More than a decade ago, I wrote The Fall of Christendom—And the Separation of the Remnant. Since its publication, I have been humbled by the many messages from readers who shared how it opened their eyes to the larger story, the sweeping overview of how Christendom arrived at its present state. That “big picture” view has always been the burden of my spirit.

Today, I return to those themes, not to rehash old arguments, but to press them further—deeper, into the marrow of our collective conscience. The question remains as urgent as ever, perhaps even more so in our time of great religious confusion:

How did we get here?

Apostolic Warnings

The New Testament contains not only proclamations of grace but also sobering warnings. Three texts stand out as particularly vital:

• Hebrews warns against retreating into Judaism.

• Galatians cautions against beginning in the Spirit but seeking perfection through the law.

• Revelation presents Christ’s own admonitions to the churches, declaring that their lampstand would be removed if they refused to repent.

And here lies the burning question: What would it look like if they did not repent?

• What if the Galatians persisted in finishing in the flesh what began in the Spirit?

• What if the Hebrews clung to the forms and ceremonies of a passing covenant?

• What if the churches ignored Christ’s rebuke and carried on with cold orthodoxy, lukewarm faith, or lifeless ritual?

History itself gives us the answer: Christianity, once ablaze with apostolic fire, slowly morphed into a religion of priests, altars, incense, and empire. A living faith became an institution. The Spirit was quenched. The lampstand removed.

And yet—even in the darkest chapters—God preserved a remnant. A people who chose Spirit over ceremony, truth over tradition, Christ Himself over the systems that claimed His name.

A Prophetic Call

This post is not merely history, nor is it theory. It is a call. A prophetic summons to look unflinchingly at where we are, to trace how we got here, and to reckon with what it means that the lampstand has already been removed from much of Christendom.

The only hope lies where it always has:

• In returning to the Word of God and the Spirit of Truth.

• In joining the remnant outside the gates.

• In embracing Christ as the living Head of His people.

1. Hebrews: Warning Against Returning to Judaism

The Epistle to the Hebrews insists the old covenant is obsolete:

“Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.” (Heb. 8:13 NKJV)

To return to temple and priesthood was to crucify Christ afresh (Heb. 6:6).

History confirms the warning was ignored. By the late 2nd century, the Eucharist was increasingly described as a sacrifice, bishops as priests. Cyprian of Carthage argued the bishop stood in the place of Christ in offering the Eucharist. Thus, shadows of Judaism crept back under Christian names.

2. Galatians: Warning Against Finishing in the Flesh

Paul’s rebuke was stark:

“Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?” (Gal. 3:3 NKJV)

By the 3rd century, salvation was widely understood as mediated through sacraments. Baptism, Eucharist, and penance became a system where grace was dispensed mechanically. The life of the Spirit was overshadowed by ritual performance.

3. Revelation: Warning to the Churches

Christ warned the churches: Ephesus had lost first love, Sardis had a name but was dead, Laodicea was lukewarm.

By the 4th century, Christianity outwardly triumphed with basilicas and liturgies, but inwardly the flame dimmed. Nominal Christianity flourished while true discipleship waned.

4. Historical Development: From Apostles to Constantine

a. Second and Third Centuries

• The monarchical bishop system arose. Ignatius urged obedience to bishops as if to Christ.

• The Montanists resisted, emphasizing the Spirit, prophecy, and holiness. Tertullian joined them. They were condemned as heretics, proof that institutional Christianity preferred order over Spirit.

b. Constantine and Imperial Christianity

The 4th century marked a dramatic shift. Constantine favored Christianity, making it the religion of empire. Bishops gained power, councils met under imperial patronage.

Christianity outwardly triumphed but inwardly conformed to worldly structures.

5. The Hollowing of Christianity

By the medieval period, the warnings were ignored:

• Hebrews ignored: a priesthood and continual sacrifices (the Mass).

• Galatians ignored: salvation by works and sacraments.

• Revelation ignored: churches wealthy, powerful, yet spiritually impoverished.

The church became a form of godliness without power (2 Tim. 3:5).

6. Case Studies of the Remnant

• Montanists (2nd–3rd c.) – Spirit, prophecy, holiness, condemned as heretics.

• Waldensians (12th–13th c.) – Apostolic poverty, vernacular preaching, rejected clerical mediation. Persecuted.

• Anabaptists (16th c.) – Radical discipleship, voluntary faith, often martyred by both Catholics and Protestants.

7. The Reformers: A Partial Recovery

The Reformers restored key truths—justification by faith, authority of Scripture, priesthood of believers.

But much of the medieval framework remained:

• Luther retained infant baptism and the state church.

• Calvin enforced conformity and sanctioned persecution.

The Reformation was real, but incomplete.

8. Theological Reflections

1. Warnings are Perennial – Drift to ritual, reliance on flesh, loss of first love appear in every age.

2. Apostasy as Substitution – Replacing Christ with religion, law, or cultural Christianity.

3. The Remnant Principle – God preserves a faithful witness in every generation.

Conclusion: A Prophetic Word for Today

History demonstrates the accuracy of the apostolic warnings. Christendom became ritual without reality, tradition without truth, form without fire.

The prophetic word today is urgent:

• The lampstand has already been extinguished in much of what calls itself church.

• God’s people must leave man-made religion and come into the light of Christ.

• They must go outside the camp, bearing His reproach but gaining His glory (Heb. 13:13).

The hope does not lie in the institutions of Christendom, but in Christ Himself, the same yesterday, today, and forever.

The choice is clear: remain in the darkness of religion where the lampstand has been removed, or come into His marvelous light where His Spirit gives life.