While Europe's endgame may not yet be clear in the minds of EU politicians, it is clearly depicted in Bible prophecy, where a ten-nation superpower known as "the Beast" is prophesied to arise out of European politics and religion.
"Europe fails to punch its weight" declared one British newspaper after the selection of two significant leaders of the European Union on November 19. Belgian Prime Minister Herman Van Rompuy was chosen for the new position of president of the European Council, and Lady Catherine Ashton of the United Kingdom was named representative for foreign affairs.
If your reaction to these two names is "who?" you're not alone. Many British people couldn't even recognize the name of Lady Ashton, while a US official reportedly said "It is rather less than we were hoping for... We want to hear a strong voice from Europe."
Horse-trading over the two posts failed to produce high-profile leaders. Names such as former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, and Luxembourg's Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker eventually got passed over in favor of "consensus" figures of lower profile. Mr. Blair had support early on, but came to be regarded as too controversial because of his support of the Iraq war, and Britain's ambivalence concerning the EU.
An op-ed piece in the Financial Times of November 23 declared that the US was "underwhelmed by Brussels appointments." A stronger, less consensus-friendly voice was desired by Washington.
But the old saying is that we need to be careful of what we wish for. Europe is still in transition. While its endgame may not yet be clear in the minds of EU politicians, it is clearly depicted in Bible prophecy, where a ten-nation superpower known as "the Beast" is prophesied to arise out of European politics and religion. The book of Revelation tells us that when this takes place, "the inhabitants of the earth… will be astonished when they see the beast, because he once was, now is not, and yet will come" (Revelation 17:8, New International Version).
Europe won't always be punching below its weight. When that power arises, it will forcefully join the heavyweights, and push aside the Anglo-Saxon powers that have dominated the world for over a century. Those events will be a precursor to the greatest of all events in human history: the establishment of the rule of God Himself through Jesus Christ the Messiah.
In the meantime, let's keep our eyes on Europe. The story's not over yet.
"Europe fails to punch its weight" declared one British newspaper after the selection of two significant leaders of the European Union on November 19. Belgian Prime Minister Herman Van Rompuy was chosen for the new position of president of the European Council, and Lady Catherine Ashton of the United Kingdom was named representative for foreign affairs.
If your reaction to these two names is "who?" you're not alone. Many British people couldn't even recognize the name of Lady Ashton, while a US official reportedly said "It is rather less than we were hoping for... We want to hear a strong voice from Europe."
Horse-trading over the two posts failed to produce high-profile leaders. Names such as former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, and Luxembourg's Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker eventually got passed over in favor of "consensus" figures of lower profile. Mr. Blair had support early on, but came to be regarded as too controversial because of his support of the Iraq war, and Britain's ambivalence concerning the EU.
An op-ed piece in the Financial Times of November 23 declared that the US was "underwhelmed by Brussels appointments." A stronger, less consensus-friendly voice was desired by Washington.
But the old saying is that we need to be careful of what we wish for. Europe is still in transition. While its endgame may not yet be clear in the minds of EU politicians, it is clearly depicted in Bible prophecy, where a ten-nation superpower known as "the Beast" is prophesied to arise out of European politics and religion. The book of Revelation tells us that when this takes place, "the inhabitants of the earth… will be astonished when they see the beast, because he once was, now is not, and yet will come" (Revelation 17:8, New International Version).
Europe won't always be punching below its weight. When that power arises, it will forcefully join the heavyweights, and push aside the Anglo-Saxon powers that have dominated the world for over a century. Those events will be a precursor to the greatest of all events in human history: the establishment of the rule of God Himself through Jesus Christ the Messiah.
In the meantime, let's keep our eyes on Europe. The story's not over yet.
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