Tag Archives: Apostasy

False Teachings and Destructive Heresies in the Early Church

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Who goes there?

Thief sneaking through door2 Peter 2:1, False teachers…destructive heresies. When did several prominent but destructive, non-biblical heresies creep into the early church, which are now major doctrines in mainstream Christianity? Here is a partial list along with the approximate times the early church fathers began teaching these doctrines.

The Human Soul Is Immortal

The immortality of the soul was not  a Hebraic concept, but originated from the ancient Greek philosophers. This pagan concept made its way into the church as Gentiles who were steeped in the thinking of the Greek philosophers gained control of the early church after the death of the last apostles.

A.D. 130— The Epistle of Mathetes to Diognetus, ch. 6

Ca. A.D. 155—The First Apology of Justin Martyr, ch. 18

Ca. A.D. 180—Irenaeus’ Against Heresies, Book Two, ch. 34

Ca. A.D. 180—Irenaeus’ Against Heresies, Book Five, chaps. 7.1; 31.1

Teachings Against the Sabbath and Biblical Feasts

There is no record in the Bible of the early New Testament believers replacing the seventh-day Sabbath with Sunday. To say so is wishful thinking, a twisting of the Scriptures and biblical revisionism. It wasn’t until the fourth century at the Council of Nicea under Roman emperor Constantine that the Sunday officially replaced the Sabbath in the early church. Until that time, many Christian churches still observed the Sabbath throughout the Roman empire. The process of transitioning from Sabbath to Sunday observance was a slow one beginning in the early second century and had its roots largely in antisemitism.

A.D. 130—The Epistle of Mathetes to Diognetus, ch. 4. The author calls the Sabbath and biblical feasts “utterly ridiculous and unworthy of notice.”

Ca. A.D. 130—Epistle of Barnabas, ch. 2 (also ch. 14). The author says that the Sabbaths (weekly Sabbath and biblical feasts) are abolished.

Early part of second century A.D.—Epistle of Ignatius to the Philippians, ch. 14

Observance of the Lord’s Day (Sunday) Advocated Over Sabbath Observance

Early part of second century A.D.—Epistle of Ignatius to the Magnesian, ch. 9. The author says to keep the Sabbath on Sunday.

Early part of second century A.D.—Epistle of Ignatius to the Trallians, ch. 9

Ca. A.D. 130—Epistle of Barnabas, ch. 14

Ca. A.D. 155—The First Apology of Justin Martyr, ch. 67

Teachings Against the Torah

Early part of second century A.D.—Epistle of Ignatius to the Philadelphians, ch. 6. The author declare, “If anyone preach the Jewish law, listen not to him.”

Early part of second century A.D.—Epistle of Ignatius to the Magnesian, ch. 10

Ca. A.D. 155—The First Apology of Justin Martyr, ch. 47. The author states that out of “weak-mindedness,” some Christians observe the Mosaic law. Sabbath and feast days observance are optional, but not encouraged.

Anti-Semetic/Anti-Torah Theology

Early part of second century A.D.—Epistle of Ignatius to the Magnesian, chaps. 8, 10

Ca. A.D. 180—Irenaeus’ Against Heresies, Book Four, ch. 16.4. The author declares that the Decalogue was not cancelled by the New Covenant, but the statues and judgments of the Torah were a bondage to the Israelites and are no longer binding on Christians.

Teachings Against the Biblical Dietary Laws of Clean and Unclean Meats

Early part of second century A.D.—Epistle of Ignatius to the Philadelphians, ch. 6. The author states that one who adheres the biblical dietary laws “has the apostate dragon dwelling within him.”

Easter Celebration Established a Christian Holiday

Ca. A.D. 150—The celebration of the resurrection within the early church began in the middle of the second century (History of the Christian Church, vol. 2, pp. 207–8, by Philip Schaff). The date of Easter and its formal establishment and disconnection from Passover occurred in A.D. 325 at the council of Nicea.

