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| Chapter 1: The Early Christian
Church Chapter 2: Early Church History Chapter 3: The Religion Of Mystery Babylon Chapter 4: The Council Of Nicaea; 325 Ad |
Chapter 5: The Prophecies Of
Fatima Chapter 6: The Nature Of God Chapter 7: The Holy Spirit Chapter 8: The Resurrection Of The Dead |
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Against False Doctrine
CHAPTER 2: EARLY CHURCH HISTORY THE "APOSTLES CREED" AND "THE TEACHING OF THE TWELVE APOSTLES" HAVE GIVEN US A GOOD IDEA OF WHAT KIND OF DOCTRINE WAS BEING TAUGHT IN THE TRUE CHURCH DURING THE FIRST FEW CENTURIES OF CHRISTIANITY. IN THE OPENING CHAPTERS OF THE BOOK OF REVELATION JESUS CHRIST THROUGH THE APOSTLE JOHN SPEAKS DIRECTLY TO THE EARLY CHURCHES. MANY OF US WHO STUDY BIBLICAL PROPHECY BELIEVE THAT JESUS GAVE THE MESSAGES TO THE CHURCHES TO JOHN IN AN ORDER THAT WOULD MIRROR THE HISTORY OF THE CHURCH DOWN THROUGH THE CENTURIES. IT WAS NOT UNTIL ABOUT 1900 AD, WHEN ENOUGH TIME IN HISTORY HAD PASSED FOR US TO LOOK BACK AND VIEW THE HISTORY OF THE CHURCH, IT WAS UNDERSTOOD THAT GOD HAD GIVEN US AN OVERVIEW OF THE HISTORY OF THE CHURCH, FROM BEGINNING TO END, IN THE BOOK OF REVELATION. EACH CHURCH THAT GOD TOLD JOHN TO WRITE TO HAD CERTAIN CHARACTERISTICS ABOUT IT THAT WOULD PORTRAY THE EVOLUTION OF THE CHURCH UNTIL THE TIME OF THE END. Revelation 1:10-20 NIV On the Lord's Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, which said: "Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea." I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and among the lampstands was someone "like a son of man," dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance. When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: "Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades. "Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later. The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches. THE SEVEN LAMPSTANDS ARE IDENTIFIED AS THE SEVEN CHURCHES THAT CHRIST WILL ADDRESS, AND IT IS INTERESTING TO NOTE THAT EACH CHURCH HAS A GUARDIAN ANGEL. EPHESUS Revelation 2:1-2 NIV "To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands: I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. JESUS HERE APPROVES THE DOCTRINE OF THE CHURCH AT EPHESUS. HE DOES THIS WHEN HE TELLS THEM THAT THEY HAVE TESTED THOSE WHO CLAIM TO BE APOSTLES, BUT ARE NOT. THE CHURCH AT EPHESUS WAS DILIGENT IN THE STUDY AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE SCRIPTURES. Ephesians 2:19-20 NIV Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. WHEN PAUL WROTE TO THE CORINTHIANS HE HAD TO WRITE TO THEM AS BABES IN CHRIST BECAUSE THEY WERE LIVING IN IMMORALITY, BELIEVING THAT FREEDOM IN CHRIST WAS A LICENSE TO SIN. WHEN HE WROTE TO THE GALATIANS HE HAD TO RE-INSTRUCT THEM IN UNDERSTANDING THE GOSPEL BECAUSE CONVERSE TO THE CORINTHIAN CHURCH, THEY WERE TRYING TO REACH PERFECTION IN THE FLESH THROUGH THEIR WORKS. THE CHURCH AT EPHESUS ON THE OTHER HAND WAS SPIRITUALLY READY TO LEARN ABOUT THE MYSTERIES OF GOD. Ephesians 3:6 NIV This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus. Ephesians 3:9-11 NIV and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. WHEN PAUL WROTE TO THE CHURCH AT EPHESUS HE TAUGHT THEM ABOUT THE DEEPER THINGS OF GOD BECAUSE THEY WERE STRONG IN THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE LORD. Revelation 2:3-7 NIV You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. 'But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God. JESUS' ONLY NEGATIVE COMMENT ABOUT THE CHURCH AT EPHESUS CONCERNED THEIR LACK OF LOVE. HE AGAIN COMMENDS THEIR DOCTRINE WHEN HE PRAISES THE FACT THAT THEY HATE THE PRACTICES OF THE NICOLAITANS WHICH HE ALSO HATES. THE CHURCH AT EPHESUS WAS WELL GROUNDED IN THE FAITH THAT WAS DELIVERED UNTO THE SAINTS. THIS IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE THE CHURCH AT EPHESUS PROPHETICALLY REPRESENTS THE FIRST ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF CHURCH HISTORY. FOR THE FIRST ONE HUNDRED YEARS THE CHURCH AND IT'S DOCTRINES WERE RELATIVELY PURE. FOR THIS REASON WE CAN BE QUITE CERTAIN THAT THE DOCTRINE TAUGHT IN THE APOSTLES CREED AND THE TEACHING OF THE TWELVE APOSTLES ARE A GOOD REPRESENTATION OF THE FAITH ONCE DELIVERED UNTO THE SAINTS. PAUL URGED TIMOTHY TO STAY IN EPHESUS FOR THE SPECIFIC PURPOSE OF MAKING SURE THAT NO FALSE DOCTRINE WOULD BE TAUGHT THERE. 