pastor preaching in church

Why the Institutional Church is not biblical: Ekklesia vs Church

pastor preaching in church

What Do We Mean By the Institutional Church is Not Biblical?

The institutional church is not biblical. This is the bold claim we will look at in this post.  But what do we mean by institutional church? We may get the understanding by looking at the meaning of institution.

Institution:
An establishment consisting of a building or complex of buildings where an organization for the promotion of some cause is situated.

Therefore, when we say the institutional church is not biblical, we are saying the church organizations of today which are based on buildings is not biblical.

This includes almost every single formal Christian assembly. It also encompasses sacred name assemblies that say they are not Christian, but still worship in church-like assemblies.

By the way, this post goes hand-in-hand with our previous post which is entitled: Why Almost All Of Us Are Following A False Messiah.

 

Denominational Kingdoms

These church organizations divide themselves by denominations according to belief (doctrine) and ownership. Each church in effect becomes a denominational kingdom which is owned by a person or group of persons.

Some are controlled totally by one person or group. Some give unofficial ownership of each branch to the pastor in charge and there is a central governing authority.

Some don’t attribute ownership to anyone, but the pastor still receives the tithes and offerings as the primary recipient of collections.

Of course with tens of thousands of denominations, there are several ways in which these churches are administered. At last count, there are over 40,000 of these denominations worldwide. The most conservative estimates place it at least 33,000.

Each denomination has its own unique name and teachings that separates it from others.

A person simply breaks away from a church and starts his own, usually because of doctrinal differences from his church of origin.

Other times it is just to fulfill an ambition to have a church and collect tithes and offerings. Give it a name, build a church building and a new denomination is born adding to the tens of thousands already in existence.

We simply have to look to the bible to figure out that this division is not of YAHUAH:

1 Cor 14:33 For YAHUAH is not the author (causer) of confusion, but of peace, as in all ekklesias (called out, set apart assemblies) of the saints.

By the end of this post, we should be able to see why all this confusion.

Related Post: The One Reason There Are So Many Christian Denominations.

 

Religious Deception

Persons responding to our posts on social media appear to have little or no idea how much deception we are under.

You see, most of us who come to faith just fall into the Christian religion with its traditions and beliefs. Even when we break away (as many sacred-namers have done), we bring remnants of ‘Christianity’ with us.

Unfortunately, when we break away from Christianity, we often continue in ‘church,’ which is still a Greco-Roman neo-pagan Christian institution. Still not free of the control of the devil.

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Why do we remain deceived? Not many of us stop and try to figure out where our doctrines came from.

church mural

 

Are they biblical? Are they the traditions of men (Mat 15:9)? Why are we not fervently matching up our belief against what the bible says?

Why do we not stop to prove all things (1 Thess 5:21) when people tell us that they are? Why don’t we seek to take ourselves away from all evil (1 Thess 5:22)?

It would appear Galatians 1:8-9 is no longer in the bible:

Gal 1:8 – 9 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other good news (gospel) unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.

As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other good news unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.

Why not then be like the Bereans and search the scriptures to see if we are on the right path (Acts 17:10-12)?

Well, let us do so by looking at the biblical assembly as well as the historic changes that brought us ‘church’ as we know it.

Oh, before we do that, let’s look at the warning we got about this deception.

 

Warnings about the False Church

warning - false assembly ahead

 

We were indirectly warned about the radical changes that would bring about the institutional church.

2Co 11:2 – 14 For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Mashiach.

But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in HaMashiach.

For if he that cometh preacheth another Yahusha, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.

Once again…

1 Tim 4:1-2 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron.

And again…

Act 20:29 – 30 For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.

Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.

So we have been warned, why not let us stop to see if we are among those who have been led astray? Isn’t that a great idea (to avoid the curse of Galatians 1:8-9)?

Related Post: Why Almost All of Us Are Following a False Messiah.

 

The Assembly in the Book of Acts

Did you ever stop to compare the first assembly in the book of Acts with our modern ‘church?’

knowledge study bible

Whether or not you have ever taken a serious look, let us start there and see the nature of the first new covenant assembly.

The word translated as church in the English Bible is actually the Greek word ekklēsía.

1577 ekklēsía(from 1537 /ek, “out from and to” and 2564 /kaléō, “to call”) – properly, people called out from the world and to YAHUAH, – i.e. the universal (total) body of believers whom YAHUAH calls out from the world and into His eternal kingdom.

It is a congregation where believers are called out of the world into one kingdom.

Why not let us look more at the word ekklēsía.

 

Etymology of the word Ekklēsia

The word ekklēsia is found in 116 places in the New Testament. In most English Bibles, it is translated as “church” in all of those places except three.

In Acts 19:32 and 41, it is translated as “assembly” and refers to the people whom Demetrius had called together (see Acts 19:25), and in verse 39 it is also translated “assembly” and refers to a lawful assembly.

Ekklēsia is a compound word. The first part is ek. It is a preposition that means “out of,” “out from,” or “from.” The second part of ekklēsia—klēsia—is a derivative of the Greek word kaleō. Kaleō is a verb that means “to call.”

So, ekklēsia is a compound of a preposition and a verb, but ekklēsia itself is a noun. In its most basic form, ekklēsia means “the called out from” or “those called out from.” In other words, it refers to people called out from or out of something.

In ancient Greece, ekklēsia came to be used for the people who were called out of the community to the assembly.

 

Big Difference Between Ekklēsia and Institutional Church

There is a huge difference between an ekklēsía and a church as we shall soon see. The church was not the ekklēsía (called out assembly) described in Acts and other parts of the new testament as we shall also soon see.

Therefore, what is described below in the book of Acts was an ekklēsía. If it sounds confusing, don’t worry, it will soon become clear.

