Crackpot Prophet: The More You Give To Me The More God Will Bless You

 

Where would Armstrongism be without its commanded tithes and offerings rolling in to keep their bank accounts bloated?

The mother church, the old Worldwide Church of God, used to brag in the early 1980s that they were bringing in close to a million dollars a workday. That was evident in the 1970s through the 1980s as money flew out the accounting departments' windows at an alarming speed, paying for all kinds of excesses that the leadership, ministry, church, and college thought they needed. A large percentage of it never went to the so-called gospel but into enriching the upper-crust leadership's lifestyles and filling homes and properties with lavish artworks, gold, silver, and opulent buildings.

In church publications, sermons, and member letters, the guilt-tripping of members to give more money reached obscene proportions. Members were expected to open their wallets with 1st, 2nd, and 3rd tithes, Holy Day offerings, general offerings, member letter appeals, building funds, and endlsss shakedowns on holy days as churches and feast sites competed to see who could give more. The crassest of all money demands were for health issues of leadership and their wives and/or emergencies in the church from being persecuted.

Never once did any of the money grubbers ever stop to reveal to members that tithing is NOT a new covenant command, and no one is expected to do it.  Offerings, yes, but not offerings commanded by church leaders. The new covenant says people give according to how they have been blessed by God - not by the lunatic ranting of various COG leaders.

We are getting close to the so-called COG spring holy days, and yesterday, the most highly favored prophet of God to ever walk this earth had one of his "prosperity gospel" posts up.  The Great Bwana, along with the rest of the COG con artists, need your money! After all, God is getting really pissed off and is just itching to annihilate 2/3's of the population of this earth, and they need to be ready to do their part in that massacre.

The Great Bwana Bob trots out Lero Neff to guilt members into adding more money to their envelopes.

Neff says:

The Church looks to God for its needs. Jesus Christ, the Head of the Church, is its leader, its shepherd and its supplier of all things. 

 

However, Christ provides for His Church’s needs through people. He instructs, He commands, He inspires and influences human beings to provide those needs. Depending on the spiritual condition of the Church and the real needs (not necessarily what the Church wants), God does supply. 

In Armstrongism, if the spiritual needs of the church are in the shits, it is because of the members, not the leadership.  

After all, God owns all things. He can and will supply those needs, depending on what we, the Church and Body of Christ on earth, do, and on what our collective attitude and spiritual condition is. 

 

But how does God supply the needs of the Church? Through tithes and offerings of people. 

 

Most of these people are Church members. The rest are people who have voluntarily become co-workers in this Work and from other people who come in contact with the Work of the Church and who voluntarily, without solicitation, send in occasional donations.

Can't forget about those holy day offerings...

Then there are Holy Day offerings. 

 

What are Holy Day offerings? If you search the Scriptures, you will not find this term Holy Day offerings! Since the term is not in the Bible, are such offerings unscriptural? 

 

Not at all, because this term aptly describes what is clearly commanded. 

 

No Holy Day offerings in Scripture? 

Some have improperly suggested that there is not scriptural support for Holy Day offerings. 

 

Yet, the Bible itself provides instructions about taking up offerings on the Holy Days: 

 

10 Then you shall keep the Feast of Weeks to the Lord your God with the tribute of a freewill offering from your hand, which you shall give as the Lord your God blesses you. (Deuteronomy 16:10) 

 

16 Three times a year all your males shall appear before the Lord your God in the place which He chooses: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, at the Feast of Weeks, and at the Feast of Tabernacles; and they shall not appear before the Lord empty-handed. 17 Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the Lord your God which He has given you. (Deuteronomy 16:16-17) 

 

14 “Three times you shall keep a feast to Me in the year: 15 You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread (you shall eat unleavened bread seven days, as I commanded you, at the time appointed in the month of Abib, for in it you came out of Egypt; none shall appear before Me empty); 16 and the Feast of Harvest, the firstfruits of your labors which you have sown in the field; and the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you have gathered in the fruit of your labors from the field. (Exodus 23:14-16) 

 

Clearly, the Bible shows that offerings were to be collected on the Holy Days.

Neff ends with this:

Contribute according to God’s blessing 

 

The place that these gifts are to be presented is the place that God chooses, not where we may choose. If we had the opportunity to choose, some might remain at home or go to some other place, rather than assemble with the rest of the Church at the assigned festival site. It is the responsibility of the Church leadership, guided by God, to determine the place. 

 

The last point in this passage relates to the size of the gift or offering. The amount we give should be according to the amount we have been blessed by God. When God blesses someone in a special or generous way, the person should respond proportionately with a generous offering. If God has not blessed the individual, then God does not expect as large an offering. God does not expect as much from the poor and needy as from those who are comparatively well off. 

 

But remember, after God blesses us, He watches to see how much we believe He has blessed us, by observing the kind of appreciation we show in the size of our offering. (Neff L. Why Holy Day Offerings? Good News, September 1983)

Neff's last comment turned the light bulb on in the Great Bwana's massive head. Dollar signs immediately started floating in his amazing, one-of-a-kind mind.

The Great Bwana then says to give harder so that God will bless you harder: 

There is a related factor that we all must consider — a law of nature that is also a spiritual law. This law is mentioned several times in Scripture: What you sow you reap (e.g., II Cor. 9:6). 

