Dave Pack Teaches Other COG Leaders How to Have Humility

Oh, what a truly glorious, jaw-dropping spectacle for the ages: Dave Pack, Gerald Flurry, and Bob Thiel — the undisputed, self-crowned champions of zero humility in the entire pathetic little Church of God universe. These three spiritual colossi have elevated the ancient art of being spectacularly, breathtakingly, almost comically full of themselves to an Olympic-level performance, all while piously pretending it’s just “God’s work” oozing from their oh-so-humble, divinely-anointed pores.

While the rest of us pathetic mortals are stuck down here wrestling with silly little concepts like basic self-awareness or the radical notion that we might, heaven forbid, be wrong about something, our holy trio soars far above such embarrassing earthly concerns on wings of pure, unadulterated ego. They don’t merely claim special roles — they hoard biblical titles like a hoard of dragons sitting on a pile of prophetic treasure. Gerald Flurry has grandly declared himself “That Prophet,” end-time Elijah, Malachi, lawgiver, watchman, and full-blown apostle, all while gravely informing the world that his precious Philadelphia Church of God is the only outfit God hasn’t already puked out like yesterday’s lukewarm coffee. Dave Pack has joyfully self-promoted to apostle, Joshua, Elijah, and “Messenger of the Covenant,” tirelessly assuring his ever-shrinking flock that any day now every other COG group will come crawling on their knees to kiss the ring of his superior brilliance. And Bob Thiel? Oh, bless his precious little heart — he’s graciously accepted his divine appointment as the world’s single most vital “evangelistic prophet,” supernaturally confirmed by his very own dreams and that ever-so-convenient “double blessing” that apparently only he and a couple of hand-picked yes-men could possibly detect.

Truly, the meek shall inherit the earth… right after these guys finish reserving the VIP section, the throne, and the entire heavenly press corps for themselves.

Even more awe-inspiring is their superhuman, ironclad refusal to ever, under any circumstances, admit even the tiniest speck of error. Failed prophecies? Shifted dates? Public face-plants so spectacular they’d make a lesser narcissist spontaneously combust? Not a problem for these flawless ones. Those aren’t mistakes — they’re “new revelation,” “refined understanding,” or obviously the fault of those nasty, Satan-serving Laodicean rebels who dared question God’s specially anointed snowflakes. While actual biblical prophets were face-down in the dust begging for mercy and real apostles called themselves the chief of sinners, these modern wonders prefer thundering from their pulpits about how extraordinarily, indispensably, uniquely special they are. How refreshing.

Their leadership model is pure, high-octane comedy gold: iron-fisted authoritarianism slathered in a microscopic layer of “submit or you’re serving Satan.” Members enjoy the sacred privilege of total, unquestioning obedience, generous “common” offerings (especially in Pack’s ever-ravenous kingdom), and the weekly joy of being reminded that anyone who leaves or disagrees is clearly deceived, rebellious, demon-possessed, or all of the above. It’s almost touching how effortlessly the gospel of Jesus Christ has been upgraded to the far superior, far more entertaining gospel of “Me, Myself, My Infallible Mantle, and My Next Failed Prediction.”

Why this radiant, blinding absence of humility, you ask? It’s really quite simple, darling. When you’ve successfully convinced a tiny, ever-dwindling band of followers that you alone carry the “Philadelphia mantle” while the rest of Christianity — and every other COG splinter — wallows in pathetic deception, humility isn’t just unnecessary — it’s practically heretical. Throw in three oversized egos, zero meaningful accountability, and a theological system custom-built to reward the most bombastic self-promotion imaginable, and voilà: you get this magnificent, side-splitting parade of men who claim to channel the Almighty yet somehow can’t manage to bow their own heads for five consecutive seconds without pausing to make sure the applause hasn’t died down.In the end, while the world hurtles toward its prophesied climax, these three modern-day “Elijahs,” “That Prophets,” and self-anointed apostles continue strutting on their ever-shrinking, ever-sadder stages, boldly declaring themselves the most important men since the Apostle Paul — perhaps even since Christ Himself (and let’s be brutally honest, they probably think they’ve got Him beat on both charisma and production value).

With flawless, almost artistic precision, they have mastered the rare spiritual gift of never being wrong, never needing correction, and never once choking out the words “I was mistaken.” Their humility is so deep, so profound, so otherworldly that it has evidently been raptured straight to heaven years ago, leaving only endless, thunderous declarations of their own unmatched greatness echoing through the empty halls behind.

Truly, it is a wonder to behold: men who claim to speak for the Almighty, yet somehow cannot bow their own heads. They warn the sheep of impending doom while refusing to examine the suffocating, soul-crushing pride that grins back at them in the mirror every single morning like a proud parent.

One can only imagine the scene on that final Day, when the real Elijah, the real apostles, and the real Head of the Church finally make their appearance.

