“There is a true church and there is a false church.” This startling fact must shake us awake. Not everything that calls itself “Christian” or gathers under a steeple is approved by God. Scripture warns that two churches operate side by side in these last days – one genuine and one counterfeit . If you do not grasp this, you are “liable to be confused and deceived”. Today, the Spirit of God issues an urgent, prophetic call: Examine yourself! Are you part of the faithful True Church of Jesus Christ, or have you unwittingly joined the ranks of the False Church that betrays Him? The hour is late, and eternity is at stake. It is time to wake up from complacency and discern the difference with shocking clarity.
Two Paths from the Beginning: Abel vs. Cain
From humanity’s first family, two types of worship emerged – one accepted by God and one rejected. Righteous Abel approached God on God’s terms, while his brother Cain did things his own way. Derek Prince shows that Abel’s faith “produced a martyr” whereas Cain’s religion “produced a murderer”. Abel offered a blood sacrifice in obedience to divine revelation; Cain offered the fruit of his own toil, “a religious performance but no supernatural attestation”.
God honored Abel’s offering with fire from heaven, but Cain’s offering received no such response. In jealous fury, Cain rose up and killed Abel – the first false believer persecuting the first true saint. This pattern reverberates through history. As Prince bluntly asks, “Who gave [God’s servants] the most trouble? Religious people or non-religious people? …Who put the prophets to death or persecuted them? The followers of Cain. Who were responsible for the crucifixion of Jesus? The followers of Cain.” It was corrupt religious folk – not atheists – who murdered the prophets and even crucified our Lord. Their outward worship hid an inner wickedness; they practiced “the religion of Cain”
False religion hates true faith. Just as Cain hated Abel, many today who lack God’s power despise those who have it. Prince notes that charismatic, Spirit-filled believers often incur the anger of powerless churchgoers: “One of the main reasons people dislike us is because we’ve received a supernatural attestation and they haven’t.” Human nature hasn’t changed. Those with only dead ritual resent those alive in the Holy Spirit. The way of Cain is a jealous, murderous spirit that would rather slay the righteous than humble itself to receive truth.
At the root, every religion and denomination falls into one of these two categories. There is no third option. Either our worship follows Abel’s pattern – founded on God’s revelation, a life laid down in surrender – or we walk in Cain’s pattern – a fleshly form of godliness devoid of power, ending in envy and spiritual death. The line of demarcation is absolute: “Abel’s religion will bring forth the bride; Cain’s religion will bring forth the harlot.” In other words, Abel’s faith culminates in the True Church – a pure bride for Christ – whereas Cain’s way culminates in the False Church – an unfaithful harlot. The question is, which path are you on?
The True Church: A Chaste Bride Loyal to Christ
The True Church is those who remain faithful to Jesus Christ alone. Scripture paints the church as the betrothed bride of Christ – engaged to one Husband, Jesus, and keeping herself pure for Him. The Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthian believers: “I have betrothed you to one husband…that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.” Despite coming from backgrounds of deep sin, these people had been washed by Jesus’ blood and set apart. Paul’s burden was to guard their “sincere and pure devotion to Christ” (2 Corinthians 11:3) so they would not stray. The true Church clings with simplicity to the true Jesus. Her love is wholehearted, like a faithful virgin keeping her vows until the marriage.
The reality of this betrothal is profound. When you trusted Jesus as Savior and Lord, you entered a sacred engagement – a covenant of love. You belong exclusively to Him now, forsaking all other gods, idols, and “lovers.” In biblical culture, betrothal was binding and breaking it was tantamount to adultery. Likewise, the Church must not cheat on Christ. We are not yet at the marriage supper – that will occur when Christ returns – but we are pledged to Him and must stay true. “The marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready”. All heaven is excited for that day. Very soon, Jesus will return to take His bride home, a bride “without spot or wrinkle, holy and blameless” (Ephesians 5:27). True believers live in expectation of this heavenly wedding, keeping their garments clean.
