The Course of Empire - Thomas Cole

 According to Wikipedia, "a direct source of literary inspiration for The Course of Empire paintings is Byron's Childe Harold's Pilgrimage (1812–18). Cole quoted this verse, from Canto IV, in his newspaper advertisements for the series:

There is the moral of all human tales;

'Tis but the same rehearsal of the past.

First freedom and then Glory – when that fails,

Wealth, vice, corruption – barbarism at last.

And History, with all her volumes vast,

Hath but one page..."

These paintings depict human history, apart from any influence by God. History cries out, "Come Lord Jesus!"

The Savage State idealistically symbolizes the innocence of humankind in a sparsely inhabited natural habitat. But the shopworn phrase "Nature, red in tooth and claw", first penned by Alfred Lord Tennyson, suggests that life this close to nature was a continuous struggle for survival. This is not the innocence of Eden. Man (Adam) was already not walking with God in the cool of the morning.

The Pastoral State depicts farms and sheep folds and families, seemingly at peace with nature. Perhaps the structure in the distance is a temple. Does this come close to fulfilling the original directive to Adam to cultivate and keep the garden? (Genesis 2:15) The verdant meadows and relaxed stances suggest that humankind has risen above subsistence. This scene evokes idyllic peace.

Was Israel in Canaan during the rule of the judges and prophets the golden age of Israel? Every man did what was right in his own eyes. (Judges 17:6 and 21:25 ) The context of these verses suggests that few actually listened to the priests or prophets. In the first case, brazen idolatry violated the law of Moses. In the second case, tribal leaders searched the Law to find a way to avoid annihilating the tribe of Benjamin. Even in times of abundant grace from God, humankind's heart wanders.

The Consummation of Empire shows a government of power, and an economy flourishing with abundance to excess.  Opulence hints at decadence. The orderly procession attending the emperor connotes a teeming population in step with the government. This is likely closer to depicting Solomon's reign than David's, since David often seemed to shun ceremony. The temple is now dwarfed by government and commercial architecture. Most link this to the height of the Roman Empire, which the architecture suggests.

The lack of reference to God does not imply that all this is sinful or evil, only that people's hearts and minds are focused elsewhere. The problem with forgetting God is that the walk away from the virtues that He commands is subtle. After the wellspring of the virtues is gone, virtues dissipate as liberty becomes license. The collapse of public and private morals ushers in the next phase. God blesses those who serve Him. Natural cause and effect bring the consequences to those who walk away.

Storm clouds overshadow Destruction. How many capital cities thought unassailable have been sacked, pillaged, and plundered? Although the architecture suggests Rome in 410 AD, Rome was sacked multiple times: 387 BC, 410, 455, 546, 1084, and 1527 AD. Biblically we tend to focus on the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians in 586 BC. This outcome after moral decadence is inevitable. Prophets were God's voice to plead with Israel to return to Him and His ways. The destruction of the northern kingdom in 722 BC should have been an object lesson, but a few generations later the southern kingdom followed suit. If Israel failed, can any nation succeed?

Desolation. Not even hunters or farmers. In the words of Jeremiah:

How lonely sits the city that was full of people.

She has become like a widow who once was great among the nations!

She who was a princess among the provinces has become a forced laborer!

She weeps bitterly in the night and her tears are on her cheeks.

She has none to comfort her among all her lovers.

All her friends have dealt treacherously with her; they have become her enemies.

(Lamentation 1:1-2, NASB)

Our nation was founded on the principle that a representative democracy with limited powers could best enable we the people to achieve the objectives stated in the opening sentence of the U.S. constitution. In history, other governments have rested on the divine right of kings, the power of a police state, or a claim of a mandate from God. None of these seem to be able to sustain the practice of public and private virtue in the midst of peace and prosperity. The core source of social well-being does not and cannot come from government, which can regulate external behavior (to some extent) but cannot change hearts. For all the bravado and bluster of politicians, it is the hearts of people that must win the victory over self-satisfaction, self-centeredness, self-indulgence, self-sufficiency, self-will, and self-justification.

All of this exemplifies that we are not living in the kingdom of God on a national or political plane. If we always experienced the immediate presence of Christ in our individual lives, the power of His love and holiness would inspire and empower us to live out the divine attributes He commands, even in peace and prosperity. One day, He will write His law on our hearts. (Jeremiah 31:33) But that is not going to happen on a national basis until the millennium, when the promise that every one will know the Lord will be fulfilled. (Jeremiah 31:34) Our hearts long for that day. Come Lord Jesus! Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven!