Topic: Religion and Government
Why Some Christians Believe in the Inevitability of Global Governance and are Apprehensive of It (Part One)... This is strictly an informative, explanatory and historical attempt (as opposed to an “evangelical” one) to relate to others who might be otherwise unknowledgeable about upon what parts of Biblical scripture some Christians base a belief in the inevitability of eventual One World/Global governance and accordingly feel that eventually they will not, as Christians, be able to continue to participate in and must, at a point, separate themselves from it...by Michael
(libertarian)
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Introduction...
Ever since being quite somewhat railed upon for expressing my personal, eschatological, Christian belief system in my NolanChart article:
"...so, are you up to a third round of, "Fool me"!?!--(Say this to yourself in a Scottish accent and it has more effect)..".
...and subsequently being given the distinction of being one subsequent commentator’s #3 most wanted-to-be-eliminated element from current society (behind #1 Keynesian/Friedmanites and #2 collectivists) and another’s perhaps #1 most wanted-to-be-eliminated element; I realized that there is undoubtedly an absolute famine existent out there in the world at large in the form of information, explanation and the historical context of "why" some Christians so believe. It all ended up within a healthy spirit of disagreement, debate and rebuttal and a confirmation of, "The enemy of my enemy is my friend," nonetheless, and a respect for one another’s current Constitutional right to exist within one’s own personal belief system...
"If we don't believe in freedom of expression for people we despise, we don't believe in it at all." -- Noam Chomsky
"When any government, or any church for that matter, undertakes to say to its subjects, This you may not read, this you must not see, this you are forbidden to know, the end result is tyranny and oppression no matter how holy the motives."
-- Robert Heinlein
Even the majority of well-recognized, long-established, major, organized Christian denominations have either no or very little and shallow eschatological views–at least when compared with the actual amount and detail of the content that is to be found within the Bible concerning this subject. And with Christianity seemingly declining in popularity, I subsequently endeavored to attempt to present in an informational, explanatory and historical way, without attempting to proselytize or evangelize, a record of those key Biblical scriptures upon which some of our eschatological beliefs are founded–after all, on the disbelievers part, the wise man should still consider the house of his enemy–and if you are going to enter into debate with us you should at least endeavor to be informed of our position and its basis in said detail of information–and even though I may be to you considered to be an enemy; I am still yet offering to you said detail of information on my position in this matter...
eschatology=the branch of theology and any belief(s) or system of doctrines concerned with last or final matters like death, the end of the world, the destiny of humanity, the Second Coming, the Last Judgment, etc...
Though applied almost exclusively to Christian and Judaic beliefs in the modern context, eschatological beliefs are not uncommon in many and other religions and more primitive, mythological traditions and present; as with the accounts, stories, myths and fables of a Great Deluge; an almost common thread to be seen throughout a great many, varied bodies of traditional, historical and ethnic beliefs.
The most common belief to be found within this body of religious, traditional, mythological and historical eschatological beliefs is that the "end of all things" will be seen as a great conflagration–a cosmic, all-consuming fire that will end all things. Some traditions and mythologies are totally nihilistic in this belief in that it was/is believed that there will be nothing else left, existential, thereafter. Even the Judaic-Christian tradition concurs with this conflagration scenario to some degree but teaches that there is yet still an existence of some form beyond even this: this final, all-consuming fire traditionally being interpreted by the Christian as being an analogy to the Last Judgment of God and the pure righteousness of His presence subsequently consuming/burning and thereby destroying/purging the Creation of all evil.
From the point of view of Atheism/Humanism perhaps these beliefs/traditions/mythologies would be believed to have sprung from primitive ignorance–but consider this, within the scenario of an Evolutionary/Atheistic/Humanistic belief system there will also be a fiery end to this Earth: it is an inevitability that some day, as our Sun matures and goes through the life stages that a star, according to our current understanding, undergoes, it will indeed be a fiery end to our Earth’s existence when the Sun reaches its red giant stage (or at least so according to the current, most popular theory)! Perhaps the Ancients were not so primitive or ignorant after all, but rather just those degraded cultures that survived them and passed on [just a small] part of their knowledge within their mythologies...
In between the present "now" and this fiery end of all things some Christians believe that the eschatology indicated in prophetic Bible scripture calls for the historically unprecedented establishment of a One World government and specific circumstances yet to be fulfilled as being conditional to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ to establish the Kingdom of God on this Earth.
Even apart from a pre-determined Divine intention and design the social, political and economic progress of mankind would logically and eventually lead to Global Governance anyway. This is even historically demonstrated in type. In all past times any given part of the "known" world and the individual nations that existed at a particular moment in time eventually became incorporated into an "empire." The "known" world back then was really just a regionally "known" part of the entire world. But our "known" world currently is indeed the entire world so given historical precedents this will logically and eventually lead to a Global "empire" of attempted centralized control; for better or for worse–according to our historically precedented and demonstrated human behavior patterns and (yet flawed) Human Nature.
There are two main sections of Biblical scripture upon which Judaic-Christian tradition base their belief in the establishment of an End Time One World form of government. One is found in the book of Daniel in the Old Testament and the other is found in the book of Revelation in the New Testament. There are many other subsidiary and minor Biblical references/prophecies to this same subject. It is estimated that there are well over 600 cross-references in the book of Revelation to other, primarily Old Testament, scriptures that pertain to the End of the Age.
The book of Daniel was written by the prophet Daniel between 605 and 536 BC. The book of Revelation was written by the Apostle John around 95/96 A.D.
Daniel Chapter 7–The Vision...
