Which Church
is God's
And Where Is God’s Real
End-Time Work, Today?
There are over 21,000 churches,
cults, sects, denominations in
the world today.
There are a number of small churches, religious
organizations and groups which are operated by people who
were
formerly with the Worldwide Church of God or one of its off
shoots.
Just
what is the TRUE "
Which
of the several "works" is really doing GOD'S "Work"? Can you
be an "independent" Christian? Just what should God's Church be
named, anyway? Here
is a careful investigation and examination of
these vital issues which need to be addressed boldly and
urgently,
lest we be led astray by false teachers and cunning impostors!
William F. Dankenbring
A person wrote to me asking,
"Why did you change the name of the
This individual seems very concerned
since Triumph Prophetic Ministries, which God led me to begin in early 1987, is
not a "church" as such. He
seems to think that when I left the Worldwide Church of God, I should have
incorporated as another "
This question illustrates just how
confused many people have become, and how indoctrinated they are in believing
that they must belong to a "Church" -- a physical corporation
literally incorporated as a "
Just Wbat
IS a 'Church'?
Actually, I have never changed the
name of God's Church. Triumph Prophetic
Ministries is not a Church! It is merely
a MINISTRY -- a service OF the "church"! The actual name is "Triumph Prophetic
Ministries (
According to Scripture, then, the
"Church" which Jesus founded is simply the body of believers who have
been called out of this world to follow Christ! When there are
more than one or two in a given area, they would meet together for regular
fellowship, and would become a "congregation" or "group" of
believers. The word "church"
in the Bible does NOT refer to a religious sect, cult, denomination, or any
particular human organized "church," although many organizations of
men have given themselves the name of this or that "church." Just
because some group says, for example, that it is "the true Church of
God," or "God's Church," or "the Philadelphia Church of
God," or "Universal Church of God," or any such "name"
or "title" does NOT make it God's only true Church, or even prove
that it is a PART of the true "Church of God"!
How, then, can we tell how to
recognize a TRUE Church group or body which is really serving God, pleasing
Him, and carrying on His Work during this End-Time?
Let's examine this question!
What Is the NAME of God's Church?
Although many "churches" or
church organizations go by different names, the Scriptural "name"
used in the New Testament for the Church which Jesus founded is simply the
"
Notice!
"Keep watch over
yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made
you overseers. Be
shepherds of the
"To the
be holy. . ." (I Cor.1:2).
"Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the
(I
Cor.10:32).
"Don't you have homes to eat and
drink in? Or do you despise the church
of God?" (I
Cor.11:22).
"For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be
called an apostle,
because I
persecuted the
"Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy
our brother, To the
"For you have heard
of my previous way of life in Judaism, how intensely
I persecuted the
"For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take
care of
the
"Although I hope to come to you soon, I am writing you these
instructions
so that, if
I am delayed, you will know how people ought to conduct them-
selves in God's household, which is the church
of the living God, the pillar
and foundation of the truth" (I
Tim.3:14-15).
The Greek word translated
"church," ekklesia, merely
means "called out ones." In the Old Testament, the "church in
the wilderness" (Acts
Just what is the "
This may seem incredible to some, but
even Elijah at one point in his life thought that he was the only remaining
true believer in God in all
But Elijah was not alone. God told him, "Yet I reserve seven
thousand in
The point I am making, here, is that
you do not need to have a "local congregation," or
a "
Let's grasp once and for all the
plain TRUTH about just what GOD'S "church" or "ekklesia" really IS!
"The Ekklesia
of God"
The apostle Paul wrote, Christ is the
head of the Church, his body, of which he is the Saviour"
(Eph.5:23). As Christians, "we are members of his body" (verse
30). Jesus is "the image of the
invisible God, the firstborn over all creation . . . And he is the head of the body, the church"
(Col.1:15-18). God appoints "some to be apostles, some to be
prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to
prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be
built up UNTIL we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son
of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of
Christ" (Eph.4:11-13).
This Scripture shows, among other things, that
God has put spiritual "offices" in His Church, or the body of Christ,
according to the various talents and gifts that He gives to men. Not all have the same abilities. As Paul wrote to the Romans, "Just as
each of us has one body with many members [hands, feet, toes, fingers, ears,
eyes, nose, mouth, lips, tongue, heart, legs, arms, etc., etc.], and these
members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form
one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts according to the
grace given us. If a man's gift is
prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is
teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is
contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is
leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it
cheerfully" (Rom. 12:4-8).
The
apostle Peter explains, along the same lines, "Each one should use
whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's
grace in its various forms. If anyone
speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the
strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus
Christ" (I Pet.4: 10-1 1).
All
of us then, who serve God honestly and humbly, sincerely and to the best of our
knowledge according to the truth of His Word, who have received the Spirit of
Christ and of God as a begettal, BELONG TO
CHRIST! We are members of His spiritual
BODY! That body is not
in any way a 'human" church or "human" corporation, although
there are many which may claim that they are the "only true
The
body of Christ, His Church, is composed of EVERY TRUE BELIEVER around the
world, whether or not they belong to a humanly incorporated "church."
The body of Christ, His true Church, is not man-made -- it is SPIRITUAL!
Paul
explains: "The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and
though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into
ONE [spiritual] BODY -- whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free -- and we were
all given the one Spirit to drink.
"Now
the body is not made up of one part but of many. If the foot should say, 'Because I am not a
hand, I do not belong to the body,' it would not for that reason cease to be
part of the body. And if the ear should
say, 'Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,' it would not for
that reason cease to be part of the body.
If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would
the sense of smell be? But in fact GOD
HAS ARRANGED the parts of the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them
to be. If they were all one part, where
would the body be? As it is, there are
many parts, but one body.
"The
eye cannot say to the hand, 'I don't need you!' And the head cannot say to the
feet, 'I don't need you!' On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to
be weaker are INDISPENSABLE, and the parts that we think are less honorable we
treat with special honor. And the parts
that are unpresentable are treated with special
modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But GOD has combined the members of the body
and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should
be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for
each other. If one part suffers, every
part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it
"NOW
YOU ARE THE BODY OF CHRIST, and each one of you is a part of it. And in the church God has appointed first of
all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also
those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of
administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues [foreign
languages]? Do all interpret? But eagerly desire the greater gifts" (I
Cor.
If
we truly belong to the body of Christ, then we are among those
"parts" mentioned in the preceding verses. God has given each of us various abilities to
use in His Work, His service, His "body," to encourage, uplift,
strengthen and edify the other parts.
What is the purpose of this?
Paul
goes on, in his letter to the Ephesians, "Then we will no longer be
infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by
every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their
deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking
the truth in love, we will in all things GROW UP into him who is the Head, that
is, Christ. From him the whole body,
joined and held together by every supporting ligament grows and builds itself
up in love, as each part does its work" (Eph.4:14-16).
I
know of NO human "church organization" which fulfills this
description of the "body of Christ." All have failings, faults,
hypocrites and liars in their midst -- even in their ministry and hierarchies. All fall far short of the mark to be
considered "THE body of Christ." However, every true Christian, who
has been baptized, received God's Spirit, REGARDLESS of which
"church" they may at this particular moment belong to -- whether
Seventh Day Baptist, Seventh Day Adventist, Seventh Day Church of God,
Worldwide Church of God, Church of God International, Philadelphia Church of
God, United Church of God, Global Church of God, or even just some small
"local" churches
of God, which may not even be "incorporated," or some other Church or
group should be considered as a living MEMBER of the SPIRITUAL "body of
Christ" -- so long as that person has received the Spirit of God as a begettal (Rom.8:9)!
