Constantine and the Edict of Milan - 313 A.D.
Yesterday we learned about how the Roman Empire was split in two parts, east and west. In the west, a ruler was raised up whose name was Constantine. There is a legend about him that we will learn about today. Supposedly Constantine had seen a vision in the sky that looked like a flaming cross. At the same time, he heard a voice say, "In this sign, conquer." After this vision, he had a dream in which the soldiers marked their shields with the Latin symbol for Jesus Christ. He converted to Christianity after the war was over and won.
One of the first things Constantine did following this victory, was to issue the Edict of Milan. In 313 A.D., Constantine met with Licinius, who was the ruler in the east, to discuss matters of the Empire. The Edict of Milan ended the persecution of Christians, that was so strong during this era. It formally legalized Christianity and had ended the age of Martyrs. At this point, the transition to the era of the 'Christian empire' had begun.
One of the things that Constantine had appeared to do was to make everyone become a Christian. The problem with that is that only God can work in a person's heart and make him or her a Christian. When someone tries to make someone else a Christian, it won't work unless God is already working in that person's heart. If you try to legalize Christianity, you will end up with many false converts. And God would not be honored in that.
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