by Mike James

Britain officially left the European Union (E.U.) in January 2020, but it didn't entirely leave in another way. It began an eleven-month transition period that ended at midnight on December 31, 2020. The eleven months was supposed to give the E.U. and Britain enough time to work out a trade deal to continue the orderly movement of goods and services. Things did not go according to plan. In December 2020, the two sides were still trying to iron out the deal.

After seemingly endless negotiations, Britain and the E.U. struck a deal on December 24, 2020. The agreement will allow hundreds of billions of dollars in goods to continue to flow – without tariffs or quotas but a lot more red tape – between the Brits and the E.U.

Britain is now the first country to ever leave the E.U. Could the U.K. departure lead to more nations in the E.U. reclaiming their independence from the union? Something we should keep our eyes on moving forward regarding the prophecy about the ten kings (Revelation 17:12-13). Some have speculated the E.U. would eventually consist of ten nations before the second coming of Christ. Presently the E.U. consists of 27 member states. We don't know who the ten kings are, but moving forward it is something to keep in mind.

"We've taken back control of our laws and our destiny," British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said during an afternoon news conference. "We've taken back control of every jot and tittle of our regulation in a way that is complete and unfettered."

The question now is if greater control is better for Britain. Only time will tell, but there are some predictions things will not be better. The Office for Budget Responsibility, an independent forecaster, estimated that Britain's gross domestic product would be 4 percent lower in the long run than if it had stayed in the E.U. David Henig, a trade policy expert, said the new relationship would be "nothing like it was" when Britain was a member of the E.U.

British businesses that never had to fill out a customs form will have to do so every time they sell something to E.U. countries. The United Kingdom (U.K.) services sector – 80% of its economy – will face steep new barriers, and many British businesses will have to open affiliates in Europe to keep making money there.

Some worry Brexit could lead to issues that break up the U.K. "It's worth remembering that Brexit is happening against Scotland's will," First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said. "And there is no deal that will ever make up for what Brexit takes away from us. It's time to chart our own future as an independent European nation." Scotland and Northern Ireland voted to stay with the E.U. in 2016, while England and Wales voted to leave.

Others are concerned by the geostrategic implications of the breakup. Could the U.K. exit of the E.U. diminish the E.U.'s ability to be a counterweight to Russian and Chinese assertiveness? Will Britain's exit decrease the E.U. relationship with the United States? Again, I'm no prophet, so we will have to see how these things play out in the coming years.

Britain's exit from the E.U. fits with some of the traditional analysis within the Church of God movement over the years. If there is a connection between the U.S. and the U.K. going back to God's promises made to Abraham (Genesis 35:11), we need to mark this milestone as a possible change with future ramifications. Could the prophecies against Israel in Ezekiel 6-8 have a dual nature? Ezekiel saw the final demise of the remnants of ancient Israel, but could that message resonate for spiritual Israel today! The future will reveal the matter.

Over the years, the Church has also speculated that the King of the North (Daniel 11:5-35) could be connected to the modern-day E.U. The primary power north of Jerusalem today could be considered the E.U. The fact that the King of the North in some of Daniel's prophecies pertained to the remnants of Alexander the Great's empire (Greece is a member of the E.U.) supports this contention.

If the United States and the United Kingdom should diminish as nations (traditional church analysis), the major counterbalance to China's economic prowess is the European Union. According to 2019 economic statistics, the E.U. was second to the United States, followed closely by China.

If the U.S. and U.K. do diminish in power, the E.U. might figure into the prophecy about Babylon in Revelation 13:17. Only God knows how this will all play out, but we need to be aware of what is going on and always spiritually prepared for Christ to return. If we are right with God spiritually, it does not matter when Christ returns because we will be ready (Matthew 24:42-51).

Sources: "Yet Another Brexit Deadline Nears as Trade Talks Stall," by William Booth and Michael Birnbaum, The Washington Post, December 8, 2020.

"No Breakthrough on Brexit Deal as Final Deadline Looms," by Karla Adam, Michael Birnbaum and William Booth, The Washington Post, December 10, 2020.

"Johnson Warns of a No-Deal Brexit as Both Sides Agree to Continue Talks," by William Booth and Quentin Aries, The Washington Post, December 14, 2020.

"Bluff and Brinkmanship: How Britain got a Brexit Trade Deal Done," by John Chalmers, Elizabeth Piper and Gabriela Baczynska, Reuters, December 24, 2020, https://www.reuters.com/article/us-britain-eu-trust-insight/bluff-and-brinksmanship-how-britain-got-a-brexit-trade-deal-done-idUSKBN28Y1LJ.

"U.K.-E.U. Trade Deal May Soften December 31 Exit," by William Booth, Michael Birnbaum and Karla Adam, The Washington Post, December 25, 2020.