Feb-27-A Tale of Two Rotting Balls

A Tale of Two Rotting Balls

Acts 12:23, 24
Then immediately an angel of the Lord struck him, because he did not give glory to God. And he was eaten by worms and died. But the word of God grew and multiplied.

In February AD303 Gelerius Velerius Maxiniamus issued an edict demanding the persecution of Christians. Lasting eight years, this last great persecution of Christians by the Roman Empire was often so violent, that even the pagans were disgusted.

In AD 311, while preparing for his twentieth anniversary celebrations as both Caesar and Augustus, Galerius was suddenly overcome by a serious disease. First, his genitals suffered a severe inflammation, followed by the growth of a deep ulcer, which was soon infested by worms, which casued the ulcer to began to swell and rot on his body. It was so bad, that some of Galerius' doctors were simply unable to endure the stench. Both they and others who failed to cure him, were executed immediately.

From his sickbed at Nicomedia on 30th April AD 311 Galerius issued an edict, which was confirmed by his fellow emperors, canceling the persecution of the Christians. His strategy had failed. The suffering of the Christians may have even won them the sympathy of the empire. By swollen balls and the stench of a rotting ulcer, the tide of the vicious battle had turned once again to the favor of Jesus Christ the Lord.

Our enemy is defeated. He is fighting a delaying battle. He cannot win. The gates of hell will not prevail against the expansion of God’s kingdom. Nonetheless, be sure of this dear friends, it is a vicious and costly conflict. Millions of our brothers and sisters have perished in it and even today, the church is openly slaughtered in many parts of this poor world. Against us, the Lord’s people, our enemy’s anger is venomous. Given a chance, he would once again embark on vicious persecution even on these very shores in which we live. We must prayerfully and actively fight to maintain and prosper that which generations of Christians have fought and died for.

For us, the people of God, to lay dormant at such a time as this, when all our walls are falling down around our ears, is such a lying, louse ridden lethargy, that I believe it can only be ascribed to demonic activity! The church of God must rise up from its lethargic lounging and fight the good fight today. If not, then once again we shall surely begin to pay a very high price in this deadly conflict right here on our own blood bought land.