Ever since Great Britain decided in a June 23, 2016, referendum to leave the European Union, the big questions have been: What will this mean for Britain, what will it mean for the EU and even what will it mean for the United States and its relationship with both the United Kingdom and Europe?

The immediate impact of the decision has been currency fluctuations, stock market shocks and a great deal of speculation about Britain’s future role in the global economy and about its historic leadership role.

For students of Bible prophecy it has also raised the question of what this might mean for the world in light of Bible prophecies about events leading to the end of the age. It is this question that most concerns readers and viewers of Beyond Today.

Through the years we have described in detail what the Bible calls Babylon, a great religious and political power that will rise to dominate the world in the period prior to the second coming of Jesus Christ. We have shown that the modern roots of this coming system are to be found in present Europe. The cultural and spiritual history of that region point to the place where this prophesied power will emerge.

The biblical book of Revelation describes this power in terms that leave no doubt that the world will be controlled by this system that will hold the nations entranced with its promise of order and affluence. Our study aid The Book of Revelation Unveiled describes in overview the magnificent prophetic hope contained in the Bible’s final book. But first come events that help set the stage, as we see taking shape in today’s world. Following is a brief summary.

A woman and a beast

Revelation 17 opens with a description of a woman clothed in purple and scarlet riding a ferocious-looking beast with multiple heads and horns. On the forehead of the woman is a name:“Mystery, babylon the great, the mother of harlots and of the abominations of the earth” (Revelation 17:5). The woman is drunk with the blood of saints and martyrs of Jesus Christ. She is a symbol for a great religious system that opposes God and His people.

The beast the woman sits on is described in other parts of the Bible in terms that fit significant political systems that control large parts of the world at times in history. The prophet Daniel saw such images while in exile in Babylon, and they continue here in the book of Revelation.

The apostle John here sees a multiheaded beast with horns. It rises from among the nations. He mentions “kings,” or leaders of state, who give their power for a time to a single leader also called “the beast” (Revelation 17:12). While there is a time of mutual benefit and cooperation between the religious power represented by the woman and the political power represented by the Beast, it will not end well. The Beast turns on the woman and consumes her power and continues to make war on the Lamb, Jesus Christ. This system will even fight Him at His coming.

The global spiritual deception described here is unprecedented. Daniel presents a time of world trouble unlike any ever seen in human history (Daniel 12:1). Jesus even warned His disciples of a time of deception that could possibly lead astray those among God’s elect, His Church (Matthew 24:24).

The book of Revelation describes this deception as coming from Satan through three powerful spirits working though his chief human minions of the end time, the Beast and the False Prophet. The call to defend the corrupt world order created by this system called Babylon will bring the military powers of the world into one final battle against God at the time of Christ’s appearing (Revelation 16:13-14).

The events and setting for these scenes are beyond anything in today’s headlines. Frankly, they are beyond even the best fictional scenarios of apocalyptic disorder turned out by Hollywood or the best techno-thriller writers.

The facts of history can only give us faint foot tracks to guide us in discerning what they mean. The key to understanding is God’s Word and His Holy Spirit. It takes submitting your life to God, like the prophets of old had to do, to understand the times and what God is doing.

Bible prophecy provides stunning details of key events in history that impact His salvation plan for mankind. In coming to understand these, we can begin to discern the events of our time and their meaning and where we are heading in this unfolding plan.

To understand where the events of today’s world are leading, we must keep our focus on the hope and understanding God’s Word gives us.

Brexit—what happened

Britain’s decision to leave the 28-member European Union—of which it has been a member for more than 43 years—stunned the world. Even British voters were surprised. News reports and commentators were in a fog for several days trying to explain what happened, why it happened and what it meant. Much is still unknown about the impact Britain’s exit from the world’s largest trading bloc will have.

The vote immediately triggered the resignation of British Prime Minister David Cameron, who led the failed effort to remain in the EU. On July 13 Theresa May formed a new government and stated intentions to begin the difficult process to disentangle Britain from the EU, which could take several years. 

In the immediate aftermath of the vote, the value of the British currency, the pound, plummeted. London has grown to become the center of European finance. Will companies begin to move their operations away from Britain to maintain competitive advantage in the global economy? What will happen to Britain’s trade with other EU members? Many questions remain unanswered.

