The Empire: Seat of Antichrist- 6

t want another committee. We have too many already. What we want is a man of sufficient stature to head the allegiance of all people and to lift us out of the economic morass in which we are sinking. Send us such a man and be he god or the Devil we will receive him.

Former Belgian Prime Minister, 1st President of the EU Parliament: Paul-Henri Spaak

Daniel’s visions of the final world empire, describe a distinct political government, and provide a view to its institutional and structural make-up. Under the Antichrist’s authority, it reaches its zenith of power. Daniel describes it as “dreadful and terrible and exceedingly strong.”

The Beast devours and breaks in pieces its enemies to the point of crushing their remains (Dan. 7:7). John likewise sees it in its final form “rising up out of the sea”—a figurative illustration of its rise to power (Rev. 13:1). This political power possesses the combined strength of all the empires before it. Unlike them, it devours and treads down the entire earth (Dan. 7:23, Rev. 13:2).

The Ten Horn Federation

The Beast has ten horns, and among them comes up a little horn who is the Antichrist (Dan. 7:7-8). Daniel 7:24 states that “the ten horns are ten kings who shall arise from this kingdom: and another shall rise after them.” Revelation 13:1 depicts the horns as wearing crowns. Both, the book of Daniel and the Revelation identify the horns as kings (Rev. 17:12). The prophets add that these kingdoms do not in exist at the time of the writings. European nations did not come into being until over a millennium later. Only in this last couple of centuries have these nations reigned as separate, sovereign kingdoms. The horns wearing crowns signify established kingdoms or nations. The little horn appears after the kings, and “comes up” among them. His small horn represents a relatively new political seat on the world stage when he takes power. Horns grow with age, but this one grows extremely large, quickly. Daniel tells us, “And out of one of them came a little horn, which grew exceedingly great, toward the south, toward the east, and toward the glorious land” (Dan. 8:9-10).

Despite the EU’s newness in the international arena, it has the potential to create a dictatorship that could obtain world rule. Satan himself provides the Antichrist with a political position by which he rises to greatness and conquers the world. He wears no crown because he is not the king of any one nation, yet he leads the federation.

The Antichrist exists in a symbiotic relationship with the kings. Revelation 17:13 tells us: “These are of one mind and they will give their power and authority to the beast.” The Antichrist partners with the Kings. Some label the Union a confederation. The Union considers itself a federation. In a confederation, nations or states share governmental tasks. In a federation, the members relinquish some of their sovereignty to a higher authority, which makes the laws and regulations for the signing states. The Scriptures describe the federation’s members as actual nations, not provinces or states. The Bible’s federation acts as a dictatorship.

The Treaty of Rome

Seven main institutions (based on the Treaty of Rome) make up the European Union: the Commission, the European Parliament, the Council of Ministers, the Court of Justice, and the Court of Auditors. Nine additional treaties amended the Treaty of Rome, which established the European Union on March 1, 1957. The recent Lisbon Treaty added two more institutions: the European Central Bank, and the Council of Europe which the EU previously regarded as governing bodies but not official institutions. The Treaties provide the format for the EU’s institutional structure and the agreements by which the signing nations are to abide. The member nations surrender parts of their national sovereignty to the higher authority.

The Council of The European Union

The Antichrist will be in a federation with ten kings. These kings are the Council of The European Union formerly named the Council of Ministers. They are the governmental heads of each of the Member States. Each nation addresses them by a different title, but the Bible refers to them as kings. “Prime ministers” and “presidents” have essentially the same meaning. The Council represents the highest decision-making authority in the EU, and holds the preeminent position in the institutional power balance. Although the Council does not initiate EU laws, it must approve all Community legislation. Its secretariat is located in Brussels. The Council also concludes, on behalf of the EU, all international agreements; makes the decisions necessary for framing and implementing the Common Foreign and Security Policy; and adopts measures in the field of police and judicial cooperation.

The Bible always refers to the word “council” in a negative context. In Mark 13:9, Christ warns the Jews during the Tribulation to “watch out for yourselves: for they will deliver you up to councils; and you will be beaten in the synagogues. And you will be brought before rulers and kings for My sake, for a testimony to them.” The EU’s Council of Ministers may be one of the councils Christ mentioned in Scripture. The scriptures specifically mention councils and two councils exist within the EU’s institutional structure.

