"Like Mother, like daughter"

I will always be your mother

These are the word my mother says to me anytime she does anything to get me mad. Whether she is right or wrong, whether I am right or wrong, she will always be my mother. Whether I would love her or hate her, whether I would stay with her or abandon her, whether I would deny her to others or she deny me to others, she will always be my mother. Whether I change my name, change my look, change my address, change my biography, change my history or change anything about me, she will always be my mother. Whether I try to speak different than she taught me, act different than she taught me, behave different than she taught me, look different than she taught me, she will always be my mother. Whatever I have done, whatever I am doing, whatever I will do will not change who my mother is. She will always be my mother.

The same is with the relationship between “BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH” and her Prostitutes Daughters.

Let us brief ourselves with the description and coming judgment of the Babylon the Great, the Mother of Prostitutes and all the abominations of the earth:

Revelation 17

Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, "Come, I will show you the judgment of the great prostitute who is seated on many waters, with whom the kings of the earth have committed sexual immorality, and with the wine of whose sexual immorality the dwellers on earth have become drunk." And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was full of blasphemous names, and it had seven heads and ten horns. The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and jewels and pearls, holding in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her sexual immorality. And on her forehead was written a name of mystery: "Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earth’s abominations." And I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of the martyrs of Jesus.

When I saw her, I marveled greatly. But the angel said to me, "Why do you marvel? I will tell you the mystery of the woman, and of the beast with seven heads and ten horns that carries her. The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to rise from the bottomless pit and go to destruction. And the dwellers on earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world will marvel to see the beast, because it was and is not and is to come. This calls for a mind with wisdom: the seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman is seated; they are also seven kings, five of whom have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come, and when he does come he must remain only a little while. As for the beast that was and is not, it is an eighth but it belongs to the seven, and it goes to destruction. And the ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have not yet received royal power, but they are to receive authority as kings for one hour, together with the beast. These are of one mind, and they hand over their power and authority to the beast. They will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful."

And the angel said to me, "The waters that you saw, where the prostitute is seated, are peoples and multitudes and nations and languages. And the ten horns that you saw, they and the beast will hate the prostitute. They will make her desolate and naked, and devour her flesh and burn her up with fire, for God has put it into their hearts to carry out his purpose by being of one mind and handing over their royal power to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled. And the woman that you saw is the great city that has dominion over the kings of the earth."

Revelation 18

After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was made bright with his glory. And he called out with a mighty voice,

"Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great!
She has become a dwelling place for demons,
a haunt for every unclean spirit,
a haunt for every unclean bird,
a haunt for every unclean and detestable beast.
For all nations have drunk
the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality,
and the kings of the earth have committed immorality with her,
and the merchants of the earth have grown rich from the power of her luxurious living."

Then I heard another voice from heaven saying,

"Come out of her, my people,
lest you take part in her sins,
lest you share in her plagues; for her sins are heaped high as heaven,
and God has remembered her iniquities.
Pay her back as she herself has paid back others,
and repay her double for her deeds;
mix a double portion for her in the cup she mixed.
As she glorified herself and lived in luxury,
so give her a like measure of torment and mourning,
since in her heart she says,
'I sit as a queen,
I am no widow,
and mourning I shall never see.'
For this reason her plagues will come in a single day,
death and mourning and famine,
and she will be burned up with fire;
for mighty is the Lord God who has judged her."

And the kings of the earth, who committed sexual immorality and lived in luxury with her, will weep and wail over her when they see the smoke of her burning. They will stand far off, in fear of her torment, and say,

"Alas! Alas! You great city,
you mighty city, Babylon!
For in a single hour your judgment has come."

And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn for her, since no one buys their cargo anymore, cargo of gold, silver, jewels, pearls, fine linen, purple cloth, silk, scarlet cloth, all kinds of scented wood, all kinds of articles of ivory, all kinds of articles of costly wood, bronze, iron and marble, cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, frankincense, wine, oil, fine flour, wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots, and slaves, that is, human souls.
"The fruit for which your soul longed
has gone from you,
and all your delicacies and your splendors
are lost to you,
never to be found again!"

The merchants of these wares, who gained wealth from her, will stand far off, in fear of her torment, weeping and mourning aloud,
"Alas, alas, for the great city
that was clothed in fine linen,

in purple and scarlet,
adorned with gold,

with jewels, and with pearls!
For in a single hour all this wealth has been laid waste."

And all shipmasters and seafaring men, sailors and all whose trade is on the sea, stood far off and cried out as they saw the smoke of her burning,

"What city was like the great city?"

And they threw dust on their heads as they wept and mourned, crying out,

"Alas, alas, for the great city
where all who had ships at sea
grew rich by her wealth!
For in a single hour she has been laid waste. Rejoice over her, O heaven,
and you saints and apostles and prophets,
for God has given judgment for you against her!"

Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying,

"So will Babylon the great city be thrown down with violence,
and will be found no more;
and the sound of harpists and musicians, of flute players and trumpeters,
will be heard in you no more,
and a craftsman of any craft
will be found in you no more,
and the sound of the mill
will be heard in you no more,
and the light of a lamp
will shine in you no more,
and the voice of bridegroom and bride
will be heard in you no more,
for your merchants were the great ones of the earth,
and all nations were deceived by your sorcery.
And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints,
and of all who have been slain on earth."

………………………………………………………………

Now the most widely accepted identifications of the Mother of Prostitutes by the churches fall into two camps; Those that believe she is United States of America (USA) and those that believe she is the Roman Catholic Church (RCC). If you do a google search of “who is Babylon the Great” you will find thousands of “Christian” websites that calm she is either the USA or RCC. If you go through the description of the Babylon the Great yourself from Rev 17 and 18, you might be able to match up many of the descriptive scriptures with either the USA or RCC or both. You might find that some of the descriptive sriputures are quiet difficult to match with either. Many people have put out strong and convincing cases against the USA and RCC declaring that one is Babylon the Great. It is my belief that the manner and motive I’ve seen people try to identify Babylon the Great is just like those who try to predicate the coming of the Lord and the “end of the world”; carnal and not spiritual.

