[The text below represents an edited transcript of this Tomorrow’s World program.]

A Holy Book With a Crucial Warning

Could an ancient manuscript have prophecies for today?

It’s easy to think in these modern times that history is irrelevant—especially ancient history.

After all, we’re living in a mind-blowing time of technological wonder. From space-bound telescopes that give us a glimpse into the Universe, to the powerful machines we carry in our hands unlocking a window to people and places all over the world.

Our time is truly unique. So, do old books still matter today?

The answer is yes.

Frankly, the past becomes more relevant to our day, because some of those dusty old books tell us about our day and the future.

The book of Malachi is one such book. It’s found in the Old Testament of the Bible. This portion of the Bible is also known as the Hebrew Scriptures. It was written over 400 years before Jesus Christ, and yet has a message for us today. What could that message be?

On this program, we’ll explore the answer. So, get ready, as we go deep into the past, and unlock “Malachi’s Prophetic Message for Today.”

Malachi’s Warning—God Expects Better

Welcome to Tomorrow’s World, where we bring an understanding of today’s world, through the prophecies of the Bible.

The prophet Malachi lived and prophesied sometime in the latter part of the 5th century BC. His message was to the Jewish people, who had been resettled in the land of Judah after the Babylonian captivity.

Malachi gave strong medicine to his generation. They had become lax in keeping God’s law, their priests were corrupt and unfair in their judgments, and divorce was ripping that society apart. Some were even wondering whether it mattered if they served God or not.

As we consider the challenges in the modern Western world, it’s fascinating and perhaps a little sobering to look at the warnings that Malachi gave his generation.

The warnings are written in the style of a dialogue between God and His people. Let’s read a few of the passages, to catch a glimpse of what God was saying to that generation.

We might just find there’s a message for ours.

We’ll start in Malachi 2:7:

“For the lips of a priest should keep knowledge, and people should seek the law from his mouth; for he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts. But you have departed from the way; You have caused many to stumble at the law.”

The priest at that time was the one who taught them God’s laws and led in public worship—and yet the priests had become so corrupt that people could not trust what they were teaching anymore. Instead of making God’s ways clear and plain, they had caused the Law to become confused and muddled in the minds of the people.

“You have not kept My ways but have shown partiality in the law” (v. 9).

The law was being applied unfairly, unjustly. Do we think our age is the first to grapple with issues of injustice and unequal treatment under the law? Malachi showed that God was not pleased when judges showed favoritism instead of fairly and consistently applying God’s law.

“And this is the second thing you do: you cover the altar of the LORD with tears, with weeping and crying; So He does not regard the offering anymore, nor receive it with goodwill from your hands. Yet you say, ‘For what reason?’ Because the LORD has been witness between you and the wife of your youth, with whom you have dealt treacherously…. ‘For the LORD God of Israel says that He hates divorce, for it covers one’s garment with violence,’ says the LORD of hosts” (Malachi 2:13–14, 16).

That generation was noted for its lax attitudes toward marital commitment and faithfulness. And God was not pleased.

How do you think He looks at our generation? Is He pleased that so many marriages end in divorce? What about the conditions that lead to divorce? Some people wrongly accuse the Bible of encouraging hate and disrespect toward women, but nothing could be further from the truth.

What we just read shows that God is very upset when women are not treated fairly and respectfully in marriage. He tells men, don’t abuse, neglect, or hurt your wives in any way. God cares about women, and the Bible upholds the marriage relationship, which was made for the benefit and happiness of men and women.

Notice, there’s more;

“You have wearied the LORD with your words; Yet you say, ‘In what way have we wearied Him?’ In that you say, ‘Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the LORD, and He delights in them’…” (v. 17).

There were some in that day who were turning God’s law upside down. They were trying to make it look like what God calls good is actually bad. And what God calls bad, well, that’s actually good for you. And they were then trying to say that is somehow behind this upside down approach. Do we see any glimpse of that today, in our society?

In our day today, some push immoral behavior and actually say that God supports it. This is really nothing new.

The prophet Malachi warned against this approach in his generation about 2,400 years ago. And he was telling his people they were in danger of unraveling as a society if they didn’t take a different course.

