Folks Like Us

Folks Like Us

Ignatius, Placidus, Theophista, Sempronius, Olympius, Theodolus, Exuperia. Do you recognize these name? There were fellow Christians who lived in Rome in the years of Christianity. Ignatius was thrown to the lions as the crowd in the great Colosseum screamed their approval. In the year 253, Placidus, Theophista and their two sons were roasted alive in a huge bronze bull. Sempronius, Olympius, Theodolus and Exuperia were burned alive before the statue of the sun-god that stood just outside the Colosseum. On a single day 115 Christians were herded into the arena and slaughtered as archers shot them through with arrows. Such was public entertainment was the daily fare of citizens living in pagan Rome.

"Their offense was almost always the same: they had refused to confirm their loyalty to the emperor by making a formal act of sacrifice and grimly, had reused to deny their own religion." All the "emperors believed the Christians to be a sect of dangerous revolutionaries." They "did their best to crush the hated sect." Emperor Diocletian "could not tolerate the existence of a sect that disregarded the divine supremacy of the emperor and obeyed a law outside Roman law" (All quotes from Peter Quennell, The Colosseum, Newsweek, NY, 1971, p. 60-61).

We American Christians take our freedom of religion and protection from persecution much too lightly. When you are alone, look into he mirror and ask yourself if you would be faithful unto death if faced with such horrendous persecution (Rev. 2:10)? Let not a day pass that you fail to thank God for our freedom and beseech him to preserve it for those who come after us. Ask Him to extend that blessing to all others who confess the name of Jesus, wherever they may dwell.

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