It Is Written

History Repeats: Persecution and the Early Church

Three Angels Broadcasting Network

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Series Code: IIW

Program Code: IIW018168A


01:29 ♪[Theme Music]
01:40 ♪[Theme Music]
01:51 >>John Bradshaw: This is It Is Written. I'm John Bradshaw.
01:54 Thanks for joining me.
01:56 The city of Rome in Italy oozes history.
02:00 It seems as though no matter where you turn
02:02 there's another ancient monument recalling the heady
02:04 glory days of the Roman Empire.
02:07 Rome began to be ruled by emperors around 2,000 years ago.
02:11 Men like Caesar Augustus,
02:13 who was the emperor when Jesus was born.
02:15 He's mentioned in Luke 2, verse 1.
02:17 “And it came to pass in those days,
02:20 that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus,
02:23 that all the world should be taxed.”
02:26 He was followed by Tiberius,
02:28 who was the emperor when Jesus was crucified.
02:31 There were other well-known emperors:
02:32 Nero, Hadrian, Caligula.
02:35 Some lesser known: Hostilian, Quintillus, Macrinus.
02:41 Depending on how you count,
02:42 there were somewhere between 70 and 90 Roman emperors.
02:46 And here in Rome, they're memorialized,
02:49 some of them, in some impressive ways.
02:52 The Arch of Constantine stands between the Colosseum
02:57 and the Palatine Hill, where the imperial palaces were built.
03:01 It's a monument to the triumphs of the emperor Constantine,
03:05 the man who not only won great military battles
03:07 but converted to Christianity and introduced Sunday worship
03:12 to the Roman Empire.
03:14 He ruled in the first half of the fourth century.
03:16 Trajan's Column does much the same thing,
03:20 recording details of the exploits of the emperor Trajan,
03:24 who ruled for 20 years or so in the first and second centuries.
03:28 It's more than 1,900 years old.
03:30 The Arch of Titus commemorates the victories of Titus,
03:36 including his conquest of Jerusalem in 70AD.
03:40 That's the destruction of Jerusalem Jesus
03:42 talked about in Matthew 24.
03:45 Details on the Arch of Titus
03:47 show the spoils from the siege of Jerusalem.
03:51 And if you've ever wondered what they did with all of the wealth
03:54 that came from the destruction of Jerusalem,
03:57 well, among other things, they used it to build the Colosseum.
04:02 There's the Arch of Septimius Severus,
04:05 emperor of Rome from 193 to 211.
04:08 The Castel Sant'Angelo was commissioned
04:11 by the Emperor Hadrian, who became emperor in 117 AD.
04:18 Glorious times.
04:20 Larger-than-life figures.
04:23 One of the emperors who doesn't get talked about a lot
04:27 is a man whose name is usually only mentioned
04:30 for the darkest of reasons: the persecution of Christians,
04:34 persecution so bad it's mentioned in the Bible.
04:38 And he's the only emperor who resigned from being emperor.
04:42 All of the other emperors, well,
04:44 they didn't ordinarily meet with quite such a happy ending.
04:47 About 20 of the other emperors died of natural causes;
04:51 23 were assassinated.
04:53 Ten died in battle, seems about another ten were executed,
04:56 and five took their own lives.
04:59 But this man, after ruthlessly persecuting Christians,
05:03 retired to his summer palace by the sea to raise vegetables.
05:09 The story of Diocletian is, as much as anything,
05:13 a story of persecution.
05:15 ♪[Background music, ominous]
05:16 Persecution followed the people of God
05:19 all the way through the Bible.
05:21 Pharaoh refused to let God's people leave Egypt,
05:24 pressing them into slavery,
05:26 and after the plagues fell he pursued them to the Red Sea,
05:30 intending to kill them.
05:31 Moses survived a decree ordering the execution of Hebrew babies.
05:36 The story of Esther is the story of a decree
05:39 to eradicate all of Israel.
05:41 Israel was taken into Babylonian captivity.
05:44 Herod had the baby boys born around
05:47 the time of Jesus' birth put to death.
