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The Bible in the News
France pushes for strategic autonomy from the United States.
European nations are distancing themselves from the USA, not wanting to follow suit the shore up the US's world dominance.
Friday, April 14, 2023
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Ezekiel 38 describes a changing of the guard in the hegemony over Europe from the USA into Russia's Court. France's Macron has advocated moving away from US hegemony financially, militarily and industrially. The EU's president agrees, and nations such as German, Turkey and Hungary are singing out of the same hymn book. 


Frances president Macron visited China from April 5-7 along with EU president Ursula von de Leyen. On the trip out, two French journalists interviewed Macron on Frances version of Air Force One. The interview proved to be quite revealing about Frances foreign policy.

Macron spoke about his policy of Europe’s “strategic autonomy” from the USA. He specifically identified Europe’s involvement in the escalating China-Taiwan situation.

He compared it to Ukraine:

“Europeans cannot resolve the crisis in Ukraine; how can we credibly say on Taiwan, ‘watch out, if you do something wrong we will be there’? If you really want to increase tensions that’s the way to do it,”

He cautioned Europe in following America’s lead on Taiwan:

“The paradox would be that, overcome with panic, we believe we are just America’s followers. The question Europeans need to answer … is it in our interest to accelerate [a crisis] on Taiwan? No. The worse thing would be to think that we Europeans must become followers on this topic and take our cue from the U.S. agenda and a Chinese overreaction,”

POLITICO reported:


Macron also argued that Europe had increased its dependency on the U.S. for weapons and energy and must now focus on boosting European defense industries. 

He also suggested Europe should reduce its dependence on the “extraterritoriality of the U.S. dollar,” a key policy objective of both Moscow and Beijing. 

“If the tensions between the two superpowers heat up … we won’t have the time nor the resources to finance our strategic autonomy and we will become vassals,” he said.

As far as how his view of the relationship between Europe and the USA went, POLITICO reported:

Macron claimed to have already “won the ideological battle on strategic autonomy” for Europe.

This happened during China’s increased military activity around Taiwan. According to POLITICO:

Just hours after his flight left Guangzhou headed back to Paris, China launched large military exercises around the self-ruled island of Taiwan, which China claims as its territory but the U.S. has promised to arm and defend. 

Europe agrees to push away from the USA

According to Charles Michel, President of the European Union, in an interview with the French television show La Fuate a’ L’Europe which aired on Wednesday:

"There has been a leap forward on strategic autonomy compared to several years ago. On the issue of the relationship with the United States, it's clear that there can be nuances and sensitivities around the table of the European Council. Some European leaders wouldn't say things the same way that Emmanuel Macron did ... I think quite a few really think like Emmanuel Macron.

"There is indeed a great attachment that remains present — and Emmanuel Macron has said nothing else — for this alliance with the United States. But if this alliance with the United States would suppose that we blindly, systematically follow the position of the United States on all issues, no."

Moving toward the picture painted by the Bible.

Western Europe’s tenancy under the hegemony of the United States has always been a time-limited affair. The bible clearly paints the picture of an alliance (forced or otherwise), between Russia, France, Germany and other European Nations. Ezekiel 38 clearly states:

Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet: Gomer, and all his bands; the house of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with thee. Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them.” (Ezekiel 38:5–7)

Gomer and his bands is a direct reference to the nomadic tribes who migrated across Europe from Asia minor. The table of nation sin Genesis 10 indicates as much:

The sons of Japheth; Gomer, and Magog, and Madai, and Javan, and Tubal, and Meshech, and Tiras. And the sons of Gomer; Ashkenaz, and Riphath, and Togarmah. And the sons of Javan; Elishah, and Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim. By these were the isles of the Gentiles divided in their lands; every one after his tongue, after their families, in their nations.” (Genesis 10:2–5)

Japheth was the son of Noah, and as the families of the earth were divided, after the tower of Babel incident in Genesis 11, they migrated across Europe. One of Gomer’s sons “Ashkenaz” name was used for Black Sea, which was called the Sea of Ashkanaz. As his tribes migrated across Europe, the name became synonymous with Europe itself. European Jews were called Ashkenazi Jews.  Genesis tells us that these nations settled in the Island of the Gentiles.

Edward Wells relates,

“Colonies, which coming from the nation of Gomer, in process of time spread themselves further and further, and settled themselves in several parts of Europe… This colony… spreading themselves till by new colonies further westward, came along the Danube, and settled themselves in the country, which from them has been called Germany… Out of Germany the descendants of Gomer spread themselves into Gaul or France…”

Some modern revisionist historians reject the ancient historians and reverse the migrations, claiming the Gomerites (or Gallic peoples) migrating from the west coast of Europe to Asian Minor and settling in Galatia, but this violates the Genesis record and can be dismissed.

Gomer and all his bands refer to the Western European theatre dominated by Germany and France. These nations are to comprise some of the “many people with thee”, therefore, a shift in hegemony has to take place that moves France and Germany away from the US and the UK into Russia’s domain.

