Is History Cyclical?

    Let us begin this discussion with a few quotes: 

    -He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance.

    -He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:

    -For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:

    -For depriving us in many cases, of the benefit of Trial by Jury:

    -He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.

    -He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

    -He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us,...is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

    Sound familiar? They should.

    The above words were written some two hundred forty six years ago by Thomas Jefferson to enumerate crimes committed by King George against the colonies. They could have also been written just yesterday to describe the crimes committed by one of our own political parties against us. We have come full circle. Does that mean the adage is true, “History repeats itself?” And if that is the case, does it mean we are at the end of our nation’s greatness and our fall is imminent? Must we acquiesce to the current trends and denigrate ourselves to a post-history decline? Must we, as that party insists, become a socialist third world country with no defining morality or ideals except the arbitrary and capricious use of government power? 

    Let me counter the above comments with a couple of scriptures. 

    John 29:28-30 After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.” A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth. When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. (ESV)

    Revelation 10:6,7 And swore by him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and what is in it, the earth and what is in it, and the sea and what is in it, that there would be no more delay, but that in the days of the trumpet call to be sounded by the seventh angel, the mystery of God would be fulfilled, just as he announced to his servants the prophets. (ESV)

    These two passages tell us that a certain part of history is not cyclical. First, the magnificent plan of salvation was completed by Jesus on the cross. That means we are no longer slaves to sin and alienated from God. It means we can enjoy a right relationship with Him, and, it follows, that we can enjoy a right relationship with each other.

    The verse in Revelation demonstrates an ultimate end to history, that will be brought about by God Himself. God began history with creation. He will end it at some point in the future.

    We also understand that a part of history is cyclical. I am speaking of those who have rejected the sovereignty of God. These people repeat themselves over and over. Why is that? Because tyrants and criminals only know how to do one thing, steal, destroy and murder. "....The thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy...." One thing is painfully clear. lawbreakers and miscreants will never build a stable, let alone a great, society.

    By way of contrast we will now consider those who know and serve God. They have an understanding of law, and work to achieve a certain end. That end is to live in peace with those around them, and raise their children to be men and women of faith. Often they will sacrifice their own potential wealth and ambitions for their children's sake. Christians take the long view, preferring to invest in future generations rather than leave them to the whims of popular thought and crowd mentality.

    Christian history, it turns out, is linear. It does not repeat, for every generation brings us closer to the point of Christ's return and the ultimate fulfillment of that event so eloquently described by John in the book of Revelation.

    What about us today? The success of our nation came about because it was built around two foundations. One of them is our body of laws. The Constitution. The other is the Holy Scriptures, which carry the moral imperatives for the freedoms we enjoy. Take away either of those foundations and the edifice falls, to the ruin of all.

 

    Let me ask my original question again. Is this the end? Must we fail as a nation? No! Our demise is not a foregone conclusion. We will remain free if we continue to stand for law, and the freedoms it guarantees us. We will remain free if the Gospel is allowed to be preached unhindered in our churches.

    As long as both foundations remain strong, our nation will continue.