05:50 And Jesus stated that many of His followers
05:52 would be subjected to persecution.
05:54 It was certainly true in the time of the early church.
05:58 Jesus said to His disciples,
06:00 “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you,
06:03 and you will be hated by all nations for My name's sake.
06:06 And then many will be offended, will betray one another,
06:09 and will hate one another.”
06:11 Matthew 24:9-10.
06:14 And it's certainly true for believers in Earth's last days.
06:17 Daniel 12:1 says,
06:19 “There shall be a time of trouble,
06:20 such as never was since there was a nation.”
06:23 And Paul wrote to Timothy and he said,
06:26 “And all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus
06:29 will suffer persecution.”
06:30 2 Timothy 3, verse 12.
06:33 Which might make you stop and think.
06:36 There's no doubt that there are many people around the world
06:39 who, right now, are suffering persecution.
06:43 It's serious and it's terrible.
06:46 But there are few people in the Western world who could honestly
06:49 say that that's their experience.
06:52 It might be that the reason is so few people are living
06:55 that consistent, Spirit-filled life that Paul wrote about.
07:00 But during the early centuries of the Christian era,
07:03 times were different.
07:05 Many historians believe it was the fiercest persecution
07:08 ever experienced.
07:09 ♪[Music]
07:10 This was the persecution that began during the reign
07:12 of the Roman emperor Diocletian in 303 A.D.
07:17 ♪[Music]
07:20 After 21 years as the Roman Emperor,
07:24 Diocletian retired to a town on the coast of the Adriatic Sea,
07:28 known today as Split, in Croatia.
07:32 He was something of a builder.
07:35 The summer palace he built for his retirement was magnificent.
07:41 This is the central square of Diocletian's palace
07:44 as it appears today.
07:46 It was here that the aging emperor
07:47 lived out his last years, from 305 to 313 A.D.
07:51 He evidently enjoyed his retirement.
07:55 When his former co-emperor, Maximilian,
07:57 contacted him and urged him to return to the throne
08:01 of the Roman Empire,
08:02 so he could deal with some issues that had surfaced
08:04 since his resignation,
08:05 Diocletian responded by telling his old friend that if only
08:09 he could see the fine cabbages that he grew here,
08:13 then he wouldn't want Diocletian to trade in his
08:15 newfound happiness for the headaches and hassles
08:18 that would accompany a return to the throne.
08:22 And this place was only Diocletian's summer palace.
08:26 It's like a vacation home.
08:28 The emperors of Rome, including the one emperor who survived
08:34 emperor-hood, certainly lived well,
08:37 as you'd expect for people who were considered
08:40 to be god on the Earth.
08:42 It was believed that Diocletian was the special spokesman
08:45 for Jupiter, the king of the gods.
08:50 To really understand this man,
08:52 remembered by history as the instigator of the worst-ever
08:56 persecution against Christians,
08:58 we'll need to start at the beginning.
09:01 So who was Diocletian,
09:03 and why the intense persecution of the Christian church?
09:08 We'll find out in just a moment.
09:09 ♪[Theme Music]
09:19 >>John: What role does the United States play
09:21 in end-times Bible prophecy?
09:24 Find out what the book of Revelation says by receiving
09:27 “The United States in Bible Prophecy,”
09:30 absolutely free.
09:32 To receive “The United States in Bible Prophecy,”
09:34 call us right now at 800-253-3000.
09:38 That's 800-253-3000.
09:41 You can write to the address on your screen,
09:43 or visit us online at iiwoffer.com,
09:47 iiwoffer.com.
09:51 >>John: December 21, 2012 was when the Maya calendar
09:54 was set to expire.
09:56 Many said with the expiration of this calendar
09:58 would come the end of the world.
10:03 The Maya were remarkable builders,
10:05 but they did not predict the end of the world.
10:08 So where can we find predictions that we can trust?
10:12 Recent reports state that more and more people
10:15 are embracing witchcraft, tarot card reading, and astrology.
10:19 People are grabbing onto this,
10:21 even though there's absolutely no evidence that it's valid,
10:25 and they're rejecting the Bible.
