A Tale of Two Cities
Not So Ideal
Through the years I have heard it said that a benevolent dictatorship would be the best form of government. By definition, a benevolent dictator would be genuinely concerned about his subjects, and without the need for approvals, committees, and regulations he would be able to quickly get things done. At first glance that sounds good; but perhaps not so good when examined under a microscope.
A benevolent dictator may sometimes have mood changes. Therefore, he may not always be benevolent.
A benevolent dictator may be free to make decisions, but he may not possess the wisdom to always make the right decisions.
A benevolent dictator may not always have the power to accomplish his plans, even if they are good plans.
A benevolent dictator may not always be righteous in his dealings.
And, a benevolent dictator does not have staying power. One day he will, of necessity, pass off the scene. The character of his successor will always be uncertain.
There is only one benevolent dictator or, more accurately, king who can be trusted at all times to do the right things. He is the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Not only is He benevolent, He is unchangeable, infinitely wise, all-powerful, perfect in righteousness, and eternal in longevity.
A Sad Reflection
I write of these things because of the state of our beloved country at the present hour. Every kind of government devised by humanity is flawed because those who design governments are them-selves flawed.
The greatest government ever devised by humanity is a representative democracy; it was forged in America as a democratic republic in 1776. The benefits of America's democracy accrued to the world are too many to recount, and the world owes America a debt of gratitude it can never repay.
Democracies, however, have an inherent weakness. For them to function successfully, they require a certain level of morality from their citizenry. We were above the required level of morality for about 200 years. As a result, America became the greatest nation in history; by no means perfect, but great. However, in recent years, as a nation, we have fallen well below the minimum level, and our government – regardless of who the President is – is a reflection of the moral bankruptcy of its citizens. Reflected in Washington, D.C. is the character of America, and the reflection does not make me proud.
Moral Deterioration
The prophet Daniel is one of the godliest men in the Bible. Nothing negative is said of his life. Yet, as he prayed to God on behalf of his very sinful nation, he included himself in his petition. Listen to a few lines from his prayer (emphasis added):
And I prayed unto the LORD my God, and made my confession, and said, O LORD, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments; We have sinned, and [we] have committed iniquity, and [we] have done wickedly, and [we] have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments: Neither have we hearkened unto thy servants the prophets, which spake in thy name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land (Daniel 9:4-6).
Like the prophet Daniel, we have sinned, we have committed iniquity, we have done wickedly, and we have rebelled and departed from God's precepts. Even many of our churches are spiritually bankrupt or their candle is almost out. And yet, many of us wonder why America is coming un-zipped before our eyes. The reality is that America, with all of its advantages, opportunities, pros-perity, and freedom, has become like a basket of summer fruit ready for divine judgment.
Daily, I listen to the decisions of our government – including Democrats, Republicans, and Inde-pendents – and, as a result of the actions of our courts, Congress, and administration, I weep. Where have truth, common sense, morality, honor, and nobility gone?
How low our nation has sunk from its former days of greatness! We have, during the last 60 years, progressively jettisoned the unchanging moral principles of God's Word – many of which our founders built into our Constitution – and all the while we thought we could get away with it. We can't. God is not mocked. What a nation sows, it also reaps. We have sewn to the wind – we are beginning to reap the whirlwind.
Point of No Return
Like the prophet Daniel, I pray daily for our nation to repent. But in my heart I fear that, like a plane that has crossed more than half the ocean and cannot turn around, we have passed the point of no return as a nation, and judgment is coming. The problem cannot simply be reduced to the la-bel of Democrat or Republican, the far right or far left, the conservative or liberal – the problem is with us – all of us. Our national sin and rejection of God's timeless truth has brought us to this low place.
But, as sad as I am, I do not despair. Like the patriarch Abraham, I look for a city which has foun-dations, whose maker and builder is God (Hebrews 11:10).
There is a sense in which, here in America, we who love the Lord are living A Tale of Two Cities. One city is Washington, D.C., and it is rapidly descending into socialistic, economic, permis-sive darkness; the other city is New Jerusalem, which will soon be let down from Heaven and shine with the glory of God (Revelation 21:2).
Our benevolent King is coming soon, and so we pray: Even so, come, Lord Jesus (Revelation 22:20).
Until He comes, we will not curse the night. Instead, by His power and for His glory, we will light a candle and press on with all of our might, pointing humanity to the Lamb of God and His Holy City!
Marv Rosenthal, founder and President of Zion's Hope, has been an acclaimed inter-national Bible teacher for more than five decades.