The Sixth Seal
Divine Retribution
Hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the
throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:
For the great day of his wrath is come; and
who shall be able to stand? Rev 6: 16,17
The tribulation of the fifth seal was limited to ten
years (Rev2:10). At the end of that
period, Emperor Galerius was stricken with a painful
inflammation in his genitals.
The pagan Galerius was the master spirit behind
the persecutions which history has
named for his predecessor Diocletian. The pure
flame of the early church had become a virtual
funeral pyre as a remnant patiently endured trusting
in the God who declares "Vengence is Mine".
Galerius Knew His Affliction was Judgment
He Sought to Appease the Christians' God
And I will execute great vengeance upon them with
furious rebukes; and they shall know that I am
the LORD
, when I shall lay my vengeance upon them. Eze
25:17
Galerius knew that he had fallen into the hands of the
Christian's God and in desperation attempted to
appease Him.
- He confessed publically
- He forgave his enemies
- He freed the prisoners
- The Edict of Toleration
- He begged for prayer
A Terrible Vengence
It is a Fearful Thing to Fall into the Hands of God
But, Galerius's conditioned worsened by the growth of
a deep ulcer which was
soon befallen by worms. It began to rot
much like
the wretched fate of Herod.
Some of Galerius' doctors were simply unable to
endure the stench. These were executed
immediately. The other doctors were killed later
having been unable to cure their emperor's disease.
The Persecuting Emperors
All Died Under a Dark Cloud
Unrepentant, Galerius died appropriately ten
days
after his Edict of Toleration. Earlier Maximian
hanged himself like Judas, oppressed by
remorse
for his cruelty. And his son emperor Maxentius
drowned in the Tiber at the Battle of Milvian
Bridge as he fled Constantine and Constantine's god.
Diocletian had a medal struck of himself as Jupiter
whose forked lightening was destroying the
hydra-headed serpent of Christianity. This
champion of paganism died stark raving mad
while his wife and
daughter accepted Christ.
Diocletian's name is given to the last and most
severe persecution. For ten years believers were
hunted in caves and forests. They were burned at
the stake, thrown to hungry lions and other beasts,
and put to death by every torture that could be
devised. Finally, the emperors realized their God
was a reality.
.