Rome AD 105
It was the stench that was
the worst. The heat was awful; it was as
if the air in this cell had not moved in years, it only got more foul and hotter. The prisoner leaned against the wall. There was no place to sit except the floor
and it was too filthy to sit on the floor.
The stones themselves seemed to radiate heat. There was the smell of urine and
excrement. The corner of the cell was a
make shift toilet. But more than a few
of the former occupants of this cell had lost control of their bowels where
ever they stood so the entire floor was to some degree a toilet. There was also the smell of blood and
decaying flesh mixed with the animal smells.
He felt the bile rising up in his throat again; he swallowed against the
urge to vomit and wondered how much of the air he breathed contained the
remnants of vomit from other prisoners.
It was quieter than one
might expect in the corridors of this misery.
There was an occasional moan, the sound of frightened voices now and
again. There were animal sounds from a
different part of the chambers. One
might expect that a jail this large and apparently full would be loud with
protest, curses and pleadings. It was,
at least in this underground section, peacefully silent. The noise came from above in the open
air. There was a general rumble that
would occasionally crescendo into a scream and then turmoil of cheering.
This was the Festival of
Salus. She was the goddess of safety and well being, of welfare, health and
prosperity for individuals, but most of all for the glory of Rome. It was said
that all those who would swear allegiance to Rome and to Salus would receive
welfare, pardon and forgiveness of all the crimes committed against the empire,
that was almost certainly a cruel lie. The Prisoner reasoned that it was
because of this appeal to hope that the Christians had been gathered in the stadium.
They would face a terrible choice. Would
they place their hope in this unseen, unknown character Jesus? Or would they place
their hope in the might and the power of Rome represented by the masses of
crowds, by the Emperor or by the great buildings?
It was hope that had
attracted the Prisoner to the religion of Jesus. Having accomplished much in
his life there were very few things that he needed. But somehow life seemed to
be empty and pointless. The riches he had inherited from his father, the glory
he had earned as a soldier, the home he had in Rome and the villa in the
countryside, the slaves, the mistresses, the intrigues, and the power all
somehow left him empty. So, when he saw
a friend whose life was much like his own undergo a dramatic change he
wondered. As this friend demonstrated life and hope and joy that had eluded the
Prisoner, he asked and acquired and learned about the hope and this one named
Jesus.
It was only a
year-and-a-half since he began following the strange new religion but the
change was immediate and glorious. Even as a persecuted minority it was worth
the cost of being a disciple of this one from Galilee. He knew that one day he
might have to make great sacrifices because he was a follower. But because
Jesus was his Lord and his King who sacrificed for him, sacrifices were part of
what he committed to do should they ever come.
They came two days ago. The
demand of the sacrifices came in the form of a soldier who arrested him. A slave betrayed him; he, his wife and his
two children were taken. Watching his children die was the worst moment he ever
experienced. But he wasn’t the only
father to watch his son die. Wondering
what ever became of his wife haunted him. And now he waited his turn in the
Coliseum.
He would walk out onto the
floor of the arena where the emperor would grant him one chance to swear his
loyalty to Rome and to Salus to be forgiven, to have all that was his restored,
to re-enter the life of a Roman nobleman. Should he accept the offer of the goddess
Salus he would return to his wealth, his peace, and his prosperity. His wife
might be dead, but the emperor would give him a new one; he could have other
children. He could return to the years before Christ with wealth and mistresses
and slaves and a life built entirely around himself. Or he could refuse the
offer and he would die having lost everything and his own life would be
forfeit.
Because he had served in the
legions they might give him a sword and make him a gladiator against younger,
stronger men. They might give him a sword and allow him to fight his way
against hyenas or lions. Whatever was planned if he refused the offer to
sacrifice to Caesar and Salus, he would never leave the stadium alive. His
death might be quick, but more likely it would be slow and painful.
How does one willingly and
joyful give up everything and agree to die miserably for the sake of a
carpenter from Judea Palestine? It is because in the last year the Prisoner had
learned that all the attacks of Darkness and Evil, all the power of wrong were
nothing but an expression of the influences of a war against God and God's
people. They had read again and again The Apocalypse of John from which they
learned in every page and every paragraph that suffering and hardship are
inevitable. They are not unexpected and they need not provoke fear.
As he heard and as he read
the Revelation he could see the attacks on his faith, on the church, on his
morals and convictions from the powers of Darkness portrayed throughout the
entire letter. The realization that although the enemy would win minor
victories along the way, he would ultimately be defeated and this gave the
Prisoner the strength that he needed as he lived his faith, said goodbye to his
wife and children, as he stood in a stinking, filthy cell. It would give him
the resolve and the courage that he would stand before Trajan and he would
declare that Jesus Christ the Messiah is Lord. Ceasar is not Lord. Christ is
Lord and for that he would die and in that he would win.
This
account of historical fiction gives us some insight to understanding and
applying the book of Revelation. There
are a great many theories about the meaning of the book of Revelation, not all
of them can be correct. Any
interpretation of the last book of the Bible that would not have helped a
prisoner understand and stand firm in the face of persecution is an
interpretation that needs to be viewed with great suspicion. As disciples of Christ in any age we need to
be less concerned with chronology than with holiness, less concerned with
putting current affairs on a chart of prophecy than the call to follow Christ
in the face of hardship.
Perhaps
it is because in America we have not faced meaningful and painful persecution
that we as Christians have become so distracted by times and epochs. As we read Revelation we must do so with this
thought in mind, “How does this call me to faithfulness to Christ in the face
of persecution, torture and the threat of death?” It is very unlikely that a prisoner facing
the death in an arena would have found encouragement in a 20th century, distant
prophecy about a computer (what- ever that might be) that was going to read a
micro chip (whatever that might be) and thereby was going to connect the whole
world to the Internet (whatever that might be).
Revelation is for every age. If an interpretation would not have helped
believers in every age, that interpretation needs to be rethought. Rather, let’s read this wonderful book from
the perspective of a disciple who wants to follow Christ no matter the
cost.
