Скачать или смотреть The Rise and Fall of Empires

I think we can all agree that our world is in turmoil

Something seems to be shifting

Some nations are rising. Others are losing their grip

Borders tighten. Leaders argue

Everyone seems louder than ever

We can call them "nations" or "superpowers"
But they're just the same as the "empires" of old

"Empires" which rose and fell

Imagine a bundle of small pieces of paper – on each piece of paper, the name of an "empire" is written
Imagine these pieces of paper being tossed in the air – and fluttering back down!

This is the pattern of humanity:

every generation thinks their world is solid
every "empire" thinks it's unbreakable

but history keeps saying the same thing: nothing built on human strength lasts forever

Speaking of God, the Bible says:

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𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐝𝐨𝐦𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫;
𝐡𝐞 𝐮𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐯𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐞𝐥𝐭𝐬

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𝐀𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐡𝐢𝐦,
𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐡𝐢𝐦 𝐚𝐬 𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬

Here is the truth: success often plants the seeds of its own downfall

Power becomes pride
Wealth becomes identity
Growth becomes obsession
Leaders stop listening
People stop caring
Justice becomes optional
Humility becomes rare

The Bible calls it out:

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𝐏𝐑𝐈𝐃𝐄 𝐠𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

And the converse:

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𝐑𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐄𝐎𝐔𝐒𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐒 𝐞𝐱𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐬 𝐚 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

The cracks start long before anything actually falls

The Bible talks about "empires"
But never treats them like they're ultimate, like they'll last

The Babylonian, Persian and Roman "empires" have all come and gone

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𝐆𝐨𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐧𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐝𝐨𝐦 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐧𝐝

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𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐝𝐨𝐦 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐞𝐧

God rules over all these "superpowers", these "empires"
And people forget that

The prophets speak like they're watching history from above:
seeing nations rise and fade – like waves on a beach

Human power is temporary. God's rule isn't

𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐝𝐨𝐦 𝐨𝐟 𝐆𝐨𝐝 doesn't fall

In a world obsessed with power, Jesus introduces something different

No armies, no borders, no political campaigns, no monuments

Jesus talks about:
🌱a 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐝 – tiny, hidden, growing quietly
✨𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 – something that shines, not something that conquers
❤𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 – the kind that actually changes people

Jesus says 𝐌𝐲 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐝𝐨𝐦 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝

"Empires" rise by force. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐝𝐨𝐦 𝐨𝐟 𝐆𝐨𝐝 rises by transformation

"Empires" fall when their strength runs out. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐝𝐨𝐦 stands because God holds it up

𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗗𝗢𝗘𝗦 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗦 𝗠𝗘𝗔𝗡 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗨𝗦?

We live in a world obsessed with influence. Online, people become influencers and followers

We seek power, perhaps. We look for ways to win

But the wise hold such things lightly

The wise build what lasts: character, compassion, integrity, faithfulness, generosity, truth and love

These aren't "empire" values, they're 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐝𝐨𝐦 values

They don't collapse: 📖 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐬

"Empires" rise and fall:
but people who 𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐤 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐥𝐲, 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐲 and 𝐝𝐨 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞 build something that outlives the noise

"Empires" rise and fall:
but some things don't change
humanity's biggest problem isn't political, it's spiritual

Our relationship with God collapsed before any of our "empires" did

We were created to walk with God: to know him, to reflect his character, and to live in harmony with his will

But we chose our own way. Sin entered, separating us from God

God didn't send a political solution: a philosophy or a system

God sent his son:

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𝐆𝐨𝐝 𝐬𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝, 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐒𝐨𝐧, 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐨𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐦 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞

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𝐆𝐨𝐝 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐒𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐦𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐡𝐢𝐦

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𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐰𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬, 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐮𝐬

Jesus lived the life we couldn't
He died the death we deserved
He rose again

𝗔 𝗖𝗔𝗟𝗟 𝗧𝗢 𝗥𝗘𝗣𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗔𝗡𝗖𝗘 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗙𝗔𝗜𝗧𝗛:

How can you accept Jesus as your saviour?
How do you respond to this?
How do you step into 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐝𝐨𝐦 that can't fall?

You do this the same way every Christian has for about 2,000 years!

𝗔𝗗𝗠𝗜𝗧. Acknowledge you sin. Acknowledge the distance between you and God. Acknowledge you can't fix yourself

𝗥𝗘𝗣𝗘𝗡𝗧. Turn from your sin. Turn to God

𝗙𝗔𝗜𝗧𝗛 𝗜𝗡 𝗝𝗘𝗦𝗨𝗦. Believe he is who he says he is: 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐆𝐨𝐝, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝. Rely on what he's done: Dying on the cross, taking upon himself your sin. Rising again – physically, historically and victoriously!

If you put your faith in him, Jesus promises:
to return for you
eternal life
forgiveness
to make all things new

Receive him personally. Not as a theory, not as a tradition. But as your 𝐒𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐫 and 𝐋𝐨𝐫𝐝

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𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐡𝐢𝐦, 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞, 𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐆𝐨𝐝

This is the invitation, this is the doorway

Step into 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐝𝐨𝐦 that can't fall

Get relief from this world of turmoil ❤