10:28 Now, the Bible isn't simply a book of predictions.
10:31 It's the story of God's love for the human family.
10:34 But it's true that the Bible does contain predictions.
10:38 In fact, God stakes His reputation
10:41 on His ability to forecast the future.
10:44 “Predictions You Can Trust.”
10:46 Watch now on itiswritten.tv.
10:51 >>John: Thanks for joining me today on It Is Written.
10:53 I'm John Bradshaw.
10:54 I'm in Split, Croatia, the town where the Roman
10:58 emperor Diocletian retired.
11:00 He was born and raised near here.
11:02 Both of his parents were slaves.
11:05 He came back here to see out his days in splendor.
11:09 By 284 AD, the Roman Empire was in turmoil.
11:15 One soldier after another had murdered his way to the throne.
11:19 And it seemed as though the empire
11:20 was not going to be able to continue.
11:24 A young general was determined to bring order
11:27 out of the madness that was gripping the Roman Empire.
11:31 Diocletian was a pagan,
11:33 and he worshiped the old gods of the Roman state.
11:37 Diocletian marched on the city of Nicomedia and became
11:41 the unchallenged master of the Roman world.
11:45 But how did this heroic soldier-emperor,
11:48 who brought stability to the world of his day,
11:51 become such a fierce persecutor of God's people?
11:54 The answer is interesting,
11:56 because it helps us identify a pattern
11:58 which lets us see why God's people
12:00 are being persecuted so often.
12:02 ♪[Music]
12:02 In Ancient Rome,
12:04 religious persecution really wasn't common.
12:07 The polytheistic empires of the time
12:09 were tolerant when it came to religious diversity.
12:12 As long as there was peace,
12:14 and as long as people paid their taxes,
12:16 the state didn't really care about
12:19 who or what people worshiped.
12:21 Be a good citizen and you could worship
12:23 whoever or whatever you chose to.
12:28 But these Christians were different.
12:30 While the Romans worshiped many gods,
12:33 the Christians worshiped the “one true God.”
12:36 If you were a Roman,
12:38 you could worship Jesus without any difficulty at all,
12:40 because you could just add Jesus to the long list
12:42 of gods you already worshiped.
12:44 ♪[Music]
12:47 One of the most magnificent buildings
12:49 in Rome is the Pantheon, completed in the year 126.
12:54 Its dome is the largest unreinforced
12:58 concrete dome in the world.
13:00 The Pantheon is now a functioning church,
13:03 but when it was built it was constructed to be a temple.
13:07 Pantheon means, basically, “for all the gods.”
13:11 It was built to honor the gods, plural.
13:15 The Romans worshiped a whole gaggle of gods.
13:20 But not the Christians.
13:22 They worshiped just one God.
13:24 So in the eyes of the Romans,
13:26 the Christians were basically atheists.
13:29 A small sect that originated in Israel,
13:32 dedicated to following an obscure teacher
13:35 who ended up being crucified on a cross,
13:38 and yet they were standing up to Rome and saying,
13:41 “No! We don't believe in Jupiter,
13:43 or in Mars, or in Quirinus.
13:47 We worship just ONE God.”
13:49 The fact that the Christians wouldn't add the worship
13:53 of the Roman gods to the worship of Jesus
13:55 is why they were persecuted.
13:57 It's a lot like the experience of the three young Hebrew men
14:01 out on the plain of Dura in Babylon.
14:03 ♪[Music]
14:04 King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had made an image of gold,
14:07 and he gathered all the local rulers
14:08 from throughout his empire to come and worship this image,
14:11 on pain of death if they should choose not to.
14:15 The three Hebrews, of course, refused to bow before the image,
14:19 and they were thrown into a fiery furnace,
14:21 only to escape death by a miracle because
14:24 the Son of God Himself came to protect them.
14:28 For those gathered out there on the plain of Dura,
14:30 worshiping one more god was no issue.
14:34 But those who worshiped the one true God
14:38 refused to worship that idol.
14:40 And that's because the first of God's Ten Commandments
14:44 says something totally unique
14:46 among the religions of the ancient world.
14:49 “You shall have no other gods before me.”