1 Timothy 1:2-4 NKJV To Timothy, a true son in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. As I urged you when I went into Macedonia; remain in Ephesus that you may charge some that they teach no other doctrine, nor give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which cause disputes rather than godly edification which is in faith. TIMOTHY DID AS PAUL ASKED AND LATER BECAME THE BISHOP OF THAT REGION. THERE WERE OF COURSE FALSE TEACHERS PROMOTING FALSE DOCTRINES AND MASQUERADING AS APOSTLES OF LIGHT DURING THE FIRST TWO HUNDRED YEARS OF CHRISTIANITY. THEY HAD INFILTRATED THE CORINTHIAN CHURCH EARLY ON. 2 Corinthians 11:4 NIV For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough. 2 Corinthians 11:13-15 NIV For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve. 2 Peter 2:1 (NIV) But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them--bringing swift destruction on themselves. 1 John 4:1-3 NIV Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.
THE NEW TESTAMENT WRITERS DEALT WITH THE HERESIES THAT WERE BEING PROMOTED DURING THE FORMATIVE YEARS OF THE CHURCH, AND SO, THE FALSE DOCTRINES THAT WERE BEING PROPAGATED AT THAT TIME CAN BE IDENTIFIED AND THEIR TEACHINGS DISCOUNTED BECAUSE THEY DISAGREE WITH THE SCRIPTURES. AFTER THE DEATH OF THE LAST LIVING DISCIPLE OF JESUS, THE APOSTLE JOHN IN ABOUT 100 AD, ERROR BEGAN TO SLOWLY CREEP INTO THE CHURCH. ERROR WAS IN THE CHURCH EVEN BEFORE THE APOSTLES DIED, BUT WHILE THEY WERE ALIVE THEY COULD AT LEAST VISIT OR WRITE A LETTER AND SET THE SITUATION IN ORDER. AFTER THEIR PASSING THE ERROR THAT CAME INTO ORGANIZED RELIGION THROUGH 325 AD, STAYED IN, AND IS STILL PRESENT TO THIS DAY. SMYRNA Revelation 2:8-10 NIV "To the angel of the church in Smyrna write: These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again. I know your afflictions and your poverty--yet you are rich! I know the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life. THERE IS NO COMMENT BY JESUS ABOUT THE DOCTRINE OF THE CHURCH OF SMYRNA, EITHER PRO OR CON. WE KNOW FROM HISTORY THAT A SMALL AMOUNT OF ERROR WAS SEEPING INTO THE CHURCH, BUT IT WOULD SEEM THAT FOR THE MOST PART THIS PERSECUTED CHURCH WAS HOLDING FAST TO THE TRUE FAITH. PERSECUTION OFTEN KEEPS FALSE DOCTRINE AT BAY BECAUSE FALSE TEACHERS WHO ARE INTO RELIGION ONLY FOR MONETARY GAIN ARE UNWILLING TO DIE FOR THINGS THEY KNOW TO BE UNTRUE. THE CHURCH AT SMYRNA REPRESENTED CHURCH HISTORY FROM ABOUT 100 AD TO 325 AD. DURING THIS TIME THE CHURCH ENDURED TEN WAVES OF PERSECUTION FROM THE ROMAN EMPERORS, AND MANY PEOPLE WERE MARTYRED FOR HOLDING FAST TO THEIR FAITH. WHEN THIS CHURCH AGE ENDED THE FORMATIVE YEARS OF CHRISTIANITY WERE COMPLETED AND PERSECUTION IN THE ROMAN EMPIRE CEASED. THE TEN WAVES OF PERSECUTION CAN BE STUDIED IN DETAIL BY OBTAINING A COPY OF "FOX'S BOOK OF MARTYRS," PUBLISHED BY ZONDERVAN PUBLISHING HOUSE, GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN, OR IN THE BOOK "THE HISTORY OF THE CHURCH" BY EUSEBIUS, PUBLISHED BY PENGUIN CLASSICS, NEW YORK, NY. PERGAMUM Revelation 2:12-16 NIV "To the angel of the church in Pergamum write: These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword. I know where you live--where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city--where Satan lives. Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: You have people there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols and by committing sexual immorality. Likewise you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth. PERGAMUM WAS THE OFFICIAL CENTER OF EMPEROR WORSHIP IN THE ROMAN EMPIRE. ERROR HAD FOUND IT'S WAY INTO THIS CHURCH. THEY WERE PERMITTING IMMORALITY AND THE CLERGY WAS BEGINNING TO RULE OVER THE LAITY. FALSE TEACHING, IMMORALITY AND IDOL WORSHIP ARE THE TEACHINGS OF BALAAM, A PROPHET FOR HIRE AND SORCERER IN THE OLD TESTAMENT. FROM A HISTORICAL STANDPOINT THIS CHURCH REPRESENTS THE BEGINNING OF THE NEWLY LEGALIZED CHRISTIAN CHURCH IN THE ROMAN EMPIRE. THE PLACING OF THE CHURCH AT PERGAMUM, THE CENTER OF EMPEROR WORSHIP IN THE THIRD POSITION OF CHURCH HISTORY DOES INDEED SEEM TO BE BY DIVINE PLAN WHEN THE EVENTS SURROUNDING THE ROMAN EMPEROR CONSTANTINE ARE STUDIED. CONSTANTINE Christianity was founded under the rule of the Roman Empire. The words of its founder, Jesus Christ, "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's" (Mark 12:17), indicate early Christianity's clear distinction between the secular and the