Democracy and Christianity

Democracy imposes the views of the majority of people on the rest of the people. In reality, the way that party politics works means that the government often only represents a minority of the population. The system allows a minority with political power to impose their will on the majority of the people.

• This is a huge problem for Christians. Political power is coercive power. The state has the power to make people do things that they do not want to do. Christians are not interested in coercion, because God wants people to be free.

• When Christians held a majority position in society, they were quite happy to use democracy to impose their views on the rest of society. Now the boot is on the other foot, we do not like a secular majority imposing their ungodly laws on us. This sounds like sour grapes.

• Being in the minority is now giving us an understanding of what it felt like for people who disliked Christianity when they had Christian views imposed on them by Christians using democratic power.

• The only way back in a democratic system is for Christians is to win the struggle in the marketplace of ideas. If we could get back to where Christians are the majority of people in the society, then secular people in parliament would not be able to impose their views on us. However, we probably don’t want to go back there, as we understand now that it is not right for one group in society to impose their views on others. Now we know what it feels like, we should avoid a situation where we are imposing our views about how society should be organised on people who have different ideas (I suspect many Christians would still like to do that).

• The only solution to this conundrum is to find the lowest common denominator, ie set of ideas that everyone in society can agree on. Then no one will have rules that they do not agree with imposed on them.

• There are two principles that the majority of people in a society agree on.
  
  • Assaulting another person is wrong.
  • Stealing is wrong.
  These two principles represent a consensus on which everyone can agree. This means that human governments should limit themselves to dealing with assault and theft.

• Not surprisingly, these two principles are the heart of the laws for society that God gave to Moses.

See Political Space.

Paradox of Democracy

Silvio Simonetti comments about the Paradox of Democracy.

There is a perverse logic that has been commanding human history at least since the French Revolution: The growth of the state’s power. Regardless of the rhetoric employed, every political action has invariably been expanding the power of governing groups over individuals. The state – and the bureaucracy that accompanies it – has increasingly occupied a central role in social interactions and it has slowly replaced old institutions like the Church as mediators of social relations.

The paradox of democracy – in which the people namely rules and the bureaucracy effectively does – prevails despite the will of political agents. The construction of a bureaucratic authoritarianism under the excuse of democratic progress is not an ideological matter insofar as an ideology does not allow the existence of the bureaucracy’s power; on the contrary, it justifies its exercise for the masses. Ideology confers an emotional veneer and helps to break down resistances toward the relentless exercise of the power to govern. However, ideologies are not the engines of power. Power obeys a dynamics of its own that must be understood to be controlled.

Democracy’s dynamic is not unique to this political system. Quite the contrary, the concentration of the power of command and its exercise by a ruling class is a constant in all human political associations. What is striking in the case of modern democracies is the accentuation of this phenomenon precisely at a time when the myth of the increase of both individual liberties and political participation has become universal. The more the reality of the exercise of power is covered by rhetorical layers that celebrate the achievements of human rights, the more relentless the control of the bureaucratic state over individuals becomes.

Mid-term Elections

The prophetic websites are urging Christians to pray for the mid-term elections in the United States. They believe that this is a critical election for the nation.

This is a funny understanding of prayer. God knows what is good for America, so Christians do not need to pray to persuade him to change his mind.

More important, God does not force people to act against their will. He created us to be free, so he respects human freedom. Therefore, he will not force people to vote differently from the way that they want. Because God will not force people to vote against their will, he cannot change the results of the election.

Democracy is a system of human government. It is a method for revealing the preferences of the people. It is designed so that it does not identify the will of God.

The results of the mid-term elections will be determined by the American people, not by God. Humans must take responsibility for the results of their voting. They cannot blame God for the consequences.

Christians praying that God will change the election result are asking him to do something that he will not do.

Bizarre Behaviour

Looking from the outside, the behaviour of journalists, academics and politicians in the United States seems bizarre. I cannot understand how politicians, academics and journalist can make such a song and dance about American democracy, but then work so actively to undermine its results.

They all seem to have accepted the Russians “hacked” the US presidential election story. There is no evidence for this, and no one has explained how it actually happened. Hillary did enough to lose the election by running a weak campaign for the role she believed she was entitled to.

