Articles for the Benefit of Members and Ex-Members of the WCG

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Halford's Heresies

John Halford, as the Regional Director for the Worldwide Church of God in the British Isles, bears the responsibility of protecting members of the Church from deception and apostate teachings. But what has he done? He has not protected members from delusion. He has fostered it!

The nineties will go down in the history of the Worldwide Church of God (WCG) as the decade of deception! This church, once a bastion for certain aspects of truth, has thrown it out faster than a falcon plummeting to the kill! No other religious organisation has ever about-faced so fast.

So dramatic has this turnaround been, that outsiders look on with wonder and astonishment. They ought to be aghast!

So many of the biblical truths which Christian minorities have fought vigorously to maintain against the encroachment of majority apostate delusions have been jettisoned by WCG leaders like driftwood over the Niagara Falls. They can thank Joseph Tkach for instigating this apostasy – a man who was a ‘fence’, a deceiver, and a nepotist. His fruits declare he was not converted. [These facts were revealed in Ambassador Report, PO Box 60068, Pasadena, CA 91116, USA, and are also repeated in The Corrupt Leaders of the WCG, available for £2 from Midnight Ministries.]

And now the church pays homage to his demon-inspired successor – his biblically illiterate son. He has learned well from his father’s hypocrisy and guile!

Oh My people! Those who lead you cause you to err, and destroy the way of your paths (Is 3:12).

Times may have changed, but the fastest route of deception hasn’t! Misguided leaders are still the best avenue for Satan to mount his attacks on truth!

Misdirection!

As I said, outsiders look on astonished – some with wonderment, some in horror, others sceptical. Mainline churches, which don’t observe the Sabbath or holy days, welcomed this new deviate to their fold. Arms open wide, they eagerly endorsed Worldwide’s ‘new approach’ and theology. It was the best thing they could have hoped for, to find this former cult coming around to their way of thinking at long last!

Direction magazine, the official glossy written arm of the Elim Pentecostal Churches in the British Isles, ran a four-page centre spread in their July 1997 issue, all about the WCG and its massive U-turn. Dan Wooding, a commentator for the Washington DC UPI Radio Network, hailed the recent changes in WCG philosophy as a “miracle”!

Little does he know what really lies behind this deceptive facade! Their craft and cant is exposed in The Plain Truth About The Leadership of the Worldwide Church of God (only available electronically – see later).

Just because Worldwide leaders are prepared to demolish traditional WCG shibboleths doesn’t mean they have reformed their approach for the good. They don’t mind conceding some ground if such concessions can gain them greater favours elsewhere. Their actions belie the fact that they now seek the evangelical society’s approval, not truth!

I wrote to the editor of Direction to alert him to the plain truth about WCG changes.

The Editor, Mr. Derek Green,
Direction Magazine,
Oasis Centre, Oxton Road,
Wallasey,
Wirral, L44 4EU.

3rd July 1997,

Dear Derek,

I am shocked that you should publish a four page, centre-spread on the Worldwide Cult of ‘God’ in Direction for July 1997! That group is perhaps the most deceitful, conniving, satanically-inspired pseudo-Christian ‘church’ on earth today! I realise those are strong words. But if you could see behind the facade of orthodoxy the Worldwide Church of God (WCG) has expediently adopted in order to be accepted by the mainstream, you would see a very different picture.

They claim they accept other Christians but they only accept those who will scratch their back. They will compliment those who compliment them, and they have been willing to deny truth from God in order to gain the acceptability of the majority.

We have had considerable dealings with this ‘church’ and God has spoken to us about their ‘new theology’ amongst other things. A year or two ago, as I was praying God said this about Joseph Tkach junior: “When he opens his mouth, it’s the devil speaking.”

The devil has fooled a lot of people! And it seems you also want to do the work of the devil, instead of doing the work of God! You prefer to give prominence to this group which shuns true Christians, repudiates the gifts of the Spirit, doesn’t allow freedom of worship in its meetings, and abuses those whom it regards as “dissidents”. They fail to see that all the prophets were “dissidents”, that Jesus Himself dissented from majority viewpoints, and that the true believers were always a minority.

For example, when I challenged this church about their refusal to accept the genuineness of the gifts of the Spirit, as you do, they shut down their correspondence. When one of their members, who had been fellowshipping with us for a while and who had received the baptism of the Spirit in our fellowship, went to one of their meetings, he was asked what this thing about tongues was. So, the best way to explain was to simply pray in tongues. He prayed in tongues and they were so petrified they told him not to come to their meetings again. This is how they operate. They have not changed their true colours inside. They are still just as much a cult as ever, if not more so! All they have done is put on some attractive make-up. And they have lured their lovers with it!