May God have mercy on the souls who followed the deafening echo of their own voices… instead of the still, small one.















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Semi-Arianism, Arianism, and Armstrongism

Semi-Arianism was a 4th-century Christian theological position that emerged during the intense debates over the nature of Christ following the First Council of Nicaea (325 AD). It represented a deliberate middle-ground attempt to modify the stricter teachings of Arianism while still firmly rejecting the full Nicene doctrine of the Trinity.

Core of Arianism (for context)

Arius (c. 250–336 AD) taught that God the Father alone is uncreated and eternal. The Son (Jesus/Christ) was the first and highest created being—begotten by the Father at some point in time (“there was [a time] when he was not”), not co-eternal, of a different substance (heteroousios), and subordinate/inferior to the Father. The Holy Spirit was even lower in the hierarchy.

What Semi-Arianism changed

Semi-Arians (also called Homoiousians) rejected the most extreme Arian claims. They affirmed that:

• The Son was not a creature made out of nothing.
• The Son was begotten (eternally generated) by the Father and existed before the world.
• The Son was fully divine in a real sense and “of similar substance” (homoiousios) with the Father—very close, but not identical in essence (homoousios, “same substance” or “consubstantial”).
• The Son was still subordinate to the Father in rank or authority.

They often viewed the Holy Spirit as subordinate or even an impersonal created force rather than a co-equal divine Person. The position was politically influential for a time but was ultimately condemned as heretical by the orthodox (Nicene) party at councils like Constantinople (381 AD).

Armstrong’s teaching on God (the “God Family” or binitarianism)

Armstrong rejected the Trinity as a pagan, unbiblical doctrine invented centuries after the apostles. Instead:

• God is a family or kingdom of divine spirit beings, currently consisting of two co-eternal Persons: God the Father (supreme) and the pre-existent Word/Logos (who became Jesus Christ).

• Both the Father and the Son are fully divine, uncreated, and composed of the same kind of divine “spirit essence” or “God-kind” substance.

• They are two distinct beings/persons, not one essence in three Persons. The Father is greater in authority; the Son is subordinate yet shares the divine family nature.

• The Holy Spirit is not a third Person or co-equal member of the Godhead. It is the impersonal power, mind, essence, or active force of God.

• Humans who repent, accept Christ, and endure in obedience can ultimately be born again as literal spirit children of God—added to the divine family and becoming “God beings” themselves (though the Father remains supreme).

This is classically described as binitarianism (two Persons in the Godhead), though Armstrong extended it into a dynamic, expanding “God Family.”

How Armstrongism Relates

Armstrongism is not strict Arianism, because it explicitly denies that Christ was created and affirms His full divinity and pre-existence. However, it is a clear modern expression of Semi-Arian Christology packaged within a robust binitarian framework. It mirrors the ancient Semi-Arian emphasis on “similar (but not identical) divine substance,” the eternal begetting of the Son, subordination of the Son to the Father, and an impersonal Holy Spirit. Armstrong’s unique addition—the expanding “God Family” in which humans become literal God beings—goes beyond the 4th-century views but rests on the same foundational rejection of Nicene consubstantiality.

Conclusion

In the final analysis, Semi-Arianism, Arianism, and binitarianism—all non-Trinitarian systems—embody the same fatal refusal: they categorically reject the biblical and historic truth that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are one God in three co-equal, co-eternal Persons sharing the identical divine substance. Armstrongism represents the most aggressive and successful 20th-century resurrection of this ancient error. It is no daring “restoration” of suppressed apostolic truth, but a slick, radio-era repackaging of the very Semi-Arian compromise that the early church thoroughly examined, exposed, and thunderously condemned as heresy at Nicaea and Constantinople.

For those shaped by Armstrongism, this historical connection is devastatingly clear and scripturally damning: the vaunted “God Family” doctrine—with its two separate divine Beings, impersonal Spirit, subordinationist hierarchy, and audacious promise that humans can literally become God beings—is not fresh revelation from God. It is a sophisticated echo of the 4th-century theological poison that subtly yet fatally undermines the full, unqualified deity of the Son and distorts the very nature of the Godhead revealed in Scripture.

The Bible thunders against every form of subordinationism and creaturely reduction of the Son. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). All things were made through Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made (John 1:3). “For in Him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily” (Colossians 2:9). The Father Himself addresses the Son with the words of deity: “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever” (Hebrews 1:8, quoting Psalm 45:6). Jesus boldly declared, “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30), prompting the Jews to seek His death “because you, being a man, make yourself God” (John 10:33) and because He was “making himself equal with God” (John 5:18). Isaiah’s prophecy calls the coming Messiah “Mighty God, Everlasting Father” (Isaiah 9:6), while Thomas, upon seeing the risen Christ, worshipped Him as “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28). Paul exults that Christ is “God over all, blessed forever” (Romans 9:5) and “our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13).

The Holy Spirit fares no better under such systems. Far from an impersonal force or power, He is fully personal and fully divine. Ananias and Sapphira lied to the Holy Spirit—and Peter declares they lied to God (Acts 5:3-4). We are baptized into the one name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19), and the apostolic benediction places all three on equal footing: “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all” (2 Corinthians 13:14). To demote the Spirit to an “it” is to contradict the clear witness of Scripture.

The Nicene Creed was not a pagan intrusion or Catholic corruption; it was the church’s necessary, Spirit-led bulwark defending the gospel’s core proclamation of Jesus Christ as “true God from true God,” begotten not made, of one substance with the Father. Armstrongism’s Godhead teaching, no matter how boldly or attractively proclaimed across the airwaves, does not elevate human potential—it diminishes the glory of Christ, grieves the Holy Spirit, robs God of His triune majesty, and leads souls back into the same soul-destroying errors that once threatened to unravel the heart of the Christian faith. Those who cling to it stand not in restored apostolic truth, but squarely in the long, dark shadow of a heresy the undivided early church rightly judged incompatible with Scripture and eternally dangerous to the soul.

The choice remains as stark and urgent today as it was in the fourth century: embrace the full biblical revelation of the triune God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, one God in three co-equal, co-eternal Persons—or settle for the seductive half-measures of Semi-Arianism dressed in modern clothing. Only the former safeguards the deity of our Savior, the glory of the gospel, and the hope of redemption.

Silent Pilgrim

Armstrongism, Polytheism, Binitarianism, and the Evolving Divine Family

Armstrongism promotes a distinctive “God family” doctrine. God is currently a “family” of two divine Beings — the Father and the pre-incarnate Word (Logos/Jesus) in a binitarian (two-person) view rather than the historic Trinity. Humans who are called, repent, accept Christ, obey God’s laws (including Sabbath, holy days, and dietary rules), and “endure to the end” will ultimately be “born again” as literal spirit beings at the resurrection. They will become God as God is God — full members of the expanding God family, divine in the same sense, capable of creating and ruling like God, while still worshiping the Father as supreme. Armstrong frequently said, “God is reproducing Himself,” drawing from Genesis 1:26 and passages about believers as “children of God” or “heirs,” interpreting them as literal ontological deification into the “God kind.”

Compounding this is a further deviation held by some COG groups (though not the majority or original Armstrong teaching in its strictest form): the pre-incarnate Christ (the Logos/Word) is viewed as a created creature, not originally and eternally God in the full sense. In these circles, the Father alone is the ultimate eternal God, and He created the Logos as the first and highest of His spirit creations (often likened to or preeminent among the angels/sons of God). This created being later became “God” (or the Son) through a process of begetting or elevation, and only then created everything else.

A prominent example is Wade Cox, Coordinator General of the Christian Churches of God (CCG). Cox explicitly teaches a Unitarian/Arian-style Christology: God the Father created Jesus Christ (the pre-incarnate Son) at the same time as all the other angels/sons of God. Jesus has been a “Son of God” since His creation and is of the same created order as the angels, though preeminent among them. Cox states that the Father alone is immortal and the only true God in the full sense; Christ is not God “in any sense that God the Father is God.”

Another example is Ronald Weinland of the Church of God — Preparing for the Kingdom of God (COG-PKG). Weinland teaches that Jesus Christ is not the eternal Yahweh of the Old Testament and was not eternally God. He asserts that Jesus “was not the ETERNAL (Yahweh) of the Old Testament” and emphasizes that when Jesus was in the tomb, “He had no life in Him. He was not eternal! God, His Father, had to raise Him from the dead.” This reflects a view in which the pre-incarnate Christ was created by the Father in the eternal past to serve as God’s agent in creation — a created, exalted being (not co-eternal or fully divine in the same sense as the Father) who was later elevated.

Bob Thiel of the Continuing Church of God (CCOG) holds the classic Armstrongist binitarian view: there are two divine Beings (the Father and the pre-incarnate Son/Word) before the creation of the universe. Thiel strongly affirms that Jesus (the Word) “was God” from the beginning (citing John 1:1) and rejects the idea that Jesus was merely an angel or created out of nothing in the way Jehovah’s Witnesses teach. However, Thiel’s writings and CCOG materials explicitly link this binitarianism to semi-Arianism. They describe their position as consistent with historical semi-Arians, who taught that the Son is “similar” or “of like substance” (homoiousios) with the Father but subordinate — not co-equal and co-eternal in the full Trinitarian sense. CCOG states that Jesus “was always God and forever with the Father, but once begotten, became the Son,” and they defend binitarianism as the original early-Christian view while associating it with semi-Arian history and Sabbath-keeping groups that rejected the Nicene Creed’s homoousios (“same substance”). This subordinationist framework still treats the Father as supreme and the Holy Spirit as non-personal power rather than a co-equal Person.

These teachings (“humans become God” + variations on the nature and origin of Christ) are closely linked in the logic of these groups. If the pre-existent Christ is subordinate, non-eternal in the fullest sense, or follows a path of elevation (whether explicitly created as in Cox/Weinland or begotten/subordinate as in Thiel’s binitarian/semi-Arian view), then it makes sense (in their system) that faithful humans can follow a similar path and be “born” into full Godhood as additional members of the expanding God family.

Why Both Teachings Are Biblically and Theologically Wrong

From the perspective of historic, biblical Christianity (shared across Protestant, Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox traditions), these ideas are serious errors that undermine core doctrines of God, Christ, creation, and salvation:

God Is Unique, Eternal, Uncreated, and One in Essence Scripture repeatedly declares that there is only one true God — eternal, self-existent, incomparable, with no beginning and no possibility of “more” Gods being added.

• Isaiah 43:10: “Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me.”
• Isaiah 44:6: “I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God.”
• 1 Timothy 6:15-16: God alone is immortal and dwells in unapproachable light.

The idea that humans (or even the pre-incarnate Christ in a subordinate/created sense) can cross from creature to full “God as God is God” erases the eternal Creator/creature distinction. Bob Thiel’s binitarianism, which he and CCOG explicitly connect to semi-Arianism, still subordinates the Son and treats divinity as something that can be multiplied into a “God family” — turning biblical monotheism into a form of polytheism or an evolving divine family.

The Full, Eternal Deity of Christ Is Non-Negotiable 

The Bible unequivocally teaches that the pre-incarnate Word (Christ) is eternally God, not a created being who was later elevated or a subordinate “like-substance” Being:

• John 1:1-3, 14: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. … Through him all things were made… The Word became flesh.”
• Colossians 1:15-17: Christ is “the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation” (supreme, not first-created). “For in him all things were created… He is before all things.”
• Hebrews 1:2-3, 8: The Son is the radiance of God’s glory, the exact representation of His being, addressed as “God” with an eternal throne.
• John 8:58: “Before Abraham was born, I am!”

Views that treat Christ as created (Cox, Weinland) or subordinate/begotten in a semi-Arian sense (Thiel’s binitarianism) deny these clear passages. Only the eternal, fully divine Son could atone for sins against an infinite God.

Salvation Makes Us Like Christ — But Never Equal to or Identical with God 

Believers are adopted as children of God by grace (John 1:12; Romans 8:14-17), conformed to Christ’s image (Romans 8:29), and will be “like him” (1 John 3:2). We will reign with Christ and participate in God’s glory — but always as redeemed creatures worshiping the Creator (Revelation 22:3-4). The “God family” reproduction analogy fails because God has no created “kind” that reproduces into additional Gods.

Connection to Legalism and a Future-Only Salvation 

These errors often accompany an emphasis on law-keeping and “enduring to the end” as co-conditions for ultimate salvation and Godhood, shifting focus from Christ’s finished work (Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 3–5).

By blurring the infinite gap between Creator and creature, Armstrongism and its offshoots (whether in the more extreme forms of Wade Cox and Ron Weinland or the semi-Arian-tinged binitarianism of Bob Thiel) open the door to a subtle form of polytheism dressed in Christian language. They replace the awe-inspiring truth of the triune God with a narcissistic fantasy of human deification.

Armstrongism’s teaching that humans will become “God as God is God” is wrong because it violates God’s unique, uncreated oneness, blurs the Creator/creature divide, and over-literalizes adoption language into ontological deification. The related views in some COG groups — including the created/subordinate Christ teachings of Wade Cox and Ronald Weinland, as well as the binitarian framework defended by Bob Thiel of the Continuing Church of God (which explicitly links binitarianism to semi-Arianism) — compound the error: they either deny or significantly weaken Christ’s eternal, co-equal deity, making the Savior a subordinate being rather than the eternal God-man, and logically open the door to humans “becoming God” in the same way. Both ideas ultimately replace worship of the one true, triune God with a vision of an expanding divine family.

The Bible offers something infinitely better: not the empty promise of becoming gods, but the glorious reality of being redeemed children of God, forever enjoying intimate fellowship with the one true, eternal, triune God through the finished work of the eternal Son.

This is not a matter of interpretive preference. It is a matter of truth versus error, of worshiping the Creator rather than aspiring to replace Him. Those who have been influenced by these teachings are urged to examine them honestly against Scripture and turn to the historic, biblical gospel: salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in the eternal Son of God alone — who became man to save us, not to show us how to become gods.

