France is in a historic political crisis with no easy way out. Prime Minister Michel Barnier’s government collapsed through a vote of no confidence on Wednesday evening just three months after he was appointed by President Emmanuel Macron.

The collapse was triggered when Barnier forced a budget through that Parliament had failed to agree on. Now France is without a capable government, without a new budget and with a massive debt problem. To make matters worse for Europe, Germany’s coalition government collapsed almost exactly a month earlier.

This is the first time a government has been brought down by the French Parliament since 1962. Barnier will become the shortest-serving prime minister in France’s Fifth Republic and the second to lose a vote of no confidence.

Left- and right-wing populists united to support the motion with 331 votes, when only 288 are required. But this might be the only thing Parliament can agree on.

Macron vs. Democracy

In the European Union Parliament election in June, Marine Le Pen’s National Rally made historic gains, winning 31.5 percent of the French vote. This prompted Macron to call for new national elections. Unsurprisingly, the National Rally won the first round with 34 percent of the vote.

Other parties organized by Macron joined forces to prevent the National Rally from winning the second round. Center right-wing and left-wing candidates coordinated their races. Supporters of candidates who dropped out were told to support those with the strongest chances of beating National Rally candidates.

The National Rally won the popular vote, but only 143 of the 577 seats in Parliament. A left-wing alliance called the New Popular Front won 182 seats. But now the government lacked unity, and no party or alliance had an absolute majority.

While Macron was relieved to have prevented Le Pen’s victory, the left-wing leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon was just as controversial and extreme. Instead, Macron appointed Barnier two months after the snap elections.

Now France needs a new prime minister who can rally Parliament and create a budget to address France’s rising debt—a seemingly impossible task.

Macron’s presidency is not directly affected by the political turmoil, but the pressure on him will only grow while the issue remains unresolved.

Europe’s Desperation

This crisis must be viewed in context. European countries need unity to face global challenges. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine demands European military unity as deterrence against Russian aggression. The return of Donald Trump to the White House demands economic unity in the face of potential tariffs and a trade war with China.

European unity has never been more difficult—or more needed. Bible prophecy reveals that the division will be temporarily resolved: Desperation will open the door for unprecedented measures.

The books of Daniel and Revelation speak of a union of nations forming in the heart of Europe in a crisis, giving their economic and military power to one emperor.

The late Herbert W. Armstrong proved this prophecy is for our day. He prophesied Western and Eastern Europe would unite before such unity was remotely conceivable. (Request a free copy of He Was Right.) Yet the prophecy has not been completely fulfilled.

Notice the following prophecy in light of Europe’s unity project: “And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast” (Revelation 17:12-13).

The next verse shows this unity will be achieved just before the return of Jesus Christ. Mr. Armstrong foretold that this would require the Vatican’s influence and a strong leader. In the November-December 1954 Plain Truth, he wrote:

Germany inevitably [will] emerge as the leader of a united Europe. It will require some spiritual binding force to inspire this confidence—to remove these fears—and that spiritual binding force must arise from inside Europe! All Europe is actually ready—just waiting for the confidence-inspiring leader …. That man is there somewhere.

While Mr. Armstrong did not know when exactly this leader would appear, the prophecies are absolutely sure. Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry has continued watching these prophesies closely. After Germany’s recent government crisis, he wrote a detailed article titled “After Trump’s Victory, Watch Germany” on where Europe is headed and who may be the prophesied strongman.

Europe knows it needs a strong leader unrestrained by political turmoil to lead it out of this mess. Watch for a core group of European nations to unite under a “confidence-inspiring leader.”