Future Human Government (4) - Government by the People

The idea that the beast of Revelation represents restored democracy is confirmed in several ways. The beast comes out of the sea (Rev 13:1). Throughout Revelation, the sea represents the people of the world.

Then the angel said to me, "The waters you saw…. are peoples, multitudes, nations and languages” (Rev 17:15).

Most empires come into being when a few men seize control. The Beast is different; it emerges as the people govern themselves. The only way a great multitude of people can govern themselves through democracy.

There is not much mystery about the number of the beast: 666. We are told what it means.

This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is man's number. His number is 666 (Rev 13:8).

The number does not represent a particular man, but mankind in general. The number is “man’s number”. Six represents humanness. Three represents God, so three lots of six represent man trying to be God. In the context of government this means man governing himself without God. That can only happen in a democracy. In other forms of human government, most people do not govern themselves, but are governed by other men.

Men worshipped the Beast and said, “Who is like the Beast?” (Rev 13:4).

This is already happening. People of the modern world have enormous faith in the democratic state. Most people have more faith in the state than Christians have in God. They say that democracy is the best form of government. Very few people are interested in government by God.

The statue in Nebuchadnezzar’s vision had feet and toes that were a mixture of iron and clay. Iron represents strength, so it describes strong government. Clay represents humanity, as we were created from the earth (Gen 2:7). The clay represents human government. A mixture of iron and clay represents a powerful democratic state.