Chapter 2

Germany Rises and Conquers—Again

From the booklet Habakkuk

The book of Habakkuk was originally delivered to the Jews just prior to the Babylonian captivity and destruction of Solomon’s temple. It was meant to be a sober warning of their imminent destruction and captivity!

Their terrifying ordeal was only a type of our imminent destruction today. When you see the ancient Assyrians (modern Germany) on the rise and God’s Church divided, destruction and captivity are at our doorstep! Is Germany on the rise? Yes! Has there been a split in God’s Church? For those willing to see, yes!

The Coming Chaldeans

If you truly understand the book of Habakkuk, it is clear that God is doing a new work through the Philadelphia Church. A major thrust of the pcg’s work is a call to repentance. The majority of the Laodiceans will refuse to listen. But sooner or later God will get their attention—if not now, then in the Tribulation. You see, there is another part to this story. God has never allowed His nation or Church to reject Him without severe punishment. If the people of God will not believe God’s call to repentance through the Philadelphia Church of God, then He’ll add another dimension to get their attention.

“For, lo, I raise up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, which shall march through the breadth of the land, to possess the dwellingplaces that are not theirs” (Habakkuk 1:6). Who is God talking about? He is going to bring back a Babylonian power to get people’s attention. We know this is referring to the new Babylonian system rising up in Europe, led by modern Germany—the “bitter and hasty nation” (singular). For those willing to hear, God is showing that when the split in the Church occurs, He will also raise up the beast power (request our free booklet Germany and the Holy Roman Empire).

Its rise to power will be much more dramatic after our court-case victory!

The split in God’s Church occurred in December 1989, one month after the Berlin Wall came down in Germany, paving the way for Germany’s reunification. Germany is now becoming the financial powerhouse of the world. The Holy Roman Empire is ready to burst on the world scene. The 10 nations are almost in place. All that has to happen is for someone to tie it all together. When that happens, the greatest time of human suffering will begin!

The United States has become the largest debtor nation in the world. America and Britain are plummeting from power. Soon they will be enslaved if they don’t repent.

The pcg court victory is the very strongest kind of warning to God’s people! It dates the prophecy of Habakkuk in a most dramatic way! It is a time to shift from walking to running. Time is almost up!

God is working things out according to His appointed time. God is very upset with the deceit going on within His Laodicean churches. God has made a very difficult decision. Instead of putting the Church back on track through some faithful man, He has raised up another work to warn the Laodiceans. If they won’t hear, God will move to the next stage of His plan.

Evening Wolves

“They are terrible and dreadful: their judgment and their dignity shall proceed of themselves. Their horses also are swifter than the leopards, and are more fierce than the evening wolves: and their horsemen shall spread themselves, and their horsemen shall come from far; they shall fly as the eagle that hasteth to eat” (Habakkuk 1:7-8). Eventually God is going to correct His errant Church. The same punishment God will place on the U.S. and Britain (biblical Israel) will be inflicted upon all of God’s own Church members who accept a slacked law (verse 4).

Habakkuk saw the Chaldeans as wolves. Wolves are interesting creatures. They will sleep and fast all day in order to be ready for the hunt at night. The Prophet Isaiah also saw Israel being attacked at night. So Israel and God’s Laodicean Church will become the prey of “evening wolves.” These wolves not only eat the meat of their prey; they also eat the bones! A fierce, hungry nation is now rising on the world scene that will destroy and plunder the U.S. and Britain—and God’s Church that has gone off track. Laodicean leaders can say repeatedly, “The end-time Elijah has not come,” or “My Lord delays His coming,” or “Forget about prophecy,” but that will not change the terror that is coming! wcg leaders have rejected the prophecies Mr. Armstrong taught the Church for decades. But that will not stop the Chaldeans from rising and conquering!

This vicious nation of evening wolves is about ready to move. “They shall come all for violence: their faces shall sup up as the east wind, and they shall gather the captivity as the sand. And they shall scoff at the kings, and the princes shall be a scorn unto them: they shall deride every strong hold; for they shall heap dust, and take it” (verses 9-10). The beast power, with modern Germany at the helm, will come against the U.S., Britain and the Middle East Jews for one purpose—violence! It will ignore and scoff at other kings or princes. It won’t have mercy or compassion.

