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.
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:
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.
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
13 comments:
This is going to be hard for Bob Thiel to swallow. His first problem is that he is not a legitimate minister. He was never ordained din any COG that the was in. They all refused to ordain him.
The Levites were about 2% of the population - Num 31:30 and 10% at the end of 3 years, or the equivalent of 3.3% a year, was enough - Deut 14:28-29!! A so-called third tithe wasn't just for the poor. The poor were to be helped all the time. Where was the command to tithe to others every year?
Come on 1241, you know what Bob would say about that. "It is GOD who ordains Prophets, not the church"!! Lol
Evans Ocheing his Political Henchman ordained him via Witchdoctor spells to control him.
‘He that wishes to be great among you, let him be your servant and he who desires to be first among you, let him be your slave’ said Jesus. Remarkable comments and Jesus also said ‘except you become as little children you shall by no means enter the kingdom of heaven’. What was the practice in Armstrongism stands far removed from what we see revealed within scripture.
Thanks for the good write up SP. Any giving money to offshoots ought reconsider as they are systems that don't show good fruit. Armstrong used tithe for his own advancement and enrichment. The work was one of vanity.
Silent Pilgrim writes:
“Hebrews 7 explains that the Levitical priesthood was weak and imperfect, so God changed it.”
“The Levitical priesthood was fulfilled and superseded by Jesus' Melchizedek priesthood.”
Heb 8:4 For if he were on earth, he should not be a priest, seeing that there are priests that offer gifts according to the law:
Heb 9:11 When Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation.
God did not change the priesthood; what he did was supplement it.
One operates on earth the other operates in heaven.
Silent Pilgrim writes:
“The old system ended with the destruction of the Temple in AD 70. No sacrifices, no temple service, no Levitical roles continue.”
The ‘old’ system did not end in AD 70 any more than the ‘old system’ ended when the Babylonians destroyed the temple in 586 BC.
Jer 33:16a IN THOSE DAYS shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely:
Jer 33:17 FOR THUS SAITH THE LORD; David shall never want a man to sit upon the throne of the house of Israel;
Jer 33:18 Neither shall the priests the Levites want a man before me to offer burnt offerings, and to kindle meat offerings, and to do sacrifice continually.
When the New Covenant is made with the House of Israel and House of Judah there is going to be a need for the Levitical priesthood.
When the pillars of the OT theocracy were toppling God promised through Jeremiah that “in the those days,” the Messianic Age, David would not want for a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel; and the Levitical priests want for a man do sacrifice continually.
Jer 33:20 Thus saith the LORD; if ye can break my covenant of the day, and my covenant of the night, and that there should not be day and night in their season;
Jer 33:21 Then may also my covenant be broken with David my servant, that he should not have a son to reign upon his throne; and with the Levites the priests, my ministers.
And God backed up his promised by saying that if the covenant with the day and night could be broken — an impossibility — then the covenant would be broken with David and the Levitical priests.
Looking at a few Scriptures concerning the priests in the Millennial temple:
Eze 43:16 Seven days shall they [the priests] make atonement for the altar and [thus] cleanse it, (ESV).
Eze 43:27 And when these days are expired, it shall be, that upon the eighth day, and so forward, the priests shall make your burnt offerings upon the altar, and your peace offerings; and I will accept you, saith the Lord GOD. (AV).
Eze 46:20 Then said he unto me, This is the place where the priests shall boil the trespass offering and the sin offering, where they shall bake the meat offering; that they bear them not out into the utter court, to sanctify the people. (AV).
Eze 42:13 Then said he unto me, The north chambers and the south chambers, which are before the separate place, they be holy chambers, where the priests that approach unto the LORD shall eat the most holy things: there shall they lay the most holy things, and the meat offering, and the sin offering, and the trespass offering; for the place is holy
Eze 42:14 When the priests enter them, they shall not go out of the holy chamber into the outer court; but there they shall leave their garments in which they minister, for they are holy. They shall put on other garments; then they may approach that which is for the people." (NKJV).
Eze 40:45 And he said unto me, This chamber, whose prospect is toward the south, is for the priests, the keepers of the charge of the house.
Eze 40:46a And the chamber whose prospect is toward the north is for the priests, the keepers of the charge of the altar:
re 2.16 Hebrews does not teach that God “supplemented” the earthly priesthood with a second one in heaven. Something that you stated.
Heb 7 ''When the priesthood is changed, of necessity there is also a change of the law''. So, God did not supplement the earthly priesthood; He replaced it with a superior, heavenly priesthood in Christ.
The earthly priesthood was temporary and symbolic, pointing forward to the true priesthood that now operates in heaven.
New Testament says:
• Jesus is the Davidic king forever (Luke 1:32–33; Acts 2:30–36).
• Jesus is the eternal high priest (Hebrews 7–10).
• The old covenant priesthood is obsolete (Hebrews 8:13).
Jeremiah promises that God’s covenant commitments to David and Levi will never fail. The New Testament reveals that these promises reach their fulfillment in Christ, who is both the eternal Davidic king and the eternal priest.
Jeremiah 33 is not predicting a revived Levitical system, as you are keen to promote. Rather, it predicts the unbreakable permanence of God’s covenant through the Messiah.
