Summary of Church History (part 5)

 HOW THE SOUTH BECAME THE "BIBLE BELT" 

The term “Bible belt” was first used in reference to the Southeast United States by H. L. Mencken in the 1920’s. Some today use the term in a derogative sense, attempting to paint southern people as ignorant, right wing, religious fanatics. National politicians, especially liberal ones, have lost elections at times largely because they failed to win the southern vote. In the 2000 Presidential race, for instance, Senator Al Gore failed to carry his own home state of Tennessee, simply because he was just too liberal for his fellow Tennesseans. The south is unlike the rest of America, and one reason is its Biblical heritage. In spite of our many faults and sins today, the southeast United States does have a history worth knowing.

No doubt, there are many factors that contributed to the South’s coming to be known as “the Bible belt.” The Holy Spirit’s work during the first and second great awakenings (1720-1835) is likely the largest factor. It was during this period that hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions, were converted to the Lord Jesus Christ under the preaching of men like Gilbert Tennent, John Wesley, George Whitfield, Peter Cartwright, James McGready, and others. Such good traditions as the camp meeting and the mourner’s bench became as much ingrained in southern culture then as fried chicken and grits are now. But there was one preacher in the above list that stood head and shoulders above the rest, at least when it came to God’s plan for America. That man was George Whitfield, God’s “Elijah” for our country.

In the mid 1700’s, sometimes over 20,000 people would gather in open air meetings to hear the Spirit–filled preaching of Whitfield. Although he was an Anglican, he was not a conventional one. His preaching was very lively and dramatic, and extremely loud. Benjamin Franklin claimed that he could hear Whitfield’s preaching a mile away, and that was without microphones and PA systems. He was just too much for most “official” churches, so he resorted to open-air preaching in public. Thousands were converted to Christ as he preached this way in the New England colonies, in Georgia, and in South Carolina. When many of his converts began to study the Scriptures, they realized that infant baptism was found nowhere in God’s word, and they soon learned that immersion, not sprinkling, was the proper mode of baptism. Consequently, many of Whitfield’s converts became Baptists. Whitfield saw what was happening and commented, “All my chickens have turned into ducks!”

However, when the great evangelist preached in the back country of North Carolina, he did not see the favorable results to which he had grown accustomed, so he prayed that God would send a preacher “like John the Baptist” of old to preach in the wilderness and convert the thousands of lost souls. Little did he know that God would call one of his own converts to do the job.

That man was Shubal Stearns. If Whitfield was America’s Elijah, then Shubal Stearns was his southern “Elisha.” Stearns and his brother-in-law, Daniel Marshall, were converted to Christ in 1745 when Whitfield preached in Connecticut. Stearns was baptized in 1751 by Wait Palmer. Feeling the call of God on his life, he moved to Virginia and began laboring to reach the lost.

At this time, “Christianity” in the South was monopolized by the Church of England. It was normally illegal to practice any other faith, and being a Baptist was even worse since the Baptists refused to acknowledge infant baptism and would re-baptize any converts who had formally been sprinkled. The Baptists were firm believers in baptism by immersion only for true adult believers only. This was unpardonable in the eyes of the established state religion.

Shubal Stearns, known as a Separate Baptist, received a letter from some friends in North Carolina in 1755 which stated the desperate need of the gospel there and the spiritual hunger of the people. He was informed that people would travel forty miles (by horse and buggy, or even by foot) to hear a single sermon. This burdened his heart until the summer of 1755, when a group of 16 Christians left Opekton, Virginia, for western North Carolina with Stearns and his assistant Daniel Marshall leading the way.

They chose the crossroads at Sandy Creek for their settlement, a national crossroads between the North and the South. The Sandy Creek Baptist Church would be the first Separate Baptist church in the South, and this church would become God’s headquarters for His southern strategy. No one knew it at the time, but Whitfield’s prayer was about to be answered.

The Sandy Creek Baptist Church grew from 16 members in 1755 to over 600 members in only eighteen months. By 1759, three independent Baptist churches were in existence from the Sandy Creek Baptist Church, and their membership exceeded 900. God was clearly using the church at Sandy Creek as a “headquarters” or “training base” much like He used the church at Antioch in the New Testament. In the years ahead, the Lord would call 125 men and their families out of the church at Sandy Creek to preach the gospel. These men and their converts would literally invade the South for the Lord Jesus. The following is a brief breakdown of some of the first churches that were started, when and where they were started, and also the name of the preacher:

• Sandy Creek: 1755, NC, Shubal Stearns
• Abbot’s Creek: 1756, NC, Daniel Marshall
• Grassy Creek: 1756, NC, James Read
• Deep River: 1757, NC, Joseph Murphey, Phillip Mulkey
• New River: 1758, NC, Ezekiel Hunter
• Dan River: 1759, VA, Dutton Lane
• Black River: 1760, NC, John Newton
• Fairforrest: 1760, SC, Phillip Mulkey
• Trent: 1761, NC, James McDaniel
• Southwest: 1762, NC, Charles Markland
• Haw River: 1764, NC, Elnathan Davis
• Congaree: 1766, SC, Joseph Rees
• Stephens Creek: 1766, SC, Daniel Marshall
• Upper Spotsylvania: 1767, VA, Lewis Craig
• Staughton River (Blackwater): 1768, VA, William Murphy
• Fall Creek: 1769, VA, Samuel Harriss
• Goochland: 1771, VA, William Webber

From these churches and others, the Holy Spirit would direct the gospel of Jesus Christ into Tennessee, Kentucky, Georgia, and eventually states further west such as Alabama, Missouri, Arkansas, and Louisiana. By 1812, largely due to the Baptist revivals and church plantings, there were over 2,100 Baptist churches in America with over 172,000 members. Most of these were and still are to be found in the south.

Then came the War Between the States and the revivals that broke out in the Confederate camps where well over 100,000 men received Christ in the early 1860's. Many of these men went on to become preachers, and their fruit remains until this day.

Throughout the 1800’s and the early 1900’s, the south would also be flooded with such false teachers as the Campbellites (Church of Christ), Jehovah’s Witnesses, and the Charismatic groups (Assemblies of God, Pentecostals, etc.), but it was the old-time Baptists who endured many hardships, fought for and won religious liberty, and then flooded the south land with the blessed gospel of Jesus Christ. May God help us to learn more of them and teach others, and may we wear the Baptist name with honor until Jesus calls us home.

-James L Melton

Recommended Reading: Interested readers should purchase America in Crimson Red: The Baptist History of America by pastor James Beller.

Summary of Church History (part 4)

 After the reformation began, the world slowly changed. The Bible believers kept sending out missionaries. And the gospel spread throughout the world. There were now two distinct types of Christians- Old Reformers and Bible Believers.

Old reformers wanted to reform the Catholic Church - both Roman and Greek Orthodox- with the Scriptures. This includes John Knox, Ulrich Zwingli, John Calvin, and Cyril Lucas I. These men were saved Christians in the Catholic Church.

Their beliefs were amillennial- meaning they believed they were bringing in Christ’s kingdom, usually through force. Religious wars happened all over Europe and the Middle East.

There was another line who wanted a church apart from the Catholic Church. While the Old Reformers faced persecution from the Catholic Church, the Bible believers got it from both sides, being persecuted by both the Catholic Church and the Old Reformers, following in the footsteps of the Apostle Paul:

Philippians 1:29- For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;

The discovery of the "new world" opened doors for both Christian missionaries and Catholic crusaders. Inhabitants of the Americas faced many troubling scenarios from new diseases to blood thirsty armies laying siege and claim for power hungry monarchies.

