The Fall of Rome (Ephesians 6)

The Fall of Rome (Ephesians 6)

Ephesians 6.10-11 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. [nkjv]

The Roman Empire was one of the most powerful and influential in human history. At its territorial peak, it controlled approximately 6,500,000 square kilometers of land surface. In fact, Roman influence on language, religion, architecture, philosophy, law and government are still evident today all around the globe.

One of the strengths of the Roman Empire was its military. The Roman army was highly structured and one of the most disciplined military organizations ever. Soldiers trained daily. The threat of severe punishment was used to keep order in the ranks. Minor punishments included the reduction of a soldier's food ration, while corporal punishment and execution was used for more serious offenses such as falling asleep on duty or leaving your post during a battle.

But this vast empire met its downfall. Although there are many contributing factors as to why this happened, most historians agree that Rome brought about her own demise.

Having conquered the world, soldiers became more relaxed and stopped their daily exercises and training. They convinced their officers that their weapons were too heavy and so the sword and shield were put aside. Eventually the neighboring Goths and Huns attacked and the once powerful Roman army was easily overwhelmed.

As Christians, we are in a fight and our adversary is the devil. It's a spiritual battle. To be victorious Paul is telling us that there are two things we need to do; we need to be strong in the Lord and we must put on the whole armour of God.

It's not enough to just do one without the other. If you take a weak man and put him in the best armour, he will still fall. And if you take a strong man and give him little armour, he is exposed and vulnerable.

The Amplified Bible says that to be strong in the Lord is to 'be empowered through our union with Him'. This 'union' is crucial. Our strength in battle is directly related to the strength of our relationship with God. We need to ensure that we don't neglect doing those things which help build that relationship. Things like prayer and reading God's Word.

Just like the Roman soldiers, when we relax and stop our daily disciplines, we put ourselves in a dangerous position. The attack may not come straight away but it is inevitable. The question I ask myself is, if the enemy launched an attack on my life today, would I stand or would I fall?

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Prison Break! (Esther 7)

Prison Break! (Esther 7)

Esther 7.10 So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the king’s wrath subsided. [nkjv]

On the 19th December 1965, Ronald Joseph Ryan and Peter John Walker put a daring plan into action to escape from Pentridge Prison in Melbourne, Victoria. As prison officers were taking turns attending a staff Christmas party, the men scaled a five-metre prison wall with the aid of two wooden benches, a hook and blankets. They overpowered a prison warden and took his weapon. After a series of bungled attempts, they finally managed to open the outer prison gate and escape into the car park, and out onto Sydney Rd. By this time the alarm had sounded and prison guards were converging quickly on their location.

People abandoned their vehicles and ran for cover and trams banked up as these two armed men caused havoc at the busy intersection of Sydney Rd and O'Hea St. In the confusion that followed prison warder George Hodgson was shot and killed while trying to apprehend the escapees. He died on Sydney Rd.

Both men were eventually recaptured after 19 days on the run.

On the 3rd February 1967 Ronald Joseph Ryan entered the history books as the last person legally executed in Australia. He was found guilty of killing a prison officer during his escape from Pentridge Prison in 1965 and sentenced to death by hanging. With thousands of people protesting outside the prison and all calls for clemency denied, Ryan refused any sedatives and walked calmly to the gallows trapdoor. The hangman wasted no time and quickly pulled the lever. A nationwide three minute silence was observed at the exact time Ryan was hanged. His execution created massive public outrage and eventually lead to the abolition of the death penalty.

During ancient times, hanging was just as gruesome as it was in 1967 however back then it was usually done after the execution, not usually as a means of execution itself. Simply stringing someone up to a tree wasn't enough for the ancient Persians. The word 'gallows' mentioned here is a pointed stake set upright in the ground. In this case Haman had ordered it built 25 meters high. The intention was that Mordecai would be arrested, placed on the sharp point and then pulled down by his legs till the stake that went in passed up through his body, coming out through his neck. Haman would take great delight in the fact that Mordecai wouldn't die a quick death but would spend his last hours in excruciating agony.

This was the death planned for Mordecai but because of the love one woman had for her people, became Haman's ultimate fate. The guilty died in place of the innocent.

Fast forward a few hundred years into the future and we see history repeating itself. Satan had a plan to rid the world of the One who caused him so much humiliation. He stirred up the crowd, manipulated those in authority and falsely accused Jesus Christ, the Son of God of all manner of sin. They took Him and crucified Him to a tree, a gruesome form of capital punishment adapted by the Romans from the Persians.

This time around though it was the innocent who died for the guilty!

Because of my sin, I am the one who should have been punished, yet it was Jesus who took my place so I can walk free. During those excruciating hours, while hanging between heaven and earth, Jesus lifted up His head and said "Father forgive them for they know not what they do."

He did that so I can be free!

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