The House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee has strongly criticized the Labour government for reneging on its pledge to hold a public referendum on the adoption of the Lisbon Treaty, signed by Prime Minister Gordon Brown last year. The Labour government had promised in its manifesto to hold a referendum on the original EU Constitution, which was later rejected by France and Holland. Although a referendum in Britain was never legally binding, it was believed that a no-vote in the UK would make it difficult for the constitution to be passed into law. Following a 'period of reflection', the EU Constitution was later remodelled in the form of two treaties. A Charter of Fundamental Rights, which outlines basic human rights afforded to EU citizens, and an Amending Treaty, which combines all previous EU treaties in one, with several significant changes. Britain has not signed up to the Charter on Fundamental Rights, and we were told that because of this, British sovereignty would not be affected and a public referendum was not needed. The EU national anthem and the EU flag were also dropped from the Amending Treaty, mere cosmetic changes to remove any trappings of a European superstate. But the Amending Treaty still includes legislation that will give the European Union its own legal identity on the world stage, along with posts for EU President and Foreign Minister. A report published by the Foreign Affairs Committee warns that there are no substantial differences between the original EU Constitution and the Lisbon Treaty, and that British foreign policy will be adversely affected when it comes into force. Constitution author Giscard d'Estaing previously stated that all the major elements of a constitution remain in the new treaty, only they are disguised in such a way that this is not easily discernable.

Quote: ""We conclude that there is no material difference between the provisions on foreign affairs in the Constitutional Treaty which the government made subject to approval in a referendum and those in the Lisbon Treaty on which a referendum is being denied," the report said. It also accused the government of seeking to downplay the significance of new institutions, such as the creation of a new EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security. This was "unlikely to be beneficial to the UK's position in Europe", it said, and called on ministers to acknowledge their true significance in public.

Not only would the creation of a post for EU Foreign Minister be unbeneficial for the UK's position at the centre of Europe, but it would also be unbeneficial to its position internationally. There is already talk of the abolition of British foreign embassies around the world, and their subsequent replacement with EU embassies. This new treaty also makes the provision for the European Union to occupy the seats of those member states who have a permanent presence at the UN Security Council, as and when their foreign policies agree. So essentially Britain will have no voice on the world stage, and its role will be reduced to that of a ventriloquist's dummy, always speaking what Europe dictates.

The Bible prophesies that during the last days, a final world empire will arise which will devour the whole earth (Daniel 7:23). It seems that the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty is a major step towards the fulfilment of this prophecy. But it won't stop with Europe. As we have seen recently, the proposed formation of a Transatlantic Economic Community and a joint EU-US-NATO military command structure will ensure that this empire continues to grow until it devours the whole earth. But Daniel's vision doesn't end there...

Daniel 7:21-22
I beheld, and the same horn (Antichrist) made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.

The book of Daniel prophesies of the crucifixion of the Messiah (Daniel 9:26) and His Second Coming as King of Kings and Lord of Lords (Daniel 7:13). Daniel's visions of the "Son of Man" in heaven mirrors that of the Apostle John's in the book of Revelation, of the "Lamb" Who had been freshly slain. This proves that the prophesied Messiah of the Old Testament is indeed the Jesus Christ of the New, and that He is coming back to set up His Kingdom which shall never be destroyed. He is the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). Has your sin been taken away? Have you been washed in the blood of the Lamb? Jesus Christ died so that you may have eternal life. He bore God's punishment for your sins upon the cross. All you have to do to receive forgiveness of sins is to accept that by faith. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved (Acts 16:31).

Daniel 7:13-14
I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.

Revelation 5:6-7
And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne.

Source BBC, Daily Mail

French president Nicolas Sarkozy and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown have both hinted that former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, and now Middle East envoy for the United Nations, European Union, United States and Russia, would be a suitable candidate for the newly created role of "President of the European Union". Under the 'Treaty of Lisbon' document the 'EU President' role would be a  permanent two and a half year post starting in 2009 and could be extended to five years. 

"While I was thinking about the horns, there before me was another horn, a little one, which came up among them; and three of the first horns were uprooted before it. This horn had eyes like the eyes of a man and a mouth that spoke boastfully." Daniel 7v8 NIV. 

From midnight tonight, it will be possible to travel through 24 European states without having to carry a passport. Nine additional states are due to join the Schengen zone tonight, enabling freedom of travel throughout the European continent. Internal land and sea border controls between the nine states are being lifted, while internal border controls at airports are expected to be abolished in March. Celebrations are being held in all the countries involved, and the occasion is being hailed as the final fall of the "Iron Curtain" in eastern Europe.

Quote: "Celebrations to mark the extension of the Schengen Agreement were planned along the newly opened borders. European Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso and Justice Commissioner Franco Frattini will be there as the barriers come down. "We will live and circulate in an area of 24 countries without internal borders. This is a unique and historic accomplishment," Barroso said on Tuesday. "The lifting of the European Union's internal borders brings opportunities for people living, circulating and doing business in Europe," he said.

And there is no doubt this is a landmark occasion. We have witnessed in this past week, the signing of the European Charter on Fundamental Rights, the signing of the Treaty of Lisbon, and now the extension of the Schengen zone. It seems the sovereignty of European states is slowly being eroded away, while the Revived Roman Empire grows from strength to strength. I don't think the EU in itself is inherently evil. It is no more evil than any other empire that has come before it. The kingdoms of men are characterized by the things of earth. The kingdom of God is characterized by the things of heaven. The EU is a good idea in the eyes of men, for it is man's last attempt to bring peace to this troubled world. The United Nations headquarters features an image of a man beating his sword into a ploughshare. And who wouldn't object to a one world government, if it would help to bring about peace and stability in the world? Of course a super-state requires a super-statesman to run it, and the Bible says that one such man will come along in the not too distant future. Satan will see to that.

