Strong leaders are rising on the world scene today in several nations, including Russia, China and Iran. But what about Europe? And what about Germany?

Germany is one of the top exporters of military armaments in the world, and the third largest exporter of goods. Its economy dominates the European Union. But Germany has no strong leader. Lately, many critics have pointed this out as Russia and radical Islam have gone on the attack against Europe.

However, several political trends indicate that a strong leader is about to rise to lead Europe. These developments match a forecast Herbert W. Armstrong and the Trumpet have made for a collective 80 years which is just about to come to pass.

A New Chamberlain

On February 6, the leaders of Germany and France traveled to Moscow on an invitation by Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss the warfare in Ukraine. The leaders of these three nations forged some kind of a deal. Critics called it a terrible deal. They said it was so bad that they likened GermanChancellor Angela Merkel to Neville Chamberlain.

Leading up to World War ii in 1938, Neville Chamberlain went to Munich to inform Adolf Hitler that Britain and France had pressured Czechoslovakia to give up part of its country, the Sudetenland, to Nazi Germany. A peace treaty was signed to that effect. Winston Churchill called it the “Munich Surrender” and said it was a disgraceful, shameful act. He warned the Britons that it would lead to war, not peace.

Ms. Merkel doesn’t believe that the West should supply lethal weapons to the Ukrainians. She thinks that might cause the war to spread even more. Yet without help, the Ukrainians can offer little or no resistance against the Russians. That is why critics began to attack Chancellor Merkel for the deal she made with Russia, saying she repeated Chamberlain’s mistake with Hitler before World War ii.

Former Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk tweeted, “Once again, appeasement encourages the aggressor to greater acts of violence. Time to step up our policy based on cold facts, not illusions.” Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius tweeted: “‘Sudetenland’ in 1938 was supposed to appease aggressor. We know the results. Why these thoughts arising in time of #Munich conference 2015?”

At the Munich Security Conference, just days after the deal with Russia was made, U.S. Sen. John McCain made the comparison even more explicit: “History shows us that dictators will always take more if you let them,” he said. “They will not be dissuaded from their brutal behavior when you fly to meet them to Moscow—just as leaders once flew to this city.”

When Chamberlain returned from Munich after giving away a big chunk of Czechoslovakia, he waved a piece of paper and declared, “Peace for our time!” The British people were almost hysterical with joy.

Eleven months later, they were at war. A year after that,Germany was bombing the British homeland.

A Strong Sign

Toward the end of last year, Garry Kasparov, the former chess grandmaster who has become an outspoken critic of Vladimir Putin, said this: “My problem is today you have so many politicians lining up to become a new Chamberlain. Where are the Churchills?”

Churchill warned throughout the 1930s that Western Europe was going to have war with Germany if it didn’t stop the aggression of the Nazis. Western Europe could have easily stopped Adolf Hitler. But Europe’s leaders wouldn’t stand up to him. This produced the worst war in human history!

Today, an eerily familiar situation is developing. And another war is coming that will be far worse!

Calling Ms. Merkel a Chamberlain is a severe criticism! If leaders are criticizing her this terribly in public, what are they saying in private? This criticism is a strong sign of the present mood in Europe, especially in Germany.

It is also a sign that a strong ruler is about to come on the scene in Germany.

When Germans become anxious about world events, they call on a strongman to lead them! They have done so time after time throughout their history, and they are about to do it again.

To make matters worse, after Merkel made this peace pact, Mr. Putin broke it immediately! It didn’t even really go into effect!

Vladimir Putin is taking advantage of Merkel and the West. He sees the enormous lack of leadership in Europe and the West. He is marching through Ukraine, taking vast areas of land that don’t belong to him, just like Hitler did leading up to and during World War ii. History is repeating itself. The West is giving away chunks of Ukraine just like it gave away chunks of Czechoslovakia.

Another sign that this will bring on a strong leader in Germany is that Britain and America, the victors of World Wars i and ii, were not even invited to that February 6 conference. That is quite a slap in the face to these countries. It shows how out of touch they are with what is going on, and how irrelevant they have become.

That is yet another sign that somebody will have to provide some leadership—before Vladimir Putin marches all the way to the North Atlantic!

And somebodyWILL.

You will see this happen on the world news with your own eyes—probably within the next few years!

King of Europe

Years ago, Herbert W. Armstrong met with Otto von Habsburg, the head of the 700-year-old house of Habsburg, the dynasty that ruled the Holy Roman Empire prior to Napoleon. At that time, Habsburg was a member of the European Parliament. He said this: “The [European] community is living largely by the heritage of the Holy Roman Empire, though the great majority of the people who live by it don’t know by what heritage they live.”