Now the aim of this message is not to tell anyone who Babylon the Great is. I repeat, the aim of this message is not to tell you that Babylon the Great is or is not the USA nor is it to tell you that Babylon the great is or is not the Roman Catholic Church. This message is intended to bring something to the attention of those who are already convinced that she is the Roman Catholic Church and to give a final message on whoever Babylon the Great and her daughters will be revealed to be in the en to all those who have ears to hear. So to begin with, I am entering the camp of those that believe the RCC is Mystery Babylon to expose the greater extent of what this belief implies.

Daughters of Babylon, the Chaldeans of Babylon and

Prostitutes born of Babylon the Great

In Scriptures, there are many prophetic mentions of future (and current) events to befall Babylon, the daughters of Babylon and the Chaldeans of Babylon. Understand this: The daughters of Babylon, the Chaldeans of Babylon, the prostitutes born of Babylon the Great and Bablyon the Great herself are all of the same spirit, the same origin and will all have the same end.

Come down and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon; sit on the ground without a throne, O daughter of the Chaldeans! For you shall no more be called tender and delicate. Your nakedness shall be uncovered, and your disgrace shall be seen. I will take vengeance, and I will spare no one. Isaiah 47:1,3

Sit in silence, and go into darkness, O daughter of the Chaldeans; for you shall no more be called the mistress of kingdoms. I was angry with my people; I profaned my heritage; I gave them into your hand; you showed them no mercy; on the aged you made your yoke exceedingly heavy. You said, “I shall be mistress forever,” so that you did not lay these things to heart or remember their end. Now therefore hear this, you lover of pleasures,
who sit securely, who say in your heart, “I am, and there is no one besides me;
I shall not sit as a widow or know the loss of children”: These two things shall come to you
in a moment, in one day; the loss of children and widowhood shall come upon you in full measure, in spite of your many sorceries and the great power of your enchantments. Isaiah 47:5-9

“Behold, I will stir up the spirit of a destroyer against Babylon, They shall fall down slain in the land of the Chaldeans, and wounded in her streets. 5 For Israel and Judah have not been forsaken by their God, the Lord of hosts, but the land of the Chaldeans is full of guilt
against the Holy One of Israel. 6 “Flee from the midst of Babylon; let every one save his life!
Be not cut off in her punishment, for this is the time of the Lord's vengeance, the repayment he is rendering her. 7 Babylon was a golden cup in the Lord's hand, making all the earth drunken; the nations drank of her wine; therefore the nations went mad. 8 Suddenly Babylon has fallen and been broken; wail for her! Jer 5:4-8

“Set up a standard against the walls of Babylon; make the watch strong; set up watchmen;
prepare the ambushes; for the Lord has both planned and done what he spoke concerning the inhabitants of Babylon. 13 O you who dwell by many waters, rich in treasures,
your end has come; the thread of your life is cut. 14 The Lord of hosts has sworn by himself: Surely I will fill you with men, as many as locusts, and they shall raise the shout of victory over you. Jer 5:12-14

O daughter of Babylon, doomed to be destroyed, blessed shall he be who repays you with what you have done to us! Psalm 137:8

For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: The daughter of Babylon is like a threshing floor at the time when it is trodden; yet a little while and the time of her harvest will come.” Jeremiah 51:33

Up! Escape to Zion, you who dwell with the daughter of Babylon. Zechariah 2:7

“Come, I will show you the judgment of the great prostitute who is seated on many waters. The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and jewels and pearls, holding in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her sexual immorality. And on her forehead was written a name of mystery: “Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earth’s abominations.” And I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. When I saw her, I marveled greatly. Rev17:1,4-6

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..…………………

The Roman Catholic Church

and

her daughters; Denominations, Sects and all of the churches of men

in Christianity

Before all her daughters came into existence, she existed, the Roman Catholic Church, Catholicism. The word “catholic” comes from the Greek adjective katholikos, meaning "universal". Indeed she is the Universal Church of the world with much to boast about; the richest, largest membership (1.2 billion), the most connected and influential church in all the world. She has served for centuries. She has served many wars, many rebellions for 100s of years. She was and still is the mother church of the world. All the churches of men originated from her bosom. All the denominations and sects of Christianity have in their family tree the Roman Catholic Church deep down in their roots. She was the first of her kind, and from her came her many rebellious daughters. They learned everything they know from her from. Oh how they wish they could change history, change who their mother is, but they can’t. How they which the things the mother church did could be erased, but it can’t. Mother and daughters had their difference, very legitimate difference. But they weren’t completely divided on everything. Even after their divorce, they still shared between them many many things. They shared a lot of things in common but the noise and uproar was and still is mostly about their differences. They were once one happy family for a long long long time. It wasn’t all bad all the time. But when the daughters of mother church grew up, there were some very serious things they didn’t want to stomach anymore. They wanted to be their own mothers, to run away from home and live their own lives. They wanted their own doctrines, customs, rituals, traditions and practices and not their mothers anymore. But when it came time to separate, it wasn’t a complete divorce. Her daughters didn’t feel the need to do away with everything concerning their mother. Some things were thrown out, and some were kept. They kept some practices, some beliefs, some customs, so traditions, some procedures and added their own spice and flavor to them. How sad for mother church and her daughters relationship began with such devotion, loyalty and unity but later grew into a bitter feud and power struggle. The daughters did not agree with their mother on so many levels, and their mother just could not stand such a rebellion coming from the fruit of her own womb, from her own house. It was treason. Eventually they could not live together anymore. They fought, they quarreled, they clashed and they divided. Her mother kicked her daughters out and her daughter ran away from home. Mother did many horrible and terrible things to her daughters in their attempt to split and be different. But when her daughters had their independence, their hands did not stay clean, their hands become bloody…like mother like daughter. But what is this we hear and read? Her daughters were said to have reformed. Reformed? Reformation they say? What does that mean, to reform?

1. To improve by alteration, correction of error, or removal of defects; put into a better form or condition.

2. a. To abolish abuse or malpractice in: reform the government. b. To put an end to (a wrong).

