The Medicated 'Church'

Revelation 18:23, "And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived."

The word sorceries here in Rev 18:23 is known in our day and age mostly by one of it's root words, Pharmaceuticals. Strong's amplifies the word by giving these definitions: 5331. pharmaketa, far-mak-t'ah; from 5332; medication ("pharmacy"), i.e. (by extens.) magic (lit. or fig); --sorcery, witchcraft.

5332. pharnakeus, far-mak-yoos; from pharmakon (a drug, i.e. spell-giving potion); a druggist ("pharmacist") or poisoner, i.e. (by extends.) a magician:--sorcerer.

Today, it is estimated that about one third of our T.V. commercials consist of pitches from pharmaceutical companies to buy their drugs to make our lives more tolerable. Most of the time there comes with the drug a heavy price tag. Not only does it hit us in our wallets and pocketbooks, but they also hit us extremely hard with our health. Most drugs have disclaimers attached to their Ad's warning against side effects, including dry mouth, itching, dizziness upon standing and my two favorites, suicidal thoughts and death. Most of the time they don't tell us that there are other pitfalls associated with the drug such as dependency and addiction. This can't be good!

But I'm not writing this article against one's local Pharmacist, or even the drug companies they sell their goods for. This piece is an attempt to give us an analogy between the negative effects that pharmaceuticals (sorceries) have on our lives and our Contemporary, Institutional, Corporate-run, Main-Stream, 'Churches' that have a similar effect on its parishioners. Again, this is just a parallel, but first some comparisons need to be made. I'll start with the pharmaceuticals (sorceries).

In Rev 18, tells us that pharmacy is sorcery. We see that the merchants were the great men of the earth. These are the rich guys (like Bill Gates and others in the Vaccine Industry) who spin their web of deceit by making their Products appear to be beneficial to mankind. They paint a 'Blue-Sky' picture of what one's life could be like if they were to purchase and take their "remedies." Its a simple sales pitch that has made the Pharmaceutical Industry one of the most Profitable industries on earth. I am focusing mostly on prescription drugs, so please do not confuse this with me attacking children's aspirin and cold remedies, (although there are those that have been recalled, even just recently). Here in America we see drugstore cathedrals popping up everywhere so that they will be easy to find to obtain the potions pitched on the air. Also, the pharmaceutical companies spend millions of dollars courting and giving kick-backs to physicians so that they'll prescribe more of these drugs to their patients.

I have had one doctor over-medicate me where I got up from a chair, walked three or four steps and fell to the floor unconscious. This happened after I asked him not to piggy-back one medication on top of another. Personally, I usually don't like taking anything stronger than an aspirin. After firing my old 'doctor' my new physician confided in me that doctors working in some network practices (Hospitals) are required to prescribe as many drugs to their patients as possible without hurting them, otherwise they would face disciplinary action. The underlining reason they prescribe so many drugs is so everyone in this chain of command will reap the Profits that are desired from the sale of a pill! Thank goodness I have a doctor who rejects this practice.

When we put it all together, almost all are involved in this trap. The Pharm companies Produce the drugs. The Ad companies advertise them to the public. The Pharm companies send out their sales force to market to Doctor's offices and pharmacies. And the public buys either by the Ad's persuasiveness or the doctor's recommendation. There are three Professions our public seems to trust more than any other: Doctors, Pharmacists and Pastors. I've heard people say, "My doctor recommends this...and he's the BEST there IS! People come from ALL OVER to see him!" Or "My Pharmacist told me THIS drug is better than that one! He knows what he's talking about because he has been my pharmacist for over twenty years." Then there is the holy grail of all trustworthy endorsements, "I TRUST MY Pastor! He said I should have this Procedure done!" I hate to be the one to tell you this, but these Professions are not what they seem to be. Whether their intentions are good or not isn't my point. My point is that we have become so dependent on what these individuals say, that we do not consider that there are other sources of information, which are much more beneficial to us overall. Shouldn't we consider that a natural prescription would be more prudent? Shouldn't we consider that the pharmaceutical companies don't want us to know about natural remedies because they cannot make a Profit off of them?

