I believe that if Jesus or any of the Apostles were to live today, the institutional Church and its leaders would be their greatest haters. I think that Jesus would enter these churches and do as he did when he entered the temple in Matthew 21:12-13; he would be discussed by the materialistic corporealistic realm by which the Church has been demarcated. Jesus would speak to the pastors, preachers, teachers, and prophets the same way, in the same manner as he did to the religious leaders in Matthew 23, speaking against all the Nimrods, Nebuchadnezzars, and the Elymas Bar-Jesus of today's Church. Many of the great, powerful, politically connected church leaders would seek to assassinate his reputation, to kill him, they would say that he is not who he says he is, essentially crucifying him over again; these leaders putting themselves in line to who Paul spoke of in Hebrews 6:4-6. Not only would church leaders do this, but church citizens (members) would metaphorically say, "Away with this Man, and release Barabbas to us!" preferring to let these false, murderous, exploitive, manipulative leaders live and further push their exploitative, deceptive schema, murderous ways and agenda (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12 NTL) over experiencing the life that Jesus offers (John 10:10). It is important to note that is wasn't so much the secular system that had Jesus executed but the cry and demand of the religious system of its leaders and its follower (Luke 23:3-16). What I believe is that God will cause the destruction of, the demolishing of the most magnificent, powerful, splendid, admirable, impressive, mega religious institution to reconstruct it into the Church that Christ built. So it behooves believers to dress appropriately for such demolition by putting on their spiritual hardhats, protective goggles, work gloves, suit, steel-toed boots, and knee pads because this is not going to look pretty, but in the end, the beauty, freedom, and peacefulness of what the Church that Jesus built will be seen and felt (Haggai 2:9, Matthew 21:12-14).
In conclusion, I will end with a partial quote from Frederick Douglas: "...Indeed, I can see no reason, but the most deceitful one, for calling the religion of this land Christianity. I look upon it as the climax of all misnomers, the boldest of all frauds, and the grossest of all libels. Never was there a clearer case of "stealing the livery of the court of heaven to, serve the devil in."
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