3. To cause (a person) to give up harmful or immoral practices; persuade to adopt a better way of life.

v.intr.

To change for the better.

n.

1. A change for the better; an improvement.

2. Correction of evils, abuses, or errors.

3. Action to improve social or economic conditions without radical or revolutionary change.

To those who believe the Roman Catholic Church is Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earth’s abominations, my question to you is…how then can you reform her? Can you reform the mother, the source, the original Prostitute of all prostitutes? Can men change what is evil into good by reformation? Consider the word of the Lord:

“Thus says the Lord of hosts: Ask the priests about the law: ‘If someone carries holy meat in the fold of his garment and touches with his fold bread or stew or wine or oil or any kind of food, does it become holy?’” The priests answered and said, “No.” Then Haggai said, “If someone who is unclean by contact with a dead body touches any of these, does it become unclean?” The priests answered and said, “It does become unclean.” Then Haggai answered and said, “So is it with this people, and with this nation before me, declares the Lord, and so with every work of their hands. And what they offer there is unclean. Haggai 2:11-14

Scriptures say, “ The Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil” Is Mystery Babylon whom many have identified as the Roman Catholic Church not a work of Satan? Did Jesus come to reform the works of Satan or to destroy them? Of who’s seed is the RCC? The incorruptible seed of God?!?! Can the fruit of a seed be different from what it always has produced? Can the original tree bring forth different branches that bear different fruit? Can an apple tree bear grapes? Can an apple tree bear grapes, oranges and peaches, and then can its peaches bear lemons and pineapples and then its pineapples bear strawberries and cherries? Is this not how the tree of Christianity has grown into? Denominations within denominations, sects within sects, this man’s horde of churches and another man’s various branches, all with differences and divisions. Is this the order of God? Is this the house of God? Is this Gods Olive tree? Are these all Jesus’ candlesticks? Is Christ the vine of all these competing and conflicting branches that bear a mix of fruits? Is Christ divided?

Oh daughters of your mother! Daughters of the Roman Catholic Church! You are different in many ways from her, but the true remains that you share many similarities and are very much alike, inside and out! You fool no one but those already fooled. The truth is, as different as you try to be, you are the same as your mother and your sisters. You are of the same seed. Like mother, like daughter. I have seen it! I have heard it! I have sat among you, your universal mother even I have sat with. I have sat among the eldest daughters who are more traditional and orthodox. I have sat among the younger daughters, who are more modern and secular. I have noticed you all have a routine of activities for your assembling, essentially the same activities with a little twist here and there, a little variation, a little something different. I have noticed how many usually dress up and put on nice fragrances for church, yet a few don’t mind to dress down. I have gone through your morning and evening services and your masses. I have gone to their assemblies when it was on Sunday Sabbath day, Saturday Sabbath day and the Lord’s day. I have seen your magnificent church buildings and your modest ones. How big they are and how small others can be in comparison. I have noticed that the small modest ones are always hoping and praying to be like the bigger glamorous ones. I see you are all passionate about growth, growth in the number of your churches and “membership”. I have sat in your high places; in air condition, under fans, and under the sun. I have seen your leaders mount glamorous pulpits and others just get on stages, in front of everyone with all attention on them. I have noticed your clergymen and your associate pastors and elders always in the front of the church and/or near the leader, set apart from everyone else. I have heard your sermons and listen to you preach, with zeal and with calm. I have sat in pews and plastic chairs; in the front, in the back and up top. I see more of the backs of regular members than I do of their faces. I have seen your high places equipped with state of the art music and sound equipment and others with just a mic, electric keyboard and clapping hands. I have prayed when it was time to pray silently and loudly. I have recited your recitals that everyone had memorized or was reading from a book and have spoken after the words, prayers and declarations of your leaders who would say, “Repeat after me…” I partook of your lively “praise and worship” with song and dance and at other places I have sung along where you preferred sublime intimate hymns. I have listened to your choirs and individuals sing solos. I have given offerings and alms and paid tithes. I have partaken in your ritual called communion when it was offered to all and I have refrained from it when it was restricted to only “members”. I have partaken of communion when it was said to be the “actually blood and body” and when it was said to be symbolic. After church I have seen your leaders from a distance and in other cases I shook hands with them. I have seen them dressed in gowns and in suits. I have read books on the doctrines specific to the beliefs of a particular church. Some of them had their own publications and their churches were restricted in using only their own material and none other. I have read from some of the bibles they have specially translated for their members and churches to use. I have gotten involved in extracurricular church activities such as prayer meetings, bible studies, evangelism and “make sure to bring someone to church next Sunday”.

I visited their mother and several of her daughters and I have partaken in each ones “style” of worship, praise and service to God. I joined each one’s temple of god and experienced each one’s god and christ.

After all this, I was tired, confused, unsatisfied and lost. I heard a calling one day to “returned to my Father’s house”. This voice, this silent whisper, lead me home. When I returned I was received with open arms by my Father and my perfect big brother. Father threw a party for me and gave me a ring as well. Big brother was the happiest of all at my return home. Big Brother promised to teach me, to give me rest and give me everything I needed to do the will of our Father. And here I am today.

When I looked back at all the places I had been I realized one thing, they were and still are, all the same. The universal church and her daughters are the same. The outward appearance may vary, but the heart of them all is the same. The daughters can hate their mother with all your heart and attempted to be as different from her as night and day. Their mother can continue to boast about being the first and the original and continue to disown and not recognize the “legitimacy” of her daughters to be just as hers. But the truth remains in what she says in her heart when she looks at all her rebellious daughters scattered all over the world, “I will always be your mother”.

As the prophet Ezekiel said and so it hold true to this very day…“Behold, everyone who uses proverbs will use this proverb about you: ‘Like mother, like daughter.’

The Lord’s simple and unforced appeal:

“Come out of her, my people,
lest you take part in her sins,
lest you share in her plagues;
for her sins are heaped high as heaven,
and God has remembered her iniquities.”