The true members of the body of
Christ may not be united in perfect doctrine.
They may not all "attend" or belong to the "same human
church organization." They may have
differences of opinion regarding various doctrines, or different understanding
of prophetic interpretation. But they
are united by the bond of love for each other, if they have the Spirit of
Christ! Jesus explained to His
disciples, "My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. . . . This
is my command: Love each other" (John
Jesus declared, "A new command I
give you: Love one another. As I have
loved you, so you must love one another.
BY THIS all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one
another" (John
How many churches I know which
profess to be the "only true church" of God, and yet are dismally and
abysmally LACKING in true love for others in their church, as well as lacking
in true love for those outside their "group." How many I have known which have been filled with in-fighting,
jealousy, bickering, bitterness, anger, rivalry, competition, strife, sins,
hatreds, envies, deceits, and every wicked aspect of Satan's character!
To be perfectly honest with you,
churches I have known seem to be best described by the apostle Paul when he
wrote, "The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality,
impurity and debauchery, idolatry and witchcraft [astrology, plumb bobbing,
water witching, etc., in the church itself], hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of
rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies and
the like. I warn you as I did before,
that those who live like this will NOT inherit the
But what are the TRUE characteristics
of God's TRUE people? Jesus said we
would recognize them "by their fruits." He declared, "Likewise
every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad
tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree
that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize
them" (Matt.7:17-20).
What are the "fruits" of
the true people of God? They may not be
perfect in doctrinal understanding; they may not grasp all prophetic mysteries;
they may not be very successful in the eyes of the world, or have many of this
world's goods and treasures. They may be
poor, and lacking in "manners." They may seem like "low
class" people in the eyes of the "suits." They may not look like
much in appearance. But they are
described very accurately by these "fruits" which are mentioned by
the apostle Paul.
"But the fruit of the Spirit is
love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and
self-control" (Gal.5:22-23).
Jesus said that the "wheat"
of God's true people would dwell side by side with "tares" or weeds
which impersonate wheat. The
"tares" are planted by Satan the devil (Matt.I3:36-43). The weeds may look like wheat, but they are
evil; their goodness is only superficial; their heart is evil and rotten,
selfish and destructive. Over a period
of time, however, a tare can be spotted, just as a wheat
can be verified -- by the "fruits."
James discussed the difference
between the two when he wrote: "Who is wise and understanding among
you? Let him show it by his good life,
by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish
ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such 'wisdom' does not come down from heaven
but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil.
For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder
and every evil practice.
"But the wisdom that comes from
heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full
of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.
Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness"
(James
What It Means to Be
One Body
Paul
wrote, "As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy
of the calling you have received. Be
completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in
love. Make every effort to keep the
unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.
There is ONE BODY and one Spirit -- just as you were called to one hope
when you were called -- one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of
all, who is over all and through all and in all" (Eph.4:1-6).
The
true body of Christ is just like Paul describes it -- united in faith and love,
mercy and the good fruits of the Spirit of God.
However, no human "church organization" on this earth fits
this description! All fall far short of
the mark. The very best we can say of
any "church," therefore, is that it may contain SOME true believers
and followers of Christ! But the vast,
overwhelming majority of Churches today don't contain ANY! A true Christian today is a rare
commodity, indeed! Did not Jesus the
Messiah Himself say, "However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find
faith on the earth?" (Luke 18:8).
It
would be nice if, during this final generation before the return of Christ,
that the entire "body of Christ" were perfectly united in truth,
belief, and practice. But today we see
thousands of different churches, sects, denominations, and cults, each
professing to be "Christian." The vast majority of them are nothing
but hollow shells; they have departed from the faith and truth of God, and are
nothing but self-serving, vain impostors, led by wolves in sheep's clothing,
false prophets and wicked teachers who deny the Word of God in their life and
practice (see II Cor. 11: 13-15).
Where are
the true people of God today?
First
of all, let me give you a warning. Paul
wrote, "Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. The man who thinks he knows something does
not yet know as he ought to know. But
the man who loves God is known by God" (I Cor.8:1-3). Paul warned those
who think they are God's true people, "So, if you think you are standing
firm, be careful that you don't fall!" (I Cor.10:12).
The
ancient Pharisees thought they were Gods chosen people -- and they were. They thought they were the "
For
many of them, their religion had become a matter of outward show and
pretense! So when Christ came, most of
the "
The
apostle Paul prophesied that the
Paul
went on, warning us, that in the end time, "evil men and impostors will go
from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived" (verse 13). He wrote that in the last days many churches
and men "will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will
gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears
want to hear. They will turn their ears
away from the TRUTH and turn aside to myths" (11 Tim.4:3-4).
Therefore,
just because you and your church "seem" to observe holy days and
Sabbaths does not prove that YOU know Christ or God, or truly belong to Him --
any more than the unconverted Pharisees!
The real question is, do you personally really
know Jesus Christ? Do you have a
personal relationship with Him? Do you
in deep humility and abject sincerity, address Him as
your own personal Lord, Master and Saviour? Believe it or not, if you truly have this
personal relationship, then you are a TRUE Christian, even if you lack
in parameters of knowledge -- even if you are IGNORANT of Sabbaths, tithing,
and holy days! Even if you don't have
a local "church" to fellowship with!
The
Purpose of Triumph Prophetic Ministries
God
has not called me to raise up a "new Church"
of some kind, to compete with the various branches of the end-time
Where
then is the so-called "true Church" of God today?
Those
who truly constitute remnants of the Church of God, the body of Christ, can
only be those who still have a degree of spiritual truth, who believe in
obedience to the laws of God, who understand about baptism by immersion, and
who grasp the reality of Christ as Saviour and
repentance from sin and dedication of one's life to follow Christ in every
aspect of their lives -- who "follow Him" to the very best of their
ability and to the utmost of their knowledge and understanding, however limited
that knowledge may be.
Today,
there are a host of Sabbath-keeping churches, big and small, and even a goodly
number of churches which observe the annual holy days of God, although some
differ on exactly when the holy days fall and how they should be counted. Some of these have also gone into error, and
departed from the right track.
Nevertheless, there could well be sincere, bona fide Christians and
believers in Christ in any or all of these small "remnant" groups --
"wheat" amongst the "tares" that Jesus spoke of
(Matt.13:24-30, 36-43). The point to
remember is that regardless of which of these remnant groups one may belong to,
or even if a person belongs to NONE of them, in order to be a true member of
the "BODY OF CHRIST," he must be begotten by the Holy Spirit of God!
Notice!
The
apostle Paul explained, "The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind
controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is HOSTILE to
God. It does not submit to God's law,
nor can it do so. Those controlled by
the sinful nature cannot please God.
"You,
however, are not controlled by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the
Spirit of God lives in you. And if
anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ"
(Rom.8:6-9). The key to being part of the body of Christ isn't which
"sect" or group or "denomination" you belong to -- but
whether you've ever received the SPIRIT OF GOD!
