Godless Statism – And God’s Response | CultureWatch

Godless Statism – And God’s Response

We keep soldiering on, even as things get worse:

By way of introduction, imagine two very contrasting reactions to the same situation. Scenario one: You are a rabid sports fan and a die-hard supporter of a particular team, and they are playing a crucial game. You might be watching it on TV, and you are on the edge of your seat throughout. The pressure can be unbearable, especially when it seems that your side is losing. Indeed, you might need to look away at times, since it is looking so very grim and discouraging.

Scenario two: You are now watching the same game – but on replay. You KNOW the outcome: your team has won! Now you can sit back and watch the game, fully relaxed. You are not worried at all. You do not have knots in your stomach. You are not sweating profusely. Because you know your side has been victorious, it is quite an enjoyable experience.

That is about how Christians can look at the world and what is happening all around them. On the one hand, these are very dark and frightful times. We can greatly fear what tomorrow might bring. It seems that evil is winning everywhere, and there are fewer and fewer folks who stand for righteousness and godliness.

But on the other hand, we have been told by our Lord how things will pan out – and we win! Sure, all the fine details can be unclear, and we do not know exactly when Christ will return, but we do know that one day all evil will be defeated, and Christ will fully reign and rule. As we pray, ‘your kingdom come, and your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven’ (Matthew 6:10).

We can debate many of the details found there, but the book of Revelation is all about God’s victory. “He wins” is the shorthand version of what the book is all about. Let me look at two portions of this book, and offer some comments from others. Many commentators can be utilised here, but I will restrict myself to just two of them.

If Romans 13 tells us about God’s plan for the state, Rev. 13 tells us about Satan’s. There we read about the two beasts. Thomas Schreiner in his recent commentary (BECNT, 2023), says this about the second beast and the ungodly state:

The message of the second beast … is not that one should live and let live, that those who aren’t inclined to worship the first beast will be left alone. The message coming from the second beast is that all must worship the first beast and its image (cf. 14:9, 11; 15:2; 16:2; 19:20; 20:4). Coercion, compulsion, and totalitarianism are the order of the day, and those who refuse to submit and to give their allegiance to the beast will be put to death. The Roman Empire and all totalitarian regimes that follow it are despotic and authoritarian, leaving no space for the conscience and convictions of the individual. The power of the state runs roughshod over the devotion to God and to the Lamb that marks out the redeemed. We are reminded again of Dan. 3, where Nebuchadnezzar made a golden image requiring all people everywhere to fall down and worship the image and those who failed to conform would be killed (3:6). . . . Whatever the historical particulars, the totalizing and repressive nature of the state surfaces.

And J. Scott Duvall (Teach the Text, 2014), says this about the Christian and the state:

Revelation 13 and Romans 13 have often been compared when thinking about the relationship between the Christian and the state. The apostle Paul reminds us that God created human government and “there is no authority except that which God has established” (Rom. 13:1; cf. Dan. 4:17, 25, 32; John 19:11). When operating properly under divine authority, the state upholds law and order and serves as an instrument of justice (Rom. 13:4). But human institutions may be hijacked for evil purposes, and such is the case in Revelation 13. Satan sometimes works through secular power systems and the wicked individuals who rule those systems. When the state turns tyrannical and demands unconditional allegiance, Christians have no choice but to “obey God rather than human beings” (Acts 5:29). John Stott identifies the theological principle at work: “We are to submit right up to the point where obedience to the state would entail disobedience to God. But if the state commands what God forbids, or forbids what God commands, then our plain Christian duty is to resist, not to submit, to disobey the state in order to obey God.”

That and other portions of Revelation give us the bad news. There is an evil world system that so often manifests itself in wicked government, evil systems of trade and commerce, and in the cultural and social patterns of an ungodly culture. Such ungodliness and unrighteousness in ruling political and social structures are often at war with the purposes and plans of God – and God’s people.

