Brisby’s Sabbath Ticket to Salvation
Your Salvation is Tied to a Man's Rules?
Jon Brisby, head of the Church of God, The Eternal, has a clear message: skip church on Saturday, and you’re out of God’s Kingdom. In his doozy of letter found online (May 2025), he pushes Armstrongist legalism, calling the Sabbath part of the “final exam” for salvation, requiring rest plus a holy convocation at a minister-approved “designated place.” Miss it, and you’re not fully keeping the Sabbath—kiss your eternal future goodbye. It’s a classic control move: bind salvation to a rule, force compliance, and contradict biblical truth. Brisby’s teachings are morally wrong for burdening followers with fear, biblically wrong for ignoring salvation by grace, and historically wrong for clashing with early church practices.
We’ll also highlight the irony: the WCG taught assembling without a minister present was strictly forbidden, a rule Brisby contradicts with his own practices. Splinterland, stop letting these cult bosses guilt you into submission—reclaim your freedom.
The Setup: Sabbath as Your Salvation Ticket
Brisby claims the Sabbath is a non-negotiable blessing, demanding more than rest—it requires assembling at a specific place chosen by his ministers. He states that failing to do so means you’re not fully keeping the Sabbath, warning that dismissing this rule excludes you from God’s Kingdom. Staying home isn’t enough; you must show up where Brisby’s team directs, or you fail the salvational “final exam.”
This teaching is manipulative and biblically inaccurate. Brisby’s claim that salvation hinges on Saturday attendance at a designated place contradicts the biblical truth of salvation by grace, not works. Historically, the early church met in homes, on any day of the week, not rigid assemblies only on Saturdays. Biblically, the tradition from King David to the Apostle Paul points to Jerusalem as God’s chosen place for His name, not a minister-picked spot. David wrote, “In Judah God is known; His name is great in Israel. His tabernacle is in Salem [Jerusalem]” (Psalm 76:1-2), and God confirmed Jerusalem as His chosen place (2 Chronicles 6:6). Even in the New Testament, Paul and the early church looked to Jerusalem as the spiritual center (Acts 15:2). Brisby’s random “designated place” is a man-made invention, not God’s command, making his teaching historically and biblically wrong.
The Control Tactic: Ministers Decide, You Obey
Brisby declares that a holy convocation must happen at a minister-approved site, asserting that God delegates this authority to him and his team. He rejects at-home worship, stating only his designated assemblies count. If you’re scattered and can’t attend, he urges you to find a way, tying your eternal destiny to his rules. Yet his authority is suspect—he’s a splinter leader from the WCG’s chaotic fallout, with no clear divine mandate.
This stance is morally problematic, as it places an undue burden on followers, especially those isolated or financially strained, to comply with man-made rules for salvation. It’s also biblically flawed, as the New Testament emphasizes worship in spirit and truth, not specific locations. Adding to the inconsistency, the WCG, under HWA, taught assembling without a minister physically present was forbidden, as Herman Hoeh wrote in “Should You ASSEMBLE Without a Minister?” That rule aimed to prevent unguided groups from spiraling into error, yet Brisby allows “informal gatherings” with lead men or recordings—contradicting his own heritage while enforcing strict compliance.
The Fear Factor: Miss a Convocation, Miss the Kingdom
Brisby acknowledges that many members are scattered, with few congregations, a problem since the WCG’s 1970s collapse. He states you can avoid breaking the Sabbath at home but can’t “fully keep” it without convocation. He pushes attendance at annual Holy Days like the Feast of Tabernacles, using second tithe to travel, and weekly services when possible. If you don’t know where to go, he says to search harder—complacency isn’t an option.
This approach is morally wrong, instilling fear that missing a meeting jeopardizes your salvation, placing a heavy yoke on believers already burdened by tithing and isolation. Brisby’s contradiction with the WCG’s no-minister rule adds another layer of inconsistency—HWA demanded pastoral oversight, yet Brisby bends this for practicality while still claiming salvational stakes.
The Modern Twist: No Tech Allowed in God’s Plan
Brisby rejects virtual gatherings, stating a “designated place” must be a physical location, not a Zoom call. You can listen online if approved, but it’s not a convocation. His formula for arranging meetings isn’t something Armstrong taught—it comes out of his gray-matter mush.
This rigid stance is biblically unsupported, as the New Testament prioritizes the heart of worship over physical locations. It’s also historically inconsistent with early church practices, which adapted to circumstances without such strict rules. The WCG’s ban on minister-less assemblies further clashes with Brisby’s allowances, exposing his hypocrisy—he bends HWA’s rules while demanding strict obedience to his own.
