Germany is in a self-inflicted energy crisis. For years, it relied heavily on cheap Russian gas, fully aware that the fragile relationship could unravel at any moment. When that rupture came in 2022, Germany worsened the impending crisis by continuing its nuclear energy phase-out and funneling resources into the less reliable “green” energy sector. The result: soaring energy prices. Yet within this crisis lies opportunity. Something big could be brewing in Germany.

While on the campaign trail, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced an ambitious goal: two large fusion reactors in Germany. Fusing atomic nuclei releases an enormous amount of energy. But despite recent breakthroughs, the challenges of releasing and harnessing this energy have been insurmountable.

“If nuclear fusion is successful, it would be the biggest change in the energy sector since the Industrial Revolution,” Germany’s Union parties published in their “New Energy Agenda for Germany” on Nov. 5, 2024. “This technology is now at a point where bold decisions need to be made and regulatory and investment decisions need to be taken.”

The government’s coalition agreement states:

We are advancing innovative climate technologies. We are expanding research in the fields of photovoltaics, wind energy, geothermal energy, hydrogen and storage technologies such as batteries. We want to promote fusion research more strongly. Our goal is for the world’s first fusion reactor to be located in Germany.

If Germany were saturated with cheap Russian gas and lucrative nuclear energy, there might be less incentive for this. But in the current crisis, innovation is seen as a must. One couldn’t have a more ambitious goal than creating the world’s first fusion reactor.

Why Now?

Germany’s Handelsblatt pointed out that current geopolitical pressures incentivize investment in fusion and other European nations want Germany to lead the way. The paper wrote on March 21:

The political situation around the world, with an unpredictable Donald Trump in the United States and an aggressive Vladimir Putin in Russia, makes the search for unlimited energy even more urgent. European pioneers want to take advantage of this. They want to finally move fusion energy out of the research stage. And they are relying primarily on industry and the new German federal government to do so.

A dedicated association has even been founded in Brussels for this purpose: the European Fusion Association. Its members include well-known names such as laser specialist Trumpf, Italian energy group Enel and French defense company Thales.

Milena Roveda, head of Gauss Fusion, is convinced that what is needed now is industry and engineers to take the whole thing out of the laboratories and put it into practice. The start-up from Germany’s fusion capital Munich was not founded by scientists, but by a consortium of French, Italian, German and Spanish industrial companies.

The Fusion Industry Association wrote on March 7: “With substantial investments, strategic planning and a focus on technological innovation, Germany is positioning itself at the forefront of the global race to commercial fusion.”

Handelsblatt added, “Four of the approximately 45 fusion companies worldwide are based in Germany. Despite the economic crisis, Proxima, Marvel, Gauss and Focused Energy cannot complain about a lack of investor interest—unlike many others.”

Three of these start-ups are based in Munich, where former German Economic Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg resides. Recently, Guttenberg has talked about Germany’s energy needs and expressed hope in a breakthrough in fusion. It wouldn’t be surprising if some of the start-ups he is investing in are Munich’s fusion start-ups.

Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry has often pointed to Guttenberg as an influential man to watch. Guttenberg has strong connections to the new German government. His girlfriend, Katherina Reiche, has been appointed Germany’s economic minister and could play a crucial role in bringing more political support for investments.

Fusion the Future?

Producing energy through fusion is essentially what the sun does. In just two seconds, the sun releases enough energy to meet humanity’s current global needs for a million years. The prospect of replicating even a fraction of that power on Earth carries world-changing potential.

“The lure of commercially viable nuclear fusion power generation is compelling,” we wrote in 2011. “It produces zero ‘greenhouse gasses.’ No radioactive waste is produced. There is no chance of a catastrophic Fukishima-type meltdown. It is a million times more efficient than today’s nuclear power plants—and a trillion times more efficient than fossil fuels. … The ability to build minivan-size suns able to supply the energy needs of whole countries for millenniums holds the potential to change the world forever.”

Fusion is the energy of the future—and always will be, is the common saying, mocking the fact that researchers have, for decades, believed they were just five years away from a breakthrough.

But things could be different now. Germany’s Handelsblatt explained:

For more than 70 years, researchers have been trying to replicate the sun’s energy on Earth. Fusion power releases energy through the fusion of atomic nuclei. The first successes were achieved three years ago—but only in the laboratory. Since then, investment in fusion companies has risen significantly.

While we don’t know if Germany will make the breakthrough, it already has, by some accounts, the most advanced and envied nuclear power plants in the world.

The fact that it hasn’t restarted them may show Germany’s confidence in attaining a fusion breakthrough. Germany’s Bild wrote on May 23:

Representatives from politics and the nuclear power lobby met in Berlin on Thursday at the elegant Hotel de Rome. They discussed whether the German nuclear power plants could be restarted.

The focus was on Mark Nelson, a nuclear engineer from Chicago, Illinois, and founder of the Radiant Energy Group, who meticulously calculated what a ramp-up would cost and how quickly it would happen.

“There is no cheaper way to generate electricity in the world than with your paid-off nuclear power plants,” Nelson told Bild. Together with a consortium of companies and investors, he is planning the nuclear turnaround in Germany. The Americans are certain: nine German nuclear power plants could be reactivated. …

Nelson puts his finger in the wound: “You got out of nuclear power just as Chatgpt came onto the market. Everyone knows that AI needs an infinite amount of energy, and that’s when you shut down the best power plants in the world.”

Germany also wants to be a global leader in artificial intelligence. So it is puzzling why it isn’t reinvesting in its nuclear power plants. Similar debates have emerged over the idea of restoring the gas supply from Russia. Yet considering Germany has so far managed to keep its energy levels stable without these resources, one can only imagine the potential if it achieved breakthroughs in fusion and other cutting-edge technologies—while also reintroducing nuclear power and regaining access to large amounts of Russian gas.

Guttenberg has urged Germany for years to invest heavily in AI. His recent push for fusion can be seen in this context. It is also noteworthy that the German government is setting up an expert commission on Competition and Artificial Intelligence at the Economics Ministry—led by Reiche.

Why It Matters

For Germany to become an economic and military powerhouse, energy is crucial. With new methods of producing energy combined with advances in AI, Germany could suddenly rise to unprecedented strength. The Bible prophesies this is exactly what will happen. Daniel 8 and Revelation 17 reveal this transformation will be led by a strongman. We believe this leader will be Guttenberg. Mr. Flurry wrote in the March 2024 Trumpet:

Guttenberg is following in the footsteps of Bavarian leaders Edmund Stoiber and Franz Josef Strauss, who harnessed high-tech industry. Strauss and Stoiber helped make Bavaria the high-tech economic powerhouse that it is today. What if Guttenberg enhances this industrial power with artificial intelligence? …

America will be blindsided by German military technology. The Germans are moving fast, and in some ways they are already ahead of America. What we see in the news is only a fraction of what is going on behind the scenes, I am sure. Winston Churchill warned, “Beware! Germany is a country fertile in military surprises.” The Bible warns that the biggest surprises are yet ahead!

Bible prophecy explicitly reveals that Germany is preparing to start another world war. “The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is” (Revelation 17:8). This verse is talking about a great empire, or beast, that has risen through the centuries as the Holy Roman Empire, which included Adolf Hitler’s Third Reich.

One of Germany’s greatest challenges during World War ii was a shortage of energy supplies. Solving its energy crisis is a high priority for Germany today—and Bible prophecy reveals it will succeed, at least for a short time.

Read Mr. Flurry’s article “The Unknown Future of Artificial Intelligence” to see where modern innovations are leading our world—and how to heed the Bible’s warnings.