A Prophetic History

of God’s Apostolic Pentecostal Church

(The Seven Prophetic Periods of the Church Age)
By Harry A. Peyton
Table of Contents:
INTRODUCTION (3)

CHAPTER 1 THE EPHESIAN PERIOD, AD 96 TO 200 (7)

Christ’s Apostles Prophetically Forewarned God’s Apostolic Pentecostal Churches
Concerning Nicolaitan Bishops and Ministers
The Historical Account of the Nicolaitan Doctrine
Ignatius Invented the Nicolaitan Monarchian Bishop Doctrine
Ignatius Invented the Eucharist Doctrine to Establish A Paid Ministry for A Special Priesthood of Hirelings
The Historical Account of the Ministerial Structure of God’s Apostolic Pentecostal Churches
The Biblical Account of the Ministerial Structure of God’s Apostolic Pentecostal Churches
The First-Five Persecutions of God’s Apostolic Pentecostal Children by Pagan Roman Emperors

CHAPTER 2 THE SMYRNA CHURCH PERIOD, AD 200 TO 313 (41)

The Six-Ninth Persecutions of God’s Apostolic Pentecostal Children by Pagan Roman Emperors
Historical Proof that the Vast Majority of Martyrs in the Ephesian and Smyrna Church Periods
Were God’s Apostolic Pentecostal Children

CHAPTER 3 THE PERGAMUS CHURCH PERIOD, AD 313 TO 1200 (53)

Lucifer Marries His Pagan Roman Empire to His Pagan Catholic Church
Emperor Pope Constantine and His Catholic Council of Nicaea
Lucifer Uses Catholic Emperors and Later Kings of Europe to Persecute and Murder
God’s Apostolic Pentecostal Children as Heretics

CHAPTER 4 THE THYATIRA CHURCH PERIOD, AD 1200 TO 1700 (67)

The Murderous Spirit of Jezebel in the Roman Catholic Emperor Popes and their Inquisitions
The Murderous Spirit of Jezebel in the Protestant Reformers and their Inquisitions
God Sent Great Tribulation to Catholic Popes, Protestant Reformers, and their Churches,
for Murdering His Anabaptist Apostolic Pentecostal Children as Heretics

CHAPTER 5 THE SARDIS CHURCH PERIOD, AD 1700 TO 1800 (84)

The Coming Out of Religious Bondage and the Struggle for Liberty and Religious Freedom
God’s Apostolic Pentecostal Children Began to Come Out of their Underground Churches
CHAPTER 6 THE PHILADELPHIAN CHURCH PERIOD,
1800 AD TO THE PRE-TRIBULATION RAPTURE AND RESURRECTION (90)
The Spirit of Brotherly Love and Great Revivals in the Philadelphian Church Period

CHAPTER 7 THE LAODICEAN CHURCH PERIOD,

1900 AD TO THE POST-TRIBULATION RESURRECTION (97)
The Spirit of Philadelphian Love and Revivals in the Laodicean Church Period

CHAPTER 8 “LET MY PEOPLE GO THAT THEY MAY SERVE ME,”

SAYS THE LORD (Exo 7:16) (105)
The Ministries of Love that Should Be in God’s Church

BIBLIOGRAPHY (111)

ENDNOTES (116)

Copyright May 30, 1996 by Harry A. Peyton under the title of “The Doctrines Of Christ.

A Note from the Author: Since Almighty God, the Lord Jesus Christ, gives His
Salvation and His Word to all freely (Rev 22:17, Mt 10:7-8), this book, and all other books, written
by Harry A. Peyton are given without charge, and can be accessed through the Internet at the
following address: http://www.DoctrinesOfChrist.com. Therefore, fell free to copy it in digital
or written form, and share it with others. Since this book is copyrighted, the author forbids
any alteration of its contents, and the reproduction of it in any form for Marketing Purposes.
This book may be placed on anyone’s web page, as long as my website address is attached to it.

The author believes that the Word of God is infallible in the ORIGINAL LANGUAGE it was
written in, and all translations of the Bible regardless of how good they may be are NOT. Since
the author has implicit faith in the infallibility of the Word of God, the author has formed his
beliefs firmly on the truth of the Bible. This author uses the ancient ANTIOCHIAN LITERAL-
HISTORICAL METHOD OF INTERPRETING THE BIBLE, which was used by early Christian
Prophets and Apostles of the Bible.

I definitely believe that the ancient Alexandrian Allegorical Method of spiritualizing

scripture, which was made popular by the ancient Jewish philosopher Philo Judaeus (13 BC – 50
AD) and later used by the Ante-Nicene Catholic Priests, especially Origen and his student
Clement of Alexandria (200 AD), is an abomination to our Lord. Therefore, all scriptures will
be interpreted in a literal exegetical fashion, unless the language used and the context demands
a spiritual interpretation.

All CAPITALIZATION and ITALICIZATION in QUOTES used in this book is always MINE. All
Biblical quotes used in this book will be in Dark Red, and from the New King James version of
the Bible, unless another version is stated as the reference. The vast majority of all translations
of the Bible, as well as Hebrew and Greek Lexical definitions and grammar, will come from
BibleWorks computer software program version 7.0. The author in most places will quote
verses from the Bible instead of commenting on a verse and giving a reference; for He believes

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that the written Word of God’s has greater power to inspire and enlighten a heart to
understand and act upon truth, than the elegant oratory or writings of any man.

If this book has been a blessing to my beloved readers, and they would like to send an
offering to the author, feel free to do so. If anyone wishes to send any biblical or historical
materials to the author, my address is: 148 Little Creek Hills Rd.: Alto, NM 88312: Phone #
575-336-2800: Email address: DoctrineOfChrist@Hotmail.com.

INTRODUCTION
Our great Lord and Savior asked this question: “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am…?
Simon Peter answered and said, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God….’ And I also say to you that you
are Peter, and on this Rock I will build My Church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it” (Mt 16:13,
16, 18). The apostle Paul told us who the “Rock” was when he wrote: “All drank the same spiritual
drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ” (1Co 10:4).

The prophet David revealed that God is our Rock when he wrote: “The LORD is my Rock and
my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust…. For who is God, except the LORD?
And who is a Rock, except our God (Psa 18:2, 31)? Therefore, God built His New Testament Church
on the same Rock that He built His Old Testament Church, which was the revelation that
Christ is the one and only God (Deu 6:4)! Paul said it this way: “And without controversy great is the
mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, Justified in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Preached among the
Gentiles, Believed on in the world, Received up in glory” (1Ti 3:16).

In this book, the author will present a brief biblical, prophetical and historical account of
God’s Apostolic Pentecostal Church. Because the majority of the writings of God’s Pentecostal
Apologists, throughout the centuries have been destroyed by Catholicism, or buried away in a
vault in the Vatican, the history of God’s Church is a little obscure. Therefore, the only way
historians can trace her through history is by the writings of the Catholic Priests, who hated
her. Because of their writings against her Oneness Modalist Monarchian, Jesus’ Name,
Tongue Talking Doctrines, we can trace her existence in history throughout centuries; for the
Priesthood of Baal were constantly writing against her, and hurling their anathemas upon her
and her children!

I believe the only safe way we can discover the history of God’s Church is through the
prophetic Word of God. As we examine the prophecies concerning God’s Apostolic Church,
which is mention in the Book of Revelation, and compare it with the religious historical
record, I believe my beloved readers will be able to see the truth. These records will not only
give us an insight into God’s Church, but also to it adversary, the Roman Catholic Church.

As we examine the Book of Revelation, the first thing we should take note of is the name of
this book. What does the word “Revelation” signifies. Revelation is the Greek noun
“Apokalupsis (ap-ok-al'-oop-sis).” In, fact many of the first through the fourth century Bible
commentators use the term “The Apocalypse” to refer to this book. Drs. J. P. Louw and E.
A. Nida in their Louw-Nida Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament Based defined
“apokalupsis” as: ‘to uncover… to cause something to be fully known’ – ‘to reveal, to disclose, to make fully

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known, revelation….’ The thoughts of many will be fully known’ Lk 2.35…. ‘The disclosure of the secret
truth which was hidden for long ages in the past’ Ro 16.25 (#28.38).

Therefore, God is telling us by the name of this book that He is going to remove the veil
that has hidden His Prophetic Secrets in past ages and reveal them to those in His Church.
This is why the Book of Revelation is the key in understanding all other end-time prophetic
passages of scripture in the other books of the Bible. With this truth in mind, let us proceed
in our study of the Church Age.

First Time Scripture: God spoke to John and told him that the visions that He
would give him: “must SHORTLY take place” (Rev 1:1). After God gave John all of his visions, He
again confirmed to John that these visions were of future events when He said: “The Lord God of
the holy prophets sent His angel to show unto His servants the things which must SHORTLY be done” (Rev 22:6).
Therefore, without any dispute, the Word of God declares that NONE of the visions God gave
to John could have take place before AD 93-96.

Now this is a great truth that needs to be understood and proved, if one wishes to interpret
the prophecies of Revelation correctly. It is a well-known fact among Church historians that in
the writings of the Premillennialist and Amillennialist, who lived before 400 AD, that they
declared that John wrote Revelation at the END of the reign of the Roman Emperor Domitian.
According to Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary: Titus Flavius Domitianus, Roman Emperor (AD
81-96), noted for severity especially in reign of terror (93-96).

180 AD: Premillennialist Irenaeus, a Bishop in France: If it were necessary that his [i.e. the Antichrist’s]
name should be distinctly revealed in this present time, it would have been announced by him [John] who beheld the
APOCALYPTIC VISION. For that was seen NOT very long time since, but almost in our day, towards the END of
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Domitian’s Reign (All quotes from ANF and N&PNF are from Sage Digital Christian Library).

350 AD: Amillennialist Eusebius in his Contents of Church History: It is said that in this
persecution the apostle and evangelist John, who was still alive, was condemned to dwell on the Island of Patmos
in consequence of his testimony to the divine word. Irenaeus… (says it took place) at the END of the reign of
Domitian….’ Even those writers who were far from our religion did not hesitate to mention in their histories the
persecution and the martyrdoms, which took place during it [Domitian’s Persecution]. And they, indeed, accurately
indicated the TIME. For they recorded that in the FIFTEENTH YEAR [i.e. 96 AD] of Domitian, Flavia Domitilla
daughter of a sister of Flavius Clement, who at that time was one of the consuls of Rome, was exiled with many
others to the Island of Pontia in consequence of testimony born to Christ .
[chp 18, pg 257]…

[The Relatives of our Savior] Of the family of the Lord there were still living the grandchildren of Jude, who is said to
have been the Lord’s brother according to the flesh. Information was given that they belonged to the family of
David, and they were brought to the Emperor Domitian by the Evocatus. For Domitian feared the coming of
Christ as Herod also had feared it…. These things are related by Hegesippus [chp 20, pg 259]…. But after Domitian
had reigned FIFTEENTH YEAR, and Nerva had succeeded to the empire, the Roman Senate, according to the
writers that record the history of those days, voted that Domitian’s honors should be canceled, and that those who
had been unjustly banished should return to their homes and have their property restored to them. It was at this
time that the APOSTLE John returned from his banishment in the Island and took up his abode at Ephesus,
according to an ancient Christian tradition [chp 21, pg 260]….

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 [Narrative Concerning John the Apostle] At that time the APOSTLE and evangelist John, the one whom Jesus loved,
was still living in Asia, and governing the Churches of that region, having returned AFTER the death of Domitian
from his exile on the Island. And that he was still alive at that time may be established by the testimony of two
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witnesses… Irenaeus and Clement of Alexandria.

Second Time Scripture: “Write therefore the things which you have seen, and the things which
are, and the things which shall take place after [meta - AMONG] these [houtos] things (Rev 1:19, NAS). Dr. A. T.
Robertson, in his Word Pictures in the Greek New Testament gives a fair word picture of the
prophetic meaning of the verse. He declares: Which thou sawest (ha eides). The vision of the Glorified
Christ in verses 13-18. The things which are (ha eisin)... ha is neuter plural, certainly the MESSAGES to the seven
churches (1:20-3:22) in relation to the world in general.... The things which shall come to pass hereafter (ha mellei
ginesthai meta tauta). Present middle infinitive with mellei, though both aorist and future are also used.... In a
rough outline this part begins in 4:1 and goes to end of chapter 22” (Comment on Rev 1:19).

The Things John Has Seen: John’s first vision or the things he “HAS SEEN” was the
Lord standing in the midst of the Seven Churches: “Then I turned to see the VOICE that spoke with
me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the seven lampstands One like the Son
of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band. His head and hair
were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire; His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in
a furnace, and His VOICE as the sound of many waters; He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth
went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength. And when I saw Him,
I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, ‘Do not be afraid; I am the First and the
Last. I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades
and of Death’” (Rev 1:12-18).

The apostle John described Jesus the very same way as the prophet Daniel described Him
just before the angel Gabriel came to him: “I looked up and there before me was a man dressed in linen,
with a belt of the finest gold around his waist. His body was like chrysolite [i.e. a brownish gemstone], his face like
lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze, and his voice like the
sound of a multitude. I, Daniel, was the only one who saw the vision; the men with me did not see it, but such
terror overwhelmed them that they fled and hid themselves. So I was left alone, gazing at this great vision; I had no
strength left, my face turned deathly pale and I was helpless” (Dan 10:5-8, NIV). Let my beloved readers take
note that John and Daniel, who were holy men of God, both were so terrified at this vision of
Christ, that both of them fell to the ground as dead men.

Daniel had another vision of Christ as the Judge, that is, the Ancient of Day who sat on His
Throne and JUDGED lost humanity. Daniel described this fearful event this way: “I was seeing till
that thrones have been thrown down, and the Ancient of Days is seated, His garment as snow is white, and the hair
of his head is as pure wool, His throne flames of fire, its wheels burning fire. A flood of fire is proceeding and
coming forth from before Him, a thousand thousands do serve Him, and a myriad of myriads before Him do rise
up, the JUDGE is seated, and the books have been opened” (Dan 7:9-10).

After comparing the above three passages of Scriptures, can anyone deny that the Ancient
of Days and the Lord Jesus Christ are the same person, and all three reveal him as the Judge
of the Universe. What else can the symbolic terms: “eyes like a flame of fire, His feet like fine brass…
His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword” be symbols of, if is not a terrifying picture of Jesus being
the Judge of all lost souls (Rev 19:11-12; 2:18)? The Two-edged sword is the Word of God by
which He will Judge all of mankind (Eph 6:17; Heb 4:12; Rev 2:12; 19:15-21).

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 The prophet Isaiah stated this truth this way: “For behold, the LORD will come with FIRE And with
His chariots, like a whirlwind, To render His anger with fury, And His rebuke with flames of fire. For by fire and
by His sword the LORD will JUDGE all flesh; And the slain of the LORD shall be many” (Isa 66:15-16; cp with
Ti 4:1, 8; 2Th 1:7-9). The Scripture that declares: “It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of
the living God” definitely becomes vivid in our mind with the above description of Jesus as the
Judge (Heb 10:30, NAS; cp with Jn 5:22-27; Acts 10:38-42; 17:31; Ro 2:16; 1Pe 4:5).

The Things which Are: In chapters two and three of the Book of Revelation, God spoke
of seven churches that represented the “things which ARE.” John said it this way: “The mystery of
the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: The seven stars ARE the angels
[messengers] of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands which you saw ARE the seven churches” (Rev 1:20).
In these two chapters, God give us a prophetic history of His Church as it existed in seven
definite periods in history. In other words, God divided the Church Age into Seven Church
Periods. Therefore, they should be called Seven Church Periods, not seven church ages.

Now, there can be no doubt that each of the seven churches mentioned in these chapters,
actually existed in Western Asia Minor or Western Turkey at the time the apostle John wrote
of them. The student of the Bible cannot help but ask himself or herself why did God choose
these seven to typify His Church in these seven periods? Why did He not choose the Church in
Jerusalem, or in Antioch, or in Rome, or even one of the other churches in Western Asia
Minor, such as the Church in Colosse (Col 1:2), or in Hierapolis (Col 4:13), or in Troas (Acts 20:4-
7; 2Co 2:12)?

Reverend Clarence Larkin, in his book Dispensational Truth or God’s Plan and Purpose in
the Ages, gave us his answer. He wrote: These Seven Churches then must be representative or ‘typical’
churches, chosen for certain characteristics typical of the character of the Church of Christ from the end of the
First Century down to the time of Christ’s return for His Church, and descriptive of Seven Church Periods
clearly defined in Church History…. While the character of these Seven Churches is descriptive of the condition
of those churches, as described, were their exact condition in John’s day. So we see that at the close of the First
Century the leaven of ‘False Doctrine’ was at work in the Churches. The churches are given in the order named,
because the peculiar characteristics of that Church applied to the period of Church History to which it is
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assigned.... The Message to the Seven Churches compared with Church History.

I definite agree with Rev. Larkin that these Seven Churches represented: “Seven Church
Periods. I also believe that God chose these Churches, and not any of the others, because each Church had a
certain PROBLEM that exist in it, which would be PREDOMINATE in the Church Period it represented and
would CONTINUE in each Church Period after that in a MODIFIED form!” For example, in the Ephesian
Church Period, the problem was Nicolaitanism: “This problem really started in 90-100 AD when one of
the bishops in God’s Church of Antioch, by the name of Ignatius, invented the Nicolaitan Doctrine. This doctrine
consisted of: 1) The Monarchial Bishop Doctrine, that is, one Bishop being the authority in each Church instead
of several or many Bishops; also the Bishop becoming a Lord over God’s Children. 2) The establishment of a
special ordained Priesthood and robbing ALL Born-Again Believers of their Priesthood Ministry.”

In the Ephesian Church Period, Ignatius’ Nicolaitan teachings became a source of irritation
to God’s Apostolic Pentecostal Churches. As a result, he and some of the other Bishops in
God’s Churches, who believed in his demonic teachings, were branded as heretics. They then
departed from God’s Church and started a rival church, which they called the Catholic

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Church. However, in the Pergamos Church Period Ignatius’ teaching became a firm fix
doctrine, not only in the Catholic Churches but also in some of God’s Apostolic Pentecostal
Churches. Consequently, God deprived them of Eternal Life by taken away His New Birth
Message from them and gave them over to Satan. Lucifer then married the heretical Catholic
Churches and the heretical Apostolic Churches to the Roman Empire, and they became the
state religion of the Roman Empire. Therefore, with these things in mind, let us begin our
study of God’s Church by examining the First Church Period!

The Seven Churches of Revelation in Asia Minor or Turkey

The Distance of Each Church from the Aegean Sea: Ephesus (3 miles E), Smyrna
(0 miles), Pergamos (15 miles E), Thyatira (40 miles E), Sardis (45 miles E), Philadelphia (75
miles E), and Laodicea (83 miles E).

Each of the Seven Messages the Lord Jesus Christ gives to the Churches of Asia Minor in
Turkey begins and ends alike. Each message is given to Christ’s Priesthood of all Born-Again
Believers in the Church, who are His Angels or Messengers. Our Lord’s message addresses
certain conditions and problems that were unique to the Church He was writing to, which was
typified to a Church Period in the Church Age. In each case, God’s Priestly Messenger, the
Born-Again Believer, who overcomes has a promise of blessing and Eternal Life.

CHAPTER 1
THE EPHESIAN CHURCH PERIOD, AD 96 TO 200
The Salutation: “To the angel of the Church of Ephesus write, ' These things says He who holds the
seven stars in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands.” The
Commendation: “I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil.” The
Problem: “And you have TESTED those who say they are APOSTLES and are NOT, and have found them liars; and
you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name's sake and have not become weary.” The
Reproof: “Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Remember therefore from
where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your

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lampstand from its place -- unless you repent. But this you have, that you HATE the deeds of the Nicolaitans,
which I also HATE.” The Promise: “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God”
(Rev 2:1-7).

History of City: Ephesus was an ancient Greek city on the west coast of Asia Minor in
present-day Turkey. It was about: 3 miles East of the Aegean Sea, 60 miles East of the Island
of Patmos in the Aegean Sea, 80 miles W of Laodicea, and 30 miles S of Smyrna. It was the
most easily accessible city in Asia, by both land and sea. It was on the Cayster River and
famous for its Temple of Diana (Acts 19:35), one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World,
whose theatre was the largest in the world capable of containing 50,000 spectators. It was
also the home of the Magic Arts (Acts 19:19), and the Mystery-Cults. Ephesus was destroyed by
the Goths in the middle of the third century. The small village of Ayasaluk marks part of
the site of this once famous city, which later became the home of the apostle John. 4

The Salutation: “Unto the angel of the Church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the
seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks” (Rev 2:1, KJV; the NKJ,
ASV, NAS, NIV all neglect the rules of Grammar in this verse). The Holy Bible and the New Living
Translation both translated this verse this way: “Write this letter to the angel of the Church in Ephesus.
This is the message from the one who holds the seven stars in his right hand, the one who walks among the seven
gold lampstands” (2nd edition). This translation does a better job grammatically then the other
translations, but it fails to understand God message. In the Greek, this passage appears this
way: “Tw/| avgge,lw| th/j evn VEfe,sw| evkklhsi,aj gra,yon\” (Robinson-Pierpont Majority Text & Friberg NT -UBS3/4).

The word “Church” is in the genitive case or the case that expresses possession, which should
be translated “of the Church.” The Greek preposition “evn” or “in” modifies the word “Ephesus,”
which is also in the dative case, which is an indirect object, therefore it to should FOLLOW the
verb and not come before it. The Greek noun “aggelos” or “messenger” is also in the dative case,
consequently it also should FOLLOW the verb and not come before it. According to Daniel B.
Wallace in his book, Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics: The dative substantive is that to or for
which the action of a verb is performed. The indirect object will only occur with a transitive
verb, when the transitive verb is in the active voice.

The verb “write” is in the AORIST tense, active voice, IMPERATIVE mood, second person, and
singular number. Imperative mood is the mood that expresses a COMMAND with the subject
being “you” in this case “You write.” Because the aorist tense refers to continuous action,
regardless of when the action began, Jesus is not only referring to the Church that existed in
Ephesus at that day, but also the Church that existed in that Church Period. Therefore
Revelation 2:1, 8, 18, 3:1, 7, & 14 all should read: “You [John] write OF the CHURCH, the
MESSENGER in” Ephesus, Smyrna, etc.

Since the Church consists of God’s holy Priesthood of all Born-Again Believers, every child
of God in the church is God’s one and only Messenger to the world during the period of time he
or she lives. The word of God states this truth this way: “As NEWBORN BABES, desire the pure milk
of the word, that you may grow thereby…. You also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a Holy

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PRIESTHOOD, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ…. You are a chosen
generation, a Royal PRIESTHOOD, a holy nation” (1Pe 2:2, 59; Mt 28:19-20; Acts 8:3-4).

In the above verse, Peter is quoting the Priesthood Promise God made to all the Children of
Israel, who failed to receive His Promise because of their unbelief. God told Moses to tell every
Tribe of Israel, and not just the Tribe of Levi: “If you will indeed obey My voice and keep My
covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. ‘And you shall
be to Me a Kingdom of PRIESTS and a holy nation.’ These are the words which you shall speak to the
Children of Israel” (Exo 19:5-6). In other words, God has fulfilled this Priesthood Promise by
calling and ordaining every Born-Again Child of God to His Holy Priesthood. If you have
received the New Birth, you are right now a Priest of God and are part of His Holy Priesthood.

Baptist Greek Scholar, AT Robertson in his work Word Pictures in the Greek New
Testament made the following comments on the verses in Peter’s Epistle. He declared 1Pe 2:2,
5: As newborn babes… probably meaning that they were recent converts…. The spiritual milk which is without
guile… that ye may grow thereby…. Peter uses the Word of God as the food for growth, especially for Babes in
Christ…. To be a Holy Priesthood (eis hierateuma hagion). Late word (from hierateuô, to serve as Priest, Lu 1:8
alone in N.T.), in LXX (Ex 19:6), in N.T. only here and verse 9, either the Office of Priest (Hort) or an order or
body of Priests. At any rate, Peter has the same idea of Rev 1:6 (hiereis, Priests) that ALL BELIEVERS are
PRIEST (Heb 4:16) and can approach God directly.

God’s Priests are His Messengers: “For the lips of a PRIEST should keep knowledge, And people
should seek the law from his mouth; For he is the MESSENGER [Septuagint a;ggeloj - aggelos] of the LORD of hosts”
(Mal 2:7). Another example of the Greek noun aggelos being translated as Messenger is: “When
the MESSENGERS [aggelos] of John had departed, He began to speak to the multitudes concerning John” (Lk
7:24). Therefore God’s Messenger in the Church is His Holy Priesthood of all born-again
believers; and grammatically speaking, all the above verses should be translated as: “You [John]
write OF the CHURCH, the MESSENGER in” Ephesus, Smyrna, and so on.

Let my beloved readers take note to the fact that Jesus called the Church His Messenger in
the Ephesus’ Church Period of the Church Age. In fact, no one would argue the fact the
Christian Church from the time of its birth has always been, is now, and will continue to be
God’s one and only Messenger to the world! Because the grammar in Jesus’ address to the
Churches in the other 6 Church Periods is the same, verses 8, 12, 18, 3:1, 7 & 14 should be
translated the same way as verse one of chapter two. Jesus reminds His Children they are like
Stars that He is holding in His hands. The Word of God definitely declares that God HOLDS all
of His Children in His HAND (Jn 10:28-29; Psa 37:23-25; Ecc 9:1) and they are compared to the stars
in heaven (Dan 12:3; 8:10; Gen 37:9-10; Jude 1:13).

Commendation: “I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil.”
Jesus praised His faithful overcoming Priestly Saints for their works, labor, patience, and their
zeal for holiness and truth. They were evidently strong in the knowledge and understanding of
the Word of God!

The Problem: “And you have TESTED those who say they are APOSTLES and are NOT, and have found them
liars; and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name's sake and have not become weary…. But
this you have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also HATE.” Robertson made the following

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comment on Rev 2:2-6: And didst try (kai epeirasas). First aorist active indicative of peirazô, to test, a
reference to a RECENT CRISIS when these Nicolaitans (verse 6) were condemned. The present tenses (dunêi,
echeis) indicate the continuance of this attitude (cf. 1Jo 4:1). Which call themselves apostles (tous legontas heautous
apostolous)… these Nicolaitans who posed as equal to or even superior to the original apostles…. Rev 2:4 - Thy
first love… had cooled off in spite of their doctrinal purity. They had remained orthodox, but had become unloving
partly because of the controversies with the Nicolaitans. Rev 2:6 - That thou hatest… which I also hate (ha kagô
misô). Christ himself hates the teachings and deeds of the Nicolaitans… but the Church in Pergamum tolerated
them.

John spoke of these Nicolaitans in his Epistle: “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but TEST the
spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1Jn 4:1). Paul
speaking to the Corinthins about some of the Christian Nicolaitan-Pharisee Judaizers, who
were claiming to Apostles of Christ, who claim to have equal authority with him and other
Apostles wrote: “What I do, I will also continue to do, that I may cut off the opportunity from those who desire
an opportunity to be regarded just as we are in the things of which they boast. For such are false apostles, deceitful
workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself
into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his [Lucifer’s] ministers also transform themselves into
ministers of righteousness” (2Co 11:12-15). Paul defended his apostleship against the False Apostles of
the Nicolaitans told some of God’s deceived Children: “I ought to have been commended by you; for in
nothing was I behind the most eminent apostles, though I am nothing. Truly the signs of an apostle were
accomplished among you with all perseverance, in signs and wonders and mighty deeds” (2Co 12:11-12).

Therefore, it is very evident that in this Church Period, God’s Priestly Children had a
definite problem with Nicolaitan Bishops, who claimed to be APOSTLES! These False Prophets
claimed to have equal authority over the Church as the APOSTLES of Christ. Jesus commended
His Children for testing these False Prophets by the Word of God. In other words, our Lord
told us that there were some HERETICS in His Churches in this Church Period, whom He
called Nicolaitans. Jesus also told us that He and His Priestly Saints HATED these Nicolaitan
Bishops, their deeds and later their doctrines.

What was the Nicolaitan doctrine that God and His Priestly Children hated?
Etymologically the word “Nicolaitan” according to Dr. James Strong, in his Strong’s
Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, is a compound Greek word, which is derived from the
words “nikos” and “laos.” “Nikos” means: a conquest or to conquer or to utterly vanquish, and “laos”
means: people. 5 Our English word laity comes from this Greek word. In other words, God is
informing us that the Nicolaitans were out to conquer the People of God. Since God has
revealed to us that the Nicolaitans would try to conquer the Children of God, the questions we
should ask are: who are these Nicolaitans, why would they want to do this, and did they succeed in conquering
the People of God?

Now, according to the above passage of Scripture, the Nicolaitans in the Ephesus Church
Period were claiming to be apostles, or in other words, they were claming to have the authority
of an apostle over God’s Church. The Lord called these evil ways, which satanic inspired men
tried to bring into His Churches, the practices or deeds of the Nicolaitans. In this Church
Period, the deeds of Nicolaitans were only a source of irritation to God’s People, but it was not
a major problem. For according to their own Catholic history, God’s Apostolic Pentecostal

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Churches were in the VAST MAJORITY in this Church Period, while these Catholic Nicolaitans
only had a few churches!

Larkin spoke of the problem these Nicolaitans created in God’s Churches when he wrote:
the Nicolaitans were not a sect, but a party in the [true Apostolic] Church who were trying to established a ‘priestly
order.’ Probably trying to model the Church after the Old Testament order of Priest, Levites, and common
people.... The object was to established a ‘Holy Order of Men,’ and place them over the laity, which was foreign to
6
the New Testament plan. What Larkin is saying is this: these Nicolaitans tried to establish in God’s
Churches a special PAID PRIESTHOOD order of Bishops, Presbyters, and Deacons, who were to become the
mediators between God and His Children. This was how it was done in Levitical Priesthood. In God’s
New Testament plan, this would never work, for all Born-Again Believers are Priests of God
(1Pe 2:5, 9). As a result, they had to destroy the Priesthood Ministry of God’s People, before
they could establish a paid special priesthood ministry.

Oneness Pastor Marvin M. Arnold, in his great work History of the Christian Church, gave
us some interesting insights into the Nicolaitan doctrine. Arnold wrote: DeHaan saw Nicolaitanism-
Balaamism as a racket formed in the hierarchical clergy [Bishops].... It was the extreme, expansive division between
the clergy and the laity, two factors in the universal-ecclesiastical orders. Nor were Nicolaitans confined only to
Ephesus or Pergamos! Characteristically schismatics, they undermined true, Judaic-Christian theology that
7
stemmed from the Upper Room of Jerusalem, Acts two.

Therefore, these heretical Nicolaitan apostates departed from God’s Apostolic Pentecostal
Churches around 90 AD, and form there own churches, which they called the Roman Catholic
Church. Oneness Minister Dr. C. C. Gosey, in his book Clear Vision Bible Studies, spoke of
these apostates when he wrote: We have the name and order, which instigated the Apostolic Succession,
fostered in the ritual of the Roman Catholic Church…. Paul’s wolves of Acts 20 were the Nicolaitans of Revelation
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2:6.

Some Ante Nicene Catholic Priest, either because of their lack of facts or in an effort to
misdirect their readers of the true history of Catholicism, have claimed that the Nicolaitans
were a sect of Gnostics, and the biblical and godly deacon Nicolas (Acts 6:5) started this
demonic sect. Professor Schaff in his History of the Christian Church speaking of Nicolas
wrote: He is supposed to have apostatized from the true faith.... But the views of the [Catholic] Fathers are
conflicting.... Clement of Alexandria [200 AD] says that Nicolas was a faithful husband, and brought up his children
9
in purity. Professor George R. Mead in his history Fragments of A Faith Forgotten stated:
Tradition claims Nicolas as an ascetic, and relates an exaggerated instance of his freedom from passion.... There
seems [to be] no reason why we to-day should follow these [Catholic] Church Fathers in their condemnation of
10
everything but their own particular view of Christ’s doctrine.

Who were these early Nicolaitan preachers that claim to be apostles of Christ in the first
century? Since this is the Post-Apostolic Church Period, they must have lived during the time
the apostle John wrote the Book of Revelation. The first time scripture in God’s book reveals
that all of John’s visions are from 96 AD to the end of time (Rev 1:1). Therefore, nothing in the
Book of Revelation is before this time. The Word of God does not tell us who they were, but it
does tell us about them. The Bible does inform us that the apostles of the Lamb indeed
prophetically warned God’s children, in their Epistles, about these heretical ministers that
would come into the Church during this time.

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 The Reproof: “Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first [protos - former] LOVE
[agape].
Remember therefore from where you have FALLEN; repent and do the first works, or else I will
come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place -- unless you repent.” The Greek noun
“agape (ag-ah'-pay)” is a love based in the will or heart of an individual; it is expressed in
deep admiration, appreciation, and veneration; it is the word use to express God’s love for
His Children and their love for Him. It is a love that willfully surrenders all of one’s heart
to the one he or she loves (Jn 15:9-13; Rom 5:5, 8, 35, 39; 13:10; 1Jn 3:16; 4:7-16; Rev 2:4).

Jesus is therefore telling some of His Priestly Children, which included the Nicolaitan
Bishops that they have lost their former fiery, self-sacrificing, total commitment agape love
for Him. This can only mean that some of God’s Children along with some of their Bishops
fell away from the truth, that is, they were backslidden. Their loving Savior instructed them
to remember their first works, whereby all of their dedicated and consecrated service to
Him came from a heart full of agape love. In other words, all their holy living, preaching,
teaching, evangelism, and everything else they did for Him was motivated by their agape
love for Calvary! He also tells them, if they did not return to their Agape love, they would
be lost and He would remove them out of the Church, which He did from this Church
Period on.

Christ’s Apostles Prophetically Forewarned God’s Apostolic

Pentecostal Churches Concerning Nicolaitan Bishops and Ministers
The Prophecy of the Apostle Peter Concerning Nicolaitan Ministers: Peter
wrote his second epistle around AD 64. He addressed it to God’s Priest all around the world. In
it he warn them about future Nicolaitan pastors who would try to corrupt them with not only
their lordship doctrine, but other false teachings as well. He told them: “There will be false teachers
among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Sovereign Lord who brought them -
bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into
disrepute. In their greed these teachers will exploit you [or make merchandise of you] with stories they have made Up….

[They] despise [apostolic] authority. Bold and arrogant, these men are not afraid to slander celestial beings….
[They] blaspheme in matters they do not understand...while they feast with you. They seduce the unstable; they are
experts in greed - an accursed brood! They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of
Balaam son of Beor, who loved the wages of wickedness…. They speak [or preach using] great swelling words of
vanity…. They promise you liberty…. For it… [would have] been better for them not to have known the way of
righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from it the holy commandment delivered unto them” (2Pe
2:1-22, NIV).

Let’s examine the false doctrines these Nicolaitan Ministers were going to preach in God’s
Apostolic Pentecostal Churches somewhere around AD 90: FIRST, these bishops or preachers
will teach false doctrine or heresies of such a nature that will destroy the faith of some of the
children of God. SECOND, one of the heresies they will teach involved the godhead. They will
deny the total sovereignty and deity of the Lord Jesus Christ, or in other word, they will
subordinate the Word or Logos and make Him a second god, just as Plato, Philo, and early
Catholic priests had done up to AD 325 in their teachings on deity.

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 THIRD, these heretical Nicolaitans will preach against the true doctrines of Christ, including
God’s plan of salvation. They will pervert God’s plan of salvation by mixing the Law of Moses
with it by instituting continuing sacrifices for sin, which they called the Eucharist. They will
claim that the Lord’s Supper is the actual body and blood of Christ, and that Jesus must die
again for them in the mystery of the Mass, so that they can have the sins, they committed after
baptism forgiven! Therefore, by killing Christ again in the mystery of the Mass, these priests
of Satan will claim to be the mediators between God and man. Therefore, they will pervert
God’s ministerial structure of the church by changing it to the Levitical priesthood pattern.
They taught these demonic doctrines so that they could have some reasons for establishing a
special paid priesthood, which would have total dominion over God’s holy priesthood of all
born-again believers.

FOURTH, some of God’s apostolic Pentecostal pastors and preachers will believe and follow
their teachings, especially their ministerial structure. FIFTH, these men will be lying, sinful,
carnal preachers, who love worldly pleasures. They will endeavor to exploit God’s children in
order to get their money. SIXTH, these pastors and preachers will blaspheme the doctrines of
Christ by teaching against them, even while they are feasting in the homes of God’s people.
They obviously had close fellowship with God’s children.

SEVENTH, these Balaamites will preach the doctrine of Balaam, which is basically bishops
and preachers ministering for shameful material gain or wages. According to the Word of
God, the Moabites “hired” Balaam to be their preacher (Deu 23:3-5). Jesus gave us a clear
picture of the character of a hireling Nicolaitan-Balaamite Preacher. He said: the hireling is a
“thief,” and he comes “to steal,” and to “kill” the sheep with his false doctrines. He also flees when
danger comes because he does not love the sheep (Jn 10:10-13).

Jesus told us that a hireling is someone who works for wages. You take away the wages and
he is gone. He does not love the sheep! Being a shepherd to him is not a calling from God but a
job. He is a paid professional, who sells his talents to anyone who pays him. His attitude is:
“what is in it for me” or “how can I profit from this?” Because these Balaamites will be greed
materialistic minded pastors and preachers, they will leave the Biblical guidelines for the
ministry and set up a hireling ministry, which will imitating and duplicating the paid
ministerial order of pagan Babylonian priests.

Therefore, a complete definition of the doctrine of Balaam would be: Nicolaitan bishops
and preachers will work as hirelings, which will lead them to compromise the Word of God
when it comes to sin. Therefore, they will preach a loose standard of holiness and separation
from the world, which will result in a number of God’s Priests committing spiritual adultery
by joining in an unholy union with them. This is turn will cause them to worship God in a
pagan way. Because these men are hirelings, they and their deceived followers will not come
out from some or many of the doctrines of “Mystery Babylon” or “Nimrod’s Babylonian Religion.”

EIGHT, these Nicolaitan-Balaamite Preachers will be orators, who use great swelling words
of vanity in their preaching to impress their followers. These men will also be apostate, who
knew the truth but did not love the truth. They will sell their soul to the devil for material and

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sensual rewards. They will hate apostolic authority and doctrines, and go about to set up their
own authority and doctrines. In fact, they will claim that God has given them absolute
authority over the Church they pastor, and the people should totally submit to them as they do
to God Himself!

The Prophecy of the Apostle Paul Concerning Nicolaitan Ministers: Around 64

AD, Paul told the pastors of the Church of Ephesus: “For after my departing shall grievous wolves
enter in among you not sparing the flock” (Acts 20:28). Around AD 67, Paul wrote his second epistle to
Timothy, in which he warned him of future apostasy. He wrote: “Preach the Word, …reprove,
rebuke with all long-suffering 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” (2Ti 4:2-4). Paul died somewhere around AD 68.

The Epistle of Jude Was Against the Nicolaitan Ministers of His Day: Jude
wrote his epistle around AD 90. Jude spoke of the heretical Nicolaitan- Balaamite bishops and
preachers, which were evidently in God’s Churches in his day. He proclaimed: “I felt I had to
write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints. For certain men... have
secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for
immorality, and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and LORD. These dreamers pollute their own bodies [and]
reject [apostolic] authority [and doctrine]....”

“Woe to them! They have taken the way of Cain [meaning they started their own religion]; they rushed for profit into
Balaam’s error.... These men are grumblers and faultfinders. They follow their own evil desires; they boast about
themselves and flatter others for their own advantage.... But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken
before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ; how that they told you there should be mockers in the last time,
who should walk after their own ungodly lusts. These are the men who divide you, who follow mere natural
instincts and do not have the Spirit” (Jude 1:3-19, NIV).

Jude, like Peter and Paul, gave us a vivid description of these Nicolaitan Balaamite pastors
and preachers. The only difference is that these Nicolaitans existed in his day! Let’s examine
what he said: FIRST, he definitely proclaimed that this was the fulfillment of the prophesies of
the apostles. SECOND, these men preached a loose standard of holiness or godly living,
justifying sin in their lives and others, thereby perverting the message of God’s grace.

THIRD, they denied that Jesus Christ was the “only Sovereign and LORD.” This was definitely
the fulfillment of Peter and Paul’s prophecy concerning the Nicolaitans Balaamite Bishops
that would come. The word “only” is the Greek word “monos” which means: “alone, by himself, no
other.” These Balaamite preachers had the impertinence to deny that Jesus was the only
Sovereign; since they made Jesus a separate person or being from the Father, they made the
Father the only Sovereign, and Jesus a subordinate or inferior god. This was the doctrine of
Plato, Philo, and the early Catholic Priests. For a history of their doctrine, my beloved readers
can read my book entitled A History Of Oneness Throughout The Centuries.

These Balaamite Bishops also vehemently denied that Jesus was the only “LORD” or
“YHWH.” The apostles of Christ understood the word “LORD” when referring to Jesus to mean
“YHWH.” The title “LORD” is used 6,789 times in the Old Testament, and it always means
“YHWH.” This name was the personal covenant name that God the Father revealed Himself to

14
His Children. No one today knows how to pronounce this name. The Old Testament Jews only
worshipped one LORD or YHWH and that was God the Father, who in the New Testament
became the man Jesus Christ!

FOURTH, they rejected the authority of some of the teachings of the apostles. FIFTH, they
worshipped God their own way, or made up their own religion and dogmas, just as Cain had
done. Let us remember that Cain was trying to approach God on his own terms; this is why
God did not accept his sacrifice. God told Cain: “If thou does well, shall thou not be accepted” (Gen 4:3-
7; or in other words, “if you repent of your man made religion, with all of it false doctrines and traditions of
men, and served Me in Spirit and Truth, shall not I accept you.” This is one of the reasons why John
called Cain the “wicked one” (1Jo 3:12), for he knew the truth and refuse to humble himself and
obey it! Therefore, Cain and those like him are definitely a type of a religious people, who are
in Christendom and Pagan Religions, who wants to serve God on their own terms.

SIXTH, these Balaamite Bishops were greedy, prideful, grumbling faultfinders, who
preached for material gain, to be lords over the people, and to be worshipped as gods.
SEVENTH, the goal of these Nicolaitan pastors was to divide the body of Christ, so they could
conquer them and steal their priesthood and ministry. They did this by teaching the
monarchical bishop, the Eucharist, and the special paid priesthood doctrines.

It was around this time that many of the heretical Nicolaitan-Balaamite pastors and their
deceived disciples were either excommunicated from God’s Apostolic Pentecostal Churches,
or they left the Church on their own accord; if they left on their own accord, it was probably
because they could not take being rebuked for their false doctrines. It was at this time that
these Nicolaitan ministers and their followers established rival or opposing churches to fight
against the true apostolic believers. These Catholic heretics established churches in the cities of
Rome, Antioch, Ephesus, Corinth, Smyrna, Philadelphia, Tralles, and Magnesia. They may
have had churches in Philippi, and Tarsus also. Around AD 100, Clement wrote his Epistle to
the Corinthians from Rome, and Ignatius around AD 107 wrote his Epistles to the above name
churches.

The Apostle John’s in His Epistles Wrote Against the Nicolaitan Gnostic
Bishops of His Day: The apostle John, like Jude, wrote his epistles around AD 90; he wrote
to all of God’s Churches throughout the world, warning the saints about these Nicolaitan-
Balaamite-Catholic Antichrists. John, like Paul, Peter, and Jude, told God’s children that one
of the heretical doctrines these Catholic heretics would deny is: Jesus is the only supreme deity, or
Sovereign, or “LORD,” or “YHWH” of all Christians; in other words, as the apostle Paul boldly
proclaimed: “For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily” (Col 2:8-9).

John said it this way: “Little children, it is the last time, and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come,
even now are they many antichrist; whereby we know that it is the last time. They went out from us, but they were
not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out, that they might be
made manifest that they were not all of us” (1Jn 2:18-19). Robertson made this comment on this verse:
From us (ex hêmôn) -- of us (ex hêmôn). The same idiom, ex and the ablative case (hêmôn), but in different senses
to correspond with exêlthan (they went out from our membership) and ouk êsan (they were not of us in spirit and
life)…. They had lost the inner fellowship and then apparently voluntarily broke the outward.

15
 John explicitly, expressly, emphatically told God’s people how to recognize these apostles of
Satan. He says: “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but TEST the spirits, whether they are of God; because
many false prophets [meaning Catholic Nicolaitans] have gone out into the world [meaning from their congregations]. By this
you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and
every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the
Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world” (1Jn 4:1-2).

What did the apostle John mean by the phrase: “Jesus Christ has come in the flesh.” The name
Jesus means: “YHWH is our salvation or savior,” and Christ means: “the Anointed One or the Holy One.”
Therefore, John declared that everyone, who does not confess that Jesus is “the one and only God”
or “YHWH our Savior, the Christ or the Holy and Anointed One of Israel,” became a sinless fleshly
human being, is not of God! Let us always remember that Jesus in his human nature had a
human mind and will, which caused Him to pray, be limited in knowledge, and so on (Lk 2:52);
but in His divine nature, Jesus was not limited in any way, for He was: “God… manifested in the
flesh” (1Ti 3:16).

The apostle Paul also made a similar statement as John concerning the supreme deity of
Christ, when he wrote: “Wherefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls
Jesus accursed, and no one can say [epo] that Jesus is LORD except by the Holy Spirit” (1Co 12:3). The Greek
word “epo” means “to speak or say by word or writing.” Now this scripture can only mean that no
man can say or write that Jesus Christ is “YHWH,” except the Holy Spirit of God reveals it to
them. Permit me to prove this statement: The Jews of Jesus’ day called Him Lord, but they
certainly did not believe that He was God. The Mormons call Jesus Lord, but they believe that
He was Adam, who came down to the earth with one of His many wives called Eve, and He is
one of a multitude of gods. The Jehovah's Witnesses call Jesus Lord, but they believe that He
is Michael the archangel, who is not the true God in any sense of the word.

The Cults, Occults and Eastern Religions call Jesus Lord, but they believe that Jesus is just
one of many prophets, who is not God. Is the Holy Spirit of God inspiring these religious
people to call Jesus Lord? The answer is obviously no, so this Scripture can only mean that no
one can write or call Jesus Christ LORD or YHWH, except it is by the direct unction of the Holy
Ghost. For a comprehensive exegesis on the Supreme Deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, I invite
you to read my book The Mystery Of The Godhead Revealed.

