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T
HE CRISIS
over Jerusa–
lem in A.D. 70 has
passed. The civil tur–
moil within the Roman
Empire temporarily ceases.
But the hopes of many Chris–
tians are shattered. lnstead of
being delivered, Christians con–
tinue to suffer persecution as a
result of Emperor Nero's exam–
ple. Each day brings fresh news
of the imprisonment or martyr–
dom of relatives and friends.
Many Christians are confused.
They thought the signs of the "cnd
of the age"-including
Roma n a rmies sur-
rounding Jerusalem
(Luke 21:20) - had
seemingly all been
THE
HISTORY
OF
EUROPE
&
THE
CHURCH
PART TWO
assisting him have held firm to the
government of God over the
Church and to God's revealed
truth.
But now comes another shock.
The apostle John dies in Ephesus.
At once, self-seeking contenders
for authority grasp for power over
the churches. A full-scale rebellion
breaks out against the authority of
God's government as it has been
administered by the apostles and
then solely by the apostle John.
Many lose sight of where and
with whom God has been working.
They turn from the teachings of
John and faithful disciples to follow
there. Events had ap-
peared to be moving
swiftly toward the anx-
iously awai ted
cli-
max- the triumphal
return of Jesus Christ
as King of kings.
But Jesus has not
returned. He
should
have
come, many say
to themselves. But he
hasn't. Divisions set in
among Christians.
Then comes the
Revelation of Jesu s
Christ to John, the last
surviving apostle.
It
explains that what oc–
curred in A.D. 66 to 70
THE
FATEFUL
UNION
others who
claim
to
have authority and
preeminence and who
call themselves God 's
ministers. They be–
come the mainstream
of Christianity.
But sorne r emain
faitbful even though
now separated from the
mainstream of Chris–
tianity. They hold fast
to sound doctrine and
resist the forces of the
invi si ble Satan who
deceives the whole
world. They continue
to believe the good
news of the coming res–
toration of the govern–
ment of God over the
ear th. They continue to
wait for J esus to return
with power to enforce
was only a
forerunner
of a final
crisis over Jerusalem at the end of
this age of human self-rule. T he
end is not
now.
In disappointment or in impa–
tience, many who cal! themselves
Christians begin to stray from the
truth--or to renounce Christianity
altogether. Those who stray be–
come susceptible to "innovations"
in doctrine.
Heresy is rife. Congregations
become divided by doctrinal d iffer–
ences even though they all call
themselves the Churches of God.
Sorne begin to express doubts
about the book of Revelation, and
press forward their own doctrinal
views.
The apostasy fo retold by
apost les moves ahead. Only
aged apost le John stands in
18
the
the
the
by
Keith W. Stump
Editor's Note: The centuries-long associa–
tion between Europe and lhe Church has
shaped-and wi/1 continue
10
shape- the
hislory of the Weslern world. To properly
understand today's news and the evenls
lhal lie ahead, a grasp of the sweep of
European hislory is essential. Only within
an historical context can the events ofour
time be fully appreciated.
For lhis reason, we are presenting a
series of artic/es examining lhis historie
relationship. Last month 's installment cov–
ered lhe tumultuous first decades of the
ear/y Church. Our series continues with
Part Two, taking the story
10
thefa/1 ofthe
Roman Empire in A.D. 476.
way. The more than three decades
since the death of Peter and of Paul
in A.D. 68 have been spent under
the sole apostolic leadership of
John. The churches directly super–
vised by him and faithful elders
world peace.
Persecutlon Co ntinues
Regardless of their doctrinal differ–
ences - whet her apostate or
faithful- al/ who call themselves
Christian continue to suffer perse–
cution.
The polytheistic Romans are not
by nature intolerant in religion .
They permit many different forms
of belief and worship. They have
even incorporated elements of the
CONSTANTINE THE GREAT, first Chris·
tian emperor of Rome, is portrayed in a
marble statue made in A.D. 315 (upper
left). The emperor views the f/aming
cross (upper right). The Arch of Constan–
fine in Rome (bottom), was erected in
A.D. 312 to ce/ebrate his victory over
Maxentius.
The PLAIN TRUTH