Wedding Bells
The sound of wedding bells echoed through the air in the city
of seven hills, proclaiming to all the union of a seemingly idyllic
couple.
The groom was a man of stature, risen to the rank of General,
fresh from the battlefield in triumph.
The bride was a lovely young lady, her upbringing handled with
the finest of care from a tender age. She had been chosen for
a special purpose and even betrothed, yet not to this man. She
had been betrothed to another husband.
The bride's name: the Church.
The groom's name: Constantine.
This monumental event took place in history in the year 312 AD.
It was the marriage of church and state. At their embrace, both
parties were changed forever. The mighty civil government of the
Roman world became a religious empire, with Christianity at its
side as the state religion. The church — originally "betrothed
to one husband" in the first century (2 Corinthians 11:2-3)
— was now a testimony of unfaithfulness, led astray from
the simplicity and purity of devotion to Messiah.
By uniting herself to the state government of the world she was
becoming part of the world and involved in world affairs (John
17:16), contrary to the words of her betrothed and Master who
said that his kingdom was not of this world (John 18:36).
What had happened to the first century church described in Acts
2 and 4, who had promised to love her Master with an undying love?
(1 Corinthians 16:22). Once full of fervent love and zeal —
devoted to the apostles' teachings, fellowship (koinonia), breaking
of bread, and prayer (Acts 2:42) — she had lost her first
love (Revelation 2:4), resulting in a change, a transition in
which she became unfaithful.
"Between the years AD 100 and AD 500, the Christian Church
changed almost beyond recognition..." [The Lion Book of Christian
Thought, by Tony Lane]
Now she had committed adultery with this king of the earth. She
had forgotten the companion of her youth and the covenant of her
God (Proverbs 2:16,17). Many other harlotries would follow.
Joined to Christianity, the Roman Empire grew to great heights.
But the Eastern and Western branches split, confirming what had
been predicted about them long before in the dream of Nebuchadnezzar,
the king of Babylon, as recorded in the book of Daniel. This mighty
king had seen a vision of a huge statue with extraordinary brilliance
and a frightening appearance. Its head was of fine gold, its breast
and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, and its two
legs of iron (Daniel 2:31-32). Here were depicted four world empires
that would follow one another: the Babylonians, the Medes and
Persians, the Greeks, and the Romans (Daniel 2:37-40). After the
division and fall of Rome, depicted by the two legs of iron, the
king saw that the statue had feet partly of iron and partly of
clay (Daniel 2:41,42), so it seemed there would arise yet another
world empire.
Thus far there have been no more world empires since Rome fell,
although various rulers in the ensuing 1,500 years have attempted
to revive the Holy Roman Empire. History, to this day, does not
record anything corresponding to the feet with its ten toes of
iron and clay.
Daniel told the great king that the iron and clay would mix together
in marriage:
"As you saw the iron mixed with miry clay, so they will
mix with one another in marriage, but they will not hold together,
just as iron does not mix with clay" (Daniel 2:43, RSV).
Is it possible that wedding bells will ring again on the earth
and proclaim to its inhabitants another marriage? Will this be
the union of the iron essence of Rome with a religious system
so pliant (like clay) that she will give in just like fourth-century
Christianity? Will church and state once again unite in a revived,
modified expression of that fourth world empire?
Daniel 2:45 says, "The dream is true, and its interpretation
is trustworthy." Already we can see the flexible and malleable
religious system of today blending together with the political
systems of the world. She is infiltrating all levels of government
and of business enterprises in order to usher into power a one-world
government system. She is making herself attractive by dealing
with problems the state has proven it can't really help, like
entrenched poverty and juvenile crime. Her very size and stability
will seem to offer the state the way to control dangerous religious
groups and individuals. This ecclesiastical system will become
the woman of Revelation 17:3,18, who actually reigns over the
kings of the earth, controlling and manipulating the governments
of the world to her own advantage, in order to make the world
a better place to live. She will attempt to clean up Hollywood,
television, magazines, and sports, improving and reforming schools,
colleges, and jobs. Unable to be holy and set apart, she will
find a way to live in society — being both in and of the
world. So she will bring into existence another "holy empire"
— another Christendom — a harlot kingdom because she
will have united her heart to the kings of the new world empire
(Daniel 2:41-43).
How clear are the very words of the apostle John in Revelation
when he describes this woman as as the great harlot who corrupted
the earth with her immorality:
"For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the passion
of her immorality, and the kings of the earth have committed acts
of immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth have become
rich by the wealth of her sensuality" (Revelation 18:1-3;
19:2).
How far is this description from the pure virgin that was once
betrothed to Messiah (2 Corinthians 11:2) or the church that He
gave Himself up for, to sanctify her and cleanse her, that He
might present to Himself a bride in all her glory, having no spot
or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and
blameless (Ephesians 5:27).
Which of these two women are you a part of?
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