Globalism and One World Government

JUST as unity movements are gathering strength within Christendom, so the tide of unity in the political world is swelling. The concepts of a one world government and globalism have much support. Contrary to the views of many, this movement is most serious. Many political philosophers believe that a single world government is the only hope for the survival of the human race. Large numbers of politicians in developing countries are also attracted to this concept, believing that such unity is economically beneficial to humanity. Many of the most avid advocates of political unity have made extravagant claims about the advantages of a one world government. The claim that such a government will eliminate poverty and starvation and establish a new order where all will share in the resources of the affluent nations of the world is particularly attractive to those in developing countries. This concept is a pipe dream; but it is held by those who are blind to the reality of the abject poverty that is still endemic in most first world countries, including the United States.

Passivists are also attracted to the concept of a one world government, believing that a world that is united under one government will provide a peaceful environment. But people of this persuasion ignore the fact that civil war is presently more common than international war.

Satan, in his last desperate effort to control the world, is striving to gather churches and governments under his banner. This aim greatly facilitates his efforts to gain total control of the world. Using his talents, honed by millennia of experimentation with the human mind, he now is making his final effort to capture the total allegiance of the human race.

The present thrust for political unity is not unique. By conquest, men such as Charlemagne, Napoleon, Kaiser Wilhelm, and Hitler have tried to unite Europe, as well as the world. The medieval church attempted to achieve unity built upon a common faith. It established the Holy Roman Empire, but it has frequently been said that "It was neither holy, Roman, nor was it an empire." In the aftermath of the Napoleonic wars, the Austrian, Prince Klemens Metternich-Winneburg, hoped to bring peace by an agreement securing the borders of European nations where they were.

After the Metternich system, as it was called, broke down during the revolutions of 1848, Queen Victoria chose to encourage the intermarriage of all the royal families of Europe. She succeeded in this goal, but in bringing peace she did not. The stark reality of this fact was witnessed in World War I when King George V of Great Britain was leading his nation against his first cousin, Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany. The word of prophecy had proclaimed that the reunification of Europe will not take place.

The prophet Daniel (see Daniel, chapter 2) told about the rise of four great powers represented by the great image. The first was the head of gold representing the kingdom of Babylon; then followed the silver arms and breast of Medo-Persia; succeeded by the brass of Greece, and the iron of Rome. The prophecy finally presented the mixture of iron and clay in the ten toes of the image. This symbol represented the division of the Roman Empire into ten European kingdoms. This division was completed by a.d. 476.

Human efforts to unite Europe have consistently failed, as the prophecy declared; however, a new effort is being made to unite Europe through economic ties. There is no doubt that the architects of the European Economic Community (EEC, often known as the Common Market) had goals far beyond economic unity leading to political unity. The EEC had its beginnings in 1957. The initial gathering, in the City Hall of Rome, was sealed by what is significantly known as the Treaty of Rome. Initially, six nations were signatories to the treaty—West Germany, France, Italy, Holland, Belgium, and Luxembourg. Subsequently, six more nations have joined—Great Britain, the Irish Republic, Spain, Portugal, Denmark, and Greece.

Together, these nations represent an economic input that exceeds that of the United States. They now have a European parliament situated in Strasbourg. While much of the role of the parliament is advisory, it has attracted some notable deputies, such as Willy Brandt, former chancellor of West Germany. Many see its future role as one of increasing political influence. Its powerful influence was demonstrated in June 1989, when Margaret Thatcher’s Conservative Party in Great Britain took a sound beating at the hands of the Opposition Labour Party in the election of deputies to the European parliament. This defeat greatly weakened the prime minister’s efforts to modify the agreements on the European monetary system scheduled for 1992. When, in the week following the elections, she was in Spain with the leaders of the other eleven nations, she found herself almost impotent to make headway in her efforts.

The year 1992 will be an important year for the EEC. That is the date set for the introduction of the European monetary system (EMS). The plan is to introduce the Eurodollar. It is hard to imagine how this new system will take over the British pound, the Danish krone, the Dutch guilder, the French franc, the West German mark, the Spanish peso, the Italian lira, and the Greek drachma. In that year, it is planned that all border controls between member nations will disappear. In fact, some controls have already been removed.