Central to this purity is steadfast loyalty to the real Jesus and the real Gospel. Paul feared for the Corinthians “lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ” . The devil’s strategy is to seduce the church away from simple devotion to Christ into something more “sophisticated” but false. Therefore, the true church holds fast to the essentials of the Gospel: “that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day”. This message of the cross and resurrection is utterly simple – so simple a child can grasp it. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life – “No one comes to the Father except through Me,” He said. The true church boldly proclaims this exclusive truth of salvation in Christ alone, unashamed of the offense of the cross.
Moreover, the True Church relies on the power of the Holy Spirit, not on human wisdom or formality. Paul told the Corinthians that when others came preaching a different message, they might well tolerate it: “For if he who comes preaches another Jesus…or if you receive a different spirit…or a different gospel, you may well put up with it” . In contrast, the apostles presented the authentic Jesus and God confirmed their message with power (Mark 16:20, Hebrews 2:4). Wherever the true Jesus is proclaimed, the Holy Spirit is present and active, bearing witness through gifts and miracles according to His will. The true Church never denies or rejects the Spirit’s power – for to do so would be to deny God Himself. As Derek Prince emphasizes, “Jesus said, ‘I am the truth.’ When you change Jesus and cease to present the historical, Biblical picture of Christ, you’re going to get another spirit and…another gospel.” The Holy Spirit only honors the true Jesus of Scripture. Thus the Bride of Christ guards the truth about Jesus zealously, and she welcomes the Spirit’s work joyfully. Unlike man-made religion, the true Church has God’s supernatural attestation – the fire of His presence is in her midst, just as Abel’s sacrifice was met with heavenly fire.
Finally, the True Church walks the path of sacrifice and suffering in this world, rather than earthly glory. Abel, the prototype true worshiper, became the first martyr . Many in the true Church likewise seal their testimony with blood. They overcome “by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they do not love their lives to the death” (Revelation 12:11). Faithfulness unto death is the ultimate mark of the Bride’s love for Christ. While false brethren may persecute, betray, and even kill the true saints, the true Church endures with eyes on Jesus. She knows a crown of life awaits her. In the end, the martyrs will be vindicated. When Christ returns in power, “His bride has made herself ready” – clothed in fine linen, clean and bright. This is the destiny of the true Church: to be the Lamb’s pure bride, ruling at His side in His Kingdom forever. But tragically, alongside the emergence of this radiant bride stands another figure – a gaudy prostitute, drunk with deception. We must now confront the terrifying reality of the False Church.
The False Church: The Harlot of Spiritual Adultery
The false church is depicted in Scripture as a brazen harlot riding a seven-headed beast – a vivid picture of religious adultery allied with worldly power (Revelation 17:3–4). This “harlot” church is unfaithful to Christ. Instead of keeping her vows to Jesus, she fornicates with the world. The Apostle John was shown in Revelation a vision of a glittering prostitute sitting atop a scarlet beast (symbolizing an ungodly political empire). She was “arrayed in purple and scarlet…gilded with gold, precious stones and pearls, holding a golden cup full of abominations” – outwardly rich and beautiful, but inwardly full of filth (Revelation 17:4). Upon her forehead a name was written: “Mystery, Babylon the Great, the Mother of Harlots and of the Abominations of the Earth.” This shocking imagery represents the False Church in all its seduction and corruption. What a contrast to the humble, pure bride of Christ! Derek Prince explains: “The true church remains faithful to its betrothal vows; the false church is unfaithful and is thereafter described as a harlot or an immoral woman.” Spiritual harlotry means prostituting what belongs to God – mixing worship of Jesus with idols, greed, worldly philosophies, and demonic practices. It is infidelity against the Lord.
