A True History of the True Church (Ephesus to Pergamos 96 to 703 AD)

The Ephesus Era Was Called Nazarene
(96-276 A.D.)

Where is the true church? How can we identify it? Matthew 16:18 says, "Thou art Peter (Gr. "Petros" masculine meaning"stone"), and upon this rock (Gr. "Petra" feminine meaning "massive rock") I will build my church, and the gates of hades ("the grave") shall not prevail against it." And Paul says "the Rock was Christ" (1 Cor.10:4) -- not Peter. "For other foundation no one can lay but that which has been laid which is Jesus Christ" (1 Cor.3:11). The true church, built on Christ's teaching, would continue to exist through every century down to our day today.

In Judaea, Jewish Christians met together with Jews in synagogues but by about 85 A.D., to make sure of their exclusion, a formal anathema was incorporated in the synagogue liturgy: 'May the Nazarenes and the heretics be suddenly destroyed and removed from the Book of Life.' (p. 21, Chadwick's Early Church). This shows us that Christians actually still considered themselves JEWS long after Christ's death (cp. Rom.2:29). This also shows us the Ephesus Era was called Nazarene. Ephesus means "Desirable" because not only was the city located in a very desirable geographic location, but that period of church history when the apostles were living and could personally guide the people was a desirable period.

"Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks; I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted. Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy lampstand out of his place, except thou repent" (Rev. 2:1-5).

"Lampstand" refers to the FULL MOON in Gemini. Perhaps Timothy was the angel (1 Tim. 1:3). Paul visited Ephesus in 56 A.D. and baptised them (Acts 19:1-6). Many Ephesians burned their books on witchcraft because of Paul's witness there (Acts 19:18-20). Just as the city of Ephesus was the first of seven cities on a mail route, so also the Ephesus Era (lit. "Desirable") was the first of seven chronological eras of church history portrayed by the seven-branched Menorah. The first believers were called "Christians" (Acts 11:26) or "Nazarenes" (24:5) who fled from Jerusalem to Pella (Wars 6:5:3) in 69 A.D. They were called "Nazarenes" because Nazareth was where Jesus grew up (Matt.2:23).

What did the Nazarenes believe? According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th edition volume 19, page 319, "NAZARENES (Nag'copaiot), an obscure Jewish-Christian sect, existing at the time of Epiphanius (fl. A.D. 370) in Coele-Syria, Decapolis (Pella) and Basanitis (Cocabe). According to that authority (Panarion, xxix. 7) they dated their settlement in Pella from the time of the flight of the Jewish Christians from Jerusalem, immediately before the siege in A.D. 70; he characterizes them as neither more nor less than JEWS PURE AND SIMPLE, but adds that they recognized the new covenant as well as the old, and believed in the resurrection, and in the one God and His Son Jesus Christ. He cannot say whether their christological views were identical with those of Cerinthus and his school, or whether they differed at all from his own. But Jerome (Ep. 79, to Augustine) says that they believed in Christ. the Son of God, born of the Virgin Mary, who suffered under Pontius Pilate, and rose again, but adds that, " desiring to be BOTH JEWS and CHRISTIANS, they are neither the one nor the other." They used the Aramaic recension of the Gospel according to Matthew, which they called the Gospel to the Hebrews, but, while ADHERING as far as possible to the MOSAIC economy as regarded CIRCUMCISION, SABBATHS, FOODS and the like, they did not refuse to recognize the apostolicity of Paul or the rights of heathen Christians (Jer., Comm. in Isa., ix. I). These facts, taken along with the name (cf. Acts xxiv. 5) and geographical position of the sect, lead to the conclusion that the Nazarenes of the 4th century are, in spite of Epiphanius's distinction, to be identified with the Ebionites (q.v.). "Christianity offered itself to the world, armed with the strength of the MOSAIC LAW ... The divine authority of Moses and the prophets was admitted, and even established, as the FIRMEST BASIS of Christianity.... The history of the church of Jerusalem affords a lively proof ... of the deep impression which the JEWISH RELIGION had made on the minds of its sectaries. The first fifteen bishops of Jerusalem were all circumcised JEWS; and the congregation over which they presided UNITED the LAW OF MOSES with the doctrine of Christ.... The Jewish converts ... who had laid the foundations of the church, soon found themselves overwhelmed by the increasing multitudes that from all the various religions of polytheism enlisted under the banner of Christ: and the Gentiles ... rejected the intolerable weight of Mosaic ceremonies ... The Nazarenes ... elected Marcus for their bishop, a prelate of the race of the gentiles ... At his persuasion the most considerable part of the congregation RENOUNCED the MOSAIC LAW, in the practice of which they had persevered above a century" (31 A.D. till after 131 A.D.) (Gibbon's Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire,15:181-182).

The historians Philip Schaff and Johann Gieseler confirm the fact that the true church kept the Mosaic Law:

The Jewish Christians, at least in Palestine, conformed as closely as possible to the venerable forms of the cultus of their fathers, which in truth were divinely ordained, and were an expressive type of the Christian worship. So far as we know, they scrupulously observed the Sabbath, the annual Jewish feasts, the hours of daily prayer, and the whole Mosaic ritual (Schaff, Philip, History of the Christian Church, Chapter 9. Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc. 1997. This material has been carefully compared, corrected¸ and emended according to the 1910 edition of Charles Scribner's Sons by The Electronic Bible Society, Dallas, TX, 1998.)

While the Jewish Christians of Palestine retained the entire Mosaic law, and consequently the Jewish festivals, the Gentile Christians observed also the Sabbath and the passover (1 Cor. v. 6-8), with reference to the last scenes of Jesus' life, but without Jewish superstition (Gal. iv. 10 ; Col. ii. 16) (Gieseler, Johann Karl Ludwig. A text-book of church history, Volume I, Chapter II. New York : Harper & brothers. Date 1857-80).

"Before the second century was half gone ... the 'Mystery of Iniquity,' had so largely spread over the east and the west ... that a large part of the Christian OBSERVANCES and INSTITUTIONS, even in this century, had the aspect of the PAGAN MYSTERIES" (Mosheim, Ecclesiastical History, Cent.2, Part 2, Ch.4, Paragraph 1).

What was their "first LOVE" (Rev.2:4)? "This is the LOVE of God, that we KEEP his COMMANDMENTS: and his commandments are not grievous" (1 John 5:3). "If ye LOVE me, KEEP my COMMANDMENTS" (John 14:15). "This is LOVE, that we WALK AFTER (in accordance with) his COMMANDMENTS" (2 John 6). "He that hath my COMMANDMENTS, and KEEPETH them, he it is that LOVETH me" (John 14:21). The whole value of affection and friendship is in its practical manifestations.

"But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God" (Rev. 2:6-7).

