What Happens Next (9) - Fourth Beast

The fear and uncertainty created by the first three beast opens up the way for the emergence of the fourth beast. This beast is different from the rest because it represents the climax of human poltical power. The people of the world hand over their freedom to human governments in the hope of finding peace in a troubled world. Political leaders submit to its ways, because they believe it can protect them.

At the moment, the American government is doing its best to become the Beast of Daniel. The American people believe that their form of democracy is the best method of government that exists. George Bush is tramping round the world, try to impose American methods of democracy and government wherever he can. This sounds like the angel that spoke to Daniel.

He gave me this explanation: 'The fourth beast is a fourth kingdom that will appear on earth. It will be different from all the other kingdoms and will devour the whole earth, trampling it down and crushing crushing it’ (Dan 7:23).

John McCain and Barack Obama both want to expand America’s leadership role in the world, so there is no sign that these efforts will end.

Political leaders in countries like Georgia, Ukraine and Poland are submitting to American leadership, believing that this will protect them from the first three beasts. Unfortnately their submission is helping to create a more dangerous empire to emerge.

Daniel’s message is telling. The first three beasts are bad, but the fourth beast worst. Althought it is started by good men to resist the first three beasts, it actually strengthens human political power and becomes an opponent of the Kingdom of God. America is in danger of becoming a greater obstacle to the Kingdom of God than Islam, Russia, or fourth generation warfare. Many Christians support American leadership of the world, because they see it as the only way of the resisting the first three beasts.

Fighting evil human government with better human government is dangerous, because it produces greater human government. The greater the evil confronted, the greater the human government becomes. Evil cannot be overcome evil.