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The True History of the Church
The Assembly (Ekklesia) is the model of gathering instituted by the Lord Jesus and practiced by the Early disciples and Christians. The model of meeting in an Ekklesia is Fellowship (Koinonia), which is an interactive meeting when believers gather as a local assembly. Both the style of gathering (Ekklesia) and the style of meeting (Koinonia) in an Assembly are different from that of the Church.
Historically, "Church" existed long before Jesus instituted His Assembly (Mat 16:18). It was known as the "house of the Lord," the "Lord" being, a Greek goddess called "Circe."
Circe was a Greek name translated to "Kirke" in German, and "Cherche" in Scottish English. It metamorphosed over the years to "Churche" in old English, and then, "Church," as we know it today. But the meaning has always being same, "the house of the Lord, Circe," or simply "Kuriakon" in Greek.
Kuriakon was a flourishing, popular, powerful, ancient and pagan religion in the then world, particularly in Roman Empire, which was more or less the capital of the world.
In around 300AD, all religions in the then Roman Empire were forced to either shut down or become Christians by the decree of the Emperor. This was based on the Emperor's purported "conversion" to Christianity through a supernatural sign from heaven. To encourage and enforce compliance, all the religions were told they could keep their practices, rituals, doctrines, festivals, etc, but must be Christianized. Kuriakon, as with all other religion became "Christian."
With the help of the powerful priests of the pagan religion, they soon over-ran the true Christian Assembly through a state-sponsored machinery as the Emperor himself who was a priest of the state religion.
The religion took over the leadership, meetings, and structure of the Christian Assembly. They immediately banned Bibles, stopped meetings in houses of members and changed it to the "house of the lord" (Church). They changed the style of meeting from Koinonia (interactive gathering in people in homes) to the default style of meeting of priests-over-people (Clergy/Laity). Bibles were seized from members of the Assembly and those who resisted to give up their Bibles were killed. Assembly leaders in each home were dethroned, others were persecuted and those who resisted were slaughtered publicly as to serve as deterrent to others. Those who escaped fled the city, some hiding their bible parchments in caves as they fled. Many of these parchments were later found thousands of years later and discovered to be way different from regular bibles today. In the pretext of "translating the bible", it was doctored to fit include many strange doctrines and verses not in the original parchments.
The priests of the "house of the lord" (Church) took over the leadership of the Assembly and swapped titles among themselves to match their own titles from their previous religion. The high-priest of that religion, known as the Pope assumed the overall leadership of Christianity while other priests who were canons, fathers, nuns, etc from appropriated titles and positions to themselves to match bible positions.
Since the whole population of the Roman empire were Christianized automatically by default and the decree of the Emperor without an encounter with Jesus, without bible, without the true Christian community to guide and lead them into true Christianity, and also without baptism, repentance or knowing anything about Christ, the whole population simply went to the "house of the lord' to sit and listen to what the priests had to say. Since the priests also had no knowledge of Christianity or Christ, they taught the people about the doctrine of the "church" and led them in practices, rituals, and festivals that are strange to Christianity, many of which have become part of Christianity today.
And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers (Act 2:42)
Historically, "Church" existed long before Jesus instituted His Assembly (Mat 16:18). It was known as the "house of the Lord," the "Lord" being, a Greek goddess called "Circe."
Circe was a Greek name translated to "Kirke" in German, and "Cherche" in Scottish English. It metamorphosed over the years to "Churche" in old English, and then, "Church," as we know it today. But the meaning has always being same, "the house of the Lord, Circe," or simply "Kuriakon" in Greek.
Kuriakon was a flourishing, popular, powerful, ancient and pagan religion in the then world, particularly in Roman Empire, which was more or less the capital of the world.
In around 300AD, all religions in the then Roman Empire were forced to either shut down or become Christians by the decree of the Emperor. This was based on the Emperor's purported "conversion" to Christianity through a supernatural sign from heaven. To encourage and enforce compliance, all the religions were told they could keep their practices, rituals, doctrines, festivals, etc, but must be Christianized. Kuriakon, as with all other religion became "Christian."
With the help of the powerful priests of the pagan religion, they soon over-ran the true Christian Assembly through a state-sponsored machinery as the Emperor himself who was a priest of the state religion.
The religion took over the leadership, meetings, and structure of the Christian Assembly. They immediately banned Bibles, stopped meetings in houses of members and changed it to the "house of the lord" (Church). They changed the style of meeting from Koinonia (interactive gathering in people in homes) to the default style of meeting of priests-over-people (Clergy/Laity). Bibles were seized from members of the Assembly and those who resisted to give up their Bibles were killed. Assembly leaders in each home were dethroned, others were persecuted and those who resisted were slaughtered publicly as to serve as deterrent to others. Those who escaped fled the city, some hiding their bible parchments in caves as they fled. Many of these parchments were later found thousands of years later and discovered to be way different from regular bibles today. In the pretext of "translating the bible", it was doctored to fit include many strange doctrines and verses not in the original parchments.
The priests of the "house of the lord" (Church) took over the leadership of the Assembly and swapped titles among themselves to match their own titles from their previous religion. The high-priest of that religion, known as the Pope assumed the overall leadership of Christianity while other priests who were canons, fathers, nuns, etc from appropriated titles and positions to themselves to match bible positions.
Since the whole population of the Roman empire were Christianized automatically by default and the decree of the Emperor without an encounter with Jesus, without bible, without the true Christian community to guide and lead them into true Christianity, and also without baptism, repentance or knowing anything about Christ, the whole population simply went to the "house of the lord' to sit and listen to what the priests had to say. Since the priests also had no knowledge of Christianity or Christ, they taught the people about the doctrine of the "church" and led them in practices, rituals, and festivals that are strange to Christianity, many of which have become part of Christianity today.
And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers (Act 2:42)
"Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty" (2Co 6:17 -18).
"And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues (Rev 18:4)
And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty" (2Co 6:17 -18).
"And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues (Rev 18:4)