Empires
Robert Holmes
Standing in upstate New York in 2000, I had a conversation with the Lord which I shall never forget. The Lord asked me "How long does an empire last?" to which I asked, "Am I standing in an empire?" Rather than answering me directly, He said, "All empires come to an end". I pondered this for a moment. Was this country coming to an end? Then He asked a final question: "How do people position themselves as an empire nears its eventual end?"
I want to look at these four statements/ questions one at a time. Initially we shall look at how long empires last. Before we address this, we must define what an empire is:
Empire: a group of nations or peoples ruled by powerful sovereigns, whose government dominates a significant portion of the world's inhabitants, whose borders encroach upon a large portion of the world's land mass for an extended, unbroken period of time.
Historically speaking, there have been a wide variety of empires. From the Assyrians in the Middle East in 820 BC, to the Han dynasty in Asia at the turn of the millennium, to the mighty Roman empire in 433AD, the Mayan kingdom in South America in 900AD, the Ottoman empire in the 1500's down to the British Commonwealth that ended in 1943.
The team at Storm Harvest conducted a review of the top 20 empires in history and concluded that empires have an average life of about 200 years, with a peak of 288 and a minimum of 74 years. In a substantial review of empires, Salem Kirban concluded that "world dominating civilizations progress through the following fairly well defined sequence of stages":
Bondage - Spiritual faith/ revival - Courage/ war - Liberty for the people - Prosperity/ abundance/ wealth - Complacency/ apathy - Dependency/ debt - Moral corruption/ addiction - Bondage
This is the lifecycle of an empire. Whilst these seasons are educational, they do not determine an empire's destiny - that is in the hands of the Lord, and of his servants. This progress is a tenuous thing, affected by the people in the empire, the nations affected by it and by the Lord who involves Himself in human history.
An ancient Israelite prophet once wrote: "If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down and destroyed, and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned. And if at another time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be built up and planted, and if it does evil in my sight and does not obey me, then I will reconsider the good I had intended to do for it" (Jeremiah 18:7-10 NRSV).
Prophets and seers of old spoke to governments and empires of their time, predicting the rise and fall of many of them. Kings came and went, men ruled and disappeared. There are empires today, and prophets still, with breath enough in them to address their leaders.
Empires come and go, kingdoms rise and fall - and the Lord is involved in them all: "There is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God" (Rom. 13:1). The government we have is not only the one we deserve (in an egalitarian, democratic society), it is the very government the Lord allows for us. It is to that government we look for help. It is that government God holds responsible for charting the course of the nation.
How long do empires last? Somewhere between one and three hundred years. So was I standing in an empire?
References Easton, Stewart C. "A Brief History of the Western World" Gladwell, Malcolm. "The Tipping Point". Kirban, Salem. "World Powers", Christianity Today, 1968.
The Empire's State
Robert I Holmes
"Are we in an empire?" I was standing in New York, home to the "Empire State Building". New York, the "Empire State". But the answer is not as simple as it might sound. The quick reply is yes and no. America does not fit the empiric definition very well, because she is actually more than an empire.
Hubert Vedrine, the French Foreign Minister stated in July 2003 that, "The United States of America today predominates on the economic, monetary, technological and in the cultural arena. in terms of power and influence it is not comparable to anything known in modern history. in short the US is a hyper puissance [hyper power]".
According to Josef Joffe, contributing editor of Time Magazine, the USA dwarfs every empire past and present. In an address to Sydney's intellectual community in August 2003, Josef stated that, "The sweep of her interests, the weight of her resources and the margin of her usable power are unprecedented". Going by historical standards, the tide-marks left by empires, one can only conclude that the USA is in fact a "super empire".
The state of California contains one of the most diverse woodlands on earth, stretching up into Oregon. If empires were trees, and they all grew in California, then America (the empire) would be a General Sherman - a massive Redwood towering above the rest.
Some distinctives
Unlike the Roman Empire, America can intervene in world events anywhere, in real time, without apparent threat to her homeland (as the B52's from Missouri demonstrated by bombing Afganistan early in 2003).
Unlike the Habsburg Dynasty, her economic power is not a one horse Hegemon (relying on the silver extracted from Latin America). The US economy is a balanced, lean, competitive animal.
Unlike the British Commonwealth, she is not co-dependant on allies, treaties and aides in her world wide affairs. The US has set up a vast arrangement of international organizations (UN, GATT, WTO) to which it does not behoove.
