An overview of events that occurred in 2014

by Rick Brinegar

 

The Bible prophesies that, just prior to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ: (1) A global economic system will be established. (2) A peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians, will be recognized by the International Community, which will finalize the borders of Israel and the status of the Temple Mount. (3) A war will emanate out of the Middle East region that will destroy one-third of the earth’s population. (4) The sin of homosexuality will be just as prevalent as in Sodom and Gomorrah. (5) A one-world government will be established. (6) The Holy Roman Empire will be reborn. (7) All religions will unite to form a one-world religion.

 

Surely one would be convinced that we are in the end time if we could provide current events that prove just one of these prophecies is in the process of being fulfilled now. That is why we have furnished proof, using events that occurred in 2014, for all seven!

666-Mark of the Beast

The Prophecy

 

And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.

 

Revelation 13:16-18

The Fulfillment

The use of a “mark” to control buying and selling worldwide is now practical and achievable. Tracking and surveillance technology and political regulation expanded in 2014 to the point where the literal fulfilment of the “666” prophecy is at hand.

REAL ID 2014

Some United States residents can no longer use their driver’s licenses to get inside some government agencies because their state is one of nine that have not signed on to a federal law called REAL ID. They may even lose the ability to display their licenses to board a plane.

 

Under the REAL ID Act, the 50 states must verify the identity of all 245 million drivers and reissue new, more tamper-proof licenses. The law also requires state motor vehicle departments to digitally store and share the information with other states. Many states have complained bitterly against Real ID as a federal intrusion into their jurisdiction, a huge unfunded mandate and a threat to personal privacy.

 

Actual compliance enforcement of the REAL ID Act of 2005 has been postponed several times since 2008, but the Department of Homeland Security’s latest implementation attempt began with a phased enforcement in January 2014. Twenty states and the District of Columbia have received extensions, and twenty-one are considered compliant. Three states are not fully compliant but offer special licenses which people can display. As of August 2014, residents of six states could not enter restricted parts of federal buildings without another ID, such as a passport.

 

A comment by Maine Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap reflects the attitude of many state officials across America. “For any American citizen, they should find this whole program completely laughable and ridiculous,” he said. “The whole thing has been kind of a bit of a farce. I don’t hold out an awful lot of confidence it will be implemented in a timely way and have any effect on border security or national security.”

Losing Control of Personal Data

In January 2014, when Pew Research conducted a study about how Americans feel about the privacy of their personal information, 80 percent of those who responded agreed that Americans should be concerned about the government’s monitoring of phone calls and Internet communications. Following U.S. National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden’s revelations about the existence of pervasive U.S. online spying efforts in 2013, an increasing number of Americans have become troubled about not only what the government does with our information, but also about what companies and social networking sites do with our personal data.

E-Verify in Immigration Reform?

In March, the American Immigration Council revealed that President Obama’s proposed 2015 budget includes $124 million to expand the E-Verify employment-authorization system. The New York Times called E-Verify the “linchpin” of immigration reform legislation that passed the Senate in 2013. In the Senate version of immigration reform, within five years, all employers in the country would have to use a federal electronic system to verify the legal eligibility of employees. Several bills have been introduced in Congress which would make E-Verify mandatory in all businesses.

Utah Data Center Protest

In June, Greenpeace, Electronic Frontier Foundation and Tenth Amendment Center flew over the NSA’s massive Utah Data Center, in a blimp, as a demonstration against government surveillance. Originally scheduled to be completed by Fall of 2013, the complex in Bluffdale, Utah cost over $2 billion and contains 100,000 square feet of computer space, with the capacity to store all information about everyone all over the world for over one hundred years. The opening of the complex has been delayed for over a year because of major system meltdowns.

Nigeria’s National ID Card

The Nigerian National Electronic Identity Card (e-ID Card) was officially implemented in August. The e-ID card is a multiple applications card which uses smart card technology for electronic identity and payments, public key infrastructure for online money and data exchange, ICAO travel and passport, voter registration, insurance, tax, pension and driver’s license.

