Free trade – EU & Gulf States

An article sent to us on 1 January 2002, headlined: "GCC
agrees on customs union, single currency....

Leaders of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)
yesterday took a major step toward economic union and signed an agreement
based on joint customs tariffs in 2003 and a single market and currency by 2010.
The Gulf states also decided to increase their joint defense force to 20,000 men
and strongly condemned terrorism in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks in the
United States....

The customs accord, unifying tariffs at five percent, will
come into force on Jan. 1, 2003, according to a final statement from the group's
annual year-end meeting. The new currency will be launched by Jan. 1, 2010 'at
the latest,' said the summit's final communiqué read by GCC
Secretary-General Jamil Al-Hujeilan....

The GCC leaders offered total support to the US-led
international coalition and the 'anti-terror war' launched by Washington,
which has toppled Afghanistan's Taleban regime....

...urged the world 'not to hold Islam responsible' for
the attacks in the United States (what a strange thing to urge)....

The customs union deal paves the way for a free trade pact
with the European Union, the region's main trading partner....

The communiqué said GCC states must peg local currencies
to the US dollar by the end of 2002 and forge relevant economic standards by
2005 to prepare for the launch of a unified currency. Currencies of all GCC
states, with the exception of Kuwait, are pegged to the US dollar, in which
their main crude oil export is traded...." (emphases added).

To the student of Bible prophecy, it is obvious that the
Arabs are getting worried now that they'll be left on the outer, as all other
countries in the world seem to be linking one with the other, in giving up
independence in favour of interdependence. This discussion of links with the
European Union is extremely exciting as we watch Bible prophecy being fulfilled
in our day. Internationalism is the name of the game, and sovereignty goes down
the drain in every country around the world.

This could look good to the uninitiated, or to the non-Bible
reader, yet we have read the end of the story where Anti Christ will take power
over all these united countries and bring about a reign of terror for three and
a half years called Great Tribulation.

We rejoice in this fact, that Noah was saved before the
flood, Lot was saved before the fire and therefore the Christians or believers
in Jesus Christ who are born-again of the Spirit of God, will be going up to be
with Jesus just before the Tribulation.

The secret is to make sure that you are thoroughly born-again
and walking in the ways of the Lord, that when He does appear, we will not be
ashamed before Him at His coming.