The Rising of the Beast
G.K. Chesterton was a prolific journalist and author of prominence in the early 20th century. Many pithy quotes are attributed to him. One in particular is, “When men stop believing in God, they don’t believe in nothing; they believe in anything.”
The book of Revelation informs us of a political/religious figure and system that will emerge and will transform the whole world. All who dwell on the earth will worship him. This all seems a little too fantastic in real terms for us to get our minds around. But the truth is, the world is being prepared to accept just that system.
When analyzing what is happening in the world, we need to keep God as the reference point for any conclusions we may adopt. The reason for this beast power to emerge is the fact that any moral authority which has existed in the past, is being rejected. Even though God was not properly understood, many (most) people accepted that there was a God and gave some credence to the fact that moral authority could be attributed to Him.
That source of moral authority is fast disappearing, particularly in the western nations. Nietzsche’s famous declaration that “God is dead” has taken root and humanly devised notions of what morality is flourish. God is being removed from the conscience of “those who dwell on the earth.”
The beast will initially present himself as a benefactor. Society will have broken down so far that people will be seeking a human factor to bring stability to the world. The glue that has had an impact on world stability will have been removed. Primarily the nations that had inherited the blessings God promised to Abraham and had influenced the rest of the world will have been stripped of their influence. That is happening before our eyes on an almost daily basis.
As belief in God decreases, there will not be a vacuum. The god of this world is preparing to give the beast his power, throne and great authority. Satan will fill the void with his ultimate system of opposition to God.
The people of God are not sideline spectators to this happening. Again, Revelation informs us that this beast will blaspheme God and will make war with the saints, “… to overcome them.” This knowledge should be a strong motivator for us to carve out a deep and powerful relationship with our Protector. To quote Chesterton again, “A dead thing can go with the stream, but only a living thing can go against it.” We are living, thriving spiritual organisms which can resist being overcome.
God is not dead — He will intervene, and the patience of the saints will be rewarded. One final quote from Chesterton: “The way to love anything is to realize that it may be lost.”
The world is being prepared to accept “anything” that is apart from God. The beast power is being prepared in the wings, waiting for the time to appear from the “sea.”
This preparation time should be our preparation time also. As the world will continue to reject God, we need to draw closer to Him. We need to love God, His law, and His way of life while we have the freedom to do so – before it is lost.
Brian Orchard