The best suggestion is that the Russians hacked the servers of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and released a stack of embarrassing emails. This was only a problem, because the emails showed that key democratic leaders were engaged in dodgy activities. You can hardly blame the Russians for their bad behaviour. If the DNC emails were boring administrative stuff, as they should have been, they would have been quickly forgotten.

The news media are not stupid, so they know there is nothing in it. The problem is that they hate Donald Trump more than they love the truth.

Before the election, they said that Trump was stupid and that he would not get elected. Trump bypassed them and proved them wrong, about the second point anyway. They like to think they have a big say in who wins the election. They seem to be angry that they were ignored and beaten by a man they do not like.

It seems that they hate Trump more than they love democracy. Trumps character may be a bit dodgy, but he was elected in a national election. None of the politicians, academics and media commentators seeking to undermine him were.

They say that they believe in democracy, but when they don’t like the outcome, they are happy to undermine it. That seems odd, but the elite knows best.

The worst thing about this situation is that the media and many politicians are spewing out hatred towards the Russian. I presume that they like the “Russia hacked the election” narrative, because if that had happened, Trump would not be legitimately elected, so they would be justified in seeking to throw him out.

They are pushing the hatred of Russia to justify their efforts to depose Trump. This is scary. The biggest risk to the word is not global warming, but a nuclear war between the Russians and they United States. A war that caused them to fire off their massive nuclear arsenals would be a huge disaster for the world.

I am old enough to remember the Cuban missile crisis. I remember how scary it was, and how relieved the world was when Khrushchev and Kennedy agreed to an uneasy peace deal. The world heaved a great sigh of relief. If McCain rather than Kennedy had been in the Whitehouse, we would still be in the midst of a nuclear winter.

The world does not need confrontation between the United States and Russia. One of the few good things about Donald Trump was that he wanted to stabilise the US relationship with Russia. Unfortunately, that has not happened. Instead the news media and many politicians are stirring tension between the two countries.

Russia is not a threat to the United States. It is massively weaker than the Soviet Union. Its economy is slightly smaller than Italy’s. Russian does not have enough troops to invade and control Eastern Europe, and it does not seem to want to.

So the Russian mania is hard to understand, and the media knows this. The problem is that they need hatred of Russia to support their attacks on Trump. If Russia is not a threat, then Russian collusion with Trump ceases to be a problem.

I can only assume that the media, and many politicians, hate Trump more than the care about the peace of the world. They seem to be willing to risk peace by stirring up hatred of the Russians to bring down Donald Trump.

From here, I see a nation freely submitting to a spirit of deception, by choosing to believe a lie. The sad thing is that the "Trump is Saviour" crowd is surrendering to the same spirit, by choosing a different lie.

The irony is that history shows that great nations and empires are not usually destroyed by an invading enemy power. They collapse from within.

Democracy

In an article called The Great Democracy Scam of 2016, James Bovard has some interesting comments about democracy.

Surveys show that most voters this year will choose a candidate based on who they consider the “lesser evil.” But this has been standard fare in elections for decades.

Because modern presidents combine vast arbitrary power, pervasive secrecy, and a docile media, they can usually do as they please. Rather than a democracy, we increasingly have an elective dictatorship.

Modern democracy is based on faith that the people can control what they do not understand. Election results are often only a one-day snapshot of transient mass delusions.

Voting is now a way of conferring power and honors on politicians, rather than a method of reining in rulers.

Democracy is merely a form of government. It is not a mode of salvation. It is not a catapult to the Promised Land. But a democratic government that respects no limits on its own power is a ticking time bomb, waiting to destroy the rights it was created to protect.

Elections and Prayer

Christians praying for the outcome of the US presidential election should remember that democracy is not God first choice form of government. God has made us free, so he does not always prevent the outcome of our choices.

Obama was the people’s choice, so there was no reason God would force him to change. God recognises the peoples freedom to choose their rulers. The problem was the choice, not lack of prayer.

Hillary and Donald are also the people’s choice, so God is unlikely to change them, whoever is elected. They might have a Damascus Road experience, but given their love of power and position, that is unlikely (Paul had a zeal for God that gave God authority to work in his life).