What were "the DEEDS of the NICOLAITANS" (Rev.2:6)? "Nicolaitans" comes from Greek: nikao - subdue and laos - people. They were followers of Nicolas a proselyte of Antioch" (Acts 6:5) who taught that DEEDS of the FLESH do not affect the purity of the soul, and consequently have no bearing on salvation (Hippolytus Refut. 7:24; Irenaeus Against Heresies 1:26:3). Therefore it was unnecessary to curb the desires of the flesh as required by the moral law. As Sir William Ramsay points out, they joined the craft guilds and thus were required to pay worshipful homage to the emperor. Idolatry and fornication were a normal part of Roman "civilization." There were temple prostitutes, banquets and orgies in temples with all foods offered to idols (cp Act 15:20; 1Co 6:12-20; 1Co 8; 10:14-33; Rev 14:4). They may have been the group in Ephesus referred to by Paul (Acts 19:19) who burned their magic books.

God "REMOVED their lampstand" (Rev.2:5) from the Temple in Jerusalem to Rome in 70 A.D. It was removed again when Hadrian's edict in 135 A.D. SCATTERED the old church of Jerusalem. In type the actual city of Ephesus, known as "the Light of Asia" (Pliny), has SHIFTED several miles from the place it once occupied also, owing to the silting up of the river estuary.

What does "He that hath an ear, let him HEAR" mean? Isaiah 50:4-5 says, "He waketh mine ear to HEAR as the learned. The Lord God hath OPENED (Lit. "digged") mine ear, and I was not rebellious." A servant for life had his ear "digged" or pierced (Ex. 21:6) and therefore OBEYED. Only those who obey God have ears pierced to hear. "To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life which is in the midst of the paradise of God" (2:7). Certain trees were worshipped by the pagans in Ephesus and so this remark ties in with Ephesus especially.

Ephesus was the city of Artemis, the moon-goddess. This implies that the planet ("star") associated with Ephesus was the MOON. The Chaldeans arranged the MOON as the first planet and this is the first church. The Ephesian Era existed from the SUN in Sagittarius ("eyes like a flame of fire ... in his right hand seven stars ... out of his mouth ... two-edged sword" -- Rev. 1:12-17) (96 A.D.) to the MOON in Gemini (two witnesses alternately a "lamp" -- 2:5 or "tree of life" -- 2:7 in Rev. 11:4) (276 A.D.) or 180 degrees. Gemini "left thy first love" since this sign is 180 degrees from Sagittarius and "fallen" since a smaller constellation further from earth. 96 A.D. + 180 = 276 A.D. The persecution under Emperor Aurelian 274-275 A.D. may have diminished this era in the Roman Empire but many Nazarenes dwelt in IRAN (or PERSIA) as a religious minority and Nazarenes were systematically persecuted in Iran in 276 A.D. by Bashram II until their "lampstand" was removed. They should have gone west instead -- 180 degrees opposite from Persia -- toward Sagittarius.

In Acts 2:9 it is mentioned that on "the Day of Pentecost at Jerusalem there were "PARTHIANS, and MEDES, and ELAMITES, and inhabitants of MESOPOTAMIA". Early Christian records mention that Peter and Thomas preached the Gospel to the PARTHIANS and men such as Thaddaeus, Bartholomew, and Addeus, evangelized the races of MESOPOTAMIA and PERSIA, and that Mari, a noble PERSIAN convert, succeeded Addeus in the government of the PERSIAN Christian communities. The bishops, Abrês, Abraham, Jacob, Ahadabuhi, Tomarsa, Shahlufa, and finally Bishop Papa succeeded him at the end of the Third Century. Syriac documents also indicate that towards the beginning of the Third Century the Christians in the PERSIAN territories had some three hundred and sixty churches, and many martyrs.

Arbela, fifty miles east of river Tigris (Dejleh) and the capital of Adiabene—a small PERSIAN border kingdom—was the earliest center of Christianity in IRAN (present day Iraq). There was a large concentration of Jews in Arbela and in Nisibis in eastern MESOPOTAMIA and while some Jews were instrumental in spreading Christianity, others opposed the new faith. The First century Jewish historian Josephus, mentions that a king of Adiabene accepted Judaism about AD 36. Such a conversion made Arbela a natural center for Jewish Christian mission at an early date. Nisibis another major city of the area was also the seat of a Jewish Academy of learning. Christianity spread in both villages and cities and by the end of the PARTHIAN period (AD 225), Christian communities were settled all the way from Edessa, an important missionary center, to Afghanistan. The Chronicles of Arbela report that by this time there were already more than twenty bishops in PERSIA and Christians had already penetrated Arabia and Central Asia.

PARTHIAN Kings were tolerant of other religions and Christianity kept slowly but steadily advancing in various parts of the empire. At the time of the persecution of Christians in Rome, many sought refuge in IRAN and were given protection by the IRANIAN rulers. Though thousands of PERSIANS embraced Christianity, PERSIA remained Zoroastrian with many adhering to the Cult of Mithra. However, there never arose an indigenous PERSIAN Church, worshipping in the PERSIAN language. The PERSIAN Church was of Syrian origin, traditions and tendencies and for about three centuries, regarded Antioch (in Syria -- Acts 11:26) as the center of its faith and the seat of authority.

A period of peace and prosperity for the Christian community lasted until the reign of Bahram II (276-293AD). For the first time in 276 A.D. there is systematic oppression of different religious groups in Iran. In his inscriptions, the 'priest' Kidir (the chief Mobad) states that thanks to his efforts under King Bahram II (276-293), Zoroastrianism was promoted in the empire and other religious communities were persecuted. In one part of the inscription he declares: "The false doctrines of Ahriman and of the idols suffered great blows and lost credibility. The Jews (Yahud), Buddhists (Shaman), Hindus (Brahman), NAZARENES (Nasara), Christians (Kristiyan), Baptists (Makdag) and Manichaeans (Zandik) were smashed in the empire, their idols destroyed, and the habitations of the idols annihilated and turned into abodes and seats of the gods" (Christianity in Iran, A Brief History by Massoume Price). Our Messiah "removed the candlestick out of his place" in PERSIA (Rev. 2:5).

To this end we believe the Roman armies had also been successful against Persia at this time -- helping "remove the Persian candlestick." But then the Roman emperor Carus was struck by a bolt of lightning in 283 and died. Numerianus, his son, was elevated to the imperial purple by the legions. The army, superstitious and fearful of the wrath of the gods after the lightning stroke, insisted that Numerianus abandon the victorious Persian campaign and lead them home. They were so unsettled by the freakish event that they willingly abandoned all prospects of sacking and plundering Persian cities.

Numerianus was well liked by the Roman people and Senate, being an educated and gentle man who was fond of poetry, literature, and oratory. It was these qualities that allowed Numerianus to be controlled by the praetorian prefect who would eventually murder him.

Numerianus was returning with his army from the war with Persia when he was murdered in his litter in 284. Nobody had heard from the emperor for four days, and only investigated when suspicious smells started to emanate from the imperial litter. There, the soldiers found Numerianus murdered and his corpse in a rotting condition, stinking badly after four days in the heat of Mesopotamia. His Praetorian Prefect, Arrius Aper, was accused of his murder when it had been discovered that Numerianus was dead and the army had not been told of the death of their emperor. Aper, whose name means "The Boar", was taken as a prisoner in chains to be tried for the murder. The army soon chose Diocletian, the "Commander of the Domestics" as emperor to replace Numerian. A prophecy had been given to Diocletian in his youth that he would become emperor, but not until he had "Killed the boar", Having killed many wild boars in hunting, and still a soldier but not an emperor, Diocletian had forgotten the prophecy. Soon, however, Aper was found guilty of Numerianus' murder by the army tribunal. Diocletian quickly killed the treacherous assassin and fulfilled the prophecy that he would kill the boar.

A timeline of this Ephesus period would be helpful here:

96-98 Roman emperor Nerva reigns.
98-117 Roman Emperor Trajan reigns.
107-117 Ignatius (bishop of Antioch) is martyred (MERCURY -- 117).
112 Cornelius Tacitus, Pliny the Younger write about Jesus (MARS -- 112).
117-138 Roman emperor Hadrian reigns (MERCURY -- 117).
119 Tertullian writes oldest Christian works in Latin
120 Suetonicus writes about Jesus in Life of Claudius
132-135 Second Jewish revolt (the "Bar Cochba" revolt) against Rome (VENUS -- 132).
136 Second Roman (Hadrian) conquest of Jerusalem.
150 Justin Martyr (100-165) writes First Apology and Dialogue With Trypho defending Christianity as a "philosophy" worthy of the respect of the educated and as the only legitimate heir to the Israelite scriptures. Irenaeus writes Against Heresies
166 First Marcomannic War (166-174) (SATURN -- 166)
Polycarp, bishop of Smyrna and
166? Martyrdom of Polycarp, bishop of Smyrna and younger colleague and admirer of Ignatius of Antioch (SATURN -- 166). Marcus Aurelius persecutes, executes Christians.
185-254 Origen, early church scholar, writes Against Celsus and De Principiis
200 Creation of Hindu scripture Bhagavad Gita.
200-258 Novation caused split in Rome over what to do with Christians who avoided persecution.
220 Jewish Mishnah (commentary on the Bible) completed
224 Sassanids come to power in Persia.
249-251 Persecution of the church by Decius.
251-356 Antony of Egypt, founder of monasticism, becomes the earliest hermit monk.
258 Bishop Cyprian, Catholic theologian, martyred
303 -- Diocletian orders Roman forces to persecute Christians. He orders Christian churches closed throughout the Empire and Scriptures burnt.
313 -- Edict of Milan -- An agreement between Constantine, ruler of the west, and Licinius, ruler of the East, that assures full restitution of all confiscated Christian property and full rights for Christian worship in both halves.
363 Council of Laodicea
407 John Chrysostom dies
428 Nestorius, Patriarch of Constantinople

The Smyrna Era Was Called Ebionite
(303-313 A.D.)

"And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive; I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan" (Rev. 2:8-9).

The ancient city of Smyrna practically died out for 400 years, and then revived remarkably. A prominent feature of local religion was death and resurrection of the "god" Dionysius. The name "Smyrna" means "MYRRH." Smyrna took its name from the local trade in myrrh. MYRRH was used to embalm DEAD bodies. For instance, Nicodemus brought "MYRRH and aloes" to the body of Jesus (John 19:39-40). Therefore Smyrna was a church of MARTYRS.

Smyrna (lit. "Myrrh" or "Incense" or "Bitter") Christians were called "Ebionites (Hebrew ... "POOR men") a name given to the ultra-Jewish party in the early Christian Church.... they ... rejected Paul as an apostate from the MOSAIC LAW, to the customs and ordinances of which, including CIRCUMCISION, they steadily ADHERED (Irenaeus -- Adv. Haer. 26. 2). They kept both the Jewish SABBATH and the Christian Lord's day, and held extreme MILLENARIAN ideas in which Jerusalem figured as the centre of the coming Messianic kingdom. Epiphanius with his customary confusion makes two separate sects, Ebionites and Nazarenes. Both names, however, refer to the same people (the Jewish Christians of Syria), the latter going back to the designation of apostolic times (Acts xxiv. 5), and the former being the term usually applied to them in the ecclesiastical literature of the 2nd and 3rd centuries. The origin of the Nazarenes or Ebionites as a distinct sect is very obscure, but may be dated with much likelihood from the edict of Hadrian which in 135 finally scattered the old church of Jerusalem. ... His (Jesus') coming did not annul the LAW.... and CIRCUMCISION still necessary. BAPTISM must be REPEATED as a means of PURIFICATION from sin, and proof against disease ... and a good deal of ASTROLOGICAL fancy was inter-woven with the doctrinal and practical teaching ... these (were) Essene Ebionites" (p.842, vol.8, Encyc. Brit. 11th ed.).

Jimmy Dunn's book called Unity and Diversity in the New Testament, p.255 says, "The first Christians were Jews ... and even though they believed that Jesus was the Messiah and risen from the dead, that did not alter their standing or outlook as Jews. They apparently continued to OBSERVE THE LAW without question, not interpreting their traditions of Jesus' words and actions, in a manner hostile to the law. Hence the Pharisees seem to have seen in them little or nothing of the threat which Jesus had posed (Acts 5:33 onwards) and not a few became members of the Jesus sect while still remaining Pharisees (Acts 15:5; 21:20).... In short, it is evident that the earliest community in no sense felt themselves to be a new religion distinct from Judaism. There was no sense of a boundary line drawn between themselves and their fellow Jews. They saw themselves simply as fulfilled Judaism, the beginning of eschatological Israel, and the Jewish authorities evidently did not see them as anything very different from themselves. they held one or two eccentric beliefs. So did other Jewish sects. But otherwise they were wholly Jewish.... Only their belief in Jesus as Messiah and risen, and their belief that the last days were upon them mark them out as different from the majority of their fellow Jews. None of the other great Christian distinctives that come to expression in and through Paul are present. Rather, altogether, it is a form of Christianity which we today would scarcely recognize -- Jewish Christianity.... a form of Jewish Messianism.... If we now shift our glance from the beginning of Christianity forward 150 years or so into the second century and beyond, it at once becomes evident that the situation has significantly altered. Jewish Christianity, so far from being the only form of Christianity, is now being classified as unorthodox and heretical. There seem to have been several groups of Jewish Christians whose beliefs put them beyond the pale of the emerging great church. One at least preserved an ancient title for early Christians -- Nazarenes (Acts 24:5). The name probably embodied a claim to preserve the true tradition AGAINST THE ANTINOMIAN CHRISTIAN COMMUNITIES elsewhere. Now the best known sect, whose name became a kind of stereotype in the great church polemic against Jewish Christians was the Ebionites ... their FAITHFUL ADHERENCE TO THE JEWISH LAW ... Irenaeus, Origen, Eusebius and Epiphanius number rejection of Paul as one of the characteristics of the Ebionite faith and of the other Jewish sects as well.... Heretical Jewish Christianity would appear to be no so very different from the faith of the first Jewish believers.... In short ... the measure of agreement between the earliest Jewish believers and the Ebionites is quite striking. The heretical Jewish Christianity of the second and third centuries apparently has no closer parallel than the earliest Christian community in Jerusalem. Indeed, on the basis of this evidence, the heretical Jewish Christianity of the later centuries could quite properly claim to be more truly the heir of earliest Christianity than any other expression of Christianity."

What is the "Synagogue of SATAN"? It may refer to false Christians as in Revelation 3:9, but here it more likely refers to "JEWS." Many IDUMIANS were forced to become "JEWS" (Ant. 13:9:1) by Hyrcanus in 125 B.C. "EDOM is in modern Jewry" (Jewish Encyc. 5:41). Josephus indicates that only the Essenes were hereditary Jews while the Pharisees and Saduccees were NOT JEWS by birth (Wars 2:8:2). Jesus said to these Jews, "Ye are of your father the DEVIL" (John 8:44) which agrees with Revelation 2:9 where Jesus says, "I know the blasphemy of them who say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of SATAN." The Pharisees said to Jesus, "We are Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man" (John 8:33). Yet Israel had a long history of bondage in Egypt, Assyria and Babylon. Therefore the Pharisees must have been the other branch of Abraham's seed in Palestine -- EDOMITES.

Polycarp is believed to have been the "angel" or minister of this church at the time John was writing. According to Tertullian, Irenaeus, Eusebius and Jerome, John the apostle himself consecrated Polycarp bishop of Smyrna. The state required Polycarp to worship Caesar as god. Polycarp refused and was burned at the stake on the hillside of Mount Pagus in 168 A.D. Here is a description of the martyrdom of Polycarp, bishop of Smyrna: "the Pro-Consul, respecting his dignity and his advanced age -- for he was more than eighty -- and being desirous to save him, urged him, saying, 'Swear, and I will release thee.' 'Reproach Christ.' Polycarp answered, 'Eighty years have I served Him, and He has never wronged me. How can I blaspheme my King who has saved me?' The Pro-Consul, judging his efforts to be unavailing, sent a herald to proclaim: Polycarp hath professed himself a Christian. At that hated name the multitude, both of the Gentiles and the JEWS, unanimously shouted that he should be burned alive. The people immediately gathered fuel from the workshops and the baths, in which employment the JEWS distinguished themselves with their usual malice" (Eusebius Eccl.Hist. ch. 15, p.147).

Gibbon also tells us that the JEWS tried to instigate the Romans into persecuting Christians (Decline and Fall, ch.16).

"Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death" (Rev. 2:10-11).

How could "the Devil" "cast some of you into prison" (Rev. 2:10) when only the officers of the Roman Empire could throw Christians into prison? Because the Roman Empire is the Devil manifest (Rev. 12:9). God uses the same symbol for both the Roman Empire and Satan. Both are a RED DRAGON.

What are the "ten days" of tribulation (2:10)? From 23 Feb. 303 to 13 June 313 A.D. (Lactantius De Mort. Persec. 48; Eusebius E.H. 8:15-16), after Diocletan returned victorious from the Persian wars, he persecuted Christians. Hundreds of thousands of Christians died or were banished. It was Smyrna's "tribulation for ten days" (years) (2:8-10). DIOCLETIAN published his edict at Nicomedia on February 24, 303 and it lasted until his death. The Edict of Toleration by Galerius, was issued in 311 in Serdica (now Sofia, Bulgaria) by Roman Emperor Galerius. It officially ended Diocletian's persecution of Christianity in the East. Constantine (West) and Licinius (Balkans) agreed to treat Christians kindly in the Edict of Milan which was agreed to on February 313 and the proclamation, made for the East by Licinius in June 313, granted all persons freedom to worship whatever deity they pleased. "In 313 A.D. Constantine's Edict of Milan restored confiscated Christian property and gave equal rights for all religions. In that same year Constantine exempted Christian clergy from civil and military service and their property from taxation" (SDABC). Besides lasting ten years, this was also the tenth persecution suffered under ten different emperors' edicts: Nero (64 A.D.), Domitian (95 A.D.), Trajan (107 A.D.), Hadrian (127 A.D.), Marcus Aurelius (165 A.D.), Septimius Severus (202 A.D.), Maximus (235 A.D.), Decius (249 A.D.), Valerianus (257 A.D.) and Diocletian (303 A.D.). Read about the 10 persecutions by pagan Rome in Fox's Book of Martyrs, pp. 13-31.

"Our faith" is what "overcometh the world" (1 John 5:4). How do we get that faith? "Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Rom. 10:17). Bible study therefore gives us faith to overcome the world. Being fully convinced of the truth of the Bible gives a Christian power to "deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, and to live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present world" (Tit. 2:12).

The Messiah described himself as, "the first and the last; He that was dead and is alive" when addressing Smyrna. Why? Because the SUN was Tammuz the "only Son" of heaven, alternately dying and rising again. The birth of this SUN-god occurred on the winter solstice, and was eventually adapted to the Birth of Messiah. Another legend of Tammuz was that he was a faithful prophet put to death by a cruel king (cp. Rev. 2:10 & 11:7-11), the character of martyrdom, which was that of Smyrna. The reward was to have the Crown of Life, the aureole of the SUN -- Corona Borealis, the crown of Dionysus, the SUN god. Ever since, in works of art, glorified saints are depicted with halos; but up till then this had been the characteristic of Helios and other SUN gods in eastern and western mythologies. "Round the crest of the hill at the back of the city was a line of fine buildings known as 'the crown' of Smyrna. Christ promised something better. It was also a Smyrnean practice to present a crown to the high priest of Dionysus at the end of his term of office. Several epitaphs include the title 'crownbearer.' But Christ offers a greater honor. The Smyrna Era existed from 303 A.D. to 313 A.D. which was the "tribulation TEN DAYS" (Rev. 2:10) -- Diocletian's persecution TEN YEARS (DEGREES) -- from the MOON forming Sagittarius's "two-edged" sword (303 A.D.) ("death" -- 2:10) to the SUN in Sagittarius (313 A.D.) ("crown of life" -- 2:10) and since there are no gaps in the history of the church from the end of Ephesus to the beginning of Smyrna because "the gates of hades ("the grave") shall not prevail against it" (Matt. 16:18), we know Smyrna must have existed from 276 A.D. at least.

