Reading PCG's Booklet, The Last Hour (Part 4)

Let us now read Gerald Flurry's booklet, The Last Hour. This booklet was first published in 2004. It was later revised in 2007. Back in May 2001 Flurry made a scary sermon in which he declared that the world had entered the last hour and fourteen years later we are still waiting. In this booklet Flurry accuses Tkach's WCG of being murderers for trying to enforce their copyright in regards to HWA's writings. He proclaims himself to be "the elder" just like the Apostle John. He tells readers to not even listen to any contrary information critical about his PCG. He tells readers that the way to have prosperity and health is to give your attention and effort to his PCG. You can read the current 2007 version of this booklet on their website.

This is a continuation from Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3.

Chapter 7

While glorifying the God Family and using that heresy to promote his idealized family with fathers in charge Flurry insinuates that not having such a family will somehow make one leave PCG and lose PCG's God's favor.

How can you make a physical family strong? Only by structuring it the way God designed it, with a father at the head. If the father does his job and the mother fulfills her godly role, that family will be happy and stable. When ministers leave the PCG, in most cases they simply were not the head of their physical families as they should have been. They lost sight of God the Father. Upside-down families will not work! Family will only work if the father leads. The world does not like this message because it has too many weak and upside-down families today. (p. 76.)

What a ludicrous accusation against ex-ministers of PCG.

Flurry then once again use this booklet to denigrate Tkach's WCG and the other COG groups insisting that one can only be faithful to (PCG's) God by being a PCG member.

John was prophesying that we would have rebels in God’s Church continually talking about love in this last hour. And at the same time there would be different “branches,” rebelling against God’s Family unity. They are not in God’s light.

It’s about how you walk, not talk. The Laodiceans talk about love as they rebel. They have lost their vision of God’s Family, which must produce the strongest kind of unity and love. It is God’s love that binds us together as it does the Father and Son. (p. 78.)

In actual fact the various COG groups are very similar to PCG. But for Flurry and PCG's 1% the most important difference is where the tithe money goes. If one pays tithes to PCG it goes to PCG and Flurry lives off of that. If it goes elsewhere then Flurry gets nothing. So of course Flurry is determined to persuade the reader not to join any of the other COG groups.

If we get ho-hum about this truth [Armstrongism's God Family heresy], we are becoming spiritually brain-dead. This is our greatest challenge—to understand how indescribably wonderful our calling is. (p. 80.)

It must be hard for PCG members to be constantly excited that the world will soon end after waiting fifteen years since the founding of PCG for those things to occur. Flurry's response to this is to tell his followers that if they ever get bored about PCG's teachings then one is "spiritually brain-dead" and thus in danger of losing (PCG's) salvation.

If we are going to be born into God’s Family, we must structure our lives according to God’s law. Just like children, we need direction. (p. 81.)

In other words do whatever you are told to do by PCG's leaders or else the beautiful rewards PCG claims to be able to give you will not be given to you.

You can’t go to a Bible commentary to get the meaning of these verses. You can’t even go to most of God’s people to get this understanding! God is revealing His hope only to His very elect today. You must go to God with intensive prayer to comprehend where God is working now. We must use the power of God’s Holy Spirit. Then we can live with this stupendous hope, and no obstacle or trial will deter us. (p. 81.)

PCG often portrays itself as simply believing what is written in the Bible but these words show that Gerald Flurry ideas are truly his own, not taken from the Bible.

This terrifying world is falling apart. Chaos reigns. It’s about to explode into a nuclear holocaust. But in the midst of this extreme turmoil and mass confusion, God’s little flock lives in peace and harmony. How? By keeping God’s law. (p 81.)

It is not true that "God's little flock" (Flurry means his PCG) is in perfect peace unlike the rest of the world. Rather PCG is composed of human beings who have troubles just like anyone else.

Carnally, we have a negative view of God’s law of love. Our perception of this concept is flawed when we emphasize the law above the hope and fail to grasp the awesome vision! ...

The world and God’s own Laodiceans have a false love. John was describing God’s love in the first century because God’s own Church was being deceived into a false love! They talked of love continually, as they rebelled against God’s law of love. The Laodiceans have the same problem today, which involves far more people. (pp. 81-82.)

