The History of Europe And the Church   The Relationship that Shaped the Western World The historic relationship between Europe and the Church is a relationship that has shaped the history of the Western World. Europe stands at a momentous crossroads. Events taking shape there will radically change the face of the continent and world. To properly understand today's news and the events that lie ahead, a grasp of the sweep of European history is essential. Only within an historical context can the events of our time be fully appreciated - which is why this narrative series is written in the historic present to give the reader a sense of being on the scene as momentous events unfold on the stage of history.

Military spending in 2006, in billions of euro, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute and the European Defence Agency.
The aggregated spending of the European Union Member States is by far the second largest in the world.

Neo-Nazi related incidents in Germany have multiplied so much in recent years that most crimes no longer warrant much press coverage in the Fatherland.

Nazism did not die when Hitler's forces were crushed — it merely went underground. A host of surveys, violent incidents, and even recent German government policies confirm it.

When the Berlin Wall crumbled in 1989, the signal to all underground fascists could not have been more clear. It was time to resurface. At first, hate crimes were sporadic and unrelated. But each "success" converted more adherents to right-wing doctrine. Soon, surveys revealed that many German citizens even sympathized with certain Nazi views. In fact, in 1997, a European survey revealed that 34 percent of Germans consider themselves "quite racist" or "very racist."

In recent years, far-right views have wedged their way into the highest levels of German government. Recently, another sector within the German sphere has been tainted by Nazi influence — the Bundeswehr, or the German Army.

In December 1991, just two years after the Berlin Wall collapsed, with complete disregard for strong world opinion and for the fate of the Serbs, Germany adamantly declared full support for the secession of Slovenia and Croatia from the republic of Yugoslavia. A violent civil war erupted in Yugoslavia thereafter.

The war in Yugoslavia signaled a new era in the German Army, which had been dormant since World War II. Between 1992 and 1994, the Germans exported more than $320 million worth of military hardware to Croatia. In 1995, Germany agreed to send military transport planes, medical personnel, and other support to the Balkan combat zone. At that time, however, they would not send ground troops.

"This would render us part of the problem rather than its solution," admitted Volker Rühe, the German defense minister.

(Over 700,000 Serbs were massacred during World War II by the Nazi regime which absorbed Slovenia into the Third Reich and created a puppet state in Croatia.) Obviously, Germany knew that any show of force in the Balkans would make the Serbs extremely nervous.

Yet in 1995, not long after Rühe's statement, Germany committed 4,000 troops inside Croatia to help enforce the so-called peace agreement. It was their first troop deployment outside Germany since World War II.

At first, Germany's extended effort in the Balkans seemed noble. But it wasn't long before disturbing reports surfaced, including one where German soldiers in Croatia were heard chanting "Sieg Heil" and "Heil Hitler."

Even more unsettling was a video discovered in 1997. In it, soldiers who were training for their mission in the Balkans acted out executions and rapes. The question is, how many soldiers were involved and how many officers knew about it? The German defense minister and Chancellor Kohl both insisted that these were only isolated incidents, which is the same argument they used for other such reports.

European Defence Expenditure as a Percentage of GDP. (click to enlarge)

European Investment in 2006 - Equipment Procurement and Research and Development. (click to enlarge)

European Investment in 2006 - Research and Technology for Defence Purposes. (click to enlarge)

Manfred Roeder is a convicted Nazi terrorist. In 1973, he wrote the foreword in the book Auschwitz Lie. He set up a terrorist group which was linked to several bombings in 1980, including an Italian train station and a Jewish synagogue in Paris. In 1981, he was convicted for killing two Vietnamese immigrants in Germany with a fire bomb. The following year, he was sentenced to 13 years in prison. After his early release in 1990, he again joined extreme right-wing organizations. Roeder has been linked to a bevy of right-wing activity for nearly 30 years. German intelligence even lists him as a terrorist!

So why was this convicted neo-Nazi bomber invited to speak to new recruits at an elite officers academy for the Bundeswehr? Good question. Roeder's address to the Bundeswehr in May 1995 only became public knowledge in 1997. He spoke about "ethnic German" Russians residing in Kaliningrad — a Russian city on the banks of the Baltic. (German nationalists would like to see the region absorbed into the Fatherland.)

In addition to the speech invitation, Roeder says the German defense ministry donated a small amount of cash, vehicles, and other tools to his organization in 1993. The whole incident has been quite embarrassing for German officials. They suspended the officer in charge of the academy and denied any involvement in the decision-making leading up to the invite. Another "isolated incident."

The "isolated incidents" have been popping up regularly in the Bundeswehr for several years now. There were 72 right-wing incidents in the German Army in 1996. This number had climbed to 135 in 1999 and jumped to 196 in 2000. One particular outrage occurred in the small German town of Detmold. Uniformed German soldiers, while shouting "Wogs out of Germany," attacked two Turkish immigrants and a 16-year-old Italian boy with baseball bats and knives.

In 1997, the Sunday Telegraph in London quoted Helmuth Priess, a retired lieutenant-colonel in the German Army. Priess claims that there are far too many officers in the Army with right-wing sympathies. He recalled one incident where a commanding officer told him to stress the importance of a familiar Nazi motto: "Work makes you free" (a sign bearing that inscription hung above the entrance to Auschwitz). Priess was shocked to hear such admonition — and from a high-ranking officer! He was later startled when he heard the officer became a general.

More recently, 21-year-old Christian Krause, the son of a former German minister, told the German newspaper Bild am Sonntag that he had encountered numerous right-wing extremists during his ten-month stint in the army. According to Krause, at his base there were two or three right-wing incidents a month.

At parties, "There were always toasts made to the führer and after drinking alcohol many officers would give each other the Hitler salute.…"

German officials continue to downplay neo-Nazi-related activities within the Bundeswehr. But how much longer can they keep saying that such events are only "isolated" cases — especially when statistics reveal an upward trend in violent incidents?

Take a look at the astounding post-World War II success of certain Elite German Industries identified in a World War II declassified intelligence document.   Elite German Industries     Declassified Intelligence Document

Airbus-A400M still in production — (click to enlarge)

Airbus_A310-MRTT of the German Luftwaffe — (click to enlarge)

Overseas, Germany is moving ahead, gung-ho, on its grand process of re-colonizing parts once ruled by Deutschland in a previous era when the nation was cloaked in more overtly imperialistic garb.

But intriguingly, away from the home turf it is a different story. Overseas, Germany is moving ahead, gung-ho, on its grand process of re-colonizing parts once ruled by Deutschland in a previous era when the nation was cloaked in more overtly imperialistic garb.

Since unifying in 1990, the German nation has rapidly spread its military forces around many theaters of conflict in all hemispheres. These initiatives have always occurred under the umbrellas of the European Union, NATO or the United Nations, thus avoiding any charge that they are purely German initiatives designed to further German desires for a return to empire.

Track back to Germany's first "out-of-area operation." In 1992, the Kohl government sent troops to support the NATO naval blockade of Yugoslavia. Later, following the deployment of troops to the UN Somalia mission in 1994, the German Federal Constitutional Court ruled that German troops could participate in UN peacekeeping operations outside NATO territory.

What is significant about the Balkans blockade was that it was a direct result of Germany triggering the Balkan wars by recognizing Croatia and Slovenia as breakaway nations from the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in 1991. By 1999, German troops were in combat in support of NATO, engaged in furthering the Balkans conflict. Today, the entire Balkan Peninsula is in process of being turned into a collection of vassal states subservient to a German-dominated EU.

With the destruction of greater Yugoslavia as a political entity, the way was clear for the European Union to impose its will on the Balkan crossroads of Europe, a most strategic piece of territory. The scene was then set for the expansion of German influence, under the EU umbrella, to extend southward via the Adriatic and the Mediterranean seas. Malta (the island that Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi has called a "stepping stone to Africa") and Cyprus fell quickly into the EU maw.

Today we find the German Navy patrolling the Mediterranean and the waters off the Horn of Africa. We also see the German military involved in a mock invasion off Africa's west coast, on the ground in the Congo guarding German mining interests there, and preparing for involvement in the Darfur conflict in Sudan. Added to all this is Germany's continuing troop presence in Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Kosovo, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Georgia and off the coast of Australia in East Timor, not to mention (post-9/11), the Luftwaffe having flown security missions for the U.S. covering America's East Coast! All that increasing global involvement is quite a leap for a united Germany that had its first post-war "out of area" military operations only 14 years ago.

