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More from The Harlot Church System by Charles Elliott Newbold, Jr.

IDOLATRY: THE EXTENSION OF SELF

Judson Cornwall aptly says, “Idolatry is principally the response of personal adoration toward something less than Jehovah God, whether that something is Self, an object made by ourselves, or a concept we may have embraced. An idol is anything or anyone, including ourselves, that is given the credit for the abilities that only God possesses.” Monty Stratton adds, “Any image we have of ourselves that is not God’s image of us is an idol, a false God.”

We, as created human beings, make things and accomplish things that we come to adore. We set these things before us and pay homage to them whether they are the songs or novels we write, the athletes we create, the gardens we plant, the businesses we build, the trophies we win, the children we sire, the rockets we orbit, the cures we invent, the sermons we preach, or the churches we institute. We live vicariously through the idols we have made of movie stars, music stars, and sports stars. We want the power that we imagine fame and fortune would bestow upon us. We want to be god, especially over our own lives.

Though we are greater than the images we make, we still bow down and pay obeisance to them. We take such pride in our works. We allow them to control our lives, our emotions, and our relationships. We love them. We look at them, and our hearts swell with pride. They are idolatrous extensions of ourselves.

IDOLATRY: THE WORSHIP OF SELF

All idolatry is the worship of Self. It is an extension of ourselves: our adored opinions, speculations, plans, programs, and projects; it is the self-exalted work of our hands and the imaginations of our minds–all the things we do in our old man nature of flesh and sin that causes us to esteem ourselves more highly than we ought to. It is the attitude of the wicked stepmother in the story of Snow White who asks, “Magic mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest one of all?” fully expecting for the mirror to answer, “You are the fairest one of all.”

Idolatrous, fallen man is self-centered by nature. To be any different, we have to be transformed into a new creature. We need a new nature that gives us the desire to surrender Self for a higher good, namely, the life of Christ in us. Only Christ through His Spirit can implant that new nature within us.

Whatever appeals to Self is not of God. Self is in love with Self. It seeks its own. It is vain, prideful, arrogant, self-exalting, self-indulging, self-absorbed, power-hungry, and lustful. It strives for independence, self-reliance, and self-management. It uses and abuses others, if necessary, to achieve its own ambitions. It lies, steals, cheats, murders, covets, blames, justifies, and does whatever seems necessary to save itself. It goes to any end to protect itself. It is addicted to more. It can never be satisfied.

The flesh nature of Self generally looks to its own inventions–science, government, military, religion, education, sports, and other human institutions and inventions–to save us, feed us, protect us, make us happy, give us our identity, and provide us with a better lifestyle. We create institutions to serve us, and we get angry when they fail us.

Because Self is centered upon itself, it is a black hole upon the space where it stands, forever suctioning itself inward as a vacuum. Self consumes itself, is self-destructive, and has death as its final reward. Self lives and dies for Self.

IDOLATRY: SELF-STRENGTH

The idolatry of Self is seen in our drivenness to accomplish things in our own strength. We see things to do, and we must do them. We are constantly distracted by the busyness we create for ourselves. Busyness is a distraction from intimacy with God. We would rather be doing something for God than spending time with Him. Yet, He did not create us to do for Him, but to be as He is that we might have fellowship with Him and with one another in Him.

We enslave ourselves to the works we require of ourselves. Moreover, we enslave others to our works when others allow us to do so. We adore our accomplishments. Consequently, we have even made idols out of our quiet time, Bible study, intercessory prayer, street witnessing, and other works that seem “good” to us. These are not wrong. They are wonderful when they are inspired by the Holy Spirit. They become idolatrous to us when we use them to make ourselves feel like we have done something for God.

The Harlot Church System

By Charles Elliott Newbold, Jr.

Some people are clinically classified as religious addicts. I am a recovering church-addict. Soon after my conversion in 1978, I saw how this church Thing was an idolatrous system of men’s traditions. I despised it (not the people in it); yet, I felt a seductive pull back into it.

I needed it. I had previously found my identity in it. I had presence, power, and position in it. As the pastor of it, I thought I owned at least a part of it. My heart would secretly boast, “This is mine!” It was my source of financial support. It was the only thing I was trained to do. I was joined to it and it was joined to me.

We bond with that Thing we call church and thereby get in bondage to it. We join it and it somehow takes possession of us. We do, in fact, get addicted to it. As Dennis Loewen wrote, “It is addictive. How do we know? One way is that we all go through withdrawal when we leave it.”

Some discerning believers who attend spiritually stagnant churches realize they no longer need to be there. The Holy Spirit is absent. The services are dead. The preacher is boring. People argue over petty, irrelevant issues. They feel their tithes are wasted on worthless salaries, programs, and mortgages. Their huge buildings stand empty more often than not. They feel obligated to serve on committees that serve the institution more than they serve the people. They see the leadership trying one gimmick after another to make the Thing relevant in order to get more people to join it and be active in it.

These precious believers want to leave but find that they cannot. Mother wouldn’t understand. “Why, that stained glass window was dedicated in grandpa’s name. How can you even think about leaving?” They rationalize that they have life-long friends there. “How can I leave them?” They are made to feel like traitors, deserters, troublemakers, or mavericks. Some people disown their own family members who leave their “faith.” Some traditions believe that a person will go to hell if they leave their particular brand of church.

So, they feel stuck in the system. They put on their Sunday morning smiles and hide their secret resentments for feeling stuck. They shake and howdy down the aisle, pretending, “Isn’t it good to be in the house of the Lord?” They settle into their familiar pews and begin again to fellowship with the backs of people’s heads.

Many who dare to leave one church go down the street hoping for a better “spiritual climate” only to find the same old whore in a brand new dress. Only the rules are slightly different. They go from church to church looking for that which is genuine only to find more phony religious facades; they go looking for Spirit and truth only to find more flesh and hypocrisy. Yet, they continue their search, because they are addicted to it. They bob up and down on their wooden horses unable to dismount because of the velocity of that carousel–the church system that perpetually spins round and round, going nowhere.

