Can Middle East peace be 'confirmed' by the EU?

by Michael G. Mickey

(10-25-06)

In yesterday's commentary I discussed the possibility, based on several statements that have been made by influential voices in the EU, that a European Union visit to the Middle East which is now underway could be paving the way for a new initiative to be proposed in the quest for Middle East peace - an initiative of a uniquely revived Roman empire flavor. Further, I posed the question of whether a peace conference such as the one held in 1991 in Madrid, Spain that led to the Oslo peace process could be in the offing and, if so, whether the advent of the Antichrist, an event which will be preceded by the Rapture of the Church, could, hypothetically, occur as a result. Today, I want to build on yesterday's commentary by answering the following question: Can Middle East peace be confirmed by the European Union? The answer, in my opinion, is yes - and very, very soon.

On 10-23-06, a Deutsche Well article indicated that EU industry and government leaders were "meeting in Berlin to discuss a host of defense topics, including making sure that European mobile battle groups are ready to report for duty early next year." Early next year as in 2007, which is only a mere two months and some change away!

What will these European mobile battle groups consist of and be capable of doing? According to the article, they will consist "of 50 to 60 thousand soldiers who can be deployed within 60 days and sustained in the field for at least one year." The article goes on to state that these "battle groups will be similar to NATO's rapid reaction force, but will be under EU command. The battle groups will be created in response to a crisis and only stay for the duration of that crisis."

Presently, the world views the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as a crisis in and of itself but there are other events looming on the horizon of concern as well. Rumors persist that Syria is considering an attack on the nation of Israel and everyone knows that it is greatly feared, with cause, that Iran, upon obtaining a nuclear weapon, is going to, under the leadership of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, attempt to bring about the apocalypse to prompt Islam's prophesied messiah, whom many refer to as the Mahdi, to appear. Suffice to say we presently have a grave crisis in the making in the Middle East!

So, I ask you, does anyone other than me believe that these soon-to-be-deployable EU battle groups could be called upon to immediately deploy to the Middle East in the event a peace covenant seven years in length can be agreed upon by the primary parties involved in the ongoing dispute which so many leaders in our world today believe is the symbolic fuse behind the weapon of mass destruction that is radical Islamic terrorism? Think about it!

How do peace covenants often get 'confirmed' or made strong in this era of human history when agreements concerning peace are often worth about as much as the paper they're written on? A third party is routinely utilized to oversee or 'confirm' the peace process, right? This third party often utilizes peacekeepers to do so, which leads us to Daniel's prophecy concerning things to come (emphasis added mine).

Daniel 9:26-27: And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

In A.D. 70, the Roman empire destroyed the city of Jerusalem and the sanctuary. The "prince that shall come" is the prophesied Antichrist who will somehow 'confirm' or make strong a seven-year covenant of peace in the Middle East "with many."

While I readily admit that all of this is speculative on my part, the reason it's important for the end times Christian to at least consider these developments is this: When we see things in the making that could fit well within the prophetic scenario outlined in the Word of God, it heightens our sense of awareness concerning the soon-coming return of Jesus Christ, forcing us to consider the possibility that the stage is being set for the advent of Antichrist to occur soon. That, in turn, gives us greater motivation to be vigilant in our faith, as well as share it with others.

Whether present developments lead to the Rapture of the Church, the advent of the Antichrist and the onset of the seven-year Tribulation Period taking place soon or even a number of years from now, we can see that events taking place in the world around us are leading us down the path to prophetic fulfillment beyond the shadow of any doubt!

How can we doubt, for example, the significance of Spain's Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos saying earlier this week that Europe has a historic opportunity to take the lead in pushing for fresh Middle East peace talks when we know that, ultimately, a future leader of the revived Roman empire we today call the European Union will be the one whose leadership will bring it to pass? How can we doubt that the EU forming rapid reaction battle groups specifically designed to handle a hotbed scenario like the one we see in the Middle East is of prophetic significance when we know prophecy tells us that a prince (or leader) of Roman descent is someday going to 'confirm' (or make strong) a seven-year covenant of peace in the region?

We're traveling right down the path to prophetic fulfillment! Not even one sign exists in the world today that indicates that everything we've been told by God through His Word to anticipate coming to pass isn't on its way to coming to pass!

Is Jesus Christ coming soon? While I know neither the day nor the hour, every fiber of my being says the Savior's return is drawing near! There are just too many signs in the world around us corroborating prophetic scripture for me not to believe this is true! I hope you believe this as well - and it is changing your life.

Maranatha!

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