Saturday, December 28, 2024

Dave Pack's Enemies. Who Are They?

 

David C. Pack’s Enemies (Part 1)

It may be unusual for mainstream Christians to hear about a self-proclaimed servant of Jesus Christ lamenting about all the wicked enemies plaguing him. But those familiar with Pastor General David C. Pack of The Restored Church of God are not surprised.

For years, David C. Pack has been decrying how vicious enemies surround him and attack him with devilish hatred. I have never personally witnessed this and often wondered who he refers to.

Who are David C. Pack’s enemies?

From what one could glean from his sporadic, cryptic statements, they are sometimes former members and ministers, but sometimes family members and people in the Splinters. It is hard to discern who his whiny ire is directed at.

For those new to the website, my name is Marc Cebrian. I am a former member of The Restored Church of God and still live in Wadsworth, Ohio. I became a full-time Headquarters staff member in Media Production Services in December 2012. I was one of two video editors who worked on The World to Come, which ceased production in 2017, and their now defunct annual documentary, Behind the Work.

I was extremely disturbed by the direction of the church after David C. Pack announced he was Elijah the Prophet in January 2015. In December 2015, he declared that Elijah was That Prophet…not Jesus Christ. This directly contradicted a powerfully effective warning tool: Is “That Prophet” Alive Today? The Rise of False Prophets, written by David C. Pack. Past Dave warned us about Future Dave.

I held fast to that which I was taught with much prayer, fasting, and tears until I could no longer stomach the complicit insanity unfolding at Headquarters. After former critical thinker Edward L. Winkfield made a habit of regurgitating prophetic nonsense to show homage to his human idol, I finally resigned in March 2021.

Using my own Bible study notes as the genesis, I established exrcg.org in June 2022 to expose the teachings of David C. Pack and the enablers at The Restored Church of God. The most biting words on the website are that of David C. Pack—not mine.

The best way to expose the Pastor General’s true character and solidify his reputation was to let David C. Pack speak. Nobody could do more damage to David C. Pack than David C. Pack. There is an exquisite irony about that, which still makes me giggle.

From his own mouth, David C. Pack declares he has enemies. But who are they?



For the record, David C. Pack is not my enemy. In fact, I have NO enemies. Like everyone, I have had people be terrible to me, the worst of which was an ex-girlfriend who was a minister's daughter. Even though she was one of the most awful, hurtful human beings I have ever encountered, I can still say I have NO enemies.

Part 371 of “The Greatest Untold Story!” was the first instance that made me wonder if Dave was talking about me. Before my website, I had regularly contributed to Banned by HWA and did three interviews with Dawn Blue of How It’s Done in Wadsworth.

Part 371 – May 28, 2022
@ 1:30:05 And that sounds like maybe we’re gonna go through some things. I still wonder whether whether maybe there’ll be some final attack on us. I promise you, this sermon will get out, and there'll be mockers. There are wicked people who are who are excited about what they can do to us. They can’t stop us.

More sideways references were mentioned, and supporters believed my interviews and website were making a difference. Maybe exrcg.org was starting to get under Dave's skin, and he saw me as his enemy.

Part 387 – August 15, 2022
@ 39:23 I mean, we’ve got people so wicked trying, besieging us. I finally came to understand what Habakkuk 2:5 is. The wicked compassing the righteous. People who were once with us are more wicked (almost) than the devil. And we got some of our brethren seem to wanna listen to what they say. It’s strange.

Part 417 – February 2, 2023
@ 1:55:18 So, I'm expecting next Tuesday, and I know there are enemies among us who are dead men walking. Maybe you only need one. And they’ll post it to evil men. Don’t worry about it. It may shake some people. Don’t worry about it. If I’m gonna tell you it’s got it’s gonna go online. There are people. The wicked don't understand, and they'll commit suicide in two seconds.

Part 478 – November 4, 2023
@ 1:00:08 There are people who are in this church, and some will have left the church and and attack us.

 


Does David C. Pack see ME as his enemy?

His recent quotes would suggest that, but that cannot be true when you measure his descriptive statements against reality. However, once David C. Pack judges you as his enemy, you ARE his enemy regardless of what was actually said or done. Former ministers at Headquarters can confirm this.


Part 548 – December 7, 2024
@ 1:06:38 …struggling to a date while inside a beautiful Kingdom makes absolutely no sense. It does for us because there’s hell all around us. We’re under constant attack by liars and satanic people.

