Church of God News

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COGwriter

Although the Trump-Vance Administration and Israel’s Netanyahu Administration rejected it, the Organisation of the Islamic Conference and several European nations now endorse an Arab plan for Gaza:

Muslim nations, European leaders back Arab proposal for Gaza

8 March 2025

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and several European nations have backed the recently unveiled Arab plan for Gaza following 15 months of Israel’s devastating war on the besieged enclave.

The foreign ministers of France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom said in a joint statement on Saturday that they supported a plan for the reconstruction of Gaza at a cost of $53b.

“The plan shows a realistic path to the reconstruction of Gaza and promises – if implemented – swift and sustainable improvement of the catastrophic living conditions for the Palestinians living in Gaza,” the statement said.

It added that Hamas “must neither govern Gaza nor be a threat to Israel any more” and that the four countries “support the central role for the Palestinian Authority and the implementation of its reform agenda”.

The plan was drawn up by Egypt and adopted by Arab leaders at an Arab League summit in Cairo this month. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/3/8/muslim-nations-european-leaders-back-arab-proposal-for-gaza

8 March 2025

France, Germany, Italy and the UK said on Saturday they supported an Arab-backed plan for the reconstruction of Gaza. …

“The plan shows a realistic path to the reconstruction of Gaza and promises — if implemented — swift and sustainable improvement of the catastrophic living conditions for the Palestinians living in Gaza,” the foreign ministers of the four countries said in a joint statement.

Arab leaders on Tuesday endorsed the post-war plan, which was put forward by Egypt, to rebuild the Paelstinian enclave.

The Arab Summit in Cairo took place after US President Donald Trump floated a widely condemned proposal to turn the Gaza Strip into what he called the “Riviera of the Middle East” and displace its residents. …

Arab plan welcomed by Europe, rejected by the US

Earlier this week, the Trump administration dismissed the $53 billion counter proposal after it was adopted. …

What’s in the Arab plan to rebuild Gaza?

The phased reconstruction plan consists of three major stages over five years.

An initial six-month recovery phase is aimed at removing debris, de-mining and building temporary housing.

In the first phase, the plan calls for the building of 200,000 housing units in Gaza over the next two years. A second stage will see 200,000 more housing units.

By 2030, the plan foresees hundreds of thousands of new homes housing up to 3 million people as well as an airport, industrial zones, hotels and parks.

Under its proposal, Gaza would be governed by a reformed Palestinian Authority. https://www.dw.com/en/france-germany-italy-uk-hail-arab-backed-gaza-plan/a-71866984

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation has 57 member nations. Notice also that the Europeans are endorsing the Arab plan, whereas the USA rejected it.

Over the years, the Europeans have often taken positions closer to the Arabs than the USA has.

The Bible tells of a time when a European leader will confirm some type of a seven year deal:

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” is a European leader who is later called the King of the North in Daniel 11:40. The ‘one week’ has generally been understood by prophecy watchers to mean a seven year deal, that is broken in the middle of it (after 3 1/2 years). This break is also confirmed in the following scripture:

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 “him” is the European King of the North.

One way to show Daniel is referring to a European kingdom is to realize that it was the people of the Roman Empire of the 1st century that fulfilled the portion of Daniel 9:26 as they destroyed the city (Jerusalem) in 70 A.D. Jewish sources, while not understanding all of this, also agree that it was Roman sources that destroyed the city and sanctuary as the following demonstrates:

“The people of the prince will come and destroy the city and the Sanctuary” Daniel 9:26, refers to the Roman legions of Vespasian and Titus, who destroyed Jerusalem. (Daniel 9 – A True Biblical Interpretation. Jews for Judaism. https://jewsforjudaism.org/knowledge/articles/answers/jewish-polemics/texts/daniel-9-a-true-biblical-interpretation/ accessed 07/30/16)

In the 21st century, the European Union includes much of the land and peoples that were part of the ancient Roman Empire. And it is the “prince” coming from that people that verse 27 of Daniel 9 is referring to. Thus, this prophecy tells us that a lower level European leader will somewhat officially start to rise up about 3 1/2 years before the great tribulation (and yes, according to Jesus, some “tribulation” does happen prior to the start of the Great Tribulation). Another is the fact that the “beast of the sea” of Revelation 13:1 fits with the beasts from the “great sea” of Daniel 7:2–and that sea is the Mediterranean Sea according to the Old Testament. Hence a power in Europe the only region that could have an empire geographically like the old Roman one (for more details, please see Europa, the Beast, and the Book of Revelation).

The fact that Europe and the USA differ so much on the future of Gaza again is pushing the Arabs to want to work more with the Europeans in some areas than the Americans.

That said, I objected to Donald Trump’s plan for Gaza when it came out last month as it was not consistent with end time biblical prophecies (see Trump and Netanyahu Administrations want to relocate Gazans, but . . .).

In the October-December 2019 edition of Bible News Prophecy magazine, we had the following in an article about Gaza and the Palestinians:

Gaza and the Palestinians in Bible Prophecy

By Bob Thiel

The Palestinian-dominated areas of the West Bank and Gaza have been in the news a lot. A violent-prone group known as Hamas essentially runs the region called Gaza.

What will happen to Gaza? Does the Bible teach anything about the Palestinians?

Does the Bible have anything to say about Gaza and/or the Palestinians?

Gaza, itself, is mentioned in both the Old and New Testaments. And some of those mentions involve statements that are prophetic.

Gaza, `Azzah (az-zaw’), is the feminine form the Hebrew word ‘az that means strong, vehement, or harsh (Biblesoft’s New Exhaustive Strong’s Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.).

As far as the word Palestine goes, notice also the following:

Though the definite origins of the word “Palestine” have been debated for years and are still not known for sure, the name is believed to be derived from the Egyptian and Hebrew word peleshet. Roughly translated to mean “rolling” or “migratory,” the term was used to describe the inhabitants of the land to the northeast of Egypt – the Philistines. The Philistines were an Aegean people – more closely related to the Greeks and with no connection ethnically, linguisticly or historically with Arabia – who conquered in the 12th Century BCE the Mediterranean coastal plain that is now Israel and Gaza.

A derivitave of the name “Palestine” first appears in Greek literature in the 5th Century BCE when the historian Herodotus called the area “Palaistinē” (Greek – Παλαιστίνη). In the 2nd century CE, the Romans crushed the revolt of Shimon Bar Kokhba (132 CE), during which Jerusalem and Judea were regained and the area of Judea was renamed Palaestina in an attempt to minimize Jewish identification with the land of Israel. (Origins of the Name “Palestine”. viewed 07/26/14)

The term Philistines in the Bible refers to people who tended to occupy regions including Gaza. The NKJV uses the term Philistines 252 times and the term Philistine 34 times.

The Bible Tells of Gaza

The NKJV has the term “Gaza” 21 times and “Gazites” twice. …

Bible Prophecy Tells About Gaza and Palestine

Zechariah had a prophecy of change coming to Gaza:

5 Ashkelon shall see it and fear; Gaza also shall be very sorrowful; And Ekron, for He dried up her expectation. The king shall perish from Gaza, And Ashkelon shall not be inhabited. 6 “A mixed race shall settle in Ashdod, And I will cut off the pride of the Philistines. 7 I will take away the blood from his mouth, And the abominations from between his teeth. But he who remains, even he shall be for our God, And shall be like a leader in Judah, And Ekron like a Jebusite. 8 I will camp around My house Because of the army, Because of him who passes by and him who returns. No more shall an oppressor pass through them, For now I have seen with My eyes. (Zechariah 9:5-8)

Some (see Matthew Henry’s Commentary, etc.) believe that this was fulfilled in the past. However, as future prophecies tell of a time Gaza and the Philistines having problems (see below), the above could still have future fulfillment. If so, it shows that some in Gaza/Palestine will be converted.

Bible prophecy tells of calamity coming to Gaza and other lands:

17 Then I took the cup from the Lord’s hand, and made all the nations drink, to whom the Lord had sent me: 18 Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, its kings and its princes, to make them a desolation, an astonishment, a hissing, and a curse, as it is this day; 19 Pharaoh king of Egypt, his servants, his princes, and all his people; 20 all the mixed multitude, all the kings of the land of Uz, all the kings of the land of the Philistines (namely, Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron, and the remnant of Ashdod); 21 Edom, Moab, and the people of Ammon; 22 all the kings of Tyre, all the kings of Sidon, and the kings of the coastlands which are across the sea; 23 Dedan, Tema, Buz, and all who are in the farthest corners; 24 all the kings of Arabia and all the kings of the mixed multitude who dwell in the desert; 25 all the kings of Zimri, all the kings of Elam, and all the kings of the Medes; 26 all the kings of the north, far and near, one with another; and all the kingdoms of the world which are on the face of the earth. Also the king of Sheshach shall drink after them.

27 “Therefore you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: “Drink, be drunk, and vomit! Fall and rise no more, because of the sword which I will send among you.”‘ 28 And it shall be, if they refuse to take the cup from your hand to drink, then you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: “You shall certainly drink! 29 For behold, I begin to bring calamity on the city which is called by My name, and should you be utterly unpunished? You shall not be unpunished, for I will call for a sword on all the inhabitants of the earth,” says the Lord of hosts.’ (Jeremiah 25:17-29)

Many of the lands above are listed as supporters of the final King of the South (Daniel 11:40-43) and/or part of a confederation that will be destroyed that will involve Egypt (Ezekiel 30:3-8).

Some of those lands, Ashkelon (located 50 kilometres south of Tel Aviv, and 13 kilometres north of the border with the Gaza Strip), Ekron (modern Tel Miqne, which is 35 kilometers west of Jerusalem), and Ashdod (located 32 kilometres south of Tel Aviv, 20 km north of Ashkelon, and 53 km west of Jerusalem), are currently dominated by the nation of Israel.

Ashkelon, Tel Migne, and Ashdod are claimed to be part of Israel. They are not in the Gaza Strip (they are all north of it) nor part of the other Palestinian controlled region known as the West Bank. Therefore, it looks like the Palestinians will either control those cities again or be so numerous in it that they are the ones affected in Jeremiah 25. It is my current view that the Palestinians will gain land that the nation of Israel thinks it will continue to control. Since these are not lands currently considered to be ceded in a peace deal, this looks like losses from the State of Israel after the deal of Daniel 9:27 is broken (cf. Daniel 11:31).

The entire 47th chapter of Jeremiah is a prophecy about the Philistines, including Gaza:

1 The word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet against the Philistines, before Pharaoh attacked Gaza.

2 Thus says the Lord: “Behold, waters rise out of the north, And shall be an overflowing flood; They shall overflow the land and all that is in it, The city and those who dwell within; Then the men shall cry, And all the inhabitants of the land shall wail. 3 At the noise of the stamping hooves of his strong horses, At the rushing of his chariots, At the rumbling of his wheels, The fathers will not look back for their children, Lacking courage, 4 Because of the day that comes to plunder all the Philistines,To cut off from Tyre and Sidon every helper who remains; For the Lord shall plunder the Philistines, The remnant of the country of Caphtor. 5 Baldness has come upon Gaza, Ashkelon is cut off With the remnant of their valley. How long will you cut yourself? 6 “O you sword of the Lord, How long until you are quiet? Put yourself up into your scabbard, Rest and be still! 7 How can it be quiet, Seeing the Lord has given it a charge Against Ashkelon and against the seashore? There He has appointed it.” (Jeremiah 47:2-7)

Problems were thus prophesied for Gaza–since there is a duality to some prophecies (e.g. Malachi 4:5 & Matthew 17:10-13), this prophecy Jeremiah recorded may also have future application. This prophecy also suggests that Israel will no longer control Ashkelon.

Amos specifically recorded a prophecy about Gaza:

6 Thus says the Lord:

“For three transgressions of Gaza, and for four,
I will not turn away its punishment,
Because they took captive the whole captivity
To deliver them up to Edom.
7 But I will send a fire upon the wall of Gaza,
Which shall devour its palaces.
8 I will cut off the inhabitant from Ashdod,
And the one who holds the scepter from Ashkelon;
I will turn My hand against Ekron,
And the remnant of the Philistines shall perish,”
Says the Lord God. (Amos 1:6-8)

Ezekiel had a prophecy against Edom (mentioned also above) and then the following about the Philistines:

15 ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Because the Philistines dealt vengefully and took vengeance with a spiteful heart, to destroy because of the old hatred,” 16 therefore thus says the Lord God: “I will stretch out My hand against the Philistines, and I will cut off the Cherethites and destroy the remnant of the seacoast. 17 I will execute great vengeance on them with furious rebukes; and they shall know that I am the Lord, when I lay My vengeance upon them.” (Ezekiel 25:15-17)

The Bible is clear that vengeance belongs to God (Romans 12:9; Hebrews 10:30). Apparently (along with the Edomites, Ezekiel 25:15-17, Joel 3:19, Obadiah 8-11, and Psalms 137:7-9), the Palestinians are subject to judgment in the future for their vengeance. Zechariah 9:6 tells of punishment for their pride.

Isaiah seems to speak of this as well:

14 But they shall fly down upon the shoulder of the Philistines toward the west;
Together they shall plunder the people of the East;
They shall lay their hand on Edom and Moab;
And the people of Ammon shall obey them.
15 The Lord will utterly destroy the tongue of the Sea of Egypt;
With His mighty wind He will shake His fist over the River,
And strike it in the seven streams,
And make men cross over dryshod. (Isaiah 11:14-15)

This seems to include not only those in Gaza, but possibly those in the West Bank (“the people of the East”) and beyond.

Also notice what Zephaniah prophesied:

4 For Gaza shall be forsaken,
And Ashkelon desolate;
They shall drive out Ashdod at noonday,
And Ekron shall be uprooted.
5 Woe to the inhabitants of the seacoast,
The nation of the Cherethites!
The word of the Lord is against you,
O Canaan, land of the Philistines:
“I will destroy you;
So there shall be no inhabitant. (Zephaniah 2:4-5)

Though there was a partial fulfillment near the time this was written, the time has not yet been when there was no inhabitant in Canaan, hence this prophecy is for the future. Gaza will change and be forsaken! (Years ago, because of what Zephaniah 2:4-5 teaches, I concluded that the place of protection Jesus promised the Philadelphians in Revelation 3:10 would NOT be in the direction of Gaza or the land of the Palestinians.

Now, people like the Protestant Joel Rosenberg have publicly wondered if Zephaniah 2:4 could be fulfilled with Donald Trump’s proposal to remove all the Palestinians from Gaza.

But that is not consistent with what Donald Trump proposed nor the timing of the prophecy.

