Daniel 7:23: Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.

While the EU is not presently known for its great iron teeth, the EU Observer is reporting EU defense ministers have taken some more steps towards the creation of the bloc's rapid reaction 'battle groups' by deciding to speed up the bloc's notoriously slow decision-making process at the request of the European Union's foreign policy chief, Dr. Javier Solana.

Solana's proposal speeds the process by forcing defense ministers to agree to make a decision to deploy forces to a region within five days then insure the forces are on the ground at the trouble spot within ten short days. In terms of military warfare, that is lightning fast!

The EU Observer's report not only indicates decisions are going to be made quicker, but tells us Germany has signed itself up to support two more battle groups of 1,500 or so troops each, along with with France and Spain as well as Poland, Slovakia, Lithuania and Latvia. The first of these newest battle groups will be ready in the second half of 2008 and the second during the first half of 2010. Additionally, the report states a Nordic group comprised of Estonia, Finland, Sweden and non-EU members Iceland and Norway should have battle groups up and running in 2008. All these forces, according to the report, will be expected to be "worthy representatives of the European Union".

Clearly, as we can see from the EU Observer report, the EU is going to be a major military power in the not-too-distant future, but what about right now? Is the EU a credible military force? An article written by Dr. Javier Solana himself, dated 5-23-05, is quite revealing. In it, Solana states the following, in part:

There are 50,000 EU troops deployed around the globe in peacekeeping missions alone and they're adding more all the time! The EU is not only adding more troops, it's also looking to get more armored fighting vehicles on the ground by 2010-2015. The EU is militarizing and quickly, looking to match its defense capabilities to its ambitions, as stated by Solana.

In case there is any doubt in anyone's mind regarding Europe's intentions, let me state what the EU's ambition is: To surpass the United States in global influence, prestige and economic power by 2010! All the EU's battle groups currently being planned will be up and running by when? 2010. Coincidence? I wouldn't bet on it.

To be clear, the EU's ambition isn't based solely on an opinion of mine, as anyone can easily research and discover on the worldwide web. Dated October 11, 2004, an article by The Golden Dollar's Frank Selvaggi is supportive of what I've stated. Selvaggi wrote, in part:

The EU's goal of surpassing the US economically may seem impossible by 2010, but that's only if the balance of global power isn't interrupted by anything dramatic --- like the Rapture of the Church, for instance. If tomorrow the Rapture of the Church should come, which world power would be hit hardest? If you think it would impact any world power on the level it would the United States, you need to do some research on how the Body of Christ is faring in atheistic Russia, secularist Europe, and Asia (particularly communist China, Vietnam, and North Korea) and the Muslim nations of the Middle East and North Africa, all of whom are going to play prominent roles in the Tribulation Period to come. The United States on the other hand? Mum's the biblical word, at least as far as I can tell.

Who would walk away from the Rapture of the Church in the best position to lead the world in this time of crisis? Economically, the EU would. Militarily, the EU would as well, in my opinion. Why? Because of NATO, of course! The West would circle the wagons and pose a strong enough deterrent to hold off the Russians, Arabs, and Asians briefly, but only long enough for them to get organized in the ensuing chaos of the seven-year Tribulation Period, getting the ball rolling swiftly toward Armageddon.

Am I just being silly? There are plenty of people who would say so. In fact, plenty of people do. I'm okay with that, however, as the end result will prove who was right and who was wrong.

The Bible tells us the final empire that will rule the world under the leadership of the Antichrist is rising in the form of the European Union. We're told this empire will eventually, if not now, be like a beast with great iron teeth!

The iron teeth of the fourth beast, which the Lord revealed to the prophet Daniel through visions in the night, are growing --- and fast!

Keep looking up!