In
other words, its a matter of whether you've repented
of your sins, accepted Christ as your own Saviour and
Redeemer (Acts
This is a very deep, intense,
personal relationship. It grows in depth
and breadth and richness as we continue growing in grace and knowledge of
Christ through the study of His Word (11 Pet.3:18; Matt.4:4; Jas.1:21).
As Paul explained, "Having
believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is
a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are
God's possession -- to the praise of his glory" (Eph.1:13-14). God's
Spirit imparts spiritual strength and energy, power and might. Paul prayed that "out of his glorious
riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being,
so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and
established in love, may have power, together with the saints, to grasp how
wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love
that surpasses knowledge -- that you may be FILLED TO THE MEASURE of all the
fullness of GOD" ( Eph.3:14-19).
Some people, such as I have described
here, may be missionaries in
Frankly -- let me be candid -- there
is more hope of such a person entering the
I personally know evangelical people
who sincerely pray together, asking God's blessing on the food, when they eat
out in restaurants, out of sincere love of Christ. On the other hand, I know many "Sabbath
keepers" who would be ASHAMED of any such demonstration of the love of
God, and who think of themselves as "superior," to any such outward
display of love for Christ and God! If
that attitude of smugness and cavalier self-superiority describes you, then
shame on you!
The
real key to being a Christian, and finding a TRUE Church of God, is to have
God's Spirit as a begettal (Acts 2:38; 5:32), and to
fellowship with others who also have His Spirit, as you are able to find
them. If you do have the Spirit of God,
and nurture it, and study God's Word daily so you can grow spiritually, then it
will "guide you into all truth" (John 16:13).
In
so doing, however, the time may come when it may require you to SEPARATE FROM
any group which refuses the truth, and denies the truth, and which becomes or
is guilty of apostasy!
Remember,
Jesus said many would fall away from the truth during the last days
(Matt.24:4-5). This warning includes
WHOLE CHURCHES! Paul wrote, "That
day will not come [the day of Christ's return] before there arises a DEFINITE
REJECTION OF GOD and the appearance of the lawless man. He is the product of all that leads to death,
and he sets himself up in opposition to every religion. He himself takes his seat in the
Because
of human nature, politics, and desire for position and power among men, the
For
example, during the split between the "Church of God, Seventh Day,"
and the "Seventh-Day Adventists," toward the end of the NINETEENTH
century, the Church of God, Seventh Day people believed that the Adventists
erred by leaving the name of God out of the Church name. In other words, the name of the Adventists no
longer identified them as belonging to God.
This was an error, no doubt and the Adventists went from bad to worse as
they followed the errors of the false prophetess Ellen G. White. (See our two
articles, "The Seventh-Day Adventist Church in Prophecy!" and
"Ellen G. White -- Messenger or Medium?")
However,
this error by itself did not mean they were no longer part of the "
simply lack understanding on some of these matters.
The
Seven End-Time Churches of Revelation
Actually,
according to the book of Revelation, there are prophesied to be seven
extant branches of the
History records among the branches of the "end-time Church of God" several different organizations -- among them the "Seventh-day Baptists," as well as the 'Seventh-day Adventists," the "Church of God, Seventh Day," the "Worldwide Church of God," "Church of God International," "Global Church of God," "United Church of God," as well as many smaller "independent" groups. And a new movement among the Jewish people, and some people among evangelical Churches, since the Six Day War of 1967, has arisen during these days, called "The Messianic Jewish Movement," or "Messianic Jews." Many of their congregations are called "Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations." These vary widely in beliefs and practices, most of them having a strong "evangelical Christian" tinge or flavor, whereas some are strong for Jewish traditions and customs.
In
addition to these are many small, splintered groups which keep the Sabbath, and
some of which also observe the annual holy days. However, most if not all of these
"churches" or religious organizations have various problems,
errors, sins, and shortcomings. You
can begin to understand many of their problems by reading Revelation 2-3, the
letters to the seven churches!
Why Triumph Is NOT a
"Church" As Such
Why,
then, haven't I incorporated "Triumph Prophetic Ministries" as a new
"Church"?
The
answer is simple. First of all, I
believe since the "body of Christ" is not a human corporation or
organization, to incorporate as "THE
For
example, to incorporate as "The Philadelphia Church of God," seems to
me to indicate an attitude of spiritual pride and self-righteousness. What will those people say to Christ when He
comes and confronts them on this matter?
It is one thing to believe that you are part of the spiritual "
A
true Spirit-begotten Christian does not necessarily need to belong to ANY
physical "church," or group, but could be just an individual,
studying the Word of God, and following Christ, observing God's Sabbath and
holy days in his own home, if he has nobody else that he knows of with whom to
fellowship! Such solitary, isolated
Christians have a tough time of it, for good spiritual fellowship is very
helpful and upbuilding in the faith. Nevertheless, we must remember, as the
apostle John reminds us: "Truly our
fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus
Christ" (I John 1:3).
My
job, then, is not to raise up a "new
Church." By the fruits, I believe the Worldwide Church of God, until
recently, constituted a major part of the end-time
In
general, the evidence indicates that many of the "off-shoots" that
have come out of Worldwide in the past few years, now
constitute a large portion of the end-time LAODICEAN CHURCHES OF GOD! For example, most all of these off-shoots
remain bogged down in doctrinal error, and traditions of men, notably the
errors and doctrines taught by Herbert W. Armstrong, and will not even examine
them to see if they are true or not. Many
virtually "worship" Herbert Armstrong, and put him high up on a
pedestal. This is sin and idolatry! Those churches who
do this, to one degree or another, all constitute in general the
When
I left the Worldwide Church of God, in January of 1987, one year to the very
day that Herbert Armstrong died, I did not at that time leave
"willingly." As you may know,
I was "forced out" -- disfellowshipped --
by the new Joseph Tkach administration for allegedly
teaching false doctrine, publishing books, and being what they considered
"a false prophet"! At that
time, however, I was teaching nothing really "new" that I had not
checked out with headquarters ministers.
My book publishing had begun in 1974, thirteen years earlier, and
Herbert Armstrong and his administration never considered my writings heretical
or false. But Joseph Tkach
took a different view. He wanted
"no competition" from my books and writings being read by and among
Church members. So he took the despotic,
totalitarian, demagogic way to solve the "problem" -- he simply got
rid of me, branded me a false prophet, and "marked" me around the
world in the pages of the ministerial letter!
At
that time, I fasted and prayed, and asked God to lead and guide me. I did not begin another new Church. God enabled me to begin Triumph Prophetic
Ministries, not a new "Church" organization! It was rather a continuation of Triumph
Publishing Company, which I had begun in 1974, thirteen years earlier, to keep
alive the truth of God in books, and through the means of book publishing.