It is common knowledge among journalists covering the EU that the Council of Ministers meets in secret. The Belmont European Policy Center stated, in a report on the Maastricht Treaty, that the “EC Council of Ministers remains the most secretive of Community institutions.”[91] On this subject, The Economist commented that the ministers are “The EC’s real legislature and the only one in the world that does not let in the public.”[92]

In 2009 when EU leaders met to nominate the first president of the Council and foreign affairs minister, the Former Lavian president Vaira Vike-Freiberga, said that EU leaders conducted the nomination process with Soviet-style secrecy and contempt for the public. He attacked the EU for operating in “darkness and behind closed doors” and said it should “stop working like the former Soviet Union.”[93] The Council of Ministers already acts in an undemocratic fashion. The previous chapter discussed the ambition that reigns among these leaders for leading superpower status which creates the climate for a powerful leader.

Revelation 17:12 describes the ten horns as ten kings who “receive authority for one hour as kings with the beast.” During the Tribulation, the Council promotes the Antichrist’s agenda and essentially acts in a marriage type of relationship with him. They act together as if joined with the Antichrist leading. As Jesus led his disciples, the Antichrist will lead the Prime Ministers or Presidents.

The EU Commission:

When the European member nations signed the Treaty of Rome, they agreed to hand over some of their powers to a higher authority called the Commission. As the EU’s executive arm, it acts as an overseer of the EU Treaties, and upholds them. Members of the Commission represent the interests of the Union as a whole. The size of its staff is comparable to the US Department of Commerce.

The Commission, a non-elected body, is comprised of representatives from each of the member nations. The Commission has a president who sits among the Council of the European Union (or “kings”). He is responsible for the major decisions and laws that move the EU forward into the international arena as a single political and economic entity. Former Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt suggested changing its name to the “European Government”, calling the present name of Commission: “ridiculous” because of its governmental powers. Coincidentally, the Commission’s headquarters are located in Brussels with the President’s office and the Commission’s meeting room based on the 13th floor of the Berlaymont building.[94]

The Commission President’s position fits the description of the “little horn” in Daniel for he stands among the ten horns or prime ministers and unlike the kings which head nations, he has no nation beneath him, he heads the federation. The horn signifies a relatively new position on the world stage which fits the EU Commission. The Scriptures provide specific details concerning the Antichrist’s authorities. The political seat he holds must allow him the powers cited in the prophetic writings.

The EU Commisson presidency provides the Antichrist with the powers outlined in Scripture—His position must allow him a minimum of a seven-year term

Daniel 9:27 states: “Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week,” i.e., seven years.

The seven-year Tribulation begins with the signing of a peace treaty with Israel. The Antichrist is in power before the Tribulation begins.

No leader signs a treaty on the day of his election. The Council of Ministers appoints the Commission President to a five-year renewable term. They make these appointments in years ending in four and nine.

He will become strong with a small number of people

Daniel 11:21, 23, states: “And in his place shall arise a vile person, to whom they will not give the honor of royalty; but he shall come in peaceably and seize the kingdom by intrigue. And after the league is made with him he shall act deceitfully; for he shall come up and become strong with a small number of people.” Some say these passages refer to Antiochus IV Epiphanes, a ruler of ancient Greece, reputed as a famous persecutor of the Jews. While he represents a prototype of the final world ruler; this prediction describes how the Antichrist comes into power. [95]

The people do not elect the Commission President. The Council of Ministers consults with the European Parliament, and nominates the person they intend to appoint to the Commission presidency. This nomination, subject to a vote and the approval of the European Parliament, concludes by the Council of Ministers’ appointment. The “small number of people” refers to this close-knit group of EU bureaucrats who place him in power. It may also signify his being a prime minister from one of the smaller EU countries. To date, European Commission Presidents have held prior EU posts such as officials from one of the Member States and even former prime ministers.

During the 2009 nomination of the first EU Council President, journalists noted that EU leaders strategized picking someone from a small country with little international power instead of a charismatic heavyweight. As the EU chose former Belgian Prime Minister Herman van Rompuy as the new Council President and Britain’s Catherine Ashton for the post of EU High Representative a headline reported, “Unknown duo chosen a new faces of Europe.” The idea is that a low key leader will be more effective in achieving consensus among so many leaders of the various nations than a well-known charismatic one. According to the Associated Press: “for EU leaders to pick a boss they can all live with, they must strike the right balance between big countries and small, east and west, socialists and conservatives, perhaps male and female. They must manoeuvre between proponents of a strong Europe and those who fear it—eurocentric’s and euroskeptics, in the local parlance.”[96] The EU will select the leader who the Bible deems as the Antichrist in the same manner.

