Tags: Rome, Nero, Julius Caesar,
Caesar Augustus, Tiberius, Roman Republic, Roman Empire, Pontifex Maximus, American Dream,
Jews, gentiles, Son of God, Savior, Christ, birth of Christ, Micah, Nazareth, Bethlehem,
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Prostitutes, Hitler, Stalin, Pharaoh, Exodus, Book of Revelation, Apocalypse, Apostle
John, Domitian, Roman Eagle, Virgil, Nebuchadnezzar
Rome continued in the same pattern of
decadence as established by this tyrant, Nero, who had rejected the word of God as
conveyed to him by God's prophet, the Apostle Paul. As they pursued their own version of
the "American Dream" Romans found themselves consumed in their own wealth and
greed.
Before the reign of Nero, Julius Caesar
and Caesar Augustus built the Roman Empire and the government that ruled it. Julius Caesar
founded the empire and Augustus established the rule of the principate. This ruler was to
become the god of the Romans who had little regard for this carpenter's son whom many
converted Jews and gentiles were proclaiming was the Son of God and Savior of the world.
Just before the birth of Christ, Romans
got a taste of what it is like to worship a man. Julius Caesar set himself up to be a god
becoming the chief (princeps) of the Senate. He was recognized officially as a
"demigod", and temples were dedicated to his "clemency." He also made
himself the high priest of the Roman official religion (Pontifex Maximus) so that he could
manipulate the will of the gods for his people. He was eventually murdered though,
throwing the empire into division and civil war.
Out of this anarchy rose the person of
Caesar Augustus. He became the official founder of the Roman Empire on January 16, 27 BC.
Civil strife had exhausted the Republic that couldn't seem to make up its mind and act
upon national emergencies. Supreme power was the only solution for the crisis, and
Augustus was glad to rise to the occasion. He established a hereditary rule that lasted
until Nero himself.
In those days Caesar Augustus issued
a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first
census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Cyria.) And everyone went to his
own town to register.
So Joseph also went up from the town
of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem
the town of David, because he belonged to the house and the line of David.
He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was
expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she
gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped Him in cloths and placed Him in a manger,
because there was no room for them in the inn.
And there were shepherds living out
in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord
appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.
But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy
that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has
been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. (Luke 2:1-11 niv)
It is not a coincidence that during the
very reign of the first monarch over the Roman Empire that the King of Kings was born. It
was by design that God sent a heavenly solution to a Roman world that was looking for hope
for the future. It is for us today to learn from the example of those who look to man
rather than God. Rome sought for answers in the power of the principate. The answer
though, lay at that very moment wrapped in linen in a manger far off in a distant corner
of the empire. He was just a baby who was placed under the authority of the potentate of
the greatest kingdom known to mankind. He was the Christ, the Son of God.
Indeed, two kingdoms were born at the
very same moment of history -- the Kingdom of Rome and the Kingdom of Christ. For
centuries to come, they would contend against each other for the hearts of the people. But
Rome hailed their Caesar who had more power and supremacy than any living man had yet
attained in the history of the world.
When he called for a census, everybody
obeyed and went to their home city. But the very act of Augustus' will demonstrates that
he was a mere pawn in a vast plan staged by God. For by his command, the monarch only
fulfilled what had been prophesied centuries before by the Jewish Prophet, Micah. For it
was the Lord who declared, "But you Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small
among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me the One who will be the ruler over
Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times." (Micah 5:2 niv)
This fact demonstrates the extent that
the Roman citizenry erred in looking to man rather than God. They rushed enthusiastically
to the promises and proposals of someone who could do no more than exist as the instrument
of God's hand. In all his power and glory, what Caesar Augustus accomplished was to assure
that Jesus would be born right were God had willed it to be done. Caesar was in the hands
of a small child. Who is the greater of the two?
Tiberius (14-37) was the emperor who
reigned at the time of the death of Jesus. "Seventy 'sevens' are decreed for your
people and your holy city to finish transgression, to put and end to sin, to atone for
wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophesy and to
anoint the most holy.
