Gibraltar (WIkipedia photo)
Gibraltar is moving closer to the European Union as part of a deal negotiated some time ago:
New era for Gibraltar with removal of 118-year-old border controls with Spain
Every weekday morning, Shilpi Chotrani rides her bicycle from her home in the Spanish town of La Línea de la Concepción to Gibraltar. It’s a short journey but it means crossing an international border.
A British Overseas Territory of around 40,000 inhabitants, Gibraltar has a border control for those entering and leaving.
That means that during the morning and afternoon rush hours, when around 15,000 Spaniards who work in the territory cross the frontier, there can be long, time-consuming queues.
“The fact that there is a border between us is ridiculous,” says Chotrani, who has a job in human resources in a Gibraltarian shipping and tourism company. “I don’t think a fence should separate people from one place and another.”
Behind her, the 1,400-foot-tall Rock of Gibraltar is shrouded in early-morning cloud. …
But from 15 July, it is scheduled to see a new development – the removal of the border, allowing freedom of movement between Spain and Gibraltar.
This is part of a carefully negotiated agreement between the European Union and the UK following the latter’s exit from the bloc. Sharing a land border with the EU meant that Gibraltar posed a particular challenge in the post-Brexit era.
“This is going to be a great step forward, both for the Spanish side and the British side,” says Chotrani. “All of those of us who live [in La Línea de la Concepción] think this is a great idea. This should have been done a long time ago.”
Gibraltar has one of the highest per capita incomes in the world. But La Línea de la Concepción and the nearby area is one of the most deprived parts of Spain.
Unemployment, which is high across the southern Andalusia region, is close to 30% here. The removal of the border is therefore expected to have major economic benefits, facilitating the flow of people back and forth, and possibly going some way to redress the imbalance between the two territories.
“This is something historic, we’ve had a border fence since 1908,” says Juan Franco, the mayor of La Línea de la Concepción, who is keen to underline the local economic dependence on the British territory.
“You have to realise that for an average company in this town a third of its income is from clients in Gibraltar,” he says.
After a decade of uncertainty regarding Gibraltar’s future relationship with Spain following the UK’s vote to leave the EU, Franco says he believes “this solution to Brexit will end up having a positive effect for us”.
Gibraltarians were staunchly opposed to Brexit, with 96% of them voting to remain in the EU in the 2016 referendum on the issue. That staunchly pro-EU stance was driven partly by concerns that exiting the bloc would encourage Spanish sovereignty claims on the Rock.
But another major factor was Gibraltar’s existing close trade relationship with the EU – particularly in areas such as online gaming, shipping and financial services – and fears about the logistical challenges Brexit would pose.
After years of negotiation involving Spain, the EU and the UK, the solution has been to align Gibraltar with the European customs union and the Schengen European free travel zone. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwydz60j3eno
Gibraltar’s territory shares a 1.2-kilometer (0.75 mi) land border with Spain.
Back on April 1, 2009, I posted that Britain may lose control over the Falklands and Gibraltar. There is no doubt in my mind that ultimately the UK will lose control of both Gibraltar and the Falkland islands. The EU may temporarily reduce the tensions there, but ultimately, I believe that the UK has to lose Gibraltar along with the Falkland Islands (which are off the coast of Argentina).
Gibraltar and the Falkland Islands are a few of the old British empire’s remaining “sea gates.” Spain and Argentina have tried a variety of tactics to obtain them over the years. Also, both Argentina and Spain petitioned the UN against the UK keeping territorial sea gates in June of 2012 (see At UN: Argentina Pushes for Falkland Islands and Spain Pushes for Gilbraltar).
Most who live in Gibraltar and the Falklands want to remain under British rule. What might any of this have to do with the Bible?
Notice a prophecy about what was told to the wife of Isaac, plus another in the Book of Deuteronomy:
“Our sister, may you become The mother of thousands of ten thousands; And may your descendants possess The gates of those who hate them” (Genesis 24:60).
43 The alien who is among you shall rise higher and higher above you, and you shall come down lower and lower. 44 He shall lend to you, but you shall not lend to him; he shall be the head, and you shall be the tail. 45 Moreover all these curses shall come upon you and pursue and overtake you, until you are destroyed…47 “Because you did not serve the LORD your God with joy and gladness of heart, for the abundance of everything, 48 therefore you shall serve your enemies, whom the LORD will send against you, in hunger, in thirst, in nakedness, and in need of everything; and He will put a yoke of iron on your neck until He has destroyed you. 49 The LORD will bring a nation against you from afar, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flies, a nation whose language you will not understand, 50 a nation of fierce countenance, which does not respect the elderly nor show favor to the young. 51 And they shall eat the increase of your livestock and the produce of your land, until you are destroyed; they shall not leave you grain or new wine or oil, or the increase of your cattle or the offspring of your flocks, until they have destroyed you. 52 They shall besiege you at all your gates until your high and fortified walls, in which you trust, come down throughout all your land; and they shall besiege you at all your gates throughout all your land which the LORD your God has given you (Deuteronomy 28:42-45,47-52).