In 1987, Colin was driven from Holland to Belgium. He discovered that there were no immigration or customs barriers between the two countries. After 1992, once a citizen of a country outside the EEC arrives at an entry point in any one of the twelve nations, he will not need any further entry formalities in order to cross national borders. National passports in member countries of the EEC have already been abolished, and all citizens of the twelve nations receive a common European passport.

It is not difficult to understand how this European movement fits into the final plans of Satan. John the Revelator foresaw the time when the papal power would implement an economic boycott against God’s faithful people.

A united Europe could easily facilitate this boycott, particularly a union primarily based upon economic principles. The remarkable events of contemporary history urge us to realize the fact that the end of the world is near. While Europe will not unite into a single nation, it is clear that the ties will become so close that more and more the Papacy will be in a strong position to exert a controlling influence over the united community of European nations. These united powers will indeed provide the human strength to enforce the dictates of the Papacy.

The Eastern European nations are already turning to the pope and the Vatican for guidance. In a poll conducted toward the end of 1989 in Poland, 87 percent of those who voted said that they trusted the Roman Catholic Church; and only 11 percent said that they had confidence in the Communist Party. (San Francisco Chronicle, November 16 1989) Tadewsz Mazowiecki, Solidarity president of Poland, made his first international visit with the pope. It might be argued that, like the pope, he is Polish and Catholic, but this fact in itself represents an important change from the approach of the former communist leaders. Diplomatic relations between the Vatican and Poland were quickly normalized. Later in the year, Catholic representatives from Hungary visited the Vatican in order to dialogue on church and state relations. There is no doubt that these once hard-line communist nations are now turning to the Papacy for guidance and support.

The recent events in Eastern Europe provide amazing evidence of the failure of the Communist Party to destroy religion. It is clear that religion has flourished much more under communist repression than under Western freedom. During December 1989, the Lithuanians of the Soviet Union exercised a newfound religious freedom for the estimated 3,000,000 Catholics among its 3,600,000 population.

The most significant event of December 1989 was not the summit meeting of President George Bush with Mikhail Gorbachev; instead, it was Gorbachev’s unprecedented visit to the Vatican. The Washington Post of December 2 1989 made this striking statement:

Gorbachev himself described the visit as "a truly extraordinary event," and it certainly was, for no general secretary of the Soviet Union had visited the reigning pope since the arrival of Communism in Russia more than seven decades ago. In the same Washington Post report, the pope was quoted as saying that the meeting was "a sign of the times that have slowly matured, a sign that is rich in promise." Prophecy-studying Christians will see great significance, especially in the last portion of that statement.

At the meeting with Gorbachev, the pope had a heavy burden upon his mind—the fate of the Ukrainian Catholics. In the 1940s, Stalin had almost destroyed the Ukrainian Catholic Church (between four and five million members), disbanded its organization, and forced them to unite with the Russian Orthodox Church. This group became the largest persecuted group of Christians in the world.

When invited to visit Moscow, John Paul II stipulated that he could accept Gorbachev’s invitation only if permission was granted him to first visit the Lithuanian and Ukrainian Catholics, and only when the Ukrainian Catholic Church was allowed to reorganize and function normally. Gorbachev agreed to hasten this event. Just prior to the meeting held between Gorbachev and the pope, a Roman Catholic priest was interviewed on an American CBS news feature. His significant statement was that "the meeting is between the lion and the lamb, but no one is sure which one is the lion and which is the lamb." The meeting itself quickly showed that it was the pope who held the upper hand. He was, without question, the lion.

We can expect these events to continue in rapid succession. It is certain that before this book is published, many additional events will show the dominant role of the Papacy in world religion and political events. Truly, the world is "wondering after the beast." Soon only those who have their names written in the Lamb’s book of life will refuse to worship him. Unquestionably, now is the time for all of God’s people to draw closer to their Saviour. It is a time to look up, for our redemption draweth nigh. (Luke 21:28) It is a time when every faithful servant of Christ must make his calling and election sure. (2 Peter 1:10)