 

If you are a farmer and you do not sow a crop, you will not have a harvest. If you sow a small amount, you will only have a small harvest. If you sow bountifully, or of full measure, you will reap bountifully. 

 

A farmer who sows realizes that other conditions as well will help determine the size and the quality of the crop he will reap: the quality as well as the quantity and type of seed, the weather, the soil condition and the presence or absence of harmful insects or disease. God determines the weather, of course — if there will be rain and whether it will be in due season. 

 

We see from this that we must do the necessary labor such as sowing, watering, weeding and fertilizing, and then God will give the increase as it pleases Him.

The Great Bwana needs your money for those periodic "spurts":

Each time we reach a low point in bank balances, we have a Holy Day offering, and then suddenly the balances increase considerably. Over the next weeks and months, the balances gradually dwindle to the next low point and then jump again after the next Holy Day offering. 

 

Without the Holy Day offerings, we would not have these periodic spurts!

End your financial worries by giving it all to the church... 

In conclusion, let’s look at one last scripture that should put all of this in a better perspective. This is a scripture that we ought to keep in mind as we prepare for the Holy Day offerings:

6 Let him who is taught the word share in all good things with him who teaches.

7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. 8 For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. 9 And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith. (Galatians 6:6-9) 

 

Do not be deceived. Do not be lukewarm. Do your part, which includes Holy Day offerings. Holy Day offerings are one way you can do good to all, including the household of faith. 

 

AiCOG: Herbie and the Atheist Factory: How Armstrongism Breeds Disbelief

 

A Cult That Churns Out Atheists

Herbert Armstrong founded the Worldwide Church of God with a bold promise: to create true Christians, a chosen remnant who would follow the "one true faith" and inherit God’s Kingdom. He preached that only his teachings—rooted in Old Testament laws and a rejection of mainstream Christianity—led to salvation. It was a stark choice: follow Herbie’s narrow path, or be cast out as a heretic, no better than a godless nonbeliever. This rigid dichotomy defined Armstrongism, a movement that claimed to be the sole bastion of truth in a world of deception.

But here’s the bitter irony: Armstrongism doesn’t produce devout Christians. It’s a factory for atheists, driving members to reject faith entirely after escaping its grip. The cult’s legalism, fear-based control, and dismissal of all other beliefs create a brittle faith that shatters under scrutiny. For every loyalist clinging to Herbie’s teachings, dozens walk away from both Armstrongism and God altogether, their belief crushed by spiritual abuse. We’ll explore how Armstrong’s legacy has churned out disbelief, turning would-be believers into atheists through its toxic mechanisms.

The False Dichotomy: Herbert’s Way or The Highway

Herbie wielded a false dichotomy like a weapon: follow his way, or you’re as lost as a nonbeliever. He taught that mainstream Christianity—Easter, Christmas, Sunday worship—was a satanic counterfeit, rendering its practitioners no better than atheists. Old Man Herb even claimed nonbelievers might have a better shot at salvation than those following a corrupted faith, because they weren’t actively defying God with false worship. There was no middle ground: either you accepted his truth—Saturday Sabbath, Old Testament festivals, rejection of "pagan" holidays—or your faith was meaningless.

This "my way or the highway" mindset was about control, not faith. Armstrongism demanded total allegiance to Herbie’s rules, leaving no room for individual conviction. Question the Sabbath? You’re out. Celebrate Christmas? You’re out. Consider mainstream Christianity? You’re out. Only a tiny elite who followed Herbert without deviation knew the real path to salvation, while everyone else—from Baptists to nonbelievers—was equally lost. This pressure cooker didn’t build resilient Christians; it made faith so suffocating that, for many, the only escape was atheism—not because they rejected God outright, but because Herbie’s version of God was unbearable

Legalism Over Love: A Faith That Crushes

The engine of Armstrongism’s atheist factory is its legalism. Old Man Herb taught that true Christianity meant strict adherence to Old Testament laws—Sabbath-keeping, dietary restrictions, festival observance—while rejecting "pagan" practices like Easter. This was a mandate, enforced with threats of disfellowshipment and eternal damnation. A single misstep—like eating pork—could sever your connection to God, leaving you as lost as any nonbeliever. Faith became a checklist of dos and don’ts, with no room for grace.

This legalistic grind eroded faith. Ex-members describe the exhaustion of living under Herbie’s rules: every action scrutinized, every holiday a minefield. The Cult demanded up to 30% of income in triple tithes, leaving families strained while Rich Man Herb lived in luxury—private jets, a Pasadena mansion, gold-plated offices—a hypocrisy that fueled disillusionment. When faith is just a performance—keep the Sabbath, shun Easter—there’s no space for a personal connection to God. Love and joy were replaced by fear and guilt. For many, this hollow Christianity became unbearable. When they broke free, they didn’t seek a new faith—they rejected faith entirely, associating God with the control they’d endured. Armstrongism didn’t make them Christians; it made them atheists.

