Special Report on
Gerald Flurry,
Garner Ted Armstrong,
This was written 15 years ago,, but still
gives valuable insight into these men and the ministries they founded. Joseph
Tkach and Garner Ted Armstrong are now deceased, but their work still lingers
and leads people astray.
"Wherever
the Carcass Lies,
There Will the
Vultures Gather"
Spiritually,
physically and morally the
of God appears to be imploding. It has been reported that
Joseph
Tkach Jr. wants to be observing Easter Sun-rise
services by Easter 1994!
He has already been observed
eating shrimp in a restaurant and justified it to a church
mem-
ber by saying, "I'm a Gentile!" As the woes of the Church
increase, more and more members are leaving, falling prey
to the siren song of various pied pipers. The vultures are
gathering for a real feast!
William F. Dankenbring
Jesus uttered
a strange prophecy in the
"If anyone tells you at that time, 'Here is the Christ?' or, 'There he is!'
do not believe it; for false Christs and false prophets will
rise and bring
forth great signs and wonders, so as to mislead the very
elect, -- if that
were possible. (I am
telling you this beforehand.)
"If
they tell you, 'Here he is, in the desert,' go not out; 'here he is, in the
chamber,' do not believe it.
For like the lightning that shoots from east
to west, so will be the arrival of the Son of man"
(Matt.24:22-27, Moffatt).
Notice! Great deceptions, delusions, spiritual apostasy, was
predicted by the Messiah, Jesus Christ --- Yeshua Ha Moshiach -- in the days
just before His second coming to planet Earth!
But notice also -- He continued:
"Wherever the
carcass is, there will the vultures gather" (v.28).
In a similar prophecy in Luke 17, Jesus declared:
"Where there is a dead body, the
vultures will gather" (Luke
What is a "vulture"? Vultures are unclean birds which feast on
carrion -- the corpses of dead animals, including men and women. The original Hebrew and Greek words refers to
a "bird of prey," rapid in flight, such as the black vulture, falcon,
or kite. The birds hasten to the prey.
I find it
singularly interesting that spiritual "vultures" appear to be
circling over the remains of the Worldwide Church of God, today, picking off
those who leave the drowning ship, feasting on them like birds of prey! Jesus' very words are a choice description
and prophecy of just this very kind of activity!
What more apt
description could there be to picture the demise of Worldwide! According to the
"Up to half of the 100,000 members of
the Worldwide Church of God
(WCG)
-- which has moved toward orthodoxy after 60 years of
rejecting
basic Christian beliefs -- may bolt following the latest
round of doctrinal
changes, observers and former members say.
"Two
splinter groups, each claiming the mantle of WCG founder Herbert
W.
Armstrong, are poised to gain members and dollars in the wake of the
anticipated exodus" (p.59).
Actually, not two but three off-shoot churches are
poised to gain members from the splitting up and rupture of Worldwide,
spiritually. They are the Church of God,
International (CGI), founded by Garner Ted Armstrong, son of Herbert W.
Armstrong, who left Worldwide in a severe power-struggle in 1978; Gerald
Flurry, minister in Oklahoma, who left in January, 1990 and formed his
"Philadelphia Church of God" (PCG), which lionizes Herbert Armstrong,
calls him the prophet "Elijah," and compels new members to
acknowledge Herbert as their "spiritual father" before accepting them
into fellowship; and lastly, Roderick C. Meredith, long-time Church evangelist
ordained in the early '50s, who broke off in December 1992/January 1993 to form
up his "Global Church of God" (GCG).
The income of all three groups is in the millions of dollars, with
memberships ranging from 1,500 to 4,000 or so.
Joseph Tkach
now writes that the teaching of the Trinity is basic doctrine of the Church --
a concept repudiated violently by Herbert W. Armstrong, during his days as
leader of the organization. According to
Tkach, however, "The
Bible teaching is that there is one God, who is the Father, the Son, the Holy
Spirit." He says that it is
incorrect to refer to any of these as "Persons," or
"Beings," or "Entities."
