Pagan ideas of a fiery netherworld date back as far as Egypt's Nimrod. Way before Christ, in the 6^th century BC, Zoroaster taught the Persians of a Lord of Lies who lived in the dark reaches under the earth recording the deeds of men as debits and credits. After death, souls went to be judged, and if found evil, would be doomed to torment. To easily win pagan converts, the church adopted these theories and began relating Zoroastic meanings to symbolic verses. Apostle Paul predicted such distortions (apostasy) would occur (Acts 20:29-30).

The Bible’s prediction on the future of Christianity after the departure of the Apostles was interesting. The Apostle Paul forecast a great apostasy where savage wolves would rise from within the believers themselves and draw people away from the truth. How was this prophecy fulfilled? What were the various false doctrines brought in by this Great Apostasy? And how did they end up impacting Christianity?

The advent of Gnostic theories triggered a forceful response in the Johannine epistles that Jesus was the very Word of God - the mighty Logos. Seen in light of that historical context, those writings take on a whole new meaning. After apostles died, history shows people gradually elevating Jesus from Son of God to God's Equalas a counter-measure to the Gnostics. Much later in the 4th century, we see politics play a role in setting up a Creed where Jesus is declared God. The concept of a trinity i.e. Holy Spirit also being deemed God, enters in the 5th century.

The Scriptures declare, ‘yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live’ (1 Corinthians 8:6).
And that God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son [Jesus], that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life’ (John 3:16).
We need to worship and praise the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father (Ephesians 1:17) and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Phil 2:11).
But why is this so important?