Earlier this month, Gerald Flurry’s named Philadelphia Church of God (PCG) posted the following at one of its websites:
The Most Important Book Since the Bible
God revealed the answers to life’s most important questions to Herbert W. Armstrong, one biblical doctrine at a time. Toward the end of his life, Mr. Armstrong wrote a summary of the Bible—a book he believed was the most important book since the Bible! Forty years after Mr. Armstrong finished writing Mystery of the Ages, understand how this book will make your Bible come alive. https://www.thetrumpet.com/radio/the-key-of-david/episodes/255-the-most-important-book-since-the-bible
As part of a lawsuit settlement with WCG decades ago, PCG acquired rights to reproduce certain documents written by the late Herbert W. Armstrong (HWA). The lawsuit was originally triggered by PCG’s distribution of a book by HWA titled The Mystery of the Ages (MOA).
On July 4, 2009, I received an email from someone who received a copy of it from PCG and the sender noticed that it did not line up with a citation made in one of my articles. The sender then asked me:
I ordered the book by HWA “Mystery of the Ages” from PCOG and well I’ve come to find last night reading your article “You May Have Been Deceived on HWA’s 18 Truths”. Well reading your article you quoted from his book along with page # and the copy I have doesn’t at all match up. Why? Is the book that I have not the original copy? I don’t understand, this isn’t the first time this concern with this book has come up, I have also read other articles from other commentators and found the same problem. I hope that you’ll be able to shed light on this for me. If the copy I have has been changed, why? Where can I find the real copy?
Well, although nearly all of it is unchanged, yes PCG changed some parts of it. Originals of The Mystery of the Ages are sometimes sold on sites such as Amazon.com (my copy, which is not for sale is what is shown at the beginning of today’s post). The original came out in 1985 and was published by Dodd, Mead & Company and had a list price of $12.95.
The reasons WHY PCG made changes appears to be that certain statements that HWA made disagree with PCG’s form of governance and some other doctrinal points in order to help try to justify the role of “prophet” that Gerald Flurry has taken for himself.
PCG makes some true and some unusual claims about Herbert Armstrong’s book the Mystery of the Ages:
The number one reason listed in the Pastor General’s Report for discontinuing Mystery of the Ages was COST! That’s right–COST! Now that is spiritual FRAUD! How could the WCG afford to donate $200,000 and more to various relief funds, and yet be unable to afford to print God’s inspired words?! (Flurry, Gerald. Malachi’s Message to God’s Church Today. Booklet. 1995. p.129.).
Although I agree that WCG did not discontinue because of cost, it seems quite presumptuous, as well as wrong, to state that the Mystery of the Ages are “God’s inspired words,” because they are not.
However, if PCG considers the Mystery of the Ages “God’s inspired words”, why did it edit portions out? In its 2003 version that it now controls, it edited out the statement on page 245 “No prophets are mentioned as having either administrative, executive or preaching functions in the New Testament Church.” I presume that Gerald Flurry edited this out as it contradicts his own positions.
Robert Kuhne reported that Gerald Flurry’s PCG has edited out at least four statements (numbers added by me) from HWA’s Mystery of the Ages:
1) “No prophets are mentioned as having either administrative, executive or preaching functions in the New Testament Church”. [MA, pg. 245 top, PCG first edition]
2) “Meanwhile, an individual few in Old Testament Israel did obey God and by becoming God’s prophets, they became part of the very foundation of the New Testament CHURCH OF GOD. The Church is built on the solid FOUNDATION of the prophets (Old Testament) and apostles (New Testament), Jesus Christ himself being “the chief corner stone” (Eph. 2:20).” [MA, pg. 174 (both 1985 hardback & 2003 PCG copyright softback)]
3) “The prophets set in the foundation of the Church are those of the Old Testament, whose writings were used to form a considerable part of New Testament and gospel teaching and functioning. No prophets are mentioned as having either administrative, executive or preaching functions in the New Testament Church.” [MA, pg. 244 (1985 hardback), pg. 245 (1997 pirated softback)]
4) “All teaching came from Christ through the apostles — and a few times Christ communicated to apostles via the prophets (of which there are none in God’s Church today since the Bible for our time is complete).” [MA, pg. 350 (both 1985 hardback & 2003 PCG copyright softback)]
Presuming Robert Kuhne was accurate (and I did check out the first change and verified it some years ago) this suggests that some in PCG are attempting to “rewrite history” (the Tkach administration did that with HWA’s autobiography by editing out all references to the Philadelphia and Sardis Church eras, see The 18 Restored Truths: Do You Know What the First Changes the Tkach Administration Made?).