spiritual. Until the 4th century Christians were sporadically persecuted by the Roman government because they refused to worship the emperor. Constantine survived the civil war that disrupted the western half of the empire and by 312 was in a position to challenge Maxentius, the self-appointed caesar who controlled Italy and Africa. Constantine's defeat of Maxentius at the Milvian Bridge outside Rome (Oct. 28, 312) not only removed a dangerous rival but secured his share in the new government formed by Licinius. The arch commissioned by the Senate in Rome to mark his victory bears an inscription that attributes Constantine's success to the "prompting of a deity." The Senate undoubtedly had in mind a pagan deity, but later Christian writers credited the victory to the intervention of the Christian God, who (they asserted) had declared his support of Constantine in a vision. The nature of Constantine's conversion to Christianity has long been a matter of dispute--primarily because the sources, all of them Christian, offer conflicting testimony. The outlines of his religious development, however, are clear enough. Before 312, Constantine seems to have been a tolerant pagan, willing to accumulate heavenly patrons but not committed to any one deity. Between 312 and 324, however, he gradually adopted the Christian God as his protector and on several occasions granted special privileges to individual churches and bishops. In 313, Emperor Constantine I made Christianity the favored religion of the empire, and over the centuries the church came to play an important political as well as spiritual role. His alliance with Christianity was strengthened by the political quarrel with Licinius. Soon after his victory over Licinius at Chrysopolis (Sept. 18, 324), Constantine openly embraced Christianity and became more directly involved in the affairs of the church. The following year, Constantine assembled the bishops in a council at Nicaea. Although this was not Constantine's first attempt to reconcile orthodox and heretical factions in Christianity, it was the first time he had used the imperial office to impose a settlement. The Software Toolworks Encyclopedia GOD GAVE THE CHURCH RELIEF FROM PERSECUTION AND THE CHURCH LEADERS BEGAN TO CONSOLIDATE THEIR POWER, AS IF THEY WERE GENTILE RULERS. Mark 10:42-45 "Jesus called them together and said, "You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all." THE CHURCH FROM 325 AD UNTIL ABOUT 600 AD WAS RULED BY THE BISHOPS OF THE LARGER CITIES, WITH THE BISHOP OF ROME BEING THE MOST PROMINENT. THIS HAD THE EFFECT OF PERMITTING THE OPINION OF ONE HUMAN BEING OR OF A COUNCIL THAT HE PRESIDED OVER TO SUPERSEDE THE SCRIPTURES. WE WILL LOOK AT THIS IN MORE DETAIL LATER WHEN WE STUDY THE EARLY DECREES OF THE POPES. THIS CHURCH STILL EXISTS TODAY IN THE FORM OF THE CHURCHES THAT REJECTED THE DECREES OF THE COUNCIL OF CHALCEDON IN 451 AD. THESE ARE THE SYRIAN ORIENTAL CHURCH, SOME TIMES CALLED THE JACOBITES, AND IN INDIA THE MALANKARA CHURCH; THE COPTIC CHURCH, ALSO CALLED THE EGYPTIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH; AND THE ETHIOPIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH. THE DOCTRINE OF THESE CHURCHES TODAY MIRROR THE DOCTRINES OF THE CHURCH SHORTLY AFTER THE NICENE CREED WAS IMPLEMENTED, BECAUSE FOR THE MOST PART THEY HAVE REJECTED ALL CHANGES TO THEIR DOCTRINE SINCE 325 AD. THYATIRA Revelation 2:18-23 NIV "To the angel of the church in Thyatira write: These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze. know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first. Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols. I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling. So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways. I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds. THIS CHURCH HAD LOVE AND FAITH, BUT ALSO A LOT OF FALSE DOCTRINE AND THEY PERMITTED IMMORALITY IN THE CHURCH. A CHURCH FULL OF DOCTRINAL ERRORS WAS THE RESULT OF THE PAST THREE HUNDRED YEARS OF PERMITTING THE WISDOM OF MEN AND THE CREEDS OF COUNCILS TO PREVAIL OVER THE SCRIPTURES. THIS CHURCH REPRESENTS THE CHURCH IN HISTORY AT THE BEGINNING OF THE DARK AGES AND ON UP THROUGH THE MIDDLE AGES, UNTIL THE REFORMATION. THE DARK AND MIDDLE AGES The Dark Ages is the name traditionally given to the period in European history from the fall of the Roman Empire in the west (5th century) to the coronation of Charlemagne (800), or sometimes to the 10th century. The term has also been used to denote the entire Middle Ages down to the Renaissance (15th century). The Early Middle Ages was the period of the decline and fall of the Roman Empire, the invasions of the barbarians, and the triumph of Christianity. The Western Empire was broken up into barbarian kingdoms, until on Christmas Day, 800, the Frankish king, Charlemagne, was crowned emperor of the West by the pope. THE PAPACY More dangerous to the authority and the power of medieval monarchs were the claims of churchmen, particularly the increasing secular power of the papacy. If popes and prelates crowned emperors and kings, why should not the churchmen claim superiority as vicegerents for God? Pope Nicholas I did so as early as the 9th century. In the 12th and 13th centuries the popes won the leadership of Europe by preaching the crusades, first against the Muslims, then against such heretics as the Albigenses. Papal power reached its zenith under the reign of Innocent III, (1198-1216) whose political power was almost as great as his churchly power. As successor to Saint Peter the pope claimed jurisdiction over all Christians. The Software Toolworks Encyclopedia THE CHURCH OF THYATIRA REPRESENTS CHURCH HISTORY FROM ABOUT 600 AD TO ABOUT 1000 AD. THE CHURCH DURING THE DARK AND MIDDLE AGES WAS RULED BY THE PAPACY, AND THE POPES ALSO HELD SWAY OVER MANY SECULAR RULERS. THE (ROMAN CATHOLIC) CHURCH HAD NOW INCLUDED IN ITS DOCTRINE ALONG WITH THE TEACHINGS OF BALAAM AND THE NICOLAITANS, THE TEACHINGS OF JEZEBEL. THIS IS MORE SPIRITUAL ADULTERY, A DEEPER FORM OF IDOL WORSHIP. THE CHURCH WAS BEGINNING TO VENERATE IDOLS, IMAGES, PAINTINGS, AND SO CALLED "HOLY RELICS." LATER PURGATORY AND INDULGENCES (PAYING MONEY TO GET A LOVED ONE OUT OF PURGATORY) WOULD FOLLOW. IT IS INTERESTING THAT THE LORD USED THE CITY OF THYATIRA TO DESCRIBE THIS CHURCH AGE BECAUSE THE CITY OF THYATIRA WAS NOTED FOR IT'S TRADE IN MANY ITEMS INCLUDING PURPLE CLOTH. Acts 16:14 NIV One of those listening was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who was a worshiper of God. PURPLE SIGNIFIES ROYALTY, SHOWING THAT THIS ECCLESIASTICAL CHURCH WAS PROMOTING ITSELF TO BE LIKE ROYALTY, ABOVE THE OTHER CHURCHES IN THE WORLD. Daniel 5:7 NIV The king called out for the enchanters, astrologers and diviners to be brought and said to these wise men of Babylon, "Whoever reads this writing and tells me what it means will be clothed in purple and have a gold chain placed around his neck, and he will be made the third highest ruler in the kingdom." Luke 16:19 NIV "There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. Mark 15:17 & 29 NIV They put a purple robe on him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him. And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him. TYRIAN PURPLE Tyrian purple is a strong dye--ranging in color from blue to crimson--made from the crushed shells of certain mussels and whelks. Only a small portion of the shell could be used, making the dyed cloth very costly and limiting its use to the wealthy. Tyrian purple garments became a mark of the Roman aristocracy The Software Toolworks Encyclopedia THE CATHOLIC CHURCH HAS NOT CHANGED THAT MUCH FROM THE YEAR 1000 AD UNTIL TODAY. IT STILL EXISTS AND WILL CONTINUE TO EXIST UNTIL THE FALSE PROPHET UNITES THE CHURCHES UNDER HIS OWN LEADERSHIP. Revelation 2:24-25 Now I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan's so-called deep secrets (I will not impose any other burden on you): Only hold on to what you have until I come. IF YOU BELONG TO THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH AND ARE CONTENT THERE, GOD DOES NOT COMMAND YOU TO LEAVE IT, ONLY TO HOLD FAST TO TRUTH THAT YOU HAVE LEARNED AND DISREGARD THE ERRONEOUS DOCTRINES. SARDIS YOU SHOULD HAVE NOTICED IN REVELATION 2:23 THAT THE CHURCH OF THYATIRA HAS CHILDREN. THESE CHILDREN ARE THE EASTERN ORTHODOX CHURCH THAT BROKE AWAY FROM THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH IN THE MIDDLE AGES, AND THOSE THAT BROKE AWAY DURING THE PROTESTANT REFORMATION. THE CHILDREN OF THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH ARE DESCRIBED IN THE NEXT SET OF VERSES. Revelation 3:1-2 NIV "To the angel of the church in Sardis write: These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. THIS "DEAD" CHURCH REPRESENTS THE CHURCHES THAT BROKE AWAY FROM THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. THEY