CHAPTER THREE: Doctrines of the Worldwide Church of God The doctrines of the Worldwide Church of God have evolved considerably over the years. They are still undergoing substantial change. Let us trace their beliefs from the early years to the present. The following is taken verbatim from the "Fundamentals of Belief" of the Radio Church of God (renamed "Worldwide Church of God" in 1968). This listing probably dates from the late 1940s or early 1950s. An earlier version of the fundamentals had only sixteen points. Items 12-15 were later added to form this newer version: Fundamentals of Belief, Radio Church of God 1. We believe in ONE GOD, eternally existing in the heavens, who is a Spirit, a personal Being of supreme intelligence, knowledge, love, justice, power, and authority, the Creator of the heavens and the earth and all that in them is, and the source of life. 2. We believe Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah, the Christ, the divine Son of the living God, begotten of the Holy Spirit, born in the human flesh of the virgin Mary, and that He is true God and true man, that God created all things by Jesus Christ, and without Him was not anything made that was made. 3. We believe in the Holy Spirit, as the Spirit of God and of Christ Jesus; the power of God with which all things were created and made; that thru the Holy Spirit, God is everywhere present; that the Holy Spirit is divine Love, Faith, Understanding, Power, Joy and all the attributes of God -- the Spirit of life eternal. 4. We believe the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are God's revelation and complete expressed will to man, inspired in thought and word, and infallible in the original writings; that they are of supreme and final authority in faith and in life, and the source of Truth. We believe all teachings contrary to the Holy Bible are false. We accept the Bible alone, and not the Bible and "something else." 5. We believe Satan is a personality, a spirit being; and as the Devil is the adversary of God and the children of God; and that he now has dominion over the world which God allowed him for a definite "week" of seven thousand-year days -- the first six of which are his six working days for his labor of deception, leading the children of Adam into rejection of God's law and therefore rebellion against God -- the seventh thousand-year day of which will be the DAY OF THE LORD (the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God), during which Satan will be forced to rest from his work of deception while Christ rules the nations of the earth. Satan's power is merely to influence and lead, not to force men arbitrarily against their will. He has ruled by deception with the aid of a host of demons which are rebellious angels, spirit beings, who have followed Satan in his rebellion. 6. We believe man was created in the image of God, formed of flesh, which is material substance, living by the breath of life, and is wholly mortal, subject to corruption and decay, without possibility of eternal life inherent in himself, except as the gift of God under God's terms and conditions as expressed in the Bible; that God placed before the first man, Adam, his free choice of eternal life through obedience to God's commandments, or death through sin, that Adam sinned, thereby incurring the death penalty without having received eternal life, having yielded to the temptation of Satan, and that the sinful fleshly nature with its sensual desires and its pride passed on all men, so that all become sinners, thus bringing upon themselves the penalty, death. 7. We believe sin is the transgression of the Law; that the Law is spiritual, perfect, holy, just, and good, summed up in the word "LOVE;" that it involves the two great principles of love to God, and love to neighbor, and that the Ten Commandments compose the ten points of that Law, and that the breaking of only one point makes one guilty of sin. We believe this fundamental spiritual Law reveals to us the only right and true way to life -- the only possible way of happiness, peace and joy; that it has existed from Adam, is immutable and binding thru-out eternity; and that all unhappiness, misery, poverty, anguish, and woe has come from its transgression. 8. We believe God so loved this world of helpless sinners that He GAVE His only begotten Son, who, though in all points tempted as we are, lived without sin in the human flesh, and died for us as a representative and substitutionary sacrifice thus making it legally possible for man's sins to be forgiven and for God to release him from their penalty, since Jesus, whose life was of greater value than the sum-total of all other human lives (because it was He who brought them into being) has thus paid the penalty in man's stead. 9. We believe that Jesus Christ was raised from the dead after His body reposed three days and three nights in the grave, thus making immortality possible for mortal man; that He thereafter ascended into heaven where He now sits at the right hand of God the Father, as our High Priest and Advocate. 10. We believe that all who truly repent of their sins in full surrender and willing obedience to God, accepting Jesus Christ as personal Saviour in faith believing, are forgiven their sins by an act of divine GRACE, justified, pardoned from the penalty of past sins, reconciled to God, and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit which literally comes and abides within, supplying the divine LOVE which alone can fulfill the law and produce righteousness; and thus are baptized by the Spirit into the body of Christ which is the true CHURCH OF GOD. We believe in a true change in life and attitude and that only those who have the indwelling presence of, and are being led by the Holy Spirit are Christ's. Bible evidence of being thus baptized by the Spirit is the fruit of the Spirit in one's life. (See Matthew 7:20; Galatians 5:22-23). "Manifestations" regulated by I Corin-thians 14. 11. We believe in TWO ORDINANCES for this age; water baptism by immersion, into Jesus Christ (not a denomination) for the remission of sins, following genuine repentance; and the Lord's Supper as continuation of the Passover, observed at night on the anniversary of the death of our Saviour, the 14th of Abib. 12. We believe that from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset, the seventh day of the week is the Sabbath of the Lord our God. On this day we must rest from our labors following the commands and example of the apostle Paul, the New Testament Church, and Jesus. 13. We believe the seven Annual Holy days as given to ancient Israel by God through Moses, kept by Christ, the Apostle Paul, and the New Testament Church, as evidenced by the books of Acts and Corinthians, are to be kept today. The sacrifices, which were added, are not to be kept on those days nor any other day of the year. During the spring festival of seven days, leavening in any form is not to be eaten, as Paul instructed the Corinthians. 14. We believe that certain foods called "unclean" are not to be eaten under any circumstances as they are harmful to body and health and also violate our bodies which are called the temple of the Holy Spirit of God. 15. We believe that Christian disciples of Christ are forbidden by Him and the commandments of God to kill, or in any manner directly or indirectly to take human life; by whatsoever means; we believe that bearing arms is directly contrary to this fundamental doctrine of our belief; we therefore conscientiously refuse to bear arms or to come under the military authority. 16. We believe the PROMISES were made to Abraham and his "seed," Christ, and that the Covenants (including the New Covenant), and the promises pertain alone to ISRAEL. That our white, English-speaking peoples of today are enjoying the national phases of the promises -- that of MATERIAL blessings -- called the "Birthright," which was handed down thru the sons of Joseph, Ephraim and Manasseh, whose descendants we are; but that the "Scepter" -- the promise of kings, and the SPIRITUAL phase of the promises, including Christ and salvation thru Him -- was given to and shall not depart from Judah of whom are the race we know today as the Jews. We believe eternal life is God's gift resting upon the promises made to Abraham and his "seed," Christ, designating this earth (made new), not heaven, as our eternal home and reward. That salvation is thru Christ alone, and not inherited thru the Birthright (right of birth) and that salvation is freely open to Gentiles who, thru Christ, become Abraham's children and are adopted into the family of Israel and become heirs according to the promises. 17. We believe God's purpose is the creation of high spiritual character, and therefore the very object of redemption is to rescue mankind from SIN (transgressing the fundamental spiritual law), and its resulting degradation, misery and unhappiness; and that the object of the present dispensation is to fit those whom God now calls, with their consent, thru a life of trial and test and overcoming sin, growing in grace and knowledge to possess the KINGDOM and to become kings and priests reigning with Christ after His return. We believe Christians must therefore live a clean, pure, holy life by faith according to the Bible standard, with constant Bible study and surrendered prayer, trusting God in and for all things, that yielding to pride and lust of the flesh is sin, that God hears and literally answers the believing prayers of His children who keep His commandments -- according as He has promised in His Word, including physical healing, deliverance from temptation and trouble, providing the way for every actual need. 18. We believe the Church is merely that body of believers who have, and are being led by the Holy Spirit; that the true Church of God is not a denomination; that the inspired name for this spiritual organism is "THE CHURCH OF GOD;" that the Bible name for each local assembly is "THE CHURCH OF GOD," and, considered collectively, "The Churches of God;" that the mission of the Church in this time is to preach the Gospel (Good News) of the coming KINGDOM OF GOD, (with special stress on the warning to America and Britain of the prophecies pertaining to them), into all nations as a witness, reaching the vast multitudes with power and conviction; to reconcile to God, and to save, thru Christ, such people as are now called; and to minister to the Church of God, strengthening and edifying the brethren in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. 19. We believe the only hope of eternal life for mortal man lies in the resurrection; thru the indwelling (now) of the Holy Spirit; and that there shall be a bodily resurrection of the just and unjust -- the just to eternal life as spirit beings upon earth, the unjust to receive the second and final death in hell (Gehenna) fire in which they shall perish in eternal punishment. 20. We believe in the personal, visible, premillennial, imminent return of the Lord Jesus Christ to rule the nations of earth as King of Kings, and to continue His priestly office as Lord of Lords; that at that time He will sit upon the throne of David restoring all things during a thousand year reign upon earth and establish the KINGDOM OF GOD upon earth forever. [This ends the verbatim quotation from the Fundamentals of Belief.] Summary of Fundamentals of Belief 1. God 11. Water Baptism, Passover 2. Jesus Christ 12. Sabbath 3. Holy Spirit 13. Holy Days 4. Bible 14. Clean & Unclean Foods 5. Satan 15. Carnal Warfare 6. Man 16. Covenants, Abraham's promises 7. Sin, Love, Law 17. Christian Living 8. Sacrifice of Christ 18. Church of God & its Mission 9. Resurrection of Christ 19. Resurrection of Just and Unjust 10. Repentance, Spiritual Life 20. Return of Christ, Kingdom of God What the "Fundamentals of Belief" Left Out Doctrinal statements are rarely if ever intended to be a comprehensive compilation of a church's beliefs. However, it is puzzling why Herbert W. Armstrong left out some truly fundamental, foundational beliefs he taught, such as tithing and the truth about divorce and remarriage, along with many other teachings which distinguished the Worldwide Church of God from others. Also, it is hard to understand why these doctrinal fundamentals are not officially published by the Worldwide Church of God. During the greater part of its history, most of the membership of the Worldwide Church of God did not even know their church had a statement of beliefs. J. Gordon Melton, author of the immense compilation of doctrinal statements of American religions, The Encyclopedia of American Religions: Religious Creeds, was unable to obtain the Fundamentals of Belief of the Worldwide Church of God. He merely quoted a few statements from the Constitution of the Church. Modifications by Church of God, The Eternal In 1978, the Church of God, The Eternal (abbreviation: COGTE), a group of former Worldwide Church of God (abbreviation: WWC) members, led by Raymond C. Cole, former evangelist under Herbert Armstrong, republished the Worldwide Church of God Fundamentals of Belief, with several revisions and additions. Under point 18, the COGTE removed the phrase, "with special stress on the warning to