Biometric Credit Card

Biometric ID technologies depend on an individual’s unique physiological identifiers, such as fingerprints, facial and retinal scans or voiceprints. In October, MasterCard and Zwipe introduced a credit card which combined biometric authentication and contactless technology. Fingerprints are stored in the cards, replacing traditional PIN technology. Near Field Communication allows you to wave the card at a payment terminal while placing your thumb on the card’s biometric sensor.

Skin-Deep Currency

In November, a Dutch man had two wireless computer chips implanted under the skin in his hands to allow him to store digital currencies like Bitcoin inside his body. The glass chips can transfer information over short distances when in the presence of an NFC reader.

USA Freedom Act

In November, Democratic majority leader Harry Reid moved to permit the USA Freedom Act to receive a hearing on the Senate floor. The bill seeks to curb the ability of the NSA to perform the bulk collection of domestic phone records. The United States Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court already routinely issues blanket orders to collect all Americans’ phone data.

U.S. Spy Program Targets Americans’ Cellphones

The Wall Street Journal reported in November that the United States Justice Department has been harvesting Americans’ cell phone data, using U.S. Marshals Service aircraft equipped with devices which mimic cell phone towers and trick cellphones into reporting their unique registration information. It is touted as a minimally invasive way of searching for terrorists.

Middle East Peace Agreement

The Prophecy

 

Daniel 9:27 prophesies that the Antichrist will participate in a peace agreement between Israelis and Palestinians. This agreement will confirm Israel’s right to exist in the Holy Land, will create a Palestinian state in the West Bank (Judea) and will place the Temple Mount under a sharing arrangement between Muslims and Jews. The conclusion of this agreement will mark the beginning of the Final Seven Years to the Battle of Armageddon and the Second Coming of Jesus to earth.

 

The Fulfillment

Survival of Israel Jeopardized

Israel faces an alarming range of threats to her existence, both internally and on every side, including terrorist attacks, jihadi insurgency, economic sanctions and a nuclear Iran. An increasing number of activists and politicians are visiting the Temple Mount to demand the right to pray at the site of Israel’s First and Second Temples. Meanwhile, Palestinian demonstrators are committed to protecting the same locale, which Muslims call Haram al-Shariff, Arabic for Noble Sanctuary, the third-holiest site in Islam. The escalating tensions over the Temple Mount have added to the importance of solving this dispute whenever the peace accord is finally achieved.

Peace Agreement Urgency

The chaos that has transpired in the Middle East during 2014 has created a renewed sense of urgency for a negotiated resolution of the hostilities. The United States, the European Union, the United Nations and virtually the entire world are saying louder and louder that an agreement must be reached—and soon.

170,000 Rockets Aimed at Israel

In January, Major General Aviv Kohavi, Israel’s Chief of Military Intelligence, said that 170,000 rockets and missiles pointed by enemy states at Israel represent the most urgent threat, even more pressing than Iran’s rogue nuclear program. Israel knows that the forces against her are larger and more dangerous than ever before. This has caused the people of Israel to clamor for settlement of the dispute with the Palestinians.

Jewish Settlers in West Bank to Remain Under Palestinian Rule

An Israeli government official reported in January that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not intend to uproot Jewish settlements anywhere in the West Bank, the land that Palestinians seek for a state under U.S.-brokered peace talks. In Matthew 24:15-21, Jesus prophesied that Jews would be living in Judea under a Palestinian state three and one-half years after the peace agreement is signed. He also said that hostilities would break out in Judea, forcing the Jews living there to run for their lives.

Synagogue on Temple Mount

In March, a large group of Religious Zionist Rabbis urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to do what is necessary to “establish a place of prayer for Jews on the Temple Mount…that will honor the holy place we all long for.” Jews are forbidden from praying at their holiest site by Islamic Waqf authorities, in order to avoid offending Muslim sensibilities in the Al Aqsa Mosque complex.