Know and understand this: From the
issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler,
comes, there will be seven 'sevens,' and sixty-two 'sevens.' It will be rebuilt with
streets and a trench, but in times of trouble. After the sixty-two 'sevens,' the Anointed
One will be cut off and will have nothing." (Dan 9:25-26b niv)
The last two years of Tiberius' rule
were marked by absolute tyranny. In the mist of these events, the One who the Jews had
called their King died on a Roman cross, hanging between two common criminals. It seemed
that it was just a blip on the map in a remote province when seen in the light of the
Caesar who ruled the world. But it was the power contained in the life and death of this
one Man that would eventually bring the whole kingdom of Rome to its knees.
The fact is that Biblical scholars have
discovered that the "sevens" that Daniel was talking about can be understood in
accordance with the ancient calendar. Chuck Smith wrote of this detailed account of the
arrival of the Messiah, "One of the most astounding of all Bible prophecies is found
in the Book of Daniel, Chapter 9. When the angel told Daniel that from the time the
commandment would go forth to restore and rebuild Jerusalem to the coming of the Messiah
the Prince would be 69 sevens (7-year periods) or 483 years. The Babylonian calendar was
predicated on a 360-day year. So, that would equal 173,880 days (483 years X 360 days =
173,880 days).
"Now history tells us that on March
14, 445, B.C., Artaxerxes gave the commandment to Nehemiah to restore and rebuild Jerusalem.
Exactly 173,880 days later, Jesus on April 6, 32 A.D., made His triumphant entry into the
city of Jerusalem." It was exactly the sixty-nine sevens or 483 years just as Daniel
prophesied. The King of Glory's death was prophesied to the very year centuries before it
even happened.
The Romans could not see the truth of
Scripture though it was starring at them straight in the face! So, rather than believing
on the King of Glory, they inherited the likes of the emperors to guide and direct them.
Gaius (37-41 AD), in his insolence, commanded that his own statue be set in the temple of
the Jews who he persecuted. His reign was accompanied with incest, assassinations, and
assorted cruelties. Claudius (41-54) treated the Jews harshly and banished them from Rome.
The persecution of God's chosen had begun.
"The people of the ruler who
will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War
will continue until the end, and desolation's have been decreed. He will confirm a
covenant with many for one 'seven,' but in the middle of that 'seven' he will put and end
to sacrifice and offering. And one who causes desolation will place abominations on a wing
of the temple until the end that is decreed is poured out on him." (Dan 9:26b-27
niv)
There is yet one last "seven"
in Daniel's prophecy yet unfulfilled. It is the era of the Antichrist. It is the time when
this abominable tyrant will declare war on the Jewish nation.
"So when you see standing in the
holy place 'the abomination that causes desolation, ‘spoken of through the prophet
Daniel - let the reader understand - then let those who are in Judea flee to
the mountains. Let no one on the roof of his house go down to take anything out of the
house. Let no one in the field go back to get his cloak. How dreadful it will be in those
days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! Pray that your flight will not take place in
the winter or on the Sabbath."(Matt 24:15-20 niv) The history of Rome illustrates
for all posterity what it will be like for God's people in those days when the unholy and
sinful one will rule the earth.
"For then there will be great
distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now -- and never to be equaled
again. If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the
elect those days will be shortened. At that time if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the
Christ!' or, 'There He is!' do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will
appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect -- if that were
possible. See, I have told you ahead of time.
"So if anyone tells you, 'There
He is, out in the desert,' do not go out; or, 'Here He is, in the inner rooms,' do not
believe it. For as the lightening comes from the east and flashes to the west, so will the
coming of the Son of Man. Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures
will gather." (Matt 24:21-28 niv)
It was Nero who began the first
persecution of Christians. He commenced the principal of punishing Christians, and this
became a precedent for future rulers. So we see within the events that surrounded this
mighty empire, the cry of the martyrs exclaiming, "How long, Sovereign Lord, holy
and true, until You judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?" Then
each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the
number of their fellow servants and brothers who were to be killed as they had been was
completed. (Rev 6:10b-11 niv) Yes, many would end out giving their lives for the sake
of the faith before the ordeal of Rome was over.
"Then you will be handed over to
be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At
that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many
false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness,
the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. And this
gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations,
and them the end will come." (Matt 24:9-14 niv)
A lot of suspicion arose amongst the
Romans concerning the beastly life, confusion in their world, and strange death of Nero.
