Democracy is considered ineffective in getting things done because the more people involved in decision-making, the weaker and less decisive the political process becomes.
Les Feldick, teaching from Daniel 2, says he loves democracy and calls it the greatest form of government, but when it comes to getting something done it is "the most inefficient government that man ever dreamed of." He observes that each successive empire in Nebuchadnezzar's image became politically weaker as decision-making moved from one ruler to a consensus of many. This is why he sees Christ's coming kingdom as glorious—it will be ruled by one with absolute power.
Daniel 2:31-35 — This passage records the image of successive world empires that Les uses to show political power weakening as more people share decision-making.
Daniel 2:44 — This verse records God's promise to set up an eternal kingdom, which Les contrasts with human democratic governments.
Daniel 2 records Nebuchadnezzar's dream of a great image with a head of gold, breast and arms of silver, belly and thighs of brass, legs of iron, and feet part of iron and part of clay. A stone cut out without hands strikes the image and becomes a great mountain filling the whole earth. Daniel then interprets that in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed. The biblical text does not use the word democracy; it simply presents the sequence of empires and the final divine kingdom.
Les Feldick says he loves democracy and considers it "the greatest form of government that has ever brought on the scene," but when it comes to getting something done, it is "probably the worst that was ever conceived." He bases this on Daniel 2, where each empire—from Nebuchadnezzar's Babylon to the revived Roman Empire—becomes politically weaker because of the number of people involved in decision-making. He notes that Rome was actually a republic using a senate and representatives, and that today's Western democracies are weak, easily brought down by street demonstrations. He contrasts this with the coming kingdom of Christ, which will be a kingdom of one, with absolute power and no confabs.
Les points to the image in Daniel 2—head of gold, breast of silver, belly of brass, legs of iron, and feet of iron and clay—and says politically every one of these empires became weakened by the number of people involved in decision-making. He traces the political flow from "an absolute power of one" to "a consensus of two" to "a consensus of four" to "a consensus of many." He also notes that while military power increased from empire to empire, political power descended and became more divided.
When it comes to getting things done, Les says democracy is "the most inefficient government that man ever dreamed of." Even though we love democracy and it is the greatest form of government, the need for consensus among many makes it less decisive. He sees the Roman Empire, with its senate and representatives, as the seed of democracy in its infancy, leading to a consensus of many rather than the absolute decision of one.
Les explains that when Christ sets up His kingdom, it will be glorious because it will be a kingdom of one. Christ will have absolute power, and there will be no confabs, meetings, or attempts to reach a consensus. This is the opposite of democracy, where many people have to be involved in decision-making.
Les points to Western Europe's European Community as an enlarged democracy that is weak because people can fill the streets and demonstrate, and the government "down it goes." He also mentions Albania, where losing investments led the little nation into total anarchy—something that would never have happened under a strong armed dictator.
Daniel 2: Empires weakened by the number of decision-makers
Les says every empire in Nebuchadnezzar's image becomes politically weaker as more people get involved in decision-making, and he still calls democracy the greatest form of government.
Rome: from absolute power to a consensus of many
Les shows the political flow from one ruler to a consensus of two, four, and many, and notes Rome was a republic with a senate and representatives—'democracy in its infancy.'
Military power rises, political power declines
Les states that he loves democracy, but when it comes to getting things done, democracy is 'the most inefficient government that man ever dreamed of.'
Daniel 2 Explained: The Stone Kingdom That Fills the Earth
So now your political flow is already picking up. Instead of having an absolute power of one, now you've got to have a consensus of two. Here you have to have a consensus of four. Now you come on down to the next great empire that comes on the scene, and that'll be the Roman Empire.
Christ's kingdom: absolute power with no confabs
Les says Christ's coming kingdom will be glorious because it is a kingdom of one—He will have absolute power and there will be no confabs, meetings, or consensus-building.
Democratic governments are as weak as cotton thread
Les says the world prophetically wants democracy, but democracies are weak, and he uses Albania's descent into anarchy as an example that wouldn't happen under a strong armed dictator.
Western Europe's enlarged democracy is weak
Les says Western Europe is an enlarged democracy with no real strength; street demonstrations can bring the government down.
Daniel 2 Explained: The Stone Kingdom That Fills the Earth
But in our own day now we're seeing the rise of that same geographical and political area, Western Europe, called the European Community, and it started out with ten nations, and it's been fluctuating, and it's going to end up again with ten nations, and we call it the revived Roman Empire, and these are the ten toes, ten nations.
Daniel 2:31-35: Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and the form thereof was terrible. This image's head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass, His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay. Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.
This passage gives the sequence of world empires and the divided final state of the image, which Les uses to illustrate the weakening of political power as more people share decision-making.
Daniel 2:44: And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.
This verse records God's promise of an eternal kingdom, which Les contrasts with human democratic governments.
No. He says he loves democracy and calls it the greatest form of government ever brought on the scene. What he questions is its efficiency: when it comes to getting things done, he says it is the most inefficient government man ever dreamed of.
Les says the Roman Empire was actually a republic that depended on its senate and representatives. From that point, political power moved from one ruler to a consensus of many, which he describes as the seeds of democracy in its infancy.
Because He will rule with absolute power. Les says there will be no confabs or need for meetings and consensus, in contrast with democracies where many people share decision-making.
Watch the Teaching: Daniel's Four Beasts and the Revived Roman Empire Explained