In the final Church era message, written to Laodicea and found in Revelation 3:14-22, God states that His own people in the time leading up to the return of Christ will, among other things, claim to be "rich". This means they strongly believe that they possess much spiritual wealth, or in other words, Bible knowledge.

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However, God says in this same passage of Scripture that the opposite will be the truth: He states that in reality the people of this era will be "poor" in knowledge of Biblical matters.

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A United Church of God minister proclaimed to the author of this website at the Feast of Tabernacles some years ago, "We can't be Laodicean - we don't say we're rich".

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And yet, in message after message, year after year, Church of God sermons are laced with grandiose statements that are prefaced with proclamations such as "We understand", "Now we know", "God has shown us" etc etc.

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Very often these statement are followed by Biblical interpretations that are, upon closer examination, dubious, if not plainly incorrect.

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The Laodicean Church receives a highly critical rebuke from Christ, yet the Philadelphia era that precedes it is highly praised. How can this be? What caused such a change in the Church?

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As explained on the page "THE TRUE CHURCH ERAS", the Philadelphia era was brought to life with the invention of the printing press and the subsequent printing of the Bible, which began in the 15th century. The translation and widespread distribution of the Scriptures gave people access to the Word of God on a scale previously unimaginable. This then led to the Reformation, which caused enormous religious and political upheaval in Europe.

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At the same time, this exposure to the Scriptures also led to large numbers of Sabbath keeping congregations being raised up in England, continental Europe, and later the USA. Writings of these brethren show them to have been God-fearing people who were well schooled in the Bible. God commends them in Rev 3:8 saying "you .... have kept My word".

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In the middle of the 19th century however, this situation drastically changed. In the 1850's an American woman named Ellen G White, who claimed to receive visions from God, began to be accepted as a prophetess by large numbers of Sabbath keeping brethren. Whereas for some four centuries the focus of the vast majority of true brethren had been God and His Word, that situation totally changed within a few decades.

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The people of God at this time became the Laodicean era, where the focus began to be placed on a human intermediary between Church members and God. This occurred in spite of the fact that God had warned the Philadelphia era of this very danger, by saying "hold fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown" (Rev 3:11).

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This deplorable situation persists to this day, and it is from this ominous decline that we can trace the spiritual state of today's Sabbath keeping people of God, a state that He in His Word describes as "poor, blind and naked".

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Following is a list of some of the "poor" qualities and teachings found commonly in the Churches of God, with references to other articles on this website for further explanation.

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1) Idolatry

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The erroneous belief that a human leader is given special revelation from God leads to the presumption that following that person equates to following God. This inevitably turns such people into idols. What they say is taken as gospel, and what the Scriptures say becomes secondary. In Rev 3:20, Christ portrays Himself as standing outside the final Church era, knocking on the door, trying to get the attention of His people. This is the reality of our current collective spiritual condition.​​​​

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The Laodicean era has produced two massively influential human idols: Ellen G White (EGW) and Herbert W Armstrong (HWA). Many other lesser idols have also arisen, but none like these two. Long after their deaths, many of their erroneous interpretations are still taught, because of the pedestal these leaders have been placed on.

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In some cases it is a Church organisation that is idolised, meaning that the pronouncements of "the Church" outweigh those of the Scriptures.

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See the article "THE GOVERNMENT OF GOD" for more information.

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2) False prophecies

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The first result of idolatry is the unquestioned acceptance of the viewpoint of one's idol. In the Churches of God this is nowhere more discernable than in the case of prophetic interpretation.

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As an example, in the Seventh Day Adventist Church (SDA) the 2300 "day" prophecy found in Daniel 8:14 is of foundational importance. More than a hundred years after EGW's death, her interpretation of this prophecy is still taught. However, the passing of time has revealed that the 1967 Six Day War ended a 2300 year period during which the Temple Mount was defiled by foreign military forces, which had begun with Alexander the Great's capture of Jerusalem in 333BC. This explanation is both logical and measurable.

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HWA, the founder of the Worldwide Church of God (WCG), proclaimed himself to be "the end-time Elijah", who "restored all things", imagining there was a prophecy pertaining to himself in Mt 17:10-11. As explained on the page "THINGS THAT DON'T ADD UP", this cannot be the truth, and yet many Church of God (COG) groups still hold to this fallacy.