To him, they all comprise "one God" -- one Being
-- apparently a Three-headed God Being with Three Minds (the mind of the
Father, the mind of Christ, and the mind of the Holy Spirit) -- sort of a
schizoid god.
Not only has
Tkach violently changed the church's perception of the Godhead, however, he
insists, "It is not my idea, nor is it the idea of some fourth century
theologians. It is the plain Bible
teaching." (Even Catholic and
Protestant theologians will admit there is nothing "plain" in the
Scriptures about the concept of the Trinity!
So Tkach even surpasses his mentors in this regard!)
According to
reports, says Christianity Today magazine:
"Church observers also believe the group
will drop a requirement that
members adhere to Levitical dietary laws on 'clean' and
'unclean' foods"
(ibid. ).
Supporting this conclusion is the report I heard recently
that a church member of the Worldwide Church of God saw Joseph Tkach, Jr., in a
restaurant eating shrimp -- which is forbidden church members to do. It is considered an abomination -- unclean
filth! The shocked member confronted
Tkach, Jr., and asked him what he was doing and why he was eating shrimp. Joe Junior's reply: "It's OK for me to eat; I'm a Gentile!" Thus we may expect Church members to be
permitted to eat all the meats forbidden in Leviticus 11 -- pork, shellfish,
lobsters, ham, pickled pig's feet, catfish, and all the unclean things which Almighty
God forbad to His people, to preserve their health and physical and spiritual
well-being.
As these
changes take effect, and are put in place, we may surely see more and more
members, fed up with the disturbing changes, depart
from the Church, seeking fellowship elsewhere.
But where will they go? The
predators are lined up in the aisles, waiting their chance at these newly
disenfranchised "sheep," who are so used to
group-think and the cult mentality -- who are looking for a "new
leader" to replace the one whom they have lost! Rather than repent of their own sins and
blindness, they are simply looking for another church
"association" where they
will feel the most "comfortable."
However,
there is an old saying -- "Don't jump from the frying pan into the
fire!" Three major off-shoots have
sprung up from the remains of Worldwide -- CGI, PCG, and now GCG. What is the truth about these three
outfits? Are they truly serving God? Where do they fit in God's overall Plan?
Garner Ted Armstrong
What about
the
Writes
Richard Nickels, long-time church member and commentator on the church scene:
"It was common knowledge among the
ministry in the early 1970's as to
the moral turpitude of Herbert's son Garner Ted. The fact that the father
allowed this to go on in deference to his son appeared to be
more than
mere nepotism. . . .
"The
sordid episode of the 1977 'marriage' of HWA to Mrs. Martin, a divorcee
many years his junior, made us wonder if he had conveniently
changed the D &
R
[divorce and remarriage] doctrine to pave the way for doing what he had vehe-
mently taught against for so many years. In 1973 and prior had a WWC minister
or member done such a thing, they would have been put out of
the church. Was
it all right for him to do it just because he was 'God's
apostle'? Then in 1984 he
divorced Ramona Martin, following a bitter lawsuit over
alimony. . . .
"For
a number of years, I, like so many in the church, was too blinded to serious-
ly question the double dealing going on. Finally, in 1973, I cut my own throat
by questioning GTA personally about his moral qualifications
for the ministry.
It
cost me my job. . . What precipitated this was a church employee's meeting
conducted by GTA. He
was reacting strongly against the prevalent rumors of his
immoral escapades. He
denied them. Garner Ted commanded all of
us present to
come to him personally if we had any doubts. Young and naive as I was, I took
him literally."
What happened, when young Richard Nickels took Garner Ted
Armstrong at his word? Notice the
consequences -- and decide for yourself whether Ted Armstrong has any business
whatsoever being a "leader" over an end-time remnant of the true body
of Chirst, the
". . . Taught to be obedient to
church ministers, I realized that I did have
doubts because I heard the 'rumors' directly from the lips
of top church
ministers. So I wrote
a note to GTA, setting up a meeting to discuss the
matter. GTA was out
of town and designated his two top assistants to
talk with me. I
wanted to know if GTA had repeatedly engaged in adultery
while a minister, as minister after minister had told
me. If so, I stated, he
could not continue to be a minister according to I Timothy
3. They did not
give definite answers. . .
