The same article goes on to say, “We have fought too many 'wars to end war' to believe that we know how to end war.”
The issue of government is white-hot these days. Unrest, uprisings and revolutions are springing up all over. The London riots, labor protests in America, Egypt, Libya, Syria – dictators are falling like flies. People are tired of economic and other forms of oppression and unwilling to tolerate it any longer. They are dissatisfied with what government has accomplished, or failed to accomplish.
No one, not even democratic nations are disaffected. Economic hardship, political corruption, and social injustice are taking their toll. Governments and rulers are doing their best to retain power and quell revolt, but the clock keeps ticking and the dynamics of dissent continue to play out.
Early Government
Man-made government did not always exist. Even those who reject the Bible in favor of evolution say that wanderers and small villages preceeded city/states which came to be ruled by kings. Even before that, many myths echo the Genesis account, telling of a time when man was ruled by God and peace prevailed – the Golden Age.
By virtue of creation mankind naturally came under the authority of God – just as a child becomes subject to a parent’s authority by virtue of birth. A thoughtful reading of the first three chapters of Genesis reveals that what happened in Eden was indeed, an insurrection, a bid for independence, an uprising and a revolt against existing authority. The seeds for man-made government were then sown.
Toleration of Self-Rule
14th century Arab scholar Ibn Khaldun defined government as "an institution which prevents injustice other than such as it commits itself." When we speak of man-made government, that definition is often apt.
Really the ability of such governments to prevent any sort of injustice is limited. And although God has allowed them to exist for the sake of some level of order and civility, the Bible admits that “man has dominated man to his injury” primarily through various forms of domineering government (Ecclesiastes 8:9).
Finally, the Bible reveals, God purposes to eliminate man-made government and replace them all with one of his own (Psalms 2:6).
From Egypt to England
There are seven noteworthy world powers prominent in the Biblical narrative. In Roman times, when John received the Revelation, the prophecy stated:
"there are seven kings:
five have fallen,
one is,
the other has not yet arrived…"
- Revelation 17:10
The five fallen kings at the time of the writing of Revelation were Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, and Greece. The existing “one” was of course Rome. The seventh had “not yet arrived,” but it would prove to be the kindred English/American world power or Anglo-America.
This understanding aligns perfectly with the ‘dream image’ described in Daniel, Chapter 2. This image, made of various metals, symbolized the last five of the seven kings beginning with Babylon and descending from head to feet with gold, silver, copper, iron, and a mix of iron and clay. The time period that corresponds to the feet of iron and clay is that of the last or seventh world power.
In this period of time, called “the final part of the days,” a stone representing God’s kingdom government crushes the feet of the image (2:28, 34, and 44). Consequently the entire image becomes powder and wafts away with the wind so that “no trace at all was found of them” (2:35).
The context shows that the phrase “the days of those kings” in verse 44 refers specifically to those ruling during the time of the seventh world power, since it is the feet that are discussed in verse 43. When it is observed that the image depicts, not just world powers, but also the flow of time, it will be understood that the feet represent the end time – the time of the last human ruled world power.
Also, since the image is formed starting with the head and ending with the feet, it is clearly complete once the feet are formed – there is nothing more to come in the way of human rule, except destruction – which is accomplished by the striking of the feet by a stone.
Verse 44 and 45 connect the “stone” to the kingdom of “the God of heaven” which is to “crush and put an end to all… kingdoms.”
End of Self-Rule
What we have then is a divinely inspired blueprint that decisively pinpoints the last season of human rule – the time of the final power to rule independent of God. It is logical then to conclude that what the Bible calls “the time of the end” (Daniel 12:9) falls within this time period – during the rule of this final world power. Other prophecies help to further narrow down the period of time during which God’s kingdom will establish itself on earth.
These are among the most dramatic and exciting verses in Scripture! They give us, in symbolic but clear language, a glimpse of the future of man-made government. They also give us the hope of a far superior arrangement for rulership to follow.
Structure of States
One encyclopedia I consulted lists nine different forms of government. Many of these however overlap. For instance, a Constitutional Republic or Democracy can also be a Plutocracy if the elect are wealthy or favor the wealthy. And a democracy is essentially a dictatorship of the majority.
These forms could be further reduced to two categories – rule by an individual or rule by a group. However, as history proves, none of these work since individuals and groups, even large groups such as in democracies, are fundamentally flawed and do not have the understanding, intelligence or foresight needed to make the best decisions. Even if they did have all these necessary traits, they would not have the power to carry out many of the things that would most benefit mankind.
The Only Real Solution
The only real answer to mankind’s rulership problem is a return to the original arrangement, the arrangement that existed prior to our disastrous experiment with self-government.
Although theocracy is sometimes used to designate rule by a religious elite, its original form was direct rule by God. This is the only form of rule in human history that has really worked!
When mankind lived under this form of government he wanted for nothing, there was no crime, sickness, natural disasters, nor even death. The earth itself was in pristine condition.
All Biblical evidence points to a return to this original state via God’s Kingdom on earth.
God’s Kingdom is a real government that will take real action. Only a real government with super-human power could affect the action described in Daniel 2:44b:
"It will crush and... end... all these kingdoms, and it itself will stand to times indefinite."
Sources
1. From The New Statesmen as quoted in the Watchtower (Dec. 15, 2010)
Erek Daniels - Erek is an ordained minister in association with Jehovah's Witnesses and a published freelance writer.
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