The spiritual powers of evil recognise every vote for a president as a prayer, so there are always more prayers for the candidate, than prayers to change him/her.

The people of the United States have submitted to the authority of a democratic system, so they are stuck with the outcome of that. Instead of vainly hoping and pleading that God will change the elected president, prophetic people should be prophesying and preparing for the outcome of an awful choice.

Military Coup in Egypt

Some information about Egypt that is often missed by Christians.

• Egypt is controlled by the leaders of the military forces. This has been the situation since 1956, when the king was toppled by a military coup. They have often ruled through civilian puppets that are well controlled.

• President Murabak was put in place by the generals, but he had been in power so long, he had forgotten where he had come from and was trying to start a dynasty by establishing his son as his successor. The generals did not want that to happen, because they did not want to lose their grip on the political process, so they were not disappointed when he fell from power.

• The generals believed they could control the Moslem Brotherhood. They were happy for them to be the civilian government because they thought they could maintain the stability needed for their business to prosper, but they were worried that their US benefactors might be offended.

• The lower ranks of the army are made up of conscripts from the humble classes. The people feel like the military represents them, because there brothers and sons serve in it. In contrast, the security forces are hated.

• The military controls nearly 40 percent of the economy. They own and operate huge factories that produce electronics and consumer goods. Their construction companies build highways, housing developments, hotels and telecommunications facilities. They own factory farms producing milk and farming chicken and fish. Some of the work is done by poorly paid military conscripts.

• Private businesses find it almost impossible to compete with military-owned businesses. When they are not in direct competition, the military uses its power to clip the ticket at every opportunity.

• The military leaders enjoy a privileged life. They live a pampered existence in special developments where they can buy condominiums and luxurious apartments for at subsidised prices with cheap credit. The military leaders pretend to care for the nation, but their main political objective is to protect this privilege.

• The Moslem Brotherhood was totally unprepared for running a government. Their skills were in social support programmes. They have been outsmarted by entrenched political powers loyal to the military.

• Although the Morsi government had won an election, their power was limited. It had no control over the military budget, so they generals could carry on doing what they liked.

• The $1.3 billion aid given by the US government goes directly to the military. The Morsi government had no control over it.

• The military forces gets the some very effective weapons from the US, but they are only allowed a very limited supply of ammunition. This gives toys for the officers and the ability to control the people, but no capacity to fight a war.

• The Morsi government could not control the police and security forces, so they were unable implement their policies. The police and security forces went on strike in March to demand better conditions and the resignation of the Interior Minister appointed by the new government. They have been off the streets since then, which allowed crime to soar and causing massive insecurity.

• Most of the judges had been appointed by the Murabak government, so they obstructed all the decisions of the Morsi government. The nullified the lower house of parliament, although it was democratically elected.

• The Moslem Brotherhood in Egypt is quite a conservative group. They may have been radical fifty years ago, but they have grown old under persecution. They are not the Taliban of Egypt. They focused on providing social services, rather than on radical activities. This is the reason for their popularity.

• The Salafist movement is far more radical than the Moslem Brotherhood. The Salafists generally supported the Al Nour party, which got less votes in the election than the Freedom and Justice party of the Moslem Brotherhood led by Morsi.

• Al Nour, which advocates sharia law, won 30% of the vote in the parliamentary elections, so it expected to have influence in the government. The Morsi government was stuck in the middle. It needed the political support of Al Nour, but if it adopted Islamic practice to satisfy Al Nour, it alienated the more secular parts of the population.

• The driver of the Arab Spring was really economic. Egypt has 25 million people aged between 15 and 29. Many of them are unemployed.

• Egypt cannot produce enough food to feed its people. During the Murabak era, the United states shopped surplus wheat to Egypt at a 50 percent discount. When the Moslem Brotherhood was elected, the discounts stopped and bread prices doubled, causing huge pain for the poor.

• After the revolution, tourism to Egypt tanked. This has severely damaged small family businesses. The recent disruption will make the situation worse.

• The weakness of the economy makes Egypt almost impossible to govern. Very few economies in the modern world have been able to create enough jobs to absorb the new generation of youth. The military dominated Egyptian economy is incapable of absorbing it massive youth bulge.