Look through history, and you will find six resurrections of that Holy Roman Empire. Today the seventh resurrection is staring us in the face—yet still people don’t know what it is! That is amazing! Not even the people who live by that heritage know it.

“We possess a European symbol which belongs to all nations of Europe equally,” Mr. Habsburg also said. “This is the crown of the Holy Roman Empire, which embodies the tradition of Charlemagne” (emphasis mine throughout).

Mr. Armstrong was keenly interested in hearing Mr. Habsburg precisely because of that European heritage. In fact, he knew more about the immediate future of Europe than Mr. Habsburg!

How? Because of forecasts in the Bible.

Daniel 8 is one of the most astonishing prophecies in the Bible, and it concerns modern Europe. Compare it to the leadership Europe and Germany are craving right now.

The last part of verse 17 says, “for at the time of the end shall be the vision.” It gets more specific in verse 19: “And he said, Behold, I will make thee know what shall be in the last end of the indignation ….” God wants us to realize the urgency of this prophecy. He not only talks about the end time, but about thelast end—theendof the end time! Daniel was written only for the end time (Daniel 12:4, 9).

This describes a strong leader who will come on the world scene in Europe: “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 8:23).

God calls this leader “a king.” He will be a king with a crown and a throne, just as Europe has had for centuries, and just as Mr. Habsburg emphasized.

This soon-coming ruler could literally be called a king. Even if he is not, the Bible gives him that label. When the Bible talks about a king, in most cases it is saying that this is not a democratic government. Even if he doesn’t have that title, he is going to lead like a king. This vision in Daniel shows that the European empire is about to become a lot more authoritative.

Daniel 11:21 prophesies that this strong leader will come into power “by flatteries”—probably not by votes, but through a coalition government of some kind. We need to watch Germany and Europe carefully. Although Bible prophecy gives us the outline of how it will unfold, we don’t know the details.

The Tradition of Charlemagne

What is “the tradition of Charlemagne” Mr. Habsburg referenced? Some powerful Europeans want to return to his kind of leadership in Europe. They praise the tradition of Charlemagne. They encourage Europeans to “revive your roots.” Do people know what that history is really about?

The Franks were the first barbaric tribe to embrace Catholicism, but they did so for political gain, not religious reasons. Mostly of Germanic origin, the Franks used the Catholic Church to support their expansionist policies, while the church relied on Frankish rulers for protection. It was a political union with a religious veneer.

The Frankish kingdom reached the pinnacle of its power during the rule of Charlemagne (Charles the Great). Before Charlemagne’s emergence as world ruler, the political scene in Europe was sharply divided. Germany was sliced into many different tribes. Much of Italy was occupied by the Lombards. Byzantium was recognized as the successor to the eastern region of the old Roman Empire. Charlemagne, in conjunction with the papal throne, eventually changed all that—but not without much bloodshed.

Charlemagne was the second ruler of the “Holy” Roman Empire, after Justinian. As emperor, Charlemagne felt it his duty to defend the church. In a.d. 774, at the request of Pope Leo iii, he entered northern Italy and conquered the Lombard kingdom, uniting Italy for the first time in centuries. In 799, the pope was kidnapped and beaten by a band of conspirators. After being rescued by two Frankish clerics, he fled to Charlemagne, who escorted him back to Rome. On Dec. 23, a.d. 800, with the military backing of Charles and his Frankish troops, the pope was exonerated of all wrongdoing and reinstated to his ecclesiastic office.

Just a few days later, while Charlemagne was kneeling in prayer during a Christmas celebration inside old St. Peter’s Church in Rome, the pope placed a crown upon his head, pronouncing him “the 73rd emperor of the fourth world empire.”

Throughout the Middle Ages, many scholars, theologians, even popes, knew the Roman Empire was the fourth world-ruling kingdom. Many of them even identified this fourth kingdom with the one Daniel spoke of in his prophecy (see Daniel 2:37-43). That is why Europeans and Catholics kept trying to revive the empire! The Bible said there would only be four such empires. However, the fourth empire would have 10 resurrections, according to Bible prophecy. The last seven of those resurrections would be called the Holy Roman Empire, because they are ruled by both church and state.