Scripture offers believers something far better and more humbling: eternal life as glorified sons and daughters of God, reigning with Christ, seeing Him face-to-face, and enjoying perfect fellowship with the eternal Creator — forever His people, never His equals. The invitation is simply to trust in the finished work of the eternal Son, Jesus Christ (John 17:3; 1 John 5:11-13).

Silent Pilgrim

Well, That Did Not Take Long - Crackpot Prophet Is Seething Mad! Mad, I Tell You! Mad!

Never in the glorious annals of Church of God history has there been a more delicate, thin-skinned, self-appointed "prophet" than the one currently blessing us with his majestic presence. Truly, it takes almost nothing to send Bwana Bob into a full-blown tizzy—especially when someone has the sheer audacity to call out his endless narcissistic love affair with how spectacularly magnificent he imagines himself to be.

He threw a spectacular tantrum over our last article explaining why the COG no longer needs any prophets—particularly not one who spends his days "correcting" Herbert Armstrong while simultaneously claiming to stand in the great man's shadow. Apparently, pointing out his endless ridiculous claims is just too much for such a fragile ego to bear.

Let’s be perfectly clear: Bwana Bob is not a prophet, never has been, and never will be. His so-called "prophetic utterances" are nothing more than Google headlines poorly reheated and served with a side of self-worship. Any half-competent researcher can find dozens of people saying the exact same things. But of course, only Bob’s version counts as divine revelation. The rest of us are just living in delusion.

For some truly asinine reason, he remains convinced that the only “real” Christians left on planet Earth are the dwindling few trapped inside his little personality cult. Everyone else—especially those meanies at the Banned by HWA blog—are apparently Satan’s personal minions, sent specifically to torment poor, misunderstood Bob.

And that right there is delicious. By obsessively whining about Banned by HWA in post after post, Bwana Bob continually proves just how much we’ve gotten under his skin and how significantly we’ve impacted people’s decisions. Every time he feels compelled to attack us, he’s loudly admitting that we’ve opened the eyes of many to his deception. We’ve helped numerous sincere folks see through the smoke and mirrors, realize they’re being manipulated, and quietly walk away from his nonsense. Our very existence clearly bothers him far more than he’ll ever admit—otherwise he’d simply ignore us like a normal person. But no, he can’t stop talking about us. Thanks for the free advertising, Bob! You sure give us plenty to work with!

He loves to lecture about self-deception, solemnly quoting Revelation 3 about the wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked Laodiceans. The irony is so thick you could spread it on toast. While he’s busy vomiting spiritual judgment on everyone who refuses to bow to his greatness, he remains blissfully unaware that the description fits him like a custom-tailored suit.

It’s painfully obvious, especially when watching his revolving-door congregants in Africa, that there are some genuinely sincere Christians who’ve been duped by his lies and heretical teachings. They’ve fallen victim to the classic false-prophet con: a manipulative man with a Messiah complex who demands total loyalty while offering nothing but ego-stroking nonsense in return. Good, Bible-believing people are having their spiritual lives hijacked and led straight off a cliff—all so Bwana Bob can keep feeling special.

He has hardened his heart so completely that he no longer seems to care how many souls he’s dragging down with him. Instead, he wields the favorite COG insult—“Laodicean!”—like a toddler with a plastic sword, swinging it wildly at anyone who dares disagree. It backfires magnificently every single time.

True Christians have humbled themselves before God for centuries. They follow the actual Jesus—the One who told His followers to deny themselves, take up their cross, and stop seeking the best seats in the synagogue. Bwana Bob, meanwhile, has turned his back on that humble Savior while obsessively demanding everyone keep Old Covenant rules and acknowledge his personal greatness.

His narcissistic personality disorder on full display simply won’t permit actual humility. A man who constantly craves attention, validation, and headlines about himself cannot possibly decrease so that Christ might increase. Instead of pointing people to Jesus, he points them to Bob. Instead of building servants of Christ, he builds devotees of Bob.

In the end, his blinding narcissism has done more than make him a ridiculous figure in COG circles—it has completely severed him from the heart of what it means to follow Christ. While he busily “prophesies” by copying news articles, the real tragedy is that he’s become a living sermon illustration: a warning of what happens when a man’s ego grows so large that even Jesus gets crowded out of the picture.

Keep seething about Banned by HWA, Bob. Every rant just proves we’re doing our job—and doing it well.

Why There Is No Need for Prophets in Armstrongism (Or Why the Church of God Doesn’t Need Another Self-Appointed “Prophet” Every Other Week)

Why There Is No Need for Prophets in Armstrongism

(Or Why the Church of God Has Turned Into a Pathetic Prophet Factory 

for Delusional Narcissists)

Silent Pilgrim

Armstrongism — the restored truths taught by Herbert W. Armstrong and actually held by the "true" Churches of God — has always been brutally clear on one thing: we don’t need prophets today. Not one. Not even a microscopic one. Yet, despite Mr. Armstrong’s repeated, crystal-clear declarations, the Armstrong world has devolved into an open casting call for every self-important, self-deluded spiritual narcissist who wakes up convinced that God is sitting in heaven twiddling His thumbs waiting for their brilliant “revelations.” It’s no longer a serious work — it’s become a ridiculous circus sideshow starring an endless parade of spiritual clowns in ill-fitting prophetic costumes.