I
believe, during this time of upset, frustration, spiritual apostasy, and
growing worldwide deception and depravity, that God has raised me up to
maintain and preserve His Truth, and to WARN the end-time churches of God of
the growing APOSTASY! God has called me
to minister to ALL the people of God, regardless of what Church they may
attend, as a messenger bringing His good news and final warning message of repentance. To do this, God has revealed much new truth
-- new proof as to when Passover ought to be observed, and how; new proof as to
when Pentecost should be observed; the REAL truth about the prophetic meaning
of the holy days of God; the Origin of the Logos of God, as well as Satan the
devil; and the amazing truth about the totally overlooked "Kiddush"
-- the observance of the "bread and wine" ceremony, in which we
remember the broken body and shed blood of Christ our Messiah! God has also given us new insight into many
Biblical prophecies, including the "New World Order," who and where
modern "
Of
course, it is required by God that each person and individual "prove all
things; and hold fast to that which is good" (I Thess.5:21). Just because I say something, doesn't make it
so. Just because other ministers
criticize and find fault with me, doesn't make them right, either! Since so many disagree with me, on such basic
matters as Passover and Pentecost -- and amazingly, I have proved that the
Jewish people have been right all along -- the true dates for Passover and
Pentecost are nothing new -- it behooves every reader to get to the bottom of
this controversy, and check up, and PROVE WHO IS RIGHT!
IF
I AM RIGHT, THEN FOLLOW ME, AS I FOLLOW CHRIST!
If
Rod Meredith, Ron Dart, Ted Armstrong, and David Hulme
are right, then follow one of them!
But
whatever you do, PROVE THE TRUTH -- AND THEN FOLLOW THE TRUTH!
QUIT
ASSUMING one or the other is right -- QUIT following
"mere men"! And FOLLOW THE TRUTH
OF ALMIGHTY GOD!!!
If
you don't do this, then you will ANSWER TO CHRIST at His second coming. And if you follow error, because you are too
LAZY and indifferent to "prove" the truth, then you will be beaten
with many stripes, and may even be cast into the
I
challenge every one of you to CHECK UP, prove me right or wrong, but be HONEST,
and CAREFUL, and don't take anybody else's word, research, or opinion for
granted! It could cost you your eternal
salvation and rob you of your crown of life in the resurrection! I sincerely hope you all really "get the
point," and "don't neglect so GREAT salvation" (Heb.2:1-4).
The
In
the book of Revelation, we read of one smallish "church" group which
unlike most of the others receives no rebuke, but rather a blessing from
Christ. We read:
"And to the angel of the
he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of
David, he that openeth,
and no man shutteth, and shutteth, and no man openeth; I
know thy works:
behold, I have set before thee an OPEN DOOR, and no man can
shut it:
for thou has a LITTLE STRENGTH, and hast KEPT MY WORD, and
hast
not denied my NAME. Behold, I will make them of the synagogue [assembly
of Satan, which say they are [spiritual] Jews, and are not,
but do lie; behold,
I will make them to come and
worship before thy feet, and to know that I
have loved thee" (Rev.3:7-9).
Who are these people? They live in the "end time." They are doing a "Work of God"
during this final penultimate age. They
are very small, and scattered. They have
only a "little strength." But
unlike the other church groups mentioned in Revelation, these are the ONLY ONES
that have faithfully KEPT GOD'S WORD, THAT IS, HIS LAW
AND HIS COMMANDMENTS! They are the only
ones who are TRULY OBEDIENT!
Furthermore, they have not denied His Name. This means, first, they acknowledge the power
and meaning behind and in His Name, and, secondly, they USE His Name -- which
is YESHUA IN THE HEBREW LANGUAGE!
Most
of the end-time churches that came out of the Worldwide Church of God deny
His name Yeshua, and refuse to use it at all -- and
even put people out of their churches who insist on using it!
Furthermore,
most all of the groups that came out of Worldwide have clung obstinately to the
errors of Worldwide, and Herbert Armstrong, who is no longer alive, and keep
PASSOVER AND PENTECOST ON THE WRONG DAY!
Amazingly enough, they refuse to admit or confess that the Jews have
preserved these "oracles" of God, even though God said they would
(Rom.3:1-3; Matt.23:1-3).
For
these reasons, and others, I believe that those other groups and churches that
came out of Worldwide, which refused to go all the way back into Protestant
mainstream apostasy, are indeed the end-time remnants of the LAODICEAN
CHURCH! God says of them:
"I know thy works, that thou are neither cold nor hot. So then because thou
art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
Because
thou
sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have
need of nothing [no
correction, no instruction, no rebuke -- self-satisfied and
smug in their ignorance
and spiritual complacency!]; and KNOWEST NOT [they don't begin to realize]
that thou art WRETCHED, AND MISERABLE, AND POOR, AND
BLIND, AND
NAKED: I counsel thee to buy of me GOLD TRIED IN THE FIRE, that
thou
mayest
be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be
clothed, and that the
shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eye with eyesalve,
that thou mayest see. As many as I love, I REBUKE AND CHASTEN: BE
ZEALOUS
THEREFORE, and REPENT" (Rev.3:14-19).
Who
is this describing? When we look around
today, we must ask God to give us discernment and understanding. These are members of end-time churches who
NEED TO REPENT! They obviously are
"blind" -- that is, don't see prophecy being fulfilled, for one
thing, and are "blind" to TRUE DOCTRINE, also!
Spiritually,
they are described as "naked." That means they don't have righteous
garments on -- white garments -- which symbolize KEEPING GOD'S COMMANDMENTS
PROPERLY AND COMPLETELY! White garments
are, John tells us elsewhere, "the righteousness of saints"
(Rev.19:8) -- and "righteousness" IS the keeping of God's
commandments, for "ALL his commandments are RIGHTEOUSNESS" (Psalm
119:172)!
Who,
then, are the true "small" in number members of the end-time "
Secondly,
they OBEY God's Law, as we have seen, and they don't deny the USE and meaning
and fullness of Christ's NAME -- Yeshua Ha Moshiach -- Jesus our Messiah!
Could
this small "intrepid" group of "survivors," and
"battered sheep," who have come OUT of apostasy, and purified
themselves by the blood of Christ and observing ALL God's commandments, be --
at least in part -- THIS SMALL WORK OF GOD???
Judging
by the fruits I have seen, and noted, I believe that those who are with me in
this Work of God are, for the most part, at least, members of the
"Philadelphia" Church mentioned in Revelation, chapter 3 -- that is,
we are and constitute as a whole, the end-time branch of the true Philadelphia
Church of God, described in Revelation.
We have not given ourselves this name, obviously. But nevertheless, "if the shoe fits,
wear it," is the old expression.
And I believe the shoe fits!
