Reading PCG's Booklet, Germany and the Holy Roman Empire

Let us now read Stephen Flurry, Gerald Flurry and J. Tim Thompson's booklet, Germany and the Holy Roman Empire. This booklet asserts that the Germans are the descendants of the Biblical Assyrians and that it is prophesied that Germany will destroy America and Britain for their sins just before Christ's return. It was first published as The History and Prophecy of Germany in 1998. It was revised in 1999, 2001, 2004, 2007 and 2009. However judging by what it written in it very little has been changed since 2000 since the most recent event mentioned occurred in 2000. You can read this booklet on their website.

(Philadelphia Trumpet, March-April, 1999, p. 21. The original cover of this booklet contains pictures of Charlemagne, Adolf Hitler, former German President Roman Herzog and -- I suspect -- Helmut Kohl. It accompanies an article by Gerald Flurry.)

Chapter 1 (Stephen Flurry)

In this chapter Stephen Flurry discusses the state of Germany today and fear mongers that Germans are bloodthirsty Nazis who are cunningly hiding their murderous, war like nature under a thin façade of civility.

How could the appalling evil and message of hate inspired by Adolf Hitler and the Nazi regime during World War II ever resurface in this sophisticated age? World history and Bible prophecy should strike us like a bolt of lightning with the proper answer to that question! But man has not learned history’s lesson, and Bible prophecy is laughed to scorn.

In PCG's context "Bible prophecy" is just jargon for the interpretations of HWA, Gerald Flurry and the other leaders of PCG. Maybe people would not do that if PCG did not keep changing teachings or if HWA's and Gerald Flurry's prophesies keep failing you would get more respect.

After that Stephen Flurry describes how Germany was greatly devastated after World War II. He says that American and British leaders promised that Germany would never arise to disturb the world again.

But while Washington and London were promising that Germany would never again be able to strike, Herbert Armstrong was preaching to the whole world that Germany would rise again.

Notice what he said in a report he gave from the United Nations on May 9, 1945 (p. 2.).

Then Stephen Flurry quotes HWA as saying that the Germans had simply gone underground and will plot to go to war again with World War III.

He said that in 1945! But very few people really believed Mr. Armstrong. Many, even today, ridicule his statements. (p. 3.)

What is not discussed here is that HWA claimed that World War II would only end with the return of Christ. He said that Mussolini was the Beast who would conquer America and Britain, then he changed his mind and said Hitler would fulfill this role. During the war years he fear mongered that Hitler would conquer America. When Hitler was defeated, proving HWA was wrong and did not know what he was talking about, HWA simply continued to teach what he had said before by claiming that the Nazis would revive themselves. HWA was desperately trying to cover over his spectacular failure to foresee Hitler's defeat. That is the real context behind HWA's claims that the Nazis would go underground and later restore the Third Reich.

After that Stephen Flurry fear mongers that denazification was not done properly and was not sufficiently enacted among the German people thus leaving many Germans hopelessly inclined to favor Nazi like thinking.

Then Stephen Flurry refers to the ratlines to Latin America that some Nazi leaders used to escape from Europe.

Several other historical documents released in more recent years add to Connell’s evidence that the Germans failed to denazify themselves. In 1991, Mark Aarons and John Loftus released a book titled Unholy Trinity, which told the story of how Vatican-sponsored underground networks illegally smuggled Nazi leaders out of the country after the war. Aarons and Loftus based their findings on newly released U.S. intelligence documents that had been classified for almost 50 years. (p. 4.)

I remember being amazed once when I read a novel made in the 1980s and it discussed these ratlines. So this information about these ratlines were in fact publicly available long before this book came out in 1991.

In 1996, another shocking intelligence document was released to the public. It revealed that when Nazi leaders realized they were losing the war in 1944, they met with top German industrialists to seek financing for the underground Nazi party “so that a strong German empire can be created after the defeat.” This intelligence document, which should have sent shock waves through every newsroom in the world, received only sparse coverage. (p. 4.)

This document is discussed and presented in Gerald Flurry's booklet, Germany Conquers the Balkans. I find it curious that they never tried to determine what happened to the participants of that meeting.

