Proactive Probation Officers
Proactive.
Now there's a word you hear a lot of these days, proactive. Just what does that word conjure up in your thoughts when you hear it? To me it means I'm going to actively do something rather than sit around hoping someone else might do it. If I take a proactive stance it's one that is advocating action towards something rather than inaction. Proactive is basically taking steps, taking action hoping to be ahead of the game so to speak, to perhaps even ward off something undesirable in the future. If I take a proactive step against insects invading my house I might lay down poison outside to prevent them from getting in. I might even get a few of those electronic pest control devices, I might also have on hand spray cans of insect control poison so I can be ready just in case they breach all my barriers I've set up. I might not wait until they've invaded to act but rather be prepared before they do and stay ready for what some might consider inevitable here in Southwest Florida. If I slack off and forget to renew the outside poison and the rain and wind along with the hot sun wear it away then I'm at a great risk for insect invasion. If my proactive steps cease then I'm setting myself up for disaster of the creepy crawly kind.
There is a lot to say for being proactive. I believe all of God's probation officers need to be proactive. You can't be one who forewarns of the impending end of probation if you're not doing the warning part. If the whole of the earths occupants are on probation and probation is almost up and your fate is to be decided based on your actions during probation, it's not time to fall asleep and grow lackadaisical. If those all around you risk their probation period coming to an end at any moment don't they need to know that they are on probation?
What? You think everyone automatically knows? Well, a lot of people do and surely most adults realize that they're eventually going to die and then their fate is decided, but most are under the impression that they'll be okay one way or another. Even those that proudly announce they're going to hell so to speak- going to the grave and they aren't going to be with Jesus in heaven when he returns- even they somehow think things will work out for them and life or rather life after life won't be such a bad thing. Some even truly believe they are living in life after death right now and it's as bad as things will ever get for them. More than a few understand that things won't be pleasant for them later on and so they are trying to make the best of things right here and now- the best of things meaning have as much fun and self-indulgance as possible because this is as good as it's gonna get for them. Cease the moment and live in it without thoughts for consequences. So yeah, a lot of people understand that there are choices to make and a lot want to put it off until later or just don't want to bother at all for one reason or another. Life's probation is real and we that believe in the reality of it are duty bound to be witnesses to that fact.
Jesus' entire ministry was spent preaching about eternal life in Him, by His grace and love. People came up to Him asking what they had to do to be saved, to have this eternal life He talked of and Jesus told them. Love God, love others. Jesus died preaching eternity in Him and His love.
1 John {1:1} That which was from the beginning, which we have
heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have
looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of
life; {1:2} (For the life was manifested, and we have seen
[it,] and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life,
which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;)
{1:3} That which we have seen and heard declare we unto
you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our
fellowship [is] with the Father, and with his Son Jesus
Christ. {1:4} And these things write we unto you, that your
joy may be full.
Witnesses! Proactive declarer-s of Jesus' life and in Him life eternal.
1 John {5:5} Who is he that overcometh the
world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?
{5:6} This is he that came by water and blood, [even] Jesus
Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is
the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth.
{5:7} For there are three that bear record in heaven, the
Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are
one. {5:8} And there are three that bear witness in earth, the
spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in
one. {5:9} If we receive the witness of men, the witness of
God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath
testified of his Son. {5:10} He that believeth on the Son of
God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God
hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record
that God gave of his Son. {5:11} And this is the record, that
God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
{5:12} He that hath the Son hath life; [and] he that hath not
the Son of God hath not life. {5:13} These things have I
written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of
God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye
may believe on the name of the Son of God. {5:14} And
this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask
any thing according to his will, he heareth us: {5:15} And if
we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that
we have the petitions that we desired of him.
3 John {1:5} Beloved, thou doest faithfully
whatsoever thou doest to the brethren, and to strangers;
{1:6} Which have borne witness of thy charity before the
church: whom if thou bring forward on their journey after a
godly sort, thou shalt do well: {1:7} Because that for his
name’s sake they went forth, taking nothing of the Gentiles.
{1:8} We therefore ought to receive such, that we might be
fellowhelpers to the truth.
Fellowhelpers to the truth! Witnesses!
Rev. {1:4} John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace
[be] unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which
was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits
which are before his throne; {1:5} And from Jesus Christ,
[who is] the faithful witness, [and] the first begotten of the
dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that
loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood
Jesus Christ the faithful witness! He alone has been the perfect witness of life in God, of life everlasting in the Father.
Rev. {3:14} And unto the angel of the church of the
Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful
and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God
The faithful and true witness! Jesus!
Rev. {20:4} And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and
judgment was given unto them: and [I saw] the souls of
them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for
the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast,
neither his image, neither had received [his] mark upon their
foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with
Christ a thousand years.
Beheaded for the witness of Jesus and for the word of God.
Killed witnessing of Jesus, killed for witnessing the word of God.
Is probation a serious thing? Things don't get more serious than probation and realizing that life now is our probation and life soon will be when probation is over and our fates decided. May our fates be such that we are declared witnesses of Jesus, faithful witnesses, even if that means death because we hold fast to that witness and never cease.
May the grace and mercy of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ be ours now and forever as we seek to witness of Him, for Him, in Him as probation for the world quickly runs out. May we through the Holy Spirit remain stedfast in Christ's love no matter what we are called to endure whether it's something life threatening or whether it is to remain stedfast as a witness to those who are around us who say they love us. No matter what road we are called to travel let it be forever the road that leads to the cross, to eternal life in our beloved Savior, Jesus Christ the Righteous.
Amen.
7/30/10
1Jn 3:16 Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
We perceive the love of God…our perception of how God loves us is knowing that He laid down His life for us. We hear of people who in trying to help others lose their lives and we call them heroes. We know in history of people who voluntarily die so others don't have to. Again we call them heroes and in truth their actions are heroic. Giving up your life voluntarily isn't something many would do.
In our day and age we find it hard to put our selves out on little things, and we try and console our conscience with the belief that if we REALLY had to we could lay down our lives for our fellowman.
Sure, I might count it a burden to be asked to do something for you (especially if I'm in the middle of doing something I want to do, or have to do), but ask me to die for you and I'm right on it. Is that logical? Is it self-deception? If we can't be kind to our brethren in small things why do we delude ourselves into believing we'll be able to do something much more spectacular later on if needed? The whole - I'll be there when you REALLY need me, but not in all these little things can be explained away. We see it in movies and read it in books don't we? The grumpy ol' guy ending up being the sweet, caring man because of some big life transforming would be tragedy he found in his heart to avert at the very last moment. It's the Grinch Who Stole Christmas story told in a thousand ways so it's no wonder people believe that when it really matters they'll be able to come through. Do people ever stop to ask themselves what if there is no grand finale? What if their life is wholly made up of countless opportunities to show love in the small things? I'm not saying that we shouldn't be ready to 'lay down our lives for the brethren.' We should, but read on...
1Jn 3:17 But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?
God's love cannot dwell in us if we don't have compassion for others in all things, in little things, when they are in need. How compassionate are we? In a world where we have supposedly comedic television shows recording people humiliating others, watching others humiliate themselves, and we know someone is behind that camera showing NO compassion at all, it makes me sick to my stomach. People are enjoying the misfortune of others, using them for their amusement, to make money. No, the entire world doesn't lack compassion- we have other shows televising special concerts and such to raise money to help the needy. There is a lot of compassion, but there is also a huge lack of compassion. We have to answer to God only for ourselves and our own actions. Do we lack compassion? Have we hardened our hearts to others wanting them to fend for themselves just like we have to? How far does our compassion extend- does it reach to the completely undeserving? Do we try and determine who really deserves our compassion? Does the abusive drug addict deserve our compassion? Do we give money to a homeless person who is shaking from withdrawal? Do we only let our compassion go so far as to help as we believe help should be given- do we hand them a sandwich and a bottle of water rather than money because we don't want our money to support their drug habit? Yet what if unbeknown to us the person suffers from a disease that causes the shaking? What if the sandwich and water won't buy the medicine they need? Do we judge based on our perceptions? Do we believe that if only we knew we would have reacted differently? Our compassion has to go beyond our perception. Our compassion has to result in seeing a need and meeting it even if that means taking the time to figure out a need rather than assuming one. What about the person we believe might be lying to us? We don't want to be duped, right? Giving money to a person who isn't poor at all, but rather makes a living seeking money from strangers. Does our compassion extend to those who lie to us? It has to doesn't it? We can't *play* God, that's God's job, not ours. The lies of others are on their own conscience, our ability to be compassionate to any in need is on ours.
1Jn 3:18 My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.
Too many love in word-- letting their tongues run wild. Too many seem loving and very compassionate on the outside by the things they say. We need to love in deed- in action- and in truth. God knows how truthful we are…do we?
1Jn 3:19 And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him.
1Jn 3:20 For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.
1Jn 3:21 Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God.
When we love in deed and in truth we know we are of truth and we can assure our hearts before God.
Our hearts will condemn us but praise to our loving God He is greater than our hearts and KNOWS ALL things. We can have confidence towards God- if our hearts don't condemn us.
