French President Emmanuel Macron said on January 20 that France will boost its military spending by more than a third in the coming years to accomplish nothing less than the transformation of the French Army so it can deal with the great “perils” of this century.

Germany announced a special fund of €100 billion (us$108 billion) to boost its military strength last year, but on January 27, Germany’s recently inaugurated defense minister, Boris Pistorius, told Süddeutsche Zeitung that this fund is too little to cover Germany’s needs. Germany’s stated goal is to become the most powerful military force on the Continent.

France and Germany are trying to outdo one another’s military spending. In centuries past, when these two nations began arming themselves the world would be alarmed: It almost always meant that war between the two was just around the corner. But times have changed. January 22 marked the 60th anniversary of the signing of the Élysée Treaty. Germany and France once again demonstrated their solidarity with a joint ceremony.

And yet the two nations are arming themselves on a historic scale. One would assume the increased commitment to defense is due to Russia’s war on Ukraine. But the two nations’ support for Ukraine is lacking and their attempts to appease Russia continue.

Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Mariusz Błaszczak went so far as to say he was not certain if Germany wants Ukraine to win. He told Polish Radio 1 last week that the Polish government remembers the Nord Stream pipeline and Berlin and Moscow’s cooperation. On Nov. 21, 2022, former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson told cnn that Germany wanted Ukraine to capitulate. Then Ukrainian Ambassador to Germany Andrij Melnyk claimed much the same in an interview with Welt.

Germany has been criticized justly; but in terms of aid sent to Ukraine, France has sent even less. In the first crucial months of the war, it sent less than Poland and Canada.

With their lack of support for Ukraine, France and Germany risk losing the trust of the United States and Great Britain. This is of enormous significance. Why would they take such a calculated risk?

France and Germany are seeking independence from the U.S. That’s why they announced a European military superpower long before Russia invaded Ukraine. Given their history, this turn of events is remarkable. In 2006, Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry wrote:

Germany has a history of being dangerous when you least expect it. Germany started a war with France in 1870 and conquered it. Germany used the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand as an excuse to go to war—when almost nobody expected a war. Germany’s aggression in taking over neighboring countries in 1939 led to the greatest war known to man. You never know what Germany is plotting. It is prone to get into wars!

Germany has a history of war, but the Bible reveals that Europe will unite in this end time. Daniel 2 prophesies of four world-ruling empires that would dominate throughout man’s history. The last empire is prophesied to be a union of nations. This is referring to a German-dominated Europe in which France will play a major part. God is using this alliance to punish His people, primarily the United States and Britain. That’s why Germany and France are rising in defiance of America and Britain. A historic betrayal is about to occur. Jesus Christ prophesied of this in Matthew 24, calling it the Great Tribulation. God is punishing our world to cleanse it from sin—He reveals that all nations have sinned and will suffer until they learn to obey God. But both Daniel 2 and Matthew 24 conclude with Christ’s return—that’s the good news of these dire prophecies as explained in our free booklet Germany and the Holy Roman Empire.