Conclusion: Therefore, the Bible explicitly informs us that there were heretical Nicolaitan
Bishops in some of God’s Churches around 90-100 AD, who preached a perverted doctrine of
the godhead. They separated the unity of the godhead by declaring that Jesus was not “the one
and only God,” or “YHWH,” and “Sovereign,” who came in the flesh. These Balaamite pastors
also preached a perverted doctrine of God’s grace, where they mixed Old Testament rituals
and continual offerings for sin with God’s message of salvation. These heretical Nicolaitan
ministers also tried to change the ministerial structure of God’s Church, by preaching the
Nicolaitan doctrine, which robbed God’s people of their ministry and priesthood, which thing
God and His Church hated.

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 Professor Philip Schaff, in his History Of The Christian Church, spoke of the ministerial
structure of the Apostolic Church when he declared: Dean Stanley asserts that no existing church can
find any pattern or platform of its government in the first century…. It is certain that… Bishop and Presbyter
were convertible terms, and that the body of men so-called were the rulers—so far as any permanent rulers
existed—of the early church…. It is certain that… the word ’Bishop’ gradually changed its meaning, and by the
11
middle of the second century became restricted to the chief Presbyter of the locality. Therefore, by AD 150,
this satanic Nicolaitan doctrine had become firmly established in the Nicolaitan Catholic
Church, but God’s Apostolic Pentecostal Church hated this doctrine and remained pure.

Dr. Schaff continued his discourse by saying: The sacred office [of a Bishop] is in its divine origin and
import… was separated by no impassable chasm from the body of believers. The Jewish and later Catholic
antithesis of clergy and laity has no place in the apostolic age…. In the apostolic church, preaching and teaching
were not confined to a particular class, but every convert could proclaim the gospel to unbelievers, and every
Christian who had the gift could pray and teach and exhort in the congregation. The New Testament knows no
spiritual aristocracy or nobility, but calls all believers ‘saints,’ though many fell far short of their vocation. Nor
does it recognize a special priesthood in distinction from the people, as mediating between God and the laity. It
knows only one high priest, Jesus Christ, and clearly teaches the universal priesthood, as well as universal
kingship, of believers. It does this in a far deeper and larger sense than the Old; in a sense, too, which even to this
12
day is not yet fully realized.

The Historical Account of the Nicolaitan Doctrine

Since the apostle John definitely declared that some of these Nicolaitans departed from
God’s Apostolic Pentecostal Church in His day, which was somewhere between AD 90-100,
these heretical bishops and ministers were no long part of God’s Church! After they
apostatized from the truth, they started their rival churches in the cities where God’s
Churches existed. It was around this time that these apostate bishops form the first ministerial
alliance in history, as they united their churches into an organization, which they called the
Roman Catholic Church.

Most Catholics and Protestants are not aware that Catholicism began somewhere around
this time. It began with Ignatius of Antioch, Clement of Rome and others of that ilk, who
spearheaded the formation of the Catholic Church. The true history of the rise of Catholicism
is a mystery. We know very little of her history during the first century. The document called
the Constitutions of the Holy Apostles has been proclaimed by historians as a complete
fabrication and other earlier writing as being altered.

The major thread of history we have of Catholicism’s origin and early development is her
Monarchial Bishop doctrine and her doctrine of two unequal-gods, which can be found in
almost all of her writings before the Council of Nicaea in AD 325. The only reasons why
historians have spoken of Catholicism as the original church is because their history is the only
history they have. This daughter of the Babylonian Religion has burned the writings of God’s
Apostolic Apologists, who wrote against her and her doctrines of Baal. As a result, the truth of
her past in the first century remains a mystery. It is obvious from the writings of these
Catholic Nicolaitan Nicene Priests that many books were written against them by God’s
apologists, the apologists of various denominations, and even pagans.

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 Professor Charles Guignebert in his book, The Early History of Christianity, revealed that
these religious groups have: written a great deal against her, or concerning her; this literature has almost
entirely disappeared and the little that remains is only enough to show us how great would be the service it might
render. Because it has no alternative but to use (a) polemical or exegetical writing mainly, badly emended by
accounts reputed to be historical, but written long after the events and at a time when they were scarcely
understood.... It is right and necessary that we should not forget that fact…. Try to exact from the collection of
[Catholic] Christian documents alone an exact idea of the early times of the Church was to give way to a tantalizing
delusion. Whether the fact was realized or not, the undertaking [of it by historians] was inspired by prejudgments of
the faith.... They endeavored to preserve its old standing as an originality, and this desire was fed from more than
13
one root in the theological postulate of revelation. Professor Mead confirmed Guignebert analysis of
the early history of Catholicism by saying: The historical origins of [Catholic] Christianity are hidden in
14
impenetrable obscurity.

The apostasy first began with the Nicolaitan doctrine of Ignatius, one of the bishops of
God’s Apostolic Church in Antioch, Syria; he claimed to have the same and even greater
authority over God’s Church than the apostles. He and his cohorts also tried to changed the
ministerial structure of the church from several bishops or pastors over each assembly to just
one; but the thing God hated the most about this doctrine was that this doctrine robbed God’s
people of their priesthood and ministry by setting up a selected paid priesthood! This
particular aspect of the Nicolaitan doctrine became known in church history as the
Monarchical Bishop doctrine.

Professor Schaff spoke of the origin of the Nicolaitan Monarchical Bishop doctrine. He
wrote: The distinction of a regular class of teachers from the laity became more fixed and prominent. This
appears first in Ignatius [AD 100], who, in his high Episcopalian spirit, considers the clergy the necessary medium
of access for the people to God.... He is also the first who uses the term ‘Catholic Church,’ as if episcopacy and
catholicity sprung up simultaneously… From Ignatius onward [in the Catholic Churches]; the two terms [bishop and
presbyter] are distinguished and designate two offices; the bishop being regarded first as the head of a congregation
surrounded by a council of presbyters.... Lightfoot well expresses it ‘The episcopate was formed, not out of the
apostolic order by localization, but out of the presbyterial by elevation; and the title [bishop], which originally was
15
common to all, came at length to be appropriated to the chief among them.

The entire history of Catholicism is a history of its satanic struggle for the centralization of
all power and authority into the hands of one man. It all started with Ignatius’ monarchical
bishop doctrine. It later became one monarchical Archbishop over the churches in many
cities. Then it developed into the monarchical Patriarch doctrine or one man over all the
churches in a nation. Then in AD 350 came the monarchical Pope doctrine or one man over all
the Catholic Churches in the world.

Ignatius Invented the Nicolaitan Monarchian Bishop Doctrine

How did this Nicolaitan-Balaamite ministerial system come into being, and who was the
first Nicolaitan Bishop to start these practices? Church historians point to Ignatius, one of the
early bishops of the Church of Antioch, Syria. According to a Catholic history book entitled,
The Story of the Church, Ignatius: had been bishop of Antioch for nearly fifty years, and he died in 107
16
AD. If this is true, this means he was ordained a Bishop in God’s Apostolic Pentecostal
Church of Antioch in AD 57.

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 Some Catholic authorities claim that Ignatius became a bishop in AD 69, using Eusebius’
Church History II as their source of information, which would mean he was not a Bishop for
50 years but 38 years. I personally believe it was probably the latter date. Regardless of the year,
he became a bishop, Satan used this brainless apostate to start his Babylonian Catholic
Church somewhere between 90-100 AD. According to the Bible, Ignatius and other heretical
bishops in God’s Apostolic Pentecostal Church were peddling the gospel for material gain.
Paul said it this way: “For we are not, as so many, peddling [kapeleuo] the Word of God” (2Co 6:17). The
Greek verb “kapeleuo” means: to peddle for profit or to make money by selling something; in other words
to teach or preach the Word of God in order to get a material reward.

As a result, these hirelings later turned from the truth of the gospel and became apostates.
Arnold speaking of these apostates and the Gnostic-Nicolaitan Catholic Churches they started
wrote: Have you wondered about the spread of early Catholicism.... Sohm wrote, ‘Primitive Christianity was not
Catholic.’ Nevertheless, soon Grecian-Catholic bishops… had established their Basilicas at Corinth, Ephesus,
Tralles, Rome, Philadelphia, Troas, Smyrna, Philippi, Antioch, etc., how do we know…? Ignatius wrote… [his]
quasi-religious letters to these institutions…. Froom... wrote, ‘Gnosticism permeated the Catholic Church.... The
Gnostics were moved by mysticism. They loved symbols and fostered gorgeous ritualistic worship and liturgy....
Gnosticism was pre-eminently a religion of sacraments and mysteries….’ He named some Catholic Gnostics as
17
being: Ignatius, Saturninus, Tatian, Basilides, Valentinus, and Marcion.

When Ignatius and all the other Nicolaitan Bishops established their apostate churches,
they changed the apostolic ministerial structure of the local church. In their struggle for a paid
ministry, they realized they had to destroy the ministry of the laity or their priesthood,
whereby they would become the sole ministers of the church. Dr. Guignebert speaking of this
wrote: As long as the idea of the sovereignty of the Spirit which ‘breatheth where it listeth’ still holds, no way
existed of establishing a lasting distinction between the cleric [the bishops] and the inspired believers, and, I repeat,
that ordination had not yet acquired this meaning. By rights a simple believer may... baptize, preach, consecrate
the Eucharist and impose penance. The [Catholic] clergy naturally endeavor to restrict and even suppress these
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privileges and powers, which circumscribe their own importance. Let my readers take note of all the
privileges and responsibilities the laity had in the Catholic Churches at that time. Of course,
the people of God’s Apostolic Pentecostal Churches always enjoyed these privileges of their
priesthood ministry.

As these Nicolaitans tried to dominate or become lords over the laity in their churches,
there was a great conflict that developed. Even though the Catholic laity believed in the
Nicolaitan doctrine or the Monarchial Bishop doctrine of Ignatius, they were not willing to
surrender their priesthood privileges and responsibilities to him and his presbyters at first.
Professor Maurice Gouel, in his history, The Primitive Church, spoke of the great power
struggle Ignatius and his presbyters had as they tried to destroy the ministry of the Catholic
laity. He declared: the Ruling circles in the [Catholic] Church felt that the pressure of heretics [preachers and
teachers among the laity] was an evil, which for the time being had to be endured; while they did all that was possible to
keep the members of the Church uncontaminated by the pernicious example of those in error, and reduced
contact with them to a minimum.

These hirelings did this by restricted the preaching, teaching, and other ministries of laity.
They even had the audacity to forbid the laity to yield to the gifts of the Spirit. Gouel

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continued by saying: This moderate course was not dictated by a spirit of tolerance and charity, but by the
feelings of the most determined opponents of the heretics, that they would not receive sufficient support from the
mass of the faithful, to enable them to gain measures leading to [their] ejection. Gouel declared that the reason why
these Nicolaitan-Balaamites could not excommunicate these lay-preachers and teachers was because: the Church,
when assembled together, was not entirely hostile to them…. [Therefore], their enemies have recourse to indirect
tactics, by gathering round the [Monarchical] Bishop, a concentration of antiheretical elements. They [the presbyters]
make him [the bishop] the center of the Church, and in this way put the heretics on the circumference, and so make
them Christians on the fringe, at the same time waiting for them to take the initiative and separate themselves
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from the church, or until the bishop feels himself strong enough to put them beyond the pale.

Professor Guignebert revealed that the Monarchical Bishop doctrine did not only prevailed
in the Catholic Church in Antioch, but also in some of the other cities where Nicolaitan-
Balaamite bishops set up their churches to combat God’s Apostolic Pentecostal Church.
Guignebert wrote: By the end of the first century, in some [Catholic] churches at least, there is a single bishop,
the general ‘overseer’ of the whole community, who consequently is in a fair way to keep the upper hand in all
matters; and, at his side ‘presbyters,’ specially charged with the exercise of spiritual offices; and ‘deacons,’ mainly
20
concerned with material affairs.

Somewhere before the end of the first century, Ignatius and his Nicolaitan presbyters had
finally conquered the laity and had total control over them. The ministry of the laity as:
prophets and teachers in the church, says Dr. Adolf Harnack in his book History of Dogma, began to
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pass over to the officials of the community. Guignebert told us the tragedy that happen in the
Catholic churches of the first century, which had a Monarchical Bishop. He said there was a:
lessening of the authority of the inspired persons.... The gifts which the Spirit had been scattering at will upon a
large or smaller number of the brethren do not disappear, however; they [supposedly] pass to the [Monarchical] Bishop
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and strengthen him in his authority.

Since the bishop and presbyters were conductors of public worship, they could quench the
Spirit and inspired speaking in their services anytime they wanted. My readers should bear in
mind that the bishop and his presbyters, at this time in Catholicism, did not receive a salary
for their ministry. As long as the laity in church were considered as priests, who could preach
and teach, there was no need for a special paid priesthood.

As the Word of God so clearly declared, God and His Apostolic Churches hated their
ministerial Balaamite-Nicolaitan doctrine, and now my beloved readers should be able to
understand why. These Nicolaitan Bishops had truly conquered the laity in their apostate
churches, striped them of their liberty in God, and stole their priesthood ministry from them.
The laity became spectators instead of participators, full of unbelief instead of full of faith,
silent mummies instead of oracles of God, and spiritually dead instead of spiritually alive. All
of this took place in the Ephesian or Post Apostolic Church Age.

Professor Henry Chadwick in his history, Heresy and Orthodoxy in the Early Church, spoke
of the main stratagem Ignatius used to get total control over the laity in his church. He wrote:
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According to Ignatius, the Monarchian Bishop was the counterpart - typos - of God. Dr. Schaff speaking
of Ignatius’ glorification and deification of the bishop, quoted Ignatius as saying: The human
bishop is the center of unity for the single congregation, and stands in it as the Vicar of Christ and even of God.
The people, therefore, should unconditionally obey him, and do nothing without his will. Blessed are they who are

20
one with the bishop, as the church is with Christ, and Christ with the Father, so that all harmonizes in unity.
24
Apostasy from the bishop is apostasy from Christ, who acts in and through the bishop as His organs.

A vicar is: one who serves as a substitute for someone else. Therefore, this heretic claimed
that he and all other bishops served as a substitute on earth for Almighty God! No wander
why the Catholic laity became scared to death of their bishop. I hate to say it, but Nicolaitan
pastors and minister of today rejoice at hearing this kind of satanic garbage. According to
Schaff, Ignatius also taught: Look to the bishop that God also may look upon you. I will be in harmony with
those who are subject to the bishop, and the presbyters, and the deacons; with them may I have a portion near
God.’ ‘It is evident that we should look upon the bishop as we do upon the Lord Himself. I exhort you that ye
study to do all things with a divine concord: the bishop presiding in the place of God, and presbyters in the place
of the college of the apostles.’ ‘Let all of you follow the bishop, as Jesus Christ - follows - the Father; and the
25
presbytery as ye would the apostles; and reverence the deacons as the ordinance of God.

All you Nicolaitan bishops and ministers who believe this lie say: “God help me to repent.” Now
beloved you should be able to see where the Catholic Church received their doctrine of the
Pope being the Vicar of Christ, and later on their infallible Pope doctrine; for Catholicism in
350 AD abolish the doctrine of the bishop being the Vicar of Christ, and made their Pope, the
one and only Vicar of Christ.

In the Ante Nicene Fathers, we can read the Epistles that Ignatius wrote. Here are some of
his writings concerning the deification of a bishop: In His Epistle to the Ephesians he wrote: Wherefore
it is fitting that ye should run together in accordance with the will of your bishop, which thing also ye do. For your
justly renowned presbytery, worthy of God, is fitted as exactly to the bishop as the strings are to the harp…. It is
26
manifest, therefore, that we should look upon the bishop even as we would upon the Lord Himself. In
Ignatius’ Epistle to the Magnesians he wrote: Let nothing exist among you that may divide you; but be
ye united with your bishop, and those [presbyters] that preside over you, as a type and evidence of your
immortality…. I exhort you to study to do all things with a divine harmony, while your bishop presides in the
place of God, and your presbyters in the place of the assembly of the apostles…. As therefore the Lord does
nothing without the Father… so do ye, neither presbyter, nor deacon, nor layman, do anything without the
27
bishop. Nor let anything appear commendable to you which is destitute of his approval.

In Ignatius’ Epistle to the Trallians we read: In like manner, let all reverence the deacons as an
appointment of Jesus Christ, and the bishop as Jesus Christ, who is the Son of the Father, and the presbyters as
the Sanhedrim of God, and assembly of the apostles…. Reverence your bishop as Christ Himself…. He that is
within the altar is pure, wherefore also he is obedient to the bishop and presbyters: but he that is without is one
that does anything apart from the bishop, the presbyters, and the deacons. Such a person is defiled in his
conscience, and is worse than an infidel. For what is the bishop but one who beyond all others possesses all power
and authority, so far as it is possible for a man to possess it…. And what is the presbytery but a sacred assembly,
28
the counselors and assessors of the bishop?

In Ignatius’ Epistle to the Philadelphians he wrote: Let governors be obedient to Caesar; soldiers to
those that command them; deacons to the presbyters as to high-priests; the presbyters, and deacons, and the rest
of the clergy, together with all the people, and the soldiers, and the governors, and Caesar [himself], to the bishop.
29
It was this teaching that Bishops of Rome, who late became know as Popes, enforced upon
the kings of Europe and later the world. Ignatius continued his deification of himself by
saying: See that ye all follow the bishop, even as Jesus Christ does the Father, and the presbytery as ye would
the apostles…. Let no man do anything connected with the Church without the bishop. Let that be deemed a
proper Eucharist, which is [administered] either by the bishop, or by one to whom he has entrusted it. Wherever the

21
bishop shall appear, there let the multitude [of the people] also be; even as, wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the
30
Catholic Church. It is not lawful without the bishop either to baptize or to celebrate a love-feast. It was
Ignatius’ teaching on the Eucharist that paved the way for a special paid priesthood.

Ignatius concluded his Epistle to the Philadelphians by writing: He who does anything without
the knowledge of the bishop, does serve the devil…. Honor… the bishop as the high-priest, who bears the image of
God…. Nor is there any one in the Church greater than the bishop, who ministers as a [high] priest to God for the
salvation of the whole world…. Let the laity be subject to the deacons; the deacons to the presbyters; the
31
presbyters to the bishop. After reading this satanic garbage, it is easy to understand why
Ignatius’ fellow Catholic bishops, in Satan’s rival and polluted church in Antioch, gave their
power to him and made him the head bishop. Through his preaching and teaching, he gave
them more power or authority over the people than they had ever known. Did he not preach
that the bishop should be looked on as God Himself who is infallible, and the presbyters as the
apostles who had supreme authority over the Church! Now you can understand why the poor
and misguided laity in Lucifer’s Catholic Churches became terrified of them.

It was probably this kind of demonic rhetoric, which can no where be found in the New and
Old Testament, that led Professor Schaff and other historians to believe that Catholicism
began with Ignatius. Dr. Schaff wrote: The distinction of a regular class of teachers from the laity became
more fixed and prominent. This appears first in Ignatius [AD 107], who in his high Episcopalian spirit, considers the
clergy the necessary medium of access for the people to God.... He is also the first who uses the term ‘Catholic
32
Church,’ as if episcopacy and catholicity sprung up simultaneously.

In Ignatius deification of himself, he did not consider himself to be the bishop of the city of
Antioch only, but the bishop of an entire nation of Syria, for he wrote: God has deemed me, the
33
bishop of Syria, worthy to be sent for from the east unto the west. It was this doctrine that later paved
the way for the office of Archbishop or one man over several churches in different cities,
Patriarch or one man over all the churches in a nation, and later in 350 AD the Pope or one
man over all the Catholic Churches in the world.

It was because of this kind of Satanic teaching that I stated at the beginning of this book,
the entire history of the Catholic Church can be sum up in these words: Their demonic struggle to
place all authority and power into the hands of one man. Why did Satan want all the power and
authority placed in the hands of one man? It is obvious, for all he had to do to get control over
the entire Catholic Church is to control the Pope; and this he has done very successfully over
the centuries. This is why many historians called the period that popes ruled the earth as the
dark ages.

The Popes during this period were very immoral, and they murdered God’s people as
heretics. In fact, one of them was so immoral that those in the Vatican called him the devil in
flesh, for no virgin woman or man within fifty miles of the Vatican was safe. If anyone thinks I
am bias or fabricating this statement, I challenge him or her to read Catholic professor
Malachi Martin’s book on the “The History Of The Popes.”

The apostle John called those who espoused Ignatius’ teaching Antichrist. John speaking of
Ignatius and those who followed his demonic teaching said: “Little children, it is the last time, and as
ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are they many antichrist; whereby we know that it is the last

22
time. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with
us; but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us” (1Jn 2:18-19). John
unquestionably declared that these bishops, preachers and saints were once children of God,
but now they have apostatized from the truth. In other words, they have left God’s Apostolic
Pentecostal Church and started Lucifer’s Nicolaitan Catholic Church.

Why would Ignatius and the other Catholic ministers want to dominate the laity in their
churches this way? Was it pride or vanity, whereby they wanted to be worship by the laity?
Was it because they desired and enjoyed having power or control over others, which is the
spirit of witchcraft? Was it because of greed, and they wanted to use the laity to financially
support them? It was probably a combination of all these things.

Ignatius Invented the Eucharist Doctrine to Establish

A Paid Ministry for A Special Priesthood of Hirelings
As long as the laity in Catholic Churches were considered priests and ministers, who could
preach, teach, and minister to other saints, there was no need for a special priesthood of paid
ministers. I am not diminishing the office of a bishop in any way, but I am placing it in its
biblical and historical context. There is no place in the New Testament that reveals that any of
God’s ministers, whether they are called apostles, bishops, or deacons, ever received a salary.
The Bible does reveal that ministers did receive freewill offering from the body of Christ. The
inordinate desire for money and power is the root of all evil. I do believe these are the reasons
why Catholic pastors in Ignatius’ day, and I might add some Protestant and Pentecostal
pastors today, have squashed preachers in their congregations whom God wanted to use.
These pastors became afraid of losing their position, if one of the saints became a better
preacher or teacher than they were!

Ignatius came up with a demonic plan to establish a special paid or hireling priesthood. He
started by teaching the Lord’s Supper was actually the real body and blood of Jesus. The New
Catholic Encyclopedia speaking of Eucharist stated: The early writers were absolutely convinced of the
Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. Ignatius of Antioch criticized the Docetists, who ‘hold aloof from the
Eucharist and prayer because they do not believe that the Eucharist is the flesh of our Savior, Jesus Christ’
34
(Letter to the Smyrneans, chp 7). Ignatius told the Philadelphians: Let that be deemed a proper
Eucharist, which is [consecrated] either by the bishop, or by one to whom he has entrusted it. Wherever the bishop
shall appear, there let the multitude [of the people] also be; even as, wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic
35
Church. In the Nimrod’s Babylonian Religion, this doctrine of partaking of the bread and
wine that the priests of Baal consecrated was called: “eating the gods.”

The only ones beside the bishop, who consecrate the Eucharist, were the presbyters and
deacons. In other words, only a so-called special paid priesthood, who would have to give up
their secular jobs, so they would not be contaminated with the sinful world around them,
could change the bread and grape juice into the actually body of Christ! This created a need
for a special paid priesthood. But before Ignatius apostatized, any one of God’s children could
consecrate the Lord’s Supper, which was not the actually body of Christ, but a memorial
looking back at what Jesus had done at Calvary.

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 Once the Catholic laity believed Ignatius’ satanic lie, that the Lord’s Supper was actually
the real body and blood of Jesus, he then convinced them that only a special and separate
priesthood could consecrate the Eucharist and can change it into the actually body of the Lord
Jesus Christ. After all, who among the Catholics of that day would doubt the teaching of this
so-called infallible god! After this so-called miracle took place, Ignatius claimed that only this
special priesthood had the power to actual crucify afresh the Savior, through the mysteries of
the Babylonian Mass.

Ignatius then taught that partaking of the Eucharist was the only way God would forgive
the sins one committed after water baptism. Therefore, according to Ignatius, repentance and
confession to God was not enough for a child of God to have their sins forgiven; they had to
also receive the Eucharist. Later on Catholicism taught that no one could confess their sins to
God, for there were to sinful to commune with God, so they a to go through one of the hireling
priest, who would act as a mediator between them and God! This ancient Babylonian doctrine
was called in Catholicism Confession.

According to The Encyclopedia of Religion, Ignatius called the Eucharist: the antidote of life. 36
Ignatius called the gifts of bread and grape juice the “sacrifices,” which the poor mislead
Catholic people offered to him, the presbyters, and deacons to consecrate. The International
Standard Bible Encyclopaedia speaking of this declared: The gifts themselves were called prosphorai,
‘oblations,’ or thusiai, ‘sacrifices.’ The sacrificial conception of the [Lord’s] Supper was thus gradually created
37
(Ignatius, Phil., iv; Smyrna, vii, viii).

In 150 AD, Justin Martyr confirmed that Ignatius’ Eucharist doctrine was an established
teaching in the Catholic Churches. Justin wrote: And this food is called among us Eujcariatia [the
Eucharist], of which no one is allowed to partake but the man who believes that the things which we teach are true,
and who has been washed with the washing that is for the remission of sins, and unto regeneration, and who is so
living as Christ has enjoined. For not as common bread and common drink do we receive these; but in like
manner as Jesus Christ our Savior, having been made flesh by the Word of God, had both flesh and blood for our
salvation, so likewise have we been taught that the food which is blessed by the prayer of His word, and from
which our blood and flesh by transmutation [transformation] are nourished, is the flesh and blood of that Jesus who
38
was made flesh.

By comparing the Old Testament sacrifices with that of the Eucharist, Ignatius came up
with an idea for a new sacrifice. Harnack speaking of it says: the idea of the chosen bishops and
deacons as the antitypes of the Priest and Levites, had been formed at an early period in connection with the idea
39
of the new sacrifice. The new sacrifice of these Nicolaitans was the offering of the Eucharist for
the purpose of removing of sins committed after water baptism. This meant that Jesus would
have to die over and over again at ever consecration of the Eucharist. This was truly a satanic
perversion of God’s grace.

As the preceding paragraphs have shown, Ignatius, this demon-possessed bishop, came up
with the idea of creating a new ministry in the church, which would require a special paid
priesthood to fulfill. He compared the ministry of the Old Testament priesthood, that is, a Levi
priest offering up daily sacrifices for the sins of the people, with their new special priesthood
that offered up the Eucharist for the sins of the people. Later, these Nicolaitan-Balaamites, or
followers “Nimrod’s Babylonian Religion,” invented a special Babylonian ceremony called the Mass

24
for the purpose of consecrating the Eucharist. Thus, through these doctrines of devils, as the
apostle Paul called them, Ignatius create a need for a paid or salary ministry. All this took
palace at the end of the first century.

Professor Harnack, in his book The Mission and Expansion of Christianity, speaking of the
financial structure for ministers in the local Church wrote: Church-officials were not, in the first
instance [meaning in the beginning], obliged to abandon their civil calling, and so far as that provided them with a
livelihood, they had no claim upon the church’s funds. Harnack then spoke of the change that took
place in Catholicism after Ignatius brought in his Nicolaitan-Balaamite priesthood. He
declared: From the very first, the president [the Monarchical Bishop] appears to have had practically an absolute
control over the donations; but the deacons had also to handle them as executive agents. The responsibility was
heavy, as was the temptation to avarice and dishonesty; hence the repeated counsel, that bishops and deacons
40
were to be ‘no lovers of money.

According to Otto Heick, in his History of Christian Thought, the Catholic bishop Clement
of Rome in 100 AD taught: Almsgiving is therefore excellent as a repentance for sins, fasting is better than
41
prayer; but almsgiving is better than either. The inordinate desire for money and power has always
been the roots of all evil. Jerome speaking of this informs us that even though the office of
presbyter in Catholicism is a greater and higher office than a deacon, for some mysterious
reason deacons were paid more.

Jerome said it this way: If… it is the deacon that is ordained presbyter, this latter should recognize that,
42
although he may be less highly paid than a deacon, he is superior to him in virtue of his priesthood.
Therefore beloved, it is not hard to understand why a deacon was paid more than a higher-
ranking presbyter, for evidently the bishop willed it so. After all the deacons were the people
who collected and distributed all monies of the Church. In other words, the deacons not only
gave the Monarchical Bishop his salary, but also keep quite when he wanted more than his
salary.

Even though Ignatius’ Eucharist doctrine was invented long after the apostle Paul’s death,
God had Paul to write against some Christian Jews in his day, who wanted to continue some of
the ordinances of Judaism, such as offering up animal sacrifices for sins (Acts 15:1-2, 5; Ga 6:12).
This was a perversion of God’s grace as the apostle told them in his Epistle to the Hebrews.
Praise God that this great book not only corrected the Jewish problem in Paul’s day, but the
Holy Spirit has used it to keep God’s Apostle Pentecostal Church in the truth and away form
Ignatius’ Eucharist Doctrine!!

Lets examine Paul’s teachings on Christ dieing for the sins of all mankind once and for all
time. The great apostle wrote: “When Christ came as High Priest... He entered the Most Holy Place once
[not daily] for all by His own blood, having obtained eternal redemption.... Nor did He enter heaven to offer Himself
again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not His own.
Then Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world” (Heb 9:11-12, 25-28). Paul
went on to reveal that it was not God’s will for Christ to die daily, or offer Himself up on the
cross over and over again! It was for this reason why Jesus: “appeared once for all at the end of the
ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of Himself.... Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many
people…. [Jesus our great High] Priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins... because by one sacrifice He has
made perfect forever those who are being made holy” (Heb 10:12-14, NIV)!!

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 Paul then warned those Christian Judaizers who wanted to continue with the Law of
Moses, and animal blood sacrifices by saying, “If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received
the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging
fire that will consume the enemies of God.... How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished
who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that
sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace” (Heb 10:26-29). This warning without doubt also
applies to the priests of Catholicism!

If Catholic priests, like these Christian Judaizers in Paul’s day, keep on sinning by
continually to mock the crucifixion of Christ on Calvary’s cross, day after day, week after
week, month after month, and year after year, then they, like these Christian Judaizers, will be
trampling on the blood of Jesus, and doing away the atonement Jesus made for their sins, and
the sins of the Catholic people! If they do not repent of this satanic Babylonian tradition, then
they will earn for themselves and those who follow them a place in the Lake of Fire.

I say this in love, for if I truly love you, I will tell you the truth. Catholics need to repent of
this abomination and all other sins against Christ. They need to confess their sins to Jesus and
not some priest, for Jesus in His humanity is our High Priest, and the one and only mediator
between God and man (1Ti 2:5). Friend, the precious blood that the humanity of Jesus shed is
the only mediation God will honor for sin (1Jn 2:1-2). Therefore, there is no other sacrifice for
sins except the one and only sacrifice Jesus made at Calvary.

Once a believer repents of their sins, is immerge in water in the name of the Lord Jesus
Christ, and receives the Holy Spirit with the initial evidence of speaking in tongues, they are in
Christ. From that time on, they are covered with the precious blood of Jesus, and all they have
to do to receive forgiveness of any sins committed after their New Birth, is to ask Jesus to
forgive them and repent, which means to turn your back on sin and your face towards God.
This is the one and only way God can remit sins after the New Birth!

The Historical Account of the Ministerial Structure

of God’s Apostolic Pentecostal Churches
History indisputable reveals that God’s Apostolic Church was originally set up with many
bishops or presbyters to lead, guide, and rule over each local congregation; also every born-
again believer was a priest, minister, preacher, and teacher in the church; also bishops were
servants not lords over God’s priesthood. This is why professor Schaff boldly proclaimed that
no church denomination or organization today can find any biblical or historical evidence in
the first century to support their ministerial structure!

Clement, one of the Catholic bishops of Rome, in his Epistle to the Corinthians (100 AD)
mentions bishops and deacons in the hierarchy ministerial structure of his church, but in no
place does he teach Ignatius’ doctrine of a single bishop ruling the church. However, he does
teach the Catholic two-unequal-god doctrine. Clement told the Church in Corinth to be:
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Obedient to those who had the rule over you… giving all fitting honor to the presbyters among you. He told

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them that the apostles: preaching through countries and cities, they appointed the first-fruits [of their labors],
44
having first proved them by the Spirit, to be bishops and deacons of those who should afterwards believe.

He then proceeded to warn them not to rebel against their bishops: For our sin will not be
small, if we eject from the episcopate those who have blamelessly and holily fulfilled its duties. Blessed are those
presbyters who, having finished their course before now, have obtained a fruitful and perfect departure [from this
45
world]. Clement continued by saying: It is disgraceful beloved, yea, highly disgraceful, and unworthy of
your Christian profession, that… [the] Church of the Corinthians should, on account of one or two persons,
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engage in sedition against its presbyters. He then concludes by saying: let the flock of Christ live on terms
47
of peace with the presbyters set over it.

Polycarp, one the bishops of Smyrna, wrote an Epistle to the Philippians (AD 100), and he
also mentions bishops and deacons in the ministerial structure of the church, but in no place
does he teach Ignatius’ doctrine of a single bishop ruling the church. Nevertheless, he does
teach the Catholic two-unequal-god doctrine. Polycarp mentions other bishops who were with
him in Smyrna by saying: Polycarp, and the presbyters with him, to the Church of God sojourning at
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Philippi.

Polycarp then proceeded to instruct the pastors, who were in Philippi, what duties a bishop
should perform. He proclaimed: And let the presbyters be compassionate and merciful to all, bringing
back those that wander, visiting all the sick, and not neglecting the widow, the orphan, or the poor, but always
providing for that which is becoming in the sight of God and man; abstaining from all wrath, respect of persons,
and unjust judgment; keeping far off from. All covetousness, not quickly crediting [an evil report] against any one,
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not severe in judgment, as knowing that we are all under a debt of sin.

Jerome taught that the episcopate or the office of a chief bishop that Ignatius invented
supposedly rose from the presbyterate as a safeguard against schism. Let us examine Jerome’s
writings, and see if he can shed some light on the ministerial structure that God’s apostles set
up. Around AD 390, Jerome wrote a letter to Evangelus. In it, he defended the Catholic
Nicolaitan-Balaamite ministerial doctrine, which was in full bloom in his day. Jerome refuted
the beliefs, of some of his fellow Catholics, who made deacons equal to presbyters in authority.

Jerome clearly revealed that the words presbyter and bishop are synonymous, in that they
both referred to the same office. In doing so, he unwillingly revealed that the One God
Apostolic Churches in the Book of Acts had several presbyter-bishops in each local
congregation, which shared equal authority, instead of one monarchical presbyter-bishop with
all the authority. Jerome’s confession, found in The Nicene And Post Nicene Fathers volumes,
was this: We read in Isaiah the words, ‘the fool will speak folly,’ and I am told that some one has been mad
enough to put deacons before presbyters, that is, before bishops.... The apostle [Paul] clearly teaches that
presbyters are the same as bishops.... In the Acts of the Apostles, Paul thus speaks to the priests of a single church:
‘Take heed unto yourselves and to all the flock, in the which the Holy Ghost hath made you bishops [episkopos], to
feed [shepherd] the church of God, which He purchased with his own blood (Acts 20:28).

Jerome declared that there was only one Church, not many churches in Ephesus. Jerome
went on to say: There is the following passage, which clearly proves a bishop and a presbyter to be the same.
Writing to Titus the apostle says: ‘For this cause left I thee in Crete, that that you shouldest set in order the things
that are wanting, and ordain presbyters in every city, as I had appointed thee; if any be blameless, the husband of

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one wife, having faithful children, not accused of riot or unruly. For a bishop must be blameless’ [Titus 1:5-7]…. In
the Greek, the meaning is still plainer, for the word used is ‘episkopos,’ that is to say, overseer or bishop.

Jerome definitely declared that the word elder, which is the Greek word presbuteros, is
synonymous with the word bishop in the Bible. They both refer to the very same ministerial
office. The word elder or presbyter, when referring to the ministry, is used only for the office
of a bishop or pastor, it is never used for the office of a deacon or any other office in the Bible
or history. Jerome continued: For what function [in the Catholic priesthood], except ordination, belongs to a
bishop that does not also belong to a presbyter.... All alike are successors of the apostles.... Of the names presbyter
and bishop the first denotes age, the second rank. In writing both Titus and to Timothy the apostle speaks of the
ordination of bishops and of deacons, but says not a word of the ordination of presbyters [or elders]; for the fact
is, the word bishops includes presbyters also. Again, when a man is promoted, it is from a lower place to a higher.
(Therefore)... if… it is the deacon that is ordained presbyter, this latter should recognize that, although he may be
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less highly paid than a deacon, he is superior to him in virtue of his priesthood.

From Jerome’s unintentional confession, we have learned that the apostles did not place
one but several bishops over each local congregation, and that bishops and elders were the
very same office in the church. It was the Catholic Nicolaitan Priesthood that changed the
Biblical order, for Jerome confessed that the Catholic priesthood of his day had three orders
of ministry, the Monarchian or Ruling Bishop, Presbyters, and Deacons. He also confessed
that these Nicolaitan Bishops claimed to have the authority of an apostle over their
congregation. This confirms everything I have said about these Nicolaitans thus far.

Church historians have repeatedly confirmed the apostles’ doctrine of many bishops over a
local congregation in their histories of the early Christian Church, which shared equal
authority over the congregation of God. Professor Arthur C. McGiffert in his book, A History
Of The Christian Church In The Apostolic Age, declared, during the age of the apostles: the
churches, so far as we are acquainted with them, were ruled each by a number of bishops.... They served the local
congregation primarily, not the universal church, and their official position gave them no rights in other
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congregations.

Dr. Harnack spoke of Ignatius and the Nicolaitan Catholic Church, he stated: As early as the
second century the [Catholic] Church had conquered the people.... By the opening of the third century [200 AD], no
layman ventured any longer to call ecclesiastics, ‘brethren.’ The layman is a layman because he has not been set
apart from the people by ordination…. After the close of the second century [the Monarchical] bishops were the
teachers, high priest, and judges of the church. Ignatius already had compared their position in the individual
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church to that of God in the church collective.

Edward Gibbon in his history “The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire”
declared that Catholic and Protestant institutions: have alike struggled to reduce the primitive and
apostolic model [of each individual church], to the respective standards of their own policy.... The public functions of
religion were solely entrusted to the established ministers of the church, the bishops and the presbyters; two
appellations which, in their first origin, appear to have distinguished the same office and the same order of
persons.... In proportion to respective number of the faithful, a larger or smaller number of these Episcopal
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Presbyters guided each infant congregation with equal authority and with united counsels.

Church historians have repeatedly confirmed the apostles’ doctrine of many bishops over a
local congregation, and the priesthood of all believers, in their histories of the early Christian

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Church. Professor Guignebert wrote: In the beginning the bishops - for each congregation had several of
them - did not trouble either to teach or to edify in any other way than by their good example. They occupied
themselves in maintaining and confirming the Church in the practice of morality, and of the precepts of the true
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faith, and exercised the upper hand in all matters relating to the temporal concerns of the congregation.

Dr. Harnack spoke of the monarchical Bishop doctrine this way: It appeared more and more
fitting [in Catholic Churches] to entrust one official, as chief leader, [that is, bishop] - superintendent of public worship, -
with the reception of gifts [of the Spirit] and their administration, that is, to appoint one bishop instead of a number
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of bishops. In God’s primitive Apostolic Pentecostal Church, every born-again believer,
including pastors, were holy ministers or priests of God, who could minister to the body of
Christ. They all could preach, teach, and be used in the gifts of the Spirit, providing they had a
loving and humble spirit that could receive correction.

Conclusion: The scriptural and historical evidence, my beloved brethren, leave no room
for doubt that God did not originate, ordained, or approved of the Nicolaitan Monarchical
Bishop doctrine that Catholicism has brought to the entire church world of today and in the
past. In fact, God has told us through His Word that He hates it! I realize that God ordain
pastors and saints have followed this demonic system ignorantly, but the Word of God
declares: “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (Jn 8:32).

Beloved of the Lord let us not forget that our Lord and Savior commanded His children to:
“Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you” (Jn 12:35). Ignorance of truth is one thing,
but continual willful disobedience to the clear teaching of God’s Holy Word can only lead to
our destruction! Dear brother pastor, God has placed an awesome responsibility upon your
shoulders, to perfect holiness in the lives of His priesthood, and to develop their preaching and
teaching skills, so that they can become the men and women of God! The choice is your, what
will you do?

The Biblical Account of the Ministerial Structure

of God’s Apostolic Pentecostal Churches
The Word of God in NO place in the New Testament teaches the LORDSHIP of Bishops over
a SINGLE congregation, or that God appointed just one Bishop over an assembly. I realize that
most of God’s holy Pastors and Saints are NOT aware of this great truth today. This is why
Professor Schaff boldly proclaimed that NO Church denomination or organization today can
find any biblical or historical evidence in the first century to support their ministerial
structure, which also included his own denomination!

Those who teach Ignatius’ Nicolaitan Monarchial Bishop doctrine is teaching a doctrine of
devils, which God HATES! The Bible and Church History without dispute teach that the ONE
Church in each city had several Pastors that held the God ordain office of Bishop, who shared
equal authority and hopefully worked in unity with each other!! Since it is MUCH easier for
Satan to corrupt or mislead one Bishop with pride, materialism, or other sins, I presume this is
one of the reasons why God placed several Bishops over each Church instead of one man.

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 God also made each Church autonomist with its own self-government; He did this no doubt
to make it harder for Satan to control each Church by an organization or denomination,
which men later formed. The first organization or denomination was the demonic Roman
Catholic Church, which satanic men formed between 90-100 AD. God knows what He is
doing, and His way always works and brings His blessings and power! God never established
Church organizations or denominations, men did!!

The Single Philippian Church Had Several Bishops: Paul greeted the church in
the city of Philippi with these words: “Paul and Timothy, bondservants of Jesus Christ, To all the saints in
Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the BISHOPS [episkopos] and Deacons [diakonos]” (Phi 1:1). Let my beloved
readers take note that this one church in the city of Philippi irrefutably had several pastors
and not just one, who held the office of Bishop in it. I may also mention that this is the only
epistle in which Paul even mentions Bishops in his salutation to a church; for he usually
addresses his epistles to the saints!

The Greek noun episkopos (evpisko,poij) is in the dative case or an indirect object, masculine
gender, and PLURAL number. Dr. A.T. Robertson speaking about the word “Bishops” in this
passage of scripture wrote: It is an old word from episkeptomai, to look upon or after, to inspect, so the
Overseer or Superintendent. In the second century episxopoj [or episkopos] (Ignatius) came to mean one superior to
elders, but NOT SO the N.T. The two New Testament church officers are here mentioned (Bishops or Elders and
Deacons). The plural is here employed because there was… one church in a city with several Pastors (Bishops,
Elders).

The Single Ephesian Church Had Several Bishops: When Paul was in “Miletus he
sent to Ephesus and called for the ELDERS [presbuteros] of the church.” Paul told these bishops: “Therefore
take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you OVERSEERS [episkopos],
to SHEPHERD the Church [not Churches] of God which He purchased with His own blood” (Acts 20:17, 28).
Timothy may have been one of the Bishops who came down from the single Church in
Ephesus. He was probably the first Bishop, of all the other Bishops, to be chosen as a Pastor of
the Ephesian Church (2Ti 4:22).

The apostle did not say “elder” or “overseer” as in one, but “elders” or “overseers” as in
many. In the fourth century, the Catholic Bishop Jerome declared that there was only one
Church in the city of Ephesus in Paul’s day, and that one Church had several bishops in it.
Jerome wrote: In the Acts of the Apostles, Paul thus speaks to the priests [or bishops] of a single church: ‘Take
heed unto yourselves and to all the flock, in the which the Holy Ghost hath made you Bishops [episkopos], to feed
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[Shepherd] the Church [not Churches] of God, which He purchased with his own blood’ (Acts 20:28).

Professor Joseph Henry Thayer of Harvard University in his lexicon entitled A Greek-
English Lexicon of the New Testament defined Presbuteros as: 1) Of age… advanced in life, an elder, a
senior…. 2) A term of rank or OFFICE; as such borne by: A) Among the Jews, a. members of the great council or
Sanhedrin (because in early times the rulers of the people, judges, etc…. THOSE who in the separate cities
managed public affairs and administered justice…. B) AMONG CHRISTIANS, THOSE who PRESIDED over
the assemblies (or churches): Acts 11:30; 14:23; 15:2, 4, 6, 22f; 16:4; 21:18; 1 Tim. 5:17, 19; Titus 1:5; 2 John 1:1;
3 John 1:1; 1 Pet. 5:1, 5… Acts 20:17; James 5:14.

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 That THEY did NOT DIFFER at all from the (evpi,skopoi) BISHOPS or OVERSEERS (as is acknowledged also
by Jerome on Titus 1:5 (cf. Lightfoot’s Commentary on Philippians, pp. 98f, 229f) is evident from the fact that the
TWO WORD are used indiscriminately, Acts 20:17, 28; Titus 1:5, 7, and that the DUTY of PRESBYTERS is
described by the terms evpiskopei/n [BISHOPS], 1 Pet. 5:1f, and evpiskoph,, Clement of Rome 1 Cor. 44, 1; accordingly
only two ecclesiastical officers, oi` evpi,skopoi [Bishop] and oi` dia,konoi [Deacon], are distinguished in Phil. 1:1; 1 Tim.
3:1,8. The title evpi,skopoj [BISHOPS] denotes the function, presbu,teroj [PRESBYTERS] the dignity (#4388).

Dr. Thayer defined episkopos as: an OVERSEER, a man charged with the duty of seeing that things to
be done by others are done rightly, any curator, guardian, or superintendent; the Septuagint for dyqiP', Judg. 9:28;
Neh. 11:9,14,22; 2 Kings 11:15, etc.; 1 Macc. 1:51. The word has the same comprehensive sense in Greek writings
from Homer Odys. 8, 163; Iliad 22, 255 down; hence, in the N. T. evpi,skopon tw/n yucw/n guardian of souls, one who
watches over their welfare: 1 Pet. 2:25… Heb. 13:17 specifically, the superintendent, head or OVERSEER of any
Christian church; Vulgate episcopus: Acts 20:28; Phil. 1:1; 1 Tim. 3:2; Titus 1:7 (#2112).

Dr. A. T. Robertson in his Word Pictures in the Greek New Testament made the following
comment on Act 20:17: The ELDERS of the Church (tous presbuterous tês ekklêsias), the very men whom
Paul terms ‘BISHOPS’ (episkopous) in verse 28 just as in Tit 1:5, 7 where BOTH TERMS (presbuterous, ton
episkopon) DESCRIBE the SAME OFFICE. The term ‘Elder’ applied to Christian Ministers first appears in Ac
11:30 in Jerusalem and reappears in 15:4, 6, 22 in connection with the apostles and the Church. The ‘ELDERS’…
are ‘BISHOPS’ (cf. Php 1:1) and with ‘Deacons’ constitute the two classes of officers in the early churches….
EACH CHURCH, as in Jerusalem, Philippi, Ephesus, had a NUMBER of ‘ELDERS’ (‘BISHOPS’) in the ONE
great city CHURCH…. Here Paul unbosoms himself to the Ministers of the Church in Ephesus where he had
spent three years (longer than with any other Church).

