One of the biggest mysteries in the world today is the mystery of the “church.” Today’s corporate million dollar business, called “Christianity” has virtually nothing to do with the spiritual organism that our great Master Yahshua the Messiah started almost 2000 years ago. This transformation started around the end of the first century A.D and continued until about 400 A.D at which point there were two totally separate entities.

      In the book “The Story of the Christian Church“, by Jesse Lymann Hulbut, on pg 33 it states: “For fifty years after St.Paul’s life, a curtain hangs over the church, through which we strive vainly to look. When at last it rises, about 120 A.D, with the writings of the earliest church fathers, we find a church in many aspects very different from that in the days of St.Peter and St.Paul.”

We have shown from a previous chapter that the pagan practices of Christmas, Easter and sun-day worship were never followed by the early believers. It was almost 100 years after the death of the Messiah that these practices started to creep into the congregation. I think that far too often, we don’t realize that our Savior Yahshua Ha Mashiach was a Jewish carpenter. All of the twelve apostles were also of the Hebrew stock. All the early believers for roughly the first ten years of the church or more were only Israelites.

Matthew 10:5-6 “These twelve, Yahshua sent forth, and commanded them, saying go not into the way of the gentiles, nor enter into any city of the Samaritans. But go rather to the LOST SHEEP OF THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL. ”

And even when salvation was opened to the Gentiles, the early Gentile converts were semi – Jewish proselytes. They attended the synagogue, they also observed Sabbath and the Holy Days, and they did not eat unclean food (as prescribed in Leviticus, the 11th chapter). The main difference of these early Gentile believers was not the law of Yahweh as told in the Holy Scriptures, but the fact that they were not circumcised. Circumcision was a physical sign  of  a national covenant to the land  and nation of Israel, not to other gentile nations or peoples. Two types of blessings were promised to Israel. One was called the “birthright”, which was passed through Joseph and his two children Ephraim and Manasseh. It was a physical blessing to the land and national blessing to the people of Israel.

Genesis 48: 4 “And He said unto me (Yahweh to Israel), I will make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, and I will make of thee a multitude of people. And I will give this land to thy seed after thee for an everlasting possession.”

The second blessing was the “spiritual” blessing of salvation through Yahshua, which was given to Judah and it is called the scepter.

Genesis 49:10 “The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come, and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.”

If you look at verse 9, you will see that this is speaking to Judah. Circumcision was a physical sign of the physical bloodline of Abraham’s seed under the old covenant for physical blessings. The promise of the spiritual covenant was to come out of Judah, which Yahshua was. Through Him we become the seed of Abraham (Gal 3:29) literally, through the blood of Yahshua, not the physical bloodline of Israel. Therefore, if circumcision has always been of the heart anyway (Deut 10:16), then physical circumcision is not required, for new Gentile converts.

Physical circumcision, and not Yahweh’s eternal spiritual law, was the only question at the Acts 15 council. The Gentile proselytes were already Sabbath and Holy Day keepers and also Torah (5 books of Moses) observant. But since they were not of the physical bloodline of Jacob, they were not circumcised. In Acts 10:2 it states that Cornelius (the first Gentile convert) was a devout man and one that feared Yahweh. Devout means “pious”, which literally means that he was Torah observant. This quote is from the Ryrie study bible under the study note from Acts 10:2 by Charles Caldwell Ryrie. “Cornelius, was  a semi –  proselyte to Judaism, accepting Jewish beliefs and  practices but stopping short of circumcision.”

Listen also to what Kenneth Barker the editor of the Zondervan Study Bible writes about Cornelius who was praying at the Jewish hour of prayer (Acts 10:3). “Here we have another indication that Cornelius followed  the Jewish religious practices. At three in the afternoon was the Jewish hour of prayer.”

The early congregation was considered a Jewish sect to the Roman world around them. Ron Kelley expounds on this fact in “The History of the Church of God.”

“The growth of the church went largely unnoticed in the Roman Empire. The church appeared to be no more than a Jewish sect. The early church kept the seventh day Sabbath and observed what most people called the Jewish Holy Days. They were also very zealous commandment keepers. This false idea about the law being nailed to the cross was never even thought of by the holy Israelite congregation.”

Acts: 21:20 “And when they heard it, they glorified Yahweh and said unto him (Paul), do you see, brother, how many thousands of Jews there are that believe and they are all zealous of the law.”

The law was not changed at all to the early believers, except for animal sacrifices becoming obsolete by Yahshua’s ultimate sacrifice. They understood that the blood of bulls and goats could not cover one sin, but only remind them continually that they were sinners in need of a Savior. The difference between an early believer and a non-believing Jew had nothing to do with the eternal law of Yahweh, but with the belief in Yahshua’s blood covering their sins. True believers believed that Yahshua’s blood covered their sins and reconciled them back to the Father, the non-believers did not. There are also numerous scriptural references about the early believers and how they kept the the Holy Days of Leviticus 23. This is mentioned by Paul:

Acts 20:16 “For Paul had determined to sail by Ephesus, because he would not spend the time in Asia, for he hastened, if it were possible for him, to be at Jerusalem the day of PENTECOST. “

1st Corinthians 16:8 “But I (Paul) will wait at Ephesus until PENTECOST!”

