Like most Bible Prophecy students, I myself believed that the European Union was the beastly kingdom of the Antichrist. In my article titled ''The Great Tribulation'' which was written about 3 years ago, 2 years before I started the Bible Prophecy In The News web site, I mentioned that the 10 nations of the Western European Union could be the 10 kings of Daniel 7 and Revelation 13. But one day as I was reading Revelation 13, I noticed that the beast was a composite beast which had traits of the first three kingdoms of Daniel 7, namely the Babylonian, Medo-Persian and Grecian Empires. I then realized that the beast of Revelation 13 was not referring to the European Union as a revived form of the Roman Empire like most prophecy scholars have taught for many years following the traditional interpretation of Church fathers who saw two phases of the Roman Empire, but it was a composite kingdom which would geographically occupy what we know today as the Middle East extending from Turkey in the West, south to Jordan and Egypt and East all the way to Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.
Although Rome could be part of the beast as represented by one of the seven heads which represent the seven kingdoms of history, probably only the Eastern portion of the Roman empire (Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Turkey - all Islamic nations) will be part of the final beast since the geographic location of these modern nation were under the dominion of the previous empires of Daniel 7. This will totally exclude Western Europe from the beast geographical dominion because Western Europe was not occupied by any of the first three empires of Daniel 7 which are the composite beast of Revelation 13, namely the Lion (Babylonian empire - modern Iraq), the bear (Persian Empire - modern Iran) and the leopard (Seleucid and Ptolemaic divisions of the Grecian empire - modern Syria, Egypt, and Turkey).
The fourth beast of Daniel 7 is said to crush all the previous three beasts:
''After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns . . .Then I would know the truth of the fourth beast, which was diverse from all the others, exceeding dreadful, whose teeth were of iron, and his nails of brass; which devoured, brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with his feet . . .thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.'' (Daniel 7:7,19,23)
It should be pointed out that the word earth in this passage does not refer to the entire planet earth, but to the general area dominated by the first three beasts - Babylon, Persia, and Greece which is the Middle East for the most part. This is confirmed in Revelation 13 where this fourth beast of Daniel becomes the composite beast which is like unto a leopard, has the feet of a bear and the mouth of a lion. This is like saying today that the beast looks like Turkey, Syria and Egypt, has Iranian feet and an Iraqi mouth. I have no idea where people get the idea that this symbolism refers to the European Union. I made the same mistake in the past of applying allegorical meaning to these literal physical attributes of the beast as referring to the European Union because I was following what others had been teaching. Notice that the beast stamps the residue with his feet. As we have seen, the feet belongs to the bear in Revelation 13 which was the Medo - Persian empire in Daniel 7, modern day Iran. Is it a coincidence that Iran is now becoming the most hostile nation to Israel and the West? I don't think so. If the beast stamps with his feet, It means that Iran will be one of the strongest nations of this beastly kingdom militarily. Is it a coincidence that Russia has been helping Iran develop nuclear plants and is arming Iran with all kinds of advanced missiles? I don't think so.
If the Roman empire is the fourth beast of Daniel 7, then why did it not devour (conquer) the area occupied by the first three beasts which dominated the regions east of the Euphrates River where Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan are located? After all, this entire area was dominated by the Eastern portions of the Grecian empire. This means that Rome did not devour the Grecian empire at all as the fourth beast was supposed to do according to the prophecy given to Daniel. This can be clearly seen by comparing a map of the Roman Empire with the map of the Grecian Empire. The fourth beast of Daniel must be a beast that would be able to occupy all the area dominated by the Babylonian, Persian and Grecian empires. Again, this goes from Turkey, Egypt and Syria in the Western portions of the Middle East all the way to Asia where Afghanistan and Pakistan are located geographically. The common teaching about Revelation 17 where we read that five kings had fallen (Egypt, Assyrian, Babylon, Medo-Persian and Greece), one is - the sixth (that is Rome) and the seventh must come to last a short time says that the seventh is a revival of the Roman empire of which the European Union is the fulfillment. Well, this view is not correct. After the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 AD, the empire continued in the East with its capital in Byzantium renamed Constantinople, modern day Istanbul, Turkey.