From these documented facts and from what we see in Germany today, there are two overriding themes we ought to let sink into our minds. First, the almost overnight transformation of Germany from a devastated nation sifting through rubble and ashes to one of the most dominant and powerful nations in the world was nothing short of miraculous!

Second, and equally miraculous, was the relative ease with which prominent Nazi leaders were either carted away to safety through vast underground networks or else admitted into the same positions they held during Hitler’s regime! (p. 4.)

There was nothing miraculous or even overtly remarkable about Nazi leaders running away to foreign lands. In any dictatorial society there are people who did well for themselves under the dictatorial regime and if the regime falls apart that some of them will run away with the aid of sympathizers. Alas, things like this have happened all too often. Erich Honecker, former leader of Communist East Germany, ran away to Argentina to avoid accountability from the people he had so long oppressed. Stephen Flurry never talks about that.

After that Stephen Flurry then purports to reveal the truth behind the Germans' civilized façade and that they are still a fierce, war-like and bloodthirsty people who still act like Nazis. He does this by citing a wave of violence against immigrants by right wing extremists. A refugee center for Gypsies was attacked by a mob of right wing extremists in Rostock and then many non-Germans were cast out of the city (pp. 4-5). This incident is known as the Rostock-Lichtenhagen riots.

That terrible incident happened in 1993. Over twenty years ago. Why are PCG's leaders still using that riot to demonize Germans?

Now this booklet was first written in 1998 when those terrible events were much more recent, but it is now over twenty years (7300 days) since these terrible things occurred. And PCG is still pushing out this booklet citing those incidents to scare people into thinking that the German people are just a heartbeat away from turning into invincible, rampaging Nazis.

Now this wave of violence by right wing extremists in Germany in the early 1990s discussed in this chapter did in fact occur. I can well recall reading Michael Schmidt's 1993 book, The New Reich: Violent Extremism in Unified Germany and Beyond. It is a bit dated now but it is a remarkable portrait of the state of right wing extremism in Germany of the time written by a German man who passionately yearned to reveal the truth about such groups. It mentioned some of the incidents that are cited in this booklet. However this wave of violence thankfully came to an end. That is not mentioned in this booklet.

Government action like that above confirmed what many outsiders already suspected: that the influence of right-wing extremism was penetrating even the moderate political parties like Kohl’s Social Democrats. (p. 5.)

Kohl was in the Christian Democratic Union, not the Social Democratic Party. I do not understand why the booklet says this.

After that Stephen Flurry then accuses Chancellor Kohl of using fascist imagery in laying to rest Frederick the Great. He also fear mongers that Germany started the Yugoslav Wars by recognizing Slovenia and Croatia in December 1991. He further says that Germany got her way over America and the European Economic Community's original objections, thus he claims that no one can stop Germany now.

(If Germany really is that powerful why couldn't they stop the US from invading Iraq twelve years later in 2003? Also the Pope was unable to stop that invasion as well.)

Stephen Flurry objects to Germany's decision to recognize Slovenia and Croatia saying it resembled how Nazi Germany recognized the fascist, so-called Independent State of Croatia during World War II.This completely ignores the incidents of violence that had occurred with the disintegration of Yugoslavia before December 1991. One such incident was the Plitvice Lakes incident on March 30, 1991.
Just look at Wikipedia's Timeline of the Yugoslav Wars.

Then Stephen Flurry ends this chapter by praising several people who have been critical of the European Union and have condemned it as a camouflage for German ambitions to dominate Europe.

Pages 6-7 contain an insert article claiming that there is rampant right wing extremism within the German military. It even says that incidents of right wing violence are on the increase.

There were 72 right-wing incidents in the German Army in 1996. This number had climbed to 135 in 1999 and jumped to 196 in 2000. One particular outrage occurred in the small German town of Detmold. Uniformed German soldiers, while shouting “Wogs out of Germany,” attacked two Turkish immigrants and a 16-year-old Italian boy with baseball bats and knives. ... German officials continue to downplay neo-Nazi-related activities within the Bundeswehr. But how much longer can they keep saying that such events are only “isolated” cases—especially when statistics reveal an upward trend in violent incidents? (p. 7.)

