Tag Archives: Judaism

Jewish Persecution of the Church Part 2

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Witness of The Books Of I Peter and II Peter

Peter addresses these Jewish Christians in the Dispersion as those who are living among Gentiles. The reproach they bore was “for the name of Christ,” 4:14. At this time it was only the Jews who distinguished between Jews who bore the Name of Christ and those who did not; to the Romans this was an internal Jewish argument. These people were suffering “as a Christian,” therefore, from the hands of the Jews. Indeed, the Jews had enjoyed a certain degree of immunity for the practice of their religion.* Claudius granted freedom of worship to the Jews. This applied to Christians who were born in the Jewish faith. It was only when they denied the Jewish faith and took the Name of Christ that they lost that immunity to Roman prosecution, (ibid., 357).[iii]Indeed, the Romans did not distinguish between Jews and Christians until the time of Nero. It is clear that they who bore reproach for the name of Christ were those redeemed from the Jewish traditions, the doctrine of the Pharisees:

 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers, I Peter 1:18.

They need no longer glory in their natural birth as Jews, for they had been “born again,” (1:23). Since Jesus, that Living Stone, had been rejected by men, namely Jews, the Christians were now Living Stones making up the Spiritual House and the Holy Priesthood, the Chosen People, (2:4-10). As alien residents in the Dispersion, they were therefore to walk blameless before the Gentiles also, I Peter 2:11-12.

The New Testament as the Primary Historical Source

Indeed, if we take the New Testament as the primary historical document, we must all agree that the source of persecution of Christianity was “the Jews.” In the Book of Revelation, we see that there were “synagogue(s) of satan” in Smyrna. These so-called Jews blasphemed when they called themselves by that name, “Jew.” Since satan = “the devil,” we know that these so-called “Jews” were the ones who would cast Christians into prison, where they would have tribulation, 2:10. This “synagogue of satan” was also in Philadelphia, 3:9. And it seems that in Pergamos also satan had a “seat” and dwelt there, 2:13.

The word thronos, translated “seat” in KJV, and “throne” in RSV means “the place of the residence of power.” In these three cities, we see that the synagogue was a place from which satan ruled. In chapter 12 we see the great red dragon, who is definitely identified as the devil and satan, 12:9. Then we see that this dragon gave power and a “seat,” (thronos), and great authority to the beast out of the sea, 13:2. This seems clearly to indicate that this sea-beast was driven by the satan of the synagogue. Then there was a beast out of the earth, 13:11, which caused people to worship the first beast. This close alliance of purpose between the earth-beast and the dragon indicate that he, too, was driven by the satan who was enthroned in the synagogue, that is, the religion of Judaism.

If the sea-beast can be identified with Rome, then it should be clear that the Roman persecution of Christians is motivated, instigated and driven by the wrath of satan as revealed in the Jewish religion. The earth-beast is out of the land, (equally translatable as “earth” or “land”), representing the Roman appointed Jewish rulers of Judea whose military power resided in Rome and whose religious power resided in the synagogues of Judaism. They were beasts, Gentiles not Jews, but they appeared to be lambs, i.e., Jews.

Thus the source of the tribulation that Christians of the first century endured was ultimately satan himself, but he worked through his henchmen, the Roman Empire and its stooges, the appointed kings and priests of Judea, operating in the power of the doctrine of the Pharisees, Judaism.

*This was a limited immunity as Claudius, in 41 AD, denied the Jews in Rome the right to hold meetings and ordered them to stop proselytizing.  In 49 he expelled some of the Jews from Rome for creating a disturbance, possibly a conflict with Christianity.  There was a real, hot war between Christians and Jews.

**For more thorough examination of Jewish persecution see pages 154-160 of my book Revelation In Context.

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Jewish Persecution Of The Church Part 1

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Revelation 1:9: “I, John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation ….”

Persecution: Roman or Jewish?

Is the persecution alluded to in the Book of Revelation from the Romans or from the Jews?* Many theologians and secular historians suppose that the persecution was from Rome. Others agree that if the Apocalypse “does refer to conditions in Asia Minor under Domitian it is the only source for such a persecution,” (Cary and Scullard, A History of Rome, pages 153.)

What do the New Testament and the Book of Revelation actually say about persecution of Christians? The theme of tribulation is first sounded in Revelation 1:9:

I, John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.

References to persecution in the Book of Acts reveal Jewish, not Roman, persecution. The Book of Acts was probably written after Paul’s imprisonment at Rome, probably 62-68 AD, but not later than the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD. It is probable that both Peter and Paul were victims of Nero’s persecution of Christians in Rome after the fire of 64. However, Acts must have been written before that time as Paul’s death is not mentioned. If the Book of Revelation were written in this same era, then Acts should make a relevant document for comparison of the theme of persecution. The source of persecution of the saints would most likely be the same in both books.

