Precept Upon Precept, Clown Upon Clown: How Armstrongism Turned God’s Mockery Into Their Holy Study Method

 

But the word of the Lord was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken. Isaiah 28:13

Ah, yes. The classic Armstrongist party trick. Whenever some wide-eyed prospective member or lingering splinter drone starts asking too many pesky questions about why the "one true church" cherry-picks doctrines like a starving raccoon in a dumpster, out comes the triumphant bellow: "Precept upon precept! Line upon line! Here a little, there a little!" It's their sacred get-out-of-context-free card, the magical incantation that justifies ripping verses from here, there, and everywhere to "prove" British Israelism, mandatory tithing to headquarters, triple tithes and offerings during "God's" feast days, the sacred calendar, clean/unclean meats, and whatever other Old Covenant legalism HWA and his prophetic successors decided was essential for salvation that week.

Let's actually open the Bible and see what Isaiah 28:9-13 says, shall we? (You know, the whole context thing that the "Philadelphia era" remnant claims to love so much.)

King James Version (because that's the one they prefer when it suits them):

9 Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. 10 For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little: 11 For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people. 12 To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear. 13 But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.

Notice something? The phrases "precept upon precept" etc. are not a divine study method handed down from on high. They are the mocking taunt of drunken, scoffing priests and prophets in Ephraim (and by extension, Judah) who are ridiculing Isaiah's message. They're saying, in effect: "Who does this guy think he's teaching? Babies just weaned from the breast? Blah blah blah, rule on rule, line on line, a little here, a little there—yada yada yada." It's baby talk to their sophisticated, wine-soaked ears.

God is not patting them on the back for their systematic theology homework. He's pronouncing judgment. They rejected the true rest and refreshing found in Him (verse 12 — hello, New Covenant shadow), preferring their own religious game of collecting scattered proof-texts while ignoring the heart of the matter. As a result, the very words they mocked become a trap that causes them to stumble, fall backward, be broken, snared, and taken captive.

How Armstrongism Distorted It Masterfully

Herbert W. Armstrong and his theological descendants (Thiel, Pack, Flurry, Kitchen, Brisby, and the rest of the clown car) turned this passage of divine mockery and judgment into their primary hermeneutical operating system. "The Bible is a jigsaw puzzle! You have to put it together precept upon precept, here a little there a little!" they'd thunder from the pulpit, while conveniently ignoring that the passage is God describing how the unrepentant stumble over His word precisely because of that fragmented, rules-focused approach without the Spirit.

This "method" gave them unlimited license to:

• Proof-text their way to British Israelism by yanking obscure verses about ancient tribes and slapping them onto modern Anglo-Saxon nations. Never mind the mountains of genetic, historical, and archaeological evidence against it.

• Reimpose the Old Covenant (or their mutated version of it) on New Covenant believers. Tithing? Check. Holy Days? Check. Dietary laws? Check. Sabbath policing? Double check. All while Jesus and the Apostles made it clear the shadows have been fulfilled in Christ.

• Dodge the plain teaching of Scripture on grace, faith, and rest in Christ. Why deal with the finished work of the Cross when you can hopscotch through 66 books looking for supporting snippets?

• Maintain control. If everything is "here a little, there a little," only the enlightened Apostle or his chosen successor can properly assemble the puzzle. Question the assembly? You're a Laodicean, rebellious, or worse.

It's peak irony. The passage warns against treating God's word like a bunch of disconnected rules from a drunken religious elite who rejected rest in Him — and Armstrongism built an entire empire on doing exactly that.

The Real Point They Missed (Because It Would Bankrupt Their Empire)

Verse 12 is the heart: 

This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear.

Sound familiar? Jesus said, "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28). The New Covenant isn't about mastering scattered precepts through human effort and headquarters-approved Bible studies. It's about faith in the finished work of Christ, the true Cornerstone (Isaiah 28:16, right in the same chapter they love to twist).

The Armstrongist approach — endless rule-stacking, fear of "falling away" if you miss a Holy Day, financial extraction disguised as "God's government," and spiritual exhaustion — is the exact opposite of rest. It's the path that leads to being "broken, and snared, and taken." Just look at the devastated lives, failed prophecies, scandals, and shrinking congregations across the splinters. The trap worked exactly as Isaiah described.

Congratulations, COG leaders! You've taken a passage where God mocks religious know-it-alls who treat His word like a rulebook for toddlers and turned it into your infallible method for reinventing Judaism with a thin coat of "Church of God" paint. Precept upon precept indeed — mostly the precepts of men that make the word of God of none effect (Mark 7:13, another verse they probably "here a little" away from).

If you're in one of these groups and feeling weary, exhausted, and spiritually snared... maybe stop treating the Bible like a drunken scoffer’s puzzle and listen to what God actually said about rest. The refreshing is available in Christ, not in another "special" Bible study booklet from Wadsworth, Grover Beach, Edmond, or wherever the latest self-appointed Elijah is holed up.

The word of the Lord was unto them precept upon precept... that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken.

New Covenant Christians must grasp this passage not as a clever study tip, but as a stark warning against the very snare that trapped generations in Armstrongism. The "precept upon precept" approach, when stripped of its sarcastic biblical context, becomes a self-perpetuating system of spiritual bondage—piecing together isolated rules while missing the grand tapestry of grace fulfilled in Jesus. It keeps believers perpetually weaned from the true milk of the Word, treating Scripture as a divine puzzle only "God's government" can solve, rather than a living revelation pointing to rest in Christ.

In light of Armstrong's distortions, believers today are called to reject this fragmented legalism entirely. The New Covenant, sealed by the blood of the Lamb, frees us from the exhaustive labor of reassembling Old Covenant shadows. No more hunting "here a little, there a little" for justification through diet, days, or dollars. Instead, we stand on the solid Cornerstone, where the weary find genuine refreshing—not in headquarters-approved booklets or self-appointed apostles, but in the finished work of the Cross. This understanding dismantles the fear tactics and control mechanisms that thrive on confusion, replacing them with the simplicity of faith, love, and liberty in the Spirit. No one needs Bob Thiel, Dave Pack, Gerald Weston, Gerald Flurry telling them jus how things are supposed to be. 