Unlike the Babylonians, her might is not based on military aggression, land grabbing and expansionism. The USA has almost always (with the exception of the Philippines a hundred years ago) kept to herself and dealt with international affairs only as they related to domestic security.
Unlike the Holy Roman Empire, she does not rely on others to educate her sons. Rome used to send her children to Greek Universities. Today the 'Greeks' send their children to 'Roman' universities (Harvard, MIT, Stanford)
An empire. but
America the Great is indeed an empire, of the most magnificent proportions. Yet one of her distinctives remains her benevolent heart, her Christian faith and her love for God. She is not the first to embrace Godly principles. The king of Babylon eventually embraced the God of the Hebrews, the king of England once stood as a defender of the faith. But America is probably the first empire to be birthed in the rich soil of the gospel.
The Mayflower compact, signed on the 11th of November 1620 in the nascent community contained the seed of greatness. The Compact marks the foundation of covenant between the government and the governed -submission, in exchange for covering and protection. - It recognized that government existed to restrain men - It established itself as a faithful extension of another legitimate government, Britain. - It was the taproot of Biblical influence in American society.
But the empire has grown a long way from her roots. This tree has much growth on it that no longer resembles the taproot. What will remove the ungodly growth from this tree? The growth is unsightly and unbalanced, making it unstable. A storm may come and blow it down. It may have to be cut down, or a new tree grafted from its stock.
Was I standing in an empire? Yes indeed, the greatest, most powerful, most influential, economic giant of history. But how long will it last?
References Joffe, Josef. John Bonython lecture at the Centre for Independent Studies, Sydney, August 2003.
Vedrine, Hubert. Address to the UN Security Council. July 2003.
Empire's end?
Robert I Holmes
Everything that has a beginning, also has an ending. Sadly, most of us give little credence to the end of things until they come crashing in on us. The announcement of cancer, the loss of a loved one, the boss coming in to give us our severance pay and escort us from the building.
"All empires come to an end". Is this American empire facing the end?
Prophesies about the destruction of America are abundant - from gas clouds to nuclear devastation, from invading Chinese troops to militia shipping Christians into detention on trains. some equating the financial markets and economy of the US with the Babylon of Revelation!
Prophesies about economic collapse are almost as prevalent, usually combined with a cocktail of political intrigue and a little moral anarchy thrown in. Popular prophets even allow the consenting adult Christian to fantasize that we shall be whisked away before it gets too bad!
Prophesies about God's abundant blessing of America also abound - from unprecedented revival, to God's redemptive purpose for the nation, his call for her to rule and reign in the millennium, and according to at least one film, we'll have an American accent!
Biblical prophecy
Daniel took a broadside at the empires of the end times: "The end shall come with a flood, and to the end there shall be war. Desolations (to lay waste) are decreed" (Dan. 9:26).
Isaiah earmarked the "west" in his prediction: "They shall fear the name of the Lord in the west, and see his glory in the east" (Isa. 59:19a). His judgments shall be displayed in the west, and fear shall mark their response.
Jeremiah took aim at the system of Babylon saying: "Declare among the nations and proclaim, set up a banner and proclaim, do not conceal it, say: Babylon is taken, Bel is put to shame, Merodach is dismayed. Her images are put to shame, her idols are dismayed" (Jer. 50:2).
Babylon is not a nation, country or peoples. It is a system, a city. John identified her hallmarks: "she sits on many waters (peoples)" (Rev. 17:1), "the kings of the earth commit adultery (fornication) with her" (vs 2), she is "the great city (polis) that rules over kings" (vs 18) and finally "the nations (ethnos) of the earth drank her maddening wine" (Rev. 18:3) and "shared in her luxury (delicious life style)" (vs 9).
Sound familiar? Any system aligning itself with Babylonian economics will come down, the system and the 'icons, idols and images' she promotes.
Where in the timeline are we?
Using the seasons outlined by Salem Kirban, we find America has followed the natural course of history:
1. Bondage. She shucked off the chains of bondage to England. 2. Spiritual Faith/ Revival. The Great Awakening of 1740 grew directly out of the colony founded by the Pilgrims, an awakening which provided the spiritual foundation of both independence and republic. 3. Courage/ war. Through the American revolution, the civil war, and two world wars she expanded her influence. 4. Liberty for the people. The charter and constitution brought liberty for her people and many other nations after her. 5. Prosperity/ abundance/ wealth. Democracy, a republic, free market economy have certainly made her prosperous. 6. Complacency/ apathy. Pearl Harbour and September 11 found the nation slumbering. The Admiral of the Japanese forces in WWII is said to have uttered "I fear we have waked the sleeping giant". 7. Dependency/ debt. The US is the most endebted nation on earth ($6,727,820,332,000 USD as of October 2003). 8. Moral corruption/ addiction. The Post Modern world of situational ethics has bred a decline in moral standards. Infidelity, divorce, abortion, suicide, pornography, violence. much of this rise spawned by the western culture. 9. Bondage.
