TRUE CHRISTIANITY PREVAILS

"In a mighty way the word of Jehovah kept growing and prevailing." -Acts 19:20. 


FIRED with the power of holy spirit, the early Christians proclaimed God's Word with a zeal that could not be dampened.  One historian wrote:  "Christianity had spread with remarkable rapidity over the Roman world.  By the year 100 probably every province that bordered the Mediterranean had a Christian community within it."

Satan the Devil could not silence the early Christians. Instead, he countered the impact of the good news by another means -apostasy. Jesus had foretold this development in his parable of the wheat and the weeds. (Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43)  The apostle Peter had also warned that false teachers would arise within the congregation, bringing in destructive sects.  (2 Peter 2:1-3) Similarly, the apostle Paul had specifically warned that apostasy would precede the day of Jehovah. -2 Thessalonians 2:1-3. 

Following the death of the apostles, the good news came to be overshadowed by pagan teachings and philosophies. As foretold, false teachers distorted and polluted the pure  message of truth. Gradually, true Christianity was eclipsed by a counterfeit called Christendom. A clergy class arose that tried to keep the Bible out of the hands of the common people. Though the numbers of those who called themselves Christians increased, their worship was not pure. Christendom grew geographically and became a powerful institution and a dominant force in the Western culture, but it had neither God's blessing nor his spirit. 

However, Satan's scheme to thwart Jehovah's purpose was doomed to failure. During even the darkest days of apostasy, true Christianity was still alive among some.  Men who copied the Bible took pains to do so accurately.  Thus, the Bible itself remained intact through its message was perverted by many who professed to have the authority to teach it.  Over the centuries such scholars as Jerome and Tyndale bravely translated and distributed God's Word. Millions of people were exposed to the Bible and to a form of Christianity, counterfeit though it was. 

Eventually, as foretold in the book of Daniel, 'the true knowledge became abundant.'  This has occurred in "the time of the end" -the time in which we are now living.  (Daniel 12:4) Holy spirit has led lovers of truth worldwide to an accurate knowledge of the true God and his purpose. Even after centuries of apostate teaching, God's word prevails! Today, the good news is being proclaimed everywhere, pointing people to the hope of a delightful new world. (Psalm 37:11) Let us now examine this modern-day growth of God's word.

Next time: Growth of the Word Today

From the Watchtower magazine, 2001