Chapter 2 : Europe

In The Book of Signs, Dr. David Jeremiah offers answers to questions including:

• What does the Bible tell us about the future?
• How much can we understand about biblical prophecy and its application in our lives?
• What signs and signals will precede the end of everything as we know it?
• Which of those signs and signals have already come to pass, which are we experiencing now, and which are still to come?

An epic and authoritative guide to biblical prophecy, The Book of Signs is a must-have resource for Christians seeking to navigate the uncertainties of the present and embrace God’s promises for the future with a renewed sense of hope and purpose.

Chapter two Europe. When he was a teenager, Albert Einstein had a dream that likely changed the course of scientific history.
In the dream, Einstein was walking through a field when he noticed a group of cows far away in the distance, all leaning against an electric fence.
The cows were enjoying the grass that had previously been out of their reach because of the fence beyond the cows.
Einstein saw a farmer working near the opposite end of the fence, presumably fixing whatever had caused the loss of electricity.
All of a sudden, Einstein saw the entire group of cows jump back from the fence at the same time, rightly, assuming that the fence had been repaired.
Einstein walked on when he reached the farmer, Einstein commented how humorous it had been to see all the cows jump back at the same time, but the farmer was confused.
He told Einstein that’s not what happened at all.
From his perspective, the cows had jumped back one at a time, starting with a cow closest to him.
Upon waking, the dream, stayed in Einstein’s mind. In fact, he continued to ruminate about the dream for decades.
Eventually, his continued meditations on that subject became one of the factors that contributed to His theory of general relativity.
Can you imagine anyone having a more significant dream than that?
Well, actually, I can more than 2000 years ago, God gave Daniel a vision that we recognize as the most comprehensive prophetic insight ever received.
God also sent a similar dream to the most powerful man in the world at that time.
Looking back, we can see the effects of those dreams rippling throughout history and even into the future.
Specifically, Daniel’s vision operates as a sign of what we can expect to happen in Europe before and during the end times, Daniel’s interpretation for the king.
While it was not uncommon for God to communicate to his people through dreams and visions, it is astounding that he gave the greatest vision of all time, not only to Daniel, but also to one of history’s most wicked gentile rulers, King Nebuad Nezar.
It was the second year of Neuer’s rule over Babylon.
Although all the king’s enemies were subdued or in captivity, he nevertheless was anxious about the future.
His anxiety stemmed from a dream sent to him by God, a nightmare.
He could not understand though he sensed its ominous implications.
So the king called in his counselors since he had forgotten important details of the dream.
He demanded that his counselors not only interpret the nightmare but also give him a vivid description of it.
The king’s demand was unprecedented and his counselors thought it unfair when they could not meet his demand.
Nebi Nezar ordered the execution of all the wise men of Babylon. Daniel 2 12 to 13.
When the Jewish Cappy of Daniel heard of the king’s edict.
He and his friends asked God for a vision of Nevis’s dream and its interpretation.
Then Daniel went to the executioner and said, do not destroy the wise men of Babylon take me before the king.
And I will tell the king the interpretation.
Verse 24 Daniel was soon standing before Nebi Kneer who asked him if he could reveal the meaning of his dream.
Daniel explained that he could not, but he had connections with someone who could the secret which the king has demanded the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians and the soothsayers cannot declare to the king.
But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets and he has made no to King Nebi Kneer.
What will be in the latter days your dream and the visions of your head upon your bed were these verses 27 28.
As Daniel explained, just as God had sent the dream to Zer.
God had also revealed the dream and its interpretation to Daniel verse 19.
Then the Jewish prophet stood before the king and unfolded the future of his nation.
Daniel described the king’s vision quote, you o king were watching and behold a great image, this great image whose splendor was excellent stood before you and its form was awesome.
This image’s head was a fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay.
Daniel 2 31 to 33. This vision gives us the history of human civilization written by God himself.
Daniel told Nebi Kneer that his dream was about the kingdoms of this world.
He explained that the metallic image represented four successive gentile world powers that would rule over Israel.
In the days ahead, Daniel’s insight into the future through Daniel.
God gave King Nebi Nazer a history of the remaining days of the world.
We know this because he spoke specifically of days to come.
In verse 28 he revealed the meaning of the statue in five sections, the head of gold, the breast and arms of silver, the belly and thighs of copper and brass, the legs of iron and the feet of part iron and part clay.
The first world empire represented by the statue’s head of gold was Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom of Babylon.
Daniel’s words to the king are clear you o king are a king of kings for the God of heaven has given you a kingdom, a power, strength and glory and wherever the Children of men dwell or the beasts of the field and the birds of the heaven.
He has given them into your hand and has made you ruler over them all.
