INTRODUCTION
To make sense of what is contained in the following articles, readers will probably need to have a background in a Sabbath keeping Church of God. The main focus in these writings is on the teachings of the various Church groups that originated from the Worldwide Church of God, founded by Herbert W Armstrong (1892-1986).
The history of God's true Church, now almost 2000 years in duration, is foretold in chapters 2 and 3 of the book of Revelation and predicted there to comprise seven successive stages or eras. As an abundance of details show, we are currently living at the very end of the last of those seven eras.
It should be noted that when the term "true Church" is used here, it refers to a Church that teaches the Ten Commandments, including the seventh day Sabbath, as found throughout the Bible. The keeping of the Sabbath (Ex 20:8-11) from sunset Friday until sunset Saturday (Gen 1:31-2:3, Lev 23:3,32, Neh 13:19) is an outward sign of God's true people (Ex 31:12-18). The breaking of the Sabbath is labelled by God "the Mark of the Beast" (see "REVELATION 13 - THE BEAST").
The seven Church eras listed in Revelation 2 and 3 are symbolically represented by seven towns in ancient Asia Minor where congregations of believers were raised up in the first century AD. The final era of the Church takes its name from the town of Laodicea.
Here is Christ's message to the Laodicea era, as dictated to John the apostle (quoted from the New American Standard Bible [1995 version] except where indicated):
Revelation 3:14 “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God, says this:
15 ‘I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot.
16 So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth.
17 Because you say, “I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing”, and you do not know that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked (NIV),
18 I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see.
19 Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent.
20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.
21 He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.
22 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches’”.
It is the total failure of the Churches of God (COG) in our time to apply this message to themselves and their doctrines, that this website seeks to address.
The following three pages, "THINGS THAT DON'T ADD UP", "DOCTRINAL ERRORS" and "FULFILLED PROPHECIES", list over 50 incorrect COG teachings.
In discussing the meaning of the Laodicea era message, my initial purpose is to counteract one of the most prevalent views held by true Christians of this time, i.e. that their salvation is linked to their allegiance to specific former or current Church leaders and their teachings. I intend to show that it is largely these very allegiances that have caused this final Church era to be labelled by Christ as "wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked".
Already in the early days of the Church, the desire among brethren to have a human figurehead was emerging. Christians said, "I am of Paul" or "I am of Apollos", but Paul refuted this attitude as carnal (I Cor 3:3-4). Additionally, men who in the name of Christ wanted to elevate themselves, "claiming to be someone great", also did not get a good report (Acts 8:9-23).
The Scriptural rebuke of "Diotrephes, who loves to have the preeminence" (III Jn 9) should be a warning to all who would follow in his footsteps.
It should also be a warning to all Christians who would follow such people.
Unfortunately, it hasn't been. Many Christians seem to think that if they are called by God through a certain person or organisation, God expects them to be loyal to that person or organisation unconditionally. God however, says "Cursed is the man who trusts in man" (Jer 17:5). That includes trusting ministers, preachers and Church leaders.
Certain men and women in God's Churches have made big claims about themselves. Some have professed to be apostles or prophets. Some, convinced they are prophesied about in Scripture, have called themselves "the spirit of prophecy", "the end time Elijah" or "that prophet".
Regrettably, the lesson that "everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted" (Lk 18:14) has not been taken to heart.
How ironic that those claiming to be prophets have presided over a Church era that Christ labels as "blind"!
One aspect of this blindness concerns time-related Bible prophecies. This originally resulted from erroneous interpretations taking hold among Sabbath keepers at the beginning of the Laodicea era, around the middle of the 19th century.
Over time the blindness has persisted, in spite of the fact that a total of 11 long-term, time-related prophecies have been fulfilled since the end of World War 2. The evidence for many of these fulfilments is overwhelming, as explained at length on this website.
God is the master Designer and Mathematician. He has laid out His plan right from the beginning, in Genesis 1 and 2. The seven days of Creation are what I call "the seven day blueprint", where each day pictures one thousand years of God's work with mankind.
Within this 7000 year framework, God has given us in Scripture an abundance of facts related to time: genealogical data, regnal years, statements of duration, number-based prophecies and types etc. The study of this information is called Bible chronology.
It is impossible to understand Bible prophecy without a thorough understanding of Bible chronology, for our Creator does things in an orderly fashion within His foreordained timeline.
As He Himself states in Isaiah 46:9-10, "For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done". In verse 11 He adds, "Indeed I have spoken it; I will also bring it to pass. I have purposed it; I will also do it".
Although crucial to understanding, Bible chronology rarely gets a mention in the end time Churches of God. As a result we are largely in the dark regarding Bible prophecy.
Embarrassingly, the Laodicea era of God's Church proclaims great events to come which have long since been fulfilled.
A thorough reading of the writings found on this website will prove that point to any open-minded reader.
This "letter" to the Laodicea era originally began with just a few articles and a chronological chart. However, because of the large number of doctrinal failings identifiable in our time, this body of work has grown considerably over the years and become more like a book, which seems to be an indictment in itself. It is hoped that the issues discussed here will help the reader comprehend the serious level of error that exists in the Churches of God today.
Introduction to the Chart
The chart on the homepage, “Chronology of the Years of Man since Creation in Anno Mundi (AM) Years”, is not just an overview of Biblical history; it contains many examples of time spans that fulfil Biblical prophecies. The 2520 years of Israel and Judah's punishments, the 2300 years of Jerusalem's defilement, and the 490 years of the Seventy Week Prophecy can all be found here, as well as a number of other time-related prophecies.
To start with, the column on the far left contains the outline of the seven consecutive thousand year periods, which are figuratively foretold in Genesis 1 and 2. The chart also contains the timelines and identities of the four "beast" powers of Daniel 7, i.e. the Gentile powers that conquered and occupied Jerusalem over a period of 2520 years, including the usually overlooked Islamic powers that ruled the city of God for almost as long as all other Gentile powers combined. The "ten horns" of the fourth Beast are all listed, as well as the three times that the "little horn" of Daniel 7:8 overthrew one of the ten horns.
Of course, the chart also shows the year we are in today. Keep in mind that Biblical years and Roman years differ in that the former start on Abib or Nisan 1 (in March or April), whereas the latter start on January 1. By my reckoning, the Roman year 2025 aligns, on Abib/Nisan 1, with the year 5994AM, i.e. the 5994th year since Creation. Years counted from Creation are termed by chronologists Anno Mundi or AM (year of the world).
You are welcome to download the chart, print it, or just study it in full on your own computer. I am more than happy to answer any questions it may raise. If you do print it, I recommend using paper that is 140GSM or thicker, otherwise lines may not print properly. Also, it is advisable to print the chart no smaller than A3 size, for the sake of legibility.