HE WILL BE IN A FEDERATION WITH TEN KINGS

Revelation 17:12-13 tells us: “And the ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet; but they receive authority for one hour as kings with the beast, these are of one mind, and they will give their power and authority to the beast.” This verse describes the relationship of the ten kings to the Antichrist. They both strive for the same goals. One entity does not exist without the other. The Council of The European (formerly Council of Ministers) give their strength and power to the Commission. Without the member nations that hand over their authority to the Commission, there would be no European Union. Several articles in the EU Treaty reflect their having one mind. Article 162 states: “The Council and the Commission shall consult each other and settle by common accord their methods of cooperation.”

The Scriptures are unprecedented in their accuracy and detail. Although written 1,900 years ago, one Bible verse epitomizes the contents of two treaties in just 14 words. “These shall have one mind and shall give their power and strength unto the Beast.” Over and over, one reads of the Commission’s and Council Ministers’ simultaneous role. Peter Ludlow, the founding director of the Centre For European Policy Studies think-tank in Brussels, referred to the Commission-Council relationship as a “partnership.”[97] Of the EU’s institutions, the Commission and the Council (of Ministers) represent the leading authorities. The Court enforces EU laws, and the Parliament acts as a forum with some legislative powers.

He will be both President and foreign minister Signing treaties with other nations

The Commission negotiates treaties, making agreements with other nations and with world organizations. It makes recommendations to the Council of the European Union i.e. the Council of Ministers, which authorizes the opening of negotiations and conducts them. Special committees formed by the Council assist the Commission. The Commission proposes agreements to the Council, which votes by a qualified majority, consults with the European Parliament, and then concludes the agreements. The Commission President thus negotiates and signs treaties with other nations. The Commission can impose sanctions on third world countries. It maintains EU relations with the UN, WTO and all other world institutions. The Council and the Commission take responsibility for ensuring the consistency of all EU policies.

The Antichrist will have a diverse role from that of the ten kings

Daniel 7:24 states: “The ten horns are ten kings who shall arise; from this kingdom and another shall rise after them; he shall be different from the first ones.” As the EU’s executive arm, the Commission’s major responsibility is to oversee EU treaties. It initiates EU laws and policy. Thus, the Higher Authority acts as the lawmaker while the Council of the European Union approves the laws.

His POSITION WILL give him the power to expel three of the kings

Daniel 7:24 continues, “…and shall subdue three kings.” Regarded as the “Guardian of the Treaties,” the Commission can take action against member governments that it believes have violated their treaty obligations. It proposes to the Court of Justice the fines imposed on Member States proven in default under the treaty. Presently, the Union cannot expel a Member, but allowing this action has come under discussion. The Lisbon Treaty amended articles to allow a nation to withdraw from the Union.[98]

HE WILL HAVE AUTHORITY TO DETERMINE WHO WILL BUY AND SELL WITH HIS GOVERNMENT

Revelation 13:17 tells us: “…and that no one may buy or sell, except one who has the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.” This passage deals with individuals living under the Antichrist’s dictatorship, and extends to persons worldwide. The Commission initiates the Union’s internal market policy and external trade, including that with the US. It determines the guidelines for trade with other countries, as well as for its members within the Union. Thus, the Commission determines with whom it will buy and sell, and how. The Commission also negotiates international trade agreements.

THE ANTICHRIST WILL CHANGE TIMES AND LAWS

Daniel 7:25 reports: “He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, shall persecute the saints of the Most High, and shall intend to change times and laws.” The Commission introduces EU legislation, carries out decisions, and oversees the enforcement of European laws. With this authority, the Antichrist can easily implement his laws and change existing ones.

HE WILL HAVE DIRECT ACCESS TO RECENT TECHNOLOGICAL ACHIEVEMENTS, AND CONTROL OVER THE DEVELOPMENT OF NEW TECHNOLOGIES

Revelation 13:16-17 states: “And he causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their foreheads; And that no one may buy or sell, except one who has the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.” The Commission oversees the research and development of new technologies. It determines which programs and projects will receive funding. The development of new technologies remains an EU priority. The Antichrist will have access to those new technological systems, and the power to authorize their implementation.

HIS GOVERNMENT MUST GIVE RISE TO A dictatorship

Revelation 13:15 tells us that “he was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed.” The Antichrist kills those who do not worship him—a common trait of most dictatorships. Dictators reign from political positions that provide them with complete authority. The Commission’s authorities are not balanced by either the Court of Justice or the Parliament. The European people do not elect its members, although it is the EU’s executive arm, making it a non-democratic institution.

Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, in a major speech in Bruges, Belgium, assailed the idea of a supernational European State. In an address to the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, Jacques Delors had predicted that by the mid-1990s, the EU would develop “an embryo European government.” Thatcher referred to these possible developments as “a nightmare” that would create “bureaucratic centralism” in the EU. She also warned: “We fought two world wars to make the world a safer place for democracy. Here we are preaching more democracy to the old Communist Soviet Union and ourselves practicing less democracy and more bureaucracy.”

During Thatcher’s Prime Ministership, she stood as a strong opponent of a federal Europe and represented the lone ranger among the other members of the European Council. In her later years she gave speeches against a European superstate. Mrs. Thatcher stated that a United States of Europe will endanger world peace. Thatcher uttered her strongest statement when she called the European Federalist project, “a nightmare.” She asked: “Were it to come about does anyone suppose that such a power would not soon become a rival to America? Thatcher then affirmed: “If this new Europe were not to follow the path to separate great power status, it would be the first such power in history to renounce its independent role.”[99] Margaret Thatcher saw from the beginning that the Commission held too much power in the institutional power balance. She understood that this amount of centralized power can lead to a dictatorship. While she never directly stated these words she used other lighter terms which place the Union’s structure in a similar sphere.

Maurie Duverger commented in L’Express of Paris, reprinted in World Press Review, that:

After 1992, nearly 80 percent of economic regulations will be enacted by the EU in Brussels, not in the capitals of the Member States. That means that decisions will be taken away from parliaments elected by universal suffrage and handed over to a political system that will largely escape the grasp of such parliaments. Europe invented democracy. But the more Europe unites, the more democracy is whittled away. As national powers are gradually reduced by the growth of a supra-national power, citizens will be chagrined. [100]

Former EU European Parliamentarian David Martin, commenting on the EU’s “democratic deficit” and need for institutional reform, stated: “If the EC was a state and applied to join the Community, it would be turned down on the grounds that it was not a democracy.”[101] Tony Benn, one of the most prominent figures in postwar British politics, and a longtime Labour Party member, affirmed: “The European Community is entirely undemocratic. It is run largely by commissioners who are not elected and cannot be removed. The Council of Ministers is the only legislative body in what’s called the ‘free world’ that meets in secret.”[102]

Secretiveness is a common characteristic of dictatorships. Certain EU legislation is fashioned in a secretive, undemocratic fashion. The Belmont European Policy Center stated that: “Unfortunately, the EU Treaty contains certain provisions, which govern Co-decision Procedure…having the effect of making the legislative processes unnecessarily secretive and prima facie inconsistent with the principles of democratic government.”[103] This report emphasized the secretiveness of Council of Ministers meetings, which echoes throughout several foreign affairs journals and articles.

The Antichrist’s federation will have secret agendas. Amazingly, when the Antichrist takes his position as President of the European Union Commission, he will have the platform for his dictatorship. Of all the Institutions, the Commission holds the greatest powers, and the other EU governmental bodies do not balance its authorities. The former journal

European Affairs stated: “At present the European institutions are upside down. The only institution with democratic legitimacy on a European scale, the European Parliament, has consultative powers only. The most dynamic body, the one that has the power to get things moving, is arbitrarily appointed and accountable to only one: the Commission of the European Communities.”[104]

The American Free Press upon Estonia’s admission into the EU quoted former Estonian Prime Minister Edgar Savisaar, and others as comparing the EU with the Soviet Union. “The forced propaganda of the European Union is reminiscent of the Soviet Union’s methods and brainwashing,” Rolf Parve, wrote in Kesknadal, the weekly paper of the Center Party.[105] “Moscow and Brussels differ in one point,” Professor Igor Grazin, one of the leading anti-EU voices in Estonia says: “The Soviet Union theoretically allowed nations to leave the union. Brussels is creating organs, however, which would kill that idea in the bud.” Savissar compared the “big bureaucratic system” of the EU with that of the Soviet Union. Currently, the EU is regarded by several politicians as a superstate, and they state this derogatorily.

According to Wikipedia: “a superstate is an agglomeration of nations and or/states, often linguistically and ethnically diverse under a single political-administrative structure. This is distinct from the concept of superpower, although these are frequently seen together. It is also distinct from the concept of empire where one nation dominates other nations through military, political, and economic power, as in the Roman Empire, although and empire may also be a superstate, as in ancient Persia, India and China.[106]

His Kingdom will be divided and will involve many men

Nebuchadnezzar’s vision in Daniel 2:28-45 illustrates the Beast’s complexity. The Bible states that the fourth kingdom is “strong as iron,” and “breaks in pieces and shatters all things,” Daniel adds that there is weakness amidst its strength.

Daniel 2: 41-43 records:

Whereas you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; yet the strength of the iron shall be in it, just as you saw the iron mixed with ceramic clay.

And as the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly fragile.

As you saw iron mixed with ceramic clay, they will mingle with the seed of men; but they will not adhere to one another, just as iron does not mix with clay.

The iron and clay which makes up the image’s toes do not mix. The iron legs have power to break in pieces and crush all that opposes the Beast. The Bible states that clay represents the seed of men. The potter’s clay signifies a divided kingdom and the complexity within this kingdom—iron is firm, clay is brittle. The kingdom divides at the legs into feet and toes mingled with clay. John F. Walvoord, in his book Daniel: The Key to Prophetic Revelation, discusses this passage and relates the various interpretations from well-known Bible expositors. A. C. Gaebelein states that “monarchies and clay represent democratic rule.” Lutheran Hebrew Old Testament scholar Johann Karl Friedrich Keil argues that “it is all the means employed by rulers to combine the different nationalities, a sort of intermarriage.” Walvoord concludes that this diversity, “whether this refers to race, political idealism or sectional interests,… will prevent the final form of the kingdom from having any real unity.”[107]

The vision depicts an analogy of the European Union’s institutional structure as it exists today. One iron leg represents the EU Commission, while the toes symbolize the Council of Ministers. The toes mingled with clay represent the sovereign nations who still hold elections and rule their countries while handing over specific powers to the EU Commission. Clay, or the democratic electoral process, conflicts with totalitarian rule. The Scriptures stand unprecedented in their accuracy. One must pay tribute to those Bible scholars who successfully interpreted prophetic passages while there no telltale signs in world affairs manifested. Some Bible Eschatologists teach that the Beast has ten toes which represent the ten nations because the Scripture refers to the feet of the image and feet have five toes a piece thus ten toes. The Scripture does not specify the number of toes which can be many.

Dwight Pentecost sited Kelly’s observation who that: “There will be, before the age closes, the most remarkable union of two apparently contradictory conditions—a universal head of empire, a separate independent kingdom besides, each of which will have its own king; but that one man will be emperor over all these kings… God has said they shall be divided.…In virtue of the iron there will be a universal monarchy, while in virtue of the clay there will be separate kingdoms.”[108]

Europa the EU’s website elaborates by stating about the EU’s institutions:

The European Union (EU) is not a federation like the United States. Nor is it simply an organization for co-operation between governments, Like the United Nations. It is, in fact, unique. The countries that make up the EU (its ‘Member States’) remain independent sovereign nations but they pool their sovereignty in order to gain a strength and world influence none of them could have on their own. Pooling sovereignty means, in practice, that the Member States delegate some of their decision-making powers to shared institutions they have created, so that decisions on specific matters of joint interest can be made democratically at the European level.

While the nation’s pool their sovereignty, conflict and disunity arises as each nation responds protecting its own culture, people and industries.

The EU is a kingdom divided. While linked by the Treaty of Rome, each government still holds autonomy. The Member States speak their own languages and retain identity with their individual histories and cultures. EU citizens elect the leaders of the EU Parliament and Council of Ministers, and clay (i.e., the seed of men) represents this democratic practice. The EU’s motto is “united in diversity,” which literally can be the plaque underneath the image of toes mingled with clay.

