The falling away (of the Church), is far slower,, than men expect (selah)

[Gottservant]

Hi there,

So I worked this out for myself, but I thought I had better share it - and stay in the right spirit, than be alone in my interpretation of where the Church stands.

The falling away (of the Church), is far slower,, than men expect (selah)

Essentially, people become aware that the falling away is happening, but they can't draw conclusion from that, that it means "this" or "that" thing. It takes centuries, not decades. Understanding this, is key to resisting the Devil.

The Devil would have the Church fall immediately, and would confirm his accusation in secret, with which he accuses the brethren before God. Unable to determine what is falling or when, the Devil's accusations fall on deaf ears, and those who share in strength over the Devil (because of this) become inheritors with the Church. In becoming inheritors with the Church, the Church is justified - even as She falls. This is what God is waiting for: will the Church prove faithful not knowing that He - the Lord - may even test Her, though He does not.

The point is that everything in its time, has justification from God. Solomon talks extensively about this in Ecclesiastes. The Buddhists practice this, daily. Many faiths are justified like this, putting into Mammon the charity that would be missing without it. As Jesus said, the steward that invites the indebted to share in his calling, will be called blessed, by a wise master. Only those irreparably caught up in the way of the Devil, will fall because of this. Even then, the Devil may remember his old way and relent. I'm not saying that this is guaranteed, but it is possible.

Remember that they cast lots, for the Lord's clothing - the world waits to see what will be said of Jesus, always mourning when it is almost completely lost. We must be mindful of this, they did not quickly kill the Lord, to have it over with. Even those that kill, thinking it is a favour to God, end up thinking "how much more, is God?" - we are blessed in this respect. As Revelation promises, "blest are those who die in the Lord from now on"; the Church blesses many times over, even as She falls. We do not necessarily need to know what the blessing is, but being blessed know that we are in white, in the Lord's Bride.

Most of all, the Children are free - for the falling away, is to them a mere "thing of the Spirit", which they are blessed to be received in: the elderly also, will look back and laugh at the length men came, when they realised their falling was not at an end (truly, the Church will convict them, to the last).

So yes, be encouraged - the falling away is certainly nothing to be feared!

 

[Davy]

The 2 Thessalonians 2:3 event of the falling away is linked with the 4th verse, so what does it say?

2 Thess 2:3-4
3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;

4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
KJV

Apostle Paul's Message there is a warning to beware of that coming "man of sin" that will play GOD in the final Jewish temple they are preparing to build for the end in Jerusalem.

The workers of iniquity try... to corrupt the meaning of that "temple of God" phrase to make it mean a temple other than the traditional Jewish temple in Jerusalem. But that is exactly the meaning Apostle Paul intended, because Jesus revealed it also in Revelation 11:1-2 and in Matthew 24 about the placing of the "abomination of desolation" for the end that will start the time of "great tribulation" at the end just prior to His future return.


2 Thess 2:8-11
8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming:
9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
KJV

It is that event of that pseudo-Christ showing up in Jerusalem for the end, working great signs and wonders to deceive the whole world with, that Paul is pointing to with that idea of the "strong delusion".

The reason why that event will be a "strong delusion" is because of how the deceived that fall away to worship that beast king will think it is God having returned!

 

[Tommy Cool]

The reason why that event will be a "strong delusion" is because of how the deceived that fall away to worship that beast king will think it is God having returned!

Food for thought ....maybe

Your statement about the physical temple is true …. But it brought up something I had previously considered, based on things that have taken place over the last 2 years …and them saying the quiet part out loud….

I rarely offer any speculation with the Word of God…. But I will just throw this out there for thought. Actually….. this is way beyond speculation.

As you may or may not know …today the temple the holy naos, where God dwells, is us… the body of believers (plural). That changed from the physical structure… to us at Pentecost, and biblically it reverts back to the physical in the book of Revelation.... or after the gathering together of the Church (rapture). And I don’t care if you don’t adhere to the rapture….. that is not where I am going…. I am just telling you what the Word says about the holy naos (temple) you can verify the scripture below.

Let me connect the dots …. Sorry, this is how my mind works sometimes …and I am probably way out in left field.

2Th 2:4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he (the son of perdition) as god sitteth in the temple of god, shewing himself that he is god.

As I said…… today we in the body of Christ are the holy naos.

Here comes the weird stuff…

What if…. the temple spoken of in 2Th 2:4 which is the Greek word naos …. is not a building? What if the son of perdition sets himself up “inside” of man …. (“Oh God, I said it out loud”) the whole Klaus Schwab thing. If you don’t know about him, Google him. Actually, I recently saw a posted video on this site ….here is the link video

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Temple & Tabernacle



The following scripture give reference to the believers being the Temple (within context) and refers to either the entire body of Christ or a group of believers in the body of Christ. Take note of prior use before the Epistles and afterwards (Revelation)

1Co 3:16 &3:17, 1Co 6:19, 2Co 6:16, Eph 2:21.

(Act 17:24, Act 7:48,)


The individual believer in the following verses….. are referred to as the tabernacle…..which changes in Revelation

2Co 5:1, 2Co 5:4, skēnos 2Pe 1:13, 2Pe 1:14 skēnōma Heb 8:2, Heb 9:11, skēnē

 

[Davy]

Food for thought ....maybe

Your statement about the physical temple is true …. But it brought up something I had previously considered, based on things that have taken place over the last 2 years …and them saying the quiet part out loud….

I rarely offer any speculation with the Word of God…. But I will just throw this out there for thought. Actually….. this is way beyond speculation.

As you may or may not know …today the temple the holy naos, where God dwells, is us… the body of believers (plural). That changed from the physical structure… to us at Pentecost, and biblically it reverts back to the physical in the book of Revelation.... or after the gathering together of the Church (rapture). And I don’t care if you don’t adhere to the rapture….. that is not where I am going…. I am just telling you what the Word says about the holy naos (temple) you can verify the scripture below.

Let me connect the dots …. Sorry, this is how my mind works sometimes …and I am probably way out in left field.

2Th 2:4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he (the son of perdition) as god sitteth in the temple of god, shewing himself that he is god.

As I said…… today we in the body of Christ are the holy naos.

Here comes the weird stuff…

What if…. the temple spoken of in 2Th 2:4 which is the Greek word naos …. is not a building? What if the son of perdition sets himself up “inside” of man …. (“Oh God, I said it out loud”) the whole Klaus Schwab thing. If you don’t know about him, Google him. Actually, I recently saw a posted video on this site ….here is the link video

Apostle Paul was pointing to the future event of a pseudo-Christ being setup as God in Jerusalem for the end, and this is not... speculation. So how can you try to associate that "temple of God" to mean the spiritual temple in Christ Jesus?

Here's a simple rule to come to the Truth in God's Word. Use common sense.

Those in Christ Jesus KNOW... that the spiritual temple of Ephesians 2 CANNOT be corrupted, not ever. Why?

Because IF... the spiritual temple in Christ could be corrupted, then it would mean Christ Jesus Himself could be corrupted. And that is impossible. That is why 2 Thessalonians 2:4 "temple of God" is about a Jerusalem temple where the prophesied "abomination of desolation" idol will be placed by the coming pseudo-Christ.

So your suggested idea is not really speculation, because it completely leaves... the Biblical Truth about the Ephesians 2 spiritual temple idea.

What then CAN... be corrupted by Satan and his servants? In the case of what Paul showed about the "man of sin", it means a literal physical Jewish temple in Jerusalem. The way we already know for sure that is what Paul was pointing to in 2 Thessalonians 2:4 is because he was repeating Christ's warning about a false one coming to Jerusalem that some will say is The Christ, and Jesus said do not believe it (Matthew 24:15-26).

 

[Gottservant]

The point is, we should not worry that we are going to suddenly lose our salvation.

As Jesus said "the end will not come immediately" (from memory, the gospels).

 

[Rockerduck]

I've said before and I say as a retired minister(sort of, I still do). The church's in last 5 yrs have been disappearing. Closed up, sold their property for new home sub divisions. Grave yards are standing by themselves with no church beside them. More people watch church online and on cable now. We are in the online age now. Church's that were on the corner of intersections became Gas Stations.

 

[Tommy Cool]

Apostle Paul was pointing to the future event of a pseudo-Christ being setup as God in Jerusalem for the end, and this is not... speculation. So how can you try to associate that "temple of God" to mean the spiritual temple in Christ Jesus?

Here's a simple rule to come to the Truth in God's Word. Use common sense.

Those in Christ Jesus KNOW... that the spiritual temple of Ephesians 2 CANNOT be corrupted, not ever. Why?

Because IF... the spiritual temple in Christ could be corrupted, then it would mean Christ Jesus Himself could be corrupted. And that is impossible. That is why 2 Thessalonians 2:4 "temple of God" is about a Jerusalem temple where the prophesied "abomination of desolation" idol will be placed by the coming pseudo-Christ.

So your suggested idea is not really speculation, because it completely leaves... the Biblical Truth about the Ephesians 2 spiritual temple idea.

What then CAN... be corrupted by Satan and his servants? In the case of what Paul showed about the "man of sin", it means a literal physical Jewish temple in Jerusalem. The way we already know for sure that is what Paul was pointing to in 2 Thessalonians 2:4 is because he was repeating Christ's warning about a false one coming to Jerusalem that some will say is The Christ, and Jesus said do not believe it (Matthew 24:15-26).

I am guessing you read what you wanted to see ……. not what I wrote. Because your answer does not jive with my statement

While your statement about “the spiritual temple of Ephesians 2 CANNOT be corrupted” is true….. I believe I was clear about when it reverts back …. which is after the gathering together of the Church of the Body….which technically is when the tribulation begins (Revelation)….. When there is no “one new man” no “body of Christ” no “born again believers” here on earth …. It’s back to Jew and Gentile.

Additionally my statement was an if/perhaps. There is nothing biblically to suggest what I stated was true … just assimilating information from the natural world where they have said the quiet part out loud … and that quiet part is neither conspiracy or speculation .. it’s in the works

So taking that into consideration along with the verse in 2Th 2:4 may be far out there…. or not

What if…. the temple spoken of in 2Th 2:4 which is the Greek word naos …. is not a building? What if the son of perdition sets himself up “inside” of man, the whole Klaus Schwab thing. If you don’t know about him, Google him.

2Th 2:4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

God currently resides in the temple not made with hands which, as I stated → is us → born again believers. That ceases at the gathering together (rapture). Which is when 2Th 2:4 would take place. Now …if you don’t adhere to the rapture …that’s fine …. I was just following the trail of the holy naos from the gospels into Revelation.

 

[Davy]

The point is, we should not worry that we are going to suddenly lose our salvation.

As Jesus said "the end will not come immediately" (from memory, the gospels).

In light of Christ's and His Apostle's warnings about the end with the coming of a false-Christ, our attitude should be to heed His warning about that, and look for the SIGNS of the end that He gave His Church (like in His Olivet discourse and His Revelation).

And your quote is actually from Christ's Olivet discourse warning of Signs for the end in Matthew 24. Jesus said we would hear of wars and rumors of war, but don't be troubled, for the END is not yet (Matthew 24:6 and Mark 13:7.

That means, as long as wars and rumors of war are going on, the END, i.e, the time of "great tribulation", is not yet. That then... means the END will be about a time when all wars have stopped, so what kind of time is that? It means a time of world peace for the END.

And thusly Apostle Paul said this...

1 Thess 5:2-4
2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
3 For when they shall say, "Peace and safety"; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.
KJV

That "day of the Lord" is the day of Jesus' future return to end this world. That "Peace and safety" is what the wicked and deceived will be saying just prior to Jesus' future return on that "day of the Lord".

