The Communist-Atheist Bugbear
Conservative Christian warnings about atheistic communism long ago lost their zing when Russia and China stopped trying to enforce faith in Marx’s atheism. What goes? Is atheism really the satanic political policy we once thought lurked behind communism? What is it about communism anyhow, that we as Christians should fear? Where is history headed?
Neither Rome nor any ancient “beast” empire mandated any sort of communist atheism -- nor did any of the modern-day manifestations of the four horses of the apocalypse, saving Russia and China during their initial Marxist-Leninist phases. Neo-communistic countries now manipulate religion -- which is not actually new, since Western Christianity is itself a product of official religion. Most European countries are “Christian socialist” and maintain state churches despite an overwhelmingly secular orientation, whereas modern Israel was built on a secular socialist (in fact, Marxist) model. Our own American system is socialistic (e.g. public utilities, social security, unemployment compensation) and secular by previous conservative standards.
What then makes the symbiotic beast-systems of Revelation 13-14 so different from the Christian West? Statism? Yes, but only in degree. Socialism? Yes, but only in degree. Atheism? Not exactly, which gets to the crux. The beast and false prophet do promote an object of worship: the eventually explicit god of this world system, embodied in an evil leader who will brutally subvert every religious persuasion and assert himself as its only legitimate apex. He will persecute the followers of Jesus Christ and their God. His main tool will be state control down to an extremely granular level, so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark of the beast, its name and number (Revelation 13:17). We will not need a degree in economics or political science to recognize that to go along with his program would lead to a very bad spiritual place. Or that armed resistance, while justifiable, would ever win the day (Revelation 13:9-10).
Doubtless, anti-terrorism will be a major justification for the beast-leader’s micromanagement of economic transactions. He will also blame Christianity as the original cause of terrorism, from Constantine to the Crusades to the 9/11 backlash. Thus his agenda: that only through taking control over religion in general and Christianity in particular (plus Judaism, which will be blamed for the whole Mideast mess) can he cobble together an international coalition to effectively enforce “peace” -- symbolized by the two lamblike horns in Revelation 13:11 -- which will serve in turn as a rationale to suppress, subvert, subsume, and ultimately supplant faithfulness to God.
What then is most at stake? Persecution of the faith. Communism, having suffered a seemingly fatal blow when the Berlin wall fell, may yet deliver what we feared -- but not because conservatives were right about big government. Economic tools are not blasphemous per se, nor centralized instrumentation. After all, the millennial political rule will be centralized and the economy supervised for public good. The key difference is that God himself will set the parameters. But first, a time of tribulation must accomplish a great sifting between supporters and persecutors of the faith. True Christians will lay down their lives to serve Jesus and help persecuted brethren, while the enemy will cast a net -- including an economic net -- to coerce them into selfish uncaring. It will not be a contest between ideologies but a test of love.
The beast was given a mouth uttering proud, blasphemous words and was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months. It opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name, his dwelling, and those who dwell in heaven. It was also allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them. Authority was given it over every tribe, people, language and nation, and all who dwell on earth will worship it, everyone whose name was not written before the down-casting [καταβολῆς] of the world-system [κόσμου] in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain. If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives a mark in his forehead or hand, he also will drink the wine of God’s wrath, poured full strength into the cup of his anger, and he will be interrogated [βασανίζω: “touchstone-tested”] with fire and lightning [θεῖον: God-flashes] in the presence of the holy messengers and the Lamb. The smoke of their testing continues for ages of ages, and they have no rest day or night, the worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name. (Revelation 13:5-8; 14:9-11)