Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité! The French national motto of “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity” underpins a country rich in history and populated by an industrious, noble, proud and artistic people. During its moment of imperial glory, France, as one of the great colonial powers, strode atop the world, its language and culture spread throughout Africa, the Mideast, the Pacific and the Americas. In France’s imperial days, Paris, the city of lights, bustled with industry and financial prosperity—the cultural and culinary jewel of Europe.

With the nation’s defeat by the British at Waterloo and Trafalgar, France found itself diminished to a second-rate power, vast swathes of the globe then coming under dominance by the British Empire. Following World War ii, with Britain’s decline, France worked to become the most politically influential nation in postwar Europe by taking a leading role in the founding of the European Union.

Yet, since the death of its greatest postwar leader, Charles de Gaulle, France’s attempt to reassert itself as a major world power has been increasingly frustrated. Successive presidents including the incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy have become part of a working partnership with Germany as that nation has increasingly taken the political lead in Europe.

Today, amid the current euro crisis, France has too often found itself playing second fiddle to the nation that, throughout history, has been its declared enemy. France has simply failed to meet de Gaulle’s goal of using the EU to keep Germany in check. To the contrary, Germany has seized the initiative in the euro crisis to strengthen its position significantly as the dominant power in Europe.

As we have repeatedly noted, Herbert Armstrong foresaw these events in advance of their fulfillment. He warned in print and through radio and television that France would weaken, Germany would rise, and Europe would unite under the dominance of Berlin in tandem with Rome. In the end, the dual leadership of the EU was never destined to be Franco-German. It was always going to be Germano-Roman.

In August 1968, the Paris News Bureau for the Plain Truth magazine, established by Mr. Armstrong to watch and report on the development of prophesied events in France and Europe, reported the following: “After de Gaulle’s departure, France will then resume her traditional role of economic and political instability. Then when France becomes weakened sufficiently, it will be the nationalist Germans who will become dominant in the Common Market—replacing the French as the most influential nation in the [European Economic Community]. Such a weak, sickly France—bereft of de Gaulle’s strong leadership—will then play second fiddle to Germany.” A further report from Paris in the June 1969 Plain Truth stated, “Regardless of whoever is at the helm of France’s government from now on you will see more chaos and instability! She will stumble from one crisis to another—playing a subordinate role to Germany! This is absolutely certain.”

Germany twice overran France’s borders in the last century, the second time occupying the whole country. Without de Gaulle-like leadership at its helm, France is being increasingly bullied into playing a subservient role to the Berlin-based powerhouse of Europe, leaving itself increasingly open to occupation, this time not so much by military aggression as by economic and political strategy.

Reuben (the ancient biblical tribal name for today’s French-speaking peoples) was the firstborn son of Jacob, father of the 12 tribes of biblical Israel. Anciently, Jacob’s sons conspired to kill their younger brother Joseph, jealous of his close relationship with their father. Reuben permitted the conspiracy and abetted in the plan to remove his youngest brother—suggesting they not kill him but rather cast him into a pit in the wilderness. The brothers followed Reuben’s advice; but, sensing Reuben’s weakness, they then sold Joseph to some passing Arabian traders, who subsequently sold him into slavery in Egypt. When Reuben realized what had happened, it was too late to rescue the situation. He was now caught in the trap of his family infighting and elected to fabricate a story for their father about Joseph being torn to pieces by a wild beast (Genesis 37:12-33).

At first glance it may seem as though Reuben acted well. He proposed an alternative to killing Joseph by throwing him in a pit. But is that what was expected of Reuben? Is that all he could do as the firstborn son, the elder of the children of Israel? At the time, within ancient Israel, the firstborn received privileges above those of his younger brothers and sisters. His heritage was larger, and he received a greater portion of blessings. He was next to his father in power and authority. Therefore Reuben was actually responsible for what happened to Joseph. His job was to act the way his father would have if he had been there—not to compromise with his younger brothers in their actions against Joseph.

Reuben did not act with courage and dignity. Afraid of his jealous, enraged brothers—so afraid he didn’t even remain with them to see what they would finally decide to do with Joseph (verse 29)—all Reuben could think of was compromise. Compromise that was far from fulfilling his duty and responsibility as the firstborn. Reuben simply failed to protect his brother.

