“And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write: These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God: I know your works, that YOU ARE NEITHER COLD NOR HOT (capitals mine): I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.”

Revelation 3:14-16

Yes, we have all been to such a church but hopefully we recognized it for what it is! It is the last “church”, the church of the false prophet.

In the Book of Revelation John is instructed by Jesus to “Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter:” (Revelation 1:19). Very clearly John was told to write down everything he had seen in the past, everything he currently saw, and finally, what he is shown through Divine Inspiration which will happen in the future. He then goes on in Revelation Chapters 2 & 3 and is told to write individual, specific letters to the seven churches which he earlier had personally established in Asia Minor. He is told to tell them both the good and the bad aspects of their Christian ministry, what they were doing which was good and what they were doing that did not find favor in the eyes of the Lord. When you put his comments into chronological context, it becomes very clear the strengths and weaknesses of each church. As opposed to what some may preach, the Bible is clear. Not only was he talking to them in those days but was also prophesying what they would be like during their existence throughout history.

Each of these seven churches incredibly have gone through very distinct stages or periods of time. Combined those stages clearly have a sequential, chronological aspect to their timeline which closely matches the entire history of the Christian church up until today. Below is a brief summary of the name of the church, their identifying history and the approximate years of their existence as profiled by most Biblical scholars:

1.  Ephesus                   Apostolic Church                             Started in approx. 100 A.D.       Rev: 2:1-6
2.  Smyrna                    Persecuted Church                          100 A.D. – 316 A.D.                   Rev: 2:8-10
3.  Pergamos                World Church                                   316 A.D. – 800 A.D.                   Rev. 2:12-16
4.  Thyatira                    Medieval Church                             800 A.D. – 1517 A.D.                  Rev. 2:18-28
5.  Sardis                       Rise of State Church                       1517 A.D. – 1750 A.D.               Rev. 3:1-5
6.  Philadelphia             Missionary Church                           1750 A.D. – 1900 A.D.               Rev. 3:7-12
7.  Laodicea                  Apostate Church                              1900 A.D. – ???                         Rev. 3:14-21

In order to validate the claim that John was speaking to these churches in both the present and future tense, each of these descriptions of the good and bad of the seven churches ends with the statement “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.” While each of these 7 churches existed in 95 A.D. when John was instructed to write the Book of Revelation, they each had their own individual characteristics which John either complimented them on or warned them about. By combining what they were like at the time and then witnessing the following history of the Church Age, it is very easy to put them into the timeline as very distinct periods of what the Church has gone through over the past 2,000 years. The only church which Jesus appeared to be pleased with was the Church of the Philadelphians (no, not in Pennsylvania). This was the church that did extraordinary missionary work and helped to spread the Gospel throughout the world. Unfortunately, it is followed by the Laodicean Church which overwhelmingly and predominantly makes up the Christian Church today. More importantly, it is the only church Jesus had nothing good to say about!  When you compare what He said to the Laodicean Church, “…He will vomit them out of his mouth” and compare that to the preceding 6th church, the Church of Philadelphia, where He  said:

“Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I will also keep thee (Rapture) from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them (Tribulation) that dwell upon the earth.”

Revelation 3:10

Incredibly, while John wrote to the churches and admonished them for not fulfilling their purpose in some ways, only the Laodicean church, the last church was told Jesus would “vomit” them out of His mouth! To the others He said:

1.  Ephesus – “Nevertheless, I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.” – Revelation 2:4
2.  Smyrna – “Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days; be thou faithful un to death, and I will give thee a crown of life.” – Revelation 2:10
3.  Pergamos – “Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.” – Revelation 2:16
4.  Thyatira – “But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and which have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak: I will put upon you none other burden.” – Revelation 22:4
5.  Sardis – “Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God.” Revelation 3:2
6.  Philadelphia – “Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour  of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.” – Revelation 3:10
7.  Laodicean – “So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue (vomit) thee out of my mouth.” – Revelation 3:16

Do you see and feel the difference In Jesus’s comments regarding the LAST church versus all the others? All the others were still told to repent and to strengthen their faith. Only the Laodicean church was basically told they were found to be incapable of future salvation. They are doomed! While I was writing this I recognized the difference between the Laodicean Church and the Church of Philadelphia, something I had never seen before. Jesus DID NOT compliment but only condemned the Laodicean church! But the one world religion advocated by the false prophet and the anti-christ is alive and growing today, based on so many of the false, non-Biblical teachings prevalent in so many churches.