The Moravians of the 15th century Bohemia, modern day Czech Republic, were influenced by the Waldensians who migrated to Bohemia and Moravia in the 13th century. They believe in the Holy Trinity, the Incarnation of Jesus, and the Resurrection. They also believe in the importance of personal prayer, family devotion, and having a personal relationship with their Savior.

The Moravians were the first Protestant missionaries to operate on a large scale and are credited with starting the modern missionary movement. They were also the first to send everyday Christians to serve as missionaries, and the first to minister to enslaved people.

Two early Moravian missionaries, Johann Dober and David Nitschmann, sold themselves into slavery in order to take the gospel to the islanders of the West Indies. Working in bondage in the harsh conditions of a tropical climate, they reached many of them with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

II Timothy 1:8- Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God;

The Huguenots were 16th century Christians in France. Even though they believed that salvation was achieved through individual faith in Christ and knowledge of scripture, they were Calvanistic in their view of salvation claiming that God had already chosen who would be saved and who would be damned, and that this choice was unconditional (predestination).

The Huguenots were led by John Calvin. He had people burned at the stake, including Michael Servetus, who was executed after being tried by Calvin and found guilty of heresy and burned at the stake. Calvin was especially upset that Servetus rejected his doctrine of predestination.

The Huguenots were persecuted by the Catholic majority in France and fled the country in the 17th century. They settled in many places, including England, the United States, and Africa.

Anabaptists were 16th Century Christians in Europe. Anabaptists believed that baptism should only be performed on adults who freely confess their faith in Christ. They also believed that the church should be a voluntary gathering of believers, and that the government should not have authority over church affiliation or theology. Modern day Baptists descend from these Christians.

Anabaptists were persecuted by both Protestants and Roman Catholics, often being drowned or burned at the stake. The persecution of Anabaptists in Europe led to mass emigration to North America by Amish, Quakers, and Mennonites.

 English Baptists, who originated in the 17th century, were a separatist congregation. They had an Arminian view of theology, believing that the Scriptures taught believers’ baptism as an ordinance, not a part of the salvation process. They believed in the free will of people to choose to be saved. They also believed that salvation was based on faith, not works.

The Baptists, also, had a number of practices, which included foot washing, anointing the sick with oil, the laying on of hands, lifelong pastorates, and refusing to eat blood.

It was during the early 1600's that a Scottish Monarch took the crown, joining Scotland and England under one ruler. King James I was a religious man who had studied Greek, French, and Latin under George Buchanan. He was aware that the current Bible translations were filled with errors. In an endeavor to unite the different religious factions of his day, he commissioned the translating of the King James Bible.

After King James, Charles II renewed persecution of Baptists along with other non-conformists in England. Those who were not willing to take an oath of allegiance to the king were assumed to be seditious.

Confusion of the Calvinist movement in England squashed the power of the Bible believers. The prevailing belief was  “if Christ died not for all but only for the elect, it is useless to invite all to repent and believe in Him”. 

The state of the Protestant churches at the time of the Great Awakening was a cold, dead service. When the evangelical movement began within the Church of England in the 18th century, the tenets of the Baptists were renewed- the authority of the Bible, personal conversion, and a relationship with Jesus Christ..

John Wesley and Charles Wesley are among the most notable evangelists. They were called Methodists because of the methodological approach to spreading the gospel. The Wesleyans and the Methodists are their descendants.

George Whitfield was a contemporary of the Wesley brothers, he helped spread the revival throughout Britain and in the British American colonies. At Oxford he became close friends of the Wesleys, and at their invitation, joined them in their missionary work in the colony of Georgia.

Jonathan Edwards was a friend and colleague of George Whitfield. His most famous sermon  titled Sinners In The Hands Of An Angry God  emphasized the wrath of God and the dangers of awaiting hell. He argued that it was each person's responsibility to acknowledge their sinful condition and accept Christ's invitation of salvation.

 

The preaching of these men, and others, led to the Great Awakening, a religious revival in the American colonies and England during the 1700s. The focus of the preaching was:

• All people are born sinners
• Sin without salvation will send a person to hell
• All people can be saved if they confess their sins to God, seek forgiveness and accept God’s grace
• All people can have a direct and emotional connection with God
• Religion shouldn’t be formal and institutionalized, but rather personal

Acts 17:6b-  These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also;

The effects of this movement have long been felt in our country and around the world. They are best described by Tom Holland in the book Dominion: The Making of the Western Mind. 

"Simply, the ancients were cruel, and their values utterly foreign to him. The Spartans routinely murdered “imperfect” children. The bodies of slaves were treated like outlets for the physical pleasure of those with power. Infanticide was common. The poor and the weak had no rights.

It was Christianity, Holland writes. Christianity revolutionized sex and marriage, demanding that men control themselves and prohibiting all forms of rape. Christianity confined sexuality within monogamy. (It is ironic, Holland notes, that these are now the very standards for which Christianity is derided.) Christianity elevated women. In short, Christianity utterly transformed the world."

Tom Holland, who is not a Christian, claims the morals of the western world would not exist without Christianity. And I would add that America, as we know her, would not exist without Bible believers. 

It's time that we modern day Christians take a stand. We have an amazing heritage, and we should want to heed Paul's warning to not let their strides and sacrifices be in vain.

Philippians 2:16- Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.

For more information on Church History, you can purchase The History Of The New Testament Church by Dr. Peter S. Ruckman.

Christians today have dropped the ball. They are so afraid of being accused of "judging" that they no longer speak about sin and hell. They try to keep to the nice feeling parts of the Bible and ignore the weightier, less savory matters.

People are far too positive in their thinking. They focus on what someone is saying and fail to look for what they are not saying. They never consider what is missing.

While waiting for the antichrist to appear, many fail to see that the spirit of antichrist is already working.

I John 4:3- And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.

For Satan to come to power in this world, all he needs is to remove Christ's world from people's minds. He doesn't need to encourage people to become Satanists; he only needs to encourage them not to worship, or even consider, Christ. By stripping away truth, he has stripped away conviction.

He has accomplished this not only through schools and government legislations that remove God's Word from their systems, but also by corrupting God's Word through multiple new, corrupted, versions. More and more preachers are failing to emphasize the principles in God's Word that deal with His deity, His blood atonement, His resurrection, or His literal second coming mainly because they are using versions of the Bible that have altered or removed these truths.

Satan is slowly stripping the infallible, inerrant Scriptures from Christians, and they are too ignorant to see it because their pastors are too worried about being "judge-y" to point it out! Some have even gone so far as to argue the "virtues" of the new Bibles on behalf of Satan himself! 

People today don't know what God's Word says, and they don't care that they've been lied to. Do you know? Do you care? Have you searched the Scriptures for yourself?

II Corinthians 13:5- Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?

The troubles, persecutions, and labors of past believers is quickly becoming forgotten history. We have an amazing foundation in Christ, and the start of a building that has been worked on for the last two millennia! How could we grow complacent in these final moments?

II Timothy 1:13- Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 2:16- Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.

It's time to take up the mantle that our forefathers bore. Let's not let their sacrifices and achievements be for nothing.

Summary of Church History (part 3)

Rampant corruption and immorality among the clergy of the Roman Catholic church had left a bitter taste in the mouths of most of their congregation. The inquisition of brutality made matters much worse.

In the West, the Ottoman Empire was making life very difficult for the Greek Orthodox church. The Greek Orthodox church had its headquarters in Constantinople (modern day Istanbul). Constantinople was a center of learning and had been using the Koine-Greek Bible for over a thousand years. Many people in the city were proficient in Koine-Greek. Refugees fleeing Constantinople after the Ottoman conquest in 1453 brought with them copies of the Bible in the Koine Greek language. This was the copy of the Scripture that these men preached, read, and translated from.