Does your heart condemn you? Are you not loving in deed and truth? We can plead for forgiveness and begin anew seeking to love in deed and in truth. We can pray for a loving heart filled with compassion in all things, not just in things we choose. I know I'm not nearly as compassionate as I need to be especially to those closest to me. It's too easy to take advantage of those who are close to us expecting they'll forgive us, or feeling we are more put out by them. Sometimes it's easier to have compassion on strangers and we need to pray to our Lord and Savior to have compassion on all- as He would, as He has, as He does.
'let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.'
Remember…
Col 3:23 And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men
By His amazing love, by His grace and mercy! Through His righteousness! All glory, praise, and honor to our Savior now and forever!!!
Amen.
7/30/11
Dan 11:24 'He shall enter peaceably even upon the
fattest places of the province; and he shall do that which his fathers have not
done, nor his fathers' fathers; he shall scatter among them the prey, and
spoil, and riches…'
Augustus was able
to do what his fathers hadn't, nor his father's father… he brought peace. With
peace however came the end of the constant battling and
yet he had to keep up his armies. The armies enjoyed special privileges
because of this. Pax Romana was introduced…
'Pax Romana
(Latin for "Roman peace") was the long period of relative peace and minimal
expansion by military force experienced by the Roman Empire in the 1st and 2nd
centuries AD. Since it was established by Caesar Augustus it is sometimes
called Pax Augusta. Its span was about 207 years (27 BC to 180 AD).[1]'
'The concept of
Pax Romana was first described by Edward Gibbon in The Decline and Fall of the
Roman Empire, in Chapter Two. Gibbon proposed a period of moderation under
Augustus and his successors and argued that generals bent on expansion (e.g.
Germanicus, Agricola and Corbulo) were checked and recalled by the Emperors
during their victories favouring consolidation ahead of further expansion.
Gibbon lists the Roman conquest of Britain under Claudius and the conquests of
Trajan as exceptions to this policy of moderation and places the end of the
period at the death of Marcus Aurelius in 180 AD, despite the conclusion of
peace by the latter's son Commodus later in the same year. During the Pax
Romana, the area of Roman rule expanded to about five million square kilometres
(two million square miles).'
*
'Augustus faced a
problem making peace an acceptable mode of life for the Romans, who had been at
war with one power or another continuously for 200 years.[2] Romans regarded
peace not as an absence of war, but the rare situation that existed when all
opponents had been beaten down and lost the ability to resist.[3] Augustus'
challenge was to persuade Romans that the prosperity they could achieve in the
absence of warfare was better for the Empire than the potential wealth and honor
acquired when fighting a risky war. Augustus succeeded by means of skillful
propaganda. Subsequent emperors followed his lead, sometimes producing lavish
ceremonies to close the Gates of Janus, issuing coins with Pax on the reverse,
and patronizing literature extolling the benefits of the Pax Romana.[2]'
Pasted
from <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pax_Romana>
*
Keeping other
*strongholds* from becoming strong enough to devise against him was a task that
had to be undertaken and was done so successfully.
Daniel
11:24 '...yea, and he shall forecast his devices against the strong holds, even
for a time. '
'The provinces of
the empire (as they have been described in the
preceding
chapter) were destitute of any public force, or constitutional
freedom. In
Etruria, in Greece, [28] and in Gaul, [29] it was the first
care of the
senate to dissolve those dangerous confederacies, which
taught mankind
that, as the Roman arms prevailed by division, they might
be resisted by
union. Those princes, whom the ostentation of gratitude
or generosity
permitted for a while to hold a precarious sceptre, were
dismissed from
their thrones, as soon as they had per formed their
appointed task of
fashioning to the yoke the vanquished nations.
The
free states and cities which had embraced the cause of Rome
were
rewarded with a nominal alliance, and insensibly sunk into real
servitude.
The public authority was every where exercised by the
ministers of the
senate and of the emperors, and that authority was
absolute, and
without control. [291] But the same salutary maxims of
government, which
had secured the peace and obedience of Italy were
extended to the
most distant conquests. A nation of Romans was gradually
formed in the
provinces, by the double expedient of introducing
colonies, and of
admitting the most faithful and deserving of the
provincials to
the freedom of Rome.'
Pasted from-
Title: The History of The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire
Volume 1 Author: Edward Gibbon Commentator: H. H. Milman
Posting Date:
June 7, 2008 [EBook #731] Release Date: November, 1996 Language: English
*** START OF THIS
PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DECLINE OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE ***
History reveals
that the Roman Empire was to remain a relative peace for so long because it kept
all those who might have had a chance to work up an army against them- in check-
under the Roman thumb.
*
How long would
this new and much different sort of life last? Dan. 11:24 '...even for a time.' As we learned a while back in
studying prophecy 'a time' stands for something. A year. A Biblical year is 360
days. A prophetic year equal 360
years. So if this time of Rome
rule and relative peace under the Romans was to last 360 years what year would
that bring us to if we take the date when the decisive battle of Actium was won
and Augustus became the First Citizen of Rome- 31BC
then that brings us to 330 AD (accounting for the '0' transition year as
we also noted previously - think number timeline negative to positive
numbers)
Did anything
momentous happen in 330AD?
• May 11 –
Emperor Constantine the Great dedicates Constantinople, or Nova Roma (modern
Istanbul), and moves the capital of the Roman Empire there from Rome. He has
spent 4 years building the city on the site of ancient Byzantium; having chosen
the site for its strategic location (a seaport with easy access to Anatolia and
the Danube).
Pasted
from <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/330>
*
But first before
we get ahead of ourselves too far we have to continue into the time BEFORE that
appointed time. Things were to
happen, many things that need to be pointed out so there would be NO doubt as to
the Roman power in control here.
Is it any wonder we are being shown this several times?
Seriously, Rome- the legs of iron.
Rome the power in control at the time of our Savior's birth, life, and
death! Rome- the power that would eventually be divided but NEVER disappear
fully- not until our Savior returns.
We cannot forget this very, very important point here. The legs of iron,
the little horn power, which so prominently figure into prophecy. Those feet of
iron mingled with clay would stand until crushed under the entering of the
stone made without hands- our Savior's return and the end of the world as we
know it. There would have been a MUCH different prophetic picture if we weren't
to focus so heavily upon the Roman kingdom brought into play after Greece,
which came into existence as a power after the Medes and Persians, which came
to their height of power after Babylon.
These are HISTORIC FACTS!
The existence of this power would have influence until our Savior returns
the same power that was in control when our Savior walked the earth. The pagan
Rome power became papal Rome power and that power has never ended entirely
though it's gone through various transitions, in fact the Papacy today is
exceedingly proud of its 2000 year history, exceedingly proud!
So yes, it makes
a lot of sense for Rome to be a major, major focus, an undeniable focus that
warranted detail after detail in this vision given, so there would be no doubt
as to the power of this force, no doubt whatsoever.
There is no doubt in my mind how these puzzle pieces of prophecy are
fitting together. Very, very seldom is a puzzle ever put together in one
continuous motion, but rather there is a piecing together, a weaving, an
interlocking as the pieces are given.
History had to unfold, details of that history had to be recorded for all
time. When the little book was opened and man was ready to find comprehension as
the last cries for man to find their Savior were to begin to go forth with
power, this was when the puzzle was truly begun and the pieces began to be put
into their proper places.
Because the
prophecy extends down to the very end we have not lived to that end, but we are
found in there as those who are living in the time before Christ's return. We have a special admonition to watch
and pray or we'll be taken unaware.
By the grace of God we will NOT be taken unaware, but found in Him fully
known by Him!
So continuing
on...
Dan 11:25 And he shall stir up his power and his
courage against the king of the south with a great army; and the king of the
south shall be stirred up to battle with a very great and mighty army; but he
shall not stand: for they shall forecast devices against him.
Dan 11:26 Yea, they that feed of the portion of
his meat shall destroy him, and his army shall overflow: and many shall fall
down slain.
Dan 11:27 And both these kings' hearts shall be
to do mischief, and they shall speak lies at one table; but it shall not
prosper: for yet the end shall be at the time appointed.
Dan 11:28 Then shall he return into his land with
great riches; and his heart shall be against the holy covenant; and he shall do
exploits, and return to his own land.
Is there a force
that pits the King of the North with the King of the South in a great battle?
Yes. We've gone over some of this before but now we have added details to look
at.
Dan 11:26 Yea, they that feed of the portion of
his meat shall destroy him, and his army shall overflow: and many shall fall
down slain.
Dan 11:27 And both these kings' hearts shall be
to do mischief, and they shall speak lies at one table; but it shall not
prosper: for yet the end shall be at the time appointed.
The next bit from
Wikipedia is lengthy but PLEASE take the time to read it.
*******
The final war of
the Roman Republic, also known as Antony's civil war or the war between Antony
and Octavian, was the last of the Roman civil wars of the republic, fought
between Cleopatra (assisted by Mark Antony) and Octavian. After the Roman Senate
declared war on the Egyptian queen Cleopatra, Antony, her lover and ally,
betrayed the Roman government and joined the war on Cleopatra’s side. After the
decisive victory for Octavian at the Battle of Actium, Cleopatra and Antony
withdrew to Alexandria, where Octavian besieged the city until both Antony and
Cleopatra committed suicide.
