"Test
Your Leaders" -- Gerald Flurry.
What Went WRONG with the
“Philadelphia Church of
God”?
In January 1990 Gerald Flurry and
John Amos broke away
from the
Worldwide Church of God and began a new church
called
"The Philadelphia Church of God."
They have pointed
out many of
the drastic changes Worldwide is going through,
and claims
to want to return to the faith of Herbert Armstrong,
whom they
look upon as "Elijah." They
banish all cosmetics,
rule the
flock with rigor, and emphasize "Church government"
as
Worldwide also does. They claim the
144,000 of Revelation
are the
"Laodicean" Church and will all be
martyred. They
further claim
Joseph Tkach is the "Joshua" of Zechariah
3.
They began with a flourish -- but
where did they go wrong?
William F. Dankenbring
I
received the following letter from an ex-member of the Worldwide Church of God
in
"Thank
you for your excellent literature! My
enthusiasm has never been higher.
I've been starving for
such inspiring exhortations. Although my living was not
at stake, such as in your case, the treatment I've received
from church 'leaders' is
about the same.
"After being too vocal in my
questioning of the WCG's direction, I was 'disfellow-
shipped'
in February of 1990. It was actually a
relief since it was becoming more
and more
difficult to even motivate myself to attend.
The last three years were
rough."
The
correspondent continues his personal, in-depth report based on his own
findings:
"I then came to Fellowship
with the 'Philadelphia Church of God' headed by Gerald
Flurry in
up to
his instructions to 'TEST YOUR LEADERS.'
He claims remnant
Christians should back the PCG. 'Unfortunately' again, I have just been
'suspended'
by John
Amos for asking about PASSOVER and the '144,000' doctrine. Mr. Amos
also
claimed I was disrespectful to his office. He claimed that myself
and others
here in
even
gotten around to PENTECOST
yet!)."
The
letter writer continues:
"Mr. Amos was supposed to
visit me to counsel me about my 'hang up' about
Passover but changed his mind and
called me to cancel our 'golf date-counselling
session'
and to tell me I have been suspended For not being in 'agreement' and
For being
'disrespectful' to a minister.
All conveniently by telephone -- just For
asking
questions. The old AT & T 'Reach out
and disfellowship someone' plan.
"I probably do sound disrspectful in this letter. But I'd prefer to characterize it as
you
would and say I and the others there were being bold to get to the TRUTH.
So far there are three --
possibly Four -- here in
that has
been revealed to you by God. Yes, and
now we're being called all sorts
of
things in return."
What
happened? Why was this sincere seeker
for the truth of God abruptly thrown "out" of the new
"Philadelphia Church of God," which claims to be the true
"remnant" of the "
"Once the PCG organized
itself and began teaching 'strong government' everything
died. The PCG seems like a new
taught
(along with some errors), but Freezing everything at that point and refusing
new
Truth.
"We were just 'made examples
of' to the
actual
congregation in this part of the country -- (around 40-50 people). All of this
without
talking first with any of us to our faces.
Mr. Amos has Forsaken the strays
to
'save' the ninety-nine. It's
BACKWARDS!
"Anyway, needless to say,
your literature has sown to me that to continue to prove
all
things and to Follow Christ -- not men with their own personal agendas -- thru
getting back to serious Bible study and prayer IS THE ONLY
HOPE FOR US ALL.
It appears that Laodicean ministers can't magically change into Faithful
shepherds,
just by
calling the organization 'Philadelphian.'
A worthless shepherd is a worthless
shepherd. I've only heard by the 'grapevine' that my
status is now officially 'disfellow-
shipped.' No one has
told me to my Face. It's shameful!
"I can't tell you how
encouraged I am by your reprints. I've
just written this letter a
fter having read your article 'Escape From
your
study aids and other publications. It
won't be easy though. Already I'm con-
sidered 'lost' by my own sister who still attends the
PCG. She 'lovingly' refers to
your
literature as 'POISON.' Hopefully she'll
come around -- before it's too late.
"By the way, I'm no stranger
to your articles. I'd received the
'Plain Truth' and
'Tomorrow's
World' magazines in the early seventies.