Flurry very often claims that "the Laodiceans" have a false view of love. Rather Flurry redefines love to mean "obeying God's law," and since PCG claims to be the only group able to properly interpret God's law in effect Flurry has redefined love to mean obeying PCG's leaders.

The vision must come first. Often parents try to hammer home God’s law and fail to teach this vision (remember that God’s Holy Spirit does work with our youth). Then young people get discouraged and want to quit. Or, if they see their parents lead a life with little or no hope, they get depressed. The parents must set them an example of a hope-filled life. That means putting God’s Family ahead of the physical family. The physical family was designed as a God-plane relationship to help us qualify for God’s Family. (p. 82.)

Perhaps the parents and children within PCG behave this way because of Flurry and his other collaborators among PCG's 1%.

Joe Tkach Jr. wrote a book called Transformed by Truth. He wrote about how he rejected Herbert W. Armstrong’s writings. He stated that under Mr. Armstrong he was living in darkness, as if in a cave, but that he is now in the light. Like a dog returning to its vomit, he has gone back into the blackest kind of darkness and calls it light. And that blackness is far worse than what he knew before God called him. He has totally lost this vision about being born into God’s Family.

Early in this rebellion, Mr. Tkach rejected God’s law of love. Many of these so-called scholars have reasoned themselves into the “blackness of darkness forever”—eternal death—unless they repent! They had this God-level hope; now they have no light—only a black, black ending. No tragedy is even close to being so ghastly! (pp. 82-83.)

Flurry once again recites his dogma that the leaders of Tkach's WCG have damned themselves to the Lake of Fire.

We must know who this man was! This is end-time prophecy. I know Mr. Armstrong was the man who turned many from lawlessness. That is what God says, regardless of what evil men say. (p. 84.) 

And so Flurry demonizes anyone who points out the problems associated with HWA as "evil men" in order to make his followers to simply believe what the PCG leadership tells them.

Flurry, in order to distinguish his PCG from the other COG groups, aggressively taught that HWA was the end time Elijah, an idea that was fairly widespread within HWA's WCG. Flurry promotion of this idea was used to discredit Meredith who happened to not teach that HWA was the end time Elijah.

Today, the Laodiceans have lost God’s vision, which brings peace. ... God identifies the root of the Laodicean problem: They are rejecting the law that God used Levi to establish. Rather than turning people from lawlessness, they cause them to stumble at that law. (pp. 84-85.)

In actual fact many of these "Laodiceans," the members of the other COG offshoot groups such as UCG, LCG, COGWA and the other groups, continue to fervently believe in HWA's God Family dogma. This is contrary to what Flurry insinuates in this booklet.

Consider how God’s Laodicean churches treated God’s very elect in the court case. Spiritually, if you hate your brother, you are guilty of murder. Most of God’s own people are committing odious murder. They are helping to destroy the faith of God’s people. And it’s a lot worse than what Cain did. He only committed physical murder. But John is discussing eternal life and eternal death!

This is last hour language. We must label murder what it is. What we are discussing has eternal consequences. (p. 87.)

In order to demonize Tkach's WCG and the other COG groups (which are also labeled "Laodiceans" by PCG) Gerald Flurry accuses Tkach's WCG of being murderers for trying to stop PCG's distribution of pirated copies of HWA's writings.

Flurry talk of "last hour language" refers to his sermon of May 2001 in which he proclaimed to PCG members that it was now the "Last Hour."

If we don’t proclaim God’s warning message of love, we are guilty of the blood of Israel and the world! And most of God’s own people are not supporting the Ezekiel watchman message. (p. 88.)

Flurry know that those who believe that HWA was used by God are the people most likely to join PCG. These words are directed at those who continue to believe that HWA was a man used by God. And here Flurry accuses such people of being murderers and fated to endure divine punishment unless they send money to his PCG. Flurry is once again using his sick imagination to try and get more money from those who continue to believe that HWA was a man used by God.

Of course HWA was never used by God. His many failed predictions, his many historical errors he dogmatically taught as fact and his immoral personal life prove that God was never with HWA.