Following the end
of the war, Octavian brought peace to the Roman state that had been plagued by a
century of civil wars. Octavian became the most powerful man in the Roman world
and the Senate bestowed upon him the name of Augustus in 27 BC. Octavian, now
Augustus, would be the first Roman Emperor and would transform the
oligarchic/democratic Republic into the autocratic Roman Empire.
The last
Republican Civil War would mark the beginning of the Pax Romana, which remains
the longest period of peace and stability that Europe has seen in recorded
history.
Political and
military buildup
The Caesarians
Octavian (Caesar's principal, though not sole, heir), Mark Antony, and Marcus
Lepidus under the Second Triumvirate had stepped in to fill the power vacuum
caused by Julius Caesar's assassination. After the Triumvirate had defeated
Marcus Junius Brutus and Gaius Cassius Longinus at the Battle of Philippi (42
BC) and Lepidus was expelled from the Triumvirate (36 BC), Octavian and Antony
were left as the two most powerful men in the Roman world. Octavian took
control of the west, including Hispania, Gaul, Italia, and Africa. Antony
received control of the east, including Graecia, Asia, Syria and Aegyptus.
For a time, Rome
saw peace. Octavian put down revolts in the west while Antony reorganized the
east; however, the peace was short lived. Antony had been having an affair with
the queen of Egypt, Cleopatra. Rome, especially Octavian, took note of Antony’s
actions. Since 40 BC, Antony had been married to Octavia Minor, the sister of
Octavian. Octavian seized the opportunity and had his minister Gaius Maecenas
produce a propaganda campaign against Antony.
All of Rome felt
astonished when they heard word of Antony’s Donations of Alexandria. In these
donations, Antony ceded much of Rome’s territory in the east to Cleopatra.
Cleopatra and Caesarion were crowned co-rulers of Egypt and Cyprus; Alexander
Helios was crowned ruler of Armenia, Media, and Parthia; Cleopatra Selene II
was crowned ruler of Cyrenaica and Libya; and Ptolemy Philadelphus was crowned
ruler of Phoenicia, Syria, and Cilicia. Cleopatra took the title of Queen of
Kings and Caesarion took the title of King of Kings.
In response,
Octavian increased the personal attacks against Antony, but the Senate and
people of Rome were not convinced. Octavian’s chance came when Antony married
Cleopatra in 32 BC before he divorced Octavia. That action combined with
information that Antony was planning to establish a second Senate in Alexandria
created the perfect environment for Octavian to strip Antony of his power.
Octavian summoned
the Senate and accused Antony of anti-Roman sentiments. Octavian had illegally
seized Antony’s will from the Temple of Vesta. In it, Antony recognized
Caesarion as Caesar's legal heir, left his possessions to his children by
Cleopatra, and finally indicated his desire to be buried with Cleopatra in
Alexandria instead of in Rome. The Senators were not moved by Caesarion or
Antony’s children but Antony’s desire to be buried outside of Rome invoked the
Senate’s rage. Octavian, the natural politician he was, blamed Cleopatra and
not Antony. The Senate declared war on Cleopatra, and Octavian knew that Antony
would come to her aid.
When Cleopatra
received word that Rome had declared war, Antony threw his support to Egypt.
Immediately, the Senate stripped Antony of all his official power and labeled
him as an outlaw and a traitor. Octavian summoned all of his legions, numbered
at almost 200,000 Roman legionaries. Cleopatra and Antony did the same,
assembling roughly the same number in mixed heavy Roman and light Egyptian
infantry.
The War
Naval
theater
The Battle of
Actium was the decisive battle of the naval theater.
By mid-summer of
31 BC, Antony maneuvered his army into Greece and Octavian soon followed.
Octavian brought with him his chief military advisor and closest friend Marcus
Vipsanius Agrippa to command his naval forces. Although the ground forces were
comparable, Octavian's fleet was superior. Antony's fleet was made up of large
vessels, but with inexperienced crews and commanders. Octavian's fleet of
smaller, more maneuverable vessels was filled with experienced sailors.
Octavian moved
his soldiers cross the Adriatic Sea to confront Antony near Actium. Meanwhile,
Agrippa disrupted Antony's supply lines with the navy. Gaius Sosius commanded a
squadron in Mark Anthony's fleet with which he managed to defeat the squadron
of Lucius Arruntius and put it to flight, but when the latter was reinforced by
Marcus Agrippa, Sosius's ally Tarcondimotus - the king of Cilicia - was killed
and Sosius himself was forced to flee.
Octavian decided
not to attack and risk unnecessary losses. Instead, Octavian wanted to battle
Antony by sea where his experienced sailors could dominate. In response, Antony
and Octavian engaged in Fabian strategy until the time was right. As the summer
ended and autumn began to set in, both Octavian and Antony settled for a battle
of attrition. The strategy of delay paid dividends to Octavian's cause, as
morale sank and prominent Romans deserted Antony's cause.
The first
conflict of the war occurred when Octavian's general Agrippa captured the Greek
city and naval port of Methone. The city had previously been loyal to Antony.
Although Antony was an experienced soldier, he did not understand naval combat,
which led to his downfall. Antony moved his fleet to Actium where Octavian’s
navy and army had taken camp. In what would become known as the Battle of
Actium, Antony, on September 2, 31 BC, moved his large quinqueremes through the
strait and into the open sea. There, Octavian’s light and maneuverable Liburnian
ships drew in battle formation against Antony’s warships. Cleopatra stayed
behind Antony’s line on her royal barge.
A
devastating blow to Antony’s forces came when one of Antony’s former generals
delivered to Octavian Antony’s battle plan. Antony had hoped to use his
biggest ships to drive back Agrippa's wing on the north end of his line, but
Octavian's entire fleet stayed carefully out of range. Shortly after mid-day,
Antony was forced to extend his line out from the protection of the shore, and
then finally engage the enemy. Octavian's fleet, armed with better trained and
fresher crews, made quick work of Antony’s larger and less experienced navy.
Octavian’s soldiers had spent years fighting in Roman naval combat, where one
objective was to ram the enemy ship and at the same time kill the above deck
crew with a shower of arrows and catapult-launched stones large enough to
decapitate a man.
As the armies
stood on either side of the naval battle, they watched as Antony was being
outmatched by Agrippa. Seeing that the battle was going against Antony,
Cleopatra's fleet retreated to open sea without firing a shot, leaving Antony to
fight for himself. As a gap opened in Agrippa's blockade, she funneled through,
and was soon closely followed by Antony's command ships.
The commanders of Antony's land forces, which were supposed to follow him to
Asia, promptly surrendered their legions without a fight. Antony retreated to a
smaller vessel with his flag and managed to escape to Alexandria. By the end of
the day, Antony’s entire fleet would lie at the bottom of the sea and the Roman
world had witnessed the largest naval battle in almost 200 years.
Land
campaign
With Octavian now
in control of nearly 60 legions (approximately 360,000 men), he was left as the
indisputable master of the Roman world. Although Octavian wanted to immediately
pursue Antony and Cleopatra, many of his veterans wanted to retire and return
to private life. Octavian allowed many of his longest serving veterans (as many
as 10 legions by some accounts) to retire. Many of those legionaries could
trace their service to Julius Caesar some 20 years earlier.
After the winter
ended, Octavian resumed the hunt. In the spring of 30 BC, Octavian rejected the
idea of transporting his army across the sea and attacking Alexandria directly,
and instead traveled by land through Asia. Antony had received much of his
backing from Rome’s client kingdoms in the east. By marching his army by land,
he ensured Antony could not regroup and cement his authority over the
provinces.
The Death of
Cleopatra by Reginald Arthur.
Meanwhile, Antony
attempted to secure an army in Cyrenaica from Lucius Pinarius.
Unfortunately for Antony, Pinarius had switched his loyalty to Octavian.
When Octavian received word of this development, he ordered Pinarius to move his
four legions east towards Alexandria while Octavian would move west. Trapped in
Egypt with the remnant of his former army, Antony and Cleopatra bided their time
awaiting Octavian's arrival.
When Octavian and
Pinarius arrived at Alexandria, they placed the entire city under siege. Before
Octavian had arrived, Antony took the roughly 10,000 soldiers he had left and
attacked Pinarius, unaware that he was outnumbered 2 to 1. Pinarius destroyed
what was left of Antony’s army with Antony escaping back to Alexandria before
Octavian arrived. As Octavian approached with his legions, what remained of
Antony's cavalry and fleet surrendered to Octavian. Most of Antony’s infantry
surrendered without any engagement at this stage of the conflict, they were
Italian veterans and Antony's cause was lost.
Antony was forced
to watch as his army and hopes of dominance in Rome were handed to Octavian. In
honorable Roman tradition, Antony, on August 1, 30 BC, fell on his sword.