Perhaps if these widespread missions were billed in the media as German initiatives, it might stir some unpleasant memories of previous combat undertaken by Germany some 60 years ago. However, the Germans have been very clever to publicize them as being much-appreciated support to both UN and NATO missions. This bit of pr places a nice gloss on what may emerge as hidden German motives, but step back and view the whole picture: With a wider lens, we may see a Germany in a stunningly expansionary mood, particularly in Africa.

Once again, akin to the scramble for African resources in the 19th century, the rush is on in Africa.

Increasing German interest there is beginning to highlight the prospect of confrontation between Germany and China, especially in Nigeria, Angola and Sudan. At issue is access to exploitable oil reserves and Africa's vast mineral wealth. Watch for tensions to rise between China and a German-led EU on these issues.

But of particular note is Germany's renewed interest in the southwestern African nation of Namibia.

Previously colonized by Germany in the great rush for the rich resources of Africa that took place in the 1800s, Germany's freshly overt interest in Namibia centers on access to its rich deposits of copper and chrome ore, and, very strategically, on control of the deep-water port of Walvis Bay. This time, unlike most other major port facilities where China has taken the initiative, it seems Germany has the jump on China. Just as the Balkans are the literal crossroads of Europe, Walvis Bay has "developed into the commercial turnstile for all of Southern Africa" (German Foreign Policy, July 3). Walvis Bay offers a faster turnaround for European/African shipping than routing via the Cape to South Africa's ports. It is the preferred African port of call for German shipping companies.

But there is another issue that raises concern in southwest Africa. Some in Namibia still grumble about the way Imperial Germany treated an earlier generation during their colonial days. This piece of history was publicized as recently as 1985 in a UN report on the subject. Termed the "Whitaker Report," this was a summary of a UN investigation that proved Germany was responsible for one of the earliest acts of genocide in the 20th century. It was perpetrated in Africa.

To quote details of the specific event noted in part one of that report,

"General von Trotha issued an extermination order; water holes were poisoned, and the African peace emissaries were shot. In all, three quarters of the Herero Africans were killed by the Germans then colonizing present-day Namibia, and the Hereros were reduced from 80,000 to some 15,000 starving refugees."

The question being raised in southwest Africa is, if the Germans succeed in regaining influence in that region, will history repeat itself?

Securing the Horn of Africa

In February 2002, in the largest deployment of German naval vessels since World War II, the German government dispatched a naval task force to the Horn on a mission that involved the securing of its waters from incursion by terrorists. The Germans stayed. In fact, with the German Navy running security off Gibraltar in the Mediterranean and also off the Horn of Africa, no vessel presently sails through these marine choke points without being under the watchful eye of Germany. This continuing presence of the German Navy at these two crucial sea gates could well develop into a permanent presence for the foreseeable future. Having taken up such positions, it is highly unlikely that Germany will yield them up to any other nation.

Ever since Germany unified in 1990, the German Foreign Office has sought to become directly involved in the so-called peace process in the Middle East. Joschka Fischer, foreign minister under the former Schröder government, was particularly aggressive in promoting Germany as a "peacemaker" between the Palestinians and the Israelis. With Fischer now gone from the scene, Germany remains a deeply entrenched entity in the peace process. In the most recent conflict, German intelligence officers have been involved in Lebanon, negotiating for the release of captured Israeli soldiers. In addition, Germany has carved out for itself a role in negotiations with Iran over its development of nuclear weapons.

In respect of the war in Iraq, the former Schröder government made itself unpopular with the White House as it refused outright to aid the U.S. alliance on terror in that initiative. This, despite the same government readily acquiescing to the Bundeswehr's involvement in Afghanistan. Yet a closer look at Germany's traditional role in covertly supporting terrorist-sponsoring regimes in the Middle East might explain the reason for this reluctance.

Mark Aarons and John Loftus's masterful exposé of Vatican-German intrigue, The Unholy Trinity, reveals the following:

"Among the dubious achievements of Nazi science was the invention of Sarin, Tabun and Soman. These nerve gases … were so effective that the same formulae are still in use today …. During the 1970s, U.S. codebreakers found dramatic evidence that West German companies were selling the Sarin secret to several Arab nations …." Aarons and Loftus allude to the probable involvement of the West German intelligence service (BND) as "a merchant of death for [nations] such as Libya and Iraq."

It is an intriguing study in itself to consider which nation supplied the technical expertise for Saddam Hussein's sophisticated web of deep underground bunkers. Why, when the cameras zoomed in on the operating instruction templates affixed to much of the underground equipment, did those instructions display very clearly in the German language? German merchants, bankers and the German secret service have yet much to answer for in their contributions to terror regimes in the Middle East, let alone Albania, Croatia and nations within Africa. German and Austrian armaments are continually turning up in caches of terrorist arms in these countries.

The drug and gun-running corridor that stretches from Germany via the Balkans across Eurasia and clear on down to Latin America is a well-documented reality. It would be intriguing to investigate connections between current German entrenchment in Afghanistan, presently reaping a bumper drug crop in that country, and the whole web of banking and business houses involved in the clearance of the billions of dollars reaped by the purveyors of addiction via the global drug corridors of the world.

An expanded UN-sanctioned international military force taking up position in Lebanon has serious implications — implications made even more frightening considering the history of the nation that volunteered to lead this force on the ground — Italy — and that which offered its services to patrol the Lebanese coastline — Germany. Between them, these two nations make up the bulk of the European contingent in Lebanon. Italy's contribution of 3,000 troops is the largest in the UN force; Germany's force of 2,400 Navy personnel is the second-largest. Italy is set to take over France's leadership of the mission in February.

Just what are Italy and Germany up to?

Well, for a start, both are itching to be viewed as serious players on the world stage.

Witness EU involvement in the Middle East peace process since the Madrid conference of 1991. Under former Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer, Germany was particularly aggressive in asserting itself, on behalf of the EU, in the diplomatic process between the Palestinians and Israel. Even Pope John Paul II, in a radio interview given in Poland in the mid-1990s, monitored by one of our European representatives at the time, declared his desire to move his office eventually to Jerusalem.

Military cooperation between Germany and Israel tracks back to the conclusion of secret accords between Franz Josef Strauss, Germany's defense minister at the time, and his wily contemporary in Israel, Shimon Peres. Negotiations between the two began as far back as 1957. By 1962 they matured into a secret agreement for Germany to supply Israel with armaments and military training for the Israeli Defense Forces.

Foisted off onto the public as Germany's obligation to "protect Israel" being its due penance for the Holocaust, German Middle East policy is in fact geared to achieving, by diplomacy, trade and military assistance, that which Rommel was denied in battle: the extension of German hegemony into the oil-rich Middle East.

Following the union of East and West Germany in 1990, Germany's foreign policy has increasingly taken on globalist tendencies — the same tendencies that for some time have characterized its aggressive business strategies. Ever since the Balkan conflicts of the 1990s, that tendency for global hegemony has been steadily reflected in the extension of Germany's military activities outside the continent of Europe.

Now, with the Israeli war cabinet having endorsed the use of German forces in the UN-mandated efforts in Lebanon, Germany is able to quietly ease into position in the Middle East, a position it will not yield up regardless of the outcome of the Hezbollah/Israel conflict.

By stationing its navy off the coast of Lebanon as part of this latest UN initiative, Germany now has its navy deployed throughout the whole of the Mediterranean, one of the world's most strategic waterways, from Gibraltar to Suez.

How our failure to learn the lessons of history returns to smack us in the face! The very nations that only 60 years ago fought as a tyrannical fascist/Nazi axis, seeking to seize power over the Middle East, are now literally parked on the northern doorstep of the tiny, embattled nation of Israel, only a short hop from Jerusalem!

Eurocopter Tiger — (click to enlarge)

NH-90 ILA — (click to enlarge)

A recently released document revising European Union transport policy provides a glimpse into the future of EU naval forces and has ignited controversy and debate in Britain.

In the document, according to London's Telegraph, the "European Commission has drawn up plans to set up a European coastguard, which critics fear is a back-door attempt by Brussels to create an EU navy with its own powers to stop and search shipping" (May 21, 2006).

Not sur-prisingly, the plans to redefine Europe's coastguard were buried deep inside the document among more mundane policy changes.

According to the Telegraph, plans to boost the European coastguard "come on the back of other 'empire building' moves by Brussels, including a planned EU army, a common foreign policy and diplomatic service, and a European-wide policy on energy."

The newly empowered European coastguard would be involved in enforcing maritime law, ensuring passenger safety at sea, and enforcing environmental protection legislation. According to the European Commission, the federalized European coastguard would possess the authority to intercept shipping across all of Europe's maritime borders and would likely be armed.

In a lead article in May, Lloyd's List, a British daily newspaper that covers the maritime industry, accused the European Commission of attempting to construct a European navy by stealth.

"[T]he concept of a European coastguard has a federalist charm about it that causes eyes to brighten instantly among gatherings of Europhiles, tired of endless discussions about fish or agriculture," the newspaper said. "In a way, it is a European navy, by the back door" (May 17, 2006).

Regarding Europe's plan to bolster its coastguard, Britain's Shadow Minister for Transport Julian Brazier stated,

"This is very worrying news. It seems the empire-building ambitions of Brussels know no bounds. The drift toward an EU navy must be stopped."

But of perhaps even deeper concern is the present German government's tendency to reverse the anti-nuclear power policies of the former Schröder government. At the recent G-8 summit in Russia, Angela Merkel removed Germany's resistance to endorsing the development of nuclear power as an alternative to more conventional power generation methods. The effect was that all 15 national representatives present were able to reach a unanimous vote on the question.

This may appear innocuous to the casual, non-Green observer. However, the endorsement by Merkel carries with it possibilities that bode ill for the future.

Everyone knows that Iran's development of nuclear power is, notwithstanding the Iranians' protestations to the contrary, destined for military use. Yet, why would we not apply the same logic to Germany? Would not the endorsement of the development of nuclear power, ostensibly for "peaceful" purposes, by a German leader be of real concern, especially given the warlike nature of the German peoples dating back to the times of ancient Assyria?

What should motivate us to an even deeper concern at this development in German policy is the probability that Germany has been clandestinely involved in the proliferation of nuclear weapons, while at the same time maintaining a pacifist public face on the subject.

Loftus and Aarons comment on "reports that Western Germany is behind secret proliferation of nuclear weapons." The authors make the point that the rationale used by the former West Germany to conclude a secret nuclear protocol attached to a trade treaty with Argentina in the 1960s was that the U.S. would at some future date pull out of NATO or withdraw its nuclear shield from Western Europe. During the Cold War, "it was decided to develop the nuclear weapons secretly by utilizing the large émigré communities of German scientists in Argentina and South Africa" (ibid.).

There is, however, a clear difference between Iran's pursuit of nuclear power and that of Germany. Every sensible observer of the world scene knows that Iran is bent on leading a global crusade to Islamicize the world. Sufficient reliable intelligence exists to confirm that Iran is well advanced along the path toward developing nuclear military capability. The strident diatribes of Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad strongly indicate Iran will use every weapon at its disposal to pursue its ends.

With Germany, it is a very different situation in one glaring respect. Germany has been at pains to emphasize its role as a nation that has paid its dues for the millions of victims of two world wars it instigated. Germany has portrayed an image to the world of having become a respectable, even model, peace-loving, Western democracy.

During World War II, Allied scientists raced against German physicists to be the first to develop an atomic bomb. The Allies succeeded, and Germany was defeated. Today, nuclear-armed France is offering to open its nuclear defense door to neighboring Germany. In a meeting in Germany on September 10th 2007, French President Nicolas Sarkozy shocked German officials by offering them access to France's nuclear defense system. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier declined the offer, with Steinmeier stating that Germany has no intention of becoming a nuclear power. Still, with this offer, the door is wide open for Germany to begin acquiring nuclear weapons, a possibility that puts many history-conscious pundits ill at ease. The present German administration may not seem interested in accepting the keys to the bomb, but a future administration may be very interested.

The Galileo satellite radio navigation system, an initiative launched by the European Union and the European Space Agency to ascertain one's precise position in space and time in a reliable manner. Satellite radio navigation is an advanced technology. Based on the emission from satellites of signals indicating the time extremely precisely. Enables any individual to determine his or her position or the location of any moving or stationary object to within one metre thanks to a small cheap individual receiver. Galileo is based on a constellation of 30 satellites and ground stations providing information concerning the positioning of users in many sectors.

In a significant policy shift, the European Commission stated in mid-October 2006 that military uses should be considered for Europe's Galileo satellite navigational system despite prior commitments to limit its use to civilian applications.

Speaking in Luxembourg, Jacques Barrot, European commissioner for transport, declared that

"the idea of only using Galileo for civilian purposes will not persist into the future because I think that our military cannot do without some sort of [navigation] system."

In proposing military applications for Galileo, rival to the United States' Global Positioning System (GPS), Barrot has "crossed a new threshold" that sets the EU "on a collision course with Britain and the United States," reports the Belfast Telegraph (Oct. 14, 2006). The U.S. originally opposed the project based on the very fact that it could have military uses. Floating the idea will "help to boost the EU's ambition to develop a larger military capability to back up its foreign policy" (ibid.).

Though billed as an effort to recoup the massive costs of the project, there should be little question that military use for the system was always intended.

"For some EU officials," London's Financial Times stated, "Mr. Barrot was simply stating explicitly what they already knew: The end-users of Galileo's highly sophisticated navigational and mapping systems would almost certainly include the military" (Oct. 14, 2006).

The implications of a European military force guided by the state-of-the-art Galileo, set to become operational in 2008, are no small matter. Consider: America's GPS has been an important factor in the U.S. being able to maintain its global military supremacy. Soon, Europe will have its own system, even more advanced than GPS. Galileo promises, for instance, to be accurate within one meter, as opposed to GPS's 10 meters.

Europe's struggling Galileo satellite project may have found its savior: the Continent's militaries. Modeled after the GPS system in the United States, Galileo was supposed to be up and beaming in 2008, fulfilling its purpose as a solely civilian system. Owing to funding woes, however, the due date for an operational Galileo is now 2012, and instead of just helping find package trucks, it could be guiding cruise missiles.

According to Spiegel Online, Galileo may take on a more openly militaristic face. The ground rules for the Galileo project originally stated it would be for strictly non-military use. Few experts believed Galileo's projected capabilities reflected purely commercial ambitions, but if the system is truly for civilian use only, one might assume it would be at least partially funded by civilian companies. It is not.

America's GPS already provides sufficient service to Europeans for free. So, naturally the Continent's private sector is not investing in a clone of what already exists, with no hope of a profit. Yet the EU continues to push Galileo. Why?

The Register explains, "Galileo only makes sense in the context of European military action and infrastructure security, independent of the U.S." However, passing off the system as a military project in its beginning stages would have launched zero satellites. "Defining Galileo as a civilian system for Europe was the only way to convince all parties involved to agree to the project in the first place," said Spiegel Online (June 7, 2007).

Now that private investing has foundered, the European Commission has taken control of the Galileo project.

"European taxpayers will now have to provide the necessary funding. The EU Commission predicts a price tag of €10 billion between now and 2030. This is such a significant sum that tapping into defense budgets suddenly becomes an option" (ibid.).

Of course, the defense ministries will want a return on their money.

From drones flown by remote to troop movements to precision missile strikes, more militaries rely on satellite information today than ever before. While the U.S. allows military use of GPS for its allies, including Europe, the bottom line remains the same: GPS is owned and operated by Washington. A functional Galileo would enable Europe to stand on its own in times of war.

Though this purpose was veiled at the project's inception, Galileo is now emerging as a war machine.


The European Defense Agency (EDA) received a massive budget increase as plans to enlarge Europe's power militarily and strategically are pushed forward. The EDA is in charge of forging Europe's fractured militaries into a cohesive whole; any money spent on the EDA, therefore, will strengthen Europe's armed services. The EDA's annual budget grew nearly 50 percent to €32 million (us$47 million).

Spending on Europe's Galileo project also increased by €2.4 billion in November 2007. Europe knows a satellite navigation system is a strategic imperative for 21st-century warfare.