Dave has been whining about enemies for years but has never thoroughly explained what kinds of attacks are perpetrated. He does not elaborate on the lies that are said about him or The Restored Church of God. He somehow discerns that these perceived enemies are motivated by Satan. How does he know?

Just by this singular sentence, he absolves me personally and exrcg.org as a reporting entity of being his enemy.

I do not attack him. I report what he says and carefully analyze it.

I do not lie about him. I accurately record what he said, when he said it, and remind people what he previously said even though that might not be convenient for him.

Satan does not pour my cup of coffee each morning. So, who is Dave crying about?

David C. Pack refers to his perceived enemies as "our" enemies, as if the members of The Restored Church of God have adopted those same people as their personal adversaries. The transparent “Us vs. Them” psychological manipulation is displayed in full effect and has been for years.

Part 549 – December 14, 2024
@ 56:30 “Now, this gonna get out, Mr. Pack.” I don’t care. I’m gonna help it. It's funny. We sorta want our enemies to talk about it now. They won’t say a word. [audience laughs] Come on. Talk. Tell people. Don’t shut up now. They know it would serve our purpose.

Dave ignorantly assigns motive where none exists. That is a figment of his victimhood imagination. Nobody sits around worrying whether or not letting his dopey ideas go public serves RCG’s purpose.

This is my 286th article for exrcg.org, and I have never considered, “Oh no…this might help them if I report on it.” What Dave says in sermons is so outlandish that nothing he says would help RCG. That is why they keep their “Greatest Untold Story!” content locked behind closed doors for members only. They never want the complete story to get out because if they did, they would do it. Am I lying, Ed?

They do not want new members to have the complete picture either, or they would make the first 30 parts available in Member Services and keep Is “That Prophet” Alive Today? The Rise of False Prophets on the shelf. Grease your way around that one, Brad. Outdated doctrine is last week for you guys now.

@ 56:48 So, our enemies have gone mute. Deaf. They're deaf-mutes. [audience laughs] But, they won’t be able to help themselves. They’re too full of hate. And they’ll eventually kick into gear and start mockingand the word’ll get out, but they'll be thousands of people hearing it from us. Not just our enemies.

My voluntary break from monitoring RCG finally reached Dave’s ears. Mocking is practically required when reporting on the recycled malarkey David C. Pack says and what The Restored Church of God believes week to week, considering it changes week to week.

I do not possess even a twinkle of hate. What I do have is an extreme distaste for the religious fraud that David C. Pack and The Restored Church of God perpetuates. Due to my 9-year Headquarters access and diligent note-keeping, I am perfectly qualified to be a scribe and herald for the prophetic corruption of that spiritually bankrupt organization. Dave may see this as an attack, but is it really?

David C. Pack’s perceived enemy went mute. But because I do not hate anyone, that cannot be me.


 


I took a break from listening to Dave’s sermons for about two months and came back into the fold just in time to catch some interesting moments.

Part 545 – November 16, 2024
@ 50:32 There’s a group that anticipates and expects both day and hour. And then there’s groups there are people who left us and attacked us who are expecting neither.

Former members attack them. Exactly how is RCG attacked? Dunno.

Part 546 – November 23, 2024
@ 1:17:53 I've been wrestling with the responsibility to inform these groups [Splinters] in a series of… broadcasts about what comes next. They don’t know. They hear bits and pieces from our enemies.

Dave’s perceived enemies distribute information. Exactly how is that an attack?

I guess the idea of “freely you have received, freely give” is for suckers. If David C. Pack preaches the gospel as he has repeated in sermons, and Jesus Christ wanted it to be preached to all the world as a witness before the end comes, how is “leaking” bits of the “good news” any kind of attack?

If Dave's claims are valid, one could conclude that Marc Cebrian is better at preaching the gospel than The Restored Church of God. After all, they want to take that bright light of knowledge and put it under a paywall bushel while exrcg.org tries to shout it from the rooftops.

Maybe imaginary attacks are simply reporting how error-filled Dave's messages are when he cannot even believe the content for an entire week.


Part 550 – December 21, 2024
@ 56:29 Of course, our enemies love to talk about how I got dates wrong. And they they don’t remember Mr. Armstrong did. They don't remember all the apostles did, and they went their entire life. The apostles went their entire lives telling people that they lived in the last days, and God recorded it. Our our our enemies never talk about what I say is coming only, “He said this date. And he said that one and the other one.” And we’ve been wrong.