According to the ancients accounts however, he was not entirely successful and
with an open wound in his belly, was taken to join Cleopatra, who had fled to
her mausoleum. Here Antony succumbed to his wound and supposedly died in his
lover's arms, leaving her alone to face Octavian.
Cleopatra did not
immediately follow Antony in suicide. Instead, in a last ditch effort,
Cleopatra opened negotiations with Octavian. Cleopatra begged Octavian to spare
Caesarion’s life in exchange for willing imprisonment. Octavian refused. Within
a week, Octavian informed Cleopatra that she was to play a role in Octavian's
Triumph back in Rome. This role was "carefully explained to her", while
Caesarion was "butchered without compunction". Octavian supposedly said "two
Caesars are one too many" as he ordered Caesarion's death.[3] According to
Strabo who was alive at the time of the event, Cleopatra died from a
self-induced bite from a venomous snake, or from applying a poisonous ointment
to herself.[4] With Cleopatra's death, the final war of the Republic was
over.
Due to this war,
Octavian would become Augustus and the first Roman Emperor.
Aftermath
Within a month,
Octavian was named Pharaoh, and Egypt became his personal possession. With
Octavian in control of all of Rome's provinces and over 50 legions, he was now
the undisputed master of the Roman world. Through executing Antony's
supporters, Octavian finally brought a century of civil war to a close. Within
a few years, Octavian was named Augustus by the Senate and given unprecedented
powers. Octavian, now Augustus, merged the western and eastern halves of the
Republic into the Roman Empire with Augustus ruling it as the first Roman
Emperor.
In the ensuing
months and years, Augustus passed the series of laws that while outwardly
preserving the appearance of the Republic made his position within it of
paramount power and authority. He laid the foundations for what is now called
the Roman Empire. From then on, the Roman state would be ruled by a Princeps
(first citizen), in modern terms, Rome would from now on be ruled by Emperors.
The Senate ostensibly still had power and authority over certain Senatorial
provinces, however, the critical border provinces, like Syria, Egypt, Gaul,
requiring the greatest numbers of legions would be directly ruled by Augustus
and the Emperors who succeeded him.
With the end of
the last Republican civil war, the Republic was replaced by the Empire.
Augustus's reign would usher in a golden era of Roman culture and produce a
stability that Rome had not seen in over a century. With Rome in control of the
entire Mediterranean world, a peace that would reign in the Roman world for
centuries after Augustus’s death: the Pax Romana (Roman Peace). The Empire that
Augustus established would last in Western Europe until the fall of Rome in the
5th century AD. The Eastern part of the Roman Empire would also survive as the
Byzantine Empire until the fall of Constantinople in 1453 AD.
*******
Remember
this…
Dan 11:26 Yea, they that feed of the portion of
his meat shall destroy him, and his army shall overflow: and many shall fall
down slain.
Dan 11:27 And both these kings' hearts shall be
to do mischief, and they shall speak lies at one table; but it shall not
prosper: for yet the end shall be at the time appointed.
The GREAT
deceptions that took place! If it
weren't for the lies spoken, if it weren't for the those sitting at his table
bent on destroying him- Antony wouldn't have lost the battle so decisively. Betrayal. Those who are dependent upon
you turning upon you causing your destruction. Read the following about one of Mark
Antony's trusted generals!
--
Lucius Pinarius
Scarpus (flourished 1st century BC) was a Roman that lived in the late Roman
Republic and the early Roman Empire.
According to
Suetonius,[1] Pinarius was a great nephew of dictator Gaius Julius Caesar
through one his sisters (sororum nepotes). His cousins were consul Quintus
Pedius, Octavia Minor (the fourth wife of Triumvir Mark Antony) and Octavian
(future first Roman Emperor Augustus).[2]
His father was a
member of the gens Pinaria, an ancient, distinguished family of patrician
status. The family can be traced to the foundations of Rome. Various members of
the gens served as priests and were among the first to serve as consuls in the
republic.
Little is known
on Scarpus' early life. He is first mentioned in the ancient sources when Caesar
was assassinated in Rome in March 44 BC. In the will of Caesar, Scarpus
received one eighth of the property of the dictator, the same amount as Pedius.
The main heir of Caesar was Octavian, who received three quarters of the
property of his great uncle. But Scarpus and Pedius also assigned their
inheritance to Octavian.[3]
Scarpus became an
ally to Mark Antony and commanded for him in the war against the murderers of
Caesar, Marcus Junius Brutus and Gaius Cassius Longinus.[4] In the years
leading up to the Final War of the Roman Republic, in Actium Greece 31 BC,
Antony appointed Scarpus to the military command of Cyrenaica. Scarpus had with
him four legions to command. During his time in Cyrenaica Scarpus had control
of the currency mint in Cyrene, as he became a moneyer. Scarpus had issued
various coins bearing Antony’s name and Scarpus’ name was inscripted as an
issuer of these coins.
After
Antony and his lover, the Ptolemaic Greek Queen Cleopatra VII of Egypt, were
defeated by Octavian at Actium (September 2, 31 BC), they sailed back to North
Africa. Antony sent messengers to Scarpus for help. But Scarpus refused to see
Antony’s messengers and put them to death. Instead he changed sides.[5]
He gave his legions to Gaius Cornelius Gallus, Octavian’s lieutenant, to
command.[6] While Octavian marched from the East through Asia, Syria and Judea
against Egypt, Cornelius Gallus advanced with Scarpus’ legions from the west
against Alexandria.
When Antony and
Cleopatra died, Octavian became the new Roman master and then emperor. Augustus
had appointed his cousin as the Roman governor of Cyrenaica. Scarpus as he did
for Antony, became a moneyer and had issued various coins bearing Augustus’
name. On these coins, Scarpus had his name inscripted as an issuer of the coins.
Beyond this, nothing is known on Scarpus.
*
When
Octavian arrived he had fresh crews and small light ships that were easier to
maneuver compared to the huge ships that Mark Antony had, as the battle
progressed, Antony’s general (Delius) decided that he was going to switch side
when he saw which way the battle was going, so on he went to Octavian taking
Mark Antony’s battle plans with him.
Pasted
from <http://www.buzzle.com/articles/roman-wars-the-battle-of-actium.html>
*
Before the naval
battle Mark Antony's general known as Delius defected to Octavian and brought
with him Mark Antony’s battle plans. Antony had hoped to use his biggest ships
to drive back Agrippa's wing on the north end of his line, but Octavian's
entire fleet stayed carefully out of range. Shortly after mid-day, Antony was
forced to extend his line out from the protection of the shore, and then
finally engage the enemy.
Pasted
from <http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Actium,_Battle_of>
The details here
are unmistakable. Could Octavian have won the battle so incredibly without all
the defecting and betrayal towards Antony? I honestly can't answer that, but all
that betrayal surely hastened the end of the rebellion and herald in the Roman
Empire- and it was predicted!
*******
Dan 11:28 Then shall he return into his land with
great riches; and his heart shall be against the holy covenant; and he shall do
exploits, and return to his own land.
Was Agrippa a
friend of the Jewish people, God's chosen? No, not especially in fact he had the
distinction of being the head of the pagan religions because he welcomed more
and more cults and deities allowing them to merge with established Roman
deities.
'After the civil
wars and social upheavals that led to the collapse of the Roman Republic,
Caesar's heir Augustus carried out a program of religious revivalism designed
to frame his ascent to sole power as a restoration of peace, tradition, and
rectitude in accordance with divine will. The Augustan institution of Imperial
cult put pious respect for tradition on display, and aimed to foster religious
unity and mutual toleration among Rome's newly acquired provinces. The
preservation of the "religion of Numa" remained the foundation of Rome's
security and continued success.
But as Rome had
extended its dominance throughout the Mediterranean world, its religious mode
was to absorb the deities and cults of other peoples rather than to eradicate
and replace them.[2] Both fascinated by and deeply suspicious of religious
novelty, Romans looked for ways to understand and reinterpret the divinities of
others by means of their own, and acknowledged religion in the provinces or
foreign territories as an expression of local identity and traditions. Some
religious practices were embraced officially, others merely tolerated. A few
were condemned as alien hysteria, magic or superstition, and thus unwanted at
Rome. Attempts, sometimes brutal, were made periodically to suppress
religionists who seemed to threaten traditional morality and unity. In the eyes
of conservative Romans, the Dionysian mysteries encouraged illicit behaviour
and subversion; Christianity was superstition, or atheism, or both; druidism
employed human sacrifice. The monotheistic rigor of Judaism led sometimes to
compromise and the granting of special exemptions, and sometimes to intractable
conflict. By the height of the Roman Empire, however, numerous foreign cults
were practiced at Rome and throughout even the most remote provinces, among them
the mystery cult of the syncretized Egyptian goddess Isis and deities of solar
monism such as Mithras and Sol Invictus, found as far north as Roman
Britain.'
Pasted
from <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_ancient_Rome>
*******
More than enough
for today, a lot to digest!
Such a blessed
Sabbath day! Praise and glory to God!
Thank you Lord for all You've done! All through Your love,
Your grace, Your mercy!!!!
Amen.
Now there's a word you hear a lot of these days, proactive. Just what does that word conjure up in your thoughts when you hear it? To me it means I'm going to actively do something rather than sit around hoping someone else might do it. If I take a proactive stance it's one that is advocating action towards something rather than inaction. Proactive is basically taking steps, taking action hoping to be ahead of the game so to speak, to perhaps even ward off something undesirable in the future. If I take a proactive step against insects invading my house I might lay down poison outside to prevent them from getting in. I might even get a few of those electronic pest control devices, I might also have on hand spray cans of insect control poison so I can be ready just in case they breach all my barriers I've set up. I might not wait until they've invaded to act but rather be prepared before they do and stay ready for what some might consider inevitable here in Southwest Florida. If I slack off and forget to renew the outside poison and the rain and wind along with the hot sun wear it away then I'm at a great risk for insect invasion. If my proactive steps cease then I'm setting myself up for disaster of the creepy crawly kind.
There is a lot to say for being proactive. I believe all of God's probation officers need to be proactive. You can't be one who forewarns of the impending end of probation if you're not doing the warning part. If the whole of the earths occupants are on probation and probation is almost up and your fate is to be decided based on your actions during probation, it's not time to fall asleep and grow lackadaisical. If those all around you risk their probation period coming to an end at any moment don't they need to know that they are on probation?
What? You think everyone automatically knows? Well, a lot of people do and surely most adults realize that they're eventually going to die and then their fate is decided, but most are under the impression that they'll be okay one way or another. Even those that proudly announce they're going to hell so to speak- going to the grave and they aren't going to be with Jesus in heaven when he returns- even they somehow think things will work out for them and life or rather life after life won't be such a bad thing. Some even truly believe they are living in life after death right now and it's as bad as things will ever get for them. More than a few understand that things won't be pleasant for them later on and so they are trying to make the best of things right here and now- the best of things meaning have as much fun and self-indulgance as possible because this is as good as it's gonna get for them. Cease the moment and live in it without thoughts for consequences. So yeah, a lot of people understand that there are choices to make and a lot want to put it off until later or just don't want to bother at all for one reason or another. Life's probation is real and we that believe in the reality of it are duty bound to be witnesses to that fact.
Jesus' entire ministry was spent preaching about eternal life in Him, by His grace and love. People came up to Him asking what they had to do to be saved, to have this eternal life He talked of and Jesus told them. Love God, love others. Jesus died preaching eternity in Him and His love.
1 John {1:1} That which was from the beginning, which we have
heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have
looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of
life; {1:2} (For the life was manifested, and we have seen
[it,] and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life,
which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;)
{1:3} That which we have seen and heard declare we unto
you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our
fellowship [is] with the Father, and with his Son Jesus
Christ. {1:4} And these things write we unto you, that your
joy may be full.
Witnesses! Proactive declarer-s of Jesus' life and in Him life eternal.
1 John {5:5} Who is he that overcometh the
world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?
{5:6} This is he that came by water and blood, [even] Jesus
Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is
the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth.
{5:7} For there are three that bear record in heaven, the
Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are
one. {5:8} And there are three that bear witness in earth, the
spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in
one. {5:9} If we receive the witness of men, the witness of
God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath
testified of his Son. {5:10} He that believeth on the Son of
God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God
hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record
that God gave of his Son. {5:11} And this is the record, that
God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
{5:12} He that hath the Son hath life; [and] he that hath not
the Son of God hath not life. {5:13} These things have I
written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of
God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye
may believe on the name of the Son of God. {5:14} And
this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask
any thing according to his will, he heareth us: {5:15} And if
we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that
we have the petitions that we desired of him.
3 John {1:5} Beloved, thou doest faithfully
whatsoever thou doest to the brethren, and to strangers;
{1:6} Which have borne witness of thy charity before the
church: whom if thou bring forward on their journey after a
godly sort, thou shalt do well: {1:7} Because that for his
name’s sake they went forth, taking nothing of the Gentiles.
{1:8} We therefore ought to receive such, that we might be
fellowhelpers to the truth.
Fellowhelpers to the truth! Witnesses!
Rev. {1:4} John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace
[be] unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which
was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits
which are before his throne; {1:5} And from Jesus Christ,
[who is] the faithful witness, [and] the first begotten of the
dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that
loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood
Jesus Christ the faithful witness! He alone has been the perfect witness of life in God, of life everlasting in the Father.
Rev. {3:14} And unto the angel of the church of the
Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful
and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God
The faithful and true witness! Jesus!
Rev. {20:4} And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and
judgment was given unto them: and [I saw] the souls of
them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for
the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast,
neither his image, neither had received [his] mark upon their
foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with
Christ a thousand years.
Beheaded for the witness of Jesus and for the word of God.
Killed witnessing of Jesus, killed for witnessing the word of God.
Is probation a serious thing? Things don't get more serious than probation and realizing that life now is our probation and life soon will be when probation is over and our fates decided. May our fates be such that we are declared witnesses of Jesus, faithful witnesses, even if that means death because we hold fast to that witness and never cease.
May the grace and mercy of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ be ours now and forever as we seek to witness of Him, for Him, in Him as probation for the world quickly runs out. May we through the Holy Spirit remain stedfast in Christ's love no matter what we are called to endure whether it's something life threatening or whether it is to remain stedfast as a witness to those who are around us who say they love us. No matter what road we are called to travel let it be forever the road that leads to the cross, to eternal life in our beloved Savior, Jesus Christ the Righteous.
Amen.
7/30/10
1Jn 3:16 Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
We perceive the love of God…our perception of how God loves us is knowing that He laid down His life for us. We hear of people who in trying to help others lose their lives and we call them heroes. We know in history of people who voluntarily die so others don't have to. Again we call them heroes and in truth their actions are heroic. Giving up your life voluntarily isn't something many would do.
In our day and age we find it hard to put our selves out on little things, and we try and console our conscience with the belief that if we REALLY had to we could lay down our lives for our fellowman.
Sure, I might count it a burden to be asked to do something for you (especially if I'm in the middle of doing something I want to do, or have to do), but ask me to die for you and I'm right on it. Is that logical? Is it self-deception? If we can't be kind to our brethren in small things why do we delude ourselves into believing we'll be able to do something much more spectacular later on if needed? The whole - I'll be there when you REALLY need me, but not in all these little things can be explained away. We see it in movies and read it in books don't we? The grumpy ol' guy ending up being the sweet, caring man because of some big life transforming would be tragedy he found in his heart to avert at the very last moment. It's the Grinch Who Stole Christmas story told in a thousand ways so it's no wonder people believe that when it really matters they'll be able to come through. Do people ever stop to ask themselves what if there is no grand finale? What if their life is wholly made up of countless opportunities to show love in the small things? I'm not saying that we shouldn't be ready to 'lay down our lives for the brethren.' We should, but read on...
1Jn 3:17 But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?
God's love cannot dwell in us if we don't have compassion for others in all things, in little things, when they are in need. How compassionate are we? In a world where we have supposedly comedic television shows recording people humiliating others, watching others humiliate themselves, and we know someone is behind that camera showing NO compassion at all, it makes me sick to my stomach. People are enjoying the misfortune of others, using them for their amusement, to make money. No, the entire world doesn't lack compassion- we have other shows televising special concerts and such to raise money to help the needy. There is a lot of compassion, but there is also a huge lack of compassion. We have to answer to God only for ourselves and our own actions. Do we lack compassion? Have we hardened our hearts to others wanting them to fend for themselves just like we have to? How far does our compassion extend- does it reach to the completely undeserving? Do we try and determine who really deserves our compassion? Does the abusive drug addict deserve our compassion? Do we give money to a homeless person who is shaking from withdrawal? Do we only let our compassion go so far as to help as we believe help should be given- do we hand them a sandwich and a bottle of water rather than money because we don't want our money to support their drug habit? Yet what if unbeknown to us the person suffers from a disease that causes the shaking? What if the sandwich and water won't buy the medicine they need? Do we judge based on our perceptions? Do we believe that if only we knew we would have reacted differently? Our compassion has to go beyond our perception. Our compassion has to result in seeing a need and meeting it even if that means taking the time to figure out a need rather than assuming one. What about the person we believe might be lying to us? We don't want to be duped, right? Giving money to a person who isn't poor at all, but rather makes a living seeking money from strangers. Does our compassion extend to those who lie to us? It has to doesn't it? We can't *play* God, that's God's job, not ours. The lies of others are on their own conscience, our ability to be compassionate to any in need is on ours.
1Jn 3:18 My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.
Too many love in word-- letting their tongues run wild. Too many seem loving and very compassionate on the outside by the things they say. We need to love in deed- in action- and in truth. God knows how truthful we are…do we?
1Jn 3:19 And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him.
1Jn 3:20 For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.
1Jn 3:21 Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God.
When we love in deed and in truth we know we are of truth and we can assure our hearts before God.
Our hearts will condemn us but praise to our loving God He is greater than our hearts and KNOWS ALL things. We can have confidence towards God- if our hearts don't condemn us.
