“It is our inflexible purpose to destroy German militarism and Nazism and to ensure that Germany will never again be able to disturb the peace of the world.” So agreed Winston Churchill, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Joseph Stalin at the Yalta conference. U.S. President Barack Obama disagrees—he is all for the German military.

“We are determined to disarm and disband all German armed forces; break up for all time the German General Staff that has repeatedly contrived the resurgence of German militarism; remove or destroy all German military equipment; eliminate or control all German industry that could be used for military production,” continued the report on the Yalta conference.

Contrast that with President Obama’s recent statements to Germany. The German media reports that while German Chancellor Angela Merkel was in Washington to receive her Presidential Medal of Freedom, Obama strongly encouraged Germany to play an assertive, dominant, and even aggressive role in the world.

“Don’t hide behind your history, said the president,” wroteDie Zeit. It said that Obama went on to tell Merkel, “Act in accordance with your importance.”

Der Tagesspiegel reported that Obama told his guest that “The world today does not fear a strong Germany. It is, rather, disappointed when Germany is too reserved.”

That’s very different to what Churchill said. Churchill and Roosevelt were all for Germany taking its place “in the community of nations.” But they made clear that a strong Germany was always to be feared.

Churchill studied history—drawing lessons from it about the future. President Obama, on the other hand, has rejected Churchill’s way of thinking—as was reflected in his sending back to Britain the bust of Winston Churchill that sat in the White House during his predecessor’s time.

Churchill believed history showed that a strong Germany was always dangerous—even if the world looked peaceful. In his book on World War i titled The World Crisis, he criticized the people who argued that a civilized Germany was no threat to the West:

They sound so very cautious and correct, these deadly words. Soft, quiet voices purring, courteous, grave, exactly measured phrases in large, peaceful rooms. But with less warning cannons had opened fire and nations had been struck down by this same Germany. … It is too foolish, too fantastic to be thought of in the 20th century. Or is it fire and murder leaping out of the darkness at our throats, torpedoes ripping the bellies of half-awakened ships, a sunrise on a vanished naval supremacy, and an island well-guarded hitherto, at last defenseless? No, it is nothing. No one would do such things. Civilization has climbed above such perils. The interdependence of nations in trade and traffic, the sense of public law, the Hague Convention, liberal principles, the Labor Party, high finance, Christian charity, common sense have rendered such nightmares impossible. Are you quite sure? It would be a pity to be wrong. Such a mistake could only be made once—once for all.

In the same book, he wrote: “The wars of Frederick and of Bismarck had shown with what extraordinary rapidity and suddenness the Prussian nation was accustomed to fall upon its enemy. … Obviously, therefore, the danger of a ‘bolt from the blue’ was by no means fantastic.”

This is Germany’s history—the history Obama is telling Germany not to hide behind!

Even educated observers today can see that the world does fear a strong Germany—at least those nations closest to it. George Friedman of Stratfor analyzes world events using geography. Geography does not change, and therefore neither does history, he says. The same patterns keep emerging.

“There is hardly a family in Poland who can’t name their dead” from World War ii, wrote Friedman prior to a visit to Eastern Europe last year. “Of course, it is said that this time it would be different, that the Germans are no longer what they were and neither are the Russians,” he continued. “But geopolitics teaches that subjective inclinations do not erase historical patterns. Whatever the Poles think and say, they must be nervous, although they are not admitting it. Admitting fear of Germany and Russia would be to admit distrust, and distrust is not permitted in modern Europe.”

Later on in his series of articles on Eastern Europe, he made it clear that this does not mean that Merkel is secretly plotting a vast war. Leaders change. Geography does not, he pointed out. “All nations change their intentions,” he wrote; “consider Germany between 1932 and 1934.”

“Yes, I know that neither Germany nor Russia intends Poland harm,” he said. “But an elephant doesn’t necessarily plan to harm a mouse. Intentions aside, the mouse gets harmed.”

Bible prophecy, Churchill’s history and Friedman’s geography all agree—a strong Germany is a threat.

Just as before World War i, people today unquestioningly believe that “The interdependence of nations in trade and traffic, the sense of public law … liberal principles … high finance, Christian charity, common sense” have rendered the nightmares of global war impossible. President Obama obviously agrees.

But that thinking is dangerous. America is actually building Germany up—before Germany takes America down. And this, too, was prophesied in the Bible. To gain a more complete view of Germany’s history and prophecy, read our free booklet Germany and the Holy Roman Empire.