The churches can be divided only by geographical reasons. Followers of Christ in one region fellowship with each other and together they make up the church:
To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. – Romans 1:7
Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, to the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace. – 1 Thessalonians 1:1
Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons. I have written something to the church, but Diotrephes, who likes to put himself first, does not acknowledge our authority. – 3 John 1:9– Philippines 1:1
Unless you want to expose those religious organizations, do not even mention their names. These are the gods leading you away from Christ by their false doctrines.
Pay attention to all that I have said to you and make no mention of the names of other gods, nor let it be heard on your lips. – Exodus 23:13
Prophecy about so-called churches
Roman Catholicism has been described in the book of Revelation as a “Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earth’s abominations”:
And on her forehead was written a name of mystery: "Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earth's abominations." – Revelation 17:5
It is because Roman Catholicism has developed a doctrine and practices which God hates. Since long time back, it has been supported by different governments and spread to all the continents. God compares false teachings and practices to a sexual immorality:
with whom the kings of the earth have committed sexual immorality, and with the wine of whose sexual immorality the dwellers on earth have become drunk." -Revelation 17:2
And the angel said to me, "The waters that you saw, where the prostitute is seated, are peoples and multitudes and nations and languages. -Revelation 17:15
It used to persecute believers by excommunicating and sentencing them to death, and even now it has the same practice of excommunication:
And I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. When I saw her, I marveled greatly. -Revelation 17:6
The capital of Roman Catholicism is Rome, a city on seven hills or mountains:
This calls for a mind with wisdom: the seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman is seated – Revelation 17:9
And the woman that you saw is the great city that has dominion over the kings of the earth. – Revelation 17:18
It has a lot of gold and jewels and pearls. Roman Catholic priests are adorned in purple and scarlet:
The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and jewels and pearls, holding in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her sexual immorality. – Revelation 17:4
All so-called churches have derived from Catholicism and adapted its demonic practices. God describes them as prostitutes whose mother is Roman Catholicism.
The Antichrist
I have written something to the church, but Diotrephes, who likes to put himself first, does not acknowledge our authority. – 3 John 1:9
Church leaders, pastors and priests have replaced Christ with their personality and by doing so, they have become the Antichrist. The Antichrist does not only mean “against” Christ but also “in place of” Christ. The Antichrist is not only a single individual but a group of people. John the Evangelist warned believers that the Antichrist is coming in the last days, which means now:
Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour. – 1 John 2:18
For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist. – 2 John 1:7
By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. -1 John 4:2-3
Those positions derived from Catholicism. Catholics speak of pope as of a Vicar of Christ (from Latin “Vicarius Christi”) which means an earthly representative of Christ. Church leaders, pastors and priests pretend to be the representatives of Christ on earth. Why have you believed them? Church leaders charge those who confront them with rebellion. When loyal to church leaders people say, “Jesus Christ is in heaven, but church leaders are on earth,” they admit that they serve their leaders.
The Lord and Savior is not a church leader but Jesus Christ. Church leaders, pastors and priests are not for the good of believers. The only true position in the church is the position of an elder or overseer. They pretend to be elders but domineering over believers contrary to the will of God:
So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge but being examples to the flock. – Peter 5:1-3
Elder must not dominate over disciples of Christ. Paul used to teach Timothy and Titus what qualities overseer must possess. It is important to note that the husband of one wife means not that an elder must necessarily be married, but that if he married, he must have only one wife. An elder can be single, just like Paul was unmarried too.
Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach… – 1 Timothy 3:2
Timothy and Titus used to visit churches to appoint elders. They did not appoint anyone on such awkward positions as a church leader, pastor, priest, deacon, chairman, evangelist and others: