Turkey goes to NATO over plane it says Syria downed in international airspace

Foreign minister says Ankara will take incident to NATO and dismisses Syria's claim it did not know plane was Turkish.

Ahmet Davutoglu says the Turkish jet entered Syrian airspace but quickly left, and was then shot down without warning by Syrian forces.

NATO is to meet on Tuesday at Turkey's request following the shooting down of one of its warplanes by Syria in what it says was international airspace.

Turkey's foreign minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, said Ankara would formally present the incident to its Nato allies to prepare a response under article four of the organisation's founding treaty.

The article provides for states to "consult together whenever, in the opinion of any of them, the territorial integrity, political independence or security of any of the parties is threatened". It stops short of the explicit mention of possible armed responses cited in article five.

Turkish media reported on Sunday that the wreckage of the downed plane was found in the Mediterranean sea at a 1,000-metre depth. Turkey has filed an official protest to Syria about shooting down.

Davutoglu told the state broadcaster TRT on Sunday that the plane had entered Syrian airspace but quickly left when warned by Turkey and was shot down in international airspace several minutes later.

He said the plane was clearly marked as Turkish, dismissing Syria's earlier statement that it had not known the plane belonged to Turkey, and that it was shot down over Syrian airspace. He said it was on a training flight to test Tur

key's radar capabilities and had no "covert mission related to Syria".

Turkey's president, Abdullah Gül, said on Saturday that it was "routine" for jets flying at high speeds to violate other countries' air spaces for short periods of time.

A statement by the Syrian military said the Turkish plane was flying low 1km off the Syrian coast when it was hit by anti-aircraft fire. The plane fell in Syrian waters seven miles west of the village of Um al-Touyour.

In a telephone interview with Turkish TV news channel A Haber on Saturday, Syrian foreign ministry spokesman Jihad Makdissi said the incident was "not an attack".

"An unidentified object entered our airspace and unfortunately as a result it was brought down. It was understood only later that it was a Turkish plane," A Haber quoted Makdissi in a translation of the interview. "There was no hostile act against

Turkey whatsoever. It was just an act of defence for our sovereignty."

The Iranian foreign minister, Ali Akbar Salehi, urged Turkey and Syria late on Saturday to show restraint over the incident, his ministry said.

In a telephone conversation with Davutoglu, Salehi said he hoped the two sides would "settle the issue peacefully to maintain regional stability", said a statement on the Iranian foreign ministry's website.

The foreign secretary, William Hague, said the "outrageous" act underlined the need for Assad's regime to go. "My thoughts and sympathies are with the families and friends of the missing Turkish pilots. I have made clear to Foreign Minister Davutoglu the UK's strong support for the Turkish government at this difficult time," he said in a statement.

"The Assad regime should not make the mistake of believing that it can act with impunity. It will be held to account for its behaviour. The UK stands ready to pursue robust action at the United Nations security council."

Turkey has been one of the Syrian regime's most ardent critics over its brutal domestic crackdown and the incident threatens to add a new international dimension to the internal revolt against the Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad.

With the second biggest army in Nato, and 30 years of experience fighting Kurdish rebels, Turkey would be a formidable foe for the Syrian army, which is already struggling to contain the 16-month-old revolt.

Ankara, which had drawn close to Syria before the uprising against Assad, turned against the Syrian leader when he responded violently to pro-democracy protests inspired by popular upheavals elsewhere in the Arab world. Turkey now gives refuge to the rebel Free Syrian Army on its frontier with Syria.

WHY I AM NOT A DISPENSATIONALIST; John Nelson Darby is recognized as the father of dispensationalism later made popular in the United States by Cyrus Scofield's Scofield Reference Bible. Charles Henry Mackintosh, 1820–1896, with his popular style spread Darby's teachings to humbler elements in society and may be regarded as the journalist of the Brethren Movement. CHM popularised Darby more than any other Brethren author. As there was no Christian teaching of a “rapture” before Darby began preaching about it in the 1830s, he is sometimes credited with originating the "secret rapture" theory wherein Christ will suddenly remove His bride, the Church, from this world before the judgments of the tribulation. Dispensationalist beliefs about the fate of the Jews and the re-establishment of the Kingdom of Israel put dispensationalists at the forefront of Christian Zionism, because "God is able to graft them in again," and they believe that in His grace he will do so according to their understanding of Old Testament prophecy. They believe that, while the methodologies of God may change, His purposes to bless Israel will never be forgotten, just as He has shown unmerited favour to the Church, He will do so to a remnant of Israel to fulfill all the promises made to the genetic seed of Abraham. I am not a dispensationalist; it is unbiblical.

ITALIAN PM WARNS EUROPE FACES APOCALYPTIC CONSEQUENCES: “We have a week to save the euro”

"Italy's prime minister, Mario Monti, has warned of the apocalyptic consequences of failure at next week's summit of EU leaders, outlining a potential death spiral that could threaten the political and economic future of Europe," reports the UK Guardian. "The Italian leader is to hold talks with Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, the French president, François Hollande, and Spain's prime minister, Mariano Rajoy, in the hope that the single currency's big four countries can pave the way for a breakthrough at next week's meeting. Speaking to the Guardian and a group of leading European newspapers, Monti said that, without a successful outcome at the summit, 'there would be progressively greater speculative attacks on individual countries, with harassment of the weaker countries.' The attacks would be focused not only on those who had failed to respect EU guidelines, but also on those like Italy, which he said had abided by the rules 'but which carry with them from the past a high debt.' Monti warned: 'A large part of Europe would find itself having to continue to put up with very high interest rates that would then impact on the states and also indirectly on firms. This is the direct opposite of what is needed for economic growth.' Outlining the result of a failure at the talks, Monti said that, faced with creeping economic paralysis, 'the frustration of the public towards Europe would grow,' creating a vicious circle."

WHY I AM NOT A DISPENSATIONALIST; John Nelson Darby is recognized as the father of dispensationalism later made popular in the United States by Cyrus Scofield's Scofield Reference Bible. Charles Henry Mackintosh, 1820–1896, with his popular style spread Darby's teachings to humbler elements in society and may be regarded as the journalist of the Brethren Movement. CHM popularised Darby more than any other Brethren author. As there was no Christian teaching of a “rapture” before Darby began preaching about it in the 1830s, he is sometimes credited with originating the "secret rapture" theory wherein Christ will suddenly remove His bride, the Church, from this world before the judgments of the tribulation. Dispensationalist beliefs about the fate of the Jews and the re-establishment of the Kingdom of Israel put dispensationalists at the forefront of Christian Zionism, because "God is able to graft them in again," and they believe that in His grace he will do so according to their understanding of Old Testament prophecy. They believe that, while the methodologies of God may change, His purposes to bless Israel will never be forgotten, just as He has shown unmerited favour to the Church, He will do so to a remnant of Israel to fulfill all the promises made to the genetic seed of Abraham. I am not a dispensationalist; it is unbiblical.

