One of the concerns that the overseers of Germany’s booming export economy have had is that the current imposition of austerity measures on European Union economies would work to reduce the capacity of their major market—EU member nations—to continue to buy German-manufactured goods.

Enter China.

In its report titled “China and Germany: Why the Emerging Special Relationship Matters for Europe,” issued in May, the European Council on Foreign Relations [ecfr] states: “Europe’s future relationship with China—one of its most important ‘strategic partners’—will be determined to a large extent by Germany’s rapidly evolving bilateral relationship with China. Germany is China’s number one trade partner in the EU …. The burgeoning economic interdependence between China and Germany, based on a technology-for-markets swap, is the basis for an increasingly close political relationship …. In short, Germany is now by far the biggest European player in China.”

The real drama in terms of Bible prophecy began in February with Chancellor Merkel paying a crucial visit to Beijing. “Chancellor Angela Merkel’s visit to China in February—in between the European summit and the EU–China summit—led some to wonder whether Berlin may have replaced Brussels in Beijing” (ibid).

Well, they can stop wondering.

Immediately following Chancellor Merkel’s February visit to China, the Chinese commenced investing heavily in Central and Eastern Europe.

This region forms a major customer base for German industry. Not only was it stimulated by German investment in the years of reconstruction following its breaking loose from the economic stagnation of the Soviet era, but the revived economies of Central and Eastern Europe have relied heavily on German imports ever since.

However, as austerity measures imposed on EU member nations have started to bite deep into these economies, orders for German goods have reduced. With Germany deeply involved in directing the handling of the ongoing euro crisis, Berlin’s most obvious solution to this problem of diminishing export demand was to lobby China to invest in Central and Eastern Europe, thus enabling those economies to again stimulate demand for German products, boosting German exports.

As the most dominant trading nations in the world today, Germany’s and China’s futures have become irrevocably intertwined. This is most prophetic in its implications.

There is a prophecy in Isaiah that our editor in chief has pointed to that is today very current in its fulfillment. It links with parallel prophecies in Ezekiel and Revelation to give a very clear picture of that interdependent relationship that has been built between Germany, its proxy—the EU—and China, and reveals its startling outcome.

Chapters 22 and 23 of Isaiah prophesy of two great markets that will be extant at this current time. They are identified by different means in these chapters. China is identified by its ancient name, Chittim (Isaiah 23:1), whereas in the same verse the German-dominated European Union is identified by the term used for a major economic power extant at the time the prophecy was written, ancient Tyre.

In this prophecy, the great northern trading power of today, of which Tyre, consistent with biblical typology, is depicted as but a type, is here shown in relationship to China, the sea (verses 2, 4, 11), great waters (verse 3)—another term for oceans—and ships (verse 14), mentioned in relation to seaborne merchant traffic (verse 8), all within the context of a great international market.

In Isaiah 23:13 we read of Italy, under its ancient name Chaldea, depicted in association with Germany, whose biblical identity is Assyria or Ashur.

Turning to the prophecy in Ezekiel 27:1-6, we again see maritime terms used in association with merchants enacting trade via the sea between Tyrus (king of the north—Daniel 11) and the Ashurites (Germany) in association with Chittim (China). The theme continues in relation to the main subject, Tyrus, a type of the prophesied king of the north, in verses 8-9, 12, and 22-25.

Other nations are mentioned within the context of trade relationships with Tyrus, which bring to mind the Psalm 83 alliance, especially in verse 21. Still others, especially Greece (Javan), now a virtual vassal state of the German-led EU, and Russia (Meshek and Tubal), hugely exposed to EU debt and greatly dependent on German exports, are also mentioned in verses 13 and 15. Japan and Southeast Asia (Togarmah) is also brought into the equation in verse 14.

This all bespeaks a massive trading power having open access to sea gates for global trade and a powerful linkage with China at the prophesied “latter days” (Daniel 10:14).

Taken in context, the prophecies of Isaiah 23 and Ezekiel 27 align perfectly with those of Revelation 13:16-17 and Revelation 18.

It is not the purpose of this column to detail the specific application of these prophecies to their current-day detailed fulfillment. That is best left to our editor in chief. It is sufficient to highlight the fact that the results of Chancellor Merkel’s lobbying China in February to step up its investment in the weaker EU economies is paying quick dividends. This is but a powerful sign of the prophecies of Isaiah, Ezekiel and Revelation as they relate specifically to the current interdependence of the world’s two major trading blocs—the German-dominated EU and China—racing toward ultimate fulfillment.

One would have to truly have his head buried deep in the sand to not admit to the profound reality of these prophecies being fulfilled as everyday occurrences, at the moment, before our very eyes. Yet, sadly, most do have their eyes blinded from, and their ears filled with, the sand of willing ignorance, their heads buried deep in the all-too-many distractions from reality offered by this world. Too blind and deaf (Revelation 3:18, 22) to see the grave dangers of a repetition of history looming in Europe.

If you even just have a spark of interest in this subject and want to find out more about it, read our booklets Daniel Unlocks Revelation and Russia and China in Prophecy. They may just open your eyes to see and your ears to hear the reasons for why today’s great global disorder and the dramatic outcome, all backed up by provable Bible prophecy—an outcome in which you could have the privilege of participating, to the benefit of all humanity!