Two Kingdoms: Heaven and Rome

There are two kingdoms, the Kingdom of God (Heaven) and The Roman Empire (World). Long ago the First Roman Empire, known as Ancient Rome caste its shadow across known world, crushing everything with its legions, and submitting all peoples to its authority. Rome controlled Italy, Greece, Europe, Britain, Ireland, the Middle East, and etc. The Romans were brutal, though they claimed to be civilized. They invented horrors of crucifixion, tying dead body to living prisoners so maggots ate them slowly, salting fields (so that no conquered crops could ever be harvest), and held the games of carnage in the Coliseum. Rome's ambition was to create a utopia, a one world order where all civilizations would be bound together under the Roman Flag and tyranny. Rome's control of the world lasted four hundred years, but in the year 33 A.D., Rome found itself coming in contact with another kingdom, God's. A Roman Prefect named Pontius Pilate had a criminal brought before Him, Iesous in the Greek, Jesus in Anglo Latin, and Yeshua in Aramaic and Hebrew. This criminal had broken no Roman law upon first glance, when questioned by Pilate, the accused said, "Jesus answered, "My Kingdom is not an earthly kingdom. If it were, my followers would fight to keep me from being handed over to the Jewish leaders. But my Kingdom is not of this world." (John 18:36). After this declaration Pilate tries to do everything in his power to release this man who had committed no crime, but tthe religious leaders of the Jews, the Pharisees and Sadducees demanded should die. Ultimately it was one moment in particular that carried sentence against Jesus the words of Jewish leaders, "Then Pilate tried to release him, but the Jewish leaders shouted, “If you release this man, you are no ‘friend of Caesar [ally of Cesar].’Anyone who declares himself a king is a rebel against Caesar.”." (John 19:12). In this moment, the two kingdoms clashed, Rome in person of Pilate and the Kingdom of God in the person of Jesus Christ. Pilate upon this threat had the one called Messiah crucified, and he specifically ordered that His crime be nailed to cross that read "INRI: Jesus King of the Jews," in Latin, Greek, and Hebrew. The Prefect of Judea, Pontius Pilate made it clear that the crime Jesus was punished for was claiming to be king in the dominions of Cesar. Unaware was this Prefect of Rome that he was part of a plan involved with Kingdom of Heaven, the plan to save mankind by God dying for sins of all men (1 Peter 2:24).

The Roman Empire would be at war with the Kingdom of God until the destruction of the Western Kingdom of Rome, or West Roma in 475 A.D. when the Barbarians burned the capital of the Roman Empire, Rome, in Italy to the ground. Prior to the cinder of the "dream that was Rome," many Cesars would wage war against the Kingdom of God, and its citizens, Christians. Cesar Nero not only used Christians for torches in his garden, disguised himself as lion in Coliseum and attacked their private parts, he even wore Christian skin (carved off the bodies of live Christians) as clothing. It was clear from Crucifixion of Christ to Four Hundred Years of persecution of the Church that followed, that Rome was no friend of God's Kingdom, but its very enemy, that is until its metamorphosis and greatest ruse of all, The Roman Catholic Church. In the year non domini 312, the Roman Empire had been split in two, in the West it had collapsed under the Goths, with only the Bishop (Pope) brokering for the lives of its people. In the East, a man named Constantine who would adopted the title of "The Great", was disputing for the Eastern Roma at the Battle of Milvan Bridge. There in contest, Constantine hoped to take the Eastern Roman Empire. In a vision or dream depending on the historical account, Constantine saw in the sun the sign of the cross and the words in Latin, "In hoc signatius: in this sign you shall conquer," taking this as an omen from both his god Sol Invictus and his mother, Helena's god the Christ, he commanded his armies to paint crosses on their shields and that if he took the field of battle in victory he would convert to Christianity, give homage to Christian God, and would make a Christus Roman Empire. As history records, Constantine was victorious and he kept his world, ending the four hundred year persecution of Christians and even rebuilding churches, and giving donations to the priesthood.. Eventually, Constantine would fudementally change the Church back into Sacreos (sacrifice, Sacramental) system instead of Grace and faith being the only necessary way to achieve eternal life in Christ Jesus (Romans 10:9-10, John 6:40, Ephesians 2:1-11). Constantine successfully bridged the two kingdoms of Rome and God's Kingdom into a hybrid, that many would call the Byzantine Empire later, and in this duality Eastern Orthodoxy would be born, and Roman Catholicism would emerge in the ruins of the Western Roman Empire with a new Cesar, the Bishop of Roman Church, who would take title of Vicar of Christ and Pope.