 

The Ekklēsia of the Book of Acts

Act 2:42 — Act 2:47
And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.

And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles.

AND ALL THAT BELIEVED WERE TOGETHER; AND HAD ALL THINGS IN COMMON;

And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.

And they, continuing daily WITH ONE ACCORD in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,

Praising YAHUAH, and having favour with all the people. And YAHUAH added to the EKKLESIA daily such as should be saved.

Here are the main points to note:

  1. All that believed were together and had all things in common
  2. All had common possessions
  3. There was daily fellowship
  4. Everyone shared their meals
  5. All hearts were one

 

Let’s look at some more characteristics

Act 4:32 – 35 And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common.

And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Master Yahusha: and great grace was upon them all.

Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold,

And laid them down at the apostles’ feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need.

Main Points:

  1. No one claimed material possessions to be their own, but to be shared with others
  2. No one among them was wanting as the wealthier sold what they had to help the poorer
  3. Distribution was made according to need

 

Even More important characteristics:

Act 5:13 – 15 And of the rest durst no man join himself to them: but the people magnified them.

And believers were the more added to the Master, multitudes both of men and women.)

Insomuch that they brought forth the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and couches, that at the least the shadow of Peter passing by might overshadow some of them.

So we see from the verses above:

  1. Sinners dared not join them in the assembly
  2. The people held them in high esteem
  3. The Apostles took to the street for healing and the people waited for them there because hey dared not bring them to the assembly.

 

Final Profile of the Acts Ekklēsia

Now let us collate all the major characteristics of the first assembly in the book of Acts:

  1. All that believed were together and had all things in common
  2. All had common possessions
  3. There was daily fellowship
  4. Everyone shared their meals
  5. All hearts were one
  6. No one claimed material possessions to be their own, but to be shared with others
  7. No one among them was wanting as the wealthier sold what they had to help the poorer
  8. Distribution of the common wealth was made according to need
  9. Sinners dared not join them in the assembly
  10. The people held them in high esteem
  11. The Apostles took to the street for healing and the people waited for them there. They dared not bring them to the assembly.

 

1st Ekklesia vs Church (Table)

Dare we compare these 11 important differences between the first ecclesiastical assembly and the so-called church of today? Yes we dare and we will place it into a nice little table below:

No place for tithing!

Do you notice there is no place nor need for tithing?! Many people will take me to task for this, but tithing is not for the called out new covenant assembly. It is, however, the lifeline of the false church.

In the called out, set apart ecclesiastical assembly, people give liberally, not under compulsion. There is no need for tithes!

2 Co 9:7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for Elohim loveth a cheerful giver.

See Related Post by UK Apologetics: Tithing – Can We Honestly Face Up To The Truth?

 

tithes in basket

 

Totally different from the church

Do you not see that it was a totally different assembly from the church we have today? Unfortunately, as we can plainly see, the church of today is NOT what YAHUAH ordained.

Ekklēsias Considered to be Cults

The most profound thing is that assemblies today that have anything remotely in common with the Acts assembly are branded as cults by Christians.

As soon as an assembly is found to not line up perfectly with the church of today, we have a ‘cult alert.’ This is due to Christians being deceived into thinking their church is the biblical standard.

Church was not YAHUAH’S plan for mankind

The table shows without a doubt that the Christian “church” was not YAHUAH’S plan for mankind. Whenever we see promises for gathering Israel in the Tanakh (old testament), that promise is fulfilled in the called-out assembly of the new testament (not church):

Eze 11:17 Therefore say, Thus saith YAHUAH Elohim; I will even gather (qabats) you from the people, and assemble you out of the countries where ye have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.

קבץ
qâbats
kaw-bats’
A primitive root; to grasp, that is, collect: – assemble (selves), gather (bring) (together, selves together, up), heap, resort, X surely, take up.

Qabats is the Hebrew equivalent to ekklesia. It is a gathering, a collection/ assembly of YAHUAH’S set apart, called out people.

Now this is what happened when the new covenant believers were gathered. Need I remind you that we are supposed to be new covenant believers?

Act 2:44 And all that believed were together, and had all things common;

1Pe 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:

Act 2:36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that YAHUAH hath made that same Yahusha, whom ye have crucified, both King and Messiah.

The ekklesia is a called-out assembly, fulfilling the prophecies for gathering Israel, Judah, and Gentiles into what Sha’ul calls the Israel of YAHUAH (Gal 6:16) or the commonwealth of Israel (Eph 2:12).

Whichever term we use, it is still Gentiles called into Israel and not Israel called into a Christian religion as most Christians believe. The new Israel is gathered under the one shepherd, Yahusha.

John 10:16 And other sheep I have (Lost 10 tribes + Gentiles), which are not of this fold (house of Judah): them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold (Israel of YAHUAH: Gal 6:16, not the false Greco Roman church), and one shepherd (Yahusha BenYoseph/ Yahshua HaMashiach).

Hence church as we know it is not in the original word of YAHUAH. It was a pagan institution which was ‘sneaked’ into the Bible as we shall soon see.

church people
This is the Greco-Roman contrived institution known as the church. It bears no similitude to the called out assembly of the 1st century.

 

Be reminded: if it is not of YAHUAH, then it must be of the enemy the devil.

However, most of us are not aware of the church being a false tool of the devil. It thus becomes a never-ending cycle of blind leading blind (Mat 15:14).

Church under a delusion

Wrong (church) is considered right and right (ekklesia) is considered wrong by over 2 billion Christians worldwide.

Isa 5:20 – 21 Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!

No wonder the Messiah said wide is the gate that leads to destruction and many will enter there, but narrow is the gate that leads to life and few will find it!

It is a huge delusion.