And why do the statistics stop at 2000? That is now fourteen years ago. No doubt these incidents mentioned and alluded to here are terrible and stressful for those forced to endure them but this occurred fourteen years ago. Are we now any closer to the European Beast arising? Did PCG members in 1998-2000 expect to still be here by 2014 when this booklet came out in its earlier printings?

The insert article also mentions and condemns German sending military supplies to the Republic of Croatia.

Yet in 1995, not long after [German Defense Minister Volker] Rühe’s statement, Germany committed 4,000 troops inside Croatia to help enforce the so-called peace agreement. It was their first troop deployment outside Germany since World War II. (p. 7.)

Why is it only a so-called peace agreement? As flawed and unsatisfying the Dayton Peace Accords seem to be to all sides it must be stated that since 1995 there has been no war in Croatia and since 1996 there has been no war in Bosnia. How can the peace agreement be dismissed as somehow false? It has lasted nineteen years now. Stephen Flurry does not know what he is talking about.

Chapter 2 (Stephen Flurry)

In this chapter Stephen Flurry claims that the Germans are the descendents of the Biblical Assyrians.

In this chapter, we will prove from the Bible and other historical sources that modern-day Germany descended from the ancient Assyrians. Certainly, the Bible is the greatest historical source of all. In fact, it is the only complete historical source we have concerning the civilization of man. And once you prove who the ancient Assyrians are today, it will suddenly open your eyes to dozens and dozens of end-time Bible prophecies concerning those people. One third of the Bible is prophecy, most of which is for our day. And you can be sure that Assyria is mentioned in numerous Bible prophecies. (p. 9.)

After this Stephen Flurry says that after the Great Flood the small remnant of humanity migrated south to what later was named Babylonia. In time Nimrod arose as a mighty leader, but he led the people away from God. This is often taught among the COGs. This is a teaching inherited from HWA but he got these ideas not from the Bible, but from Alexander Hislop's 1860s book, The Two Babylons, an anti-Catholic polemic that asserted that Roman Catholicism is essentially a revival of the ancient Babylonian religion.

The Two Babylons is complete nonsense. This was convincing shown by Ralph Woodrow. He had written a book that was largely based on Hislop's book that was fairly popular among people interested in that sort of topic. Afterwards he analyzed what Hislop wrote. I will quote what xHWA wrote in his post, The Babylon Connection.

Woodrow wrote “The Babylon Connection” in response to what he had learned. He points out the many flaws, contradictions, errors, and even lies which Hislop left strewn about in his book. Woodrow’s point in writing the book was not to prove or disprove the claim that the Catholic Church had absorbed many pagan practices. His point was that Hislop’s research was so entirely farcical that it could in no way be trusted. I think Woodrow was quite convincing towards this goal. ...

Another example would be this quote from page 21 of Woodrow’s book:

“Hislop says Nimrod was the ‘Father of the gods’; Cush, Nimrod’s father, was the ‘Father of the gods’; Kronos was the ‘Father of the gods’ – all of these statements being found on page 32 [of The Two Babylons]! On page 277 he says Pluto, the god of Hell, was the ‘Father of the gods’. On page 164 he says Seb was the ‘Father of the gods.’ On page 27 he says Vulcan was the ‘Father of the gods.’ On page 299 he says Saturn was the ‘Father of the gods,’ who ‘was in one aspect just our first parent Adam!’ Does any of this make sense?”

Despite financial loses Woodrow renounced Hislop's ideas and wrote a book, The Babylon Connection? to show that Hislop's work is untrustworthy. This is what Stephen Flurry is relying on in this account.

Now Stephen Flurry, because he is talking about Assyria, adds other details to his retelling of COG speculation of what happened after the Flood that not often stated in COG teaching. He says that Nimrod was allied with Assur, the first born son of Shem. Assur wickedly chose to collaborate with Nimrod and helped him build up his empire and therefore was rejected from the birthright by his father, which was then passed to Arphaxad, ancestor of Abraham.

Then Stephen Flurry says that Assyria grew mighty and strong but Abraham and his forces crippled Assyria's power, citing Genesis 14, thus allowing the Israelite nation to prosper free from the Assyrians' malevolent influence (pp. 10-12). Until they reappeared in the Biblical account in the eighth century B.C. This interpretation regarding Genesis 14 is clearly influenced by Herman Hoeh's Compendium of World History, which dated this event to 1963 B.C. Hoeh's writings are mentioned later in this booklet.