One thing I need to make very clear. I will not single out specific denominations for condemnation. There are many, many Christian Believers who are very strong in their Faith attending churches today. Rather, my intent is to ensure we are all aware of the deception and lies being spread today in so many churches, oftentimes without the knowledge of the church attendees. Also, as we are all told in Proverbs 9:8-9, “Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate thee: rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee. Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: teach a just man, and he will increase in learning.” My intent here is not to try to convince the unbeliever about the Truth of God’s Holy Word but rather to ensure His Followers are told what their churches may be teaching and how it may conflict directly with what the Bible says. As we are told by Jesus Himself:

“For thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Let not your prophets and your diviners, that be in the midst of you, deceive you, neither hearken to your dreams which ye cause to be dreamed. For they prophesy falsely unto you in my name: I HAVE NOT SENT THEM (capitals mine), saith the Lord.

Jeremiah 29:8-9

I know these are serious allegations and I do not take them lightly! But, over the past, nearly three years writing this blog I have had many people comment on some of the things I have discussed and dispute what the Bible clearly teaches. They do not take the Bible, the Holy Word of God, to be 100% accurate, but instead inject church teachings that may be in direct conflict to what the Bible says. Yes, I know the argument, “The Bible was written by man and is therefore open to error.” Sorry, but an all-powerful God does not allow His Authors to make mistakes that distort His Word! We may not fully understand what they have said but if God told them what to write, I will always take His Word over someone later interpreting what they think He meant or who were led by Satan to deceive many. The Holy Bible is the ONLY Word God has given to us for our instruction and He uses the Holy Spirit to clarify and teach us according to what is in His Holy Word. With that said, to the true Believer nothing in the Holy Bible can be dismissed as not coming directly from God Himself!

So, what are some of the Satanic teachings prevalent in so many mainstream Christian churches today that detract from His Word and which ultimately forwards the agenda of the great deceiver, Satan? What are some of the deceptive, non-Biblical lies being taught in so many churches today?

Replacement Theology

I first wrote about Replacement Theology (Replacement Theology is a LIE and God NEVER LIES!) in early 2018 and was absolutely amazed at the response from some of my Christian friends. Basically, Replacement Theology is the belief that since the Jews did not accept Jesus as their Messiah at His First Coming, the Promise God made to the Jews through the Abrahamic Covenant became null and void and all the Blessings Promised to the Jews have now been instead   “transferred” to the Christian church. In essence, they are saying God broke His Promise to Abraham when He said:

“As for me, behold, my covenant with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations. Neither shall thy name any more be Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee. And I will make thee exceedingly fruitful, and will make nations of thee, and kings will come out of thee. I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an EVERLASTING COVENANT (capitals mine), to be a God unto thee and to thy seed after thee. And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the seed after thee. the land (Israel) wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an EVERLASTING (capitals mine) possession; and I will be their God.” 

Genesis 17:4-8

It doesn’t get any clearer than this! God Promised Abraham and his descendants the Land of Israel in an “EVERLASTING COVENANT!” For Him to break this Promise would mean God lied to Abraham. Please remember, God and Abraham DID NOT agree on this Covenant. God alone Promised the Covenant to Abraham! It was God’s Promise to Abraham with no need of an agreement from Abraham. To say otherwise is a direct lie! Yes, He did disperse the Jews throughout the world when they rejected Jesus BUT, as prophesied in a number of places in the Bible, He also brought them back to their God Promised land in these Last Days. Believe it or not, MANY IF NOT MOST mainstream churches today teach this Satanic lie! Remember, the Bible is the Holy Word of God. Trust in it and ask your pastor/priest if your church teaches Replacement Theology.

