On Monday, foreign ministers from 10 European nations wrote an open letter to Tony Blair--the Quartet's new Middle East envoy--asking him to convene an international conference on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and to urge Israel to make more concessions to Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas. The foreign ministers believe the Quartet's Road Map for Peace has failed, and they want the conference to consider the possibility of sending in an international peacekeeping force. Read about it here.

This development has intrigued some students of Bible prophecy who wonder if the leaders of these 10 European nations may become the foretold 10 kings of Bible prophecy. And since these 10 kings are seeking Blair's leadership in the matter, these same students wonder if Blair could become the "little horn" that rises among the 10 kingdoms as the Antichrist. Reports that Blair has converted to Catholicism lead them to further suspect him.

As I've said before (and as my dad always said), we should always be open to other possibilities when it comes to end-times scenarios.  Actually, this goes for any view--not just end-times scenarios. We should never become so entrenched in a position that we close our eyes to facts that may support an alternate position. If a particular position is valid, then it will withstand scrutiny. As Christians, we--more than anyone else--should be truth seekers.

That being said, I think a much stronger case has been made that the Western European Union's 10 Member States  (a.k.a. the "Brussels Treaty Powers") are the 10 kingdoms of the revived Roman Empire. These nations form a military defense alliance under Article Five of the modified Brussels Treaty, and they are the official military wing of the EU. Since 2000, they've gained complete control--along with the Council of the European Union--of the EU's developing military under the leadership of one man who holds a powerful combination of offices, Javier Solana. And the document that gave this man such vast authority has a connection to that infamous number of Bible prophecy that is linked to the rise of the Antichrist--Western European Union Assembly Recommendation 666. This document also gives Solana emergency powers over the EU military in the event of a large crisis.

What's more, the position Solana holds has been tasked with ending the Middle East conflict, a role the Antichrist will fill. Solana is behind the "Euro-Mediterranean Partnership for Peace," which appears to be a strong match to the foretold "covenant with many" that the Antichrist will make (Daniel 9:27) at the beginning of Daniel's 70th week, and he's also behind the "European Neighbourhood Policy" and its new seven-year funding instrument--which went into effect Jan 1, 2007, and appears to strengthen the covenant with many.

All these facts build a strong cumulative case for the theory that the 10 kings are the Brussels Treaty Powers and that the powerful post currently filled by Javier Solana may become the office of the Antichrist.

In contrast, the other theory lacks a strong cumulative case, and it has several weaknesses. For one, the 10 kings who have called on Blair to convene a conference aren't a military alliance and don't control the EU's military. (The 10 kings in the Bible are described as horns, and horns signify military power.) They are just a group of 10 nations calling for a conference.

Second, Blair's position as an envoy doesn't consolidate tremendous power, as Solana's positions do. What's more, his appointment to this post was opposed by many of the major players in the Middle East peace process, including Solana, major European countries (like Germany), Russia and also Arab nations who dislike Blair's support of Israel and the United States. These leaders, including Solana, have given assurances that Blair's post won't get in the way of Solana's efforts and that Blair won't have a part in peace negotiations. And, notably, Solana--unlike Blair--has the full backing of the UN. 

Incidentally, I think Blair's reported conversion to Catholicism is neither here nor there. I don't think it provides any evidence for the theory that he could become the "little horn" and, in fact, could take away from it since the Antichrist will show no regard for any god and will magnify himself above every god (Daniel 11:36-37). An atheist fits this description better than a Catholic, in my opinion.

In conclusion, this doesn't mean we shouldn't pay attention to Monday's developments and Blair's role in them. These very well may play into the overall scheme of things. But it does mean we should carefully evaluate all the evidence and make sure our views are well reasoned.

Staying tuned!