COMOSPROPHECIES

Prophetic implications behind the flames

For night after night, France endured riots that spread to 300 French cities. The trouble began on October 27, 2005, when three Muslim youths were chased by French police. The three attempted to elude police by seeking sanctuary in a power substation, and two of the young men were subsequently electrocuted. The other man was injured but survived. Muslims blame the police for their deaths, claiming that they purposely cornered the men in the substation. This event immediately sparked riots in the low income Paris suburb of Clichy-sous-Bois. The rioters are primarily youths born of Arab and African immigrants in poor suburbs. These areas that are on the margins of society are fertile soil for Muslim extremists.

The main target in the rioting has been vehicles. Thus far, 4,700 cars have been torched. About 1,400 vehicles were torched on Sunday night (11/6/05) alone. However, arsonists have also burned two schools. Approximately 1,200 suspects have been detained. The problem at this point is that the destruction shows no signs of abating. It has already spilled over into Belgium and Germany. And there are fears that it may continue to spread.

France is home to five million Muslims — the largest population of Muslims in western Europe. And while jihad may not be the inspiration for the rioters, it is undeniably an inseparable component, creating solidarity among the rioters. It appears that a full-fledge intifada (“uprising”) is unfolding on Paris’ doorstep. In this entire episode there is a prevalent “us” versus “them” mentality on the part of the Muslim rioters. During the uprising one reporter stated that thousand of Muslims were shouting “Allahu Akbar” from windows of high-rise apartment buildings. This has exacerbated fears among some French citizens of an all-out Muslim revolution.

The flames of France have served to further unveil the religio-cultural divide between east and west, and the lengths that Muslims will go to force the west to bow to their demands. French President Jacques Chirac has already passively admitted that the French are at fault for failing to fully integrate these immigrants into the larger society. Passive concessions are fine for now, but eventually a strong hand will be needed.

As jihad continues to come to Europe’s doorstep, Europeans will eventually tire of Muslim terror and the ever-present threat of oil blackmail. What will be the solution? Centralized power in the hands of an oligarchy and eventually one man who will enforce peace and keep the Middle Eastern oil flowing. Dictatorship and iron-fisted power is the only form of government that can effectively crush terror. The current governments of Europe are ill-equipped to crush terror and maintain peace. People in Europe will gladly give authority to a ten-king (leader) ruling body, as Daniel 2 and 7 predict, if they can insure continued peace and prosperity.

What we see in Europe right now shows that the main power blocs of the end times are already taking shape. Russia and the Arab/Islamic nations are coming together against Europe and the West. Current events in France are a faint foreshadow of what will continue as the cleavage between east and west continues to grow. The ten-king government of Europe and eventually the rule of Antichrist may not be far behind.

Mark Hitchcock is contributing editor of the Left Behind Prophecy Club newsletter. He is pastor of Faith Bible Church in Edmonds, Oklahoma and a nationally recognized prophecy author and speaker. Mark is the author of several books, including “Is America In Bible Prophecy?”