I have been thinking for a while about writing something about Albania. After all, it is one of the four nations of the future Four-Nation Sunni Confederacy which will be the central player of the Third Signpost, as I wrote about in my book, Hidden In Plain Sight. But it is the smallest of the four modern nations, and easily ignored when its larger future partners Turkey, Egypt, and Syria grab headlines. Admittedly, too, events in Albania seem to happen at a slower pace.
But it so happens that today, November 28, 2012 is the centennial celebration of Albania’s independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1912. So it seemed appropriate to bring up the subject today. Albania was the last nation to gain independence from the Ottoman Empire. It did not do so because it wanted independence, but the Ottoman Empire was crumbling, and the four surrounding nations of Serbia, Greece, Montenegro and Bulgaria were invading and claiming lands where Albanians lived. Albanians, having become Muslim over the centuries within the Ottoman Empire, enjoyed greater status and positions within government and the army. But with the Ottoman Empire shrinking, and other nations taking Albanian territory, Albanian leaders declared independence before all their land was gone.
Today, as then, only half of the Albanians living in the area, live within the nation of Albania. It has been a dream without any specific plan among many Albanians to eventually create a “Greater Albania.” Voters, according to polls, in the newly independent nation of Kosovo (which is 90% Albanian) want to unite with Albania. Albanian flags are routinely displayed in that nation. One quarter of the people of the F.Y.R.O. Macedonia are also Albanian as are many in Montenegro and northwestern Greece.
Centennial celebrations have reminded people in the region that the desire for a Greater Albania has not gone away. Celebrations in Macedonia have caused an angry reaction. Prime Minister Baresha of Albania commented that parts of Greater Albania are in Greece, causing the Greek Prime Minister to cancel his trip to Albania to join the celebration.
In my book (pp. 94-102), using history and the Bible, I show why Albania is one of the seven heads amongst the four beasts of Daniel 7. It is one of the four heads of the the third beast. God has been preparing Albania for its role in the Third Signpost. It’s economy and military have been gaining strength. It has been on a course to have closer ties with Turkey and other Muslim nations. The four nations of the future confederacy were all parts of the Ottoman Empire. Turkey was its core area, Syria and Egypt were provinces, and Albania was integrated into the Empire.
I do not know for sure if a Greater Albania is in Albania’s future, but such a political development would increase Albania’s ability to militarily contribute to the forces of the future Confederacy, and so would be consistent with the Third Signpost. I do know this though – if Albania is indeed one of the seven heads in Daniel 7, it will be ready when the time comes for its role in the Third Signpost, because God is in control.
Categories: Signpost #3: Four Nations
THE FOUR SIGNPOSTS 
I agree with a lot you wrote about Albanian history. There is only one thing I would add. Majority of Albanians, about 70%, do not practice any religions. Albania, falls in the top 5 least religious countries in Europe, right alongside with the Scandinavian countries. I would not worry about an Anti-Christ coming out of the Albanians, unless Christ becomes against the Idea of greater Albania, than we have a problem.
Hi Edwin,
You do bring up a good point about 70% of Albanians not practicing any religion. However, just as most Americans would characterize themselves as christians, a large percentage don’t practice. The same is true of Iran. Though they call themselves Muslim, something like 60%-80% are secular and hate their fundamentalist government. But Iran nonetheless will be running the Second Signpost. Do you believe that most of those Albanians that do not practice any religion – would they at least identify themselves as Muslim like Iranians do?
Also, to set the record straight, in my book I do not say the Antichrist comes out of Albania, rather, I say that Albania is to be the smallest partner nation among the four nations (with Turkey, Egypt and Syria) that form the Sunni confederacy in the Third Signpost. The Antichrist, I believe, will come out of the area of Syria or eastern Turkey or western Iraq.
Mark
wow why do people fear the albanians so much? they are the true gentlemen of europe.