Gerald Flurry's "Gold of Ophir" Teaching And How Philadelphia Church Of God Members Are Dying Because They Think It Is True

This was posted on a private Facebook page and I have the author's permission to publish it.

If you think the face of evil that is Gerald Flurry can't get any more vile, read this.

I know of several people that died over the years because of medical neglect. Especially stick with me are the children and young people. One of my best friends died a long painful death when a pill a day would've saved him and made him normal again. This guy was one of the good ones… We traveled to several international and domestic feast sites, and he took time to make every girl feel special - not creepy but as a friend. I still hold dear the bracelet he bought me from a little girl on the streets of Tobago. He was just a great guy. But he was also the son of the strictest Regional Director in the PCG and and although he wanted to seek a doctor (I think he did, especially when in great pain), but his dad was was super strict. He got to the point where he was went to church in a stretcher. When he died, another main minister died a horrible death of throat cancer. They wrote an article in the Philadelphia Trumpet to say what wonderful examples and that God did heal them because the next time they were conscious they would have no pain, no infirmities. Still miss my friend...

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There is also the "gold of Ophir" which was strong in biblical times. And mentioned in several scriptures about an article GRF made a big deal of the following article around Jake and Tim Thompson's death (the minister mentioned above in my original post). Tim Thompson lived on the compound as he was an evangelist, worked at GRF's right hand, and I think taught at AC (GRFs AC to clarify). I was in Edmond a lot around this time when Mr. Thompson was in his final days of throat cancer. He actually from his bed helped Hessong write the article and it was published (along with accompanying sermons and bible studies). He had throat cancer that was extremely painful but refused medical treatment and the couple times I visited him on his "good days" you could tell he was in agony as the tumor slowly grew to starve and suffocate him while in so much pain and coughing up blood, and since it went untreated, it spread to painful parts all over his body. Seeing something like that makes you angry and makes you think about where you stand on not just medical treatment, but euthanasia, not that they would take that route either. It's a long article but the gist of it is the Bride of Christ (the church) is adorned with the gold of Ophir, and for that gold to be called that it has to be placed in fire over and over to give it it's strength, and we have to be prepared for that kind of trial/sacrifice if it comes. And if we were to die, God did heal us in death (because healing is guaranteed for the "elect") that death, no matter how painful, if you are a "true PCGer" is healing in and of itself because the next moment they know, they will be God beings with no infirmaries.

"Yes, God tests us severely to get us to repent of sin. He allows serious circumstances to befall us at times. But remember, He tempts no man with evil (James 1:13). He only makes us endure spiritual calcining until we are fully ready for permanent use in the holy temple—then He “seals” us, either through death (reserving us for the resurrection) or through the miraculous transformation which shall happen to our body, “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye,” if we are one of those who are alive at Christ’s return (1 Thessalonians 4:17).

"It is during this stage in the refining process that God works to fully extract the dross of Satan’s nature from all aspects of our character. That is what qualifies us, through grace (unmerited pardon). Also, the parables of the pounds and talents (Luke 19; Matthew 25) illustrate that God will also reward us for our fruits, obedience and belief.

"Fiery trials provide the necessary opportunities to grow in faith. And there are essentially two ways we can choose to face such situations: obedience or compromise."  Being purified as Gold

   

Gerald Flurry Prefers To See PCG Members "ROT" From Sickness Than See A Doctor

Living Armstrongism has an entry up today from the Philadelphia Church of God cult based in Edmond, Oklahoma. It quotes from a letter that Gerald Flurry wrote in 2007 where he references another "book" that he wrote The Last Hour.  In that book and in the article Flurry attempts to expound on what it supposedly means to be a real "witness" is for HIS god. 

Like any good Armstrongite leader only HE has the answers because the rest of humanity/Christianity is too stupid to understand what a "witness" for God is.  That mind bent wreaks through in his very first paragraph:

Nobody in this world knows what it means to be a witness for God. Most of God’s people don’t even know!

Apparently Church of God members are stupid too.  In the eyes and minds of ALL the splinter group leaders this has ALWAYS been what the leadership has thought of its members.  The leadership really do believe that their members are all too stupid to understand anything, so therefore  THEY have to interpret scripture for these uneducated members.  God only works with THEM and not through any lower echelon members.

