History sheds light on the early stages of Jesus Christ's prophecy of religious deception.
by John Ross Schroeder
In the Olivet Prophecy in Matthew 24 Jesus spoke of the world that would exist between His departure and His future second coming.
One of the stark predictions that Christ offered is, "For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many" (Matthew 24:5).
Author William Manchester (1922-2004), in his book A World Lit Only by Fire, gives historical illumination to these prophetic words of Christ. He established the stark fact that the medieval church during the Dark Ages (roughly between A.D. 400 and A.D. 1000) bore little resemblance to the first-century Christian Church.
Readers should take Mr. Manchester's testimony seriously because he was a very competent researcher, publishing a number of other important historical works. He had already established his academic credentials with a generally acclaimed, multivolume biography of Winston Churchill. His study of the former British prime minister's life complements the excellent multivolume work of Martin Gilbert in England.
Mr. Manchester wrote in his book about the Dark Ages: "Soldiers of Christ swung their swords freely. Every flourishing religion has been intermittently watered by the blood of its own faithful, but none has seen more spectacular internecine butchery than Christianity" (1992, p. 7, emphasis added throughout).
The expression "soldiers of Christ" in this context reminds one of "Christian gunmen" of latter-day 20th-century Lebanon. But how does all this square with the plain teachings of Christ in the Sermon on the Mount? Was this really the Church He had built (see Matthew 16:18)?
