In last week's posting, we studied how God created the universe to follow a cyclical pattern of seasonality. In addition, we saw how the gentiles followed the course of this world charted by Satan which included the usurping and perversion of God's seasonal order. Therefore, it was concluded that while linearism remains the predominant model for conceiving Biblical history, cyclicality needs to find its place within linearism. In short, any paradigm that emphasizes the cyclical over the linear is spurious, just as any linear model that totally excludes the cyclical is incomplete. God is the author of both the linear and the cyclical.
Secular Examples of Cyclicality
Examples of cyclicality abound in the secular world. Historically, one could discuss the rise and fall of great civilizations, or the cyclical nature of the Chinese dynastic cycle. Economists discuss the business cycle in an attempt to describe the alternating periods of economic contraction and expansion. Seasonality and cyclicality can be used to describe many things that occur in the world around us. Christian relationship expert, Dr. Gary Chapman, utilizes the metaphor of seasonal differences to describe the life cycle of marriage in his book The Seasons of Marriage. According to Dr. Chapman all relationships go through different seasons: spring (growth), summer (love, cooperation, and nurturing), fall (drifting apart and disconnection), and winter (cold distance during which thoughts or discussion of divorce may arise). Seasonality and cyclicality persist as explanatory models within our culture because all humans understand seasonal vacillations as they are common to our earthly experience.
Currently, Americans have become reacquainted with cyclicality through the ongoing economic recession of the past eighteen months. Economist Charles Wheelan famously said that economies "proceed in fits and starts."(1) Wheelan is referring to the recurring periods of growth and decline in economic activity that all economies experience.(2) Economists call this recurring pattern the business cycle.
Traditionally, the business cycle consists of four phases. These phases include a period of growth and a period of decline, as well as turning points that mark the shift from one period to the next. A period of economic growth is known as an expansion. During an expansion, real GDP increases along with inflation as unemployment generally declines. Eventually, a period of economic expansion will reach a peak or point of maximum output. At its peak an economy's GDP stops increasing while unemployment stops decreasing, thus indicating a decline in economic activity. Immediately following the peak comes the contraction phase of the business cycle. During a contraction, a period of economic decline, real GDP falls as unemployment is rising just as we have seen in our current economic downturn. Eventually, a contraction will reach its lowest point called the trough. Consequently, the trough represents the lowest point of economic output prior to a new period of expansion as the cycle renews itself. While the term business cycle implies a regular rhythm between peak and trough, business cycles are irregular in terms of both length and magnitude.(3) See the diagram of the Bussiness Cylce at the top the right hand margin.
Students of world history are familiar with Edward Gibbon's seminal work, The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire or William L Shirer's similarly titled, The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany. Works such as these try to explain the reasons for one of world history's most glaring realities, namely that great civilizations and empires rise and fall only to be replaced by new civilizations or empires which in turn follow the same progression. In fact, one could argue that history's great societies have progressed in exactly the same fashion as the business cycle outlined above. A well-rooted and established culture seeks to take advantage of its surrounding less sophisticated neighbors. Perhaps peaceably at first, often followed by military conquest, one society emerges and expands their power base by subjecting their enemies until they reach a summit of sustainable power. While some cultures where able to maintain their zenith longer than others, corruption and entropy ultimately creep in leading to slow decline and decay. Eventually through the combination of both internal problems and external threats, the civilization falls only to be replaced by a new society that follows the same progression.
Ancient China provides a fascinating case study to demonstrate how the cyclical concepts we saw in the business cycle formed the basis for the Chinese conception of history. The ancient Chinese possessed a cyclical understanding of history which is clearly visible by looking at the Dynastic Cycle. It would start with a powerful family claiming what the Chinese called the Mandate of Heaven, or heaven's blessing, thereby giving them the right to rule and establish a dynasty. Each new dynasty demonstrated they possessed the Mandate of Heaven by accomplishing the following things: bringing peace, rebuilding infrastructure, giving land back to the peasants, and protecting the people from forgiven invaders. As time went by the new dynasty became an old dynasty and demonstrates their signs of age by over taxation, decaying infrastructure, unfair treatment of the populace, and an inability to protect and secure national boarders. As a result, the old dynasty lost the Mandate of Heaven which was revealed to the Chinese people through natural disasters, peasant revolts, bandits raiding the countryside, and invasion by foreign enemies. As one might expect, during this time of political and social upheaval, a new family would inevitably emerge claim the Mandate of Heaven and keep the dynastic wheel turning. See the diagram of the Chinese Dynastic Cylce at the top of the right hand margin.
Eventually, the Mongolian hordes lead by Genghis Khan initially and then his successor, Kublai Khan, subjugated most of China under the authority of a Mongolian Khanate thereby disrupting the pure dynastic cycle of ancient China. After establishing the greatest united land empire in world history, the great Mongolian Empire fragmented and collapsed. Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome, Byzantium, Mongolia, China, Ottomans, Mayan, Aztec, Incan, Spanish, and the British Empires have all followed the same circular pattern. Through a period of expansion they reach a power zenith only to contract, crumble, and pass into memory.
Why should the United States be any different? For the purposes of comparison, most western historians like to gauge the footing of modern America by comparing it with that of the Western Roman Empire at the time of its collapse. Generally speaking, ten leading theories have emerged within the historical community to explain why Rome fell, which include:
- Barbarian Invasions
- Decline in Morals and Values
- Environmental and Public Health Problems
- Excessive Military Spending to Defend the Empire
- Inferior Technology
- Inflation
- Political Corruption
- Rise in Christianity
- Unemployment
- Urban Decay
Virtually all historians hang their explanatory hat on some combination of the theories listed above. If indeed Rome is a fair comparison for all her Western progeny than even a cursory reading of this list ought to make every American squirm. There is no reason to think that our civilization can escape the clearly established historical pattern.
