Introduction
Amazingly there are hundreds of legends and myths throughout the world telling of how heroes of old will be resurrected and awakened hundreds and thousands of years later on the Day of Judgment. These sleeping heroes range from the British King Arthur to Frederick Barbarossa in Germany. Legend has it that on King Arthur’s tomb is written the verse…
Hic jacet Arthurus, Rex quondam, Rexque futurus.
[Here lies Arthur, the once and future king.]
Frederick Barbarossa (redbeard)
Frederick Barbarossa also known as Frederick I, was the Holy Roman Emperor from 1155 until his death 35 years later in 1190. He was elected King of Germany at Frankfurt on 4th March 1152 and was nicknamed Barbarossa by the northern Italian cities which he attempted to rule: Barbarossa means ‘red beard’ in Italian. He goes down in legendary fame in Germany and he is said to be sleeping in a cave with his knights in the Kyffhäuser mountain range in central Germany. When the large Barbarossa monument (as pictured above) was erected in 1890-1896 legend has it that he was not dead but asleep at a table ready to be awakened from his slumber awaiting the return of German unity and greatness. This would be according to some sources after a thousand years or at future Day of Judgment. No wonder Adolf Hitler had an affinity for this legend and perhaps a hope that he was the fulfillment of this legend when he established the Third Reich. Perhaps he was channeling his superstitious belief in this legend when he code-named his June 22nd, 1941 World War 2 invasion of Russia, ‘Barbarossa’ after the legendary Emperor hoping it would bring victory and create growing room for his ever-expanding German kingdom. The policy of expansion is seen in the German term “lebensraum” meaning living space.1 Lebensraum was popularized in 1901 and became an ideological principle of Nazism providing justification for the German territorial expansion into Central and Eastern Europe.
German visions of expansion since the 1800s
Inherent in the German psyche and thinking ever since the Napoleonic wars of 1813-1814 when they defeated Napolean at Leipzig was the ambition to be a great colonizing power and empire like those of Britain and France. This was known as German nationalism. In fact, the largest monument in Europe called the Monument to the Battle of the Nations was built to commemorate this great German victory over Napoleon. The goal in the 1800-1900s was the reunification of greater Germany incorporating and liberating all those who spoke German including Austria and others bringing them into one German nation-state. This is important to know because it gives the basis of the thinking behind Hitler’s ultimate goal of bringing glory and unification of German-speaking peoples by means of the Third Reich. The First Reich was considered to be the medieval Holy Roman Empire from 800-1806 including leaders such as Frederick Barbarossa and the Second Reich was the German Empire from 1871-1918 under Emperors Wilhelm I and II. This recording by Hitler’s secretary on August 20th, 1941 gives an insight into Hitler’s expansionist reasoning behind attacking Russia…
I long for nothing more fervently than that the British should come forward with peace proposals once we have dealt with Russia. This war with Britain can only result in us smashing each other’s cities to smithereens. And Mr. Roosevelt chuckles in gleeful anticipation of the day he will inherit Britain’s legacy. I really cannot understand why the British won’t listen to the voice of reason. Now that we are expanding to the east, we have no need for their colonies.
I find it all so much more practical that everything will be right on our doorstep: the Ukraine and Crimea are so fertile we can plant everything we need there, and the rest (coffee, tea, cocoa, etc.) we can obtain by barter from South America. It is all so simple and obvious.
The element of truth in the legends
What does this all mean in the context of Biblical eschatology? Of course myths and legends about King Arthur and Barbarossa and many other heroes, reawakening are just that—myths. They have no Biblical basis but just imagine when the beast arises from the dead, a man from Gentile history who reawakens. It will only confirm to many that there was some truth in these legends and it could deceive many. We know from the Bible that there will be a man from history who arises or reawakens from the dead. It is prophesied in the Bible.2 The result will be that the inhabitants of the earth will be astonished. Perhaps, if it is Adolf Hitler who arises, he will arise in the spirit and legend of the famed Barbarossa. Superstitious people will find that easy to accept even though they will be astonished. One thing that is not true is that he will claim to be Christ. Anti-christ means that he will be against Christ not a false Christ. That is a different Greek word—pseudo, which means false. There will be those who claim to be Christ but not this man.3 The Bible says that this man of sin will claim to be God the Father Himself.4
The other point is that the German dream of expansionism is not dead. Sure it has taken a back seat for a long time after World War 2 where the numerous war monuments of the 1800 and 1900s have been re-purposed and changed for more appropriate messaging but things are slowly changing. The reunification of East and West Germany with the demolition of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and the rise of German industrial power and as defacto leader of the EU in the last 20 or 30 years means that it is not impossible to see in the future the rise of a so-called Fourth Reich.5 Hitler himself saw that Germany would be the master of the world and that he had a job for a century. Perhaps the devil himself told him that one day he would arise again.6
‘You will see. My spirit will arise from the grave. One day people will see that I was right.’
Certainly, the worry of the rise of Neo-Nazism and the possibility of a Fourth Reich is not abstract thinking as illustrated by author and historian Gavriel Rosenfeld in his book, “The Fourth Reich: The Specter of Nazism from World War II to the Present.”7
Conclusion
The thing is we need to be aware of both history and prophecy if we are going to effectively watch and pray and escape all that is about to happen. There are many myths and legends that are lying dormant to confuse people and when mixed with a cursory knowledge of the Bible, particularly Revelation and Daniel it could lead to deception. A study of German history is particularly useful because I think the Nazi Empire was the seventh mountain or Gentile kingdom from 1933 to 1945.8 I don’t think we have seen the end of German expansionism because the eighth king (the end times beast) belongs to one of the seven and Adolf Hitler seems to be the only ‘head’ that fits all the Biblical, historical and legendary clues. The legends of Arthur and Barbarossa live on but only to confuse people into believing a lie. The mixing of myths and truth in the missionary context is called syncretization. We want to be aware and stick to the absolute truth and both history and prophecy together help us to do that.
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lebensraum [↩]
- Rev. 17:8-11 [↩]
- Matt. 24:24 [↩]
- 2 Thess. 2:4 [↩]
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourth_Reich [↩]
- Irving, D, Hitler’s War (2002) p. 823 [↩]
- https://www.timesofisrael.com/siren-call-of-a-fourth-reich-is-spreading-warns-nazi-germany-expert/ [↩]
- Rev. 17:9-11 [↩]
