Cutting the Apron Strings

From the Mother Church

Part 2

If you have not read part 1, this may sound quite confusing, and I highly suggest you go back . Cutting The Apron Strings from the Mother Church Part 1 I originally wrote this, about three or four years ago on one very long post, and like many with short attention spans, I have decided to revise it again for a second time. The second revision turned it into a three-part post, and it's my goal to bring it down to only two. This time, not only am I better educated and informed, my opinion of the Protestant movement has changed drastically with the new information I've acquired over the years. Part 1 was about the origins of GOD's Work with His people and how he constantly had to pull out a Remnant of one or a few to start over. This will follow that pattern out of the dark ages and into the Renaissance.

Before Constantine and the Papacy created their own religion called Christianity, the Roman empire terrorized any religion that did not worship the current emperor as lord over all. The only change Christianity made was it terrorized and killed anything who did not submit to the Papacy for another thousand years. How did that make anything better? It did not. It transferred one inhumanity with another. The printing press invention increased this terror for awhile until enough people caught on and the power of the press stopped the Papacy's terror on humanity.

The Reformation beginning with Martin Luther began as GOD calling out a remnant from the very corrupt tyrannical mother church. The only problem with this movement is what I call the rebellious daughter leaving the mother, but still taking too much of the corrupted mother's teaching. Basically, as humans, we can't completely disassociate ourselves with our foundation, but we can take out what we don't like and keep what we do. I call this cut and paste religion. Most religions are replete with cutting and pasting, taking Scriptures out of context and making them fit our man-made doctrines. Christianity has made an art form of it, no pun intended, well maybe intended a little. That is an aggreges sin worst of all, because we take what GOD said, make it match what we want it to say and completely twist the Absolute Truth that GOD wanted us to learn from in the beginning. What happens then is hundreds of years of cutting and pasting then when told enough become absolute truth to man but a completely apostate religion in the eyes of GOD.

The age of discovery had begun and new territories and lands were discovered. After about 200 years, GOD was unhappy with those incomplete reforms, and He stirred up another remnant who decided they did not want to be married to the state religion. They were called Separatists, and they decided to rent a boat and put a huge body of water between them and the state controlled religion. I imagine everyone must know with whom I am referring. As it turns out, seven years ago, my daughter did a search of our ancestry and traced it all the way back to George Soule, who was on that ship. He even signed the Mayflower Compact, which was the first primary and preliminary form of government run by the people for the people. This nation of separatists would not be governed by the (religious) monarchy, but be a free nation ruled by the people. It's official and adopted Constitution was built on the foundational conceptual purposes of GOD's Judeo-Christian principles, and it called for a freedom OF religious practice, not freedom from religion as some like to incorrectly quote. That meant the government would have no power to govern any religious practice or activity, assembling, or infringe on a person’s right to believe what they believe GOD has taught them to believe.

   

   

This wonderful little remnant was free from the adulterous relationship of the church married to the state and was free to be the true Bride of Christ, however, and with flawed humans, there is always a however, this reformation, again, remained true to the central location structural style of worship, but it's cathedral system was somewhat limited in size and scope for a time. By the 1700's, GOD would have His people on the move again, but this time, in a missionary fashion all over the world to bring grace and truth to peoples in unknown portions and undeveloped regions of the world. The Protestant Reformation introduced the major theme of Grace into Christianity over Sacraments and works and obedience to an institution.

Thousands of denominations were birthed out of that reformation, and for some reason, I can't see that as a movement of GOD, but rather a movement of man. Men will never be able to agree on anything, it goes as far back as Cain and Abel. Why do we think in this modern age we will ever get unity correct. I would like to say that we got it right, finally, but as the human condition falls even further from GOD's original intent, it became warped, again. Eventually, Grace warped into almost a religion of its own. It was preserved, but warped into a different kind of grace, a cheap hyper grace.

Universities became learning centers to carry on, carry out, and train pastors to believe what their professors taught them to believe, and how to perform in and operate the business of a church as the leader of the flock. If you know your Scriptures, you know that was the intent of Balaam, a false prophet of old, told a wicked king, "If you can't beat them, corrupt them." My friends, contrary to popular belief, the devil, a created being, by the way, and not a divine one, is not hanging around the red districts in downtowns. No, he likes being in the churches where he sends his minions to do his bidding to mess with people so they can mess up GOD's good work. Thousands of denominations, millions of men teaching in error, and like the book of Judges say, "There was no "king" (central truth), and everyone did what was right in their own eyes." Now if ever there was a truth in our churches today, that is it!