HAD THE REPUTATION OF BEING FILLED WITH LIFE, BUT SHORTLY AFTER THEY BROKE AWAY THEY BECAME COMPLACENT AND LIFELESS. THE ORTHODOX CHURCHES BROKE AWAY FROM THEIR MOTHER IN 1054 DURING "THE GREAT SCHISM," ARE THE FIRST SET OF CHILDREN PRODUCED BY THE CATHOLIC CHURCH. THE GREAT SCHISM (EASTERN) The schism between the Eastern and Western churches is traditionally dated to 1054, although the precise point at which the split became a fixed and lasting reality is difficult to determine. Many causes contributed to the growing misunderstanding and alienation between the two groups. Partly these were differences of philosophical understanding, liturgical usage, language, and custom, but political rivalries and divisions were also involved. Occasions of friction, hostility, and open division on doctrinal questions as well as matters of discipline and daily practice had occurred long before 1054. In the West the Latin church and especially the papacy took on many activities and powers in default of other authority, but this action was often regarded as usurpation by the East, where a different relationship existed between emperor and church. The heated disputes over such matters as the ecclesiastical calendar, the use of leavened or unleavened bread, or additions to the creed reached a climax in 1054, when Pope Leo IX And Patriarch Michael Cerularius excommunicated each other. Later attempts to reunite the churches foundered on local feeling, and mutual hatred grew through selfish acts on both sides during some parts of the Crusades; the low point was the sacking of Constantinople in 1204 during the Fourth Crusade. The schism continues to the present, but recently serious attempts at mutual understanding have offered the hope of reconciliation. The Software Toolworks Encyclopedia IN THE 1500'S THE PROTESTANT REFORMATION BEGAN AND THE LUTHERAN CHURCH AND OTHERS WERE FORMED. THESE ARE THE SECOND SET OF CHILDREN THAT THE MOTHER CHURCH (THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH) PRODUCED. MARTIN LUTHER DISCOVERED IN THE BIBLE THAT SALVATION CAME THROUGH GOD BY FAITH AND NOT THROUGH ABSOLUTION FROM THE CHURCH THROUGH A PRIEST. HE ALSO REBUKED THE CHURCH FOR SELLING INDULGENCES. ABSOLUTION The rite consists in the acknowledgment of sins to a priest, who grants absolution in the name of God. INDULGENCES In the Roman Catholic church, an indulgence is the remission of the punishment that remains due for sin after sacramental absolution. This remission, which is granted by ecclesiastical authority, applies only to temporal punishment, in this world or in purgatory. The system of indulgences, which developed out of the penitential discipline of the early church, became a means by which punishments for breaches of church discipline were commuted for proportionate fines. This practice was so general that the sale of indulgences was an important source of church revenue. This led to the protest of Martin Luther, whose 95 theses against the misuse of indulgences (1517) precipitated the reformation in Germany. At the Council of Trent the Roman Catholic church reformed the system, which was continued only under carefully controlled conditions. A decree of Pope Pius V (1567) finally prohibited the sale of indulgences. The Software Toolworks Encyclopedia THIS CHURCH AGE BEGAN IN ABOUT THE YEAR 1000 WITH "THE GREAT SCHISM AND EXPANDED IN THE 1500'S WITH THE PROTESTANT REFORMATION. IT HAS CONTINUED ON AND STILL EXISTS TODAY. THE REFORMATION STARTED OFF ON THE RIGHT FOOT BY RESTORING THE DOCTRINE OF SALVATION BY GRACE THROUGH FAITH. WHERE THE REFORMATION LEADERS FAILED WAS IN NOT CONTINUING ON AND ROOTING OUT THE REST OF THE FALSE DOCTRINES THAT HAD CREPT INTO THE CHURCH DURING THE PREVIOUS FIFTEEN HUNDRED YEARS. THE ORTHODOX AND REFORMATION ERA CHURCHES TODAY ARE FOR THE MOST PART DEAD AND LIFELESS, AS GOD SAID. THEY DO NOT OFTEN STUDY OR TEACH ABOUT SPIRITUAL GIFTS, PROPHECY, AND THE DEEPER THINGS OF GOD. MANY ARE SAVED, BUT AS FAR AS SPIRITUAL GROWTH GOES MOST ARE BABES IN CHRIST. THE LORD DOES NOT COMMAND THOSE IN THE PROTESTANT OR ORTHODOX CHURCHES TO LEAVE THEIR DENOMINATIONS EITHER. WHAT HE DOES COMMAND IS FOR HIS PEOPLE WHO ARE MEMBERS OF THEM TO WAKE UP AND WATCH FOR THE SIGNS OF HIS SECOND COMING, OTHERWISE IT WILL SURPRISE THEM LIKE A THIEF IN THE NIGHT. Revelation 3:3-6 NIV Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God. Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you. Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. Matthew 24:42-44 NIV "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. MOST OF THE REFORMATION AND ORTHODOX CHURCHES WILL BE DECEIVED AND JOIN IN THE "ONE WORLD CHURCH" IN THE NEAR FUTURE. PHILADELPHIA Revelation 3:7-11 NIV "To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars--I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you. Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth. I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. THE CHURCH OF PHILADELPHIA, WHICH MEANS "BROTHERLY LOVE," WAS FORMED DURING THE GREAT REVIVAL PREACHING OF THE 1700'S. IT'S BEGINNING COINCIDED WITH THE FOUNDING OF AMERICA AND CONTINUES ON TODAY. IT IS NOT A DENOMINATION, IT IS THE SUM TOTAL OF ALL OF THE WORLDS BELIEVERS WHO ARE FAITHFUL IN SERVING THE LORD AND IN HELPING REACH THE WORLD WITH THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST. RELIGIOUS TRENDS The Church of England, the established church in the southern colonies and in the four counties in and around New York City, grew in status and influence. At the same time, in both Britain and America, an increasingly rationalistic and scientific outlook, born in the science of Sir Isaac Newton and the philosophy of John Locke, made religious observance more logical and of this world. Deism and so-called natural religion scoffed at Christianity and the Bible as a collection of ancient superstitions. Then from England came an upsurge of evangelical Protestantism, led by John Wesley (the eventual founder of the Methodist church; and George Whitefield. It sought to combat the new rationalism and foster a revival of enthusiasm in Christian faith and worship. Beginning in 1738, with Whitefield's arrival in the colonies, a movement known as the Great Awakening swept the colonials, gaining strength from an earlier outbreak of revivalism in Massachusetts (1734-35) led by Jonathan Edwards. Intensely democratic in spirit, the Great Awakening was the first intercolonial cultural movement. It vastly reenergized a Puritanism that, since the mid-1600s, had lost its vigor. All churches were electrified by its power--either in support or in opposition. The movement also revived the earlier Puritan notion that America was to be a "city on a hill," a special place of God's work, to stand in sharp contrast to what was regarded as corrupt and irreligious England. REVIVALISM Revivalism is a predominantly North American Protestant phenomenon in which itinerant preachers exhort their hearers to accept forgiveness of personal sin through faith in Jesus Christ and to commit themselves to spiritual self-discipline and religious exercises such as prayer, Bible reading, and church support. Revivalism in America has been in reaction to a perceived overemphasis by the major denominations on ritual, cultural accommodation, and doctrinal or ideological correctness at the expense of personal religious experience. Four specific periods of intense religious revival were: the Great Awakening (c.1720-70), in which Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield played major roles; the Second Great Awakening and its aftermath (c.1787-1860); the period of Dwight L. Moody, the Holiness Movement, and the reaction to liberalism (c.1870-1926); and the renewal of mass evangelism in the 1950s, characterized by Billy Graham. The Software Toolworks Encyclopedia GOD HAS GIVEN THIS CHURCH AN OPEN DOOR TO PREACH THE GOSPEL THAT NO ONE CAN SHUT UNTIL THAT TASK HAS BEEN ACCOMPLISHED. ALL CHURCHES DOWN THROUGH THE CENTURIES HAVE BEEN COMMANDED TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO ALL NATIONS, AND THEY HAVE TRIED TO OBEY THAT COMMAND. BUT, IT HAS NOT BEEN POSSIBLE TO PLACE A CHRISTIAN MISSIONARY IN EVERY COUNTRY AND IN EVERY TOWN THROUGHOUT THE WORLD. SOME COUNTRIES, SUCH AS THE MOSLEM NATIONS AND CHINA DID NOT PERMIT CHRISTIAN MISSIONARIES, AND SOME PRIMITIVE PARTS OF THE WORLD SUCH AS AFRICA AND OTHER REGIONS WERE INACCESSIBLE. THE CHURCH OF PHILADELPHIA WILL BE THE ONE THAT COMPLETES THE TASK BY USING THE MODERN DAY TOOLS OF RADIO, TELEVISION, SATELLITE BROADCASTS, COMPUTERS AND COMPUTER NETWORKING, ALONG WITH NORMAL PREACHING AND THE PRINTED WORD. NATIONAL AND NATURAL BOUNDARIES CAN NO LONGER PREVENT THE GOSPEL FROM REACHING ALL NATIONS AND EVERY CREATURE WITH THE USE OF THESE TOOLS. Luke 24:47 NKJV "and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. Mark 