Just as a promiscuous wife betrays her husband, the False Church betrays Jesus by embracing “other lovers.” She accepts “another Jesus,” “a different spirit,” and “a different gospel”. In Paul’s terms, her mind has been corrupted from the simple purity toward Christ. Let us identify some of the hallmarks of this False Church as outlined by Derek Prince and Scripture:
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*Corrupt Doctrine – “Another Jesus” and False Gospels: The false church distorts the identity of Jesus and thereby falls under the spell of “another spirit”. Who is Jesus to you? The false church will not confess Him as He truly is – “God in person, the Creator and Judge of all humanity” . Instead, they present a counterfeit Christ to suit worldly tastes. Prince describes three common false “Jesus” figures in our day: (1) The New Age “guru” Jesus – a mere enlightened teacher placed on the same level as Buddha or other religious figures. This lie strips Christ of His deity and uniqueness. (2) The political revolutionary Jesus – a Marxist-style liberator who supposedly leads armed uprisings to reshape society. This false Christ fuels ideologies like Liberation Theology, which “teach that it’s the job of Christians to demand social justice, eliminate the wealthy, and set up a new political order” . But Jesus flatly declared, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, My servants would fight.” He rejected taking power by force, so this militant social-gospel Jesus is a fraud. (3) The indulgent “Father Christmas” Jesus – a sugary, non-judgmental figure who pats everyone on the head and winks at sin. Liberal churches often peddle this idol, never mentioning the wrath of God or the reality of sin. But the true Jesus confronts sin and calls all to repentance. In each case, the real Jesus of the Bible is denied. And “once you have another Jesus, you’re going to have a different spirit … and a different gospel.” Thus false doctrine spawns a false “gospel” – whether it’s New Age self-realization, utopian socialism, or universalist “everyone is already saved” permissiveness. Any message that deviates from Christ crucified for our sins and risen as Lord is
“another gospel”– and Scripture solemnly warns that those who preach such are accursed (Galatians 1:8–9). -
Worldly Power and Prestige: The false church forges an unholy alliance with political and economic power to advance her aims. In John’s vision, the harlot rides the beast – using the secular power of empire to prop herself up. History bears grim witness to this pattern. “Every time [Christianity] has happened in the past it’s been a disaster for the church,” Prince notes. In the 4th century, when Constantine made Christianity the state religion, true spirituality declined as institutional politics took over. In the Middle Ages, when popes wielded both religious and civil authority, the church sank into nearly total darkness. Whenever church leaders grasp for the “kingdoms of this world”, they cease to represent the Kingdom of God. The false church loves the trappings of wealth, culture, and pomp – “everything that is precious and elegant and appeals to human taste”. She may display impressive art, architecture, and ceremony, but one color is missing from her wardrobe: blue, the color of heaven. “There’s no blue in her – nothing heavenly about her. It’s all of this world. It’s a counterfeit.” Outwardly adorned with beauty, but inwardly void of the Spirit, the false church “has a form of godliness but denies its power”. The Bible commands us: “From such people turn away!”. God is not impressed by a pretty veneer; He searches for His Spirit’s fire. A church that trusts in political influence, money, or social status rather than the Holy Spirit has prostituted itself. It seeks favor with “the kings of the earth” by committing spiritual fornication (Rev 17:2). But friendship with the world is enmity with God (James 4:4).
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Persecution of the True Saints: Like Cain who slew Abel, the false church turns violent against the true church. Jesus said, “the time is coming that whoever kills you will think he offers God service” (John 16:2). Indeed, the harlot of Revelation is seen “drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus” (Rev 17:6). False religion always hates the genuine move of God. Prince highlights the Old Testament prototype: Queen Jezebel, who married into Israel. She brought pagan worship into God’s people and systematically murdered the Lord’s true prophets while funding 850 false prophets of Baal and Asherah (1 Kings 18:19; 19:14). “She murdered the true prophets, supported the false prophets, practiced immorality and witchcraft,” Derek Prince notes of Jezebel. This Jezebel spirit – a spirit of control, manipulation, sexual depravity and occult religion – is at work in the false church. Wherever you see witchcraft (occult influence and controlling spirit), immorality soon follows. Spiritual adultery leads to physical adultery. Is it any wonder that so many apostate churches today are rife with sexual scandals, moral compromise, and abusive leadership? The rot at the core inevitably produces rotten fruit. False religion may wear a pious mask on Sunday, but it tolerates and even celebrates sin behind the scenes. In Christ’s letters to the churches, He rebuked Thyatira for “allowing that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and seduce My servants to commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols” (Revelation 2:20). Jesus cast her onto a sickbed and warned that all compromised followers would be struck dead if they refused to repent (Rev 2:21–23). The Lord is fiercely angry at the spirit of Jezebel in His house. False churches that celebrate the unclean – whether it be endorsing sexual perversions, excusing adultery, or embracing worldly philosophies and occult practices – are marked for judgment. True prophets speaking out against these sins will be maligned or expelled. But God is raising up an Elijah company in these last days – bold, uncompromising voices to confront Jezebel. “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord,” says the Lord. The spirit of Elijah – the Holy Spirit empowering prophetic truth – is God’s answer to the harlot’s witchcraft and deception . Elijah did not flinch before Jezebel, and neither will God’s remnant. Yet woe to those who side with Jezebel! If you are in a church that hates correction and silences holiness, you may be under Jezebel’s sway. Flee from that danger!
