Gerald Flurry sent out a letter today supposedly directed towards all present Church of God members and the unclean Laodiceans who have left the church An Open Letter to the Churches of God. It has to be the biggest snow job I have ever seen! He waxes eloquent and longingly for the days of the past when the church was supposedly one big unified family doing marvelous works as families were restored to wholeness and tranquility.
Reading it almost makes you want to gag at how syrupy and nostalgic it all is.
Flurry writes:
Herbert W. Armstrong was part of something great. That Church was a work of miracles.
Do you remember that glorious history? Too many of God’s people don’t. God challenges us to always keep the big picture.
Over Mr. Armstrong’s 55 years in Jesus Christ’s ministry, the work blossomed. It started as nothing and grew into a huge, Spirit-led work that spread God’s beautiful truth throughout the world.
Mr. Armstrong oversaw a work that was based on the principle of give—which is what God’s love is. By the end of his life, each month the Church was giving 8 million free monthly copies of the Plain Truth newsmagazine (which the Trumpet magazine is patterned after). We gave 6 million copies of The United States and Britain in Prophecy, not to mention countless other magazines, newspapers, books, booklets, tracts and articles—all free. We made the World Tomorrow broadcast freely available on over 400 television stations.
Flurry obviously never spent much time around Pasadena where the principle that ran everything was the principle of GET. More money, more power, higher rank. better homes, newer cars, etc. Corruption walked the hallways of the Hall of Ad, Finance Offices, and the Office Facilities building finding shelter in many of the top leadership of the church.
Do you remember that history? God put our tithes and offerings to magnificent use, and we were happy to be a part of such a noble cause.
The Ambassador International Cultural Foundation, which Mr. Armstrong founded in 1975, freely sponsored humanitarian projects including archaeological digs, schools and anthropological excursions. Its activities stretched from Bombay to Brussels; the Philippines to the Netherlands; Tokyo to Cairo. We hosted projects in Jerusalem, Jordan, London, Nepal and Okinawa. Why? Because Mr. Armstrong wanted to preach the gospel “for a witness unto all nations” (Matthew 24:14).
Using the international contacts Mr. Armstrong established through the cultural foundation, God opened doors for him to meet high-ranking officials around the world. Mr. Armstrong was invited to speak publicly on many occasions, and he took those opportunities to preach the gospel—to tell people about God’s master plan and about their incredible human potential. These events opened the way for personal appearance campaigns, where he spoke to hundreds of thousands of leading people in various countries.
Who can forget HWA preaching about "a strong hand from someplace" Again, too embarrassed to talk about Jesus he had to dress his words so he did not come off as too religious.
Do you remember that history?
In the wcg’s hometown of Pasadena, California, we hosted the concert series, staged in the Ambassador Auditorium, which attracted world-class performing artists and brought a standard of excellence to the community. Physically, it was the crowning achievement of a work that over decades had built great resources to draw on for the betterment of mankind.
The concert series, funded almost entirely from tithe money was a financial boondoggle that the church had to highly subsidize. Ticket sales never covered any of the events. While impressive concerts were held there, some of them even historical, the concert series was never a tool to witness about the gospel to anyone. When and if anything was ever said it was about people using their God-given potential. Jesus was just too damn embarrassing
Under Mr. Armstrong, the Church of God practiced the way of give—of godly character, generosity, cultural enrichment, true education—of beautifying the environment and caring for fellowman. Mr. Armstrong never deviated from his God-given commission, and the work prospered! His work acknowledged God’s desire to have all men saved and brought to the knowledge of His truth (1 Timothy 2:3-6). It was an inspiring display of God’s love for all mankind.
The way of "give" only extended as far as sending out literature, supposedly "free". As we all well know that "free" came with a 30-40% tithing statement if you joined up.
When Mr. Armstrong died, he was highly praised by leaders and prominent individuals from around the world. Even unconverted people could clearly see what a towering legacy of love and generosity he left behind and were deeply impressed by it. Certainly we in the Church all recognized on a much deeper level what he had achieved.
"Unconverted" people clearly saw the gifts of Steuben Crystal and financial donations as quick entrances into their offices. No gospel was ever preached and if it accidentally might have been, there was never any follow-up or encouragement by the church to continue to instruct these leaders or their countries. Sure, doing an archeological dig helped out the countries they did it in or the setting up of schools to teach English or disadvantaged children. All of these did good, but no gospel was ever preached, Jesus was never taught. Yet, all of this was funded by tithe money that people send after they were fed slick stories on how awesome this new "door" for the "work" was to be.