These incorporated religious institutions have grown so elaborate and sophisticated that it’s not just one central building of worship, but there are huge multi-structural campuses, thus having to hire a staff of employees to keep the business running, bringing in more “customers," I mean converts, to keep the pews filled, the offering plate full, as well as the staff busy running the programs. A board of director is required with any incorporated business, because the corporation answers to the state in lieu of audits of their finances. They claim non-profit status, but really, they are very profitable, (Revelation 3, the rich church) it’s just doled out in huge salaries for men and women making a career out of climbing the corporate ladder of the corrupt incorporated church entity.

If a John-the-Baptist walked into today’s church, would he be recognized? How about a Jeremiah, or an Ezekiel, or even a Daniel. I venture to say, no, they wouldn’t. In fact, if one of those guys walked into a church, they'd be told to go seek professional counseling for their delusional faith, and be ostracized. Take it from one who knows. These huge conglomerate incorporated churches became so self-sufficient, and marketed by man, that the worship of GOD, by the congregations became just a past-time. For nearly all, this movement became a way of life for sleeping participants, who are now bottle-fed the same old select verses in a typical New Testament church, in weekly segments, in many different styles, degrees of complexity, with grace and truth further being watered down and less defined by the Scripturally-dumbing down of GOD's people.

Currently, GOD's people basically fit into two different but equally damaging sects. The Epistles of Paul are now the new Law, and what Paul says, is what the Christian must do to prove his or her salvation. It's as if the New Testament Epistles have become the New Testament Leviticus. The second type is so worldly that one cannot tell the difference between GOD's people and the secular world. It's a social club where being fed and wanting GOD to do for them instead of them doing for GOD is the true main motive. These congregations have rock-star pastors who are worshiped by their followers. They are rich beyond measure and as of late, we are seeing corrupt sexual abuse which had been carrying on in secret finally being exposed by the younger, smaller grass roots leaders who are fed up with the hypocrisy and corruption. Are these corrupt leaders stepping down? No, they are lawyering up. They don't want to lose the empires they built with their man-made marketing technique that promised happiness and riches to those wanting their bellies filled.

The Gospel, which GOD intended to be constantly on the move is now holed up in four walls and a ceiling, constricted by the "law and profits." GOD is calling out His Remnant to do a new work, to return to the original design and intent of the Apostles, which began right after Pentecost. What does that look like? Read the book of Acts, and between you and GOD, you can decide. I do believe GOD is bringing another small remnant back to His TORAH, which means instructions, the pure Holy and Sacred truth. It's holy because holy means set apart and that what GOD keeps doing over and over and over again, setting apart a people who want to work for Him for the greater good of the Kingdom, not for our own selves.

It was nearly a whole lifetime in what I call the fiery furnace of affliction that broke me and brought me to my knees to seek and search for a higher and deeper truth, to seek GOD for help just to stay alive. For the past eight years of brokenness, rejection, hardship, and solitude, I have had to basically live in the Bible, day and night, both the Old and the New Testaments. I did not do it to act, look, or become more righteous, but to find some ray of hope that these days of despair and scorching burning flames of the fiery furnace of affliction may someday end. One thing I know for sure is that despair and my days of sadness, disappointment, frustration, and hope deferred will not follow me to my Heavenly home, being prepared for me by my very own personal Savior, Jesus Christ, aka, Yeshua, Messiah, Mashiach.

 Cutting the Apron Strings

From the Mother Church

Part 1

    My friends, I’m going to ask you to dare to think independently, and learn a truth that maybe has never been presented to you before because of tradition. I’m asking you to erase everything you’ve been conditioned to think about what is called "going to church." Going to church as we know it, in the modern times, is nothing like Jesus had began with his Apostles, near 2,000 years ago. Christ’s church has evolved into us going to a central location, once a week for approximately 90 minutes just spectating a carefully crafted and choreographed "worship" service by incorporated men/women, who have made a career to do just that. Not only that, but it has also become being part of a separated body of Christ once a week being "spoon-fed" and for some "bottle-fed" the wonderful and powerful Word of GOD, according to  the CEO in charge, thus creating sheeple conditioned to obey what the pastor says, because after all, he went to seminary.

 

  Imagine going to school and earning a PhD attending classes only 90 minutes a week.  That's what we are expecting from church goers today. Who can become and expert in Biblical history, instruction, and an expert at evangelism by sitting quietly listening 30 minutes a week, being spoon fed whatever the man in the pulpit wants you to know.  You cannot, hence, you cannot be effective at the task GOD has assigned us. The ONLY way to learn from GOD is to break away from man and learn from GOD Himself.  This is going to be my briefest possible history lesson of Bible/Church history. Grab a cup of coffee or two, cuz, this is going to take a bit. Now, if you are not interested in the history of the movement you participate in 90 minutes a week, you can stop right here.  

