Back in 2008, I warned, “I believe that Germany’s leaders may have already agreed to a deal with Russia, a modern Hitler-Stalin pact where Germany and Russia divide countries and assets between themselves. This agreement would allow each to turn its sights on other targets. Any such deal that may have been struck between Germany and Russia is a precursor to war!”

Last week, we saw that deal revealed.

Russia is in the process of conquering Ukraine. Whether it has to physically invade or can get what it wants through threats, Russia is gaining control of its smaller neighbor.

But Ukraine is not Russia’s only target. In December, Vladimir Putin sent a list of demands to the United States that would effectively destroy the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. He demanded that Washington promise not to expand any further and promise to cut the former Warsaw Pact countries out of the alliance by not stationing any more troops there without Russian permission.

That Russia would be so bold is stunning enough. But even more so is that as Russia attempts to regain Ukraine, destroy nato and kick the United States out of Europe, Germany is on its side!

Germany has blocked nato members from sending weapons to Ukraine. It is making clear to Mr. Putin that he will not suffer any major economic penalties if he invades. Der Spiegel reported, “Deterrence only works, according to the message from Washington, if as few options as possible are taken off the table. In the view of the United States, this includes both arms deliveries to Ukraine and the threat of maximum sanctions. In both cases, the German government is putting on the brakes” (emphasis mine throughout). When the Biden administration tried to talk to the German chancellor about his opposition, he snubbed them.

Putin’s ultimate goal is to resurrect the Soviet empire. That empire was built with Ukraine as part of it. Ukraine is the breadbasket of Russia. To this day, Russia’s largest military base outside its own borders is in Ukraine.

Remember, Putin’s internal campaigns have killed more than 150,000 Russians in Chechnya. Russia’s actions in the Middle East have let the brutal civilian-killing Syrian regime hold onto its power and enabled Iran, the world’s number one terrorist-sponsoring nation, to keep pursuing nuclear weapons. Remember that Putin has flagrantly poisoned former agents of Russia on foreign soil. And with his kgb-style methods, he has transformed Russia’s media into a personal propaganda machine. Evidence suggests that as part of this drive, he has had more than 130 journalists murdered.

Ukrainians see that Germany has betrayed them in favor of this new Soviet empire! “This is failure to provide assistance and betrayal of friends,” said the mayor of Kiev, Vitali Klitschko, who was once very close to Germany.

Why did Germany betray both Ukraine and the United States? The answer reveals that far worse betrayals are to come. It also points to a geopolitical shift that will affect the whole world.

Finished With NATO

When the North Atlantic Treaty Organization was started back in 1949, its basic purpose was to protect disarmed Germany and other European countries from the Russian-led Soviet Union. To accomplish this, the treaty established “collective defense” for member nations: If an aggressor attacked one of them, it would have war with all of them.

That alliance prevented Germany from being invaded by the Soviet Union during the Cold War. America even gave Germany nuclear bombs so it could threaten nuclear retribution if Soviet forces tried to take West Germany. America spent billions raising Germany from the rubble of World War ii and billions more keeping the peace in Europe. Germany would not be where it is today without the tremendous help America supplied.

Why would Germany spurn that history? Many elite Germans feel their nation has now gotten all it can from the U.S. and are ready to move on. Some powerful Germans are thinking more and more about the Holy Roman Empire, and they want modern Germany to assume more power of its own in the spirit of that empire. They want to establish Europe as a mighty, German-led superpower.

These Germans know that nato is an obstacle to their goal. Back when nato was first founded, its first secretary general, Hastings Ismay, explained its main purpose: “Keep the Russians out, the Americans in, and the Germans down.” The notion of keeping “the Germans down” directly contradicts the imperialistic ambitions that are growing more intense among many elite Germans today.

Nord Stream Pipeline

For years Germany has spent only half the minimum amount that nato requires member states to put toward defense.

It also made major gas deals with Russia, tethering itself to nato’s former adversary. The biggest of these is the Nord Stream 2 pipeline project. This is a pair of parallel pipelines that will transport huge quantities of Russian natural gas under the Baltic Sea for almost 800 miles and into Germany.

For years, Germany has been criticized for the Nord Stream projects, but it pays no attention and presses ahead. This shows Germany is uninterested in relying on nato anymore. President Donald Trump exposed this in public and criticized German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

“Germany is totally controlled by Russia,” he said in 2018, “because they will be getting from 60 to 70 percent of their energy from Russia and a new pipeline. And you tell me if that’s appropriate, because I think it’s not, and I think it’s a very bad thing for nato and I don’t think it should have happened.”

