Phil believed that time itself ceased operating normally during the Roman empire, that what we perceive now is an illusion, and that the Roman Empire continues in a metaphysical realm trapping humanity in a control system he refers to as the 'Black Iron Prison' wherein no new disruptive ideas can be formed that would allow humans to develop spiritually, only increasingly more complex minutia of entertainment and busy-work. Occasionally, messianic figures arise who are carriers of divine wisdom to try help free humanity, but they die as martyrs, usually as a result of human greed and ignorance, this indicating that we are still too dangerous and don't deserve our freedom yet.

Valis, a book by Philip K Dick. Or Horselover Fat, depending on what you decide to believe.