You are this head of gold, Daniel 2 37 and 38 Kezer would have understood that the head of gold referred to his kingdom.
Since the chief deity of Babylon was Marduk known as the God of gold.
The historian Herodotus described the image of Marduk as a dazzling sight.
A golden statue seated on a golden throne before a golden table and a golden altar.
Plenty tells us that the robes of Marduk’s priests were interlaced with gold.
The second world empire revealed in the king’s dream was represented by the images chest of silver from which two silver arms emerged.
Daniel 2 32 this was the Medo Persian Empire which conquered Balin in 5 39 BC and remained in power for approximately 200 years later, Daniel stated clearly that the dual monarchy of the Medes and the Persians would take control of Nevis’s Empire.
Daniel 5 28 the two nations are again confirmed as Babylon’s successor in Daniel.
A 20 the third world Empire was represented by the images belly and thighs of bronze.
Daniel told the king it would be a kingdom of bronze which shall rule over all the earth.
Daniel 2 39 this is the Greek Empire, the kingdom of Philip of Macedon and his son Alexander, the great, not only does history confirm Greece as the empire that succeeded the Meto Persians.
But Daniel named Greece specifically in Daniel 8 21 under Alexander the Greek Empire encompassed more territory than either of the previous empires.
It is appropriate that the Third kingdom was characterized by the images bronze midsection.
Alexander’s soldiers armored themselves in bronze helmets and breastplates and they carried bronze shields and swords.
The fourth empire in the image is symbolized by its legs of iron.
Daniel describes this empire as strong as iron in, as much as iron breaks in pieces and shatters everything and like iron that crushes that kingdom will break in pieces and crush all the others.
Daniel 2 40 historians tell us that Rome was not only the successor to the Greek empire, but they often used iron to describe the strength of the Roman Empire.
Rome’s iron rule. Rome’s iron fist. Rome’s iron legions history confirms Daniel’s explanation of Neuer’s dream.
The Babylonians were overthrown by the Meto Persians.
The Meto Persians were conquered by the Greeks and then the previous kingdoms were assimilated into one kingdom known as the Roman Empire.
This empire came into existence 50 years before Jesus was born and it continued in power throughout his earthly ministry.
It was Roman rule that put Jesus on the cross.
It was the Romans who ruled ruthlessly during the early days of the church.
The fact that Rome is represented in the statue by its two iron legs is also significant.
By 83 95 the Roman Empire had split into two political areas of rule.
The Latin speaking West with its capital in Rome and the Greek speaking east with its capital in Constantinople, modern Istanbul, Turkey, which included the land of Israel.
This division of the empire is depicted in the statutes two legs.
This splitting of the mighty Roman Empire into two political units was not the last division that kingdom would suffer.
Daniel noted that in the king’s dream, the feet and toes were composed of a mixture of iron and clay though positioned at the bottom of the image, these extremities were apparently important for Daniel said as much about the feet and toes as he said about all the other parts of the image combined.
Daniel explained to the king the meaning of the material composing the image’s feet as the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of clay.
So the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly fragile.
They will mingle with the seed of men but they will not adhere to one another just as iron does not mix with clay.
Daniel 2 42 and 43. According to Daniel, there is yet to be another division in the Roman Empire symbolized by its 10 toes.
Daniel foretells a time when the Roman Empire will consist of 10 kingdoms or leaders.
Since the downward movement from one section of the statute to the next represents the passage of time, the feet and toes stage must follow the legs stage, but we find nothing in history that corresponds to a tenfold, Roman coalition.
This shows us that this fifth and final feet and to stage kingdom is yet to perform its prescribed role in human history.
Daniel gives us another piece of information that enables us to understand the timing of the events in Nene’s dream.
He tells us that this final form of the Roman Empire will exist when God sets up his earthly kingdom.
Quote, in the days of these kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed and the kingdom shall not be left to other people.
It shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms and it shall stand forever.
Daniel 2 44 Daniel’s intense dream years after Nebi Kr’s dream of the image, Daniel had a vision of his own that expands our understanding of Nebi Kr’s dream.
In Daniel’s vision, a powerful wind stirred the ocean and four great beasts came up from the sea each different from the other.
Daniel 73, these beasts represented the same gentile kingdoms as those depicted in the king’s dream.
But this time, the character of those Kingdoms was revealed.
The first vision, Daniel two portrayed the Kingdoms of the world as man assess them majestic, massive and impressive in their accomplishments.
But in the second vision, Daniel seven, the Kingdoms were shown as savage beasts attacking one another and fighting to the death.
This second vision gives us God’s appraisal of these kingdoms, destructive divisive and cruel while the two visions were different in their presentation, both were given for the same purpose to show Daniel and His people.
What in the world was going on?