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Mystery of Iniquity – Demonic and Enchanting: Ultimately, the false church’s power is not from God at all – it is satanic. Scripture calls her “Babylon” – the name of the ancient city that defied God and was a fountainhead of idolatry and occult knowledge. Revelation says the harlot’s cup is filled with “abominations” and that “by her sorcery all the nations were deceived” (Rev 17:4, 18:23). This implies that demonic enchantment and deception emanate from false religious systems. Indeed, false Christianity often degenerates into mere superstition, ritual magic, or a cover for demonic activity. Derek Prince points out that Jezebel’s two great sins were “harlotries and witchcraft” – in other words, idolatry and occultism. Wherever the pure truth of the Gospel is abandoned, something rushes in to fill the void – often New Age mysticism, witchcraft, or the cult of self. Have you noticed how some liberal “churches” dabble in meditation techniques, Mother Earth worship, or affirm people in occult practices? This is Babylon in the sanctuary. Other churches may not overtly promote witchcraft, yet by rejecting the Holy Spirit they end up substituting entertainment, psychology, and manipulation in place of the anointing. Unbeknownst to them, “the power behind [the false church] that makes [the times] fierce is demonic power”. Paul warned that in the last days people would follow “deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons” (1 Timothy 4:1). Doctrines of demons are lies that tickle itching ears – sophisticated arguments to justify sin or unbelief. The false church is infested with such doctrines. Some of the most pernicious today include:
Deadly Doctrines in the False Church
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The Lie of Cessationism – Denying God’s Power: Cessationism is the teaching that the miraculous gifts and powers of the Holy Spirit supposedly “ceased” with the apostles. This doctrine is a satanic lie meant to disarm the church. It leaves people with a form of religion but no power – exactly the condition Paul foretold: “having a form of godliness but denying its power”. To claim the Holy Spirit’s gifts are not for today is to insult the Spirit of grace and impoverish God’s people. Scripture never says the Spirit’s power would vanish; on the contrary, “the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off – as many as the Lord will call” (Acts 2:39). The false church promotes this powerless Christianity because the devil knows that a church without the Holy Spirit is no threat to his kingdom. Cessationism breeds churches that are essentially “refrigerators” – cold, lifeless places that preserve the outward form of religion but cannot produce transformed lives. Derek Prince quipped that some churches only “delay the process of corruption” (like a fridge slowing rot) but do not change hearts. Without the Spirit’s fire, people remain in bondage to sin. Are you in a church that denies the gifts and miracles of the Holy Spirit? Such a church is part of the false harlot system, not the victorious Bride. The Apostle Paul boldly stated, “My message and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power” (1 Corinthians 2:4). But a cessationist church has only words with no power. Repent of this error! Do not quench the Spirit. God is ready to empower His people today with the same Holy Spirit as in the book of Acts (Hebrews 13:8). Anything less is sub-normal Christianity. Cessationism has robbed millions of the supernatural reality of God. It is time to throw off this lie and seek the fullness of the Spirit, lest you find yourself numbered among those whom Paul warned us to avoid.