But no question is bigger than what will happen to the EU itself. The union has been troubled with other crises in recent years, such as the economic plight of such member nations as Greece and Italy. It has also struggled with how to cope with Russian aggression and intransigence along its eastern borders.

Most challenging, however, was the flood of more than a million immigrants from Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and North Africa. The raging conflicts in the Middle East and chaos and poverty in northern Africa have driven huge masses of people to seek asylum and a better life in the EU.

The sheer size of such immigration has ripped the social fabric of Austria, Germany and Hungary in particular. Gains by right-wing political movements in these nations are fueled by the fears of those who feel their culture, financial stability and future threatened by strangers from vastly different cultures and completely different outlooks on life.

Radical Islamist terrorist attacks and skyrocketing migrant crimes have added to the uncertainty of life. British voters who opted to leave cited such immigration and migrant problems as a major factor in their desire to get out—and shut the door behind them.

The EU response to each of these crisis points has been lacking in vision and resolve. And now a major player in the EU has decided to go it alone. Speculation is that other EU nations may decide to hold referendums on the question of continued membership. The present EU has changed and will undoubtedly change more.

A world drawing inward

Britain’s vote to withdraw to its island is an example of the reaction occurring in other parts of the world. The march toward a global order, a world without borders, frightens people.

While people in the upper-income levels have grown richer, those in the mid- to lower-income areas have stagnated or grown poorer. Millions have seen their jobs displaced, and whole communities have been permanently changed. Add in vast cultural and moral change, and people worry over what the future holds. Fear and uncertainty are driving not only Brexit, but also the American presidential campaign and other cultural clashes.

Britain’s decision to leave the EU should be understood in a larger historical perspective. Britain has always been influenced by affairs on the European continent while at the same time developing within itself a distinct personality and worldview.

Historian Margaret McMillan wrote about this in The Financial Times: “The British, like all Europeans, have been part of a shared European civilisation. Ideas, goods, tastes and fashions have spread through a web of trading and communications networks for centuries. Even before the Emperor Claudius made Britain a Roman colony, the British were adopting Roman ways and trading for Roman goods. The Norman invasion brought what we now think of as a British tradition of aristocracy, along with castles and cathedrals” (“Britain and Europe: The Ties That Bind,” July 8, 2016).

English kings once ruled parts of France. When a new king was needed at the time of the 17th-century Glorious Revolution, the English turned to the House of Orange in the Netherlands. And the current House of Windsor, of which is Queen Elizabeth II, was brought into Britain from Germany, it having shared ancestry with the royal family in England.

The connections between England and the continent have been strong and consistent even as a distinct Anglo culture developed through law, language and tradition. England pursued a different destiny through the period of colonization that spread out of Europe in the 15th century.

Through the generations, Britain pursued a policy of keeping any one continental power from dominating all others. This was why England led a coalition to finally defeat Napoleon’s universal ambitions at Waterloo. It was these alliances that led England into both World Wars of the 20th century. The present EU is in part the result of the vision to prevent future war by maintaining an economic union. That dream is threatened by Britain’s exit.

The idea of Europe

The concept of Europe, what it is and what its boundaries are, has shifted through the ages. In the Roman period Europe was centered around the Mediterranean, what the Romans called Mare Nostrum or “Our Sea.” That concept of Europe spanned the present continent as well as North Africa and large parts of the present Middle East as far as the Persian Gulf. It was only after the rise of Islam, when European culture was driven out, that these perceptions and borders shifted.

Through the Middle Ages into the modern period, Europe was dominated by the church-state union called the Holy Roman Empire. This system collapsed after the defeat of Napoleon. With the fall of empires after World War I (Russian, Hapsburg, Hohenzollern, Ottoman), we’ve had a pause in this historic pattern.

The present world of Europe and the Middle East, both created in the aftermath of the two World Wars, is going through a strained and challenging period. War, mass migration, globalization and in particular the changing position and influence of both Britain and the United States, is having a major impact.

The UK’s departure from the EU is a significant statement against globalization, which dilutes national identity. In England many fear the nation is changing beyond anything they recognize. In many ways this is true. The same can be said of the United States. Terrorism, uncontrolled immigration and the elimination of traditional borders of trade, economies and culture have created a new world that unsettles many.

