In the last few Bible in the News broadcasts we have focused on Britain’s exit from Europe, fulfilling the Bible’s prophetic requirements, and the anticipation of generations of Bible students. Now we move our attention to what everyone is asking,

What is next?

What Next? The Bible’s answer:

The scripture is clear on its assessment of Europe in the latter days, and their destiny. They are to comprise the Roman beast that is resurrected in at the time of the end:

“The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit…..” (Revelation 17:8)

Impression of the Beast Described in Revelation17

This ascending beast is comprised of 10 horns, which by themselves don’t amount to much, but together form the beast power:

“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.” (Revelation 17:12)

The process of unification involves all facets of societal life:

“These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.” (Revelation 17:13)

They are united in mind, the Greek word gnome, which is defined by Strong’s as, “reason, judgment, opinion, resolve, purpose or intention.” Consequently, they voluntarily give their power and strength to the beast system. Power, the Greek word dunamis, is defined by Strong’s as, “their inherent power, the power and influence which belongs to riches and wealth, and the power and resources arising from numbers, or the power consisting in or resting upon armed forces.”

Regardless of the current turmoil in the European Union, with the British vote to leave the European Union, the end game is perfectly clear. A stronger union will be formed with Britain out.

Get out quickly:

This past few weeks have seen a clear response from Europe to Britain’s vote. A chorus of views have been expressed by European politicians, and for the most part they are united – you have voted to go, so get out quickly.

“Personally I am very sad about this decision, but of course we have to respect it. We now expect the United Kingdom Government to give effect to this decision of the British people as soon as possible, however painful that process may be” – Jean-Claude Junker, EU Commission President. 

Politicians in France have echoed this call:

Britain needs to leave the European Union as quickly as possible, arguing that a long period of uncertainty would be damaging to the markets and economic growth….. When you get divorced, you do not get to stay at home,” he declared. “You have to leave the common house.” - Alain Juppe, French Presidential contender

Britain’s Guardian newspaper reported:

Meeting for emergency talks in Berlin, foreign ministers from the EU’s six founding member states demanded the earliest possible start to the Brexit process.

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France’s foreign minister, Jean-Marc Ayrault, said Britain must trigger article 50 of the Lisbon treaty, the procedure for leaving the EU.

There was “a certain urgency”, Ayrault said after the meeting with his counterparts from Belgium, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, adding that David Cameron should step aside soon for a new leader to manage the transition out of the union.

The newspaper reported the German foreign minister also joined in:

“this process must begin as soon as possible, so we don’t end up in an extended limbo period” - Frank-Walter Steinmeier, German foreign minister

Again, the newspaper reported of the EU Commission President:

Earlier, the president of the European commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, said the British had voted to
leave and “it doesn’t make any sense to wait until October to try to negotiate the terms of their departure”.

Juncker, who said Britain’s departure would not be “an amicable divorce” but observed it was never “a tight love affair anyway”, said he would “like to get started immediately”.

Calls for a stronger Europe:

The exit of Britain from the EU, although it has caused consternation, is also breathing new life into the beast. It reminds us of the words of Thessalonians when Pagan Rome was removed, making way for the man of sin to arise:

“And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way.” (2 Thessalonians 2:6–7) ESV

Now we know this is a different time and context, but the principle is the same. With the withstraining power of Britain out of the way, the beast can now be fully revealed or “apocalypsed” as the word is in the Greek.

Britain’s Daily Express ran a headline, “European SUPERSTATE to be unveiled: EU nations 'to be morphed into one' post-Brexit.”  The article stated,

EUROPEAN political chiefs are to take advantage of Brexit by unveiling their long-held plan to morph the continent’s countries into one GIANT SUPERSTATE, it has emerged. Under the radical proposals EU countries will lose the right to have their own army, criminal law, taxation system or central bank, with all those powers being transferred to Brussels.

