When Did the New Testament Apostasy Begin?
Posted January 27, 2011

Dear Mike,
I was more than a little surprised when I read that you consider it unacceptable to allow an Orthodox Priest (a Christian) to pray for another Christian.

Can you kindly elaborate on why you would consider the oldest Christian denomination to be unworthy of receiving prayer from? These are quite fervent people who spend many hours a week in Christian prayer and worship. Are you perhaps thinking that Orthodox Christians are the same as Orthodox Jews? (they are quite different) 

(Quoting you) “….Orthodox Christian ministers do not “hear God’s words”. They are ‘of their father the Devil’. They ‘do the deeds of their father’, and they do not understand Christ’s speech because they cannot hear His word, simply because they have not yet been given to understand the mysteries of the kingdom of God……” 

I assure you, that this does not sound like you are referring to an Orthodox Christian, but rather an Orthodox Jew, and you might consider writing a clarification on this point. Can you kindly clarify your response in a succinct manner please? 

To assist, I’ve narrowed it down to 2 basic choices: Orthodox Jews-yes or no and Orthodox Christians – yes or no. If it is because they are considered by God to be apostate, when did this start?
Thank you for your time.

In Christ,

M____

Hi M____,
Thank you for your question. You asked me to clarify whether I was writing about Jews or Christians when I wrote that those who know the Christ of the scriptures should not allow orthodox Christian ministers to pray over them. 

Let me assure you that when I write that a follower of our Lord should not permit an orthodox Christian minister, to whom the words of our Lord are pure heresy, to pray for him, I am not referring to an orthodox Jewish Rabbi, to whom the Pope would be considered a scriptural heretic anyway. And I am not speaking of an instance where an orthodox friend or minister, finding out you were sick, asks if you would like prayer for your illness. The point under discussion is an orthodox minister praying for your doctrinal or spiritual understanding. That is just how stark the differences between anyone who takes seriously the words of our Lord, and those who proudly proclaim themselves ‘orthodox Christians’ are.

Neither an orthodox Christian nor an orthodox Jewish Rabbi, would dare to tell those in their charge that they should love their enemies, and “put up thy sword, all who live by the sword shall die by the sword”. If either of them were to abide by that one commandment of our Lord, he would not be an orthodox Christian nor an orthodox Jew.

In this e-mail I will demonstrate for you that the apostasy of the Christian church was an accomplished fact before the death of the original apostles, and that “many have come in Christs name saying He is Christ, [and yet] have deceived many”, and that this process has only gotten worse since the day our Lord uttered those words.
2Ti 3:13 But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.

Mat 24:3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world Greek, aion, age]?
Mat 24:4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
Mat 24:5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
In light of the fact that the word “many” means ‘the majority’ and in light of the fact that Christ said that it would be doubtful that the Son of Man would find faith when He returned, is is super clear, that either our Lord was lying, or else the established orthodox Christian church is the “many who have come in His name, have confessed that Jesus is the Christ, and who are still in the position of “deceiving many.”
Luk 18:7 And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?
Luk 18:8 I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?
If orthodox Christianity is the church of our Lord, then the answer to that question, posed by our Lord, would be, Certainly, when the Son of Man comes he will find that orthodox Christianity is the largest religion on the earth, and the evil men and seducers, are the vast minority, and there are but a few who have come in Christ’s name and they have deceived but a comparative few souls, compared to the billions Christians who consider themselves to be a part of the orthodox Christian faith. Is that what the scripture show us will be the case? Not according to Luk 18:8.

But when I say that we ought not allow orthodox Christian ministers to pray for us, please understand that I am not denying the sincerity of anyone in the orthodox Christian denominations or the Jewish religion. Nevertheless it is abundantly clear that the Son of God would never allow a dedicated Pharisee who wanted Him dead and who considered Him to be a heretic, to pray over Him and to ask God to remove Christ’s own doctrine from Christ. That is why we are not to allow those who are completely opposed to everything we stand for to pray over us, and anyone who is an orthodox Christian has virtually nothing doctrinally in common with the Christ, of scripture or with those who know the Christ of scripture. 