David C. Pack declaring 91 failed dates since March 2022 is the simplest way to prove nothing else he says matters. Why should anyone on this green earth care what he thinks is coming prophetically when he already got the timing of those private interpretations completely wrong?

Credibility is required for belief. David C. Pack has zero credibility.

Come on, Carl. Six dates within six weeks! Are you kidding? How are you not completely ashamed?

December 16 – January 15 – December 31 – March 29 – February 13 – January 29

Did you notice how Dave threw Herbert W. Armstrong under the bus again? Boy, the story about that guy changes based on need. I have heard Dave say, "Mr. Armstrong never set dates," "Mr. Armstrong never claimed to be Elijah,” and I have heard Dave say the opposite when it suits his purpose.

Despite Dave flip-flopping six weeks in a row because he suffers from prophetic ADHD, he still credits God with his epileptic inspiration.

@ 56:53 But yet, God still considered it prophesying. Mr. Armstrong was still the Sixth Messenger and apostle. He got every date he ever suh-uh-uh uttered wrong. And he and he uttered a bunch for a long time, even well before I came into the church. And he's the greatest servant I ever knew. So, I know I got dates wrong. But the question always was: Were we ever gonna get it right? Were we ever gonna get it right?

No. David C. Pack will never get it right. Am I filled with hate and attacking with lies because I point that out? Let time determine which one of us is the liar, Dave.

 




Part 550 – December 21, 2024
@ 1:19:39 Now, I wanna just say something. I know what our enemies, wicked people who are on a very short clock, will point out. They hate. They hate. I mean, two-thirds of people are gonna hate God [chuckles] and when He set up His First Kingdom. They’re gonna hate you.

Since I am not motivated by hate, Dave cannot be talking about me being on a very short clock. God will judge whether I am wicked or not. I go to sleep with a clear conscience and stand behind every word written on exrcg.org.

I know that David C. Pack, Bradford Schleifer, Edward Winkfield, Carl Houk, Ryan Denee, Salasi Jezhi, Frank Lydick, Jaco Viljoen, Jim Habboush, Andrew Holcombe, and Raymond Garb cannot say the same about what their den of wolves has taught.

@ 1:20:45 God God will wake them up. He’ll work with them. He will. Don’t give up on them. But they need trauma… Maybe God will be merciful, and some of them are close to ready, and we’ll see what the next, you know, five and a half weeks will will will bear out.

These statements sound like Dave is speaking in God’s name to pronounce coming punishment upon those who expose the theological fraud of The Restored Church of God. His perceived enemies will be sorry for ever mocking him. Or will they?

The doohs, oh-noes, and gnashing of teeth just outside the Headquarters’ gate will be sweet music to his smug ears because the whole world will finally be forced to accept that David C. Pack was right.

Nothing biblical or prophetic will happen between now and January 29, 2025. Even if an airplane falls on me, please do not see that as God legitimizing Dave…it was just time and chance. To be safe, Gary and Dennis should also be very careful when they take a shower.

 


Who is the true enemy of the members of The Restored Church of God? Perhaps a gaslighting liar.

Part 505 – April 6, 2024
@ 1:15:37 My enemies will say, “He prophesied this date.” I did not. I taught you that as surely as I taught you I teach you to keep the Sabbath.

Perhaps a false teacher who claims to speak in God’s name and designates people as God’s enemy.

Part 390 – August 27, 2022
@ 09:09 But would He [God] let our enemies know? But but let's let's phrase it this way: Would He let His enemies know? Who are monitoring what we're learningWould He do that? 

Part 487 – December 23, 2023
@ 1:12:15 Or, would He [God] let our enemies, His enemies know? I’ve asked that question before.

Perhaps a fear monger who promotes manufactured threats of violence against the members.

Part 367 – May 14, 2022
@ 1:42:09 But I’d rather just tell you we’re right on track. It looks to me like it's tomorrow night, or we wait a year. And then, watch our enemies crow. Because I promise you, there’s at least one evil person in this church who’s gonna post this in the spirit of murder.