We were called today to do God’s work. If we fail, we will lose our eternal headquarters position. And those who repent in the Great Tribulation will be in God’s Kingdom, but not working at God’s headquarters for all eternity. (For a biblical explanation of this truth, be sure to read Malachi’s Message.) We must do God’s work or pay an eternal penalty. (p. 88.)

Flurry teaches that not only will his followers in PCG will become members of the God Family as fully God as God is God. Flurry even teaches that his followers in PCG will be the elite of the God Family, superior in status than the vast majority of God beings in the God Family who are fated to be "born" after Christ's return.

Flurry even says that those who do not join PCG before the Great Tribulation and only convert in their hearts after PCG goes to the place of safety are fated to be given merely a lesser position of responsibility within the God Family.

What a way to coerce people to join PCG and make them pay tithes to PCG.

There are times when I see wonderful examples of love demonstrated in God’s people. They will go to amazing lengths in sacrifice for God’s work and for others. Those examples move me deeply. And I’m sure even God the Father sheds a few tears of joy when He sees those examples. To see people changing from evil, sinning human beings—who drink iniquity like water—into beautiful beings of godly love and character is profoundly inspiring to God!

Empty words of love are so cheap. Abundant deeds of love are so precious. (p. 89.)

It must be remembered that Flurry has redefined love to mean obeying PCG's leaders. Hence even when PCG's leaders order PCG members to have no contact with ex-members or the members of the other COGs it is claimed that to "obey PCG's leaders," even in this draconian instance, is proper "love" because "love" is redefined within PCG as "obeying PCG's leaders".

Chapter 8

Where is God’s work? Most of God’s people don’t even know. That is a staggering crisis with eternal consequences—no deceit is more deadly. John shows us how to be a vital part of God’s work today and forever! Once you are a part of God’s work, it should never end! (p. 92.)

Of course Flurry says that one can only be in God's favor by joining his PCG. Any alternative route is demonized as too terrible to imagine. Of course Flurry should things that way. If one does not join PCG then Flurry gets no money from that person.

Six thousand years of man ruling over man is about to end forever!

You would think this reality would have all of God’s people buzzing with excitement , wanting to do all they could to prepare for that event—to warn the world and fill people with hope.

But that isn’t the case. Most of God’s people have turned away and show little or no interest in Christ’s return! (pp. 92-93.)

 Actually the other COG are fervently awaiting Christ's return. Why does Flurry say untrue things?

Imagine the horror if one half of a large physical family died in a short span of time. Yet that would be trivial when compared with the spiritual. Fifty percent of God’s spiritual Family today will die forever! That is a mind-defying disaster. It may be the greatest single disaster ever in God’s Church!

When John wrote these epistles, Paul had recently been killed, and John had taken over much of his area. This was a time when God’s people should have been more urgent spiritually—but, ironically, most of them were leaving the truth!

The Ephesus-era Church was dying, just as the Laodicean-era Church is today. Spiritual death was all around. Nothing else comes close to being as tragic as that kind of crisis. (p. 93.)

Once again Flurry shows his sick imagination. Many people suffered during the turmoil of the Tkach changes and Flurry, instead of helping people heal from those turbulent days, stirs up the pain from those days to inspire loathing of all those who "failed" to join PCG. This is to scare those associated with HWA's WCG into joining PCG and paying Flurry's group the three tithes.

Christ recently revealed these epistles to get our minds on the LAST HOUR. Why is the time factor so crucial? Because we are in an agonizing spiritual war, and it is almost over! That understanding gives us a more positive attitude. We know that Christ is going to give us the ultimate victory very soon. (p. 93.)

This booklet was published in 2004. It is now eleven years since this booklet was published. PCG members have been waiting eleven years for PCG's prophesies to be fulfilled "very soon." They will end up waiting a lot longer because PCG do not have God's blessing. PCG's words are bound to fail.

Throughout the Bible, God has worked with one man at a time in this office of “the elder.” It is not “an elder”—it’s the elder of God! There is only one man that Christ, the Head of this Church, uses at any given time in that leadership role. This is truly fundamental. That is not my idea—it is the foundational truth of God! (p. 95.)