Regarding Mystery of the Ages, PCG has argued in court,
… that to prohibit PCG’s use of the book would be to suppress both the unique expression of ideas in the book…and the ability of PCG’s members to live according to their religious faith (Leap, Dennis. Continuing to Fight. Philadelphia Trumpet. Feb 2002, p.27).
So in other words, PCG seems to be saying that PCG could not exist if it had not illegally copied and distributed Mystery of the Ages.
Notice another claim:
Revelation 10…So here we are in this transition. There’s a little a little book talked about and MOA in Verse 7 that’s talked about, that leads right into the second coming of Jesus Christ (Flurry G. Prophesying Again Part 4, November 1, 2003. Sermon transcript at http://www.pcog.info/, January 13, 2004).
It should be noted that HWA had a different explanation of the little book of Revelation 10 and never taught that MOA (Mystery of the Ages) was in Revelation 10:7. PCG’s view is unbiblical.
PCG claims its alleged flooding of revelation is what makes it unique:
“Malachi’s Message, the centerpiece of our literature, contains a lot of new revelation in the area of prophecy which God did not reveal to Mr. Armstrong” (Flurry, Gerald. Worldwide Church of God Doctrinal Changes and the Tragic Results. Booklet. 1994. p.2).
“Only the Philadelphia Church receives God’s revelation today” (Flurry, Gerald. From the Beginning. Booklet. 1996. p.4).
“The PCG has kept all of revealed knowledge God gave to Mr. Armstrong. All of the Laodicean groups have rejected at least part of that revelation. Therefore, GOD HAS GIVEN THEM NO NEW REVELATION SINCE MR. ARMSTRONG DIED! BUT THE PCG HAS BEEN FLOODED WITH REVELATION. We are the only group that is eating from the tree of life! (Flurry, Gerald. From the Beginning. Booklet. 1996. p.25).
“AND CHRIST’S DISCIPLES TODAY KNOW WHO THIS MODERN-DAY JOHN, OR ELIJAH, WAS! They must know who he was or they could not do God’s work. His name was Herbert W. Armstrong. His headquarters was Pasadena, California. ONLY he restored all things in this end time. (Many of God’s people remember when Mr. Armstrong spoke of 18 truths he restored to God’s Church.)” (Flurry G. Is California Under a Curse? Philadelphia Trumpet, December 2003, p.1).
These two statements from Gerald Flurry are clear contradictions. If HWA restored all things, then PCG would have no need to be “FLOODED WITH REVELATION”. The fact that Gerald Flurry has made numerous changes proves that HE DOES NOT BELIEVE THAT HWA RESTORED ALL THINGS. Any who remain with PCG because they believe that PCG is the most faithful to the teachings and practices of the old Worldwide Church of God under HWA are deceiving themselves!
As far as restoration goes, Herbert W. Armstrong did NOT restore all things. Consider that he wrote:
Malachi 4:5-6 pictures the Elijah to come at the very end of the Church age” (Mystery of the Ages. 1985, p. 349).
The Church age has not yet ended.
When did Herbert W. Armstrong teach that the Church age was over? Notice:
At the end of the Church age and 6,000 years from Adam, Christ would return to earth as King of kings and Lord of Lords, ruling all nations, with the saints, for one millennium. (Armstrong HW. What If Adam Had Taken of the Tree of Life? Plan Truth, March 1983)
The “very end” of the Church age was not decades ago in the 2oth century! The 6000 years has NOT yet been fulfilled (see also Does God Have a 6,000 Year Plan? What Year Does the 6,000 Years End?). Since the “very end of the Church age” has not happened, and HWA died in January 16, 1986, his writings support that there must be another Elijah.
HWA died on January 16, 1986 and thus well before the “very end of the Church age;” therefore his own writings support that another fulfills the Elijah role. The Church age, according to HWA’s writings end when the 6,000 years were up. Hence the “very end” of it was NOT over 40 years ago.
What about 21st century restoration?
First of all, consider why did God create anything? In the Continuing Church of God we teach:
God created what He did so eternity would be better. (cf. Hebrews 6:9, 11:16; Philippians 1:23) (The MYSTERY of GOD’s PLAN: Why Did God Create Anything? Why Did God Make You?)
Do you agree with that?
Secondly, why did God make you? In the Continuing Church of God we teach:
Your purpose in this life is to build character so you can maximize your potential and increase how much better you can improve eternity. God made YOU so that you will be able to use your unique talents (Matthew 25:14-23; Luke 19:11-19) to give love in order to make eternity better! (The MYSTERY of GOD’s PLAN: Why Did God Create Anything? Why Did God Make You?)
Do you agree with that? Yes, your purpose is all about love.
Thirdly, why did God make others? In the Continuing Church of God we teach:
God’s plan for all who will respond to Him is to be able to give love in a unique way to make eternity better for them personally and everyone else — (The MYSTERY of GOD’s PLAN: Why Did God Create Anything? Why Did God Make You?)
Do you agree with that? Their purpose is all about love.
Those are three BASIC TRUTHS which were not fully restored by Herbert W. Armstrong nor the other COGs, but were restored via the Continuing Church of God.
The Apostle Paul wrote:
14 But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, (2 Timothy 3:14)
Those truths were first taught in this century by the CCOG, which is where others also learned them.
If you agree with them, that should help you recognize that the Continuing Church of God does best represent the Philadelphian remnant of the Church of God during this time of Laodicean church dominance.
As Jesus said to the Philadelphians, “Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown.”
Brethren, do not reject the truths about God’s loving plan restored by and to the Philadelphians because of critics and those who think their pet doctrine or assessment of how a church should be run affect you. NO OTHER GROUP HAS RESTORED THE TRUTHS ABOUT LOVE THAT THE CCOG HAS–AND PROPHETICALLY THAT IS WHAT IS NECESSARY FOR THE PHILADELPHIAN REMNANT TO DO.
Consider the following prophecy for the last days:
4 … Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase. (Daniel 12:4)
Knowledge was to increase in the last days.
The last days did NOT end in the 20th century, but will in the 21st century.
Jesus prophesied the restoration of all things in our time when He stated:
11 … Indeed, Elijah is coming first and will restore all things. (Matthew 17:11, NKJV throughout unless otherwise noted)
In Matthew 17:11, the term translated “will restore” is the Greek term apokathistemi which means “to reconstitute” or “restore (again)” (Biblesoft’s New Exhaustive Strong’s Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright (c) 1994, Biblesoft and International Bible Translators, Inc.) and is preceded by the Greek term men which means “truly” in the asseverative sense.
So, yes, more was to be restored in the last days. And part of that had to do with love!
Consider also the admonition of the Apostle Peter:
18 … grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 3:18)
Also consider that any who have already died are not relevant regarding all things to be restored just before the Day of the Lord–only one alive then (who would also be alive now) can possibly fulfill the Elijah role to increase knowledge and restore all things. It is not that others cannot add to knowledge, but what was to be restored in the end has to come from someone who is a real follower of God who is alive at the end. Growth of Christian knowledge did not end by January 16, 1986.
Herbert Armstrong wrote:
In these last days, according to biblical prophecy, knowledge, spiritual as well as material, was to be increased. The true Church of God was to be set back on the track, restoring the glorious knowledge of the faith once delivered to the saints in the days of the original apostles. (Armstrong HW. Mystery of the Ages, 1985)
Notice Herbert Armstrong believed that knowledge of church history and spiritual knowledge (which would include a more detailed understanding of love as our purpose) would need to be increased in the last days–this has happened in the CCOG in the 21st century as we have those fruits!
The Mystery of the Ages book is not “God’s inspired words.” If it were, PCG should never have changed it.
Since, Herbert W. Armstrong taught in his Mystery of the Ages book that Elijah would come at the very end of the church age, Herbert W. Armstrong could not have been the final Elijah, and hence he did NOT restore all things!
Some items of possibly related interest may include:
Restoring All Things Have all things been restored? Is there restoration going on? Is there supposed to be a 21st century Elijah? Here are links to two related sermons: 21st Century Elijah and CCOG: Restoring All Things.
The Elijah Heresies Does the Bible teach that there will be a future Elijah? Must it be Herbert W. Armstrong? Three related sermons are available Elijah: Prophecies and Heresies, Elijah, Herbert W. Armstrong, and CCOG, and 21st Century Elijah.
Continuing Church of God, Elijah, and Restoring All Things Have all things been restored? Is there restoration going on? Is there supposed to be a 21st century Elijah? Here is a link to a related sermon: 21st Century Elijah and CCOG: Restoring All Things.
The MYSTERY of GOD’s PLAN Why Did God Create Anything? Why did God make you? This free online book helps answers some of the biggest questions that human have.
Teachings Unique to the Philadelphia Church of God Simply calling oneself ‘Philadelphia’ does not make one so (see Revelation 3:7-9), nor does Gerald Flurry calling himself “that prophet” make it so. This article provides many quotes from this group which tries to look faithful.
Elijah: Past and Prophesied Information about the original Elijah and some information about the Elijah-related prophecies.
The 18 Restored Truths: Do You Know What the First Changes the Tkach Administration Made? Some have said healing, others other subjects, but probably the first change had to do with eliminating being part of the Philadelphia era. This article documents what those changes were and compares the Tkach list of restored truths to Herbert W. Armstrong’s list of restored truths as well as his Autobiography. This article contains many quotes from Herbert W. Armstrong. Here are links to a related two-part sermon: The 18 Restored Truths: 1-8 and The 18 Restored Truths: 9-18.
18 Truths Restored to the Churches of God: Mission of the Philadelphia Church Era Herbert W. Armstrong wrote that he felt he had restored at least 18 lost truths to the Church, here is Herbert W. Armstrong’s list given 12/17/83. This articles also has links to show that these truths were believed by professors of Christ in earlier times, hence they were not some invention of Herbert Armstrong.Here is a related link in Spanish/español: Lista de Herbert W. Armstrong de las 18 verdades restauradas. As far as the mission goes, here is a link to a sermon: Mission of the Remnant of the Philadelphia Church Era. Here are links to a related two-part sermon: The 18 Restored Truths: 1-8 and The 18 Restored Truths: 9-18.
Does the CCOG have the confirmed signs of Acts 2:17-18? Does any church have the confirmed dream and prophetic signs of Acts 2:17-18? Should one? Here is a link in the Spanish language: ¿Tiene la CCOG confirmadas las señales de Hechos 2: 17-18? Here is a link in the French language: Est-ce que l’Église Continue de Dieu confirme les signes d’Actes 2:17-18? A related sermon in the English language is also available: 17 Last Days’ Signs of the Holy Spirit.
21st Century Church of God Prophets Are there any true prophets in the 21st century? What about false prophets? What are scriptures and fruits to identify the true from the false? Will you prove all things and test the spirits?
Church of God Leaders on Prophets Have there been prophets throughout the church age? Are any supposed to be around in the last days? What have COG leaders stated or written about prophets? Here is a link to a related sermon: Church of God Leaders on Prophets.
How To Determine If Someone is a True Prophet of God There are many false prophets. How can Christians determine who is a true prophet? There is also a sermon-length video titled How to determine if someone is a true prophet of God. Here is a related link in Spanish/español: ¿Cómo determinar si alguien es un verdadero profeta de Dios?
Why Be Concerned About False and Heretical Leaders? There have been many false leaders–here is some of why you should be concerned about them.
Who Are The Two Witnesses? What is their job? What does the Bible reveal? What has the Church of God taught on this subject? Might even Roman Catholic prophecies give some clues here? A related sermon is available: Prophecy and the Two Witnesses. Here is a related link in Spanish/español:¿Quiénes son los dos testigos?
The Final Phase of the Work What is the final phase of the work? Who will lead it? Do you have the courage to support it? Here is a related YouTube video titled The Final Phase of the Work. The written article has been translated into Spanish La Fase Final de la Obra.
CCOG.ORG Continuing Church of God The Philadelphian organization striving to be most faithful amongst all real Christian groups to the word of God to fulfill Matthew 24:14, Matthew 28:19-20, and Romans 11:25 with literature in over 100 languages.
6. The Philadelphia Church Era and Remnant Though the era was predominant circa 1933 A.D. to 1986 A.D., a faithful remnant has continued. The old Radio Church of God and old Worldwide Church of God were part of the era, and now the remnant of that era is basically the most faithful in the Church of God, like who hold to the beliefs and practices of the Continuing Church of God. Here is a link to a related sermon: Philadelphia Church Era: History & Teachings.
7. The Laodicean Church Era has been predominant circa 1986 A.D. to present. The Laodiceans are non-Philadelphians who mainly descended from the old WCG or its offshoots. They do not properly understand the work or biblical prophecies and will face the Great Tribulation if they do not repent. One video of related interest is 50+ Laodicean Prophetic Errors. See also Do You Hold to Any of These Laodicean Prophetic Errors?
Why is there a Philadelphian remnant of the true Christian Church of God? Did the old Worldwide Church of God essentially predict a Philadelphian remnant? Is a Philadelphian remnant needed for end-time prophecies to be fulfilled? Here is a link to a related sermon: The Philadelphia Remnant.