I'd attended the WCG since
1973. I have many issues from the sixties
also. Please keep the 'presses' rolling
and
thanks
to you and all who are helping you to teach the truth so all who will be
willing
to prove
and accept it can do so. Thanks so
much. Our prayers are with you."
The
writers then adds the following postscript, a candid
appraisal of the Flurry organization:
"P.S.S. Also if I can be of any help in regards to
the 'PCG' please do not hesitate
to
ask. Mr. Flurry's errors are very
dangerous, I feel. Thanks."
End-Time Deceptions Abound
Just
because a Church group comes out of the Worldwide Church of God, and possess
quite a bit of truth, does not necessarily mean that they are "God's
end-time Church," and the ONLY true
What
about you reading this article? Do you know how to really IDENTIFY God's
Jesus
Christ said, "You will know them by their fruits" (Matt.7:20). A Church's "fruits" involves both its TEACHINGS and DOCTRINES as well as its POLICIES and
PRACTICES! Isaiah the prophet wrote,
"To the law and to the testimony [the BIBLE]: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is NO
LIGHT IN THEM" (Isa.8:20).
Now,
I have nothing "personal" against Gerald Flurry and his new
organization. Howver,
I have heard some things about them which cause me to grieve. They appear to have retreated into a form of
"isolationism" and are not carefully "proving all things,"
as Paul commanded us to do (I Thess.5:21).
They have retreated into the past, a time warp, where Herbert W.
Armstrong -- despite his many faults, blemishes and errors -- is virtually
"worshiped," put up on a pedestal, and glorified as the
"Elijah" to come. Yet Herbert
Armstrong himself admitted he was not a "prophet," and made many,
many mistakes throughout his life. The
prophecies concerning the coming "Elijah" say that he will restore
the truth of God. Herbert Armstrong did
restore some of God's truth -- but far from all of it -- and he was in error on
some very important points.
Furthermore,
the Elijah to come is prophesied to "turn the heart of the fathers to the
children, and the heart of the children to the fathers" (Mal.4:6) -- and
the dropout rate of young people from the Worldwide Church of God was enormous
when Herbert Armstrong was alive. They
have failed to truly reconcile fathers and children. Family break-ups were at record levels. Husbands were divorcing wives and wives were
leaving husbands. The situation in the
Worldwide Church of God, during Herbert Armstrong's later years, was chaotic,
with divorce and remarriage at all-time highs.
Certainly these would not be the "fruits" of the ministry of
the "Elijah" to come!
Gerald
Flurry is right to compare the present-day leader of the Worldwide Church of
God to "Judas Iscariot." The
modern leadership of the Church is indeed betraying Jesus Christ and His truth!
The Great Errors of Gerald Flurry and
The "
However,
Flurry is totally wrong to use the prophecy in Zechariah concerning
"Joshua the high priest" and to claim it refers to Joseph Tkach. According to
Flurry in his book "Malachi's Message,"
"Joshua was Zerubbabel's chief
assistant. They are both end-time types
of two
men who work together just before Christ's return. Joshua rebelled
and
'despised the day of small things.' He turned
away from the way
Zerubbabel
built. That is how Satan got to him
(Zech.3:1).
"The 'man of sin' rules in
God's
instructions
of 'he' who was 'taken out of the way' (II Thes.2). There is
to be a
Judas-like betrayal today, just as there was with Joshua.
"And end-time Joshua and the
'man of sin' reign in God's Church just before
Christ's return (Zech.3:8; II
Thes.2:1-3). Are the one and the
same? Both
turn
away from past instructions. Both have
filthy garments. Failing to
submit
to Christ's government is the major problem of both men" (p.61).
Sadly,
this exegesis is all mixed up, spiritually.
The "man of sin" of II Thessalonians refers most directly to
the future "BEAST" or ruler of the end-time Babylonian Empire
(Rev.17:10) who will literally sit in the Temple of God, soon to be rebuilt in
Jerusalem (Rev.11:-1-2). He will
literally sit in the
who,
like Antiochus Epiphanes, will desolate God's
Who is "Joshua" the High Priest?
Flurry
also completely misunderstands the significance of "Joshua the high
priest" in Zechariah 3, also. Let's
notice this passage carefully.
"Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel
of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him. The LORD said to Satan, 'The LORD rebuke you, Satan!
The LORD, who has chosen
Notice! This man is snatched FROM the
"fire," a type of the Great Tribulation. That means he is SAVED! He is a chosens
vessel of Almighty God! He is most defnitely NOT an "apostate" who starts out well
but ends up going astray! Rather, the
exact OPPOSITE is true! Let's continue
the passage:
"Now Joshua was dressed in FILTHY CLOTHES as he stood before
the angel. The angel said to
those who were standing before him, 'Take off his filthy clothes.' Then he said to Joshua, 'See, I have TAKEN
AWAY YOUR SIN, and I will put rich garments on you.' Then I said, 'Put a clean turban on his
head.' So they put a clean turban on his
head and clothed him, while the angel of the LORD stood by" (Zech.3:3-8).
This
scene shows a man who was filthy with sins, but who REPENTED -- and who was
then used mightily by God! This
describes the very opposite of a man plunging into APOSTASY -- it shows a man
FORSAKING apostasy and REPENTING of a grievous, filthy, spiritual past!
In
ancient times, Joshua the high priest and Zerubbabel
the governor of
The TWO WITNESSES
Rather,
he and Zerubbabel were TYPES of the end-time TWO
WITNESSES of the Book of Revelation!
Notice it! God shows Zechariah a
vision of a gold lampstand with seven lights, and two
olive trees beside it (Zech.4:1-3). God
then says, "This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: 'Not by might nor by
power, but BY MY SPIRIT,' says the LORD Almighty. What are you, O mighty mountain? Before Zerubbabel
you will become level ground. Then he
will bring out the capstone to shouts of
"God bless it!' God bless it!"' Then the word of the LORD came to me: 'The hands of Zerubbabel
have laid the foundation; his hands will also COMPLETE IT. Then you will know that the LORD Almighty has
sent me to you" (Zech.4:4-9).
Notice! This cannot refer to Herbert Armstrong, not
even in type. Even if one suggests that
God used him to begin His end-time work in 1934, he is now DEAD. He most certainly will NOT
"complete" or "finish" the Work of the Church! Therefore, he was NOT an end-time
"type" or fulfillment of "Zerubbabel"! That should be perfectly plain.
The
Scripture goes on, however, "Who despises the day of small things? Men will REJOICE when they see the plumb line
in the hand of Zerubbabel. . .' Then I asked
the angel, 'What are these two olive trees on the right and the left of the lampstand?' Again I
asked him, 'What are these two olive branches beside the two gold pipes that
pour out golden oil?' He replied, 'Do
you not know what these are?' 'No, my
lord' I said. So he said, 'These are the
TWO WHO ARE ANOINTED TO SERVE THE LORD of all the earth'" (Zech.4:10-14).
What
is this talking about? These two
"anointed ones" were Zerubbabel and Joshua
the high priest! They were a type of the
TWO WITNESSES of the End Time! They
worked TOGETHER to finish and complete the WORK OF GOD on earth, prior to the
return of Jesus Christ!
Therefore,
in no way could this prophecy refer to Herbert Armstrong -- who is now DEAD --
and Joseph Tkach -- who has now turned ASIDE from the
true paths of God!
Rather,
as John writes in the book of Revelation, Almight God
says:
"And I will give POWER TO MY TWO WITNESSES, and they
will
prophecy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.
These ARE
the two
olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before
the
Lord of the earth. If anyone
tries to harm them, fire comes from
their
mouths and devours their enemies. This
is how any one who
wants to
harm them must die. These men have power
to shut up the
sky so
that it will not rain during the time they are prophesying; and
they have
power to turn the waters into blood and to strike the earth
with
every kind of plague as often as they want" (Rev.12:3-6).
How
clear! Joshua the high priest and Zerubbabel were two powerful servants of God who were types
of the end-time Two Witnesses prophesied in the book of Revelation. In no way, therefore, is "Joshua" a
type of that miserable dog and cur Joseph W. Tkach
who has sold his soul to the devil and has departed from the faith and followed
in the diabolical footsteps of Judas Iscariot, the supreme traitor of all time!
