‘In or Out:’ Britain Votes On Its Future in the European Union

The British are returning to the ballot box, again. This election, however, is a special one. In 2015, Britain had a national election. Upon winning, Prime Minister David Cameron of the centre-right Tory Party, perhaps under pressure from Euro-skeptics in his own party, fulfilled a campaign promise by calling for a simple ‘In or Out’ referendum on whether to remain or leave the European Union (EU).

Currently 28 out of the 50 countries in Europe belong to the EU. Prior to setting the referendum date, Cameron negotiated a ‘special deal’ with the EU, which, he claimed,protected British interests.

Britain Goes to the Polls: The date is 23 June 2016. The ‘Vote Leave Campaign’ is also called ‘Brexit’ (British exit). ’Britain Stronger in Europe’ campaign wants to remain in the EU, hence it is called ‘Bremain.’

Mr. Cameron is in the Bremain Camp, as are the leftist political parties like Labour, Scottish Nationalist Party (SNP), Plaid Cymru and the Liberal Democrats. Yet, high profile Tories are for leaving, including Cameron’s own cabinet ministers like John Whittingdale, Theresa Villiers, Michael Gove, Chris Grayling, Priti Patel, Iain Duncan Smith and former London mayor Boris Johnson. If Britain votes to leave on June 23rd, it could encourage other countries in the EU to do likewise.

Here are the arguments on both sides, as found in campaign literature:

BREMAIN ARGUMENTS

1.      Every British household would be worse off by GBP 4,300;

2.      EU membership brings lower prices by GBP 7 a week;

3.      Three million jobs in Britain are linked to the EU, that’s one in 10;

4.      Workers’ rights like sick leave, guaranteed parental leave, paid leave are all protected by EU law;

BREXIT ARGUMENTS

1.      EU costs Britain GBP 350 million a week;

2.      Millions are spent on European Union MPs;

3.      Britain will be liable for the failure of the Euro currency, though she retains her own pound sterling;

4.      European court will continue its veto on British law, like who can come into Britain and how much tax to pay;

5.      Immigration is a hot-button issue. EU Law says member state Britain cannot stop any citizen from another member state to live in the country (British people have the same reciprocal rights to live anywhere in the EU). Currently there are 942,000 eastern Europeans and 791,000 western Europeans living in Britain. If new, poorer countries join (e.g. Albania, Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia), they, too, can live and work in Britain;

6.      Turkey: This country gets a special mention as a candidate for EU membership. If it joins, 76 million Turks will have the right to live and work anywhere in Europe, including Britain. Turkey also borders war-torn Syria and Iraq, who also have a jihadist plague. This service continually encourages readers to ‘watch Turkey’ - will it retain its Ataturk-inspired western secularism or will it return to a religious, Ottoman and fundamentalist path?

Super-Europe: One of Cameron’s biggest ‘wins’ in getting a deal with the EU is that Britain would be exempted from being drawn into the EU’s ‘ever close union.’ He promises that Britain will never be part of a European superstate, even if all other members states are.

As we been saying for years, the real goal of the European Union is not merely to be a ‘club’ where member states can prosper together and keep the Germans from starting more wars: it is a United States of Europe. Proof of this trend includes common borders, currency, commission, council, court, flag, and defence. The concurrent erosion of national sovereignty, exemplified by lack of control of borders or having local law usurped by EU law, also confirms this direction. Member states will be reduced from sovereign nations to mere provinces of a superstate called Europe.

Why Christians Want ‘Out:’ Having asked a few evangelical Christians from a variety of locations in Britain their own position, everyone of them said without hesitation: I want Out!

Why? Because the EU is considered ‘anti-Christian.’ While the EU is technically secular and allows for human rights, including ‘freedom of worship,’ it is also true that its key players are fiercely anti-religious. There appears to be no ‘exemptions’ for churches when it comes to ‘anti-discrimination’ regulations. When a failed draft constitution for the EU was written, the framers refused to even mention Christianity as part of European heritage and identity, despite pleas from the Pope and others. If Christianity had nothing to do with Europe, then why are there majestic cathedrals all over the continent?

Pagan Europe: Concerned Christians point out that if the key leaders of the EU want nothing to do with Christianity, these same secularists are warm towards Greek mythology and paganism. After all, history shows that when a person or nation refuses to believe God’s truth, they don’t stop believing anything; instead, they believe in everything.

The goddess Europa, from whom the continent derived its name, is making a comeback. She was so beautiful that Jupiter/Zeus, father of the gods, turned into a bull and had her ride his back. They dove into the Mediterranean and had children. The image of Europa on the beast is now found on some Euro coins, stamps, paintings, magazine covers, and as an actual statue  in front of a key EU building. This brings to mind the words of Revelation 17:3-5:

So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. ⁴And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication: ⁵And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.

This re-paganisation of Europe has been happening for a while. Occult Babylonian archaeological remains were transferred decades ago to the Pergamon Museum in Berlin, capital of Europe’s most powerful nation. These include the Ishtar Gate and Processional Way’ from Iraq and the Altar of Pergamon from Turkey. The latter is also known as the ‘seat of Satan’ (Revelation 2:13). These exhibits were more than just a prestigious display from the past - their demonic influence has been felt far and wide. It is no coincidence that Berlin, the ‘heart of Europe,’ started on a downward slide into fascism, Nazism, ‘liberal theology,’ and spawning two world wars. Could we be entering into the era the prophet Daniel spoke of, namely an empire where there are legs of iron, feet of iron and clay (Daniel 2)?

Ultimately, the future of Britain and the world is not dependant on a political negotiations or referenda, but on the prayers of Godly people (II Chronicles 7:14; Matthew 26:41; James 5:16 ). Now is the best time to start.