A few discerning persons are able to break away from the bondage of church, but often leave damaged and resentful. Some of these attend anonymous groups, seeking recovery from the religious abuses inflicted upon them by these religious systems of men’s traditions.

Church, as we have come to experience it, permeates every aspect of our society. It is the only thing we have seen and known that supposedly represents Christ. In going after it, just as did Israel of old, we have played the harlot and provoked the Lord to jealousy.

I hope you are praying for the Holy Spirit to lift the veil from over your eyes to see how church is a counterfeit system, to see how we have made a Thing out of who we are in Christ and gone after it instead of Jesus.

Charles E. Newbold, Jr.

If we do not provide the expected support for the Thing and its programs, whether we want to or not, whether we are called to serve in a certain capacity or not, we are made to feel guilty. Have you ever felt guilty for missing a function of the church? Those little shame-based voices in your head whisper “naughty, naughty.” “It was my fault the program failed. I didn’t give enough of my time and money to it.” You can know by those feelings of guilt that you are serving a Thing and not the Master.

When we are asked by leadership in the church to make a commitment to the church, we are actually being asked to make a commitment to the Thing. Our loyalty is measured by how well we serve this Thing. We are thought to be slothful Christians if we do not support it; and if we do not even attend a local church, we are assumed to be backsliders.

On the other hand, when we “do” church, we have expectations that it ought to be a certain way. It has to work according to our expectations, or we will feel like it has failed.

If the Thing has to work a certain way before it is successful, then those who support it will be pressured into performing in such a way as to make it a success. If it is not a success, someone is to blame. It is either the people’s fault, the pastor’s fault, the choir director’s fault, or the church board’s fault.

What if you and I have different expectations about how a church should work? We will have conflict. There will always be conflict in the church because there will always be expectations in conflict. These are man’s expectations, not God’s.

 

The Evolution of Church

by Charles Elliott Newbold, Jr.

How did this Thing we call church evolve?

Believers in the New Testament did not have such baggage. At first they were simply called the followers of the way. They gathered spontaneously in the temple and in some synagogues for a period of time. Mostly, however, they met in private homes and went from house to house. They were drawn
together by the presence of the Lord in their midst.

Christians did not have church buildings until Constantine the Great, Emperor of Rome from 306 to 337 A.D., embraced Christianity. His endorsement of the faith created a free climate for men to erect buildings “to the glory of their God.”

The earliest church buildings are believed to have been built after the pattern of the Roman basilica–architecture that was firmly rooted in the traditions of the Roman empire and has no basis in scripture. Church buildings became more elaborate with the Byzantine, Romanesque, and Gothic influences. The layout of these cathedrals often hid the monks and choirs from the people, advancing the idea of the separation of clergy from laity which is unfounded in scripture.

During the reformation, Protestants halted the building of great edifices. The reformers were content with simple, rectangular buildings. They were primarily interested in gathering the people and having a place to preach. By the nineteenth century, however, Protestant church architecture had likewise become elaborate and consisted of elements from a variety of styles.

The enchantment with church buildings throughout the centuries has contributed to the institutionalization of the church system as we now know it.

We will be posting various excerpts from Charles Elliott Newbold, Jr. book, the Harlot Church System. It is from the third chapter “Church – The Thing” and is one of the best pieces of work about the man-made church system, and the idolatry behind it I have read. Please, remember to pray God will reveal His truth to you. We can only share what we know, but if you are more interested in protecting your beliefs than seeking the truth, you will unable to hear the voice of Jesus. This goes not just for the article – it goes for everything in life.

We were few in number as we sat comfortably face to face in the living room of a godly couple’s house. I had something to share that Wednesday night. It was the first and most significant revelation that I had received from the Holy Spirit since my conversion a couple of years before.

I titled the teaching The Thing. A horror movie had been made years before by that same title. I assured my audience that I was not going to be talking about that. However, the Thing I talked about was just as monstrous. I began that teaching by saying, “That which we call the church is not the church but is a Thing.” With that teaching, I began my personal journey in discovering the idolatry of the church and the difference between it and the true bride of Christ.

Years later, my wife and I were living in west Tennessee and were waiting for direction from the Lord. While there, He led me to start a meeting on Sunday mornings and invite some people I knew to come. Some of them came. We gathered in the name of Jesus. We sang; I shared the revelations and teachings the Lord gave me; we prayed, dismissed, and went our way. We were fairly close to one another and had some contact with each other during the week. We were beginning to be the body of Christ to one another.

Then, we bought a building, renovated it, opened the doors, and had our gatherings there. We called the building “The Christian Teaching Center.” I did what I believed the Lord said to do and people began to come.

We were free of men’s burdensome traditions, formalities, creeds, rules and regulations, and programs. We were committed to following the Holy Spirit wherever He chose to take us. His presence was powerfully felt in most of our gatherings in those early days.

I insisted that we were not a church, that God had not called me to start a church, and that I was not to be the pastor of a church. I tried to make a distinction between the building, which we had given a name, and those of us who gathered in that building, whom I refused to name. I explained that this was a teaching center for the body of Christ in that area. Perhaps it was a mistake, but we held Sunday morning meetings for those who chose not to go elsewhere. That Sunday morning meeting became the main event of the week.

The pressure was on. Some who came there wanted it to be a church and wanted me to be their pastor. I was pastoring individuals, but I insisted we were not a church.

A local pastor disputed my contentions, insisting that we were a church. He contended that there was no scriptural precedent for the para-church ministry that we had. He said, “If you look like a duck, walk like a duck, and quack like a duck, you must be a duck. You look like a church, walk like a church, and talk like a church.” I did not want to hear that then, but looking back I had to admit he was right. This Thing we call church had weaseled its way into our work. The work at the Teaching Center was never supposed to be a church.