"When
GTA returned to
caused him to fly into a rage. GTA called me up on the phone. He shouted
that he and his father were above the qualifications
for the ministry
as given in I Timothy 3, and that if I had any more questions about his conduct,
I
would have to present them before himself and his father personally. He said
that anyone who would ask such questions was out of a job
and out of the
church! I have never
shaken so much in fear. I went home and
fasted and
prayed for three days. . .
"I
feel that Garner Ted Armstrong, as did his father Herbert W. Armstrong,
actually believes he is above the laws of God in the Bible,
and that because
of his 'special' calling, he does not have to obey the same
laws other 'laymen'
or 'lower rank' ministers do. A wit once remarked that HWA was 'a legend
in his own mind.' How
could a humble minister make the statement, as HWA
did, 'follow me into the
there is the work of the church.'
"Former
U.S. President Richard Nixon is reported to have said, 'When the
President
does it, that makes it legal.' He merely flaunted the laws of man.
Those
who are claiming to be above Bible law are on far more serious grounds"
(Richard
Nickels, "Hebert W. Armstrong:
1892-1986," published paper, Giving
and Sharing,
In the light of Mr. Nickel's personal experience at the
hands of a volatile, enraged and out-of-control Garner Ted Armstrong, lacking
in every one of the "fruits of the Spirit of God " -- "love,
joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness,
self-control" (see Gal.5:22-23) -- should any be so foolish as to follow
such a man who claims to be the representative of God and Jesus Christ? God forbid!
Al Carrozzo,
former minister of the Worldwide Church of God, confirmed the adulterous
liasons of Ted Armstrong -- who has never ever admittred them in public, to
this very day! Carrozzo quoted Ted's
own confession in a meeting between the two of them:
"'Al, let's get one thing
straight! I'm a no good, fornicating,
adulterating
son of a . . .!'
These highly emotional words initiated a private conversation
between Garner Ted Armstrong and me at l0:
16, 1973, in the seclusion of his television studio office. This was not
the first or the only time Ted ever admitted that he was an
adulterer. In
spite of repeated public denials, Ted has privately admitted
that he has been
guilty of flagrant, continuous adultery and fornication for almost
a quarter
of a century -- as a church member, an executive, and an
evangelist!" (p.44,
"The
Profligate Son," 1977Ambassador Report,,
CA
91116).
Seemingly, many people are truly "lemmings." They follow their leaders in a mass movement
wherever they lead, even right over a cliff to spiritual suicide! Thousands still follow this self-styled
"man of God" today. Truly,
Jesus Christ warns such hypocrites, who say one thing and do another, "Woe
to you, you impious scribes and Pharisees!
You shut the Realm of heaven in men's faces; you neither enter
yourselves, nor will you let those enter who are on the point of entering. Woe to you, you impious scribes and
Pharisees! you
traverse sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when you succeed, you
make him a
son
of Gehenna twice as bad as yourselves" (Matt.23:13-15, Moffatt).
The Second Vulture -- Gerald
Flurry
The next group to split off and form a sizable church group
from the remnants of Worldwide was Gerald Flurry, in December 1989. He is said to have "written" a
book, actually collected from notes he made, and put together by his staff,
entitled "Malachi's Message." Its very title, however, is a direct perversion of the truth
and has no relation to the message of the REAL "prophet Malachi"!