RUSSIA, IRAN, SYRIA, CHINA TO HOLD MASSIVE WAR GAME: Echoes of Bible prophecy?

By Joel Rosenberg

"Iran, Russia, China and Syria will hold the Middle East's largest ever war game, Iranian news outlets reported quoting unnamed sources," reports the Jerusalem Post. "According to the report, 90,000 troops, 400 warplanes and 1,000 tanks from the four countries will take part in land and sea exercises. The war games will feature Russian atomic submarines, according to Iranian media, as well as warships, aircraft carriers and mine-clearing destroyers. Semi-official Iranian FARS news agency stated that the exercise was being planned in coordination with Egypt, which recently acceded to grant the passage of 12 Chinese warships through the Suez Canal. The report stated that the Chinese naval convoy is due to dock in Syrian harbors within the next two weeks. Regarding the timing of the planned exercise, FARS quoted unnamed Syrian officials as saying the war game would be held 'soon'...."

The story is particularly intriguing -- and disturbing -- in light of Bible prophecies in Ezekiel 38-39 that indicate a Russian-Iranian military alliance will develop in the "last days" to attack the nation of Israel. While it remains too early to know for certain if the "War of Gog and Magog" prophecies are going to be fulfilled in the near future, geopolitical trends in recent years and even in recent months have been curiously consistent with the ancient Biblical text. A militaristic Czar -- Vladimir Putin -- has risen to power in Russia. Putin is the only Russian leader in history to visit Israel (7 years ago), and is preparing to visit again on June 25, trying to make the Israelis feel comfortable with him. Yet Russia has been selling billions of dollars in arms to Iran and other nations described in the prophecies. Russia is currently sending naval ships and forces to Syria. Israelis are living more securely in the land, and are more prosperous, than ever in their modern history also consistent with the prophecies.

WHY I AM NOT A DISPENSATIONALIST; John Nelson Darby is recognized as the father of dispensationalism later made popular in the United States by Cyrus Scofield's Scofield Reference Bible. Charles Henry Mackintosh, 1820–1896, with his popular style spread Darby's teachings to humbler elements in society and may be regarded as the journalist of the Brethren Movement. CHM popularised Darby more than any other Brethren author. As there was no Christian teaching of a “rapture” before Darby began preaching about it in the 1830s, he is sometimes credited with originating the "secret rapture" theory wherein Christ will suddenly remove His bride, the Church, from this world before the judgments of the tribulation. Dispensationalist beliefs about the fate of the Jews and the re-establishment of the Kingdom of Israel put dispensationalists at the forefront of Christian Zionism, because "God is able to graft them in again," and they believe that in His grace he will do so according to their understanding of Old Testament prophecy. They believe that, while the methodologies of God may change, His purposes to bless Israel will never be forgotten, just as He has shown unmerited favour to the Church, He will do so to a remnant of Israel to fulfill all the promises made to the genetic seed of Abraham. I am not a dispensationalist; it is unbiblical.

The Greek bailout is back on. Hopes rise for future of the euro as pro-rescue parties say they WILL work together

• Pro-bailout centre-right New Democracy party wins 29.6% of the vote
• Has three days to form coalition government with other pro-bailout parties
• World markets initially rise on the positive outcome of the election
• But stocks have since tempered by increasing fears over Spain and Italy
• FTSE-100 down 0.05% down; CAC 40 down 0.67%; DAX up 0.13%

Greece's pro-bailout political parties today gave the 17-nation eurozone hope that the single currency will be saved - by revealing they will work together.

The head of Greece's centre-right New Democracy party began talks to form a government with other pro-bailout parties after yesterday's narrow election victory over the left.

Party leader Antonis Samaras was due to meet Evangelos Venizelos, the head of the Socialist PASOK party, at 3pm after he received a mandate to form a government from Greek President Karolos Papoulias.



Days of chaos: Greece is facing a race against time to form a coalition government, but there was a glimmer of good news as it looks like the ultra-right party Golden Dawn will not be part of any ruling group



Victorious: Leader of conservative New Democracy party Antonis Samaras arrives with his wife Georgia to make statement on the election results in Athens after claiming victory in Sunday's national election

The once-mighty PASOK, now reduced to third place after the dramatic rise of the leftist anti-bailout party SYRIZA, said it would support Samaras but had not yet decided whether to join the government or just offer parliamentary backing.

It means the nation can proceed with its austerity programme and be eligible for bailout money.

Samaras said Greece would fully meet its commitments but added: 'We will simultaneously have to make some necessary amendments to the bailout agreement, in order to relieve the people of crippling unemployment and huge hardships.'
More...

Now put Eur house in order: G20 leaders to pile on the pressure after Greek decision to stay in the single currency

Hollande's Socialists triumph in French Parliamentary election giving president free rein to implement anti-austerity measures

Five reasons to fear another meltdown Cameron tells G20 as he urges leaders to get a grip on eurozone crisis

In deep recession, crushed under its huge public debt and forced to slash public spending and hike taxes repeatedly, Greece is struggling to restore its near-bankrupt economy, and a new government could face new protests after taking office.

'The crisis has been postponed, not necessarily averted,' said Theodore Couloumbis, political analyst and vice-president of Athens-based think-tank ELIAMEP.

'For this government to last it has to show results. You can't continue with 50 per cent youth unemployment and a fifth straight year of recession,' he said.

SYRIZA, which had promised to tear up the bailout deal signed in March with the European Union and International Monetary Fund, scored strongly in the election.
Party leader Alexis Tsipras promised to continue its opposition to the painful austerity measures demanded of Greece.

'I don't think anything good will come out of these elections,' said Dinos Arabatzis, a 56 year-old taxi driver who voted for New Democracy.

'DON'T PRECIPITATE A GREEK EXIT FROM EURO', GERMANY WARNED
Lord Mandelson urged Germany not to precipitate a Greek exit from the euro, saying: ‘I would say be careful what you wish for.

‘Not only do you have the risk of contagion of market panic spreading across the more vulnerable members of the eurozone and this sort of growing sense within the markets that the euro has ceased to be a permanent currency.’

In a speech at the G20 summit of world leaders in Mexico today, David Cameron will repeat his warnings that eurozone countries must make sacrifices if they want their currency to survive.

‘The reality is that there are a set of things that eurozone countries need to do, and it’s up to eurozone countries whether they are prepared to make the sacrifices these entail,’ the Prime Minister will say.

‘The challenge is one of political will as much as economics. Of course these things are difficult to do. But just because these things are difficult does not mean we should not say them.

‘If the eurozone is to stay together, then it has to make at least some of these difficult decisions.

‘The alternatives to action that creates a more coherent eurozone are either a perpetual stagnation from a eurozone crisis that is never resolved, or a break-up caused by a failure to address underlying economic fundamentals that would have financial consequences that would badly damage the world economy, including Britain.’

Mr Cameron will add that the ‘fight for the future of the world economy won’t be won by a few governments in isolation’.

The Prime Minister and Chancellor George Osborne have long argued that a single currency can work only if the eurozone creates an effective single economic government.

Britain would stand outside any such arrangement, and the Prime Minister refused to sign a treaty taking more tentative steps toward a fiscal union last year.

'Whoever is in power now will get burned. Samaras will get burned, and Tsipras will come out much stronger if we go to elections again - that's what worries me,' he said.

With nearly 100 per cent of ballots counted in the election, a re-run of a poll on May 6 that left no party able to form a government, New Democracy had won 29.7 per cent of the vote, ahead of SYRIZA on 27 per cent, and PASOK on 12.3 per cent.

A 50-seat bonus automatically given to the party that comes first would give a theoretical New Democracy-PASOK alliance 162 seats in the 300-seat parliament, enough for a majority broadly committed to the €130billion bailout.

'The result showed people want the euro, but society remains divided. SYRIZA will be a militant opposition, possibly complicating the new government's efforts,' a senior New Democracy official said.

'The new government must deliver a positive development soon - an easing of the bailout terms or a positive sign in the economy - or people will lose trust in a week.'

In the markets, trust had an even shorter shelf life. Though the FTSEurofirst 300 index rose 1.1 per cent at the open, the index had shed all those gains before two hours were up.

It seems the underlying problems in the euro zone brought investors back to earth. The euro's rise also evaporated.

More worryingly, Italian and Spanish borrowing costs rose strongly with yields on Spain's 10-year bonds at dangerously high levels of over 7 per cent with equivalent Italian debt over 6 per cent.

The FTSE-100 is 0.05 per cent down at 5,475.88; France's CAC 40 is 0.67 per cent down at 3,066.93; while Germany's DAX is 0.13 up at 6,237.66.

PASOK officials said today that the meeting would decide how they would support Samaras - whether by participating fully in government, or by voting with the coalition in parliament.

The smaller, anti-bailout Democratic Left party was also due to decide today whether it would back the conservatives.

The new government may get some help from eurozone peers, relieved that SYRIZA had not won and set Greece on course for a euro exit with incalculable consequences for the rest of the 17-member bloc.

However, they have offered no prospect of any major overhaul of the bailout agreement, which requires Greece to find €11.7billion in spending cuts in June to qualify for the next loan instalment.

Greece has enough funds only last for a few weeks without more aid but European partners have become deeply suspicious of the commitment of Greek politicians to implementing unpopular austerity measures.

Show of support: Golden Dawn supporters shout slogans and celebrate the results of the elections outside their headquarters office in Thessaloniki last night

German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said the substance of the bailout agreement was 'not negotiable', but he said creditors might be willing to offer some flexibility on timing for some of the targets, given the time lost in campaigning.

'We're ready to talk about the timeframe as we can't ignore the lost weeks, and we don't want people to suffer because of that,' he told German radio today.

However, even if it were granted some leeway, a coalition that won only 40 per cent of the vote would struggle to push through reforms in the face of deep public resentment of repeated rounds of tax hikes and pay and pension cuts.

Despite his loss Tsipras, 37, appeared buoyed by the election and rejected calls to join an all-party unity government, saying his party was now the main opposition force and promising to fight the bailout package.

His attitude has raised fears of a return to the anti-austerity protests that have left parts of Athens scarred by angry graffiti and patrolled by squads of police in riot gear.

'Obviously I voted for SYRIZA so it could win, but the left is becoming stronger by the day and I'm happy about that,' said Panagiotis Panagiotou, 55, a butcher in central Athens whose business has been hit by the crisis.

'SYRIZA will be a very powerful opposition party and when we have elections again - which we will - it will be even stronger, if not first.'

Underlining the signs of potential instability, the ultra-nationalist Golden Dawn party took 18 seats, repeating its success of May 6 and confirming its status as a force in Greek politics, carried by an angry mood of public protest.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF THERE'S PANIC ON WORLD MARKETS?
If the election results spark panic on financial markets today, central banks around the world are ready to launch a massive intervention.

Germany will come under intense pressure from other world leaders at the G20 to throw a lifeline to moderates in Greece, perhaps by giving Athens longer to pay off its huge debts.

Angela Merkel is also being pressed to agree a lasting deal to shore up the eurozone, which would effectively mean Berlin underwriting the debt of struggling economies.

However the strong showing by Syriza is a major blow to the German chancellor and other EU leaders who had urged Greek voters to deliver a decisive show of support for the bailout deal.

Any new coalition is likely to prove too fragile to survive for long, given the intense pressure Greece’s economy is under.

Party leader Alexis Tsipras has vowed to rip up Greece’s bailout deal and repeal the austerity measures, which have included deep spending cuts on everything from health care to education and infrastructure, as well as tax hikes and reductions of salaries and pensions.

His pledges, which include cancelling planned privatisations, nationalising banks and rolling back cuts to minimum wages and pensions, have horrified European leaders.

Germany has warned that payments to Greece will be frozen if it abandons the terms of the bailout deal – a move that would see Greece run out money by July 20.

Leaders of Italy and Spain, two countries at the centre of contagion fears in the eurozone debt crisis, today welcomed the Greek election result as good news for Europe.

Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti said the poll outcome augured well for the future of the European Union and eurozone countries but added that Athens must move quickly to form a new government.

'This allows us to have a more serene vision for the future of the European Union and for the eurozone,' he told reporters in Mexico upon arriving for a G-20 summit.

Monti, whose comments were aired on Italian television, said he was very pleased with the the victory of the New Democracy party.

'We hope that a strong government can be formed which confirms the commitments made with the EU,' he said.

Monti said Greeks had understood the importance of the EU, even if under difficult circumstances.

Speaking on his arrival at Los Cabos for the G-20 talks, Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy greeted the election outcome as 'good news for Greece, very good news for the European Union, for the euro and also for Spain'.

'I am totally convinced that this strengthens the euro. The euro project is irreversible and we must continue to make progress on it.'

Both Spain and Italy saw their borrowing costs rise to near unsustainable levels as investor jitters about a possible Greek exit from the eurozone intensified the currency bloc's debt crisis in the weeks leading up to the rerun Greek election.

Rajoy said he was in favour of European fiscal integration and a banking union. 'It's true that some things take time but it's also true that we need to take steps in the right direction,' he added.

Basking in the sun as Greece went to the polls yesterday, Dimitri Panaglos sipped a cold beer and gave a personal – and very cynical – insight into how his tiny country could ignite global financial meltdown and leave the cradle of civilisation in economic ruins.

Widely travelled, with family in London where he studied for a degree in fine art, the 40-year-old smiled grimly and told me: ‘We Greeks are all thieves.

People didn’t know it when we had the drachma. But you soon knew when we joined the euro. We borrowed and spent without ever planning to pay it back. That’s just the Greek way.’