Revelation 13:2
And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.

This Revived Roman Empire may not be inherently evil, but it will be governed by a being who is inherently evil. The EU may usurp the sovereignty of nation states, but its leader is the ultimate usurper, who has obtained his authority by lies and deceit for the past 6000 years. Satan once offered to give all the kingdoms of the world into the hand of the Lord Jesus Christ, if He would only bow down and worship him (Luke 4:5-7). And I believe Satan presently has them in his power to give, for according to Scripture he is the god of this world (2nd Corinthians 4:4). But he won't be forever. Jesus Christ holds the title deeds to this planet. It is his by right of creation (John 1:10) and it is His by right of redemption (Ruth 4:9). And he alone holds the legal claim to the Throne of Israel (Luke 1:32). Praise God that soon, this angelic impostor will be thrown out of heaven, and cast down into the sides of the bottomless pit. And praise God that soon, the kingdoms of this world will become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ (Revelation 11:15).

Isaiah 14:12-15
How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.

Source DW World, Wikipedia

No, not for a nativity play. Former Spanish Prime Minister Felipe Gonzalez has been chosen to head a group of ten "wise men", who's job it would be to ponder future European integration. The idea was first proposed by Nicolas Sarkozy in August of this year, in what was his first foreign policy speech as French President. In his speech, Sarkozy called on the EU to build a more "harmonious world order", and to strengthen European defence, immigration and environmental policies. Sarkozy said the group of ten "wise men" would look at whether the EU can continue expanding indefinitely, and what the EU's mission would be in the world. But for the meantime, the group will focus on European integration and globalization.

Quote: "The Prime Minister claimed victory after a summit of EU leaders ruled out further changes to their institutions "for the foreseeable future". He insisted there was no appetite for another treaty after a six-year wrangle to secure the Treaty of Lisbon signed on Thursday. But Mr Brown stopped short of ruling out any further EU integration and M. Sarkozy provided ammunition for British Eurosceptics by suggesting the new group – described as "wise men" – would consider such moves. He said the group, proposed by France, would discuss "a politically integrated Europe" and "what will be the new [European] dream". The French President also differed with Mr Brown by saying that the "wise men" could consider whether the EU could continue to expand "indefinitely". That revived fears that France might try to use it to block Turkey joining the EU club, even though EU enlargement is outside the group's formal remit.

So much for a democratic society. Following the signing of the Treaty of Lisbon, the British Prime Minister is unable to guarantee there will be no further European integration, and today a group of "wise men" has been chosen by the European Union to look at ways of increasing political integration and globalization. All this talk of European "dreams" and "wise men" reminds me of the prophet Daniel. One night King Nebuchadnezzar had a dream. And in his dream, he saw before him a magnificent image of a man, with a head made of gold, chest and arms of silver, belly of brass, legs of iron and feet made of iron mixed with clay. The king saw until a stone, cut out of the Rock but not by man's hands, struck the image on its feet. The image then shattered into tiny pieces and was blown away in the wind. And the stone grew until it became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth. The wise men were unable to understand the meaning of the King's dream. 

Daniel 2:27-29
Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, The secret which the king hath demanded cannot the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, the soothsayers, shew unto the king; But there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these; As for thee, O king, thy thoughts came into thy mind upon thy bed, what should come to pass hereafter: and he that revealeth secrets maketh known to thee what shall come to pass.

But God revealed to Daniel the dream and its interpretation, and this passage in the book of Daniel forms the base of our understanding of end time prophecy today. The whole history and future of the human race is revealed within this book. Daniel states that the Babylonian kingdom was represented by the head of gold. The other metals represent world empires that would arise after Nebuchadnezzar's empire (Daniel 2:39-40). Daniel would live to see the second world empire arise, ruled by the Medes and the Persians (Daniel 5:28). After this would come the kingdom of Greece (Daniel 10:20), carved out by Alexander the Great (Daniel 8:21). His kingdom would then be conquered by the Roman Empire (Luke 2:1). There have been other world empires which have ruled the earth since the fall of Rome, but none of these have ruled over the nation of Israel. But all that changed in 1948, for within the space of three months, the European Union (then the EEC) and state of Israel were born. Today we are living in the period represented by the feet of iron and clay. A new world empire has entered the scene, a revived Roman Empire. Like the iron and clay, it is partly strong and partly weak. And just as iron doesn't bond with clay, so Europe is governed by a union of individual states which won't bond with each other. Nebuchadnezzar's image has ten toes, which represent ten kings who will receive authority from the Antichrist for a period of one hour. The ten kings are also mentioned in Daniel's visions of the four beasts (Daniel 7:7), and the apostle John's vision of the dragon (Revelation 17:12). Whether or not the ten kings are the ten nations of the Western European Union, or whether these are ten kings that are yet to arise, I'm not sure. There is talk of ten world unions being set up. We already have a European Union (EU), an African Union (AU), an Australasian Union (ASEAN), and we have a Northern American Union is being set up (NAU). Will we eventually have ten unions? I don't know. But what I do know is, that in the days of these ten kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed. 

Daniel 2:44-45
And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.

This is the "dream" that the "wise men" could not understand. And today a group of ten "wise men" are still struggling to understand it. And as Daniel states, the dream is certain and the interpretation sure. Praise God that He has revealed to us through His Word what shall come to pass in the latter days. Praise God that "of the increase of His government and of peace, there shall be no end", Isaiah 9:6-7. The question is, which kingdom do you belong to? Have you been "translated into the kingdom of His dear Son", Colossians 1:13, or do you still belong to the kingdom of darkness (Revelation 16:10)? Don't wait until it's too late. Trust in Jesus Christ for salvation today. 

Source Independent