From the schism of 1054 A.D. the Roman Empire was reborn in the West as the Roman Catholic Church, headed by the Pope himself whose powers allowed him to christen and create kings of the upcoming 'civilized' barbarians known as the Frankish Peoples, Saxons, Anglos, Picts, Celts, Welsh, and Gaelic peoples. Replacing the centurions of Ancient Rome would be neo legions known as the Crusaders who would march in name of Kingdom of God and Rome to conquer Judea once more. In the Eastern Roman Empire, Cesars survived for millennium, called Holy Roman Emperors, who ruled from Constantinople and built the civilization of Byzantium. In the West, there were two Cesars of sorts, The Pope who kept most of vistages and Law of Rome alive in the Papacy and Ecclesiastical Courts and Rites, and Germanic kings who through their ancestor Charlemagne laid claim to title of Holy Roman Empire. Charlemagne was crowned Cezar and Holy Roman Emperor by Bishop of Rome, conferring Him double Roman Authority until his death.

Others would emerge seeking to revive the Roman Empire, there French Holy Roman Emperor Napoleon, whose ambitions to conquer the world were only thwarted by General Winter, bug warefare, and the Russian Cesar known as Tsar who believed he ruled the Third Rome. Then the Germans would seek to restore their reich, their Holy Roman Empire once more through a charismatic painter and communist leader named Adolf Hitler, who would created the Nazi Third Reich and conquer much of Europe before being routed by the Allied Forces of the United States, Britian, France, Russia, Poland, and the rest of Europe. Zeal for Rome would reemerge in America, with even the symbol of the US nation being the same eagle of Rome, and even a Senate being empowered as part of government head. Rome in America seems poised to collapse, as Barbarians in streets bay for blood of the Senate, and House, and 1%. One imagine Et tu Brut may indeed happen in the chaos of current events.