A historical timeline of the Smyrna Era would be helpful:

293 Diocletian divides Roman Empire in two.
303 Severe persecution of the church by Roman emperor Diocletian.
312 Battle of Rome's Milvain Bridge, October 27, leads to succession of Constantine to the throne and conversion to Christianity.

The Pergamos Era Was Called Donatist & Paulician
(313 - 703 A.D.)

"And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges; I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth" (Rev. 2:12-13).

Pergamos means "height" or "elevation" because the city stood 1000 feet above sea level and was built about 1150 B.C. by the Aeolian Greeks. The elevation provided a natural defense and the city was considered impregnable. Kings sometimes stored their wealth in this city for safekeeping. Lysimachus placed his fortune of $10 million in this city. This city was made the capital of the province of Asia when Attalus III (aka Philometer), the last of the Attalid kings, bequeathed his kingdom to Rome in 133 B.C.

The proconsuls who ruled there were vested with the symbol of authority: the broad, double-edged sword. The Supreme court of the province was also located there. Life or death awaited the prisoners who came to this court. But in the final judgment, Christ "hath the sharp sword with two edges" (Rev. 2:12) and he will pass sentence on everyone (2 Cor. 5:10) based on what they do with what they have in the time they have been given. He takes note of where men were born (Ps. 87:4-6).

By 337 A.D., about half the inhabitants of the Roman Empire professed to be Christians -- many doing so just to keep their positions because Catholicism was now the State Religion. Catholics were no longer thrown to wild beasts in the Colosseum, or burned alive in the Circus of Nero, no longer commanded to offer incense to the gods or worship a serpent. Pergamos means "Married to Power."

The counterfeit Babylonian religion claimed to make a bridge between heaven and earth (Just as the Tower of Babel had a top which reached into the heavens as an observatory to find a natural cause for the flood and how to prevent another one -- despite God's assurance there would not be another one.). The ruling monarch became the head of the system. As High Priest of the old Babylonish religion, he was the original Pontifex Maximus ("the Greatest Bridge-builder"). The king of ancient Babylon had been both king and High Priest, or Pontifex Maximus. When Belshazzar was slain (Dan. 5:30), and the Chaldeans were defeated by Darius the Mede, the Persians gave the inhabitants of the city their freedom. But the Babylonian priests later led a revolt and were expelled from Babylon. Some fled to Tibet where the ancient Babylonian religion is preserved intact. But the most important moved to, and settled their Central College in, Pergamos -- "Satan's seat" (Rev. 2:13). Pergamos was the name of a kingdom as well as of a city. The kingdom was one of the four that developed out of Alexander's Empire, referred to in Dan 8:8,22. We read that 'out of one of them came forth a little horn' (v 9) -- Rome.

"An intellectual city, with a huge library. It gave its name to 'parchment.' Centre of Roman administration for the province and of the state religion (Emperor worship), hence v 13. Centre also of worship of Aesculapius, god of healing -- his symbol a serpent. Temple prostitution was rampant here, more even than at other centres of idolatry.

The most important temple in Pergamos was the Temple of Zeus dedicated to Aesculapius, the serpent child of the "incarnate sun" or the "serpent god" or "the god of healing" or "the man-instructing serpent" who gave man the knowledge of good and evil. A living serpent was always kept in the Temple of Zeus as an object of worship. A famous school of medicine was also located there, the emblem of which was the serpent or the Caduceus twined around a pole which is today the emblem of the medical profession. The city was a great educational center. Its library of 200,000 books rivaled the Egyptian library at Alexandria. When Egypt refused to supply Pergamos with papyrus for manufacturing paper, they prepared a new kind of writing material called "parchment" from carefully treated skins. In German it is called "pergament."

"The defeated Chaldeans fled to Asia Minor and fixed their central college at Pergamos and took the palladium of Babylon, the cubic stone, with them. Here, independent of state control, they carried on the rites of their religion." (William B. Barker, Lares and Penates, pp. 232-233). When one of the kings of Pergamos, named Attalus III, died in 133 B.C., he bequeathed all his dominions to the Roman Empire. Thus Julius Caesar took the title of Pontifex Maximus (Supreme Pontiff) -- the living representative of the Babylonian Sun god -- descendant of the gods. From henceforth he was "divine." The Emperor Gratian was the first "Christian" emperor to refuse the insignia of Pontifex Maximus. It was incongruous, he thought, that a Christian emperor should bear a pagan title. But this title he discarded was soon taken up and conferred on Damasus, the Pope of Rome. The "keys" and the "vestments" came with the title. Notice that Satan's throne has three transfers. Babylon to Pergamos; Pergamos to Pagan Rome; Pagan Rome to Papal Rome, then Christ will return and destroy it. David's throne, the "throne of the Eternal" (1 Chr. 29:23), also has three transfers (Ez. 21:27). Jerusalem to Ireland; Ireland to Scotland; Scotland to England or Great Britain, then Christ will return to sit upon it.

"Antipas" is a Greek contraction for "Antipater" (against Pope) who was a pastor of Pergamos who was martyred in Pergamos by being slowly baked in a brazen (brass) bull that was heated until it was red hot.

These "Paulicians" (also called "Thonraki," "Bogomils," or "Albigenses") believed that "One unleavened loaf and wine are to be offered in the eucharistic sacrifice.... (They) maintained a steady war against IMAGES, MARIOLATRY, and much else that the degenerate Greek world had adopted from Paganism ... We also know ... that the Pauliani, who were the same people who at an earlier date, were Quartodecumans, and kept Easter (sic) in the primitive manner at the JEWISH date. Ananias (early seventh century) (of Shirak says) ... 'But the Pauliani also keep the FEAST of the PASCHA on the same day (as the JEWS), and whatever be the day of the full moon, they call it Kuriake, as the JEWS call it SABBATH, even though it be not a (weekly) SABBATH.'... They are accused by their Armenian opponents of setting at naught all the feasts and fasts of the (established) Church, especially Sunday. They kept the Festival of a Birth of Christ ... 'The same St. Gregory (of Narek),' continues Sahak, 'appointed SABBATHS, and fasts, and abstinences in fulfillment of vows.' ... the Paulicians observed the SABBATH and not the Sunday ... for they were probably the remnant of an old JUDAEO-CHRISTIAN Church, which had spread up through Edessa into Siuniq and Albania.... The early Armenian Christians ... spoke of REST-HOUSES, SYNAGOGUES, of proseuchae, and of shrines ... but hardly at all of churches; and individuals, especially if they were elders, were prone ... to celebrate the Agape and Eucharist in their own houses ... as well as collect in them the firstfruits of the offerings. Sahak insists that these rites must be performed in church ... and the firstfruits are to be taken to the house of the head-priest ... We know that the Pauliani continued to keep the PASSOVER on the FOURTEENTH of Nisan with the JEWS." (The Key of Truth trans. by Fred C. Conybeare pp.38,49,104,152,162). Polycarp followed John in keeping Passover on the 14th (Eusebius E.H. 5:24). Polycrates followed Polycarp (Ante-Nicene Fathers 8:773-774) and now the Paulicians followed Polycrates.

