The Time of Distress ends when human governments collapse under the weight of their failed programs and broken promises. If their rise to power is grand, their collapse will be spectacular. Faith in human government and political power will be destroyed forever.

Human political power is a huge obstacle to the Kingdom, because it undermines God’s authority and offers a false salvation. The spread of democracy has increased this faith. Before the Holy Spirit can bring the Kingdom of God to fullness, this widespread trust in human political power must be swept away.

For most of human history, the world has been controlled by kings, emperors and sundry political powers. During the last few centuries, various democratic demagogues have taken this controlling role. Before the Kingdom of God can come to fullness on earth, this human political power must be destroyed. The Christian prophets who comfort Israel will also announce the destruction of political power. Their prophetic words will release the power of the Holy Spirit to bring down human government and political empires throughout the world.

Governments Collapse

The opening of the sixth seal describes the collapse of human government and democratic power.

I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red, and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as late figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind. The sky receded like a scroll, rolling up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place (Rev 6:12-14).
These events are not literal. The Old Testament prophets often described the collapse of a great nation in the same language. Ezekiel’s prophecy about Egypt is an example.
When I snuff you out, I will cover the heavens and darken their stars; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon will not give its light (Ez 32:7).
This is a description of the collapse of Egypt at the hand of Babylon. The sun continued to shine, but the prophecy was fulfilled. Other prophets used the sun, moon and stars turning to blood or falling from the sky to describe the collapse of human government and political power.

Politicians Flee

The disastrous end to the Time of Distress will destroy the confidence of political leaders throughout the entire world.

Then the kings of the earth and the great men and the commanders and the rich and the strong and every slave and free man hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains; and they said to the mountains and to the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb (Rev 6:15-16).
The stars falling from the sky are kings and rulers losing their power. Instead of strutting on the world stage, politicians and kings will hide under the rocks and caves. Those who have trusted in political power will be filled with terror.

As the empire of man is nearing its last gasp, human governments will collapse and disappear everywhere. When the people of the world see the harm done by their leaders' policies, they will be furious. The leaders who are not destroyed by war will be hounded out of office by violent mobs. They will try to escape, but will find no place to hide.

People who trust their government to provide security and prosperity will be shocked when nothing happens. Those who call on their political leaders to make decisions about the future will find that there is no one there. That will be scary for many people, but they will not be as scared as the politicians themselves.

Best Government Ever Fails

The Time of Distress will climax in a great rush of pride that attempts to create a perfect government and spread its influence throughout the world. Hopes will be high, because this government will be formed by good people with strong Christian support. However, excess political power always leads to disaster. The Democratic Beast that has promised peace for the world will be overrun by chaos and collapse in a terrible mess.

People are not surprised when evil leaders do harm, but they expect democratic government to be a force for good. When this good democratic political power collapses in a morass of troubles, those who have relied on it will be totally disillusioned. The collapse of the best human government ever will be so horrifying that the people of the world will never trust human political power again.

The faith in political power that hides in human hearts will vanish forever.

Principalities and Power

Political power and spiritual warfare are linked. The leaders of a nation or city have authority over the citizens of their domain. This creates an opportunity for the powers of evil to attack people with political power to gain influence over those under their authority. Once the powers of evil gain control over a political leader, people under the leader’s authority are vulnerable to the same attack.

Concentrating on political powers enables the forces of evil to expand their power. If an evil spirit gains control over one person, it can make that person’s life miserable. If the same spirit gets control over a king or president, it can control a nation. Most of the power of evil is an illusion. By concentrating their attacks on a few powerful people, the forces of evil have leveraged their limited power. Political power has amplified the power of spiritual evil.

If the forces of evil attach themselves to a king or president, they become “principalities and powers” with power over everyone in the nation. When we submit to political leaders, we open our lives to the spiritual forces controlling them. Concentration of political power shifts spiritual power to the principalities and powers.

When human rulers and empires fall, the principalities and powers that have amplified their power through them will be shattered. With no place to stand, they will just be common evil spirits defeated by the cross. When political leaders lose their power, the spiritual forces that have dominated the world through them will be powerless too. They will be diffused through society and become fragmented and weak.

The Kingdom Emerges

The democratic empire that accumulates vast political powers in a vain attempt to bring peace will collapse into such a mess that the people of the world will not trust human political power again. Christians do not need to fight against this human political empire, because God will come eventually cause it to be destroyed. He will annihilate the ultimate human government, killing the credibility of political power forever.

But the court will sit for judgment, and his dominion will be taken away, annihilated and destroyed forever (Dan 7:26).
When human governments stop functioning, a power vacuum will exist. Those who have trusted in democratic government will be desperate for something different and better. With the ultimate human government crushed by events it could not control, people will be desperate for a saviour who keeps his promises. The Kingdom of God will appear very attractive to them.

Political power will be chopped up, pushed down and spread around to ordinary people who trust and obey Jesus and walk in the Spirit. The kingdoms of the world will disappear and be replaced by the Kingdom of God.