TEN BROKEN COMMANDMENTS
Jesus Christ famously said, "By their fruits you shall know them" (Matt 7:16). Let's examine some of the "fruits" of broken law in this Laodicea era of God's Church. It is my intention to focus on the failure of the Churches themselves to apply the spirit of the Ten Commandments.
Malachi 2:8 warns religious leaders: "you are departed out of the way: you have caused many to stumble at the law".
1) You shall have no other gods before me
God's Church in the Laodicea era has seriously transgressed the first commandment. This is described at length on the page "THE TRUE CHURCH ERAS" where it is shown that the commencement of this current era coincided with the emergence of the Seventh Day Adventist Church (SDA), led by its false prophetess Ellen G White (EGW), in the middle of the 19th century.
In the 1950's, Radio Church of God founder Herbert W Armstrong (HWA), a former minister in the Church of God 7th Day (COG7), which had previously split from the SDA's over the leadership role of EGW, also went on to introduce rule by a single individual into his Church, calling it "the restoration of the government of God".
The truth, however, is that this blasphemous form of government was modelled on the Papacy, the head of false Christianity, which arose when "the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits in the Temple of God, showing himself that he is God" (II Thes 2:3-4).
In 1968 HWA renamed his organisation the Worldwide Church of God (WCG), in the image of the Catholic "Universal" Church. This better reflected his belief that God's people, scattered all over the world, just like those of the Catholic Church, should conform to the opinion of a sole human leader. Since the break-up of the WCG after HWA's death, various remnant groups have continued this unscriptural form of Church government.
It is true that government over the physical nation of Israel under the Old Covenant often took the form of men who ruled as types of Christ. Moses is the best known of these. As described in Numbers 1, under Moses there were twelve leaders over the twelve physical tribes of Israel.
Under the New Covenant however, Jesus Christ fulfils the role of Moses. He is in charge of the spiritual nation of Israel, i.e. the Church. While He was on Earth He trained twelve apostles to administer the Church under Himself.
For Church members to accept a human being in the role of Christ, i.e. ruling as the head of the Church, whether he be labelled a Prophet, a Pastor General, or a Pope, is to put a human being in the place of God. This is a blatant transgression of the first commandment and explains why the Laodicea Church era message shows Christ standing outside the Church, knocking on the door in order to get its attention (Rev 3:20). Please see the page "THE GOVERNMENT OF GOD" for a full explanation of this subject.
2) You shall not make unto you any graven image
Christians of this world often use statues and pictures portraying Christ, Mary, Popes and "Saints", in their worship. Other religions such as Buddhism and Hinduism do much the same thing with their "deities". Images of the stars of sport and entertainment are also venerated by their many fans in a way that closely resembles religious devotion. Although the Church of God has historically always condemned the use of images in worship, now, in the Laodicea era of the Church, we frequently find pictures of Herbert Armstrong, or whoever the new leader is, adorning homes, Church offices and meeting places etc. The SDA's do the same with Ellen G White.
While the physical transgression of the second commandment is problematic enough, the spiritual aspect is truly alarming.
In the Laodicea era, a false image of current or former leaders is deliberately portrayed by many of the Churches of God. Unlike the Scriptures, which show both the commendable and the less flattering traits of people such as Abraham, David, Solomon etc, the Churches of God habitually only show their leaders in a positive light, giving a far more favourable impression of them than their actual record deserves.
In the case of Herbert Armstrong, significant aspects of his life are left out of his lengthy, two-volume autobiography. For example, his biased efforts at handling his erring son Garner Ted, his opulent lifestyle, and his $200,000 plus expenses annual income from God's tithes, which would equal many times that much today, are all conveniently overlooked. One Church of God which republishes HWA's autobiography has gone even further, removing content deemed embarrassing to modern readers and making other questionable adjustments.
The end result of such cover-ups is that Churches create false images of their leaders and worship those images. Try to speak out against such an image and you will find out how much it is worshipped. Try to speak against the Catholic worship of Mary and you will get the same response.