Ultimately, Isaiah 28 exposes how religious elites stumble when they mock God's offer of rest. For those emerging from Armstrongist shadows, this means embracing the full implications of the New Covenant: no more hybrid law-grace systems, no more "one true church" elitism, and no more exhaustion masquerading as obedience. True doctrine flows not from puzzle-solving prowess, but from relationship with the One who is our Sabbath rest. As you study Scripture, do so with eyes fixed on Christ—the refreshing that the scoffers rejected. In doing so, you avoid the trap, walk in freedom, and become a voice of clarity for others still entangled in the wreckage of failed prophecies and man-made empires. The rest is not only better; it is the very gospel itself.

Did Herbert W. Armstrong Really Have the Power to "Bind and Loose" on Earth and in Heaven?

 

Did Herbert W. Armstrong Really Have the Power to "Bind and Loose" 

on Earth and in Heaven?

Samuel Kitchen claims that Herbert Armstrong had the keys to bind and loose things on earth and in heaven, but did he really?

Herbert W. Armstrong loved to position himself as Christ's one and only end-time apostle, complete with the divine authority to "bind and loose" doctrines, practices, and even people's eternal destinies. He didn't just hint at it—he declared it with the full weight of his office. In a November 8, 1978, member letter, he made it "OFFICIAL" that this authority belonged exclusively to "Christ's present-day Apostle," not to lower-rank ministers or the church as a body. In August 1978, he warned that any "separated individual believer" trying to get salvation on his own or by following some man or denomination was "CUT OFF" from the true teaching that Christ reveals only through His apostle.

He doubled down: Disagree on doctrine? You're out of harmony with God's one Church. And that Church, of course, speaks only what Christ taught His apostle. Nice setup if you're the apostle.

This wasn't some minor administrative quirk. It was the theological engine that powered the entire WCG system of one-man rule, mandatory tithing, prophetic speculation, and disfellowshipping anyone who dared question the party line. But was HWA actually qualified to wield this authority? And more importantly, is the way he framed it biblical—or is it rank heresy that has left a trail of spiritual wreckage across decades of Armstrongism?

The phrase comes from Matthew 16:19 (to Peter) and Matthew 18:18 (in the context of church discipline). In first-century Jewish usage, "binding and loosing" referred to authoritative teaching: declaring what Scripture forbade or permitted, exercising discipline, and pronouncing forgiveness or retaining guilt. It was never a blank check for one man to invent new doctrines, override the Bible, or act as a spiritual dictator.

Peter had a unique foundational role, but even that was shared. The church is built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets (past tense—Ephesians 2:20), with Christ as the cornerstone. Acts 15 shows a council of apostles and elders making decisions together. Church discipline in 1 Corinthians 5 and 2 Corinthians 2 involved the congregation, not a lone apostle issuing decrees from headquarters. The New Testament knows nothing of an ongoing "chief apostle" office that funnels all truth through one self-appointed successor.

True apostolic authority was confirmed by eyewitness testimony of the risen Christ and miraculous signs (Acts 1:21-22; 2 Corinthians 12:12). HWA met none of those qualifications. His "new truths" were often recycled British Israelism, calendar theories, and prophetic guesses that failed spectacularly. Scripture is sufficient (2 Timothy 3:16-17); we don't need a latter-day apostle to keep updating it.

By claiming exclusive access to "TRUE TEACHING" that Christ reveals only through him, HWA turned the gospel into a franchise operation. Step outside his church? Cut off. Disagree with the apostle? Out of harmony with God Himself. This wasn't shepherding God's flock—it was building a personality cult where loyalty to HWA became the litmus test for salvation.

This doctrine enabled decades of control: dictating marriages, finances, medical decisions, and even what members could read or think. It elevated one flawed man above the priesthood of all believers (1 Peter 2:9) and the direct access to Christ promised in the New Covenant (Hebrews 4:14-16). The Holy Spirit leads God's people into truth collectively (John 16:13), not through a Pasadena bottleneck.

The splinters have carried this virus forward. Whether it's Dave Pack's "apostle" delusions in Wadsworth, Bob Thiel's crackpot pronouncements, or any of the other self-appointed Elijahs and Zerubbabels, the pattern remains: one man at the top, binding and loosing whatever serves the current narrative, while members are warned against "following men" (except, of course, the right one).

Let's call this what it is: a masterful theological con job that would make a used car salesman blush. Herbert Armstrong didn't just misunderstand "binding and loosing"—he weaponized it to crown himself the indispensable middleman between you and God. Forget the finished work of Christ, the sufficiency of Scripture, or the New Covenant reality of grace through faith. No, salvation required staying tuned to the apostle's latest epistle, checkbook open and critical thinking switched firmly to "off."

The sheer arrogance is almost comical. Here was a man who couldn't even keep his own prophecies straight, who changed doctrines more often than most people change socks, declaring himself the sole channel of divine truth while labeling everyone else "cut off." If that isn't the spirit of Antichrist—exalting himself above all that is called God (2 Thessalonians 2:4)—it's doing a damn fine imitation.

Thank God the New Covenant tears up this kind of spiritual extortion racket. No human organization or self-proclaimed apostle stands between you and the Savior. The Holy Spirit isn't on payroll at any headquarters. The priesthood of believers isn't a suggestion—it's reality. You don't need to "get your salvation all by yourself" in isolation, but neither do you need to submit to some modern-day pharisee with a mailing list and a God complex.

The wreckage is everywhere: ruined families, devastated finances, failed prophecies stacked like cordwood, and generations still trapped in fear because they were taught that leaving "the Church" meant leaving God. But the truth is the opposite. Real freedom in Christ begins when you stop following men who bind heavy burdens and start walking in the liberty purchased by the blood of the Lamb.

If you're still entangled in this mess—whether in a major splinter or some tiny "one true church" remnant—consider this your invitation to the exit ramp. Test everything against Scripture, not against the latest apostle's decree. The real Chief Apostle finished His work 2,000 years ago. He doesn't need a Pasadena successor or a self-appointed splinter apostle/prophet/chief overseer/pastor general.

The German Blitz That Crumbled Before It Started – Thanks, Demographics!

For decades, Armstrongism has clung desperately to the long-held delusion that Germany will once again rise as a military juggernaut, invade the United States, England, Australia, Canada, and other so-called “Israelitish” nations, slaughter a third of the inhabitants, haul off millions of prisoners (especially the young and fit), and ship them across the Atlantic to serve as slaves for their European overlords. It even reached peak absurdity at one point with the claim that when the Germans stormed ashore, they’d be so dazzled by the Ambassador Auditorium and surrounding properties in Pasadena that they’d declare it the invasion headquarters. Heaven forbid they tear it down—after all, why destroy such a fine example of God’s (or at least Herbert’s) handiwork when you could just occupy it instead?

Herbert Armstrong kicked off this paranoid fever dream by repeatedly insisting that Hitler was still alive and hiding out in South America, most likely Argentina, plotting his comeback tour. Then Rod Meredith had what can only be described as a particularly vivid wet dream about Americans being cooked in Nazi ovens, hung on meat hooks to die slow deaths, and—because nothing says “biblical prophecy” like extra cruelty—skin from those with tattoos being turned into lampshades, just like the Nazis actually did in some concentration camps.

Scores of breathless articles flooded the Plain Truth, Good News, and World Tomorrow magazines, warning of the imminent German blitz. And who could forget Gerald Waterhouse’s traveling road show of unhinged stupidity, where he not only regurgitated these delusions but happily invented fresh ones for the flock? Even today, the usual suspects—Bob Thiel (a.k.a. Bwana Bob, the Crackpot Prophet), Gerald Flurry, Ron Weinland, Alton Billingsley, Dave Pack, and a whole clown car full of other self-appointed know-it-alls—continue to peddle this nonsense as if it’s cutting-edge revelation instead of moldy 1930s-era geopolitical fan fiction. It should be painfully obvious by now that mental illness and grand delusions are occupational hazards for far too many Church of God leaders and evangelists.

These Church of God leaders need this German invasion to happen. It simply must occur! Only then can they finally declare victory and prove that every wild-eyed prediction they’ve ever made wasn’t the ravings of paranoid men living in perpetual fear of being exposed as frauds.

All of this stems from their stubborn refusal to leave the Old Covenant behind—those heavy chains of law-keeping, enforcement, and threats used to keep the sheep in line. Armstrongism’s allergic reaction to fully embracing the New Covenant is precisely why they keep recycling this apocalyptic garbage. Instead of finding rest in the One who accomplished it all, they prefer to wallow in fear and cower before imagined divine wrath.

They desperately need to see an invading army of jackbooted Germans marching down the streets of Charlotte or Grover Beach. But not once do they sit down and actually think this mythical scenario through. Germany currently fields around 1,000,000 active and reserve military personnel, while the United States has about 3,000,000. Oh wait, they always have an escape hatch: After Germany miraculously drops nuclear bombs on all the major military installations and cities, the number of defenders will be minimal. And of those who remain, many will conveniently perish from hunger and disease. Armstrongism has a convenient workaround for everything!

One thing these prophetic geniuses never had the intellectual honesty to consider is the current state of Germany’s military. This tidbit was on a German page on X:

“Germany can no longer raise an army, simply because of how many Muslims are now German citizens” 

 

“Now, allegedly, Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz has privately admitted that he's worried about the country's ability to raise an army, simply because Germany doesn't want to put weapons in the hands of hundreds of thousands of Muslim Germans. And he'd be right in worrying, because a recent study of young Muslim Germans showed that nearly half expressed latent Islamist attitudes, which are, you know, the kind of attitudes that turn Muslims into terrorists, and more than half said that their religious commandments were more important to them than even German democracy. And if you ask me, these don't sound like the attitudes of Germans. These sound like the attitudes of Germany's enemies”

Let’s get into the facts. A 2025–2026 German government-backed study by MOTRA, Radicalization Monitoring System, involving the Federal Criminal Police Office, found that 45.1% of Muslims under 40 in Germany hold either “manifest” (11.5%) or “latent” (33.6%) Islamist attitudes. This includes preferences for Sharia over the constitution, antisemitic views, and Islamist leanings. When you have a significant population of Muslims who hold a pro-Sharia Law mindset, you can’t trust them in your military.

In the end, the entire edifice of Armstrongist prophecy about a German invasion crumbles under the slightest scrutiny, revealing itself as nothing more than a fear-based control mechanism dressed up in biblical language. While these leaders continue to hype imaginary jackbooted hordes, the real world moves on—Germany grapples with its own demographic and security challenges that make conquering the United States about as likely as Herbert Armstrong returning from Mountain View Cemetery in Altadena to lead the charge himself.

The tragedy is that generations of sincere people have lived in dread, sacrificing time, money, and peace of mind to support a fantasy that has failed spectacularly for decades. The New Covenant offers rest, freedom, and security in Christ, not endless paranoia about European superpowers or nuclear doomsday scenarios conveniently rigged in favor of the “one true church.” It’s long past time for those still trapped in this system to step away from the delusions, embrace the finished work of the Savior, and leave the failed prophets to their increasingly desperate echo chambers. True peace doesn’t come from watching for German tanks on the horizon—it comes from the One who has already overcome the world.

Restored Church of God: David C. Pack is a Lying False Prophet

 

David C. Pack is a Lying False Prophet

David C. Pack is a lying false prophet. To believe otherwise requires willful foolishness and stubborn denial of the overwhelming documented facts that are freely available to all who care to examine.

It would be far too kind to describe David C. Pack as being the least truthiest minister in the COGs. The stark reality is that the Pastor General of The Restored Church of God is a bald-faced liar. He does not just issue verbal mistakes or fumble into biblical whoopsie daisies, but he intentionally deceives the brethren whom he professes to love.

As a Christian impostor, he counts on his mind-numb worshippers being so mentally exhausted that they will fail to realize the numerous contradictions and intentional lies he utters ex cathedra. The human idol and Pope of Wadsworth makes up his own rules as he goes along, ignoring Bible verses he claims to uphold.

The only escape David C. Pack has from being a certified prolific liar is if he turns out to be a theological moron with a neurological condition that prevents him from remembering anything longer than 30 seconds ago.

The only rational conclusion any critically thinking human being can conclude is that, with the preponderance of the evidence, David C. Pack is a lying false prophet.

This video provides a fraction of the receipts:

Dave’s delusional prophethood was extensively covered in the 2024 article, “Prophet David C. Pack,” but due to his most recent declarations, an update was in order.