It is unfortunate that you did not do fuller research into the WCG before giving them a leg up! Their founder, Herbert W Armstrong, was a sexual pervert who had an ongoing incestuous relationship with one of his daughters in the 1930s. He did not repent of his gross sins. He merely covered them up.

The Tkach junta took over the WCG in 1986 when Armstrong died. Some claim that the appointment was orchestrated by Joseph Tkach senior himself! He had nine years in office, and lied “through his back teeth” to members. Nine is often used in the Bible as a numeric symbol of God’s judgement. He died of cancer in 1995. The office of Pastor General (which is an unbiblical papal position) was passed on to his son, Joseph Tkach junior. Nepotism is not biblical either! But the WCG supports this illicit system through a tightly controlled network, akin to the regimes that have dominated Communist countries. Sycophants close to the ruler, Tkach, give his rule stability. Valid complaints of the members, where they “dissent” from Tkach’s official statements, are squelched by the power inherent in such a system. It is dictatorial rule. It is satanic. It is evil!

I suggest you read the plain truth about the clandestine way this group behaves in the enclosed literature and publish an amendment in your next issue of Direction to set the record straight. [He didn’t!] I’m sure you wouldn’t want to be found giving credit to a group which oppresses believers and opposes truth. At the moment, that is the unfortunate trap you have been lured into.

The WCG is not led by the Holy Spirit, but by demon spirits! If you contest that statement, take it to God and ask Him to show you the truth!

Sincerely in Jesus’ name, MBH

Fooling The Foolish

Many outsiders are fooled by the WCG’s chameleon-like behaviour. It has even duped many members inside! That’s even more astonishing, really. But not all are fooled.

Thousands have left because they see through a lot of the lies and hypocrisy. Those who dare, speak out. But most members feel unable to challenge a regime which is indomitable and which does not allow a hearing for grievances or allow members to ‘dissent’ from official WCG policy or teaching.

There are insurmountable obstacles to climb to alert unsuspecting members to the fact that they are being lured ever deeper into the lion’s den. An Orwellian “1984” scenario prevails. “Big Brother” frowns on underlings who express criticism, even if it is constructive. Members are conditioned to stay quiet and “obedient” to their masters.

Restrictive psychological manipulation inside the WCG is so pervasive and effective, that it makes almost any attempt to alert members to their apostasy almost impossible. Minds are closed.

Sentries of suspicion stand guard on the high walls of WCG prejudice. That defence is well nigh impenetrable. Leadership philosophy has created and perpetuated this blindness. They do not want their members seeing outside their walls. If they see too much, they could leave. Those in the WCG have as much freedom as former East Berliners.

It’s no wonder that many WCG members have gullibly swallowed the deluge of heresies introduced in the last few years. Their minds were prepared for this years before. “Changes, changes, changes…” was the swan song week after week round about 1990.

But no changes were announced. It was a premeditated move on the part of WCG leaders to condition members to accept the new changes with the least resistance when they were later announced. Now those apostate teachings have been inoculated into the membership, the leaders are proud of their bold achievement.

A Dozen Heresies

In the past seven years or so, the WCG has thrown out many aspects of biblical truth. Here are just a dozen samples.

1. The keeping of the 7th-day Sabbath is no longer a valid teaching under the New Covenant (NC).
2. Likewise, the annual holy days God gave Israel are not required observances for Christians.
3. Regulations concerning clean and unclean meats are not accepted as part of N C theology.
4. To replace the Sabbath, Sunday keeping is not frowned upon. And to substitute annual holy days, WCG teaching does not condemn the observance of Christmas, Easter or similar days of pagan derivation.
5. The 7,000 year plan for man is rejected.
6. The Trinity doctrine has been embraced.
7. The Second Coming of Jesus is not believed to be close at hand.
8. The WCG avoids mentioning the Great Tribulation which is to come.
9. The Identity of Israel today has been ditched.
10. Bible prophecy has been de-emphasised if not even totally deleted from WCG pulpits.
11. Explaining the book of Revelation is also not part of any official church teaching programme.
12. And to cap it off, by its behaviour the church leadership endorses double standards. They say one thing but do another.

For example, in the July 1997 Direction article, a WCG spokesman said of their approach to Christians outside their fold: “I think we need to embrace each other as brothers and sisters.” That is rank hypocrisy!

I have sent over a thousand videos to members of the WCG on which there is undeniable evidence of the love of God demonstrated in the actions and teaching of ‘outside’ Christians. These are the very Christians WCG leaders claim they accept and “embrace”! Yet, those videos I sacrificially sent to help members see outside their walls have been collected up by church officials to be wiped of their content, and sent to charities as a “good deed”!