Isolation and Fear: Cutting Off Alternatives

Armstrongism’s isolation tactics further fuel its atheist production line. Herbie dismissed all other forms of worship as pagan abominations, teaching that mainstream Christianity was a satanic counterfeit. By labeling Easter and Sunday worship as godless, he ensured followers saw no viable path outside the Cult, with Herbie as the sole arbiter of truth. Members were taught to shun "worldly" influences—family, friends, other churches—leaving them dependent on Armstrongism. The world became a spiritual wasteland, with the Cult as the only oasis.

This bred a fragile faith that couldn’t survive outside the Cult. When members left, often after years of abuse, they faced a stark reality: the world they were taught to fear was just human. Having been told all other faiths were false, many didn’t seek a new church; they abandoned faith altogether. The Cult’s fear-based control—disfellowshipment for dissent, end-times panic, threats of eternal punishment—left them spiritually scarred. For every person who found a new belief system, countless others became atheists, unable to separate God from the terror Herbie instilled. Armstrongism’s isolation didn’t create Christians—it created exiles who rejected faith entirely.

The Breaking Point: When Faith Shatters

The tipping point for many was realizing Herbie’s promises were empty. His failed prophecies—like the 1972 Great Tribulation—exposed cracks in his divine authority, yet the Cult doubled down. Ex-members recall the moment they saw through the façade: Herb’s lavish lifestyle while they struggled to pay tithes; the control tactics like the Visiting Program, exposed as a surveillance tool in a previous article; the endless rules that left no joy. When they questioned doctrine, they were cast out, labeled heretics for daring to think for themselves.

This rejection often led to a complete loss of faith. Having been taught Armstrongism was the only true path, ex-members faced a brutal choice: cling to a system they no longer believed in, or abandon faith entirely. Many chose the latter. The Cult’s collapse in the 1990s, after doctrinal reforms under Joseph Tkach, saw 75% of its 100,000 members leave. Some joined splinters, but many walked away from religion altogether, becoming atheists—not because they rejected God outright, but because Herbie’s version of God was so tied to control and fear that they couldn’t imagine faith without it. Herbie’s factory produced atheists, its rigid system a conveyor belt to disbelief.

A Dying Cult: Attrition and the Loss of Youth

Armstrongism’s atheist factory isn’t just a past failure—it’s a present crisis. The Cult’s numbers have plummeted since its 1980s peak, with splinters like PCG, UCG, COGTE, RCG, and others claiming to carry Herbie’s torch but dwindling as ex-members share their stories online. A 2018 survey by the International Cultic Studies Association found that 40% of ex-members of high-control groups like the Cult abandon religion altogether, compared to 15% who join another faith. But the real death knell is the loss of second- and third-generation youth. These kids, raised in Armstrongism’s suffocating rules, often reject it as soon as they can. They see the hypocrisy, feel the fear, and witness the failed prophecies—like Herbie’s end-times predictions that never came true. Most don’t stick around; they leave, and many become atheists, unable to reconcile faith with the control they grew up under. Armstrongism is dying from attrition, its legacy not a thriving remnant but a generation of disbelief.

Herbie’s True Legacy

Herbert Armstrong promised to create true Christians, but his Worldwide Church of God became an atheist factory, churning out disbelief through legalism, fear, and isolation. His "my way or the highway" rhetoric left members with no room to grow or question. When they broke free, many rejected faith entirely, unable to separate God from the control they endured. Second- and third-generation youth are fleeing, accelerating Armstrongism’s decline through attrition. Herbie’s legacy isn’t a remnant of believers—it’s a generation of atheists, their faith shattered by a cult that valued rules over relationship. For AiCOG readers, this is a stark reminder: HWA’s highway leads not to salvation, but to spiritual desolation.

Herbie and the Atheist Factory © 2025 by AiCOG is licensed under CC BY-ND 4.0

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The Yamnaya: Armstrongism in Contention with Archaeology

A Yamnaya Woman 

(Fair Use)

The Yamnaya

Armstrongism in Contention with Archaeology

By Scout

We come on the ship they call The Mayflower

We come on the ship that sailed the moon

We come in the age's most uncertain hours

And sing an American tune 

Paul Simon, “American Tune”

 

I am a fan of the Old West. My generation, I guess. I thought Lonesome Dove, the epic cattle drive, was an outstanding mini-series. Woodrow Call and Augustus McRae are among the greats. One of my grandfathers had been a cowboy when he was young, until he took to the oil field and became a driller. He wore Western clothing all of his life. He was taciturn and austere and could tell you stories about the hard life on the range. But my immediate family was a city family and riding the plains was always to me just a dream. Only recently did I discover that the Western Europeans as a whole have an ancient history of horses and herds. They are descended from an ancient people called the Yamnaya who were “cowboys” who rode the Pontic Steppe of Eurasia. Yamnaya, a Russian language name given to them by archaeologists, means “related to pits” because they buried their dead in pits. Who knows what they called themselves in their tongue. But their language was a forerunner, called Indo-European, of the modern Western European languages.

The point of what I am going to write is that the assertions of British-Israelism do not logically or naturally fit into the anthropological history of the British people, descendants of the Yamnaya. And this history is not based on arcane and fallible ancient writings of men who believed in myth but on the hard, verifiable, repeatable science of genetics.

