Do not say, “Why were the
old days better than these?”
—Ecclesiastes 7:10
Are we living in the worst of times?
In 64 AD, a fire broke out in Rome that lasted nine days and destroyed three-quarters of the city.
It was widely believed that the Roman emperor, Nero, had set the fire. To dispel that accusation, Nero placed the blame on Christians and commenced their mass execution.
The slaughter was ghastly: some were sewn in the skins of animals and torn to pieces by wild dogs; some were dipped in pitch and set on fire to light Nero’s garden; some were crucified.
Many scholars believe that Nero was responsible for the executions of the apostles Peter and Paul. That’s uncertain, but unquestionably fits the time frame of his persecution of Christians.
Again, I prefer our times to those, don’t you?
Don’t be deceived by delusions about the past.