Garner Ted Armstrong T-V Programs
Church of God International

"DON'T BELIEVE ME, BELIEVE THE BIBLE!"  (or is that: "DON'T BLAME ME, BLAME THE BIBLE!")
GTA and his father both said "Don't believe me, believe the bible". Although GTA said he taught the same things as his father, and said in his tv program "Who is the Antichrist' (Oct-2002) that they had "proved and proved and proved again" the teachings of the WCG, with "nothing assumed", they both disagreed about bible doctrines. GTA held and taught many doctrines that were contrary to his father and after GTA was disfellowshipped from the WCG in 1978 he openly preached numerous things that were opposed to his father's beliefs. Although HWA accused GTA of introducing "liberal" teachings into the church, (GN Apr-1980, WWN 1981) HWA altered his own beliefs on teachings about the day of Pentecost, divorce and re-marriage, make-up, healing etc. In his tv program "Is God a Mystery" GTA criticizes his tv viewers for not investigating their religious beliefs and in his tape "In Your Lifetime" (Mar-93) he says that you have to learn your beliefs. In "Why Saturday for Sunday" (10-Feb-96) he said he did "in-depth research" but in "Politically Correct" (Dec-02) and "The Root Cause of World Trouble" (Dec-02) he said he himself did not study beliefs or research doctrine closely. He said the bible should be taken "literally" although he also said the bible uses "metaphors". ("Presumption of Prayer", 11-Jan-92)

HWA wrote against church hierarchy in 1939 but later claimed to be Gods Apostle. His 1932 ordination certificate/ministerial license termed him as an "Apostle", as were others in the "Church of God 7th Day" who were chosen the same day. (Autobiography p476, and PT magazine Jan-1960, p10) According to an article in the Journal (Sept 2011, p5 and also confirmed by GTA in, Watch, Spring 1987, p22 ) Herman Hoeh said at the Feast of Tabernacles in Oregon in 1951 that he thought HWA was an apostle. This thought developed and in 1955 HWA "acknowleged" he was an apostle. Later HWA wanted to announce that GTA was also an apostle but after GTA suggested other ambitious ministers would believe they were too. He dropped the idea. (Watch 1987, p24) From the mid 1970's HWA began to push the idea of exclusive church hierarchy and "rank". He said the church is the kingdom. (tv-1984). GTA thought his father was an apostle too but later disagreed saying an Apostle was not a rank but a function and was one who had seen Christ and was sent to preach. "The Trials Ahead" (30-Jan-93) "Just Who Do We Think We Are" (3-Feb-01), "Churchianity vs the Kingdom" (2-Jne-01) and in "Visitors From Space" (16-Jan-99). After his expulsion from the WCG, GTA said that Peter was sent and didn't have any primacy. "Is the Law a Curse", (21-Mar-87) and he emphasized brotherhood without "rank" or "top level" or "bottom" ministers. (1st Day of U/B, 1-Apr-99) "We don't have ranks". ("What is a Minister",  24-Mar-84) He said there were "ranks" in the church corporation but not in the church. (Watch, Spring 1987, p23) In "Arcadia", (12-May-79) GTA said, they were not a pyramid but were side by side. In "Thank God Your Here" (Aug-96) he  favoured "multiplicity in leadership". On p85 of his ICG "History" booklet he said "I favour a non-salaried ministry." In "Should We Be Organized" (13-Oct-96) he said "there was government in Gods church" and in "All is Vanity" (5-May-01) GTA said there are "no class distinctions" in the church. In his tv program "Is God Tolerant" (12-Jan-03) he said he totally rejected the idea that the church was God's government. He said there will be "ranks" in the Kingdom of God but there are no "ranks" in the church. ("Works and Rewards", 4-Aug-01) In "The Good Fight" (8-Dec-01) GTA mentions some who "can't get rid of the idea of authoritarianism in the church". He said in "What You Can Do", (23-Oct-78) we don't exercise authority in the church! He rejected "Petrine Theory" and "Apostolic Succession" as doctrines of error. ("Apostasy, Then and Now" 28-Jan-95, & "Herd Instinct" 17-Mar-01) GTA says there have been no apostles since the death of the Apostle John. In the same 2011 Journal article HWA admitted he thought "-the New Testament reflected a collegial approach to church government -" and, "would have continued that practice," but "he was afraid of losing control." (over the church)

