As 2012 comes to a close and the world does not end, I thought it would be a good time to ask, what is the official teaching of the World Mission Society Church of God concerning the end of the world?  I have heard lots of things including:

• The world is going to end in 2012 (didn’t happen)
• 2012 is the end of all preaching (although I’m pretty sure that I will see them out preaching this year too)
• The 2012 Passover was supposed to be the last one (didn’t happen)
• The world is going to end in 2018

Whatever it is, it seems the picture is inconsistent across the global organization.  Ahn Sahng Hong seems to have written his own prediction about the world ending in 2012 in a book that is available online on the NCPCOG site in Korean here and in the green book.  Some long time former members have admitted that they were taught that the world would end in 2012, while other members that recently left the WMSCOG after a short stay deny this (there has been quite a bit of discussion about this in the forum).  If anyone knows where an official teaching by the WMSCOG on the end of the world is written down, please let us know.

At any rate, I came across an early edition of the New Song Book from 2001, the official book of songs used at the WMSCOG, and it had a curious title on the front cover.  It was titled New Song Book, Only For the 144,000. For those of you who may be unfamiliar with this figure, this is a symbolic number in many religions.  In Christianity, it has significance to the destruction of Jerusalem, and to some groups, the end of the world.

New Song Book 2001, Only for the 144,000

You may remember the New Song Book from 2010 where the WMSCOG was found to be singing Catholic and other Sunday worship songs (surprising since they have so much criticism for Sunday-worshiping Christians). By 2010 though, we see that “only for the 144,000” had been removed from the book’s title.

New Song Book 2010

Putting it all together

So what does it all mean?  It appears that at one time the “New Song Committee” was saying that the New Song book was “only for the 144,000”.  This seems to be in line with Ahn Sahng-Hong’s own teachings on the 144,000.  Later, I guess it was changed to be for everyone?  We have already seen that changes in the official WMSCOG literature are not unheard of, so it would come as no surprise if the teaching on the 144,000 has changed as well.  That seems to be the case.

The Changing Teaching on the 144,000

In 1990, WMSCOG General Pastor Joo Cheol Kim, in a book titled, “My Sheep Listen to My Voice” wrote:

The statements above clearly communicate that only 144,000 people will receive salvation and go to heaven (just like Ahn Sahng Hong seems to have taught).  However, these statements are in stark contrast to statements by Joo Cheol Kim in later writings.  In 2009, in a book titled “Mother’s Wish,” Kim writes:

Later in 2010 in a book titled, “Boast About God” Kim writes:

After reading the WMSCOG literature, it appears that the teaching on the 144,000 went from 144,000 chosen from the innumerable “sands of the sea” “who will receive the glory of salvation on this earth in the last days” to 144,000 plus the innumerable “great multitude”.  Why has this change occurred?  I’m interested to hear what WMSCOG members have to say about this and the 144,000. What were you taught?  Comment in the forum or below if you have something you would like to share.

For more info on what Ahn Sahng Hong wrote concerning the 144,000, click here.

I used to attend WMSCOG in Bogota, NJ back in the summer of 2005.  It was the summer break of my second year in college.  I was a member for 5 months and I spent my entire summer break attending feasts, prayers, etc.  I am still affected by their behavior. At the time the church was trying to transfer to Ridgewood, NJ where they are now located.  I can honestly say that the people involved in that church destroyed my spirit.

This is my story — I was preached to as an undergraduate student at the university by a Peruvian woman. Back then I was very thirsty for the word of God and passionate about the bible. The woman preached to me about the Sabbath day and how the Catholics are not following the word of God. I was convinced and decided to attend one of their lessons. I went to one of their lessons and was convinced again and got baptized. I kept attending the church, learning the lessons, learning how to recruit others to attend the church (a fruit for mother they will call it), clean Zion, everything that I need to do to have a nice house in heaven they would say. I followed their teachings, prayed, and bought their books. I even used to take the bus with few members of the church since some of us lived near one another.

