The United Kingdom’s decision to Brexit, that is, to secede from the European Union, is a victory for nationalism and a defeat for globalism. It’s also the source of confusion for many students of Bible prophecy. After all, isn’t there supposed to be a one-world government in the end times? Shouldn’t the drab march of globalism continue without any interruptions? Not exactly.
Although it’s often overlooked, at the height of his power, the Antichrist will only control one-fourth of the earth (Revelation 6:7-8). Sure, he’ll have economic and religious authority over the whole world through his mark and his image (Revelation 13:7, 14-18). Yet, he will never completely control the world politically. This explains why the Antichrist is going to be engaging in several wars during the end times. For example, he will attack and conquer Egypt, Libya and Ethiopia, but he’ll never have control of Jordan (Daniel 11:41-43).
The Bible paints an interesting picture of the Antichrist: he’s the scrappy underdog from the East taking on the global elites of the West. He’s described as a ‘little horn’ from Russia who rises to power in Syria with a small group. Israel and a Western-backed coalition from the Middle East and North Africa will attack him, but the Antichrist will win (Daniel 11:21-22). He’ll then make a seven-year covenant with Israel and many nations (Daniel 9:27; 11:23). The many nations will be from the Middle East and North Africa, because the international recognition of Israel as a state is a key part of the Antichrist’s seven-year deal (Daniel 9:27; 11:28, 30). Most nations in the world today that haven’t recognized Israel are in the Middle East and North Africa.
Well, the Antichrist will hate this covenant and he’ll invade Israel (Daniel 11:30). He’ll fail at first because ships from the west of Israel come against him. By this time, the Antichrist will have defeated many nations from the Middle East and North Africa in Syria. As a result, these ships must come from a coalition powerful enough to stop him. What’s more, before Christ’s return, ten kingdoms will come out of the geographic area of the old Roman Empire (Daniel 7:7-8, 23-24). The Roman Empire controlled everything that touched the Mediterranean, including the coasts of North Africa and the Middle East, along with most of Western Europe.
So, these ships will come from ten united nations out of Western Europe, backed by Babylon the Great, the world’s superpower before the Great Tribulation (Revelation 17:2, 15, 18; 18:3). In time, the Antichrist will take control of this ten kingdom coalition and replace three of the rulers (Daniel 7:8). After replacing these rulers, the Antichrist will attack Babylon the Great (Revelation 14:8; 17:16), the center of global finance and influence in the end times. Currently, New York City is the most likely candidate, but it’s possible that America fades as a world power. It’s also possible that Donald Trump is elected and that he destroys the globalist influences which dominate the American political and financial establishment.
What other city could rise to meet all of the requirements for being Babylon the Great in the future? Strangely enough, London, with its Christian heritage, large Jewish population, global financial impact and location on a deep water port make it an attractive candidate to be Babylon the Great, much like New York City. It has been suggested that London should secede from Britain after the Brexit results, and that would make sense if it’s going to be Babylon the Great. Still, that’s all pure speculation.
Regardless, in light of all this, what prophetic implications does Brexit have? In the short term, look for the continued rise of nationalism across Europe, particularly anti-immigration, anti-Sharia far-right political parties. In turn, this will lead to the weakening of the European Union in its current form. Of course, this will directly benefit Russia. Western Europe’s far-right political parties and Russian President Vladimir Putin are already quite chummy. In 2015, Russia even hosted a gathering of Western European far-right political parties. In fact, none other than George Soros recently expressed his concern over this matter. Reuters reported that Soros “saw Russia emerging as a global power as the European Union collapses, in much the same way as the EU flourished when the Soviet Union started falling.”
Right after the results of the United Kingdom’s vote to leave the European Union, Russian politician Boris Titov said “It’s not the independence of Britain from Europe, but the independence of Europe from the USA.” He gleefully added “it’s not long until a united Eurasia — about 10 years.” Time will tell, but Brexit could certainly be the beginning of a new ten nation alliance from Western Europe that has warmer ties with Russia.