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CHARLES L. FEINBERG, Th.D., Ph.D. Dean, Talbot Theological Seminary Editor of Prophecy Section
M any events happening in the world today have been pre dicted either explicitly or implicit ly in Scripture. Some of these are the nature, purpose, and mission of the church, the power and en ablement of the Holy Spirit, the departing from the truth of Scrip ture, the return of the Jews to Palestine, the ecumenical move ment, the present moral decay, the rise of Russia, and, maybe, the European Common Market. Winston Churchill, at the time he retired from the office of prime
minister in Great Britain, stated that he was going to dedicate the rest of his life and whatever strength and talents he had to the formation of the United States of Europe. On March 25, 1957, the possibility of this was established by the Treaty of Rome. This was a broad plan for gradual economic coalescence of the economies of the six member nations, Belgium, France, West G erm any , Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, over the 12 to 15-year period be ginning January 1, 1958.
However, amidst such economic ambitions, there w ere political overtones as well. Tariffs were gradually to be eliminated, the territories were to be permanent ly linked together, monetary and fiscal policies were to be co-ordi nated, financial and living condi tions were to be improved and equalized, and social and invest ment funds were to be estab lished. This, indeed, was a federa tion of states—a United States of Europe. Between World War II and 1958 there were two great world powers, namely, the United States of America and Russia. However, now there is beginning a third world power which could easily be larger than either o f the other two in both population and gross national product. Thus the ques tion in our minds is : “ Does Scrip ture indicate such a possibility before the Second Coming of As we turn to the Word of God, we see that it was to the Prophet Daniel that the prophecies o f the then future Gentile world powers were committed (Daniel 2, 7). When this prophecy was written, the citizens of Jerusalem and Pal estine had been taken from their country into the land o f Babylon for some seventy years. Is not this inconsistent with the fact that throughout the Old Testament God had d e c la r ed that Israel would possess the promised land and have a king, throne, and king dom (Gen. 12, 15, 17; Deut. 30; Jer. 31; II Sam. 7 )? It seems that God has broken His prom ises; He has broken His Word. Thus it is revealed to Daniel what God is going to do through Gen tile powers when “Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles” (Luke 21:24). Christ?” If it does, then what is its significance?
PROPHECY and the EUROPEAN COMMON MARKET
by Edgar C. James, Th.D.*
*Chairman and Professor of Dept, of Bible and Theology, Calvary Bible College, Kansas City, Mo.
FEBRUARY, 1965
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