2Th 2:9 – 12 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

And for this cause YAHUAH shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

We could end this article here, but we continue. We have to show without a doubt that church is a false institution.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zPsPxBE-nA[/embedyt]

 

No Big Deal (God Will Understand)

As is the case with all teachings, cognitive dissonance may make us defend wrong. We may say:

“So what if the church is not the church of Acts?”

So what if this is not the church of the Bible?

It is the same “God” and the same “Jesus Christ.”

“God” will understand!

Calling the church false sounds really trivial until we realize that it is the product of lies. And if it is the product of lies, who is the father of lies?

Joh 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

Church, the house of Ba’al, the great deception given to us by the father of lies, is an institution of the devil. But where did it originate? Where did this deception come from? Why do we have the great church deception today?

We will now give you historical proof of the great church deception.

 

The Lying Pen of the Scribe: Gross Mistranslation

Church as we know it came into the power base it is today, as a consequence of translators switched the meanings of 2 words.

Sadly, this simple switch gave validity to the modern church while at the same time branding the true called out assembly as a cult.

Jer 8:8 “How can you say, ‘We are wise, and the law of YAHUAH is with us’? But behold, the lying pen of the scribes has made it into a lie.

 

Related Post: Is Isaiah 9:6 Saying the Messiah is the Mighty Elohim?

 

lying pen of the scribe

 

Ekklesia vs Kuriakos

In the New Testament of most English Bibles, the words “church” and “churches” appear a total of over 100 times.

All of these instances of “church” are mistranslated from the Greek word ekklēsia, with one exception found in Acts 19:37, in the King James Version.

Here is the mistranslation:

From HELPS Word-studies:
The English word “church” comes from the Greek word kyriakos, “belonging to the Lord” (kyrios).

So let me make it simple. Instead of translating ekklesia (found over 100 times in the new testament) to one of its true meanings: called out ones, set apart ones, assembly, called out assembly, or congregation; we have it translated to mean “the Lord’s.”

We will soon discover who “the Lord” is.

It is worthy of note that both meanings are miles apart and the word kyriakos (kuriakos) is found only twice in the KJV Bible (1 Cor 11:20 and Rev 1:10).

It is found only twice in the original translation, yet it is used over 100 times to replace the called-out assembly, the true assembly of the Bible.

We will look further at the importance of this mistranslation, but first, let us look at the spirit at work that likely influenced this misdeed.

 

History: The Greco-Roman Pagan Spirit of Syncretism

Now how did ‘the Lord’s’ become church? Why did the scribes give us an obviously flawed mistranslation? Introducing the Greco-Roman pagan spirit of world domination and syncretism.

syncretism
noun
the amalgamation or attempted amalgamation of different religions, cultures, or schools of thought.

This began in the history of Israel through the Greek King Antiochus who forced Israel to reject Torah and accept Greek pagan customs. This is chronicled historically in 1 Maccabees 1: 41-44 and 2 Maccabees 6 starting at verse 1.

Now the protestant church fathers removed the Apocrypha (that includes the Macabees) from the Bible because they say they are not inspired. The Macabees are history books that were indeed used by the followers of the way (the early believers).

The apocrypha is a selection of books which were published in the original 1611 King James Bible. These apocryphal books were positioned between the Old and New Testament (it also contained maps and geneologies). The apocrypha was a part of the KJV for 274 years until being removed in 1885 A.D.

Like most of the books in the Apocrypha that were taken out of the bible, they can be very revealing of the modern religious establishment:

1 Maccabees 1: 41-44
Moreover king Antiochus (of Greece) wrote to his whole kingdom that all should be one. And everyone should leave his law: so all the heathen agreed accordingly to the commandments of the king.

Yea, many also of the Israelites consented to his religion and sacrifice unto idols and profaned the sabbaths. For the king had sent letters by messengers unto Jerusalem and to the cities of Juda, that they should follow the strange law of the land.

2 Maccabees 6:1-
Not long after they sent a man from Athens (Greece) to compel the Jews to depart from the law of their fathers, and not live after the law of YAHUAH. And to pollute the temple in Jerusalem, and called it the temple of Jupiter Olympius and that in Garizm of Jupiter, the defender of strangers.

The temple was filled with riots and revelling Gentiles. Neither was it lawful for a man to keep the sabbath days or ancient feasts or profess himself at all to be a Jew.

 

This same neo-pagan spirit is what has brought us the syncretism of paganism with ‘the way’ of the Natsarims to form the religion we know as Christianity. The same spirit of Antiochus continued in Emperor Constantine and other emperors who succeeded him.

The following are excerpts from a pdf by Word of His Grace and reveal some startling historical truths about how the ekklesia of the 1st century became the church. You may view the full pdf here.

 

History: How Ekklēsia Became Church (via Word of Grace)

It is generally agreed among etymologists who study the origins of words that our English word “church” comes from the Greek word kuriakos. This word is an adjective and it means belonging to or in some way related to the Lord.

So how did this adjective that means “Lord’s” come to be the origin of our English noun “church”? Words are funny things. They change over time. The Online Etymological Dictionary says that kuriakos “was used of houses of Christian worship since c.300.” Remember that date.

It was the 4th century that our belief was hijacked by the Romans, pagan traditions were added and gave us Christianity as we know it today: a mixture of paganism and Biblical truth.

This was the time of Constantine the Great, who was emperor of the Roman Empire from A.D. 306 to 337.

constantine the great
Constantine the Great

Up until this time, believers were meeting in private houses. This brought the wrath of the Roman government upon them because, as Earle E. Cairns writes in Christianity Through the Centuries, “There could be no private religion….

The Natsarims (early name of the believers) held most of their meetings at night and in secret. To the Roman authority this could be nothing else than the hatching of a conspiracy against the safety of the state….

