Germany in Biblical and Greco-Roman Catholic Prophecy

Assyria in the Bible Equates to an End Time Power Inhabiting the Roman Empire

by COGwriter

Does Germany have a prophesied role in the end times? Is any such role significant? Are there indications of Germany in the Bible? Do biblical and Greco-Roman Catholic prophecies seemingly related to end time Germany overlap in any manner? Is USA espionage pushing Germany towards World War III.

This, the second of two articles related to Germany, will attempt to answer those and other questions. Here is a link to a related sermon titled Germany in Bible Prophecy. Here is a link to the second part of that sermon titled The Rise of the Germanic Beast Power of Prophecy.

Here is a link to a video Is the USA Pushing Germany to Start WWIII?

Readers of the German language may find the following booklet of interest: WO IST DIE WAHRE CHRISTLICHE KIRCHE HEUTE?

Here is a version of the article in the Spanish language: Alemania en la profecía bíblic.

Assyria and Isaiah 10

The first article in this series, Germany's Assyrian Roots Throughout History, explained why from a biblical and historical perspective, that many in the German-speaking lands in Central Europe seem to have descended from ancient Assyria. So, this second article will not rehash all the reasons why as most of them are in the original article and readers are encouraged to view the article Germany's Assyrian Roots Throughout History for many of those details.

Speaking of Central Europe and peoples near there, the old Worldwide Church of God taught:

The Chaldeans descend from Arphaxad, who is also the ancestor of Abraham and Israel. Chaldeans were associated with Babylon and the city of Ur because they settled near Babylon and in Shinar. However, some Chaldeans settled farther north, around Lake Van -- about halfway between the Mediterranean Sea and the Caspian Sea. There they came to be called "Chaldians" and, more often, the people of Van. (Haran, the ancestor of Lot, Abram's nephew, also settled in northern Mesopotamia, south of Lake Van.)

History records that some of the "Chaldians" were driven northward out of the Near East by the Assyrians and Medes prior to 610 B.C. ("An Encyclopaedia of World History," by William L. Langer, p. 38). From the shores of the Black Sea they turned to southeastern Europe, then headed west into the Roman Empire. They settled in northern Italy, southeastern France, and parts of Spain and northern Africa. The ancient Chaldeans of Babylonia were also sent into exile to Syria in the Greek period of rule over Babylon. The Latin Romans often bought these people as slaves; afterward their descendants were freed. Wherever the Chaldeans are mentioned in Bible prophecy, the reference is to these people in central and southwestern Europe. (Personal Correspondance Department, letter 100, Worldwide Church of God).

This is mentioned because those who descended from the Chaldeans will work with the descendants of Assyria in the end times:

2 3 The Babylonians,
All the Chaldeans,
Pekod, Shoa, Koa,
All the Assyrians with them,
All of them desirable young men,
Governors and rulers,
Captains and men of renown,
All of them riding on horses.
24 And they shall come against you
With chariots, wagons, and war-horses,
With a horde of people.
They shall array against you
Buckler, shield, and helmet all around. (Ezekiel 23:23-24)

So, we see a confederation of Babylonians, Chaldeans, and Assyrians--this is consistent with prophecies like Revelation 17:12-13 (see also Must the Ten Kings of Revelation 17:12 Rule over Ten Currently Existing Nations?).

Consider also the following:

The reason that some Chaldeans were later associated with Babylon in Daniel's time is that a small part of them was later settled by the Assyrians near Babylon. The original inspired Hebrew of Isaiah 23:13 explains this: "Behold, the land of the Chaldeans — this is the people that was not, when Asshur founded it for shipmen". How clear. The Chaldeans were divided, not an organized nation. A part of them was transplanted to Babylon. At Babylon they became the ruling class. But the remainder settled farther north around Lake Van, about halfway between the Caspian Sea and the Mediterranean. (Hoeh H. The Race Question. Plain Truth, May 1957)

The longest prophecy involving Assyria in the Bible seems to be Isaiah 10:5-27. And this seems to be directed towards the modern Germanic and perhaps other peoples in Europe (note: since it is the "king of Assyria" who is specifically mentioned in certain portions of Isaiah 10, it may be that many of the specifics are directed towards this end time king himself--while other parts of it are related to the peoples that support him--which are expected to include also non-Germanic ones).

Here is the first portion of it:

5 "Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger And the staff in whose hand is My indignation. 6 I will send him against an ungodly nation, And against the people of My wrath I will give him charge, To seize the spoil, to take the prey, And to tread them down like the mire of the streets. 7 Yet he does not mean so, Nor does his heart think so; But it is in his heart to destroy, And cut off not a few nations. 8 For he says, 'Are not my princes altogether kings? 9 Is not Calno like Carchemish? Is not Hamath like Arpad? Is not Samaria like Damascus? 10 As my hand has found the kingdoms of the idols, Whose carved images excelled those of Jerusalem and Samaria, 11 As I have done to Samaria and her idols, Shall I not do also to Jerusalem and her idols?'" (Isaiah 10:5-11)

In the above passages, we learn that God will use Assyria to punish Jerusalem and Samaria. Other than the German tendency to cut off various nations in WWI and WWII, there are certain specifics that tie this in with the end time European power that God is going to use.

Interestingly, Global Research published a report consistent with Isaiah 10:5-11:

Germany is making intensive preparations to conduct new wars to secure resources. This was the unmistakable message of a lead article in Germany’s business newspaper Handelsblatt, “Expedition Resources: Germany’s new course.”

The very same business circles that financed Hitler are again banging the war drums. The article cites an interview with Dierk Paskert, the manager of the Resource Alliance founded in 2011. Members of the alliance include Volkswagen, ThyssenKrupp, Bayer and BASF—firms that either directly supported Nazi war plans, or whose predecessors did.…Paskert makes clear that the German bourgeoisie is willing to use military force to secure such resources against its rivals…

The return of aggressive German imperialism initiates a new stage of inter-imperialist conflict, raising the threat of a Third World War…

The Handelsblatt bluntly states that the German army will be rebuilt “in order to be used all over the world.” The vast majority of the German population is vehemently opposed to militarism. The fact that the Handelsblatt can so publicly formulate the goals of the German bourgeoisie is above all a devastating indictment of the Green Party, the Social Democratic Party and the Left Party. (Stern J. The Return of German Imperialism. Global Research, 21 February 2013 http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-return-of-german-imperialism/5323719)

Notice that the above states that the vast majority of Germans do not want to be militaristic, but that voices are calling for that anyway--just like Isaiah 10:7 prophecies.  Notice that some suspect that this could lead to WWIII.

As Isaiah 10:10-11 suggests, one aspect of this is that Assyria is going to invade Jerusalem.

Now notice that someone that appears to be involved in doing the same thing:

31 And forces shall be mustered by him, and they shall defile the sanctuary fortress; then they shall take away the daily sacrifices, and place there the abomination of desolation. (Daniel 11:31)

The 'he' above is the final King of the North, since he and an Assyrian group takeover Jerusalem (where the future "daily sacrifices" are expected to take place), this suggests an important tie. The Bible itself also points to the final King of the North being Assyrian (Isaiah 10:12), hence possessing at least some Germanic ancestry.

Next notice, someone that appears to be involved in the same acts:

26...And the people of the prince who is to come
Shall destroy the city and the sanctuary.
The end of it shall be with a flood,
And till the end of the war desolations are determined.
27 Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week;
But in the middle of the week
He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering.
And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate,
Even until the consummation, which is determined,
Is poured out on the desolate. (Daniel 9:26-27)

The 'prince' that is originally involved in the covenant in vs. 27, is the one who later becomes a 'king' and breaks it in Daniel 9:27 and 11:31.

With the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem in 70 A.D., the offering of the previously prescribed sanctuary sacrifices ceased in Judaism. The people that caused this to happen were the armies of the old Roman Empire. The soldiers in the Roman Empire were mainly European, with many of Germanic heritage (at that time in history, many of the leaders were from South Germany: Bavaria and probably Austria). Since the 'prince' comes from a people that destroyed the city of Jerusalem and stop its sanctuary practices, the prince must have come from one of the soldiering peoples of the old Roman Empire. This would be a European individual, probably from central Europe, possibly consisting of multiple European ethnicities (for more details, also view the YouTube video Can You Prove that the Beast to Come is European?).

This does not absolutely prove that the individual must be German, but this certainly seems to be supportive of that view. More on Isaiah 10 is included later in this article.

Daniel and Some Related Passages

Notice comments about some the beasts in Daniel:

40 And the fourth kingdom shall be as strong as iron, inasmuch as iron breaks in pieces and shatters everything; and like iron that crushes, that kingdom will break in pieces and crush all the others. 41 Whereas you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter's clay and partly of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; yet the strength of the iron shall be in it, just as you saw the iron mixed with ceramic clay. 42 And as the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly fragile. 43 As you saw iron mixed with ceramic clay, they will mingle with the seed of men; but they will not adhere to one another, just as iron does not mix with clay. (Daniel 2:40-43)

It is recognized by most scholars that the fourth beast was historically the ancient Roman Empire, apparently something that forms a union that appears to be unstable is the final end time empire. This sounds a lot like what is developing in Europe right now--and that is highly dependent on the economic wealth of Germany.

In Revelation 17 there is a passage of interest:

10 There are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, and the other has not yet come. And when he comes, he must continue a short time. 11 The beast that was, and is not, is himself also the eighth, and is of the seven, and is going to perdition. (Revelation 17:10-11)

Some in the Church of God have pointed mainly to Franco-German leaders (sometimes referred to as Holy Roman Emperors) representing each of those horns. Hence if that is so, since European (mainly Germanic) leaders/empires seem to have been the first five/six of these kings historically, it would be logical to conclude that a likely Germanic leader would be the final one (the King of the North) as well. On the other hand if the seven kings start from ancient Egypt, followed by ancient Assyria, Babylon, the Medo-Persia, Greek, and the Roman empires, the seventh could be considered the "Holy Roman Empire," with the eighth being a resurrection of the seventh. And, in Europe, they are attempting to resurrect the old Holy Roman Empire.

Various biblical passages, such as Isaiah 10:12, 24-26, indicate that the rule of the king of Assyria will only be temporary; while scriptures in Daniel (11:40-44) show that the King of the North's reign will also be temporary as do scriptures related to the Beast of the Sea of Revelation (Revelation 13:1-5).

Still other passages of scripture are clear that the punishment known as the time of Jacob's trouble, will also be temporary:

7 Alas! For that day is great,
So that none is like it;
And it is the time of Jacob's trouble,
But he shall be saved out of it.

8 'For it shall come to pass in that day,'
Says the Lord of hosts,
'That I will break his yoke from your neck,
And will burst your bonds;
Foreigners shall no more enslave them. (Jeremiah 30:7-8)

Furthermore, the final time of the Gentiles to trample down Jerusalem is specified to be temporary:

2 But leave out the court which is outside the temple, and do not measure it, for it has been given to the Gentiles. And they will tread the holy city underfoot for forty-two months. (Revelation 11:2)

Basically, the Great Tribulation and Day of the Lord will last 3 1/2 years and it is during this time that the Gentile powers, led for the most part by the final King of the North will harshly rule over the descendants of Jacob (Samaria in Isaiah 10 could possibly refer to a mixed people, such as the United States; Bible prophecy seems to tie the descendants of Manasseh as being prophetic Samaria in certain scriptures (cf. Isaiah 9:8-21; Hosea 7:1-7; watch also USA in Prophecy: Samaria.): for more information on the modern identities of the descendants of Jacob/Israel, please see Anglo - America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel).

Now, let's again look Isaiah 10:7:

7 Yet he does not mean so, Nor does his heart think so; But it is in his heart to destroy, And cut off not a few nations.

So, this passage is apparently telling us that the average Assyrian/German/European feels he has no intention to destroy, but because of perhaps ethnic tendencies, he will. And as mentioned before, this happened with Germany taking over nations in WWI and WWII.

Actually, partially because of a German plan to invade part of the USA in the 19th century, there have been issues. Notice some information about that:

April 6, 2017

One hundred years ago today, the United States officially declared war on Germany and entered World War I. Days before the declaration of war, President Woodrow Wilson urged a special joint session of Congress to “formally accept the status of belligerent which has thus been thrust upon it.”

Wilson had not wanted to do this. Indeed, he’d won reelection the previous fall as the antiwar candidate, running on the popular slogans “He kept us out of war” and “America First”—appeals to voters who wanted to stay out of a major European war and avoid a simmering conflict with Mexico.

But two events would change everything, and force Americans to accept that they could no longer avoid what had become a global conflict. The first was Germany’s resumption of unrestricted submarine warfare on passenger and merchant ships. The second was the “Zimmerman telegraph,” which revealed Germany’s attempt to forge a secret alliance with Mexico against the United States, promising to help Mexico recover territory it had ceded to the United States following the Mexican-American War in 1848.

Both of these developments, like much of World War I, seem exotic and unimaginable today. A major military power attacking passenger ships with submarines? Mexico invading Texas? It’s easy to think we’ll never face such scenarios again, and we probably won’t face those particular scenarios. But as distant and strange as the First World War seems to us today, the reasons Wilson changed course and declared war hold vital relevance to our national life in the twenty-first century, and we ignore or misunderstand those reasons to our peril. https://thefederalist.com/2017/04/06/americas-reasons-entering-wwi-resonate-today/

I do believe that Mexico will be willing to cooperate with a German-dominated power in Europe to invade the USA. Do not think it cannot happen. Mexico is pivoting towards Europe (see also Mexico trying to pivot towards Europe and away from USA and/or Mexico, Central America, South America, Brazil, and the Caribbean in Prophecy), while the USA has been pivoting away from both.

Donald Trump and other government officials do not seem to appreciate or understand the biblical prophecies related to the USA (see also Donald Trump in Prophecy).

Notice also the following:

14 January 2019

For generations, American presidents have saved some of their warmest words for their European colleagues. ...  Nato or EU tariffs, this president makes it clear that he believes Europe is more often an impediment than an ally.

None of his predecessors would have dreamed of calling the EU a "foe", as President Trump did in a recent interview about trade. ...

As Daniela Schwarzer, from the German Council on Foreign Relations think tank, put it: "The United States, with its 'America first' approach, has put Europe and Germany into the space of a strategic competitor, if not even an enemy." https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-46798192

June 4, 2019

The more things change, well, the more they . . . So it is with the perpetual German resentments of the U.S. ...

Merkel all but announced that Germany, or for that matter Europe itself, is no longer really an ally of the United States: “There is no doubt that Europe needs to reposition itself in a changed world. . . . The old certainties of the post-war order no longer apply.”

She insisted that Germany views the democratic United States as not much different from autocratic Russia and Communist China: Urging Europe to present a united front in the face of Russia, China, and the U.S., she said, “They are forcing us, time and again, to find common positions.” And Merkel concluded that therefore Germany must find “political power” commensurate with its economic clout to forge a new independent European path. ...

Germany now polls as the most anti-American of any country in the European Union (only 35 percent of Germans have a positive view of their NATO ally, the U.S.). https://www.nationalreview.com/2019/06/angela-merkel-germany-anti-american-views/

Germany will consider the USA an enemy.

Consider also the following:

9 August 2019

The United States is considering withdrawing some of the US troops stationed in Germany, with Poland mooted as a possible new deployment, the US ambassador to Germany has said.

The threat of withdrawal comes amid ongoing differences between Berlin and Washington over Germany's contribution to NATO and a current spat caused by the German refusal to take part in a US-led naval mission in the Persian Gulf.

"It is actually offensive to assume that the US taxpayer must continue to pay to have 50,000-plus Americans in Germany, but the Germans get to spend their surplus on domestic programs," US Ambassador Richard Grenell told the DPA news agency, in comments carried widely by German media on Friday. ...

US President Donald Trump had also mentioned the possibility of moving some American troops from Germany to Poland in talks with Polish President Andrzej Duda in Washington in June, something that was also mentioned by Grenell. ...

Rumors that the US might be considering a partial pullout of troops from Germany have long been rife, with the US administration under Donald Trump often voicing anger that Berlin is not contributing enough to NATO. https://www.dw.com/en/us-threatens-to-withdraw-troops-from-germany/a-49959555

Germany does not appreciate USA pressure and will ultimately decide it needs more of its own troops (cf. Daniel 11:25).

Notice something else that the Germans will likely long remember:

15 March 2020

US President Donald Trump is attempting to entice a German lab to develop a vaccine exclusively for the US, a German newspaper reported. Berlin health authorities are in intensive talks with the company. ...

German newspaper Welt am Sonntag. The prominent German media outlet reported, citing unnamed sources, that US President Donald Trump was offering large sums of money to German scientists working on a vaccine. He wanted to secure exclusive rights to their work, the newspaper reported.

Trump was doing everything he could to secure a vaccine for the United States, "but only for the US," the newspaper quoted an anonymous German government source as saying.

This is pushing "America first" beyond anything that can be considered proper. Presuming more Germans could die from this, the survivors will remember this. Yet, even if this does not happen, it is telling the Germans that the USA does not care if they live or die--Germans do not like that and will remember such horrible acts.

Consider that the Bible shows that the final King of the North will do something different than his fathers:

23 And after the league is made with him he shall act deceitfully, for he shall come up and become strong with a small number of people. 24 He shall enter peaceably, even into the richest places of the province; and he shall do what his fathers have not done, nor his forefathers: he shall disperse among them the plunder, spoil, and riches; and he shall devise his plans against the strongholds, but only for a time. (Daniel 11:23-24)

Consider the above in the context that his success will be different than WWI and WWII, where Germany lost.

Notice further he will actually takeover the land of the strongest military power:

38 But in their place he shall honor a god of fortresses; and a god which his fathers did not know he shall honor with gold and silver, with precious stones and pleasant things. 39 Thus he shall act against the strongest fortresses with a foreign god, which he shall acknowledge, and advance its glory; and he shall cause them to rule over many, and divide the land for gain. 40 "At the time of the end the king of the South shall attack him; and the king of the North shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter the countries, overwhelm them, and pass through. 41 He shall also enter the Glorious Land, and many countries shall be overthrown; but these shall escape from his hand: Edom, Moab, and the prominent people of Ammon. (Daniel 11:38-41)

So, again we see a similar description of something that the final King of the North will do as well as the King of Assyria. The two are related, the two are the same. It should be noted that in modern times, the nation with the "strongest fortresses" is the USA--presuming that the prophecy is for the first 1/2 of the 21st century. It thus suggests that the USA and its Anglo-descended allies will be punished relatively early on (see also USA in Prophecy: The Strongest Fortresses).

Furthermore, notice how Daniel 11:24 may parallel verses 38-39 of chapter 11:

24 He shall enter peaceably, even into the richest places of the province; and he shall do what his fathers have not done, nor his forefathers: he shall disperse among them the plunder, spoil, and riches; and he shall devise his plans against the strongholds, but only for a time.

It is he, the King of the North, that goes against the strongholds, and gets in there peaceably. I suspect the European confederation will deceive the U.S.A. in order to launch a surprise attack.  This is consistent with German practices in other wars (Julius Caesar also did the same thing). But this time, it will not be as before as in WWI and WWII--because this time Germany will be victorious (until other matters happen).

Notice also:

4... Samaria is Oholah, and Jerusalem is Oholibah ... 9 "Therefore I have delivered her Into the hand of her lovers, Into the hand of the Assyrians, For whom she lusted. 10 They uncovered her nakedness, Took away her sons and daughters, And slew her with the sword; She became a byword among women, For they had executed judgment on her. (Ezekiel 23:4,9-10)

Samaria is related to the USA (see Spiritual Samaritans: Old and New). Notice that Samaria's Assyrian allies will destroy her.

While there was a fulfillment of many of the verses in Ezekiel 23 in the past, a read of that chapter shows that Samaria will be destroyed by the Assyrians which also could have future ramifications, Furthermore, if it does, it also shows that the nation of Israel (referred to as Jerusalem in Ezekiel 23) will try to make a deal with the Assyrians after Samaria is destroyed, yet it too will be destroyed by the Assyrians:

11 "Now although her sister Oholibah saw this, she became more corrupt in her lust than she, and in her harlotry more corrupt than her sister's harlotry. 12 "She lusted for the neighboring Assyrians. ... 15 ... In the manner of the Babylonians of Chaldea, The land of their nativity. 16 As soon as her eyes saw them, She lusted for them And sent messengers to them in Chaldea. 17 "Then the Babylonians came to her, into the bed of love, And they defiled her with their immorality; So she was defiled by them, and alienated herself from them. 18 She revealed her harlotry and uncovered her nakedness. Then I alienated Myself from her, As I had alienated Myself from her sister. ... 22 "Therefore, Oholibah, thus says the Lord God: 'Behold, I will stir up your lovers against you, From whom you have alienated yourself, And I will bring them against you from every side: 23 The Babylonians, All the Chaldeans, Pekod, Shoa, Koa, All the Assyrians with them, All of them desirable young men, Governors and rulers, Captains and men of renown, All of them riding on horses. 24 And they shall come against you With chariots, wagons, and war-horses, With a horde of people. They shall array against you Buckler, shield, and helmet all around. 'I will delegate judgment to them, And they shall judge you according to their judgments. 25 I will set My jealousy against you, And they shall deal furiously with you; They shall remove your nose and your ears, And your remnant shall fall by the sword; They shall take your sons and your daughters, And your remnant shall be devoured by fire. 26 They shall also strip you of your clothes And take away your beautiful jewelry. (Ezekiel 23:1-12, 15-18, 22-16)

This also appears to be consistent with the happenings and order of Isaiah 10.