Once we began to “have” church, we began seeking something for ourselves. We created a Thing that had gone beyond what God had called me to do. We went back to the very thing that we had come out of. We had Sunday morning and Sunday evening services, Sunday School, and a youth program. We took up offerings and put them in a bank account. Our group became known by the name I had put on the building.

I lost my vision to build up a people and began, instead, to build up a Thing. We began to go after it instead of going after the Lord Jesus Christ. We gathered around it instead of the presence of the Lord. People started leaving and they did not know why. The more they left, the more I tried to hold on to them. I felt abandoned. But it was I who had abandoned them by allowing the work to become a Thing. Not long after that, Ichabod was written over our door, spiritually speaking. 1 Sam. 4:21. As with Elijah,
the brook dried up and the ravens ceased to bring their morsels. 1 Kings 17:3-7. It was time for us to move on. It took a year for me to muster enough courage to finally shut it down.

While most of us know that the word “church” as it is used in scripture refers to the people of God in Christ, we nevertheless have made a Thing of it. It is an extension of ourselves and exists as an entity unto itself.

The article below is from the website wickedshepherds.com, who are a group of bold and unwavering believers who stand up for the truth in behalf of Jesus Christ. I strongly encourage anyone who is sincere about seeking God by confronting their fears to putting Christ first, check out their website. They have a great deal of information there grounded in biblical truth and church history.

 

What is a Biblical Christian?

Below you will find some indications of what a Biblical Christian is. For certain, you will rarely hear or read about these indicators from those who declare themselves to have been “called by God into the pastoral office.” Many indications on the list might be shocking to some of you. But then again, should that be news?

The REAL JESUS CHRIST is just as shocking today as He was when He taught His own personal disciples. The religious leaders of the time of Christ were appalled at the teachings of Jesus. They were horrified by Jesus because Jesus demolished their man-made customs, traditions, deceits, fraud, false teachings, false authority, greed, lust and power mongering (Matthew 23). The response of those religious leaders to Jesus was hate, sowing of discord, persecution, attempted murder, lies, false accusations and ultimately death to Jesus Christ. Has anything changed in 2000 years? Yes. It’s gotten worse.

It was Jesus who rejected the authoritarian structure of his own religious heritage and anything that even came close to the carnal rule of men. Jesus unfolds this throughout His entire life and ministry! One notable example is:

Matthew 20:20-28: “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles are lords over them, and those who are great exercise authority (or are tyrants) over them. YET IT WILL NOT BE SO AMONG YOU.

If Jesus were to return today, there is not one church on the face of the earth who would dare hire Him to be their “Pastor”. Not one!

Make no mistake about it. The church that killed Christ two thousand years ago is the same church today, with the same type of leadership, that would without delay, kill Christ all over again if He were here teaching us:

“…YET IT WILL NOT BE SO AMONG YOU; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant…”

If you think you know what a Biblical Christian is because you “go to church regularly” and follow its rules and have your morning devotions, think twice.

What is a Biblical Christian?

● A Biblical Christian is one who is able to worship God at any time and in any place and that doing so, he infuriates organized religionists. John 4:23-24; Luke 22:1-2

● A Biblical Christian obeys the scriptures to “test all things” and “prove the spirits” even though they are mocked and ridiculed from the pulpit, and labeled “Pharisees;” even though they are called “divisive,” “un-submissive,” having a “proud, haughty spirit.” 1 Thess. 5:21; 1 John 4:1

● A Biblical Christian is someone who stands up to carnal-minded church leaders and refuses to have them tamper with their marriage and family. Matthew 19:6

● A Biblical Christian is one who knows where the wolves are. They know there’re in the pulpits. Matthew 7:22-23

● A Biblical Christian does not choose to serve their spiritual bullies in the pulpit, thinking all the while they are serving their Lord. No rather they expose them. Gal. 2:11; 1 Timothy 1:19; 2 Timothy 2:17; 2 Timothy 4:10; 2 Timothy 4:14; 3 John 9; Jude 11

● A Biblical Christian is one who puts their family first; not their “pastor.” Ephesians 5:22

● A Biblical Christian is bought with a price, the precious blood of Jesus. They do not become slaves of men and of human institutions. Slaves of Christ, Yes! Slaves of men, institutions, or religious systems, No! 1 Cor. 7:23

● A Biblical Christian does not take up their cross weekly and follow their leaders, but takes up their cross daily and follows Jesus Christ. Luke 9:23

● A Biblical Christian sees that the Jewish system of appointing certain ones to perform priestly duties has been done away with; that the work of Christ on the cross has rent the veil providing every believer free access to the Father (Matthew 27:51; Hebrews 10:20); that in Christ all believers are priests and have the responsibility to function as priests. 1 Peter 2:5-9

● A Biblical Christian does not believe it is rebellion to question the teachings and practices of the pastors and churches. 1 John 4:1; 1 Thess. 5:21; 1 Cor. 14:29; 2 Tim. 3:5; Titus 3:10; 2 Cor. 6:17

● A Biblical Christian is free to follow their heart in giving to whomever they desire as God prospers them. 2 Cor. 9:7

● A Biblical Christian knows that it is not in any building made with hands that the Father is worshiped. Acts 7:48

● A Biblical Christian knows that many pulpits are occupied by masters of deceit, hiding under the guise of an angel of light. 2 Cor. 11:13-15

● A Biblical Christian does not corrupt the necessary love within a family and succumb to the false teaching that so-called “church authorities” outside the family know best. Ephesians 5:22; Matthew 19:6

● A Biblical Christian is one who is free to fellowship with people from denominations they once were taught were ungodly and unworthy of their company. Matthew 23:8

● A Biblical Christian has nothing to fear by probing, discussion, debating, and searching for Truth. Only orthodoxy is threatened by such exercise. A Biblical Christian knows that the promise still stands that knowing the truth will set us free. John 8:32

● A Biblical Christian is one who does not passively sit in pews and observe the ministry of a select and highly privileged few. Romans 12 &1 Cor.12-14