America and Britain of the prophecies pertaining to them, into all nations as a witness, reaching the vast multitudes with power and conviction." They felt that the WWC may have fulfilled this commission (of Matthew 24:14) prior to 1973, or if not, God would in due time make it known and raise up a Work to fulfill it. Upon reading Matthew 24:14 and Amos 3:7, it is impossible to honestly believe that the world has yet been warned by God through His agents before the coming Tribulation and Day of the Eternal. The Almighty will not intervene in world affairs without first revealing it to His prophets, who will like Jonah warn the world to repent before it is too late. During World War II, Herbert Armstrong admitted that his radio message had to be muted due to United States censorship regulations. He proclaimed several false prophecies. In the 1950s and early 1960s, the WWC did proclaim a strong message, but the whole world was not warned. False prophecies continued to cloud the message of repentance. The Church of God, The Eternal admits it is not performing an evangelistic work of witness to all nations. We are confident that, according to His Word, the Creator will raise up such a work, whether through the Two Witnesses, the Church as a whole, Angels, or a combination of these servants. We continue to pray earnestly that God will warn this world to repent, especially modern- day Israel (United States and British Commonwealth, Northwestern Europe) before unleashing captivity and national punishment for our sins. If God is God, He must warn the world, through spokesmen who are not riddled with false prophecy, false doctrine and gross sins so as to discredit their message, before unleashing the flood of punishment for sin and the culmination of man's six thousand years of defying his Creator. The COGTE added four doctrinal points to the twenty points of the WWC: (21) Pentecost always falls on Monday, counting fifty complete days from the Sabbath during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. (22) Church Government administration does not include exercising authority over the personal lives of members. Ministerial responsibility is to proclaim the Truth, maintain peace and harmony, stop heresy, and to remove blatant sin from the Church; not to force outward conformity from fear of disfellowship or ostracism. Each member should realize that they stand before God on their own. (23) Prophecy is not of any private interpretation, i.e. there is no Bible authority for any prophet's foretelling the future based upon conclusions from personal Bible Study. General prophetic understanding can come from inspired Bible Study, but specific dates can only come by direct revelation. (24) Spiritual truth is divinely revealed through the Holy Spirit, not through "scholarship," research, or superior human intelligence. Divine truth is unalterable and unchanging. The only legitimate "doctrinal changes" are those which the Bible specifically indicates (e.g., abrogation of the sacrificial priestly system). We heartily agree with these additional four points. Mead's Handbook Summary of Worldwide Church Beliefs Mead's Handbook of Denominations (Abingdon, Eighth Edition, 1985), referring to the "Fundamentals of Belief," says the Worldwide Church is distinguished from other denominations by denial of the Trinity doctrine, "regarded as pagan, but [they] do affirm faith in one God, in Jesus of Nazareth as 'the Christ, the divine Son of the living God,' and in the Holy Spirit as 'the Spirit of God and of Christ Jesus'. It stresses the reality of Satan as a personality. Concerning human nature, the inspiration of the Scriptures, Christ's resurrection, and baptism, the church holds to rather traditional positions, and it takes a strong stand against bearing arms and the taking of human life" (Page 261). Noting a striking similarity with teachings of "classical Judaism," Mead cites the church's belief that the Lord's Supper is a continuation of Passover, the Sabbath is the day of worship, we should keep the seven annual holy days, and avoid 'unclean' foods. Anglo-Israelism and a "strong dispensationalist strain is present, with an eager expectation of Christ's return to establish the kingdom of God on earth." Mead's "Glossary of Terms" defines "dispensationalism" as "The concept that God deals with the world in different time periods, or 'dispensations', usually seven in number." Members of the WWC look forward to the World Tomorrow, the millennial Kingdom of God. Mead's Handbook gains a distinct flavor of the doctrinal beliefs and practices of the Worldwide Church of God, and ourselves. Joseph Hopkins Summarizes Worldwide Teachings Joseph Hopkins' book, The Armstrong Empire (Eerdmans, 1974), has been viewed by many as the most objective anti-Armstrong book written. Hopkins is very much against many of the doctrines of the Worldwide Church of God. However, he has done a good job of compiling their teachings. Appendix B of Hopkins' book summarizes 23 distinctive doctrinal teachings. It is interesting to see how outsiders view the church's doctrinal teachings. Our comments are in brackets. (Remember, these were teachings of the early 1970s.) 1. The Church. The only true church is the Worldwide Church of God, which is not a denomination or a sect. Its leadership, under the pastor general (apostle) is appointed rather than elected. The mission of the church is not to convert but to warn people of impending disaster. All other church organizations are of the devil and will be rooted up. [The church also taught, correctly, that the true church is a spiritual organism not limited to a specific incorporated organization.] 2. Science and Faith. Irrefutable evidence that God exists and that the Bible is His inspired and perfect word can be found. Scientific theories of organic evolution are flatly contradicted by the Bible. 3. The World Before Man. Long before man existed, the earth was ruled by the angel Lucifer, who rebelled against God, taking about one-third of the angels with him. The utter desolation on the moon and other planets reflects the great battle that took place. Thereafter, God re-created the world in six literal days. During a gap of time of indeterminate length, between Genesis 1:1 and verse 2, the dinosaurs and other prehistoric life existed. 4. The Godhead. There are two separate individuals now in the God-family: the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. The Yahweh of the Old Testament was Jesus, who created the world, called Abraham and Moses, and was known as Melchizedek. The Holy Spirit is not a person but a force. 5. Man. Man did not "fall" but was created with fallible human nature, so that he could learn to fight evil and go the right way. God thus intended that man should rebel and subsequently return to Him. [Poor wording here. God didn't purpose that Adam sin. He made Adam with free moral agency capable of sinning. Knowing what that nature was like, God knew that Adam probably would sin, and God had already designed the remedy for sin, the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.] Salvation is the process by which God reproduces Himself, creating other human beings who then become members of the God-family. Man literally becomes God. 6. Salvation. Salvation has six-stages -- (1) repentance; (2) faith; (3) baptism; (4) reception of the Holy Spirit; (5) overcoming of sin; (6) resurrection and change into Spirit beings i.e., becoming God. 7. The End of the Present World Order. God has permitted Satan to rule and man to sin for six thousand years. The time is almost up: the signs of the times as Jesus listed them in Matthew 24 are evident not only in violent convulsions, but in the outreach of the gospel to all nations through the ministry of the Worldwide Church of God. [We agree that the signs of the times are happening, but the gospel message has not yet permeated the globe.] 8. The World Tomorrow. After two and one-half years of tribulation and one year of the outpouring of God's wrath, Jesus Christ will return. The dead in Christ will be resurrected and changed into divine beings and will, with the then living members of the 'one True Church,' rule the earth for a thousand years. Christ will rule with a rod of iron. [The True Church is not confined to a specific man-made organization.] 9. Predestination. Predestination has to do with being called, not with being saved or lost. Some are called now; most will receive the call later after a future resurrection. How they respond will determine whether they will be saved (reborn as spirit beings) or lost (annihilated in the lake of fire). 10. The Three Resurrections. The first resurrection at the second coming of Christ will include all who have overcome sin and are ready to enter God's Family. After the millennium, there will be a resurrection of the vast bulk of mankind who never had a real chance for salvation. They will be restored to physical life for a hundred years during which they will be taught God's truth and given the chance to repent. At the end of this hundred years, all who have persisted in rejecting God will be resurrected and cast into the lake of fire and annihilated. Then God will re-create the earth, and populate it by the now-immortal members of the God-family, who will rule the universe forever in peace and harmony. 11. Death. Man does not have an immortal soul. Those who die simply return to the dust and cease to exist until God restores them in a future resurrection. 12. Jesus' Death and Resurrection. The crucifixion occurred on Wednesday, April 25, AD 31; the resurrection three days and three nights (72 hours) later. The notion that Jesus died on Good Friday and arose on Sunday was inspired by the devil to trick Christians into substituting Sunday for the Sabbath as the day of worship. When Jesus died, he ceased to exist until the resurrection. The corrupt body laid in Joseph's tomb was not the same body which was raised. [It was changed from mortal flesh to immortal Spirit.] 13. Hell Fire. The lake of fire is a literal burning which will consume the wicked at the end of this present age. Prior to the establishment of the new heavens and earth, it will engulf the earth's surface and purify it. Rebellious human beings will be instantaneously annihilated. The devil and his angels, who will be cast into it following the millennium, will not be destroyed by the flames, since they are spirit beings. Their suffering will be mental and will continue for all eternity. 14. The US and Britain. The peoples of these two nations are descendants of the lost ten tribes of Israel, Manasseh and Ephraim. Germany (modern Assyria), heading a ten-nation United States of Europe, will destroy and take into captivity the peoples of the US and Britain. Eventually, the few survivors of these 'Israelite' nations will be taken to Palestine to rule with Christ in the World Tomorrow. 15. Special Days. The seventh day, Saturday, is the only true Sabbath, reckoned from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday. Sunday worship makes the worshiper liable to the lake of fire. The seven annual festivals of Leviticus 23 -- Passover, Unleavened Bread, Pentecost, Trumpets, Atonement, Tabernacles, and The Last Great Day -- are to be observed on the correct day as calculated on the religious calendar. Pagan holidays are an abomination and not to be observed; this includes Christmas, Easter, New Year's Day, Lent, Halloween, and Valentine's Day, but does not include Thanksgiving and Mother's and Father's Days. Birthdays are not to be celebrated. 16. Tithing. A tithe is computed as one-tenth of net income [increase]. There are three tithes: the first given directly to the church for general administration; the second used to pay the expenses of family attendance at the annual festivals (and a tithe of this tithe is sent to headquarters to finance festival operating expenses); the third, collected every three-and-a-half years [actually, on the third and sixth years of every cycle of seven years], is used for widows and orphans. The tithes are supplemented by freewill offerings. 17. Physical Health. True Christians look to God rather than men and medicine for healing. The elders should be summoned to anoint with oil and pray for a sick person. Doctors may be employed for 'repair work' (setting broken bones, etc.); professional care for teeth and eyes is approved. Natural childbirth at home is recommended. Unclean foods (Leviticus 11) should not be eaten; natural foods and raw milk are recommended. Smoking is destructive of the body; Christians are enjoined not to use tobacco in any form. Since Jesus drank wine, moderate drinking is permissible, though drunkenness is forbidden. [Note: In the late 1980s, the Worldwide Church had considerably liberalized its doctrine relative to medicines and healing.] 