Bible References to Persecution of Christians*

References to persecution in Acts are as follows: Acts 4:3, 18, 21, 29, arrests and trials; 5:17-18, 33, 40, arrests, trials, beatings; 6:9-14, 7:54; 57-8:1, martyrdom of Stephen and persecution of the Church; 8:3, the Church ravaged and Christians imprisoned; 9:1-2, 13-14, 21, 23, Saul/Paul’s acts of persecution; 12:1-11; 13:45, 50; 14:5 (Jews with Gentiles), 19, 22; 15:26; 17:5-9, 13, 17; 18:6, 12; 19:9, 13-14, 33; 20:3, 19; 21:11, 27-35; 22:4, 22-25, 30; 23:12-35; 24:1-9, 24, 27; 25:2, 7-9, 15, 24; 26:9-11, 21; 28:19. (See above also for the list of references to the crucifixion of Christ since the crucifixion of Christ was attributed to “the Jews.” See also Acts 2:23, 36; 3:13-15; 4:10-11, 26-28; 5:30; 6:52; 10:40; 13:27-29).

Further allusions or references to persecution or tribulation in the Book of Revelation are: Revelation 2:9-13; 2:22; 3:9-10; 6:9-11; 7:14; 11:7-10; 12:4, 11, 13, 15, 17; 13:7; 15-17; 16:5-6; 17:2, 4, 6, 14; 18: 3-4, 6, 9, 20, 24; 19:2; 20:4; 21:4; 22:15.[i]Of these, 2:9-13 and 3:9 clearly refer directly to Jewish persecution. In addition to these, references to the martyrdom of Christ might also be seen as references to Jewish persecution. References to Christ’s martyrdom are as follows: 1:5, 7, 18; 2:8; 5:6, 9. The question remains as to whether or not the remaining references pertain to Roman persecution.

Christians as Good Citizens of Rome

As Harold Lindsell has pointed out: “The author [of Acts] is careful to point out that the Christians were not enemies of the Empire: every time the missionaries were brought before Roman authorities they were absolved of all charges of sedition or insurrection.”**

If there had been severe persecution from Rome, surely there would have been some mention of it here.  But instead we find that in every case the persecution is from “the Jews” or by their instigation. Since the persecution in the Book of Acts is from the Jews, not the Romans, why should we attribute that of the Book of Revelation to the Romans?

The Book of I Peter was also written in this same era, [AD 63-67], and has a strong theme of persecution. The addressees are Christians in northern Asia Minor, (see below), just as the Book of Revelation is addressed to the seven Churches in southern Asia Minor. Since the dates are similar and the addressees are similar, the source of persecution would very likely be the same. References to persecution in I Peter are as follows: 1:6; 3:9, 13-18; 4:1-2, 12-19.  Was this persecution from Rome?  It hardly seems so from the admonition in 2:13-15:

Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; 14 Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well. 15 For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men.

Here Roman authorities are seen to be friends of Christianity.

Jews of the Dispersion

It should be noted that I Peter is addressed to the “exiles of the Dispersion” specifically those in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, that is, northern Asia Minor.  The term “exiles of the Dispersion” is used specifically of Jews who have left Judea to live in another land.  The affairs in Judea at this particular time were such that many who were Christians fled from the political anarchy, religious persecution, and economic deprivation.  Pontus and Asia are specifically named in Acts 2:9 as places from which Jews had come to Jerusalem for the feast of Pentecost.  It is therefore likely that those who later fled from Judea went to areas where Jews already lived.

Indeed, we know from Paul’s missionary journeys that there were Jewish synagogues throughout the Roman world.  Many of these colonies in the Dispersion were more populous than in Judea itself.  There were especially large colonies in Babylon and Alexandria.  It is therefore evident that the persecutions in all the far-flung nations of the Roman world could have been by the Jews or at their instigation.  (See Acts 2:5-11; 6:9; of Christian Jews 8:1, 4-5; 11:19.)

The Testimony of Peter

Peter is expecting the “end,” that is, the end of the times predicted by Daniel for the destruction of the nation of Israel and its Temple: “But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer,” I Peter 4:7.  In the same way the Book of Revelation is about that “appointed time” of the end, “the time is at hand.” Revelation 1:3.

First Peter speaks specifically of the “Revelation of Jesus Christ“: in salvation, (1:5, 7, 13); and in glory, (5:1).  He believed this “Revelation” was “at hand.”  With Jeremiah 25:17-18 in view Peter says:

 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, [i.e. the Jews], what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? I Peter 4:17.

* References are not necessarily exhaustive.