1st Corinthians 5:6 “Your boast is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens all the lump?

1st Corinthians 5:7 Therefore, purge out the old leaven so that you may be a new lump, even as you are unleavened. For also The Messiah, our Passover, was sacrificed for us.

1st Corinthians 5:8 So let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with leaven of malice and of evil, but with unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.”

This scripture is very interesting! First of all, Paul tells the Corinthian brethren that they are unleavened. He wrote this letter at the Passover season, which is also the days of Unleavened Bread. This also proves that they were still taking the leaven out of the homes. It is very interesting to note also that these Corinthians were Gentiles. This epistle was written Around 56 A.D; a good 26 years or so after the death of Yahshua. So if these days were done away with at His death, then why did these Gentiles still keep Passover and why were they still unleavening their homes 26 years later? The answer is, of course, that these days had never stopped being kept by the early congregation. They were and are HOLY TIME. Gentile converts, as well as Jews, worshipped on these days together during that first century A.D. The apostle Paul made a direct reference to Yahshua being our “Passover”, and he also commands the brethren in verse 8: Therefore keep the feast! It does not sound at all like Paul is trying to do away with these days; on the contrary, he is establishing them.

Romans 3:31 “Do we make void the law through faith? Yahweh forbid, yea we ESTABLISH the LAW!

In 1st Cor 11: 23-26, Paul explains that what he is telling the brethren was given to him directly from Yahshua. On Passover night, He took the bread and the wine and commanded to do this in memory of Me (Yahshua), verse 26, for each time ye eat this bread and drink this cup, you show Yahshua’s death until He comes.

That is very clear. We are commanded once each year to memorialize Yahshua’s death and great sacrifice for the forgiveness of our sins, by partaking of His Passover. Yet so few Christians do! Paul then went on to emphasize what a serious ceremony this yearly Passover is. We have to thoroughly examine ourselves (our life and commitment) for Yahshua, before partaking in the Passover symbols. It was so serious that brethren were even getting sick and even dying, because they did not truly examine themselves correctly. (1st Corinthians 11:30)

Exodus 13:10 clearly states “Thou shalt therefore keep this ordinance in its SEASON from YEAR to YEAR.

Today, the majority of Christians do not keep the Passover at all, and they substitute for it, with a weekly or monthly communion. Yet there is not one word of scripture to back them up. It is no wonder there is so little truth, and so little true spiritual growth in the corporate churches of this world. Yahweh made man in His image, and now man has made God in His image! They have made their own gods, just like the golden calf. They have made their own days of worship, just as king Jeroboam did in ancient Israel and was cursed for it. They have made their own day of worship. Sun – day or Baal’s day, with all their own customs, none of which even remotely resemble anything in the scriptures.

Be honest with yourself for one moment. If you were part of that early congregation that kept Sabbath, the Holy Days and the law of Yahweh (excluding sacrifices), and I came to you for the first time and brought to you all the pagan customs, (Christmas, Easter, Sunday, Halloween) and  tried to convince you to leave the Holy Scriptures and follow these days, what would you have said? The early brethren in many cases where willing to, and did, lose their lives for Yahweh’s truth. Ask yourself (be honest), Why are you doing the things you are doing? Now, why don’t you do the things that are clearly commanded in the Scriptures? The only answer is tradition, convenience and fear of men!

Out of love for Yahweh’s people am I writing this book, to alert them, to wake them up because our Savior is coming shortly. Remember Satan is the father of lies; he was a liar in the beginning and still is today. In this society where truth is a rare commodity, most don’t see any problem with lying! There is an old expression “My word is my bond,” What it means literally is, your word is your security. When in the business world, there was a time I was able to borrow large sums of money on a handshake because my word was my bond. Yahshua is the Light; there is no darkness in Him.

We also have to be children of the light, not of darkness. Remember what Paul said:

“A little leaven, leavens the whole lump” (1st Cor 5:6)

Our testimony needs to be PURE! We, as believers, also have a ministry of reconciliation (2nd Cor 5:18). How can we expect to bring unbelievers to the Messiah if our testimony is packed with half-truths and lies? Our belief in Yahshua as the Messiah has to be more than just a religious tradition.

It has to be “A way of life.” Did you know the early believers were called “The way” (Acts 9:2), because of the way in which they lived? In Yahshua, our high calling is so much greater than vain traditions. We are being prepared for rulership with Him in His kingdom.

The aspect of Yahshua coming back to earth for a literal 1000 year millennium is much lost in many churches today. But this was a stark reality to early believers. I had mentioned how Israel had gone into captivity due to idolatry and Sabbath breaking. After 70 years of captivity in Babylon the Jews were allowed to go back to Jerusalem. Some, like Nehemiah, had learned their lesson regarding disobedience, others did not.