As king of the Franks, Charlemagne subjugated every single German tribe but one: the Saxons. The Saxons clung to their own faith and refused, even on pain of death, to submit to Roman Catholicism. Charlemagne determined to force his brand of Christianity on them with the sword. For years the Saxons obstinately resisted. At one point, out of sheer frustration, Charlemagne executed 4,500 Saxon prisoners. This barbarous act angered the Saxons even more.

It took 30 years for Charles to completely extinguish the “Saxon problem,” but not before multiple thousands had been executed for their religious beliefs. After more than 18 conquests against the Saxons, Charles finally prevailed. In the end, Saxons either subjected themselves to the rule of Charles, or their defiance ended in death.

The Holy Roman Empire has never been democratic. It could never be. Even Pope Pius xii said the church had twin enemies: the democracies and communism.

As emperor of the “Holy” Roman Empire, Charles felt it his duty to spread the Christian faith using whatever means necessary. The Encyclopedia Britannica says, “The violent methods by which this missionary task was carried out had been unknown to the earlier Middle Ages, and the sanguinary [bloody] punishment meted out to those who broke canon law or continued to engage in pagan practices called forth criticism in Charles’s own circle” (“Charlemagne”).

The violence Charlemagne used to enforce the Catholic religion on his subjects was simply unknown in earlier empires! He forced his brand of Christianity on everyone, using very unholy methods.

Yet, for centuries to come, the aim of succeeding emperors was to restore the traditions of Charlemagne in their quest to revive the Roman Empire!

Even today, Germany and a great church are working to restore the tradition of Charlemagne. They have almost completed the structure. Still, it is a mystery to most people.

Let the world beware! That power structure is ready to arise on the world scene—one final time!

Charlemagne’s bloody conquests were the worst ever in the history of the previous empires. The conquests of the next Holy Roman Empire are going to result in the worst suffering ever inflicted on human beings in the history of man! (Matthew 24:21-22; Daniel 12:1; Jeremiah 30:1-10).

It will all be done in the spirit of Charlemagne. Most people won’t awaken out of their stupor until it is too late!

Charlemagne’s empire, one of the greatest ever to rule in Europe, did not even outlive his son and successor. After it dissolved, the peoples on the western side of his empire eventually became known as French. The German-speaking peoples between the Rhine and the Slavs in the east developed into Germany. The fact that he ruled over both peoples is why some dispute the national heritage of Charlemagne.

Hitler and the Crown Jewels

Look again at what Otto von Habsburg said about the crown jewels: “We possess a European symbol which belongs to all nations of Europe equally; this is the crown of the Holy Roman Empire, which embodies the tradition of Charlemagne.”

Adolf Hitler was the leader of the sixth resurrection of the Holy Roman Empire. He knew all about the crown of Charlemagne and even the literal crown jewels.

Much of the world looks upon the Jewish race as God’s chosen people. In Vienna, Hitler came to believe that God had replaced the Jews with the Germans and the Holy Roman Empire. He believed the Germans were God’s chosen people. This is why the crown jewels of that empire meant so much to him.

In 1938, at a rally in Nuremberg, “Hitler had brought from Vienna, after 140 years, the insignia of the First Reich [Charlemagne]—the imperial crown, the orb of empire, the scepter and the imperial sword. At the presentation of these symbols of imperialism he solemnly vowed that they would remain in Nuremberg forever” (John Toland, Adolf Hitler).

That was a strong statement. He “solemnly vowed” that the crown jewels of the Holy Roman Empire were to “remain in Nuremberg forever.” This is like a death-defying commitment to the Holy Roman Empire and his god! He made a vow forever!

Of course, Hitler lost, and that didn’t happen. Those relics are back in Austria, where they await the next ruler of the Holy Roman Empire.

Historians call Charlemagne’s rule the First Reich. Adolf Hitler’s rule was known as the Third Reich. Hitler knew the crown jewels would be a powerful symbol of Charlemagne’s First Reich.

Hitler came in the tradition of Charlemagne! He, like Charlemagne, savagely and brutally destroyed people as no empire before him!

Many scoffed at what former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher said in 1995: “You have not anchored Germany to Europe; you have anchored Europe to a newly dominant, unified Germany. In the end, my friends, you’ll find it will not work.”

Mrs. Thatcher knew it would have a bad ending. She knew it “could be ghastly,” as Bernard Connolly wrote back in 1995 (The Rotten Heart of Europe). It will be ghastlier than you can even imagine!

We have forgotten our own recent history. Hitler started World War ii. About 50 million people were killed.

