CHURCH DENOMINATIONS (part 3)

We have used the term "True Church" to refer to the Church that Jesus has been in the process of building for 2000 years. If there is such a thing as the true church, then there must be a "false church" because things always have an opposite. For example black and white, high and low, hot and cold etc. When I use the term false church, I don't mean to imply that certain churches that exist at present are necessarily false. But the scripture does refer to a church that will be existing in the last days, and this false church will be used to help bring the Antichrist into power. (Rev 17:1-18). Apparently this end time church will be a merging of several denominations now existing, who are more interested in being a powerful influence in the world, than a humble witness to the Lord Jesus Christ, plus possibly other religions!

A careful reading of "Halley's Bible Handbook" in a chapter called "church history", pages 757-804 gives a fairly brief account of the church from it's humble beginning as recorded in the book of Acts, through the period known as the "dark ages", up to the year 1965. This book was first published in 1924 and the copy I have is from the 24th revised edition printed in 1965. It is an excellent aid to Bible study, giving loads of interesting facts about the Bible, as well as a brief overview of every book in the Bible. I would highly recommend you add it to your library!

It seems fairly clear from reading how the church became part of the Roman Empire in the fourth century, that they gradually became a political entity, rather than the "True Church" it was meant to be. On page 767 in Dr Halley's book he writes "The church was founded, not as an institution of Authority to force the Name and the Teaching of Christ upon the world, but only as a witness bearing institution to Christ, to hold Him before the people. Christ Himself, not the church, is the transforming power in human life. But the church was in the Roman Empire and gradually developed a form of government like the Political World in which it existed, becoming a vast Autocratic organization ruled from the top." As a contrast to this, on the same page he writes "At the close of the Apostolic age churches were independent one of another, each being shepherded by a board of Pastors. The main leader came to be called Bishop. The others, later, were called Presbyters. Gradually the jurisdiction of Bishop came to include other towns." It would seem that this term of Bishop spread to larger cities like Rome, and since Rome was the capital of the Empire it was only natural that the Bishop of Rome soon assumed the role of spiritual leader of the entire Roman Empire. This led to him taking on the title of father or "papa" which became Pope, and remains to this day as the title for the head of the Roman Catholic Church.

Sincerely submitted.

Gramp