Splinterland, Your Salvation Isn’t in a Building
Brisby’s letter is about control, not God. By tying salvation to Saturday attendance at his chosen spots, he burdens followers with rules that are morally, biblically, and historically wrong. Salvation comes by grace, not rituals, and biblical tradition ties God’s presence to Jerusalem, not Brisby’s Odd-Fellow halls. His authority is dubious, and his practices contradict the WCG’s own rules against minister-less gatherings. Splinterland, stop surrendering to these cult bosses—trust your freedom and ditch the legalistic trap.
Monthly Letter May 2025 "Designated Places" by Jon W. Brisby
Brisby’s Sabbath Ticket to Salvation © 2025 by Ai-COG is licensed under CC BY-ND 4.0
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6 comments:
I still remember an elder typically introducing our minister to give "today's message."
This failed to acknowledge the brainwashing, especially the phobic conditioning that was common in the sermons. This is beyond lording it over members faith, and is pure evil. God has made every person steward of their own minds, yet greedy ministers have usurped this responsibility.
The criteria for attending services is "choose life." If attending church services in balance harms members, they need to abstain. I such cases, stay at home members can fellowship with God the Father and Christ during the Sabbath.
How should the sabbath be observed? Wasn't that a major controversy during the time of Christ? John Brisby, for control purposes, says "the sabbath requires" this and that . The Pharisees of old also had their do's and don't, even to the point of accusing the CREATOR of the sabbath of being a sabbath breaker (see John 5:18, 9:16).
The 4th commandment in Exodus 20 says, "remember the sabbath to keep it holy (dedicated, separated)". Separated for what? Rest? Going to church?
Samuele Bacchiocchi, in his excellent book, " Divine Rest for Human Restlessness " page 181 writes: "the sabbath commandment (Ex20) offers no explicit instruction to observe the 7th day of the week by attending a regular religious assembly". Interesting! Secondary Torah scriptures do mention holy convocations. Why?
Under the one size fits all old covenant, everyone was treated the same, as a collective. The Israelites as a people knew very little about God and His ways, and therefore had to undergo rigid education. There were no exceptions. One size fit everybody! Those in defiance were severely delt with, even put to death (see Numbers 15:32-36). Contrast this with the new covenant, where God deals with us on an individual basis according to our maturity and needs. Sabbath observance according to the teachings of Christ exemplifies this difference.
Bacchiocchi lists many ways other than church attendance where the NC individual can celebrate, benefit from, relax, and be restored by the sabbath rest, all according to one's individual needs. On pages 202-204 we read, " no standard formula can be offered to ensure physical renewel to each person on the sabbath, since physical needs vary according to age and profession. A farmer or brick layer who works outdoors may not seek outdoor physical recreation like an office worker who spends the week shut in by 4 walls", which shows that "a single criteria is inadequate for determining suitable sabbath activities. The combination of the triple criteria of God centered activities, freedom and joy, and recreation nature, offers a safer guidance".
The sabbath is a day of freedom set a part to be enjoyed and celebrated. If you want to attend church, have at it. If you want to make love with your spouse, which even the Jews and the WCG allowed, go for it. Personally, I have no problem walking my dogs, taking a nature walk, going fishing, going to a restaurant, or watching a ball game.
We are told by Jesus Christ that " the sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath ". Without a doubt, John Brisby is a modern day pharisee and thinks otherwise. He needs to wake up and read his Bible!!
What about on Monday? Does God leave the believer on Monday or can a believer still fellowship with the Lord no matter what day of the week?
I always wonder what thought patterns would develop in the minds of people who were somehow born on a desert island. Would they discover the differences between good and bad, right and wrong, or would they exist day to day more or less as animals do through instinct? Absenting media and opinion shapers, what original thoughts would they develop? Would they be like the characters in the 1969 Jimmy Castor Bunch "Troglodyte" song?
Ah, too much monkey business!
We have so many influences in modern life, and they are always popping in at random, adding dimensions. During my tenure in the WCG, there was never any cross-pollenation between the SDAs and WCG. Early on in my forum experiences during a discussion of the sabbath, someone asked me "but have you read Bacchiocchi?" Seeing a name that appeared unpronounceable, I said to myself, "Who the hell is Bachugliavacchi?" And then I found out he was just another apologist type researcher who looked in the Vatican Library for evidence supporting the sabbath!
~Mickey
Mickey 548
You are right! Researchers do those things you and I don't have time for. You can accept their evidence or reject it. That's what we do on this blog, we discuss which research best reflects the true Biblical point of view. Sometimes we agree, most of the time we don't.
You're right about pure evil, and it's a blessing the false edifice built up from 1934 all ended up falling apart, but for those fringes still clinging on. Cheers
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