains of Megiddo.

© Peter Eleazar at http://www.bethelstone.com/