Friday, May 15, 2015

Gerald Flurry's "Gold of Ophir" Teaching And How Philadelphia Church Of God Members Are Dying Because They Think It Is True




This was posted on a private Facebook page and I have the author's permission to publish it.

If you think the face of evil that is Gerald Flurry can't get any more vile, read this.


I know of several people that died over the years because of medical neglect. Especially stick with me are the children and young people. One of my best friends died a long painful death when a pill a day would've saved him and made him normal again. This guy was one of the good ones… We traveled to several international and domestic feast sites, and he took time to make every girl feel special - not creepy but as a friend. I still hold dear the bracelet he bought me from a little girl on the streets of Tobago. He was just a great guy. But he was also the son of the strictest Regional Director in the PCG and and although he wanted to seek a doctor (I think he did, especially when in great pain), but his dad was was super strict. He got to the point where he was went to church in a stretcher. When he died, another main minister died a horrible death of throat cancer. They wrote an article in the Philadelphia Trumpet to say what wonderful examples and that God did heal them because the next time they were conscious they would have no pain, no infirmities. Still miss my friend...
=======


There is also the "gold of Ophir" which was strong in biblical times. And mentioned in several scriptures about an article GRF made a big deal of the following article around Jake and Tim Thompson's death (the minister mentioned above in my original post). Tim Thompson lived on the compound as he was an evangelist, worked at GRF's right hand, and I think taught at AC (GRFs AC to clarify). I was in Edmond a lot around this time when Mr. Thompson was in his final days of throat cancer. He actually from his bed helped Hessong write the article and it was published (along with accompanying sermons and bible studies). He had throat cancer that was extremely painful but refused medical treatment and the couple times I visited him on his "good days" you could tell he was in agony as the tumor slowly grew to starve and suffocate him while in so much pain and coughing up blood, and since it went untreated, it spread to painful parts all over his body. Seeing something like that makes you angry and makes you think about where you stand on not just medical treatment, but euthanasia, not that they would take that route either. It's a long article but the gist of it is the Bride of Christ (the church) is adorned with the gold of Ophir, and for that gold to be called that it has to be placed in fire over and over to give it it's strength, and we have to be prepared for that kind of trial/sacrifice if it comes. And if we were to die, God did heal us in death (because healing is guaranteed for the "elect") that death, no matter how painful, if you are a "true PCGer" is healing in and of itself because the next moment they know, they will be God beings with no infirmaries.

"Yes, God tests us severely to get us to repent of sin. He allows serious circumstances to befall us at times. But remember, He tempts no man with evil (James 1:13). He only makes us endure spiritual calcining until we are fully ready for permanent use in the holy temple—then He “seals” us, either through death (reserving us for the resurrection) or through the miraculous transformation which shall happen to our body, “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye,” if we are one of those who are alive at Christ’s return (1 Thessalonians 4:17).

"It is during this stage in the refining process that God works to fully extract the dross of Satan’s nature from all aspects of our character. That is what qualifies us, through grace (unmerited pardon). Also, the parables of the pounds and talents (Luke 19; Matthew 25) illustrate that God will also reward us for our fruits, obedience and belief.

"Fiery trials provide the necessary opportunities to grow in faith. And there are essentially two ways we can choose to face such situations: obedience or compromise."  Being purified as Gold


   

18 comments:

Redfox712 said...

That is truly horrifying. How very sad that such things happen.

The truth needs to be told. PCG's teaching causes people to refuse medicine and die of medical neglect. It is truly shameful and terrible.

J. Tim Thompson's name does not appear that often but from what I gather he was very prominent in the early days of PCG.

He once wrote an article in 1999 ("In Japan We Trust") that vilified Japanese people as plotting to take over American industries. He called it was part "Japan’s plan to replace America".

PCG has long history of fear mongering about Japan and trying to make people fearful of them. They did even in 1999.

Redfox712 said...

Here's another article by J. Tim Thompson: "Christ’s Bride: Adorned in the Gold of Ophir".

It might be relevant to this discussion.

Redfox712 said...

Found this in the article mentioned in the post:

"In a health trial—say you or a loved one is faced with an extreme illness or injury—do you immediately turn to the medical fraternity? Or do you consider the fact that physical sin was involved, and first and foremost you need the stripes of Christ to blot out and forgive the cause of that health trial?"

What madness.

PCG members, Go to the doctor. Take the medicine.

Do not listen to anyone promoting this anti-medicine superstition that has killed so many of those in the COGs.

Anonymous said...

"Sing was involved"
Being healed is supposed to be a sign of forgiveness.
But if you died in illness doesn't that mean you weren't forgiven before you died?
Sounds like cognitive dissonance to me.

Unknown said...

Sad to realize that pets and animals of PCG members probably receive better medical care and treatment than their own members.

Byker Bob said...

Doctors are no longer the shamans, or teachers of pagan religion that they may have been in ancient Mesopotamia. They are scientists, some secular, and some mainstream Christian. The mainstream Christian ones often even pray for their patients, and for guidance in helping them.

Armstrongism teaches that health is an either-or proposition. You either trust God, or you trust the doctors. But, then, these are also the people who only preach half of the gospel, and don't understand 1/3 of God.

Whether sin caused a disease or illness, or it results from living in a cursed world, of course a believer would want to take advantage of the forgiveness available through Jesus Christ. However, there is nothing wrong with getting the condition or illness repaired, or taken care of by the people who know how to do so. The believer is simply going to trust God to guide the doctors. Why would it be OK for a physician to set a broken bone, but sinful for him to put leukemia into remission? If it is OK to have novocaine while a dentist is doing a root canal, why would it be wrong for a terminal cancer patient to be on some sort of doctor-supervised pain management program?