Flurry and the "
Flurry
is also dead wrong when he claims,
"Even
if a temple is built in
commissioned
to build God's temple -- as Zerubbabel was.
If they build a temple, it would
be the Jew's temple" (
"Malachi's
Message," p.47).
This
is utter nonsense. The prophet Daniel
foretold of a
Furthermore,
to claim that this
Talking
about this end-time Temple, God says, "This is what the LORD Almighty
says: 'In a little while I will once
more SHAKE THE HEAVENS AND THE EARTH, the sea and the dry land. I will SHAKE ALL NATIONS, and the desired of
all nations [Christ the Messiah!] will COME, and I will fill this house [the
'The glory of this present house will be greater
than the glory of the former house,' says the LORD Almighty. 'And in this place I will grant peace,'
declares the LORD Almighty' (Hag.2:6-9).
Gerald
Flurry says any
return
of the Messiah is the rebuilding of His
For
a man who claims to be God's sole remaining representative on the earth, leading
the sole remnant of the "one true Church," Gerald Flurry shows an
astonishing amount of ignorance and an equally astonishing degree of pride and
vanity and cocksure pompous arrogance. A
little more "humility" would be much more becoming. God says, "This is the one I
esteem: he who is humble and contrite in
spirit, and TREMBLES AT MY WORD" (Isaiah 66:2).
Enough
said?
The Mystery of the 144,000
Garbled Again!
Flurry
is also wrong in claiming that the
Flurry
states that the 144,000 of Revelation are "sealed" after the Great
Tribulation and before the Day of the Lord (Rev.6:9-16; 7:1-4). This of course is true. But then Flurry goes off the track, and
claims that only the 144,000 are "sealed" after the Great Tribulation
because, according to him:
"The Laodiceans
will DIE and be sealed during the 2 1/2 year
Tribulation. Therefore, we can see that the 144,000 of
God's people
receive
their salvation through the Tribulation experience -- and
death"
(p.29).
This
is utterly false! He adds,
"Again, the Bible indicates
that all the Laodiceans who enter
God's Kingdom must DIE for God (Rev.6:9-11;
12:11-12).
You should read every word. . . .
The Laodiceans have to
prove themselves
by dying for God" (p.30, his emphasis).
These
Scriptures simply do not say what Gerald Flurry says they say. Rather, Rev.6:9-11 speaks of MANY true
Christians dying during the Great Tribulation.
But it does not say ALL will perish in martyrdom! Similarly, Revelation 12:11-12 merely states
that the devil will come down to the earth with
great
wrath and fury. Verses 14-16 show that
some of God's people will be protected from Satan; but others will be
persecuted. There is NO MENTION OF MARTYRDOM,
although it will certainly happen to SOME!
Persecution is NOT "martyrdom"! Many will be persecuted, thrown in prison,
and treated horribly. Some will
definitely be martyred -- but nowhere does God say all the Laodiceans
will be martyred -- only that they will suffer the "fire" of the
Great Tribulation (Rev.3:18). In the
process, many of them will finally REPENT, and learn their lesson.
Who
then are the real 144,000 of Revelation?
Let's understand! The apostle
John sees them after the Great Tribulation (Rev.6:11-17), during a pause before
the Day of the Lord begins, when God Himself sends plagues upon the earth
(Rev.7:1-2). John says quite clearly that they are 12,000 from EACH of the 12
tribes of
What
is this "sealing"? It cannot
be receiving of God's Spirit -- they already have that, being "servants of
God." To claim that is is "death," as Flurry does, makes
no sense whatsoever. These people are
SURVIVORS, still alive at the end of the Great Tribulation! What, then, is it? Notice!
The Mystery of the "Mark"
"Then
I heard him call out in a loud voice, 'Bring the guards of the city here, each with
a WEAPON in his hand.' And I saw six men
coming from the direction of the upper gate, which faces north, each with a
deadly weapon in his hand. With them was
a man clothed in linen who had a writing kit at his side. They came in and stood beside the bronze
altar. . . . Then the LORD called to the man clothed in linen who had the writing kit at his side and said to him, 'Go
throughout the city of
Ezekiel
continues: "As I listened, he said
to the others [other angels], 'Follow him through the city and KILL, without
showing pity or compassion. Slaughter
old me, young men and maidens, women and children, but DO NOT TOUCH ANYONE WHO
HAS THE MARK" (Ezekiel 9:1-6).
This
"mark" is the same thing as the "seal" in Revelation 7:3 --
it is the "seal" or "mark" of divine PROTECTION and setting
apart! In other words, the PLAGUES OF
GOD which will fall upon the earth during the Day of the Lord,
will not harm or touch the "sealed" and protected servants of God who
are still alive at that time! They will
be supernaturally SPARED and SAVED from the judgment that will fall upon the
heads of all the wicked!
"The Government of
God"?
Unfortunately,
Gerald Flurry's so-called "Philadelphia Church of God" is no more the
true "
Flurry
believes that the "government of God" is only in his
"church" group today. He
thunders at everybody else:
"When
we reach 'the great and dreadful day of the Lord,' all
rebellion
from the Church against the Elijah Work [which he
claims
is his work] is removed. At that
point, all Firstfruits
support
what Christ has restored through
HWA or they are
dead
spirtually!
Even though HWA died before 'the great and
dreadful
Day of the Lord,' there are many who still don't support
what
Christ restored though him. When that
Day arrives,
ALL CHURCH MEMBERS WHO STILL
REBEL AGAINST
GOD'S GOVERNMENT WILL BE CUT OFF
FOREVER!"
(p.29, whew!).
Flurry's
"church government" is no more God's Government on earth than Worldwide's, Church of God, International's, or any other
sect or cult today! He says of those he
calls "Laodiceans," "They have a
serious GOVERNMENT PROBLEM. They are
in the Tribulation for that very reason!" (ibid.). But Flurry's group has shown it has that
identical problem!
Will
they wind up then in the very same place?
Flurry
threatens all who don't follow HIM and his group with DEATH in the Great
Tribulation, unless they repent NOW. He
claims their "sealing" means being MARTYRED during the Great
Tribulation. What a total perversion and
twisting of the plain and simple Scriptures of Revelation 6, 7 and 12! Knowing that we serve a righteous and a just
God, I suspect that God will reserve for Gerald Flurry and his group the very
punishment that he so quickly threatens so many others with! I would sincerely not want to be
"caught" among them.
On
the last page of his book, page 83, Flurry asks the question:
"WHO HAS A GOVERNMENT PROBLEM?"
He
asserts:
"We are going to be accused of rebelling against God and His
authority. WE ARE DOING JUST THE OPPOSITE! . . . Who
has a
government problem? The whole battle we
face is struggling
to cling
to Christ's government. . . . WE ARE NOT REBELLING
-- WE ARE TAKING A STAND AGAINST
THOSE WHO ARE!"
Of
course, Joseph Tkach and the Worldwide Church of God
do accuse Flurry and his group of rebelling against "Church
authority" and the "government of God." But now Flurry and his group are accusing
others of the very same thing when they disagree with him! So what we see here are "two
wolves," all right -- the Worldwide "wolf" gnashing its teeth at
a rebellious young "whelp" of a "wolf" which has led off a
group of people to follow him to his own rendezvouz
with destiny, and the Great Tribulation -- unless he, himself, bitterly repents
of his own serious, fatal errors!
If
Flurry were taking a stand against those who are rebelling against God, and if
he were standing up for the TRUTH of God, and not just for old ERRORS and
doctrinal mistakes of the past, then I
would have nothing against him -- I would cheer him and and
root for his team. But alas, I cannot do
that. The "fruits" have proven
that his group is just another "miniature Worldwide" with all of its
governmental errors and doctrinal faults -- including the abuse of authority
and stubborn refusal to admit and confess their mistakes, and to repent and
receive proven and provable new Truth!
"BELIEVE YOUR BIBLE --
NOT MEN!"
Finally, Flurry ends his book:
"Brethren,
please study and digest this message, and pray
fervently for God to guide you. BELIEVE YOUR BIBLE
-- NOT
MEN! Your eternal life hangs in the
balance" (p.83,
"Malachi's Message").
On
this one thing Gerald Flurry is certainly right.
You
should definitely "BELIEVE YOUR BIBLE -- NOT MEN!" (p.83). And that includes Gerald
Flurry!
Flurry
also tells people who read his book, "
"GOD COMMANDS -- TEST YOUR LEADERS" (page 5).
This
also is very good advice. And it applies
just as much to Gerald Flurry as it does to Joseph W. Tkach,
or any other man on the earth, today!
He
is also right, when he says, on page 4, that the apostle John had a "run
in" with a certain church leader of his time, one Diotrephes,
who would not let the brethren receive emmisaries
from John, but forbad them from doing so and even "puts them out of the
church," John wrote (III John 9-10).
Flurry says these cast out ones were the faithful brethren, the one's
who had God's Holy Spirit. These cast out ones became the new faithful
Flurry
declares:
"The point is, THOSE CLOSE TO GOD FOLLOWED
JESUS CHRIST -- not some of the
deceived leaders in
God's
Church."
Flurry
continues:
"We
often ask the question, 'Is he out of the Church?' But that
isn't
the most important question. That isn't
the question the
Apostle John was most concerned
about. His followers were
'cast
out' of the
because
they were actually FOLLOWING CHRIST!
Following
Christ has gotten many people
kicked out of God's Churches --
when
those Churches were going astray. A
CHRISTIAN IS ONE
WHO FOLLOWS CHRIST -- not a man
or a church organization"
(p.4,
"Malachi's Message").
Isn't
that amazing? Gerald Flurry knows this
truth. He even writes about it. Indeed, a TRUE CHRISTIAN IS ONE WHO FOLLOWS
CHRIST! But then Flurry does the very
same thing DIOTREPHES DID whom the apostle John had his confrontation with --
he casts true Christians out of the Church!
Flurry does the very same thing to others that Joseph Tkach and his minions in Pasadena did to him!
Is
that the right "Christian example" to be set?
Is
Flurry, therefore, really "FOLLOWING CHRIST?"
The
experience of the man who was in the "Philadelphia Church of God" for
a while speaks volumes concerning the true state of affairs of the
"Philadelphia Church of God."
His
letter is very revealing and definitely shows a wrong attitude on the part of
the ministry -- a self-righteous, holier-than-thou attitude that is blind to
error and their own mistakes and shortcomings. Christ Himself will deal with such
reprehensible, devious ministers who refuse to repent when confronted with the
plain and simple Word of God.
"WOE To the Shepherds"!
The
Word of God thunders, "To the shepherds:
Thus said the Lord GOD: Ah, you
shepherds of Israel, who have been tending yourselves! Is it not the flock that the shepherds ought
to tend? You partake of the fat, you
clothe yourselves with the wool, and YOU SLAUGHTER the fatlings; but you do not
tend the flock. You have not sustained
the weak, healed the sick, or bandaged the injured; you have NOT BROUGHT BACK
THE STRAYED, or looked for the LOST; but you have DRIVEN THEM WITH HARSH RIGOR,
and they have been scattered for want of anyone to tend them"
(Ezek.34:2-5, Tanakh).
Jeremiah
the prophet wrote, "'WOE to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering
the sheep of my pasture!' declares the LORD.
Therefore this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says to the
shepherds who tend my people: 'Because
you have SCATTERED my flock and DRIVEN THEM AWAY [through "disfellowhipment" as well as other means, including
"boring them to death" in some cases] and have not bestowed care on
them, I will bestow PUNISHMENT on you for the EVIL you have done,' declares the
LORD'" (Jer.23:1-2).
John
Amos, one of the two top ministers of the "Philadelphia Church of
God" -- I have to put that name in quotation marks, because by their
fruits they certainly are NOT the "Church of Brotherly Love," which
the name "Philadelphia" would imply -- accused a man of having a "hang-up"
about Passover and the 144,000. But I have
noticed it is the one who does the accusing who usually has the real spiritual
"hang-ups."
The
leaders of the "Philadelphia Church of God" appear to be stuck in
"neutral" spiritually and are going nowhere fast. As the letter writer said, they have all the
major "truth" virtually "frozen solid" -- as of the time of
Herbert Armstrong -- except what Gerald Flurry decides to change, for his own
benefit.
Concerning
the Passover controversy, Flurry and Amos both should read my many articles on
this subject which prove beyond any question that Passover must be observed at
the END of Nisan 14, on Nisan 15, the same time as the Jews have always
observed it. The wine and unleavened
bread are to be taken with the Passover meal or seder,
in a family setting, the only difference
being they represent the blood and body of Christ our Saviour
who rescued us from sin. (See the
articles "Wonderful New Truth about the Passover!,"
"Passover -- The Final Solution," "When Should We Observe the
Passover?" and "Myths about the Passover!")
Likewise,
they should study into the subject of the right day to observe Pentecost. This holy day has been grievously
misunderstood. The Jews have always
celebrated both Passover and Pentecost on the right days -- they never lost
this
fundamental
truth of God, anymore than they ever lost the true knowledge of the weekly
Sabbath! (See my articles "How Should We Count Pentecost?",
"Pentecost -- the Final Story," "The Pentecost Enigma!",
"The Incredible Truth about Pentecost," and "The Plain Truth
about Pentecost!")
I
sincerely hope that Gerald Flurry and John Amos will both come to full
repentance before they go so far adrift from the truth which they once held
that they earn for themselves the full, undiluted and undiminished WRATH and
fury of God, which He will pour out on the wicked shepherds, the evil
ministers, and all those who MISLEAD God's people!
As
the apostle Paul wrote to the Romans, "The WRATH OF GOD is being revealed
from heaven against ALL the godlessness and wickedness of MEN WHO SUPPRESS THE
TRUTH by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them,
because God has made it plain to them. . . . so that
[these] men are without excuse" (Rom.1:18-20).
This
is no small matter, but something all should take with the utmost seriousness
and urgency.
Presently,
the "Philadelphia Church of God" possesses fatal and dangerous
errors. They came out of Worldwide, but
not "all the way out" of Babylon!
They still have the Babylonian, authoritarian, despotic form of
"church government" which does not come from Scripture but from
Babylon and the tyranny of Roman Catholicism, masquerading as the truth of
God. God's true ministers are not
autocrats or dictators -- they are loving and gentle shepherds who love the
flock with tenderness and rule with meekness and gentlesness
(I Pet.5:1-4; Matt.23:8-12).
The
"Philadelphia Church of God," as it seems to boastfully call itself -- not illustrative of
what I would call an attitude of humility -- needs to repent, and develop an
attitude of true humility. Certainly,
people need to be warned against every vestige of false teaching that remains
in the Worldwide Church of God. But we need also to repent and change every
vestige or particle of error that formerly was taught by the Worldwide Church
of God. Just "following Herbert W.
Armstrong" as he used to teach is not good enough. He was still just a man -- mortal, fallible,
weak, and sinful. Following him blindly
would be no safer than following any man blindly!
The
Scriptures state unequivocally: "Do
not put your trust in princes, in mortal men, who cannot save. When their spirit departs, they return to the
ground; on that very day their plans come to nothing" (Psalms
146:3-4). This certainly happened in the
case of Herbert Armstrong. He left the
Work of God in the hands of a spiritual FOOL!
The
Word of God says, "It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust
in man. It is better to take refuge in
the LORD than to trust in princes" -- or ministers or any human leaders
(Psalms 118:8-9).
I
hope and pray that the leaders of the Philadelphia Church of God will come to a
much fuller and deeper repentence and submission to
the will of God. It is right that they
should help expose
the errors of Worldwide -- but they should not blind themselves to REAL new
truth, and bring people into servitude and cruel "bondage" to
themselves -- replacing one dictatorship with another! They themselves must also open their eyes to
the fact that Herbert Armstrong did not have all the truth, and that we must
continue to GROW in grace and the knowledge of God's Word and HIS LAWS (II
Pet.3:18). If they follow the example of
Worldwide, and put people out for asking questions, or bringing up serious new truth,
then they are no better than the apostates they are fleeing from -- they are
just "the pot calling the kettle black" -- modern hypocrites! We should not rejects
the extremism of Worldwide only to retreat into a rigid reactionary
neo-conservative cultism.