Revelation: (A Paragraph-by-Paragraph Exegetical Evangelical Bible Commentary – BECNT) (Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament) by Thomas R. Schreiner (Author), Yarbrough, Robert W. (Series Editor), Jipp, Joshua (Series Editor)

But the good news is that all this eventually comes to an end. It will not go on forever. Babylon (the demonised state) will face God’s just judgment, and godly rule will extend over all the earth. So chapters like Rev. 18 give us some of this terrific news. It is what we can rejoice in. Schreiner is again worth quoting from:

The wanton shedding of blood by Babylon raises the question of justice, whether Babylon will face consequences for her actions. God will avenge the lives of his servants that have been extinguished because of Babylon’s rage. In context, the fall of Babylon calls for rejoicing, and John draws on biblical tradition as well. Moses declares in Deut. 32:43, “Rejoice, you nations, concerning his people, for he will avenge the blood of his servants. He will take vengeance on his adversaries”. The peoples of the world are summoned to be glad at the display of God’s justice. The Lord declares to Jehu, who is the agent of vengeance on Baal worship in Israel, “You will avenge the blood of my servants, the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the Lord” (2 Kings 9:7). The psalmist expresses the same notion: “Let your vengeance for the blood of your servants which has been shed be known among the nations who are before our eyes” (Ps. 79:10). Those who know God rejoice when injustices are addressed, when those who have abused others are repaid for the evil wrought. We have an answer here to the prayer of the martyrs in Rev. 6:10 who ask the Lord to avenge their blood.

And Scott says this about exulting in the downfall of evil:

There have been times when God has dramatically defeated the enemies of his covenant people, resulting in praise and rejoicing. After the Lord rescues Israel from the pursuing Egyptians, Moses and the Israelites sing a song of praise to God (Exod. 15:1–21; cf. Deut. 32:43). Speaking of God’s coming judgment against ancient Babylon, the prophet Jeremiah speaks words echoed years later in Revelation 18–19: “For the time will surely come when I will punish the idols of Babylon; her whole land will be disgraced and her slain will all lie fallen within her. Then heaven and earth and all that is in them will shout for joy over Babylon, … Babylon must fall because of Israel’s slain, just as the slain in all the earth have fallen because of Babylon” (Jer. 51:47–49). In other words, there are times when the most appropriate response to God’s judgment of evil is rejoicing.

He goes on to offer a few words to keep things in biblical balance:

While this passage conveys important truths about sin and judgment, a caution is first in order.

We should not confuse rejoicing over God’s judgment of evil powers with the suffering of sinners. The celebration comes because God’s justice has finally been administered, not because we seek revenge or delight in seeing deceived people suffer. We praise God because he is faithful to bring down evil rulers and kingdoms that have deceived the nations and ruthlessly oppressed his people. God has shown himself faithful and vindicated his people. For this, he deserves enthusiastic praise!

We must resist the temptation to join in the sins of Babylon: arrogance, deception, and murder. We have to be careful not to allow the luxury and power of any present-day Babylon to draw us into idolatry and immorality. Babylon deceives by promising life and happiness and prosperity, while delivering bondage and death. Her prideful rejection of God, her selfish misleading of humanity, and her uncompromising intolerance of those who confess Jesus as Lord should be enough warning, but God’s people still need to be commanded, “Come out of her, my people” (18:4). This passage presents a clear opportunity to help people come to grips with what they are really pursuing in life. Where do our loyalties and priorities lie? Joining in Babylon’s sins leads to certain judgment, a judgment that also includes the loss of good and wholesome things such as music, work, food, light, and marriage.

The righteous must continue to trust that God will bring justice on the earth. Most commentators see this passage linked in some way to God’s answer to the prayers of the martyred saints in 6:9-11. How long, 0 Lord? Answer: a little longer. But one day God will bring justice. One day God will answer. It’s reminiscent of Jesus’s conclusion to the parable of the persistent widow in Luke 18:1-8: “And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” In the meantime, believers who are persecuted and oppressed continue to trust and pray and endure, knowing that God will one day vindicate his suffering people because he is true and just in character. We can rest assured that wicked tyrants will be brought to justice.

That we must do: keep praying and keep enduring. And keep working and keep seeking to serve Christ in an ever-darkening world. The evil tyrants of this world – even just the ungodly and corrupt leaders in Western democratic nations – will not always be with us.

We can seek to work against their bad policies and immoral agendas now, hoping to find some good outcomes in this fallen world. But we await the Parousia in which all wrongs will be judged and all goods rewarded. So in the meantime, we soldier on.

[1785 words]

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The Babylon Bee Obtained A List Of Some Of The Things Government Employees Said They Accomplished Last Week | Babylon Bee

With all of the debate raging over the Department of Government Efficiency requiring all federal employees to respond to an email with a list of things they did during the week, everyone has been left to wonder… what exactly did all of them do last week?