Nehemiah 13:15 – 22 “In those days I saw in Judah ones treading wine presses on the Sabbath, and bringing in sheaves, and loading asses; and also wine, grapes, and figs, and all burdens, which they brought into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. And I testified against them on the day they sold food. Men of Tyre also lived in it, who brought fish and all wares, and were selling on the Sabbath to the sons of Judah even in Jerusalem. And I contended with the nobles of Judah and said to them. What is this evil thing that you do, defiling the Sabbath day? Did not your fathers do this, and did not our Elohim bring all this evil on us and on this city? Yet you bring more wrath on Israel by DEFILING the SABBATH. And it happened, when the gates of Jerusalem began to be dark before the Sabbath, I commanded that the gates should be shut, and commanded that they should not be opened until after Sabbath. And I made stand some of my servants at the gates, so that there should be no burden brought in on the Sabbath day. And the merchants and sellers of all the wares stayed the night outside Jerusalem once or twice. Then I testified against them and said to them, why are you staying around the wall? If you do it again, I will send a hand against you. From that time they did not come on the Sabbath. And I commanded the Levites that they should be cleansing themselves, and they should come guarding the gates, to sanctify the Sabbath day. O, my Elohim, remember me for this also, and spare me according to the greatness of Your mercy.”

Nehemiah, like many other Jews realized why they had gone into captivity. That is why some Pharisees went overboard with making up laws and oral traditions that were NEVER in the scriptures. In the time of Yahshua, the Jews had gone through 600 years of oppression, first by Babylon, then Persia, then Greece and lastly Rome, which was the worst. The Romans hated the Jews with a passion because they would not blend in with all their Greek, paganized customs. That is why the Israelites in the time of Yahshua visualized a real kingdom with a real king. They knew what the prophets said and also that Israel would be restored again like in the days of King David. It was known to them, that the Messiah would rule over Israel from Jerusalem.

Acts 1:6 “When they therefore were come together, they asked Him, saying Yahshua, wilt thou at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?”

Here we have something which the Jews did not comprehend; their idolatry and Sabbath breaking held much greater penalty than the many years of slavery which they had been under. What they understood was that the kingdom is not in your heart or just an analogy, but a real kingdom with the real Messiah reigning from Jerusalem.

Ezekiel 18:4 “The soul that sins, it shall die!”

The whole nation had a death penalty hanging over its head, yet none of them were aware of this fact. As soon as you start giving the glory to yourself for the keeping of Sabbath or the Holy Days, instead of humbly giving the glory to the One who created it, you are missing the point and you are losing the blessing. This was the problem of ancient Israel. They became so self-righteous in their keeping of Yahweh’s law (like some do today), that they failed to see the need for grace and, through that, and they rejected Yahshua as the Messiah. The true believers who saw their need for redemption through Yahshua’s shed blood, where greatly enhanced by these special days because both  the  Sabbath and the Holy days point to the redemptive work that the Father is doing through the  great sacrifice  of His Son Yahshua. Let us now look through the eyes of history and find out how this early Sabbath keeping and commandment- keeping congregation turned into the pagan church we know today as “Christianity.”

The heresies of exchanging the Sabbath and Holy days for the pagan Roman days of Easter, Sunday and Christmas did not start to come into effect until the beginning of the second century A.D. Before that, as we have shown, all the believers, including gentile converts, kept these holy days, which are out lined in Leviticus 23. This is not a focal point in the New Testament, only because nobody refuted these days as holy or commanded.

Overwhelmed with joy were the Gentiles when they were grafted into the tree of Israel. They would have never thought of changing these days. These early gentile converts were already semi – Jewish proselytes who already were Sabbath and Holy Day keepers, and they also kept the dietary laws of Leviticus 11 but stopped short of circumcision. In Acts, chapter 13:14 we see Paul going into a synagogue on the Sabbath day, then he goes on to preach about Yahshua as Messiah, and in verse 27 it states that “the prophets are read every Sabbath.” He goes on to tell them that, although they (the Jews) led him to be crucified, the Father raised Him up on the third day, according to the scripture. Now let’s take a look at verse 42.

Acts 13:42 “And when the Jews had gone out of the synagogue, the gentiles begged that these words be spoken to them the next SABBATH. “

Acts 13:44 “And the next SABBATH day, came almost the whole city together to hear the word of Yahweh.

This is a very telling verse. If the New Testament church was keeping Sunday, instead of Sabbath, why did  the Gentiles meet with Paul on Saturday (Sabbath)? Even more telling is that when they wanted to hear more, why did they wait a whole week (seven days), to hear, until the next Sabbath? Why didn’t Paul tell them (if they were worshipping on Sunday), “I will continue tomorrow during our normal Sunday service?” The answer is very clear; Paul just like the early believers (including the Gentiles) was a Sabbath keeper. There is not one scripture in the entire Holy Bible that even hints to a departing of the Sabbath for Sunday. That did not happen for about 100 years.

