My wife, Liliane, and I
have been missionaries in Europe for the last
twenty years. We pioneered Eternal Word Christian
Center in Brussels, Belgium in 1990 and pastor
the church still today. Brussels is known as
the capital of Europe, being the home of the
main European Union institutions. During the
last two decades, we have been first-hand witnesses
of the rise of the European Union.
The European Union headquarters, known for secrecy,
has been the focus of much speculation. During
my first trip to Brussels in 1982, my contact
at the airport greeted me with these words,
“Welcome to Brussels, and there is no
computer here named The Beast.” During
my first visit with a fonctionnaire in the Berlaymont
European Commission building I was told, “There
is no computer here in the basement. We do not
even know what the people across the hall are
doing, let alone trying to monitor everyone
in the world.”
At first, I had little desire to delve into
political issues, especially those of a foreign
nature. There is a tendency to put aside items
that appear odd to us. But over the years, the
Lord placed in my heart the desire to understand
and communicate accurately to others concerning
the European Union and its place in end-time
Bible prophecy. In accepting this mission, I
embarked on a journey that has been truly remarkable—one
filled with mysteries, intrigue, discoveries,
and studies that are resolved only by the Word
of God. Thank God for the light of His Word!
Europe: The Mysterious Mission Field
Europe today is one of the greatest mission
fields on earth. Evangelical believers are only
one or two percent of the population in most
European nations. A pastor in the United States
once asked me, “Why would you want to
be a missionary in Europe? Isn’t nearly
everyone saved?” I was shocked.
Concerned missions leaders speak of a post-Christian
Europe, that Christianity is losing ground rapidly.
Discussions no longer revolve around, “Is
Europe a Christian continent?” but rather,
“Is Europe the dark continent?”
There are plenty of reasons to come to such
conclusions. Yet, it is God’s way to show
Himself strong in places known for darkness!
Your prayers bring in the light!
The European Union continues to be mysterious.
The colossal entrance of the EU on the world
stage, at times, even baffles its leaders. The
EU is the largest unification in history of
people, money, resources, and services. It has
become a world power.
The people of Europe wonder what the European
Union is all about. Most Europeans feel forced
into the “European Project” and
detached from Brussels. The lack of democracy
is a great concern.
The European Union is very complex. The acquis
document, signed by a nation when they join
the EU, is approximately 90,000 pages long!
The Accession Treaty, signed by the ten expansion
nations, is 6,000 pages long. Even the “simple”
Nice Treaty is 1,000 pages long and the complete
EU Constitution is 800 pages long. The Constitution
of the United States is only fifteen pages long,
including all amendments.
Let Us Pray According To Knowledge
Christians are also asking questions about the
EU. Is today’s European Union the Revived
Roman Empire of the Book of Daniel? How does
the European Union relate to the ten toes made
of the iron and clay mixture of Daniel chapter
2? How does the EU relate to the ten horns of
Daniel chapter 7 and of Revelation chapters
13 and 17? Is the EU the beginning of a group
of nations to be ruled by the Antichrist system?
How are we to pray about the EU? Does it make
any difference if we pray or not, if indeed
the EU is tied to Bible prophecy? What should
be the believer’s attitude toward the
EU?
Let us start with the believer’s attitude;
it is certain that the believer’s attitude
should not be one of ignorance.
To be effective in any endeavor, there is a
three-step process. First, get the facts and
gain the knowledge of the subject. Second, have
a plan to apply that knowledge. And third, take
action!
One way to be more effective in our prayer plan
is to gain a good understanding of our subject.
We have a responsibility to understand. Praying
in the Spirit in other tongues is a wonderful
way to pray out the plans of God. But we should
not neglect gaining knowledge in order to pray
better with our understanding. Paul did say,
“I will pray with the spirit, and I will
also pray with the understanding” (1 Corinthians
14:15 NKJ).
As believers, we should improve our comprehension
of the European Union. Of course, it is more
comfortable to deal with one’s own national
affairs than to confront the intimidation of
foreign affairs. Foreign matters are different
than our own way of doing things. But with our
focus on the move of God into all nations in
these last days, it is time to establish our
basic knowledge of the European Union. The Holy
Spirit will springboard from our knowledge.
The knowledge we acquire gives the Holy Spirit
the “jumping off point” to work
through us. There are many souls at stake!
Daniel’s Fine Example of End-Time
Knowledge and Revelation
A magnificent example of understanding, combined
with revelation, is found in the prophet Daniel.
Daniel, the young Hebrew captive brought to
Babylon, is the pivotal prophet that received
revelation concerning the end times in the Old
Testament. The Book of Daniel is the Old Testament
counterpart to the Book of Revelation in the
New Testament.
It says in Daniel 1:17-20:
As for these four young men, God gave them
knowledge and skill in all literature and wisdom;
and Daniel had understanding in all visions
and dreams. Now at the end of the days, when
the king had said that they should be brought
in, the chief of the eunuchs brought them in
before Nebuchadnezzar. Then the king interviewed
them, and among them all none was found like
Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah; therefore
they served before the king. And in all matters
of wisdom and understanding about which the
king examined them, he found them ten times
better than all the magicians and astrologers
who were in all his realm. (NKJ)
Daniel and the other chosen Hebrew captives
were found ten times better than the others
in training and all the king’s own advisors!