The Flow of Time, the Flow of People

It is common to think that the history of the British people begins with the Celts and Anglo-Saxons but it began much earlier. Genetics provides an audit trail that leads back much further along historic migration pathways. For instance, we can go back to the Yamnaya. The Yamnaya are called by anthropologists Steppe Pastoralists. They lived by herding livestock: cattle, sheep and goats. They were nomadic and rode horses. They worked metal. They had wheeled carts to help them manage their herds. Their range was the Pontic Steppe, an area of dry grasslands in eastern and central Europe. Horses and wagons made this vast plain open to them. They spoke a Proto-Indo-European language. And they were nomads who seemed to have a penchant for migration. The timeline below places them in a chronological context. 

24,000 YA: A mutation from y chromosome haplogroup P occurred giving rise to haplogroup R. It is believed to have arisen 27,000 YA based on the rate of genetic mutation. That rate is theoretical but to verify it, a burial in Siberia near Lake Baikal dated at 24,000 YA contained an early version of haplogroup R – an initial, basal version from which all the subsidiary R subclades are descended. The people who bore this haplogroup are called Ancient North Eurasians. The Tarim Mummies (q.v., Wikipedia) are Ancient North Eurasian. Originally, the Ancient North Eurasians were a dark people but by 17,000 YA they were carrying a mutation for blonde hair. Native Americans are about 30 percent Ancient North Eurasian and are, therefore, related to Western Europeans.

3,000 – 2,600 BC: The Ancient North Eurasians gave rise to the Yamnaya People who were Pastoralists during the Bronze Age and ranged across the Pontic Steppe. The Yamnaya were horsemen and had an economy based on herd animals. Archaeogenetic research indicates that the Yamnaya haplogroup was R-M269. R-M269 is now the most common haplogroup in Western Europe.

3,000 – 2,350 BC: The Yamnaya gave rise, in part, to the Corded Ware people – a people who developed a special kind of pottery. The Corded Ware Culture was a larger tent and included R1a and R1b and various subclades of both. The Corded Ware Culture ranged from the Volga to the Rhine. Genetic studies indicate that they originated from westward migrating Yamnaya.

2,450 – 1800 BC: The Corded Ware people gave rise to the Bell Beaker People who spread throughout Western Europe. They eventually became principally R-M269 as more people migrated in from the East. R-M269 is also denoted by geneticists as R1b1a1b. R1b is the most frequent haplogroup in England at around 67 percent. The Welsh are around 89 percent R1b. Scots are about 73 percent R1b. The Irish are around 82 percent R1b. In some areas of the Iberian Peninsula R1b reaches a frequency of 90 percent.

1800 BC: According to Jewish tradition Abraham lived around this time.

450 AD: Anglo-Saxons invade Britain.

For me, there is a personal dimension to this. One of my very distant genetic relatives, having my identical R1b subclade haplogroup (think of it as a sub-tribe or clan) was found buried near Evergreen House, Longniddry, East Lothian, Scotland. My haplogroup is a subclade of R-M269, the Steppe haplogroup. The grave dates from about 2000 BC and he was a member of the Bronze Age Bell Beaker Culture. He was found in a Cist Grave along with two other individuals. One person was an elderly woman. His matrilineal haplogroup (mtDNA) is H2a1a. This indicates that his mother was also of Yamnaya or Steppe ancestry.

The point of the chronology above is that it shows there is an unbroken line across 24,000 years established through Archaeogenetics that the ancestors of the Celts and Anglo-Saxons originated in Eurasia well before the patriarchs of the Old Testament. The basal R haplogroup that existed 24,000 years ago in Eurasia is the source of the R1b haplogroup that exists in Britain today. The R1b haplogroup of the Celts and Ango-Saxons did not just suddenly appear in the British Isles sometime after the Northern Ten Tribes fell to Assyria around 732 BC.

Modern Nations with Yamnaya Heritage

No modern nation is purely of Yamnaya descent. The modern nations of Western Europe are comprised principally of three peoples: Early Hunter-Gatherers (earliest residents of Western Europe), Anatolian or Neolithic Agriculturalists (First Invasion) and Steppe Pastoralists (Yamnaya, Second Invasion). The names of these three groups vary in the literature. I will refer to these three groups as a triad. There are small traces of other y chromosome haplogroups among Europeans, principally from North Africa and the Middle East. Not all the details of this ancient convergence of peoples have been resolved. But final resolution will not overturn these events but strengthen them with detail. The chart below reflects this heritage triad. It shows Yamnaya or steppe ancestry, color-coded green, being largest in the north and declining as one moves south in Western Europe.

 

The Europeans having the largest degree of Yamnaya heritage are found in Northwest Europe. Note that the lower section of the chart deals with research on ancient DNA and shows general compositions for the Corded Ware and Bell Beaker peoples. It also shows a line for Otzi the Iceman, circa 5,000 YA, found frozen in the Alps. He had a tiny bit of Yamnaya ancestry. Note also, that the Germans are not included. This is likely because they are a composite nation. They are R1b in the western areas, related to other Celtic-derived West Europeans and R1a in the eastern areas related to the Slavic people such as the Poles. The boundary among the German people between “Celtic” R1b and “Slavic” R1a seems to have been somewhere in central Germany.