First, that prophecy says that Gaza will be forsaken. Those in Gaza do not want to forsake it. If they were to leave under Donald Trump’s plan, they basically would be forced out–that is not consistent with Zephaniah 2:4.

Second of all, let’s consider the timing. Let’s look at the preceding verse:

3 Seek the Lord, all you meek of the earth,
Who have upheld His justice.
Seek righteousness, seek humility.
It may be that you will be hidden
In the day of the Lord’s anger.  (Zephaniah 2:3)

The timing of the above is several years away, hence, no, it cannot be associated with Donald Trump’s current proposal.

The reality is that, for a time, Gaza will end up controlling lands that Israel now controls.

Related to Gaza and prophecy, we also have the following video:

14:33

Gaza and Bible Prophecy

Israeli officials such as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have claimed that all those in Hamas will be killed or eliminated. Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen added that the plan is to make Gaza shrink. Where do those of Gaza and other Palestinians come from? Does the Bible show historical animosities between the descendants of Israel and those of the Gazans and the Palestinians? What does the Bible show that Gaza and Hamas mean? Do biblical prophecies in Amos and Jeremiah point to Gaza ending up with territories that Israel now controls? Can Israel lose territory? Will Hamas achieve some of its objectives? What does the 83rd Psalm prophesy? Might terrorism be involved? Steve Dupuie and Dr. Thiel address these issues.

Here is a link to our video: Gaza and Bible Prophecy.

Despite how things may look now, Israel will lose territory to the Palestinians, including the Gazans.

Some items of related interest may include the following:

Gaza and the Palestinians in Bible Prophecy What does the Bible teach about Gaza and the fate of the Palestinians? Here is a link to a related video: Gaza and Palestine in Prophecy.
The ‘Peace Deal’ of Daniel 9:27 This prophecy could give up to 3 1/2 years advance notice of the coming Great Tribulation. Will most ignore or misunderstand its fulfillment? Here is a link to a related sermon video Daniel 9:27 and the Start of the Great Tribulation. A short video is also available titled Trump’s Deal of the Century and Daniel 9 27? Here is a link to something related in the Spanish language: Estados Árabes emiratos unidos y el tratado de paz en el medio este.
The Arab and Islamic World In the Bible, History, and Prophecy The Bible discusses the origins of the Arab world and discusses the Middle East in prophecy. What is ahead for the Middle East and those who follow Islam? What about the Imam Mahdi? What lies ahead for Turkey, Iran, and the other non-Arabic Muslims? An item of possibly related interest in the Spanish language would be: Líderes iraníes condenan la hipocresía de Occidente y declaran que ahora es tiempo para prepararse para el Armagedón, la guerra, y el Imán Mahdi.
Jerusalem: Past, Present, and Future What does the Bible say about Jerusalem and its future? Is Jerusalem going to be divided and eliminated? Is Jesus returning to the area of Jerusalem? There are also two related YouTube videos you can watch: Jerusalem To be divided and eliminated and God’s and Satan’s Plan for Jerusalem.
Lost Tribes and Prophecies: What will happen to Australia, the British Isles, Canada, Europe, New Zealand and the United States of America? Where did those people come from? Can you totally rely on DNA? What about other peoples? Do you really know what will happen to Europe and the English-speaking peoples? What about Africa, Asia, South America, and the Islands? This free online book provides scriptural, scientific, historical references, and commentary to address those matters. Here are links to related sermons: Lost tribes, the Bible, and DNA; Lost tribes, prophecies, and identifications; 11 Tribes, 144,000, and Multitudes; Israel, Jeremiah, Tea Tephi, and British Royalty; Gentile European Beast; Royal Succession, Samaria, and Prophecies; Asia, Islands, Latin America, Africa, and Armageddon;  When Will the End of the Age Come?;  Rise of the Prophesied King of the North; Christian Persecution from the Beast; WWIII and the Coming New World Order; and Woes, WWIV, and the Good News of the Kingdom of God.
Islamic and Biblical Prophecies for the 21st Century This is a free online book which helps show where biblical and Islamic prophecies converge and diverge. Here are links to related sermons: Seeing Christianity Through Islamic Eyes, Imam Mahdi, women, and prophecy, and Terrorism, Iran, and Fatima, Dajjal, Antichrist, Gold, & Mark of the Beast?, and Jesus and God’s Plan for Muslims. Here is a link to a sermon in the Spanish language: El Imám Mahdi las mujeres y la profecía bíblica

COGwriter

A reader sent me a link to the following:

All or nothing

German foreign policy advisors and experts urge massive rearmament and much higher troop numbers. They warn: Germany will otherwise lose influence and the EU will disintegrate.

04 Mar 2025

BERLIN (own report) – In Berlin, government advisors and foreign policy experts are calling for a massive increase in the military budget, drastic cuts in social spending and the vigorous indoctrination (“change of mentality”) of the population. Rapid militarisation is, they argue, the task of the next German government.  …

Failure to significantly upgrade the Bundeswehr would, he warns, mean that “Germany’s influence” in international affairs will “permanently wane”. Another author warns that the disintegration of the European Union is a “realistic scenario” for the first time since the 1950s.

‘Creeping decay’

According to the current issue of IP, the European Union has, for some time now, been characterised by “creeping decay”. …

Last but not least, the United States has, under Trump, lost interest in a “stable, prosperous and cooperative Europe”. …

Annoying fear

Ulrike Esther Franke, from the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR), … Franke criticises the fact that the German debate on “military matters” is “morally charged”. … She writes that, in Germany, the debate on war is “driven by fear”. … However, Franke believes that thanks to the war in Ukraine Germany “has a window of opportunity in terms of public attention and willingness to deal with defence and the military.” She insists that the next government “use this to lay important foundations before the mood shifts” and concludes, “Now is the time for political leadership.” https://www.german-foreign-policy.com/en/news/detail/9895

The same reader also sent me a link to the following:

Merz Plots To Bypass German Parliament In 1 Trillion Rearmament Scheme

March 5, 2025

The two parties likely to form Germany’s next government have agreed to borrow hundreds of billions of euros to boost defence and infrastructure. Their plan involves bypassing the incoming Bundestag by pushing through the deal before the new parliament takes shape.

The ambitious plan of investing up to €1 trillion in the country’s defence capabilities over the next decade—half of it directly in the armed forces and the other half in wider defence infrastructural development—hinges on the incoming CDU-SPD grand coalition’s ability to convince the Greens to support a constitutional change that would enable them to circumvent budget deficit rules and rack up national debt. …

The decision to circumvent the debt brake and borrow heavily once again highlights how the centre-right is hoping to appease the Left in order to gain power.

“Friedrich Merz is using the opportunity to buy his way to power,” conservative media outlet Apollo News said, criticising the CDU leader for conceding to the Left, breaking his campaign promise of maintaining the debt brake, and putting “an enormous additional burden” on the taxpayers. https://europeanconservative.com/articles/news/cdu-spd-constitutional-amendment-defence-infrastructure-spending-bypassing-new-bundestag/

Notice also:

EU summit on Ukraine: Europe seems ready to spend on defense

7 March 2025

EU leaders hunkered down on Thursday night to discuss how to massively boost their defense spending and how to help Ukraine after the US suspended military and financial aid, alarming developments from the outside world continued to pile up. …

European leaders are still publicly appealing for trans-Atlantic cooperation and working to turn things around. …

Nonetheless, EU countries are also seriously considering how they would cope without the US underwriting their security for the first time in decades. …

On Thursday, the 27 leaders gave the European Commission, the EU’s executive branch, the green light to move ahead with a plan to drum up close to €800 billion ($870 billion) of additional defense investment in the EU in the coming years.

Earlier this week, von der Leyen proposed suspending part of the EU’s strict fiscal rules to give national governments more space to spend on defense, …

In light of the shift in the White House, several member states have indicated they will significantly increase defense spending.

The most dramatic turnaround came from Germany, with the country’s likely next chancellor, conservative Friedrich Merz, indicating willingness to rewrite the German constitution to loosen debt rules to spend more on the military. …

“There are no frugals anymore when it comes to defense,” one senior EU diplomat told DW on the condition of anonymity on the sidelines of the EU talks, using the Brussels’ jargon to denote countries most cautious to take on debt to finance public spending. https://www.dw.com/en/eu-summit-on-ukraine-europe-seems-ready-to-spend-on-defense/a-71853358

Europe will support “trans-Atlantic cooperation” as long as it feels that it needs to–but its goal is military independence from the USA.

There is a shift going on in Europe. Notice also:

Germans no longer see US as trustworthy partner

7 March 2025

The conservative CDU/CSU and the center-left SPD, the parties most likely to form the next government after the recent German election, have already agreed on massive investments into Germany’s ailing infrastructure and the military.

A credit-financed special fund is to be set up for this purpose. In order to be able to incur debt for higher defense spending, the debt brake enshrined in in the Basic Law, Germany’s constitution, is to be relaxed.

These plans generally meet with broad public approval, according to Infratest-dimap’s monthly representative survey of 1,325 eligible voters conducted from March 4 to March 5. …

US no longer reliable

Trump has been back in office for only six weeks and has already been calling into question core policies, which is having a massive impact on how Germans view Trump and the United States.

One in two respondents to the infratest poll say their opinion of Trump has worsened since he took office. Just one in seven expresses a favorable opinion of the US president. The United States’ reputation is plummeting to new lows.

This month only one in six voters described the US as a partner who Germany can trust. Three quarters believe that NATO members cannot currently rely on the United States for protection.

The Germans polled are not skeptical of NATO itself: 84% said that the North Atlantic defense alliance is important for securing peace in Europe. Nevertheless, there is growing support for greater European independence. One in two said they favor establishing a European military alliance. https://www.dw.com/en/germans-no-longer-see-us-as-trustworthy-partner/a-71858094

It has long been my view that Europe will likely attack the USA and/or the UK under the guise of a NATO (or some other defense treaty) military exercise and that is consistent with the following prophecy about the coming European King of the North Beast:

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, NKJV)

Notice that he pretends peace then devises a plan against the strongholds. This looks to be a reference to the nation with the strongest military, the “strongest fortresses,” that Daniel 11:39 shows he will conquer–that is the USA and its British-descended allies (see also USA in Prophecy: The Strongest Fortresses).

While now is not the time–“the end it not yet” (Matthew 24:6; see also When Will the Great Tribulation Begin?)–many in Europe are unwittingly taking military steps that will allow this come to pass.

Notice also:

A Brussels Reich? Van der Leyen’s ‘ReArm Europe’ Plan

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has introduced the “ReArm Europe” initiative. The ReArm Initiative represents an extensive €800 billion strategy designed to enhance Europe’s defense capabilities and a strategic response to increasing global uncertainties …

She warns about the “dangerous times” that characterize the present and, even more likely, the future. “I do not need to describe the grave nature of the threats that we face. Or the devastating consequences that we will have to endure if those threats would come to pass” because, she points out, “we are in an era of rearmament,” and at this stage, the EU intends to respond with a five-point European rearmament plan, the name of which — Rearm Europe — already suggests much. https://21stcenturywire.com/2025/03/04/brussels-reich-van-der-leyens-rearm-europe-plan/

Let me add Ursula von der Leyen is also German.

Notice also:

7 March 2025

Germans in favour of more defence spending

According to a Forsa survey commissioned by RTL and n-tv, 71% of Germans believe increasing defence spending is the right thing to do, while about a quarter are against it.

The highest levels of approval are among supporters of the CDU, SPD and Greens.

Katharina Dröge, chairwoman of the Greens parliamentary group in the Bundestag, said she regretted that the CDU is only now beginning to act.

“It remains to be seen whether we will ultimately agree to these amendments,” she said in a statement. “The CDU/CSU and the SPD are perforating the debt brake a bit like a Swiss cheese, which raises the question of whether it would not ultimately be more orderly, more transparent and wiser to tackle a fundamental reform of the debt brake.” https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2025/03/07/special-funds-for-defence-legislative-change-in-the-fast-lane

That being said, could fear, pandemics, migrants, economic issues, or other ‘crises’ lead to a ‘fourth reich’?

Notice something about Germany’s history published decades ago by the old Worldwide Church of God:

In 1933 Adolf Hitler, using Germany’s growing economic crisis as a stepping-stone to power, gained control of Germany, inaugurating the Third Reich of German history.

It quickly became clear that Hitler’s geopolitical aims far transcended his own country’s borders. Hitler held an unshakable conviction that his German Reich would one day rule all of Europe — and from there seize the leadership of the world! He dreamed of a “new world order” that would remake the political face of the earth, with himself at its helm.

In 1939 Hitler began in earnest his struggle for the mastery of the world. (Stump K. Coming Soon – A New World Order. Good News, 1985)

Adolf Hitler used an economic crisis to rise up and form his so-called third reich.

Could there be some type of a ‘fourth reich’ this century to follow the ‘third reich’ of last century?

The old Radio Church of God thought so, even decades earlier:

The “German Problem” is not dead. Germans are thinking more than ever of an undivided Reich – and of an undivided Europe! … On the 17th of June, Germans celebrated a national holiday a day dedicated to AN UNDIVIDED GERMANY. Stores closed. No one worked. The striking thing is that this day signifies something that has not happened yet! Most holidays commemorate an event – something that has already taken place. Not this one – it looks forward to an event which all Germans hope for and even pray for – AN UNDIVIDED GERMANY! (Kelly R. The March for an Undivided Germany. Plain Truth, September 1964)

Well, since that came out, East and West Germany united, the European Union formed, and a European currency has been implemented.

So, is a ‘fourth reich’ in the process of forming? Some in Germany and elsewhere seem to think so.

Now this does not mean that everyone in Germany wants it to militarily dominate the world, but Bible prophecy shows that deep down, those there do want to dominate.

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)

Notice that the leader of the final empire will not think that he wants to destroy nations, but he really does, and really will.

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

What exactly is the ‘fourth reich’? Notice one interpretation:

The Fourth Reich (German: Viertes Reich) is a theoretical future German empire, following the First Reich (the Holy Roman Empire, 962–1806), the Second Reich (Imperial Germany, 1871–1918) and the Third Reich (Nazi Germany, 1933–1945). (Wikipedia, accessed 04/03/15)

Some believe that Germany already has had a type of fourth reich as it has been able to dominate European matters at least for the past decade or so.

Biblically, the final European King of the North will lead a revived ‘Holy Roman Empire.’ This will be the empire of the Beast power of Revelation 13. This new world order, which will have German dominance, will in a sense be its fourth militaristic reich (reich means reign).

The Bible prophesies that Europe will have a “great army” (Daniel 11:25), various weapons, and  “many ships” (Daniel 11:40).

