The Roman emperor Nero
killed the body of the Apostle Paul, whose spirit immediately flew into the
direct presence of his beloved Lord Jesus Christ. “We are confident, I say, and willing
rather to be absent from the
body, and to be present with the Lord” (II Corinthians 5:8).
Nero, along with the
once-mighty Roman Empire, add only dusty and fading footnotes to the pages of
history. Conversely, Paul, or
rather, Paul’s Christ, marches along
present pathways through the Apostle’s inspired Scriptural writings. Paul remains as pertinent today as he
was 2,000 years ago, while Nero’s mark on history becomes more negligible with
every passing year.
Who won their personal
battle, Paul or Nero? The answer is
obvious. The latter ended the
earthly life of the former, but he had no effect on the heavenly Life of either
Paul himself, or his Gospel. God’s
apostle lives on forevermore, and in this day, millions will read his words for
the sublime purpose of drawing nigh unto their Divine Author. Nero’s sword gained a fleeting victory
in the moment; the sword of Paul, or rather, “the sword of the Spirit, which is
the Word of God” proclaims the victory of the ages (Ephesians 6:17). Yes, Paul won. Through Christ, in Christ, and by
Christ, Paul
won.
Ozymandias
“I met a traveler from
an antique land
Who said: "Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert.
Who said: "Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert.
Near them on
the sand,
Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown
And wrinkled lip and sneer of cold command
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed.
Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown
And wrinkled lip and sneer of cold command
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed.
And on the
pedestal these words appear:
`My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings:
Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!'
`My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings:
Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!'
Nothing
beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,
The lone and level sands stretch far away".
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,
The lone and level sands stretch far away".
(Percy
Shelley, 1792-1822)
“The
righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance.”
(Psalm
112:6)
“The lamp of
the wicked shall be put out.”
(Proverbs
13:9)
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