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lead out in a UNIVERSAL religion that would sweep into all
countries. He had to do something, or see his followers all turn
Christian.
So Simon claimed to be an apostle in the Christian religion
in order to hold his followers. He appropriated the name of
Christ. He changed the NAME of his Babylonian religion to
"Christianity." He offered free GRACE -- forgiveness of sins --
which no religion had ever offered. But he turned grace into
license (Jude 4); he did away with God's Law.
Before the end of the first century, his new UNIVERSAL
(Catholic) religion had gained great strides. He gave great
opposition to the true Church of God. This opposition is mentioned
in Paul's epistles, in John's epistles, in Peter and in James and
in Revelation.
The "Lost Century"
By the end of the first century, we come to a gap in the
history of the Church. It's like a curtain had been rung down
on that stage of history. When that curtain lifts, a hundred years
later, we see a "Christian church" professing Christ, administering
grace, but otherwise almost the very antithesis of the Church of
Christ's apostles a hundred years before.
The Kingdom of God had been changed to become the church.
The pagan day of the sun had displaced God's Sabbath. The Sabbath
was called "Jewish," and persecution against things "Jewish" was
a weapon used to supplant most of Christ's teachings with the
Babylonian Mystery religion, now called "Christianity."
In the twelfth chapter of Revelation, we find a description
of the true Church of God -- persecuted, small. It is persecuted
by Satan the devil, who is the "god of this world" (II Cor. 4:4)
and of the new false "Christianity." In the seventeenth chapter
of Revelation, we find this Babylonian Mystery church described.
When the curtain lifts on that "LOST CENTURY" of Church
history, the Gospel of the Kingdom of God was no longer preached
to the world. Jesus and His apostles had carried on a dual
ministry -- proclaiming the Kingdom of God and healing the sick.
But after that "Lost Century" neither the Gospel of God's Kingdom
nor healing was going out to the world.
The true Church of God carried on through every generation,
but its teaching had to be secret -- under cover -- for fear of
martyrdom. The Gospel of God sent to mankind through Christ was
NO LONGER PREACHED TO THE WORLD!
Where WE Come In
In the pivotal chapter of the entire New Testament, Matthew
24, it is recorded that Jesus had been telling His disciples that
the temple at Jerusalem would be torn down. Also He had told