It is not enough to know the truth if we do not live it. It is also not enough to live part of the truth, though that may help us some. After an angel broke the apostles out of Herod’s prison, he told them to go and speak to the people “the whole message of this life” (see Acts 5:18-21). That’s what we need to hear and seek to obey.

       Jesus is that message. It’s all about Jesus. The book of Revelation, which we’re told in the first sentence is the revelation of Jesus Christ, does therefore contain the whole message of this life. Jesus is the Truth, and in Him is contained all of God’s truth for man. He does not just have every answer for every human need or problem; He is the Answer. So, we don’t just need a good strategy for getting out of our troubles; we need to seek Him, and He will lead us out if we follow Him.

       Now, the problem is how most Christians—and most of the world—think the counterfeit church is God’s church and that its nature reflects God’s nature. As we will see, it is actually antichrist—contrary to Him and His true nature—and has caused most of mankind, and even most Christians, to have a very distorted view of God.

       As repeated, any truth that gets institutionalized will get corrupted. As Christianity became increasingly institutionalized in the first three centuries after the cross, its message became very different from the one Jesus and His apostles preached. When it became forbidden for the Scriptures to be read, even by priests, the doctrines of the church became even more contrary to the gospel Jesus brought, and “doctrines of demons” took over. This led the church, and much of the world, into the Dark Ages, likely the darkest times spiritually since the days of Noah.

       After over 1,200 years of this thick darkness, the Scriptures were rediscovered. The first item printed on the newly invented printing press was the Bible. With this German Bible, the Word of God was again put in the hands of Christians. This resulted in the biggest geopolitical and spiritual shift in history since Jesus and His apostles. A single monk, Martin Luther, changed the world more than any conqueror ever had when he embraced the message of Jesus and vowed never to compromise it.

       This began the Reformation. It is called this because of how it reformed the church, but that was just the beginning. It reformed much of the world. John Calvin is the true father of modern democracy. This reforming has continued for over 500 years now, and the church perhaps still needs as much reformation as has already been done. So, will it take another 500 years to fully reform the church? No. As Peter exhorted in 2 Peter 3:8, with the Lord a thousand years is as a day, meaning He can do in one day what we think would take a thousand years.

       So, how long will the rest take? Only the Father knows. We only know that it will be completed, and we just need to do our part for our time. Our part will be what we are given to see. We must also consider that the church we’re talking about is the institutional church that men have built. The Lord’s church, which He called “a little flock,” has remained mostly in the “wilderness” of obscurity the whole time.

       The Light that has come to the church men built is still a good thing. We’re told that the Lord gives His rain and His sunshine to the righteous and unrighteous. He loves all men and desires for them to be saved, and many have in that which is actually a counterfeit to the church He is building. As we’re told, if He is slow with His judgments because He desires that none would be lost, and so delays His judgments on man’s church, we should rejoice in this and in our brothers and sisters being saved.

       Pope John Paul II wrote one of the clearest teachings on the baptism in the Holy Spirit I have read to this day. He then exhorted all Catholics to be born again and baptized in the Spirit, and about 100 million did in the Catholic Renewal. We published Pope John Paul’s article in The MorningStar Journal. He was one of those transcendent leaders who was a leader of the whole church. Other Catholic leaders, and other denominational leaders, have been great lights to the whole church, and sometimes the world. We should rejoice in everyone who brings the light of Christ.

       Even so, in Revelation it is clear that man’s church will have an end. I see nowhere in the Bible where God’s people are told to bring this about by attacking it, but the Lord will take care of this Himself. When the call goes out for His people to “Come out of her,” we should be there to help them. The best thing we can do for them is to have an alternative we can lead them to that Christ has built, and He inhabits, so they are led to the Lord and not just the church.

© 2026 Rick Joyner. All Rights Reserved.