European Military Personnel in 2006
(click to enlarge)

Germany finally threw away all semblance of post-World War II remorse with the release of its latest "white paper" on defense. The new policy document removes restrictions on the German military's foreign and domestic deployment.

"We have gone from a defense army to the army of unity to an army in action," said Defense Minister Franz Josef Jung when he presented the document on Oct. 25, 2006.

The policy paper outlines the future of the Bundeswehr and defines the foundation of German security policy domestically and internationally.

It is the first of its kind since the federal government released a similar document in 1994. That paper allowed for the German military to be used in foreign theaters. The German government wasted no time implementing it: Within a few years, the world saw the Bundeswehr deploy in the Balkans, Afghanistan, the Horn of Africa and the Congo.

The new white paper takes the recent history of the Bundeswehr into account and delineates a new robust international role for the German military.

It calls for an expansion of the "constitutional framework for the deployment of the armed forces."

"The national level of ambition is to deploy up to 14,000 service men and women at any one time, distributed over as many as five areas of operations," the paper states.

This restructuring will facilitate the international peacekeeping role Germany has assumed. Clearly the government expects to keep receiving requests to help resolve international crises — especially as anti-American nations grow more cautious of perceived U.S. imperialism and as the overstretched United States encourages Europe to grow its military.

The white paper opens the opportunity for German troops to deploy virtually anywhere in the world by defining vital German "interests." These interests include free, unhindered access to world markets and raw materials, and control of any regional crises that could negatively affect Germany's national security. The paper allows Germany to defend these interests not only through diplomatic and economic means, but also "policing measures as well as military means and, where called for, also armed operations."

As one of the world's largest exporters in an economically intertwined world, it wouldn't be hard for Germany to feel threatened in any of its many markets that span the globe. And as it proved in Africa during World War II, it is quite willing to use armed deployments to safeguard its markets.

Just as it expands the German military's role internationally, the paper also calls for removing the last shackle of post-war guilt: amending the constitution to allow for Germany's military to deploy domestically. This constitutional safeguard was created to prevent a politician from using the military to force the government into submission, as Hitler managed to do.

However, faced with the growing terrorist threat, Germany's "foreign and domestic security can no longer be separated," said Mr. Jung. In the words of the white paper, "[T]he need for protection of the population and of the infrastructure has increased in importance …."

If the grand coalition that encompasses all sides of Germany's political spectrum can adopt a changed constitution, a German government of any composition could amend the constitution in the future, especially with the threat of terrorism bearing down.

The terrorism threat provides a perfect pretext for amending the constitution: The revision would not only satisfy government and military desires, but also salve public fears of Islamist extremism, which have continued to be stoked by the Catholic Church.

It is inevitable that Germany will amend its constitution. The adoption of the white paper shows Germany is quickly moving in that direction.

German leadership is known for taking advantage of crises to further its goals. The timing of this new military policy is an example.

The world can expect a similar result with this white paper as did the 1994 paper: a dramatic increase in Germany's military deployment around the world.

The Eurofighter Typhoon - developed by Britain, Germany, Italy and Spain. (click to enlarge)

German Air-Force GR4-Tornado (click to enlarge)

Nato is failing in Afghanistan. The nation is experiencing the worst wave of violence since NATO troops ousted the Taliban in 2001. Reconstruction progress has stalled. The Taliban is gaining strength and the opium drug trade is reaping more profits today than it did before the United States invaded.

Up against these challenges, NATO is looking to Germany to step up and begin shouldering more responsibility.

The southern part of Afghanistan, which sees the fiercest fighting, is patrolled by U.S., Canadian, Dutch and British forces, while the northern, more peaceful region is watched by German troops. German deployment to the north means Germany loses fewer soldiers in combat than other nations. As 2006 wound down, the Afghanistan operation had killed 45 Canadians, 43 Britons and 357 Americans, but only 18 Germans. This gap between German casualties and those of other nations is prompting NATO members to call for Germany to beef up its contribution, which so far has been limited to non-combat roles.

One U.S. official expressed it this way: "The Germans have to learn how to kill" (Spiegel Online, Nov. 20, 2006).

It's an ironic statement. It is true that modern Germany has been skittish about exercising military power for fear of resurrecting the ghosts of World Wars I and II. It is because of that very history, the capstones of an even more voluminous history of German militarism, that "The Germans have to learn how to kill" makes the ears tingle. As in Lebanon, however, the international community is pressuring Germany to increase its military contribution and assume more responsibility in Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, the Germans are showing themselves increasingly eager to break free of the shackles those negative associations have placed upon them. As reluctant as the Germans have been to accept combat roles in Afghanistan, their defense ministry has planned for such an eventuality, analyzing battle plans that would deploy 1,000 German troops from the north to the south to aid Germany's allies.

"The upshot," wrote Spiegel, "is that Berlin may be entering the final phase of its return to the international stage, one in which German soldiers could soon embark on combat missions where they will shoot and be shot at. The question now is whether Germany is ready — emotionally, politically and militarily — for war" (ibid.).

As the cloak of pacifism that Germany has shrouded itself in since the last world war gives way, the world will see that this emerging global power is indeed ready for war.

After lying relatively dormant for 20 years, Germany's intelligence service is coming alive and showing signs that it is about to undergo a major overhaul.

The most recent sign of the transformation of Germany's Federal Intelligence Services (Bundesnachrichtendienst, or BND) occurred in mid-November 2006 when construction began on the agency's impressive new headquarters in Berlin. At a cost of €720 million (us$920 million), the BND's sleek, sophisticated new facility is the largest state-sponsored construction project since World War II.

Upon completion in 2012, the massive facility is to house 4,000 BND employees, most of whom will be transferred from the present headquarters near Munich. This decision by Berlin to undergo such a large and expensive project (ridiculed as unnecessary by many Germans) reveals the growing importance and attention Germany's leadership is giving to its intelligence agency and network of spies.

Expatica recently discussed the response by Otto Schily, interior minister during Gerhard Schröder's chancellorship, to those who oppose the construction project.

"He argues that when flashpoint situations arise in the world, and German citizens' lives are endangered, the government has to react calmly, but swiftly. With the BND located in Berlin, the lines of communication between the government and the intelligence service are likely to be more effective …" (Nov. 15, 2006).

The relocation of the BND is intended not only to improve this one agency's efficiency, but also that of the entire German government.

With crises surging across the globe, the demand for Berlin to help manage these issues is intensifying. In recent years, Germany has been deeply involved both politically and militarily in such key arenas as the Balkans, Afghanistan, Eastern Europe, Lebanon, Israel, and throughout Africa. Even the covert role the BND is playing between Israel and Hezbollah. It is a nation in demand.

MIM-104 Patriot System of the Luftwaffe
(click to enlarge)

China's increasing investment in Africa has spurred into action other contenders for Africa's raw materials wealth, not the least being the European Union's leading nations, France and Germany. Each of these powers seeks to extend its individual hegemony within this greatly underdeveloped continent, in particular in the territory that each once ruled before decolonization took effect.

Indeed, in a race not unlike that of colonial days, Africa, it seems, is once again up for grabs.

EU states, intent on securing new sources of energy in order to lessen their dependence upon Russia, are increasingly looking toward North Africa.

Market monitor RiskCenter.com reported, "The region has for many years been a significant contributor to European gas supplies, but recent deals and current market noises point to this contribution witnessing sizeable growth. … For the EU, North Africa will be a key component of its energy future" (August 15, 2007).

The Chinese have been buying favor with African nations by direct investment in infrastructure — roads, rail, electricity distribution, port development, etc. — to aid in their procurement and shipment of raw materials, especially much-needed oil and gas. By contrast, Germany's heightened involvement is coming significantly from a different quarter: that of military involvement.

China certainly has the cash for capital investment, but the German-led EU has the regional proximity of its military forces to secure Africa's raw materials and China's African assets. It also has the benefit of lingering attachments and interests within much of Africa as a result of its colonial history.

Both the German-dominated EU and China have a huge thirst for energy-based resources. There may yet be a deal done between the two that will eventually block out the U.S. and Britain from access to Africa's energy wealth.

Reporting on Germany's involvement in the volatile, oil-rich region of Sudan, German-Foreign-Policy.com observed:

"Following the UN's decision to deploy troops to Sudan [where China has heavily invested], warmongers in Berlin are pushing for German participation. German foreign-policy specialists from the opposition, as well as from circles close to the ruling CDU party, are calling for Germany showing a presence in the western Sudanese province of Darfur, at least with military observers or high-ranking officers" (August 10, 2007).