What about us today? Is our world getting better, or worse? Is real love and care for others growing and spreading, or becoming more rare? Malachi witnessed to a corrupt generation with strong warnings to repent. Frankly, there are strong parallels for our day.

But some will say, “This is Old Testament, what does it have to do with me?” Well, let’s read on and we’ll find out.

Jesus Christ Himself Was Speaking Through His Prophet

In the last segment we read about some of the spiritual conditions of the people in Malachi’s day. That was in chapter 2. Notice what Malachi records in chapter 3:

“Behold, I send My messenger, and he will prepare the way before Me.”

What is this talking about? Who is the messenger who is preparing the way? Well, let’s go to Mark 1 to find out.

“The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in the prophets: ‘Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, who will prepare Your way before You’” (Mark 1:1–2).

This is the beginning of the book of Mark, in your New Testament. Mark is describing how John the Baptist was the messenger preparing the way for the ministry of Jesus Christ. But in explaining that, he was directly quoting from Malachi. In other words, Malachi prophesied about the Gospel. Specifically, Malachi prophesied about John the Baptist being the one who would prepare the way for Jesus Christ, the Messiah.

So, was this book of Malachi only for the Jews living back in the 400s BC? I think we’re seeing it had a scope far beyond his time and his generation. His preaching and his writings reached way into the future, hundreds of years, and they pointed to the very work of John the Baptist and the Messiah.

Let’s continue in Malachi:

“Behold, I send My messenger, and he will prepare the way before Me” (Malachi 3:1).

O.K., stop again, one more time, and note something else. Who is speaking? It’s Jesus Himself. He uses the pronoun “Me.” The pre-incarnate Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, was speaking in this prophecy. He was the One Who was speaking through Malachi, and inspiring Him in what to tell His generation. Think about that for a second, and ask yourself again, does this book have anything to do with New Testament Christians?

Absolutely, because the One who was inspiring its words was Jesus Christ Himself. That alone should cause us to want to open our eyes and see what it says.

What did He say next?

“And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple, even the Messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight. Behold, He is coming,” says the LORD of hosts” (Malachi 3:1).

Who is the Lord whom we seek? Well, of course, it’s Jesus Christ. Malachi prophesied that He’d come suddenly. And He did burst onto the scene in 1^st century Judea, when He suddenly came to His temple, overturned the tables and threw out the money changers.

John the Baptist would announce His coming and he would prepare the way, and then Jesus Christ would come and preach the message.

But let’s notice something else here. What message did Jesus come to preach? Again, we might say, “well, the gospel message, of course.” That’s right. But there’s another detail we don’t want to miss. Let’s read it again.

“And the LORD, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple, even the Messenger of the covenant…” (Malachi 3:1).

So, not only is Jesus Lord, not only is He the Messiah, our Savior, He also was the Messenger of the covenant. But what does that mean?

Let’s think about this for a moment.

What is a messenger? A messenger is someone who’s been given the task of relaying a communication. We might think of in olden times when hand-written messages would be relayed by a trusted official or king to another. A messenger was one who carried that important communication on behalf of someone else.

But in this passage, Who is Jesus the messenger for?

Well, let’s look at an excerpt from Dr. Meredith, in the booklet Do You Believe the True Gospel? He explains on page 5:

“A messenger bears a message from someone else—and so Jesus did, as He made plain by stating that ‘the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me’” (John 14:24)” (p. 5).

This is an important point to remember: The message of the Gospel is from the Father.

You see, some seem to have the mistaken idea that God the Father is that stern old God of the Old Testament, and Jesus Christ is the loving, kind God of the New Testament who came to do away with the Old. Have you had that impression? Is that your opinion now? And can you see, nothing could be further from the truth?

In fact, reading this book of Malachi is showing us that the pre-incarnate Jesus Christ was speaking through this Old Testament prophet, and speaking of bringing a message from the Father. He and the Father are of one mind, in perfect harmony. They are in total agreement. So, what was the message from the Father?

Going on, from Dr. Meredith in Do You Believe the True Gospel:

“God the Father sent Christ to announce a message from Him. What kind of message was it? The word ‘gospel’ originates from the Old English word godspell, meaning ‘good news’ or ‘announcement of glad tidings.’ The New Testament translators used ‘gospel’ for the Greek noun [“eu-on-GELI-on”] euaggelion.