● A Biblical Christian is fully aware and on guard knowing that spiritual wolves wear suits and ties, look good, sound good, and appear to be “godly” in public. Mark 13:22

● A Biblical Christian is one who will stand up for their family and spouse and say “NO” to the home-wrecking pastors who are usurping and seeking to steal, kill, and destroy. Matthew 7:15

● A Biblical Christian knows that their “local pastor” has no more spiritual authority over them than does the town dog catcher. 1 Cor. 11:3

● A Biblical Christian will not tolerate a “church leader” micromanaging every detail of their life. 1 Cor 7:23

● A Biblical Christian is one who doesn’t follow the false teaching that states that group obedience to the elders in all things is from God. 1 John 4:1

● A Biblical Christian is one who does not worship in a place where only one side of a question is “allowed” to be taught. Psalm 1:1-2

● A Biblical Christian is not dumbed down to the level of not being able to think, reason or discern for themselves. Romans 12:2

● A Biblical Christian does not believe that the foundation of life is their local church. John 14:6

●A Biblical Christian’s “conscience is not bound to care for their pastors.” 2 Tim. 3:13

● A Biblical Christian knows that God does not move exclusively on Sunday morning at twenty minutes past eleven, following three choruses and two minutes of singing. His Spirit is everywhere, all the time. John 4:24

● Biblical Christians are not “dumb sheep.” Matthew 7:14

● A Biblical Christian learns that the praise of God is not intended to be a spectator sport relegated to weekends only, but the pouring out of one’s own heart to their Creator day after day. Acts 2:46; Acts 5:42

● A Biblical Christian is one who has been called out by God into His royal Assembly, His family; called out, not only from among the world, but also even the RELIGIOUS world! 2 Cor. 6:17

● A Biblical Christian will not play the role of “God” in the lives of others. 1 Cor. 8:6

● A Biblical Christian will not give their devotion and mind to men, a movement, or a local institutional system. Romans 12:2; 1 Cor. 3:19

● A Biblical Christian does not acquiesce to unquestioned, uncritical agreement and allegiance to a human leader. Acts 17:10-11

● A Biblical Christian does not believe:

• -Salvation is founded upon going to church;
• -Truth is only understood by pastors;
• -Church authoritarianism and hierarchy are ordained by Jesus Christ;
• -Institutional churches are what Jesus died on the cross to establish;
• -Giving of your tithes and offerings will make you prosper;
• -The pastors words are inspired by the Holy Spirit and are infallible;
• -Modern day “pastors” and “preachers” are “God’s generals”;
• -Christ speaks to us only through “professionally” trained preachers;
• -The clergy dressed in their fine business suits are “holy men.” 2 Tim. 3:1-7

● A Biblical Christian will know that their religion is not predicated on the notion, “We must listen to a Sunday sermon.” 1 Cor. 2:5

● A Biblical Christian never leaves all the research and thinking to the pastors, but researches issues and will think for themselves. Acts 17:11; 1 John 4:1

● A Biblical Christian is one who knows that there is no man whose word has power over another; that no one has the right in God’s kingdom to “lord it over them” (exercise authority). Jesus has spoken and said “NOT SO!” Matthew 20:25-26

● A Biblical Christian will never view the words of their supposed “spiritual overseers” as the words of God. 1 Cor. 2:1; Acts 10:26

● A Biblical Christian is someone who was not aware of how spiritually dead they really were UNTIL they come out of the graveyards in which they worship! 2 Cor 6:16-17

● A Biblical Christian does not think that Sunday church attendance is the definition and/or sign of being a Christian Col. 2:16-17

● A Biblical Christian does not think that following Jesus Christ means going to church every week and hearing another sermon. 1 Tim. 4:1-2

● A Biblical Christian is not called to weekend duty but worships 24/7. John 4:23-24

● A Biblical Christian will know that their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ do NOT SAY:

• •-“Blessed are those who go to church”.
• •-“Submit to the authority of pastors”.
• •-“Worship Me by giving of your tithes and offerings.”
• •-“Your sins are forgiven by going to church”.
• •-“Life revolves around preachers and churches”.
• •-“Touch not mine anointed”.
• •-“Fear your leaders”.
• •-“Attend church on Saturday or Sunday”.
• •-“It is a sin to not go to church”.
• •-“Build physical church buildings and fill the pews with financial contributors”.
• •-“Let paid hirelings and professional clergy do your thinking”.
• •-“Don’t challenge religious leaders of churches”.
• •-“Pastors are the living waters of life”.
• •-“Follow seminary/academy trained clergy leaders”.
• •-“Pastors, senior pastors, reverend pastors, and doctor pastors are a special class of people who rule over my followers”.

Tell me dear reader. Are you a Biblical Christian?

Stanley L. Morris 

Please note that we have published this article in its’ original content unaltered. We do not use the KJV for reasons already expounded on within this website, but wanted the author’s content to stay true to his original work. 

There are many kinds of idolatry mentioned in Scripture.  All of them are soundly condemned. Usually we think of the physical objects that people worshiped (e.g. Baal, Asherah, Dagon, Chemosh, etc.) however, more subtle, unseen things can also get in the way. 

IDOLATRY

For example, “… covetousness, which is idolatry” KJV, Col. 3:5 – pleonexia = literally, the constant desire to have more.  See the parallel passage: “No immoral, impure or greedy person such a man is an idolater — has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.”  NIV, Eph. 5:5  Avarice is also closely associated with idolatry in 1 Cor. 5:10,11 and 6:9,10. This must have been what Jesus was talking about in Matt. 6:24 (“mammon” means money). It does not refer to money itself but the “love” of it.  That’s where the root of the problem is 1 Tim. 6:10, cf. Num. 22:1-38; Jude 11; Rev. 2:14; Judg. 17-18; Micah 3:11, 7:3; Mark 12:40; Luke 16:14,15; Acts 1:18,19

BIBLIOLATRY

I have also seen some people turn their particular copy of the Bible or translation of the Bible into AN OBJECT OF WORSHIP.  Out of an inordinate reverence (nearly superstition) for the paper and ink, these individuals would not even mark important notes there to remember.

