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A Message of Warning to The Leadership of the WCG
In November 1992, I was moved by the Spirit
to write down the message which follows and send it to the leaders of the
Worldwide Church of God. God always 'sends' prophets to warn before
significant happenings. The downfall and break-up of the Worldwide Church of
God is the result of the WCG's failure to heed God's warnings (and to
recognise His prophets). Now, some six years later, many of the prophetic
statements have been fulfilled or are being fulfilled.
Particularly relevant text is
highlighted in italics or capitals. The text which
is underlined is discussed or explained more fully at the end.
"Now a man of God came to Eli and said to him, 'This is what the Lord says:
'Did I not clearly reveal Myself to your father's house...Why do you scorn
My sacrifice and My offering that I prescribed for My dwelling? Why do
you honour your sons more than Me by fattening yourselves on the
choice parts of every offering made by My people...?'
"Therefore the Lord, the God of Israel, declares:
...'Those who honour Me, I will honour, but those who despise Me will be
disdained. The time is coming when I will cut short your strength
and the strength of your father's house, so that... you will see
distress in My dwelling..."
"I will raise up for Myself a faithful priest, who will do
according to what is in My heart and mind. I will firmly establish his
house, and he will minister before My Anointed One always" (I Sam 2:27-35,
NIV).
"And now this admonition is for you, O priests. If you do
not listen, and if you do not set your heart to honour My name," says the
Lord Almighty, "I will send a curse upon you, and I will curse your
blessings. Yes, I have already cursed them, because you have not
set your heart to honour Me.
"Because of you I will rebuke your descendants; I will
spread on your faces the offal from your festival sacrifices, and you will
be carried off with it. And you will know that I have sent you this
admonition so that My covenant with Levi may continue," says the Lord
Almighty. "My covenant was with him, a covenant of life and peace, and I
gave them to him; this called for reverence and he revered Me and stood in
awe of My name. True instruction was in his mouth and nothing false was
found on his lips. He walked with Me in peace and uprightness, and turned
many from sin.
"For the lips of a priest ought to preserve knowledge, and
from his mouth men should seek instruction - because he is the messenger of
the Lord Almighty. But you have turned from the way and by your
teaching have caused many to stumble; you have violated the covenant
with Levi," says the Lord Almighty. "So I have caused you to be despised
and humiliated before all the people, because you have not followed
My ways but have shown partiality in matters of the law" (Mal 2:1-9,
NIV).
"As for the man who does this, whoever he may be, may the
Lord cut him off from the tents of Jacob - even though he brings offerings
to the Lord Almighty" (v 12).
"Another thing you do: You flood the Lord's altar with
tears. You weep and wail because He no longer pays attention to your
offerings or accepts them with pleasure from your hands. You ask, 'Why?'
It is because the Lord is acting as the witness between you and the wife of
your youth, because you have broken faith with her, though she is
your partner, the wife of your marriage covenant. Has not the Lord made them
one? In flesh and spirit they are His. And why one? Because He was seeking
godly offspring. So guard yourself in your spirit, and do not break faith
with the wife of your youth.
"'I hate divorce,' says the Lord God of Israel, 'and I
hate a man's covering himself with violence as well as with his garment,'
says the Lord Almighty.
"So guard yourself in your spirit, and do not
break faith. You have wearied the Lord with your words.
"'How have we wearied Him?' you ask. By saying, 'All
who do evil are good in the eyes of the Lord, and He is pleased with them'
or 'Where is the God of justice?'" (Mal 2:13-17.)
"Hear, O heavens! Listen, O earth! For the Lord has
spoken: 'I reared up children and brought them up, but they have rebelled
against Me. The ox knows his master, the donkey his owner's manger,
but...My people do not understand...a people loaded with guilt, a
brood of evildoers, children given to corruption. They have forsaken the
Lord, they have spurned the Holy One of Israel and turned their backs on Him...
"Why do you persist in rebellion? Your whole head is
injured, your whole heart afflicted. From the sole of your foot to the top
of your head there is no soundness - only wounds and welts and open sores,
not cleansed or bandaged or soothed with oil.. The Daughter of Zion is
left like a shelter in a vineyard, like a hut in a field of melons,
like a city under siege...
"When you come to meet with Me, who has asked this of you,
this trampling of My courts? Stop bringing meaningless offerings! Your
incense is detestable to Me. New moons, Sabbaths and convocations - I
cannot bear your evil assemblies. Your new moon festivals and your
appointed feasts My soul hates. They have become a burden to Me; I am weary
of bearing them. When you spread out your hands in
prayer, I will hide My eyes from you; even if you offer many prayers, I will
not listen.
