European Community Update: Will it expand?

Omega Times March 1994

Many people over the years have
asked me how I got involved in this ministry speaking on
end-times events. It happened in the late 1960’s when I was
teaching at a high school in Auckland, New Zealand. A friend of
mine named Derek Jones, asked me on the way home from school,
whether I thought the European Community could have been
mentioned in the Bible prophesies. I replied that I was not sure
but I would look into it.

That night I called the British
High Commissioner in New Zealand, and he told me that six
countries had already joined together and that four were applying
to join. As I had learned mathematics under the old system, I
knew that 6 plus 4 equals 10 and became very excited indeed. For
many years we have watched the emergence of this final world
empire and were surprised when it went up to twelve nations with
Spain and Portugal adding their weight behind this union.

I remember receiving a telephone
call from Radio Rhema, the New Zealand Christian radio station,
and the interviewer asking me why it was that the Word of God
spoke of ten nations but we already had twelve. It is to be
recognised by all students of prophesy that there is still some
juggling going on with nations which are semi-interested in
joining as full members and others who would like to merely be
associate members. According to Article 237 of the
‘European Community’s Act’, no nation outside
that portion of Western Europe where the other countries are, can
possibly become a full member of the Community.

Readers of the ‘Omega
Times’ in the month of February 1994, will remember the
headline, ‘European Community could soon have 13
members’. We now wish to continue this thought by quoting
from the ‘Australian’ newspaper on the 3^rd
of March 1994. This report is an added clarification as the day
that was set for the finalising of union with the other countries
was March 1^st 1994. We quote – “Keeping
alive its hopes for expansion, the European Union yesterday
clinched deals with Austria and Finland on terms for admitting
them as members next year…

The announcement came after the EU
and Sweden concluded a separate deal with the 12 nation EU late
on Tuesday night. Discussions with Norway were suspended for a
week after Norwegian officials refused to give in to EU demands
for fishing rights in their rich north sea waters.

Negotiations with Austria had
bogged down over its insistence on restrictions on heavy truck
traffic roaring across its alpine roads…

The EU wants to open it’s
doors to the four rich countries on January 1^st. They
would be the first new entries since Spain and Portugal joined in
1986. With 16 members and a population of 375 million, the Union
would be larger than the North American Free Trade Agreement
which links the United States, Canada and Mexico. With more
members the EU hopes to move closer to fulfilling decades old
ambitions of a united Europe. Its new treaty on European Union
calls for a common foreign policy and a single currency by
1999…

Once the nations settle membership
agreements, they will still have the tough task of convincing
sceptical populations that joining the EU is in their interest.
“ End quote.

Author’s comments –
According to the prophesy in Daniel 7:24, the Word of God tells
us that a great world leader will arise who will subdue 3 of the
nations. In Daniel 7:20, the prophecies tell us that this great
world leader will have 3 nations fall before him. In Daniel 7:8,
we read that the future world leader will pluck up 3 by the roots
from the Community. Therefore, it would appear to us at this
stage that the Common Market will indeed go up to 13 and will
then go back to 10.

A careful reading of Daniel 7
seems to imply that the Common Market will go from 10 to 7, yet
this would not fit in with the passage in the book of Revelation
17 where it speaks of the ten nations. This being the case, we
will watch with interest and observe as to whether the people of
the applicant countries will go along with the plan and agree to
the final joining by January 1^st 1995. Time will tell,
but the Prophecies in the Word of God will be fulfilled.