These persons usually do not know the Scriptures that well.  They merely “revere” the Bible as a sacred relic from the past which is just too holy to be UNDERSTOOD.  Others insist that the ONLY true version of the Bible is the translation that their parents or grandparents used exclusively.  Usually, they are referring to the “unchanging” King James Version, even though there have been thousands of changes in it since it first appeared in 1611. 

(The first edition is almost unreadable today.) I always ask them: “Which King James Version?” And, “Do you accept the Old Testament Apocrypha as inspired of God?  No?  Did you know that the 15 portions or books of the Apocrypha were included in the first edition of the KJV?”  

Their response is often stunned silence.

These unfortunate souls have acquired the mistaken belief that the Bible is intrinsically DIVINE, in and of itself, thus treating it as if it were a magical charm or amulet.  Now, don’t misunderstand or misquote me, I’m NOT saying that the Bible is not inspired.  Several passages make it very clear that the ORIGINAL Holy Scriptures were “God-breathed” (2 Tim. 3:16,17) from “men who were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Pet. 1:20,21 ). 

But, unchecked, there is a tendency for people to begin worshiping the physical instrument which God has used to convey His message (e.g. the bronze snake that Moses employed in Num. 21:4-9; it became an idolatrous snare to the Israelites in later years, 2 Kings 18:4).

When individuals do this sort of thing, they are forgetting the very God who INSPIRED the original prophets or apostles who spoke and wrote the things which are contained in the Bible.  Besides, any subsequent TRANSLATION of these sacred writings is only a frail, uninspired, human attempt to convey the meaning of the original language.  And, no matter how hard human translators may try NOT to err, there WILL inevitably be some mistakes, even in their best efforts.  No one Bible translation in any language can suffice for everyone for all time!  The nature of language is to CHANGE, in order to adapt itself to the constant flux of culture through time.

WHAT IS EKKLESIOLATRY?

It is well known that false gods of one kind or another have always plagued humankind down through history, but there may well be an even greater threat to the people of God today than the more overt items mentioned above EKKLESlOLATRY.  What in the world is that?  Well, that’s a word that I have just coined to describe what I am observing to be so prevalent today.

Simply put, it is the worship of “CHURCH.” 

Oh, I’m not saying that people are doing obeisance to the church building.  I wish it were as simple as that.  No, it is far more serious.  The “edifice complex” is just the tip of the iceberg. Ekklesiolatry entails EVERYTHING inculcated within the modern usage of the English word “church”. What is more important, The CHURCH or Christ?

In the 2nd and 3rd centuries A.D., the followers of Christ were so totally engulfed in an error called Gnosticism that it nearly snuffed out the faith (Jude 3) entirely.  The rough elements of our historic faith were almost eclipsed by the theological demands of a clashing Greek philosophical world view.  If certain valiant Christians had not protested, WE might not even be here!  We would have been cut off from our roots.

In the same way, “ekklesiolatry” is the general condition wherein total allegiance is transferred from God to some man-made INSTITUTION (of whatever brand). 

There is heavy pressure by those in alleged “authority positions” (whether papal, pastoral, or presbyterian) upon those who have submitted to this self-appointed “authority” to cause them to conform.  If these “leaders” succeed, they control the whole situation. They BECOME God.

If they cannot achieve compliance, they quickly lose control.  It is that simple.  Therefore, they must always wave the big stick (the threat of excommunication) in front of the people to maintain “law and order” (cf. John 9:22; 12:42).  That’s precisely what gives them their “power.” Take it away and they are ordinary men.

I used to think that the bane of our society was “denominationalism.” I thought that all we need do was to narrow it down to the one true church of Christ.  I now believe that the universal error is much worse than I ever imagined. “Joining the church of your choice” is only symptomatic of a much deeper underlying corruption. 

CONCLUSION

The correct term to describe this spiritual malady is not “churchianity,” “Christendom,” or even “Christianity,” but “EKKLESIOLATRY” – a foreboding term indeed, for it portends of outright abandonment of the true worship of God in lieu of the more exciting liturgical “worship services” invented by men to instill reverence (cf. Col. 2:20-23).

All of us are faced with a serious dilemma.  Once we realize that it IS much worse than we first thought, what do we DO about it?  What CAN we do about it?  

Who would believe such a “preposterous” thing?  Surely you are NOT suggesting that ALL people in ALL “churches” are wrong?  

What would our community be without its fine, upright, law-abiding “churches” of the establishment?  Are you seriously intimating that all people stay home and boycott those magnificent sanctuaries built to accommodate large crowds, to meet their “needs”? 

Are you saying that EVERYBODY ought to meet in homes?  How far out can you get!? 

I guess the early Christians didn’t know any better – Acts 2:2; 2:46; 5:42; 8:3; 10:32; 12:12; 16:15,32,34; 17:5; 18:7,8; 20:20; 21:8; Rom. 16:5; I Cor. 16:15,19; Col. 4:15; 2 Tim. 1: 16; Titus 1:11; Philm. 2). 

They had not heard how ESSENTIAL our fancy church buildings and high-powered hireling homileticians are for running the religious industry. 

Maybe God will forgive them for their ignorance?

“THE state of monarchy is the supremest thing upon earth, 
for kings are not only God’s lieutenants upon earth and set upon 
God’s throne, but even by God himself they are called gods.”

The quote above is an idolatrous, false statement – which by the way, happened to be made by an individual in the 17^th century. We will get to the identity of that “individual” shortly. But we have to ask – do you believe our Heavenly Father would call mere man gods? Do you believe Jesus Christ view those in this monarchy as fellow colleagues? Or that they will sit upon the throne of God as deities? If you say yes to the above questions, than you are just as much an idolater as the person who said this. That quote is not just some flippant statement about the authority of one’s government – it is far more egregious than something that simple. “That someone” by the way – is none other than King James, who decreed and orchestrated the King James Bible. Make no mistake – the quote above personifies his entire approach and mentality towards the translation of the King James Bible.