One day I was walking home with a female member late at night, and I suggested that we accompany each other half way. You know because we are two young ladies walking home late at night. She seemed a little uneasy walking home with me. I was confused but I just didn’t want to walk home by myself, but then I just left her on her way. By the next day I went to church, I was pulled to the side and I don’t know what she may have told the missionary or pastor, but it seemed like I did something horrible to her. At the time I was feeling confused and it did not know why she would say negative things that about me. Then I started noticing that some members would look at me funny as if did not believe anything that I would tell them.

One time I got kicked out the mall because I was preaching with them, and according to them if you were kicked out because of preaching, it was considered a blessing. When we returned to the church some members didn’t believe that I got kicked out of the mall with the group I was preaching with, they wouldn’t believe anything that came out of my mouth, until another older member told them same thing I told them. Then the person in charge of my spiritual growth started looking at me funny too when I started questioning her about certain things. I believe when you question somebody it is for understanding not to offend them. She started looking at me as if there was something wrong with me. I was just getting confused and I called the lady that invited me to the church and I told her the situation and her words of advice were, “It’s the devil playing tricks on you, I thought the same thing.”

Everything before that seem to be going okay. I even went on trips with them but I was a very shy person and my social skills were not as good as they are now. I thought people from the church would understand that. Shy people usually interact with one or two people, not in a group. But I guess me being shy was also being looked down upon.

Anyway, since the church focused a lot on the end of the world, I started to become very afraid about the end of the world and the outcome of my life, my family, and friends. One day I started having a panic attack because the church would constantly say the end was so near that it felt it could happen at any moment and I just didn’t felt ready. As soon as the panic attack started the church leaders, members, and the women that brought me to that church turned their back on me. Now you would wonder why? I called the lady that invited me and with anger and rudeness, she told me to pray about it and that it’s a “test.” I called a few people that I thought were my “sisters” because naturally I was scared and the church was the reason I was scared. What I expected was compassion and sympathy to calm me down and not to worry. Nope. I got the opposite.

My mother started to worry about me and I saw that I started to mentally break down and started experiencing psychosis (in other words not being all there mentally). I really wanted to be part of the church and did not want to miss Sabbath day because you know for salvation. But according to the leaders, I was not allowed to go to the church on Saturday because according to them, I needed some professional help. Before I got the help my mother made me take her to the church. The church leaders allowed her inside and took her to a room and I don’t know what was discussed because I was not there. But as soon as they were walking us out they told us if I get professional help that I can come back. I took their advice and got help. I was tested and nothing was wrong me. But I felt deeply depressed because I was not in the church. Then I started to go back to show proof that I was alright because according to their words, “if you get better you can come back,” but deep inside my gut I knew they were lying. When I went back I got sent home and afterwards received a phone call by the spiritual leader that was in charge of my spiritual growth saying, “Don’t come near any of our members, and to our church again or will get a restraining order against you!”

After that I went into a deep depression that lasted for six months or more. I really thought God had rejected me, I felt awful, my spirit died, I walked the earth like a zombie, I didn’t feel anything. No emotions, nothing. I wanted to laugh I couldn’t. I want to get mad, I couldn’t. I wanted to cry, I couldn’t. Also, you must understand that since I was going through this psychosis, I called the members because I was scared and needed some support. Obviously that did not happen. I was treated like I was a freak, a dangerous person, and just unfit for their church. How can this church want to save everyone but when they have challenge and someone gets sick they just throw them to the pit? A person they used to call brother or sister? People that are representative of the “true God.” A person they used to say I love you to? I was also told once you leave the church you will have a terrible life and you will have the worst luck ever!

