In honor of the deceased German political legend Wolfgang Schäuble, French President Emmanuel Macron delivered a eulogy predominantly in German in the Bundestag on January 22. His speech, however, was much more than a eulogy. Just five years after the signing of the new Franco-German friendship treaty, Macron called on Germany to live as a nation the legacy that Schäuble lived as an individual.

Speaking in well-articulated German, he stated: “Germany has lost a statesman. Europe has lost a pillar. France has lost a friend.”

He recounted the accomplishments of the longest-serving German parliamentarian and focused mostly on his love for the European project: “‘Often difficult issues can only be resolved if Germany and France pull together,’” Macron stated, quoting Schäuble. “This inseparable link between Germany and France is the formula, the equation that allowed our two countries to flourish after the Second World War.”

In 1994, Schäuble and Karl Lamers proposed the idea of “a core Europe” with a German and French heart. It “was one of the last visionary ideas for the coexistence of Europe’s two core countries,” faz.net commented. “Macron wanted to remind us of this with his spectacular appearance.”

Many commentators found it ironic that the most passionate German speaker that day was a Frenchman. In “Macron Shows the Germans What They Are Missing,” faz.net noted that was a good thing German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, “who outshone all his predecessors’ lackluster speeches,” did not speak that day, as he “could not have won the competition.” Former German Defense Minster Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, who witnessed the speech, had similar thoughts. In a conversation with Augsburger Allgemeine on January 25, he stated:

[M]y first thought was: Where is the German politician of the caliber to give this speech in French in Paris, and that is really my fervent wish. This speech was historic in many ways. It was of course a mourning speech for Schäuble, but it was one of the most cleverly formulated [speeches], in the language of the old enemy, if you will. … It was not just an outstretched arm but really an offer in this great emergency situation in which we now find ourselves… to say let’s do it together.

In a similarly moving speech in 2018, Macron told the German parliament: “If you do not understand the words from France, remember that France loves you.” Around the same time, Macron spoke passionately about the formation of a European army to which then United States President Donald Trump responded: “Emmanuel Macron suggests building its own army to protect Europe against the U.S., China and Russia. But it was Germany in World Wars i and ii. How did that work out for France? They were starting to learn German in Paris before the U.S. came along. Pay for nato or not!”

Macron, of course, was unfazed by the criticism: He voluntarily learned German.

It is a moving gesture when a statesman declares his love for another nation and speaks its language in its parliament. But notice the observation editor in chief Gerald Flurry made in our February 2019 issue: “Macron has never said anything like that to Britain or America. Instead, he has called for a ‘true European army’ to protect Europe ‘with respect to China, Russia and even the United States of America.’ France certainly does not love the United States.”

The significance of Macron’s speech should not escape us. France under Macron is wholeheartedly seeking a close cooperation with Germany while turning against America and Britain. In World War ii this was called collaborating with Nazi Germany; today it is rebranded as a Franco-German friendship. European unity is a noble goal, but if the premise of this unity is adversity to America, it is most dangerous.

It is exactly this kind of unity that the Bible warns against.

As our booklet Proof of the Bible, by Herbert W. Armstrong explains, Daniel 2 gives an overview of all the world-ruling empires. The Bible prophesies that the last world-ruling empire will be a conglomerate of nations ruled by 10 kings, represented by the 10 toes of the Daniel 2 image, which are part of iron and part of clay. This, along with a parallel prophecy in Revelation 17, describes Europe today.

The prophecy is incredibly specific. Mr. Flurry explains in Daniel Unlocks Revelation, “The clay represents some of the lost tribes of Israel, and God wants to shape and mold them (e.g. Jeremiah 18:6). Yet Israel refuses. Here, in this beast power, Israel is mixed right in with the Gentiles. They are able to come together in an emergency, but the unity won’t last. It is a divided empire.”

We are now seeing this emergency. Consider again Guttenberg’s response to Macron’s speech: “It was not just an outstretched arm but really an offer in this great emergency situation in which we now find ourselves … to say let’s do it together.”

France in Bible prophecy is one of the lost tribes of Israel that Mr. Flurry referred to. Specifically, France is biblical Reuben who betrayed his brother Joseph, the forefather of the United States and Britain (for a detailed explanation request a free copy of The United States and Britain in Prophecy). I encourage you to read Gerald Flurry’s “France Rejects America—and Empowers Germany!” to understand these prophecies in the current political context.