Having said that, let me confess that I was myself a very sincere orthodox Christian for much of my own life. So I am not condemning anyone for being where God has placed them at this time in their lives. Where any of us are at any given time is all the sovereign work of our Lord Himself according to the scriptures. Every day of life for every human who has ever lived, was known and planned of God “before there were any of those days”.

Look at this 16th verse of Psa 139, in several different translations:
Psa 139:16
(ASV) Thine eyes did see mine unformed substance; And in thy book they were all written, Even the days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was none of them.

(CEV) but with your own eyes you saw my body being formed. Even before I was born, you had written in your book everything I would do.

(GNB) you saw me before I was born. The days allotted to me had all been recorded in your book, before any of them ever began.

(GW) Your eyes saw me when I was only a fetus. Every day of my life was recorded in your book before one of them had taken place.

(MSG) Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth; all the stages of my life were spread out before you, The days of my life all prepared before I’d even lived one day.

(NIV) your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

(NKJV) Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them.
This is all summed up in the New Testament in these verses and many others like them.
Eph 1:11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:

Rom 11:36 For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.
So contrary to what every orthodox Christian minister teaches, it was not the Jews or the Romans who were responsible for Christ’s death. Instead both the Jews and the Gentiles were then, and are to this very day, “doing what God’s hand and God’s counsel has before determined to be done… [since] all their days were written in God’s book before there were any of them”. That is the doctrine of Christ, and that is the doctrine of the New Testament. The death of Christ had nothing at all to do with Judas’s or the Pharisee’s or Pilate, or the Roman’s supposed ‘free will’. Every detail of Christ’s crucifixion was planned in advance and was executed simply because God’s own “hand and counsel determined before” that it be done, as it was done. That is what the scriptures teach.
Act 4:26 The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ.
Act 4:27 For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together,
Act 4:28 For to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before [in God’s book] to be done.
This subject of the sovereignty of God is dealt with in depth in a paper which is entitled After The Counsel of His Own Will, which can be located in the Essential Reading section in the upper left corner of the iswasandwillbe.com home page.

So sincerity is not to be confused with obedience to the doctrine of Christ. Christ Himself acknowledged that those who killed Him did not know what they were doing.
Luk 23:33 And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left.
Luk 23:34 Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.
Saul of Tarsus, before his name was changed to the apostle ‘Paul’, persecuted the body of Christ thinking he was doing God a service.
Act 22:8 And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest.

1Ti 1:13 Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.
We all, and I include myself, “were before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious… doing so ignorantly in unbelief”. When we give the doctrines of Christ lip service and then do the exact opposite, we are “blaspheming the name of God among the Gentiles”.
Rom 2:21 Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal?
Rom 2:22 Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery? thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege?
Rom 2:23 Thou that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking the law dishonourest thou God?
Rom 2:24 For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, as it is written.
It seems like only yesterday that I hated the truths I now see in the Word of God. I hated the idea of having to love my enemies. I especially hated the very thought of not having a free will, which was independent of God’s will over my every day life.

So Christ recognized those who “believed on Him”, and who yet “wanted to kill Him” as being “of their father the devil”, and He recognized them as being such by God’s own design, and yet He never once doubted their sincerity, and even asked His Father to forgive them because they were completely unaware that they we crucifying the Son of God.
So when you say:
“These are quite fervent people who spend many hours a week in Christian prayer and worship.”
I have no doubt that is very often true, but then so did the “blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious” Saul of Tarsus, who was later to become the repentant “Paul the apostle” who agreed with our Lord, that we are to love our enemies, and “endure all things”.
Mat 5:43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
Mat 5:44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
Mat 5:45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
Mat 5:46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?
Mat 5:47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?

1Co 13:4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
1Co 13:5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
1Co 13:6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;
1Co 13:7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
So this question of yours offers me the opportunity to clarify for you how the established Jewish church of Christ’s day, as well as the Jews of Christ’s day who “believed on Him [and yet] wanted to kill Him”, are the Biblical type of the established church of every generation since our Lord walked the earth. The established church of every generation rejects the above words of our Lord, along with many other teachings of the New Testament. 

When we fail to see that the Jewish church and the Jews of Christ’s day are the Biblical symbol of the established Christian church of today and of every day since the apostles, then all of our Lord’s words will always be for, and apply to someone else besides me. They will always apply to ‘those evil Jews’, those sadistic Roman soldiers, or to someone who is not part of the orthodox Christian church. When that happens, His “words will have no place in us” (Joh 8:37).. 