Imam Urges Muslims, “Invade Israel!”

In May, in a televised sermon, Jerusalem imam Raed Al-Daan challenged the armies of the Arab world to invade Israel and vanquish the hated “Zionist entity.” He went on to say that he and other clerics who serve on the Temple Mount “await legions of the conquerors.”

Hamas and Fatah Unity Government Sworn In

In June, a unity government of Hamas and Fatah was sworn in, after years of division between the two main Palestinian factions. Israel suspended peace negotiations in April when a surprise Hamas/Fatah reconciliation deal was signed. Prime Minister Netanyahu said at that time, “Today, Abu Mazen [as President Mahmoud Abbas is known] said yes to terrorism and no to peace.” The stated goal of Hamas in its charter is the annihilation of the nation of Israel.

Egypt Calls for Peace Talks

In August, Egypt called on Israel and the Palestinians to stop hostilities and resume indirect peace talks that collapsed after Gaza fired rockets during a truce and Israel responded with air strikes. The Egyptian foreign minister had planned to work with the U.S. and other world leaders to set the peace process in motion once again, after United States-brokered peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians had broken off in April.

Abbas: UN should Replace U.S. as Leading Negotiator

In August, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas highlighted Palestinian disillusionment with U.S.-led efforts when he said that he wanted the United Nations to replace the United States as the leading peace broker between Israel and the Palestinians.

Crowdfunding the Third Temple

The Temple Institute announced in September that a 60-day international crowdfunding campaign to finance construction of the Third Temple on the Temple Mount had raised $105,000 in donations from over 900 donors.

Tensions Build Over Temple Mount and the Jews Right to Pray

Temple Mount tensions escalated in October, in Jerusalem, after the attempted assassination of U.S.-born Rabbi Yehuda Glick, who was seriously wounded. As a result, there was an even louder outcry for the Jewish right to pray at the Temple Mount and more demands for constraints on the Muslims. Antagonisms have been inflamed even more, recently, as Palestinians have employed the new tactic of driving cars into Jewish pedestrians.

A Third Intifada?

An uprising by Palestinian Arabs against Israel in Gaza and the West Bank, in the late 1980s and again in 2000, resulted in many deaths. In just the second intifada alone, 500 Israelis and almost 3,600 Palestinians died. As recently as November 2014, media commentators have emphatically maintained that the recent surge of politically motivated attacks signals a new revolt, a third intifada. In the same month, Palestinian Authority President Abbas vowed that Palestinians will not allow Israeli extremists to “contaminate” the Temple Mount, and said that if Jewish prayer is permitted there it would risk provoking a devastating religious war. A senior Hamas leader has vowed that there will be terror attacks against Israel from Judea and Samaria and an armed struggle until Israel is destroyed.

World War III

The Prophecy

 

And I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” So the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were released to kill a third of mankind. Now the number of the army of the horsemen was two hundred million; I heard the number of them.

 

Revelation 9:13-16

 

The Fulfillment

 

The “Sixth-Trumpet Prophecy” foretells of increasing unrest and hostilities in the Middle East, the area that the Bible prophesies to be the origin of the Euphrates River war that will kill one-third of mankind. 2014 was marked by the rapid spread of Islamic extremism in the Middle East, the increasing threat of Iran’s nuclear capabilities, a new Cold War between Russia and the United States and the rise of China as an economic and military superpower.

Middle East/North Africa Chaos

Since the “Arab Spring” of 2010-2011, major social and political changes in the Middle East and North Africa have resulted, in many cases, in widespread chaos and full-scale war. Libya, Syria, Iraq, Tunisia and Egypt have remained in turmoil throughout most of 2014.

