Whats next? (part II)

The EU (aka "Revived Roman Empire") is in the process of ratifying the "Lisbon Treaty". This treaty will consolidate many of the existing treaties between the EU member states and create some significant changes in the way that the EU currently conducts business. More importantly, the Lisbon Treaty once ratified, will create a single President of the EU, effectively replacing the current system of having a rotating (6 month) president. This presidency, once filled, could represent the most powerful position in the entire world. Prophecy watchers are very interested in these developments, as we know that the anti-christ will rise from within the EU.

Mike Mickey, on his website RaptureAlert.com has written a timely review of these developments:



EU Diplomacy and The End Times

by Michael G. Mickey
(1-15-09)

The EU Observer hit the nail on the head in a recent article concerning the European Union's diplomatic efforts underway in the midst of the present Israeli-Hamas conflict in Gaza. The article stated, in its opening paragraph, the following:

The ongoing conflict in the Middle East has served to underline weaknesses in EU foreign policy, something that some analysts say will not necessarily be fixed by the bloc's planned new treaty.
As my regular readers know, based on Daniel 9:26-27, I believe that a prince (or leader) of Roman descent is going to confirm (or make strong) a seven-year covenant of peace in the Middle East between Israel and her enemies "with many" either aiding or supporting his efforts. The "prince" of whom I write is the prophesied Antichrist to come. He is going to eventually, if not from the very outset, be the leader of the revived Roman empire of Bible prophecy, today's European Union - an empire that is forever growing it seems. I point this out just in case its borders eventually stretch well beyond Europe before this leader's emergence occurs. Having stated that, I additionally want to emphasize that it is anything but my perception this man's appearance on the global stage is an event far, far away on the prophetic horizon. From where I'm sitting? Most days I feel as though we're so close to seeing Jesus Christ face-to-face that the warm glow of the lights of home are creeping into view but I digress for the purpose of staying on-theme, something I often struggle to do.

The EU's diplomatic impotence

Back to the EU Observer article linked above. Building on what its opening paragraph pointed out, the European Union has long suffered from an identity crisis of sorts - one the Gaza conflict is highlighting greatly.

Former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, a new world order proponent if ever there was one, once asked, “Who do I call if I want to call Europe?”

Based on the circus we've seen put forward by the revived Roman empire of Bible prophecy lately, the question is still relevant as the EU Observer points out, noting that "Israeli President Shimon Peres had an array of European interlocutors, including three EU foreign ministers, the EU external relations commissioner and the EU's foreign policy chief." Add to the aforementioned dignitaries French President Nicolas Sarkozy's well-publicized diplomatic efforts in the region and it's easy to see why Kissinger wondered aloud what he did.

Who should one call in a time of international crisis if Europe is needed to play a role? Even the Europeans don't seem to know and it's getting under their collective skin. Italian foreign minister Franco Frattini recently quipped, "When everyone conducts one's own mission, it weakens our strategic position." Bingo, Mr. Frattini! It drives many in the European Union nuts and, undoubtedly, those trying to deal with the global empire in the making.

Can you imagine what it must be like from the perspective of both Israeli and Palestinian leaders who are presently trying to interact with, host and protect all the diplomats in the region as they, simultaneously no less, are trying to protect their interests and those of their people amid bombs dropping, rockets being fired, casualties mounting and international pressure intensifying by the minute? Talk about a cauldron of stress! Valium prescriptions for everyone involved, right?

As I watch all of this unfold, I can't help but think how all the failed efforts to obtain peace in chaos like this is building, even now, the glory the Antichrist to come is going to reap when he is able to do what no one has ever been able to do before, potentially in the midst of a whirlwind of instability just like the one going on now in the Middle East. Riding in like a knight in shining armor upon a white horse, he is going to cause the world to erupt with joyous proclamations of peace and safety finally coming to the Middle East and, quite possibly, the entire world! (1st Thessalonians 5:3) The spirit of joy, peace and goodwill that will be born at the advent of the Antichrist will be short-lived we know, but, for a time, there will be an iconic hero for the world to adore in the son of perdition whose innermost wickedness will not be known at first.