It should also be noticed that the King of the North will be interested in gold as was pointed out in Daniel 11:38 and 43.

Germans are interested in gold.

Gold coins and bars (Unsplash photo)

Notice the following:

Facing Inflation Threat, German Investors Loading Up On Gold

September 3, 2021

While most American investors have faith that the Federal Reserve can and will successfully tighten monetary policy to fight inflation — or have simply bought into the “transitory” inflation narrative — Germans are loading up on gold as a hedge against growing inflationary pressures.

Through the first half of the year, gold coin and gold bar demand in Germany hit the highest level since 2009 – the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis. First-half demand for bar and coins in Germany increased by 35% from the previous six months, compared with a 20% increase in the rest of the world, according to World Gold Council data.

Raphael Scherer serves as the managing director at Philoro Edelmetalle GmbH. He told Bloomberg that gold sales for the company are up 25% on what was already a strong 2020.

We have a long history of inflation fear in our DNA. Now the inflation risk is picking up. The outlook for precious metals is very positive.”

Given Germany’s experience with hyperinflation under the Weimar Republic, it comes as no surprise that Germans are wary of inflation.

Gold investment took off in the country in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis and has been strong ever since. …

The World Gold Council summarized why Germans tend to turn to gold when inflation looms.

German investors have an acute awareness of the wealth-eroding effects of financial instability. Hyper-inflation in the 1920s lingers on in the collective memory but, perhaps more importantly, German investors have seen fiat currencies come and go: in the past 100 years, Germany has had eight different currencies. It should come as no surprise that, when faced with such an unsettling economic backdrop, German investors turned to gold – which during our field research one investor described as an enduring currency – to protect their wealth.”

Gold investment picked up even more during the pandemic. Last year, Germans bought more coins and bars than any previous year. https://www.zerohedge.com/commodities/facing-inflation-threat-german-investors-loading-gold

Partially because of inflationary fears, partially because of nationalism, partially because of Brexit, partially because of sanctions threats, and partially because of moves to not be as dependent upon the US dollar, various nations, and not just individuals, have been repatriating and/or increasing gold reserves.

The Russians and Chinese have been making gold moves (watch US Dollar being challenged by Gold-Petro-Yuan). Russia and China are working towards a world where the US dollar is not the world’s primary reserve currency and a world where gold rises up (see The End of US Dollar Dominance). The Germans and other Europeans also want a world where the US dollar is not dominant–that is part of why the euro was developed.

The US keeps increasing debt and basically printing money out of thin air. The US dollar will collapse as scriptures like Habakkuk 2:6-8 and Daniel 11:39 point to. Daniel 11:39 is the start of the time of Jacob’s trouble (Jeremiah 30:7) also known as the Great Tribulation.

The world will have been used to the stability of the US dollar and Europe will want to try to have that type of confidence in its currency. It will get more gold!

The fact that Germans are individually interested in buying gold is consistent with biblical prophecy (see also
The Plain Truth About Gold in Prophecy. How Should a Christian View Gold?).

Hosea, the UK, and Prophecy

It is not just the USA that will be affected.

The prophet Hosea recorded the following:

13 When Ephraim saw his sickness, And Judah saw his wound, Then Ephraim went to Assyria And sent to King Jareb; Yet he cannot cure you, Nor heal you of your wound. 14 For I will be like a lion to Ephraim, And like a young lion to the house of Judah. I, even I, will tear them and go away; I will take them away, and no one shall rescue.

So then Ephraim tries to make a deal with Assyria.

Hosea also warns about whirlwinds and a coming massive tornado:

6 For from Israel is even this:
A workman made it, and it is not God;
But the calf of Samaria shall be broken to pieces.

7 “They sow the wind,
And reap the whirlwind.
The stalk has no bud;
It shall never produce meal.
If it should produce,
Aliens would swallow it up.
8 Israel is swallowed up;
Now they are among the Gentiles
Like a vessel in which is no pleasure.
(Hosea 8:6-8)

15 Even though Ephraim ran wild,
the black sheep of the family.

“God’s tornado is on its way,
roaring out of the desert.
It will devastate the country,
leaving a trail of ruin and wreckage.
The cities will be gutted,
dear possessions gone for good.
16 Now Samaria has to face the charges
because she has rebelled against her God:
Her people will be killed, babies smashed on the rocks,
pregnant women ripped open.
(Hosea 13:15-16, THE MESSAGE)

In the above, notice that Samaria is also affected in both of the above sections. This seems to be a referring to the ‘melting pot’ of the USA (Samaria was a melting pot mixture of Babylonians and Israelites; see also Anglo – America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel).

Also notice Hosea 8:8-9 where Ephraim apparently tries to pay for help while Israel (perhaps the U.S.A. or the U.S.A. and Judah) is essentially gone:

8 Israel is swallowed up; Now they are among the Gentiles, Like a vessel in which is no pleasure. 9 For they have gone up to Assyria, Like a wild donkey alone by itself; Ephraim has hired lovers.

In Hosea 12:1 Ephraim tries to make a deal with the Assyrians:

1 Ephraim feeds on the wind, And pursues the east wind; He daily increases lies and desolation. Also they make a covenant with the Assyrians. And oil is carried to Egypt.

And in Hosea 7:11-12 Ephraim also tries to make a deal with Egypt and Assyria. These deal seem to be made after the USA has been eliminated or is on its way out.

11 Ephraim also is like a silly dove, without sense—They call to Egypt, They go to Assyria. 12 Wherever they go, I will spread My net on them; I will bring them down like birds of the air; I will chastise them, According to what their congregation has heard.

There would seem to be no point in going to Egypt if the King of the South has already been overwhelmed by the King of the North, so this attempt to make deals might happen fairly early in the Great Tribulation.

There is nothing that I am aware of in world history that shows that Ephraim calls to Egypt after Hosea was written in a manner to fulfill that prophecy. Since this is a prophecy that must come to pass, this is one more reason why I believe the Bible supports the concept that the King of the North invades the U.S.A. and its English-speaking allies before it invades the King of the South.

Notice that Ephraim will eat unclean things in Assyria:

3 They shall not dwell in the Lord’s land, But Ephraim shall return to Egypt, And shall eat unclean things in Assyria. (Hosea 9:3)

These verses in Hosea suggest that the Ephraimites (United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand) and the Jews (modern Israel) think they should get some protection from Assyria (Germany), probably because the U.S.A. (Manasseh, Israel?) was the primary reason the King of the North attacked the strongest fortresses and/or because they have made various treaties.

Furthermore, it shows that one of the reasons that Israel, including Ephraim, is swallowed up is because they trusted Assyria. Assyria is a people who Isaiah 10 shows will destroy nations.

Interestingly, Ephraim, Manasseh, and Judah are also prophesied to turn on each other to some degree (Isaiah 9:21).

This seems to be consistent also with a Roman Catholic prophecy:

St. Senanus (died 560): They (English) themselves will betray each other… (Culleton, The Prophets and Our Times, p. 128)

Hosea 10:9-11 suggests that Ephraim and Judah will be forced into hard labor, perhaps around this time as well; while 11:1-8 says that Assyria will be the king of Ephraim and Israel, because they refused to repent, and that the sword will devour their cities.

The last verse in Hosea (14:9) begins with:

9 Who is wise? Let him understand these things. Who is prudent? Let him know them.

Note that the word translated as “prudent” above is the same Hebrew biyn that is in Daniel 11:33/35 as understanding. Since I believe that the Philadelphian portion of the Church is to have the wise and prudent, I believe that Hosea is giving more insight as to why it may be tied into Daniel 11.

The Bundeswehr and How Will Germany Succeed Militarily?

Many do not believe that Germany has any military ambitions or capability. But that is not the case. It does.

The agency officially responsible for the military in Germany is called the Bundeswehr.  Here is some of what its official website says about itself and its mission (note this was machine-translated into English as the original is in the German language and multiple pages were accessed from www.bundeswehr.de/):

Mission of the Bundeswehr

The Bundeswehr

• Germany and protects its citizens,
• secures the action in foreign policy of Germany,
• contributes to the defense of allies,
• contributes to stability and partnership in the international context
  and promotes multinational cooperation and European integration.

Basics - Why Armed Forces?

According to Article 87a of the Basic Law, the Federation forces for the defense. Defense, however, now includes more than the conventional defense at the borders against a conventional attack. It includes the prevention of conflicts and crises that joint crisis management and post-crisis.

Accordingly, defense geographically not possible to narrow down, but contributes to safeguarding our security wherever it is threatened. The compatibility of international missions of the Bundeswehr, which are carried out in the context of systems of collective security, the constitution was certified by the Constitutional Court and the German Bundestag.

Notice that the defense of Germany anywhere and supporting European integration are essentially the stated goals of the Bundeswehr.  European integration will lead to the rise of the end-time Beast power of biblical prophecy!

Wikipedia (viewed 06/25/13) has the following comment about the Bundeswehr:

The Bundeswehr in general is among the world's most technologically advanced and best-supplied militaries, as befits Germany's overall economic prosperity and significant military industry.

For many years (see my 2009 book, 2012 and the Rise of the Secret Sect, for one example), I have warned that the USA will likely be overwhelmed by a European power which has certain technological advantages.  I also included the following in my book Barack Obama, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States-Second Edition for Second Obama Term:

Destruction is Coming

Yet, instead of being worried about this coming Beast power,  the United States and some of the other Anglo-powers, seem to be encouraging the development of a major power in Europe...

The Bible shows that the Beast will have special help from “unclean spirits” (Revelation 16:13) and will be considered to be unconquerable (Revelation 13:4).

Notice what the Bible says about this:

3...And all the world marveled and followed the beast. 4 So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, "Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?" (Revelation 13:3-4, NKJV)

Notice that the military power of the Beast was something that the world will marvel, be astonished about.  Why?  Because no one really thought that the European Beast power had the military ability to defeat the U.S.A. with its Anglo-allies (Daniel 11:39), and then the Islamic King of the South (Daniel 11:40-43).  Revelation 13:3-4 also supports the idea that the Beast may rise up because of violent civil unrest in Europe.

Technology may be key to a powerful European military.  One aspect could include particle collider research.  The number of colliders in the U.S.A. has dwindled down to one under the Obama and Bush Administrations, and the remaining one is facing budget cuts and possible closure.  Yet, in Europe, it now has the leading one in the world, CERN's Large Hadron Collider (LHC) and in 2012, Germany announced that it is planning a possibly even more advanced one called FAIR (FAIR stands for the Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research).

I believe that Germany’s FAIR, along with the LHC and other technology, will help the Europeans produce military weaponry to fulfill certain end time prophecies. Since Revelation 13:4 is discussing what seems to be a unique type of warfare, this warfare likely includes certain high-tech weapons (electromagnetic pulse, neutron, unique delivery systems, etc.) that will be effective for a while (ultimately the Europeans will be overcome by what appears to be a Russian-led, mainly Asian, confederation, cf. Jeremiah 50:41-43 & Daniel 11:44, possibly by exploiting some technological flaw, like creating a software virus, etc., while also amassing troops, etc.). The FAIR and the LHC projects are also likely to spin-off economic benefits that may help propel Europe to be (for a short while) the economic leader of the world (cf. Revelation 18).

While the U.S.A., Australia, and others are currently worried mostly about China, the European developments will not be good for the Anglo-descended lands, including England. (Thiel B. Barack Obama, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States-Second Edition for Second Obama Term. Nazarene Books, 2012/2013, pp. 120-122)

While many believe that Germany's intentions are peaceful (and the Bible teaches that many in Germany truly think they are per Isaiah 10:7), they will not remain that way. Preparing their people to better respect and support their military, while increasing its technical abilities will lead to war--and several of them (cf. Daniel 11:39, 40-43) will be so successful that the world will marvel (cf. Revelation 13:4).

The USA pulled its tanks out of Germany in 2013 (see There are no longer USA tanks in Germany: Do Americans understand this is a serious risk?) and in 2014, it put a German general in charge of the U.S. Army in Europe (see US Army in Europe to report to a German general!). This will reduce the USA's ability to fight Germany in the event of an attack.

Additionally, I should add that Germany has control of a fair amount of USA military technology and I believe it will use that against the USA and its allies as well.

Who is the world’s No. 3 arms exporter, after the United States and Russia? Surprise. It is Germany, a country bound by law to supply only allies and peaceable folks like (neutral) Switzerland or Sweden. Off limits are “areas of tension” — bad neighborhoods that actually need the stuff.

Yet somehow, Israel and Saudi Arabia, both living in the world’s powder keg, are among Germany’s best customers. So are Algeria, Qatar and  the United Arab Emirates. (Joffe J. Germany exports massive amounts of arms, hypocrisy. September 22, 2014. http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate/2014/09/22/the-worlds-no-3-arms-exporter-germany/)

Notice also the following news reports:

Is Italy capable of delivering a thermonuclear strike? Could the Belgians and the Dutch drop hydrogen bombs on enemy targets? And what about Germany — a country where fear of atomkraft is so great that the last government opposed all civilian nuclear power? Germany's air force couldn't possibly be training to deliver bombs 13 times more powerful than the one that destroyed Hiroshima, could it?

It is Europe's dirty secret that the list of nuclear-capable countries extends beyond those that have built their own weapons — Britain, France and Russia. The truth is that Belgium, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands store nuclear bombs on their air-force bases and have planes capable of delivering them. There are an estimated 200 B-61 thermonuclear-gravity bombs scattered across these four countries. Under a NATO agreement struck during the Cold War, the bombs, which are owned by the U.S., can be transferred to the control of a host nation's air force in time of conflict. Twenty years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, Dutch, Belgian, Italian and German pilots remain ready to engage in nuclear war. (Harrall E. What to Do About Europe's Secret Nukes . Time, January 4, 2010. http://content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1943799,00.html, viewed 05/09/14)

The US has supplied some 480 B61 thermonuclear bombs to five so-called “non-nuclear states”, including Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Turkey. Casually disregarded by the Vienna based UN Nuclear Watchdog (IAEA), the US has actively contributed to the proliferation of nuclear weapons in Western Europe...

Among the five “undeclared nuclear states”, “Germany remains the most heavily nuclearized country with three nuclear bases (two of which are fully operational) and may store as many as 150 [B61 bunker buster ] bombs” (Ibid). In accordance with “NATO strike plans” (mentioned above) these tactical nuclear weapons are also targeted at the Middle East.

While Germany is not categorized officially as a nuclear power, it produces nuclear warheads for the French Navy. It stockpiles nuclear warheads (made in America) and it has the capabilities of delivering nuclear weapons. Moreover, The European Aeronautic Defense and Space Company – EADS , a Franco-German-Spanish joint venture, controlled by Deutsche Aerospace and the powerful Daimler Group is Europe’s second largest military producer, supplying France’s M51 nuclear missile.

Germany imports and deploys nuclear weapons from the US. It also produces nuclear warheads which are exported to France. Yet it is classified as a non-nuclear state. (Chassudovsky M. Belgium or Iran, Where’s The Nuclear Threat? Europe’s Five “Undeclared Nuclear Weapons States” Are Turkey, Germany, Belgium, The Netherlands and Italy Nuclear Powers? Global Research, February 12, 2010, updated March 21, 2013. http://www.globalresearch.ca/europe-s-five-undeclared-nuclear-weapons-states/17550 viewed 05/11/14)

The reality is that if Germany chooses to turn against the USA, it has the nuclear ability to do so pretty much any time.

Germany is also working with others in Europe to have a military that is independent of the USA. Notice the following:

(13 November), in Brussels, 23 European Union Member States signed the joint notification of intention for creating Permanent Structured Co-operation (PESCO).

“With the creation of PESCO, member states are taking defence cooperation to a whole new level. The member states have taken a solid step towards more integrated Europe and the outcomes of this cooperation will help to ensure a more secure Europe for its citizens as well as strengthen the pillar of European Union in NATO,” said Estonia Defence Minister Jüri Luik.

The goal of PESCO is to further increase defence co-operation between Member States, to encourage larger defence investments, to facilitate the availability of military capabilities for European Union operations, to strengthen defence co-operation between member states, and to decrease capability gaps.

Member states participating in PESCO undertake to simplify the transportation of military supplies and units in Europe, which is an important goal for Estonia.

Luik emphasized that defence cooperation between European Union Member States strengthens Europe’s capability within NATO, which remains the cornerstone of collective defence.

“The creation of PESCO demonstrates the viability of the EU. By engaging in defence cooperation, member states want and are able to achieve visible results,” stated Luik.

He added that PESCO will remain open to all member states. “It is important that its objectives are achievable regardless of the size of the countries,” added Luik. https://www.eureporter.co/frontpage/2017/11/14/luik-pesco-helps-to-ensure-a-more-secure-europe-for-its-citizens/

The member states who signed the joint notification are: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Croatia, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden. It is possible for other member states to join at a later stage.

The joint notification is the first formal step to set up the PESCO. It sets out:

• the principles of the PESCO, in particular underlining that the "PESCO is an ambitious, binding and inclusive European legal framework for investments in the security and defence of the EU's territory and its citizens"
• the list of "ambitious and more binding common commitments" the member states have agreed to undertake, including "regularly increasing defence budgets in real terms in order to reach agreed objectives",
• proposals on PESCO governance, with an overarching level maintaining the coherence and the ambition of the PESCO, complemented by specific governance procedures at projects level. http://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2017/11/13/defence-cooperation-23-member-states-sign-joint-notification-on-pesco/

PESCO as part of a comprehensive defence package

PESCO is closely connected to the new Coordinated Annual Review on Defence (CARD) and the European Defence Fund (EDF), which is currently being developed under the European Defence Industrial Development Programme. They are complementary and mutually reinforcing tools contributing to the same political goal:

• CARD, to be run by the European Defence Agency, through systematically monitoring of national defence spending plans, will help identify opportunities for new collaborative initiatives.
• The EDF will provide financial incentives to foster defence cooperation from research to the development phase of capabilities including prototypes.
• PESCO will develop capability projects, identified notably through the CARD process in priority areas. https://eeas.europa.eu/headquarters/headquarters-Homepage/34226/permanent-structured-cooperation-pesco-factsheet_e

Notice a couple of other things about this agreement:

November 8, 2017

The Permanent Structured Cooperation, or PESCO, could be the biggest leap in EU defense policy in decades and may go some way to matching the bloc’s economic and trade prowess with a more powerful military. ...

So far France, Germany, Italy, Spain and around 16 other EU countries have pledged to join the pact, which could formally be launched when EU leaders meet in December. ... But it was clear that Britain, which intends to leave the bloc following the Brexit referendum of June 2016, would not participate, officials said. Britain has long sought to block EU defense cooperation, fearing it could lead to development of an EU army. http://www.reuters.com/article/us-eu-defence/eu-to-sign-joint-defense-pact-in-show-of-post-brexit-unity-idUSKBN1D81CT

8 November 2017

Within the PESCO framework, an EU Army - still opposed by some EU member countries - is to be initiated "from below." First plans include the establishment of a logistics hub and a core element of a military headquarters in Brussels. "We Europeans must finally take our defense into our own hands," says the CDU parliamentarian and foreign policy expert Elmar Brok. These measures taken by the EU are designed to supplement a merger of European armed forces, which Berlin is also promoting within NATO, for example with the subordination of foreign military units to German command. The defense ministry declares that this is "a grassroots issue."  ...

A centralized logistics hub must also be created, so that European military planners can make better "application of terrestrial, maritime and aerial transportation capabilities." In general, all PESCO participating nations should report "their capacities and capabilities" to the European Defense Agency (EDA), so that they are available to be consolidated at any time "in the framework of the new defense cooperation." The establishment of an EU military command headquarters is essential to these plans. An EU headquarters would be important for being able to jointly wage wars ...

German Predominance

The German Ministry of Defense explicitly points out that PESCO "is similar to NATO's Framework Nations Concept." "It also involves projects that cannot be jointly implemented with all partner countries ...

According to Germany's Defense Ministry, the militarization of the EU is a "grassroots issue." "European citizens" expect the EU to be more active in areas of "security and defense."[10] With the militarization of the EU, Berlin and Brussels are merely fulfilling these expectations. https://www.german-foreign-policy.com/en/news/detail/7443/

I have written for years that Europe would end up with its own military.

Notice another call for Germany to build its military:

16 August 2019

Dr Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmerman, who sits as a centre-right Free Democratic Party member, said that Berlin needs to stop living in the past.

She said: “Germany needs to grow up.

“The post-war era is over." ... Dr Zimmermann ... says that Germany needs to take even more individual responsibility as it cannot rely on Trump.

She added: “The age in which our allies, and above all the US, could be relied on to save our bacon is past. Many of our partners feel that Germany’s reluctance is a sign of untrustworthiness.