Islamic State: Powerful and Ruthless

By declaring itself a caliphate, the brutal and merciless Islamic State has seized large swathes of territory in eastern Syria, and across northern and western Iraq, and it has presumed authority over Muslims worldwide. IS terrorizes its enemies with beheadings, crucifixions and mass shootings. It is estimated that at least eight million people are living under partial or full Islamic State control, where Sharia law is strictly enforced, non-Muslims must pay a special tax or convert and where punishments include floggings and executions.

 

In June 2014, ISIS overran Mosul in northern Iraq, and then advanced toward Baghdad in the south. By the end of June, after securing his control over dozens of cities and towns, Abu-Bakr al-Baghdadi declared himself Caliph, the supreme religious leader and ruler of Islam. He then announced the creation of his new Caliphate, changing the name of ISIS to the Islamic State, the first Caliphate to exist since the destruction of the Ottoman Empire in World War I.

 

The Islamic State’s unrelenting and inhumane tactics have triggered worldwide fear and outrage, prompting United States military intervention. In September, the Islamic State released maps of its 5-year plan to spread its military, political and religious control all the way from Spain to China.

Historic Nuclear Agreement With Iran

Vice President Joe Biden said in November, “We will not let Iran acquire a nuclear weapon, period, period, period.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned negotiators not to allow Iran to become a nuclear threshold state. “There is no moderation in Iran,” he warned, “It is unrepentant, unreformed, it calls for Israel’s eradication, it promotes international terrorism, and as the IAEA report just said, it continues to deceive the International Community about its nuclear weapons program.”

 

After almost a year of negotiations, Iran and six major world powers had not reached a final agreement, by the November 24th deadline, to lift international sanctions on Iran in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program. However, The Guardian has reported that there have been compromises on previously contentious issues, detailed versions of different final texts have been drafted, and that some of the diplomats have depicted their work as being 95% done.

Cold War II, Ominously Close to WWIII

Relations between the United States and Russia are at their lowest point since the Cold War. Russia is under sanctions backed by the Unites States over its seizure of the Crimea this year, and because of its intervention in the separatist war in eastern Ukraine.

 

Henry Kissinger, world-renowned scholar Noam Chomsky and Mikhail Gorbachev have all warned that we are on the verge of a new Cold War. As Berlin prepared to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Wall, former Soviet Union leader Gorbachev said, “Bloodshed in Europe and the Middle East, against the backdrop of a breakdown in dialogue between major powers, is of enormous concern right now. The world is on the brink of a new Cold War. Some people are even saying that it’s already begun.” According to Chomsky, the world has never been closer to a nuclear war and the threat is no longer a thing of history. Former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger has criticized the West’s approach to the Ukrainian crisis, saying that the tense relations exhibit the danger of “another Cold War”.

Gay Agenda

The Prophecy

 

Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.

 

Luke 17:28-30

 

The Fulfillment

Biden Urges Executive Order on ‘LGBT Discrimination’

In May, Vice President Joe Biden advocated executive action to end workplace discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees. He added that the best way to make it illegal to discriminate against someone at work for being lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender, would be to pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act.

Obama at Democratic National Committee LGBT Gala 

United States President Barack Obama addressed the Democratic National Committee LGBT Gala, in June, at Gotham Hall in New York City. “If you think about everything that’s happened in the last 12 months, it is remarkable,” he said. “In nine more states you’re now free to marry the person you love — that includes my two home states of Hawaii and Illinois…The NFL drafted its first openly gay player. When I took office, only two states had marriage equality,” he continued. “Today, 19 states and the District of Columbia do…There are court rulings pending in other states as well.”

International Human Rights Defense Act

In June, a group of 25 United States Senators sponsored a bill affirming LGBT rights as a matter of foreign policy. The act would direct the Department of State to consider preventing and responding to discrimination and violence against the LGBT community worldwide.

Executive Order Expands Employment Protections

In July, President Obama signed an executive order expanding employment protections for federal workers and contractors to include gender identity. This order also bans sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination for companies receiving federal contracts.

