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Is Mt. Sinai the Mountain of YEHOVAH? 13

ing evening he supposedly had a VISION of Christ who told him to adopt the sign of the "Chi Rho"
as a symbol to protect him and his armies, and that he would always be victorious. It was this
so-called (by Constantine) "supernatural sign" that moved the emperor into thinking he had been
DIVINELY SELECTED to bring about a universal kingdom that would usher in divine salvation
and peace to the world.

According to Ernest L. Martin: "This visionary experience had a profound effect upon
Constantine. In the following years he featured himself as the DIVINELY CHOSEN instrument of
God to bring in the universal (Catholic) kingdom to the totality of the world. It gave Constantine
great confidence that he was a special and elect vessel of God himself. And in all the battles that
Constantine fought from A.D. 312 onward, with what he called the salutary sign of the "Chi Rho" in
the advance of his armies, convinced him that he was indeed that special person selected by God to
bring to pass the universal kingdom of Christ on earth" (Secrets of Golgotha. ASK Publications,
CA P. 99).

It appears that not long after his visionary experience at Milvian Bridge, Constantine began
to think of himself as a new Moses ordained by God to lead the true people of God into a new world
order with Constantine as its head. To reinforce this identification with Moses, Constantine had a
special tent constructed in the form of a cross which he, LIKE MOSES, placed "outside the camp."
(Exodus 33:7). It was into this tent that he and his
trusted advisors would enter before any military action
to seek "divine counsel" to direct them in the upcom-
ing engagement.

Eusebius -- church historian and scholar of the
third and fourth centuries -- noted what usually hap-
pened when Constantine entered this tent: "And mak-
ing earnest supplications to God, he was always
honored after a little while with a manifestation of His
[God's ] presence. And then, AS IF MOVED BY A
DIVINE IMPULSE, he would RUSH from the tent,
and SUDDENLY give orders to his army to move at
once without delay, and on the instant to draw their
swords. On this they would immediately commence Constantine the Great
the attack, fight vigorously, so as with incredible ce-
lerity to secure the victory, and raise trophies of victory over their enemies" (Life of Constantine,
II. 12).

These "divine impulses" ruled Constantine's life. Eusebius noted that Constantine's visions
and supernatural encounters became such an ingrained part of his affairs that "a thousand such acts
as these were familiarly and habitually done by the emperor" (Ibid., II, 12 & 14). Constantine's
WHOLE LIFE was filled with visions, dreams and supernatural wonders; and they became
foremost in all his major decisions!

"This was," notes Michael Grant, "an epoch...in which VISIONS were frequently and con-
tinually seen, or imagined to be seen, by all and sundry, especially at decisive turning points of his-

The Berean Voice September-October 2002