OP-ED: EMPIRES COME AND EMPIRES GO
Matthew 6: 33 “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”
By Van Yandell
In Bible studies, we cannot avoid the studies of the world’s great empires, both past and present. History documents those empires and all have fallen or lost their global presence.
Greed, imperialism, supremacy or implosion has destroyed them. Some lasted hundreds of years.
The British Empire began its power grab in the late 1500’s. Colonizing Canada, several African countries, India and Australia, Britain’s land and power grab began in 1583. By seizing Newfoundland it accelerated from there to other parts of the world.
Britain also known as the United Kingdom is still considered a world power but with a much smaller reach than in previous years.
Two world wars depleted their economic prowess tremendously. With the developing of other world superpowers such as the United States, Russia and China; Britain lost its position in the world as an empire.
The Babylonian empire lasted from around 1900 BC until the early 500’s BC. Centered in Babylon (near today’s Bagdad), her reach varied over the centuries.
In the book of Daniel, chapter five, we find the fall of the Babylonian empire. Darius the Mede destroyed Belshazzar and took Babylon. Ironically, God allowed the downfall because of their lack of respect for the possessions taken from the Jerusalem temple and other pagan practices.
The Macedonian empire under the command of Alexander the Great lasted a much shorter time. Some sources claim a short lived empire of only ten years.
The Roman Empire is believed by many to be the legs of iron in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream (Daniel 2: 40). The Roman Empire lasted from 168 BC to 476 AD. Having lasted nearly 600 years, it is among the longest lived of the empires.
The Romans occupied Judea from 60 BC until 70 AD, a period of 130 years. I find it interesting they just happened to be in control in Jerusalem in the 33rd year of the first century.
Romans were one of the few nations that used crucifixion as a method of capital punishment. Also interesting is that Christ Jesus just happened to show up on earth during their occupation of Palestine.
God has a plan! In order for the Old Testament prophesy to be fulfilled (Psalm 22, Isaiah 53, and Zechariah 12), the Romans served a purpose. While those scriptures do not specifically use the word “crucifixion,” the details of the suffering are described.
Some believe the United States is the greatest empire of this era. In such a case, are our days numbered as the other empires of history?
John Adams, the second president of the United States, wrote in an 1814 letter to John Taylor: “Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide.” John Taylor was a political antagonist of the time.
America is not by definition a pure democracy but a constitutional republic. We elect representatives that are supposed to represent us by defending the Constitution. Nonetheless, we are a free people operating under the economic system of capitalism.
Capitalism allows us the freedom of opportunity. Also at times known as “free enterprise,” capitalism plus our freedoms permit us to utilize our resources (imagination, ingenuity, intelligence, inventive abilities and work ethics) to earn money.
Those monies earned, allow Americans to achieve and acquire the American Dream. Few people on planet earth have the opportunities Americans have.
People living in communist countries are literally owned by the governments. Socialist governments take most of the earnings of the people in taxes and the hierarchy lives like kings while average working citizens struggle to survive.
As the statement above of John Adams appears to apply to the USA we live in today, are our days numbered? Our elected politicians in pursuit of votes have been channeling us into a socialist/communist mindset and system for over fifty years; making a people dependent makes them submissive and easier to control.
Having been victims of incremental conditioning, many have failed to recognize the progression. It is purely intentional and by the time many wake up, it will be too late.
Information we receive is obviously controlled into what someone deems us needing to know, we have been slowly conditioned away from the intentions of the founding fathers.
It appears at this time, if America falls, it will be by implosion. Abraham Lincoln said in 1838 “America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.”
Causes of self-destruction are many. Some of the main causes are economic failure, political corruption, socio-economic disparities (resulting in conflicts hatred, violence and attitudes), and extreme political ideologies.
As the people in the previous empires did not know, we do not know how long America will last. With the transitioning into a world garbage dump, it appears, the end may be nearer than we think.
The time periods of the empires are a key factor in understanding them. There is only one time factor with God and that is eternity (2 Peter 3: 8).
Psalm 145: 13 “Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and Your dominion endures throughout all generations.” God is eternal both past and future tense.
The Bible teaches that eternal life is a reality. The Bible teaches there is only one eternal salvation. That is by a faith based belief (Ephesians 2: 8) that Christ Jesus was crucified (Matthew 27: 35) for the remission of sin (Romans 4: 25), resurrected (Matthew 28: 6) and ascended alive into Heaven (Acts 1: 9).
Van Yandell is a retired Industrial Arts teacher, an ordained gospel evangelist and missionary. His email is vmy3451@gmail.com