The Greek word “episkopos” is used 7 times in the New Testament and the AV translated it
6 times as “Bishop” and 1 times as “Overseer.” “Presbuteros” is used 67 times and the AV
translated it 64 times as “elder.” It is very evident that the apostle Paul used the Greek words
“presbuteros” and “episkopos” as synonyms, when they were referring to an OFFICE in the
Church, that is, the office of a BISHOP or Pastor. Since elders or bishops supervised every
Jewish synagogue, it was very natural that every Jewish and Gentile Christian congregation
should at once adopt this form of government (Mt 16:21). This no doubt is the reason why Dr.
Luke found it unnecessary to give an account of the origin of the office of elders or bishops,
while he did give an account of the origin of the office of deacons, which had no equivalence in
the ministerial structure of the Jewish synagogue.

The Single Church in Antioch of Pisida, Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe in Asia
Minor Had Several Bishops (Acts 13:14, 43; 14:1, 6, 20-21): Dr. Luke stated that
Paul and Barnabas: “appointed ELDERS [presbuteros – plural not just one Elder] in EVERY [i.e. each individual]
Church, and prayed with fasting, [as] they commended THEM [not him] to the Lord in whom THEY [not he] had
believed” (Acts 14:23). Let my beloved readers take note, Paul ordained several Bishops in every
single congregation and not just one bishop. If Elders and Bishops are not synonymous or
identical terms, than why is there no place in the apostle Paul’s epistles, or any other New
Testament writings, any qualifications given for this office? If Paul and Barnabas did not lay
their hands on these Elders or Bishops and ordained them to the office of a Pastor, then what
office did they ordain them to, and what are the duties of this office?

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 Dr. Robertson made this comment on the above verse of scripture: They selected the ELDERS
in each instance and Paul and Barnabas ‘ordained’ THEM…. Later Paul will give the requirements [or
qualifications] expected in these ‘ELDERS’ or ‘BISHOPS’ (Php 1:1) as in 1Ti 3:1-7; Tit 1:5-9. It is fairly certain that
these ELDERS were chosen to correspond in a general way with the Elders in the Jewish synagogue after which
the LOCAL Church was largely copied as to organization and worship…. The use of the PLURAL here implies
what was true at Philippi (Php 1:1) and Ephesus (Ac 20:17, 28) that EACH Church (ONE in EACH CITY) ‘had
its COLLEGE of ELDERS’ (Hackett) as in Jerusalem (21:18). Elder (presbuteros) was the Jewish name, and
Bishop (episkopos) the Greek name for the SAME OFFICE. ‘Those who are called Elders in speaking of Jewish
communities are called Bishops in speaking of Gentile communities’ (Hackett).

The Churches on the Island of Crete Had Several Bishops: Paul gave both Titus
and Timothy the power to ordain pastors in each city he sent them. Paul told Titus: “For this
reason I left you in Crete, that you should set in order the things that are lacking, and appoint ELDERS
[presbuteros plural not just one Bishop] in EVERY city as I commanded you.” Paul than goes on in the next two
verses to give the qualification of an elder or pastor, for Paul wrote: “A Bishop [episkopos] must be
blameless, as a steward of God, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for
money” (Tit 1:5, 7).

Let my beloved readers take note, Paul did not instruct Timothy or Titus to ordain an
“elder,” as in one, in each city of Crete, but “elders,” as in many, in each city. Also notice after
the apostle gave instruction for the ordination of pastors, he gave Titus the qualification that a
man of God must possess to be a bishop over the Church of God. Paul used the words “elder”
and “bishop” as synonyms terms, because they both referred to the same office of a “pastor.”
Crete is a Greek island in the eastern Mediterranean; it population is about 601,159 (2001)
today; and its capital is Heraklion. It is noted for the remains of the Minoan civilization, which
flourished there in the 2nd millennium BC. It fell to Rome in 67 BC and was subsequently
ruled by Byzantines, Venetians, and Turks.

The Single Thessalonian Church Had Several Bishops: Paul admonished this one
church: “We urge you brethren [i.e. saints] to recognize THOSE [not him] who labor among you, and are OVER
you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem THEM [not him] very highly in love for THEIR [not his] work’s
sake” (1Th 5:12-13). The apostle told God’s Priestly Saints in the single Church in Thessalonica,
which also applies to all Churches in every other city, to know the character and temperament
of the Bishops who rule, lead, admonish, and correct them. He then proceeded to tell them to
love these Bishops for they are given the tremendous responsibility of caring for their souls.

The Single Church in Jerusalem Had Many Bishops, along with Twelve
Apostles: In the following passage of scriptures, we learn that the Church in Jerusalem had
many bishops besides the apostles. The Church of Antioch sent Paul and Barnabas “to
Jerusalem, to the Apostles and ELDERS [presbuteros - Bishops] about this question” of keeping certain
ordinances of the Law of Moses. “When they had come to Jerusalem, they were received by the Church
and the Apostles and the ELDERS [not just one Elder]…. Now the Apostles and ELDERS [not just one Bishop] came
together to consider this matter….”

“It pleased the Apostles and ELDERS [not just one Pastor], with the whole Church [not with all the churches in Jerusalem],
to send chosen men of their own company to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas” to confirm their decision
against the gentile churches keeping the Law of Moses. “They wrote this letter by them: The Apostles,

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the ELDERS, and the Brethren, To the Brethren who are of the Gentiles in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia” (Acts 15:2,
4, 6, 22-23). It is very evident that the elders mention here were bishops, who ruled the Church
in Jerusalem along with the apostles, and that there were many pastors and not just one in the
single church in Jerusalem!

According to Dr. Luke, years later Paul returned: “to Jerusalem, [and] the brethren received us
gladly. On the following day Paul went in with us to James, and ALL the ELDERS [presbuteros - i.e. Bishops] were
present” (Acts 21:17-18). Years later, the single Church in Jerusalem still had not only Apostles
but also many Bishops to Pastor this great Church. Years before this time: “the disciples [i.e. Gentile
Christians in various cities], each according to his ability, determined to send relief to the brethren dwelling in Judea.
This they also did, and sent it to the ELDERS [presbuteros - i.e. Bishops] by the hands of Barnabas and Saul” (Acts
11:29-30).

The apostle Paul told Jewish saints in each of the cities of Judea: “Remember THOSE [not him]
who rule over you, who have spoken the Word of God to you, whose faith follow, considering the outcome of
THEIR [not his] conduct…. Obey THOSE [meaning Bishops] who rule over you, and be submissive, for THEY [not he]
watch out for your souls, as THOSE [not him] who must give account. Let THEM [not him] do so with joy and not
with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you…. Greet ALL THOSE [not him] who rule over you, and all the
saints” (Heb 13:7, 17, 24). The apostle did not tell these Jewish Christians to obey “him” as in one,
but “them” as in many, who ruled in the office of a pastor over each single Jewish
Congregation in Judea.

James Writing to Jewish Christians Who Were Scattered in All Churches

throughout the World Wrote: “Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the ELDERS [presbuteros]
of the Church [not Churches], and let THEM pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord” (Ja
5:14). James, like the apostles Peter and Paul, taught that each Church had many pastors over
it. James did not tell these saints to call for the “elder or bishop” in their church, as in one, but
the “Elders or Bishops” as in many. Presbuteros is in the accusative case or a direct object,
masculine gender, and plural number.

It would be unthinkable that James would tell sick Christians to go on a pilgrimage to the
churches throughout the world, and have different pastors pray for their healing, or for them
to go to Jerusalem and have the bishops there to anoint them with oil, or even to get all the
bishops in their city together, if there was more than one church in a city as some claim, and to
lay hands on them and anoint them. The Bible teaches me that everything a saint needs from
God can be found in the local Church (1Co 12).

Without doubt there was one and only one Christian Church in every city. God does not
work in division but in unity; and God did not leave His people in the hands of one man but
several who would love them and minister to them; for where one pastor would be lacking in
wisdom, understanding, knowledge, judgment, discernment, counseling skills, leadership
ability, faith, or preaching and teaching skills, the other pastors could supply!

I believe that it would be much better for several pastors to discipline a saint of God than
just one pastor, who may correct one saint for a certain sin and show bias toward another
saint that may be a relative or close friend of his, who had the very same problem. When it

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comes to disciplining saints of God, pastors are in great danger of losing their own souls, if
they do it in the wrong spirit and not in the spirit of love.

Jesus said: “But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in Me, it were better for him that a
millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe unto the world
because of offences! For it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh”
(Mt 18:6-7, KJV)! Therefore, if any pastor causes a saint of God to give up their faith, because of unjust
or unfair punishment, or being discipline in the wrong spirit, woe be to that Pastor, for their soul is in
danger of being lost.

Each Church in Asia Minor or Turkey that Timothy Ordained Elders in Had
Several Bishops: In Paul instruction to Timothy, he declared that Bishops are
rulers over each local assembly. Paul proclaimed: “This is a faithful saying: If a MAN [not a
woman] desires the position of a Bishop [episkopos], he desires a good work…. One who rules HIS [not her] own house
well, having HIS children in submission with all reverence (for if a MAN [not a woman] does not know how to rule
HIS [not her] own house, how will HE [not she] take care of the Church of God…?) Let the ELDERS [not elder] who
rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially THOSE [not he] who labor in the word and doctrine” (1Ti
3:1, 4-5; 5:17).

Paul did not say the Bishop as singular who rules well in each congregation, but Elders or
Bishops PLURAL who rule well! Here again we see the apostle used the words “Bishops” and
“Elders” as synonymous terms. If “Bishops” and “Elders” are not identical terms and do not
refer to the same church office, then each local assembly has two different sets of rulers. If this
is true, then where are the scriptures that reveal this unreasonable doctrine, and why is there
nothing said about the authority each group has over the church?

The Churches in Regions of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, and Bithynia in

Asia Minor Had Several Bishops: The apostle Peter speaking to these churches wrote:
“The ELDERS [presbuteros not elder] who are among you I exhort, who am also an Elder [presbuteros]…. SHEPHERD
the flock of God which is among you, serving as OVERSEERS [episkopeo not overseer as one], not by compulsion but
willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; NOR as being LORDS [not lord as one] OVER those entrusted to you,
but being EXAMPLES [not an example as one] to the flock” (1Pe 5:1-3).

Let my readers take note again, Peter told elders or bishops, as in many, in each
congregation NOT to be lords, as many, over God’s Priestly Saints whom God placed under
them. Here again we see that the words “elders” and “overseers” or “bishops” are identical terms,
which refer to the office of pastor! Let my readers take note, Peter, like Paul, connected the
word “elders,” as in many, with being pastors who shepherd the flock of God (cp with Acts 20:17,
28).

A Very Brief Historical Examination of the Apostolic One God Doctrine of the
First Century, Compared with the Nicolaitan Catholic Doctrine of Two-
Unequal-gods: The ancient Apostolic Pentecostal Preachers of oneness believed that the
Father, Son and Holy Ghost were titles, offices, modes of revelation of the one person in the
Godhead. As the Father, the one God revealed Himself as the Creator of man and the cosmos.
As the Son of God, the Father revealed Himself as the Savior of all mankind by becoming a

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man, and as a man died for their sins. As the Holy Spirit, the Father revealed Himself as the
Regenerator of man, by comes in and dwelling in him for the purpose of redeeming,
empowering and transforming him into Christ’s likeness.

Ignatius, Clement and all the other early apostates, believed in two separate and distinct
persons in the godhead. They believed that God the Father created, begot or generated from
his own substance before time began, a second god, being, or person called the Logos, whom
was called the Son of God. They also believed that the Holy Spirit was just another name for
the Logos. Therefore, these heretics denied that Jesus was the only sovereign, LORD (YHWH),
or supreme Deity, just as Paul, Peter, Jude, and John said they would (Col 2:8-9; 2Pe 2:1, Jude 1:4,
1Jn 4:3, also Isa 9:6 NIV)!

One of the major differences between the oneness and the early Catholic believers was their
belief concerning the identity of the Logos. Now this is a very important point that my readers
should keep in mind. Who was the Logos of the Old Testament? Is He the same person as the
Father, or is He someone different from the Father? Is He the one and only God, who is the
Father, or is He a second god different from the Father, or is He someone less than God? Is He
an eternal being or is He a created being? If He is God, did He retain His deity when He was
born of Mary as a man? The entire godhead dispute was over these issues until 381 AD when
the Catholic Church officially adopted the Babylonian Trinity.

The Catholic Church in all their creeds did not teach a Trinity of three separate persons in
the godhead before this time. If it was not for the early Catholic apologists’ pride, vanity and
love of Greek Philosophy, especially the writings of Plato and the corrupt Jewish writings of
Philo, their two god doctrine, which later developed into a three god doctrine, would have
never came into being. Let us briefly look at the affinity these men had for the Greek
philosophers and Mystery religion, so we can better understand why they adopted all the other
doctrines of Mystery Babylon or the ancient Babylonian Religion.

The Catholic theological school in Alexandria Egypt is where most of the damnable
doctrines of Catholicism were first formed. Professor Mead revealed that it was the Catholic
philosophers of the Alexandrian school that: First laid the first foundations of general [Catholic] Christian
57
theology; and that school owed its evolution to its contact with Grecian thought. Professor Harnack
included the Catholic apologists’ godhead doctrine in his list of pagan teachings. He stated: It is
not Judaeo-Christianity that lies behind the Christianity and doctrines of the [Catholic] apologist, but Greek
philosophy - Platonic metaphysics, Logos doctrine of the Stoics, Platonic and Stoic ethics - the Alexandrine-Jewish
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apologetics... particularly in that of Philo.

Elgin Moyer, in his Who Was Who in Church History, revealed Philo’s role in the
development of the Trinity. He says that Philo was a: Jewish Hellenistic philosopher.... As a
philosopher he sought to reconcile Greek philosophy and the Old Testament by means of allegorical
interpretation.... Philo’s method of allegorical interpretation had much influence on the allegorical method of
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interpretation followed by the Alexandrian Church Fathers, especially Clement and Origen.

The Catholic Encyclopedia gave a fair explanation of the origin and differences of belief
between the Apostolic Modalist Monarchians and the early Gnostic Catholics. It revealed that

35
the Jesus’ Name Monarchians: regarded the Logos as a mere name, or faculty, or attribute, and to have
made the Son and the Holy Ghost merely aspects or modes of existence of the Father, thus emphatically
identifying Christ with [the Father] the one God.... They spoke of the Father as Spirit and the Son as flesh.

This encyclopedia went on to reveal, that the Jesus’ Name Preachers were against the
Catholic adoption of Plato and Philo two-god doctrine, in others words: the learned philosophizing
of the Christology of Catholicism. This to the simplicity of the faithful looked too much like a mythology
or a Gnostic emanationism. The Monarchians emphatically declared that God is one, wholly and perfectly one,
and that Jesus Christ is God, wholly and perfectly God. This was right, and even most necessary, and whilst it is
easy to see why the theologians like Tertullian and Hippolytus opposed them for their protest was precisely
against the Platonism which these theologians had inherited from Justin and the [other Alexandrian] Apologists.

The Alexandrians alone insisted rightly on the generation of the Son from all eternity; but thus the Unity of
God was even less manifest. The writers who thus theologize may often expressly teach the traditional Unity in
Trinity, but it hardly squares with the Platonism of their philosophy. The [Catholic Gnostic] theologians were thus
defending the doctrine of the Logos at the expense of the two fundamental doctrines of Christianity, the Unity of
God, and the Divinity of Christ. They seemed to make the Unity of the godhead split into two or even three, and to
make Jesus Christ something less than the supreme God the Father. This is eminently true of the chief opponents
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of the Monarchians, Tertullian, Hippolytus, and Novatian.

Doctor James Hastings, in his Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics, speaking about this
controversy says Apostolic Modalist Monarchianism: was powerfully supported by the critico-
historical school of exegesis which grew up at Antioch in opposition to the speculative, allegorizing school of
Alexandria. He went on to say that on one side of this great battle was Monarchianism, the
Antiochene historico-critical school of interpretation, and rationalism, which opposed Catholicism, with its
61
realistic view of salvation, its allegorical interpretation, and its metaphysic of deity.

Professor Harry A. Wolfson, in his book The Philosophy of the Church Fathers, boldly
declared the above truths when he said that Ignatius, Clement and all the other apostate
fathers, who started Catholicism, did not believe in a preexistent Trinity.... Before His [Jesus’] birth there
were only two preexistent beings, God and the Holy Spirit, the latter identified with the preexistent Christ, and, if
the term Logos is used, it is identified with the Holy Spirit. He continued by saying, like Philo, the [Catholic]
Fathers attributed to the Logos...two stages of existence prior to the creation of the world, which according to
Philo was the internal and external Logos. 62

No Three god Trinitarian Doctrine Before 381 AD: As I said before, my readers should
bear in mind, that none of the early fathers of Catholicism or their heretical disciples, believed
in a Trinity of three separate and equal persons in the godhead before this time. Schaff
speaking about this said: Even among the adherents of the Nicene orthodoxy, an uncertainty still for a time
prevailed, respecting the doctrine of the third person of the Holy Trinity. Some held the [Holy] Spirit to be an
impersonal power or attributes of God; others, at farthest, would not go beyond the expressions of the Scriptures.
Even as late as 375 AD, in the time of Gregory of Nazianzus, most Catholics Bishops did not
believe the Holy Spirit to be a personal being. According to Schaff, Gregory said: Of the wise
among us, some consider the Holy Ghost an influence, other a creature [meaning an angel or a created spirit being], others
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God himself, and others know not which way to decide.

The New Catholic Encyclopedia confirmed the above truth. Under the heading of the
Trinity, the Catholic Church made a good and honest confession about the development of

36
their Trinitarian doctrine. It stated: In the last analysis, the 2nd century theological achievement was
limited…. A Trinitarian solution was still in the future. The Apologists spoke too haltingly of the Spirit; with a
measure of anticipation, one might say too impersonally.... On the eve of Nicene 1 (325 AD), the Trinitarian
problem raised more than a century earlier was still far from settled. It was the problem of plurality within the
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single, undivided Godhead.

The First-Five Persecutions of God’s Apostolic Pentecostal Children

by Pagan Roman Emperors
The Reason Why the Roman Emperors Persecuted God’s Churches During
this Church Period: The cult of Mithra was the State Religion of the pagan Roman
Empire. Pagan religious and political leaders all over the empire were complaining to the
Emperor of this so-called godless religion, which had no images of their God; who refuse to
take part in any military, governmental, and civil service duties that demanded worship of a
pagan god. They also would not take an oath by the genital of the Emperor, and they would
not offer a sacrifice to the Emperor as a god. They were also branded as a secret society
because they held gatherings at night without permission from the state.

The State and pagan societies of that day hated Christians’ nonconformity and were deeply
incensed against them. The Roman Empire motto was unity, and there was absolutely no way
they could allow a religious society of men to act that way, especially one which was rapidly
increasing in number all over the empire. As a result, Pagan Priests with their mobs, like the
Jewish Priests and their mobs in the Bible, robbed and killed Christians, as they started riots
in different places in the Empire! Since Mithraism was the official Pagan State Religion of the
Roman Empire, the Emperors of Rome believed it should be promoted and defended by all
means. In view of these facts, Roman Emperors had to either crush these acts of violence by
these pagan multitudes, or appease them by giving Decrees against Christianity, and in turn
making their acts of violence legal! As a result, the Emperors and Senate of Rome decreed that
Christianity was an Illegal Religion in the Empire.

Because of the great speed in which Christianity spread, the Roman Emperors, who
tried to stop the spread of Christianity in this Church Period, realized that just putting
them to death did not achieve their goal. Tertullian noted: The blood of the martyrs was the seed
of the church. Therefore, these emperors decided to use torture as a means to stop it. Lucifer
had to either destroy God’s People, or have a nervous break down, for the One God Jesus’
Name Apostolic Christianity was converting many of the pagans in the Roman Empire.

According to Henry Halley’s pocket Bible Handbook, spoke of Tertullian (200 AD) who
declared: Tertullian wrote, ‘We have filled your empire, your cities, your towns, your islands, your camps,
castles, places, assemblies, and senate.’ According Professor Earle Cairns, in his Christianity Through
the Centuries, Pliny the Younger writing to the Roman Emperor Trajan, revealed Christianity
had nearly taken over the entire providence of Bithynia or Asia Minor. Cairns in his synopsis
revealed that Pliny told Trajan (r. 98-117): Christianity had spread in the villages and rural areas as well
as in the larger cities to such an extent that the temples had been almost deserted and the seller of sacrificial
animals impoverished.” Cairns continued by saying: this was the first organized persecution, which resulted
65
from a definite governmental policy.

37
 Halley speaking of the persecutions of God’s Apostolic Pentecostal Churches in this Church
Period declared they were NOT GENERAL PERSECUTIONS, that is, where Christians were
SOUGHT OUT or HUNTED. Halley wrote: Christianity was regarded as an illegal religion, because
Christians refused to sacrifice to the roman gods or take part in Emperor-worship, and the church was regarded
as a secret society, which was forbidden. Christians were NOT SOUGHT OUT, but when accused were
punished…. Emperor Hadrian [r. 117-138] persecuted the Christians, but in moderation…. Antoninus Pius [r. 138-
66
161]… favored the Christians, but felt he had to uphold the law.

The First through the Fifth Persecutions of the Church Mentioned by the
History of Severus: The early Premillennialist Church Historian Sulpicius Severus (400
AD) in his Sacred History declared the Early Church went through 9, not 10, persecutions, by
the Emperors of Rome. Severus, and some modern-day Millennial interpreters of prophecy,
counted the persecution of Nero to be the First Persecution, but this cannot be, for this
persecution began and end long before the Book of Revelation was written; therefore, it would
violate the First Time Scripture. Consequently, it cannot be counted as a persecution that took
place in the Smyrna Church Period; neither can the minor persecution of a few in the Church
under Emperor Domitian, for this persecution took place when the Book of Revelation was
being written!

Historian Sulpicius Severus wrote: Luke made known the doings of the apostles up to the time
when Paul was brought to Rome under the Emperor Nero. As to Nero [R. 54-68 AD], I shall not say that he was the
worst of kings, but that he was worthily held the basest of all men, and even of wild beasts. It was he who First
began a Persecution; and I am not sure but he will be the last also to carry it on, if, indeed, we admit, as MANY are
inclined to believe, that he will yet appear immediately before the coming of Antichrist. After an interval, Domitian
[R. 81-96 AD Second Persecution], the son of Vespasian, persecuted the Christians. At this date, he banished John the
Apostle and Evangelist to the Island of Patmos. There he, secret mysteries having been revealed to him, wrote and
published his book of the holy Revelation….

And with no great interval there then occurred the Third Persecution under Trojan [i.e. Trajan R. 98-117 AD]. A
Fourth Persecution is reckoned as having taken place under Adrian [i.e. Hadrian R. 117-138 AD], which, however, he
afterwards FORBADE to be carried on, declaring it to be unjust that any one should be put on his trial without a
charge being specified against him. After Adrian, the churches had peace under the rule of Antoninus Pius. Then
the Fifth Persecution began under Aurelius [i.e. Marcus Aurelius R. 161-180 AD], the son of Antoninus. And then, for the
FIRST TIME, martyrdoms were seen taking place in Gaul. 67

The Persecutions of the Church Mentioned by the History of Eusebius and

Other Historians: Emperor Domitian (R. 81-93-96 AD): Eusebius of Caesarea (330 AD), an
early Church Historian and Bishop of Caesarea, spoke of the above persecutions this way:
Domitian… became a successor of Nero in his hatred and enmity toward God. He was in fact the second that
stirred up a persecution against us, although his father Vespasian had undertaken nothing prejudicial to us. 68
Domitian only persecuted some Christians during the years of 93-96 AD.

Emperor Trajan (R. 98-117 AD): Eusebius reveal that Trajan started a persecution against
the Church, but shortly after change his mind: And profound peace being established in every Church,
they remained until the reign of the Emperor Trajan…. A persecution was at that time opened against us in many
places that Plinius Secundus, one of the most noted of governors… informed him in his communication that he
had NOT heard of their doing anything profane or contrary to the laws, except that they arose at dawn and sang
hymns to Christ as a God…; [and they] renounced adultery and murder and like criminal offenses, and did all

38
things in accordance with the laws. In reply to this Trajan. made the following decree: ‘that the race of Christians
should NOT be SOUGHT AFTER, but when found should be punished. 69

Plinius Secundus is better known in history as Pliny the Younger, who was a Roman
Senator and became the governor of Pontus/Bithynia from 111-113 AD. The following is Pliny
letter to Trajan and Trajan’s reply. Pliny to the Emperor Trajan: It is my practice, my lord, to refer
to you all matters concerning which I am in doubt. For who can better give guidance to my hesitation or inform
my ignorance? I have never participated in trials of Christians. I therefore do not know what offenses it is the
practice to punish or investigate, and to what extent…. Meanwhile, in the case of those who were denounced [i.e.
publicly declared] to me as Christians, I have observed the following procedure: I interrogated these as to whether
they were Christians; those who confessed I interrogated a second and a third time, threatening them with
punishment; those who persisted I ordered executed….

They asserted, however, that the sum and substance of their fault or error had been that they were
accustomed to meet on a fixed day before dawn and sing responsively a hymn to Christ as to a god, and to bind
themselves by oath, not to some crime, but not to commit fraud, theft, or adultery, not falsify their trust, nor to
refuse to return a trust when called upon to do so. When this was over, it was their custom to depart and to
assemble again to partake of food--but ordinary and innocent food…. For the matter seemed to me to warrant
consulting you, especially because of the number involved. For many persons of every age, every rank, and also of
both sexes are and will be endangered. For the contagion of this superstition has spread not only to the cities but
also to the villages and farms.

Trajan to Pliny: You observed proper procedure, my dear Pliny, in sifting the cases of those who had been
denounced to you as Christians. For it is not possible to lay down any general rule to serve as a kind of fixed
standard. They are NOT to be SOUGHT OUT; if they are denounced and proved guilty, they are to be punished,
with this reservation, that whoever denies that he is a Christian and really proves it--that is, by worshiping our
gods--even though he was under suspicion in the past, shall obtain pardon through repentance. But anonymously
posted accusations [i.e. unidentified people who post accusations] ought to have no place in any prosecution. For this is… a
dangerous kind of precedent (http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/jod/texts/pliny.html).

Emperor Hadrian (R. 117-138 AD): According to Eusebius, Hadrian: having received from Serennius
Granianus, a most distinguished governor, a letter in behalf of the Christians, in which he stated that it was NOT
just to slay the Christians without a regular accusation and trial, merely for the sake of gratifying the OUTCRIES
of the POPULACE, sent a rescript [i.e. an Edicit] to Minucius Fundanus, proconsul of Asia, compounding [instructing]
him to condemn no one without an indictment and a well-grounded accusation….

[Hadrian’s decree:] ‘To Minucius Fundanus. I have received an epistle, written to me by Serennius Granianus, a
most illustrious man, whom you have succeeded. It does NOT seem right to me that the matter should be passed by
without examination, lest the men be harassed an opportunity be given to the informers for practicing villainy. If,
therefore, the inhabitants of the province can clearly sustain this petition against the Christians so as to give
answer in a court of law, let them pursue this course alone, but let them NOT have resort to men’s petitions and
outcries…. But, by Hercules! If any one bring an accusation through mere calumny [i.e. false statements], decide in
regard to his criminality, and see to it that you inflict punishment.’ Such are the contents of Adrian’s rescript. 70

Emperor Marcus Aurelius (R. 161-180 AD): Eusebius speaking of Aurelius’ decree for
Christians stated: The Emperor Caesar Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Agustus, Armenicus, Pontifex Maximus…
to the Common Assembly of Asia, Greeting…. [You] oppress and persecute even unto death the Christians who
worship him [Jesus as God]. But in regard to these persons [i.e. Christains], many of the governors of the provinces wrote
also to our most divine father [Hadrian], to whom he wrote in reply that they should NOT trouble these people
unless it should appear that they were attempting something affecting the Roman government; and to ME also
many have sent communications concerning these men, but I have replied to them in the same way that MY
FATHER did. 71

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 Aurelius’ Letter and Decree forbidding any more Christian Persecution: Emperor Caesar
Marcus Aurelius Antoninus… to the People of Rome, and to the sacred Senate greeting…: I was surrounded by
the enemy; I myself, being shut up in Carnuntum by seventy-four cohorts, nine miles off. And the enemy being at
hand, the scouts pointed out to us, and our general Pompeianus showed us that there was close on us a mass of a
mixed multitude of 977,000 men, which indeed we saw; and I was shut up by this vast host, having with me only a
battalion composed of the first, tenth, double and marine legions.

Having then examined my own position, and my host, with respect to the vast mass of barbarians and of the
enemy, I quickly betook myself to prayer to the gods of my country. But being disregarded by them, I summoned
those who among us go by the name of Christians. And having made inquiry, I discovered a great number and vast
host of them, and raged against them, which was by no means becoming; for afterwards I learned their power….
For having cast themselves on the ground, they prayed not only for me, but also for the whole army as it stood,
that they might be delivered from the present thirst and famine. For during five days we had got no water,
because there was none; for we were in the heart of Germany, and in the enemy’s territory.

And simultaneously with their casting themselves on the ground, and praying to God (a God of whom I am
ignorant), water poured from heaven, upon us most refreshingly cool, but upon the enemies of Rome a withering
hail. And immediately we recognized the presence of God following on the prayer a God unconquerable and
indestructible. Founding upon this, then, let us pardon such as are Christians, lest they pray for and obtain such a
weapon against ourselves. And I counsel that no such person be accused on the ground of his being a Christian.

But if any one be found laying to the charge of a Christian that he is a Christian, I desire that it be made
manifest that he who is accused as a Christian, and acknowledges that he is one, is accused of nothing else than
only this, that he is a Christian; but that he who arraigns [i.e. call the Christian before a court] him be burned alive. And I
further desire, that he who is entrusted with the government of the province shall NOT compel the Christian, who
confesses and certifies such a matter, to retract; neither shall he commit [i.e. imprison] him. And I desire that these
things be confirmed by a decree of the Senate. And I command this my edict to be published in the Forum of
Trajan, in order that it may be read. 72

CHAPTER 2
THE SMYRNA CHURCH PERIOD, AD 200 TO 313
The Salutation: “You [John] write OF the CHURCH, the MESSENGER in Smyrna. These things says the
First and the Last, who was dead, and came to life ” again (my translation). The Commendation: “I know
your works, tribulation, and poverty (but you are rich).” The Problem: “I know the blasphemy of those [the
Catholic Nicolaitans] who say they are Jews [Children of God] and are not, but are a synagogue [church] of Satan. Do not
fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison,
that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation TEN DAYS [hemera]. The Promise: “Be faithful until
death, and I will give you the Crown of Life. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the
churches. He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the Second Death” (Rev 2: 8-11).

History of City: Smyrna was an ancient Greek city on the west coast of Asia Minor in
present-day Turkey. It was a seaport city on a inlet of the Aegean Sea, and at the head of a gulf
that reaches 30 miles inland. It was about: 30 miles N of Ephesus, 45 miles West of Sardis, 75
miles West of Philadelphia, and 45 miles SW of Pergamos. Smyrna was celebrated for its
schools of science and medicine, and for its handsome buildings. On the slope of Mt. Pagus
was a theater that seated 20,000 spectators. It was a seat of emperor-worship with temple to
Tiberius, with many Jews hostile to Christianity. Like many other cities of Asia Minor, it
suffered frequently from earthquakes, especially during the years 178-800 AD, but it

40
always escaped entire destruction. Modern-day Smyrna is now called Ismir and it has a
Turkish naval base there. It is the third-largest city in Turkey with a population of about
2,322,500 (est 2002). 73

The Salutation: “You [John] write OF the CHURCH, the MESSENGER in Smyrna. These things says
the First and the Last, who was dead, and came to life ” again (my translation). Jesus began His greeting to
His Apostolic Pentecostal Church by reminded them He had “died and came to life again”, thus
just as He overcame death so could they. In other words, their Savior greeted them with the
message of the resurrection.

The Commendation: “I know your works, tribulation, and poverty (but you are rich).” Our Lord
praises them on their works for Him; for they tenaciously held on to the truth of His godhead
and His New Birth message of salvation. These Christians continued to love Him, even in the
midst of their sufferings, confiscation and thief of their goods, and even through their
martyrdom. Therefore, they were rich in faith and good works, but poor materially. They, like
the God’s Apostolic Philadelphian Children, were active Evangelist who made in all out effort
in winning souls to their loving God and Savior! This is the main reason why the Lord Jesus
Christ had nothing but praise for His Children in these two Church Periods.

The Problem: “I know the blasphemy of those [the Catholic Nicolaitans] who say they are Jews [Children of God]
and are not, but are a synagogue [church] of Satan. Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer.
Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation
TEN DAYS [hemera]. The First Problem: Smyrna had a Jewish congregation and Nicolaitan
Catholic congregation, who claimed to be the true Children of God, who hated and
persecuted God’s Apostolic Pentecostal Church. These heretical congregations obviously
blasphemed against God by claiming to be God’s Children, while both taught heretical
doctrines.

The natural born Jews claimed God was their Father, but because of their rejection of their
Messiah, our Lord told them: “You do the deeds of your father.’ Then they said to Him, ‘We were not
born of fornication; we have one Father -- God.’ Jesus said to them, ‘If God were your Father, you would
love Me…. You are of your father the DEVIL, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a
murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he
speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it” (Jn 8:41-44).

The Jewish Christian apostle Paul stated the same truth about natural Jews this way: “For
he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; but he is a Jew
who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not
from men but from God” (Rom 2:28-29); and “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision
avails anything, but a New Creation” (Ga 6:15). Therefore, since the natural born Jews through their
rejection of their Messiah, their Passover Lamb and Sin Sacrifice on the Day of Atonement,
they did not enter into the New Covenant and lost the promise of Eternal Life. As a result,
these Jews became heretics and their Synagogues were the Churches of Satan!

Let us not forget that the apostles of the Lamb of God not only fought and wrote against
Jews who were in Judaism, but also Christian Nicolaitan-Pharisaical Jews who brought

41
Judaism into Christianity. Paul wrote many things against Christian Jews who taught the Law
of Moses for salvation in his Epistles to the Romans, Corinthian, and Galatians. It ended up in
a big debate held in Jerusalem, the First Church Council, which Dr. Luke spoke of in the Book
of Acts.

Luke wrote: “And certain men [i.e. Pharisaical Christians] came down from Judea and taught the brethren,
‘Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.’ Therefore… Paul and
Barnabas had no small dissension and dispute with them…. And when they had come to Jerusalem… some
of the sect of the Pharisees who believed rose up, saying, ‘It is necessary to circumcise them [i.e. the Gentile
Chrisitans], and to command them to keep the Law of Moses.’ Now the apostles and elders came together to
consider this matter” (Acts 15:1-6). God’s apostles rejected the teaching of these Nicolaitan-
Pharisaical Christians. They wrote to the Gentile Churches saying: “Since we have heard that
some who went out from us have troubled you with words, unsettling your souls, saying, ‘You must be
circumcised and keep the law’ -- to whom we gave no such commandment… it seemed good to the Holy Spirit,
and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things: that you abstain from things
offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from
these, you will do well. Farewell” (Acts 15:24-29).

Sometime after this Church Council, some of the Nicolaitan-Pharisaical Christians left
the Church and started their own so-called Christian Church. These Pharisaical Christians
became known as Ebionite. They became the first sect of Antichrists in history who denied
the Virgin Birth of Christ and His Deity. They also hated the apostle Paul and denounced
all of his Epistles as heresy. Professor Philip Schaff in his History of the Christian Church
spoke of these Nicolaitan Ebionites this way:

According to Epiphanius, EBION [a Jewish heretical Christian] spread his error FIRST in the company of
Christians, which fled to Pella AFTER the destruction of Jerusalem. According to Hegesippus in Eusebius,
one Thebutis, after the death of the bishop Symeon of Jerusalem, about 107, made schism among the Jewish
Christians, and led many of them to apostatize, because he himself was not elected to the bishopric. We find
the sect of the Ebionites in Palestine and the surrounding regions, on the island of Cyprus, in Asia Minor,
and even in Rome…. The common Ebionites, who were by far the more numerous, embodied the Pharisaic
legalism….

Their doctrine may be reduced to the following propositions: (a) Jesus is, indeed, the promised Messiah,
the son of David, and the supreme lawgiver, yet a MERE MAN, like Moses and David, sprung by natural
generation from Joseph and Mary…. [They also taught] circumcision and the observance of the WHOLE
RITUAL LAW of Moses are necessary to salvation for all men…. Paul is an apostate and heretic, and all his
epistles are to be DISCARDED. 74 If my beloved readers would like to read a history of these
Nicolaitan Catholic Ebionites, I invite you to read my book The Heresies of the Pharisaical
Jewish Ebionites. Therefore, these Catholic Nicolaitan Ebionite Jews, also claimed to be
Children of God, but they were heretics and their Synagogues were the Churches of Satan!

With the above truths in mind, let us briefly analyze the different ways the Nicolaitan
Catholic Church blasphemed against God and His Suffering Holiness Church during this
Church Period. Not only did the entire Catholic Church adopted Ignatius’ Monarchical
Bishop Doctrine, his Special Paid Priesthood Ministry Doctrine, but also many of the doctrines
of Mystery Babylon (the Babylonian Religion). The following paragraphs name a few of the
beliefs of Mystery Babylon the Catholic Church Christianized before the end of the third
century:

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 Professor Harnack speaking of the Catholic Nicolaitan Doctrine wrote: As early as the second
century the [Catholic] Church had Conquered the People [i.e. took away their Priesthood Ministry].... By the opening of the
third century [AD 200], no layman ventured any longer to call ecclesiastics, ‘brethren.’ The layman is a layman
because he has not been set apart from the people by ordination…. After the close of the second century [the
Monarchical] bishops were the teachers, high priest, and judges of the Church. Ignatius already had compared their
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position in the individual Church to that of God in the Church collective.

Because God hated the Catholic Nicolaitan Monarchical Bishop Doctrine and their Special
Paid Priesthood Ministry Doctrine, God cursed these Catholic Churches of Satan, which
resulted in them going deeper into apostasy. As a result, they compromised the True Doctrines
of Christianity and their holiness standards to get pagans to join their churches. Dr. Harnack
speaking of their apostasy declared: The most momentous result was the gradual assimilation of the entire
[Catholic] Christian worship to the nature of the Ancient Mysteries. By the third century [AD 200] it could already
rival the most imposing cultus in all paganism, with its solemn and exact ritual, its priests, its sacrifices, and its
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holy ceremonies.

Dr. Harnack, in another history entitled What Is Christianity, spoke of the difference
between the Catholic priesthood and the laity this way: The distinction between priest and laymen is a
well-marked characteristic of this [Catholic Nicolaitan] institution…. The worshipper can only get to God by the
priests’ mediation…. Living faith was transformed into deification…. Miracles and miraculous cures disappear
altogether, or else are by priestly devices…. Fervent prayers become solemn hymns and litanies…. The Spirit
becomes law and compulsion. In its external form as a whole this [Nicolaitan] Church is nothing more than a
continuation of the history of Greek Religion under the alien influence of Christianity, parallel to the many other
alien influences which have affected it... It takes the form, not of a Christian product in a Greek dress, but of a
Greek product in a Christian dress…. No one can look at this Church from outside, with its forms of worship, its
solemn ritual, the number of its ceremonies, its relics, pictures, priest, monks and compare it on the one hand with
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the [Apostolic Pentecostal] Church of the first century.

Professor Guignebert also speaking of Catholicism absorption of pagan doctrines,

ceremonies and rituals says: In the third century it [the Nicolaitan-Babylonian Church] could meet and overcome
the entire pagan syncretism, because it had itself become a syncretism in which all the fertile ideas and the essential
rites of pagan religiousness were blended. It combined and harmonized them in a way that enabled it to stand
alone, facing all the inchoate beliefs and practices of its adversaries without appearing their inferior on any vital
point. This extensive work of absorption, which helps us to understand, that a moment came when [Nicolaitan]
Christianity was able to arouse favorable attention to itself on the part of the manifold sympathies active in the
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Greco-Roman world.

Stephen Jones in his work The Babylonian Connection boldly told the truth and did not try
to water it down. He stated that Catholicism: Began to be paganized or, as some prefer, paganism was
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Christianized. Arkon Daraul in his book entitled Secret Societies compared the old pagan
religions such as Mithraism with that of Catholicism, and has this to say: It is claimed by those
who still believe in its Mysteries and celebrate them, that [Catholic] Christianity did not so much supplant
Mithraism as absorb it. 80 Guignebert informs us that: Mithra is a solar deity, and his birth occurs upon the
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25th of December, i.e. the winter solstice.

One of the most diabolical Roman Catholic Church’s doctrine was adoption of the ancient
pagan worship of Ashtaroth, who was worshipped as the “Mother of God” and the “Queen of
Heaven” 1Sa 7:3,4; Jer 44:17-25. She was original know as Semiramis, the mother and wife of

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Nimrod, who was the first deified man in history. She also was the mother of Tammuz. He was
her illegitimate son, whom she claimed was Nimrod reincarnated. This is how she received the
title as the Mother of the gods. The Catholic Church identified this demonic woman with
Mary the holy mother of the Humanity of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Ed Mitchell and Jody Scharf, in their book The Mystery of the Babylon Revealed, spoke of
the origin of this doctrine. Speaking about the ancient Babylonian Religion, they said: Satan
changed his plan from open devil worship to a subtle, hidden way of getting people to worship him. With Nimrod
gone [dead], Satan worked through his wife/mother, Semiramis, to unleash the most insidious, diabolical scheme
ever. After Nimrod’s death, Semiramis announced that Nimrod was now a god - the sun god, Baal, and she set up
Baal worship. Semiramis declared herself a goddess and called herself Queen of Heaven, whose symbol was the
moon.... Statues appeared all over Babylon of Semiramis holding her son Nimrod, and thus was initiated the
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supernatural exaltation and worship of motherhood.

John MacCulloch, in his book The Mythology of All Races, speaks of this demonic woman
under two of her defied names says: Ninlil, great queen, far-famed queen merciful mother, who sits in the
house of the world, the revered....’ An Assyrian text describes her as follows, ‘In her left arm she carries a child,
which feeds at her breast; with her right arm she caresses it....’ Particularly beautiful are the Sumerian and
Babylonian hymns addressed to the ‘Queen of Heaven.... To the pre flame that fills the heavens, To the light of
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Heaven, Ishtar, who shines like the sun, To the mighty Queen of Heaven, Ishtar.

In Charles Heckethorn’s book, The Secret Societies, we can find some of the other pagan
doctrines the Catholic Church adopted from Mystery Babylon and all of her harlot pagan
daughters. Heckethorn says: The festival of the 25th of December was celebrated... to announce the birth-
day of the god Sol.... This festival indeed was kept not only by the Druids, but throughout the ancient world….
The early [Nicolaitan Catholic] Christians judiciously adopted not only the festival days of the pagans, but the mode of
keeping them.

Ronald Holmes in his book Witchcraft in History revealed some of the pagan doctrines
Roman Catholicism adopted when she join hands with Religious or Mystery Babylon and her
harlot daughters in marriage. He wrote: The early [Catholic] Christians had tried to be as flexible as
possible in their spreading of the gospel in order to provide further links for potential converts between Christian
and non-Christian beliefs. But what was perhaps the master-stroke in this approach… [was] when the [Catholic]
Church Fathers declared the birth day of Christ to be December 25.... By this stratagem Christ was made
identifiable in the minds of many pagans with the particular sun-god [Baal] they worshipped, and a connection was
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supplied which serve as a strong bridge to [Pagan Catholic] Christianity.

Let my readers make a deep mental note of the doctrine of hell which became the master
link that united pagans of all countries with Pagan Roman Catholicism, it was by
transforming the birthday of Baal the sun-god into the birthday of Christ. The Winter Solstice
falls on the 21st day of December, which is the shortest day of the year. On the 25th of December the
days begin to lengthen again, therefore what you have is a type of the sun dying on the twenty
first day and resurrecting or starting a New Birth on the 25th.

In a sense, it was Nimrod the Father, as the sun god Baal, dying on the twenty-first day of
December and his soul becoming reborn or reincarnated in Tammuz the Son on the 25th. The
Catholics took Lucifer’s holy day, the 25 of December, which witches and pagans of all religious
societies in every age cherished, and they used this day to desecrated Jesus by claiming He was

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born on that day. It is obvious to me that the pagans thought Jesus Christ was just another
name for Baal, because this sun god was called by different names in every country.

These statements alone should be enough, to stir up every Bible believing Christian, to
make a sincere doctrinal study on their belief system. I do not believe true Children of God
would purposely sin by celebrate Baal’s birthday after they have seen the origin of this
demonic tradition. Christmas does not bring honor and glory to our dear Savior. If one desires
to celebrate Christ’s Birth, why not pick April 19th, for that is the day He was born in 1 BC
(see my book: A Calendar of Biblical Dates and Events, Beginning with the Creation of Adam). Now you know
why emperor Constantine made the Catholic Church his bride even though it was in the vast
minority, while God’s Jesus Name Churches were in the vast majority, which I will prove
shortly in the next section of this chapter.

So, as my readers can perceive by now, God’s Apostolic Pentecostal Churches had a real
problem with Lucifer’s Nicolaitan Catholic Churches, who blasphemed Christ by calling
themselves Christians or Churches of the Lord Jesus Christ. I believe their greatest blasphemy
of the third centuries was when they paganized God’s New Birth Message. It started with the
notorious Catholic apologist Justin Martyr (150 AD), who changed the apostolic mode and
formula of baptism from one immersion in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to the pagan
trine immersions with one Name and two Titles. In the first immersion, Justin baptized in the
name of God the Father, the second in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the third in the
name of the Holy Ghost. This was a historic moment for Catholicism, for from that time on,
the Catholic Church adopted Justin’s Trinitarian formula and trine immersion for water
baptism.

It was not until Catholic Bishop Cyprian (255 AD), and other Bishops of Africa, that the
saving and sin cleansing Name of the Lord Jesus Christ was taken out of the second
immersion, and the title Son of God was substituted, which at the Council of Nicaea (325 AD)
became the official baptismal formula for the entire Catholic Church. As a result, the Spirit of
God left the Catholic Church and the Gifts of the Spirit were done away with (see my books: What
Do You Mean I Must Be Born Again and Preacher, What Must I Do to Receive Eternal Life.)

