I am finding the BBC series 'Civilisations: Rise and Fall' fascinating to watch. The episodes remark on how quickly an empire that has enjoyed power / super-power for hundreds of years comes to a speedy end - with Egyptian and Roman empires as two examples.
In today's world, with the hideous re-emergence of 'empire-like' mentalities, there are lessons to be learnt and (for the Christ-faithful) encouragements to be had from these historical summaries!
From the resurrection of Jesus onwards, the phrase 'Jesus is Lord' came to be seen as a politically dangerous and subversive statement across the Roman Empire. Those proclaiming faced serious persecution to the point of death because it was taken as a direct challenge to the rule of emperor Caesar. Despite many killed, the witness to Jesus as Lord continued and the Roman Empire eventually fell apart.
There are lessons from history about how super-powers can become so corrupted by their lust for power, that they create the conditions for their seemingly invincible status to quickly crumble and fall. One can't help but see parallels with power corrupt super-power leaders today in both East and West - will the lessons be learnt and appropriately applied before it is too late for them?
We don't get to know the timescales - whether it is decades (e.g. Eastern Germany, post-war Soviet Union), or centuries (e.g. Egyptian, Roman) - but as followers of Jesus we do know the eventual outcomes: Jesus is Lord and will endure, while at some point these power structures and empires will fall one way or another.
Therefore trust Jesus and steadily keep faith as earthly powers around us rise and fall!
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