"Nato chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen has urged EU countries to spend more on defense despite the economic crisis or risk losing US solidarity . . . 'If current defense spending trends were to continue, that would limit the practical ability of Nato's European nations to work together with their North American allies. But it would also risk weakening the political support for our alliance in the United States.'

"He added Nato is still 'the most important military power in the world'" ("Nato Chief: "EU Must Spend More on Military," EUObserver.com, Jan. 31, 2013).

Your Bible says that Europe will rise a final time but its impact will be great. Follow the broken and repaired narrative from the restoration of the ancient Holy Roman Empire in the days of Emperor Justinian in the 6th century until World War II in the 20th and you'll see a number of resurrections of European powers. A careful comparison of the historical setting and prophecies of Daniel 2, 7, 8 and 11 with the historical and prophetic contexts of Revelation 13 , 17 and 18 leads to the conclusion that Europe will rise up one last time as a church-state union with significant power, based on future global economic impact.

After World War II, the United States helped to rebuild Europe, and today America continues to provide support and protection. Could the dissipation of the United States as an unequaled, modern superpower pave the way for the rise of a major new superpower? If so, this would follow the historical pattern by which the rise of new powers fills the vacuum left by the decline of others.