Rapture

One of my most written about Biblical subjects regarding the prophesied Last Days concerns the Rapture of Christ’s Believers BEFORE God unleashes His Wrath on this world for its lack of acceptance of Jesus Christ’s sacrifice and the resulting rampant sin. Just a couple of those articles for your review are The Rapture – UPDATED  and What kind of people will be left behind AFTER the Rapture? By far one of the most repeated lies mentioned about these posts is that the Rapture, they claim, is only a recent addition to established Biblical prophesy, “invented” by John Nelson Darby in 1830 A.D. Their contention is since the word “rapture” does not occur in the Bible (by the way, neither do the words grandfather, Trinity, etc.) it simply must not exist. If they were to study the Latin Vulgate (translated from Greek to Latin by Jerome in 382 A.D.) and other earlier writings, they would see the words “rapio” (which in the Latin Vulgate means to seize or snatch) and “harpazo”, (Old Testament translated by the Septuagint into Greek from Aramaic between 285 -247 B.C. is a word meaning seize, pluck take away). Interestingly, both of these words are found in the ancient Bible and even Jesus’s Disciples in their time believed He would Return for them BEFORE God’s Wrath was unleashed. Darby in 1830 brought the meaning forth as evidence relatively unknown until that time since the Rapture would have been considered a “mystery” since its timing and purpose was not yet required. Did you know Darby was also one of the very first to predict God, as Promised, would also bring the Jews to their ancient Land of Israel IN THE LAST DAYS? They never mention that!

“Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep (die), but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”

1 Corinthians 15:51-52

Perhaps even more convincing…

“For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them IN THE CLOUDS TO MEET THE LORD IN THE AIR (capitals mine): and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17

Finally, we also have a direct Promise from Jesus Himself in Revelation 3:10, “Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation (Tribulation), which shall come upon the whole world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.” In these three verses we are told without a doubt Jesus will come for His Believers BEFORE God’s Wrath is unleashed on this world. He did it for Noah and his family BEFORE the Flood and he did it for Lot and his wife BEFORE the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. We have His Promise He will come and meet us in the clouds at the Rapture BEFORE the Tribulation begins. Remember, the Bible is the Holy Word of God. Trust in it and ask your pastor/priest if your church teaches whether the Rapture will or will not happen.

Pre, Mid or Post Tribulation Rapture

One of the arguments some people have is whether the Rapture will occur before, during or at the end of the final 7 year Tribulation period. Pre means before; Mid means during the middle (perhaps coinciding with the anti-christ’s  Abomination of Desolation); and Post means it will occur at the end of the Tribulation when Jesus Returns at Armageddon. When I wrote When will the Rapture Occur – Pre, Mid or Post Tribulation my intent was to show the many, many differences between these three time frames as outlined in the Bible. For example, as quoted above, we are told we will meet Jesus in the clouds at the Rapture. Because this happens before the start of the Tribulation and we know a large number of people remaining on the earth after the Rapture will be evangelized and saved during the 7 year Tribulation period, if Jesus Raptures His Saints at His Second Coming, what Believers will then remain still on the earth when He comes? In all the responses I have received on this somewhat controversial issue, NOT ONE person has ever given me Biblical proof of their belief or disputed the Scriptures I quote. To me it would be similar to Noah and his family enduring part or all of the flood or Lot and his wife enduring a few of the fire and brimstones that destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. Again, take Revelation 3:10 into context and there is no other answer! “Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation (Tribulation), which shall come upon the whole world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.” I find it amazing that after John wrote the Letters to the 7 churches and then Jesus said the above, John goes through a sort of Rapture in Revelation 4:1 and the word church is not ever mentioned again until Revelation 22:16, AFTER the trials and tribulations of The Tribulation period. Remember, the Bible is the Holy Word of God. Trust in it and ask your pastor/priest if your church teaches when the Rapture will happen?

Amillennialism

As I recently mentioned in my article, Amillennialism – Do you Believe in God’s Holy Word or a few church’s False Teachings? Amillennialism is the belief taught by many “Christian” churches that even though the Bible clearly states Jesus will Return to the earth and establish His 1,000 year Millennial Reign of Peace and Righteousness out of Jerusalem, they either teach Jesus has already Returned or he never will come to earth. You will be totally shocked that some very mainstream churches teach that since His Resurrection He NOW Reigns from Heaven! Can you believe it? They teach this world is now under Jesus’s Reign of Peace and Righteousness! That is absurd! They either do not watch the news or are promoting the evil deception and lies of Satan. Personally, I know what the answer to that question is because the Bible has told us!

“And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgement was given unto them: and I saw souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast (anti-christ), neither his image, neither had received his mark (the Mark of the Beast) upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.”

Revelation 20:4

We are told those who had lived and died AFTER the implementation of the Mark of the Beast will reign WITH Jesus for 1,000 years (aka the Millennium). Satan wants us to walk away from what the Bible teaches so we are more prone to be influenced by his evil ways and not by the Commandments of our Lord and Savior. Remember, the Bible is the Holy Word of God. Trust in it and ask your pastor/priest if your church teaches Amillennialism?