Winston Churchill noted that “those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” Thus, once more there is a striking parallel between Reuben’s behavior historically and that of France today. Knowing the history of France, Mr. Armstrong saw in advance that, cast in the mold of its patriarch Reuben, that nation would weakly compromise and betray its brother in the future. He was most conscious of that most recent betrayal by Vichy France in its support of Nazi rule in World War ii.

Mr. Armstrong often said, on the air and in print, that there would arise in the future, in direct accordance with Bible prophecy, a “United States of Europe,” which would enslave the American and British peoples. In August 1966, the Plain Truth’s Paris bureau reported, “Reuben’s modern descendants will be at the side of the prophesied ‘beast’ of Revelation when the Anglo-Saxons (the descendants of Joseph) are taken captive. France, like its forefather Reuben, will probably seek a compromise to prevent its former allies—the very sons of Joseph—from being taken captive by the enemy. … During the last two world wars France was at the side of her natural allies, the Anglo-Saxons. They are, indeed, her natural allies because the French people, in turn, are the modern descendants of … Reuben! The situation, however, will be quite different during the next world war. France will no longer fight at the side of her former allies; she will turn against them. The descendants of Reuben will play their part in selling into slavery their brother Joseph—just as Reuben did some 3,700 years ago.”

By signing the Maastricht Treaty in 1992, France capitulated to Germany, sacrificing its sovereign means of exchange, the franc, allowing Germany to lead the way in the implementation of the euro currency. France has since further compromised its relationship with its Anglo-Saxon brethren by endorsing a multitude of European Union regulations that have worked to the destruction of the British economy. France has allowed Germany to use it in forcing through the implementation of the European defense force, has compromised on ongoing legislation in farm reforms and industry emissions, and made many and varying additional compromises too numerable to mention here.

The most recent compromise by France in capitulating to Germany’s will to force fiscal union upon Europe has greatly weakened its influence in the EU, especially in regard to resisting future imperial actions by Germany. This giant surrender to German power has simply left France, the once leading political light in the EU, reduced to the status of just one other passenger riding in the Eurotrain pulled by the political and economic engine of Europe, Germany.

“We don’t have any stronger friend and stronger ally than Nicolas Sarkozy, and the French people,” Barack Obama said in January. Not only was the statement historically and politically inaccurate, it infuriated the British media and politicians who have long held a special transatlantic economic, cultural and security friendship—a “special relationship”—with America.

Within five months of President Obama’s statement, the French president was castigating his country’s “strongest friend and ally.” The Washington Post reported, “French President Nicolas Sarkozy lashed out Friday at the U.S. commitment to the nato effort in Libya, saying that Europe was bearing the main burden of the effort, despite American complaints to the contrary” (June 25). Of certain comments made by U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates critical of the perceived lack of commitment to the Libyan war by Europe, “Sarkozy said his comments about European military might—or lack thereof—were ‘unfair,’ stemming from ‘a bit of bitterness’” (ibid). Some friend—some ally.

Regarding bitterness, the pride of Reuben has bred a jealousy of the Anglo-Saxon greatness of the 19th and 20th centuries. Despite this, the U.S. and Britain came to the aid of their French brother nation in two great world wars. France owes its present state of liberty to the latter Anglo-Saxon intervention to relieve them of German occupation in World War ii.

Yet, when brother Reuben sees its Anglo-Saxon brothers facing future occupation by that same power that so very recently occupied its nation, it will not return the favor.

As Herbert Armstrong predicted, just as Reuben—jealous of his younger brother’s blessings and favor—anciently betrayed him, the same will happen in the end time. France’s involvement in the German-dominated EU will cause it to betray its brothers, the U.S. and Britain, in an effort to save its own national skin.

Before his death, Jacob [renamed Israel] told Reuben that he was “unstable as water” (Genesis 49:4). That inherent instability has continued as a national trait of France up to this day. The signs are that, as France sees its greatest fear increasingly realized—the rise, yet once again of its closest neighbor, Germany, to dominate Europe—it will compromise its familial relationship with its Anglo-Saxon brothers through a strengthened alliance with Germany to the detriment of Britain and the U.S.

Far from fulfilling de Gaulle’s dream of becoming Europe’s master, France has been seduced into becoming nothing other than the willing mistress of its traditional enemy, Germany.