Right from the beginning (31 AD) the early Christian believers in Israel were persecuted by the Jewish rulers. Christianity then literally exploded at a phenomenal pace throughout the Roman Empire and beyond. As soon as 64 AD Emperor Nero blamed Christians in Rome for starting a fire that devastated the city. It has been suggested that actually Nero had the fire started in a desperate attempt to divert attention away from problems elsewhere in the Empire. His persecution of Christians was the first of many conducted by the Roman Empire. They came to an end when Constantine declared tolerance in 313.
During this time due to Jewish rebellions towards the Romans, Titus destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple in 70 AD. A vast number of Jews were killed and many were taken as slaves. Despite this massive defeat there was another uprising by Simon Bar Kosiba in 135 AD. The Romans savagely squashed it, killing and enslaving a great number of Jews. This utterly destroyed Israel’s identity as a nation.
While Christianity was rapidly advancing across the Roman Empire, persecutions were keeping the faith pure. Then Constantine claimed he became a Christian in 312. His subsequent involvement in murder and the occult seem to suggest that this was in name only. However, Constantine immediately became involved in the running of the church and the role of the Bishop of Rome started to have political importance too. In 380 Emperor Theodosis I made Christianity the official religion of the Empire.
Meanwhile Constantine began to call General Councils of Bishops. The first was in 314 at Arles. 43 Bishops attended. The British church was sufficiently well established by 314 that they sent three Bishops, from London, York and Lincoln. Almost 7% of this empire wide council was British. Note that this is 282 years before Augustine came to England in 597 to supposedly evangelise it.
This Council addressed, among other issues, the Donatist controversy over the validity of the sacraments depending on the worthiness of the priest. From this we can see the fall from scriptural practice had already begun, as there is no place for priests administering sacraments in Biblical Christianity. The next Council was at Ancyra, which is famous for saying that witches do not have any real power. The Nicean Council of 325 is the first council referred to as Ecumenical (universal). It is significant that it was the Roman Emperor that initially called these General Church Councils. The Roman Catholic Church did not do this of its own authority until the Lateran Council of 1123.
In the scriptures the words elder and bishop are used interchangeably. The scriptures also imply that elders were all of equal rank. It was the Roman Catholic Church that developed the use of the word bishop to refer to a head elder. The church of Rome was initially highly respected and did council other churches but it was never considered to be overseer of other churches until an Emperor decreed it.
After the initial flourishing of apostolic evangelism false doctrine also flourished just like Jesus, the apostles and Paul had all warned about. Then Patrick (c. 389 - 461) in 432 brought renewal of faith to Ireland. Columba (c. 521 - 597) left Northern Ireland for Scotland and founded a monastery at Iona in 563. From Iona, Aidan set up Lindisfarne (c. 630) and from it evangelised Northumbria. The Lindisfarne (Celtic) teaching differed significantly to that of the Roman Church, which now dominated mainland Europe. They did not venture a lot further south because of the Roman Catholic “missionaries” they met that were working their way northwards.
Originally a church was simply a local assembly of believers. This meant that all churches were independent. Jesus never commissioned an international institution to oversee His followers, that function was Christ's alone as Head of His body. It was power hungry political rulers who illegitimately took authority over His church.
The Rome based Catholic Church became full of doctrinal errors, corruptions and hypocrisy. They demanded all churches submit to their leadership. Those who objected were persecuted even to death.
Montanists 156-200
Founded by Montanus from Phrygia in Asia Minor. They resisted the pomp of Rome trying to live according to the scriptures. They were strong on spiritual gifts and aestheticism. They were rejected by Rome. Tertullian of Carthage was an adherent.
Priscillianists 340-385
Priscillian, a Spanish nobleman, came to faith and a puritan like movement developed that spread throughout Spain. They were killed for heresy although they simply followed the scriptures.
Paulicians 625-800
Applauded by Pope Nicolas in 758 Empress Theodora a fanatical idol worshipper had close to 100,000 of these uncomplicated believers murdered.
Bogomils 959-1463
Named after a priest they initially arose in Bulgaria and were called Friends of God. They rejected the empty ceremonies of Catholicism. Their beliefs appear to include some unscriptural gnostic like dualism but they generally respected the scriptures and rejected many of the corrupt teachings of Catholicism. Their congregations were run by elders.