**Harold Lindsell, “Introduction to the Acts of the Apostles,” Harper’s Study Bible, RSV, (Grand Rapids Michigan, Zondervan Bible Publishers, 1981), p. 1625.

TRIBULATION

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Revelation 1:9. Tribulation: “I, John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation.”

Purpose of the Writing

Discerning the purpose of any writing is crucial to its interpretation. Just so, in the Book of Revelation, what one discerns as its primary purpose colors every aspect of the interpretation of the Book. Many interpreters see the purpose of the Book as being to comfort those who are being persecuted. Those who thus interpret the purpose of the Book then usually interpret this persecution as coming from the Roman government.

There are therefore two questions to be examined: (1) Is the primary purpose of the Book to comfort those suffering persecution? And (2) is the persecution alluded to in the Book from the Romans or from the Jews? The question of the source of persecution is tied to the date of the writing.

Date of the Writing: 96 AD or 68 AD?

Those who see the date of writing as in Emperor Domitian’s reign, circa 96 AD, view the persecution as coming from the Roman Empire, and Mystery Babylon as Rome. These three facets of interpretation, i.e., (1) the date of writing, (2) the source of persecution, and (3) the identity of Mystery Babylon, all depend upon each other and neither of them can stand alone. If any one of them is totally proven, the others would be on much steadier ground. However, if any one of them is totally disproved, the others must fall with it.

Those who see the writing as being in Emperor Nero’s reign, about 64-68 AD, have the option to view the persecution as coming both from the Roman Empire (Rome, interpreted as the Beast), and Judaism, (Jerusalem), interpreted as Mystery Babylon. After reviewing Biblical and historical records, this is my view.*

Persecution Under Nero, circa 64 AD

The Roman persecution under Nero as described by the ancient Roman historian Tacitus[i] was probably not a general law against Christianity as such but a specific charge such as of arson. Tacitus had no respect for Christianity, but admitted that the charges of their having set fire to Rome in 64 AD were a “frame-up.” Whatever difficulties they may have encountered at this time in Rome, the modern historian Cary says: “There is no evidence for persecution outside Rome,” (ibid. note 27), and Nero’s ruthless treatment of Christians caused the general populous to pity them and to hate Nero even more, (ibid. 359).

The Church historians have little record or memory of the Neronian persecution. Other than Tacitus, they have the ancient historian Suetonias’ allusion to a disturbance in Rome caused by one “Chrestus” which may have been his mistaken conception of a Jewish uprising against the Christians in that city, (ibid. 639, n. 50).

Therefore, there is little evidence of widespread Roman persecution in Nero’s reign, but there is evidence that there was a “frame-up” against the Christians and a Jewish uprising against the Christians.

*(See Lesson 18: “The Writer and Date of Writing” in my Book, Revelation In Context.)

[i] As given by Cary and Scullard, History of Rome, 634, note 26-7.

Alpha and Omega Part 1 of Series

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Prologue to this series:

In Revelation 1:8 Christ identifies Himself as “Alpha and Omega.” He is here identifying Himself with the Holy Alphabet. It is necessary for us to learn the true meaning of this Alphabet in order to bring the highest honor to Jesus Christ and to warn against its misuse so that you will have nothing to do with its evil practices.

The doctrines called “Rabbinic Judaism” are making a tragic misuse of the Hebrew alphabet, making it popular as a medium for witchcraft and satanism. This practice is described in their writings called the Zohar. Be warned that it is even now being used, promoted, and practiced in what is called the Kabbala, (or Cabbala). This practice is also called “Hasidism” which has come to be used as a synonym for Judaism. It is one of Satan’s most wicked lies. Here I will show the true meaning of the Hebrew alphabet.

The Semitic Alphabet A Fit Symbol of Christ

The alphabet is a fit symbol of Christ for it is both human and divine. From its earthly mother it inherits its practical, utilitarian and mathematical nature; from God the Father of it and all other Lights, it inherits its generative powers to reproduce spiritual things: Truth, Beauty, Inspiration, Faith, Hope, and Charity.

The ancient Semitic alphabet has spread throughout the world to many languages and cultures. Consequently, it has been used in multitudes of ways and has followed various lines of development. Much of the original idea of the alphabet has been lost in some of its lines of transmission. Here I will try to show what the original alphabetic idea is in the canonical Scriptures and how it is used as a fit symbol of Christ in that context.

We must receive this revelation of Christ as the alphabet by examining the words in their context. The context must not be sought in the later speculations of Pharisaic Judaism.[5] Nor is the usage in the Book of Revelation related to the later mystical writings of the Gnostics nor the magical writings of the Kabbalists.[6] We must rather look to the canonical Scriptures and to the historical and cultural milieu preceding and during the time of the writing of the Apocalypse of John.

