Beginning in June, every government building in Bavaria must hang a cross at its entrance. The new law was approved by the Bavarian cabinet on April 24. Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder explained that the cross emphasizes the country’s “commitment to identity” and the “cultural character” of Bavaria, rather than religion (Trumpet translation throughout).

Prior to the ruling, it was up to the authorities at each building to decide whether to display crosses. After the new ruling, municipalities, counties and districts are now advised to “act accordingly,” and to do so before June 1. Although the new law only applies to state government buildings, local authorities have also been encouraged to hang crosses.

Söder emphasized that the cross symbolizes “our Bavarian identity and way of life,” and added that the cross should not be seen as “a sign of religion.” If symbols of the cross on which Jesus Christ was crucified and killed are, in fact, viewed as a sign of religion, this would violate Germany’s neutrality law that demands the strict separation of church and state. The government has already prescribed crosses in classrooms and in courts.

Though posting crosses in hundreds of buildings supposedly is not a “sign of religion,” it has certainly stirred a religious debate. State Vice President Ulrike Gote, from the Green Party, said: “Those who want to ban the headscarf in the courtroom cannot leave the cross on the wall.” Other parties have also criticized the law, but large numbers of Germans support the measure, including supporters of the far-right populist party Alternative for Germany. Critics accuse Söder of seeking to regain the popularity of his party, the Christian Social Union, while risking a cultural separation.

Following the announcement, Söder personally hung a cross. Though he claimed the symbol is not religious, Süddeutsche Zeitung reported, “[T]he cross, which Söder subsequently installed in the entrance hall of the State Chancellery, has a religious background: it hung in the Cabinet Room until 2008, was a gift from the former Munich Cardinal Friedrich Wetter and was consecrated by him, according to Söder.”

The reappearance of religious symbols on government buildings may seem like a small step. But it marks an important change in direction for Germany.

The cross is obviously an important part of worship for the Catholic Church, led by the Vatican. Prior to the Age of the Enlightenment, during which it lost much of its influence, the church had heavily influenced European politics for centuries. But even after the beginning of the Enlightenment, Napoleon’s France signed a concordat with the Catholic Church granting it special privileges throughout Napoleon’s large empire. Much later, the church signed a similar concordat with Nazi Germany in 1933. The agreement between Hitler and the Vatican redefined the relationship between church and state after almost a century of conflict. The concordat is in force to this day, carried over into the German Basic Law that was signed after World War ii. (In 1957, the Constitutional Court effectively weakened some of its provisions on the role of the Catholic Church in education.) Due to the concordat and other agreements, Germany, unlike the United States, only partially separates church and state.

After Germany was defeated by the Allies and the Nazi regime was destroyed, the Catholic Church has had no further major breakthroughs in its influence on Germany’s government. Church and state are mostly separated in comparison to their past relationships.

But with the ongoing refugee crises bringing millions of Middle Eastern and North African Muslims into Europe, German religious awareness is reawakening. Many Germans see their cultural heritage under threat. Politicians are now trying to address these fears and using religion to gain popularity and to unify their supporters.

Earlier this year, Interior Minister Horst Seehofer told Bild, “Islam does not belong to Germany. Germany is shaped by Christianity. That includes the Sunday rest, religious holidays and rituals such as Easter, Pentecost and Christmas. Of course, the Muslims living with us belong to Germany. But of course, that does not mean that we give our country-specific traditions and customs up out of false consideration.”

Bavaria is now the first state to put his words into action. Nine million of the approximately 12.8 million people living in Bavaria were members of a church in 2016. Thus the new law meets the approval of a large segment of the population and the enforcement will meet little resistance.

But some suspect that the decision is endangering the state’s religious neutrality. If the state dictates that every government building displays a cross, what other such laws could follow?

Seehofer has already specifically stated that Sunday rest is a part of Germany’s Christian heritage. Many European countries already have laws on the books that prohibit working on Sunday: These laws are not strictly enforced today, but centuries ago they were enforced with vigor.

Herbert W. Armstrong explained in his booklet Who or What Is the Prophetic Beast? that Bible prophecy indicates Europe will soon reinforce the Sunday law.

Today, Germany is taking a step toward reducing the separation of church and state and returning to its old ways. Requiring government buildings to display crosses is just one of the first steps. Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry explained in “A Monumental Moment in European History!” about how Revelation 17 warns about this union.

The Bible discusses many different beasts. As Mr. Armstrong explained, these beasts picture world empires. In Revelation 17, the Apostle John wrote about a totally unique and terrifying beast. This empire is different because it is a CHURCH-STATE UNION.

Verses 1 and 2 read, “… I will shew unto thee the judgment of the GREAT WHORE that sitteth upon many waters: With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.” Notice, throughout history this woman, or church, has made the WHOLE WORLD drunk on her doctrines!

This great church commits fornication with kings. In other words, it recruits kings and nations to serve its despicable and ugly ambitions.

In the Bible, a woman represents a church, and a beast represents a Gentile world empire. The Bible uses the word whore to show that this church is not God’s church but rather one that has illicit relationships with empires.

Even historians of today largely agree that the bloodiest wars were fought in the name of religion. The history of the so-called Holy Roman Empire proves this fact vividly. The church and state union of the Holy Roman Empire ruled Europe for centuries. Revelation 17 shows that it will be resurrected one final time in the near future.

While a government-enforced public display of “non-religious” crosses seems relatively unimportant, it does point to a prophesied union of church and state that will wreak more destruction than all previous resurrections of the Holy Roman Empire. To learn more, request your free copy of The Holy Roman Empire in Prophecy and Who or What Is the Prophetic Beast?