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Written by Ralph Levy
Europeans, once fearful of German power, are now urgently calling on Germany to be Europe’s savior. What does this portend for the future of Europe—and the world?
It’s chilling. Once again, I picked up my copy of the Financial Times, only to read stark evidence of the depth and seriousness of the challenges facing the European Union. News that is often tucked away on inside pages of the more popular press, or barely noticed at all, features large in the pages of the Financial Times.
As I write this, the front-page article reads “Appeal to Germany to Save Eurozone” (Nov. 29, 2011). It includes a startling quote from Radoslaw Sikorski, the foreign minister of Poland, who called on Germany to take action to solve the EU economic crisis. “I demand of Germany that, for your own sake and for ours, you help it [the eurozone] survive and prosper. You know full well that nobody else can do it.”
Then, in a startling reversal of eastern Europe’s more common view of Germany, Mr. Sikorski goes on to say, “I will probably be the first Polish foreign minister in history to say so, but here it is: I fear German power less than I am beginning to fear German inactivity. You have become Europe’s indispensable nation.”
Germany, the “indispensable nation”
Economically, this seems to be true. Of all the advanced industrialized economies of the world, Germany, it may be argued, has come through the downturn with greater uninterrupted prosperity than the others, including its European neighbors, the United States and China.
While the U.S. shed millions of jobs, German industry was loathe to follow suit. German companies trimmed the number of hours worked by each worker, but kept most of them on the payrolls in anticipation of the recovery in demand for German heavy industrial products.
To a great extent, the strategy paid off, enabling a more stable economic leveling and a stronger restart of growth than in other nations.
The price of Germany’s success
Yet Germany’s very success has come at a price. While its economy has outpaced most of the rest of Europe—and especially the weaker southern European nations, such as Greece, Portugal, Spain and Italy—this has now resulted in those nations, and the eurozone generally, coming to the industrial powerhouse in the center of Europe with begging bowls in hand.
The German taxpayer is now called on to bail the eurozone out of its crisis; there seems to be no other solution.
Will Germany prevent the explosion of the euro?
The same issue of the Financial Times includes an op-ed piece by columnist Gideon Rachman titled “The Long Shadow of the 1930s.” He poses some sobering questions: “Could things go bad again? I mean really bad—Great Depression bad, world war bad? The kind of cataclysmic event my generation has learned to think belongs only in the history books.”
He cites the words of French president Nicolas Sarkozy, who stated that the euro is indispensable for peace in Europe and possibly beyond. “If the euro explodes, Europe would explode. It’s the guarantee of peace in the continent where there were terrible wars.”
Will Germany be able to prevent the explosion of the euro? With “too-big-to-fail” economies such as Italy and Spain now apparently at risk, the prospects don’t look good. The funds needed to rescue either or both of these—the third- and fourth-largest economies of the eurozone, respectively—aren’t available. How much will the German taxpayer endure? And how much is even possible?
A prophesied economic power
Mr. Sarkozy’s words may prove prophetic. Current events and Bible prophecy now begin to fall into visible alignment. While we can’t say for sure what will be the future of the single currency, we do know that eventually it will be replaced by a Europe-based command economy that will not tolerate dissent (Revelation 13:16-18).
More than a dollar-denominated or euro-denominated credit card will be needed when the one the Bible calls “the beast” takes control. Trading will then be permitted only to those who acquiesce to the beast’s power, receiving his mark, his name or the number of his name.
This will be a time of great trial, when those who wish to be faithful to God and to His commandments will find their loyalties grievously tested.
Partly weak and partly strong
Another prophecy suggests this end-time system will be constituted of a mix of nations of differing characteristics. As the prophet Daniel told King Nebuchadnezzar 2,600 years ago, “Whereas you saw the feet and toes [of the last human kingdom], partly of potter’s clay [a weaker material] and partly of iron [the stronger, harder material], the kingdom shall be divided; yet the strength of iron shall be in it, just as you saw the iron mixed with ceramic clay” (Daniel 2:41).
Does this symbolize Germanic nations, empowered by heavy industry and aggressive policies, combining with other, less powerful nations? If so, 20th-century history may be about to repeat itself. “And as the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly fragile” (verse 42).
Whatever the final composition of this latter-day world-ruling government, current events and Bible prophecy behoove us to keep watching—both what goes on in Europe and our own spiritual condition.
Ralph Levy is a minister of the Church of God, a Worldwide Association, who grew up in England and now lives in the United States. Dr. Levy enjoys serving the Church, reading, travel and foreign languages. He has a Ph.D. in biblical studies and has worked in foreign language and religious education for much of his life.
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