Typically, Germany seeks first to penetrate Africa under the umbrella of its allies, in particular the U.S.

"It is, above all, Washington and Berlin who are pushing for a UN-mandated intervention in Darfur and seeking to militarily roll back the influence of the Sudanese central government. Regional secession is not being ruled out" (ibid.).

This is classic German foreign policy. The same strategy worked brilliantly in the Balkan Peninsula, where Germany motivated an illegal war fought largely by its allies, the U.S. and Britain, and gained for the European Union (i.e. Germany) the land hinge between Eastern and Western Europe. Having then ensured the involvement of the German Navy running security for the EU in the Mediterranean, the German-led EU took over Malta, which Italian Prime Minister (then European Commission president) Romano Prodi described as the EU's stepping stone to Africa.

Now the battle is joined for the further spread south by the EU behemoth.

But it is not only the U.S. that is being played for a patsy to secure German interests in Africa. Berlin is currying the favor of African allies in support of its plans to dominate the raw materials (in particular oil and gas) and cheap labor that are the continent's greatest economic assets.

"Ghana and Nigeria are playing decisive roles with their participation in the Sudan deployment and are receiving millions in German financial aid, for the maintenance of their troops. Further militarization of the African continent is a direct consequence"

Watch Germany push its influence south of the Mediterranean into Africa, having already, via the EU, virtually taken over Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean, including the island nation of Cyprus (on the doorstep of the Middle East and a short distance from Jerusalem).

by Ron Fraser, columnist, September 6, 2010
The latest move announced by Germany's defense minister prepares the fatherland to lead a consolidated European military force.

Hard on the heels of his presentation of a number of options to refine Germany's military force into a high-tech, professional rapid-response machine, Germany's Defense Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg has unveiled the latest initiative for the development of a pan-European military.

German-Foreign-Policy.com reported last week that

"On Thursday, this year's Anti-War Day, Berlin's defense minister together with three of his counterpart colleagues launched a joint military air transport command. The 'European Air Transport Command' (EATC) … is to be prepared to conduct future war missions of the German military (Bundeswehr) and other European states in a far more efficient and cost effective way" (September 2; our translation).

Just what does this mean for Germany, for Europe, and for the rest of the world? It means that the nation that gave the world two global wars in the space of just two decades of the 20th century is gearing for war once again! Read it for yourself: "prepared to conduct future war missions of the German military". Notice the German military figures as first priority. "[O]ther European states" tag along, but it is Germany that calls the tune!

So there ought to be no real surprise that the new head of this joint European air command is, you guessed it, a German senior military officer. "The first commander is a major general of the German Air Force (Luftwaffe)" (ibid.).

The following phrase reads like it could have been taken right out of one of Herbert Armstrong's extremely prescient prophetic descriptions of the foreordained future of Germany. It is certainly in line with the detailed prophetic articles penned by the editor in chief of the Trumpet magazine even as it is in very direct alignment with the detailed prophecies in your Bible for the Germany of today.

"The EATC will place in true perspective the politics of war of the EU states and create further steps towards the development of an EU army. The joining together of the EU national military forces serves especially the state that has the most political influence in the EU — Germany" (ibid.).

Well, you certainly can't say we didn't warn you. For almost 60 years under the administration of Herbert Armstrong, the Plain Truth magazine hammered away at the inevitability of what this past week became a current-day reality!

Now, if you can just grasp that reality, then prepare for the double whammy:

"Further on, the military explain, they also want, with the help of EATC, to extend the European influence within NATO. With this the intent is to gear against any U.S. reaction to being rivaled by a newly dominant world political rival in Berlin."

How can we not be tempted to say, "We told you so !"

Isn't it about time that you really educated yourself in just what is going on in Berlin, for the third time in less than a century? The above quotes are thrown into even starker light when it is realized that they come from German minds that really understand the motive and intent behind these moves by the German Defense Ministry!

Read the booklet Germany and the Holy Roman Empire. Read and come to grips with the reality of today's Germany, which is about to — once more, finally and for the last time — powerfully affect the social and political order of this planet. Read — watch, pray and prepare! For there is a way to escape the forthcoming devastating effects that this pan-European army will have on the Anglo-Saxon nations. But it is born of a real diligence in heeding Jesus Christ's command to "Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man" (Luke 21:36).

If you are one who heeds that command, then you will be looking forward with real anticipation to the grand hope that lies beyond the greatest trial this planet will ever have to endure. For as Jesus Christ Himself prophesied of events such as happened just last week in Berlin, "And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads for your redemption draweth nigh" (verse 28).

December 13, 2010 From theTrumpet.com
German troops are back in France.

German Defense Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg argued for greater European military cooperation on December 9 as he met with other European defense ministers in Brussels. The next day he celebrated the first deployment of German troops to France since World War II.

"The commitment to European defense must be more than just lip service," wrote Guttenberg in an article in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, published on December 9. "By intensifying our military cooperation, we will all benefit in the end."

European armed forces could have a "sharing of roles and duties," he wrote.

Guttenberg worked with Swedish Defense Minister Sten Tolgfors to present EU defense ministers with a plan to streamline Europe's militaries as nations cut their defense budgets. The "scarcity of resources in all nations," wrote Guttenberg, means that nations need to pool their military equipment.

Guttenberg suggested that research, development, training, maintenance and repairs were some of the areas in which nations could work together.

A lot of politicians have talked about integrating Europe's militaries, but often it has proved to be just "lip service," as Guttenberg alluded to. In the short time Guttenberg has been German defense minister, however, he has begun a complete revolution of the German military. His advocating European military cooperation could well achieve significant results.

Guttenberg's contribution to European military union has in fact already been more than lip service. On December 10, he joined his French counterpart, Alain Juppé, at a ceremony marking the first deployment of German troops to France since World War II.

A battalion of German troops will be stationed in Alsace, in Eastern France, as part of a joint Franco-German brigade. The deployment comes after German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy agreed to the deployment last year. The German soldiers began arriving in April. France has stationed two regiments in Germany under the same arrangement.

"It is an honor for us to receive German soldiers in a peaceful context on the French Republic's territory," said Sarkozy at a joint press conference with Merkel. "I was always surprised that the Franco-German Brigade only consisted of French soldiers stationed in Germany."

The Franco-German Brigade entered service in 1989, and has consisted of 5,400 troops stationed in southwestern Germany.

"German soldiers are today welcome in France," Merkel said. "For me, that has great symbolism, after all the misdeeds Germany was guilty of during the Nazi era."

Watch for Guttenberg to continue to push for European military cooperation. If he is as effective at this as he has been at remodeling the German Army, German soldiers will soon be welcome all over Europe.

by Ron Fraser, columnist, December 13, 2010
In the space of just one week, Germany has played three aces in its drive for dominance in Europe.

It really is amazing that so many still suffer from a blindness that prevents them from seeing the reality of the emerging European order.

This in spite of even the enlightening analyses coming out of a handful of the best intelligence sources.

While the United States is besotted by WikiLeaks and Europe by its euro crisis, few see the reality of what is now building rapidly on the Continent.

Two of the best sources of European intelligence, Stratfor and German-Foreign-Policy.com, came up with very cogent commentary last week involving the German question.

Stratfor's Peter Zeihan in a keen analysis observed the following (December 10 2010):

"What most people haven't realized in dealing with the European crisis is that in many ways this is a little intentional. … Now, in modern Europe, the Germans are back on the scene.

"They have a foreign policy, they have opinions, and they're acting upon them. And so their goal is to actually restructure the rules, the laws, the institutions that create the eurozone and make the common currency possible to their own end. And that end does not necessarily mean preventing bailouts, it does not even necessarily mean economic austerity. It's about making sure Berlin is large and in charge on the Continent."

When asked the question, "France used to like to think of itself as equal partners with Germany in Europe. But aren't these two headed for a clash?" Zeihan responded adamantly, "Definitely. The question is when. At this point, France does not have a better alternative. So long as Germany is willing to consult and even defer to France in many matters, the French are willing to let the Germans have their way with the financial system."

