The coming of Diocletian...and beyond?

[zachor_ve_kavod]

Since the emergence of Obama, or more accurately, since Obama has become a major celebrity and a prominent political figure, there have been attempts made to compare Obama to various people throughout history.  Some compared him to Hitler (ym"sh), others to Mugabe or Idi Amin (ym"sh).  I most often compared him to Stalin (I still think that this is the most accurate comparison).

Until the time of emperor Constantine in the early 4th century, Christianity was viewed by the Roman hierarchy with varying degrees of ambivalence, suspicion, and contempt.  Despite how it has been portrayed by the media, the persecution of Christians was not all-encompassing in the years of the Romans.  There were instances where local governors captured Christians, gave them an opportunity to renounce their faith, and if they didn't, murdered them.  But there was no "war on Christianity" stemming from a centralized authority.  Except one.  This was during the reign of Diocletian (at the end of the 3rd century).  Diocletian did seek to annihilate Christianity.  He capitalized on more than 2 centuries worth of popular antipathy towards Christianity, and in so doing, came closer than anyone in history to wiping Christianity from the Earth.  The good news, was that he failed.  Emperor Constantine succeded him and made Christianity the official religion of the empire.  (For a detailed analysis of Christianity in Roman society, read Peter Brown's The World of Late Antiquity).

Obama reminds me of Diocletian.  He has arrived after many years of presidential antipathy towards Israel and the Jews.  While there has not been a centralized attempt from America to eliminate Israel (with the possible exception of Jimmy Carter), Obama will capitalize on many years of horrendous policies, which were ostensibly meant to impose "peace" upon Israel.  You and I know that peace will only come to Israel when Israel defeats her enemies, but this basic fact seems to have escaped American presidents.  The hostility that has been engendered towards Israel by the failure of achieving peace has now allowed the most moral gentile country on the planet to now elect a president who will be actively working to annihilate Israel and Jews everywhere.  There really is no doubt about this.  Obama insiders have been leaking to the press that Obama has his scope locked on Israel.  If the weak, innept, and corrupt leaders of Israel can somehow withstand the pressure that will be facing them to commit national suicide, it will truly be a miracle.

We have to thank George Bush jr. for allowing this to happen.  It was his so-called 'conservative' agenda that paved the way for this.  Now Israel is in a graver danger than she has ever been in before.  Of course, this situation can only be blamed on Israeli leaders who appease rather than protect.  Things will get worse quickly once Obama takes office.  I am hopeful that the next president will be the most supportive of Israel and the Jewish people of any president in history.  This is certainly what happened in the case of Rome, where Diocletian was the most anti-Christian emperor and Constantine was the most pro-Christian emperor. 

However, unlike Rome, the Jews are the only people who are capable of saving themselves.  I belive that when Israeli leaders begin to do what G-d demands of them, only then will we see a new era of security and prosperity for the Jewish people.  Only then can the Jewish people render Obama, and all Diocletians like him, irrelevant.