Ten Reasons (5) Astonished

John said that people would be astonished when a democratic republic returns, because this form of government seemed to have been obliterated. When the democratic republic is restored, the people of the world will be impressed too.

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).

They will be impressed with the "new" form of government because it seems to give them control over the state. The democratic republic will seem like the best form of government ever (its true nature will eventually be revealed). People longing for peace and prosperity will support any political power promising to fulfil their dreams.

Many Christians believe that the restoration of a Christian empire is part of God’s plan. They will be puzzled by the suggestion that this democratic empire is the Beast described in Revelation. They will not realise that their faith in political power has made possible the greatest accumulation of political power and control that has ever existed on earth.

The only people not surprised by this aggregation of political power will be followers of Jesus who understand the signs of the times. When most people are calling on the political powers to do more to turn back the overwhelming crisis, they will expose the real character of the "best government ever", but explaining that this democratic republic is just another manifestation of the Beast will make them unpopular.

The surprise will be greatest amongst American Christians, because they believe that their system of government is better than all others. They will find it hard to believe that the system which they trust has become the Beast of Revelation.

This surprise is a confirmation of the Beast’s identity, because John said that God’s people would be surprised when the identity of the Beast.

In a way, this surprise is not surprising. The United States has a higher percentage of Christians than any other modern nation. Despite this strong influence, the nation has two serious vulnerabilities.

• American Christians have immense faith in political power, perhaps because they think their political system is the best that has ever existed. The consequence is that they have massive expectations of what politics can achieve. Many Christians have more faith in the power of politics than they have in the power of the Holy Spirit.

• American Christians have even greater faith in military power. As a consequence, the nation has been engaged in wars around the war for most of its history. Despite considerable evidence to the contrary, American Christians believe that their troops are always well behaved and only ever to do good. They believe their military forces are needed to keep the world safe. They are often elated when American bombs and missiles destroy their enemies.

This faith in political power to bring change at home and military power to bring change in the world has opened the way for the United States to become the Beast of Revelation. Because these vulnerabilities are rooted in Christian faith, most Christians will be amazed when they realise their nation has become a terrible beast.