Here’s the plain, unfiltered truth:

1. Mr. Armstrong Made It Perfectly Clear — He Wasn’t a Prophet, and Neither Is Anyone Else

Herbert W. Armstrong didn’t mince words. In the February 1972 Tomorrow’s World he flatly declared:

Emphatically I am NOT a prophet… There is no such human prophet living today! The Bible is the written Word of God — and, for our time now, it is COMPLETE!

He called himself an apostle — raised up to restore what had been lost — not some mystic receiving fresh heavenly downloads. But reading comprehension clearly isn’t a strong suit in certain circles. So instead of studying what Mr. Armstrong actually taught, a steady stream of spiritual narcissists crown themselves the next Elijah or God’s personal WhatsApp to the “remnant.” Newsflash: the audition closed decades ago, and none of you made the cut.

2. The Foundation Was Laid Once. Stop Trying to Redig It.

The Church is “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone” (Ephesians 2:20). Notice the tense: “was built” — past tense, done deal — not “still under renovation because God left some blanks for you geniuses to fill in.”Mr. Armstrong understood this perfectly. His role was to dust off and proclaim what was already in the Bible, not to play spiritual contractor endlessly pouring fresh concrete on a finished foundation. Yet here we are, endlessly entertained by a circus parade of self-proclaimed prophets insisting God has now given them “new understanding” or “extra revelation.” If Mr. Armstrong’s restored foundation wasn’t good enough for you, maybe stop pretending to be Armstrongist and just admit you’re starting your own private religion.

3. The Bible Is Complete — No “Special Updates” Required

Armstrongism has always taught that the Bible is completely sufficient. Jude 3 says the faith was “once for all delivered.” Revelation 22:18-19 basically threatens plagues on anyone dumb enough to add to it. Mr. Armstrong repeated this truth relentlessly: the Bible is complete for our time.

But that’s apparently too boring for the prophetic crowd. In comes the latest “man of God” with his shiny new dream, conveniently timed vision, or dramatic “Thus saith the Lord” that — surprise, surprise — perfectly supports whatever agenda (and donation appeal) he’s pushing. This isn’t revelation. It’s pure ego in a cheap prophetic Halloween costume. The Bible already equips us for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17). We don’t need your prophetic updates, dreams, or new inspired revelations. The canon is closed. Take your patches and peddle them somewhere else.

4. The Holy Spirit Works Through the Book, Not Through Ego

Every genuinely converted member has the Holy Spirit living inside them. Its actual job is to open our minds to the Scriptures we already have — not to run a 24/7 divine courier service for every puffed-up “prophet” who believes his warm fuzzy feelings outrank the written Word of God.

Mr. Armstrong spent decades warning against following men or chasing new revelation through human leaders. Yet certain segments of Armstrongism still sprint after every new “God told me…” guy like he’s selling spiritual cocaine. They need the drama. They need the secret knowledge. They need to feel special. News flash: the real drama ended when the canon closed. What you’re addicted to now is mostly just ego wearing a fake prophet beard or a polyester suit.

5. The Commission Is to Proclaim the Gospel, Not Wait for the Next “Word from the Lord”

The end-time commission is simple: preach the restored gospel of the Kingdom of God as a witness to all nations (Matthew 24:14) and prepare a people for Christ’s return. That’s already a tall order without turning the Church into an open-mic night for every wannabe Elijah who wants to hijack the Work with his latest “urgent revelation from on high.”

But that’s exactly what keeps happening. Instead of getting the gospel out, too many are busy playing prophecy referee — testing dreams, visions, and increasingly ridiculous declarations. It’s almost as if actually doing what Mr. Armstrong restored isn’t exciting enough. They need constant fresh “special instructions” to keep the adrenaline going. Here’s a radical idea: maybe the Work would move faster if we stopped wasting time babysitting these prophetic clowns and just did the job Christ actually gave us. The commission is to proclaim the finished truth, not to camp out waiting for the next heavenly text message.