In conjunction with the 13th and 17th chapters of the Revelation, Daniel chapter 7 offers the best picture of the End Time global political structure. But in the 7th chapter of Daniel there is shown a more clear chronology and the wording of the prophesies given by Daniel are more to the point and with minimal interpretation and commentary more easily understood.
Beginning in verse 1 of Daniel chapter 7:
1. In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel had a dream and visions of his head upon his bed: then he wrote the dreams, and told the sum of the matters.
2. Daniel spoke and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four great winds of heaven strove upon the great sea.
3. And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse [different] one from another.
In verse 2 when I read that "...the four great winds of heaven strove upon the great sea..." I am reminded of God’s statement in Genesis 6:3, "My Spirit shall not always strive with man..." for as is to be seen in other Scriptures the "great sea" is the sea of humanity/mankind. The implication in the 2nd and 3rd verses of the 7th chapter of Daniel is almost as though because the four great winds of heaven were striving upon and against the great sea of humanity that these four great beasts arose, as though in response to the four great winds–as though in defiance and resistance to them...
4. The first [beast] was like a lion, and had eagle’s wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man’s heart was given to it.
5. And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh.
6. After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it.
7. After this I saw in the night visions and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth; it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse [different] from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns.
In these four verses we, at the End of the Age, have a historical perspective upon which to refer that Daniel did not have during his day in that these four beasts were representative of a subsequent historical succession of kings, kingdoms and in a more modern sense forms of government. These beasts were prophetic and representative in a more immediate sense to the historical time of Daniel, i.e. speaking of the immediate history of Daniel’s time and the relatively short span of history which followed: the Babylonian empire (the lion); the Medo-Persian empire (the bear); the Greco-Macedonian empire (the leopard); the Roman empire (the great and dreadful beast).
But in a deeper sense the vision of the four beasts speaks undeniably of certain conditions to still be seen at the End of the Age, as is confirmed by the direct cross-reference of these scriptures in Daniel chapter 7 (circa 600 B.C.) with those to be seen in Revelation chapter 13 (circa 96 A.D.) wherein these same four beasts are to be seen to still be a critical factor in End Time prophetic fulfillment.
Considering this, the first three beasts of Daniel’s vision in a broader, historical sense span a bridge from then until this modern day in that the three beasts represent the three predominant forms of government which mankind has instituted over the millennia since then. The lion represents monarchs/dictators and despots. The bear represents communism, and have not the communist systems been responsible for more deaths than any other in these modern times? ("...Arise, devour much flesh..."). The leopard represents democracies; and are there not four major forms of this system of government?
The great and dreadful beast is undoubtedly both historically the Roman empire and prophetically the One World government of the End of the Age. It is the same beast which the Apostle John was shown in the 13th chapter of the Revelation. But John shows us something more and something quite remarkable as it concerns the nature of this fourth great and dreadful beast of Daniel’s vision. He tells us in the 2nd verse of the 13th chapter of the Revelation that this fourth great and dreadful beast:
"...was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion..."
It is more than coincidental that this fourth great and dreadful beast is comprised of aspects of the three beasts which preceded it. In that it "...was like unto a leopard..." we see that its overall appearance will be that of a democracy. In that its "...feet were as the feet of a bear..." and in that in Daniel 7:7 we find that the fourth great and dreadful beast caused destruction by the stamping of its feet and that the bear in vs. 5 was given the command to "...Arise, devour much flesh..." we see herein that the military might of it will be according to that which has been historically demonstrated in the brutal, ruthless, merciless and godless campaigns waged by the various communist regimes of historical precedent. Indeed, considering recent events, it would appear that the two remaining communist strong-arm nations of the world; Russia (can a leopard change its spots?) and China, will be the eventual military "enforcers" of the New World Order! In that "...his the mouth..." was "...as the mouth of a lion..." we see that it will speak with the absolute authority of a monarch.
Continuing in the 7th chapter of Daniel:
8. I considered the horns [the ten horns of the great and dreadful fourth beast], and behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first [ten] horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this [little] horn were eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things.
9. I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of Days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: His throne was like the fiery flame, and His wheels as burning fire.
10. A fiery stream issued and came forth from before Him: Thousand thousands ministered unto Him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.
11. I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the [little] horn spake: I beheld even till the [fourth great and dreadful] beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame.
12. As concerning the rest of the beasts [the three beasts which preceded the fourth], they had there lives prolonged for a season and a time.
So the Beast power, the fourth great and dreadful beast, the One World government of man at the End of the Age, though it be different from all forms of government which have preceded it, still it will be comprised of certain aspects of those governments. This is perhaps most alarming in that it might appear that little has changed within and among the existing, nationally sovereign governments of the world; yet, if the monarchies/dictatorships, democracies and communist regimes of the world begin to fall under an "overlay" system of Global governance, as it is presently beginning to be seen in the relatively recent emergence and continued consolidation of the New World Order, then this great and dreadful political Beast power of End Time Biblical prophecy has already begun to rise up out of the great sea of humanity to rear its head(s)!
It is both of interest and of consequence to note verse 12 for future reference. Though we are told that the fourth great and dreadful beast is utterly destroyed (vs. 11 and again, later, in vs. 26) the three beasts which preceded it and of which it is actually comprised continue to exist for a "...season and a time..." though their dominion, or authority, is taken away. This fact has much bearing on the actual sequence of events which shall come to pass after the End of the Age. It also supports a position that the fourth great and dreadful beast, the political Beast power, will be in actuality an "overlay" government upon national governments which already exist, which will continue to exist through this time and which will continue to exist after the Global government/New World Order "overlay" is eventually destroyed at the Second Coming of Christ and the Advent of the Kingdom of God...
...to be continued...
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