The world is now watching to see what will happen in Europe. How will Germany and France, the two largest nations, react? Will others decide to go? Will the present EU be reconfigured to a smaller but stronger grouping of core nations that go forward with a closer political, military and economic union? What will bind them together more tightly than anything to the present? Does Bible prophecy give any indication?

Some feel the key to a closer union of European states is the spiritual element, religion. Historical pattern provides precedent for this. And this brings us back to the subject of Babylon.

The religious-political system the Bible calls “Mystery, babylon the great” arises from among the world’s nations at a time of global crisis. The established order is threatened. Economic collapse could upend years of work and effort. World leaders unwilling to let that happen will come together to create what they see as the solution to strife, fear and an uncertain future.

Revelation 17:12, in describing 10 rulers giving their sovereign power to one figure, presents a critical moment where power is consolidated. “Peace and safety” will be proclaimed, and the world will wonder at what has been created (1 Thessalonians 5:1-6). But we are not there yet.

What Britain has said with its Brexit vote is a resounding “no” to further cooperation within a growing supranational system that seeks conformity to a model of global unity. The EU’s present course is a union of nations without borders, where immigrants, workers and anyone can travel, work and live. The EU seeks a world order that alters the present idea of the nation-state. Its recent struggles reflect the immense challenge to this ideal, given the fact that most people want to remain French, Austrian, Greek or British.

In Genesis 11 the human intent was to build a city and a tower and to make a name to keep from being scattered across the earth (verse 4). God saw this would propel the human family more rapidly toward a crisis point than His plan intended. So He scattered the people of that day by confusing their language (verse 7).

The place of this ancient dream was called Babel, and it was the beginning of the human aspiration to create a world apart from and in defiance of God. Babel is also called Babylon, a city and empire that stood through the ages as the antithesis to everything God planned and worked toward on the earth. Babylon reappears in Revelation 17 in one grand final manifestation of opposition to God. It will astound the world and end in defeat at the coming of the Lord.

If you haven’t yet read our study guide The United States and Britain in Bible Prophecy, go online now and begin reading the fascinating story of America and Britain in today’s world. See what lies ahead for these two nations. It will fill in the details of what this article addresses, giving vital background to Brexit and current world affairs.

What about you?

Revelation 18:4-5 contains a command from God that impacts us all: “And I heard another voice from heaven saying, ‘Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues. For her [Babylon’s] sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.’”

This final system of Babylon is forming today and will make its appearance in God’s timetable as the events of the end of the age fall into place.

It’s hard for most of us to envision this. We live in a time of great wealth and technological marvels. Our global world contains innovations, comforts and pleasures that make life enjoyable, exciting and fulfilling. The challenge for the people of God is to navigate this world without being taken in by its charm and deception.

God says the sins of Babylon “reach to heaven” and that He will not overlook them (Revelation 18:5). Babylon will grow in power and luxury and then suddenly, virtually overnight, collapse in the final judgment God imposes (Revelation 18:7-9).

It’s difficult for God’s people to discern this without the spiritual insight and power He provides. You can study these passages and apply the history of Babylon and come up with a level of understanding. Babylon is portrayed in the Bible as the head of gold in the dream of Daniel 2. Babylon’s religion and culture has migrated through history, manifesting itself in Persian, Greek and Roman forms. Babylon’s roots live on and await the day when they will spring forth in full view of the world.

How will you know when it comes? How will you avoid the deceptive allure of the system and not be joined to it spiritually or culturally? This will be a challenge for all of us. Christ’s words to us to discern the signs of our time have never been more important!

Practical steps you can take to endure worrisome times

A great many people have been dealing with isolation, stress, uncertainty and fears amid the pandemic, widespread shutdowns and expectations of a severe financial downturn with millions out of work. To help people cope, the CBS News program Face the Nation interviewed Dr. Luana Marques, president of the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, on Sunday, April 5. Dr. Marques, who also teaches at Harvard and practices at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, gave some good advice.

She said: “I think before we even talk about the magnitude, it is important for us to first remind our country that it is okay not to be okay right now. It’s important to remind our country that it’s okay to have strong emotions. And this is why, as we turn on the news every morning and we’re hearing stories of death, of loss of economy, of grief and sadness, we quickly start to feel our heart pounding and we feel the sense of tension, anxiety, and fear. And that is our normal fight or flight response . . . And that’s okay . . . up to a point; eventually it does become too much.”