Acts 11:25-26- Then departed Barnabas to Tarsus, for to seek Saul: And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.

This is the Bible the King James version was translated from. You want a Bible that is associated with where missionaries were first sent out. 

Acts 13:1-3- Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.

You want a Bible associated with the churches mentioned in Revelations. The Byzantine text is the only set of Scriptures that has this phenomenon. It's translation into English, the KJV, was instrumental in the Great Awakening and the missionary movement.

Desiderius Erasmus was raised in a monastic school and became quite competent in both Latin and Greek. He had embarked on his quest to write a parallel Greek and new Latin text to reform the corrupted text of the Catholic church, but it was the Erasmus Greek text which went on to become the foundation of the Textus Receptus, from which we get our King James Bible. The 1527 edition of Erasmus's New Testament allowed readers to compare the two translations side by side, showing the people how inaccurate Jerome's Latin Vulgate was.

Erasmus wasn't the first person to translate the Scriptures. Almost 200 years before, John Wycliffe made the effort to translate the Latin Vulgate into the language of the people of England- Middle English at the time. The idea was to provide a bible in the English language for his preachers and their hearers.

John Wycliffe never left the Catholic Church; His aim was to bring about the reformation of the church. He is known as the "morning star of the reformation". He preached in the people’s language. He questioned many Catholic doctrines, including the veneration of saints, transubstantiation and the sacraments, as well as the legitimacy of the pope as the supreme ruler of the church.

His followers became known as Lollards.  Active in England from the mid-14th century until the 16th-century, they traveled often dressed in russet tunics and barefoot. Lollard beliefs spread through public preaching, distribution of Bibles and tracts, and invitations to friends to join ‘reading circles’, where the Bible was studied.

Romans 10:15- And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!

The Twelve Conclusions of the Lollards was a summary of what they believed was needed reform for the church of England. It was presented to the Parliament of England and nailed to the doors of Westminster Abbey and St Paul's Cathedral. They began by stating that the church in England had become subservient to her “stepmother the great church of Rome.”

Their numbers are unknown, but it has been stated that  "Every second man that you meet is a Lollard." 

In the beginning of the 15th Century, the persecution of the Lollards began. England passed a statute for the burning of heretics. Despite the intense persecution, the Lollards continued to preach Christians throughout Britain, and even spread throughout all of Europe.

Their ideas influenced the thought of John Huss, who in turn influenced Martin Luther.

John Huss​ was a pastor at the center of the Bohemian reform movement. He was accused of Waldesenism and Wycliffism.​ He advocated the authority of Scripture over the Catholic church. He preached that the Church is the entire body of those who from eternity have been predestined for salvation, and that Christ, not the pope, is its head. Huss, like Wycliffe, never left the Catholic church; his efforts were designed to rid the Church of its ethical abuses. by reforming it from the inside.

In 1403 a German university master, Johann Hübner, drew up a list of 45 articles, presumably selected from Wycliffe’s writings, and had them condemned as heretical. Their main argument was that Wycliffe viewed the wine and bread of the sacraments as "material substance". 

​John Huss was very vocal over his dispute regarding the sale of indulgences, which led to his conviction of heresy. He was burned at the stake in 1417.

​

Both Wycliffe and Huss were accused of being corrupted by the “old evangelical party”.

Martin Luther was a sixteenth century monk credited with starting the Protestant Reformation. While visiting Rome, he became appalled by the corruption he saw among the clergy of the Roman Catholic Church. And, he became increasingly angry about the clergy selling 'indulgences' - promised remission from punishments for sin. Luther had come to believe that Christians are saved through faith and not through their own efforts.

​Martin Luther’s perception of Hus was marked by growing appreciation and deep respect. His original rejection of Hus was transformed when in his monastery library he discovered—and was astonished by—some sermons by Hus.

​In 1517, he published his '95 Theses', attacking papal abuses and the sale of indulgences, which he nailed to the door of the All Saints' Church in Wittenberg. 

​Pope Leo X excommunicated Luther. To which Luther stated, "His Holiness abuses Scripture. I deny that he is above Scripture". At the Diet of Worms, an assembly of the Roman Catholic Church, he refused to recant his position which he portrayed in his 95 Theses:

"Unless I am convinced by the testimony of the Scriptures or by clear reason (for I do not trust either in the pope or in councils alone, since it is well known that they have often erred and contradicted themselves), I am bound by the Scriptures I have quoted, and my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and will not recant anything since it is neither safe nor right to go against conscience. May God help me. Amen."

Because of this he was branded an outlaw and a heretic, his writings were banned, and a command for his arrest was issued. Luther went into hiding at Wartburg Castle to escape being killed. During his time there, He worked on translating the New Testament from an old Waldensen Bible along with Erasmus' Greek translation into German.

It was his excommunication that removed Martin Luther from the Catholic Church. In this way, he is looked upon as the father of  the Protestant Reformation- leaving the Catholic Church just like Protestants say the Bible calls all Christians to do.

Revelation 18:4- And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

In 1522, he returned to Wittenberg. He stated,  "During my absence, Satan has entered my sheepfold, and committed ravages which I cannot repair by writing, but only by my personal presence and living word." 

A few years later, he married Katharina von Bora, one of 12 nuns he had helped escape from the Nimbschen Cistercian convent, with whom he had six children.  He had long condemned vows of celibacy on biblical grounds, but his decision to marry was viewed as a seal of approval on clerical marriage.

​Luther published a complete translation of the bible into German, underlining his belief that people should be able to read it in their own language. The Lutheran Church was established from his descendants.

In 1534, King Henry VIII separated from the Roman Catholic Church, and created a new church where the monarchy was the head instead of the pope. This is when the Church of England, or the Anglican Church, was formed. Those who moved to America from this religious designation have began the Episcopal Church.

William Tyndale was ordained into the priesthood of the Church of England. While at Cambridge University, he was among upcoming reformers who were discussing the ideas of the Reformation and the work of Martin Luther.

In 1521, he crossed swords with a local friar who, following a heated debate, exclaimed, "we’d be better off without God’s law than the law of the Pope’" To which Tyndale replied, “I defy the Pope and all his laws. If God spare my life ere many years, I will cause the boy that drives the plow to know more of the Scriptures than you!”

This began his journey of translating the Bible into English. At this time,  it was forbidden for a person to read the Bible in English without a priest’s permission and people were burned at the stake for teaching others the Lord’s Prayer in English.

Tyndale translated much of the Bible into English. His translations were the first English Scriptures to draw directly from Hebrew and Greek texts, and the and the first English translation to use Jehovah as God's name. It was also the first English translation to take advantage of the printing press.

King Henry declared that Tyndale’s books should be burned and punishment doled out to owners. Tyndale was betrayed by his friend Henry Phillips who invited him to lunch and then ambushed him. He was imprisoned outside Brussels for a year, accused of heresy. He was chained to a stake, partially strangled, and then burned.

These men began the movement to create a translation of the Scriptures that could be read in the tongue of the everyday human. Latin and Greek had become dead languages, known only to those few who had the means to pay for higher education. 

Because of their work, we now have a complete translation of the Scriptures, available in almost every language around the world, giving all the opportunity to see what God has to say for Himself.

Isaiah 34:6a- Seek ye out of the book of the LORD, and read:

Summary of Church History (part 2)

Much of what is written during this time period on is written by the Catholic Church. This is where the descent into the Dark Ages began. Anything that the Catholic Church did not agree with was considered heretical.