Biblical Example of Cyclicality
All mid-Acts dispensationalists know that historically God created only one nation, Israel. At this point an inquisitive Bible student might be wondering, where if at all can one observe the type of cyclical progression describe above in Biblical history? First, the Bible records the history of the rise and fall of gentile nations from the vantage point of the nation of Israel. However, the question remains can cyclicality be observed with God's nation? The answer is yes, as the book of Judges stands out as a clear example of Biblical cyclicality.
According to Nelson's Complete Book of Bible Maps and Charts, the book of Judges is organized thematically rather that chronologically. "The book opens with a description of Israel's deterioration, continues with seven cycles of oppression and deliverance, and concludes with two vivid examples of Israel's depravity."(4) The book's authors (who are unnamed for some reason) offer the following elaboration:
The theme of deterioration is highlighted as Judges begin with short-lived military successes after the death of Joshua but quickly turn to the repeated failure of the people to drive out their enemies. The primary reasons for their failure are a lack of faith and a lack of obedience to God (2:1-3).
Repeated deliverance by God are described in the middle section of the book (3:5-16:31) which presents seven cycles of apostasy, oppression, cry for deliverance, salvation, and rest. Israel vacillates between obedience and apostasy as the people continually fail to learn for their mistakes.(5)
J. Sidlow Baxter author of Explore the Book, presents a similar structure to his readership. Baxter outlines Judges by presenting six apostasies, servitudes, and deliverances that reoccur in the following four-stroke rhythm: sin, suffering, supplication, and salvation.(6)
In order to accurately assess the validity of the two schemata presented above, we need to turn our attention to the text of Judges itself. Judges 2:10-19 outlines the cyclical pattern that rest of the book of Judges follows, the passage states:
10) And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers: and there arose another generation after them, which knew not the LORD, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel.
11) And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim:
12) And they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, which brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the people that were round about them, and bowed themselves unto them, and provoked the LORD to anger.
13) And they forsook the LORD, and served Baal and Ashtaroth.
14) And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he delivered them into the hands of spoilers that spoiled them, and he sold them into the hands of their enemies round about, so that they could not any longer stand before their enemies.
15) Whithersoever they went out, the hand of the LORD was against them for evil, as the LORD had said, and as the LORD had sworn unto them: and they were greatly distressed.
16) Nevertheless the LORD raised up judges, which delivered them out of the hand of those that spoiled them.
17) And yet they would not hearken unto their judges, but they went a whoring after other gods, and bowed themselves unto them: they turned quickly out of the way which their fathers walked in, obeying the commandments of the LORD; but they did not so.
18) And when the LORD raised them up judges, then the LORD was with the judge, and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge: for it repented the LORD because of their groanings by reason of them that oppressed them and vexed them.
19) And it came to pass, when the judge was dead, that they returned, and corrupted themselves more than their fathers, in following other gods to serve them, and to bow down unto them; they ceased not from their own doings, nor from their stubborn way.
In verse 13, Israel does evil in the eyes of the Lord by serving Baal and Ashtaroth. As punishment for their idolatry, Israel is enslaved at the hands of their gentile enemies, according to verses 14 and 15. Discomforted by their enslavement, Israel cries out for deliverance from the hands of their oppressors. Verses 16 and 18 report that God heard the cries of his nation and in his grace raised up a series of judges who deliver Israel from gentile enslavement. Israel's peace was only short-lived according to verses 18 and 19, for after each judge was dead they "returned again and corrupted themselves more than their fathers." In short, Judges Chapter 2 establishes a cyclical pattern that is played out multiple times throughout the duration of the book. Please consider the diagram at the beginning of this posting:
So where does all of this leave us? First, we have seen that God is the author of both the linear and cyclical. Second, the nations do follow the cyclical patterns of seasonality because they have been usurped as part of Satan's lie program to bring worship to the creature rather than the creator. Third, as a result, cyclicality is observable virtually everywhere from the highs and lows of the business cycle to the rise and fall of civilizations. Fourth, even the nation of Israel experienced life according to a cyclical pattern laid out in the book of Judges. In fact, if one views the kingships of David and Solomon as the pinnacle of Israel political power, it is not difficult to make the argument that the nation entered into a contractionary decline when the split between the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah. Eventually, both Israel and Judah were conquered by gentile powers thereby ushering in the times of the gentiles politically and completing Israel's fall into political irrelevance due to her habitual unbelief. Despite having succumbed to the same cyclical collapse as the gentile nations surrounding Israel, time marched on. The linear was driven forward by the covenants and promises that God made to his nation that have not yet come to pass. Therefore, while the nations are rising and falling in predicable fashion, history is being pulled along a linear plane towards God's prophesied end.
Endnotes
1) Bill Bosshart. Econ Alive: The Power to Chose. (Palo Alto, CA: Teachers Curriculum Insitute, 2010), 266.
2) Ibid., 266.
3) Ibid., 266-267.
4) Nelson's Complete Book of Bible Maps and Charts. (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1996), 76.
5) Ibid., 76.
6) J. Sidlow Baxter. Explore the Book. (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1960).
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