This is one question not two.
The question being asked here is not, “why do the heathen rage?” so much as “why do the people imagine a vain thing when the heathen rages”?
All through scripture and history, the heathen have raged. They are never satisfied with the way things are and rise up against God and His people with violence, hatred, and arrogance.
They say that they are wanting to “change the world” claiming they want to make it “a better place”.
They claim to want to build a world where there are freedom and equality for all people, no restraints, or imposed controls, advocating that such a world would be a world of peace, void of suffering, sorrows, and pain.
“The raging” the heathen are heard the most because they are the loudest and the people begin to imagine that they might be right.
They “imagine” that this could be a reality and in essence they want to return to an Eden like lifestyle, have access to the tree of life and live forever
Their first “vain imagination” is that they can overthrow God Himself and His people.
>>Psalm 2;2-3. 2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against his anointed, saying, 3 Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.
>>Psalm 74:4-10. 4 Thine enemies roar in the midst of thy congregations; they set up their ensigns for signs. 5 A man was famous according as he had lifted up axes upon the thick trees. 6 But now they break down the carved work thereof at once with axes and hammers. 7 They have cast fire into thy sanctuary, they have defiled by casting down the dwelling place of thy name to the ground. 8 They said in their hearts, Let us destroy them together: they have burned up all the synagogues of God in the land. 9 We see not our signs: there is no more any prophet: neither is there among us any that knoweth how long. 10 O God, how long shall the adversary reproach? shall the enemy blaspheme thy name for ever?
>>Numbers 14:11 . And the Lord said unto Moses, How long will this people provoke me? and how long will it be ere they believe me, for all the signs which I have shewed among them?
>>Psalm 4:2 . O ye sons of men, how long will ye turn my glory into shame? how long will ye love vanity, and seek after leasing?
>>Psalm 94:3-7. 3 Lord, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked triumph? 4 How long shall they utter and speak hard things? and all the workers of iniquity boast themselves? 5 They break in pieces thy people, O Lord, and afflict thine heritage. 6 They slay the widow and the stranger, and murder the fatherless. 7 Yet they say, The Lord shall not see, neither shall the God of Jacob regard it.
>>Jeremiah 23:25-27. 25 I have heard what the prophets said, that prophesy lies in my name, saying, I have dreamed, I have dreamed. 26 How long shall this be in the heart of the prophets that prophesy lies? yea, they are prophets of the deceit of their own heart;
27 Which think to cause my people to forget my name by their dreams which they tell every man to his neighbour, as their fathers have forgotten my name for Baal.
Today, the heathen rage. They want to do away with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
It reminds them of the coming judgment against them.
>>Hebrews 9:27-28. 27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment. 28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.
Their ultimate challenge and their greatest obstacle is that of overthrowing the angels and removing the flaming sword that guards the way to the tree of life,
THE VERY THING THAT KEEPS THEM AWAY FROM ETERNAL DAMNATION WITH NO HOPE OF SALVATION.
.>>Genesis 3:22-24 22 And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever: 23 Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. 24 So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.
Had man been able to take of the tree of life on their own, they would have lived forever in their sin.
By doing away with the Gospel, The cross and The blood of Jesus Christ, they do away with the very mercy that God extends to a lost world, to give them eternal life.
They thereby oppose themselves and the very purpose they claim to achieve.
God has called the redeemed to be watchmen over the way of the tree of life,
The Word of God is a flaming two-edged sword that is not to be trifled with, watered-down or neglected.
>>2 Timothy 2:24-26. 24 And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, 25 In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; 26 And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.
Watchmen On The Pod 