The English word “evangelism”—preaching the Gospel—is derived from it. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John have come to be known as “the four gospels” because they relate four separate accounts of Christ delivering His announcement of Good News!

What was this Good News all about? Let Scripture answer!” (p. 5).

You see, too many people have come to the mistaken conclusion that the gospel is just about believing in Jesus. Yes, believing in Jesus is the starting point. We must believe that He is God, and that He is our Savior. we must accept His love and sacrifice for our sins, to be saved. But was the gospel message only about the Person of Christ and His sacrifice? Or is there more?

When Jesus began to preach the gospel, what did He talk about?

We can read about it again in Mark chapter 1:

“Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:14–15).

The gospel message is from the Father, and is the good news about His coming Kingdom. It’s about Jesus Christ coming to earth to end the misery and the heartache and the suffering this world is going through.

Jesus Christ Will Come AGAIN!

Thus far in today’s program, we’ve opened the book of Malachi, to see that he preached to a generation that was corrupt and in need of a spiritual renewal. We can see parallels in our day.

We also saw that in the book of Malachi, the Word who became Christ prophesied of the coming of John the Baptist. And we also saw that the pre-incarnate Jesus prophesied of His own coming. We also saw that Jesus brought a message. That message would be a message from His Father, about the good news of a coming Kingdom.

But there’s more.

Let’s pick it up where we left off. After reading of John the Baptist being the messenger of the Messiah, and Jesus Himself being the messenger of the Father, we read of something else. We’re introduced to the idea that Jesus will not just have a first coming, but a Second Coming.

“But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner’s fire and like launderer’s soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver…” (Malachi 3:2–3).

A refiner’s fire? A purifier of silver? This could not be referring to His first coming.

When Jesus Christ first came to this earth, He allowed Himself to be arrested and beaten and finally crucified. But this passage tells us of a very different time. It speaks of Jesus’ Second Coming, which will come in a time of great distress on earth. It speaks of a time when people will be purified and tested through great suffering. We read of that same time, referred to as the Great Tribulation, in Matthew 24 verse 21:

“For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be” (Matthew 24:21).

Why would Malachi be writing a warning about something that happens many centuries after his generation was dead and gone? Why would he write a warning to the end-time generation, living just before Christ’s return? Does the prophet Malachi have a message for our generation today?

Absolutely. He’s speaking of our day today.

Are we in the last days? Are we living in a time of great corruption, and injustice, and inequity? We see moral values plummeting, and the state of marriage and family at an all-time low in Western societies. We see people trying to convince us that bad behavior is actually righteous and good. We’re living in the days prophesied by Malachi.

Let’s go back to Malachi chapter 3 verse 5:

“‘… I will come near you for judgment; I will be a swift witness against sorcerers, against adulterers, against perjurers, against those who exploit wage earners and widows and orphans, and against those who turn away an alien—because they do not fear Me,’ says the LORD of hosts” (Malachi 3:5).

This is the returning Jesus Christ speaking. He’s saying our sins will bring judgment on ourselves. What sins is He talking about?

Adultery. Lying. Stealing from and exploiting the poor. Mistreating foreigners. This is a message to the end-time generation. When you think about it, it’s a message for a godless generation that has thrown off all restraint.

Are you beginning to see that in your world today? If so, think about how applicable this message is for today. Let’s go one step further. Malachi 3 verse 13:

“‘Your words have been harsh against Me,’ Says the LORD, ‘Yet you say, “What have we spoken against You?” You have said, “It is useless to serve God…”’” (Malachi 3:13–14).

Would you say we are living in a time when this is the attitude of many people in our Western societies? That the moral fabric upon which our civilization was built—an understanding of a real God and His inspired word—is crumbling beneath us? More and more people are saying, “Biblical Christianity? Why would we need that?” “A God who is revealed in the Bible? Oh, that’s just old, dusty writings of men.” Think about it. These words of Malachi are spot on for our generation today.

Let me show you one more thing. The prophet Malachi closed His book with a powerful, resounding message. And again, remember, this passage was the last warning and challenge of the entire Old Testament. We read in MAlachi again:

“Remember the Law of Moses, My servant, which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments. Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD” (Malachi 4:4–5).

