The European Union
A Precursor to Antichrist's Rule?

The European Union has 27 member states, 17 of which are on the common currency.
Founded through a string of treaties beginning in the 1950s, the EU has developed its own economic, political and legal policies.
Taken as a whole, the EU is now the world's largest economy.

growth and development of the European Union has been viewed in some conservative evangelical groups as ominous: a move toward the kingdom of Antichrist. The EU has been described, in terms of Nebuchadnezzar's dream image (Dan.2, Rev.13) as the 'feet and toes partly of potters clay and partly of iron' of the Fourth Kingdom, shown later to Daniel as the Fourth Beast (Dan.7), – the confederate allies of a coming Antichrist.

The conceptual association of the European Union with the kingdom of Antichrist arises from its geographical association with the territory of the Roman Empire, of which a resuscitated form will become the kingdom of Antichrist as the book of Revelation describes. But this historical association also exposes an ignorance of Holy Scripture, for the kingdom of Antichrist as Daniel's Fourth Beast (7:7) and its preceding three kingdoms/empires, are not successors to a common geographic area. Their sequence in Daniel is their successive rule over Israel, and not over a common territory, so this has no relevance at all to the European- extent of the ancient Roman Empire.

The nature of this sequence of empires is portrayed in Daniel Seven in the four images of –

which culminates in a Fourth Beast, which Revelation Chapter 13 portrays as a hybrid of the preceding three, such as in its Roman-empire-form in combining these three systems (Caesar, Senate, Tribunes).

If one is looking for any similarity of association today, the present day form of government which most approximates with the early form of the Fourth Beast (Republican Rome) is actually the United States of America, where most of the suspicion toward the EU resides. Washington's Capitol is even named from the Capitoline Hill of ancient Rome, as well as its Senate for theirs. The US military has even described itself in its international role as the Pax Americana in parallel to the Pax Romana of that ancient empire of the Fourth Beast.

The unbiblical suspicious reaction to the EU's growth calls for a more complete background to the EU's development, in order not to be sidetracked into an alarmist and negative mentality. Unfortunately this sincere but sad mentality looks for signs of a coming Antichrist as the signs of Christ's return, instead of looking to the activity of the Holy Spirit in His church in anticipation of the Lord's coming Advent.

approach to the European Union should really be determined by God's heart-attitude.

His attitude has its focus on the practical welfare of its people, for He loves them. In this light alone Christians should evaluate their attitude to these on-going developments – with thoughtful appreciation of the following in the light of Christ's continuing purpose in His people.

The Hague, Netherlands. The International Court is instituted.

Geneva. French spokesman, Aristide Briand, proposes 'a system of European Federal Union' in his speech to the League of Nations.

March 5, Fulton, Missouri, USA. Winston Church makes his famous 'Iron Curtain' speech.
September 19, Zurich University, Switzerland. Winston Churchill says –

March 17. Dunkirk Treaty is signed between France and the United Kingdom.
May 14. Encouraged by Winston Churchill (see 1946), the United Europe Movement is created which is hostile to supranational organs and in favour of intergovernmental cooperation.
June 1, France. The French Council for a United Europe is formed by René Courtin. It is later absorbed by the European Movement (1953). Encouraged by Christian Democrats, the 'Nouvelles Equipes Internationales', that is later known as European Union of Christian Democrats (1965), is also formed.
June 3. The Socialist United States of Europe Movement is formed which is renamed in 1961 as the European Left.
June 5. The Marshall Plan of American aid for the economic revival of Europe is announced.
December 13-14. The Federalist and Unionist organisations meet within the International Coordination of Movements for the Unification of Europe Committee.

January 1. The customs union between Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands enters into force.
March 17. Brussels Treaty (Western Union Treaty) is signed, to include Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands in the Dunkirk Treaty of March 1947.
April 16. The Organisation for European Economic Cooperation (OEEC) is formed to coordinate the Marshall Plan. (See June 1947)
May 7-11, The Hague, Netherlands. Encouraged by the International Coordination of Movements for the Unification of Europe Committee, the Europe Congress meets, chaired by Winston Churchill and attended by 800 delegates.
Participants recommend that a European Deliberative Assembly and a European Special Council be formed to be in charge of preparing political and economic integration of European Countries. They also advise the adoption of a Human Rights Charter and a Court of Justice to ensure the respect of such a charter.
June 18. Soviet Union imposes the Berlin blockade.

January 28. France, Great Britain and the Benelux countries decide to set in place a Council of Europe, and ask Denmark, Ireland, Italy Norway and Switzerland to help them prepare the statute of such a Council.
April 4, Washington, USA. North Atlantic Treaty is signed, forming NATO.
May 5. The Council of Europe (for discussion and co-operation) is set up in London.
August 3. The statute of the Council of Europe enters into force.
August 8, Strasbourg, France. The first Consultative Assembly of the new Council of Europe is held.

May 9. In a speech inspired by Jean Monnet, Robert Schuman, the French Foreign Minister, proposes that France and Germany and any other European country wishing to join them pool their Coal and Steel resources ("Schuman Declaration").
June 3. Belgium, France, Luxembourg, Italy, the Netherlands, and Germany subscribe to the Schuman declaration.
August 26-28. The Council of Europe Assembly approves the Schuman plan.
September 19. The European Union of payments is created.
November 4, Rome, Italy. The Human Rights and Fundamental Rights Conventions are signed.

April 18, Paris. Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Italy, and the Netherlands sign the Treat of Paris, founding the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC).

October 23, Paris. Treaty establishing the Western European Union is signed: bringing the Federal Republic of Germany and Italy into the Brussels Treaty of 1948.

