Reading PCG's Booklet, The Last Hour (Part 2)

Let us now read Gerald Flurry's booklet, The Last Hour. This booklet was first published in 2004. It was later revised in 2007. Here Flurry once again fear mongers that things are about to get really bad very soon.  He made a scary sermon on May 5, 2001, insisting now is the last hour. Fourteen years later we are still waiting. Flurry also boasts of his court case with Tkach's WCG without mentioning how he had to pay them $3 million. You can read the current 2007 version of this booklet on their website.

This is a continuation from Part 1.

Chapter 3

In this particular booklet Flurry boasts that those who join PCG are fighting Antichrists and "THE LIAR" Tkach. He cites the court case with Tkach's WCG in order to advertize his PCG as the only COG one should join.

That is true of us in this last hour. We live in a time of the worst danger ever, and we are probably going to feel it more acutely than God’s people ever have! (p. 27.)

Yet more fear mongering. Nothing of the sort has happened since this booklet was published in 2004. The US economy even went through the global financial crisis in 2007-8 but it is still the most powerful nation of the world.

Verses 8-9 show that this man does his work by the power of Satan. This is a war between Satan and God. Satan has his army; God has His. The liar is standing up and representing the devil in this last hour! (This man is more fully identified in Malachi’s Message.

People are perishing because of the deception that comes from failing to love the truth (verse 10). How much do you love the truth? How much do you love Mystery of the Ages and Mr. Armstrong’s other books? You will have to fight THE LIAR and other antichrists to prove that to God ! (p. 30.)

The liar here appears to be Tkach Jr. When Flurry wrote Malachi's Message he taught that Tkach Sr. was the Man of Sin of 2 Thessalonians. In fact it is widely known that many of the ideas within Malachi's Message were plagiarized from The Letter to Laodicea by Jules Dervaes, written December 1986-January 1988. It was sent to 237 WCG ministers including Gerald Flurry and John Amos. On September 26, 1990 Jules Dervaes even sent a letter to Gerald Flurry in which he denounces Malachi's Message as "a direct and clear plagiarism" of his work. 

Also following the Tkach changes naturally many of those who continued to believe that God was with HWA were highly offended but were unable to unseat Tkach because he had absolute power over WCG just like HWA. They were powerless to do anything to stop the Tkach changes within WCG.

Here Flurry is trying to tap into that anger to get such people to pay tithes to his group and no other. What is not mentioned here is that Flurry's PCG had to pay $3 million to "THE LIAR" to acquire HWA's writings. That is how Flurry "resisted" Tkach: pay Tkach's group $3 million.

If we fulfill God’s commission for a witness, then God will bring people into His Church to support that work. If we lack God’s vision, we attempt to do His work our own selfish way. Then God will not bless it and the work will fail.

The WCG leaders have demonstrated that truth extremely well. At the time Herbert W. Armstrong died, the WCG was receiving over $200 million income annually. Now they receive less than $20 million and are still in a free fall! (p. 32.)

What is not mentioned here is that PCG only gets about $19.5 million a year as was the case in 2012. That is about the same level of income as Tkach's WCG is asserted by Flurry to receive in 2004. Does this mean that PCG is only blessed with as much income as the supposedly accused Tkach's WCG receives at the same time?

Does this not mean that PCG is cursed just like Tkach?

When 1 John 2:22 speaks of people rejecting the Father, we see that it is also referring to the Laodiceans rejecting Mr. Armstrong as our spiritual father (that is, either directly or indirectly they came to God through him; Paul fulfilled the same role to the Corinthian church— 1 Corinthians 4:15; read chapter 6 of my book The God Family Vision). The Laodiceans fail to honor our Father, and the single greatest way they do that is by rejecting our spiritual father and physical head, Herbert W. Armstrong! He was the end-time type of Elijah, who restored all things. Most of the Laodiceans refuse to even recognize him as fulfilling that office. The gospel is the good news of the coming Kingdom or Family of God. God’s Family is going to rule Earth and the universe. That Family will be led by God the Father. That is the most wonderful news we could hear! (pp. 32-33.)

Actually many of the other COGs in fact hail HWA as the end time Elijah just like PCG. Flurry's accusation that the other COG groups ("the Laodiceans") fail to honor HWA is just loaded language designed to convince the reader to support and give tithes to PCG.

Mystery of the Ages contains more revelation from God than any book Mr. Armstrong ever wrote. He said he wanted to get it to “the largest audience possible” and added, “I’m sure you will agree.” But only the Philadelphia Church of God agrees.