Now selling hand-drawn cartoons to tourists, having lost his studio and home, he added: ‘We are Greeks, not Europeans. That’s why we have always had two prices in every cafe – one on the sign that’s for foreigners and local cheap rates for Greeks.

‘Europe has never understood Greece – it’s a country where you take from foreigners, not give.’

Many of his countrymen would fiercely dispute his words. What cannot be denied, however, is that the good life seems to be coming to an emphatic end for the Greeks.

With Europe demanding austerity measures in return for keeping the country afloat – more than 240billion euros has already been provided by Europe’s taxpayers – Greeks were last night effectively voting on whether to accept the deal or plunge into chaos and possible bloodshed.

The EU has said that the conditions of the latest 130billion-euro bailout deal must be accepted fully by a new government or funds will be cut off, driving the country into bankruptcy.

Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, warned that Greece will not be allowed to dodge its austerity agreement and ‘lead everyone else through the arena by the nose ring’.

Show of strength: Members of the extreme right-wing Golden Dawn shout slogans and celebrate the results of the elections outside of their headquarter office in Thessaloniki

Many businesses are already pulling out of the country, with Carrefour, the French supermarket giant, the latest to announce it is quitting. This is against a background of fears that Greece is about to descend once more into the political dark ages almost four decades after the end of the country’s military dictatorship.

Germany’s biggest newspaperBild, , summed up the mood of taxpayers there in an open letter to the Greek people this weekend.

It said: ‘Your cash machines continue to give you euros only because we put them there, the Germans and the other nations that have the euro.

‘Yet you still call us “Nazis”. If the elections are won by parties that want to put an end to austerity and reform – breaching every agreement – we will stop paying. You will choose between painful logic and complete disaster. And we are very much afraid that you don’t get that yet.’

Already, in a chilling portent of what may lie ahead, some hospitals were yesterday running short of medicines.

As a harbinger of possible civil unrest, two grenades were thrown at a TV station. No one was hurt, it heightened fears that armed groups are preparing to capitalise on any disorder.

With predictions of violence if the country exits the euro, and with shortages of money to pay for petrol, medicines or power, thousands of Athenians left the capital over the weekend, fearing battles between groups fighting for control of the country.

The latest election results have threatened to spark turmoil across the Eurozone as Greece looks set to reach political stalemate while rival parties try to form a coalition government

Countless Greeks have moved their money abroad – fearing banks could run out of money in the event of a Left-wing triumph and prompting EU leaders to finally put an end to the seemingly limitless amounts of cash lavished on a country of under 11million people.

Meanwhile, in what’s been called Drachmageddon, central banks from London to Tokyo are readying new arsenals of money to defend banks and national currencies against any post-election turmoil on the financial markets.

All this has started to fracture Greek society. Crime is soaring, while rubbish piles up in the streets and beggars proliferate.

Traditionally a rough port city, for all its ancient ruins and noble history, Athens is now the scene of frequent violence as even beggars fight viciously over scraps.

Yesterday I watched two groups of immigrants battling over possession of an abandoned shopping trolley loaded with junk. After punches were exchanged and one man was battered with a piece of wood, the winners of this pitiful contest ran off, whooping and shouting, pushing their trolley of scrap metal.

Ominously, such a febrile mood is playing into the hands of the resurgent, black-shirted fascists and neo-Nazis who now patrol the streets and have launched attacks in immigrant areas. They are often seen riding around on powerful motorcycles and armed with clubs and knives.

Outside the headquarters of the far-right Golden Dawn party I watched yesterday as muscular men in black T-shirts waved and cheered as police on motorbikes roared past, giving thumbs-up signs to the neo-Nazis protesters. Elements in the police are alleged to have strong links with the far-Right.

Nico, one stocky member of the group, told me that he and his cronies have a ‘zero tolerance’ policy towards immigrants suspected of crimes and ‘stealing’ jobs from local people.

He warned: ‘I can’t say what we will do – but there will be actions taking place through the night.’
So far, similar ‘actions’ have resulted in brutal attacks on immigrants, estimated to make up almost two million of Greece’s population.

In one incident, an African man was run through with a sword in front of stunned passengers on the capital’s gleaming 20billion-euro metro (paid for, of course, entirely out of EU cash).

With Golden Dawn vigilantes touring immigrant areas on motorbikes, and more attacks feared, the issue of racial violence was highlighted after five Egyptians were savagely attacked in the capital, and a member of the foreign press was badly beaten for filming masked neo-Nazis chasing Africans through the streets.

Perhaps, even at this late hour, Greece can pull back from the brink.

But as the stars came out over the Acropolis last night, it was difficult not to conclude that whatever the election outcome, darkness beckons for this once proud country.

WHY I AM NOT A DISPENSATIONALIST; John Nelson Darby is recognized as the father of dispensationalism later made popular in the United States by Cyrus Scofield's Scofield Reference Bible. Charles Henry Mackintosh, 1820–1896, with his popular style spread Darby's teachings to humbler elements in society and may be regarded as the journalist of the Brethren Movement. CHM popularised Darby more than any other Brethren author. As there was no Christian teaching of a “rapture” before Darby began preaching about it in the 1830s, he is sometimes credited with originating the "secret rapture" theory wherein Christ will suddenly remove His bride, the Church, from this world before the judgments of the tribulation. Dispensationalist beliefs about the fate of the Jews and the re-establishment of the Kingdom of Israel put dispensationalists at the forefront of Christian Zionism, because "God is able to graft them in again," and they believe that in His grace he will do so according to their understanding of Old Testament prophecy. They believe that, while the methodologies of God may change, His purposes to bless Israel will never be forgotten, just as He has shown unmerited favour to the Church, He will do so to a remnant of Israel to fulfill all the promises made to the genetic seed of Abraham. I am not a dispensationalist; it is unbiblical.

Europe: Extreme Crises Demand Extreme Solutions

June 14, 2012 | From theTrumpet.com
Don’t look away now; the long-prophesied German-led European empire is almost here.

Brad Macdonald
It’s difficult, especially amid the doom and gloom in Europe, to realize that we are now moments away from the creation of a United States of Europe.

Of course, “moments” in the long grind of human history are measured in weeks and months. The point is, Europe’s financial crisis is so bad that virtually everyone—most especially Germany—now realizes that the only way forward is greater consolidation and integration, more unity. In other words, the formation of a United States of Europe.

Meeting this goal won’t be easy, simple or clean. There will be casualties. Many countries will likely have to make some pretty extreme sacrifices, the essence of which will involve relinquishing national sovereignty. But Europe’s financial crisis is intensifying and rapidly heading to the point of no return. Last weekend, Spain requested a $125 billion loan to bail out its banks; many worry that Italy will be next; on Sunday, Greeks head to the polls in a run-off national election that could easily be the catalyst for Athens defaulting on its debt, then leaving the eurozone.

In Greece, anxiety is so intense, people are emptying their bank accounts and stocking up on food ahead of Sunday’s election.

Everyone agrees: A far-reaching solution cannot be put off much longer.

