Immediately before the battle, an order was issued
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---that a pagan sacrifice be conducted for the emperor,
---followed by an oath to kill all the Christians in Gaul.
*Every member of the Theban legion refused to participate in the sacrifice or take the oath.
Furious at the insubordination, Emperor Maximian ordered that the legion be decimated. This meant every tenth man was put to death. Still the youths maintained their conviction. So, a second decimation was ordered. Still the remaining soldiers held fast to their devotion. Seeing that it was useless to continue his attempts, Maximian commanded that the entire legion be killed.
This historic event displays an awe-inspiring application of putting on the whole armor of God. Doing so means putting on the “Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 13:14).
The martyred Theban legion did not fight back but submitted to its fate, much like John the Baptist (Mt. 14:3–10), Stephen (Acts 7:54–60), and many other Christians throughout history."
Furious at the insubordination, Emperor Maximian ordered that the legion be decimated. This meant every tenth man was put to death. Still the youths maintained their conviction. So, a second decimation was ordered. Still the remaining soldiers held fast to their devotion. Seeing that it was useless to continue his attempts, Maximian commanded that the entire legion be killed.
This historic event displays an awe-inspiring application of putting on the whole armor of God. Doing so means putting on the “Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 13:14).
The martyred Theban legion did not fight back but submitted to its fate, much like John the Baptist (Mt. 14:3–10), Stephen (Acts 7:54–60), and many other Christians throughout history."
Peter Colón