The Second Problem: God told His Children that they would definitely experience physical
persecution in this Church Period, which will require them to die a martyr’s death. Jesus said
this persecution would last for 10 days. Since Smyrna was a seat of emperor-worship, with a
temple to Tiberius, the main thrust of the persecution would come from the Roman
Empire. Now some prophetic interpreters believe the 10 days refers to 10 separate
persecutions God’s Apostolic Pentecostal Church experienced from Pagan Rome; others, like
myself, believe it meant the last Roman’s persecution, which lasted 10 years (AD 303-313). The
Greek noun “hemera” (day) is never used in Scripture to refer to “separate time events” such as
“ten separate times of persecution” or “ten separate persecutions.”

In Bible Prophesy, a “day” could equal to “one thousand years” (2Pe 3:8), but a ten
thousand year persecution would be ridiculous! A “day” could also equal to “one year”, for
example, because of Israel sin the Lord told Moses: “According to the number of the days in which you
spied out the land, forty days, for EACH DAY you shall bear your guilt ONE YEAR, namely forty years, and you

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shall know My rejection” (Num 14:34); and again because of Israel’s sin the Lord told the prophet
Ezekiel: “Lie also on your left side, and lay the iniquity of the house of Israel upon it. According to the number of
the DAYS that you lie on it, you shall bear their iniquity. For I have laid on you the YEARS of their iniquity,
according to the number of the DAYS, three hundred and ninety days; so you shall bear the iniquity of the house of
Israel. And when you have completed them, lie again on your right side; then you shall bear the iniquity of the
house of Judah forty days. I have laid on you a DAY for EACH YEAR” (Eze 4:4-6). Therefore, I personally
believe the ten days refers to ten years.

In Daniel’s prophecy of Seventy Weeks of Years each day equaled to one year (i.e. 70 weeks of
years X 7 days = 490 years; Daniel 9:24-27). Julius Africanus (240 AD) speaking of Daniel’s Seventy
Weeks stated: The passage speaks then of… seventy weeks, is evident…. And the beginning of the numbers,
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that is, of the seventy weeks which make up 490 years. Therefore, if we allow the Bible to interpret the
word “day” or “hemera” it must be referring to “years,” that is, “ten years” of Persecution.

The Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament by Drs, R. Laird Harris, Gleason L. Archer
Jr., Bruce K. Waltke defined “shabuwa” as: While in Deut 16:9, discussed above, sh¹b¥±a represents a
period of seven days, in Dan 9:24, 25, 26, 27 it denotes a period of SEVEN YEARS in each of its appearances in
these four verses. This is proven by the context wherein Daniel recognizes that the SEVENTY-YEARS period of
captivity is almost over. The land had been fallow for SEVENTY YEARS and thus repaid the Lord the SEVENTY
SABBATICAL YEARS owed to him for the prior SEVENTY PERIODS of SEVEN YEARS (Dan 9:2; Jer 25:12;
cf. 2Chr 36:21). Just as Daniel is in prayer concerning this matter, the angel Gabriel appears and informs him
that Israel's restoration will not be complete until she goes through another SEVENTY PERIODS-of-SEVEN,
sh¹bûa± (Dan 9:24ff)! Note also the apparent reference in Dan 12:1 to half of Daniel's last seventy (Dan 9:27); it is
1290 days, approximately three and a half years. Thus, here it means YEARS (#2318d).

The Promise: “Be faithful until death, and I will give you the Crown of Life. He who has an ear, let
him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the Second Death.”
Our Lord told His Children to be faithful to Him in their tribulation unto death, and He
would give them Eternal Life, therefore and they would experience the Second Death in the
Lake of Fire. The Smyrna and Philadelphian Church Periods are the only two periods of the
Church Age in which God did not give one reproof to His Priesthood of all Believers. The
churches in the Smyrna Church Period evidently experienced much suffering for their
glorious Savior.

The Six-Ninth Persecutions of God’s Apostolic Pentecostal Children

by Pagan Roman Emperors
Let us examine the second problem God’s people experienced in the Smyrna Church
Period. The Lord Jesus Christ declared that Satan would bring a great physical persecution
against His Apostolic Pentecostal Churches, and He admonishes His Children to be faithful
unto death. The root meaning of “Smyrna” is “myrrh.” 86 Myrrh is a perfumed oil or ointment
that is used in embalming (Jn 19:39), and it has a very bitter taste (Mk 15:23). Therefore, Smyrna
is associated with a bitter death or the bitterness of dead.

God’s people in this Church Period go through social, economic and physical persecution.
They lived in a state of poverty. They were beaten, robbed, thrown in prison, tortured, and put

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to death. Smyrna is definitely the suffering Church. Satan crushed their spirit, and he did his
best to physically destroy them, so he could stop the Gospel of Christ from converting the
world. Even though God’s Apostolic Pentecostal Children were persecuted in the Church
Periods after this one, only in this Church Period God’s People face their persecution with
absolute boldness and an overwhelming spirit of Evangelism. Nothing Lucifer could do to
them could stop them from evangelizing their world!

In the Ephesus Church Period Satan tried to pollute God’s Churches with his Nicolaitan
Doctrines of two separate beings or gods in the godhead, his Monarchian Bishop doctrine, and
His attempt to destroy the Priesthood Ministry of all Born-Again Believers in Christ.
However, when the majority of God’s Children did not accept his demonic doctrines, he
brought into being his rival church, the Catholic Church with its specialized Priesthood, the
Mass, and Christ dying daily through the Eucharist. In this Church Period, even thought
Christians were NOT SOUGHT OUT, if accused and discovered of being a Christian they were
imprisoned and killed, but I find NO place in history where they were TORTURED, to get them
to deny their faith in Christ.

In the Smyrna Church Period, Lucifer’s persecution against God’s Apostolic Pentecostal
Children changes to an active and continuous persecution. Hailey says: By the end of the Imperial
Persecution, 313, Christians numbered about One-Half the population of the Roman Empire, …[which] extended
from the Atlantic to the Euphrates and from the North Sea to the African Desert, [with a] population about
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12,000,000. According to one historian, the Growth of the Church in Numbers was as
following: First Century 500,000; Second Century 2,000,000; Third Century 5,000,000; Fourth Century
10,000,000. 88 Now you can see why Lucifer was having a nervous break down. Who were these
Christians that lived and died as martyrs during this Church Period? Were they Oneness
Apostolics or Catholics? Without dispute the majority of the Christians, who were tortured
and put to death, were Oneness Pentecostals! The following brief ancient histories and
modern-day histories prove this truth!

Historical Proof that the Vast Majority of Martyrs in the Ephesian and
Smyrna Church Periods Were God’s Apostolic Pentecostal Children: The
Testimony of Catholic Cardinal Newman: In his work entitled Essays and Sketches, professor
Newman made a very great and bold confession when he was scolding the Protestants about
Luther's protest. This Catholic professor referred them to the protest that was made by the
one God Jesus’ Name Apostolic Christians, who believed all the godhead, i.e. the Father, Son,
and Holy Ghost, dwelt totally in one person, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Catholic Cardinal Newman stated: Praxeas, Noetus, and Sabellius in the [early part of] third century
protested against the Catholic or Athanasian doctrine of the Holy Trinity.... Noetus was in Asia Minor, Praxeas
taught in Rome, Sabellius in Africa. Nay we read… their doctrine prevailed among the common people, then and
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at an earlier date, to a very great extent, and the true faith [i.e. Catholicism] was hardly preached in the churches.
This is the greatest confession of truth, I have ever read from any Catholic or Protestant
theologian of historian. Newman clearly stated that the Catholic Churches were in the vast
minority for the first three hundred years, and the Modalist Monarchian Pentecostal
Churches were in the majority. The truth is they were in the vast majority for almost four
hundred years. Now, were did Newman read this about the true believers? He did not say.

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 The Testimony of Protestant Professor Adolf Harnack: this doctor of Theology and Church
History agreed with Newman that the Modalistic Monarchian Churches were in the majority
during this time. He says: The real dangerous opponent of the Logos Christology… was not Adoptianism,
but the doctrine which saw the Deity Himself incarnate in Christ, and conceived Christ to be God in a human
body, the Father becoming flesh…. Hippolytus tells us in the Philosophumena, that at that time the Monarchian
controversy agitated the whole [Catholic] Church, and Tertullian and Origen testified, that in their day the
‘economic’ trinity, and the technical application of the conception of the Logos to Christ, were regarded by the
mass of Christians with suspicion. Modalism as we now know from the Philosoph., was… the official theory in
Rome… The Modalistic doctrine, which sought to exclude every other, …was embraced by the great majority of all
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Christians before the Nicene Council.

The Testimony of Doctors John M’Clintock and James Strong: They informs us in their
Cyclopedia of Biblical Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, that the apostolic one God
doctrine was definitely preached in the first century by both Jewish and Gentile Christians.
They declared: Modalist Monarchianism is generally supposed to have originated about the end of the
second century. It seems to us, however, that… [it] may be traced to the very earliest times of Christianity. Justin
Martyr [150 AD] expressly denounces it…. He condemns the [Christian] Jews for thinking that, when God was said to
have appeared to the patriarchs, it was God the Father who appeared. Such, he says, are justly convicted of
knowing neither the Father nor the Son; for they… say that the ‘Son is the Father…. In the Dialogue with
Trypho, he handles the same topic, and extends the charge to the [Gentile] Christians. ‘I am aware that there are
some who wish to meet this by saying that the power which appeared from the Father of the universe to Moses, or
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Abraham or Jacob... is unseparated and undivided from the Father’ (Cc. 1227,128.).

The Testimony of Doctor James Hastings: According to Hastings, Tertullian sums up his
case against the Latin and Greek Modalist Monarchians by saying: The Latins take pains to
pronounce monarchia, the Greeks refuse to understand aeconomia…. For extolling the monarchia at the expense
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of the aeconomia, they contend for the identity of Father, Son, and Spirit.

The Testimony of Tertullian (200 AD): Tertullian wrote against Praxeas, who was one most
noted one God Apostolic Preachers on his day. Tertullian wrote: The older heretics much more
before Praxeas, a pretender of yesterday... [who preaches] this heresy, which supposes itself to possess the pure truth,
in thinking that one cannot believe in the one only God in any other way than by saying that the Father, the Son,
and the Holy Ghost are the very selfsame person.... The simple, indeed, I will not call them unwise and unlearned,
who always constitute the majority of believers…. They are constantly throwing out against us, that we are
preachers of two gods and three gods, while they take to themselves pre-eminently the credit of being worshippers
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of the one God. Tertullian definitely confessed, beyond all argumentation, that the Modalist
Monarchian Pentecostals were not only in the majority during his time, but their proud
history went back a long time before Praxeas.

The Testimony of Hippolytus (225 AD): Hippolytus wrote against Noetus, Cleomenes,
Zephyrinus, and Callistus, who were all very powerful one God Apostolic Preachers.
Hippolytus speaking of Callistus teaching on the godhead in Christ says he taught: There is one
Father and God, namely, the Creator…. In substance He is one Spirit. For Spirit, as the Deity,’ he says, ‘is not any
being different from the Logos, or the Logos from the Deity;’ therefore this one person, according to Callistus, is
divided nominally, but substantially not so. He supposes this one Logos to be God, and affirms that there was in
the case of the Word an incarnation. And he is disposed to maintain, that He who was seen in the flesh and was
crucified is the Son, but that the Father it is who dwells in Him…. All [Christians] consented to his hypocrisy [or belief

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in the godhead], we however did not do so and [they] called us worshippers of two gods…. This Callistus became a
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martyr at the period when Fuscianus was Prefect of Rome.

Let my readers notice, that the true believers greatly out numbered the Catholics. These
zealous Apostolic Pentecostal Modalistic Monarchians also accused the Catholics of believing
in two separate persons or gods in the godhead. They did not accuse them of being
Trinitarians, which is the belief in three separate persons or gods. The early Catholic apostates
and their deceive followers, as I have said before, did not believe the Holy Ghost to be a
person. Most believed that it was another title of the Lord Jesus Christ. These early Catholics,
who taught two-unequal-gods, denied that Jesus is the only LORD (YHWH), Sovereign, and God
just as Paul, Peter, Jude, and John said they would (Col 2:8-9; 2Pe 2:1, Jude 1:4, 1Jn 4:3, also Isa 9:6
NIV)! Therefore, according to these indisputable historical documents, the majority of
Christians, who were tortured to death for the faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, were the One
God, Jesus Name, Apostolic, Tongue Talking Pentecostals!

The Ten Days of Persecution: Eliphas Levi, in his book The History of Magic, gives us
some insight into why the Emperors wanted to be the High Priest over all religions in the
Roman Empire. He says Semiramis the mother and wife of Nimrod, who helped her son to
start the Babylonian Religion: Made religion subservient to politics and conquests.... The priesthood became
secondary to the empire as the result of an attempt to materialize its own power. The fall of the one was bound to
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involve the other; this way probably the major reason why the Emperors of Rome persecuted
God’s Church.

Tertullian speaking of the Ten Days of Persecution in his discourse concerning martyrs
stated: For indeed the Spirit had sent the injunction to… the Church in Smyrna: ‘Behold, the devil shall cast
some of you into prison, that ye may be TRIED TEN DAYS [h`merw/n - hemera]. Be thou faithful unto death, and I will
give thee a Crown of Life.’ 96 As stated above, some prophetic interpreters believe the 10 days refers
to 10 separate persecutions God’s Apostolic Pentecostal Church experienced from Pagan
Rome; others, like myself, believe it meant the last Roman’s persecution, which lasted 10 years
(AD 303-313). According to Church History, there were Nine Roman Persecutions, but only the
ninth one had an objective or goal of a complete destruction of Christians and Christianity out
of the Roman Empire. We have already discussed the first five persecutions of God Church in
the Ephesus Church Period, let us now examine sixth through the ninth persecution.

The Sixth through the Ninth Persecutions of the Church Mentioned by the
History of Severus: As stated before, Sulpicius Severus in his Sacred History declared the
Early Church went through 9, not 10, persecutions, by the Emperors of Rome. He believed the
tenth persecution would come at the end of the world by the Antichrist. Therefore, he believed
that the TEN DAYS mention by John refers to Ten Persecutions God Church would suffer in
the World. I might mention the fact, that the Diocletian Persecution was the only persecution
Severus mentions, which was a General Persecution that lasted for 10 Continuous Years; and it
was a Persecution that was determine to annihilate Christians and Christianity out of the
Roman Empire.

Therefore, I believe that only this Persecution can Biblical qualify as the persecution of Ten
Days or Ten Years our Lord spoke of that would take place in the Smyrna Church Period.

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According to Severus: The Sixth Persecution of the Christians took place under the Emperor Severus [i.e.
Septimius Severus R. 193-211 AD]…. Then, during an interval of thirty-eight years, the Christians enjoyed peace, except
that at the middle of that time Maximinus [i.e. Gaius Julius Verus Maximinus R. 235-238 AD] persecuted the clerics of some
churches.... Ere [i.e. Before] long, under Decius [i.e. Gaius Messius Quintus Trajanus R. 249-251 AD] as Emperor, the Seventh
bloody Persecution broke out against the Christians. Next, Valerian [i.e. Publius Licinius Valerianius R. 253-260 AD] proved
himself the Eighth [Persecution] enemy of the saints.

After him, with an interval of about fifty years, there arose, under the Emperors Diocletian [i.e. Gaius Aurelius
Valerius Diocletianus R. 284-305 AD] and Maximian [i.e. Marcus Aurelius Valerius Maximianus R. 286-305 & 306-08], a MOST
BITTER Persecution [i.e. the Ninth Persecution] which, for TEN CONTINUOUS YEARS, wasted the people of God. At
this period, almost the whole world was stained with the sacred blood of the martyrs. In fact, they vied [i.e. competed
eagerly] with each other in rushing upon these glorious struggles, and martyrdom by glorious deaths was then much
more keenly sought after than bishoprics…. We showed that we could not be conquered by the slaughters of TEN
LONG YEARS.

WELL, the END of the persecutions was reached eighty-eight years ago, at which date the emperors began to
be Christians. For Constantine then obtained the sovereignty, and he was the first Christian of all the Roman
Rulers…. From that time, we have continued to enjoy tranquillity; nor do I believe that there will be any further
persecutions, except that which Antichrist will carry on just before the End of the World. For it has been
proclaimed in divine words, that the world was to be visited by TEN AFFLICTIONS; and since nine of these have
already been endured, the one which remains must be the last (N&PNF, series 2, vol 11, Sulpitus Severus, Sacred
History, bk 2, chp 31-33, pp 242-244). It is very evident that Severus, and many others in his day,
believed the Ten Days of Tribulation referred to Ten separate Persecutions of the Church.

The Sixth through the Ninth Persecutions of the Church Mentioned by the
History of Eusebius and Other Historians: According to Eusebius, Emperor Septimius
Severus (R. 193-211 AD): began to persecute the churches… [in] the tenth year of the reign of Severus [201 AD],
while Laetus was governor of Alexandria and the rest of EGYPT…. As the flame of persecution had been kindled
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greatly, and multitudes had gained the crown of martyrdom.

Emperor Gaius Julius Verus Maximinus (R. 235-238 AD): Eusebius reveals that Verus
decreed that only the Bishops should be put to death: On account of his hatred toward the household
of Alexander [i.e. the former Emperor], which contained many believers, he began a persecution, commanding that only
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the rulers of the churches should be put to death… during the reign of Maximinus, which lasted but three years.
Tertullain in his letter to the Emperor and Senate of Rome wrote concerning various
persecutions of the Church: Rulers of the Roman Empire… Consult your histories; you will there find that
Nero was the first who assailed with the imperial sword the Christian sect…. [and nothing brought] on it Nero’s
condemnation. Domitian, too, a man of Nero’s type in cruelty, tried his hand at persecution; but as he had
something of the human in him, he soon put an end to what he had begun, even restoring again those whom he
had banished…. What sort of laws are these which the impious alone execute against us…. Trajan to some extent
made naught by forbidding Christians to be sought after; which neither a Hadrian, …nor a Pius [i.e. Antoninus Pius],
nor a Verus [Gaius Julius Verus Maximinus], ever enforced. 99

Emperor Decius (R. 249-251 AD): He was the FIRST Emperor to promote a systematic
persecution of the Christians in the empire. According to the International Standard Bible
Encyclopedia: The persecution inaugurated by the emperor Decius in 250 AD was particularly severe. There
was hardly a province in the empire where there were no martyrs; but there were also many who abandoned their
faith and rushed to the magistrates to obtain their libelli, or certificates that they had offered heathen sacrifice
(#6766, heading Persecution, sec 24 The Decian Persecution).

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 Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 99, revealed that this vile man was: best known as the instigator
of the FIRST thoroughgoing persecutions of the Christians…. He persecuted the Christians by ordering all
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inhabitants of the Roman Empire to signify their willingness to worship the pagan gods. Eusebius quoting
Dionysius’ description of the Martyrs of Alexandria Egypt under the persecution of Decius
stated: ‘There was no street, nor public road, nor lane open to us, by night or day; for always and everywhere,
all of them cried out that if any one would not repeat their impious words, he should immediately be dragged away
and burned…. All truly were affrighted. And many of the more eminent in their fear came forward immediately…
and as their names were called they approached the impure and impious sacrifices.’ 101

Emperor Gaius Vibius Trebonianus Gallus (R. 251-253 AD): Eusebius in giving the
persecution of Gallus quoted Dionysius again. Eusebius declared: When Decius had reigned not
quite two years, he was slain with his children, and Gallus succeeded him…. Dionysius, writing to Hermammon,
speaks as follows of Gallus: ‘Gallus neither recognized the wickedness of Decius, nor considered what had
destroyed him; but stumbled on the same stone, though it lay before his eyes. For when his reign was prosperous
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and affairs were proceeding according to his mind, he attacked the holy men’ probably Bishops.

Emperor Publius Licinius Valerianus (Valerian R. 253-60 AD): It appears that Valerian
persecuted only Bishops according to Eusebius, who says: Gallus and the other rulers, having held the
government less than two years, were overthrown, and Valerian, with his son Gallienus, received the empire. The
circumstances which Dionysius relates of him…. Valerian… had been mild and friendly toward the Men of God
[Bishops], for none of the emperors before him had treated them so kindly and favorably…. For his entire house was
filled with pious persons and was a Church of God. But the teacher and ruler of the synagogue of the Magi from
Egypt persuaded him to change his course, urging him to slay and persecute pure and holy men [Bishops] because
they opposed and hindered the corrupt and abominable incantations.’ 103

Emperor Publius Licinius Egnatius Gallienus (R. 253-268 AD): This Emperor stopped the
persecution of Bishops and made Christianity a Religio Licita, that is, a Lawful Religion of the
Empire: Shortly after this Valerian was reduced to slavery by the barbarians, and his son having become sole
ruler, conducted the government more prudently. He immediately restrained the persecution against us by public
proclamations, and directed the bishops to perform in freedom their customary duties, in a rescript which ran as
follows: ‘The Emperor Caesar Publius Licinius. Gallienus, Pius, Felix, Augustus, to Dionysius, Pinnas, Demetrius,
and the other bishops. I have ordered the bounty of my gift to be declared through all the world…. And for this
purpose you [BISHOPS] may use this copy of my rescript, that no one may molest you. And this which you are now
enabled LAWFULLY to do.’ 104

Emperors Gaius Aurelius Valerius Diocletianus (Diocletian R. 284-305 or 306 AD): The LAST and
GREATEST PERSECUTION of God’s Apostolic Pentecostal Churches was this horrible
Persecution, for it lasted for Ten Continuous Years (303-313 AD)! It was started with the Decree
of Diocletian and Maximian. Diocletian in 286 AD made Marcus Aurelius Valerius
Maximianus (Maximian R. 286-305 or 306) a co-Emperor. Diocletian ruled over the Eastern half of
the Empire, while Maximian ruled over Western half. Three years later Diocletian retired and
abdicated his throne and forced Maximian to do the same.

Soon afterward Four Emperors emerged Marcus Maxentius (306-312 AD) and his father
Maximian (306-308 AD), who gladly came out of retirement and ruled with him, were the
emperors of the West, and Constantine was named Caesar under them. Gaius Galerius
Valerius Maximinus (308-313 AD) and Valerius Licinianus Licinius (308-324 AD) became the
emperors of the East, and Maximin Caesar under them. The persecution of God’s Apostolic
Pentecostal Churches was during the reign of these emperors.

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 The persecution of God’s Churches began with Diocletian and Maximian’s Decree on the
24th of February, 303 AD. It was a Persecution with one designed in mind, which was the total
annihilation of Christians and Christianity out of the Roman Empire. Eusebius spoke of this
persecution this way: It was in the nineteenth year of the reign of Diocletian, in the month Dystrus… that
royal edicts were published everywhere, commanding that the churches be leveled to the ground and the
Scriptures be destroyed by fire, and ordering that those who held places of honor be degraded, and that the
household servants, if they persisted in the profession of Christianity, be deprived of freedom. Such was the
FIRST EDICT against us. 105

In 304 AD, Maximian the author of the infamous “Fourth Edict”. Schaff spoke of this ten year
Persecution of God’s Apostolic Pentecostal Church this way: All former persecutions of the faith were
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forgotten in the horror with which men looked back upon the last and greatest. Halley recorded this
persecution this way: The last Imperial Persecutions, and the most severe; coextensive with the Empire. For
TEN YEARS Christians were HUNTED in cave and forest; they were burned, thrown to wild beasts, put to death
by every torture cruelty could devise. It was a resolute determined, systematic effort to abolish the Christian name.
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According to Eusebius: From the beginning of the GENERAL PERSECUTION… during the entire TEN
YEARS of the persecution, the Roman Emperors were determined in their annihilation scheme to
destroy Christianity out of the Roman Empire. Eusebius concluded by saying: In the TENTH
YEAR through the grace of God, it ceased altogether. 108 This ended the Ten Days or Ten Years of
Persecution that took place in the Church Period Smyrna.

According to Eusebius’ introduction to “the Life of Constantine,” in 313 AD after

Maxentius was defeated, Emperors Constantine and the vile murderous Licinius ended all
physical persecution of God’s Church when they signed the Edict of Milan: ‘Constantine was now
sole Emperor in the West…. After a very brief stay in Rome he returned to Milan (Lact. 100:45), where Licinius
[i.e. the Emperor of the East] met him…. It had become of mutual advantage to these emperors to join alliance. So a
betrothal had been made, and now the marriage of Licinius to the sister of Constantine was celebrated…. At the
same time the famous Second Edict or Edict of Milan was drawn up by the TWO Emperors (Euseb. H. E. 10. 5;
Lact. 100:48)’ 109

CHAPTER 3
THE PERGAMOS CHURCH PERIOD, AD 313 TO 1200
The Salutation: “You [John] write OF the CHURCH, the MESSENGER in Pergamos. These things says
He who has the Sharp Two-Edged Sword” (my translation). The Commendation: “I know your works, and
where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is. And you hold fast to MY NAME, and did not deny MY FAITH
even in the days in which Antipas was My faithful martyr, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.”
The Problem: “But I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of
Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to
idols, and to commit sexual immorality. Thus you also have those who hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans,
which thing I hate.” The Reproof: “Repent, or else I will come to you quickly and will fight against them
with the sword of My mouth.” The Promise: “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the
churches. To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white
stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it” (Rev 2:13-17).

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 History of City: Pergamos was an ancient Greek city near the west coast of Asia Minor
in present-day Turkey. It was about: 15 miles East of the Aegean Sea, 45 miles NE of Smyrna,
and 40 miles NW of Thyatira. It was in the Caicus Valley on a lofty hill, 3 miles from the river.
King Attalus I (241-197 BC) adorn the city with beautiful buildings and it became one of
the greatest city of the East. It had a library of 200,000 volumes, which Antony gave to
Cleopatra. Of the structures that adorned the city, the most renowned was the altar of
Zeus, which was 40 ft. in height and was one of the wonders of the ancient world. There
were also other temples built to the other gods, such as: Aesculapius (Askelpios), Aphrodite
Apollo, Athene, Dionysus, and Zeus. Aesculapius (Askelpios) was the Greek god of
Medicine, a healing god, who was called the “savior of Pergamum”. Aesculapius was the
god of the Kingdom of Pergamum, whose idol was made in the image of a SERPENT.

After the Babylonian Empire was defeated by the Persians, the Babylonian High Priest
settled in Pergamos. Therefore, the Babylonian High Priesthood became a legacy of the
Kings of Pergamum. As a result, Satan’s Throne was moved from the City of Babylon to
the City of Pergamos. In 133 BC Attalus III died, who was the last King-Priest of the
Grecian dynasty of the Attalid kings. This King-Priest bequeathed his kingdom and His
High Priesthood to the Roman Senate, who later bequeathed it to the Emperor of Rome.
Therefore, the Kingdom of Pergamum became a Roman Province and the City of ROME
became the new center, or headquarters, or Throne of Satan, that is, for the teaching and
spreading of the Mysteries of the Babylonian Religion; and the Emperors of Rome became
Satan’s New High Priest.

Pergamos became the FIRST CITY in Asia (29 AD) with a temple for Emperor-Worship,
that is, a temple to worship the Roman Emperor Augustus Octavius Caesar. In fact, in this
city three temples were built to the Roman Emperors, in which the Emperors were
worshipped as gods. Pergamos was an extremely idolatrous city and it was filled with many
pagan temples to pagan gods. Therefore, it was definitely one of the greatest political and
religious centers in Asia. In fact, the idolatrous spirit in that city was so great that many of
Jews who lived there, and there was a large number of them, became heretics and
assimilated the Greek Religion into Judaism, just as the Catholic Church did before it
became the State Religion of the Roman Empire. Bergama is the modern-day name of
Pergamos today. 110

The Salutation: “You [John] write OF the CHURCH, the MESSENGER in Pergamos. These things
says He who has the Sharp Two-Edged Sword” (my translation). Jesus greets His Apostolic Pentecostal
Churches in this Church Period with a very strong reminded that He is One who is “the Word of
God”, and His Word “is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword” (Heb 4:12, NAS), and
out of “His mouth comes” this “sharp sword” that He will use to “smite the nations” (Rev 19:15, NAS;
also Eph 6:17). Therefore, Jesus reminds His Children that His Word, being a Sharp Two-
Edged Sword can cut, destroy, and send to Hell all heretics in the Church, who pervert and
compromise the TEACHINGS His Word, or It can heal and bring Eternal Life to all who
love, obey, and keep it precepts!

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 The Commendation: “I know your works, and where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is. And you
hold fast to MY NAME, and did not deny MY FAITH even in the days in which Antipas was My faithful
martyr, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.” Our Savior praises His Children that most
of them in this Church Period did not compromise the TRUTH not only during Persecutions of
Pagan Roman Emperors, but also during the Persecutions of the Roman Catholic Emperors.
God’s Church evidently held fast to Jesus’ Name Baptism in God’s New Birth Message, Jesus’
Supreme Deity, and Holiness to the Lord. Antipas was probably one of the Bishops in the city
of Pergamos during this time and he evidently died as a martyr.

Larkin speaking Satan’s Throne wrote: Pergamos is spoken as ‘Satan’s Seat.’ When Attalus III, the
Priest-King of the Chaldean Hierarchy, fled before the conquering Persians to Pergamos, and settled there, Satan
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shifted his capital from Babylon to Pergamos. Thus, Satan’s Babylonian Religion moved from the
city of Babylon in Iraq to Pergamos in Turkey. Therefore, Pergamos became Satan’s New
Capitol. In fact, the word “Pergamos” means: a wealth marriage. It come comes from two Greek
words, “Per” which means: abundance, and “gamos” which means: marriage. 112 Larkin declared:
the word ‘Pergamos’ means ‘Marriage,’ and it referred to the Catholic Church entered into a union with
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the State.

Therefore, it was during this Church Period that the Catholic Nicolaitan-Balaamite
Churches joined hands in matrimony with the Roman Empire and became its Harlot-
Babylonian-Mistress, that is, the State Religion of the Roman Empire. Therefore, the so-called
Saint Peter’s Chair in the Palace of the Vatican in Rome became Lucifer’s Throne. It becomes
evident that some of God’s Churches, and all the Catholic Churches, united in an unholy
marriage with the Pagan Roman Empire. This resulted in God departing from His Churches
that united with the Roman Empire!

When Satan saw that he could not destroy God’s Church through Pagan Roman
Persecution, or from the pollution of the doctrines of the Catholic Nicolaitan Ante Nicene
Priests and Apologists, he decided to change his military strategy. He decided to marry the
Emperors of the Roman Empire, and later the Kings of Europe who replaced the Emperors
after the fall of the Roman Empire, with the Nicolaitan Catholic Church. This Church Period
is characterized by the Emperors and Kings of Europe giving their Imperial Edicts calling for
persecution against God’s Children as heretics. Most of this persecution was not death or
torture, but loss of goods, property, wealth, position, and in some cases loss of freedom,
whereby they became slaves. These Emperors and Kings were under the control of the
Lucifer’s Popes who were over Lucifer’s New Babylonian Religion, which was now called the
Roman Catholic Church.

The Problem: “But I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the
doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the Children of Israel, to eat things
sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality. Thus you also have those who hold the doctrine of the
Nicolaitans, which thing I hate.” God informs His Church that the practice of a few apostate
Nicolaitan-Balaamite Bishops and Ministers in the Ephesus Church Period has now become
an established doctrine in some of His Churches, as well as Lucifer’s Catholic Churches. In
other words, Jesus told us that some of His Apostolic Pentecostal Churches and all of Satan’s

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Catholic Churches have joined together in an unholy union with the Roman Empire, thereby
creating a stumbling block that will caused some of His Children to fall into sin and be lost!

Now, if my beloved readers will recall, the Nicolaitan Doctrine was the Monarchy Bishop
Doctrine, whereby one Bishop, instead of several Bishops, led and ruled each congregation.
This satanic doctrine also declared that this one Bishop was the supreme ruler over the
congregation, and he stood in the place of God in the Church, and his Presbyters stood in the
place of the apostles. The thing that God and His Church hated the most about this doctrine is
that it robbed God’s Children of their Priesthood Ministry, and established a special Paid
Priesthood, which consisted of the Monarchy Bishop, the Presbyters, and Deacons. These paid
hirelings became the sole teachers and ministers in the Church!

The apostle Peter defined the doctrine of Balaam as “False Prophets” in the Church who “have
forsaken the right way, and are gone astray following the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the WAGES
of unrighteousness” (2Pe 2:1-3, 15). Jude defined it as, “False Ministers” in the Church who ran
“greedily after the error of Balaam for REWARD” (Jude 1:4, 10-11). Moses told the Children of Israel:
“They HIRED against you Balaam the son of Beor from Pethor of Mesopotamia, to curse you. Nevertheless
the LORD your God would not listen to Balaam, but the LORD your God turned the curse into a blessing for
you, because the LORD your God loves you” (Deu 23:4-5).

Balaam also promoted an unholy union between the pagans and God’s Children, which
resulted in God destroying all His Children who sinned. This can be seen when Moses told the
people: “these [Moabite women who] cause the Children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to commit trespass
against the Lord” (Num 31:15-16). What was this trespass? “While Israel was staying in Shittim, the men
began to indulge in sexual immorality with [pagan] Moabite women, who invited them to the sacrifices to their gods.
The people ate and bowed down before these gods. So Israel joined in worshipping the [god] Baal of Peor” (Num
25:1-9, NIV). Therefore, one aspect of the doctrine of Balaam can be Biblical define as greedy,
materialistic minded Ministers selling their God given talents for material rewards or wages;
and another aspect of this doctrine is uniting the holy with the unholy in an idolatrous union,
in order to get God to curse or depart from His people.

Schaff speaking about the Catholic Church adoption of pagan Idol worship during this
Church Period stated: After the middle of the fourth century it [Satan’s Church]… transformed the ‘mother of
the Lord’ into a ‘Mother of God,’ the humble ‘handmaid of the Lord’ into a ‘Queen of Heaven...’ a sinless holy
co-redeemer. At first she was acquitted only of actual sin, afterward even of original. Schaff continued his
comments on pagan worship introduced into Catholicism: The VENERATION [i.e. WORSHIP] of
RELICS [i.e. IDOLS] simultaneously with the worship of the saints, assumed a decidedly superstitious and
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idolatrous character.

Lucifer Marries His Pagan Roman Empire

to His Pagan Catholic Church
In 313 AD, some of God’s bishops and ministers apostatized, joined hands with the priests of
Catholicism, and became Catholics. The Catholic Church then joined hands in marriage with
the Pagan Roman Empire. Let us examine the marriage contract between these two lovers; for
every marriage must have some kind of mutual agreement between parties for it to be a

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binding agreement. The first question we might ask is, why would some of God’s Churches,
and all the Catholic Nicolaitan Church, who are suppose to be married to the Lord Jesus
Christ, want to marry a murdering, idolatrous, pagan state? Second, why would Pagan Rome
want to marry Catholicism? What would they both gain from such a union? Let my readers
keep these thoughts in mind as we examine the facts to see what was lost and gain by both
parties.

Why did Constantine choose Catholicism to be the bride of the State? Constantine, like all
other Emperors before him, desired a united empire. The empire Constantine inherited was a
divided empire with many different political and religious fractions. Mithraism, even though it
was the religion of the empire, never shows signs of having the power to become a universal
religion. Constantine greatly desired a religion whose doctrines could appeal to the masses and
unite them into one religion, and thereby unite the empire; a religion that would be flexible
enough to bend to his will whenever he so desired; a religion that would allow him to maintain
his position as the High Priest or the Supreme Head.

The entire world had witness the noble suffering of God’s people, and through it became
attracted to Church. The Roman Emperors discovered that no amount of threats could get the
majority of God’s people to compromise their convictions. Even though Constantine knew
that the one God, Jesus’ Name Churches were in the vast majority, he knew he would never be
able to control them. However, when he looked at Catholicism, he saw a religion that he knew
he could control. He knew that the entire history of Catholicism was one of compromise; one
that had already adopted most of the teachings of paganism; one who compromised with the
state during the Roman persecutions. Yes, one who had the potential of becoming a universal
religion. It already went under the name of Christianity, and with a little persuasion from him
he could get the masses of pagans to join it.

In The Cambridge Medieval History, we can read of Constantine dreams for Catholicism. It
stated: The [Catholic] Church was not quite what Constantine wanted it to be. He was not more attracted to it by
its [so-called] lofty monotheism than by the imposing unity, which promised new life to the weary State. For six
hundred years the world had been in quest of a universal religion.... If the Church was divided against itself, it
could not help the Empire. Worse than this; it could hardly be divided against itself without being also divided
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against the Empire.

Guignebert speaking of Catholicism’s political compromise with the state during Roman
persecutions wrote: Nicolaitan Christians no longer expected the end of the world form one day to the next;
they conformed to current customs and even to current prejudice. Christians joined the army and served in the
administration, and the ecclesiastical authorities made no objection. [Catholic] Christian ethics and Christian
resignation to the world’s continuance had reaffirmed allegiance to all social regulations. Above all a community
of believers, united, disciplined and directed by leaders whom they obeyed [as gods], presented to the State a
cheering spectacle of order, the product of a well-administered government, which already shows signs of
developing a political consciousness.... It was time for both State and [Nicolaitan] Christianity to think of a
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compromise.

By now my dear readers should be able to understand why Constantine chose Catholicism
to be his bride. Now, why did the Catholic Church want this marriage? The Cambridge
Medieval History again gives us the answer. When Constantine gave the Edict of Milan in 313

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AD, he exempted the clergy of the Catholic Church - not those of the sects [meaning God’s Apostolic Church] - from the
decurionate and other burdens, he gave them only the privileges already enjoyed by some of the heathen priests
and teachers. But the relief was great enough to cause an ungodly rush for holy Orders into Catholic
Balaamite Christianity. 117 Money and power has always been the prime motivating factor
behind all that Catholicism has done throughout the centuries.

According to Hastings: Constantine and his successors, and above all, the Emperor Justinian (527-565
AD) saw themselves in their Roman capacity as the legitimate heirs of the ancient pagan Caesars, but at the same
time in their Christian capacity as equals to the apostles…. Contemporary historians tell us that it was the
Emperor Constantine, who came up with the formula one in being (homoousios) with the Father, which resolved
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at the Council of Nicene in 325, the dispute over the metaphysical relation between Christ and God.

Therefore, Constantine could see in this Church of Satan all of his hopes and dreams being
fulfilled. It was no doubt for all of the above reasons, why Constantine greatly desired to join
his hand in marriage with the Catholic Church! Now Lucifer, who controlled both
Constantine and Catholicism, saw His chance to now destroy God’s Church by persecuting
them as heretics, in hopes he could deceive them into believing that God’s blessing were on the
Nicolaitan-Balaamite Catholic Church, whereby they would apostate and join Lucifer’s
Church.

Emperor Pope Constantine and His Catholic Council of Nicaea: I must

acknowledge that at the Nicene Council the Catholic Church made it final departure from
God, for it was here they adopted the Trinitarian Formula for Baptism. By this act, they
excommunicated themselves and the Catholic People from God’s Salvation. When they
removed the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ from their Second Immersion and substituted the
title Son in its place, they no longer could enter into Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection
through God’s New Birth! Therefore, they were lost and without any hope of receiving Eternal
Life.

Thomas Weisser, a One God Jesus’ Name theologian and historian, in his work entitled
Jesus’ Name Baptism Through The Centuries quoted Robert Robinson’s book entitled
Ecclesiastical Researches concerning the Nicene Council. Robinson wrote: All the classes, who did
not hold the doctrine of a Trinity of persons in God, whether called Aretemonites, Paulianists, Arians,
Monarchians, Patripassians, Sabellians, or by any other name, [whom] administered baptism in the name of Christ,
with a single immersion, these were the people whom the Council of Nicaea required to be rebaptized. 119

As I stated before, one of the doctrines the Catholic Church adopted from pagans was their
doctrine of two-unequal-gods. Ignatius was the first to bring this doctrine of hell into
Christianity. At the Council of Nicaea, emperor Constantine developed this doctrine into a
doctrine of two-equal-gods, which was closer to his Babylonian Trinity of father, mother, and
son, that is, Baal, Ashtoreth (Astarte), and Tammuz. Therefore, let us briefly examine this
Council inspired by Lucifer and his faithful disciple Emperor Constantine.

In 325 AD Emperor Constantine ordered ALL the Catholic Bishops throughout the Roman
Empire, that is, Europe, Asia, and Africa, and only this SMALL band of 318 Heretical Bishops,
to meet with him at Nicaea to settle their godhead dispute. In a sense, he was acting as their

57
First Pope. Socrates (430 AD?) quoting Eusebius Pamphilus of Caesarea who attended this
council, wrote: Constantine Convoked a General Council, summoning ALL the [Catholic] Bishops by letter to
meet him at Nicaea…. The emperor arrived... and on his entrance stood in their midst, and would not take his
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place, until the Bishops by bowing intimated their desire that he should be seated.

From the very beginning of Constantine’s religious Council, He was letting these Bishops
know that he was their High Priest. He was the one who called them together, and he was
going to be the one who was going to settle their religious dispute over the godhead. The noted
eighteenth century English historian Edward Gibbon speaking of Mystery Babylon’s office of
High Priest wrote: The Supreme Pontiff was constantly exercised by the emperors themselves. They knew and
valued the advantages of religion, as it is connected with civil government.... Constantine and his successors...
continued to exercise a supreme jurisdiction over the [Catholic] ecclesiastical order; and the sixteenth book of the
Theodosian code represents, under a variety of titles, the authority which they assumed in the government of the
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Catholic Church.

At the Council of Nicaea, the heretical Roman Catholics were divided into two camps: The
Athanasian Catholic group, which defended the doctrine of two-equal-gods; and the Arian
Catholic group, which denied the deity of Christ. Now, one should ask him or herself, how did
these so-called Bible scholars, who attended this Council, come up with the Nicene doctrine of
the godhead? Was it by fervent prayer and fasting, or by diligent study of God's Holy Word?
No! They did not need to do any of those spiritual exercises, because they had their Supreme
Pontiff there, who was greater than any Apostle or Bishop, to declare to them what they
should believe and teach. Who was this god-man? Was it the Apostle Paul or Peter raised
from the dead? No! It was their Roman Emperor, Pope Constantine.

Socrates Scholastics again quoting Eusebius of Caesarea revealed that the Emperor
Constantine in his final speech to these Catholic priests incited: All to unanimity. At length he
succeeded in bringing them into similarity of judgment and conformity of opinion on all controversial points....
Exhorting, [with the influence and power of an Emperor Pope], all present to give their assent and subscribe to these very
articles; thus agreeing in a unanimous profession of them, with the insertion, however, of that single word
‘homoousios’ consubstantial, an expression which the Emperor himself EXPLAINED…. Hence our conception of
such things can only be in divine and mysterious terms. Such was the philosophical view of the subject taken
by our most wise and pious sovereign; and the bishops on account of the word homoousios, drew up this
formula of faith…. This creed was recognized and acquiesced in by three hundred and eighteen [bishops]…. Five
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only would not receive it, objecting to the term homoousios, ‘of the same essence,’ or consubstantial.

Let my readers take note that Constantine, who was acting as their apostle and theologian,
coined or inserted the Greek word ‘homoousios’ or ‘consubstantial’ into the Catholic Nicene
Creed. Because God had turned these Nicolaitan-Balaamite Bishops over to a reprobate mind,
many of them, if not all, believed that the Babylonian Mysteries were God's true doctrines in
disguise. In fact, some of the Rabbis in the time of the Babylonian Captivity believed the same
thing and incorporated some of the Mysteries of Babylon into Judaism. As a result these
Catholic Bishops, from the time of Ignatius and Clement, began to incorporate them into their
religious beliefs. They hoped by doing this, they could win pagans over to their religion.

According to Guignebert: Toward the end of Constantine’s reign [337 AD], the union of Church and the
State, the absorption of paganism by Christianity, and its total destruction with the connivance and, if necessary,
the help of the State, could have been foreseen. This achievement... was accomplished in the course of the fourth

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 123
century. Heckethorn commenting about this aspect of Roman Catholicism compared the
teachings of the Druids, an ancient Babylonian Witchcraft Priesthood which originated at the
Tower of Babel, with that of the modern day Roman Catholicism. He stated: The doctrine of the
unity and trinity was inculcated in all the mysteries. In the most ancient religious creeds we meet with the
prototype of the [Roman Catholic and Protestant] Christian dogma.... The Druids taught the doctrine of one supreme
being, a future state of rewards and punishments, the immortality of the soul, and a metempsychosis [reincarnation].
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Lucifer Uses Catholic Emperors

and Later Catholic Kings of Europe to Persecute and Murder
God’s Apostolic Pentecostal Children as Heretics
Emperor Constantine’s Persecution of God’s Churches: After the Nicene Council
of 325 AD, Constantine in his new position as Emperor Pope issued another Edict. Did this new
Edict grant religious freedom to all who would not believe in or teach Constantine’s Nicene
Creed? Let us hear what this great Pagan Catholic Pope has to say about religious freedom.

Eusebius recorded Constantine’s Edict as: Victor Constantinus, Maximus Augustus, to the [so-called]
heretics: ‘Understand now, by this present statute… ye who devise and support heresies by means of your private
assemblies…. Forasmuch, then, as it is no longer possible to bear with your pernicious errors, we give warning by
this present statute that none of you henceforth presume to assemble yourselves together. We have directed,
accordingly, that you be deprived of all the houses in which you are accustomed to hold your assemblies: and our
care in this respect extends so far as to forbid the holding of your superstitious and senseless meetings, not in public
merely, but in any private house or place whatsoever.

Let those of you, therefore, who are desirous of embracing the true and pure religion, take the far better
course of entering the Catholic Church…. And in order that this remedy may be applied with effectual power, we
have commanded, as before said, that you be positively deprived of every gathering point for your superstitious
meetings, I mean all the houses of prayer… and that these be made over without delay to the Catholic Church;
that any other places be confiscated to the public service, and no facility whatever be left for any future gathering; in
order that from this day forward none of your UNLAWFUL ASSEMBLIES may presume to appear in any
public or private place. Let this edict be made public….’

