I Appeal To Caesar!

“Come with us!” The investigator demands. “You are

under arrest by order of Nero himself!”

Paul once again is captured by Nero’s far-reaching net of espionage. They force him from the house and forbid his taking of any possessions. The friends are shoved back into the house and the door slammed shut. Also, Paul again feels the weight of chains snapping on his wrist; yes, they are heavy, he had almost forgotten how heavy! He has been free for several years. Now his arms complain, but his spirit soars: “I will now confront Nero!” * * * * * Taken back to Rome as a prisoner, Paul is stripped of special privileges. His imprisonment is no longer a pleasant interlude of interviewing Jews and Christian friends and witnessing to Roman soldiers. He is incarcerated in a jail cell designed for discomfort and discouragement, the preliminary step before assignment to the dreaded Mamertine Prison … and final execution. The Apostle Peter and other Christian leaders already have been arrested and given death sentences. Peter languishes in a Roman prison, barely existing, awaiting his heavenly promotion. Nero and advisors realize that in Paul, they have the kingpin of this strange eruption throughout the Roman Empire. The news causes the minions of the great Caesar to chortle with glee and satisfaction.