It seems clear from the Word of God that there was no government in the earth until after the flood of Noah. Rather, we read that “the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Gen. 6:5). But God was going to try man under different ways of His ordering, to see if there was any good in fallen man. It is not that God needed to be convinced of man’s utter ruin; rather, God would prove to man what his real condition was.
Accordingly, after the flood, we read that “whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made He man” (Gen. 9:6). It does not seem that God specified any particular form of government; He merely set it up, as a curb on man’s sinful desires. We may notice, however, that God looked to Noah, as the head of his family, to be the leader in carrying out government in the renewed earth. God knew that even the memory of the awful judgment of the flood would not in itself restrain evil in the world, for “the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth” (Gen. 8:21). But man in the person of Noah failed almost immediately, and then later the pride exhibited in building the tower of Babel necessitated the confounding of man’s language. This was the beginning of nations in the earth.
City States and Small Nations
At first there were city states and small nations, governed mostly by kings, although larger nations such as Egypt gradually rose to power. God then chose the nation of Israel, which was initially ruled by the Lord Himself, through chosen men whom He raised up. But Israel rejected God’s way and insisted on having a king, wanting to be like the other nations around them. At that time the Lord reminded Samuel, “They have not rejected thee, but they have rejected Me, that I should reign over them” (1 Sam. 8:7). Eventually Israel failed under judges, prophets, priests, and then kings. Their history as a sovereign nation ended with the word “Loammi” (“not My people”) being written over them.
The Gentile Nations
Then followed the times of the Gentiles, when power and authority in the world were committed to them. Babylon under Nebuchadnezzar was first and is described in the image in Daniel 2 as “the head of gold.” This was largely because he was a supreme ruler, whose will and word could supersede that of everyone else. Other governments that followed (such as Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome) were of a lesser constitution, as usually the will of others entered into the government.
Down through the duration of the “times of the Gentiles” (the times we are still living in today), man has tried various forms of government, always seeking to find something that will work perfectly. These governments have generally been either imperialistic or democratic, but neither has been found to work well. Imperialistic governments, although usually having a supreme ruler, often have a small group of people who surround the supreme ruler and who also hold power. In their jockeying for influence, self takes over, and oppression of the people is the common result.
Democratic Government
Democratic forms of government might seem to work, but as another has remarked, “Democracy is freedom of choice, but it is the freedom of service self-chosen and of sacrifice self-imposed.” Democracy has worked generally as long as a reasonable percentage of the people were of moral integrity, and the influence of Christianity in the world has had much to do with this. Even in nations that have not largely embraced Christianity, Christian morality and altruism have had their effect and thus have enabled democratic forms of government to survive. However, this has begun to break down during the last 50 years or so, and as the Word of God has gradually been removed from the public domain, the impact of Christian morality and virtue has waned. As with imperialistic governments, self-interest has increasingly been characteristic of government in the Western democracies. Also, many perceive democratic administrations today as being almost paralyzed and ineffective, as they seek to satisfy the widely differing interests of those who elect them. Instead of moral integrity and uprightness, corruption has set in, causing further disillusionment to the electorate, whose morality is usually no better than that of their government. Instead of a strong sense of right and wrong, based on the absolutes of the Word of God, a self-centered attitude has gradually developed. Thus decisions of government are based on “What will make me popular with the electorate and get me elected again?” Among the electorate, the attitude often is, “What’s in it for me?” instead of “What is right, and what is for the good of the country?”
It is comforting to know that the Lord is over all this seeming confusion, for we read in Daniel 4:17 that “the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever He will, and setteth up over it the basest of men.” The history of the times of the Gentiles shows clearly that most of the time, God has accomplished His purposes by allowing the basest of men to rule.
The Rise of the Beast
At least in the West, eventually all this will culminate in the rise of the beast, the head of the revived Roman empire, who will have supreme authority, but in an evil way. In his association with the Antichrist, he will hold the Western world in his sway for a short time. But God will have the final word. As we read in Daniel, “Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them in pieces. Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth” (Dan. 2:34-35). The stone is, of course, our Lord Jesus Christ, who at His appearing will destroy all the kingdoms of men and institute righteous government in the earth during the millennium. Then, for 1000 years, man will live under a perfect and righteous regime, with prosperity and justice.
The Millennium
But will man be satisfied with this? No! At the end of that wonderful millennium, Satan will be loosed again and will instigate a rebellion against Christ that will assume awesome proportions. The numbers involved will be “as the sand of the sea” (Rev. 20:8), as they seek to overthrow the only righteous government the world has ever had. But they will be destroyed, for “fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them” (Rev. 20:9).
Then will be introduced what is often called the “eternal state,” where God will be “all in all,” where sin will be forever banished, and where no government will be needed. The kingdom of God in its full moral effect will be there, but no visible kingdom of rule. There will be “new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness” (2 Peter 3:13).
For now, God recognizes even unrighteous governments and commands His people to obey them, unless they order us to do what dishonors God (Rom. 13:1-2). But in the words of a hymn, “We wait for Thee, O Son of God, and long for Thine appearing!” (Hymn #325, Little Flock Hymnbook).
W. J. Prost