Conclusion
It would certainly appear from natural study that the end approaches. It appears from other empires that after 250 - 300 years, an end of some sort must be slated.
To consider a world without America is fiction. Rome and England still exist. So shall the Americas. In the international system, power always begets counter power, usually by way of coalitions and alliances among lesser players. Ultimately this has led to war. Will war against an aggressor be the future of the US? Will a coalition of forces arise, or one of the smaller nations rise to be her better? Will a coalition of (perhaps European) economies try to stand against her? Will some foreign force catch her unawares?
These scenarios are not plausible in the present state of play. But they are all financially feasible and prophetically possible in the event of an implosion.
Will she re-invent herself into a United States of Meso-America (an integrated Canada/ USA/ Latin America)? Several empires past give us a view on how "reinvention" takes place. The Roman Empire for example, reorganized after every successive Barbarian invasion. The English Empire lasted longer than most because she reorganized herself three times, as did Byzantine and the Holy Roman empire. The Han dynasty reinvented itself after successive peasant uprisings, as did the Habsburgs after losing gold and finding silver.
If we agree that the end of the empire as we know it is drawing near, then what shall our position and preparation be?
References
Diamond, Jared. "Guns, Germs and Steel" Kirban, Salem. "World Powers", Christianity Today, 1968.
Empire Strikes Back?
Robert Holmes
What is the Christian response to the end of an empire? This was the crux of God's question to me, and one that I have stewed on for three years.
Consider those who had heard the prophesies of Samuel about the end of Saul's kingdom. Joab would raise his hand against Saul. Abner would one day betray Saul and move his armies to David. Uriah would die on the frontlines. Shimei would curse David. But David would wait until God promoted him.
Consider those who listened to the words of Jesus, predicting the destruction of the temple (at the hands of Rome). The Pharisees would be trapped in the seiged city. The disciples would flee to Petra. The Roman centurion would become the instrument of destruction against Jerusalem in AD70. Paul would slowly carry himself toward the heart and soul of the empire, to effect what change he could.
America's roots are in the rich soil of the gospel. But the tree that now stands, no longer represents those values. At the very least, radical pruning is coming. At best a grafting of the core values into a new empire can be achieved. At worst, a storm will blow the whole thing over. But life is going to change. Will we embrace it, or fight it? Run from it, or walk through it?
There were two colonies sent from England - the Pilgrims and the Puritans. The first group believed that you could change the system from the inside, the second believed you must be separated from the system and start afresh. This fundamental distinctive is important to us as we prepare a response.
Do we believe God can remedy the system as it is - insisting that we be salt in the "stew". Or does He require that we separate from her, come out and be apart from her?
Our worst enemy
It is true that communist armies stand ready to invade the US. But she is well guarded. It is also true that Muslim extremists are planning further invasive attacks against the US. But she is well prepared. It is certain that European economies seek to outflank the US. But her hold on the high ground is impenetrable.
Yet there remains one enemy she has no protection against at all. Gazing over the destruction of his frigates in the battle of Lake Erie, Admiral Perry declared, "We have faced the enemy, and they are us!" In the battle one of his own ships sank one of their own frigates. A fire in the hold necessitated the scuttling of another, and so it went.
It is to ourselves we must look. The society we have created, the environment we have destroyed, the economy we have overtaxed, the people we have abandoned, the sin we have run toward, the morals we have abandoned. These things must change.
Arrogance and greed are their own poison. - Pride brings it's own inevitable fall. - Moral corruption is its own debilitating cancer.
If they are not addressed, then the nation will bring herself undone, she will decay, and implode - and then the plethora of other options will kick in. As Edmund Burke said, "Society cannot exist unless a controlling power upon will and appetite be placed somewhere, and the less of it there is within, the more there must be without. It is ordained in the eternal constitution of things, that men of intemperate minds cannot be free. Their passions forge their fetters." Our passions must necessarily forge external fetters to govern us.
Options
The nation needs to find again it's moral compass, take the "roadmap" back to righteousness, turn away from wickedness, preach repentance, expose corruption and move into the next phase of her destiny. The alternative is to be consigned to the "historical" section of next century's encyclopedia.