Jovinian and Vigilantus are considered the forerunners of Protestantism by the Catholic Church.  They basically pull them out from the Christians of the first three centuries who believed the doctrinal positions of salvation by grace through faith and adult baptism and state that they created a new doctrine.

Protestantism was considered the belief in justification of the sinner by faith alone (no works, no communion, etc), the priesthood of all believers (a Christian could pray directly to God and didn't need an earthly priest or the intercession of dead saints), adult baptism (only adults who confessed Christ as their Savior would be baptized; no infant baptism), and the infallibility of Scripture as the sole source of all matters of faith and practice (Scriptures told them how to live, not a contemporary religious leader or an organization).

Jovinian was a fourth century Christian. What was written about him has come from Jerome (the translator of the Latin Vulgate used by the Roman Catholic Church). He taught that a woman's marital status had no bearing on her station in the Christian community- women were all equal regardless of whether they were married, single, or widowed. He preached that marriage was an institution from God given to mankind and that it wasn't wrong for clergy to marry. He believed in the eternal security of the believer ( that once you were saved, your unrighteous works couldn't void your salvation). He also preached that there was a difference between a physical local church on earth and a spiritual heavenly church made up of all believers in Christ.

Vigilantius was a Christian in the early part of the fifth century. He wrote against many contemporary church practices of his day. Jerome also wrote about him as a heretic. Jerome attacked him, calling him a monster for "believing that the graves of martyrs and saints should not be venerated, opposing virginity (celibacy) and being against fasting for the saints." Vigilantius considered praying to "saints" idolatry, and preached against it. He spoke against burning candles for the saints was absurd because those who died in Christ were in the light of His presence. He also spoke out against the donation of money to the church.

Boniface, a seventh century monk, is called by the Catholic Church the "Apostle to the Germans". Not so well known, is that he requested an Army from Pope Gregory II to root out the "heretical missionaries" who had been in Germania for at least a century before he arrived. 

From its inception the Catholic church has held itself as the only path to salvation. Their use of force against any opposing viewpoint has been utilized by them since the beginning. They seem to believe that since they are the only way to heaven, they can be absolved of any perceived wrong-doing in how they "help" people to accept their religion. Anyone who truly studies Catholic history will see the bloody trail they blazed.

The Catholic church likes to point out a "line of succession" from Peter through to those who are called "pope". It's not that Peter chose who would lead after him, and then that guy chose the next in a line of succession. At first the next pope was chosen by consensus among rulers or appointment by the existing pope or other clergy. Since 1274, a new Pope is chosen by the College of Cardinals, who gather in a private meeting called a "conclave" at the Vatican to vote on a new leader; only cardinals under the age of 80 are eligible to vote, and a candidate needs a two-thirds majority to be elected pope.

Bible believers believe that the line of succession comes from the Scriptures, not from the people's choice. We aren’t interested in what person passed the baton to whom. We’re interested in who heeded God's call to take the gospel of Jesus Christ to the world. Christ told the disciples to "go", and Paul told Timothy to find faithful men and teach them so they can carry the gospel forth and teach others.

Matthew 28:19- Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

II Timothy 2:2- And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.

​The Catholic Church says that those who believe differently from the Catholic teachings are heretics and their teachings are new beliefs not found in religion. The Catholic church just wants you to think they are the "real" ones and the others are "fake". 

During the Middle Ages, the Catholic CHurch continued to mix the church and the state. Creating a large religious-political organization. Not every Catholic agreed with this. Religious and political tensions within the Catholic Church led to a massive church split.

The Catholic Church split permanently in the mid-eleventh century- Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox. This event is known as the Great Schism, and it permanently divided the Catholic church into two religious orders.

The differences between the two orders are many. Roman Catholics believe the pope is the highest authority, that priests must remain celebate, Mary is above all the other saints, and that divorce is a sin. The Greek Orthodox church believes that there isn't one absolute authority figure, priests are allowed to marry and have a family, that Mary is equal with the other saints, and that divorce is to be allowed.

Another difference is the Bible version that they used. Jerome's Latin Vulgate became the source Bible for the Roman Catholic Church and their services are still done in Latin. The Greek Orthodox church uses the Septuigent, a Greek translation of the Old Testament, and a Byzantine Text (also in Greek) for the New Testament.

Bible believers chose to follow Scriptures as their sole authority. We can see that since the first century, Paul was preaching against speaking in unknown tongues, forbidding marriage, refusing to eat meat, and there are clear Scriptures that back up the fundamental doctrines that were mentioned previously. 

Of course there were some weirdo’s as there are with all religions and cultures, but most of the Christians back then were Bible believers who were taught by Bible believers and they, in turn, taught others to be Bible believers. Many of these people can be traced back to the 2nd or 3rd century. They are sometimes named after a famous preacher from their sect, sometimes hundreds of years down the road.

Nestorians are Christian that originated in Asia Minor and Syria in the 5th century. They were named after Nestorius. They believed that Christ had two natures, one divine and one human. They said that Mary was the mother of Christ's human nature, and that she had no bearing on His divine nature. Hence, the Nestorians preached against Mary worship. They are said to have done missionary work all over Southern Asia. It is said that in the 13th and 14th centuries, the Nestorian church experienced a resurgence in China under the Mongols, but was suppressed again under the Ming Dynasty. The Xi'an Stele, or Nestorian stone,  erected in 781 that documents 150 years of early Christianity in China. It was thought to have been buried in 845, during the Huichang persecution, and was re-discovered in 1625. Nestorians believed that Jesus Christ would return in the future as a warrior to rescue Israel from trouble.

The Paulicians of Armenia are said to have originated around the 7th century. Their converts would change their names to those of people mentioned in the Pauline Epistles. Some accused them of being Manichaeans (mentioned in part 1).Among other doctrines,  they preached a spiritual baptism of a Christian at the moment of salvation. The Empress of Theodora began persecution of them, and put 100,000 of them to death in 842 AD. Many fled to the area of Yugoslavia and Bulgaria, some to areas of Armenia under Arab control. 

The Bogomils, named after a Macedonian named Bogomil, lived in the Balkans. They are thought to be descendents and converts of the Paulicians. They didn't use the symbol of the cross, or even build churches. Their name literally translates as "dear to God". By the 16th century, the Bogomils had been nearly eliminated due to persecution and conquest.

Waldenses, 12th-century French Christians sometimes known as Lyonists, sought to follow Christ in poverty and simplicity. Waldenses departed from the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church by rejecting some of the seven sacraments. They were known for quoting scripture to defend their beliefs. Known for making their own copies of the Scriptures. They rejected the use of indulgences. They believed that baptism was to be by full immersion in water and was not administered to infants. Waldenses denied the doctrine of transubstantiation. They also rejected the notion of purgatory and of prayers offered for the dead. Additionally, a formal church building was not viewed as necessary to worship God, and thus many Waldenses held services in their homes, stables, or other locations.

In 1215, Pope Innocent III officially denounced the Waldensians as heretics. And in 1487, Pope Innocent VIII issued a bull ordering their extermination. The persecution was so great that there was even a poem written about it by John Milton.

Avenge, O Lord, thy slaughter'd saints, whose bones
       Lie scatter'd on the Alpine mountains cold,
       Ev'n them who kept thy truth so pure of old,
       When all our fathers worshipp'd stocks and stones;
Forget not: in thy book record their groans
       Who were thy sheep and in their ancient fold
       Slain by the bloody Piemontese that roll'd
       Mother with infant down the rocks. Their moans
The vales redoubl'd to the hills, and they
       To Heav'n. Their martyr'd blood and ashes sow
       O'er all th' Italian fields where still doth sway
The triple tyrant; that from these may grow
       A hundred-fold, who having learnt thy way
Early may fly the Babylonian woe.

