Winds of change in Germany and Europe.

In a recent speech, “Chancellor Angela Merkel has declared the death of multiculturalism in Germany, saying that it had ‘failed utterly’, in what has been interpreted as a startling shift from her previous views. The German leader said it had been an illusion to think that Germans and foreign workers could ‘live happily side by side’… Merkel’s verdict marks a shift in her previously liberal line on immigration which had always put her at odds with the more conservative wing of the party” (The Guardian, October 17, 2010).

In a recent survey “58.4 percent of Germans said they wanted to restrict the practice of Islam in their country, while 30 percent felt that Germany was ‘overrun’ by foreigners” (EUObserver.com, October 18, 2010). There appears to be a societal shift in Germany, back to more conservative views. A recent study found that 13% of all Germans would welcome a “Führer… to run the country with a firm hand.”

Further, “the study’s overall snapshot of German society shows new forms of extremism and hate are no longer the province of far-right cohorts who shave their heads or wear leather jackets adorned with silver skulls but register in the tweedy political center, on the right and the left. Indeed, the study found, extremism in Germany isn’t a fringe phenomenon but is found in the political center, ‘in all social groups and in all age groups, regardless of employment status, educational level or gender’.” Far-right parties are gaining political ground all across Europe (YahooNews Canada, October 15, 2010).

Scripture shows a powerful person will come on the scene in Europe at the end of the age and lead the future Beast power (Daniel 9:26-27, 11:36-37; Revelation 13:1-7; 17:12-13). The current “shifts” throughout Europe could facilitate this process.