After I was kicked out, I dropped out of college in 2006, which would have been my junior year. I used to attend William Paterson University where I was recruited. I was pursuing a degree in public health with a minor in psychology. I wanted to be a Nurse and I was volunteering in a hospital so I could gain experience for my nursing career. One day after all my tears and depression I said to myself, these people are not going to point the finger at my situation and say “see what happens when you don’t follow.” I started working in the summer of 2006. Working helped me get over the whole situation and it helped me focus on myself. One day while I was walking to work I saw two male members of the WMSCOG and they looked at me in like I was ghost. I asked my aunt who also witnessed my whole ordeal, why they would react that way. She told me that they probably thought I was never going to lift myself up and that I would always be sad and depressed. Also while I was working, I came across a member at the drive-thru and she looked at me like we never met, so I treated her like she treated me. I end up working in clothing store after that. I put my experience with the WMSCOG to the side. I was feeling better and getting good experience at my job. I started experiencing life again and decided to return to school in 2008. Since my experience affected me so much that I couldn’t go back to my previous school, so I end up transferring my credits to Rutgers University. I really wanted to make up the 2 yrs of the college experience that I missed. I am a different person now and have a new perspective on life. I recently graduated with B.A. in psychology. I really thought my life was going to be cursed. When I was in the WMSCOG, my family lived in an apartment in the projects, but we moved into a house 2 years ago. It’s ironic how life is. I went through mental breakdown and got educated in the mental health field. I must say that at the time I was preached to I was weak minded and very gullible, which made susceptible to being recruited.

As an educated professional I can see how many young people, especially those in college, are very gullible and weak minded. However, my mistake was not being very educated in the teachings of the bible. I believe that if I had been more educated on the teachings of the bible when I was preached to, that could have change things. To WMSCOG members that may call me a liar, satan, etc… You believe in God right? Well, let God be the judge of my situation with your church. As of now, my belief in God is not there anymore because of your members’ behavior.

At the end of the day I realized that the only “true family” I had was the family that I was living with. The family that took care of me during my time of sickness. The one that worried about me late at night. The one that will never kick me out if I need help. The one that loved me unconditionally, because true love is unconditional. My faith in God is still weak because I questioned why this happened to me, but my will to move on is strong. I must say everything got better and things do get better. I am living proof of that.

I still get approached by WMSCOG members. I know that some members have no idea what happened to me because the church covers it so they can look like the “perfect church.” But I say to them, “Sorry I didn’t have a good experience your church.” They just look at me with a puzzled face. They remind me of a combination of the Jehovah witness and the Moonies. One of my sister’s friends started going to the church and I told her about my experience. However, she choose not to believe me and said that they would never do something like that. That it was my fault. I believe everyone has the right to believe in whatever they want to believe in. However, when someone shares their personal experience, and many experiences are similar, you start seeing a pattern. I can understand why she would believe them over me, because when I was a member, I would have done the same.

*This testimonial was originally submitted in 2012.

Update 2020:  It turns out that the WMSCOG deleted three entire chapters from the original version of Ahn Sahng Hong’s book and it turns out that he believed the world would end in 1988.

This article is dedicated to a man whose wife doesn’t live with him because of disagreements over WMSCOG involvement.  May she come home soon.

“The Mystery of God and the Spring of the Water of Life,” or better known as “The Green Book”, is a book read in the WMSCOG written by Ahn Sahng Hong, a man they incorrectly claim to be the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.  Since Ahn Sahng Hong is their false god, this book effectively serves as an addendum to Holy Scripture, much like the Book of Mormon.

God’s Book Changing?

So if God writes a book, do you think that book should change over time? It’s reasonable to have minor translation differences between languages, but what if the changes were not simply translation differences? What if they removed certain paragraphs entirely?  What if those paragraphs that were removed just happened to testify against what they teach now?

When we compare a 1993 edition of the 1967 Green Book to the Green Book in 2000, we find some curious changes:

Ahn Sahng Hong Falsely Predicted the End of World

What is clear is that Ahn Sahng Hong predicted the end of the world within 40 years in his 1967 writing.  This is a 1993 edition of the 1967 book according to the publisher’s information.  Ahn Sahng Hong, apparently writing in 1967, even explicitly states that he believes Matthew 24:31-34 refers to the “last one generation”:

Ahn Sahng Hong’s False Predictions Removed From His Writings

However, in a copy of the Green Book from 2000 we find Ahn Sahng Hong’s predictions about the end of the world have been removed:

It’s interesting to note the parts of the book which were removed were the ones that did not come true.

A False Prophet’s Changing Words

The world did not end within 40 years of Ahn Sahng Hong’s prophecy, and those prophecies subsequently disappeared from his writings in the Green Book read in the WMSCOG.

• Paragraph 3 last line removed – “This word is about the last one generation.”
• Paragraph 4 removed completely:  “Therefore it is the Last Church that will be changed alive and go up to heaven.  So the last secret, unsealing of the seven thunders cannot be in the church established more than 40 years ago.”
• Paragraph 5 last line removed:  “So this Last Church should be ended up within 40 years.”

Here are the books side by side for comparison, or you can jump to a high-resolution version here (473 KB)

View or download the high resolution version here (473 KB)

To those who believe in Ahn Sahng Hong–any explanation is good enough, to those who do not–no explanation is necessary.

Update 2020:  It turns out that the WMSCOG deleted three entire chapters from the original version of Ahn Sahng Hong’s book and it turns out that he believed the world would end in 1988.

This article is dedicated to a man whose brother spends hot days out preaching in a suit. May he come home soon.

The “Mystery of God and the Spring of the Water of Life,” or better known as “The Green Book”, is a book read in the WMSCOG written by Ahn Sahng Hong, a man they incorrectly claim to be the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.  Since Ahn Sahng Hong is their false god, this book effectively serves as an addendum to Holy Scripture, much like the Book of Mormon.

God’s Book Changing?

So if God writes a book, do you think that book should change over time? It’s reasonable to have minor translation differences between languages, but what if the changes were not simply translation differences? What if they changed the meaning entirely?

When we compare the Green Book in 1993 to the Green Book in 2010, we find some curious changes.

The “Second Coming Jesus” Writes About the Future “Second Coming Jesus”?

Just to be clear, Ahn Sahng Hong never claimed anywhere in his writings to be Jesus Christ. Rather, it is the WMSCOG which claims he was the Second Coming of Jesus. Yet, we find that Ahn Sahng Hong in the 1993 version of his book, speaks about the future Second Coming of Jesus:

In the 2010 edition though, this language has been altered. The words “future” and “Second” have been removed. It’s curious that these words which seem to go against the WMSCOG’s claim that Ahn Sahng Hong was the Second Coming of Jesus Christ were the ones removed:

Ahn Sahng Hong clearly states in 1993 version of the book, that the Second Coming of Jesus will be in the future.  This fits in line with the understanding that he believed himself to be the Prophet Elijah heralding in the last days and announcing the imminent return of the Second Coming of Jesus.  After all, that’s what his tombstone says.  You can see the books side by side below, or if you want to jump to a high resolution version click here (1.1 MB) :

View or download the high res version here (1.1 MB)

Update 2020:  It turns out that the WMSCOG deleted three entire chapters from the original version of Ahn Sahng Hong’s book and it turns out that he believed the world would end in 1988.

According to the World Mission Society Church of God, the Roman Emperor Constantine abolished the Sabbath in 321 A.D at the First Council of Nicea.  On the official USA site, the WMSCOG quotes Constantine as stating, “All judges, city-people and craftsmen shall rest on the venerable day of the Sun.”   However, given the WMSCOG’s history of poorly interpreting Scripture, and their distortion of other author’s works as proven here, we feel their interpretation of history probably deserves a little closer examination as well.

Sunday Observance In Scripture

Immediately after the resurrection of Jesus, there was some confusion among the Jewish converts about certain Jewish practices such as circumcision, which particular day of worship to observe, and whether or not to observe the Jewish feasts.  We see these issues addressed by the Apostle Paul in many places (e.g. Col 2:14-17, Gal 5:6). While Paul goes to the Jewish synagogue on the Sabbath in order to evangelize to the Jews (Acts 17:2, 18:4) but gathers with Christian followers on Sunday (Acts 20:7).  [Click here to see an in-depth explanation of Acts 20:7]

First We Must Study Church History

And how does one study Church history?  By reading historical documents.  The writings of Christians throughout the ages have left the academic world with a veritable wealth of knowledge and insight concerning the beliefs and practices of Christians since the time of Jesus Christ.  These are easily accessible to anyone with an Internet connection, and studied heavily in academia and seminaries throughout the world.  You can read the writings of the first Christians online for free here, at your local library, or pick up any one of a number of good compendiums available online, or from your favorite bookstore.  Now, if you were to click over and read some of these writings, just what would they say?

Sunday Observance In The Early Church

The historical record stands in stark contrast to the claims of the WMSCOG.  All of the writings of the first Christians unequivocally claim that Christians were observing Sunday as their day of worship, some 240 years before the Nicean Counsel when the WMSCOG claims that Sunday worship was imposed upon a “Saturday-observant” Christian world.  Unfortunately for them, their claim does not hold up with history.  You can visit your local library, or purchase any compendium of early Christian writings (such as this one) and read what the first Christians had to say.  For instance:

Ignatius (appointed by Peter as Bishop of Antioch) in the IX chapter of his letter to the Magnesians in 110 A.D. writes:

“If they who were concerned in old things, arrived at a newness of hope, no longer observing the Sabbath, but living according to the Lord’s day, by which our life sprung from him and by his death (whom certain persons deny)…we have been made his disciples, let us live according to Christianity.”

Barnabas (named in Acts 14:14, who was an apostle and the companion of Paul) writes in the XV chapter of his Epistle in 120 A.D.

“Wherefore, also, we keep the eighth day with joyfulness, the day, also, on which Jesus rose again from the dead.”

Justin Martyr (one of the first Christian apologists) wrote in the LXVII chapter of his first apology in 140 A.D.

“Sunday is the day on which we all hold our common assembly, because it is the first day on which God, having wrought a change in the darkness, made the world; and Jesus Christ our savior , on the same day rose from the dead.”

The Didache (considered by all major scholars to be the most authoritative historical writing on early Christianity outside the Bible) stated in 80-90 A.D.

“And on the day of our Lord’s resurrection, which is the Lord’s day meet more diligently.”

Don’t just take our word for it though.  See for yourself, by googling, or visiting your local library and learn exactly what the first Christians thought about Sunday vs Saturday observance.  Note well, how everything written both before and after 325 AD. unequivocally states that Christians observed Sunday.  How can the WMSCOG get it so wrong?  It’s turning a blind eye to the clear historical record to say the least, and I don’t know any historian who wouldn’t laugh their version of history out of the room.

Do Christians Worship The Sun On Sunday?

Not content to leave it at misrepresenting early Christian practices, the WMSCOG takes it a step further, claiming on their official USA site, that during the fourth century:

Ouch.  Now, that just looks silly after all of the historical research we have done (you did go and read up on early Christian observance of Sunday didn’t you?)

The WMSCOG implies that Christians are worshiping the Sun when they gather to worship on Sunday.  Let’s take that argument and apply it to Jews and other Sabbatarians.  Saturday is named after the planet Saturn.  Does that mean that Jews and the WMSCOG worship Saturn because they gather to worship on Saturday? People who gather on Sunday are no more worshiping the Sun god that those who gather on Saturday are worshiping the pagan god of Saturn.

Did Constantine Really Abolish The Sabbath?

Constatine, as emperor, only had jurisdiction over civil observance of the day of rest. Constantine did not have authority within the church to designate or change the day of worship.  In fact, Constatine helped stop the persecution of Christians by making Sunday a day of rest, so they could not be singled out for discrimination by a mostly-pagan populous.

Eusebius, a Roman Bishop and historian, wrote “The Life of Constantine”.  Eusebius wrote regarding Constantine and Sunday worship:

“And since his [Constantine] desire was to teach his whole army zealously to honor the Saviour’s day (which derives its name from light, and from the sun), he freely granted to those among them who were partakers of the divine faith, leisure for attendance on the services of the Church of God, in order that they might be able, without impediment, to perform their religious worship”.

Eusebius makes it clear that Christians were previously unable to worship on Sundays because they were required to work.  Previously, Saturday was the only day of rest, or day on which no customary work was to be done.  If Constantine would have abolished the Sabbath, as the WMSCOG claims, then he would have had to reinstate Saturday as a day of work. There is no historical evidence, that I can find, to even suggest that Constantine abolished Saturday as a day of rest.  Is there any evidence in Jewish history that supports that Constantine abolished the Sabbath and forced the Jews to work or prohibited them to worship on Saturday?  No.  Did Constantine institute any consequences for Christians that did not worship on Sunday?  No.  Then it is impossible for Constantine to have “abolished” the Sabbath and therefore, the WMSCOG’s claims remain unfounded.  It is revisionist history to say otherwise.