HWA also developed other authoritarian ideas. GTA says that Herman Hoeh began proclaiming that GTA's father was "Elijah",  (Watch, Spring, 1987, p22 and in "Another Elijah", 20-Mar-99) but although HWA at first denied he was Elijah, after the 1978 HWA/GTA split, HWA adopted the mission of "turning the hearts of the children to the fathers" (while continuing to reject his own son who he had disfellowshipped) and tried to give the impression that he was both Zerubbabel (Zech 4) and the "Elijah to come" (GN Apr-80 p26) which he appears to have made no attempt to correct. This would have acknowledged GTA as Elisha his successor and vice versa that if GTA was Elisha then HWA had authority over GTA. GTA said his father was not Elijah "Beware of Cults" (12-Apr-97) "The Work of Elijah" (14-Nov-87) "What Time is It" (1-Jan-2000)" and The Role of Angels" (16-Aug-03) In "Angels" (16-Sep-2000) he said Gerald Flurry is not Elijah. Also GTA said "I am not Elisha" and that only John the Baptist was "The Elijah" ("Coming: A New World Order", 16-Aug-97) although in "John the Precursor" (4-Sep-99) GTA said that like John the Baptist, "we are preparing the way". GTA said he was "not Joshua" ("Money and Power", 28-Feb-98) and that he was not one of the "Two Witnesses", "Goal of the Church" (5-Sep-92) and "Land For Peace" (24-Oct-98). In his booklet on the History of the CGI, GTA said "I believe God has appointed me to be his Watchman"(p85) In "Nashville", (18-Nov-78) GTA quoted Ezekiel 33:17 saying, "I have made thee a Watchman." He said in "Another Elijah" that he was not found in the bible. In "The Church" (23-May-89) he said that he did not have the "gift of prophecy". In "Message to the Ministry", (23-Apr-83) GTA said, "God conscripted me." In "State of the Work", (9-Feb-1980) he said God had commissioned him. In "The Jesus You Never Met", (18-Dec-93) he said he was "as a prophet of God" but in his tv program on Prayer (14-Nov-95) he said he did not claim to be a prophet. At his Nashville meeting (13-Mar-99) referring to himself, he asked, "who did God anoint?" In "A Footwashing Attitude" (24-Mar-01) he says that not everything he preached was inspired by God but he thought that some things were.

HWA gave top-down indoctrination only through his ministry. In "History of the True Church" (28-Apr-01) GTA said the biggest problem in the church is the ministry. He encouraged personal evangelism and opinion and our need to challenge any who attempt stand over tactics over the church. ("Herd Instinct" 17-Mar-01) In "What is Your Destiny" (14-Feb-87) he said "you don't leave your brains at the door", he repeated this in "Hattiesburg Appearance" (16-Jn-01) and in other places..

HWA claimed the WCG was the only true church. (History tape) GTA accepted others. ("Keep on Proving" & "Just Who Do We Think We Are", 3-Feb-01) and said God's Church is not God's government." ("Money and Tithing" 20-Apr-01)

HWA claimed Rev 2 & 3 are church "eras". (Similar to the Scofield bible) In "History of the True Church" (28-Apr-01) GTA said he threw "eras" in the trash can in 1966. He said they are not "eras" but apply to one church at all times. "Revelation and Prophecy" (1982 radio pgrms), "Rapture of the Saints" (tv 23-Nov-96). Either way the church was encouraged to excel those who they believed had a "Laodicean attitude" and fell short of Christian perfection.

HWA restricted baptism to the indoctrinated who had read his Autobiography. ("Islam=Peace" 15-Sep-02) GTA accepted "sinners" (Corrective Spiritual Surgery", 19-Oct-92) insisting that like marriage, baptism should not be done "casually" ("FOT 1st Day", 25-Sep-99) GTA wanted baptizing to be done with "no interrogation", ("Roots", 28-Jly-01) and he had no objection to non-ordained people conducting the baptisms. ("All the Little Children", 4-Nov-1995)

