September 23: THE CONSTANTINIAN SHIFT (part 2)

For ships from Cyprus shall come against him; therefore he shall be grieved, and return in rage against the holy covenant, and do damage. So he shall return and show regard for those who forsake the holy covenant. Daniel 11:30

There was, upon the high seas of the Mediterranean, a well-developed maritime power that went back hundreds of years to Nebuchadnezzar’s invasion of Tyre. When the Tyrians saw they had no other means of escaping, they fled in ships and took refuge in Carthage and in the islands of the Ionian and Aegean seas. Over time, these developed into a disciplined naval war machine with Carthage as a base of operations. The name translated Cyprus is from an older Hebrew name, Chittim, which came to refer to the general coastal areas and islands of the Mediterranean where this maritime power* dominated.

In the early A.D. centuries, the Vandals of North Africa were associated with these maritime ships. They conducted attacks against Rome that included vandalism of idols (statues) that were brought into the church under the leadership of Constantine, whose declarations “for” Christianity were actually political maneuvers intended to unite the crumbling empire. The legalization of Christianity ushered a flood of pagans into the church, along with their pagan traditions. The term vandalism is considered a negative term, and the Vandals were considered to be bad people; but some historians believe that there were many among them - Biblically literate - who recognized the bringing of statues into the church as idolatry. By order of the pope, their libraries and writings were destroyed, so we have no record by which to discover their motives.

Constantine was quite grieved over the defacing of statues, which fueled a rage against the holy covenant. His rage translated into these acts: the elevation of the bishop of Rome into more political and religious power; the declaration of Sunday as the day of rest and worship; the convening of the Council of Nicaea (which ended with a mix of biblical and unbiblical conclusions, one of which was a shift away from honoring the annual Passover fulfilled by Christ, marked by a specific date on the Hebrew calendar, and replaced by papal determination of the Spring festival, renaming it for Ishtar (or Easter), a popular pagan goddess). Thousands who refused to support the new conclusions were punished in various ways, the least of which was excommunication from the Catholic church. Thus, those who accepted Constantine’s new set of religious rules were treated with regard…and allowed to remain in the church.

It is a fact that true Bible religion is as unpopular today as it was in Constantine’s time. Those who faithfully held to the Biblical standard were deemed at best, strange and odd, and at worst, heretics. The pressure to compromise is part and parcel to a fallen world under Satan’s control. Nevertheless, the preservation of God’s remnant is a standing, divine promise. Those of the remnant are described as law-abiding citizens of heaven, who love Him and keep His commandments.**

Oh, that they had such a heart in them that they would fear Me and always keep all My commandments, that it might be well with them and with their children forever! Oh, that they were wise, that they understood this, that they would consider their latter end! Deuteronomy 5:29; 32:29

*Numbers 24:24; Isaiah 23:1,12; Jeremiah 2:8-11; Zechariah 9:3,4  

**John 14:15; 15:14; Philippians 2:13; 3:20; James 1:25; 2:12; 1 John 5:2,3; 2 John 6; 3 John 4; Jude 3; Revelation 12:17; 13:10; 14:12; 19:10; 22:14