“This does huge damage to Germany, precisely because our country depends on support from the other Europeans in its security policy. Simply chuntering from the sidelines is preposterous.” https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1166577/german-army-shock-angela-merkel-eu-military-donald-trump-world-war-2-spt

Even after Germany's defeat in WWII, Church of God ministers have written that Germany would dominate that coming military.

It will be a “The UNITED STATES OF EUROPE,” but that probably will never become its official name. ... Once Europe is economically revived, and powerfully armed, a new Hitler will appear upon the scene ... (Armstrong HW. Now It Can Be Told...The Plain Truth, December 1948, pp. 5-6).

"The king of the north" — all Bible scholars know that the 'king of the north' originally meant Syria in Old Testament times; but when Rome conquered Syria, the 'king of the north' became Rome; and when Rome fell, the German Nation and its allies wok over Rome and now have become the 'king of the north' (verses 36-39 — the German Nation, now working through the Nazi Underground, "shall..." notice it! "... shall enter into the countries ...). Why? Because these nations shall finally be in league with Germany [the descendants of Assur or Assyria] according to Psalm 83! Germany's coming Fuhrer ... is "the king of the north." (Hoeh H. U.S. and Britain Admit NAZI UNDERGROUND Behind Arab Crisis! Plain Truth, October 1958)

German leaders once again — just as in centuries past — openly are attempting to unite all Europe in a United States of Europe — and, through Europe, to reshape the world in order to fasten German leadership and culture on all nations and peoples. (Hoeh H. Germany in Prophecy! - Part 1. Plain Truth, December 1962)

For well over 20 years, Mr. Armstrong has made plain to our readers that the prophecies of the Bible foretell that Germany will rise again to become a mighty world power. And, if the English- speaking world does not repent, bring about our national destruction! In 1945, when Germany lay prostrate and statesmen boasted that Ger- many would not rise again for 50 years or more, Mr . Armstrong told listeners of The WORLD TOMORROW broadcast about Germany's quick recovery and eventual development into a giant power. Since that time, many articles have appeared in Th e PLAIN TRUTH magazine warning our peoples of the rise of Germany and the ultimate formation of a United States of Europe. (Marx GO. Why Germans Long for a Leader. Plain Truth, September 1965, p. 30)

This is because of various biblical prophecies (e.g. Isaiah 10:5-12; Daniel 11:39).

As far as what is going on with PESCO, consider that the Bible teaches that Europe will have a great army:

25 "He shall stir up his power and his courage against the king of the South with a great army. (Daniel 11:25)

The "He" is identified as the final prophesied European King of the North in Daniel 11:40 (watch also Can You Prove that the Beast to Come is European?)--and looks to be one called The Great Monarch in Greco-Roman Catholic Prophecies.

Interestingly, there have been Greco-Roman Catholic writings that have predicted that Europe would have a great army along with a Germanic leader:

St. Francis of Paola (Born in Italy, 15th century). "By the grace of the Almighty, the Great Monarch will annihilate heretics and unbelievers. He will have a great army, and angels will fight at his side. He will be like the sun among the stars. His influence will spread over the whole earth. All in all, there will be on earth twelve Kings, one Emperor, one Pope and a few Princes. They will all lead holy lives." (Dupont, p.38)

Bernhardt Rembordt (18th century). "Cologne will be the site of a terrible battle...The German Empire will choose a simple man as the Emperor, who will rule for a short time. His successor will be the man for whom the world has longed. He will be called a "Roman Emperor," and he will give peace to the world. A good and happy era will follow. God will be praised on earth, and war will be no more." (Dupont, pp.34-35)

Saint Cataldus of Tarentino (c. 500): "The Great Monarch will be in war till he is forty years of age. ... he will assemble great armies and expel tyrants from his empire. He will conquer England and other island empires" (Connor, Edward. Prophecy for Today. Imprimatur + A.J. Willinger, Bishop of Monterey-Fresno; Reprint: Tan Books and Publishers, Rockford (IL), 1984, p.30; also Culleton , p.118-119).

Note: The nation was NOT called England in A.D. 500, but this is believed to be a reference to the Anglo-Saxon-Celtic peoples that a European leader is expected to conquer.

But the idea of a Germanic leader over great European armies is consistent with Bible prophecy.

Germany has the will, the structure, and even weapons, plus more are being developed.

In addition to nuclear weapons of the USA, Europe's upcoming Galileo satellite system will give Germany and the Europeans the ability to interfere with the USA's ability to respond to an attack. This is a tactical advantage.

Years ago, instead of completely strengthening the U.S. Global Positioning System (GPS), Barack Obama's Administration instead decided to rely on Europe's upcoming Galileo “GPS” for part of the U.S.A.'s military defense (U.S. and the EU to collaborate on the usage of Global Navigation Satellite Systems.  Wire Update, BNO News, July 31, 2010). This move would appear to give the rising European power a unique offensive and defensive capability against the U.S.A. (cf. Daniel 11:39; Revelation 13:3-4).  It is dangerous to have a potential enemy control portions of one’s military communications systems.

How else can the German-dominated European-power beat the USA?

Essentially, the Europeans will position their economy in such a way that it will not be perceived to be as risky as that of the USA, while they also increase their military technology. See also European Technology and the Beast of Revelation. 

And eventually, perhaps under the guise of a NATO exercise, launch a surprise attack once the USA has been weakened by weather problems, terrorist acts, war, riots, solar flares, severe earthquakes, civil unrest, devastation of their genetically-modified food supplies, food shortages, and/or various pestilences–an intensity of “sorrows” such as Jesus discussed in Matthew 24:4-8 leading up to the time of the Great Tribulation.   Disasters, especially if there is an ElectroMagnetic Pulse (emp) attack or a severe solar flare storm, could be part of a so-called “perfect storm” of events that could set the USA for destruction.

The end-time European power will take advantage of circumstances, trust, and timing (cf. Daniel 8:23-25).

The Bible shows that a coming European King of the North power will beat the nation with the "strongest fortresses" (Daniel 11:39).  Is it not the USA and its Anglo-allies that possess the strongest military in the world today?  Well, the Bible shows that at near the appointed time of the end, that strongest military power will be taken over.

Steps are being taken right now for that to happen.

Other Asshur/Assyria King of the North Ties

There are other passages in the Bible that seem to tie the descendants of Asshur in with the King of the North.

In the future at "the appointed time," something will trigger the King of the North (the "he" below) going towards the south:

29 At the appointed time he shall return and go toward the south; but it shall not be like the former or the latter. 30 For ships from Cyprus shall come against him; therefore he shall be grieved, and return in rage against the holy covenant, and do damage. So he shall return and show regard for those who forsake the holy covenant (Daniel 11:29-30).

Note: the Hebrew term translated as "Cyprus" in the NKJV is a mistranslation--but could include ships from the island of Cyprus. The KJV uses the term Chittim which means "Western lands." Hence the King of the North will apparently be temporarily stopped by a Western naval power.

Here are other translations of it:

30 For warships from western coastlands will scare him off, and he will withdraw and return home. But he will vent his anger against the people of the holy covenant and reward those who forsake the covenant. (Daniel 11:30, New Living Translation 1996 Greg Laurie)

30 Ships of the western coastlands will oppose him, and he will lose heart. Then he will turn back and vent his fury against the holy covenant. He will return and show favor to those who forsake the holy covenant. (Daniel 11:30, NIV)

30 Ships from the west will come to attack him, and he will be discouraged. Then he will start back to his own country and take out his anger on the religion of God's faithful people, while showing kindness to those who are unfaithful. (Daniel 11:30, CEV)

30 Ships will come from the west to attack him, and he will be discouraged and turn back. Angry at the holy promise, he will return, take action, and favor those who abandon the holy promise. (Daniel 11:30, GWT)

Here is a Roman Catholic writing related to this verse and what follows:

It seems he will probably be defeated by by certain people of the Western nations, who will give him a naval battle…(11:30).  But he will soon recover from this defeat. (Huchedé P. History of Antichrist. Imprimatur Edward Charles Fabre, Bishop of Montreal, First English edition 1884. 1976 reprint from TAN Books, Rockford (IL), p. 22)

Despite some claims, notice that a major battle is not shown to have occurred in verse 30; it may only involve a show of naval force.

No later than 2003, I first thought that Daniel 11:30 could be referring to United States warships alarming the European/Germanic King of the North--who will lead a resurrected 'Roman Empire' (cf. Daniel 9:26-27). Then in 2008, I came across the following in a book written about Greco-Roman Catholic prophecies by Gerald Culleton:

Countess Francesca de Billiante (died 1935): When the land with the great fleet enters the Mediterranean (England or the United States?) then Europe will tremble…God will save Rome (Culleton, The Prophets and Our Times, p. 226).

Note: The comments ( ) in are from the Roman Catholic writer Gerald Culleton.  And while he did not connect this Roman Catholic prophecy to Daniel 11:30 in that writing, that passage certainly may be related. 

Consider also something that a so-called "Christian" psychic and dowser wrote

Alois Irlmaier of Freilassing, Germany (prior to 1959): Suddenly ... large naval forces are positioned in a hostile way in the Mediterranean Sea - the situation is tense ... Then war breaks out ... Meanwhile, the yellow dragon invades Alaska and Canada at the same time. (Araujo, pp. 116-117)

The above psychic helped the German police find various criminals etc., and thus may have had some type of connection to the spirit (demonic) world.

Because the Bible shows that the spirit world has knowledge of scripture (Matthew 4:5–6), it would appear that some spirits inspired certain private prophets to make a variety of statements throughout history to try to confuse people at the end. The statement from the Countess may have been intended to tell the Europeans that they should not be too afraid of the coming “American” (which could include Canadian) ships.

Despite some claims, notice that a major battle is not shown to have occurred in verse 30; it may only involve a show of naval force. Thus, that verse may possibly indicate that this is when the European Beast power may temporarily make a deceptive deal with a major Western power (probably the United States) which will ultimately allow it to destroy the USA and its English-speaking allies (see also verse 39).

Why does the Western naval power seem to be the United States and perhaps also its British-descended allies?

First, the United States is west of Jerusalem. As is Canada.

Second, the United States is a major naval power, and often uses its naval power as a threat.

Third, although Latin America is also west of Jerusalem, it (even when all the nations that compose it are combined) would not seem to have enough of a naval force to stop the European king's approach (plus, since Latin America shares culture, languages, and religion with Europe, it will most likely be allied with the King of the North either at this time or shortly thereafter).

Fourth, while the UK is basically north of Jerusalem, it has long had a naval presence west of Jerusalem in places like Gibraltar and Cyprus. Furthermore, Great Britain took possession of Cyprus in 1878 and was formally annexed by the U.K. in 1914. And while that status changed after Cyprus emerged as a sovereign state in 1960, the UK did not cede all territory to it. Currently, the Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia is a British Overseas Territory on the island of Cyprus. So the UK actually has military territory in two places on the island of Cyprus. The Royal Navy has long had a presence there--and the UK has also allowed the USA to stage some military weaponry there.

Fifth, since the nation of Cyprus is actually part of the European Union, it makes no sense that it would attempt to stop the European Beast power--plus it does not have a massive enough navy to be a threat of itself against the coming King of the North.

Sixth, since the Bible shows that the problems from the kings that are north and east of the King of the North do not occur until verse 44 of Daniel 11, since they can be eliminated as possibilities, this pretty much only leaves that United States and its English-speaking allies as the only possible naval power that could deter the King of the North at this stage.

Someone sent me a link to the following in 2019:

the European Union is shaping into an empire, and sooner or later the United States, as a maritime great power, will come into conflict with it. That is a structural issue, and it is inevitable. Any power consolidating the European landmass would have so much material, financial, and demographic power, it would be a threat to other land and maritime powers around, including the United States, United Kingdom, or even Russia. (Maitra S. When The European Union Becomes An Empire, Its Clash With The United States Is Inevitable. September 17, 2019)

Yes, conflict between the USA and Europe is coming.

But since Daniel 11 is about the King of the North, it may be of interest to notice that there is an end time prophecy in Numbers that seems to discuss the same event. Here are several translations of the seemingly related event:

14 … Come, I will advise you what this people will do to your people in the latter days. (Numbers 24:14, NKJV)

24 But ships shall come from the coasts of Cyprus, And they shall afflict Asshur and afflict Eber, And so shall Amalek, until he perishes. (Numbers 24:24, NKJV)

24 But ships will come from the direction of Kittim, troubling Asshur and troubling Eber, and like the others their fate will be destruction. (Numbers 24:24. Bible in Basic English, BBE)

24 And -- ships [are] from the side of Chittim, And they have humbled Asshur, And they have humbled Eber, And it also for ever is perishing.' (Numbers 24:24, Young’s Literal Translation)

24 Sea-Peoples, raiders from across the sea, will harass Asshur and Eber, But they’ll also come to nothing, just like all the rest. (Numbers 24:24, The Message).

24 And ships shall come from the coast of Kittim (Cyprus), and shall afflict Asshur (Assyria), and shall afflict 'Ever (i.e., Region beyond the River [Euphrates]), and he also shall be unto destruction. (Numbers 24:24, Orthodox Jewish Bible, OJB)

So a naval power comes and troubles the Assyrians and some other peoples and that naval power will end up coming to nothing according to the Book of Numbers. It is of interest to note that the U.S. and its ships, from a Judean, or even European, perspective, are from western lands.

[Now, the possible identity of the other group that is troubled/harassed, Eber, is of interest. Eber was a son of Shem and the children of Israel descended through Eber's son Peleg (Genesis 11:19-26; Luke 3:34-35), as did most of the Arab peoples (cf. Genesis 25:12-18). The OJB suggests that these are peoples beyond the Euphrates, and at least twice Josephus identified descendants of Israel (including the ten tribes) as being beyond the Euphrates. Yet, this passage in Numbers 24:24 does not necessarily seem to be referring to all the tribes of Israel (though it could be as all might be concerned by what is happening then). As it turned out, Eber had another son, Joktan, who had 13 sons (Genesis 10:25-29). And various descendants of the tribes of Israel, like Simeon (cf. Joshua 19:2), seemed to be in contact with some of Joktan's descendants (like Sheba of Genesis 10:28) and probably intermingled with them. Hence, it is possible that it is the Israelite-descended nations in Northern Europe that are troubled when Assyria is. The fact that Havilah, the name of another of Joktan's sons (Genesis 10:29) was anciently between Egypt and Assyria (Genesis 25:18) suggests that perhaps some migrated along with the Assyrians and could be others in Europe who are not Assyrian (perhaps like the Eastern Europeans). Additionally, and/or instead, this could be referring to those associated with the final King of the South (there is a Jobab, interestingly which is also the name one of Joktan's sons, though a different person, who was one the early kings of Edom per Genesis 36:31-34). The use of naval power will be a concern to many and not just Asshur's descendants.]

Both of the events above are to happen in the latter days (Numbers 24:14), the appointed time of the end (Daniel 11:27). The term Kittim is used in both verses and refers to "Western lands." Numbers 24:24 shows that Assyria will not like what happens from the naval incursion, but those that do it will be defeated later. Daniel 11:30 shows that the King of the North does not like what happens, but he ends up eliminating those with the "strongest fortresses" (Daniel 11:39), which in modern times is the USA and perhaps with its Anglo-allies. This is an important prophecy for the 21st century as it shows an event that should be fairly public that prophecy watchers should be able to identify presuming that they have a proper understanding of the related scriptures.

Thus, both Daniel 11:29-30 and Numbers 24:24 seem to tie an Assyrian power in the end time to a type of naval invasion, but a naval power that itself would later be defeated. Notice that a major power will be defeated by the King of the North (the "he" below):

39 Thus he shall act against the strongest fortresses with a foreign god, which he shall acknowledge, and advance its glory; and he shall cause them to rule over many, and divide the land for gain. (Daniel 11:39)

The above seems to be consistent with the passages in Isaiah 10. The end time King of the North of Daniel 11 is also the Beast of the sea of Revelation 13 who will cause the world to marvel because of his military conquests (Revelation 13:4). Would not defeating the USA make the world marvel? 

Consider also :

1 Woe to you who are at ease in Zion, And trust in Mount Samaria, Notable persons in the chief nation, To whom the house of Israel comes! 2 Go over to Calneh and see; And from there go to Hamath the great; Then go down to Gath of the Philistines. Are you better than these kingdoms? Or is their territory greater than your territory? (Amos 6:1-2)

The above is warning those who trust in Mount Samaria--the military of the USA (see also Spiritual Samaritans: Old and New).

Calneh according to Fausset's's Bible Dictionary means: - the fort of the god Anu. Hamath according to Smith's Bible Dictionary means: - Fortress. These are places are also listed in Isaiah 10.

Germany is Upset With the USA's Spying

The USA has been spying a lot on Germany:

June 30, 2013

BERLIN — Senior European lawmakers say they are shocked at reports that U.S. intelligence agents bugged EU offices on both sides of the Atlantic...

A top German official accused the United States on Sunday of using “Cold War” methods against its allies, after a German magazine cited secret intelligence documents to claim that U.S. spies bugged European Union offices.

Justice Minister Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger was responding to a report by German news weekly Der Spiegel, which claimed that the U.S. National Security Agency eavesdropped on EU offices in Washington, New York and Brussels. The magazine cited classified U.S. documents taken by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden that it said it had partly seen.  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/30/germany-bugging_n_3524755.html

(Reuters) – The United States taps half a billion phone calls, emails and text messages in Germany in a typical month and has classed its biggest European ally as a target similar to China, according to secret U.S. documents quoted by a German newsmagazine…

The document Spiegel cited showed that the United States categorized Germany as a “third-class” partner and that surveillance there was stronger than in any other EU country, similar in extent to China, Iraq or Saudi-Arabia.

“We can attack the signals of most foreign third-class partners, and we do it too,” Der Spiegel quoted a passage in the NSA document as saying…

On an average day, the NSA monitored about 20 million German phone connections and 10 million internet data sets, rising to 60 million phone connections on busy days, the report said…

Only Canada, Australia, Britain and New Zealand were explicitly exempted from spy attacks.  http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/30/us-usa-germany-spying-idUSBRE95T04B20130630

Notice that what many German politicians want:

German lawmakers decide to quiz Snowden

May 8, 2014

Reuters) – German lawmakers decided on Thursday they want to question former U.S. intelligence contractor Edward Snowden as part of a parliamentary inquiry into the mass surveillance of German citizens, which he exposed.

“A majority of the committee has decided that we want to hear Mr. Snowden,” said Roderich Kiesewetter, the conservative head of the committee set up to investigate the activities in Germany of the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA)...

Angela Merkel’s conservatives have so far rejected this, fearing that bringing Snowden to Berlin could further damage relations with Washington which have suffered from revelations that U.S. spies had tapped the German chancellor’s own phone.

The center-left Social Democrats (SPD), who share power with Merkel’s conservatives in a ‘grand coalition’, have said they are open to questioning Snowden in Germany or Russia.  http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/05/08/us-germany-spying-snowden-idUSBREA470FV20140508

Germans and others do not like to be considered to be 'third class' partners. They will remember this:

NSA Spying: The world is laughing at the naive EU leaders

German Economic News | Posted: 2:07:13, 12:35 | Updated: 2:07:13, 00:50 |

The rulers of Europe were obviously extremely naive: How could it happen that the U.S. install a bug in the middle of the EU embassy in Washington?…

Divide and rule – according to this principle, the Americans went in scrutinizing EU ago by the NSA. With the code name “Dropmire” a bug was smuggled into the EU encrypted fax message…

A central question is how the EU could be so stupid as to leave to join the Americans a bug to the central fax. http://deutsche-wirtschafts-nachrichten.de/2013/07/02/nsa-spionage-die-welt-lacht-ueber-die-naiven-eu-fuehrer/

What, exactly, is the purpose of the National Security Agency? Security, as its name might suggest? No matter in what system or to what purpose: A monitored human being is not a free human being. And every state that systematically contravenes human rights, even in the alleged service of security, is acting criminally...unexpected flare-up of American imperialism serves as a reminder of the necessity for Europe. Does anyone seriously believe that Obama will ensure the chancellor and her interior minister that the American authorities will respect the rights of German citizens in the future? Only Europe can break the American fantasy of omnipotence. One option would be for Europe to build its own system of networks to prevent American surveillance. Journalist Frank Schirrmacher of the respected Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper recommended that over the weekend. http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/europe-must-stand-up-to-american-cyber-snooping-a-906250.html

Notice that some in Germany believe that the EU has been stupid in overly trusting the USA.  Notice that the Germans are incensed with both the USA and the UK.  Many Germans will long remember this and decide that they will always have to mistrust the USA, despite future assurances by the USA. And they want their own espionage system (cf. Revelation 13:15-18).

According to a German source (the following was machine-translated into English from German), the USA will give the Europeans a lot of information:

Obama promises EU all the information

Given the outrage over the U.S. spy in Europe, the U.S. president tried to relax. He also justified for intelligence operations.  http://www.zeit.de/politik/ausland/2013-07/snowden-brief-usa-prozess

I should also add that another German news source basically said that Americans like ‘big brother’ to take care of their security, and hinted that the Americans were hypocritical.  This does not bode well for the USA (cf. Isaiah 10:5-6, KJV; Daniel 11:39). (See also The Snowden Leaks are Leading to the Destruction of the USA.)

The Germans are very upset about what seems to have happened. Yet, even more has happened.