The Celts and Anglo-Saxons are just sub-tribes in the Yamnaya domain. While the Celts and Anglo-Saxons differ in culture and language, in genetics or biologically, they are close to being the same. This is true of the people of Western Europe in general. The Herman Hoeh view that the Italians are Japhetic and the British are Semitic and are two different races is without predicate in genetics. Certainly, this common Yamnaya heritage does not assert that the British, Germans and Italians are all the same culturally or linguistically. Even biologically, they are different proportions of the same triad of peoples and with trace heritages from yet different peoples such as North Africans and Middle Eastern people. But the nations of Western Europe do not constitute different races except by dubious standards taken to excess. What this also means is that the European derived people of North America are variations of the same ancestral peoples. North America is not as much of a melting pot as we have concluded in the past without the help of genetics.

Even though there is a history of admixture of three groups, in Western Europe R1b dominates. The Yamnaya intrusion on Western Europe was apparently not peaceful. For more information about why R1b dominates, refer to the following:

Bubonic Plague, Massacres, Captive Women and What this Means for British-Israelism

The Challenge for Believers in British-Israelism

Excavations that identify ancient haplogroups give us a migration scenario for the British and other peoples of Western Europe. The migration of these peoples wearing the R1b label starts in Siberia, moves to the Pontic Steppe, then to Eastern Europe, then to Western Europe and the British Isles. These Steppe peoples collided with other people who were already living in these areas and interbred with them. Hence, the racially triadic modern Western Europeans. This scenario results in specific challenges to the theory of British-Israelism that must be met if the theory is deemed to be credible. The points of contention are:

1. If the British are “Israelites” and are R-M269, then Abraham must have been R-M269. If this is true, this changes Biblical history. It means that the Jews who are haplogroup J are an imposter people. And Jesus is fallible because when he came to his own, he mistakenly came to the allegedly imposter Jews of Palestine. 

 

2. If the British are “Israelites” and are R-M269, then the area of the Ten Tribes in Palestine must contain burials of this same people in density. Excavation will establish this in the future. The impediment is that the Israelis, like Native Americans, believe it is sacrilege to disturb graves. So far only one ancient family has been excavated and they were haplogroup J. The grave was disturbed by natural events.

3. If the British are “Israelites” and are R-M269, then somehow a group of Steppe people had to leave the great stream of Steppe people migrating off the Pontic Steppe into Western Europe and had to migrate instead to Palestine forming an enclave of R-M269 people among the haplogroup J people of the Middle East. This people would be the source of the Biblical patriarchs and Abraham. There should be physical evidence of this migration – Steppe artifacts found in Palestine at the appropriate time horizon, for instance. 

 

4. If the British are “Israelites” and are R-M269, then there must be archaeological evidence of their migration from Palestine to the British Isles – probably in the form of a sudden upsurge in population in Britain associated not with the British Bronze Age artifacts but with non-British artifacts at the same time horizon. The marked shift in artifacts should be obvious. 

 

If all the boxes can be checked as true on the if-then points above, British-Israelism will stand. Otherwise, it has no credibility. Those who are confident that British-Israelism is true, should be willing to financially support projects establishing the validity of British-Israelism for the entire world. After all, the identity of Israel, we have been told, is an essential part of the prophetic message that Armstrongism has a responsibility to deliver at the end of the age. In the truest sense, this archaeological research is “The Work.”

Much of this haplogroup/migration scenario played out before the time of Abraham and the Tribes of Israel. And if Abraham is the progenitor of the Jews and the Adnani Arabs, as these two peoples claim, he was y chromosome haplogroup J instead of Western European haplogroup R1b. And there is no scenario with archaeological or genetic substance in which “Israelites”, as the Lost Sheep of the House of Israel, bearing haplogroup R1b migrated into the British Isles sometime after 732 BC when the tribes went into captivity to the Assyrians.

Resorting to the Supernatural: The Last Redoubt of British-Israelism

As archeological research advances, the credibility of BI will continue to erode. The Bible is the Book of God’s Words but the Cosmos is the Book of God’s Works. The only way BI can be defended is for its followers to retreat further from the scientific study of the Cosmos, in this case genetics, into supernatural fantasy. For instance, I recall talking to an “old time” Armstrongist, one of the first AC Pasadena students, and he told me that God could miraculously change Gentiles into Israelites. So, perhaps God would change the haplogroup of Israelites into a Gentile haplogroup to hide their identity from the world and, apparently, from themselves. But God does not bear false witness. And that is the fundamental issue with some of the imaginative and creative fantasies, involving concealed identity, that emerge in defense of BI. 

Summary Argument

The genetic history and migrations of the people of the British Isles and other Western European nations has been established. It is not a grand mystery that requires esoteric Bible interpretation or arcane historical sources to understand. The evidence is physical and measurable to science. Though it is a remarkable history that begins with the Yamnaya, a people of horses and herds on the Pontic Steppe, and ends with their descendants walking on the moon, the drama of this history alone does not place it in the pages of the Bible. The Bible is about the Jews and a special message to mankind. Its setting is in the Middle East and not Western Europe. Jesus stated that his personal ministry was to the Lost Sheep of the House of Israel and he never set a foot outside of Palestine. I believe it is obvious that Jesus accomplished his mission to the Lost Sheep through preaching the Gospel among the Jews of First Century Judea.

References

Eupedia, “Haplogroup R1b”, https://www.eupedia.com/europe/Haplogroup_R1b_Y-DNA.shtml

Oguzhan Parasayan, Christophe Laurelut, Christine Bole, et al. “Late Neolithic collective burial reveals admixture dynamics during the third millennium BCE and the shaping of the European genome”, Science Advances, June 2024.

Reich, David. “Who We are and How We Got Here: Ancient DNA and the New Science of the Human Past,” Pantheon Books, 2018.

Wolfgang Haak, Iosif Lazaridis, et al. “Massive migration from the steppe was a source for Indo-European languages in Europe”, Nature, June 2015.

“Yamnaya Culture”, Wikipedia article.

The Illusory Truth of David C. Passover

The Illusory Truth of David Passover

A popular manipulation and mind control technique inside The Restored Church of God is the use of verbal repetition. A blatant lie becomes biblical truth only because it is said over and over again.

Pastor General David C. Pack preaches his revolving door of private interpretations as Holy Spirit-inspired knowledge. Pasting verses that temporarily support his narrow viewpoint, he drills ideas into members’ minds until his fantasy becomes a reality.

For many years at Headquarters, while working in Media Production Services, I was instructed that speakers should not invoke Mr. Pack's name or comment on what he taught. Those moments were cut from the messages before they were distributed to the church.

But then the policy changed. It became acceptable for men to praise the Pastor General and even reinforce his doctrines by parroting his points.

When useful idiot and department torpedo Edward L. Winkfield III began praising his boss and preaching about Dave’s topics, I knew it was time to go. Ed’s slobbering love fest was right on the heels of Dr. Frederik Jaco Viljoen urging the brethren to stay in the present truth and forget recent parts of “The Greatest Untold Story!” Series.

Even slick-haired politician Bradford G. Schleifer has become Dave’s cheerleader. The Headquarters hirelings circle the wagons around their human idol to protect him from the fiery darts of discerning minds and fair questions. Quoting the Bible to your field mollusk will invoke a firm response. Ask those who have tried.

The brethren of The Restored Church of God may not understand Dave's teachings, but they somehow believe them. Why?

False ideas repeated ad nauseam tunnel into their minds until they passively accept them as true. They will forget how they “proved” a concept because they never did. Their critical thinking was beaten into submission by frequent and unrelenting repetition.

The Psychologia article Mind Control Techniques To Be Aware Of examines standard manipulation techniques. Those who attend The Restored Church of God should take careful note.

Isolation | Criticism | Social Proof & Peer Pressure | Fear of Alienation | Repetition | Fatigue

Repetition
Constant repetition is another powerful persuasion tool. …chances are someone may attempt to use repetition to manipulate you into thinking and behaving in a certain way.

When the broken prophecy record skips 569 times, even the stoutest of disbelievers are negatively affected by the long-term exposure to deceit and biblical corruption, allowing their minds to accept pure manmade malarkey as God-led revelations.

As reported in the 2023 article, Talking Until It’s True, the exrcg.org website has exposed how the delusional Pastor General manifests his own version of reality by simply speaking words.

Once Dave determines his words are practically from God’s lips, anything taught for months can become “immutable church doctrine” with accompanying table pounding and dramatic pauses. Until he decides to blow it off in eleven seconds because only he is blessed with such authority.

The phenomena The Restored Church of God suffers from is the Illusory Truth Effect, which Psychology Today explains in detail. The article nails down what David C. Pack and the complacent Headquarters hirelings are doing and how repetition affects the human brain. It should be a fascinating read for any RCG member.

What Is The Illusory Truth Effect?
The illusory truth effect is the tendency for any statement that is repeated frequently—whether it is factually true or not, whether it is even plausible or not—to acquire the ring of truth. Studies show that repetition increases the perception of validity—even when people start out knowing that the information is false or when the source of the information is known to be suspect.

The article makes another key point: “Repeated statements, whether they are factually true or false, are easier to process—they create processing fluency, which lends them validity.”

Welcome to The Restored Church of God. Many doctrines taught during “The Greatest Untold Story!” Series feel true because the repetition of preposterous falsehoods lends to validity. What David C. Pack preaches does not need to be authentic because repeating similar statements continuously gives the brain the impression they are accurate.

David C. Pack replaces words in the Bible to reflect his perverse self-aggrandizement. He deceives those members who do not pay attention by endlessly inserting his own ideas onto the page.

Employing repetition to create illusory truth, David C. Pack imprints these fraudulent teachings upon the brethren of The Restored Church of God:

1 Samuel 2:35 – Elijah is the faithful priest
Isaiah 11:1 – Elijah is the twig
Isaiah 41:2 – Elijah is the righteous from the east
Isaiah 58:1 – Elijah will cry aloud and spare not
Ezekiel 34:23-24 – Dave is "My servant David."
Zechariah 3:1 – Dave is Joshua, the High Priest
Habakkuk 2:2 – Dave rushes to call it out and make it plain
Matthew 24:43 & Luke 12:39 – Dave is the goodman of the house
Luke 12:43 – Dave is the servant found so doing
Mark 13:34 & John 10:3 – Dave is the porter
Revelation 10 & 11 & 16 – Dave is the Messenger to the Seventh Era
Revelation 10:7 – Dave ends the Mystery of God
Revelation 10:9-11 – Elijah eats the book and prophesies again
Revelation 11:1-2 – Elijah measures the Temple
Revelation 22 – Elijah is the angel talking with John
Revelation 22:10 – Dave unseals the Book of Revelation

That selection is far from complete. The Restored Church of God accepts all those statements as true simply because David C. Pack says so.