Really, folks, to get some perspective on this, who is scoring higher marks in their profession these days? Doctors who can successfully perform organ transplants, or "prophets" and "apostles" who claim to know when the end is coming, loudly proclaim it, yet are always totally wrong? From a logical standpoint, who would be more worthy of trust?

BB

Anonymous said...

I almost can't bear to think about it. Dying in pain for a belief which probably (definitely for me) is just not true. How sad. Even if the Bible is inspired and God is speaking to us through its pages, it in no way instructs us to refuse medical help and to endure pain. To me it just seems like a type of flagellation.

Even in the Bible it says to give strong drink to him that is about to perish -- now I would interpret this to say drugs to kill pain are fine if you are dying -- like whiskey or you know the product of a natural plant - the opium poppy. Thankfully we who perhaps have the inventive mind of God have discovered better ways to relieve our suffering. Is there anyone of sound mind who would jump out of an airplane without a parachute and expect God to save him?

Monnie said...

How long have you folks been around the COGs? This was preached openly by Gerald Waterhouse & others for many years! This was another key part of the bait & switch: if you're healthy or prosperous (as Herbert promised to newbies), that proves this is God's way and you're being blessed for obedience. If you're obedient but not healthy/prosperous, you're doing it in a wrong attitude or God is testing your faith. If you're not healed in this life, you will receive ultimate healing in the next.

Anonymous said...

Yes follow the examples of your leaders and go to the doctor and get medical help. HWA used many doctors in his later years, Meredith is known to have got medical help for his problems, I am sure most of them are on the list.

What is this sin which causes disease? We all get old and die regardless. But perhaps all those overweight ministers should take heed of the sins they are committing against Gods temple by opening their mouths too often.

Byker Bob said...

These fake apostles and false prophets don't practice this doctrine on themselves. Their work is much too "important". But, they damned sure have their wives practice it, and in some cases without so much as an aspirin for their pain!

BB

Monnie said...

Yep, ol' Spanky himself set a fine example of depending on God for healing when he got Herbie's permission for "repair surgery" for his detached retina. A Bay area pastor was outraged b/c he'd just "advised" a sheeple against doing exactly that. The double standard reached its zenith when wicked Herbie altered the D&R doctrine to give himself permission to remarry---changing doctrine to suit the Leader's "needs" was often done by Muhammad (Blessed be his Name!).

Redfox712 said...

Take a look at Chapter 28 of HWA's Autobiography. It appears as though HWA neglected his father's health after he got a heart attack in 1933.

The following is from HWA's Autobiography.

***

We left him to rest.

A while later we were called back into the room. He had sunken into a coma, not from indigestion, but a heart attack. ...

We anointed and prayed for him again. We put him to bed in an adjoining bedroom.

We noticed his feet were swelling. He did not come out of the coma. We kept up an all-night vigil of prayer. The swelling continued up his legs.

Dawn came. We continued praying. I know that I continued believing.

By this time we had been granted many miraculous answers to prayer, and I felt I never had more faith in my life.

Yet, at 9:40 that morning, the day after he entered his 70th year, my father died. I was stunned. This I could not believe!

Charlie Brown said...

All of the cog leaders have had their medical treatments. The latest being Dave Pack. He had surgery a couple of weeks ago. That may be why he's been so quiet lately.

Anonymous said...

Mainstream Christians often pray for their patients, and for guidance in helping them. There is no better outcome for these patients than there is for those not prayed for.

Of course, in retarded megachurch environments, stories of divine healings fly around as thick as fruitflies on a rotting cantaloupe.

My hope is that one day these victims of religion will understand that rumors are only rumors, and come to understand why they once believed in such nonsense.

Anonymous said...

Angina Pectoris, the chest pain experienced when one is having a heart attack, has oftentimes been thought to be indigestion. Even if HWA sent his dad to a hospital for treatment, there was little that could be done. If you recall when President Eisenhower had a heart attack, his cardiologist, Dr. White, told him to rest and avoid stress. Not an easy thing to do when you are the President during the Cold War. Have you ever seen Ike's menu, what he was having for breakfast while in the hospital? Doctors knew nothing about cholesterol levels, could do very little to reduce high blood pressure, obviously couldn't do a by pass or put in stents. So, HWA's "negligence" did not lead to his father's death. The best doctors in the world could not have helped him.

Anonymous said...

Leaders change the rules to meet their needs. In the military there is an expression, RHIP, Rank has its privileges. In the WCG the top leaders had their privileges. They could live in luxury. Have you seen the housing values of those on Waverly Drive in Pasadena? The house that Meredith lived in, across the street and a lot down from GTA's corner lot, and others are worth over $3 million. And, because of their rank, they get the medical care that is denied those of lower rank.

Anonymous said...

I don’t know who you are, but if you really visited Tim Thompson, why did you falsely state that he “lived on the compound”? You would know that he lived in a neighbourhood North/East of S Broadway Rd and W Simmons Rd.

Also, Mr. Thompson was NOT “an evangelist.” He was a Pastor-rank minister. Why would you state these facts otherwise if you really knew him?

Anonymous said...

Tim Thompson was a Pastor-rank minister, not an evangelist (Although he spoke like one!).

He didn’t live on the church land either; he lived in another neighborhood, on Oak Springs Drive, the third house on the right. I’ve been there too, so I remember.

Please let your readers know. We all can forget details after the passing of time.