Hold that thought on France versus Germany and turn to German-Foreign-Policy.com:

"France is clearly lagging behind Germany in important targeted regions of its foreign policy. This has been confirmed in a series of studies published over the past few months by the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP). At the same time, Paris has, for the most part, adopted Berlin's foreign-policy priorities and — contrary to the 1990s — puts up no resistance to Berlin on basic issues. … France's loss of political influence vis-à-vis Berlin is in correlation with its growing economic loss of ground vis-à-vis Germany. … Overall, France is pursuing the same line of foreign policy as Germany and has given up previous deviating approaches. But France is clearly lagging behind the European hegemonic power."

This is a real game-changer.

The fracturing of the Franco-German platform upon which the European Union has been largely built is a glaringly obvious sign that it's Germany's time to assert itself, yet again, as an imperial power.

But it's all being done on the surface in a terribly friendly way.

German troops rolled up to France's eastern border this week for the first time since the Nazis were banished from French soil 65 years ago. In what was touted as "a symbol of deep friendship," a battalion of German combat troops was "formally stationed in eastern border of France on Friday, a gesture that showed the two European powers would never clash with guns and bullets" (Xinhua, December 10, 2010).

Well, that's all very well, but it still must be considered in the light of the potential of another German military initiative.

Having succeeded in uniting Europe economically, commercially, politically and — albeit precarious — financially, Germany is doing what any imperialist power would do next. The German government is moving to consolidate the EU's defense forces under German hegemony.

Deutsche Welle reported that ministers at a European Council defense meeting December 10

"gave their backing to a German and Swedish plan to analyze areas where more collaboration would be possible."

This is entirely consistent with German Defense Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg's policy of unifying both European defense industries and military forces. And it comes at a time when the German coalition leaders have approved the Guttenberg plan to eliminate conscription by July next year in favor of developing a highly professional military core which could deploy anywhere on the planet at a moment's notice.

While this is all proceeding rapid-fire, another just-as-concerning move is being considered by the German leadership. Using the terrorist threat as the excuse, German elites are

"pushing for what some call a 'super-police,' or merger of two federal police agencies. … The German government is re-floating a proposal to unite its two federal police forces, creating what some have called a 'super-police force' …. Some German opinion makers warned Friday that a merger of the two forces would have to be watched carefully in a country with a difficult history of a centralized police force" (Spiegel Online, December 10, 2010).

The Financial Times Deutschland wrote that

"the current Interior Minister Thomas de Maizière now wants to accomplish creating a new super-police, through the fusion of the bka and the Bundespolizei. The reform is necessary to dispose of more than 60 years of duplication" (December 10, 2010).

But that's exactly the point. It is the duplication, or rather the separation of structures within the German police force, that gives it protection from evolving into something akin to the dreaded SS of Nazi infamy. Now Germany's Interior Ministry, by posing the prospect of a centralized super-police force, is again putting Germans — and the rest of Europe — at risk of the revival of such a dreaded system.

Three aces — German troops welcome on France's eastern border, EU adopts German/Swedish plan for military consolidation, and a centralized police structure touted for Germany — all in just one week.

Think about some of those statements cited above:

"It's about making sure Berlin is large and in charge on the Continent."

"[T]he French are willing to let the Germans have their way with the financial system."

"France is pursuing the same line of foreign policy as Germany and has given up previous deviating approaches."

"By intensifying our military cooperation, we will all benefit in the end" (Guttenberg, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, December 9).

"The German government is re-floating a proposal to unite its two federal police forces, creating what some have called a 'super police force' …."

"It is no exaggeration to ask whether we are living in the last days of the eurozone, or the first days of a United States of Europe" (EUobserver, December 9, 2010).

Think — and then read what Herbert Armstrong said 35 years ago: "Germany is the economic and military heart of Europe. Probably Germany will lead and dominate the coming United States of Europe."

It does make you think, doesn't it ?

From the January 2011 Trumpet Print Edition
Most people think the crusades for Jerusalem are a thing of the past — over forever. They are wrong. Preparations are being made for a final crusade, and it will be the bloodiest of all! The exceedingly good news is this: The world will never again see a bloody crusade for Jerusalem. And nothing is more important than your understanding why!

The Crusades were a series of Roman Catholic "holy" wars to wrest control of the Holy Land from Muslims. They produced some of the bloodiest battles in history.

Did you ever wonder how the Catholics reconcile that "holy" slaughter with the Bible, which states, "Thou shalt not kill"? Or how they can read the Sermon on the Mount and still lead the religious world in spilling rivers of blood?

They are called the Christian Crusades. That label itself is a deception. They were primarily Catholic Crusades. Other Christian religions have their problems, but let's not blame them for what the Catholics did — and will do.

This last crusade is not just about the evils of Catholicism; it's also about evils of other nations and religions. Some background will help us understand.

Pope Urban II

In a.d. 622, Catholics fought and were defeated in a crusade against the Persians and the Jews. Some 60,000 Catholics were killed, and 35,000 enslaved. The fall of Jerusalem left the Catholic world shocked and mourning.

This war left Catholics bitter against the Jews for the role they played in the war. Much anti-Semitism began because of it.

Some historians consider this the First Crusade. But the Crusades we best remember came later, beginning in the 11th century.

Pope Urban II unleashed a savage Catholic army and started these later Crusades. This "righteous" army marched 3,000 miles to conquer the Holy Land.

Here is an excerpt from the book Crusades, by Terry Jones and Alan Ereira, which became a BBC television series:

"By summoning an army under the banner of the Cross, the pope was extending the church's mantle over all Christendom. This was the idea at the very heart of the revolutionary papacy; in place of separate local churches at the center of discreet communities, there was to be one overarching church, ruled by one overarching pope. The Crusade was to be its expression and its instrument".

They state that this thinking was at the heart of the papacy. The popes wanted to rule any church called Christian. Through the Holy Roman Empire, they also tried repeatedly to rule most of the world. They have succeeded six times and are about to succeed again, for the last time, according to Bible prophecy. (Read the free booklet Germany and the Holy Roman Empire.)

The Protestant churches are prophesied to be brought back into the Catholic Church (Isaiah 47). Mostly this will be done through bloodshed. Remember, this wish to rule all Christianity is at "the very heart of the revolutionary papacy." That means this philosophy has motivated them for nearly 2,000 years. And they still believe violent and bloody crusades are righteous. Have they ever truly repented of this condemning history? The answer is no.

History proves the Catholic Church to be one of the most militant institutions ever. Catholic leaders do not believe in a democratic philosophy. They have often "converted" people by the sword. And yet, this world seems unwilling to hold them accountable for their war crimes.

Modern historians have shown how closely they worked with the Nazis. It was through the Catholic Church that most of the leading Nazis escaped after World War II. We have shown in past articles how well documented that history is; no one should doubt it. (Read The Unholy Trinity by Mark Aarons and John Loftus, available at bookstores.)

Doesn't that crime reveal that the Catholics were deeply involved with the Nazi war machine?

This subject is too important to let our emotions stand in the way, because the worst is yet to come!

The last crusade will be the supreme inquisition of all history. It is time we understood the bloody history of the Crusades and let it be a warning!

The world seems almost unaware of these monstrous crimes.

The Jones and Ereira book continues,

"Urban's army would also rescue Jerusalem, the spiritual (and therefore the physical) center of the universe. He hoped that the redeemed Jerusalem would be directly ruled by the church.

"Every man who enrolled for the struggle must mark himself out by wearing a cross and, most important, vow to continue on his way until he reached Jerusalem.

"Urban's method of raising this army was completely original; as well as pay, he could offer paradise — anyone who took part had all their sins forgiven. 'Whoever for devotion alone, not to gain honor or money, goes to Jerusalem to liberate the church of God can substitute this journey for all penance.'"

Any Bible student ought to know that only God can offer paradise and forgive sins. But that is the big problem with most Christians: They don't believe and obey the Bible!

The whole world, including the religious world, is deceived (Revelation 12:9). Enormous problems like the Crusades will continue until we confront our own deception.

Jones and Ereira conclude,

"By saying that carrying out a military/political enterprise would make you a better person, wiping out past sins, Urban had invented a way by which every person could internalize papal policy. Fighting in the pope's cause was not only an obligation, it made you righteous. With that one idea, mass political action was launched. With that one idea, ideology was born. With that one idea, the Crusade was set in motion. Urban did not understand what he had done."