Furthermore, technology will, in my view, be key in the establishment of a militaristic fourth reich, consistent with scriptures such as Revelation 13:4. And yes, Europe is working on military-related technologies.

Here is a link to our video: Should Europe Still Consider Itself a US Ally?

A ‘fourth reich’ is in the process of being made, but it is not here yet.

But something that can be called that will arrive.

There will be many unintended consequences of the Trump-Vance Administration.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

Europa, the Beast, and Revelation Where did Europe get its name? What might Europe have to do with the Book of Revelation? What about “the Beast”? Is an emerging European power “the daughter of Babylon”? What is ahead for Europe? Here is are links to related videos: European history and the Bible, Europe In Prophecy, The End of European Babylon, and Can You Prove that the Beast to Come is European? Here is a link to a related sermon in the Spanish language: El Fin de la Babilonia Europea.
The European Union and the Seven Kings of Revelation 17 Could the European Union be the sixth king that now is, but is not? Here is a link to the related sermon video: European Union & 7 Kings of Revelation 17:10.
Must the Ten Kings of Revelation 17:12 Rule over Ten Currently Existing Nations? Some claim that these passages refer to a gathering of 10 currently existing nations together, while one group teaches that this is referring to 11 nations getting together. Is that what Revelation 17:12-13 refers to? The ramifications of misunderstanding this are enormous. Here is a link to a related sermon in the Spanish language: ¿Deben los Diez Reyes gobernar sobre diez naciones? A related sermon in the English language is titled: Ten Kings of Revelation and the Great Tribulation.
European Technology and the Beast of Revelation Will the coming European Beast power would use and develop technology that will result in the taking over of the USA and its Anglo-Saxon allies? Is this possible? What does the Bible teach? Here is a related YouTube video: Military Technology and the Beast of Revelation.
The Large Hadron Collider has Military Potential Some say this European project is only peaceful. So why is it working on capturing antimatter? Here is a link to a related video: Could the Large Hadron Collider lead to destruction?
USA in Prophecy: The Strongest Fortresses Can you point to scriptures, like Daniel 11:39, that point to the USA in the 21st century? This article does. A related sermon is titled: Do these 7 prophesies point to the end of the USA?
Who is the King of the West? Why is there no Final End-Time King of the West in Bible Prophecy? Is the United States the King of the West? Here is a version in the Spanish language: ¿Quién es el Rey del Occidente? ¿Por qué no hay un Rey del Occidente en la profecía del tiempo del fin? A related sermon is also available: The Bible, the USA, and the King of the West.
Who is the King of the North? Is there one? Do biblical and Roman Catholic prophecies for the Great Monarch point to the same leader? Should he be followed? Who will be the King of the North discussed in Daniel 11? Is a nuclear attack prophesied to happen to the English-speaking peoples of the United States, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand? When do the 1335 days, 1290 days, and 1260 days (the time, times, and half a time) of Daniel 12 begin? When does the Bible show that economic collapse will affect the United States? In the Spanish language check out ¿Quién es el Rey del Norte? Here is a link to a video titled: The Future King of the North.
The Great Monarch: Biblical and Catholic Prophecies Is the ‘Great Monarch’ of Catholic prophecies endorsed or condemned by the Bible? Two sermons of related interest are also available: Great Monarch: Messiah or False Christ? and Great Monarch in 50+ Beast Prophecies.
Germany’s Assyrian Roots Throughout History Are the Germanic peoples descended from Asshur of the Bible? Have there been real Christians in Germanic history? What about the “Holy Roman Empire”? There is also a You-Tube video sermon on this titled Germany’s Biblical Origins.
Germany in Biblical and Catholic Prophecy Does Assyria in the Bible equate to an end time power inhabiting the area of the old Roman Empire? What does prophecy say Germany will do and what does it say will happen to most of the German people? Here is a link to a video Is the USA Pushing Germany to Start WWIII?
Lost Tribes and Prophecies: What will happen to Australia, the British Isles, Canada, Europe, New Zealand and the United States of America? Where did those people come from? Can you totally rely on DNA? Do you really know what will happen to Europe and the English-speaking peoples? What about the peoples of Africa, Asia, South America, and the islands? This free online book provides scriptural, scientific, historical references, and commentary to address those matters. Here are links to related sermons: Lost tribes, the Bible, and DNA; Lost tribes, prophecies, and identifications; 11 Tribes, 144,000, and Multitudes; Israel, Jeremiah, Tea Tephi, and British Royalty; Gentile European Beast; Royal Succession, Samaria, and Prophecies; Asia, Islands, Latin America, Africa, and Armageddon;  When Will the End of the Age Come?;  Rise of the Prophesied King of the North; Christian Persecution from the Beast; WWIII and the Coming New World Order; and Woes, WWIV, and the Good News of the Kingdom of God.
Unintended Consequences and Donald Trump’s Presidency: Is Donald Trump Fulfilling Biblical, Islamic, Greco-Roman Catholic, Buddhist, and other America-Related Prophecies?  Is Donald Trump going to save the USA or are there going to be many disastrous unintended consequences of his statements and policies? What will happen. The link takes you to a book available at Amazon.com.
Unintended Consequences and Donald Trump’s Presidency: Is Donald Trump Fulfilling Biblical, Islamic, Greco-Roman Catholic, Buddhist, and other America-Related Prophecies? Kindle edition is available for only US$3.99. And you do not need an actual Kindle device to read it. Why? Amazon will allow you to download it to almost any device: Please click HERE to download one of Amazon s Free Reader Apps. After you go to for your free Kindle reader and then go to Unintended Consequences and Donald Trump’s Presidency: Is Donald Trump Fulfilling Biblical, Islamic, Greco-Roman Catholic, Buddhist, and other America-Related Prophecies?

Solar Flares

COGwriter

Last Summer, I warned about the connection between solar flares and earthquakes (see Solar flares, earthquakes, and electrical disturbances). Now in March 2025, Michael Snyder is pointing to a new study that confirms that:

Scientists Discover A Link Between Solar Activity And Earthquakes, And That Has Huge Implications For The Apocalyptic Times We Are Living In

March 5, 2025

Shocking new research indicates that the level of activity on the Sun has a direct impact on the level of seismic activity here on Earth.  That is really bad news for us, because the giant ball of fire that our planet revolves around has become very erratic in recent years.  According to NASA, approximately 1.3 million Earths could fit inside the Sun.  So virtually all of the models that you have ever seen comparing the size of the Earth to the size of the Sun are way off.  We are basically a tiny speck of dust compared to the Sun, and any fluctuations in solar activity have a dramatic effect on our climate.  In general, during times of high solar activity global temperatures tend to go up, and during times of low solar activity temperatures tend to go down.  This is something that has been well understood for a very long time, and now a team of scientists in Japan has discovered that there is also a very clear link between solar activity and seismic activity…

Sunspots, and therefore solar activity, cause seismic activity, according to a team led by computer scientist Matheus Henrique Junqueira Saldanha of the University of Tsukuba in Japan. Their new research reveals how.

“Solar heat drives atmospheric temperature changes, which in turn can affect things like rock properties and underground water movement,” Junquiera Saldanha says.

“Such fluctuations can make rocks more brittle and prone to fracturing, for example – and changes in rainfall and snowmelt can alter the pressure on tectonic plate boundaries. While these factors may not be the main drivers of earthquakes, they could still be playing a role that can help to predict seismic activity.”

Needless to say, earthquakes can still happen when solar activity is very low.

But the numbers that this team of researchers in Japan analyzed clearly show that there is a very strong correlation between Earth surface temperatures and seismic activity…

Scientists tell us that it is just a matter of time before “the Big One” hits southern California.

As we have been warned, when that day arrives the geography of the state will be permanently altered.

We are also closely watching the Cascadia Subduction Zone. … a large enough earthquake along the Cascadia Subduction Zone would have the potential to send an 80 foot tall tsunami crashing into cities and towns along the coast in the Pacific Northwest.

And let us not forget about the New Madrid fault.  One of these days an absolutely cataclysmic earthquake will rip North America in half from the Great Lakes all the way down to the Gulf of Mexico.

So let’s keep a very close eye on the Sun, because it may be one of the best clues that the apocalyptic disasters that I just mentioned are almost upon us. https://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/scientists-discover-a-link-between-solar-activity-and-earthquakes-and-that-has-huge-implications-for-the-apocalyptic-times-we-are-living-in/

Jesus warned:

8 … And there will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines and troubles. These are the beginnings of sorrows.  (Mark 13:8)

Let me add that in addition to solar activity, changes in the inner core of the earth would also seem to be a factor in the production of earthquakes and troubles.

As far as earthquakes go, the really big earthquake in biblical prophecy is the following one:

18 And there were noises and thunderings and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such a mighty and great earthquake as had not occurred since men were on the earth. 19 Now the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. And great Babylon was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath. 20 Then every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. (Revelation 16:18-20)

Notice that the above earthquake is so big that the cities of the nations will fall. Mountains will be leveled and islands “fled away” (more on this can be found in the article Islands aeand Bible Prophecy). This seems to be the biggest earthquake that will ever hit the planet with humans on it. Despite the view of ‘preterists’ that this already happened (see The Dangerous Rise of Preterists), that is nonsense.

The earthquake of Revelation 16 will be bigger than what the usual “experts” have believed was possible. It will change the planet and humble parts of humanity.

It should be noted since that apparently biggest of all earthquakes seems to take place near the end of the Day of the Lord, it probably cannot happen prior to 2028 (for more on why as well as dates, please see the articles When Can the Great Tribulation Begin? and Does God Have a 6,000 Year Plan? What Year Does the 6,000 Years End?).

Solar flares as well as changes to the earth’s core can also affect electrical matters.

In the future, there are real electrical risks for the USA, Canada, UK, and other nations.

The Continuing Church of God has the following video on our Bible News Prophecy YouTube channel:

Electrical End of the USA ?

Here is a link to our video: Earth’s Core and Earthquakes.

There are real seismic, electrical, and other risks associated with solar matters and the core of the earth.

But most ignore warning signs.

Will you?

Some items that might be of assistance in understanding end-time events may include:

Earthquakes and Bible Prophecy This article has historical, technical, and biblical information about earthquakes. It also show what Jesus taught about earthquakes and how the Bible describes “the big one” (as well as when it can be expected).
Weather Blessings and Sorrows Are weather problems a warning? What should be done? What does the Bible teach about weather? What about floods, droughts, heat, earthquakes, tornadoes, and solar storms? Here is a related YouTube video Does God Use Weather? A related item in the Spanish language would be Bendiciones y maldiciones del clima.
Lost Tribes and Prophecies: What will happen to Australia, the British Isles, Canada, Europe, New Zealand and the United States of America? Where did those people come from? Can you totally rely on DNA? What about other peoples? Do you really know what will happen to Europe and the English-speaking peoples? What about Africa, Asia, South America, and the Islands? This free online book provides scriptural, scientific, historical references, and commentary to address those matters. Here are links to related sermons: Lost tribes, the Bible, and DNA; Lost tribes, prophecies, and identifications; 11 Tribes, 144,000, and Multitudes; Israel, Jeremiah, Tea Tephi, and British Royalty; Gentile European Beast; Royal Succession, Samaria, and Prophecies; Asia, Islands, Latin America, Africa, and Armageddon;  When Will the End of the Age Come?;  Rise of the Prophesied King of the North; Christian Persecution from the Beast; WWIII and the Coming New World Order; and Woes, WWIV, and the Good News of the Kingdom of God.
Could God Have a 6,000 Year Plan? What Year Does the 6,000 Years End? Was a 6000 year time allowed for humans to rule followed by a literal thousand year reign of Christ on Earth taught by the early Christians? Does God have 7,000 year plan? What year may the six thousand years of human rule end? When will Jesus return? 2031 or 2035 or? There is also a video titled: When Does the 6000 Years End? 2031? 2035? Here is a link to the article in Spanish: ¿Tiene Dios un plan de 6,000 años?
Is God Calling You? This booklet discusses topics including calling, election, and selection. If God is calling you, how will you respond? Here is are links to related sermons: Christian Election: Is God Calling YOU? and Predestination and Your Selection; here is a message in Spanish: Me Está Llamando Dios Hoy? A short animation is also available: Is God Calling You?
Christian Repentance Do you know what repentance is? Is it really necessary for salvation? Two related sermons about this are also available: Real Repentance and Real Christian Repentance.
About Baptism Should you be baptized? Could baptism be necessary for salvation? Who should baptize and how should it be done? Here is a link to a related sermon: Let’s Talk About Baptism and Baptism, Infants, Fire, & the Second Death.

(photo from Pexels)

COGwriter

European leaders have been meeting to militarize and question ties to the USA:

Spooked by Trump and Putin, Europe rushes to rearm

March 6, 2025

BRUSSELS — The European Union, an entity that casts itself as a peace and trade project, is in crisis talks Thursday focused on defense.

Along with the specter of a belligerent Moscow, President Donald Trump’s sudden redrawing of alliances and withdrawal of aid for Ukraine are driving Europeans to fast-track plans to bolster their militaries, upgrade their arsenals — and, ultimately, to curb their dependence on the United States.

“I want to believe the U.S. will stand by our side, but we have to be ready for that not to be the case,” French President Emmanuel Macron told his country in a speech Wednesday night. “The future of Europe must not be decided in Washington or Moscow.”

Among the E.U. leaders meeting in Brussels, there’s a rallying cry that Europe needs to embark on a military buildup in a way it hasn’t in decades. …

Meanwhile, France is floating the possibility of expanding its nuclear deterrent to cover its European allies. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/spooked-by-trump-and-putin-europe-rushes-to-rearm/ar-AA1An2dw

EU leaders seek security within the bloc, without the US

“This is Europe’s moment and we must live up to it,” EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen declared, unveiling her €800 billion “ReArm Europe” plan.

6 March 2025

With the United States‘ military and financial support for Ukraine suspended and its commitment to European security unclear, the EU has no choice but to get real on improving security self-sufficiency.

