Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

I, Augustine of Hippo write this with my own hand.

Like our father Paul, I am surprised at how quickly you have deserted the one who called you by the grace of Christ. You have been blessed by God - your beginnings were Pure(itan), and God's Word was law. Now, there is even question as to the existence of anything objective. Have you been so fooled? Has your salt lost its saltiness? This is one explanation of the impurity of those around you.

You yourselves know that I was destined to be born in a similar time as you, and called to respond to many questions of God's relationship to such a volatile time. It can be said that the Roman era had many trends which parallel your own. For example, the general public apathy, which is deadly to a republic, looks very much like your own. A quite alarming quantity of violent entertainment, sexual promiscuity, and hedonism - the Romans had this, too. Also, Roman individualistic self-interest had elevated itself above the social interest and common good. After throwing away social progress, authoritarian government became quite easy to accept. After this, Roman government assured the people of protection in exchange for freedom. If one questions the validity of these comparisons, or accuses of sweeping statements, I invite you to read the news - in Rome or America.

The issue, however, is not how similar America is to Rome. Rather, the question is: how should the Christian respond if Washington should find Alaric's Visigoths storming the White House? I once provided an answer to this very question.

After the sack of Rome in AD 410, many Christians had questions regarding their relationship and responsibility. Did Rome fall because Christians did not bow to the pagan gods? Was there too much compromising among book burners and idol sacrificers? Did the Christian cause the end of the "eternal" Rome? Was the end of the world imminent?

My answer to the Roman Christians declared that Rome did not fall due to a lack of appeasement of pagan gods. Rome fell because it belongs to the City of Man, and not to the City of God. Only one City is eternal, and that being the City of Christ, whose "kingdom shall have no end." The City of Man, which is earthly, temporal, and whose rule shall end, will fall because its roots are in the seed of Cain.

One should note that America, despite your pride, does not belong to the City of God. It too will fall. Prepare yourselves and your children to trust in the City of Christ's promises of protection of soul, and not the City of Man's promises of life, liberty and property. Perhaps God will conclude Chapter America with the New Year, and perhaps not, but one thing is certain: He will close the chapter. Prepare your souls. I assure you, it was not believed that Rome, the Carolingians, the Norse, the Papacy, the Third Reich, nor the Communists would fall, any more than the prophets line the streets today screaming, "Yet forty days, and America shall be overthrown…"

You see brethren, there is no such Y2K crisis, any more than there was a YCDX crisis. Rome fell, and America will fall, because they both belong to the City of Man. Computers may be the impetus which God uses, but you of all people ought to understand the power and might of God to shut down our sun, our hearts, our brakes, our Wall Street, our electricity or anything at anytime. We must prepare at all times.

One may ask then, wherein consists the meaning of the future? If all are subject to the whims of a Supreme God, can there be joy? If all are doomed to fall or die, then were lies the reason for living?

One must look to the Scriptures for teaching regarding the meaning of the future. We find there that time is linear, not cyclical, and this gives us hope. History has a beginning and the future has an end. The beginning has passed, and the sure thing of the future is a fall, for we too are members of the City of Man. The Scriptures say that in our future lies a judgement. It teaches that we can face this judgement clothed with the righteousness of Christ, or we can face it naked. I pray daily that God gives us all wedding garments. So then, how can we escape the City of Man, and become citizens of the City of God? This should be our primary purpose.

Dear brethren, the purely earthly aspects of the future of mankind pale in comparison to the pursuit of the Heavenly City. One must not forfeit his soul in anticipation of a rise or fall in the City of Man. Understand that we are pilgrims on this earth. Do all you can to ensure your citizenship in the Heavenly City, daily exhorting one another, loving one another and praying for one another. Put to death all earthly evils.

So finally, brethren, be strong. As the Romans did well not to sacrifice to idols, neither should you be tempted to love the world in order to save the world. The human frame, no matter how well constituted shall surely fall, as has always been the case.

I admit that the Roman empire had achieved more than any other state, and I grant that the pagan Romans had possessed certain qualities which might be called virtues, though not in the full and true sense of the word. But at the same time, I maintain that for many centuries the Romans were involved in a process of moral disintegration, in a decline which had started long before the times of Christ and Augustus. The same may be said for you.

Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led astray with the error of the wicked, fall away from your own steadfastness. Our God is merciful, and will surely welcome one into His City if we repent of first being a citizen of the City of Man. Therein lies the meaning of the past, the present, the future, and all other hidden mysteries. Set your mind on things above.

By Chris Horton