The great religious scam

[Eloi]

All believers know very well that false religions exist, that is, they either have beliefs that are erroneous, or that their members and leaders allow / practice things that God condemns, or they stop doing things that God's Word says would be identifying of the true followers of Jesus Christ. Because of that, millions of people have decided that there is not a single religious community that is the true people of God united with whom they should also try to join.

We know that this is so because shortly after the death of the apostles, religious apostasy plunged Christians into very deep darkness, and it was almost impossible to distinguish what was true in religious matters or what should not be done if one was a Christian. , etc. Since then it was as if the few Christians that emerged were born in an exiled country, as when the Jews were exiled in Babylon, a country of many gods and where they had to be very strong to resist the pressure and control of the environment of that system where they had been taken into captivity.

Many years passed until modern times, when a little here and a little there, the Bible became better known, also history, etc. and those who had religious control of the world could not prevent people realizing the religious lies that sincere believers had been subjected to for thousands of years. For example, no longer all believed that they should kneel in front of images, or consider Mary as if she were "mother of God", and so on. This process was necessary for the truths to be clarified, and as Jesus said, the wheat would not be destroyed along with the weeds.

Let's talk a bit about that process in this topic. In that time of captivity in the form of exile, the believers were subjected to many erroneous teachings and religious practices that are still believed in the world, but how can they be discovered?

[Eloi]

When the theologians of Christianity began to speculate on the identity of God and Jesus, they confused the way, because thinking that they were going to make the Christian truth more acceptable in the eyes of the Greco-Roman intellectuals, they neglected to study the Bible to arrive at to intelligent conclusions, and mixed their oral traditions with human philosophy and paganism. They stopped seeing the truth clearly.

The last anointed ones who knew Jesus closer had already warned of the consequences of trying to go beyond what was written and what had been taught as truth by the apostles.

1 Tim. 6:20 Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you, turning away from the empty speeches that violate what is holy and from the contradictions of the falsely called “knowledge.”

2 Pet.1:16 No, it was not by following artfully contrived false stories that we made known to you the power and presence of our Lord Jesus Christ, but rather, we were eyewitnesses of his magnificence.

Col. 2:8 Look out that no one takes you captive by means of the philosophy and empty deception according to human tradition, according to the elementary things of the world and not according to Christ;

The only thing to do today is to return to the source of divine knowledge that we have: the written Word of Him ... and humbly accept what it teaches us (2 Tim. 3:16,17).

[onewithhim]

When the theologians of Christianity began to speculate on the identity of God and Jesus, they confused the way, because thinking that they were going to make the Christian truth more acceptable in the eyes of the Greco-Roman intellectuals, they neglected to study the Bible to arrive at to intelligent conclusions, and mixed their oral traditions with human philosophy and paganism. They stopped seeing the truth clearly.

The last anointed ones who knew Jesus closer had already warned of the consequences of trying to go beyond what was written and what had been taught as truth by the apostles.

1 Tim. 6:20 Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you, turning away from the empty speeches that violate what is holy and from the contradictions of the falsely called “knowledge.”

2 Pet.1:16 No, it was not by following artfully contrived false stories that we made known to you the power and presence of our Lord Jesus Christ, but rather, we were eyewitnesses of his magnificence.

Col. 2:8 Look out that no one takes you captive by means of the philosophy and empty deception according to human tradition, according to the elementary things of the world and not according to Christ;

The only thing to do today is to return to the source of divine knowledge that we have: the written Word of Him ... and humbly accept what it teaches us (2 Tim. 3:16,17).

Many people cannot grasp the idea of a great apostasy that sank Christian teaching into a deep chasm for 2 thousand years, but, as you infer, Jesus and his disciples forewarned the world of mankind that this would be so. Otherwise, why the verses that were quoted above? And these as well?:

Acts 20:29,30: "I know that after my going away oppressive wolves will enter in among you and will not treat the flock with tenderness, and from among you yourselves men will rise and speak twisted things to draw away the disciples after themselves."

II Peter 2:1,2: "However, there also came to be false prophets among the people, as there will also be false teachers among you. These will quietly bring in destructive sects, and they will even disown the owner who bought them ....Furthermore, many will follow their brazen conduct, and because of them the way of the truth will be spoken of abusively."