HWA restricted attendance of  the unbaptized to meetings. GTA had an "open doors" policy and welcomed those needing church support. ("Let George Do It", 1-Feb-92) GTA said having people "put out" was a Catholic doctrine. ("Peter's Final Farewell", 13-May-2000) In "Study of Colossians" (16-Oct-99) GTA said smokers are welcome but in "Jackson TN" (20-May-2000) he said that smoking will not be allowed in the Kingdom of God. In "Modern Sodom" (5-Oct-91) and "UB Study" (20-May-2000) GTA expresses his idea that sermons should not be given by men wearing short sleeve shirts. In his 1995 booklet "Welcome to the CGI" and in his tape "The Commandments" (4-Nov-2000) he said there was no dress code but that the church is to follow traditions. HWA gave GTA a "special dispensation" to wear sideburns. ("Study of Colossians" 16-Oct-99) GTA said "women should not have men's haircuts" ("All About Angels, 22-Jn-02) In "False Concepts of Christ" (5-Oct-02) he said "you dress according to custom". He expected people to come to church clean, "no matter what they wear". (Straw Men", 7-Apr-01) He said tithing is not a criteria for church membership." ("Money and Tithing" 20-Apr-01) and said "tithing and giving while taught by the church, is voluntary, and is not monitored." In "No Baggage Allowed" (Jne-02) he said we don't have tests to get into our church.

HWA disallowed unbaptised people to partake of the "Lord's Supper" GTA said "never deny anyone" unbaptised to partake of the "Lord's Supper". "Unleavened Bread", (17-Apr-84) "Last Day of U/B" (7-Apr-99) and "The Exodus". (23-Mar-2002) GTA often said that Jesus never ate a meal with a converted person in his entire life, ("Knoxville TN, 1-Apr-2000 "Hattiesburg", 19-Jne-01) This included the "Last Supper" which was instituted as a new ceremony (tv 6-Mar-99) for the "first time in all history" (tv 20-May-2000) and was taken by the disciples before they were given the holy Spirit and was also attended by Judas Iscariot.

HWA disallowed applause of musicians and acting in church services. (tape) Although GTA did not think people should applaud sermons, ("Teach and Train", 10-Jan-87) he had no restrictions on applause and said that people should do what was according to their conscience and "natural expression" ("He that Over Comes", 5-Sep-93, "The Idol is Nothing", 17-Apr-93, "Deliverance" 13-Jne-98) Quoting Paul (1Cor 4:16, 11:1, Eph 5:1) he said Christians should be imitators and actors. ("All is Vanity", 4-Aug-84)  No woman is allowed to preach from the pulpit. ("Religious Partisanship", 9-Dec-2000) and "We do not permit 'babbling' in the CGI". ("How to Please God", 4-Dec-93) He said that today's church services follow the Protestant model ("UB Study", 20-May-2000) and in "Area Coordinators Conference" (15-Aug-98) he said the first century church was very different from today.

HWA said the Exodus Passover was eaten at the beginning of the 14th of Nisan. GTA said it was eaten at the end of the 14th, in the night of the 15th of Nisan. ("Let George Do It", 1-Feb-92,  "Three Days and Three Nights", 1-Feb-97 and "Christ Our Passover", 18-Feb-99) Ron Dart also discussed this in his 23-March-1991 CGI tape called "The Feast of Passover" and also wrote a study we have available on this topic.

HWA taught "The Night to be Much Observed". GTA said "It is optional". ("The Leaven of Vanity", 18-Apr-92 and "Plagues and the Passover" 19-Feb-2000) and said that Christ's death obviates its necessity. ("The Bread of Life", Apr-98 and "Yardstick Religion", 22-Aug-98) GTA also said the Days of Unleavened Bread do not picture putting sin out of our lives but of putting Christ in. (18-Apr-92)

HWA said Satan "broadcasts" (1981 tape) GTA denied this. "Is Man Good" (May-83)  "All is Vanity" (Aug-84) and said that Satan is not a counter-part of the holy Spirit but is only in one place at one time. ("Report to General H/Q", 17-July-99 and "All is Vanity", 5-May-01)

HWA said, "We were not born with human nature" (tv) and man had some of Satan's nature from birth. GTA disagreed. (See STP section on "Repentance" and tapes on "Origin of Satan")

HWA said the "Image of the Beast" was the Catholic Church. GTA expressed this too (tv, "The Mark of the Beast" 27-Jne-98) but also thought it would be an image prophesied to be set up at the temple (tv 3-June-2000).

HWA appeared before leaders at banquets, GTA said, brought before them in manacles (Shebna tv, "Goal of the Church" 5-Sep-92, "Christ's Second Ministry" 10-Sep-94) GTA said "Brought means, arrested" (Texarkana Campaign, 5-Dec-1987) not brought on a red carpet. (Overcoming the Beast Mar-92 & tv 12-Jn-99)

HWA said the church would be "taken" to a place of safety (in Petra, Jordan) for protection. (Gr: Petra = rock) GTA said "you're already in your Petra",   ("He That Over Comes" 5-Sep-93), ) that "eagles wings" is a metaphor. ("How to Please God" 4-Dec-93) He said there is no "place of safety" but that Jesus is our Rock. ("Enemy" 8-Apr-95) and those who are not "taken" are the ones spared from the tribulation.