18. Family Life and Morality. Divorce is not recognized for any reason, even adultery. All remarried divorced persons are living in a constant state of adultery. Divorced couples are not accepted for baptism until they agree to separate and either return to their former mates or remain single (whether or not children are involved). [Note: the divorce and remarriage policy was drastically liberalized in May of 1974.] Normal sexual practice in marriage is approved; adultery, premarital sex, homosexuality, and all kinds of perversion and pornography are condemned. Mechanical means of birth control are advocated; use of the pill is discouraged. Reasonable family planning is urged. Spanking should be administered to children beginning at a few months of age [when necessary]. Spanking must be done with love and firmness; children must be taught to obey instantly and without question. Children should not be permitted to participate in public school sports or group activities. [I am puzzled at this one, as we never heard of this supposed teaching. Unless there is conflict with the Sabbath or activities centered around rock music or pagan holidays, we see nothing wrong with allowing our children to participate in wholesome school sports and musical activities.] Church-sponsored dances are encouraged, but sexually suggestive dancing is forbidden. Similarly, rock music is condemned as unproductive to character development. 'Good' music, including the hymns of Herbert W. Armstrong's brother Dwight, is encouraged. Women are not to wear makeup or wigs, and their dresses should come [no higher than] the middle of the knee. Men are not to have long hair, sideburns, or beards. [Thankfully, the prohibition against sideburns and beards was discarded in the early 1970s. Well groomed beards and sideburns are not against the Bible. Indeed, the Bible assumes most men will wear beards.] 19. Women. Women are not permitted to preach or to be ordained as ministers. They may serve as deaconesses. Mothers with small children should not work outside the home except in unusual circumstances. 20. Wealth. It is not a sin to be rich; wealth is often a reward to those faithful to God. God is a God of quality and beauty; Christians should strive to obtain the best they can afford, but not at the expense of their financial obligations to the church. 21. Race. According to the Ambassador College constitution and by-laws (Art. 9,2), 'God Almighty by His own will segregated the races at ancient Babel and decreed that they should remain physically segregated.' Intermarriage is a sin. Segregation will be strictly enforced in the World Tomorrow. 22. Civil Government. Christians should not vote, hold political office, serve on juries or in the armed forces. They should pay taxes, respect governmental authority, and be 'good citizens.' 23. Pentecostalism. Although faith healing is practiced by the Worldwide Church of God, the healings of the Pentecostal movement generally are believed to be Satanic deceptions. Speaking in tongues [babbling gibberish] is strictly forbidden. Non-traditional Doctrines Shared by Worldwide Church of God and Other Religious Groups Appendix C of Hopkins' book shows the similarity of the church's teachings with those of Seventh-Day Adventists, Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons and British-Israelism. This should not be surprising, since the Seventh Day Adventists and Jehovah's Witnesses share a common historical origin with the Worldwide Church and its predecessor, the Church of God, Seventh Day. Again, our comments are in brackets. I. Seventh-Day Adventist and Worldwide Church Common Beliefs 1.The seventh-day Sabbath is the only acceptable, God-ordained day for rest and worship. 2.Sunday worship is the 'mark of the beast' (Rev. 14:9). Those who persist in this practice after being enlightened concerning the 'true' Sabbath will be destroyed in the lake of fire. 3.Man does not possess a soul which survives physical death, but is like animals, birds and insects in his mortality. His identity, however, is preserved in a divine 'memory bank' against the day of his future resurrection -- a doctrine known as 'conditional immortality' or 'soul sleep.' 4.There is no eternal hell, or place of eternal punishing. The fate of the wicked is annihilation in the 'lake of fire.' 5.Jesus Christ was endowed with fallible human nature -- the nature of Adam after the Fall [into sin] -- but nevertheless remained sinless. 6.Satan, not Christ, is the scapegoat of Leviticus 16 upon whose head 'the responsibility for sin will be placed.' 7.The Pope (as a symbol of the Roman Catholic Church) is the 'great whore' of Rev. 17, the 'false prophet' of Rev. 19:20, and the 'man of sin' of II Thes. 2:3-4 -- a doctrine formerly taught but no longer officially proclaimed by Seventh-Day Adventists. 8.The Old Testament dietary laws (Lev. 11) are in force today. [Note: For an analysis of additional similarities, and differences, between the Church of God and Seventh-Day Adventists, see our article, "We are Sabbath-Keepers, Not Seventh-Day Adventists."] II. Jehovah's Witnesses 1.Jesus became the Son of God when He was conceived in Mary's womb. 2.Jesus was not resurrected in the same body which was crucified and laid in Joseph's tomb. 3.Jesus' death atones only for past sins. Salvation is contingent on rituals and obedience, in addition to faith. [Salvation is the gift of God. Loving obedience results from being truly converted and led by the Holy Spirit. Obedience does not earn you salvation. Obeying God's Sabbaths and Holy Days is not ritualism.] 4.Those who die in ignorance will be resurrected for a 'first chance' to receive salvation. 5.The Trinity doctrine is denied. The Holy Spirit is not a person but a 'divine force.' 6.The only valid baptism is by immersion, administered by a minister of the 'one true Church.' [Baptism should be administered by a faithful believer, not necessarily a minister.] 7.The Roman Catholic Church and her 'Protestant daughters' are 'Satan's counterfeits.' 8.Christians should not involve themselves in 'this world's govern-ment.' Voting and participation in the armed forces are opposed. 9.Theocratic rule 'from the top down' is rigorously enforced. [Yet we are not to follow false ministers.] 10.Christmas and Easter are of pagan origin and are therefore sinful. 11.The Cross is referred to as a 'stake,' excommunication as 'disfellowshipment.' 12.Use of tobacco is forbidden; use of alcoholic beverages in modera-tion is permitted. 13.Blood transfusions are not advocated. III. Mormons 1.The Trinity is denied. God is a 'Family' -- and the destiny of every true believer is to become God (not merely like God), a member of the 'God-Family.' 2.Adam's Fall fulfilled God's will of desire as well as His will of purpose -- for only through sinning could Adam and Eve become mortal, propagate the race, and benefit from the divine plan for redemption. [See our comment on point #5 in Hopkins' Appendix B, above.] 3.Christ's death atones for past sins only. Compliance with ritual [is this a veiled attack on the Holy Days?] and moral requirements are added to faith as conditions for salvation. 4.Members of the black race are victims of the curse of Noah. [NOTE: For further information about Mormonism, we recommend the book The God Makers, by Ed Decker and Dave Hunt, published by Harvest House Publishers, Eugene, Oregon, 1984.] IV. British-Israelism 1.The white Anglo-Saxon peoples of northwestern Europe, Great Britain, and the United States are the true Israel today and heirs of the biblical promises for Israel. 2.Legends from ancient folklore concerning the 'lost ten tribes' of Israel are accepted as historical: e.g., the Stone of Scone is Jacob's 'pillar stone'; the British monarchs are lineal descendants of King David. Systematic Theology Project (STP) In 1978, the Worldwide Church of God published a 375-page paper for its ministry, the preliminary results of a doctrinal committee report, termed the "Systematic Theology Project," or STP. For the first time, the church published a formal statement of doctrine, with supporting scriptures. However, STP contains numerous "liberal" departures from doctrines which the church originally taught. Later, before his death in 1986, Herbert W. Armstrong disavowed and suppressed the STP statement. However, he and his successor Joseph Tkach appeared to nevertheless follow the STP teachings in almost every instance. Garner Ted Armstrong, who was put out and formed his own Church of God, International, openly avows the validity of the STP doctrinal statement. STP is divided into seven sections: I. Primary Doctrines IV. Law of God God Law of God Bible Biblical Covenants Jesus Christ Ten Commandments Holy Spirit Sabbath Mankind Annual Holy Days Angelic Realm Tithing and Giving II. Salvation Sin Salvation V. The Christian Faith The Christian Repentance Christian Relationship w/God Baptisms Christian Rel. w/Fellowman Laying on of Hands Christian Family III. Kingdom of God Healing Kingdom of God VI. The Church of God Gospel The Church of God Prophecy Ministry of the Church Resurrections Fellowship of the Brethren Judgment VII. Traditional Christian Doctrines Debunked Commandments/Traditions of Men, Fall of Man, Immortal Soul, Heaven, Hell, Trinity, Gospel, Born Again, Kingdom of God, Sunday, Christmas, Easter, Rapture, Predestination, Tongues, Law or Grace, Infant Baptism, Baptism, the Lord's Prayer, Penance, Eternal Security, Universalism, the Church, the Cross, Pictures of Christ, Ministerial and Religious Titles, Faith Healing, Abstinence and Asceticism. Had the STP been published in 1878 instead of 1978, I would be joyful. It contains a great deal of truth, and is light years ahead of other religious denominations. However, STP promotes several doctrinal departures from truths which the Worldwide Church of God formerly taught. When one turns from truth originally believed, taught and practiced, there is danger of defiling one's character before God. Here are some of the faults of STP: (1) The Jubilee Year and Sabbatical Year were held to be no longer binding laws. The church now teaches that only in cases of dire hardship is it wrong to charge interest. The truth is, that the United States of America has become the world's biggest debtor nation and drought is stalking America's breadbasket because of its failure to obey the Jubilee, Sabbatical year, and the gross charging of usury by evil money lenders. The Church of God is not warning this nation to repent because it has departed from the Eternal in these vital areas. Ancient Israel went into captivity for failure to obey the Sabbatical Year. Modern Israel will likewise suffer the same penalty. It is sad to see the Church participating in the sins of the nation. (2) The Sabbath was watered down. Members were told to go ahead and perform mandatory government public service, e.g., garbage disposal, and to go ahead and send children to school on the Sabbath if the state requires it. The truth is, that Sabbath keeping has never been easy. How you keep the Sabbath shows how you feel about God. (3) New Moons were relegated to insignificance. The Bible, however, even in the New Testament, equates the Sabbath, Holy Days and New Moons as three types of special days of God. (4) Pentecost was held to be on Sunday. It was stated that counting 49 days and counting 50 days from Wavesheaf Sunday both arrive at a Sunday. Once again, STP shows a lack of spiritual knowledge on this vital issue. Pentecost is always on Monday. On the positive side, the discussion of the Holy Days is well done, and it was noted that annual Holy Days need to be special before God. One way to do this, STP noted, was the custom of having two church services on each of the Holy Days. (5) Tithing was still stated as a law, which is correct. However, saving second and third tithes was said to be obligatory only on those able to save it. Some members, STP states, fulfill the third tithe obligation by averaging the amount of tithe over every year, which is not a Biblical practice. The central collection of tithes by a "headquarters church" is contrary to New Testament practice. (6) STP takes pride in the racially "integrated Church of God" and its failure to condemn racial intermarriage. The truth is that today's society is engaged in race mixing exactly as it was in the days of Noah. The Church is on Satan's side on this issue. (7) Voting in any kind of election for candidates or issues is now held to be perfectly fine. We have been previously taught, and strongly believe, that as Ambassadors for Christ, we should not participate in this world's mixture of good and evil. Voting for the "lesser of two evils" is still evil. (8) In the area of the "Christian Family," STP strikes against the heart of godly society. It allows divorce with the right to remarry for three erroneous reasons: (a) fraud for any false pretense, (b) illicit sexual activity of any kind, and (c) desertion of an unbelieving mate. With these wide-open loopholes, there are, in effect, no bound-for-life marriages in the Worldwide Church of God. Marriage is a physical relationship which should teach us to be faithful to God and become faithfully married to Christ for all eternity. Regrettably, today in the Worldwide Church of God, marriages are practically worthless. (9) STP waters down the doctrine of healing. This longest (42 pages) section of STP might well have been co-authored by the American Medical Association. Modern medical "advances" such as open heart surgery are lauded. Sick believers are told they should seek the most "advanced" medical assistance to be found. In 1972, I was disappointed that WWC ministers