Moving Away from US Currency

One of the suggestions Macron made was “Europe should reduce its dependence on the extraterritoriality of the U.S. dollar.” This was why the European Union created its own currency in the first place: to reduce America’s influence. Both China and Russia have been moving away from US Currency Reserves. Macron’s statement is in keeping with their policy.

The Russian Finance Ministry reported that its foreign reserves surged over $600 billion. This comes after nearly 60% of their $643 US reserves were frozen following the Russian Invasion. The Special Drawing Rights (SDR) within the IMF, foreign currency, and gold holdings make up Russia's foreign exchange reserves.

According to the Indian Times,

Several countries including China, Russia, India, and Brazil are increasingly trading oil and energy in local currencies, ditching the dollar. If key countries like Saudi Arabia join, the collapse of the petrodollar first, and subsequently the dollar cannot be completely ruled out.”

The financial world is in a constant state of turmoil. OPEC+ group including Russia, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Kuwait have announced they are cutting their outputs again, and this is sending oil prices soaring.

According to a Moscow times headline, “Russian Oil Exports Hit Near 3-Year High in March Despite Revenue Drop.” The article stated:

The IEA said total oil shipments from Russia had risen by 600,000 barrels per day (bpd) to 8.1 million bpd last month….

China and India have largely replaced Western markets in purchasing Russian oil.  With the rise in prices, this will help Russia fund its war with Ukraine.

Changing of the Guard

NATO in its current form must dissolve. The US must lose its hegemony over the European arena for the Biblical description to hold sway.  It is Russia who is to “be a guard unto them” – and not the USA.  This might well be the reason for China’s rise, and its adversarial role with the USA. It might be to drive a wedge between the US and Europe – as Europe doesn’t want to be pulled into a conflict that is more about the US world dominancy than anything else.

As Russia moves closer to victory in Ukraine, France and Germany are looking to distance themselves from the USA.

Macron has been leading the charge. Remember back to the interview he held in 2019 with the Economist when he described NATO as experiencing “Brain Death”?  Hel also insisted on offering Putin “security guarantees” after the invasion of Ukraine, wanting to placate the Russian Bear.


According to POLITICO:

France is no leader when it comes to supporting Ukraine. According to data compiled by the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, as of late February, France was ranked 10th in terms of its overall aid commitments to Ukraine, behind Norway and the Netherlands, and 23rd when the aid was measured as a share of gross domestic product — hence a growing furor among Central and Eastern European powers over the Taiwan comments.

The same news service also pointed out:

As one of the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council and the only nuclear power in the EU, France is in a unique position militarily.

The recent leaked US war files have also shed some light on the other European nation’s “cold feet” when it comes to supporting the USA and Ukraine against Russia. Again, according to POLITICO’s the recent US classified document leaks revealed data about Europe:

The document indicates Germany had committed just four Leopard 2s — the most high-end model — but Berlin said in late March that it had delivered 18 Leopards to Ukraine…. the document shows that as of February 23, only 31 percent of the 200 tanks pledged had gotten to the battlefield

What is being said, and what is happening are two different things. It is not only the French and Germans. The article also pointed out Hungary:

The most eye-popping nugget is buried in a “top secret” CIA update from March 2, which says Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán branded the U.S. “one of his party’s top three adversaries during a political strategy session” on February 22.

The remarks, it notes, constitute “an escalation of the level of anti-American rhetoric” from Orbán.

Indeed, Orbán’s government has charted its own course during the war, promoting Russia-friendly narratives, essentially calling on Ukraine to quit and caustically dismissing allied efforts to isolate Russia’s economy. 

And there is the NATO “ally” Turkey which has portrayed itself as a middleman between Ukraine and Russia. The article on the leaks went on to state:

The leaked pile of clandestine U.S. intelligence reports, however, shows a darker side to Turkey’s position as a middleman that distinctly favours Russia. 

One page describes how Turkey helped both Russia and its ally Belarus evade strict Western sanctions — a concern U.S. officials have expressed publicly.

For Belarus, the document says, “Turkish companies purchased sanctioned goods” and then “sold them in European markets.” In the opposite direction, it adds, these companies “resold goods from Europe to Russia.” 

More alarming is another leaked document that describes a meeting in February between “Turkish contacts” and the Wagner Group, the private militia firm fighting for the Kremlin. It says Wagner was seeking “to purchase weapons and equipment from Turkey” for the group’s “efforts in Mali and Ukraine.”

We see the media show is one thing, the actuality is quite another. While the leaks are embarrassing for the USA, they are very telling of the changing of the guard in Europe.

As watch the angels at work in the nations around – we need to prepare ourselves for the coming of the Lord – at a time when the world will be completely unawares…

But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,” (1 Thessalonians 5:4–9)

For the Bible in the News, this has been Jonathan Bowen joining you.



Printed:  Friday, April 14, 2023

 

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