Due to the Union’s many languages, which numbers 23 official languages, EU officials must make sure that all 27 Member States understand the legislation. They provide interpretation at many hundreds

of meetings held every week. Twenty-five percent of university graduates employed by the Commission directly engage in language work. In the smaller Community institutions, this figure can be as high as 70 percent of graduates. Along with each new member accepted into the European Union, this number increases.[109] The EU Parliament is the biggest employer of interpreters in the world employing 350 full time and 400 free-lancers when there is higher demand.[110]

Further magnifying the Union’s diversity are each nation’s differing governments and politics. Although the Union refers to the nations as Member States, they are separate sovereign countries. Some of the nations hold grievances with other nations, for historical or economic reasons. This world power will never have any real unity while it is both united and divided. In examining EU citizens’ views and gripes toward other Member States, this division further intensifies. Nevertheless, Scripture tells us that this world power will be dreadful and terrible and exceedingly strong (Dan. 7:7).

These facts have caused some to believe that the EU will never have any real unity or strength. What the European Union is seeking to do has never been done in the world’s history. Separate sovereign nations are joining to become a single economic and political unit. The Bible spoke about this in ancient history. In our day we will see it happen.

We know from Scripture that the European Union federalists will attain economic and political union. The ideal of retaining each member state’s government, language, and culture within this federation will be the weakness amid its strength.

The Vice President of the Commission

The Lisbon Treaty created the position called High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy which in actuality will serve as the European Union’s Foreign Minister. The Former position of High Representative merged with the European Commissioner for External Relations to produce the new Foreign Minister position. The rejected Constitution called the position, Union Minister for Foreign Affairs. The Minister would also be a Vice-President in the Commission. [111]

The European Parliament

The Parliament directly represents the people of Europe and links to the toes on the image in the book of Daniel. As with all other EU institutions, the EU parliament has evolved since its inception. In 1974, the Heads of Government agreed to permit direct elections. In 1979, the EU held the first direct elections. Although the EU Parliament is the second largest democratic electorate in the world, second to India, but unlike most national parliaments, the EU parliament does not have legislative initiative. The Parliament’s 736 members, elected every five years by voters in all Member States, have significant power over budgetary matters. They scrutinize, draft EU legislation, question the Commission and Council of Ministers on their conduct of EU affairs, and debate topical issues.

Acting as a check upon the Commission, Article 140 of the Treaty of Rome requires Commissioners to appear before Parliament to respond to questions. The Commission submits an annual report of its activities to the Parliament. The Commission is required to resign as a body if the Parliament adopts a motion of censure against it. Of the four attempted motions of censure, none succeeded.

A majority of Parliament must approve international treaties—save certain trade agreements. In many other areas the Parliament may amend laws, unless the European Commission and all members of the Council object. The Parliament may ask the Commission to propose laws, and may challenge acts of the Commission or Council in the Court of Justice.

The Council must consult the Parliament on who heads the Commission, and must approve the choice of a new team of Commissioners. The EU Parliament compares to the US Congress with its President, which the people elect for two and a half year terms acting as its speaker. [112]

Some end time watchers reported on the European Parliament Presidency as the possible launching pad for the Antichrist, assuming this President led the Union. The Union’s institutional structure comprises of five presidents: the Council’s, Parliaments, Court of Justice’s, Court of Auditors and the Commission. Of the five, the Commission President heads the European Union.

The Court of Justice

The Court of Justice, located in Luxembourg, is comprised of 27 judges, one from each member state plus one other, assisted by 8 advocates-general. The Council of the European Union appoints the judges and advocates-general for six-year renewable terms. The judges elect the President of the Court of Justice for a renewable term of three years. The President presides over hearings and deliberations, directing both judicial business and administration. The EU’s Court parallels the US Supreme Court. It enforces EU treaties, determines the interpretation and implementation of Union legislation, and resolves conflicts between Union and national laws. Basically it makes sure that the Member States effectively apply the laws. Union law (based on the Treaties of Rome) and national law of the individual member countries now intertwine. Its decisions attracts more and more of the national courts’ attention. Court decisions strengthen EU institutions and promote EU policies. Verdicts reached by simple majority are binding on all parties, and are not subject to appeal.[113]

The Court of Auditors

The Maastricht Treaty established the Court of Auditors as the fifth institution of the EU. The Court of Auditors examines the accounts of all of the Union’s revenues and expenditures. One member from each EU member state and a President, make up the Court. The Court has no judicial functions. It is rather a professional external investigatory audit agency. The Court checks if officials implement the budget of the European Union correctly, and ensures that EU funds are spent legally and with sound management. A staff of approximately 800 auditors, translators and administrators supports the Court.[114]

