REFORMERS ALWAYS FACE an uphill battle. It’s akin to a fight against the first and third laws of motion: *“Every object in a state of uniform motion will remain in that state of motion unless an external force acts on it.” And, “For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.” These laws of physics speak of the inescapable natural forces of gravity. In the OT, the bible speaks of equally grave and weighty inexorable forces at work in the declining culture of Israel. “Whenever the Lord raised up a judge for them, he was with the judge and saved them out of the hands of their enemies as long as the judge lived; for the Lord had compassion on them as they groaned under those who oppressed and afflicted them. But when the judge died, the people returned to ways even more corrupt than those of their fathers, following other gods and serving and worshiping them. They refused to give up their evil practices and stubborn ways.” (Judg. 2:18-19) Joshua’s generation had long passed away, and “another generation grew up who knew neither the LORD nor what he had done for Israel. Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD.” (Judg. 2:11-12a) Those who had not been born until the struggles were over had successively less interest in the dedication it had taken to possess and enjoy the land. And, in a time of plenty, the current generation had little need for God.
Historically, in all nations, it is a familiar story with a predictable end—unless a strong reformer comes and corrects the path of the nation. For Israel, it was a cyclical recurrent rising and falling. They did well under a strong reforming judge, and languished quickly again absent his presence, only to suffer once again.
These cycles of proximity to and drifting away from God are clearly observable in Israel’s history. “The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord; they forgot the Lord their God. The anger of the Lord burned against Israel. But when they cried out to the Lord, he raised up for them a deliverer, Othniel, who saved them. So the land had peace for forty years, until Othniel died.” (Judg. 3:7-11) Then, “Once again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord, and because they did this evil the Lord gave Eglon king of Moab power over Israel.” (Judg. 3:12) From Othniel to Samson, there were twelve judges over Israel during the four-hundred-year cycle before the people cried out for a king under Samuel (cf. 1 Sam. 8:15). Samuel, a strong reformer who judged Israel, was additionally a prophet of God. Through him God gave the people what they wanted in Saul. It didn’t work out so well.
Boring stuff, ancient history, who cares? Well, **“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” The America of the early twenty-first century is the sole but shaky superpower of the world, and at this time (2022), is decaying and collapsing from within. The completely outnumbered current reformers are under vicious assault from every direction. Violence ripples through the land, gangs assault people in the street and in their homes, buildings are burning, angry voices demand change and unearned benefits, the advice of the forefathers is forgotten, ignored, or denied, and the outcome seems inevitable. And so also with western Europe—in fact, wherever the long-tenured first-world nations’ unchecked greed continues to blindly pulverize the hopes along their borders with the teeming masses of the two-third’s world, these tensions are reaching a tipping point. Greece fell, Israel fell, and Rome fell; it is not a matter of if in our time, but only when.
In the past, when civilizations crumbled, chaos immediately ruled. Though widespread then, by today’s standards such things appear regionally localized. What looms before the world now, however, is global in scope, and a prophetic voice might/should warn of impending cataclysm on a scale never before seen. And, yes, the cries for resolution that will emerge from such upheaval will predictably follow the patterns of the past. “Give us a reformer,” they will cry, “someone who can bring us peace and stability—help us!” The biblically prophetic voice might well respond in warning, “The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.” (2 Thess. 2:9-10) The coming reformer will not face an uphill battle, for he will simply take the people in the direction they desire to go. He will work within the declining culture’s laws of motion, and these motions will become an increasingly precipitous and accelerating downward spiral.
Paul encourages, and here we end, “But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth.” (2 Thess. 2:13)
Q. Do I have the spiritual gravitas to withstand cultural oblivion?
*Isaac Newton, “Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica” – 1687.
** George Santayana, “The Life of Reason” – 1905.
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