Some
people think that the Worldwide Church of God at one time may have been a part
of the Philadelphia Church of God (Rev.3:7-8), perhaps in the early 60's and
mid-60's. But that is arguable. A "work" was undoubtedly being done
at that time, but nevertheless, there were serious problems with covering up of
sin beginning in 1965, when Herbert Armstrong first was told about Garner Ted
Armstrong's philandering, but did nothing at all about it! His wife Loma Armstrong died in 1967, due to
a gross misunderstanding of God's healing truth, refusing any help from medical
doctors. And during that time, many
families were rent and torn by the church's devastating misunderstanding of
God's divorce and remarriage laws! Was
such a church, which destroyed families, and caused some people to commit
suicide in despair, truly the "
As
the
"Blessed are ye, when men shall HATE you, and when they shall
SEPARATE YOU FROM THEIR COMPANY, and shall REPROACH
you, and CAST OUT YOUR NAME AS EVIL, for the Son of man's
sake. Rejoice ye in that day, and LEAP for joy: for, behold, your
reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their
fathers
unto the
prophets" (Luke
I
did not leave the Worldwide Church of God "willingly," I tried to
work within the church, to preserve the truth of God, through books, and
to effect needed change from within. I
was not accepted, but I was "tolerated," from 1974 till 1987, a
period of thirteen years. But after
Herbert Armstrong died, and Joseph Tkach took over,
off came the gloves and on came the "chain-mail." They mercilessly disfellowshipped
me without a "hearing," without giving me a chance to "defend"
myself, or the "work" God had begun doing through me by the
publishing of books, such as Keys To Radiant Health, The First Genesis: A New Case for Creation, The Last Days,
Beyond Star Wars, Last Days of Planet Earth, Overcoming Satan, Escape from
Armageddon. During this time God
also enabled me to publish the books Doctrines of the Early Church, Health
Secrets from the Bible, Ascent to Greatness [by Raymond F. McNair], The
Incredible History of God's True Church [by a man in England], and others.
But
in 1987, with my association with the Worldwide Church of God
"history," I began publishing a newsletter, Prophecy Flash, about 8-12 pages long, and began writing articles
on doctrine and Christian living. The
first issue was sent to about 30 people!
Today, Prophecy Flash is a 88 page
publication, a full-length magazine, and is mailed to over 3,000 people around
the world! In addition to that, we now
send taped Bible Studies to hundreds of people in each mailing around the
world!
This
Work is still relatively small. But I
believe God is setting before us an "open door," the likes of which
we can only marvel at. God has called us
to do this Work. God says, "For the
gifts and calling of God are without repentance" (Rom.11:29). The apostle Paul points out, "For he
will FINISH THE WORK, and cut it short in righteousness: because a SHORT WORK will the Lord make upon
the earth" (Rom.9:28).
In
addition, Paul declares:
"How then shall they call on him in whom they have not
believed? and
how
shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they
hear
without a preacher?
And how shall they preach, except they be
sent? as it is
written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach
the gospel of peace, and
bring glad tidings of good things? But they have NOT ALL
OBEYED THE
GOSPEL. For Isaiah saith, Lord, who hath believed
our report? So then faith
cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God"
(Rom.10:14-17).
In
order for a "Work" of God to be done, God must raise
up a man, and send a "preacher."
Has He begun to do that through THIS MINISTRY, TODAY?
CHECK
UP! LOOK AT THE FRUITS! Which ministry is REALLY teaching the
"FULL COUNSEL OF GOD" today?
Which ministry is teaching complete and FULL and whole-hearted OBEDIENCE
to ALL God's commandments?
I
was "cast out" of my former Church.
But Christ says to REJOICE, and leap for joy, since they cast me out for
His name's sake, for following His TRUTH and not being willing to compromise
with it!
Has
God Almighty "raised" me up to serve Him, as a "messenger"
bearing "glad tidings" during these last days? My name may well be significant in this
regard. Consider: "William" means, in German,
"Will-helmet," or "helmet of will" -- i.e., "RESOLUTE,"
"iron-willed." My last
name, "Dankenbring," means literally
"BRINGER OF GLAD TIDINGS," JUST AS THE PROPHECY IN ISAIAH SAYS (see
Isaiah 52:7). And my middle name, "
Thus,
when we put it all together, I am the "strong-willed, resolute,
iron-willed" -- "bringer of glad tidings" -- of the
"kingdom of peace"! That is
what I AM! That is what my parents named
me, as a baby! I had no part in it, no
knowledge of it. It was done. Was all this planned and prepared of God?
I
am told by a scientist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in
I
have also learned that in Hebrew, my name can be transliterated as
follows: "Dan" =
"judge," or "judgment"; "Ken" comes from "cohen" and is a shortened form thereof, and means
"priest," as the "cohens" in
Israel were the priests; and "bring," of course, comes from the
German "bringen," meaning "to
bring." Therefore, my name
transliterates as "The priest who brings judgment," or the
"priest of Judgment," "the judging priest," "the
priest who will judge."
Interesting, to say the least!
Has God called me to "exercise judgment" in a special way over
His end-time flock? That is precisely
what God Himself is doing through the TRUTH which He is revealing to us! This TRUTH separates between the truly
converted, dedicated people of God, and the lukewarm, Laodicean,
and disobedient ones. This TRUTH divides
the "clean" from the "unclean," the "holy" from
the "unholy." God's Word, His
truth, divides asunder between bone and marrow, and judges even the intentions
of the heart (Heb.4:12).
God
is bringing many into contact with Triumph Prophetic Ministries, in this
end-time. As they read our magazine, and
listen to our Bible Study tapes, and read our articles, many are proving to
themselves that THIS IS THE TRUE WORK OF GOD! they recognize that
we are truly serving God. Their spirit witnesses with our spirit that we are of God. We speak the truth, and they recognize
it! They are busy "proving all
things." They take nothing for
granted. They check up and PROVE, as the
BEREANS did, long ago. As the apostle
Paul wrote:
"These were more noble than those in
Thessalonica, in that they received
the word with all readiness of mind, and SEARCHED THE
SCRIPTURES
DAILY, whether
those things were so. Therefore
many of them believed
. . .
." (Acts 17:11-12).
They,
these "outcast ones," who are proving all things, have become in a
sense the remnant, the "core" of the true "
They
may be attending no services each Sabbath, as we don't have a church in their
area. But many of them "hook"
up with us at least one Sabbath day a month, on a telephone hook-up, to be a
"part" of God's Work, and to have "fellowship" by
telephone!
These
are God's faithful, loving, humble, and believing people. They obey God's
commandments; they observe the Sabbath and holy days, AS GOD INTENDED, on the
proper days and in the proper manner.
Sometimes they are able to fellowship with a few others in their area,
on the holy days, and enjoy a "telephone hook-up" with us here in
These
are God's people, doing God's work, and being a "witness" to others
of the truth of God, in this dynamic, pulsating, energizing TIME OF THE END!
They
are scattered, they are still "hanging tough," "hanging in
there," and "holding fast" to the truth of God! They refuse to compromise with ministers of
other churches who insist that they remain "silent" and not tell
others about God's true Passover, God's true Pentecost, and the other truths of
God which they have proved for themselves.
They
refuse to "sit on the fence."
They refuse to "GO ALONG" with error! They refuse to be spiritual stragglers, and
compromisers!
The
Philadelphia Church of God, therefore, today is a widely scattered bunch; they
are not organized under the title "
The
Error of The Counterfeit Dollar Bill Analogy
God's
true Church, today, is not a visible "corporation" or
"sect." You cannot just pick out a church group, and say, "This
is it!" It is not that simple. The book
of Revelation indicates that there are SEVEN end-time branches to the true
In
the past, Herbert Armstrong used to say the true Church is like a genuine
dollar bill, and all the other churches are counterfeit dollar
bills. That is a very misleading
analogy, and confuses people. The
problem with this analogy, so often used by Herbert Armstrong in the past is
that it implies his Church, the "Worldwide Church of God," was
genuine -- i.e., "perfect" -- and no other church was! But was the "Worldwide Church of
God" ever perfect? Can
ANY church as such lay claim to being
"perfect"? Of course not!
