On February 24, 2022, Russian tanks rolled
across the border into Ukraine.
They attacked in the north from Belarus, in the south
from Crimea, and they attacked from the east,
heading toward the capital Kiev.
Just one month before, Germany had been reluctant
to send weapons to Ukraine, not wanting
to inflame already tense relations with Russia.
The Germans infamously offered the Ukrainians
just 5,000 helmets in response to their plea
for help, as Russian troops amassed at the border.
But just two days after the invasion of February 24,
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz made a surprise announcement.
He committed the German government to increased
military spending in 2022 by 100 billion euros.
And, he pledged to send Ukraine 1,000
anti-tank weapons and 500 surface-to-air missiles.
This move did not just put Vladimir Putin on notice
that Germany would stand with the Ukrainians...
It also signaled a radical shift in Germany's policy,
one that had stood for decades.
As the news website France24 noted,
"Often described as predictable and 'robotic,'
Chancellor Olaf Scholz has become emboldened since
Russia's invasion of Ukraine, smashing policy
taboos to steer Germany into 'a new era' that
could reshape its role on the world stage."
And that's exactly what this shift has
done--radically change Germany's post-war policy.
Since World War 2, Germany has not allowed
its weapons makers to export into war zones.
It has not even allowed third parties to buy them
for use in these areas.
And this policy was a reaction to Germany's dark, Nazi past.
But now, everything has changed.
This policy about-face has been nothing less than stunning.
But there's more to the story.
You see, it's not just that Germany is taking
a more muscular approach to its defense and
its neighbors' defense.
There's something else happening behind the scenes.
What does it mean for Bible prophecy?
And where will it lead in the end-times?
We'll discuss that today, on Tomorrow's World.
And be ready to request your own free copy
of our study guide, Germany in Prophecy.
I'll give you the information to request your copy,
later in the program.
So, what is the significance of Germany's more robust,
bold approach, politically and militarily?
Why does Germany matter, especially in the end-times?
I'll be right back with the answer.
♪
Welcome to Tomorrow's World, where we help you make sense
of your world through the pages of the Bible.
When Germany reversed its pacifist policy and pledged
to stand with Ukraine, many were shocked.
So, why did Germany, after all those decades,
dramatically change direction?
The answer lies in understanding the origin of the modern
German nation.
And that brings us to our first key to understanding
why Germany matters in end-time Prophecy:
1. Germany comes from ancient Assyria
Longtime viewers of Tomorrow's World
understand that nations of today didn't just appear
out of thin air.
Some countries, like Egypt, Italy, and Greece,
have the same names as their ancient counterparts.
On the other hand, other countries' names have changed.
This is true of Germany.
You won't find the name "Germany" in your Bible.
But biblical and historical evidence show modern Germany
sprang from ancient Assyria.
How do we know?
In this first segment, let's look at some of the evidence.
The ancient empire of Assyria was a mighty and vast
world-power that reached its zenith in the eighth century BC.
But by 612 BC, it had collapsed and its capital,
Nineveh, was overrun.
Consider this comment by James Breasted in the book
The Conquest of Civilization:
"[Nineveh's] fall was forever, and when two
centuries later Xenophon and his ten thousand
Greeks marched past the place, the Assyrian nation
was but a vague tradition, and Nineveh, its great
city, was a vast heap of rubbish as it is today."
The bulk of the Assyrians just disappeared.
But where did they go?
When you look at the historical record--
combined with the Bible-- you'll find evidence
of Assyrians moving north and west.
Let's examine just a few examples.
First of all, consider the city of Trier.
One of the oldest cities in Germany, according to
German legend, Trier was founded by an Assyrian prince
named Trebeta, a descendant of the biblical Nimrod.
While this is only a legend, it persisted
at least as far as the 11th century AD.
If true, it would establish Assyrian knowledge of and
access to the continent of Europe, well into antiquity.