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This website is filled with explanations that counter poor prophetic interpretations proclaimed by the Churches of God in this final Church era. Please see the page "FULFILLED PROPHECIES" as a starting point.

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3) Church government

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Christ established His Church with Himself in charge and a body of 12 apostles under Him. In Old Testament days this was already seen in type with the leadership of Moses and 12 tribal leaders serving under him. Very few of the Sabbath keeping Churches of God employ this model of government, especially since they allow supposed prophets to dictate from the grave.

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Some Churches espouse a one-man rule model, claiming to follow the example of Moses. However, the role that Moses and others held when they were in charge of physical Israel in Old Testament days, is in the New Testament era filled by Christ. For a Church member today to take on this position is in fact a usurpation of the role of Christ, and a blatant sin of which the great false church of Rome is also guilty. See the page "THE GOVERNMENT OF GOD" for a lot more on this.

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4) Baptism into the Trinity

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Another aspect of the poor state of the end-time Church of God is the unquestioning acceptance of the Trinitarian formula used for baptising new members. These words, inserted in Matt 28:19, can be shown to be of Catholic origin, in the same vein as I Jn 5:7. The five Biblical examples we have of baptisms are all done in the name of Jesus Christ alone. Please see the page "BAPTISM INTO THE TRINITY" for more information.

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5) Futurism

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The widespread application of the Jesuit-designed method of interpreting prophecy, known as Futurism, is one of the most damaging blows to have ever been dealt to the Church. Whereas the Philadelphia era espoused Historicism, and HWA long taught the Historicist truth of the "British Israel" doctrine, over time Futurism has more and more taken over the Church in the Laodicean era, so that today we witness a wholesale poverty of understanding as a result. See "REVELATION IS HISTORY" and "TRUTHS LOST IN LAODICEA" for more.

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6) Apostolic succession

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A belief exists in the Churches of God that there has been an unbroken line of ordained ministers of God throughout history, all deriving their ordination from a previous Sabbath keeping minister. This belief emboldens the "we can't be wrong" attitude so prevalent in the final Church era. However, as explained in the article "THE TRUE CHURCH ERAS", the founder of the Church of God (Seventh Day), Gilbert Cranmer, was a minister ordained by a Sunday keeping church long before he switched to Sabbath keeping after reading a magazine article on that subject. He was not ordained by a Sabbath keeping minister, and yet the WCG and its founder HWA traced their ministerial lineage through him.

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7) Christ places His doctrines in the Church

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Another sign of the "poor" Laodicean Church era, with dangerous ramifications, is the belief that Church doctrines are correct because Christ has placed them in the Church. However, anyone with a little bit of knowledge of Church history knows that doctrines have changed over the years. How is that possible if Christ placed them there in the first place? Why would they need to be changed? For instance, the WCG kept Pentecost on Monday for over 40 years. Then it was switched to Sunday. Which doctrine did Christ place in the Church? Proverbs 25:2 tells us how true doctrine should be established, i.e. by searching the Scriptures.

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8) Private interpretation

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The previous point leads to the matter of individual Bible study, something not generally encouraged in the Churches of God. As Church leaders believe that Christ gave them their doctrines as well as their positions, there is no need, according to them, for individuals to study God's Word for new truth or doctrinal correction. This is scoffed at as "private interpretation". This term comes from II Pet 1:20-21. However, this passage of Scripture refers not to the study of God's Word, but rather to its origin: men of God wrote the Scriptures by inspiration of God's spirit rather than by their own private interpretation. A Church era that discourages people from reading the Word of God for "correction and instruction in righteousness" (II Tim 3:16) is a poor one indeed. Please see the page "PRIVATE INTERPRETATION" for more on this.

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9) Duality in prophecy

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One of the poorest explanations of Scripture that is pervasive in this final era of the Church is that prophecies can have more than one fulfilment. This erroneous belief results in a situation where we can never claim that God has fulfilled His predictions, because there are always other, future fulfilments possible. There is not one verifiable example of a prophecy having been fulfilled twice. The "end-time Elijah" doctrine is a well-known example of this error. See the page 'THE END TIME ELIJAH" for more about this.