From Eusebius' Life of Constantine, book 3:66, we read about the demise of church worship: "To speak of your criminality as it deserves demands more time and leisure than I can give.... Why not at once strike, as it were, at the root of so great a mischief by a public manifestation of displeasure? Forasmuch, then, as it is no longer possible to bear with your pernicious errors (of SABBATH-KEEPING -- author), we give warning by this present statute that none of you henceforth presume to assemble yourselves together. We have directed, accordingly, that you be DEPRIVED of all the HOUSES in which you are accustomed to hold your ASSEMBLIES; and forbid the holding of your superstitious and senseless MEETINGS (meaning attending church on SATURDAY-- author), not in public merely, but in any private HOUSE or PLACE whatsoever.... We have commanded... that you be positively DEPRIVED of every GATHERING POINT for your superstitious MEETINGS, I mean all the HOUSES of prayer.... that any other PLACES be CONFISCATED to the public service, and NO FACILITY whatever be left for any future gathering (on God's SABBATH) in order that from this day forward none of your unlawful ASSEMBLIES may presume to appear in any public or private PLACE." This was a statute at the Council of Nicaea (325 A.D.)

Thus began the 1260-year tribulation by Catholicism (Rev.12:6,14). In 1585 Sir Walter Raleigh explored Roanoke Virginia as a favorable location for an English colony of Protestants. In 1586-1587 (1260 + 325 = 1585), Mary Queen of Scots was convicted and executed for conspiracy. In 1588 the Catholic Spanish Armada was wrecked by a great storm at sea. Thus ended the 1260 years in the wilderness mentioned in Revelation 12:6,14.

But meanwhile Athanasius, A.D. 340 said, "We assemble on SATURDAY, not that we are infected with Judaism, but only to worship Christ, the Lord of the SABBATH." Yes, "The primitive Christians DID KEEP the SABBATH of the Jews; ... therefore the Christians, for a long time together, DID KEEP their conventions upon the SABBATH, in which some portions of the law were read; and this CONTINUED TILL the time of the LAODICEAN COUNCIL (364 A.D.)." (The Whole Work Of Jeremy Taylor, vol.9, p.416). The 29th canon of the Laodicean Council held in 364 A.D. said, "Christians must not JUDAIZE by resting on the SABBATH, but must work on that day, rather, honouring the Lord's Day; and, if they can, resting then as Christians. But if any shall be found to be JUDAIZERS, let them be anathema from Christ." (Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, vol.14, p.148) The "little horn" Papacy "will think to change the times and the laws" (Dan. 7:25), the time for the Sabbath law from Saturday to Sunday. (364 + 1260 = 1624) In 1623 A.D. the Dutch West India Company sent a vessel to America with 30 families of Walloons (Protestant refugees from S. Netherlands) to the mouth of the Hudson River so they could settle on Manhattan Island. Exactly 1260 years later in 1624 A.D. Albany was established by the Protestant Dutch as a fur-trading settlement. The Pilgrim Separatists also settled New Hampshire and Maine in 1623-24 A.D.

Meanwhile, a bishop of Constantinople named Nestorius protested against the virgin Mary being called "Mother of God." So the Emperor called the Council of Ephesus in 431 A.D. to settle this dispute. Nestorius was banished and deposed. The phrase "Mother of God" was formally accepted in 431 A.D. at Ephesus. If we add 1260 years (Rev. 12:6,14), we arrive at 1691 A.D. when Catholics were punished by William, Prince of Orange. The "Holy Hill" towering above Ephesus had been dedicated to the "mother of God" more than a thousand years before Christ. How was this possible? Semiramis taught that when Nimrod her husband died, he was reincarnated as her son, so that she was his wife and mother. Statues of her with an infant in her arms were very popular in Babylon. She was known by different names in different lands. Astarte, Beltis, Cybele, Aphrodite, Isis, Artemis. But in Ephesus she was called Diana -- where the ruins of the Temple of Diana can still be seen. Diana of Ephesus was worshipped by immoral orgiastic fertility rites. The Temple of Diana was built in 480 B.C. of red, blue, yellow and white marble. Gold was used for mortar.

"But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication" (Rev. 2:14).

What was the "DOCTRINE of Balaam"? Balaam was the son of Beor (Num. 22:5). Beor was Edomite (Gen. 36:31-32; 1 Chr. 1:43). Balak built seven altars for sacrifice to seven planets (Num. 23:1-25). They imagined the seven days of the week to be under the respective influences of the seven luminaries (Herod. 2:82; Dio Cassius Can. Chron. p. 448). Balaam was willing to curse Israel (Num. 22:15-17; Deut. 23:4) "for REWARD" (Jude 11). Balaam was a soothsayer (Joshua 13:22) who had "an heart exercised with COVETOUS practices, which have forsaken the right way ... who loved the WAGES of UNRIGHTEOUSNESS" (2 Pet. 2:15). In other words, these Christians were willing to compromise to earn more money. Religious mixture with idols and ritual fornication (Hos 9:10) with the daughters of Moab (mingling the "holy seed" -- Ezra 9:1-2). Eli's sons lost the priesthood in this way (1 Sam. 2:22; 3:13). In ancient Pergamos (where Satan's seat was) there were Christians called Ophites who made an alliance with the serpent worshippers there. But more importantly, Christians have participated in false Papal Roman ("where Satan's seat is") religious customs such as Easter and X-mass (fornication -- Ps.106:28). "They joined themselves also unto Baal-peor, and ate the sacrifices of the dead" (Ps. 106:28) which is where the custom of eating ginger-bread men at X-mass time originated.

Furthermore, orgiastic feasting was a normal part of the 'civilization' of the Roman Empire in NT times. Temple 'virgins' were recruited in hundreds. Temple prostitution was respectable. Public banquets and special celebrations such as birthdays were commonly arranged in the pagan temples, so that each course of the meal was a kind of votive offering to the god. These facts explain the tremendous emphasis in the NT against fornication and eating food offered to idols -- the two outstanding features of the Baal-Peor transgression (Acts 15:20; 1Co 6:12-20; 10:14-33; all of 1Co 8; Col 3:5 -- this word 'covetousness' is used several times in the NT for coveting a woman; 1Pe 4:3,4; 2Pe 2.; 1Jo 5:21). Rev 14:4 refers to temple prostitution. In Corinth; 'meats for the belly and the belly for meats' (1 Cor. 6:13) was the slogan used to justify ritual fornication. Compare Rom. 6:1,15; 3:8; 1Jo 3:3,7 and Jude 4, which show that the argument sometimes took the form: 'Since we have forgiveness (grace) through the blood of Christ, the more we sin the more sin will be forgiven, and thus the more God will be magnified!'

"So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate" (Rev. 2:15).