Recent events have proved him right. Though Russia and Germany will not say so, this pipeline project is clearly intended to wreck nato.

Is it coincidence that Russia began menacing Ukraine almost immediately after the Nord Stream 2 pipeline was finished? The pipeline is yet to be turned on, but only the paperwork remains to be completed.

Natural gas is a key component of Russia’s Ukraine strategy. They laid the ground carefully. Throughout last year, Russia restricted its gas sales to Europe, selling the bare minimum to meet its contracts but not enough for European countries to replenish their gas reserves in preparation for the winter the way they usually do. Now if they oppose Moscow over Ukraine, Russia can threaten to cut off their gas, and European countries have few reserves to fall back on.

I have warned about these pipeline politics for years.

In recent years, as gas reserves in the North Sea have declined, European nations have grown more and more dependent on Russia for gas.

Russia has taken advantage of this situation several times by “weaponizing” its energy, cutting gas supplies when it wants to pressure European states for political or economic reasons.

Before the Nord Stream pipeline, this was a somewhat dull weapon because if Russia wanted to cut gas to Ukraine, for example, it also had to cut shipments to nations downstream from Ukraine, which it may not have wanted to do.

Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 are key components of Putin’s plan to tighten his grip on nations in Eastern Europe that used to be part of the Soviet empire. Since these pipelines travel directly from Russia to Germany, Putin can now shut off gas supplies to East European nations like Ukraine and Poland, and the Baltic nations, while keeping supplies flowing to Germany.

This places a sharp edge on Putin’s energy weapon! To the former Soviet nations that he is determined to bring back under Russia’s power, he can say: Either obey Russia or suffer cold winters with no gas to heat your homes.

This is why Eastern Europe tried to prevent Russia and Germany from building the first Nord Stream pipeline. They knew it would give Russia more leverage against them. But Moscow and Berlin built it anyway. Now this second phase will boost that leverage considerably!

What does Germany stand to gain? Well, once Russian gas flows through the Baltic Sea pipeline and into Germany, much of it can be shipped to France, the Netherlands, Belgium and other West European nations. This puts Germany in a position of power relative to Western Europe very similar to that of Russia with Eastern Europe!

Germany already domineers Europe. That is clear by the construction of the pipeline despite objections from other European countries. Now it will be able to dictate European policy even more powerfully.

A Dark History of Cooperation

History shows that in between wars, Germany and Russia often work together. Most infamously, just before World War ii, the two made a deal in which Adolf Hitler’s Germany basically told Joseph Stalin’s Russia: Stay out of it, Russia, and we will take over Europe. Then the two of us can split up Poland and other countries between ourselves.

Around the time that deal was made, Stalin thought he and Hitler were close comrades who could trust each other. But after Hitler realized he wouldn’t be able to conquer Britain, he decided to break the deal and attack Russia. This shattered Stalin’s worldview! Stalin didn’t expect it. But if he had read what Hitler had written in Mein Kampf years before, he would have known Hitler planned to conquer Russia as well.

What else might these two have agreed to that they have not yet acted on?

That infamous agreement, called the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact, set the stage for the most devastating war mankind has ever suffered!

In 2008, Russia shocked the world by invading the former Soviet nation of Georgia. It brought two of Georgia’s regions under Moscow’s control, where they remain to this day. Germany said little about that and did nothing. I wrote at the time that Germany’s silence probably meant these two nations had worked out a modern “Molotov-Ribbentrop”-type deal.

Then in 2014, Putin struck again. Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine and asserted control over the eastern part of the country. Germany once again said little and did nothing! This was especially suspicious given the fact that just before the incursion, Ukraine had been on track to join the European Union. You would think Germany would have been extremely angry at Russia! But not if it had previously agreed that Russia could have control of Ukraine, or part of it.

Could it be that Germany agreed to let Russia make those expansionist moves in exchange for Russia not interfering with Germany’s conquest of the Balkans back in the 1990s?

What else might these two have agreed to that they have not yet acted on?

If the United States is pushed out of Europe, the countries of Eastern Europe will need a new champion. They know they cannot stand up to Russia alone. They would rather look to the U.S., but with America gone, Germany remains the only real option.

Removing America will put Germany on top of a Europe scrambling to ensure it has the firepower to defend itself. The difference is, this military force would not fight to uphold nato and the American-led world order—it would fight for an independent Europe.