This pope certainly did not know what he had done. What he began led to a number of indescribably brutal wars between Catholics and Muslims.

The real tragedy is that the world, like Pope Urban, still doesn't understand what he did, and what the Catholic Church continues to do. Their real beliefs surface when they gain power. Today, they are building the greatest power they have ever had. If you understand their history, their future is very predictable — far more than most historians believe. Add Bible prophecy to that equation and you will see that this world faces a frightening specter.

Thankfully, all of that trouble is a sign tied directly to an imminent paradise that will unite all religious and secular movements forever! Plenty of free literature will prove that statement to any person who wants to understand.

Fighting on Both Sides

The Crusades created rivers of blood. And it was all done in the name of God. Of course, the Muslims responded with massive slaughters against the Crusaders, also in the name of God. Does it make any sense for God to be fighting on both sides? Or are these warring factions just giving our God of love a bloody reputation?

Jerusalem is considered a holy place by both religions. It is indeed considered the "center of the universe" to Catholics. They believe conquering Jerusalem makes them righteous. That has been their ideology from the beginning. It is still true today. The fruits are there to prove it. The Bible says that "by their fruits you shall know them." They believe in war as an instrument to achieve their religious goals.

"The following morning the Crusaders re-entered the al-Aqsa Mosque and slaughtered every Muslim sheltering there. No one knows how many died; the Muslim chronicler reports 70,000. One of the Crusaders reports picking his way through a mess of blood and bodies more than knee-deep" (ibid.). This is only one episode of many. People around the world have seen pictures of this very mosque.

How many Muslims still remember the history of this mosque being knee-deep in Arab blood? And all of this savagery supposedly made Catholics righteous! A warrior who burned Arab babies in the Crusade was considered worthy to gain glory for all eternity! Does this really make sense to a sound mind?

"But killing, the pope now declared, need not be a sin after all. It depended on who you killed. In fact, if you killed the enemies of Christ, killing did not require penance — it was the penance. Holy slaughter could be as effective a devotional activity as prayer, or fasting, or pilgrimage …" (ibid.).

The pope said, "Now we are proposing that you should fight wars which contain the glorious reward of martyrdom, in which you can gain the title of present and eternal glory …."

"The pope had also pointed out the importance of rescuing Jerusalem from the infidel. He seems to have suggested that 'rescue' meant 'seize and keep'" (ibid.).

The pope also said, "Take the road to the Holy Sepulcher, rescue that land from a dreadful race and rule over it yourselves."

Muslim and Jewish inhabitants of Jerusalem were slaughtered like pigs. And all of this was done by Catholics who presumably became more righteous in the process.

Were these killers true Christians? A true Christian is one who follows Christ. If we look in the Gospels, Christ tells us to love our enemies, even die for them — not kill them!

The memory of such horrendous massacres still lives in the minds of many Arabs.

Those memories have provoked Arabs and Jews to massacre Catholics throughout history in a similar manner — all in the name of religion.

King Peter's Crusade

King Peter launched his crusade from the little Mediterranean island of Cyprus, which was captured by Catholic Crusaders during the Third Crusade. Here is what Steven Runciman wrote about King Peter's Crusade in A History of the Crusades:

"King Peter arrived at Rhodes early in the month, and on the 25th the whole Cypriot fleet sailed into the harbor, 108 vessels in all, galleys, transports, merchant ships and light skiffs. With the great galleys of the Venetians and those provided by the Hospital, the armada numbered 165 ships. They carried a full complement of men, with ample horses, provisions and arms. Not since the Third Crusade had a proportionate expedition set out for the Holy War ….

"During the Friday night there was a fierce Muslim counterattack through one of the southern gates, which the Christians in their excitement had burned down. It was beaten off; and by the Saturday afternoon, all Alexandria was in the Crusaders' hands.

"The victory was celebrated with unparalleled savagery. Two and a half centuries of holy warfare had taught the Crusaders nothing of humanity. The massacres were only equaled by those of Jerusalem in 1099 and Constantinople in 1204. The Muslims had not been so ferocious at Antioch or at Acre. Alexandria's wealth had been phenomenal; and the victors were maddened at the sight of so much booty. They spared no one. The native Christians and the Jews suffered as much as the Muslims; and even the European merchants settled in the city saw their factories and storehouses ruthlessly looted. Mosques and tombs were raided and their ornaments stolen or destroyed; churches too were sacked, though a gallant crippled Coptic lady managed to save some of the treasures of her sect at the sacrifice of her private fortune. Houses were entered, and householders who did not immediately hand over all their possessions were slaughtered with their families. Some 5,000 prisoners, Christians and Jews as well as Muslims, were taken to be sold as slaves. A long line of horses, asses and camels carried the loot to the ships in the harbor and there having performed their task were killed. The whole city stank with the odor of human and animal corpses."

This author said, "The Crusades were the pope's work." The Crusade philosophy has made Catholic popes the bloodiest religious leaders ever !

Still, most people try to hide from this frightening reality. That is the main reason why the worst Catholic crusade is yet to come. Mankind refuses to believe the truth and believe God.

The world so quickly forgets. And because they do, the massive bloodshed continues. The Catholics did these appalling, despicable deeds before the world. But has anyone heard them repent before the world?

There is good news: Over a hundred Bible prophecies tell us that Jesus Christ will personally stop the next crusade! Sadly, however, that will only occur after the worst suffering ever on this Earth (Daniel 12:1; Matthew 24:21-22).

Cyprus

More than one crusade has been launched from Cyprus. Will we see the last crusade launched from there as well? Is history about to repeat itself?

Turkey, just north of Cyprus, has been a strong member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) for many years. Yet, a German-led European Union has rejected it from joining the EU — even though it has been applying since 1963, when there were only six members! Twenty-one new countries have joined since then. But that number is about to be reduced dramatically.

Why has the EU consistently rejected Turkey? Is it because Turkey is predominantly Islamic?

The EU is prophesied to be ultimately comprised of 10 kings ruling 10 nations, or groups of nations, dominated by Catholicism. Already the EU is being called the Holy Roman Empire. It has traditionally been the enemy of the Muslims.

Cyprus is now a member of the EU. Are European leaders already thinking about Cyprus as a launching pad from which to protect their Jerusalem interests?

You can be certain that they are thinking about how to protect the holy places in and around Jerusalem. The Europeans have thought like this for almost 2,000 years!

There is a real crisis in Cyprus today. Some people fear a war between Greece and Turkey, who share the rule of this island. Greece became the 10th member state of the EU in 1981, and Russia has already sold missiles to Greece, whose intention is to bully Turkey with them.

At a conference in Cyprus in July 2001, Dr. Osman Metin Ozturk explained that while EU membership of Cyprus would support the interests of Greece and the EU, it would stall U.S. and NATO interests.

Back in 1998, before Cyprus became an EU member, Christopher Lockwood, the Daily Telegraph's diplomatic editor in Nicosia, wrote,

"The EU has maneuvered itself into a position where it may soon have to take a bitterly divided island, with a propensity for violence and even war, into its bosom.

"It has poisoned relations with Turkey, a crucial NATO ally; made a solution to the Cyprus problem harder to achieve than ever …" (March 30, 1998).

Today, Turkey is allying itself with Iran.

Why would Europe risk such serious problems, even warfare, over this tiny island?

Even the people building the EU don't fully understand what is happening. There is a spirit and force behind these events that the world does not see.

"And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast. And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months" (Revelation 13:3-5).

If people truly understood what is happening in Europe, they would be trembling in fear.

Is there a final crusade planned to be launched into the Middle East from Cyprus? Is that why the EU was willing to take a dangerously divided little island as a member? It would not be the first crusade launched from Cyprus!

According to biblical prophecy, the European beast power will hold power for 3½ years, and then Christ will destroy that evil empire forever! We are entering the worst times ever, but they will lead into the best news we could ever receive!

The King of the South

One of the main tourist attractions in Jordan is the Crusader castles. The Catholics built most of them to war against the Muslims and control Jerusalem. These castles are stark reminders of the bloody past — and a far bloodier future!

The Jews have Jerusalem now. But not for long. Both Muslims and Catholics have designs for Jerusalem. These two great powers are about to clash again — go head to head in the final crusade over Jerusalem!

