Understanding
the Depth of
Ancient Antiochene Christian Theology
Find out some important truths about Ancient Antiochene
Christianity. Understand why AACG Christians are also known as “Orthodox
Protestants” & “Hasidic Christians”.
Trying
to explain or express the depth of Ancient Antiochene Christian theology is
difficult. First, we must have a strong starting point, a strong beginning.
Where do we begin? We recognize, as true Christians, the person of Jesus Christ
to be the final and true Messiah (Mashiach).
We believe that He first came to planet Earth to introduce
the beginning stages of the New Covenant. He first came and brought the
teachings of the Kingdom of God. Then, He began His fulfillments of the Old
(Mosaic) Covenant. By His sacrificial death He instituted true repentance,
reconciliation, atonement and salvation for all those who accept Him as the
true and final Mashiach.
After Jesus Christ ascended to heaven (after His
resurrection) He started His church (ecclesia). The first church members
received the promise of the Holy Spirit through the “water and the Word”. They
were known as “Followers of the Way” and members of the “Nazorean sect”. Some
years later, the Pharisee Saul was chosen by Jesus Christ Himself though a vision
that Saul received to become the “apostle [messenger] to the Gentiles”. Saul’s
name was changed to Paul. He wrote most of the New Testament Scriptures.
During Paul’s ministry the Nazoreans started to be called
“Christians” in the city of ancient Antioch. Eventually, all the journeys of
apostle Paul were recorded by disciple Luke (an Antiochene born citizen).
Throughout apostle Paul’s life and into the ending of apostle John’s life we
have the close of the Scriptures (the completion of the 27 books of the New
Testament).
The first Christian church started in ancient Antioch.
Apostle Paul calls Christ’s true church, “the Church of God”. The first
Christian church is the ancient Antiochene Church of God. This is were “the
faith once delivered” started. Today, the remnant of this true church (“the
church of the First Born”) is freely and publicly manifested in the two
ministries known as “The Shepherds Way (TSW) and “The Nugget of Truth”. These
are the major modern ministries of the Ancient Antiochene Church of God (AACG).
The AACG focusses on the history of the first 400 years of
the early church. This period is known as the Patristic Period. These were the
times of no major denominations yet. The Chirstian church was simply known as
the one “universal” (catholic) church. During this time of early growth, the
church found itself involved in the different jurisdictions of politics and
kings. It is true that the early Christian church received protection under
certain jurisdictions and rulers starting in the mid and late 300 AD’s.
During this early history counsels were formed to help
define proper Christian doctrine, to prevent true Christianity from being owned
by some new “prophet”, “priest”, or “king” or becoming a religio-political
power. When we reach the date of 451 AD we have an incident which truly
separated good doctrine from false doctrine. Sadly, the ancient saint known by
the name Nestorius (a true Antiochene School Christian) was ousted and exiled
to Egypt by the fallen church leaders who had become integrated with the
political powers. The leaders of the church at that time rejected the original
Christian doctrines regarding Christology that were trying to be kept and upheld
by St. Nestorius.
Many Antiochene Christians went to Egypt to maintain the true
teachings of Christianity and uphold St. Nestorius and honor his courage to not
deviate from the truth. This is one of the most important historical events of
the Christian faith because it documents the beginning of the false Roman
church and their apostacy.
A remnant of the true Christian Church (Antiochene
Christians) started spreading from Egypt up into Israel and beyond, northward
into Europe. From these groups we have the earliest small denominated groups
forming. After 400 AD and into 515 AD we have the Roman church taking over the
“catholic” (universal first church). They began to address all Christians as
“Roman Catholic” and formed a new religio-political power. They also invented
the false idea and doctrine of a “Pope”. At this time the predominately Greek
church in Constantinople had a problem with this new aggressive tone from Rome.
Eventually, after many disruptions, the Christian church split into two
somewhat corrupt factions. In 1054 AD the Roman Church “excommunicated” the
Greek church and the Greek church excommunicated the Roman church. This event
is known as “the Great Schism”.
This formed the first two huge and powerful “Christian”
denominations, known today as the Roman Catholics and the Greek Orthodox. Both
are religio-political powers and both teach false and distorted doctrines. They
allowed apostacy into the church to gain pagan proselytes and gain political
power.