Does your heart condemn you? Are you not loving in deed and truth? We can plead for forgiveness and begin anew seeking to love in deed and in truth. We can pray for a loving heart filled with compassion in all things, not just in things we choose. I know I'm not nearly as compassionate as I need to be especially to those closest to me. It's too easy to take advantage of those who are close to us expecting they'll forgive us, or feeling we are more put out by them. Sometimes it's easier to have compassion on strangers and we need to pray to our Lord and Savior to have compassion on all- as He would, as He has, as He does.
'let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.'
Remember…
Col 3:23 And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men
By His amazing love, by His grace and mercy! Through His righteousness! All glory, praise, and honor to our Savior now and forever!!!
Amen.
7/30/11
Dan 11:24 'He shall enter peaceably even upon the
fattest places of the province; and he shall do that which his fathers have not
done, nor his fathers' fathers; he shall scatter among them the prey, and
spoil, and riches…'
Augustus was able
to do what his fathers hadn't, nor his father's father… he brought peace. With
peace however came the end of the constant battling and
yet he had to keep up his armies. The armies enjoyed special privileges
because of this. Pax Romana was introduced…
'Pax Romana
(Latin for "Roman peace") was the long period of relative peace and minimal
expansion by military force experienced by the Roman Empire in the 1st and 2nd
centuries AD. Since it was established by Caesar Augustus it is sometimes
called Pax Augusta. Its span was about 207 years (27 BC to 180 AD).[1]'
'The concept of
Pax Romana was first described by Edward Gibbon in The Decline and Fall of the
Roman Empire, in Chapter Two. Gibbon proposed a period of moderation under
Augustus and his successors and argued that generals bent on expansion (e.g.
Germanicus, Agricola and Corbulo) were checked and recalled by the Emperors
during their victories favouring consolidation ahead of further expansion.
Gibbon lists the Roman conquest of Britain under Claudius and the conquests of
Trajan as exceptions to this policy of moderation and places the end of the
period at the death of Marcus Aurelius in 180 AD, despite the conclusion of
peace by the latter's son Commodus later in the same year. During the Pax
Romana, the area of Roman rule expanded to about five million square kilometres
(two million square miles).'
*
'Augustus faced a
problem making peace an acceptable mode of life for the Romans, who had been at
war with one power or another continuously for 200 years.[2] Romans regarded
peace not as an absence of war, but the rare situation that existed when all
opponents had been beaten down and lost the ability to resist.[3] Augustus'
challenge was to persuade Romans that the prosperity they could achieve in the
absence of warfare was better for the Empire than the potential wealth and honor
acquired when fighting a risky war. Augustus succeeded by means of skillful
propaganda. Subsequent emperors followed his lead, sometimes producing lavish
ceremonies to close the Gates of Janus, issuing coins with Pax on the reverse,
and patronizing literature extolling the benefits of the Pax Romana.[2]'
Pasted
from <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pax_Romana>
*
Keeping other
*strongholds* from becoming strong enough to devise against him was a task that
had to be undertaken and was done so successfully.
Daniel
11:24 '...yea, and he shall forecast his devices against the strong holds, even
for a time. '
'The provinces of
the empire (as they have been described in the
preceding
chapter) were destitute of any public force, or constitutional
freedom. In
Etruria, in Greece, [28] and in Gaul, [29] it was the first
care of the
senate to dissolve those dangerous confederacies, which
taught mankind
that, as the Roman arms prevailed by division, they might
be resisted by
union. Those princes, whom the ostentation of gratitude
or generosity
permitted for a while to hold a precarious sceptre, were
dismissed from
their thrones, as soon as they had per formed their
appointed task of
fashioning to the yoke the vanquished nations.
The
free states and cities which had embraced the cause of Rome
were
rewarded with a nominal alliance, and insensibly sunk into real
servitude.
The public authority was every where exercised by the
ministers of the
senate and of the emperors, and that authority was
absolute, and
without control. [291] But the same salutary maxims of
government, which
had secured the peace and obedience of Italy were
extended to the
most distant conquests. A nation of Romans was gradually
formed in the
provinces, by the double expedient of introducing
colonies, and of
admitting the most faithful and deserving of the
provincials to
the freedom of Rome.'
Pasted from-
Title: The History of The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire
Volume 1 Author: Edward Gibbon Commentator: H. H. Milman
Posting Date:
June 7, 2008 [EBook #731] Release Date: November, 1996 Language: English
*** START OF THIS
PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DECLINE OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE ***
History reveals
that the Roman Empire was to remain a relative peace for so long because it kept
all those who might have had a chance to work up an army against them- in check-
under the Roman thumb.
*
How long would
this new and much different sort of life last? Dan. 11:24 '...even for a time.' As we learned a while back in
studying prophecy 'a time' stands for something. A year. A Biblical year is 360
days. A prophetic year equal 360
years. So if this time of Rome
rule and relative peace under the Romans was to last 360 years what year would
that bring us to if we take the date when the decisive battle of Actium was won
and Augustus became the First Citizen of Rome- 31BC
then that brings us to 330 AD (accounting for the '0' transition year as
we also noted previously - think number timeline negative to positive
numbers)
Did anything
momentous happen in 330AD?
• May 11 –
Emperor Constantine the Great dedicates Constantinople, or Nova Roma (modern
Istanbul), and moves the capital of the Roman Empire there from Rome. He has
spent 4 years building the city on the site of ancient Byzantium; having chosen
the site for its strategic location (a seaport with easy access to Anatolia and
the Danube).
Pasted
from <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/330>
*
But first before
we get ahead of ourselves too far we have to continue into the time BEFORE that
appointed time. Things were to
happen, many things that need to be pointed out so there would be NO doubt as to
the Roman power in control here.
Is it any wonder we are being shown this several times?
Seriously, Rome- the legs of iron.
Rome the power in control at the time of our Savior's birth, life, and
death! Rome- the power that would eventually be divided but NEVER disappear
fully- not until our Savior returns.
We cannot forget this very, very important point here. The legs of iron,
the little horn power, which so prominently figure into prophecy. Those feet of
iron mingled with clay would stand until crushed under the entering of the
stone made without hands- our Savior's return and the end of the world as we
know it. There would have been a MUCH different prophetic picture if we weren't
to focus so heavily upon the Roman kingdom brought into play after Greece,
which came into existence as a power after the Medes and Persians, which came
to their height of power after Babylon.
These are HISTORIC FACTS!
The existence of this power would have influence until our Savior returns
the same power that was in control when our Savior walked the earth. The pagan
Rome power became papal Rome power and that power has never ended entirely
though it's gone through various transitions, in fact the Papacy today is
exceedingly proud of its 2000 year history, exceedingly proud!
So yes, it makes
a lot of sense for Rome to be a major, major focus, an undeniable focus that
warranted detail after detail in this vision given, so there would be no doubt
as to the power of this force, no doubt whatsoever.
There is no doubt in my mind how these puzzle pieces of prophecy are
fitting together. Very, very seldom is a puzzle ever put together in one
continuous motion, but rather there is a piecing together, a weaving, an
interlocking as the pieces are given.
History had to unfold, details of that history had to be recorded for all
time. When the little book was opened and man was ready to find comprehension as
the last cries for man to find their Savior were to begin to go forth with
power, this was when the puzzle was truly begun and the pieces began to be put
into their proper places.
Because the
prophecy extends down to the very end we have not lived to that end, but we are
found in there as those who are living in the time before Christ's return. We have a special admonition to watch
and pray or we'll be taken unaware.
By the grace of God we will NOT be taken unaware, but found in Him fully
known by Him!
So continuing
on...
Dan 11:25 And he shall stir up his power and his
courage against the king of the south with a great army; and the king of the
south shall be stirred up to battle with a very great and mighty army; but he
shall not stand: for they shall forecast devices against him.
Dan 11:26 Yea, they that feed of the portion of
his meat shall destroy him, and his army shall overflow: and many shall fall
down slain.
Dan 11:27 And both these kings' hearts shall be
to do mischief, and they shall speak lies at one table; but it shall not
prosper: for yet the end shall be at the time appointed.
Dan 11:28 Then shall he return into his land with
great riches; and his heart shall be against the holy covenant; and he shall do
exploits, and return to his own land.
Is there a force
that pits the King of the North with the King of the South in a great battle?
Yes. We've gone over some of this before but now we have added details to look
at.
Dan 11:26 Yea, they that feed of the portion of
his meat shall destroy him, and his army shall overflow: and many shall fall
down slain.
Dan 11:27 And both these kings' hearts shall be
to do mischief, and they shall speak lies at one table; but it shall not
prosper: for yet the end shall be at the time appointed.
The next bit from
Wikipedia is lengthy but PLEASE take the time to read it.
*******
The final war of
the Roman Republic, also known as Antony's civil war or the war between Antony
and Octavian, was the last of the Roman civil wars of the republic, fought
between Cleopatra (assisted by Mark Antony) and Octavian. After the Roman Senate
declared war on the Egyptian queen Cleopatra, Antony, her lover and ally,
betrayed the Roman government and joined the war on Cleopatra’s side. After the
decisive victory for Octavian at the Battle of Actium, Cleopatra and Antony
withdrew to Alexandria, where Octavian besieged the city until both Antony and
Cleopatra committed suicide.
