Our Day in Bible Prophecy

Does Daniel’s prophecy predict that efforts would be made to unite the post-Roman empire nations of Europe under one ruler?

“And just as you saw the iron mixed with baked clay, so THE PEOPLE will be a mixture and WILL NOT REMAIN UNITED, any more than iron mixes with clay.”
—Daniel 2:43.

Over and over powerful men have tried to unite Europe, but they fall short of the goal every time. “The people will be a mixture and will not remain united” is the verdict of prophecy. It declares that France, England, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Italy, and Switzerland will never re-shape into one great power and “remain united.”

Living as we do after centuries of nationalism, it’s hard to grasp how dramatically Daniel’s prophecy identified a major break in history. Up until the collapse of Rome the world had been dominated by empires—starting all the way back with Egypt and Assyria. But after Rome the world carved itself up into nation-states, and that pattern has persisted. Only the mind of God could have foreseen the grand sweep of history so accurately.

Truly, as Jesus said, “the Scripture cannot be broken” (John 10:35). He also declared:

“Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.”
—Matthew 24:35.

Fourteen hundred years of history show that no human power, or combination of powers, has been able to break the force of these words of Bible prophecy: “The people will be a mixture and will not remain united.”