Ursula von der Leyen wanted to underscore that things really are worse than ever, writing in a letter to EU leaders that the continent “faces a clear and present danger on a scale that none of us have seen in our adult lifetime. The future of a free and sovereign Ukraine — of a safe and prosperous Europe — is on the line.”  https://www.dw.com/en/eu-leaders-seek-security-within-the-bloc-without-the-us/a-71833100

6 March 2025

EU leaders are meeting on Thursday for a special summit in Brussels, …

Among the questions EU leaders have to wrestle with are: What kind of security guarantees can the EU afford? Should Europe still consider itself a US ally? …

Hungarian Premier Viktor Orbán, who had dinner in Paris with French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday evening, said in a post on X that the two “agree that we must strengthen the defence capabilities of European nations”. https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2025/03/06/boosting-support-for-ukraine-and-how-to-rearm-europe-on-agenda-as-leaders-gather-in-brusse

Yes, the EU wants to militarize and questions whether or not the USA, which has handled most of Western Europe’s defense needs for decades, is even an ally. The Bible teaches that who was “great among the nations” will be defeated as “her friends have dealt treacherously with her; They have become her enemies.” (Lamentations 1:1-2).

There is a shift going on in Europe.

The shift is that many of the nations in Europe have decided that they will support a bigger and stronger military. Furthermore, more and more do not trust the USA and are starting to look at the USA as an enemy and not an ally.

The Bible teaches that the coming European King of the North will have a “great army” (Daniel 11:25) and “many ships” (Daniel 11:40).

The following is our most recent sermonette video:

14:26

European Union wants military independence from the USA

European Union wants to be militarily independent of the USA – check European Union wants a larger military – check European Union wants nukes – check European Union wants this for defensive purposes – Will Europe acquire a great army? Will Europe defeat the Biblical King of the South? Is Europe the King of the North? Will Europe defeat the King(s) from the east? Here’s a big question – will Europe conquer the United States of America? Is the United State of America mentioned in the Bible? These are fascinating questions that will be answered in the very near future. The fact that these conflicts will occur is a certainty as they are a prophesied fact in the Bible in the book of Daniel But when will these conflicts occur? Daniel was told to shut up the words, they were for the time of the end. Dan 12:4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased. We are there. This is the time of the end. Dr. Thiel will shine the light on the answers to these questions. One answer, in particular, is sure to stun thousands.

Here is a link to our video: European Union wants military independence from the USA.

European calls to increase European military spending are consistent with helping to set the stage for biblical prophecies to be fulfilled.

Once the European Beast power uses his forces to fulfill prophecies, such as are in Daniel 11:39-43, the world will marvel because it thought that Europe was basically dead from a military perspective:

1 Then I stood on the sand of the sea. And I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name. 2 Now the beast which I saw was like a leopard, his feet were like the feet of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority. 3 And I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded, and his deadly wound was healed. 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 13:1-4)

Let me add that it has been my published view for 16 years that technology will be key for Europe to do this.

Consider also that Europe got more serious about taking steps after the first election of Donald Trump as USA President.

One step was the formation of something called Permanent Structured Cooperation, commonly called PESCO. PESCO is a multi-national European military alliance.

A while back, the Continuing Church of God (CCOG) put out the following video on our Bible News Prophecy YouTube channel:

15:25

PESCO and a Great European Army

In November 2018, French President Macron called for a “true European army” because of China, Russia, and the USA. Some others in Europe have echoed that sentiment. On November 9, 2018, US President Donald Trump called that an insult, but the next day said that the USA wanted “a very strong Europe.” Emmanuel Macron referred to Donald Trump as “my friend” and indicated a desire to strengthen Europe’s military spending. In December 2017, 25 European nations agreed to be part of a military alliance called PESCO. Europe also has NATO and IEI. Will Europe end up with “a great army”? Has Donald Trump’s announcement to withdraw from the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty gotten some to say that Europe must rebel against the USA? Is the idea of a United States of Europe and a European army a “paranoid fantasy” or a biblical reality? Will the USA regret Europe becoming a stronger military power? Will the USA be betrayed by “friends” such as its continental European allies? Does the Bible teach any or all of this? Are there connections to the Beast of Revelation or the King of the North of Daniel 11? Dr. Thiel addresses these matters in this video.

Here is a link to the sermonette video: PESCO and a Great European Army.

Almost all EU nations are part of PESCO.

And, PESCO has been funding a variety of technological projects and wants to fund more.

Now with another Donald Trump presidency, Europe does not wish to wait to take steps–it is taking more and more now.

The European plan is for Europe to be a strong military power independent of the USA. And one that the Bible shows will ultimately defeat the USA (Daniel 11:39; see also USA in Prophecy: The Strongest Fortresses).

Although many in the USA and elsewhere act like that is not possible, those of us who understand certain aspects of biblical prophecy realize that the Bible shows that:

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 “he” above is the European King of the North. In the 21st century, the “strongest fortresses” belong to the USA and its British-descended allies (cf. Daniel 8:24-25; Isaiah 17:3)–and notice that the Bible says that the power with the strongest fortresses will be defeated.

Steps to create a great European army are being taken now, with plans to do more in the future.

Of course some believe, that despite WWI, WWII, and previous massive wars, that Europe would never start WWIII. Yet, this overlooks a biblical prophecy related to a people that now dominate central Europe (see Germany’s Assyrian Roots Throughout History):

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.

7 Howbeit he meaneth not so, neither doth his heart think so; but it is in his heart to destroy and cut off nations not a few.

8 For he saith, Are not my princes altogether kings? 9 Is not Calno as Carchemish? is not Hamath as Arpad? is not Samaria as Damascus? 10 As my hand hath found the kingdoms of the idols, and whose graven images did excel them of Jerusalem and of Samaria; 11 Shall I not, as I have done unto Samaria and her idols, so do to Jerusalem and her idols? (Isaiah 10:5-11, KJV)

The USA is sometimes prophetically referred to as Samaria (and sometimes as Manasseh) in biblical prophecy (for details, watch USA in Prophecy: Samaria). So, even though Germanic-led Europe (referred to as Assyria above) does not seem to wish to do this (Isaiah 10:7), according to biblical prophecy it will come to pass. The USA will be defeated (cf. Daniel 11:39; see also USA in Prophecy: The Strongest Fortresses) as will the UK (which is often referred to as Ephraim in biblical prophecies such as Isaiah 17:3). Notice also:

9 The children of Ephraim, being armed and carrying bows,
Turned back in the day of battle.
10 They did not keep the covenant of God;
They refused to walk in His law,
11 And forgot His works
And His wonders that He had shown them. (Psalm 78:9-11)

9 All the people will know —
Ephraim and the inhabitant of Samaria —
Who say in pride and arrogance of heart:
10 ‘The bricks have fallen down,
But we will rebuild with hewn stones;
The sycamores are cut down,
But we will replace them with cedars.”
11 Therefore the Lord shall set up
The adversaries of Rezin against him,
And spur his enemies on,
12 The Syrians before and the Philistines behind;
And they shall devour Israel with an open mouth.

For all this His anger is not turned away,
But His hand is stretched out still.

13 For the people do not turn to Him who strikes them,
Nor do they seek the Lord of hosts.
14 Therefore the Lord will cut off head and tail from Israel,
Palm branch and bulrush in one day. (Isaiah 9:9-14)

The European Beast army will be very destructive.

The Bible tells of a coming time of massive devastation:

23 ‘The whole land is brimstone, salt, and burning; it is not sown, nor does it bear, nor does any grass grow there, like the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, which the Lord overthrew in His anger and His wrath.’ (Deuteronomy 29:23-24)

19 Through the wrath of the LORD of hosts
The land is burned up,
And the people shall be as fuel for the fire; No man shall spare his brother.
20 And he shall snatch on the right hand
And be hungry;
He shall devour on the left hand
And not be satisfied; Every man shall eat the flesh of his own arm. 21 Manasseh shall devour Ephraim, and Ephraim Manasseh; Together they shall be against Judah (Isaiah 9:19-21).

The above descriptions are consistent with a nuclear or similar attack. Manasseh represents the USA and Ephraim its British-descended allies (see Anglo – America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel). THIS HAS NOT YET HAPPENED IN HISTORY AND IS A PROPHECY FOR OUR TIME.

It has long been my view that Europe will likely attack the USA and/or the UK under the guise of a NATO (or some other defense treaty) exercise and use nuclear bombers–that is consistent with the following prophecy about the coming European King of the North Beast:

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, NKJV)

Notice that he pretends peace then devises a plan against the strongholds. This looks to be a reference to the nation with the strongest military, the “strongest fortresses,” that Daniel 11:39 shows he will conquer–that is the USA and its British-descended allies (see also USA in Prophecy: The Strongest Fortresses).

While now is not the time–“the end it not yet” (Matthew 24:6; see also When Will the Great Tribulation Begin?)–many in Europe are unwittingly taking military steps that will allow this come to pass.

Many want Europe to become a major military power. The political situation in the USA is making the Europeans nervous. An unintended consequence of Trump Administration policies has been to get the Europeans to look seriously at being a military power independent of the USA.

Europe is now working to do so.

This will not end well for the USA (cf. Daniel 11:39) nor its British-descended allies (cf. Daniel 8:24-25; Isaiah 17:3).

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

Europa, the Beast, and Revelation Where did Europe get its name? What might Europe have to do with the Book of Revelation? What about “the Beast”? Is an emerging European power “the daughter of Babylon”? What is ahead for Europe? Here is are links to related videos: European history and the Bible, Europe In Prophecy, The End of European Babylon, and Can You Prove that the Beast to Come is European? Here is a link to a related sermon in the Spanish language: El Fin de la Babilonia Europea.
Must the Ten Kings of Revelation 17:12 Rule over Ten Currently Existing Nations? Some claim that these passages refer to a gathering of 10 currently existing nations together, while one group teaches that this is referring to 11 nations getting together. Is that what Revelation 17:12-13 refers to? The ramifications of misunderstanding this are enormous.
USA in Prophecy: The Strongest Fortresses Can you point to scriptures, like Daniel 11:39, that point to the USA in the 21st century? This article does. A related sermon is titled: Do these 7 prophesies point to the end of the USA?
Who is the King of the West? Why is there no Final End-Time King of the West in Bible Prophecy? Is the United States the King of the West? Here is a version in the Spanish language: ¿Quién es el Rey del Occidente? ¿Por qué no hay un Rey del Occidente en la profecía del tiempo del fin? A related sermon is also available: The Bible, the USA, and the King of the West.
Who is the King of the North? Is there one? Do biblical and Roman Catholic prophecies for the Great Monarch point to the same leader? Should he be followed? Who will be the King of the North discussed in Daniel 11? Is a nuclear attack prophesied to happen to the English-speaking peoples of the United States, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand? When do the 1335 days, 1290 days, and 1260 days (the time, times, and half a time) of Daniel 12 begin? When does the Bible show that economic collapse will affect the United States? In the Spanish language check out ¿Quién es el Rey del Norte? Here are links to two related videos: The King of the North is Alive: What to Look Out For and The Future King of the North.
The Great Monarch: Biblical and Greco-Roman Catholic Prophecies Is the ‘Great Monarch’ of Greco-Roman Catholic prophecies endorsed or condemned by the Bible? Two sermons of related interest are also available: Great Monarch: Messiah or False Christ? and Great Monarch in 50+ Beast Prophecies.
Germany’s Assyrian Roots Throughout History Are the Germanic peoples descended from Asshur of the Bible? Have there been real Christians in Germanic history? What about the “Holy Roman Empire”? There is also a You-Tube video sermon on this titled Germany’s Biblical Origins.
Germany in Biblical and Greco-Roman Catholic Prophecy Does Assyria in the Bible equate to an end time power inhabiting the area of the old Roman Empire? What does prophecy say Germany will do and what does it say will happen to most of the German people? Here is a link to a video Is the USA Pushing Germany to Start WWIII?
Lost Tribes and Prophecies: What will happen to Australia, the British Isles, Canada, Europe, New Zealand and the United States of America? Where did those people come from? Can you totally rely on DNA? What about other peoples? Do you really know what will happen to Europe and the English-speaking peoples? What about Africa, Asia, South America, and the Islands? This free online book provides scriptural, scientific, historical references, and commentary to address those matters. Here are links to related sermons: Lost tribes, the Bible, and DNA; Lost tribes, prophecies, and identifications; 11 Tribes, 144,000, and Multitudes; Israel, Jeremiah, Tea Tephi, and British Royalty; Gentile European Beast; Royal Succession, Samaria, and Prophecies; Asia, Islands, Latin America, Africa, and Armageddon;  When Will the End of the Age Come?;  Rise of the Prophesied King of the North; Christian Persecution from the Beast; WWIII and the Coming New World Order; and Woes, WWIV, and the Good News of the Kingdom of God.
Unintended Consequences and Donald Trump’s Presidency: Is Donald Trump Fulfilling Biblical, Islamic, Greco-Roman Catholic, Buddhist, and other America-Related Prophecies?  Is Donald Trump going to save the USA or are there going to be many disastrous unintended consequences of his statements and policies? What will happen. The link takes you to a book available at Amazon.com.
Unintended Consequences and Donald Trump’s Presidency: Is Donald Trump Fulfilling Biblical, Islamic, Greco-Roman Catholic, Buddhist, and other America-Related Prophecies? Kindle edition is available for only US$3.99. And you do not need an actual Kindle device to read it. Why? Amazon will allow you to download it to almost any device: Please click HERE to download one of Amazon s Free Reader Apps. After you go to for your free Kindle reader and then go to Unintended Consequences and Donald Trump’s Presidency: Is Donald Trump Fulfilling Biblical, Islamic, Greco-Roman Catholic, Buddhist, and other America-Related Prophecies?

Blood moon (NASA)

COGwriter

Israel365 News posted the following:

Pre-Purim Lunar Eclipse: Warning to the West

March 4, 2025

The festival of Purim will begin on Thursday evening, March 13, and last until Shabbat begins on the evening of March 14. …

Astronomers predict that a total lunar eclipse will coincide with the first day of Purim, lasting for 65 minutes. The eclipse will be visible over North and South America, rising over Australia and northeast Asia and setting over Africa and Europe.

A lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth is between the sun and the moon, and the moon passes through the Earth’s shadow. In this case, the Earth’s shadow will block out 97% of the moon’s surface. This eclipse will be a “blood moon,” resulting from atmospheric conditions that give the moon a reddish tint rather than black when it moves into the shadow. The red color comes from some of the sunlight passing through Earth’s atmosphere, where it gets bent, and colors like blue or green are filtered out, leaving behind longer wavelengths like red.

Rabbi Mordechai Genuth discussed the meaning of eclipses in Jewish tradition, explaining that lunar eclipses are considered a bad omen for Israel under normal circumstances. This is based on a section in the Talmud (Sukkot 29a) that specifies that lunar eclipses are a bad omen for Israel since the moon spiritually represents Israel. If the lunar eclipse takes place in the eastern side of the heavens, then it is a bad omen for all the nations in the east, and similarly, if it occurs in the western hemisphere of the sky, it is a bad sign for all the nations in the west.