So who do you follow, Yahshua the Savior and the Apostles, including the early congregation, or the pagan, Roman, murdering bishops of the unholy Roman Empire? Also, for those who believe that the Sabbath is every day thereby spiritualizing away Yahweh’s law; these scriptures are very clear. In the days of the early church there still was, just like at creation, the “SABBATH DAY.” Nowhere in the scriptures is the Sabbath ever  brought down  to just a spiritual idea or concept. As previously stated in: Matthew 24:20 (to a time in the future, right before the great tribulation) “Pray that your flight be not on the SABBATH DAY.”

Hebrews 4:9 “Therefore remains the KEEPING OF THE SABBATH, to the people of Yahweh.”

Yahweh’s people will still be observing Sabbath and giving Him honor as Creator in the end time. Since Holy time was not an issue to the early gentiles, then what started the heresy, which led to the changing of the Sabbath and Holy Days, 100 years later? First of all, let’s establish that as early as around 50 A.D, the false teachings started to creep into the church. In Paul’s epistle written to the Galatians at around 50 A.D, he states:

Galatians 1: 6-7 “I marvel that you are so soon removed from Him that called you into the grace of Messiah unto ANOTHER GOSPEL. Which is not another, but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Messiah.”

We can see here, 50 A.D or so, already false teachings started to creep in. There was actually heresy even before that coming from Simon Magus, a sorcerer that you can see in Acts 8. He was a well-known sorcerer who deceived many through false signs and wonders. It started to become a major problem around 50 A.D; not really before that. How did these false teachings pervert the Good News? First, as we saw from an earlier chapter that some gentiles were turning back to the pagan practices.(Gal 4:8-11)

It was a big problem that Gentiles were starting to turn back to their old pagan ways. Some have tried to say that this scripture is referring to the Sabbath and the Holy days, but the gentiles never knew those days. So how could they turn back to what they had never known? Why would Paul tell them not to keep Sabbath and the Holy days when he kept all these days himself?

It’s sad to say, but people will try anything to rationalize the truth of the scriptures. When I first found out about the lying in the corporate churches and the truths of the scriptures, I wanted to tell as many people as I could. I naively thought that people would be so happy to find out the truth so that they wouldn’t have to be deceived any longer.  I was very amazed in the beginning when I found out that people would rather stay in their deception than know and follow the truth. The Truth is very important, we have to love and cherish it or we loose it. The main heresies of the early church in 50 A.D. and beyond were Syncretism, Gnosticism, and Asceticism.

SYNCRETISM is the blending of paganism, mysticism and biblical practices together. This is most  likely  the main sin of Christianity today. If you ever studied the Catholic mass you would see that it is full of this. Beginning at the lighting of the candles, then the black robes, unmarried priesthood, indoor altars, Mary worship, and there are statues and idols everywhere. It is epitomized with the Eucharist ceremony, where they believe their little sun wafers (communion) literally becomes the body of Yahshua.

GNOSTICISM is derived from the Greek word for knowledge. It was a blend of Babylonian mystery religion with Greek philosophy, with an overlay of biblical terms. Gnostics thought that biblical accounts (like the creation in Genesis), were not to be taken literally, but were a higher form of spiritual enlightenment to the higher enlightened ones of Gnosticism. Everything in Gnosticism had  a  dual  and spiritual meaning. This is where the idea of the Sabbath being on every day came from. How much of Christianity today is filled with these beliefs? They never take Yahweh at His word, always making a vain, worthless analogy for everything and doing away with the clear reality of the intent by doing so. This is why so many today, calling themselves Christians, do not believe in the return of Yahshua to the earth, nor do they believe in a literal 1000 year millennium. They believe the kingdom is here already in our hearts. The devil’s deception is bigger than most think. He makes people believe that the time in which we are living is Yahweh’s kingdom, when in reality Yahweh says it is the worst time in the history of humanity! How could this be Yahweh’s kingdom, when over 20 million babies are being aborted every year? There are 180 wars ongoing worldwide. Plagues like Aids are killing millions of people. They get Christians to believe that a great revival is taking place, when in reality the tribulation is coming. And it is coming, not because of the great revival, but the opposite, because mankind has turned away from the laws of Yahweh. Most people, who are living on the earth today will not be alive at the return of Yahshua. This doesn’t have to do with revival but with rebellion. Listen to what the prophet Isaiah writes about the coming great tribulation and what destruction it will do.

Isaiah 24: 1-6 “Lo, Yahweh empties the earth and makes it bare, and distorts its face and scatters its inhabitants. And as it is with the people, so with the priest; as with the servant, so with the master; as with the maid, so with her mistress, as with the buyer, so with the seller; as with the lender, so with the borrower; as with the creditor, so with the debtor. The earth shall completely be emptied and utterly stripped, for Yahweh has spoken this word. The earth mourns and languishes; the world droops and languishes; the proud people of the earth droop. And the earth is profaned under its inhabitants, because they TRANSGRESS LAWS and VIOLATE a STATUTE, and BREAK the EVERLASTING COVENANT. On account  of this a curse has devoured the earth; and they who live in it are held guilty. For this the dwellers of the earth are consumed, and few men are left.”

