Greek Debt Crisis

The Greek debt crisis has been threatening to plunge the world into another recession but has apparently been averted due to a bail-out from Germany. A Stratfor analysis of this situation has served to reinforce my minority view of the Tribulation geopolitical structure.

It is interesting to note that the bail out of Greece was not part of a European Union action. It was done as one nation-state helping out another because of their own self interests. Stratfor’s analysis is that this is evidence the EU is unlikely to ever operate as a unified country. We know the EU is essentially the Revived Roman Empire which will play a key role in the worldwide Tribulation government but their inability to act as a single unified country would tend to disqualify them for being the power structure from which the Antichrist will emerge.

Certainly a serious crisis could change the situation in Europe but a potential melt-down of the Euro was a pretty major event from at least a financial stand-point. And it has called into question the legitimacy of the European Union itself as a sovereign political entity. The alternative to the Revived Roman Empire being the power structure from which the Antichrist will come is the Revived Ottoman Empire. I believe it to be more likely that the Antichrist will emerge from the coalition of Islamic states that Turkey is in the process of organizing.

Revelation 13 tells us that religion is a key tool enabling the Antichrist to secure power over people. This means that Revived Ottoman Empire will serve better than the Revived Roman Empire as a power base to launch the Antichrist. The European states have no over ridding common purpose as the Islamic states do. The religion of the European states is only ostensibly Christian. Christianity was part of the European historical culture but today there is only a remnant of Bible believing Christians active there. The real religion of Europe is secular humanism. And the post-modern religion of secular humanism is inherently weaker than Islam as a unifying force.

All this reinforces my expectation that the Antichrist will emerge from the Revived Ottoman Empire, a coalition of Middle East Islamic states led by Turkey. It is exciting to live during a time when current events help us better appreciate God’s prophetic Word. It is certainly not a time to be dogmatic about traditional interpretations of apocalyptic Scripture because new information is helping us have a better feel for how God will fulfill ancient prophecies. As Daniel 12:4 says, “But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase” (NKJ).