Why did God choose that particular time to reveal so great a prophecy?
His people were in a desperate moment of their history.
Assyria had taken the Northern Kingdom of Israel captive in 7 22 BC and 200 years later, the Southern kingdom of Judah was in captivity in Babylon.
If you had been a Jew during that time, you might have wondered, is God finished with us.
Through these two visions, God assured his people, this isn’t the end.
There will be a time when I will once again be involved with you as a nation.
But I want you to know what will happen between now and then much of what was revealed to Daniel in these dreams has already happened, but not all of it.
Three of the prophesized kingdoms have come and gone and the fourth kingdom has also made its appearance in history.
But Daniel’s later vision included additional information about events that are yet in the future.
Let’s look at how Daniel describes it, quote I saw in the night visions and behold 1/4 beast, dreadful and terrible, exceedingly strong.
It had huge iron teeth, it was devouring, breaking in pieces and trampling the residue with its feet.
It was different from all the beasts that were before it and it had 10 horns.
Daniel 77, Daniel explained that the 10 horns are 10 kings who will arise from this kingdom.
Verse 24 we know this 10 kingdom prophecy of Daniel’s remains in the future because not only has the 10 leader form of the Roman Empire, not existed but such a kingdom has not been suddenly crushed.
As Daniel too indicates it will be the Roman Empire of Jesus Day did not end suddenly.
It gradually declined over many centuries.
Until the western part, the Holy Roman Empire fell in ad 4 76 and the eastern part, the Byzantine Empire fell in ad 14 53.
We must conclude then that some form of the Roman Empire must emerge in the end times.
For according to Daniel, it will be in place prior to the coming of Christ to reign over the earth rebirth of the Roman Empire.
The future manifestation of the Roman Empire that Daniel prophesized will be a confederation of 10 world leaders and will encompass the same territory as the historic Roman Empire.
Today, we see that coalition taking shape before our eyes.
It began as early as 1930 when French statesman, Ari Brian attempted to enlist 26 nations in what he first called the United States of Europe and modified to the European Union.
In his proposal, he said the nations of Europe today must unite in order to live and prosper.
The European press gave Brian’s idea little attention and nothing came of it.
But Brian’s call for European unity was merely one world war ahead of the curve.
Fewer than 20 years later, one of the world’s most respected leaders issued the same call in 1946 following the devastation of Europe during the Second World War, Winston Churchill forcefully asserted that the tragedy of Europe could only be solved if the issues of ancient nationalism and sovereignty could give way to a sense of European national grouping.
He said that the path to European peace and prosperity on the world stage was clear, we must build a United States of Europe.
Churchill’s call initiated a series of steps toward unification.
The Benelux conference of 1948 held in Brussels, Belgium laid the foundation for a new organization to unite European countries economically and politically in order to secure a lasting peace, only three nations attended the meeting, the Netherlands Luxembourg and Belgium.
These nations saw unity as their only hope of survival in the post war world.
Another step was taken in April of 1951 when these three nations signed the Treaty of Paris with three additional nations, West Germany, France and Italy forming a common market for coal and steel in an environment of peace.
March 25th, 1957 saw a major step toward European unification when the Treaty of Rome was signed on Capitol Hill, one of the famous seven hills of Rome.
On this occasion, Italy, France and West Germany joined the Netherlands Luxembourg and Belgium, creating the European economic community, the common market.
In 1973 the United Kingdom, Ireland and Denmark joined the E E C and Greece was added in 1981 making it a 10 nation confederation.
On January 1st, 1986 Spain and Portugal came into the Union and the E E C officially adopted the goal of a politically unified Europe.
In 1987 the single European act was implemented with the fall of the Berlin Wall.
In 1989 Germany was reunified and East Germany was integrated into the membership.
In 1993 the economic borders between the nations of the European community were removed.
Austria, Finland and Sweden joined the Union in 1995.
Then in 2002, 80 billion coins were produced for use in the nations of the eurozone.
Thus introducing the new monetary unit, the euro, the March toward European unification continued on May 1st 2004 when Cyprus the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia were added, bringing the total to 25 nations and expanding the Eu’s population to surpass North America as the world’s biggest economic zone.
Romania and Bulgaria were admitted to the Eu in 2007.
And Croatia joined in 2013 while the United Kingdom voted to exit in June of 2016.
Gradually yet steadily, the nations of Europe have come together creating a modern replica of the Roman Empire.
Europe is more integrated today than in any time since the days of ancient Rome.
The European Union is considered by many to be the second most powerful political force in our world.
Reinforcement of the European government. Currently, the eu government is organized into three bodies.
The European Parliament, the Council of European Union and the European Commission.
The parliament consists of 751 elected members who pass laws in conjunction with the council.