Is Constantine Satan?

In the WMSCOG’s study on the book of Daniel, or Daniel’s Prophecy, they claim that Constantine is Satan because he allegedly changed God’s laws (Daniel 7:25).  The WMSCOG also claims that the positive changes that Constantine made for Christians during his reign were an attempt by Constantine (or Satan according to the official WMSCOG site) to trick Christians into turning against God.

It is important to mention that immediately prior to Constantine’s rule, the Christians suffered what is called The Great Persecution during which 20,000 Christians died under the Roman Emperor Diocletian.  Why doesn’t the WMSCOG consider Diocletian to be Satan?  During the Diocletian rule, Christians were forced to burn incense and offer sacrifices to pagan gods and were arrested, tortured, and sometimes killed if they refused. Constantine made the practice of offering sacrifices illegal and expelled those officers in his court that made sacrifices to pagan gods.  Why would Constantine do this if his goal was to turn Christians away from God?  It was not until Constantine legalized Christianity that the persecution ceased.

In the above quote, the WMSCOG claims that Constantine wanted Christians to bow down before him.  But Eusebius, in his writings about Constantine, explains that Constantine was displeased with people who praised him excessively.

“And now that all these ceremonies were completed, and the divine qualities of the emperor’s character continued to be the theme of universal praise, one of God’s ministers presumed so far as in his own presence to pronounce him blessed, as having been counted worthy to hold absolute and universal empire in this life, and as being destined to share the empire of the Son of God in the world to come. These words, however, Constantine heard with indignation, and forbade the speaker to hold such language, exhorting him rather to pray earnestly on his behalf, that whether in this life or in that which is to come, he might be found worthy to be a servant of God“.

Did Constantine Abolish Other Feasts?

In his writings about Constantine, Eusebius tells us that Constantine died at noon on the day of the Pentacost.

“All these events occurred during a most important festival, I mean the august and holy solemnity of Pentecost, which is distinguished by a period of seven weeks, and sealed with that one day on which the holy Scriptures attest, the ascension of our common Saviour into heaven, and the descent of the Holy Spirit among men. In the course of this feast the emperor received the privileges I have described; and on the last day of all, which one might justly call the feast of feasts, he was removed about mid-day to the presence of his God, leaving his mortal remains to his fellow mortals, and carrying into fellowship with God that part of his being which was capable of understanding and loving him”.

Here is evidence of yet another Christian feast that was not abolished by Constantine. If the WMSCOG’s claims that Constantine abolished the Sabbath were valid, why would Constantine abolish the Sabbath and not the Pentecost?  This does not make sense.  Just another example of how the WMSCOG’s misrepresentation of history easily fails in light of additional sources.

Conclusion

It is abundantly clear that the historical facts do not support the WMSCOG’s claims that Constantine “abolished” the Sabbath and in fact only prove that the WMSCOG must resort to historical revisionism in order to clamor for listeners.

*The photo above is licensed under the Creative Commons license, available here.

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).

The World Mission Society Church of God claims that eternal life will only be obtained by those who celebrate the Passover.  Regarding the Passover the WMSCOG says on its official website:

Was the Passover Observed by the Apostles?

In a discussion I had with a WMSCOG member regarding salvation by observing the law versus salvation by grace, I asked if there was any evidence to suggest that the Passover was observed by the apostles after Jesus’s Resurrection.  The WMSCOG member said “absolutely” and pointed to 1 Corinthians 5:7-8 as proof.

Is the apostle Paul here advising the church in Corinth to keep the Passover in this verse, or could it mean something else?

