The Beginning of The End

[[So.. I've been reading a book and I got inspired from it. Yaaaaay!]]


When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: "Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.

Revelations 1: 17-18

He gave me this explanation: "The fourth beast is a fourth kingdom that will appear on earth. It will be different from all the other kingdoms and will devour the whole earth, trampling it down and crushing it. The ten horns are ten kings who will come from this kingdom. After them another king will arise, different from the earlier ones; he will subdue three kings. He will speak against the Most High and oppress his holy people and try to change the set times and the laws. The holy people will be delivered into his hands for a time, times and half a time. But the court will sit, and his power will be taken away and completely destroyed forever. Then the sovereignty, power and greatness of all the kingdoms under heaven will be handed over to the holy people of the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will worship and obey him."

Daniel 7: 23-27

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Rome
65 A.D. Tammuz, Venus. Hora quinta

Towering above the crowd that gathered within its great stone walls was the amphitheater. A very large structure, circular in design, a huge arena in the middle; much like the great coliseum. The sun had rose a few hours ago, but wasn't quite directly above them, though the rays were scorching in the heat of the day. The sounds that were heard around the young Jewish boy, named Lavi, were harsh, very loud. There was always the constant chatter that seemed much too loud, the low bellowing of the drunkards that staggered into the stadium, ready to watch the event. Footsteps on the ground varied from each sandal that slapped against the sandy surface, but it added to the constant noise.

Lavi was glad for one absence of noise though, if that sound came then everything else around him should melt into silence. After all, who could be heard against the agonizing screams of the ones above?

They were hanging on a pole, the only thing keeping them from falling to the ground was a rope tied around their wrists. The rope by now had dug into the skin, dried blood down their arms. It must have been terrible, hanging like that, with only your arms to hold your body up. Surely their arms had popped out of their sockets by now. They all wore black clothing that had been rumored to have been soaked in a type of tar or gas before being put on the fifty plus people. When night came they would be lit. The only thing keeping these helpless people from screaming to the people passing below them was simply because they were unable to, for their mouths had been sewn shut before being tied.

Even though Lavi couldn't hear their shouts, he could only imagine what it would be like as they watched the crowd file into the stadium like ants marching into their anthill.

A murderer wasn't even punished such as this. An adulteress was merely stoned. These people, hanging limp and helpless hadn't committed a true crime. Though Lavi didn't agree with their decision, he knew that nobody deserved such torturous punishments such as this. All they had ever done was defy the emperor by disclaiming his divinity and taking part in the uprising cult of Christianity.

Not too long before then Nero had started the hatred of Christians and their Christ, or Christos as some referred to him as. A fire had broken out, destroying much of the city, and in its place Nero had built a huge palace made of gold. The Romans didn't take like to this new addition to their city and Nero created a scapegoat, giving blame of the fire to the Christians. Since then these Christians have been through a lot.

The Jew blended in relatively well with the crowd; hat mostly consisted of Roman citizens. His hair was brown and curled, just recently trimmed. His eyes a dark brown that went well with his tanned body that had been exposed to the sun many times. A simple tunic was all that he wore; he didn't plan on being out for long.

Finding a place to sit in the amphitheater was a burden, but eventually he was able to spot one. He wasn't too far away from the king's box, a large thing that was heavily decorated with vibrant colors to let all commoners know of its significance. Though one only had to glance into the box to tell that people like himself were not allowed inside it.

A large throne looking chair stood in the middle, the one and only Nero sitting on it, his bosom resting on top of a pillow. His robes were magnificent, a small golden crown rested on his hair. He was a young king, but sixteen.

Around him were other people of note, such as his advisers and guards. Three stood out. Cicero, a man with black hair both on his head on chin, was an older man in his forties but had earned the right to call himself the second most powerful man in Rome. Maurus was right beside Cicero and his name held true to his skin color. Maurus meant "dark skinned" in Latin, and dark skinned he was, with a bald head, at least five years younger then Cicero, who was always seen with him. The third man that caught Lavi's attention was leaning out of the box, watching the bulls in the arena chase around two helpless victims.

Amusement wasn't on his face, nor was sorrow. His face was expressionless, his black eyes shadowed by the angle of his head. His long, black hair hid most of his face, but Lavi recognized him immediately. His name was Avitus, a tall and strong man that held himself well. A person that Lavi could never forget.

But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth; He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so He did not open His mouth.

Isaiah 53: 5-7

It had been a peaceful night; mother and father were in the bed while he and his sister were awake. They spoke softly as not to abrupt their parent's slumber. A night like all other nights, but it soon took a terrible turn. Danya had been whispering to him about how she planned to go to Jerusalem soon, she claimed that it was the place of her religion's history. She wanted to go there and to Nazareth, the place where the blasphemer was born.