The Albigensians, also known as Cathars, were Christians that flourished in 12th–13th century southern France. They originated from an anti-materialist reform movement within the Bogomil churches of the Balkans calling for what they saw as a return to the Christian message of perfection, poverty and preaching. Local French Catholics declared that all Albigenses should be put into prison and have their property confiscated. The Albigensian Crusade was a military campaign initiated by Pope Innocent III to eliminate them, which nearly wiped them all out by 1229. This event was instrumental in the coming Medieval Inquisition.

Persecution during the middle ages was led by the Catholic Church and its ruling members. Anyone who disagreed with their teachings, whether Christian or not, would be tortured and/or killed.

What would these crimes be? Rejecting any of their teachings, claiming the Bible is the sole authority of the church, opposing worship of Mary or praying to the saints, discrediting the power of crosses or relics, and claiming that the Lord's table (communion) should be a memorial and not a sacrifice.

The inquisition came about from the Albigensian war. The Inquisition was a Catholic Church office that was established in the 12th century to hunt down and punish heresy in Europe and the Americas. It was known for its severe tortures and persecution of Christians, Jews, and Muslims. Inquisitors went after charges of "suspicion" of heresy.  

Romans 8:36​- As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.

What does God have to say about those who gave their life for the gospel?

Hebrews 11:35b-38-  and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.

God views these people as extraordinary men and women of whom the world was not worthy.

​Many of the people who fled to America did so to escape persecution. It's one of the reasons there is such wording as "separation of church and state". It was to keep the state from telling churches what they had to preach and teach. The purpose was so no government could persecute anyone based on their religious beliefs.

Bible believers wanted a country where they could freely study the Scriptures and follow their teachings without fear of retribution from opposing religious organizations. The rules and laws of this country allow people to worship uninhibited, so long as their religious practices don't violate any other persons freedoms.

The inquisitions are also why America’s forefathers put “innocent until proven guilty” into our constitution. It was a safeguard to help keep a tyrannical government at bay.​ In America, you cannot be accused of a crime, and then tortured until you confess. Your accuser must put forth evidence that proves beyond a doubt that you are guilty of the crime you are being accused of.

Summary of Church History (part 1)

This study may be exhausting, but it is in no wise exhaustive. More has been lost to time regarding the true Church than we could ever imagine.

The church begins after Christ is resurrected, though it remained a mystery until Paul pointed it out.

Ephesians 5:32- This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.

The eleven disciples of Jesus Christ plus Matthias, which was selected to take the place of Judas Iscariot, are the first stones laid for this mysterious entity of which Christ is the foundation.

To be an apostle, you had to fit certain criteria. There are no apostles living today! They all died out back in the first century. 

Acts 1:15-17,21-22- And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples, and said, (the number of names together were about an hundred and twenty,) Men and brethren, this scripture must needs have been fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost by the mouth of David spake before concerning Judas, which was guide to them that took Jesus. For he was numbered with us, and had obtained part of this ministry.  Wherefore of these men which have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection.

To be an apostle, you had to have started with the baptism of John, and have been a follower of Christ until he ascended to heaven.

The only exception to this would be Paul. We don't know whether Paul was around during Christ's earthly ministry. It is very possible that he was even in the palace of the high priest where Jesus was questioned before the religious leaders of the Jews.

He shows up by name at the end of Acts 7 at the death of Stephen. Paul was called out by God through a sign (because he was a Jew and Jews require a sign) for a specific purpose- to become the apostle to the Gentiles.

II Timothy 1:11- Whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles.

I Corinthians 15:9- For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.

Paul didn't think he deserved the title of apostle because he persecuted the church of God. But God had other plans for him. Since the Jews require a sign, God knocked Paul off his horse and spoke to him directly. He was literally called out for the mission.

Galatians 1:15-18- But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace, To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood: Neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me; but I went into Arabia, and returned again unto Damascus. Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and abode with him fifteen days.

It's been speculated that Paul got some specialized training from God himself while he was out in Arabia. This is perhaps where Paul was taught all the mysteries that were revealed to us through him.

By the end of the first century, all of the apostles had died. Everything that we know comes from what they had written down and had been copied and passed on. There are some things that have been lost to history.

Colossians 4:16- And when this epistle is read among you, cause that it be read also in the church of the Laodiceans; and that ye likewise read the epistle from Laodicea.

We still have the epistle of Paul to the Colossians, but the epistle to Laodicea has been lost to time. We believe that God made certain everything that we needed to know was preserved for us in our current Scriptures.

Paul is where we get most of our Christian distinctives. Paul was the first to point out that the gospel of Jesus Christ was his death, burial, and resurrection. Paul tells us of the mystery of the rapture. His epistles tell us that once our souls are saved, they are sealed by the Holy Spirit who comes to dwell inside of us. 

Most early Christians believed these basic principles:

1. God is the head of the universal church, and each local church has a pastor who is suppose to be submitted to God alone. There is no person or entity that resides over all physical churches.
2. Every Christian can go before God themselves in prayer and the only mediator that is required is the Lord Jesus Christ.
3. Each person has to make their own decision to accept Christ as their personal Savior. It is not something that you are born into or a decision that your parents make for you when you are a child.
4. Justification came by grace through faith and works were not a part of the salvation of the soul, but rather should be done because one was already forgiven by God.
5. Baptism should only be performed on adult believers after their profession of faith, and it has nothing to do with completing their salvation but rather is a physical picture of their salvation to those who witness the event. Baptism is complete submersion underwater and not a sprinkling of water on a person.
6. God is worshipped in spirit and not via idols or images. God is the only person that is worshipped, and no man (living or dead) should ever be worshipped along with Him.
7. Those who are saved will be removed from the earth before the Tribulation period happens. This event, called the rapture, will mark the end of the Church Age period. The Tribulation is where God again deals with the Jewish nation, and it will end with the physical reign of Christ on earth. This is also known as eternal security of the soul.
8. Christ's one sacrifice on the cross of Calvary is enough to pay for the sins of the entire world, and anyone who will humble themselves and accept Christ as their Savior will be saved. There is no need for continual sacrifices.
9. Israel is temporarily blinded to the fact that they rejected their Messiah, but God isn't through with the nation of Israel and will one day restore to them His promises when they repent and accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

Paul's doctrine was not accepted by everyone, even when he was alive. He was constantly calling out the heresies in his epistles. There are some different doctrines, or principles, taught throughout history by different denominations of the church, and when possible I will point these out during this summary. Paul warned about a departure from the faith, and we see that happen throughout the next two millennia.

II Timothy 4:1-4- I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

After the first century, the gospel had been spread throughout most of Europe, parts of Northern Africa, and into Eastern Asia. It spread the fastest among the Greek speaking Romans of Europe, which is probably why it is referred to as the "white man's religion". Most major cities of the Roman Empire contained a church and taught about the Jewish Jesus who died for the sins of the world.

Not only was there much evangelizing happening, but also much persecution and death. Tertullian, one of the 2nd-century ecclesiastical writers, wrote that "the blood of martyrs is the seed of the Church". Note that most of these groups of Christians are named after a well-known leader. This still happens today. Many people who believe the same as Dr. Peter Ruckman are referred to as "Ruckmanites".

John 15:20- Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.