“This is because in the time of the Talmud, only Israel set the calendar according to the moon,” Rabbi Genuth said. “Setting the calendar according to the sun was the practice of the idolaters, like Rome, which named the solar months and days after pagan gods.”

“Today, the Muslims set their calendar according to the moon, even more than the Jews, in a manner that leads their calendar to be imbalanced. So a lunar eclipse is closely connected to the Muslims and, in this case, is a warning for the Arabs,” Rabbi Genuth said. “It is more than a warning. They will be cut off from the moon in the middle of Ramadan. They will be dislodged from their belief and fall into discord and confusion. After the lunar eclipse, they will begin to see a chain of disasters in their war against Israel.”

“A lunar eclipse in the month of Adar is a sign that there will be war among the Sons of Ishmael who are connected to the moon,” Rabbi Genuth said. “It is also a sign of famine and drought in the West.” https://israel365news.com/400858/pre-purim-lunar-eclipse-warning-to-the-west/

While I do believe that Israel will face attack and damage to Jerusalem per Isaiah 22:6-9, no that is NOT related to this or any other ‘blood moon.’

Because of the words of Jesus, I also do believe that famines, droughts, and other troubles will happen:

8 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines and troubles. These are the beginnings of sorrows. (Mark 13:8)

But, again, though famines are prophesied, they are not tied to blood moons.

Furthermore, consider the following:

2 … Do not be dismayed at the signs of heaven,
For the Gentiles are dismayed at them.  (Jeremiah 10:2)

As Jeremiah 10:2 states, we are not to be dismayed by things in the sky. And that includes the next blood moon.

Years ago, I denounced the view that the ‘blood moons’ of 2014 and 2015 could mean that Jesus would return or that the ‘Day of the Lord’ was about to start. This was something that Mark Biltz (who practices Messianic Judaism) started promoting back in 2008–but he was wrong then and is not a reliable “Biblical expert” when it comes to many things, including the ramifications of blood moons. I also denounced the super blood moon prophetic nonsense in 2018 and in 2019 denounced the super blood moon prophetic nonsense for 2019, plus another claim in 2022.

For over a decade, I have repeatedly warned against false ‘blood moon’ interpretations, as the following articles help demonstrate:

Do red ‘blood moons’ predict Jesus’ return in 2014 or 2015

Sunday, December 29th, 2013

Bible News Prophecy Magazine: Blood Moons: Will Jesus Return in 2014? Now also in Kiswahili!

Monday, January 20th, 2014

Wrong Protestant view about the coming ‘blood moons’

Wednesday, April 9th, 2014

Do ‘blood moons’ predict Jesus’ return in 2015?

Monday, December 22nd, 2014

Temple Institute Altar and Blood Moons

Sunday, March 15th, 2015

Might tomorrow’s blood moon have massive prophetic significance?

Friday, April 3rd, 2015

Jewish Rabbi claims blood moons mean ‘messianic advancement’

Monday, August 31st, 2015

WND, ‘Why this coming blood moon is important to watch’

Wednesday, September 16th, 2015

Knowledge of prophecy helps keep us vigilant, plus let’s us know that the world will not end with tonight’s blood moon

Sunday, September 27th, 2015

Mark Biltz, Blood Moons, Holy Days, and biblical prophecy

Sunday, September 25th, 2016

‘Blood moon’ Mark Biltz claims massive eclipse a sign of God

Tuesday, April 11th, 2017

‘Super Blood Moon’ expected next week: Mark Biltz claims prophetic ramifications

Monday, January 22nd, 2018

‘Blood Moon’ rapture or Daniel 9:27 next month?

Wednesday, June 27th, 2018

Could next week’s ‘blood moon’ be a message from God?

Thursday, July 19th, 2018

Long ‘blood moon’ tonight: Many have been prophetically wrong about blood moons

Friday, July 27, 2018

Super Blood Moon expected next month: Are prophetic concerns justified?

Sunday, December 9, 2018

‘Rabbinic Expert: First Super Blood Moon of the Year Sign of Earthquakes, Governments Will Fall’

Sunday, December 30, 2018

‘Blood Moon prophecy 2019: Is the Super Blood Moon a portent of DOOM?’

Sunday, January 13, 2019

No BIN and WND: Next blood moon is NOT a sign for Jews to return to Israel

Tuesday, January 15, 2019

The 2019 ‘Super wolf blood moon eclipse’ is NOT a biblical sign

Sunday, January 20, 2019

I365: Rare Blood Moon Lunar Eclipse on US Election Day

Sunday, October 30th, 2022

WND: Biblical expert warns of upcoming ‘blood moons’

Sunday, March 24th, 2024

Repeatedly, those who pointed to prophetic significance of the blood moons, which have happened over the past several years were wrong.

What is a blood moon? Here is one explanation:

A lunar eclipse occurs when the moon passes in the shadow of Earth. This is an area known as the umbra, where light from the Sun is blocked by our planet.

When the light refracts differently in the atmosphere and hits the moon, it makes it appear red. During a total eclipse, the entire moon is in shadow and it appears ‘blood red’. 07/11/18 https://www.mirror.co.uk/science/what-blood-moon-heres-moon-12801318

So, before the next blood moon occurs, I again want to inform people that this eclipse is a natural phenomenon.

While there are prophecies related to the moon looking like blood, they are NOT related to a warning to the West.

COGwriter

Donald Trump spoke to a joint session of the US Congress:

Trump declares ‘America is back,’ defends tariffs, other policies in address to Congress

March 5, 2025

Washington — U.S. President Donald Trump in a Tuesday night speech to a joint session of Congress defended his new tariffs on U.S. trading partners and pledged that more are coming.

“Other countries have used tariffs against us for decades, and now it’s our turn,” Trump said in what was his first address to U.S. lawmakers of his second term. …

U.S. stock markets have taken a significant tumble, and the three countries have threatened retaliation, prompting concerns of a broader trade war. …

Trump also said the United States will begin imposing “reciprocal tariffs” on all U.S. trading partners on April 2.

“Whatever they tariff us, we will tariff them,” he said. “Whatever they tax us, we will tax them.” …

Trump also said he will impose a 25% tariff on imports of foreign aluminum, copper, lumber and steel.

Trump’s address comes six weeks into his second term, which has been marked by tensions with U.S. allies, shifts in foreign policy and an overhaul of the federal government. The White House on Monday said the theme of the address was the “renewal of the American dream.”

With Vice President JD Vance and Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Mike Johnson seated behind him, Trump began his speech by proclaiming that “America is back,” triggering chants of “USA” from Republican lawmakers.

“Six weeks ago, I stood beneath the dome of this Capitol and proclaimed the dawn of the Golden Age of America. From that moment on, it has been nothing but swift and unrelenting action to usher in the greatest and most successful era in the history of our country,” he said.

Trump also said his administration has “accomplished more in 43 days than most administrations accomplished in four years or eight years.” …

Early in his speech, Trump touted his declaration of a national emergency on the U.S.-Mexico border and deployment of the U.S. military and border patrol to “repel the invasion of our country.”

Trump said his administration has launched “the most sweeping border and immigration crackdown in American history.” He also repeated the false claim that 21 million people entered the United States illegally during the Biden administration.

Trump also took time during his address to laud a recent executive order he signed banning transgender women from women’s sports. He also falsely insinuated that transgender youth do not exist. The president has also signed other orders targeting transgender Americans.

On shrinking the federal government, Trump, who imposed an immediate freeze on all federal hiring since returning to the White House, praised his adviser Elon Musk, the tech billionaire, whose Department of Government Efficiency has been behind the layoffs of tens of thousands of government workers and other cuts throughout the federal government.

Trump said his administration “will reclaim power from this unaccountable bureaucracy and we will restore true democracy to America again.” He added that any government workers who “resist this change” will be “removed from office immediately.”

Democratic lawmakers — and some Republicans — have criticized the layoffs and cuts.

During the address, Republican lawmakers were raucous in their support for Trump. Democratic lawmakers, meanwhile, protested in a mix of ways.

Just a few minutes into his address, Trump was interrupted by jeering from the floor of the House, prompting Speaker Johnson to direct the sergeant at arms to remove Democratic Representative Al Green of Texas. Trump continued his address after Green was removed from the chamber.

Several Democratic women lawmakers wore pink in protest of what they say are Trump policies that harm women. Some Democratic lawmakers walked out in the middle of Trump’s address; others skipped the speech entirely. …

Trump said he is working to end the war in Ukraine, which was started by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than three years ago.

“It’s time to stop this madness. It’s time to halt the killing. It’s time to end the senseless war,” he said.

Trump’s comments come one day after the United States paused military aid to Ukraine and a few days after an acrimonious Oval Office meeting on Friday concluded with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy leaving the White House without an agreement.

In his address, Trump said he received a letter Tuesday from Zelenskyy that said Kyiv is “ready to come to the negotiating table as soon as possible.”

“I appreciate that he sent this letter,” Trump said.

Trump’s address set the record for the longest address to a joint session of Congress at one hour and 40 minutes. https://www.voanews.com/a/trump-declares-america-is-back-defends-tariffs-other-policies-in-address-to-congress/7998336.html

Mr. Trump, who has suggested using military force or coercion to gain control of Greenland, had a message for the Denmark-owned territory.

“I also have a message tonight for the incredible people of Greenland,” Mr. Trump said. “We strongly support your right to determine your own future, and if you choose, we welcome you into the United States of America.” https://www.cbsnews.com/live-updates/trump-2025-speech-joint-address-congress/

ABC reported the following about the speech and its reception:

‘Partisan and divisive’: House leadership disagrees on reception of Trump’s joint address

March 5, 2025

As Washington sought on Wednesday to make sense of President Donald Trump’s joint address to Congress, House Republicans saw the speech as going “overwhelmingly well,” while Democrats called it “partisan and divisive.”

Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson and Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries appeared on ABC News’ “Good Morning America” on Wednesday, presenting their parties’ differing views of Trump’s Tuesday speech.

“That was one of the most partisan and divisive speeches every delivered by an American president,” Jeffries told ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos.

Trump spoke to thundering applause from Republican majorities in the House and Senate, but faced heckles from some raucous Democrats.

“The speech last night went overwhelmingly well,” Johnson said on Wednesday on “GMA.” “It was not a speech for the mainstream media — it was a speech for the American people.” https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/partisan-divisive-house-leadership-disagrees-reception-trumps-joint/story?id=119468316

Having watched several parts of the speech last night, let me, as a non-partisan, add that the Democrats were very divisive and partisan–so I find that charge by them against Donald Trump to be quite hypocritical. I will also add that comments about Greenland will also tend to further divide the Europeans from the USA.

As far as Donald Trump being divisive, here is something from my book Unintended Consequences and Donald Trump’s Presidency: Is Donald Trump Fulfilling Biblical, Islamic, Greco-Roman Catholic, Buddhist, and other America-Related Prophecies?:

Donald Trump has been a polarizing figure and has offended many … (p. 89)

Jesus warned:

25 Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand. (Matthew 12:25)

17 Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and a house divided against a house falls. (Luke 11:17)

Yes, the US Congress is “a house divided.” As is much of the nation.

As far as what will happen to a hypocritical nation, the Bible warns:

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 10:5-6, KJV)

Yes, the USA is “an hypocritical nation” and will one day be no more (see also our free e-book: Lost Tribes and Prophecies: What will happen to Australia, the British Isles, Canada, Europe, New Zealand and the United States of America? ). The “dawn of the Golden Age of America” is not about to appear.

Whether you love him, loath him, tolerate him, or whatever, Donald Trump has never called for national repentance, and despite some positive statements, he is NOT what the USA needs.

The USA needs the return of Jesus and the coming Kingdom of God.

(Above from Pexels)

COGwriter

Many nations are concerned about tariffs and trade with the USA:

China and Canada immediately retaliate against Trump’s tariffs. Mexico is next

March 4, 2025

President Donald Trump’s blanket 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada took effect on Tuesday, an extraordinary action aimed at bringing America’s top trading partners to heel. But it threatens to weaken the North American economy, including that of the United States, at a time of significant stress for inflation-weary consumers.

Trump also doubled the tariff on all Chinese imports to 20% from 10%. Those duties sit atop existing tariffs on hundreds of billions in Chinese goods. China and Canada immediately retaliated with tariffs on American goods, threatening to ignite a damaging trade war. Mexico said it would announce retaliator measures Sunday.

The Trump administration said the tariffs were necessary to stem the flow of fentanyl into the United States.

“While President Trump gave both Canada and Mexico ample opportunity to curb the dangerous cartel activity and influx of lethal drugs flowing into our country, they have failed to adequately address the situation,” according to a statement released by the White House shortly before the tariffs took effect. …

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau warned Tuesday in a press conference that Canada “will not back down from a fight.” He said he would implement a 25% tariff on C$30 billion ($20.7 billion) of US goods immediately, followed by an additional C$125 billion ($86.2 billion) in 21 days’ time. …

The only goods that won’t face a 25% tariff from Canada are energy-related items such as crude oil, one of the top goods the US imports from there. Instead, they’ll be subject to a 10% tax. …

The premier of Ontario, Canada’s largest province, has also repeated his earlier threat to cut off energy supply to the US in response to Trump’s tariffs.

“If they want to try to annihilate Ontario, I will do everything, including cut off their energy, with a smile on my face. And I’m encouraging every other province to do the same,” Doug Ford told reporters on Monday, adding that eastern US relies on “our energy — they need to fell the pain.”  …

Trump on Tuesday responded to Trudeau, threatening to “immediately” increase reciprocal tariffs on the neighboring country.

“Please explain to Governor Trudeau, of Canada, that when he puts on a Retaliatory Tariff on the U.S., our Reciprocal Tariff will immediately increase by a like amount,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/04/economy/trade-mexico-canada-china-tariffs-trump-hnk-intl/index.html

While I am NOT trying to justify the tariffs from the Trump-Vance Administration, I would like to point out that if Ontario’s leadership thinks causing the USA pain will stop Donald Trump, it should consider that it needs the trade with the USA more than the USA needs it.

And that seems to be the view of Donald Trump. Donald Trump expects both Mexico and Canada to acquiesce to his positions and policies. You will note that he did not hit the EU at the same time for several reasons, including the fact that he wants to minimize disruptions to the economy of the USA.

The Europeans have objected to these tariffs on Mexico and Canada:

March 4, 2025

The tariffs on Mexico and Canada “threaten deeply integrated supply chains, investment flows, and economic stability across the Atlantic,” European Commission spokesperson Olof Gill said in a statement.

