Decline and Restoration
By
Pastor C.O. Stadsklev
It has been said that history repeats itself, and so it seems.
Judging from prophetic Scriptures found in the Sacred Book, we have nearly come to the consummation of the age of which the prophets tell would end Anglo-Saxondom’s disregard of God, His Christ and His Word; therefore we shall not experience a fall like that of ancient Rome, even though a decline similar to that which preceded its fall marks us.
The historian Gibbon gave five reasons for the fall of Rome.
Note how strikingly similar they are to the conditions existing in Anglo-Saxondom at the present time.
Here are Gibbon’s reasons:
First, the rapid increase of divorce; the undermining of the dignity and sanctity of the home which is the basis of human society.
Second, higher and higher taxes and the spending of public monies for free bread and circuses for the populace.
Third, the mad craze for pleasure; sports becoming every year more exciting and brutal.
Fourth, the building of gigantic armaments when the real enemy was within, the decadence of the people.
Fifth, the decay of religion, faith fading into mere forms, losing touch with life, and becoming impotent to guide the people.
How completely hopeless, vexatious, and disappointing affairs in general appear when viewed from this historian’s five reasons for the fall of the great Roman Empire!
But we have hope! Those familiar with the great covenants of the Scriptures, especially the unconditional ones, see not the fall of Anglo-Saxondom, but rather its cleansing and restoration and its ultimate dominion with righteous guidance of all peoples. And that not because of numbers but because of its God-ordained ministry to the world.
Without doubt, the cleansing preparatory to its restoration will cause Anglo-Saxondom much mental, material, and physical discomfort, but when the spiritual mind of Anglo-Saxondom (the descendants of ancient Israel) has been cleansed and restored to a right relationship to the God of our fathers, the mental, material and physical distresses will be corrected or quickly removed.
Let us remind ourselves of the fact that the church of Jesus Christ has prayed for nearly two thousand years for God’s kingdom to come, His will to be done of earth as it is in heaven.
As for the thoughts and desires of the ancients, it is told that they saw the great consummation of world systems and greatly rejoiced.
Isaiah describes the restoration with glowing terms as he writes, “O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted, behold I lay thy stones with fair colours, and lay thy foundations with sapphires. And I will make thy windows of agates, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy borders of pleasant stones. And thy children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of thy children. In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression; for thou shalt not fear: and from terror; for it shall not come near thee...whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall for thy sake...No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord.”
Remember, it was the Lord who gave this message to Isaiah for His Israel people.
By
Pastor C.O. Stadsklev
It has been said that history repeats itself, and so it seems.
Judging from prophetic Scriptures found in the Sacred Book, we have nearly come to the consummation of the age of which the prophets tell would end Anglo-Saxondom’s disregard of God, His Christ and His Word; therefore we shall not experience a fall like that of ancient Rome, even though a decline similar to that which preceded its fall marks us.
The historian Gibbon gave five reasons for the fall of Rome.
Note how strikingly similar they are to the conditions existing in Anglo-Saxondom at the present time.
Here are Gibbon’s reasons:
First, the rapid increase of divorce; the undermining of the dignity and sanctity of the home which is the basis of human society.
Second, higher and higher taxes and the spending of public monies for free bread and circuses for the populace.
Third, the mad craze for pleasure; sports becoming every year more exciting and brutal.
Fourth, the building of gigantic armaments when the real enemy was within, the decadence of the people.
Fifth, the decay of religion, faith fading into mere forms, losing touch with life, and becoming impotent to guide the people.
How completely hopeless, vexatious, and disappointing affairs in general appear when viewed from this historian’s five reasons for the fall of the great Roman Empire!
But we have hope! Those familiar with the great covenants of the Scriptures, especially the unconditional ones, see not the fall of Anglo-Saxondom, but rather its cleansing and restoration and its ultimate dominion with righteous guidance of all peoples. And that not because of numbers but because of its God-ordained ministry to the world.
Without doubt, the cleansing preparatory to its restoration will cause Anglo-Saxondom much mental, material, and physical discomfort, but when the spiritual mind of Anglo-Saxondom (the descendants of ancient Israel) has been cleansed and restored to a right relationship to the God of our fathers, the mental, material and physical distresses will be corrected or quickly removed.
Let us remind ourselves of the fact that the church of Jesus Christ has prayed for nearly two thousand years for God’s kingdom to come, His will to be done of earth as it is in heaven.
As for the thoughts and desires of the ancients, it is told that they saw the great consummation of world systems and greatly rejoiced.
Isaiah describes the restoration with glowing terms as he writes, “O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted, behold I lay thy stones with fair colours, and lay thy foundations with sapphires. And I will make thy windows of agates, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy borders of pleasant stones. And thy children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of thy children. In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression; for thou shalt not fear: and from terror; for it shall not come near thee...whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall for thy sake...No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord.”
Remember, it was the Lord who gave this message to Isaiah for His Israel people.