Discover the counterfeit religious power the Christian church has become. This year-by-year account details the evolution of the Christian church as pagan doctrines crept into the teachings the Apostles practiced in the first New Covenant church. The author shows how, in spite of the counterfeit church's domination, there has always been a remnant that has stayed true to the teachings of God.
Volume One examines 44 BCE to 499 CE.
Volumes Two examines 500 CE to 1599 CE .
Volume Three spans 1600 to 1999 CE.
A definition of obfuscate is to obscure, confuse, bewilder by misdirection, deliberately leaving out information, adding incorrect or disinformation for the purpose of disguising the actual subject so that it will look like something else. The Christian Church emerged out of the New Covenant faith. When Christianity separated from their Jewish roots, the Jewish customs on which the early church doctrines and the master’s parables were based were lost, providing for the incorporation of pagan mystery rituals and myths.
“While men slept the enemy sowed tares among the wheat.” (Matthew 13:25) The Messiah explains In Matthew 13:39, “The enemy that sowed them is the devil.” Satan sowed seeds of lawlessness and counterfeit religion among the truths established by the Father and reaffirmed by his son the Messiah. Tares are wild oats or wheat that looks exactly like the edible kind. Until the grain matures, it is difficult, if not impossible to distinguish the tares from the good grain.
“The kingdom of heaven is like a man which sowed good seed in his field; but when he slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. When the blades sprang up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares (weeds) also. The servants of the householder came to him and said to him, Sir did you not sow good seed in your field? From where did all these weeds come? The householder said to them, an enemy has done this. The servants asked him, Shall we gather the tares? He said No, lest while you gather the tares, you up root the wheat with them. Let them both grow together until the harvest; and at that time I will tell the reapers to gather the tares, bind them and throw them into the fire, and gather my wheat into my barn.” (Mathew 13: 24-30).
When Lucifer and a third of the heavenly host were banished from the heavenly kingdom, they set up camp on planet Earth (Revelation 12:3-4). Here he (Satan) began an insidious program designed to place himself as the god of the earth. His method was to set up a counterfeit religion to rival Yahweh’s (YHWH, the Hebrew name of God) system by amalgamating pagan religions into the system we call Christianity. Christianity has evolved into an Ichabod system (1 Samuel 4:21), and the glory is gone! The evolution has continued until now. There is not one Christian church or one Christianity, but many with many and varied Christian practices, beliefs, and dogma. Not one of the organized, mainstream Christian religions practices the true worship of Yahweh, the Elohim of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
The obfuscation of the character of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is beyond imagination. The security, the blessedness, and the love of one another can only be attained when created beings are able to know the creator and understand his ways. The Doctrines of the Christian Church evolved into "Traditions." Many of the traditions and beliefs brought into the church were by pagan priests and scholars who were quickly promoted to positions of power within the Christian Church. The Messiah saw this obfuscation in His day and knew it would continue, prompting him to say "In vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrine, the traditions of men." (Mark 7:7)
The Doctrines of the New Covenant Believers were defined before the Messiah was incarnated. Those doctrines were under the custody of the seed of Abraham. The true faith of Yahweh was made manifest by Yahshua (Jesus), and has been observed since the Pentecost of 34 ACE. The true faithful who followed Yahshua were called “The Way.” They were forced to worship in secret as early as 140 ACE because of persecution by the Romans, and remained in secret from 321 ACE to 1844 ACE because of persecution by the Christians.
We must not check reason by tradition, but tradition by reason. It was not the Doctrines of Yahshua the Messiah that were defined in the third and fourth century. It was Heresy that was defined, heresy that became the foundation of the Christian Church. These doctrines should not to be confused with the faith outlined by the Messiah Yahshua. The Christian Church became a tyrannical force that compelled the world’s masses to conform to this Heresy. In spite of all efforts by church and state to eradicate them, there has always been a remnant that has remained faithful to the doctrines and practices of the original apostolic church.
While many believe the horrible result of sin is death, and the sacrifice of the Messiah was the tragedy that emphasized the consequences of sin, this study reveals that the tragedy of sin is the obfuscation of the character of the Mighty One, the “I AM.” I will make a case based on undeniable events in secular and religious history that will convince you of the cause, origin, and methods for sowing tares.
The tragedy of this counterfeit religion has been the obfuscation of the true character of the Mighty One (God). However, The Father has not allowed total obfuscation. There has always been and always will be a remnant, a small group, who holds to the true faith of the first century church (Revelation 12:17). The faithful remnant is comprised of individuals who study the Word and practice their faith unaffected by conventional compromise of amalgamated Christianity. Most are not affiliated with an organized religious system.
This three-book series represent just one layman’s reflection on the state of Christianity. I have tried to present as truthful a picture as I could. I have tried to show the facts as I have uncovered them based on documented events in secular and religious history. The reader may make the same investigative research as I have. No three-book series on so large a subject can be exhaustive. No doubt, you will quickly identify very important information that should have been included. There will be those who will want to argue with my findings or conclusions, and that is my desire especially if those who take issue will do their own study and approach the debate armed with factual data.
I do not depend on, live by or defend the teachings of any religion, church or organization. I do not feel bound by any Christian doctrine or tradition. I live by and defend the truths shown me by the Holy Spirit in the Sacred Scriptures. Learning new things requires adjustments in viewpoint. When one discovers that a here-to-for held belief may not be correct, changes must be made. The willingness to discover and adjust or discover and fortify is often ridiculed by those whose creeds have remained unchanged though they were formulated on inaccurate information. One’s beliefs should change when facts are revealed. Revision of my beliefs may be expected, if led by the Holy Spirit to a fuller understanding of Bible truth, or if I find a better language in which to express the teachings of Yahweh's Holy Word.
- Lawrence Wade Johnson
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Lawrence “Wade” Johnson is not a theologian. He is a management consultant. Mr. Johnson holds a Master of Science Degree in Industrial & Organizational Psychology from the University of Tennessee with over 30 years of in-the-trenches management experience. Wade has written several management books including “Horse Shoes and Hand Grenades: The Transition from Worker to Manager.” As a Senior Management Consultant, he has written and conducted hundreds seminars in 49 states. “The Great Obfuscation: The Christian Church and the Tares of Matthew 13” consists of three volumes spanning 1900 years of Christian evolution, and is the result of over 20 years of extensive research. |