This is another message for the generation of the last days, who are living in the time just before the great and dreadful day of the LORD. Isn’t it striking that the prophet gives a warning to the generation alive in the end times, but refers to the law of Moses? He says, “Remember the Law of Moses.” But isn’t the Law of Moses—the Ten Commandments, the Sabbath day—aren’t those all done away?

Not at all. God’s law still stands, and it has deep significance and meaning for New Testament Christians today. And that’s why God inspired Malachi to tell our generation, “Remember the Law of Moses.” It’s not done away. Malachi warns our generation not to forget about it.

God Will Judge the World—To SAVE Us

In today’s program, we’ve explored the world of Malachi, a prophet of God who lived and preached in the 5^th century before Christ. We’ve seen that he warned his generation of the sins of corruption, mistreatment of others, unfaithfulness in marriage, and immorality. We’ve seen that this same prophet had a message about a messenger, John the Baptist, preparing the way for Jesus Christ.

But we also saw that Jesus Himself was a messenger of a covenant from the Father, of forgiveness of sins, of life and peace. We saw that the true gospel is about a Kingdom that’s going to be set up. But before that Kingdom is set up on this earth, we read that there will be great distress on the earth as God judges the world. Ultimately, God’s will is that this will lead all mankind to having an opportunity to enter a covenant relationship with Him.

Let’s read the end of the prophecy, in Malachi 4, verse 5:

“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD. And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the earth with a curse” (Malachi 4:5–6).

The question for us is, will there be a change of heart in us? Will OUR hearts to be turned to serving and loving others as ourselves. And especially, will our hearts be turned to our Father in Heaven, and His Son, Jesus Christ? Will we show ourselves faithful to them? Going back to Malachi chapter 3:

“For I am the LORD, I do not change; Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob… Return to Me, and I will return to you,’ says the LORD of hosts” (Malachi 3:6–7).

The “sons of Jacob” are just the modern descendants of the patriarch Israel. If we understand who modern Israel is today—and frankly many of us are living in the end-time nations of Israel—we should be grateful for God’s patience and longsuffering, and we should cry out for His help and mercy as we see these things coming. Will God help those who fear Him?

Will He be a refuge to those who serve and obey Him sincerely and faithfully? Let’s read Malachi 3, verse 16:

“Then those who feared the LORD spoke to one another, and the LORD listened and heard them; so a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the LORD and who meditate on His name. ‘They shall be Mine,’ says the LORD of hosts, ‘On the day that I make them My jewels. And I will spare them As a man spares his own son who serves him’” (Malachi 3:16–17).

The book of Malachi prophesies deliverance, comfort, and safety for those who don’t succumb to the godless attitudes of these last days. It’s our hope and prayer that you will seek Him, and obey Him and love Him, with all your heart.

Thanks for watching. Remember to subscribe and click the notification bell so you don’t miss another Tomorrow’s World video. And, if you’d like a copy of our free booklet Do You Believe the True Gospel?, go to TWTV.org/gospel, or click the link in the description. See you next time!

Thank you for watching! Remember to subscribe so you don’t miss another Tomorrow’s World video, and if you would like a copy of our free study guide, Do You Believe the True Gospel?, go to TWTV.org/Gospel or click the link in the description. See you next time.

[The text below represents an edited transcript of this Tomorrow’s World program.]

A Conspiracy Almost No One Knows

Conspiracy theories abound and exactly how many there are is up for grabs. Some conspiracies are recent, others are decades or centuries old.

Lists of popular theories abound on the Internet, though new ones seem to be born every year, especially in recent days. Leaders in government, science, medicine, and the media have discredited themselves through inept and dishonest policies affecting peoples and nations—thus giving rise to skepticism, distrust, and some of the most wildly speculative theories ever conceived. And with social media come speculations on steroids.

On today’s Tomorrow’s World program, we’ll look at some of the most popular conspiracy theories that have ever been told. I’ll also reveal the greatest conspiracy of all—one that is not theory, but fact.

Shadowboxing With Coverups Real and Imagined

Welcome to Tomorrow’s World, where we give you the good news of the coming Kingdom of God, explain prophecies of the Bible, and bring new insights from the word of God. On today’s program, we’ll look at some of the most popular conspiracy theories along with the greatest conspiracy of all time—one that affects your life.