Meanwhile, the true Christian church had gone somewhat
“underground” and formed into smaller factions until the Reformation which had its
climax under Saint Martin Luther, who was an Augustinian monk who, through and
by God’s grace, discovered the corruption of the Roman Papacy. Through St.
Luther’s personal and private studies, and while teaching theology in Germany,
God began to speak through Martin Luther’s findings and testimonies. This all
occurred in the 1530’s AD. This started the Protestant Reformation. We prefer
to call it the Great Restoration rather than “reformation”. Martin
Luther simply restored the lost truths of true Christianity, particularly the
doctrine of Salvation (soteriology ~ and “theolgia crucis” and the
“solas”).
After the Reformation came into its fulfillment, creating
true Christian freedom, many Ancient Antiochene Christians came out of their
hiding places and joined many of the first (early) Lutheran churches.
The Lutheran Reformation produced a final written testimony
of faith known as “The Book of Concordia” or “Book of Concord” (“concord”
meaning agreement). Ancient Antiochene Christians to this day still
study this important work and hold it up as correct and true Christian doctrine
when it comes to the basics. Because the AACG holds to this work and history,
and because the AACG accepts the true conservative Lutheran liturgical worship
style they have been called “Orthodox Lutheran” or “Orthodox Protestants”.
Ultimately, the AACG traces the development of the entire
Christian church to the “counsels to the Seven Churches” found in the New
Testament book of Revelation. We discover that God has continued to protect His
church and reveal and punctuate important truths at the right
time in history.
We
believe that there are seven literal “celestial” angels which have given counsel
to each of the seven churches as outlined in the book of Revelation (ch.2-3).
The Greek word “angel” simply means messenger. We believe that not only are
there seven heavenly (celestial) angels for each of the church epochs but there
are also Human messengers (angels) which have been given to each one of the
church epochs. Each of these angels has brought and important counsel of
correction that the church needed (needs) going through each epoch of time.
Though the angels are specific in their counsel for each of
the seven churches, addressing specific problems for each church, all seven
counsels are applicable all the time for the church. We learn from all seven
counsels’ important truths that the Christian church needs, especially now in
the seventh church epoch.
Here is a basic outline of the Human seven angels for each
of the seven churches throughout time:
1st Ephesus (70-170 AD) –
Apostolic church. Time that the New Testament was completed. Apostle John
is the first of the seven “angels” who wrote the last book of our Christian Bible,
the book of “Revelation”.
2nd Smyrna (170-312 AD) – Persecuted
church also plagued with Gnosticism. Saint
Irenaeus was the second angel. He was born in Smyrna and helped expose the
false gnostic teachings that were trying to destroy the church.
3rd Pergamos (312-606 AD) – State church
started through apostacy. Also, this was a time when the Trinity doctrine was
attacked. Saint Athanasius was the third angel who stopped the
aggressive Arians who were trying to destroy the sacred doctrine of the
Trinity.
4th Thyatira (606-1520 AD) – Papal church.
Rome hijacked the bulk of Christianity. Attempt at early reformation begins. Saint
Jan Huss was the fourth angel who exposed the Roman church as it was taking
over organized Christianity. Saint Huss was martyred.
5th Sardis (1520-1750 AD) – Reformed
church. Church frees itself from Papal control. Saint Martin Luther was
the fifth angel who brought forth the reformation which is more accurately
called the “restoration”. The true doctrine of salvation was restored along
with true worship and holy sacrament understanding. Since this epoch, true
Christians accept the “Book of Concord” as documentation of proper reform.
6th Philadelphia (1750-1900 AD) –
Missionary church. Time that Protestants come forth with the true gospel. Saint
Dwight Lyman Moody was the sixth angel who restored proper insight
regarding dispensational theology, dating back to the Patristic period. Also
restored good Christian education.