Thus were the lurking-places of the heretics broken up by the emperor’s command, and the savage beasts they
harbored (I mean the chief authors of their impious doctrines) driven to flight. Of those whom they had deceived,
some, intimidated by the emperor’s threats, disguising their real sentiments, crept secretly into the Church. For
since the law directed that search should be made for their books… And the credit of having achieved this mighty
work our Heaven-protected emperor alone, of all who had gone before him, was able to attribute to himself. 125

Pope Constantine made it very clear to God’s people that they either join his Roman
Catholic Church and confess Satan’s doctrine of two-equal-gods or face persecution. What did
Lucifer hoped to gain from the persecution of God’s people by this so-called Christian
Emperor, who was not going to have his empire divided by religion? The answer is obvious, he
knew no amount of physical persecution from Pagan Roman Emperors could persuade God’s
children to give up their inheritance in God. Therefore, he hoped that persecuting them as
heretics, who were suppose to be against the doctrines of Christ, it would bring confusion to
the masses of true Christians? He hoped to deceive them into believing that God’s blessings
were on the Catholic Churches. He hoped that they would accept the Catholic godhead and

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other doctrines as truth. By this stratagem, the old Serpent hoped to gradually bring some or
many of God’s Children into the Catholic Church.

Emperor Theodosius’ Persecution of God’s Apostolic Pentecostal Church:

Schaff speaking of this says: The successors of Constantine… enforced the [Pagan-Nicolaitan]
Christian religion to the exclusion of every other; and not only so, but they enforced [so-called]
orthodoxy to the exclusion of every form of dissent, which was punished as a crime against the
State…. Theodosius [380 AD]… in the course of fifteen year… issued at least fifteen penal laws
against [so-called] heretics, by which he gradually deprive them of all right to the exercise of their
religion, excluded them from all civil offices, and threatened them with fines, confiscation,
banishment, and… with death. 126

Emperor Theodosius, who like Constantine, wanted a unified Rome, and he did not like the
fact that most of God's people were not joining his Lucifer's Babylonian Roman Catholic
Church. So he called for the sword of persecution against anyone who stood against his Pagan
Church. Hastings speaking of this says, Theodosius issued an Edict: Commanding all people to walk
in the way of the religion [supposedly] given by Peter to the Romans, and more recently exemplified by Damascus of
Rome [382 AD] and Peter of Alexandria [381 AD] Those who hold the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit to be one godhead
in equal majesty are Catholic Christians. Others are heretics who will be struck by divine vengeance as well as by
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the imperial action of this Emperor Pope.

In 381 AD, the Roman Catholic Church, in the Constantinopolitan Creed, official adopted
the Babylonian Trinity, whereas the Holy Spirit was declared a real person alone side of the
Father and Son. Hastings speaking of Catholic Creeds said: The doctrine of the Trinity was the
subject of much discussion, dogmatic and speculative, in the Middle Ages and at the Protestant Reformation, and
has been since, it has been formulated all along the lines of the Nicene-Constantinopolitan and Athanasian
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Creeds. Both Roman Catholics and Protestants - generally speaking - yield formal adherence to these symbols.
What Hastings is saying is that both Roman Catholicism and Protestantism believe in and
teach the Trinity of Babylon, which makes them harlots or daughters of Mystery Babylon. By
now it should be evident to my readers, how the Babylonian Trinity of three separate persons
or beings in one godhead entered into Nicolaitan-Balaamite Christianity.

According to Arnold, not only were God’s people persecuted doing this time but also
pagans. Arnold says: Latourette wrote, ‘Pagans were commanded to go to the churches (Papal ones) to
receive Christian instruction, and exile and confiscation of property were made the penalties for refusing to be
baptized.... Either cults entered the Virgin Mary Cult or perished.... Monks led in Catholic preaching, destroying
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temples, and forced baptizing. Halley confirmed this by saying that Emperor Theodosius: Made
church membership compulsory.... This forced conversion filled [Satan’s Catholic] Churches with unregenerate
people…. The military spirit of Imperial Rome had entered the Church…. The Roman Empire had conquered
the Church, by making the Church over into the image of the Roman Empire…. The Church had changed its
nature.... [It] had become a Political Organization in the spirit and pattern of Imperial Rome, and took its nose-
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dive into the millennium [1,000 years] of Papal abominations.

Constantine and Theodosius did not murder any great number of God’s children as
heretics, as far as I know; for they knew from their predecessors’ persecution, that God’s
people would be willing to die as martyrs, which would attract many to join up with them.
Therefore they decided that taking all their possessions, making them slaves, throwing some in

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jail, and like persecutions, which they thought would eventually destroy them, and discourage
others from join them. Satan’s master plan was to wear them down slowly by making their life
bitter. As I stated at the beginning of this Church Age, it appears that some of Gods’ Apostolic
Pentecostal Ministers did compromise and joined Satan’s Catholic Nicolaitan-Balaamite
Church, and became a priest of Baal. These apostates might have also deceived some of God’s
Churches to join them in their apostasy.

God’s Poured out His Wrath on the Pagan-Catholic Roman Empire and It
Was Destroyed: In 401 AD, God sent Alaric, the leader of the West Goths, to be His sword
against the Roman Empire for all the atrocities they committed against His One God, Jesus’
Name Church. Alaric invaded Italy for the first time in this year. God gave him great success
so he returned in 408 AD to lay intermittent siege to Rome. In 410 AD, Alaric resumed his siege
of Rome and the city fell into his hands. He sacked it on August 24, 410 AD; from this time on
Rome never recovered, for the barbarians of other nations followed Alaric’s example and they
attacked Rome. God has always uses war to pour out his wrath on ungodly nations who
mistreat His children. Not only this, but God used the invading barbarians to keep the Popes
and the Catholic Kings of Europe in turmoil or chaos; as a result, they could not persecute
God Church’s as often as they desired. God gave His Children rest from persecution during
these barbarian invasions.

After the Roman Empire Fell, Popes of Rome Became Puppets in the Hands
of Emperors and Kings of Europe: According to Collier’s Encyclopedia: From the latter
fourth century the papacy was concerned with holding the Church together and protecting it from the invading
barbarians. During the course of these invasions both the popes and the bishops in the Roman Empire found
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themselves acquiring property and power by default as the Roman administration collapsed. The Papacy
at this time gain some power and independents, but they never could break free from the
Emperors and the Kings of Europe control over them until 1198 AD. Up to this time, they were
nothing but pawns in different monarchs hands. In fact it was common during this time for
the most powerful King to put in the Papacy the person of their choosing! As we have already
seen from Constantine and the emperors after him, the Papacy to them was nothing but a way
for them to keep unity in their little kingdom; as a result, they were ready to smite any religion
that opposed Catholicism.

Emperor Honorius’ Persecution of God’s Apostolic Church: According to the

New Catholic Encyclopedia: The importance of the sect [Montanism] during the early centuries may be judge
by the attention it received from ancient [Catholic] Christian writers.... The energetic opposition of Pope Innocent 1
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(401-417) and the laws of the Emperor Honorius 1 against [the so-called] heresy (Feb. 22, 407).

God Sends Revival to His Jesus’ Name Churches: According to Thomas Weisser,
in his great history Jesus’ Name Baptism Through the Centuries, Denzinger quoted Catholic
Pope Pelagius (556-561 AD) as saying: There are many who assert that they are baptized in the name of
Christ alone with only one immersion.” Pagan Pope Pelagius then gave his Imperial Edict. He said give each one
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of your converts, “holy baptism in the name of the Trinity and with a triple immersion. Pelagius openly
confessed that there were many true Christians who baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus
Christ with only one immersion in the six century. He also acknowledged that the Roman

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Catholic Church in his time, not only baptized in the name of the Trinity, but continued to use
trine immersion. Let my readers remember, what this Catholic Pope condemned, others Popes
before him defended. Satan again became scared, so he called for the sword of persecution
against God’s Apostolic Pentecostal Church.

Emperor Justinian’s Persecution of God’s Pentecostal Church: The New

Catholic Encyclopedia, speaking of the Imperial Edicts of Emperor Justinian (r. 527-565 AD),
stated that he pass: Severe anti-Montanist legislation. 134 According to Collier’s Encyclopedia, this
Catholic Byzantine Emperor: Had about 100,000 persons executed because they remained pagans or
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heretical Christians. There was no way this Emperor or any other could stop the move of
God’s Spirit that was in these One God Montanists, for the Catholic Encyclopedia went to say:
Montanism was a manifestation of a recurring phenomenon meaning speaking in tongues through the
Holy Ghost. It continued by saying, Montanism: Spread rapidly and widely through the East and West.
136

Various Emperors’ Persecution of God’s Apostolic Pentecostal Church:

Hastings speaking of this says: they survived the stringent edicts of various emperors, and was perhaps not
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wholly extinguished till the period of the Turkish invasion - Ramsay, p. 574. There was no way the gates
of Roman Catholic imperialistic despotism would ever prevail against God’s Church. God has
never, and will never, leave Himself without a witness in this world. The Montanists were one
God, Jesus’ Name, Modalistic Monarchians. In case my readers have any doubt as to who
these Montanist were, lets have the historians tells us about them.

Hastings says: By the end of the 2nd century there were two parties of Montanists who took different sides
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in the [Modalist] Monarchian controversy. The two-god Montanists, who did not believe in oneness,
split from the main body; Tertullian led this small group. John H. Blunt in his Dictionary of
Sects, Heresies, Ecclesiastical Parties, and Schools of Religious Thought, spoke of this says split
when he wrote: The author of Praedestinatus infers that the Tertullianists had... separated themselves from
the main body.... Augustine relates that in his time the remnant of the Tertullianists in Cartage returned to the
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Catholic Church.

The Catholic Encyclopedia also speaking of this split revealed that the most of the main
body of Montanist went with Aeschines and some with Alogi and others with different ones. It
says: A number of Montanists led by Aeschines became Modalists.... The Alogi [Montanist] have sometimes been
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classed with the [Modalists] Monarchians.” Aeschines headed a one God Pentecostal theology school
in Rome. Speaking in tongues and the gifts of the Spirit were always identifying characteristics
in all the centuries of the Apostolic Montanists and other one God Jesus’ Name Pentecostal’s
Movements. Hastings says the Montanists: First attracted attention [to themselves] by speaking in tongues.
141
According to Jesse Hurlbut, in his history entitled Story of the Christian Church, the
Montanists: were Puritans... [whom] believed in the priesthood of all believers…. [They] held to prophetic gifts as
142
the privilege of disciples.

All One God Jesus’ Name people strongly denounced the Catholic Nicolaitan concept of the
ministry and other Catholic doctrines. In fact, Hastings says they: used scathing words about the
[Catholic] ecclesiastical rulers, and stigmatized them as slayers of the prophets. Hastings went on to say that

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Montanists: put forth treatises in which the arguments of their opponents were answered.... The early
Montanists were prolific writers. According to The New Catholic Encyclopedia: Jerome [390 AD] in
describing Montanism lists the errors already mentioned and says that members of the sect were infected with
Sabellianism. 143 Blunt revealed that Jerome said: Montanists following the opinion of Sabellius, bring the
144
Trinity to the narrow restraints of one Person.

The Apostolic Montanists and all the other Apostolic Pentecostals Movements were found
in many parts of the Roman Empire. Hastings said Montanists: were found in every part of Asia
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Minor, in Egypt...and even in Constantinople, though they were always most numerous in Phrygia. Schaff
says: In the fourth and fifth centuries, the Fathers used the term Sabellianism in a general sense for various
forms of Monarchianism, all of which, however, tended in the one direction, viz., toward the denial of any
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personal distinction in the godhead, and hence the identification of Father and Son. Some of the one God
Montanists survived through the centuries. Arnold, referring to M. P. Hamilton work The
Charismatic Movement, says the Apostolic doctrine of the Jesus’ Name Montanists was found to
exist in Britain in 1727.

Idolatry Spreads throughout Europe: Microsoft Encarta® Encyclopedia 99 under

the heading of Idolatry speaking of idolatry stated: In the 8th and 9th centuries, idolatry again
became a matter of controversy in the Christian world. Especially in the Greek-speaking Byzantine Empire,
the pagan tradition of image worship had survived in the practice of venerating icons. Christians of Semitic
origin were particularly wary of idolatry in any form, and their concerns were intensified by the spread of
Islam. In 725 and 726, Emperor Leo III first prohibited the worship of images, then ordered their destruction
(see Iconoclasm). Supporters of icon veneration—called iconodules—argued that by representing Christ's
human likeness, icons reinforced the doctrine of Christ's Incarnation—a doctrine called into question by the
heretical teachings of Monophysitism and Docetism. The use of icons in worship was vindicated in 843 when
Theodora, widow of the iconoclast emperor Theophilus, engineered the election of the pro-icon monk
Methodius as patriarch.

Iconoclasm (Greek eikon,"image"; klaein,"to break") In 726 and 730 Emperor Leo III, the Isaurian,
promulgated a decree forbidding the veneration of images. This decision was condemned by the pope [the west
used them], but the iconoclastic doctrine was rigorously enforced at Constantinople (present-day Ýstanbul) by
Leo and even more by his son and successor Constantine V, who had the worship of images condemned as
idolatry at the church council held in the suburban palace of Hieria in 754. The accession of Empress Irene
brought with it a change in policy, and the iconoclasts were condemned in turn at the second Council of
Nicaea, in 787. A second period of iconoclasm was inaugurated under imperial auspices in the first half of the
9th century; it ended with the final condemnation of iconoclasm at the Council of Orthodoxy, held in 843 under
the patronage of Empress Theodora II.

Under the heading of Constantinople, Councils of, the Microsoft® Encarta®

Encyclopedia 99 revealed how idolatry finally became accepted in the Catholic Church. It
stated: The fifth council at Constantinople was called by Constantine V, Byzantine emperor (reigned 741-
775), to deal with the problem of image worship. The council condemned the worship of images; this position,
however, was rejected by the seventh ecumenical council, held at Nicaea in 787, and the council of 754 was
not recognized as ecumenical in the West. According to the above encyclopedia, the Councils of
Nicene held in 787, which was the second of the councils at Nicaea, and also the seventh
ecumenical council, was convened by Irene, empress of the East, and attended by 350
bishops, most of whom were Byzantine. In spite of strong objections by the iconoclasts, the
council validated the veneration of images and ordered their restoration in churches
throughout the Roman Empire.

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 God Again Sends Revival to His Apostolic Pentecostal Church: Hastings
revealed that the Jesus’ Name Modalist Monarchians continued to exist throughout the
centuries. He declared that Catholic Popes and Catholic Councils were always condemning
them. He says: this can be seen by the frequent condemnations of them in the shape of Sabellianism.
Hastings continued: By the time of the provincial Council of Braga 561 we see how these Monarchia
principles have verged into Priscillianism.... The same comprehensive condemnation was repeated in the Lateran
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Council of 649 [AD, canon 18].

The Catholic bishops at Eleventh Council of Toledo in 675 AD took their turn at
condemning God’s holy, living and anointed Church. According to The Church Teaches this
council cursed all of God’s People who deny the Trinity doctrine. They decreed: The Son is not
the same person as Father, nor the Father the same person as the Son, nor is either the Father or Son the same
148
person as the Holy Spirit. According to Schaff: the Trullan Council of 692 [AD] in its 95th canon also
joined the long list of Catholic Councils that condemned Modalist Monarchians. It especially
named the one immersion of Sabellian baptism. 149

As my readers can now see, God’s Jesus’ Name Churches were still preaching Acts 2:38
and Almighty God in Christ in the seventh century, and as usual Catholicism hated it. Is it not
strange that Catholic Councils in the seventh century are condemning and cursing God’s
Churches, who were suppose to have died in the third or at the latest the fourth century. There
is no way the devil and his people will ever be able to destroy God’s Church, “For the gates of hell
will never prevail against her.”

Weisser, referring to Robert Robinson’s book entitled Ecclesiastical Researches, revealed

that their were many religious groups in Spain from 409-713 AD. He says Robinson wrote: ‘there
were in Spain Christians of all descriptions, as well as Jews and pagans. This appears by the books published by
the Catholic faction against Manicheans, Priscillianist, Acephali, Sabellians, Photinians, Arians, and others, whom
they insolently named heretics. Between the years 714-1198 AD, Robinson mentions groups deemed
heretical by the Catholics.... [They] ‘were called in general Anabaptists. In a council held at Lerida, in the
archbishopric of Tarragon, it was decreed… Antitrinitarians, who had been baptized in the name of Christ,
would have to be made to confess the Trinity. 150

From about 750-814 AD, Europe had some peace, and the Papacy again started to acquire
some power. Collier’s Encyclopedia, speaking of the power of the Popes from the ninth
through the eleven centuries says: After Charlemagne’s death in 814, new waves of barbarian invaders
swept through Europe. With other institutions, the Papacy suffered from the political and social chaos of the time,
and declined to nadir [or lost] in power, prestige, and morality perhaps not equaled any time in Papal history. The
popes of this time were creatures of Roman factions or appointees of the German Emperor. They possessed little
real power over strong European Bishops elected and protected by the Emperor, nor were many of them
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interested in doing more than maintaining their position.

Because of the turmoil in Europe and the Popes being the puppets of the Emperor of
Germany, God was able again to send a great Jesus’ Name revival to Europe. Arnold speaking
about this says that Bernhard Rothmann in his historical research found one God Modalist
Monarchians revivals to be: throughout Europe in the ninth century. He says they had Spirit infilling,
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the tongues, and miracles that was typical of Pentecostal revivals. According to the

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Encyclopaedia Britannica baptism in the name of Jesus Christ was still so wide spread
throughout the Roman Empire in 9th century, that Catholic Pope Nicholas the First, in
November of 866 AD, in a response to the decrees of the Bulgars, was forced to declare: Baptism
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to be valid tantum in nomine Christi [name of Christ], as in the Acts of the Apostles.

The Popes of Rome Were Nothing but Puppets Under the Control of the
Kings of Europe: The Encyclopedia Americana declared: Throughout the 10th century the prestige
and influence of the Papacy declined as members of the Roman nobility attempted to control the office through
154
political intrigue, simony, and assassination. The situation became chaotic. There were a few Kings of
Europe during the eleven-century that sporadically persecuted God’s people. According to the
above encyclopedia: In 1017, King Robert II of France ordered the burning of 13 heretics at Orleans. In 1051
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Emperor Henry III hanged a group of heretics at Goslar.

The Collier’s Encyclopedia speaking of the power of the Popes in the 10th and 11th centuries
stated: The feudal system reduced the Roman Catholic Church to a lamentable position and rendered ineffective
the centralization of authority in the Papacy…. As the feudal system developed in the tenth and eleventh
centuries, the emperor and other feudal lords preferred to bestow estates on Bishops rather than his vassals, for
the former could not build up dynastic power against the lord. Thus many Bishops and Abbots became powerful
secular as well as ecclesiastical rulers…. Such ecclesiastics who were preoccupied with secular affairs and
managing their revenues frequently had no vocation or taste for the religious life. They were often guilty of
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simony (buying and selling church offices) and of living with concubines.

The Encyclopedia Americana also speaking of the power of the Emperor over the Popes in
the 11th century said: In 1046, Emperor Henry III deposed three rival claimants to the Papacy - Sylvester III
(1045), Benedict IX (1045), and Gregory VI (1045-1046) - [who all held the Papal Chair during these periods], and
157
installed Clement II (1046-1047). As my readers can see, Popes were noting but puppets of the
Kings of Europe for centuries. In 1054 AD, God reduced the power of Pagan Catholic Popes
even to a greater degree. Because of corruption in the Vatican during this time, a great schism
developed between the Western and Eastern parts of the Catholic Church, whereas the
Papacy lost control over the Greek or Eastern Catholic Church. After years of reforms in the
Vatican, Popes began to get some of their respect and power back.

God’s Apostolic Pentecostal Church Becomes Persecuted Again: In 1163 AD, the
infamous Pope Alexander III invoked the Council of Tours. The above encyclopedia speaking
of this council says: The Pope commanded the clergy to search out heretics by holding inquests based on the
testimony of sworn witnesses. Lay Princes were invited to assist in their detection, scatter their assemblies, cast
them into prison, and confiscate their goods. This was the first general Papal legislation against [so-called]
heretics…. The response of the hierarchy to these directives was disappointing, and heresy continued to flourish.
In 1178, Alexander dispatched a special commission of clergy to Languedoc. Its purpose was to use the new
method of inquisition to expose heresy….

Alexander enacted further legislation at the Third Lateran Council (1179) that prohibited the [Catholic]
faithful from giving protection to heretics. While expressly forbidding the clergy to shed blood, it authorized lay
Princes to undertake a crusade against the enemies of the faith, confiscate their goods, and reduce them to
servitude. Even more severe was the legislation of Pope Lucius III. Supported by emperor Frederick Barbarossa,
at Verona on Nov. 4, 1184, he ordered all Archbishops and bishops to inspect suspected parishes once or twice a
year and force members to reveal under oath secret or open heresy…. Those refusing to do so were to be
anathematized and abandoned to the secular arm to receive appropriate punishment (animadversio debita). All

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lay Princes were to assist the [Catholic] hierarchy in this undertaking or run the risk of excommunication, interdict,
perpetual infamy, and loss of lands. The Papal legislation on the appropriate secular punishment was not
precise…. Whereas Emperor Henry VI placed all heretics under the ban of the Empire in 1194, King Peter of
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Aragon in 1197 decreed death by fire for obdurate heretics who refused to leave his realm.

This legislation and the idea of an Inquisition compose of Clergy gave the next Pope an idea
that would bring terror into the hearts of God’s Children. It would make him the supreme
ruler of both the Church and State. As my readers can perceive by now, during the Pergamos
Church Age God’s People went through much suffering at different intervals of time, but very
little mass murder except in the case of Emperor Justinian. Kings stole their property and
possession, abused their bodies, and scattered them throughout Europe, but through it all God
gave them many great revivals. In the next Church Period, from the very beginning of the
thirteenth century, Satan unleash his wrath through Pope Innocent III, and it caused millions
of God’s Saints to suffer torment and death for centuries.

CHAPTER 4
THE THYATIRA CHURCH PERIOD, AD 1200 TO 1700
The Salutation: “You [John] write OF the CHURCH, the MESSENGER in Thyatira” (my translation).
These things says the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet like fine brass.” The
Commendation: “I know your works, love, service, faith, and your patience; and as for your works, the
last are more than the first.” The Reproof and Problem: “Nevertheless I have a few things against you,
because you allow that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and seduce My servants to
commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. And I gave her time to repent of her sexual
immorality, and she did not repent. Indeed I will cast her into a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with
her into great tribulation, unless they repent of their deeds. I will kill her children with death, and all the
churches shall know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts. And I will give to each one of you
according to your works. Now to you I say, and to the rest in Thyatira, as many as do not have this doctrine,
who have not known the depths of Satan, as they say, I will put on you no other burden. But hold fast what
you have till I come.” The Promise: “And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I
will give power over the nations -- He shall rule them with a rod of iron; They shall be dashed to pieces like
the potter's vessels' -- as I also have received from My Father; and I will give him the morning star.” (Rev
2:18-28).

History of the City: Thyatira was an ancient Greek city in the western part of Asia
Minor in present-day Turkey. It was about: 40 miles E of Aegean Sea, 30 miles NW of Sardis,
and 40 SE of Pergamos. It stood on none of the Greek trade routes, but upon the lesser road
between Pergamos and Sardis. It was located on the Lycus river and derived its wealth
from the Lycus Valley in which it rapidly became a commercial center, but never a
metropolis. It was specially noted for its trade guilds. A member of one of these guilds may
have been Lydia of Thyatira, who, according to Acts 16:14, sold her purple dyes in
Philippi. In ancient times the color purple was actually bright red.

Thyatira has also been called by the names Pelopia and Semiramis. At one time there
stood the temple of the ancient Lydian sun-god, Tyrimnos, and upon the early coins of
Thyatira he is represented as a horseman, bearing a DOUBLE-HEADED BATTLE-AX, similar
to those represented on the sculptures of the Hittites. He was supposed to be a protector or

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guardian who is also represented with flaming rays and feet of burnished brass. Another
temple at Thyatira was dedicated to Sambethe, and at this shrine was a prophetess, who
some supposed to represent the Jezebel of Rev 2:20. Thyatira became a Roman Providence
around 190 BC, and it was a centre of trade. Apollo was the chief deity with no emperor-
worship. Akhisar is the modern-day name for Thyatira today, and it has a population of
151,957. 159

The Salutation: “You [John] write OF the CHURCH, the MESSENGER in Thyatira” (my translation).
These things says the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet like fine brass.” Our Lord’s
greeted this saints in this Church Period by reminding them that He is the Judge of all men.
He was the Man Jesus Christ who has “eyes like a flame of fire… [and] who searches the minds and
hearts” of every man (Rev 2:18, 23; cp with 1:10-18; Dan 10:5-7). It is He who knows every sin that
every sinners has ever committed. He is not only the Son of God but also “the Ancient of Days”
who “was seated… and the COURT was seated” with Him (Dan 7:9-10). As the Judge of all mankind,
He sat on “a Great White Throne…. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books
were opened…. And they were judged, each one according to his works” (Rev 20:11-13).

Commendation: “I know your works, love, service, faith, and your patience; and as for your works,
the last are more than the first.” Our God and Savior praises His Apostolic Churches during this
Church Period for their faithful work and service. Many love Him enough to keep His
Word and did not deny His Name in Water Baptism or His Supreme Deity. Many love Him
enough to be patient in all of their sufferings and persecutions, and some in their
martyrdom.

The Reproof and Problem: “Nevertheless I have a few things against you, because you allow
that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and seduce My servants to commit sexual
immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. And I gave her time to repent of her sexual immorality, and she
did not repent. Indeed I will cast her into a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her into great
tribulation, unless they repent of their deeds. I will kill her children with death, and all the churches shall
know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts. And I will give to each one of you according to your
works. Now to you I say, and to the rest in Thyatira, as many as do not have this doctrine, who have not
known the depths of Satan, as they say, I will put on you no other burden. But hold fast what you have till I
come.”

Dr. Robertson made the following comments on Rev 2:20-24: Thou sufferest… the woman
Jezebel (tên gunaika Iezabel). Symbolical name for some prominent woman in the Church in Thyatira, like the
infamous wife of Ahab who was guilty of whoredom and witchcraft (1Ki 16:31; 2Ki 9:22) and who sought to drive
out the worship of God from Israel…. This woman was not a real prophetess, but a false one with loud claims and
loose living. One is puzzled to know how such a woman had so much shrewdness and sex-appeal as to lead astray
the servants of God in that Church. The Church tolerated the Nicolaitans and this leader [i.e. Pastor] whose primary
object was sexual immorality (Charles) and became too much involved with her to handle the heresy…. There
may be also an allusion to the spiritual adultery (2Co 11:2) towards God and Christ as of old (Jer 3:8; 5:7; Eze
16:22)…. I will kill with death… ‘her spiritual progeny’ (Swete) who have completely accepted her Nicolaitan
practices…. To you the rest [i.e. God’s true and faithful Children]… those who hold out against Jezebel, not necessarily a
minority (9:20; 19:21; 1Th 4:13).

Let us now examine the above passage of Scripture. Our Lord must not be referring to
natural food but spiritual food when He said the Thyatira Christians they were eating:
“things sacrificed to idols”, for the great apostle Paul did not condemn eating natural foods that

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were offered to idols. The apostle declared: “Eat whatever is sold in the meat market, asking no
questions for conscience' sake; for ‘the earth is the LORD’s, and all its fullness.’ If any of those who do not
believe invites you to dinner, and you desire to go, eat whatever is set before you, asking no question for
conscience sake. But if anyone says to you, ‘This was offered to idols,’ do not eat it for the sake of the one who
told you, and for conscience sake” (1Co 10:25-28); also “Therefore concerning the eating of things offered to
idols… beware lest somehow this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to those who are weak” (1Co 8:
4,9-13; also Rom 14:1-23).

Since the Word of God is infallible, the student of the Bible must look for a harmony
between what Our Savior told the Churches in the Thyatira Church Period, and what Paul
told God’s Children in the Corinthian Church. Therefore, the food Jesus was speaking of must
not have been the literal food Paul spoke of, but it must have been spiritual food. Our Savior
Himself gave us a good analogy between natural food and the spiritual food that False Prophet
feed their deceive converts. He told His Children: “Take heed and beware of the leaven of the
Pharisees and the Sadducees….’ Then they understood that He did not tell them to beware of the leaven of
bread, but of the DOCTRINE of the Pharisees and Sadducees” (Mt 16:6, 12). For this reason, our
Redeemer must be using an analogy, when he told us that Jezebel, who represents the Catholic
Church, is teaching DOCTRINES that reach deep into “the depths of Satan”, that is, she
Christianized and taught Lucifer’s Mysteries of the Babylonian Religion.

So we can understand the truth the Lord Jesus Christ is teaching us here, let us understand
what the Bible teaches us about the vile woman called Jezebel! The Jezebel of the Bible was
the daughter of Ethbaal a pagan king. She was a high priestess in Baal worship, which was her
ancestral religion (1Ki 18:19). She married Ahab who was king of Israel. According to the Word
of God, Ahab “did evil in the sight of the Lord above all that were before him.” For he “went and served
Baal, and worshipped him.... Ahab did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel to anger than all the kings of
Israel that were before him… because Jezebel his wife stirred him up” (1Ki 16:29-33; 21:25). Because Ahab
ruled as king, this vile woman was able to seduce many of God’s Children into Baal worship
or Mystery Babylon.

It was this demonic daughter of Satan, who practiced “witchcraft” (2Ki 9:22), who gave her
Imperial Edict that all of God’s Prophets who would not bow their knee and worship Baal
should be killed, so: “Jezebel massacred the prophets of the LORD” (1Ki 18:4, 13). This is a very
important point for my readers to remember, for the Word of God revealed that she ordered
the death of God’s Children not her husband the King. In other words, this Church Period is
characterized by the Catholic Popes of Rome (the High Priests of the Christianized
Babylonian Religion), not the Kings of Europe, who set up their INQUISITIONS, to imprison,
torture, and murder God’s Children.

Therefore, the entire spirit of Jezebel is the spirit of a wicked Religious Babylonian Harlot,
who is married to the State, and uses her power to destroy God’s Children. She is the
Prophetess of Satan’s Religion, or in other words, this religious system is the one who preaches
or proclaims Satan’s Message in the GUISE of Christian Doctrines. Consequently, she was the
head and the mouthpiece for Satan’s Religion. She speaks on his behalf and teaches his
Babylonian Religion. She represents the god Lucifer to the world. She will not have any
religion to exist alone side of her. Her authority extends to both the secular and religious

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realm. God chose to call Catholicism Jezebel, because she like Jezebel of old, will persecute
and murder God’s Children.

Consequently, the Thyatira Church Period is characterized by the Popes giving their
Imperial Edicts establishing the Inquisitions for the purpose of persecuting and destroying
God’s Apostolic Pentecostal Children as heretics. This is a fitting name for this Church Period
because the Popes of Rome had their hands red with the blood of God’s Children. They
tortured and murdered all of God’s Saintly Priest, that is, men, women, children, and even
babies. The Greek word “Thuateira” come from two Greek Words; Dr. Strong defines these
words as: to sacrifice… to immolate (slaughter for any purpose) and continued duration… regularly. 160
Therefore, Thyatira means: a regular of continual sacrifice.

According to Arnold: Many Protestant theologians believe Jezebelism of Revelation 2:20 represents the
ecclesiastical ‘system’ of Rome.... The Church of Rome was the most ruthless system earth has ever known….
Heick wrote, ‘For the vicar of Christ was the undisputed sovereign of kings and bishops, Church and State, the
Lord over the temporal and eternal welfare of Men.... [Many] theologians theorize Jezebel... was Catholicism in the
‘black and dark night’ of Europe [the Dark Ages].... DeHaan connected it with the dominating Dark Age Church....
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DeHaan thought Thyatira means, ‘a continual sacrifice.’

God rebukes His Apostolic Pentecostal Churches in this Church Period for allowing the
Nicolaitan-Balaamite Catholic State Church and later on the Nicolaitan-Balaamite State
Churches of Luther and Calvin to seduce some of His Children into their Christianize
Babylonian Religions, that is, the worship of the sun-god Baal. Evidently there is a “falling
away” of some of God’s Children during this time; God’s Church instead of openly
evangelizing their world in this Period and dying as martyrs, as the great Churches in the
Smyrna Church Period did, most of them chose to go underground and hold their services in
secret. They evidently did not openly confront or challenge the Roman Catholic Church and
later the Protestant Churches.

What the Church of Rome called the “Golden Age of Catholicism” was really the “Darkest
Age of Mankind”. This Church Period was the “longest and greatest Persecution God’s Holy
Children went through of all Church Periods”. Not only were they persecuted by the Catholic
Inquisition but also they were also persecuted by the Protestant Inquisition. This may have
been what the sun-god Tyrimnos in Thyatira represented, who image on their coins was a
horseman, bearing a DOUBLE-HEADED BATTLE-AX. In other words, one side of the head of
the battle-ax represented persecution from the Catholic Inquisition and the other side
represented persecution from the Protestant Inquisition. Tyrimnos is probably another
name of the sun-god Baal.

Some of God’s Children may have even attended Catholic Church Services, and later
Protestant Services, as a pretense of being a Catholic or Protestant, while attending their secret
underground Church Services. This is probably why the Lucifer’s Catholic Popes of Rome set
up the Inquisition to find out who were true Catholics and who were God’s Apostolic
Pentecostal Children. Even though the Protestant Inquisition burn God’s Children alive at the
stake when they became known, as far as I know, they did not actively seek them out like the
Catholic Inquisition did. Because of the horrible persecution God’s Children endured

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throughout these centuries, God laid no extra burden on them, probably meaning
evangelism of the world, but required them to remain faithful to Him and His Word until
death.

The Promise: “And he who overcomes, and keeps My works [ergon] until the end, to him I will give
power over the nations -- He shall rule them with a rod of iron; They shall be dashed to pieces like the
potter's vessels' -- as I also have received from My Father; and I will give him the morning star.” What
kind of works is our Lord and Master referring to in this verse. The Greek noun “ergon (er'-
gon)” in this verse refers to “Living Holy” and “Loving God’s Children and doing good to
them and to all others”. This truth can be easily understood in the following passage of
Scripture where “ergon” is used in reference to God’s Children (Acts 9:36; 1Ti 5:10, 25; 6:18; Tit
2:7, 14; 3:5; 1Pe 2:12)

Jesus promised His overcoming Children not only Eternal Life, but that they would be
His Kings and Priests in the resurrection, and they will rule over the nations of the world
(Rev 1:6)! With the above truths in mind, let us examine the persecutions God’s Apostolic
Pentecostal Churches went through during the centuries of persecution by Lucifer’s
Jezebels, that is, the Roman Catholic Church’s Popes and the Leaders of Lutheranism and
Calvinism.

The Murderous Spirit of Jezebel

in the Roman Catholic Emperor Popes and their Inquisitions
In the Ephesus and Smyrna Church Period, we saw it was the Pagan Roman Emperors
who butchered and tortured more than a million of God’s Children to preserved and unify
their Pagan Religion and Empire. In the Pergamos Church Period, we saw it was Roman
Catholic Emperors and Kings of Europe who persecuted God’s People to preserve and unify
their Pagan-Nicolaitan-Balaamite Catholic Religion and Empire. In the Thyatira Church
Period, Luciferian Roman Catholic Popes are the one ordering the death of God’s Priestly
Saints to preserve and unify their Babylonian Roman Catholic Religion and so-called Holy
Roman Empire, which was definitely not holy! Whoever called this empire “holy” must have
been a very facetious, sardonic, sarcastic, and scornful individual.

All the Emperors and Kings of Europe together could not match Lucifer’s son Pope
Innocent III, who was definitely not innocent. This child of Lucifer became Pope in 1198 AD,
and at the beginning of the 13th century, he set up the foundation for the demonic Inquisition
to exist. The Inquisition lasted from 1200-1700 AD. This heartless, cruel, inhuman Catholic
organization, whom had the blessings, approval, and support of the Popes of Rome for 500
years sought out God’s Children as heretics. These children of Lucifer brutally tortured
millions of innocent God fearing and Christ loving men, women, children, and babies by every
demonic device that could be devised by the imagination of demon-possessed men.

Some of the tortures mentioned in history are: ripping and cutting babies out of the wombs
of their mothers and then smashing the baby’s head - covering the bodies of God’s Children
with pitch and burning them alive - laying their victims down on iron spike beds - using racks

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to stretch the arms and legs of God’s Children until their bones became separated, and many
other satanic tortures. No honest and intelligent person can deny that these things did not
happen, for you can read about them in both Catholic and Protestant histories. There has
never been a Catholic Pope in the History of mankind, until 1998 AD, who had ever made a
formal world apology for the demonic actions of Pope Innocent III and the Popes who
followed him.

The Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 99, under the heading “Ecclesiastical Courts” spoke
of the Inquisition of the Popes of Rome this way: After [Babylonian Roman Catholic] Christianity
became the STATE RELIGION of Rome, the ecclesiastical courts were incorporated into the Roman judicial
system…. In time they became part of a complex system exercising jurisdiction delegated by the Pope in his
capacity as the supreme judicial power in the [Roman Catholic] Christian Church. Then, as the secular power of
Rome declined and its institutions decayed, the ecclesiastical courts began to assume jurisdiction in secular
affairs.

In the Middle Ages [i.e. around 1200 AD], the [Babylonian Roman Catholic] Church reached the zenith of its power:
It became a WORLD STATE, the POPES became temporal POTENTATES, and canon law and the
jurisdiction of the ecclesiastical courts were extended to embrace virtually the entire range of human
relationships. Extension of the jurisdiction of the ecclesiastical courts was facilitated by the dual character of
the princes of the Church as functioning ecclesiastics—that is, Bishops, Archbishops, Cardinals, and Popes—
and as powerful landowners and temporal [Secular] RULER…. Beginning in the 13th century [1200 AD], the
great judicial power of the [Babylonian Roman Catholic] Church was manifested especially through the tribunal
commonly called the Holy Office [i.e. the INQUISITION], created to ferret [i.e. search or hunt] out and punish [so-
called] heresy (see Inquisition).

The horrors of torture to compel someone to confess their so-called religious crimes
against Catholicism was used by the Inquisition in Europe throughout the centuries. The
four Popes who were the greatest users and supporters of the Inquisition in their demonic
activities were: Gregory IX (R. 1227-1241), Innocent IV (R. 1243-1254), Paul III (R. 1534-49), and
Pius V (R. 1566-72). The Popes of Rome conferred supervision of the Inquisition, that is, the
office of Inquisitor, to the Monks of the Franciscan and Dominican orders, who were better
known in those days by the blasphemous name of the Militia of Jesus Christ. These two
Satanic Orders of Inquisitors had equal authority and were in charge of each Tribunal,
that is the Court of Injustice. They were aided in their demonic work by assistants,
notaries, police, and counselors. Because they had supreme authority from the Pope, that
is, they answered to no authority but the Pope, they could excommunicate even Princes.
Therefore, the Inquisitors definitely inspired fear in everyone, even in the Kings of Europe.

Pope Innocent III and His Power Over Kings: According to the World Book
Encyclopedia, “Innocent III [R. 1198-1216 AD] is often considered the greatest of the medieval Popes. His most
significant contribution to history was the creation of a doctrine of Papal authority that has defined the Pope’s
power to this day…. Innocent created a new vision of papal power. He called the Pope the ‘Vicar of Christ’ [i.e.
Ruling in the place of Christ], and described the Pope as being below God, but above all other people… Innocent… claim
that the Pope had the right to examine and approve those elected to the imperial throne [of the Holy Roman Empire].
Innocent involved himself in the affairs of France and England. He declared that the Pope could judge secular
(non-religious) ‘matters of sin,’ a broad definition that could include almost any matter. Innocent
excommunicated King John of England after John refused to recognize the Pope’s appointee for Archbishop of
Canterbury…. John submitted to the Pope. He surrendered England and Ireland to the Pope and received them
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back as Papal fiefs (feudal estates).

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 Collier’s Encyclopedia declared: Under Innocent III the Papacy reached its peak of power as the four
kingdoms of Sicily, Aragon, Portugal, and England acknowledge him as their feudal suzerain…. The institution of
the Papal Inquisition at the end of the 12th century and the beginning of the 13th also led to the supplanting of
Episcopal [Bishops] by Papal authority in an important field…. The foundation of the Franciscans and Dominicans
in the pontificate of Innocent III was a further step toward centralizing ecclesiastical power in Rome…. More
important for the development of the Inquisition was Innocent’s equation of heresy in the Church with treachery
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against the state. ‘The civil law punishes traitors with confiscation of their goods and with death.

The Inquisition made the Popes of Rome the most feared man on earth. In 1208 AD,
Innocent III gave his Papal Decree for the extermination of the Albigensian (the Cathari);
from 1208 through 1229 AD hundredths of thousands of God loving men, women and children
were murdered because this son of Satan said they were heretics. Much of Southern France
became desolated because of this act of terror and genocide. This man who is the Vicar of
Lucifer, who sit on Satan’s Throne in Rome, along with all the Popes before and after him,
had the gall to blasphemy against Christ by promised those who committee these acts of
murder “indulgences” and “absolution” from all their sins. O’ what blasphemy men commit
when the Old Serpent deceives them in thinking they are god. Small groups of Albigenses
survived in isolated areas and were pursued by the Inquisition as late as the 14th century.

The Inquisition of Pope Gregory IX: Gregory (R. 1227-41) was made a cardinal by
his uncle Pope Innocent III, and in 1227 AD he became Pope. Gregory in 1231 issued the
constitution Excommunicamus, which placed the prosecution of heretics under papal direction
and thus established the Inquisition. By this action, this son of Satan lessened the Catholic
Bishops’ responsibility for orthodoxy, placed inquisitors under the special jurisdiction of
the Papacy, and established their powers and responsibilities. Under the Pope’s Edict or
Papal Bull, all Ecclesiastical Authorities had to commanded that their clergy and laity seek
our and find God’s Children in their cities, towns, and villages, so they could be turned over to
the Inquisition. Local secular officials were commanded to search forests, caves and villas, so
they could find the places God’s People were hiding and turn them over to the Inquisition. In
other words, Satan made an all out effort that lasted 500 years to destroy God’s Churches.

The Inquisition operated chiefly in France, Germany, Italy, and Spain, as well as other
places. Working in secret, the Inquisitors often misused their power. Anyone who was accused
by someone or suspected of believing any Christian doctrine that was contrary to their
Babylonian Catholic doctrines was tortured until a confession was given. If man, woman, boy,
or girl refused to change their beliefs, they were sentenced to be burnt alive at a staked in the
public square. If the accused recanted of their supposed heresy and confessed Catholicism,
they were immediately put to death, that is, before he or she could denounce Catholicism. If
the accused was wealthy, the so-called Holy Office seized his or her possessions!

Collier’s Encyclopedia speaking of this declared: Inquisitors replace the Episcopal courts as
instruments to deal with [so-called] heretics…. The ecclesiastical courts did not ordinarily accept the testimony of
criminals, heretics, or excommunicants, but the Inquisitors did, and also took the word of children. The accused
were NOT confronted by the witnesses, although they were told their names…. If the judges failed to obtain a
voluntary confession from a person, … they applied various means of torture, usually the rack…. The death
penalty, usually burning at the stake, was carried out by the civil authority to which Inquisitorial Court had given

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the condemned [so-called] heretic. It was clear what the Secular Prince would do with such persons, so that the
Inquisition [who enforced the Pope’s Bull] can hardly be exonerated by the fact that it did not directly execute heretics.
164

Pope Innocent IV and His Papal Inquisition: According to the above encyclopedia:
The Inquisition became under him [R. Innocent IV, 1243-1254] a regular instrument of papal policy: torture as a means
of discovering the truth was ordered by him…. Like his predecessors, Innocent IV was insistent on the exercise of
his true monarchic functions, thus reducing the role of the secular power, the Holy Roman Empire, to a mere
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lieutenancy…. According to him, the Papal plenitude of power embraced everything and everyone.

Pope Innocent VIII and His Papal Inquisition: After the Albigenses were crushed,
the Waldenses became the victims of the Inquisition in France. In 1487 AD Lucifer’s son
Pope Innocent VIII (R. 1484-1492) organized a crusade against them in Dauphiné and Savoy
(both now part of France). Many Waldenses took refuge in Switzerland and Germany,
merging gradually with the Bohemian Brethren. In 1535 AD they paid for the publication
in Switzerland of the first French Protestant Version of the Bible. Lucifer and his demons
must have had some hard belly laughs with all the Popes who were named Innocent; one
thing is for sure, he was well pleased with them!

How can anyone but a devil calling torturing devout Christians until they said what the
Inquisitors wanted them to say, truth justice or God’s will. Now my readers should be able to
understand why everyone, including the Kings of Europe, feared the Popes of Rome in this
Church Period; for no one was exempt from the powers of the Inquisition. The Inquisition
made the Pope of Rome the indisputable Ruler in Europe. As I said before, from 1200-1700
AD or for 500 years, the Pope’s Holy Office or the Inquisition tortured and burned at the
stake millions of Christ Loving, God Fearing, Holy Living men, women, and children and
claim they were doing god’s will!

Many of the Martyrs the Catholic Inquisition Tortured and Murdered Were
God’s Apostolic Pentecostals Children During this Period: Many of the so-called
heretics that were martyred during this period were One God, Jesus Name Christians, who
were also known as Oneness Anabaptist. According to some histories, some of these Oneness
Christians ones existed throughout Spain from the eight through the fifteenth century.
Weisser quoting from Robinson’s book entitled Ecclesiastical Researches says Robinson:
mentions groups deemed heretical by the Catholics.... [They] ‘were called in general Anabaptists. In a council held
at Lerida, in the archbishopric of Tarragon, it was decreed... [that] Antitrinitarians, who had been baptized in the
166
name of Christ,’ would be force to confess the doctrines of Catholicism.

The reason why most of God’s People during this Period were known as Oneness
Anabaptist was because they would rebaptize their converts in the precious, holy, sin cleansing
name of the Lord Jesus Christ and teach them the supreme Deity of Christ! Blunt says:
Antitrinitarianism then appears to be, NOT the genuine product of the Reformation, but the offspring of a school
[of belief] which had existed in the Church for CENTURIES BEFORE the Reformation was dreamt of.... The
Antitrinitarian principle in early times expended itself in producing the Sabellian… heresies of Gilbert de la
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Porree, and Joachim, abbot of Flora, which were met in the fourth Lateran Council AD 1215. Obviously
these men, who represented certain groups of God’s Churches at that time were Apostolic

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Jesus’ Name Preachers, and as usual, the Catholic Councils and Inquisition of their day
cursed, hated, persecuted, and put them to death.

Blunt also declared that the Catholic Councils were still condemning “Sabellianism” in the
fourteenth century. He said a: charge of the heresy [was brought]… against a portion of the Armenian Church
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by Benedict XII, see Raynald (Contin. of Baron.) AD 1341. Arnold revealed that as Vincent Ferrer
(1357-1419 AD): passed through Greek, German, Sardinian, Hungarian, and other people, he found effusions of
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Pentecostal phenomena - tongues, miracles, healing. Hastings informs us that Pope: Eugenius 4 found it
necessary to remind the Jacobites, in his decree dated 4th Feb. 1441 that the Church ‘condemns Sabellius for
170
confusing the Persons and for thus altogether doing away with the real distinction between them.

