The End Time Church – from the Cathedrals to the Catacombs

By Dan L. White

Copyright ©2016 by Dan L. White, all rights reserved.

Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible (WEB) in the public domain.

Chapter 1
What Will the Church do for Milk?

When people think of the religion of Christ, they usually think of a church. A church is usually a big organization with one or more big buildings. Both the big organization and its big buildings are very visible; the bigger the church and the bigger the buildings, the better, it is assumed. They — the organization and the buildings — are the church. It is widely believed that this, or at least some part of this, is the church that Christ himself began and leads.

In recent times, a new movement has arisen. That movement is Messianic Judaism. They are not the church. They are more likely the synagogue. As their name indicates, they carry with them into their synagogues much Judaism that did not come from the Bible, but comes from what Judaism added to the Bible. Messianics believe that this form of religion is closer to the religion that Christ began, but Judaism was the one institutional religion that most opposed Christ in his time on earth. Messianic Judaism has the problem that the Messiah and Judaism are inherently opposed.

In very recent times, another movement has exploded onto the world scene. This is a very old movement, dating back at least to the time of Christ himself. Up until recently, though, it was not so visible and volatile; in fact, it had been somewhat cloaked for nearly two millennia.

That is the anti-Christ movement.

The very term anti-Christ creates an emotional surge in everyone in the western world who hears it. The term anti-Christ most simply means someone who is against Christ.

John was the personal buddy of Christ. At the Messiah’s last Passover, One of his disciples, whom Yeshua loved, was at the table, leaning against Yeshua’s breast, (John 13:23). That disciple was John and John said that even in his lifetime many antichrists had arisen.

Little children, these are the end times, and as you heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have arisen. By this we know that it is the final hour. (1 John 2:18)

Now, in our lifetime also, many antichrists have arisen. That is, there are many people who are openly and adamantly against Christ.

First, this movement took the form of attacking what were called traditional values. They did not directly attack Christ. They attacked Christian values, which is what traditional values mostly were. The movement advanced the cause of divorce, women’s lib, free sex, abortion and homosexuality.

Next, the anti-Christ movement began personally attacking people who expressed opposition to their anti-Christ religious values.

The Duggar family of Arkansas became famous for their television show 19 Duggars and Counting. When Mrs. Duggar was involved in a political battle in Arkansas to overturn an anti-Christ pro-homosexual law, tens of thousands of Americans quickly signed a petition demanding that the television network cancel their show. “The Duggars have been using their fame to promote discrimination, hate, and fear-mongering against gays and transgendered people,” the petition said. “You need to take a stand on the side of justice and cancel their show.” The language often used against this upstanding Christian lady and family was the most vulgar and abusive possible. Then when one of the members of that family ran into a moral failing, the left wing roundly condemned him and the whole family because he was simply behaving as the left wing does and following their morals.

A similar attack had taken place earlier against the Duck Dynasty TV show and the Robertson family, because of their Christian views. The attackers demanded that the television network cancel their show. At first, the network yielded to those attacks, but after a surge of support for the family, reversed course.

Notice that in these cases, the attackers weren’t just trying to change the Christians’ opinions. They were trying to destroy their livelihoods.

Brendan Eich co-founded the Mozilla company, famous for the Firefox web browser. Early in 2014 he was promoted to CEO of the firm. After only one week, he was forced out of his job because in 2008, six years earlier, he had donated $1,000 to oppose gay marriage in California. He held the same view that Barack Obama espoused at that time, yet Eich’s expression of his beliefs cost him his job. The same people did not demand that Obama quit his job.

Still later, the Atlanta, Georgia fire chief was fired from his position because he wrote a book stating his Christian views. Kelvin Cochran wrote a 160 page book, and in one half of one page of that book he wrote against homosexuality. That one-half page cost him his whole job.

This anti-Christ movement attacked traditional values and then attacked conservative Christians, without admitting the underlying motive. Now, however, the anti-Christ movement has progressed – or regressed – to the point where they blatantly attack Christ himself.

One such example is the movie The God Who Wasn’t There, a documentary that Newsweek says “irreverently lays out the case that Jesus Christ never existed.”1

Another example is a book that was publicized by ABC on Good Morning America like this.