So am I the only one here who has actually read those Bible Scriptures and put two and two together about the prophesied world peace for the very end, for the great tribulation timing? I know a lot of other Bible students that see these same things as written, and they understand the warnings Lord Jesus and His disciples gave us for the end. So I well know I am not alone.

 

[Gottservant]

Again, we should not be worried, the Church will not suddenly run out of time.

 

[Davy]

Again, we should not be worried, the Church will not suddenly run out of time.

If you do not know the warning Signs for the end that Lord Jesus gave, then you SHOULD WORRY and be very concerned about the condition of your soul. Why?

Because like Lord Jesus showed, there will be a false-Christ coming first to work great signs, wonders, and miracles to fool the whole world into believing he is God. That won't be just any man either; it will be Satan himself after he and his angels are cast down to this earth per Revelation 12:7-17.

So drink up Shriners! the motto of those who will be deceived by that coming pseudo-Christ.

 

[Aunty Jane]

Again, we should not be worried, the Church will not suddenly run out of time.

I think we need to qualify what “the church” is before we go running away with ideas that seem to fit with what we have read.

“The church” fell away centuries ago when the devil planted his “weeds” (or “tares”, which commentators believe was a reference to a noxious weed called “bearded darnel”.....a plant that so resembled “wheat” in the early growing stages that farmers did not know it was there until it was well established.....but by then the root systems of this weed had entangled themselves with the root systems of the wheat, so that to pull out the weeds, would take the wheat with them. Hence in Jesus’ illustration, both were to “grow together until the harvest” when a separation would take place and the reapers would gather those weeds and dispose of them, leaving the “wheat” to be gathered into the storehouse.) This parable has very important implications regarding the time of Christ’s return.

We have reached the time of the “harvest” and the “reapers” stand at the ready to follow the Master’s instructions. The separating of the “wheat and the weeds” is the same as the separation of the “sheep from the goats”......the desirable ones are retained whilst the undesirable ones are consigned to the fire to be destroyed.

Jesus is already “present” and has been overseeing the preaching of the Kingdom message in all the inhabited earth by his true disciples. (Matthew 24:14) Jesus gave the sign of his presence so that his genuine followers would know what to expect.....since the outbreak of the “First World War”....we can see this marks the beginning of “the time of the end” prophesied by Daniel, and all the features of the sign Jesus gave have been in evidence ever since. (Matthew 24:3-14)

“The church” has not served the interests of God Yahweh, nor served his son in obedience to what he taught. Jesus’ words at Matthew 7:21-23 tell us that Jesus has NEVER known this counterfeit “church” as his own because they have have never obeyed his teachings, but instead have introduced all manner of false teachings adopted from paganism and passed them off as “Christianity”.......it NEVER was.
Add to that the bloodshed and violence over the centuries, when Jesus was a promoter of peace. Their vain prayers were never heard by him. (Isaiah 1:15)

So be careful in your assumptions and make sure of what you believe....

 

[Rockerduck]

As I posted earlier, the church has already fallen away. Church buildings are sitting empty and closed up. People are not flocking to church's anymore. Those mega church's have false prophets in them. During covid and now, more watch a church service online than attendance, just like shopping online now.

 

[Davy]

As I posted earlier, the church has already fallen away. Church buildings are sitting empty and closed up. People are not flocking to church's anymore. Those mega church's have false prophets in them. During covid and now, more watch a church service online than attendance, just like shopping online now.

Those who will fall away to that coming "son of perdition" HAS NOT HAPPENED YET TODAY. Why? Simply because that false one is still YET TO COME. He has not arrived yet. And the falling away Apostle Paul was warning of there is about that coming false one playing Messiah in Jerusalem, with the whole world believing it! (see Revelation 13:4-8 and Matthew 24:23-26).

Thusly, the doctrines of men WRONGLY teach that falling of away of 2 Thess.2 is just about ANYTHING ELSE other than that coming false one to Jerusalem to play God!

