Where the Rise of the AfD Is Leading

About every third person voted for the Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) in Thuringia and Saxony in the German elections on September 1. The party has been condemned by the mainstream media as a Nazi party, yet voters, frustrated by the liberal open-border establishment, ignored these warnings. Now the established parties are considering allying with the far left to keep the far right out. As a result, people are losing trust in democracy.

On May 18, Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry noted that the AfD “is the fastest-growing political party in Germany, and every fifth person in Germany supports that political party. [I]t is growing fast, and it’s going to grow a lot faster.”

At the time, a series of scandals surrounded the AfD, ranging from alleged plans to deport German citizens with migration backgrounds to a leading politician being convicted for using Nazi slogans. Despite the scandals, the recent elections show that the AfD’s popularity keeps growing.

In Thuringia, the AfD gained 32.8 percent of the vote. The Christian Democratic Union (cdu) came in second with 23.6 percent, while the party of Chancellor Olaf Scholz, the Social Democrats, got a mere 6.1 percent. His coalition partners, the Greens and Free Democrats, did not even make it into parliament. In Saxony, the AfD received 30.6 percent, just behind the cdu’s 31.9 percent.

Another new anti-establishment party that split from Germany’s main far-left party, Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht (bsw), received more than 15.8 percent in Thuringia and 11.8 percent in Saxony. While maintaining liberal economic views, bsw criticizes immigration and advocates rapprochement with Russia, supposedly hoping for peace in Ukraine. Both of these policies overlap with the AfD.

The international press didn’t mince words. “Olaf Scholz’s days as Germany’s chancellor are numbered after the far right got its best election result since the time of the Nazis,” the Telegraph commented.

Two thirds of Germans expressed dissatisfaction with the ruling parties. German states are becoming increasingly ungovernable. A majority of Germans believe democracy is failing. AfD voters see themselves as ostracized, while the establishment sees the AfD as the biggest threat.

Germany is torn between factions, ideals and crises. A protest in Saxony highlighted the divide. In Bautzen, around 1,000 people demonstrated for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights on Christopher Street Day. They were confronted by counterprotesters dressed in black, waving the Reichskriegsflagge (Imperial War Flag). One of the signs from the far right read: “There are psychological problems but only two genders.” Police prevented major clashes.

Because the mainstream media ignores and suppresses reality, more are joining the far right—especially younger generations. Choosing between the nation-destroying policies of the left or the opposition of the far right presents a predicament. But there is a solution.

Voters are attracted to the AfD’s common sense—opposing mass migration, opposing senseless coronavirus policies, speaking about two genders, etc. In these areas, they are speaking against the mainstream and are closer to the truth. Sadly, the AfD has an additional, overarching agenda that undermines any good it does.

In his article “Nazism Rises Again in Germany,” Mr. Flurry quoted historian Katja Hoyer:

I’ve been in and out of Germany a lot in recent months, and it’s hard not to gain the impression that its society is falling apart at the seams. Wherever you go, there seem to be angry political rallies and street protests. The news is full of violent attacks on politicians and activists. … [T]his time the threats to social cohesion feel very real.

The rise in political violence combined with a rapidly shifting party landscape in which a right-wing force is emerging as a major player reminds many Germans of the 1920s and ’30s.

Nazism was a mix of nationalism and socialism. While the AfD advocates many sensible policies, it also seeks to normalize Germany’s Nazi past. Mr. Flurry wrote:

Germany marked an ominous milestone on June 9: the best performance by a pro-fascist party in a nationwide election since World War ii. In votes for the European Parliament, the Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) came in second place. …

Its leading candidate, Maximilian Krah, defended soldiers who fought in the Waffen-SS in World War ii. The Nuremberg tribunal declared the Waffen-SS a criminal organization because of its involvement in the Holocaust and many other atrocities. But Krah disagreed, saying he would “never say that anyone who wore an SS uniform was automatically a criminal.”

Our article “Is the AfD Really Nazi?” highlights more similar statements—all designed to make the old look not too bad. Many Germans who disagree with these statements are still willing to support the party as their only hope for change. Björn Höcke, the AfD leader in Thuringia, is the party’s most controversial politician. He isn’t nearly as popular in Thuringia as his party is. Even though people disagree with his leadership, they are willing to vote for his party.

Radical left-wing politics are driving Germans to the far right, democracy is being ripped apart, and the longing for sensible solutions is growing stronger.

After World War ii, the late Herbert W. Armstrong warned that a crisis in Germany would enable another strongman to come to power. He based his forecast on Bible prophecy. Revelation 17:10 reads, “And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.”

This prophecy refers to seven leaders of the so-called Holy Roman Empire in its various reincarnations. As Mr. Armstrong explained, the sixth head was Adolf Hitler, who brought the Holy Roman Empire’s crown jewels back to Germany. Yet the Bible reveals that a seventh leader will rise, a man even more cunning and deceptive. He will rally divided factions through flattery (Daniel 11:21) and put down opposition with brutal force (Daniel 8:23-25; Revelation 13).

The Bible is clear that Germany’s political drama has no human solution. The problem is that most of mankind rejects God’s way today. But God will intervene to end man’s evil rule.

We can have hope in this future, as 2 Peter 1:19 tells us: “We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts.”