It was the year 54 A.D. Rome, the most powerful nation on earth, coronated its new leader Nero, the adopted son of the previous ruler Claudius.
The church was just over twenty years old. The movement that was small at first had spread throughout the Empire. These early Christians could not have imagined the evil this emperor was about to bring. They were too busy teaching the gospel anyway.
Nero was a moral madman. He killed his mother and two wives and was rumored to have started the great fire in Rome. He was a shameless bisexual and a profligate. The Empire had seen its share of excess and immorality in the government, but the new emperor seemed determined to outdo them all.
This perverted tyrant targeted Christians a decade after he took office. Nero blamed the fire of Rome on Christians and began to persecute the church. He had them arrested, tortured and killed in the most savage ways. The Roman historian Tacitus says that he burned Christians to death at night to serve as lamps for streets in Rome.
While the Roman government labeled Christianity an illegal religion, Jewish authorities continued to use all their power to destroy the church which they considered to be a cult.
And yet the worst was yet to come. Jesus had warned that the Romans would attack Jerusalem and unleash suffering unlike the world had ever known or would ever see (Matt. 24:21). That came to pass in the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. Peter told Christians to prepare for this “fiery trial” (I Pet. 4:13-19).
But the church didn’t die. Persecution didn’t even slow it down; in fact, it made Christians stronger. Paul’s arrest didn’t frighten preachers into being silent; it gave them courage to preach the gospel “without fear” (Phil. 1:12-14). Jews and Romans killed Christians but they couldn’t kill their zeal! Paul said the gospel was preached to every creature under heaven (Col. 1:23). A century later Tertullian wrote that “the blood of martyrs is the seed of the church.” The devil makes a big mistake when he persecutes Christians.
The human side of us longs for better days ahead. But we know in our heart that hard times may be what we need. So why should we fear? If the days are good, we will rejoice and use them to God’s glory. If dark clouds are coming, we will trust in God and grow stronger. Whatever happens in the government, however the economy fares, or whoever is in power, the victory will be ours if we put our faith in Him.
Kerry
West End church of Christ • September 15, 2024
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