This church that claims to represent Christ is doing the work of the antichrist! It mouths sweet platitudes of “love” and acceptance of other Christians while it rejects those whom it professes to be wooing and stabs those who promote them.

The WCG only invites certain ‘outside’ speakers to their meetings whom they know will scratch their own backs. But the ones I have promoted via videos and tapes, it repudiates by its actions. Why?

Because the WCG still maintains its tight control upon what they permit members to hear. Cults are effectively a closed system. They tightly monitor their members’ behaviour and beliefs. And they veto prophets! Hence their repudiation of me and others of like ilk.

If the WCG does accept other Christians, why do they never encourage their members to learn from those who are REALLY Spirit-led in the broader Church? And if I am a heretic as they claim, why don’t they suggest their members study our materials and disprove what we are promoting? Because they can’t!

Nor would that be advantageous to their purpose, which is to maintain their control over members’ minds. This sort of control has never been analysed by the majority of WCG members. It is evil. It is actually an evidence of demonic influence! But those under its power won’t see that, of course. The blind follow the blind and both fall into the ditch.

Fears Promoted by WCG

The function of elders in the Church is to feed the sheep and protect them from wolves. But what has John Halford done? He ‘carries the can’ for the WCG in the British Isles. He is supposed to be their chief shepherd.

While the WCG leadership in America has been watering down truth wholesale, eldership has reverted to a policing role. Instead of protecting the flock from heresies and hypocrisy, by default the paid ministry are furthering this apostasy. They are either too afraid to speak out for fear of being fired and losing their wages, or they are too blind themselves to see the errors in what is being subtly promoted by Tkach and his cronies.

Fear keeps many inside the WCG. They fear to leave, because they don’t know where else to go. “Better the devil you know than the devil you don’t know,” some think.

They fear to disobey their ministers, because they believe that the ministry knows best, or that they might lose out on salvation if they disobey them.

Many fear to look at what we are sending them, because they think it might be contaminated spiritually – a belief implanted by their misguided mentors.

WCG doctrine instils all kinds of fears in people. But these are all spiritually destructive fears. None of them is the fear of God, the only constructive spiritual fear the Bible encourages us to have.

Negative fears of the sort the WCG encourages reduce people to the level of morons. They behave like lemmings. If the leader says jump off the cliff, and convinces his followers that is the right thing, they all jump. They are unable to assess the situation critically enough, because their minds have been conditioned to do whatever the leader suggests.

If the leader says “Don’t look at the stuff coming from Midnight Ministries [or other ‘dissident’ group] because it is spiritual poison” they follow the leader. He only has to be openly critical of it and they are turned off! Most don’t check first to see if what their leader says is correct or not. They have come to fear that just looking at it could be enough to contaminate their minds!

And so, the saga of WCG spiritual oppression continues.

The sad legacy is a spiritually deprived flock. people who could find so much more peace and joy if they could only reject their long-held prejudices and come closer to the Light who wants to envelop them more fully with His love.

Love is alien to many of them. They are taught to be hostile, close-minded, suspicious, fearful and resentful of those like me who send things to them of spiritual value. The fact that I have sacrificed to do so does not register in their minds as a good deed.

Nor does it occur to them that they should answer me biblically (Gal 6:1; Jas 5:19,20), and expose the errors in my teaching if they think it is in error. The fact that no one has pointed out any error in what I have sent, and that few even reply, is mute testimony to the fact that they are wearing the shoes of hostility and resentment, not me.

The truth is, the majority of WCG folks are too afraid or too uncaring to reply!! Those are the tragic indicators of their spiritual poverty. These unchristian traits are cemented in their minds by prejudice. And prejudice is nothing more than a subtle form of hatred.

Helped and Encouraged

Thankfully, there are some – however few – who appreciate what we have tried to do for them. I received this letter recently:

Dear Malcolm,

Thank you for sending me tapes, booklets and videos. I have no idea how you got my address [it was given by a friend], but I am so glad that you did. [WCG ministers have tried to prevent members giving us any addresses, so they can keep them imprisoned.]

I left the WCG 3 years ago, having become disillusioned and not understanding why. Through your booklets it is becoming clearer to me now what was missing in that organisation, and the PCG. Shortly before I left I said to another member that I had seen evidence of God’s love working through people who attended other churches and he looked at me as though I had lost my senses… When I saw the face of Jesus in your booklet Who Is The End-Time Elijah? I broke down and cried. It is the most moving picture I have ever seen. Thank you again for helping me to understand more of God’s purpose. May God bless you in your work.

He is! And He will continue to do so. I am thankful for God’s approval. I don’t care what others think of me. I am mud in the eyes of my former friends in the WCG and its offshoot churches. They resent, and are even jealous of the work God has begun here.

