In the realm of religion a revolution is the act of overthrowing and replacing a religious system by those who are part of that system.  A religious revolution is in reality a civil war because not everyone in the system will desire change.  If the revolutionaries are successful, the losing faction will normally continue to maintain the beliefs, customs, etc. of the original system but will separate themselves from those who brought about the change.  In the vast majority of cases a religious problem involves only a few, in some cases only one, point of contention.  I have heard of churches splitting over such things as a musical instrument and the color of carpet.  The revolution that totally changed and nearly destroyed the early church did not follow the usual pattern in that the revolutionaries murdered many of the traditionalists and would have killed them all if God had not protected them.

The revolution that changed the early church changed not only the physical form of the church, but also its basic beliefs and customs.  The change was brought about by an evolutionary process which lasted over a century.  It took almost 150 years for the forces of Satan to totally revamp what God had brought into being.  The change from a single-bodied, Law-centered, one-way-only church to a multi-bodied, man-centered, any-way-you-want-it religion was as bloody as a military war.

As the revolutionists knew, the key to controlling the people was to keep them ignorant of that which had been their predecessors’ guiding light–God’s Word.  His Word was not readily available to those outside of the Jewish priesthood.  Because copies of the Law and the writings of the prophets were scarce, the priests kept them locked away in the Temple in Jerusalem and in the local synagogues.  The church was forced to depend on the Catholic priesthood to tell them God’s Truth.  Which they dared not do.  Church leaders forbad their congregants to read the Holy Scriptures or to hear them read.  And to dumb them down even further, they preached to them in Latin–a dead language which none of them knew.  Therefore the parishioners knew only what the priests told them, which was not God’s Word.  If the Word of God had been made available to the people they would have learned the truth which would have exposed the lies of their leaders.  The hierarchy dared not let that happen.

As generation followed generation the lies put forth by the church hierarchy became “Bible Truth” to both the priests and the laity.  Of course God knew early on what would take place and, through His prophets and apostles, had warned those who called themselves by His name that men would make changes in His Word.  In the Book of Isaiah He said about those who would institute the changes: “Woe to them that call evil good and good evil, that call darkness light and light darkness, that call bitter sweet and sweet bitter.  Woe to them that are wise in their own hearts and prudent in their own eyes.  Woe to the mighty who drink watered down wine and call it pure, who call sinners righteous and the righteous sinners” (Isaiah 5:20-23).  This is exactly how a religious revolution takes place.  Over time those involved come to believe that what they are being told is God’s Truth.  Not being allowed access to the Holy Scriptures, those caught in Satan’s trap had no choice but to believe what they were told.

With the power of the Roman Empire behind her, the Catholic Church slowly and methodically forced the multitudes of heathen in the empire into her religious web.  True followers of the Biblical God, refusing to bow to her heathen beliefs and practices, were forced to flee for their lives.  Many were martyred.  Those who survived were constantly on the move, hiding in caves and valleys in order to stay alive and worship the God of their forefathers.  Now let us return to the glorious early days of God’s church to see how she was brought down and almost out.

Through the creation of Catholicism, and later Protestantism, Satan has worked tirelessly to destroy God’s church.   But Jesus promised that such would never happen: “… upon this Rock (Jesus) I will build My church, and the gates of hell (professing Christianity) shall not prevail against it” (Mat. 16:18).  In verse 16 we find Simon Peter professing that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.  As a complement Jesus called Peter A rock (petro–a small pebble) who had been used by God to voice a Truth (vs 17).  Then Jesus called Himself THE rock (petra–a large boulder or mountain) upon which He would build His church.  Contrary to Catholic opinion, Jesus did not build His church on Simon Peter.  Note that He said to Peter: “YOU are a pebble (Gr.-“petro”).  And upon THIS boulder (Gr.- “petra”) I will build My church.”  Jesus, not Peter, is the “chief corner stone” of the New Testament Church (Eph. 2:20/ 1 Pet. 2:6).

Though Satan came very close to destroying the true church, Christ has always had a remnant whom He called His “little flock.”  These are His Very Elect, His saints (holy ones).  This group would always be small in comparison to the two-headed, world-encircling, politically powerful religion that claims to be the Body of Christ.  That this two-billion-strong religious monster is the true church is one of Satan’s many lies with which he has deceived the whole world (Rev. 12:9).  My commission from the Lord is to expose Satan’s lies to the Institutional Church.   L.J.