Mat 13:10 And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?
Mat 13:11 He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.
Mat 13:12 For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.
Mat 13:13 Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.
Mat 13:14 And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:
Mat 13:15 For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
Mat 13:16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.
Mat 13:17 For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.
Why speak in parables, why not speak plainly?
Because it's given to some to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven- but to others it's not given.
And that sounds awful doesn't it? Like God is selecting a few and offering them eternal life but not others, which isn't true at all!
Jesus went on to say- 'because they seeing - see not; and hearing they- hear not, neither do they understand'
Jesus also added- 'for this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed- lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their hear, and should be converted and I should heal them.'
PEOPLE don't want healing! PEOPLE don't want to hear! PEOPLE don't want to see! People don't want to be converted from their evil ways! It's the choice people make, not God's choice. God is willing to heal, willing that all would come to Him, but they won't. Sadly, they won't.
It's the same for prophecy- there can be understanding, pieces can fit together. Logically things can follow order and make sense but to most people it is all just jumbled nonsense that points to the end of days and only then will it all come to pass. The facts don't concern them because it's just too hard to understand it all. Then you'll get those who piece things together somewhat and do so differently than others and so discount another's belief. I know there are many, many people out there that won't agree at all with the interpretations I've posted and that's fine. We all have to follow how God leads us, every single one of us. I'm not writing what I'm writing to convince others of anything. I feel compelled by God on my walk with Christ to study prophecy and that's what I'm doing. I just hope and pray that I'm not deceived, that the Holy Spirit will guide my studying.
Yesterday we studied from the reign of Julius, to Augustus, and then to Tiberius Caesar who lived when our Savior was killed. All the while we're talking about Tiberius we are also talking about the Roman Empire which is the big picture. We cannot separate any of these rulers from the Roman Kingdom- never. So while the prophecy is giving us details it is NEVER leaving the main kingdoms that were first predicted by Daniel interpreting Nebuchadnezzar's dream.
Do you remember how over and over the prophecy is revisiting the same empires- growing in detail each time. Well we have another case of that here.
We know that Augustus Caesar was the man who solidified the Roman Empire. Remember this---
Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus-- is considered the first emperor of the Roman Empire, which he ruled alone from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. Born Gaius Octavius Thurinus, he was adopted posthumously by his great-uncle Gaius Julius Caesar in 44 BC via his last will and testament, and between then and 27 BC was officially named Gaius Julius Caesar.
Augustus was ruling when Rome (HE) worked deceitfully, becoming strong with a small people.
Dan 11:23 And after the league made with him he shall work deceitfully: for he shall come up, and shall become strong with a small people.
'The Battle of Actium was the decisive confrontation of the Final War of the Roman Republic. It was fought between the forces of Octavian and the combined forces of Mark Antony and Cleopatra VII. The battle took place on 2 September 31 BC, on the Ionian Sea near the city of Actium, at the Roman province of Epirus vetus in Greece. Octavian's fleet was commanded by Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, while Antony's fleet was supported by the ships of Queen Cleopatra of Ptolemaic Egypt.
Octavian's victory enabled him to consolidate his power over Rome and its dominions. To that end, he adopted the title of Princeps ("first citizen") and some years after the victory was awarded the title of Augustus by the Roman Senate. This became the name by which he was known in later times. As Augustus, he would retain the trappings of a restored Republican leader; however, historians generally view this consolidation of power and the adoption of these honorifics as the end of the Roman Republic and the beginning of the Roman Empire.[1]'
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This victory by Augustus (under the name of Octavian) CONSOLIDATED his power over Rome and its dominions.
'Thus, Octavian's victory at the Battle of Actium gave him sole and uncontested control of "Mare Nostrum" (Our Sea i.e. the Roman Mediterannean) and he became "Augustus Caesar" and the "first citizen" of Rome. This victory, consolidating his power over every Roman institution, marked the transition of Rome from Republic to Empire. Egypt's final surrender following Cleopatra's death also marks the final demise of both the Hellenistic Age and the Ptolemaic Kingdom'
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'Worldwide consequences
Shakespeare turned the story of Antony and Cleopatra into a famous play, but historically, the Battle of Actium had even more important consequences.
Octavian, for his part, remained standing as the sole ruler of Rome in a time when the Republic was hanging on by a thread. Just a few years later, he was renamed Augustus and declared divine head of the new Roman Empire, a system that would last a further 400 years and engulf much of Europe, as well as parts of the Middle East and Africa under its rule.