Albigenses 1150-1300
The first inquisition was started by Dominic in 1184 and was primarily aimed at exterminating the Albigenses (Cathars). Located in southern France their meetings were simple and outside of the Roman Catholic Church. Their beliefs appear to be influenced by the Bogomils. Their main heresy was to refuse to submit to the Pope. Many were killed by fire.
Waldensians 1160-Today
Peter Waldo a wealthy merchant came to faith in Lyons France and started preaching a biblical gospel without the corruption of the Roman Catholic Church. It spread greatly across northern France, Spain, Belgium, Germany, southern Italy, Poland and Hungary. In 1181 they were excommunicated by the archbishop of Lyons. The Pope declared them heretics three years later. Persecution increased and in some places they were murdered. Then an Inquisition was put in place to destroy them. In 1487 Pope Innocent VIII declared a crusade to destroy Waldensian groups on the French-Italian border and a number of villages were completely destroyed. In 1545 two towns and 28 villages were attacked on the command of the archbishop of Lyons. The towns were destroyed, women raped and around 4000 people were murdered.
The once unified Catholic Church covered the whole of the Roman Empire. Many conflicts arose between the Western Pope who claimed universal authority over the whole church and the Eastern Patriarch of Constantinople. The Pope excommunicated the Patriarch in 1054. Then the Patriarch excommunicated the Pope and the spilt was established. They mutually lifted their excommunications in 1965.
The current Eastern Orthodox Church is a grouping of independent national churches. There is a nominal overall leader called the Patriarch based in Constantinople [Istanbul]. The Orthodox Church is established in: Albania, America, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech, Egypt, Georgia, Greece, Israel, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Syria and the Ukraine.
Pope Urban called for a Holy War or Crusade in 1095 to free Jerusalem from Muslim control. There were 8 major Crusades and many lesser programs. The atrocities carried out by the Crusaders are well documented especially towards the Jews. They called Jews Christ killers and persecuted them for this. This gross error grew out of the lack of understanding that Christ offered himself as a sacrifice for all the sins of the world.
Behold the Lamb of God, which takes away the sin of the world. [John 1:29]
Jesus died of His own choice for the whole world not because of a particular group of men. The whole world is responsible for His death not the Jewish nation alone. The lands captured by the Crusaders were frequently retaken until they where finally ousted in 1291.
From the 11th century right through to the 19th century various Catholic Courts were “inquiring” into whether people were heretics or not. Many Catholic dominated nations had some form of Inquisition at some time of other. They claim these Church Courts were just inquiring of those accused of heresy so as to save their straying souls. The rebellious unrepentant were handed to secular rulers as enemies and traitors to their kingdoms and therefore worthy of property confiscation, life imprisonment or even death. To encourage repentance of their heretical ways torture was infamously used. The system was also seriously abused so as to appropriate the property of the wealthy who would not submit to them.
Catholic apologists try to play this right down to being quite a reasonable affair for the time, while claiming those who expose this Catholic tyranny as “A Medieval Holocaust” greatly exaggerate the matter. Those who were being persecuted were too preoccupied to accurately document the abuse they were receiving so the hard detailed facts are not available. The Catholic Church claims only a few thousand were killed according to their documentation which many consider as incomplete and unreliable. Others have estimated tens of millions died. Whatever the precise details are, a colossal number of people were terrorised, tortured and murdered.
The first Medieval Inquisition began in France in 1184 against the Albigenses and then against the Waldensians.
The Spanish Inquisition 1478-1834 was the most atrocious. It was started by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella I in Castile. It is claimed it was initially aimed at the heretic Jewish converts who were covertly still practising Judaism. With the arrival of Protestantism it too was subject to this long running inquisition. It is thought nearly 32,000 were burnt alive and nearly 300,000 imprisoned. It was shut down in 1834 by Queen Isabella II but the nation did not start to recover until the fall of the Catholic Dictator, Franco in 1975.
Naked Catholicism is completely infuriated by and intolerant of criticism. As the Reformation gained momentum in France there was friction between Catholics and Huguenots (Protestants). In 1572 the Catholic Catherine, the mother of the king, Charles IX, plotted to assassinate a Huguenot Admiral who was gaining influence on her son.
