European Union working on trade and military expansion
Continuing Church of God rendering of the Beast that rises
from the sea (Revelation 13:1-2 and 17:3)
While millions of Americans will celebrate the 4th of July and watch fireworks, the European Union is working on expanding its trade connections and military abilities.
Here is something from the German press:
EU and Germany push for a new World Trade Organization
4 July 2025
Brussels and Berlin have launched a new initiative aimed at bypassing the long-standing paralysis of the World Trade Organization (WTO) caused by the United States. …
A proposal, introduced by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, has sparked considerable attention.
Speaking at the end of a summit of EU leaders in Brussels on June 27, they floated the idea of the EU taking the lead in forming an alternative to the World Trade Organization (WTO), the world trade body that has been in place since 1995.
Merz said the idea was in its early stages but could include mechanisms to resolve disputes, as the WTO was meant to do.
“You all know that the WTO doesn’t work anymore,” he said, adding that a “new kind of trade organization” could gradually replace “what we no longer have with the WTO.”
The German chancellor was referring to the near-total breakdown of the WTO’s dispute resolution mechanism.
It was former US President Barack Obama who first blocked appointments to the WTO’s Appellate Body — its top court for trade disputes — during his later years in office.
That blockade has continued under every US administration since, regardless of party affiliation, as successive governments have opposed WTO rulings that they argue undermine US national interests. …
The EU’s von der Leyen emphasized plans for a particularly close partnership with like-minded trade nations in Asia, referencing potential cooperation with the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). …
Trade liberalization without the United States
But can Europe realistically create a new WTO without US involvement? …
Jürgen Matthes, an international trade policy expert at the Cologne, Germany-based German Economic Institute (IW), expressed support …
“A formal EU application to join the CPTPP would be a strategically important move in several respects,” Matthes said. “It would send a clear signal to the US that its protectionism is isolating it, while the rest of the world continues to liberalize trade.”
Matthes also said this would create a “remarkably large trans-regional trade agreement,” involving major economies, “with the EU as the largest bloc.”
“It would cover nearly all continents. And maybe some African countries could be brought on board as well,” he added. … “The goal is to form a strategic trade alliance that addresses today’s pressing issues in global trade — not only US protectionism, but also the massive market distortions caused by China’s subsidies, which current WTO rules don’t effectively address,” said Matthes. …
The EU’s dual message to both the US and China appears to be part of a deliberate communication strategy that has evolved since US President Donald Trump’s tariff war. …
Matthes envisions a new alliance under the banner of “Open Markets with Fair Trade.” In such a setup, “the US is out when it comes to open markets, and China is out when it comes to fair trade — unless things change under a new US administration or a reformed China emerges.”
He sees multiple advantages to this strategy. “We’d achieve more trade liberalization and gain access to new markets. We’d isolate the US more and show Trump that protectionism is ultimately a dead end.” At the same time, Europe could send a clear message to China that it will no longer tolerate market distortions, he added. https://www.dw.com/en/eu-and-germany-push-for-a-new-world-trade-organization/a-73143928
Yes, Europe wants to dominate world trade. I also reported about this plan when EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposed it (see EU proposing to set standards for a new (or substantially changed) international trading organization).
In 2017, I posted:
Europe is interested in trade deals, and will make them whether or not the USA is party to them. (Thiel B. Pew poll concludes US image in the world tarnished because of Donald Trump, but what about CNN and Edward Snowden? COGwriter, June 27, 2017)
The EU is basically publicly calling for setting trade standards and a world trade system that does not have to involve the USA.
That is also consistent with something posted here back in 2018:
To avert a ‘trade apocalypse,’ Europe wants to rewrite the rules for international trade. That is consistent with warnings in the Book of the Apocalypse, more commonly referred to these days as the Book of Revelation. …
One of the ways that this Babylonian European power will be able to dominate world trade is by developing/writing/controlling many of the rules for international trade.
Europe is intending to do that right now! With more and more of the world upset by US President Donald Trump, Europe is seizing an opportunity–an opportunity that will result in it fulfilling various end time prophecies. (Thiel B. ‘Trade apocalypse’ will lead to the fulfilling of prophecies in the Book of the Apocalypse COGwriter, June 26, 2018)
Europe will rise up as the leader in world trade. With 450 million in the EU, plus 150 million wanting in, and multiple other millions in Europe aligning with the EU, steps towards making Europe the end-time Babylonian trading entity of biblical prophecies are coming to pass.