in Texas first encouraged me to go to a doctor before they anointed me. Now, friends in that organization tell us that some ministers will not anoint unless the sick church member has gone to the doctor! Of all the foundational doctrines, healing is one of the most crucial to the survival of the church. It is a physical type of the resurrection. When faith dies, the church dies spiritually. In the area of healing, STP destroys rather than strengthens the faith of the people of God. The last section of STP debunks traditional "Christian" doctrines such as going to heaven or hell and the immortal soul. This is a valuable section as it summarizes the chief differences between truth and error on a number of issues. In summary, the STP, though disavowed by the Worldwide Church of God, continued to be the basic rule of practice for both itself and the Church of God, International for many years. Statement of Beliefs In the original 1989 edition of Biblical Doctrine, we rebuked the Worldwide Church for not publishing to the world their doctrinal beliefs. Finally, in 1991, they did so for the first time in their nearly 60-year history. The Statement of Beliefs of the Worldwide Church of God is a brief 10-page tract that only scratches the surface of the Church's beliefs. Its 28 points include statements about God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, the Holy Scriptures, the Angelic Realm, Satan, Man, Salvation, Grace, Sanctification, Justification, Conversion, Repentance, Water Baptism, the Church, Church Leadership, the Christian, the Gospel, Prophecy, the Law, the Sabbath, the Festivals, Tithing, the Second Coming, the Millennium, the Inheritance of the Believer, the Fate of the Unrepentant, and the Kingdom of God. There is no statement on Marriage and Divorce, nor is there a statement on Clean and Unclean Meats. The statement, "The Church affirms the oneness of God and the full divinity of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit," presaged the ongoing movement in the Church toward accepting the Trinity doctrine. As we shall see in Chapter 11 of this paper, entitled "Doctrinal Changes and Liberalization," the Worldwide Church of God has undergone a host of doctrinal changes in recent years. Such continuing changes make any paper outlining Worldwide Church beliefs out of date almost immediately after publication. It appears that the overall purpose for making such changes is to make the Church not appear to be a "cult," and to blend into the system of world religion. The Bible says that we should "meddle not with those given to change," Proverbs 24:21. That means, we should avoid becoming polluted by the attitude of throwing away God's Truth. We should prove all things, and hold fast to what is good. When one looks at the attitude and content of the original "Fundamentals of Belief" of the Radio Church of God, and then examines the present status of the Worldwide Church of God, it is cause of sadness. May the Messiah come soon before there is no True faith left, Luke 18:8. CHAPTER FOUR: BOOK REVIEW: Mystery of the Ages MYSTERY OF THE AGES, by Herbert W. Armstrong. Worldwide Church of God, Pasadena, California: 1985. 315 pages. In the author's preface, Herbert Armstrong makes the statement: "Time may prove this to be the most important book written in almost 1,900 years." This is a bold claim! The Bible, Armstrong correctly states, is a coded book, like a jigsaw puzzle, revealed only through the Holy Spirit to those who are surrendered and yielded to God, willing to confess error and to believe Christ the Word of God. The purpose of Mystery of the Ages is to reveal seven Bible mysteries, doctrinal truths which the world does not understand. Claiming to be a modern "Elijah," Armstrong says that he is God's human messenger to prepare the way before Christ's imminent Second Coming. While containing a great deal of "wheat," kernels of truth, the book also contains some dangerous "tares" of untruth. Let us examine the seven mysteries explained in the book. (1) Who and What is God? God is the Creator of the Universe, who created all things by and through His Son, the Messiah. The two members of the God family have existed through all eternity. The false doctrine of the Trinity denies the true gospel of Jesus Christ. (2) What are Angels and Spirits? Angels are created sons of God, to assist Him in ruling His kingdom. Lucifer and the angels on earth who sinned with him, brought about universal destruction to the pre-Adamic physical creation. Lucifer aspired to take over God's position and as a result fell and became Satan, the adversary. God's purpose is to make this earth the ultimate headquarters of the entire universe. Satan still has the rulership of this earth. Adam could have qualified to replace Satan, but Adam sinned and disqualified himself. The "second Adam," the Messiah, lived a perfect life and overcame Satan, qualifying to rule the entire earth, and is coming soon to depose Satan and rule the earth and the universe. Two thirds of the angels are God's obedient invisible agents to minister and help in the righteous character development of humans destined to become sons and heirs of God the Father and members of the divine family. (3) What is Man? To many, what man is, is a mystery. "Why were you born?" is a question some believe cannot be answered. The Father and the Son created man in their image with the purpose of reproducing themselves. Through the development of character, and the addition of God's Spirit with man's spirit, redeemed mankind will eventually become born again sons in the Family, or Kingdom, of God. Man is a soul and can die. This truth, says Armstrong, is believed by few denominations, and a proof that identifies the true Church of God. Man as a creation in the image of God is not yet finished. He needs God's Spirit to develop righteous character. Only the few are called to repentance in this age, to be teachers of mankind during the Millennium. After the Millennium, those who never had the opportunity to receive salvation will be resurrected and taught the Truth for the first time, and have the chance to accept it and qualify for eternal life and rulership in God's kingdom. (4) What is Civilization? Modern civilization is a mystery. "Why, if God exists," many ask, "does He allow so much violence and human suffering?" God has a 7,000-year plan. He is allotting 6,000 years for man to work, going his own way in defiance and rebellion against God's laws which are the way of love. God placed man on the earth to beautify the earth and complete the creation of God, to "put the icing on the cake." Instead, man has gone his own way and polluted the earth physically and spiritually. Modern civilization is not of God, but of Satan the Devil, who inspired the founders of modern civilization, Nimrod and Semiramis of Babylon. The 6,000 years of evil civilization are almost over, to be followed by the return of the Messiah to smash in pieces this world's Babylonish civilization and to establish the government of God on the earth for a thousand years. Prior to establishment of the Millennium, the Gospel must be preached in all the world as a witness. (5) Who is Israel? God raised up Israel as His chosen nation, not to be a special favorite people, but to be given His laws and to be a model nation for others to follow. Salvation is to originate and flow from Israel. Except for a very few, Israel rebelled and as a result was punished. Many generations of Israel have proven that even the best of humanity, without God's Holy Spirit, cannot solve human problems and evils. Israel today is not limited to the Jewish people (some of which are Judah). The Worldwide Church of God teaches that the Anglo-Saxon people of the United States are Manasseh and the United Kingdom and British Commonwealth peoples are Ephraim. Other peoples of northwestern Europe are descended from other tribes of Israel. The twelve tribes of Israel today have received blessings God promised to Abraham, immense material prosperity and world leadership. However, they are sinning against God by breaking His laws, such as tithing. They are leading the world in sexual sins such as homosexuality, which God condemns. As salvation is given first to Israel, so divine punishment will come first upon Israel. (6) What is the Church? This is the greatest mystery of all. The church's origin and purpose remain hidden from the world. The purpose of the church is to call disciples (students, learners) out of Satan's present world, to be trained to become kings and priests (teachers) in the Millennium when the Eternal will offer salvation (eternal life) to all mankind. The basic teaching and doctrine of God's true church is righteousness and obedience to the Law of God, which is love, the summary of the entire Bible. Those few called now have a responsibility to qualify to be leaders and educators of the many who will be called during and after the Millennium. They must "go ye into all the world" and preach the Gospel, and "feed my sheep." God has a timetable of salvation. Today is A day of salvation, for those now called. Today is NOT the day of salvation for those blinded now. They will be called later, according to God's plan. The history of the church since its founding on Pentecost of 31 AD is greatly misunderstood. In less than 100 years, corruption almost totally eradicated the true church. In its place was a Gentile church with radically different teachings. The true Church had to flee persecution from the false church time after time. It has remained small and insignificant to the world, while the false churches proclaiming to be "Christian," actually proclaiming a false gospel, prospered and gained a large following. (7) What is the Kingdom of God? Associated with the mystery of the Church is the mystery of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which Mr. Armstrong claims was not proclaimed to the world until 1953 when his broadcast went on the world's most powerful station, Radio Luxembourg in Europe. This world's false Christianity preaches a false gospel. The true Gospel is only proclaimed by God's true Church. The true Gospel is the message of the coming Kingdom of God which will replace worldly governments and rule the whole earth for 1,000 years under the Messiah's government from Jerusalem. Resurrected saints, who have become born-again sons in the family of God, such as Abraham and the twelve apostles, will assist the Savior in ruling all nations. Satan will be removed so as not to deceive the nations, and there will be universal peace, prosperity and joy under the government of the Almighty God. All will keep God's laws such as Tithing and Holy Days. After the 1,000 years, those who never had the opportunity for salvation will be resurrected to physical life and taught the gospel. After this judgment period, the earth will be cleansed. The Father's throne will come to the earth, which will be the center of the universe, from which the re-creating and restoration of the entire universe will take place. The Gospel Mystery of the Ages was designed to be a book of systematic theology for Ambassador College students. It is a summary of previous Worldwide Church of God literature. I disagree with several things in the book, including Armstrong's claims about the gospel. Armstrong states that the gospel has not been proclaimed to the world for almost 1,900 years until he began preaching on worldwide radio. At the same time, he admits that the true Church continued to teach the Sabbath, Holy Days, the name Church of God and the gospel of the Kingdom from the time of Christ to our day. Peter Waldo of 12th Century Europe is held to be a true gospel proclaimer, which he may have been. What a contradiction! The true gospel has been passed down through the scattered remnants of the true Church to our day, and yet Armstrong says he was the only one to preach it in 1,900 years! This grandiose claim is proven false by Armstrong himself! On page 222 (note that I am citing the paperback edition, while a hardback edition has slightly different pages), Armstrong says that he presented Christ's message personally before kings, presidents and prime ministers of numerous worldly governments. Yet on page 30 he admits that he did not tell the leader of China, Deng Xiaoping, who and what God is. You can't preach the gospel without mentioning who God is! This is a false gospel! Armstrong says that the true gospel has been (past tense) preached and published to all the world by himself, page 239. If this were true, then the world has been warned and the Messiah can now return. However, I can go to any city in the United States or any other country and find that the majority hasn't even heard the true gospel of Jesus Christ. What is the true gospel? It contains four elements: (1) the King of the Kingdom, Jesus Christ; (2) the Kingdom of God on this earth, the Millennium; (3) the subjects of that kingdom, physical nations; and (4) the laws of the kingdom, Biblical Law, which must be present in the teaching of the gospel. Elijah and Peter Related to this boast of being the only one to preach the gospel in 1,900 years is Armstrong's claim to be the end-time Elijah who is to prepare the way before