The attempt failed. The Huguenots demanded an investigation and fearing the outcome Catherine sanctioned a pre-emptive massacre of Huguenots on the Feast Day of St Bartholomew. This encouraged many other cities to follow suit. Only estimates for the number killed exist. Unsurprisingly Catholic apologists claim it was only 2,000 while a Huguenot estimated it was 70,000.
Charles IX claimed it was the outcome of a Huguenot plot against his reign. Pope Gregory XIII struck a medal to celebrate.
Ignatius de Loyola in 1534 formed the “Society of Jesus” commonly called the Jesuits. The Reformation was in full swing in Europe and the dominance of the Roman Catholic Church was being seriously weakening. After his organisation was further developed, the Pope gave his approval in 1540. With unwavering support for the Pope it engaged in charitable works, teaching, preaching, hearing confessions and missionary work.
However the institution had several unpublicised aims. They wanted to bring universal political power to the Papacy and to form a unified church under the Pope. Unlike the Dominicans, who were trying to do this through the Inquisition, the Jesuits were to do this by infiltration and penetration of society in general, the ruling classes in particular and Protestantism. They birthed the Illuminate in 1776 and Freemasonry in 1795
| Jesuit History |
| Freemasonry History |
In Europe before the Reformation, people throughout the ages had met privately for fellowship, outside of the Roman Catholic Church but few had ever thought of trying to set up a comparable new church institution. Those who saw the errors of the Roman Church initially sought to see it come back to a pure faith in Jesus by returning to its scriptural roots through reformation.
The Catholic Church by its influence on the nations kings killed many of the reformers and their followers. Many of those excommunicated set up new groups in which to fellowship. The number of such groupings that have occurred is numerous we now review several of the major ones.
John Wycliffe 1324 – 1384
Born in Yorkshire (UK) he promoted the first bible in English. It was based on the Latin Vulgate and all the copies were hand written. His followers became known as Lollards. Thousands were executed.
John Huss 1370 – 1415
Czech reformer encouraged by Wycliffe. He was burnt at the stake for heresy. His teaching led to the formation of the Moravian Church.
Peter Cheltschizki 1390-1452
He was influenced by Wycliffe and Huss and inspired Gregory who birthed the United Brethren in Bohemia (1457-1621). A church far more scripture based than other churches formed by other reformers.
Girolamo Savonarola 1452 – 1498
He was a Catholic priest in Italy longing for reformation in the Church. He preached the simple gospel and against the excesses of the Roman Catholic Church. He became extremely popular in Florence (1490) eventually preaching in the Cathedral. However his preaching against the corruption of civil and religious leaders caused opposition to arise. In 1497 Pope Alexander VI excommunicated him. The Pope started to threaten Florence for allowing him to teach.
He was to be tested by fire where he would walk barefoot across coals of fire. If he was innocent God would protect him. On the day of the trial it rained so hard it had to be cancelled. Later he was tried along with two others and convicted of heresy. He was hung, then his body was burned. In 1530 Pope Clement VII had thousands of his followers hunted down and murdered. His teaching influenced Luther. And played a part in the rise of the Huguenots in France.
Erasmus 1469 – 1536
He was an intellectual who was the first to print a Greek New Testament in 1505. He remained a Catholic seeking reform from within.
Martin Luther 1483 – 1546
He was a German priest who in 1517 published a list of 95 objections to the selling of indulgences and other related teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. This act triggered a series of events that became known as the Reformation. The work done by those seeking reform had prepared the way and made his stand of particular importance. He relied on scripture alone as the bases for belief and justification by faith without the needs for works and rituals. This led to his excommunication from the Catholic Church in 1521. His teachings caused the “Lutheran” movement to spread through much of Germany and into Scandinavia. Luther preferred to be called Evangelical (according to the gospel) rather than Reformed or a Protestant.
Huldrych Zwingli 1484 – 1531
He headed up the Swiss Reformation in 1522. Sadly Luther and Zwingli fought each other over the nature of the elements in the sacrament “Breaking of Bread”, forgetting how much they agreed with each other.
Kasper von Schwenckfeld 1489-1561
From Silesia (mainly in the Poland of today) he was a well educated nobleman. He was awakened by the teachings of Luther. He earnestly desired to return to the purity of primitive Christianity. He was concerned about the “academic” reformation occurring at that time which stopped at true reformation of the believers heart. Kasper preached that we are so fallen that we need healing and renewing of the inward man which can only come from God Himself.
William Tyndale 1494 – 1536
He was the first to translate the Bible into English directly from the original languages. Thousands of printed copies started to arrive in Britain in 1526. He was executed for this work in 1536.
Thomas Cranmer 1489 - 1556
He was trained as a priest and met with Tyndale and others to discuss the teachings of Luther. He organised the divorce of King Henry VIII from Catherine of Aragon and his marriage to Anne Boleyn. In good favour with the King he was appointed Archbishop of Canterbury where he became solidly Protestant. He and Ridley wrote The Book of Common Prayer and the Thirty-nine Articles of faith.
After Henry VIII died Edward VI became king when he was only 10. He was of poor health and died of tuberculosis after reigning for 6 years. Lady Jane Grey was declared queen but she was usurped and executed by (Bloody) Mary.
Queen Mary was married to King Philip of Spain and both were staunchly Catholic. In her five year reign she restored Catholicism and had 289 Protestants burned at the stake. Including Thomas Cranmer and infamously the Oxford martyrs: Nicholas Ridley Bishop of London and Westminster, Chaplain to Cranmer and Hugh Latimer Bishop of Worcester, Chaplin to Edward VI. Two years after Cranmer's death Elizabeth I came to the throne and reinstated Cranmer’s Book of Common Prayer.
Jean (John) Calvin 1509-1564
He was a French reformer that became involved with the civil and religious administration of Geneva. His teaching, Calvinism, led to the style of church management called Presbyterian where a local church is run by a group of presbyters/elders who are elected by church members. The established Catholic Church was Episcopalian where a self appointed system is run by bishops. One of his many books the “Institutes of the Christian Religion” had great influence in England, Scotland, France, Netherlands, and parts of Germany, Central Europe and North America. Most of Calvin’s teaching was profoundly scriptural however he has become the most famous for his over emphasis on believing that God has predestined those who are to be saved and that there is little we can do about it. This led to enthusiasm for evangelism to decline and that if you believe Jesus was the son of God you were saved and nothing could change that so you could continue to sin and you would not be judged for it.
John Knox 1514 - 1572
Trained as a priest he became the body guard of an itinerant reformation preacher George Wishart who was burned at the stake for heresy. He took up the cause and preached against the corruption of the Roman Catholic Church. He became a royal chaplain to Edward VI.
When Catholic Mary came to the throne he fled to France and then on to Geneva and studied under John Calvin. In 1559 he returned to Scotland where he led the Scottish Reformation. A year later the Scottish Parliament abolished papal authority in Scotland. Great strife continued between Protestant Scotland and the Catholic Mary Queen of Scots in England.
Moravian
Followers of John Huss the Czech reformer were called Hussites and eventually Moravians. After his death in 1415 they broke with the Roman Catholic Church and were cruelly persecuted. For a while under (Good) King Wenceslas (of Christmas carol fame) of Bohemia (approximately old Czechoslovakia) the movement flourished. Subsequent kings and several Popes lead many unsuccessful crusades against the cities they controlled. However they were eventually taken back under Catholic control.
In 1467 some of the now underground Hussites established the Unity of Brethren movement. During the Reformation they were in contact with Lutheran and Reformed Protestants but in Bohemia and Moravia the reformation was successfully suppressed. In 1722 a remnant of the Unity of Brethren movement fled and established the Herrnhut theocratic community on the estate of Count Nikolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf in nearby Saxony.
Meanwhile in Germany, Scandinavia and Switzerland an evangelical revival was spreading with the adherents being called Pietists. Many joined the Herrnhut community to escape persecution. In 1727 they commenced a great evangelistic missionary drive. They started a work in England in 1738 in which John Wesley was brought to confidence in his faith.
Anabaptist
The Anabaptists were a people’s movement started in 1525 among young intellectuals in Zurich who were not satisfied with Zwingli's apparent slowness at bringing in a thorough reformation of the church. They believed church and state should be separate. They had no formal structure or hierarchy. They refused to take oaths and were anti war. Many thousands were executed.