7th Laodicea (1900-? AD) –
Apostate church. Church fallen asleep. Corrupted with false doctrine and
denominationalism. This is the current state of the Christian church that we
are all experiencing. Interestingly, the seventh angel helping this church is
not just one Human but instead it is the final Christian remnant as a whole,
the “John Class”. The John Class are the last-day Christians who have
accepted all seven counsels to the seven churches and recognize the Seventh
Angel (the celestial angel) as the angel “coming up from the east” (Revelation
7:2) which has this final message, the “seal” of God. This special message
“seals” the true saints in their “foreheads” (minds) and is ultimately handed
down to the 144,000 before the final Great Tribulation.
Those Christians which make up the John Class are those who
study apostle John’s revelation, the revelation of Jesus Christ, and understand
it. They also have a good understanding of the historical facts regarding their
Christian faith.
It must be understood that the AACG has given many lectures (some
posted online) through Presbyter King which discuss and document the history of
the Ancient Antiochene Christians in contrast to the Alexandrian Christians
which eventually formed the fallen Roman Catholic church. The two earliest and
powerful schools of Christian theology were the Alexandrian school (stationed
in Alexandria Egypt) and the Antioch school, stationed in ancient Syria.
True Christians base their theological understandings predominately
on the teachings of the early Antiochene school of theology, where we were
first called Christian (Acts 11:26). Most Christians have never received this
historical knowledge and that is sad. AACG Christians believe that
understanding the history of your Christian faith is extremely important,
especially when it comes to identifying the original and true Christian church.
The AACG also connects its earliest history to the ancient
Essenes which documents its pre-Christian connections. We also have important
lectures which discuss the historical facts of these early movements, the Dead
Sea Scrolls, and how the Christian Bible came together as we have it today.
The Ancient Antiochene Church of God also teaches the
important doctrines of “three Earth ages”, “seven dispensations”, and “seven
church epochs” (which we listed above). We not only base this on what we
believe the Holy Scriptures teach but also find these teachings (and the early
development of these teachings) in the writings of the first Patristic church
fathers (presbyters). These teachings predate Christian denominationalism. They
are the true and original doctrines of the “church of the First Born” (the
first church).
Let us give a brief understanding of these doctrines: The
early church developed a systematic theology which allows us to understand the
Bible in sections. We find in 2nd Peter ch.3 the fact of the first
three divisions. Apostle Peter speaks of three different “ages”. The first “kosmos” (or “aion” – age) that
Peter mentions is from Adam and Eve until Noah’s flood. He calls this, “the
world that then was”. He states that this first age ended with the “great
flood” during the time of Noah.
The second d age that Peter mentions is “the age which is
now”, our present “world”. Apostle Paul calls this the “present evil age”
(Galatians 1:4). This age will last from the time of the ancient flood all the
way up until the second coming of Jesus Christ. Then, finally, Peter speaks
about the “world” which is to come (2nd Peter 3:13). This is the
final Earth age and will last 1000 years (Revelation 20:1-3).
So, these are the “three Earth ages” (or “worlds”). This is
the first basic understanding of the “three phase” plan of God in regards to
planet Earth. The second way to understand different sections of God’s plan is
to understand the seven dispensations. These are listed as follows:
1. Innocence - Adam
2. Conscience - After man sinned, up to the flood
3. Government - After the flood, man allowed to eat meat, death penalty
instituted
4. Promise - Abraham up to Moses and the giving of the Law
5. Law - Moses to the cross
6. Grace - The cross to the Millennial Kingdom
7. Millennial Kingdom - A 1000-year reign of Christ on earth centered in
Jerusalem
We have learned that in the
Antediluvian Dispensation certain women had sexual relationships with beings
not part of the human creation. Just as Satan was in the Garden of Eden
intermingling with Adam and Eve so these bad angelic beings came down, they
“did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their own home
(Heaven) – these he [God] has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains
for judgment on the Great Day.” (Jude 6)
Also, in ancient past the angelic
“Sons of God” presented themselves before the Lord and Satan came with them and
accused God of favoritism. Satan stated that the only reason why Job loved Him
was because of the gifts given to him (Job 1:6). Of course, God proved Satan to
be the liar that he is.
During the time of Noah some of
these “Sons of God” noticed the daughters of men (humans) and decided to take
some human females as forced wives (Genesis 6:1-2). An ancient Hebraic book
known as “The Book of Enoch” also records that some “angels of heaven” noticed
the daughters of humans and came down and “married whomsoever they pleased”.
