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Why the Institutional Church is not biblical: Ekklesia vs Church

What Do We Mean By the Istitutional Church is Not Biblical

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

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

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

Denominational Kingdoms

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

At last count, there are over 40,000 of these denominations worldwide. The most conservative estimates place it at least 33,000.

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

Some give unofficial ownership of each branch to the pastor in charge and there is a central governing authority. Some don’t attribute ownership to anyone, but the pastor still receives the tithes and offerings as the primary recipient of collections. Of course with tens of thousands of denominations, there are several ways in which these churches are administered.

A person simply breaks away from a church and starts his own, usually because of doctrinal differences from his church of origin. Give it a name, build a church building and a new denomination is born adding to the tens of thousands already in existence.

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

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

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

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

Religious Deception

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

You see, most of us who come to faith just fall into the Christian religion with its traditions and beliefs.

However, not many of us seem to stop and try to figure out where our doctrines came from.

Are they biblical? Are they the traditions of men (Mat 15:9)? Why are we not fervently matching up our belief against what the bible says? Why do we not stop to prove all things (1 Thess 5:21) when people tell us that they are? Why don’t we seek to take ourselves away from all evil (1 Thess 5:22)?

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

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

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

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

Let us do so right now by looking at the biblical Assembly as well as the historic changes that brought us the church.

Warnings about the False Church

Firstly though, do you know that we were indirectly warned about the institutional church, as well as the many other false doctrines of Christianity?

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

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

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

Once again…

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

And again…

2Ti 4:2 – 4 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;

And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

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

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

The Assembly in the Book of Acts

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

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

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

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

It is a congregation where believers are called out of the world into one kingdom. Let us look more at the word ekklēsía.

Etymology of the word Ekklēsia

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

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

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

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

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

Big Difference Between Ekklēsia and Institutional Church

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

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

The Ekklēsia of the Book of Acts

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

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

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

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

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

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

Here are the main points to note:

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

Let’s look at some more characteristics

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

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

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

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

Main Points:

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

Even More important characteristics:

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

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

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

So we see from the verses above:

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

Final Profile of the Acts Ekklēsia

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

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

1st Ekklesia vs Church (Table)

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

No place for tithing!

Do you notice there is no place nor need for tithing?! Many people will take me to task for this, but tithing is not for the called out new covenant assembly. It is however the lifeline of the false church. In the ekklesia, people give liberally, not by necessity (2 Cor 9:7).

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

Totally different from the church

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

Ekklēsias Considered to be Cults

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

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

Church was not YHWH’S plan for mankind

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

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

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

Now this is what happened when they were gathered:

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

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

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

The ekklesia is a called out assembly, fulfilling the prophecies for gathering Israel, Judah and Gentiles into the Israel of YHWH (Gal 6:16) under the one shepherd, Yahushua.

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

Hence church as we know it is not in the original word of YHWH. It was ‘sneaked in’ as we shall soon see.

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

As a result, if it is not of YHWH, then it must be of the enemy the devil.  However, most are not aware of the church being a false tool of the devil. It is thus a sad case of blind leading blind (Mat 15:14).

Church under a delusion

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

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

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

It is a huge delusion.

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

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

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

No Big Deal

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

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

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

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

“God” will understand!

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

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

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

The Lying Pen of the Scribe: Gross Mistranslation

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

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

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

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

Ekklesia vs Kuriakos

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

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

Here is the mistranslation:

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

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

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

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

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

History: The Greco-Roman Pagan Spirit of Syncretism

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

It was the 3rd century that our belief was hijacked by the Romans, pagan traditions were added and gave us Christianity as we know it today: a mixture of paganism and Biblical truth.

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

Constantine the Great

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Constantinian shift shifted the focus from a called out people to a sacred building

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

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

History: Pagan Origins of “Church”

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

Lord Mithras and Christianity

So if the pagans used kuriakê oikia refering to a building belonging to the Lord, what lord were they referring to? The “Lord’s house (kuriakê oikia) was used in the 4th century and clearly was not referring to the Master Yahushua, but rather to the Lord Mithra the “sun-god”; the sun god was a famous god among the pagans but with many different names (including Ba’al).

The Roman sun god Mithras via The National Arts and Culture

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

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

Mithraism and the spirit of syncretism

Note carefully the description of Mithraism from Wikipedia:

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

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

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

Pagan Church Architecture

The Church is just one of the result of this fusion: the tradition of sacred buildings of worship. It does not help when we find out that the architecture of the church buildings manifest sun worship.

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

The Eye of Providence

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

Phallus (Male Sex Organ)

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

Cross

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

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

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

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

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

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

Epytymology of the Word Church

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tyndale’s Bible

William Tyndale – Image via Vision.org

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Unfortunately, this church built on a pagan foundation is what most Christians swear by today, ignorant of the fact that it is a false pagan institution created by the lying pen of the scribes.

Church and State

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

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

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

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

The original ecclesiastical assembly was hated by the state, which sought ways in which it could wipe them out. They were persecuted and hated, which is why the Messiah prophesied:

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

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

The church of today is a far cry from the biblical assemblies.

Christian Churches Chosen?

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

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

NO CHURCH IS CHOSEN.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The truth is, Christianity is false from the ground up. A false church means false doctrines (such as tithing) to support the false church. This results in false teachings by pastors who unknowingly are pastors leading the sheep astray (blind leaders of the blind). All these falsities line us up behind the banner of a false messiah.

The messiah of the church more often than not is a false Greco-Roman version of the true Hebrew Messiah of the bible.

That is how serious this ‘church’ error is!

Related: Why almost all of us are following a false messiah

I simply want you to know the truth as given me by the Most High Father YHWH Tseva’oth (of hosts). That is what I am called to do.

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

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

Please share. The truth must be told



This post first appeared on Just A Word, please read the originial post: here

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Why the Institutional Church is not biblical: Ekklesia vs Church

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