The "deeds" on the part of a few Nicolaitans in Ephesus (Rev. 2:6) had become a "doctrine" within the church of Pergamos (2:15). The leaven of apostasy works quickly. Pergamos fulfilled the "falling away" at the time the antichrist was revealed (2 Th. 2:3-7).

The Paulicians were "spread over Asia Minor and Armenia from the 5th century onwards.... (They were founded by Constantine of Mananali who) "based his teaching on the Gospels and the Epistles of Paul, repudiating other scriptures (Actually "it is more probable that they did not possess" other portions of the Bible -- Miller's Church History) ... (Paulicians) rejected the Eucharistic rites and doctrine of the Greeks.... we reckon the CROSS and the CHURCH and the priestly ROBES and the sacrifice of MASS for NOTHING ... They assailed the CROSS, saying that ... we ought not to worship the tree, because it is a cursed instrument.... they SMASHED up CROSSES when they could.... (The Key of Truth) warns us that all the apostles constitute the Church universal and not Peter alone; and in the rite of election, i.e. of laying on of hands and reception of the Spirit ... The MONKISH GARB was revealed by Satan ... The same hatred of MONKERY characterized the Thonraki and inspires the Key of Truth.... They called their meetings the Catholic Church, and the places they met in places of prayer ... The Thonraki equally denied the name church to buildings of wood or stone, and called themselves the Catholic Church (Universal Church, not Roman Catholics).... BAPTISMAL WATER of the Church was mere 'BATH-WATER,' i.e. they denied it the character of a reserved sacrament. But there is no evidence that they eschewed water baptism. The modern Thonraki baptize in rivers ... They PERMITTED EXTERNAL CONFORMITY with the dominant church, and held that Christ would forgive it ("doctrine of the Nicolaitans" -- comment mine). The same trait is reported of the Thonraki ... They rejected the ORDERS of the Church, and had only two grades of clergy, namely associate itinerants ... (Acts xix. 29) and copyists ... (who) dressed like other people; the Thonraki also SCORNED PRIESTLY VESTMENTS.... Jesus ... limiting true kinship with himself to those who shall DO THE WILL OF GOD.... They were thus identified with the old party of the Pauliani, condemned at the first council of Nice in 325.... Paulicians rejected the fetish worship of a material CROSS ... God is a spirit, and those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth.... the Thonraki adhere to ADULT BAPTISM" (Encyc. Brit. 20:959-961).

"Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth" (Rev. 2:16).

Yes, martyrs "were counted by hundreds of thousands ... whose slayers invariably took their orders from the persecuting clergy of old and new Rome.... its members were deported by hundreds of thousands to Thrace. There they throve for centuries, and the spread of their tenets into Bohemia (Czechoslovakia), Poland, Germany, Italy, France" (p.104, Key of Truth). In 679 A.D. Pope Agathon persecuted the Paulicians. Finally in 703 A.D. Armenian Christian nobles or nakharars were massacred in Nakhichevan Cappadocia by Moslems (CRESCENT in Capricorn). Notice that two-edged sword CRESCENTS are shot at fall-winter constellations while open-door FULL MOONS are provided to spring-summer constellations).

"He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it" (Rev. 2:17).

"A custom was of old and still remains,
Which life or death by suffrages ordains:
White stones and black within an urn are cast;
The first absolve, but fate is on the last." (Ovid Metam. 15:41)

The pot of "hidden MANNA" (Heb. 9:3-4) (crescent) which Aaron put in the Ark of Testimony (Ex. 16:33-34) in the Holy of Holies which nobody could enter but the High Priest symbolizes Jesus -- "the BREAD of LIFE" that came down from heaven (John 6:35) and is hidden in heaven. "Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and Thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart" (Jer. 15:16). The other manna corrupted, but the hidden manna ("round" & "white" -- Ex. 16:14,31) did not, and so becomes a symbol of eternal life in Christ. As this manna was brought forth on Yom Kippur, so fullness of eternal life will be bestowed in the Day when sin is done away, when the High Priest Jesus returns from the Divine Presence to bless the people in the name of the Lord (Heb 9:28; cp Col 3:3, Rev 11:19). The lid of the BLACK pot is ajar forming a WHITE crescent. Also in ancient courts of Justice a prisoner's fate was determined by WHITE and black STONES. When there was a majority of WHITE STONES thrown into an urn, the prisoner was ACQUITTED. Black stones condemned -- hence the expression "black-balled." When a questioner asked God a yes-or-no question, he came before the High Priest who would reach into his breastplate pouch and draw lots by pulling out the Urim or Thummin -- perhaps a WHITE or black pebble. A WHITE STONE was also the symbol of victory in the Grecian games. Also, when slaves were freed, they were given WHITE STONES, called Tessera, on which their new names were inscribed. They were badges of friendship and entitled the holders to special privileges. If a gladiator won fifteen victories in combat, he was given a WHITE STONE, symbol of freedom and honor. "If the Son therefore shall make you free, you shall be free indeed" (John 8:36). Overcomers will possess this new name (Isa. 62:2). In 29 A.D. the Roman Senate decided to show its appreciation of one of the founders of the new Empire so the Emperor Augustus was given the name Augustus (meaning sacred or divine). All emperors after him were called Augusti. Jesus gave his leading apostles NEW NAMES (Peter -- Cephas; James and John -- Boanerges; Saul -- Paul) and will make them divine. Zion/Jerusalem receives a new name in Isa 62:2,4: "Hephzibah", "my delight is in her". The new name of Isa 65:15,16 is "Amen" (cp Rev 3:14) or "the Truth." The WHITE STONE is the FULL MOON.

Pergamos worshipped Asklepios, the Merodach of the Babylonians, the ruler of the planet JUPITER. When the Messiah identifies himself as "He that hath the sharp sword with two edges," this indicates the altar of JUPITER that bore a two-edged sword on a Chaldean planisphere of the twelfth century B.C. in the British Museum. One passage speaks of JUPITER as "like the blade of a double sword" (Prof. Sayce, Astronomy and Astrology of Babylonians, p.193). The promise of a "white stone" refers to the full moon in Gemini. The Pergamos Era existed from the SUN in Sagittarius (313 A.D.) ("eyes like a flame of fire ... in his right hand seven stars ... out of his mouth ... two-edged sword" -- Rev.1:12-17) to Capricorn's CRESCENT (+30 = 343 A.D.) ("Satan's seat" -- 2:13) and back to Capricorn's CRESCENT (+ 360 = 703 A.D.) again ("where Satan dwelleth" -- 2:13) since the phrase is mentioned TWICE.