In fact, there arose a belief that he had not died but was living amongst the Parthians.
Turmoil followed his death. Nero's
despotic reign certainly made it evident to them that the succession of rulers should not
be determined by heredity. So it was discovered that emperors could be nominated by the
armies who contended for mastery of the empire. As a result, after the death of Nero, in
68 AD, bloody civil war was so profound that the empire in one year that saw four emperors
ascend to the throne.
Greece and Asia were disturbed by a
report of the resurrection of Nero, which was termed, Nero Revivivus. Even the famous
Roman Christian theologian Saint Augustine mentioned Nero coming back from the grave in
his City of God. They were reacting to the words recorded in the fourth century,
"Belial shall appear in the shape of a man, the king of wickedness, the
matricide," which specifically were intended to identify Nero with the Antichrist.
They were afraid that Nero was Satan himself. They had good reason for this fear. In the
Hebrew language, numbers had names that were associated with them. The Hebrew letters of
666 found in Revelation 13:18 is the numerical equivalent of Neron Kesar (Nero Caesar).
So, they were concerned that the mark of the beast was the name of Nero himself.
They had read about the woman Babylon,
The seven heads are seven hills on which the woman sits (Rev 17:9b), to realize that
ancient Rome was built on seven hills. They read: Then the angel carried me away in the
spirit into a desert. There I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with
blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns. The Woman was dressed in purple and
scarlet, and was glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls. She held a golden cup
in her hand, filed with abominable things and the filth of her adulteries. This title was
written on her forehead:
MYSTERY
BABYLON THE GREAT
THE
MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES
AND
OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
I saw that the woman was drunk with
the blood of the saints, the blood of those who bore testimony of Jesus. (Rev 17:3-6
niv)
The number ten was the number of worldly
power (i.e. the beast with the ten horns and ten toes in the Book of Daniel 2). They began
to associate scarlet-colored beast with Roman government in general, and Nero in
particular.
The Jews believed that Nero would
re-emerge as the Antichrist himself. And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. He had
ten horns and seven heads, with then crowns on his horns, and on each head a blasphemous
name. The beast I saw resembled a leopard, but had feet like those of a bear and a mouth
like that of a lion. The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great
authority. One of the heads of the beast seemed to have a fatal wound, but the fatal wound
had been healed. The whole world was astonished and followed the beast, and they also
worshipped the beast and asked, "Who is like the beast? Who can make war against
him?" (Rev 13:1-4 niv)
As it was, Nero was not the one with the
fatal head wound that would raise from the dead to become master of the world. When he
died, he was never heard of again, though the likes of historical personalities such as
Hitler and Stalin were truly likely candidates to fulfill the personage of this possessed
man.
This is exactly the point. When
interpreting Biblical prophesy, one must understand that, due to the universal nature of
the truths proposed by them, they can have a multitude of fulfillment's before they find
their place in final consummation. This is why Pharaoh, in the book of Exodus, suffered
from plagues very similar to the ones incurred by the final kingdom in Revelation. He
continued to remain steadfast in his disobedience to God by refusing to surrender to
Moses' command to let the people go. By the same token, those who remained obedient and
smeared the blood the lamb (Christ) in the shape of a cross around their doors escaped the
wrath.
The blood will be a sign for you on
the houses where you are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. I will pass over
you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt. (Ex 12:13
niv)
The Bible instructs us, Dear
children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even
now many antichrists have come. (I John 2:18 niv) With that, we understand that
throughout history there has been a multitude of personages who were precursors of the One
whose appearance will usher the last days of the world. These antichrists have and,
perhaps will rule over kingdoms that resemble the final kingdom of the world. Because they
bear the similarity, they will likewise behave in the same manner of this final demonic
kingdom, and will inherit a judgment that resembles that which we read about in the book
of Revelation. As we look at Rome, we see God's universal spiritual principles of judgment
in action. Likewise, when we gaze at her history, we can see the characteristics of that
final kingdom that will herald the coming of Jesus by its own wickedness.
The Apocalypse was composed by the
Apostle John in a province of Asia at a time when the church was threatened with
persecution. This was probably accomplished during the reign of Domitian (81-96 AD).