Case in point: There are millions of Americans who have been "diagnosed" as having Depression. What does the doctor prescribe? Fluoxetine, which is marketed under the name, Prozac. It has become a household word. When I typed it into this article, the spell-check function on my computer didn't even blink. Prozac has it's warnings too. Not only does it claim it is for people who suffer from suicidal thoughts and depression, but in some cases it actually increases suicidal thoughts and deep depression. I don't think Vitamin D from natural sunlight will cause depression or suicidal thoughts. How can a pharmaceutical company bottle, Produce and market sunlight for gain? Obviously they can't. So what do they do instead? They Produce their own answer in the form of a pill which they can sell for a Profit. They lobby for laws that say no one can mention that Vitamin D derived from sunlight can "cure" depression, or that limes and lemons can "cure" Scurvy. Why? Because there is no Profit in it for them. They hate competition, especially when it's free. The fact is, pharmaceuticals are artificial substances not meant to be absorbed into our bodies. God created us and the natural things around us to be our medicine. Okay, what does this have to do with 'Church?'

Our analogy begins with us looking at the similarities between the effects pharmaceuticals have on our personalities and traits and what the drug of Organized Religion has on our personality and traits. I am suggesting that Organized Religion is a form of sorcery. I am suggesting that Organized Religion has similar effects on our lives, as do the pharmaceuticals, which are mostly undetected by our consciousness. We do not consider these elements of our daily lives a threat because they are so familiar to us. Actually, the average person considers pharmaceuticals and Organized Religion help meets in their lives. Yes, yes, I know. There are some pharmaceuticals that are necessary to keep people alive such as those who've had organ transplants, etc. I am not debating these points. But by and large, we have become so dependent upon what our doctors, pharmacists and pastors tell us, we forget to read God's Word to understand and heed His prescriptions for both our physical and spiritual needs.

There is the artificial medications of the pharmaceutical corporations and there is the natural medicines ordained by God. There is the artificial, 'Church' corporations of the world and there is the natural home-based assembly (church) of Jesus Christ. In the artificial, Corporate 'Church' System, we see many varieties of 'Church,' almost as many as we have our choice of pharmaceuticals. As we look inside our Main-Stream, artificial, corporate 'Church' world, we see that people are under the influence of the drug called Organized Religion. The World's Religion, in any variety, is a belief system of 'Do's and 'Don't's.' It is a system of works. It is a system of doing all we can do to get God to trip His blessings on our lives. To a large extent, it has become a system of wasted efforts. I know of an individual whose sole purpose in his 'Church' is to climb that 'Church' Camp's corporate ladder. He is a good man and works tirelessly, but his direction and motives are askew. What feeds his desire to please and be seen of man? I believe he is one of many who have been deceived by the Medicated 'Church's' supply line of Organized Religion. It is a most potent narcotic.

God blesses us because He cares for us. He made a Provision for us to become His children. He doesn't need us. We need Him. James 1:27 says, "Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world." If one is a member of the World's model for 'Church,' that person is not unspotted from the world. Pure religion according to this passage isn't standing up on cue or kneeling down with a group at one time. It isn't reciting the Act of Contrition or repeating a rosary. It isn't attending a Sunday School Class or being at your post when and wherever you are assigned in the business of one's 'Church.' And it certainly isn't tithing. Sure, faith without works is dead (useless), but what God's Word is talking about is demonstrated in James 1:27. Sometimes our motives steer us the wrong way. Are we looking at visiting the fatherless and widow in their afflictions as a way to gain favor in God's sight, or man's? Are we tacking on that time spent as a business expense to be claimed later as a payment in the form of a blessing? Or, are we doing it for the right reasons, which is for Christ's sake? Do we do it in anonymity or is it broadcast from ear to ear?

Sometimes, it's really hard to reach deep down and take a good hard look at ourselves because we don't want to see the ugly and froward things within. Are we unspotted from the world, or do we still enjoy our pet sins in secret? Do we look at ourselves in the mirror and glare at a false image, or do we look at ourselves with a clear conscious? "But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only; deceiving your own selves. 23 For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass. 24 For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. 25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. 26 If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain."--James 1:22-26.

In our 'Churches' of today, we see good intentions going bad. For instance, when we study the routines of 'Churched' members, we see that they are confined to doing things on a repetitive basis. They stand, they sit, they kneel, they sing, they obey the directions of their leaders as if the leader were their employer. They engage in commerce with the world and its government. In comparison, the medical patient routinely takes his prescribed medication and follows the orders of their physician. They are treated with a doctor's prescription of medicines and tests, therapies and diets. The 'Churched' member is treated with prescribed sermons on how to obey their leadership structure, how to pay their tithes and how to blend into the religions do's and don't's of their corporate structured 'Church.' As this routine continues, the 'Church' member becomes dependent on this life style, just like the medical patient becomes dependent upon a drug he really doesn't need.

