In a current study on military shipbuilding, Germany’s dominant metalworking industry union, IG Metall, has lobbied strongly for expansion of the German armaments industry. The study is predicated on a two-pronged approach, citing the need for Germany to upgrade the Bundesmarine’s capacity for its defense of shipping lanes from pirates, especially off the Horn of Africa, and also the growing market in developing countries for armaments.

IG Metall views the Bundeswehr as developing a future strike capability that will enable it to become globally operational in both an interventionist and occupying force capacity. Quoting the IG Metal ceo, German-Foreign-Policy.com reported, “[T]he ‘new security and political environment of the 21st century’ is determined by the ‘worldwide concept of mobile armed forces that are battle ready and sufficiently flexible to adapt to changing scenes for military missions’” (September 8; translations ours).

Within this concept of today’s defense environment, the IG Metall study also calls for German industry to take advantage of the export markets currently available to the German armaments industry, calling for “drastic enlargement of German armaments exports” (ibid). Further quoting from the union’s study in relation to export prospects, German-Foreign-Policy.com states that, “According to the union, ‘hopes in the sector’ aimed at ‘growing markets outside of Europe’ point to ‘some fast-developing countries’ planning to spend ‘billions in heavy armament acquisitions.’” With an eye to influencing German politics, the study states that in order to take advantage of this huge export opportunity, Berlin needs “to enhance and deepen the ‘technical defense capacities’ of the German economy. IG Metall declares that its aim is to “accelerate the ‘development of new products for new markets’” (ibid).

The current euro crisis is allowing EU elites to pressure EU member nations to cut back expenditure. A key area of cutbacks is defense. This is bound to affect German exports to eurozone nations caught in the crisis. It would be difficult to imagine that, given the current scenario, the German government would not agree to supporting a drastic expansion of Germany’s armaments industries to take full advantage of the surge in demand for armaments from developing nations.

By the same token, with heightened piracy action off the Horn of Africa, and continuing tensions in Northern Africa and the Middle East, one would second guess that the strengthening of the Bundesmarine’s armaments capability should be a foregone conclusion for the German government. A key to Germany’s developing preparedness for such expansion is the nation’s increasing investment in marine vessel manufacture, especially the shipbuilding facilities in Greece, which are bound to continue to sell for fire-sale prices given the inevitability of a Greek default on that nation’s debts.

The timing of the IG Metall study’s release is particularly intriguing. Five of the most dominant nations within the European Union have called for legal opinion on the extent to which the Lisbon Treaty/EU constitution allows for the creation of a European Military Command Center to enable “permanent structured cooperation, to develop critical csdp [Common Security and Defense Policy] capabilities, notably a permanent planning and conduct capability” (emphasis added). EUobserver.com quotes a letter signed by the foreign ministers of the “group of five” directed to the EU Foreign Ministry tasking it with presenting “conclusions of the work … in early autumn with a view to achieving tangible results by the end of the year.”

The letter points to a clause in the Lisbon Treaty that allows for what is termed “permanent structured cooperation,” a process by which nine or more EU member nations may proceed on a matter in joint action without the agreement or support of other EU nations. This allows for the development of a two-tier Europe, something we have been expecting ever since the 1957 Treaty of Rome established the foundation on which the current EU has been built.

EUobserver.com correctly interprets this action by the “group of five” as going hand in hand with the creation of the European Financial Stability Facility (efsf) in being “another major step toward what EU jargon calls a ‘multi-speed Europe.’ But plans afoot to create joint economic governance among the 17 euro-using countries are likely to put even the military project into the shade” (ibid).

The point is, we have three powerful initiatives in play this autumn that would on the one hand split Europe into two camps with a clear distinction between the strong and the weak, and on the other set up Germany as top dog over all.

Just think about this for a moment.

First, the efsf will empower German control over eurozone member states’ economies. It not only will create the mechanism for the central planning of an EU imperial budget and means of EU-wide taxation imposts, but also will essentially enslave Europe’s weaker economies economically to the EU’s “paymaster,” the all-powerful German giant.