 

I would like to see Bradford G. Schleifer try to grease his way out of this one:

Part 579 – June 7, 2025
@ 57:01 And it would be easy to throw my hands up and just say, “No man knows the day of the hour.” And oh, do the mockers love to hit me on that. “Oh, this man is a false prophet.” I've never claimed to be a prophet.

Part 447 – June 6, 2023
@ 2:02:42 Now, the fact that He's [God] revealing this to me, I have to be a prophet.

@ 2:02:58 I have to be Elijah now.

Part 27 – May 7, 2016
@ 1:46:53 I knew I understood I was Elijah.

Part 273 – December 12, 2020
@ 2:29:03 That prophet has to talk about it. If it's not me, brethren, then you better go looking for him.

David C. Pack was so convinced that he was the Elijah to come that he preached that God would destroy the earth if his commission was stopped.

First a Moses, Now Elijah—130 Proofs! (Part 3) – January 24, 2015
@ 1:16:51 Or is it something bigger that causes the devil to want me dead above all human beings on earth? If Elijah's commission is stopped, God said He would destroy the earth, brethren. Now, if you’re uncomfortable with me holding that job, it couldn’t be as much as I am.

Ah, shucks, fellas. If you keep me from doing my job, the entire earth blows up. Gee whiz.

No wonder David C. Pack called me "That devil, Marc Cebrian" at the supper table during the Feast of Tabernacles in 2023:

@ 1:16:58 If the devil can kill or discredit or block me using every means possible, he can make God put God in a position to destroy this planet.

My apologies to the inhabitants of the earth. The purpose of exrcg.org was not to annihilate the globe. But fear not, people of the little blue dot, for even David C. Pack came to his senses and agreed with me. He undeclared he was a prophet.

Part 291 – February 27, 2021
@ 1:02:14 I am not Elijah. Not yet. But as an apostle, the Bible does say, Paul did say, “For we know in part and we prophesy in part.”

Unfortunately for Dave, only God installs men into positions of authority. Humans cannot do that. Either David C. Pack was never a prophet to begin with and presumptuously stole the title for himself, or he is a prophet ordained by God and has since proven himself to be false.

Which is it, Brad? You can rope Ed in on that one and confer. I will eagerly await your generic non-answer excuse why it is okay to allow that blaspheming liar to continue as RCG’s figurehead.

 

Dave walked back being Elijah, but held onto his "prophesying" assertions by altering the meaning to be "just teaching what the Bible says." But slathered with healthy portions of wishy-washy verbiage.

Part 501 – March 30, 2024
@ 27:42 So, it's possible, it's possible, I guess, I'll just say, maybe that I'm prophesying things that are gonna happen.

Part 583 – July 12, 2025
@ 01:30 Now, I’m not setting a date. I’m presenting an immensely powerful pile of evidence for examination… If a date is set, the material will do it. Not me.

So, the material has been wrong 144 times since August 30, 2013, and not David C. Pack. Gotcha.

Even after unlawfully revoking his own Elijah status, Dave continued to lie to the church while claiming God’s authority and speaking in His name.

Part 471 – September 30, 2023
@ 1:43:41 I just don't know. And I’m not here to tell you the day. I’ll never do it again. I’ll never do it again.

Did Dave learn his lesson?

Part 602 – October 18, 2025
@ 1:49:40 Now, if the three bedrock points covered today… can all be wrong, all of it's just all wrong, we can just acknowledge together today that I couldn’t possibly ever offer another date in their place. Could never be done.

Did David C. Pack stop lying?

Part 617 – January 17, 2026
@ 1:31:48 It wudden’t Trumpets. And it wudden’t Abib 1, and it wudden’t Tevet 10, and I was trying to figure—we got it. We got it!

Daniel’s 1335 did not begin on February 2, 2026, on Shevat 16, but that was the sermon that invented the hilarious Regret-O-Meter. I would also like to formally thank David C. Pack of The Restored Church of God for providing this immortalized moment of raw hubris and a supreme vanity.

Did Dave finally realize how awful he was at his self-assigned job and come to a horrific realization that God is not backing up anything he preaches?

Part 631 – April 11, 2026
@ 1:49:45 I know the exact date, absolutely, 1000% that the Kingdom is coming, and you know it can't be later than the Second Passover, and that's 19 1/2 days away.

Dave tries to utilize gaslighting and lies to erase the past. Only an enemy of the church would dare write down what he said and remind you about it. Contrary to his assertions, I do not want anyone in RCG dead. I just want them to remember.

Part 634 – May 2, 2026
@ 1:39:35 But Elijah the Prophet has not yet appeared. I am not Elijah. Nobody is.

David C. Pack circumvents scripture to once again manifest his own “because I say so” theology that conveniently excuses his perpetual failings. Using self-serving logic, he conjures biblical excuses without being able to quote a verse or provide any proof.

Just like any false prophet would.

@ 1:39:43 I’m still a messenger and an apostle, and I can err. I can get dates wrong… Surely, everyone knows I can err.

This is an admission of defeat without assuming any accountability.

@ 1:40:20 But, I can err. A prophet, when Elijah is raised as a prophet, a prophet cannot err because he gets the words directly from God’s mouth.

@ 1:40:51 I’m not getting any words from God’s mouth.

So, that makes preaching 144 wrong dates since 2013 perfectly fine now.

David C. Pack currently denies that he is a prophet and is not Elijah. Because he is “just an apostle,” he self-pardons himself from past responsibility and is perpetually excused for making prophetic “mistakes.” But boy, if one of those dates popped, he would be hopping up and down while pissing himself with excitement that he finally got one right, and crying out at the top of his lungs how right he was.

Dave often teaches that a carnal mind has an amazing ability to find a way to justify sin and disobedience. His ego cannot let him consider that he is doing this right now. By claiming he is not a prophet, he desperately tries to defuse the accurate observation that he is a false prophet.

There are no "take-backs" in Bible prophecy, Dave.

In this way, the Pastor General is retroactively excusing his fraudulent declarations by hiding behind a non-existent biblical loophole. On August 30, 2013, David C. Pack had a singular opportunity to be proven legitimate. And he failed. Which is why he will continue to fail into the grave.