Consider another point: Along the southern coast
of the Black Sea is a promontory that in ancient
times was called Sinope.
Some historians say this ancient maritime city was
founded by the Assyrians:
"The early foundations of Sinope are probably Assyrian.
The extreme antiquity of that great power is
constantly receiving fresh evidence...."
So why is that significant?
Because if the Assyrians had a presence in the
Black Sea region before Nineveh fell, it would
make sense to flee in that direction when
their Empire collapsed.
And that's exactly where we do find some Assyrians,
centuries after Nineveh fell.
Diodorus of Sicily, a historian writing in the
1st century BC, noted that the Assyrians were driven
by the Scythians exactly to this region where they
had long had a presence:
"It was by these kings [of the Scythians] that many of
the conquered peoples were removed to other homes,
and two of these became very great colonies:
the one was composed of Assyrians and was removed
to the land between Paphlagonia and Pontus."
So, they were forcibly exiled to areas not
unfamiliar to them.
Consider another piece of evidence: the Hittites.
The Hittites were a powerful empire located
in Asia Minor in antiquity.
They had many cultural and ethnic ties to the Assyrians.
And, they were next door neighbors.
When the Hittite empire fell, around 1200 BC,
the Assyrians swooped in to fill the vacuum.
They occupied Hittite cities, and became
even more mixed and linked as a people.
Again, where would the fleeing Assyrians go when
Nineveh fell, if not to areas where they were
already established masters?
This is important.
Because later, we find historians tracing the
Hittites migrating into Europe, carrying their
names, their culture, and their tendencies with them.
Undoubtedly many Assyrians were mixed in as well.
Note some of the similarities between ancient Assyria
and the Hittite empire, and modern Germany.
The iron cross was a military decoration
by King Frederick Wilhelm III and by
Imperial and Nazi Germany.
It can also be found depicted in engravings, hanging from
the neck of the Assyrian king Shamshi-Adad V in
the ninth-century BC.
The Hittite double-headed eagle and the Assyrian god
Ashur depicted on a winged sun disk bear strong
resemblances to the double-headed eagle of
the Germanic Holy Roman Empire and the eagle
and swastika disk of Nazi Germany.
British Assyriologist A. H. Sayce of the University of
Oxford believed that the swastika symbol likely
originated with the Hittites and spread
into other cultures.
So, why does this matter?
Are the Assyrians, the Hittites, and the
Germans really connected?
Or is it just a subject for historians to argue over,
while they study their dusty books and ancient artifacts?
I'll answer that question in the next segment.
But first, I want to offer you our free study guide,
Germany in Prophecy.
We've only scratched the surface of this topic.
There's so much more information--you really
need to see for yourself.
In the introduction you'll read about
"End-Time Powers Revealed!"
You'll trace the path of this powerful and ancient people,
"Migrating and Mixing" as they made their way to
a new homeland.
You'll see "Connections and Parallels" between
the Assyrians, Hittites, and Germans you've perhaps
never heard before.
You can know where the descendants of the ancient
Assyrian people are today.
And you can know why it matters.
Order your free literature, Germany in Prophecy.
Call, click, or write today.
♪
For today's free offer call...
Or go to...
This clear and straight-forward resource
will help you understand this vital truth--
straight from the pages of the Bible.
If you're calling for the first time, you will also
receive a free annual subscription to Tomorrow's
World magazine.
Six inspiring issues discussing news, science,
and modern culture will help you make sense of
your world from a biblical perspective.
Call today and join millions around the world
who are turning to Tomorrow's World for
truth, prophecy, and hope in these confusing times.
Call now!
Or go to...
♪
In the last segment, we discussed the fact that
biblical nations' names often change over time.
You won't find the name "Germany" in the Bible.
Even so, you can identify where this powerful
and influential nation sprang from.
You can trace the movements of the ancient Assyrians
through the centuries as they migrated and mingled
among other peoples, finally settling in central Europe.