I challenge you to examine your beliefs. Take the time, one by one and prove whether your beliefs are in the scriptures, or part of these  ancient  heresies. Another Gnostic belief was that all matter is inherently evil. This is why in Col 2:16, Paul states, “let no man judge you in eating or in drinking, or in any part of your New Moon or Holy day observances.” Gnosticism, as any good commentary will tell you, was a major problem of the Colossian heresy. Since Sabbath and Holy days (except for Atonement) are Feast days, the brethren would have fellowship meals on these special days, much like many congregations do today. But Gnostics thought of feeding the flesh as non-spiritual and evil, and they judged the brethren for keeping the Sabbath and Holy days in this way. It is interesting to note that the observance of these days was not in question yet, rather how these days were to be observed was.

Gnostics also believed that they had a higher knowledge which could not be gotten from the Scriptures but only from them. Modern Freemasonry has stemmed in part from Gnostic beliefs. In Freemasonry, you work your way up the ranks to 31st or 32nd degree and at each step you are enlightened to this false knowledge of so called truth.

Much of modern Freemasonry, like ancient Gnosticism, is pagan and demonic. Many of the rituals performed at the higher rankings are identical to rituals done in witchcraft and Luciferian worship.

The trinity is another false heresy that came from Gnosticism. Most Trinitarians do not actually realize what they are admitting they believe when they state that they believe in the trinity. If you believe in the trinity, then you are denying our Master  Yahshua. The Catholic Encyclopedia defines trinity this way: “the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are three hypo-stases or personalities of one being.” I may be a good baseball and basketball player.

That may be two character traits of me but I am still one person. This is the belief of the trinity. The Catholic Encyclopedia uses the analogy of the Sun. The Father is the sun, Jesus is the rays of the sun (one aspect of his personality), and the Holy Spirit is the brightness. But let’s be logical. This is still saying there is one sun. That is why you need to beware of all kinds of spiritual analogies that lead nowhere. An analogy is only as good as to the truth it leads you to.

They say the Father poured himself out and became the Son. This is denying a Father and a Son. Scripture is very clear: Gen 1:1 “In the beginning, Elohim, created the heaven and the Earth.” Elohim (title for God) is a plural word. Eli would be one, Elohim denotes more than one.

Gen 1:26 “Let us make man in our  likeness.”

Again, more than one. John 1:1 “In the beginning was the Word (Yahshua) and the Word was Elohim.” The proper name Yahweh is a family name. Yahweh the Father and Yahweh the Son (Yahshua), just like my family name is Esposito, and my father is Esposito. This is hard for Jews to accept, more than one member in the Elohim family, but it is clear from the Old Testament.

Deut 6:4 The great Shema “Yahweh our Elohim is one (united) Elohim.”

The word one here is the Hebrew “echad“, which literally means united. It is the same word used for when a man leaves his father and mother and cleaves to his wife and the two become one (echad-united). Yahweh is not a trinity, but a family. He sacrificed His only Son (Yahshua), but through that sacrifice He is bringing many sons to salvation.

John 12:24 “Verily, verily, I say unto you, except a grain of wheat fall unto the ground and die, it abideth alone, but if it die, it brings forth much fruit.”

Get this fact straight; the trinity denies the existence of a Father and a Son. I can not stress that fact enough. Please study this more on your own. Go to the Catholic Encyclopedia and read it. Scripture is clear! The Father did not pour himself out and become the Son. The Son existed with the Father from all eternity.

John 17:5 “And now O Father, glorify me with your  own self (two separate beings) with the glory I had with you (two) before the world began.”

It is the Holy Spirit that makes them one. They are in complete harmony. Same thoughts, same love, same purpose, and the same spirit, but two distinct, separate beings, each with his own will that they have freely submitted to each other.

Mat 26:39 Yahshua prayed “not my will be done, but your will, Father.”

Yahshua had his own will, but for eternity has freely submitted his will to the perfect will of the Father. When you deny this fact, of two separate beings but one Spirit, you are denying the Savior. The trinity was not a doctrine of the early congregation but was officially indoctrinated by Constantine at the Council of Nicea in 324 AD. This was also a major heresy of Gnostics around 60-100 AD. They were teaching, (although Scripture did not say  this), that you could learn this higher spiritual truth through them (Gnostics).

Now read 1st John 2:18-27 because this is the exact heresy John is dealing with, the denial of the Father and Son, that the Father was the Son poured out.

1st John 2:18-27 “Young ones, it is a last hour, and as you heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have risen up, from which you know that it is a last hour. They went out from us, but they were not of us. For if they were of us, they would have remained with us; but they left so that it might be revealed that they all are not of us. And you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things. I did not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and because every lie is not of the truth. Who is the liar, except the one denying, saying that Yahshua is not the Messiah. This is the antichrist, the one denying  the Son does not have the Father. The one confessing the Son also has the Father. Then what you heard from the beginning let it abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you will abide both in the Son and in the Father. And this is the promise which He promised us: everlasting life. I wrote these things to you concerning the ones leading you astray. And the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone teach you. But as His anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and as we taught you, abide in Him.