David C. Pack is a hypocritical blaspheming liar, false apostle, false teacher, and false prophet. He discredits himself, and his own words dissolve all of his credibility. He does not speak with God's authority or on God's behalf. The Holy Spirit does not inspire David C. Pack to preach what he does.

No amount of lying or gaslighting will change the reality that David C. Pack is a false prophet.

Marc Cebrian

See: David C. Pack is a Lying False Prophet

The Real Story of the First One Hundred Years of the Church

 The Real Story of the First One Hundred Years of the Church

Lonnie Hendrix

Shortly after Herbert Armstrong became affiliated with the Church of God, Seventh-Day in Oregon, two of his associates collaborated in writing A History of the True Religion From 33 A.D. to Date. Andrew Dugger and Clarence Dodd published their work almost one hundred years ago, and it has largely remained the way that these Sabbatarians recount the history of their organizations since it was published. Unlike other Sabbath-keeping Christians (e.g. Seventh-Day Baptists and Seventh-Day Adventists), these folks have insisted on claiming that there has always been a group of Christians who kept the Sabbath – from the Church’s foundation up to the present time. The premise is that those Sabbath-keeping folks constituted the “true” Church down through history, and that all Sunday-keeping Christians represent a “false” brand of the faith.

In Dugger’s and Dodd’s words: 

A history of the true Church of God could not be written without taking into consideration the lives and work of the outstanding leaders of the Gospel Age, that is, the apostles Paul, Peter and John; for by, or under their direction, most of the New Testament Scriptures were written, and the fortunes of the church advanced during the first century, and fashioned for future centuries. 

While there is nothing wrong with this statement, Dugger and Dodd used it to wipe out a great deal of real Church history. After going through a brief summary of the work of those three men, they wrote: 

It has already been shown that the New Testament name for the true church organized by Jesus Christ was the ‘Church of God,’ and as we leave the New Testament writings and launch out into secular history, which we must do, as the New Testament narrative only carries us to about 96 A.D., we will find the same name brought to view down through the Gospel Age. These people, however, have always been called, by their enemies, by other names. The name ‘Nazarenes,’ applied to them by the world, during the first period following the days of the apostles, will be considered first.

Did you catch that? They want to start their history in 96 A.D. – assuming that the writings of those three men support their position, and that nothing else happened between 33 A.D. and that year to contradict their narrative!

Similarly, in his booklet Where is the True Church? (1984), Herbert Armstrong wrote: 

So it was, that before A.D. 50 (the Church had been founded in A.D. 31) a fierce controversy arose as to whether the gospel to be proclaimed was the gospel OF Christ, or a gospel ABOUT Christ. Soon the curtain was wrung down on historic records of the Church. It evidenced the fact that a vigorous cooperative and systematic effort was made to destroy historic records of church happenings of the next hundred years. It was the ‘LOST CENTURY’ in church history. When the curtain of history is raised about A.D. 150, it reveals a church calling itself ‘Christian,’ but one totally different from the Church Jesus founded through his apostles in A.D. 31. 

Now, once again, the reader will notice that Armstrong ignores a century of Church history and doesn’t support any of his statements with any sources or evidence!

Even so, Mr. Armstrong’s successors among the Armstrong Churches of God have adopted a similar narrative about the origins of their organizations. In his Where Is the True Church? and Its Incredible History! (June 2026), David Pack wrote: 

John’s death, in about AD 100, ended the apostolic era and what constituted most of what is considered the Ephesian Era. We have covered some of the details of where the apostles served and aspects of their work. Polycarp introduces the Smyrna Era, but we need to backtrack and summarize certain events of the Ephesian Era, and consider their implications.

Like his mentor before him, Pack believes that the seven churches of the book of Revelation represent seven church eras. In fairness to Dave, he does go back and mention the great fire in Rome (64 CE), and Nero’s persecution of Roman Christians. Likewise, he does also mention the Roman war against the Jews, but he minimizes its impact on the Church. He went on to write: 

The majority of the Church, who were so willing to give up the truth they once embraced, proceeded to shun and condemn those who held fast to what they had all formerly believed. Those ‘Nazarenes’ who chose to remain loyal to the teaching of the apostles were accused of being divisive—deemed guilty of creating ‘schisms.’ We will see that this pattern reappears much later, near the book’s conclusion.

Once again, for Pack, these Nazarenes constituted the “true” Christians – everyone else was an apostate!

Next, we will take a brief look at the self-proclaimed Armstrong Church of God expert on the early history of the Church, Bob Thiel. In his History of Early Christianity, Thiel wrote: 

According to the New Testament, true Christianity was practiced throughout many areas of Asia Minor in the first century (this area is now in the country of Turkey). Most (between 14-20) of the 27 books of New Testament were written to or from church leaders in Asia Minor. (Even Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox leaders recognized that Asia Minor had early "apostolic succession"; essentially what they refer to as the early "apostolic see of Ephesus.") 

What scripture clearly shows, is that although there were Christians in various areas, the focus for the New Testament writers were the churches in Asia Minor. And interestingly, the last book of the Bible is specifically addressed to the churches of Asia Minor (Revelation 1:4,11). The last of the original apostles to die, John, died in Asia Minor and his disciple Polycarp of Smyrna was a major leader there. Those there also taught the true gospel of the kingdom and opposed others who promoted a different gospel. There were actually two major groups that claimed Christianity in the late second century that claimed succession from the apostles, and only one of them has remained faithful--for some further details, please see Early Church History: Who Were the Two Major Groups Professed Christ in the Second and Third Centuries?” Later, in the same article, he wrote: “While scholars have a variety of opinions, this page itself will simply mention the following beliefs held by true Christians in the second century, with links to highly documented articles on each subject (which are primarily based on the Bible and early historical writings). Amazingly, a leading Protestant scholar (H. Brown) has admitted: It is impossible to document what we now call orthodoxy in the first two centuries of Christianity (Brown HOJ. Heresies: Heresy and Orthodoxy in the History of the Church. Hendrickson Publishers, Peabody (MA), 1988, p. 5). In other words, much of what now passes for ‘orthodox Christianity’ did not exist in the first two centuries after Jesus was crucified and resurrected. This is basically because while there was only one original church, another major group emerged in the second century who changed certain original Christian practices and became what most now seem to feel represent ‘orthodoxy’ (for details, please see Early Church History: Who Were the Two Major Groups Professed Christ in the Second and Third Centuries?)” 