Many believers have an idolatrous relationship with the King James Bible. They think the KJV is the only correct translation. Most KJV idolaters believe it is the first Bible – and the perfect translation of all time. They idolize the actual book, and believe it preserved Scripture for all eternity. All of this is completely false. KJV idolaters believe this solely because King James declared it as the “authorized version,” – as oppose to it not being declared authorized by him. They really don’t know why they believe it is the authorized version, other than the simple fact that King James declared it as such – God Almighty certainly did not declare it. They enjoy the Old English; the thees and thous – and many garner a great sense of pride quoting the poetic nature of them. Indeed, the prose used to describe God’s Word in the KJV can be quite eloquent and impressive in its’ literary style.

If the King James Bible was the perfect and only translation, it would had never been revised. Not once, or twice, but 5 times. The voice of God need not be revised, it is perfect – only the voice of man requires revision. The first KJV came out in 1611. The translation of today, is for the most part based in the major 1769 revision, which occurred 158 years after the first edition. The original translation also contained the Apocrypha books, which many Protestants do not believe were uniquely inspired, and were part of the Catholic bibles. In 1546, the Roman Catholic Council of Trent approved the Apocrypha books for all Roman Catholic Bibles. The Apocrypha books remained in the King James Bible until the year 1666.

How do we know it was solely King James who authorized the KJV? Well, it really is quite simple – we have both his decree – and we have the the original Scriptures. The only – and I mean the absolutely only reason why the King James Bible is declared as the authorized version is – because James declared it so. He decreed it officially, and set into the law that it was the official Bible for believers. His declaration that his Bible was “authorized” in effect, made all other Bibles – “unauthorized.” That’s it.

Because people do not like to exercise their brains, they simply accept this and give no further cognition towards this false assumption. The King James Bible is not God, nor is it His equal – it is a book translated by humans who are fallible, pliable, and obedient to the instructions of their King. It is a book that drew most heavily from the Bishops Bible, and some of its’ predecessors. It is not the perfect Word of God – if it were, it would not have been both edited and revised over and over again.

Now don’t get me wrong – overall, the majority of the KJV is a good translation, but areas touching on King James authority or anything that threatened the idea of the Church of England, was intentionally mistranslated or distorted. Translators did this by by altering the true meaning behind the original Scriptures. Of paramount importance to King James, was that his Bible reflect the authority of the hierarchical structure of the “church,” and that it distinguish the line between clergy and laity. In other words, the KJV reinstates an authority akin to the Levitical Priesthood in the Old Testament – the very priesthood Jesus Christ did away with through His death.

The KJV is not perfect, and it does indeed hold many errors and a good number of misrepresentations. There are words that were incorrectly mistranslated from Greek and Hebrew, into English. This is significant. In some cases, it was intentional, like translating “the Ecclesia”, or “congregation” into the word “church.” Or the word “office”, which was not mistranslated at all because it was not in the original Scriptures, but was inserted in the KJV by translators. Even yet another example is the word “preach.” The greek word for “preach” is dialegomai, which means dialogue, ” not a “monologue.” Dialegomai means “to converse, discourse with one, argue, discuss.” There are a good number of other words, which we intend to write about at some point and time.

The KJV relied on a good number of its’ texts centuries later, as oppose to other translations and texts that have been completed with dates closer to the death of Christ. There are also passages in the KJV, which are not part of the older manuscripts, or the original Scriptures at all. Nevertheless, it is one of church leadership’s favorite, because King James shared the same carnal desires that those in church leadership espouse.

What are the carnal desires of church leadership for the few who care to ask? It is the desire is to exercise authority over others – and the desire to protect one’s position by distorting the Scriptures in God’s Word. The desire of church leadership is to keep their followers in bondage, by misconstruing God’s Word to mean something that is not true, but is advantageous to their positions. If they fail to do so, and choose to go by what is truly God’s Word, they would be out of a job. Most have rationalized this away in an effort to live with themselves, and many absolutely know they do not have any biblical authority. No one who truly is following Jesus Christ, would ever place him or herself in authority over another believer. It is next to impossible; however, to convince any church leaders that they are wrong, because their salaries depend on it. Most are fully aware of this, but I do believe there are a few don’t – and a mean a few. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak (Matthew 26:41).

“No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money (Matthew 6:24).

Many enamored by the King James Bible, falsely assert it is the first translation of the Bible into English. That is not true. John Wycliffe’s Bible was translated from Latin into English in the 1400’s. William Tyndale translated the New Testament before he was put to death for correctly translating Scriptures the Church of England viewed as undermining their authority. Scriptures such as using the word “congregation” instead of “church.” In addition, the Great Bible, the Geneva Bible, the Coverdale Bible, the Bishops Bible, and the Douay English Bible, by the Catholic Church, were translated into English before the first KJV. Again, the King James Bible primarily was translated from the Bishops Bible.

All of this begs the question as to what actually led to the KJV translation. King James had political motives for putting into fruition the King James Bible. He was threatened by the conflict between the Church of England (the Anglican Church), and the Puritans. King James ire was also directed at the Geneva Bible (the Puritans Bible of choice), which prior to his orchestration of the KJV translation in 1611, was the primary Bible of Protestants. King James did not like the fact that the Geneva Bible recognized the priesthood of all believers. He also did not want any possibility of anything dissolving the inter-connectivity between “church” and state.

