World News and Trends
Beyond Today Magazine
Good News Magazine: September - October 2011
Course Content
Adolf Hitler came to power only because of a major financial crisis in the late 1920s and early 1930s.
World-shaking turns of events usually seem to emerge out of massive economic problems. Now, paradoxically, another monumental economic crisis appears to be on the brink to, as the headline of a July 22, 2011, Telegraph article by Peter Oborne put it, "Give Germany the Empire It's Always Dreamed Of," without a drop of German blood being spilled. Such are the largely unrealized spinoffs of the current euro-crisis.
A two-speed Europe finally appears to be in the making. The weaker members of the European Union (mostly located in southern Europe) simply cannot weather massive economic difficulties without the help and support of the northern Franco-German combine. According to the same article, "The ideology of a single currency will create a continent of tame, vassal states" (emphasis added throughout).
In the long run, instead of crippling Germany economically, the current crisis may very well be "the final realisation of the dream that animated the founders of the Common Market more than half a century ago—which is one reason why so many prominent Europeans have privately welcomed the eurozone catastrophe, labelling it a ‘beneficial crisis'" (ibid.).
Berlin will most likely be the principal beneficiary. The bailouts of weaker EU member countries have placed the Germans in the driver's seat in relation to southern European countries. Peter Oborne continued: "Their economic sovereignty has been obliterated; they face a future as vassal states, their role reduced to the one enjoyed by the European colonies of the 19th and early 20th centuries. They will provide cheap labour, raw materials, agricultural produce and ready market for the manufactured goods and services provided by the far more productive and efficient Northern Europeans."
Perhaps the key point is simply this: "While these [southern European] nations relapse into pre-modern economic systems, Germany is busy turning into one of the most dynamic and productive economies of the world. Despite the grumbling of the Germans, the bailouts are worth every penny, because they guarantee a cheap outlet for their manufactured goods.
"Yesterday's bailout decisions mean that Germany has come very close to realising Bismarck's dream of an economic empire stretching from Central Europe to the eastern Mediterranean" (ibid.).
Students of Bible prophecy might well ask a hard question: Will successful economics ultimately prove to be enough? Will this German economic empire in the making eventually become a military powerhouse that induces the whole world into a state of shock?
Bible prophecy strongly indicates that this is the likelihood. To understand much more, request or download our free booklets Are We Living in the Time of the End? and You Can Understand Bible Prophecy (Source: The Daily Telegraph [London].)
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 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.
