"This first church had begun to thrive and multiply so in numbers that the emperors and various officials of the government actually favored
that church for political reasons.
Thus when the leaders of the First Church in Rome found themselves in favor, they took the opportunity to turn the government against the true
believers and demand their persecution unless they came into their fold.
One such bishop of the First Church of Rome was Anicetus who lived in the second century and was contemporary with Polycarp.
When the venerable Polycarp heard that the First Christian Church of Rome was involved in pagan ceremonies and had corrupted the truth of the Gospel,
he went there to implore them to change. He saw them prostrate themselves before images named after apostles and saints. He saw them light candles
and burn incense on the altar. He saw them celebrate the Passover under the name Easter, where they elevated the disc shaped bread that honored the
sun god, and then they poured the wine out as a libation to the gods. But this aged saint who had traveled 1500 miles could not arrest their
downward plunge. God spoke through him just as he was leaving, "Ephraim is married to his idols, let him alone," Hosea 4:15. Polycarp never more
returned.
Following Anicetus was the wicked bishop of Rome called Victor. He introduced even more pagan festivals and ceremonies into the First Church,
and also went about trying his utmost to persuade the true Christian churches to incorporate the same ideas. They would not do as he requested so he
prevailed upon government officials to persecute the believers, hailing them into court, casting them into prison and even meting out death to many.
Such an example of his vile deeds is found in history where Emperor Septimus Severus was prevailed upon by Callistus (the friend of Victor) to kill
7000 at Thessalonica because these true believers celebrated the Passover according to the Lord Jesus and not according to the worship of Astarte.
Already the false vine was turning loose its anger against the living God by killing the elect, even as did its forebear, Cain, kill Abel.
The true church kept trying to get the First Church to repent. It would not do so. It increased in size and influence. It embarked upon a constant
campaign to discredit the true seed. They claimed that they and they alone were the true representatives of the Lord Jesus Christ, and vaunted the
fact that they were the original church in Rome, and they alone were the First Church. Indeed they were The First Church, and INDEED THEY ARE."
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