After this Stephen Flurry says that the Assyrians returned and were really fierce and nasty, eventually destroying the northern kingdom of Israel and sending them into exile. In time, he claims, the Assyrians and the Israelites migrated away from these lands and were lost to history, their true identities only to be revealed in these days just before Christ's return He cites a few historical quotes to argues that the Assyrians are the Germans today. Most of these quotes, such as those from Pliny and Jerome, are taken from writings produced by HWA's WCG.

(The Germans themselves are responsible for hiding much of this knowledge, just as many tried to hide their past at the end of the Hitler era.) (p. 14.)

This is a reference to Herman Hoeh's claim in his Compendium of World History that true Biblical history (Armstrongite pseudo-history) was systematically suppressed by German historians in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Hoeh's words follow.

Today [this was written in the 1960s] many German historians are united in a conspiracy to hide the truth about the Hitler regime from the younger generation. The Nazi period is glossed over almost as if it did not exist!  ... There is no essential difference between this Western God-rejecting skeptical scholarship and Communistic scholarship. Both reject the God who has intervened in the course of history. The former rejects Him in the name of humanistics and science; the latter in the name of atheistic materialism!

This similarity should surprise no one. For Karl Marx, the founder of atheistic Communism, was trained in the same German universities of Bonn, Berlin and Jena and by the same men who influenced Western scholars to accept the God-rejecting "historical method." (Herman Hoeh, Compendium of World History, 1962, 1963-5, 1967, Volume 1, Chapter 1.)

But not all was lost. From early documents and local traditions it is still possible to recover what has, in recent centuries, been buried under the rubble of modern educational superstition. The Germans themselves are in great part responsible for this condition. They fostered modern historical concepts. They have tried to hide their past even from themselves — just as they did at the close of the Hitler era. If the Germans admitted to themselves and the world who they really are, all the world would recognize in Imperial Germany the reconstituted Assyrian Empire — once the terror of all the civilized world! (Herman Hoeh, Compendium of World History, 1963, 1966, 1969, Volume 2, Chapter 1.)

What is never mentioned in this booklet or in Hoeh's books is that this teaching that the Assyrians are the ancestors of the Germans is actually derived from British Israelism. This fact was mentioned in a previous post.

Remember how it was taught that many other European peoples are descended from other tribes of Israel? Herman Hoeh would claim that many different European peoples were in fact Israelites. A similar belief was also taught by [John Wilson (1799-1870)] who viewed other Europeans as also being Israelites with Israelites ""in Italy, and especially in France and Switzerland," as well as in Scandinavia." Furthermore the Germans were viewed as fellow Israelite brethren. (p. 8.) ...

Edward Hine (1825-1891) arose after Wilson and he rejected Wilson's identification of Germans as Israelites but instead identified Germany as Assyria, and furthermore taught that the biblical struggle between Israel and Assyria would repeat itself in the future. He taught that Assyria was also lost like Israel and "the modern-day Assyrians were none other than the Germans." Furthermore these two nations "were destined to continue the struggle" in the future. (p. 11). HWA adopted this same idea of Germany's ancestry and its future of the great physical adversity of Israel from Hine.

It is also mentioned in that post how Hoeh also taught that some of the Germans were actually Israelites. That is never discussed in this booklet.

On page 10 is a insert article discussing the language of the Assyrians. It is fascinating but not intentionally so. He notes that Germans speak an "Indo-Germanic" (He means Indo-European) language but the Assyrians spoke an Semitic language. He replies that the Assyrians acquired an "Indo-Germanic" language at the tower of Babel. Then he cites an article by Hoeh saying that the people of Hatti (Hittites) spoke an Indo-European language therefore the Assyrians were not completely Semitic.

This is complete nonsense. Hoeh taught that the Assyrians and the Hittites were the same people. That is complete nonsense. The Hittites did speak an Indo-European language. This is undisputed. But the Assyrians were a different people who spoke the Assyrian language, which is Semitic and hence related to Akkadian, and more distantly Hebrew and Arabic. Assyrian is totally unrelated to Hittite or any other Indo-European language including German.