According to The Church Teaches, the Seventeenth Ecumenical Council in 1442 AD

condemned the Jacobites, who were Modalist Monarchians. These sons of Satan wrote: the
Father is not the Son or the Holy Spirit; the Son is not the Father or the Holy Spirit; the Holy Spirit is not the
Father or the Son.... Therefore, the holy Roman Church condemns, disapproves, anathematizes, and declares to
be separated from the body of Christ, which is the Church, all who hold any contrary opinions. Consequently, she
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condemns Sabellius. Even in the fifteenth century the Catholic Church was still pronouncing
their Satanic curses on God’s indestructible Church. Surely by now my readers must realize
that that the One God, Jesus’ Name, Apostolic, Modalist Monarchian, Anabaptist, Pentecostal
Church never ceased to exist. It would be stupid for the Roman Catholic Church to
continually condemn a Church Movement, century after century, that was suppose to have
died in the third century.

The Murderous Spirit of Jezebel

in the Protestant Reformers and their Inquisitions
The Persecution of God’s Apostolic Pentecostal Church by Martin Luther
and the Monarchs Who Married Lutheranism: Since we have examined the
persecution of God’s holy Children by the Catholic Inquisitions, let us now examine other
side of the head of the battle-ax of the sun-god Tyrimnos (Baal), that is, the Protestant
Inquisitions. The Encyclopedia Americana speaking of the Luther’s Inquisition says: The
Reformation provided the Inquisition with new opportunity for the extirpation of [so-called] heresy, and the
Protestants paid it tribute by adopting many of its attitudes and procedures. Luther… was as severe as any
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Inquisitor in his attitude toward religious radicals, such as the Anabaptist.

According to history, Luther and his followers also hated God’s Anabaptist Apostolic
Pentecostal Churches. As a result, they set up a Lutheran Inquisition to murder God’s holy
and innocent Children. Professor Roland H. Bainton in his great work “Hunted Heretic”
wrote: The dissemination [i.e. enormous spreading] of Anabaptism was so broad that both Catholics and Lutherans
feared the established churches would be displaced.... At the Diet of Speyer in 1529 both Catholics and Lutherans
agreed to subject them to the DEATH penalty throughout the Holy Roman Empire.... They did not burn Catholics,
but they drowned Anabaptist and they beheaded and burned Anti-Trinitarians [i.e. One God, Jesus Name Anabaptist]
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whose beliefs were repugnant to most Protestants as well as to Catholics.

Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 99 speaking of some of the main places where God’s
Anabaptist Apostolic Pentecostal Children dwelt stated: Another prominent denomination, the

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Unitarians [i.e. mostly One God, Jesus Name Unitarians], included a considerable number of followers in Switzerland,
Germany, the Netherlands, and Poland (Heading: Reformation). Oneness Anabaptists were in many
countries during the reformation, that is, Germany, Holland, Switzerland, Spain, Italy,
France, England, etc. Why would Catholics and Lutherans, who hated each other as heretics,
join together and form a union to burn God’s Children? This does not make any sense! Both
of these Satan inspired Religious Organizations evidently were not only scared of some of
God’s Children revival evangelistic spirit in the 16th century, but they must have hated them
more then they hated each other. In other words, they both had a common enemy that scared
them to death.

1525- 1532 AD: The Persecution of Bernhard Rothmann, A One God Jesus’
Name Preacher, by Luther’s Inquisition: According to professor Earle Cairns, in his
Christianity Through The Centuries: The Anabaptist in Germany faced extinction… from the state.
Bernhard Rothmann, one of the canons of the cathedral of Munster, began an effort to win Munster to the
evangelical faith. In 1532... the Emperor ordered the bishop of Munster to drive out Rothmann and his followers,
who were...proposing to sell property to aid the poor. Cairns continued by saying that the Anabaptist
denied: the ideas of Luther and Zwingli. 174

Arnold, referring to F. H. Little work entitled Reformation Studies, Essays in Honor of R. H.

Bainton, spoke of Rothmann as a Jesus’ Name Anabaptist. He says: the great preachers, writers,
scholars - Bernhard Rothmann and Jan van Leyden [in 1525 AD] - burst into the medieval theistic scene…. They
were monotheistic, and pious partakers of the Holy Ghost, and knew Pentecostal glossolalia.... Rothmann
preached, ‘True baptism is the entrance to the Church and there is no other gate to Eternal Life.... Let yourself be
baptized in Christ’s Name…. [He] was one of the greatest medieval Protestant preachers, and learned writer:
Bekentnisse, and Restitution. He definitely used Peter’s Acts 2:1-4; 2:38 in baptismal services.... He refuted both
Catholicism and Lutheranism, and tirelessly researched until he found ninth century Oneness Pentecostalism and
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continued in it.

1541 AD: The Persecution of God’s Apostolic Pentecostal Church by John

Calvin and the Monarchs Who Married Calvinism: The Encyclopedia Americana
speaking of the Calvin’s Inquisition stated: Calvin introduced inquisitorial procedures into Geneva…[in]
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1541. There were many victims, the most notable being Michael Servetus, who was burned in 1553. Let’s
briefly look at Servetus’ accomplishments, beliefs and martyrdom.

AD 1531-1553 AD: The Persecution of Miguel Servetus, A One God, Jesus’

Name Preacher, by Calvin’s Inquisition: The greatest Antitrinitarian, Anabaptist,
Sabellian Preacher in the sixteenth century was without a doubt Miguel Servetus. This man
was a Theologian, Author, and an outstanding Medical Research Doctor. He was in his
theology a Modalist Monarchian who held a slightly different view then most Oneness
Preachers on the Logos before Bethlehem. Moyer speaking about him as a Medical Scientist
said, Servetus was: the real discoverer of the pulmonary circulation of the blood. 177 Because he was
branded as a heretic, he did not receive the credit he deserved for his discovery at that time. In
fact, it was not until the 20th century, that medical science given him the credit he so justly
deserved for this great medical discovery.

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 Dr. Bainton declared that Servetus was the on the MOST WANTED DEAD or ALIVE list of
both Catholic and Protestant’s inquisitors. Blunt speaking of him as an Author and Reformer
stated: In 1531 his book De Erroribus Trinitatis was printed, and in the next year also, at Hagenau, Dialogorum
De Trinitate Libri Duo. These books raised a great tumult among the German divines, and, circulating in Italy,
were much approved by many who had thoughts of leaving the Church of Rome. In 1553, the year of his
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execution, he published at Vienna another book of Antitrinitarianism, Christianismi Restitutio.

Robert Wallace in his Antitrinitarian Biography spoke of Servetus’ last book and his great
evangelistic spirit wrote: His avowed object in the composition of this book was to bring back the Christian
world to what he conceived to be the primitive standard of faith; and it was for this reason that he entitled it ‘The
Restoration of Christianity’…. Walchius regarded him as a favourer of Sabellianism…. [Servetus] infers that
neither the Logos, nor the Holy Spirit, is a person really distinct from the Father, but only a kind of revelation of
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the divine nature. Servetus died as a true martyr for the Lord Jesus Christ. After the Catholic
Inquisition arrested Servetus in Paris and had him placed in prison, Servetus somehow
escaped. As he was fleeing for his life, he stopped over in Geneva where he was recognized and
arrested by Calvin’s Inquisition. Not only did Calvin have him arrested, but also he personally
acted as the prosecuting attorney against him. Calvin had him convicted and sentence to be
burnt alive as an Anabaptist Antitrinitarian.

One of the reasons why Calvin hated Servetus was because Servetus initiated long written
debates with Calvin under a Pseudonym Name, in which he debated with him on topics such
as the Godhead, the New Birth, Free-Will, etc. Servetus taught these doctrines from a One
God, Jesus Name point of view. Servetus hated Calvin’s Predestination Doctrine that God has
foreordained some of mankind to be lost and others to be saved. Calvin taught this doctrine of
hell this way: We call predestination God’s eternal decree, by which He determined within Himself what
He willed to become of each man. For all are not created in equal condition; rather, eternal life is
foreordained for some, eternal damnation for others" (Institutes 3. 21. 5).

It was Calvin who discovered that the one who was always reproving and correcting him
in these written debates, that is his theology, was actually Servetus. When Calvin realized
this, he informed the Catholic Inquisition in Paris the name Servetus was using in his
medical practice. According to Wallace, while he was in prison in Geneva, a minister by the
name of Farel visited him. Farel: strenuously urged him to recant: but Servetus, in reply to Farel’s
repeated solicitations, implored him to produce one solitary passage of Scripture, in which it is stated, the Christ
was called ‘the Son of God,’ before His birth of the Virgin Mary; and though he was fully alive to the awful
situation in which he stood, and knew that he would be shortly summoned into the presence of his final Judge,
neither threats not enticements could prevail upon him to retract.”

Wallace went on to say: When he [Servetus] was led to the place of execution, he repeatedly cried out, ‘O
God! Save my soul.... As soon as he came in sight of the Lieu de Champel, he prostrated himself on the earth, and
continued for some time in fervent prayer to God.... Servetus now rose from the earth, and Farel urged him to
address the assembled multitude, probably in the delusive hope, that he might be induced, at the last moment, to
retract. But Servetus still continued to invoke the name of the Almighty; and when Farel persisted in urging him
to speak, he asked him, what he could say different from what he had already said? Wallace describing his
death said: Servetus was fastened to the trunk of a tree fixed in the earth, his feet reaching to the ground; and a
crown of straw and leaves, sprinkled over with brimstone, was placed upon his head. His body was bound to the
stake with an iron chain, and a coarse twisted rope was loosely thrown round his neck. His books were then
fastened to his thigh; and he requested the executioner to put him out of his misery as speedily as possible. The

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pile was then lighted, and he cried out in so piteous a tone, as to excite the deep and earnest sympathy of the
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spectators.

When Dr. Servetus had suffered for some time, a few of them, from feelings of compassion,
and with a view to put an end to his misery, supplied the fire with a quantity of fresh fuel. One
of Servetus’ biographers stated that many copies of his De Erroribus Trinitatis, Dialogorum
De Trinitate Libri Duo and Christianismi Restitutio were piled around his feet and used as
fuel to burn him. Servetus died a victorious martyr’s death on October 27, 1553. Truly, this
was a great Modalist Monarchian Anabaptist Man of God. Surely this was the Church Period
where Satan offered up God’s Children as one continuous burnt sacrifice on his altars of
Catholicism and Protestantism.

Servetus in his book On the Errors of the Trinity wrote, Christ Jesus: is really the Father…. He
Himself is the face of the Father, nor is there any other person of God but Christ; there is no other hypostasis of
God but Him…. They [the Trinitarians] say that one portion [of God], I say that the whole nature of God is in Him. In
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Him is the whole deity of the Father…. He is God and the Lord of the world…. The Father is in the Son.
Servetus commenting on Colossians 1:19 and 2:9 in his Dialogues on the Trinity in Two
Treatises wrote: the whole fullness of God, the whole of God the Father together with all the fullness of his
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properties, whatever God has, this dwells fully in this man.

Professor Roland Bainton, in his Early and Medieval Christianity, spoke of Servetus’ role as
a Theologian. He said: Servetus examined the New Testament and was perfectly amazed to discover that this
tenet [the Trinity], so rigorously required and so obstinately refused, was actually NOT formulated in the Sacred
Scriptures.... The word Trinity does NOT occur. The key word, homoousios, that is to say that the Son is
consubstantial with the Father, is likewise absent.... Servetus was convinced that nothing should be deemed
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essential to the Christian faith, which is not in the Scriptures. Servetus was a fine Greek and Hebrew
Scholar, who using the literal method of interpreting scriptures. Bainton quoted Servetus as
saying: I do not separate Christ from God any more than a voice from the speaker.... Christ is in the Father as a
voice from the speaker. He and the Father are one.... An amazing mystery it is that God can thus be conjoined
with man and man with God. A great wonder that God has taken to Himself the body of Christ.... Because His
[Jesus’] Spirit was wholly God He is called God, just as from His flesh he is called man. Do not marvel that what
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you call humanity I adore as God.

Another sixteenth century Anabaptist leader was a man named David Joris. According to
Professor Harnack: David Joris subjected the Trinity to a Sabellian treatment, representing it as a threefold
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revelation of God. According to Dr. Bainton, Joris wrote a strong letter to Calvin and his band
of murderers to spare: the good pious Servetus [who] was delivered into [their] hands through no kindness and
love, but rather through envy and hate, as will be made manifest at the last judgment to those whose eyes are
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darkened by base cunning, and to whom the truth is unknown. Wallace also said: Minus Celsus related,
that the constancy [i.e. steadfastness] of Servetus, in the midst of the fire, induced many to go over to his opinion; and
Calvin makes it an express subject of complaint, that there were many persons in Italy, who cherished, and
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revered his memory.

Servetus was greatly loved and respected as a medical doctor by both Catholics and
Protestants throughout Europe. Many very powerful secular leaders of Europe did not take
his death lightly. According to some historians, LIBERTY of CONSCIENCE MOVEMENTS began
shortly after Servetus’ martyrdom! While God was stirring men conscience over Servetus’

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death, Satan was raising up one of the most demon possessed men who ever lived - Ignatius of
Loyola. This man, who was a Luciferian and believed in Zoroastrian Religion, started a
Catholic Order called the Jesuits. This order of men worked alongside the Inquisition and
actually increased their effectiveness in persecuting God’s Children. All the histories written
about them could not begin to tell all the evil the Jesuits committed over the centuries.

Is it not strange that during the Protestant Reformation that certain Protestant religious
organizations enjoyed religious freedom provided by the governments who protected them,
while God’s Apostolic, Pentecostal, Anabaptist Children were being hunted and burnt alive?
In this Church Period, Satan preferred people to believe in Catholicism, but if they chose to
believe in Protestantism, it was all right, just as long as they did not believe the truth of God’s
New Birth message or the Oneness of God! Satan knew from centuries of persecution of God’s
Children, that no amount of persecution he could bring to them could stop them. He also knew
that the more he persecuted and put them to death, the more people from other so-called
Christian Religions joined them, that is, after watching their victorious sufferings and death.

1547-1564 AD: The Renowned Catholic Theologian and Later Protestant

Professor, Bernardino Ochino Became One of God’s Persecuted One God,
Jesus’ Preachers: Blunt speaking of the persecution of the Oneness Anabaptist Christians
who believed and preached the doctrines of Servetus wrote: The followers of Servetus were
principally to be found in Lombardy, the best known of them being Bernardino Ochino. They were driven from
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Lombardy by the Inquisition, and also from Switzerland, eventually finding a home in Poland.

Bernardino Ochino, who was the vice-general of a Catholic order of monks, was a man of
great piety and sanctity. The Catholic people of Italy loved his fiery powerful preaching. In
1541 AD, God’s grace reached out to this man, and he came out of Catholicism and became a
Protestant Reformer. In 1547, he became an Oxford Professor and was appointed canon of
Canterbury in England. In 1553, he became a devoted follower of Servetus and from that time
on he was hated by both the Catholic and Protestant hierarchy. He fled Geneva and became a
Pastor in Zurich. After awhile: the Zurich council denied him the privilege of preaching and he took refuge
among Italian friends in Poland. Through Catholic influence, he was soon forced to leave country again and
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became a fugitive. Found asylum among the Hutterian Anabaptist, died in Austerlitz in 1564. In 1563,
Ochino published his book entitled Thirty Dialogues, which also contained his one God or One-
Person belief in the Jesus’ godhead.

1569-1573 AD: Catholic and Protestant’s Persecution of God’s Apostolic

Pentecostal Anabaptist Churches in Poland: Wallace wrote of the One God, Jesus’
Name, Anabaptist movement in Poland. He declared they: First formed themselves into Churches in
the year 1569. In the autumn of that year, when their affairs were in a very discouraging state, Ronemberg went
with Jerome Philipovious, George Schomann, and some others, into Moravia, for the purpose of hold a
conference with the Brethren in Moravia. But to their surprise, these Brethren: believed in the doctrine of
the Trinity. But God says Schomann: taking compassion upon us, restored our fallen affairs, by that
excellent man, Simon the Apothecary. Schomann, who was one of their ministers, stated in his book
“The Will”: On the last day of August, 1572, I, being in the forty-second year of my age, was baptized in the
name of Christ at Chmielnik;’ and ‘in the year 1573, I was sent to the ministry of the Minor Church at Cracow.

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190
Schomann wrote in the preface of his book, to the: little and afflicted flock in Poland, which was
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baptized in the name of Jesus of Nazareth, to all those who thirst after Eternal Salvation.

1645-1695 AD: God’s One God, Jesus’ Name Persecuted Churches in

England: Saltmarsh wrote a book entitled The Smoke In The Temple, which was published in
England in 1645. According to Weisser, Saltmarsh revealed that there were people in his day
who preached: The Baptism of Jesus Christ by water was only in the Name of Jesus Christ. They believed:
The form by which they [the Roman Catholic] baptize, viz. I baptize thee in the Name of the Father, Son and Holy
Ghost, is a form of man's devising, a tradition of man, a mere consequence drawn from supposition and
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probability, and not a form left by Christ. Since England did not have the Inquisition, they placed
God’s Children in prison for preaching this doctrine and also against the Trinity.

1646 AD: According to Wallace, Thomas Edwards of England wrote about some so-called
heretics, who taught and wrote that baptism in the name of the Trinity was a: Man-made tradition”
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and that Christian baptism was “only in the name of Jesus Christ.

1647-1684 AD: Protestant’s Persecution of George Fox and the Early One
God, Jesus’ Name Quakers: George Fox was a great Oneness Pentecostal Puritan
Preacher, who founded of the Society of Friends, or Quakers. In 1647, Fox began to preach
his “inner light” doctrine, speaking against formalized religion, particularly
Presbyterianism, and advocating that each person find his own personal divine communion
and relationship with God. Fox definitely believe and promoted speaking in tongues. He
was place in prison so many times over the years for boldly preaching the Gospel of Christ
that on might say, prison became his home away from home. In 1649, he was imprisoned at
Nottingham. A year later, he was jailed at Derby on a trumped-up charge of blasphemy.
Fox was jailed again in 1653, in 1656, and from 1664 to 1666.

In 1666, although weakened by hardship and the effects of imprisonment, Fox began to
devote most of his time to the organization of the Quakers as a Church. Fox embarked on a
missionary journey to North America and the West Indies in 1671; on his return to
England in 1673, he was again imprisoned, this time for two years. In 1677 and 1684, despite
poor health, he traveled to Germany and Holland, preaching his doctrines wherever
possible. Synan revealed that the early Quakers definitely experienced the phenomenon of
speaking in tongues. 194 Drs. M’Clintock and Strong revealed that speaking in tongues played a
big part in the: The disciples of George Fox… those of a later date in Sweden, America, and Ireland, have in
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like manner, been fruitful in ecstatic phenomena.

1660-1700 AD: Protestant’s Persecution of William Penn and the Early One
God, Jesus’ Name Quakers: The one of the greatest Antitrinitarian, Anabaptist, Modalist
Monarchian of the seventeenth century was William Penn. Around 1660 while attending the
University of Oxford, Penn was converted to Quakerism, who had a Oneness Sabellianism
godhead belief. The early Quakers according to Wallace: did not believe in the Athanasian doctrine
of the Trinity. Wallace went on to say: Penn attacked the notion of three persons in one God, and came out
at last with a species of Sabellianism. Penn was one of their most fearless and outspoken preachersof

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his day. He no doubt was in God’s Hall of Fame Book, that is, the Lamb Book of Life, just as
Miguel Servetus, and a host of other Heroes of Faith.

In 1666, Penn went to Ireland where his religious beliefs brought him into conflict with
the authorities, which resulted in him being place in prison. In 1668, Penn wrote a booklet
entitled The Sandy Foundation. Throughout his book he denounced the Trinity. Penn wrote: If
there be three distinct and separate persons... there must be three distinct substances, and consequently three
distinct gods. As a result, he was thrown into prison in the Tower of London. In prison, Penn
defended his book by saying: I do not believe Christ to be the eternal Son of God... I expressed nothing that
divested Christ of His Divinity.... I deny a Trinity of separate persons in the godhead…. Does thou in good earnest
think they [Catholicism] were one in judgment with Sabellius, who only rejected the imaginary personality of those
times; who at the same instant owned and confessed to the Eternity and Godhead of Christ Jesus our Lord. It is
manifest, then that though I may deny the Trinity of separate persons in one godhead, yet I do not consequentially
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deny the Deity of Jesus Christ.

When Admiral Penn sent one of his servants to visit his son in prison, Penn told him: Thou
mayest tell my father, who I know will ask thee, these words; that my prison shall be my grave, before I will budge
a jot; for I owe my conscience to no mortal man; I have no need to fear. God will make amends for all. The
truth is says Wallace: Penn and the early Quakers, professed to acknowledge Christ, in what they called ‘his
double appearance,’ or, as they more commonly expressed it, ‘in the flesh,’ and ‘in the Spirit, He was ‘God over
all. He went on to say that early Quakers held: The doctrine of Sabellius… [but expressed it] in the peculiar
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phraseology of Quakerism.

During his imprisonment, Penn wrote his most famous book, No Cross, No Crown, and
Innocency with Her Open Eyes (both 1669). In 1671, he was sent to Newgate prison for six
months, in which he wrote four treatises; one of them, The Great Cause of Liberty of
Conscience, which was a defense of the doctrine of toleration. After Penn was finally
released from prison, he went to America and founded the Colony of Pennsylvania in 1682.
Pennsylvania was given to Penn by King Charles II of England, as a payment for a debt the
King owed Penn’s father Admiral Penn.

Penn founded this Colony on the principles that men of all races and creeds should
govern themselves in complete religious, political, and intellectual freedom. This concept
became know as his Holy Experiment. As a result, the City of Philadelphia became a haven
for Quakers and all who desired religious freedom. In 1700, Penn issued his famous
Charter of Privileges in Philadelphia, which guarantee religious freedom to all. According
to historians, the early Quakers had great revivals, they believed in all the Gifts of the Spirit
and God did many miracles through them.

1687-1695 AD: God’s Had Many One God, Jesus’ Name Children in
England: According to Wallace, in 1687 there were in England: Many who did not want to
embrace Unitarianism in its naked simplicity, yet agreed with Penn in discarding the Athanasian Creed, and
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contented themselves with a belief in a Modal Trinity. In the seventeenth century, a book appeared
in England entitled Gangraena, which was written by Thomas Edwards. Wallace says this
man compiled a list of a 180 errors that were in the churches of England during his time.
Edwards declared that even in: The best Independent Churches and Congregation are mixed assemblies of
people with many different beliefs. One of the so-called errors Edward’s names, which some

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or many of these people believed was: The baptism of Christ by water was only in the name of Jesus
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Christ, not of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost.

Wallace also mention a “Collection of Tracts” that appeared in England in 1695, which
were entitled “A Discourse Concerning the Nominal and Real Trinitarians.” Its object was to
shew that there was: A clear line of demarcation between these two classes of Trinitarian believers; that the
Nominalists, who are properly the Church since they form the large majority of it members. After this, says
Wallace, the author of the tracts explained: In a separate section, the doctrine of the ancient Nominalists,
or the Noetians and Sabellians; and, after a brief recapitulation, proceeds, in the five following sections, to
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substantiate the charge of Tritheism against the Realists.

God Sent Great Tribulation to Catholic Popes, Protestant Reformers,

and Their Churches for
Murdering His Anabaptist Apostolic Pentecostal Children as Heretics
Let take another look at God’s promise to send great tribulation to Catholics and
Protestants for burning His Children. God said: “I gave her [Catholic Popes and Protestant Leaders] space to
repent of her fornication; and she repented not. Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery
with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds. And I will kill her children with death” (Rev. 3:21-
22). God gave the Popes of Rome about 137 years to repent (1200-1337 AD) of their murderous
ways. But as history reveals, they keep their Inquisitions going to curtail God’s People from
having revival and to keep their numbers down. As a result, God sent wars and plagues to
them. Just as He did to the Emperors of the Roman Empire and the Kings of Europe in the
Pergamos Church Period for doing the same thing.

100 Year War: The war God sent to the Catholics in this Church Period was like no
other, for it was a great war that lasted for 100 years, which brought them into great
tribulation. Webster's International Encyclopedia speaking of the Hundred Year War stated:
The great war between England and France which began in 1337 and effectively ended in 1453 was merely the
last phase of a much more protracted conflict…. The so-called ‘Hundred Years War’ can therefore be divided
into two major phases: from 1337 to 1417, and from 1417 to 1453. The second invasion of Normandy by Henry V
(1417) was an important turning point in the conflict…. The collapse of English rule in France demonstrated that
Henry V's war aims had proved impossible to achieve. Although it was essentially an Anglo-French conflict, the
Hundred Years War was also a French civil war, in which the great nobles fought both the Crown and each other
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in a struggle for independence and autonomy.

The Bubonic Plague: Another great tribulation God sent to those who persecuted His
Children was the Black Death, which sweep over all of Europe. According to Webster's
International Encyclopedia: The Black Death arrived in Europe in 1348…. The Black Death - bubonic
plague with complications - first noted in Asia in 1346, was the greatest medical disaster of the Middle Ages,
killing in its first wave, from 1347 to 1350, perhaps 25 per cent of Europe's population…. It also became endemic,
with possibly even graver consequences. Between 1350 and 1400 the average European lifespan may have shrunk
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from 30 to a mere 20 years, and Florence lost almost three-quarters of its population between 1338 and 1447.

Peasants’ War: In the German revolt of 1524-1526 AD, the peasantry and the lower
classes of the towns rose up against their feudal overlords. It was caused by the growing

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economic, religious, and judicial oppression to which the lower classes of Germany were
subjected by the nobles and clergy. The revolt was particularly violent in Thüringen, where
it was made a religious issue by the sect of Anabaptists, headed by the German religious
leader Thomas Münzer. Paradoxically, the opposition of Martin Luther, whose principles
were adopted by the dissatisfied peasants and lent inspiration to the revolt, contributed to
the defeat of the peasants.

The French War of the Protestant Huguenots with the Roman Catholics:
God sent a war of great tribulation to the Catholics and Protestants of France. Microsoft
Encarta Encyclopedia 99 under the heading of Huguenots spoke of this religious war that
took place in France between 1562-1598 AD. It stated: Huguenots, name given to the Protestants
of France from about 1560 to 1629. Protestantism was introduced into France between 1520 and 1523, and its
principles were accepted by many members of the nobility, the intellectual classes, and the middle class. At
first the new religious group enjoyed royal protection…. At their first national synod (1559), or council, 15
churches were represented. At the next, held two years later, more than 2000 churches sent representatives.
The rise in the number of French Protestants excited the alarm and hatred of the French Roman
Catholics….

The Huguenots were persecuted severely in Charles's [IX] reign, and they in turn made reprisals upon the
Roman Catholics. Finally, open civil war broke out. Between 1562 and 1598 eight bitter wars were fought
between French Roman Catholics and Protestants…. In 1598 Henry IV issued the Edict of Nantes, by which
the Huguenots received almost complete religious freedom…. Louis XIV, however, persecuted them
mercilessly, and on October 18, 1685, he revoked the Edict of Nantes. Finding life in France intolerable under
the ensuing persecutions and evaporation of religious liberty, hundreds of thousands of Huguenots fled to
England, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and the English colonies in North America, including
Massachusetts, New York, and South Carolina. The total emigration is believed to have been from 400,000 to
1 million, with about 1 million Protestants remaining in France.

The Wars of Religion: God also poured out His wrath on both Catholics and
Protestants in what came to be known as the “Wars of Religion,” which lasted from 1580-
1660. Webster's International Encyclopedia speaking of these wars stated: It is true that people of
different religions fought against one another - there have been many 'Holy Wars' and 'Crusades' in history - but
it is a bad mistake to think that religion was the only reason for these wars…. [Philip II of Spain] was the central
figure in the first series of religious wars, and nobody has ever doubted that he was a very sincere, devoted
Catholic, and that he wanted to see Protestantism defeated and destroyed…. Philip sent soldiers to help the
Catholics in the wars in France, but he did not intervene very strongly until the Catholic leaders were so weak
that they had to do exactly as he said, and offered the crown of France to his daughter…. Everyone has heard
how Philip tried to invade England in 1588 with the Armada….

[The Thirty Years' War (1618-1648):] The last big religious war broke out in 1618, twenty years after
the death of Philip II. It arose from quite a small dispute inside the Holy Roman Empire, when the Protestants in
Bohemia tried to appoint a Protestant as their king, instead of the emperor, who was a Catholic. The war spread
across the empire, with German Catholic and Protestant states gradually joining in. Then it spread further. Spain
sent soldiers to help the emperor (both the king of Spain and the emperor were members of the Habsburg family)
and the Catholics began to win. Then Sweden came in, under her soldier-king, Gustavus Adolphus, and the
Protestants won great victories. But in one of those battles Gustavus was killed, and the Catholics started to win
again. It looked as though the Catholic side, led by the Habsburgs, might conquer the whole of Germany. France
was a Catholic country. Louis XIII allowed Cardinal Richelieu to direct his government…. The cardinal sent his
armies into the war on the Protestant side. In 1648 the Peace of Westphalia was signed, ending the war in
Germany…. The Holy Roman Emperor had tried to assert himself and had failed…. It was still to be a long time

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before most governments in Europe were to allow freedom of religion to their people, but at least Protestants and
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Catholics had now learnt that they could not destroy each other's Churches.

Let us read what Collier’s Encyclopedia has to say about the effects this war had on the
Catholic and Protestant Inquisitions. It stated: Like [Pope] Innocent III, they [Protestant Leaders] equated
heresy with treason and in that way justified the death penalty…. Various causes reduced the popularity and
efficacy of the Inquisition…. The growth of Protestantism and the stalemate of the Thirty Years’ War (1618-1648)
made it clear that Roman Catholicism had lost its exclusive control over religious thought and practice…. Both
the Enlightenment and the increase of royal absolutism deterred any alien infringement on intellectual freedom
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and political independence, even in countries predominantly Roman Catholic.

God gave His Children some relief from persecution during this time as He was pouring out
His wrath on Catholics and Protestants. Because of the Age of Enlightenment that was slowly
making it way into this time period, men cried out everywhere for LIBERTY of CONSCIENCE,
which as I stated before really began after the death of the great Medical Doctor and
Antitrinitarian, Anabaptist, Sabellian Evangelist Miguel Servetus was martyred.

The English Puritan War or Revolution: The English Revolution, which is also
called the Puritan Revolution, was a general designation for the period in English history
from 1640 to 1660 AD. It began with the calling of the Long Parliament by King Charles I
and proceeded through two civil wars, the trial and execution of the king, the republican
experiments of Oliver Cromwell, and, ultimately, the restoration of King Charles II.

History’s Comment on the Injustice of the Catholic and Protestant

Inquisitions: The Encyclopedia Americana stated: The Inquisition cannot be defended or justified. By
the standard of modern legal science, the Tribunal [i.e. its Court System] was fundamentally flawed in its organization
and procedures. The constraints placed on the accused, the refusal of competent legal counsel, the excessive
powers of the Inquisitor, the use of torture, the terror of the ultimate penalty, all these and more precluded [barred
or excluded] the attainment of justice. Yet there are deeper considerations. The Inquisition presupposed a
cooperation between church and state offensive to modern morality for its violation of the sanctity of individual
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conscience.

If Catholic and Protestant organizations are really ashamed of the horrors of the
Inquisition that their earlier leaders taught and promoted, then why have their leaders of
today not offer a formal apology to God’s Apostolic Pentecostal Children? Why have not the
Popes of this century condemned the Popes of earlier centuries for the atrocities they have
committed? Why have not Protestant Leaders condemned the founders of their religious
organizations for the atrocities they have committed? The truth is the murderous spirit of
Jezebel in those organizations have not changed, if they were given the opportunity today, they
would do the same thing, because Lucifer is the founder and god of their church
organizations!

CHAPTER 5
THE SARDIS CHURCH PERIOD, AD 1700 TO 1800

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 The Salutation: “You [John] write OF the CHURCH, the MESSENGER in Sardis. These things says He who
has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars” (my translation). The Problem: “I know your works, that you
have a name that you are alive, but you are dead. Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that
are ready to die, for I have not found your works perfect before God.” The Reproof: “Remember therefore
how [pos] you have received and heard; hold fast and repent. Therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon
you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you.” The Promise: “You have a FEW
names even in Sardis who have NOT DEFILED their garments; and they shall walk with Me in white, for
they are worthy” (Rev 3:1-4).

History of the City: Sardis was an ancient Greek city in the western part of Asia Minor
in present-day Turkey. It was about: 45 miles E of Smyrna and the Aegean Sea, 30 miles SE of
Thyatira, and 30 miles NW Philadelphia. It was located at the base of Mount Tmolus and had
a road from the north that intersected it. Its was the capital of the Lydian King Croesus and
it was noted for it military citadel or fortress that occupied one of the branches of the
mountain. The hill upon which the fortress stood measures 950 ft. high and the triple walls
still surround it; in other words, the citadel was greatly fortified therefore Sardis was well
protected. At the bottom of this mountain flowed the Pactolus River, which served as a
moat, rendering the city practically impregnable. According to history, the walls of the
fortress were scaled twice, once in 549 BC by Cyrus’ Persian soldiers and another time in
218 BC by Cretan soldiers. At both times, the guards on duty at that section of the wall
were asleep.

It was also famous for its very large cemetery, which today is a short distance from Sert-
Kalessi, South of the Gygaean Lake. The modern name of this cemetery is Bin Tepe or
Thousand Mounds, because of the large group of great Mounds [Graves] in which the kings
and nobles were buried. Many of the mounds were long ago excavated and plundered. In
17 AD, under the emperor Tiberius, Sardis and 11 other cities of Asia experienced a great
earthquake that desolated them; Rome remitted its taxes for five years and rebuilt the city.

Sardis was also renowned for its temple of the mother goddess Cybele, and was the seat
of her worship where softness, luxury, apathy, and all forms of sexual immorality were the
prevailing spirits.. Its theater that was 400 ft. in diameter, and its stadium that would seat a
1,000. Sardis’ wealth was partly due to the gold that was found in the sand of the Pactolus
River, and it was here that gold and silver coins were first struck. According to Pliny the it
was the place where the dyeing of wool was discovered. The city in 1402 AD was completely
destroyed by Tamerlane and it was never rebuilt. Among the ruins that now stands in
Sardis is a small village called Sert-Kalessi. 206

The Salutation: “You [John] write OF the CHURCH, the MESSENGER in Sardis. These things says He
who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars” (my translation). As stated before, God has a
different message to each of the Seven Churches. Therefore, God greets His Children in this
Church Period by reminding them that He knows all and has the Seven Spirits of God, that is,
the Gifts of the Spirit; therefore, He has everything they need to overcome the flesh, the world,
the Devil, and to evangelize their world (Isa 11:1-2, the 7 Spirits of God).

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 In other words, God is telling His Children to wake up out of their sleep, recognize the spirit
of the times they were living in, and use His Power to evangelize their world. This is the time
where the spirit of tolerance, freedom of conscience, and freedom of religion was very strong
in the hearts of most men. In the latter part of the 17th century and in the 18th century the
English, American, and French REVOLUTIONS were fought to win and preserve these
freedoms! Jesus was informing His Children that the CONTINUOUS SACRIFICE on the Altars of
JEZEBEL has ended. Sure there will few martyrs, but Freedom of Religion is the spirit that will
prevail in this Church Period.

Sardis was a city that was located on a road that was between Smyrna on the west and
Philadelphia on the east. It was symbolic of a Church Period that was between two other
Church Periods, that is, God’s victorious suffering evangelistic Church in the Smyrna
Church Period, and God’s victorious evangelistic Church in the Philadelphia Church
Period. Sardis also had a road that intersected it from the north in which was located the City
of Thyatira, which as a whole represented a Church Period where God’s Children were in
HIDING from the Catholic and Protestant Inquisitions, even though they had a few great
evangelists during this time.

In this Church Period, God’s Anabaptist Apostolic Pentecostal Churches have become
weak and afraid from many centuries of persecution. Many Millions have been tortured and
murdered over the centuries from Lucifer’s Pagan and later Catholic Emperors of Rome,
Catholic Kings of Europe, Roman Catholic Popes and their Inquisitions, and at last from
Satan’s Protestant Inquisitions. Even though God’s Holy Church has suffered tremendous
persecution from the hands of Jewish, Pagan, Catholic, and Protestant “Synagogues of Satan”,
who all claimed to be Children of God (Rev 2:9), our Lord and Savior has never left Himself
without a Witness on the earth of His love and salvation.

The Problem: “I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead. Be
watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die, for I have not found your works
perfect before God.” According to Arnold: Larkin mentioned that Sardis tends to mean, ‘escaping one,’ or
those ‘who came out....’ There are other reasons why the ‘coming out’ phrase had tremendous meaning in
association with Sardis. The Pactolus River, rather small, flows down from Mount Tmolus and through Sardis,
emptying into the Hermas, which then tumbles out of the uplands toward Smyrnaean Plains. Also, annual floods
207
gushed out from the Sardis vicinity.

Our Savior being the One, and only One, who possesses all the Gifts of the Spirit, KNOWS
the lives, works, and history of all of His Children. Since He has this knowledge, He tells His
Children that they have a great name and reputation, which they have inherited from millions
of Christians in past Church Periods, of being God’s one and only Church on earth! In other
words, these Christians are coasting along on the reputation and blessings of God on their
forefathers, who had a long and proud history of being the Children of Almighty God!

After God reminds that of the living name or reputation that they have inherited from their
forefathers, He then proceeds to inform them that many of them in this Church Period are
dead. Jesus tells His Children that they are rapidly dying and need to wake up out of their
sleep of death, which has produced in them a hardhearted, indifferent, and nonchalant spirit

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concerning the lost. They need to become more vigilant and fulfill His Great Commission by
going “into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mk 16:15). Therefore, in this Church
Period God accuses many of His Children of sleeping, fearing persecution, and hiding in
Protestant Churches. He tells them it is time those who were hiding in their secret
underground Churches and those in their Protestant Churches to COME OUT, and start
evangelizing again.

Dr. Robertson makes the following comments on Rev 3:1-2: A name that thou livest (onoma hoti
zêis). A name in contrast with reality…. And thou art dead (kai nekros ei). ‘The paradox of death under the name
of life’ (Swete). Not complete (a nucleus of life) death (verse 2), but rapidly dying. He does not say ‘Arise from the
dead’ (Eph 5:14), for there are vestiges of life…. Stablish the things that remain (stêrison ta loipa)… to make
stable. Those not actually dead, but in grave peril…. Which were ready to die…. Their works have not measured
up to God’s standard (enôpion tou theou mou)…. Remember (mnêmoneue) ‘Keep in mind’… [what] thou hast
received… ‘as a permanent deposit (Vincent)…. ‘If then thou do not wake up.’

The Reproof: “Remember therefore how [pos] you have received and heard; hold fast and repent.
Therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come
upon you.” The Greek adverb “pos (poce)” means: “how or in what way”. This adverb is
used 103 times in the NT, and the KJ translators translated it as: how (99 times), by what
means (2 times), and after what manner (1 time). In this verse, our Lord is reminding His
Children of their proud heritage and how or in what way or by what means they received
the truth.

In other words, their forefathers paid a great price on the altars of sacrifice, torture,
and death, for them to know and have the great doctrinal truths they possessed. Doctrinal
truths such as: 1) Calvary God’s love and grace to lost humanity. 2) Baptism in the Name
of the Lord Jesus Christ as how a believer enters into Jesus’ death and burial. 3) Being
born of the Holy Spirit with the initial evidence of speaking in tongues as how a believer
enters into Jesus’ resurrection. 4) Christ Jesus being God the Father manifested in flesh, or
Christ being God the Father’s visible tangible Self in a Human Nature, etc.

The Promise: “You have a FEW names even in Sardis who have NOT DEFILED their garments;
and they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy.” Again, our Savior informs His Church
that He will never leave Himself without a witness of earth of His truths, for Lucifer will
never destroy God’s holy, overcoming Church. Jesus has kept His promise to His Children
that: “the gates of Hell shall not prevail against” His glorious Church (Mt 16:18). Therefore, Jesus
reminds His Children that some of their forefathers have never bowed a knee to Baal at his
Catholic and Protestant doctrinal altars. In other words, God God’s Church was alive and
well in the past Church Periods, and even it is alive and well in the Laodicean Church
Period we live in today.

The Coming Out of Religious Bondage

and the Struggle for Liberty and Religious Freedom
The Spirit of Enlightenment, Freedom of Religion, and Revolution characterized the
Sardis Church Period. John Locke, an English philosopher, in his Two Treatises of

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Government (1690), attacked the theory of divine right of kings and the nature of the state.
Locke argued that sovereignty did not reside in the state but with the people, and that the
state is supreme, but only if it is bound by civil laws. Many of Locke’s political ideas, such
as those relating to natural rights, property rights, the duty of the government to protect
these rights, and the rule of the majority, were later embodied in the U.S. Constitution.
Locke further held that revolution was not only a right but also often an obligation, and he
advocated a system of checks and balances in government, which was to comprise three
branches, of which the legislative is more powerful than the executive or the judicial. He
also believed in religious freedom and in the separation of church and state.

The so-called Age of Enlightenment began in the 17th century. It is a term used to
describe the trends in thought and letters in Europe and the American colonies during the
18th century prior. The phrase was frequently used by writers of this period. They were
convinced that they were emerging from centuries of darkness and ignorance into a new
period enlightened by human reason. This period was extremely impressed by Isaac
Newton’s discovery of universal gravitation. People came to assume that through a sensible
use of reason continuous progress in knowledge, in technical achievement, and even in
moral values could be obtained.

Most of mankind was convinced that the Roman Catholic Church, with all its wealth,
political power, and suppression of the free exercise of reason, was the principal force in
the world that had enslaved the mind and spirit of man in the past. As a result, preachers
and philosophers made continuous, intense, and ferocious attacks on the Catholic Church
in their speeches and writings. By the 1770s, the enormous increase in the publication of
newspapers and books ensured a wide circulation of their ideas.

In the eyes of Europeans, the Declaration of Independence and the Revolutionary War
signaled that, for the first time, some individuals were going beyond the mere discussion of
enlightened ideas and were actually putting them into practice. The American Revolution
probably encouraged attacks and criticisms against existing European regimes. Toward
the end of the 18th century, the concentration of power in the hands of the monarch began
to be challenged.

Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 99 under the heading of “Freedom of Religion” stated:

Right of a person to form personal religious beliefs according to his or her own conscience and to give public
expression to these beliefs in worship and teaching, restricted only by the requirements of public order. Religious
liberty differs from toleration in that toleration presupposes preferential treatment of a particular creed by the
state because it is an established church or, in some cases, is the predominant religion of the population…. The
nations of antiquity permitted tolerance to individuals of minority religions, provided they took part in the public
worship of the national gods. Soon after Christianity became established as the official religion of the Roman
Empire in the 4th century, heresy and heterodoxy became equivalent to treason. After the Reformation this
condemnation of atypical religious beliefs was continued by nations with established reformed churches, and
those who disagreed with the established church were punished….

The United States was the first, and for some time the only, nation to include the principle of religious liberty
in its basic laws…. The colonists immigrating to the New World brought with them the same doctrine of religious
intolerance, and in many of the American colonies dissent from the established order of worship was regarded as

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sedition. The charter of Rhode Island, granted in 1663, is notable for being the first to include a declaration of the
right to religious liberty. This doctrine gradually spread to the other colonies, and at the time of the American
Revolution the principle of religious liberty was explicitly adopted in various state constitutions. The process
culminated in the adoption of the U.S. Constitution, which in Article VI forbids the establishment of any religious
test as a qualification for federal office, and in the 1st Amendment forbids the passage of laws "respecting the
establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." Freedom of Religion,"

According to history, three great revolutions helped to define individual liberty

contained in a Bill of Rights and ensure its preservation: 1) The English Revolution (the
Glorious Revolution) of 1689 in which Parliament adopted a Bill of Rights for the people. This
revolution was the culmination of several hundred years of gradual imposition of judicial
and legislative restraints upon the monarchy. 2) The American Revolution of 1776, with its
Declaration of Independence, also had a very comprehensive Bill of Rights. 3) The French
Revolution of 1789 established a representative government and a Bill of Rights, which
destroyed the feudal system in France. These three great revolutions inspired the people of
Europe and around the world to challenge and overthrow the concept that the
concentration of the power of government should be in the hands of a monarch. The
concept of a republic form of government began to grow and take root in many nations of
the world.

In 1773, the suppression of the Jesuit Order in the Catholic Church definitely had a positive
effect on restricting the power of the Catholic Inquisition. These Jesuits caused more wars
between Catholic and Protestant Kings then any order in Catholicism. This is why John
Adams writing to Thomas Jefferson said: If any people deserves the torments of hell, surely it must be
the Jesuits. Some historians called the Jesuits: the light infantry of the Pope. They like the Inquisition
were strong supports of the Pope. Because of the wars and revolutions they cause, the Catholic
and Protestant Kings of Europe threaten to invade the Vatican if the Pope did not abolish this
Catholic Order of devils.

According to Collier’s Encyclopedia: The French Revolution and Napoleon put an end to the operation
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of the Inquisition where they were influential. In 1796 Napoleon conquered the Habsburgs and in
1798 Napoleon deposed Pope Pius VI and gave the Papal States a new form of government.
From this time on the power of the Popes of Rome were broken, and the Inquisition was done
away with never to be revive again; at least not until the tribulation period, when the
Antichrist or the Man of Sin rules Europe.

God’s Apostolic Pentecostal Children

Began to Come Out of their Underground Churches
Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 99 under the heading of “Civil Rights and Civil
Liberties” speaking of God’s Children and religious liberty stated: On the European continent
the struggle between authoritarian and libertarian principles developed around religious rather than secular
issues. During the Reformation, freedom of religious belief and practice was a primary concern. Tolerance
was rare; as late as 1612, for instance, members of the Unitarian sect [i.e. mostly One God Jesus Name Unitarian]
were burned as [so-called] heretics in England. Not until the end of the 18th century did the ideals of religious
toleration become firmly established in Western civilization.