Do you remember that glorious history?
Now, did Mr. Armstrong do all that? Certainly he worked hard to implement God’s law and government and to walk by faith. But was the work so powerful and effective simply because of Mr. Armstrong’s intellect or advertising expertise? Did Mr. Armstrong swing open all those mighty doors?
No—the great God did that!
It doesn’t take great spiritual discernment to recognize that God was behind that work—God was blessing that work—God was empowering and multiplying that work—as Mr. Armstrong submitted to Him.
Yet, that "powerful "work" had already splintered and ruptured untold numbers of members over the decades. God sure was not able to keep his church unified, even though Pasadena brass was constantly saying the church was unified.
No man could have ever built such a marvelous and wondrous work in this satanic world. It was built and sustained by the miracles of the living God!
Satan was a bigger god in the church than Jesus ever was. No one was mentioned more than Satan was. He lurked around every corner, behind every hedge, and in every office building ready to devour church members because God and Jesus were too inept to do anything about it.
Flurry continues:
Family Education
What truly distinguished Mr. Armstrong’s accomplishments was that they were all built upon the foundation of God’s truth. God flooded Mr. Armstrong with biblical understanding, restoring all foundational true doctrine to His Church through that man. We learned and lived by the wonderful truths of God, and our lives were richer as a result.
Anyone who has ever had a minimal amount of understanding of Christian belief knows for a fact that God's word was never lost. Jesus was never lost. Hundreds of millions of Christians have died in the faith knowing their standing was God was secure, unlike COG members who were always fretting about losing their salvation. Millions have been slaughtered for their beliefs while standing firm in their salvation, yet the COG arrogantly implies they were all too stupid to understand and therefore need CCOG leaders like HWA and Flurry to restore so-called lost truths to them.
Right at the heart of Mr. Armstrong’s teaching was his instruction about the God-plane institution of family (Malachi 4:5-6). He taught us how to build beautiful marriages and to rear happy children. We educated our children with Youth Educational Services lessons; we provided our teens rich experiences through the Youth Opportunities United program—with its sporting events, talent shows and summer camps.
Flurry glosses over the rampant divorce rate in the church. The parents that abused their children mentally, physically, and sexually. The stalkers and rapists in the ministry. The pedophiles that were ministers. The pedophiles that were on staff at Imperial Schools. The children of evangelists and high-up ministers who were drug pushers.
Do you remember what life was like in the Church under Mr. Armstrong? If you were applying God’s family education, then you have personally experienced the blessings that come as a result! Do you remember that?
Those that were abused can NEVER forget!
Naturally, the Church wasn’t perfect; there were problems. Some members and even ministers did not implement God’s loving family government the right way. But the problem went beyond simple neglect. Revelation 3:9 tells us that “the synagogue of Satan” was actually at work within the Church of the Philadelphia era—under Mr. Armstrong!
Here we go again! Powerful Satan continues to get the upper hand on Jesus and God thwarting them at every move.
The Bible is filled with prophecies that show how God knew this crisis would happen—and actually allowed it in order to test our loyalty to Him. The Bible also shows that He is going to bring every abuse to judgment. God will not be mocked! I strongly encourage you to request a free copy of my book Malachi’s Message for a very thorough scriptural study of God’s perspective on what happened to His Church.
Oh yes, write in for the book that Flurry stole and copied word for word from Jules Dervaies' The Letter to Laodicea. For more information about Flurry's corruption see: The PLAIN TRUTH About Malachi’s Message And THAT PROPHET. Next to Dave Pack and Bob Thiel, the Church of God has never seen a more corrupt man than Gerald Flurry.
Many of God’s people have turned away from God altogether—because of the mistakes and sins of men. They are missing the big picture.
Men like Flurry, Pack, Weinland, and Thiel are corrupt and spiritually abusive men who have turned untold numbers away from God. Lies and half-truths make up their so-called ministries.
Do the sins of men change the truth of God?
Mr. Armstrong has been dead nearly 34 years now. But did the Almighty God who empowered his work die?
Is God too weak to do the same marvelous work today—simply because a man has passed from the scene?
Absolutely not.
Ha Ha!
Flurry then pulls a Bob Thiel and has to say he is the modern-day Elijah. The bullshit just keeps piling higher and higher!
“My Father, My Father”
When the Prophet Elijah was carried away in a whirlwind, his student Elisha was moved with emotion. “And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces” (2 Kings 2:12).