Following the end
of the war, Octavian brought peace to the Roman state that had been plagued by a
century of civil wars. Octavian became the most powerful man in the Roman world
and the Senate bestowed upon him the name of Augustus in 27 BC. Octavian, now
Augustus, would be the first Roman Emperor and would transform the
oligarchic/democratic Republic into the autocratic Roman Empire.
The last
Republican Civil War would mark the beginning of the Pax Romana, which remains
the longest period of peace and stability that Europe has seen in recorded
history.
Political and
military buildup
The Caesarians
Octavian (Caesar's principal, though not sole, heir), Mark Antony, and Marcus
Lepidus under the Second Triumvirate had stepped in to fill the power vacuum
caused by Julius Caesar's assassination. After the Triumvirate had defeated
Marcus Junius Brutus and Gaius Cassius Longinus at the Battle of Philippi (42
BC) and Lepidus was expelled from the Triumvirate (36 BC), Octavian and Antony
were left as the two most powerful men in the Roman world. Octavian took
control of the west, including Hispania, Gaul, Italia, and Africa. Antony
received control of the east, including Graecia, Asia, Syria and Aegyptus.
For a time, Rome
saw peace. Octavian put down revolts in the west while Antony reorganized the
east; however, the peace was short lived. Antony had been having an affair with
the queen of Egypt, Cleopatra. Rome, especially Octavian, took note of Antony’s
actions. Since 40 BC, Antony had been married to Octavia Minor, the sister of
Octavian. Octavian seized the opportunity and had his minister Gaius Maecenas
produce a propaganda campaign against Antony.
All of Rome felt
astonished when they heard word of Antony’s Donations of Alexandria. In these
donations, Antony ceded much of Rome’s territory in the east to Cleopatra.
Cleopatra and Caesarion were crowned co-rulers of Egypt and Cyprus; Alexander
Helios was crowned ruler of Armenia, Media, and Parthia; Cleopatra Selene II
was crowned ruler of Cyrenaica and Libya; and Ptolemy Philadelphus was crowned
ruler of Phoenicia, Syria, and Cilicia. Cleopatra took the title of Queen of
Kings and Caesarion took the title of King of Kings.
In response,
Octavian increased the personal attacks against Antony, but the Senate and
people of Rome were not convinced. Octavian’s chance came when Antony married
Cleopatra in 32 BC before he divorced Octavia. That action combined with
information that Antony was planning to establish a second Senate in Alexandria
created the perfect environment for Octavian to strip Antony of his power.
Octavian summoned
the Senate and accused Antony of anti-Roman sentiments. Octavian had illegally
seized Antony’s will from the Temple of Vesta. In it, Antony recognized
Caesarion as Caesar's legal heir, left his possessions to his children by
Cleopatra, and finally indicated his desire to be buried with Cleopatra in
Alexandria instead of in Rome. The Senators were not moved by Caesarion or
Antony’s children but Antony’s desire to be buried outside of Rome invoked the
Senate’s rage. Octavian, the natural politician he was, blamed Cleopatra and
not Antony. The Senate declared war on Cleopatra, and Octavian knew that Antony
would come to her aid.
When Cleopatra
received word that Rome had declared war, Antony threw his support to Egypt.
Immediately, the Senate stripped Antony of all his official power and labeled
him as an outlaw and a traitor. Octavian summoned all of his legions, numbered
at almost 200,000 Roman legionaries. Cleopatra and Antony did the same,
assembling roughly the same number in mixed heavy Roman and light Egyptian
infantry.
The War
Naval
theater
The Battle of
Actium was the decisive battle of the naval theater.
By mid-summer of
31 BC, Antony maneuvered his army into Greece and Octavian soon followed.
Octavian brought with him his chief military advisor and closest friend Marcus
Vipsanius Agrippa to command his naval forces. Although the ground forces were
comparable, Octavian's fleet was superior. Antony's fleet was made up of large
vessels, but with inexperienced crews and commanders. Octavian's fleet of
smaller, more maneuverable vessels was filled with experienced sailors.
Octavian moved
his soldiers cross the Adriatic Sea to confront Antony near Actium. Meanwhile,
Agrippa disrupted Antony's supply lines with the navy. Gaius Sosius commanded a
squadron in Mark Anthony's fleet with which he managed to defeat the squadron
of Lucius Arruntius and put it to flight, but when the latter was reinforced by
Marcus Agrippa, Sosius's ally Tarcondimotus - the king of Cilicia - was killed
and Sosius himself was forced to flee.
Octavian decided
not to attack and risk unnecessary losses. Instead, Octavian wanted to battle
Antony by sea where his experienced sailors could dominate. In response, Antony
and Octavian engaged in Fabian strategy until the time was right. As the summer
ended and autumn began to set in, both Octavian and Antony settled for a battle
of attrition. The strategy of delay paid dividends to Octavian's cause, as
morale sank and prominent Romans deserted Antony's cause.
The first
conflict of the war occurred when Octavian's general Agrippa captured the Greek
city and naval port of Methone. The city had previously been loyal to Antony.
Although Antony was an experienced soldier, he did not understand naval combat,
which led to his downfall. Antony moved his fleet to Actium where Octavian’s
navy and army had taken camp. In what would become known as the Battle of
Actium, Antony, on September 2, 31 BC, moved his large quinqueremes through the
strait and into the open sea. There, Octavian’s light and maneuverable Liburnian
ships drew in battle formation against Antony’s warships. Cleopatra stayed
behind Antony’s line on her royal barge.
A
devastating blow to Antony’s forces came when one of Antony’s former generals
delivered to Octavian Antony’s battle plan. Antony had hoped to use his
biggest ships to drive back Agrippa's wing on the north end of his line, but
Octavian's entire fleet stayed carefully out of range. Shortly after mid-day,
Antony was forced to extend his line out from the protection of the shore, and
then finally engage the enemy. Octavian's fleet, armed with better trained and
fresher crews, made quick work of Antony’s larger and less experienced navy.
Octavian’s soldiers had spent years fighting in Roman naval combat, where one
objective was to ram the enemy ship and at the same time kill the above deck
crew with a shower of arrows and catapult-launched stones large enough to
decapitate a man.
As the armies
stood on either side of the naval battle, they watched as Antony was being
outmatched by Agrippa. Seeing that the battle was going against Antony,
Cleopatra's fleet retreated to open sea without firing a shot, leaving Antony to
fight for himself. As a gap opened in Agrippa's blockade, she funneled through,
and was soon closely followed by Antony's command ships.
The commanders of Antony's land forces, which were supposed to follow him to
Asia, promptly surrendered their legions without a fight. Antony retreated to a
smaller vessel with his flag and managed to escape to Alexandria. By the end of
the day, Antony’s entire fleet would lie at the bottom of the sea and the Roman
world had witnessed the largest naval battle in almost 200 years.
Land
campaign
With Octavian now
in control of nearly 60 legions (approximately 360,000 men), he was left as the
indisputable master of the Roman world. Although Octavian wanted to immediately
pursue Antony and Cleopatra, many of his veterans wanted to retire and return
to private life. Octavian allowed many of his longest serving veterans (as many
as 10 legions by some accounts) to retire. Many of those legionaries could
trace their service to Julius Caesar some 20 years earlier.
After the winter
ended, Octavian resumed the hunt. In the spring of 30 BC, Octavian rejected the
idea of transporting his army across the sea and attacking Alexandria directly,
and instead traveled by land through Asia. Antony had received much of his
backing from Rome’s client kingdoms in the east. By marching his army by land,
he ensured Antony could not regroup and cement his authority over the
provinces.
The Death of
Cleopatra by Reginald Arthur.
Meanwhile, Antony
attempted to secure an army in Cyrenaica from Lucius Pinarius.
Unfortunately for Antony, Pinarius had switched his loyalty to Octavian.
When Octavian received word of this development, he ordered Pinarius to move his
four legions east towards Alexandria while Octavian would move west. Trapped in
Egypt with the remnant of his former army, Antony and Cleopatra bided their time
awaiting Octavian's arrival.
When Octavian and
Pinarius arrived at Alexandria, they placed the entire city under siege. Before
Octavian had arrived, Antony took the roughly 10,000 soldiers he had left and
attacked Pinarius, unaware that he was outnumbered 2 to 1. Pinarius destroyed
what was left of Antony’s army with Antony escaping back to Alexandria before
Octavian arrived. As Octavian approached with his legions, what remained of
Antony's cavalry and fleet surrendered to Octavian. Most of Antony’s infantry
surrendered without any engagement at this stage of the conflict, they were
Italian veterans and Antony's cause was lost.
Antony was forced
to watch as his army and hopes of dominance in Rome were handed to Octavian. In
honorable Roman tradition, Antony, on August 1, 30 BC, fell on his sword.
