Recently I went and read the 1990 edition of
Malachi's Message, thus seeing what was originally written by him, shortly after he was expelled from WCG in December 1989.
It is well known that Gerald Flurry's ideas were taken from
Jules Dervaes' Letter to Laodicea, which were written before Malachi's Message.
But here I read through this book to see what would stand out and comment on it.
We now continue from
Part 1.
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"Persecution of the Philadelphians by the Laodiceans is also discussed in II Thessalonians 2 and Zachariah 3 and 4 - by strong implication. Some of that persecution comes in the form of casting people out of the Laodicean church. [Flurry means WCG.]" (p. 79.)
Being kicked out of church for not doing as its leadership expects is exactly what
PCG does all the time. If you look at the February 5 letter in the link you will find an account of a 13 year old boy being disfellowshipped from PCG.
As I commented in one post regarding
Stephen Flurry's book, Raising the Ruins, PCG complains that the one man rule was used to impose non-Armstrongite views upon WCG, but PCG takes upon itself the right to cast out dissenters from the group wherever it wants. They just wished ultimate power was in their hands, not Tkach's.
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"If the work to the world is basically finished - most of what remains to be done is separating the Laodiceans and the Philadelphians.... That should not taken very long - but it will be painful! Very painful - in some cases it will break up families." (p. 78.)
My word! This has to be one of the most disgusting, horrid and shocking statements Flurry ever says in this book. Here is the terrible no contact policy in embryo. Although (as far as I know) the no contact policy was not yet in force then, it seems clear that the seeds of self-righteous hatred against so-called Laodiceans (WCG members and members of other COGs) is already there in Flurry's heart.
He knows the hatred he is teaching towards those he defines as Laodiceans will tear up families. But it seems clear from these words he is determined to do it regardless, as early as February 1990.
It is a terrible tragedy that Flurry found himself in just the right time to gain enough converts from WCG to became one of the major Armstrongite COGs.
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"Fellow ministers of Jesus Christ, God's people desperately needs an example to follow. God has helped me with many miracles since I was disfellowshipped. He shall do the same for you." p. 79.
"Prophets have not played a major role from Christ's First Coming until now. That could change very soon unless leaders in Pasadena repent. Malachi's message is going to be delivered." p. 80.
This comment is quite intriguing in light of how he later proclaimed himself to be That Prophet in 1999, which is in contradiction to
HWA's explicit teaching, which he taught from 1952 until his death, that New Testament Prophets had no administrative role in the church, and that with the Bible their role is now unnecessary.
One cannot help but wonder if he already was thinking that he was a prophet. His insistence just a few years later that his book, Malachi's Message, is the Little Book of Revelation 10 would already seem to strongly indicate that he had a very high and pompous opinion of himself.
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"If you look at the circumstances, you couldn't say that Mr. Amos and I are in this for the money....Of course, the Philadelphia Church will be accused of greedily desiring money. " (p. 83.)
I find it odd that Flurry felt he had to insist he was not after peoples' money.
To paraphrase Shakespeare, methinks you protest too much.
Considering that
Gerald Flurry would later squander about $25 million building the white elephant called Armstrong Auditorium (see December 26 letter) I would have to say those people who said Flurry and Co. were "greedily desiring money" were far more prophetic and prescient than Gerald Flurry could ever hope to be.
Why would Flurry imagine that him expecting PCG members to pay three tithes, and in addition offerings, would be viewed by some as him "greedily desiring money"? (I am being sarcastic here.)
Here's a
PCG propaganda video that shows the building of Armstrong Auditorium. Here one may see clearly the obsession the PCG leadership have with having respectability and boasting of their power and wealth which they deceptively gained by tricking members into paying tithes and offerings to PCG. No one on earth could possibly know how many tears and how much pain went into sending the money to build this idolatrous white elephant of an auditorium.
Gerald Flurry thinks Armstrong Auditorium proves his (and PCG's) greatness. It actually reveals the terrible exploitation of PCG members for which Gerald Flurry and his clique must bear responsibility for. To paraphrase Jesus, outwardly it looks magnificent and splendid, but inside it is all rotten, it is built with stolen money gained under false pretenses, money which PCG members often could not afford.
Armstrong Auditorium is an abomination.
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So after reading this book that, sad to say, have changed a lot of peoples' lives in very profound (and usually negative) ways I have to say that this book reveals a lot of the cruel authoritarianism which Flurry would lead PCG into. Sometimes his statements in this book, in light of later events, reveal how PCG deteriorated into the dark pit of authoritarianism and tyranny and ruthless exploitation of PCG members with tithes and offerings, and the terrible control PCG leaders inflict on members regarding who they may or may not contact.
PCG is an abomination and will surely fall.