But they have said Reformation, they have said we are different from them, they say you don’t know about my church. They rebelled and continue to rebel, not against their mother, but against GOD. They are a stiff necked people, a rebellious house. Those who have ears to hear should hear, those who have eyes to see should see…Just come out….And come onto Jesus Christ for judgment awaits Babylon the Great and her Prostitute daughters. Judgment awaits RCC and her reformed churches. Judgment awaits Christianity and her divided denominations and sects and endless churches of men. Judgment awaits all those who bear the name of the Lord, the entire household of God and to all who calm to obey the Gospel of God. There is no speak of rapture before Judgment. “For as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment.” Hebrews 9:27

“For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?” 1 Pete 4:17

Come out and take no more part in her sins, share not in her plagues. Return to the Father. Cling onto the Lord alone, be joined to Him alone. Be yoked to Him alone. The family of God are not those who church, it is not the church members that form the Household of God, it is not the church members that are Jesus’ mother, brother and sister…it is those who do the will of the Father in Heaven! The Lord says,

“Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” And stretching out His hand toward His disciples, He said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”

Be not a branch of Christianity but live as branch of the true vine; Jesus Christ.

“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples. Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full. “This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. You are My friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you. You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you. This I command you, that you love one another. “If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also. But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know the One who sent Me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. He who hates Me hates My Father also. John 15

Finally give ear to this word and give eye to this vision all inhabitants of the world….

anyone who calms that the Roman Catholic Church is “BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH”

anyone who claims she that the United States of America (or any other nation) is “BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH”

anyone who calms any entity in this world is “BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH”

…remember that whatever will happen to mother will happen to daughter. Whatever happens to mother will happen to her offspring. Whatever will happen to the source will happen to those who copy and imitate it…be it a person, a church, a nation or anything because “Like mother, like daughter”

Woe to you Christian Scribes and Pharisees

Woe to you! Woe to you leaders of the churches of men! Woe to rulers of Christianity! Woe to you kings and princes of the Christendom! Woe to you Christian Scribes and Pharisees! Who do you think you are fooling with your lofty titles and offices that you give yourselves! You fool not the Lord God who sees in your hearts, you fool not his prophets and servants and disciples who have eyes to see and ears to hear! Behold, you are the Scribes and Pharisees of this wicked crooked generation, yes you! The spirit of your forefathers abides in you, those wicked men that persecuted and killed the Messiah and the prophets, those self-righteous depraved people, those false temple and synagogue worshippers, those blind guides, those hypocrites! Those sons of disobedience! Ah but look at this generation of Scribes and Pharisees in the churches of men. You do worse, so much more worse than your forefathers! You are more wicked, more blinded, more self-righteous, more hypocritical then they were! Their temple worship has become your church worship! Your church worship is far more false than their temple worship was after the Lord abolished it and tore the veil. Your self-righteousness is filthier than theirs were. Your blindness is much worse than theirs were. You led more people astray and into the pit than they did! I ask again, who do you try and fool with you self-glorifying titles? You and your ignorant followers call yourselves “men of God”, apostles and prophets, pastors and preachers, bishops and archbishops, overseers and reverends, Doctors and Professors, papas, fathers and popes. You say you are “called by God”, they say, “you are anointed by the Most High”. Liars! Hypocrites! Deceivers! You say you know the Lord but The Lord knows you not! He never sent you! He never appointed you! He doesn’t know you! You are no more than the wicked Scribes and Pharisees of today; Modern day Scribers and Pharisees. The religion elite indeed! Listen! And give ear! Jesus’ woes in Matthew 23 for your fathers back then still holds against you their decedents, today. Jesus said to the crowds and his disciples then and says to you and your blind followers now, and to all those who have ears to hear,

"The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat, so practice and observe whatever they tell you— but not what they do. For they preach, but do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces and being called rabbi by others. But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers. And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ. The greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

"But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in. Oh but how their followers do not perceive this! Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cross land and sea to make one convert, and then you turn that person into twice the child of hell you yourselves are!

"Woe to you, blind guides, who say, 'If anyone swears by the temple, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.' Yes when the people swear to live holy lives, to be faithful servants of Christ, to fear God, to stop sinning, and then DON’T honor their words, their leaders don’t do or say anything! They just keep the people swearing and saying amen and in Jesus name! to everything they say! Yet when people promise giving their money in offerings and tithes, they bound them to this and move heaven and earth to collect! You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that has made the gold sacred? And you say, 'If anyone swears by the altar, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gift that is on the altar, he is bound by his oath.' You blind men! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? So whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. And whoever swears by the temple swears by it and by him who dwells in it. And whoever swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by him who sits upon it.

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. Every week, every gathering, every function these people have, they collect from the ignorant and the poor, offering after offering, tithe after tithe, twisting scripture to justify their robbery! Lying to the people, “sow a seed in faith and God will multiple.” Is the seed of God money?? Is this faith that Jesus authors?? Wicked Lairs! And yes they neglect weightier matters such as the love, truth, repentance, the righteous judgment of God, the fear of God, the anger, wrath and jealous of God. They neglect the command of Jesus, and favor the abolished command of tithing. They neglect the gospel of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God. They neglect Jesus and preach prosperity, wealth and carnal blessings! They don’t provoke, encourage and led the people to seek Jesus’ for themselves, to seek the will of the Father, to seek their calling, their purpose. No they rather provoke and encourage them to fulfill the projects and plans of their church and to service and be yoked to church!

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean. They see nothing to clean, they’re pride and arrogance blinds them! They don’t see anything wrong with what they do. They don’t perceive the error they are in. No one stands up to them; all those under them glorify them and urge them on!