I find it strange that Stephen Flurry here refers talks of "Indo-Germanic" languages. It is a now obsolete term that has been replaced with Indo-European. Tellingly the quote of Hoeh also talks of an "Indo-Germanic" language. Could it possible that Stephen Flurry never bothered to note that this term is now archaic? Instead the language family is named Indo-European, not "Indo-Germanic". I find that quite baffling.

On page 11 is an insert mentioning the city of Trier. I never knew that Ninus was the successor of Nimrod as Stephen Flurry asserts here. I was always under the impression that Ninus was Nimrod.

On page 13 is an insert article claiming that the Hittites (or some of them) are Assyrians. As noted above this is complete nonsense. The Hittites spoke an Indo-European language. The Assyrians spoke a Semitic language totally unrelated to Hittite or any other Indo-European language including German. They are totally different peoples no matter what Stephen Flurry says here. 

Chapter 3 (Stephen Flurry)

In this chapter Stephen Flurry recounts the COG dogma regarding the Holy Roman Empire claiming that it is, according to what HWA taught, the continuation of the Roman Empire. The claim that Daniel 2 and 7 and Revelation 13 and 17 trace the history of the Roman Empire and various Catholic revivals is actually a doctrine inherited from the Millerites of the 1830s-1840s. From them sprang the Seventh Day Adventist Church. The Church of God (Seventh Day) is an offshoot of them. That is where these ideas come from.

I am not going to comment much about this chapter because what is taught here is commonly believed among most COG groups. Tough I find it curious how Stephen Flurry does not even bother to identify who were the first three horns of Daniel 7 (who were supposedly removed by the Pope).

By A.D. 476, Rome had been sacked by fierce barbarian tribes of Germanic origin (remember, it was the Romans who labeled these fierce fighters Germani). The eastern empire in Constantinople was virtually powerless. The Roman Empire was officially wiped out. (p. 16.)

Stephen Flurry is wrong. The eastern empire was still perfectly functioning long after A.D. 476. It never disintegrated or fell apart at that time. In fact it continued until Constantinople was conquered by the Ottoman Turks in 1453. However we often refer to it as the Byzantine Empire in order to distinguish it from the classical Roman Empire.

Also he vilifies Charlemagne for waging various wars. He then writes as though anyone alluding to him in an historical sense is yearning to repeat such bloodthirsty deeds. That is nonsense.

When Napoleon finally crushed what remained of the Habsburg empire in the 19th century, it appeared that the last vestige of the “Holy” Roman Empire was destroyed. (p. 20.)

Stephen Flurry is wrong. The Habsburg empire in fact continued beyond Napoleon. Francis II had merely relinquished his claim to the title of Holy Roman Emperor in order to deny Napoleon the opportunity to seize that title from him. But he and the Habsburg dynasty continued to rule their domains until 1918. It was merely redefined as the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Stephen Flurry ends this chapter by fear mongering about "former German President Roman Herzog" being "presented with the International Charlemagne Prize for his efforts to unite Europe" in 1997. Actually the Europeans have been uniting since World War II precisely in order to prevent bloodshed and warfare among themselves. Stephen Flurry, once again, is wrong.

Approximately 40 million people were butchered during the so-called Holy Inquisition—the papacy’s nightmarish vaccine for the “heresy” virus! (p. 21.)

First of all no one knows how many were killed by the Inquisition.

Secondly it is well known that some PCG members have been indoctrinated to believe that seeing doctors and taking medicines or vaccines are sinful and avoid such things. Some have died because of this dangerous superstition as noted in a previous post.

September [2006]: Around this time Garth MacDonald dies, aged 24. (Garth Macdonald Dies Due to Lack of Medical Care)

This deadly doctrine was inherited from HWA, who took this idea from the Jehovah's Witnesses, who were forbidden to take vaccines by their leaders from 1921 till 1952.

We now continue.

More importantly, God prophesied it long ago in the pages of the book almost no one reads and studies—the Holy Bible. (p. 21.)

Many people all over the world read and study the Holy Bible. The vast majority of them do not subscribe to the interpretations of HWA, Gerald Flurry, etc.

