The first principle of prophecy holds true as always. We know what will take place but we do not know how or who, or sometimes when, until it happens. Because of this foreknowledge we are able to recognize the thing which has come to pass. The advent of the Ten Kings is no different than any other fulfillment. The process will hold true. Every speculation must come with the caveat: we know what will happen, we just don’t know how it will happen until it does. The Ten kings will comprise a union of ten kings(doms). After all, the mention of a king implies a kingdom or empire not necessarily just one single state. Each one might be counted as one king, each sitting at the table that will form the final empire and embody the spirit of Rome while comprising many, many countries in ten individually confederated leagues.

The scourge and fear of international terrorism is foisting upon the world a desire for a more widespread international unity than ever before realized. Old ideas about the nature of the kingdom of the ten kings should be reviewed and scrutinized by Bible teachers and students of prophecy. Europe surely must be united for the end times Antichrist power base, but it may very well be only a part of the overall union.

For instance, it was once thought that the prophecy of the ten kings was all but fulfilled and the Antichrist ready to march onto the world stage when the Common Market of Europe (a group of European nations held together by common commercial interests) added its tenth member in the late 1960’s. Such assertions became accepted Evangelical dogma during the 70’s and 80’s thanks to books like Hal Lindsay’s immensely popular, The Late Great Planet Earth. Churches which believed in prophecy naturally believed that the ten kings were to be comprised of European nations and that they were already in place. The world was all but on the brink of Armageddon. Of course, the notion of the imminent appearing of the Antichrist and the scenario that the Ten Kings were solely nations of Europe has since proven to be a premature ill-figured dogma. The Common Market grew to eleven, twelve and eventually into the teens, before it became a defunct organization which gave way to a hybrid organization, first dubbed The European Community, which has since become the E.U. (European Union) which holds an even greater vision than a European confederacy by looking for a broader based political and military unity.

It was also conjectured that international institutions like the United Nations, The World Court and The World Parliament might somehow prove to be the pavement upon which the tower of the ten kings was erected. These institutions have provided the groundwork for a slow moving juggernaut that was forming a world imperial authority to eventually serve as the constitutional base for the Antichrist and his dictatorial world government. Now, with the demise of the Raiser of Taxes and its stranglehold on the nations of the world and their economies, eyes are turning toward the ICU and international economic regulations to play a large role in the Antichrist power platform. Over the last two decades the Common Market’s prophetic significance has been totally eclipsed by the miraculous union of European states, now named The European Union, or EU, for short.

The union of the European Continent with Great Britain, with common borders and for the most part a common currency, with an elected president and governing congress is one of the greatest miracles of the past 1,500 years, eclipsed in magnitude only by the fulfillment of the thousands year old prophecy of the return of the Jews to their homeland in Palestine and the rebirth of the nation of Israel. The EU as a precursor to the global union of nations as the ten kings should not be underestimated in any way. These things do nothing but tell the heart of the honest soul that Jesus’ return looms in our future like a harvest moon.

Next to the return of the Jews to Israel, the unification of Europe, after two devastating wars in half a century, is something which is astonishing and nothing short of miraculous. The Habsburg dynasty sitting upon its throne of the Holy Roman Empire tried for many centuries to unify Europe by marrying the crowned heads together. Napoleon tried to win it by flattery, promises and ruthless force. Hitler promised a thousand year millennial reign of perfection and glory run by his crooked Third Reich through a super German race and then tried to pound Europe and the world into submission. All of the attempts of such Antichrist types to unify Europe have failed just as the prophet Daniel had promised when he declared; “And in those times there shall many stand up against the king of the south: also the robbers of thy people shall exalt themselves to establish the vision; but they shall fall.” (Dan. 11:14)

The history of the nations of the world can be written solely by following the various and successive attempts of its great antichrist archetypes to rule the world. Start with Nimrod, Pharaoh Ramesses II, Sennacherib, Nebuchadnezzar, Xerxes, Alexander the Great, The House of Caesar, Constantine, Charlemagne, Otto the Great and the rest of the leaders of the Roman hybrid empire that have traipsed through the last two millennia. All were destined to fail until the prescribed time at the end, when the cup of iniquity would be full to the brim. The final home and government of the vision will almost certainly be centered in the ancient nations of Imperial Rome which means Europe and her daughters. But it is also likely that they will include a large portion of the world and what was then the unknown world, called in history, The New World.

Within days of the September 11th attack the current president of the EU, Guy Verhofstadt, of Belgium met with Secretary of State Colin Powell before announcing the urgent need for, not only greater cooperation between the great powers separated by the Atlantic Ocean, but also further solidarity and unity among the various nations of the EU.

We can be sure that the behind-the-scenes diplomacy was already at work not only to present a united front against terrorism but to seek to implement more central power for the EU over member countries which include every important military and economic power in Europe. Great Britain gave the U.S. the greatest support in their war with militant Moslems, but the rest of Europe chipped in with varying degrees of support and Euros.

The American economic disaster also dragged the European Union into a position which demanded a more cooperative attitude with Asia and third world economies. It is obvious that the EU is not merely interested in European Union but world solidarity too.

For example, right after the attack of 9-11 on November 23rd President Verhofstadt, acting on behalf of the EU, told the leaders of India in a speech delivered at New Delhi that the EU was dedicated to future unified action with India. He said:

“This legacy [of a relationship with Europe] is of particular value, today, when we are still under shock of the most destructive terrorist attacks in modern times, which tried to disrupt our open, free, democratic, tolerant and multicultural societies.

  Only by standing side by side, by strengthening our cooperation and by strongly advocating our common values can we face this major challenge. That is what the India-EU Summit, which took place this morning, is all about.

  As a matter of fact, at our First Summit Meeting in Lisbon, in June 2000, we set out the right course, when we jointly stated that in the 21st century we would build a new strategic partnership. The time is ripe for more cooperation, turning EU-India relations into a higher gear.”

Events since these official EU statements the position of the EU toward true cooperation and partnership with non European nations has only increased. Whether Europe ends up comprising just one of a multiple of kings in the union of the ten kings, and powers like India are included is something which only time and fulfillment of the prophecy can tell. But the significance of the unification of Europe for the prophecy’s fulfillment should be obvious even to the skeptical. Further, the catalyst that international terrorism causes and economic co-dependence and solidarity around the world demand, are provisional factors which provide impetus and motivation in Europe for unity on a more equal level around the world. The Roman Empire must be revived. It is likely it will include a great portion of the nations of the earth.