“The EU stands firmly against protectionist measures that undermine open and fair trade,” he added. “We call on the US to reconsider its approach and work towards a cooperative, rules-based solution that benefits all parties.”

The Commission’s statement follows Donald Trump’s imposition of blanket 25% duties on Mexico and Canada and an additional 10% duty on China, which came into effect at 6:01 am CET today. https://www.euractiv.com/section/economy-jobs/news/eu-criticises-us-tariffs-on-mexico-canada-but-stays-silent-on-china/

Notice also the following:

March 4, 2025

First there were the Trump Tariffs… then the Retaliation. Then as Europe closed, chatter about a possible Ukraine minerals deal started to gain momentum …

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick spoke on Fox Business, offering the dovish olive branch:

“Both the Mexicans and the Canadians were on the phone with me all day today trying to show that they’ll do better, and the president’s listening, because you know he’s very, very fair and very reasonable,” Lutnick said in an interview with Fox Business. 

“So I think he’s going to work something out with them — it’s not going to be a pause, none of that pause stuff, but I think he’s going to figure out: you do more and I’ll meet you in the middle some way and we’re going to probably announcing that tomorrow.”

As Bloomberg reports, Lutnick did not explicitly say what President Donald Trump was considering after imposing an across-the-board tariff on all goods from Canada and Mexico that went into effect overnight.

Lutnick said that the tariffs would likely land “somewhere in the middle” with Trump “moving with the Canadians and Mexicans, but not all the way.” https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/china-canada-retaliate-against-trumps-tariff-war-global-stocks-slide

Donald Trump makes a lot of statements for negotiating leverage.

It is my view that one of the reasons that Donald Trump implemented tariffs on Canada and Mexico and said yesterday that they would happen today was to get them to fold.

It is also my view his pressures against Mexico and Canada are to demonstrate to the European Union that he means to make them fold in later negotiations. That, also, was probably part of the reason his Administration has halted military weapons to Ukraine.

Donald Trump looks like he plans to use economic leverage as well as fear the USA could reduce defense of Europe to pressure the EU to go along to what he wants.

Yet, Europe is looking to improve ties elsewhere:

HANOI, March 4 (Reuters) – European leaders are planning visits to Vietnam in coming months to strengthen ties with the Southeast Asian nation, officials said, amid tensions with Washington that could impact their exports to the United States. …

European countries are intensifying their contacts with Vietnam, with the head of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and France’s President Emmanuel Macron both planning visits in the next months, European officials and diplomats said, noting the trips have long been planned and are not yet finalised.<

“The tide of tariffs and export controls is rising…We want to create new opportunities to trade and invest with trusted partners,” von der Leyen told top officials from Southeast Asian bloc ASEAN in a video message when they were gathered last week in Vietnam’s capital Hanoi. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe-prepares-charm-offensive-vietnam-amid-us-trade-risks-2025-03-04/

As Europeans have been left reeling by the events of recent weeks which appear to spell the end of the transatlantic alliance as we know it, China sees an opportunity.  … Many European leaders will see an opportunity to signal closer ties with China as leverage to secure continued commitments from the US. Such a strategy could well generate some success. 02/28/25 https://www.chathamhouse.org/2025/02/trump-pushing-europe-and-china-closer-together-europe-should-tread-carefully

EU Commissioner for Agriculture and Food, Christophe Hansen, … elaborates: “We need to get into new markets. In June we have a high-level mission to Japan with our agriculture and food-producing sector in order to get them into those markets, so that they have alternatives and are not being blackmailed, as happened before.”

On that issue of alternative markets to the US, Hansen underlines the importance of the Mercosur agreement with Latin American countries. Negotiations on the deal have concluded, but it has not yet been finally adopted. “We have a very positive export balance in trade,” Hansen explains. “Our milk and cheese sectors would benefit from such an agreement. Wines and spirits are currently under pressure in the European Union, and they would benefit from it. The whole [agricultural] sector would benefit from it. What is important is that we give fair conditions to our farmers.” https://www.france24.com/en/tv-shows/talking-europe/20250228-we-should-work-with-trade-partners-that-don-t-blackmail-us-eu-agriculture-commissioner

Notice also the following:

New Kazakhstan-China Rail Service to Boost Trade with Europe

4 March 2025

ASTANA – KTZ Express, a subsidiary of Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ) railway company, in collaboration with China Railway Container Transport (CRCT), has launched a new container rail service linking China and Europe, …

The first container train, loaded with television components, departed from Chengdu, China, and headed to Lodz, Poland. The train will traverse Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Iran, and Türkiye, ensuring uninterrupted cargo delivery and enhanced connectivity between these countries.  …

This new service not only boosts the transportation capacity of the region but also makes international logistics more flexible, faster, and reliable. https://astanatimes.com/2025/03/new-kazakhstan-china-rail-service-to-boost-trade-with-europe/

Long time readers of this COGwriter Church of God News page are aware that I have long warned that China’s Belt and Road Initiative would aid in trade between Europe and China. The above is confirmation of that view.

The reality is that more of the world’s nations are starting to look away from the USA for trade. This is NOT just because of Donald Trump, but the USA’s weaponizing of its dollar and its increased use of what former Secretary of State in the Obama Administration called “soft power.”

But the re-emergence of Donald Trump and tariffs has added increased pressure/motivation for more to look to trade without the USA.

Notice part of number 8 of my list of 25 items to prophetically watch in 2025:

Europe will reach out to various ones in Asia and Africa, as well as Latin America. In the next several years, deals and more trade will occur with Africa, Asia, and Latin America. … in 2025 Europe will work on getting more of the world to accept its standards and trading matters. This will help Europe ultimately dominate trade.

The reelection of Donald Trump will motivate many to trade with each other because of his threats of tariffs, etc.

Notice part of number 22 of my list of 25 items to prophetically watch in 2025:

Donald Trump will be apocalyptic. At least 20 warnings/predictions I made before his last Administration assumed office came to pass (for details see Donald Trump in Prophecy).

Look for Donald Trump and His Administration to offend the Europeans, cause international trade concerns, push many nations further away from the United States,

This is happening NOW.  See also: European Union seeks to improve trade ties with India as it faces Donald Trump’s tariff threats.

We are already seeing unintended consequences of Donald Trump’s trade statements and policies as the EU, Canada, India, China, and Latin America are looking more towards trade deals with each other and NOT the USA.

There will be many unintended consequences of Donald Trump’s presidency.

Migrants in Germany (photo by Raimond  Spekking via Wikipedia)

COGwriter

European leaders must be embarrassed when they realized that they were not able to assist Ukraine without the assistance of the USA (see Europe essentially says Ukraine needs Donald Trump):

That cute little stunt Kier Starmer did is already being walked back as it didn’t work and only embarrassed everyone except the USA, which now looks stronger than ever. https://t.co/uywP7GAxX0

— Cernovich (@Cernovich) March 2, 2025

Furthermore, World Net Daily (WND) posted the following related to Europe:

NEW WORLD DISORDER

Denial, decline, demise: Europe’s slow suicide

March 1, 2025

Germans are beyond frustrated with the levels of migration into their country, particularly from Muslim nations in the Middle East and North Africa, and the corresponding increases in crime and violence. According to a 2024 article from Politico, foreigners are 15% of the population of Germany but account for fully 41% of crimes. … And the day before the elections, a Syrian refugee stabbed a tourist at Berlin’s Holocaust memorial, proclaiming that he wants to “kill Jews.” …

Europe is slowly committing suicide. And yet in country after country, the so-called centrists are scrambling to retain power, to find some way to appease and distract irate citizens, while proceeding merrily along their present path to destruction.

Germans will soon discover what millions of the British and French have realized: that you cannot “moderate” your way back to sanity when the forces aligned against you are … bent on your destruction.

European countries have imported millions of people from countries whose values and cultures are completely antithetical to that of Western civilization. …

But what is clear is that far too many of Europe’s political leaders are in denial about the dangers their own countries are facing. It remains to be seen whether they will find the political will to reverse course before the Europe we’ve all known is reduced to a skeleton of its former self. https://www.wnd.com/2025/03/denial-decline-demise-europes-slow-suicide/

Europe will take steps.

Europe is watching Donald Trump, and although much of Europe loathes him, many there are wondering if they need a bold leader, along with a military to back that boldness up.

Illegal border crossings are reportedly down in the USA and deportations of people in the country illegally for some time seem to be up.

Various ones in Europe like that. Particularly, supporters of political parties like Germany’s AfD, which did well in the elections held there on 23 February 2025.

So, what will happen in Europe?

Military spending will be increased and some migrants will be deported.

Regarding military spending, notice the following:

4 March 2025

Ursula von der Leyen on Tuesday proposed a Rearm Europe Plan she said could see member states mobilise up to €800 billion to finance a massive ramp-up in defence spending, hours after Washington suspended all military aid to Ukraine putting pressure on the bloc to increase its own assistance.

“We are in an era of re-armament, and Europe is ready to massively boost its defence spending, both to respond to the short-term urgency to act and to support Ukraine, but also to address the long-term need to take on more responsibility for our own European security,” the European Commission president said. https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2025/03/04/von-der-leyen-pitches-800bn-defence-package-ahead-of-eu-leaders-summit

Yes, consistent with biblical prophecies (e.g. Daniel 11:25, 39-43; Revelation 13:3-4) Europe will arm. More on Europe’s plans related to the USA can be found in the following video:

14:26

European Union wants military independence from the USA

European Union wants to be militarily independent of the USA – check European Union wants a larger military – check European Union wants nukes – check European Union wants this for defensive purposes – Will Europe acquire a great army? Will Europe defeat the Biblical King of the South? Is Europe the King of the North? Will Europe defeat the King(s) from the east? Here’s a big question – will Europe conquer the United States of America? Is the United State of America mentioned in the Bible? These are fascinating questions that will be answered in the very near future. The fact that these conflicts will occur is a certainty as they are a prophesied fact in the Bible in the book of Daniel But when will these conflicts occur? Daniel was told to shut up the words, they were for the time of the end. Dan 12:4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased. We are there. This is the time of the end. Dr. Thiel will shine the light on the answers to these questions. One answer, in particular, is sure to stun thousands.

Here is a link to our video: European Union wants military independence from the USA.

And regarding migrants, there have been calls for returning Syrian migrants (see Germans and others want Syrians to leave Europe–will Germany begin that dance?).

Germany has between 800,000 to 1,200,000 Syrian migrants/refugees, to name just one predominantly Islamic set of migrants.

They all do not want to return to Syria.

Notice the following prophecy involving Syrians:

12 The Syrians before and the Philistines behind; And they shall devour Israel with an open mouth. (Isaiah 9:8-9, 11-12)

Syrian refugees are one potential problem–more than the hatred some have for Jews. The Bible clearly is prophesying problems from some Syrians and some Palestinians. ‘Israel’ includes some of the nations in Europe, like France (see The ‘Lost Tribe’ of Reuben: France in Prophecy? and Anglo – America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel).

Eventually, Europe will reach a breaking point and change.

The Bible shows that Europe will reorganize and a strong leader will emerge:

12 “The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority for one hour as kings with the beast. 13 These are of one mind, and they will give their power and authority to the beast. (Revelation 17:12-13, NKJV)

The final European Beast leader, who is also known as the final King of the North, will ultimately promote his religion (Daniel 11:36-38; which will not be Islam, he will at first feign and claim a form of Roman Catholicism). He will make a deceptive deal with the leader of a confederation of peoples in North Africa and the Middle East (cf. Daniel 11:27; Psalm 83:3-8). The confederation will include Syria and Turkey, but Turkey will eventually back out of it and then support the European beast (for details, see Turkey in Prophecy).

Migrant issues will be a factor in the rise of this Beast leader–the Bible shows that a European Beast leader will, after destroying the USA (Daniel 11:39), push against and overwhelm a power from the Middle East and North Africa (Daniel 11:40-43).

It should be noted that this Beast leader is NOT Russian (see also Is Russia the King of the North?). Despite claims from Protestant Joel Richardson, this Beast leader is NOT Islamic (see also Is There an Islamic Antichrist?).

Notice a Roman Catholic prophecy:

Old English Prophecy: In Germany begins a dance, Which passes through Italy, Spain, and France, But England shall pay the piper. (Dupont Y. Catholic Prophecy: The Coming Chastisement. TAN Books, Rockford (IL), 1973, pp. 21-22)

What kind of a dance?

One that will impact Muslims (as well as another type that will overpower the UK, cf. Daniel 8:24-25; Isaiah 17:3).

There are many Greco-Roman Catholic private prophecies telling of a time of civil war in Europe–and pushing out Islam. Notice that the first one considers civil war is a major sign of end time events:

Pope John Paul II (March 1993), as reported by Monsignor Mauro Longhi on October 22, 2017: ‘Tell this to those whom you will meet in the Church of the third millennium. I see the Church afflicted by a deadly scourge. Deeper, more painful and more deadly than those of this millennium’, referring to … communism and Nazi totalitarianism. ‘It’s called islamism. They will invade Europe. I saw the hordes coming from the West to the East’, and he described to me the countries one by one: from Morocco to Libya to Egypt, and so on to the eastern parts. The Holy Father added, ‘They will invade Europe, Europe will be like a cellar, old relics, shadowy, cobwebs. Family heirlooms. You, the Church of the third millennium, will have to contain the invasion. Not with armies, armies will not suffice, but with your faith, lived with integrity.’ ” (McLean DC. Newly revealed vision of St. Pope John Paul: Islam will invade Europe. LifeSite News, November 23, 2017. https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/newly-revealed-vision-of-st.-pope-john-paul-islam-will-invade-europe)

Monk Hilarion (d. 1476): The people of the Peninsula of Europe will suffer by unnecessary wars until the Holy Man comes … That Lion will come from a high mountain in the enlightened nation. Then the people of the Half-Moon {Islam} of the tribe of Agar overrun many nations. toward midnight (North) and commit depredations. Three years will they reign destroying all. Yet in the third year will be one of the unconquerable Eagles who reign over the Enlighted Nation between the Rhine and the North Sea, with a great army meet them at the mouth of the River Rhine and in a fearful battle almost entirely annihilate them (Culleton, pp. 137-138).