Chapter 4 (Gerald Flurry)

In this chapter Gerald Flurry discuss Adolf Hitler and asserts that he was demon possessed and heavily influenced by Satan. Flurry asserts that the coming leader of the European Beast Power will be far more worse then Hitler.

Flurry begins by quoting a passage from August Kubizek's memoir. I had earlier encountered this anecdote myself when reading Robert Payne's biography of Adolf Hitler. He was somewhat skeptical that it should be interpreted at face value, saying it is "almost too patently prophetic to be credible". Flurry, on the other hand, interprets this incident as evidence that Hitler was demon possessed.

Flurry wants you to be very scared about this supposed future European Beast power.

The Bible says this political beast is always guided, or heavily influenced, by a great church. However, much of this church connection is usually carried out behind the scenes. But the single unifying force is the devil. ... 

We can understand the rising seventh head much better and more easily if we understand the sixth [Mussolini and Hitler]. The sixth head gives us a dramatic preview of what is to happen in the near future one final time. All we have to do is grasp what the sixth head did, then multiply it by about 20 or 30! The Bible reveals that the sixth head has a very close tie to the seventh. (pp. 23-24.)

Flurry then talks about Hitler and adds his own interpretation to those events. Flurry asserts that Hitler hated the Jews so much because he was influenced to feel and act that way because of his close connection to Satan.

Much of the world looks upon the Jews as God’s chosen people. In Vienna, Hitler came to believe that God had replaced the Jews with the Germans and the Holy Roman Empire. He believed the Germans were God’s chosen people. ... Understand this significant truth! Hitler’s foundational lesson in Vienna was about the Holy Roman Empire! If we can’t learn that lesson by hearing God’s message, then we must learn it by becoming a victim. ... So Hitler’s hatred of Jews goes much deeper than the world has ever even imagined. The main force of this emotion is Satan’s hatred for God! (pp. 26-27.)

Flurry also says that Hitler's eyes were of a malevolently special nature. He cites this as evidence he was demon possessed.

His eyes were not normal. Why? The first physical sign to indicate demon possession is through the eyes. How could such a ghastly experience not affect the eyes intensely? Love can be shown through the eyes. So can hate. ... Nothing about the human body is more revealing than the eyes. (p. 27.)

Flurry asserts that Hitler was merely a prelude to the final Beast leader who will be far worse then Hitler and even more closely connected to Satan.

Soon another man is going to appear on the scene with power even greater than Hitler’s. He will be possessed by a Satan full of wrath, a devil who knows he has but a short time before Christ returns (Revelation 12:12). What Hitler did was mild compared to what this man will do. ... He will have a “fierce countenance” and compelling, gripping, frightening, hypnotic eyes! ... It is Satan’s power! And Satan is filled with his worst wrath ever! (p. 28.)

At the end of this chapter Flurry fear mongers that Germans are still as bloodthirsty as they were during the Nazi era, citing an instance in which the Bundesbank forced a previous Chancellor from office in 1966 and quoting a euro skeptic author who says that the EU is just a tool for the Germans.

Chapter 5 (Gerald Flurry and J. Tim Thompson)

This chapter concludes the booklet by asserting that the Assyrian descended Germans will rise up and conquer America and Britain. These ideas are very common among the COGs because this is essentially what HWA taught.

The first half of this chapter seems to be very similar to Gerald Flurry's booklet, Nahum. Later on it seems to me that J. Tim Thompson takes over and writes the end.

J. Tim Thompson was an early minister in PCG. He was very prominent in PCG. Some letters at Exit and Support Network assert that he was instrumental behind encouraging and helping PCG members to will over their estates to PCG. He died in 2005.

Let us now see what they have to say in this chapter.

After World War II, the Nazis just went underground and disappeared like grasshoppers in wintertime. Suddenly, they were gone. But just as suddenly, they have burst back on the world scene. That’s exactly the way God foretold it was going to happen in this end time.

God’s Word is true! That is why Mr. Armstrong could preach with such absolute authority about the certainty and terrible consequences of Germany rising again—because the Bible said so. (p. 31.)

As we have seen above it is more likely that HWA got his ideas about Germany being the successor of Assyria from British Israelism authors like Edward Hine. 