But why does it matter?
Why should we care about these old histories and
maps and artifacts?
It might affect the days ahead, more than you realize.
And that leads us to our second key to understanding
why Germany matters in end-time prophecy:
2. Germany will dominate the Western world in the end-times.
One third of the Bible is prophecy.
And one of the basic principles of prophecy
is that much of it is dual.
In other words, there is a first fulfillment, and
then there is a future fulfillment, yet to occur.
But what does this have to do with Germany today?
To answer that question, let's look at Isaiah 10:1-3,
"Woe to those who decree unrighteous decrees,
who write misfortune, which they have prescribed
to rob the needy of justice, and to take what is right
from the poor of My people....
What will you do in the day of punishment,
and in the desolation which will come from afar?"
Here in Isaiah chapter 10, God was telling the
ancient Israelites He was about to punish them for
turning away from Him.
And the next few verses explain who He would
use to punish them, as a tool in God's hands.
Notice Isaiah 10:5-7,
"Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger and the staff
in whose hand is My indignation.
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.
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."
Note this.
Israel was prophesied to be punished for their sins.
Assyria was prophesied to be used by God to accomplish this.
Not that the Assyrians were thinking they were
doing God's will.
The Assyrian kings were just doing just what Assyrian kings
did naturally--conquering and overthrowing cities
and nations to expand their territory.
And that's exactly what happened.
Assyria attacked northern Israel in 721 BC, destroying
its capital, Samaria, and deporting its inhabitants.
But notice, there's one more element in this passage.
In Isaiah 10:12,
"Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Lord has
performed all His work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, that He
will say, 'I will punish the fruit of the arrogant heart of
the king of Assyria, and the glory of his haughty looks.'
For he says: By the strength of my hand I have done it,
And by my wisdom, for I am prudent...
Shall the ax boast itself against him who chops with it?"
In other words, God would punish Assyria after He
used them to correct Israel, for the king
of Assyria's arrogance and self-will.
What a profound glimpse of geopolitics from
behind-the-scenes.
We may see the outward effects of nations and armies
trying to out-maneuver one another on the battlefield,
or in the diplomatic arena.
But God, our Creator, is the Sustainer of the
whole entire globe.
Though we may not see it, He is there, and even works
through kings and leaders, to accomplish His will.
Again, why is this important and what
does it have to do with Germany today?
You see, because prophecy is dual, this scene will
be played out again.
Ancient Israel comprises the English-speaking nations
of the Western world, and those of northwest Europe.
These nations grow more decadent with each passing day.
There will come a day when they will be judged.
And God will use the same nation He used to
accomplish it in 721 BC... Assyria... Germany.
That's what your Bible says.
A repeat of the Nazi regime in the last century.
Only, this time Germany won't be defeated.
This horrific time to come is described in the Bible
as the Great Tribulation.
But how can we really know this will happen?
Consider several prophecies that apply to the end-times.
Notice Isaiah 27:12-13,
"And it shall come to pass in that day that the LORD
will thresh, from the channel of the River to
the Brook of Egypt; and you will be gathered
one by one, O you children of Israel.
So it shall be in that day: The great trumpet
will be blown; they will come, who are about to
perish in the land of Assyria, and they who are
outcasts in the land of Egypt, and shall worship
the LORD in the holy mount at Jerusalem."
How could it be any plainer?
The great trumpet is blown, the children of Israel will
be about to perish in the land of Assyria, and then
they return to worship the Lord at Jerusalem.
That has not happened yet.
It's yet future.
Turn to Isaiah 11:16.
Here is another passage showing Assyrian domination
of Israel in the end times:
"There will be a highway for the remnant of His
people who will be left from Assyria, as it was for Israel
in the day that he came up from the land of Egypt."
When you look at the context, this is clearly referring
to the millennium, and the time leading up to it.
And it says God will gather His people from Assyria.
