The Church Founded and continues until complete. A brief historic flow unto the present day From the early disciples perspective, one could easily have the view that the church founded by Christ would soon be fully victorious. It was founded upon the powerful truth that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the living God. Jesus even stated, “...the powers of hades would not prevail against it [the church].” (Mt. 16:16-18) Jesus preached salvation from sin and exhibited mercy, compassion and hope. He worked miracles of healing both physical and spiritual. Though he often spoke in parables, the people embraced him and would have made him a king had he permitted it. Jesus full mission remained veiled even from his closest disciples. Though he spoke of his death, it conflicted with their understanding of his purpose, and they were shocked when they witnessed his humiliation and death. In fear and despair they were scattered. Peters pain of denial was unbearable until three days later word came of an empty tomb. Their hopes revived as they witnessed a resurrection power which confirmed beyond any doubt that death had no power over him, and that his life even transcended the human. Perhaps they now saw Jesus as empowered and ready to lead them in completing his mission-the restoration of Israel. (Acts 1:6) During his ministry the disciples never understood his full mission. Now they had a promise of a leading into “all” truth and a promise of power. On the Day of Pentecost, wind and fire imbued these disciples with a power beyond human ability. Miraculous gifts, the preaching of salvation, and 3000 converts suggested that the church could now be victorious as these first believers would carry this message to their homelands. However, the joy of this first victory was soon tempered when the fledgling church met resistance as they experienced the Masters words, “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.” (John 15:18) They saw Peter and John thrown into prison, and Stephen stoned to death. Their Jewish brothers rejected the good news of salvation. Saul of Tarsus pursued and imprisoned those of the Way until his own miraculous conversion made him Christs special servant unto the Gentiles. The churchs message is one of truth and beauty. Yet the human heart is often cold and hard as it denies its need for repentance and reliance upon a Creator. As the church spread, resistance always met it. The initial Jewish persecution broadened to include persecutions from Herod, pagan peoples, and even the Roman government. Rather than destroy the church, these persecutions forged and spread the church. It deepened the resolve and commitment of the true while keeping out the curious. Very few remained true to the real teachings of Christ, so unto the world Christianity was dying. The persecution instigated by Nero may have claimed the lives of both Peter and Paul. In the early 4th century, the Roman emperors Diocletian and Galerius directed the severest persecutions. At this point Christianity to the world was gone, as it were dead. All the Apostles went to sleep in death and very few remained true to God through Christ. Then it abruptly ceased. Co- emperor Constantine, a sun-worshiper, saw a vision and attributed a subsequent decisive victory to the Christian God. He became emperor of the western empire and in 313 granted Christians an equal standing among other religions. Constantine issued the Edict of Milan which made Christianity an acceptable religion, and the heathen world began to flood into the church. The small church was overwhelmed by a worldly influence. Satan used various attacks upon the church. Persecution was an attempt to destroy the church from the outside. When outside persecution ceased, a far worse persecution was already growing from within the confines of the church. Satan establishes his counterfeit Christian church. The tares have been sown. Doctrinal differences in the early centuries were often labeled heresy (belief against established doctrine). These issues presented significant challenges to the church. As these issues were debated, its obvious that the victors were often the most powerful rather than the most correct. One of the greatest battles of the early church was against false teachers, for even the Apostles authority was challenged in their day. (Acts 20:26-31, 2 Cor. 11:12-15, 2 Tim. 4:14-16, 3 John 9- 10, Jude 3-4, 2 Peter 2:1-3) If the Apostles were challenged, can we imagine the challenge that came upon that 2nd century church after the Apostles direct influence was gone? (Matt. 13:25) Another danger which threatened the church from the earliest days was worldliness. Christians witnessed and shared their faith, and the new converts exhibited various levels of commitment. Some became Christians for selfish reasons. (Acts 5:1-11, 8:18-24) The Apostles recognized this spirit readily and addressed it with authority. As the church grew, Satan saw another opportunity to attack the church from within by weakening it with the principles and cares of the world. Often converts did not completely divest themselves of their pagan customs and moralities. This was manageable when Christianity was persecuted and converts were few. After the Apostles died, the oversight of the church was transferred to others, or perhaps was assumed by others. During the- 2nd century divergent teachings abounded. Gnosticism and Montanism became serious threats. These and other lines of thought generated much debate which developed threads of dogma from which creeds were later woven. Salvation was evolving beyond a faith commitment in Christ to something that hinged upon a belief structure founded in dogma and reliance in an authoritarian hierarchy. A major controversy centered around the person of Christ and his relationship to the Father. Though they viewed Christ as Savior, it is evident that these debaters had lost sight of that foundation truth expressed by Peter. Many attempted to define Christ within the confines of Greek philosophy rather than Jewish heritage. This was the basis of the incarnate logos reasoning. As the church grew, heresy and false teachings threatened the church internally. These differences often caused division and abuse of power. Retaliation often came from both sides of the issues. The world sees this counterfeit Christian Church, the Papal system, as the church Christ formed. The world is very very wrong. This spirit would continue to grow until centuries later the practices of the Inquisition used torture and death in the name of Christ. The Inquisition existed well into the 19th century. The Reformation did not remove this evil. The true church is still asleep in death at this point of history and the golden thread of those throughout the Gospel Age is still very few and the world knows them not. The invisible church has suffered the attacks of Satan, but Jesus words ring true that the “gates of hades will not prevail against it.” The church is Christs body, and it shares in his experiences while being transformed into his image. He will continue to nourish his body. The visible church system