The Most Evil Coin in the World
How does one determine what coin ranks as the most evil in world history? Simply put it is WHO the coin represents and WHAT effect does it symbolize. The above coin has a young portrait of the Emperor Nero on the obverse and an opium poppy on the reverse. It was minted along the western shore of modern-day Turkey in the region of Aeolis. The Greco-Roman city of Pergamum was located near this region. Remember Jesus Christ writing to the angel of the Church in Pergamum said it was, "where Satan lives." Revelation 2:13 NIV
The coins of Aeolis have the opium poppy with multiple emperors. See the below coin from Domitian with opium in the container on the reverse.
Aeolis, Elaia. Domitian (81-96) AD Obverse, Reverse Opium poppies Praefectus Coins, VCoins
Opium poppies
Pergamum was one of the most important cities in the Roman Empire and was associated with the cult of the emperor and Zeus. It was also well known as a center of learning and healing. It is not hard to imagine if opium was it's flagship crop on the coinage, you can guess it was used quite extensively in temple and medicinal activities in the city. Clearly with the "cult of the emperor," the coin is communicating who controls the opium supply to the city. The city was so important that a temple to the Roman goddess "Roma" and the senate were honored in the city. See the below coin from the time of Trajan and Hadrian which has a crescent, likely from the solar eclipse of 118 AD when Hadrian became emperor.
Pergamum,Mysia Mint, Roma and Senate, ROMAE AETERNAE NUMISMATICS, Vcoins
Pergamum also represents one of the oldest recorded coins with a pellet and crescent from 450 BC.
Pergamum, Mysia , Aegean Numismatics Vcoins
So how are solar eclipses and opium evil? It's again how they were used, to glorify and deify the Roman emperor. Solar eclipses inspired fear and terror associated with the emperor. Roman emperors did not govern with kindness and love. They dominated the world and fought against those who would not worship them. See Hadrian ( Rome mint) below.
Hadrian Obverse, reverse solar eclipse of 118 AD, Athena Numismatics, V Coins
See the below coin from Nero representing Lydia near the Church of Thyatira, between Lydia and Mysia near the region of Aeolis in Western Turkey. The masculine deity Men takes the female place of Selene for the moon obscuring a solar crescent on the reverse. It likely represents the solar eclipses below from 59 and 60 AD.
Young Nero on the obverse, "Men" on the reverse obscuring a solar crescent referring to the below solar eclipses
Lydia/Nysa Mint, Numismatik Naumann GmbH, V Coins
Nero began persecuting Christianity with some of the most evil and barbaric methods in human history. Hitler moved the alter of Zeus from Pergamum to Germany out of his occult delusions of power. Both of these men qualify as antichrists but in the end they were deceived and suffered terrible endings in this life and probably eternity. Opium use in the Roman Empire would qualify for a book in and of itself but one can easily see how an ancient army with sufficient opium supplies would excel on the battlefield. Let us rid ourselves of the Hollywood delusion that the Romans were noble and righteous. The Roman Empire was a slave empire where opium was used much like it is in modern society. Opium was used to control the population in much the same way evil people and rulers use it today.
The first coin with Nero qualifies as "the most evil" because it justifies the worship of a man as a god. It justifies the use of drugs to deceive people into believing what they want, that they themselves are a "god." The love and worship of Jesus Christ is the only solution to this evil.
The message of Jesus Christ to the Church of Pergamum is to holdfast, repent, and overcome the pagan teachings and practices of the city. Jesus Christ then says He will fight against the pagans. Today Pergamum, once a jewel in the Roman Empire is now a ruinous heap of stones.
First Coin, Ancient Imports VCoins