The most telling signs of how close we are to the emergence of a United States of Europe come from Germany. Ever since this crisis began in 2008, Berlin has reacted slowly and with tremendous caution. When others moaned and wailed and demanded more extreme measures—eurobonds, larger rescue funds, more spending—Germany simply ignored, even rejected, these cries. But over the last two to three weeks, there have been hints that Berlin might finally be ready to act.

Speaking on German TV last week, Chancellor Angela Merkel emphasized the “need [for] more Europe.” Europe doesn’t just need a currency union, she explained, “we also need a so-called fiscal union, more common budget policies.” Merkel’s recognition of the need for a “fiscal union” is significant, but it was what she said next that caught the attention of some commentators: “AND WE NEED ABOVE ALL A POLITICAL UNION. That means we must step by step, as things go forward, give up powers to Europe as well.”

Notice who Merkel was speaking to. This wasn’t a press conference in Brussels or a speech before the European Parliament. Many Europeans, especially European leaders, don’t need to be convinced of the need for more Europe. Merkel was speaking directly to the German public. She was, as Spiegel noted, “carefully preparing the public for the possibility that great changes are coming and that established certainties are no longer valid.”

Charles Grant, director of the Center for European Reform, was recently in Berlin to discuss Europe’s problems with German policymakers. He wrote in the New York Times this week that “the view of German policymakers … is that the government will do what is necessary to save the euro.” Germany knows it is going to have to intervene on a major scale, and even has measures in place, explained Grant. But it’s not overtly publicizing these measures because it’s concerned this may encourage some states to “slacken efforts to curb budget deficits and enact reforms.” That’s pretty smart.

It seems we are now getting an idea of what these measures may look like.

On Monday, Spiegel published an article outlining a plan currently in the works to stabilize the eurozone and the euro. According to George Friedman, CEO of Stratfor, Spiegel’s “report appears to be well-grounded, with European leaders confirming that the four individuals are working on a plan.” The plan is the brainchild of European Commission President José Manuel Barroso, European Council President Herman Van Rompuy, Eurogroup Chairman Jean-Claude Juncker and European Central Bank President Mario Draghi.

Spiegel says these four are conversing on the phone daily. A watered-down version of the plan is already circulating in Europe’s capitals, while a more comprehensive presentation is being prepared for the European summit later this month. A concrete version is expected as soon as August.

IF IT GOES AHEAD, THIS DRAMATIC PLAN WILL REVOLUTIONIZE EUROPE—AND THE WORLD!

Spiegel reports that the four leaders intend on “making the currency union irreversible, and DEEPENING IT TO BECOME A POLITICAL UNION” (emphasis added throughout). Remember, this is exactly what Chancellor Merkel also desires. S

Spiegel continues: “A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT EUROPE WOULD EMERGE FROM SUCH A PROCESS. The plan envisions nation-states giving up significant elements of their sovereignty to European institutions. … At the heart of the deliberations is the CREATION OF A REAL FISCAL UNION, which would prohibit member states from taking on new debt on their own.”

Basically, the plan envisions an all-powerful EU fiscal authority that would have dictatorial power over the finances of member states!

One possibility under this new plan is the creation of a special EU institution to supervise Europe’s banks. This overarching EU body “would not only keep an eye on systemically relevant financial institutions, BUT ON ALL BANKS,” reported Spiegel. If you think Brussels has too much of a controlling presence in the lives of Europeans now, wait till this plan is enacted.

The plan also provides for the creation of a eurobond, a bond backed by all eurozone nations, most importantly Germany. This will please France and many other countries, and could go a long way to solving Europe’s debt crisis. A eurobond backed by Germany is a thousand times more attractive than anything else on the market. But there’s a catch. In order to soothe Berlin’s justified concerns about a eurobond, which would basically result in all Germany taking on liability for the debt of individual countries, states would have to meet a laundry list of rules and guidelines. Rules and guidelines, mind you, essentially created by Germany.

Most notably, the plan puts the power to issue eurobonds—and leadership of the EU fiscal authority itself—in the hands of one individual, “a kind of European finance minister” with supreme authority.

WHAT POWER! If this plan proceeds, European states will effectively transfer control of their national budgets to a European fiscal authority—headed by a single individual!

Here’s another important development. Citing sources in Brussels, Spiegel also reports that the plan includes “turning the office of European Commission president and European Council president into one” and CREATING AN OVERARCHING “EUROPEAN PRESIDENT.” (Incidentally, this now-confirmed plan by an elite group to create a European super-president was exposed by Trumpet columnist Ron Fraser more than a month ago.)

This plan is still under construction. As it forms and becomes more public, it will likely be met with a lot of opposition as EU states and citizens fear ceding more power to Brussels and Berlin. But you watch: As this crisis escalates and as pressure mounts—if Greece defaults on its debt and leaves the eurozone; if Italy too needs a bailout; if the euro suddenly plummets; if even more destructive riots and protests break out—Europeans and their leaders will compromise.

Extreme crises demand extreme solutions—even as extreme as ceding power to Germany!

Consider one last observation. In its article on this dramatic plan to rescue Europe, Spiegel states that this plan would mark the “BEGINNING OF THE UNITED STATES OF EUROPE.” On Sunday, the Independent’s Peter Popham explained how “amid the bailouts, a UNITED STATES OF EUROPE takes shape.” Today, if you type the term United States of Europe into Google, you’ll get hundreds of hits from news items posted in just the last few months. It seems politicians and news nerds the world over have given this term to the political organism now forming in Europe.

WHY I AM NOT A DISPENSATIONALIST; John Nelson Darby is recognized as the father of dispensationalism later made popular in the United States by Cyrus Scofield's Scofield Reference Bible. Charles Henry Mackintosh, 1820–1896, with his popular style spread Darby's teachings to humbler elements in society and may be regarded as the journalist of the Brethren Movement. CHM popularised Darby more than any other Brethren author. As there was no Christian teaching of a “rapture” before Darby began preaching about it in the 1830s, he is sometimes credited with originating the "secret rapture" theory wherein Christ will suddenly remove His bride, the Church, from this world before the judgments of the tribulation. Dispensationalist beliefs about the fate of the Jews and the re-establishment of the Kingdom of Israel put dispensationalists at the forefront of Christian Zionism, because "God is able to graft them in again," and they believe that in His grace he will do so according to their understanding of Old Testament prophecy. They believe that, while the methodologies of God may change, His purposes to bless Israel will never be forgotten, just as He has shown unmerited favour to the Church, He will do so to a remnant of Israel to fulfill all the promises made to the genetic seed of Abraham. I am not a dispensationalist; it is unbiblical.

A Deadly Secret Plot Has Been Uncovered

The plot is fulfilling a great Bible prophecy. It’s all about the European Union superpower being hijacked!

By Gerald Flurry (theTrumpet.com)
We have been prophesying for over 70 years that a strong dictator is about to rule over Europe. We proclaimed that he would not be voted in by the public. We have also said for many years Britain would not be a part of the final European Union.

