The 20th century was witness to the most terrible wars in human history. Thankfully we haven’t seen anything of that scale in the 70 years since World War II. But will there ever be a time like this again, when genocidal leaders whilst attempting to rule the world, wreak death and havoc on that level?
Your Bible says there will be such a time.
In the face of a growing world crises, a charismatic leader akin to the worst dictators of the past will ultimately arise in Europe with promises of peace and safety. Ten other leaders will unite with him, giving their national sovereignty over to this ruler for a short time. The biblical book of Revelation refers to both the power bloc and its leader as “the Beast” ~ understood as a revival of the Roman Empire.
In fact, this revival will follow the pattern of the Holy Roman Empire in returning to the church-state union of Medieval Times. The Beast ruler will form a partnership with the prophesied False Prophet, which will be the leader of the great false church system known as Babylon the Great. (Revelation 17) This Religion will be seen as a means to hold the politically unstable empire together and false miracles will convince the masses to follow the False Prophet and the Beast.
Despite its weaknesses, the European power will, like its predecessors, be transformed into a war-making apparatus. An astonished world will ask: “Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?” (Revelation 13:4). Yet there will indeed be war ~ the very worst ever.
North ~ South Conflict: The Spark
Conflict between this coming European superpower and a Middle Eastern coalition will be the final manifestation of the struggle detailed in the prophecy of Daniel 11 between powers to the north and south of the Holy Land ~ Syria and Egypt respectively in ancient times, with the northern power eventually becoming Rome and its successors. Daniel 11:40 says that at the time of the end the king of the South will push or ram at the king of the North.
Psalm 83 presents a confederation of nations, now Muslim, united in a common cause against Israel (Psalms 83:1-18). This may equate to the final kingdom of the South, perhaps centered in Egypt, the largest Arab state, or possibly Saudi Arabia, homeland of Islam.
Daniel 11:40 shows that some kind of provocative action will be launched from this region against the final king of the North, the European Beast power. It might be a major terrorist attack right in line with the jihadists’ dreams of striking against European Christendom. In any case, this is the spark that ignites a new world war as we next see huge retaliation by the northern power. This will include forces invading and occupying parts of the Middle East and North Africa as well as entering the Holy Land (Daniel 11:40-43).