"...wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds
out of my sight! Stop doing wrong, learn to do right! Seek justice,
encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case
of the widow.
"...if you resist and rebel, you will be devoured
by the sword.'
"FOR THE MOUTH OF THE LORD HAS SPOKEN. "See how the
faithful city has become a harlot! She once was full of justice;
righteousness used to dwell in her - but now murderers! Your silver has
become dross, your choice wine is diluted with water. Your rulers are
rebels, companions of thieves; they all love bribes and chase after
gifts. They do not defend the cause of the fatherless; the widow's case does
not come before them.
"Therefore the Lord, the Lord Almighty, the Mighty One of
Israel declares, 'Ah I will get relief from My foes and avenge Myself on my
enemies. I will turn My hand against you; I will thoroughly purge
away your dross and remove your impurities... rebels and sinners will be
broken together, and those who forsake the Lord will perish.
"You will be ashamed because of the sacred oaks in which
you have delighted; you will be disgraced...you will be like an oak with
fading leaves, like a garden without water. The mighty man will become
tinder and his work a spark; both will burn together, with no-one to quench
the fire" (Is 1:2-31. NIV).
"Hear the Word of the Lord, you rulers of Sodom; listen to
the law of our God, you people of Gomorrah!" (Is 1:10.)
"...the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor His
ear too dull to hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God;
your sins have hidden His face from you so that He will not hear. For
your hands are stained with blood, your fingers with guilt. Your lips
have spoken lies, and your tongue mutters wicked things. No-one calls for
justice; no-one pleads his case with integrity. They rely on
empty arguments and speak lies; they conceive trouble and give birth
to evil. They hatch the eggs of vipers and spin a spider's web. Whoever
eats their eggs will die, and when one is broken, an adder is hatched...
"Their deeds are evil deeds, and acts of violence are in
their hands. Their feet rush into sin; they are swift to shed innocent
blood. Their thoughts are evil thoughts; ruin and destruction mark their
ways. The way of peace they do not know; there is no justice in their paths.
They have turned them into crooked roads; no-one who walks in them will know
peace.
"So justice is far from us, and righteousness does
not reach us. We look for light, but all is darkness; for brightness, but we
walk in deep shadows. Like the blind we grope along the wall, feeling our
way like men without eyes. At midday we stumble as if it were twilight;
among the strong, we are like the dead...
"We look for justice, but find none; for
deliverance, but it is far away" (Is 59:1-11).
Why?
Because of "rebellion and treachery against the
Lord... uttering lies...So justice is driven back, and
righteousness stands at a distance; truth has fallen in the streets,
honesty cannot enter. Truth is nowhere to be found, and whoever shuns evil
becomes a prey (Is 59:13-15).
"The Lord looked and was displeased that there was no
justice ...He was appalled" (vs 15-16).
"According to what they have done, so will He repay wrath
to His enemies and retribution to His foes...He will come like a pent-up
flood that the breath of the Lord drives along (vs 18-19).
"This is what the Lord says: Do what is just and right.
Rescue from the hand of his oppressor the one who has been robbed. do no
wrong or violence to the alien, the fatherless or the widow, and do not shed
innocent blood in this place...if you do not obey these commands, declares
the Lord, I swear by Myself that this palace will become a ruin.'"
"...Though you are like Gilead to Me, like the summit of
Lebanon, I will surely make you a desert, like towns not inhabited. I
will send destroyers against you, each man with his weapons, and they
will cut up your fine cedar beams and throw them into the fire.
"People from many nations will pass by this city and will
ask one another, 'Why has the Lord done such a thing to this great city?'
And the answer will be: Because they have forsaken the covenant of the
Lord their God and have worshipped and served other gods.'" (Jer
22:3-9.)
"Woe to him who builds his palace by unrighteousness,
his upper rooms by injustice...(v 13).
"...your eyes and your heart are set only on dishonest
gain, on shedding innocent blood and on oppression and extortion" (v17).
"I warned you when you felt secure, but you said, 'I
will not listen!' This has been your way from your youth; you have not
obeyed Me. The wind will drive all your shepherds away, and your allies will
go into exile. Then you will be ashamed and disgraced because of all your
wickedness.
