THE EUROPEAN UNION: ANOTHER STEP IN THE EVOLUTION OF
The Kingdom
of
The 10 Kings 
And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first... (Daniel 7:24)
And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast. (Rev. 17:12-13)
It has long been understood by students of the Word of God that the fulfillment of all the amazing prophecies of the Bible concerning the Antichrist, which can be found in Daniel and the prophets and in the Gospels, Epistles and the Book of Revelation, must be preceded by the formation of a certain union of kingdoms or nations designated and commonly known as the 'Kingdom of the Ten Kings'. This union must be established before 'the man of sin', known also as the Antichrist, can gain an ascendancy over the whole earth. This confederacy of ten kings will serve as the Antichrist's power base throughout the Tribulation period. The anticipated union of powerful nations or groups of nations is generally believed to be a sort of ‘restoration of the Roman Empire’ and was first prophesied by the great prophet Daniel and repeated in the book of Revelation. In both instances this forerunner to the Antichrist’s kingdom is declared to be a kingdom comprised of ten kings or kingdoms, all united with one ultimate mind and purpose, that is, to give their power to that ‘son of perdition’. Their real prophetic purpose, though they themselves may not understand it precisely, is that they will provide the Antichrist with a ready-made realm and a foundation for his misguided global rebellion against God. For this to take place we look for a union of 10 governments or empires to be established as a unified force around the globe.
Already, the threat of international terrorism has had a unifying effect among the nations of the West and will be a prime mover in the ultimate formation of the kingdom of the ten kings and the revival of the spirit of the Roman Empire. The revival of the final form of Rome plays a major part in the events and judgment of the end times. This revival is to be discerned primarily with spiritual eyes, though even the more astute historians of the world will even admit that the power and tradition of Rome has never died in the hearts of western governments and in the minds of imperialists everywhere. Recognizing this fact, that Rome lives, is critical for understanding the times in which we live and exactly how the rise of the Antichrist will take form and with what motivation it will be shaped. The Antichrist can never come to power, except the kingdom of the ten kings first come into being. This is critical to understand and remember if we are to keep abreast of the fulfillment of end times prophecy. Therefore it is with interest and anticipation that we look upon the events of 9-11, in so far as they are heralding the nearness of this new world-wide union of powers into one conglomerate which is concurrent with the revival of the Roman spirit in Europe and the Americas as well as all the former colonial nations of the west, Pacific Asia and the Far East.
In the post World War II years of the twentieth century it was traditionally accepted among the prophetically alert that this group of ten kings would comprise primarily, if not entirely, European nations. In the U.S. it was generally believed by Evangelicals that Americans would be righteous and some way they would remain aloof from all world-wide Antichrist activities. The Antichrist was conveniently tagged as the Communistic atheists, led by the Great Bear of the north, the Russian Soviet Union. More often than not it was figured that America's place in prophecy would be a glorious one of righteousness providing a sanctuary for Christians fleeing Antichrist persecution and martyrdom. This made sense to most people since we were the only obstacle to Russian dominance of the world and the sole supporter of the infant nation of Israel. The rise of Antichrist seemed all but in place. The prophecy about the budding of the Fig Tree and all the trees (meaning the ancient powers of Egypt, Libya, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Syria, due to the riches of oil especially) gave further credence to prophecies concerning the alliance of Russia with these partners in a sneak attack upon Israel. The interpretations of these prophecies were muddled and incongruent but that didn't seem to bother the establishment of Evangelical prophetic teachers all that much. The most important matter was that it would simply be un-American to suggest anything else, even for the bible believing Christian, such as a Billy Graham, Jerry Falwell or the lowly Joe Schmoe Christian. The communists were atheists and we were god-fearing. The lines were drawn and we meant only good for the rest of the world while Russian thoughts we only evil. For the more direct minded however this did not always wash. To hold this opinion of wishful thinking Christians were obliged to ignore the possibility that the U.S. of A. was very likely the 'Raiser of Taxes', spoken of in Daniel chapter 11. That America was the salt of the earth, more godly than mammon serving was hard for some Christians to swallow. The 'Raiser of Taxes' which America seemed likely to be was identified as an antichrist empire, in fact, the empire that would directly precede the 10 Kings and effectively hand-off the baton to the tribulation-bound Antichrist realm of the infamous 666. These are just hybrid successors of Imperial Rome, but of this we should not be so certain. The revival of Rome as depicted in Daniel. The scope is world-wide as is the migration and evolution of the imperial spirit, Great Britain sailed Rome around the world so that "the sun never set' on its empire. The United States turned the world into a corporation of international banking and institutions. It was Rome's children of imperialism that provided greater scope than Europe or her ancient Imperial boundaries ever had. The spirit of Greece and Rome, the true embodiment of the Antichrist spirit; undeniably went into the new World through its migrant explorations which founded spiritual beds in the cultures of North and South America. The Jesuits of Rome molded the South American soul. The politics of capitalism, the rights of man and the leavening of Montesquieu, slavery and property and revenue equals freedom molded the North American vision of the world. It seems most likely in today's troubled financial world that the U.S. has paved the way for the global union of the "ten kings" and will probably take its place among the seats of the round table of the ten kings.