Germany mistrusts and even fears Vladimir Putin. But it also sees how his rise can help cement it at the head of newly resurrected Holy Roman Empire. That is why it is prepared to work with him, for now. Russia will gain control of some of Eastern Europe, like Ukraine, Belarus and possibly more. But the rest will be forced to turn to Germany!

The current Ukraine crisis could soon see Eastern Europe divided between these two power blocs. What we are seeing today is only the beginning.

Echoes From the Balkans

Germany’s decisive break from the rest of nato is similar to its policy, beginning in 1991, of deliberately breaking up Yugoslavia.

In 1991, Croatia and Slovenia moved to become independent of Yugoslavia. Virtually the whole world opposed the move, including the United Nations, nato—even the European Economic Community (eec). Yugoslavia was in turmoil. The region had a long history of dangerous volatility. It was clear that such a huge geopolitical shift as these two nations’ independence would totally destabilize the Balkans. That is why the world recognized the situation as a danger. It is also exactly why Germany saw it as an opportunity.

In December 1991, although strongly opposed by the eec, the U.S. and the UN, Germany recognized the breakaway states of Croatia and Slovenia. Pope John Paul ii quickly did the same. (This was not a coincidence; the people of these two Balkan states are staunchly loyal to the Roman Catholic Church.)

At the United Nations, some referred to the breakup of Yugoslavia as “Genscher’s war” because of the role German Foreign Minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher played in starting it. Then U.S. Secretary of State Warren Christopher said that Germany had “a certain responsibility” for that war. Once underway, Germany violated international law to funnel arms to anti-Serbian forces. “Germany appears to be Croatia’s largest arms supplier during the war, although this is in violation of German law prohibiting the shipments of arms to an active war zone and a violation of the UN arms embargo on Yugoslavia as well,” wrote the Telegraph in 1997.

In 1997, Germany didn’t mind breaking its laws and a UN embargo to send weapons into Croatia. Even today, it is willing to send weapons into Egypt and Saudi Arabia, which is directly involved with the conflict in Yemen. But Germany invoked this law to reject requests for arms from Ukraine!

When Germany recognized Croatia and Slovenia in 1997, the New York Times wrote at the time that “Germany has stirred troubling historical associations.” Very true! And today, in working with Russia to divide Eastern Europe, Germany is once again stirring these “troubling associations”!

The Vatican’s role in Ukraine is also similar to the one it played in the Balkans. Once again, it is acting in tandem with Germany and out of step with the rest of the world.

Back in 2013, as crisis in Ukraine was growing, many expected Pope Francis to speak out against Putin. He speaks loudly on causes he is passionate about, and Ukrainians’ Catholics are overwhelmingly pro-Europe. Instead, the news media were left to puzzle over his silence.

Again in 2015, as tensions mounted in Ukraine, Putin traveled to the Vatican to meet with the pope. Did these two come to some kind of agreement? Putin puts a lot of stock in what the pope says. “The Kremlin sees the Vatican as a multidimensional power—bigger, in some ways, than what Russia considers ‘the West,’” wrote Anna Nemtsova in the Daily Beast (Feb. 13, 2016). And Foreign Affairs noted that the pope has “patiently cultivated” a strong relation with Vladimir Putin.

When the pope did make a rare speech on the Ukrainian situation in 2015, he did not describe the conflict as a Russian invasion. Instead, he called it “fratricidal violence,” copying Putin’s portrayal of the conflict as a civil war. When a Catholic archbishop rejected that description, Francis told the Ukrainian clergy that they had better stay out of politics! Other Catholic officials who opposed the pope’s line have been moved to other countries.

In contrast, the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, publicly thanked the Vatican for its stance on Ukraine. Local Catholic authorities “made extremely politicized statements, which did not help end the civil confrontation,” he said. “I would like to note with satisfaction that the Holy See itself has always pursued a balanced stance toward the situation in Ukraine and has avoided any lopsided assessments, but has called for peace talks and an end to armed clashes.”

As temperatures in Ukraine began recently rising again, it stirred a renewed flurry of Vatican-Moscow diplomacy. “What Are Pope Francis and Vladimir Putin Up To?” asked an article on our website last month.

In a December 17 birthday telegraph to the pope, Putin wrote, “It is hard to overestimate your personal contribution to the development of relations between the Russian Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches, and to the strengthening of the Russian-Vatican ties. I am certain that, with our joint efforts, we will be able to do a lot to protect the rights and interests of the Christians and to ensure the multi-confessional [or interfaith] dialogue.”