16:15 NKJV And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. Matthew 28:19-20 NKJV "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, "teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen. WHEN THE TASK IS FINISHED AT THE "END OF THE AGE," THE "FIERY TRIAL," WILL COME UPON THE EARTH, WHICH IS THE POURING OUT OF GOD'S WRATH IN THE END TIMES. THIS CHURCH WILL BE DELIVERED FROM GOD'S WRATH BEFORE IT IS POURED OUT WHEN THE "FIRST RESURRECTION" TAKES PLACE AND THEY ARE REMOVED FROM THE EARTH. NOTE: THE LETTER TO THE CHURCH OF PHILADELPHIA PROVES THAT THE LETTERS TO THE CHURCHES ARE PROPHETIC IN NATURE BECAUSE ONLY THE END TIMES CHURCH WILL BE CAPABLE OF COMPLETING THE FULFILLMENT THE GREAT COMMISSION AND BARELY ESCAPING THE POURING OUT OF GOD'S WRATH. LAODICEA Revelation 3:14-22 NIV "To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God's creation. I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm--neither hot nor cold--I am about to spit you out of my mouth. You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." THE CHURCH AT LAODICEA REPRESENTS THE FINAL CONDITION OF ORGANIZED RELIGION JUST BEFORE THE RETURN OF CHRIST. THIS CHURCH WILL NAME THE NAME OF CHRIST, BUT IT'S ERRORS AND FALSE DOCTRINES WILL BE WORSE THAN ALL THOSE OF THE PRECEDING AGES PUT TOGETHER. 2 Timothy 3:1-5 NIV But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God--having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them. THE END TIMES LADODICEAN CHURCH WILL BE COMPRISED OF MOST OF THE WORLDS CHRISTIAN RELIGIONS UNITED AND MAY ALSO INCLUDE MANY OTHER RELIGIONS SUCH AS THE MOSLEMS AND THE JEWS. PERHAPS EVEN SOME OF THE EASTERN RELIGIONS WILL JOIN IN, SUCH AS THE HINDUS AND BUDDHISTS. IN THE BOOK OF REVELATION THE FINAL FORM OF THE LADODICEAN CHURCH DURING THE END TIMES IS CALLED "MYSTERY BABYLON." THIS FINAL FORM OF THE LAODICEAN CHURCH IS NOT A PRESENTLY EXISTING DENOMINATION OR SECT. IT WILL BE THE SUM TOTAL OF ALL THOSE WHO PRACTICE FALSE RELIGION UNDER THE LEADER CALLED IN REVELATION "THE FALSE PROPHET." THIS CHURCH WILL HAVE A FORM OF GODLINESS BUT WILL IN ACTUALITY BE FOLLOWING THE WILL OF SATAN. THIS CHURCH WILL BE DECEIVED BY THE FALSE PROPHET AND PROMOTE THE WORSHIP OF THE ANTICHRIST. Revelation 17:1-7 NIV One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, "Come, I will show you the punishment of the great prostitute, who sits on many waters. With her the kings of the earth committed adultery and the inhabitants of the earth were intoxicated with the wine of her adulteries." Then the angel carried me away in the Spirit into a desert. There I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns. The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and was glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls. She held a golden cup in her hand, filled with abominable things and the filth of her adulteries. This title was written on her forehead: MYSTERY BABYLON THE GREAT THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of those who bore testimony to Jesus. When I saw her, I was greatly astonished. Then the angel said to me: "Why are you astonished? I will explain to you the mystery of the woman and of the beast she rides, which has the seven heads and ten horns. Revelation 17:16-18 NIV Then the angel said to me, "The waters you saw, where the prostitute sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations and languages. The beast and the ten horns you saw will hate the prostitute. They will bring her to ruin and leave her naked; they will eat her flesh and burn her with fire. For God has put it into their hearts to accomplish his purpose by agreeing to give the beast their power to rule, until God's words are fulfilled. The woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth." THE END TIMES CHURCH WILL BE RULED BY THE FALSE PROPHET FROM SOME GREAT CITY IN THE WORLD. SOME THINK THIS CITY WILL BE ROME, OTHERS NEW YORK CITY AND STILL OTHERS THINK IT WILL BE A REBUILT BABYLON IN IRAQ. IT IS NOT OUR PURPOSE HERE TO DISCOVER WHAT CITY THIS IS OR WHERE IT IS OR WILL BE LOCATED. Revelation 18:1-3 NIV After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven. He had great authority, and the earth was illuminated by his splendor. With a mighty voice he shouted: "Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great! She has become a home for demons and a haunt for every evil spirit, a haunt for every unclean and