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the death knell of Britain's econ–
omy. Reported the
Daily Telegraph
of July 24, 1978: "The issue is ofthe
grave,st importance. A decision to
join would mean Britain giving up
much of her economic indcpen–
dence from Europe.... But to stay
out could mean condemning the
country to second-class political and
economic status in Europe in the
foreseea ble fu tu re."
Which way will Britain turn? Per–
haps one indication was given ear–
lier this year when British Foreign
Miníster Sir David Owen. in a
speech noted for its surprisingly un–
compromising tone, declared that a
fully federated Europe was an un–
realistic goa l for the foreseeable fu–
ture. In his speech he made it
unmistakably clear that Britain still
has nationa1 interests uppermo t in
mind. He condemned "full-ftedged
federalism" as "unrealistic and to
sorne extent mythical."
Other Britis h officia1s on other oc–
casions have cautioned that tightcr
links with Europe-such as tying
into the proposed joint currency
float against the dollar- could dam–
age Britain's "special relationship"
with the United States.
A Continental, Catholic " Emplre"
Though Britain may decide to opt
out of the monetary alignment, the
Republic of 1re1and, on the other
hand, is very interested in it. The
l rish have bcen consistently more
pro-Common Market than the 13rit–
ish.
Should Britain refuse to cooper–
ate in the new monetary arrange–
ment, the alternatives facing lre1and
would be to withdraw as well or to
break thc parity link with stcrling
and tie in with the stronger Euro–
pean currencies.
" In such circumstances," reports
London's
Financia/ Times
of July
14, 1978, "the temptation would be
for lreland to break the link. The
Republic tends to see its historie
destiny as moving closer to Europe
and away from Britain.
"There cou1d be practica! advan–
tages as well as the boost to national
prestige and pride. (And] with the
European reserve of 50,000m [50
billion) dollars to protect its cur-
44
rency, the l rish pound might rise
higher than sterl ing."
Thus, before too long we could
see a wholc new Europe arise, one
primarily continental and Roman
Catholi c in character, rcvo1ving
around Germany and France as its
economic base, wi th Protestan! Brit–
ain and possibly also Denmark
(where public interest in the Com–
mon Markct is also waning) on the
outside looking in.
1t
is noteworthy
that Catholic Spain and Portugal, as
well as Orthodox Greece, are mak–
ing steady progress in their efforts to
link up wi th the European Commu–
nity.
Joto thi s equation, of course, one
The dollar-and the
United States as a world
power- are on the way
down and out.
The end-time events
prophesied in the book
of Revelation are
rushing in on an
unsuspecting world.
must now a lso add the future pol–
icies to be cnacted by the new pope.
John Paul
l.
There are presently nine members
of the Common Market. lf, as ex–
pected, Spain, Portugal and Greece
link up, the membership wou1d be
increascd to twelve. But if, in addi–
tion, recalcitran! members Britain
and Oenmark opt out, the Commu–
nity would be left with ten member
states.
End-Time Roman System
The pages of
The Plain Trwh
maga–
zine have warned continuously of
the emergence of a last, end-time
reviva! of the Roman Empíre- a
union of ten kings dominated by a
giant religious system (Rev. 17:3,
12-13).
This sys tem is pictured in the Bible
as havinggrcat economic power, with
its tentaclesstretching throughout the
whole earth. Notice Revelation 18:3:
" ... the merchants of the earth are
waxed rich through the abundance of
her de1icacies." She will eventually
become so huge that when she finally
reaches he r end, merchants a round
the world will "weep and mourn"
(verses 11-15).
In the Old Testament, the twcnty–
seventh chapter of the book of Eze–
kiel describes this same system, re–
ferring in symbol to the trading
power of the ancient city-state of
Tyre.
Jt is also interesting that the sys–
tem that will emerge eventually in
Europe is called "the beast" and
that this "beast" will have a "mark,"
without which no one can buy or
sell (Rev. 13:17).
While the so-called "mark of the
beast" has primarily a religious con–
notation, it is worth noting that the
German
mark
will be thc kingpin
currency behind a new European
monetary system that is destined to
finance much of world trade, and
that inte rna tional commerce may
1iterally be impossible without ac–
cess to and use ofthis "mark."
In this light, consider also this
quote from the
Wa/1 Srreer Journal
of July 12, 1978: "While exact rules
[for the monetary union] are yet to
be drafted by European finance
ministers and Common Market
aides for a political decision in Oe–
cember, planners emphasize that
the inftuence of discipline-conscious
West Germany can be counted on
to prevent reckless creation of re–
serve money. 'This will be a pow–
erful beast, but a highly controlled
beast,' says one planner."
Time is indeed short. Thc dollar–
and the United States as a world
power- are on the way down and
out. The end-time events proP.h–
esied in the book of Revelation are
rushing in on an unsuspecti ng
world. (Write for our free booklet
The Book of Reve/ation Unveiled A
t
Last
so
you
will not be caught off
guard!)
Prophecy races on! O
The
PLAIN TRUTH October-November 1978