For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law. Hebrews 7:12

James was threatened by this position. He felt it undermined his authority over the Church of England – now you know why “church leadership” rarely, if ever, talk about the priesthood of all believers. The KJV would reiterate the authority of kings and bishops over the Body of Christ; a stance directly opposed to the teachings of Jesus Christ. Any man-made church government is a violation of Scripture; which is one reason of many, as to why the institutional church is not biblical. In addition, which was of prime importance to James, was to establish legitimacy in his power in direct opposition to the pope and the Catholic Church. These are the reasons behind the so-called “authorized” version of the King James Bible. It was motivated by both political and social reasons only – not spiritual.

Great care was given to hide the more original Scriptures from the masses. Why? Because if the people were to study them, they would know the KJV was not always a true translation. The priesthood of all believers as Christ intended was too much for King James stand by idly, while allowing the Geneva Bible go unabated. He also viewed the marginal notes in the Geneva Bible as a political threat, because he believed many of the notes undermined his authority.

So, King James turned his attention to Richard Bancroft, who was soon to be the Arch Bishop of Canterbury. Bancroft was to lead a team of translators to produce – tada… the “Authorized Version” of the King James Bible. The foundational base of the KJV was taken from the Bishops Bible first produced in 1568, and revised in 1572 and 1602. Much to James delight, the Geneva Bible, in his mind and the world’s, would now become “unauthorized.” Such a superficial man-made ploy worked, with help of course from the master of deception. The people in their ignorance obliged King James, as do many of the people in their ignorance oblige him today. Who would know, that someone could snap their fingers, and say, I decree this to be the” authorized version,” that there would only be a few walking in God’s true Spirit to question it.

Bancroft in total, over saw 47 translators. For the translators, it was not hard to misconstrue and misrepresent what God truly calls His Church ( the Ecclesia). By the time the King James version was completed, the Catholic Church had already been in power for over 1,300 years. The idea of what we call “church” was already captive in the minds of men – courtesy of the Roman Catholic Church. Translators came indoctrinated with over 1,300 years of man-made traditions and false teachings, as they sat down to the task of translating. All of the man-made traditions and works of the law were so ingrained in the masses, that people no longer questioned that this thing we call “church,” was unequivocally not the Church in the New Testament. The original KJV even contained the Apocrypha, which remains in Catholic Bibles of today. In the 1666 revised KJV; 55 years after the original KJV translation, the Apocrypha was taken out.

It was critical to King James that the erroneous, manufactured idea of what we call “church,” be emphasized in his translation. Translators were given specific commands to keep the old ecclesiastical terms intact from what was already in the Bishops Bible, and the Catholic bibles. King James gave translators instructions that they were not to change the word “church,” in order to conceal the true meaning of God’s Ecclesia. He demanded the word “church” was to replace words like congregation, Ecclesia, etc. The actual instructions King James gave to translators exist to this very day. By the way, many words in the KJV were derived and heavily influenced by Roman Catholicism.

King James wanted to make certain that any hint of the words “Ecclesia” and “congregation” instead of “church” – would not be found in his translation. William Tyndale’s goal was to remove this false, ungodly focus off a building, and unto a people who belong to Jesus Christ 24/7. For where two or three are gathered together in my Name, there am I in the midst of them (Matthew 18:20).  It truly is just that simple. There were a few times Tyndale referred to a large group of believers as the congregation, but they were not gathering for a mandatory, planned service called “church.” In another example, he used the word “congregation” in Acts:17, to refer to a riotous crowd in Ephesus. Most of the times believers met with a few others, or in small groups, but occasionally larger crowds met in various circumstances. But none – not once in all in the New Testament ever met for “church” – the were all The Church 24/7. Going to “church” or the mandate one must attend “church” is contrivance of man.

William Tyndale knew the word “church” was not a true translation of the word “Ecclesia.” Ecclesia has nothing to do with a physical place, it is a spiritual assembly comprised of every believer in Christ. He was deemed a serious threat to powerful system of the clergy and monarchy. And because Tyndale put the true word denoting God’s people and other biblical truths; his translation costed him his life in 1536. He was a fugitive for many years, but ultimately he was hung – not by King James, but his predecessor, Henry VIII.

In the original Scriptures of the New Testament, the word “Ecclesia” appeared 115 times. The word “church” did not exist in the original New Testament Scriptures – it is a term birthed several centuries later. King James instructed Bancroft and the translators to substitute the word “church” in every instance except for three places. Translators knew that the word “church” simply would not fit in place of the word “Ecclesia,” as in the original scriptures. The translators ultimately were forced to abandon their false translation in these three instances. They applied their deceptive translation, however, in the next 112 instances, replacing the word “Ecclessia” for “church.” But, the Greek word Ecclesia is exactly the same as the other 112 entries where it was changed to “church” wrongly. “Ecclesia” was the correct word to use in all 115 instances – not the word “church.” The Greek word Ecclesia means “the called out ones.”

King James ordered additional changes in scriptures, which supported his rule over the Church of England (the Anglican Church). Other ecclesiastical terms were ordered to be left to their traditional definitions, and not according to their actual text meanings. Ironically, although the KJV is widely touted among Protestants, it is in actuality an Anglican/Catholic Bible.

King James shared the same desires and motives for exercising authority over believers as do church leaders of today. What authority? An authority as of then, and now – that always and only belongs to our Lord Jesus Christ. Again, King James intentionally orchestrated God’s Word in ways to support his position as head of the Anglican Church. As we said before, it is not surprising that most mistranslated verses of the Bible have to do with authority. How do we know they were mistranslated? We have the original scriptures, as well the origin of the words in their original languages.

Many advocates of the KJV believe that the first edition of the New Testament books were based on, and comprised from the Greek text Textus Receptus (TR) which is considered to be divinely inspired. However, the Textus Receptus (TR) was written in 1633, 22 years after the first edition of the King James Bible published in 1611. In truth, most of the transcription in the KJV, origin was based on Greek text, some 1,200 years after the death of Jesus. Other bibles that have been translated from Greek text and manuscripts, have much closer dates to the death of Christ than the KJV.