the Second Coming of the Messiah. John the Baptist, he says, "restored nothing" (page 285). He didn't fulfill Malachi 4:5-6 in turning the hearts of the fathers to the children, which Armstrong claims he himself did. This is false! One of John the Baptist's major teachings was opposition to divorce and remarriage, which Armstrong since 1974 openly promoted, advocated and encouraged even by example. John the Baptist DID turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and vice versa. Armstrong encouraged divorce and remarriage which destroys this vital relationship. God condemns divorce and remarriage, which for the last dozen years of his life Armstrong proliferated. Armstrong claims that Peter was the first and chief apostle and that the title "Peter" means religious leader. However, John 1:42 shows that Jesus renamed Simon as Cephas (in the Greek, Peter), which means "a stone," not a religious leader. There is no New Testament evidence that Peter was the chief or head apostle. During the dispute concerning circumcising Gentile converts to the Church, it was James, not Peter, who made the decision. Paul at one time rebuked Peter publicly because he was in error. Herbert Armstrong's son Garner Ted, to his credit, has repeatedly exposed the error of the "primacy of Peter" doctrine. Herbert Armstrong only taught this heresy in later years. It appears to be a way of justifying his authoritarian rule over his church. On pages 219 and 220, Armstrong states that the duty of taking the gospel to the world is primarily the responsibility of the apostle, meaning himself. He said the offices in the church are apostle [singular], evangelists, pastors and elders. Ephesians 4:11 shows there are apostles, plural. The Holy Spirit One of Armstrong's major teachings is that "The Holy Spirit was not given to the people of ancient Israel," pages 178, 191. God, he claims, denied His chosen people salvation, save only their prophets. God's Holy Spirit was inaccessible to them. The reason is that God wanted to demonstrate that mankind without God's Holy Spirit could not cure the evils besetting humanity. Israel was God's guinea pig to show that man needs the Holy Spirit of God, pages 132, 140-141. The attempt is made to show that today's Worldwide Church of God, with the Holy Spirit, is capable of curing the evils besetting humanity and is setting an example for the world to follow. This is simply not true. I was a part of Ambassador College and the Worldwide Church of God. Promiscuity stalks Ambassador College like most colleges and universities. Political intrigue, financial and moral corruption are a part of that church like most human institutions. The truth is, as Garner Ted Armstrong said in 1967, that even the true Church of God, WITH God's Holy Spirit, still has all too much of the evils of human nature. The Church's sins demonstrate that the only way to save the world is the return of Jesus Christ to establish His kingdom. In every age there are a few who fear the Eternal, work righteousness, and are accepted by Him, Acts 10:35. The faith chapter, Hebrews 11, is the Biblical answer to Armstrong's false teaching that salvation was denied to mankind, except only Israel's prophets. Even the harlot Rahab repented and qualified for the "better resurrection." Early New Testament believers had the Holy Spirit of power in a mighty way. Even with this power, they were not able to maintain the truth and pass it on to the next generation. The church's power was diminished and the church was scattered by 100 A.D., or sooner. Why didn't they continue preaching the gospel with great power, healing, and casting out of demons? Either the fault was with them, and/or it wasn't God's purpose for the church to become large and powerful worldwide. Interracial Marriage Armstrong states that racial intermarriage is a sin (pages 144 and 280), which was the primary cause for the Noachian Flood. We agree with this longstanding teaching of the Worldwide Church of God. However, in recent years, the church certainly has not practiced this teaching. What you practice is more important than what you preach. Eighteen Essential, Basic Truths "The very basic teaching, belief AND DOCTRINE OF God's true Church therefore is based on the righteousness of and obedience to the law of God." (Mystery, page 225). Revelation 14:12 and many other scriptures confirm this truth. Since he began in 1933, Armstrong claimed that at least 18 basic and essential truths have been restored to the Church through him. Though not elaborated in Mystery of the Ages, they are given in the August 25, 1986 Worldwide News. Let us examine these 18 teachings, some of which overlap the "Seven Mysteries." Our comments are given in brackets. (1) The Government of God. When the Messiah returns, He will restore the Creator's government on this earth. Armstrong claimed that he restored the government of God as found in Ephesians 4 and I Corinthians 12 to the Worldwide Church of God, in contrast with the Church of God, Seventh Day, government of men, with a bi-annual conference with worldly voting. [Yes, voting in a church organization is worldly, not the Eternal's way. But so is the one man rulership of an apostle -- singular -- which is contrary to the Biblical rulership of the apostles and elders -- plural. God's government doesn't change doctrinal teachings back and forth. Those who are under the government of God obey His laws, and do NOT follow, robot-like, an organization of men.] (2) The Gospel of the Kingdom of God is not the "third angel's message" as taught by the Church of God, Seventh Day, but is the message of the coming Messianic Millennial Kingdom on this earth, when the Almighty's laws will by obeyed worldwide. (3) The Purpose of God is to Reproduce Himself. Christ is the firstborn of many brethren by the resurrection from the dead. The Savior is the only one, so far, who has been "born again." It is tragic so few religious groups understand this basic Truth, falsely claiming they have now been "born again." (4) Who and What is God? Many erroneously teach that God the Father is the "harsh, mean" God of the Old Testament, while the truth is that the God of the Old Testament is the one who died for our sins in the New Testament, I Corinthians 10. God is a Family, not a Trinity. His Spirit begets us as His children, and when we are born of God in the resurrection we will not sin. (5) What is Man? What Happens at Death? Man is not an animal. He does not have a soul, he is a soul (Hebrew, nephesh). At death, man's soul dies, and his conscious thoughts cease. (6) Man has a Human Spirit. Unlike animals, man has a spirit, which imparts thinking and conscious reasoning ability. Man's spirit is not the conscious part of man. It needs to be united with the Spirit of God. [The "Spirit in Man" doctrine was a later addition to the teaching of the Worldwide Church of God.] (7) The Church is only the Firstfruits. God isn't trying to save the world at this time. The Church (those who have God's Holy Spirit) is the beginning of God's Plan of Salvation, the firstfruits. They will be resurrected as Spirit-being teachers and rulers with Christ during the Millennium, when He begins to set His hand to save the whole world. After the Millennium, the firstfruits with those converted during the Millennium, will be leaders for the multitudes resurrected after the Millennium. All those who were never called to salvation will at that time have their one and only chance to understand, believe, repent, be baptized, receive the Holy Spirit, overcome, and enter the Family of God. (8) The Church is not the Kingdom of God, but will become the nucleus of it. (9) Firstfruits. Only those whom God the Father calls and draws to Him during this age can be converted now, and become part of the firstfruits, John 6:44. This is why the true Church doesn't proselytize. Satan has deceived the whole world, and the Church must come out of the world. (10) The Great White Throne Judgment is the 100-year period after the 1,000-year Millennium in which those who have not had an opportunity for salvation will be resurrected and given their first and only chance to repent and receive the Holy Spirit. At that time, salvation will be offered to all mankind who have ever lived. (11) The Millennium will be the 1000-year reign of Christ and the saints on the earth. There will be peace and prosperity as the entire world will be taught God's Law, and keep it. (12) The Holy Spirit begets us as Sons of God. It gives us the ability to understand spiritual truth of the Bible, which is closed to the minds of those who don't have the Holy Spirit. (13) We are Begotten Now, Not Born Again. By growing in righteous character by the power of the Holy Spirit, when we die, it is not over. At the return of Christ we will become Spirit Beings, born Sons of God in His kingdom. Begotten or born again is not a matter of semantics. There is a real difference. Those born again are Spirit Beings, and cannot sin because they will not sin. Those begotten with the Spirit are physical human beings and can sin and abort themselves by committing the unpardonable sin, losing salvation. (14) Modern Israel's Identity. Anglo-Saxon United States and British Commonwealth countries, as well as Northwestern Europe, are descended from the so-called Ten Lost Tribes of Israel. The Worldwide Church of God identifies the United States as Manasseh, British Commonwealth as Ephraim, France as Reuben, many of the Jews as Judah, etc. (15) Israel's Identity is the Key to Understanding Bible Prophecy. Most prophecy is dual. There was a minor fulfillment in the past, and will be a major fulfillment in the future. Much of the major and minor Old Testament prophets refer not only to Israel's and Judah's past captivity and punishment from the Almighty but also to modern Israel in the end time, and a coming National Captivity and Great Tribulation. (16) The Seven Annual Holy Days picture seven major past and future events in God's Plan of Salvation. I have outlined these as follows: Holy Day or Festival Past Event Future Event Passover Israel's deliverance, Our deliverance from the death death of the Messiah angel, Great Tribulation and Seven Last Plagues Feast of Israel's exodus from Our total deliverance from sin Unleavened Egypt, Parting of Red Bread Sea, Resurrection of the Messiah Wavesheaf Acceptance of Savior's Our acceptance by the Father, the Offering Sacrifice by the Father Marriage Supper Feast of Pentecost Giving of the Law at Our receiving the fullness of the Mt. Sinai, Giving of the Holy Spirit to keep the Law, Holy Spirit our becoming Spirit beings Trumpets Creation of world First Resurrection, Return of Christ, Re-gathering of Israel Atonement Putting away of Putting Satan in restraint Azazel goat Feast of Israel living in tents The Millennium Tabernacles in wilderness 40 years Last Great Day Unknown Second Resurrection, Great White Throne Judgment period, Salvation offered to all mankind, Third Resurrection, New Heavens and New Earth (17) Calendar and Weekly Cycle Preserved by Jews. Jews are authorized and have the authority to preserve the weekly cycle and the sacred calendar, which they have done. (18) Second and Third Tithes. The second tithe is 1/10 of one's increase, and is for the festival times. The third tithe is 1/10 of one's increase, paid every third and sixth year of a seven year cycle for the poor within thy gates. Revelation 19:7 says, "Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready." We should be glad for these truths made evident in our age, tenaciously cling to them, and be ready when the Messiah returns. Conclusion Mystery of the Ages was Herbert Armstrong's last book. He died in January of 1986. His aide Aaron Dean assisted in the writing, which in places is decidedly un-Armstrong. It is a well-written book for a man past age 90, but not the most important book written in 1,900 years. The book is now out of print and will not be re-published, as the Worldwide Church of God tries to suppress Herbert Armstrong material and doctrine. The Guardian, a United Kingdom newspaper, wrote on January 16, 1986: "Herbert Armstrong, the 93-year-old head of the Worldwide Church of God, stated from California that his tome MYSTERY OF THE AGES, 'may be the most important book since the Bible.' He has now been called into account for this statement." Armstrong concluded that the true Church of God had been set back on track, restoring knowledge of the first century faith once delivered to the saints. I wish this were true. We will have to wait for the Messianic Kingdom for the truth to be fully restored.