A Change of Mind

“Then shall his mind change, and he shall pass over, and offend, imputing this his power unto his god” (Habakkuk 1:11). The Chaldean leader’s mind will dramatically change. But change from what? Mr. Armstrong warned for decades that the United States of Europe would be led by a great religious power. Notice that Habakkuk saw “his mind change.”

Let’s look at another, similar scripture. “O Assyrian, the rod of mine anger, and the staff in their hand is mine indignation. I will send him against an hypocritical nation, and against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge, to take the spoil, and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets. Howbeit he meaneth not so, neither doth his heart think so; but it is in his heart to destroy and cut off nations not a few” (Isaiah 10:5-7). Even though the beast power is made up of 10 nations or groups of nations, God looks at the major power as residing in Assyria, which is Germany today. Notice that God plans to use this nation to punish two groups of people. God will send modern Germany against “an hypocritical nation” and against “the people of my wrath.” The hypocritical nation is Israel, and the people of His wrath are those in God’s Laodicean Church. They had God’s truth and rebelled against it.

If you would go to the leaders who are now shaping Europe and tell them that they are building a war machine that is about to “cut off nations,” they would not believe it! They believe that what they are accomplishing in Europe will be for the good of many people. But God reveals through Isaiah that even though it is not in their present plans to destroy, there will be a mind change because Satan is going to get to a German leader, yet to rise and lead Europe! Modern Germany has a history of cutting off nations. God refers to it as the “rod of mine anger” and “mine indignation.” God is angry with the nations of Israel and His Church. He is going to give them concentration camps, torture and miseries far worse than the Holocaust of World War ii! You can read for yourself in Revelation 13 about the two beasts, one political and one religious, and how they “[lead] into captivity” and “[kill] with the sword” (Revelation 13:10).

Habakkuk 1:11 shows that this political leader in Assyria, after his mind changes, imputes his war-making power “unto his god,” which is Satan. There is much power, but it comes from Satan—though this man will think it’s from God! (verse 4). Satan will gain control of these two leaders (political and religious) and cause the worst time of horror and suffering in human history! The devil hates Israel and God’s Church and intends to do violence! He has no compassion or mercy.

Chaldeans Ordained for Judgment

“Art thou not from everlasting, O Lord my God, mine Holy One? we shall not die. O Lord, thou hast ordained them for judgment; and, O mighty God, thou hast established them for correction. Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity: wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously, and holdest thy tongue when the wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous than he?” (Habakkuk 1:12-13). At this point, Habakkuk began to receive understanding. He knew that God is pure and does not tolerate iniquity. He realized that God was aware of the treachery going on within the Jewish religion of his time. We too must realize that God is aware of what is happening within His Church today. Habakkuk realized that God was going to use the Chaldeans to execute judgment and correction on the nation of Judah and its religion. God will use the modern Chaldeans to correct the nations of Israel and His Church today.

“And makest men as the fishes of the sea, as the creeping things, that have no ruler over them? They take up all of them with the angle, they catch them in their net, and gather them in their drag: therefore they rejoice and are glad. Therefore they sacrifice unto their net, and burn incense unto their drag; because by them their portion is fat, and their meat plenteous. Shall they therefore empty their net, and not spare continually to slay the nations?” (verses 14-17). These verses give gory details about the rising Chaldeans. They look upon men as fish of the sea or insects. They have no regard for human life! They are cruel! They will have the power to capture whole nations as a fisherman catches entire schools of fish in his nets.

With all the events taking place in Europe, God’s people should be aware and warned about what is coming. God’s Laodicean Church should be warning the nations. Instead, many of the Laodicean leaders are saying, “Don’t be concerned about prophecy”! Are some people foolish enough spiritually to believe that ignoring prophecy will make it all go away?

Habakkuk saw the Chaldeans as having never-ending power. He asks God if their destruction will ever end (verse 17). God will stop the Chaldeans this time! But it will be after God has used them to correct Israel and the Laodicean Church.

Continue Reading: Chapter 3: Nuclear Holocaust