 The Roman Empire did its best to try to stamp out Christianity. Paul was killed by Nero. Vespasian destroyed the Jewish temple, and then went after the Jews and Christians of his time. Domitian tried to kill and then exiled the apostle John to the isle of Patmos. Then came the persecutions under Trajan, Hadrian, Marcus Aurelius, and Maximinus. Next, Decius decided that all Christians had to pay homage to the Roman gods or be killed; he went so far as to prohibit Christian worship within the empire. Valerian continued the terror. He was followed by Diocletian, who brought about the “Great Persecution” which took the killing of Christians to all areas of the Roman empire. 

With the passing of the Apostles, the Scriptures became the sole authority on all matters of faith and practice. Those who try to assume the position of an apostle now-a-days are liars looking to teach heresies. The things that seemed harmless, but that crept into the churches were the veneration of martyrs and church fathers (trying to make their teachings of equal authority with the Scriptures), the apostolic succession of leaders (giving them the same authority as the original apostles of Jesus Christ), philosophy and allegorical teaching of Scriptures (instead of literal and spiritual interpretations), accommodation of traditions into the church, and (possibly the largest error) positions in the church given a greater role than that of spiritual oversight and servanthood.

Matthew 20:27- And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant:

Clement of Rome was a leading member in the church of Rome around the end of the first century. The Catholic Church likes to call him the first pope to succeed after the Apostle Peter, whom Tertullian claims actually ordained Clement. He asserted the authority of the presbyters as rulers of the church because they had been appointed by the Apostles. He used the world "laity" to describe the church members, and raised the position of bishop, or pastor, to that equal to the Levitical Priesthood. According to tradition, Clement was banished from Rome to the Chersonesus during the reign of Trajan and was set to work in a stone quarry. He was eventually martyred by being tied to an anchor and thrown from a boat into the Black Sea.

Ignatius of Antioch is said to have converted to Christianity when he was a young man. Tradition identifies him as friends with Polycarp and a disciple of the Apostle John. Ignatius was condemned to death for his faith, but instead of being executed in his home town of Antioch, the bishop was taken to Rome by a company of ten soldiers. The Epistle of Ignatius to the Magnesians was said to have been written during this journey. The epistle calls for unity and submission in the church. He also advocates the idea that Christians should observe the Lord's Day every Sunday, rather than the Jewish Sabbath on Saturdays. And he also cautions against false doctrine. He called himself the "son of the church" and reinforced the teaching that the laity be subject to the presbytery. During the journey, the soldiers seem to have allowed the chained Ignatius to meet with numerous Christian visitors. They also allowed Ignatius to send six letters to nearby churches, and one to Polycarp, the bishop of Smyrna. He is said to have been martyred during the reign of Trajan.

Polycarp was also said to be a disciple of the Apostle John, and that John himself ordained him as the bishop of Smyrna, on the west coast of Turkey. Polycarp taught that salvation is by grace rather than works and Christ's second coming as a judge. Polycarp in his letter calls Jesus the "son of God" and the "eternal high priest". Irenaeus reports that Polycarp was converted to Christianity by the apostles. He was martyred either under Hadrian or Marcus Aurelius.

Clement of Alexandria was a teacher of Origen. He was an educated man that was greatly influenced by the writings of Plato. He had some very interesting ideas about morality, and taught extensively on Christian virtue. His is the first teaching that ever suggested the Apostle Peter went to Rome, and he believed that baptism is what admitted a person into the church. He is said to die in the early third century, but how and where remain unknown.

Origen Adamantius, the student of Clement of Alexandria, further advocated that pastors are priests and fathers. Eusebius claims that, as a young man, following a literal reading of Matthew 19:12, that Origen castrated himself, though Origen never mentions this in any of his writings. Origin applied philosophy and science to Scripture teaching an allegorical interpretation. His interpretations were used in the Latin Vulgate. Around 249 AD, the Plague of Cyprian broke out, and Emperor Decius, believing that the plague was caused by Christians' failure to recognize him as divine, issued a decree for Christians to be persecuted. Origen was imprisoned and tortured for over 2 years. He refused to renounce Christ the entire time, and once released, died less than a year later.

True Christianity arrived in what we call today Britain in the first or second century. There it flourished in its unadulterated form until in the sixth century when Augustine showed up bringing the Roman Catholic version. Augustine's mission in 597 AD from the Pope in Rome to King Aethelbert of Kent set the future course of Roman Catholicism in Britain, creating an alliance between Roman Catholicism and the monarchy.

Mani was a Persian Christian who believed and taught that both the Old and the New Testaments were inspired by God. He preached the deity of Christ, His death, burial and resurrection, the baptism of adults by immersion, and the Premillennial return of Christ. He was hanged for speculating on a pre-Adamic world (the Gap theory). Anyone who taught that there was a "god of this world" (i.e. the devil) was considered a Manichean.

The Montanists were a group of believers in Phrygia who were known for separation and believed in baptism of adult converts, premillennialism, and speaking in tongues. Anyone who stated they believed in premillennial views was considered a Montanist.

Justin Martyr was a native of Samaria around the end of the first century, who eventually moved to Ephesus. He is said to have met an old man who spoke with him about God, though it is unknown when exactly his conversion happened. Justin mentioned the first three Gospels and quoted, or paraphrased, the letters of Paul and Peter; he was the first known writer to quote from the Acts of the Apostles. He was beheaded by order of Marcus Aurelius along with six other Christians for refusing to offer sacrifices to Roman gods.

It was Justin Martyr who started the infant baptism idea. He called baptism the "water bath of our regeneration". Tertullian takes this and taught that baptism made you a church member. Later, Cyprian would connect baptism with the idea that you could "wash away original sin". This ended with baptism of infants being used to wash away the sin that humans are born with. And this became a distinctive in the Roman Catholic church to bind people into this religious system from fear of damning their children.

The Edict of Serdica, issued in 311 AD by the Roman Emperor Galerius ended the Diocletian persecution. The Edict of Milan, issued in 313 AD by Emperor Constantine, granted religious liberty within the Roman Empire. It is unknown how many Christians had been tortured and killed throughout these first three hundred years, and you might think that this edict was a wonderful thing, but it brought about a very dark entity.

In Northern Africa, the Donatists followed the teachings of Donatus Magnus, who refused to baptize babies, and would rebaptize adult believers. He also believed that penance had the ability to resolve Christians of their sins. The differences between the Donatists and other believers in Carthage began to argue about their differences in doctrinal views. This led them to appeal to Caesar to settle their differences. This one appeal set a dangerous precedent that would allow the government to step into and govern the church. The Council of Arles ruled against the Donatists, and a battle ensued. This led to some churches being confiscated and shut down by the emperor.

This is where the Roman empire started to fade, and we begin to see the rise of the "Holy Roman Empire", also known as the Catholic church. This is where the church and the government basically became one. And it was not the true Christian church that followed the gospel of Jesus Christ.

This new religion was heralded by Augustine, and taught such things as unconditional election (God chooses who would be saved and who would be damned), purgatory, infant baptism, persecution of heretics, and ecclesiastical hierarchy (there's an order of command in the church going up to one all-powerful leader). He promoted a "Christian" city that would rule over the kingdoms of the world. 

This new church needed a book to rival the Scriptures. So they hired Jerome who revised the old Latin text from Alexandria which became the standard Catholic bible known as the Latin Vulgate.

Isaiah 31:1- Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help; and stay on horses, and trust in chariots, because they are many; and in horsemen, because they are very strong; but they look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek the LORD!

They used this text because it could be easily manipulated. It was full of philosophy. All versions of Bible translations except the King James use this text. All result in doubtful disputations.

Acts 6:9-10- Then there arose certain of the synagogue, which is called the synagogue of the Libertines, and Cyrenians, and Alexandrians, and of them of Cilicia and of Asia, disputing with Stephen. And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spake.