A recently revealed secret plot shows that all of these prophecies are being fulfilled now!

The British Express printed an article on May 4 titled, “EU Plot to Scrap Britain.” “Senior Eurocrats are secretly plotting to create a super-powerful EU president to realize their dream of abolishing Britain, we can reveal,” it began.

“A covert group of EU foreign ministers has drawn up plans for merging the jobs currently done by Herman Van Rompuy, president of the European Council, and José Manuel Barroso, president of the European Commission.

“The new bureaucrat, who would not be directly elected by voters, is set to get sweeping control over the entire EU and force member countries into ever-greater political and economic union. Tellingly, the UK has been excluded from the confidential discussions within the shady ‘Berlin Group’ of Europhile politicians, spearheaded by German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle” (emphasis mine throughout).

This “new bureaucrat” is going to get control of the EU by flatteries—not by being voted into office. That means that he and a few cohorts will hijack the powerful EU. It will be led by Germany, the only powerful economy in the Western world.

There may be a few small twists and turns, but this secret plot is going to usher in a fierce dictator! Bible prophecy makes that powerfully clear.

Back to the Dark Ages?
The Express secret-plot article continued: “Opponents fear the plan could create A MODERN-DAY EQUIVALENT OF THE EUROPEAN EMPEROR ENVISAGED BY NAPOLEON BONAPARTE OR A RETURN TO THE HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE OF CHARLEMAGNE THAT DOMINATED EUROPE IN THE DARK AGES. …

“Euro-M.P. Paul Nuttall, of the UK Independence Party, said: ‘This is a truly ridiculous idea that must never be allowed to happen. It sounds as if they are trying to go back to the days of the Holy Roman EMPEROR.’”

For about 70 years we have been prophesying of the Holy Roman Empire and emperor soon to appear on the scene. It will be the seventh and last head of that superpower.

This very moment, that prophecy is coming true. That is what the secret plot article made very clear. Britain is being kicked out.

Mr. Nuttall said that this Holy Roman Empire idea “must never be allowed to happen.” But it can’t be stopped because it has God’s approval (Revelation 17:17). Our free Daniel booklet explains why. And YOU DESPERATELY NEED TO UNDERSTAND!

This resurrected Holy Roman Empire is going to be the most destructive force ever on Earth. It is time for this world to understand what is happening in Europe!

Referring to the “Berlin Group,” Tory Foreign Office minister Lord Howell of Guildford said, “While the UK is not part of that group, we understand that one idea under discussion is a merger of the positions of president of the European

Council and president of the European Commission.” Lord Howell added: “A merger of the two presidencies would create a potential conflict of interest, undermine the quality of the EU’s decision-making processes and upset the institutional balance within the EU.” Lord Stoddart said: “These sorts of informal discussions within the

EU have a habit of rapidly being transferred into formal proposals.

“Since the government is not party to these discussions, its reservations are academic.

“Such a merger would represent a massive shift of power into the hands of a single, unelected bureaucrat. The government should be taking this far more seriously and voicing its objections very strongly.”

He added: “The holder of this new office would be both Europe’s political and administrative leader, GIVING THEM FAR MORE POWERS THAN THOSE GIVEN TO THE U.S. PRESIDENT.”

The French Election
These secret plotters saw the end of the Franco-German axis coming in the lead-up to the May 6 French presidential election. These two nations had led the EU from its inception. The plotters then moved to help form a German-Italian axis.

Germany and Italy are the first two nations of the 10 nations or groups of nations to form the Holy Roman Empire. The other eight are already a part of the EU and probably eager to join Germany and Italy.

Germany and Italy have been at the heart of the Holy Roman Empire throughout the ages. When Hitler and Mussolini became allies in World War II, it was the sixth head of the Holy Roman Empire. Mussolini even called their union THE HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE.

This new German-Italian axis—including the worldwide power of the Vatican—is a major shift in Europe’s direction. These two leading nations are going to shock the world as they demonstrate their worldwide ambitions—which they have done in the past. (For more information, request our free booklet Germany and the Holy Roman Empire.)

The secret plot has pushed France aside and Britain out. Now these plotters are working hard to find their strong leader.

We believe we may know who he is and who they are seeking to fill that strongman role.

We won’t have long to wait for his appearance. He may play a key role in choosing the other eight nations or kings. Then the world will see the horror of what this dramatic shift means!

“Germany inevitably would emerge as the leader of a united Europe,” Herbert W. Armstrong wrote in the November-December 1954 Plain Truth edition—a statement that most people only ridiculed. “All Europe is actually ready—just waiting for the confidence-inspiring leader—an international all-European Hitler, and it is on the way. That man is there somewhere.”

It’s all happening exactly as we have prophesied for 70 years! It is time for this world to wake up!

“Historical pressures, well apart from Putinism in Russia, are coming to the fore on the Continent—pressures that were long suppressed by the aberrations of World War II, the Cold War, the division of Germany, and the rise of the EU,” National Review Online wrote April 24. “The so-called German problem—the TENDENCY OF GERMANY QUITE NATURALLY AT SOME POINT TO TRANSLATE ITS INNATE DYNAMIC ECONOMIC PROWESS INTO POLITICAL, CULTURAL, AND ABOVE ALL MILITARY SUPERIORITY—did not vanish simply because a postmodern EU announced that it had transcended human nature and its membership would no longer be susceptible to ancient Thucydidean nationalist passions like honor, fear or self-interest.

“If you have doubts on that, just review current German and southern European newspapers, where commentary sounds more likely to belong in 1938 than in 2012.”

THE YEAR 1938 WAS ONE YEAR BEFORE WORLD WAR II BEGAN. In World War II, Hitler and Mussolini made Europe and much of the world bleed. But that was only a small dress rehearsal of what is about to occur!

The strongman of Europe could even appear on the scene this year.

A Prophecy for Today
We have been warning our readers to watch for this development for years. I went back and reread an article I wrote on the subject 12 years ago, in our June 2000 issue, based on the Bible’s prophecies. THE UNCOVERING OF THIS PLOT TO CREATE A EUROPEAN SUPER-PRESIDENT MAKES THAT ARTICLE FAR MORE RELEVANT TODAY THAN IT WAS 12 YEARS AGO!

The remainder of this article is essentially a reprint of that article from 2000. Please consider these prophecies in light of what is happening in Europe right now.

Let’s turn to the Bible to see what to expect in the time just ahead. Antiochus Epiphanes came to the Jerusalem temple in 167 B.C. The spring of 167 B.C. to the autumn of 164 B.C. was a terror-filled time for Palestine—3½ years of tribulation.

It was only a type, however, of the end-time Great Tribulation, also to last 3½ years, to be inflicted on America, Britain and the State of Israel.

“Then shall stand up in his estate a raiser of taxes in the glory of the kingdom: but within few days he shall be destroyed, neither in anger, nor in battle. And in his estate shall stand up a vile person, to whom they shall not give the honour of the kingdom: but he shall come in peaceably, and obtain the kingdom by flatteries” (Daniel 11:20-21). The Companion Bible states that the historical portion ends with verse 20. Verse 21 “passes on to the time which is still (1912) future to us.” And it is still future as we write now.

So there will be a future Antiochus—a vile person. He will be a type of the original Antiochus. We need to see how this will happen.

The Spirit of Charlemagne
“In the year 782, Charlemagne, the king of the Franks, became THE MILITARY CHAMPION OF THE PAPACY, stepping into the vacuum created by the separation of Constantinople and Rome, and defending the papacy from the Lombards who kept threatening it. Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne emperor in Notre Dame Cathedral in 800. The future of Europe was bound up in that event, and THE ALLIANCE BETWEEN THE PAPACY AND GERMANY HAS BEEN OF GREAT SIGNIFICANCE EVER SINCE” (David N. Samuel, European Union and the Roman Catholic Influence in Britain).

What is happening in the European superstate is a mystery to most of the world.

But that mystery is beginning to be removed.

Bernard Connolly wrote a bombshell book in 1995 titled The Rotten Heart of Europe. For years he served at the heart of the Exchange Rate Mechanism for the EU. He headed the commission unit responsible for monitoring and servicing the system. He labels the European superstate as ROTTEN. Why?

He wrote, “It is the battle for control of the European superstate, in which French technocrats confront German federalists, both sides claiming to fight under the BANNER OF CHARLEMAGNE. The ‘collateral damage’ from this battle lies mainly in the future, but IT COULD BE GHASTLY.”

Who will get control of this great superstate? The battle can be narrowed down to two nations: France and Germany. Do knowledgeable people really doubt who will win this battle? The nation that controls the money will reign supreme.

“Across the Rhine, successive German governments have, in their pursuit of a ‘EUROPEAN’ CLOAK FOR GERMAN AMBITIONS, been prepared to accept an apparent cession of national monetary authority—as long as the new European monetary authority looks, sounds, smells and acts exactly as the German monetary authority now does” (ibid).

The European Union system has already been called a Trojan horse by a few informed analysts. Mr. Connolly says it is a “CLOAK FOR GERMAN AMBITIONS.”

We are all well aware of Hitler’s Third Reich. But did you realize that CHARLEMAGNE’S EMPIRE WAS THE FIRST REICH?

Most of the EU leaders are working to “recreate the empire of Charlemagne”—especially Germany. “It was no coincidence that the Belgian government housed the offices and meeting rooms of the EU Council of Ministers in the Charlemagne building in Brussels.

“It was no coincidence, either, that Giscard and Schmidt agreed to accept the Belgian compromise proposal at a bilateral summit in September 1978 at Aachen, principal seat and burial place of Charlemagne. The symbolism was heavily underlined in both France and Germany; the two leaders paid a special visit to the throne of Charlemagne and a special service was held in the cathedral; at the end of the summit, Giscard remarked that: ‘Perhaps when we discussed monetary problems, the spirit of Charlemagne brooded over us’” (ibid).

The spirit of Charlemagne has returned. This king who ruled the First Reich had to wade through a SEA OF BLOOD to achieve his goal of ruling Europe and establishing Catholicism as the state religion!

Get ready for another sea of blood!

‘A Vile Person’
The big question remains unanswered. “In the new empire of Charlemagne, WHO WOULD PLAY CHARLEMAGNE? Exactly the same question was implicit, and left unanswered, at Maastricht” (ibid).

Soon the world will know who the modern Charlemagne (or Antiochus) is to be. You can be sure he will have Germany’s stamp of approval. His actions will shock the world far more than the original Charlemagne’s. He will lead the world into the greatest “sea of blood” that humanity has ever seen or even dreamed about! Whether we realize it or not, the Fourth Reich has arrived.

Daniel 8 doesn’t tell us the name of the next Charlemagne. But it does tell us the kind of man he is going to be. And it is the worst news this world has ever received!

However, it leads directly to the greatest event ever to occur in the universe—the return of Jesus Christ!

The German leaders today have a hidden agenda, but even they will be shocked at the leader who will get control of the European Union.

Mr. Connolly asked, “Who is going to be Charlemagne?”

He said the outcome could be “ghastly.” Actually, it will go beyond “ghastly”—not only for Europe, but for the whole world!

The Bible labels this Charlemagne as “a vile person.”

Otto Von Hapsburg also said, “We possess a European symbol which belongs to all nations of Europe equally; this is the crown of the Holy Roman Empire, which embodies the tradition of Charlemagne.”

Daniel says Europe’s leaders will “not give the honour of the kingdom” to the vile person. He is so despicable, the royalty of the Holy Roman Empire today will fight against his coming to power. Still, he will gain control of the EU.

The Hebrew word for “vile” also means despicable and contemptible. Gesenius’ Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon defines the word as meaning “to trample with the feet.”

That is his attitude toward anybody who opposes him.

Another Hitler?
Satan, the god of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4), was the power behind Hitler.
This vile, despicable and contemptible person will come into power much like Hitler did. Hitler was an army corporal during World War I. He had no royal or dignified background. But he won more and more influence with the people and brutally pushed himself into office.

This vile person “obtain[s] the kingdom by flatteries.” He flatters his way into office when he can. He also takes advantage of the European people as they move to the extreme right, politically.

Hitler was undoubtedly possessed by the devil. Those who knew him said he had three personalities. He was charming, at times in a trance and often in a rage!

Like Hitler, this end-time vile person could come from Austria. But the power behind him will be the devil, and Germany will be his main tool.

This evil man will come in “peaceably”—or unexpectedly.

The Revised Standard Version says of Daniel 11 that he will come in “without warning.”

If the EU were to be left in the hands of the present politicians, Europe would probably never pose a real threat. But they are going to lose control to the political “beast.”

According to Revelation 13, there will also be a religious beast led by a vile person. He will probably come on the scene in a similar manner.

Both beasts—political and religious—are empowered by the devil, and have “one mind.”

The religious beast will look like a “lamb” (Revelation 13:11)—it will appear harmless.

The last resurrection of the Holy Roman Empire will burst on the world scene suddenly, “without warning.” We are the only people who warn the world with God’s message! We must warn Europe that a VILE PERSON IS GOING TO HIJACK THE POWERFUL EUROPEAN UNION!

He is a person unworthy of dignity or royalty. Get ready, it’s coming fast.

THIS IS THE TERRIBLE AND FATAL FLAW OF THE EUROPEAN UNION. This awesome world power will fall into the hands of a wicked, contemptible person—a master deceiver.

Unless people heed our words, they will be shocked as never before!

“He shall enter peaceably even upon the fattest places of the province; and he shall do that which his fathers have not done, nor his fathers’ fathers; he shall scatter among them the prey, and spoil, and riches: yea, and he shall FORECAST his devices against the strong holds, even for a time. And he shall stir up his power and his courage against the king of the south with a great army; and the king of the south shall be stirred up to battle with a very great and mighty army; but he shall not stand: for they shall FORECAST devices against him” (Daniel 11:24-25). Notice the word “forecast.” The New Englishman’s Hebrew Concordance states that it means the future. So this man will have forecasting ability—a limited prophetic power.

Through this man, Satan, who knows Bible prophecy, will forecast his plots.

“And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done. Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all” (verses 36-37). He will magnify himself above every god of this world and the true God. That means Satan the devil will possess this man! That is why he is so vile.

Ever since Lucifer rebelled and became Satan, he has spent all his time speaking AGAINST the true God.

‘Not by His Own Power’
Daniel also wrote about this man in another of his prophecies. “And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up” (Daniel 8:23).

This all happens in “the latter time”—that means today—now! This vile man becomes “a king” of fierce countenance, understanding “dark sentences.” What does this mean?

“And his power shall be mighty, but NOT BY HIS OWN POWER: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people” (verse 24). This is all done “not by his own power.” He is empowered by the devil! He is consumed with Satan’s thoughts—“dark sentences.” He destroys wonderfully, or mightily, with nuclear weapons. No suffering has ever been so bad (Daniel 12:1).

“And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand” (Daniel 8:25). The New English Bible reads, “he shall conjure up great plans and, when they least expect it, work havoc on many.” Millions—perhaps billions—will be inflicted with his wrath.

He is a master of disguise—coming in what appears to be peace. Those who believe him—friends and enemies—often become victims.

Lange’s Commentary adds that he destroys “with suddenness by a malignant purpose.”

But look at the gloriously good news. This very king and his evil system will be destroyed by Christ! Then the world will have an all-powerful leader who is LOVE. And He will rule forever.

World Marvels at Beast
“And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast” (Revelation 13:3). All the world marvels at the beast. “And THEY WORSHIPPED THE DRAGON which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?” (verse 4). Again we see that THE DEVIL IS THE POWER BEHIND THIS EMPIRE. The only way to survive—spiritually or physically—is through God’s power!

This time period, which the Bible calls the Great Tribulation, will last for 3½ years (verse 5). “And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations” (verse 7). Even God’s own lukewarm church will be a victim.

Is this serious? Do you see the need to be a doer of God’s Word? You must act now, while there is time!

“And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon” (verse 11). Here is the religious beast that looks like a lamb. But he speaks like a dragon—because the devil empowers him also!

That is why the religious leader will also be vile and despicable.

God is about to punish America, Britain and the Jewish nation called Israel today for their sins. He is raising up this beast to correct His rebellious people. He will get our attention!

“The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is” (Revelation 17:8). This beast power is mostly underground at present. In the Greek language that is what “the bottomless pit” means.

That is why “they that dwell on the earth shall wonder.” Marvel would be a better translation for the word wonder. It means this beast power was underground until it suddenly burst on the scene, then the whole world was astonished, amazed and shocked. Suddenly a new world power was acting like a real superpower!

“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” (verses 12-13). The 10 horns are the same as the 10 toes in Daniel 2. They receive their kingdoms for a very short time—3½ years.

THESE 10 NATIONS HAVE “ONE MIND”—THE OPPOSITE OF A DEMOCRACY! That is where the EU is headed!

These 10 kings may be literal kings. If not, they are going to act like kings, with real authority. That is what the massive shift from democracy is about in the European Union. That is why there has been such a rise in right-wing activity. It is fulfilling the prophecies of Daniel and Revelation.

There is a fierce political battle in Britain now over this very issue. Many people in Britain see that the EU is dominated by Germany in a very UNDEMOCRATIC way.
And remember, this political “beast” is labeled that way by God. THE MAN RULING IT WILL BE LIKE AN EMPEROR OVER THE 10 KINGS—AND WILL ACT LIKE A WILD BEAST! THIS COULD NOT HAPPEN IN A DEMOCRACY.

Consider again that I wrote these words 12 years ago, based solely on the Bible’s prophecies. Now we are reading headlines about European elites trying to create an unelected super-president who can dominate the political scene and elevate Europe to real SUPERPOWER status!

This role of emperor is the fatal flaw in the European Union. The vile person will become the emperor and lead Europe in its most destructive path ever.


He will even lead Europe in an attack against Russia and China, a move that will begin his downfall.

Still, there will be several armies from both sides which remain and will fight Christ at His return. Christ will then destroy these armies and rule the Earth.

So in the end, the bad news becomes the best news ever: the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

The Best News Ever
The famous prophecy in Daniel 2 gives us the time frame of this glorious event. The image of the statue in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream represented a succession of world-ruling empires down through history (Daniel 2:31-45).

“And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise. And whereas thou sawest the feet and TOES, part of potters’ clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided …” (verses 40-41). This is referring to the final resurrection of the “Holy” Roman Empire; the 10 toes represent the 10 kings of that empire.

But notice what happens next. “And IN THE DAYS OF THESE KINGS shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever” (verse 44).

We are in the time of the toes of Daniel’s image! These “toes” are now on the world scene and becoming more and more aggressive. And what comes after the toes? “IN THE DAYS OF THESE KINGS” gives us a time element. Jesus Christ will return “in the days of these kings” who rule over the European Union! Christ is going to smash the toes—the European Union, or “Holy” Roman Empire. That will be the end of the Daniel 2 image forever!

Christ must return at this time or there would be no flesh saved alive! (Matthew 24:21-22). I repeat, He must return!

Then the saints will be crowned to rule with Christ as His bride (Daniel 7:13-18). What a mind-staggering, wondrous reward God gives to those who do His work today. There will be only one bride of Christ for all eternity! What a magnificent future we have. And it’s almost here! •

WHY I AM NOT A DISPENSATIONALIST; John Nelson Darby is recognized as the father of dispensationalism later made popular in the United States by Cyrus Scofield's Scofield Reference Bible. Charles Henry Mackintosh, 1820–1896, with his popular style spread Darby's teachings to humbler elements in society and may be regarded as the journalist of the Brethren Movement. CHM popularised Darby more than any other Brethren author. As there was no Christian teaching of a “rapture” before Darby began preaching about it in the 1830s, he is sometimes credited with originating the "secret rapture" theory wherein Christ will suddenly remove His bride, the Church, from this world before the judgments of the tribulation. Dispensationalist beliefs about the fate of the Jews and the re-establishment of the Kingdom of Israel put dispensationalists at the forefront of Christian Zionism, because "God is able to graft them in again," and they believe that in His grace he will do so according to their understanding of Old Testament prophecy. They believe that, while the methodologies of God may change, His purposes to bless Israel will never be forgotten, just as He has shown unmerited favour to the Church, He will do so to a remnant of Israel to fulfill all the promises made to the genetic seed of Abraham. I am not a dispensationalist; it is unbiblical.