Armstrongism has produced a lot of crackpots over the decades. I'm not talking about Dave Pack, Gerald Flurry, Bob Thiel, Rod Meredith, and the other delusional church leaders. I'm referring to COG members who felt god had personally spoke to them
None seems to be more crazy that
Kenneth Jackson. Here is Ken's "official" title:
Apostle Dr. Kenneth D. Jackson Sr., SSD, PhD, TMD, DED, ND,
Ambassador of ‘ELOHIYM/Diplomat, Apostle & Chief Overseer, Grand Chief of State / Permanent Minister of Ecclesiastical, Indigenous & International Law & Justice – Washitaw Indigenous & Immigrant Nation, Special Attorney - S. G. Sta. Romana Estate, International CEO – 1BLOOD, International (An Int’l, National Development NGO, Traditional Medicine physician / Inventor – Disease Elimination Specialist, Founder / CEO – Word of ‘ELOHIYM Int’l University, Founder / CEO – SCEI-1BLOOD Skills Development Centers & IFSEC – GLOBAL (Independent Food Security Project Int’l Ambassador, Grand Chief-of-State, King, Diplomat, Chief
Overseer, Exclusive Special Attorney, Int’l Non-Government Organization
CEO, Traditional Medicine Physician, Inventor, National Development
Specialist
Jackson also claims he is in possession with a magical pearl:
...claims that he is in possession of a $400 million dollar luminous pearl,
an ancient far eastern artifact of immense pseudo historical
significance.
So where does the Church of God connection come from?
Kenneth Sr. claims to have been a top security official of the personal
guard and administration of World Wide Church of GOD leader Herbert W.
Armstrong.
Kenneth Sr. teaches that prior to HWA's death, he was entrusted with one
of three official WWCG seals of authority. Another of these seals
remained with HWA and the third was passed to his successor Joseph W. Tkach.
One thing seems clear, Kenneth Sr. lusted for HWA's power and office,
and made it his mission to build for himself the same prestige,
international respect and power; seeds which grew into Sovereign Church
of 'ELOHIYM International and 1BLOOD International a church of even
greater apostasy and deception than Armstrong's organization, despite
its relative insignificance in world events.
The only "seal" the church had was one that was metal and was a stamp that embossed letters onto documents. There was no wooden seal other than the lion and lamb seals that were give to almost every single church area to affix to their speakers podiums.
Jackson reportedly took a trip to Sierra Leon in 2003 where was met with much adoration and gratitude for a successful food program he had supposedly initiated years before.
...the success of his first seed rice farms in the Bo District of Sierra
Leone had caused the natives, as is their natural way, to exhort Kenneth
with great parades and tributes, including grand displays and gifts
and offerings. It seems that this adoration consumed him and when he
returned he immediately began to change in the eyes of his members. He
began wearing royal clothing, and adorning himself with gold and
diamonds. He had a crown constructed for himself and wore it for all
Sermons and official meetings. His Sabbath sermons began to shift from
bible studies into long rambling stories of his exploits, grand designs,
visions, prophetic powers, ecclesiastical authorities and he also
claimed himself Apostle. It reached the point at which Kenneth rarely
opened the Bible or read from it, claiming that he now received visions
and new testimony straight from the Most High GOD who he identified as
'ELOHIYM, based on the original phonetic translation of the Hebrew word
used to describe GOD in the ancient Chaldean. The church which had been
called International Church of GODs Elect became Sovereign Church of
'ELOHIYM International, and he established 1BLOOD International as his
outreach ministry and registered it as an NGO.
Like with any good Church of God leader, that adoration went straight to his head and he began to imagine himself as something highly elevated by God. This is much like what Dave Pack, Bob Theil, Gerald Flurry, Rod Meredith, Vic Kubik and others have done., They set themselves up in positions they had no right to.
Once he abandoned the Bible as the center of his teachings his doctrines
began shifting radically. He began printing and publishing his own
doctrinal writings and forcing his congregation to undergo intense
workshops where he indoctrinated them with his new lofty visions and
scriptures. He began to identify himself as a hereditary king of West
Africa, based on some connection he had found through his slave ancestry
leading back to Africa. He rapidly convinced the West African natives
under his influence of this belief and he gladly accepted royal praises,
titles and tributes from his new subjects. As his food program grew, so
did his ego. In time he began to claim that he was in fact a modern day
Joseph, in reference to Joseph of ancient Egypt whom GOD used to
implement a national food security program to stave off famine for the
glorification of GOD. This became a regular topic of his "sermons" which
were little more than several hour long bragging sessions during which
he would boast of all things from having the power to raise the dead,
over power demons, speak self fulfilling prophecies and influence world
leaders.
The latest I could find on the guy was from April of last year where he promised to help fund a soccer stadium:
