The early Christians faced terrible persecutions, beginning with the crucifixion of their own Leader. Both Jewish and Gentile believers faced imprisonments, arenas of wild animals, burnings, and crucifixions as they stood true to the Lord Jesus Christ— refusing to bow down to the emperor-worship that Rome required.
However, as has rightly been said, the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church. Despite hundreds of years of persecution by the government of Rome, Christianity spread like wildfire. Something had to be done. Satan, who was the mastermind behind these persecutions, had to change tactics.
In 313 A.D., there was a sudden reversal of attitude of the Roman government toward Christianity. Flavius Valerius Aurelius Constantinus Augustus, better known as Constantine the Great, claimed conversion to Christianity. Whether his conversion was genuine or not, the end result was that overnight, the persecuted church of Jesus Christ became the legitimate and favored religion of the Roman Empire.
However, this legitimatizing of the faith by the Roman Empire proved more successful in undermining the purity of Christianity, than centuries of outright persecution. Satan had stumbled upon a winning formula.
The pagan religion of Rome with its Babylonian roots merged with the newly legalized Christian faith. Idol worship flooded into the church. Salvation by works and offerings of money became the rule. Gradually the people became divorced from the pure word of Scripture as headship of the churches fell into the hands of a few, ambitious men. Quickly, a separation became instituted between clergy and laity, with only the clergy able to teach and discern “truth.”
This compromise of the pure, early Christian faith with paganism would require multiple reformations later on. Today, we are still reeling from this influence and some dross still remains.
Prior to the election of 2016, the church was the underdog in America. For eight years we were assaulted with unjust laws, morals, and attitudes that were in opposition to our Christian beliefs. The persecution helped to unite and purify us. But a sudden reversal happened in November when a man, openly supportive of Christianity, was elected into office. Since Donald Trump’s election, the Christian has found itself back in favor in government, with some unjust rulings being turned back.
But, like Constantine’s Edict of Milan in 313 A.D., the church now faces some danger. Because the good will and protection by the current administration obligates Christianity to other faiths. The religious freedom act of the Rose Garden was heralded by all faiths, pagan and otherwise.
In the President’s address in the Rose Garden, there was announced his first upcoming foreign trip. On that trip, he will visit the capitals of the world’s major monotheistic religions: Saudi Arabia, home of Islam’s Mecca and Medina; Jerusalem, center of Judaism; and Rome, headquarters of the Catholic church. The President already has the full support and cooperation of evangelical leaders in the U.S. The upcoming trip is a decided political move toward gaining cooperation among the major religions of the world. Peace and cooperation among religions, which hopefully will help forge a peace in the Middle East.
The Bible says that this will happen one day. If a 7-year treaty of peace for Israel results from these overtures, allowing for the rebuilding of Israel’s temple, then we will have just stepped over into the final seven years of this age preceding the millennial reign of Jesus Christ.
If you are not being led and guided by the word of God, this treaty could fool you. For it will start out looking like one of the greatest feats of negotiated cooperation among nations and religions in the history of the modern world. But Paul the apostle warned concerning this: “For when they shall say, ‘Peace and safety’; then sudden destruction comes upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape,” (I Thessalonians 5:3). It behooves us, the Christian church, to be very discerning in this day and hour.
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