Isn’t the Catholic Church
the mother church?

Yes, you are right. The Catholic Church is the mother church. But the Bible sense in which she is the mother church is not very flattering. And what the Bible and history tell us about another line of churches is equally wonderful in a positive way.

The Catholic Church is the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth, for she was the first and most important church to commit spiritual adultery by corrupting the apostolic simplicity of New Testament Christianity with elements of pagan religion. She committed spiritual fornication with Judaism, paganism, and the kings of the earth. Several chapters in Revelation are dedicated to this very subject. See Revelation chapters 12, 13, 17, and 18.

Read the indictment from the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. “And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH” (Rev 17:5). (Emphasis is by the Author, God Himself.) How do we know it is the Roman Catholic Church? By reading Revelation 17:18! It reads like this: “And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth” (Rev 17:18). Here is a simple question for you, what city ruled over the kings of the earth during the lifetime of the apostle John, the writer of this book? Babylon? Guess again. Nineveh? Guess again. Rome! You are right!

Catholic readers, if you are still with us, we fully agree with your claim that you are the mother church of all Protestant churches. They all came out of you, for you were first by about 1200 years. You are the mother church, and they are your harlot daughters. You can read the text above to have the Scriptural proof of your claim. The Protestant churches separated from you and took some of your doctrines and practices with them, but they owe their existence to you. We fully agree. You are the mother church, especially of all Protestant churches.

But there is a little fact of history, which may be painful to learn. From the days of the apostles to the present there have been thousands of little churches following the apostolic pattern that never were part of the Roman Catholic dominion. She hated them, tortured them, and burned them (in various inquisitions); but she could not get rid of them. They were the original and apostolic Baptists, in the line of John the Baptist, Jesus Christ, and His apostles. These Baptists existed in all countries, even while Rome thought herself Queen of the world. In fact, they had churches through many centuries right in the Valleys of Piemont, just a few miles from the Holy See itself! Isn’t that amazing? Other Baptists had taken the gospel to Wales while Paul was still alive. Wales was filled with Baptist churches and pastors long before Rome’s St. Augustine visited in 597 A.D. The Venerable Bede himself records it in ancient English history.

See, the blessed Lord Jesus Christ had promised to preserve those precious saints who kept the apostolic faith once delivered to the saints. You can read about it in Revelation 12:1-17. Rome is not the mother church of the Baptists at all. While most Baptists churches today have crawled to Rome and asked for some of her abominations like Christmas and Easter. There are many others, like this church, that have rejected every single thing she stands for. Examine us, and find out.

For more study on this subject, review these outlines:

Daniel 7: The Little Horn of Rome

II Thessalonians 2: The Man of Sin