I had the privilege of spending two days in Rome, the so called “eternal city.” There were so many things to see and do, two days was not nearly enough. So, I saw the “big” and important sites: the Colosseum, the Forum, the Pantheon and Trevi Fountain. After seeing these, one begins to understand why Rome attracts so many tourists, all of these sites are worthy of hype they receive.
Another site on people’s “must see list” of Rome is the Vatican. While not technically in Rome (Vatican City is a separate state) it is easily accessible while in the eternal city. I awoke early on my second day to make sure I was at the Vatican before most of the tourists. As you approach St. Peter’s Basilica from the north you can barely see Michelangelo’s dome poking out above the apartment buildings. As you get closer, however, you encounter Bernini’s forrest of columns that makes up St. Peter’s square (which is really an oval). When you see it for the first time it is truly awe-inspiring. That is just the outside, however.
Once you enter the Basilica, one is struck with even more awe: the sheer size and space within the Basilica are staggering. One is reminded of the cavernous space of the Mines of Moria in Peter Jackson’s depiction of the Lord of the Rings: a massive space with pillars of stone that sore over your head. This is not the only thing that is intended to inspire awe in the visitor. Michelangelo’s dome, Bernini’s baldacchino (the canopy over the high altar), the statues, etc., are all intended to make one gasp at the glory of Rome.
Indeed, this was the intention behind St. Peter’s once the Reformation began. The election of Pope Paul III in 1534 signaled the beginning of the counter-Reformation; that is Rome’s response to Luther, Calvin and their followers. One way Paul III hoped to counter the teachings of the reformation was to complete the construction of St. Peter’s. “He [Paul III] was also pressing ahead,” writes Eamon Duffy, “with the reconstruction of Rome, to reflect both the spiritual and the temporal glory of the Church and papacy.” (Eamon Duffy, Saints and Sinners: A History of the Popes, 213) At the center of this reconstruction was the completion of St. Peter’s, it was to be a symbol of the power and glory of the Papacy. While the current St. Peter’s, with it’s internal decorations, was not completed until c. 1680, the Basilica stands as one of Rome’s responses to the Reformation.
Despite all it’s glory and splendor, however, St. Peter’s is a building. Like the buildings across town in the Roman Forum, it will one day crumble and fade. Even magnificent structures such as this will not last forever. Their glory and their opulence will one day come to an end. Therefore, the true and living God is not to be found in glorious and elaborate temples or churches. No, this God “…who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands…” (Acts 17:24-25a) Well, where does this God live if not in temples or churches? He is alive and speaks in His word! The Word, His eternal son, who came to this world in the flesh (John 1:1-5, 14) to die for our sins (Romans 6:10) and to win everlasting life for his people. (John 3:16) God is also alive and well in the preaching of His written word. (Romans 10:17) God’s word, unlike any man-made structure (including the glorious Basilica of the Vatican) which will fade and die like grass and flowers, “remains forever.” (Isaiah 40:6-8 and 1 Peter 1:23-25)
So, while Rome is popularly known as “the eternal city ” (because of its grandeur and history) it too will come to an end. Indeed, there is only one city in all history that will remain forever: the New Jerusalem. (Revelation 21:9-27) It is in the coming of that city that we see true and eternal glory: on that day God “will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” (Revelation 21:4) Maranatha! “Come, Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 22:20)