Counterfeit Church

God called Jeremiah to be a prophet to the nation Israel when he was just a teenager. God said,

I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant (Jeremiah 1:10).

The condition of Israel had deteriorated so badly that, before God could build and plant, He first had to root out that which was left.

The condition of the world has become so serious and so bad that, before God can establish the eternal kingdom of righteousness and before He can build and plant, the systems of the world must first be rooted out, pulled down, and destroyed.

This is what we find in Revelation 17 - the rooting out and the pulling down of that great religious system called "MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT" (Rev. 17:5).

Cup of Abominations

We have some very difficult things to declare as we get into the destruction of this false religious system. They are difficult because we must be true to the Word of God, and we must recognize facts as they exist. Yet, in so doing, it is necessary to point the finger of accusation, as does the Scripture, at this false religious system.

It is important to realize that this is not a personal vendetta or a pronouncement against the people who, unfortunately, have been deceived by the system. It is important to realize that the Lord was talking to this same church in Revelation 2, the church of Thyatira. And He recognized that there were those within it who would overcome and be with Him in His kingdom.

It is tragic that the church's history is as ugly, dark, and bleak as it is. I have no defense for the history of the church.

A long time ago the church felt that it could do without the guiding hand of the Holy Spirit. It shook free from the governing power of the Spirit. The church said, "We can do it ourselves." Man attempted to build the church of Jesus Christ by himself - with elaborate structures, elaborate organizations, and elaborate rituals. All these things took away from the simplicity that is in Christ Jesus and made the approach to God very complex and ritualistic.

In reality, the approach to God is so simple and so easy. All you have to do is bow your head wherever you are and speak to the Father. You can have a close and intimate communication and fellowship with Him anywhere and anytime.

Through the development of religious systems, man set up all types of priorities and categories. With these came favoritism, the pandering to the rich and exclusive classes. Favoritism engenders the separation of people rather than bringing us all together as one body. A priesthood was established over the laity. He began to stand between God and man. Confession of sin was made to him. In Christ Jesus there is neither Jew nor Greek, free nor bond (Galatians 3:28). God looks upon us all alike and loves us all alike just as we are.

It is sad to study the history of the church, especially through the Middle and Dark Ages. We must confess that the Dark Ages resulted largely from the suppression by the church in trying to maintain tight and rigid control over people.

The early church suffered tremendous persecution by the Roman government. The Roman government martyred an estimated six million Christians in the first three hundred years of the church's existence. Being a Christian was a capital offense.

Then under Constantine the Great (288-337 A. D.) there was a great change. Constantine's mother was a Christian and had influence upon her son. When he came to the throne of Rome, he gave his edict of toleration of Christians. This meant that Christians did not have to hail Caesar as their lord but could acknowledge Jesus Christ as their Lord.

Actually, it was an unfortunate day for the church. Suddenly, the church was thrust from a place of persecution into a place of power and authority. Then came the marriage of the church and state, and the state began to legislate the religious lives of the people. Men began to claim authority over both government and the church, seeking to combine the two.

However, they missed the mark. Righteousness can never be legislated. It is a matter of the heart.

We read with blushes the history of the church during the Middle Ages when the office of the Pope was auctioned off to the highest bidder, and immorality and lewdness were practiced by the supposed Christian leaders. True spirituality had left the church.

The Great Compromise

In order to popularize Christianity, the church decided to take the pagan celebrations and "Christianize" them by giving them Christian names. It was a sad and tragic decision.

He took the pagan practice of Saturnalia. It was a Roman orgy holiday on December 25 - a time for everybody to get drunk and give gifts to one another, light candles and build bonfires to help the poor old sun through the winter solstice.

The church proclaimed the 25th of December as the birthday of Jesus Christ. He chose this holiday to celebrate Christ's birthday and called it "Christmas." A mass was held for the birth of Christ on December 25 during the feast of Saturnalia.

Today we follow that same pagan practice. Christmas is becoming more paganized all the time in the world around us. It is now much as it was in Rome - a time for drunken parties and merriment, the giving of gifts, and riotous celebration.

The same juggling was true with the celebration of the coming of spring. Astarte was the goddess of perpetual life. Decorating eggs was part of the celebration because the egg was the symbol of perpetuated life. The church said, "We'll call this Easter and celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead."