The Roman Empire represents the epitome of the world empire of the evil one (the devil). As in case of Ancient Rome or Nazi Third Reich, Rome was able to control, and conform people with fear of death, genocide, and brutality. While governments of the world may have mark of evil one, they aren't the fullness of devil, "The thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy," (John 10:10). The Rome Empire's resurgence in every age is caused by the devil's prompting in man to want men to seek what can only be found in God in a worldly institution and governing power. As the LORD Jesus said God provides all things (Matthew 6:25-31), Rome says it can provide our needs through Welfare and dependence on man rather than God. Rome is a counterfeit for everything we must find only in Blessed Trinity. Rome wants to give purpose, virtue, power, religion, hope, and peace in a wordly way, apart from One True God, and so all of thosethings are devoid of their power because they only can be found in Christ Jesus. Rome is Satan's empire. God's Kingdom is not of this world as Its King of Kings so said, "Jesus answered, "My Kingdom is not an earthly kingdom. If it were, my followers would fight to keep me from being handed over to the Jewish leaders. But my Kingdom is not of this world" (John 18:36), and as Christians we await a heavenly kingdom that will descend at end of days when all wars and empires are no more (Revelation 21:1-53). The devil in contrast is wordly, even taking upon himself the title of prince of this world (John 14:30) and he offers kingdoms of world (Matthews 4:8). Satan lost the heavenly realm in a war in heaven (Revelation 12:7-12) and so he is bound to this world, and he seeks to create a counterfeit, and copy of Kingdom of Heaven that he rules, which is revealed in detailed in vision of the Apostle John: "Then I saw a beast rising up out of the sea. It had seven heads and ten horns, with ten crowns on its horns. And written on each head were names that blasphemed God. ² This beast looked like a leopard, but it had the feet of a bear and the mouth of a lion! And the dragon gave the beast his own power and throne and great authority. ³ I saw that one of the heads of the beast seemed wounded beyond recovery—but the fatal wound was healed! The whole world marveled at this miracle and gave allegiance to the beast. ⁴ They worshiped the dragon for giving the beast such power, and they also worshiped the beast. “Who is as great as the beast?” they exclaimed. “Who is able to fight against him?” ⁵ Then the beast was allowed to speak great blasphemies against God. And he was given authority to do whatever he wanted for forty-two months. ⁶ And he spoke terrible words of blasphemy against God, slandering his name and his dwelling—that is, those who dwell in heaven. ⁷ And the beast was allowed to wage war against God’s holy people and to conquer them. And he was given authority to rule over every tribe and people and language and nation. ⁸ And all the people who belong to this world worshiped the beast. They are the ones whose names were not written in the Book of Life that belongs to the Lamb who was slaughtered before the world was made.
⁹ Anyone with ears to hear
    should listen and understand.
¹⁰ Anyone who is destined for prison
    will be taken to prison.
Anyone destined to die by the sword
    will die by the sword
This means that God’s holy people must endure persecution patiently and remain faithful.¹¹ Then I saw another beast come up out of the earth. He had two horns like those of a lamb, but he spoke with the voice of a dragon. ¹² He exercised all the authority of the first beast. And he required all the earth and its people to worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed. ¹³ He did astounding miracles, even making fire flash down to earth from the sky while everyone was watching. ¹⁴ And with all the miracles he was allowed to perform on behalf of the first beast, he deceived all the people who belong to this world. He ordered the people to make a great statue of the first beast, who was fatally wounded and then came back to life. ¹⁵ He was then permitted to give life to this statue so that it could speak. Then the statue of the beast commanded that anyone refusing to worship it must die. ¹⁶ He required everyone—small and great, rich and poor, free and slave—to be given a mark on the right hand or on the forehead. ¹⁷ And no one could buy or sell anything without that mark, which was either the name of the beast or the number representing his name. ¹⁸ Wisdom is needed here. Let the one with understanding solve the meaning of the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. His number is 666." (Revelation 13, whole chapter).  My theory is that the Beast's kingdom will be the final Roman Empire. Upon rumeration and recollection, one finds that Rome ruled the world for peace with tyranny, brute strength, fear, terrorism, and control, the exact same characteristics of the Beast's Regime in Revelation, " And the beast was allowed to wage war against God’s holy people and to conquer them. And he was given authority to rule over every tribe and people and language and nation" (Revelation 13:7). In same way the Beast's New World Order or the Sixth Rome will crush everyone who does not submit. This Neo Rome will control the earth, and the peoples therein (Revelation 13:7), and even control trade totally (Revelation 13:17). In contrast, the Kingdom of God will challenge this Roman Empire and its Cesar who is Man of Lawlessness (2 Thessalonains 2:1-11). Christians will once again be persecuted by Rome (Revelation 14:12), and death will be threat again as it was in times of Emperors (Caesars) Nero, Caligula, Diocletian, and Domitian. The Church will separate from world as it was meant to do all along, "If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you," (John 15:19), "You, little children, are from God and have overcome them, because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world, They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood," (1 John 4:4-6), "You adulterers! Don't you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God," (James 4:4), "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God," (Romans 12:2), "No one can serve two masters: Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money," (Matthew 6:24), "For since in the wisdom of God, the world through its wisdom did not know Him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe," (1 Corinthians 1:21), "Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world," (James 1:27), "Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory, All this I will give you," he said, "if you will bow down and worship me."Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.'" (Matthew 4:8-10). Particularly the last verse about the devil showing Jesus the kingdoms of world, makes it clear that Rome is the devil's kingdom.The devil's kingdom will be a system of worldwide rule, while Kingdom of God will remain unseen casting plague, and war upon the wicked (Revelation 16, Revelation 6). Finally, one of the seats of the Last Roman Empire will be destroyed (Revelation 18), in which City of Seven Hills (Rome today sits on seven hills) will be caste down. The Antichrist cesar will be destroyed (2 Thessalonians 2:), as will his false prophet (Revelation 13:11-12), and finally the devil after being bound for a thousand years (Revelation 20:4-9), will be caste into eternal damantion, torment, and punishment in Second Death, the Lake of Fire (Revelation 20:10).