Thanks to high-ranking connections, The Babylon Bee has obtained the following list of some of the things that responding government employees said they accomplished last week:

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1. Responded to this email: Following directions is a top priority.
2. Hid in the janitor’s closet from the DOGE guys: Sometimes it’s best just to be honest.
3. Completed a game of Minesweeper on the highest difficulty: This type of genius should always have a job in the federal government.
4. Proofread a new series of instructional transsexual comic books for Guatemalan children: Changing the world is a tough job, but someone has to do it.
5. Walked around the national park to make sure all of the trees were still there: Continual vigilance is the key.
6. Spied on a few homeschool families: America’s enemies must be watched closely.
7. Counted all of the paper clips in the drawer: Everyone has a responsibility to minimize waste.
8. Recorded 12 TikTok dances: Creating a lasting legacy with your work is important.
9. Processed a scathing indictment of an 87-year-old grandmother who prayed outside an abortion clinic: Federal employees do truly heroic work.
10. Made a comprehensive list of all things done every day: Unfortunately, the last thing done was deleting the list.

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It was clearly a busy week. Every government employee obviously fills a vital and indispensable role in the daily lives of everyday Americans. What other things do you think were on the list? Throw them in the comments below.

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Purchasing congresspeople has never been easier for lobbyists!

https://babylonbee.com/news/the-babylon-bee-obtained-a-list-of-some-of-the-things-government-employees-said-they-accomplished-this-week/

December 29.—Morning. [Or December 25.]“The mystery of iniquity doth already work.”

AMONG other visions, John was favoured to see the destruction of the evil system of Antichrist, which was foreshadowed before him under the image of a base and guilty woman. This mother of harlots we believe to be the Church of Rome. Certainly there is nothing upon earth so like to the description, and it is difficult to conceive that any future system could more fully answer to the prophecy.

Revelation 17:3–18

³ So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: (Rome stands literally as well as spiritually in a wilderness.) and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. (Names of blasphemy are abundant in that church whose head dares to call himself Infallible.)

⁴ And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication: (Dr. Wordsworth remarks that in the description of the Pope’s official dress mention is made of scarlet robes, a vest covered with pearls, and a mitre adorned with gold and precious stones.)

⁵ And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.

These words are like a photograph of the Papacy, no portrait could be more accurate.

⁶ And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.

⁷ And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.

⁸ The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: (This beast is thought to be the old imperial power of Rome upon which the spiritual power rode as on a richly caparisoned steed.) and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is. (God’s own chosen cannot be deluded by her, but myriads of others are.)

⁹ And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth. (Every schoolboy knows that Rome is built upon seven hills.)

¹⁰ And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.

¹¹ And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition. (Of this many interpretations have been given, but none seems to us to be clear.)

^{12, 13} And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.

Probably these are the kingdoms which arose at the breaking up of the old Roman empire, and all became vassals of the Papal power.

¹⁴ These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.

^15–17 And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues. And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate her, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire. For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.

The Papacy will perish by the hands of the kings who once supported it. Already its temporal power is shorn away, and in almost every nation the rulers are resolved to curb its insolence.

¹⁸ And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth. (This must be Rome, for no other city has exercised such imperial authority, and made the kings of the earth her vassals. May the fall of Romanism be speedy and overwhelming.)¹

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¹  Spurgeon, C. H. (1964). The Interpreter: Spurgeon’s Devotional Bible (p. 769). Baker Book House.

October 20 | 2 Kings 1; 2 Thessalonians 1; Daniel 5; Psalms 110–111 (Part 2)

after nebuchadnezzar died, the Babylonian Empire rapidly declined. In violent coups, several members of the dynasty succeeded each other. Nabonidus eventually imposed some stability, though various vassal states broke away. Nabonidus himself became a religious dilettante. He abandoned the worship of Marduk (chief god in the Babylonian pantheon) and ended up, apparently, excavating buried shrines, restoring ancient religious rituals, and fostering the worship of the moon god Sin. Probably he was on one of these strange religious quests at the time of Daniel 5. As a result he had left the care of Babylon itself in the hands of Belshazzar his son. (The NIV footnote, 5:2, 11, 13, 18, rightly observes that Nebuchadnezzar was Belshazzar’s “father” only in the sense that he was his “ancestor” or possibly “predecessor”—a common use of the Semitic word, not unlike the usage in 2 Kings 2:12.)