Multinational pressure group 'Action Committee for the United States of Europe' (ACUSE) is formed.

March 25, Rome. The six founding nations (see 'Dates of Accession' below) sign the Treaty of Rome ('to lay the foundations of an ever closer union among the peoples of Europe'), thus creating the European Economic Community (EEC) and the European Atomic Energy Community (EURATOM); in spite of British attempts to undermine it.

As the EEC tariff-cuts come into force Britain begins to feel excluded from markets that seem most promising.

January 4, Stockholm. The Stockholm Convention on the European Free Trade Area (EFTA) between Austria, Britain, Denmark, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, and Switzerland is signed; as Britain's answer to the EEC. See 1957.

July 1. Ending of internal EEC customs duties in favour of a common external tariff.

June 30. EEC membership negotiations begin with Denmark, Ireland, Norway and the United Kingdom (UK).

January 1. EEC is formally enlarged to nine states and receives sole responsibility for a common trade policy.

November, Dublin. Mrs Thatcher (Prime Minister of Britain) challenges the unfair collection and distribution of EEC income. (See 1984).

January 1. Greece becomes the tenth member of the EEC, helping to secure democracy in that country.

March. Mrs Thatcher rejects a compromise on the collection and distribution of EEC income proposed by Mitterrand, President of France.
June, Fontainebleau. Britain accepts a revised collection and distribution of EEC income.

June 28-29, Milan. European Council convenes the Intergovernmental Conference (IGC) to amend the Treaty of Rome. (See 1957).
The European Union flag is formally adopted as the official emblem.

January 1. Austria, Finland and Sweden join the European Union.
December 15-16, Madrid: The European Council agrees on the name 'Euro' for a single European currency.

May 2, Brussels. A special meeting of EU leaders of the fifteen member states decides which states will participate in the common currency, based on each member state's performance in meeting the economic "convergence criteria" set out in the Maastricht Treaty, including sound management in the areas of public finances, price stability, exchange rates, and interest rates.
June 1. The European Central Bank is formed as successor to the European Monetary Institute which helped regulate the transition for states adopting the Euro.
June 17. Treaty of Amsterdam.

January 1. The euro becomes the single currency for eleven EU member states by irrevocably establishing the conversion rates between their respective national currencies and the euro and creating a monetary union for the single currency, namely: Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Spain, and Portugal.
December. Turkey becomes an EU candidate country. (Turkey is Syria's principle trading partner).

January 1. Greece joins the single currency after meeting the Maastricht "convergence criteria."
November 30. Alan Greenspan, Chairman of the Board of Governors of the US Federal Reserve System declares -

January 1. The European Union single currency (Euro) is introduced as the official legal tender of twelve of the EU countries, replacing their national currencies.
February 28. The national notes and coins of the twelve member states in the euro-zone are withdrawn permanently and replaced by the euro.

February 1. The Treaty of Nice (see December 2000) comes into force, but most institutional aspects (arising from the Treaty of Amsterdam of June 1998), preparing EU institutions for enlargement of as many as 28 member states, are only to come into force in 2005.

May 1. Ten new states join the European Union, namely: Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, the Slovak Republic, and Slovenia – representing more than 100 million new citizens of the European Union.

January 1. Bulgaria and Romania join the European Union, bringing the total number of member countries to twenty-seven.
Irish becomes an official working language of the European Union.
Slovenia joins the euro currency (joined EU in 2004).
October 18-19. All 27 European Union leaders approve the final draft of the Reform Treaty (Treaty of Lisbon) which is to be formally signed on December 13. (See 2009).

January 1. The euro becomes the currency of Malta and Cyprus.

January 1. The euro becomes the currency of Slovakia.
Although initially intended to commence now, the Irish delay in ratifying the Treaty of Lisbon causes a delay in its implementation. The Treaty consists of amendments to –
  • the Treaty on European Union;
  • the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union; and,
  • the Charter of Fundamental Rights.
December 1. The Lisbon Treaty becomes effective.
The United Kingdom and Ireland have opted out from the Treaty's change from unanimous decisions to qualified majority voting in the sector of police and judicial affairs; this decision will be reviewed in Ireland in three years. Both states will be able to opt in to these voting issues on a case-by-case basis.

May 9. Europe's Finance Ministers approve a comprehensive rescue package worth almost a trillion dollars aimed at ensuring financial stability across Europe by creating the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF).
June 7. The European Financial Stability Facility is established as a limited liability company under Luxembourg law (Société Anonyme). (The Facility becomes fully operational on 4 August 2010).
The Board of the EFSF comprises high level representatives of the 16 euro area member states, including Deputy Ministers or Secretaries of State or Director Generals of the Treasury. The European Commission and the European Central Bank may each appoint an observer to the EFSF Board. EFSF's Chairman of the Board is also Chairman of EU's Economic and Financial Committee.

January 1. The Euro becomes the legal tender of Estonia.
The Euro is now considered a major global reserve currency, sharing that status with the U.S. dollar.

From 1 November 2009 the College of Commissioners is restricted to 15 members:
   1. the President of the Commission,
   2. the Minister for Foreign Affairs (designated as Vice-President) and
   3. the 13 European commissioners (with voting rights).
Apart from these 13 commissioners, other commissioners without voting rights will be appointed. Each Member State will be represented by a national who will either be a European commissioner (limited to 13 posts) or a commissioner without voting rights.
Equal rotation (as regards sequence and time spent in office) between the two groups of commissioners will follow a system laid down in a European Council decision based on the principles set out in the protocol on enlargement annexed to the Treaty of Nice (2000).