The sectof the Alexandrians couldn't stand up to Stephen. They resorted to killing him. Any church that relies on this manuscript will be okay with persecution and martyrdom. It's the reason the Latin Vulgate was created.

The Emperor Constantine ordered all other religious books to be burned. He decreed that all who opposed this new religion would be banished or exiled, and have their property confiscated. They even went as far as to pass laws that those who oppose this religion couldn't appeal to Caesar for judgment. It was allowed for anyone who professed Christianity outside the Roman Catholic Church to be abused, raped, sold into slavery, have their homes destroyed, to be banned from businesses, or to be tortured and killed without any legal recourse on the perpetrator.

Acts 24:14- But this I confess unto thee, that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets:

The Council of Nicaea in 325 AD was called to settle a dispute concerning the nature of Christ. The council was called by Constantine because Arius was teaching that since Jesus was a created human, He wasn't divine. It was the first effort to create a "consensus" of leaders in the church to create a summary of beliefs. 

The original Nicene Creed read as follows:

We believe in one God, the Father almighty,
maker of all things visible and invisible;
And in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the Son of God,
begotten from the Father, only-begotten,
that is, from the substance of the Father,
God from God, light from light,
true God from true God, begotten not made,
of one substance with the Father,
through Whom all things came into being,
things in heaven and things on earth,
Who because of us men and because of our salvation came down,
and became incarnate and became man, and suffered,
and rose again on the third day, and ascended to the heavens,
and will come to judge the living and dead,
And in the Holy Spirit.
But as for those who say, There was when He was not,
and, Before being born He was not,
and that He came into existence out of nothing,
or who assert that the Son of God is of a different hypostasis or substance,
or created, or is subject to alteration or change
– these the Catholic and apostolic Church anathematizes.

It ended with all non-Catholic views considered illegal, their meetings were banned, and their property was confiscated by the empire. Anyone who even considered aloud would be in trouble of excommunication from the Catholic church.

Patrick was a fourth or fifth century Christian missionary in Ireland. According to Patrick's autobiography, when he was about sixteen, he was captured by pirates from his home in Britain and taken as a slave to Ireland. He writes that he lived there for six years as an animal herder before escaping and returning to his family. He states that the time he spent in captivity was critical to his spiritual development, explaining that the Lord had mercy on his youth and ignorance, and afforded him the opportunity to be forgiven of his sins and to grow in his faith through prayer. After becoming a cleric, he returned to Ireland to preach the gospel. It is said that he baptized thousands of converts, ordained ministers, founded churches, and traveled the whole of Ireland with the gospel. 

Columba was a fifth century Irish Christian missionary in Scotland. He is said to have arrived with twelve companions to convert the Picts. He translated books, wrote hymns, founded churches, and even witnessed to pagan kings. Some of the Scottish clans claim to be descendants of Columba.

By the sixth century, the Roman empire was pretty much done for, but the Catholic Religious empire was ready to step in and take charge. As Thomas Hobbes wrote, "The papacy is no other than the ghost of the deceased Roman Empire, sitting crowned upon the grave thereof." Leo is actually the first pope of this new religion. He was made the supreme pontiff of the church by Emperor Valentinian III. Just 500 years later, Pope Innocent would declare himself king and priest of all earthly kingdoms.

The progression of Catholic Doctrine:

• 300 AD- Prayers for the dead and making the sign on the cross
• 375 AD- Worship of saints and martyrs and use of images in worship
• 431 AD- Worship of Mary as the mother of God, instead of the mother of Jesus
• 526 AD- Last rights
• 788 AD- Worship of cross, images, and relics
• 1074 AD- Clerical celibacy decreed
• 1090 AD- Beads introduced with the rosary
• 1215 AD- Confessional instituted; transubstantiation taught
• 1416 AD- the Cup forbidden for the common people
• 1439 AD- Purgatory proclaimed as Dogma
• 1545 AD- Tradition is equal with Scriptures
• 1546 AD- Apocrypha added to the canon of Scriptures
• 1854 AD- Immaculate conception of Mary (Mary was born without sin)
• 1870 AD- Infallibility of the Pope
• 1950 AD- The bodily assumption of Mary (Mary was taken bodily to heaven)
• 1965 AD- Mary proclaimed to be the mother of the church

From this time forward, there was a distinction between the True Bible Believing church who sent missionaries to tell people about the gospel of Jesus Christ, and the Catholic church who would grow their numbers through forced conversion upon penalty of torture and death. 

Good News From A Far Country (video sermon)

Things Work Out (poem)

Because it rains when we wish it wouldn't,
Because men do what they often shouldn't,
Because crops fail, and plans go wrong-
Some of us grumble all day long.
But somehow, in spite of the care and doubt,
It seems at last that things work out.

Because we lose where we hoped to gain,
Because we suffer a little pain,
Because we must work when we'd like to play-
Some of us whimper along life's way.
But somehow, as day always follows the night,
Most of our troubles work out all right.

Because we cannot forever smile,
Because we must trudge in the dust awhile,
Because we think that the way is long-
Some of us whimper that life's all wrong.
But somehow we live and our sky grows bright,
And everything seems to work out all right.

So bend to your trouble and meet your care,
For the clouds must break, and the sky grow fair.
Let the rain come down, as it must and will,
But keep on working and hoping still.
For in spite of the grumblers who stand about,
Somehow, it seems, all things work out.

-Edgar Albert Guest

Time & Eternity

Time is measured, and is alike at both ends; it began with a day, and will end with a day. Hence the evening and the morning were said to be the first day, as the universal judgment is called the last day.
Time is only little thought of—by those who think still less of eternity. But if I look into a future world, I will see of the great importance of every moment of my time, who with my allotted time—must prepare for this everlasting fixed state.
Time is short, and eternity is long! Yet, in this short time, I must prepare for long eternity! O! what a duration is before me! But what a foolish infatuation is within me—that I should mind the trifling things of time, and forget the great concerns of eternity! N
Then it is wisdom to be prepared for death. Always expect him—and you will not be​ terrified at his approach. Thus I should look on every day as my last, that when my last day comes, it may not come unlooked for, nor overtake me unprepared.
And yet, (woe is me!) am I not more anxious to grow in earthly things—than to grow for heaven? Will not the fear of temporal losses outweigh the joy I should have in believing? While God and glory have a passing meditation in my heart, have not the vanities of the world a permanent mansion? Does not worldly sorrow take deeper root in my soul, than spiritual joy? And, were my thoughts counted up—most would be spent on earthly vanities—while sacred things have scarcely a concern!
One thinks least on what he loves least. O mournful conclusion! that I love God least, since he is least in my thoughts! But let me rise in my contemplation, and see the celestial multitudes, dwelling in the full display of his glory. Should anything below concern him, who has his eternal portion above? Should the pleasures of the world, which are but painted clouds, and airy appearances, entice him; or the troubles of the world terrify him, who is in a little while, to take his eternal farewell of both? Let adversities keep close at his heels, heaven has an open door for him, into which, while they must stand outside; he shall enter inside, and remember his misery no more.
No incursions there on the adoring soul, from the world, or from vanity, from sin, Satan, or the flesh. No weariness there, where my adorations are not measured by minutes, cramped by corruption, or cut short by bodily indisposition.
Weeping endured for a little, through the short night of time—but joy has come in the morning of the resurrection; and we have a song in this solemn assembly, and gladness, being come into the house of the Lord. Our happiness shall utter hallelujahs, our glory sing your praise, and never be silent.
We have—a kingdom which cannot be moved—an undefiled inheritance, and that does not fade away—a city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God. We have garments of glory, a crown of righteousness, a crown of life; the tree of life to feed upon, the fountain of life to drink of, and the garden of God to walk in. Now the day has broken, the shadows fled away, and all is eternal noon!
How little should I regard the applause or censure of this fleeting world? According to my ability, I should do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith. I should be frank in forgiving injuries, and repaying evil with good. Under the most injurious treatment, I may commit my matters to him that will bring forth my righteousness as the noon-day.
So I, who have the treasures of eternity before me—should be of a heavenly turn of mind, and scorn to be greatly concerned about earthly trifles! Since I am exalted to this heavenly honor—the glory of God, the good of his church, and the salvation of souls—will be my daily request, my heart's desire, my daily prayer; and, according to my ability, the struggle and endeavor of my whole life!