• When Moslem leaders are forced into exile, they often up in France. They learnt their economic in Paris, which is bastion of socialism. When they get return home and get into government, they implement socialist solutions, which create a weak economy. (This was true of Ayatollah Khomeini in Iran, too)

• Modern people all over the world have an expectation that their governments can create economic growth and full employment. The Egyptian people have the same expectation, but it will be disappointed.

• Young people in Egypt can see the good life on television and want freedom to live it, but they also want jobs, so they can afford to live it. No government could create sufficient jobs to fulfil their dreams, especially a socialist one.

• Millions of young people in Cairo are unemployed, so they can easily join a protest for several days. There is evidence that some of the protests were organised by the security services.

• Egyptian society is very divided, but civil war is unlikely. The Military leaders have too much at stake, and they hold the power, so they will not let it happen.

• We will see rapid turnover of governments in Egypt. The people will go onto the streets when they are disappointed in the latest showing, and the military will put someone else in to have a try. If this goes on for several years, the army might lose control, and the red horse might be released.

I do not believe in democracy. It is a immoral and a lie. I am intrigued at how quickly Western governments who push democracy as the ideal government ignore it, when elections produce results they do not like. It confirms that they are more committed in power and control, which is what democracy is.

Time of Distress (12) - Democratic Beast

The Beast emerges during the time of distress in a form that is totally different from previous empires. The people of the world will be amazed when they see it.

The inhabitants of the earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the creation of the world will be astonished when they see the beast (Rev 17:8).

This is a different type of empire. The key to why it is so different is that it seemed to have died and then come back to life again. When it came back to life, the entire world follows it.

One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed. The whole world was astonished and followed the beast (Rev 13:3).

The beast is a form of government that once existed, was destroyed, but will come back in a way that will dazzle the world.

The beast, which you saw, once was, now is not, and will come up out of the Abyss and go to his destruction (Rev 17:8).

This form of human government existed before John’s time, but had come such a violent end, that no one expected to see it again. It once existed, in John’s time it did not exist, but in the future it will come back into existence.

They are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; but when he does come, he must remain for a little while… The beast who once was, and now is not, is an eighth king. He belongs to the seven and is going to his destruction (Rev 17:9,10).

Rome had a number of different types of government. The key is a form of human government that did not exit during his lifetime, but did exist previously. It is different from the sixth king, which exists at the time when John received his vision. When John was alive, Rome was the ultimate empire controlling a large part of the ancient world. This means that the Roman Empire is the sixth king. The key to identifying the awful beast is to identify the different form of human government that was brought to a violent by the Roman Empire.

The major form of human government that existed prior to the Roman Empire was the Roman republic. It was a copy of the democratic republic had begun in Greece much earlier. The Roman Republic began in 500 BC and lasted for nearly five centuries. Consuls were elected for a year. An elected Senate was responsible for passing laws and appointing government officials. Not everyone had the right to vote, but the Roman Republic was based on the principle of democracy.

Democracy in Rome came to a violent end about thirty years before Jesus was born. Julius Caesar and then his successor Caesar Augustus turned the Roman armies against Rome and destroyed the Republic. By the time Jesus was born, the Empire was fully entrenched in power. Ironically, Christianity began and democracy died at about the same.

Having received a fatal blow when Caesar August took control of Rome, the democratic republic appeared to be gone forever “The beast that once was, now is not” is the democratic republican form of Government. The beast with the “fatal wound had been healed’ and the “beast who was wounded by the sword and lived” represent the restoration of democratic government in a republic.

The idea that the beast of Revelation represents restored democracy is confirmed by John’ statement that 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. This beast is emerges as the people govern themselves. The only way a great multitude of people can govern themselves through democracy.

This concept will be difficult for many Christians to get, because they have been taught that democracy is a Christian form of government. This is not true, as democracy is the opposite of the Kingdom of God. In democracy, authority resides with the people. In the Kingdom of God, authority resides with God. This makes them opposites.

If a group of people choose to obey God, they will not find his will by voting. They will find his will be listening to the Holy Spirit. They many even need prophets to declare his will. Democracy does not lead to the will of God, so it cannot produce his kingdom. There is plenty of evidence in scriptures that when the people got to vote with their feet, they walked away from God’s will.