The dispute in court over Mystery of the Ages was one war arena where people could clearly see who were the antichrists and who fought for Christ and His truth! And most Laodiceans did nothing to help us fight that battle. That may be their single most condemning failure in this end time. They remained neutral in Christ’s fight against the antichrists! That court battle revealed so much about God’s people. (p. 33.)

And so we see how Flurry is advertizing his PCG by boasting of how PCG got itself caught up in a court case with Tkach's WCG. While PCG accuse the other COG groups of somehow failing to live up to HWA's teachings PCG has actually changed some of HWA's writings. PCG has changed Mystery of the Ages, The Proof of the Bible and Who or What is the Prophetic Beast? Can any other COG group be called out for mutilating what HWA wrote?

It will be even more clear when the Tribulation comes, and everyone will be able to see those God chooses to protect and those He allows to suffer. Soon the carnal attitudes will be silenced. What a stern warning from Jesus Christ. (p. 33.)

Flurry teaches that when the Great Tribulation occurs only PCG members will be protected by PCG's God by fleeing to a place of safety to wait out the violent three and a half years before Christ's return. It is asserted that this is the only way to protect oneself from the crisis before Christ's return.

But this protection is said to only apply to PCG members. If one should be kicked out of PCG or chooses to leave PCG then it is taught that such protection will no longer apply to them and they will be forced to endure the Great Tribulation.

This is one reason why so many stay in PCG despite its many problems. They think when the Great Tribulation occurs PCG membership will be their ticket to the place of safety while all the rest of humanity will have to suffer.

Chapter 4

If the Laodiceans had this reach into history, they would see their own spiritual condition and their disastrous future. They have lost God’s Family plan, which was from the beginning. They are “blind” and confused.

The Philadelphians have the “key of David” vision (verse 7). This is the greatest vision in the Bible. It reaches far into the universe and eternity (Isaiah 9:7). It is all unlocked by the key of David, which shows that Christ will rule on David’s throne forever. But you can’t understand this future unless you understand the past. What is God’s Family plan for David? What did He plan “in the beginning”?

This key of David vision gives the greatest possible meaning to the present! (p. 41.)

This "key of David vision" is simply HWA's God Family dogma repackaged in a distinctive way in order to make PCG stand out from the other COG groups. Just about every one of the other COG groups teach that humanity is destined to become God beings as fully God as God is God. This is the same doctrine that PCG teaches.

Flurry accuses the other COG groups of not having this "key of David vision" when in fact it is simply Flurry branding of the same God Family dogma that so many other COG groups teach to this day. It is a marketing exercise. It is the very same teaching simply presented with different words and phrases. That is all this "key of David vision" is.

The Laodiceans rejected Mr. Armstrong’s book The United States and Britain in Prophecy, which contains the foundation of the key of David vision. The Laodiceans are interested in material things now. They are not excited about the greatest depth of history ever written! And they are not interested in the greatest reach of prophecy ever recorded! Endless peace for all humanity doesn’t interest them. They are wrapped up in their own selfish goals, not the royal Family of God. (p. 41.)

This is just loaded jargon designed to discredit all of the other COG groups in favor of his PCG.

It is true that Tkach's WCG rejected the false dogma of British Israelism and consequently stopped printing that booklet. But the other COG groups, which are also vilified as "Laodiceans" by Flurry, continue to fervently believe the dogma of British Israelism. Some members of these "Laodicean" groups even place the entire booklet online so that anyone may read it.

Unfortunately for them all British Israelism is nonsense. Silenced.co recently showed that British Israelism is built on a foundation of sand. In fact DNA evidence refutes British Israelism. 

We must deeply study that love in this last hour. We will only survive if we love God. What keeps a physical family together through rough times? Usually love. If there is love, a marriage will survive. If there is love in God’s Church, our marriage to Jesus Christ will survive!

God wants us to have this love and demonstrate it. This is why we are here on Earth! To say that we are becoming God means we are becoming love because God is love! (p. 45.)

Once again Flurry is fear mongering in order to try to get his readers to devote more time to submit themselves to learning PCG's dogmas to make them devoted followers.

By saying, What is it to you if John tarries until my return? Christ was allowing His disciples to think He would come back right away. He knew John would not tarry until He returned. But He also knew that lack of knowledge would undoubtedly help motivate them.

As I have stated, Christ had a powerful job for John. I am thankful God let John live and not Peter, because I don’t believe Peter could have done that job as well as John did. (Nor would John have been the leading apostle as effectively as Peter was.) (p. 46.)

And so we see how Flurry seeming to state that it was good for Peter to die when he did. Very likely if he was asked directly if he thinks it was good for Peter to die when he did Flurry would deny it. What a strange thing to say about someone Flurry supposedly looks to as a distinguished predecessor.

To be continued...