NO
CHURCH ON EARTH IS PERFECT! But
any "dollar bill" which is not "perfect" would have to be
considered counterfeit!
If
perfection were the "key" to identifying the true
But Isn't There only One Vine?
In Herbert
W. Armstrong's book The Incredible Human Potential, he wrote,
"What
about a single member, 'a joint or part' going off by itself -or
following a MAN instead of the
continuous succession from the
apostolic Church founded by Christ in
A.D.
31? He is like a joint or piece of wood
or stone, entirely outside
of, and therefore NO PART OF
the BODY OF CHRIST that shall
MARRY
Christ."
Does this statement by Herbert
Armstrong prove that there is only one physical remnant of the true Church of
God on earth -- the Worldwide Church of God -- and that if anybody leaves that
church, they are like the piece of wood or severed joint and will be entirely
outside the true Church and have no part of the body of Christ?
Those are very powerful claims! But where is the PROOF.?
The quotation from Herbert Armstrong is
wrong on several counts. First of
all, the fact is, there is no proof in history that the Worldwide Church of God
can trace its "direct continuous succession from the apostolic
Church" founded by Christ, any more than the Seventh-Day Adventists, the
Church of God Seventh Day, the Seventh Day Baptists, or any number of
groups! The truth is, you cannot look
into history, and find ANY proof of ANY "apostolic succession."
The nearest thing to "apostolic
succession" would be the succession of POPES in
Secondly, Herbert Armstrong, in his
old age, sometimes misinterpreted or distorted the Scriptures to suit himself. When he wrote this book he wanted to keep
people from leaving the Church and following Ted Armstrong who was disfellowshipped and left the Church that very year that The
Incredible Human Potential was written and published. The idea he was writing about is actually
found in John, chapter 15. Read it for
yourself. The apostle John wrote,
quoting Jesus as saying, "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I
in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not REMAIN IN ME [that is, in
Christ's spiritual body, the spiritual Church, not an organization of MEN with
the title "Church of God"], he is like a branch that is thrown away
and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned"
(John 15:5-6).
We "abide in Christ" by
abiding in His Word, and by keeping His commandments. This has nothing to do with
"abiding" in a particular "Church" organization of men! Otherwise, what would you do if the entire
Church went astray because of its new leaders?
If a 'church' goes astray, errs and begins breaking the commandments of
God, then it ceases to function as a part of the body of Christ; it ceases to
be used by God as His instrument; its ministers cease to be His ministers; the
church apostatizes, and the ministers become servants of Satan the devil
instead of the true God! And, unless
they repent of their sins and apostasy, and return to God's truth, they will
perish in the lake of fire!
Make no mistake! Whole Churches of God have gone astray! It has happened in our lifetime! It has happened to the WORLDWIDE CHURCH OF
GOD ITSELF, the very Church Herbert Armstrong considered "God's one
and only true Church"!
So much for that theory!
The GREAT Apostasy!
In
the days of the apostle Paul there was already an apostasy so strong that Paul
wrote to Timothy, saying, "You know that everyone in the province of Asia
has deserted me, including Phygelus and Hermogenes" (II Tim.1:15). The conspiracy was so
strong in the days of the apostle John that he wrote, "Dear friends, do
not believe every spirit but test the spirits to see whether they are from God,
because MANY false prophets have gone out into the world" (I John 4:1).
There
were so many false teachers going from door to door, in John's day, that he admonished the brethren, "Watch out that
you do not lose what you have worked for, but that you may be rewarded
fully. Anyone who runs ahead and does
not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in
the teaching has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this
teaching, DO NOT TAKE HIM INTO YOUR HOUSE or welcome him. Anyone who welcomes him shares in his wicked
work" (II John 8-11).
Things
were so out of control by 90 A.D., that John was compelled to remind his dear
friend Gaius, saying, "I wrote to the church,
but Diotrephes who loves to be first, will
have nothing to do with us. So if I
come, I will call attention to what he is doing, gossiping maliciously about
us. Not satisfied with that, he refuses
to welcome the brothers. He also stops
those who want to do so and PUTS THEM OUT OF THE CHURCH" (III John
9-10).
When
entire Churches go astray, true Christians often wind up being "put
out." It happened to me. It has happened to many others. When this happens, a true Christian should cling
to the true Vine, which is not the Church -- the church is merely a branch
itself of the vine. The true Vine is
Christ! He so plainly said, "I AM
THE TRUE VINE . . . I am the vine; YOU are the branches. If a man remains in ME [not in some
"Church" or other!] and I in him, he will bear much fruit . . . If
anyone [or ANY CHURCH "BRANCH"!] does not remain in me [in the TRUTH
of God!], he [or the church] is like a branch that is thrown away and withers;
such branches [including entire Churches] are picked up, thrown into the
fire and burned" (John 15:1-6).
Lets get this straight -- once and for all!
A
true Christian must follow God -- not "men" who at one time
may have been His ministers, but who reject truth and fall away. The Pharisees were such a class. They were ministers of God's Church of that
time, with a "direct succession" from Moses. BUT THEY WENT ASTRAY, rejected Christ and His
"new truth," and became ENEMIES of the truth! Those who followed Christ had to come OUT of
the churches or synagogues of the Pharisees, and establish their own assemblies
(see Acts
Jesus
was teaching that we must ABIDE IN HIM -- not in some physical organization of
men which claims to represent Him! We
must abide, or remain, in HIS WORD! As
He said in the first part of John 15, "You are already clean because of
the WORD I have spoken to you. Remain in
ME, and I will remain in YOU [through the Holy Spirit]. No branch can bear fruit by itself [cut off
from Christ]; it must remain in the vine.
Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me" (verses 3-4).
The
sooner we understand that God's Church is not a single organization on this
earth, the better off we will be, spiritually.
God's "Church" is a spiritual organism, a spiritual body,
comprised of all those people who have God's Holy Spirit (Rom.8:9-10) abiding
within them, regardless of whether they are members of any of a number of
evangelical or Sabbath-keeping churches.
The "proof" is in the "FRUITS" of each individual!
As
the apostle Paul said, spiritual circumcision is of the heart, and not the
flesh. True Christianity is an inward
matter of the Spirit, and not an outward, physical matter of which
"reorganization" you belong to!
Herbert
Armstrong went astray when he began ASSUMING that the "Worldwide Church of
God" was God's one and only Church.
He was ignorant of many other churches which also keep the Sabbath and
the holy days of God. And, despite his
claims to the contrary, he also was guilty of many mistakes, errors in
judgment, and even teaching error as to the proper date for Passover and
Pentecost! He was not perfect. But nevertheless, so far as I know, he was
closer to the truth, and had more truth, in many ways, than any other man of
his generation.
Sadly,
the Church he left behind, the Worldwide Church of God,
has now fallen into the sinister hands of a wicked spiritual mis-leader who has begun destroying many of the remaining
vestiges of truth still in the Church, perverting what remains, and is leading
thousands of naive and foolish sheep to their diabolical destruction and doom.
The
True Circumcision of God
The
apostle Paul wrote, "If those who are not circumcised keep the law's
requirements, shall they not be regarded as though they were circumcised? . . .
A man is not a Jew if he is only one outwardly, nor is circumcision merely
outward and physical. No, a man is a Jew
if he is one inwardly, and circumcision is circumcision of the heart,
by the Spirit, not by the written code.
