Many of Europe’s Western Balkan states are not members of the European Union yet—but the union’s border guards already encompass them. The EU border agency Frontex has extended cooperation with five countries that are not part of the EU. The latest of them is North Macedonia, which agreed on April 20 to allow 100 EU border guards to assist at its southern border with Greece. Albania, Moldova, Montenegro and Serbia have similar agreements with Frontex.

This cooperation, which blurs the EU’s borders, might be a step toward the fulfillment of a key Bible prophecy.

Frontex’s stated goal is for the EU to have not only a single border but also a united force to protect that border. The inclusion of non-EU states essentially extends the EU’s border beyond its member states.

“We must act united to ensure that our borders are not exploited by those who seek to profit from the plight of others,” Frontex Executive Director Hans Leijtens noted regardsing North Macedonia’s participation.

This is of vital interest for the EU’s leadership for more than one reason. Millions of refugees have entered through the EU’s southern border. Some have been terrorists and criminals. Reports indicate the Greek government has violently pushed refugees and other migrants outside those borders while Frontex covered up the pushbacks. (To learn more, read “Why Is the EU Covering for Greek Pushbacks?”)

Extending the EU’s borders deeper into the Balkans also allows more control over transit routes for energy resources and access to key ports, such as the Port of Durrës in Albania. Access to the Mediterranean Sea also leads to key strategic choke points, such as the Suez Canal. Whoever has a strong military presence in the Mediterranean can control a large part of global trade. Frontex might be moving to secure the EU’s control over the region.

In June 2022, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said the EU should offer all six nations of the Western Balkans integration into the EU by 2033. The integration of these countries into the EU has also been a long-time goal of the EU’s leader—Germany. As Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry explains in his booklet Germany’s Conquest of the Balkans, Germany was a key player in splitting Yugoslavia into the various Balkan states that are now integrated into the larger German-led institution.

Greece’s close proximity to the Balkans also gives it a special role in helping the smaller states integrate into the larger union. Greece and the Balkans have close cultural, economic and religious ties and they continually seek to increase cooperation. Greece is also a key player in the Southeast European Cooperation Process that aims to promote stability in the region and includes many of the Balkan states. The recent expansion of Frontex contributes to more EU control over the region and may further increase relations between Greece and the Western Balkans.

What we see emerging before our eyes may be exactly what the late Herbert W. Armstrong foretold based on a prophecy in Revelation 17. This passage, as well as a parallel prophecy in Daniel 2, indicates the rise of 10 kings right before the return of Jesus Christ. Repeatedly, Mr. Armstrong foretold that these 10 kings would rule over 10 nations or groups of nations in modern Europe. On different occasions, he noted that Greece and the Balkan region would be part of that union.

While we can’t say for certain whether Greece and the Balkans will be part of the 10 kings, the euro crisis and the Yugoslav Wars have shown that Germany has a keen interest in controlling the area.

To learn more about how Europe’s 10 kings are starting to come together, watch Mr. Flurry’s most recent Key of David television program, “The Ten Kings (One Half Already Risen).”