Notice that the Bible says that all trading nations will have become wealthy trading with end-time Babylon, the restored European Empire:
3 For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury (Revelation 18:3).
12 merchandise of gold and silver, precious stones and pearls, fine linen and purple, silk and scarlet, every kind of citron wood, every kind of object of ivory, every kind of object of most precious wood, bronze, iron, and marble; 13 and cinnamon and incense, fragrant oil and frankincense, wine and oil, fine flour and wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots, and bodies and souls of men. (Revelation 18:12-13)
Notice some items in my book available at Amazon Kindle: Unintended Consequences and Donald Trump’s Presidency: Is Donald Trump Fulfilling Biblical, Islamic, Greco-Roman Catholic, Buddhist, and other America-Related Prophecies? as well as Amazon print :
Donald Trump’s foreign policy statements have unsettled many—in the USA as well as foreign nations. …
Donald Trump’s tariff and other economic policies are getting the Gentile nations of Europe, Latin America, Africa, and Asia to look to trade more with each other. An unintended consequence of his rhetoric and policies is that they are encouraging the end-time rise of the final time of the Gentiles. …
Trade
Historically, Donald Trump has called for “fair trade” and indicated that various nations, including several in Asia, are not engaged in fair trade, so he has proposed high tariffs.[i]
Donald Trump has called tariffs, “the most beautiful word in the dictionary” and even proposed massive tariffs (up to 2000%) on Mexico if it will not do what he wants.[ii] He has basically also proposed a minimum of 10% tariffs on goods from much of the rest of the world.
Some believe that Donald Trump’s positions on trade will lead to a global trade war.[iii] Europe has said it will hit back against Donald Trump’s tariff policies.[iv] It is my position that trade disputes will be a factor in Europe taking military action against the USA one day.
One of the unintended consequences of Donald Trump’s threats of tariffs and other trade matters is that it is motivating nations he has threatened to look to trade more with each other.
The morning after his reelection, I wrote:
According to the major media, Donald Trump won re-election. … Europe will get more serious about trade deals with others internationally, such as being more motivated to approve the trade deal with the Mercosur block of South America.[v]
On December 6, 2024, Politico reported that the European Union approved the massive Mercosur trade deal, despite opposition from France and others, and also pointed to Donald Trump’s reelection as a factor.[vi]
Energy and climate policy differences between the Europeans and Donald Trump look to increase the negative view many in Europe already have about the USA. …
Unintended Consequences
While Donald Trump seems to believe that his policies are best for the United States, notice some unintended consequences of them: …
- Pushing tariffs and sanctions on other countries is contributing to the rise of the final time of the Gentiles (Luke 21:24; Ezekiel 7:24).
- Pushing tariffs and other policies that foreign nations do not like is contributing to other nations looking to bypass the USA dollar, as well as trade more with each other and less with the USA. This will further push various globalist’s moves forward without the USA. This is also helping set the stage for the coming European Babylonian Beast to dominate international trade.
[i] Trade: Donald J. Trump’s Vision. https://www.donaldjtrump.com/policies/trade accessed December 16, 2016
[ii] Pan J. Donald Trump calls tariff ‘the most beautiful word,’ threatens up to 2,000% tariff to block Mexican car imports. Yahoo News, November 3, 2024
[iii] Islam F. Will Trump’s victory spark a global trade war? BBC, November 7, 2024
[iv] Vella JH. EU’s game plan for Trump trade war: ‘Hit back fast and hard.’ Polico.eu, October 21, 2024
[v] Thiel B. Media declares Donald Trump won the election–now what? y Donald trump y eventos para observar. COGwriter, November 6, 2024
[vi] Gijs C, Leali G. EU snubs France to seal huge Latin American trade deal. Politico, December 6, 2024
Since the above was published, more countries are looking seriously about bypassing the US dollar because of tariffs, sanctions, and other economic issues.
Regarding how the international trade situation will end up, earlier this year the The Continuing Church of God put together the following video on our Bible News Prophecy YouTube channel discussing various views and scriptures about that:
Trade Wars – and the Winner will be …
US President Trump imposed tariffs on a global scale. Those tariffs were imposed on friend and foe alike. It seems as if President Trump is no respecter of nations. But how will this work out for the United States? Will these tariffs result in other nations drawing closer together that have had rather cold, and even not so cold, relations in the past? Will global tariffs result in trade wars? Were the events which are happening predicted by any in the Continuing Church of God? Is Europe drawing closer to China? Is Europe drawing closer to Latin and South America? With the exception of a few of America’s allies, is the net result of these tariffs a worldwide scramble to create new alliances and new trading partners to the exclusion of the United States? What will be the future result of these new alliances? Many of the nations that are now seeking new alliances were just recently America’s allies. They were her friends. Dr. Thiel brings to light the fate of America and her allies at the hands of her former friends, as revealed in the book of Lamentations. As we rapidly approach the end times listen in as Dr. Thiel brings to light world events. Then listen as he shines the light of Bible prophecy directly on the questions raised from these world events.