Their name comes from their enemies. It means to re-baptize an act punishable by death at the time in most Catholic influenced countries. They believed that infant christening was an offensive invalid ritual before God and refused to comply with it. They believed a child was not punishable for sin until an awareness of good and evil had developed in the child. They claimed baptism by full immersion of the body in water should only follow repentance of sin and faith in Christ. So they renounced their infant christening and got baptised following a considered decision to believe in Christ.
Mennonite
Huldrych Zwingli started the Reformation in Switzerland in 1522. His followers were called the Swiss Brethren and persecution scattered them across Europe. Menno Simonsz a Dutch priest joined the Anabaptists in 1536 and gathered scattered Anabaptists and Swiss Brethren into congregations. These congregations were called after Menno. Through much adversity and many migrations there are still several Mennonite communities around the world today.
Church of England
In 1534 King Henry VIII separated the Church within England from Rome, essentially for the purpose of divorcing his wife and not really to facilitate a reformation in the church. After Henry VIII, in the reign of Edward VI, the reformation of the English church progressed. Then under Queen Mary (1553-1558) England was returned to Roman Catholic domination. Many Protestants were killed some were forced into exile. Some went to Geneva where Calvin had instituted the Presbyterian style of church management. John Foxe's famous Book of Martyrs was written at this time. Many Protestants saw England as an elect nation chosen by God to complete the work of the Reformation. When Elizabeth I (1558 - 1603) became queen she disappointed the reformers by choosing a compromise middle way. A decision that still influences the Anglican Church of England today.
Presbyterian Church of Scotland.
When Catholic Mary became queen John Knox fled eventually to Geneva on returning to his native Scotland he was the primary figure used in establishing what was later called the Presbyterian Church of Scotland.
Puritans
In England those who wished to see radical reform were called Puritans. They sought that the Church of England be run in a Presbyterian manner. It was understood that as we are all equal before God that every church member should be involved in the running of the church. Separatists felt that the compromises in the partially reformed Church of England were not acceptable and they created independent Presbyterian style congregations. Puritans and Separatists were rigorously suppressed by the establishment but they had a lot of support throughout the nation.
The Puritans were optimistic when James I (1603 - 1625) came to the throne but were disappointed as nothing really changed although he did “authorise” a new, and now famous, Authorised Version (translation) of the Bible. In 1620 the Mayflower took the Puritan Pilgrim Fathers to America to escape the persecution that still continued.
Under Charles I (1625-1649) the pressure for congregations to conform to the officially proscribed rituals of the Church of England increased, as did the desire for reformation. John Bunyan (1628 - 1688) wrote Pilgrims Progress while in prison for not conforming. Civil war eventually broke out and the Puritan parliamentary forces finally overcome the forces of the Catholic king in 1646. Parliament convened the Westminster Assembly to advise on the future of the church but it was divided and dithered. What it did do well was to produce the now famous but now somewhat culturally outdated Westminster Confession of evangelical belief.
Meanwhile the highly trained and efficient New Model Army who had beaten the royalist forces feared that Parliament and the Westminster Assembly were about to compromise with Charles I so their leader Oliver Cromwell was placed in charge of government. Under Cromwell there was freedom to follow conscience but with more favour granted to the reformers. Many radical groups were formed at this time including the Quakers that were started by George Fox (1624 - 1691)
Charles I was controversially beheaded in 1649 for treason. Irish Catholics rose to support the Royalists. In 1649 Cromwell invaded Ireland and killed thousands of Catholics. He rushed back to resist Charles II’s invasion from Scotland. Charles II fled to France. England was now a republic (Run by a parliament) but experiments in government failed.
When Cromwell died in 1658 Charles II was invited back to take the throne. The Reformation of the church was set back and an Episcopal form of church government was reinstalled. Puritans were severely persecuted again until the 1689 Act of Toleration was eventually introduced by William and Mary (1689 - 1702).
At the time of the Act of Toleration the Church of England was established as Episcopalian while toleration of other groups was decreed. The Church of England is the mother church of the worldwide Anglican Church and as decreed by Elizabeth I the church has followed a middle way. In other words it’s a compromise with many Reformed belief’s but with a Episcopalian hierarchy and tradition.
Many repressive laws had been passed to control Catholic activity in England. Between 1778 and 1871 these were relaxed. Referred to as Catholic Emancipation.
