The government in Rome began as a Republic of senators. The government included a debate hall. But the constitution did give the senate power to give to someone the right to act with supreme powers in case of emergency.
The occasion arose where such power was given to someone - to Julius Caesar - originally for a limited number of years. But Caesar didn't seem to want to hand that power back. The senators became uncomfortable: Caesar was acting like a king - the very thing the Republic was designed to avoid. So eventually there was a conspiracy to assassinate Caesar, and the Senate carried it out.
Jesus would have known this history, when He said "he who lives by the sword will die by the sword". The kingdom which Jesus was to set up would be on an entirely different principle.
Anyway human ambition proved stronger than the Roman system could withstand, and what followed was only a line of kings who each called themselves Caesar. Divine status was even attributed to the Caesars.
It's interesting to consider the Book of Revelation in light of that development. A beast rising with seven heads, ten horns, ten kings, in the city of ten mountains, one of which "now is" - a contemporary of John's perhaps.
It's easy to imagine that the overcoming of the Roman Empire, by means of the Messiah, the Gospel, the church, could have been a pertinent hope of early churches. Jesus, and the Book of Revelation assured them that that would happen and showed them how it would happen. And it's a pattern which rung true for each successive generation of the persecuted church. Not that that's all that the Book of Revelation was about.
The occasion arose where such power was given to someone - to Julius Caesar - originally for a limited number of years. But Caesar didn't seem to want to hand that power back. The senators became uncomfortable: Caesar was acting like a king - the very thing the Republic was designed to avoid. So eventually there was a conspiracy to assassinate Caesar, and the Senate carried it out.
Jesus would have known this history, when He said "he who lives by the sword will die by the sword". The kingdom which Jesus was to set up would be on an entirely different principle.
Anyway human ambition proved stronger than the Roman system could withstand, and what followed was only a line of kings who each called themselves Caesar. Divine status was even attributed to the Caesars.
It's interesting to consider the Book of Revelation in light of that development. A beast rising with seven heads, ten horns, ten kings, in the city of ten mountains, one of which "now is" - a contemporary of John's perhaps.
It's easy to imagine that the overcoming of the Roman Empire, by means of the Messiah, the Gospel, the church, could have been a pertinent hope of early churches. Jesus, and the Book of Revelation assured them that that would happen and showed them how it would happen. And it's a pattern which rung true for each successive generation of the persecuted church. Not that that's all that the Book of Revelation was about.
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