Part of the true church migrated to North Africa. We have evidence of this in both the writings of Origen (3rd century) and Augustine (5th century) who mention Sabbath-keeping churches there. But in 670, 'Uqbah ibn Nafi' invaded Tunisia with an Arab army and founded the garrison city of al-Qayrawan, which became the main centre of Islam in the Maghreb. From Tunisia he gradually extended Arab rule over the whole Maghreb. In 683 'Uqbah' undertook an expedition into southern Morocco but on his return he was defeated and killed by a Berber tribal chief named Kusayla. For 15 years the Christian Berbers under Kusayla and later under a woman leader, Kahinah, held out against the troops of the Umayyad Caliphate. Musa ibn-Nusayr finally used Berber tribes converted to Islam to help him subdue all of North Africa between 703 and 711. He encouraged Berbers to join his army with promises of rich rewards in plunder. By 703 A.D. the largely Berber population switched en-mass from being Christian Donatists to being Moslems (CRESCENT in Capricorn) and even helped with the invasion of Spain and France. Berbers formed the nucleus of the Muslim forces which under their general Tarik subjugated all the Maghreb and started the conquest of Spain in 711. By 703 A.D.the Byzantine North African territories of Algeria and Tunisia (as well as Morocco) fell to the Islamic Empire and many Christians fled to Spain. When Musa Ibn Nouasser arrived in 703, the Berbers were not unwilling to participate in the Islamic expansion into Southern Spain and southern Morocco. However, the progress of Islam remained patchy and small enclaves of Christians still existed in the interior though many fled to Spain.

A timeline of the Pergamos Era would be helpful:

312 Battle of Rome's Milvain Bridge, October 27, leads to succession of Constantine to the throne and conversion to Christianity.
313 Constantine's Edict of Milan ends Roman persecution with toleration of Christians.
Flavius Theodosius (January 11, 347-January 17, 395) after reunited East and west fractions of the Roman empire as the last emperor of all Rome, declared Christianity the official state religion of the Roman Empire.
325 Nicea Council issues Nicean Creed adopted 381
330 Amoun and Macarius found monasteries in the Egyptian desert. Hilarion organizes a monastery at Gaza in Palestine. Mar Augin founds a monastery in Syria near Nisibis. (MARS -- 329)
330 Constantine (280-337) establishes Roman capital in Byzantium (modern Istanbul, Turkey) (MARS -- 329)
335 Queen Helena builds Church of the Holy Sepulcher (MERCURY -- 334)
336 Catholic Council of Laodicea shifts services (Mark 7:7-9,13) to Sunday from Saturday (Ezekiel 8:14-16)
350 The missionary Ninian establishes the church Candida Casa at Whithorn in Galloway Scotland (VENUS -- 349)
358/359 Patriarch Hillel II implements modern Jewish Calendar (with disagreement about proper years for intercalation and initial epoch).
363 Council of Laodicea declares Sabbath-keepers anathema
378 Goths (Germanic tribes) defeat Romans in Adrianople, Turkey
391-2 Pagan worship (including the Olympics) outlawed throughout Roman empire.
395 The will of Theodosius I officially splits Roman Empire into Eastern and Western legs.
397 Council of Carthage defines Canon of 27 NT books; Jerusalem Talmud
382-405 Jerome completes Latin Vulgate (common) Bible in Jerusalem (SATURN -- 383)
382 The Church institutes the death penalty for heresy (SATURN --383)
383 Magnus Maximus, Emperor of the West until 388, conqueres Spain and Gaul. (SATURN -- 383)

407 John Chrysostom dies on forced march.
410 Rome sacked by Visigoths from the North
428 Nestorius appointed patriarch of Constantinople. He condemns "Mother of God" and preaches Jesus was human and divine.
431 Council of Ephesus rejects Nestorians and declares Mary "Mother of God."
476 Fall of last Roman Emperor; Roman monk Dionysius establishes Before Christ/Anno Domini calendar
476 Romulus Augustulus, the last Roman emperor, is overthrown
533 Anathemas of the 2nd Council of Constantinople
533 Roman Emperor Justian retakes northern Africa.
539 War between Persians and Byzantines
540-604 Gregory the Great, a monk, is P-pe.
(480-550) Bendict founds Benedictine monasticism.
552 Justian restores Italy to Roman control.
581 2nd Synod of Macon
587 Visigoths convert to Christianity.
600 Babylonian Talmud codified
605 Augustine is sent by P-pe to be a missionary to Celtic England.
614 Persians massacre Jews in Jerusalem
610-June 7 During his annual monthly retreat within a cave on Mount Hira in Arabia, Mohammed, asked to recite the Qur'an from Jibril (the angel Gabriel). This is remembered during the 9th month each year with day-time fasting during Ramadan.
622 , July 16, Muhammad and his followers start a 200 mile Hijrah (migration) from Mecca to Madina (Saudi Arabia), an event marked as the first day of each Islamic new year.
628 Byzantine Emperor Heraclius recaptures Jerusalem from Persians.
630 Without a battle, Muhammad's 10,000 man army Jihad restores the Ka'bah (first mosque) in Mecca.
632 Recitations written in the Qur'an and hadith (words of the prophet) in the Sunna are written. It contains the Five Pillars of Islam (submission) followed by Muslims (those who submit to Allah's will).
___ Muhammad is helped by the Angel Ji'bril to fly at night to Bethlehem and Jerusalem on the winged mule/donkey Bu'raq. He returns to Mecca after meeting with Jesus and other prophets. Along the way, he also sees Iblis, the Devil Satan. These events are celebrated on Isra'
632 Muhammad dies in Mecca, and ascends to Mi'raj (heaven) from the temple mount. His father-in-law, Abu Bakr, is elected by Sunni tribal leaders as the Rightly-Guided caliph (successor).
634 Abu Bakr dies after appointing Umar I caliph, who conquers Jerusalem, Byzantine Damascus, and Syria.
636 Arabs under Kalid ib-al Walid defeat Byzantines in desert sandstorm at Yarmul (now Israel).
644 On his deathbed, Umar names a council which chose Uthman the next caliph, who conquers Persia (Iran).
646 Christian Alexandria recaptured by Muslim Arabs
656 Ali (cousin/son-in-law to Mohammed) named first Iman by Shiites (party of Ali) in Iraq.
657 Al Aksa Mosque construction begins in Jerusalem. “Abomination of Desolation" is placed in the Holy Place.
661 Muawiya takes over as a Sunni caliph after Ali is murdered, beginning the Ummayad dynasty till 750, which advanced into Africa. (JUPITER -- 662)
665 Muslims conquer Arabs in the Battle of Basra.
664 Synod of Whitby - Roman Church authority (based on lineage from St. Peter) chosen over Ionian Celtic traditions (for Easter) by Northumbrian King Oswy.
688-691 Dome of the Rock built in Jerusalem's Temple Mount by caliph Abd al-Malik (9th Caliphate 685-705), who also mints purely Muslim coins and declares Arabic the official language. (MARS -- 689)
694 Visigothic King Egica orders all Jews enslaved (MERCURY -- 694)
700 Masorites divide Tanache (Old Testament) into chapters
711-715 Muslims Conquor Spain