On Dec. 7, 1989, just 28 days after the fall of the Berlin Wall, I was fired from the Worldwide Church of God. Since then, our work and the rise of Germany have been connected.

In fact, my opposition to the wcg’s “prophesy not” attitude was a major reason why I got fired.

The late Herbert W. Armstrong sounded a strong Bible-based warning that Germany would rise again and start World War iii. However, by 1988, two years after Mr. Armstrong died, almost nobody in the wcg was talking about prophecy.

I was a minister in the wcg at the time, and that year we had a refresher program. I wanted to discuss this with Joseph Tkach, the new pastor general. I went to see him, and his son, Joe Jr., happened to be there. I explained that I was emphasizing prophecy and wanted to get their thoughts. I quickly realized that they had no interest in proclaiming God’s prophetic warning. Instead they wanted to focus on building the Church’s college. To me, this was alarming.

God warned that the Laodiceans would say, “Prophesy not” (Amos 2:12). They were saying that very forcefully in 1988! They had no interest in proclaiming God’s prophecies, because doing that can get you into trouble!

After the Berlin Wall fell in 1989, a news station in Seattle, familiar with Mr. Armstrong’s warning, asked if the opening of the wall was the commencement of end-time prophetic events. “We responded that it was premature to make statements like that,” the wcg’s Pastor General’s Report stated on Nov. 21, 1989.

At the time, I wrote, “Shallow prophetic understanding like this will cause the wcg leaders to think events are ‘premature’ right up to the time they are in the Tribulation, experiencing them!” (Malachi’s Message). My determination to continue Mr. Armstrong’s warning, and my opposition to the many doctrinal changes taking place in the wcg, got me fired.

This chain of events led to the founding of the Philadelphia Trumpet in February 1990, 36 years ago.

In the July 1990 issue, I wrote: “Amos describes a time when those who were trained to prophesy were commanded to ‘prophesy not!’ [O]ne of God’s main requirements of His Church is to prophesy! Germany has already reunited in its heart and mind. The world is just waiting for the formal paperwork to be signed! But Church leaders are saying prophecy is a minor issue.”

As I explained then, Amos 3:3 shows that those who followed God’s command to prophesy needed to separate from that church to get the job done.

In that same article, I asked this about the work of the wcg: “Is the television broadcast blowing a trumpet warning to the nations about the rebirth of Germany; a united Europe; the rise back to power of the Roman Catholic Church? No, it is not!”

Over the years, many people have scoffed at Mr. Armstrong’s forecast of the rebirth of German militarism in a united Europe. Laodicean leaders were intimidated by the scoffers and stopped warning about Germany! Only the Philadelphia Church of God has continued Mr. Armstrong’s legacy.

And look where Germany is today! Everything Mr. Armstrong warned about is coming to pass!

After listing some of Germany’s 2024 military purchases, the British Telegraph made a stunning observation on Nov. 2, 2025: “Overall, Germany’s purchases last year added up to more than three times the combined amount spent by Britain, France and Poland in the same period.”

This is astonishing! The nation that was reduced to rubble 80 years ago for committing terrible atrocities against these three nations ordered three times as many weapons as them in 2024!

But this is just the beginning.

This past March, Germany passed a historic constitutional change that allows it to borrow money and spend hundreds of billions more on infrastructure and weaponry.

As this Trumpet issue shows, Germany is prophesied to use its military power to start World War iii. The Trumpet is the only one declaring this warning!

In fact, the current U.S. administration is encouraging Germany’s militarization. It is supporting far-right parties such as Germany’s Alternative für Deutschland. But it should be clear that these parties that seek “sovereignty” and “traditional European ways of life” don’t want to fight alongside America.

In “The Rise of German Nationalism Exposes Washington’s Delusions,” the American Conservative stated: “Europe will not automatically be a reliable partner for American military adventures. … Europeans will not fight America’s wars in Asia or the Middle East, and increasingly they won’t even support proxy conflicts on their own doorstep if the costs become too high” (Dec. 11, 2025).

The Roman Catholic Church is also becoming increasingly involved.

In an address on December 10 to members of the European Conservatives and Reformists group of the European Parliament, which includes many right-wing parties, Pope Leo xiv said that Europe’s leaders must protect “the religious legacy of this continent.” He said, “[E]veryone is a beneficiary of the contribution that the members of the Christian communities have made and continue to make for the good of European society. We need only call to mind some of the important developments in Western civilization, especially the cultural treasures of its towering cathedrals, sublime art and music, and advances in science, not to mention the growth and spread of the universities. These developments create an intrinsic link between Christianity and European history, a history which should be cherished and celebrated.”

Should this history be cherished? What about all the bloodshed of the Crusades, the pogroms against the Jews, the forced conversions in the Inquisition? One church in Nuremberg, Germany, commissioned by Emperor Charles iv stands on the ashes of a burned-down synagogue. Many other churches have portrayed Jews as pigs in their “art”!

Pope Leo encouraged lawmakers to emulate Thomas More, “the patron of politicians, whose wisdom, courage and defense of conscience are a timeless inspiration for those who seek to foster the well-being of society.” “Saint” More burned those he disagreed with at the stake and was one of the most influential voices justifying the burning of Protestants in England!

In an earlier letter, Leo praised Emperor Constantine and the Council of Nicaea as a model of how to unite Christians, glossing over the fact that this was accomplished by state-sanctioned persecution against all who disagreed with the Catholic Church.

This institution looks like a lamb—but speaks like a dragon! (Revelation 13:11). That is deceit! This is a beast—led by the mind of a beast!

Truly, the world needs a fierce warning about the nightmares that are about to unfold at the hands of these rising powers. But few people recognize it. And most of those who did at one time, have grown too self-absorbed or afraid to speak out. That is why the Laodiceans say “prophesy not.”

And that is why the Trumpet exists. And why we will continue to boldly proclaim the prophetic warnings of the Bible!