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. Look at them, finely dressed every false Sabbath day to go and play church in their glamorous wicked buildings. And those that haven’t built yet, they assure us they will so we shouldn’t mind their appearance now! Look at them with their appearance of godliness, but denying and resisting the power of the Spirit. Listen to their fine speech, moving and emotional sermons, and their singing and dancing. Listen to their false prophecies and false carnal blessings they speak from their minds. See their miracles done by demons as like Pharaoh’s sorcerers did. Look upon their properly orchestrated services and programs, how orderly and lively they are. See how they outwardly appear righteous to others, but within are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness! Who are they fooling but themselves and their faithful followers! “The LORD doesn't see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." 1 Sam 16:7. Their hearts a hardened and their minds darkened with sin, yet their outward appearance is a cover, a masquerade, to hide their wretchedness, poverty, blindness and nakedness. The Lord says, “For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.” Rev 3:17

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, saying, 'If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.' Thus you witness against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers. You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell? Therefore I send you prophets and wise men and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and persecute from town to town, so that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of innocent Abel to the blood of Zechariah the son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. Truly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.

Yes Lord, it shall surely come upon this generation. The Scribes and Pharisees of today shall be exposed and your righteous judgment on them will be inescapable.

WOE TO THEM! WOE TO THEIR FOLLOWERS! JESUS SAYS WOE TO YOU!

Churches are Businesses

Christ's Ekklesia and The Church Compared

Matthew 16:18, "…And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church (Greek - ekklesia)…"

The Greek word "ekklesia," is used 115 times in the New Testament, and in most bibles, it is always translated as "church" (except in Acts 19:32,39,41, where it is properly translated as "assembly").

The first complete English bible was the Tyndale bible in about 1524, and that bible did not use the word "church" anywhere in its pages, it used the word "congregation." Sometime after this bible, they started replacing the word "congregation" with the word "church."

Now, some people might say we're just mincing words; they say, "Church, assembly, what's the difference?" "You know what I mean when I say Church." But words are very, very important according to the Word of God. The following verses tell us that one of the duties of all followers of Christ is to diligently look at the words to describe His Body.

Matthew 4:4, "It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God."

Matthew 12:36-37, "But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned."

Proverbs 6:2, "Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth, thou art taken with the words of thy mouth."

Proverbs 30:5-6, "Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar."

One of the jurisdictions of the natural man is the Church. There are many Churches out there, even the Church of Satan. The Church of Wicka. The Church of Humanity. You name it, there's a Church for it. Even bars are like Churches, they go to worship the bottle, and fellowship around ungodly things, and play music that praises…the things of the flesh because they love the creation more than the Creator (Romans 1:25), so everything they worship and all the songs they sing worship the creation. So, there's another Church for you. This article will attempt to demonstrate how the State receives jurisdiction over the Church. We have to differentiate because Christ's ekklesia is not the Church.

If you look in a dictionary, under the word Church, it's defined as "a place of worship of any religion as a Jewish or heathen temple." When the world says "Church," they are thinking of a building or a structure, and this is actually the original meaning of Church, but somehow it transferred over as being the body of Christ. But as we're told in scripture, God "dwelleth not in temples made with hands" (Acts 17:24,48, 2 Corinthians 5:1, Hebrews 9:24). There's many different definitions for the Church, and it's really an arbitrary and capricious word. And we're going to take a look at how the natural man got jurisdiction over that. They got jurisdiction over the Church because he's the one that created it, he's the one that took the word ekklesia to a word that has no substance.

The Meaning of Ekklesia

First, we'll look at the meaning of what Christ's ekklesia is, we'll look at the real thing first, then we'll compare the legal fiction that's being created as the substitute for Christ's ekklesia. The word ekklesia is the original Greek Word, it was used in the Septuagint. So, the seventy-two translators that translated the Septuagint around 280 B.C. were very much aware of that word ekklesia. They used it in the Septuagint as a replacement of the Hebrew for the "congregation of Israel."

Now, if we go to the modern word studies on ekklesia, they'll always point to the secular meaning of the Greek, that it was a group of citizens called together. They rarely go to the original meaning. The first time it's spoken in the New Testament, by Christ, is at Matthew 16:18, "…And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my ekklesia…"

When you go to Tyndale's bible, which was the first English Bible, he translated ekklesia as "assembly." In the George Ricker Berry Interlinear Greek/English New Testament (it's a literal translation of the Greek into English), which was written in the late 1800's, he translated ekklesia as "assembly," and you won't find the word "church" anywhere in there. Christ only used the word ekklesia three times. It's not recorded in the book of Mark, John, or Luke. Matthew is the only one who recorded it.

In Strong's Greek Concordance, the word ekklesia (word #1577) is defined as "an assembly," and it's from the word "ek," (word #1537) which means "out of"; and the word "klesis" (word #2821) which means "a calling." So ekklesia means to be called out, and obviously Christ is the one that's calling us out. But is that the first time we were ever called out?

The apostle Paul wrote, "Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you" (2 Corinthians 6:17). Now he's quoting the Old Testament from Isaiah 52:11, so we were called out in the Old Testament. In the Septuagint, Isaiah 52:11 reads, "Depart ye, depart, go out from thence, and touch not the unclean thing; go ye out from the midst of her; separate yourselves, ye that bear the vessels of the Lord."

So, when you go to the original Greek in the Septuagint and find out what those verses mean, you find out what you're being called out of. And that's what His ekklesia is, it is those who are called out.

When Isaiah says, "go ye out from the midst of her," what does that mean? Well, when you go to the original Greek, "out from the midst" means "out from the center." And the word "her" is from the Greek autos which means "self." So basically, what this verse is saying is to depart and separate yourself from your self will (those wants of the world) and touch not the impure. So what we're called out of is our self! We're called out of the self-will and all of those things that have to do with the flesh. And that is His ekklesia.

This goes along with: Matthew 10:38-39, "And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it." The apostle Paul said, "I die daily" (1 Corinthians 15:31). What this means is to do His Will, and crucify the deeds of the flesh, kill our old man.

So, there's only one definition for ekklesia, and that's "assembly" (or "congregation"). Now, how is it possible to take the word "church" (which means a physical structure) and insert it in there? Because the word "Church" does not mean "assembly" at all! It doesn't even closely correlate.

The Origin of the word Church

It's very difficult to get an exact handle on where the word "church" popped up, but there is some writings on it.

In Vincent's Word Studies, he comments on 1 Corinthians 11:18, "For first of all, when ye come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you; and I partly believe it." Concerning the phrase "in the church, " he says, "not the Church edifice, a meaning which the word never has in the New Testament and which appears first in patristic writings."