Here Flurry is imitating HWA. And it is HWA's idea to impose one man rule upon his followers. The Church of God (Seventh Day), those who were vilified by HWA as being "the Sardis church," did not practice one man rule. Instead they managed themselves through collective leadership. They even practiced democracy by deciding various issues by vote. According to Bruce Renehan in his book, Daughter of Babylon, it is was only in the 1880s that they named themselves the Church of God. Before they referred to themselves as the Church of Christ. This name change was made after a vote.

That awesome future is directly tied to submitting to God’s government today. God’s true ministers are always reminded to keep the members looking to Christ and the elder —not just with words, but also with deeds . That is where God’s government always breaks down. It is where we find the supreme test.

Unless we factor in “the elder,” God’s Church gets lost in endless human reasoning. (p. 95.)

In other words one must always follow Gerald Flurry within PCG. Obeying God is redefined as obeying Gerald Flurry.

You can trust God to be correcting, shaping and molding that elder. And if the elder rebels and God can’t mold him, then he will be replaced. Recent history in the WCG illustrates that foundational lesson. (p. 96.)

In other words, even if you notice that "the elder" is doing something wrong you must not do anything to oppose him. You must assume that God will change things for the better. But do not do any such thing yourself.

This is prophecy for God’s Church today. We see the vast majority of God’s people rebelling against and attacking God’s government. The cause of our Church crisis in this end time was prophesied in John’s last hour epistles! (p. 96.)

Here Flurry condemns all those associated with the COGs who have not joined PCG.

Flurry identifies himself as "the elder" just like the Apostle John.

The Ephesus Church was losing its first love for a definite reason. They were rejecting God’s government through the elder. And in this last hour, God’s people are also rejecting God’s government, which is administered through the elder.

Reject the elder and you are pushing Christ out of the picture. This is the worst catastrophe of all. Study your Bible and you’ll see God has always led His Church that way—with one man. (p. 96.)

And thus not being under Flurry's rule within PCG is vilified as "pushing Christ out of the picture" and "the worst catastrophe of all." But if Christ only works through one man then that one man is essentially in place of Christ. "To be righteous" is redefined as "obeying Flurry."

John was talking to people who were falling away all around him, and so am I. The vast majority of God’s people have fallen away, and God says He is so sickened by them that He will spew them out of His mouth! (Revelation 3:16). Fifty percent of them will be lost forever because they refuse to follow Christ—and His elder. (p. 96.)

Flurry says all these terrible things about the members of the other COG groups. The real reason he condemns in such a wild manner is because they are not under his control and they do not pay tithes to his organization.

I’m sure there were people who criticized John for referring to himself as “the elder.” Look at the way this guy is exalting himself; as if he’s the only one God is using. We have to be careful of the evils of one-man rule. Certainly Diotrephes was saying such things. And sadly, many of the people of God believed him! (p. 96.)

Ironically this perfectly describes how Flurry presents himself to his followers: as the one man through whom God is working on Earth.

Flurry then complains that he will be criticized. Flurry accuses any such criticism, not as the result of errors and wrongs he committed, but as part of some kind of attack. Any criticism of himself is condemned as false and contrary to (PCG's) God's will.

Our battle in the last hour is going to get increasingly fierce and ferocious! And I know where the worst attack will be focused. As long as I serve God and His work, there will be people trying to destroy and discredit me. And there will be cases where we will be under fire, and I won’t have time to sit down and say, let’s negotiate. I will have to make some difficult decisions, and you will have to know, deep down, that God is using “the elder”! We must learn this lesson of government, or we won’t survive the last hour!

Many people are trying to disparage me even today. You need to know whether to listen to them or not (p. 97.)

This is an attempt " to destroy and discredit" any information that Flurry does not want his followers to know.

This is Flurry trying to make sure that even if some massive crisis did occur within PCG his followers will ignore any niggling disquiet about the problems within PCG and simply do what the PCG 1% tell them to do.

People cannot be in God’s Church and remain aloof from His ministry. When that is the case, we can be certain there is some kind of sin in their minds! (There are some very rare cases, among God’s very elect, where the ministers are wrong and must be dealt with. Be assured Christ will take care of the problem in time.) What is going on with people who don’t really want to be close to God and His Family ministers? That is not a small problem.