14:52 Exodus 20, verse 3.
14:54 Pagan culture had no concept at all
14:57 of what we call the separation of church and state.
15:01 In fact, the first time that idea was articulated was when
15:05 Jesus appeared before the Roman governor Pontius Pilate.
15:08 “My kingdom is not of this world.
15:11 If my kingdom were of this world,
15:13 my servants would fight,
15:16 so that I should not be delivered to the Jews;
15:18 but now my kingdom is not from here.”
15:21 John 18:36.
15:24 Now, that was decidedly un-Roman.
15:27 In the pagan mindset of old Rome,
15:29 every citizen was expected to make a public showing of loyalty
15:33 to the gods of the State or the emperor himself,
15:37 usually by offering a sacrifice or burning incense in public.
15:41 Sincerity didn't matter, just as long as you did it.
15:46 This is what happens when church and state unite.
15:49 It's happened again and again down through the centuries.
15:52 In medieval times, under the popes,
15:55 millions were persecuted because they refused
15:58 to go along with the State religion.
15:59 And even though they themselves were escaping religious
16:03 persecution, the Puritans of New England lowered the boom on
16:08 anybody who didn't worship in the way which they prescribed.
16:12 Now, by Diocletian's time,
16:14 Christianity had become deeply entrenched in the Roman Empire.
16:19 But the Christians' refusal to worship the gods of the State
16:23 ended up becoming much more than Diocletian
16:26 was willing to put up with.
16:28 It was a visit to the oracle at Miletus,
16:31 in what today is Turkey,
16:32 at that time one of the holiest shrines in the Empire,
16:35 that set Diocletian on his blood-soaked course.
16:39 ♪[Music]
16:40 A message supposedly from the god Apollo
16:43 told Diocletian that the “righteous ones”
16:46 on Earth were preventing him from speaking the truth.
16:50 When the pagan priests said that these “righteous ones”
16:54 were the Christians, that was that.
16:58 Diocletian would take care of the Christians.
17:03 Now, keep something in mind.
17:05 History has a habit of repeating.
17:08 And the book of Revelation makes clear that, in this case,
17:10 history is going to repeat.
17:13 I'll have more in just a moment.
17:15 ♪[Theme music]
17:24 ♪[Music]
17:25 [Crickets chirp]
17:28 ♪[Music]
17:36 [Camera equipment rattling]
17:40 [People murmuring]
17:43 [Wind]
17:48 ♪[Music]
17:58 ♪[Music]
18:08 [Cheering]
18:14 ♪[Music]
18:24 ♪[Music]
18:32 >>John: This is It Is Written. I'm John Bradshaw.
18:35 And this is picturesque Split, on the Adriatic Sea,
18:40 on the coast of Croatia.
18:42 It's dominated by the palace of the Roman emperor Diocletian.
18:46 It's not hard to imagine how spectacular
18:48 this place was 1,700 years ago.
18:52 Diocletian is the only Roman emperor
18:54 to have retired from office.
18:56 And he retired here to a specially built summer palace.
19:01 His reign is distinguished by ten years of persecution
19:05 of Christians, which began in February of 303 AD,
19:10 the fulfillment of a prophecy of Jesus Himself.
19:15 It started with the destruction of a newly built
19:18 Christian church in Nicomedia.
19:21 A few months later the imperial palace caught fire.
19:24 Christians believed that God was punishing the emperor
19:27 for his attack against the church.
19:30 Of course, the emperor didn't see it that way,
19:31 and he issued an edict demanding that all Christian clergy
19:35 be arrested and put in prison.
19:38 Places of worship were destroyed all across his empire,
19:41 and Christians were forbidden to worship.
19:45 [fire crackling] The flames of persecution burned hotter,
19:48 as church leaders were summoned
19:49 before local magistrates and subjected to torture.
19:53 Clergy would be released,
19:55 as long as they agreed to sacrifice to the pagan gods.
19:59 It's a lot like the story of Shadrach,
20:01 Meshach, and Abednego on the plain of Dura
20:04 in ancient Babylon.