ê CHAPTER FIVE: Doctrines of Ex-Worldwide Groups Church of God, International The largest spin-off group from the Worldwide Church of God is the Church of God, International of Tyler, Texas, led by Garner Ted Armstrong, son of Herbert W. Armstrong. Their "Statement of Beliefs," copyrighted 1980, has 26 points: 1. God 14. Resurrections 2. Bible 15. Judgment 3. Jesus Christ 16. Law of God 4. The Holy Spirit 17. Biblical Covenants 5. Mankind 18. Ten Commandments 6. Angelic Realm 19. Sabbath 7. Salvation 20. Annual Holy Days 8. Faith 21. Tithing 9. Repentance 22. Sin 10. Baptism 23. The Christian 11. Laying on of Hands 24. The Christian Family 12. Kingdom of God 25. Healing 13. Gospel 26. The Church of God Although adhering to the liberal STP theology of the Worldwide Church of God (see Chapter Three), it is commendable that this group specifically mentions tithing, the Christian family, and divine healing as doctrinal points. The "Fundamentals of Belief" of the Worldwide Church of God left out these articles of faith shared by both groups. Here are excerpts from a few of the CGI's beliefs, with which we heartily concur: Point #16: "The law of God as revealed in the Bible is a good, right and perfect system of eternal directives and principles which reflects God's character and serves as a means of expressing His love toward man. God's law teaches man how to properly worship God, how to love his fellow man, how to live life abundantly, and, at the same time, how to prepare for an eternal spiritual life in the Family of God." Point #18: "The Ten Commandments . . . are the foundation of all biblical teaching, showing man how to express love toward God and fellow man, and are consequently the focal point of Christian life." Point #21: "Tithing is an act of worship; it is a private matter between the individual and God." Point #24: "The marriage relationship is the basis of the family . . . . [and] the primary physical analogy of God's plan for mankind, marriage, child rearing and the family are given a pre-eminent place in the teachings of the Bible and the Church." Point #25: "Divine healing is a miracle which God in His mercy and love may extend to those who call upon Him in time of need, according to faith." During the late 1980s, the CGI published a form letter, detailing some of their differences with the Worldwide Church of God: 1. The CGI rejects the WCG "primacy of Peter" doctrine (a late-1970s development), which elevates HWA, and later Tkach, to the position of ruling apostle over the whole church. 2. The WCG holds that it is the "one true church," while the CGI believes that the true Church of God is not confined to any man's denominational organization. 3. The WCG holds that its members constitute the 144,000 of Revelation, while CGI believes the 144,000 are yet to appear. 4. The WCG believes that it is the "Philadelphia Era," while CGI rejects the whole idea of "church eras." 5. The WCG believes it will "flee" to a "Place of Safety," for 3 1/2 years during the tribulation period, while CGI believes God is able to protect His people anywhere. 6. The WCG practices excommunication, saying expelled members are no longer part of the true Church of God. The CGI, while expelling few, believes men cannot give the Holy Spirit and cannot take it away. 7. The WCG has a "closed doors" policy of church attendance by ministerial invitation only, while the CGI has an open door policy. By the early 1990s, the WCG had changed its position on items 3, 4, and 5. The WCG downgraded its own exclusivity, church eras, and Place of Safety teaching. Also in the late 1980s, several CGI groups in the southeastern United States broke off to form "The General Assembly of the Congregations of God," let by Chris Patton and Charles Kimbrough. Their "Statement of Faith" had ten points: 1. God the Father and the Son 2. God the Father is ruler of the Kingdom of God 3. Jesus is the Messiah 4. The Holy Spirit is the mind of God 5. The whole Bible is God's inspired word 6. Man is mortal 7. Ten Commandments 8. Sabbath and Holy Days 9. Salvation 10. God's Judgment This ex-CGI group has rejected the Wednesday crucifixion, Saturday resurrection doctrine. Biblical Church of God The Biblical Church of God (BCG) of San Jose, California was a small group descended from the Worldwide Church of God. This group was distinguished from the Worldwide Church of God for its observance of the New Moons as a time for meeting and Bible Study, which the WWC used to observe in its early years. In addition, the BCG abandoned the doctrine of tithing. We agree with the BCG that the New Moons should be observed, but disagree with their anti-tithing stance and Sunday Pentecost. The BCG doctrinal statement was well organized and professionally done, as was much of their material. Their 1988 doctrinal statement, published by Answers Research & Education, had ten major categories: I. God the Father, Jesus Christ, the Son of God II. God's Holy Spirit III.God is Love: God's Love Toward Mankind, Our Love Toward God, Our Love of the Brethren IV. God's Word and God's Law: Holy Bible, Ten Commandments V. Church of God: People, Ministry, Service VI. God's Plan: Mankind, The Gospel, Salvation, Kingdom of God VII.God's Foundational Doctrines: 1. Repentance, 2. Faith, 3. Baptisms, 4. Laying On of Hands, 5. Resurrections, 6. Judgment, 7. Perfection VIII.Right-Standing with God: Sin, Justification, Sanctification, Grace, Righteousness IX.God's Days of Observance: Weekly Sabbath, New Moons, Annual Festivals & Observances X.Other Doctrines: Israel -- God's Covenant People, Satan and his Deceptions, Healing, Dietary Laws, Christian Financial Responsibility. In 1991, the BCG dis-incorporated, and became known as the Congregation of God. Their Answers Research and Education magazine continued. They published articles supporting a Friday crucifixion and 1st day of the week resurrection, thereby breaking away from fundamental Church of God teaching. Fred Coulter, who had founded the original Biblical Church of God, departed in 1982 to form the Christian Biblical Church of God. He continues to hold doctrines more in line with the original BCG and CGI. United Church of God, Associated Churches of God The United Church of God, formerly led by Richard A. Wiedenheft, ex-WWC minister, became the Associated Church of God group in Maryland. In the 1980s, the group moved to Washington State. They published the booklet, "Fundamental Beliefs of the Church of God," with twenty-four doctrinal points: 1. God 13. Obedience 2. Jesus Christ 14. Spiritual Christianity 3. Holy Spirit 15. Individuality & Responsibility 4. Bible 16. The Church 5. Satan 17. Church Organization & Government 6. Man 18. Commission to the Church 7. God's Purpose for Man 19. Financing the Church Commission 8. Sin 20. New Testament Passover 9. Sacrifice of Christ 21. New Testament Sabbath 10. Forgiveness of Sins 22. Return of Christ 11. Gift of Holy Spirit 23. Resurrection of Saints 12. Ten Commandments 24. General Resurrection Tithing is not upheld by the ACD, although the church is to be supported by freewill offerings. The New Testament Passover is kept annually on Nisan 14, but generally without footwashing. Originally, the United Church of God and ACD did not keep the Holy Days since leaving the WCG. The current Association for Christian Development, ACD, of Washington State, has gone back to keeping the Holy Days, but continues to reject tithing. In 1991, the ACD published a brief, but eloquent, 8-point "Statement of Faith." We agree completely with point number VII, which says: The Church is a spiritual organism, the body of Christ, which includes all of the redeemed regardless of whether they are members of an earthly organization of Christians. This body has been commissioned 1) to preach the Good News to all the world, 2) to make disciples of all nations, 3) to feed the flock, which means where possible the Church should provide not only education for growth, but also a loving, forgiving, accepting atmosphere for fellowship, and 4) to watch for and expectantly await the soon-coming return of Christ as Bridegroom to the Church and as King of Kings to the entire earth. A group with similar beliefs, though unrelated to the ACD, is the Church of God Evangelistic Association of the St. Louis, Missouri, area. Most of its teachings are the same as the Associated Churches of God 24 points, except the Missouri group leaves off the anti-tithing statement, and adds a point #25, supporting observance of the annual Holy Days. They reject the Hebrew Calendar. Church of God, The Eternal The Church of God, The Eternal (COGTE), led by former WWC evangelist Raymond C. Cole, generally agrees with the twenty "Fundamentals of Belief" of the WWC, along with four added points (see Chapter Three), including Monday Pentecost, which was taught by Herbert W. Armstrong from the early 1930s through 1973. Although not given in its doctrinal statement, the COGTE has some differences with historic Worldwide Church of God teachings: (1) Three Holy Day offerings are given, rather than seven, (2)Third Tithe is saved only in the third year of a seven year cycle, rather than the third and sixth years (every third year), (3)The COGTE has a more liberal teaching regarding divorce and remarriage. It appears to teach that the porneia exception clause of Matthew 5:32, 19:9 can include adultery, and that fraud of any kind can be valid grounds for divorce with the right to remarry. I can distinguish little difference between COGTE teaching on divorce and remarriage, and the current liberal teaching by the WCG and Church of God, International. These views are vastly different than the 1952 "Divorce and Remarriage" booklet written by Herbert W. Armstrong, with which we agree. Triumph Publishing and William F. Dankenbring While not a church organization, William F. Dankenbring's Triumph Publishing Company published books and a newsletter widely read among the WWC and other Sabbath groups. Mr. Dankenbring was disfellowshipped from the WWC in 1987, largely over his prophetic views. Dankenbring differs with the Worldwide Church of God on a number of points, including: (1) interpretation of the 2300-day prophecy of Daniel, (2)Pentecost (Dankenbring follows the majority of today's Jews in keeping Sivan 6 while the WWC keeps Pentecost always on Sunday), (3)Tithing (Dankenbring denies tithing is valid today), (4)Passover (Dankenbring says unbaptized youth may keep it, and that the Old Testament Passover was killed at the end of Abib 14, rather than at the beginning of Abib 14). While we haven't taken a stand on prophetic interpretation, we disagree with Dankenbring on Pentecost, Tithing, and Passover. Philadelphia Church of God Since 1990, former WCG minister Gerald Flurry's Philadelphia Church of God{1} has grown like a wildfire. They loudly proclaim themselves to be the "Philadelphia Era," while pointing a finger at the Worldwide Church of God as the "Laodicean Era." The PCG claims to be a continuation of the "classic" WCG teachings, but upon further investigation, I found that they believe what the WCG believed when Herbert W. Armstrong died in 1986. When I asked them for a statement of their doctrinal beliefs, and if they believed in the original 20 doctrinal points of the Radio Church of God, they replied with an article supporting the "18 Truths" (see last part of Chapter Four). Like almost everyone else connected or formerly connected with the WCG, the Philadelphia Church of God seems unaware of the existence of the 20 Fundamentals of Belief of the organization they now claim has departed from the Truth! The PCG defends the "18 Truths," which are being watered down by the WCG. The PCG insists that HWA was the end-time Elijah (please see our Study No. 137, "The Elijah to Come"). Since the WCG now rejects this idea, the PCG says they have rejected the government of God (Truth #1). The WCG's new leaning toward accepting the Trinity doctrine rejects Truth #4, "Who and What is God?" Current WCG teaching that they are not all of the true church waters down Truth #7, "The Church is only the firstfruits." Truths 12 ("The Holy Spirit only begets us") and 13 ("We are begotten now, not born again") have openly been changed with the WCG acceptance of the Protestant "born again" doctrine. Truths #14 and #15, regarding the identity of modern Israel including America as Manasseh, is being watered down since the WCG pulled its booklet, The United States and Britain in Prophecy, and began to review its entire teaching of Anglo-Israelism. While dogmatically advocating unprovable prophecies relative to their fulfillment in Herbert W. Armstrong, and deliberately covering up Armstrong's prophetic failures, the Philadelphia Church of God generally avoids doctrinal issues. They provide a home for those disaffected with the more recent liberal doctrinal descent of the Worldwide Church of God, but who choose not to get back to pre-1974 teachings, in such areas as divorce and Pentecost. The PCG has pointed out many of the wicked doctrinal changes of the WCG since 1986, but seems oblivious to the fact that the flood of doctrinal errors of 1974 were never corrected. Global Church of God In early 1993, longtime evangelist Roderick C. Meredith bolted from the Worldwide Church God and founded his own Global Church of God. Well -known evangelist Raymond F. McNair soon followed, joined by hundreds of others disaffected by the gargantuan doctrinal changes of the Worldwide Church of God. It appeared likely that in numbers that Meredith would quickly surpass Garner Ted Armstrong's Church of God, International, for the #2 spot among Worldwide Church and offshoot churches. Although once noted for his dictatorial rulership over the ministry (in the 1950s), Meredith appears to have moderated his views on church government. He believes in a Sunday Pentecost and wide open divorce and remarriage. Otherwise, in doctrine he appears to be concentrating on basic Christian living. avoiding prophetic extremes such as Dankenbring and Flurry, and largely sticking to the trunk of the tree "classic" WWC doctrines. McNair is an authority on Israel Identity doctrine. Meredith emphasizes public evangelism through radio and television media. Church of the Great God Similar in doctrine to the Global Church of God, except for the absence of public evangelism, is the Church of the Great God led by ex-WWC pastor John Ritenbaugh, who left the WWC in 1992. Mr. Ritenbaugh's excellent booklet, "Preparing the Bride, A Statement of Purpose and Beliefs of the Church of the Great God," has 28 doctrinal points. Point 1, "God is a Family," counters the WWC shift to the Trinity doctrine. Point 26, "Healing," re-emphasizes the relationship between the broken body of Christ (symbolized by the Passover bread), and our physical healing, which counters WWC current thinking. Point 28, "Identity of Israel," re-iterates Anglo-Israel teaching. John Ritenbaugh's attitude toward most doctrines is refreshingly conservative.