Here is a link to our video: Trade Wars – and the Winner will be …
And trade is not the only thing that the European Union wants to expand. EuroNews reported the following:
Defence a key priority of Denmark’s presidency of the European Union
4 July 2025
Security and defence were high on the agenda when Denmark took over the six-month Presidency of the European Union and on Thursday, the 27 members of the College of Commissioners travelled to Aarhus, to mark the start of the new tenure.
With defence a priority, the Scandinavian country intends to significantly push ahead with rearmament efforts.
“If we are not prepared to defend our continent, who are we as Europeans?” Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen asked.
“We need to rearm Europe by 2030 by the latest, and I look forward to the roadmap on how to achieve this goal, so that we can develop common capabilities, strengthen our defence industry, make joint procurements and remove all barriers and obstacles in our way,” she added. https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2025/07/04/defence-a-key-priority-of-denmarks-presidency-of-the-european-union
On 25 February 2025, Germany’s then chancellor-elect Friedrich Merz pushed independence from the USA:
“My absolute priority will be to strengthen Europe as quickly as possible so that, step by step, we can really achieve independence from the USA,” Merz said Sunday.
Merz added, “I never thought I would have to say something like this on a television program. But after Donald Trump’s statements last week at the latest, it is clear that the Americans, at least this part of the Americans, this administration, are largely indifferent to the fate of Europe.” 02/25/25 https://abcnews.go.com/International/germany-move-independence-us-new-leader/story?id=119115938
He was referring to both trade and military independence. The new reality is that the European Union is now focusing more on military spending and preparation for war without assistance from the USA.
Church of God warnings are coming to pass.
In the Continuing Church of God:
19 We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: (2 Peter 1:19, KJV)
We continue to see international affairs that are aligning with properly explained biblical prophecies.
Some items of possibly related interest may include:
WTO and the Babylonian Beast Is world trade changing? Has Donald Trump affected it? Is Europe now taking steps that are pushing it towards being the end-time Babylonian Beast trading power that the Bible warns about? This article addresses those issues.
Trade Wars – and the Winner will be … US President Trump imposed tariffs on a global scale. Those tariffs were imposed on friend and foe alike. It seems as if President Trump is no respecter of nations. But how will this work out for the United States? Will these tariffs result in other nations drawing closer together that have had rather cold, and even not so cold, relations in the past? Will global tariffs result in trade wars? Were the events which are happening predicted by any in the Continuing Church of God? Is Europe drawing closer to China? Is Europe drawing closer to Latin and South America? With the exception of a few of America’s allies, is the net result of these tariffs a worldwide scramble to create new alliances and new trading partners to the exclusion of the United States? What will be the future result of these new alliances? Many of the nations that are now seeking new alliances were just recently America’s allies. They were her friends. Dr. Thiel brings to light the fate of America and her allies at the hands of her former friends, as revealed in the book of Lamentations. As we rapidly approach the end times listen in to this video as Dr. Thiel brings to light world events. Also listen as he shines the light of Bible prophecy directly on the questions raised from these world events.
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? Here is are links to related videos: European history and the Bible, Europe In Prophecy, The End of European Babylon, and Can You Prove that the Beast to Come is European? Here is a link to a related sermon in the Spanish language: El Fin de la Babilonia Europea.
25 items to prophetically watch in 2025 Much is happening. Dr. Thiel points to 25 items to watch (cf. Mark 13:37) in this article. Here is a link to a related sermon video: 25 Items to Watch in 2025.
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.
Unintended Consequences and Donald Trump’s Presidency: Is Donald Trump Fulfilling Biblical, Islamic, Greco-Roman Catholic, Buddhist, and other America-Related Prophecies? Is Donald Trump going to save the USA or are there going to be many disastrous unintended consequences of his statements and policies? What will happen. The link takes you to a book available at Amazon.com.
Unintended Consequences and Donald Trump’s Presidency: Is Donald Trump Fulfilling Biblical, Islamic, Greco-Roman Catholic, Buddhist, and other America-Related Prophecies? Kindle edition is available for only US$3.99. And you do not need an actual Kindle device to read it. Why? Amazon will allow you to download it to almost any device: Please click HERE to download one of Amazon s Free Reader Apps. After you go to for your free Kindle reader and then go to Unintended Consequences and Donald Trump’s Presidency: Is Donald Trump Fulfilling Biblical, Islamic, Greco-Roman Catholic, Buddhist, and other America-Related Prophecies?
 |
Tweet |
|