Here are a few verses that are often interpreted as foretelling the judgment or end of the institutional church, especially when it turns away from Christ:
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Revelation 2:5 (Jesus to the Church in Ephesus)
"Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent."
> The lampstand symbolizes the church itself — to be removed is to lose divine authority and presence.
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Revelation 3:16 (to the Church in Laodicea)
"So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth."
> A rejection of complacent, corrupt churches.
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Matthew 23:27–28 (Jesus rebukes religious hypocrisy)
"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean."
> A direct parallel to modern religious institutions that appear righteous but are spiritually bankrupt.
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1 Peter 4:17
"For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?"
> Judgment begins with the church — not outside it.
#DeadChurch #EndOfTheChurch
