The Coming Wars Part 3: The Push Then the Test of Emperor Worship
In 2019, Holy Spirit gave me prophecies for 2020-2029. And each year, I’ve been breaking down what the year would look like beyond the 10-year timespan prophecies. You can find an abridged version of the prophecies for 2020-2029 here: Understanding Times & Seasons: Spiritual Warfare in the New Era – Emergent Army Ministries.
Could there be a shift in the way government has been, especially here in the United States of America between 2025-2026?
Could intercession and righteous living delay, diminish, or quench the governmental and political push? I do not know…but Holy Spirit knows.
Emperor Worship
Emperor worship, also called the Roman Cult, aka the Imperial Cult, “is the direct continuation of the Hellenistic worship of the ruler” (Emperor Worship | Encyclopedia.com).
It is a “state religion,” meaning religion ordered by the government. Although it played out in two main ways in diverse cultures, it had the same undertone: worshipping man as a god or gods. Ultimately, idolatry and humanism.
To the ancient Egyptians, kings were worshiped as gods. To the ancient Romans, monarchs and rulers were revered as intermediaries (intercessors) or demigods between the divine and mankind. Neither option was good, but the Romans attempted to cover up their motives more than the Egyptians.
During the Hellenistic era, this form of worship required sacrifices to be made and offered to the monarchs and rulers. Ergo, paganism was rampant.
The best way to describe emperor worship is institutionalized religion in which the state, government, or monarch mandates the flow of worship.
For Christ’s followers, that means being told how we can and cannot worship Jesus Christ, the true Living God.
We saw this in 2020-2021 during the pandemic’s peak…the push then the test of emperor worship or the Imperial Cult.
Dangers of the Imperial Cult
However, the Imperial Cult also had its dangers. It placed immense power and authority in the hands of a single individual, the emperor, who was viewed as a living god. This could lead to abuses of power and the potential for tyranny.
Furthermore, the cult’s emphasis on the emperor’s divine status could foster a culture of fear and unquestioning obedience, stifling free thought and dissent.
It also created a divide between those who accepted the emperor’s divinity and those who did not, leading to potential religious and social conflicts.
The Introduction of Syncretism Part 1
In a Biblical context, syncretism is when you inappropriately mix or blend non-Christian religious ideas or practices with the Christian faith (What Is Syncretism? (ligonier.org)).
It’s the process by which aspects of one religion are assimilated into, or blended with, another religion, leading to fundamental changes in both religions (Syncretism Meaning and Dangers according to the Bible (crosswalk.com)).
For example, one instance of syncretism is the concept of Chrislam, which is based on the idea of trying to syncretize Christianity with Islam (What Is Syncretism? (ligonier.org)).
The thinking behind Chrislam is that since there are some compatibilities between Christianity and Islam, it is possible to be a Christian and Muslim at the same time. However, this overlooks the clear distinctions between Christianity and Islam, such as the belief in who Jesus is (What Is Syncretism? (ligonier.org)).
The problem with syncretism in the Bible is when you attempt to combine the truths of Scripture with the message of any other idea or practice, it dilutes and distorts the truth of Scripture.
This can lead to the creation of a gospel message that is far more confusing to the person who is trying to decipher it (Syncretism Meaning and Dangers according to the Bible (crosswalk.com)).
In essence, religious syncretism is not compatible with true Christianity. Any modification to biblical law and principle for a “better” religion is considered heresy.
The Introduction of Syncretism Part 2
Emperor Constantine I, who ruled from AD 306 to 337, played a significant role in this transition. He abolished the Imperial Cult and adopted Christianity as the Roman Empire’s official religion. This marked a major shift in the empire’s religious landscape, and by the 5th century, the Imperial Cult had lost its significance (Constantine I | Biography, Accomplishments, Death, & Facts | Britannica).
Except…
Constantine didn’t restore the Christian faith; he synchronized it with other religions. This is also a type of state religion in which those of us here in the U.S.A. must be vigilant.
What this says for us today is that there will be a false Messiah (or many Christs) who will come, but their works will be perverted, just as Constantine’s. These false ones will give false hope, as Constantine did, and say they are from Yahweh, but they aren’t.
Emperor Worship in Christianity
Worship of any man or woman in authority is idolatry. Even worship of one’s country, homeland, or flag is idolatry. Both represent “hero worship” (adulation), which was a dominant practice among the ancient Greeks. For the country and homeland, there was an overwhelming, unhealthy, blind love and blind loyalty for Greece. And for kings and rulers, there was an unhealthy obsession to adulate them; they were considered demigods.