Many times I have seen people leave this Church who, perhaps only a week before, told me, “I’m 100 percent behind you.” I’m sure that most of the time people say that with a good attitude. But when you get down to it, what do words mean if they are not backed by deeds? (pp. 97-98.)

Flurry is also vilifying any who leave PCG as duplicitous and untrustworthy.

Flurry's attempt to address the problem of PCG ministers abusing their authority is also noteworthy in that Flurry fails to provide any advice about how lay members are to deal with this problem. Flurry merely says that they should wait for Christ to deal with it instead of providing advice on how to deal with that problem.

Do you really want to turn away from that because you don’t like God’s government or His law? We should be filled with excitement and wonder because of our imminent marriage to Christ. Isn’t that how two people feel as they prepare fore their marriage in this world? Yet those physical marriages are nothing compared to this spiritual marriage, where we become the royal bride of the King of kings!

This calling should fill us with excitement, wonder and awe. Do we really get it? Pray fervently that you do. God’s Family is the greatest royalty on Earth by far! (p. 98.)

Flurry vilifies the members of the other COGs groups and Tkach's WCG and accuses them of abandoning God by not being in PCG and paying the three tithes to his organization.

Some of the Laodiceans no longer understand that they are to be born again into that Family. Others even believe in the trinity now. That means they have lost the God Family understanding—the gospel. (p. 99.)

While it is true that Tkach's WCG has now adopted the doctrine of the Trinity and many have moved away from Armstrongism. However the vast majority of those in the other COG groups continue to fervently believe in the same God family heresy that PCG teaches.

Flurry then condemns UCG for adopting a collegiate form of government and not practicing one man rule as HWA taught for so long.

The United Church of God left the WCG and said it would experiment with a new government—different from what Mr. Armstrong taught. That meant those Laodiceans were turning away from the Father’s rule and turning to another father—another god!—the god of this world.... No wonder God is going to spew them out of His mouth. (pp. 99-100.)

It is conveniently ignored that HWA used to be against church hierarchies and that in one article HWA wrote in 1939 he even condemned church hierarchy to be the image of the Beast in Revelation 13 comparing it to the Papacy.

Flurry then condemns the other COG groups by saying that unless they join PCG they are doomed to be inferior God beings in the afterlife.

Today, those who repent in the Tribulation will be in God’s Kingdom but lose their eternal headquarters reward. And that failure will be a part of their history forever. ... We have the opportunity to rule from headquarters for all eternity! That is the full reward God is offering today! ... The stakes could not be much higher. God wants us to have some of the highest positions in God’s Kingdom. And those offices last forever!(p. 100.)

Since the 1950s at least Armstrongism has taught that church members will not just be God beings but be of a higher rank than all God beings who will be born after Christ's return. A sort of elite inner core of the God family.

Flurry tries to control the information his followers have access to. He tells his followers that if they come into contact with information that could cause them to question their allegiance to PCG they are to simply shut the door and simply obey PCG's leaders (here euphemistically referred to as "God's government".)

If someone comes to you who doesn’t bring this doctrine—perhaps a friend or even family member from a Laodicean church—you can’t think, I must be careful in how I reason this; I can’t let them take advantage of me, because I could get into trouble if I don’t really use my human reasoning. If you begin to think that way, you’ve already made a serious mistake! John tells us to just shut the door! Obey God’s government in this —listen to “the elder.” The elder and ministry are placed here to “watch for your souls”—your eternal lives! (p. 101.)

Flurry vilifies those in the other COG groups as "rebels" and "antichrists".

Some commentaries call these rebels secessionists. But God calls them antichrists. Only He and His true Church understand how truly dangerous they are. (p. 102.)

The real danger is that PCG's income just might go down.

The Ephesus era began with more glory than any other era. Christ personally founded it. But that era was humiliated and destroyed by the devil. He deceived some of the greatest intellects in God’s Church. Let’s not take these words of God lightly. (p. 102.)

By saying that "some of the greatest intellects" within the church in the times of the Apostles were "deceived" Flurry is once again insisting that one is not to think about things bu must simply obey what PCG's ministers tell them to do.

Chapter 9

In this chapter Flurry exploits the positive words about Gaius to say that for one to have prosperity and health is to "give your life to this work!" In other words instead of improving one's finances and health by doing what must be done instead Flurry exploits this widespread yearning to tell people that giving one's devotion and effort to PCG will grant these things to the reader.