Christ Touching Earth at His Second Coming

As I said above, a common lie taught by many is whether Jesus touches earth at His Second Coming. When He Returns at Armageddon the Bible not only tells us He will set foot on the Mount of Olives just outside Jerusalem but His touching the earth will cause a seismic earthquake that will split the Mount of Olives in two:

“Then shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.”

Zechariah 14:3-4

Jesus WILL RETURN and He will step down upon the earth. Remember, the Bible is the Holy Word of God. Trust in it and ask your pastor/priest if your church teaches Jesus will physically Return to earth and step on the Mount of Olives.

War of Gog and Magog vs. War of Armageddon

There are substantial differences between these two wars and yet many combine them and make them one. To see those differences you may want to review my previous posts The War of Gog and Magog; Why would Russia, Turkey and Iran Invade Israel TODAY?; and 200 Million Soldiers from the East are NOT going on Vacation to Israel!  Basically, the War of Gog and Magog is comprised of 6 nations led by Gog attacking Israel and being defeated by God in one day. It then takes 7 months to bury the dead and 7 years to burn their implements of war. A 200 million man army from the east is never mentioned. At Armageddon ALL the armies of the world will be led by the anti-christ/Satan and Jesus will defeat them. This will usher in His 1,000 Millennium Reign of Peace and Righteousness on this earth where His Believers will rule WITH Him. While I cannot prove my belief that the War of Gog and Magog mathematically MUST precede Jesus’s Return because while the Bible says it will take 7 years to burn the implements of war, it also says the Jews will be told to get out of  Judea at the Abomination of Desolation (3 1/2 years into the Tribulation). We know this occurs midway through the Tribulation so it appears a minimum of 10 1/2 years must mathematically pass between the War of Gog and Magog and Jesus’s Triumphant Return. Of course, seeing this prophesy come true right before our very eyes will cause many to believe in the Truth of Jesus’s ultimate Sacrifice for our sins. It may also then open the door for someone to establish a final peace agreement in the Middle East for what we know is the major cornerstone of the coming anti-christ. Major differences and yet, many, many churches today teach they are the same war. We only know about these coming wars because the Bible has prophesied about them. Remember, the Bible is the Holy Word of God. Trust in it and ask your pastor/priest if your church teaches they are the same war or two distinct wars.

Preterism

The most ridiculous and offensive teaching of many churches today are lumped together in what is known as Preterism. In essence, Preterism believes ALL prophesies were completed by 70 A.D. with the destruction by the Romans of the 2nd Jewish Holy Temple in Jerusalem. It is interesting they take this stance even though we know the Book of Revelation was not even written until 95 A.D., 25 years later and many, many of the prophesies mentioned therein HAVE NOT been fulfilled (a few examples – Rapture, Tribulation, War of Gog and Magog,  Mark of the Beast, anti-christ, false prophet, one world government, and army of 200 million from the east … you want me to go on?). Most offensive is their belief that Jesus Ascended into Heaven and He NOW reigns over the earth in “Peace and Righteousness”. Are you kidding me? The world is more evil today than it has ever been and they are trying to tell us Satan is under Jesus’s control? Of course, this is yet another one of Satan’s lies and deceptions. Remember, the Bible is the Holy Word of God. Trust in it and ask your pastor/priest if your church teaches Jesus today reigns in peace and righteousness from Heaven and Satan is today under His Control. Better yet, ask your pastor/priest if they absolutely agree with what John wrote at the very end of the Bible in the Book of Revelation:

“For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.”

Revelation 22:18-19

It is so comforting, knowing the lies and deceptions of Satan prevalent in so many churches today can easily be debunked with just the Holy Word of God! Not only do we have His Word, but we have the greatest Teacher in history, the Holy Spirit of God. When you put these two together and accept the eternal gift of salvation offered to us by Jesus Christ, we can easily and quickly know we are destined to spend eternity with Him in Heaven. Like you, I am sometimes confused by what churches, pastors or priests teach. I am NEVER confused by what the Lord tell us in His Holy Word, the Bible. If you are comforted also by this and want to tell others, you should because we are all told by Jesus to “…therefore comfort one another with these words.” What words? His Word only!

May God Bless you in your journey to find comfort in the Lord!