We in the Church of God have been teaching for decades that the United Kingdom and USA would ultimately lose many of their sea gates–we believe they possessed them because of blessings from God and would lose them because of blatant disobedience.
For many years, the major sea gates of the world were possessed/controlled by the United States (Panama Canal and certain locations in the Pacific ocean) and the British Empire (Straits of Malacca, Singapore, Suez Canal, Bab el Mandeb, Strait of Hormuz, Simon’s Town/Cape of Good Hope, Malta, etc.). And while that is no longer the case for many of them, they seem to have been prophesied to be taken away for disobedience as well (c.f. Deuteronomy 28)—and certainly these nations have disobeyed the God of Abraham, as well as actually have lost many of those gates. Thus, it seems logical to conclude that the remaining “sea gates” that the UK has such as Gibraltar and the Falkland Islands will be separated from UK control. Spain directly, or perhaps, through the EU (or some other European confederation) indirectly, will eventually force out British control over Gibraltar.
Many years back, we produced aYouTube video titled Will the UK Lose Gibraltar and the Falkland Islands? that you may wish to view it.
Some items of possibly related interest may include:
Will the UK Lose Gibraltar and the Falkland Islands? Spain wants Gibraltar and Argentina wants the Falklands (also known as the Malvinas). Does the Bible give clues as how this will turn out? For many years, the major sea gates of the world were possessed/controlled by the United States (Panama Canal and certain locations in the Pacific ocean) and the British Empire (Straits of Malacca, Singapore, Suez Canal, Bab el Mandeb, Strait of Hormuz, Simon’s Town/Cape of Good Hope, Malta, etc.), and many are no longer under their control. Spain wants Gibraltar and Argentina wants the Falklands (also known as the Malvinas). UK Prime Minister David Cameron says the UK will defend the Falklands Gibraltar. Does the Bible give clues as to what will happen with those ‘sea gates’? Do promises made the Jacob’s mother Rebekah play a role? What about Deuteronomy 28? Here is a YouTube video: Will the UK Lose Gibraltar and the Falkland Islands?
Anglo – America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel Are the Americans, Canadians, English, Scottish, Welsh, Australians, Anglo (non-Dutch) Southern Africans, and New Zealanders descendants of Joseph? Where are the lost ten-tribes of Israel? Who are the lost tribes of Israel? What will happen to Jerusalem and the Jews in Israel? Will God punish the U.S.A., Canada, United Kingdom, and other Anglo nations? Why might God allow them to be punished first?
Will the Anglo-Nations be Divided and Have People Taken as Slaves? Will the lands of the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand be divided? What about Jerusalem? What does Bible prophecy teach? Are there non-biblical prophecies that support this idea? Who will divide those lands? Who will end up with the lands and the people? Here is a link to a video titled Will the USA and other Anglo-nations be Divided and Their People Made Slaves?
Mexico, Central America, South America, Brazil, and the Caribbean in Prophecy [Español: México, América central, Suramérica, Brasil y el Caribe en la profecía] [Português: México, América Central, Ámérica do Sul, e Brasil na profecia] What will happen to those of Latin America? Will they have prosperity? Will they cooperate with Europe? Will they suffer in the future? What rule might the various Caribbean nations/territories play?
Islands and Bible Prophecy What’s ahead for islands? What does the Bible prophesy about them?
Europa, the Beast, and Revelation Where did Europe get its name? What might Europe have to do with the Book of Revelation? What about “the Beast”? Is an emerging European power “the daughter of Babylon”? What is ahead for Europe?
Lost Tribes and Prophecies: What will happen to Australia, the British Isles, Canada, Europe, New Zealand and the United States of America? Where did those people come from? Can you totally rely on DNA? Do you really know what will happen to Europe and the English-speaking peoples? What about the peoples of Africa, Asia, South America, and the islands? This free online book provides scriptural, scientific, historical references, and commentary to address those matters. Here are links to related sermons: Lost tribes, the Bible, and DNA; Lost tribes, prophecies, and identifications; 11 Tribes, 144,000, and Multitudes; Israel, Jeremiah, Tea Tephi, and British Royalty; Gentile European Beast; Royal Succession, Samaria, and Prophecies; Asia, Islands, Latin America, Africa, and Armageddon; When Will the End of the Age Come?; Rise of the Prophesied King of the North; Christian Persecution from the Beast; WWIII and the Coming New World Order; and Woes, WWIV, and the Good News of the Kingdom of God.