You see, it was not just those Jews which did not believe on Christ, who wanted him dead. It was also “those Jews which believed on Christ” who wanted Him dead. This is something “the oldest Christian denomination” to this very day does not recognize. They still think it was unbelieving Jews who sought to kill Christ, and they demonstrate their spiritual blindness, and their inability to see that it is “believers in Christ”, to this very day who reject the Christ of the scriptures, and in doing so fulfill these words of our Lord:
Mat 24:4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
Mat 24:5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
It is people “who believe in Christ”, and who “come in His name, [who] shall deceive many”. 

Here it is again:
Joh 8:30 As he spake these words, many believed on him.
Joh 8:31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, [then] are ye my disciples indeed;

Joh 8:37 I know that ye are Abraham’s seed; but ye [“who believe on me, and who claim to be Abraham’s seed by being “in Christ”, Gal 3:28] seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you.
So it was believers who “had no place in them for Christ’s Word”, who wanted to kill Him. It is the same to this very day, and that is why the established Jewish church of Christ’s day is the Biblical type and shadow of orthodox Christianity to the very day. The Jewish church was even called “the church in the wilderness”.
Act 7:38 This is he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sina, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us:
Act 7:39 To whom our [churhc] fathers would not obey, but thrust him from them, and in their hearts turned back again into Egypt,
Our so-called, orthodox Christian “church fathers” except for the true apostles of our Lord, who are the real “church fathers”, have done the same, and have thrust Christ and His Words from them. What orthodox minister can you name for me who would dare to tell a most loyal soldier, fighting for the Son of God Himself, these words, as Christ told Peter and you and me:
Mat 26:52 Then said Jesus unto him [Peter], Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword.
Mat 26:53 Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?
Mat 26:54 But how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be?
All orthodox ministers teach us to fight for God and country. They despise these words of our Lord when it comes to fighting in the wars of this age, and of this world. That is true for both orthodox Christians and Jews.

When orthodox Christians, be they the Pope himself or any Protestant minister, teach you to ‘love your enemies”, and then with the same mouth and same forked tongue, tells you to hate our enemies and go out and fight for God and country, while claiming to be Christians, they are doing nothing less than “blaspheming the name of Christ among the Gentiles”. 

What orthodox minister or priest, can you name who even knows the meaning of these words:
Col 1:24 Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church:
If Christ really is living His life in us, then we, like Him, will lay down our lives with Him, we will “put up again our swords”, and we will “fill up in our bodies what is behind of the afflictions of Christ”, rather than fight to preserve this life.
Luk 17:33 Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it.
If Christ really is living His life in us, then our battle for Him and His cause will be fought as He fought that battle. It will be fought against all the false orthodox ministers who have come in Christ;s name, “saying that He is Christ”, and yet teaching those in their charge, who are all part of the differing warring denominational factions in this world, to go out and fight and kill their fellow man in the name of God and country.

My intention is to stand on the Words of Christ, and the most obvious thing in this world is that orthodox Christianity is exactly who Christ had in mind when, as quoted earlier, He made this statement concerning the end of this age:
Mat 24:3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? [Greek, aion, age]
Mat 24:4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
Mat 24:5 For many [read orthodox Christians – not Jews who deny Christ] shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
Those words have been true since the day they were uttered. There always have been, and there will always be “many who come in Christ’s name, confessing that Jesus is Christ, [and yet] deceiving many”. 

Now I want you to be honest with yourself. Do you honestly believe Christ was speaking of physical Jews when, in answer to “When will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the world?” Christ’s answer was referring to ‘Many orthodox Jews shall come in My name, saying I am Christ; and shall deceive many’? Would that even be logical, seeing that all but a few of the Jews have completely rejected our Lord?

”Many” does not mean ‘a few’. It means the majority of orthodoxy – Jewish or Christian – who in actual practice, utterly despise these words of our Lord:
Mat 5:43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
Mat 5:44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
Mat 5:45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
Mat 5:46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?
Can you name a single orthodox minister, or priest, who lives by those words? Of course you cannot. If he did, he would not be an orthodox priest or minister. Orthodox ministers teach that you should love your enemy unless he really means you and your family and your country bodily harm, in which case, and I quote one nationally known minister, “You should step on him like a cockroach”. That explains why our Creator used a serpent to symbolize the devil. A serpent has a forked tongue and confesses to the Truth, while at the same time denying it.

