Seth Gruber

But in each case, it reveals who or what we really worship.

The tyrant must replicate his bondage in others

or his authority feels threatened.

So vice is contagious and tyrants work very hard to spread the infection because they know that a virtuous populace cannot be controlled.

So they have to corrupt, seduce, blackmail.

They have to weaponize lust.

Um, and if you're thinking of Epstein, uh, good job audience.

Um, but Rome understood this perfectly.

Um, at the time of Christ's birth, uh, Alec, the Roman Republic had just been transformed into an empire with a line of Caesars descending deeper and deeper into madness.

And we all think of Nero, right, who's infamous for blaming Christians for the great fire in Roman AD 64, executing Christians.

OK, horrible.

But I want to draw your listeners attentions to the Roman emperor who reigned during the events of the Book of Acts.

the lesser known Caesar, to get a sense of what is libido dominandi and how do we understand its role in the culture and in this spiritual warfare we're in as Christians.

His name is Caligula, Ali.

While his reign was short, it's only four years,

It ended abruptly with his assassination in 1841.

Its terror is unmatched.

Josephus, the historian, claimed that Caligula's high-minded and even-handed rule earned him initial goodwill.

But he fell super ill, Caligula, and as he recovered, it was like a different Caligula had emerged.

It was like he had undergone some almost like demonic transformation.