The secrecy of the meetings of the Natsarims also brought moral charges against them. Public rumor made them guilty of incest, cannibalism, and unnatural practices” (87).

The other religions of the Roman Empire had public meeting places, but the Natsarims met in private houses even though it brought persecution upon them. That’s right, meeting in private houses brought persecution upon the Natsarims.

Contrary to what is often assumed, Natsarims did not meet in private houses to hide from persecution. They met in private houses by choice, and this choice made them subject to persecution.

But then Constantine (along with Licinius) granted religious tolerance in the Edict of Milan.

Not only was Christianity now tolerated, but Constantine favored it and began to build church buildings.

He retained the idea that worship is public and expected Christians to follow that paradigm. “Constantine brought to Christianity a pagan notion of the sanctity of things and places” (Joan E. Taylor, Christians and the Holy Places, 308).

This erection of special buildings for Christian worship was part of what has been called the Constantinian shift that eventually, after Constantine’s death, led to the uniting of church and state with the issuing of the Edict of Thessalonica.

This edict was released jointly by Theodosius I, Gratian, and Valentinian II. It made the faith the official religion of the people under those emperors. It further said, “We authorize the followers of this law to assume the title of Catholic Christians; but as for the others, since, in our judgment they are foolish madmen, we decree that they shall be branded with the ignominious name of heretics, and shall not presume to give to their conventicles the name of churches.

For those who met in private as was the case of the first church, there was official persecution. But, for the followers of the Catholic bishops, the people who were to now be called Catholic Christians, there were official church buildings.

church-doberan-munster
The Constantinian shift shifted the focus from a called out people to a sacred building

And these buildings, as I have pointed out, were called kuriakos, “the Lord’s.” This was just a shortened way of expressing the idea these people had that these buildings were the Lord’s house or kuriakē oikia.

For, continuing with pagan notions Constantine had retained, they considered the buildings themselves to be sacred. Thus, a kuriakos, or church, was a sacred building.

 

History: Pagan Origins of “Church”

There were pagans using the word “church” long before Christians ever began using it. The word church goes back to the Greek kuriakê oikia, which means “the house belong to the lord” or “the Lord’s house”. kuriakon (koo-ree-ak-on’) means “belonging to the Lord” and oikos (oy’- kos) meaning “house.”

 

Lord Mithras and Christianity

So if the pagans used kuriakê oikia referring to a building belonging to the Lord, what lord were they referring to? The “Lord’s house (kuriakê oikia) was used in the 4th century and clearly was not referring to the Master Yahshua, but rather to Mithras, the “sun-god.”

Of course, the name “church” was not restricted to Mithras worship. It was used for places of worship for every god and goddess worship, including Ba’al, Jupiter, Diana of Ephesus and Sol Invictus Mithras.

The sun god was a famous god among the pagans but with many different names, including Ba’al and Mithras. Mithras was the mystery ‘god’ who was popular among the Romans at the time).

mithras - roman sun god
The Roman sun god Mithras via The National Arts and Culture

Jer 23:26 — Jer 23:27
How long shall this be in the heart of the prophets that prophesy lies? yea, they are prophets of the deceit of their own heart; Which think to cause my people to forget my name by their dreams which they tell every man to his neighbour, as their fathers have forgotten my name for Baal.

Now what is the connection between “the Lord” and Ba’al? Here is an excerpt from Wikipedia on the name Ba’al:

Baal (/ˈbeɪəl, ˈbɑːəl/), properly Baʿal, was a title and honorific meaning “lord” in the Northwest Semitic languages spoken in the Levant during antiquity. From its use among people, it came to be applied to gods.

So, Ba’al or Baal was a general term used to describe the several false deities, especially sun deities. Most importantly, Ba’al was “the Lord!”

Therefore, when we go to church, we are going to Ba’al’s (the Lord’s) house!!! When we call our Messiah “the Lord,” we are actually calling him Ba’al. When we call our Father “the Lord,” we are actually calling him Ba’al!!!

This is why when the Bible was translated into English, they blotted out the sacred names of the Father and the Son and replaced them with “Lord” and “God.”

This is what was achieved:

Jer 23:26 — Jer 23:27
How long shall this be in the heart of the prophets that prophesy lies? yea, they are prophets of the deceit of their own heart; Which think to cause my people to forget my name by their dreams which they tell every man to his neighbour, as their fathers have forgotten my name for Baal.

Jer 8:8 “How can you say, ‘We are wise, and the law of YAHUAH is with us’? But behold, the lying pen of the scribes has made it into a lie.

It was Constantine, who worshipped Mithra as his god and he converted the house of Ba’al into the Christian house or church

He was the one that transformed the called-out assembly into a church recognized by a building and he then set his clergy in charge of the house…as we still see today with our pastors etc.. It all worked out quite nicely for him because he now had both the church and the state under his control.

The most significant of many possible examples is emperor Constantine the Great. He was an affiliate of Sol Invictus Mithras and never disowned it, not even when he openly embraced Christianity and declared himself to be “God’s servant” and a sort of “universal bishop”.

His biographer Eusebius hails him as the “new Moses”, but Constantine was baptized only on his death bed, and he never stopped minting coins with mithraic symbols on one side and Christian on the opposite; he even erected in Constantinople a colossal statue of himself wrapped up in mithraic symbols. Source: Mithras and Jesus: Two Sides of the Same Coin.

 

Mithraism and the spirit of syncretism

Note carefully the description of Mithraism from Wikipedia:

Mithraism, also known as the Mithraic mysteries, was a mystery religion centered on the god Mithras that was practised in the Roman Empire from about the 1st to the 4th century CE.

Note those dates. That was from about the time of the Messiah and Apostles (1st century) until Christianity was accepted by Constantine in the 4th century and made the official religion of Rome (4th century).

On 384 AD Vettius Agorius Praetextatus, the last “papa” (acronym of the words Pater Patrum = Fathers’ Father) of the so called Cult of Mithras, died in Rome. His name, and his religious and political appointments, are written on the basement of St Peters’ Basilica, together with the names of a long list of other Roman senators, spanning a period from 305 to 390. The one thing that they have in common is that they all are “patres” of Mithras.

As many as nine amongst them have the supreme title of Pater Patrum, clear evidence that it was here, inside the Vatican (church), that the supreme leader of the mithraic organization resided, at the side of the most sacred Basilica of Christianity, erected by Constantine the Great in 320 AD.

It was the same Praetextatus, as prefect of the town, who defended Damasus against his opponents, on 367, and confirmed him as bishop of Rome.

The title of Pater Patrum fell (today we would say by default) upon Damasus’ successor, the bishop Siricius, who was the first in the Church’s history, to assume the title of “papa” (pope). Together with it he took also upon himself a long series of other prerogatives, titles, symbols, objects and possessions, that passed en masse from Mithraism to Christianity.

It was a true handover from the Mithraic pope to the Christian one. Source.

The spirit of syncretism (mixing) successfully worked to fuse Mithraism with the Hebrew faith to give us Christianity.

 

Pagan Church Architecture

The tradition of sacred buildings of worship show us that church is actually the temple or house of Ba’al. The architecture of the church buildings manifest sun worship and Ba’al worship.

They are veritable shrines to the sun god but most persons cannot see it. We have been blinded by tradition, loyalty to a religion or lack of knowledge.

church-eye-of-horus-cyprus

The Eye of Providence

The commonly known Illuminati symbol the Eye of Providence, or the All-Seeing Eye (circle within the triangle) is shown in the church above. It is a symbol deeply rooted in Masonic traditions, and is generally depicted as a single eye placed centrally inside a triangle, and sometimes enhanced using beams of light to show it is “Illuminated”. The eye itself is representative of Satan, who his worshippers believe is all-powerful, omnipresent and has the ability to see everything. Source.

Phallus (Male Sex Organ)

The bell tower in the background depicts a phallus. The phallic symbol has been depicted in steeples and bell towers. The phallus played a role in the cult of Osiris in the ancient Egyptian religion. It is widely understood that the obelisk is a phallic symbol honoring and celebrating regeneration of the sun god Ra (Egypt’s greatest deity). The obelisk was the first point sun rays hit as it ascended, which the pagans believed symbolized re-birth between earth and heaven. It originated in the legend of Semiramis and Nimrod, being a memorial of Nimrod’s (Ba’al’s) penis.  Source.

Cross

At the top of the bell tower, we see a cross. Clearly, long before the coming of the Messiah, pagans used the cross as a religious symbol. The ancient world used many variations of the form of the cross. Did the ancients use the type of cross that is generally used as a symbol of Christianity?

Two of the forms of the pre-Christian cross which are perhaps most frequently met with are the tau cross, so named from its resemblance to the Greek capital letter T.

The use of the cross as a religious symbol in pre-Christian times, and among non-Christian peoples, may probably be regarded as almost universal, and in very many cases it was connected with some form of nature worship. (The Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th ed., 1910, Vol. 7, pg. 506. Emphasis ours.). One can easily corroborate from history that nominal Christians adopted this pagan symbol as a sign of their religion, even though it had nothing to do with true Christianity. Source.

These are just three of the many pagans symbols in the church. Different churches display these and other pagan signs to varying degrees.

I believe most of these signs are innocently replicated as they have been passed down to the ignorant as tradition (my people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: Hosea 4:6-7).

Satan the deceiver continues to lead us to give him honour through his religions and their traditions. Follow the way, not religion.

 

Epytymology of the Word Church

Different authors have traced many of our “church” words to pagan mythology, especially Greek, Roman, Babylonian, and German or Teutonic mythology. Most of you may not be aware of the fact that English is really a part of the German language. As a matter of fact, about 90% of the words in the King James Bible are German in origin. The English peoples are Anglo Saxons, of germanic origin.

Now Webster (Webster’s Dictionary) says that the root of this word “church” is a Saxon word “circe, or circ, or cyric.” Those of you who are versed in Greek mythology or in the Greek language should begin to be raising your eyebrows.

This information is so embarrassing that Webster did what he could to hide this in his first edition, but later editions made it easy to uncover.

In the Original Webster’s under the word “circ” are the simple words “see circus.” Who says our Father doesn’t have a sense of humor? But it gets more interesting than that!

The first entry as to the etymological meaning and origin of the church is “circe.” Now for those who are versed in Greek, this connection is so obvious and embarrassing that Webster did not put this noun in his dictionary, but he did put the adjective which is “Circean.”

I cannot prove it, but I think this omission was intentional.

Under “Circean” we find the following definition: “adjective; Pertaining to Circe, the fabled daughter of Sol and Perseis, who was supposed to possess great knowledge of magic and venomous herbs, by which she was able to charm and fascinate.”

Later editions of Webster’s finally had the courage to enter the noun under which we find more information: “Circe noun [L., fr. Gr. Kirke.] In the Odyssey, an island sorceress who turned her victims by magic into beasts but was thwarted by Odysseus with the herb moly given him by Hermes-Circean, circaean adj..” Source.

So the word church has occultic meaning. It has its foundation in sorcery. So much for church being holy ground.

 

Tyndale’s Bible

william-tyndale-portrait
William Tyndale – Image via Vision.org

Tyndale created problems early on in his translation of the scriptures into English. William Tyndale, a man who was martyred for his bible, used the word “church” (churche) only twice, in Acts 14:13 and 19:37; and in both cases he understandingly understood church as a building connected to idol-worship:

Here are the places he used the word church (it is in old English):

Acts 14:13 Then Iupiters Preste which dwelt before their cite brought oxe and garlondes vnto the churche porche and wolde have done sacrifise with the people.

Now here is an updating version of his translation to present:
Acts 14:13, “Then Jupiter’s Priest which dwelt before their city brought oxen and garlands into the church [pagan house of worship] porch and would have done sacrifice with the people.”

Here is the other verse in which he used the word church

Acts 19:37 “For ye have brought hyther these me whiche are nether robbers of churches [pagan houses of worship] nor yet despisers of youre goddes.”

Updating Acts 19:37-38, “For you have brought these men to me which are nether robbers of churches nor yet despisers of your goddess.”

The reference is to the temple and goddess of Diana of the Ephesians.

Clearly, Tyndale understood that the word church represented a pagan house of worship and translated it as thus. He lived much closer to the understanding of the word church than we.

His translation was not something that the clergy-driven churches wanted to be known to the many ignorant people of that day who didn’t have bibles in English.  Source.

 

The Protestants Rejected Catholicism; but not the concept of ‘Church’

When the protestants broke away from the Catholics some 500 years ago, they still brought much of Catholicism with them. This included the same false notion of the ‘church.’

Unfortunately, this church, built on a pagan foundation, is what most Christians swear by today. They are ignorant of the truth that it is a false pagan institution. The fact that it is in the Bible makes most believe it is valid. However, they are unaware that it was inserted by the lying pen of the scribes.

 

Church and State

Church was given the blessing of the state because it helped the early rulers control both religion and state. It is an organization originally setup to propagate religion through sacred buildings under the guidance of the state.

Setting up a religious power base was the original intent as the Christian religion was used to unite, conquer and spread the power of the Roman Empire. Later the European powers used it to conquer the so-called ‘new world.’ This they did in what has been graphically described as “with a gun in one hand and a Bible in another.”

It cannot be said enough that it was not the called-out assembly of the Father.

The ekklesias, on the other hand, were the enemies of the state. It is a political body of saints, under the Messiah. It is free, self-governing, and is made up of families and communities working together under the reign of the Messiah — which is a foretaste of “the Kingdom of Heaven.”

The original ecclesiastical assembly was hated by the state, which sought ways in which it could wipe them out.  This was because they were not aligned to any institution of man, nor aligned to the state. They were set apart from the world.

As a result, they were persecuted and hated, which is why the Messiah prophesied:

Luke 21:17 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake.

What do we have today? Church and state are ‘in love.’ The state even grants tax-free status to the church. There are no persecutions as the church of today is not the called-out assembly of the Bible.

The church of today is a far cry from the biblical assemblies. In fact, the church is the opposite of the biblical assembly in almost all respects.

berlin-cathedral

 

Christian Churches Chosen?

Today, we have Christian churches telling us they are the chosen ‘church.’ That is borne out of ignorance of historic and biblical truth.

Some SDA’s say they are the chosen ‘church,’ as do some Pentecostals, and the Church of Christ to name a few.  The Jehovah’s Witness also boldly claim that they are the chosen (who claim they are not a church).

NO CHURCH IS CHOSEN!!! 

SDA-church architecture
SDA church displaying the same pagan worship architecture we previously described. This is of the churches that claim to be the chosen.

YAHUAH does not call churches, but he calls believers out of this world (Love not the world nor the things of this world).

It is the heart that matters, not the assembly which one attends. We are called to be followers of the way (John 14:6).

However, the assembly which we attend will (through its doctrines) lead us away from the one true messiah of the bible.

This is what most Christian churches do. They lead us to follow a false Greco-Roman version of the true Hebrew Messiah. They are blind leaders of the blind.

The Messiah’s assemblies are called out assemblies where believers live kingdom life, which prepares them for the kingdom to come. Faith, love, sharing, caring, sacrifice, humility are key. That is why we have warnings like this:

Mat 25:41 – 43 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:

For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:

I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.

The above describes the ekklesia. It does not describe a church. The verse below also describes an ecclesiastical assembly, not a church.

James 1:27 Pure religion and undefiled before YAHUAH and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world (set apart).

 

The Institutional Church is Not Biblical: It is a False Tradition of Man

So when we say the institutional church is not biblical, we don’t say it to make Christians feel bad. We say it because it is the truth. These churches are traditions of men. We have shown both biblical and historical evidence as such.

 

Why is it important?

It is important because it totally affects the good news (gospel) and our ability to understand YAHUAH’S word and plans. That is why when Christians are presented with the truth, they think others are mistaken.

That is why several times I have been criticized on social media by Christians that I cannot see the truth because I need to have the holy spirit.

They actually believe the lies as truth and don’t understand that the Holy Spirit is showing them truth which they cannot see unless they have eyes to see, ears to hear and a heart to understand (Mat 13:10-17).

False religion, false everything

The truth is, Christianity is false from the ground up. A false church means false doctrines (such as tithing) to support the false church.

This results in false teachings by pastors who unknowingly are shepherds leading the sheep astray (blind leaders of the blind). All these falsities line us up behind the banner of a false messiah.

Unbiblical bible schools

When a lie is repeated often, it is eventually accepted as truth. The Christian bible schools are set up as qualifiers of Christian leaders.

They teach Christian religion (which we now know is false) to the innocent. The Christian religion is a result of Mithraism syncretized (blended) with the Natsarim faith (followers of the way). It is not the pure truth (Mat 14:6).

Those who pass through these Christian bible schools will eventually become leaders and sadly become blind leaders of the blind (Mat 15:14).