This of course was not why God created angels but God allowed this to happen.
Angels who are in heaven are not to be given in marriage. The good angels kept
their “first estate” and refused this rebellion.
When this was going on “in the
days of Noah” God raised up descendants of Seth as “Preachers of Righteousness”
to warn the rebels and the Kenites that this activity was wrong. Seth was born to replace Abel whom Cain
murdered. We read, “And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he
called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the Lord [call
themselves by God’s name].” (Genesis 4:25-26)
These were the original
“Preachers of Righteousness”. Of course, the people did not heed their message
so judgment came which was the Great Flood. Many years after the flood in the
Patriarchal Dispensation God called Abraham into the office of a “Preacher of
Righteousness”. We could say that Seth,
Noah, Jared, Enoch, and Methuselah also held this important office.
Of course, the famous Melchizedek
(“king of righteousness”) was a priest of this office. Some scholars claim that
he was Shem, son of Noah. Melchizedek brought forth “wine and bread” (Genesis
14:18-20) to serve to the faithful. Jesus the Christ is a High Priest after
“The Order” of Melchizedek (Hebrews 7:1-3; 11-12) who also brought forth “wine
and bread” to represent the fulfillment of the New Covenant which all
“Preachers of Righteousness” taught.
Today there are still “Preachers
of Righteousness”, many who study here at “The Shepherds Way”. We are
proclaiming the New Covenant and Jesus Christ is our Lord. We are also warning
this planet of the judgments to come.
The ancient hidden teachings
(protected teachings) were handed down to the ancient Tannaim (“teachers of
tradition”). These most sacred
commentaries on Scripture were not written down to protect them from being
taken a distorted. The Ancient Antiochene Church of God (AACG) has become the
protector of these ancient teachings. They come forth through the Ancient
Antiochene Christian Kabbalah teachings. True Christian Kabbalah does not teach
the pagan doctrine of reincarnation. Many false pagan doctrines entered into
the revealed secrets of Kabbalah as time has gone on. Antiochene Kabbalah does
understand the correct doctrine of Gilgulim, that an elect group of souls has
and will return to help complete a portion of God’s Divine Plan of the Ages.
Regarding the modern subject of UFO’s
(UAP’s) and extraterrestrials, Ancient Antiochene Christianity teaches the fact
of their existence and how they play a role in God’s plan. We cannot include
all of the details in this article regarding such issues because of the details
involved. We urge all Christians to truly take time out and study our lectures
and articles regarding these important issues.
Antiochene Christians
traditionally dress simple and live simple lives. We dress like the ancient
Hasidim and because of this we have been called “Hasidic Christians”. Not all
Antiochene Christians dress this traditional way, it is not a rule, but many
still do dress this way in their daily lives.
As far as the age of planet
Earth, we believe in "Earth ages" before Adam and Eve and the fact that humans
and humanoids lived during these First Earth Ages. Our planet is very old. Again,
these are very detailed and deeper studies that we have articles and lectures
on for all to learn about for free.
In closing, we list here some basic moral living principles that we try and practice in our daily lives:
We
are not against drinking alcohol. Many of us enjoy beer or wine often. We are
against getting drunk and alcoholism.
We
are not against prescribed legal pharmaceuticals if they are used correctly. We
do not judge a fellow Christian if he or she smokes as long as they do it
around others respectfully.
We
try and stay simple in the way we dress. We are against wearing sexually
explicit clothes. Women should wear somewhat loose pants or dresses that fall
beneath the knees. Women should not wear “short” shorts. Long shorts or knickers
are preferred. Men should wear long shorts even when swimming. In our daily
lives, most Antiochene Christians follow the ancient tradition of dressing
Hasidic Christian.
We
believe in using polite and proper language when speaking. We are against
swearing, cussing, & cursing. Many Antiochene Christians learn how to speak
some Hebrew, Aramaic, Latin, and Greek.
