The European Union has just appointed its first permanent ambassador to the United States of America, following the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty late last year. The post was previously appointed by the rotating EU presidency, which was run on a six-monthly basis and held consecutively by the governments of the European states. Following the adoption of the redrafted EU Constitution, the unelected European Commission will now have the power to appoint its own foreign ambassadors. Accusations of cronyism have been levelled at EU officials following the decision to appoint Mr. Vale de Almeida as EU ambassador to the US. Like Baroness Catherine Ashton, High Representative for the EU Foreign Policy, he is a close associate of EU Commission President Manuel Barroso who has no previous experience of being in such a powerful position. His remit as ambassador will also be vastly expanded under the new Lisbon Treaty. He will have the power to speak on behalf of EU President Van Rompuy and EU Foreign Minister Catherine Ashton, as well as represent the 27 member states as and when they are in agreement.

Quote: ""I'm the first new type of ambassador for the European Union anywhere in the world," Vale de Almeida told news agency Agence France-Presse after the credentials ceremony at the White House. "I'm supposed to have a wider mandate than my predecessors," he said. "Our delegations now cover a wide spectrum of issues well beyond the economic dimension, trade dimension and regulatory dimension, to cover all policies in the union, including foreign policy and security policy."

And it seems that Mr Vale De Almeida is not going to be pussyfooting around with any of these newly acquired powers. Foreign policy is going to be at the very forefront of his agenda...

Quote: "Mr Vale de Almeida told AFP that he will focus on Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and the Middle East peace process in the foreign policy area: "On the foreign policy side, Iran is top of the list."

In short this appointment represents a new stage in European political integration, and effectively signals the end of independent nation states in Europe. In other news, EU Budget Commissioner Janusz Lewandowski has recently called for the European Union to be able to impose its own taxes directly on member states. The European project is currently paid for by the governments of member states, but EU President Van Rompuy along with others are now calling for the EU to be able to raise its own funds through direct taxation. Following the adoption of the Lisbon Treaty last year, the European Union now has the ability to usurp powers from nation states, so long as all governments are in agreement. That means that if EU governments think it would be a good idea to forfeit their taxation powers to Europe, they can do so without having to consult national parliaments, heads of state or holding a public referendum. 

Quote: "Taxes on flights, bank transactions and energy use are all under consideration. They could raise tens of billions a year from businesses and consumers to swell the EU's coffers. The proposals sparked a backlash in Britain last night, with critics accusing the EU of attempting to create a 'country called Europe'.

And that's just what is happening. The book of Daniel predicted that there would be five great empires which would have dominion over the kingdom of Israel. They were to be Babylon (Daniel 2:32), Medo-Persia (Daniel 5:28), Greece (Daniel 8:21), Rome, and a final world empire that seems to be a resurrected form of the last (Daniel 7:7). There is no doubt as to the identity of four of these world empires. They are in all the history books. Each of them ruled over the Jewish people at a time when Israel was a nation. There have been many empires that existed following the fall of the Roman Empire. The British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, etc. But none of these ruled over the Jewish people when Israel was a nation, and so they are not mentioned in Scripture. I think it's more than just a coincidence that on May 7th, 1948, just a week before Israel declared independence, the idea of the Council of Europe was first officially proposed with the aim of promoting European political and economic integration. And one year later the Council of Europe was formed, paving the way for the formation of the European Union. When Belgian politician Paul-Henri Spaak was asked how he felt upon signing the Treaty of Rome, which formally established the European Community - the forerunner to the European Union, he said, "we felt like Romans on that day... We were consciously recreating the Roman Empire once more". And it seems that this empire reborn will be the one that will exist at the time of Christ's return.

Daniel 2:42-44
And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken. And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay. And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.

This shows us how close we may be to the return of Christ to set up His kingdom upon the earth. But the Lord Jesus Christ said that unless you are born again, you will not see His kingdom (John 3:3). You see, His kingdom is different from all others that precede it. There can be no sin in it (Revelation 21:27). The Bible tells us that all have sinned (Romans 3:23), and unless you have your sins forgiven, you cannot enter His kingdom (John 3:5, Luke 13:28). But there is good news. The King has devised a means whereby His banished be not expelled from Him (2nd Samuel 14:14), and He has offered a pardon for all those who will receive it. The means involved His own self bearing the punishment for your sins upon the cross. And through His own death upon the cross, He is able to offer you the forgiveness of sins and eternal life in His kingdom. There is just one catch. The pardon is only good if you accept it, and it is only offered for a yet undetermined length of time. Will you not accept Him? Trust in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation today.

Matthew 25:34
Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

Source DW World , EU Observer, This is Money, Churchill Society