The European Council

The European Councils held their first meeting in 1961 and formalized them after 1974. These brought together the Commission President and the leaders of the EU countries in deciding political guidelines for the Union. The Council has no formal executive or legislative powers, it deals with major issues and meets about four times a year in Brussels. The Lisbon Treaty made the European Council a full-fledged European institution. It is headed by a President. Elected by the Council for two and a half years; the President prepares the Council’s work, ensures its continuity and works to secure consensus among member countries. The position is a non-executive, administrative role. The highest political body of the EU, it is chaired by a member of the Council of the European Union formerly known as the Council of Ministers President. He can call meetings beyond the four that are formally required to take place. Lisbon gave the Council greater say over a variety of EU related matters. While the Commission and Council of the European Union are two separate institutions that work together, the European Council brings these two groups together as one institution. [115]

The European Central Bank

Established in 1998 and modeled on the German Bundesbank, the bank which was once independent from any European or national institution is now a governmental institution of the European Union. The Governing Council, the supreme decision making body of the ECB takes decisions on monetary policy, interest rates and reserves of the ESCB along with other matters. The Union only allows the President of the European Council, the President of the EU Commission and members to attend its meetings. Governing Council members represent the interests of the Eurozone as a whole.

Also Within The Institutional Structure

The Economic and Social Committee represents the views and interests of EU nationals.

The Committee of the Regions ensures the respect of regional and local identities and prerogatives.

In addition the EU has other bodies that play specialized roles, the European Investment bank, European Investment Fund, European Ombudsman, European Data Protection Supervisor, Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, European Personnel Selection Office and the European Administrative School.[116]

The False Prophet

Revelation 13:11 tells us that John saw another beast, but this beast comes out of the earth vs. the Antichrist’s empire, which rises from the seas. He has two horns like a lamb but speaks as a dragon. The Bible describes in Revelation 12-15:

And he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence, and causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.

He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men.

And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived.

He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed.

While the Beast rises out of the sea as a giant monster the False Prophet in contrast comes out of the earth like a lamb and possesses two horns. The “False Prophet” might be a spiritual leader, his designation as prophet and his comparison to a lamb signifies this. Since the Antichrist abolishes religion, he may act as a spiritual occultist. Hitler consulted occultists during his time in power. His possessing two horns might mean that he holds a leadership position in addition to his position in the Antichrist’s federation.

The False Prophet can rise from the EU Commission holding the title of Vice President of the Union. This Prophet has similar powers of the most powerful Biblical prophets: Elijah and Elisha. Both raised someone from the dead and performed great miracles. The False Prophet breathes life into the Beast’s image, which is either a statue or an actual human clone of the Antichrist. God made man in his image and in the same wording the Bible states that this replica is the image of the Beast. Antichrist might use the science of cloning to try to deceive the people that he can create life. God allows the False Prophet the power to breath life into the image so that it speaks and the world worships his likeness. [117] His clone fits the description of the “abomination of desolation” that stands in the holy place (Matt: 24:26, Mark: 13:14).

All who do not worship the image of the Beast, Antichrist’s henchmen will kill. Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon foreshadows the Antichrist and is one of the titles given to him. He leads the first world empire seen in Daniel’s dream image and represents the head of gold. As the Antichrist whose little horns grows to the host of heaven, (Dan. 8:10) the Scriptures depict Nebuchadnezzar as a tree whose height also reaches the heavens (Dan. 4:11, 20). For seven years God gives Nebuchadnezzar a mental illness that makes him act like an animal (Dan. 4:15-16). Similarly, the Antichrist reigns as a Beast for seven years.

Like the Antichrist, he sets up a golden image which stood 60 cubits tall and six cubits wide, i.e. 66. Babylonian officials played music and commanded those who heard the music to fall down and worship the golden image. Those who refused to worship the image soldiers cast into a fiery furnace. As with the Antichrist the King of Babylon required all nations and peoples to worship the image (Dan. 3:7.) Daniel and two of his friends refused to worship the idol. Soldiers cast them into the furnace and they survived and one like a son of God walked amongst them in the furnace, which soldiers heated seven times hotter than usual. As Daniel, the tribulation saints will experience the captivity under Babylon as the Jews did the year Jeremiah predicted the invasion. At this time the EU functions as the dictatorship described in Scripture.

