Prophecy Today (Link) - Jimmy DeYoung (August 2, 2010)
Herman Van Rompuy who is president of the European Council, made up of 27 states of the European Union, says that the European Union must be a union of values and that it needs spiritual and religious input into the daily operation of this major political structure as called for by the Lisbon Treaty, the constitution for the European Union. Article 17 of the Lisbon Treaty calls for continuing consultations between the leaders of the European Union and all religious organizations which is something that the Vatican in Rome has been trying to achieve for decades.
Even before the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty consultations were taking place and recently more than two dozen Christian, Jewish, and Moslem leaders met with the presidents of the European Parliament, the European Commission, and the leadership of the 27 member states that is called the European Council.
Jimmy�s Prophetic Prospective on the News
A clause in the Lisbon Treaty that calls for religions influence on the direction of the European Union is a page out of Bible prophecy for the last days.
With the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty the 27 member states of the European Union were able to elect a president that could lead this major political structure into the future. A clause in the treaty, Article 17, actually calls for religion to have a role in the direction that the European Union and its leadership will take in our world today. European Union leaders have met with and will continue to meet with religions leaders for their input in the operation of the European Union and its role in global governance.
This report is, as I stated, a page out of Bible prophecy for the last days. The prophets Daniel and John both wrote of the revival of the Old Roman Empire and its role in the last days. Daniel revealed in Daniel 7:7 that the ten horns represent the Revived Roman Empire and John in Revelation 17:12 also speaking of the ten horns said they will come to power in the last days. A closer study of the ten horns indicates that the European Union is at least the infrastructure for the Revived Roman Empire. Revelation 17 details the fact that religion, the false church, that religion is a major player in the Revived Roman Empire during the seven year Tribulation period.
A clause in the Lisbon Treaty calling for a religious influence in the operation of the European Union is indeed setting the stage for Bible prophecy to be fulfilled.
I would just like to point out that a group of nations with so many beliefs will have to be the model of ecumenism if they are going to meld the advice of so many different belief systems that would take part. I think that the more all beliefs are accepted as valid, the less meaning they each have. In some cases, in order to accept other beliefs one must eliminate aspects of their own beliefs. Ultimately this destroys the belief itself. There is a difference between accepting and tolerance as well. I have no problem tolerating other beliefs even if I believe they lack the foundation that proves their validity. However to accept that belief is to reject certain of my own beliefs by claiming something else to be valid.
While I agree with Jimmy�s point, I also wanted to point out that I am unaware of a seven year tribulation period laid out in scripture. This is commonly stated by many teachers, but Daniel 9:27 is the only period of seven years related to the end times that I�m aware of and both this and Yeshua�s reference to it in Matthew 24:15, distinctly place the time of great tribulation as starting in the midst of the seven years, approximately 3 1/2 years. For some this may seem nit-picky, but as I�ve studied more about this time period it has become clear that every detail matters and there are many conclusions built off of assumptions of scripture rather than scripture itself. I�ve had my own bouts with that problem, but I invite you to examine the studies if you�re interested and learn a little more about what God says will be happening in the future.