THE PROPHETIC SIGNIFICANCE OF REGIONALISM
An excerpt from "The European Union" Essay

THE PROPHETIC SIGNIFICANCE OF REGIONALISM

There are some who suggest that the ten kings of Rev. 17:12 represent the original divisions of the Roman Empire.  This is not exegetically logical.  In the first place, three of the ten horns of the Book of Daniel were "plucked up" by the little horn.  They ceased to exist (Dan. 7:7-8; 20 & 24.)  Next, the internal evidence of Rev. 17:10 is they were future, and they probably still are.  Here is where the European Union may provide a clue to the ultimate manifestation of these ten kings.

In FREEDOM IN JEOPARDY: THE CASE AGAINST THE EU AND SUPRANATIONALISM under the heading "What is Sovereignty?" the author D. Andrews states:

Though nationalism was once very similar in definition to patriotism and independence, it is now often used to refer to a negative rather than a positive concept. Supranationalism, given much more popular publicity than the latter, is the concept that the nation state no longer matters, that interdependence is better than independence, and that it is necessary to form regions of countries into centrally-controlled blocs with the probability of merging those blocs later on to form a world government. Thus supranationalism is merely the process of political globalism. . . (underscored emphasis added.)

Under the heading of "The Grand Design of the EU" the author states the following concerning European Union founder Jean Monnet:

In the closing words of his memoirs, Monnet wrote:

"The sovereign nations of the past can no longer solve the problems of the present: they cannot ensure their own progress or control their own future. And the Community itself is only a stage on the way to the organised world of tomorrow." (emphasis added).

And in a communiqué of 22 August 1962 this same man spelled out the grand design of Europe when he wrote:

"It is impossible to solve problems between European States who preserve full sovereignty. We are convinced that our times must see the creation of vast units like the United States and the USSR, and to establish a [world-wide] organisation to ensure co-operation between all those vast units. It is this organization which will create the new world order." (emphasis added)

It seems beyond doubt now that regionalisation, despite initial promises to the contrary, was and is about the elimination of national sovereignty - and is itself a pre-planned stage toward globalisation (the joining together of regionalised blocs into a world government). The true story behind Europe can be ignored no longer.  (Underscoring for emphasis in the original; italics emphasis added.)

The question arises whether the concept of the regional unions of nations represents the blueprint for emergence of the ten kings of Rev. 17:12?  This raises the questions of how countries such as China will be roped in; and into what regional union will Russia be drawn, since the USSR no longer exists.

Is it possible that fulfillment of the prophecy will not be fully matured until after the appearance of Satan as the ultimate antichrist, fulfilling Rev. 17:8 & 11?  It is worthy of note that the beast referred to in Rev. 17:12, is not the papacy, but the dragon, defined by Rev. 12:3-9 as Satan.  Rev. 17:12 states that the ten horns receive power as kings with the beast for one prophetic hour (15 literal days;) but it does not state that the beast's appearance on the earth will be limited to that period of time.  Also, how long after the conquest of Britain will it be before the end comes?  At the present time, there remains the vexed issue of Jerusalem, and the fulfillment of Dan. 11:45.  There appears to be no movement there, but that problem may be resolved suddenly.