Those who read this web page regularly know that the primary application of all scripture is to be understood as being first lived out within the lives of each of us.
Mat 4:4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man [Greek, anthropos – mankind, you and me] shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
We all first fall into the lies of orthodox religion, including orthodox Christianity. Orthodoxy is called in scripture, “Babylon the Great, the Mother Of Harlots, and of the Abominations of The World”.
Rev 17:1 And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:
Rev 17:2 With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.
Rev 17:3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
Rev 17:4 And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:
Rev 17:5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
Rev 17:6 And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.
Who is this great spiritual harlot? Many Protestants say it is the Catholic Church. But if that is the case, who then would that make the many Protestant churches? Who also would that make the established Jewish church of Christ’s day? Would Judaism then become the Grandmother of Harlots? It is clear from Christ’s own teachings, that all who hate Christ’s doctrines, and in whom “Christ’s words have no place”, are “Mystery Babylon The Great” in every generation of mankind. In Christ’s own words, it was the established church of His day, and so it has always been. It is Babylon The Great, in whom Christ’s Words have no place, who want Him dead. Today’s established church which utterly despises the doctrines of Christ, happens to be both the Jewish religion, who to this day considers Christ to be “a criminal who died for His crimes”, as well as all of the established Catholic and Protestant churches, who have all been killing each other and their enemies since the days when Christ told Peter, “Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword (Mat 26:52 ).
Joh 18:7 Then asked he them again, Whom seek ye? And they said, Jesus of Nazareth.
Joh 18:8 Jesus answered, I have told you that I am he: if therefore ye seek me, let these go their way:
Joh 18:9 That the saying might be fulfilled, which he spake, Of them which thou gavest me have I lost none.
Joh 18:10 Then Simon Peter having a sword drew it, and smote the high priest’s servant, and cut off his right ear. The servant’s name was Malchus.
Joh 18:11 Then said Jesus unto Peter, Put up thy sword into the sheath: the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?
Who gave Christ this “cup to drink”? That is right, it was “My Father”. We are to drink of that same cup from which our Lord drank, by simply obeying His doctrine. That is how we “die daily” and “lose our lives”.
Mat 10:39 He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.

1Co 15:31 I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.
Our drinking of that same cup is laying down our lives in His service instead of fighting to preserve our physical flesh. This is Christ’s doctrine, and that doctrine to this very day will get Christ and His disciples crucified, by the established Catholic and Protestant ministers, to whom it is not given to drink of His cup.
Mar 10:39 And they said unto him, We can. And Jesus said unto them, Ye shall indeed drink of the cup that I drink of; and with the baptism that I am baptized withal shall ye be baptized:
Jesus told His disciples of every age, that if they were willing to follow Him they would “be hated of all men” and those men would “scourge you in their synagogues” [read ‘churches’].
Mat 10:16 Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves [A Biblical word for apostate Christians, not Jews, Act 20:29-30]: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.
Mat 10:17 But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues; [churches]
Mat 10:18 And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles.
Mat 10:19 But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak.
Mat 10:20 For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you.
Mat 10:21 And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death.
Mat 10:22 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.

Act 20:29 For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.
Act 20:30 Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.
“Christ’s name’s sake” is His doctrine’s sake. It is those who hear, but “cannot receive” Christ’s words who hated Christ while He was here on this earth, and it is the very same people who hear Christ’s words today, who claim to be Christians, but who cannot receive and live by Christ’s doctrines, who hate those who are faithful to that doctrine. It has always been so.
Joh 15:20 Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they [the church] have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.
As I have shown, it was not the Romans who wanted Christ dead. No, it was the church of His day, and what is so little understood to this very day is that it was those of that church “who believed on Him” who wanted Him dead, simply because it was not then and it is not to this day, granted to the “many which believed on Him”, them to receive His Words and His doctrine. That is what the New Testament teaches from Matthew 1:1 to Revelation 22:21.

