“Germany Must Have Israel’s Back” and “Putin Is Basking in an ‘Astonishing Leadership Vacuum’” are two articles coauthored by former German Defense Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg in 2013 and 2014. Guttenberg’s warnings are on every diplomat’s mind today: What if Israel’s war with Iran escalates? How do you stop Russia’s warmongering?

In “Germany Must Have Israel’s Back,” he wrote:

[Berlin is missing] a broader debate—both in public and among top German officials—about what Berlin should do if diplomacy fails and Israel is compelled to take military action against the Iranian nuclear threat. … Berlin should also start thinking about how to support Israel in the wake of potential air strikes on Iran. … The stakes are high. Germany cannot afford to be on the wrong side of history.

At the time, Germany was focused on avoiding a war through diplomacy, and most Germans saw Israel as the aggressor. Now, the hypothetical scenario is dangerously close to reality.

The Jerusalem Post wrote on October 8: “Will Israel Hold Iran Responsible for Hamas’s Surprise Assault, Massacre?” The question is: How will the West respond if the war escalates?

Guttenberg was ahead of his time. “Berlin shouldn’t underestimate its influence in a region where America’s credibility is strained, to put it mildly,” he wrote. After leaving Afghanistan and giving Iran a free path to nuclear weapons, the United States’ credibility in the Middle East is at an all-time low.

In a 2019 Fox Business discussion, Guttenberg was asked if Britain would be willing to take necessary military action against Iran. He answered:

I don’t think they will do it alone. … It is such an extremely complicated region. And I had a chance to sit together with a couple Middle Eastern leaders over the last two weeks now, and yes, their reaction was “It has never been as dangerous.” But they also said there is no chance to confront Iran, the way they’ve been pampered militarily, just with one country. And there has to be built an alliance.

For years, Guttenberg has called on Germany to prepare for this exact reality. And it is not the only topic Guttenberg was right about.

In his 2014 article, Guttenberg, together with Garry Kasparov, warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin “has managed to bedevil the West all year long. … The primary reason for Putin’s self-aggrandizing behavior is the astonishing leadership vacuum in the world.” People hoped Putin would bring Russia closer to the West. But Guttenberg was right, and the appeasers were wrong.

Crises are accumulating, and the demand for leaders is rising by the minute. Will the German people wait until their cities are in flames from terrorist attacks and until Russian tanks roll up to their borders? Or will they call on a strong leader that has some foresight?

The Bible reveals that such a man will soon rise in Europe (Isaiah 10:12-13; Daniel 8:23-25; 11:21; Habakkuk 1:11). He will fill Europe’s power vacuum and form an alliance against Iran, as Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry explained in his article “A Sudden Whirlwind.”

Mr. Flurry has pointed to one man who will most likely fulfill these prophecies. In the January 2020 Trumpet issue, he wrote:

A strong leader is prophesied in the Bible to rise in Europe very soon—perhaps even within months. I believe almost certainly that you can identify who this man will be. Only one man appears able to fulfill what the Bible says about this strongman. His name is Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg.

As the crises culminate, watch Guttenberg and watch for Europe to call for a strongman.