"You who live in 'Lebanon', who are nestled in cedar
buildings, how you will groan when pangs come upon you, pain like that of a
woman in labour! 'As surely as I live,' declares the Lord, 'even if
you...were a signet ring on My right hand, I would still pull you off. I
will hand you over to those who seek your life...I will hurl you and the
mother who gave you birth into another country, where neither of you was
born, and there both of you will die...'" (Jer 22:21-26.)
"'Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and
scattering the sheep of My pasture!' declares the Lord. Therefore this
is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says to the shepherds who tend My
people: 'Because you have scattered My flock and driven them away and
have not bestowed care on them, I will bestow punishment on you for
the evil you have done,' declares the Lord" (Jer 23:1-2).
"Concerning the prophets: My heart is broken within me;
all my bones tremble. I am like a drunken man, like a man overcome by wine,
because of the Lord and His holy words. The [prophets] follow an evil course
and use their power unjustly. 'Both prophet and priest are godless; even
in My Temple I find their wickedness,' declares the Lord.
"Therefore their path will become slippery; they
will be banished to darkness and there they will fall. I will bring
disaster on them in the year they are punished,' declares the Lord.
"...among the prophets of
Jerusalem I have seen something horrible: They commit adultery and live a
lie. They strengthen the hands of evildoers, so that no-one turns from his
wickedness. They are all like Sodom to Me; the people of Jerusalem are like
Gomorrah.'
"Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty says concerning
the prophets: 'I will make them eat bitter food and drink poisoned water,
because from the prophets of Jerusalem ungodliness has spread throughout the
land.'
"This is what the Lord Almighty says: 'Do not listen to
what the prophets are prophesying to you; they fill you with false hopes.
They speak visions from their own minds, not from the mouth of the Lord.
They keep saying to those who despise Me, 'The Lord says you will have
peace.' And to all who follow the stubbornness of their hearts they say, 'No
harm will come to you.' But which of them has stood in the counsel of the
Lord to see or hear His word? Who has listened and heard His word? See
the storm of the Lord will burst out in wrath, a whirlwind swirling down on
the heads of wicked. The anger of the Lord will not turn back until He fully
accomplishes the purposes of His heart. In days to come you will
understand it clearly" (Jer 23:9-20).
"Can anyone hide in secret places so that I cannot see
him?' declares the Lord. 'Do not I fill heaven and earth?' declares the
Lord" (v 24).
"'Let the prophet who has a dream tell his dream, but
let the one who has My word speak it faithfully. For what has straw to
do with grain?' declares the Lord. 'Is not My Word like fire,' declares the
Lord, 'and like a hammer that breaks rock in pieces?" (vs 28-29.)
"..every man's own word becomes his oracle and so
you distort the words of the living God, the Lord Almighty, our
God... Although you claim, 'This is the oracle of the Lord,' even though I
told you that you must not claim, 'This is the oracle of the Lord.'
Therefore, I will surely forget you and cast you out of My presence
along with the city I gave to you and your fathers. I will bring upon
you everlasting disgrace - ever- lasting shame that will not be forgotten" (vs
36-40).
"'...You will not go unpunished, for I am calling
down a sword upon all who live on the earth, declares the Lord Almighty' (Jer
25:29).
"This is what the Lord Almighty says: 'Look! Disaster is
spreading from nation to nation; a mighty storm is rising from the ends of
the earth.' (v 32.)
"Weep and wail, you shepherds; roll in the dust, you
leaders of the flock. For your time to be slaughtered has come; you
will fall and be shattered like fine pottery. The shepherds will have
nowhere to flee, the leaders of the flock no place to escape. Hear the
cry of the shepherds, the wailing of the leaders of the flock, for the Lord
is destroying their pasture. The peaceful meadows will be laid waste because
of the fierce anger of the Lord. Like a lion He will leave His lair, and
their land will become desolate because of...the Lord's fierce anger" (Jer
25:34-38).
"Now reform your ways and your actions and obey the Lord
your God. Then the Lord will relent and will not bring the disaster He has
pronounced against you. As for me, I am in your hands; do with me whatever
you think is good and right. Be assured, however, that if you put me to
death, you will bring the guilt of innocent blood on yourselves and on this
city and on those who live in it, for in truth the Lord has sent me to you
to speak all these words in your hearing" (Jer 26:13-15).
"He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to
the churches" (Rev 2:7).
"...I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first
love. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the
things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and
remove your lampstand from its place" (Rev 2:4-5).