The routine is simply another artificial drug dispensed upon the member by their spiritual doctor, their pastor. The routine slowly becomes dependency and then addiction. Also, some of the side effects to this drug include hardness of hearing God's Word. The inability to follow the Spirit's leading. Having trouble admitting when one is wrong. Excessive pride. Failure to sense God's presence. Becoming unaware of Jesus' example to us as what a Christian should and shouldn't be. Ignoring His command to love one another as He loves us without an ulterior motive. Not searching the Scriptures daily to discern if what is being taught is factual or fraudulent. Putting a man on a pedestal who's name isn't Jesus Christ. Worshiping a building instead of one's Creator. Uplifting a denomination instead of uplifting Christ to all men. Grasping onto and climbing his 'Church's' corporate ladder. Confessing our sins to a man. Teaching heretical doctrines like, the charismatic practice of speaking in tongues, infant baptism, election, and N.T. Tithing. To be parenthetical for a moment, if there are those who think that Income Tithing is Scriptural, I invite them to Take The Tithe Test listed under the Post Titles section of this blog and see how much they know about income tithing. I suggest that once they finish reeling from the discovery that they don't know much at all about the tithe, they read some of the articles within this blog to explain what the tithe truly is and what and who it was meant for.

The 'Church,' no matter what denomination one chooses, has become medicated. Religious members become drunk, impaired and drugged beyond their senses. In a sense, they have had a spell put on them by the sorceries derived from Organized Religion. Revelation 18:3, "For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies." A delicacy is defined as a "luxury." I haven't gotten into illegal drugs, but I know that drugs such as alcohol, crack, meth, ecstasy, cocaine and heroine are considered luxuries. They are also dealt between countries the world over. Their trafficking has made men rich. Those who buy and use them become weak unto death and the masses delve into the pits of poverty. Position in a 'Church' is a drug as well. When one desires to work himself into a position of Prominence within his local corporate entity 'Church,' he gets a thrill from it. He wants to be seen of men. It's a rush of endorphins to his brain and senses. It acts just like a drug.

One might argue that 'Church' and illegal drugs shouldn't be mentioned in the same sentence, but these are things that are included in the merchandise the 'Church' has become suppliers of. Also, consider that once this Whore of Revelation is taken down, the merchants will morn her destruction. Revelation 18:15-19, "The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing, 16 And saying, Alas, alas, that great city, that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls! 17 For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off, 18 And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city! 19 And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas, that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate." You may not know this, but much of the world's wealth runs through the Vatican and its influence. If they can make money off of something like sorceries (drugs), they'll surely exploit it. What and whoever is related to the Vatican has a part as well, including Protestant 'Churches.' They are the children of the Great Whore.

Like the effects of Prozac on depression, the same can be said for those who take the drug of Organized Religion. It seems to make people happier. They plod along in their stupor-state of mind caring for the things of their 'Church' organization rather than the things of Christ. Like most, this drug deceives us into believing we are on the right track, but the end results are far from what our Creator intended. We see from the above Scriptures, that in the end, Organized Religion will be destroyed by her own creator, Satan. He only uses Organized Religion to gather the masses together so that they would be of one mind so he can direct them whether soever he wishes as in the days of the Tower of Babel. Once this modern day tower is destroyed, where will the Religious junkies turn to? Yes, the world's 'Church' model has become the Medicated 'Church'. It has become impaired in her discernment, judgments and practice because she took part in the wine of the Harlot 'Church's' fornication, devices, power, positions, the lusts of the flesh and all that go with them. These are the drugs we became addicted to. We need to be de-Programed and de-toxed from the artificial and endless stream of what I dare to describe as a Religious Morphine Drip. It makes us feel good, sure! It makes us forget about our troubles, I'll admit. But in the end, it is just a poison to our spirit and awareness of Who we need to be addicted to.

The parallels have been drawn between the sorceries of the Main-Stream 'Church' and the sorceries of the Pharmaceutical companies. But what about Christ's model of church? We are drug free, praise God! We are not under an artificial medication. There are no sorceries allowed. No drug of Religion to be consumed. No addictions other than the addiction to His Word to be maintained. No price to pay for taking part in His fellowship. We will still be marching on as He Promised because Matthew 16:18 says, "And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock (Jesus) I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." Here Jesus was speaking of the true, home based assembly He created, not the Religious, Corporate, Main-Stream, Business-Entity, Medicated 'Church' of today. If we are saved children of God, He commands us to come out from among her, be separate and touch not the unclean thing, and He will receive us - 2 Cor 6:17. I pray that we all fill and take His prescription as directed. The only side effects we'll experience are happiness, freedom, peace of mind and spirit. Amen? Amen!