World History: Chapter 13: The 4th beast

World History: Chapter 13: Edited 12/7/23.

The 4th beast:

Some 600 years before the birth of our Lord, the wail of a newborn child could be heard in the wilderness. The Whore of Babylon would give birth to her 4th son, and she called him the “Beast!” God has warned the world of this child through his prophets; that his life would be long and filled with reckless violence. He is no longer a child, neither a young man, but a mature, knowledgeable, vile, brutal killer! And for those Jews and Christian’s who have fallen and who now fall under his authority, their faith will have been tested unto death.

His name has been erased from the book of life long before he was conceived in his mother’s womb; and histories chronicles speak of his thefts, rape, torture, hated, and every brutal deed the mind of men can conceive. He is loyal to no one; without faith or love, cannot be trusted; and neither can his sons and their sons be trusted for they are all liars and murderers.

“And the devil took Jesus to a high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them. And the devil said to Jesus, “All these things will I give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” And the Lord replied, “Away with you; you shall worship the LORD your God, and him only shall you serve.”

This seed is of the serpent who has fathered this beast; and like his father the devil, he is evil without cause or reason. He serves himself, having separated himself from his Creator with a deadness that lies deep within. His hatred has no limits for the people of God. He is called the “Beast;” savage men, meaning those of extreme violence and brutality.

Daniel 2:32, “The image’s head was of fine gold (Babylon), his breast and arms of silver (Medes and Persians), his belly and his thighs of brass (Greece). His legs of iron, his feet part of iron, and part of clay (meaning Rome and those who are born of her).”

Verse 40, “And the fourth kingdom (Rome) shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaks in pieces and subdues all things: and as iron that breaks all these (gold, silver, bronze) shall it break in pieces and bruise (crush).”

Daniel 7:19, “Then I (Daniel) would know the truth of the fourth beast, which was diverse from all the others, exceeding dreadful, whose teeth were of iron and his nails of brass, which devoured, broke in pieces and stamped the residue with the feet:

Verse 23, “The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom (Rome) upon the earth, which shall be diverse (hated, abhorred), from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break (crushed) it in pieces.

Rome took its first breath about the 6th century B.C. It began as a nation-state, not in the way we understand it today, but as an interconnecting, interrelated chain of towns left to rule for them self. Each had a varying degree of independence from both the Senate and military commanders of Rome.

The post Roman Republic was characterized by a government headed by Emperors who ruled over vast territories around the Mediterranean Sea, Europe, Africa and Asia.

The extended city of Rome became the largest city in the world from 100 B.C. to 400 A.D. But over time, Constantinople (modern day Istanbul) would become the largest city about the year 500 A.D. The population of the Empire grew to an estimated 50 to 90 million representing some twenty percent of the world’s population.

Rome first, then Constantinople would became the two hubs of the Empire. The first 500-years of the republic were destabilized by civil wars and political conflicts. In 44 B.C. as the civil wars raged on, they peaked with the victory by Octavian over Mark Antony and Cleopatra at the Battle of Actium in 31 B.C., and with the annexation of Egypt. In 27 B.C. the Roman Senate granted Octavia far reaching powers, and with the new title of Augustus, marking the end of the Roman Republic.

The Beast lives today as the legs of iron and clay, they having become more sadistic than ever before. Many have asked, “When will the Lord Jesus return to destroy this monster?” Daniel gave us the answer, “When the stone that was cut out of the mountain without hands breaks into pieces the iron (Rome) the brass (Greece,) the clay (the nations born of Rome) the silver (Persians) and the gold (Babylon).”

The first two centuries beginning about the time of Christ’s birth were a period of unprecedented political stability and prosperity known as the “Roman Peace” This time of peace obviously was by the will of God so the Christ child would be conceived in a world of relative peace and prosperity in both Israel and the nations.

But the one threat to the Son of God would come from King Herod; but Joseph would be warned of this impending danger and flee to Egypt. This Roman Peace gave the Jews the freedom to worship in their Temple and under their law. It gave Christ the time and the social, political and religious conditions to fulfill his work of redemption. Also, the twelve apostles would be chosen and instructed in the matters of the Lord. Also at Pentecost, 3000 Jews would hear and believe the good news of the gospel; return to their homes and spread it throughout the Roman Empire. Lastly Paul would be converted; receive the gospel and bring it to the gentiles.

Yet many dangers stood at the doorstep of both the Jews, and the newly born Christian community. And when that door was opened, Christian’s and Jews alike would come face to face with the 4th beast, a terror born at the gates of hell. 

Caligula was a man who believed he was God. He ruled from AD 37 to 41 A.D., was wild, sadistic and extravagant. He began his reign of terror using Roman law as an instrument for the torture of anyone who opposed him. He killed his opponents slowly and painfully over hours or even days; he decapitated and strangled children; others were beaten with heavy chains; had their tongues cut out; many fed to wild beasts and families would be forced to attend their own children’s execution.