ê CHAPTER 6: Doctrines of Church of God, Seventh Day Classic Church of God, Seventh Day Beliefs In the early 1900s, the Church of God, Seventh Day formulated a series of 40 doctrinal points, which cover their main beliefs. Each brief point includes a scriptural reference. Here are the points, taken from the article, "What Do We Believe?" in the July 1978 issue of The Mount Zion Reporter, founded by Elder A.N. Dugger: 1. God, the Heavenly Father, is the creator of Heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is therein. Genesis 1:1; Acts 17:24; Hebrews 1:10. 2. The Bible -- both the Old and New Testaments -- is the inspired Word of God; and is complete, and infallible, and expresses God's will to mankind. Deut. 8:3; Luke 4:4; II Timothy 3:16, II Peter 1:21. 3. The Seventh Day of the week is the Sabbath of the Lord, and is to be observed from even to even, from sunset to sunset. Gen. 2:1-3; Ex. 20:8-11; Acts 13:42-44, 18:4; Matt. 28:1; Hebrews 4:4-11; Mark 1:32.-- 4. Jesus of Nazareth (in Hebrew Yehshua), our Savior, is the only begotten Son of God; born of the virgin Mary, conceived of the Holy Ghost; with God the Father, before the world began. Matt. 1:20, 21; John 3:16, 17:5. He is our living Messiah, our High Priest and Mediator before the throne of God. I Tim. 2:5. 5. Jesus proved His Messiahship by remaining in the tomb exactly 3 days and 3 nights; being crucified in the midst of the week (the fourth day, Wednesday), and rising from the dead in the end of the Sabbath (Saturday). Matt. 12:40; Dan. 9:27; Matt 28:1-6. 6. The Christian's life must be patterned after the example of the perfect man, Christ Jesus. I Peter 2:21, 22. 7. Repentance and remission of sins through the shed blood of Jesus must be preached. Acts 2:38. 8. Conversion is necessary in order to be saved. Acts 3:19. 9. We must be baptized by immersion in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins. Acts 2:38; Mark 1:9, 10. 10. Sanctification and holiness are commanded for the people of God. Acts 20:32; Hebrews 12:14; I Peter 1:15, 16. 11. There is power in the prayer of the righteous. James 5:16; John 14:13, 14. 12. The prayer of faith and anointing with oil will heal the sick. James 5:14, 15. 13. The laying on of hands is to be practiced. Acts 8:17, 6:6. 14. The Holy Spirit is the comforter which abides in the believer, and is manifest by power and the fruit of the Holy Spirit. Acts 2; Gal. 5:22-26. Manifestations regulated according to I Cor. 14.-- 15. Satan is a personality, and as the devil is an adversary of God and the children of God. I Peter 5:8; I John 3:8; Jude 9; Matt. 4:1-11. 16. Man was created perfect, but through disobedience fell, bringing imperfection, death, and God's wrath upon mankind. Gen. 3; I Cor. 15:21, 22.-- 17. The Lord's Supper is to be observed annually at the beginning of the 14th day of Nisan (Hebrew month), Jesus being our example. Luke 22:7-20; I Corinthians 11:23-26. 18. The washing of the feet is to be observed in connection with the Lord's Supper. John 13:4, 5. 19. The paying of tithes on all increase is a continued obligation. Mal. 3:10; Matt. 23:23. This portion of our earnings belongs to the Lord and should be placed in His work. 20. The Law of God, the Ten Commandments, should be taught and observed. Romans 3:31; James 2:8-11; Rev. 22:14.-- 21. Sin is the transgression of the law. I John 3:4. 22. Justification from sin is through Christ Jesus alone. I Cor. 6:11; Romans 4:25, 5:16-18. 23. A Christian should dress modest, and should refrain from all worldliness. I Tim. 2:9; I Cor. 11:7, 14, 15; I John 2:15,16. 24. All carnal warfare and the participation therein is condemned by the Lord. Matt. 5:38, 39; II Cor. 10:4; Ex. 20:13.-- 25. The law of the clean and the unclean meats is to be observed. Lev. 11. 26. Body is the Temple of God. [See below.] 27. Jesus condemned divorce and re-marriage as being the sin of adultery. A man is permitted to have only one living wife, and a woman only one living husband. Luke 16:18; Romans 7:2, 3; I Tim. 3:2. 28. Regathering of Israel. [See below.] 29. Third Angel's Message. [See below.] 30. The seven last plagues are future and literal. 31. The return of Jesus will be literal, visible, personal and is imminent. Matt. 24:27; Rev. 1:7. 32. The institution of the Kingdom of Heaven is at the return of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the throne of David will be established at Jerusalem by Jesus Christ. Isa. 9:6, 7; Luke 1:32, 33.-- 33. Christ will return and fight in the battle of Armageddon. His coming will bring peace to the earth, and He will rule the world from Jerusalem during the 1,000 years of restoration (the Millennium). Zechariah 14; Revelation 20:4-6; Micah 4:3-7. 34. The righteous dead will be resurrected and rewarded at the coming of Jesus. I Thes. 4:16; Rev. 22:12.-- 35. The meek shall inherit the earth and dwell therein forever. Matt. 5:5; Prov. 10:30. 36. After the 1,000-year restoration period, Christ will deliver the kingdom to God, the Father. It is then that the wicked will be resurrected to final judgment. I Cor. 15:22-24; Rev. chapters 20, 21, and 22; John 5:28, 29. 37. The wicked will be eternally destroyed. Rev. 20:11-15; Romans 6:16, 23.-- 38. The inspired name for God's called out assembly is the "Church of God." I Cor. 1:2, 10:32, 11:16, 22, 15:9; II Cor. 1:1; Gal. 1:13; I Thes. 2:14; II Thes. 1:4; I Tim. 3:5, 15; Acts 20:28. 39. Ministers of the Church of God are called "Elders" and are those disciples accepted into the ministry upon recommendation by an ordained Elder, through investigation, both from inside and outside the church, as to character, his attributes as a Christian, his ability to teach, and his faithfulness in doctrine of the church. No one being entangled in adultery may hold any office in the church. Acts 14:23; Titus 1:5-9; I Tim. 3:1-5.-- 40. The Overseers shall have general care over the Church as a whole, in States, territories or various countries, as need requires. Acts 20:28. A Few Errors We disagree with points 26, 28 and 29 of the Church of God, Seventh Day beliefs. Point 26 forbids the use of tobacco or any habit-forming or mind-bending drug, I Cor. 3:16, 17. We agree. This doctrinal point also forbids use of intoxicating liquors and alcoholic stimulants. We disagree. Moderate usage of wine and strong drink, but not drunkenness, is Biblically approved. Proverbs 20:1 has to be balanced with Judges 9:13, I Timothy 5:23, Deut. 14:26, and many other verses. Point 28 states that the final regathering of the dispersed of Israel back to their own land is taking place now (since 1948), Jer. 16:14, 15; Amos 9:14-15. This ignores the fact that all "Jews" are not Israelites, and all Israelites are not Jews. The coming great "Second Exodus" will happen after the coming great national captivity of Israel (because of their sins), just prior to the return of the Messiah. All Israel, including Ephraim and Judah, Isaiah 11:11-16, Jeremiah 3:18, 30:3, will return to the promised land, not just a few Jews. Amos 9:13 shows a millennial setting. When the dispersed of Israel and Judah return to the promised land in the real Second Exodus, they will repent and be converted and enter into the New Covenant with God, Jeremiah 32:37-44, Ezekiel 11:16-20, 20:33-38, 42-44, 36:19, 24-31. The modern state of Israel is composed of some Jews and many impostors claiming to be Jews, but not the rest of Israel. It is a sinful state like all others and needs to repent of it sins. Point 29 states that the Third Angel's Message is a present-day message, and will continue until the advent of Jesus, Rev. 14:9-11. No, the Third Angel's Message is yet to be proclaimed by an angel (messenger). The first angel's message, Rev. 14:6, is the "everlasting gospel" preached to every nation on earth. This has not yet happened! False gospels have been carried to almost every corner of the world, but not the true gospel message the Savior taught. The second angel's message, verse 8, is the proclamation that Babylon, that great city, has fallen. The beastly system of Babylon, headquartered in Rome, is in the process of rising again to world-wide prominence. Billions of people still look to Rome for religious guidance. Modern Babylon has not yet fallen! The use of the term "Lord's Supper" in points 17 and 18 is improper. "Passover" or "Christian Passover" is the correct title of this annual event. Overview of Church of God, Seventh Day Mead's Handbook of Denominations, (Eighth Edition, 1985), is an excellent source of material about various denominations and their beliefs. It notes the various splits and divisions since 1933, suggesting that the Salem body differs from Denver mainly because of Salem's emphasis of "Bible Organization," with the "7, 12 and 70" governmental structure. "Common to both bodies is belief in the infallibility of Scripture, prominence of The Ten Commandments in Christian practice, premillennialism, contra-Trinitarianism, conditionalism in reference to the soul, fundamentalism in Christian living, the prophetic return of Israel to Palestine, the annual observance of Communion (accompanied by foot washing), and related fundamentalist views," (page 87). Mead's "Glossary of Terms" at the end of his book helps us understand some religious words. "Premillennialism" is defined as, "Belief that the personal visible return of Christ will precede His reign for a thousand years on earth." "Fundamentalism" is defined as "The belief in certain fundamentals of Christian teaching, notably the inerrancy of the Bible, as distinguished from modernism, which interprets the Bible in accordance with more modern scholarship and scientific knowledge." Church of God, Seventh Day -- Denver, Colorado The Denver Group of the Seventh Day Church of God publishes its "Doctrinal Beliefs." The 1988 edition is prefaced by: "The doctrinal statements . . . of this booklet do not constitute a closed creed. The Church of God is always open to spiritual growth and to new and better understanding of the Bible." There are 37 points, summarized as follows: I. Belief and Salvation (Doctrines that Reveal Salvation) 1. God the Father 2. Jesus, the Son of God 3. Holy Spirit 4. Fall of Man 5. Plan of Salvation 6. Accepting Christ 7. The Bible 8. Baptism II. Christian Action (Doctrines that Reveal Responsibility) 9. Prayer 10. Prayer for the Sick 11. Lord's Supper 12. Washing of Feet 13. Ten Commandments 14. Sabbath 15. Worldliness 16. Defiling Habits 17. Clean and Unclean Meats 18. Financial Stewardship 19. Carnal Warfare 20. Pagan Days 21. Marriage and Divorce III. Study and Research (Doctrines that Reveal Learned Truth) 22. Crucifixion and Resurrection of Christ 23. Pre-existence of Christ 24. Second Coming of Christ 25. Millennial Reign of Christ 26. Satan 27. Punishment of the Wicked 28. The State of the Dead 29. The Resurrection of the Dead 30. The Church 31. Church Organization 32. Prophecy and Signs of its Fulfillment 33. The Kingdom 34. The Third Angel's Message 35. The Regathering of Israel 36. The Seven Last Plagues 37. The New Earth These doctrinal points are more general than Dugger's 40 points. Point number 21, Marriage and Divorce, hasn't changed through the years: "Marriage was instituted by God and was meant to last as long as both partners live. Those who remarry after divorce, except if the divorce was 'for cause of fornication' (Matthew 19:9), commit adultery. Similarly, those who marry persons who have been divorced, 'except for the cause of fornication' commit adultery." Romans 7:1-3, I Cor. 7:39, Matthew 5:32, 19:9, and Mark 10:11-12 and Luke 16:18 are cited. Taken at face value, this doctrinal statement places the Denver Group in conservative opposition to the current liberal position of the Worldwide Church of God and her sister groups. We appreciate the strong statement about divorce and remarriage, which is absent from most modern day Sabbath-keeping groups' doctrinal statements. However, as is sometimes the case with doctrinal statements, what is stated is not the same as what is practiced. In October, 1974, the Ministerial Council interpreted the "Marriage and Divorce" article is a very liberal manner, similar