While German Chancellor Merkel was outraged before, she is now even more incensed to learn that the USA allegedly was listening to her cell phone calls:

The furore over the scale of American mass surveillance revealed by Edward Snowden shifted to an incendiary new level on Wednesday evening when Angela Merkel of Germany called Barack Obama to demand explanations over reports that the US National Security Agency was monitoring her mobile phone.

Merkel was said by informed sources in Germany to be “livid” over the reports and convinced, on the basis of a German intelligence investigation, that the reports were utterly substantiated.

The German news weekly, Der Spiegel, reported an investigation by German intelligence, prompted by research from the magazine, that produced plausible information that Merkel’s mobile was targeted by the US eavesdropping agency. The German chancellor found the evidence substantial enough to call the White House and demand clarification.

The outrage in Berlin came days after President François Hollande of France also called the White House to confront Obama with reports that the NSA was targeting the private phone calls and text messages of millions of French people.  http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/oct/23/us-monitored-angela-merkel-german

 Germany is proposing having a system that will prevent the USA from spying as much on it:

BERLIN — The news that the National Security Agency has its eye on much of the world’s electronic communications has shocked Germans, who have memories of Nazi and Cold War-era spying. Now, an alliance of German phone and Internet companies claims it has a solution: German e-mail and Internet transmitted within German borders.

The proposals — one for Internet, one for e-mail — aim to boost the security of Germany’s internal communications by preventing them from bouncing outside the country, which has far stricter privacy regulations than the United States. If a German customer wants to call up a German Web site, there is no reason that the data must pass through a server in Virginia, exposing the information to potential surveillance, advocates say. The same goes for e-mails within Germany...for Germans who have been infuriated by a steady drip-drop of NSA allegations, including one that Chancellor Angela Merkel’s cellphone had been monitored for more than a decade, the German-only initiatives may be attractive. And in the United States, technology industry advocates say they are bracing for tough competition from foreign companies that boast that they are freer from U.S. intrusion and monitoring than American counterparts.

(Birnbaum M. Germany looks at keeping its Internet, e-mail traffic inside its borders. November 1, 2013. http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/germany-looks-at-keeping-its-internet-e-mail-traffic-inside-its-borders/2013/10/31/981104fe-424f-11e3-a751-f032898f2dbc_story.html)

The above type of system will help the Germans militarily. Notice also:

Brazil, Europe plan undersea cable to skirt U.S. spying

Brazil and the European Union agreed on Monday to lay an undersea communications cable from Lisbon to Fortaleza to reduce Brazil's reliance on the United States after Washington spied on Brasilia...U.S. President Barack Obama has since banned spying on the leaders of close allies, but trust has been damaged...The cable agreement marks rare progress for Rousseff in her ties with the European Union, the top foreign investor in Brazil...http://news.yahoo.com/brazil-presses-eu-undersea-cable-skirt-u-links-115123537--finance.html;_ylt=AwrTWfz.cAtT4nwACq3QtDMD

So, despite assurances about limits to spying on leaders personally by USA President Obama, Brazil and the European Union are taking a major step to reduce USA espionage.  This, of course, will weaken the USA as it has been able to spy on all calls from Brazil over to Europe in the past.

The USA later was caught in another action against Germany:

July 7, 2014

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Monday allegations that a German man worked as a double agent for U.S. intelligence were serious and, if true, were a clear contradiction of what cooperation between partners is supposed to be about.

The case threatens to further strain ties with Washington, which have been sorely tested by revelations last year of large-scale snooping on Germany by the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA), including the alleged monitoring of Merkel's cell phone.

"If the reports are correct it, would be a serious case," said Merkel, speaking at a news conference on a visit to Beijing. "If the allegations are true, it would be for me a clear contradiction as to what I consider to be trusting cooperation between agencies and partners."

The White House and State Department have so far declined to comment on the arrest of a 31-year-old employee of Germany's BND foreign intelligence agency.

German prosecutors said the man allegedly handed over 218 documents between 2012 and 2014.

German media, without naming sources, have reported he was an employee of Germany's foreign intelligence service who said he sold his services to the U.S.

The comments marked the chancellor's first public remarks on the arrest last week of the 31-year-old man suspected of being a double agent.  http://www.voanews.com/content/merkel-speaks-on-alleged-double-agent/1952060.html

The Europeans in general, and Germans in particular, will not forget this. They are realizing that the USA is not truly their friend.

Germany’s is upset about continued US espionage and is starting to take steps, and the USA is concerned:

July 11, 2014

Kerry looks to soothe relations with Germany

Secretary of State John Kerry is set to meet with German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier: http://thehill.com/policy/211941-kerry-to-meet-with-german-foreign-minister-after-spy-reports#ixzz37AKB2W6s

July 11, 2014

Germany’s foreign minister says he will discuss the expulsion of a U.S. intelligence officer from Berlin with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry when the two diplomats see each other at meetings in Vienna in the next two days.  http://www.voanews.com/content/germany-us-to-discuss-spy-expulsion-/1955354.html

July 10, 2014

Diplomatic tensions between Germany and the U.S. stoked by allegations of spying are spilling over into German government plans to upgrade the military’s drones, said lawmakers who sit on parliament’s Defense Committee.

Espionage activities that prompted Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government to expel a U.S. intelligence official yesterday compound German concerns over “black box” modules in U.S. bidder General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc.’s MQ-9 Reaper drones, said the lawmakers. That might help tip the balance in favor of awarding the contract to Israel Aerospace Industries’ Heron TP fliers.

“The latest spying allegations raise the hurdle for accepting black box technology,” Hans-Peter Bartels, a lawmaker from Merkel’s Social Democratic coalition partner who chairs the Defense Committee, said in a phone interview. The developments have “stiffened” lawmakers’ resistance to buying the U.S. military hardware, as the expulsion “marks a new low in Germany’s trust in its U.S. ally,” he said.

The snooping spat revives a dilemma for Merkel, who has sought to isolate Germany’s business interests from government pressure on the U.S. to change its intelligence policy since Edward Snowden’s revelations last year. It also threatens to undermine Merkel’s support for a free-trade accord between the U.S. and the European Union…

Lawmaker concerns center on what they say is the use of black box technology to store and transmit secure surveillance data to the U.S…“Naturally, we’re sensitive to the black box issue,” Bernd Siebert, a committee member from Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union party, said in an e-mailed reply to questions. This “will flow into the decision making” on the drone selected, he said…

While German politicians may be “utilizing” the spying scandals, their concerns betray long-standing attempts to free Europe from dependency on U.S. technology, said Jan Techau, who heads the Brussels office of the Carnegie Endowment.  http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-07-10/german-drone-upgrade-feels-heat-of-u-s-spying-dispute.html

Notice that many in Germany have long wanted to reduce dependency upon USA technology. I have been warning for years that the Europeans will one day have sufficient technology to takeover the USA and its Anglo-Saxon descended allies (see also European Technology and the Beast of Revelation).  Now, because of the espionage scandal over the past year or so, the USA is likely to share too much technology with the Europeans in general, and Germany in particular, as well as make arrangements to allow Germany to operate with less USA intelligence oversight.

Germany is taking more action:

July 2, 2015

German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s chief of staff, Peter Altmaier, has asked the U.S. ambassador in Berlin for a meeting over allegations that U.S. spies bugged senior government ministers, a German government source told Reuters on Thursday.

“The Chancellor’s Chief of Staff has invited U.S. Ambassador John Emerson to a meeting because of the new bugging revelations. The conversation is due to take place on Thursday afternoon,” said the source.

In the latest twist in an ongoing scandal over U.S. spying in Germany, media reported that the National Security Agency (NSA) bugged several senior government members in addition to Merkel, including the economy and finance ministers.  http://news.yahoo.com/germany-asks-u-ambassador-talks-spying-reports-source-125614600.html

2. Juli 2015

• Nach den jüngsten Enthüllungen über die Spionageaktivitäten des US-Geheimdienstes NSA in Deutschland hat Kanzleramtsminister Peter Altmaier (CDU) den US-Botschafter zu einer Unterredung gebeten.
• Möglich ist zudem eine Wiederaufnahme strafrechtlicher Ermttlungen. Der Generalbundesanwalt gehe den Ausspähaktionen der NSA “im Rahmen seiner Verfolgungszuständigkeit nach”.
• Jüngst veröffentliche Dokumente der Enthüllungsplattform Wikileaks sollen zeigen, dass das Ausmaß der Spionagetätigkeit der NSA in Deutschland weit größer ist als bisher angenommen.

Nach Informationen von Wikileaks hat die NSA nicht nur Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel, sondern auch weite Teile der Regierung ausgespäht. Das geht aus Dokumenten der Enthüllungsplattform hervor, berichtete die “Süddeutsche Zeitung” in Zusammenarbeit mit NDR und WDR.  NSA-Untersuchungsausschuss Opposition empört über neue Hinweise zur NSA-Spionage http://www.sueddeutsche.de/politik/nsa-affaere-kanzleramt-bittet-us-botschafter-zum-gespraech-1.2548510

This is the above article machine-translated into English:

July 2, 2015

• After the recent revelations about the spying activities of the US Secret NSA in Germany chancellery minister Peter Altmaier (CDU) has asked the US ambassador for an interview.
• Also is possible a resumption of criminal Ermttlungen/investigations. The attorney general will go to Ausspähaktionen NSA “as part of its jurisdiction under persecution”.
• Recently published documents of Wikileaks to show that the extent of the NSA spying in Germany is far greater than previously thought.

According to information from Wikileaks, the NSA has spied not only on Chancellor Angela Merkel, but also large parts of the government. This is apparent from documents the unveiling platform, reported the “Süddeutsche Zeitung” in cooperation with NDR and WDR .  NSA investigation committee opposition outraged by new information about NSA spying

Related to US espionage, more has come out, this time from Wikileaks:

July 8, 2015

The U.S. National Security Agency tapped phone calls involving German Chancellor Angela Merkel and her closest advisers for years and spied on the staff of her predecessors, WikiLeaks said on Wednesday.A report released by the group suggested NSA spying on Merkel and her staff had gone on far longer and more widely than previously realized. WikiLeaks said the NSA targeted for long-term surveillance 125 phone numbers of top German officials.

The release risks renewing tensions between Germany and the United States a month after they sought to put a row over spying behind them, with U.S. President Barack Obama declaring in Bavaria that the two nations were “inseparable allies”.

WikiLeaks published what it said were three NSA intercepts of Merkel’s conversations, and data it said listed telephone numbers for the chancellor, her aides, her office and even her fax machine.  http://www.aol.com/article/2015/07/08/u-s-spy-agency-tapped-german-chancellery-for-decades-wikileaks/21206917/?icid=maing-grid7%7Chtmlws-main-bb%7Cdl6%7Csec1_lnk2%26pLid%3D26837189

While John Kerry would like to smooth relations with Germany, he should not expect that the Germans are like the bulk of the USA media that will get over repeated indiscretions by the Obama Administration.  Various ones in Germany have said that they WILL NOT GET OVER THIS and consider the USA a ‘so-called friend’:

“There shouldn’t be any spying between friends,” said Merkel in the fall of 2013, shortly after the NSA espionage scandal erupted. Now Germans are finding out how much spying can in fact be done. Perhaps the chancellor is learning this with astonishment too. …

And then there’s the pressing question of how the German government will continue to deal with the spying scandal among so-called friends.  http://www.dw.de/opinion-the-nsa-scandal-keeps-growing/a-17760760

Germany to spy on US for first time since 1945 after ‘double agent’ scandal

Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government is planning to scrap a no-spy agreement Germany has held with Britain and the United States since 1945 in response to an embarrassing US-German intelligence service scandal which has deeply soured relations between Berlin and Washington.

The unprecedented change to Berlin’s counter-espionage policy was announced by Ms Merkel’s Interior Minister, Thomas de Maizière. He said that Berlin wanted “360‑degree surveillance” of all intelligence-gathering operations in Germany.

The intelligence services of the Allied victors, the United States, Britain and France, have hitherto been regarded as “friendly” to Germany. Their diplomatic and information-gathering activities were exempted from surveillance by Berlin’s equivalent of M15 – the Bundesnachrichtendienst (BND).

But Mr de Maizière told Bild that he was now not ruling out permanent German counter-espionage surveillance of US, British and French intelligence operations. His remarks were echoed by Stephan Mayer, a domestic security spokesman for Ms Merkel’s ruling Christian Democrats. “We must focus more strongly on our so-called allies,” he said….http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/germany-to-spy-on-us-for-first-time-since-1945-after-double-agentscandal-9590645.html

Germany will now officially spy on the USA. This is more dangerous than many in the USA realize.

William Binney is one of the highest-level whistleblowers to ever emerge from the NSA. He was a leading code-breaker against the Soviet Union during the Cold War but resigned soon after September 11, disgusted by Washington’s move towards mass surveillance...

Binney recently told the German NSA inquiry committee that his former employer had a “totalitarian mentality” that was the "greatest threat" to US society since that country’s US Civil War in the 19th century. (Loewenstein A. The ultimate goal of the NSA is total population control. The Guardian, July 10, 2014. http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jul/11/the-ultimate-goal-of-the-nsa-is-total-population-control)

If certain leader in the USA have a totalitarian mentality, how much more will the Germans, especially after the USA trains them more in this.

Germany is upset about the espionage on it, but plans to do what it perceives is in its best interest:

July 12, 2014

BERLIN—German Chancellor Angela Merkel reiterated on Saturday that U.S. espionage against a close ally is unacceptable...

Berlin will be “persistent” in delivering this message to the U.S., Ms. Merkel said as a espionage dispute with Washington flared up over the dramatic ejection of the top U.S. spy in Berlin.

On Thursday, the German government told the Central Intelligence Agency’s Berlin Station Chief to leave the country amid German prosecutors’ investigation of two government employees suspected of spying for the U.S.

The espionage row has strained the traditionally close ties between Berlin and Washington...

Ms. Merkel said there is “no basis for trust” if it is unclear who is working for which side. She said there was no guarantee that Washington would change its intelligence service policy...

Ms. Merkel and Germany’s top diplomat, Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, have repeatedly expressed their anger over Washington’s handling of the espionage affair in recent days.

Asked whether the row has already had direct consequences, such as limiting the cooperation of intelligence services, or whether this should lead to a halt of the planned trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, known as TTIP, between Europe and the U.S. as some lawmakers have suggested, Ms. Merkel said no.

“I don’t think anything of it, I have to say this very frankly. We have different opinions regarding intelligent services. But other policy fields, such as the free-trade agreement are absolutely in our interest,” Ms. Merkel said. “We as an export nation benefit from such a free-trade agreement…as much as the Americans, if not even slightly more.”http://stream.wsj.com/story/latest-headlines/SS-2-63399/SS-2-576983/

Oh yes, the Germans will act diplomatically and try to give the impression of a certain amount of cooperation, but the reality is that all the espionage revelations have strengthened the resolve of many to separate from dependency on the USA to develop a European alternative to American hegemony. Germany is learning that the USA cares little about its own views, does not consider Germany a friend, and basically that the USA cannot be trusted.

Notice that there have been protests in Germany against the trade deal, because of growing anti-Americanism there:

April 18, 2015

Thousands of people across Germany demonstrated Saturday against a planned free-trade deal between Europe and the United States.

The protests, billed as a "Global Day of Action," came ahead of a new round of talks on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, or TTIP, beginning Monday in New York.

Opposition to the agreement centers on concerns it will lower food and other safety standards.

In Germany, it also reflects rising anti-Americanism. The sentiments have been fueled in part by revelations of U.S. spying, including the wiretapping of German Chancellor Angela Merkel's cellphone. http://www.voanews.com/content/thousands-rally-in-germany-against-us-eu-trade-deal/2725194.html

This does not mean that there will not be a trade deal, only that it is even more likely that the USA will concede more to the Germans to make it happen. Germany will attempt to get an advantage through this.

To try to compensate for this, the USA placed a German general in charge of the US Army in Europe (see US Army in Europe to report to a German general!). This does not bode well for the USA.

Germany is no longer as content to take a backseat to the USA as it has been since WWII.  Germany, which basically started WWI and WWII, will also be the aggressor in WWIII. Here is a link to a video Is the USA Pushing Germany to Start WWIII?

Europeans are trying to take steps to dominate world trade (see also WTO/TTIP and the Babylonian Beast), which the Bible shows they will do (Revelation 13:16-18; 18:3,11-18).  Germany’s Merkel has been in China related to that several times. And she likely will attempt to get trade trade concessions from the USA to try to get the USA to show some remorse for its actions.  There are many end-time ramifications of the espionage matter.

Notice also:

July 13, 2014

Mr Obama shares one problem that could cripple what remains of his presidency – most people no longer trust him. The sentiment spans foreign allies as well as domestic critics. When trust goes, respect is seldom far behind.

The most surprising example is Germany. It was in Berlin in 2008 that then Senator Obama unveiled his global promise – an America that could once again be trusted. Germans no longer believe it. In the wake of the “friendly spying” ring allegations, less than 40 per cent of Germans consider the US a trustworthy partner, according to one survey. ...

Senior German figures cannot agree whether Mr Obama was unaware of Washington’s double agents, or dissembling. Either way, when Mr Obama spoke to Angela Merkel the day before the initial revelations he did not raise it. It was enough to make you want to cry, said Wolfgang Schäuble, the finance minister. Never before has a close US ally expelled a CIA station chief. ...

If you seek an explanation for why Mr Obama riles so many voters, the perception of double standards is at the root of the problem. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f0776136-08ee-11e4-9d3c-00144feab7de.html

This is a serious problem, but it will not simply be forgotten by the Germans after Barack Obama is no longer the USA president. Barack Obama's apparent hypocrisy is a problem.

The White House has incensed Germany so much that Germans see this as the tipping point to essentially end close alliance with the USA:

The German-American breakup

July 14, 2014

The pervasive spying on one of America's most valuable partners — including the snooping on German Chancellor Angela Merkel's cellphone from a rooftop listening post at the U.S. Embassy in Berlin — has enraged the German public.

Now, with the fresh revelation that the CIA recruited an intelligence official as a spy, and the possibility of a second spy in the Defense Ministry, the fury is reaching a tipping point. ...

And the brouhaha isn't going away. ...

As Stephan Mayer, a spokesman for Merkel's party, put it, "We must focus more strongly on our so-called allies."

So-called? Such statements, unthinkable only a few years ago, accurately reflect a broader antipathy toward America among the German public, which largely sees Snowden as a hero, particularly for his revelations about the extent of American surveillance in Germany.

Ever since the Bush administration launched the Iraq war in 2003 — which then-Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder vehemently opposed — many Germans have come to view America as a militaristic rogue state, more dangerous even than Russia or Iran. Indeed, a recent Infratest Dimap poll indicates that a mere 27% of Germans regard the U.S. as trustworthy, and a majority view it as an aggressive power.

The result is that Germany is undergoing a fundamental transformation. After the Nazi defeat in 1945, the republic's first chancellor, Konrad Adenauer, emphasized that Germany had to end its tradition of trying to maneuver between East and West as an independent power. Instead, it had to bind itself to the West, economically and militarily. Only Washington could guarantee a free and democratic West Germany. But it is precisely this tradition that is coming to an end as Germany begins to act on what it perceives as its new national interests.

In trampling on German civil liberties, the Obama administration is besmirching America's image and allowing Germans to feel morally superior to their former conqueror.

If Obama is unable to rein in spying on Germany, he may discover that he is helping to convert it from an ally into an adversary. For Obama to say auf Wiedersehen to a longtime ally would deliver a blow to American national security that no amount of secret information could possibly justify. http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-heilbrunn-u-s--germany-relations-20140711-story.html

Notice further the following:

Germany to 'spy on US and UK intelligence gathering' for the first time in 45 years

 

Germany orders surveillance of British and American intelligence gathering, according to reports

 

July 24, 2014

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/germany/10988939/Germany-to-spy-on-US-and-UK-intelligence-gathering-for-the-first-time-in-45-years.html

Notice also the following:

Snowden travels trace a path of government hypocrisy

Edward Snowden’s global travels have highlighted the chasm between the political posturing and actual practices of governments when it comes to free expression. As is well known now, the former government contractor’s leaks exposed the widespread phone and digital surveillance being conducted by the U.S. National Security Agency, practices at odds with the Obama administration’s positioning of the United States as a global leader on Internet freedom and its calls for technology companies to resist foreign demands for censorship and surveillance.  http://www.cpj.org/blog/2013/06/snowden-travels-trace-a-path-of-government-hypocri.php

Bible prophecy warns about a peoples, who are now based in the German-dominated regions of Europe that will rise up in the end time and takeover "an hypocritical nation" (Isaiah 10:6, KJV) even though the leaders there do not think that they would (Isaiah 10:7-11).

5 O Assyrian, the rod of mine anger, and the staff in their hand is mine indignation. 6 I will send him against an hypocritical nation, and against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge, to take the spoil, and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets. (Isaiah 10:5-7, KJV)

Germany represents end time Assyria; details are in the article Germany's Assyrian Roots Throughout History. Samaria is basically represented by the USA; details are in the article Spiritual Samaritans: Old and New.