Conclusion:

In true Armstrongism, there is no need for prophets today because God has already given us everything we need: His Son as the final revelation, a completed foundation, a sufficient Bible, and His Holy Spirit to guide us through that Bible.Yet the Armstrong scene remains a pathetic, overcrowded clown car stuffed full of wannabe prophets — each one more desperate, more self-important, and more delusional than the last. Take Bob Thiel, the self-anointed “Dr. Bob” who keeps pompously declaring himself a prophet, chasing radio interviews, and bragging about “new doors” while his endless stream of failed predictions and recycled “revelations” pile up like yesterday’s garbage. Or Dave Pack, the Wadsworth date-setting circus ringmaster who has spent years terrorizing his members with one false deadline after another, forcing them to sell everything they own while he quietly moves the goalposts again and again like a con man who never runs out of new excuses.

These modern “prophets” smugly strut around convinced that Mr. Armstrong’s restoration was a tragic failure until they majestically arrived to fix what God supposedly botched. It would be side-splitting comedy if it weren’t so embarrassingly destructive to the very Work they claim to love.

Here’s the cold, hard wake-up call for every self-appointed Elijah still hovering around (especially you, Bob Thiel and Dave Pack): Mr. Armstrong already shut this nonsense down decades ago with zero ambiguity — “There is no such human prophet living today.”

So if you’re still sitting there ignoring the Book while breathlessly awaiting (or delivering) your next glittering “Thus saith the Lord,” do the rest of us a massive favor: hang up the cheap prophetic robe, quit trying to slap your ego-driven fan fiction onto God’s finished masterpiece, and either get with the actual program or get out of the way. The foundation is laid. The Bible is complete. The gospel must go out — without your ridiculous, self-glorifying additions, thank you very much.

That’s not a lack of faith.

That’s simply refusing to let puffed-up pretenders like Bob Thiel and Dave Pack turn God’s completed work into their personal vanity circus and member-exploiting sideshow.

Quote Thiel's failed predictions

Compare to other false prophets

Intensify Pack's exploitation jabs

Think Harder

The 1974 Divine Heist - How to cut back your lifestyle so you can give all your money to the church

 

      Elbert W Harmthrong

Why COG Ministers Are Not Levites

Armstrongite ministers, Worldwide Church of God and its offshoots, are not Levites for several clear biblical, historical, and logical reasons. Some Armstrongite groups or teachings drew parallels between their full-time ministry and the ancient Levitical system—especially regarding receiving tithes without paying them, or serving in a "priestly" role—but this analogy does not hold up under Scripture or facts.

1. Levites Were Defined by Physical, Hereditary Descent from the Tribe of Levi

In the Old Testament, Levites (including the subset of Aaronic priests) were members of one specific Israelite tribe: the descendants of Levi, son of Jacob (Genesis 29:34; Exodus 2:1; Numbers 3:1-10; 18:1-7).

• God set apart the entire tribe of Levi for tabernacle/temple service in place of the firstborn of all Israel (Numbers 3:12-13; 8:14-19).

• Only biological males from this lineage qualified. Physical qualifications applied (e.g., no physical defects for priests—Leviticus 21).

• They had no tribal land inheritance; instead, they received tithes, offerings, and cities among the other tribes (Numbers 18:20-24; Deuteronomy 18:1-2; Joshua 21).

Modern Armstrongite ministers have no verifiable genealogical descent from the tribe of Levi. They come from various ethnic backgrounds (often claiming British or American "Israelite" heritage via British-Israelism, but even that theory does not make them Levites—Levi was one of the tribes that stayed with Judah in the southern kingdom, not "lost"). Armstrongism's British-Israel doctrine itself identifies modern "Israel" as Anglo-Saxon nations, but it does not (and cannot) prove specific Levitical lineages for its ministers.

Without hereditary proof from the tribe of Levi, no one today can biblically claim to be a Levite in the Old Testament sense. Claims of "spiritual Levites" stretch the text beyond its plain meaning.

2. The Levitical Priesthood Was Temporary and Shadowed the Coming Reality in Christ

The entire Levitical system (priesthood, sacrifices, tithes tied to agricultural produce and land) was part of the Old Covenant, which was a shadow or type pointing to Christ (Hebrews 8:1-5; 9:1-10; 10:1).

• Hebrews 7 explains that the Levitical priesthood was weak and imperfect, so God changed it. Jesus became High Priest forever after the order of Melchizedek (not Levi)—a non-hereditary, superior priesthood (Hebrews 7:11-17, 23-28).

• The old system ended with the destruction of the Temple in AD 70. No sacrifices, no temple service, no Levitical roles continue. 

• Armstrong himself acknowledged that Levites do not currently offer sacrifices, yet some teachings still treated modern ministers as receiving tithes "as Levites."

New Testament church leadership (elders/pastors, deacons, etc.) is based on spiritual gifting, calling, character, and appointment—not tribal bloodlines (Ephesians 4:11-12; 1 Timothy 3; Titus 1; 1 Peter 5:1-4). All believers form a "royal priesthood" (1 Peter 2:9; Revelation 1:6), not a special ministerial caste modeled on Levi. 