Such a man's praise is not from men, but from God" (Rom.2:25-29).
Paul
also wrote to the Corinthians, "Was a man already circumcised when he was
called? He should not become
uncircumcised. Was a man uncircumcised
when he was called? He should not be
circumcised. Circumcision is nothing and
uncircumcision is nothing. Keeping God's commandments is what
counts" (I Cor.7:18-19). Paul had a fierce dispute with certain false
brethren who wanted to bring all people under the ritualistic law of Moses, and
the law of circumcision (Acts 15, Galatians 1-2). They wanted everybody to belong to the Church
of the Pharisees! They were seeking
outward "unity," according to the flesh.
But
Paul declared, "Those who want to make a good impression outwardly are
trying to compel you to be circumcised.
The only reason they do this is to avoid being persecuted for the cross
of Christ . . . Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision
means anything; what counts is a new creation" (Gal.6:12-15).
Paul
was so angry at those who were preaching circumcision was necessary for
salvation -that is, that everybody had to belong to "their Church"
organization, which compelled physical circumcision of all males -- that he
exclaimed, "As for those agitators, I wish they would go the whole way and
emasculate themselves!" (Gal.5:12). The Moffatt
translation is even plainer. Paul
actually said, "O that those who are upsetting you would get themselves castrated!"
That
is the way I feel about some groups today who try to impose their legalistic
baggage on true believers, forcing them into spiritual slavery and bondage to
their particular Church! Let them go and
"castrate themselves"!
Those
who bind heavy burdens on the backs of men and women, and rob them of their
livelihood by imposing onerous tithing burdens of one, two and three tithes,
deserve no better!
Which Work Should You
Support?
I
received a letter several years ago, which said: "We need your help in
solving a perplexing situation. We
receive material from several different groups of ex-Worldwide people who
identify themselves directly or indirectly as being 'of the
The
letter went on, "Last Sabbath a question came up regarding a quotation in
Flurry's magazine/newsletter, The Philadelphia Trumpet, saying that
unless the Laodicean Church (Worldwide) 'repent and
follow the PCG' [his Church, incorporated as the "Philadelphia Church of
God"], they are going into the Great Tribulation. Could this be true? Must everyone belong to or 'follow the PCG'
in order to escape the Great Tribulation?
"Who's
right?
"Since
there is not unity among these four groups, how is one to know which 'work' to
support? We have noticed within
ourselves that after we recognized that the Worldwide Church of God has become
the '
"We
are indeed perplexed. Help us understand
the wise and Christian thing to do in this situation."
How
would you answer a letter like that?
Many
people and groups have left the Worldwide Church of God, or the
Be Careful in
Judging Others
Did
Paul not write, "Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment
on disputable matters" (Rom.14:1)?
Did he not say, "Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To his [or her] own master he [or she] stands
or falls. And he will stand, for the
Lord is able to make him stand' (Rom.14:4). Paul admonishes, "Therefore
let us stop passing judgment on one another.
Instead, make up your mind not to put ANY stumbling block or obstacle in
your brother's [or sister's] way' (v.13).
Any
church which claims that it constitutes the "sole end-time Church" of
God is vain, egotistical, arrogant, and self-righteous. They may have much truth. They may see the errors of Worldwide, in many
areas. But they themselves may also
be "following a man" to destruction!
Those who condemn others, ought to take a good
look at themselves!
But,
having said this, what if we find serious ERROR in the teachings of certain
churches? Shouldn't that tell us
something? Again, Christ said, "Ye
shall KNOW them BY THEIR FRUITS. Do men
gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so, every good tree bringeth forth GOOD FRUIT; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth corrupt fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good
fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into
the fire. WHEREFORE BY THEIR FRUITS YE
SHALL KNOW THEM" (Matt.7:16-20).
That
is the only answer I can give to the letter writer -- several years ago, or
even today. You must prove for
yourselves WHO is really teaching THE WHOLE TRUTH OF GOD -- the "full
counsel" of God!
Do
We Put CHRIST First?
It
is time we get rid of "personalities," and stop following men. We need to get our priorities straight. The really important question we need to
answer, first and foremost, is WHAT IS THE TRUTH of God, and then WHERE is it
being preached?
The
apostle Paul commands us all, "Prove all things; hold fast that which is
good" (I Thess.5:21). He said it is our own individual responsibility --
not something we can pass off on somebody else.
Therefore, we should compare and study, and pray, and ask God to lead us
into His truth. If your studies show
that God has revealed wonderful truth to me, then follow me "as I
follow Christ" (I Cor.11:1).
You
CAN prove the truth of God! It is within
your grasp and ability. But you must
approach it prayerfully, cautiously, carefully, in faith and with diligence.
Which
group should you support with tithes and offerings, today? That is a very good question. If you support a group teaching fundamental
error, then your support could be in vain, in the sight of God. If you support a new hierarchical church
tyranny, they will enslave you and bring you into bondage.
Paul
wrote of a similar situation in his day.
He had to confront false ministers rising up within the ranks of God's
Church. Paul wrote of them, "For
such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of
Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself
masquerades as an angel of light. It is
not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions
deserve" (II Cor.11:13-15).
These
"false apostles," as he called some of them, wanted to get hold of
people's money! Paul said, "Was it
a sin for me to lower myself in order to elevate you by preaching the gospel of
God to you free of charge? I robbed
other churches by receiving support from them so as to serve you. And when I was with you and needed something,
I was not a burden to anyone . . . I have kept myself from being a burden to
you in any way, and will continue to do so" (II Cor.11:7-9).
Paul
said to the Corinthians, "Since many are boasting in the way the world
does, I too will boast. You gladly put
up with fools since you are so wise! In
fact, you even put up with anyone who enslaves you or exploits you or
takes advantage of you or pushes himself forward or slaps you in the face. To my shame I admit that we were too weak for
that!" (II Cor.11:18-21).
The
apostle Paul was very concerned about the church in
Paul
declared, "Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly --
mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not
yet ready for it. You are still worldly.
For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not
worldly? Are you not acting like mere
men? For when one says, 'I follow Paul,'
and another, 'I follow Apollos,' are
you not mere men?" (I Cor.3:1-4).
Too
many people, today, look to personalities, outward appearance, and then to
superficial truths, and make a quick judgment as to whom they should
follow. Superficially, the Pharisees had
the truth of God -- the Law -- and many were confused by them, and followed
them. Others entered the Church looking
to a personality with a smooth gift of gab, and a silky personality, and
charming mannerisms.
The
bottom line is, WHERE is and WHAT is the TRUTH?
Where is the TRUTH of God really being preached? We should look to the TRUTH of God -- not
mere human personalities. Jesus did not
attract people to Him by His personality, but by His words of truth, the
whole and entire message He preached, the good news of the
How
are true Christians "sanctified," or set apart, from others, by
God? Jesus Christ said, "Sanctify
them by the TRUTH; your word is truth" (John
Unless
a minister or church or group speaks according to the WORD OF GOD, they are
false ministers, leading people astray, or they are erring ministers, and will
be punished for their serious errors!
And those who follow them in error will be punished as well!