Part 384 – July 26, 2022
@ 1:05:21 What we came through had to be fire. We caught hell from the left, hell from the right. North, south, east, and west in this church. And here we sit. The murderous people who left us and attacked us and never came with us, of course, could not destroy the church.

Part 524 – July 17, 2024
@ 1:10:43 It’s impossible to separate Joseph from the from the story of this little flock that sold all that did these amazing things under ferocious fire and attack by people who wanted us as as dead as that shooter wanted the president.

What is the ferocious fire and attack he refers to? Dave never elaborates.

Nobody wants David C. Pack dead. My preference would be for him to have a moment of theological sobriety where he finally understands the depths of his religious fraud, resigns, and repents. That will happen just as soon as monkeys fly out of my butt.

Part 531 – August 17, 2024
@ 03:50 But now so many years have passed, and there are people who kinda ran out of steam, didn’t stick around, lost patience. That doesn’t mean because they lost patience with the process that God lost patience with them. And those who leave and attack and try to murder the church are in a very different category.

Accurately identifying David C. Pack as a false prophet is not losing patience. It is exercising wisdom and discernment, and it is a result of believing your Bible. Nobody is trying to murder The Restored Church of God, but it would be helpful if Dave shared even one shred of tangible proof regarding that claim.

When fear is your product, it does not require evidence because it sells itself.

Am I David C. Pack’s real enemy?

After evaluating all his characterizations, the only objective and logical answer is NO.

As a vocal former member, I do justly mock him, but I am not filled with hatred. I do not attack him but merely record, report, and analyze his words. I am not more wicked (almost) than the devil. I am not motivated by an evil heart. I am not murderous. 

But most importantly, I do not lie about David C. Pack or what goes on at The Restored Church of God.

When Dave opens his mouth, stupid things fall out. He continually contradicts himself. He is an unstable, angry, accusatory, self-righteous, blaspheming, hypocritical liar, taking the Lord's name in vain while he commits biblical fraud upon the willfully blind members of The Restored Church of God.

Am I his enemy because I point that out?

The real enemy of The Restored Church of God and David C. Pack is David C. Pack.



Marc Cebrian


4 comments:

Byker Bob said...

Anyone interested in my personal Cliff's Notes?

First of all, if you saw a group of people about to die if you did not rescue them (in this case we can't use drowning as an example because of Dave's extensive background in swimming), Dave would be most of our last choices to rescue because he's such a Debbie Downer, and introduces so many problems into peoples' lives. This would be the indelible thought, even if it were on a subconscious level! He'd be left to die while supposedly less significant "innocents" appeared as better options to assist!

It is also very noteworthy that because Armstrongism preaches such a shitty "god", members believe not so much in a loving, nurturing Father, but in a zero tolerance being who is just salivating over any opportunity to swoop down and punish His human children for the least infraction, or even partial obedience! So, paranoia is endemic amongst Armstrongites. They not only have to worry about Satan attacking, but also about God punishing. And, imperfect humans working at counter-purpose. This makes for a horrible existence. I can't imagine how the members and ministers even manage to get out of bed each morning! Well, that last statement is not entirely true. Decades of recovery have not completely eradicated my memories.

Under these ground rules, it would be far easier for Dave and COG members to identify non- enemies (who is even left?) Spiritual enlightenment would seem to include help in avoidance of the need to fight one's paranoid imaginings (Jesus teaching Peter not to fear the wind!), but since exploiting them instead is one of the chief tools that the Armstrongs and their lackeys used to dominate and control us, enemies are invented even when none are present!

Sadly, all of the teachers of Armstrongism deserve this sort of tortured existence, and many members who willfully ignore the many red flags do as well! The quality of our lives is dependent upon the choices we make, even those for which we sense but repudiate clergical duress!

BB

Anonymous said...

Good work Mark. Keep pissing Dave off. When he complains, it lets his people know there is another narrative out there.

Anonymous said...

"The apostles went their entire lives telling people that they lived in the last days, and God recorded it."

Time is a scientific subject. It comes under physics. So what if the timing is all wrong? It's just another scientific error in the bible. The bible is not a science book. So what does it matter if the timing was off? The bible is still inspired when it comes to religious dogma. Likewise, the errors in Dave's timing do not refute his doctrines or his inspiration regarding spiritual matters. Even if they make him a false prophet.

R.L. said...

At least Dr. Thiel names his enemies. In fact, it's almost like he's carrying on a long-distance conversation with this blog.