Earlier in the month, Francis said that “a meeting with Patriarch Kirill is not far on the horizon.” Russia has the largest population of Eastern Orthodox Christians and, by some counts, the second-largest Christian denomination. Has Putin promised some kind of restoration between the Russian Orthodox Church and Rome in exchange for papal support in Ukraine?

Whether or not that happened, the unity between Germany and the Vatican on this issue should be very concerning.

German strongmen and the Vatican have a long history of working together in what has been called the Holy Roman Empire. This empire has a bloody history, which you can read about in our free book The Holy Roman Empire in Prophecy.

Herbert W. Armstrong spent decades warning, based on biblical prophecy, that this empire would rise again. We are seeing that resurrection today. Ten kings or presidents will combine into one world superpower. They will all give their power to the “beast” (Revelation 13 and 17).

A Seething Pot

The biblical book of Jeremiah is full of prophecy focused on the end time. Historically, Jeremiah gave his warning message directly to the nation of Judah only. Yet so many of the prophecies in his book are directed to Israel, which was already in captivity at the time. That is because these prophecies were aimed mainly at the modern descendants of Israel, which, we can prove to you, are America and Britain today. (Request my free booklet Jeremiah and the Greatest Vision in the Bible for a full explanation.)

Today these nations are deeply divided. Their peoples are divided among themselves, their leaders are splintered by bitter disagreement and political warfare. Don’t you think Russian and German leaders are going to exploit this division? They will do what they have almost always done throughout history when they have power over weak, divided enemies and take full advantage of the situation.

Jeremiah 1:13 records God showing the prophet a vision of “a seething pot; and the face thereof is toward the north.” This symbolic language is describing modern Germany. Beneath the surface, that nation is full of simmering dissatisfaction with the current world order. Germans are angry at the U.S. The imperialistic ambition that prompted Germany to start both world wars is alive and well. It is “seething”!

Verses 14-15 continue: “Then the Lord said unto me, Out of the north an evil shall break forth upon all the inhabitants of the land. For, lo, I will call all the families of the kingdoms of the north, saith the Lord; and they shall come, and they shall set every one his throne at the entering of the gates of Jerusalem, and against all the walls thereof round about, and against all the cities of Judah.”

Cooperation between Germany and Russia is setting the scene for a huge “seething pot” to spill over! This boiling cauldron will scald everybody in America and Britain! This is prophesied to be the worst suffering ever known to man! And it will occur by God’s hand because of His extreme wrath over the sins of these peoples.

Repeatedly God asked Jeremiah, “What do you see?” God is asking people today: What do you see? Do you really see what is happening in Europe? Do you see the stage being set for a world war like never before? Do you understand it?

God spells it out for us, and we can see events lining up with His prophecies. And anyone who sees it—and heeds the warning and obeys God—can be protected and lead a happy, stable and fulfilled life!

Great Cause for Hope

On the surface, this news about Germany and Russia may seem depressing. But if you view it through the lens of Bible prophecy, you clearly see that it is closely tied to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ!

Jesus Christ said in Matthew 24:21-22 that if He didn’t return, “there should no flesh be saved [alive]”! Do you really think men can solve all of these problems you see multiplying in this world today, many of which revolve around nuclear-armed nations?

Russia and America possess 90 percent of the world’s nuclear weapons. France and Britain have nuclear bombs, too, and other nations of Europe have American nuclear bombs deployed on their territory. Germany could rapidly become a great nuclear power if it wanted to—practically overnight!

There is no way mankind is going to solve these problems. As Isaiah 59:8 says, “The way of peace they know not ….”

Men are going to continue in their futile attempts at forging peace. They will have to suffer until Jesus Christ returns. The suffering will get far more intense just before He returns. But His return is tied to this German rising power and this Russian rising power. He says He will return before war has ended all human life! (Matthew 24:22). The rising military powers in Russia and Europe are a big part of what will make it necessary for Christ to return.

God wants us to respond to Him. He says He will help us in any way we need if we will just obey Him. “[W]hy will ye die, O house of Israel?” God asks in Ezekiel 18:31. He doesn’t want any of us to have to suffer! He is eager to spare us from the coming cataclysmic violence and to bless us.

We need to understand these Bible prophecies. They are preparing the way for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ to this Earth. That means all the bad news is about to end. He is going to bring peace, joy and happiness to this world forever.