Interestingly,
The WATCHMAN EXPOSITOR
contains an expose of
Gerald Flurry's "Philadelphia Church of God," entitled,
"Teachings of a False Prophet." Gerald Flurry, former minister of the
Worldwide Church of God, left the Church in December of 1989, almost three
years after I was booted out, and formed up his own new "church,"
taking members from the rapidly apostasizing Worldwide. His book "Malachi's Messages"
seemed to document many of the changes in doctrine and the new direction
Worldwide was headed -- but, alas, sometimes the "cure" is worse than
the "disease." Flurry's new
church became a despotic, corrupt, man-worshipping "cult" which
disfellowshipped doubters or those with questions at the drop of a hat! Among the errors of Flurry's Church, Gerald
Flurry --
1. Rejects God's revealed truth about the
correct day and manner to observe Passover.
Insists the original date was beginning of Nisan 14, and that the lambs
were slain between sunset and twilight following Nisan 13. Claims the Jews changed the date hundreds of
years before Christ, due to Egyptian influence -- without any evidence for this
"conclusion" whatsoever!
2. Rejects the true and provable date for
Pentecost -- 50 days after the high holy day of Nisan 15, which today brings us
to Sivan 6. Although both Christ and
Paul clearly acknowledged the authority of the Pharisees and scribes on this
question (Matt.23:2-3; Phil.3:5-6), and Paul said he was taught "the exact
manner of the law" as a Pharisee (Acts 22:3), and still claimed to be a Pharisee in 60 A.D., a quarter century
after his conversion, and the Pharisees taught Pentecost (or Shavuot) should be
observed fifty days after the first holy day of Passover (Nisan 15), Flurry,
along with Worldwide, Global, and International Church of God, rejects this
simple and easily proven truth!
Among
Flurry's other errors:
3. Claims the
144,000 of Revelation (see Rev.7) are the "Laodicean" members of the
Worldwide Church of God and that they will all be martyred in the Great
Tribulation. How strange, since
Revelation 6:9-11 pictures the Great Tribulation as the fifth seal, followed by
the heavenly signs (the sixth seal -- Rev.6:12-17), and then -- when all the
144,000 are supposed to be DEAD according to Flurry, God sends His angel with
the "seal of the living God" to "seal" his servants, the
144,000, who are 12,000 from each of the tribes of Israel (Rev.7:1-8). Why "seal" them if they are already
dead? This pictures them as still
LIVING at the END of the Great Tibulation, and being "sealed" with
God's protection from the plagues of the Day of the Lord (see chapters 8-9,
Rev.16). Sealing, here, clearly refers
to divine protection (see also Ezek.9:1-11).
4. Claims his is the ONLY TRUE CHURCH -- all
others are heretical sects! In other
words, you must follow Flurry in order to be "saved"!
5. Claims Herbert W. Armstrong was the
"Elijah" to come,
turned the hearts of the fathers to the children, and vice versa,
reconciling families -- despite the fact that Herbert Armstrong's divorce and
remarriage doctrine from 1934 to 1974 wrecked thousands of marriages. He himself did not set a good
role model for a parent, and was guilty of incest with his daughter Dorothy for
a period of ten years during the 1930's and 40's. For documentation on these things see:
Ambassador
Report,
Emissary
Publications,
Watchman
Fellowship, Inc.,
Giving and
Sharing,
6. Claims Herbert Armstrong was a prophet
"in the power and spirit of Elijah," despite the fact that between
1934 and 1986, he made over 200 false prophecies and predictions -- including the
prediction that Rommel would reach Jerusalem during World War II, Mussolini was
the "beast" of Revelation, Christ would return in the 1940's, later
revised to 1975, that Hitler wasn't really killed in his Berlin bunker but
still lived hiding out somewhere, probably Argentina, that man would never
place a man on the moon or return him to earth safely, that the British would
lose the war over the Falkland Islands, etc., etc., etc.! Quite a "record" for a modern-day
"Elijah"!
7. Claims the "high priest Joshua" of
Zechariah 3 is none other than Joseph Tkach himself -- despite the fact that he
also says Joseph Tkach is the "son of perdition" of II Thessalonians
2. This is a strange mind-boggling conclusion
since obviously II Thessalonians 2 refers to the "beast" of
Revelation (and only to Joseph Tkach as a "type"!), but
"Joshua" in Zechariah 3 is a forerunner and "type" of one
of the TWO WITNESSES of Revelation! (Zech.3:4-5, 8; 4:2-7, 11-14; Rev.11:3-11;
compare especially Zech.4:11-14 and Rev.11:4).
