Despite numerous counter-arguments, World Mission Society Church of God members continue to attempt to defend doctrinal claims that humans are all fallen angels from heaven.  In a recent conversation with a WMSCOG member, the member attempted to substantiate these claims with Revelation 3:12.

The WMSCOG member explained that since Jesus said he will make the person who overcomes into a pillar in a heavenly temple, and also said that the person would never leave it again, this proves that the person must have been in heaven before.

Does Revelation 3:12 Support The WMSCOG’s Fallen Angels Theory?

I looked up the verse in the interlinear Bible and noted something interesting.  The Greek word for “who overcomes” is “nikao”.  Nikao means to be victorious, subdue, conquer and implies a battle.

In the Bible it is not uncommon for the church to be referred to as a temple and Christians as part of it.

The apostle Paul refers to James, Peter and John as “pillars” in Galatians 2:9. Therefore, we can conclude that those who are strong in their faith in Jesus Christ are already considered to be pillars in His temple.  In Revelation 3:11 Jesus tells us that he is coming soon.  After that in verse 12, Jesus says that he will make those who overcome pillars in His heavenly temple.  Then what does it mean when Jesus says “never again will he leave it”?

Characteristics Of Temple Pillars

Temple pillars were for support and partly for ornament.  But not all of the characteristics of the pillar apply to man.  Man cannot physically support the temple as physical pillars do. Then being made a pillar of the temple is to be referred to as a very important part of the temple of God.  How honorable to made into a pillar that supports God’s eternal temple!

A physical pillar cannot “leave” the temple it supports.  But man’s strength in the battle against the evils of temptation, ones own errors, and ones own sinful nature can waver over time.  We are not always in the graces of God, yet at other times our faith is strong and we are metaphorically pillars of God’s temple.  As a pillar of God’s eternal temple, we are assured that our soul will no longer be periled, that we shall never again be in danger of falling into temptation, that no enemy will have the strength to alienate us from God, that we will have eternal life.  When God makes us a pillar in His heavenly temple and says that we will never again leave Him, it means that once we are in heaven we will never sin again or turn away from Him again as we do at different times during our life of sin on earth.  The battle we face on earth against sin and temptation seems never ending.  But there is hope when we have faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.  Once we admit that we are sinners, we can accept that Jesus paid the debt for our sins by shedding his blood on the cross.

Conclusion

Revelation 3:12 does not provide support for the WMSCOG’s theory that we were angels in heaven before being born on earth.  Despite six other counter-arguments, members of the WMSCOG continue to believe in the WMSCOG’s consistent misinterpretations of the Bible. But why does the World Mission Society Church of God teach such an erroneous doctrine?

According to cult expert Steve Hassan’s BITE Model, destructive mind control groups use guilt to control their members.  When the World Mission Society Church of God is successful in getting a member to believe that he or she was an angel in heaven that sinned against God, the WMSCOG is in essence getting that person to confess to a crime that they never committed.

When I was in the WMSCOG, they taught members that they tried to be higher than God by attempting to draw a relationship between the sins of the King of Tyre and humans.  The members often then felt immensely guilty.  This caused some to work for their salvation, and in turn they ended up working for the organization.  Once this happened, the WMSCOG had almost complete control over the person (as I saw happen in several instances).  Guilt can act as leverage to get a person to comply with an organization’s demands to spend all of their time studying, recruiting, partaking in ceremonial observances of the law, paying tithes, giving freewill offerings, neglecting their spouses and families, etc.  This lesson (which the WMSCOG calls “The Forgiveness of Sins”) is taught to new recruits early on.

We pray that members of the World Mission Society Church of God, bound by spiritual chains, wake up and believe that our Lord has given us His gift of eternal life freely (Romans 3:24, Ephesians 1:6).

In discussions with more than one World Mission Society Church of God member about their claims that all people on earth must have sinned in heaven prior to being born physically on earth, I still come up empty on any solid Biblical support for this pivotal part in the WMSCOG doctrine.  Thus far, the WMSCOG’s claims that there is Biblical support for their theory, their arguments have been refuted in Parts 1-5 of the Are We Angels That Were Kicked Out of Heaven series of articles.  I would like to take the opportunity to examine an additional claim for support to their theory.  I have been told by more than one WMSCOG member that the reason that infants die at birth is because they must have sinned in heaven.  The WMSCOG members then cite the following verse:

The WMSCOG members that I have spoken to conclude that because the wages of sin is death, if an infant dies at birth or shortly thereafter, the infant must have sinned prior to being born since the infant has not yet had the opportunity to sin here on earth.