The "patristic writings" would be the Church fathers after the apostles and Christ. So that's where the word "church" popped up, and it's not in the Word of God, so obviously it's a creation of man.

In 325 AD, "The Church" joined the State under Constantine, and it was carried through the Reformation. The Reformers, were all involved in civil government, such as John Calvin who set up the civil government in Geneva. The pope was the head of the Catholic Church and he was kicked out of England, and King Henry VIII took jurisdiction over the Church. And then when the King James version was done, it was very important for them to retain the word "church" because they had jurisdiction over it, so King James made fifteen specific edicts, as far as the translation goes, and one of those edicts (edict number three) stated that this bible was to retain the word "church" in the translation and it was not to be replaced with the word "congregation." That was his specific edict. He has no jurisdiction over the congregation (people), but he does over the church (physical buildings). So you can see he never wanted the word "assembly" associated with the original meaning of the Old Testament which meant "congregation." So he knew the correct translation, obviously, but he didn't want it in there, that way they retain control over "the church."

For example, the New Testament, at Hebrews 2:12, quotes the Old Testament, at Psalms 22:22, word for word. The word "congregation" in the Greek is "ekklesia." But since King James forbade replacing this Greek word with "congregation" (the true interpretation), it was replaced with a word which has a totally different meaning:

Psalms 22:22, "I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee."

Hebrews 2:12, "Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee."

And when we see what Vincent said about Patristic writings, we can see that "from the beginning it was not so," and it is a tradition of the elders that the word "church" has been retained. When you look in all of the word studies on the word "church", they put in there "the assembly," as if they were one and the same. But when you go to their own definitions, such as Elwells Evangelical Dictionary, it says the English word church "derives from the late Greek word kurioton, which means "the lord's house," a Church building. In the King James New Testament, the word translates from the Greek word ekklesia.

Notice this says "Church" is from a "late Greek word," so it's not a word that's used in the original Koine Greek, it's a modern word. So you see the problem. Also, kurioton, means "the lord's house." In the Old Testament, the phrase "the lord's house" is used three times, and it has to do with a secular lord every time (Genesis 40:7; 44:8, Isaiah 22:18). So, who is the lord we're talking about? The secular lord always had jurisdiction of the Church because it was their realm to begin with!

In Smith's Bible Dictionary from 1884, at page 452,, it says "the derivation of the word 'church' is uncertain. It is found in the Teutonic and Slavonic languages and answers to the derivatives of ekklesia, which are naturally found in the romance languages and by foreign importation elsewhere. The word is generally said to be derived from the Greek kyriakos, meaning the lord's house. But the derivation has been too hastily assumed. It is probably associated with the Scottish kirk, the Latin circus/circulous, the Greek klukos, because the congregations were gathered in circles."

And if you go into congregations that were gathered in circles, that's what the pagans did, they gathered in prayer circles, that's all pagan religions. After reading that comment, you might see why that word "Church" was adopted, because so many of the people that were being brought into the Church were of pagan origins, and they accommodated those pagans.

Smith's Bible Dictionary goes on to say, "Although kyriakos is found signifying a church, it is no more the common term used by Greeks than dominicum (the Latin word for 'church') is the common term used by Latins (in other words, it's not a common term). It is therefore very unlikely that it should have been adopted by the Greek missionaries and teachers and adopted by them so decidedly so as to be thrust into a foreign language."

What he's talking about is how all these other languages have picked up the word "church" and they all have different derivations of it. In the Anglo Saxon it's circay, in Scottish it's kirk, etc. He's saying all these different languages picked it up by the similarity of sound.

Smith's Bible Dictionary goes on to say, "further, there is no reason why the word should have passed into these two languages rather than into the Latin. The Roman Church was, in its origin, a Greek community and it introduced the Greek word for Church into the Latin tongue. But this word was not 'Church' (or dominicum), it was 'ekklesia."

In other words, the Latin has the word ekklesia, it passed from the Greek into the Latin and it stayed the same. But this other word, dominicum (church), was brought in, which is something completely different from ekklesia.

Lidellan's Scott's Greek English Lexicon confirms that the origins of the word "church" is shrouded in mystery. On defining the word "Klukos" which is one of the words church comes from, it says, "Of or for a lord or master (speaking of a secular lord). Assumed to be original of the Teutonic kirk, kirche, or church, but how this Greek name came to be adopted by the northern nations rather than the Roman name or Greek name ekklesia has not been satisfactorily explained."

We see from this Greek Lexicon that no one really knows how church got into the languages of the world to be used as a replacement for the Christ's ekklesia.

Church: "Derived from the Middle English word chirch/kirke, which is derived from the Old English word cirice (and the Old Norse kirkja), which is derived from the Germanic kirika, which is derived from the Classical Greek kyriake (oikia) which means "lord's house," and kyriakos which means "belonging to the lord," and kyrios which means "ruler," and kyros which means "supreme power," and all these words are derived from the Indo European base keu which means "a swelling, to be strong, hero," whence is derived "cave." 1. A building set apart or consecrated for public worship." Webster's New World Dictionary, Third College Edition, 1988, page 251.

Church: "The etymology of this word is generally assumed to be from the Greek, Kuriou oikos (house of God); but this is most improbable, as the word existed in all the Celtic dialects long before the introduction of Greek. No doubt the word means "a circle." The places of worship among the German and Celtic nations were always circular. (Welsh, cyrch, French, cirque; Scotch, kirk; Greek, kirk-os, etc.) Compare Anglo-Saxon circe, a church, with circol, a circle." The Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, E. Cobham Brewer, 1894.

Church: "Derived probably from the Greek kuriakon (i.e., "the Lord's house"), which was used by ancient authors for the place of worship. In the New Testament it is the translation of the Greek wordecclesia, which is synonymous with the Hebrew kahal of the Old Testament, both words meaning simply an assembly, the character of which can only be known from the connection in which the word is found. There is no clear instance of its being used for a place of meeting or of worship, although in post-apostolic times it early received this meaning." Easton's Bible Dictionary.