 

3. New Testament Ministry Differs Fundamentally from the Levitical System. 

No tithing command for ministers: The New Testament never commands Christians to tithe to church leaders as a Levitical obligation. Giving is voluntary, cheerful, and proportional (2 Corinthians 9:7; 1 Corinthians 9:7-14—ministers can be supported, but not via the Old Covenant tithe law). Armstrongite practice of ministers receiving tithes (and not paying them) while living at a higher standard directly mirrored the Levitical model, but this imported an obsolete system into the New Covenant.

No hierarchy as a "priesthood" standing between God and people: Some Armstrongite writings promoted a top-down "government of God" with ranks (apostle → evangelist → pastor → elder), likening it to theocratic Levitical rule. Critics inside and outside the movement noted this turned ministers into a mediating priesthood, contrary to the New Testament where Christ is the sole mediator and all believers have direct access to God (1 Timothy 2:5; Hebrews 4:14-16; 1 Peter 2:5, 9).

Early Armstrong himself expressed confusion about church government and initially rejected heavy centralization. Later developments created a pyramidal structure that critics compared (unfavorably) to the Levitical model or even Catholic hierarchy.

4. Practical and Historical Reality

Armstrongite ministers were ordained through laying on of hands within their organization, often trained at Ambassador College—not through Levitical genealogy or Temple service. They functioned as teachers, administrators, and pastors in a modern context, not as temple officiants handling sacrifices, cleansing rituals, or the duties assigned exclusively to Levi (e.g., carrying the ark, specific musical roles in the Temple—1 Chronicles 23-26).

The analogy was largely pragmatic: it justified a full-time paid ministry supported by member tithes in a way that echoed the Old Testament support system for Levites. But equating the two ignores the fundamental shift from Old Covenant shadows to New Covenant reality in Christ.

In summary, Armstrongite ministers are not Levites because:

• Levites required biological descent from Levi.

• The Levitical priesthood was fulfilled and superseded by Jesus' Melchizedek priesthood.

• New Testament ministry operates under grace, spiritual gifts, and voluntary support—not hereditary tribal law or temple ritual.

The parallels drawn in some Armstrongite teachings were an interpretive overlay, not a biblical identity. True Christian service today emphasizes servant leadership for all believers under Christ's headship, without reviving Old Covenant tribal distinctions.

No one needs to tithe to Bob Thiel (Continuing Church of God), Dave Pack (Restored Church of God), Gerald Flurry (Philadelphia Church of God), the United Church of God (UCG), Church of God, a Worldwide Association (COGWA), the Living Church of God (LCG), or any of the other Armstrongite splinter groups.

These leaders and organizations are not biblical Levites. They lack any hereditary descent from the tribe of Levi, and the Old Covenant Levitical system—with its mandatory tithes supporting the priesthood and temple service—has been fulfilled and superseded by Jesus Christ, our High Priest after the order of Melchizedek (Hebrews 7:11-28; 8:13; 10:1-18). The New Testament nowhere commands Christians to give a mandatory 10% (or more, including second and third tithes) to church leaders or organizations. The tithe was part of the temporary Mosaic Law, which included agricultural produce tied to the land of Israel and support for the physical temple system that no longer exists.

Jesus and the apostles taught a completely different approach to giving under the New Covenant. Giving is to be voluntary, cheerful, and proportional—according to how God has blessed and prospered each individual (2 Corinthians 9:6-7; 1 Corinthians 16:2; 2 Corinthians 8:12). It flows from a heart of gratitude and love, not from fear, guilt, pressure, or legalistic obligation. The New Testament emphasizes supporting the work of the gospel, helping the needy, and caring for those who labor in teaching (1 Corinthians 9:7-14; 1 Timothy 5:17-18; Galatians 6:6), but always as freewill offerings, not enforced percentages that can burden families or enrich leaders.

Many of these groups have used tithing teachings to fund ambitious building projects, media efforts, personal luxuries, or unfulfilled prophetic claims, sometimes at the expense of members' financial well-being. Such practices import an obsolete Old Covenant model into the age of grace and turn ministry into a salaried system disconnected from the servant-hearted leadership modeled by Christ and the apostles.

If you want to give money, do so because you have been blessed—not because you are required to meet a quota or fear missing out on God's favor. Give joyfully as an expression of worship and thankfulness for what God has done in your life through Jesus Christ. Let your giving be guided by prayer, conscience, and the leading of the Holy Spirit, whether to help the poor, support genuine gospel work, or bless others directly. God loves a cheerful giver, and He is able to make all grace abound toward you so that you always have sufficiency in everything (2 Corinthians 9:8).

True freedom in Christ means you are no longer under the law but under grace (Romans 6:14). Release any sense of compulsion, and give from a heart overflowing with gratitude for the blessings you have already received. That is the New Testament way.

Silent Pilgrim