She then offered three practical ways for those sitting at home and starting to feel overwhelmed to “cool off our brain.”

“The first one,” she explained, “is to remember to unplug and to anchor. And what I mean here is give your brain a break from the news a little bit, allow your brain to settle. And I know it’s hard to do it right now. So by unplugging, you’re bringing down that fight or flight. And then what I encourage you to do is to anchor on something that closes your brain off: walking, meditation, calling a friend.”

“The second thing I urge all of us to do,” she continued, “and this is not optional, is to charge up, is to be able to eat, sleep and exercise. Those three things are things that we know help our mental health, but also help your immune system. So figure out what you’re going to do, how are you going to do it and why you’re going to do it. And anchor in something that gets you going. For me, I’ve been walking and exercising because it’s important for me to stay healthy for my family and for my patients.

“And finally, I urge us to be of service. We know that helping others not only makes them feel better, but also ourselves. So let’s call an elderly neighbor. If you can afford, send food to those that actually need it or,” she suggested, using your skills and talents to help others as you’re able.

All these helpful principles are actually found in the Bible in various forms. Yet there is something else we should do above all that is also found there. When discussing concerns of living day to day and worries over how we’ll manage and get by, Jesus Christ said: “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble” (Matthew 6:33-34, emphasis added). So we must focus on our ultimate future with God and living His way, taking life one day at a time. And He will see us through. (Source: CBS News.)

Assessing the prophetic measure of this global pandemic

A week into April a headline declared “CDC Director: Coronavirus Death Toll Will Be ‘Much, Much, Much Lower’ Than Projected” (Joshua Caplan, Breitbart News, April 7, 2020). This lowered projection of deaths in the United States, the article explains, is said to be due to people following social distancing recommendations. The same could be said about other countries.

Yet many argue that the modeling of the impact of viral spread was flawed from the start by overestimating the fatality of the contagion. That seems to be the case. (There is even some question about the accuracy of death tolls since people who die while infected with COVID-19 may be counted as COVID-19 deaths even if that was not a contributing factor.) Of course, there may yet be worse impact in the world’s poorer nations—or perhaps not. Time will tell. You may be seeing this a few weeks after we’re publishing it, so projections may have significantly changed—and they’ll likely change further.

There is a tendency when circumstances don’t “live up to the hype” to play down the seriousness and significance of what are still major events—particularly their role in end-time Bible prophecy. But such a reaction is missing the larger picture.

Jesus Christ said there would be a marked increase in pestilences or disease epidemics and other fear-inducing disasters as the time of His return draws nearer (Matthew 24:3-8; Luke 21:7-11). If the current virus ends up killing far fewer than other epidemics have throughout history, and fewer than more everyday causes of death throughout the world, some would think it hardly qualifies to be classed among what Jesus meant.

But Jesus did not specify a death toll here. Revelation 6:1-8 does say a fourth of the earth would be killed over time by a combination of problems that would include disease, but that’s a grand total, not what each plague would do. In any case, Jesus foretold not only pestilences, but fearful reaction to such calamities. The actual death toll of each particular incident is only an aspect of this.

No one can argue that this pandemic has not been significant. It is one of the biggest world events of modern times—not because of the death toll but because of its global impact. It has shut down much of the planet. It has caused economic upheaval that could lead to more people suffering and dying over time. It has led to societal changes and realignments that will no doubt further advance conditions leading to what is ultimately prophesied for the world scene in the end time. And the more of these things that occur, the more cumulative the effect will be.

If the current crisis is effectively dealt with and society manages to largely recover in coming months, with people settling back into normal routines, that could actually lead to the biggest danger—complacency and more “scoffers in the last days” who dismiss such events as having nothing to do with what the Bible says is coming (2 Peter 3:3-4).

We’ll see more people failing to draw proper lessons and take appropriate warning. Some who come to see what’s happened as an overreaction may resist containment measures that are truly needed when a more virulent epidemic comes along. And worse, some will be become more stubborn and resistant when it comes to turning to God. Let’s all keep our eyes and hearts open. (Source: Breitbart News.)

Are we seeing a dress rehearsal for the prophetic Beast?

