Europe is Considering a Return to the Holy Roman Empire

“12 The ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority as kings, with the beast, for one hour.  13 These have one mind, and they give their power and authority to the beast.” (Revelation 17:12-13)

According to a recent Wall Street Journal article, Europe is considering a return to the Holy Roman Empire (link provided below). Germany is the strongest nation on the mainland of Europe, followed by France.  There are other much weaker nations that drag these stronger nations down economically (such as Greece). There are mixed emotions and feelings about the European Union. Some think it will work out over time while others believe it is a failure. These deep divisions are causing the Europeans to consider this drastic move, which has both historic and prophetic implications.

There have been seven restorations of the Roman Empire since its collapse in 476 AD. They each came during times of political and economic crisis. The first was Justinian in the 500s AD. He linked the Eastern and Western Roman Empires together. The second was Charlemagne, who is called King of the Franks. To this day in Europe, one of the highest honors is Medal of Charlemagne. He was called “King of the Romans”. Otto the Great was the third. Charles the V of the Hapsburg Dynasty was the fourth. This emperor also ruled over Spain and was responsible for much of the exploration done by the Spanish in the “New World”. Charles the V ruled over one of the largest empires ever.

Napoleon was a usurper to the throne, but was crowned Holy Roman Emperor with the iron crown of the Lombards. He is the fifth. Franz Joseph Hapsburg was a hereditary descendant of Charles the V. In 1848, he was crowned Emperor of the East in Austria. He was Emperor during the First World War. He is the sixth. Hitler was another usurper of the throne. He ruled over Germany and tried to start the third Reich, which was a continuation of the Holy Roman Empire. He is the seventh. There is an eighth that will come very soon!

Many people are not aware of this, but Charlemagne was given the keys to Jerusalem in 800 AD and proclaimed its’ protector in 807 (Encycl. Brit. 11^th edition, article “Crusades”). Later, crusaders would use this as a historical precedent for urging on the crusade. Charlemagne has generally been viewed as the “Gold Standard” for a revived Holy Roman Empire that works with the Catholic Church.

According to the Encyclopedia Britannica and other sources, the King of the Holy Roman Empire is normally elected! (Encyl. Brit. article: “Electors”). Historically, to participate in an election, you had to hold certain titles either in the Roman Church or certain lands in Germany. The following church titles were allowed to vote: “Archbishops, bishops, or abbots”. The following land owners were allowed to vote: “Dukes, counts, margraves, landgraves, and counts-palatine”. (Abbot 19) They were called “princes of the kingdom of the Germans” (ibid 19). In ancient German history, the prince-electors were compared to roman senators. Dukes in the Kingdom of Germany were event compared to the consuls of Rome (Abbot 17).

The people who had these titles were called “Princes of the Roman Empire”. For instance, Lothair was elected by 10 princes to be the successor to the King of Germany. The Golden Bull of 1356 reduced the number of electors to 7, with three coming from the Catholic Church. The other four were land owners in Germany. From 1356 until the early 1800s, there were three more added – making 10 total electors once again (Koch, Frances, and Comyn). In Revelation 17:12-13, we see ten horns that give their power to the beast. The last hereditary heir to the Holy Roman Emperor was Otto Von Hapsburg. He was a direct descendant of Charles V. Otto Von Hapsburg abdicated the throne in 1961 and died in 2011. This means he was the last of his family to be deemed royalty (Moran). The next Holy Roman Emperor will be elected King of Germany by 10 princes. The past tells us the future.

In Revelation 17:9-11 tells us that there will be seven kings arise followed by an eighth. This eighth king we are told belongs to the seven or seventh king. This will be another rise of Nazi Germany.

Recently in Germany, many copies of “Mein Kampf” (German for “my struggle”) were allowed to be published in the country for the first time since World War II. This was Hitler’s manifesto book that was used to spread his propaganda. In the last few months, Germany has agreed to put special labels on items made in Israel. During the 1930s, this was done to Jewish establishments. As the immigrant crisis grows, we may see German troops patrolling streets for the first time since World War II.

The weakness of Europe we are seeing now is a necessary stepping point towards the return to the Holy Roman Empire. Many people forget that Hitler came to power in Germany during a time of economic crises. Remember that the seven resurrections of the Roman Empire occurred during times of political and economic division.It is no different this time.

We live in dangerous times, and it is good for each of us to have our lives right with God.

To learn more about this subject, order the book “Blood Moons and the End of the Age”. There is a link on the right-hand side of the website to this book.

Here is the Wall Street Journal Article:

http://www.wsj.com/articles/europes-new-medieval-map-1452875514

Works Cited

Arnold, Benjamin. Princes and Territories in Medieval Germany. Cambridge University Press: 1991. pp 1-40.

Bayley, C. C. “The Formation of the German College of Electors in the mid-thirteenth century”. University of Toronto Press: 1949.

Comyn, Sir Robert Buckley. The History of the Western Empire; from its Restoration by Charlemagne to the Accession of Charles V. London: 1841.Vol. 2

Encyclopedia Britannica. 1911 edition. Article: “Electors”

Frances, John. Notes and Queries. Medium of Entercommunication for Literary Men, General Readers, etc. July-December 1875. London. S. 5, Vol. IV. Pages 11-12.

Koch, Christopher. The Revolutions of Europe: An Historical View of the European Nations from the Subversion of the Roman Empire in the West To the Abdication of Napoleon. Lond: 1839. Page 117.

Moran, Lee. “End of a Royal Dynasty”. Daily Mail News. United Kingdom. July 11, 2011. Accessed Electronically.