The next leader of the Holy Roman Empire is going to commit crimes against humanity even more monstrous! It’s all going to be done in the tradition of Charlemagne! It’s time for this world to wake up to what is happening in Europe!

Forgetting History

At the conclusion of the Yalta Conference in February 1945, Prime Minister Winston Churchill and President Franklin Roosevelt signed a document to prevent Germany from ever coming in the tradition of Charlemagne again. They said, “It is our inflexible purpose to destroy German militarism and Nazism and to ensure Germany will never again be able todisturb the peace of the world.”

That country had started the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, World War i and World War ii. It has a history of starting wars. Churchill and Roosevelt understood Germany’s history of warfare. The Allies virtually made a vow that they would never allow that to happen again.

Yet here we are 70 years later, and Germany is leading Europeagain! America and Britain have forgotten that recent history. And as a result, we are allowing it to repeat itself! That lapse of memory will be the costliest ever for both nations. (Request our free booklet Germany and the Holy Roman Empire.)

Historian Victor Davis Hanson recently wrote that the 1930s are happening again. “World War ii could have been prevented had Western Europe united to deter Germany,” he explained. Three times in this article, Hanson said we should have learned from that deadly error of the 1930s (National Review, February 19).

What did we learn from World War ii? I’m telling you, history is repeating itself! America, Britain and many Western nations are retreating from every part of the world. Our countries have broken wills when it comes to their foreign policy—and that doesn’t lead to peace! It leads to war! You can’t negotiate peace when people on the other side want war!History teaches that lesson from beginning to end!

What is interesting is that in making this historical comparison, Mr. Hanson was specifically referring to how the aggressors this time around are Vladimir Putin’s Russia, the terrorist group calling itself the Islamic State, and Iran. And he is right—the West is showing shameful weakness in dealing with these modern threats.

But there is a great irony here. The weakness being demonstrated by the West is exposing the crying need for stronger leadership. And whether or not people want to believe it, that leadership is going to arise in Germany.

Soon, in a dramatic way, the threat from Germany is going to eclipse that of the Islamic State and Iran, and for a short time, even that of Russia—many times over!

Today, Europeans are looking for another ruler like Charlemagne! The Holy Roman Empire is facing us again. It is rising on the world and people don’t even know it. Again, even the people who live under it don’t realize they are living by the guidelines and rules of the Holy Roman Empire. That is astounding!

Daniel 8:24 prophesies about this coming king: “And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he … shall destroy the mighty and the holy people.” That is a terrifying statement!

Prophecy says the European empire will be pared down from its current configuration of 28 nations to 10 nations, and it will wreak havoc on this world!

Nobody wants to talk about it, but there is an explosive tendency in the Germans’ history. When the right leader comes to power, watch out! We don’t like to admit it, but we must face the truth. According to your Bible, Germany is about to start World War iii. It will be the deadliest war ever on Earth.

How This Leads to Peace

Despite horrifying news in the short term, the prophecy of this coming European strongman actually has a wonderful, hope-filled conclusion.

Daniel 8:25 reads, “And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many ….” This man will talk about peace. He will be like Vladimir Putin, saying, Come to Moscow and let’s talk about peace—yet as soon the talks are over, he attacks even more fiercely! That is the kind of “peace” this strongman wants, and he will use deceit to get it.

However, look at the end of verse 25: “[H]e shall also stand up against the Prince of princes [Jesus Christ]; but he shall be broken without hand.” This man and the empire he rules will be broken—not with physical hands or a physical army, but by Jesus Christ Himself!

Christ is about to return to Earth and stop all of this horror. He says in Matthew 24:21-22 that if He didn’t return, no flesh would be saved alive! Man cannot stop what is coming. He created this monster of nuclear power, and like a Frankenstein monster, he can’t control it! It is out of hand!

We live in a dangerous world. These are not ordinary times. Isaiah 33:7 prophesies that the ambassadors of peace will weep bitterly because they will not have peace. Isaiah 59:8 says, “The way of peace they know not.”

But Christ is going to return. Only Jesus Christ can bring us peace, joy and happiness forever. That is what these prophecies are ultimately all about. So this is the best possible news you could ever hear!

Thankfully, the seventh and last head of the Holy Roman Empire will usher in the coming of the Messiah. No nation will ever again be ruled in the tradition of Charlemagne.

This is the conclusion to the same vision about this strong leader coming on the world scene, this king who will rule Europe! As horrendous as the nightmare will be that he and his empire will bring on the world, the good news is that it is going to be stopped. We are viewing the last resurrection of the Holy Roman Empire. Thank God for that!