Democracy is a form of adultery. People freely surrender to a democratically elected ruler, who is not their true king Jesusm in return for the pleasure and security. This adulterous relationship makes the Beast that exists in the time of distress totally different. Earlier empires mostly killed and stole to provide wealth for the emperor and his elite. A democratic empire has to provide benefits to everyone in order to keep getting their votes.

Mark of the Beast

The Kingdom of God is the will of God being done.
Democracy is the will of man being done.
The Kingdom of God and Democracy are opposites.

The Beast of Revelation is the culmination of a democratic empire.

If democracy is the beast, then this photo shows the mark of the beast.

Democracy and Prayer

Modern Christians have strong faith in democracy. A disturbing aspect of this faith is the way that it contaminates prayer.

When a Christian requires God’s intervention in their situation, they ask other Christians to pray for them. For serious needs, they will attempt to get their entire church praying. The internet reinforces this behaviour, because it is now possible to get people all over the world to pray for a person in desperate need. This concern for people in need is good, but the underlying theology is flawed.

The basic assumption behind this practice is that God is more like to respond, if many people are praying. Putting it another way, if we can just get enough people to ask him, he will change his mind and meet the need that we are all concerned about. It assumes that God is democratic. If enough people vote for something, he is bound to do it. He will do something he is reluctant to do, if enough people pressure him.

In my book Being Church Where We Live, I wrote about submission and spiritual protection. The key point is that prayer is all about authority. Prayer gives God authority to act on earth. Prayer is standing in authority against the powers of darkness. The implication is that for another person’s prayer to be effective in my situation, they must have authority in my life. I give people authority in my life, by submitting to them. This is why we are commanded to submit to each other.

Groups of people who are submitted to each other can pray effectively for each other. An elder whom I have given authority in my life can stand and resist with the devils attacks against me. If I have submitted to a friend by giving him permission to challenge me when I take the wrong path, my friend has authority in my life. That gives him authority to release the Holy Spirit’s power to work on my behalf when I am struggling.

A person on the other side of the world, who has read about my plight by email, but does not know me, has no authority in my life, so their prayers will be ineffective. God does his own will. He does not respond to large crowds or majorities. He is not interested in democracy.

We often assume that if we have a large number of people praying for us, their prayers will more effective against the attack of the enemy. This is not correct. When resisting evil, two or three Christians who have real authority in our lives, because we have submitted to them, will be much more effective (BCWWL p.78).

Ethics and Democracy

When I suggest that democracy is anti-Christian, the response usually consists of two statements.

• We need a government.
• Democracy is the best form of government.

The first statement has a strange form. It is not a moral statement (normative) but a pragmatic or positive statement about the way things are, like,

• Humans need water.

This statement can be proved by observation as many people have died of thirst in the desert. However I cannot see how the claim that we need government cannot be proven by observation or experiment.

If I turn the statement into a moral statement:

• Government is good.

it looks less certain. If I turn the moral statement into a universal one,

• All government is good,

it starts to look quite shaky. We can all think of governments that are not good. If I qualify it to the following statement:

• Some governments are good,

It loses all meaning, and begs several questions. Which governments are good? What are the correct criteria for identifying a government that is good?

This leads to the second leg of the double, above:

• Democracy is the best form of government.

This is a moral statement. It does not just imply that,

• Democracy is good.

It is a superlative. Democracy is better than all other forms of government. This takes us back to the first statement. What are the criteria for deciding the best form of government? It also begs another question. What is the list of government types that democracy has been tested against?

The truth is that those who use the two statements above never think about these issues. They just assume that the two statements are true. The problem is that they assuming what you are trying to prove is not very sound logic.

The People Have Spoken

On election day, while making his victory speech, our new Prime Minister used the favourite quote of politicians, when he said,

The people have spoken

This statement has several flaws.

