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CHURCH HISTORY
First let's define CHURCH
What Church is NOT-
Church is not a building. Nor is Church an institution.
WHAT CHURCH IS
The word CHURCH is the word EKKLESIA. The ekklesia was a gathering of citizens in ancient Greek city-states. The word translates to "gathering of those summoned". or "CALLED OUT ASSEMBLY".
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We see evidences of early new testament churches as early as the book of Acts. In the new Testament the Apostle Paul wrote letters to 7 churches. In the book of Revelation John wrote to 7 churches. Actually, there were at least 100 known churches by the time of John's letters to the churches. All these churches were simply groups of people who met in homes. The early Church studied God's word, prayed together, frequently had food and fellowship, regularly did street evangelism which included healing the sick, casting out demons, etc. There were times when the Jews allowed churches to meet in Synagogues if they needed more space.
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Around 200 ad there were some Christian's that would often meet on or near the graves of martyrs. Around 250 ad they started building structures and meeting in building type facilities larger than a home.
From 33 ad to 325 ad the church endured severe persecution under 10 evil Roman Emperors.
In 325 AD Emperor Constantine had a conversion type experience. Around 325 he took over authority of the church . From that point on, if you wanted to be a Christian, you had to submit to the Church of Rome.
From 325 AD to 1517 Christians who refused to Submit to The Church of Rome (Roman Catholicism) were either murdered or endured heavy persecution. Estimates are over 50 million Christians were murdered under Roman Catholicism.
From around 100 ad to 325 ad a handful of church leaders developed doctrines opposed to scripture. Those doctrines include transubstantiation, infant baptism, etc.
As Rome took over the church other traditions and/or doctrines crept in like THE WORSHIP OF MARY, CELIBACY OF PRIESTHOOD, prayers to the dead, etc.
Constantine and several of his predecessors merged many pagan traditions with Christian doctrines. For example; the date of Christmas. It's very clear it was not December 25th. Why? First, the animals wouldn't have been grazing in fields. Second, Herod would not have asked them to travel mid December in cold of winter. He needed their tax money. So where did it come from? Emperor Aurelian established the birth of Sol Invictus (Unconquered Sun) on the 25th December. As a result, Constantine put the celebration of Christmas on same day.
Easter was first a pagan holiday of renewal and rebirth. Honored in the early spring, it praised the pagan goddess of fertility and spring known as 'Ostara', 'Eastre' or 'Eostre'. The word “Easter” finds its etymology from the goddess's name. Easter traditions like bunnies and eggs are all tied to pagan fertility gods. The same is true with many other holidays, events, and traditions like Halloween, replacing gods with saints, etc.
That's not all. Catholicism and the Vatican are plastered with pagan idols and symbols. For example; in the very center of the Vatican courtyard is a pagan Obelisk. Around the base of the Obelisk are two circles. One on outside and one on inside. Both of those are pagan symbols. These are just a few of many examples.
They are everywhere in the Vatican and in Catholic Churches. Notice the focus on Mary . There are more prayers to Mary than to Jesus. It's paganism . This is why it's important to study Revelation 17 and 18? Catholicism meets every single criteria of The Woman Who Rides the Beast. No other organization comes close .
Catholicism is now a mix of paganism, man made traditions, and Biblical doctrines. The problem is, the paganism and man made traditions are so profound, they pollute the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
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Watch this video for a study on the Pagan Roots of the Catholic Church
Preview YouTube video The Pagan Roots of the Roman Catholic Church - Part 1
Sadly, the protestant reformation didn't do enough to bring the church back to the church that existed from 33 ad to around 250 ad. The good news is you are beginning to see a movement that direction.
Also, The Catholic Church didn't give us the Bible . The 66 books of Bible were in circulation by 100 ad not the Catholic Bible 300 years later.
We encourage folks to do a deep study on Revelation 2 and 3. You will find a prophetic layout of church history tucked in John's words to the 7 churches.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGuYdFQhm04
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Please note: Many people say there are CATHOLICS and PROTESTANTS. That is not accurate. There are many CHRISTIANS who are NOT CATHOLIC and NOT PROTESTANT. These are people who identify with the first 300 years of Biblical Christianity. Many of which meet in homes similar to the early new testament model.
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