Obama, Biden at African Summit

U.S. President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden brought up the issue of homosexuality during August’s U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit in Washington. When asked what impoverished nations can do to promote economic development, they replied that African countries need to make themselves more gay-friendly. President Obama advised that government leaders and business leaders alike model themselves on the open-mindedness of the West when it comes to homosexuality.

Support for Same-Sex Marriage Growing

Public support for same-sex marriage is growing, according to a poll conducted in September by CBS and the New York Times. 56 percent of Americans supported same-sex marriage, compared to 37 percent who opposed it.

Bill Clinton at Human Rights Campaign Gala

In October, former President Bill Clinton offered impassioned encouragement to a gala gathering of the Human Rights Campaign in Washington D.C.

Supreme Court Rejects Five Same-Sex Marriage Appeals

The United States Supreme Court decided not to decide, and refused to hear appeals from three federal appeals courts in October, thus sanctioning “marriage equality” in five states. This was seen as a move by the court to put pressure on all fifty states to end discrimination in their marriage laws.

Transgender Rights Sermon Subpoenas

In October, Houston city officials subpoenaed copies of sermons of five area pastors, and any other communications with their congregations that had anything to do with homosexual rights. The city officials were upset over a voter lawsuit filed after the city council rejected petitions to repeal a law that allows members of the opposite sex into each other’s restrooms. Lesbian mayor Annise Parker had said that the special rights ordinance that eliminates gender-based restrooms is the “most personally meaningful thing I will ever do as mayor.” 

International Same-sex Rulings in 2014

There are currently at least 78 countries where homosexuality is illegal, according to the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association. Although the United States seemed to be at the forefront of same-sex state and federal legal rulings in 2014, there were also several notable gay agenda decisions internationally.

 

Nigeria passed a law that makes same-sex marriage illegal, along with public displays of same-sex relationships and belonging to homosexual groups. Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni signed the Anti-Homosexuality Bill into law that criminalizes consensual same-sex relations.

 

The parliament of Malta approved a civil partnership bill. India officially recognized a third gender after a Supreme Court ruling. The Luxembourg parliament approved a same-sex marriage bill, and Estonia became the first former Soviet country to recognize same-sex partnerships.

Vatican Document Revised, “Welcomed and Accepted” Homosexuals

In October, a controversial Vatican document revised its earlier wording that spoke of “accepting and valuing their (homosexuals’) sexual orientations.” The final document says, “homosexuals have gifts and qualities to offer to the Christian community.”

One-World Government

The prophecy

 

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.

 

Daniel 7:23

 

And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.

 

Revelation 13:7

 

The Fulfillment

 

In October 2014, at the “Washington Ideas Forum,” Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said that we live in “historic, defining times.” He then announced, “I think we are seeing a new world order.” President Obama referred to a “new order…that’s based on economies that work for all people,” in a speech before the Democratic National Committee in July. Vice President Joe Biden, John Kerry, President George H. W. Bush and many other world leaders have also focused on the inauguration of the New World Order in their speeches.

 

According to the Bible, in the last days a ten-nation confederacy will be formed in Europe out of a revived Holy Roman Empire. From this political union, one man will rise to power, the Antichrist. He will confirm a seven-year agreement with Israel and the Palestinians. Also, very soon, the Antichrist will be added to the roster of dignitaries heralding the implementation of the New World Order.

 

In his book, World Order, Henry Kissinger makes it clear that the powerful forces of globalism have no intention of backing down from their scheme to impose their “New World Order” on the entire human race. Several events in 2014 gave evidence that relentless and all-consuming totalitarianism is advancing rapidly.

Global Behavior Modification

A summit of world leaders will be convened by United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in New York City on September 25, 2015. It is hoped that the assembly will produce a new international treaty by which all 193 United Nations members will pledge support to a “universal sustainable development agenda” for the world, which will be fully executed in 2020. This kind of transformation of the world’s economic, environmental and social agenda has been called “global behavior modification”. A report produced in 2013 by a “High-Level Panel of Eminent Persons” stated that a single, sustainable development agenda for the world is critical.