OK, I gave Bob a little more space just because he claims to be an expert!

Unfortunately, all of this Church “history” from Dugger and Dodd to Bob Thiel is inaccurate and misleading – and I’m being generous! Instead of historically accurate accounts of Church history, these men have carefully crafted historical fiction and propaganda to support their narrative that they alone represent the “TRUE” Church. By the way, a good rule of thumb: history written with an agenda or to prove a thesis never turns out to be historically accurate. The folks who write this kind of “history” are looking for evidence which supports their beliefs, and they ignore any and all evidence which contradicts their narrative!

For those of you who may be interested in the real story of what happened during the first one hundred years of the Church, I’d like to invite you to read my twelve-part series on my own blog. My narrative is evidence-based. It presents an extensive exploration of Scripture and looks at the other sources available to us from that period (e.g. the epistle of Barnabas, epistle of Clement, epistles of Ignatius, epistle of Polycarp, The Didache, The Shepherd of Hermas, Josephus, etc.) This evidence-based perspective concludes: 1) that First Century Christians were familiar with most of the writings which became our canon of the New Testament, 2) that the vast majority of Gentile Christians NEVER kept the Sabbath, Holy Days, or clean and unclean meats, 3) that Jewish Christianity was largely destroyed by the events of 70 A.D., 4) that most Christians, Jewish and Gentile, gathered on the Lord’s Day (Sunday) to fellowship and worship, 5) that pagan influences on the early Church were minimal at best. Don’t believe that my summary is accurate? I invite you to take a look at the evidence and decide for yourself.

The First One Hundred Years of the Church (Part 1)

The First One Hundred Years of the Church (Part 2)

The First One Hundred Years of the Church (Part 3)

The First One Hundred Years of the Church (Part 4)

The First One Hundred Years of the Church (Part 5)

The First One Hundred Years of the Church (Part 6)

The First One Hundred Years of the Church (Part 7)

The First One Hundred Years of the Church (Part 8)

The First One Hundred Years of the Church (Part 9)

The First One Hundred Years of the Church (Part 10)

The First One Hundred Years of the Church (Part 11)

The First One Hundred Years of the Church (Part 12)

RCG Newsflash: The Cleveland Scene Exposes David C. Pack & The Restored Church of God

Newsflash: The Cleveland Scene Exposes
David C. Pack & The Restored Church of God

The Cleveland Scene news site is shining a light on the shady religious practices of Pastor General David C. Pack of The Restored Church of God. Released online on June 3, 2026, the expose is titled, “Former Members of the Restored Church of God in Wadsworth Say They Were Left Financially and Spiritually Bamboozled.”

Reporter Mark Oprea called me about this time last year to ask questions about the exrcg.org website and my motivations behind exposing an obscure church operating out of Wadsworth, Ohio. We have since spent hours on the phone and in person discussing the theological nightmare that is The Restored Church of God. He had access to sermons and videos posted on the YouTube channel to confirm what is reported about David C. Pack is accurate.

I proved to him that the best way to discredit David C. Pack is to listen to David C. Pack.

Mark interviewed dozens of former RCG members on the record, including Kevin Denee, Elizabeth O’Leary, and Peter Baerg. The article covers a variety of topics, including the financial fleecing of the brethren via Common, failed dates for the arrival of God’s Kingdom, the self-proclaimed divine authority of David C. Pack, and the cancerous religious roots planted by Herbert W. Armstrong and the Worldwide Church of God.

The story about how RCG offloaded $3.1 million in corporate debt onto the members, including some widows, was oddly absent from the final article. Overall, those close to RCG who have read it acknowledge it is well-written and are pleased with how the Cleveland Scene covered the story.

Mark reached out to RCG directly to interview them with prepared questions. They hid behind the front gate and issued a generic, authorless response. It is too risky these days for a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization to attach a real name to a public statement.

Their laughably faceless “Communications Team” is really just Edward L. Winkfield cowering behind his desk with Bradford G. Schleifer hovering over his shoulder.

 

This is RCG’s official non-statement:

Hello Mark,

Thank you for your questions.

Information regarding The Restored Church of God, including its beliefs, history, sermons, publications, and teachings, is available at rcg.org for those interested in learning more.

With respect to your questions concerning the Church’s teachings, we teach biblical tithing and voluntary giving principles based on scripture, consistent with longstanding Christian teachings regarding supporting the Word of the Church. We also teach the gospel of the soon-coming Kingdom of God as preached by Jesus Christ (Mark 1:15)—a future world-ruling government that will bring peace, restoration, and righteous leadership to the Earth, in which faithful Christians will ultimately rule and reign with God and Christ (Romans 8:16-17).

RCG’s focus remains on preaching the gospel, providing free educational resources, and helping individuals and families live more stable and successful lives.

As a general practice, we do not comment on private member matters or internal administrative affairs.

Public tour dates are announced periodically on social media or at rcg.org. At this time, we are not participating in interviews.

Regards,
RCG Communications Team

The highlights noted are mistruths and flat lies.

“is available at rcg.org”

A few select sermons are, but mysteriously absent is “The Greatest Untold Story!” Series that just recorded Part 636 this past weekend. There is also a long list of discontinued literature that is not available on their website, including Is "That Prophet" Alive Today? The Rise of False Prophets, The Bible’s Greatest Prophecies Unlocked!, How God’s Kingdom Will Come—The Untold Story!, The Bible’s Difficult Scriptures Explained!, I Will Send Elijah to Restore All Things, and Herbert W. Armstrong: His Life in Proper Perspective.

Try to find any literature that nails down exactly how God's Kingdom will come. You cannot because it changes week by week, and they know that.

The coercive cash cow financial perversion known as Common is such a vital truth of God that there is not a single mention on rcg.org. Only after people commit to attending are they privileged enough to learn about that financial blessing and test of faithfulness.

“consistent with longstanding Christian teachings”

They meant to type out “longstanding Worldwide Church of God teachings.” But that is no longer true, either. David C. Pack has dismantled so much of HWA’s doctrines that RCG no longer even resembles the Splinters they so desperately separate themselves from.