Perhaps they had not been paying attention the noises outside, but whatever the reason they had not heard the terrified shouts from their neighbors nor the banging on their own door. It was only when Lavi heard a solitary voice harshly yelling that he realized something was not right. Danya had heard it as well but remained sitting as Lavi scrambled to his feet and rushed toward the door. As soon as he opened it Roman soldiers marched through, ten of them at least. The noise had woken their parents and they came out sleepy-eyed.

The one in lead, Avitus, took a step forward and ordered for the family to line up. Down the line he went, and Lavi knew what he would ask. It was rumored throughout his part of town that the Roman solders where taking anybody that claimed to be a Christian. His mother and father didn't have a clue. It was a sibling secret. Down the line he went, bellowing the question, "Do you claim to believe in the Christos?" He would ask, afterwards, after receiving a shake of the head, "So you acknowledge Nero as divine?" Nod.

Lavi shook his head once, nodded his head once, his attention fully on his sister while Avitus demanded him of these things. The petite girl, with long brown hair and an angular face stood strong, no fear in her eyes as she looked ahead of her.

The moment of truth came upon them all too soon when Avitus got to Danya. "Do you claim to believe in the Chistos?" he asked once more. A pause, the only sound was Lavi breathing in nervously.

"Yes, I do." She replied, her voice firm, not at all shaking. Her parents were not expecting this, had not known that their Jewish daughter had turned away from the beliefs. Anger welled up in her father's face while a mortified expression formed on her mother's. Lavi looked down, biting his lip, how come his sister couldn't deny it? She could still believe in this Jesus, as crazy as it was, but was it really necessary for her to die for it? Danya knew the consequences of her answer.

Avitus blinked, besides that his stone face remained motionless. The guards behind him exchanged glances, one even grinned as he repositioned his hands on his spear. "Are you sure of this final decision?"

Danya nodded her head, her fingers tapped in the air as her eyes slowly shifted to look at her parents and then to Lavi.

Avitus, with a flick of his wrist, motioned for two guards behind him to seize Danya. They did, with much too force. It caused Lavi to flinch; he wanted to jump out and save his sister, but he knew he couldn't. Their mother reached out her hand in horror, her husband keeping her back. She'd receive flogging if she tried to meddle into this type of affair, though nothing compared to her daughter's fate.

Lavi's last memory of his sister was the guards dragging her out of the door, a calm expression was on her face, even a hint of happiness, as if trying to assure him not to worry. No fear.

Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. "Do not fear their threats; do not be frightened." But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. It is better, if it is God's will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit.

1 Peter 3: 13-17

Lavi didn't understand . . . Why would she give up her life for a lie? A lie started by the Nazarene's disciples. The eleven had gone around proclaiming that Jesus had rose from the grave, had conquered death itself! Only a fool would believe them. Granted, the body had gone missing, but it was the disciples that had stolen it.

"There's no way that the disciples could have stolen the body! The tomb was sealed and guarded. They say that the guards fell asleep, but you can't be so naive to believe that those guards would fall asleep. That Roman soldiers would fall asleep at their post. No, Roman soldiers are the very best, and I'm sure that the authorities would have put the best of the best to guard this tomb. No, they wouldn't have fallen asleep." Danya had exclaimed, "And don't you get me started on that other myth! Pah. That myth that says that Jesus wasn't killed all the way, that he was drugged and rolled the stone from the tomb himself. You do realize that the officials gave Jesus the hardest treatment in history, right? Not only did they flog him excessively but they forced him to carry the entire cross by himself, or for as long as he could handle it. Somebody had to help him he was so fatigue. Jesus lost too much blood to stay alive; when they pierced him with the spear his body spewed blood and water. Plus, most of the crucifixion's victims die of suffocation. With each breath they have to push up, forcing the nails that were driven into their feet to sink lower until they can't push up anymore. Meaning that they suffocate to death because they can't breathe. Jesus did die. And even if he didn't, do you really think that a solitary man, beaten and bruised, could push the stone? It takes a good many to push it."

Lavi twitched, remembering his sister's passionate words. But those painful memories didn't stop him from remembering them; it was the flicker of Avitus's eyes looking toward him.

Their eyes met for but a moment before Lavi turned back to the arena, not willing to look into the guard's eyes.

Avitus remembered who the boy was; he was the brother of that one girl, Danya. The one girl who gave him the most trouble and the one girl that haunted his mind day and night. Her words, even after being arrested, had pierced his heart. She spoke with such purity and such honesty that it made him think, something he didn't like to do for too long. Even faced with death she didn't back down, like many. This wasn't the first batch that he had put in the arena, though it was the first group that had been thrown in the arena because of their faith. Never before had he felt guilty about it, never had his heart been unsettled, until now. He was counting down the minutes before his group of Christians would come out of the gates and face the lions, dreading it.

Nero's face was amused but impatient, as if he was waiting until he would see the Christians torn up by the lion's claws and teeth.

It didn't feel right . . .

The crowd's cheering rose immensely, Lavi's eyes rose to see the beast master leading two massive lions into the arena. Both male, their manes full and framing their face. Their white teeth glittered, their eyes filled with bloodlust and they prowled in circles, sometimes attacking each other, always glaring up above at the crowd. The loud noises seemed to be bothering them. The beast master had run out of their way and went into a steel gate that had been closed. On the opposite side of the arena another steel gate was rising with a chilling creak.

Slowly a large group of people came out, twenty or more. Some of them shielded their eyes from the blinding rays of the sun from being in the damp darkness for too long. Some looked around, squinting, taking in their last moments of life. Tears trailed down the cheeks of some. And then their were others who stood with their back straight, their face firm but with a calm joy on it, as if they weren't walking to their death. Danya was among this number.

The lions, on the other side, had not noticed the crowd huddled together; they had yet to make a movement and were not as interesting as the ones above them.

The drunkards were the ones who started the booing first, they started to throw random objects into the arena, pleading for the lions to notice the Christians and tear them apart. Their beverage was thrown around, wetting Lavi in certain spots in the vile thing. Though he didn't notice, his eyes were glued on his sister.

Avitus frowned at the crowd's behavior, watching as some of the objects pummeled the lions' back. Behind him Nero made a protest, "I tire of this," He murmured, "Those beasts need to attack." His fingers danced on the armrest. Cicero jumped at the opportunity to grovel; Maurus glanced down, but did nothing. Avitus shook his head and returned his attention to the crowd of Christians gathered together as something very strange happened.

Their voices wasn't sudden, but built up until they were heard. The rest of the amphitheater drew quiet, listening to the Christians. Avitus blinked as he realized that they were praying, giving praise to their God. Avitus didn't have time to draw a breath in when Nero popped from his sitting position, "Pray tell, what is going on in this place?" Not many teenagers were known for patience, Nero definitely wasn't known for his patience.

"Seem to me, sire, that they are praying." Cicero answered as he walked to his King's side. Nero's face distorted angrily, "What?!" He exclaimed, "No praise will be given to this god!" His fists clenched in his anger. Maurus stepped up, "Of course sire! All praise be to Nero!" He comforted the boy, raising his hands and bowing them in a worship-like position. For the time being Nero seemed pleased with this, allowing both men to bow down to him, muttering praises.

To everybody's satisfaction the prayers of the Christians sparked interest in the lions below and slowly they began to prowl around the group.

Lavi gasped when the first victim was pinned down, an elderly man. Within minutes his faced was torn, his blood strewn around the place. The other lion seemed inspired by this action and did the same to a young teenage boy. Already Lavi could feel his body shaking from the anxiety and nausea.

The minutes rolled on like hours as Lavi watched the lions rip the people apart, Danya and a few others were left, all still together, their prayers had now turned into singing. Lavi wanted to rip his eyes away from the gruesome picture . . . But he couldn't. He promised himself that he wouldn't.

Avitus bit his lips as more blood was thrown on the walls; his stomach lurched as the crowd's amusement. Involuntary his arm flinched when the smaller of the lions focused its attention on that girl. Her eyes met the beast's, her eyes rose to scan the crowd; searching for her brother no doubt. He followed the girl's gaze to Lavi, who locked sight with her.

For a moment time was lost as Lavi stared into his sister's eyes.

It all happened at once.

The lion pounced, pinning Danya to the ground. Lavi stood up with a shout, tears starting to stream down his face as he watched the lion claw at his sister's front. The lion's gigantic paw lifted up and all too fast crashed down on her skull, crushing it. A scream left her lips before the impact and within the next few moments tore her apart, leaving her for the last two.

Avitus eyes trailed to the brother, who stood mortified at his sister's lifeless body.

The boy stood motionless for a moment before his body started to shake, it wasn't long before he fell to his knees and buried his face into his hands.

A flood of emotions started to fill the Roman's body as he watched the agony around him. What was going on? Why was he feeling this way? Never before had his hear lurched like this upon seeing the lions and their victims. But now, it was so different. The sudden urge to go and save the Christians was all too prominent in his mind. He wanted to go free the ones hanging outside, wanted to free the others who were waiting to be crucified. He wanted to save them all, save all the Christians.

They had never committed a crime.

But yet they were suffering . . .

Why?

Why?