[5] For example among the non-canonical apocalyptic writings are the Alphabets of Rabbi Akiba:
“Apocalyptic Literature, 6. The Alphabets of R. Akiba,”( 680-1). “The chief center of thought of all of them [i.e. the Alphabets,] is the mystical signification, already mentioned in the Talmud, of the letters of the alphabet and of their written forms, and the mysteries of the names of God made up of four, twelve, and forty-two letters. In the Jerusalem Talmud (Hagigah.ii.77c) there is a dissertation on the letters by means of which the world was created, and there, as in these writings, it is stated that the present world was created with He (ה_) and the future with Yod (י_), and eschatological theories are built up out of the forms of these letters.
“In the Babylonian Talmud (Shabbath. 104a), also, all sorts of similar interpretations are given in regard to the names, forms, and combinations of the various letters, and are made to bear upon eschatological questions in the same way as in these apocalypses. In Kiddushin 71a, it is said that the mysteries of the three names of God were treated as esoteric doctrine and that whoever became thoroughly initiated into the mystery of the name consisting of forty-two letters might be sure of inheriting both the present and the future world. Similarly, R. Akiba, the reputed author of the ‘Alphabets,’ is especially commended in the Talmud as interpreter of the strokes, dots, and flourishes of the letters (compare, for example, Men. 29b; see also Akiba Ben Joseph),” (Jewish Encyclopedia, JE, see note 45 above).
Some scholars attempt to show that these “Alphabets” borrow their theosophical speculation from the writings of Islam, (“especially in ‘Monatschrift,’ viii.115 et seq.”), however:

“Later Jewish literature had the widest and deepest influence on the formation and development of the views and teachings of Islam ….From the presence of mystical speculations about the essence and being of God, etc., in the Arabic literature, similar to those in the Neo-Hebrew, it is quite impossible to conclude that they found their way from the former into the latter; rather would the opposite conclusion be justified” (ibid.).

[6] See “Kabbalah (Cabalah)” and “Zohar”, The New Jewish Encyclopedia, Revised edition, eds. David Bridger, Samuel Wolk, (Behrman House, Inc., Publisher. 1976).

Next Lesson: Alpha and Omega Part 2 of Series

Lesson 9 Of Series – Christ Revealed As Judge In The Destruction of Jerusalem

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Christ Revealed As Judge

Another way in which the destruction of Jerusalem served to reveal Christ was in His role as Judge upon the fleshly nation, Israel. John 5:22, 23: “For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son: (23) That all men should honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. He that honoureth not the Son, honoureth not the Father which hath sent Him.” ( See also John 12:31, 32.)

The fiery judgment upon Jerusalem, the War and subsequent dispersion of the remaining people terminated forever the age of the fleshly identity of the nation. Ladd speaks of John the Baptist’s witness that Jesus would baptize with the Holy Ghost and with fire: “The fiery judgment would suggest an event terminating this age and initiating the Age to Come.”*

The Surviving Jews Rejected the Book Of Revelation

Even when Christ’s prophesies came to pass, many of the surviving Jews continued to put their trust in their fleshly genealogies or in the outward forms of Judaism. For them, Christ’s prophecies were a threat of extinction and so was intolerable. With all the ferocity of those fighting for their very lives, they resisted His teachings. The fact that the Book of Revelation showed this event as a glorious triumph of the saints and as the source of rejoicing in heaven maddened those who saw their legitimacy eliminated and caused fierce opposition against the Book in its early period of existence. Many early manuscripts of the Book , probably those written in the original Hebrew, were all burned in this early period, only the Greek translations survived as far as we now know. This ferocious opposition to the Book accounts for the fact that it was written in the apocalyptic genre using a kind of code fully understood only by those immersed in Christian doctrine.

Christian Faith Vindicated

For the Christian Jews, – and the great majority of Christians at that time were genetically Jews, – the Book was an account of the vindication of their faith in Christ, showing His triumph over all other claimants to the inheritance rights, destroying their grounds for persecution of the saints, completing the fulfillment of every prophecy, every promise, every hope of Light and Life. To them the Book of Revelation was worth every effort to preserve it. The Book itself became one of the focal points of division between the two rival religions, Judaism and Christianity.

Christianity claimed to be, in Christ, the only surviving remnant of the old nation of Israel, partly because of the account of the destruction of the fallen nation in this Book. The canonization of the Book by the Christian community represented the official declaration of their claim to be the surviving Chosen People. Canonization means that the Church accepted it as the Word of God, Holy Scripture.

*Ladd, George. A Theology of the New Testament. William B. Eerdman’s Publishing Co. Grand Rapids, Michigan. 1974.