Yesterday I returned from a 10-day editorial trip to Germany. I was the guest of Paul Kieffer, a WNP writer who lives in Germany and is responsible for the United Church of God congregations in that region. My purpose was to gather background material for some World News and Prophecy articles and for our Beyond Today media program. Germany is the largest nation on the European continent, and its economy is the largest.

Europe is destined to play a key role in future world events. Some commentators say that Europe has been reduced to merely a museum and will be eclipsed by the emerging economies of China and India. If Europe is a "museum," then it is the most dynamic museum I have visited.

One of my first impressions when I landed at the Düsseldorf airport last week was the large numbers of people I saw from Eastern Europe and Turkey. The fact that Germany has so many guest workers means two things. First, it shows a declining German population that has to import workers. Second, it shows there are jobs in Germany as the economy is strong.

I have been posting commentary about my trip in my blog. You can read the posts of the past week at that site. My last stop was in Aachen on the German border with Belgium and the Netherlands. I have wanted to visit this city ever since doing some research on it several years ago.

The original Aachen cathedral dates to the period of Charles the Great (Charlemagne), the first proclaimed emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. The cathedral is built on the site of an ancient Celtic temple that had the same configuration as Stonehenge in England. It was the coronation site for over 40 kings. Charles wanted his city to be the third Rome, behind Constantinople. Today Aachen is a vital city to which students come to learn about various aspects of the European Union.

We have been working on material detailing the prophecies of church and state within Europe, and my trip to Aachen gave me a good insight into that subject. Revelation 13 shows this future church and state combination will astonish the world with its brilliance, diplomacy and miracles. Both biblical and secular history point to the heart of Europe as the location where this has occurred in past history, and Bible prophecy indicates that we will see another revival of this system that will astonish the world.

Let me mention a final thought about travel and the personal benefits. Years ago I began to read about lands and peoples far away from my home in a small Missouri town. I wanted to see places like Jerusalem, Rome and London. I wanted to touch the pyramids and sail on the Nile. I have done these things and more, and I still have a few places on my "dream list" that I want to see and do. God has blessed me with the opportunity to travel and meet people from many different backgrounds. Travel is an educational experience that broadens our perspective on the world and gives us an appreciation of the diverse nature of our world. The terrorist actions of 9/11 have made travel a grueling experience in the last five years, but it is still worth the trouble it takes.

If you get the chance to take a trip or if there is a place you have always wanted to see, I encourage you to make the opportunity. You will benefit immensely.

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