What if I were to say, “The wealth we (generic plural again) in the West have attained is largely immoral (unbiblical) and is closely tied to the work of the Beast!?”
NB: Before I proceed, I want to acknowledge that I too am guilty of being in bed with the Beast. What I intend to write in this and upcoming posts includes my journey of realizing my own complicity in allying with the Beast.
In my last post, I suggested that the Western church has gone to bed with the Beast far more than we are ready to admit. And I believe that the situation is beyond dire. In fact, I suspect that if a biblical prophet were writing today, the message would be quite strong.
NB: I am using “Beast” as a catchall phrase for what the Book of Revelation calls the Dragon/Satan, the Beast/empire, the False Prophet/false Christs/prophets, and Babylon/the material prosperity that is under the control of the empire. Throughout this post and those to follow I will use Beast and/or Babylon to refer to one or all of the above.
We are wealthy and have little concern for the poor
One of the points that I made in my last post is that we (note: this is a generic “we.” I agree that many in the Western Church are dynamic, God-fearing, Christ followers. Of course, even when the prophets spoke against the people of God, they did not deny that there was a remnant that was the exception) are wealthy and have little concern for the poor and the needy (Ezek 16:49).
I then added that we are not only wealthy but we justify our wealth as a blessing from God for our hard work. In saying this, I don’t intend to deny that most, if not the overwhelming majority of well-to-do Western Christians, are hard-working people. The point is that we cannot simply assume that our hard work alone is the reason for our prosperity. Nor, and this is a significant point, can we assert that those who are not well off are such because they have not made an effort similar to ours.
We must reckon with the fact that the US and its prosperity began with stolen land and then developed off the backs of free labor!
The Beast’s propaganda
The idea that our wealth is simply the result of our hard work is a part of the propaganda that comes from the Beast! And, in my last post, that was my fourth point: “We have aligned ourselves with the Beast.”
This may all seem innocuous. But I assure you that not only is this quite serious, but I am convinced that we are well past the point of mission-critical here!
What do I mean:
NB: If you have read my work for any period of time you may have noticed that I like to be quite methodical, or systemic, in my line of reasoning. I want to make a case but I realize that as I attempt to make my argument the readers may have objections. So I typically endeavor to allay any such concerns before I make my point. In this post, however, I am going to cut to the chase and hope that you will stick with me so that in future posts I may allay your concerns.
I mean that the wealth we (generic plural again) in the West have attained is largely immoral and is closely tied to the work of what the book of Revelation calls the Beast!
There I said it. Now, if you will allow me to both defend this assertion and to allay some concerns.
First, I love the church. In case you are wondering if I am writing these posts because I hate the church or because I have a vendetta against it, I want you to know that I have a very high view of the Church.
In fact, I believe that the Church is the embodiment of Christ to the world. I would even make the argument that the NT story centers on the Church. “What about Jesus?” you might ask. “That is the point,” I would respond. The NT’s focus on Christ turns quickly to the Holy Spirit—whom the resurrected Christ sent—and then focuses on the Spirit-empowered body of Christ: i.e., the Church.
My concern is not because I don’t love the Church.
I am writing because I want to see those who are the faithful remnant in the Western Church and yet are in bed with the Beast to come out of Babylon so that we might manifest Christ to the world. As long as we are deceived by the Beast, our witness to the nations is diminished.
I am writing to exhort the Church to: “Come out of her [Babylon], my people, so that you will not participate in her sins and receive of her plagues” (Rev 18:4).
Second, I love the nations: including the United States. I firmly believe that Christ loves the nations and that He has sent the Church to be His ambassadors to them. Christ’s love for the nations is mediated through the Church.
Now, in order for us to demonstrate the love of Christ to the nations we must, “Follow the Lamb” (Rev 14:4). We cannot, however, follow the Lamb and give allegiance to the Beast at the same time.
This, I believe, is one of the primary concerns behind the writing of the Book of Revelation.
The Church and the Nation (the United States)
One of my concerns is with the Western Church’s proclivity to glorify the state (in particular the United States). I should note here that if I were in another nation I would likely have similar criticisms with respect to the Church’s embracing of the state.
I have been in a Palestinian church where the Palestinian flag was on the platform. And we hear of the Russian Orthodox Church’s justification of the war in Ukraine.
For too long the Church has allied with the state.
American Christians, however, often support and endorse the actions of the United States in a manner that far exceeds Christians in other nations.
It is one thing to support our country. It is one thing to be patriotic. It is one thing to root for our countries athletes.
It is another thing, however, to endorse the actions of our country when they transcend justice.
Why does the world hate the US?
Most of the world hates us—the United States. But have we really considered why that might be?
Interestingly, if we were to ask Americans why much of the world hates us, the answers might vary between, “it is because we are the defenders of freedom and other nations don’t like that,” to “it is because we are Christians.”
But if we were to ask those who reside in nations that are hostile to the US, they may well have a litany of allegations that I suspect most Americans have never considered.
Could it be that the US is the Beast?
This question might cause a measure of consternation. It shouldn’t. The answer is easy: of course, the US is the Beast. After all, as I wrote last year, every nation/empire is the Beast!
See: previous posts: Who/What is the Beast #1 Rev 13/Dan 7; Beast: Satan as the deceiver #2; Beast as empire #3; The Beast: Empire, Deception, and the Church #4; Beast: empire and power #5
The problem here is two-fold:
First, most American Christians have no idea that the US is just as much the Beast as any other nation.
Second, most American Christians have little/no idea just how bad a Beast the US is.
. . . to be continued.
For more on Christian Nationalism, I recommend:
David Crump, I Pledge Allegiance; see also, Andrew Whitehead and Samuel Perry, Taking America Back for God
For the determinetruth Podcast interviews with David Crump click here (part 1) and here (part 2). For a follow-up conversation on Christian Nationalism click here.
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