Here is what has been given us to understand, if we have been given eyes that see and ears that hear the mysteries of the kingdom of God. Here is the very root and beginning of the apostasy of those who believed on Jesus Christ. That apostasy from our Savior began before he was even crucified. It subsided after the founding of His spiritual church, but it gained great momentum even before the death of the original apostles of Christ. 

Here is what we have been told by the scriptures themselves as to how “many would come in Christ’s name and would deceive many”:
Joh 8:30 As he spake these words, many believed on him.
Joh 8:31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;
Joh 8:32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
Speaking to these very same “believing Jews” Christ continues in this same chapter:
Joh 8:37 I know that ye are Abraham’s seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you.
Here we have our Savior acknowledging that these believing Jews are “Abraham’s seed”, and yet He also tells us that “those Jews which believed on Him… seek to kill Him… because His Word has no place within the many who believe on Him.

There is one more thing we need to realize concerning when and where the outward apostasy away from the words of our Lord, of the orthodox Christian church began. The truth is that the apostasy moving away from the words of our Lord, was an accomplished fact, even before the death of the apostles themselves. 

We are all aware of the sad shape of the seven churches of Asia as a whole, as their sad spiritual condition is made known to us in Revelation 2-3.
Rev 2:1 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 2:2 I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars:
Rev 2:3 And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name’s sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted.
Rev 2:4 Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.

Rev 2:12 And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges;
Rev 2:13 I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan’s seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas [was] my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth.
Rev 2:14 But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.
Rev 2:15 So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, [Meaning ‘Nico’ – rule, ‘laitans’ – laity] which thing I hate.
Rev 2:16 Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.

Rev 2:18 And unto the angel of the church in Thyatira write; These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet [are] like fine brass;
Rev 2:19 I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first.
Rev 2:20 Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols.
Rev 2:21 And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not.
Rev 2:22 Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds.
Rev 2:23 And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works.

Rev 3:1 And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.

Rev 3:14 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;
Rev 3:15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
Rev 3:16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
Rev 3:17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
That was the state of the church before the death of the apostles. Here is what the apostle Paul said of these same churches of Asia before his death.
2Ti 1:15 This thou knowest, that all they which are in Asia be turned away from me; of whom are Phygellus and Hermogenes.
Paul saw this coming and had warned Timothy of it in his first epistle:
1Ti 1:19 Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck:
1Ti 1:20 Of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme.
How do we “blaspheme the name of God among the Gentiles”? We do so by preaching one thing, and then with a forked tongue preaching and doing the exact opposite. So this epistle concludes with the names of even more of “those who believed on Christ” who forsook the very apostles of Christ, and thereby they forsook Christ.
2Ti 4:9 Do thy diligence to come shortly unto me:
2Ti 4:10 For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia, Titus unto Dalmatia.

2Ti 4:14 Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil: the Lord reward him according to his works:
2Ti 4:15 Of whom be thou ware also; for he hath greatly withstood our words.
2Ti 4:16 At my first answer no man stood with me, but all men forsook me: I pray God that it may not be laid to their charge.
2Ti 4:17 Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me; that by me the preaching might be fully known, and [that] all the Gentiles might hear: and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion.
2Ti 4:18 And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom [be] glory for ever and ever. Amen.
To this very day, all orthodox men, men who, like Demas, Cresens, and Titus, who all were formerly Paul’s “fellow laborers in the gospel”, “love this world” more than the words of our Lord, and they forsake those who stand firm on the word of God. That is how it was with Christ, that is how it was with His apostles, and that is how it will be with “all who will live godly in Christ Jesus”, as Paul had just told Timothy.
2Ti 3:12 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
Did the other apostles have this same experience? Yes, of course they all did, but the apostle John makes it clear that the orthodox Christians of his day were already so ensconced as to be able to put the true Christians “out of the church”.
3Jn 1:9 I wrote unto the church: but Diotrephes, who loveth to have the preeminence among them, receiveth us not.
3Jn 1:10 Wherefore, if I come, I will remember his deeds which he doeth, prating against us with malicious words: and not content therewith, neither doth he himself receive the brethren, and forbiddeth them that would, and casteth them out of the church.
3Jn 1:11 Beloved, follow not that which is evil, but that which is good. He that doeth good is of God: but he that doeth evil hath not seen God.
The apostasy had gained so much strength in the churches that the apostates were in control and were “casting out of the church” those who were sent to them by the apostles.