20:06 Their lives would be spared as long
20:08 as they worshiped the State gods.
20:11 Author Stephen Williams:
20:13 “It was now that the horrors began:
20:16 racks, burnings, flayings, pincers.”
20:20 In 304 the emperor issued another edict saying that
20:24 any Christian, man, woman, or child,
20:27 who refused to gather in a public square
20:30 and offer a sacrifice to the gods would be executed.
20:36 Exactly how many people died in the persecution isn't known,
20:39 but one count reckoned that 17,000 were put to death in a
20:44 period of just three days.
20:46 That brutal persecution lasted for ten long years.
20:52 In Revelation 2, verse 10, Jesus says,
20:56 “Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer.
20:59 Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison,
21:04 that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days.
21:08 Be faithful unto death, and I will give you a crown of life.”
21:13 Many students of the book of Revelation believe that the
21:16 seven churches of Revelation chapters 2 and 3
21:20 reference successive periods throughout the Christian era.
21:25 The church of Smyrna corresponds to the second,
21:27 third, and fourth centuries AD,
21:29 during which intense persecution was inflicted
21:33 upon followers of Jesus.
21:36 It's believed that the most intense period of persecution
21:38 was that ten-year period we spoke of,
21:40 303 to 313 AD.
21:43 ♪[Music]
21:44 Now, Revelation said “ten days”"
21:47 But in Bible prophecy, a day represents a year.
21:52 Numbers 14:34 and Ezekiel 4:6 make this plain,
21:57 as does the seventy-week prophecy of Daniel chapter 9,
22:01 which pinpoints the time in which Jesus the Messiah
22:04 would appear on this earth and die for our sins.
22:06 Some modern translations even use the phrase “weeks of years”
22:11 in translating Daniel 9:24.
22:13 With this principle in mind,
22:16 the “ten day” prophecy of Revelation 2 and verse 10
22:20 is in all likelihood a reference to the ten years
22:23 of persecution under the emperor Diocletian.
22:26 Thousands of people gave their lives.
22:30 But the promise of Jesus was always before them:
22:34 “Be faithful unto death, and I will give you a crown of life”
22:38 (Rev. 2:10).
22:39 When we look into the future,
22:41 we see trouble coming for the world.
22:43 Remember Daniel 12, verse 1.
22:45 “And at that time shall Michael stand up,
22:48 the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people:
22:52 and there shall be a time of trouble,
22:54 such as never was since there was a nation even to that same
22:57 time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered,
23:01 every one that shall be found written in the book.”
23:04 In Revelation 13, we see persecution coming,
23:08 again, connected to worship.
23:11 Verse 8.
23:12 “And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him,
23:15 whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb
23:19 slain from the foundation of the world.”
23:22 Then verse 10.
23:23 “He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity:
23:27 he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword.
23:31 Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.”
23:35 Verse 12. Again, worship.
23:37 “And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him,
23:42 and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship
23:47 the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.”
23:50 Then verse 15.
23:52 “And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast,
23:55 that the image of the beast should both speak,
23:58 and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the
24:02 beast should be killed.”
24:04 In Diocletian's time,
24:06 the massive persecution against the Christian church was because
24:10 of the church's refusal to go along with the worship
24:13 of the gods of the State.
24:15 In the Book of Revelation,
24:17 you have enforced false worship again,
24:20 and persecution against those who refuse to comply.
24:24 Union of church and state has always been disastrous,
24:28 and it will be disastrous again.
24:31 It's not that the church shouldn't influence
24:33 the thinking of the State.
24:35 But when the State enforces religious laws?
24:40 Well, that's never gone well.
24:41 ♪[Music]
24:49 So what do you do when the heat gets turned
24:52 up in your experience?
24:55 In the Bible, we have the example of three young men,
24:58 in the book of Daniel,
24:59 who were persecuted when they refused to violate their
25:02 conscience and participate in false worship.
25:07 Their faithfulness led them into a fiery furnace,
25:11 and Jesus was there with them.
25:13 Daniel himself, ordered to worship the king,
25:16 a false god.
25:18 He wouldn't do it and was cast into a den of lions.
25:21 And God delivered him.
25:24 His faithfulness gave God
25:26 the opportunity to work in his behalf.
25:29 When you have the opportunity to be faithful to God,
25:32 take that opportunity, no matter what your surroundings
25:35 or your circumstances look like.
25:37 And know, that as you do,
25:39 it gives God the opportunity to do great things for you.
25:44 You see, whether or not God delivers a person from
25:47 persecution or a difficult situation,
25:50 is not really the point.
25:52 God doesn't always deliver people
25:54 who are persecuted for their faith in Jesus.
25:56 The question is,
25:59 are you willing to trust God enough that you'll choose
26:02 to be faithful to Him, no matter the cost?
26:06 Jesus was persecuted, and it cost Him everything.
26:10 The crowd demanded His life, and He gave it.
26:14 And why did He do that?
26:16 For you.
26:17 For you and for me.
26:20 God more than likely is not asking you to die for Him.
26:23 Not right now.
26:24 But He's certainly asking you to live for Him.
26:26 Are you willing to do that?
26:28 Willing to invite Jesus into your heart?
26:30 Willing to surrender your life completely to God?
26:33 It's when you do that, that you have peace.
26:35 No matter what your circumstances are.
26:37 No matter what you're facing.
26:39 With Jesus in your heart,
26:41 you can look to the future with certainty and confidence,
26:44 no matter what's going on.
26:45 Because, with Christ in your life,
26:47 your future embraces eternity.
26:54 >>John: What role does the United States play
26:56 in end-times Bible prophecy?
26:59 Find out what the book of Revelation says by receiving
27:03 “The United States in Bible Prophecy,”
27:05 absolutely free.
27:07 To receive “The United States in Bible Prophecy,”
27:09 call us right now at 800-253-3000.
27:13 That's 800-253-3000.
27:16 You can write to the address on your screen,
27:18 or visit us online at iiwoffer.com,
27:22 iiwoffer.com.
27:25 >>John: Thank you for remembering that It Is Written
27:27 exists because of the kindness of people just like you.
27:30 To support this international life-changing ministry,
27:33 please call us now at 800-253-3000.
27:37 You can send your tax-deductible gift
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27:40 or you can visit us online at itiswritten.com.
27:44 Thank you for your prayers and for your financial support.
27:47 Our number again is 800-253-3000.
27:51 Or you can visit us online at itiswritten.com
27:56 >>John: Let's pray together now.
27:57 Our Father in heaven,
27:59 we thank You today for the knowledge that You
28:01 have not given us the spirit of fear,
28:04 but the spirit of power and of love and of a sound mind.
28:07 And so, looking to the past,
28:09 knowing what Christians have faced,
28:11 we look to the future knowing that there are going to be
28:13 some interesting times.
28:16 We can't face those times successfully without first
28:18 settling in our heart that we want You to be
28:21 the Lord of our lives.
28:22 So be that now.
28:24 Friend, as I pray,
28:25 if you've not settled it with God,
28:27 if you haven't surrendered everything to Jesus,
28:29 would you do that?
28:30 He'll flood your life with peace now,
28:32 and keep you in any challenges the future might bring.
28:36 Lord, we pray too for those who are being persecuted
28:38 for their faith around the world.
28:40 There are many.
28:41 And we ask You to be close to them,
28:43 be present with them as You were present with Daniel,
28:46 and as You were present with the three boys
28:48 who found themselves in a burning, fiery furnace.
28:50 And so we thank You today for a future that is positive.
28:53 We thank You that beyond the difficulties of this world,
28:56 Jesus will come back, to gather us up and take us home.
29:01 If You have us now, You'll have us then.
29:03 Friend, does Jesus have you now?
29:06 Lord, take us, make us Yours, and keep us forever,
29:10 we pray in Jesus' name.
29:13 Amen.
29:15 >>John: Thanks so much for joining me today.
29:16 I'm looking forward to seeing you again next time.
29:18 Until then, remember:
29:20 “It is written,
29:22 ‘Man shall not live by bread alone,
29:24 but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'”
29:30 ♪[Theme music]


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