Who is Germany in Bible Prophecy?

(An excerpt from the booklet “The Nations of Bible Prophecy” by Kelly McDonald)

Historically, Germany has had a huge impact on world events. They inherited the mantle of the Roman Empire starting with Charlemagne, which became known as “The Holy Roman Empire.”  It is important to note that the exploration of South America by the Spaniards was driven by Charles V, who was the King of Spain and Germany. Currently, Germany has the strongest economy in the European Union (EU), which is the most influential bloc of countries in the world. They have a prominent part to play in Bible Prophecies. Germany has been an instrumental part of two World Wars. They directly caused World War II to start. The Nazi regime committed the holocaust, which was an attempt to exterminate the Jewish people. This was stopped by the allied forces.

The ancient historian Herodotus notes an ancient peoples called the Carmanians or Kermans in the Middle East that were also called the Germanii (Herodotus, Book 1, sec. 125; Encyl. Brit. “Persis”). This was another name for the nation we call Asssyria. In Ancient times, the Assyrians were a fierce war-like people. Their Empire spanned Egypt, Iraq, Iran, and even stretched to near Afghanistan. Their capital city of Nineveh was located in modern day Iraq. In Iran today there are two provinces that still bear the name Kerman in them (Kerman and Kermanshah).

The Assyrians were overthrown by the Babylonians around 606 BC. The Bible and history give us some clues as to what happened after this. The Bible tells us that the Assyrians would flee to the mountains (Nahum 3:18). This indicates that they would migrate out of the Middle East. The only mountains north of Iraq are in Turkey. In 2 Kings 19:37, we learn that two sons of an Assyrian King fled to Ararat, which is a mountainous area in Turkey. The Assyrians already had a colony in Armenia, which is why they fled there. In the 530s BC, Scylax of Caryanda noted that Assyrians dwelt on the coast of the Black Sea in the country we now call Turkey (Smith’s Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography, 1854. “Assyria”, page 245). Today in Turkey there are two provinces with the names “Karaman” and “Kahramanmaras”. We can see “KRM” from the name Kerman in these provinces.

In the first century (around 50-60 AD), Pliny the Elder notes a group of Assyrians living near the Black Sea (Pliny, Book IV, sec.12, verse 85). This nation later migrated into Europe. Jerome called the Germanic peoples migrating from the Black sea and Russian Steppes into Europe around the Assyrians in 340 AD (Letter 123, Section 16, Nicene and Post Nicene Fathers by Schaff and Wace, 1893. Vol. VI, pages 236-237). Other historians also consider the Germans to be an Aryan people descended from the area of Iran/India (see “A History of Germany from the Earliest Period to the Present Time” by Friedrich Kohlrausch, New York: 1880, Introduction Page 1) (also see Smith’s Dictionary, “Germany”, pg. 994). During the Nazi regime, Aryan supremacy was a key theme, which again ties them back to the Middle East.

The Bible confirms what history tells us. Speaking of the Last Days, God said that His people would return from Egypt and Assyria from the WEST. “They shall walk after the LORD: he shall roar like a lion: when he shall roar, then the children shall tremble from the west. They shall tremble as a bird out of Egypt, and as a dove out of the land of Assyria: and I will place them in their houses, saith the LORD.” (Hosea 10:10-11) In another place, God said “Behold, these shall come from far: and, lo, these from the north and from the west; and these from the land of Sinim” (Isaiah 49:12). In ancient times, Assyria was east from the Promised Land. In the last days, God mentions that His people will return from Assyria from the north and west. This further places Assyria in Europe. They are the Germanic peoples of today.