Some conspiracies involve famous people faking their own death. Other narratives are about how prominent people died, or didn’t die, contrary to the official story. Some are rather laughable, such as:

Elvis is still alive and was seen at…

A gas station, grocery store, or, according to a supermarket tabloid, he was spotted at Graceland, his legendary home, on his 85^th birthday, along with a grainy picture.

Other famous death conspiracies involve:

JFK assassin Lee Harvey Oswald
Martin Luther King
Princess Diana

And, would you believe, even:

Jesus

Where a false story was circulated to explain away the resurrection. We read of it in Matthew 28, beginning in verse 11:

Now while they were going, behold, some of the guard came into the city and reported to the chief priests all the things that had happened. When they had assembled with the elders and consulted together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, saying, “Tell them, ‘His disciples came at night and stole Him away while we slept.’ And if this comes to the governor’s ears, we will appease him and make you secure.” So they took the money and did as they were instructed; and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day (Matthew 28:11–15).

As with that example, some conspiracies are more than theories. Some have proven to be true beyond Internet blogs and questionable sources. One came to light from a Top Secret document that was made public November 18, 1997:

Operation Northwoods was a plan circulated in the U.S. government in 1962 to stage false flag terrorist attacks inside the U.S. and abroad to provoke “military intervention in Cuba”. The plan called for Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) or other operatives to commit genuine acts of terrorism in U.S. cities and elsewhere. These acts of terrorism were to be blamed on Cuba in order to create public support for a war against that nation, which had recently become communist under Fidel Castro. One part of the Operation Northwoods plan was to “develop a Communist Cuban terror campaign in the Miami area, in other Florida cities and even in Washington.” The document was signed by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Lyman Lemnitzer and reportedly presented to Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara on March 13, 1962 (“Operation Northwoods,” PublicIntelligence.net, March 9, 2010).

The plan was given to President Kennedy, who had the good sense to turn it down, but the fact that a false flag of this magnitude was considered by high government officials, involving sacrificing the lives of American citizens, is it any wonder that such schemes have contributed to wild speculations? Less than four years after Operation Northwoods came to light, Muslim extremists flew passenger planes into the World Trade Center towers and the Pentagon.

Some allege that the CIA was complicit, and that the attack was a ruse to create fear so that Americans would give up greater control over their lives. Others believe it was an excuse for President Bush to invade Iraq and depose Saddam Hussain—finishing the job his father left undone.

Sadly, some conspiracy theories have ruined the lives of those caught up in them. One example is QAnon.

Or as others refer to it: QAnonsense.

Following the January 6, 2021 storming of the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C., BBC news explained this phenomenon:

At its heart, QAnon is a wide-ranging, completely unfounded theory that says that President Trump is waging a secret war against elite Satan-worshipping paedophiles in government, business and the media.

QAnon believers have speculated that this fight will lead to a day of reckoning where prominent people such as former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton will be arrested and executed (“QAnon: What is it and where did it come from?” BBC.com, January 6, 2021).

This elaborately evolving theory began in October 2017 when an anonymous person, supposedly in the Trump administration, with Department of Energy high level Q security clearance, made a post on the 4chan message board and signed off as “Q.”

The very nature of Q is that it becomes an obsessive game where clues are dropped like breadcrumbs, creating an addiction to find and unravel the next cryptic post. Some estimate that there are millions following Q, and if you meet one of them, you understand how obsessed someone can become to an unproven theory from an anonymous source. Stories abound of ruined relationships as believers become consumed in a fantasy world where anyone who disagrees is shut out and considered the enemy.

Conspiracy Theories are Nothing New

Few of them have anything to do with how you live your life and even if true, which most are not, what can you do about it? But, before the break I said we’ll explore the greatest conspiracy of all time—right from the pages of the Bible. But let me first remind you of how skeptical we have become. Many are convinced the U.S. government is not being truthful about a number of current and historical events. For example:

It is alleged that the Moon Landing was faked, an alien spacecraft crashed at Roswell, New Mexico, and contrails are really chemtrails. And, then there is The HAARP project.