UN Pushes Global “New Deal”

In October, a United Nations Conference on Trade and Development report, on “global governance” and “policy space for development,” proposed that it was time for an “international New Deal.” The document called for more wealth extraction from citizens to fund bigger government and abolish financial privacy worldwide to facilitate global taxation.

National Sovereignty Destroyed by “Free Trade Agreements”

International “free trade agreements”. such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership, are formulated behind closed doors, with neither public nor government oversight, and they are not really about trade, according to a Huffington Post article from February 2014. The article contends that the actual goal of “free trade agreements” is to “render independent nation states null and void,” by transferring the management of the world from individual national governments to multinational corporations.

Border Chaos No Surprise

According to an article posted by The Blaze in June, the recent flood of immigrants at United States borders is “neither an accident nor a surprise.” The article contends that the massive wave of undocumented minors and teenage gang members, crossing the southern border of the United States, is a result of the 1966 Cloward-Piven Strategy, a concept devised by two Columbia University socialist professors who wrote that capitalism should be collapsed by overloading the government with financial demands that could not be met. 

Putin: National Sovereignty is “Rather Relative”

In October, Russian President Vladimir Putin maintained that “national sovereignty” has lost its significance for many nations and is interpreted as they see fit. “The proposed formula,” he said, “is virtually that the more loyal a regime is to the One Center of Global Power the stronger its legitimacy is.”

Advocates for “World Currency”

In January, an article in The New American revealed some startling information about the history of the push for a global currency. At an economic summit in 1983, supposedly conservative President Ronald Reagan stressed that a world economy can only function with a common monetary standard. “…No national currency will do,” he said, “only a world currency will work.” Federal Reserve Board Governor Mariner Eccles had said, “An international currency is synonymous with international government.” In 1939, a prominent lawyer and member of the Council on Foreign Relations proposed the “establishment of common money” that would “deprive our government of exclusive control over a national money.” These public figures seem to understand that, for a nation to be sovereign, it must control its own currency. A global currency would essentially destroy that sovereignty.

Finance Chief: “Taxation must Go Global”

In October, German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble openly called for “global standards” and “global governance” in taxation to ensure that governments can continue unrestricted and unending taxation of the wealth-producing class. He argued that, because the economy is now globalized, citizens must pay more taxes and must also submit to a globalized taxation regime.

Globalizing Education

In March, The New American claimed that the United Nations, President Obama and Bill Gates are globalizing education through Common Core. For most of 2014, there was a growing outrage over the Obama administration’s efforts to coerce local educators into compliance with federal “Common Core” standards. UNESCO and other United Nations agencies have been trying for decades to implement what has sometimes been called the “World Core Curriculum.” According to the article in The New American, the “global education reform movement” attempts to instill international values in children, preparing them to be “global citizens,” with views that are often opposed to Biblical Christianity. In a speech to UNESCO in 201O, Education Secretary Arne Duncan asserted that the United Nations agency is one of the administration’s “global partners” in implementing a “cradle-to-career education agenda.”

United Nations Behind “Named Person” to Oversee Every Child

In March, a director with America’s Home School Legal Defense Association asserted that the Scottish government’s decision to appoint an overseer for every child is influenced by the United Nations. Michael Donnelly said, “This law shows the natural progression for a country that has ratified the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child and attempts to live up to its treaty provisions.”

Chertoff: Internet must Come Under “Global Governance”

In August, it was disclosed that in a recent essay entitled, “The Strategic Significance of the Internet Commons,” former Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff described cyberspace and the Internet as a “global commons” that must come under “global governance”. Ultimately, if globalists like Chertoff have their way, the Internet will be controlled by the United Nations.

