Yes — Les Feldick teaches that religious conflicts occur because religionists, used by Satan, persecute true believers and try to stop the truth.
Throughout human history, wars and persecutions have been fought in the name of religion, from the Crusades and the Dark Ages to modern conflicts in the Middle East and Yugoslavia. Les explains that religion prompts hatred and precipitates war, and that religionists have always persecuted the true believer — a pattern Scripture shows from Ishmael and Isaac onward.
Galatians 4:29 — Shows the Biblical pattern of the one born after the flesh persecuting the one born after the Spirit, which Les applies directly to religious persecution of true believers.
Romans 2:17 — Describes a religious person who rests in the law and boasts in God — the kind of religion that prompted hatred of Jesus.
Revelation 18:24 — Reveals that the great world system is stained with the blood of prophets and saints, showing the end result of religious and worldly persecution.
The Bible reveals a consistent pattern of religious persecution and conflict. Paul writes in Galatians 4:29, "But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now." The conflict between Ishmael and Isaac set the pattern: those born after the flesh persecute those born after the Spirit. In Acts 4, the religious leaders of Jerusalem could not deny the notable miracle done by the apostles, yet they plotted to stop the truth from spreading any further among the people. Their religion moved them to oppose God's messengers rather than receive them. Paul speaks of the religious Jew in Romans 2:17 who rests in the law and makes his boast of God — yet Paul himself, as a religious person, hated the very name of Jesus of Nazareth. Finally, Revelation 18:24 depicts the great world system as one in which was found "the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth." Scripture thus shows that religion and world systems can stand directly against God and His people.
Les Feldick teaches that religious conflict is woven throughout human history because religionists try to control, persecute, and stop the truth rather than allow people to live freely. He points out that "human history is abounding with wars that were fought over religion," citing the Middle East and Yugoslavia as modern examples, and says "it hasn't changed." He also explains that behind these conflicts, "Satan uses religious people to stop the truth." Les emphasizes that religionists — not secularists — have been the biggest persecutors of the true believer throughout history. Whether in the Dark Ages or the Crusades, religion was the basis of everything, and "in the name of religion, they have always persecuted the true believer." He applies Galatians 4:29 to show that the flesh-born persecuting the Spirit-born has always been the pattern. At the root, in Les's teaching, is religion itself: "Religion prompts hatred, religion precipitates war, religion takes people down the dark path of legalism." Religion is always man's attempt to please God. Christianity, by contrast, is never a religion — it is God reaching down in mercy and grace to a lost human race. Les also warns that Revelation 17 describes a great religious system coming on the world whose seeds are already visible, and that the world system has been martyring God's people for 2,000 years, which is why God's wrath will be so tremendous. He further acknowledges that when Christianity became the official empire religion, it persecuted and killed Jews by the thousands — a human reaction God never intended.
Les Feldick teaches that Satan is the hidden force behind much religious conflict. In Acts 4, he sees Satan using religious people to stop the truth — a pattern that hasn't changed. He also points to Satan's relentless attack on the nation of Israel: the whole world votes against Israel and tries to push the Jewish people into a smaller area of Jerusalem. Satan's goal, Les explains, is to get rid of the Jew so God's prophecies cannot be fulfilled, since all prophecy rests on Israel.
Paul wrote that he who was born after the flesh persecuted him who was born after the Spirit (Galatians 4:29). Les applies this directly: down through human history, the biggest persecutors of the true believer have been religionists. In the Dark Ages and the Crusades, religion was the basis of everything, and in the name of religion they have always persecuted the true believer. True Christianity, Les notes, has been a reproach for centuries.
Les is emphatic: "Christianity is never a religion." Religion is always man's attempt to please God, and it prompts hatred, precipitates war, and takes people down the dark path of legalism. Christianity is the exact opposite — it is God reaching down in mercy and grace to a lost human race. Paul's own example proves the point: as a religious Jew, he hated the very name of Jesus of Nazareth.
