Pay attention if a “Colossus” statue of your nation’s leader appears! Historical precedent for such vanity is ominous. Roman emperor Nero (AD 54-68), the cruel and blasphemous first-century tyrant, set a baseline for such images by erecting a 120-foot Colossus of himself at Rome. Depicting Nero as the Sun God, the abomination was of gilded bronze. It gave a breathtaking focal point for the empire-wide practice of worshipping the emperor as divine.

Tyrants with that kind of ego plaster their name and image everywhere! First-century historian Suetonius says, “Nero’s unreasonable craving for immortal fame made him change a number of well-known names of things and places in his own favor.” Rome itself was on the point of being renamed “Neropolis” not long before Nero died. “His dominant characteristics were his thirst for popularity and his jealousy of men who caught the public eye by any means whatsoever,” says Suetonius.

The author of Revelation may have had Nero’s Colossus in mind when he says the Roman propaganda machine “deceives the inhabitants of the earth, telling them to make an image for the beast that had been wounded by the sword and yet lived” (13:14). After Nero committed suicide in AD 68, rumors circulated that he would come back to life “wounded by the sword” but still standing! Imagine Nero pumping his fist in the air having escaped death! 

Nothing remains today of the Nero Colossus except part of the statue base. But last autumn at ruins of ancient Ephesus in Türkiye I came face-to-face with a tyrannical successor to Nero, the “divine” Emperor Domitian (AD 81-96). In the attached photo I stand next to an arm and head of what once was an enormous statue of Domitian in a grand temple of emperor worship built at Ephesus late in the first century AD. This may be the image John of Patmos had in mind when he called Christians to abandon all allegiance to the beastly power of “divine” emperors and the massive corruption of “Babylon” (Rome). “Come out of her, my people, so that you do not take part in her sins!” (18:4). 

Should you see a modern ruler claim divine mandate and declare he has defied death, wake up. If such a politician demands unquestioned loyalty, renames buildings and institutions after himself, and plans to put up his own triumphal arch, be warned. 

If such a ruler orders violence against his own people, boasts about conquering other nations, and expects the world to bow to him, don’t be complacent. We’ve seen this movie before and it does not end well: Nebuchadnezzar with his golden statue, Nero, Domitian, Stalin, Hitler, Mussolini, Putin . . .

Don’t be taken in. Give your allegiance to the risen Christ and stand with victims of abusive power. Claim your citizenship in the New Jerusalem, follow the Lamb, live out the Sermon on the Mount. Don’t be intimidated, and don’t be impressed by any Colossus.

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Would love to have you join me this autumn for a tour of biblical, archeological, and religious sites in Egypt (with optional extension in Jordan). Pyramids, tombs of the Pharaohs, monasteries, a five-day Nile cruise, awesome ancient temples, and much more. This is a pilgrimage. We reflect on stories of Joseph in Egypt, baby Jesus there as a refugee, early Christianity, and ancient Judaism. We read Scripture, pray, and consider how ancient empires might inform Christian response to today’s great powers. September 24-October 3, 2026 (optional Jordan extension October 3-6). See:  https://www.tourmagination.com/tours/bread-for-the-journey-egypt-jordan

(Highlights of the Jordan extension: Mt Nebo (from which Moses surveyed Canaan), the Machaerus fortress where John the Baptist was martyred, the World Heritage site of Petra, and floating in the Dead Sea.)