In order to examine the WMSCOG members’ claims, I would like to note additional verses in Romans chapter 6 in order to gain a better understanding of the context.

First, I would like to note that Paul says in verse 3 that those that were “baptized into Christ were baptized into his death”.  What death did Jesus Christ suffer?  Christ suffered a death of the physical body but was resurrected 3 days later.  Verse 5 says that we have been united with Jesus in a death like his (a physical one) and also united with Jesus in a similar resurrection.

Second, the apostle Paul advises that as believers in Jesus Christ, we should not continue to sin just because we are no longer under the law but under grace.  Paul says that the sins committed under the law “result in death”.  The old covenant law identified sin but did not provide the forgiveness that we receive under the grace of Jesus Christ (Romans 8:1-4).

Third, Paul uses the affirmative tense when he states “now that you have been set free from sin”.  He explains that as we die to sin (v.2), are baptized in Jesus Christ (v.3), are united with Jesus in (physical death) and (spiritual) resurrection (v.5) we receive the gift of eternal life (v.22).

Conclusion

Do the above verses support the WMSCOG’s idea that there is no other explanation for infant deaths, except for them having committed sin in heaven prior to being born?

Absolutely not. The apostle Paul clearly does not refer to physical death as being the wages of sin.  All humans on earth will experience physical death regardless of sin.  Which death did Jesus save us from?  Jesus saved us from eternal death by giving us the free gift of eternal life.  A sinner goes to hell because he deserves it, but a righteous person goes to heaven because of Jesus Christ’s sacrifice on the cross.

Since infants that die at birth or shortly thereafter have not lived long enough to have had the opportunity to sin, one can conclude that their spirits go to heaven and not to hell as the WMSCOG’s theory would conclude.

Thus, Paul is not talking about physical death, but about spiritual resurrection.

Image Credit:  By Ingo Dierking – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=63847206

In Chapter 13 (titled “Where is Human Soul From?”) of his book “Visitors From The Angelic World“ (p. 39), Ahn Sahng Hong argues that the human soul once existed as an angel in heaven.  

The first thing to notice is that Ahn Sahng Hong omitted quite a bit of information included in these verses.  Here are the verses in their entirety.

Ahn Sahng Hong claims that the forefathers thought of the previous world they left.  But Paul writes, “If they had been thinking of the country they had left…”  Just a slight twist of words that distorts the meaning of the verses.  Ahn Sahng Hong fails to mention that Abraham had in fact left a country. The Bible tells us that Abraham and Sarah left the country of Ur of the Chaldeans and set off for the land of Canaan (Genesis 11:31).
See also Genesis 15:7 and Nehemiah 9:7.

Click here for a map of Abraham’s Journey from Ur of the Chaldeans to Canaan.  Chaldea and Babylon were synonymous in the Bible (see the footnotes for Ezekiel 23:14-15) and therefore both were countries that were known for idol worship and prostitution.  Abraham left the country of Chaldea to flee to the land of Canaan, the land promised to him by the Lord (Genesis 15:7).

If you consider the Biblical history behind the statements that Paul makes in Hebrews 11:13-16, it is clear that Paul refers to Abraham having the opportunity to return to Chaldea if he would have wanted to, but instead Abraham chose to continue to the land of Canaan as the Lord commanded him (see also Acts 7:3-5).

On p. 39 Ahn Sahng Hong also writes: 

Do the above referenced verses in Hebrews support Ahn Sahng Hong’s theory?

Abraham viewed himself as a temporary resident on earth and chose to focus on his final destination, the heavenly city that God had prepared for him and his descendants.  Abraham says that he is a foreigner and a stranger on the ground where he wished to purchase a burial place for the sons of Heth in Genesis 23:4.  The Lord tells Abraham that he “now resides as a foreigner” in the land of Canaan in Genesis 17:8.  Ahn Sahng Hong’s theory that Abraham was a stranger on earth because his country of origin was heaven, is not supported by the Bible.