A Prophetic Work of God

Many contest that this is even a work of God. But it is obvious to those with insight that it must be. We only exist by miracles. One miracle is that of how we can fund it because I have no full-time paid employment any more. God had me give up my successful building business so I could do this work full time. We only have a handful of supporters who donate to offset some costs. Our continual shortfall in income is met by our elder daughter who donates more than 80% of her wages to pay the bills. When that is insufficient, God sometimes sends a mystery person to bale us out.

If you read the Bible carefully you will see that God always gives miraculous attestation to those whom He uses. The prophets Elijah and Elisha both received direct communication from God. Yet, we are ridiculed by others for making similar claims. I lie not!

In the NT, the apostolic office was attested to by the signs and wonders which accompanied it (2 Cor 12:12). The prophetic office is equally miraculous. Prophets are not ordained by men, but by God. Their support is not from men either, but from God.

A few years ago I sent Miraculous Manifestations (see below) to members of the WCG; it is an account of some of the miraculous things which have happened to us since we were ‘pushed’ into this ministry. God directed us into it! That is confirmed by the supernatural signs. But our former friends and associates were so filled with unbelief that they could only mock and disbelieve.

They didn’t accept that angels have appeared, that miracles have occurred, and that God has demonstrated His guidance of our ministry in so many ways. They are stiff-necked, hardhearted, stubborn! They desperately need to wake up to their terrible spiritual condition.

While they continue to mock and bin our materials, they are binning the very things which are sent to help and deliver them from their myopia and deception.

Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers because he was given revelations from God. But it was through Joseph that God delivered them from famine and slow death. There is a spiritual famine in the WCG at this time, and WCG brothers and sisters desperately need deliverance. They are slowly dying.

But whom has God chosen to help them? It’s not John Halford. He’s passively condoning the apostasy, happy to draw his wages from a corrupt organisation that is spiritually starving people. He is giving consent to the spiritual abuse of members, and his approval to the heinous heresies that spiritually-dull WCG mentors are now funnelling into the minds of their hapless victims.

Who was sent to deliver Israel from its bondage in Egypt? A prophet whom God trained in Egypt – Moses. Who was sent to incite revival under the reign of the wicked king Ahab? The prophet Elijah! Whom does God use to warn His people of sin and spiritual attrition which they cannot see themselves? Prophets (Is 58:1).

Sorry if that offends. It seems to offend most WCG sycophants. But prophets are still vehicles of God’s working in the Church (Eph 4:11; 1 Cor 12:28) because it is not yet perfect (Eph 4:11-13). The body of Christ contains them. If you exclude them you exclude the God who sent them to help you (Matt 10:40-41). The wonders of God’s revelation to man were received by prophets in the OT and by apostles and prophets in the NT (Eph 3:5).

So don’t believe the rubbish church leaders promote that prophets like me are self-appointed idiots. I don’t mind being a fool for Christ. He will back me up!

When He engineers the next ‘Mount Carmel’ confrontation you will see the power of God descend and you will know that I was not self-appointed. More importantly, you will know that the words I brought you on paper were not mine, but from the One who had me write them. I hope that you will heed. I don’t want to see anyone perish. But many are headed down that wrong route, plunging to destruction through their own rebellion, stubbornness and prejudicial self-will.

I’m sorry I have to berate John Halford publicly for being the hypocrite he is. I had hoped he would be willing to respond positively and correctly. But he has refused to answer my letters or give me any respect or credit. He clearly doesn’t want to settle this dispute amicably. And church leaders who are sinning are to be rebuked publicly (1 Tim 5:20).

This dispute is not mine. It is one the Almighty has with him and with those who side with Joseph Tkach in his heresies. He is contending with the Almighty, not with me. And those who contend with the Almighty are in for a rude awakening one day!

The sooner they let God’s people go, the better.

Now as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, disapproved concerning the faith; but they will progress no further, for their folly will be manifest to all, as theirs also was (2 Tim 3:8,9).

Scripture is as relevant today as when it was first written. Men who resist prophets of the Truth will go no further with God.

YOU HAVE ALREADY WITNESSED ONE OF THE WORST APOSTASIES IN THE HISTORY OF THE CHURCH, BECAUSE THE CULPRITS SHOULD HAVE KNOWN BETTER! But worse demise is yet to come. Wait and see what happens to the WCG. Its time of judgment has come. God will not be mocked!

If you want to obey God, you are commanded to leave apostate religion behind (Rev 18:4). Move on!

Malcolm B Heap, Jan 1998

Further Reading:

Miraculous Manifestations (£1)   |   God Speaks To The WCG (£2)   |   Dreams From God About The WCG (£2)
The Plain Truth About The Leadership of The WCG (electronic version only available
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