    The incorporated corrupt church has become a performance based entity. We have taken "going to church" and completely warped it into something GOD never intended. If we truly understood the Chronological timetable of the Old Testament Scriptures in proper historical context, and Biblical historicity, we would see a pattern developing, and changing, and repeating itself. Man is too wrapped up in the pursuits of the world to notice GOD’s hand and man's tendency to repeat history, making the same mistake one generation after another. Let me give you a brief history and explanation, and tell me if you don’t notice GOD constantly pulling out a remnant of His people when they become too corrupt.

     About 6,000 years ago, GOD singled out one man and his seven relatives from the entire population of the earth, and deleted everyone and everything else from the planet. Then about 2,000 years later, GOD singled out one man, Abram, and told him to leave what he had known all his 75 years on this planet, to follow Him to a specific physical locale, a place he’s never known and without a script to follow.  The thing about the Abraham story is GOD first called his father Terah to leave his known area and take his family to a new place.  Sadly, Terah didn't want to  go the distance, so it was up to his son to do all that GOD required.  Terah stopped short of the goal. Aren't we just a little bit guilty of that?  Back to Abram, who was later renamed Abraham, became the father of many nations.  Abram did not get any kind of direction as to where he was going, but he packed up his clan, and left. Out of the several sons Abraham eventually had, GOD pulled out one son of promise named Isaac. He became the father a twin boys, in which only one son, named Jacob, was chosen to be pulled out, and eventually renamed Israel, meaning prince. He had twelve sons by four wives, and again, GOD pulled out one son, name Joseph, and trained him separately from what he had always known, because GOD had selected him to become the second most powerful man in the known world, and to save his entire family, the Hebrews, as they were known then, from starvation.

 For reasons only GOD knows, He moved Jacob, (Israel) and the remainder of his family, totaling 70 in number, by the way of a famine, to under the leadership of that son who was previously called out, and they ended up in Egypt in a land called Goshen. In the manner of 400 years, in this womb-like land, He grew them to over two million who were encased, enslaved, persecuted and grew strong and mighty enough to be feared by Pharaoh. After 400 years, GOD, again, called one man, named Moses who would lead them and move them away from Egypt, which represents the world, in what is called a type and shadow of what was to come.  After only a few months wandering in the desert, Moses singled out twelve men to spy out the promised land of milk and honey to which GOD would plant them, but out of them only two had the faith to believe GOD and Moses. For that reason, the rest had to wander 40 years in the wilderness, until that generation all died, hence He called out, again, the second generation with one of the two, Joshua to lead them across the Jordan into the land to which they were promised.

 Whilst they traversed the 40 years in the Wilderness, He had them build a (portable) Tabernacle, a central place for worship, and a place for the sacrifice for their sins as a means of His grace and mercy in order to pardon them from their sinful nature. Once they crossed over the Jordan, according to Joshua's directions, given to him by GOD, they were firmly established as the twelve tribes of Israel. Over about 1,000 years while living in the Promise Land, they continued to fall in and out of grace with YHVH GOD, and he called out one small boy, named Samuel, who would not be like the other leaders, but would advise and guide them.  The people weren't satisfied with Samuel, especially when he got old and his sons were obviously corrupt, so they requested what every nation around them had, a king, a ruler.  GOD knew the heart of man, and He knew that they needed a central figurehead, but there was no way GOD was going to give them a great king at first.  He wanted them to see just how absolute power corrupts absolutely. After King Saul failed, as all men do, GOD called out a young boy from a family of eight sons. This was the king who would seek after GOD's own heart all of his life, but still fall and rise as we all do, after all, there is no human born of both man and woman who won't fall.

 As a united nation, under the man after GOD’s own heart, GOD called one of David's sons, the son of two adulterers, by the way, to build a permanent structure for worship and sacrifices for their sins. It only took one generation after David for the people to become fully corrupt, again. A civil war ensued, and GOD called out two tribes of the ten to whom the True Deliverer would come, after about a thousand years of good and bad kings who led them to and away from GOD.  Under King Jeroboam, the northern king, the ten remaining tribes would become known as the nation of Israel. King Jeroboam rebelled and established his own religious central location in Samaria. King Jeroboam was a great type and shadow of what the Roman church would do near 1200  years later. He created his an entirely new religion, one that resembled Judaism that YHVH GOD gave Moses about 1500 years prior, however, he created his own priest-hood and sacrificial system of worship. They would eventually blend this new religion with the religions of surrounding nations.  Fed up with their corruption, GOD allowed them to be conquered in 722 B.C, and dispersed among the then known world. A remnant of those ten tribes moved down to Judah which also included the tribe of Benjamin, which became known as the Southern Kingdom.

