Sometimes we students of Bible prophecy can be like people watching a tennis match. One moment we're looking in one direction, the next we're looking in another direction. And I confess, I do it too.

This is especially true regarding today's reunification of Europe. You see, most of us agree what we're witnessing is the fulfillment of prophecy. But, we don't know exactly how it all will come down.

As you may know, this May the EU beast will expand into Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean. The EU will absorb 10 new member states, making it a huge monster of 25 nations. And when I consider this historic event, I find myself looking in the direction of a European superstate.

But, recently we learned Prime Minister Tony Blair called for a national referendum to decide if Britain wanted to accept the new EU Constitution. And immediately many observers, including myself, begin to look in the other direction -- the direction of no European superstate. That's because, the majority of the British people are firmly against the idea of a country called Europe Read about it here. So if it's put to vote, most believe the Constitution will fail.

Like I said, sometimes it's like we're watching a tennis match -- we go back and forth. And although I find myself sometimes doing it too, I don't think it's a wise thing to let continue. In fact, when I find my eyes going back and forth like this, I like to take my eyes off the latest news and place them once again on the ancient prophecies.

So, let's review what the prophecies say about this fourth, and last, Gentile empire that God will allowed to rise over Israel.

Then there will be a fourth kingdom as strong as iron; inasmuch as iron crushes and shatters all things, so, like iron that breaks in pieces, it will crush and break all these in pieces. In that you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter's clay and partly of iron, it will be a divided kingdom; but it will have in it the toughness of iron, inasmuch as you saw the iron mixed with common clay. As the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of pottery, so some of the kingdom will be strong and part of it will be brittle. And in that you saw the iron mixed with common clay, they will combine with one another in the seed of men; but they will not adhere to one another, even as iron does not combine with pottery (Daniel 2: 40-43 New American Standard Bible).

When we place these passages from Daniel in their historic perspective, we see the first three Gentile kingdoms were Babylon, Medo-Persia and Greece. This makes the fourth and last kingdom the Roman Empire. So, the final end-times kingdom must be a revival of the old Roman Empire. Otherwise, it would be a fifth kingdom -- not fourth.

But we learn in it's final stage it will be a divided kingdom -- it's pieces won't adhere together. But nevertheless, it will have in it the toughness of iron.

To understand this internal toughness, we need to look at this end-times kingdom from a little different angle. Daniel later wrote:

After this I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrifying and extremely strong; and it had large iron teeth. It devoured and crushed and trampled down the remainder with its feet; and it was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns. While I was contemplating the horns, behold, another horn, a little one, came up among them, and three of the first horns were pulled out by the roots before it; and behold, this horn possessed eyes like the eyes of a man and a mouth uttering great boasts (Daniel 7:7-8). 

Here we see the internal toughness is a confederacy of 10 kings that will rise to control this divided kingdom. And, we learn one person will appear among these 10 kings, and subdue three of them on his rise to power.

It's amazing to me how perfectly these passage describe what's occurring in the EU. It looks like it will remain a divided kingdom -- just as foretold. As of 1995, it has had a 10 nation military alliance at its core -- all members of NATO. And as of 1999, these 10 nations have had their High Representative leading their combined foreign policy -- which is a revival of the old Roman Empire.

Back to our tennis match. Will the EU's new Constitution be adopted? Will the EU become a country called Europe? You know, I don't think it matters. You see, according to the prophecies, what we're to expect may already be here.