Excerpts from Solitude Sweetened by James Meikle

Do You Know How It Feels (song)

Body, Soul, and Spirit

The human body is a miracle of ingenuity. From our DNA and our microbiome to our voluntary and involuntary actions, everything about us testifies of an intelligent designer.

However, there is much more to a person than just their physical body. We were made in the image of God. Many people believe that refers to our shape.

But God is a triune being consisting of a body (Jesus Christ), a soul (God the Father), and a spirit (Holy Ghost).

God can't be considered a God of love if He only loves Himself. There has to be someone else to love or else what you have is a narcissist.

I John 5:7- For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.

John 1:14- And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

Matthew 28:19- Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

When God said, "Let us make man in our image", He was speaking of creating a triune being like himself.

Every human alive has a body (no one can really object to that fact), a soul (that which is our true self), and a spirit (the life giving portion). The body and soul are absolutely unique to the individual. The spirit, however, is something that passes from person to person at conception.

• Soma (σῶμα): Body
• Psyche (ψυχή): Soul
• Pneuma (πνεῦμα): Spirit

The human body shows the signs of sin. Each day, as we grow older, our decisions leave an indelible mark on our body. The curse of sin is that our body will one day die.

Romans 5:12- Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

No one knows how much time they will have on the earth in their body. For some, death is the end of the body. For others, death is just a pause.

When an unsaved person dies, their soul and spirit leave their body, never again to be joined together. They are considered dead. But, when a saved person dies, their soul is just waiting for the resurrection of the body when they will be joined together again in a glorified, eternal body. They are considered sleeping.

I Thessalonians 4:13-14- But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.

The body, however, was not the first part of man to feel the curse of sin. It was the spirit that died instantly when Adam sinned. 

Ephesians 2:1- And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;

Those who are unsaved will lose their spirit at death. This spirit will go back to God because it was His breath that gave you life.

Genesis 2:7- And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

Job 33:4- The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life.

Our spirit is different than that of animals. They have life, but it wasn't given by the breath of God. 

Ecclesiastes 3:21- Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth?

But, there is a further difference in the spirit of an unsaved man and the spirit of a saved man. The man who has asked Jesus Christ to forgive him of his sins and pay their sin debt with the blood that He shed on Calvary has an awakened spirit.

The verse above in Ephsians says that He quickened you when you were saved. He put the Holy Spirit inside of you, sealing you with a part of Him.

Ephesians 1:13- In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,

What was the promise? That He would raise your body up as an incorruptible, eternal dwelling place for your soul, also known as the day of redemption, when your soul and body are rejoined.

Ephesians 4:30- And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.

There are some who would argue that the soul and the spirit are the same thing, but the Scriptures differentiate between the two.

Hebrews 4:12- For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

The spirit is where intuition and instinct come from. The soul is sometimes referred to as the mind. It is where your decisions and choices are made. It's the place where love and hate are determined.

As previously stated, the soul is the eternal part of you. That which shall live forever somewhere. 

The Scriptures give a small look at how that worked under the Old Testament laws. Christ told the story of the rich man and Lazarus. This is not a parable. Parables didn't name people. This was a true story that Christ was telling to impress people about two things- the afterlife and that the risen Savior would be rejected by some men.

Luke 16:19-31- There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence. Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house: For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.

First, notice that the state of the body doesn't indicate the status of the soul. The rich man was not rich because he was a good person, nor was Lazarus a beggar because he was evil.

The soul can go to two places- hell or heaven. 

In this story, we can see that the soul has the ability to speak, hear, see, feel, and also has fingers and a tongue. If you could actually see a soul, it would look just like your body.

Now, let's look at the end of a man's life. The body dies and is buried. That body slowly decays until it becomes dust. That is the end of an unsaved man's body forever.

Genesis 3:19- In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

Only a saved person's body will ever be recreated into a new body. And that will only happen at the rapture.

Philippians 3:21- Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.

When your last breath is breathed, both the spirit and the soul leave the body. The spirit goes back to heaven with God. The soul goes either to heaven of hell, depending upon what decision the person made while they were alive regarding whether to accept Christ's payment for their sins or to reject Him.

A saved man's soul goes straight to heaven to be with God where he will be judged according to his works after salvation. This is where he will hear whether he will be rewarded during the millennium or not. 

II Corinthians 5:6-8- Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.

The unsaved man's soul goes to hell. But that's not the end for him; he will get his day in court.

Revelation 20:13- And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.

The unsaved man's soul will stand before God and be judged. He will see every good decision and every bad decision. He will see exactly where and how many times he was offered a chance to accept Christ as his Savior and where he rejected Him.

Romans 2:16- In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.

Matthew 12:37- For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.

Then he will be cast into the Lake of Fire, Outer darkness.

Revelation 20:15- And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

The lake of fire is where Satan and his devils will spend their eternity. And, he has this one comfort, that he was able to condemn so many for whom the Lord Jesus Christ paid the price.

Revelation 20:10- And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

When God calls out Satan, He sometimes calls him out as the men through whom he worked. In this passage below, God is calling the devil by the name of Pharaoh.

Ezekiel 32:27-31- And they shall not lie with the mighty that are fallen of the uncircumcised, which are gone down to hell with their weapons of war: and they have laid their swords under their heads, but their iniquities shall be upon their bones, though they were the terror of the mighty in the land of the living. Yea, thou shalt be broken in the midst of the uncircumcised, and shalt lie with them that are slain with the sword. There is Edom, her kings, and all her princes, which with their might are laid by them that were slain by the sword: they shall lie with the uncircumcised, and with them that go down to the pit. There be the princes of the north, all of them, and all the Zidonians, which are gone down with the slain; with their terror they are ashamed of their might; and they lie uncircumcised with them that be slain by the sword, and bear their shame with them that go down to the pit. Pharaoh shall see them, and shall be comforted over all his multitude, even Pharaoh and all his army slain by the sword, saith the Lord GOD. 

Satan is going to think himself a winner because he was able to take so many to the eternal fires of separation from God.

But, there is one more thing that will happen to an unsaved man's soul. They have already lost the triune image of God, but they will lose their human form and convert to the form of the devil.

Matthew 9:48- Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.

Satan's cursed form is that of a snake.

Genesis 3:14- And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:

The unsaved man's soul will take on the image of the one they chose to follow. 

That's why Christ asked in Mark 8:36- For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?

What about you, dear reader? What is your soul worth? Have you consciously made a decision about where the eternal part of you will go after your body dies?

Your default position is damnation. No decision leaves your soul on the path to hell.

Matthew 27:22a- Pilate saith unto them, What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ?

Pilate asked the Jews this question, and they got the wrong answer. Now, I put this question to you. What will you do with the offer of salvation for your soul?

 Jesus already paid the price. All you have to do is accept it.

I Thessalonians 5:23- And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.