I believe God's best for America is a return to her roots, a reformation, a renewal of historical truth. Repentance, in short is the only way. We might point at sinners, and demand they reform their ways, but the Bible indicates that the DNA for reform is within us:
"If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land" (2 Chr. 7:14) - The people of God repent from their sins, then God heals the whole land.
"Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin brings reproach on any people" (Prov. 14:34). If we will not repent, then we must suffer with the empire, as she shudders through judgement. That judgement will start with us (see Hosea 5 & Ezekiel 9). Our lot is to stay with her through the sickness, holding her hand as she slips into a coma, praying diligently for one thing. A dead person needs reviving, a spiritually dead nation needs resurrection.
We are to be the presence and power of God no matter what the external climate:
- In a time of great darkness, the light of God will shine brightly (Isa. 9:2). - When the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a banner against him (Isa. 59:19b). - In the very end, when "Babylon" falls, the apostles and prophets of God rejoice (Rev. 18:19,20).
References
Tozer, AW. "Rut, Rot or Revival? The problem of change and breaking the status quo" Wilkerson, David. "America's Last Call: on the brink of a financial holocaust"
Responses To The Empire
Dear List,
Storm-Harvest has received many responses to the 'Empire' articles. Robert and I have learned much from the insights in these responses, and we wish to thank each one who has contributed.
We have selected some of the responses to share with the List below.
May the Lord bless you.
Mario
From: "Marilyn" <marilynw@myexcel.com Subject: Re: [StormHarvest] R Holmes: (2) The Empire's State Date sent: Sun, 14 Dec 2003 08:05:28 -0700
In regard to:
"But the empire has grown a long way from her roots. This tree has much growth on it that no longer resembles the taproot. What will remove the ungodly growth from this tree? The growth is unsightly and unbalanced, making it unstable. A storm may come and blow it down. It may have to be cut down, or a new tree grafted from its stock."
I was at a conference in downtown Austin, TX, amidst the bars, tatoo parlors, homeless people, etc. The first morning, God told me to turn the tv on. All that was on were financial news reports, Dow Jones, etc.
When I got to the conference, they were speaking about what a difference they were making in that "bad" part of town. God gave me the scripture, "The love of money is the root of all evil." He then showed me a tree with people cutting branches off of it. He said, You're only cutting the branches off the tree--drugs, pornography, crime, abortion, child abuse, etc.; you aren't getting to the root of the problem--the love of money in America.
God showed me that we had judged wrongly. We were judging those who are involved in drugs, pornography, crime, etc., as evil, yet we are judging the root of the tree--big corporations in America and our own greed and need for instant gratification--as good.
God showed me a low income, government subsidized apartment complex with a police substation. He said, Social services and the police are on call 24 hours a day. Where is my church? I want a network of churches in the neighborhoods where people can go across the street or next door and call on Jesus instead of having to call 911. He showed me that 9/11 was a result of us trusting in man instead of in God . (911- government; twin towers-money;Pentagon-military might). I thought God was going a bit far this time, but then I went to prayer and picked up a little book entitled One Bread One Body which said, The kingdom of God cannot be combined with the kingdom of this world. God had told me several years before that his church had failed in giving his children to the state instead of walking in love to the point of the cross in order to walk in resurrected power.
A couple weeks before 9/11, God had me in one of the worst neighborhoods in my area. The first time he had me in this area, he told me, My church is supposed to be in the neighborhoods. The enemy is more organized than my church. When I was there a couple weeks before 9/11, visiting a woman who I had seen as evil, but who God had shown me as a beautiful little girl, God led me to the Book of Haggai and showed me that the land was under destruction because people were building their own homes not seeing that the Temple of the Lord (people) was in ruins. He told me, There is much broken, trashed wood (people) out in the world that I want brought in so that I (He's the carpenter) can make them into vessels of honor to pour my glory out on the nations.
A few days before 9/11, God told me that it was time for his church to put on sack cloth and ashes and go into a united (Catholic and Protestant) period of prayer and fasting, repenting for doing it man's way instead of God's way.
The morning of 9/11, God woke me up with the following song: Now is the time, the day of salvation. Now is the time, to hear and obey. Now is the time, make no hesitation. JESUS HAS SAID PREPARE THE WAY!!!
From: "littleflock" <littleflock@netzero.net> Subject: Re: [StormHarvest] R Holmes: (2) The Empire's State Date sent: Sun, 14 Dec 2003 13:10:46 -0500
Friends,
I appreciate your generally good teachings and in particular here your observations on America as an empire. But I must take strong issue with your analysis of America relative to Christian faith. I comment on two quotes from your article:
#1: "Yet one of her distinctives remains her benevolent heart, her Christian faith and her love for God."