The account makes it clear that the Persian army was outside the walls of the city, but Belshazzar obviously felt that the city was impervious to assault. The bacchanalia he ordered up was worse than an orgy of self-indulgence. Bringing out the golden goblets that had been taken from the temple in Jerusalem was more than a whim. In the sequence of the two chapters, Daniel 4 and 5, it is hard not to see that this was a repudiation of what Belshazzar’s “father” Nebuchadnezzar had learned about the living God. Perhaps Belshazzar thought that Babylon’s fortunes had declined because of the relative neglect of the pagan deities. Nebuchadnezzar had learned to revere the God of Israel; Belshazzar was happy to spit in his eye. So they drank from the goblets and “praised the gods of gold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood and stone” (5:4). Daniel sees the connection between the two emperors, and this forms part of his stinging rebuke: Belshazzar knew what “the Most High God” had done to Nebuchadnezzar, and how Nebuchadnezzar had come to his senses and acknowledged “that the Most High God is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and sets over them anyone he wishes”—and yet he set himself up “against the Lord of heaven” and refused to “honor the God who holds in his hand your life and all your ways” (5:18–24). Somehow Belshazzar thought he could ignore or defy the God who had humbled the far greater Nebuchadnezzar.

So what have we learned? Have we absorbed the lessons of history—that God will not, finally, be mocked or defied? That we are utterly dependent creatures, and if we fail to acknowledge this simple truth our sins are compounded? That God can humble and convert the most unlikely, like Nebuchadnezzar, and destroy those who defy him, like Belshazzar?¹

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¹  Carson, D. A. (1998). For the love of God: a daily companion for discovering the riches of God’s Word. (Vol. 2, p. 319). Crossway Books.

October 19 | 1 Kings 22; 1 Thessalonians 5; Daniel 4; Psalms 108–109 (Part 2)

one of the reasons why the narratives of Daniel 4 and Daniel 5 are put side by side, even though they clearly come from two quite different periods of Daniel’s life, is that each serves as the foil of the other. Both are accounts of rich, powerful, arrogant men. The first, mercifully, is humbled and therefore spared and transformed; the second is simply destroyed.

Many critics doubt that the account of Daniel 4 is anything more than pious fiction to encourage the Jews. They note that there is no record of Nebuchadnezzar’s insanity in the surviving Babylonian records, and they doubt that the empire could have held together had the emperor himself gone mad for a period of time. Neither argument is weighty. Official records would not have talked much of Nebuchadnezzar’s period of insanity, and in any case records from the latter part of his life have not so far come to light. Moreover, we do not know exactly how long Nebuchadnezzar was insane: it is uncertain what “seven times” (4:16) means. Certainly the Roman Empire survived under Caligula, whose insanity no one doubts.

In our short space, we may reflect on the following:

(1) Nebuchadnezzar’s dream reflects his megalomania. He has a narcissistic personality: he is corroded by his own greatness yet is so insecure that his grandiose fantasies must be nurtured by incessant self-admiration. Unlike the egotist, who is so supremely self-confident that he does not care a rip what anyone thinks of him or her, the narcissist is often hypersensitive and emotionally fragile. Regardless of all psychological speculations, the man’s arrogance before God is unrestrained (despite the experience of chaps. 2 and 3), and God resolves to humble him.

(2) Daniel’s approach to Nebuchadnezzar, once he has heard the dream, should be studied by every Christian preacher and counselor. On the one hand, he is deeply distressed to grasp what Nebuchadnezzar is going through, or going to go through (4:19). On the other hand, once he is prevailed upon to give the interpretation of the dream, he does so with admirable clarity and forthright truthfulness. He neither maintains professional detachment nor resorts to mealy-mouthed indirection.

(3) The psychotic breakdown is probably a form of lycanthropy (which today is subdued by antipsychotic drugs). But once his sanity is restored (4:36), Nebuchadnezzar articulates the lesson he has learned: God is sovereign, he raises and abases whom he wills, none can withstand him, and every virtue or strength we possess we derive from him. To think otherwise is to invite rebuke, for “those who walk in pride he is able to humble” (4:37).¹

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¹  Carson, D. A. (1998). For the love of God: a daily companion for discovering the riches of God’s Word. (Vol. 2, p. 318). Crossway Books.

October 17 | 1 Kings 20; 1 Thessalonians 3; Daniel 2; Psalm 106 (Part 2)

nebuchadnezzar’s dream (dan. 2) could usefully occupy us for many pages. It provides insight not only into Daniel and his times, but into our times as well.

