As we study the seven churches Jesus addressed in Revelation, we need to see how they apply to their time, our time, our churches, and to us personally. As we see our connections with the church in history, we will see how closely the history of our own local church can mirror the churches in Revelation, for good or bad. As we will see in the Lord’s message to the first church He addresses in Ephesus, it is when we lose our first love for Him that we get diverted from following Him. The same is true in our congregations and in our own lives.

      Getting the message of what went wrong in the other churches is important, but they may not be relevant to us if we keep our first love for the Lord and stay on track following Him.

      A major factor that helps us get back if we have deviated from loving and following Him is seeing the city He is building to dwell among us. There has never been a project in the world that is as important or as great as this one. Seeing it will give us the resolve to, like the patriarchs, leave even the greatest things men are building to be a part of what He is building.

      To do this, we must examine the mistakes made by men trying to build something rather than seeking His city. However, more than looking at what went wrong, we must see all that is good and true in the city that God is building and let our hearts be captured by the greatness of it as the city of our King. When we do, we will reevaluate all of our priorities just as the patriarchs did.

      Consider the effect of this on the patriarchs. They were so wealthy they made kings jealous, and they could have built perhaps the most magnificent palaces of the time. Instead, they were content to live in tents because they had no “lasting city” (see Hebrews 13:14). They were not living for the things of this temporary world, but their hearts were captured by the eternal.

      The Lord has declared that righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne, or His authority, which He first told Abraham, the first sojourner to seek His city (see Genesis 18:19). He established this as a foundation that all who followed would also walk on—a devotion to righteousness and justice. The glory of His city is not just the structures, but the people who dwell there, whose hearts are one with His.

      Righteousness is what is right in the sight of the Lord. Justice is His devotion to everyone being treated fairly. The greatness of His city will be the culture of it, which is established upon doing what is right in His sight, and justice that is based on fairness, but even more than that, love. The inhabitants of this city will be the best that have ever walked the earth.

      Those who love the truth will be devoted to seeking God’s perspective on what is right and wrong. I’ve traveled the world quite extensively, and as much as I could, I studied each place I visited. What I was seeking to understand was each country’s devotion to God’s definitions of righteousness and justice. Some were impressive, but most were not. Some of the most beautiful cities were uncomfortable and troubling because of the stifling oppression and the fear in which the people walked.

      My conclusion is that the U.S. government is the most stable, strong government in the world at this time because its foundation is a devotion to God’s definition of righteousness and justice. At times we have lost this devotion, and it did not go well for us. Like Israel, we have had great leaders and bad ones, and the people tend to follow in the way of their leaders. That’s why we’re exhorted to pray for them, especially that they would have the wisdom to follow in the ways of the Lord.

      Alexis de Tocqueville, the French historian, traveled the U.S. in the 18th century seeking to understand how such a young country could become so strong and prosperous so fast. His conclusion was that it was not because of our location, geography, or natural resources. It was when he visited the churches in America and saw the power of their preaching and their devotion to serving the Lord and doing things His way that he recognized the source. This devotion could be found throughout the nation, and it was the source of our strength and prosperity.

      We have seen how this can change with an election, which our history verifies over and over. As we have sought to obey God by adhering to His instructions and ways, we have prospered and grown stronger. When we have drifted from this, we have grown weaker, and failure replaced His favor. We see this in Israel’s history, and we see it in ours. How long will we hesitate between these two paths?  

 

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