“The imperial cultus,” wrote Moffatt, “was instinctive rather than deliberate, developing out of certain germs within the ancient mind, such as the blend of religion and patriotism among the Persians, and the worship of the Ptolemies which shocked the pious Plutarch. Its primary aim was to foster patriotism by providing a symbol of the solidarity and unity of the Empire” (EGT, Vol 5, p. 307).
https://www.biblegateway.com/resources/encyclopedia-of-the-bible/Emperor-Worship
There isn’t anything wrong with honoring the Lord for where we’re born or even where we live, or we’re stationed. Having a balanced “pride” for our land (and for what the flag means for victory in war and freedom and unity throughout the nation) is necessary, especially in territorial warfare, extending to gratefulness to God for assigning our boundary lines and determining our lots.
Equally, nothing’s wrong with honoring and appreciating governing leaders and authority heads. We’re placed where we are for a reason, and we need to guard our stations as gatekeepers wherever our placement may be.
Nonetheless, hero worship was so pervasively permeating throughout Rome that it infiltrated the people of God. His people’s minds became convoluted with emperor worship. This was how the push was allowed to come in: anything taking preeminence of Yahweh in any respect. I fear that among some of us today, hero worship is ever-increasing.
In Pergamum, in many ways the Asian headquarters of the cult, the worship of Rome, and Caesar as its incarnate deity, colored the city’s life. The first temple of the cult was located at Pergamum as early as 29 [B.C.] and provided a motif for Pergamene coinage for over a cent. A second temple was built in honor of Trajan at the end of the [first] cent. and a third for Severus a cent. later. Only the first temple functioned when the apocalyptic letter was written to Pergamum, but its ritual and worship were sufficient to make the presence of the imperial power very real in the city and were for Christians shockingly oppressive. When the imagery of the letter speaks of “One who holds the sharp two-edged sword,” and of those who “dwell where Satan’s seat is,” it has this confrontation between Christianity and Caesarism in full view.
https://www.biblegateway.com/resources/encyclopedia-of-the-bible/Emperor-Worship (emphasis mine)
Beyond the state’s way of doing religion/worship, emperor worship was (is) so oppressive because it made a place for the Hellion chief enemy, Satan, to act and serve as ruler over that domain.
We must derive to a place where there is none and nothing but Jesus! Because all we know will fade away besides three things. This world, including geographic citizenship, is not our home.
Pergamos Part 1
And here enters Pergamos—the central hub for emperor worship. We know that it is mentioned in Revelation 2 and commended for its perseverance in faith in Yeshua.
…but what caused this church and place to be admonished and rebuked by Him?
The Teachings of Balam
Balaam was a prophet from the Old Testament who is mentioned in the New Testament in the context of false teachings. The doctrine of Balaam is mentioned in Revelation 2:14, 2 Peter 2:15, and Jude 1:11. Balaam advised King Balak of Moab to pursue a seduction campaign against the Israelites, leading them into sin.
This doctrine is often interpreted as promoting falsehood for financial reasons and accommodating pagan beliefs out of greed. In practical terms, the teaching or doctrine of Balaam is the view that Christians can—or even should—compromise their convictions for the sake of popularity, money, sexual gratification, or personal gain.
Pergamos Part 2
The Teachings of the Nicolaitans
The Nicolaitans were a group within the early Christian Church whose teachings were strongly condemned in the book of Revelation (Revelation 2:6, 15) (Who Were the Nicolaitans, And What Was Their Doctrine and Deeds? | Renner Ministries, Nicolaitans – Encyclopedia of The Bible – Bible Gateway).
The name “Nicolaitans” is derived from the Greek words ‘niko’ and ‘laos’, which together mean ‘to conquer the people’. The Nicolaitans’ doctrine appears to have been a form of antinomianism (Nicolaitans | Theopedia), which is the belief that moral laws are not applicable to oneself: licentiousness.
They were known for their belief in spiritual growth and knowledge (What Are The Teachings Of The Nicolaitans In The Bible – The holy script), but they also violated specific regulations laid down by the Jerusalem Council, such as abstaining from things offered to idols and from fornication. In essence, the Nicolaitans used Christian liberty as an occasion for the flesh.
Syncretism. Hero worship…
…and because of that, Satan was able to be enthroned instead of Yeshua…
Pergamos, also known as Pergamum or Pergamon, was a wealthy city established as one of the major cultural centers of the ancient Greek empire during the second century BC. When Rome took over and Augustus Caesar established the cult of emperor worship close to the turn of the first century, Pergamos was chosen as the headquarters, and a temple was built in honor of Rome and Augustus, approximately 29 BC.
Pergamos was referred to in the book of Revelation as “where satan’s seat is” (Rev 2:13), most likely in reference to the temple of Augustus and prominence in the practice of emperor worship. The temple to Zeus at the top of the Acropolis, which now resides in the Pergamon Museum in Berlin, may also be the reference to “satan’s seat”.
Nathan Gopen, December 29, 2018, https://bibleworldnow.org/tour-sites/item/43-pergamos-the-seat-of-emperor-worship
The Hidden Agenda
The primary purpose of emperor worship, the Imperial Cult, or syncretism, is to conquer the people for whom imposition is rendered upon the land and the people.
In other words, what can be traded little by little (compromise) so that people who once occupied the land and were mighty will be dispossessed over time?
A compromise is a settlement of differences achieved through mutual concessions. It involves an agreement reached by adjusting conflicting or opposing claims, principles, or demands through reciprocal modifications.
COMPROMISE Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com
It can also refer to something that lies intermediate between two or more different things.
The spiritual is beyond the natural – the nation, state, city, region, etc.
There are stakes, and the same trading occurs in the spiritual realm, especially for the soundness and stable strength of the mind and our souls.
Some would suggest that Satan ceased trading. No, he did not. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be mentioned in Revelation.
And what this truly boils down to is worship. Who will you worship? Better yet, to whom will you be joined? Yoked? Married? There is a synonymous edge to Pergamos and marriage, and this marriage is spiritual rather than physical.
Many writers have noted that Pergamum comes from the Greek word gamos that means marriage. This word pictures a church married to the world rather than to Christ.
The church at Pergamum was surrounded by a pagan culture, just as we are surrounded by an increasingly godless culture (https://bible.org/seriespage/4-pergamum-compromising-church#P9_1223).
It was meant to be a land married to the Lord God Almighty. Therefore, what happens when there is emperor worship and the land and its people are married to Zeus/Jupiter (Satan)?
We are called to be married to Yeshua. He is first. Not just first in our speech or forms of godliness. We don’t just say we fear God because we’re saved. We must truly fear Him. He’s first. Period.
Healing the Compromise Within
If we were to summarize it all, it would boil down to compromise. Pergamos was known as “the compromising church.”
At the end of this post, you will discover that we’re at the threshold of deciding whether to agree and concede (compromise).
This concession is both national and individual, with ramifications for both.
“Do I feel like it or do I not?” “Do I have more fight in more or no?” “Do I give in?”
Compromise always attacks on both the mental and spiritual grounds then it plays out in the behaviors and emotions.
When we’re dealing with compromise, it’s never an overt affront. Rather, it is always subtly covert.
“You can have your hero worship and lustful patriotism,” compromise says to us, but you won’t see how I am subverting the principles of God whereby your light becomes dark.
You obsess over frivolous matters, and you allow me to unseat you so you seat another.”
Nevertheless, make no mistake. Yeshua’s words to the compromising church then echo before us all today.
The word compromise has an interesting history. It originated from the late Middle English period, derived from Anglo-French “compromisse” and Middle French “compromis,” which in turn came from Latin “comprōmissum” (meaning a mutual promise to abide by an arbiter’s decision). It combines “com-” (meaning “with, together”) and “promittere” (meaning “to promise”).
compromise | Etymology of compromise by etymonline
What have we compromised in place of Jesus being the center of it all? Of being pure, stable gatekeepers of our assigned boundaries, including our minds, hearts, souls, and strength?
What vile, dark, or demonic thing have we made a covenant with where we said with the other party, “Together we promise”?
Yet, the beauty of it all is the beckoning of repentance. To stand before the Father having changed our mindset on individual and national compromise…
…so that we may help facilitate the healing and restoration of nations as we are reconciled to Abba.
The Overlooked Message to the Pergamos Church
Compromise represents a delicate balance achieved through negotiation, where parties make concessions to find common ground.
You know, Yeshua said He’d fight against them with the sword of His mouth.
Of course, we could relish that our enemies would be chastened and scattered as Yeshua arises. However, when dealing with compromise, Yeshua places the responsibility on us.
The church in Pergamum (Pergamos) was responsible for breaking the agreement with the infiltration of compromise that seated that snake, the dragon, the Devil!
Ergo, the appeal here: “You, My people,” says Yeshua, “with the authority and power I’ve given you to trample serpents and scorpions, deal with the serpents and scorpions of compromise within your borders (nationally and individually).”