Jesus Christ, Wife Mary Magdalene Had 2 Kids, New Book Claims – A new book based on interpretations of ancient texts features an explosive claim: Jesus Christ married Mary Magdalene, and the couple had two children.2

And a third example of the open anti-Christ movement is when Lady Gaga, who some would hesitate to call a lady at all, had a hit song named “Judas,” about the disciple who betrayed Christ to death, that included these lyrics.3

I’m in love with Judas
When he comes to me I am ready
I’ll wash his feet with my hair if he needs
Forgive him when his tongue lies through his brain
Even after three times he betrays me
I’m just a Holy Fool, oh baby he’s so cruel
But I’m still in love with Judas, baby.4

Wikipedia, the community created ‘encyclopedia,’ says that “Judas” received generally positive reviews from most music critics. The song reached the top ten of the charts in most major music markets, and also reached the top of the charts in South Korea. Gaga has performed “Judas” on a number of television shows, including The Graham Norton Show, Saturday Night Live, Good Morning America ’s “Summer Concert Series”, the French X Factor as well as on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.

So not only is Lady Gaga against Christ, but their side also includes Good Morning America and The Ellen DeGeneres Show. As pointed out, the song “Judas” reached the top ten in most countries with pop music markets, so that puts an awful lot of people in those countries on Judas’s side and against Christ.

Overturning traditional values was not the ultimate goal of the ‘liberals.’ Getting rid of all conservative Christians was not the ultimate goal. The ultimate goal of these people and this movement is to attack Christ himself.

There are longstanding opponents of the Messiah. Judaism and Islam bitterly oppose each other, but they are together in being against Christ. The religions of the east have always been opponents of the risen Son of God and His Father, who accept no other gods, including none of theirs. Now, however, areas that were for Christ, to whatever degree, have become the core of the anti-Christ movement. This movement includes the whole Democratic Party in America, and much of Britain and Europe, Canada and Australia, and the whole of Scandinavia. They oppose what Christ taught, they oppose what he is, they oppose anyone who is his.

They are anti-Christ – against Christ.

However, the term anti-Christ also goes beyond meaning just anyone who is against Christ, and specifically means one unique individual at the very end time. As John said, the Antichrist is coming.

Paul described this end time figure like this.

Let no one deceive you in any way. For it will not be, unless the departure comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of destruction, he who opposes and exalts himself against all that is called God or that is worshiped; so that he sits as God in the temple of God, setting himself up as God. (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4)

He opposes God, exalts himself as God, sits in the temple of God and sets himself up as God.

The Antichrist.

Just as today’s anti-Christs attack Christ’s followers, so the Antichrist will do the same, only much, much more.

It was given to him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them. Authority over every tribe, people, language, and nation was given to him. All who dwell on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been killed.

It was given to him to give breath to it, to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause as many as wouldn’t worship the image of the beast to be killed. He causes all, the small and the great, the rich and the poor, and the free and the slave, to be given marks on their right hands, or on their foreheads; and that no one would be able to buy or to sell, unless he has that mark, the name of the beast or the number of his name. (Revelation 13:7-10, 13-17 WEB (R)

This power will be the ultimate socialist-communist-fascist government, with authority over every person on earth. He or she will require that all those under his or her rule, which is every person on earth, to worship him or her. They must be distinctly marked as his or her worshiper, and no one will be able to even buy a quart of milk without that mark.

The purpose of the anti-Christ is to control the actions of everyone on earth, so they will worship him or her. God allows this, to see which side we are on and who we will worship.

So –

What will your church or messianic synagogue, with its big building and big organization, be doing during this time?

If no one can buy or sell anything without government approval, how will a church corporation stay in business? How will they operate, when the anti-Christ sits in the temple of God, as God, requires every individual to worship him — and requires all corporations to obey him?

If they can’t collect funds or spend money on buildings and salaries or even buy a carton of milk without official Anti-Christ permission, what will the big church corporation do for milk?

Which is to say —

When Christ returns, and wars against the worldwide government of the Antichrist, which side will the big churches be on?

Endnotes

1. The God Who Wasn’t There, Beyond Belief Media Company, Los Angeles, CA, http://www.thegodmovie.com.
2. ABC News, November 10, 2014, http://abcnews.go.com/International/jesus-christ-wife-mary-magdalene-kids-book-claims/story?id=26805418.
3. “Judas (Lady Gaga song),” 2011, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judas_%28Lady_Gaga_song%29.
4. “Judas,” Born This Way, http://www.metrolyrics.com/judas-lyrics-lady-gaga.html.

Succeeding short chapters are forth coming.