Sadly the Puritans persecuted the Quakers. This in part led to the first of the ten amendments (called the Bill of Rights) being added to the USA’s constitution. The first amendment guarantees the freedom of religion, speech, press and the right to peaceful assembly and petition. This led to many church institutions arising.
Armenian
Arminians are those who accept the teaching of Jacobus Arminius a Dutchman who in 1610 contended that God wished all to come to salvation and that Jesus died for all so that we need to ensure all hear the gospel.
And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. [Mar 8:34]
This led to conflict with the Calvinists who said God had predestined it all so we do not need to do anything to make His will happen.
For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestine to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestine, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. [Rom 8:29-30]
Despite this theological battle we have no excuse not to obey Christ.
And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. [Mar 16:15]
Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. [Joh 15:16]
The Lord … is long-suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. [2Pe 3:9]
Due to the Reformation the influence of the Roman Church steadily declined in Europe. In an attempt to halt this slide in influence due to the despotic things done by the Catholic Church in the Dark Ages the Pope convened the Council of Trent (1545-63). It was claimed to be a time of reformation for the Catholic Church from their perverse past. It could be better understood as an attempt to regain control over the Protestants.
Pope Pius IX (1846-78) in response to protestant missionary success convened Vatican I Ecumenical Council (1869-70) to further their claim of reformation during which ironically papal infallibility was also decreed. Pope John XXIII called Vatican II (1962-65) to further their claims of reform.
They were forced into cleaning up the extremely overt corruption and exploitation that used to be so obscenely blatant but all the pagan doctrines it brought in and its dictatorial institutions are still in place. The Catholic Church is still seeking to be head of a united world wide religious system. The Jesuit Order with its occult structure and function is still fully functional today. The Holy Office, which ran the Inquisition, still exists and presumably ready to resume its destruction of heretics.
Ecumenicism
The Catholic Church once ruthlessly exterminated heretical Protestants now they call them “separated brethren” who are to be brought back into the fold. This is being sought through the Ecumenical movement and through The World Council of Churches. In the UK this is currently called Churches Together.
One strategy to overcome the Bible based gospel has been to promote the creation of church institutions with unbiblical doctrines and so cause more confusion for someone seeking God. Another strategy that has been used is to covertly infiltrate, through the Freemasons and Jesuits, those churches that once preached a biblical gospel and lead them to adopt compromised liberal doctrines.
Baptist
Baptists are congregational. The General Baptists were Armenian and were formed in Britain in 1611 when exiles returned from Holland. They eventually disappeared after the Act of Toleration. The Baptist Union of today has come from the Particular Baptists who were formed in 1638 and were strongly Calvinistic. They had many followers among Cromwell’s army. They flourished in the First Evangelical Revival.
Presbyterian
These churches are run by presbyters (elders) all of equal rank who are elected by the congregation. They were also called Reformed. They became established after the Act of Toleration in 1689 but they never really flourished in England until the Evangelical Revival.
Methodist
John Wesley 1703 - 1791 an ordained priest was brought to confidence in his faith by Moravians in 1738. With his brother Charles, who is famous for his prodigious hymn writing skills, he started a Methodist society within the Church of England to promote a method of piety (holy living) among believers. In 1739 he joined George Whitfield in preaching in the open air. Four years after John’s death the Society broke with the Church of England and grew very quickly especially in the USA.
| John Wesley |
The Man Who Saved England YT(28m)
Congregational
These churches are very similar to Presbyterian but each congregation managed its own affairs independently and all major decisions were decided by a vote of the congregation. Its growth was also similar to the Presbyterian Church. A national association of Congregational churches was established in 1832.
Plymouth Brethren
They began in Plymouth, Devon, UK in 1831. A former Church of Ireland clergyman John Nelson Darby founded groups all over Europe particularly in Britain, France and Switzerland. In 1845 a split between the Exclusive and the Open Brethren occurred. Basically they are congregational in structure while not accepting any clerical administration distinct from the laity. Missionary work enables them to be found all over the world. One of the most famous Brethren men was the absolutely amazing George Muller who ran homes for hundreds of orphaned children in Bristol completely by trusting in God.