In Jeremiah 23:8 and Jeremiah 31:8 it refers to the
captives being brought back "from the north country."
In Hosea 11:10, it says the captives will return,
trembling, "from the west."
Look on a map.
What is north and west of ancient Israel?
Well, Europe, with Germany at its heart.
So, why does Germany matter?
Because it is prophesied to be the instrument by which
God will punish end-time Israelite nations.
If we are living in any of those nations now,
in the end-times, we need to be warned.
And Germany needs to be warned.
And that's exactly what this Work is doing.
This is not the end of the story, as we'll discuss
in a moment.
But first, let me offer you our free study guide,
Germany in Prophecy.
It lays out why Germany matters today,
as it fulfills end-time prophecy.
It explains that Assyria is "Israel's Ancient Foe"
and that the end-times will bring a "Prophesied Showdown"
between Israel and Assyria.
It shows that Germany-- as the modern nation
springing from ancient Assyria--will be a
"Tool in God's Hands" to accomplish God's will in
correcting backsliding nations in the western world.
You need this booklet to understand the times we are in.
It's free of charge-- order yours today.
♪
This clear and straight-forward resource
will help you understand this vital truth--
straight from the pages of the Bible.
Call now!
Or go to...
♪
In the last segment, we saw that disaster is
coming upon the nations of end-time Israel.
This devastation will come at the hands of a
German-led superpower, the final attempt to restore
the Holy Roman Empire.
This military machine is also called the Beast,
as it's described in the Book of Revelation.
Notice what John saw and described, in Revelation 13:1,
"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...
And all the world marveled and followed the beast."
This coming superpower will shock and bewilder
the nations with its technological prowess
and military strength.
It will subjugate modern Israelites, conquer an
Arab confederacy, and even fight an all-out war with
the armies of the East, for supremacy of the whole earth.
And by the way, some discount the idea that
modern Germans came from ancient Assyria, because
there are populations in northern Iraq,
northwestern Iran, southeast Turkey,
and Syria who call themselves Assyrians.
Some additional ethnic Assyrians live in the United States.
All told, these ethnic Assyrians comprise
just over 5 million people alive today.
But think about it.
After all we've seen in this program, could it
be that a few scattered peoples could wield enough
power in the end-times to bring down a superpower?
Is it logical that the United States could
be overthrown by a few million scattered ethnic
Assyrians with no central nation of their own?
Not at all.
The prophecies of the Bible show that in the
end-times, there will be a nation descended from
ancient Assyria, that will comprise an intact,
influential superpower.
And this juggernaut will leap onto the world
stage suddenly and shock the nations.
After this German-led Beast power takes the world
by storm, just like in ancient times, this
modern-day Assyrian empire will be punished as well.
Just like Nineveh was flattened in 612 BC, God
will judge this nation for its ruthless and brutal aggression.
And, for its attempt to fight against Christ Himself.
Notice what we find in Revelation 17:12,
"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.
These are of one mind, and they will give their power
and authority to the beast.
These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb
will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King
of kings; and those who are with Him are called,
chosen, and faithful."
This is the so-called "Battle of Armageddon."
This is mankind's attempt to thwart Jesus Christ
when He returns.
The armies of this resurgent Assyrian empire will be
no match for the King of kings and Lord of lords.
And that empire will be defeated.
But what happens next is the key I want you
to leave you with.
That is, our third key as to "Why Germany Matters
in the end-times":
3. Germany will be a leading nation in the Millennial age
Germany and other nations of the world will be
humbled by Jesus Christ returning in power and glory.
And then, after this horrific battle, a new age will begin.
Our Lord and Savior, as we saw earlier, will gather
the survivors of Israel from the land of Assyria,
and other places where they were taken captive.
He will also comfort and feed and heal survivors
from all the nations of the world...
Those who suffered but survived during the Great
Tribulation and the Day of the Lord.
The timing is at the beginning of the
Millennium, when Jesus Christ is now on earth,
after He puts down all rebellion.