WWIII will be begin with a major attack against the USA and/or the UK, by a German dominated military power. The USA has taken steps that will make this easier for Germany. Despite the fact that few believe this, it will come to pass.

As far as WWIII goes, the USA has taken many steps to enable Germany to do that. A list is in the article World War III: Steps in Progress.

In December 2015, former German Defense Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg mentioned that the Obama Administration was in a "remarkable lame duck mood" related to technology and security. In that same presentation, he decried that the "tech world and political world could not be more detached from each other." He also said he wanted to stop terrorists from utilizing encryption technologies that governments could not break. He made it clear he wanted to change that. He also mentioned that the political environment was "too toxic" to resolve these and other issues in 2016. He said that there was growing anti-Americanism in Germany because of the Snowden leaks that had still not been resolved. And he blamed the USA for causing a lot of this (for some details, watch him in the video Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg and Europe’s Future).

He also stated that he wanted a strong "European voice to confront the USA strongly."

The Europeans are also pressing USA companies to 'share' data:

January 21, 2016

DAVOS, Switzerland—Tensions are rising between governments and big U.S. technology companies over widening surveillance demands, part of a broader debate over how to reconcile online privacy with the fight against terrorism. …

Governments, particularly in Europe, want U.S. tech firms to turn over more information to them directly. http://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-tech-companies-bring-encryption-battle-to-davos-1453320950

The Europeans will learn more how to spy, etc. and the Snowden links have been a reason for them to move that way.

Notice also the following:

March 25, 2016

A former CIA director has said the European Union “in some ways gets in the way” of security services, as the debate continues over whether the UK would be safer in or out of the EU.

Retired general Michael Hayden told the BBC the union was “not a natural contributor to national security”. ...

Speaking on BBC Radio 4′s Today programme, Mr Hayden said the standard of security services across Europe was “very uneven”. …

He said he agreed with Sir Richard that leaving the EU could boost Britain’s security.

Mr Hayden said: “I don’t mean to be arguing against the European Union, but the union is not a natural contributor to national security to each of the entity states.

“In fact in some ways [it] gets in the way of the state providing security for its own citizens.” http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-eu-referendum-35898255

While this is not directly related to the Snowden matter, it is yet another instance where the USA has insulted the Europeans. This added to the Snowden matters must be compounding European distrust of the USA.

Germany See Donald Trump as a Major Problem with the USA

The election of Donald Trump and various of his statements and policies have pushed many Germans to conclude that they need a future without American dependency.

Many reports are in the article .

But here is one to consider:

David Gergen: For the first time, US president is 'no longer regarded as world leader'

July 9, 2017

Veteran political insider David Gergen appears to have offered some conflicting views on Friday about President Trump's performance at the G20 summit in Germany.

The former White House adviser, who has served under both Republican and Democratic administrations, initially appeared on a CNN panel calling Trump "presidential."

Gergen focused on the apparent successes stemming from Trump's meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin including confronting the issue of election hacking, discussing future cyberattacks, and possibly working together on Syria.

He then said, "This was presidential. This was big league stuff."

But hours later, the Harvard professor reappeared on CNN, saying that "this is the first time I've seen a president come to a G20 meeting in which he's no longer regarded as the leader, no longer regarded as the world leader."

Gergen followed up the comment by saying, "Europe is going its own separate way. Japan just signed this big trade agreement with Europe. That is troubling." https://www.aol.com/article/news/2017/07/09/david-gergen-for-the-first-time-us-president-is-no-longer-reg/23022490/

To any who pay attention to Bible prophecy, it should be troubling that, as David Gergen put it, "Europe is going its own separate way."

It is going its own separate way on many fronts, including on military matters.

Notice the following:

July 6, 2017

Some European leaders are apparently coming around to the idea of spending more on defense. ...

Last month, Europe's chief executive appealed to EU governments to create a military alliance to better defend itself and enhance its power abroad.

Just days after unveiling a multi-billion euro plan to help fund European defense research, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker told a conference in Prague that EU members needed to better integrate their military assets and defense industries.

"I see the tide turning," Juncker said, citing growing support in EU capitals for wider military cooperation.

"NATO can no longer be used as a convenient alibi to argue against greater European efforts," he said, adding that the U.S. is "no longer interested in guaranteeing Europe's security in our place." http://www.cnbc.com/2017/07/06/nato-allies-military-spending-trump.html

Well, the 2017 G20 meeting made it clear to many that Europe and the USA are separating further. This turning of the tide is not turning back.

Oh yes, at times it may look like the USA and Europeans are getting closer together. But with Donald Trump as the US president and the UK moving on Brexit, the Europeans have concluded that they need to take more world leadership, and that includes working towards strengthening their military abilities. The Bible shows that Europe will arise as a military power that will surprise the world (see Revelation 13:1-4).

Notice also the following:

October 27, 2017

BERLIN (Reuters) - Following Donald Trump’s decision to decertify the Iran nuclear deal this month, shaken European capitals are asking themselves what the U.S. president will do next.

Diplomats have sketched scenarios they fear could plunge transatlantic relations into crisis: a trade war, military conflict over North Korea, or the collapse of a Cold War-era arms treaty. They wonder if their post-war alliance can survive if any of them come true. ...

No longer is there an underlying confidence that Europe can muddle through three more years of Trump without fear of major, and possibly lasting, disruptions to the relationship. Nor is there faith that Trump, when the stakes are high, will listen to what his advisers and partners tell him.

The anxiety is especially acute in Germany ...

“There is a sense of desperation in Berlin, a sense that Trump does not know what is at stake, that he doesn’t understand the historical factors that are at play here,” said Wolfgang Ischinger, a former German ambassador to Washington and chairman of the Munich Security Conference. ...

Merkel alluded to the breakdown in trust back in May, when she said Europe might not be able to rely on the United States and must take its fate into its own hands.

That came after a contentious G7 meeting in Sicily at which Trump ignored pleas from allies to stick with another multilateral agreement, the Paris climate accord. ...

One senior European diplomat said the next conflict would likely be over trade, describing Trump’s attempt to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) -- and his threats to abandon it -- as a “litmus test”.

European firms, especially German carmakers who produce in Mexico and export to the United States, could be hit hard by a breakdown of NAFTA.

There are also fears that Trump could carry out a threat to introduce steel import tariffs, which would hit European exporters as well as the Chinese.

“So far there has been a lot of bark and no bite from Trump on trade, but that doesn’t mean it will stay that way,” said the European diplomat. “We have to be prepared for real protectionist measures. Any steps that penalize European firms directly or indirectly would create a downward spiral.” ...

“We have to wake up to the fact that we may be dealing with Trump for some time, and that there may not be a correction when he leaves,” one German diplomat told Reuters. ...

For generations of Germans, Ischinger says, the symbol of the transatlantic alliance has been U.S. presidents -- from John F. Kennedy to Reagan, and from Bill Clinton to Barack Obama.

“I can no longer tell my children that they are part of this alliance with Trump as president,” he said. “It is rather sad. I don’t know how the loss of this symbol can be replaced. http://www.reuters.com/article/us-europe-usa-analysis/after-iran-shock-nervous-europe-girds-for-next-trump-salvo-idUSKBN1CW1KF

There is a real rift between Europe and the USA because of Donald Trump.

In 2018, it was declared that US President Donald Trump’s politics were the greatest fear of Germans:

Donald Trump’s politics tops list of Germans’ greatest fears

6 September 2018

More than two-thirds of Germans — or 69 percent — are extremely concerned that US President Donald Trump’s policies are having a dangerous impact worldwide, according to the annual survey “The fears of Germans” by the R+V Infocenter.

“Trump’s ruthless ‘America First’ politics, his aggression with regards to international arrangements and his equally aggressive trade and security politics, even towards allied countries, scare the majority of the population,” said Manfred G. Schmidt, a professor at the Ruprecht-Karls-University in Heidelberg and a consultant for R+V Infocenter.

It was one of the highest ever percentages recorded in the survey, which has cataloged German fears since 1992. https://www.dw.com/en/donald-trumps-politics-tops-list-of-germans-greatest-fears/a-45382520

So, in the 26 years of surveys, at least, nothing has been scarier to Germans that US President Donald Trump.

This does not bode well for USA-German relations.

Fear is a powerful motivator.

What Europe will replace US leadership with is going to turn out bad (cf. Revelation 17:12-14).

German Political and Industrial Plans

In December 2014, the German Minister for Foreign Affairs gave a speech reminiscent of one given in support of the rise of the so-called Third Reich:

German Foreign Minister Steinmeier’s great power speech to big business

By Johannes Stern
6 December 2014

In his opening speech at the SZ Economic Summit, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier appealed to business heads to support Germany’s rise to be a world power.

The meeting did not take place in the Dusseldorf Parkhotel, but in Berlin’s Hotel Adlon. Sitting in the audience was not Fritz Thyssen and Gustav Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach, but Thyssen-Krupp CEO Heinrich Hiesinger and other current heavyweights of German big business. And of course, the Social Democratic Party Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier is not Adolf Hitler.

Nevertheless, Steinmeier’s appearance recalled Hitler’s speech to the Dusseldorf Industry Club on January 26, 1932. Like the soon to become Führer, Steinmeier made a direct appeal to German big business to support Germany’s rise to be a world power. He explicitly called on big business to support him and the government in pushing through a militarist foreign policy turn against the will of the people.

Steinmeier’s programme strongly recalls the German lust for power, once believed to be a thing of the past. “Germany should ‘lead Europe to lead the world’, ‘Europeanise Russia’ and ‘multilateralise the US’”, Steinmeier demanded, citing an essay that has been featured on an official web site of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for months. He added, “No small task!”

The implications of these words are unmistakable. Germany’s return to an aggressive foreign policy runs along similar channels as followed in the first half of the 20th century. The German elites once again see it as their “task” to dominate Europe in order to become a world power. Today, as before, this programme of German imperialism means conflict with Russia and the United States.

To “Europeanize Russia” means nothing other than to subordinate Russia to a Europe controlled by Germany. To “multilateralise the US” means to contest the role of the United States as the world hegemon. In other words, German foreign policy in the future will develop increasingly in opposition to the two powers against which it has already waged two world wars.

After the crimes of the Nazi regime, the German elites are, at least for now, still trying to present their programme of a third “grab for world power” as if it were being imposed on them from the outside. Every day, “the expectation of German involvement” is encountered from our “partners abroad”, Steinmeier protested at the Adlon. He had therefore “asked a large group of international experts to formulate their expectations of German foreign policy”.

From the many responses he received to this request, Steinmeier highlighted just one, titled “Germany’s destiny: leading Europe in order to lead the world”. This comes from the pen of the Indian-born Professor Kishore Mahbubani of the National University of Singapore, located in an authoritarian, one-party state.

The text, together with other calls for a more aggressive German foreign policy, can be found on the web site “Review 2014” of the German Foreign Ministry. Of Mahbubani’s key demands, Steinmeier said tersely, “And do you know who said that? Not a Frenchman, not an American, but an Indian professor wrote that for us.”

Steinmeier’s speech was remarkable not only for its call for German leadership in the world. It also expressed an openly imperialist programme…

When Steinmeier had finished, there was thunderous applause in the ballroom of Hotel Adlon.  http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2014/12/06/stei-d06.html

This speech is a call for a fourth reich. Another attempt for Germany to try to rule the world.  The Bible reveals that, for a time, this will succeed with a leader known as the final Beast.

Is a ‘fourth reich’ in the process of forming?  Some in Germany and elsewhere seem to think so. Notice the following from the German publication Der Spiegel:

‘The Fourth Reich’: What Some Europeans See When They Look at Germany

23 March 2015

People have even begun talking about the “Fourth Reich,” a reference to the Third Reich of Adolf Hitler. That may sound absurd given that today’s Germany is a successful democracy without a trace of national-socialism — and that no one would actually associate Merkel with Nazism. But further reflection on the word “Reich,” or empire, may not be entirely out of place. The term refers to a dominion, with a central power exerting control over many different peoples. According to this definition, would it be wrong to speak of a German Reich in the economic realm?  …

A heavy accusation has been levelled at Germany — by some in Greece, in Spain and in France but also by some in Great Britain and in the United States. The euro crisis, a certain breed of politicians, journalists and economists argue, has allowed Germany to dominate Southern Europe and to suffocate it in order to impose its principles even as its export policy has meant that the country has profited from that same currency crisis more than any other country. Germany’s image in some countries has become one of an egotistical economic occupier flanked by smaller Northern European countries from the same mold. …

‘The Blood of Our People’

The fear of German hegemony in Europe is likely nowhere so great as it is in France, which was at least partially occupied by its neighbor three times during an 80-year period. In recent years, “Germanophobia” has increased dramatically across the political spectrum, from Front National to the leftist wing of the governing Socialists. That has partially served to distract attention from political leaders’ own failures to implement reform, but they are nonetheless sentiments that deserve to be taken seriously.

The leftist French intellectual Emmanuel Todd warns that Germany is “increasingly pursuing politics of power and of hidden expansion.” Europe, he says, is being ruled by a Germany which, in its past, has constantly fluctuated between reason and megalomania. Since reunification, Todd says, Germany has brought a huge area of Eastern Europe under its control, a region once under the influence of the Soviets, to use it for its own economic aims.

In Athens, in a building belonging to the Ministry of Culture, Nikos Xydakis, deputy culture minister for the Syriza government, echoes the sentiment.

“It is as though my country were experiencing the consequences of war,” he says. European savings policies have ruined Greece, he says: “We have lost a quarter of our gross domestic product and a quarter of our population is unemployed.” Furthermore, he said, Greece didn’t ask for emergency loans, they were forced upon the country together with the cost-cutting program. “Now we are paying with the blood of our people.”

Germany, he says, has become too powerful in Europe. The country, he concedes, is a leader both politically and economically. “But those wanting to be a leader have to behave like one too.” Germany, he says, should be more generous and stop viewing weaker countries in Europe as its inferiors. …

Since the turn of the millennium, Germany’s trade surplus has almost quadrupled and now stands at €217 billion ($236.4 billion). With France alone, the surplus was €30 billion in 2014. Even if exports to euro-zone member states dropped as a result of the crisis, no other country in the world has a trade surplus as large as Germany’s. Why is that? Is it because of aggressive trade policy?  …

Germany seeks to be an economic power, but not a military one. Its nationalism is based on economic output and export statistics, not on a desire to become a geo-political power. The same dilemma can be seen in the role Germany has played in the Ukraine crisis.  http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/german-power-in-the-age-of-the-euro-crisis-a-1024714.html

Many in Europe are concerned that Germany is simply too big of an economic power. However, without the economic might of Germany, the European Union would probably fall apart.

But the idea that Germany does not want to be a military power is simply not the case. Many in Germany are concerned about Russian actions related to Ukraine and Crimea as well as having distrust of the USA related to its espionage of Germany, its pivot towards Asia, statements and threats from its President Trump, etc.

Notice also something reported by Deutsche Welle:

The Reichsbürger movement in Germany

1 September 2020

Reichsbürger translates to "citizens of the Reich." The nebulous movement rejects the modern German state, and insists that the German Empire’s 1937 or 1871 borders still exist and today's country is an administrative construct still occupied by Allied powers. For them the German government, parliament, judiciary, and the security agencies are puppets installed and controlled by foreigners. https://www.dw.com/en/the-reichsb%C3%BCrger-movement-in-germany/g-41074914

Yes, various ones in Germany feel that they have been occupied by the Allied powers--basically meaning the USA. They want that to end and for Germany to rise up.

Several years ago, I debated whether or not to leave references in the the personal correspondence course developed in 1954 by the old Radio Church of God in the revised Study the Bible Course for the Continuing Church of God. I decided, with some modifications, to let it remain in, despite the fact that I realized that some who find the reality of Germany’s current goals a bit hard to accept.

Anyway, here is some of what is in Lesson 3 of the Study the Bible Course of the Continuing Church of God:

FACTS YOU SHOULD KNOW

A HOT WORLD WAR 3 IS COMING!

Make no mistake!—The soon-coming World War 3 will end all wars! It will DECIDE WHO WILL RULE the world.

World War 2 was supposed to have been fought for this purpose, but it did not produce a decisive outcome. The nations know they have the power—and much to spare—to destroy all life from the earth in the form of the Hydrogen Bombs and other devices!

World War 1 of 1914 and World War 2—in which four times as many were killed as in World War 1—were only flashes in the pan! They were only the forerunners of the UTTER DESTRUCTION which is soon to break SUDDENLY upon the nations! The contenders for world rule will not abandon their quest. That’s why God says “WATCH“! (Luke 21:36).

This is a command from God. Let us therefore examine the backgrounds of the ambitious contestants who would rule or ruin this earth. Your very life may well depend upon your being convinced of the deadly seriousness with which gangster nations are out to attain their goal. You need more zeal in studying God’s way of ESCAPE revealed in the coming lessons of the Study The Bible Course.

Here are some amazing excerpts and comments which reveal to you the dogged determination and diabolical cleverness with which each pretender has settled down to attain his aim—kingship over this earth—the office that rightly belongs to Christ!

Germany about to SHOCK the World Again!

Since the above headline was originally written, Germany has shocked the world by rising up from the ruins in WWII and now becoming a major economic and technological power once again.

Down through the ages the Assyrians, the ancestors of modern Germany, called themselves the Herrenvolk—the “MASTER RACE.” Today the term is still used among themselves. Has today’s Germany given up the idea of achieving this dream?

The keynote of what lies in the Germanic mind was voiced in 1950. Then, according to T.H. Teten’s book Germany Plots with the Kremlin, Dr. Adenauer, the leader of Germany, caused much embarrassment by leading a German crowd in singing “Deutschland Uber Alles”—“GERMANY ABOVE ALL OTHERS“—in the presence of Allied representatives. Why was this thought lurking in his mind?

Here are Some Clues to the PRESENT GERMAN ATTITUDE

“No defeat is final. Defeats are simply lessons to be learned in preparation for the next and greater attack,” said German General von Stuelpnagel in 1944. Furthermore, he stated, ”In the NEXT WORLD WAR…the same mistake should not be made. The principal ADVERSARY WILL BE THE UNITED STATES, and the entire effort must be concentrated against this country from the beginning. . .our defeat in the present war need not be considered except as an incident in the triumphal march of Germany towards CONQUEST OF THE WORLD”—Deutschland Uber Alles!

Twice already Germany has attempted to seize world rule. And twice Britain, USA, and their allies have prevented her from achieving it. This time she will make sure that the USA is not around!

Adolf Hitler told us of the next step in the carefully laid German military plan to rule the world when he expounded the thesis in Mein Kampf. He said that Germany must FIRST DEFEAT THE WEST in order to have a free hand for the “Drang Nach Osten”—the march toward the East—toward Russia! How perfectly all this accords with revealed prophecy! Hitler was following this same plan in the last World War until Russia ceased to supply him with oil to further his war effort and he was forced to turn upon her in an attempt to seize oil from her.

Germany is out to conquer the world. As it is absolutely necessary for YOUR PERSONAL SAFETY that you be convinced on this point let’s examine further overwhelming evidence. Let’s examine the amazing tenacity with which Germany has set out methodically to achieve its goal of world rulership.

Many decades ago leading German industrialists founded a society which they called the PAN GERMAN LEAGUE. Its slogan was “Deutschland uber alles!”—Germany over all. They utilized the trademark “Made in Germany” as proof of German superiority. Behind their commercial and business methods was a central, PERMANENT strategy—with the GOAL OF CONQUERING THE WORLD!

It was they who were largely responsible for inducing the Kaiser to enter World War 1. It was they who were behind World War 2. Co-operating with the German militarists and the SECRET MOVEMENT started by General Ludendorff, who selected Adolf Hitler as his stooge and protégé, these same industrialists financed the Nazi movement and actually elevated Hitler to power. (Senator Kilgore’s report to the Senate Military Affairs Committee calls attention to this fact.) SOME FELT THAT HITLER WAS MERELY A TOOL. He was the rabble-rouser they needed to sway the masses of German people to get behind their fanatical plot for world rule.

The world heard and saw Hitler. But many of his promoters and backers kept in the background. If Hitler failed in this second round of World War, they planned to let him shoulder the blame before the world, and KEEP THEMSELVES FREE TO SECRETLY PLOT THE THIRD ROUND—WORLD WAR 3! This coming war! While those leaders are now dead, various of their descendants and others still have the same goal.

It was those industrial barons who met together to take action in mid-May, 1943. They knew Hitler’s war was probably lost. They realized the time had come for them to once again go UNDERGROUND—to throw all guilt of World War 2 on Hitler just as they had thrown that of the first round—World War 1—on the Kaiser.

From that time until now German industrialists have led a double life. To the world’s view, they have become merely private business men. BUT SECRETLY THEY HAVE OTHER PLANS!  Their job is to keep German industry ready to produce the weapons, munitions, and technologies for the third war. Their mission is to finance the new movement, by whatever new  name they may call it, whenever the time is ripe.