"...I have a few things against you: You have people there
who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the
Israelites to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols and by committing
sexual immorality. Likewise, you also have those who hold to the teaching of
the Nicolaitans. Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and
will fight against them with the sword of My mouth" (Rev 2:14-16).
".., I have this against you: You tolerate that woman
Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching she misleads My
servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols.
I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling. So
I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit
adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways. I will
strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am He who
searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your
deeds" (Rev 2:20-23).
"...I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being
alive, but you are dead. Wake up! Strengthen what remains, and is about to
die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of My God.
Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent.
But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not
know at what time I will come to you" (Rev 3:1-3).
"...These are the words of Him who is holy and true,
who holds the key of David. What He opens, no one can shut; and what He
shuts, no one can open (Rev 3:7).
"...These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true
witness, the ruler of God's creation. I know your deeds, that you are
neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because
you are lukewarm - neither hot nor cold - I am about to spit you out of
My mouth. You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a
thing.' But you do not realise that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind
and naked. I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, so that
you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so that you can cover your
shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so that you can see.
"Those whom I love, I rebuke and discipline" (Rev
3:14-19).
"Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy,
and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it,
because the time is near" (Rev 1:3).
Malcolm B Heap, 11th November 1992
Comments on underlined text
Why do you honour your sons more than Me?
The WCG system is an élitist system which exalts its
ministry. Members are expected to honour the leadership by, for example,
addressing them as "Mr". Ministry decisions are to be respected too. It is
expected that members obey the ministry. In fact, the respect afforded the
WCG ministry is blasphemous. Men take the place of God and receive as much,
if not more, respect than Him!
The time is coming when I will cut short your strength.
Because the WCG leaders have despised God, He declares
that He will cut short the strength of the church. That is now occurring. A
steady and irreversible decline has taken place over the past six years. It
will continue until the WCG is finished, or until they repent.
Many will disagree and object that the WCG leaders do not
despise God. After all, they espouse Christ more than ever before. True. But
words are cheap. Actions speak much louder.
The actions of the WCG which have incurred God's wrath
involve the desecration of scriptural value. Tkach and his aides have
dismantled true foundations of biblical doctrine. As the prophets says to
them: you have turned from the way and by your
teaching have caused many to stumble.
...people loaded with guilt, a brood of evildoers,
children given to corruption. They have forsaken the Lord, they have spurned
the Holy One of Israel and turned their backs on Him.
The religious leaders in Jesus' day displayed the same
humbug as WCG leaders today. They only differ in their emphasis. The
Pharisees were legalists; Tkach's cronies are liberals.
When church leaders hypocritically alter teachings to try
to gain pre-eminence, popularity or acclaim for themselves, it is no wonder
God describes them as loaded with guilt!
The Daughter of Zion is left like a city under siege.
The WCG, one modern 'daughter of Zion', is very much under
siege. She has been bombarded by a demonic onslaught, to deprive her of true
freedoms in Christ, which can never be received through antinomian heresies
masquerading as 'New Covenant Theology'. The law of God is protective, not
enslaving. Men use it to enslave and pervert its application into legalism.
But God uses it to keep you free after He has liberated you through Christ.
Satan has laid siege to the WCG to dispossess her of
aspects of truth which were correct, even though the emphasis may have been
somewhat wrong.
[See] how the faithful city has
become a harlot!
WCG leaders have seduced evangelicals and many mainstream
churches by cleverly dismantling their teaching about Sabbath observance.
Now, they are ready to switch to Sunday and join with the harlot of Rev 17.
They can receive the same punishment, too (18:6).
No-one calls for justice.
Justice has been lacking from leadership dealings with
so-called 'dissident' members. Truth falls in the street, just as the
prophet declared. Expedience rules the day, and the church administration
call the tune.
The downtrodden and abused are not sought out and
compensated. Leaders don't care for justice or truth. They care about power
and control.
You have scattered My flock and driven them away and have
not bestowed care on them, I will bestow
punishment on you for the evil you have done.
This is being fulfilled. WCG leaders have abused,
oppressed, exploited and scattered the flock. Should they be surprised that
the God of all power will take vengeance upon the hard-hearted infidels who
have perpetrated such injustice in the name of religion!?
You distort the words of the living God.
The subtlety of wrong WCG teaching is lost on most
members. It is so devious! But God is not mocked.
I will surely forget you and cast you out of My presence.
Sin exacts its toll. It cuts you off from God. Beware the
WCG leaders. God has now left them to their
own devices!
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