Ten times better in what? They were ten times
better in their expertise of the Babylonian
language and writing, and in the details of
Babylonian history and government! With the
Lord’s help, Daniel excelled in all of
the knowledge of Babylon, though he was in a
foreign land and everything initially seemed
strange to him. Daniel is a fine example for
us.
For as long as I can remember, I have led my
boys in a confession as I drive them to school.
Each school day they say, “We are super
geniuses, what does that mean? Ten times better!”
Daniel’s example can help anyone in school.
It also applies to those who the Holy Spirit
uses through knowledge and revelation in these
end times.
Introductory Facts of the European Union
Let us now establish a platform for effective
prayer by examining some European Union facts,
its structure and its influential personalities.
Fast Facts
- Today’s European Union began with the
signing of the Treaties of Rome by six nations
in 1957.
- The European Union began as the European Economic
Community (or Common Market), then evolved into
the European Community before being known as
the European Union.
-The EU has experienced several expansions,
and with the addition of Romania and Bulgaria
in January 2007, now consists of 27 nations
or “member states.”
-The European Union will celebrate its fiftieth
“birthday” on March 25, 2007.
What Is the European
Union?
- It is an intergovernmental
and supranational organization.
- It has its own flag, motto, anthem, and “Europe
Day.”
-The supranational aspect of the EU is leading
to a superstate.
-The EU is a powerful force on the world stage
and is learning to use its influence.
-It has the number-one gross domestic product
(GDP) in the world and the third largest population,
only behind China and India.
Population
- Europe is 807 million people.
-European Union is 462 million people.
- By comparison, the population of the United
States is 300 million people.
Language
The 21 official languages of the European Union
are:
-Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish,
French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Irish, Italian,
Latvian, Lithuanian, Maltese, Polish, Portuguese,
Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish, and Swedish.
-There are a total of 420 language combinations
for direct translation!The 27 member States
of the European Union (EU27) are now:
-Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic,
Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany,
Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania,
Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal,
Romania, Spain, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden and
the United Kingdom.
The Eurozone 12, member nations that now use
the euro currency are:
∑ Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany,
Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands,
Spain. and the United Kingdom.
Structure of the European Union
Pillar I: European Community
Pillar II: Common Foreign and Security Policy
Pillar III: Police and Judicial Cooperation
Main European Union Institutions
1. The European Commission
2. The European Council of Ministers
3. The European Parliament
4. The European Court of Justice
European Commission
The 25 European Commissioners, their
portfolio and origin are:
-Jose Manuel Barroso, president of the EU commission
(Portugal)
-Peter Mandelson, trade (UK)
-Günter Verheugen, vice president, enterprise
and industry (Germany)
-Jacques Barrot, transport (France)
-Siim Kallas, vice president, administrative
affairs, audit and anti-fraud (Estonia)
-Dalia Grybauskaite, financial programming and
budget (Lithuania)
-Danuta Hubner, regional policy (Poland)
-Benita Ferrero-Waldner, external relations
and European neighbourhood policy (Austria)
-Mariann Fischer Boel, agriculture and rural
development (Denmark)
-Olli Rehn, enlargement (Finland)
-Margot Wallstrom: vice president, institutional
relations and communications strategy (Sweden)
-Franco Frattini: vice-president, justice, freedom
and security (Italy)
-Stavros Dimas: environment (Greece)
-Joaquin Almunia: economic and monetary affairs
(Spain)
-Charlie McCreevy: internal market and services
(Ireland)
-Ingrida Udre: taxation and customs union (Latvia)
-Vladimir Spidla: employment, social affairs
and equal opportunities (Czech Republic)
-Louis Michel: development and humanitarian
aid (Belgium)
-Laszlo Kovacs: energy (Hungary)
-Neelie Kroes-Smith: competition (Netherlands)
-Janez Potocnik: science and research (Slovenia)
- Jan Figel: education, training, culture and
multilingualism (Slovakia)
-Markos Kyprianou: health and consumers protection
(Cyprus)
- Joe Borg: fisheries and maritime affairs (Malta)
-Viviane Reding: information society and media
(Luxembourg)
European Council of Ministers
-President of the Council – Angela Merkel,
German Chancellor (during the German presidency
of the Council)
-President of the Commission – José
Manuel Barroso
-President of the Parliament – Josep Borrell
-Secretary General of the Council of the European
Union and High Representative for Common Foreign
and Security Policy – Javier Solana
European Parliament
-It has 732 members with the maximum number
set at 750 members.
-The members of parliament are the only elected
officials in the EU structure.
-The parliament only gives opinions in the vast
majority of cases, not binding decisions.
Remember, your prayers are effective! Thank
you for praying as the Holy Spirit brings the
EU to your remembrance.Rev. John Rood can be
contacted at jwhitneyrood@yahoo.com . John and
Liliane have served the people of Europe for
22 years. Missionary support for the
Roods can be designated "John Rood"
and sent to Rhema Bible Church Missions, PO
Box 50126, Tulsa, OK 74150.
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