The coming union will bill itself as some sort of 'brotherhood of man'. This can hardly be argued. Politicians the world over have dressed this populist theme in the fashion of the day ever since Alexander the Great coined the term for the movement and tried to create a universal version of it in the fourth century B.C. trying to sell it to the poor and down trodden masses in exchange for their undying devotion and worship. He deified himself. Convince me that I am a conspiracy nut when I tell you that Hitler effectively did so too when his word in Germany was tantamount to God's. The constitution of the coming federal world government could be somewhat modeled after the United States of America. The EU has followed that pattern for all intents and purposes. Therefore, it would not be far fetched, not does it need any conspiracy theories to support it, if the world federated out of economic necessity and the instinct for self-preservation. The fact that The Papacy held Vatican II because of its reaction to the devastation of the World Wars, trying to create peace where there was violent opposition; and that the League of Nations and the United Nations both owe their existence to the threat of annihilation of mankind and the search for global cooperation is not subject to 'conspiracy theory' criticism and dismissal should be obvious. What is emerging quite under its own natural political law; i.e. every action produces a natural equal and opposite reaction, is naturally occurring as Newton's law of physics. The criticisms of the world and faithless political voices are typically strained and lame on all counts. They demonize prophecy by boohooing the reality of demonic forces and their ongoing conspiratorial contrivances to steal worship away from God and bring all Mankind to ruin. This is the great conspiracy, and one which the fulfillment of the Signs of Christ's Return also prove exists as an age-old threat to man and his redemption.
While the endless conspiracy theories and speculations by Evangelicals and Christians feed the world's vitriolic attacks and give them fuel to mock the fulfillment of prophecy we will not bow to the pressures to shut us up about the soon fulfillment of the Ten Kings. It would come as no surprise if the ten kings ended up being a union of smaller unions; for example, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, Western Africa, Southern Africa, the United Arab States, Israel, Central America and India. We should not be shocked if it were ten solitary countries. Nor should we be floored if it is ten realms that literally have monarchies still in place or ones that might be revived, i.e. Denmark, Britain, Spain, Germany... Who knows? The first principle of prophecy holds true as always. We know what will take place but we do not know how or who, or sometimes when, until it happens then by foreknowledge we recognize that it has come to pass. The advent of the Ten Kings is no different than any other fulfillment. The process will hold true. Every speculation must come with the caveat: we know it will happen and this is how it could take place. The Ten kings could comprise a union of ten kings(doms). After all, the mention of a king implies a kingdom or empire not necessarily just one single state. Each one might be counted as one king, each sitting at the table that will form the final empire and embody the spirit of Rome while comprising many, many countries in various confederated leagues.
The scourge and fear of international terrorism is foisting upon the world a desire for a more widespread international unity than ever before realized. Old ideas about the nature of the kingdom of the ten kings should be reviewed and scrutinized by Bible teachers and students of prophecy. Europe surely must be united for the end times Antichrist power base, but it may very well be only a part of the overall union.
For instance, it was once thought that the prophecy of the ten kings was all but fulfilled and the Antichrist ready to march onto the world stage when the Common Market of Europe (a group of European nations held together by common commercial interests) added its tenth member in the late 1960's. Such assertions became accepted Evangelical dogma during the 70's and 80's thanks to books like Hal Lindsay's immensely popular, The Late Great Planet Earth. Churches which believed in prophecy naturally believed that the ten kings were to be comprised of European nations and that they were already in place. The world was all but on the brink of Armageddon. Of course, the notion of the eminent appearing of the Antichrist and the scenario that the ten kings were solely nations of Europe has since proven to be a premature ill-figured dogma. The Common Market grew to eleven, twelve and eventually into the teens, before it became a defunct organization which gave way to a hybrid organization, first dubbed The European Community, which has since become the European Union which holds an even greater vision than a European confederacy by looking for a broader based political and military unity.