The courts have ruled that "The word 'church' is used interchangeably to designate a society of persons who profess the Christian religion and the place where such persons regularly assemble for worship."

The word in Latin for ekklesia is also ekklesia, so even the Latin retained this word. When we know what the word ekklesia means, how can we take something unclean, such as "The Church," and make it clean (Job 14:4)? We can't.

So, most bible translators have interpreted the Greek word ekklesia as Church, but ekklesia has nothing to do with the word Church! Every word study and reference available all agree that the word Church does not come from the original Koine Greek word ekklesia, but comes from a late Greek word, which has a totally different meaning! So we must ask ourselves this question: "Why do bibles falsely use the word church in place of the Christ's ekklesia?

Churches are Businesses

All Churches, including the incorporated Church, unincorporated Church, unregistered Church, etc., are under the jurisdiction of man. These Churches define themselves in particular ways that you do not find in scripture. In other words, Christ did not define his ekklesia to be those things. These designations were created by the natural man, because Christ never defines His ekklesia to be incorporated or unincorporated. The laws of man have jurisdiction over the Church because they are man-made terms, and man has jurisdiction over man-made things. Whoever creates something is the same who controls something, and he retains the authority and the power to alter or destroy at will. So, if man creates an organization, no matter what he calls it, then man controls it. If God creates an organization, then He is the one who should control it.

If a church is incorporated by the State, they are legally defined as a business. And they are doing business on the so-called "Lord's day," which is prohibited by God. One of the evidences to show that they are truly a business, even if they are not incorporated, is that they want the money up front. In other words, they pass the plate before they even preach the Word of God. That's limited liability on their part, that's business, that's commercial activity, that's selling the word of God.

In other words, "I have the money up front, and if you don't like what I have to say, too bad. Even if I don't preach the Word of God, too bad. It doesn't matter, I already got my money. Besides, you won't know any different because I'm going to throw "Jesus Christ" in there now and then to make it 'sound' good. It'll look just like the Pharisees looked. I'll tickle your ears (2 Timothy 4:3-4)."

One of the original reasons for incorporating back in 1810 were things like, "I'm a pastor and I need a salary. I don't want to be paid by fee anymore. I want my guarantee of making a living at this." Which is directly against scripture. We're not supposed to make a living from the Gospel. Paul made tents! That calling was used to get him across from place to place to preach the gospel. Paul did not run up to people and say, "Hey! Give me 5 bucks and I'll tell you what it's all about." Today's pastor basically does that. When you walk into a church today, the church passes around a collection plate and basically compels you to give them money to hear what they have to say. And if you don't give any money, you are looked down upon by others. Churches have even told its congregation that it is a sin if you do not give them money (tithe). What you hear from modern pulpits is nothing more than what's called a sophist, which means "one who preaches ethics for payment." The Gospel is a life (1 Corinthians 9:14). If you are living the gospel, how do you make money off it? If you're living something you can't charge for it, because people see the witness that you bear, because you see and do things differently.

A State Church is a Church that is recognized by the State, serves the State, provides revenue for the State, and serves a public purpose that is not contrary to established public policy. State Churches are registered with the State, with tax identification numbers. State Churches are producers of revenue for the State by paying taxes to assure the alleged solvency of the tax system. Taxable organizations are answerable to the government, open to the inspection and dictates of the government. State Churches are agents of the State by confiscating and remitting to the State taxes that the State has ordered the Church to confiscate. State Churches are servants of the State by keeping records for and remitting records to the State. Most Churches today, whether incorporated or not, are State Churches.

Acts 7:44-52 is what Stephen preached just before being stoned to death. He said that God "dwelleth not in temples made with hands" (Acts 7:48). In other words, God does not dwell in "Churches" or any other buildings, our body is now the temple of God, and the Spirit of God dwells within us (Romans 8:9-11, 1 Corinthians 3:16,17; 6:19-20, 2 Corinthians 6:16, Revelation 21:3). Believers are now "God's building" (1 Corinthians 3:9, 1 Peter 2:5, Ephesians 2:19-22). We are to glorify God in our body in spirit and truth (John 4:23-24, 1 Corinthians 6:20), not in buildings made with man's hands.

Hosea 8:6, "...the workman made it; therefore it is not God."

Isaiah 17:7-8, "At that day shall a man look to his Maker, and his eyes shall have respect to the Holy One of Israel. And he shall not look to the altars, the work of his hands, neither shall respect that which his fingers have made..."

We should not localize God:

Acts 7:49, "Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool: what house will ye build me? saith the Lord: or what is the place of my rest?"

1 Kings 8:27, "…behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded?"

Internal Revenue Service (the Tax Company of the USA)

The Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service has available to the public Publication 1828, entitled "Tax Guide for Churches and Other Religious Organizations." The following excerpts are from page three of this publication. In this publication, it explains why and how the IRS acquires jurisdiction over Churches, whether they are incorporated.

Church: The term "church" is not specifically defined in the Internal Revenue Code. However, because special tax rules apply to churches, it is important to distinguish churches from other religious organizations.

Christ did not start a "religious organization." He did not start a religion. There is only one religion that His followers are to engage in. James 1:27, "Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit orphans and widows in their tribulation, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world." What Christ taught was from the "beginning," it did not start 2,000 years ago.

Certain characteristics are generally attributed to churches. These attributes have been developed by the IRS and by court decisions. They include:

Notice these have been developed by "court decisions." So we have everyone going to law with one another (1 Corinthians 6:1-8), which scripture condemns. And through courts, the natural man defines exactly what a church is. The following is what the natural man has jurisdiction over (because he created all of the following characteristics). Here are the 14 characteristics.

a) A distinct legal existence

In other words, that which has "legal personality." For example, if it has a name (i.e. FIRST COMMUNITY BAPTIST CHURCH), and if it hangs a sign outside the church, it has a distinct "legal existence"). You do not find anywhere in scripture where any follower of Christ "named" some building and put a sign outside advertising themselves or their beliefs. All they did was speak and act according to God's Truth.

b) A recognized creed and form of worship

This would be putting down on paper, and formally organizing it, and having everyone agree to it. It's something you don't find in scripture. Our "creed and form of worship" is already in scripture; we don't have to re-state it.

c) A definite and distinct ecclesiastical government

None of these line up with scripture. You don't find a "distinct ecclesiastical government" in scripture. When you see the government of the Christ's assembly in the New Testament, it is not "definite and distinct," it is "however the Lord moves you!" There's no organization to it. The problem is whenever men try to organize things, they actually go against God because He has already put everything in order.