So the cycle becomes:

  • Unbiblical bible schools teach the innocent truth mixed with lies
  • The now corrupted innocents graduate
  • They eventually become leaders
  • They now lead the innocent into a ditch (Mat 15:14)

 

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_Bwc-AihJs[/embedyt]

 

Church is not the called out assembly

Church, an organization that has its roots in sorcery and the occult cannot be the called out assembly of YAHUAH. On the contrary, the called-out assembly is what Sha’ul calls the Israel of YAHUAH (Gal 6:16) or the commonwealth of Israel (Eph 2:12). This I hope to look at in my next post.

False messiah

The result is that the messiah of the church more often than not is a Greco-Roman version of the true Hebrew Messiah of the bible. This totally matches the warning in Matthew 24:4-5 and Matthew 24:24.

Mat 24:4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am the Messiah; and shall deceive many.

That is how serious this ‘church’ error is!

That is why Why almost all of us are following a false messiah.

 

Speak the truth

We simply have to speak the truth and speak it ever. The truth is given by the Most High Father YAHUAH Tseva’oth (of hosts) in his word (his Son). It is written right there in the Bible.

It is cemented by history. History plainly shows the actions of men which brought us these abominations. The “church” is one such abomination.

Many will be coming at us for this truth and justify parts of it to suit their current beliefs and ‘modus operandi.’ However, the bible does not lie and the historical facts are no longer hidden.

2Ti 4:2 – 4 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

Eze 3:20 Again, When a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumblingblock before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand.

James 5:20 Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.

Please share. The truth must be told.

22 thoughts on “Why the Institutional Church is not biblical: Ekklesia vs Church”

  1. Church is biblical why? Christ himself build his church..mat 16:18..and jesus loved the church that is why he gave his ownlife for it..ephesians 5:25..and it is the church that christ will save ..ephesians5:23..so the church is very important in the salvation of mankind..you will not be save unless your inside the church built by christ..so rejecting the church means rejecting eternal life..not only that you do not value the life of jesus..christ purchase the church with his own blood..acts 20:28..so those who do not value what christ did for the church are those who are against christ…and the number one who is against christ is satan..so I someone will say that church is not important not biblical dont believe that person because he is an agent of satan..his purpose is to confuse you and turn away from christ…so dont be deceive stand firm in your faith with christ..

    1. You obviously did not read carefully, Jerol. The Messiah built his ekklesia…his called out assembly, his set apart assembly: not a church. Every time you see “church,” replace it with ‘called out assembly.’ It is totally different from ‘church.’I even gave a table comparing the 2:

      https://justaword.org/why-the-institutional-church-is-not-biblical/#1st_Ekklesia_vs_Church_Table

      Church (cirche) is a pagan institution that has its roots in sorcery and the occult. It was deceptively inserted through translations and substituted for ekklesia. Please read again carefully so you understand and stop defending religion.

      Here is a good place to start: https://justaword.org/why-the-institutional-church-is-not-biblical/#The_Lying_Pen_of_the_Scribe_Gross_Mistranslation

      Christianity is deception. Until Christians get rid of the religious Pharaseeitical spirit and decide to prove all things (1 Thess 5:21), you will continue to be misled by this false Greco-Roman religion which syncretizes the faith of the true Hebrew followers of the Messiah with that of Mithraism and other pagan forms of religion. Our sole aim is to get people back to the true Messiah of the Bible, not the one created by man.

      ‘Church’ is just one product of this fusion, drawn in from paganism as churches (cirche) were around before the Messiah came on this earth.

      Prove all things, hold fast that which is good and stop placing your belief in the flawed English language translation of the Bible. Go back to the meaning of the words in the language from which they were translated and you will find the truth.

  2. Hello, the article’s is interesting, wish you resend it to me the whole content of this, you know, widow has many things to finish for the day and; i might as well have time to finished the same. Thank you!

    1. Thanks Ader. Don’t know exactly what you mean by resend the whole content. All you need is to get back to this page. However, I will send the link to you via email.

  3. It was very interesting. I wanna learn more. In my heart I knew something wasn’t right. I wanna ask a question, if you kill yourself isn’t that wrong?

    1. Thanks for your comment and question, Katey. Here is a follow up post that we did that will shed more light on this topic: https://justaword.org/false-church-system/

      Killing oneself is wrong in so many ways. First of all, the commandment says “thou shalt not murder.” Killing oneself is indeed commiting murder.

      Next, our bodies are the temples of the living Elohim (God).
      1 Co 3:16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of Elohim, and that the Spirit of Elohim dwelleth in you?

      Destroy our temple?
      1 Co 3:17 If any man defile the temple of Elohim, him shall God destroy; for the temple of Elohim is holy, which temple ye are.

      Thirdly to kill oneself is because of lack of faith. Whatever we do through lack of faith is sin. Rom 14:23 And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.

  4. Good article but it is unfair and not scriptural to say that the Church is worshipping a false messiah based on a building. We all agreed that the real church is the body of believers and not the building. However, the believers were meeting in Solomon’s Temple courtyard to worship. So, if you have a family, is it wrong to build a nice home for them to stay? A building is not wrong to use in serving God. Also, every man build something but the builder of all things is God, institutional Churches are medium through which God passes to achieve His goal. Since the Social Media was created by a godless person, why are you using it to teach the gospel, if a building is bad to use in serving God. let’s be careful of extremities while trying to please God. Thanks.

    1. Sorry if that is how you understood the article to mean, but you have to read carefully. I said: “we are saying the church organizations of today which are based ON BUILDINGS is not biblical.”

      Now “ON” buildings is not the same as “IN” buildings as you are claiming that the article says. Every single word is important my friend.

      “For those who met in private (in homes or in other buildings that were not considered sacred buildings) as was the case of the first assembly, there was official persecution. But, for the followers of the Catholic bishops, the people who were to now be called Catholic Christians, there were official church buildings.”