8. Flurry himself has been guilty of several
false prophecies. In the March 1991
issue of the Philadelphia Trumpet, he implied the
drought then ravaging
9. Perhaps the most bizarre statement made by
Flurry was in the Sept-Oct. 1992 Trumpet where he claimed that his book
"Malachi's Message" was "delivered to me . . . A MIGHTY ANGEL
DIRECTLY FROM GOD REVEALED IT!" (his
emphasis). Originally, however, Flurry
said he came to understand the things in his book from many months of
study. Flurry rebuked several members of
his church who said they understood most of the message of the book even before
Flurry wrote it, but Flurry in the same article declared, "THAT IS A
HORRIBLE FALLACY! . . . There was no need for the mighty angel to come if a few
already understood the message!" (his
emphasis). At other times Flurry has
said he has been falsely accused of saying a "mighty angel" revealed
it to him by his detractors. As we see,
his own words condemn him. He is a liar
-- you cannot have it both ways (see John
10. Flurry also claims
his "Malachi's Message" is the "little book" mentioned in
Revelation 10 and is therefore "divinely inspired Scripture" and goes
so far as to boast,"'MALACHI'S MESSAGE' IS AN UNWRITTEN PART OF THE BOOK
OF REVELATION!" (again, his emphasis!). Has he never read the warning in Revelation
22:18 and the "curse" God puts on anyone who would "add to"
the things written in Revelation? "For
I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book,
if any man shall add unto these things, GOD SHALL ADD UNTO HIM THE
PLAGUES that are written in the
book" (Rev.22:18!).
The truth is, Gerald Flurry is a false prophet. But, he does see the apostasy of the
leadership of Worldwide, and that is why many people have been persuaded to
join his church. Little do they know
that they have leaped from the frying pan into the very flames of the fire!
A
correspondent recently wrote me the following letter, showing his experience
with Flurry's PCG:
"I recently read a little of your
articles and found them to be quite interesting,
regarding the 'false prophet' Gerald Flurry! I attended with his PCG for a short
while after coming out of the WCG because of their major changes in doctrines.
I
am now a 'free' lance
Christian! (No more middle men). I learned very quickly
that Flurry was idolizing H.W.A., as well as making a bunch of false and
ques-
tionable prophecies.
The man (Flurry) is still trying to steal the disgruntled
members of the other churches. Pray and pay is still their agenda. -- He is
a little
dictator, just like H.W.A. was!"
Another former member of Flurry's church wrote in December,
1991 the following words of warning:
"I became associated with Flurry and
his M.M. [Malachi's Message] in January
of 90. I was the 2nd
person to leave the
I
was extremely excited to belong to the remnant of what I thought was the Phila-
delphia era of God's Church since after reading MM I was
convinced that the WCG
was Laodicean. Mr.
Flurry wrote on such in his MM. I later
found out that this
idea or truth was not original to Mr. Flurry but had been
given to Mr. Dankenbring
approximately two full years before MM and I feel Mr. Flurry
was likely reading
Mr.
Dankenbring's Prophecy Flash. "
The letter writer goes on to discuss great personal
corruption and Nazi-like tactics among the leadership of the Philadelphia
Church of God, and warns:
"In ending this letter I hope that
anyone who should read it can get some idea
of the type of reckless leadership that is prevalent in the
PCG. Flurry was
content to kick me out and aid in the reckless shepherding
of John Amos and
Dennis
Leap. Once they got me out they could
discredit me to the PCG member-
ship and call me all the names they
could. But there is a God in heaven who saw
it all. . . . So to all who take the time to read this,
Beware of those wolves who
come to you in sheep's clothing, who are inwardly
wolves. I for one warn any-
one who is the least bit interested in Gerald's PCG, TRUST
NO MAN. THIS
TYPE
OF SPIRITUAL LEADERSHIP WILL LEAD YOU TO A JIM JONES
TYPE ENDING. Think
what they would be like in rough times and under
pressure as leaders if they act this way well fed and in
prosperous times. I fear
for all in the PCG and all who entertain MM. "
As the old addage goes, Caveat emptor -- "Let
the buyer beware"! 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!"
