June 17: TRAGEDY OF ATHEISM

Then the king shall do according to his own will: he shall exalt and magnify himself above every god, shall speak blasphemies against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the wrath has been accomplished; for what has been determined shall be done. Daniel 11:36

The power spoken of here is a self-exalting, willful, and godless power. The closing phrase for what has been determined shall be done is a reiteration of the closing thought of the previous verse: it is still for the appointed time, referring to the concise timing of the surprise “deadly wound” to the papacy. It has been stated that this deadly wound was carried out by the atheistic French. The timing alone supports the prophetic connection to historical events, but Scripture supplies even more evidence.

He shall regard neither the God of his fathers nor the desire of women, nor regard any god; for he shall exalt himself above them all. (v.37) The Hebrew word often translated woman is also the word for wife. Thus, the desire of women would mean the desire of wives. In keeping with the spirit of atheism that prevailed during the French Revolution, the dissolution of the family unit rose to common practice. The French government decreed on 20 September 1792 establishing easily obtained divorces outside of court. By the end of the next year, 5994 divorces had occurred in Paris alone. Within five years, tens of thousands of abandoned babies and children became the French government’s responsibility. The casting off of restraints created a cesspool of licentiousness and a breeding ground for tragedy upon tragedy. This casting off of virtue, morals, and religion was called “Liberty.” Atheism is identified in the phrase: nor regard any god.

But in their place, he shall honor a god of fortresses; and a god which his fathers did not know he shall honor with gold and silver, with precious stones and pleasant things. (v.38)

We seem to encounter a contradiction in this verse. How can a nation disregard any/every god and yet honor a god of fortresses? It surely cannot at the same time hold to both of these positions. But a view from inside supplies the answer: the attempt to remake France into a godless nation produced such anarchy that the civil rulers feared a loss of political power. They recognized the necessity of introducing some kind of worship. But they were very careful not to create a movement that would foster the development of spiritual character or devotion to God. A great festival was planned to introduce the Goddess of Reason, and a veiled female was paraded through the streets of Paris into the Cathedral of Notre Dame (renamed the Temple of Reason at this time). She was led to a new, ornate “altar of Liberty” which had replaced the original altar. She stood at the right hand of the civil authorities. The worship of Liberty and Reason became a national craze. Parades and processionals were duplicated all over the country. But it was soon evident that this would not hold the attention of the people . . .

Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint; But happy is he who keeps the law. By swearing and lying, Killing and stealing and committing adultery, They break all restraint, With bloodshed upon bloodshed. Proverbs 29:18 and Hosea 4:2