Armstrongism has always loved to use the threat of martyrdom at all of its members.  Only a true believer will die for their cause, or so they assume.

The end of John’s Gospel reads, “This is the disciple which testifieth of these things, and wrote these things: and we know that his testimony is true” (John 21:24). The Apostle John gave true testimony.

The word testimony is translated from the Greek marturia, which comes from martus, meaning martyr. Sometimes the Christian life really is about dying for a cause. It is always about giving your life—about being a living sacrifice—for this cause. But being martyred is merely the end of a physical life. What follows is eternal life.
 
The word testifieth also means to witness, and is similar to the word testimony. John was a good witness. He was willing to be subjected to any trial—even death—in his testimony for Christ. This is the kind of witness Christ wants from all of us.

The words testify and witness reveal the depth of our commitment and love for Christ. The word witness is much stronger than the way it is commonly used today! We must understand what Christ means when he says “follow me,” or when we say we’re 100 percent behind God’s work.

What kind of a "witness" has the Church of God been to the world at large?  It is one of corruption, averse and vice for most of its entire lifespan.  The witness it has given is one of deep division that has resulted in hundreds and hundreds of splinter groups all picking at and devouring each other.  Countless books have been written about the corruption and false doctrines.  The "positive" impact of the church is almost nonexistent.

For Flurry, it is all about "law and trials"  Law is vitally important to Flurry as that is all that keeps his people in line and obedient.  Without that obedience to Flurry his members CANNOT become Gods....his words, not mine. 

No writer in the Bible even comes close to emphasizing the word witness as John does. He uses this word eight times in his epistles and 21 times in his Gospel; the other Gospels use it a combined total of 18 times. The Anchor Bible says, “The verb martyrein, ‘to bear witness, testify,’ and the noun martyria, ‘witness, testimony,’ occur a total of 64 times in [the Gospel of] John and the epistles (verb 43 times; noun 21). The 33 uses of the verb in [the Gospel of] John may be contrasted with a total of two uses in the three synoptic Gospels, a contrast that indicates the extent to which the legal law and trial atmosphere dominates [John’s] thought.” John talked a lot about law and trials. Why? Because it is through keeping God’s law of love and rejoicing in our testing that we become God! That is how we love God and witness to mankind.

I don't know where Flurry gets off on claiming he is keeping "...God's law of love..." When has "love" EVER been used in the Philadelphia Church of God?  How is "love" being preached when families are ripped apart by deviate ministers prohibiting members from associated with loved ones not part of PCG?  Where is the "love" that lets a minister tell family members to kick their teenage child out on the streets and turn their backs on her?  This list could go on and on, but we have all heard the horror stories or experienced them first hand.

The COG and Flurry continues to look down upon members as lower than pig slop in the scheme of things. They are a "stench" in God's nostrils.   Just read the following:

Most of God’s people today are dying spiritually. You can’t smell the stench of people dying this way, but God can see it vividly! For a Father, watching His sons die because they don’t love Him is the most terrible thing He could possibly see. That’s the worst stench of all to our Father!

Later Flurry explains what "love" means in the Philadelphia Church of God.  It means only one thing...GIVING and SACRIFICING  for the work of Gerald Flurry.  Its not being agents of grace that are the hands of God in this world who are bringing into reality the kingdom of God, but being financial backers of Flurry and crew.  Love in the PCG cult is insular and only available for the true believers.

We are honorable witnesses when we love others as Christ loved us! God is love, and we must express God’s love as a way of life.

Our witness of love—giving and sacrificing for God’s work—is how we come out of this world. This is a witness you see only in God’s very elect.

Flurry foolishly believes his group is filled with love and joy though deep down he knows it is not.

Is the pcg full of joy? It should be. Because we are about to help Christ fill this world with joy. That is why we write this message in a booklet, so we can study and penetrate to the depth of God’s love. Christ is about to return!

Satan has full misery, and he wants to destroy our fellowship with God and the full joy it brings.

Our ministers must set an example of joy for the members—to be helpers of their joy (2 Corinthians 1:24).

If you lack that joy, stay on your knees until you get it!

When has a minister of the Philadelphia Church of God ever brought joy?  Will Cal Culpepper please tell us how he brings joy to those under him?  Please?

