The Past Meets the Present in Berlin

Three events in Germany this week caught our attention.

First, on Wednesday, Sebastian Kurz, Austria’s new chancellor, visited Angela Merkel in Berlin.

The meeting seemed to go well—there were lots of smiles and warm platitudes—but it was hard not to notice the stark contrast between these two leaders.

Kurz is 31 years old. He’s fresh, energetic, popular; and he’s coming off a convincing victory in recent Austrian elections. His views, especially on the migrant crisis and Europe’s borders, reflect the mood of the Austrian people and of many Europeans.

Merkel is almost the exact opposite. She is twice his age; she looks and sounds tired, and she is coming off a really disappointing election. Merkel’s leadership is uninspiring, and some of her views, especially on the migrants, are now outdated.

At this meeting, Europe’s past met Europe’s future.

Seeing these two side by side was a reminder that there are now two Europes.

There’s Angela Merkel’s Europe: This Europe is bureaucratic and slow-moving; it’s multicultural, tolerant and non-confrontational. It’s globalist. Then there’s Kurz’s Europe: This Europe wants Europe’s Christian culture protected; it’s more nationalistic; it wants to lock down borders and stem the influx of foreigners.

The reality is, the momentum now is behind Sebastian Kurz’s Europe.

For many Germans, seeing their older, tired-looking chancellor standing beside Kurz—a young, energetic man with movie-star looks—would have been quite jolting. It would have reminded Germans of what they don’t have—and what they need.

Second, it appears Angela Merkel this week secured an agreement with Martin Schulz and the Social Democrats to form a coalition government. If true, this is an important development.

Germany has been without an official government since September 2017. The nation, Europe and the financial markets really need Germany to have a stable government.

But the agreement isn’t in the bag. The Social Democrats have yet to sign-off on the deal.

Finally, German police this week raided a number of homes and businesses in pursuit of Iranian spies. The spies are reported to be connected to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which is the most powerful intelligence branch of the Iranian government.

Whilst it’s not especially unusual to learn that nations are spying on one another, the discovery of Iranian spies in Germany resonates with us because of the prophecy in Daniel 11:40.

This prophecy states that Iran in the end time will have a provocative relationship with Germany and that Germany ultimately will engage in major military confrontation with Iran and its allies.

If you’d like to learn more about this prophecy, you can request our free booklet The King of the South.