He would demand sex from women including his 3 sisters. He then exiled his sisters and had his brother in law put to death; caused mass starvation, then killed some of his most important friends. He was a man possessed of the devil himself, but like all tyrants, he himself was killed by a man whom he had mocked at court for his effeminacy.

Nero followed; he was Rome’s 5th emperor from A.D. 54 to A.D. 68. This beast would eventually bring the Roman Empire to ruin. He burned entire cities, murdered thousands and systematically murdered every member of his family. Others were killed in searing hot baths, poisoned, beheaded, stabbed, burned, crucified, impaled and women raped. Nero is said to have started the great fire in Rome that killed many citizens and left hundreds of thousands destitute. He then blamed the fire on Christians, and because of this false accusation, thousands of Christians were starved; burned; torn by wild dogs; and crucified on crosses. Nero had the apostles Paul beheaded and Peter crucified. He eventually would commit suicide.

Then came Vespasian who was appointed proconsul of North Africa in A.D. 59; seven years later was granted a special command in the East by the Nero to settle a revolt in Judaea. Titus, Domitian’s older brother by at least ten years and Vespasian’s would eventually be the successors of the throne.

Rome would now give birth to Domitian, born 10/24/ 51 A.D. He was the youngest son of Rome’s emperor Vespasian, and soon after taking power instigates his reign of terror. Rome, and particularly the senate were displeased with him, since he required them to call him Dominus et Deus “Lord and God.” He became an extremely successful general, thus remaining popular with the army. 

In 70 A.D. he married the daughter of General Gnaeus Domitius Corbulo who Nero had forced to commit suicide. Domitian had one child who died at a young age, than had his wife exiled but soon returned her to Rome where she lived until his death. In 85 he made himself censor perpetuus, censor for life. He manipulated the senate using this powers to execute certain senate members. Early church leaders such as Clement of Alexandria, Eusebius, and Irenaeus wrote that John the apostle had been exiled to the Island of Patmos by Domitian about the year 95 A.D.

Domitian was a superstitious man trusting no one. On 9/18/96 A.D. he became the victim of a conspiracy, when a free-man was hired by the senate to kill him. The senate declared him “damned in memory,” they having everything of Domitian banished, beginning with his bed to any and all records of him ever existing.

Emperor Commodus ruled from 180 to 192 A.D. He was the son of the philosopher emperor Marcus Aurelius, was vain and pleasure-seeking. He virtually bankrupted the Roman treasury but filled it up again by having wealthy citizens executed for treason so he could confiscate their property.

Soon his own sister plotted against him with others, but the plots would be foiled. Commodus would then have the conspirators executed.  Eventually the Praetorian prefect and the emperor’s own court chamberlain hired a professional athlete to strangle him in the bath.

Marcus Aurelius Antoninus I (Caracalla) ruled from 211 to 217 A.D. He was the son of Emperor Septimius Severus. Severus named his younger son, Geta, as co-heir with Caracalla, but the two quickly fell out and civil war appeared imminent until Caracalla averted this scenario by having Geta murdered.

Caracalla dealt brutally with opponents: he set about exterminating Geta’s supporters, and similarly wiped out those caught up in one of the city of Alexandria’s regular local uprisings against Roman rule. He was a successful but ruthless military commander and would eventually be assassinated by a group of ambitious army officers, including the Praetorian prefect Opellius Macrinus, who soon after proclaimed himself emperor.

Marcus Aurelius Antoninus II (Elagabalus, ruled from 218 to 222 A.D. He would overthrow Macrinus and soon embarked on an increasingly eccentric reign. His nickname came from his role as priest of the cult of the Syrian god Elah-Gabal, which he tried to introduce into Rome, even having himself circumcised to show his devotion to the cult. He deliberately offended Roman moral and religious principles, setting up a conical black stone idol, a symbol of the sun god Sol Invictus Elagabalus. He married the chief vestal, for which, under normal circumstances, she should have been put to death.

Many Romans were offended by Elagabalus’s sexual behavior, as well as a string of marriages. He openly took for himself male lovers, and was recognized as transgender. He would be murdered in a conspiracy organized by his own grandmother.

Finally we come to Diocletian who ruled Rome from 284 to 305 A.D. He is noted for his ruthless persecution of Christians, setting out for the total eradication of Christianity. Churches were to be destroyed; scriptures burned publicly; priests imprisoned, than forced to conduct sacrifices to the emperor on pain of death. And for those who refused to give up their faith, these were tortured and executed. His persecution was unusually vicious especially in the light that Romans usually had tolerated other religions. This persecution may have reflected his fear that Christianity represented a rejection of Roman religious values, something he could, or would not allow.

There you have it, men sown of the seeds of the devil; men born of the Whore of Babylon; men sent into the world to destroy and wreak havoc on the righteous people of God. But by no stretch of the imagination, this was not the end, only the beginning!

The “Two legs of iron” were now to become “The two feet and ten toes, part of potters clay, and part of iron, the (Roman) kingdom shall be divided (Constantinople and Rome, both built on 7 hills); but there shall be in (both) the strength of the iron.”

Phillip LaSpino    www.seekfirstwisdom.com