The priesthood didn't exist in the early church but did exist in the Babylonian religion. The introduction of idols, the introduction of penance, even the worship and the rituals themselves, all had their origin in the Babylonian religion. These were gradually introduced and made part of the church. They were not existent in the early church but became a corrupt form of worship. The Lord calls them spiritual "fornication." This is actually the worship of God in unprescribed ways and manners. The Israelites sought to do this in the Old Testament. They were worshipping God after the ways of the pagans and heathens rather than after the way God had prescribed through Scriptures.

During the period of the great Inquisitions, millions of true and faithful believers in Jesus Christ, who were looking for the simplicity and beauty of worshipping Him, were martyred. It is a fact of history. It's the black and dark history of the church that we hate to acknowledge. But you cannot deny the facts.

We do not seek to speak against our Christian brothers, and there are many beautiful Christian brothers and sisters today within the Catholic Church. I am so thankful for the revival that is taking place within the Catholic Church and I rejoice in what God is doing there. He is drawing out His overcomers. He is drawing them unto Himself. The spiritual revival within the Catholic Church today is unparalleled in its history.

In the Vatican, several thousand charismatic Catholics gathered together in St. Peter's for mass, worshipping God, and singing some of the choruses from Calvary Chapel. Pope Paul encouraged these believers to receive all the spiritual gifts and to become more fervent in their worship of God. Then he surprised them all by ending his speech with "Praise the Lord!" God is moving by His Spirit within that system. The true saints within that system will be raptured with the church. Those who remain to take it over and control it are false prophets. I've been praying for that for years and I'm thrilled to see it.

Nonetheless, the history is still there. That we cannot deny.

REVELATION 17:1-5

And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will show unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters (Rev. 17:1).

"Many waters" are the many nations. The "great whore" is the false church system which has gained such power and rules over so many nations.

With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication. So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet colored beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns (Rev. 17:2-3).

"Seven heads and ten horns" describes the Antichrist. In Revelation 13 the beast (Antichrist) came up out of the sea with seven heads and ten horns.

And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet color, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication: And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH (Rev. 17:4-5).

The identity of this church system was MYSTERY, BABYLON. I recommend the book, The Two Babylons, by Alexander Hislop to those students who desire to know more on this subject. Hislop makes the comparisons between the ancient Babylonian religion with this religious system that has ruled for so many years. The book is extremely enlightening, almost terrifyingly so.

REVELATION 17:6-9

And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration. And the angel said unto me, Why did you marvel? I will tell you the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and ten horns (Rev. 17:6-7).

It seems that there will be a confederacy between this false church system and the Antichrist, in the last days, which helps to put him into power. It is possible that this church system will be the false prophet that leads the world to worship the beast.

The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit [abyss], and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is. And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth (Rev. 17:8-9).

John identifies for us a specific city: "the seven heads are seven mountains." The city of Rome is built on seven hills. From ancient times, Rome has been known as "The City of Seven Hills."

REVELATION 17:10-11

And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space. And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition (Rev. 17:10-11).

The identity of the "beast" is given for us in Revelation 17. He was, and he is not, and he shall ascend out of the abyss. The city of Rome is identified. John said there were seven kings, five of which are fallen. At the time that John wrote the Revelation, Domitian was the emperor of Rome. He was the sixth in order. After him, there was one further emperor. There is one more that is coming. He is the eighth, but he is of the seven.

It would seem that the Spirit is giving wisdom and understanding as to the identity of the Antichrist. The beast that John saw "was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the abyss." Then he goes into perdition or destruction.

The Nero File

The fifth emperor of the Roman empire was Caesar Nero. He was known by the early church as "The Beast." He is a man of interesting history, for there was a dramatic change in his life. When he first ascended as the Roman emperor he seemed to be a fairly levelheaded fellow. He started many beneficial building projects for the people. He actually started the Corinthian canal; however, that project was never completed by him.