For those who idolize the King James Bible, and consider it the perfect Word of God, I have a few questions. Did God botched the first time it was translated, because some 50 years later, the Apocrypha was taken out? You know, the books that are included in the Catholic Bibles still to this very day. Again, Protestants prior to the KJV, did not believe the Apocrypha Books were spiritually inspired; nevertheless it was part of the KJV for 55 years. If the KJV is worthy of worship, one would surmise it would be error free. It’s not. How could something that is perfect, be improved? How can something that 100% perfect be altered, revised or have over 75,000 errors corrected throughout time? A good deal of the 75,000 errors were semantics and punctuation, but not all. Consider just a few examples below that were pointed out by the website thepathoftruth.com, that are either flat out contradictions, or in some way, change the meaning of God’s Word.

Please note that we do not agree with everything on this site, but found some important points we feel lends to this article. Their website grants permission to reproduce materials, as long as the wording is not altered. We have touched on key excerpts from the article they posted.

From the KJV, first let’s compare what Mark and Matthew stated regarding what Jesus told two of His disciples before Passover:

 Matthew 21:1-2

And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples, Saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto Me.

How many animals was it? In Matthew 21:7, we are told the disciples set Him on both the ass and the colt.

Mark 11:1-2

And when they came nigh to Jerusalem, unto Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount of Olives, He sendeth forth two of His disciples, And saith unto them, Go your way into the village over against you: and as soon as ye be entered into it, ye shall find a colt tied, whereon never man sat; loose him, and bring him.

Now here is an example from the Old Testament:

“The children of Azgad, two thousand three hundred twenty and two” (Nehemiah 7:17).

“The children of Azgad, a thousand two hundred twenty and two” (Ezra 2:12).

Now here is a very disconcerting fact regarding the altering of Scripture from the KJV, pointed out on their website.

The Angel at the Bethesda Pool

In the gospel of John, it is recorded:

“In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water. For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had” (John 5:3-4).

Let me ask the ardent KJV fans some questions regarding this passage. Do you believe the story here? Have you never wondered about the strangeness of it? Does God dangle the carrot or play ‘cat-and-mouse’ or tease the weak and helpless? Does He take pleasure in watching physically handicapped people awkwardly trying to jostle their way to the pool to get healed, where only the fastest one wins?

Did you know that the words from “waiting for the moving” in verse 3, and all of verse 4 are not found in the more original manuscripts? This was a piece of superstition inserted by some unbelieving scoundrel. It is the stuff of a carnal perception of Jesus Christ. It is the stuff of Lourdes, Fatima, and Catholic occultish heresy.

Consider God’s character, if you know anything of Him. Would He do such a thing? Does He display similar cruelty and callousness anywhere else in Scripture? This is a contradiction of the basic testimony of the Scriptures concerning the character of God.

Yes, He judges; yes, He destroys; but He does not toy with men, He takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked, and He is no sadist. Several translations omit the portion of verses 3 to 4. The NIV commentary says, “Verse 4 was doubtless inserted by a later copyist to explain why people waited by the pool in large numbers.”

 The copyist did not heed this admonition found in both Old and New Testaments:

“Every word of God is pure: He is a shield unto them that put their trust in Him. Add thou not unto His words, lest He reprove thee, and thou be found a liar” (Proverbs 30:5-6).

“Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you” (Deuteronomy 4:2).

I agree with this assessment – part of verse 3, and all of verse 4 is absent in the original scriptures.

Conclusion:

Again, by the time the King James Bible was translated, the Catholic Church had already been in power for over 1,300 years. The translators came armed with their own beliefs about the institutional church, its’ traditions, and the idea of a hierarchical structure between clergy and laity. Their beliefs and ideas are reflected within the translation of the KJV. The King James Bible was not made to be idolized or worship. It contains the Word of God – put into writing by men who were not perfect, and that indeed made errors. Some intentionally, some not. The translators under King James and Bancroft believed in the institutional church, and the Church of England, known as the Anglican Church today. They were not allowed to translate anything in a way that would undermine the king’s authority – even when it required misrepresenting, or omitting the truth. Most popular Bibles today, such as ASV, NIV, Scofield, relied heavily on the KJV, as the KJV did so with the Bishops Bible.

In God’s Word, it says that no one should add to the Word of God, or detract from it.

“For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book” (Revelation 22:18-19).

How is it then,that with the KJV words and entire books (the Apocrypha), have been, added and remove? How is that some Scriptures were altered, by adding additional words derived from the Catholic Vulgate? If it is the perfect Word of God, it would have never changed after the first edition. If it is, in today’s vernacular, “the mother of all Bibles” there should be only one edition ever printed – the 1611 edition.

Most of the KJV version, however; today remains the same, which is actually sobering considering the deliberate misrepresentations King James and Richard Bancroft commissioned the translators. But in truth, for the most part the KJV is an accurate translation; except for the crucial misrepresentations that were made deliberately, or out of the religious mindset of men. These distortions of God’s Word have played a role in keeping believers in bondage for all these centuries – but such believers, as well as those who who exercise authority over others are without excuse.

But do not be called Rabbi; for One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers. And do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. And do not be called leaders; for One is your Leader, that is, Christ. But the greatest among you shall be your servant. (Matt. 23:8-11).

Any believer who is truly following God, hears the voice of the Holy Spirit, and knows that it is He who is speaking to him or her. Despite these deliberate attempts by King James to reinforce his authority through the KJV, even reading it word for word does not collaborate the bondage and works of the law church leadership command over believers. Instead of believers taking their bibles to church leaders for interpretation; they should read the Scriptures themselves, and see if their church leaders are in alignment with God’s Word.

If they do so, they would be faced with two choices:

1. Stay in the institutional church system and advance man’s kingdom by making excuses and ignoring the truth in God’s Word – OR –
2. leave this idolatrous thing we call “church,” and remain true to the one and only “Church” Jesus ever intended for us – His Ecclesia.

Satan is the master of deception. Leave these idolatrous institutions before it is too late.