The antithesis and opposite of the Kingdom of Heaven is  the Roman Empire in all its forms and incarnations. Rome is Satan's dream, a false peace by fear and force and falsehood, "They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious. 'Peace, peace,' they say, when there is no peace," (Jeremiah 6:14), and "This will happen because these evil prophets deceive my people by saying, 'All is peaceful' when there is no peace at all! It's as if the people have built a flimsy wall, and these prophets are trying to reinforce it by covering it with whitewash," (Ezekiel 13:10), oppose to only peace which is found in Jesus Christ and His Kingdom, "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid/I am leaving you with a gift--peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don't be troubled or afraid," (John 14:27), and "And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:7). Lucifer (Satan, the devil) has always envied God and wanted His position (Isaiah 14:11-15) and tries to copy everything the LORD God does. The devil tied to have his own children (Genesis 6:4-11) to copycat God's children and creation (Genesis 1:27, Genesis 2 whole chapter), the devil created his own disguised church of Rome (crica 312 to 1054 A.D.),the devil will create his own copycat messiah called antichrist/false messiah (2 Thessalonians 2:1-11, Revelation 13:1-18) to counterfeit to the Christ Jesus our Lord and God (John 1:1-21, Colossians 2:1-22). Rome is the devil's answer on Earth to God's Kingdom in Heaven and soon to be on Earth (2 Peter 3 whole chapter, Revelation 19:11-28, Revelation 20:4-7, and Revelation 21:1-53). Rome will rise again, and the Man of Sin will be its cesar who will crush Christians with persecution (Revelation 13:7, Revelation 13, Revelation 14:10-13) just as cesars did in early centuries of the Church.

The system of the world is Rome. It is a system that crushes and weights down people with fear, control, terror, and anxiety over money. In its mature form it is totalitarian and sweeps across the earth with armies and laws to oppress the weak. It is force of evil that crashes into every age and century. As Christians our citizenry is to the Kingdom of God, "But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior," (Philippians 3:20) and not this world, not Rome. But there many who try to do both, and the LORD warns those children to come out of Bablyon and Rome, "Then I heard another voice calling from heaven, "Come away from her, my people. Do not take part in her sins, or you will be punished with her." (Revelation 18:4). The Kingdom of God is unseen, and yet seen by Christians who have "But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear." (Matthew 13:16). The Kingdom of God lives inside us Christians for the King of God's Kingdom lives in all Christians, "For God wanted them to know that the riches and glory of Christ are for you Gentiles, too. And this is the secret: Christ lives in you. This gives you assurance of sharing his glory," (Colossians 1:27) and "Don't you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you?" (1 Corinthians 3:16). We are walking temples of God, and we must not let ourselves become defiled by kingdom of this world, Rome. The Kingdom of the Christ shall descend at End of the Age, and only after the Final Roman Empire, the World Order that  will overthrow all governments as the Ancient Rome did long ago, is established with its Cesar of Lawlessness. We need to take heed and be careful, Rome is not our ally, and those who attach themselves to the Ancient Rome wither Vatican or Byzantine shall reap a harvest of devilry and eternal death. While devil seduces the nations, As for me, I say as Joshua did, "As for me and my house, we shall serve the LORD (who is Jesus, Romans 10:9)" (Joshua 24:15).