Why in the world would Christian brethren want to listen to those idiots leading brethren to worship the devil? The devil himself is who that "man of sin" and "son of perdition" will be, de facto in person right here on earth in plain sight. Never heard that before? Best get your Bible out and verify for yourself instead of just heeding men's ignorant doctrines.

 

[Reddsta]

Apostle Paul's Message there is a warning to beware of that coming "man of sin" that will play GOD in the final Jewish temple they are preparing to build for the end in Jerusalem.

The workers of iniquity try... to corrupt the meaning of that "temple of God" phrase to make it mean a temple other than the traditional Jewish temple in Jerusalem. But that is exactly the meaning Apostle Paul intended, because Jesus revealed it also in Revelation 11:1-2 and in Matthew 24 about the placing of the "abomination of desolation" for the end that will start the time of "great tribulation" at the end just prior to His future return.

"We heard Him say, 'I will destroy this temple made with hands, and in three days I will build another made without hands.'"
(Mar 14:58 NASB)

"The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands;
(Act 17:24 NASB)

For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
(2Co 5:1 NASB)

But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation;
(Heb 9:11 NASB)

For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us;
(Heb 9:24 NASB)

Davy...your smokin from the wrong end friend...your mindset is from another age and another people..."your god" may reside in a traditional temple in Jerusalem...in any case...the one true God who created the world and all things in it...isn't looking for any traditional Jewish temple. In fact other than popping in and out of the ancient Jewish temple or tent of meeting...He did not abide in a temple made with hands.

Friend...you should relax and enter the rest of God...you know the 7th day rest of God tending the garden of God...your time in the 6th day of toiling by the sweat of the brow is only going to bring eternal disappointment.

 

[Davy]

"We heard Him say, 'I will destroy this temple made with hands, and in three days I will build another made without hands.'"
(Mar 14:58 NASB)

....

You sound more like a Pharisee representing Judaism than a Christian that understands God's Word about the difference between the Jew's stone temple in Jerusalem vs. the SPIRITUAL TEMPLE OF CHRIST. Your FALSE comparison is even FUNNY how you apply it!

The True SPIRITUAL TEMPLE can NEVER... be corrupted by any... man, nor angel, not even by Satan himself! The True SPIRITUAL TEMPLE is of The SPIRIT. And its foundation is made up of the Apostles, prophets, and Jesus Christ Himself as its CORNERSTONE (Ephesians 2).

Only a FALSE JEW representing the "synagogue of Satan" would think the SPIRITUAL TEMPLE could be corrupted. That's where you are getting that doctrine from.

This is why those 'in Christ Jesus' well understand that the "temple of God" which Apostle Paul was pointing to in 2 Thessalonians 2:4, which the false "man of sin" is to play GOD in, MUST be a literal physical stone temple built by the Jews for the end of this world.

Only one deceived could ever think the SPIRITUAL TEMPLE OF CHRIST could be corrupted by that "man of sin". That's exactly how unbelieving Jews think, with their flesh, not understanding that Christ's Spiritual Temple is not some physical building or geographic location that can be corrupted, but exists ONLY in The Spirit!

Matt 24:15
15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand
KJV

That "abomination of desolation" is about an IDOL abomination. That Daniel 11:31 event Jesus quoted as a SIGN for the coming time of "great tribulation" at the end, is about the placing of a physical IDOL inside a standing stone temple built by the Jews. That is what that "stand in the holy place" phrase means. It is not pointing to a pagan holy place, it is pointing directly to the Jew's traditional most holy place inside their temple in Jerusalem, that is, in their future 3rd temple they already have the materials ready to build today.

 

[Scott Downey]

Saved people are the temple of God dwelling in His people, it literally calls the body a temple of God and believers are one spirit with God, they are joined as in a marriage.
And that cannot be corrupted by Satan, God promised His people they will find rest for their souls.

In context
12 “All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything. 13 “Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food”—and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. 14 And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power. 15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! 16 Or do you not know that he who is joined[d] to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, “The two will become one flesh.” 17 But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. 18 Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin[e] a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. 19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

1 Cor 3, we are actually Holy to the Lord. God's will is our sanctification. God's temple is us, our body. That body is indwelled by His Spirit.

