The Patriot Post® · Christmas 2013 vis-a-vis Roman Empire
Christmas 2013 finds America in disarray, as even believers do not demonstrate their beliefs with action, but allow the culture and sub-culture to hold reign. It is as though the culture of the day is frozen in a time-warp, unaware as to whether coming or going.
This once great Christian Judeo based country is in seeming shambles in which even Christians no longer wear their beliefs on their sleeves like sergeant stripes. It is truly time for the plea, “Come oh come Emmanuel; And ransom captive Israel; That mourns in lonely exile here; Until the Son of God appear Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to thee, O Israel”. Bear in mind that in the parlance of the enemy, Israel, the West, and the US are synonymous enemies.
Christmas 2,000 years ago and now in 2013 were in desperate need of the one and only Messiah to save mankind from itself. Roman Empire times were not much different from 2013; the only real difference may be the instant communication technology obsessing the US today.
Then as now, “SIN” was a verboten subject as humans as a whole no longer feel the need for God and the inhibiting Ten Commandments, but God, being a loving merciful God, sent his Son to assume humanity so as to save humanity from itself.
Rome basked in lust, entertainment, and debauchery, honoring only pagan gods, and aborting their babies, resorting to partial birth abortion to avoid almost certain death for the mother due to their version of back-alley abortion procedures. Excesses of pre-game tail gate parties of the 21st century are modest in comparison to the gluttonous excesses of ancient Rome.
Moderns are not so modern after all, as Rome had its Coliseum in which the performing gladiators battled it out before massive crowds kept in submission with entertainment and extravaganzas still copied 2,000 years later by modern computer-driven architects who have basically added nothing new. Each succeeding emperor felt compulsion to outdo excesses of previous emperors.
Rome was unable and unwilling to defend itself and resorted to mercenaries, leading to eventual defeat and fall of the Roman Empire that stretched across the known world. Today’s American mercenaries volunteered to defend their country around the globe, only to return to no job, no family, no health, broken bodies, broken spirits; and disrespected today by its own government as if they were the ancient Roman mercenaries two millenniums ago.
Rome spread its tentacles in order to garner resources, aka taxes, necessary to maintain the Empire but eventually the mercenaries turned on their employers and the most successful\empire in the history of the world collapsed of its own weight because of its unwillingness to do for itself, living only in history.
America is running out of volunteer mercenaries, that to their chagrin, find that the free-college advertised as an inducement to volunteer turned out to be a revolving eleven-year year tour of duty during which the chances of death or debilitating injury grew ever greater. Nothing much has changed in the current US situation that now resorts to training its own mercenaries that like the Roman mercenaries wear the friendly uniform but use it to camouflage murderous intent.
Not much has changed as far as human nature is concerned since the Roman Empire, except the US in particular has not learned from history. Its Eagle wings have been spread far and wide but cannot take or tax resources from the occupied countries, leading up to fiscal demise every bit as debilitating as battlefront defeat.
Birth of the Christ Child is celebrated on Dec. 25 but the precise date is still unknown, as in those times, the date of death was honored. Dec. 25 was chosen, probably to counter the Roman pagan holiday of excess, but excesses are part and parcel of the current American Christmas celebration mindset that has become purely commercial, albeit sans direct mention of Christ, that is replaced with “holiday” as it was in Roman pagan times.
Polls indicate Sunday church attendance in the US is between 20% to 40%, and correspondingly, belief in traditional principles of family, marriage, and religion, are held in low esteem, as parents, schools, and government literally conspire to keep Christ out of Christmas on a year-round basis. Christmas church attendance is about double normal Sunday church attendance.
What can possible go wrong, except everything, as America is oblivious to the proximity of the precipice, as it seems everything is going wrong, in every direction, including nature that itself rebels against the wicked whole of humanity.
Jesus Christ came to save humanity from itself but at a given point it is incumbent on humanity to pay homage, as did the Three Kings who honored and gifted the King of kings, Lord of lords, whose power is given from the Father. Christmas 2013 is dominated by exchanging gifts between humans, whereas the original Christmas was a gift of God himself to all his children.
"Come let us adore him" and accept his saving grace because without Christ in Christmas, there is only Roman holiday, a worthless exercise in futility.