As a German citizen living abroad on a temporary visa, I am directly affected by a clause in the new German military conscription law. The law states that men ages 17 to 45 must obtain permission from the German Armed Forces if they wish to stay abroad for more than three months. This change, which took effect on January 1 but remained unnoticed for months, is part of the German government’s efforts to prepare the country for war.

For now, the government reassures us that the law is not strictly enforced and that permissions will be granted automatically. Nevertheless, I can’t help but wonder what would happen if this automatic permission were withdrawn. My ability to live abroad suddenly depends on the permission of the German military.

It used to be that such authorization was needed only in a state of tension with an imminent military threat, not in peacetime. But the Military Service Modernization Act makes it possible to require it at any time.

A few European countries have similar laws. But the way this change was introduced is suspicious. There was no public debate beforehand, nor a public clarification after it was passed.

Only after the Frankfurter Rundschau reported on it on April 3 did the Defense Ministry attempt to explain the change, which only made matters worse. People are getting the impression that the government is preparing to reintroduce conscription suddenly, no matter how many volunteers join the military—and then this law will become a hard reality.

Imagine a 17-year-old student who wants to study abroad, or a 45-year-old man who receives a new job opportunity, needing to discuss these plans with the Bundeswehr career center.

“In an emergency, we need to know who is potentially staying abroad for a longer period,” a ministry spokeswoman told German media.

Welt commented: “Let’s not kid ourselves. It couldn’t be made any clearer that the situation in Europe is growing increasingly serious. The government wants to know where its young men are again, so it can draft them. That’s the message between the lines. The government is once again thinking in terms of mobilization” (April 13). The message is clear: If war is breaking out, you are on our list, no matter where you are.

Nicole Gohlke, deputy parliamentary group leader of the Left Party, called the rule “a scandal that shows authoritarianism and militarization go hand in hand.”

I rarely agree with the far-left parties, but in this case I do.

Over the past decade, I witnessed how Germany was transformed by the refugee crisis and the coronavirus pandemic. Both events left a permanent mark on German society, a mark I could see every time I returned home. But Germany’s military transformation has far greater implications.

German students are undergoing medical examinations assessing their fitness for the military. Older Germans are being alerted that they may be called on to fight. Businesses are practicing emergency plans for wartime. Manufacturing lines are being repurposed to produce deathware. The government removed the debt brake to release hundreds of billions of euros to fund Germany’s militarization. French fighter jets are gearing up to expand France’s nuclear umbrella over Germany.

War clouds are gathering, and we are already hearing the first claps of thunder.

Yet almost nobody is concerned about Germany’s past repeating itself. Germany is presenting itself as a new nation, completely transformed since World War ii. After all, if you ask for permission to leave the country, you don’t have to get the approval of an SS officer with blood on his hands. The German military is for defense, people reason.

But if you consider these facts objectively, you see the developments in an alarming new light: The 1930s are repeating themselves.

While we pride ourselves on being a more advanced civilization than that of the World War ii era, the Bible reveals in 2 Timothy 3 that human nature is actually getting worse.

What if a militaristic leader takes charge of this rising military machine? What if military plans of the past are revived? What if new propagandists refashion the narrative? What if the Nazi underground, whose existence has been documented and verified, proves successful?

Has our society really become so civilized that it would not repeat the horrors of the past?

Revelation 17 gives a clear answer: The old empire will rise again. To prove these prophecies, request a free copy of Germany and the Holy Roman Empire.

So: Do I need to fear that the military will apprehend me on my next trip home?

In Matthew 10:28, Jesus Christ tells us that even though authorities have the power to take our physical lives, they have no power beyond that. Our goal should be to say: “The Lord is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?” (Psalm 118:6).

Right now, it’s easy to say this. There is no imminent threat. The prophesied persecution from this world hasn’t set in. But the time will come when our trust in God will be tested (John 15:20). The German Army will come after all of us, one way or another. Are you prepared?