In 2002, I challenged The Worldwide Church of God and Plain Truth Ministries regarding statements on their websites that I thought were outrageous. They responded through Mr. Michael Morrison who did not agree with my assessment. All the statements in question are still on their websites (November 8, 2006).

Michael A. Fenemore

March 18, 2002

To the leadership of the Worldwide Church of God (WCG) and Plain Truth Ministries (PTM):

The New Testament writers, including the apostles Paul, James, Peter and John, taught that the second coming and resurrection would occur in their lifetimes. You clearly agree. The following is quoted from your booklet Will Christ Return?

The disciples’ early epistles show the belief most of them apparently carried to their graves: that Jesus’ return was imminent.

Those who take the view that all Bible prophecy has been fulfilled contend that the second coming of Christ must be tied to the destruction of Jerusalem in a.d. 70 and was completely fulfilled in that generation. You teach that the predictions of a first-century second coming failed and that we should be looking for the return of Christ in our future almost 2,000 years later. The following is quoted from The Statement of Beliefs of the Worldwide Church of God under the heading “The Second Coming”:

Jesus Christ, as he promised, will return to earth to judge and reign over all nations in the kingdom of God. His second coming will be visible, and in power and glory. This event inaugurates the resurrection and reward of the saints.

Your booklet Will Christ Return? says, “They grossly underestimated how much time would pass before Jesus’ return.”

I respectfully suggest that promoting an unfulfilled view forces you into an absurd position. When one listener to the Plain Truth Commentary radio broadcast requested an explanation for the apostle Paul’s alleged timing error, host Greg Albrecht answered:

How could Paul have been wrong? The same way that many Christians have been “wrong” over the last two thousand years. Our hearts lead, instead of our heads. We want the Lord to return, and want him to come in our lifetimes…

This is probably the best answer possible from your position, but it implies that some portions of Holy Scripture are based on nothing more than the wishful thinking of Paul’s deluded heart. Is that where Paul’s gospel came from?

I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ. (Gal. 1:12, NIV throughout)

Mr. Albrecht goes on to imply that Paul made a “huge mistake.” He portrays Paul as clearly too emotional and poorly trained to properly fulfill his role as an apostle of Jesus Christ. However, scripture speaks of “holy apostles” who received their revelations “by the Spirit” (Eph. 3:5).

Paul was specially chosen by Jesus Christ to take the gospel to the Gentiles, but Mr. Albrecht has him misleading them into a pitiful delusion. The obvious questions are: 1) What other parts of scripture can’t be trusted? 2) Why did Jesus choose someone so incompetent? Mr. Albrecht’s explanation makes Jesus incompetent too!

Furthermore, in Will Christ Return?, you state that Paul was actually revising divinely inspired scripture throughout his ministry, updating doctrine as he matured:

Paul later had to soften this view of when the second coming would occur…

Again, you imply that some of Paul’s earlier contributions to scripture are unreliable. Yet, at the same time, you declare Holy Scripture to be infallible. The following is quoted from The Statement of Beliefs of the Worldwide Church of God under the heading “The Holy Scriptures”:

The Holy Scriptures are the inspired Word of God, the faithful witness to the gospel, and the true and accurate record of God’s revelation to humanity. As such, the Holy Scriptures are infallible and are foundational to the church in all matters of doctrine and godly living.

I urge you to reconsider your position. Is it not a serious matter to teach that the apostles of Jesus Christ were living under an enormous delusion and making bogus predictions about Jesus? Has this teaching not given the Jewish people throughout almost 20 centuries occasion to ridicule Christianity and dismiss the apostles as false prophets?

²⁰“But a prophet who presumes to speak in my name anything I have not commanded him to say, or a prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, must be put to death.” ²¹You may say to yourselves, “How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the LORD?” ²²If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the LORD does not take place or come true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him. (Deut. 18:20-22)

The resurrected Jesus Christ spoke directly to all the apostles. The twelve were eyewitnesses to his entire ministry, were personally trained by him, and were promised divine revelation regarding “what is yet to come” (John 16:13). Therefore, after receiving the Holy Spirit, whatever they said “is yet to come” must have been right. And there was a deadline attached to their predictions: it was all to take place within their lifetimes “according to the Lord’s own word”:

²⁹…when you see these things happening, you know that it is near, right at the door. ³⁰I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. (Mark 13:29f); I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom. (Matt. 16:28); According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord (1Thess. 4:15)

So how can you teach that the apostles’ predictions failed? Are we to believe that you understand the timing of the second coming better than the apostles did? Is that not an outrageous position? Should we not be afraid to take such a stand?

But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! (Gal. 1:8)

Have you received “surpassingly great revelations” (2Cor. 12:7)? Was anyone of you hand-picked by the resurrected Jesus to receive supernatural “insight into the mystery of Christ” and then unveil the “mystery of the ages” to the whole world?

²Surely you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that was given to me for you, ³that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation… ⁴…you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, ⁵which was not made known to men in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets. ⁶This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel (Eph. 3:2-6)

⁸…this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, ⁹and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God (Eph. 3:8f)

These men who have caused trouble all over the world (Acts 17:6); …your faith is being reported all over the world (Rom. 1:8); All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing (Col. 1:6); This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven (Col. 1:23)

Why are you confident teaching that Christ’s apostles were deceiving the very people they were continually warning not to be deceived?

Do not be deceived (1Cor. 6:9); Do not be deceived (Gal. 6:7); Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers. (Jas. 1:16)

I cannot accept the explanation that Paul’s heart was leading him instead of his head. Since you choose to declare before God and the world that you are a source of Plain Truth, then I would respectfully suggest that you are obligated to provide a better answer for this issue; one that upholds the integrity of scripture; one that defends Paul’s inspired testimony and portrays him as Christ’s greatest apostle, not as a deluded fool.

I humbly challenge you to offer a solid response to my short article titled Were the Apostles False Prophets? found on the website listed below. Here is the issue: How could the apostles have been wrong in light of Luke 8:10, John 15:15, Gal. 1:11f and especially John 16:13?

He said, “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you” (Luke 8:10); I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. (John 15:15); ¹¹ I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel I preached is not something that man made up. ¹²I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ. (Gal. 1:11f); But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. (John 16:13)

I will be pleased to send your reply to all who have received the link to this friendly challenge and I will post it on the website. Were the Apostles False Prophets? is easily found at: http://www.Preterism.info.

Kindest regards,

Michael A. Fenemore

To read Michael Morrison’s response, click here.