Les teaches that Revelation 17 describes "this great religious system that's going to come on the world" — and we are already seeing all the seeds of it. He does not speculate which particular religious system will head it up. He connects it to the world system that has been persecuting, martyring, and murdering God's people for the last 2,000 years, and he says this record of blood — the blood of prophets and saints — is why God's wrath will be so tremendous.
Les does not whitewash church history. When Christianity became the official empire religion in the early centuries, the church persecuted the Jewish people — killing them by the thousands, chasing them out of every community they had established, and calling them "Christ killers." Les calls this a human reaction to circumstances and insists it was not the way God intended it. God's intention was to turn Israel back to Himself by promoting a jealousy, not by persecution.
The Coming World Religious System
Les teaches that Revelation 17 describes a great religious system that will come on the world and that its seeds are already visible today.
Satan Uses Religious People to Stop Truth
Les shows that Satan has always used religious people to stop the truth, and that human history is full of wars fought over religion — including modern conflicts like Yugoslavia and the Middle East.
Persecution in the Name of Religion
Les points to the Dark Ages and the Crusades as proof that religion was the basis of everything, and that in the name of religion, true believers have always been persecuted.
Religionists Persecute True Believers
Les applies Galatians 4:29 to say that religionists have been the biggest persecutors of true believers throughout human history.
Religion Prompts Hatred and War
Les explains that religion prompts hatred, precipitates war, and leads to legalism — while Christianity is not a religion but God reaching down in mercy and grace.
Satan's Attack on the Nation of Israel
Les reveals Satan's strategy of stirring up the world against Israel to push the Jews out of Jerusalem and prevent God's prophecies from being fulfilled.
God's People Martyred by the World System
Les teaches that the world system has persecuted and martyred God's people for 2,000 years, and this bloodshed is why God's wrath will be so great.
Official Christianity Persecutes the Jews
Les acknowledges that when Christianity became the official empire religion, Christians persecuted and killed Jews by the thousands — something God never intended.
Galatians 4:29: But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now.
This is the key verse Les applies to show that the flesh-born persecuting the Spirit-born is the Biblical pattern of religious persecution.
Romans 2:17: Behold, thou art called a Jew, and restest in the law, and makest thy boast of God,
Paul addresses a religious Jew who rests in the law and boasts in God — the kind of religion that led Paul himself to hate the name of Jesus.
Revelation 18:24: And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth.
The great world system is found guilty of the blood of prophets and saints, showing that religious and world systems persecute God's people.
Acts 4:16: Saying, What shall we do to these men? for that indeed a notable miracle hath been done by them is manifest to all them that dwell in Jerusalem; and we cannot deny it.
The religious leaders could not deny the miracle but wanted to suppress its message.
Acts 4:17: But that it spread no further among the people, let us straitly threaten them, that they speak henceforth to no man in this name.
Religious leaders plotted to keep the apostles' message from spreading — religious people opposing the truth.
Les Feldick teaches that human history is abounding with wars fought over religion, from the Crusades and the Dark Ages to modern conflicts in the Middle East and Yugoslavia. Religion prompts hatred and precipitates war, and Satan uses religious people to stop the truth. Religionists try to control and persecute rather than allow people to live freely.
According to Les, religionists — people acting in the name of religion — have been the biggest persecutors of true believers down through history. As Paul wrote in Galatians 4:29, the one born after the flesh persecuted the one born after the Spirit. This pattern has continued on this side of the cross, with religionists persecuting true believers.
No. Les teaches that Christianity is never a religion. Religion is always man's attempt to please God and prompts hatred, war, and legalism. Christianity is God reaching down in mercy and grace to a lost human race — the exact opposite of religion.
Les describes it as a great religious system that will come on the world, whose seeds we are already seeing. He does not speculate which specific religious system will head it up, but he connects it to the world system that has persecuted and martyred God's people for 2,000 years.
Yes. Les acknowledges that after Christianity became the official empire religion, the church persecuted and killed Jews by the thousands, chased them out of their communities, and called them Christ killers. He insists this was a human reaction to circumstances and not what God intended.
Watch the Teaching: Revelation 17 Explained: The Rise of the Antichrist's World Religion