Here is a view of how one GREAT INDUSTRIALIST, for an EXAMPLE, has carried out his part in this plan. It is the hoax of multimillionaire industrialist Fritz Thyssen. It is revealed in the book, The Nazis Go Underground, written by Curt Riess. At the beginning  (note the extreme cleverness) of World War 2, Thyssen was sped into neutral Switzerland proclaiming loudly that Hitler had duped him into financing the Nazi party, and then, once in power, Hitler had double-crossed and confiscated his wealth, and left him poor. The Nazis went through the pretense of removing Thyssen from their party. Thyssen wrote a book about his “shabby” treatment at their hands. But when the Nazis invaded France later, where Thyssen was, the very Nazis who were supposed to hate him, left him unmolested and soon he was back in Berlin where the Nazis were, living in luxury. The whole RUSE was to deceive the Allied nations into placing confidence in Thyssen in event of an Allied victory so he could supply them with funds for World War 3.

Today, thanks to this deeply-laid plan and others like it, Krupp and many other outstanding German businessman are actively establishing great factories all over the world to finance World War 3. The Nazi plans are well-laid. (Interestingly, within five minutes of reviewing the above, in 2014, which was written in the 1950s, I, Bob Thiel, walked onto a jet airliner and noticed that the huge automatic walkway had the name ThyssenKrupp—an industrial power that exists to this day.)

MANY OF THE NAZIS WENT UNDERGROUND, MAY 16, 1943!—two years before the war ended! The German generals, scientists, industrialists, bankers, and others, knew that War 2 was lost. So at that time they organized themselves for the future. The most thoroughly organized secret government of modern history began to function—UNDERGROUND! In 1951 Dr. Adenauer admitted the presence of 134 former Nazis, who served under Hitler, in high echelons in his Bonn government.

What about now? Germany is Europe’s biggest economy. It is well recognized that Germany dominates the European Union in many respects. Furthermore, even today various Europeans are WORKING FEVERISHLY on ultramodern weapons and other projects. From the Large Hadron and F.A.I.R. collider projects to the new Galileo “GPS” system to laser weaponry (ELI) to the European Space Agency, the German-dominated European Union is taking militaristic steps. Germany also makes nuclear weaponry for France. In addition to those, the Europeans have control over hundreds of nuclear weapons that the USA has put at their disposal. Europe has more military might at its disposal than most think.

Today you hear much of about the European Union, a potential UNITED STATES OF EUROPE. Where does it fit into Germany’s plan for world conquest?

Dr. Adenauer and his press reveal that Germany regards the creation of a United Europe as the first step in the erection of a Third Power bloc. In 1950 Dr. Adenauer wrote, “A federated Europe will become a Third Force in the world.” Later he said, “No one has more to gain through the unification of Europe than the Germans who are the most numerous and most dynamic among the nations west of the U.S.S.R. {Russia}.” Dr. Adenauer here showed that GERMANY desired a United States of Europe and points out that it WILL NATURALLY LEAD it once it is formed—in the 21st century, we are seeing the rise of such a German-dominated power.

We know what Germany’s plan is. WE know how the United States of Europe will be used by it to attempt world domination. PROPHECY shows 10 kings—TEN DICTATORS—will arise in Europe and GIVE THEIR POWER TO GERMANY.

You may be saying to yourself, well since most of the above was written in the 1950s, it cannot be true of the Germans in the 21st century. Many believe that Germany has been a reliable ally for decades and would not attempt domination again. You might believe that, and even many Germans and other Europeans believe that, but you would be wrong.

Notice the following prophecy:

5 “Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger
And the staff in whose hand is My indignation.
6 I will send him against an ungodly nation,
And against the people of My wrath
I will give him charge,
To seize the spoil, to take the prey,
And to tread them down like the mire of the streets.
7 Yet he does not mean so,
Nor does his heart think so;
But it is in his heart to destroy,
And cut off not a few nations.
8 For he says,
‘Are not my princes altogether kings? (Isaiah 10:6-8)

Isaiah tells of a time when the end time Assyrian power will be sent against an ungodly (NKJV), “hypocritical” (KJV) nation. The Hebrew word used signifies being “soiled” or impious, and certainly that is now the case for the nation known as the United States. The Snowden leaks of USA espionage have enraged the Germans.

Not only do they feel that the USA has been hypocritical here, they were outraged to learn that according to leaked documents from the National Security Agency (NSA), Germany was one of the most spied upon nations by the USA. Another NSA document said that the only nations that the USA considered to be “close friends” that did not warrant extensive USA espionage was the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand—the Anglo-Saxon-Celtic dominated lands. Germany and others have noticed this and will take steps against them later (cf. Daniel 11:39; Psalm 83:-3-8).

But notice verse 7 of Isaiah 10. It says this “Assyrian” power does not think that it will destroy at the time of the end. Yet, it is in his heart, his history, his outlook on the world to do so.

Why?

Because as verse 8 indicates, he considers that he is part of a master race.

The Vatican Enters the Scene

Does Germany have any plans for receiving the aid of a “Great Church” in helping her achieve world domination? The “Madrid Circular Letter,” which reflects the thinking of those in authority in Germany, states, “The German people, well-trained and steeled under national socialist leadership, are dominated by two sovereign ideas: the concept of a German Reich, and Germany’s mission of leadership in the world. . .the religious tradition embodied in the concept of the Reich, sparks our political mission and is especially attractive within the Catholic world.”

The GERMAN IDEA OF THE ACHIEVEMENT OF WORLD RULE PLEASES THE CATHOLIC WORLD GREATLY! Now let’s see why this is so. It affects our lives—your life—much more than you probably realize!

On February 10, 1952 in his pontifical exhortation, the POPE SAID, “THE WHOLE WORLD MUST BE REBUILT from its foundations.” Secretly the Vatican diplomats have been laying the foundations of a PROGRAM that WILL REMAKE WESTERN CIVILIZATION! It has to be PLANNED SECRETLY so it will not be discovered until it is too late to stop! The Vatican contends that peace can be maintained only by a CATHOLIC-DOMINATED international organization which has IRON TEETH TO CRUSH OPPOSITION.

“This organization,” said Pope Pius in his Christmas message of 1944, “will be vested . . . with supreme authority and POWER TO SMOTHER. . .AGGRESSION.”

Note the organization which the pope will invest with this power will have military might enough to quell resistance to the Church. This coming world-ruling organization would therefore be a UNION OF CHURCH AND STATE with the pope, which both biblical and certain Catholic prophecies indicate will be a type of anti-pope and final Antichrist, promoting this (Revelation 13:11-18). The Vatican cannot plan this directly with the Russians, and the United States is not fired with a desire to rule the world that way. But the various Germans and other Europeans have all the qualifications the pope final desires. Germany needs the man power of the millions of people that the Vatican can throw to her support and the final apostate Church needs the power of the German military might! These things also fit into prophecy completely: In Lesson 3, section ‘Gathering at Armageddon,’ read question 2. And section ‘Results of Christ’s Victory,’ read questions 4 and 5. TIME IS RUNNING OUT!

The Vatican, consistent with various Catholic “private prophecies” believes that Europe will rise again for a final revival of what has been called “the Holy Roman Empire.”

One more thing needs considering. Will GERMANY PLAY ALONG WITH RUSSIA until she can subdue the West? The answer is “yes.”’ In at least six or seven separate instances within the last two hundred and fifty years, in which Germany has turned on the West, she has first made a pact with Russia to make herself safe from the East. Now will be no different.

The events mentioned here are certain to happen. The astounding union of German-dominated United States of Europe with a great church is going to rise up! READ your newspaper—read the news magazines that cover international news. You can see the things described here taking form, day by day. The world will “wonder”—stand aghast—when it sees this union of Church and State appear (Revelation 17:8). You need not stand aghast.  Remember, God says: “Watch and pray that you may escape.” There is a reason. For God promises escape to His own.

Expect more industrial support for Germany dominance.  Expect more support for an ecumenical plan to lead to assistance by one who will claim to represent the Vatican.

As far as Psalm 83 goes, notice something put out by the old Radio Church of God:

Turn to the astounding prophecy found in Psalm 83:1-8 ... the coming time when ALL of Israel’s enemies would join together in an effort to crush out even the name “Israel” from the face of the earth! (Verse 4) “For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee…” (verse 5). Notice the nations making up this confederation. “Edom [Turkey], and the Ishmaelites [Saudi Arabia]; Moab [Jordan], and the Hagarenes [they anciently dwelt in the land known as Syria today]; Gebal {Lebanon}, and Ammon [Jordan] and Amalek; the Philistines with the inhabitants of Tyre; Assur [whose descendants migrated to Germany] is joined with them; they have helped the children of Lot” {Moab and Ammon in modern Jordan). Here we see that the Arab nations mentioned are allied with Germany (Assur) which we know from other prophecies will be the military leader — naturally so — of a United States of Europe...Egypt...will provoke the prophesied United Europe (Dan. 11:40). This European power — called the "king of the north" in Daniel 11 — shall invade and occupy the "glorious land" of Palestine (verse 41). "And the land of Egypt shall not escape"(Boraker R. SYRIA RAIDS ISRAEL – Where Is It Leading? Plain Truth. November 1966)

GERMANY in Prophecy!

Notice an amazing prophecy about the Middle East in Psalm 83:1-8. It is a time of war. "Hold not Thy peace, and be not still, O God. For, lo, Thine enemies... have taken crafty counsel against Thy people."

They have dealt treacherously with Judah and Israel — with the Jews and with America and Britain! We are God's people, Israel. The Jews are merely the tribe of Judah. But to continue: "They have said, 'Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation.'" Isn't this exactly what the Iraqi leaders have said? "For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against Thee..."

What nations are these in confederation against God's people? Here is the answer of this prophecy! Here is what is yet going to take shape in the Middle East!

"Edom (Turkey), and the Ishmaelites (Saudi Arabia); Moab (part of Jordan), and the Hagarenes (part of Arabia); Gebal (this is the ancient name for Byblos in Lebanon), and Ammon (Jordan) and Amalek (part of the Turks); the Philistines (the displaced Moslems from Palestine) with the inhabitants of Tyre; ASSUR IS JOINED WITH THEM: they have helped the children of Lot."

Who is Assur? GERMANY!

So Germany — NOT atheistic, communist Russia — is ultimately going to support an Arab union against the Jews and against Israel — Britain and America! This is what prophecy foretells. This is God's warning to us today. (Hoeh H. GERMANY in Prophecy! - Part 2. Plain Truth, January 1963)

The Bible teaches:

3 They have taken crafty counsel against Your people,
And consulted together against Your sheltered ones.
4 They have said, "Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation,
That the name of Israel may be remembered no more."

5 For they have consulted together with one consent;
They form a confederacy against You:
6 The tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites;
Moab and the Hagrites;
7 Gebal, Ammon, and Amalek;
Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre;
8 Assyria also has joined with them;
They have helped the children of Lot. (Psalm 83:3-8)

Notice that Psalm 83 shows that a deal will be made involving mainly the Arabs and Turkey, and then Germany will be part of it. I believe that this deal will essentially result in terrorism hitting the USA and UK by certain Arabs/Turks, which help help weaken the USA/UK prior to invasion by the end time Germanic power. There is a deceitful deal in Daniel 11:27 that the final King of the North (German led European power) and the King of the South (a North African and Middle Eastern confederation).

Even the Greco-Roman Catholic saint Jerome identifies Assur/Assyria as part of Psalm 83 as he quotes part of verse 8--plus he ties this in with those people people in central Europe:

He that lets is taken out of the way, and yet we do not realize that Antichrist is near. Yes, Antichrist is near...The whole country between the Alps and the Pyrenees, between the Rhine and the Ocean, has been laid waste by hordes of Quadi, Vandals, Sarmatians, Alans, Gepids, Herules, Saxons, Burgundians, Allemanni and— alas! For the commonweal!— even Pannonians. For Assur also is joined with them. The once noble city of Moguntiacum has been captured and destroyed. In its church many thousands have been massacred. The people of Vangium after standing a long siege have been extirpated. The powerful city of Rheims, the Ambiani, the Altrebatæ, the Belgians on the skirts of the world, Tournay, Spires, and Strasburg have fallen to Germany: while the provinces of Aquitaine and of the Nine Nations, of Lyons and of Narbonne are with the exception of a few cities one universal scene of desolation. (Jerome. Letter CXXIII to Ageruchia, Chapter 16.  Translated by W.H. Fremantle, G. Lewis and W.G. Martley. From Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, Vol. 6. Edited by Philip Schaff and Henry Wace. (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1893.) Revised and edited for New Advent by Kevin Knight. <http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/3001123.htm>). 

Consider, then the following:

25 June 2015

BERLIN
(Own report) – Experts, commissioned by the German defense ministry to formulate a new White Paper, have promoted Germany to the status of a global regulatory force.  …

According to the ministry of defense, the German concept of order is based on the EU’s ongoing military integration. The establishment of a “European Defense Union” remains the “ultimate goal.”

Regulatory Power in the Arc of Crisis

The “White Paper 2016 on Security Policy and the Future of the Bundeswehr” that is currently in elaboration under the aegis of Germany’s Ministry of Defense, is based on Germany being defined in the role of a global “regulatory force.” During the initial presentation of the plans for a new basic military policy document, Volker Perthes, of the government-affiliated German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP) declared that Germany is a “responsible intermediate power” that “preserves and develops the European and global order together with others.” …

Europe’s Military Backbone

By its own admission, the SWP would like to ensure the “spectrum of military means” needed for the prescribed “regulatory policy,” particularly through cooperation within the framework of the European Union. “Sovereignty in defense policy is only in reference to the decision of which area and with whom Germany will organize the European division of labor.” …

Independent of the USA

The experts organized within the “Working Group Bundeswehr” to elaborate the White Paper include Henning Otte and Wolfgang Hellmich, two notorious armaments lobbyists. The CDU parliamentarian Otte is Vice President of the German Association of Defence Technology (DWT); his SPD colleague, Hellmich, is a member of the Association for Security Policy, (the former Association for Military Studies – GfW). Both are likely to welcome Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen’s (CDU) recently announced decision to place greater emphasis on joint German-European developments in the acquisition of military hardware. Hence, it is planned to equip the Bundeswehr with the “MEADS” air-defense system rather then the “Patriot” air defense batteries. MEADS will be developed by a consortium of European and US-American arms manufacturers with significant German participation, whereas the “Patriot” system had to be imported from the United States. Similar tendencies of “Europeanization” in the armament industry can be seen in the area of combat drones, tanks and battleships. …

Berlin – Center of Gravity

Minister von der Leyen confessed, at an “Expert Workshop on the White Paper” held in Brussels in late April, that the EU’s “ultimate goal in its ongoing military integration is to establish a European Defense Union.” According to the minister, Germany would thereby act as “center of gravity for developments and decisions” and be ready “to resort to military means also in high intensity conflicts.”  …

Differences with NATO

Volker Perthes, of the SWP, had already pointed out in his speech at the initial presentation of the White Paper plans, that the NATO internal “mediating role,” ascribed to Germany, would most likely not be without opposition. Perthes noted that “between the USA and the European countries” a “growing divergence in priorities” was developing. http://www.german-foreign-policy.com/en/fulltext/58857

Germany wants to be independent of the USA and have Berlin as the ‘center of gravity’ for Europe’s military. This is happening now--in the 21st century!

Notice also the following:

March 2, 2016

Chancellor Angela Merkel called on Wednesday for Germany to play a bigger role in world affairs, resisting domestic pressure for the country to turn in on itself in the face of the migrant crisis.

Campaigning for her Christian Democrats (CDU) ahead of three state elections on March 13 that will serve as a litmus test of her migrant policies, Merkel said it would no longer suffice for Germany to export goods to the rest of the world.

"Rather, we will have to take on more responsibility in an open world for what happens outside our European borders," she told a rally in Wittlich in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, one of the three states gearing up for elections.

"That means more development aid, that means more common standards on climate protection, that means fair trade and a lot more than one perhaps feels in a closed society," she added.

Merkel's call for a more engaged Germany shows the country's growing confidence on the world stage as it steps out of the shadows of its Nazi past, but also runs counter to domestic pressure to take a more national approach to the migrant crisis. Merkel calls for Germany to get more involved in world affairs

Notice that Germany wants a bigger international role and wants to set standards for climate and trade.

Kaiser/Caesar

Many are familiar with the fact that Kaiser Wilhelm was German Emperor and led Germany into World War I. Kaiser, like the Russian term Czar, is a title dating back to Julius Caesar and those who claimed to be heirs of the ancient Roman Empire.

Origin of word CZAR

New Latin czar, from Russian tsar', from Old Russian tsĭsarĭ, from Gothic kaisar, from Greek or Latin; Greek, from Latin Caesar.

                 http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/czar

The next 'Kaiser' may well be the final King of the North of biblical prophecy (Daniel 11).

It is a Germanic European power, and NOT Russia, that will be the final King of the North (see also Is Russia the King of the North?).

Now, as far as Russia goes, back in 1962, notice something that the old Radio Church of God published:

Modern Europe is counseling and making treaties and alliances and agreements to conquer this earth! ... Germany, those living in Germany, even the German government, may not yet know that they are going to join in a treaty with the Russians to destroy the United States and bring it to its knees-it is not in his “heart” to think so, but on the other hand it IS in his “heart” to destroy-the very characteristic of the Assyrian, the modern German, is a harsh, cruel, iron, dedication to militarism and destruction! ... MAN'S ONLY HOPE LIES IN TURNING TO HIS CREATOR GOD! "At what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom. to pluck up, and to pull down, and to destroy it; If that nation, against whom I have pronounced, TURN FROM THEIR EVIL, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them... Behold, I frame evil against YOU, and devise a device against YOU: ·return ye now EVERY ONE from his evil way and make your ways and your doings good!" (Jer. 18:7, 8, 11) The case of America and Great Britain is hopeless! The case of America and Great Britain is hopeless! (Hill DJ, God’s Destiny for Germany. Plain Truth, March 1962, pp. 28-29)

The German people are now asking themselves: "Can we rely on the Americans and British?" ... These questions lead to rhe logical conclusion that maybe the only people the Germans can rely on themselves. They are now thinking: "Perhaps we can strike a better bargain with the Russians ourselves." ...

Once a German-dominated Europe is fully established, Germany will be ready to negotiate and bargain with Russia- and behind the backs of the Western Allies if necessary. ...

When will a Russo-German deal be made? Here is a quotation from a circular letter issued in September, 1950 by the Nazi Geo-political Center in Madrid: "However long we may continue to milk the Americans of millions of dollars, there must come the inevitable moment when we shall have to make it crystal clear to them that we are not willing to join the fight against Russia for American interests ... (Germany Plots with the Kremlin by T H. Terens, p. 15). ...

Most Americans and Britons are not aware of what Germany and Europe are planning against them. This is partly due to the cunning of German. politics. ...

World events are moving swiftly toward the climax when Great Britain and the United. States will be attacked, conquered and DESTROYED! (Boraker R. Are the Germans Secretly Dealing with Moscow? Plain Truth, May 1962, pp. 45-47)

I, too, expect that Russia will make a deal with the Europeans. Some have been hinted at this century (see Greece begs Germany’s Merkel not to throw them ‘overboard,’ while it makes deals with Russia; see als0 Vladimir Putin allegedly helped stop a Grexit). But, eventually cooperation between the Russians and the Germans will end.

The Late Dr. Herman Hoeh and WWIII

The old Radio Church of God published the following from the late Dr. Herman Hoeh:

Germany and World War III

But Germany is not only going to be embroiled in the hot Middle East controversy, she is going to spark World War III!

Notice the prophecies!

"O Asshur, the rod of Mine anger," declares God. Here is a prophecy concerning Germany — the descendants of Asshur today! "The staff," says God, "in their hand is Mine indignation. I will send him against an hypocritical nation (that is, Israel — America and Britain today), and... I will give him a charge to take the spoil, and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets" (Isaiah 10:5-6).

Our sins are mounting to heaven itself. And God is going to punish us by the very nation whom we have tried to buy for an ally! It is God who is going to permit the revival of Germany — this time in a gigantic union of 10 European powers united with a great religious power — to punish us in World War III.

We won two major wars against Germany in one generation. But the third time God is going to punish us as we have never been punished before! The sword of war is going to strike us "the third time" (Ezekiel 21:14), and we are going to be led away captive to Assyria and to all nations (Isaiah 11:10-12).

Literally dozens of prophecies speak of this terrible calamity to befall us in the 1970's. ...

Germany is to be warned of her sins. Because she will not now repent, God will use her to punish us first. Then He is going to punish her.

The entire book of Nahum — one of the so-called Minor Prophets — is devoted to the final punishment of the German-dominated Church-State union yet to arise in Europe. The setting of the prophecy is the original fall of Nineveh about 612 B.C. What happened to Nineveh, the ancient capital of Assyria, was a type of what will happen in our day! Notice that the actual setting of this prophecy is the time of God's "wrath" — the Day of the Lord (Nahum 1:2, 6). That day of God's intervention is YET FUTURE. It has not happened yet! This prophecy, then, is for our day!

Now notice Zechariah 10:11. Here is another prophecy against Assyria. This prophecy was written almost a century AFTER the original fall of Assyria. It has never been fulfilled since. Yet God declared it would happen: "The pride of Assyria SHALL BE BROUGHT DOWN.