John is not telling these brethren that there are not Ministers, or ordained teachers, as some have tried to twist this Scripture to say. John is specifically talking about the Gnostic heresy of saying  the Father “poured Himself out” and became the Son, and that they are the same being, but with different quality traits of that being. That is exactly what the Trinity teaches – one being with 3 personalities, not 3 beings that are united as most think. In John 8:17-18 Yahshua himself stated He and the Father were two beings. “It is also written in your law, that the testimony of two men is true. I am one that bears  witness  of  myself, and the Father that sent me beareth witness of me.”

According to the Gnostic teaching of the trinity, if the Father and Son are the same being, then who raised Yahshua from the dead? The trinity is not correct. It was heresy then, and still is today. John called this teaching that of Anti- Christ.

ASCETICISM is the last of these heresies. This was the worship of angelic beings. Again with this teaching, the written word of Yahweh is made into nothing more than spiritual analogies where someone’s faith is solely dependent upon their emotions, which is blindly confused with the Holy Spirit. Again these people thought  anything dealing with the flesh (such as a Sabbath fellowship meal) was of negative energy. Much New Age thinking today comes from this type of thinking. It also puts you into a fantasy world, where after a while, one cannot tell the difference between fantasy and reality. I once met a person on an airplane back  in 1991, the day the Gulf war started with Iraq, with this type of thinking. The U.S. and allies had just bombed Saddam Hussein heavily the night before. I asked this person what they thought about the war. The person told me there was no war, because to think about war brings negative energy. So they just don’t think about it and then there is no war.

Now that may sound silly to you, and it is, but it is no sillier than saying the Kingdom of Yahweh is here or that the Father poured himself out and became the Son. David was a real king. Israel is a real kingdom where he ruled.

Likewise, Yahshua will literally come back to earth and rule the world from Jerusalem. If we don’t wake up to reality and start reading the Holy Scriptures daily and believing them literally, that day is going to come on us unaware.

The 1st century congregation believed in a literal Kingdom. They fought these philosophical heresies tooth and nail. They loved the truth. These heresies started with Simon Magus (Acts 8), and as the Apostles and church leaders started dying off, the heresies got worse.

2nd Tim 3:13 “But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.”

What speeded up and perpetuated these deceptions was the anti-Semitism that was growing rapidly in the Roman Empire and Middle East. The Caesars were trying to get stability in this vast, growing empire by Hellenizing the entire region. This meant pushing the previous Greek philosophy and paganism to have a uniform people for greater peace and control. The Jews, believing in one Elohim and not many false gods, would not allow this to happen in Israel. A serious Anti-Semitic campaign started against the Jews and Christians, who were looked at by the Romans as a Jewish Sect. Remember, they were keeping the law, Sabbath, etc.

In his book “God’s Church Through the Ages“, John Ogwyn explains this time period x “During the last part of the first century and the beginning of the second, the Roman world became increasingly hostile to the Jews. Extremely oppressive laws and heavy taxes were directed against them by the Roman Empire as punishment. Between the first (66-73 A.D) and second (132-135 A.D) Jewish revolts, there were many violent anti-Jewish programs in places such as Alexandria and Antioch. Reacting to this, the Jews rioted in Mesopotamia, Israel, and Egypt.”

Frequently, Christians suffered as victims of these outbursts because they were regarded by the authorities as a Jewish sect. However, they were considered by the Jewish “freedom fighters” to be traitors to Judaism and to Jewish political aspirations because they would not fight alongside the rest of “Israel.” During these times, hundreds of thousands of synagogue and church members – those who worshipped on Sabbath days and studied the Scriptures – perished at Roman hands or by mobs.

During this dangerous era, the Roman church, under its Bishop Sixtus (116-126 A.D), began holding Sunday worship services and ceased observing the annual Passover, substituting Easter Sunday and “Eucharist” in its place.

This is the clear record preserved by Eusubius of Caesarea, a late third and early fourth century A.D.scholar, who became known as the “father of church history.” Eusubius quoted his information from a letter of Irenaeus, bishop of Lyons (c. 130-202 A.D) to Bishop Victor of Rome.

Dr. Samuele  Bacchiocchi, in his book  “From Sabbath to Sunday,” acknowledges “There is a wide consensus of opinion among scholars that Rome is indeed, the birthplace of Easter Sunday. Some, in fact, rightly label it as “Roman – Easter” (p. 201).

So it was during this time period, 66 A.D to 135 A.D, that this anti-Semitism led to the abandonment of Sabbath, Torah, Holy Days, to the Hellenized customs of the Roman Emperors. In 66 A.D, the Jews revolted against the Romans and were defeated. In 68 A.D, after the death of Nero, Titus and his son put down this revolt. It ended with the destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem in 70 A.D. The believers had fled a few months before to Pella, a city northeast of Jerusalem. Never again did the Jerusalem congregation ever get the predominance it once had under James and Peter. The leadership of the church moved to Asia Minor under the Apostle John at the end of the 1st century, and his disciple, Polycarp. Jewish hatred continued during this time period, and came to a head under the Roman Emperor Hadrien in 135 A.D.

