The migrant crisis has left Germany unstable and even explosive. Just a small spark could ignite it.

This past weekend proved that. This morning’s Times stated, “Germany Gripped by Worst Far-Right Clashes in 26 Years”:

Germany was shaken by the worst far-right rioting since 1992 when police with water cannon failed to stop thousands of neo-Nazis and other extremists chasing immigrants, hurling bottles and fireworks, giving Hitler salutes and chanting “foreigners out” ….

Police appear to have been surprised by the numbers and struggled to contain the disorder, despite deploying water cannon and tear gas. At least 20 people were injured as fireworks and other objects were hurled by both sides.

It all started early Sunday morning, when a 35-year-old man was stabbed to death in Chemnitz, in eastern Germany. The murder came after a fight between “a number of people of different nationalities.” Rumors soon circulated online that the fight started after a woman was harassed in the street. Rumors also stated that migrants were behind the stabbing.

On Sunday night, anti-migrant groups began a protest. They also began harassing anyone who looked like a migrant. Spiegel Online said the police were “completely overrun at times.” They had to call for backup from the police departments of the much larger cities of Leipzig and Dresden.

The next day, Chemnitz Police Chief Sonja Penzel promised this would never happen again. But it did, that very night. Monday night was far worse. Around 5,000 anti-migrant protesters clashed with 1,000 left-wing counterprotesters. Spiegel Online described the evening:

The violence starts shortly before 8 p.m. Several hundred right-wing radicals suddenly begin pushing against a line of riot police chanting: “Free! Social! And national!” A firecracker flies off toward the counterdemonstrators and explodes. The right-wingers begin throwing glass bottles into the crowd. A flare comes down and several police rush to get out of the way. It is a moment when they can’t even guarantee their own security. With great effort, the police are able to push the mob back and are only just able to prevent a larger confrontation.

The right-wingers begin moving, marching through the city chanting: “Germany for the Germans! Foreigners get out!” Some stretch out their right arms in the Hitler greeting, which is illegal in Germany. They are flanked only by small groups of police. “We are receiving reports that huge numbers of paving stones are being pulled up,” the officers are warned over their radios. Another police officer says of an order they receive: “Given our numbers, that isn’t very smart, but the order came from the commanders.” Given the situation, the two water cannons parked nearby don’t provide much reassurance.

The police had to use water cannons to stop the demonstrations. Spiegel Online described a typical instance in the protests:

The neo-Nazi goes on the attack. He throws his arms above his head, yells and waves toward the parade of demonstrators in an attempt to get his comrades to follow him. Then, along with a group of 10 to 12 others, he storms up the stairs to a terrace in front of the Stadthalle, an event venue in the heart of the city of Chemnitz. On the terrace are cameramen, onlookers and counterdemonstrators—and they don’t see the attackers coming. The neo-Nazi grabs a young man from behind, jerks him to the ground, and hits him. Over and over again.

Only then do four police officers show up and push the neo-Nazis back. The officers are clearly overwhelmed, just as the entire police force had been throughout the demonstrations on Monday evening—demonstrations that eventually turned into a riot.

A riot fueled by xenophobic hatred.

“There is a small right-wing mob in our country that will take every opportunity to enact its violent fantasies of civil war-like conditions on our streets,” said Social Democrat Burkhard Lischka.

Die Tageszeitung wrote, “Nazis rehearsed civil war in Chemnitz on Monday night.”

This is exactly what the Trumpet has been warning about with the migrant crisis in Germany. It’s clear from media interviews that a lot of people participating in and supporting the protests are not neo-Nazis. They have legitimate concerns about migrants. But the far-right and neo-Nazis are the only ones who will discuss the problem, so these people are all being pushed toward the far right. We wrote in our 2016 article “Germany, Migrants and the Big Lie”:

What happens when the majority of Germans realize they have been deceived? What happens when the majority of Germans lose confidence and trust in mainstream leaders? Frustrated and angry, the German people, as any people would, will seek an individual, a political party, willing to heed their concerns and solve Germany’s migrant crisis. This trend is already evident in the dramatic rise of pegida and the AfD, a right-wing political party whose popularity is at all-time highs.

Many of the Germans becoming disillusioned with mainstream politics and turning to these groups are not hardcore neo-Nazis. They don’t want to persecute the migrants or see them imprisoned, beaten up or killed. They are not extremists seeking genocide. They are regular, sound-thinking, rational people, many of whom have terrific empathy for those suffering in Syria and elsewhere. These people are simply concerned about the impact millions of migrants will have on their nation, its institutions, its infrastructure, its economy, its culture and on the German people. They are concerned about Germany’s future. But Angela Merkel’s government refuses to give serious attention to these concerns and refuses to tell the truth about the impact the migrants are having and will have on the nation.

If she continues to do this, Germany’s chancellor risks helping transform the German people—and Germany itself—into something very different and much more frightening than the democratic, peaceful, friendly nation we see today.

The Merkel government’s handling of this situation is turning the German people into a ticking time bomb! The more disillusioned, frustrated and angry the German people become, the more vulnerable they will be to radical politics and radical leaders with radical solutions.

This is exactly what has happened. Germany has become volatile. It just takes a spark like Chemnitz to cause an explosion.

Five years ago, many of those demonstrating would not be caught in the company of people performing Nazi salutes. But these were some of the only people that shared their concerns. The fact that Germany is experiencing its largest neo-Nazi riots in decades is a direct result of the refusal of establishment authorities to confront the problem.

“Common sense alone tells us an explosion is coming,” we wrote in 2016. That explosion is here. We also wrote that “the Bible specifically warns us what will be the result: a radical change in German leadership.” The article continued:

The book of Daniel is written specifically for the “time of the end” (Daniel 8:17; 12:4, 9). In passage after passage, it talks about a powerful leader who will shake the world. He will be the “king of the north” (Daniel 11:40), ruling over a united European power. Most likely he will be the leader of Germany, which controls the rest of the EU.

What type of man is this new leader? The Bible says that “the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god” (verse 36). He will be a “king of fierce countenance” (Daniel 8:23). He is assertive, aggressive and ambitious. He is a strong leader!

This leader shall come “understanding dark sentences” (verse 23)—or, as Clarke’s Commentary puts it, he is “very learned and skillful in all things relating to government and its intrigues.” …

The migrant crisis is creating a desire for a strong leader.

This is where the migrant crisis is leading. And its explosive power was clearly on display on Monday night in Chemnitz. For more on the leader who will take advantage of Germany’s volatile situation, read our free booklet A Strong German Leader Is Imminent.