In this post, in this important series of posts, we will continue, as we commenced to do in our previous post, to show how the book of Revelation’s predicted destruction of “MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT” indubitably and indelibly identifies her as the United States of America. While most Americans may be aghast at the mere suggestion of it, here’s the inescapable truth of it: we are the “great city” of the end times that is to be “thrown down and found no more” (Revelation 18:21). To read the previous posts in this important series of posts click this link: https://bit.ly/36jUl0p.

Chapter 17 of the book of Revelation commences with John being told to come to one of the seven angels with the seven vials, which symbolize the judgment and wrath of God to be poured out on a Christ-rejecting world at the time of Christ’s Second Coming. The angel informs John that he will show him the “judgement of the great whore that sits upon many waters” (Revelation 17:1). According to the angel, “the kings of the earth have committed fornication” with “the great whore” and “the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornications” (Revelation 17:2). In other words, “the great whore” will be mercilessly judged by Almighty God for having seduced world leaders into her bed and for having inebriated this world’s inhabitants with her intoxicating wine.

Do you remember the fear of the Cold War? It was that communism would come west. However, we now know that the opposite occurred, democracy went east. When it comes to democracy, America is not only its champion, but also its worldwide promoter. We are the world’s foremost proponent of the power and rights of the people. However, unbeknownst to most Americans, democracy is neither a Biblically taught nor divinely ordained system of human government. In fact, as we’re clearly taught by the Biblical story of Korah’s Rebellion (Numbers 16:1-50), “we the people” have always been wrong. Majority rule in this fallen world is always contrary to God’s will, since the majority of fallen men are at enmity with God and live their lives both indifferent toward Him and independent of Him. Therefore, they won’t be governed by God’s Commands—His Word and His will—but want a government that caters to their every want, wish and whim.

To prove America is “the great whore” to be mercilessly judged by God over its seducing of world leaders and its inebriating of the world’s inhabitants with the intoxicating wine of democracy we are going to turn to one of the most incredible and important prophesies in the Bible. In doing so, we will spend the next few posts throughly exegeting it, in order to point out an often ignored but extremely important truth found within it; namely, God’s surprising assessment of sundry human governments.

Nebuchadnezzar’s nightmarish image, which we read about in Daniel chapter 2, provides us with a panorama of world history from the time of Nebuchadnezzar until the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. It is, therefore, one of the most extraordinary prophecies in the Bible. Thanks, not only to Daniel’s interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar’s nightmarish image, but also to the 20/20 hindsight of history, you and I can clearly see today the identity of the world powers symbolized by this intriguing and most intimidating image.

1. The image’s head of gold represents Nebuchadnezzar or Babylon, the first great Gentile world power in all of human history.
2. The image’s breast and arms of silver represent the Medo-Persian Empire, which conquered Babylon and became the second great Gentile world power in all of human history.
3. The image’s stomach and thighs of brass represent the Greek Empire and Alexander the Great, who conquered the whole known world and died in a drunken stupor in the city of Babylon before his 33rd birthday.
4. The image’s legs of iron represent the Roman Empire, the fourth and greatest Gentile world power in all of human history.
5. And finally, the image’s feet and toes of iron and clay represent the world’s final great Gentile world power, which will be supplanted on the earth by the kingdom of God at the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.  

Now, notice carefully that Nebuchadnezzar’s nightmarish image decreases in value from the top to the bottom. It goes from gold (head) to silver (breast and arms) to bronze (stomach and thighs) to iron (legs) to mud (toes and feet). Here, we find a most interesting, not to mention most surprising, divine evaluation of human governments. Whereas most Christians in the world today believe that God’s preferred form of human government is a representative government; that is, government by the people and for the people, Nebuchadnezzar’s nightmarish image actually reveals to us that God’s most valued form of government is not a democracy, but a despotism. 

Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar’s nightmarish image’s head of gold, was a despotism. Nebuchadnezzar exercised absolute authority over his realm and its subjects. The law was whatever he said and commanded. No questions could be asked and no disobedience was allowed.

God’s preferred form of government is not democracy, the rule of the majority, but theocracy, the rule of God. Despotism is preferred by God when the right man is on the throne—God’s Son Jesus Christ. When Christ returns to rule on the earth He will rule with a rod of iron (Revelation 19:15). There will be no questions to His commands and no option but obedience. There will be no public opinion polls or ballot boxes. His Word will be law and the subjects of His kingdom will subjugate themselves to His Kingship and Lordship as the King of kings and the Lord of lords.

Someday, Scripture assures us, “every knee [shall] bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth” and “every tongue [shall] confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:9-11). When that day comes, and not until then, “the earth [will] be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord” (Habakkuk 2:14). Until then, the best we can hope for under human government, as is learned from Nebuchadnezzar’s nightmarish image, is to live in a land where the law is supreme, not political overlords or public opinion. Stay tuned!