Now, we do have guidelines for conduct in the assembly, but those are His guidelines, not ours. And the problem with the church is that they design their own "definite and distinct ecclesiastical government," and that's why we have the Baptists, the Catholics, etc. They all have different forms. So obviously, all these organizations are doing according to their own will and not according to God, otherwise none of them would be different (1 Corinthians 1:12-13). God is not the author of disorder (1 Corinthians 14:33).

d) A formal code of doctrine and discipline

They're re-stating scripture, and each denomination has a different code and doctrine. They're divided (1 Corinthians 1:12-13).

e) A distinct religious history

All denominations have a distinct religious history. Each one of these distinct religious churches have their own literature to promote their own denomination.

f) A membership not associated with any other church or denomination

In other words, they don't consider themselves part of the Christ's whole lawful assembly. They have their own little world they live in and they're no part of anything else. They adhere to that particular denomination, not to Christ's words. And they are not brothers with all others, they've set themselves apart and said, "this is the kind of government we want." It has to do with self-will.

g) An organization of ordained ministers

Notice the word "organization," and who are the ministers ordained by? Are they ordained by God or by man? And when you see a pastor with several letters after his name, he is a minister ordained by man. Now, he may be ordained by God also, but if you look to the ordination of men and put that after your name, you're a man of letters, and Christ was not a man of letters (John 7:15). So, Christ was not formally educated, he was "unlearned," which means he didn't go to the schools of Tyrannus (Acts 19:9), or the seminary.

h) Ordained ministers selected after completing prescribed courses of study

Ministers are run through the seminaries and their consciences are seared according to seminary doctrine (1 Timothy 4:2). This does not mean there can be no repentance, or that the Spirit of God can't move them. Some pastors say, "Well, that isn't what I was taught in seminary, so I can't hear that, I can't listen to you." They look to the seminary for truth.

Then there's the other pastors who admit that their minds were polluted, but they try to keep it clean by washing it with the water of the Word (Ephesians 5:26). We all get polluted in the world. We have to hold up His truth as our standard to weigh everything and judge everything. If you don't, you fall into error.

i) A literature of its own

Churches have literature to express their particular doctrine to bring you into their particular denomination so they can number you. Many churches put the numbers of how many they have in their congregation up on the wall. This was a sin of David (2 Samuel 18:1; 24:10, 1 Chronicles 21:17). If you put the numbers up for your own prideful reasons, or your own esteem of your church, then you're doing it for the wrong reasons. You should do it because God said to do it. He is the King and we are in His Kingdom. Are we out here doing things on our own making up our own rules, or are we looking to God's Word and His leading of the Holy Spirit to do what we do?

Numbering in itself is not a sin, but disobedience to God is, or not acknowledging Him in all our ways and letting Him direct our paths (Proverbs 3:5-7). That's the sin. Even in the New Testament books it says how three thousand people were added to the Christ's assembly that day (Acts 2:41), but they weren't bragging about it, they were simply showing how powerfully the Spirit moved. They didn't say, "The church at Corinth has this many numbers now. Hey, man, the numbers are really getting pumped up! We're looking good!" There is a difference, and its the purpose behind why you're making the statement. It's really quite similar to what the government does on their census, because they want to pump up those commercial numbers for their asset books.

j) Established place of worship

You'll notice in scripture that Christ and the apostles never went to an "established place" to preach to the people. They did not have any one particular place of worshipping over and over. They preached in general everywhere! An "established place of worship" is not of God (Acts 7:48; 17:24, Romans 8:9-11, 1 Corinthians 3:16-17; 6:19-20, 2 Corinthians 6:16, Revelation 21:3). A "church" is not a building, but His people themselves are God's building (1 Corinthians 3:9), of which Christ is the builder (Matthew 16:18).and not man's hands. If you have a particular place you worship, the IRS will believe you are one of theirs. The world does need to regulate its own, and so it looks at something which looks like its own and they regulate it if it's going to operate according to their world system.

k) Regular congregations

Already covered in the comments to letter "i" above.

l) Regular religious service

Such as that religious service every Sunday morning (the so-called "Christian Sabbath"). During the "Lord's Sabbath," there are no "religious services" involved. There's no "vain repetitions" (Matthew 6:7). We are brought together for His purpose, by Him. Otherwise, if you systematize everything, you're into habits, and you're no better than the animals.

m) "Sunday schools" for the religious instruction of the young

We're back to the schools of Tyrannus (Acts 19:9). Families are commanded to bring up their young ones "in the nurture and admonition of the Lord" (Ephesians 6:4). We are not supposed to have someone else bring them up!

n) Schools for the preparation of its ministers

Schools are in competition with other schools, and with other congregations. When you are in competition with others, you're at war with them.

Although the foregoing list is not all-inclusive, and not all the attributes must be present in every case, these characteristics, together with other facts and circumstances, are generally used to determine whether an organization constitutes a church for federal tax purposes.

So, when you engage in one or more of these, you're going to be coming under the tax codes because you're engaging in another law. This other law is a private law run by the natural man. It is not the Law of God.

By Richard Anthony

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This is what’s done in the USA; the world’s leading nation in many respects and the nation from which many other nations copy in many respects as well. Churches there get to enjoy tax-exemptions and other perks because they are under the laws of men. What about the churches where you are from? Is your church registered? Is your church legally recognized by the nation, the state, the world and the laws of men?

Jesus says “My Kingdom is not of this world”.

Indeed His Kingdom is not of this world nor is it recognized in this world.

But the churches of men surely are!