It was also conjectured that international institutions like the United Nations, The World Court and The World Parliament might somehow prove to be the pavement upon which the tower of the ten kings was erected. That these institutions provided the groundwork for a slow moving juggernaut that was forming a world imperial authority to eventually serve as the constitutional base for the Antichrist and his dictatorial world government. Now, with the demise of the Raiser of Taxes and its strangle hold on the nations of the world and their economies eyes are turning toward the ICU and international economic regulations to play a large role in the Antichrist power platform. Over the last two decades the Common Market’s prophetic significance has been totally eclipsed by the miraculous union of European states, now named The European Union, or EU, for short.
The union of the European Continent with Great Britain, with common borders and for the most part a common currency, with an elected president and governing congress is one of the greatest miracles of the past 1,500 years, eclipsed in magnitude only by the fulfillment of the thousands year old prophecy of the return of the Jews to their homeland in Palestine and the rebirth of the nation of Israel. The EU as a precursor to the global union of nations as the ten kings should not be underestimated in any way. These things do nothing but tell the heart of the honest soul that Jesus' return looms in our future like a harvest moon. Next to the return of the Jews to Israel, the unification of Europe, after two devastating wars in half a century, is something which is astonishing and nothing short of miraculous. The Hapsburg dynasty sitting upon its throne of the Holy Roman Empire tried for many centuries to unify Europe by marrying the crowned heads together. Napoleon tried to win it by flattery, promises and ruthless force. Hitler promised a thousand year millennial reign of perfection and glory run by his crooked Third Reich through a super German race and then tried to pound Europe and the world into submission. All of the attempts of such Antichrist types to unify Europe have failed just as the prophet Daniel had promised when he declared,; And in those times there shall many stand up against the king of the south: also the robbers of thy people shall exalt themselves to establish the vision; but they shall fall. (Dan. 11:14) The history of the world and the nations can be written solely by following the various and successive attempts of its great antichrist archetypes to rule the world. Start with Nimrod, Pharaoh Ramesses II, Sennecerib, Nebuchadnezzar, Xerxes, Alexander the Great, The House of Caesar, Constantine, Charlemagne, Otto the Great and the rest of the leaders of the Roman hybrid empire that have traipsed through the last two millennia. All were destined to fail until the prescribed time at the end, when the cup of iniquity would be full to the brim. The final home and government of the vision will almost certainly be centered in the ancient nations of Imperial Rome which means Europe and her daughters. But it is also likely that they will include a large portion of the world and what was then the unknown world, called in history, The New World.
Within days of the September 11th attack the current president of the EU, Guy Verhofstadt, of Belgium met with Secretary of State Colin Powell before announcing the urgent need for, not only greater cooperation between the great powers separated by the Atlantic Ocean, but also further solidarity and unity among the various nations of the EU. We can be sure that the behind-the-scenes diplomacy was already at work not only to present a united front against terrorism but to seek to implement more central power for the EU over member countries which include every important military and economic power in Europe. Great Britain gave the U.S. the greatest support in their war with militant Moslems, but the rest of Europe chipped in with varying degrees of support and Euros. The American economic disaster also dragged the European Union into a position which demanded a more cooperative attitude with Asia and third world economies. It is obvious that the EU is not merely interested in European Union but world solidarity too.
For example, right after the attack of 9-11 on November 23rd President Verhofstadt, acting on behalf of the EU, told the leaders of India in a speech delivered at New Delhi that the EU was dedicated to future unified action with India. He said,“This legacy [of a relationship with Europe] is of particular value, today, when we are still under shock of the most destructive terrorist attacks in modern times, which tried to disrupt our open, free, democratic, tolerant and multicultural societies. Only by standing side by side, by strengthening our cooperation and by strongly advocating our common values can we face this major challenge. That is what the India-EU Summit, which took place this morning, is all about.
As a matter of fact, at our First Summit Meeting in Lisbon, in June 2000, we set out the right course, when we jointly stated that in the 21st century we would build a new strategic partnership. The time is ripe for more cooperation, turning EU-India relations into a higher gear.”
Events since these official EU statements the position of the EU toward true cooperation and partnership with non European nations has only increased. Whether Europe ends up comprising just one of a multiple of kings in the union of the ten kings, and powers like India are included is something which only time and fulfillment of the prophecy can tell. But the significance of the unification of Europe for the prophecy's fulfillment should be obvious even to the skeptical. Further, the catalyst that international terrorism causes and economic co-dependence and solidarity around the world demand, are provisional factors which provide impetus and motivation in Europe for unity on a more equal level around the world. The Roman Empire must be revived. It is likely it will include a great portion of the nations of the earth.