Matthew 7:13,14: "Go in through the narrow gate, because broad is the gate and spacious is the road leading off into destruction, and many are going through it; whereas narrow is the gate and cramped the road leading off into life, and few are finding it."

[Eloi]

Jesus (Matt. 7:15,37-39) and his apostles (Acts 20: 29,30) warned of apostates and the corrupting influence they could exert on the Christian congregation. As far ahead in time as at the end of the first century, many years after being ascended to heaven, Jesus again warned about this:

Rev. 2:14 Nevertheless, I have a few things against you, that you have there those adhering to the teaching of Baʹlaam, who taught Baʹlak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit sexual immorality. 15 In the same way, you also have those adhering to the teaching of the sect of Nic·o·laʹus. 16 So repent. If you do not, I am coming to you quickly, and I will war against them with the long sword of my mouth.

Unfortunately the leading Christians did not heed the warnings. Overseers became increasingly tolerant and permissive of apostates, so by the end of the first century the consequences were already disastrous: apostates proliferated in the congregation and more and more men entered it "turning the undeserved kindness of our God into an excuse for loose conduct" (Jud. 4).

After the death of the anointed apostles, who had acted as a restraint on that demonic move (2 Thess. 2: 6-12), the situation got much worse . Imitation Christians now freely infiltrated and flourished within congregations, and as they became more and more promoted and engaged with political authorities, Christendom was born.

[Diagoras]

Jesus (Matt. 7:15,37-39) and his apostles (Acts 20: 29,30) warned of apostates and the corrupting influence they could exert on the Christian congregation. As far ahead in time as at the end of the first century, many years after being ascended to heaven, Jesus again warned about this:

Rev. 2:14 Nevertheless, I have a few things against you, that you have there those adhering to the teaching of Baʹlaam, <...>

Are you saying that the words of Revelations 2:14 come directly from Jesus, not the author, 'John'?

shortly after the death of the apostles, religious apostasy plunged Christians into very deep darkness, and it was almost impossible to distinguish what was true in religious matters or what should not be done if one was a Christian. , etc.

Have you got an approximate date range for this occurrence? Around the time of the first Jewish-Roman War and destruction of the Second temple, is that roughly when you mean?

I'm interested to hear some Christian perspectives of that early Christian period.

[JehovahsWitness]

shortly after the death of the apostles, religious apostasy plunged Christians into very deep darkness, and it was almost impossible to distinguish what was true in religious matters or what should not be done if one was a Christian. , etc.

Have you got an approximate date range for this occurrence? Around the time of the first Jewish-Roman War and destruction of the Second temple, is that roughly when you mean?

I'm interested to hear some Christian perspectives of that early Christian period.

The Jehovah's Witnesses view is that while the destruction of the Jewish temple in 70 CE marked the end of God's dealings with the Jews as a dedicated nation it is essentially unrelated to "The Great Apostacy" and does not mark its beginning . We believe, it started after the death of the last Apostle at the end of the first century (around 98 CE) and grew progressively throughout the next.



The Christian church was essentially infiltrated by unscrupulous men who progressively departed from the teachings of Christ. While many sincere believers put up a hard struggle for scriptural truth through the second and third century protecting their scripture and resisting movements to depart from its contents, by the end of the 3rd century Christianity had become almost unrecognisable from its origins. By the fourth century CE "Christendom", as has been called, Babylon's youngest (and ugliest) baby, was born.


If you would like to listen to a JW video lecture on this see the link below (start 22"45)
https://www.jw.org/en/library/videos/#e ... 01_7_VIDEO

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BABYLON THE GREAT , "CHRISTIAN" DENOMINATIONS and ...THE GREAT APOSTACY

[onewithhim]

Jesus (Matt. 7:15,37-39) and his apostles (Acts 20: 29,30) warned of apostates and the corrupting influence they could exert on the Christian congregation. As far ahead in time as at the end of the first century, many years after being ascended to heaven, Jesus again warned about this:

Rev. 2:14 Nevertheless, I have a few things against you, that you have there those adhering to the teaching of Baʹlaam, <...>

Are you saying that the words of Revelations 2:14 come directly from Jesus, not the author, 'John'?

shortly after the death of the apostles, religious apostasy plunged Christians into very deep darkness, and it was almost impossible to distinguish what was true in religious matters or what should not be done if one was a Christian. , etc.

Have you got an approximate date range for this occurrence? Around the time of the first Jewish-Roman War and destruction of the Second temple, is that roughly when you mean?