Second, a centralized EU high command, dictating not only strategic and tactical planning for European defense and security, but also dictating the conduct of both defensive and offensive military action, creates the platform for the development of an imperial military force to be imposed on all European nations. Despite the commitment of Anglo-American leadership declaring in 1945 that the German military General Staff would never again be permitted to exist to pose a threat to world peace, its structure has been well and truly resurrected. As we initially reported in 2002 and have repeated many times since, “In 2002 the German General Staff was revived under its old name as it was known under the Nazi regime, The Command Staff of the Armed Forces, with its headquarters again centralized in Berlin. The international community had so come to trust that Germany had totally changed from its past aggressive history that not one objection was publicly raised to this initiative.” Watch for the German General Staff to muscle in on a takeover of the long-planned and soon-to-be-established “Pentagon” of Europe!

Third, add to this the timely call of IG Metall for kicking the German armaments industry into high gear and you have a powerful package of three imperialist initiatives that all mesh together to underwrite the creation of a pan-European empire of considerable global potential.

The gravest mistake that observers of Europe could make today is to see the euro crisis as a sign of the EU beginning to fail as an institution.

It is not!

EU elites are simply seizing on current crises to aggressively push through the final bits of an imperialist agenda which will end with the creation of a world power of such dominance that it will pale the previous three “Reichs” into relative insignificance. As witness to this process, the “group of five” letter “justified the [military] plan by reference to the Arab Spring and the economic crisis” (ibid).

It’s time we stopped tiptoeing through the tulips, smelling the roses and ignoring reality. It’s time to smell the cordite. The threat of the rise of a powerful northern force that will seize on the leadership vacuum created by the rapid descent of the Anglo-Saxons is potent, it is real, and what’s more it’s prophesied by the God who forecasts and predestines major world events far in advance of their happening.

Why does He do this? Take note:

“[T]o the intent that the living may know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the basest of men” (Daniel 4:17).

The Creator of humankind is a merciful God. He guarantees that He “will do nothing, but he revealeth his secrets unto his servants the prophets” (Amos 3:7). Already, far in advance of today’s major world events, God has given to us “the more sure word of prophecy” (2 Peter 1:19). He has ensured that those prophecies have been documented for posterity’s sake and then further guaranteed that “the scripture cannot be broken” (John 10:25).

This writer has seen the proof of those words in action for over half a century. One reason for that is because he had as his mentor, like all of our writers and contributors to the Trumpet, one Herbert W. Armstrong, who was used so powerfully to preach, publish and broadcast the eternal truths of the Bible and its inerrant prophecies for almost 60 years last century. An additional reason is because for the past 21 years, he has witnessed the additional revelation of prophecy for our times further revealed through, preached, published and broadcast by our editor in chief, Gerald Flurry.

So it’s easy to be supremely confident, in the face of all criticism, that the “more sure word of prophecy” will always, without fail, be fulfilled with God’s impeccable timing—fulfilled down to the last detail. It’s that confidence that leads to the possession of a precious gift which most men seek, “the peace of God, which passeth all understanding” (Philippians 4:7). It’s the peace that comes from knowing the ultimate outcome of all things.

You too could have that great peace of mind that comes from a sure direction in life—the direction of a loving heavenly Father who guarantees the fulfillment of our incredible human potential if only we submit to His divine will. It’s really worth checking out. The insight our writers have in respect of the real meaning of world events and where they are leading comes from possessing that sure direction of the guiding hand of an all-wise and all-loving God in their lives.

We KNOW what’s on the rise in Europe—and its outcome! We KNOW why the Middle East is in roiling turmoil right now and exactly where it’s leading. We KNOW the future of Russia, China, India, Africa and in fact all major nations on Earth! We KNOW exactly why the Anglo-Saxon nations are in rapid decline and where it’s heading both short term and long term.

It’s that knowledge which allows us to publish the truth and let the chips lay where they fall—no holds barred!

Why not look into just what it is that’s behind all this. Why Herbert Armstrong was so right! Why Gerald Flurry is so right! Why we can write of these things, supremely confident of their outcome to the point that the brickbats of those who deride our message are just so much water down a duck’s back. Why we always take on the destroyer—and WIN!

Read our booklet He Was Right. And while you are about it, read Herbert Armstrong’s book The Incredible Human Potential and get to know what it is really like to get a life!