First John mentioned Gaius—a man who was very dedicated to God’s work (perhaps not even a minister). Then he talked about prosperity and health. These are two areas where God’s people are tested very heavily. God tests all of us with a lack of prosperity and health. So we must not condemn people who are being tested in these areas. But apart from that, John is saying that the way to have maximum health and prosperity is to give your life to this work! That’s what Gaius did. We must realize that there is often a lack of prosperity and a lack of health because we haven’t learned to put God’s work first as we should. (pp. 103-104.)

Flurry assures the reader that at times he has been unwell but he simply did things to maintain PCG and somehow he got better.

There have been several times when I have been unwell, and I had to get something done for the work. I’d just go do it, feeling confident that it was what God wanted. Almost every time, my health improved. (p. 104.)

It is then insinuated that if one does not have prosperity and health it may be because one is doing something PCG disapproves of.

If your life is filled with bad health and little or no prosperity, then you should closely examine yourself for sin. God wishes “above all” that we prosper and be in health. Of course, we should be examining ourselves for sin all the time. (pp. 104-105.)

It can't be the three tithes sent to PCG that's the problem. It can't be the refusal to take medicines that is the problem. It must be behavior contrary to PCG's dictates. That is the absurd idea Flurry here conveys.

This message is expounded upon until page 109.

Then Flurry switches to Gaius' opposite, Diotrephes. Flurry even says Diotrephes is fated to be cast into the Lake of Fire in order to scare his readers into making sure they stay in PCG's favor.

Gaius loved to do anything he could to help the men who were serving John. Gaius put God’s servants and work first. Diotrephes just loved to put himself first! When everything was falling apart in God’s Church, he loved to be first! That attitude consumed him. And he probably lost his eternal life. He was eaten alive by vanity and that vulgar desire to be number one. And all Gaius wanted to do was labor with God. As Diotrephes descended into the gutter, Gaius was exalted to the top. (p. 110.)

Flurry then compares Diotrephes to Tkach.

Interestingly, the name Diotrephes means “nourished by Zeus.” Does that give you a clue about what was happening to this man? He was just like a man in God’s end-time Church. And most people today think this man of sin has so much love! They think he sets a marvelous example of love because he talks about it all the time! —as he butchers God’s law of love.

Diotrephes was a type of the end-time antichrist. His big problem wasn’t in rejecting doctrine. He lusted for power. His big problem was that he wanted the top office! That is exactly what Satan’s problem was! This evil man operates in the spirit of Satan. He may have been possessed by the devil. (p. 111.)

Intriguingly it seems as though Flurry is here talking about the late Tkach Sr. who died in 1995. Flurry talked about Tkach Sr. using similar words as early as 1993.

Flurry then insinuates that the Apostle John's condemnation is a "prophecy" of accusations against PCG today. Flurry seeks to discredit any undesirable information by claiming that they are but slanders and malicious attempts to "destroy" PCG. Flurry also accuses such people as being "inspired by the devil".

John said he would set things straight “if ” he came. This indicates John could have been in prison. In the midst of such a severe Church crisis, it would surely have taken something like being in prison to keep John away!

This “prating” that John describes is prophecy for what people will say about me and the PCG ministers. In this last hour we will see a lot of slanderous charges made against us. “Malicious words” in the Greek means full of labor and pain and working mischief. People inspired by the devil are laboring to destroy God’s work. (p. 111.)

Can't let PCG members take in any information that just might make them reconsider their allegiance to PCG. These are a bid to possess information control over PCG members by persuading them to ignore any information Flurry does not want them to take seriously.

Epilogue

In this epilogue Flurry recites some of things he said in his 1996 booklet, From The Beginning, which was discussed in a previous post.

Flurry notes that the Apostle John's letters several times feature the expression "from the beginning" and this is interpreted as John's attempt to get the reader to view matters from God's perspective. And in the hands of Flurry then means viewing PCG as the only way to gain God's favor and anyone opposed to PCG (or rather opposed by PCG) is a tool of Satan.