Compare this with Isaiah 14:24-27. This could not happen UNLESS THERE WERE AN ASSYRIA TODAY — a nation so powerful as finally to be able to carry our people captive in world war (Zech. 10:10). These prophecies are to happen "in that day" — the climactic time of the end, when God intervenes in human affairs (Isaiah 30:31 and 31:8).

When the nations learn their lesson — learn that war does not pay, then "In that day shall there be a highway out of Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrian shall come into Egypt, and the Egyptians into Assyria; and the Egyptians shall serve with the Assyrians. In that day shall Israel be the third with Egypt and with Assyria, even a blessing in the midst of the land: whom the Lord of hosts shall bless, saying, 'Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel mine inheritance'" (Isaiah 19:23-25). (Hoeh H. GERMANY in Prophecy! - Part 2. Plain Truth, January 1963)

While his timing was off by many decades, we are seeing German-dominated political (European Union, which will reorganize), economic (Eurozone), and military alliances (PESCO) beginning to rise in Europe. Expect to see church involvement in the future as well.

Assyria Will Be Punished

While some may question if Assyria is the King of the North, notice how the following ties Assyria in with the end time Babylon:

13 And He will stretch out His hand against the north,
Destroy Assyria,
And make Nineveh a desolation,
As dry as the wilderness.
14 The herds shall lie down in her midst,
Every beast of the nation.
Both the pelican and the bittern
Shall lodge on the capitals of her pillars;
Their voice shall sing in the windows;
Desolation shall be at the threshold;
For He will lay bare the cedar work.
15 This is the rejoicing city
That dwelt securely,
That said in her heart,
"I am it, and there is none besides me."
How has she become a desolation,
A place for beasts to lie down!
Everyone who passes by her
Shall hiss and shake his fist. (Zephaniah 2:13-15)

Notice particularly that God, who will punish Assyria (as also confirmed in Isaiah 10:12) is stretching His hand against a power of the north. That this northern power is Assyria. The King of the North will rule over end-time Assyria and regions of the old "Holy Roman Empire" (for more on this, please see Who is the King of the North?). We know that Zephaniah 2:15 is referring to end time Babylon as similar statements are made in Revelation 18:1-8,19. Zephaniah 2:13-15 ties in a power in the north (the final King of the North of Daniel 11:45) to the end time harlot city (Revelation 17 & 18).

The Bible shows that Assyria itself, as well as its king (the King of the North) will be punished after it has invaded the modern descendants of Israel/Jacob and Judah:

12 Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Lord has performed all His work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, that He will say, "I will punish the fruit of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his haughty looks."

13 For he says:

"By the strength of my hand I have done it, And by my wisdom, for I am prudent; Also I have removed the boundaries of the people, And have robbed their treasuries; So I have put down the inhabitants like a valiant man. 14 My hand has found like a nest the riches of the people, And as one gathers eggs that are left, I have gathered all the earth; And there was no one who moved his wing, Nor opened his mouth with even a peep."

15 Shall the ax boast itself against him who chops with it? Or shall the saw exalt itself against him who saws with it? As if a rod could wield itself against those who lift it up, Or as if a staff could lift up, as if it were not wood! 16 Therefore the Lord, the Lord of hosts, Will send leanness among his fat ones; And under his glory He will kindle a burning Like the burning of a fire. 17 So the Light of Israel will be for a fire, And his Holy One for a flame; It will burn and devour His thorns and his briers in one day. 18 And it will consume the glory of his forest and of his fruitful field, Both soul and body; And they will be as when a sick man wastes away. 19 Then the rest of the trees of his forest Will be so few in number That a child may write them.

The verses above look at a time when the Black Forest of Germany will be destroyed.

Now, continuing:

20 And it shall come to pass in that day That the remnant of Israel, And such as have escaped of the house of Jacob, Will never again depend on him who defeated them, But will depend on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, in truth. 21 The remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, To the Mighty God. 22 For though your people, O Israel, be as the sand of the sea, A remnant of them will return; The destruction decreed shall overflow with righteousness. 23 For the Lord God of hosts Will make a determined end In the midst of all the land.
24 Therefore thus says the Lord God of hosts: "O My people, who dwell in Zion, do not be afraid of the Assyrian. He shall strike you with a rod and lift up his staff against you, in the manner of Egypt. 25 For yet a very little while and the indignation will cease, as will My anger in their destruction." 26 And the Lord of hosts will stir up a scourge for him like the slaughter of Midian at the rock of Oreb; as His rod was on the sea, so will He lift it up in the manner of Egypt.

27 It shall come to pass in that day That his burden will be taken away from your shoulder, And his yoke from your neck, And the yoke will be destroyed because of the anointing oil. (Isaiah 10:12-27)

After some abandon idols of gold and silver, the punishment will come to Assyria:

7 For in that day every man shall throw away his idols of silver and his idols of gold — sin, which your own hands have made for yourselves.

8 "Then Assyria shall fall by a sword not of man,
And a sword not of mankind shall devour him.
But he shall flee from the sword,
And his young men shall become forced labor. (Isaiah 31:7-8)

Nahum shows the punishment of Assyria:

18 Your shepherds slumber, O king of Assyria; Your nobles rest in the dust. Your people are scattered on the mountains, And no one gathers them. 19 Your injury has no healing, Your wound is severe. All who hear news of you Will clap their hands over you, For upon whom has not your wickedness passed continually? (Nahum 3:18-19)

As Joel shows, some of this punishment will come from what must be the Eurasian confederation of the 'kings of the sunrise' (Revelation 16:12):

2...A people come, great and strong, The like of whom has never been; Nor will there ever be any such after them,Even for many successive generations. 3 A fire devours before them, And behind them a flame burns; The land is like the Garden of Eden before them, And behind them a desolate wilderness;Surely nothing shall escape them. 4 Their appearance is like the appearance of horses; And like swift steeds, so they run. 5 With a noise like chariots Over mountaintops they leap, Like the noise of a flaming fire that devours the stubble, Like a strong people set in battle array. 6 Before them the people writhe in pain; All faces are drained of color. 7 They run like mighty men, They climb the wall like men of war; Every one marches in formation, And they do not break ranks. 8 They do not push one another; Every one marches in his own column. Though they lunge between the weapons, They are not cut down. 9 They run to and fro in the city, They run on the wall; They climb into the houses, They enter at the windows like a thief. (Joel 2:2-9)

That massive army will cause fear and massive destruction to come to Germany.

Zechariah 10:6-11 shows that God will bring back those He had allowed the Assyrians to scatter from the houses of Judah and Joseph (Ephraim and Manasseh, the Anglo-American nations) and then punish Assyria for it:

6 "I will strengthen the house of Judah, And I will save the house of Joseph. I will bring them back, Because I have mercy on them. They shall be as though I had not cast them aside; For I am the Lord their God, And I will hear them. 7 Those of Ephraim shall be like a mighty man, And their heart shall rejoice as if with wine. Yes, their children shall see it and be glad; Their heart shall rejoice in the Lord. 8 I will whistle for them and gather them, For I will redeem them; And they shall increase as they once increased. 9 "I will sow them among the peoples, And they shall remember Me in far countries; They shall live, together with their children, And they shall return. 10 I will also bring them back from the land of Egypt, And gather them from Assyria. I will bring them into the land of Gilead and Lebanon, Until no more room is found for them. 11 He shall pass through the sea with affliction, And strike the waves of the sea: All the depths of the River shall dry up. Then the pride of Assyria shall be brought down, And the scepter of Egypt shall depart. (Zechariah 10:6-11)

Judah, the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the USA seem to be among the "not a few nations" that are cut-off by Assyria (Isaiah 10:7).

Notice also the following from the late Herbert W. Armstrong:

I have been telling you all along that Russia is not going to plunge us into World War III now. Russia is not going to attack the United States. I have been telling you, even though we look on Germany as an ally, that Germany is the nation for us to WATCH. (Armstrong HW. Biggest World New Happening in Germany. Plain Truth. August 1959, p. 3)

Now the Germans are not the master race. They are a race of orderly people who are very great producers of certain mechanical things, have very great talents in certain directions. They are a people who have been down and out after World War I. And Hitler came around and raised them up with the idea that they are better than any other people on earth, and he practically had them hypnotized. I think a great many people in Germany today realize that, and I don't think you find very much of Hitlerism in Germany today. However, it's coming in a little different way today. Once again, they are right on the verge of raising this thing up once again. (Armstrong HW. Mark of the Beast. Sermon, December 11, 1982. http://www.hwalibrary.com/cgi-bin/get/hwa.cgi?action=getsermon&InfoID=1333986018)

Notice the following from 1962 by the late Radio Church of God minister David Jon Hill and the late evangelist Dr. Herman Hoeh:

If you were God, and the nation of Israel had rebelled against you, and you wished to punish them for that rebellion -and you were going to use another nation as a rod in your hand to punish them-what nation would you pick? What nation would be best equipped to deal the crushing blow, that would grind us under its heel in cruel oppression until we turned our hearts to God and asked Him to forgive us for OUR sins, and asked Him to save us?

The nation God picked was Germany!

Just as the modern nations of the United States and Great Britain are refer red to in the Bible as Israel, so the modern nation of Germany is referred to as ancient Assyria! ...

"O Assyrian, the rod of MINE anger, and the staff in their hand is MINE indignation, I WILL SEND HIM against an hypocritical nation, and against the people of my wrath (rebellious Israel) will I give him a charge (command), to take the spoil, and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets" (Isa. 10:5,6).

Yes , God is going to rake the nation of Germany as the head of a United Europe into his hand as a club to punish the nations of Israel for their rebellion against Him! Howbeit he meanth not so, neither does his heart think so; but it is in his heart to destroy and cut off nations not a few" (vs. 7). Germany, those living in Germany, even the German government, may not yet know that they are going to join in a treaty with the Russians to destroy the United States and bring it to its knees-it is not in his "heart" to think so, but on the other hand it IS in his "heart" to destroy-the very characteristic of the Assyrian, the modern German, is a harsh, cruel, iron, dedication to militarism and destruction! This is just the kind of nation God needs to use as a rod in His hand to punish His people!

Does this then mean that the Germans at the head of a United Europe do have a spiritual mission to perform? Does this mean that they are right in claiming to be the "Defenders of the West" and the champions of Christianity!? No!

God's Destiny for Germany

Despite the fact that it is God who will use Germany to destroy America, Germany must be destroyed as well for HER rebellion against God---"I will punish the fruit of the stout heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his high looks. For he saith, by the strength of my hand I have done it, and by my wisdom; for I am prudent!" (Is. 10:12,13)

The leaders of a United Europe, when they succeed against the United States, will begin to think THEIR prudent planning, THEIR wise ideas and THEIR powerful might have made them successful! They will not realize that they have only been used as a base tool of destruction in the hand of the Almighty God! "Shall the axe boast itself against him that hews therewith? Or shall the saw magnify itself against him that shaketh it? as if the rod should shake itself against them that lift it up, or as if the staff should lift up itself, as if it were no wood" (Isa. 10:15). God explains here that despite the fact that He has used Assyria to punish Israel, Assyria is also rebellious against His law and government, His way, and since it will magnify itself against the very God of creation, as Dan. 11: 36 and 37 explain, GOD WILL HAVE TO PUNISH IT FOR THIS.

So GOD says, "The Lord of hosts has sworn. saying, Surely as I have thought, so SHALL IT COME TO PASS: and as I have purposed, so SHALL IT STAND; That I will break the Assyrian in my land, and upon my mountains TREAD HIM UNDER FOOT: then shall his yoke depart from off them, and his burden depart from off their (the Israelites) shoulders" (Isa.14: 24,25). Just shortly before Jesus Christ Himself intervenes in this world's affairs. He will take another nation as a punishing club in His hands and punish the proud Assyrians, the modern Germans at the head of the United States of Europe. "Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them, which shall nor regard silver; and as for gold they shall not delight in it ... Their bows also shall dash the young men to pieces; and they shall have no pity on the fruit of the womb; their eye shall not spare children. And Babylon (the modern resurrected and revived Roman Empire, dominated by a fascist Germany), the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees' excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah!" (Is. 13: 17-19.) ...

Since God himself has pronounced a curse on modern Israel, and is going to hand us over to the Assyrians, it is evident that we CANNOT TRUST in the American way of life either!

Nothing is left outside these three great systems and powers on earth, under man, except Anarchy!

MAN'S ONLY HOPE LIES IN TURNING TO HIS CREATOR GOD! ...

YOUR only hope as an individual is to turn to God-to the Living Creator who is working our events here below on this earth-who is very concerned about YOU, who promises you safety from these horrible rimes to come! Heed the warning given by Jeremiah! The only 'Way to escape these Jure prophecies of God is by REPENTANCE- nationally or individually! (Hill DJ, God's Destiny for Germany. Plain Truth, March 1962, pp. 28-29)

Consider also that Germany has set itself up as the bulwark of European civilization for well over a thousand years. Germany for centuries has claimed to stand as the eastern wall of defense against the barbarism of Asia. It was on German soil that the hordes of Asia, sweeping across eastern Europe, were more than once stopped.

The German Reich long endured as the oldest political institution in Europe — older than the government of France or England by centuries. The German people called their Reich the Holy Roman Empire. It bore rule over Europe for a thousand years. This "Holy Roman Empire of the German People" was officially designated by the Church in the Middle Ages as "The Kingdom of God" on earth. Its citizens, the Germans, felt themselves true Romans and bearers of the Christian Reich or Kingdom. THEY were therefore the CHOSEN PEOPLE of the Christian era, entrusted with a world-mission to be the protectors of Christianity.

The German leaders and philosophers have never forgotten this notion of the Middle Ages that the German, in place of the Jew, has a special mission from God. German politicians know that their dream of a world Empire can be created only if they maintain this claim of a world-mission.

This strange concept, which lies behind political thinking in Germany today, is plainly stated in a German work which I have before me as I write this article. The book is entitled "Die Tragödie des Heiligen Reiches," or, translated, "The Tragedy of the Holy Roman Empire." It is by Friedrich Heer. It is a remarkable volume. It lays bare the reason for the SECRET MOVES OF THE GERMAN GOVERNMENT TOWARD A UNITED STATES OF EUROPE....

 German leaders once again — just as in centuries past — openly are attempting to unite all Europe in a United States of Europe — and, through Europe, to reshape the world in order to fasten German leadership and culture on all nations and peoples. (Hoeh H. Germany in Prophecy! Plain Truth, December 1962)

We should watch Germany and in the 21st century, Germany has given prophecy believers many reasons to watch.

Interestingly, even though many in Poland have concerns about a powerful Germany, notice that even one of Poland's most famous leaders (and former president) called for German leadership of Europe if there was a vote for a British exit (Breixt) from the European Union the next week:

6/16/16

Poland’s freedom icon Lech Walesa believes powerhouse Germany should lead either a deeply reformed, or an entirely rebuilt European Union, in the wake of a possible Brexit.

Walesa’s comments come as a series of opinion polls show a growing lead for the campaign rallying British voters to leave the 28-nation EU in a landmark referendum on 23 June.

“Germany in particular must calculate what would be better for development (of the EU): do we create a completely new organisation… or do we fix the old EU?” Walesa told AFP during an interview in Gdansk, the cradle of Poland’s 1980s anti-communist Solidarity movement.

“It’s up to the Germans to decide because they are the leaders and they must also decide with whom they want to build” the new EU, he added. ...

The Nobel Peace Prize winner — renowned for negotiating a bloodless end to communism in Poland in 1989 — also insisted that Germany, along with EU partners France and Italy, “should have a contingency scenario prepared to put in place 15 minutes after the EU falls apart.”

“After the current European Union falls apart, a new union must be created, but it must be thought out much better in order to avoid the kind of problems we have now.

“Whoever wants to join it, can join, while those who don’t, can just say ‘no thanks’,” Walesa said. https://www.euractiv.com/section/future-eu/news/walesa-germany-should-lead-new-eu-after-possible-brexit/

Well, the Brexit was approved and Germany does want to take the lead militarily:

July 13, 2016

"Germany is ready to lead," German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen said as she presented the so-called "white paper" on security policy approved by the cabinet earlier on Wednesday. ...

Today, as Europe is grappling with the shock of the Brexit referendum and warily eyeing Russia, Germany's security policy paper sees the country gradually assuming a larger defense role within the frameworks of NATO and the European Union. It also envisions a future defense union of European states.

"Germany is increasingly seen as a key player in Europe," the document noted. According to the paper, which states that Germany is ready to "assume responsibility" and "help meet current and future security and humanitarian challenges," the country has a responsibility to actively help shape the world order.

Paradigm shift

The 2016 White Paper marks a major shift for the country.

For decades, post-World War Two Germany was cast in the role of economic giant, but "political dwarf" that long refrained from sending troops abroad in international conflicts. It was not until 1994 that Germany's highest court allowed the country to take part in multinational peacekeeping missions.

The world expects Germany to take on a greater foreign and security policy role, and that demands "a turnaround," the German defense minister said. ...

The Bundeswehr, seen domestically as overstretched, underfunded and beset by equipment failures, is now set to see its budget boosted and will implement its first increase in troop strength since it was a conscript army in the Cold War. Plans call for recruiting nearly 20,000 additional personnel over seven years.

Pulling its weight

The Defense Ministry's plan stressed that Germany will act within transatlantic and European frameworks. http://www.dw.com/en/germany-presents-new-military-roadmap/a-19397153

Germany is taking more steps towards military leadership in Europe.

Ultimately, the Bible tells of two future reorganizations in Europe in Revelation 17:12-13 (see also Must the Ten Kings of Revelation 17:12 Rule over Ten Currently Existing Nations?) and this will lead to various wars, etc. (cf. Daniel 11:39-45, Revelation 17:14).

More on Trees

Notice the following from 1986:

It has been said that Indians worship their cows and Germans worship their trees. India's cows can often be seen wandering the streets of Madras, Calcutta and Bombay — sad, often half — starved creatures struggling to survive in an unnatural and unhealthy environment. They may be in better condition than Germany's trees!

The German people have an almost mystical relationship with their forests. Three quarters of the population of this densely populated country visit the forest at least once a month.

Twenty-five percent of West Germany's area is still covered with trees, and the forests are a traditional refuge from the stress of city life. But the forests may not be for much longer, it seems. ...

The loss of German forests would be a tremendous emotional blow to the German people. There would, however, be far graver consequences.

The forestry and timber industries provide hundreds of thousands of jobs. Tourism, another major industry, would seriously decline. Who would want to visit a Black Forest nearly devoid of trees?

The end of this age as we know it is coming.

In the prophecies of the Bible the immediate future of the European continent is spelled out with devastating precision. In the book of Revelation Jesus Christ looked across the centuries and showed the apostle John the conditions that would follow a future union of European nations.

Many today seek the union of Europe for peace and prosperity, little realizing that they are paving the way for another great catastrophe.

But among the predictions of future world turmoil, has the Bible foreseen a world that must struggle to preserve its dwindling forests?

In Revelation 8:7, we read that "a third of the trees were burned up..." (Revised Authorized Version throughout). And in the ninth chapter of Revelation there is described in the symbolic language of prophecy a great army, as numerous as locusts, that will swarm across the heartland of Eurasia. But even as they marshal their forces, notice how they are commanded to take care of what remains of vegetation and the trees. "They were commanded not to harm the grass of the earth, or any green thing, or any tree, but only those men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads" (verse 4).

Even in a desperate struggle for world domination, these armies will be forced to take care of what remains of the earth's resources. Other prophecies show that the cataclysmic events of "Satan's last stand" will play havoc with all life: man, beast — and trees. (Halford JA. Germany's Forests Are Dying. Plain Truth, January 1986)

And as mentioned before, the prophecies involving Assyria in Isaiah 10 point to losses of trees--trees in Germanic areas.

Greco-Roman Catholic Prophecy Related to Germany

There are some Greco-Roman Catholic prophecies and writings (that some might apply to Adolf Hitler) that foretell that Germany will rise under a coming claimed Roman Catholic leader, who seems to be the one generally known as the Great Monarch (and who seems to be the same as the King of the North of biblical prophecy).

The famous third century Roman Catholic theologian and Bishop Hippolytus tied Assyria in with the Antichrist/King of the North power:

But Isaiah also speaks thus: "And it shall come to pass, that when the Lord has performed His whole work upon Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, He will punish (visit) the stout mind, the king of Assyria, and the greatness (height) of the glory of his eyes"…For when he has the power, he will begin to exalt himself against God, neither in truth fearing God, nor regarding the Son of God...And Isaiah also to the like effect: “Forasmuch as the people refuses…therefore, lo, the Lord brings up upon you the water of the river, strong and full, even the king of Assyria.” By the king he means metaphorically Antichrist…(Hippolytus. On the Antichrist, chapters 16, 57).

Although he believes that the final Antichrist springs from the tribe of Dan (Ibid, chapter 15), Hippolytus seems to be connecting attributes of the King of the North who exalts himself above God (Daniel 11:36-37) with the king of Assyria (Isaiah 8:3-8; 10:5-11) who is punished in Isaiah 10:12. The Bible is clear that Assyria will be an end time northern power that God will punish per Zephaniah 2:13-15, which seems to go along with Revelation 18:1-10. Jerome, in his passage involving Assur and Germany, also mentioned Antichrist (see Germany's Assyrian Roots Throughout History for details), hence he may have continued with Hippolytus' view.