1. The people have spoken; past tense; completed action. They have completed their speaking for three years when they will get to speak again at the next election. In the interim they have handed all authority of to the new Prime Minister and his team. He has authority to keep on speaking and he has the power to do his will. They have finished speaking.
2. Only half of the people who spoke were head. Less than half of the people voted for the new government. They will feel that they have been heard. The other half spoke for losing parties. They spoke, but their voice will be ignored, because they did not pick a winner.
3. The truth is that the people did not speak. They only ticked. They could only choose between various politicians and parties and tick the ones that they preferred. They could not speak what was on their hearts. They could speak about what they believed. They could not speak about the laws that they wanted to change. All they could do was tick. Ticking is not speaking.

Politicians love the idea of the people speaking, because it authenticates their position and authority. The idea that they embody of the voice of the people warms their hearts, but it is a nonsense. The people can never speak; they only get to tick; and then suffer in silence.

Clash of Civilisations (4) - Shock Troops

Democratic governments are the shock troops of secular humanistic civilisation all over the world. Democracy is rule by the people. When the people rule, the tendency is always towards humanist secular government. Most Christians believe that democracy is a Christian institution, but this is not the case.

Democracy is the opposite of the Kingdom of God. In democracy, humans have all authority. In the Kingdom of God, his authority is honoured on earth as it is in heaven. Democracy works to advance human authority and undermines God authority. By exporting democracy, Christians are unwittingly destroying religious cultures and raising a barrier to Christian culture.

Future Human Government (10) The End of the Beast

The book of Revelation tells the story of the rise and fall of the democratic state. Although it achieves power, it will eventually collapse under its own weight. When man ignores God, things go wrong on earth. The curses and plagues described in the book of Revelation are the consequences of rampant state power. The democratic state will demand more and more power to deal with these problems and plagues, but it will fail. As it demands more power, the problems will just get worse. Eventually everything will collapse under the strain.This will present a tremendous opportunity to Christians, if they are ready. Thing will get so bad that the kings and politicians will want to hide.

Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and every free man hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains (Rev 6:15).

The powerful people will be so shaken that they will want to hide.

Mary prophesied the collapse of human government.

He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
He has brought down rulers from their thrones
but has lifted up the humble (Luke 1:51, 52).

The birth of Jesus marked the beginning of the end for human rulers. They will be brought down from their thrones as their empires collapse.

The people of the world will be looking for a better form of government. They will have had enough of human government and be open to an alternative. If Christians are ready to present a alternative, it will be well received. People will be crying out for the government of God.

The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever (Rev 11:15).

The collapse of democratic government will create a great vacuum that only the government of God can fill.

Christians must not use force against democratic government. They must wait for God to judge it. They should wait for it to collapse under its own internal weakness. A lot of stuff might have to happen first. Christian communities will need to be restored in every location. During the transition, these communities may have to protect themselves from attack and provide economic support for each other as the global economy breaks down, but that is another story.

Future Human Government (9) - Military Power

The military power of the United States is even greater than its economic power. It currently spends more on defence than the next 15 to 20 biggest spenders combined. The Congress has currently agreed to increase military spending by $US50 billion. This is more than the entire defence budget of Germany or the UK. The United States defence budget could grow to be greater than that of the all other countries in the world combined.

The United States has overwhelming nuclear superiority, the world’s dominant air force, the only true, blue-water navy and military bases all over the world. It leads the world in exploiting the military applications of advanced communications and information technology. Listening devices allow military planners to monitor enemy communications. Satellite technology allows them to observe a battlefield in detail. Commanders are linked by an intranet that gives precise information about battle formations and unmanned planes and guided missiles are becoming increasingly sophisticated. These developments give unrivalled ability to co-ordinate and process information about the battlefield and destroy targets from afar with extraordinary precision. This military superiority gives the Untied states a unique capability to project power around the world, and it achieved with less than 4 percent of GDP.

The United States is also making it hard for any other country to catch up. It currently spends three times more on military research and development than the next six military powers combined. US spending on military research and development is greater than the total spending on defence by Germany or the UK. In the next decade, advanced technology will cause an enormous leap forward in military capability, so the military power of the United States will continue to increase dramatically.