detestable bird. For all the nations have drunk the maddening wine of her adulteries. The kings of the earth committed adultery with her, and the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries." THE FALSE RELIGION OF "MYSTERY BABYLON" IN THE END TIMES WILL BE WORLD WIDE. THE SCRIPTURES SAY THAT ALL NATIONS WILL PARTICIPATE IN HER SINS. Revelation 18:4-8 NIV Then I heard another voice from heaven say: "Come out of her, my people, so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues; for her sins are piled up to heaven, and God has remembered her crimes. Give back to her as she has given; pay her back double for what she has done. Mix her a double portion from her own cup. Give her as much torture and grief as the glory and luxury she gave herself. In her heart she boasts, 'I sit as queen; I am not a widow, and I will never mourn.' Therefore in one day her plagues will overtake her: death, mourning and famine. She will be consumed by fire, for mighty is the Lord God who judges her. THE TRUE CHRISTIANS OF THE WORLD ARE COMMANDED TO LEAVE THIS WORLD WIDE CHURCH. THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH, THE PROTESTANTS, THE ORTHODOX CHURCHES, AND MANY OTHERS WILL ALL EVENTUALLY JOIN TOGETHER TO FORM THIS GROUP. IF AND WHEN THE CHURCH YOU ARE ATTENDING CONSOLIDATES WITH THIS HARLOT CHURCH WHEN IT FORMS, YOU WOULD BE WELL ADVISED TO LEAVE IT AND FIND ANOTHER THAT IS NOT A MEMBER OF IT, OR IF THERE ARE NONE AVAILABLE TO SIMPLY MEET WITH OTHER BELIEVERS HOUSE TO HOUSE. Revelation 18:20-23 NIV Rejoice over her, O heaven! Rejoice, saints and apostles and prophets! God has judged her for the way she treated you.'" Then a mighty angel picked up a boulder the size of a large millstone and threw it into the sea, and said: "With such violence the great city of Babylon will be thrown down, never to be found again. The music of harpists and musicians, flute players and trumpeters, will never be heard in you again. No workman of any trade will ever be found in you again. The sound of a millstone will never be heard in you again. The light of a lamp will never shine in you again. The voice of bridegroom and bride will never be heard in you again. Your merchants were the world's great men. By your magic spell all the nations were led astray. THIS CHURCH AND CITY THAT WILL DECEIVE ALL OF THE NATIONS OF THE WORLD WILL BE DESTROYED BY GOD WHEN HE POURS OUT HIS WRATH ON THE WORLD AFTER THE FIRST RESURRECTION TAKES PLACE. Revelation 18:24 NIV In her was found the blood of prophets and of the saints, and of all who have been killed on the earth." BEFORE THAT HAPPENS THOUGH THIS WORLD RELIGION WILL PERSECUTE AND KILL MANY OF THE TRUE BELIEVERS IN CHRIST. Revelation 19:1 NIV After this I heard what sounded like the roar of a great multitude in heaven shouting: "Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, WHEN THE FIRST RESURRECTION TAKES PLACE THOSE WHO ARE ALIVE WILL BE RESCUED FROM THE FALSE CHURCH AND DEAD ALSO WILL BE RAISED AND VIEW THE DESTRUCTION OF THE FALSE CHURCH FROM THE HEAVENS. THEY WILL ALL REJOICE AS GOD POURS OUT HIS WRATH ON THE GREAT HARLOT OF REVELATION. Revelation 19:2-10 NIV for true and just are his judgments. He has condemned the great prostitute who corrupted the earth by her adulteries. He has avenged on her the blood of his servants." And again they shouted: "Hallelujah! The smoke from her goes up for ever and ever." The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God, who was seated on the throne. And they cried: "Amen, Hallelujah!" Then a voice came from the throne, saying: "Praise our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, both small and great!" Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: "Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear." (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.) Then the angel said to me, "Write: 'Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!'" And he added, "These are the true words of God." At this I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, "Do not do it! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." NOW THAT WE KNOW ABOUT THE PAST HISTORY OF THE CHURCH AND WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS FOR THE CHURCH WE WILL TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT THE FALSE DOCTRINES THAT HAVE INFILTRATED THE CHURCH DOWN THROUGH THE CENTURIES. |
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