The famous third century Greco-Roman Catholic theologian and Bishop Victorinus tied Assur the Antichrist/Beast power:

7:2..."Then shall there be peace for our land, when there shall arise in it seven shepherds and eight attacks of men; and they shall encircle Assur," that is, Antichrist...

11:7. And the beast which ascends from the abyss. After many plagues completed in the world, in the end he says that a beast ascended from the abyss. But that he shall ascend from the abyss is proved by many testimonies; for he says in the thirty-first chapter of Ezekiel: Behold, Assur was a cypress in Mount Lebanon. Assur, deeply rooted, was a lofty and branching cypress— that is, a numerous people— in Mount Lebanon, in the kingdom of kingdoms, that is, of the Romans. (Victorinus. Commentary on the Apocalypse. Translated by Robert Ernest Wallis. From Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 7. Edited by Alexander Roberts, James Donaldson, and A. Cleveland Coxe. (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1886.) Revised and edited for New Advent by Kevin Knight. <http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0712.htm>)

Notice that Victorinus tied end time Assur (Assyria) in with representing the Beast and kingdom of the Romans during the time of Antichrist. This is somewhat consistent with prophecies in Isaiah 10:5-11, though his reference was Ezekiel 31:3-9.

It should also be noted that the Roman Catholic saint and doctor of that church, Jerome, realized that the Hebrew scriptures had future prophecies related to the King of Assyria, but that the Septuagint got them wrong. Notice the following from Jerome:

And first all, one should know that whatever is said of the king of the Assyrians in the future tense is recorded in the Septuagint as having been accomplished. (Jerome. Commentary on Ezekiel. Translated by Thomas P. Scheck. Newman Press, New York, 2017, p. 359)

So, while Greco-Roman Catholic writers have suggested a tie between Assyria and the final Beast power leader, those who rely on the Septuagint will be misled.

The connection between Assyria and the final Beast power leader that some Greco-Roman Catholic writers have noted seems to be consistent with biblical connections between Assyria/Asshur and the final King of the North.

Here is one of Nostradamus’ prophecies involving Germany and England:

Nostradamus (died 1566): Although nations talk peace, troubles brew everywhere.  Militaristic parties rise in Germany and pagan cults revive. Opinions are not free and the people are not enriched.  The heir to the London government is overthrown for having made too many peace protests. (Culleton, The Prophets and Our Times, p. 165)

So, the above is suggesting that an end-time Germanic power will rise up and eliminate the heir (probably king) of England. And that would seem to be consistent with biblical prophecy as well. Notice also the comment about opinions no longer being free. That is happening in many places as more and more censorship--particularly on the internet, is already taking place.

Old English Prophecy: In Germany begins a dance,  Which passes through Italy, Spain, and France, But England shall pay the piper. (Dupont, Catholic Prophecy, pp. 21-22)

Birch Tree Prophecy (Old German) “When the world becomes Godless: revolutions will break out against kings; fathers will be against sons and sons against fathers; dogma will be perverted; men will try to overthrow the Catholic Church…A terrible war will find the north fighting against the south. The south will be led by a Prince wearing a white coat with a cross on the front…” (Culleton, R. Gerald. The Prophets and Our Times. Nihil Obstat: L. Arvin. Imprimatur: Philip G. Scher, Bishop of Monterey-Fresno, November 15, 1941. Reprint 1974, TAN Books, Rockford (IL), p. 143).

Jean Paul Richter (d. 1809): Through a terrible purgatory Europe will return to the faith (Culleton, p. 182).

Brother Louis Rocco (19th century): All over Europe there will rage terrible civil wars…The German sections of Austria will join Germany, so will also the commercial cities of Belgium and Switzerland. A Catholic descendant of a German imperial house will rule a united Germany with peace, prosperity and great power, for God will be with this sovereign (the Great Monarch?)…A Great Monarch will arise after a period of terrible wars and persecutions in Europe. He will be a Catholic; he will not be a German (Culleton, p. 195).

Blessed Joannes Amadeus de Sylva (died 1482): Germany and Spain will unite under a great prince…After much slaughtering, the other nations will be forced to come into this union. There is no hope for the unbelievers until all of Germany is converted; then all will happen quickly…the time will be prolonged until all countries unite under the Great Ruler. After this union, mass conversions will take place… (Connor, Prophecy for Today, p. 34).

The above suggests that something starts in Germany that goes into other parts of Europe, but that England will suffer (this is consistent with biblical prophecy).

Notice that the 15th century Roman Catholic prophecy that foretells a time when a “great prince” will rise up. “All Germany” will apparently convert to the ecumenical religion, and then massive conversions in “all countries” “will happen quickly” under the “Great Ruler.”

Various Catholic prophecies, like the Birch Tree prophecy above, show that the ruler will have a cross.

It may be of interest to note that from ancient times, a type of cross was a sign that the ancient Assyrians promoted:

Another signatio...was that of putting the neck...a cross or necklace with a cross. This custom is very old, and we find it in old images, e.g. that of Shamshi - Adar V, king of Assyria...(Bagatti, Bellarmino.  Translated by Eugene Hoade.  The Church from the Circumcision. Nihil obstat: Marcus Adinolfi. Imprimi potest: Herminius Roncari. Imprimatur: +Albertus Gori, die 26 Junii 1970.  Franciscan Printing Press, Jerusalem, p.140).

The use of the cross has been a very old symbol of the Assyrians, and other ancient peoples (see also What is the Origin of the Cross as a 'Christian' Symbol? and Mark of the Beast). German and other soldiers in the Crusades wore crosses.

The Bible shows that one called the King of Assyria (Isaiah 10:5-14) is the same one called the Beast and the King of the North.

Notice also what is expected to impact the followers of Islam from a northern leader:

Rudolph Gekner (died 1675). "A great prince of the North with a most powerful army will traverse all Europe, uproot all republics, and exterminate all rebels. His sword moved by Divine power will most valiantly defend the Church of Jesus Christ. He will combat on behalf of the true orthodox faith, and shall subdue to his dominion the Mahometan Empire. A new pastor of the universal church will come from the shore (of Dalmatia) through a celestial prodigy, and in simplicity of heart adorned with the doctrines of Jesus Christ. Peace will come to the world." (Connor, p.36).

Catholic Priest and saint John Bosco (19th century): War will come from the south, peace from the north. ... But behold, a great warrior from the north appears, a banner in his right hand, his arm bearing this inscription: 'Irresistible is the hand of the Lord.' At that moment the Venerable Old Man of Rome went forward to meet him, wielding a flaming torch. The banner then grew larger and its blackness became white as snow; in its center stood out the name of the Almighty in golden letter. The warrior and his followers bowed profoundly to the Venerable Old Man and joined hands with him. (THE THREE PROPHECIES OF ST. JOHN BOSCO, given 1870. http://www.franciscan-archive.org/bosco/opera/bosco.html#12 viewed 08/16/14)

Pseudo-Methodius (7th century): This new Muslim invasion will be a punishment without limit and mercy…In France, people of Christians will fight and kill them…At that same time the Muslims will be killed and they will know the tribulation…The Lord will give them to the powers of the Christians whose empire will be elevated above all empires…The Roman King (Great Monarch) will show a great indignation against those who will have denied Christ in Egypt or in Arabia (Araujo, Fabio R. Selected Prophecies and Prophets. BookSurge LLC, Charlestown (SC), 2007, p. 103).

The above is consistent with the prophecies in Daniel 11:40-43.

May the Final Antichrist Be Germanic?

While Greco-Roman Catholic prophecies suggest that the Beast leader (which they sometimes technically incorrectly call the final Antichrist) is Germanic, what about the actual final Antichrist?

Certain Roman Catholic prophecies suggest that a treacherous religious leader, sometimes described as an antipope, will have Germanic ties and/or influence:

Anne Catherine Emmerich (October 22, 1822): I saw in Germany among the worldly-wise ecclesiastics, and enlightened Protestants, plans formed for the blending of all religious creeds…(Emmerich AC. The Life and Revelations of Anne Catherine Emmerich, p. 346) 

Catholic priest and writer R. Gerald Culleton (20th century): A schism of short duration is destined to break out…An antipope, of German origin, is to be set up, and finally Rome itself will be destroyed”. (Culleton, p. 42)

Merlin (7th century): There will come a German Anti-Pope. Italy and Germany will be sorely troubled. A French King will restore the true Pope. (Culleton, p. 132)

Father Laurence Ricci, S.J. (died 1775): After the rule of Napoleon a time will come when the people will become poor and the world will be punished in three ways: wars, famines, and pestilences. At a time when the whole world seems doomed, God will intervene. With His aide a valiant duke will arise from the ancient German house which was humiliated by the French monarch. This great ruler will restore stolen Church property. Protestantism will cease and the Turkish empire will end. This duke will be the most powerful monarch on earth. At a gathering of men noted for piety and wisdom he will, with the aid of the Pope, introduce new rules, and ban the spirit of confusion. Everywhere there will be one fold and one shepherd. (Connor, p.37)

Other Roman Catholic writers have suggested that a coming antipope would be the final Antichrist.

Venerable Bartholomew Holzhauser (Born in the 17th century, in Germany): God will bind Satan for a number of years until the days of the Son of Perdition…there will be an ecumenical council which will be the greatest of all councils.  By the grace of God, by  the power of the Great Monarch, and by the authority of the Holy Pontiff, and by the union of the most devout princes, atheism and every heresy will be banished from the earth.  The Council will define the true sense of Holy Scripture, and this will be believed and accepted by everyone. (Dupont, p. 40)

Venerable Bartholomew Holzhauser (Born in the 17th century, in Germany): There will rise a valiant monarch anointed by God.  He will be Catholic…He will rule supreme in temporal matters.  The pope will rule supreme in spiritual matters at the same time.

The reign of the Great Ruler may be compared with that of Caesar Augustus who became Emperor after his victory over his enemies, thereby giving peace to the world, also with the reign of Emperor Constantine the Great, who was sent by God, after severe persecutions, to deliver both the Church and State. By his victories on water and land he brought the Roman empire under subjection, which he then ruled in peace...

The Great Monarch will have the special help of God and be unconquerable…

‘Golden crown’ refers to his Holy Roman (German) Empire…(Culleton, pp. 171,172)

Bl. Johannes Amadeus de Sylva (died 1482): In the latter days…Germany and Spain will unite under a great prince designated by God.  After much slaughtering, the other nations will be forced to come into this union.  There is no hope for unbelievers until all Germany  becomes converted; then all happens quickly…the time will be prolonged until all countries unite under the Great Ruler.  After this union mass conversions will take place…peace and prosperity will follow. (Tzima Otto, p. 147; Connor, p. 34)

Brother Louis Rocco (19th century): All over Europe there will rage terrible civil wars...The German sections of Austria will join Germany, so will also the commercial cities of Belgium and Switzerland. A Catholic descendant of a German imperial house will rule a united Germany with peace, prosperity and great power, for God will be with this sovereign (the Great Monarch?)...A Great Monarch will arise after a period of terrible wars and persecutions in Europe. He will be a Catholic; he will not be a German (Culleton, p. 195).

It will likely be a combination of factors that get the Germans to support the final warned about leader (cf. 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12). But if he is at least partially Germanic, that could seem to be a possible factor.

I am the great Mediatrix of Grace. The Father wants the world to recognize His handmaid…My sign is about to appear. God wills it…I cannot reveal my power to the world as yet…Then I will be able to reveal myself…Chose a sign for yourself so that the Trinity may soon be adored by all!  Pray and sacrifice through me!…I will impose crosses on my children that will be as heavy and as deep as the sea because I love them in my sacrificed Son. I pray, be prepared to bear the cross in order that the Trinity may be honored. (Culleton, Reign of Antichrist, pp. 217-218)

Notice what Mary allegedly stated in an apparition to a young girl named Barbara Reiss in Marienfried, Germany on May 26, 1946:

Yes, I am the powerful Mediatrix of Grace.  As the world can find mercy only through the sacrifice of the Son with the Father, so can you only find favor with the Son through my intercession.  Christ is unknown because I am not known…it will be I who draw the power of God and the love of the Father {that} will renew the fullness of Christ in you…The devil has power over those that do not trust in My heart. (Culligan, p. 162)

So, “Mary” is indicating that her “Son” will not be known until she is known.

Here is what a Marian apparition in Germany reportedly stated on June 25, 1946:

People must believe that I am the permanent Bride of the Holy Ghost, and the faithful Mediatrix of all graces.  My SIGN is already appearing.  God wants it so.  Only my children recognize this sign because it reveals itself in secret…I cannot manifest my power to the world in general.  I must still hold myself aloof…

In secret I will work marvels…Then, I can manifest myself to the world for the glory of the Almighty.  Choose my Sign, so that the Triune God will be adored and honored. (Culligan, p. 163)

Of course, Jesus taught that after the resurrection no one is married (Matthew 22;30), nor does the Bible hint that the Holy Spirit somehow married Mary or that she is (or could be) a “Mediatrix of graces” (cf. 1 Timothy 2:5).

Nun Anne Catherine Emmerich (October 1, 1822): Two men live at this time who long to ruin the Church...one of the two men of whom I speak left Germany…They have their employees everywhere. The little black man in Rome, whom I see so often, has many working for him without their clearly knowing for what end. He has his agents in the new black church also…I see the little black man in his own country…falsifying things generally…The two enemies of the Church...are firmly resolved to destroy the pious and learned men that stand in their way. (Emmerich AC. The Life and Revelations of Anne Catherine Emmerich, Volume 2, p.298)

There are also more Catholic prophecies indicating the end apparently beginning in the 20th century (Germany, for example, was divided in the 20th century):

St. Hildegard (died 1179): The time is coming when princes and peoples will renounce the authority of the Pope. Individual countries will prefer their own Church rulers to the Pope. The German Empire will be divided. Church property will be secularized. Priests will be persecuted. After the birth of Anti-Christ heretics will preach their false doctrines undisturbed, resulting in 'Christians having doubts about their Catholic faith'. (Culleton, p.169)

While the final antichrist does not have to be Germanic (and the current pontiff who is Italian could possibly be that person), it would not be inconsistent with biblical prophecy if he is at least partially German.

Back to the Bible on the Germans

And while there are peoples alive who call themselves Assyrian, they seem to be a relatively small group. Because of their lack of size and influence (the largest populations of which are currently in Syria and Iraq), it makes little sense that they could represent the bulk of the Assyrian descendants in the time of the end.

Now ultimately the King of the North, Germanically-dominated power will be troubled and then defeated:

...the king of the North... 43 He shall have power over the treasures of gold and silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt; also the Libyans and Ethiopians shall follow at his heels. 44 But news from the east and the north shall trouble him; therefore he shall go out with great fury to destroy and annihilate many. 45 And he shall plant the tents of his palace between the seas and the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and no one will help him (Dan 11:40,43-45).

This fulfillment of Daniel 11:44 is likely to occur about 3 1/2 years after the Great Tribulation begins.

Other parts of the Bible also show that this "Babylonian/European/Germanic" empire will be destroyed by a northern power (apparently Russia and its allies as Russia is really the only powerful nation north of Europe):

50:41 "Behold, a people shall come from the north,
And a great nation and many kings
Shall be raised up from the ends of the earth.
42 They shall hold the bow and the lance;
They are cruel and shall not show mercy.
Their voice shall roar like the sea;
They shall ride on horses,
Set in array, like a man for the battle,
Against you, O daughter of Babylon.

43 "The king of Babylon has heard the report about them,
And his hands grow feeble;
Anguish has taken hold of him,
Pangs as of a woman in childbirth..."(Jeremiah 50:41-43).

Thus, this Germanically-dominated empire (the "daughter of Babylon") is to be destroyed by a northern (apparently Russian led) force.

Is God going to offer salvation to all the Germans and their Allies?

However, war is not the ultimate destiny for most Germans and their allies. Deification is.

But how?

The mainstream "Christian" view correctly teaches that there is salvation in no other than Jesus (Acts 4:10-12), as "there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved" (vs.12).

But what happens to the multitudes in Germany and elsewhere who have not even understood the true name of Christ? What about those who do not respond per Deuteronomy 4:29-31? And what happens to those born before Christ's earthly ministry? Recall that the Bible teaches that after Adam sinned, humankind was blocked from the tree of life as God had it guarded so that humans would not be able to access it on their own (Genesis 3:22-24).

Even the basic Protestant view is that unless one professes belief in Jesus prior to the first death, then salvation will be unavailable. It is perhaps because of the difference between this view and that of the genuine Church of God, that Protestants tend to label Church of God groups as cults.

The Continuing Church of God teaches that God is only calling a relatively few during this age with the Day of Pentecost (also called the Day of Firstfruits, Numbers 28:26) partially explaining this. "Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures" (James 1:18).

Jesus and the real Church of God teach, "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him" (John 6:44). And that will be few at this time, "For many are called, but few are chosen" (Matthew 22:14), "Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it" (Matthew 7:14).

Protestants and Catholics tend to feel, correctly, that God uses ministers to preach (Romans 10:14). Yet, the message is not always clear. In Isaiah 6:9-11 God teaches,

"Go, and tell this people: 'Keep on hearing, but do not understand; Keep on seeing, but do not perceive.' Make the heart of this people dull, And their ears heavy, And shut their eyes; Lest they see with their eyes, And hear with their ears, And understand with their heart, And return and be healed." Then I said, "Lord, how long?" And He answered: "Until the cities are laid waste and without inhabitant, The houses are without a man, The land is utterly desolate".

In other words, the bulk of the people are not to understand until after a time of great desolation.

Furthermore, the Bible reveals that God has prohibited idolaters to have proper understanding:

And the rest of it he makes into a god, His carved image. He falls down before it and worships it, Prays to it and says, "Deliver me, for you are my god!" They do not know nor understand; For He has shut their eyes, so that they cannot see, And their hearts, so that they cannot understand (Isaiah 44:17-18).

They have no knowledge, Who carry the wood of their carved image, And pray to a god that cannot save (Isaiah 45:20).

Thus, is God going to condemn those who worship before idols, like the "Catholics" often do, for what He has not let them understand?

Protestant and Greco-Roman Catholic theology tends to say yes.

Those in the genuine Church of God say no.

Unless the idolater has committed the unpardonable sin (which is unlikely) they will be judged as other uncalled people are. Perhaps it should be mentioned that many Germans are Roman Catholic have many idols (which they call icons) as part of the religious religious worship practices.

The Bible clearly teaches that salvation will be offered to all. And that includes the Germans. Notice the following scripture:

And all flesh shall see the salvation of God (Luke 3:6).

Those who were uncalled in this age (including most people, including those that have long been dead) will be offered an opportunity for salvation (two related articles of interest may include Universal Offer of Salvation: There Are Hundreds of Verses in the Bible Supporting the Doctrine of True Apocatastasis and Hope of Salvation: How the Continuing Church of God differ from most Protestants).

And nearly all of them will accept it. The Continuing Church of God teaches that God will ultimately give every individual an opportunity for salvation--and that nearly every individual will accept that opportunity. The vast majority of human beings will ultimately be in God's family.

Notice a prophecy that shows God's plan involving the Assyrians:

16 There will be a highway for the remnant of His people Who will be left from Assyria, As it was for Israel In the day that he came up from the land of Egypt. (Isaiah 11:16)

24 In that day Israel will be one of three with Egypt and Assyria — a blessing in the midst of the land, 25 whom the Lord of hosts shall bless, saying, "Blessed is Egypt My people, and Assyria the work of My hands, and Israel My inheritance." (Isaiah 19:24-25)

Egypt, in the above context, might apply to all the Arab peoples. Israel would seem to include all of the tribes. Hence it seems reasonable that Assyria is referring to more than the 3-4 million people who currently refer to themselves as Assyrian.

The time will come that nearly all Germans will be in the permanent kingdom of God. Notice some of the descriptions from the Book of Revelation:

Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. 4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away." (Revelation 21:2-4).

Concluding Comments on Germany's Future

Assyria, and then Germany, has been important throughout history. In the 21st century, German wealth and influence is prophesied to increase.

Just because the whole world will be deceived by the rising European Beast power, you do not have to be. Hopefully this article has given you some reasons to look at the world and your life and will motivate to come to God now on His terms. To learn more about what happened to Christianity, a good place to start may be The History of Early Christianity page. May God call you today and grant you the understanding so that you will "pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man" (Luke 21:36).

Sadly, because most in Germany do not strive know the true God now, God will punish them as well as the other inhabitants on the Earth.

Since God is a God of love, He ultimately intends to resurrect the Germans and all others and offer them salvation. A salvation that nearly all will accept as nearly all the Assyrians/Germans who ever lived will be in the kingdom of God. A kingdom without fear or death or sorrow. A glorious kingdom. Deification is to be obtained by most Germans. And that is the prophesied future for nearly all of Germans.

Thiel B. Germany in Biblical and Greco-Roman Catholic Prophecy. www.cogwriter.com/germany-in-prophecy.htm 2013/2014/2015/2016/2017/2018/2019/2020/ 2023 1213

Here is a version of the article in the Spanish language: Alemania en la profecía bíblic.

Information on the Bible, doctrinal, and prophetic matters in the German language is available at the Continuing Church of God: Deutsche page.

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