Suddenly, a dramatic change came in Nero's life and he became as another person. It is interesting that this drastic change occurred shortly after Paul stood before him in defense of the Gospel. When Paul the apostle was getting the run-around in Caesarea, he appealed unto Caesar. Festus, the Roman governor, said, "Hast thou appealed unto Caesar? Unto Caesar shalt thou go" (Acts 25:12). Paul was sent to Rome so that he might appeal his case before Caesar Nero.

Now, I have no doubt that, when Paul appealed his case before Nero, he made every endeavor to convert the emperor to a belief in Jesus Christ. That was Paul's method. As he defended himself before the Jews, and as he defended himself before Felix and before Agrippa, he used it as an opportunity to lead these men to Jesus Christ. I am certain that he laid a witness on Nero the likes of which he had never heard. When Paul was through with the defense, Nero knew exactly where he stood in relation to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Nero let Paul go, but shortly afterwards the emperor seemed to turn suddenly mad. I believe that, in rejecting the message that Paul gave him, Nero actually opened the door to Satan within his life and became demon possessed.

Nero set Rome ablaze and had an insane glee as the city burned. He used it as an occasion to blame the Christians and start a bloody movement against them. He would cover the Christians with tar and set them afire in his garden. Shrieking and in the nude, he'd drive his chariot in the midst of the burning bodies of Christians. He had Paul arrested again, brought back to Rome, and beheaded. He brought Peter to Rome and crucified him upside down.

At the time that the Lord was speaking to John in the Revelation, Nero had already died. He was, but he is not. But he shall ascend out of the abyss. I believe that the same demon that possessed Caesar Nero will possess the Antichrist who will come to reign over the earth. Thus, all the marks of Caesar Nero will be upon this man of sin.

Revelation 13 said, "Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man" (Rev. 13:18).

In Greek and Hebrew the letters have numeric equivalents. In Hebrew the letters of the name "Caesar Nero" total to 666. I do believe that the demon which possessed Caesar Nero will possess the Antichrist; in a sense, he will be a reincarnation, as the same demon will come out of the abyss. Some of the same deeds and actions seen in Nero will be manifested by this man of sin which is to come.

REVELATION 17:12-13

"And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings" (Rev. 17:12). These are the ten kings or the confederation of ten European nations that will comprise the final world power.

King Nebuchadnezzar had a vision in which he saw an image with a head of gold, the arms and breast of silver, the stomach of brass, the legs of iron, and the feet of iron and clay with ten toes (Daniel 2:31-45). He was looking at that great image until he saw a rock that was not cut with hands come from the mountains. This rock struck the great image in the feet so that the whole figure fell. The rock grew into a great mountain that covered the earth, and there was no end of that kingdom.

When Daniel interpreted the dream of Nebuchadnezzar, he said, "Nebuchadnezzar, the Lord of heaven has shown you the governments that shall rule the world. You, Nebuchadnezzar, are the head of gold. But your kingdom is to be replaced by the Medo-Persian empire, the arms and the shoulders of silver. That government in turn will be replaced by the Grecian government, the stomach of brass; which will be replaced by the Roman government, the legs of iron. But the final government of man will be a mixture of iron and clay, the feet with ten toes." It is during the time of this kingdom that the rock comes from the mountain. It destroys the earthly governments of man and establishes the kingdom that shall never end.

It is clear that Nebuchadnezzar's dream has been fulfilled in history. God is setting the whole stage for the final scene.

The ten horns which you saw are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but they receive power as kings one hour with the beast. These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast (Rev. 17:22-13).

The European Community now formed finds it's weakness in the clay. The disputes that arise are over the multi rule, each nation naturally looking for it's own benefit. To ultimately gain the full potential of the union they must give one man decisive power to lead this flock of nations. They'll give their power unto one man, the Antichrist.

REVELATION 17:14-18

These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful (Rev. 17:14).

Here are three qualities of those who are with Jesus. They are called, ordained, and faithful. Jesus said that you have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that you should be My disciples (John 15:16).

And he said unto me, The waters which thou sawest where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues. And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire. For God hath put in their hearts to fulfill his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled. And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth (Rev. 7:15-18).

The city of Rome, which reigned over the kings of the earth at the time that John wrote, shall rise again to a place of prominence in a federation of ten nations. Thus, we see the final judgment of God upon both that great city and the religious system that arose out of that city.