Lavi couldn't stop the steady flow of tears; his hands were soaked in the salty liquid. He tried to gain control over his emotions, but couldn't. Tried to gain control over the shaking, but couldn't. The bloody images of his sister's death overwhelmed him to the point that he wanted to jump into the arena and die.

But no . . . Danya wouldn't want that. She'd want him to live.

Or would she want him to die? Would she want him to believe what she believed and die with her, joining her in Heaven? Lavi shook these thoughts out of his mind. No, Danya died for a lie. She left her Jewish religion to believe these pagans.

"Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

Matthew 24: 9-14

Avitus looked behind him as Nero stood up, wrapping his fingers around his golden scepter. A smug grin was plastered across his face, victory in the air as he walked to the edge of the box, beside Avitus and leaned over it. His eyes scanned across the arena, his eyes being filled with arrogance at each passing of a body. It was as if this was the biggest triumph and the boy's life.

Sudden movement caused Avitus's attention to veer the right. He saw the boy leap up and run out of the amphitheater. Curiosity arose in the soldier but he did nothing.

"How dare they think that they can denounce me." Nero sneered as he walked back to his throne, his free hand resting on the armrest, "Hear me, I am the almighty Nero!" He turned his head, looking at the bodies one last time, "These Christians are fools to think that their God
Can ever amounted to my greatness."

Avitus bowed his head, drawing in a breath of air. He didn't feel this was right. One man, least of all Nero, couldn't have all the divinity that he claims to have. With each passing moment his doubt in his king was growing as well as his doubt in the Christian God.

Lavi ran through the streets and finally collapsed on the ground. "God," He cried out, "If you are truly there, hear my pleas." He started, trying to remember how his sister started these prayers. It felt so strange praying to God without having some sort of burned offering, but Danya said that Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice, dying so that he didn't have to go through those same routines to reach the heart of God. "If this Jesus is truly the Messiah, show me."

He became quiet, waiting for something, waiting for anything.

It wasn't a voice that came to him, but more as a feeling in the pit of his stomach. A feeling that one couldn't explain. His heart lurched and his mind raced to find every excuse as to why this Jesus couldn't have been the Messiah.

But with every excuse he got a greater feeling until finally he flung himself prostrate on the ground and clenched his fists, "Jesus, God," He cried, "Please forgive me of my foolishness. I accept that you died for me, Jesus." It felt so strange praying to this Jesus, but so rejuvenating, as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. "Come into my heart, Lord, and give me strength. I'm willing to die for you as my sister has, and I hope to see her one day."

The sun started to descend as he brought himself to his feet, his knees feeling like they were weak and he had to walk to a building and hold himself up for support. Such peace . . .

This feeling, he had never experienced it before. He felt so happy.

Lavi couldn't hide a smile at his new discovery and wanted to tell everybody about it, even if it would lead him to the same fate as his sister's.

It was like a domino effect, down the line fire leaped on the victims, burning them alive. The fire remained on them, leaving the ones below light.

Human lamps.

Cicero, Maurus, Nero and Avitus stood on the balcony. Cicero and Maurus were talking together, allowing Nero to watch as the people were lit below; a smile crept on his face. Avitus stood on the other side of the balcony, his eyes closed as his mind thought about today's activities. He couldn't bring himself to watch the human lamps.

"Avitus," Nero called out. His eyes opened in answer, "Tonight I want you to make another round, see how many more Christians we can get."

Avitus flinched and bit his lips, "Can't we just give them a rest for tonight?"

Nero's answer was harsh and he whipped around to face the soldier, "No. We will not stop until every Christian is dead. I will rid this world of their pestilence! Now, don't you dare argue with me Avitus. Go now."

Lavi ran through his door, more than ready to tell his parents of his change in faith. He was ready for it. He found his parents in their room, ever since that day they had locked themselves in there. "Mother, father," Lavi said, announcing his arrival. He pulled the curtain back and stepped into the dimly lit room. His parents looked up with ghostly eyes, but they didn't say anything.

Before he knew it Lavi told them everything that had happened. His sister's death to his conversion.

Avitus was hesitant to knock on the door, behind him his guards held up torches while others held helpless Christians. Nero had wanted them to venture into new parts of the town, but he had also ordered them to visit earlier places, just to make sure that they didn't miss anybody.

Avitus remembered this house; it had been the home of Danya.

Finally he knocked on the wood, wishing that he could disappear. He had no desire to do this anymore.

The door was opened by the girl's sister, his face was red and tear stained, but his face held a smile and his eyes held hope, even upon seeing the soldiers. "Yes?" He asked innocently.

Avitus sighed, "Do you claim to believe in the Chistos?"

"Why yes, I do."

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

Matthew 5: 10-16