Current Events & Trends: The German election: the other side of the story
The Jewish Chronicle stated in a front-page article, "Angela Merkel's historic third election victory was warmly greeted by European leaders this week" (Simon Rocker, "Board Welcomes Angela Merkel," Sept. 24, 2013).
Other headlines in British newspapers confirmed this viewpoint:
• "Decisive Win Gives Merkel Strong Hand"
• "Angela Merkel: The German Leader Set to Eclipse Margaret Thatcher"
• "Poland and Germany Should Unite, Says Lech Walesa"
• "Merkel Is Europe's Misunderstood Visionary"
These are only a few of the many positive reactions to Angela Merkel's success. Majority opinion, however, is not always right. One particular columnist expressed a totally different view of Merkel's vision of Europe. Noted author Frederick Forsyth's column in the Daily Express offers an almost biblical insight. His analysis of the German election result reflects a polar opposite position to the generally accepted assessment. He does not misunderstand the German chancellor's vision of Europe.
Forsyth's view follows: "She does not posture, she does not strut as most do. She does not shout the odds, rant or preach like so many. But her smooth destruction of her one-time patron and mentor Helmut Kohl gives the measure of her ruthlessness in pursuit of her goal" (Sept. 27, 2013).
What, according to Forsyth, is her goal? "That is the complete—and I mean total—unification of the countries of Europe, Germany included, into a single super-state. Nothing, absolutely nothing, must be allowed to stand in the way of that divine vision. And that includes the withdrawal of the UK from the EU." This partially explains her friendly, cooperative relationship with Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron. If Britain leaves the European Union, other countries will likely follow suit.
Forsyth concluded: "For the third time in 100 years Germany has made up its collective mind on the future of Europe and does not intend to be gainsaid again by this blasted little offshore nation [Britain] and its dreadfully disobedient people."
This assessment may seem radical—but not to observers who have carefully studied German history and biblical prophecy hand in hand. To understand much more, read the free Bible study aids Are We Living in the Time of the End? and You Can Understand Bible Prophecy. (Sources: The Jewish Chronicle, Daily Express, Financial Times, The Independent, The Telegraph.)
An Article from:
Good News Magazine: November - December 2013
Course Content
Jerold Aust
Jerold Aust has served in the ministry for 52 years, as a public speaker for 58 years, a published writer for 38 years, and is employed by UCG’s Media and Communications Services. He is a Senior Writer, interviewer, and editor for Beyond Today Magazine and has taught Speech Communication for UCG’s ministerial online program and the Book of Revelation for ABC.
Jerold holds a BA in theology from Ambassador College, Pasadena (1968), an MA in Communication from California State University, Fullerton (1995), a distance-learning Ph.D (2006), and a Famous Writers School diploma in non-fiction writing (1973). Additionally, he studied post-grad communication at University of Southern California (1995), radio, TV, voice-overs, and Public Relations at Fullerton College (1995-1996), and graduate communication at Wichita State University (1978). Jerold has taught communication at the University of South Alabama (7 years) and ABC (17 years). His published works include, Ronald Reagan’s Rhetoric: Metaphor as Persuasion and EZSpeakers: Public Speaking Made Easy in 7 Steps. Jerold's overarching goal is to share with humankind its incredible destiny!
John Ross Schroeder
John died on March 8, 2014, in Oxford, England, four days after suffering cardiac arrest while returning home from a press event in London. John was 77 and still going strong.
Some of John's work for The Good News appeared under his byline, but much didn't. He wrote more than a thousand articles over the years, but also wrote the Questions and Answers section of the magazine, compiled our Letters From Our Readers, and wrote many of the items in the Current Events and Trends section. He also contributed greatly to a number of our study guides and Bible Study Course lessons. His writing has touched the lives of literally millions of people over the years.
John traveled widely over the years as an accredited journalist, especially in Europe. His knowledge of European and Middle East history added a great deal to his articles on history and Bible prophecy.
In his later years he also pastored congregations in Northern Ireland and East Sussex, and that experience added another dimension to his writing. He and his wife Jan were an effective team in our British Isles office near their home.
John was a humble servant who dedicated his life to sharing the gospel—the good news—of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God to all the world, and his work was known to readers in nearly every country of the world.
