“All the saints salute you, including those of Caesar’s household.”

Those words of the Apostle Paul, written to the Philippians, made me think.  What an amazing dynamic, that while the Caesars were trying to stomp out the Christians God had His people right within Caesar’s palace, right under his nose. Isn’t that just the way God works?

The protagonist of A War Within: The Gladiator is 17-year-old Antonius, whose father Titus is Emperor Commodus’ steward but also secretly leads a small church group.  When the Emperor sends Antonius to carry a message to the Praetorians Titus learns that it is an arrest warrant for his church, including his wife and daughter.  Antonius races to warn them, but arrives too late, and the resulting tragedy leaves him bitter and angry toward God and vowing vengeance on the Emperor.  The brutal gladiator master Scipio plans to mold this angry young man into a gladiator, leaving Antonius warring within.  Will he forsake his faith and fight or will he refuse?  If God is truly faithful how could this happen?  And how could God demand that he forgive?

A War Within: The Gladiator and it’s sequel, A War Within: The Legionnaire have been four years in the making.  Book one, The Gladiator, was published by Word Aflame Press in October, 2012.  Book two is in the editing and design process right now.

You can purchase The Gladiator in trade paperback at Pentecostal Publishing House,  or as an e-book at www.Amazon.com.  You can also like it on Facebook for updates, samples, and sneak peeks of upcoming titles.