By Dr. Ed Hindson
World Prophetic Ministry
Q. How can the European Union (EU) be the beginning of the revived Roman Empire, when there seems to be so much disunity within its ranks?
A. We are not certain if the EU will truly be the beginning of the revived Roman Empire, or if a subsequent organization will take its place. In the formative stages of the unity of Europe, the operative organization was first called the European Common Market, then the European Economic Community (EEC), before becoming the European Union.
It is true that the EU has had its growing pains. At present, given the unstable world economic situation, the stronger nations of the EU, particularly Germany, have been reluctant to be generous in giving assistance to the weaker ones, such as Greece and Spain. Additionally, with the growth of the EU, its membership now includes former Soviet bloc nations of Eastern Europe, who enter relatively poor in comparison to their Western counterparts.
Still, the EU has made some terrific inroads during its existence that were unthinkable several decades ago. Trade and travel barriers have come down. There is a unified currency, the Euro. Most notably, the nations of the EU have come to think of themselves as "Europeans" as well as individual entities.
Another factor to consider is that prior to 1945, most wars in the world were between nations in Europe. Today, the nations of Europe are at relative peace with one another. Most wars are now in developing nations, between racial, religious, and cultural factions in those nations. The fact that the nations of Europe can now discuss their differences in a civil fashion at a conference table, rather than on a battlefield, is itself quite significant.
Disunity Prophesied
The existence of disunity among the members of a reunited Europe is actually prophesied in Scripture. When Daniel revealed the contents of Nebuchadnezzar's dream of the great image of different kinds of material, the interpretation of the materials of the feet, representing the revived Roman Empire, was:
"And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters' clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay. And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken. And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay," (Daniel 2:41-43).
This passage indicates that the members of a unified world government, whatever form it might take, will retain some form of independence as well as developing unity with one another. It also indicates that some of its members will be strong, like iron, and some will be weak, like clay. It will take the skills of a strong leader like the Antichrist to bring about the cohesiveness needed for such an entity to play its role on the world stage of the end times.
- MEPs approve EU border surveillance system • EUobserver.com
- Commission urges EU to resume expansion • European Voice
- Book of Daniel • SpiritandTruth.org (Tony Garland)
- Putin Leads Assault on Ukraine Favoring EU Over Russian Ties • Bloomberg
- Draghi Says Banking Union Expected in 2015 • Benzinga