What do you mean by "her" Christian faith and "her" love for God? Who is "her"? As a collective human (fleshly) society, America does not have Christian faith nor has love for God. No fleshly nation can. According to Peter, there is only ONE human nation capable of Christian faith and love for God. It is the called-out spiritual nation of God from among all nations, including America. (Please note also that as Nebuchadnezzar's conversion did not make Babylon a Jewish empire now deserving of the favor of God, neither does George Bush's faith--nor that of any president before him--make America a Christian empire.)
As a human nation, the American nation was certainly "tamed" by the gospel influence in its early generations--much like a Christian's influence in his place of business can tame the entire workplace for good. According to scripture, nations are "beasts." But they are not the "body of the Lord." Beasts can be tamed, but not "converted." Nations cannot possess eternal life. Thus they cannot be called "Christian" or have "faith" or "love for God."
As a Christian's influence on a human business does not make a that business "Christian" or capable of "faith" or "love for God", neither can the church's influence on America or any fleshly nation make that nation "Christian" or make it capable of faith and love for God. All nations belong to the corporate zoo called "the world." One is either "of the world," or "of the Lord" and His "unique called-out nation, His body." What distinguishes a corporate body as Christian is that it no longer belongs to the zoo and its beasts.
Furthermore, the situation hardly exists now by which anyone can say America's distinctive "remains" one of Christian faith and love for God. If anything, all such early taming distinction has been openly shed. (Which newspapers or television networks have you been watching?)
#2: "The Mayflower compact, signed on the 11th of November 1620 in the nascent community contained the seed of greatness."
Friends, the pilgrims did not found America. They founded but one colony (theirs not the first) and their colony was absorbed into another (Massachusetts) 80 years before America was established as an actual nation. All American colonies were founded in relation to European economic ventures, some having spiritual purposes attached. This is true of the pilgrims. (Jamestown, the first colony [1607], was not founded with spiritual purpose. If we count St. Augustine [1565] as the first colony, it's mission was to destroy the faithful and believing "heretics" up at present day Jacksonville--hardly a worthy purpose in the kingdom of God. ) No colony was founded purely as a spiritual compact with God like Israel was.
**** The problem in this writing is that it continues to promote the same spiritual confusion that uncrucified Christian romanticism has been promoting for hundreds of years concerning this human nation called America. Please reconsider your propositions. Not until the church understands the distinctiveness of its identity out from among all human people groups and stops ascribing spiritual virtue to them due to its own influence on them will the purposes of the Lord's kingdom be realized in the earth.
"THY kingdom come" (not America's virtue proclaimed) is our only mandate.
Kindest regards,
Chris Anderson New Meadow Neck, RI www.firstloveministry.com
From: "Vines" <eagleofgod@jcn.net> Subject: Re: [StormHarvest] R Holmes - (1) Introducing Empires Date sent: Wed, 3 Dec 2003 12:04:51 -0600
While there are other countries whose governments are older than the U.S., it's not the age only that seems to be determining the "fate" of any country. It's the spiritual condition, the heart attitude of not only the government, but the church as well. In many churches I hear the "bless me's", "G-d's gonna protect us because we are His", and a general attitude of nothing can touch us because we are American Christians. That is pride. That grieves me.
A call to repentance for such went out from Keith Green, before his death. His song "Asleep in the Light" is even more relevant today than it was in 1980. As some dear Christian friends and I have shared with one another: I am not an American Christian, but a Christian in America.
Recently I've been studying Nahum, using a study guide by J. Vernon McGee. In it, I found something that is similar to the stages you mentioned in a decline of an empire. This is what is in the study guide:
"A United States Senator has stated that the average life of the great civilizations of the world has been about 200 years. He goes on to say that these civilizations have progressed (if that's the right word) through the following stages:
from bondage to spiritual faith from spiritual faith to courage from courage to liberty from liberty to abundance from abundance to selfishness from selfishness to complacency from complacency to apathy from apathy back to bondage "
The question I ask myself, of my own spiritual condition, is: "How far or close am I to that last stage?" Then I ask of my city, country, and the churches around me, "How far are all of us?"
The governments, and their fates, are indeed upon His Shoulders.
Prayerfully, Delta Vines
WEBSITE Storm-Harvest Ministries http://www.storm-harvest.asn.au