It seems far-fetched to even imagine the rise of Antichrist coming to pass as we flip through the news stations on cable right now, but it's in the works, people. It's coming around and the present frustrations are serving to ensure it does. Why do I say that? Because the EU, as a whole, is perplexed by its impotence and, quite frankly, somewhat embarrassed that it isn't being what it so badly wants to be - a superpower in shaping our world today.

The need for the EU (or Lisbon) Treaty

What the current crisis in Gaza is highlighting for many is the need - or perceived need - for the European Union's constitution, repackaged and renamed the EU (or Lisbon) Treaty, to be passed and implemented. What would that accomplish?

Instead of the current six-month rotation of the EU presidency among the 27 member states of the EU, there would be a permanent president of the European Council.
An EU foreign minister would be named, giving EU foreign policy a consistency in tone and purpose.
Almost as though answering Kissinger's question from long ago, an EU leader quoted in the EU Observer says the treaty would lead to "all calling the same person [in the EU]."

So, even the circus we're witnessing? It's all part of a bigger scheme - one we can easily overlook if we fail to examine what's going on around us through the lens of what Bible prophecy tells us is going to come to pass.

If someone today told prophesied to you with certainty that a football player was going to become iconic, practically worshipped in Detroit, what better backdrop could there be for that to happen than an 0-16 season, for example? How about 20 0-16 seasons? Or 50? Think of how many failed Middle East peace efforts there have been, the blood and tears that have been shed as a result and just imagine, for a moment, the jubilation the entire world is going to feel when the Antichrist first shows up to solve the problem, winning the Super Bowl of international diplomacy after so many seasons of total failure! It puts things in perspective, doesn't it?

The Antichrist: Will he emerge from the shadows or appear in a spotlight?

As long as people have been curious about the Antichrist, people have speculated. Will the Antichrist's advent come after he has been a behind-the-scenes kind of guy for a long time OR will he be someone with tremendous charisma who, from the moment he shows up on the world stage, becomes a household name; someone like a Bill Clinton, Tony Blair, Nicolas Sarkozy or Barack Obama. Time will tell, but it's very interesting, in light of the above, to see how much consideration is already being given to who the George Washington of the revived Roman empire should be if the EU Treaty passes and is implemented.

A Financial Times article offers the following on the topic, in part:

Tony Blair, the former UK prime minister, is re-emerging as a possible choice to be the European Union’s first full-time president after four momentous crises reinforced the argument for having a high-profile international personality in the job.

According to EU officials and diplomats, the impressive performance of Nicolas Sarkozy, France’s president, during his six-month spell in charge of the EU last year has strengthened the hand of those who say a big name should guide the 27-nation bloc.

In one sense, the discussions are premature. The full-time president will take office next year only if the EU’s Lisbon institutional reform treaty, which creates the position, is ratified by all member-states – notably, Ireland, which is expected to hold a second referendum on the treaty between September and December.

But the sheer scale of the challenges facing the EU – from last August’s Russia-Georgia war and the global financial meltdown to the Gaza conflict and the shutdown of Russian gas deliveries to Europe – is redefining the debate.

Whereas last year Germany and other countries looked favourably on candidates such as Jean-Claude Juncker, the long-serving prime minister of Luxembourg, more policymakers now feel the EU presidency demands an occupant from a much bigger member-state.

“Sarkozy concentrated minds,” said an EU diplomat. “He made a lot of us think, ‘When the going gets rough, you’ve just got to have a big person in this job.’”

If the world knew what those of us who understand Bible prophecy do, everyone would know that when the advent of Antichrist occurs, it isn't going to matter how big his name recognition was before he stepped up to fulfill prophecy.

EU diplomacy and the end times. They go hand-in-hand and there are numerous events of interest taking place where each is concerned.

Keep looking up!