HAARP, an acronym for High-Frequency Active Auroral Research Program, is a real U.S. government program. The only question is the alleged interpretation of its purpose.

Its official website states:

The High-frequency Active Auroral Research Program, or HAARP, is a scientific endeavor aimed at studying the properties and behavior of the ionosphere (“About HAARP,” University of Alaska, Fairbanks, HAARP.gi.alaska.edu).

Researchers say they hope to learn about the ionosphere to enhance our communication and navigation technology. But a committed group of conspiracy theorists have long claimed HAARP is used to cause natural disasters, such as earthquakes, hurricanes, and even tsunamis. And others believe HAARP is used for mind control purposes.

Wise king Solomon wrote,

That which has been is what will be, that which is done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun. Is there anything of which it may be said, “See, this is new”? It has already been in ancient times before us (Ecclesiastes 1:9–10).

No, conspiracy theories are not new, but the Internet, social media, and photo doctoring techniques put them on steroids.

But do you realize that there are commonly believed theories about Christ that have no basis in biblical fact? For example, many claim that Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene and that the Church has hidden the evidence for centuries.

Made popular by the book Holy Blood, Holy Grail and the Dan Brown novel The Da Vinci Code, this conspiracy theory has been around a long time. Some claim that this supposed marriage produced a lineage of children that were eventually brought to France. In 2012, Harvard historian Karen King claimed to have found an ancient, second-century writing in which Jesus supposedly calls Mary “My wife.” But four years later, she conceded that she had been duped by a forgery.

Still, the theory persists, as conspiracy theorists claim Mary Magdalene’s role in the early Church has been hidden and suppressed to maintain the power structure of the male “patriarchy.”

Of course the Bible says no such thing, but this is an example of how little understanding, and how little faith individuals have in the one and only authoritative source of the life of Jesus. Books can be exciting. Movies can be thrilling. But neither secular books nor movies should guide us on this important subject. As blasphemous as this theory is, and the conspiracy about the disciples stealing the body of Jesus, there is an even more important one—the greatest conspiracy of all.

The Rise of a Counterfeit Christian Church

True first century followers of Christ took the truth seriously. For them, it was no game, no social club, but a way of life. The questions must be asked: Is the Christianity of today the same as that of the first century? Is it “Original Christianity,” or a shallow counterfeit? Here’s the answer from mainline Protestant scholar, Jesse Lyman Hurlbut, in his book The Story of the Christian Church. In the chapter that he titled, “The Age of Shadows” he wrote:

For fifty years after St. Paul’s life a curtain hangs over the church, through which we strive vainly to look; and 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” (Hurlbut, The Story of the Christian Church, 1970, p. 33).

Now what were those changes that he refers to? How significant were they? Were they minor cosmetic changes or changes in frontline doctrines? Hurlbut lists a few of the many that took place during the shadowy time and the centuries that followed.

The services of worship increased in splendor, but were less spiritual and hearty than those of former times. The forms and ceremonies of paganism gradually crept into the worship. Some of the old heathen feasts became church festivals with change of name and of worship. About 405 A.D. images of saints and martyrs began to appear in the churches, at first as memorials, then in succession revered, adored, and worshiped. The adoration of the Virgin Mary was substituted for the worship of Venus and Diana; the Lord’s Supper became a sacrifice in place of a memorial; and the elder evolved from a preacher into a priest. (Hurlbut, The Story of the Christian Church, 1918, p. 79).

Hurlbut is one of many mainline scholars and historians who admit that the Christian church of today is not the same as that of Jesus, His apostles, and His first-century followers. Original Christianity was corrupted by one, grand conspiracy. One common narrative is that Roman Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity and made Christianity the religion of Europe and much of the world. But how converted was Constantine, and what kind of Christianity did he bring to the world? Historian Paul Johnson observes the following in this regard:

[T]here is some doubt about the magnitude of Constantine’s change of ideas.… He himself appears to have been a sun-worshipper, one of a number of late-pagan cults which had observances in common with the Christians. Thus the followers of Isis adored a madonna nursing her holy child; the cult of Attis and Cybele celebrated a day of blood and fasting, followed by the Hilaria resurrection-feast, a day of joy, on 25 March; the elitist Mithraics, many of whom were senior army officers, ate a sacred meal. Constantine was almost certainly a Mithraic, and his triumphal arch, built after his ‘conversion’, testifies to the Sun-god, or ‘unconquered sun.’ Many Christians did not make a clear distinction between this sun-cult and their own. They referred to Christ ‘driving his chariot across the sky’; they held their services on Sunday, knelt towards the East and had their nativity-feast on 25 December, the birthday of the sun at the winter solstice. During the later pagan revival under the Emperor Julian many Christians found it easy to apostatize because of this confusion; the Bishop of Troy told Julian he had always prayed secretly to the sun. Constantine never abandoned sun-worship and kept the sun on his coins. He made Sunday into a day of rest (A History of Christianity, 1976, pp. 67–68).

The record of history shows original Christianity of the first century was very different from that of today, but does this matter as long as we worship Jesus? How does the Bible answer this question? And how does it describe first century Christianity?

Who Really Perpetrated False Christianity? And How Can You Escape?

That modern professing Christianity has been supplanted is not in dispute. The real questions are: Who did it? And, what should you do about it? The answers to both are found in the Bible. Let’s answer the first question: Who is behind this conspiracy? Speaking of the time yet ahead, we read in Revelation 12 and verse 9 that there is a great deceiver:

So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him (Revelation 12:9).

In Ephesians 2, verse 2, we learn how he deceives the world—by broadcasting attitudes and moods through the air.

And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience (Ephesians 2:1–2).

Satan does not direct the course of this world alone. He uses human beings who themselves are most often deceived. And that deception is not in moral values alone, but in Christianity itself. There are many warnings in the New Testament against a Satanic false Christianity—more than I have time to fully cover in this program. One passage shows the Apostle Paul soundly correcting the church at Corinth over their careless acceptance of doctrines contrary to the truth—2 Corinthians 11, verse 4:

For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted—you may well put up with it! (2 Corinthians 11:4).

Paul then went on to explain the source of the problem and he minced no words in doing so. He would not be viewed as politically correct today. Notice it in verses 13–15:

For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works (2 Corinthians 11:13–15).

Yes, there was a conspiracy to transform Christianity into something very different from that of Jesus and his early followers. Jesus’ half-brother Jude, writing in the first century, admonished those of his day that they needed to strive to preserve the truth which was already delivered to them. And by doing so, he put a nail in the coffin of the idea that true Christianity should evolve over time. Notice in Jude verse 3:

Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints (Jude 1:3).

Jude went on to show one of the major tenets of this conspiracy—that grace does away with the law of God. Here it is in verse 4:

For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ (Jude 1:4).

Jesus warned against following men who claim to represent Him, men who say Jesus is the Christ, but deceive the people in the process. The first sign Jesus gave when asked by His disciples about the sign of His coming, was false Christianity.

Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name [That is, representing Him], saying, “I [That is, Jesus] am the Christ,” and will deceive many (Matthew 24:4–5).

Jesus said in Matthew 5:17,

Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill (Matthew 5:17).

So what do people do? They think exactly what He said not to think—that the law of God is done away. No wonder Jesus asks,

But why do you call Me “Lord, Lord,” and do not do the things which I say? (Luke 6:46).

The highly respected philosopher and theologian Søren Kierkegaard, sums it up with brutal clarity:

The Christianity of the New Testament simply does not exist…. what has to be done is to throw light upon a criminal offense against Christianity, prolonged through centuries, perpetrated by millions (more or less guiltily), whereby they have cunningly, under the guise of perfecting Christianity, sought little by little to cheat God out of Christianity, and have succeeded in making Christianity exactly the opposite of what it is in the New Testament (Kierkegaard, Walter Lowrie trans. Attack Upon “Christendom”, 1946, pp. 32–33).

So what are you, dear friends, going to do? Will you follow the traditions of men, as they have been handed down to you? That’s the easy course. Or are you courageous enough to turn back to original Christianity?

Thank you for watching! If you found this video helpful, and want to learn more about how Paul, Peter, and other first century leaders of the Church worshiped God differently than Christians today, order your free copy of “Restoring Original Christianity.” All you need to do is click the link in the description, as it is completely free. And remember to subscribe to our channel so you can continue to learn the plain truth from the pages of the Bible. See you next time.