Those unbiblical teachings manufactured by David C. Pack stand unchallenged by the brethren and are defended with the approval of the entire Headquarters and field ministry. No shred of truth exists in any of those doctrines, and not a single word is found in the Bible.

David C. Pack is not Elijah. He is not Joshua, the High Priest. He is not an apostle. He is not a prophet. He claims to be these things by repetition so that worn-out members no longer question how they came to believe the lies.

David C. Pack uses the Bible as an illusory truth device to trick brethren into believing what can be easily proven false. All he has to do is keep reading the verses and inject his ideas.

While researching the All Eyes on Passover article, quotes from David C. Pack claiming his last name means “Passover” flooded my notes. Repeating this for decades, he clings with all his might because it furthers the delusion that he is God’s chosen end-time servant. If his name really is Passover, then that makes him special.

If Dave can convince RCG members that his name has biblical significance, it would reinforce his legitimacy as the one to end the Mystery of God, despite the 124 date failures since August 2013.

Part 248 – April 11, 2020
@ 57:40 Like I said, my name’s David Passover. I’ve studied these things a bit.

@ 58:00 You can imagine I’d take a little more interest. I was 18 years old, and Dr. Hoeh walked up to me and introduced himself to me and wanted to tell me, "You know, your name means Passover, and you're a Levite." I said, "Now, you're you're a Levite." I said, "Oh, well, how how do you know?" I mean, I was in awe. I'd read his articles. I'm just I'm not I'm 18 years old, and I've been on campus about two or three weeks, and he said, "Well, because your last name is Passover." "Really?" So, I was pretty young when I learned that. That was 53 years ago.

Someone please resurrect Dr. Herman Hoeh and punch him in the face. That guy did the members of The Restored Church of God no favor putting such a notion into Dave’s head. The last thing you want to do to a budding narcissist is plant the seed that his name suggests he is destined for greatness.

Anything can have significance to Dave. Even his coital partner can foster prophetic implications.

Part 248 – April 11, 2020
@ 02:14 I’m I’m, you know, I know the subject of Passover thoroughly. You know, remember, my name is David Passover. And then so, I guess, my wife would be her name is Vernia. That means Spring. Her name is Spring Passover. So, if you got the name Passover, and I learned that as a freshman in college, then, you know, I I know what Passover means.

Those quotes were from five years ago. If you think Dave got it out of his system, think again. 

Part 560 – March 1, 2025
@ 1:32:36 As you’ve heard me say many times, why is my last name Passover?

@ 1:32:54 I read that I read that that God’s servant prepares the Passover. …so I’m thinkin’, “That’s interesting,” as I know who that servant is. So, why is my last name Passover?

@ 1:33:22 Names are important. Was it or just just a wild it, just a coincidental thing that that's my last name? And I I would say No. It's not. Passover is dead on. Abib 1 is close.

Dave drags his parents into his fantasy world to prove how extra special he is in his god's eyes.

Part 564 – March 22, 2025
@ 1:19:11 You know, when your last name is Passover, it kinda stays with you. And when your father and mother in 1944, Mr. and Mrs. Passover, got married on the first day of Passover. They didn’t know it. …brethren, I don’t say this stick in your head, but that stuck in my head like you just wouldn’t even believe. When your name is David Passover, and your parents were bapti–were were were, I’m sorry, were married a marriage on Passover, it just you you it just gets you. I just have to ex–and you've known, and I'm known for almost 60 years what Pack means.

Dave will not let anyone forget how exceptional he is by proving through repetition.

Part 423 – February 25, 2023
@ 35:19 The Jews have long expected Elijah to be active during the Passover. …I mean, every time I think of my last name, I’m I think of the the Passover season.

Part 435 – April 15, 2023
@ 1:03:07 And by the way, finally, finally, I understand why my last name is Passover. Jews all know that. David Passover. In fact, it's David Passover, in a way, to start the year and end twice. Not the first Passover. The second Passover.

Part 479 – November 11, 2023
@ 1:25:07 So, no wonder the Jews say they set a place for Elijah at Passover. They they do have the Old Testament. They expect to see him at Passover. And I would look, and I would say, "My last name is Passover."

His blind, desperate belief in the significance of his last name changes his perception of church doctrine. His private interpretations guide him, not God’s Spirit.

Part 488 – December 30, 2023
@ 1:42:03 I I thought to myself, “What am I missing? My last name is Passover. My name isn’t David Abib 1.” And I’m trying to figure out why would God give me the name Passover if it’s Abib 1. Well, it isn’t Abib 1.

Part 505 – April 6, 2024
@ 38:18 My name is not David Abib 1, it’s David Passover, which is kind of interesting. I’ve thought about that many, many times. You've heard me cite it.

Those are not all the instances, but they get the point across.