Conclusion

The Scriptures that Ahn Sahng Hong uses in an attempt to prove his claim that we were angels in heaven before living here on earth are clearly misinterpreted and taken out of context.

1.  Abraham had in fact left the actual country of Chaldea.  Abraham could have returned if he had chosen to.
2.  “Instead” (see above v.16), Abraham had faith in the promise of a better and heavenly land, the land of Canaan that the Lord promised him, and therefore considered himself a temporary resident here on earth.
3.  While it is clear that Abraham viewed himself as a temporary resident on earth, this does not support Ahn Sahng Hong’s claim that we existed as angels in heaven prior to existing on earth.

Hebrews 11:13-16 is more likely to be an analogy to what takes place when a person chooses to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.  When one becomes a Christian, he or she while having the opportunity to return to their pre-Christian way of living and to the temporary things of this world, instead chooses to live by faith in the promise of salvation that Jesus made to us.

Ahn Sahng Hong’s arguments regarding the human soul have yet to be Biblically supported.  See the “Are We Angels That Were Kicked Out Of Heaven” series.

As discussed in Parts 1, 2 and 3 of the “Were We Angels That Were Kicked Out of Heaven” series, the World Mission Society Church of God (WMSCOG) believes that all people on earth existed as angels in heaven before existing as humans on earth. Can this be possible when we examine what the Scriptures tell us about when angels were created?

When Were Angels Created?

The Bible tells us that angels have not always existed but instead are part of the universe that God created. Genesis 2:1 tells us that:

Host is another word for angels as seen in Psalm 148:2

See also Nehemiah 9:6. It can easily be determined that angels were created before the 7th day.

In the Bible there is evidence to suggest that angels were created on the 1st day.

No further mention of creation in heaven is made in the verses following Genesis 1:1. The earth on the other hand was uninhabitable at this point in creation. The fact that angels were created before the earth is further supported by Job 38:6-7.

Since the angels sang and shouted for joy while God was making the world inhabitable, this suggests that angels were created early on the 1st day, but man was not created until the sixth day.

Angels Vs. Humans

• God will someday give us authority to judge angels (1 Corinthians 6:3), so the two are distinct .
• Humans are seen as beneath angels (Hebrews 2:7).
• Angels serve those humans who are to inherit salvation (Hebrews 1:14).
• Humans can bear children in their own image (Genesis 5:3) while angels can not have children (Matthew 22:30, Luke 20:34-36).
• God did not spare any of the angels that sinned against him (2Peter 2:4, Jude 6) but sent them to hell to await judgement.
• “For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants.” Hebrews 2:16.
• But of the human race God has decided to redeem a great multitude that no one can number (Revelation 7:9) in order to demonstrate his great mercy and grace.  Angels, however, are not redeemed.

Conclusion

1. Angels and man were created at different times.
2. The Bible makes clear distinctions between humans and angels.
3. The Bible tells us that the angels that sinned against God were not spared and instead were sent to hell to await judgement.
4. All humans sinned (Romans 3:23, 5:12).  Jesus Christ came to sanctify human sinners once and for all (Hebrews 10:10), but not the fallen angels.

Therefore, the Bible does not support the WMSCOG’s claim that humans ever existed as angels.

In the online sermon “The Wages Of Sin Is Death“, the World Mission Society Church of God (WMSCOG) claims that “the king of Tyre lived before he came to earth” citing Ezekiel 28:11-17. If you read all of Ezekiel chapters 27 and 28 though, it is clear that a parallel is drawn between the fall of the king of Tyre and the fall of Lucifer from heaven.

The King of Tyre as a person, is rebuked specifically for his sinful ways in chapter 27.  Chapter 27 enumerates King Tyre’s specific sins. King Tyre’s fall from grace, mirrors Lucifer’s fall from heaven.  In Chapter 28, Ezekiel is sent by God to declare to King Tyre how shameful his fall is, and how similar it mirrors Lucifer’s.  In Chapter 28, we see King Tyre’s unfortunate fall paralleled to that of Lucifer’s.  The WMSCOG cites only Chapter 28 in an attempt to argue that “we were angels in heaven”.  If read out of context, one could be confused as to who Ezekiel is speaking about when he addresses King Tyre in Chapter 28.  When we read the entire Bible, and in this case, Chapter 27 first, we clearly see that King Tyre is addressed in Chapter 27, and that Chapter 28 is actually a parallel to Lucifer, and does not represent King Tyre himself.  This is illustrated best in the table below.

It is important not to take Scripture out of context, for otherwise it could be twisted to mean anything.  As the Apostle Paul’s says 1 John 4:1, we must “test the spirits to see whether they are from God”.

By failing to read and fully examining the Scriptures, the WMSCOG has concluded the following:

Conclusion

Thus, it is clear that Ezekiel 27 speaks about the downfall of the city of Tyre, while Ezekiel 28 is drawing a parallel between the king of Tyre and Lucifer’s fall from grace. The reasons for the downfall of the city and the king of Tyre are the same.  Therefore, there is no clear Biblical support for the theory that the  king of Tyre ever existed as an angel.

In Part 1, I demonstrated how the World Mission Society Church of God (WMSCOG) misinterprets verses in the book of Proverbs in an attempt to prove that we were once angels that were kicked out of heaven. In the online sermon titled “The Wages Of Sin Is Death“, the WMSCOG goes on to argue that we existed before we came to earth by also using passages from the book of Isaiah.

Proof in Isaiah?

The WMSCOG says in their online sermon that “the king of Babylon lived before he came to the earth”.  The WMSCOG attempts to make this argument by saying that Isaiah 14:4-15 refers to the King of Babylon.  Let’s take a look at what Isaiah 14:4-15 says in the Bible:

Well Isaiah certainly does talk about somebody who was cast down to Earth, but who does Isaiah talk about?  The WMSCOG says that this verse refers to the King of Babylon.  The problem with this interpretation is that the poorly translated NIV substitutes the name Lucifer for morning star.

An NIV Mistranslation

The name Lucifer is found in the Bible only one time in the KJV in Isaiah 14:12.  This is the same passage the WMSCOG erroneously uses from the NIV in an attempt to justify their teaching.

There was no need for the translators of the NIV to substitute Lucifer in this verse for any other word in an attempt to make it easier for the reader to understand the context.  However, the NIV (a notoriously poor translation) by doing so, makes the verse more ambiguous and open to misinterpretation by substituting “morning star” for Lucifer.

Thus, The Verse Can Not Refer to the King of Babylon

It is clear in the Bible that Satan was in heaven before being hurled to the earth.

Isaiah 14:12, in an accurate Bible translation (such as the KJV), tells us that the verse the WMSCOG says refers to the king of Babylon, actually refers to the fall of Lucifer.

In Conclusion

Thus, Isaiah does not refer to humans existing in heaven as angels before living on earth, but instead draws a parallel between the sin that the king of Babylon committed and the sin that Satan committed before being sent earth.  They both wished to be greater than God.  When we read Isaiah 14:4-15 in a better translation, we see that the WMSCOG’s argument easily fails–that the verse is most certainly not talking about the king of Babylon. Sorry, but the Bible very clearly states it is not the king of Babylon. For an organization claiming to be run by a “god”, they certainly get it wrong on Scripture a lot.  Moreover, their founder, whom they claim was the re-incarnation of Jesus Christ, also contradicted Scripture in his own writings.

In an online sermon titled, “The Wages Of Sin Is Death”, the World Mission Society Church of God (WMSCOG) claims that humans lived as angels in heaven prior to being kicked out for sinning against God.

The Argument From Proverbs

In the above sermon, the WMSCOG attempts to prove that “we were angels in heaven” before we came to Earth by reading from Proverbs 8:22-31 saying:

Because the WMSCOG thinks that the “I” refers to Solomon, they attempt to justify that Solomon (and thereby all human beings) existed in heaven before they existed on earth.
However, this idea cannot be reconciled with Scripture.  It can not even be reconciled with the passage they argue from.  Here, the literary device of personification is used to describe God’s wisdom.

Proverbs Uses Personification

Their statement concerning  Proverbs 8:22-31 is incorrect because it completely ignores the context.  If we read from the beginning of that section, we see very clearly that Solomon is actually using personification:

Thus, it is clear that when Solomon writes “I”, he is not referring to himself nor is he stating that he existed before the creation of the earth as the WMSCOG states in their online sermon.  On the contrary, Solomon is speaking from the perspective of Wisdom. Thus, their attempt to use Proverbs to justify we were angels in heaven before we existed on Earth fails easily when we read the chapter from the beginning.