(1) The pagan Babylonian Empire had its share of astrologers and other fortune tellers. Like thoughtful people in every generation, Nebuchadnezzar had his suspicions about their competence, and put them to this rather brutal test. Anecdotal accounts of “magical” insight cannot withstand this level of analysis.

(2) Daniel’s bold approach to the king claims nothing for himself and ascribes everything to God, who knows our thoughts and our dreams. That took courage. Here is the next stage in the development of Daniel’s character. The courageous and unshakable old man that Daniel became (Dan. 6) was formed by a young man who obeyed God even in what he ate, and who was so honest that he would not take any credit where none was due. He was committed to faithfulness, humility, courage, and integrity. He has few successors in high places.

(3) Doubtless contemporary psychiatrists would speculate that the colossus in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream betrays profound personal insecurity. Megalomaniacal ambition to rule the world may suggest secret doubts about whether or not one has feet of clay. Whatever the means, God uses the vision to disclose something more profound—the future of forthcoming empires.

Most liberals have argued that the four metals—gold, silver, bronze, and iron—represent, respectively, Babylon, Media, Persia, and Greece. After the death of Alexander the Great, the Greek Empire disintegrated into four territories squabbling among themselves—hence the feet of clay. Certainly the later chapters of this prophecy focus not a little attention on that period, and picture the dawning of the messianic kingdom succeeding it. Nevertheless that view is tied up with the theory that at the very least the later chapters of Daniel were written pseudonymously in the second century b.c. Most evangelicals find little evidence to support that stance. Moreover, they point out that there never really was a Median Empire. It is better to speak of the Medo-Persian Empire; the Median element was not much more than a transition team. On that view the four empires are Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome—and during the latter the messianic kingdom delivers the mighty blow that ultimately fells the colossus. That seems to be what Jesus held (Matt. 24:15).

(4) This vision reminds us that in this broken and ambiguous world the people of God nurture a hope for what God will do in the end. Little in the Christian way makes sense without such hope; little in our culture makes much sense without a shared vision toward which to press, a vision that transcends personal fulfillment and selfism.¹

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¹  Carson, D. A. (1998). For the love of God: a daily companion for discovering the riches of God’s Word. (Vol. 2, p. 316). Crossway Books.

Holiness in an Age of Worldliness

The temptation to do whatever it takes to be prosperous is very strong. It is a kind of magic spell that beautiful Babylon puts over us. It’s like a potion that dulls our spiritual senses so we cannot fathom living any other way. Babylonian worldliness leads people to trust in their prosperity. It perpetuates the myth of security.

You would think that one thing every Christian would agree on is the need for personal and corporate holiness. After all, the Bible tells us repeatedly, “You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy” (Leviticus 19:2; 20:7; 1 Peter 1:16). As God’s people, we must strive for that holiness without which no one will see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14).

And yet, many Christians seem scarcely interested in holiness and little concerned by Scripture’s warnings for those who do not pursue holiness. It is easy to get Christians passionate about family matters, or cultural issues, or political concerns. But some Christians have actually argued that part of “knowing what time it is” in our cultural moment is recognizing that virtues like obedience, truth-telling and purity of speech are unnecessary obstacles to defeating our political enemies. More commonly, churches or pastors that lean hard into the Bible’s exhortation to holiness are likely to be called pietistic, legalistic and unloving.

We should not be surprised at these protestations. The world, the flesh and the devil have always hated holiness. How could they not? God is holy, and the unholy trinity (the world, the flesh and the devil) hates God. To be holy is to be like God, which means that a necessary step toward God is to flee the world. 

In Revelation 18:1-4, John hears a voice from Heaven calling Christians to come out of Babylon. Here, Babylon does not refer to one literal/historical kingdom. Babylon is a composite picture of many kingdoms—Rome, Tyre, Sodom, Nineveh and Jerusalem. Babylon is manifest today in the corruption, idolatry and immorality in America, in Canada, in the United Kingdom and in every other country. 

Babylon is the anti-church. She is the opposite of Christ’s pure, spotless bride. Babylon is corrupt society, fallen culture, decadent civilization. In a word, Babylon is worldliness. Wherever sin looks attractive, impressive and pervasive—and it seems that you cannot live without it—there is Babylon.

So how do we flee Babylon? It doesn’t mean we must leave our urban centers. There is often “Babylon” in the country as much as there is in the city. We come out of Babylon by not taking part in her sins (verse 4). Revelation 17 and 18 are a warning against spiritual adultery and compromise.

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