EU chooses unknowns for top jobs

Thus far, the only available article which deals with the EU decision is from the EU Observer. There will surely be more articles coming out tomorrow, along with plenty of additional commentaries.

For now, all we have is this:"EU chooses unknowns for new top jobs". In this article we see the following:

"EU leaders have chosen Belgian Prime Minister Herman Van Rompuy to be the first president of the European Council, while UK trade commissioner Catherine Ashton will become the bloc's foreign policy chief."

"Mr Van Rompuy, from the centre-right political family, is a trained economist and has been running Belgium for less than a year...and is known for his low-key style, which includes a line in self-deprecatory humour and caravan holidays."

"The presidency decision - nominating a person from a small country with no international profile - confirms the speculation of recent weeks that the majority of member states wanted to choose a person whose main role will be that of a fixer, rather than someone who can open doors in Washington and Moscow."

"Catherine Ashton, meanwhile, emerged relatively late in the race to be the EU's top diplomat. Her name appeared after foreign secretary David Miliband, the preferred candidate at the beginning, said he was not interested in the job. Ashton, a trade commissioner since October last year, has no foreign policy experience and has never held a senior ministerial post."

The article goes on to say that the EU Parliament has to approve the appointment of Ms Ashton, without mentioning if it must also approve Mr Van Rompuy's position.


This is interesting in many levels. First of all, from reading the various EU blogs, there are many people who were calling for strong leaders - leaders who have an "international presence" for these top jobs. These folks seem very disappointed and feel that the EU has just missed a tremendous opportunity to have strong leadership and increase the "clout" of the EU. It is fascinating that they would select a person to head EU foreign policy; someone who has never had any experience in foreign policy. Perhaps some of the commentaries later in the week will lend some insight into this perplexing selection.

Prophetically, these appointments seem very uninteresting. It is hard to imagine either of these individuals as having any significant prophetic role. Mr Van Rompuy certainly appears to be more of a "background player" - a relative introvert - and someone more interested in the nuances of internal policy - not someone interested in grand plans for the EU or EU growth. Ms Ashton is equally uninteresting from a prophetic perspective for obvious reasons.

Of course, it will be interesting to watch these individuals and see what types of policies they will pursue - and they will hold very powerful positions within the EU. Still, it is hard to envision either of these individuals brokering and "confirming" the covenant from Daniel 9:27.

My EU watching will now shift somewhat, in light of this new information.

From Daniel 7:20 and 7:23, we know that the figure ultimately known as the antichrist will rise from 10 Kings - 10 Kings who will already be in existence as he rises to power. Now, as mentioned before, the EU President is actually and "technically" the head of the EU Council, which has 10 member states. It could be argued that the EU President could fit that description (as residing over 10 Kings) - but such thinking assumes that the "10 Kings" of Daniel 7 and Revelation 17 is represented by the EU Council. That assumption is exactly that - an assumption.

So I am watching for the following:

- The emergence of "10 KIngs", either as a growth of the EU or as some other functioning body within the EU. Interestingly, the Mediterranean Union has recently divided into a northern half and a southern half, with each half having 5 "representative" countries (5+5=10). We'll continue to watch for those types of developments. Additionally, many scholars believe that the EU will grow via international "unions" which will ultimately become 10 world "regions" with each having a "President" who serves under the antichrist.

- The stability of the two individuals just named - in these positions. I have always felt that these are positions of significant power within the EU, and it may take several different people serving in these roles before the "right person" comes along. The successes or failures of these individuals and their actions, particularly with regard to Israel and the Middle East will definitely create interest in the context of prophecy watching.

- Anyone significant figure emerging within the EU, including the individuals just named; someone who becomes involved in the Middle-East peace process and has a tangible plan to confirm a covenant which involves the status of Israel and their surrounding enemies.

After all, the Lisbon Treaty has only been in existence for a matter of days. There will be a lot of "moving and shaking" within the EU in the weeks to come. This is just the beginning.