During the time there was a public enforcement of the imperial religious cult of Rome and
the Emperor. The Christians could not pledge their allegiance to any other but God.
The state priesthood organized in cities
was administered to cause men to fall down on their knees to worship Rome. Then I saw
another beast coming out of the earth. He had two horns like a lamb, but he spoke like a
dragon. He exercised all the authority of the first beast on his behalf, and made the
earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed. And
he performed great and miraculous signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to
earth in full view of men. Because of the signs he has been given power to do on behalf of
the first beast, he deceived the inhabitants of the earth. He ordered them to set up an
image on behalf of the first beast, so that it could speak and cause all of those who
refused to worship the image to be killed. He also forced everyone, small and great, rich
and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, so that
no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the
number of his name.
This calls for wisdom. If anyone has
insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is man's number. His number is
666. (Rev 13:11-18 niv)
So we see in Rome a foreshadowing of
that false prophet who forced the entire kingdom to its knees before the standard of the
Caesars. This archetype was the figure of the Roman Eagle that was stationed over the
armies of Rome who were bent on conquering the world. It was the same national symbol that
now asserts itself on the Great Seal of the United States.
It was also a reminder of that statue
constructed by the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar to which he commanded his entire kingdom
to bow before, and the blazing furnace that awaited anyone who would dare to defy the
king. (Dan 3:1-6 niv) The ancient Roman poet Virgil described Rome as "like the
Phrygian Mother of the gods, crowned with towers, rejoicing in her divine offspring."
With the emergence of the Roman Empire, the woman was found sitting on the beast. She is
the mother of harlots and abominations, drunken with the blood of the saints and the blood
of the martyrs of Christ. And the heavenly hosts and the souls of the martyrs waited for
that day of vengeance when the beast would be destroyed in the day that Rome was cast down
forever as a millstone into the sea.
Don Wigton
is a graduate of the prestigious music department at CSULB where he studied under Frank
Pooler, lyricist of Merry Christmas Darling, and sang in Pooler’s world renown
University Choir alongside Karen and Richard Carpenter. During this time Don was also the
lead composer of the band, Clovis Putney, that won the celebrated Hollywood Battle of the
Bands. After giving his life to God, Don began attending Calvary Chapel, Costa Mesa to
study under some of the most prominent early Maranatha! musicians. Subsequently he toured
the Western United States with Jedidiah in association with Myrrh Records.
Eventually
Don served as a pastor at Calvary Chapel Bakersfield to witness thousands of salvations
through that ministry. As the music/concert director, Don worked for seven years with most
major Christian artist of that time while producing evangelical concerts attended by
thousands of young people seeking after God. Don’s Calvary Chapel Praise Choir
released the album Let All Who Hath Breath Praise the Lord on the Maranatha! label.
The next
years of Don’s life were spent as the praise leader of FirstBaptistChurch in Bakersfield
during a time of unprecedented church renewal. Don teamed with the leadership to
successfully meld the old with the new through a period of tremendous church growth.
During this exciting time, Don’s praise team, Selah, produced the CD Stop and
Think About It.
Today Don is
the leading force behind Wigtune Company. This
webbased project located at www.praisesong.net has provided several million downloads of
Don’s music and hymn arrangements to tens of thousands of Christian organizations
throughout the world. More music can be found at Don's Southern
Cross Band website at www.socrossband.com.
The book Holy
Wars represents Don’s most recent effort to bless the church with biblical
instruction and direction in praise and worship. This heartfelt volume is an offering not
only to God’s people, but also to God Himself.
An Incredible revival is occuring
in Northern India and Nepal. CLICK
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united and tore it asunder. As a result we live in a divided America
on the brink of judgment.
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was formed as a service to the body of Christ to encourage scriptural
worship. To accomplish this goal Wigtune Company offers free contemporary Christian praise
and worship music, contemporary Christian rock and hymn mp3 and chart material along with
a free on-line worship study book for personal devotions, Bible study groups, Sunday
schools, pastors, music ministers and ministry training. In order to bridge the gap
between the old and the new the worship study book gives solid theological and
historical support to the use of traditional Christian hymn-singing in conjunction with
praise chorus singing. 
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