Notice, in Isaiah 19:23,
"In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to
Assyria, and the Assyrian will come into Egypt and
the Egyptian into Assyria, and the Egyptians will
serve with the Assyrians."
Could there be a time of peace after World War III?
Yes.
But first, the modern-day Assyrians will have
subjugated much of the Western world.
They will have fought with and beaten an Arab confederation.
And they will have battled Asian armies from the East,
bringing the whole earth to the edge of cosmocide.
But yes, after that, there will be peace.
Not only that, look at who will be picking up the pieces.
The German people, those who survived that great calamity,
will play an active role in rebuilding a broken
and beaten world.
They will be humbled and repentant, and ready to
serve in a new world of peace and prosperity.
Bible prophecy shows they'll have an important--
and even a leading-role in this new age.
We pick it up in Isaiah 19:24,
"In that day Israel will be one of three with Egypt
and Assyria--a blessing in the midst of the land,
whom the LORD of hosts shall bless, saying,
'Blessed is Egypt My people, and Assyria the
work of My hands, and Israel My inheritance.'"
Did you catch that?
Assyria--Germany--is described as the work of God's hands.
And they will work with other nations that were
formerly bitter enemies.
You see, God doesn't hate Germany.
On the contrary, God loves the German people.
Just as He loves all of His children, made in His image.
And He will use the tremendous strengths and talents and
energy of the German people to help rebuild the world,
brick by brick.
So why does Germany matter in the end-times?
Because if we know the identity of the German
nation, we can understand why Germany, even today,
is beginning to take a more proactive and
assertive role in the world.
While Germany acts with good intentions now,
where will it lead?
Prophecy tells us it will lead to an aggressive
tyrant taking over Germany, bringing warfare
and destruction like the world has never known.
Also at the same time, prophecy also shows that after that,
the German nation will be used by God to help
rebuild a new and peaceful world,
under the leadership of Jesus Christ.
There's much more to this subject than we can cover
in this short program.
And that's why we're offering you the
free study guide, Germany in Prophecy.
It will show that God has a plan for all His children.
And He is working out that plan.
He will put end-time Assyrians--modern
Germans--to work to accomplish that plan.
In fact, He even describes Assyria as "the Work
of My Hands."
You need to know what will happen to these nations
we've talked about, in the years just ahead.
And you need to know how it will affect you.
So, request your free copy of Germany in Prophecy.
Order by mail, by phone, or on the web.
Order today.
♪
For today's free offer call...
Or go to...
This clear and straight-forward resource
will help you understand this vital truth--
straight from the pages of the Bible.
If you're calling for the first time, you will also
receive a free annual subscription to Tomorrow's
World magazine.
Six inspiring issues discussing news, science,
and modern culture will help you make sense of
your world from a biblical perspective.
Call today and join millions around the world
who are turning to Tomorrow's World for
truth, prophecy, and hope in these confusing times.
Call now!
Or go to...
♪
In this program, we've seen that you won't find
the name "Germany" in the Bible.
And yet, you can understand who the Germans are today,
and what God reveals for Germany in the end-times.
And you can understand why Germany matters
in these end-times.
God does not want any of His children, made in
His image to suffer.
And He is looking for those who will turn from
their sins and respond to His call for repentance.
May God help all of us-- whoever we are and
wherever we live--to heed the warning and draw
close to our Creator in truth and sincerity.
Thanks for watching.
And be sure to come back next week as
Gerald Weston, Richard Ames, Wallace Smith, and I
continue to share with you the teachings of Jesus Christ,
the good news of His coming Kingdom, and the end-time
prophecies of His Word.
See you next week.
♪
For today's free offer call...
Or go to...
Call today and join millions around the world
who are turning to Tomorrow's World for
truth, prophecy, and hope in these confusing times.
♪
The preceding program is produced by the
Living Church of God.
♪