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10) Growth in knowledge

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The Scriptures command us to grow in knowledge. In II Pet 3:18 it says "Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ". This is only logical, seeing we are born with no understanding, and have to gradually acquire knowledge throughout the years we are given. However, COG ministers state from the pulpit such things as "We are not seeking new truth". This lamentable situation fits perfectly with a Church era that believes it did already "restore all things" (Mt 17:11) and so has "need of nothing" (Rev 3:17).

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11) The Sabbath

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The fourth commandment enjoins man to keep God's Sabbath holy. However, in the final era of God's Church men have determined that doing business, like visiting coffee shops and restaurants on this day does not constitute a transgression. At annual Feasts, restaurant meals are shamelessly organised on days that the Churches themselves declare to be holy. It is hard to imagine that any generation of Sabbath keepers has ever treated God's holy days in such a lukewarm manner. See the page "TEN BROKEN COMMANDMENTS" for more information.

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12) "Agape" love

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A long-cherished teaching in the Churches of God concerns the Greek word "agape". It is taught that this word denotes God's spiritual love, which a person can supposedly only possess by the indwelling of the holy spirit. However, Lk 11:42-43 shows this to be a poor explanation. Here Christ rebukes the Pharisees for lacking love ("agape") for God, and admonishes them, saying it is something they "should have practised". But how could these enemies of God have shown agape love for God, if it only comes by God's spirit? Even the disciples did not have God's spirit at this stage.

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Verse 43 goes on to show that the Pharisees in fact did have agape love. Christ said that they loved ("agape") "the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces". Again this contradicts what the Churches teach, a teaching handed down from HWA.

 

The word agape is not speaking of God's love, but love in general. It is used interchangeably with "phileo", another Greek word denoting love. In a concordance or interlinear Bible, compare the Greek words translated "love" in Matt 23:6 and in its parallel passage Luke 11:42-43.

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13) The word "Ekklesia"​

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Another poor explanation of a Greek word involves "ekklesia", the word usually translated as "church" in English Bibles. The word simply means "assembly". The Churches of God however, following HWA, time and time again maintain that this word actually means "called out ones" and refers to church members called by God. However, in Acts 19 there is an account of a riot caused by an idolatrous mob attacking church members, where the word ekklesia is used three times (vv 32, 39 and 41), twice referring to the mob, and once to a court of justice where the dispute could have been settled. Clearly the references in Acts 19 are not to "called out ones" of God.

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14) Ezekiel did not preach to Israel

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It is common to hear in the Churches of God that the prophet Ezekiel did not deliver his message to the people of Israel as instructed by God, but only to the Jewish captives in Babylon. Instead, they say the message was delivered to Israel in modern times by HWA, or it is being delivered to them by the Churches today.

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However, Eze 14:1-4 states "Some of the elders of Israel came to me and sat down in front of me. Then the word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, these men have set up idols in their hearts and put wicked stumbling blocks before their faces. Should I let them inquire of me at all? Therefore speak to them and tell them ......"

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Eze 20:1-2 confirms this: "In the seventh year, in the fifth month on the tenth day, some of the elders of Israel came to inquire of the Lord, and they sat down in front of me. Then the word of the Lord came to me:  “Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel and say to them ......"

 

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15) The "Gap Theory"

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Another erroneous teaching espoused by HWA and his successors is that between Genesis 1:1 and 1:3 a gap in time exists that might be billions of years long. This theory is relatively modern, and is meant to incorporate the evolutionist idea that the Universe has existed for a vast amount of time. However, this belief is incompatible with the Creation account because it does not allow for the commencement of the nighttime portion of the first day, even though Gen 1:5 plainly states that "the evening and the morning were the first day". It also defies the logic of seven literal days of Creation picturing God's 7000 year plan on Earth. See the page "THE SEVEN DAY BLUEPRINT" for more.

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16) The genealogy of Jesus Christ

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The Churches of God misidentify which of the New Testament genealogies pertains to Christ, and which pertains to His step-father Joseph. The clear giveaway is the placement of the books in which these genealogies are found, i.e. Matthew and Luke. As Matthew is the gospel that was originally written for the Jews, in Hebrew, it bridges the narrative between the Hebrew OT and the Greek NT Scriptures, and is rightfully placed as the first book of the NT.

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The last words recorded in the OT are those of the edict of Cyrus, written at the very end of Chronicles. This edict begins the fulfilment of the 70 Week Prophecy of Dan 9:24-27, which predicts the first coming of Christ. The NT commences at the 69 "week" stage of this prophecy, i.e. the begettal and birth of Christ, with His genealogy recorded at the very beginning of Matthew's gospel. 

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In Matthew's genealogy, the words translated "husband of Mary" literally mean "man of Mary" and should be understood as "father of Mary", her father and her husband both having the name Joseph.

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17) Chronological errors

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Because the Churches of the Laodicean era do not take much interest in the fascinating topic of Bible chronology, many chronological errors are taught. For instance, it is common to hear said that Israel spent 430 years in Egypt, which any serious Bible student knows it not correct. Also, it is very common to hear dates like 586BC for the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem, and 538BC for the first year of Cyrus. These dates are derived from secular sources, and are not compatible with the Biblical data. Please see the article "BIBLE CHRONOLOGY" for further information, and the chart on the "HOME" page for a more accurate chronology of Biblical events.

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18) A third temple to be built before Christ returns

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It has long been taught by the Churches of God that another physical temple will be built on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem before the second coming of Jesus Christ. They say that physical sacrifices will once again be offered there, and boldly assert that Christ can't return until a temple based sacrificial system has been resumed. This is based on their interpretations of Dan 9:27 and 12:11, as well as Matt 24:15.

 

However, as clearly explained on the pages "FULFILLED PROPHECIES" and "THE OLIVET PROPHECY", the 70 Week Prophecy of Dan 9 and the greater part of the Olivet Prophecy of Matt 24, Mk 13 and Lk 21 were fulfilled in the first century when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem.

 

Daniel 12:11 pertains to the banning of the prayers of non-muslims on the Temple Mount when it was turned into an Islamic "holy site" in the 7th century AD. Therefore, this is also not an end-time prophecy. Please see the page "DANIEL 11 & 12 - KINGS OF NORTH AND SOUTH" for further explanation.

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19) The term "Day of the Lord"

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Wherever the phrase "day of the Lord" appears in Scripture, Church of God ministers will almost always say it refers to the end times. However, a careful analysis of the relevant passages shows that this phrase is used for any major intervention on the part of God in the affairs of men.

 

The fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonians (Lam 2:22), the overthrow of Babylon by the Medes (Isa 13:1,6,17), Nebuchadnezzar's conquest of Egypt (Eze 30:3-12), and Christ's first coming (Mal 4:5, Joel 2:31, Acts 2:20) are all examples of events called a "day of the Lord" in Scripture. See the page "THE END TIME ELIJAH" for more on this.

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20) The terms "last days", "end" and "in latter times"

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Much like the previous point, whenever modern COG expositors see terms like the three listed above, they immediately assume that the topic concerns the time just prior to Christ's second coming. This poor explanation leads them to misinterpret many passages of Scripture. The pages "FULFILLED PROPHECIES", "THE OLIVET PROPHECY" and "GOG IN EZEKIEL 38 AND 39" elaborate on this. ​

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​This list of errors taught in the Churches of God is by no means exhaustive, and many other examples can be found on the pages "THINGS THAT DON'T ADD UP" and "FULFILLED PROPHECIES". It is clear that God correctly predicts that His people in the final era of the Church will claim that they are "rich" in Bible knowledge. He also states that in truth, matters will be quite the opposite.

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The Churches of the Laodicean era have invented theories by which they either claim to be the Philadelphia era, or a "Philadelphia remnant", or they assert that the message is applicable to others, but not to them or their group.

 

In some Churches the ministers think the problem is related to the regular members of the Church, but not to the ministry or the Church as an organisation. This is yet another major error.

 

Ignoring Christ's severe warning to the final era of the Church, as recorded in Rev 3:14-22, has eternal consequences. Please read the article "THE TRUE CHURCH ERAS" to get a better understanding of Church history and the current state of the Church. ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

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