Germany's Quiet Comeback!

Twice in the last century, Germany's attempts to dominate Europe by military means left the continent covered with blood-stained ruins! However, in the last several decades, Germany has once again—quietly and steadily—begun to take a dominant role in Europe: economically, politically and even militarily. Bible prophecies have long foretold the resurgence of Germany just before the return of Jesus Christ. We are watching these ancient prophecies coming alive today!

A Multi-Faceted Reconstruction!

Following the tremendous German-induced carnage of two world wars, visionary political leaders in Europe sought to end the bloody conflicts between neighboring countries by tying the nations of Europe together in an economic and political union. The European Economic Community of the 1950s and the European Union of the 1990s were largely French-inspired attempts to bind Germany to Europe, to prevent future wars on European soil. During those years, the reconstructed German economy became the "locomotive" driving European nations towards an "ever closer union." Some viewed the EEC and EU as a French rider guiding a strong German horse!

However, the political landscape changed dramatically when the Berlin Wall (which divided East and West Germany) came down in November 1989. The "surprise union" of the two Germanies in October of 1990 brought together 80 million Germans in the heart of Europe, and Germany suddenly became the most populous nation in the EU. When the Germans moved their capital from Bonn to Berlin, one perceptive Irish leader commented that the "German horse has thrown its French rider and headed for Berlin"—which is now the EU's second largest city, after London, and well ahead of Madrid, Rome, Paris or Brussels. Another observer commented that "it is more than clear that the Germans are holding the handlebars, and the French are pedaling" (Der Spiegel, December 20, 2010).

In recent years, Germany has developed the strongest economy in Europe and the fourth largest economy in the world. Germany is also the biggest contributor to the EU budget and the German city of Frankfurt provides a home for the European Central Bank. As a result of Germany's growing financial clout, the Federal Republic of Germany has been able to demand conditions for the agreements to bail out EU members (Greece, Ireland and potentially Spain, Portugal and Italy) in the ongoing financial crisis in Europe—and this has been very disturbing to other members of the EU (Der Spiegel, December 20, 2010). Germany has also lobbied for more monitoring and central control over the national budgets of EU members. There has even been speculation that if EU members are unable to agree on how to resolve their ongoing financial crises, Germany may leave the monetary union (along with other more financially stable northern and central European countries) and possibly re-introduce the German mark in place of the euro (Der Spiegel, December 27, 2010). Germany would be the obvious leader of any new configuration of European nations.

German Military Resurgence

Even more interesting and ominous are Germany's activities in the military sphere! In 1987, Germany and France established a French-German military brigade through which their soldiers could work together in the defense of Europe. In December 2010, France saw the first deployment of German soldiers on French soil since World War II. The German soldiers, members of the French-German brigade, were deployed to Strasburg—an area that has been disputed between Germany and France for the last century (Detroit Free Press, December 10, 2010). Germany has also played a leading role in promoting common procurement policies for equipment by European militaries.

In 1995, German soldiers began serving outside of Germany as part of a NATO peace-keeping force in the Balkans—a force that Germany has commanded numerous times since then. In 2006, German troops saw action in Africa for the first time since World War II as part of a United Nations peace-keeping force deployed to the Congo. Also in 2006, German forces were deployed in the Middle East for the first time since World War II, when the German navy began patrolling the coastline of Lebanon, and German pilots commenced reconnaissance operations. In 2007, Germany sent troops and fighter planes into combat in Afghanistan as part of a NATO mission. Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, Germany's defense minister, paid a well-publicized visit to Afghanistan in December 2010 to encourage more than 4,000 German troops stationed in that country (The Local, December 28, 2010). In 2008, German armed forces were dispatched to the Horn of Africa to help combat pirates in that unsettled region (euobserver.com, October 12, 2008). Today, 65 years after the end of World War II, more than 8,000 German troops serve in various parts of the world—a fact that is largely accepted by the German people and the world community.

Unbeknownst to many, the German Air Force has since 1958 been training its combat jet pilots in the United States at Holloman AFB near Alamogordo, New Mexico—due, in part, to excellent year-round flying weather in this sparsely settled region. These "top gun" German pilots have been trained in U.S.-manufactured F-4F Phantoms and European-manufactured Tornado jet fighters. Some of the U.S. Air Force's most advanced aircraft—the F-117 Nighthawk "stealth" fighter and the F-22 Raptor fighter—have also been based at Holloman AFB. Is it significant that, before World War II, German pilots were quietly trained in France and that German tanks were tested in Russia? The details of Germany's present military comeback may appear to some as unrelated and unimportant bits of historical trivia, yet these typically German preparations will play into a bigger end-time picture.

Serious Consequences

Dozens of Bible prophecies clearly indicate that just prior to Jesus Christ's return, Germany (identified in your Bible as "Assyria") will once again play a prominent role on the world stage and have a major impact on modern Israel (not just the modern Jewish nation of Israel, but also the U.S. and the British-descended nations). Long ago, in prophecies that have a dual application for today, God warned the Israelites that if they disobeyed His laws and turned from His way of life, there would be serious consequences—including military defeat and captivity in foreign lands (Leviticus 26; Deuteronomy 28). The prophet Isaiah foretold that God would use Assyria as the "rod of My anger… I will send him against an ungodly nation, and against the people of My wrath" (Isaiah 10:5–11). The prophet Hosea warned that Israelite peoples would look to the Assyrian in a time of need (Hosea 7:11–12; 12:1), but that the Assyrian and his allies would turn on the Israelite people and carry them away into captivity (Hosea 2:5–13; 5:13; Jeremiah 30:4–14; see especially Ezekiel 23:5, 9, 22)—because the Israelite peoples have "forgotten" their Maker and treated "the great things" in God's law as "a strange thing" (Hosea 8:1–14). Hosea prophesied that as a result of the Israelites' rejecting God's instruction, "the Assyrian shall be his king, because they refused to repent" (Hosea 11:1–5). As we observe the quiet but steady comeback of Germany to a position of great prominence in Europe, we are witnessing these ancient prophecies coming alive today! To learn more about Germany's impact on future world events, read our July-August 2010 Tomorrow's World article "Growth of a Strongman: Germany Rising Again" or request our reprint article, "Resurgent Germany: A Fourth Reich?"