      “For, continuing with pagan notions Constantine had retained, they considered the buildings themselves to be sacred. Thus, a kuriakos, or church, was a SACRED BUILDING.”

      The early believers met in the temple (building), homes (buildings), under trees…anywhere. How could I then be saying it is wrong to worship in a building?

      What I am speaking about is a special sacred building called the ‘church’ that is in line with the catholic concept of church…worship in a sacred building, where the assembly is no longer primarily based on building the people (the set apart ones), but on building the ‘church’ organisation.

  5. Thank you so much for your teaching and your time to research these things. I have been reading a lot about this over the last several months and along with God dealing with me about it my eyes have been opened up a lot. We have been so desensitized for so many years that when the truth is spoken we can’t hear. I
    pray God will open hearts. The word “church” has mislead so many including myself, but I thank God for his mercy for showing me truth and if you ask and seek he will show you.

  6. Tammy Levesque

    This is wonderful! Thank you for going out of your way and knowing you would receive much hate for the truth. The Father has given me this truth as well. He called me out of the church before i become partaker of her many sins. Never to go back into the false system of false religion.

    1. You’re welcome Tammy. Receiving hate comes with standing for the truth, so it feels good to hear from others who are either already in the true, or currently seeking truth, or have just come to knowledge of the truth. Yadah YAHUAH.

  7. I am looking for historical evidence that kuriakê oikia referred to a Mithras temple. I just keep finding web pages, and maybe one book, with no sources at all, just asserting the idea. Does anyone have any actual evidence (e.g. primary source or archeology) to support this claim? Or is it just one of those many claims for which no source can be found?

  8. I suppose, looking back on it, I should give thanks for my family raising me on Biblical values and NOT going to church on Sunday. We had tried to make it a habit, we really did, but if it wasn’t being unable to mesh well with the rest of the congregation is was my dad’s distrust of corrupt charities and institutions. Because of that, for the past five years before now, I was a Christian that believed in Sola Fide and resting in the Messiah- still not the best spot, but a bit more disillusioned.

  9. Excellent article which explains much, a recently departed (to be with the Lord) wrote extensively on this serious deception – ‘The Truth Which Sets Free’ by Peter Dunstan.
    destiner.com

  10. He is telling you right, all Bibical , and do not doubt, any of it.
    Come out of her my people or receive her plagues,
    And when you and yours start screaming in pain and agony you will know why..
    Not until we can worship the lord in sprite and truth the problems of the children will never end.
    Sprite and truth has nothing to do with anything made by hands Exo 20.
    The only truth about a physical church built by hands is the Bible that is inside it, read and understand it.
    Do not let no one deceive you in anyway, in their greed the will exploit with fabricated story’s, many False teachers are amongst you, leave them, be separate, come from her, all men and humans are liars,can not be trusted, no salvation i
    or mediator in mankind.. all says he
    Do ya get it? You better, Sunday is the mark of the beast , Ordained minister

  11. Depart ye, depart ye, not one but twice he says, John 17 the lord prayed for us too be United in one
    And One mentioned 5 times , any multiple mentions is extremely serious. There are over 40 million false churches in the world ,
    Do you really think God would give you 4o million choices over one and only church? Well, if you need a building to worship your God, you got the wrong god, but if it of the word then whole world is under the ruler Satan. Your call.
    2Cor 2cor 4:4.
    A false church Is any other than one true church of Christ how can you tell , by the furits.
    1st clue, Sunday, 2 and clue, money mentioned anyway shape or form. 3rd clue lies about the the first two. And other lies are endless. In building of hands. Ordained minister
    Thank you YAHUAH

  12. You know what, this is such a trip, I am a person who denied the church too, it is soooo weird because all of the problems I had with the church you literally covered in detail, everything i believe. I think its blasphemy to call god and christ by Jesus, these are made up words. Gods name was revealed as yahweh, and god was never used in previous versions, it was elojim and el. I feel like its not right to serve a church who is condemning everyone who doesn’t go by what they believe by saying they will go to hell. I am a non denomination follower of christ my lord yeshua and the father almighty yaweh, i too believe we should have congregations that do our elojim’s work and spread the gospel. I’ve Always prayed in jesus name i pray, amen, but wondered if this was right calling our lord savior by a manmade name and not the name that he went by. To me even joshua is better than using Jesus Christ. I think the institution of church is the devils work, dividing all of elojims children. I respect everything the jews stand for and that even means calling our savior by the correct translation of his original hebrew name. Christ himself never called his apostles Christians, i refuse to be called that. I follow yeshua and yaweh, i don’t want to be called anything or be a part of a large movement of corporate bible fakers. I am an asian American gentile and i wish i could talk about the scripture with like minded individuals without being attacked for what i find to be true if its scripture. Christians constantly commit legalism and idol worship without even knowing it, christmas and holidays like the Jehova witnesses to me and also the refusal to join the military is sound because it says obey mans laws unless it directly opposes elojim’s laws, and killing is not allowed. I don’t believe everything the Jehovah witnesses preach like never accepting gifts during Christmas because its a pagan holiday. As long as your not using christmas as an idolistic ritual, i don’t think its wrong to accept a gift from someone or give gifts, but i agree with them that generosity should be given everyday and not on days that are directly influenced by pagans.

  13. Pingback: Why I Left the Church – JAW Podcast

  14. Pingback: Why 66 Books In The Bible? The Bible Deception Uncovered - Just a Word

  15. Great article!
    I’ve been trying to get the same message out ever since my eyes were opened by Peter Dunstan’s excellent book; The Truth Which Sets Free.
    His website is Destiner.com
    Where the entire book can be read, along with several poignant articles.

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