Ask any member what their Pastor General's last name means, and they will tell you "Passover." Not because they researched and proved it but because of the illusory truth effect.

David C. Pack teaches illusory truth and can waft away doctrines with the wave of a hand because they consist of smoke and mirrors.

Despite claiming his last name means Passover, David C. Pack has been prophetically wrong about the arrival of the Kingdom of God 124 times. Special name or no special name, the man is still a blaspheming hypocritical liar, false prophet, false apostle, and biblical charlatan.

Another illusory truth is how often the Book of Daniel has been unsealed, resealed, and unsealed again at the end of the Series. I sense another Frank Kelley Compilation on the horizon.

Part 211 – October 24, 2019
@ 1:05:37 And without understanding this verse, Daniel could never be considered unsealed. So today, and not before today, and you won't doubt this in about three minutes today and not before today is Daniel fully unsealed.

@ 2:15:14 Now, as far as I can see, Daniel and Revelation are now unsealed. And you know all that happens after Christ comes. I believe quickly.

Flash forward six years and lament, RCG brethren.

Part 561 – March 8, 2025
@ 21:31 So, learning the 1335 and thus, in a way you could say, “The final, great unsealing of Daniel,” seems to invoke Habakkuk 2, where it'll surely come. After a final message is a tiny, tiny micron.

The Book of Daniel, being unsealed by David C. Pack, is either the illusory truth or the real truth.

Part 278 – January 7, 2021
@ 53:42 It’s inarguable. You you you there no way out of it. And no one ever knew it. That is truly the last jot and tittle of Daniel being unsealed.

Part 282 – January 22, 2021
@ 1:44:27 Daniel has been unsealed. We’re near the time of the end.

Part 439 – May 2, 2023
@ 00:46 Daniel is now unsealed. Mostly because we found the Sixth Head. …And until you found this this great first head, you certainly couldn’t say the Book of Daniel was unsealed. That you could be near the time of the end.

Part 494 – February 24, 2024
@ 20:18 Truly, it’s this prophecy that has been sealed to the time of the end. And I’m gonna unseal it in in in powerful fashion before we leave tonight.

Part 498 – March 11, 2024
@ 24:41 Nobody understands this. But it’s as plain as day when God opens it up. And remember, Daniel being unsealed is a sign that we’re near the end. I never understood this until recently. We couldn’t have been near the end. But I do now.

Part 501 – March 30, 2024
@ 1:35:47 I can tell you that every space and every syllable in Daniel is unsealed, and you're supposta be at the time of the end.

Part 530 – August 10, 2024
@ 1:04:58 As we go on over to Daniel 10, it’s perfect for me to say. You know, understanding that 1335 and what I'm gonna tell you right now, truly, surely, truly Daniel is unsealed. We hafta be near the time of the end. The Little Book of Revelation is open, and so is Daniel.

@ 1:15:13 Surely, Daniel is unsealed. If all of this is not correct in timing, can’t argue with you can’t argue with all the different things that happen. I and and they’re all tied to timing. But if there’s something wrong, then God is doing something with timing that we just cannot yet know.

Part 533 – August 31, 2024
@ 01:40 And, believe me, God unsealed Daniel in a most spectacular way.

@ 02:47 Incidentally, Daniel being unsealed is its own great proof of time being short. Until this verse alone was unsealed, there’s no way the Book of Daniel was unsealed.

Part 545 – November 15, 2024
@ 1:29:27 Daniel is now, finally, completely unsealed, and this is a metric. We must be at the time of the end.

These words should ring hollow because the needle on the broken record keeps skipping, creating a melodic resonance of illusory truth based on deceit.

Whether the myth perpetuated in The Restored Church of God is that David C. Pack’s last name means “Passover,” or the Book of Daniel is unsealed, or Jesus Christ will return on Abib 1, or Elijah is talking to Zechariah, the illusory truth effect is alive in well, and the brethren let it happen.

RCG’s lies are not sequestered to prophetic interpretations but permeate the church culture. Fearful reiteration warps the brains of the brethren to believe:

If you don’t understand this, God isn't working with you.
People leave saying, "I know this is the true church, but this is taking too long."
You're headed to the Lake of Fire if you don't pay Common.
Disbelieving the latest date is a faithless act.
Question RCG's government is questioning God.

The wolves in sheep’s clothing like Bradford Schleifer, Edward Winkfield, Carl Houk, and Jaco Viljoen want what Dave wants—the willful ignorance of the brethren disguised as patience. The Headquarters hirelings are banking on members to continue being complacent sheeple who are averse to holding their leaders accountable.

Weary brethren strain to understand the deluge of frantic, conflicting information dumped on them each week. Not understanding what David C. Pack teaches has nothing to do with intellect or spiritual comprehension or indicates wisdom. It is pure nonsense that even Dave does not believe.

Fool me once; shame on you.
Fool me twice; shame on me.
Fool me 124 times; why are you still there?

Brethren of The Restored Church of God, stop allowing yourselves to be manipulated by men who make merchandise of you. Listen carefully to your Pastor General. Prove all things and hold fast to that which is good. Believe your Bibles.

Do not accept the illusory truth of David Passover.

Marc Cebrian

See: The Illusory Truth of David Passover