|
| |||||
|
|
The Stone Cut Out Without
Hands Spiritual Condition of the World Before Christ Came. It
was when the Roman Empire was at the height of its power during
the reign of Augustus Caesar that Jesus Christ was born in
Bethlehem. The event is told in simple words in Luke 2. The
birth was heralded by a choir of angels saying, "Glory to
God in the highest" to a group of astonished shepherds in a
nearby field as they watched their flocks by night. A new star
in the heavens guided wise men from the East to the humble place
when the Saviour was born. Otherwise the most significant birth
this world has ever known took place in obscurity. We quote from
Myers' Ancient History, p.449 as follows: "From the East
the cult of Emperor worship spread to the West, and became the
favorite worship of the masses everywhere. Its establishment had
far reaching consequences, as we shall see; since at the very
time the polytheistic religion of the Graeco-Roman world was
taking form, there was springing up in a remote corner of the
Empire a new religion with which this imperial cult must
necessarily come into violent conflict." This new religion
was Christianity; it was the stone cut out from the mountain
without hands, which because of its divine origin, was destined
to become a mountain and fill the earth. The conflict which
history anticipated between Christianity and paganism could not
be pictured better than by a rock smiting the image and causing
its utter and ruinous downfall.
It is difficult for us to comprehend the true condition of
the world before Christ came. Heathenism spawned a loathsome
brood of vices but gave the world few virtues. In government the
state with its despotic king was supreme: the individual had
little private freedom. In war the most horrible cruelties were
inflicted upon conquered peoples. Slavery with all its attendant
evils was rife. Women were regarded as chattels and children
were forced to work hard at a tender age. The weak and
handicapped ones had to fend for themselves in a hostile society
and little pity was extended to the aged or infirm. Lying
stealing and other vices were regarded with indifference under
most circumstances. In religion people sank into the vilest
corruption. The conscience, being seared, the mind darkened,
unenlightened, ignorant and blinded to any true conception of a
holy God, they groped their way in a maze of frightening
superstitions and fears. Violence, of course, was prevalent and
since "might was considered right" the people lived
for the most part in moral depravity and spiritual despair. The
gods themselves were pictured as being sensual, vindictive and
capricious and the worshippers often accompanied their religious
rites with orgies of drinking and sensuality.
As we turn our thoughts to the gospel proclaimed by Christ we
discover that it was different from anything the world had ever
heard. His words were life, while others offered no hope beyond
death. His message was light in a world of darkness; His way led
to life in contrast with eternal death. He asked men to believe
on Him and, in the strength of the Spirit he promised to give
them, to live lives pleasing to God. The world had never heard
anything so revolutionary and wonderful before.
The Destruction of the Image. Naturally a doctrine so
obviously contradictory to the customs and religions of the rest
of the world would provoke conflict. The Christians refused to
burn incense to the image of the Emperor because they believed
Christ is king. (Acts 17:7). On this point Myers' History says,
p.467, "The Roman rulers required that men of every faith
should at least…burn incense before the statue of the emperor.
This, the Christians steadfastly refused to do. Their neglect
was believed to have angered the gods and endangered the safety
of the state, bringing drought, pestilence and every disaster.
Hence their persecution by pagan emperors." It will be seen
that since the Christians recognized Christ as supreme king,
they made Christianity a political issue. The gospel of Christ
came into violent conflict with the entire pagan system and
philosophy of life. It challenged the degrading heathen customs;
it condemned the sensuality of pagan orgies; it repudiated the
claims of sorceries and black arts; (Acts 19:19), and it
proclaimed love as the real motive for life. This Divine truth,
heralded men redeemed by the blood of the Crucified and
resurrected Saviour, smote the very roots of paganism.
At first, heathenism fought back. Christians were stoned to
death; they were burned alive; they were thrown to the lions;
they were tortured in every conceivable way; they were deprived
of property and made outcasts. But "they overcame by the
blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony." Rev.
12:11. Gradually the heathen shrines became emptied of devotees;
the heathen gods were no longer in demand (Acts 19:24-27); the
world, which for thousands of years had been held in
superstition and darkness, began to shake off its fetters and
enjoy the new-found freedom of the gospel. The little stone
which was cut out of the mountain without hands had smitten the
image on its feet, as signified by Rome, and caused it to
tremble, totter, and finally fall with such a shattering crash
that the grip of heathenism was loosed forever.
At one time, Zeus and Diana and thousands of other venerated
deities held sway over the minds of men, but today they are
almost forgotten and they wield no influence; but the Name of
Jesus Christ has grown to mountainous proportions, overflowing
and extending to the farthest corners of the earth. Daniel was
inspired to reveal this vision to Nebuchadnezzar and to preserve
its message for us. In that way, we can trace the origin of the
Kingdom of God and its effect on the world held in Satan's
bondage. We can see how the Kingdom came during the days of the
Roman Empire and crumbled everything signified by the great
image of Nebuchadnezzar's dream. It will never be reconstructed
again. The "little stone," now of mountainous
proportions, will see to that.
| ||||