Sabbath Officially Changed to Sunday

A.D. 321—Sunday officially becomes the weekly day of worship (in place of the Sabbath) by a legal enactment of Emporer Constantine (History of the Christian Church, vol. 3, p. 378ff, by Philip Schaff; History of the Christianity, vol 1, p. 93, by Kenneth Scott Latourette)

Christmas Established as a Christian Holiday

Ca. A.D. 354—Christmas originated in the middle to the end of the fourth century as a Christian holiday as an outgrowth of a pagan festival celebrating the birth of the pagan sun god.

 

Sinful America and the West Compared to Ancient Israel

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Isaiah 1:1–27, Israel Is a Sinful Nation Then and Now

Repentance

Based on this passage in Isaiah, can we see any spiritual parallels between Judah and America (and most other nations, for that matter)? Some might ask what a prophecy given by a Hebrew prophet to the Jewish nation some 2600 years ago has to do with us today? To answer that question we would pose several questions: Have YHVH’s standards of righteousness and law and order ever changed? Is sin still sin today as it was then? Is there a day coming when YHVH will hold men accountable for their sinful action? Is there a heavenly judgment seat before which all must eventually appear? Is there a day coming at the end of the age when Elohim will pour out his wrath and man will be punished for his sins against his Creator? With these things in mind, let’s see if the sinful activities of men have changed much in 2600 years since Isaiah’s time.

1:2, They have rebelled against me. What is the scriptural definition of rebellion? Rebellion against what? For the concept of rebellion to be relevant and applicable there has to be a standard or rule of law the violation of which constitutes rebellion. What is YHVH’s standard of righteousness by which he will judge nations and individuals? Has that standard ever changed? Make no mistake, it is his immutable Word that will judge us. There is no escaping this fact. (Read John 12:48 and Deuteronomy 18:19.)

1:3, The ox knows its owner. Apostasy and spiritual degradation leads to one place: a complete loss of one’s spiritual identity. One forgets one’s spiritual heritage Continue reading →

 

Warning Against an Apostate Nation

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I will continue to sound an alarm like a watchman on the wall concerning the judgments I see coming upon the people of Elohim because of their spiritual apostasy.

Because I read the Bible and not only see history repeating itself, but see end time Bible prophecy about to be fulfilled, does this make me an alarmist? Perhaps. And what’s wrong with sounding the alarm? Alarms exist for a reason: to warn and to protect people from impending danger! The biblical prophets were alarmists. This puts the modern day watchmen in good company. The problem is that people seldom listen to the watchman on the wall. Life is nice and comfortable in the city. Most people don’t want to be believe it could be any other way. Complacency is perhaps our worst enemy!

This is a tough message to give, and it’s even tougher to know how to respond to it. What do we do? I can do no better than to quote Yeshua who after having given his disciples some dire warnings about things that would come to pass, he admonished them to watch and pray (Luke 21:36). To this I would add: repent of sin (Torahlessness) and stop living a sloppy, lukewarm, lax, carnally-oriented spiritual life. Seek to love and obey Yeshua with all your heart like never before. Only the fear and love of Elohim will get you through the hard times that are about to come!

Natan

And now for today’s lesson:

Jeremiah 2:4–28 and 3:4, In this scripture passage, Jeremiah, the weeping prophet (lamenting for the apostate condition of the nation of Israel), speaking on behalf of YHVH, pleads with Israel to return to YHVH, the Elohim (God) of Israel, who had graciously blessed that nation. Under YHVH’s watchful care, Israel had prospered, yet eventually, like the first century believers in Laodicea (Rev 3:14–22), material prosperity had led to their forsaking YHVH for secularism.

Jeremiah addresses all levels of Israelite society: kings, princes, priests, prophets, pastors and the people. No one escaped his stinging rebuke. In our day, kings and princes would correspond to our political leaders, while prophets, priests and pastors to our spiritual leaders. The people would be everyone else.