3) You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain
This commandment is about properly representing God. In the Laodicea era, many leaders of Sabbath-keeping Churches have seriously misrepresented God, even making the true religion an embarrassment and a source of ridicule:
The dictatorial form of Church government, the "executive level" incomes taken from God's tithes, the hobnobbing with the rich and famous, the taking of Biblical titles, the ascribing of prophecies to oneself, the favouritism shown to one's family, and the ever stranger "prophetic" pronouncements, all blaspheme the true God. They are foreign to the humility, the simplicity and the selflessness of the Church that Christ established, but abound in this most lukewarm era of the Church of God.
Those who take on Christ's name and call themselves Christian, should in all things endeavour to be Christ-like.
4) Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy
The Laodicea era of God's Church has seen possibly the most liberal approach taken to God's weekly holy day ever. Many new brethren are initially shocked by the careless attitude displayed towards doing business on the Sabbath.
Unbelievably, excuses like "the place would have been open anyway" are sufficient for brethren to be given the green light to visit restaurants, coffee shops, bars and fast-food outlets on God's Sabbath. Even on annual holy days, meals are organised in restaurants without a second thought.
However, Nehemiah 10:31 and 13:15-22 leave no doubt as to God's view on this subject.
Most new Church members would have read literature about the Sabbath prior to attending services. In the case of the WCG, that would certainly have included Herbert Armstrong's booklet "Which Day Is The Christian Sabbath?". This work of over a hundred pages, which can be easily located in PDF form online, on the whole makes a very strong case for the Saturday Sabbath, so one would expect the above mentioned two passages from Nehemiah to be quoted and discussed at length. Surprisingly though, only the second passage is quoted, and then only three of the eight relevant verses. This can be seen on page 76 of the 1976 version of HWA's booklet. Those three verses are Nehemiah 13:15, 17 and 18. Verse 16 is left out.
In verse 17, Nehemiah states, "I contended with the nobles of Judah, and said to them, What evil thing is this that you do, by which you profane the Sabbath day?". By only quoting verse 15 prior to this, which mentions Jews transgressing by working, transporting wares and conducting business with their fellow Jews in Jerusalem on the Sabbath, the impression is given that this is the only reason why Nehemiah "contended" with the Jews regarding the Sabbath.
Verse 16, however, mentions another sin, namely that Jews were also conducting business with Gentiles on the Sabbath. Nehemiah 13:16 reads, "Men of Tyre dwelt there also, who brought in fish and all kinds of goods, and sold them on the Sabbath to the children of Judah, and in Jerusalem".
By omitting verse 16, HWA is obscuring part of Nehemiah's grievance with the Jews on this subject. In doing so, he is hiding this same issue from his readers.
And so what we see today is that while most Sabbath keepers would agree that buying and selling goods with each other should not be done on the Sabbath, a different view exists among many of these same people in regard to doing business with non-believers on the Sabbath, even though the Scriptures make no such distinction.
In a sermon given on October 23, 1981, regarding Sabbath keeping, after initially making very strong points in defence of the Sabbath, Herbert Armstrong begins to stumble somewhat over his sentences. He says that someone has asked him if it's okay to go to restaurants on the Sabbath and HWA claims that he has never given the matter any thought.
Firstly, this seems rather odd, because Sabbath keepers, especially in the early days of their conversion, are often unsure of what to do and what not to do on the Sabbath, and consequently give these things much thought.
Secondly, the careful selection, and omission, of verses from the book of Nehemiah, as related above, seems to indicate that much thought had in fact gone into the matter. Those verses not in support of the long established WCG practice of purchasing food on the Sabbath were carefully left out of HWA's booklet. Please read all of Nehemiah 13:15-22. How could such a powerful Sabbath-keeping example be omitted from a publication used to instruct new converts about the weekly holy day?
The same applies to the other passage in Nehemiah that HWA omitted from his booklet, where Nehemiah, as part of renewing the Jews' covenant with God, states, "... if the peoples of the land brought wares or any grain to sell on the Sabbath day, we would not buy it from them on the Sabbath, or on a holy day ..." (Neh 10:31).
Armstrong further states in his sermon that people would be working on the Sabbath anyway, implying that our frequenting of their eateries is of no consequence. The same argument could be made regarding Nehemiah's "men of Tyre", but obviously that's not how Nehemiah saw things. Then HWA gets to the crux of the matter: He says that, when travelling, there is nothing else a person can do but go to a restaurant on the Sabbath, which he admits is what he does, and professes that he has never thought anything of it!!