What do we know for certain of these “evil men”? Were they prophesied to be rooted out of the church by those who put the love of God above the love and acceptance of their fellow apostate Christians? No, that is not what we are told would happen. Here is the one thing we know for certain concerning these apostate Christians and their doctrines:
Mat 24:4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
Mat 24:5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
To which the holy spirit adds these words immediately after telling us that we are to expect to be persecuted by these very apostates known as orthodox Christians.
2Ti 3:12 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
2Ti 3:13 But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.
So that is what has been taking place since the days of the apostles. It was so bad by the beginning of the fourth century that a pagan king named Constantine had co-opted the entire church and was waging wars against his enemies in the name of Christ.

Instead of “rejecting a heretic, and having no company” with him, as the holy spirit admonishes us, Constantine and the Catholic bishops appointed by Constantine, had heretics killed. Orthodox Protestants did no better when Martin Luther waged war against the Catholics of Europe, making the so-called Reformation nothing less than simply a more insidious apostasy.
Tit 3:10 A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject;

2Jn 1:9 Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.
2Jn 1:10 If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed:
2Jn 1:11 For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.
But the words inspired by the holy spirit were not sufficient for either the Catholics or the Protestants, so the great Protestant minister Calvin, had Michael Servetus burned alive at the stake, and had his throat slit so as to keep Servetus from spreading his supposed heresy with his dying breath. I have no doubt that Luther, Calvin and many Popes have been very sincere men who have spent many hours in fervent prayer, but sincerity and due diligence do not equate to obeying the words of our Lord.
Luk 6:46 And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?
Orthodox Christianity and each of us within it have “lost (our) first love, dwell where Satan’s seat is, and hold the doctrine of Balaam”, who snared God’s people with the doctrines of the daughters of the people of the lands who they were told to destroy. Those pagan daughters are the Biblical symbol of all the false doctrines which have taken root in the orthodox Christian Church and in each of us who have all been a part of that unholy system called Babylon the great the mother of harlots and of abominations of the world. 

Evil men and seducers have waxed worse and worse since the days of the apostles, to the extent that orthodox Christianity, now practices the doctrine of the Nicolaitans who lord it over the laity, while supporting the false doctrines of the false prophetess Jezebel. 

Orthodox Christianity has a name that it is alive, but it is, in reality, spiritually dead. It thinks it is rich and increased with goods and in need of nothing, not knowing it is wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked.
Rev 3:17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
In the epistles of Paul to Timothy, and in the second epistle of John, we have an array of sincere, Christian men, who no doubt had spent many hours in prayer with the apostles Paul and John. They include Paul’s fellow laborers in the gospel like Demas, Crescens, and Titus, who he considered a son.
Phm 1:24 Marcus, Aristarchus, Demas, Lucas, my fellowlabourers.

Tit 1:4 To Titus, mine own son after the common faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour.
They include all the prominent men of the Ephesian congregation. Hymenaeus and Alexander, Phygellus and Hermogenes, and Alexander the coppersmith. This may be the same Alexander of 1Ti 1:20, but whoever these men are, they became the original orthodox Christian church fathers, who “cast out of the church” the true followers of our Lord, and did not allow them to speak in the very churches which the apostles had raised up in all those cities.

We have no record of these men being exposed and rooted out of their prominent positions. We do have scriptures out of the mouth of our Lord which tell us that many would come in His name and deceive many, and we have even later inspired scripture which declares that these very same deceivers would wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.

So you tell me, where are the many who Christ said would come in His name and deceive many? Where are the wicked men and seducers who would wax worse and worse? Are these not words which have proceeded out of the mouth of God which you and I have lived as we have all been partaking in the Babylonian harlot system known as orthodox Christianity, which to this very day would crucify Christ if He returned and taught the multitudes of orthodox Christians of today to love their enemies?

I hope this has made clear who I was speaking of when I said that no true follower of Christ would receive a prayer over him by an orthodox Christian minister who has nothing spiritually in common with a true son of God who calls Christ his Lord and does what Christ says to do.

Your brother in the true shepherd of His flock, Christ,
Mike