Why is it so important that we have this view? Because it is God’s view! The created must get the Creator’s view—if they themselves are to become creators! If we are to be born into God’s Family, we must have God’s perspective. Then the ambition of Diotrephes becomes spiritual madness! Nothing even remotely compares to what God is offering. However, it is not easy to use God’s Holy Spirit to search out the deep things. What a mind-boggling reward God has for those who understand. (pp. 114-115.)

Flurry then cites HWA demonizing dissidents within WCG as tools of Satan to insist all which is opposed to PCG is of Satan.

Concerning the serious WCG problems in the 1970s, Mr. Armstrong often spoke of Satan’s attacks on God’s Church. He knew who the real enemy was. Only the PCG thinks that way today. That is not a boast—it’s reality! (p. 115.)

It is a boast. And not only that but it is wrong as well. Many religious people happen to also view life in a similar way as being profoundly influenced by various supernatural beings. So that claim is nonsense.

Then Flurry demonizes the leaders of the other COG groups by saying they are rebelling against (PCG's) God's sole chosen representatives, namely PCG, by not submitting to Flurry's rule and paying the three tithes to PCG.

It is also Satan who gets to the Laodicean leaders today. Satan leads the Laodicean ministers to think they can rule with a new government—this is really rank rebellion! Satan has already demonstrated that it will not work — from the beginning. (p. 116.)

Never mind that Flurry was an unimportant WCG minister who was far the centers of power within WCG and was only ordained in 1973.

Only one WCG minister chose to follow Flurry and he was closely associated with Flurry. No other WCG minister followed Flurry because he was too low in the pecking order of WCG ministers. The other ministers, especially those senior to him, would have viewed it as beneath their dignity to follow (in their view) a WCG minister who they viewed as beneath themselves.

But Flurry does not want his followers to note that Flurry was unimportant within WCG so he resorts to supernatural explanations such as Satan's malicious influence to explain such things away.

Flurry then condemns the other COG groups since he insists only his group is the true church.

This introductory verse reveals the vision the Laodiceans have lost. They have lost their understanding of the Word. ... Christ is outside of their lives, knocking to get inside!

Remember, these are God ’s own people. At one time, Christ was inside their lives. They have moved the great God outside their spiritual temple. Is there any greater tragedy? Spiritually, this is the most colossal disaster of all!

This is why God says the Laodiceans are blind. They don’t see the ultimate spiritual disaster that has struck their lives. (p. 117.)

Flurry then insists that PCG loves the other COG groups by warning the Laodiceans they must join PCG to be thrown into the Great Tribulation.

Some people accuse us of lacking love when we warn the Laodiceans. Just the opposite is true. We warn them of the danger of losing what they received from the beginning. We do so because God motivates us to love them. They are losing the only great vision and purpose they ever had! These verses reveal that the Laodiceans are not easily corrected. God knocks, rebukes, and finally scourges before some of them respond. (p. 117.)

It is well known that since about 2000 Flurry's PCG has imposed a draconian policy of ordering their members to shun members of the other COG groups, even if they are close family members. Flurry is obliquely justifying this cruel and draconian policy.

In contrast Flurry insists that fabulous rewards await those who follow him and pay him the three tithes for the rest of their lives.

We will all sit on thrones and rule the Earth’s inhabitants. God is now building His Family. We must prepare today to rule over the billions of people who are to be resurrected in the future. We are called to become teachers for God. Today we must prepare to teach the world. (p. 118.)

 Flurry ends this booklet with the following words.

John did his best to make this message plain. Still, many of God’s people lost their salvation. Many saints are making the same mistakes in this end time. It is the greatest possible tragedy on Earth today! Not because of any punishment they receive, but because they are rejecting the highest calling and reward that God gives to any human beings ever! (pp. 118-119.)

And so Flurry ends this booklet with a petulant cry that all those people who used to be in WCG did not join his PCG and pay tithes to his organization. He accuses the followers of HWA who are not in PCG of "mistakes" in not joining PCG and sending money to his organization.

It does not matter how many times Flurry says otherwise to his followers but the fact is there is no need to join PCG in order to be a true Christian. In fact there are many severe problems within PCG that have caused PCG to be particularly infamous among the COGs. PCG is not the one true church and is infamous for its authoritarianism.