PNW STAFF
Many Bible prophecy scholars have commented on the significance of the Afghanistan pullout in relationship to passages in Ezekiel 38 as well as the potential ramifications of America's status on the world stage, but few had imagined a renewed call in Europe for the formation of an EU Army.
Twenty-six centuries ago, Ezekiel described a last days alliance that will invade Israel from the north. The Bible says a man named Gog will lead this massive invasion force (Ezekiel 38:2-6). Here are the nations who will join Gog, followed by their modern day names:
Rosh = Russia
Magog = Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Afghanistan
Persia = Iran
Cush = Sudan
Put = Libya
Meshech, Tubal, Gomer, and Beth-togarmah = Turkey
Until a few weeks ago all of these nations could feasibly have become involved in such a coalition against Israel except one - Afghanistan. With a pro-US government in place and US troops based in the country there it was extremely unlikely to be involved in such a coalition of nations. That has now all changed and with Islamic extremists back in power - they would be happy to join in a holy war against Israel and use US equipment left behind to do it.
What role the US plays in the End Times is up for debate. Some point out the similarities between Mystery Babylon and the United States in the book of Revelation which does not bode well for America if that is the case. Scripture is silent on it's direct role and thus we can only look for clues to it's future.
We do know that the United States has been a strong supporter of Israel since before it's modern inception and that God promises to bless those who bless Israel. However the US, Israel alliance has been slowly weakening as the Democratic party allows more and more anti-Israel policies to take hold - least of all is the support of clearly anti-Semitic members of Congress.
Biden is now pushing for a Palestinian state and dividing the land of Israel - which several Bible prophecy experts have linked to natural disasters hitting the US. Even evangelical support for Israel among the younger generations continues to drop as Biblical literacy continues to decline.
Some believe the US will fade from being a world power and unable or unwilling to help Israel in it's future battles. Such a demise would seem to be yet far reality but add an economic crisis to the already fragile social fabric of our nation or another future health crisis and look what can happen to nations in just a few months.
Natural disasters, cosmic events, conflict with China or even a sneak attack involving an electromagnetic pulse from Iran or North Korea could make America so focused on internal issues she is no longer able to play the role of global policeman.
Which brings us to the potential rise of a new world superpower. The European Union is already an economic superpower however it still doesn't wield the full potential of it's military powers, partly due to continued fragmentation among the members militaries.
Attempts to integrate Europe have seemed to have rolled backwards over the past few years with both political and popular opinion against further integration. The departure of Britain from the EU also dealt it a major blow.
However, covid compliance issues have forced many EU member countries to work together to find common policies and now with seeing what happened with Afghanistan - many are re-examining the benefits of a united military under one command. One where they are not reliant on US policies to dictate foreign policy.
"What happened in Afghanistan was a defining moment," said Nathalie Loiseau, who chairs the European Parliament's subcommittee on security and defense.
When President Biden failed to keep U.S. troops in Afghanistan past the Aug. 31 deadline, European leaders felt this forced them to end their evacuation efforts early, despite thousands of citizens and allies still trying to escape the country.
Some of Europe's most prominent politicians have argued for years that to become a true global power, the E.U. needs its own defense force, one that is independent of the U.S.-European NATO alliance and does not rely on the United States.
Former President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, has suggested Europe transform itself into what he called a "superpower" that could act as a "global security power". He went on to say, "the Americans, to whom we owe much... will not ensure the security of the Europeans in the long term. We have to do this ourselves...."
E.U. foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, asserted that his proposed joint rapid-deployment force of 5,000 troops could have helped to secure the airport, and that a coordinated European security strategy would have allowed the bloc more influence over the "timing and nature of the withdrawal."
"The only way forward is to combine our forces and strengthen not only our capacity, but also our will to act," Borrell said following a meeting of E.U. defense ministers in Slovenia.
French President Emmanuel Macron is one of the biggest supporters of more integration and has been calling for a "true European army" since he took power.
Armin Laschet, who is vying to succeed German Chancellor Angela Merkel, said recently that Europe must be strengthened "such that we never have to leave it up to Americans."
E.U. defense ministers are currently debating a "strategic compass" document that will outline the bloc's security risks and policy goals.
The document, to be published next year, will be the first test of how serious E.U. leaders are about strengthening their defense strategy, said Georgina Wright, head of the Europe program at Institute Montaigne.
The idea of an EU army idea has been around since the days of Churchill and seems to be revived every decade. While most attempts have failed there are some followers of Bible Prophecy who see the potential for a future 10 nation alliance out of Europe to fulfill the prophecies of the Book of Daniel & Revelation in which a 10 nation alliance from Europe (the Beast of Revelation) becomes the seat of power for the Antichrist on his way to global domination.
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