Its president is elected to serve a two and one half year term.
The council consists of the heads of government of each of the member states.
This body participates with parliament in passing laws and establishes common foreign policy and security policies.
The third body of eu government, the European Commission consists of one commissioner from each eu country who draft new laws and implement policies and funding other eu governmental entities include the court of justice, the court of auditors, the European Central Bank and the European Investment Bank.
As we track these developments toward more centralized power among European nations.
We can see a new empire in the making an empire that occupies the same territory as the ancient Roman Empire.
Turning back to Daniel for insight into this rising coalition.
We are intrigued by his description of it as a mixture of two incoherent materials.
We know that iron represented the strength of the old Roman Empire in the newly constituted Empire.
However, the prophecy tells us that iron will be mixed with clay. Clay speaks of weakness and instability.
The best interpretation of this unstable mix is that it represents the diverse racial, religious and political elements that will comprise this final form of the Roman Empire.
That is in fact what we see today in the European coalition.
While the eu has great economic and political clout, the cultures and languages of its various countries are so diverse that it cannot hold together any more than iron and clay unless unity is imposed and enforced by an extremely powerful leader.
Renewed vigilance. From this brief study of modern Europe and ancient Rome, we can begin to understand how Europe represents a key sign of the end times.
Three things in particular emerge from our study that should increase our vigilance, the consolidation of world power.
Since the time of the Roman Empire, there has been no nation or empire with the power to govern the known world, but it is coming in the future, the world will be unified under one dominant leader.
In Daniel’s second vision, the fourth beast had 10 orange growing from its head.
The fourth beast shall be 1/4 kingdom on earth which shall devour the whole earth trample it and break it in pieces.
The 10 horns are 10 kings who shall arise from this kingdom.
The fourth beast represents the fourth successive kingdom after Babylon, which history identifies as the Roman Empire.
But since Rome was never ruled simultaneously by 10 kings, we know that those kings are yet to arrive on the stage of world history to rule a newly formed empire that overlays the territory of the ancient Roman Empire.
Today, the concentration of power in the European Union signals the beginning of this new world order.
The coming of one world leader.
According to Daniel’s prophecy, a supreme leader will rise from among the 10 leader confederacy in Europe quote.
Another shall rise after them. He shall be different from the first ones and shall subdue three kings.
He shall speak pompous words against the most high, shall persecute the saints of the most high and shall intend to change times and law.
Then the saints shall be given unto his hand for a time and times and half a time.
Daniel 7 24 and 25. This leader will emerge from the group of 10 to take control of the European coalition and become the final world dictator.
We know him as the antichrist. We must not miss this point.
The European Union is a prelude to the coming of the antichrist, Paul Henry Spock, first president of the European parliament is credited with making this stunning statement.
Quote. We do not need another committee. We have too many already.
What we want is a man of sufficient stature to hold the allegiance of all people and to lift us out of the economic Morat into which we are sinking, send us such a man and be he God or devil.
We will receive him end of quote, statements such as this should chill us to the bone.
It shows that the world will actually embrace the power that will seek to enslave it.
The European Union is the kindling awaiting the spark of the antichrist to inflame the world with unprecedented evil.
It is certainly a time to be vigilant. The condition of the treaty with Israel.
Daniel’s prophecy tells us of a treaty that will be signed between the Jewish people and the leader of the realigned Roman Empire.
Quote, he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week, but in the middle of the week, he shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering end of quote, Daniel 9 27 Israel will sign a treaty with the antichrist and this treaty will be forged to last for a week in prophetic language, a week of years or seven years.
This treaty will be an attempt to settle the Arab Israeli controversy after three and one half years, that treaty will be broken and the countdown to Armageddon will begin read the warning signs.
The stage is now set in Europe for these events to occur.
Israel is back in her land and the nations of the Ancient Roman Empire are reunifying.
Daniel’s prophecies show us that the hands on the prophetic clock are moving toward midnight.
The warning has been sounded and we will do well to heed it as the prophetic clock moves toward its final strike, we must not wait until it’s too late to move out of harm’s way.
The admonition of Paul should spur us to action. It is high time to awake out of sleep for now.
Our salvation is nearer than when we first believed Romans 13 11.
Today’s headlines show the wisdom of Paul’s warning.
It is time for us to awake and realize that things will not go on indefinitely as they are now.
As the signs from Daniel’s prophecies show us things are coming to a head.
Events are moving us toward the moment when warnings will be too late and we will be caught in the firestorm of a great evil that will trouble the world before Christ finally returns to set things, right?
Are you heeding the warnings? Are you prepared to stand before God? Have you accepted his offer of salvation?
He is telling us by the events that surround us that the window of opportunity will soon be gone.
Please do not wait until it is too late.