They recently discontinued The Government of God—Understanding Offices and Duties because David C. Pack blew all that up. Everyone in RCG is an elder now and is only ordained once. Being an evangelist and a prophet just means you have a gift. I wonder if Brad had to sweat through a pay cut. Dave also confessed that Local Elder, Preaching Elder, and Pastor-ranked ministers were made-up positions invented by HWA. He also sheepishly admitted that the United Church of God was actually right with their governmental structure all along.

I never did see the draft of Dave’s apology letter to them after he accused them of being the Synagogue of Satan. Water under the bridge, I suppose.

But apostles are still apostles, wink-wink.

“We also teach the gospel”

But not loudly. After eliminating their $3.1 million in corporate debt one year ago, they have still done nothing to elevate their standing on the world stage. They may exploit the gospel for their own internal purposes, but it cannot be argued that it is their focus.

I challenge RCG's Chief Coward, Ryan Denee, to explain to anyone about the great marketing efforts they have made in the past year, paid for with all that sweet widow’s cash. No new World to Come videos. No new literature. No social media campaign. No public Bible studies.

Just more gardens, more trees, and a reduced groundskeeping staff. You know, just like the idyllic city on a hill.

The “gospel” RCG now teaches is Dave’s bastardized version dipped in his imaginary malarkey.

“RCG’s focus remains on preaching the gospel”

No. RCG's true focus is keeping the campus lights on and the grass sprinklers pumping. David C. Pack is a permanently-sitting prophetic bloviator larping through every Sabbath, befuddling his brain-dead audience with a remixed remix of his malarkey remixed. “The Greatest Untold Story!” is the focus of The Restored Church of God because that IS their gospel. Anyone in that biblically corrupt organization who thinks otherwise is lying to themselves.

Those 144 false dates for the coming Kingdom to Israel, Kingdom of God, Jesus Christ, or Daniel’s 1335 did not math themselves into existence. That is all on false prophet, false apostle, false teacher, blaspheming hypocritical liar David C. Pack, despite his desperate efforts to convince everyone to the contrary.

The focus in RCG is on David C. Pack. Dave knows this. Brad knows this. Carl knows this. Ed knows this. Jaco knows this. Salasi knows this. Frank knows this. Jim and Andy know this. Mike knows this. Even “the littlest Denee” Ryan knows this.

“live more stable and successful lives”

Those who live the most stable and successful lives in The Restored Church of God are those who leave The Restored Church of God. That entire organization is a toxic pit of spiritual corruption. David C. Pack does not teach what he does by the inspiration of God or the Holy Spirit.

The Cleveland Scene article exposes the doctrines and practices of Pastor General David C. Pack and The Restored Church of God. I am grateful for Mark Oprea’s interest in this story. The more publicity RCG receives, the more people who can be warned about what kind of spiritually bankrupt organization they really are.

Just shine a light on them and watch them scurry.

Marc Cebrian
See: Newsflash: The Cleveland Scene Exposes David C. Pack & The Restored Church of God

The Damning Legacy of COG Prophecy Addicts. God Called Them False Prophets — Why Are You Still Sending Them Tithes?

Doug Winnail is back with another heartfelt plea about how crucial Bible prophecy is to “the Church” and their earth-shattering message to the world. How touching. The only teensy problem? Not one single prophecy from Rod Meredith, Gerald Weston, Herbert Armstrong, or their endless parade of spiritual heirs has ever come true. Not. One.

They rifle through Scripture like it’s a prophetic buffet, cherry-picking verses backward to retrofit whatever crisis is trending this week. The golden oldie “Brethren, we have less than five years left!” has been recycled longer than some of these “leaders” have been alive. Five years became ten, twenty, thirty… and now we’re approaching a full century of Herbert W. Armstrong’s prophetic dumpster fire. His predictions didn’t just fail—they failed spectacularly, publicly, and repeatedly, littering church history like embarrassing roadside wreckage.

And the current crop of COG prophecy addicts? They’re carrying the torch with pride:

• Bob Thiel, whose “dreams” apparently carry more weight than actual Scripture. 
• Gerald Flurry, still waiting for his magical rock to pulverize the nations while he plays king in his Edmond compound. 
• Ron Weinland, who set multiple return-of-Christ dates, missed every one. He just shrugged and bought his wife some more diamonds. 
• Dave Pack, the undisputed champion of “Any Day Now… Again!”—a man who’s declared the end so often he makes doomsday preppers look patient.

And dozens more just like them, each with their own “special understanding,” urgent timeline, and loyal followers who apparently skipped Bible class.

Because here’s what Deuteronomy 18:20-22 actually says (you know, that pesky part they always forget):

But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in My name, which I have not commanded him to speak… if the thing does not come about or come true, that is the thing which the Lord has not spoken. The prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him.

One strike and you’re out. No mulligans. No, “we were mostly right on the general idea.” No, “just wait a little longer, brethren.” God doesn’t grade on a curve for false prophets—He calls them liars. Yet these men have built entire organizations, bank accounts, and egos on a mountain of failed dates while daring to call themselves God’s true servants.

Jesus warned about exactly this in Matthew 24:11 — “Many false prophets will arise and mislead many.” And in Matthew 7:15-20, He said you’d know them by their fruits. Spoiler: endless broken prophecies aren’t exactly “good fruit.”But sure, Doug. Tell us again how Satan is deceiving people into discounting prophecy. The far bigger joke is how he’s got an army of self-appointed watchmen (Ezekiel 3 and 33 get thrown around a lot) who are themselves the very false prophets the Bible repeatedly condemns (see also Jeremiah 23:16-32 and Ezekiel 13).

And so the tragic farce rolls on.

Decade after decade, these self-proclaimed prophets have peddled their doomsday dreams like carnival barkers, only to watch their bold predictions collapse in humiliating silence. Families have been torn apart, savings drained, lives put on perpetual hold—all for the sake of a fantasy that never arrives. Yet instead of repentance, we get fresh revisions, new “urgent” updates, and ever-more-desperate pleas for more money, while there’s still time.”The trail of wreckage stretches back nearly a century: from Armstrong’s Germany-will-rule-Europe-and-invade-America fiascoes to the modern circus of Thiel-Flurry-Weinland-Pack and company. Each one a walking, talking violation of Deuteronomy 18, each one still collecting tithes and issuing edicts as if God Himself had not already exposed them.

