These articles, originally published in a church magazine over 100 years ago, and gathered for the first time in book form, are still very pertinent to the political climate of our day.
As A.T. Jones reviews the details that led to the fall of the nations of the past, we see the same influences at work in our world today, and especially in America, the land that more than any other was founded upon the principles of self-government.
Truly strong nations are built by people who live simply, possess self-control, work diligently at useful labor, and have a deep love for, and respect of all life. These attributes are the same ones taught by the gospel of Christ, for "righteousness exalts a nation" (Proverbs 14:34). Only as people can govern themselves, are they able to govern others.
Nations decay and fall when they depart from these principles, and devote much of their effort to obtaining ease, overindulging in self-pleasure, and hoarding riches, even at the expense of the poorer nations. It then becomes a priority in such a nation to police the other nations, so that the hoarded riches (often stolen by unfair business practices) are not put into danger.
We reap what we sow, and once a nation leaves its foundation principles and way of life, its fall is inevitable. The lessons from history presented here make this truth clear.
The way out of this coming disaster is to return to the living principles of the gospel of Christ. When He returns, only those who have ingrained those principles into themselves will be part of His unfailing kingdom. Self-government is true freedom, and "if the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed" (John 8:36). The time to learn self-government is now.
August 2012