WorldWatch
Europe
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On March 2, while Russia continued bombing Ukrainian cities, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz visited Jerusalem and met with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. The two leaders “agreed on the creation of a new strategic cooperation.” Bennett called it “a significant upgrade in our relations.”
After discussing Ukraine, Bennett said, “Mr. Chancellor, we are also charged with the responsibility of making sure that Iran will have neither nuclear weapons nor the possibility of attaining them—not on our watch, not ever.” Scholz stated that it was “unacceptable” for Iran “to install centrifuges on a broad scale within a few years.” But he also countered Bennett’s concerns by saying that a new nuclear agreement with Iran “cannot be postponed any longer,” meaning that no matter how much the deal empowers Israel’s terrorist-sponsoring, nuclear-ambitious enemy, Germany must sign it. Yet he promised, “Germany will always stand fast by Israel’s side.”
The United States is pushing forward with the Iran deal with similar urgency. Western powers promised to protect Israel, but they made a similar promise to Ukraine—a promise they broke.
Daniel 11:40 reveals that Iran will push at a German-led empire. After defeating Iran, this European power will “enter also into the glorious land,” or Jerusalem (verse 41). Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry explains in Jerusalem in Prophecy*: “The word ‘enter’ in no way indicates the use of force. The Germans will undoubtedly be invited in as a peacekeeping force.”
Jerusalem is far more important to the Vatican and Europe than Kyiv is to Russia. “The Vatican and Germany are the heart of the Holy Roman Empire,” Mr. Flurry writes. “They have conquered Jerusalem several times before. And they are destined to do so one last time!” (Read about this in our free booklet The Holy Roman Empire in Prophecy.) Could it be that a deal has already been made to allow the German-led European empire to peacefully seize Jerusalem?
In related news, while many countries loosen vaccine requirements, Germany maintains strict mandates, and its legislators are debating two more. Despite the mandates not proving to save lives, the German government has spent huge sums to implement and enforce them. Yet it has cited economic cost as one reason why it continues to import large amounts of gas, financing Russia’s war on Ukraine. And it is spending a truly historic €100 billion to update its military, citing the Russian threat.
Judge by actions rather than rhetoric, and you see what is most important to Germany: empowering the government at the expense of the people, empowering Russia at the expense of Ukraine and Europe, and upgrading its firepower. Germany has begun building a European superpower.
Asia
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Russia’s invasion has caused major repercussions all over the world. Japan is responding by preparing to fully remilitarize.
After losing World War ii in 1945, Japan demilitarized and has since relied on the United States for national security against potential threats. Over the past several decades, the nation has gradually built the technology, doctrine and hardware necessary to make its military fearsome again.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said in early March that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine shows that “Japan needs to implement a fundamental upgrade of its defense capabilities.”
On March 9, former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe even discussed arming Japan with nuclear weapons. “In NATO, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and Italy are hosting U.S. nuclear weapons,” he said. “It’s essential that we understand how global security is maintained. We must not put taboos in the discussion about the reality we are facing.”
Bible prophecy shows that one of the main powers in World War iii will be a bloc of Asian nations that Revelation 16:12 labels “the kings of the east.” Ezekiel 38:6 lists ancient names that refer to the modern Japanese, showing that Japan’s significant population, world-class economy, technological brilliance and military capacity will be part of this end-time Asian military force.
Abe’s comments advocating a Japanese nuclear deterrent came on the same day that North Korea conducted its ninth missile test of the year. Analysts fear that this isolated, nuclear-armed dictatorship will become increasingly provocative.
“The Bible’s prophecies show that, in a sense, the North Korea crisis is a massive distraction from the real threat posed by China and Russia,” Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry wrote in a Sept. 13, 2017, letter. “These powerful Asian nations are the only reason North Korea is able to operate so freely. And Bible prophecy shows that they pose a threat many times greater than the one from North Korea! Nevertheless, nuclear technology from North Korea could still play a major role in events during the time ahead.”
Economic threats are also mounting: China and Saudi Arabia are planning to replace the United States dollar with the Chinese yuan for oil sales between the two nations, the Wall Street Journal wrote on March 15. China is the world’s largest oil importer, so this move could further degrade the global influence of the U.S. dollar and the U.S. government.
Leaders of oil-exporting nations such as Russia, Iran and Venezuela have been mostly unable to bypass the dollar due to the size of America’s economy, the dominance of U.S. markets, and the momentum of long-standing global financial practices, including pricing global oil sales in dollars. So far, other major currencies, like the yuan, have not garnered enough international confidence to be viewed as trustworthy alternatives. But Saudi Arabia making the switch could mark a major turning point.
This could be catastrophic for the dollar and the American economy. The dollar has dominated international markets since the end of World War ii in 1945, helping to finance its out-of-control spending. When China and other nations get their wish and demand for the dollar drops, the U.S. economy will implode.
For five decades, the Trumpet and our forerunner, the Plain Truth, have warned, based on biblical prophecy, that a catastrophic financial crisis centered in the U.S. will send shock waves across the planet, changing the entire geopolitical landscape.
Middle East
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The U.S. has reversed course with Saudi Arabia. After withdrawing its antimissile batteries from the nation last year, the U.S. government is now giving them back in a bid to improve relations. A State Department spokesman said this came in response to the increased drone and missile attacks coming from Houthi rebels in Yemen. But this isn’t the real reason why Joe Biden has changed his mind.
Biden is under increasing pressure to alleviate high oil prices. Because he refuses to allow increased oil production in the United States, and oil imports from Russia are in jeopardy, he has left America at the mercy of other oil-exporting nations like Saudi Arabia, Venezuela and, should a nuclear deal be struck, Iran.
Of all these options, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states allied with it represent the least bad of Biden’s bad options. The problem is that the Biden administration came into office speaking out against and promising to isolate Saudi Arabia. Relations have hit such a low that both Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates declined to take calls from Biden.
This is part of a trend the Trumpet has watched for a long time: the collapse of American influence in the Middle East. Saudi Arabia was aligned with the United States for years, when U.S. power commanded respect. But now, America’s pride in its power is broken, just as God stated in Leviticus 26:19.
Along with trying to woo back disillusioned allies, Biden has granted the designation of “major non-nato ally” to a nation that has supported virtually every anti-American Islamic terrorist organization: Qatar.
This designation is not merely political theater. It grants Qatar important political and military privileges. America is cozying up to one of the greatest sponsors of terrorism. Why? Because the world is experiencing an energy crunch and Qatar is one of the world’s leading producers of liquefied natural gas.
There is a deeper and far more sinister reason for Joe Biden’s overtures of friendship to enemies of the U.S. In America Under Attack, Gerald Flurry explains that there is a spiritual reality behind this administration’s actions: Satan the devil is attacking America through its own top leaders. That is a provocative claim, but as Mr. Flurry writes, “in looking at the decisions this administration is making, I’m hard-pressed to think of any that don’t have the effect of weakening America and strengthening the forces of evil in this world.” America’s influence and power will continue to plummet in the Middle East.
ANGLO-AMERICA
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Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could seriously hurt the United States economy. America’s benchmark crude surged 8 percent to $103.41 per barrel on February 24, the day Russian tanks rolled into Ukraine. That was the highest price since Russia annexed Crimea eight years ago, and prices have remained high since then.
The average price for a gallon of gasoline in the U.S. has topped $4 for the first time in over a decade, and analysts are predicting gasoline prices will remain above $4 per gallon into the summer. The Biden administration has also sanctioned Russia’s energy industry, pushing energy prices even higher. Americans are already struggling with inflation rates at a 40-year high, so high fuel prices could push the nation into recession.
Biden is considering easing sanctions against Venezuela and Iran so that these two dictatorships can sell more oil. And he is considering a trip to Saudi Arabia to beg the sheiks to pump more oil into international markets. But he is doing nothing to boost U.S. oil production. He would rather help Persian mullahs, Arab sheiks, and Venezuelan Communists than American oil workers. This is because Biden and his cabinet want America to transition away from fossil fuels and making it easier for U.S. companies to drill might derail his green agenda.
In Deuteronomy 33:13-17, God promised to give the end-time descendants of ancient Israel the “chief things of the ancient mountains” and “the precious things of the lasting hills.” Today, the United States is still the world’s top oil- and natural gas-producing nation, but it is increasingly looking to tyrannical regimes like Iran, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela for its energy needs because it wants to scale back its own oil production.
Meanwhile, the United States and Canada are digitizing identification and currency. On March 9, Joe Biden signed an executive order instructing federal agencies to develop the framework for a Federal Reserve Digital Dollar. And several Canadian provinces are planning on launching digital IDs sometime in 2022. These digital IDs would create a “digital wallet” for Canadian citizens, capable of holding their driver’s license, bank information, social insurance numbers, citizenship information, health information, COVID-19 vaccine status, and eventually digital money.
Forbes said, “The real reason for this war on cash—start with the big bills and then work your way down—is an ugly power grab by big government.”
In Revelation 13:17, God prophecies about an end-time power that will regulate who is able to buy or sell, and the technology currently being developed for digital currencies may well play a role in this prophecy.
