Adam and Eve, having been convinced by the Church of Eden’s newest member that they could defy God and still live forever, have eaten the forbidden fruit.  Using his version of God’s Words and a pleasing personality, Satan has destroyed her. Fast forward several thousand years. God has founded a new church comprised of the children of Israel. However, it too has gone down at the hands of the devil and his false prophets who, by manipulating God’s Words, have once again destroyed His spiritual body–His “Church (ecclesia/congregation) in the wilderness”–Acts 7:38).

More generations come and go. The Almighty, intent on raising up a church that will obey Him and earn the right to live with Him forever, has created another church. In order to establish what would turn out to be His final church, the Old Testament God has come to earth as a human being and has established His New Covenant Church in Jerusalem. See Jesus Christ–God, Man or Godman? and The God of the Old Testament. As we pick up the story we find that Satan–the eternal spiritual terrorist–has already begun to plant anti-God thoughts and beliefs in the minds of some in the newly founded church. The men God sent out to establish His church system throughout the world find themselves constantly doing battle with people Satan has planted within the church who have embraced his false doctrines and customs. It seems that man, having the power of choice, tends to make the wrong choices due to Satan’s false prophets within the church. Using his false prophets to preach a perverted gospel, Satan’s people soon outnumber God’s people in the church. Within 150 years the church established by Jesus Christ on the Day of Pentecost 31 A.D. had become the devil’s domain. By 150 A.D. only a few people are following the Lord.

Fast forward to the forth century A.D. where we find that Satan has done what he does so well. This time he has raised up a church of his own. Most of those professing Jesus as their Lord have become what have come to be known as “Catholic.” Catholicism, meaning universal, has become by far the largest church system on earth. By this time God’s true saints are a tiny, hated minority. How has the church established in Rome by Simon the sorcerer become so large so quickly? We answer the question by looking at the composition of the church body. The Catholic Church has come to be filled with heathen who have been forced to join her at the point of a sword. The church, having ingratiated herself to the secular powers that be, now has the power of the Roman Empire to do her bidding. The Roman legions have forced thousands of heathen to become converts. The church was growing by leaps and bounds as pagans chose Catholicism over death. However, the influx of heathen false god worshipers has created a problem. As their numbers continued to mount they demanded that they be allowed to practice their various religions as part of the church’s observances. In order to keep the peace, the church hierarchy has decided to incorporate them into her religious system. Over time many heathen beliefs and practices came to form the foundational stones upon which the church stood. See the Introduction to this website for a partial list of such beliefs and customs that make up church doctrine to this day.

Why would the Catholic hierarchy so readily embrace pagan beliefs and traditions and teach their parishioners that they are God’s doctrines that must be believed and observed? The answer can be summed up in two words: power and money. Today we find that nothing has changed relative to those two factors. Today, when “the church” is mentioned on the air or in print, it is the ultra-wealthy Catholic Church that is featured. Only one world religious leader has been allowed to address the United Nations–the Catholic Pope who, unlike any other religious leader, is hailed far and wide wherever he shows up. A visit from him brings out the masses, along with t.v., magazine and newspaper coverage. His presence anywhere on earth creates a happening. His every word is sent around the world as if God Himself had spoken it. People travel thousands of miles just to get a glimpse of him. During Pope Francis’ visit to the United States one family drove 2000 miles just to see him from a distance. They drove 4000 miles knowing that they would not get within a hundred yards of him. The vast majority of Catholics, like their equally lazy Protestant counterparts, know only what their leaders tell them. For this reason they summarily reject any reference to God’s Truth. How can Satan keep billions of people from knowing God’s Truth? Two words answer the question: SPIRITUAL TERRORISM. L.J.