God's Plan For Man Final

Deception Of Great Magnitude

The essence of Christianity was changed in the year 312AD. They followed Jesus because they knew He was the Son of God, and perhaps the Christ [anointed one], which was the popular, and then unpopular notion by most. The teachers of the law [Hebrews] used the Romans to crucify Him because they wanted Jesus to be the anointed one, but saying He was the Son of God nullified that notion in their minds. However, the numbers of followers flourished because Jesus’ message found a place within their hearts, and they expected the messiah’s or Christ’s [anointed one’s] appearance to be eminent. The crucifixion was extreme punishment, and a similar punishment continued, attempting to dissuade Jesus’ followers from professing their deep faith. Yet, they could not be turned even under the pain of death. The politicians were losing the battle so to speak; Roman soldiers and politicians began to secretly gather with those they once called Christians. In a good sense, the name “Christian” was attributed to the deep belief in the Messiah or deliverer, which is the essence of the word’s meaning. However, the Roman persecutions ceased. Constantine, who ultimately became the new Roman emperor, claimed to have a vision. He said he had a vision in the sky and a dream during the night before a battle. It is commonly stated that on the evening of October 27, with the armies preparing for battle, Constantine had a vision, which led him to fight under the protection of the Christian God. The details of that vision, however, differ between the sources reporting it. It is believed that the sign of the cross appeared, and Constantine heard, “In this sign, you shall conquer.” In this supposed dream he saw the ' Chi-Ro ', the symbol of Christ, shining above the sun. Seeing this as a Divine sign, it is said that Constantine had his soldiers paint the symbol on their shields. Following this, Constantine went on to defeat the numerically stronger army of Maxentius at the Battle at the Milvian Bridge [Oct AD 312]. Maxentius, together with thousands of his soldiers, drowned as the bridge they constructed of boats collapsed; his force retreated. Constantine saw this victory as directly related to the supposed vision he had the night before. Henceforth, Constantine saw himself as an emperor of the Christian people. Whether this supposed vision and victory made him a Christian is the subject of some debate. Constantine, who accepted baptism only on his deathbed, is generally understood as the first Christian emperor of the

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