(MM, p.29).
Flurry's
"church government" is just another totalitarian, dictatorial,
heavy-handed, tyrannical form of HUMAN government. Although professing to be God's Church, and
therefore claiming God is in charge of ONLY that Church, Flurry has proved by his
errors and his attitude that God is not in that Church! It is just another of
Satan's End-time Deceptions!
Speaking
about Church government in the
"Ye know that the princes of the
Gentiles EXERCISE DOMINION
over them, and they that are great exercise AUTHORITY upon
them.
BUT
IT SHALL NOT BE SO AMONG YOU: but
whosoever will
be great among you, let him be your minister [servant]; and
whosoever
will be chief among you, let him be YOUR SERVANT: even as the
Son
of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to
give his life a ransom for many" (Matt.20:24-28).
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. Knowing that we serve a
righteous and a just God, I suspect that God will reserve for Gerald Flurry the
very punishment with which he so quickly threatens so many others!
It is this
very concept of Church Government which is so dangerous about Flurry's group,
which is picking up many members frosm the disintegrating Worldwide Church of
God. The poor members/sheep are being
led to the slaughter, and don't even realize it. Like the innocents who were victims of
suicide/murder at Jonestown, Guyana, several years ago, who
followed a man thinking he was God's servant, without checking up and PROVING the
truth, those who follow Gerald Flurry and his strange prophetic blend of errant
egomania, are headed for their own doom.
And Now -- Roderick
Meredith
The third group to spring out of the demise and remains of
the Worldwide Church of God, and bringing many former members into their flock
and church organzation, is the Global Church of God, set up by Roderick C.
Meredith. Meredith, who suffered
excruciating eclipse during the past fifteen years, suddenly finds himself
leading another "branch" of the
Interestingly,
Joseph Tkach, Sr., of the Worldwide Church of God, claims that Herbert
Armstrong warned him to watch out for Roderick Meredith -- that
he was an "ambitious" man.
Meredith has always reminded me of "yon Cassius," in
Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar. "Yon
Cassius hath a lean and hungry look -- such men are dangerous!" Caesar was
told. Cassius told Brutus, "It is
not in our stars, but in ourselves, that we are underlings.
" Meredith's lean frame, and hatchet-faced
intensity, gave new meaning to the term spiritual "Nazi." Like one of Hitler's own storm-troopers,
Meredith was famous in his Worldwide days for the
quickness of his disfellowshipping "errant ministers," on the spot,
and cutting people down to "size" with his
"authority."
Tkach says
Herbert Armstrong told him Meredith could not be trusted:
"In late 1985 Mr. Armstrong told me
that Dr. Meredith deeply desired
to be pastor general, and warned me that just as Dr.
Meredith had been
a continuous thorn in Mr. Armstrong's side, so he would be a
continual
problem to me. Mr.
Armstrong had himself suspended Dr. Meredith
from attending services for about eight months in
1979-80" (The World-
wide News,
Meredith has since been joined by Raymond McNair, also
former evangelist of the Worldwide Church of God, and his brother-in-law
(Meredith's first wife was Raymond's sister).
In June of
1975, Raymond McNair filed for divorce against his wife of twenty years, something
no Worldwide Church of God evangelist had ever done. He had the backing of the two Armstrongs,
because in their eyes his wife Leona had departed from the Church and was
attending lectures of Ernest Martin, a minister who had left the Church to form
his own group in
"But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving
for the cause of fornication
[Greek porneia meaning "adultery, sexual
immorality, harlotry, incest" --- see Strong's
Exhaustive Concordance,
#4202,
and Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon ], causeth her to commit