Pentecostal
The Holiness movement started to emerge in 1843 and is traceable back to Wesley. Between 1880 and the First World War many local holiness groups formed in the USA. Their growth accelerated to international proportions after the Azusa Street revival of 1906 in Los Angeles. The Pentecostal churches were created reluctantly due to resistance by the established evangelical churches to except the manifestations of the gifts of the Spirit following the baptism in the Holy Spirit.
| Azusa Street |
Body parts created YT(28m)
Salvation Army
William Booth (1829 - 1912) a Methodist minister and his wife Catherine in 1865 started to help the desperately needy in the East End of London. In 1878 with his son William Bramwell Booth he renamed his organisation the Salvation Army as they based it on a military theme. It spread quickly over Britain and went international. They hold basic evangelical beliefs without using any sacraments in the informal services. They are famous for using the popular music of William Booth’s day, the brass band. To answer critics William Booth famously replied, “Why should the Devil have all the good music.”
United Reformed
Many English Congregational churches in effect became Presbyterian when they combined with the Presbyterian Church and formed the United Reformed Church In 1972.
Baptist Missionary Society
William Carey in 1792 formed the Baptist Missionary Society and launched modern day missionary activity into the English speaking world. Charles Haddon Spurgeon 1834 - 1892 was a famous Baptist intellectual and teacher who preached at the Metropolitan Tabernacle in London.
Evangelical Revivals
A revival occurred in continental Europe, Great Britain, and America later called the Evangelical Revival (1740 - 1815). It included Pietism in Europe, the Methodist revival in Great Britain, and the First Great Awakening in the USA in which Jonathan Edwards and George Whitfield were a major force. It was a spiritual awakening of major proportions. At this time many famous missionaries were at work such as C. T. Studd and J. Hudson Taylor in China.
A second great awakening in America was sustained by evangelists such as Charles Finney (1792 - 1875), Dwight Moody (1837 - 1899) and Billy Sunday (1862 - 1935).
Scotland saw revivals in the late 1830’s. Wales had revivals between 1859 - 1860 and 1904 – 1906. May God grant us a New Great Awakening.
The Clapham Sect
This was an informal group of Anglican’s many of whom lived around Clapham Common, London. The most famous being William Wilberforce who pioneered the abolition of the slave trade (1807), slavery (1833) and many prison and education reforms. They were also involved with the creation of the Church Missionary Society (1799) and the British and Foreign Bible Society (1804).
In the Book of Revelation (1:17–3:22) Jesus dictates to John letters to seven churches. It is noticeable that Jesus refers to these churches by their location not by a man made title or grouping. These churches all existed at the same time so it would seem they represent the possible situations a church may slip into. This acting as a warning to all churches that they should be vigilant to always be pleasing Christ in everything.
Another prominent understanding of these letters is to see them as describing the seven stages the church would pass through before the return of Jesus. It is interesting but does not really match history that well.
1 Ephesus - Apostolic Church 30–100 (70yrs)
They were praised because they do not tolerate false apostles.
And that they hate the Nicolaitans but have left their first love.
Nicolaitans exalt clergy over the laity.
Ended when major persecution started.
2 Smyrna - Persecuted Church 100–313 (213yrs)
Praised with no reproof.
Suffered ten major persecutions and many lesser ones.
Ended when persecution ended.
3 Pergamos - Constantine Church 313–538 (225yrs)
Praise of a martyr but had doctrines of Balaam and Nicolaitans.
Balaam got Jews to sin so that they became cursed.
The Roman Empire collapsed when Ostrogoths invaded Rome.
Byzantine Empire retook Rome and exalted the Pope in 538 AD.
The Papacy then started to develop into a kingdom.
4 Thyatira - Catholic Church 538-1517 (979yrs)
Praised but tolerates Jezebel who led Israel into paganism.
Ended in 1517 when the Reformation began.
Or alternatively in 1798 when Berthier took Rome for Napoleon
and the Pope was exiled.
5 Sardis - Reformation Church 1517–1792 (275yrs)
Appears alive but actually dead. Weak with defiled garments.
Sola Scriptura proclaimed but not lived.
Ended when a great missionary movement began.
6 Philadelphia - Missionary Church 1792–1914 (122yrs)
Praise and no reproof. Open door set before them.
Ended when World War I began.
7 Laodicea - Lukewarm Church 1914 -Today
No praise only reproof.
They do not know they are wretched, miserable, poor and blind.
Jesus stands at the door and knocks.
Will end when Jesus returns.
Therefore let us be aflame and the evangelism begin.