Insisting that the nations of Europe have no power by themselves, European commission, Jean-Claude Juncker,  implored the nations of Europe to unite more closely:

“There is  no country in Europe which is a great power. We are all middle-ranking powers, so there is no future for us to stand alone in this globalised world.” – Jean-Claude Junker, EU Commission President. 

Remember the words of Revelation 17:

“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.” (Revelation 17:12)

The nations can only be strong “with the beast” and consequently must…

 “These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.” (Revelation 17:13)

A chorus of European politicians and leaders have been singing out of this same hymnbook.

France’s Juppe piped in:

 “We need to find a new distribution of power between the union and member states. The union needs to implement the famous principle of subsidiarity, not just talk about it. We need to enforce and strengthen the eurozone by greater convergence of tax and social systems. It is not possible to have common borders which are inefficient.” - Alain Juppe, French Presidential contender

Federica Mogherini, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission stated made the case:

The purpose, even existence, of our Union is being questioned. Yet, our citizens and the world need a strong European Union like never before. Our wider region has become more unstable and more insecure….

None of our countries has the strength nor the resources to address these threats and seize the opportunities of our time alone. But as a Union of almost half a billion citizens, our potential is unparalleled.

All these goals can only be achieved by a truly united and committed Europe. Joining all our cultures together to achieve our shared goals and serve our common interests is a daily challenge, but it is also our greatest strength: diversity is what makes us strong.

Yes, our interests are indeed common European interests: the only way to serve them is by common means. This is why we have a collective responsibility to make our Union a stronger Union. The people of Europe need unity of purpose among our Member States, and unity in action across our policies.

Unity of purpose is what is being called for, or as the Bible puts it having “one mind”.

Leadership of the European beast system is already being contended for. In an Article by ABC online, Germany is already seen as a leading contender:

After living in the shadow of London for decades, Britain's move should also allow the German financial capital, Frankfurt, to shine as a global market hub and emerge at the heart of European financial life.

Germany announced plans to expand its army for the first time in 25 years, with Berlin also quietly increasing its role in international military missions. Berlin's military boost should help fill at least part of the vacuum in Europe left by Britain — a pillar of the EU's defence capabilities.

So as Britain leaves, we see the European Union looking to strengthen itself, drawing closer together, and becoming more like the system described in the Bible. This will not doubt take time, and there will be some speed bumps along the way. The fascinating thing, is that with Britain out of the way, the road is clear to construct a Europe that is more in keeping with the Biblical image.

One Mind Against Israel

On a footnote, what is also interesting is an article written by former Israeli Ambassador to the US Michael Oren. In a meeting with the Dutch Foreign Affairs Committee reported asked,

"Let me get this straight, Your country is in economic crisis, tens of thousands of refugees are massing on your borders, and the EU may be unraveling, and yet the issue that most occupies you is…Israel?"

Oren reported that his hosts all agreed this was the biggest issue. He went on to state:

Whether Dutch or Belgian or German, they all report the same phenomenon. Israel—more than security, more than refugees, and the economy—sparks their bitterest debates. And each time I hear this, I find myself astonished. At stake, I realize, is not Israel's identity but the Europeans'. For them, the Jewish State is exactly that, a state of Jews against whom the West is once again defining itself.

He went on to state Europe’s relationship with Jews over the ages:

Just as, after the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE, Roman coins showed a proud legionary holding a spear over a humbled Jewish woman, medieval cathedrals portrayed Ecclesia lording a spear-like cross over a cowered Jewish woman.

Oren recalled the hostile relationship with the Europe and the Jewish people throughout history, Luther, The Enlightenment, The French Revolution, The Dryfus Affair, and Nazism.

So as Europe has the restraints of Protestant Britain removed from its conscience, it now can formulate its united, unfettered position on Israel.

This is of course, what the Bible predicts, when the Gogian host comes down into the land, as described in Ezekiel 38, it is “against my people of Israel.” So as we look at the political temperature in Europe, the pot is coming to the boil.

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