chapter 3
THE Church age
THE 6th Kingdom of the Beast of the SEA
In the year of our Lord 98 to 117, the Roman Emperor Trajan was moved by the Dragon to persecute the saints with prison and death.
And while many of the faithful saints in the Lord Jesus Christ were killed yet even more overcame and the message of the Gospel spread by the power of the Holy Spirit.
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THE roman historian
In the year of our Lord 116, the Roman historian and senator Tacitus referred to Jesus and His execution by Pontius Pilate. He recorded events about the early Christians in Rome in his final work, Annals book 15, chapter 44.
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JACOB Expelled FROM THE HOLY LAND
In the year of our Lord 132, 580,000 Jews are killed in the Bar Kokhba revolt and the Roman Emperor Hadrian orders the expulsion of all of the Jews from Judea.
Angered by the constant revolts, the Roman Emperor Hadrian renames the Holy Land to Palestine after the Philistines, Jacob’s historic rival. The purpose of this name change was to suppress the Jewish people's connection to their historic homeland and to provide a final insult.
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The Diaspora of JACOB
Driven from the land promised to Jacob and David, where milk and honey once flowed, the descendants of Jacob were pushed to the uttermost parts of the Roman Empire, to the lands that lie beneath the setting sun in the west, to the southern sands that touch the waters of the great sea, and even unto the distant realms where the morning dawns.
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In the year of our Lord 162, Marcus Aurelius becomes the the Roman Emperor. He was regarded as wise and stoic by the world yet he continued the Dragon's will to persecute the saints throughout The 6th Kingdom of the Beast of the Sea.
THE 6th Kingdom of the Beast of the SEA
For it is written by the Revelation of John:
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On the 17th day of the 4th month in the year of our Lord 162, a blood moon is seen on the Jewish holy day of Passover.
On the 11th day of the 10th month in the year of our Lord 162, a blood moon is seen on the Jewish holy day of Sukkot or the Feast of the Tabernacles. Many witness the signs and it is recorded by the nations.
blood moons on holy days
On the 28th day of the 3rd month in the year of our Lord 163, another blood moon is seen in consecutive years on the Jewish holy day of Passover. Many witness the sign and is it recorded by the nations.
On the 21st day of the 9th month in the year of our Lord 163, another blood moon is seen in consecutive years on the Jewish holy day of Sukkot or the Feast of the Tabernacles. The signs are recorded by the nations.
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In the year of our Lord 177, many of the saints of Lyon and Vienne were tortured and slayed in horrific ways. Saint Blandina is recorded for her beautiful faith and many are welcomed into the presence of the Lord.
the Martyrs of Lyon and Vienne
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In the years of our Lord 235 to 238, Maximinus the Thracian reigns as the Roman Emperor. He follows the inspiration of the Dragon and slaughters many of the saints in brutal ways. And yet the endurance of the saints held strong and those that believed on the Lord Jesus Christ greatly increased.
THE 6th Kingdom of the Beast of the SEA
For it is written by the Revelation of John:
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In the years of our Lord 253 to 260, the Roman Emperor Trajan produced a reign of terror as he was moved by the Dragon to persecute the saints with death, such as, Lawrence the Deacon, Denis of Paris, Cyprian, and Sixtus II.
THE 6th Kingdom of the Beast of the SEA
Yet the faithful saints in the Lord Jesus Christ endure and the message of the Gospel spreads by the power of the Holy Spirit.
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In the year of our Lord 250, Roman Emperor Decius decided that all the followers of Jesus Christ had to pay homage to the Roman gods or be killed. The saints suffered much and this carnage became known as “The Decian Persecution” and many were given white robes in Heaven.
THE 6th Kingdom of the Beast of the SEA
For it is written by the Revelation of John:
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the spread of the gospel
Around the year of our Lord 300, the message of the Gospel spreads further by the power of the Holy Spirit to the nations of Europe and North Africa. Many more churches are formed and the offer of salvation from the Lord Jesus Christ is preached by the saints.
For it is written by Mark: “And Jesus said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.” Mark 16:15
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In the year of our Lord 303, Roman Emperor Diocletian begins his brutal campaign against the saints in what is called the “Great Persecution”. Many saints are killed in horrific ways for the glory of the Dragon.
THE 6th Kingdom of the Beast of the SEA
For it is written in the chronicles of man by Eusebius the Roman: “An imperial decree was published everywhere, ordering the churches to be razed to the ground and the Scriptures destroyed by fire, and giving notice that those in places of honor would lose their places, and domestic staff, if they continued to profess Christianity”
For it is written by the Revelation of John:
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On the 28th day of the 10th month of the year of our Lord 312, the Roman Emperor Constantine witnesses a vision of the cross in the sky before the Battle of the Milvian Bridge. He then commands his soldiers to paint red crosses on their shields.
The Lord gives Constantine a great victory and from that day, the powerful Emperor surrendered to Jesus Christ as The Lord of Lords.
Constantine the great
With the Edict of Milan, the Roman Emperor made it legal to worship the Lord Jesus Christ and so the power of politics was moved to be aligned with Christ; so that men of position would hold favor with Constantine the Great.
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In the year of our Lord 325, The Council of Nicaea is compiled of elders and overseers of the body of Christ. And so a decree was issued upon the nature of the Almighty and His Son, that the faithful might believe as one.
THE COUNCIL OF NICAEA
And they affirmed the true essence of the Son, begotten, not made, and one with the Father. Through Him all things were made, and for us and for our salvation, and that He came down from Heaven.
Furthermore, they casted lots upon the time when the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ should be celebrated, that it might be on one accord throughout all the lands, on the first Sunday after the full moon following the vernal equinox.
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On the 11th day of the 5th month of the year of our Lord 330, the bold Roman Emperor Constantine moves the capital of the Roman Empire to Byzantium. He renames the city Constantinople after himself. He brings the interest in The Lord Jesus Christ into politics of the state.
And so the Roman Empire now has two capitals…with two legs of iron.
KINGDOM with TWO LEGS
Thus fulfilling a portion of scripture revealed by the Prophet Daniel: “This image’s head was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay.” Daniel 2:32-34
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In the year of our Lord 380, the Roman Emperor Theodosius I declared Christianity as the state religion of the Roman Empire. This was done with the Edict of Thessalonica, also known as Cunctos Populos.
And the power of the Holy Spirit moved throughout The 6th Kingdom of the Beast of the Sea and the Dragon’s power over the 6th Kingdom was weakened.
The Roman church is decreed
In his anger, the Dragon deceives many of the ranking members of the Roman church to assault the descendants of Jacob. And so Bishop Gregory of Nysa calls Jews "murders of the Lord, assassins of the prophets, rebels and detesters of God, companions of the devils, a race of vipers.“ thus stirring up hate and violence against the descendants of Jacob.
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Alexandria Expels Jacob
In the year of our Lord 415, all of the descendants of Jacob are forced to leave Egypt as an Archbishop spoke like the Dragon and caused many to spill the blood of Rachel's children.
Led by Archbishop Cyril who stirred the hearts of many followers of Jesus Christ to hate the descendants of Jacob and to burn their synagogues.
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the gospel grows
In the year of our Lord 600, the message of the Gospel had taken root in the nations around the Mediterranean Sea. For the fear of The Lord was healthy among the poor and kindness and long suffering was found in the true saints of God.
The power of the Holy Spirit moved further in the western nations and took root in those lands and many more were added to the Lamb’s Book of Life. Then churches were constructed as works of marveling art and display.
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the GREAT false prophet