to that of the Worldwide Church of God. They accept the marital status of anyone coming into the Church, and allow the "innocent party" of any divorce situation to remarry. Point number 29, Resurrection of the Dead, says that the righteous will be resurrected at the return of Christ, and the wicked after the 1,000 year reign of Christ, to be punished. There is no understanding of the Great White Throne Judgement period, for those who never had a chance for salvation. This group wrongly teaches that all in this life have had their one and only chance for salvation. However, the Denver Group has been undergoing a shift to liberal theology. The 1974 Doctrinal Beliefs, referring to Church Financing, said: "The Bible plan for financing the work of the Church is through tithes and offerings." The 1988 Point 18, Financial Stewardship, says, "While the tithe laws under the Levitical priesthood are no longer in force, tithing as a Biblical principle serves as an appropriate standard of giving." If tithing is not a law, then it is not a sin to fail to tithe, and there is no basis for using tithing as a guideline or standard. The Denver Group has gone along with the dominant trend of this age to throw away God's laws. Another instance is the change in teaching regarding the Lord's Supper. While the 1974 Doctrinal Beliefs stated categorically that the Lord's Supper is the "memorial of the death of Christ, and it is to be observed annually" on the beginning of Nisan (Abib) 14 according to the Hebrew calendar, the 1988 statement says in a footnote that the Church of God (Seventh Day) has chosen to observe it annually, but extends "charity toward those who may observe communion at other times." They have chosen to use unleavened bread and grape juice as the emblems of the broken body and shed blood of Christ, ignoring the fact that the Passover is to be observed with fermented wine (for proof, see our article, "Drink the Pure Blood of the Grape"). The President of the General Conference wrote, "absolute dating of the service . . . is neither commanded nor possible, and that those who may choose to celebrate the supper at additional times are not violating Scripture by so doing," (Nov.-Dec. 1988 Harvest Field Messenger). We are shocked at this alarming trend toward liberalism in the Church of God. Seventh Day Church of God -- Caldwell, Idaho The Seventh Day Church of God of Caldwell, Idaho publishes a booklet, "Doctrinal Points of the Faith of the Church of God," which contains 41 items. Here are the differences between Caldwell and Denver: Caldwell Point 22 says "we recognize the Bible calendar, and 'observe' the Seven Annual Holy Days of God . . . ." [COMMENT: There is no "Bible Calendar," the Caldwell Group rejects the Hebrew Calendar.] Point 26 of the Caldwell doctrinal statement specifically forbids alcohol, tobacco and habit-forming drugs. [COMMENT: Moderate use of alcohol is consistently supported by Scripture.] Point 41 says, "THAT we shall practice fellowship in the brotherhood of Christ . . . ." The Caldwell group's doctrinal statement concludes with the statement: "No member who teaches a doctrine contrary to any point of our essentials of faith as taught by the body and published through our literature either by precept or example, shall be considered a member of good standing of this body." Church of God (7th Day) -- Salem, West Virginia The small "Back to Salem" group headquartered in West Virginia, which refused to join in the 1949 Merger of Salem and Stanberry, continues to publish The Advocate of Truth magazine. Their 48 "Doctrinal Points" point out their distinguishing beliefs, some of which are quite different from other Sabbath-keeping groups. Here is a summary of the 48 points (leaving out numerous scripture citations), with our comments in brackets: 1. The Bible is the inspired, complete God's will to man. 2. The Eternal Heavenly Father is the Creator. 3. Jesus of Nazareth is the only begotten Son of God, conceived by the power of god, born of the Virgin Mary, and is our Lord, Christ, and Redeemer. Jesus was with God at the beginning of creation. He is the firstborn of all things created by God [Arianism, with which I disagree]. 4. Jesus proved His Messiahship by remaining in the tomb exactly "three days and three nights," (Matt. 12:38-40) rising in the end of the weekly Sabbath. He was crucified "in the midst of the week," which was Wednesday. 5. The Holy Spirit is the Comforter, which abides in the believer, and is manifested by the fruits of Gal. 5:22-26, regulated by I. Cor. 14. 6. The Church of God stands opposed to jabbering, falsely called "speaking in tongues." True speaking in tongues is speaking in understandable languages. 7. Satan is a personality, and before he became the devil, he was an anointed angel, called Lucifer. He will be bound for a thousand years, then be released to deceive the nations, after which he will be destroyed in the lake of fire. 8. Man was created perfect originally, but through disobedience fell, bringing death and God's wrath on mankind. 9. The Christian life must be patterned after the perfect man, Jesus Christ. 10. The inspired Bible name for the body of Christ, God's called out assembly is "The Church of God." 11. The organization and government of the Church is 12 Apostles, 70 prophets and 7 to take care of the business of the church. [Comment: This belief is a continuation of the 1933 Church of God reorganization movement, which chose church officers by lot.] 12-16. Religion is a personal experience, repentance must be preached. All have sinned (broken God's law) and need to repent. Conversion is essential to salvation and receiving eternal life. God's people are to be sanctified. Baptism is by immersion. 17. There is power in the prayer of the righteous. 18. The laying on of hands, with the prayer of faith, and anointing with oil shall save the sick. 19. The Lord's Supper is to observed annually, at the beginning of the 14th day of the first month Abib. [But, this group does not follow the Hebrew calendar.] 20. Footwashing should be done before the emblems of the Lord's Supper are taken. 21. The Sabbath is to be observed, from sunset to sunset. 22. The paying of the tithe (a tenth) of all increase is a continued obligation. 23. We oppose participation in carnal warfare. 24. The Bible teaches the eating of clean meats, but eating of unclean meats is an abomination to God. 25. We oppose intoxicating liquors, alcohol, narcotic, tobacco and any habit-forming drug. [I disagree with their prohibition of alcohol.] 26. The lot system is the only Biblical method for choosing officers for the general body down to the local congregation. [See Comment under point number 11.] 27. The Ten Commandments are the Law of God, the "law of liberty." 28. Justification from sins is through the Lord Jesus Christ alone. 29. Christ is not an investigator [as SDA's claim], but a mediator. There is no such thing as an investigative judgment in heaven, but we are instructed to examine ourselves. 30. Jesus Christ completed the atonement on the cross. The two goats of the Day of Atonement made the atonement together, one representing the crucified Jesus, and the other the resurrected Jesus. [Comment: our understanding of the Azazel goat ("scapegoat") is that it represents Satan. Jewish tradition says the scapegoat was led out to a precipice and hurled down to its death.] 31. When Jesus died, the way to the most holy (Heaven) was now open to all the saints, through prayer, to come to God. 32. The dead are unconscious in their graves and immortality is conditional. 33-35. The First Angel's Message of Revelation 14:6-7, the hour of God's judgment, and the everlasting gospel, was preached to the world during the early days of the Church of God, and is still a continued message today. The Second Angel's Message of Revelation 14:8 was preached by the Church of God in the wilderness during the dark ages, warning the people of the apostate doctrines of Babylon. This message is still being sounded today. The Third Angel's Message of Rev. 14:9-12 is a present day message, and will continue to the return of Christ. It is a warning against the seven last plagues, which are literal and will fall upon those who oppose the Bible doctrines, especially the Commandments of God. [Comment: Men do not fly in the midst of heaven, but angels do, Rev. 14:6. The three angel's messages are given by three angels during the last days.] 36. The beast of Revelation 13:1-10 and chapter 17 is the pagan Roman Empire, and the mouth given to the Beast and the woman rider of Rev. 17 is the Papacy. Her golden cup represents the false doctrines and traditions of Rome, which the Papacy has "changed" into so-called Christian doctrines which are not according to Scripture. 37. The return of Jesus will be literal, visible, personal, and is imminent. 38-40. The Second Coming of Christ will be in two parts, a (1) Reaping Phase, and (2) Warring Phase. During the Reaping Phase, the saints will be caught up in the "Sea of Glass," which is the New Jerusalem, the home of the saints. [Comment: This sounds like a variation of the going to heaven doctrine. See our Bible Study No. 78, "Heaven is Not the Reward of the Saved," and No. 127, "Petra and the Place of Safety." Both are contained in our free book, Bible Studies.] 41. The Millennium is the time when the "meek shall inherit the earth." 42. At the end of the Millennium, Satan is loosed "for a little season," and is defeated. Christ destroys death and the place of the dead (hell). 43. The dispersed physical nation of Israel is now being regathered. [Comment: The Biblical Second Exodus has not yet begun, but will occur after the return of Christ. Jews do not constitute all of Israel.] 44. The 144,000 are of the literal twelve tribes of Israel, and are called out faithful ones. 45. David's throne will be established in Jerusalem by Jesus Christ, with David as Israel's Prince, and the Apostles judges over the twelve tribes of Israel. The heathen will be subjects of the universal kingdom. 46. The Spirit of prophecy is the Word of God, The Bible [not SDA Ellen G. White]. 47. The Church of God stands opposed to divorce and remarriage for any cause except as recorded in Matt. 19:9. All members of the Church should marry in the faith. 48. There are two general resurrections, that of the righteous and the wicked. The righteous to eternal life, and the wicked to final judgment and annihilation. [Comment: This idea sure doesn't leave any way for the unconverted to be called and learn God's Truth. A proper understanding of the Holy Days and the Second Resurrection, as opposed to the Third Resurrection to destruction, would help this group understand the mercy and goodness of our Heavenly Father.] General Council of the Churches of God (7th Day) -- Meridian, Idaho The Meridian, Idaho "Back to Stanberry" group continues to publish ACTS, and The Fellowship Herald. This group has a more simplified and looser statement of beliefs, as published on the masthead of ACTS. Upon professing general belief in the Bible, God the Father, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit as the Comforter, the atoning sacrifice of Christ and His return, baptism by immersion, and faith healing, the statement continues with belief in the seventh day Sabbath from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset and observance of the Lord's Supper and footwashing "at the appointed time" (indicating that some do not keep it on the 14th). There is no statement on clean and unclean meats, because some of the Meridian group eat unclean meats. Two resurrections are upheld, as well as belief that the dead are unconscious. The brief statement concludes with two key Meridian concepts: We believe the true church organization taught in the Bible is local autonomy and that the Bible name for the church is THE CHURCH OF GOD. We believe that the tests of Christian fellowship are the Commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. Local autonomy and the "have love attitude" continue to be the hallmarks of this group. The "have love attitude," as explained in our histories of the Church of God, is distinguished by an aversion to spelling out doctrinal positions, and the tolerance of any and all doctrinal positions. This belief is why the Meridian Group's doctrinal statement is so brief.ê FOOTNOTES******************************** {1} NOTE: The Philadelphia Church of God of Edmund, Oklahoma, is not to be confused with two other non-related groups which began earlier. The Church of God, Philadelphia Era, led by Martin Filipello, began about 1986 as a result of Filipello's prophecies that Herbert W. Armstrong would be resurrected a year after his death. When this failed to materialize, Filipello's group came to the "new" understanding that the Sabbath is the seventh day from each new moon. This "Sabbath New Moon Theory" has other adherents who say that the Sabbath is only adjusted with the New Moon following the vernal equinox. In either case, this belief breaks the weekly cycle instituted by God at creation. Another group, The Church of God, Philadelphian, is led by Obie Folsom Benton of Nashville, Tennessee. It likewise appears to claim to be the Philadelphian Era of the True Church.