A
Perplexing Predicament
With
so many groups around, professing to serve God and to be doing the
"Work" of God, it behooves us to do exactly what the apostle John
said: "Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but TEST THE SPIRITS to
see whether they are from God, because MANY false prophets have gone out into
the world" (I John 4:1).
Seeing
many groups proclaiming the "gospel," and doing a "work,"
it is a perplexing predicament to determine just where the TRUTH is being
preached and inspired by the Spirit of Almighty God! No doubt many are confused, perplexed,
baffled. However, God will not forsake
His people who worship Him in "truth." His Spirit will "guide" them into
all truth (John
I
would like to make one thing clear. I do
not condemn other groups, although I see errors in the approach and teachings
of many, or most, if not all of those I know about. That is the truth. I only condemn and find fault with the ERROR
which I discern in their doctrines. Some
give too much credence to Herbert Armstrong.
Others go to the opposite extreme and condemn everything Herbert
Armstrong ever said or stood for. Can't
we get our balance in these things?
I
do not condemn Herbert Armstrong. I am
thankful for the truth I learned from and through him. But I do not apologize for criticizing his
errors, and exposing his mistakes -- both his doctrinal errors, as well as his
moral failures. Did not God inspire the
sins of David to be written for all time in Scripture, for all generations to
know about?
As
for other Churches, "works," and groups, I am sure there are many
sincere, true Christians among them. I also believe there are many sincere
Christians still left among the Worldwide Church of God, despite the growing
litany of errors and doctrinal heresies of their leaders.
Where
do I stand, concerning these other groups, churches, and "works"?
The
apostle Paul wrote, 'You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God's judgment
seat. It is written: 'As surely as I
live, says the Lord, every knee will bow before me; every tongue will confess
to God.' So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God"
(Rom.14:10-12).
There
are indeed many prophecies showing that many of God's people or
"sheep" will be scattered, without a shepherd, in the Great
Tribulation (Ezek.34; Jer.23). For all
intents and purposes, that time has now already begun! Many are "scattered"
today, but there is still true teaching of God
available for those who seek it. The complete "famine of the word" of
God that was prophesied by Amos has not yet come (Amos
God
does have a Work on this earth today, and I believe we in Triumph Prophetic
Ministries are doing and will do a very vital part of it! We read in the prophecy of Acts 2:17-21, that
God promises that in the "last days" He will pour out His Spirit upon
all flesh, sons and daughters, young and old men, and upon His servants and
handmaidens, so that they will "prophesy" -- that is, preach and
speak His Word under divine inspiration!
Although that time has not yet come to pass, it is surely not far
off. This final "witness" will
evidently occur at the time of the heavenly signs (Acts
Be
very careful of those who would bring you into "church hierarchies,"
and under their "church government." Many false prophets seek to find
a following. Many seek to increase their
personal wealth, as Balaam did, preaching for the "wages of
unrighteousness." As Peter wrote, "With eyes of adultery, they never
stop sinning; they seduce the unstable; they are EXPERTS IN GREED [watch how
they manipulate an audience during the "holy day" offering sermonettes!] -an accursed brood! They have left the straight way and wandered
off to follow the way of Balaam son of Beor, who
loved the wages of wickedness. But he
was rebuked for his wrongdoing by a donkey -- a beast without speech -- who spoke with a man's voice and restrained the prophet s
madness" (II Pet.2:14-16).
Where
is God's End-Time Work?
I
am not surprised that many feel confused because of the different groups that
have come out of the Worldwide Church of God, each claiming directly or
indirectly to be carrying on the Work of God, and perhaps claiming to be the
"remnant" -- the true remnant -- of the "
The
only way to PROVE where God is really working today,
is to look carefully at the TEACHINGS OF EACH GROUP, and compare them with the
Scriptures! Who has the most money, the
most members, the most radio or televisions stations, is immaterial and
irrelevant. What counts is who is
really preaching the FULL GOSPEL AND GOOD NEWS of the Kingdom of God --
including ALL ITS LAWS AND COMMANDMENTS -- as well as the TRUTH about Yeshua our Saviour, including His
name and His true origin!
Some,
having escaped the tyranny of Worldwide, seem to want to place themselves at
the feet of another church which practices "sheep abuse." They seem to be "addicted" to
authority and worship of the ministry.
But as for the "truth," they don't even read or study their
Bibles, and are afraid to discuss the Bible at Church services!
The
apostle Paul wrote to such people, when he declared to the Galatians,
"Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to
pervert the gospel of Christ" (Gal.1:7). Paul admonished those who were
being tempted to return to a fear religion, a "yoke of
bondage," similar to that of the Worldwide Church of God with its strong
emphasis on "church authority," regimentation, and obedience to the
ministry ("don't preach, don't teach, don't witness, just tithe, tithe,
tithe, and keep silence and let the ministry run the church!"), to beware. He declared, "It is for FREEDOM that
Christ has set us FREE. Stand firm,
then, and DO NOT let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of SLAVERY' (Gal.5:1).
There
are many groups who would like to bring people into subjection to
themselves. Many would like to enlist
people's support, seek tithes and offerings, and contributions. Many would like others to voluntarily submit
themselves to their assumed authority.
They fail to see that the true
The
most important thing, however, is to find out WHERE God is working, today, and
then support that MOST important "Work" of God with all your heart
and soul, and mind and strength! Jesus
Christ declared, "Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true
worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the
kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God
is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth"
(John
Did
you get that? "Truth" means
exactly that -- truth, not error! In
"spirit" means with your heart and your mind, your whole inclination
and being. Do you worship God with all
your heart -- and with all your intelligence?
Do you worship Him with both your emotions -- AND your intellect? God wants BOTH!
The
most important thing, at this time, is for everyone to PROVE where the TRUTH of
God is being taught, boldly, and without holding back or compromising -- prove where
the truth is, and what it is, so you can recognize it, and then support
those who truly preach it and proclaim it.
The Past Forty Years
I
look back over my past, and it seems incredible that I began listening to
"The World Tomorrow" program in 1956 -- some forty seven years
ago. I was baptized in 1956, and that is
when my own spiritual "odyssey" began. In the year 2006, my own spiritual journey
will have lasted FIFTY YEARS, from the time of my original conversion and
baptism! I graduated from high school in
1959, and attended
As
I ponder my years as a member of the Worldwide Church of God, from 1957 to 1987
-- some thirty years -- which, I believe even today, had more "truth"
than any other church of that time -- it causes me great pain and regret, that
there were so many problems in the Church, and at "headquarters,"
throughout all those years, and that since 1987 the church has only sunk into
the mud and mire of incredible apostasy and degeneration in doctrine and
practice.
As
I consider and contemplate the sins and cover-ups of sin perpetrated by the
leaders of the original
The
really important thing, I believe, is that we follow the Word of God, and not
any man, whether he claims to be an apostle, prophet, or whatever. We must always put the WORD of GOD FIRST IN
OUR LIVES (Matt.4:4; Luke 4:4; II Tim.3:16; John 10:35). We must not make the mistake of following any
"man" when he stops following Christ (Acts
It
is the truth of God that will make us free from spiritual and physical bondage
and slavery, even from demagogues, tyrants, and authoritarian men and church
organizations. Jesus also declared:
"If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will KNOW THE TRUTH, and the truth
will set you free" (John
How
much do you love the truth?