How much longer will people keep following these spiritual frauds? When will they finally open their Bibles, read the clear warnings, and walk away from the con?

The real Jesus never built His ministry on a never-ending countdown clock. He called people to repentance, faith, and genuine fruit—not to a lifetime of chasing vindication through failed headlines. Maybe, just maybe, it’s time to stop obsessing over the next rewritten prophecy and start following the One these men claim to represent… before another generation wastes its life on lies dressed up as “God’s Work.”

Have a truly profitable Sabbath, brethren. Spend it on actual Scripture instead of the latest prophetic fever dream. Your future self—and your bank account—will thank you.

The Importance of Prophecy: Jesus told His disciples to stay alert and watch for the fulfillment of Bible prophecies that will mark the approaching end of this age (Matthew 24:42–44; Mark 13:32–37; Luke 21:34–36). Jesus also warned, in the parable of the foolish virgins, that many will be caught unprepared by the sudden surge of events that will precede His return (Matthew 25:1–13). God has given His Church “a more sure word of prophecy” (2 Peter 1:19, King James Version) so we can warn the Israelite nations and the world of the prophetic significance of world events. It is an awesome responsibility to be commissioned as a watchman (Ezekiel 3:16–21; 33:1–11). It is also sobering to see that Satan has deceived the world and many in the Church to discount the importance of prophecy. We must never take Bible prophecy and our commission lightly.

Have a profitable Sabbath,

Douglas S. Winnail

Jesus’ Second Coming Itinerary: Church Politics, Then Maybe the Apocalypse and Satan (If He’s Not Too Tired)

Ah, yes—the perpetually seething, grudge-holding God of Armstrongism. The divine equivalent of that uncle who’s been stewing since 1975 about how the family ruined Thanksgiving and now shows up to every reunion with a baseball bat and a spreadsheet of grievances.

Why is He always so angry?

Because in the Armstrongist universe, God’s emotional range is basically “wrath” with occasional brief pauses for more wrath. This isn’t the “God is love” guy from the New Testament. This is Old Testament Greatest Hits: God as cosmic axe-wielding executioner who’s really upset about church organization charts, failed prophecies, and anyone who dares to keep the Holy Days without sending enough money to the right headquarters.

The theological roots remain the same: a heavy, lopsided diet of angry prophets, British Israelism, and end-time obsession that turns every minor church drama into cosmic prophecy. The various self-appointed leaders position themselves as the One True Remnant™, so anyone running a competing splinter is automatically a rebel against God Himself. And we all know how God handles rebels in their favorite scriptures—fire, slaughter, and zero chill.

Enter the Divine HR Hitman: Jesus Returns to Settle Splinter Scores.

According to Dave Pack’s teachings, when Jesus returns (the second time, before any rumored third time), His first priority isn’t comforting the suffering or battling actual evil empires. Nope. He’s going to personally slaughter three Church of God leaders one at a time, like a cosmic game of whack-a-mole with extra fire.

“Open the doors and let the fire devour the cedars.” 

Then, after that invigorating church-sanctioned hit job, He’ll spend years mopping up the rest of humanity. Priorities!

Now let’s add the full cast of characters this perpetually pissed-off God apparently has beef with:

• Dave Pack (Restored Church of God): The man who wrote the script. His version of Jesus starts with executing three rival shepherds in sequence. Pack has long positioned himself as the final apostle, so naturally his version of Christ shares his exact enemies list.

• Gerald Flurry (Philadelphia Church of God): The “That Prophet” who built a mini-empire in Edmond, Oklahoma, complete with his own Armstrong College and a very expensive auditorium. In the Pack prophecy lens, Flurry is almost certainly one of the three cedar shepherds getting divinely barbecued first. God (or at least Dave’s God) is apparently furious about all that Malachi’s Message merchandising and those fancy concerts.

• Bob Thiel (Continuing Church of God): The dream-interpreting, double-portion prophet from California who split from LCG after claiming God spoke to him through earthquakes and nightmares. Bob’s endless “prophetic updates” and endless begging for “co-workers” make him prime fodder for the divine slaughter list. Jesus returns… and immediately has to deal with Bob’s latest dream newsletter. The sarcasm writes itself.

Picture it: The King of Kings descends, the sky splits open, and instead of “Peace on Earth,” it’s “Hold on, I need to handle these three COG preachers who wouldn’t submit to the correct hierarchy.” Dave, Gerald, and Bob—the holy trinity of end-time rivals—getting taken out one by one while the rest of humanity watches in confusion.

Sarcastic translation:

“Welcome back, Lord! What’s your first miracle?”

Taking out the guys who run the other tiny Sabbath-keeping groups. They used the wrong logo and didn’t recognize My true servant.

It’s comically petty. The Creator of galaxies returns… and His top priority is settling scores between competing Armstrongist splinter groups. Not Satan. Not the Beast Power. Not global tribulation. Just church politics with extra violence.

Why does their God need to be this violent, perpetually pissed-off creature?

• Control mechanism: A raging God is perfect for tithing and loyalty. “Send it in or you’ll end up like one of those three shepherds Jesus personally executes.”

• Prophetic one-upmanship: Each leader (Pack, Flurry, Thiel, and the rest) has to sound more urgent and apocalyptic than the others. Herbert W. Armstrong set the tone; they’ve just cranked it to 11 and added specific names, timelines, and body counts.

• They worship the God of the Law, not Grace: Jesus gets reduced from loving Savior to angry enforcer who’s mostly coming back to punish everyone who didn’t keep the Holy Days correctly or support the right “work.”

• Massive ego projection: When your entire identity is “I alone am God’s faithful servant while Flurry, Pack, Thiel, and the Laodiceans are all scum,” it’s convenient when God shares your exact temper and hit list.

The irony is thicker than a stack of old Plain Truth magazines. These leaders have been wrong about dozens of dates and prophecies for decades, yet their version of God is so obsessed with doctrinal purity that He’ll start the end-time slaughter with other Church of God ministers. 

Classic Armstrongism: a small, angry religious fiefdom projecting their own pettiness and rage onto the Almighty. The God they describe doesn’t seem interested in mercy, relationship, or emotional stability—He just seems exhausted with all the splintering and ready to burn it all down, starting with the competition. 

What a loving plan of salvation.