Final Countdown: Chapter 8: Bad Boys of Greece and Rome.
1 John 3:10, “Whosoever does not righteousness is not of God;”
Gen.3:15, God said to the serpent, “I will put enmity (irreconcilable hatred) (which is true both literally and figuratively) between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed: it (her seed) shall bruise your head, and your seed shalt bruise his heel.”
The seed of the serpent: Let’s begin with the power that stands behind this promised seed of the serpent: It is written,
Eph.6:12, that, “We (Christians) wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against power, against the rulers of darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”
Jude 6, these are “Angels which kept not their first estate (prior domain) but left their own habitation, he (God) hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.”
Luke 22:53, Jesus said to the chief priests, and captain, and elders, “This is your hour, and the power of darkness.”
From Christ earthly ministry to this day, the devil has been working hard to discomfort, subvert, corrupt and destroy the finished work of the cross.
Satan has caused the ruin of man; therefore he is numbered among the rulers of darkness mentioned above. Not only cast from heaven but bound in chains of darkness! So, who are the serpent’s seed? Let’s begin with,
Matt.3:7 when John the Baptist points us to the Pharisees and Sadducees, whom he calls a “generation of vipers.” And Jesus addresses them under the same appellation,
Matt.12:44, “You are of your father the devil, and the lusts (desires) of your father you will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode (stands) not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.”
And those of the seed of the serpent who hear God’s word shall never heed them; therefore, the word has no influence over them. Over the centuries they have gathered themselves together to persecute and destroy all that are of the seed of the woman, which are Christ’s.
After Alexander’s untimely death, his conquests were taken over by the 4 generals (the 4 notable horns) who led his armies. Shortly after, one of the Generals, Selencus ((the little horn) would overcome the other three, and in so doing he consolidate the whole of the Grecian Empire early in the year 281 B.C., thus was born the Seleucid Empire. Now from the sons and grandsons of Selencus came a line of Kings who were called Antiochus represented as “the little horn (that) grew exceeding great”, Dan.8:9.
When Judea was under the authority of the Seleucids, the process of Hellenization was enforced by law. Hellenization wasthe spread of the ancient Greek culture and its language over foreign peoples who had been brought into its sphere of influence. This effectively meant requiring pagan religious practices. In 167 B.C. Jewish sacrifices were forbidden, Sabbaths’ and feasts were banned as was circumcision outlawed. Altars to Greek gods were set up and animals were prohibited to the Jews, but were sacrificed on these pagan altars to the Greek gods and the possession of Jewish scriptures was made a capital offence; also, an image of Zeus was placed on the altar of the Temple in Jerusalem by Antiochus Epiphanes.A
Antiochus Epiphanes the 4th, born 215, died 164 B.C. King of the Hellenistic Syrian kingdom encouraged Greek influences, during the course of which he inadvertently promoted the creation of the independent Jewish state of the Maccabees. He conquered the Jewish stronghold of Jerusalem and attempted to Hellenize the city.
Eventually the Empire of the Greeks was absorbed by the mighty Roman Empire, the 4th beast, (the legs of iron) described by Daniel.
Herod the Great was made King of Judea by the Romans. His reign began in 37 B.C. and ended in 4 B.C., the year Jesus was born. He was a heartless, paranoid and blood thirsty man who committed unimaginable atrocities. He married 10 wives, his 5thbeing Cleopatra mother of Herod Antipas who ruled in the days of John the Baptist. Just before he died, he ordered that the most notable men in Judea to be executed so his funeral would be marked by a national outpouring of grief. Fortunately, his command was ignored.
Herod Antipas son of Herod the great heard of a star in the heavens pointing the way of the coming King; and because of his fear of rival rulers he inquired of the wise men concerning this star. Thinking he had been mocked by them he sent forth his servants “And slew all the children that were in Bethlehem and in all the coasts thereof from two years old and under” and as God would have it, one of Herod’s own sons was murdered.
He also had John the Baptist beheaded; later he ridiculed Jesus whom Pilot had sent to him; dressed him in some worn-out royalty and sent him back to Pilate as a mock king, and later to have him killed. Also, Herod Agrippa grandson of Herod the Great had James, son of Zebedee beheaded.
These tyrants were followed by the Roman Caesars, many of them were scoundrels, erratic, paranoid, delusional and even insane. But some were able administrators, that is, unless you were a Christian, in which case you were in great danger.