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By the way... in ref: to my #172 -- I learned something new recently in reading David Chiltons The Days of Vengeance (an exposition of the Book of Revelation). Do you know what was one of the common inscriptions upon Roman Coins in the days of Caesar Octavian (Augustus), son of Julius Caesar?

Salvation is found in none other save AUGUSTUS, and no other name is given to men by which they can be saved.

These numismatic Inscriptions upon Roman Coinage pre-date the Ministry of Christ. They were known unto all subjects of the Roman Empire.

In other words, one of the most exclusive descriptions of Christ's Lordship, was not a piece of poetic phrasing which the Apostle Peter imagined on his own. The Apostle Peter deliberately and purposely claimed one of the greatest acclamations of Caesar's Lordship, and, for lack of a better word, deliberately urinated upon the claims of Mortal Man.

Against the threat of Roman Crucifixion, that impetuous fisherman Peter stood up against the Jewish Sanhedrin and their Roman patrons, and declared instead:

by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth

Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

Understand what was going on here, people.

APOSTLE PETER DECLARED OPEN WAR UPON THE MESSIAH-STATE OF ROME.

True Christianity is human treason against the Claims of Man to his own Majesty and Divinity.

That is the very IDEA of our Religion.

So it has ever been.

So it shall ever be.

Everywhere this rulership is affirmed in the NT, in fact, the Lordship of Christ is the fundamental confession of the Christian faith. The Bible says, "If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." These ideas are intimately associated. His being raised from the dead and his lordship which is the end of the trail so to speak. He was raised, but he didn’t stop when he back to earth. He kept going until he was enthroned in heaven. And so the Christian confesses that Jesus Christ has been raised from the dead and is the ruler of the nations. This was the issue that lead to the slaughter of Christians for 300 years in the Roman Empire, because they refused to pay homage to Caesar. And they were told to just burn a little incense. You don’t even have to mean it. They said that they would not even give the indication that there is anyone above Christ. We will be loyal citizens. We will do what the law says. But we will not pay homage to another lord. Jesus is Lord. And for that they were sawn in two. They were cut up, they were stabbed, they were brutally mistreated. They were tarred and burned and they were fed to the lions for the simple, little confession that Jesus is Lord. It is the backbone of the Christian confession. It is the beginning of the Christian life and it will come to a test every now in then in church history.

This is seen to be central in the preaching of Paul as he went to the synagogues. For example in the book of ACT 13 he preached this way at verse 32 "We tell you the good news: What God promised our fathers" and that means the gospel. We tell you the gospel. And again these ideas are associated in Paul’s book to the Romans. In chapter 1 he introduces his book this way. ROM 1:1ff "Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God -- the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures regarding his Son, who as to his human nature was a descendant of David, and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God," Son of man, Son of God. Jesus Christ our Lord. The Son is the absolute sovereign ruler and possessor of all nations. By the expressed appointment of the Father who has entrusted all judgment to him. ~~ Jewish Christian Presbyter the rev. Steve Schlissel, "Messiah Rules the Nations"

THAT is "Mere Christianity".

If people would only understand, that is all we are talking about...

...and we are talking about nothing less.

Mere Christianity.

"True Christianity is human treason against the Claims of Man to his own Majesty and Divinity."

And from hence is the present open hostility towards the traditionally dominated "Christian" America from the ever rising neo-pagan movement and it's tools -- the NEA, TV and Barnes & Noble's New Age "teachers", and Secular Humanists.

If the positions of cultural and political "dominance" were to be reversed, the days of Paul's Rome would return pronto for Christians AND all other Deistic religions as well.

I missed this first time ...thanks for the ping

True Christianity is human treason against the Claims of Man to his own Majesty and Divinity.

To that may I say that anyone that REALLY reads the NT sees beyond the obvious to the real confrontation that was going on between the natural man and the son of God...the battle was pitched..just who would be the gods. Ye can not serve both God and mammon","render unto Caesar", the over turning of the tables in the temple..

Luk 12:51 Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division:

Mat 10:34 Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.

They have neutered the gospel and made Jesus the good humor man...THEY HUNG HIM because he would not let them be gods!