In verse 13, Jeremiah states that Israel was guilty of two sins: they had forsaken YHVH, the Fountain of Living Waters, and had exchanged his divine and life-giving truth for the stagnant waters of man-made cisterns, which in Hebraic poetic symbolism is a metaphor for false, humanistic religious and philosophical systems of men. In verse 27, Jeremiah accuses Israel of turning its back on YHVH and exchanging worship of the Creator for worship of the creation and material objects (idols). This is reminiscent of what the Apostle Paul declares in his Epistle to the Romans (chapter one) of a society that rejects the divinely revealed truth of YHVH as found in the Scriptures, and then begins worshipping that which the Creator created including the earth, animals and their own bodies (resulting in hedonism and sexual perversion). In verse 21, Jeremiah declares that Israel had become like a degenerate plant and a strange or foreign grape vine, which can be related to the wild olive tree Paul speaks of in Romans 11. (See also Jer 11:16.)

With all this in mind, can we identify any spiritual parallels between ancient Israel and modern America? If Jeremiah were alive today what might he say to America?

A Wake Up Call — The Battle For the Soul of America

For several generations now, a righteous remnant of end-time warriors has been fighting an uphill battle against immorality, abortion, rebellion against the biblical laws of YHVH, humanism, Marxism/socialism, Eastern “spirituality”/New Age and the global takeover by the corporate-governmental fascist elite called the New World Order. The latest addition to this list is the Antichrist religion of Islam and anti-Semitism. Both are raising their demonic heads at home and abroad in the traditional Judeo-Christian nations of Europe. Islam began knocking on the spiritual door of America a few decades ago, and now because of the large numbers of Moslems in this country, Islam has become a threat worth noting. The goal of Islam is definite, for the Koran states it clearly: to take over the world and to dispossess both Christians and Jews of their lands, property and lives, if they fail to convert to Islam.

We find ourselves in this situation because we as a nation have failed to repent of the sins listed above and now the judgment of Islam and Continue reading →

 

Slip, Slippin Away…

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Numbers 33:55, If you do not drive out. In his instructions to his children, YHVH is serious: he doesn’t want his saints to countenance the ungodly around them in any way.

19845304 One only has to read in the pages of the Scriptures the long and sad history of Israel’s numerous involvements with the societies around them resulting in their fall into apostasy again and again.

The reason for this tendency toward spiritual declension is simple. The answer is found in 1 Corinthians 15:33. What does YHVH require his people to do in the face of evil? (See Ps 94:16.)

The problem is that an unsuspecting saint begins to toy with sin and sinners, and slowly and imperceptibly the slide down the proverbial spiritual slippery slope begins.

This is what happened to Lot when he left Abraham and moved toward Sodom (review Gen 13:10–12 cp. 19:1–26). Next, we see that Lot is married with children, has a home in Sodom and is a leader there. Even though the Scriptures consider Lot to be a righteous man, it was nevertheless difficult for him to leave that wicked city. Though Lot’s wife left Sodom physically, she couldn’t leave it emotionally. (Remember Yeshua’s warning to us in Luke 17:32 as pertaining to the last days. Let us also not forget Yeshua’s warning to the church of Laodicea in (see Rev 3:14–22).

 

How the Church Divorced Itself From Its Jewish Roots

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From A.D. 70 to A.D. 135—How the Church Became Divorced From Its Hebraic Roots

What is called Christianity today in many ways is very dissimilar, and in many respects, outright antagonistic to the religion of the first-century, Book of Acts believers. How did this come to be?

Many modern Christian churches prides themselves on being “a New Testament church,” yet what they practice and believe is often very different from and even opposed to the teaching and practices of the apostles and primitive, first century church. For example, life for the apostolic believers in Jerusalem revolved around the temple (Acts 2:46; 3:1; 5:19-21; 5:42; Acts 21:26; 22:17; 24:18; 25:8; 26:21), and for those outside of the land of Israel, on most Sabbaths, they attended the local synagogue (Acts 13:14; 14:1; 17:1–2; 18:4, 7, 8, 19, 26; 19:8). Not only did the first apostles and early believers not celebrate any pagan influenced holidays such as Easter, Christmas, Halloween, Lent, and the rest, but they adhered to the Torah or law of Moses (see references below). The Book of Acts record is also clear that early believers kept the Bible festivals (as outlined in Lev 23; Acts 2:1; 18:21; Acts 27:9; 1 Cor 5:8; Jude 12) of Passover, Unleavened Bread, Pentecost, Day of Trumpets, Day of Atonement, Feast of Tabernacles, and the Eighth Day.

