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Burning Questions
answered by Rev. Colin Le Noury
Does
current discussion on a single currency
have any
bearing on Bible prophecy?
At
the time of answering this question we are awaking
the next Inter-Governmental Conference to be held
in June 1997. It is impossible to know whether this
conference will advance the situation significantly
or not However, even if it doesn't, when I have
every expectation that some future l.G.C. will.
It
seems very clear to me that sooner or later a European
single currency will come into being, whether we
like it or not We are by no means clear as to which
countries will ultimately be involved in this; and
whether our own nation will opt out or be sucked
into it. There are many factors which will have
a bearing on the outcome.
We
also need to recognise that moves towards a single
currency in Europe are at quite an advanced stage
already. On a trading level the ECU already exists
and has done for some time (the new currency incidentally
will be called the EMU - European Monetary Unit).
On
a political level the Maastricht documents are pushing
the issue hard, and on a practical level plans for
the wholesale printing of the new currency are well
in operation. Indeed prototypes of the new notes
have already been recently released to the media.
But
the question asked is, 'What relevance, if any,
does this have on Bible prophecy?'
I
believe that the emergence of a European single
currency is very significant indeed. It is important,
firstly, because of the role that Europe will play
in the prophetic events of the last days. And secondly,
and not unconnected, it has a bearing on the role
of Antichrist - the last world dictator.
Let
us consider Europe first. There are two strong driving
forces behind the European Union - one is economics,
the other is federalism or a political union. A
single European currency would add strength to both.
Looking
at things from a Biblical basis, I am still convinced
that the emererging European superstate equates
with the last gentile world empire as indicated
in Nebuchadnezzar's image in Daniel 2 vv 31-45.
This
image gives us a clear picture of world gentile
rule from the days of Nebuchadnezzar to the point
of Christ's return and the establishment of His
own kingdom of peace and righteousness on the earth.
The last world dominating empire as eplained by
Daniel was Rome and the image allows for Rome to
be reconstituted as a world power in a confederation
of nation states as depicted by the ten toes of
the image. The fact that the European Union (or
Common Market) as it was then, is founded on the
Treaty of Rome is not without significance at this
point.
The
important thing to remember here is that for the
European Union to fulfil the role of a world dominating
empire, as required by the image, two things are
necessary. These are (a) A common political identity,
and (b) A strong economic base. The formulation
of single unified currency is intended to advance
both.
Much
has been asked about the number ten in relation
to the toes. It is just possible, of course, that
the single currency may be the very issue which
will divide the Union into a two or even three tier
organisation; possibly with an upper tier comprising
of just ten subscribing nations to a single currency.
We cannot be dogmatic about this - we must wait
and see.
The
European Union started out in the fifties as an
economic trading organisation, or common market.
Scripture has much to say about the godless Babylon
of nations involved in world trade in the last days.
Revelation 18 graphically portrays its eventual
demise.
It
is conceivable that a strong single European currency
will pave the way for an even stronger international
monetary system of global proportions. However,
Revelation 18 vv 17-19 tells us that that system
will be suddenly and swiftly brought down within
the space of one hour, by what undoubtedly will
be a global stockmarket crash of unprecedented proportion.
YT
7/97
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