In Daniel 7:7, Daniel foresees the final empire that will rule the world leading up to the return of Jesus Christ - the revived Roman empire we today call the European Union:

After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns.

In Daniel 7:24 we learn what the ten horns of Daniel 7:7 symbolize:

And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.

So, we see that ten leaders are going to emerge from within the revived Roman empire, after which another horn (or leader) shall rise up and, subsequently, subdue three of them. Or, as we see in a different explanation of what he will do, pluck them up by their roots!

Daniel 7:8:

I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.

This horn is the prophesied Antichrist - a prince (or leader) of Roman descent who will confirm (or make strong) a seven-year covenant of peace in the Middle East "with many" as revealed in Daniel 9:27.

Now, before I go any further, I want to be very, very clear concerning what I'm about to bring to my readers' attention as I don't want anyone to draw any inappropriate or ill-timed conclusions concerning what I'm about to post. Rather, I want my readers to make note of it as a potential sign of the lateness of the hour we're presently living in. Truly, we may be a heartbeat from the Rapture of the Church or, as is always the case, we may not be. Thus, the need for us to remain vigilant at all times, prepared for the return of our Lord at all times, even when dramatic events that may seem to be pointing toward our redemption being nigh at hand fade and disappear before our eyes as may or may not be the case in this instance. I pray everyone is with me thus far.

Yesterday, I was sent a Jerusalem Post article which bears the following, potentially prophetic headline: Ten EU FMs tell Blair road map is dead, call for int'l conference

Having kept a constant eye on the Quartet as a potential representation of the "many" of Daniel 9:27, my eyes nearly popped out of my head, figuratively speaking.

Suddenly, from within the revived Roman empire itself no less, we have TEN power brokers calling the Quartet's roadmap peace plan dead, asking that an international peace conference be held to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The ten leaders in question are the foreign ministers of the following nations:

• France
• Italy
• Spain
• Greece
• Portugal
• Bulgaria
• Romania
• Cyprus
• Slovenia
• Malta

In response to this news, Israel is saying it remains committed to the Quartet's roadmap peace plan BUT it isn't opposed to an international peace conference being held as proposed in this instance.

Apparently, a peace conference of this sort is proposed under the Quartet's roadmap plan as well, to be held in the latter stages of a Palestinian state being born.

As stimulating as this information is thus far, here's the kicker! The following is an excerpt from a Yahoo News story on this topic (emphasis added mine):

The ministers said another aim was to take into account Israel's need for security and consider creating an international force to impose a ceasefire among Palestinians, as Abbas has called for.

"The idea of a robust international force, of the NATO or U.N. Chapter VII kind, deserves to be examined," they said. Chapter VII allows the use of force.

The 10 ministers who signed the letter are not as such part of the Quartet -- which is composed of the United States, Russia, the United Nations and the European Union -- but they influence the EU element.

What could an international peacekeeping force acting under the guidelines of Chapter VII do? It could CONFIRM (or impose as the story above puts it) peace in the Middle East!

So, is there a little horn out there who could materialize as a result of this? Possibly, although I again want to stress as fervently as I possibly can that there is no way we can possibly know the identity of the Antichrist on this side of the Rapture of the Church.

In the letter put forth by the ten EU foreign ministers, they wrote the following, in part, to newly-appointed Middle East envoy to the Quartet Tony Blair:

"We know how inventive and resolute you are. We are therefore certain you will deal with these problems in a global manner. Hence the importance of holding without delay an international conference including all the parties to the conflict."

This is particularly interesting to me as EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana, as I noted in a recent commentary, has stated that Tony Blair isn't going to play any role as a mediator in the Middle East peace process.

If Blair isn't going to negotiate peace in the Middle East, why are ten EU foreign ministers looking to him to get this international peace conference up and running instead of Javier Solana, who is a Spaniard no less? After all, Spain's foreign minister is one of those asking Blair to get a peace conference up and running which makes my head spin a bit given the Spaniard Solana's longstanding clout in Brussels and around the world as the voice of the European Union. Folks, this developing story is going to be VERY interesting to keep an eye on, regardless of its final outcome.

Are you listening for the shout from above? If not, after reading this, you certainly should be as we are certainly beginning to see what is, at the very least, a possibility emerging that could fulfill Bible prophecy, potentially to the extent the door to our redemption may soon swing wide open!

Come quickly, Lord Jesus!