Paul Uses a Metaphor

If we read from the beginning of 1 Corinthians 5, we see that Paul is discussing sexual immorality and incest among the people in the church (v1).  In verse 7, Paul tells the Corinthians to “get rid of the old yeast, so you may be a new unleavened batch”.  Yeast is symbolic of sin in the Bible (Matthew 16:11, Mark 8:15, Luke 12:1).  In Old Testament times, the family was to rid their homes of yeast during the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Exodus 12:19).  Taking into consideration that Paul was a teacher of the law prior to his conversion, and that his audience was certainly comprised of former Jews, we see how fitting it is for Paul to draw out this analogy, commanding the Corinthians to rid the church (house) of all yeast (sin) so that they “may be a new unleavened batch…For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed”, as Jesus was the fulfillment of the Passover because he was “lamb without spot or blemish” (1 Peter 1:19, Leviticus 9:3) and therefore “unleavened bread” (John 6:51).

This also helps explain why Paul clearly uses “heortazo” instead of “heorte”.  The entire series of verses is a metaphor, including verses 7-8.  Since Paul uses the abstract “heaortazo”, verse 8 is part of the metaphor, and does not indicate some sort of literal observance of the Law.

In conclusion, 1 Corinthians 5:7-8 is not of any evidentiary value concerning the Passover, and does not support the WMSCOG member’s claims that Christians of the early church observed or were required to ceremonially observe the Passover.  This is just further proof of the WMSCOG’s consistent misinterpretation of Bible.

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.

The word Elohim, when referring to the God of Israel, is grammatically singular and occurs more than 2500 times in the Hebrew Bible.  The masculine suffix in Hebrew is “im”, while the female plural suffix is “oth”.  Therefore, the word Elohim is a plural masculine form of the root word El or Eloah.  When the plural Elohim is used in the Bible it refers to as the majestic plural form of the word meaning majestic or absolute.  In Hebrew, this is known as the pluralis excellentiae.

Does The Majestic Plural Of Elohim Imply Anything Multiple About God?

In order to answer this question, we will take a look at the times that the word Elohim is used in the Bible to describe someone other than Jehovah or Yahweh.

• In Exodus 7:1, the Lord refers to Moses as Elohim.
• In Nehemiah 9:18, Nehemiah refers to the “molten calf” that was worshipped by some Israelites as Elohim.
• In 1Kings 11:33, the word Elohim is used to refer to Ashtoreth (pagan god of the Sidonians), Chemosh (pagan god of Moabites), and Milcom (pagan god of the Ammonites).

In the above examples, it is clear that there is nothing plural about Moses, the molten calf, Ashtoreth, Chemosh, or Milcom.  Therefore the word Elohim, when referring to Jehovah or Yaweh, does NOT imply plurality either.  To believe that the word Elohim implies that there is more than one God, one would have to ignore all of the verses that clearly state that God is only one.

The words El, Eloah, and Elohim are used interchangeably in the Bible.

The Singular First Commandment

The first Commandment in Exodus 20:2-5 (or Deuteronomy 5:6-9) says “you shall not have other gods besides me“. It does not say “besides us“. This is an important point for anyone attempting to claim there are multiple gods.

Is God Plural In The New Testament?

The Greek word for God written throughout the New Testament is Theos.  The word Theos is singular and appears in the New Testament 309 times.  Here in an example:

The plural word for God, Theoi, only occurs 5 times in the New Testament and is used to refer to multiple pagan gods and never to the God of the Christians.

Conclusion

In the sermon titled “Seek David In The Last Days” the WMSCOG explains that it was their founder Ahnsanghong who tried to claim that through the word Elohim it was understood that there are multiple “gods”, yet they do not cite any of his books.  I’ve read many of his books, and in them he never once claims there are multiple Gods, so I’m not sure where they are getting this from.  (Please leave a comment if you can cite a work by Ahnsanghong where he claims there is anything other than one God).

The word Elohim in the Bible does not determine that there is more than one God Amighty, nor does it imply that there are multiple gods (aka a “mother god”) as the WMSCOG claims for the following reasons.

1. The Hebrew word Elohim is used to refer to singular Moses and other singular gods.
2. The Bible clearly states that there is only one God (Isaiah 45:21-22, 44:8, Mark 12:29).
3. The Greek word Theos in the New Testament is NOT plural.  If the plurality of God was to be established by the word Elohim then it would have remained constant throughout.