Holy Roman Empire Reborn

The Prophecy

 

And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters’ clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay. And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken. And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay. And in the days of these kings will the God of heaven set up a kingdom that will never pass away.

 

Daniel 2:41-44

 

The Fulfillment

 

The revived Holy Roman Empire is portrayed as the fourth beast in the seventh chapter of Daniel. The fourth beast is described as being “dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth.” The Holy Roman Empire was reborn with the signing of the Lisbon treaty on November 3, 2009.

European Super State Forming

Today we see a super state called the European Union forming to set the stage for the fulfillment of the Holy Roman Empire prophecies. This fulfillment will occur just before the Second Coming of Jesus to the earth. The European Union is now the largest economy in the world, and it is using the example of the United States to rapidly become a geopolitical super power, a “United States of Europe”.

 

The European Union is composed of 28 member countries with a population of 550 million people. Croatia has most recently joined. Albania received EU candidate status in June. French President François Hollande has backed Turkey’s plan to join the European Union. Several other countries such as Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia are in the process of integrating EU legislation into national law.

Creation of “United States of Europe” Underway

In January, Viviane Reding, the vice president of the European Commission, urged that “a true political union” be put on the agenda for EU elections in the spring. “We need to build a United States of Europe,” she said, “with the Commission as government and two chambers – the European Parliament and a ‘Senate’ of Member States.” Many in the European institutions share Mrs. Reding’s concept, which would transform the EU into a superstate having supremacy over the governments of the member states.

 

José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission, Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta and German Chancellor Angela Merkel share the same vision of a federalization of Europe, while others, such as Hungarian politician Gabor Staudt, view a European superstate as “absurd”.

 

Pravda reported the opinion that the federalization of Europe is an attempt by Germany to peacefully build a Fourth Reich. The European countries have been governed largely in keeping with German public opinion and Angela Merkel’s goals. The Financial Times published an article in October entitled, “Welcome to Berlin, Europe’s new capital.”

 

In response to what many Europeans see as Vladimir Putin’s aggression in the east, prominent federalists see a single European state, a United States of Europe, as a way to fend off the threat from Russia and solve the Euro crisis. Dutch journalist Joop Hazenberg said, “The Eurozone has to be fixed, a banking union installed, our energy supplies secured and the foreign policy extended because of the re-awakening of the Russian bear.”

European Parliament Elections

In May, anti-European Union and euro-sceptic parties made big gains in the first European elections since the debt crisis overtook the continent.

Merkel may Leave Chancellor’s Post Early 

Der Spiegel reported in July that German Chancellor Angela Merkel is ready to quit before the end of her term to become President of the European Council. The German government has been under unprecedented pressure because of the United States surveillance scandal. There has also been speculation that she may seek to succeed Ban Ki-moon as UN Secretary-General.

Britain a “Christian Country”

In April, David Cameron stirred up controversy when he referred to Britain as a “Christian country.” Although Britain has been a Christian-majority nation for more than a millennium, more than 50 public figures accused Cameron of fostering “division”. “We are a plural society,” they wrote, in a letter published in the Daily Telegraph, “with citizens with a range of perspectives, and we are a largely non-religious society.”

Jean-Claude Juncker Scandal

Soon after he was elected European Commission President in November, Jean-Claude Juncker became embroiled in a tax evasion scandal involving a deal between Luxembourg and major corporations that allegedly reduced their global tax bill by billions of dollars. Juncker had been prime minister of Luxembourg for almost 18 years before assuming the EU post.

Britain could Leave the EU

British Prime Minister David Cameron is ready for the UK to walk away from the European Union. In November, speaking from Australia ahead of the G20 summit, Mr. Cameron said that Sir John Major’s warning that Britain could leave the EU was “important and timely”. German Chancellor Angela Merkel has been warning Cameron that she would rather see the UK leave the EU if Cameron continues to push for migration reform.

One-World Religion

The Prophecy

 

And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.