In reviewing the EU’s undemocratic institutional structure which places too much power in the European Commission, and the Commission Presidency which will allow the Antichrist all of the powers outlined in Scripture, one can only stand in awe at the accuracy of the Bible.

NOTES

1. 1. Op. Cit. European Union Treaty, p. 82.

1. 1. “Europe: Rings-Doves and Openness,” Economist, 22 August 1992.

1. 1. Andrew Willis, “Eastern States Counter EU’s Secretive Nomination Process, ”EU Observer, November 13, 2009, http://euobserver.com/9/28985

John F. Walvoord, “Prophecy Knowledge Handbook,” Wheaton: Victor Books, 1990, pp. 268-270.

Unknown Duo chosen as New Face of Europe,” Euranet: European Radio Network, November 20, 2009 http://www.euranet.eu/eng/Archive/News/English/2009/November/Unknown-duo-chosen-as-new-faces-of-Europe

“Europe Unity Tested by Talk of President,” Associated Press, November 15, 2009

Stephen Castle, Steven Erlanger, “Belgian Prime Minister Picked as European President” International Herald Tribune, November 19, 2009

1. 1. Peter Ludlow, “Maastricht and the Future of Europe,” Washington Quarterly, Autumn 1992, pp. 120, 124, 126.

1. “Treaty of Lisbon: Taking Europe Into the 21st Century: A More Democratic and Transparent Europe: , Europa.eu, http://europa.eu/lisbon_treaty/glance/democracy/index_en.htm

Christopher Bollyn, “Estonians Wary of European Union,” American Free Press, November 19. 2003, http://www.thetruthseeker.co.uk/article.asp?ID=1065

1. 1. “World Affairs: Western Europe,” Encyclopedia Britannica, p. 444. Stephen Prokesch, “Thatcher Will Leave the House of Commons but Plans to Keep Speaking Out,” New York Times, 29 June, 1991. “Quotes,” EUROCOM Bulletin, June 1996.

1. 1. Maurice Duverger, “The Evolving European Parliament,” World Press Review, September 1989, p. 32.

1. 1. “Quotes,” EUROCOM Bulletin, “August/September 1990.

1. 1. Tony Benn Interview by Kent Worcester, “Europe’s Democratic Defecit,” World Policy Journal, Fall 1991, p. 741. See also George Ross, “After Maastricht,” World Policy Journal, p. 507. See also Stephen Woddard, “The Lessons of the Vote in Denmark,” New Federalist, March 1992, p. 3.

1. 1. “From Luxembourg to Maastricht, 100 Critical Days to Maastricht,” p. 46.

1. 1. Alaine Lamassoore, “Three Houses, One Home,” European Affairs October/November 1992, no. 5, p. 21.,

1. 1. Op. Cit. Walvoord, pp. 70-71.

1. 1. Op. Cit. Dwight Pentecost, pp. 319-320.

1. 1. Richard Hay, “The European Commission and the Administration of the Community,” European Documentation periodical 3/1989, Luxembourg: Official Publication of the European Communities, May 1989, pp. 21-22.

1. 1. “European Parliament: The Appointment of the Commission President and the Rest of the Commission,” Europa.eu http://www.europarl.europa.eu/parliament/public/staticDisplay.do;jsessionid=27BC70E7D1F26252ED0CE49E68F1235F.node1?id=146&language=en

1. 1. For additional commentary on EU institutions see Seth Elliot, “The European Parliament,” Europe, June 1990, p. 8. See also “Talking Shop Become Hyper-Market,” Economist, 1 February 1992, p. 50. See also Europe, November 1989, p. 40, and Emile Noel, Working Together: The Institutions of the European Community, Luxembourg, 1988, p. 38.

1. Susan Anderson, “The Cloning of Human Beings” University of CT: August 10-15, 1998 Boston, http://www.bu.edu/wcp/MainBioe.htm

The Empire: Bible Prophecy and the EU -Free Edition

 

The Empire: EU and Bible Prophecy-INT

The Empire: As was time of Noah and Lot-1

The Empire: The Antichrist-2

The Empire:Mother of Harlots -3

The Empire: Cornerstone for Uniting the World-4

The Empire: Building an Empire-5

The Empire: Seat of Antichrist- 6

The Empire: Ten Kings-3 Plucked up by roots- 7

The Empire:Mark of the Beast-8

The Empire: United States in Prophecy- 9

The Empire: Israel Peace Treaty -10

The Empire: The Tribulation is Coming- 11