The Bible Magazine About Bible in the News Contact Us
The Leadership of Europe
The changing face of the European Union and Russia.
iTunes Download Badge    Google Podcasts Download Badge    PodBean Podcast Badge
October 1, 2011 - Audio, 9.00 MIN
(Links at bottom of page to download free viewers.)
This week's Economist cover depicts a black hole with the wording, "Until politicians actually do something about the world economy... be afraid." The cover article begins: "Unless politicians act more boldly, the world economy will keep heading towards a black hole. In dark days, people naturally seek glimmers of hope. But those hopes are likely to fade, for three reasons..." According to the article one of the big problems are the leaders of the Eurozone, it says: "Most of the blame for this should be heaped on the leaders of the euro zone, still the biggest immediate danger." The leadership is "lacking conviction and courage." The article concludes, ""At a time of enormous problems, the politicians seem Lilliputian. That’s the real reason to be afraid."
There is no doubt that Europe is in crisis, but is it the politician's fault? Europe is really being sucked into a vortex that nobody is able to control. However, it is a designed vortex. The architects of the European Union envisioned and designed this from the start. In 1997 John Laughland wrote in the book, "The Tainted Source. The undemocratic origins of the Europe idea.", that:

"To create a monetary union in Europe is to transfer a very important executive power from the nation-state to Europe. The transfer would be so great that the member states of Europe would cease to be self-governing entities. They would no longer have the right to govern themselves by taking decisions about the economy independently. Although a single currency might not formally create a new state, therefore, it would create one in fact.

"...it is the declared intention of Chancellor Kohl to use the single currency to make European union 'irreversible'. This suggests that member states are not expected to be able to revoke their consent to the monetary union. As the President of the Bundesbank has said, 'The path to monetary union is a path of no return."

John Laughland also quotes Karel van Miert, then the European Commissioner for Competition, from a publication on December 29, 1995,  which says, "The single currency is a strongly federalizing element. The opponents of a federal Europe are right about that. It is my conviction that the euro will lead to a European economic government." Fifteen years later this is exactly what is happening. The politicians have little choice. Countries like Greece are stuck between a rock and a hard place. On the one hand they can relinquish sovereignty and on the other hand they could pull out of the Euro -- something that they simply don't have the resources to do. The longer they wait the worse it gets. The argument of the Economist is that the politicians better do something and if they don't we should be scared. This type of message actually prepares the populace through fear, to surrender to the idea of relinquishing 'some' sovereignty, to a European central government.

In the next chapter John Laughland went on the write about what he called, "The third Rome". He began the chapter, "It is seldom realized that the plan to integrate the states of Western Europe around a single currency, grandiose though it is, is only part of an even larger plan. 'European integration' is not an exclusively Western European affair. 'Indeed, the very purpose of suggesting the institutional restructuring of Western Europe around a hard core, according to the plan's German authors, is to permit the creation of a common (Western) European foreign and security policy, which will in turn be based on a 'lasting partnership with Russia'. The German government has repeatedly stressed that it is 'the advocate of pan-European, not just West European, thinking'" He also wrote that, "The idea is then to construct a pan-European security architecture with Russia", and that monetary union in the west was a "necessary prerequisite for the larger vision of a one single politico-military system for the whole continent."

Another one of the lead articles on the Economist this week is, "Putin, forever, unfortunately". Yes it seems that the cold, calculating Putin is coming back to supreme power. If he wins the election -- which is almost a foregone conclusion, he could potentially stay in power until 2024. Over the last few years Putin has groomed his tough Russian nationalistic image and his cult personality status. He is a man who loves power and over the next 12 years he will make the most of it. Indeed, he is the type of person that will set about to build an 'image empire'. You may recall the words of John Thomas from over 150 years ago, which have been quoted on Bible in the News:

"The future movements of Russia are notable signs of the times, because they are predicted in the Scriptures of truth. The Russian Autocracy, in its plenitude, and on the verge of its dissolution, is the Image of Nebuchadnezzar standing upon the Mountains of Israel, ready to be smitten by the Stone. When Russia makes its grand move for the building-up of its Image-empire, then let the reader know that the end of all things, as at present constituted, is at hand. The long-expected, but stealthy advent of the King of Israel, will be on the eve of becoming a fact..."

Ezekiel 38 is a depiction of when the Image of Nebuchadnezzar moves upon the mountains of Israel and is smitten by the stone. Instead of being a contest between the stone and the Image, as in Daniel 2; Ezekiel 38 is a contest between the "son of man" and Gog.

The "son of man" is representative of the Messiah of Israel and his saints. (Matthew 24:30); in other words the core of the "little stone power" of Daniel 2. This is the same "son of man" who prophesied to the dry bones in Ezekiel 37 and brought them to national life. In Ezekiel 38 he prophecies against Gog.

Gog is a person, who in the chapter is referred to by the masculine singular pronominal suffix. "Prophecy against him..." (38:2, 38:14, 39:1). Ezekiel 38:2 in the Revised Version reads, "Son of man, set thy face toward Gog, of the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal, and prophecy against him." The RV treats Rosh as proper name as do some JPS translations, Greens, Young's Literal and the New King James Version. Key Lexicons do as well. Gesenius' Lexicon says of Rosh in Ezekiel 38, "Proper noun of a northern nation, mentioned with Tubal and Meshech; undoubtedly the Russians..."; Davidson's Lexicon, "Proper name of a northern nation, supposed to be the Russians."; and Langenscheidt's Hebrew English Dictionary, "Proper name of a Sythian people, Russians".

Gog is an emperor. He is the prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal, or as John Thomas put it: emperor of all the Russias. However he also has dominion over the land of Magog or the core of Western Europe. John Thomas wrote: "There is something important in all this. It affirms that he is sovereign of Magogue as well as prince of all the Russias; for there, at the time of the prophecy, is his proper dominion.

So it is with great interest that we watch the changing face of Europe, nations losing their sovereignty and the coming to power of a powerful iron-like ruler in Russia. We also see a common European and Russian foreign policy against Israel and in favour of the Palestinian Arab state. All these things demonstrate that the stage is being set for that final contest between the 'son of man' and 'Gog' upon the mountains of Israel. Gog is preparing and so must we, if we are to be found watching and waiting when the Master comes.

Come back next week God willing to BibleintheNews.com!



Bible in the News provides a weekly analysis of world politics and events
in the light of Bible prophecy — the Bible in the News!