Millions of people have been protesting in France. Thousands of Dutch farmers have blocked the streets in the Netherlands. Even the work-oriented German people have put on one of the largest strikes in decades. Europeans are roaring back against the elite—but the freedom and luxury they fight for won’t be granted them. As the protests rage, bank collapses have shaken the economy. A financial crisis is looming and more dictatorial measures are around the corner.

Europe has fancied itself as an open, progressive continent, allowing millions of refugees in, adopting so-called “climate-friendly” policies (that are actually harming the environment and the economy), and being a role model for democracy. But its people are increasingly unhappy.

French President Emmanuel Macron raised the retirement age by kingly decree from 62 to 64. If you compare the average retirement age in France to Britain or Germany, it needs to be raised. Although in a democracy the people decide, France is still more of a republic, so the president gets to decide. But the same president has also pushed for open borders and green-energy policies that have harmed the French economy. So some of the anger is justified. The protest is much more about Macron’s behavior than his policy, he isn’t giving in. Instead, police forces have beat down protesters.

https://twitter.com/markmaycot/status/1641154135721496577

Macron used Article 49.3 of the French Constitution to push through his plan without Parliament’s vote; he knew Parliament would reject his proposal. Since Macron lost his absolute majority in Parliament last summer, he has been ruling more and more by decree. In less than a year, he instructed Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne to invoke the article 11 times. On average, this power has been used 1.5 times per year. Macron’s government may be headed for a new record. Foreign Policy wrote on March 24: “To Save His Pension Reform Bill, Macron Has Lost France.”

The procedure allowed the opposition to launch a no-confidence motion twice, but the attempts to overthrow Macron failed. Watch Macron’s rule by decree in light of what Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry wrote in “France Is Resurrecting the Holy Roman Empire.”

The protests by Dutch farmers are even more understandable: They are protesting European Union regulations that threaten their livelihoods. The EU thought it could suppress a minority, but the majority stands behind them. The Farmer-Citizen Movement, or BoerBurgerBeweging party, is set to become the largest party in the Dutch Senate after winning a provincial election on March 15. cnn managed to blame this on United States President Donald Trump and French right-wing leader Marine Le Pen: “Trump and Le Pen Backed These Dutch Farmers—Now They’ve Sprung an Election Shock.” We have written about the Dutch farmers protest here.

These protests are echoed in Germany. The previously popular German Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) wants to ban the installation of new oil and gas heating systems starting in 2024. His bill would only allow installation of heating systems that produce heat through “at least 65 percent renewable energies.”

This is part of the reason his party’s popularity has been plummeting in the polls. Germany isn’t as democratic as it claims to be. When it comes to decisions for “the greater good,” the political elites decide what that is.

Unions for workers’ rights are upset too. Germany’s second-largest union, Ver.di, and the railway and transport union, evg, which together represent around 2.8 million workers, joined forces on Monday to paralyze Europe’s biggest economy.

Ver.di has demanded a 10.5 percent pay raise for workers because of rising energy and food costs. This gets back to the government whose Green policies are driving inflation on food and energy by closing farms and banning fossil fuels. And Russia’s war on Ukraine has certainly made the existing difficulties far worse.

The European Central Bank (ecb) appeared to respond to the strikes by noting that the real problem with inflation is workers demanding a pay raise—not comforting words. The ecb’s solution? Stop protesting and trust us.

In addition to those crises, the banking system may be collapsing. The dominoes have only started to fall. Some hope to escape the crisis by investing in physical assets, but with rising utility costs, it will be hard to maintain those. Others hope to invest in gold and silver, but when it comes down to it, people want bread—from farmers who are being banned. The average person doesn’t even have to make that choice because he can barely pay his bills as it is.

The government will provide its own solution. As the late Herbert W. Armstrong explained in Who or What Is the Prophetic Beast?, Europe is about to reintroduce the six-day workweek—in a dictatorial fashion. Europe is being primed for such action today.

This six-day workweek will be enforced by dictatorial leaders guided by a church, just like in the days of the Holy Roman Empire. This is evident from a prophecy in Revelation 17, which shows that “kings” will rise in Europe during this end time. They will rule in the tradition of Adolf Hitler, Napoleon Bonaparte and the Holy Roman Empire. Even though they may not literally be kings, they will rule like kings. It’s possible Macron could become one of them—or another leader could replace him, building on the dictatorial foundation.

Many are hopeful that the current protests will end Europe’s dictatorial drift. We at the Trumpet believe the opposite. We are seeing the start of the rise of dictators. And people are getting used to this kind of rule.

What can you do to escape this? The Bible reveals the only way to be financially secure and protected: Follow God’s financial laws, coupled with the weightier matters of the law (Matthew 23:23). Jesus Christ commands that we do both. But to follow God in the troubling times ahead, there is something else we need to learn first: how to worship God. For more understanding, read Which Day Is the Christian Sabbath?, by Mr. Armstrong.