According to the ancients accounts however, he was not entirely successful and
with an open wound in his belly, was taken to join Cleopatra, who had fled to
her mausoleum. Here Antony succumbed to his wound and supposedly died in his
lover's arms, leaving her alone to face Octavian.
Cleopatra did not
immediately follow Antony in suicide. Instead, in a last ditch effort,
Cleopatra opened negotiations with Octavian. Cleopatra begged Octavian to spare
Caesarion’s life in exchange for willing imprisonment. Octavian refused. Within
a week, Octavian informed Cleopatra that she was to play a role in Octavian's
Triumph back in Rome. This role was "carefully explained to her", while
Caesarion was "butchered without compunction". Octavian supposedly said "two
Caesars are one too many" as he ordered Caesarion's death.[3] According to
Strabo who was alive at the time of the event, Cleopatra died from a
self-induced bite from a venomous snake, or from applying a poisonous ointment
to herself.[4] With Cleopatra's death, the final war of the Republic was
over.
Due to this war,
Octavian would become Augustus and the first Roman Emperor.
Aftermath
Within a month,
Octavian was named Pharaoh, and Egypt became his personal possession. With
Octavian in control of all of Rome's provinces and over 50 legions, he was now
the undisputed master of the Roman world. Through executing Antony's
supporters, Octavian finally brought a century of civil war to a close. Within
a few years, Octavian was named Augustus by the Senate and given unprecedented
powers. Octavian, now Augustus, merged the western and eastern halves of the
Republic into the Roman Empire with Augustus ruling it as the first Roman
Emperor.
In the ensuing
months and years, Augustus passed the series of laws that while outwardly
preserving the appearance of the Republic made his position within it of
paramount power and authority. He laid the foundations for what is now called
the Roman Empire. From then on, the Roman state would be ruled by a Princeps
(first citizen), in modern terms, Rome would from now on be ruled by Emperors.
The Senate ostensibly still had power and authority over certain Senatorial
provinces, however, the critical border provinces, like Syria, Egypt, Gaul,
requiring the greatest numbers of legions would be directly ruled by Augustus
and the Emperors who succeeded him.
With the end of
the last Republican civil war, the Republic was replaced by the Empire.
Augustus's reign would usher in a golden era of Roman culture and produce a
stability that Rome had not seen in over a century. With Rome in control of the
entire Mediterranean world, a peace that would reign in the Roman world for
centuries after Augustus’s death: the Pax Romana (Roman Peace). The Empire that
Augustus established would last in Western Europe until the fall of Rome in the
5th century AD. The Eastern part of the Roman Empire would also survive as the
Byzantine Empire until the fall of Constantinople in 1453 AD.
*******
Remember
this…
Dan 11:26 Yea, they that feed of the portion of
his meat shall destroy him, and his army shall overflow: and many shall fall
down slain.
Dan 11:27 And both these kings' hearts shall be
to do mischief, and they shall speak lies at one table; but it shall not
prosper: for yet the end shall be at the time appointed.
The GREAT
deceptions that took place! If it
weren't for the lies spoken, if it weren't for the those sitting at his table
bent on destroying him- Antony wouldn't have lost the battle so decisively. Betrayal. Those who are dependent upon
you turning upon you causing your destruction. Read the following about one of Mark
Antony's trusted generals!
--
Lucius Pinarius
Scarpus (flourished 1st century BC) was a Roman that lived in the late Roman
Republic and the early Roman Empire.
According to
Suetonius,[1] Pinarius was a great nephew of dictator Gaius Julius Caesar
through one his sisters (sororum nepotes). His cousins were consul Quintus
Pedius, Octavia Minor (the fourth wife of Triumvir Mark Antony) and Octavian
(future first Roman Emperor Augustus).[2]
His father was a
member of the gens Pinaria, an ancient, distinguished family of patrician
status. The family can be traced to the foundations of Rome. Various members of
the gens served as priests and were among the first to serve as consuls in the
republic.
Little is known
on Scarpus' early life. He is first mentioned in the ancient sources when Caesar
was assassinated in Rome in March 44 BC. In the will of Caesar, Scarpus
received one eighth of the property of the dictator, the same amount as Pedius.
The main heir of Caesar was Octavian, who received three quarters of the
property of his great uncle. But Scarpus and Pedius also assigned their
inheritance to Octavian.[3]
Scarpus became an
ally to Mark Antony and commanded for him in the war against the murderers of
Caesar, Marcus Junius Brutus and Gaius Cassius Longinus.[4] In the years
leading up to the Final War of the Roman Republic, in Actium Greece 31 BC,
Antony appointed Scarpus to the military command of Cyrenaica. Scarpus had with
him four legions to command. During his time in Cyrenaica Scarpus had control
of the currency mint in Cyrene, as he became a moneyer. Scarpus had issued
various coins bearing Antony’s name and Scarpus’ name was inscripted as an
issuer of these coins.
After
Antony and his lover, the Ptolemaic Greek Queen Cleopatra VII of Egypt, were
defeated by Octavian at Actium (September 2, 31 BC), they sailed back to North
Africa. Antony sent messengers to Scarpus for help. But Scarpus refused to see
Antony’s messengers and put them to death. Instead he changed sides.[5]
He gave his legions to Gaius Cornelius Gallus, Octavian’s lieutenant, to
command.[6] While Octavian marched from the East through Asia, Syria and Judea
against Egypt, Cornelius Gallus advanced with Scarpus’ legions from the west
against Alexandria.
When Antony and
Cleopatra died, Octavian became the new Roman master and then emperor. Augustus
had appointed his cousin as the Roman governor of Cyrenaica. Scarpus as he did
for Antony, became a moneyer and had issued various coins bearing Augustus’
name. On these coins, Scarpus had his name inscripted as an issuer of the coins.
Beyond this, nothing is known on Scarpus.
*
When
Octavian arrived he had fresh crews and small light ships that were easier to
maneuver compared to the huge ships that Mark Antony had, as the battle
progressed, Antony’s general (Delius) decided that he was going to switch side
when he saw which way the battle was going, so on he went to Octavian taking
Mark Antony’s battle plans with him.
Pasted
from <http://www.buzzle.com/articles/roman-wars-the-battle-of-actium.html>
*
Before the naval
battle Mark Antony's general known as Delius defected to Octavian and brought
with him Mark Antony’s battle plans. Antony had hoped to use his biggest ships
to drive back Agrippa's wing on the north end of his line, but Octavian's
entire fleet stayed carefully out of range. Shortly after mid-day, Antony was
forced to extend his line out from the protection of the shore, and then
finally engage the enemy.
Pasted
from <http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Actium,_Battle_of>
The details here
are unmistakable. Could Octavian have won the battle so incredibly without all
the defecting and betrayal towards Antony? I honestly can't answer that, but all
that betrayal surely hastened the end of the rebellion and herald in the Roman
Empire- and it was predicted!
*******
Dan 11:28 Then shall he return into his land with
great riches; and his heart shall be against the holy covenant; and he shall do
exploits, and return to his own land.
Was Agrippa a
friend of the Jewish people, God's chosen? No, not especially in fact he had the
distinction of being the head of the pagan religions because he welcomed more
and more cults and deities allowing them to merge with established Roman
deities.
'After the civil
wars and social upheavals that led to the collapse of the Roman Republic,
Caesar's heir Augustus carried out a program of religious revivalism designed
to frame his ascent to sole power as a restoration of peace, tradition, and
rectitude in accordance with divine will. The Augustan institution of Imperial
cult put pious respect for tradition on display, and aimed to foster religious
unity and mutual toleration among Rome's newly acquired provinces. The
preservation of the "religion of Numa" remained the foundation of Rome's
security and continued success.
But as Rome had
extended its dominance throughout the Mediterranean world, its religious mode
was to absorb the deities and cults of other peoples rather than to eradicate
and replace them.[2] Both fascinated by and deeply suspicious of religious
novelty, Romans looked for ways to understand and reinterpret the divinities of
others by means of their own, and acknowledged religion in the provinces or
foreign territories as an expression of local identity and traditions. Some
religious practices were embraced officially, others merely tolerated. A few
were condemned as alien hysteria, magic or superstition, and thus unwanted at
Rome. Attempts, sometimes brutal, were made periodically to suppress
religionists who seemed to threaten traditional morality and unity. In the eyes
of conservative Romans, the Dionysian mysteries encouraged illicit behaviour
and subversion; Christianity was superstition, or atheism, or both; druidism
employed human sacrifice. The monotheistic rigor of Judaism led sometimes to
compromise and the granting of special exemptions, and sometimes to intractable
conflict. By the height of the Roman Empire, however, numerous foreign cults
were practiced at Rome and throughout even the most remote provinces, among them
the mystery cult of the syncretized Egyptian goddess Isis and deities of solar
monism such as Mithras and Sol Invictus, found as far north as Roman
Britain.'
Pasted
from <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_ancient_Rome>
*******
More than enough
for today, a lot to digest!
Such a blessed
Sabbath day! Praise and glory to God!
Thank you Lord for all You've done! All through Your love,
Your grace, Your mercy!!!!
Amen.