In C.E. 132, the Jewish people again revolted against the Romans. Hadrian, who crushed this revolt (in 135) ruled from 117 to 138 and placed harsh laws and cruel punishment upon the Jewish people, as had some of the Roman Emperors before him. Jews were required to pay more taxes than anyone else, and it was unlawful to keep the Festivals. To these exacting laws were added the following:

1. “The death penalty for Sabbath keeping
2. The death penalty for studying Scripture
3. Death penalty for circumcising children
4. Death penalty for any Jew for entering, or residing in, the city of Jerusalem.”

This was a real turning point. For the true believers, Jewish hatred and anything dealing with Judaism was despised. The western church in Rome had already gone into much heresy and apostasy as we have seen. And it was at this point that the church split from the Sabbath, Passover, keeping believers in Asia Minor, turning to the paganized church in Rome, with Sunday and Easter.

The Roman paganized believers did not think it was worth the persecution, to keep the commandments, considering this Anti-Jewish sentiment.

“Roman Authorities considered Jewish every person who kept the Sabbath, so they mistreated Gentile believers as if they were Jewish. When these cruel persecutions arose, many Gentiles chose not to be labeled as Jews. To convince authorities they were not Jewish, most Gentiles dropped the “Jewish” law and the “Jewish” festivals.”

Remember, the Romans controlled much of the developed world at that time. They were ruthless dictators. They did not want any part of the Elohim of Israel. Yahshua himself was crucified for claiming to be a King. The early believers were willing to die for their love of the truth. All 12 Apostles were martyred. They realized that obedience is better than sacrifice. They realized that our reward is in the Kingdom of Yahweh, not in this world which is run by Satan. They stood fast to the truth. They would not compromise.

As the second century came to a close and the third century moved on, this division in the congregation grew wider and wider. Toward the end of the second century, Polycrates had taken over leadership from Polycarp (who was martyred) in Asia Minor. Victor Bishop of Rome tried to intimidate the congregations to celebrate the Roman Pagan Easter and drop the Scriptural Passover. Here is Polycrates’ original letter to Victor: “We therefore observe the genuine date Passover, neither adding to it or taking away. For in Asia great lights have fallen asleep, which shall rise again in the day of our Master’s appearing, in which he will come with glory from heaven and will raise  up the saints. Philip, one of the 12 Apostles, who sleeps  in  Hierapolis…  John, who  rested on the bosom of our Master… Polycarp of Smyrna, all these observed the 14th day  as  the  Passover according  to  the Gospel, deviating in no respect, but following the rule of faith, and my relatives always  observed the day when people threw away the leaven from the house, the 14th of Abib.

Therefore brethren, I am now 65 years in our Master, who having conferred with the brethren around the world, and having studied the whole of the sacred scriptures, am not at all alarmed at those things which are threatened, to intimidate me. For they who are greater than I have said we ought to obey Elohim rather than men.

This division continued until around 315 A.D. Then a Roman ruler named Constantine had a vision and saw a cross. The next day he won a decisive battle of war and claimed he was a Christian. He refused either to be baptized or to change any of his pagan customs, but still announced Christianity as the State Religion.

Constantine then had his wife and son murdered. Listen to what Gibbons tells us of Constantine’s Sun Worship. “Constantine’s religious devotion was “peculiarly” directed toward the genius of the Sun… and he was pleased to be represented with the symbols of the God of Light and Poetry.   The unerring shafts of that deity, the brightness of his eyes, seem to point him out as the patron of a young hero. The altars of Apollo were crowned with the votive offerings of Constantine, and the credulous multitude were taught to believe that the emperor was permitted to behold with mortal eyes the visible majesty of their tutelary deity… The Sun was universally celebrated as the invincible guide and protector of Constantine.” (The Triumph of Christendom, p.309)

Let’s be frank. Constantine was a murdering sun-worshipper before his so-called conversion, and also afterward. He also, like his Roman counterparts before him wanted conformity. He set up a council in 325 A.D, called the Council of Nicea. It was from this council that it became Roman law to worship on Sunday, keep Easter, and believe in the trinity. This is the result of his edict:

Council of Nicea 321 A.D and Council of Laodecea 363 A.D

A Council over the issue of the trinity and Easter. The church was brought under one authority, from Constantine the Emperor to the Bishop of Rome that he would set up. Catholic Church officially set at Nicea Sunday laws brought into effect. Anyone caught Judiazing (keeping of Sabbath or Holy Days] would be penalized with death. Constantine says all things that are a duty to do on the Sabbath we will change to Sunday, the venerable day of the Sun. We will have nothing to do with the hostile rabble of the Jews. (Dan 7:23-25) Catholic Church totally leaves truth for complete paganism, loss of identity. Christmas also instituted at this time.