that bears the name of Christ has had a very sad history. Many evils have been said and done in the name of Christ. Jesus said it would be so. (Mt. 7:15-23; 2 Tim. 2:14-19) We desire to be called Christians. We should claim the name of Christ with boldness, while appreciating the unique privilege and the responsibility that comes with it. John 4:24 The period of the Reformation, the beginning of a new era and a mighty work: A dawning of light where all had been darkness; the separation of the true from the false and a new start in the way of truth and life. Gods overruling had opened the door and though the reformers had but a little strength compared with the mighty hosts of their enemies (the apostate church), none would be able to shut that door. Luthers fearless stance at the Diet of Worms was worthy of a Paul and well depicted those who the Master said had kept [his] word and not denied [his] name. Laodicea (tried or judged people) is taken as a picture of the present nominal church which was tried and found wanting at our Lords return. Being neither hot nor cold she incite[s] disgust and [is] cast out as a hateful thing from being the mouthpiece of the Lord. Spiritually impoverished, naked, and blind, she deceives herself into thinking that she is rich and in need of nothing. Unknown to the WORLDLY church systems, Papal and Protestant our Lord has returned: To Sardis the message was, I will come; to Philadelphia, I come quickly; to Laodicea, it is rap, rap, rap, Awake; let me come in. The Parousia or invisible presence of Jesus standing up from the Throne of God and beginning the process of restitution has begun. The latter rain of truth started to fall from heaven. This explains why the few who were faithfully watching are now enjoying such a feast of truth and ever increasing light. It is because the Master has come in as a thief in the night, and has girded himself, and made us sit down, and has himself served us. The first work of our conquering King was to reestablish Israel as a nation. The second was to place Satan in the chains of darkness and place him in his prison where he will be for a thousand years. The third work was immediately completed which was to raise the sleeping (dead) Saints into Glory. The final stage of the First resurrection is in progress and continues even now in 2014. Jesus as conquering King is here. Mt 12:29 Or how can one enter into the house of the strong man, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man (Satan)? And then he will spoil his house. Jesus is spoiling the house of Satan, which is this evil world. 1Th 5:2 For, ye yourselves, perfectly well know--that, the day of the Lord, as a thief in the night, so, cometh; 2Pe 3:10 Howbeit the day of the Lord will be here, as a thief,--in which, the heavens, with a rushing noise, will pass away, while, elements, becoming intensely hot, will be dissolved, and, earth, and the works therein, will be discovered. Re 3:3 Remember, therefore, how thou hast received, and didst hear, and keep it and repent. If then thou shall not watch, I will have come as a thief, and in nowise shalt thou get to know, during what sort of hour, I will have come upon thee. Re 16:15 Lo! I come as a thief! Happy, he that is watching, and keeping his garments, lest, naked, he be walking, and they see his shame.— Laodicea (the seventh and final stage of the Gospel Age) is viewed as the condition of the church in the very closing scenes of its history, and clearly has already begun. Christ is represented as having returned, knocking at the door and ready to bless those who are willing to receive him; but only a few are aware of the event, the masses having become lukewarm to spiritual concerns and unwilling to acknowledge their actual impoverished state. A second complete failure of Christendom is thus pictured, particularly of the daughter Protestant systems, paralleling the earlier fall of Romish Christianity prior to the Reformation. The Laodiceans see themselves as rich, increased with goods in their splendid, well attended churches, influential and respected, and in sum, in need of nothing. Thus deceived, they know not that they are actually wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked-ready to suffer the Lords rejection and judgment. To the few who are Israelites indeed, the Gospel Age harvest message rings clear, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not par-takers of her sins and that ye receive not of her plagues. After Satan was bound and removed from this earth his demons took charge of the affairs Satan ran for so long. The demons caused much chaos in the world spinning out of control and placed the world into war. The demons then moved to pick up the cause of their leader Satan and put in place a counterfeit system of their own. This system is known as Jehovah’s Witnesses in which much true knowledge is twisted through a system which misrepresents God’s design for the High calling to thwart the completion of the Bride. Just as the Demons have tried to thwart the re-establishment of Israel by turning the world against the Jews. The Nazi’s were used by the new demon leaders to wipe Jews off the planet. They failed in this horrible endeavor and they will fail in the counterfeit system of the JW’s. The sifting of the true wheat has occurred and the faithful true church is still alive and doing God’s will to preach the Gospel hope for the world as well as searching to find those who Yahweh is still calling out of this evil world in the very very final stage of the Gospel Age. The Church is still very alive and is unrecognized by the world during the Harvest of the Gospel Age and the Bride of Christ is still being resurrected in the final process of the First resurrection into Glory as each one dies Faithful now. The foreknowledge of our great God, Yahweh, as displayed in the progressive unfolding of the prophetic messages to the seven churches of Revelation has kept the true church alive and the golden thread of His truth has been maintained. We see Yahweh’s majestic hand in the outworking of the affairs of the church, both true and nominal, while recognizing also that there has been no interference in the exercise of mans free moral agency. The drama that has unfolded has been an exciting one, though saddened with the accounts of suffering, persecution, and privation for the faithful few. With the events of the Gospel harvest and end times of the permission of evil fully upon us, we realize that the course of the Saints is rapidly nearing its completion this side of the veil. Let those who remain of the overcomer class rejoice greatly that their faithfulness is soon to be rewarded in complete victory with Christ, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, leaving all apostate elements exposed and destroyed forever. And may this realization stir the Lords people to yet further zeal in His service, doing with their might what their hands find to do. Let us work while it is called day; for the night cometh when no man can work.-John 9:4
Posted on: Sat, 22 Mar 2014 20:37:45 +0000
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