Based on this prophecy, Herbert W. Armstrong forecast for decades that several nations in Central and Eastern Europe would break away from behind the Iron Curtain. In 1980, Mr. Armstrong wrote, “Will Poland free itself from Soviet domination and join with Yugoslavia, Romania and possibly Czechoslovakia—and with Germany, Italy, France, Spain, Portugal and Austria—in a resurrected medieval ‘Holy Roman Empire’ to dominate Europe and equal the ussr and the U.S.A. in world power?” (member and co-worker letter, Aug. 27, 1980).
Does the symbolism in Daniel imply a split among the 10 kings? A degree of separation between the five kings in the east and five in the west? Could the two halves of this empire come together as separate groups of five, before merging to form the whole? Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry has certainly suggested such a formation.
“History reveals the significance of the two legs, as the Roman Empire was divided, with its western capital in Rome and its eastern capital in Constantinople (Istanbul, Turkey, today),” he wrote in 2014. In the same article he said, “I believe the eastern leg could be formed in months.”
“[T]he eastern leg and even parts of the western leg of that empire are really beginning to develop,” he wrote (Trumpet, May-June 2014).
The January 1986 Plain Truth raised similar possibilities: “Notice further that the ancient prophecies of Daniel picture this system as a human image standing on two legs. … Thus it is probable that the coming reconstituted Roman Empire will also be composed of two distinct yet cooperative parts: one comprising nations of Western Europe, the other incorporating nations released from Soviet dominance in Eastern Europe. … Given the fact of five toes on each foot, it is possible that five entities will come from Western Europe and five from the east.”
Intriguingly, four out of five of these kings already mentioned belong to the same club, a regional group of nations called the Visegrád Group—and the fifth is thinking of joining (sidebar: “The Visegrád Group”).
A Trend to Watch
The five kings discussed in this article may not be the final five. These five countries may not be the ones in the eastern leg. Austria, especially, may fit better in the western leg.
But however these events play out, we see clear movement toward something that looks remarkably like what biblical prophecy describes. Countries across Europe want strongmen. Men with personal charisma and personal power are taking office. Voters are willing to hand these men unprecedented authority—to make them “kings.” And these men want to combine into a regional grouping of like-minded leaders.
The popularity of these men has spread beyond Eastern Europe—especially in Germany. Die Presse wrote that Sebastian Kurz “also has many loyal fans in Germany, especially in Bavaria. With his appearance in the talk shows of ard and zdf, he has filled the gap left by the involuntary departure of Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg” (May 16, 2017; Trumpettranslation). Germany’s Christian Social Union has made a point of supporting Viktor Orbán, even as Angela Merkel criticizes him.
The eastern leg of Europe is forming before your eyes! The western leg is getting ready to form. We can almost see the 10 toes of the Daniel 2 image.
Daniel 2 says that “in the days of these kings”—these kings that we are starting to see right now—“shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever” (verse 44).
It appears we are watching these very kings emerge! The Bible is clear that these kings will wreak a lot of destruction. But at the same time, it is clear that during the days of these kings, Jesus Christ returns. We are getting incredibly close to that day.
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