“Dear visitor, you are family—‘Ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints’ (Ephesians 2:19).” Blessings upon you—‘The LORD bless thee, and keep thee’ (Numbers 6:24). Today is blessed by your presence—‘Every good gift… is from above’ (James 1:17).
Hello, friends. I always say that information is sensational when it comes from within and is built on the foundation of Heaven! But it’s sad but true that most of our brick and mortar churches have lost their spiritual life.
And have transformed God’s temples into 7-Elevens on every corner selling God as merchandise when “His love is, has, and always will be free.” (John 2:15) > Jesus once made a whip out of small cords and whipped them out, (so-called Pastors); round two soon, is on its way!
A Call to Christ’s Soldiers:
This essay is written for those who grieve at what they see happening in the very places meant to be holy. Christ’s Soldiers, it is time to expose what creeps under stained glass and behind pulpits. The sanctuary has been shadowed. What was meant to be the house of God has in many places become a marketplace, a stage, and a theater for compromise.
The Sanctuary Once Sacred:
In Scripture, the sanctuary was the center of God’s presence on earth. The tabernacle of Moses, the temple of Solomon, and the temple rebuilt in Jerusalem were consecrated places where man met with God. (Psalm 96:6), says, “Honor and majesty are before him; strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.” The sanctuary was not merely a building—it was the heart of worship, purity, and reverence.
In the New Testament, the sanctuary shifted. The true temple became Christ Himself (John 2:19), and then the believers who form His body. (1 Corinthians 6:19) > asks, “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?”
Yet though the sanctuary has expanded from stone walls to living temples, Satan has not stopped his attack. If he cannot destroy the sanctuary, he seeks to defile it.
The Shadows Creep In:
How do churches bow to darkness? Not with one grand fall, but with many small compromises. Each shadow that slips through the door is tolerated until the sanctuary grows dim:
- The Pulpit Silenced – Preachers once thundered against sin. Now many whisper safe messages, avoiding topics like judgment, repentance, and holiness. (Isaiah 56:10) > describes such leaders: “His watchmen are blind; they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark.”
- The Marketplace in the House – Jesus drove out the money changers (Matthew 21:12), yet today sanctuaries host fundraisers, gimmicks, and sales pitches. The holy has been traded for the profitable.
- Entertainment Replacing Worship – Lights, smoke machines, and concerts now pass for “worship experiences (veiled paid admissions).” But true worship requires spirit and truth (John 4:24), not stages and applause.
- Worldly Compromise – Churches bless what God has cursed, officiating unholy unions and affirming lifestyles contrary to the Word. The sanctuary bends to culture instead of standing on Scripture.
- False Spirits at the Altar – Not every hand laid, not every prophecy spoken, not every tongue uttered comes from the Holy Spirit. Satan sends his ministers disguised as angels of light (2 Corinthians 11:14-15).
The Danger of a Shadowed Sanctuary:
When churches bow to darkness, they lose their authority. They may keep the crowds, the buildings, and the programs, but they forfeit the power of God. (Revelation 3:1), warns of such churches: “I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.”
- A hospital with no medicine.
- A lighthouse with no flame.
- A temple with no ark.
The danger is not just internal. When the sanctuary is defiled, the nation suffers. The church is meant to be salt and light (Matthew 5:13-14). If the salt loses its savor, corruption spreads unchecked. If the light is hidden, darkness overtakes the land.
A Fictional Glimpse: The Shadowed Cathedral:
Picture a grand cathedral where angels once sang with the saints. Over time, the stained glass cracked. The pulpit dulled. A new spirit entered—slick, smiling, flattering. The choir no longer lifted praises but performed songs for applause. The prayers grew shallow, the sermons soft. Demons danced in the rafters while the people clapped, unaware of the shift.
‘Friends, this is not just fiction. It is a mirror of too many sanctuaries today.
God’s Call to Purge the Shadows:
But hope remains. The Lord has always restored sanctuaries when His people repent. In (2 Chronicles 29), King Hezekiah reopened and cleansed the temple after years of neglect. Verse 16 says, “And the priests went into the inner part of the house of the Lord, to cleanse it, and brought out all the uncleanness that they found in the temple of the Lord.”
The same cleansing is needed now. Churches must:
- Restore bold preaching of the Word.
- Cast out commerce and entertainment that profane the altar.
- Test the spirits (1 John 4:1).
- Return to fasting, prayer, and holy living.
A sanctuary purged of shadows becomes again the dwelling place of God’s glory.
Light Overcomes Darkness:
The enemy has crept into many sanctuaries, but darkness never has the final word. (John 1:5 declares); “And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.” Christ’s Soldiers, we must be that light—exposing the shadows, calling churches back to holiness, and refusing to bow to compromise.
The sanctuary belongs to God, not to men, not to demons, and not to the world. Let us rise and declare: “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
Author’s Note:
‘Thank you, for staying until the end! This essay, “Shadows Over the Sanctuary: When Churches Bow to Darkness,” serves as a prophetic warning for the body of Christ in this present age. It is not written against the Bride of Christ but for her purification, calling attention to the dangers of compromise that creep into places once deemed holy.
The sanctuary was always designed as a place of God’s presence, from the Old Testament tabernacle to the New Testament gathering of believers. Yet Satan has consistently sought to defile what is sacred. Today, many churches reflect this pattern, not through open rebellion but through subtle compromises. Silence from the pulpit, commercialization of the church, entertainment-driven worship, worldly accommodation, and false spirits at work are all signs that shadows have entered.
‘Friends, when churches bow to darkness, their lampstand flickers. They may keep programs, buildings, and followers, but they lose the anointing that breaks chains. As (Revelation 3:1) reveals, they can appear alive while spiritually dead. This is not merely a danger for individual churches but for entire nations, for the church is meant to be salt and light. Not dead in Christ!
Yet God always provides a path back. Just as King Hezekiah cleansed the temple, the modern church must repent, purge the profane, and restore true worship in spirit and in truth. A return to fasting, prayer, and bold proclamation of God’s Word will once again make the sanctuary a dwelling place of divine presence.
This essay closes with a call to Christ’s Soldiers—believers committed to exposing darkness and upholding holiness. The shadows cannot stand before the light of Christ. Every sanctuary, whether a building or the believer’s own body, must shine with that light. For only then will the church rise as the Bride without spot or wrinkle, prepared for her Bridegroom’s return.
Thank you for your time, God bless and piece in your life, Amen!
Author and Servant; Norman G. Roy III
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