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The Lie of Universalism – Denying Christ’s Uniqueness: Universalism (and its twin, religious pluralism) is the false belief that everyone will be saved in the end, or that all religions are equally valid paths to God. This is a soul-damning lie that directly contradicts Jesus Christ. Our Lord declared, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” No one – that utterly refutes the idea that people can be saved without Jesus. Yet the false church loves to proclaim a broad way that avoids the offense of the cross. Liberal theologians and emergent teachers soothingly suggest that since “God is love,” He would never send anyone to hell – thus all humans (and maybe even the devil) will somehow be reconciled. Others teach that sincere followers of any faith – be it Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, etc. – are effectively saved, even if they don’t know Christ. This is blatant heresy. The Bible is crystal clear: “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12). Universalism is a doctrine of demons masquerading as compassion. It whispers, “Peace, peace,” when there is no peace. It shuts the door of heaven in people’s faces by denying their need to know Jesus personally. A church that does not preach that **you must be born again through faith in Christ’s atoning death is a false church. It is offering false comfort instead of rescuing souls from damnation. How many sit in mainline pews every week, never hearing that “unless you repent, you will all likewise perish” (Luke 13:3)! The false church won’t mention repentance, judgment, or hell. It preaches a costless salvation and a crown without a cross. This is exactly the “gospel” Satan wants – one that leaves people in their sins. “Lest your minds be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ,” Paul warned. The true simplicity is that only the blood of Jesus saves us. The false simplicity is the universalist mantra “all will be well for everyone.” Do not be deceived. That path leads to destruction. If your church implies that “good people” of various beliefs will be saved apart from explicit faith in Jesus, it has departed from the apostolic faith. Run for your life! Love demands that we shout the truth: “There is one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5). The hour is too late to play polite with damnable doctrine. Come out of that Babylon of confusion and stand on the true Gospel!
Beloved, these are just two examples among many false doctrines infiltrating churches. Whether it’s cessationism denying God’s power, universalism denying God’s truth, or any other perversion, the command is the same: Have no fellowship with the works of darkness, but rather expose them (Ephesians 5:11). The spirit behind the false church is working hard to deceive, if possible, even the elect. Jesus and the apostles repeatedly warned of mass deception in the last days (Matthew 24:24, 1 Timothy 4:1). We are witnessing it before our eyes. Entire denominations that once held sound doctrine have fallen into apostasy, exchanging the truth for myths. Mega-churches preach a “feel-good” message with no repentance, no cross, and no power, packing in crowds of the spiritually dead. Meanwhile, other factions strain at gnats of theology but remain lifeless, loveless, and Pharisaical – also devoid of the Spirit of Christ. Both liberal license and legalistic lifelessness are extremes in the False Church spectrum, but neither knows Jesus. The True Church walks the narrow way: sound doctrine with Spirit power, holiness with love, truth with grace. Everything outside that narrow way leads to ruin.
“Come Out of Her, My People!” – A Call to Repentance
We have drawn the line in the sand. By now the Holy Spirit may be convicting your heart. Ask yourself honestly: Which side of this line am I on? Are you part of the faithful Bride of Christ, or have you been complicit in the harlot church? There is no neutral ground. God is mercifully shouting to His people caught in false religion: “And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, ‘Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues.’”. This is a direct quote from Revelation 18:4 – the Lord’s final warning to any of His own who are still mixed up in Babylon. If you stay in a false church, you will become a partner in its sins and will suffer its judgments. The Scripture cannot be broken: “Bad company corrupts good character” (1 Corinthians 15:33). You may say, “But my church has some good people, good traditions.” God says COME OUT. “Do not be partaker of her sins.” Save your soul and perhaps you may save others by your bold exit and testimony. The time is very short.
Indeed, the False Church’s doom is already sealed. The Apostle John saw that the very beast power which carried the harlot will turn on her in the end: “The ten horns which you saw on the beast, these will hate the harlot, make her desolate and naked, eat her flesh and burn her with fire. For God has put it into their hearts to fulfill His purpose…” (Revelation 17:16–17). In a stunning act of poetic justice, the worldly forces the harlot relied on will become the instruments of her destruction. God will allow godless governments to ravage the false religious system. We see foreshadowings of this even now: secular authorities increasingly despise compromised, hypocritical Christendom. Eventually, a global anti-Christ regime will violently eradicate the apostate church to clear the way for worship of the Beast alone. Thus says the Lord: the harlot will be stripped and burned. Are you willing to ride that beast to your own ruin? Why cling to Babylon’s deluxe pew when it’s about to be incinerated?
Judgment is not only coming eventually – it has already begun. “For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God” (1 Peter 4:17). Even now, the Lord is sifting His people. The COVID-19 shaking, societal turmoil, wars and rumors of war – these have exposed what churches are built on Christ the Rock and which on sand. Many assemblies crumbled or compromised under pressure, revealing their true foundation. More shakings are imminent. God is allowing crises to separate the wheat from the chaff, the wise virgins from the foolish. This is the final hour of separation – true vs. false. Do not delay your decision. “Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve” (Joshua 24:15). Will you serve the living Jesus, in Spirit and truth, or the idol of comfortable religion? Will you step out of man’s approval to seek God’s, or will you ride the easy road to Babylon’s bonfire? The Spirit pleads with you: Come out! Come out! Even if you are the only one in your congregation who awakens, obey God and trust Him with the consequences.
How do you “come out” practically? It begins with repentance. “Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light” (Romans 13:12). Renounce the false doctrines you have believed. If you have denied the power of the Spirit, repent for grieving the Holy Spirit – and ask Jesus to baptize you afresh in fire and power. If you have entertained the lie that people can be saved apart from explicit faith in Christ, repent of insulting the cross – and commit your lips to boldly confessing that Jesus alone saves. If you have tolerated immorality, false teaching, or lukewarm hypocrisy in your midst, repent for your silence. Cry out to God for cleansing. He is merciful and will receive a contrite heart. “Come out” also means physically separating from the apostate fellowship if it will not heed the truth. It may mean leaving that denomination or congregation that continues in rebellion. This is a hard step, but obedience often is. Do not fear the reproach of men. Better to be outside with Jesus than inside a house under wrath. Hebrews 13:13 urges us to go to Jesus “outside the camp, bearing His reproach.” You may lose some friendships or titles, but you will gain God’s favor and a family of true believers. Pray for guidance, but do not stay in a spiritual toxic environment rationalizing that you can “change it from within.” That time has passed – God says out!.
Finally, return to the purity of the Gospel and to the fear of the Lord. Stir up the first love you had for Jesus. Remember how precious He is – the One who shed His blood to redeem you. The false church makes light of sin and Calvary, but the true church weeps in gratitude at Jesus’ feet. Throw away your idols – whether they be rituals, reputation, intellectual pride, or cultural fads – and run back to the arms of Jesus. He stands ready to forgive, to restore, to empower. He desires you, dear one, as part of His radiant Bride. But you must be separate from the world. You must worship Him in Spirit and in truth. You must yield fully to His Lordship and His Word. There is no salvation in the false church, only in the living Christ.
Listen to the Lord’s voice today: “Come out of her, My people.” Come out of dead religion and come into a living relationship with Jesus. The days are short. The Bridegroom is at the door. Soon and very soon, the trumpet will sound and Christ will collect His faithful ones. Two will be in a church pew; one will be taken, the other left. Which will you be? Do not delay – rid your life of the influence of the Harlot and devote yourself wholly to the Bridegroom. Repent deeply, believe fully, and join yourself to the True Church – those who “keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus” (Revelation 14:12).
The false church may boast of her wealth and numbers now, but her end will be wailing and ashes. The true Church may be a persecuted little flock now, but her end is to sit with Christ on His throne. Choose this day. “Come out of her, My people!” says the Lord. Embrace Jesus alone – His truth, His Spirit, His cross – and be found among the wise virgins who are ready when the cry rings out at midnight: “Behold, the Bridegroom is coming; go out to meet Him!” (Matthew 25:6). The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come, Lord Jesus!” Amen.
