This surprising figure is undergirded by the stunning success of the UK Independence Party (UKIP) in the recent European Union parliamentary elections. This British party advocates the United Kingdom leaving the European Union and then negotiating a fresh trade treaty with it.

Several popular British columnists and journalists do not, however, believe that Britain will leave the EU any time soon. Consider just two examples. Peter Riddell's political briefing editorial was titled: "Baloney! Britain is not on its way out of Europe." He continued in the same vein in the column: "Britain is destined to remain a perpetually awkward partner in the European Union."

Fellow columnist Tim Hames predicted a short life for the UKIP. To indicate his reasons, he wrote: "History hints that these sorts of movements when suddenly flushed with success ... soon get intoxicated with it. There are personality feuds, policy disputes and the rhetoric becoming wilder in an attempt to retain attention."

The conventional wisdom of journalists and even politicians is not always on target, however. Our free booklet The United States and Britain in Bible Prophecy shows that the British peoples are in reality descendants of Joseph, great grandson of the biblical patriarch Abraham.

Those who have watched the gradual fulfillment of biblical prophecy in Europe have long wondered whether Britain would remain in the EU. Some have thought Britain might eventually leave voluntarily; others have speculated that she might be thrown out. Currently the United Kingdom imports vastly more goods both in number and value from the Continent than the U.K. exports there—indicating the EU may now need Britain more than the other way around. Britain is one of Europe's best customers.

This historic, continuously developing saga of cross-channel conflicts and difficulties has many strands, such as the argument over the contents of the new European constitution. The recurring friction between the United Kingdom and the EU over many aspects of sovereignty indicates that the two have very different legal and cultural traditions. The story bears watching in the light of Bible prophecy.

To understand the vital historical and biblical background of this situation, request the free booklets The United States and Britain in Bible Prophecy and The Book of Revelation Unveiled. (Sources: The Daily Telegraph, The Times [London].)