I'm interested to hear some Christian perspectives of that early Christian period.

As JehovahsWitness has said, the great Apostasy started in earnest at the end of the first century after the last apostle died. As was said, corrupt men taught twisted things and made the Christian congregation unrecognizable. (Acts 20:29,30) Paul warned of this, as did Peter and Jesus himself.

[onewithhim]

Jesus (Matt. 7:15,37-39) and his apostles (Acts 20: 29,30) warned of apostates and the corrupting influence they could exert on the Christian congregation. As far ahead in time as at the end of the first century, many years after being ascended to heaven, Jesus again warned about this:

Rev. 2:14 Nevertheless, I have a few things against you, that you have there those adhering to the teaching of Baʹlaam, <...>

Are you saying that the words of Revelations 2:14 come directly from Jesus, not the author, 'John'?

John just wrote things down. As it says in the first verse in Revelation: "A revelation by Jesus Christ, which God gave him...and he sent his angel and presented it in signs through him to his slave John."

[William]

Jesus (Matt. 7:15,37-39) and his apostles (Acts 20: 29,30) warned of apostates and the corrupting influence they could exert on the Christian congregation. As far ahead in time as at the end of the first century, many years after being ascended to heaven, Jesus again warned about this:

Rev. 2:14 Nevertheless, I have a few things against you, that you have there those adhering to the teaching of Baʹlaam, <...>

Are you saying that the words of Revelations 2:14 come directly from Jesus, not the author, 'John'?

John just wrote things down. As it says in the first verse in Revelation: "A revelation by Jesus Christ, which God gave him...and he sent his angel and presented it in signs through him to his slave John."

Are you saying that verse 9-10 is not John describing his experience, but John relaying Jesus' experience?

I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.

I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,

or are you saying that it was Johns experience which was relayed to him through 'signs'?

[PinSeeker]

Jesus (Matt. 7:15,37-39) and his apostles (Acts 20: 29,30) warned of apostates and the corrupting influence they could exert on the Christian congregation. As far ahead in time as at the end of the first century, many years after being ascended to heaven, Jesus again warned about this:

Rev. 2:14 Nevertheless, I have a few things against you, that you have there those adhering to the teaching of Baʹlaam, <...>

Are you saying that the words of Revelations 2:14 come directly from Jesus, not the author, 'John'?

You didn't ask me, personally, of course, but I'm going to say, yes, the came directly from Jesus -- to John -- and John, as the author of Revelation, relates them to us.

...shortly after the death of the apostles, religious apostasy plunged Christians into very deep darkness, and it was almost impossible to distinguish what was true in religious matters or what should not be done if one was a Christian. , etc.

Have you got an approximate date range for this occurrence? Around the time of the first Jewish-Roman War and destruction of the Second temple, is that roughly when you mean? I'm interested to hear some Christian perspectives of that early Christian period.

My perspective is as follows:

There was an age of the Apostles, and it was the time span from Pentecost (Acts 2) in which they were actively involved in the spreading of the gospel. Extraordinary signs and wonders such as are described in Scripture passed away after the Apostolic age ended, for their purpose was to confirm the gospel (Mark 16:20). So, basically, when the last Apostle passed this life (which was probably John, who lived to be about 100; he was born about six months before Jesus, and Revelation is generally dated at about 95 A.D.), the Apostolic age was over.

Christianity itself was never "corrupted" in any sense.

There have been what we call false gospels and heresies presented by certain groups, for sure, and that has has been going on continuously, even to the present day, and will continue until Christ returns. As the writer of Ecclesiastes says, "What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun... Is there a thing of which it is said, 'See, this is new'? It has been already in the ages before us" (Ecclesiastes 1-9-10)

But, as Isaiah (40:8) says and Peter (1 Peter 1:24-25) reiterates, “All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever.” Not only was the Holy Spirit active in the superintending over the multiple people who wrote various parts of Scripture over the long period in which it was written, He has been active in preserving Scripture's integrity, veracity, and accuracy since then, and will be forever; this is part of His "job description." He did not take 1800-plus years off.

There is overwhelming evidence that the Bible today is the same as it was when it was finished in the first century and even centuries before in the case of the older books such as Isaiah, who wrote his prophecy back in, roughly, the 700s B.C.

Grace and peace.