The future of the United States and the world is at stake in the next presidential election. Former German Defense Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg recognizes one of America’s biggest problems. In his June 26 podcast, Guttenberg warned that a crisis following the November 5 election could lead to violence, possibly even civil war.

Guttenberg lived in the U.S. for many years, and he is well connected with political leaders such as Hillary Clinton. For the podcast, Guttenberg invited Klaus Brinkbäumer, whom he introduced as a personal friend, publicist, author, documentary filmmaker and podcast host. Brinkbäumer interviewed former President Obama just after Donald Trump was elected in 2016 and published the German documentary Delusional—Trump and the American Catastrophe, as well as a book on the same subject.

Guttenberg and Brinkbäumer believe Trump has the best chance to win the next election.

Guttenberg said various scenarios could aid Trump—such as the wars in the Middle East and Ukraine:

If [Russian President] Vladimir Putin is cynical enough or deliberate enough, then in the fall before the elections, he starts to light a fire somewhere in Eastern Europe. [If Putin would attack] Georgia or Moldova, then [Joe] Biden would be in a lose-lose situation, because if he intervened, it would mean that he was dragging the U.S. into the next war. If he does nothing, he will of course immediately be accused of weakness by the enemy and of caving in to the aggression of others.

Brinkbäumer added that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also favors Trump and could help him return to power.

Either way, Guttenberg noted, the U.S. “will probably slide into a veritable constitutional crisis after the elections, no matter who is elected, driven by the respective losers. And some say that could even lead to the fact that if Biden in particular were to be reelected now, and we remember what happened in the Capitol on January 6, that this was just the first sign that could even lead to a civil war. I’m not quite ready to say civil war yet, but that there could be violence.”

Hundreds of thousands of people died in America’s Civil War. Scaled up in proportion to today’s population, the death toll would be in the millions. While Guttenberg doesn’t necessarily believe the election will trigger such a calamity, he sees America’s division and the potential for violence.

He also noted a little discussed possibility that could lead to election uncertainty. Referencing “clever circles,” he said Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is running as an independent, could cause some surprises. According to Guttenberg, it is plausible, though unlikely, that he could win some swing states. In that scenario, it is possible that no presidential candidate would receive a majority of the electoral votes (270 out of 538); then the president would be elected by the House of Representatives, according to the U.S. Constitution.

This and many other scenarios could cause political uncertainty and societal unrest, with both sides violently contesting the results.

According to a 2022 study, more than 50 percent of Americans believe there will be a civil war in the U.S. However, few really consider what this means. After Donald Trump’s first election victory in 2016, Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry wrote:

Many Americans are troubled by the divisions and hatreds being expressed right now. But they need to be a lot more concerned than they are! The problems are going to get worse and worse until people get the message and they learn why these disasters are happening!

Donald Trump’s win is a prophetic sign of impending civil war and anarchy, followed by America’s worst military defeat ever!

In “Can America Avoid a Second Civil War?”, Mr. Flurry said America is heading into another civil war but lacks the leadership to come out of such a tragedy.

The upcoming election may trigger large-scale riots and civil war, but an outside force is prophesied to trigger even greater calamity.

Ezekiel 5 reveals the future of end-time Israel (the United States and Britain primarily). “A third part of thee shall die with the pestilence, and with famine shall they be consumed in the midst of thee …” (verse 12).

Mr. Flurry explains in Ezekiel—The End-Time Prophet: “The word pestilence just means destruction or death …. One definition of the root word is ‘to lay snares, to plot against, to destroy.’ So this pestilence could be a plague of violence or burning—not necessarily a physical disease at all!” How will we reach this point? “As the economy grows worse, besieged by foreign powers, the rioters will burn more and more—because God’s wrath is upon us!”

The Bible reveals that a foreign power will besiege America and cause this civil war to erupt. Outside leaders are aware of America’s weakness and will exploit it.

But we must not forget that these events will occur because God’s wrath is upon us! His punishment is precisely measured to bring the world to repentance.

To learn more, read “Can America Avoid a Second Civil War?”