Dave Pack: Why Would God Pick Me If He Knew I Would Commit Major Sins?

3:4: “And he answered and spoke unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from you, and I will clothe you with change of raiment.”

So the reader knows in advance where the following explanation is going, it is helpful to first state that the filth described is simply NOT JOSHUA’S! Start with this in mind as you read. It will become crystal clear.

When I began studying this subject four years ago, along with our Headquarters ministers, serious questions came to mind. First, if verse 3 is describing Joshua’s sin(s), why would God choose such a leader—one He knew in advance would commit major sins? Imagine God putting His Church in a position where it must wait (for a short or long time) for its sin-laden leader to repent. If the sin(s) was in Joshua’s past, I was left asking, Where are they? The Hebrew for iniquity means “perversity, (moral) evil, fault, iniquity, mischief, punishment (of iniquity), sin.” There was no doubt what this referenced.

I certainly did remain in a spiritually filthy environment in the Global Church of God for years (this also describes the latter WCG years)—full of division, accusation, covetousness, nepotism, every kind of favoritism, respect of persons, doctrinal compromise, false accusations, false doctrine and gross ignorance of the Bible. But these things describe all the splinters!

Dave Pack the Martyr: "my whole life has been one long, fiery trial"

Davey continues:

The word plucked is fascinating. It means “to snatch away, whether in a good or bad sense, to defend, deliver, escape, pluck, recover, rescue, save.” God intervenes in Joshua’s life and snatches him from the fire. But what was the fire? Consider. I was pulled from Laodicea, which is eventually going into the fire of the Great Tribulation (Rev. 3:16-18). Since the prophecy is symbolic, it also relates to all fiery trials. In some ways, my whole life has been one long, fiery trial. I was in a fire, stirring and poking, and I was jerked out of it. I was saved, but also helping save others (recall the names Joshua and Jeshua) through my early books and “90 Reasons to Follow the Truth” sermons that helped many thousands leave the WCG. I never looked to be the leader. I looked for a leader. I did not resign from the WCG—I was fired for defending the sheep! Neither did I leave Global—I was fired for defending the sheep! My approach, the biblical approach, was, “A shepherd stays and dies for his sheep.” I loathed the fact that other ministers and leaders just QUIT. Some of them simply disappeared into the night, thinking they were “doing the right thing.” These men thought they were “standing for the truth” when in fact they were taking the cowardly approach. When they saw wolves coming to destroy God’s flock, they bailed out—went to wait in the back of the hall for a severance check. Ironically, the men who were looking to lead were not chosen by God. The one who was not looking for personal opportunity WAS chosen. Thousands will soon have to come to grips with this.

I Did Not Ask to Be Joshua But It Is In My Nature

Davey make two incredibly stupid claims:

It is in my nature to be Joshua
I was the first filed Pastor to stand for the truth

Next, Satan is rebuked by Christ (twice). Rebuke means “to chide, corrupt, rebuke or reprove.” This does not mean the devil is bound or has been cast into the bottomless pit. But Satan and his chief agents over the splinters are removed from being able to resist Joshua as they do. Verse 2 also describes Joshua as a “brand [poker or firebrand] plucked out of the fire.” The Hebrew word for brand means “to rake together; a poker (for turning or gathering embers).” The purpose of pokers is to stoke fires, which increases heat. God identifies Joshua as someone who does this—who continues poking the fire. This is certainly my nature, and describes my whole life. I did not ask for this personality type, but it was the type apparently necessary for the duty. During and after the apostasy, as the very first field pastor fired for standing for the truth, I did constantly stir things up to show brethren what was happening. Mr. Armstrong was the same way—very much so. Recall how he often tried to “JOLT!” (his word) people out of complacency.