Satan and Church History
Part1

It occured to me many years ago
that although most people believe in satan or the devil,
very few have any idea of his influence on history,
the church, or his effect on our everyday lives.
Satan's main objective is to destroy man any way he can,
mainly by turning us away from God.
Satan is at the head of every government.
God gave the control and dominion of the world to Adam.
When Adam sinned he forfeited it to satan.
Satan's been in control every since.
Thats why when Jesus was being tempted,
Satan took him on top of a high mountain
and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and said,
"If you will bow down and worship me
I will give all these kingdoms to you."
Jesus didn't say they were not his to give because they were.

Matt 4:8-11
8   Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain
and showed him all the kingdoms of the world
and their splendor.
9   "All of this I will give you," he said
"if you will bow down and worship me."
10   Jesus said to him,
"Away from me Satan! for it is written:
"Worship the Lord your God and serve him only."
11   Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him. (NIV)


Satan will do everything in his power to stop the things of God.
Once he finds that he can't stop it,
he will enter into it and try to twist it of course.
When Jesus died on the cross,
what christianity there was died with him.
If God hadn't raised him from the dead that would have been the end of it.
Those dingbat disciples had been with Jesus for three and a half years
and hadn't learned anything.
If it hadn't been for the apostle Paul christianity
would have been nothing more than an add on to judaism,
and we would still be adhering to kosher and mosaic law.
Stan spent nearly three hundred years slaughtering christians
with no sucess,
finally on October 27, A.D. 312
on the eve of the battle of Milvain bridge, constantine saw a vision of the cross
just above the setting sun.
Above the cross were the words,
In this sign conquer.
Constantine decided to fight under the sign of the cross and won.
Until then he had been fighting under the sign of the two headed eagle.
[One of the signs that nazi germany used also.]
This was the beginning of the christianity of the roman empire
and the beginning of the end of the persecutions
of christians by the roman empire.
Constantine became a christian himself
and made christianity the religion of his empire.
He made sunday the christian day of assembly,
a day of rest.
He forbid ordinary work on this day.
He started building churches, abolished slavery,
gladiator fights, the killing of unwanted children,
and crucifixtions.
Constantine ruled from 306-337.

Julian A.D. 361-363 tried to restore paganism.
Jovian A.D. 363-364 restored the christian faith.
Theodius A.D. 378-395 made christianity the state religion,
made church membership mandatory,
outlawed pagan religions, and idol worship.
Now because of this forced conversion the church
was filled with degenerate people, and started the process
of mixing paganism with christianity.

Now who's idea do you suppose that was??