Flurry and Thompson say that very soon the Germans will launch a war of conquest in which American, Britain and the State of Israel will be conquered and enslaved. Flurry and Thompson fear monger that the Germans are the worst of the heathen, that their future leader will be so heavily influenced by Satan that even he does not intend to destroy nations he cannot help himself. This future leader is to be allied with the Roman Catholic Church.

The greatest war machine in all of history was Assyria. The Assyrians were great conquerors. They had superior weapons and superior organization. And they are back on the world scene today! ...

For a while, Germany and the European Union are going to have a great burst of economic growth as a benefit of their political union. Then, this colossal superstate, with its great military power, will turn on Israel. God says it’s going to happen. ...

Verse 24 continues, “[A]nd he shall destroy wonderfully ….” That means nuclear destruction! Germany is going to obtain nuclear missiles and bombs and a mighty army. It will “destroy wonderfully” many millions of people!

Whole cities will be laid waste. Yet God promises protection to His faithful people. We are going to need protection. ... Through masterful, satanic deceit, this beast power will destroy and wreak havoc on millions!(p. 33.)

Flurry and Thompson speculate that this future war could break out over the control of oil or over Jerusalem.

Germany, which has virtually no oil, is waiting for an opportunity to take control of the Middle East. It has planned this for years. The need for oil was the trigger that caused Japan to attack Pearl Harbor and start World War II in the Pacific. That same trigger could be the main reason for the clash between the king of the north and the king of the south.

Control of Jerusalem could also lead to war. Both the Catholics and Muslims desperately want Jerusalem. (p. 35.)

Then at the end of this chapter Flurry and Thompson assure the readers that the Germans will soon be punished for these wicked deeds after they are defeated by the returning Christ. Then the Germans will convert to the truth (Flurryite Armstrongism) and be used by God to rebuild the world.

Flurry and Thompson know any reader who believes this booklet will be scared and want to do something to get out of the horrors of the Great Tribulation. Flurry and Thompson then offer a way of escape.

We need to be prepared for it. ... God is saying that if His people are loyal to what they have learned from Him, they can be hidden from the horrors that are soon to come upon this Earth! What is the key to being protected? We must seek God before the Tribulation strikes. That is the formula for escape. Seek God now! (p. 35.)

It is not specifically stated but PCG teaches that the way to escape the Great Tribulation is to join PCG and adhere to numerous rules and regulations, including paying three tithes and extra offerings to PCG's leaders, shunning members of other COG groups, etc. Only by submitting to PCG's authority as a member for the rest of your life will you be assured of escaping this future Great Tribulation. But this assurance of protection is actually a way how PCG's leaders make people feel as though they have no choice but to join PCG or else be damned.

On page 34 there is an insert article quoting graphic testimony from one of the few survivors who was imprisoned in the Treblinka extermination camp. It is accompanied with a photo of some of the people, very likely Jewish, who were murdered by the Nazis as part of Hitler's plot to exterminate the Jews. It is immoral and grossly offensive that PCG's leaders use this photo as part of an attempt to recruit more tithes paying members into the fold of PCG. But alas the leaders of the COGs have long used the memory of the atrocities of World War II in order to manipulate followers into thinking that they must stay with the COG in order to escape a similar fate. This is wrong.

This booklet ends with these words.

The history of Germany and the Holy Roman Empire reveals where the events in Europe today are leading. More importantly, God’s prophecies give us an advance preview of what is about to occur in Europe—and how it will affect the whole world. What can you do before it is too late? Seek God while He may be found. (p. 35.)

And so this booklet, filled to the brim with hysteria about Germans supposedly having some sort of nature that predisposes them to use violence, citing twenty year old news stories to incite fear and hostility towards Germans, British Israelism inspired nonsense about Germans being descended from Assyrians, nonsense about Hittites being the same as Assyrians in order to inaccurately claim the Assyrians spoke an Indo-European language when they actually used a Semitic language, nonsense about a series of arbitrarily selected states that supposedly composed some sort of Satanic lineage of Empires, baseless hysteria that the Pope is scheming to conquer the world, and other such things, finally comes to an end.

It is folly to seek God in a group whose leaders keep getting things so wrong.

Last of all I still cannot get over the fact that Stephen Flurry uses the archaic "Indo-Germanic" instead of saying Indo-European which is the modern expression.