In the past, the United States tended to have an isolationist approach to the world affairs. It has only became involved when drawn in by events. The election of George W Bush brought a significant change in this respect. Previous governments recognised the unprecedented power of the United States, but did not know how to use it. George W Bush has brought to power men who believe that America should use its unique power to shape the world order and control its direction for the next century. L’Express newspaper called this messianic imperialism. The United States has become an imperialistic nation, but it does so to save the world from evil.

A disturbing aspect of this American imperialism is the encouragement that is been given by Christians in the United States. Here are few examples.

God bless America, because God is with you. This nation did not become a strong nation, getting on its knees to despots and tyrants, we have defeated them from George Washington to George Bush and as a nation we are going to stand on our feet and defeat the tyrants of the world, and now is the time to do it. God bless George Bush (Pastor John Hagee).

For in these days says the Lord my prophets will wear the attire of a soldier. They will call themselves Marines, Army, Air Force and Navy. I will send them abroad and they shall tread down the adder and the serpent that set itself against them. They will bring my retribution and revival.... Wherever the soles of their feet tread they will possess the land. They will reestablish my borders and boundaries in the land. No longer will the dragon of tyranny reign upon the head of that generation… America, I have sent you as evangelists and prophets to the nations. You have donned the uniform of the soldier and are setting a new precedence of the warrior heart (Chad Taylor – My Prophets in Uniform).

I find these statements very disturbing. The Kingdom of God cannot be established by military power. Military power always lead to domination, even if it is democratic domination. Christians seems to be encouraging the United States into the role of the Beast of Daniel.

Here are some of adventures that Daniel prophecied for this military power, but not for good.

Next One

Another

Future Human Government (8) - Economic Power

Daniel says that the fourth beast was terrifying and frightening and very powerful (Dan 7:7). The military and economic power of the United States is now unmatched in the world.

The economic power of the United States is amazing. With the collapse of the Japanese economy, the United States became the dominant global economic power. It has been the largest economy in the world since 1900 and now accounts for nearly half of the world’s economic production. The United States economy is now as large as the next three, Japan, Germany and Britain, put together. California’s economy alone has become the fifth largest in the world, ahead of France and just behind the UK. Most international trade is denominated in the US dollar and most nations use it as their reserve currency. The dominance of the United States is set to continue into the future, as it undertakes 50 percent of the research and development done in the world, more than the R&D expenditure of the next seven richest counties combined. The United States is the most popular destination for the world’s best scientists and trained foreign workers.

The population of the United States is younger and growing fast, whereas the population of Europe is ageing and declining. In 1950, Western Europe had twice the population of the United States. Projections indicate that by 2040, the United States will overtake Europe. By 2050, Europe’s population could be 360 million and falling, while the United States’ would be would be over 550 million and rising. This large home market will further strengthen the United States economy.

Some economists and prophets are warning that the American economy is collapsing. There may be a temporary lapse, but the underly power of America is stronger than ever. The American economy will remain the most powerful in the world until this democratic beast has completed its adventures.

Future Human Government (7) - Democratic Beast

Daniel saw a terrible beast.

After that, in my vision at night I looked, and there before me was a fourth beast-terrifying and frightening and very powerful. It had large iron teeth; it crushed and devoured its victims and trampled underfoot whatever was left. It was different from all the former beasts, and it had ten horns. "While I was thinking about the horns, there before me was another horn, a little one, which came up among them; and three of the first horns were uprooted before it. This horn had eyes like the eyes of a man and a mouth that spoke boastfully.

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 it. The ten horns are ten kings who will come from this kingdom. After them another king will arise, different from the earlier ones; he will subdue three kings. He will speak against the Most High and oppress his saints and try to change the set times and the laws. The saints will be handed over to him for a time, times and half a time’ (Dan 7:7,8,23-25).

Most biblical commentators think that this prophecy will be fulfilled when the European Union transforms into a super-state, like a restored Roman empire. There are real problems with this view. Disagreement between the EU members means that they will be unlikely to hand over full sovereignty to the European parliament. Europe is economically weak and its population is declining. European military forces are very limited and the anti-war sentiments of the population would make a military build-up difficult. Therefore, if this prophecy is being fulfilled in our time we need to look outside Europe.