You quote Ezekiel. Ezekiel 40–48 is a visionary, symbolic temple.
Every major feature of Ezekiel’s temple is non-literal but no need to go into all of this now. It is a symbolic vision of restored worship and God’s presence.
It is not a prediction of a restored Levitical priesthood or renewed animal sacrifices. The New Testament fulfills these images in Christ’s priesthood and the Church as God’s temple.
SP writes:
“It is not a prediction of a restored Levitical priesthood or renewed animal sacrifices.
The New Testament fulfills these images in Christ's priesthood and the Church as God's temple”
I disagree.
Jer 33:16a IN THOSE DAYS shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely:
Jer 33:17 FOR THUS SAITH THE LORD; David shall never want a man to sit upon the throne of the house of Israel;
Jer 33:18 Neither shall the priests the Levites want a man before me to offer burnt offerings, and to kindle meat offerings, and to do sacrifice continually.
Jeremiah will be disappointed that God is not going to honor his promise to the Levites, and fulfil it through Jesus from another tribe.
I suggest that he will feel short-changed when he finds out:
How can God make such a promise through me and not intend to keep it?
Jeremiah will probably feel he let down all his Jewish listeners and readers over the years; he may even feel like a false prophet.
How can one then put much confidence in a “THUS SAITH THE LORD”? One may end up guessing how does God intends to honor it if it is not to be understood literally.
Eze 37:26 Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them: and I will place them, and multiply them, AND WILL SET MY SANCTUARY IN THE MIDST OF THEM FOR EVERMORE.
Eze 37:27 MY TABERNACLE ALSO SHALL BE WITH THEM: yea, I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
Eze 37:28 And the heathen shall know that I the LORD do sanctify Israel, when MY SANCTUARY SHALL BE IN THE MIDST OF THEM FOR EVERMORE.
I wonder how Ezekiel will feel that the “sanctuary/temple” in the midst of the Israelites is a church not a Temple?
"Such an understanding of these verses [church replaces Israel], however, undermines the promises given to the Levitical priests, standing its meaning on its head. In contemporary terms this would be tantamount to God's saying to America, "I will always bless you as a nation and will never forsake you," only to say several generations later, "But now I have designated France as America?" Wouldn't Americans feel robbed, not to mentioned deceived? Since when does God keep his promises to a specific people - here the Levitical priests - by changing the identity of the people?” (Michael L. Brown, Jeremiah, EBC, Revised, Vol.7, p.425).
Looks like we will have to agree to disagree. But time will tell.
This seems to be like a view I read from a certain Michael L Brown , a Messianic Jewish Professor, where it seems the logical consequence of his scheme is literal animal sacrifices; literal Levitical priests; literal temple and interestingly this does so forever. Forever being the unavoidable implication of his/the argument.
But all of this contradicts the New Testament’s explicit teaching that Christ offered one sacrifice for sins forever (Heb 10:12).
Like you say no amount of discussion will likely resolve this one.
Michael Brown, the Messianic Jewish Professor, wrote the commentary on Jeremiah for the Revised Edition of the EBC which I quoted.
I read Hebrews 10:12 and don’t see any contradiction, especially considering the nuance in Hebrew argument.
For me the NT and OT must be in harmony. Heb 10:12 must be in harmony with God’s promises in the OT; one cannot have God making promises that He doesn’t intend to keep.
Christ’s one sacrifice purifies the “conscience” to use the author of Hebrews terminology; which also purifies the heavenly temple.
But Christ’s sacrifice does not do away with the need to purify the flesh and the earthly temple in the Messianic Age.
Christ’s sacrifice does not do away with the dynamic nature of sin and ritual impurity that require a purification offering (hatta’t). The hatta’t has a dual function of ransom and purification, with the latter function purifying earthly sancta, while the other blood sacrifices have a ‘ransom’ function which will also be required.
Eze 43:7 And he said unto me, Son of man, the place of my throne, and the place of the soles of my feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel for ever,
With God, through Jesus, having a dwelling-presence in the Millennial temple, as he did in the Mosaic Tabernacle and the Solomonic Temple animal sacrifices will be required to maintain His presence in the Temple and hence maintain the covenant.
Lev 17:11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.
Animal sacrifices also have a great teaching function in that they highlight the seriousness of sin, the holiness of God and enormity of the sacrifice of Jesus.
Committing just one sin is treason against a holy God and deserves the death penalty.
When OT sinners slit the throat of an animal they understood that it was that they should have been died; but God in His mercy provided a way out (Lev 17:11). In the Messianic Age the Levites will do the slaughtering of the animals not the lay people.
The above highlight the principles but how they will be implemented is another story. But God can forgive sin outside the sacrificial system with David and especially Manasseh as examples. But it is all based on the sacrifice of Jesus.
I used to be a Levite, but now I've become a Wranglerite. Problem is, I no longer know how to conduct myself, because there is no such book as Wrangviticus! A pity, that!
7:32 Some people still want to go all the way back to the Old Covenant. I guess, "it is finished" meant nothing. Why do they want to revive the school master/tudor, when Christ will be there on earth? It's this desire that blows me away.
Tank
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