Listen to this sermon at:
http://www.herbert-w-armstrong.com/radio/B811023B.MP3
especially from the 17.45 minute mark.
When saying that there is nothing else a person can do but eat out on the Sabbath when away from home, perhaps HWA had a luxurious three course meal in mind, rather than the raw food Christ's disciples ate in the field on the Sabbath as recorded in Matthew 12, where we find the Biblical example of what people did when away from home on the Sabbath. It shows them being humble and making do with the most basic things at hand. There is certainly no hint whatsoever of money changing hands or business being conducted. Rather, the question being debated was how much labour a person might reasonably use on the Sabbath to prepare a meal.
Think about this:
Do you really think Jesus Christ would go to a restaurant on God's holy Sabbath?
In ancient times, defiling the Sabbath for the purpose of one's personal pleasure was contrary to God's law (Isa 58:13). In the future it will be contrary to God's law (Isa 66:23). Why would it be any different today? Israel was sent into captivity for its Sabbath breaking.
In Nehemiah's time, the sellers of wares were coming to the Israelites. Today, many "Sabbath keepers" don't wait to be approached by vendors, instead they go to them! Words fail to describe the depths to which Laodicea era "Sabbath keeping" has descended. Brethren from previous eras suffered torture and death for upholding this precious law of God.
Some brethren like to justify their conduct by pointing out that in our houses we turn on the tap, turn on light switches and flush our toilets on the Sabbath, whilst people are at work at all these service providers. This is a Laodicean argument. These are all automated services that we are more or less dependent on in our modern homes. Not so with attending restaurants, which for us is totally a matter of choice. Never in history has it been easier to prepare for the Sabbath than it is today, and God's Word does give us instructions concerning the Preparation Day (Ex 16). Remember, this is a test commandment. Exodus 31:12-18 makes that very clear. The worst that could happen is that we may go without food for a few hours.
By conducting business on the Sabbath the Church of God is setting a shameful example for those on the outside, as well as new people God is calling!
How is this "restoring all things", which HWA claimed to have done, if it was never done before? If we heedlessly make purchases on the Sabbath, what is the difference between a Sabbath keeper and a Sabbath breaker? Where in Scripture do we see Christ or His followers doing business on the Sabbath?
For an excellent in-depth discussion about attending restaurants on the Sabbath, please see:
https://www.friendsofsabbath.org/G&S/www.giveshare.org/HolyDay/sabbathrestaurants.html
5) Honour your father and your mother
The author once asked a COG Regional Director, "How are your parents?" Answer: "No idea, I haven't spoken to them for years". The reason? They moved to a "rival" Church of God years ago. Christ did say "He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me. And he who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me" (Matt 10:37). However, at no time did Christ say He was doing away with the fifth commandment. Just because our parents follow "Paul", while we prefer "Apollos", doesn't mean we can neglect our responsibilities to them.
Christ strongly criticised the Pharisees for sanctioning a ruse that enabled a man to avoid his duty of caring for his parents by declaring his assets as "Corban", or devoted to God. The result, Christ said, was that they were guilty of breaking the fifth commandment.
Our responsibilities to our parents are not merely of a financial nature, however. Neglect of their emotional and physical needs, by cutting off contact with them, also violates the fifth commandment.
From a spiritual perspective, this final Church era has also neglected to honour our spiritual Father, by honouring physical leaders ahead of Him. Whenever there is doubt, it is most common for the opinion of men to override the Word of God.
Our spiritual mother, the Church, is also dishonoured by those who refer to the Philadelphia era brethren as "Sardis" or "dead". Members today are oblivious of the teachings of Church ministers who lived only a few hundred years ago. The way many speak disparagingly of brethren of the Philadelphia era, while at the same time attempting to usurp their place in history, goes against the spirit of the fifth commandment. The belittling of the knowledge, the achievements, the sacrifices and the sufferings of brethren in all previous Church eras dishonours our "mother".
Please see "THE TRUE CHURCH ERAS" for more on this.
