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 PrintableVersion United Europe, divided ChristiansStudy on Daniel and RevelationIt appears I may have moved at the wrong time. The recent Earthquake in the City1 predicts the collapse of the City of London, not only financially but also physically, through an earthquake which will also affect the Channel Tunnel. This is concerning for someone who has recently come to Canterbury, midway between the two, which would presumably be the epicentre of such seismic shock. The prophecy behind the book concludes: 'In regard to Europe, come out of her my dear children, for she will align herself with the Beast and the false prophet who will arise and appear for just a short while'. Sir Fred Catherwood, on the other side of the scales, argues that there is no alternative to the EU, other than being little Englanders, and that the only hope for vital job creation is a large domestic market the size of Europe2. Many Christians are totally confused. They think they ought to believe something, but are not sure what. The Euro-sceptic line appears to be terribly biblical, citing the dire fate of boundary stone movers in the Pentateuchal laws, in between offering a complete understanding of the book of Daniel - but then who wants to be a little Englander? In that the Bible doesn't deal with the EU directly, perhaps it would be helpful to start with states and superpowers and gain a little biblical elevation from which to view the issue. Government - two facesOn the one hand, the Bible affirms that government has been installed by God for the maintenance of law and order. Government officials are indeed God's agents for the administration of justice (Romans 13; 1 Peter 2.13,14). As such, we need to give to Caesar what is rightfully his. Yet on the political pitch, good and evil scrum down for territorial advantage and Christians get involved in this ruck, in spite of the mud and foul play, as part of our commitment to society. When we come to the apocalyptic literature, unforeseen, primal elements raise their heads. In Nebuchadnezzar's dream of the colossus (Daniel 2), we see the best and the worst of large scale government. The order, strength, technology, wealth and achievement represented is awesome; so is the megalomania. Yet with feet of clay, it is also inherently unstable. In Revelation 17, we have an example of how such power block instability may work out in a federation of states. Ten kings receive sovereignty but surrender it to the Beast and the (Whore of) Empire formed by their association. Having originally attacked the church, the kings eventually turn on the prostitute they have created. The Federation takes the blame for the national problems they experience. In a European context, it is easy to foresee local politicians blaming the European Bank or Parliament for tying their hands. Close federation could exacerbate the problems of nationalism. Images in both Daniel and Revelation suggest that supernatural forces are also at work in the formation of power blocks. We are used to the representation of nations as wild animals and can understand why, for example, Abraham Lincoln's suggestion that America should be depicted by a turkey did not find favour, but apocalyptic goes one stage further. We also find states metamorphosed into hideous, hybrid monsters, which comes to a head in the Evil Empire of Revelation 13, with its evil trinity of the Dragon, Beast I and Beast II, who monopolise and manipulate not only government but associated commerce, finance, trade, law and religion. Ten-toed prophecies and broad-based principlesIt was the Reformed commentator, William Hendriksen, who first called Revelation God's motion picture3; the re-casting of history into graphic sequences of images, some superimposed on others. The film involves amazing special effects and glorious technicolour. But how is it to be understood? I was brought up with what I would call, from Daniel 2, a 'ten-toed prophecy' approach to apocalyptic. The United Kingdom was the tenth member state to join the, then, Common Market. Ten toes, ten horns, ten members. You have been warned. Watch out for Antichrist shortly appearing in a European member state near you. When a round number like ten appears, as is the case quite frequently in both Daniel and Revelation, you have a choice. Is it a literal number or a symbolic one? For example, the four in the four winds (Daniel 7.2; 8.8; 11.4) presumably represents universality - winds from every point of the compass, not just four. The issue is one of interpretation. If the number is literal, the problem is one of identification, and the reader turns armchair detective, Bible and newspaper open, calculator by his side. Both Daniel and Revelation do nail some identifications. The notorious number of 666 is one such (Revelation 13.8); Jerusalem, outrageously dubbed Sodom and Egypt by John, the city where the Lord was crucified is another (11.8). But in these special cases, the writer flags them up for us. To apply this method throughout could be like trying to pin a label on the donkey in the story of the Good Samaritan. Revelation obviously builds on Daniel, transposing it to a New Testament context. If Daniel deals with 'the sequence of world Empires pre-coronation of the Son of Man', Revelation is an account of the 'significance of world Empire (singular) post-crucifixion of the King of Kings'4. In both books, the cross and conquest of Jesus Christ is seen to be the key to world history. At the climaxes of their prophecies, both give us a glimpse into the cosmic control centre, God's throne-room. So chapter 7 is to Daniel what chapter 4 is to Revelation. Without this, world history makes no sense; we would be left with the despair of an uncontrolled explosion of evil: personal and structural, human and demonic. Revelation 12 gives us the rather surprising insight that mega-scale world empire is explicable only by the cross. Once the Devil is run out of Heaven, sent reeling by the victory of Christ, he crashes to earth and finds an operations base here in world empire, in order to regroup and carry on his nefarious activity. Yet he is now in his death throes. Both Daniel and Revelation proclaim the invincible, indestructible, universal and eternal Kingdom of God. Thus, in Daniel 2 it is not that the empires self-destruct, in spite of the inherent instability of their feet of clay. Rather, another stone, mysteriously quarried without human agency, appears. It looks like a pretty ordinary lump of stone, but turns out to be the ball in the cosmic bowling alley which knocks all the skittles down and pulverises every worldly power block. Or, in the victory shout of Revelation 11.15: 'The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our God and of His Christ, and He shall reign for ever and ever'. From the record of his praise, humility, courage and prayer, there is no doubt that Daniel knew that God is much bigger than any world superpower. In God's eternal wisdom and infinite power, he directs operations and controls history from his seat of power. How inadequate by contrast is the impression we so often give to unbelievers. Europe, Babel and PentecostWhat is clear from this bird's eye view is that we should not be naive about the potential evil of world power blocks. The division of people into their respective language groups at Babel (Genesis 11) was an act of judgment by God against humanist hubris and conspiratorial evil. Yet it was also an act of mercy. Where evil is concerned, the last thing we need is economies of scale or centralisation. We have to ask whether we really want our financial system controlled by the European Bank, Frankfurt; our legal system controlled by the European Court of Justice, The Hague, and our political system controlled by the European Parliament and Commission in Brussels. Evangelicals could find themselves on the receiving end of legislation aimed at cults, as has recently happened in Russia. Curbing commercial powerHowever, having recognised the corrupting power of concentrated governmental power, we need also to recognise that the scale of commercial power needs to be counteracted by government. We have had a little taste of this with the recent Sunday trading campaign. Here, as in some other areas, the EU has taken a stand for the weak against the powerful. Yet even if we are not to be naive about the potential evil of concentrated power, neither should we be unnerved by it. Paul was in many ways an admirer of the order, administration and justice system of the Roman Empire of which he was a full citizen. What is more, he took full advantage of a socio-political environment using a common language, common currency and lack of frontier controls. The situation was ready-made for the gospel! We too need to think that God may be using the EU, and even the little English church in Europe, to bring his saving good news to a lost continent. If Paul were with us now, I believe his eyes would light up at the opportunity we have. And we still need men and women like Daniel at the political heart. For our priority is to be like his; not to worry about Europe or even persecution, but to know God. Tim Saunders is pastor of Barton Evangelical Church, Canterbury. He has previously worked with Worthing Tabernacle, UCCF, and the Diocese of Owerri, Nigeria. He is married with three young daughters. Footnotes1 Earthquake in the City by Clifford Denton and Paul Slennett; Kingsway, 1997. © Evangelicals Now - December 1997 |
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