Brother Louis Rocco (19th century): Terrible wars will rage all over Europe. God has long been patient with the corruption of morals; half of mankind He will destroy. Russia will witness many outrages. Great cities and small towns alike will be destroyed in a bloody revolution that will cause the death of half the population. In Istanbul (Constantinople) the Cross will replace the half-moon of Islamism, and Jerusalem will be the seat of a King. The southern Slavs will form a great Catholic Empire and drive out of Europe the Turks (Mohammedans), who will withdraw to North Africa and subsequently embrace the Catholic faith. (Dupont, p.76)

Notice that the ‘great prince of the North’ is expected to subdue an Islamic Empire. Notice that the Bible teaches that the ‘king of the North‘ will go into the Middle East and North Africa and eliminate the leader called the ‘king of the South.’ The lands of the ‘king of the South’ are currently Islamic. Perhaps it should be mentioned that Syria is expected to support the confederation of the king of the South (see also Ezekiel 30:2-8), though the time will come that its capital will be destroyed (Isaiah 17:1).

As I have written in the past, European nations will decide that they must take stronger steps against the growing number of Islamic immigrants (see also War is Coming Between Europeans and Arabs).

Many are watching the USA and Donald Trump on this.

A while back we pout out the following video on our Bible News Prophecy YouTube channel:

17:19

Will Islam be Pushed Out of Europe?

On June 8, 2018, Austria’s Chancellor Sebastian Kurz announced the closing of seven Islamic mosques in an effort to reduce “political Islam.” In the past several years, at least 6 European nations have banned the wearing of a commonly used garment by Islamic females. Heinz-Christian Strache (later Vice Chancellor of Austria) has declared that Islam has no place in Europe. Did Germany’s Angela Merkel call multiculturalism a failure? Will there be deals between the Muslims and the Europeans? Will a European Beast leader rise up after a reorganization that will eliminate nationalism? Will Europe push out Islam? What does Catholic prophecy teach? What does the Bible teach in Daniel and Revelation? Is Islam prophesied to be pushed out of Europe? Dr. Thiel addresses these issues and more.

Here is a link: Will Islam be Pushed Out of Europe?

As the Bible shows (cf. Daniel 11:40-43), there will be conflict between the Europeans and the Arabs (watch also the short videos Will Islam be Pushed Out of Europe? and War is Coming Between Europeans and Arabs).

While in various ways, Europe is facing declines and threats, the Bible shows for a time it will rise up as a major world power again.

Some motivation for that is coming from the USA and its President Donald Trump.

(White House photo via Wikipedia)

COGwriter

On February 23, 2025, several days before US President Donald Trump and Vice President met with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky on February 28, 2025, I posted the following:

Based on various statements and actions of his, I believe that Donald Trump believes that:

1. Ukraine was involved in actions that caused Russia to invade.
2. Ukraine should not have pushed for NATO membership.
3. Ukraine could have made a deal with Russia before Russia’s ‘Special Military Operation’ began as well as shortly thereafter.
4. The USA had no business being involved in this.
5. Ukraine wasted USA resources.
6. Ukraine cannot win against Russia.
7. Ukraine cannot rely on the European Union to defeat Russia.
8. The USA is in the strongest negotiating position.
9. The European Union cannot dictate terms to him.
10. Ukraine can either give Donald Trump what he wants or he will not stop Russia from taking over the entire country.

Related to that last point, earlier this month Donald Trump said that Ukraine “may be Russian someday” (see Donald Trump said that Ukraine “may be Russian someday”).

And as I have written since 2013, at least some parts would be. (Thiel B. Ukraine considering giving up minerals because of pressure from Donald Trump. COGwriter, February 23, 2025)

For some reason, Volodymyr Zelensky did not seem to understand several of these points. Notice also:

WASHINGTON − House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., suggested Sunday that Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy may need to resign to salvage the nascent Ukraine-Russia peace process, adding his voice to a growing debate sparked by the contentious Oval Office meeting between Zelenskyy with President Donald Trump last week.

“Something has to change,” Johnson told NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “Either he needs to come to his senses and come back to the table in gratitude, or someone else needs to lead the country to do that.” https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/03/02/speaker-johnson-ukraine-zelenskyy-trump/81076172007/

Trump posted in his Truth Social account a quote from Gartner analyst Michael McCune:

Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky was given a clear message during his meeting with US President Donald Trump on Friday, that further financial support hinges on Ukraine’s willingness to negotiate peace, US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has said. … In a Sunday Fox News interview, Lutnick stressed that US president made clear he “just wants to make peace.” However, he said that Zelensky did not come for that, and made “ridiculous” requests to Trump and Vance.

“Zelensky needed to hear it directly from the funding mouth of the United States of America: We’re not going to give you money unless you’re here for peace,” Lutnick stressed. 03/02/25 https://www.rt.com/news/613589-us-wont-give-kiev-money-unless-zelensky-wants-peace/

After the disastrous meeting last Friday (shown in the photo at the beginning of this post), Volodymyr Zelensky contacted European leaders.

Yesterday, he was in a meeting about his next moves in London. Here is a report on that from Euronews:

Europe agrees steps to peace in Ukraine, but they need US backing

2 March 2025

At a summit meeting in London, European leaders, Canada and Turkey pledged to continue military support for Ukraine, two days after a disastrous meeting of Ukrainian president Zelenskyy with U.S. president Donald Trump at the White House.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said European leaders on Sunday agreed to steps to beef defence efforts and secure peace in Ukraine and stability across the continent at a summit staged as a show of support for President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

But he said that the support and buy in of the US was essential to make the plan work. …

Ahead of the summit at Lancaster House, Starmer had a bilateral meeting with Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni at 10 Downing Street. Meloni arguably has the best relationship with Trump of all western European leaders.

Starmer and Meloni reaffirmed their support for Ukraine, agreeing that “the UK and Italy will stand with them for as long as it takes”, according to the official readout.

Following their meeting, Meloni said Italy and the UK can “build bridges” between Europe and the United States in a bid to repair a rift made worse by the Friday meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy. https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2025/03/02/europe-agrees-peace-plan-for-ukraine-but-it-needs-us-backing

Europe today has no military forces capable of successfully confronting a full-scale Russian onslaught without reliance on the US military and the US nuclear umbrella, … Europe can dream about strategic autonomy after peace is made in Ukraine. But it has no military capability to defy or undermine the Trump peace plan. In reality, there is no other. 03/02/25 https://asiatimes.com/2025/03/europes-dangerous-delusion-of-defense-without-the-us/

Many of us who have watched Donald Trump realized that Donald Trump understood that Ukraine had few decent options without USA involvement.

While one may have thought that Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy would now better understand that, when I heard him interviewed on BBC radio last night, he still seems to be misunderstanding aspects of the USA’s current position.

Here is something from the UK Guardian–although it leans left, it seems to have a decent understanding of the current situation in the following:

Is Europe misunderstanding Trump’s position on Ukraine?

3 March 2025

In the past month, the Trump administration has delivered several strong and sometimes conflicting messages to America’s allies and partners in Europe. Discerning the signal in the noise isn’t easy, but amid the zigs, zags and bombast, the new administration appears to be taking a position that Ukrainian and European leaders aren’t hearing – or are trying to alter.

The crux of the message seems to be this: the US will either broker an end to the war in Ukraine in short order or remove itself from the conflict, unless perhaps it deems Russia to have obstructed a ceasefire. (As Trump told Zelenskyy on Friday: “You’re either going to make a deal or we’re out.”) Washington will also refuse to make any commitment to Ukraine’s postwar security, such as Nato membership, that would run a major risk of drawing the US into direct war with Russia — “world war three,” as Trump sees it – if Russia invades Ukraine again.

The US has the sovereign right to adopt this stance, for the sake of its own interests, which include limiting the costs and risks the US is bearing for European defense. …

Zelenskyy hasn’t budged. To the contrary, he doubled down. “If we cannot be accepted to Nato,” Zelenskyy wrote in a statement, “we need some clear structure of security guarantees from our allies in the US.” Only after such guarantees were on offer would Ukraine proceed with diplomacy to settle the war. …

But the practical reality is that the Trump administration is not inclined to do so, not if it would obligate, de jure or de facto, the US to go to war on Ukraine’s behalf in the future. That this is the position of the President of the United States should be understandable.

None of Trump’s predecessors ever made a commitment to fight for Ukraine. Joe Biden explicitly ruled out sending US troops when he saw Russia’s full-scale invasion coming. Nor have any Nato allies come to Ukraine’s direct defense. The reason is obvious: it would mean war with Russia, a prospect that Nato allies can still deter regardless of what happens in Ukraine.

If Ukraine and Europe continue to push for strong US security guarantees, they have a small chance of succeeding and a larger chance of creating a permanent rupture with Trump. The president could conclude that his allies refuse to listen and, worse, keep trying to entrap him. Throwing up his hands, he could take the very actions that Ukraine and Europe most want to avoid: cutting off all US support for Ukraine and making a dirty deal with Putin. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/mar/03/europe-trump-ukraine

That said, Europe, though, now better understands that if it wants to have a lot more influence, it needs to be stronger militarily than it currently is.

The events of the past several days have been helping set the stage for Europe to do just that. Notice also:

3 March 2025

Europe urgently needs to rearm and member states must be given the fiscal space to carry out a surge in defense spending, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said …

“After a long time of underinvestment, it is now of utmost importance to step up the defense investment for a prolonged period of time,” she told reporters after the meeting in London.

“Member states need more fiscal space to do a surge in defense spending.”

Von der Leyen made the statement amid US President Donald Trump’s upending US policy … leading to a contentious Oval Office exchange between Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Vice President JD Vance last week. https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstories/world/937933/europe-must-rearm-tell-us-it-s-ready-to-defend-democracy-von-der-leyen/story/

European defense stocks rose today as more investors are concluding that yes, they believe that Europe will actually now spend more on its military (see 03/03/25 https://www.marketwatch.com/story/shocked-eu-reaction-to-white-house-zelensky-meeting-sends-defense-stocks-soaring-c170d8a1).

There will be many unintended consequences of the Trump-Vance Administration.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

Russia and Ukraine: Their Origins and Prophesied Future Russia in prophecy. Where do the Russians come from? What about those in the Ukraine? What is prophesied for Russia and its allies? What will they do to the Europeans that supported the Beast in the end? There is also a video sermon available: Russia in the Bible and in Prophecy as are two video sermonettes Russia, Ukraine, Babylonian Europe, and Prophecy and Ukraine in Prophecy?
Is Russia the King of the North? Some claim it is. But what does the Bible teach? Here is a link to a video, also titled Is Russia the King of the North?
Ezekiel 38: For Russia & Iran in Our Day? Is Ezekiel 38 about to be fulfilled? Are we close to the battle with Gog and Magog? Four related videos are available: Ezekiel 38 Gog and Magog War: Is it Soon?, Ezekiel 38: For Russia, Ukraine, & Iran Now?, Russia, Iran, Syria, & the Bible (Code), and Gog, Magog, Vladimir Putin, and Ezekiel 38?
Europa, the Beast, and Revelation Where did Europe get its name? What might Europe have to do with the Book of Revelation? What about “the Beast”? Is an emerging European power “the daughter of Babylon”? What is ahead for Europe? Here is are links to related videos: European history and the Bible, Europe In Prophecy, The End of European Babylon, and Can You Prove that the Beast to Come is European? Here is a link to a related sermon in the Spanish language: El Fin de la Babilonia Europea.
The European Union and the Seven Kings of Revelation 17 Could the European Union be the sixth king that now is, but is not? Here is a link to the related sermon video: European Union & 7 Kings of Revelation 17:10.
Who is the King of the North? Is there one? Do biblical and Roman Catholic prophecies for the Great Monarch point to the same leader? Should he be followed? Who will be the King of the North discussed in Daniel 11? Is a nuclear attack prophesied to happen to the English-speaking peoples of the United States, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand? When do the 1335 days, 1290 days, and 1260 days (the time, times, and half a time) of Daniel 12 begin? When does the Bible show that economic collapse will affect the United States? In the Spanish language check out ¿Quién es el Rey del Norte? Here is a link to a video titled: The Future King of the North.
Unintended Consequences and Donald Trump’s Presidency: Is Donald Trump Fulfilling Biblical, Islamic, Greco-Roman Catholic, Buddhist, and other America-Related Prophecies?  Is Donald Trump going to save the USA or are there going to be many disastrous unintended consequences of his statements and policies? What will happen. The link takes you to a book available at Amazon.com.
Unintended Consequences and Donald Trump’s Presidency: Is Donald Trump Fulfilling Biblical, Islamic, Greco-Roman Catholic, Buddhist, and other America-Related Prophecies? Kindle edition is available for only US$3.99. And you do not need an actual Kindle device to read it. Why? Amazon will allow you to download it to almost any device: Please click HERE to download one of Amazon s Free Reader Apps. After you go to for your free Kindle reader and then go to Unintended Consequences and Donald Trump’s Presidency: Is Donald Trump Fulfilling Biblical, Islamic, Greco-Roman Catholic, Buddhist, and other America-Related Prophecies?

Chuuk Islands (Aotearoa at pl.wikipedia)

COGwriter

It is reported that a portion of Micronesia would like to be sovereign and break from the United States:

Micronesia: Activists push for Chuuk islands’ independence

The US’ new and seemingly erratic foreign policy has sent out waves across the Pacific Ocean — to the Chuuk islands in Micronesia, where local independence campaigners say it’s time to start as a new sovereign nation.

1 March 2025

The Chuuk islands — a seemingly idyllic spot in the Pacific Ocean, northeast of Indonesia and north of Australia and Papua New Guinea — is one of the four states making up the Federated States of Micronesia, an island nation strategically aligned with the US.

Despite Micronesia’s small population, (around 113,000 in 2024) the island chain allows for control of vast swathes of the Pacific. And its alliance with the US runs deep — Washington provides millions of dollars in assistance every year to help with administration, education and health care as well as meeting other critical needs.

But former Chuuk State attorney general Sabino Asor fears Micronesia is too reliant on America. …

Asor has spent decades campaigning for Chuuk islands to separate from Micronesia and become an independent state, though he admits that the population is still very much divided on the issue. …

Asor thinks that it is only a matter of time before the US turns its attention to the islands of Micronesia. Then, the decades-long “special relationship,” based on the deal known as the Compact of Free Association, could be unceremoniously axed.

“Ideally, if we were independent from the rest of [Micronesia], then we could negotiate our own compact with the US, but we cannot be sure that the US would agree to that,” 66-year-old Asor said.

Yet he insists that Chuuk cannot continue as it is at present.

“An association with the broader global community would also appeal to us, perhaps to some of the nations that were colonial powers here, Spain, Germany or Japan, but it would have to be a concrete agreement that would benefit our people.”

The only other alternative, according to Asor, is an economic relationship with China, which is already ramping up its influence in other Pacific states such as the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Kiribati and Nauru. …

Lawyer and politician Johnny Meippen told DW that there were “clear benefits of remaining with the FSM while that agreement is in place, but we have to be prepared.”

