The local government elections have been taking place in the UK this week with the national government in some disarray. The Health Secretary was barracked to an alarming extent at the national nurses’ conference last week after making a statement that the National Health Service had just had its best ever year; the nurses felt otherwise and registered their disgust. The Home Secretary’s department had let out around 1,000 criminals who had been recommended for deportation after servicing their sentences, and yet the system had allowed them back into the community, some being murderers and rapists. The Deputy Prime Minister had been found having a two year affair with his diary secretary, with lurid details being printed in many newspapers. And this from a government that had promised to do much better than the previous administration, which itself had many difficulties with sleaze!
Of course, the UK is not the only nation to have such problems; it is a fact of life in all nations around the world. Democracy is much trumpeted as the way forward, and it was to bring peace and stability in Iraq. We are all too well aware what has happened in that nation. But in spite of the Bible clearly showing that being involved in the world is ungodly, a leading figure in the Anglican Church urged people to vote. As it is stated in our Update #76, of 17th Jan 2003: “Participating in voting for governmental elections shows a lack of appreciation for the Will of God. It also shows a misunderstanding of the fact that Satan rules this world, and that Christians are ambassadors of Christ, called to come out of this world to be separate.” Such understanding is lost on the world’s religions, including most of Christianity.
In November 1947, Sir Winston Churchill observed that “Many forms of Government have been tried, and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed, it has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.”
Democracy–in fact, man’s rule in general– is not the answer to the world’s problems. The only sure answer is the return of Jesus Christ to rule as the beneficent King of Kings and Lord of Lords. His return must surely be a part of our daily prayers. Do we regularly pray “Thy Kingdom Come”? If we do, then this surely shows where our focus is; if not, perhaps we ought to urgently review our prayer content.
When that wonderful time of Christ’s setting up the Kingdom of God on earth arrives, democracy will be a thing of the past; flawed leadership by flawed individuals will no longer be even considered and, with Christ ruling with fairness and equity, the perfect theocracy then in place will be appreciated by all the earth’s inhabitants.
God speed that day!
