If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?

Psalm 11:3 (KJV)

The sonnet “When Biblical Foundations Crumble” explores the steadfast response of the righteous when the biblical foundations of Christendom—God’s precepts, truth, and covenant—crumble under scorn and sin. It paints a vivid picture using gemstone imagery from Scripture (sapphire, jasper, emerald, topaz, ruby, sardius, diamond) to symbolize the enduring beauty and strength of divine truth. When the godless mock and Christ’s realm fractures, the righteous don’t falter; they kneel in faith, cling to God’s Word, and, with victorious hands, restore the covenant through heaven’s might. The poem crescendos with their triumph over ruin, lifting biblical truth as an unshakable defense against chaos.

The final verse of “When Biblical Foundations Crumble” reads: When Christ’s realm, sardius-crowned, lies split apart, The righteous lift God’s truth, a diamond rampart.

This couplet seals the narrative: “Christ’s realm, sardius-crowned” evokes the fallen glory of Christendom, once adorned with biblical richness (sardius from Exodus 28:17), now broken. Yet, the righteous counter this collapse by raising “God’s truth” as a “diamond rampart”—a brilliant, impregnable wall—symbolizing their victorious restoration of divine order.

When holy precepts fall to scorn and flame,
The righteous kneel where sapphire stones once stood,
Their souls, though pressed, still call upon His name,
For truth endures beyond the ash and wood.
The godless mock, their clamor profanes the air,
Yet hearts like jasper cling to ancient writ,
With victorious hands they mend what sin would tear,
A covenant restored by heaven’s might.
No tempest cracks the emerald Word inside,
No dark dulls topaz sown by sacred hand,
For faith, though tried, as ruby is refined,
And righteousness redeems what time has banned.
When Christ’s realm, sardius-crowned, lies split apart,
The righteous lift God’s truth, a diamond rampart.