In 1997, Iran conducted major war games code-named "Road to Jerusalem." Between 150,000 and 500,000 soldiers participated. Iran pours vast resources into supporting the terrorist groups bordering the Jewish state. Hamas and Hezbollah strongholds to Israel's west and north are awash in Iranian money and weapons. Israeli sources recently revealed that Egyptian efforts to prevent aid from reaching Hamas in the Gaza Strip have broken down, and that Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps has smuggled "record funds" to the radical Palestinian group. Iran and Syria have provided Hezbollah tens of thousands of rockets and missiles. Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps has stepped up its training of Hezbollah's soldiers. It has built a set of underground tunnels and an underground telecommunications network for the terrorist group.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad personally visited southern Lebanon in October (2010). He was welcomed like a superstar —

"showered with rice and rose petals by tens of thousands of Hezbollah supporters who lined the streets and waved Iranian flags as his motorcade made its way from the airport to the presidential palace," the Sydney Morning Herald reported (Oct. 13, 2010). Speaking to a raucously supportive crowd just two miles from Israel's border, he said, "The whole world knows that the Zionists are going to disappear. The occupying Zionists today have no choice but to accept reality and go back to their countries of origin." He called Lebanon the "focus point of resistance" against the Jews and stressed Iran's commitment to "full liberation of occupied territory in Lebanon, Syria and Palestine."

What could be more provocative? Iran is advertising its strategy to the world. It knows that conquering Jerusalem would help it unite the Arab world. Few people understand this Muslim passion for Jerusalem and its holy sites! These are the kind of passions that cause war!

Iran will lead what the Bible calls "the king of the south" (Daniel 11:40). This power will be comprised of the radical Islamic movement. Iran is working fiercely to lead this radically militant religion.

Iran has virtually destroyed the peace process single-handedly. But still, the world continues to talk about peace. Iran and radical Islam don't want peace, and words won't deter them.

This past September, one day after Israeli and Palestinian leaders agreed to resume talks on a U.S.-backed peace deal, Ahmadinejad urged Palestinians not to abandon their armed struggle against the Jews.

The occasion was Quds Day — or Jerusalem Day — Iran's annual display of support for the Palestinian cause and the "liberation of Jerusalem." Started in 1979 by Ayatollah Khomeini, Jerusalem Day is an occasion for Iran and its supporters to denounce Israel and call for its destruction, praise terrorism and condemn the peace process.

This past year, Ahmadinejad emphasized the global significance of the festival. The Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center reported that

"according to Ahmadinejad, the issue of Jerusalem is not limited to one geographic area; it is not just a Palestinian issue and it is, in fact, 'even greater than the issue of Islam.'"

Joseph de Courcy once wrote in the Islamic Affairs Analyst, "Subscribers should be in absolutely no doubt about this. From Iran's support for subversion in Bahrain, through its improving ties with Egypt, its support for Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Islamist revolutionaries in Khartoum, to its close strategic alliance with Moscow, everything has the same ultimate purpose: the liberation of Jerusalem from under the Zionist yoke."

The U.S. has tried to isolate Iran. Almost no other nation supports America. This attempt has failed. The U.S. is fighting against Bible prophecy.

Iran is about to have nuclear bombs. Its leaders believe America can be neutralized by terrorism — perhaps nuclear terrorism.

"We know but one word: struggle, struggle. Jihad, jihad, jihad," Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat said in 1996. "When we stop our intifada, when we stop our revolution, we go to the greater jihad, the jihad of the independent Palestinian state with its capital Jerusalem."

Jihad is the Arab cry for holy war. They will get their war. But it will not be holy. It will lead to the worst suffering this planet has ever experienced!

Final Crusade Prophesied

"And at the time of the end shall the king of the south push at him: and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships [perhaps from Cyprus]; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over" (Daniel 11:40).

This king of the south is the Iran-led radical Muslims. They are strong and are pushing others around in the Middle East.

Soon they will push at the king of the north, the so-called Holy Roman Empire — the same religious power that was behind the Crusades. And that push will surely revolve around Jerusalem.

Just 20 years ago, nobody could have even imagined two world powers coming out of the Middle East and Europe. But God knew exactly what would happen. Nobody but God could have inspired these prophecies. Everybody can see these two great powers today.

Just look at what is happening in Europe — and has been for years. Pope John Paul II worked feverishly to revive the Holy Roman Empire. Twenty-nine years ago, in Spain, Nov. 9, 1981, he said this:

"It can be said that the European identity is not understandable without Christianity and that it is precisely in Christianity that are found those common roots by which the Continent has seen its civilization mature: its culture, its dynamism, its activity, its capacity for constructive expansion in other continents as well; in a word, all that makes up its glory. …

"Find yourself again. Be yourself. Discover your origins, revive your roots. Return to those authentic values which made your history a glorious one and your presence so beneficent in the other continents."

During the Inquisition, over 50 million innocent people were killed in the name of "Christianity"! That's right — 50 million! Was that history glorious? And you can add many millions more as victims of the Holy Roman Empire. "Discover your origins, revive your roots. Return to those authentic values which made your history a glorious one"? Those "origins" and "roots" and that "history" caused many millions of people to die!

In Revelation 17, God paints a vivid picture of a great church as a lavishly dressed harlot, holding sway over the nations. God sees things as they truly are! Let's look at God's view:

"And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration" (Revelation 17:6).

God sees this lady "drunken" on the blood of the saints! Is killing God's saints "glorious" ?

The Holy Roman Empire will come at the king of the south like a whirlwind. Will there be a surprise attack from Cyprus? Will we see the final crusade launched from there? A whirlwind comes suddenly. So it doesn't appear the attack will be launched from Western Europe.

We must understand the Holy Roman Empire and the Crusades to understand the Catholics' passion for Jerusalem. They have a long history of spilling rivers of blood over Jerusalem.

Notice what their first action is after they are victorious.

"He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon" (Daniel 11:41).

This army "enters" into the glorious land, or the Holy Land. The Hebrew indicates this is a peaceful entry — not forced.

The Jews appear to invite them in as peacekeepers. But this leads to a great double-cross, prophesied in Ezekiel chapter 23. (Read the free booklet Ezekiel: The End-Time Prophet.)

The Jews should remember the history of the violence and bloodshed by the Crusaders. Then perhaps they would choose differently.

"He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape. But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt: and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps" (Daniel 11:42-43). Many other countries are going to fall to this great power too.

Twice it mentions that Egypt will not escape. For over three decades, Egypt has been the most moderate nation in the Middle East. Iran has pushed Egypt toward its own radical camp. That is because Egypt fears terrorism and its own radical Muslims. We have seen that happen before our eyes, just as God prophesied it would!

The Good News

At that point in prophecy, the Holy Roman Empire will face disaster.

"But tidings out of the east and out of the north shall trouble him: therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many" (verse 44).

The Russians and Chinese will prepare for war with Europe. The Europeans will see it happening and strike first. They will, however, be defeated.

"And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him" (verse 45).

Notice, the religious leader will move his headquarters to Jerusalem — and not just for protection. He could go to many other cities that would be safer. But this will be a religious act of faith. The Vatican considers Jerusalem to be its most holy place on Earth — the "center of the universe." Still, he will come to a most ignominious end. Nobody will be there to help him.

There should be no chapter break between Daniel 11 and 12. The story flow continues, illustrating that this religious war will trigger a nuclear World War III.

"And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book" (Daniel 12:1).

There has never before been trouble like this. God promises to protect His people physically. Otherwise, they would perish in a nuclear nightmare.

As bad as this news is, it leads to the best news this world has ever heard!

"And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days" (verse 11).

The daily sacrifice is referring to God's work. That work will be taken away — removed when God takes His people to a place of protection (Matthew 24:15-16; Luke 21:20-21). That must happen because the abomination of desolation, or the king of the north, is going to conquer America and Britain. But when that happens, you will be able to start counting days to the return of Jesus Christ (Daniel 12:12). He will end these "holy wars" forever.

Any child should understand that the fruits of these "holy wars" have been diabolical! There is no excuse for America and Britain not knowing the truth. God has been sending His message in power for over 70 years! They have rejected it repeatedly. That is why they now must suffer so intensely. Finally, God will get their attention and lead them to peace, full joy and abundance.

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