We
believe that a Christian is not bound to keep any special day regarding worship
or Sabbath keeping. We traditionally worship on Sunday. We do not believe that
a Christian must keep any special feast or Holiday, though Christians can and
do keep special days. Each Christian must decide for themselves what they wish
to participate in regarding such issues. None of these issues ever become
“tests of faith”. As far as keeping the traditional Christian holidays, we
follow the original Lutheran church “liturgical Calendar”. We recognize St.
Martin Luther as the first and true Protestant. Most of us keep the traditional
Christian holidays and American holidays.
We
believe in setting up a home alter wherever you might live. Each person may
have one in their own room. A family alter is important in the living room.
Families can sit around the home alter and talk, study God’s word, pray, and
meditate around it. Antiochene Christian home alters have a small box on them
which contains names of people getting prayed for. The family can lay hands on
the box and pray throughout the day.
We
believe in taking daily walks. We call these walks “Silent Walks”, not because
there is no communication between the person and God, but because these walks
are taken alone. The person may walk on streets with other people, but prayer
and meditation on God’s word are the concern. It is best to find a park or a
somewhat quiet place to take such walks. These are special alone times of
personally confession, prayer for others, and Scripture meditation. These times
also help you sort out your thoughts and ideas.
We will end this important article with 13 moral basics of
Ancient Antiochene Christian Living:
We
believe that the Christian should study God’s word every day. We believe that Bible studies should be
attended, often if possible. Home Bible studies and home worship services are
extremely important. It is important to read every day. Reading books about the
Bible and good theology are important. All Ancient Antiochene Christian
doctrines (teachings) are also extremely important to learn and understand.
We
believe that going to local (public) schools and or home-schooling are personal
issues. We must not judge the family choice of others regarding this issue.
Each family is different and having different needs. If possible, we believe in
owning a family pet and taking proper care of it. This helps in healing us from
materialism, especially if you are blessed to live on a farm. Our true schools
are our homes.
We do
not believe that a Christian must give 10% of their income to anybody. We do
not believe in tithing but we believe that the Christian should give according
to how the Holy Spirit leads. Giving does not have to be for some church.
Giving to friends, family members, the poor and needy - this is true giving.
We
believe that cell-phone use should be limited and controlled. Work related use
is fine as long as it is controlled. We believe in going at least two days a
week without cell-phone use. Computer use should also be limited. Personal
online use should try and be brought down to bare minimum. Television watching should be chosen
carefully. Educational programing and documentaries are preferred. No
television show should be watched that promotes sin. We enjoy listening to
Christian traditional music, classical music, and listening to the radio is
enjoyed. We would rather read, work outside, or take a walk.
We
believe in trying to keep healthy on all levels. Our physical health is
important and we believe in letting each person to decide what is best for
them. We must never judge others regarding food issues and health issues. These
are personal decisions. Antiochene Christians are not bound by any food law.
We
believe that socializing with non-Christians happens every day at our personal
workplace and in our schools. It happens when we go shopping or to any grocery
market. As Christians we try and share the Christian messages (the Gospel of
Jesus Christ) by how we morally interact with others whether they are believers
or non-believers. In our private and personal lives, we would rather stick
close to fellow believers. We never want to become “unequally yoked”. We should
live amongst fellow Christians.
_____________________________________________________________________
The AACG hopes
that this has helped you better understand some of our teachings and basic ways
of life. We respond to questions that we get from others regarding such issues.
It is important to remember that each Christian must decide for themselves,
through prayer and fellowship, what is best for their lifestyle. No Christian ever has to sign anything or
sign up to these codes of life to be a “true” Christian. Please “bookmark” our
BLOG & watch our lectures; “The Shepherds Way (TSW) & Nugget
of Truth”.
Don’t give up or give
in!
May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
AACG (November 3rd 2026)
About this AACG Ministry
·
Founder: Started by Presbyter King on October 10, 2017.
·
Main Ministries: Includes The Shepherds Way (TSW) and the
video/teaching outreach Nugget of Truth ~ Christian Messages.
·
Nature of the Title: AACG is an independent online Christian ministry rather than
a universally recognized historic denomination or mainstream Eastern Orthodox
jurisdiction (such as the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese).
·
Core Focus: Emphasizes early Church theology, the theology of the cross
(theologia crucis), and end-times/premillennial teachings.
Foundational Antiochene Christian Understandings........
