The prohecies of Daniel - part 4

At the same time that the church around the Mediterranean was suddenly inundated with "weeds", Christianity was rapidly expanding in new territories to the north. For a time in Northern and Eastern Europe Christianity was still a new faith, and it had the same effect in these regions that it originally had in the more Romanized Mediterranean -- which is to say that it displayed Biblical truth to an unbelieving population without trying to force them to join the faith. It's not that Rome didn't want to coerce them. It's just that in the 4th century, in the outlining areas of the empire, it wasn't really possible. So, for a time, Christians in places like England and Ireland, Poland and Russia, were more missionaries than overlords. Christian influence there blossomed while those conditions lasted.

But eventually it was the same. Christianity became established. Then it became the 'establishment'. Once Christianity had a firm grip on the power and prestige weeds (people who look like Christians outwardly, but do not accept Jesus as lord of their life in any real way) began to infiltrate. When they became the majority, the influence of real Christianity diminished.

Meanwhile, back in the Mediterranean, Popes were toasting Satan, falling dead committing adultery in the holy palace, and becoming intertwined with the Medici family (Italy's first Godfathers). In 1095 AD the political power of Rome was centered in Byzantium (largely modern day Turkey), while the spiritual authority was mostly rooted in old Rome. At that time the Muslims were expanding into Europe and both of these entities agreed that something had to be done about it. The answer was something called the crusades. The Pope at the time declared everyone who went to war against the heathens would be forgiven their sins and off they went.

The word "crusade" means "going to the cross" or "taking the cross" and the soldiers who took up the call literally painted a cross onto their shields and banners, but the meaning goes a little deeper. Taking the cross was seen to signify something very similar to what this badge I'm wearing right now is meant to symbolize(as I sit at the motor pool, waiting for my squadcar to get serviced) -- that being the authority to enforce the laws and dispense justice on behalf of a higher power (in my case the state of Texas may it be hallowed forever and ever amen).

For those of you unfamiliar with the history, the results of the crusades were... shall we say... a little unchrist-like. The crusaders had this nasty habit of killing everyone wherever they went. Over the 10 or so crusades, covering two or so centuries, they killed Muslims who were not hostile to them as often as the ones who were, killed women and children, wiped out the Christian populations still living and worshipping in the Middle East because, hey, they all kind of looked alike with the turbans and such, and at one point, even turned on Byzantium and went on a rape/kill spree in the Empire's capital city Constantinople.

It was not one of Christianity's finer hours.

But revival was on its way to the Mediterranean (our next upturn) and, unfortunately, on it's way to being needed over all of Europe (our next downturn).

And one other point of interest. A bit off topic for the Daniel prophecies, but something we are going to need for later: the plague arrived, and in the mid 1300's around a third of the population of the known world died off.