Rome's influence over the language, religion and architecture of the 2.2 million square miles it once controlled lasts until this day.
By killing Julius Caesar and Cleopatra's son Caesarion, Octavian also effectively ended a 4,000-year tradition in Egypt. There would not be another true pharaoh in that country, which was absorbed under the banner of the empire. '
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NOTICE THIS--
'... divine head of the new Roman Empire, a system that would last a further 400 years and engulf much of Europe, as well as parts of the Middle East and Africa under its rule'
And this--
'Before an assembly thus modelled and prepared, Augustus pronounced
a studied oration, which displayed his patriotism, and disguised his
ambition. "He lamented, yet excused, his past conduct. Filial piety had
required at his hands the revenge of his father's murder; the humanity
of his own nature had sometimes given way to the stern laws of
necessity, and to a forced connection with two unworthy colleagues:
as long as Antony lived, the republic forbade him to abandon her to
a degenerate Roman, and a barbarian queen. He was now at liberty to
satisfy his duty and his inclination. He solemnly restored the senate
and people to all their ancient rights; and wished only to mingle with
the crowd of his fellow-citizens, and to share the blessings which he
had obtained for his country." [4]
[Footnote 4: Dion (l. liii. p. 698) gives us a prolix and bombast speech
on this great occasion. I have borrowed from Suetonius and Tacitus the
general language of Augustus.]
It would require the pen of Tacitus (if Tacitus had assisted at this
assembly) to describe the various emotions of the senate, those that
were suppressed, and those that were affected. It was dangerous to
trust the sincerity of Augustus; to seem to distrust it was still more
dangerous. The respective advantages of monarchy and a republic have
often divided speculative inquirers; the present greatness of the Roman
state, the corruption of manners, and the license of the soldiers,
supplied new arguments to the advocates of monarchy; and these general
views of government were again warped by the hopes and fears of each
individual. Amidst this confusion of sentiments, the answer of
the senate was unanimous and decisive. They refused to accept the
resignation of Augustus; they conjured him not to desert the republic,
which he had saved. After a decent resistance, the crafty tyrant
submitted to the orders of the senate; and consented to receive the
government of the provinces, and the general command of the Roman
armies, under the well-known names of Proconsul and Imperator. [5] But
he would receive them only for ten years. Even before the expiration
of that period, he hope that the wounds of civil discord would be
completely healed, and that the republic, restored to its pristine
health and vigor, would no longer require the dangerous interposition
of so extraordinary a magistrate. The memory of this comedy, repeated
several times during the life of Augustus, was preserved to the last
ages of the empire…'
http://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/731/pg731.txt
Dan 11:23 And after the league made with him he shall work deceitfully: for he shall come up, and shall become strong with a small people.
This deceit was REAL, very, very real in the rule of Augustus!
That Rome became strong with a small people is a reality--
'Peregrinus was the term used during the early Roman empire, from 30 BC to 212 AD, to denote a free provincial subject of the empire who was not a Roman citizen. Peregrini constituted the vast majority of the empire's inhabitants in the 1st and 2nd centuries AD. In 212 AD, all free inhabitants of the Empire were granted citizenship by the constitutio Antoniniana, abolishing the status of peregrinus.
The Latin peregrinus "foreigner, one from abroad" is a derivation from the adverb peregre "from abroad", composed of per- "abroad" and agri, the locative of ager "field, country". During the Roman Republic, the term peregrinus simply denoted any person who did not hold Roman citizenship, full or partial, whether that person was under Roman rule or not. Technically, this remained the case during the Imperial era. But in practice the term became limited to subjects of the empire, with inhabitants of regions outside the empire's borders denoted barbari (barbarians).'
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People we were NOT born Roman, made up the majority of ROME! Soldiers that fought for others gave their allegiance to Rome by being made Roman citizens. They took a few and made MANY! He became strong from those people, very, very strong.
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This is enough for tonight, little bit by little bit to digest, to read over and over and compare to Scripture. To go delve deep into our libraries, into historical sources. Do these fit? Does this paint the picture being portrayed? Does it make logical sense? We have so much to learn, so much to study and to understand ALL by the GRACE of GOD! May God help us! May God guide us always!!!
In His LOVE!
Amen!
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