What’s more, the book of Acts records that both Stephen and Paul were falsely accused of teaching that the laws and customs of Moses were nullified, and, as a result of this false accusation, both lost their lives defending Torah-obedience.

A hundred other examples could easily be given showing how the Christian church has veered away from the Hebrew or Jewish roots of its faith, but hopefully, the reader gets the point.

So what happened to cause Christianity to veer so widely from the Hebrew or Jewish roots of its faith and to arrive at the place where it hardly resembles that religious faith from which it sprang? This is not an easy question to answer since one must look back nearly 2000 years and attempt to reconstruct the times in which our spiritual forefathers lived. Moreover, we must understand what was transpiring politically, religiously, and socially at the time to answer this question properly. It is also imperative that we understand the contextual social and linguistic fabric, the backdrop of history, and the parade of  political and economic events which happened one after another between the years of A.D. 70 and A.D. 135. Then and only then can we understand how the church became divorced from its Hebraic roots and became Greco-Roman and Western in nature and combined itself with an admixture of with pagan and antibiblical doctrines along with pagan practices, traditions and beliefs.

Now, let us go back nearly 2000 years for a short lesson in history. The early church was Continue reading →

 

The Rise of the God of Statism (Satanism)

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More and more, big government (both national and international), and increasingly small government as well, is at war with the people it’s supposed to be serving. Government wants to replace the God of the Bible with itself, which is why it’s at war with the God of the Bible, and anything it perceives to be biblical in nature.

What we’re seeing is the rise of the god of statism. This god, which is the invention of an elite and powerful few who follow Satan, demands total obedience of its subjects. Those who dare to resist will incur the severe wrath of this god.

Judgment 14747592

The true God, YHVH Elohim, has allowed this other god to rise up as a judgment against his willful and prideful people who have turned away from him in favor of the false gods of the heathen. As with the biblical Jews of old who refused to obey YHVH, he is giving them a harsh, demonic slave master who, on the one hand, promises salvation and blessings, yet delivers bondage and misery. If you’re an American, think of the mantra “hope and change” you heard not long ago!

What we’re seeing is the rise of the global governmental system called Babylon the Great of Revelation chapter 18 which will rule over a dumbed down, pleasure-seeking, self-worshipping, pharmakeia influenced population of slaves.

What’s the solution?

The Bible says that if YHVH’s people will humble themselves, pray and seek him and turn from their wicked (lawless or Torahless) ways, then he will hear them, will  forgive their sin (the sin of Torahlessness, 1 John 3:4) and heal their land (2 Chron 7:14). This isn’t talking about the other guy; it’s talking about you!

Sadly, the Bible prophesies that this won’t happen until God’s people go through great tribulation at the hands of their false savior — the god of statism, which is a thinly veiled form satanism. Thankfully, some will have their spiritual garments washed clean through the refining fires of great tribulation as they turn from their wicked and Torahless  ways (Rev 3:18; 7:14; 19:7–8). The rest will go through the hellish wrath of Elohim prophesied in the the book of Revelation.

The Bible reveals that when Yeshua the Messiah returns, Babylon the Great will fall at his feet defeated and its captives will be set free. YHVH will pour out his Holy Spirit upon his prodigals who will repent of their sinful rebellion against him. He will then bless them by giving them their promised inheritance in his eternal kingdom.

Why wait till then? Seek Elohim now and live!

And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, to keep the commandments of the LORD, and his statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good? Behold, the heaven and the heaven of heavens is the LORD’S thy God, the earth also, with all that therein is. (Deut 10:12–14)

 

 

New Video: From A.D. 70 to 135 — How the Early Church Left Its Hebrew Roots

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This video is a history lesson discussing the events that happened affecting the early church between A.D. 70 (when the Romans destroyed the Jerusalem temple) and A.D. 135. During this time, the early church largely cut itself off from its pro-Torah, Jewish/Hebrew roots. By the middle of the fourth century, the new Roman Catholic Church hardly resembled its apostolic original. This video helps you to understand why the modern church has beliefs that are very different from, and, at times, opposed theologically to the original apostolic church of the first century.

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