15 If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.

16 Do you not know that you[a] are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? 17 If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple.

Hebrews 6, God swore an OATH by Himself that we are blessed and heirs of the promise because of His unchangeable character. And that promise Jesus tells us most assuredly is eternal life, those who believe in Christ have passed from death into life. John 5.
So we have 2 unchangeable things, His oath which He swore to bless us with salvation, and that God can not lie.

The Certainty of God's Promise​

13 For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself, 14 saying, “Surely I will bless you and multiply you.” 15 And thus Abraham,[b] having patiently waited, obtained the promise. 16 For people swear by something greater than themselves, and in all their disputes an oath is final for confirmation. 17 So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, 18 so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. 19 We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, 20 where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.

 

[Gottservant]

You could apply a hot/cold test to this notion of the Church falling away: as in, when the Church falls away, is it in a hot way or a cold way?

 

[Aunty Jane]

You could apply a hot/cold test to this notion of the Church falling away: as in, when the Church falls away, is it in a hot way or a cold way?

The “falling away” was caused by a weakening of the resolve to stand firm in the truth….corrupt men infiltrated the early church and it was corrupted very early in its history...just as Jesus and the apostles foretold. “While men were sleeping” Jesus said, the devil sowed his seeds of deceit and created a fake church that has led people away from the true God, and created a false god in his place.

When Jesus comes as judge, he will tell those who fell for the devil’s counterfeit “Christianity”…”I NEVER KNEW YOU”…..”never“ means “not ever”….so that whole divided, disunited ”church” system that still exists today, as offshoots of the “mother church,” was never “Christian” from its beginnings. It’s history reveals why.

Christendom was never “hot or cold” because in Christ’s eyes it was never his to begin with.

 

[Gottservant]

Christendom was never “hot or cold” because in Christ’s eyes it was never his to begin with.

I don't think that's fair, if the Lord created any kind of Church, it would be foremost on His mind to do it lawfully - that is, in a hot way or a cold way.

I think every Church in the beginning is hot or cold - thanks for the inspiration to consider this!

 

[Aunty Jane]

I don't think that's fair, if the Lord created any kind of Church, it would be foremost on His mind to do it lawfully - that is, in a hot way or a cold way.

If Jesus says he has “never known” those who, along with a fractured majority, acknowledge him as “Lord” then can’t we take him at his word? What is not fair about giving due warning about the situation to come, and then standing back in this 21st century, and seeing that what Jesus said was correct? A counterfeit religious system, masquerading as “Christianity” has been in existence for centuries…..the “mother” church has an appalling history of the most unchristian kind, and is still a woeful representative of the original, not resembling it in any way.
Her “daughters” are no better because in leaving ‘home’ they took their mother’s dirty laundry with them, thus contaminating and dividing it even further.

God’s spirit produces unity not division. If all the churches of Christendom claim Jesus as their “Lord” but they all fail to observe his teachings, upholding the doctrines that were introduced into the early church but were never part of Christ’s teachings, then how does he view them? How could he condone their disobedience?

I think every Church in the beginning is hot or cold - thanks for the inspiration to consider this!

Every breakaway church is just an offshoot of the previous one….they all claim to be “one body of Christ” but what use is a dismembered body? If a man (or woman) stands up and says of God’s word…. “I think it means this or that because the Lord has revealed it to me”…..and he /she manages to gain a following….bingo, a new church is born with yet more errors than before. How can they all be right? But you know, that they could all be wrong, because they were built on the same faulty foundation…..pure man-made sand…not solid rock.

We need to study God’s word as it was written, not as it is interpreted by that counterfeit church system who cannot agree about anything except the errors that were in existence for centuries and taught as gospel truth from their beginnings. It’s the only “Christianity“ they have ever known.

Jesus’ return to judge the world is immanent….we need to make firm decisions now about who we worship and why. (John 17:3) Our salvation depends on it.