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kammer (Royal Treasury) in Vien–
na.
Christopher Hollis, in the fore–
word to Dr. Habsburg's book
The
Social Order of Tomorrow,
points
out that Dr. Habsburg "would like
to see Europe resume her essential
unity, and in the symbolism of that
unity he thinks that the imperial
crown of Charlemagne and of the
Holy Roman Empire might well
have its part to play."
lt
is to the model of the Holy
Roman Empire that many European
political figures and leading church–
men are now looking for the answer
to
today's
political and religious
woes. A revived alliance between
church and "empire," they believe,
may be the very key-the
only
key- to European survival in the
face of perilous world conditions!
Final Revival
Forces already have been set in
motion that will revolutionize the
face of Europe-and the role of the
Roman Catholic Church.
As often explained in the pages
of
The Plain Truth,
Bible prophecy
reveals that current efforts toward
Church unity and European politi–
cal integration
wi/1 be achieved!
The result will be the emergence of
a religious-political union in Eu–
rope, in the spirit of the old Holy
Roman Empíre-a final reviva!, in
this age of the Bomb, of the ancient
Roman political system!
As we have seen in this series of
art icles, numerous revivals of the
Roman Empire have arisen in
Europe in the centuries since the
fall of ancient Rome. In Revelation
17, these revivals are represented
by the seven heads of a wild animal.
Six have already occurred, from
Justinian to Mussolini. One last
restoration of this great political
system is yet to arise.
This confederated Europe will be
an immense political, military and
economic power- a great Third
Force in world affairs, a superpow–
er in its own right.
Prophecy further reveals that this
powerful church-state union will be
composed of "ten horns"- meaning
1
O
nations or groups of nations (Rev.
17:3)-under the overall leadership
of a single political figure (verse 13).
Europe will again have a single polit–
ical head of state!
36
Moreover, prophecy foretells
that a religious figure of unprece–
dented power and authority will sit
astride the "empire," directing itas
a rider guides a horse (Rev. 17:3).
To counter the ongoing spread of
atheism, secularism and consumer–
ism, the Vatican- as in centuries
past-will be forced to become a
major power in the international
arena. The política! muscle of the
Papacy will be reinvigorated . ln
these turbulent last days of the 20th
century, the "spiritual unity" of the
Continent-as so often urged by
recent Popes-wil/ be realized!
Two Legs
Now notice further: In the second
chapter of the Old Testament book
of Daniel , the Roman Empire and
íts predecessors are pictured as a
giant human figure. The figure's 10
toes correspond to the 1
O
end-time
national units also described (as
"horns") in Revelation 17.
The prophecy of Daniel reveals
that these 1
O
entities will constitute
a political system that will exist at
the return of Jesus Christ to estab–
lish the kingdom of God on this
earth (Dan. 2:44, 45).
The original Roman Empire was
broken into two "1egs," as pictured
in the human image of Daniel 's
prophecy- the Eastern Empire
centered at Byzantium (Constanti–
nople) and the Empire of the West
centered at Rome.
Thus it is very possible that the
coming reconstituted Roman Em–
pire will be composed of two dis–
tinct yet cooperative parts: one
comprising nations of Western
Europe, the other incorporating
nations freed from Soviet domi–
nance in Eastern Europe. Given the
fact of five toes on each foot of the
human image, possibly five entities
will come from the West and five
from the East.
With this in mind, Pope John
Paul Il's appeals to Christians
behind the Iron Curtain take on
added significance. His voice is a
source of enormous influence in
that region. Many East Europeans
have caught his vision of a pan–
European Christian alliance against
the secular materialism of our mod–
ern age.
"The Pope," observes one news
commentator, "has undertaken the
liberation of Eastern Europe."
Vatican observers speculate that
the voice of the Papacy might con–
tinue to stir religious and national–
istic fervor in Eastern Europe,
which, together with other factors,
could weaken the Kremlin 's hold
sufficiently to open the way for a
political deal between Europe and
the Kremlin-a deal that would
allow elements of Eastern Europe
to associate themselves with an
evolving West European union.
In this age of intercontinental
missiles, the nations of Eastern
Europe no longer adequately fulfill
their original function as a buffer
zone for the Soviet Union. And
they are a severe drain on Soviet
resources. Many political observers
are therefore suggesting that the
Kremlin might soon be willing to
strike a deal: the withdrawal of its
mili tary forces from Eastern
Europe in exchange for the neutral–
ization of Eastern Europe and the
withdrawal of American forces
from Western Europe!
The resulting political vacuum in
Europe could then be filled by the
prophesied resurrected Holy Ro–
man Empire!
United Europe Inevitable
What is transpiring on both sides of
the lron Curtain today are the first
steps in the refashioning of Europe
into a new, yet old, alignment.
As George Bailey, in his percep–
tive book
Germans,
suggests: "Can
we be sure that history has written
finis to what was perhaps the
grandest design ever conceived by
man: the Holy Roman Empire?"
Declares Otto von Habsburg:
"We are well beyond the point of
no return where you can still go
back into the [recent] past. Of
course, we have not yet arrived at
the other shore; but we
can't go
back."
A united Europe is
inevitable.
Europe awaits a modero Charle–
magne, another Otto the Great, a
second Charles V-a champion to
resurrect the tradition of imperial
unity.
The coming
Renovatio imperii
Romanorum- restoration
of the
Empire of the Romans-will
astound the world! Europe- and
the Church of Rome-will again be
powers to reckon with .
o
The
PLAIN TRUTH