Elijah was not Elisha’s physical father. But he was his spiritual father. That is because Elisha and the sons of the prophets came to God through Elijah. In that sense they were all his sons.
Some people didn’t see Elijah’s office as one of importance, but Elisha saw that it was the only office that could lead and carry Israel forward! It was Israel’s only hope—then and now! He saw that, ultimately, all Israel would be governed by the teachings of Elijah. His statement, “My father, my father,” revealed a deep understanding and a beautiful attitude. God liked it so much that He used Elisha to succeed Elijah. God loved his attitude.
Some people today scoff at such an attitude, but it is very biblical. The Apostle Paul told the Church members in Corinth, “I write not these things to shame you, but as my beloved sons I warn you” (1 Corinthians 4:14). Paul considered his followers to be his spiritual sons. Why? “For though ye have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers: for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel” (verse 15). Paul was their spiritual father because they came to God through him. He called himself their spiritual father.
Mr. Armstrong said the same to all of those who came to God, either directly or indirectly, through him.
The original Elijah and the end-time Elijah held extremely important “father” offices for God. The Philadelphia Church of God, like Elisha, recognizes that fact. This is the foundational issue that sets the pcg apart from any other Church of God group. If you follow the Elisha example in this respect, God will make you a king with a headquarters position forever. Why? Because this foundational truth points us to God the Father.
Such utter bullshit! For a Christian, the foundational TRUTH is Jesus Christ. Not some stinking turd leading some splinter group here in the United States. As a side note: Why are all COG splinter groups led by WHITE privileged Americans? Why is no one from Europe, Australia, Africa, or the Philippines? Who is no one of color?
Do you view Mr. Armstrong the way God does?
Flurry continues to blabber on:
The God of Elijah
After Elijah was gone, Elisha learned an important lesson. “He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan; And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, Where is the Lord God of Elijah? and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over” (2 Kings 2:13-14).
If you study this account in the original Hebrew language, you will see that the first time Elisha came up to the Jordan, he smote the water but didn’t speak—and nothing happened. Then he asked the important question, “Where is the Lord God of Elijah?” and smote the water, and the river opened up and he walked across!
Do you want to know how to do the work of God today? How to have doors open for you—even rivers, if necessary? Here is the formula. Elisha knew where the God of Elijah was, and he was following his spiritual father. So God opened up the river for him, just as He did for Elijah.
Where is the God of Elijah today? Where is the great Almighty God who did that powerful work?
Can you answer that question? Far too many of God’s people aren’t even asking it!
God did not die with Mr. Armstrong! Yet none of the scattered churches of God have that kind of power. They don’t receive and proclaim God’s revelation. They don’t have the right government. And their works are frankly devoid of the kind of miracles and wonders that were almost routine when the work was led by Mr. Armstrong.
We must find and remain with the God of Elijah!
All baptized members of the Church of God during the Philadelphia era will be held accountable for the fact that they were with that God for so long. The tragic fact is this: Not only have most of God’s people left Him—most of them are not even interested in where He is! If they wanted to know, they would submit to God’s government and end up in God’s true Church.
This is such disgusting bullshit! there is no other word more appropriate for it than bullshit. God is no more involved in the Philadelphia Church of God than he is in the improperly named "continuing" Church of God.
Flurry then has a slobber-fest on how awesome his college and work are and ends with this:
And—most importantly—God has continued to bless us, as He did Mr. Armstrong, with new revelation. The living God did not stop speaking to His people when Mr. Armstrong died. He has continued to give us “present truth” (2 Peter 1:12) that builds upon the foundation of the truth He restored through Mr. Armstrong. The pcg produces over 100 books and booklets, the large majority of which contain new biblical understanding from the great God.
How can God be blessing the COG with new revelation when Dave Pack and Bob Thiel claim they and they alone are the sole possessor of new revelation. They are either lying or God is.
That is the single greatest proof that the God who inspired Mr. Armstrong is behind our work.
We hope you can clearly identify the same miracles and blessings that built Mr. Armstrong’s work. Most of all, we hope and pray that you can recognize the work of the God of Elijah!
Our time in this age of man is fast running out. God is growing much more urgent in trying to reach His sons who have turned away from Him, because eternal life hangs in the balance. We urge you to respond to Him!
Jesus be damned! It's all about Flurry. No one has a more magnificent work than he does. No one! Eat your heart out Bobby Boy! You are a nobody compared to Flurry!
Anyone, even a nominal Christian needs to run as fast as they can away from Flurry and his church. Your salvation may depend on it!
