In this podcast series—which is a bit more extensive than our other offerings, as it requires a more thorough examination—we will cover the history of the rise and spread of what became Christianity throughout the earth, as well as the establishment and growth of the church system, both of which are corruptions of the original Hebrew culture that is the focus of the Scriptures.
Capitalism is the final de facto religion to emerge on the world stage, which it quickly dominates. Meanwhile, Christianity, which is given two thousand years to flourish—as seen in key Scriptural events and prophecies—is integral to the system of the two beasts of Revelation 13. The identity of that second beast is also revealed, allowing us to mark our place on the prophetic timeline.
As Christian denominations spread throughout the colonies, sans the support or protection of any central government, they each found a way to gain a foothold while learning to tolerate one another. Within this new environment, and surrounded by unbelievers as they were, a series of revivals took place that led to two Great Awakenings. This in turn led to the birth of several new harlot daughters of Mystery Babylon.
The harlot daughters of the mother church begin to spread across the American colonies and carve out individual paths to eventual separation from the old world. Slavery, meanwhile, thrives as a result of increased trade created in a new market system, which, with the establishment of the United States, gives rise to capitalism, a new and far-reaching religion.
European nations embark on an empire-building spree by founding new colonies in the new world, chief among them being the thirteen colonies established by Great Britain, which began with Virginia. Failed attempts at making the investment work eventually lead to the institution of slavery, which sees the first Israelites shipped to Jamestown in August of 1619. Millions more follow over time, fulfilling specific Scriptural curses and prophecies.
While European nations are rejecting Catholicism far and wide on the grounds of theological disagreements, England finds fault with the mother church for political reasons. British succession to the throne draws the king of England into conflict with the papacy, forcing Henry VIII to split with the dominant religion and stand at the head of yet another branch of it. But opposition from Puritans further shapes the denomination.
Intent on passing through Geneva after a one-night stay, John Calvin is asked to join the reform movement there. His efforts and leadership in effect resulted in a third branch of Protestantism: Reformed Christianity. In the late 1550s, a militant version of this movement spreads beyond Geneva and draws a large number of converts. The denomination reached its height in Scotland and migrated to America after engulfing Europe.
Due to his outlaw status, Martin Luther is forced to remain in the shadows of the Reformation while others assume leadership positions in his church, which quickly develops into an institution. Meanwhile, Ulrich Zwingli, a prominent Swiss reformer laboring apart from Luther, spearheads an important reform movement in the Swiss Confederacy that gives rise to radical Protestants who create yet another denomination: the Anabaptists.
Martin Luther lived through a series of pivotal historic movements, and he charted a course that saw him leave his own indelible and prophetic mark, that being the Protestant Reformation, which he is considered to have fathered. Abhorred by the selling of indulgences, Martin Luther begins his attack on the church with a series of influential writings, which leads to his excommunication. But the Reformation could not be stopped.
After gaining maritime knowledge, the Portuguese embark on explorations that lead to the discovery of islands that become their new outposts. In search of gold, they reach the west African coast and instead create a new slave market by enslaving and trading descendants of ancient Israelites. Meanwhile, Spain finances Columbus’s first voyage to the New World—mistaken for the East Indies—which touches off the European age of “discovery.”
While the Great Schism of the papacy played out following the Avignon period, the glories and excesses of the Renaissance were being realized. Painters, sculptors, artists, and poets—by blending paganism and Christianity—sought to capture the essence of Greek and Roman splendor as expressed through art and literature. Amidst the creative explosion, the popes sought to elevate Rome to new heights and restore her former glory.
With a string of venalities and controversies surrounding the papacy, the hearts of men began to turn against the office and the ancient church structure. At the forefront of the pre-Reformation movement were John Wycliffe and John Huss. Wycliffe’s writings and teachings would prove highly influential, leading to a popular following comprised of the Lollards. And when that influence reached Bohemia, John Huss took it even farther.
Medieval European society reaches unprecedented heights as peace reigns, allowing for improved trade, urban expansion, wider missionary efforts, intellectual and artistic pursuits, and more. The papacy also benefits from the period of development, as the most powerful pope in Christian history, Innocent III, wields his authority over kings and nations alike. But dissent would be fomented against the papacy following the transfer of the papal residence to Avignon.
Jerusalem is transformed into a Christian crusader state following the First Crusade. Several principalities are carved out of the Muslim empire as well, but before long, a Second and Third Crusade are fought, shifting the balance in favor of the Muslims, who retake the lauded city. Five crusades would follow before the crusading fervor expired, but the wars would weaken the Byzantine Empire, leading to its fall.
As the investiture controversy rages on, Pope Gregory VII and King Henry IV face off, forcing one to yield to the other. While the eastern empire is being overrun by Seljuk Turks, Gregory’s successor, Urban II, assumes the papal throne and, preaching at the Council of Clermont, initiates the First Crusade, which draws 60,000—peasants and nobles alike—to the cause of vanquishing the Arab and Turkish infidels.
The church experiences a low ebb of morality while enduring the external threat of yet other invasions, this time by Magyars from the east and Norsemen from the north. Vikings and Danes plunder the west and establish kingdoms in what would become powerful European states, while the church and the papacy suffer from widespread corruption. The practice of simony plagues the clergy, and feudalism sweeps through the empire.
A line of do-nothing-kings from the Merovingian dynasty rule the Franks, which forces the creation of mayors of the palace, an office of chief household officials. In time, these mayors seize more and more control, and Pepin III is finally crowned king, beginning the new Carolingian dynasty. Charles Martel (“the Hammer”) would follow, and Charles the Great, better known as Charlemagne, would achieve the greatest height among them.
With the conquest of much of the eastern empire, the spread of Muslim domination is halted in 733 by the Franks. The peoples of the conquered lands learn to live under Muslim rule and many adopt Islam. After a century of conquering, however, the successors of the Muslim elite rest on their laurels and watch as their empire is fragmented, thwarting all hopes for a unified Islamic state.
Muhammad, born in Mecca to a low clan, marries into wealth and claims to receive visions that would form the foundation for Islam. Forced to emigrate from Mecca, he finds a strong following in Medina, and after unifying warring tribes in the cause of Islam, the united Arab front storms into the Byzantine territories of the ancient Near East, which they would dominate to the present day.
During Justinian’s Gothic War, a future pope is born, Gregory the Great, who would lay the foundation for the Papal States as well as the civil authority to govern both them and western Europe. Gregory, through his mission of monks sent abroad, was also instrumental in establishing Christian traditions that are infused with barbarian heathenism, such as Halloween, Easter, and Christmas, to which he turned a blind eye.
Emperor Justinian becomes a law unto himself and declares his word to be sacred. By making himself equal with the Most High, a fierce judgment is unleashed to coincide with the legal primacy of the papacy in Rome. Both Justinian and his realm are met with punishment when a severe plague devastates Constantinople and its surroundings. Strange weather patterns and anomalies in the sky also mark the judgment.
