Got an Emperor?
I have been reading from A New Eusebius: Documents illustrative of the history of the Church to A.D.337 (J. Stevenson, ed. 1960. London: S.P.C.K.). I am seeing that a common theme is: because God established x, not worshiping x is rebellion against God. The emperor worshipers say, "If you are rebelling against God by not worshiping x as God has directed, we must kill you." Christians have done that with the Pope. Jews with the Law. Muslims with Mohammad. Marxists with atheism. Nazis with nationalism. Liberals with equity. All these want control, power through tyranny, for what is "right": "It's His way or the highway." Except it isn't His way.
Who or what is your emperor? Who or what is rebellion against him? What is "God-given" to you for which you hate, demean, pour your wrath upon others? You've got a problem. That is the way of Death. It and the way of Life are both generative. You want to be in the way of Life. You do NOT want to be in the way of Death. So you have to be DOING Life (see the Didache for what doing Life is).
God gave us a picture, an illustration, an example and demonstration in what Victor Alexander called the Season of Grace (roughly, Daniel's 70 anointed weeks). The Season of Grace was a recapitulation of the whole of history. A micro of the macro. There was a point-by-point correlation in it to what was and will be in history. In that respect, it was prophetic. What happened at the end of the Season of Grace will necessarily occur at the end of history it was a picture of. The end of your history, that is, so get ready for it. In the Season, the way of Life and the way of Death came to their respective illustrative culminations.
Which boat are you going to be in? Are you rejecting the way of life, insisting your emperor be worshiped and NOT manifesting Life in your practice? Or are you rejecting the way of Death, insisting that you will worship only God directly and will honor Him as your father? If any one or any thing says you must accept him or her or it in your worship of God, you have an idol. "Take off your shoes" means have no intermediary between your self and the one true God. Your emperor will say, "That is my job. You cannot approach God. I am His representative. Honor God. Hate, even kill anyone who doesn't honor me." If you want to harm, you are manifesting complete ignorance of God's loving nature, of Life. You have been deceived. Gone the wrong way. Dump the emperor. Choose Life.
Edit: Is "Jesus" an emperor for saying we must worship Him? He says: Not Me, but God in You. No hate. No harm. No vengeance for His sake. Be Life. Be Love. Be healing. Care. Give. Trust. -- Not very emperorish. No Death in it.
Who or what is your emperor? Who or what is rebellion against him? What is "God-given" to you for which you hate, demean, pour your wrath upon others? You've got a problem. That is the way of Death. It and the way of Life are both generative. You want to be in the way of Life. You do NOT want to be in the way of Death. So you have to be DOING Life (see the Didache for what doing Life is).
God gave us a picture, an illustration, an example and demonstration in what Victor Alexander called the Season of Grace (roughly, Daniel's 70 anointed weeks). The Season of Grace was a recapitulation of the whole of history. A micro of the macro. There was a point-by-point correlation in it to what was and will be in history. In that respect, it was prophetic. What happened at the end of the Season of Grace will necessarily occur at the end of history it was a picture of. The end of your history, that is, so get ready for it. In the Season, the way of Life and the way of Death came to their respective illustrative culminations.
Which boat are you going to be in? Are you rejecting the way of life, insisting your emperor be worshiped and NOT manifesting Life in your practice? Or are you rejecting the way of Death, insisting that you will worship only God directly and will honor Him as your father? If any one or any thing says you must accept him or her or it in your worship of God, you have an idol. "Take off your shoes" means have no intermediary between your self and the one true God. Your emperor will say, "That is my job. You cannot approach God. I am His representative. Honor God. Hate, even kill anyone who doesn't honor me." If you want to harm, you are manifesting complete ignorance of God's loving nature, of Life. You have been deceived. Gone the wrong way. Dump the emperor. Choose Life.
Edit: Is "Jesus" an emperor for saying we must worship Him? He says: Not Me, but God in You. No hate. No harm. No vengeance for His sake. Be Life. Be Love. Be healing. Care. Give. Trust. -- Not very emperorish. No Death in it.
posted by Daniel C. Branham-Steele at
1:17 PM
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