Because of the abusive ways of Flurry, Culpepper and others the following is a prime example of what members of the PCG have to endure:

This is REAL, ABUNDANT LIVING—EVEN IF WE ARE DYING PHYSICALLY! Over the years in my ministry, I have seen a few people physically rot right before my eyes and yet remain loyal to God every step of the way to the end! Though it must be one of the most grotesque sights to see, at the same time it is one of the MOST MAJESTICALLY NOBLE examples ever on Earth, from God’s point of view! If someone is being loyal in circumstances like that, he or she is BEARING WITNESS OF THE FATHER! What a precious, extraordinary beauty that is! I know I will see those people again, and they will live FOREVER AND EVER! When resurrected, they won’t remember that trial for very long. They will have ETERNAL LIFE!
 
Are you prepared to trust God to heal you, now or in the resurrection? Well done, good and faithful servant, He will say if we trust Him to the end. (Gerald Flurry, The Last Hour, 2004, 2007, Chapter 5, p. 54.)

While church members "rot" in their beds at home, Gerald Flurry, Culpepper and others are out going to doctors and being treated for all kinds of ailments.  Its the same hypocrisy that Herbert Armstrong used against church members decades ago.  He forbid members going to doctors, yet had personal physicians that treated him with countless pills and other treatments. At his death I was given a large suitcase filled with his medicines to take to the amphitheater on campus and burn.  They did not want it getting out that he was on so many medicines.

The Church of God is rotten to the core, especially in the four larger church groups of UCG, PCG, RCG, and LCG.  The "rot" has been ongoing since the mid 1990's.  How many more need to die at the hands of the church?

Is God a Micro-Manager of Your Life?

If you tithe to some preacher or church, does God really "bless" you for doing so?   If indeed that were true, then every tithe payer on earth should prosper beyond all measure, while every non-tither would be cursed, based upon how Christians believe what they think God says in the Bible.  It would require supernatural micro-management on the part of God, for people to be blessed or cursed based upon the false doctrine of tithing.   Guess how many non-tithe payers in this world are very prosperous from hard work and not from tithing?

In reality many tithe payers do not prosper, but struggle to make ends meet and no wonder.  Placing preachers above the family and children, by giving pastors free $money, is simply the stuff of Biblical ignorance.   Virtually any church goer who tithes is Biblically ignorant and a person who has never studied the subject of tithing for themselves.

Naturally pastors of churches are going to demand tithing, while they stand in the pulpit and twist verses in the Bible to cause the naive and the gullible to take from their families and give to the preacher, as if God sanctions such a ridiculous fraud.

Proof that church goers and preachers reject Jesus Christ is in fact, the false doctrine of tithing.  Check it out for yourself and you will find that Jesus spoke to His hand-picked disciples
"freely you have received, freely give" and that meant to not take from people and take advantage of them, by demanding $money, using the name of Jesus Christ.  Jesus taught that His disciples were to take the good news to the world at no charge and for free.   So where has your pastor gone wrong?  Greed?   Lust for a free mansion to live in at your expense?

If your pastor or church demands cash, in the form of tithes and offerings, then you should exit the building, because any true follower of Jesus Christ does not live from fake tithes and offerings, but does exactly what Jesus said and that is "freely you have received, freely give" and that does not mean that church goers are to "freely give" to lazy preachers, who play golf and go fishing, while church goers work for a living.  Nor can you follow some character named Paul (name changed from Saul and why?) and think you are following Jesus Christ.

Either you follow Jesus Christ or you follow some dude named Paul, or you follow some character who stands in a pulpit and pretends to speak for God/Jesus Christ, when he no more represents Jesus Christ, than your local car salesman.   Or perhaps you follow some fictional character named in the "Old" testament, that you have never met, and have no clue about, other than your book of fairy-tales.

The biggest problem with the organized church world, is that millions follow preachers and believe what they say, when the preachers are no more than self-appointed religious overlords, because the $money is so good and there is no work or labor for the free $cash.

Do yourself and your family a great service and boycott all organized churches, because none of them follow Jesus Christ, they only follow the $money.   You can worship God/Jesus Christ one-on-one and since God DOES NOT dwell in temples made with hands, you can be at peace that God dwells in your heart and mind and not in brick, mortar, stone, wood and glass buildings with clowns standing in the pulpits.


Van Robison