The Danger of Political Power: Constantine's Compromise and the Rise of the False Church
In the early days of Christianity, believers were often persecuted for their faith. The church was alive, filled with Spirit-filled believers, signs, wonders, and the fervent preaching of the Gospel. However, the arrival of Emperor Constantine in the early 4th century marked a dramatic shift in the history of the church. Constantine’s decision to make Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire had profound and lasting consequences. This shift, while initially seen as a victory for Christianity, was, in fact, a pivotal moment in the history of the False Church.
For centuries, Christians had been persecuted under Roman rule, but under Constantine’s Edict of Milan in 313 A.D., Christianity was legalized, and the church began to receive state favor and support. Constantine himself, who had a vision of a cross before a critical battle, claimed to have converted to Christianity. This led to his declaration that Christianity would be the favored religion of the empire. While many Christians celebrated the end of persecution, this move also opened the door for compromise.
When Christianity was made the official religion, the church became entangled with worldly power. No longer was the church a marginalized group fighting to keep the purity of the Gospel, but now it became the state religion, with political influence and wealth. This compromise led to a stagnation of the true Church’s growth. Instead of remaining a countercultural movement, which was marked by humility, sacrificial love, and spiritual power, the Church began to align itself with the world’s systems, focusing on political clout, riches, and formalized rituals rather than on genuine spiritual life and the power of the Holy Spirit.
During this period, true spirituality began to decline. The Church started to focus more on external conformity to religious practices rather than the internal transformation brought by the Holy Spirit. The early Christians, who had been persecuted, martyred, and had given their lives for Christ, now saw the Church becoming increasingly institutionalized, filled with ritualistic practices that lacked the life-giving power of the early Church. The official embrace of Christianity by the empire led to the baptism of pagan rituals, as the church began to absorb elements of Roman culture to make the religion more palatable to the masses. Pagan festivals, traditions, and even the worship of the emperor started to mix with Christian practices.
One of the greatest tragedies of this period was the rise of the papacy. As Constantine solidified his hold on Christianity, the bishops of Rome began to rise in political power. Over time, the bishop of Rome would claim authority over the entire Christian world, leading to the Roman Catholic Church’s dominance for centuries. This church, while outwardly claiming to represent Christ, became a corrupted institution that wielded secular power and persecuted true Christians who refused to conform to its teachings.
True spirituality, once fueled by the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit, began to fade as the church grew comfortable within the empire's political and social structures. Instead of embracing the cross and the costly discipleship that Christ demands, the church now embraced comfort, power, and popularity. By the time of the Middle Ages, the true believers were marginalized, while the institutional church, with its wealth, power, and corruption, controlled society. This is a stark picture of what happens when the church marries the world.
This is a crucial lesson for us today, as we observe the compromise of the modern church with worldly ideologies and political power. The early church was alive, vibrant, and empowered by the Holy Spirit, but when it became entangled with political structures, it lost its spiritual edge. The institutional church that emerged after Constantine was not the True Church of Christ, but rather the False Church, a church that became preoccupied with power, riches, and influence, sidelining the Gospel’s call to holiness, sacrifice, and reliance on the Holy Spirit.
The Bible warns against loving the world or becoming friends with the world, for friendship with the world is enmity with God (James 4:4). Constantine’s decision to make Christianity the state religion is a powerful reminder that the true Church must never align itself with worldly systems. The Bride of Christ is meant to be a pure, separate, and devoted people, not a political entity seeking wealth and power. Let us heed the warnings of Scripture and stay true to the simple and pure devotion to Christ that characterized the early Church.
This expanded section provides a fuller picture of Constantine's influence on the Church and how it set the stage for the rise of a worldly, institutionalized religion that veered away from the Spirit-empowered, Gospel-centered church of the early believers. It’s important for churchgoers to recognize how this shift led to a stagnation of true spiritual growth and opened the door for the False Church to emerge. Unfortunately most church goers have never heard of this historical fact.
Sources:
- Derek Prince, True and False Church (Part 1) derekprince.com
- Derek Prince, True and False Church (Part 2)
- Holy Bible (2 Corinthians 11:2-4
- Revelation 17–18
- 2 Timothy 3:1–5
- John 14:6 and others)
- equipping.center
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