Christ’s exaltation foretold

That God, the Father of all, was going to bring Christ into heaven after raising him from the dead and keep him there until he strikes down the demons who are hostile to him, and until the number is complete of those whom God foreknows will become good and virtuous—for whose sake he has not yet brought the final completion—hear what was said through the prophet David:

“The Lord said to my Lord, ‘Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet. The Lord shall send you a rod of power from Jerusalem; rule in the midst of your enemies. With you is dominion in the day of your power, in the splendors of your saints; from the womb, before the morning star, I have begotten you.’”

The words “The Lord shall send you a rod of power from Jerusalem” foretold the powerful word that his apostles, after going out from Jerusalem, proclaimed everywhere. And although death has been decreed against those who teach or even simply confess the name of Christ, we everywhere embrace it and teach it.

Even if you read these words in a hostile spirit, you can do nothing more than kill us, as we said before. That brings no harm to us; but for you, and for everyone who unjustly hates us and does not change his mind, it brings eternal punishment through fire.