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The
European Union is EXPANDING |
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by
Don Stanton |
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The
European Union set May 1, 2004 as “E-day”
- the date for the EU’s expansion into the
ex-communist world. |
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| The
15 current members have agreed that the new members
will participate fully in the European Parliament
elections in June 2004 and in the planned conference
on a future EU constitution. |
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| The
10 new countries are Cyprus, the Czech Republic,
Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland,
Slovakia and Slovenia, |
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| Some
skeptics say the bringing of ten more governments,
and 75 million relatively poor people into the 370
million-strong EU, will cost it dearly and render
it unworkable. Others say the healing of Europe’s
Cold War divide will created the world’s most
powerful economic bloc. This makes the EU the third
largest entity after China and India. |
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EU
BECOMING A TOWER OF BABEL |
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| A
Reuters report from Brussels (4 Nov 02) suggests
the European Union will turn into a modern Tower
of Babel when it expands eastwards in 2004. |
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| After
the Unions biggest ever expansion, the number of
official languages will grow from 11 to 20. The
EU has been striving to translate its 80,000 pages
of laws into the languages of the 10 new members. |
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| EU
institutions are facing a bill of hundreds of million
of euros for hiring some 1,800 new translators.
It already employs 4,000 interpreters and translators
that work for the Commission. The report says the
bloc’s complex administrative procedures risk
“linguistic gridlock”. |
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| English
is rapidly taking over as the main language, replacing
French which dominated the EU for decades until
the powerful Frenchman, Jacques Delors stepped down
as Commission president in 1995. |
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COULD
THERE BE FURTHER EXPANSION? |
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| How
many more nations could be added to the EU? Well,
in 2007, Bulgaria and Romania are scheduled to join
the Union. Other aspirants are Turkey and Israel,
and then possibly Macedonia, Serbia, Montenegro,
Croatia, Bosnia, Kosovo and Albania. |
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| As
the number of nations increase, so do the problems
of the multi-lingual, multi-cultural Union. The
reviving Roman Empire in Europe is very much a mixture
of iron and clay (see Daniel 2:41) |
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will take enormous strength to weld so many diverse
people into a harmonious unity. Or I should say,
it will take a superman to hold the Union together.
I am reminded of the words of Dr Henri Spaack,
one of the early planners of the European Common
Market, and Secretary-General of NATO.
Years ago Spaack
said:
“ We do not want another
committee. What we want is a man of sufficient
stature to hold the allegiance of all people,
and to lift us out of the economic morass into
which we are sinking. Send us such a man, and
be he God or devil, we will receive him” |
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| Europe
has evolved from the original 6 in 1957 to 25 nations
today, and although it has made powerful strides
towards gaining superpower status, the “man
of sufficient stature” has not yet arrived.
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REACHING
TOWARDS ITS DESTINY |
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| The
EU is not yet the prophesied kingdom of the beast,
but it IS racing towards that destiny. It will ultimately
become - peaceably or by upheaval - the seventh
head of the 7-headed beast of Revelation 17 (read
Rev 17:8). |
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| The
prophesied “beast” is a confederation
of nations that has its origins in the ancient Roman
Empire and the “Holy Roman Empire”.
The old Roman empire (6th head) disintegrated long
ago, but Daniel, and Revelation, indicate that that
iron kingdom would be revived in the endtimes to
become the 7th head. And at that time a powerful
ruler - a king - would arise (Daniel 8:23-26). This
refers to the Antichrist. After he is revealed,
there will be an upheaval that will bring ten of
the most powerful EU nations under his total sovereignty.
(read more in Daniel 7 & 17:12-13) |
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| Just
how the European Union evolves into the endtime
Roman confederation remains to be seen. In the meantime,
it is interesting to see the struggles going on
in the EU. |
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| What
we see in Europe is a beast, seeking to give birth
to the Beast kingdom of Revelation 13 & 17.
We are witnessing Europe, pregnant with the foetus
of a beast in her womb. The days are fast ticking
off till she gives birth. |
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SO
WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE EUROPEAN ACTIVITIES? |
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The
signs in Europe are all an indication that the hour
is near when ....
“the Master Himself will descend from heaven
with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and
with the trumpet call of God” (1 Thessalonians
4:16). |
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| “But
when these things begin to take place, straighten
up and lift up your heads, because your redemption
is drawing near” (Luke 21:28) |
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