The Eastern Roman Empire lasted until about 1453 A.D, when it finally fell to the Islamic Caliphate of the Ottoman Turks.The seventh kingdom that would continue for a short space would be the Ottoman empire.The Ottoman Empire bowed out of the First World War with the signing of the Armistice of Mudros on October 30th, 1918. This was followed 13 days later with the occupation of Istanbul. Under the terms of the Treaty of Sèvres, the Ottoman Empire lost its Middle Eastern territories which became mandates of Britain and France. Unlike Rome, the Ottoman empire occupied all the region dominated by the Babylonian, Persian and Grecian empires thus being the fulfillment of the fourth beast which would devour all the previous beasts geographically and is the seventh head of the beast which would continue a short space according to Revelation 17:10. Remember that the term short space is from God's perspective, not man's. A map of the Turkish Ottoman empire reveals that it occupied almost all the area of the Babylonian, Persian and Grecian empires combined.
The prophecy of Daniel suggests that this empire would have two phases because Daniel saw ten horns that came out of this beast:
''Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces. And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise . . . (Daniel 7:23-24)
This passage seems to clearly suggest that the ten horns (kings) will arise at a latter time of this beast's dominion. It is said to arise just prior to the time God establishes his kingdom on earth:
But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end. ''And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.'' (Daniel 7:26-27).
To be even more specific, Revelation says that these kings will arise sometime during the middle of the seven year period which Israel is in a covenant relationship with the guy who becomes the head of the 10 kings of this kingdom:
''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. These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.'' (Revelation 17:13-13)
''. . . and power was given unto him (the composite beast) to continue forty and two months [three and a half years]. ''( Revelation 13:5b)
The ten kings will arise just three and a half years before Jesus Christ comes to destroy them and their beastly kingdom. It must be pointed out now that we have identified the beast as a kingdom that rules from the areas dominated by the Babylonian, Persian and Seleucid Grecian empires that this entire region is dominated by Islam which dominated almost all the areas of all these three empires under the power of the Turkish Ottoman empire in the past. The beast must be Islamic in nature since Islam is what governs this entire region. It includes not only the Middle East, but North Africa, parts of Eastern Europe and parts of Southern Russia. We are talking about an Islamic beast here. Now we are going to explore why Western Europe will be excluded from this kingdom and why it will be friendly to Israel instead of being beastly because the whole purpose of this beast is to destroy the nation of Israel under the inspiration of Satan himself.
In my article titled, The Kingdom of the Antichrist: An Alternate View, I explored the fact that Western Europe would be included in this beastly kingdom because of the Roman empire being one of the heads of the beast, but as I keep studying the prophetic passages about this subject and comparing them with maps, I am beginning to lean more towards an Eastern occupation of this beast geographically. As I mentioned above, only the Eastern parts of the Roman empire which included Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, and Syrian - all Islamic nations - will be part of this beast leaving the Western parts of the Roman empire (Europe) out of this mess. The European Union instead of being the great enemy of Israel as assumed by many, will be one of the best friends of Israel against this Islamic beast which will seek to annihilate Israel from the face of the earth once and for all. Those, who hold to the European Union end time view might be asking by now: How can you dare say such a thing and go against centuries of Church teaching regarding the origin of the political beast that will seek to destroy Israel in the end times? After all, most prophecy scholars today teach that the European Union is the beast. The fact of the matter is that the angel who gave all the prophetic revelation to Daniel also said in the last chapter that its content was to be revealed only at the time of the end because the book was sealed by God himself:
''But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.'' (Daniel 12:4)
This means that all the traditional teaching regarding the Roman empire is incorrect, after all, this teaching has been going around since the first centuries even before Islam was born as not only a religion, but also as a form a government which demands the liberation of territories once dominated by its power. Church fathers did not have the advantage that we have today of seeing end time events being unfolded before our eyes. I appreciate all their efforts in trying to identify the kingdom of the beast, but the prophetic revelations given to Daniel were not to be revealed until the time of the end when God would start to unseal the book. In fact the angel connects the time of the end with the three and a half years of the Tribulation:
''And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things? And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.
Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand. And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.'' (Daniel 12:8-11)
Note that the angel says that the words are sealed until the time of the very end, namely the 1290 days after the daily sacrifice is taken away, namely, the braking of the covenant between the Antichrist and Israel when a Third Jewish Temple will be standing on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem which will have animal daily sacrifices to be performed by Jewish priests according to the Mosaic Law.
As we approach the time of the end, God's prophetic Revelation given to Daniel will begin to unfold to prophecy students and that is exactly what is happening today. Israel is in the land, the Arab world is trying to destroy her as predicted in Joel 3, Zechariah 12:1-9 and 14:1-12, Ezekiel 35, 38 & 39 , Psalm 83 and many other passages which speak of end time Arab hatred toward the Jews and the nation of Israel.
Now back to the European Union being a friend to, not an enemy of Israel, where do we find this in the Bible? That is what we will explore now. I am very thankful to Walid Shoebat and Joel Richardson for making mention of this subject in their new book God's War on Terror: Islam, Prophecy and the Bible. I will quote a passage of the book here and will expand upon it.
NATIONS ATTACK ANTICHRIST
''Another reason the position that every nation will fall to the Antichrist is impossible, is the fact that some will resist the Antichrist and attack him ''Many countries will fall, but Edom, Moab and the leaders of Ammon will be delivered from his hand.'' (Daniel 11:41). The Bible says ''many countries'' not ''all''. Elsewhere, we read that Chittim will come against him. Daniel 11:30 says that ships of Kittim (often translated as ''out of the west'') will come against the king of the North (Antichrist). ''For the Ships of Kittim shall come against him''. Chittim refers to the islands and coastline of the Mediterranean and in a wider sense, the Roman legions, or Europe. In numbers 24:24, Balaam foretold, ''that ships shall come from the coast of Kittim, and afflict Eber.'' Josephus identifies Kittim as Cyprus, whose ancient capital was called Kition by the Greeks. Cyprus also extended to include lands west of Syria, all of Greece, and as far as Illyricum and Italy. Note that none of these lands are Muslim. The name was first used to identify the Phoenician port of Citium in Cyprus. In fact, Kittim actually appears in the Dead Sea Scrolls and is even translated as '' Romans'' in the Septuagint.
In general, the term Kittim was used to refer to all the islands and settlements along the seacoasts, as well as to the people who succeeded them when the Phoenician power decayed. Thus, Kittim generally refers to the islands and coasts of the Mediterranean and the races that inhabit those areas.
If the Antichrist were to come from the Western Roman Empire of Europe, the ships of Kittim would not come against him.
To answer the question, are any European nations mentioned in the Bible? Yes. The ships of Chittim in the Septuagint are literally the the European nations form Cyprus to Italy to Spain.
According to the prophecy of Daniel 11 they attacked Antiochus who was a foreshadow of the Antichrist, as such, this passage could very well involve a dual fulfillment, and we could have a prophecy about a European attack against the forces of the Antichrist'' [1]
Before I go on, I want to quote Numbers 24 mentioned in the above quotation just to make a personal point:
'' there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Scepter shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth . . . Out of Jacob shall come he that shall have dominion, and shall destroy him that remaineth of the city. And when he looked on Amalek, he took up his parable, and said, Amalek was the first of the nations; but his latter end shall be that he perish for ever. And he looked on the Kenites, and took up his parable, and said, Strong is thy dwellingplace, and thou puttest thy nest in a rock.
Nevertheless the Kenite shall be wasted, until Asshur shall carry thee away captive .And he took up his parable, and said, Alas, who shall live when God doeth this! And ships shall come from the coast of Chittim, and shall afflict Asshur, and shall afflict Eber, and he also shall perish for ever.'' (Numbers 24:19:24)
This is the prophecy of the Messiah (star out of Jacob) that will have dominion. Note that when the ships of the coast of Chittim come to afflict Eber as mentioned by Walid and Joel in the book, it also says that they shall afflict Asshur (Hebrew for Assyria). I have mentioned in my other articles that the Antichrist will be an Assyrian who will rise from a new Assyrian nation to be reborn in the Middle East. Could it be that this prophecy is talking about the European forces afflicting (attacking) the land of Assyria in Northern Iraq when the Antichrist rises to power? We are told that military forces shall waste the land of Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod in the entrances thereof when the Assyrian comes against Israel according to Micah 5:6. By the way, this prophecy only takes place after the birth of the Messiah in Bethlehem mentioned in verse 2 of the same chapter who will save Israel from the ''Assyrian''
Now, could it be possible that this whole revival of the Western Roman Empire in the form of the European Union which is very powerful militarily is actually a plan of God to use it as his personal league of European nations to defend Israel from the attacks of the Islamic beast and its leader, the Antichrist? Consider a few passages from Isaiah and Jeremiah which talk about the future destruction of the Antichrist's political and economic capital, namely Babylon (modern Iraq) which is just a few hundred miles south of Mosul and Nineveh, Iraqi cities where most of the population is Assyrian. The Antichrist is called the king of Babylon in Isaiah 14:4 and in just a few verses later he called what? The ''Assyrian'' (Isaiah 14:25)
''The burden of Babylon, which Isaiah the son of Amoz did see. Lift ye up a banner upon the high mountain, exalt the voice unto them, shake the hand, that they may go into the gates of the nobles. I have commanded my sanctified ones, I have also called my mighty ones for mine anger, even them that rejoice in my highness. The noise of a multitude in the mountains, like as of a great people; a tumultuous noise of the kingdoms of nations gathered together: the LORD of hosts mustereth the host of the battle. They come from a far country, from the end of heaven, even the LORD, and the weapons of his indignation, to destroy the whole land. And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees' excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation: neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there; neither shall the shepherds make their fold there.'' (Isaiah 13:1-5,19-20)
In this passage we read that God will raise a kingdom (group or league) of nations from a far country (continent or territory according to the Strong's' concordance) to destroy Babylon, Antichrist's political and economic capital as seen in Revelation 18. Note that they carry weapons of God's indignation to destroy the whole land of Babylon. Are these nuclear weapons? God says that he will show fire, and pillars of smoke. (nuclear explosions and mushroom clouds) before his Great Day arrives in Joel 2:30.
