Just hours after Donald Trump celebrated his election victory in the United States in the early morning hours of November 6, the German coalition government collapsed in a spectacular way. This correlation has dangerous ramifications for Germany, former German Defense Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg warned in an interview with Focus Online.

“We will be dealt with more harshly,” Guttenberg noted. “We will no longer be able to rest on a soft cushion when it comes to security, but we will have to take care of it ourselves.”

Trump has “two obsessions”—punitive tariffs on imports and the desire to be seen as a peace president—according to Guttenberg. “He is looking for a peaceful solution for Ukraine, which, if it turns out the way it occasionally leaks out, could be a huge challenge, if not a danger, for us in Europe.”

Asked how Donald Trump sees the events in Germany, Guttenberg said: “The more we fly apart, the more divided we are within our country, the more his interest is piqued to the extent that he says: OK, they’re an easy target for the things I have in mind.”

Guttenberg noted that this has to be a final wake-up call for Europe to act—but it can’t act if it is leaderless.

But that is more or less the situation Germany is in. On Wednesday evening, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz fired Finance Minister Christian Lindner and thus broke with his coalition partner the Free Democrats. Scholz heavily criticized Lindner in a video message and declared a path for elections next year.

Guttenberg criticized Scholz: “I can’t remember anyone in such a high position of responsibility going so crazy. … The way in which he went after [Lindner] is unworthy of a federal chancellor.”

Guttenberg believes that the events of the past week demand speedy new elections.

The Trumpet has long watched Guttenberg to be the man who will likely end Germany’s, and more broadly Europe’s, leadership crisis. The current political turmoil could very well lead to this.

In “Watch This Man Closely,” published in February, Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry explained:

There is a man in Germany whom we have monitored since 2009. I have believed that he could become the ruler of a new European superpower. His heritage is unique. He has risen to the top of German politics before. He is sharp, even cunning. His name is Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg.

Most people are not watching him closely. Even though he has largely stayed out of the headlines, I believe more and more that this is a man to watch.

The reason for this bold prediction is Bible prophecy. Passages in the prophetic book of Daniel and Revelation correlate with the events Jesus Christ outlined in Matthew 24 that would lead to His return.

Daniel 8:23 states: “And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up.” Daniel 2 and Revelation 17 show that this man will rule over an empire of 10 nations or groups of nations ruled by 10 kings.

While most professing Christians ignore these passages, the late Herbert W. Armstrong tracked them closely and prophesied that this union of nations would rise in modern-day Europe. After World War ii, this union started to take shape but it still lacks strong leadership. Mr. Flurry has continued Mr. Armstrong’s legacy following his death in 1986. Many of Mr. Armstrong’s forecasts—such as the reunification of Germany and Britain’s exit from the European alliance—have since been fulfilled. But this prophesied strongman has yet to rise. This current political crisis may trigger his rise.

Mr. Flurry has explained that this prophesied strongman may not hold an office within Germany, but could lead Europe from a more overarching position. He wrote:

He could lead Europe as the leader of Germany. But Herbert W. Armstrong thought, and I think, that there will be a separate leader of Germany and a man above even him who rules Germany and the rest of the 10 kings of Europe.

Europe’s fate is ultimately tied to Germany’s. A leaderless Germany could pave the way for this prophesied strongman. This is a specific forecast, and the times that we live in demand that you prove it for yourself. To learn more, read “Watch This Man Closely.”