    The southern kingdom maintained the original temple system to some degree, but depending on which king ruled, they also blended with the religions of surrounding nations. Back then, there was not a belief in just one GOD, but many gods of each nation.  Even the Hebrews believed that, they just believed their GOD was more powerful than the others.  Eventually, as humans always do, even the chosen nation of Judah became too corrupt, and was handed over to the pagan nation of Babylon, for what became a 70 year time-out for bad behavior, or as the Bible calls it, the Exile. The great and massive central location of worship, called Solomon's Temple, was burned to the ground.   After the seventy years of time-out, GOD again took a remnant from the exiles, and moved on the pagan King Cyrus’s heart to send them back to Jerusalem, as he promised in the prophecies of Jeremiah, which was found by the prophet Daniel. Note, Daniel, the prophet was deep in the heart of the politics of the pagan nation as a chief advisor to three pagan kings. If you think you can separate religion and politics, then you think you are greater than GOD, because His Book is replete with religion and politics mixed together like some kind of soup and salad. 

    The remnant of the exiles were moved by the  Spirit of GOD to rebuild the Temple, re-establishing the sacrificial system that they began a thousand years prior in the wilderness under Moses’s leadership, only again, in a permanent structure. For the next 400 years, reforms were incorporated, scribes were charged with keeping safe the words of the Torah. Ezra, the first scribe and writer of the books of Chronicles, preserved the history. Again, after 400 years the mixing with the writings of man and the TORAH, which means instructions, became the ruling religion of this people, now called Judeans or Judahites.  Their mixed religious instructions of man and YHVH GOD became known as Halacha. This was the religion which the boy Yeshua (Jesus) would have grown up under, hence why he was only twelve years old teaching with authority, because he could weed out the added text of man. These religious teachers were now called Pharisees.  Only they had access to the religious writings, so whatever they said, went, and the people who gathered to hear them teach had no other way of knowing that they had corrupted all of GOD's words to His people, hence the need for a Messiah to come and bring His people back to the purity of the GOD-given TORAH.  

   

    Yeshua (Jesus) went completely against the accepted religious ruling teachers Halacha and the political Sadducees who were the governing group of GOD's people, deeply in bed with the Roman empire, to further oppress their own people into complete oblivious ignorance to the Torah and GOD's original intent. Another remnant was pulled out of that corrupted religious center, led by the Son of GOD himself. Eventually, to rid His people of a central location where YHVH GOD would dwell, because the Holy Spirit now reigned in the human body of those chosen to follow His Son, GOD had the Temple completely destroyed by the Roman army in AD 70. It was GOD’s intent that the Gospel of Jesus  to be constantly on the move, and why we call it a “movement of GOD.” It was never meant to be the end of Judaism, but an extension of the original intent and design for GOD to have a people for Himself. The unbelieving Judahites were sent off again to another exile, this time to Rome, to become slaves the the Romans, and the land of Jerusalem lay desolate for centuries, occupied by who we would call Palestinians, or the English translation of the Philistines, until 1948. In the beginning of this movement of Yeshua, he called out just twelve to lead The Way, as it was called by the apostle Paul.  Because His people chose to reject the Son sent to save them from their sins, GOD chose Saul or known by his Greek name Paul, to bring the gospel to the gentiles in order to graft a remnant of them into the Vine, planted and rooted firmly in Yeshua HaMashiach. (Jesus the Messiah). 

 

     The new movement soon became over-run by more gentiles than Jews, who built their own central location in Rome, which we now call the Vatican.  Sadly, their irrational hatred of the Jews, initiated by Satan, completely corrupted The Way, and began a whole new religion called Christianity. Three hundred years later, a pagan Roman ruler who claimed to have converted to Christianity, completely outlawed all of GOD's Laws and Commandments, supported by the very much anti-semite religious system ruled by a Papacy. This pagan ruler, with the cooperation of the Papacy, incorporated his polytheist rituals into Christianity in order to force all pagans and Jews to convert under the threat of death. Do you see the correlation between King Jeroboam a thousand years earlier and the Papacy?  You are meant to, because history repeats itself because man refuses to learn history, hence he repeats his mistakes over and over again.  Believe it or not, but this one new religion split into dozens of orthodox religions all under the one title of the Catholic Church.  That lesson I won't even try to explain.  Part 2 is about Protestant Reformation and the thousands of denominations of Protestants that came out of that along with the further apostasy of the Christian religion we have today.