Now consider this from Jeremiah:
"For, lo, I will raise and cause to come up against Babylon an assembly of great nations from the north country: and they shall set themselves in array against her; from thence she shall be taken: their arrows shall be as of a mighty expert man; none shall return in vain.. . .Behold, a people shall come from the north, and a great nation, and many kings shall be raised up from the coasts of the earth. They shall hold the bow and the lance: they are cruel, and will not shew mercy: their voice shall roar like the sea, and they shall ride upon horses, every one put in array, like a man to the battle, against thee, O daughter of Babylon." (Jeremiah 50:9, 41- 42)
God says He will raise up an assembly of Great nations from the North country against Babylon. Europe is North of the Middle East. Many kings shall be raised up from the coasts of the earth. They have arrows as of a mighty expert man so that none shall return in vain. Could this be missiles? Remember that in the Isaiah passage above Babylon shall be destroyed as Sodom and Gomorrah - by fire. It was conquered by Cyrus in 539 B.C without a battle, not destroyed by fire like we see here. Revelation 18 also says it will be destroyed by fire.
Could it be that this great assembly of nations from the north coasts of the earth that God will use to come against the kingdom of the beast and destroy Babylon, its political and economic capital is a reference to the European Union. Remember what Walid and Joel said in the book quoted above - that the Romans came to attack Antiochus Epiphanes when he came against Israel and that this prophecy could have a dual fulfillment? I believe it will have a dual fulfillment because that is how Bible prophecy works.
Note that the world map below shows Europe North of the Middle East. The European Union is probably the assembly of Great Nations that comes from the ''coasts of the earth'' (Europe is sorrounded by coasts) to attack Babylon, the Antichrist's political and economic capital as seen in the Jeremiah passage above
I get sad when I see people say that the new French President Nicolas Sarkozy is the Antichrist. The guy is working to help Israel and defend her from Arab aggression and is labeled as the Antichrist. The Antichrist is said to come out of the Seleucid division of the Grecian Empire which ruled the regions of Turkey, Syria and Iraq according to Daniel 11. This region is in the Middle East and it is dominated by Islam. How can people come up with the idea that Nicolas Sarkozy who is all the way in France be the Antichrist? This is stretching Scriptures beyond measures.
Before I conclude, I want to mention here that I know I will receive hate mails from people who will be furious after reading this article. I have received them in the past when I still included Western Europe as part of the kingdom of the beast in my other articles and I know that after excluding Western Europe from the Antichrist's kingdom, people will call me a lunatic, a heretic and who knows what else among other things but that is ok. Jesus was crucified for speaking against the teachings and traditions of men and I am not surprised that as a humble servant of the Lord I will be hated by people for doing the same thing - going against the teachings and traditions of men.
Conclusion
The kingdom of the Antichrist will be an Islamic kingdom which will include no Western European nation. The European Union is in my opinion God's personal assembly of great nations to defend Israel from the Antichrist and his Islamic kingdom until Jesus Christ himself returns to put an end to this mess once and for all. When the European Union realizes that the Antichrist is crazy enough to go against the most strong holds [strongest military forces] (Daniel 11:39) with the help of his god of war (Allah), I prefere to call Him Satan, the EU will back off and pave the way for Jesus himself to come back and save Israel from total annihilation by destroying the beast and its Islamic armies. (Revelation 19:11-20, Zechariah 12:9 ,14:1-4 and Joel 3:1-3)
Maranatha! Come Lord Jesus!
God bless you!
Rodrigo Silva
08/24/08
Endnotes
[1] God's War on Terror: Islam, Prophecy and the Bible by Walid Shoebat and Joel Richardson,page 280