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 According to Wallace, around 1700 AD there were in England: many who did not want to
embrace Unitarianism in its naked simplicity, yet agreed with Penn in discarding the Athanasian Creed, and
209
contented themselves with a belief in a Modal Trinity. In the seventeenth century, a book appeared
in England entitled Gangraena, which was written by Thomas Edwards. Wallace says this
man complied a list of a 180 errors that were in the churches of England during his time.
Edwards declared that even in: the best Independent Churches and Congregation are mixed assemblies” of
people with many different beliefs. One of the so-called errors Edward’s names, which some or many of these
people believed was that “the baptism of Christ by water was only in the name of Jesus Christ, not of the Father,
210
Son and Holy Ghost.

Arnold, referring to M. P. Hamilton work The Charismatic Movement, says: the Apostolic
doctrine of the Jesus’ Name Montanists was found to exist in Britain in 1727. He also mentioned a
large Jesus’ Name Tongue Talking group of believers in France. He says they were called:
Convulsionaries, a name given to them by their enemies. Arnold continued by saying: they had the Jesus
Name baptism, tongues, the Holy Spirit, power, boldness, and ‘miracles upon miracles,’ which appeared
‘thaumaturgy,’ meaning effusion of miracles. The historian Gregoire wrote about the French government being
so upset that Parliament, in 1762, forbid working of miracles on some French grounds.... It lasted until the date of
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1828, where the records indicate the shaking Convulsionist revival began to wan.

According to Weisser, Robert Robinson (1735-1790 AD), in his book entitled History of
Baptism, claimed that many Christians in England in his day believed and practiced baptism
in Jesus’ Name. Robinson says: many Christians taking it for granted, that the apostles thoroughly
understood the words of the Lord Jesus [in Mt. 28:19], and supposing the form of words of local and temporary use,
administer baptism in the Name of Christ, and think themselves justified by the book of the Acts of the Apostles.
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As my reader can see, even though Jezebel’s Catholic and Protestant Prophets were crying
out for God’s People to be offered up as burnt sacrifices on their satanic altars, God never left
Himself without a witness in this Church Age.

CHAPTER 6
THE PHILADELPHIAN CHURCH PERIOD,
AD 1800 TO THE PRE-TRIBULATION RAPTURE
AND RESURRECTION
The Salutation: “You [John] write OF the CHURCH, the MESSENGER in Philadelphia. These things says
He who is holy, He who is true, He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and
no one opens”(my translation). The Commendation: “I know your works. See, I have set before you an
open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have KEPT My WORD, and have not denied
My NAME. Indeed I will make those of the synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews and are not, but lie --
indeed I will make them come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you.”

The Promise: “Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will KEEP you FROM the
hour of TRIAL which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. Behold, I am
coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown. He who overcomes, I will make
him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. And I will write on him the name of My
God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My
God. And I will write on him My new name. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the
churches” (Rev 3:7-13).

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 Our Lord gives no reproof to His Children in this Church Period, and they do not seem to
have any problems, even though Lucifer’s Synagogues or Churches, that is the Roman
Catholic and Protestant Churches, are still in existence.

History of the City: Philadelphia an ancient Greek city in the western part of Asia
Minor in present-day Turkey. It was about: 75 mile E of Smyrna and the Aegean Sea, 30 miles
SE of Sardis, 40 miles NW of Laodicea, and it was located on the Cogamus River. On one side
of the city the land is exceedingly fertile and fruitful. It was in the wine-growing district and
Bacchus (Dionysos) was its chief deity. Behind it are the volcanic cliffs to which the Turks
have given the name of Devitt, or “inkwells”, and it was subject to earthquakes. It was
destroyed and rebuilt by Tiberius after the great earthquake of 17 AD, for a time called in
coins Neo-Caesarea.

It was on fine Roman roads and of commercial importance, a wealthy trade center though
not a large city. It had a large population of Jews, as many cities of Asia Minion did. Ramsay
called it ‘the Missionary City’ because it was used to promote the spread of the Graeco-
Roman civilization and later Christianity. There is still a church in Philadelphia in spite of the
Turks, and its modern-day name is Ala-Shehir (Alasehir - reddish city from the red hills
behind it), which some consider to be a corruption of the Turkish words Allah-shehir, “city
of God”; or rather, “beautiful ('alah) city.” Today, it has a population of about 36,535. 213

The Salutation: “You [John] write OF the CHURCH, the MESSENGER in Philadelphia. These things
says He who is holy, He who is true, He who has the KEY [kleis] of DAVID, He who opens and no one shuts,
and shuts and no one opens”(my translation). Our Savior greets His Children by reminding them
that He is the One who has the Key that opens the door of Salvation, and He alone has the
power to open the door to God’s Kingdom or to close it (Jn 3:3-8; Tit 3:5). Dr. Joseph Thayer in
his work A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament gave this definition for “kleis (klice)”:
since the keeper of the keys has the power to open and to shut, the WORD…. The power of David (who is a
type of the Messiah, the second David), i. e. of RECEIVING INTO the Messiah’s Kingdom and of excluding
from it Rev. 3:7… Luke 11:52… Matt. 16:19 (#2972).

Jesus called SALVATION the Key of Knowledge: “Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away
the KEY [kleis] of KNOWLEDGE [gnosis]. You did NOT enter in yourselves, and those who were entering in
you hindered” (Lk 11:52). Our Savior told the apostle Peter that He was giving him the KEYS of
SALVATION: “I will give you the KEYS [kleis] of the KINGDOM of HEAVEN, and whatever you bind on
earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven” (Mt 16:19; cp with
Rom 14:17). Peter used those KEYS on the Day of Pentecost to open the door of Salvation to
3,000 Jews, when they asked him and all the other apostles: “Men and Brethren, what shall we do
[i.e. to be SAVED]? Then Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and let every one of you be Baptized in the Name of Jesus
Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:37-38; cp with Jn 3:3-
8; Tit 3:5; Mk 16:15-16; 1Pe 3:20-21; Acts 8:12-16; 10:43-48; 19:1-6; 1Co 6:11; Isa 28:9-12; 1Co 14:21-22, 2,
14-15; Acts 2:4). Evidently, these Jews truly believed Peter’s Message of Jesus’ death, burial,
resurrection, and His Supreme Deity (vss 22-24, 36-37).

The Commendation: “I know your WORKS. See, I have set before you an OPEN DOOR, and no
one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have KEPT My WORD, and have not DENIED My NAME.

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Indeed I will make those of the synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews and are not, but lie -- indeed I will
make them come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you.” Our Redeemer
commended His Children for their good works, especially because they LOVED their
brothers and sisters in Christ. This can definitely be seen in the fact that the Lord chose the
Church of Philadelphia to typify the spirit of His Children in this Church Period. The Greek
word “Philadelpheia” according to Dr. Strong means: love for the brethren. It comes from two
Greek words, Philos which means: love, and adelphos which means: brethren. 214

These Philadelphian Christians no doubt fulfilled Our Lord’s Royal Commandment

when He told them to: “love one another as I have loved you…. By this all will know that you are My
disciples, if you have love for one another” (Jn 13:34-35). Some of the works of love they did for
their brothers and sisters in Christ were: providing food, clothing (Ja 2:14-18) lodging, and
relieved the afflicted (1Ti 5:10). Our Master summed up all these works of love they did with
these words: “Then the King will say to those on His right hand [i.e. His Saved Children]… I was HUNGRY
and you gave Me FOOD; I was THIRSTY and you gave Me DRINK; I was a stranger and you TOOK Me IN;
I was NAKED and you CLOTHED ME; I was SICK and you VISITED Me; I was in PRISION and you came
to Me…. Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these MY BRETHREN, you did
it to Me” (Mt 25:34-40; also see 5:16; 16:27; Acts 9:36; 26:19-20; Ephesians 2:10; 1Ti 6:18-19; 2 Ti 3:16-17;
Titus 2:14).

Dr. Robertson comment on Rev 3:8: The metaphor of the open door was a common one (Joh 10:7-9;
Ac 14:27; 1Co 16:9; 2Co 2:12; Col 4:3; Re 3:20; 4:1). Probably it means here a good opportunity for missionary
effort in spite of the Jewish hostility…. A little power (mikran dunamin). Probably ‘little power,’ little influence or
weight in Philadelphia, the members probably from the lower classes (1Co 1:26f). As Dr. Robertson
correctly pointed out, the door represented entrance into the salvation of Christ. Jesus said
it this way: “I am the DOOR. If anyone enters by Me, he will be SAVED” (Jn 10:9). The apostle Paul
also connected the door to the salvation of Christ. He reveals that God is the one who opens
this door to lost humanity, and He opens it through the preaching of the Gospel of Christ.
Paul stated this truth this way: “God… opened the DOOR of faith to the Gentiles” (Acts 14:27). Paul
also said: “I came to Troas to preach Christ’s gospel, and a DOOR was opened to me by the Lord” (2Co
2:12). Paul prayed: “God would open to us a DOOR for the WORD, to speak the mystery of Christ” (Col
4:3-4).

Therefore, God is telling His Children in this Church Period that He has OPENED the
DOOR of SALVATION wide to all of lost humanity, and the time of Great Revivals is now
here. This is the time of the “Latter Rain,” whereby God is pouring out of His Spirit in
abundance again. Thus, Jesus told His Church that He has given them an open door for
evangelism, because they have “KEPT” His “WORD” or TRUTH concerning SALVATION and His
SUPREME DEITY as God the Father, and they have not “DENIED” His “NAME” in water baptism.
It is a tragedy that the Nicolaitan Doctrine of the Ministry has prevented God’s People from
taking their cities, state, country, and world that God ordained them to do.

The Promise: “Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will KEEP you FROM the
hour of TRIAL which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. Behold, I am
coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown. He who overcomes, I will make
him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. And I will write on him the name of My
God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My

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God. And I will write on him My new name. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the
churches” (Rev 3:7-13).

The Lord promised His Children that all the Catholic and Protestant Churches of Satan,
which claim to be children of God but lie, would acknowledge that they are the true Children
of God. This will definitely take place at the Pre-Tribulation Rapture, when the
denominational Christians miss the First Part of the First Resurrection. Jesus promised His
TRUE BRIDE that He would keep them OUT OF, not during or in, the Great Tribulation Period
that is coming very soon. The First Resurrection is divided into three parts: the Pre-
Tribulation, the Mid-Tribulation, and the Post-Tribulation. Therefore, the Church Age will
not end with the Pre-Tribulation Rapture of God Holy Bride. I believe this is the last
generation and the Pre-Tribulation rapture will take place very soon.

Dr. Robertson’s comment on Rev 3:12: He receives this triple name (of God, of the city of God, of
Christ) on his forehead (14:1; 7:3; 17:5; 22:4) just as the high-priest wore the name of Jehovah upon his forehead
(Ex 28:36,38), the new name (2:17), without any magical or talismanic power, but as proof of ownership by God,
as a citizen of the New Jerusalem, with the new symbol of the glorious personality of Christ (Re 19:12), in contrast
with the mark of the beast on others (13:17; 14:17)…. Christ himself will receive a new name along with all else in
the future world.

The Spirit of Brotherly Love and Great Revivals

in the Philadelphian Church Period
Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 99 under the heading of “Revivals, Religious” stated: The
term widely used… since the early 18th century to denote periods of marked religious interest. Evangelistic
preaching and prayer meetings, frequently accompanied by intense emotionalism, are characteristic of such
periods, which are intended to renew the faith of church members and to bring others to profess their faith
openly for the first time…. The Great Awakening was the common designation for the revival of 1740-42 that
took place in New England and other parts of North America…. Toward the end of the 18th century a fresh
series of revivals began in America, lasting intermittently from 1797 to 1859. In New England the beginning
of this long period was called the evangelical reawakening.

Churches soon came to depend upon revivals for their growth and even for their existence, and, as time
went on, the work was also taken up by itinerant preachers also called circuit riders. The early years of the
19th century were marked by great missionary zeal, extending even to foreign lands. In Tennessee and
Kentucky, camp meetings, great open-air assemblies, began about 1800…. It was of a type different from
those of the two preceding centuries. The great American revival of 1859-61 began in New England,
particularly in Connecticut and Massachusetts, and extended to New York and other states. It is believed
that in a single year half a million converts were received into the churches. Another remarkable revival [was]
in 1874-75. The following are some of the revivals of God Apostolic Church, which took place in
the Philadelphian Church Period.

1762-1828 AD: In France God Had Many Apostolic Pentecostal Churches,

their Catholic Enemies Called them Convulsionaries: Arnold speaking of them said:
They had the Jesus Name baptism, tongues, the Holy Spirit, power, boldness, and ‘miracles upon miracles,’ which
appeared ‘thaumaturgy,’ meaning effusion of miracles. The historian Gregoire wrote about the French
government being so upset that Parliament, in 1762, forbid working of miracles on some French grounds.... It
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lasted until the date of 1828, where the records indicate the shaking Convulsionist revival began to wan.

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 1800 AD to this Present Time: God Has Sent A Great One God, Jesus’ Name
Revival to America: Vinson Synan, in his book entitled The Holiness Pentecostal Movement
in the United States, revealed that the 19th century saw many great revivals where God poured
out His Spirit with the biblical evidence of speaking in tongues. He stated: In the revival that hit
the University of Georgia in 1800-1801, students visited nearby campgrounds and were themselves smitten with
the ‘jerks’ and ‘talking in unknown tongues....’ Scenes similar to Cane-Ridge were seen in England... in
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Massachusetts... in New York City, Boston, and Richmond.

1809 AD: God’s Jesus’ Name Revival in England Continued: Elias Smith, a
clergyman, was the author and editor of the first religious newspaper in the United States.
This newspaper was called the Herald Of The Gospel. This man of God denounced the
doctrine of the Trinity and rejected Calvin’s predestination teachings. Smith reported on
various religious meetings that took place in New England. In July of 1809, Smith reported of
a revival that took place in Strafford at the: Universalist's Meeting House, in which a large number
people from the surrounding areas attended.

Smith wrote: It was not possible for me to describe this glorious scene. Those who communed, had named
the name of Christ; had been baptized in His name; were blest with a comfortable evidence of being born again;
were united in love; and each in a good degree were determined to press towards the mark…. One brother and
his wife were baptized.… The brother baptized had the command of a company [of men] there, and was Grand
Master of Masons, a man much respected in the town. When the people saw him submitting to be baptized in the
name of Jesus, with his companions; it carried an evidence they had found something superior to all this world
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affords.

1810 AD: Dr. Nathaniel Emmons: Dr. Emmons was a great evangelist and pastor who
well known in the theological circles of his day and even today for his fiery preaching and
scholarship. He was a Congregational Pastor who received a revelation of the Almighty God in
Christ Jesus. As a result, he became a Sabellian. According to Professor Levi Paine, in his
book entitled A Critical History Of The Evolution Of Trinitarianism, Emmons taught: the Father
and Son are ‘names’ ‘assumed’ to set forth certain activities of the one Absolute God. This says Paine is:
essential Sabellianism at the start. But Emmons goes farther. He had cast aside the doctrine of the eternal
generation of the Son, but now he suggests that the names Son and Word had no existence before the incarnation.
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‘They were probably unknown in heaven until the purposes of grace were there revealed.’

1820 AD: Professor Moses Stuart: Dr. Stuart was not only well known in the United
States in his day, but around the world. Moyer in his biography of Stuart says: In 1810 called to
the professorship of sacred literature at Andover Theological Seminary, where he remained until retirement in
1848. At once began a serious study of Hebrew, and in 1821 printed a large Hebrew grammar, the first to appear
in America.... He also wrote Hebrew Chrestomathy; Grammar of the New Testament Dialect; Hints on the
Prophecies, and Critical History and Defense of the Old Testament Canon. Altogether produced more than forty
works.... A gifted teacher and lecturer, exerted a remarkable influence upon students. In the course of labors
taught more than fifteen hundred ministers, seventy men who became professors and presidents of colleges, a
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hundred foreign missionaries, and about thirty translators of the Bible into foreign languages.

Professor Stuart definitely was a Sabellian in his godhead beliefs. Paine says: I have styled the
doctrine of the Stuart-Bushnell school a modified Sabellianism…. Stuart and Bushnell both, following [German

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Professor] Schleiermacher, declare that God is not eternally tripersonal, but unipersonal. The Trinity is not fully
developed until the incarnation. Paine say Stuart’s: persons are not real any more than Sabellian persons are;
they are modes of personal existence of the One Divine Being.... One great merit, however, must be accorded to
Stuart. He was a Greek scholar, and comprehend the true character of the Nicene Trinitarianism, allowing that
homoousios in the Nicene Creed did not mean numerical unity, and that its doctrine was essential
subordinationism, and on this ground rejected it…. [Because it] made the Son a derived and dependent being, and
so broke down, as he declared, His true Deity.... Stuart on the other hand made Christ the incarnation of the
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Absolute God.

1820 AD: German Professor Friedrich Ernst Daniel Schleiermacher: He was

a professor at the University in Berlin. He was well known in theological centers around the
world. He has often called in some encyclopedias as the leading theologian of the 19th
century Around this time, he joined hands with Stuart and became a Sabellian. He wrote a
book on the Godhead, defending Sabellianism. Paine says: Professor Stuart had no sympathy with, or
just appreciation of the Nicene doctrine of the generation of the Son. Paine continued by saying this can be
seen by the welcome Stuart’s: gave to the Sabellianism of Schleiermacher.... Stuart translated with extensive
notes an essay of Schleiermacher in which Schleiermacher had defended Sabellius.... No two names are more
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historically incongruous than those of Schleiermacher and Emmons.

In the Biblical Repository, the April 1835 issue, Stuart in his introductory remarks to
Schleiermacher’s godhead treatise wrote: I can truly say that I have met with scarcely any writer, ancient
or modern, who appears to have a deeper conviction of, or more hardy belief in, the doctrine of the real godhead
of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This is the basis, on which the whole superstructure of his Christian system rests.
No where can be found a writer more entirely alien from the views and speculations of Arians and Socinians; no
where one who appears to contend more with his whole heart and soul for the proper, true supreme Divinity of
his Lord and Saviour. God manifest in the flesh seems to be inscribed, in his view, on every great truth of the
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gospel.

1833 AD: Dr. Horace Bushnell: This man was a fiery evangelistic preacher and
author. He had a profound influence on almost all Protestant denominations. This preacher
of the Gospel wrote a book entitled “God In Christ.” Paine says: Its Christology is borrowed from
Schleiermacher and Stuart. Yet Stuart sat secure in his chair at Andover, in all the odor of orthodoxy, while the
theological air was hot with accusations against his eloquent disciple. In fact the doctrine of both was thoroughly
223
Sabellian. Paine concludes his remarks on Emmons and Stuart by saying: The Sabellian leaven
of Emmons and Stuart did it work thoroughly, and New England Trinitarianism through all its veins became
224
inoculated with it virus.

According to Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 99 under the heading of “Bushnell Horace”

we read: In 1833 he became pastor of the North Congregational Church in Hartford, Connecticut, which
he served for 26 years. He was strongly evangelical in belief but denied the Calvinistic theory of the
atonement…. Bushnell was a voluminous writer, an inspiring preacher, and a bold and original thinker on
theology. His influence extended to almost all Protestant denominations in the U.S., profoundly modifying
19th-century religious thought. His works include Christian Nurture (1847), God in Christ (1849), Nature and
the Supernatural (1858), and The Vicarious Sacrifice (1866).

1850 AD: Dr. Henry Ward Beecher: He held revivals in America and England. He
was one of the most noted preachers of his times. Dr. Beecher was a noted One God Modalist
Monarchian preacher. Mr. Beecher’s own language, says Paine in a scolding tone: reveals clearly the
thorough Patripassian character of the ‘new Trinitarianism.’ Christ is no longer the incarnation of the Son of

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God, the second person of the Trinity, that was the old Trinitarianism, but the very incarnation of God, the
Father Almighty, the Absolute One. Paine quoted Beecher’s doctrine: in the following extract: ‘Could
Theodore Parker worship my God? Jesus Christ is his name. All that there is of God to me is bound up in that
name. Paine also gave an extract of “Beecher’s address to the London ministers: ‘Do I believe in
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the divinity of Christ? I do not believe in anything else.’ ‘There is nothing else to me when I think of God.
According to Moyer, Beecher was one of: the most popular and widely-known preachers in America.

Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 99 under the heading of “Beecher, Henry Ward” stated:
American clergyman and abolitionist, one of the most popular preachers of his day…. In 1847… he became
the pastor of the Plymouth Church of the Pilgrims in Brooklyn, New York. He held this post for the rest of
his life and became one of the most famous pulpit orators and lecturers in American history. His theological
views were fairly orthodox, but he attracted and held huge audiences in the United States and England with
his brilliant speeches and leadership at services and REVIVAL MEETINGS…. From 1861 to 1863 he was
editor in chief of the Independent, a religious and political periodical largely devoted to these causes, and
from 1870 to 1881 he edited The Christian Union (later The Outlook), a similar publication.”

1860 AD: Dr. Lyman Abbott and Dr. A. H. Bradford: According to Paine, Dr.
Bradford declared: The problem of the Trinity is simply this: Are Father, Son, and Holy Ghost three names
for one being, or do they denote three distinct persons?’ And the answer is squarely given. ‘The Trinity does not
mean three distinct persons, but three distinctions in one person. Paine continued, Dr. Abbot proclaimed:
Jesus Christ is God living a human life... the incarnate God.... In Jesus Christ in propria persona God has entered
human life in order that He might show us who He is. Paine went on to say: Drs. Lyman Abbott and A. H.
Bradford and others followed in the same general path… [of the] Patripassian position.... Thus Christ is all the
Father there is, as well as Son and Holy Ghost. All divinity is centered and summed up in Him. It is hardly needful
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to say to any historical scholar that this ‘new Trinitarianism’ is no Trinitarianism at all.”

Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 99 under the heading of “Abbott, Lyman” declared:

American clergyman and editor…. Abbott wrote or edited approximately 50 books…. In 1859 he decided to
enter the Congregational ministry…. From 1871 to 1876 he was editor of the Illustrated Christian Weekly. In
1876 he became associated with well-known clergyman and abolitionist Henry Ward Beecher as editor of the
Christian Union. That magazine in 1893 became the Outlook, a weekly magazine of considerable influence in
its day. In 1887 Abbott succeeded Beecher as pastor of the Plymouth Church in Brooklyn, New York, a
position he held until 1899. Much in demand as a visiting preacher on college campuses, Abbott took an active
interest in the political issues of his time.

1887 AD: Dr. Joseph Cook: This Pastor was another well-known preacher of the
nineteenth century. Paine writes: When Mr. Cook delivered his three lectures on the Trinity in 1887, there
had been a long lull in public discussion, and the supporters of orthodoxy were quietly waiting for the next
‘moving of the waters.’ For Mr. Cook himself the time was opportune. He was at the zenith of his peculiar
reputation. Boston had installed him ‘in Moses ‘seat.’ The orthodox elite of Massachusetts sat at his feet and hung
upon his lips. This Trinitarian professor bemoaned the fact that this One God Jesus’ Name
Preacher’s lectures on the Trinity were designed especially for the purpose to: exorcise the
‘paganism,’ as he [Cook] called it, of ‘three Gods. Paine continued by saying: Mr. Cook’s doctrine is essential
Modalism, going beyond Sabellius himself, and coming close to the Patripassianism out of which Sabellianism
sprang.... The Holy Ghost, as Joseph Cook says, is only ‘Christ’s continued life.

Paine being painfully jealous of the reception Cook received after he ‘exorcised the devils
out of the pagan Babylonian Trinity of three gods’ says: Perhaps the most remarkable thing about this
is the unstinted applause with which it was received by his audience, made up largely of Massachusetts ministers.
Surely there could be no clearer evidence of the chaos that had befallen theological thought in New England than

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that such a bold Sabellianism was enthusiastically endorsed by such an assembly, and that from that day to this,
227
no note of criticism or dissent has been heard, that I am aware of, in Trinitarian circles.

1889 AD Norwegian Revival: Frank Ewart, a one God, Jesus’ Name preacher and
historian, in his Book entitle The Phenomenon Of Pentecost, wrote about a great outpouring of
the Holy Ghost that took place in Oslo, Norway in 1889. He wrote, in this revival: countless
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Norwegians were filled with the Holy Ghost and spoke in tongues.

CHAPTER 7
THE LAODICEAN CHURCH PERIOD,
1900 AD TO POSTTRIBULATION RESURRECTION

The Salutation: “You [John] write OF the CHURCH, the MESSENGER in Laodicea. These things says the
Amen, the FAITHFUL and TRUE MARTYR [martus], the Beginning of the Creation of God” (my translation).
The Problem: “I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were cold or hot! So,
because you are LUKEWARM, and neither cold nor hot, I will SPEW you out of my mouth. For you say, I
am rich, I have PROSPERED, and I NEED NOTHING; not knowing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor,
blind, and naked.”

The Reproof: “Therefore I COUNSEL you to buy from me gold REFINED by FIRE [i.e. to be PURE], that
you may be rich, and white garments to clothe you and to keep the shame of your nakedness from being seen,
and salve to anoint your eyes, that you may see. Those whom I love, I reprove and chasten; so be zealous and
repent.” The Promise: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any one hears my voice and opens the
door, I will COME IN to him and eat with him, and he with Me. He who CONQUERS, I will grant him to sit
with Me on My throne, as I myself conquered and sat down with My Father on His throne. He who has an
ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches” (Rev 3:15-20). Jesus had no praise for this
Church or its Church Period.

History of the City: Laodicea was an ancient Greek city in the western part of Asia
Minor in present-day Turkey. It was about: 80 miles E of Ephesus and the Aegean Sea, 40
miles SE of Philadelphia, 15 miles NW of Colosse, 7 miles SW of Hierapolis, and 1 mile S of
the Lycus River in the Maeander Valley. It was founded by Antiochus II (261-246 BC) of
Syria, who named it for his wife Laodike, and who populated it with Syrians and with Jews
who were transplanted from Babylonia. The temple of Men Karou was there and it was
also the centre of the worship of Aesculapius (Askelpios); it also was the seat of a Medical
School.

Laodicea stood on the great highway at the junction of several important trade routes,
especially Ephesus to the east. It was the seat of large manufacturing business, extensive
banking operations, and a Provincial Court (Ramsay, Cities and Bishoprics of Phrygia, pg 40).
In the year 60/61 AD, the city was almost entirely destroyed by an earthquake, but so
WEALTHY were its CITIZENS that they rejected Rome’s offer of aid, and quickly rebuilt it at
their own expense. It is now a deserted place and the Turks call its ruins: Eski-Hissar or
old castle. The modern-day name for Laodicea is Latakia. 229

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 The Salutation: “You [John] write OF the CHURCH, the MESSENGER in Laodicea. These things says
the Amen, the FAITHFUL and TRUE MARTYR [martus], the Beginning of the Creation of God” (my
translation). The Greek noun martus is used 34 times in the NT. The King James Translators
translated it as: witness (29 times), MARTYR (3 times), and record (2 times). Analytical Lexicon to
the Greek New Testament by Drs. Timothy and Barbara Friberg defined “martus (mar'-
toos)” as: (1) as a witness to ascertainable facts; (a) legally (MT 26.65); (b) generally, as one who testifies to
something (RO 1.9); (2) as one who declares facts directly known to himself; (a) from firsthand knowledge
(AC 1.22) or (b) from firsthand experience (HE 12.1); (3) as one who tells what he believes, even though it
results in his being killed for it witness, martyr (AC 1.8; RV 17.6) (#17842).

Even though “martus” can be translated as “witness”, as most translations of the above
passage of scripture has translated it, I definitely believe it should be translated as
MARTYR, as it was translated in Acts 22:20, Rev 2:13, 17:6, and as it should have been
translated in Rev 1:5, where the context of these passages demands it. The main reason
why I believe “martus” in Rev 3:14 should be translated as “MARTYR” is because: HALF of
God’s BRIDE, and a great multitude of Denominational Christians, in this PRESENT
Laodicean Church Period will miss the Pre-Tribulation Rapture and Resurrection, and go
through the 7-Year Tribulation Period (Mt 25:1-13). The apostle John said he saw in a
vision: “a GREAT MULTITUDE which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues…
who come out of the Great Tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb” (Rev
7:9, 14).

Therefore, I believe the Lamb of God is greeting His Children in this Church Period
with a reminder that He died in His humanity as a Martyr for God. By calling Himself “the
Beginning of the Creation of God”, He was letting them know that the One who died as a Martyr was the
One who was begotten before time began and the Creator of the Universe (Col 1:15-17; Jn 1:1-
2, 10, 18; Pro 8:22-31). Not only this, but the One who was begotten was God the Father’s
Visible Self (Phi 2:6; Heb 1:3; Jn 14:7-10).

He called Himself God’s “Faithful… Martyr [martus]” (Rev 3:15, my translation), because as
God’s Passover Lamb He was faithful to God’s Word and Plans for His life in every way.
He was the only Human Being who lived in this world as a Sinless Man, or as Paul says He:
“was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Heb 4:5). The Word of God clearly and
indisputably declares Jesus was God’s “Faithful Martyr [martus] the firstborn from the dead” (Rev
1:5, my translation). Therefore, Jesus in a subtle way is informing His backslidden Children,
and those who will become His Children after the Pre-Tribulation Rapture and
Resurrection, to become His “Faithful Martyrs”.

In other words, just as the blood of God’s Faithful “Martyr [martus] Stephen was shed” as a
testimony of the TRUTH (Acts 22:20), and His Children in the Smyrna Church Period were
“Faithful until Death” (Rev 2:10), and Antipas was God’s “Faithful Martyr [martus]” in the Pergamos
Church Period (Rev 2:13), Jesus informs all His Children in a very subtle way, who will go
into the in the Tribulation Period to also become “Faithful to Death”.

He calls Himself a “True Martyr” (Rev 1:5, my translation) because He died to fulfilled God’s
TRUTH, His PLAN of the AGES (Rev 13:8; 1Pe 1:18-20). Jesus died as a Martyr not for Judaism

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or any other religious isms, but He died to bring mankind into the TRUTH. Therefore, Jesus
in a subtle way is informing His backslidden Children, and those who will become His
Children after the Pre-Tribulation Rapture and Resurrection, to be sure to die IN the
TRUTH, and FOR the TRUTH, and not for religious denominationalisms. In other words,
know what the truth is concerning the New Birth and how to receive it, for God’s New
Birth will not end until the Church Age ends, that is, on the LAST DAY of the Great
Tribulation Period! Therefore, do not die as a Martyr for Catholicism, Protestantism, or
any other form of so-called Christianity, just as some have done in past times. Be a True
Martyr, die IN, and FOR the TRUTH!

Believe this Preacher when I say, God will give everyone in the entire world a definite
SIGN, so all can know the TRUTH of the New Birth and the Supreme Deity of the Lord Jesus
Christ. You say what SIGN will Jesus give? It is simple; it will be the Pre-Tribulation
Rapture and Resurrection! Do not be deceived in that day with Lucifer’s Mass Media
Networks, such as TV, Radio, and Newspapers, as they tell their fairytales of Aliens coming
and taking all the troublemakers and undesirable off the earth, as well as other fairytales.
Also do not be deceive by some misguided Preachers, who declared that no one can be
saved because the Pre-Tribulation Rapture and Resurrection is over!

The only way any Christian can be lost is by not LOVING the TRUTH (2Th 2:3-12), for all in
that day will definitely know the TRUTH. The Rapture of God’s true believers will be God’s
NEON SIGN from one end of heaven to the other in that day, who had the TRUTH concerning
the New Birth and the Supreme Deity of the Lord Jesus Christ!! In that day, all of
Christendom and the Religions of the World who claim to be Children of God but “are not”,
and claim to have God’s TRUTH “but lie”, God said: I will make them come and worship before your
feet, and to know that I have loved you” (Rev 3:9). The Philadelphian Church Period ends at this
time!

I declare this great truth not in a spirit of pride or boasting, but in a humble and sad
spirit; as I realized that multitudes of good and honest Christians will miss the Rapture
because they have been deceived by Satan’s False Prophets concerning the New Birth!
There will also be a great multitude of Christians, who will discover at the time of the
resurrection of the dead, that they were deceived by False Prophets concerning the “narrow
gate… which leads to [Eternal] Life” (Mt 7:13-15).

I know it going to break our Savior’s heart to tell these Christians “I never [at any time -
oudepote] knew you”, because they built their Spiritual House on a wrong foundation, which
was not the New Birth (Mt 7:21-27). Since the Greek adverb “oudepote” means Jesus never
knew these Believers in Christ at any time, this can only mean that they were not
backsliders, but they NEVER receive the Biblical NEW BIRTH, which places a believer
into the Death, Burial, and Resurrection of Christ! This is the only way anyone can enter
into the New Covenant and become a Child of God!!

The Problem: “I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were cold or hot!
So, because you are LUKEWARM, and neither cold nor hot, I will SPEW you out of my mouth. For you say,
I am RICH, I have PROSPERED, and I NEED NOTHING; not knowing that you are wretched, pitiable,

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poor, blind, and naked” (RSV). Etymologically, the word Laodicea is a compound Greek word: Laos
means: people, and dike means right, as self-evident, justice. 230 Therefore, Laodicea means: the Rights
of the People, or Justice for the People.

The Spirit of the 20th Century Is the Spirit of Democracy. Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia
99, under the heading of “Democracy” we read: (Greek demos, ‘the people’; kratein, ‘to rule’),
political system in which the people of a country rule through any form of government they choose to
establish…. Before the end of the 19th century, every important Western European monarchy had adopted a
constitution limiting the power of the Crown and giving a considerable share of political power to the people.
In many of these countries, a representative legislature modeled on the British Parliament was instituted.
British politics was then possibly the greatest single influence on the organization of world democracies,
although the French Revolution also exerted a powerful influence. Later, the success of democratic
institutions in the United States served as a model for many peoples.

The foundation principles for democracy have been formed in the course of the last two
centuries. Before the end of the 19th century, every important Western European
monarchy had adopted a constitution limiting the power of the Crown and giving a
considerable share of political power to the people. In many of these countries, a
representative legislature modeled on the British Parliament was instituted. British politics
was then possibly the greatest single influence on the organization of world democracies.
Later, the success of democratic institutions in the United States served as a model for
many peoples.

The major features of modern democracy include individual freedoms, which entitles its
citizens to the liberty and equality before the law. Such features have been proclaimed in
great historic documents, for example, the U.S. Declaration of Independence, which
asserted the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. By the middle of the 20th
century, every independent country in the world, with only a few exceptions, had a
government that, in form if not in practice, embodied some of the principles of democracy.
Although the ideals of democracy have been widely professed, the practice and fulfillment
have been different in many countries. Therefore, many of the people of the world are no
longer under the whims of a monarch, a king or queen. From that time on many began to
experience great peace, security, and prosperity.

What Effect Did the Spirit of Democracy Have on God’s Children? In nations with a
Democratic form of Government, God’s holy Apostolic Pentecostal Churches were no
longer persecuted, so they no longer had to hold their services underground. They now
could come out and hold their services publicly and openly proclaim what they believed
without fear of being burned at the stake alive! By 1965, their belief in speaking in tongues
even became popular among Denominational Christians, even though these Christians still
hated their belief in Jesus Name Baptism. As a result, God’s Churches began to attract the
Upper Middle Class and even the Wealthy, that is, besides the POOR that had always filled
their pews!

Therefore, it was at this time that God’s Churches began to move from storefronts in
poor low-income areas to beautiful padded pew Church buildings in wealthy and affluent
communities. They became “rich and increase in goods.” They were RICH, that is, whatever they

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NEEDED to SURVIVE or be COMFORTABLE in life they could obtain it. In other words, they had
more than enough to gratify their normal needs or desires. This does not mean they were filthy
rich or opulent, where they had a superabundance of money and could afford anything their
heart desired. There has never been a time in the history of Christianity that TRUE Christians
experienced this kind of wealth! Because of their prosperous condition, they did not need to
trust in God to supply their needs or wants. Therefore, they were rich in goods or material
things but very poor in faith and spiritual things.

Many of God’s Children in this Church Period became like the Children of Israel, who
served God when they were going through times of adverse situations in life, tribulation, or
war, but in times of prosperity, peace, and security, they served Baal and Ashtoreth who
offered them fleshly, worldly, and sensual pleasures. The entire history of Israel can be
compared to a roller-coaster ride, when they were down they served God and when they were
up they served Baal and Ashtoreth. They had no backbone, steadiness, or real dedication to
God.

The apostle Paul described this Church Period this way: “There will be terrible times in the
LAST DAYS. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to
their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers
of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God-- having a form of
godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them. They are the kind who worm their way into
homes and gain control over weak-willed women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds
of evil desires, always learning but never able to acknowledge the truth. Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed
Moses, so also these men OPPOSE the TRUTH” (2Ti 3:1-8, NIV).

Many of God’s Children in this Church Period are NOT on FIRE for God, that is, actively
seeking God’s will and the things of God with their whole heart, but at the same time they are
NOT COLD in the sense that they are in continuous sin or actively seeking after it as those who
do not know God do! Because they are LUKEWARM, that is, there are serving God
halfheartedly, lackadaisically, unenthusiastically, and they are full of apathy and lethargy,
God said He would reject them. I believe God is going to hold His Pastors responsible for
God’s Children’s Laodicean backslidden condition. Why do you believe this you ask? Because
of their ignorance, or in some cases refusal, to come out of their Catholic, Protestant, and
Pentecostal Nicolaitan-Balaamite Doctrine of the Ministry. As a result, they do not teach
God’s Children of their Priesthood Ministry, and challenge them to fulfill their preaching,
teaching, and other ministries both IN and out of their local Churches!

The Reproof: “Therefore I COUNSEL you to buy from me gold REFINED by FIRE [i.e. to be PURE],
that you may be rich, and white garments to clothe you and to keep the shame of your nakedness from being
seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, that you may see. Those whom I love, I reprove and chasten; so be zealous
and repent” (RSV). In other word, because God loved His backslidden Children who were truly
born-again, and the unsaved Christians in Denominational Christendom who have not
received the New Birth, He said He would chastise them by allowing them to go into the
Tribulation Period.

No doubt, the Lord Jesus Christ believes that the FIERY TRIALS of the TRIBULATION
PERIOD would burn this Lukewarm spirit out of their hearts, so that they could repent and be

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saved! Therefore, the Savior COUNSELS or ADMONISHES His backslidden Children, and the
millions of Denominational Christians, and the many of other Religions who will repent and
become born-again at this time, not to reject His reproof, but allow this PURIFYING FIRE to do
its work in their life so that they might be saved! There will be multitudes that will die a
martyr’s death during this time, especially in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia (Rev
7:9-17).

The Promise: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any one hears my voice and opens the door, I
will COME IN to him and eat with him, and he with Me. He who CONQUERS, I will grant him to sit with
Me on My throne, as I Myself conquered and sat down with My Father on His throne. He who has an ear, let
him hear what the Spirit says to the churches” (RSV). Is it not astonishing that in this Church
Period, Jesus is standing outside of many of these Laodicean Churches, and they have shut
the doors of their Church in His Face! In other words, they are having Church without Jesus
being on the inside.

These Churches have become nothing but Social Clubs and Places of Entertainment. Their
Pastors and Preachers are preaching a very diluted version of holiness, that is, if you can even
apply the term holiness to it at all. Some of these Churches teach the filthy, abominable,
deprave predominate philosophies of the world today, such as: Situation Ethics - it is all right
to lie in certain situations of life. Trial Marriages - it is all right for an unmarried man or
woman, or two women, or two men to live together and have intimate relations to see if they
are compatible. No Absolutes - nothing is sin unless you think it is sin. Who are you to judge
what is right of wrong for others. There is no book or anything else that can tell you what is
absolutely right or wrong. It is all nothing but a matter of opinions.

The real problem with many Churches today is they have hireling worldly Pastors and
Evangelist, who are gutless, spineless, and effeminate, who do not know how to preach the
Word of God and against sin in every form! This is why Jesus is on the outside of their
Churches. Perhaps what is even worst is that many of these Christians were not even aware
that they were Christians in name only, but not in belief or experience. Jesus tell them they
need to have their eyes anointed with the Holy Spirit so they could behold their awful, sinful
condition. Our Lord admonishes these so-called Christians to open the door of their hearts
and repent, so He could truly fill them with His Holy Spirit.

The Spirit of Philadelphian Love

and Revivals in the Laodicean Church Period
Even though this is the Laodicean Church Period there are Philadelphian Christians in this
Church Period, for the Philadelphian Church Period will not end until the Pre-Tribulation
Raptures takes place. Surely, His Children still have not denied His Name in Water Baptism
or His Supreme Deity. They love His infallible Word and live their lives according to it. I am
looking forward to the day when the Nicolaitan Doctrine will be done away in God’s
Churches, and God’s Priestly People will rise up and becoming flaming evangels for their
Lord, and have Worldwide Revival, for God still has the DOOR of REVIVAL WIDE OPEN. I
believe God is going to give His one God, Jesus Name, Apostolic Pentecostal Church ONE

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MORE GREAT REVIVAL, as it was in the Book of Acts, before He takes her to His heavenly
home to be with Him throughout eternity. Look out world, for God’s Apostolic Pentecostals is
coming soon to your city.

According to The Encyclopaedia Britannica: In modern times glossolalia has been found chiefly
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among Holiness and Pentecostal groups. It also stated that speaking in tongues: Recurred in Christian
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revivals in every age. Donald Gelpi, a Roman Catholic charismatic tried to trace Catholic
Pentecostalism to denominations, such as: Montanism, Donatism, The Waldenses, The Cathari, The
Anabaptists, Jansenism, Quietism, The Convulsionaries, Quakerism, The Camisards, The Moravians, Methodism,
Revivalism, American Protestant Pentecostalism. Synan went on to say: not a single one of these enthusiastic
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movements was orthodox from a Roman Catholic point of view. Many of these movements taught
God’s New Birth message!

1900 AD: The Jesus Name, Tongue Talking Revival at Bethel Bible School:
The twentieth century has been privileged to witness one of the greatest one God, Jesus’ name,
tongue talking revivals the world has even seen. According to historians, the modern day
Pentecostal movement began with Charles Parham on January 1, 1901. Oneness historian
Fred Foster in his history entitled Their Story: 20th Century Pentecostals revealed that Parham
taught speaking in tongues and Jesus’ name baptism. 234

Vinson Synan in his book, The Holiness Pentecostal Movement in the United States, spoke
about God pouring out His Spirit said: America had also experienced an outbreak of the tongues
phenomenon…. The person responsible for introducing this practice as a formally stated doctrine was the
Reverend Charles Fox Parham of Kansas. Parham, a former Methodist minister, who: adopted an anti-
denominational view, started Bethel Bible School in October of 1900. This school was located near
Topeka, Kansas. He had 40 students, 12 of which were ministers.

On Dec. 31, 1900, Parham and his students conducted a watch night service. Synan says: In
this service, a student named Agnes N. Ozman requested Parham to lay his hands on her head and pray for her to
be baptized with the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking in tongues. It was after midnight and the first day
of the twentieth century when Miss Ozman began ‘speaking in the Chinese language’ while a ‘halo seemed to
surround her head and face. Following this experience, Ozman was unable to speak in English for three days, and
when she tried to communicate by writing, she invariably wrote in Chinese characters.... After Ozman
experienced tongues, the rest of the students sought and received the same experience.... The students, Americans
all, spoke in twenty-one known languages.

In a short time the news of what was happening at ‘Stone’s Folly’ reached the press of Topeka and Kansas
City. Soon reporters, government interpreters, and language experts converged on the school to investigate the
new phenomenon. A few days later the Topeka Capitol reported in headlines, ‘A Queer Faith, Strange Acts -
Believers Speak in Strange Languages.’ The Kansas City World said that ‘these people have a faith almost
incomprehensible at this day....’ Parham himself received the experience and began to preach it in all his services
and his Revival Crusades. It was Parham who first singled out glossolalia as the only evidence of one’s
having received the baptism with the Holy Ghost, and who taught that it should be a part of normal Christian
worship rather than a curious by-product of religious enthusiasm.

Parham opened another Bible School in Houston Texas. In a short time many of his student
received the Holy Ghost. The Houston Chronicle reported that Houstonians were: witnessing
‘miracles’ as student ‘speak in all tongues known to man.’ Some claim that twenty Chinese dialects were spoken,

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while other were able to ‘command the classics of a Homer or talk the jargon of the lowest savage of the African
235
jungle. Synan also declared: Tongues were also prevalent in the Welsh revival of 1904. He went on to
say: The Yorkshire Post reported that at the height of the revival under [Evan] Roberts, young men and women
who knew nothing of Old Welsh would in their ecstasy speak in that tongue.... The story of how the twenty-six
year old Roberts had led the sensational revival [in Wales]...swept over the holiness movement with a compelling
236
force.

1906 AD: The Azusa Street Revival: Walter J. Hollenger, in his book The Pentecostal,
spoke of the great Azusa Street revival that began in 1906. He stated: One of Parham's pupils, the
Negro preacher W. J. Seymour, was invited to Los Angeles.... Seymour hired an old Methodist church at 312
Azusa Street.... [He] preached on Acts 2:4: ‘Anyone who does not speak in tongues is not baptized with the Holy
Spirit....’ For three years without interruption prayer meetings took place here with speaking in tongues, singing in
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tongues and prophecy.

Synan believed that the powerful effects of the Azusa Street Revival was due to the strong
Biblical doctrinal preaching that: tongues were the initial sign of receiving the Holy Ghost. He says: It
was precisely this settlement, that tongues were the only initial evidence of the reception of the Holy Spirit, that
gave Pentecostalism its greatest impetus.... Pentecostalism thus succeeded in ‘doing what the Holiness Movement
could not do’ in that it offered the believer a ‘repeatable and unmistakable motor expression which, in effect,
guaranteed his possession of the Spirit. In addition to solving the problem of the evidence of the baptism, the
attaching of tongues to the Holy Ghost baptism had a strong scriptural base in the New Testament, a fact which
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easily convinced many holiness people, practically all of whom interpreted the Bible literally.

Synan described the Azusa Revival this way: As the Azusa revival continued, hundreds and later
thousands of both the curious and the serious began to flock to the mission. Every day trains unloaded numbers of
visitors who came from all over the continent. News accounts of the meeting spread over the nation in both the
secular and the religious press.... A visitor to Azusa Street during the three years that the revival continued would
have met scenes that beggared description. Men and women would shout, weep, dance, fall into trances, speak
and sing in tongues, and interpret the messages into English. In true Quaker fashion, anyone [of the saints] who
felt moved by the Spirit would preach or sing.

There is no doubt in this preacher’s mind as to why God blessed this revival so mightily. For
it was not because of the prayers and fasting of the people of God, which were good and
needful, but because this humble black preacher broke with the Catholic, Protestant, and
Pentecostal Nicolaitan Monarchian Bishop concept of the ministry. He gave God’s people
liberty to exercise their God given ministry or priesthood; for any of God’s Holy Priests could
preach, teach and be used in any of the gifts of the Spirit.

