The final 2004 summit meeting of the European Union is in progress. But on the "menu" is one item for which there is little appetite: Turkey! After its 41 years of official "association" with the European Union, Turkey again is seeking actual EU membership. Political observers expect heads of state of the 25 EU countries to approve the start of official negotiations with Turkey on its membership request.

But the possibility of Turkey becoming a full member makes many EU leaders and citizens nervous. Even if negotiations begin, the approval process may drag on for as long as 10 years.

An interesting dichotomy has been emerging between some EU leaders and their countrymen, especially in France and Germany. French President Jacques Chirac and German chancellor Gerhard Schröder are quite vocal—individually and jointly—in supporting Turkey's bid for EU membership.

But many French and German leaders and citizens express concern over the effect that Turkey's admission into the EU might have on European institutions and culture. A few significant public comments reveal just how touchy the issue is.

In mid-October, French publicist Sylvie Goulard's critical essay on the EU's expansion policy toward Turkey, titled "The Great Turk and the Republic of Venice", sold out its first printing entirely within one week of publication. Then last week, an open letter to Chancellor Schröder from Germany's opposition parties urged him to reconsider his position on Turkish membership.

The Lutheran church in Germany questions Turkey's human rights record toward non-Muslims in Turkey. And further concern in Germany was fueled recently by a report of the independent "Institute for Eastern Europe" debunking the claim that Turkish EU membership would be an economic benefit for the Union.

Senior European statesmen Helmut Schmidt and Valéry Giscard d'Estaing also are well-known critics of Turkish EU membership. Merely three months ago, former German chancellor Schmidt urged caution on admitting Turkey into the EU. He argued that Europe needs a lengthy consolidation period to absorb increased financial obligations arising from the addition of ten more countries to the EU on May 1, 2004 ("Die Zeit", No. 39, September 16, 2004).

Giscard, the former French president, expresses frequently his view that Turkish membership would mean the end of the European Union as a political institution.

Could he be right? Could approving Turkey's membership in the EU lead to a drastic departure from its present democratic orientation, direction and goals? Also, would the door to EU membership then be ajar to less democratic areas outside Europe?

Possible applicants might be other Islamic countries from the Middle East and Africa's Mediterranean coastline. Would the EU have to consider membership for them as well? And how might such enlargement of the EU affect its relations with the greater international community? All of these are serious considerations.

For those living beyond the borders of Europe, the question of Turkish membership in the EU may seem a distant and trivial issue. But Bible prophecy suggests that it could be the first step in changing radically Europe's present relationship with the rest of the world.

God gave a troubling dream to King Nebuchadnezzar of ancient Babylon and then allowed the prophet Daniel to interpret that dream (Daniel 2). The dream covered some major events that would occur in the Middle East and Europe from the reign of Nebuchadnezzar until the return of Jesus Christ to establish the Kingdom of God on earth.

Four great empires would dominate those regions of the world— Babylon, Persia, Greece and Rome—all represented in that dream by one imposing image of a man (verses 31-33). A revived version of the Roman Empire, represented by the images' feet and toes, is prophesied to come to power shortly before Christ returns (verses 41-45).

The legacy of Imperial Rome—still very much the heritage of Europe—will supply the model for that end-time power's reach for glory. Like ancient Rome, it is destined to push its power into the Middle East, subduing Jerusalem and the modern nation of Israel (Zechariah 14:1-2).

Jesus Christ gave this warning: "When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation is near ... They will fall by the sword and will be taken as prisoners to all the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled" (Luke 21:20, 24, New International Version).

Could Europe's increasing alliance and backing of nations and peoples hostile to modern Israel and its growing economic and political power be nudging it further along the road toward becoming a modern version of the Roman Empire, extending its power and control even into Middle East and northern Africa?