In late March former British prime minister Gordon Brown “urged world leaders to create a temporary form of global government to tackle the twin medical and economic crises caused by the COVID-19 pandemic,” saying there was need of “a taskforce involving world leaders, health experts and the heads of the international organisations that would have executive powers to coordinate the response” (Larry Elliott, The Guardian, March 26, 2020).

This won’t fly, of course—at least not in the near term. But with worsening events coming in the future this no longer sounds so far-fetched.

Scripture describes a final revival of the Roman Empire that is yet to emerge in Europe and dominate the world. This political power and its ruler are both referred to in Bible prophecy as “the Beast.” In this final revival 10 national or regional leaders will receive authority that they will cede to a higher central authority:

“. . . Ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority for one hour as kings with the beast. These are of one mind, and they will give their power and authority to the beast” (Revelation 17:12-13). The “one hour” indicates a short time. It’s often been understood that this is speaking of the short time frame before these are all brought down when they actively fight against Jesus Christ at His return, as described in the next verse. Yet perhaps it is implying that the final union is actually intended to be a temporary measure during a time of crisis that then takes on more power.

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted inadequacies of the European Union—even causing individual countries to want to close their own borders. Allison Fedirka at Geopolitical Futures points out:

“Europe has always struggled to define what the European Union really means, particularly after the 2008 financial crisis. It was a harsh reminder that all its members have different political and economic needs, and every move it has made since then—financial compromises, Brexit, immigration reform—has only widened the differences, even as it has stoked nationalist sentiment. This bodes poorly for the EU’s ability to confront its latest crisis: a two-front war against a virus and the economic and social unrest it threatens to unleash” (“The EU Wasn’t Built for This,” March 20, 2020).

The attempt to act together despite disharmony actually fits with the prophetic description of the final union: “This will be a divided kingdom . . . The people will be a mixture and will not remain united, any more than iron mixes with clay” (Daniel 2:41-43, New International Version). Thus it seems reasonable that it would take extraordinary measures during extraordinary circumstances to keep this power bloc together for a time.

During a time of global crisis the world is ripe for change. Western nations may bear up under the strain, but the toll for the future could be severe. New alignments between national powers are likely to emerge. And power structures within nations are being reshaped.

A headline in The Washington Post tells us, “Dictators are using the coronavirus to strengthen their grip on power” (Joshua Kurlantzick, April 3, 2020). The author goes on to note: “Authoritarians often take advantage of emergencies—wars, terrorist attacks, high-profile arsons [such as those manipulated by Adolf Hitler and the Roman Emperor Nero], natural disasters—to consolidate power. These catastrophes spark fear, bolster the public desire for a strong governing hand and lead people to rally around their leaders.”

This certainly fits the profile of the tyrannical power that is yet to arise in Europe. The Bible says that this system will force everyone to receive some kind of mark of allegiance in the right hand or forehead (symbolic of actions and thoughts), which will be required to buy and sell. While the mark may not be literal, there must be some kind of surveillance and policing of society to enforce what’s being described here.

Could this really happen? Even in freer countries this pandemic has brought unheard-of restrictions. Phone data is being used to track people to make sure they are staying home and not getting too close to each other. Device data can also reveal what people are buying and selling—whether essential items only. Churches have been shut down.

The mayor of Los Angeles actually encouraged people to report on neighbors in violation of stay-at-home orders by saying: “You know the old expression about snitches? Well, in this case snitches get rewards.” Violating businesses were threatened with having their power and water turned off—truly disturbing! This is not to say that some period of pause and assessment was not reasonable. It is just to illustrate that such a crisis can bring rapid change that takes away liberty.

A stained-glass image on what is known as the Fabian Window, commemorating the elitist socialist Fabian Society, depicts the world on an anvil being heated and hammered into a new shape, with a caption at the top directing that it be remolded “nearer to the heart’s desire.” While the current pandemic is not the result of a globalist conspiracy, some have definitely used it to expand government and their own power. And some would like to manipulate the economic upheaval for this purpose.

We can be sure that there are people with nefarious agendas who are looking at this situation and realizing more than ever how to manufacture crises to bring about whatever changes they need to reshape the world. Of course, there will be plenty more actual crises for them to use anyway as the end approaches. Yet we know they will not prevail in the end. (Sources: The Guardian, Geopolitical Futures, The Washington Post.)