6) You shall not murder
Jesus Christ taught that being angry towards your brother without a cause is akin to murder. The fragmentation of the Church of God in the latter stages of the Laodicea era has often led to mean-spirited accusations between different branches of the Church. The author has heard leaders of one COG repeatedly accuse members of other COG's of "worshipping the Devil", saying they will go into the "lake of fire" if they don't bow down to their particular leader, who they deem to be a prophet. This in spite of the fact that they are indistinguishable from other COG's in their core teachings.
Why does one follow Paul and another Apollos? Who is the author of all this rivalry, sectarianism, and discord? Leaders who promote these divisions are playing into Satan's hand.
If men didn't have selfish ambition and a desire for power, we wouldn't have so many divisions of the Church of God.
7) You shall not commit adultery
The idolising of men has gone so far in this Laodicea era that, as a requirement of admission to some COG's, new converts must pledge their unreserved belief in various claims Church leaders make about themselves. Loyalty and obedience to the person who heads the organisation, to local ministers, and even to dead "prophets" is obligatory in these groups. Even when members know their ministers are in error, they are led to believe that God will bless them for their obedience regardless.
This is spiritual adultery, i.e. in a religious sense putting a person ahead of God.
The Church of God should be first and foremost faithful to God's truth as expressed in the Scriptures, rather than to the pronouncements of men and their organisations.
8) You shall not steal
In this final era of the Church of God some self-appointed "one man" rulers have stolen Jesus Christ's leadership position. Some have also stolen His titles and claimed them as their own, including "The Prophet" and "King". Others have erroneously believed themselves to be the fulfilment of Biblical types such as Elijah, Elisha, Zerubbabel and Eliakim. In the process they have also misappropriated God's tithes and offerings.
In the Laodicea era message we see Christ figuratively knocking on the "door" of His people, through the pages of the Bible, because sound Biblical understanding has been taken from them and replaced with illogical, and sometimes laughable explanations.
While some leaders are preoccupied with finding prophecies about themselves or explaining prophecies along the same lines as their deceived former leader, they have neglected to study the many demonstrably fulfilled prophecies of Scripture. As a result, they are potentially stealing the opportunity of their followers to learn the truth of God’s Word and receive the blessings that come from it.
No wonder the Laodicea era has been given such a bad description.
9) You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour
There is no doubt that the Churches of the Laodicea era will be held accountable for the lies that they are proclaiming in order to protect established doctrines and interpretations, in the face of clear evidence to the contrary. See the pages "THINGS THAT DON'T ADD UP" and "DOCTRINAL ERRORS" for a great many examples of this.
Denying God's verifiable, historical fulfilments of prophecy, many of which are attested to on this website, and instead insisting on implausible, and often bizarre explanations, is bearing false witness. See the page "FULFILLED PROPHECIES".
Each of the Churches of God believes that they are the custodian of all truth. They in effect say that they are "rich, increased in goods, and have need of nothing" (Rev 3:17). Jesus Christ, however, responds that in fact they are all "wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked" (NIV). Who should we believe?
Please read the page "THE TRUE CHURCH ERAS" for a deeper understanding of this problem.
10) You shall not covet
In addition to the undeniable covetousness that often exists with regard to the collection of God's tithes, some of the end-time Churches of God also have a love of pursuing "estates". Even though the Scriptures direct people to leave an inheritance for their descendants, and the law of Israel stipulated that every 50 years possession of land was to be restored to the families of its original owners, nothing seems to be considered a greater success than to pull in the estate of a deceased member. The number of court cases this has led to is difficult to determine, as the Churches do not usually divulge this information to their members. On the contrary, they deliberately hide it if the circumstances are at all controversial.
If there is a genuine desire to faithfully represent God to outsiders, surely the taking of people's money and rightful inheritances should be the last thing the Churches would want to do. Jesus Christ abhorred covetousness and strongly rebuked those "which devour widows' houses" (Mk 12:40).
What kind of an impression do we give of the true Church of God, when we go to court with people over money? What a dreadful and embarrassing misrepresentation of God!
Christ said, "Do not store up for yourselves treasure on earth" (Matt 6:19).
Throughout the history of the Church of God there is no recorded example of greed comparable to the pursuit of wealth witnessed in the Laodicea era Church.
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In light of the above examples, the regrettable conclusion is that although the Churches profess to keep the Ten Commandments, in reality they are in many ways seriously failing to apply the spiritual intent of these perfect laws of God.