The most obvious interpretation of the beast with the ten horns is that a number of independent nation states hand over their sovereignty to become part of a single united nation. One third of these nations refused to hand over their sovereignty and are forced to join under threat of military force. There is only once place where this has happened in recent history and that is America. The thirteen states that gained independence from Britain were each independently governed, autonomous nation states. They joined together to fight for their independence, but they remained politically independent. After the war of independence, these nation states came together and established the United States. They created a federal system in which they handed over very limited powers (mostly defence) to the federal government. All other powers were retained by the states.

We sometimes get confused by the use of the word state in this context. These states were not provinces of a greater state, but independent states that gave some power to a federal government. Because they joined freely, many states considered that they could also withdraw from the Union. At the beginning of the civil war, the southern states attempted to withdraw from the Union and establish a separate confederacy. The civil war was primarily fought over the right of these states to secede from the Union. The army of the twenty northern states (two thirds) destroyed the armies of the 11 southern states (one third). The victory of the union forces enabled them to maintain the union, eliminating the power of the states to secede. This opened the way for a gradual shift of power to from the states to the federal government. During the following century, the United States became the most powerful nation in the entire world and the states are now just provinces of this greater entity.

Commentators are looking for a powerful confederacy of nations. They forget that there is already a powerful union called the “united states”. Daniel saw a group of nations (ten horns) joined together to become one nation (a single horn). At first the federal government had very limited power (a little horn). The federal government defeated a group of states that tried to withdraw from the union (three horns) and then the federal government became very powerful (little horn becomes large beast). The numbers ten and three should not be taken literally. Ten symbolises completeness, indicating that all the states joined freely. The number three indicates that 3/10 of the states would be defeated in their attempt to secede. All this happened for the god of democracy.

Ten minus three is seven. Seven symbolises divinity. This indicates that the conquering states would take attempt to take on sovereignty that belongs only to God. The beast attempts to “try to change the set times and the laws”. This is a reference to a rejection of God’s laws. Since the civil war, the United States government has become increasingly secular and humanistic. Whereas the thirteen original states had laws based on the bible, American law is now dominated by pragmatism and humanism.

Everyone is looking for the beast in Europe, but all the while this terrible democratic beast is having it's ultimate fulfilment in America.

More here.

Future Human Government (6) - Growing Power

As democracy has spread, the power of the state has expanded enormously. Although kings had absolute power, the scope of their authority and ability to levy taxes was limited. The modern democratic state has far more power than previous empires. It can conscript any citizen, male or female, to fight in its wars. The democratic state can tax income and wealth at whatever level it wishes. A democratic parliament can pass any law it chooses. Democracy has given the political state unprecedented power.

An example of this enormous power is the American invasion of Iraq. An invasion from such a distance would have been inconceivable in Nebuchadnezzar’s time. The Roman empire could not have achieved such a decisive victory in so short a time. This American victory is just one example of enormous state power in action.

Future Human Goverment (5) - Emerging Beast

The Roman Empire lasted for about five centuries. It was succeeded by a motley assortment of kings and fiefdoms. Democracy first emerged in England in the thirteenth century when some of the nobles began to resist the power of the king. However, real democracy only began in the nineteenth century when the vote was extended to the common people. It emerged in the United States about the same time. The First World War ended the reign of kings throughout Europe. Democracy became the normal form of government. Following the Second World War, democracy spread throughout the world as the colonial power withdrew from their empires. Democracy is now accepted throughout the world as the best form of Government.

Francis Fukuyama wrote a famous article called “The End of History”. He was not talking about the end of the world. He was saying that with the collapse of communism, liberal democracy had triumphed over all alternative forms of government.

What we are witnessing is not just the end of the Cold War, or a passing of a particular period of post-war history, but the end of history as such: that is, the end point of mankind’s ideological evolution and the universalization of Western liberal democracy as the final form of human government.

Fukuyama claims that liberal democracy has proven to be superior to all other forms of human government. Democracy started off the twentieth century as one amongst many possible systems of government. Now all contenders, including monarchy, communism, fascism have failed, so he cannot envisage a future where liberal democracy is not the dominant form of government. Fukuyama believes that liberal democracy is the best form of government so it cannot be superseded by a better or “higher” form of government. I guess he was really saying “Who is like the Beast?”

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.