“When someone as erratic as Trump is in charge, the compact could be unilaterally cancelled with little or no warning,” he said.

And if Chuuk were to become a sovereign nation, that would allow its people to regain “territorial jurisdiction over our surrounding waters and all the resources they contain,” Meippen said. https://www.dw.com/en/micronesia-activists-push-for-chuuk-islands-independence/a-71783010

Yes, there is a vast amount of sea territory associated with the Chuuk Islands.

Here is some information from Wikipedia related to the Chuuk Islands:

Chuuk Lagoon, previously Truk Atoll, is an atoll in the central Pacific Ocean. It lies about 1,800 kilometres (970 nautical miles) northeast of New Guinea and is part of Chuuk State within the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). A protective reef, 225 kilometres (140 mi) around, encloses a natural harbour 79 by 50 km (43 nmi × 27 nmi), with an area of 2,130 km² (820 sq mi).^[1] It has a land area of 93.07 square kilometres (35.93 square miles), with a population of 36,158 people^[2] and a maximal elevation of 443 metres (1,453 ft). Weno city on Weno (formerly Moen) Island functions as both the atoll’s capital and the state capital, and is the largest city in the FSM with its 13,700 people.

Chuuk Lagoon was the Empire of Japan‘s main naval base in the South Pacific theatre during World War II. It was the site of a major U.S. attack during Operation Hailstone in February 1944, and Operation Inmate, a small assault conducted by British and Canadian forces during June 1945. …

Chuuk Lagoon is part of the larger Caroline Islands group. The area consists of eleven major islands (corresponding to the eleven municipalities of Truk lagoon, which are Tol, Udot, Fala-Beguets, Romanum, and Eot of Faichuk group, and Weno, Fefen, Dublon, Uman, Param, and Tsis of Nomoneas group) and 46 smaller ones within the lagoon, plus 41 on the fringing coral reef, and is known today as the Chuuk islands, part of the Federated States of Micronesia in the Pacific Ocean. (Chuuk Lagoon, Wikipedia, accessed March 2, 2025)

Yes, ultimately the Chuuk Islands as well as all the Federated States of Micronesia will no longer be controlled by the USA.

Why do I write this?

Because of biblical prophecies.

Let’s begin by looking at a promise given to Abraham;

16 “By Myself I have sworn, says the Lord, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son — 17 blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies. 18 In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.” (Genesis 22:16-18)

Enemy gates were promised to Abraham’s descendants.

Notice what was told to Rebekah who had just agreed to become the wife of Abraham’s son Isaac:

60 “Our sister, may you become The mother of thousands of ten thousands; And may your descendants possess The gates of those who hate them” (Genesis 24:60).

And many “sea gates” were later in the hands of her descendants. But many no longer are.

We in the Church of God have been teaching for decades that the United Kingdom and USA would ultimately lose many of their sea gates–we believe they possessed them because of blessings from God and would lose them because of blatant disobedience.

Notice a couple of prophetic warnings that are consistent with that:

58 “If you do not carefully observe all the words of this law that are written in this book, that you may fear this glorious and awesome name, THE LORD YOUR GOD, 59 then the Lord will bring upon you and your descendants extraordinary plagues — great and prolonged plagues — and serious and prolonged sicknesses. 60 Moreover He will bring back on you all the diseases of Egypt, of which you were afraid, and they shall cling to you. 61 Also every sickness and every plague, which is not written in this Book of the Law, will the Lord bring upon you until you are destroyed. 62 You shall be left few in number, whereas you were as the stars of heaven in multitude, because you would not obey the voice of the Lord your God. 63 And it shall be, that just as the Lord rejoiced over you to do you good and multiply you, so the Lord will rejoice over you to destroy you and bring you to nothing; and you shall be plucked from off the land which you go to possess. (Deuteronomy 28:58-63)

24 ‘Do not defile yourselves with any of these things; for by all these the nations are defiled, which I am casting out before you. 25 For the land is defiled; therefore I visit the punishment of its iniquity upon it, and the land vomits out its inhabitants. 26 You shall therefore keep My statutes and My judgments, and shall not commit any of these abominations, either any of your own nation or any stranger who dwells among you 27 (for all these abominations the men of the land have done, who were before you, and thus the land is defiled), 28 lest the land vomit you out also when you defile it, as it vomited out the nations that were before you.  (Leviticus 18:24-28)

23 ‘And if by these things you are not reformed by Me, but walk contrary to Me, 24 then I also will walk contrary to you, and I will punish you yet seven times for your sins. 25 And I will bring a sword against you that will execute the vengeance of the covenant; when you are gathered together within your cities I will send pestilence among you; and you shall be delivered into the hand of the enemy.  (Leviticus 26:23-25)

So, those that were promised blessings were also told that they would be subject to losing those blessings if they disobeyed God. As far as being plucked from the land, see Will the Anglo-Saxon Nations be Divided and Have People Taken as Slaves?

Many people do not realize that the Anglo-descended nations received their wealth and influence partially because of blessings that God had Jacob/Israel give to the descendants of Ephraim and Manasseh.

Notice the following blessing that was given to Ephraim and Manasseh, the sons of Joseph, by Israel/Jacob:

16 Bless the lads; Let my name be named upon them, And the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; And let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth…

19 “…He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great; but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his descendants shall become a multitude of nations.” 20 So he blessed them that day, saying, “By you Israel will bless, saying, ‘May God make you as Ephraim and as Manasseh!’ ” (Genesis 48:16, 19-20).

The British Empire, including the Commonwealth, was the biggest empire in the world and consisted of a company of nations. And while the Chagos islands, Falkland Islands and Gibraltar are not technically separate nations, they are separated from the British Isles, do consider themselves British, and are subject to both the blessings and cursings given to Israel and his descendants.

Consider the following about the old British Empire:

In 1913, 412 million people lived under the control of the British Empire, 23 percent of the world’s population at that time. It remains the largest empire in human history and at the peak of its power in 1920, it covered an astonishing 13.71 million square miles – that’s close to a quarter of the world’s land area. (McCarthy N. The Biggest Empires In Human History. Statista, December 19, 2019)

The United Kingdom now has 93,628 sq miles of land (United Kingdom, Wikipedia, accessed 08/15/24). That is a reduction of size by 99%! And it will lose more territory as well as it will one day be conquered.

Despite British hopes for its future, loss of territories will one day include Northern Ireland and Gibraltar.

Yes, one day, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland will be no more.

The late Herbert W. Armstrong believed the previous attainment of various “sea gates” helped demonstrate the identity of the modern descendants of Joseph and that they would be lost:

Genesis 22:17. To Abraham God said: “That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies.” And again, the inspired prophetic parting blessing upon Rebekah, leaving her family to become the wife of Isaac: “And they blessed Rebekah, and said unto her, Thou art our sister, be thou the mother of thousands of millions, and let thy seed possess the gate of those which hate them” (Gen. 24:60). Earlier we quoted the correct Fenton translation: “… and your race shall possess the gates [plural] of its enemies.”

As explained there, the “gates” of enemy nations are the strategic SEA GATES of entrance to or exit from these nations. Although all wealth comes from the ground, prosperity and affluence on a national scale always have come also by industry and COMMERCE. And commerce between nations has been transacted almost altogether by the SEA- LANES of the world — by SHIPS, and, within a continent, by railroads. How significant, then, that Robert Fulton operated the first steamboat in 1803 — precisely when Britain and America suddenly began to MULTIPLY in national wealth! And also that it was the nineteenth century that saw the development of the railroads! As explained before, since the birthright pertains to NATIONS, the “GATE” of our enemies would be such passes as Gibraltar, Suez, Singapore, the Panama Canal, etc. Britain and America came into possession of every such major “gate” in this world! So we MUST be modern Israel. World War II hinged on these “gates.”

They had become not only strategic passes, but the world’s greatest fortifications. But today, we have lost most of them, most recently, the Panama Canal — and it appears that soon Gibraltar, too, will be lost.

Why? Notice Genesis 39:2, 23: “The Eternal was with Joseph, and he was a PROSPEROUS man ….the Eternal was with him, and that which he did, the Eternal made it to PROSPER.” And God did prosper Joseph’s descendants, Britain and America, with the fabulous birthright promised Joseph’s sons! (Armstrong HW. The United States And Britain In Prophecy. 1980)

More on the identity of the American and British-descended peoples can be found in the free online book: Lost Tribes and Prophecies: What will happen to Australia, the British Isles, Canada, Europe, New Zealand and the United States of America?

For many years, the major sea gates of the world were possessed/controlled by the United States (Panama Canal and certain locations in the Pacific ocean) and the British Empire (Straits of Malacca, Singapore, Suez Canal, Bab el Mandeb, Strait of Hormuz, Simon’s Town/Cape of Good Hope, etc.). And while that is no longer the case for many of them, they seem to have been prophesied to be taken away for disobedience as well (cf. Deuteronomy 28)—and certainly these nations have disobeyed the God of Abraham, as well as actually lost many of those gates.

Thus, it has been biblically logical to conclude that the remaining “sea gates” that the UK has such as Gibraltar, the Chagos Islands, and the Falkland Islands will be separated from UK control. The same is true of many of the sea gates that the USA controls, such as those associated with Micronesia.

Related to the loss of the Chagos Islands, we put out following related video:

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Prophecy: UK’s Loss of Chagos Islands

On May 28, 2019, Dr. Bob Thiel posted and predicted that the United Kingdom would lose the Chagos Islands, including Diego Garcia. He repeated that prediction on October 1, 2024. On October 3, 2024, the BBC reported that the United Kingdom was going to lose the Chagos Islands and give its sovereignty to the nation of Mauritius, thus confirming his predictions. US President Joe Biden praised the UK decision. Why did Dr. Thiel make that prediction? Was it based on several biblical prophecies? Have other predictions related to loss of ‘sea gates’ possessed by the UK and United State of America come to pass? Will the UK one day lose the Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, and even Northern Ireland for their disobedience? What are some of the Bible prophecies that pointed to the attaining of sea gates and losses of territories to the end time descendants of Joseph, Ephraim (the company of nations, once the British Commonwealth) and Manasseh (a once great nation, the US). Does the Bible have the “more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts” (2 Peter 1:19, KJV)? Were prophets and prophecies expected in the ‘last days’ according to Acts 2:17-18? Steve Dupuie and Dr. Thiel discuss these matters. They also referred listeners to a free online book which helps identify various peoples that the Bible prophecies about titled ‘Lost Tribes and Prophecies: What will happen to Australia, the British Isles, Canada, Europe, New Zealand and the United States of America?’ URL: https://www.cogwriter.com/LostTribes.pdf

Prophecies are being fulfilled.

See also Does the CCOG have the confirmed signs of Acts 2:17-18?

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

Will the UK Lose Gibraltar and the Falkland Islands? For many years, the major sea gates of the world were possessed/controlled by the United States (Panama Canal and certain locations in the Pacific ocean) and the British Empire (Straits of Malacca, Singapore, Suez Canal, Bab el Mandeb, Strait of Hormuz, Simon’s Town/Cape of Good Hope, Malta, etc.), and many are no longer under their control. Spain wants Gibraltar and Argentina wants the Falklands (also known as the Malvinas). UK Prime Minister David Cameron says the UK will defend the Falklands Gibraltar. Does the Bible give clues as to what will happen with those ‘sea gates’? Do promises made the Jacob’s mother Rebekah play a role? What about Deuteronomy 28? This is a video.
Anglo – America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel Are the Americans, Canadians, English, Scottish, Welsh, Australians, Anglo-Saxon (non-Dutch) Southern Africans, and New Zealanders descendants of Joseph? Where are the lost ten-tribes of Israel? Who are the lost tribes of Israel? What will happen to Jerusalem and the Jews in Israel? Will God punish the U.S.A., Canada, United Kingdom, and other Anglo-Saxon nations? Why might God allow them to be punished first? Here is a link to the Spanish version of this article: Anglo-América & las Tribus Perdidas de Israel. Information is also in the YouTube sermons titled Where are the Ten Lost Tribes? Why does it matter? and British are the Covenant People. A short YouTube of prophetic interest may be: Are Chinese threats against Australia for real?
Will the Anglo-Saxon-Celtic Nations be Divided and Have People Taken as Slaves? Will the lands of the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand be divided? What about Jerusalem? What does Bible prophecy teach? Are there non-biblical prophecies that support this idea? Who will divide those lands? Who will end up with the lands and the people? Here is a link to a video titled Will the USA and other Anglo-nations be Divided and Their People Made Slaves? Here is a related item in the Spanish language ¿Serán divididas las naciones anglosajonas?
Lost Tribes and Prophecies: What will happen to Australia, the British Isles, Canada, Europe, New Zealand and the United States of America? Where did those people come from? Can you totally rely on DNA? Do you really know what will happen to Europe and the English-speaking peoples? What about the peoples of Africa, Asia, South America, and the islands? This free online book provides scriptural, scientific, historical references, and commentary to address those matters. Here are links to related sermons: Lost tribes, the Bible, and DNA; Lost tribes, prophecies, and identifications; 11 Tribes, 144,000, and Multitudes; Israel, Jeremiah, Tea Tephi, and British Royalty; Gentile European Beast; Royal Succession, Samaria, and Prophecies; Asia, Islands, Latin America, Africa, and Armageddon;  When Will the End of the Age Come?;  Rise of the Prophesied King of the North; Christian Persecution from the Beast; WWIII and the Coming New World Order; and Woes, WWIV, and the Good News of the Kingdom of God.
Does the CCOG have the confirmed signs of Acts 2:17-18? Does any church have the confirmed dream and prophetic signs of Acts 2:17-18? Should one? Here is a link in the Spanish language: ¿Tiene la CCOG confirmadas las señales de Hechos 2: 17-18? Here is a link in the French language: Est-ce que l’Église Continue de Dieu confirme les signes d’Actes 2:17-18? A related sermon in the English language is also available: 17 Last Days’ Signs of the Holy Spirit.
21st Century Church of God Prophets Are there any true prophets in the 21st century? What about false prophets? What are scriptures and fruits to identify the true from the false? You you prove all things and test the spirits?
Church of God Leaders on Prophets Have there been prophets throughout the church age? Are any supposed to be around in the last days? What have COG leaders stated or written about prophets? Here is a link to a related sermon: Church of God Leaders on Prophets.
How To Determine If Someone is a True Prophet of God There are many false prophets. How can Christians determine who is a true prophet? There is also a sermon-length video titled How to determine if someone is a true prophet of God. Here is a related link in Spanish/español: ¿Cómo determinar si alguien es un verdadero profeta de Dios?