 

Revelation 13:12-15

 

The Fulfillment

 

Interfaith activities and world religion initiatives continued in 2014 to set the stage for the international religious community to come together into a more “tolerant, socially conscious” society. This kind of society will be primed to welcome a charismatic religious leader, the False Prophet, who will usher the world into the arms of the Antichrist.

The “Miracle of Unity”

In January, Anglican Bishop Tony Palmer, of the Communion of Evangelical Episcopal Churches, gained worldwide attention when he addressed Kenneth Copeland’s annual Ministers’ Conference in Fort Worth, Texas. He proclaimed that “the protest is over” and that those who continue to be Protestants in a post-protestant world are suffering from “spiritual racism.” Bishop Palmer also brought a personal video greeting from his close friend Pope Francis, which was enthusiastically received by the mega-church pastors in attendance. “Let’s give each other a spiritual embrace and let God complete the work that he has begun,” Pope Francis said in the video, adding that “the miracle of unity has begun.”

 

Pope Francis met in late June with charismatic and evangelical leaders, including American televangelists James Robison and Kenneth Copeland and John Arnott of the Charismatic movement in Toronto. Tony Palmer represented the “convergence movement”, a new ecumenism based on “shared spiritual heritage” as opposed to “shared belief.” “If the Spirit of God is at work among us as well as among them,” they maintain, “who are we to question the spiritual condition of the others?” James Robison characterized the luncheon meeting between evangelicals and Pope Francis as “a step toward seeing Jesus’ prayer [of unity] answered.”

New Secular ‘Ten Commandments’ 

In October, Polish Nobel Peace Laureate Lech Walesa advocated a new “secular Ten Commandments” as a basis for universal values. “We need to agree on common values for all religions as soon as possible, a kind of secular Ten Commandments on which we will build the world of tomorrow,” he said.

The House of One

Construction will begin within two years on an iconic symbol of religious unity in the heart of Berlin. A reverend, a rabbi and an imam are joining to build a church, a mosque and a synagogue all under one roof. They will call it the House of One.

The United Religions 

In September, former Israeli president Shimon Peres met with Pope Francis, amid heightened tensions in the Middle East, to propose a United Nations-like organization he called “the United Religions”. Peres said that a leader is needed who has “unquestionable moral authority,” and that Pope Francis is the only one respected enough to bring an end to the wars raging in the Middle East and elsewhere in the world.

Freedom of Religion Charter Signed

Thirty parliamentarians from a broad range of nations and religions met in the Global Peace Center in Oslo, in November, to sign the Charter for Freedom of Religion or Belief. Attendees agreed to combat persecution and support the principles of religious freedom that are found in the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Interfaith Conference: Rick Warren, Baptists, Muslims, Buddhists & the Pope

Saddleback mega-church pastor Rick Warren, Russell Moore, the president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention and Pope Francis gathered at the Vatican in November for an interfaith conference on marriage and family. More than 30 speakers from over 20 countries attended, including representatives of the Jewish, Islamic, Buddhist, Hindu, Jaina Shasana, Taoist and Sikh religions, along with Roman Catholics and professing Christians.

Parliament of the World’s Religions to Meet in the U.S.

The Parliament of the World’s Religions announced in November that it has voted to hold its conference in the United States, in Salt Lake City, in 2015. This will be the Parliament’s first gathering of religious and spiritual leaders from around the globe, in the United States, in 22 years. The last Parliament met in Melbourne, Australia in 2009, and drew interfaith activists from 80 countries, including the Dalai Lama, Nelson Mandela, President Jimmy Carter and Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

Prince Charles Urges Tolerance

Also in November, Prince Charles released a video in which he challenged governments to support religious freedom. Calling current events in Iraq and Syria “horrendous and heartbreaking,” he urged religious leaders to promote tolerance between people of different faiths.

 

After a brief overview of the ongoing fulfillment of each of these prophecies in the year 2014, it is easy to see that we are not approaching the end time—we are in it!