Constantine also made an edict that anyone caught Judiazing (keeping of law, Sabbath, Holy Days) would have their houses confiscated and would be put to death. This caused many of the true believers to flee the Roman Empire for the East. Many hid in the mountains of Armenia, the Balkans, and even as far as China to get away from the persecution. But they loved and held on to the truth. Here is part of an original letter of Constantine of the edict to the true believers, telling them to join the Catholic Church or else:

Constantine continues: “For as  much, then, as  it is no longer possible to bear with your pernicious errors, we give warning by this present statute that none of you henceforth presume to assemble yourselves together.     We have directed, accordingly, that you be deprived of all the houses in which you are  accustomed  to hold your assemblies: and (we) forbid the holding of your superstitious and senseless Sabbath meetings, not in public merely, but in any private house or place whatsoever… Take the far better course of entering the Catholic Church… We have commanded… that you be positively deprived of every gathering point for your superstitious meetings. I mean all the houses of prayer… and that these be made over without delay to the Catholic Church; that any other places be confiscated to the public service, AND NO FACILITY WHATEVER BE LEFT FOR ANY FUTURE GATHERING, in order that from this day forward, none of your unlawful assemblies may presume to appear in any public or private place. Let this edict be made public.”

Here is a quote about where these people went, from John Ogwyn.

“After Constantine began the systematic enforcement of compliance with Roman theology in 325 A.D, the remnants of the true Congregation were in large part forced to flee the bounds of the Roman Empire into the mountains of Armenia, and later into the Balkan areas of Europe. They were few in number, utterly lacking in prestige or wealth and labeled as enemies of the state by supposedly “Christian” Roman Empire. In God’s sight, however, they were precious.  It wasn’t God’s purpose that His true Church grow into a great, powerful organization that would “Christianize” the word.

His true Church was to remain a “little flock“ (Luke 12:32). Its continuity would be measured,  not by a succession  of proud, powerful presiding bishops in a particular city (cf. Heb 13:14), but by a succession of a faithful, converted  people who, though scattered and persecuted, continued to worship the Father in spirit and in truth (John 4:23–24). There would be times when  God  would raise up faithful leaders to revitalize His people and do some sort of work that had public visibility, at least in localized areas. There were other times when God’s Church continued to exist in such scattered obscurity that it was visible only to the Creator.

Nevertheless, it never died out. And regardless of their circumstances, the people who have remained a part of the true Church of God down through the ages have been those who have had a deep, abiding loyalty and commitment to God and to the practice of His Truth.

They have kept His commandments (Rev 12:17) and have been willing to be faithful to their calling, even unto death!”

In the book of Daniel, this whole history, from the time of the Babylonian captivity to the time of  Constantine, is prophesied. Daniel saw 4 beasts. The first was Babylon. The second was Media-Persia. The third was Greece,  and the fourth was Rome. The fourth had 10 toes, which were 10 persecutions on the Jewish nation and Yahweh’s people, the last being that of Constantine. Dan 7:23-25 says  that he will change times and laws and he did just that. He changed the Holy Sabbath of Yahweh that points to Him as Creator of the Universe to Baal’s day (Sunday). As Constantine called it. “The venerable day of the sun. Early Catholic historians such as Irenaous, Justin Martyr, Ignatius, Origen and Tertullian all come from this pagan Roman mold. They were Catholic historians who, although some may have had right motives, mixed pagan practices and perverted scripture. Only the true remnant, who hold fast to the truth under severe persecution and even death, stuck to the truth. An amazing fact is that since the iron curtain came down in 1989, some groups claiming to be remnants of these people have emerged as far as China. They are believers in Yahshua who have been Sabbath, Holy Day and Commandment keepers for centuries. What many do not realize is that the book of Daniel, like much prophecy, is dual and is to be fulfilled in our time. There will be again a resurrection of  the unholy Roman Empire, and another leader like Constantine, who will look religious, but will persecute true believers.

I must now ask you a very serious question: Who is your Master? Which congregation do you belong to? The one that Yahshua started almost 2000 years ago, like the early believers who kept the Commandments and were Sabbath and Passover and Holy Day keepers or is your Master Constantine? Do you belong to the same congregation as those true believers, who were killed, or is Constantine your leader with his pagan Sun-day, Easter, Trinity and Christmas, and so on? I don’t mean to offend, but this is too serious a question not to be asked. It is never too late. Yahshua died so we would not have to be in bondage to sin any longer. You can repent and turn back to our Creator and obey his Word. He is faithful to forgive those who repent and follow him in spirit and truth.

This is the true history of the early believers and how the truth of Yahweh was turned into a lie. You may ask how Yahweh could allow that to happen. But remember, Satan has deceived the whole world (Rev 12:9). Yahweh loves us so much that He gives us free choice. That is real love. Not forcing your will on someone. He gives us His eternal Word, and tells us in Deut 28 and Lev 26, of the blessings of obedience, and the curses of disobedience. He says He puts before us life and death. The wages of sin (disobedience) is death (Rom 6:23), but the gift of Yahweh is eternal life through his Son Yahshua. You need not stay deceived any longer.

Rejoice that Yahweh has shown you these things. Turn back from the paganism of Babylon, Egypt, Greece and Rome, and follow the beautiful loving commands that our Heavenly Father so wonderfully shares with us. Step out on faith and worship Yahweh in spirit and truth. I will guarantee that there is a blessing waiting for you.