Seymour did not dominate God’s People but gave the Holy Ghost full control over all the
services. I believe these people were fulfilling God’s perfect will. They had service every day, all day long, for
which they needed many preachers to minister to saints and sinners alike, or in other words, it was not a one man
show and the saints were spectators! Synan continued his report of this revival by saying: Hundreds of preachers
from around the continent traveled to Los Angeles to see for themselves what was taking place. Most of them
were convinced of the genuineness of the teachings, and practices that they saw, receiving their own Pentecost
with the evidence of speaking with other tongues before returning to their churches. Many who came were
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destined to found entire denominations of Pentecostal believers.

1910 AD: Pentecostal Evangelist and Missionary Andrew Urshan: In his

autobiography entitled The Life Of Andrew Bar David Urshan, revealed that he received the

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revelation of Jesus’ name baptized in 1910, and from that time on began to baptize all of his
converts that way. 240 In 1915 Urshan preached a great Pentecostal revival in Russia.
According to Urshan, God had given some of his converts the revelation of Jesus’ name
baptism before he even came to Russia. This revival marked the beginning of a great Jesus’
name Pentecostal movement, which is still alive in Russia today.

1917 AD: The Revival in True Jesus Church of China: God in His mercy began to
give open the hearts of hungry Chinese people to the truth of the New Birth. This miracle
began with people simply reading the Bible and praying that God would reveal the truth to
them. In fact, when they received this great truth from God, they did not know at that time
that anyone else in the world believed that way! In the same year, these Chinese Christians
started a great movement in China, which they called the True Jesus Church. According to the
World Christian Encyclopedia, this movement exists in Communist China and Taiwan even
today, in spite of all the persecution they received from their rulers. 241 Truly the Gates of Hell
has not prevailed against God’s persecuted Church.

1913-2002 AD: Oneness Movement Grows to Over A Hundred Organizations:

A great one God, Jesus’ name revival began in America in the year of 1913 in which many
ministers and saints in the United States received the revelations of Jesus’ Name Baptism and
the Oneness of God. From that time to now, the one God, Jesus' name movement in the United
States has been growing by leaps. According to Arnold: in 1979, the World of Apostolic Christian
Fellowship, found over fifty-three Oneness Christian organizations on earth.... The United Pentecostal Church is
no longer the largest, Dr. Wong stated in 1965 that Taiwan had 120 assemblies alone, and as of 1979, the True
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Jesus Church of China numbers around eight million.

It has now been reported that there are over a 100 different one God, Jesus’ Name,
Apostolic Pentecostal organizations in the world, which believe that Jesus Christ is God the
Father in creation, the Son in salvation, and the Holy Spirit living in the believer in
regeneration. They also hold to baptism by single immersion in the precious and holy name of
the Lord Jesus Christ, as well as to the biblical doctrine of speaking in tongues as the initial
evidence of being born of the Holy Spirit.

CHAPTER 8
LET MY PEOPLE GO THAT THEY MAY SERVE ME
I believe God has ordained me to tell His pastors, the same thing He ordained Moses to tell
Pharaoh of Egypt: “The LORD God of the Hebrews has sent me to you, saying, ‘Let My people go, that they
may serve Me” (Exo 7:16). Dear pastor, who is greatly beloved of our God, is it not time that God’s
holy priesthood be set free, so they can serve God in the beauty of holiness, with anointing,
power, and the unction of the Holy Spirit burning in their heart and on their lips, whereby
their tongue becomes the pen of a ready writer (Psa 45:1); whereby the Word of God will be like
a fire shut up in their bones, in which they will not be able to hold their peace until they speak
it out (Jer 20:9)!

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 Dr. Schaff speaking of the God’s Holy Priesthood of ALL BELIEVERS and their God given
ministry wrote: ALL BELIEVERS are called to the prophetic, priestly, and kingly offices in Christ.... It is
remarkable, that Peter in particular should present the idea of the priesthood as the destiny of ALL, and apply
the term ‘clerus’ not to the ministerial order as distinct from the laity, but to the community; thus regarding every
Christian congregation as a spiritual tribe of Levi, a peculiar people, holy to the Lord.... The bearers of authority
and discipline [meaning bishops or pastors] should therefore never forget that their great work is to train the governed
to freedom and independence, and by the various spiritual offices to build them up unto the unity of faith and
knowledge and to the perfect manhood of Christ. The temporal organization of the empirical church is to be a
means (and not a hindrance, as it often is) for the actualization of the ideal republic of God when ALL Christians
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shall be PROPHETS, PRIESTS, and KINGS, and fill all time and all space with His praise.

The Catholic, Protestant, and I am ashamed to say Apostolic Pentecostal Bishops, of this
present Philadelphian and Laodicean Church Periods are robbing God’s Children of their
Priesthood Ministry. This is why, as I said before, God hates the Nicolaitan Doctrine. Now, I
do not want to imply that God’s Holy Bishops have done this maliciously, for most of them are
truly blinded to God’s will in this matter. It was never God’s intent to make one person in
every Church His sole minister. Citywide, Statewide, Nationwide, and Worldwide Revival will
only be a dream and not a reality, as long as God’s holy Pastors deny God’s people the right to
perform their God ordain Priesthood and ministry! Regardless of how sincere, godly,
knowledgeable and spiritually powerful a Pastor may be, God will never give them the revival
they so much desire, as long as Lucifer’s Catholic system is in operating in the Church they
Pastor. I certainly would not want to stand before God and have Him ask me why I taught and
practiced the Nicolaitan Doctrine, or why I hindered and prevented His people from becoming
His prophets or His mouthpiece.

God’s Plan For Worldwide Revival: Let my readers be ever mindful that God can
only bless any congregation with His miraculous power and presence, in a continuous way, as
God’s Bishops, Deacons, and Priests establish God’s Church on a biblical foundation, and
denounce Satan’s church structure! I believe with all my heart that it is God’s will for His
Church to have a Church service every day. Is it not time for the Church to be the Church, and
denounce Satan’s Nicolaitan system of limiting the move of God to two days a week and to
specific hours?

I am talking about God’s holy Priesthood being used of God, the way it happen in 1906 at
the Azusa Street revival in Los Angeles. They did it God’s way, and God blessed them with a
worldwide revival! I do not know about you brother Pastor, but I want to see God do it again,
and give us another Pentecost!! For this to happen, we must be willing to serve God on a full
time and not a part time basis. Serve Him not with two or three services a week for a few
hours, but with services every day. God’s Children should minister in the Church, on the
street, in homes, and at their jobs daily. This is how it was done in God’s early Apostolic
Pentecostal Church (Acts 2:46-47; 3:1; 4:31; 5:42; 8:4).

I believe that it would be pleasing to God, if each Church had twenty-four Pastors, in which
Pastors would minister (preach or teach) on Saturdays and Sundays when most of the saints, if
not all, would be in attendance in an all day meeting. The Church could hold a love feast or
potluck breakfast, lunch, and supper on those days, along with other fun activities, as saints
fellowshipped with one another. In other words, Saturdays and Sundays would be like Camp

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Meeting in each Church. God’s Priestly Saints would do all the preaching and teaching in
Monday through Friday services.

Everyone wants the glory of God to come down and fill the temple just as it did in Solomon
day, the day of Pentecost, and Azusa Street, and I believe we can have it, if every Saint of God
is will to dedicate and consecrate themselves to their Lord. I believe that the Gifts of the Spirit
moving daily in the Church are what we can have, if we are willing to pay the price. This is
what I want more than life itself, and not only this, but a Church that truly loves each other as
real family members. I do not know anyone, whether in the Church or out of the Church, that
is not starving for true genuine love and acceptance.

I have been privilege to sit under some great men of God, who were greatly used of God,
but this does not mean that God approved of the ministerial organization used in their
Churches. God heals, delivers, answer prayers, and fills sincere godly Catholics with the Holy
Ghost, but this in no way means that He approves of their Church organization, doctrines or
the worship of idols. In fact, God said He hate these doctrines and their Nicolaitan ministerial
system. God will bless and use anyone in the gifts of the Spirit who is godly, sincere, and has
faith.

Every Pastor who reads this book, and does not change their Ministerial System, will no
longer be sincerely ignorant of God’s will for their Church. They will have the blood of God’s
Children on their hands. If they rebellion against these truths, they will find it ever
increasingly harder to hear the voice of God in prayer, for they will no loner be ignorant of the
truth. They all know that God cannot bless willful rebellion against Him and His Words.

Since this is the rapture generation, I do believe there will be some holy Pastors of God who
will miss the Pretribulation Rapture of God’s Church, because they were afraid to stand for
the truth among their peers and preach it to their people. If God’s Pastors and people do not
open their eyes to these truths, and walk in them, they will go through the first half of the
Tribulation Period. Because of tremendous persecution many of God’s Children will receive at
that time, they will probably at that time put the above truths of revival to work and fulfill
their God given Ministries. Those who are martyred in the first 3 1/2 Years of the Tribulation
Period will be resurrected in the second part of the First Resurrection, that is, at the Mid-
Tribulation Resurrection.

Let us always keep in mind that this is without a doubt the rapture generation, and time is
quickly running out. God wants to do a quick work and what Pastor will let Him? I know it
will not be easy for godly Pastors to do this for I have been a Pastor; but if we truly love our
sweet Lord, we will do whatever His Holy Infallible Word commands us to do, and pay any
price to serve Him in Spirit and Truth (Jn 4:24). Brother Pastors and Priests of Almighty God,
let’s have revival; for there will be many Catholic and Protestant people in the Day of
Judgment, who will tell their Lord that they preached and did all kinds of miracles in His
name, but will discover that they were deceived by false prophet concerning the New Birth,
and have no hope of salvation (Mt 7:13-23). Nothing can take the place of truth, and if you truly
love our Lord Jesus Christ, you will never settle for anything less than truth! The Word of
God commands us to: “buy the truth and sell it not” (Pro 23:23).

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 The only way anyone can become a Priest of God is by having Jesus Christ, our great High
Priest, as his or her Father. This is done by enter into Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection
through the New Birth (Jn 3:3-8; Acts 2:38; Tit 3:5). The New Birth of “water and Spirit” is a simple
process, even though many preachers have perverted God’s Message. I admonish my beloved
readers to read my book “Preacher, What Must I Do To Inherit Eternal Life.” This book covers
all areas of God’s plan for salvation, from the time it began in God’s mind before time began,
to the time it was fulfilled at Calvary (Rev 12:8; 1Pe 1:18-20). This book, as well as all my other
books are absolutely free, and it can be download from the Internet. My web address is:
“http://www.DoctrinesOfChrist.com.”

The Ministries of Love that Should Be in God’s Church

According to the Bible, God’s New Testament Priesthood did not originate from the family
of Aaron or Levi, but from the Lord Jesus Christ, our High Priest and Father, who was
Melchizedek in the Old Testament. The great apostle Paul speaking of this wrote: “For the
priesthood being changed, of necessity there is also a change of the law. For He of whom these things are spoken
belongs to another tribe, from which no man has officiated at the altar. For it is evident that our Lord arose from
Judah, of which tribe Moses spoke nothing concerning priesthood. And it is yet far more evident if, in the likeness
of Melchizedek, there arises another priest” (Heb 7:12-15; cp vss 3, 7-8, 15, 21, 25-26).

Since the laws concerning the priesthood have been changed, the laws of the Old Testament
priesthood cannot be applied to God’s New Testament priesthood; for one thing, in the Old
Testament, only the children of Levi could be priest, but in the New Testament all born-again
believers are priest! Therefore, God’s New Testament priesthood cannot operate by the
Levitical laws of temple duties, sacrificial offerings, tithes, and other things; for Jesus is the
one and only sacrifice for sin, and they are the temple of God, also they are the priests of God!!
Because of this, their tithes should go to the support Church, that is, the expenses of the
Church, and after that to provide for the needs of the faithful poor children of God in their
congregations, and then after that to the faithful poor children of God around the world.

The Church of the Book of Acts took love offerings to feed and clothe the faithful poor
among them and around the world. Dr. Luke speaking of this wrote: “Then one of them, named
Agabus, stood up and showed by the Spirit that there was going to be a great famine throughout all the world,
which also happened in the days of Claudius Caesar. Then the disciples, each according to his ability, determined
to send relief to the brethren dwelling in Judea. This they also did, and sent it to the elders by the hands of
Barnabas and Saul” (Acts 11:28-30). These early saints knew how to love in both word and in their
actions. This is exactly what Jesus meant when He said: “By this all will know that you are My
disciples, if you have love for one another” (Jn 13:35). Paul speaking of the love the early Christians
had for one another wrote: “For it hath pleased them of Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain
contribution for the poor saints, which are at Jerusalem. It hath pleased them verily” (Rom 15:26-27).

It is God’s responsibility to meet the needs of all His children, especially those who are
poor. God has always cared for the poor among His children in both the Old and New
Covenants. God has always given that responsibility to His children. This is why He told His
children, who were under the Old Covenant: “When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not

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wholly reap the corners of your field, nor shall you gather the gleanings of your harvest. And you shall not glean
your vineyard, nor shall you gather every grape of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and the
stranger: I am the LORD your God” (Lev 19:9-10).

Let us never forget that Jesus cast all the hard-hearted, selfish materialistic minded goats in
the Lake of Fire. Why? He said it was because they did not minister to the needs of His
Children. Jesus said it this way: “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, Depart from Me, you
cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: ‘for I was hungry and you gave Me no food;
I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not
clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’ Then they also will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did
we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ Then He
will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you
did not do it to Me.’ And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life” (Mt
25: 41-46).

Who did Jesus mean by the expression, “one of the least of these” in verse 45? In verse 40, Jesus
gave us the answer, He said: “Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My
brethren, you did it to Me.” Our Lord and Savior called His children His brothers. When Paul was
killing His children, Jesus told him: “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me” (Acts 9:4)? Brother,
when you bless one of God’s children with food, clothing, and shelter, you are blessing Jesus;
when you deny them the necessities of life, you are cursing Christ! Let my beloved readers
take note, these lost children of God were sentence to Hell, because they turned their backs on
the needs, not wants, of their brothers and sisters in Christ, in their local church and around
the world.

James, the Lord’s brother, rebuked those in the church who did not love their brothers and
sisters in Christ; those who turned their backs on them when they saw their needs. He said:
“Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and
to keep oneself unspotted from the world…. What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but
does not have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of
you says to them, ‘Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,’ but you do not give them the things which are needed
for the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say,
‘You have faith, and I have works.’ Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my
works” (Ja 1:27; 2:14-18).

The apostle John said the very same thing, but said it this way: “For this is the message that you
heard from the beginning, that we should love one another…. But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his
brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? My little children let us
not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth” (1Jn 3:11, 17-18). Another way of saying this is: “if
you see your brother or sister hungry feed them; if you see they have very no or very little clothing, give them
some; if you see they have no place to live, give them one or help them to obtain one; if you see them without work
give them a job or help them find one; if you see that their car, refrigerator, washing machine, or any other
necessary of life is broken, help them to fix it or give them your old one, if you have one. If you see a brother or
sister is a single parent, and you are old enough to be their grandparent, be one; if you see that older saints need
help around or in their house, help them, and etc. Anything less than these things is not love.”

These things are without a doubt have always been the true ministry of God’s holy, loving,
compassionate and unselfish Church (Rom 12:13; 15:26-27; 1Co 16:1-3; 2Co 8:1-5, 14-15; 9:1-9). There
are many of God’s children here in the US and around the world who have basic needs like

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these mentioned in the above passages of scripture, and all the church can think about is
building bigger buildings, and buying things for a building, or how to invest their money in
banks or the stock market. Instead of investing their money into something eternal, they either
hoard it up, or throw it away on something that will rot and decay.

Now please do not misunderstand what I am teaching, I am not teaching against having a
nice building, or saints not supporting with their finances the monthly expenses of operating
the church, but ministering to poorer saints in your church and around the world is our
greatest financial responsibility! Jesus said it this way: “Let your light so shine before men, that they
may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Mt 5:16).

Books Written by the Author and Given Away on His Website:

A Biblical, Medical, and Psychological Account of the Sufferings of the Lord Jesus Christ
The Heresy of the Nicolaitans
Biblical Creationism vs Pantheistic Theories of Evolution (Nature Worship)
A Prophetic History of God’s Apostolic Pentecostal Church (The Seven Prophetic Periods of the Church Age)
The Mysteries of Prophecy Revealed
What Do You Mean I Must Be Born Again?
Preacher, What Must I Do to Inherit Eternal Life?
A Historical Record of Speaking in Tongues
The Mysteries of the Godhead Revealed
A History of Oneness Throughout the Centuries (Baptism in Jesus’ Name, the Godhead in Christ)
What Happens to Man’s Spirit, Soul and Body Immediately after Death?
What Is Lost Man’s Eternal Destiny? (Immediate Annihilation, Eternal Torment, Torment for a Time
and Then Universal Salvation, or Torment for a Time and Then Annihilation)
The Mysteries of the Spirit and Soul of Man Revealed
(What Are They? Does Each Nature of Man Have Mind, Will, and Emotions?)
Holiness: God’s Beauty College
What Is God’s Rest for the Believer: the Sabbath Day or God’s Sabbath Spirit
How to Study the Bible
A Calendar of Biblical Dates and Events, Beginning with the Creation of Adam
The Heresies of the Pharisaical Jewish Ebionites
William Marion Branham: His Life, Teachings, and Demonic Spirit-Guide
Nutrition and Nutritional Charts
Law vs Grace or Works vs Faith
Water Baptism: the Essentiality, the Mode, and the Formula
Glossolalia: Ten Steps of Faith to Receiving the Baptism of the Holy Ghost
Glossolalia and the New Birth
Benefits of Salvation and the False Doctrines that Hinder It
Eternal Life vs Eternal Death

Christ’s Loving Servant,

Harry A. Peyton
148 Little Creek Hills Rd.
Alto, NM 88312
Telephone # 575-336-2800
Internet Address: DoctrinesOfChrist@hotmail.com
Website: DoctrinesOfChrist.com

109
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A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, 1889, Joseph Henry Thayer: (being C. G.
Grimm - 1861-1868; 1879 and C. L. W. Wilke – 1851, Clavis Novi Testamenti, tr., revised and
enlarged by J. H. Thayer, D.D., Hon. Litt.D., Professor of New Testament, Divinity School of
Harvard University: found in BibleWorks For Windows)

Analytical Greek New Testament, Timothy & Barbara Friberg: (Greek NT Grammatical
Analysis Database, Version 2, Copyright © 1994: found in BibleWorks For Windows)

A History Of Christianity in the Apostolic Age, 1897, Arthur C. McGiffert: T. & T. Clark:
Edinburgh

A History of the Christian Thought, 1965, Otto Heick: Fortress Press, PA

Ante-Nicene Fathers, 1977 & 1979, editors Alexander Roberts & James Donaldson:
William B. Eerdmans: Grand Rapids, Mich.

Antitrinitarian Biography, 1850, Robert Wallace: E. T. Whitfield: London, England:

Mirofiche: Sketches of the Lives and Writings of Distinguished Antitrinitarians

Aspects of Pentecostal-Charismatic Origins, 1975, editor Vinson Synan: Logos

International: Plainfield, NJ

Clear Vision Bible Studies, C.C. Gosey

Christianity Through the Centuries, 1975, Earle Cairns: Zondervan Pub. House: Grand
Rapids, Mich.

Collier’s Encyclopedia, 1990, Macmillian Education Co.: New York, NY

Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature, 1969, John M’Clintock &
James Strong: Arno Press: NY

Dictionary of Sects, Heresies, Ecclesiastical Parties, and Schools of Religious Thought, 1971,
John H. Blunt:
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Dictionary of the Bible, 1909, 13th ed., James Hastings: Charles Scribner’s Sons: NY

Dispensational Truth or God’s Plan and Purpose in the Ages, Clarence Larkin

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 Early And Medieval Christianity, 1962, Roland Bainton: Beacon Press: Boston

Earth’s Earliest Ages, 1975, G. H. Pember Kregel Publications: Grand Rapids, Mich.

Encyclopedia Americana, (International Edition) 1985, Grolier Incorporated: Danbury,

CN.

Encyclopaedia Britannica, 1910, 1972, Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.: NY

Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics, 1928, editor James Hastings: Charles Scribner’s Sons:
NY

Essays and Sketches, 1948, John H. Newman: Longmans, Green & Co.: NY

Fragments of A Faith Forgotten, 1960, George R. Mead: University Books: New Hyde
Park: NY

Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 1957,
translators William F. Arndt and F. Wilbur Gingrich: The University Of Chicago Press:
Chicago

Halley’s Bible Handbook, 24th ed, Henry H. Halley: Zondervan Pub. House: Grand
Rapids, Mich.

Heresy and Orthodoxy in the Early Church, 1991, Henry Chadwick: Variorum:

History of Dogma, 1897, Adolf Harnack: Robert’s Brothers: Boston: 5 vols.

History of Dogma, 1961, Adolf Harnack: Dover Publications, Inc.: NY: 7 vols.

History of the Christian Church, 1979, Marvin M. Arnold: Apostolic Publishing House:
Memphis

History of the Christian Church, 1970, 1980, Philip Schaff: William B. Eerdmans: Grand
Rapids: 8 vols.

Hunted Heretic, 1978, Roland H. Bainton: Peter Smith: Gloucester, Mass.: The Life And
Death Of Michael Servetus

Jesus' Name Baptism Through the Centuries, Thomas Weisser:

Louw-Nida Greek-English Lexicon, 2nd edition, J. P. Louw and E. A. Nida ed., (Copyright
© 1988 by the United Bible Societies, New York, NY: found in BibleWorks For Windows)

111
 New Catholic Encyclopedia, 1967, The Catholic University Of America: McGraw-Hill
Book Co.: NY

Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers [of the Christian Church], editors Philip Schaff & Henry
Wace: Eerdmans: Grand Rapids.

Secret Societies, 1965, Arkon Daraul: Tandem Books: London

Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, 1980, James Strong: World Bible Pub.:
Iowa Falls, Iowa

Synonyms of The New Testament, 1963, Richard C. Trench: Macmillian & Co.:
Cambridge

Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, 1984, editor Joseph Thayer: Baker
Book House: Grand Rapids, Mich.

The Babylonian Connection, 1978, Stephen E. Jones: America’s Promise: Phoenix

The Cambridge Medieval History, 1967, editors H. Gwatkin & J. Whitney: University
Press: Cambridge

The Catholic Encyclopedia, 1911, editors C. Herbermann, E. Pace, C. Pallen, T. Shahan &
J. Wynne: The Gilmary Society: NY

The Church Teaches, 1973, translators J. Clarkson, J. Edwards, W. Kelly, J. Welch: Tan
Books & Pub. Inc.: Rockford, IL

The Complete Biblical Library, 1986: The Complete Biblical Library: Springfield, Mo.: 16
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The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, 1968, Edward Gibbon: Washington Square
Press, Inc.: NY

The Early History of Christianity, 1927, Charles Guignebert: Twayne Pub.: NY

The Encyclopedia of the Jewish Religion, 1965, editors R. J. Werblowsky & Geoffrey
Wigoder: Holt, Rinehart & Winston: NY

The Encyclopedia of Religion, 1987, chief editor Mircea Eliade: Macmillan Pub. Co.: NY

The Ethnic Trinities [and Their Relations to the Christian Trinity], 1901, Levi L. Paine:
Houghton, Mifflin & Co.: NY

The Expositor's Greek Testament, 1974, editor W. R. Nicolli: William. B. Eerdmans:

Grand Rapids

112
 The Fathers of the Church, 1964, chief editor Roy J. Deferrari: The Catholic University Of
America Press: Washington, D. C.

The History of Magic, 1960, Eliphas Levi: Borden Pub. Co.: Los Angeles

The Holiness Pentecostal Movement in the United States, 1972, Vinson Synan: Eerdmans:
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The Interpretor's Dictionary of the Bible, 1962: editor Emory S. Bucke: Abingdon Press:
Nashville

The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, 1960, chief editor James Orr: William. B.
Eerdmans: Grand Rapids: 5 vols.

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The Mission And Expansion Of Christianity, 1962, Adolf Harnack: Harper & Brothers:
NY

The Mystery Of Babylon Revealed, 1980, Ed Mitchell & Jody Scharf: Victory Press: Palm
Springs, Ca.

The Mythology of All Races, 1930, John A. MacCulloch: Archaeological Institute Of

America: Boston:

The Pentecostals, 1977, Walter J. Hollenweger: Augsburg Pub. House: Minneapolis

The Phenomenon of Pentecost, 1975 (rev. edition), Frank Ewart: Word Aflame Press:
Hazelwood, MO

The Philosophy of the Church Fathers, 1964, Harry A. Wolfson: Harvard University Press:
Cambridge

The Primitive Church, 1964, Maurice Goguel: The Macmillan Co.: NY

The Roots of Witchcraft, 1974, Michael Harrison: Citadel Press: Secaucus, NJ

The Secret Societies, 1875, Charles W. Heckethorn: R. Bentley & Son: London: 2 vols.

The Story of the Christian Church, 1962, Jesse Hurlbut: Holt, Rinehart & Winston: NY

113
 The Story of the Church, 1937, George Johnson, Jerome Hannan, M. Dominica: Benziger
Brothers: NY

The Two Babylons, 1959, Alexander Hislop: Loizeaux Brothers: Neptune, NJ

The Works Of John Adams, John Adams

The World Book Encyclopedia, 1992, World Book International: Chicago, IL

They Speak in Other Tongues, 1976, John L. Sherrill: McGraw Hill: NY

Webster's International Encyclopedia, 1999: Webster Publishing

What Is Christianity, 1957, Adolf Harnack: Harper & Row Pub.: NY

What Is Christianity, 1978, Adolf Harnack: Peter Smith: Gloucester, Mass.

Witchcraft in History, 1977, Ronald Holmes: Citadel: Secaucus, NJ

Who Is Who in Church History, 1974, Elgin S. Moyer: Keats Publishing, Inc.: New
Canaan, Conn.

Word Studies in the New Testament, 2sd ed., M. R. Vincent: Mac Donald Pub. Co.: Mac
Dill AFB, Florida

BIBLES:

The Amplified Bible, 1974, Zondervan Bible Pub.: Grand Rapids, Mich.

The Clarified New Testament; 1962, Emil Kraeling: McGraw-Hill Book Co., Inc.: NY

The Emphasized Bible, 1971 editor Joseph Rotherham: Kregel Pub.: Grand Rapids, Mich.

The Holy Bible, New International Version, 1978, Zondervan Bible Pub.: Grand Rapids,
Mich.

The Holy Bible, Revised Standard Version, 1952, Thomas Nelson & Sons: NY

The Jerusalem Bible, 1966, chief editor Alexander Jones: Doubleday & Co., Inc.: Garden
City, NY

The New Testament Octapla, 1946, editor Luther Weigle: Thomas Nelson & Sons: NY

The New Testament From 26 Translations, 1967, Curtis Vaughan, ed.: Zondervan: Grand
Rapids, MI

114
 A Literal Translation of the Holy Bible, Revised Edition, Robert Young: Baker Book
House: Grand Rapids, MI

ENDNOTES
All quotes from ANF and N&PNF are from Sage Digital Christian Library.

1
Ante Nicene Fathers, vol 1, Irenaeus Against Heresies, bk 5, chp 30, sec 1-3, pp 1156-1159; also ANF, vol 1,
The Epistle of Ignatius to the Tarsians, chp 3, pp 211-212; ANF, vol 3, Tertullian, Part 2, bk 1,
Prescription Against Heretics, chp 36, pg 489; ANF, vol 7, Commentary on the Apocalypse, chp 10, sec 11,
pg 739; ANF, vol 2, Salvation of the Rich Man, sec 42, pg 1268; ANF, vol 5, Appendix, Hippolytus on the
Twelve Apostles, sec 3, pg 535.
2
Nicene and Post Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol 1, bk 3, chp 23, pg 263, the Apostle John and the Apocalypse;
also N&PNF, series 2, vol 3, Jerome, chp 9, pg 738; N&PNF, series 2, vol 11, Sulpitus Severus, Sacred
History, bk 2, chp 31, pg 242.
3
Dispensational Truth or God’s Plan and Purpose in the Ages, Larkin, pg 128.
4
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia #3133 Ephesus.
5
Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, Nikolaites #3532; Nikos #3534, Laos #2992.
6
Dispensational Truth or God’s Plan and Purpose in the Ages, pp 128, 130.
7
History of the Christian Church, Arnold, pp 74, 72.
8
Clear Vision Bible Studies, Gosey, chp 283.2.
9
History of the Christian Church, Schaff, vol 2, pg 464.
10
Fragments of A Faith Forgotten, pg 240.
11
History of the Christian Church, Schaff, vol 1, pg 487.
12
History of the Christian Church, Schaff, vol 2, pg 124; vol 1, pp 486, 504
13
The Early History Of Christianity, Guignebert, pp 12, 13.
14
Fragments of A Faith Forgotten, Mead, pg 121.
15
History of the Christian Church, Schaff, vol 2, pp 125, 145; vol 1, pg 495.
16
The Story of the Church, pg 55, introduction pg xxvi.
17
History of the Christian Church, Arnold, pp 164-165; 186-187.
18
The Early History of Christianity, pg 140.
19
The Primitive Church, Gouel, pp 243, 242.
20
The Early History of Christianity, pg 140.
21
History of Dogma, vol 1, pg 215.
22
The Early History Of Christianity, pg 131.
23
Heresy and Orthodoxy in the Early Church, Chadwick, pg 2.
24
History of the Christian Church, Schaff, vol 2, pp 146, 147.
25
History of the Christian Church, Schaff, vol 2, pp 146, 147.
26
Ante Nicene Fathers, vol 1, Ignatius’ Epistle to the Ephesians, chps 4 & 6.
27
ANF, vol 1, Ignatius’ Epistle to the Magnesians.
28
ANF, vol 1, Ignatius’ Epistle to the Trallians, chps 3 & 7.
29
ANF, vol 1, Ignatius’ Epistle to the Philadelphians, chp 4.
30
ANF, vol 1, Ignatius’ Epistle to the Philadelphians, chp 8.
31
ANF, vol 1, Ignatius’ Epistle to the Philadelphians, chp 9.
32
History of the Christian Church, Schaff, vol 2, pp 125, 145; vol 1, pg 495.
33
Ante Nicene Fathers, vol 1, Ignatius’ Epistle to the Romans, chp 2
34
New Catholic Encyclopedia, vol 5, pg 604.
35
Ante Nicene Fathers, vol 1, Ignatius’ Epistle to the Philadelphians, chp 8.
36
The Encyclopedia of Religion, vol 7, pg 282.
37
The International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia, vol 3, pg 1925.
38
Ante Nicene Fathers, vol 1, The First Apology of Justin Chp 66, pg 354.
39
History of Dogma, vol 1, pg 215.
40
The Mission and Expansion of Christianity, Harnack, pp 194, 195.

115
41
A History of Christian Thought, Heick, vol 1, pg 50.
42
Nicene and Post Nicene Fathers, Schaff, vol 6, pp 288-289.
43
Ante Nicene Fathers, vol 1, Clement, Epistle to the Corinthians, chp 1.
44
ANF, Clement, Epistle to the Corinthians, chp 42.
45
ANF, Clement, Epistle to the Cornithians, chp 44.
46
ANF, Clement, Epistle to the Corinthians, chp 46.
47
ANF, Clement, Epistle to the Corinthians, chp 54.
48
ANF, Polycarp, Epistle to the Philippians, chp 1.
49
ANF, Polycarp, Epistle to the Philippians, chp 6.
50
The Nicene and Post Nicene Fathers, Schaff, vol 6, pp 288-289.
51
A History of the Christian Church in the Apostolic Age, McGiffert, pp 671, 670.
52
The Mission and Expansion of Christianity, Harnack, pg 439.
53
The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, vol 1, pp 214-217.
54
The Early History of Christianity, pg 132
55
History of Dogma, vol 1, pg 215.
56
The Nicene And Post Nicene Fathers, Schaff, vol 6, pp 288-289.
57
Fragments of A Faith Forgotten, pg 119.
58
History of Dogma, Harnack, vol 2, pp 228, 175.
59
Who Was Who in Church History, Moyer, pp 331-332.
60
The Catholic Encyclopedia, 1911, vol 10, pg 450.
61
Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics, Hastings, vol 6, pp 617, 616.
62
The Philosophy of the Church Fathers, pg 191.
63
History of the Christian Church, Schaff, vol. 3, pg. 664.
64
New Catholic Encyclopedia, vol 14, pp 296-297.
65
Christianity Through the Centuries, Cairns, pp 99, 102.
66
Bible Handbook, Halley, pg 672.
67
Nicene and Post Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol 11, Sulpitus Severus, Sacred History, bk 2, chp 31-33,
pp 242-244.
68
N&PNF, series 2, vol 1, Eusebius, Content of Church History, bk 3, chp 17, pg 256.
69
N&PNF, series 2, vol 1, Eusebius, Content of Church History, bk 3, chp 32-33, pp 279-281.
70
N&PNF, series 2, vol 1, Eusebius, Content of Church History, bk 4, chp 8-9, pp 302-303.
71
N&PNF, series 2, vol 1, Eusibius, Eusebius, Content of Church History, bk 4, chp 13, pg 308.
72
Ante Nicene Fathers, vol 1, the First Apology of Justin Martyr, chp 68; pp 357-358.
73
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia #8183 Smyrna.
74
History of the Christian Church, Philip Schaff, chp 11, The Heresies of the Ante-Nicene Age, sec 112,
Judaism and Heathenism within the Church.
75
The Mission and Expansion of Christianity, Harnack, pg 439.
76
The Mission and Expansion of Christianity, pg 293.
77
What Is Christianity, Harnack, pg 207, 221, 220.
78
The Early History of Christianity, pg 116.
79
The Babylonian Connection, Jones, pg 48.
80
Secret Societies, Daraul, pg 80.
81
The Early History of Christianity, pg 68.
82
The Mystery of the Babylon Revealed, Mitchell & Scharf, pp 20, 21.
83
The Mythology of All Races, MacCulloch, vol 5, pp 111, 25.
84
Witchcraft in History, Holmes, pg 34.
85
ANF, vol 6, extant Writings of Julius Africanus, bk 3, Fragaments of five Book of Chronology, chp 16,
sec 1-3 and chp 18, sec 4, pp 289-295.
86
Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, Smurna #4667 & #4666, root muron #3464.
87
Bible Handbook, Halley, pp 670, 669.
88
Ante Nicene Fathers, vol 4, Tertullian, Part 4, bk 9 De Funga in Persecutione, Elucidation, pg 261.
89
Essays and Sketches, Newman, vol 1, pg 152.
90
History of Dogma, vol 3, pp 51- 54.

116
91
Cyclopedia of Biblical Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, M’Clintock & Strong, vol 6, pp 448-449;
op. cit. Ante Nicene Fathers, Justin Martyr, First Apol., ch. 63.
92
Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics, vol 8, pg 780.
93
Ante Nicene Fathers, vol 3, pp 598-599.
94
Ante Nicene Fathers, vol 5, pp 130-131, 148, 127-128.
95
The History of Magic, Levi, pg 70.
96
Ante Nicene Fathers, vol 3, Tertullian, Part 2, bk 8 Scorpiace, chp 12, pg 1212.
97
N&PNF, series 2, vol 1, Eusebius, Content of Church History, bk 6, chp 1-2, pp 396-397.
98
N&PNF, series 2, vol 1, Eusebius, Content of Church History, bk 6, chp 28, pg 435.
99
Ante Nicene Fathers, vol 1, Tertullian, First Part, the Apology, chp 1, pg 27, & chp 5, pg 37;
also N&PNF, series 2, vol 1, Eusebius, Content of Church History, bk 5, chp 5, pp 357, 358.
100
Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 99, article entitled “Decius.”
101
Nicene and Post Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol 1, Eusebius, Content of Church History, bk 6, chp 41,
pp 449-450.
102
N&PNF, series 2, vol 1, Eusebius, Content of Church History, bk 7, chp 1, pg 463.
103
N&PNF, series 2, vol 1, Eusebius, Content of Church History, bk 7, chp 10, pg 474.
104
N&PNF, series 2, vol 1, Eusebius, Content of Church History, bk 7, chp 13, pg 482.
105
N&PNF, series 2, vol 1, Eusebius, Content of Church History, bk 8, chp 2-3, pp 519-520.
106
History of the Christian Church, Schaff, vol 2, pg 64.
107
Bible Handbook, Halley, pg 673.
108
N&PNF, series 2, vol 1, Eusebius, Content of Church History, bk 8, chp 4, pg 521; chp 15-16, pp 543-544.
109
N&PNF, ser 2, vol 1, the Life of Constantine, Prolegomena, chp 1, pg 680.
110
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, #6761 Pergamos; Pergamum.
111
Dispensational Truth or God’s Plan and Purpose in the Ages, pg 130.
112
Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, #4007 & #1062.
113
Dispensational Truth or God’s Plan and Purpose in the Ages, pg 130.
114
History of the Christian Church, Schaff, vol 3, pg 410, 411, 454.
115
The Cambridge Medieval History, pg 11.
116
The Early History of Christianity, pg 167, 168.
117
The Cambridge Medieval History, pg 10.
118
Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics, vol. 2, pg. 350.
119
Jesus’ Name Baptism Through The Centuries, Weisser, pg 7.
120
N&NF, series 2, v 2, Socrates Scholastics, bk 1, chp 8, pp 51, 53.
121
The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, vol. 1, pp 17, 375.
122
N&NF, series 2, v 2, Socrates Scholastics, bk 1, chp 8, pp 55, 57.
123
The Early History of Christianity, pg 170.
124
The Secret Societies, Heckethorn, vol 1, pg 75.
125
N&PNF, series 2, vol 1, Eusebius, Content of Church History, bk 3, chp 64-66, pp 982-984.
126
History of the Christian Church, Schaff, vol 2, pg 73; vol 3, pg 142.
127
Encyclopedia of Religion And Ethics, vol 14, pg 444.
128
Encyclopedia of Religion And Ethics, vol. 12, pg. 459
129
History of the Christian Church, Arnold pp 130, 134.
130
Halley’s Bible Handbook, pg 760.
131
Collier’s Encyclopedia, vol 18, pg 402.
132
New Catholic Encyclopedia, vol 9, pg 1079.
133
Jesus’ Name Baptism Through the Centuries, Weisser, pg 8.
134
New Catholic Encyclopedia, vol 9, pg 1079.
135
Collier’s Encyclopedia, vol 13, pg 36.
136
New Catholic Encyclopedia, vol 9, pg 1079.
137
Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics, vol 8, pg 830.
138
Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics, vol 8, pg 830.
139
Dictionary of Sects, Heresies, Ecclesiastical Parties, and Schools of Religious Thought, pp 340, 341.
140
The Catholic Encyclopedia, 1911, vol 10, pg 449; vol 8, pg 1079.

117
141
Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics, Hastings, vol 10, pg 81.
142
Story of the Christian Church, pg 66; op. cit. The New Catholic Encyclopedia, vol 9, pg 1079.
143
The New Catholic Encyclopedia, vol 9, pg 1079.
144
Dictionary of Sects, Heresies, Ecclesiastical Parties, and Schools of Religious Thought, pg 340.
145
Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics, vol 8, pp 828, 830.
146
Nicene and Post Nicene Fathers, vol 1, pg 295.
147
Encyclopedia of Religion And Ethics, vol 8, pg 780.
148
The Church Teaches, pg 130.
149
History of the Christian Church, Schaff, vol 3, pg 485.
150
Jesus’ Name Baptism Through The Centuries, Weisser, pp 18-20.
151
Collier’s Encyclopedia, vol 18, pg 402.
152
History of the Christian Church, pp 264-265; op. cit. F. Littell, Reformation Studies and Essays
in Honor of R. H. Bainton, pg 231.
153
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 1910, vol 3, pg 366.
154
Encyclopedia Americana, vol 21, pg 368.
155
Encyclopedia Americana, vol 15, pg 191.
156
Collier’s Encyclopedia, vol 18, pg 402.
157
Encyclopedia Americana, vol 21, pg 368.
158
Encyclopedia Americana, vol 15, pg 191.
159
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, # 8698 Thyatira.
160
Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, Thuateira #2363; Thuo #2380; aei #104.
161
History of the Christian Church, Arnold, pp 133, 135, 138.
162
World Book Encyclopedia, vol 10, pp 246-247.
163
Collier’s Encyclopedia, vol 18, pg 404; vol 13, pg 38.
164
Collier’s Encyclopedia, vol 18, pg 404; vol 13, pg 38.
165
Collier’s Encyclopedia, vol 13, pg 38-39, 34.
166
Jesus’ Name Baptism Through the Centuries, Weisser, pp 18-20.
167
Dictionary of Sects, Heresies, Ecclesiastical Parties, and Schools of Religious Thought, pg 36.
168
Dictionary of Sects, Heresies, Ecclesiastical Parties, and Schools of Religious Thought, pg 514.
169
History of the Christian Church, Arnold, pg 262; op. cit. M P. Hamilton, The Charismatic Movement,
pg 71.
170
Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics, vol 8, pg 780.
171
The Church Teaches, pp 135-136.
172
Encyclopedia Americana, vol 15, pg 192.
173
Hunted Heretic, Bainton, pp 278- 279, 298.
174
Christianity Through The Centuries, Cairns, pp 332, 333.
175
History of the Christian Church, Arnold, pp 264, 238, 264, 265.
176
Encyclopedia Americana, vol 15, pg 192.
177
Who Was Who in Church History, Moyer, pp 370, 371.
178
Dictionary of Sects, Heresies, Ecclesiastical Parties, and Schools of Religious Thought, pg 37.
179
Antitrinitarian Biography, Wallace, vol 1, pp 432, 450, 449.
180
Antitrinitarian Biography, Wallace, vol 1, pp 442-444.
181
The Two Treatises Of Servetus On The Trinity, tr by Earl Wilbur, pp 173-174
182
The Two Treatises Of Servetus On The Trinity, tr by Earl Wilbur, pp 196-197
183
Early And Medieval Christianity, Bainton, pg 136.
184
Hunted Heretic, Bainton, pg 49
185
History of Dogma, vol 7, pg 132.
186
Hunted Heretic, pg 206.
187
Antitrinitarian Biography, Wallace, vol 1, pp 442-444.
188
Dictionary of Sects, Heresies, Ecclesiastical Parties, and Schools of Religious Thought, pg 557.
189
Who Was Who in Church History, pp 311-312.
190
Antitrinitarian Biography, Wallace, vol 2, pp 349, 350.
191
Jesus’ Name Baptism Through the Centuries, pg 29.

118
192
Jesus’ Name Baptism Through The Centuries, Weisser, pg 31.
193
Antitrinitarian Biography, Wallace, vol 1, pg 90.
194
Aspects Of Pentecostal-Charismatic Origins, Synan, pg 126.
195
Cyclopedia of Biblical Theological And Ecclesiastical Literature, vol 10, pp 485-486;
op. cit. History Of The Christian Church, Schaff, vol 1, pg 237.
196
Antitrinitarian Biography, vol 1, pp 161, 164-165.
197
Antitrinitarian Biography, vol 1, pp 167-169.
198
Antitrinitarian Biography, Wallace, vol 1, pg 184.
199
Antitrinitarian Biography, Wallace, vol 1, pg 90.
200
Antitrinitarian Biography, Wallace, vol 1, pp 340, 341.
201
Webster's International Encyclopedia, Article: “One Hundred Year War.”
202
Webster's International Encyclopedia, Article: “Black Death in Europe.”
203
Webster's International Encyclopedia, Article: “Reformation Europe, Wars of Religion.”
204
Collier’s Encyclopedia, vol 13, pg 40.
205
Encyclopedia Americana, vol 15, pg 194.
206
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia #7588.
207
History of the Christian Church, Arnold, pg 154.
208
Collier’s Encyclopedia, vol 13, pg 40.
209
Antitrinitarian Biography, Wallace, vol 1, pg 184.
210
Antitrinitarian Biography, Wallace, vol 1, pg 90.
211
History of the Christian Church, Arnold pp 241, 268-269; op. M. P.
Hamilton, the Charismatic Movement, pg 77.
212
Jesus’ Name Baptism Through the Centuries, Weisser, pg 17.
213
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, # 6832 Philadelphia.
214
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, #5359; #5384; #80.
215
History Of The Christian Church, Arnold pp 241, 268-269; op. M. P. Hamilton,
The Charismatic Movement, pg 77.
216
The Holiness-Pentecostal Movement in the United States, Synan, pg 25; op. cit. Enc. Of Religion,
vol 3, pg 370.
217
Jesus’ Name Baptism Through The Centuries, Weisser, pp 39, 40.
218
A Critical History of the Evolution of Trinitarianism, Paine, pg 106.
219
Who Was Who in Church History, pg 392
220
A Critical History of the Evolution of Trinitarianism, Paine, pg 112, 113.
221
A Critical History of the Evolution of Trinitarianism, Paine, pg 109-111.
222
Biblical Repository, April 1835, pg 268.
223
A Critical History Of The Evolution Of Trinitarianism, Paine, pg 111.
224
A Critical History Of The Evolution Of Trinitarianism, Paine, pg 109.
225
A Critical History Of The Evolution Of Trinitarianism, Paine, pp 145, 144.
226
A Critical History Of The Evolution Of Trinitarianism, Paine, pp 125-127, 142-143, 146.
227
A Critical History Of The Evolution Of Trinitarianism, Paine, pp 119-122, 147.
228
The Phenomenon of Pentecost, Ewart, pg 57.
229
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, # 5387 Laodicea.
230
Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, #2993; #2992; #1349.
231
The Encyclopaedia Britannica, 1972, vol. 22 pg 75.
232
The Encyclopaedia Britannica, 1910., vol 27, pg 10, under glossolalia.
233
Aspects of Pentecostal-Charismatic Origins, Synan, pp 183, 3, 205.
234
Their Story: 20th Century Pentecostals, Foster, pp. 120-21, quoting Parham, A Voice Crying
in the Wilderness, pp. 23-24.
235
The Holiness-Pentecostal Movement in the United States, Synan, pp 99, 100, 101, 102, 99, 104.
236
The Holiness-Pentecostal Movement in the United States, Synan, pg 97.
237
The Pentecostal, Hollenweger, pg 22.
238
The Holiness-Pentecostal Movement in the United States, Synan, pg 122.
239
The Holiness-Pentecostal Movement in the United States, Synan, pp 108, 112-115.

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240
The Life of Andrew Bar David Urshan, Urshan, pg 141.
241
World Christian Encyclopedia, editor Barrett, pg 234.
242
History of the Christian Church, Arnold pp 221, 291.
243
History of the Christian Church, Schaff, vol 2, pg 124; vol 1, pp 486, 504.

120