HWA taught that Christians were yet to be saved, GTA said "You have been saved" ("Joy of Salvation" July-82) "you already have received salvation.", "are saved", "past tense". (Radio Pgm 9413, 1994, "God's Building, March-96, "The Politics of Jesus Day, 25-Nov-2000 and "First Day FOT", 2-Oct-01 and his article "Will You Be Taken To A Place Of Safety")

HWA said the disciples of Matt 27:52-3 had hidden and had slept in the graves, GTA says they were disciples who were resurrected from the dead. 25-May-80, 19-Jan-85, 4-Mar-89, "What Happens When I Die" (28-March-92), "Root of Bitterness" (24-Jne-95), "Three Days & Three Nights" (Feb-97), "pre LGD" (2-Oct-99) and in "Pentecost" (11-Jne-2000).

HWA said gambling was of the Devil (ACBCC, Lesson 37, p8), GTA said he "buys lottery tickets" ("Worldly Governments" 7-Mar-98) and was known to gamble but he denied this. "I'd wager but the bible says, don't do that." ("GTA in Kansas City", 16-Apr-76) "I'm not a betting man" ("Misconceptions", 13-Aug-73) (tv 4-Apr-98) Perhaps he meant he was not a big-time gambler. In "The Warning" (31-Mar-90) he says "I'm not supposed to be a betting man." (Christians should not covet or set a bad example)

HWA required members to pay a third tithe. GTA said taxation covers this. "Money and Tithing", (11-Jan-2003) and also that you cannot prove who the Corinthians tithed to. ("Voting and Birthdays", 18-Aug-1979)

HWA and GTA both said "freely you have recieved, freely give" but both sold their materials at times. (See advert' in GTA 1983 Xmas tv program, Watch magazine and literature)

HWA in numerous tv programs gave 6000 years for mans rule, but GTA admitted it was already more. (See "6000 Years" below)

HWA thought the 19 year lunar cycle was significant to prophecy. (Autobiography p407) GTA taught this too but later disregarded them as having any importance. "Assyria in Prophecy", (11-Aug-84) "Ye Are the Branches" (9-Apr-94), "Our Secret Place" (6-Mar-99), "Don't Trust Dates" (6-Jan-01), "To the Churches" (9-Mar-02).

HWA was strict on divorce but in April 1977 he married a divorcee who he later divorced too in 1984. GTA made allowance for divorce upon circumstances and while in the WCG he secretly gave the okay for certain interracial marriage saying he saw nothing wrong with it. ("Way of Life", 3-Oct-92)

HWA said whores wore make-up to attract men and condemned women who wore wigs or plucked their eyebrows and said those who lied about wearing make-up would not enter Gods kingdom (tape) GTA dispelled this in "The Oppression of Women" (19-Nov-83) and "All is Vanity" (4-Aug-84) GTA explained how his father imposed this edict in an attempt to cause his second wife, Ramona Martin, to divorce him. ("What Happens When I Die", Mar-92, and "Cause of Crime", May-92)

HWA held the idea that God would punish slack Christians in the "Great Tribulation" to purge their sins. In "The Last Great Beast" (10-Apr-99) GTA said this was a Satanic doctrine.

HWA said it was a sin to keep birthdays. Josephus wrote that "the law does not permit us to make festivals at the birth of our children," (Against  Apion 2:26) GTA disregarded this as an idea of Kenneth Herrmann. ("Voting and Birthdays, Aug-79, "Joseph's Betrayal", 18-Apr-98)

HWA condemned medicine for others but used them when he was sick. GTA said we should make use of medical advances "Doctrinal Leaven", (20-Apr-87) In "Is God Fair", (2-May-98) GTA doubted whether "lay" people should anoint with oil.

The 2520 Years. Who knows who invented this theory. "Watchtower.cc" says this 2520 years idea was used in the Millerite publication "The TRUE Midnight Cry" in August 1844 saying Gentile domination began in 677BC and would end in 1844. The Jehovah's Witnesses shifted this idea ahead 70 years and used it in their Watchtower magazine when they made predictions that the end of the age would come in 1914. This 2520 years idea was built upon Leviticus 26:18-28 that says the punishment for sin would be "seven times". These "seven times" were interpreted to mean prophetically "seven years" and the "seven years" were supposedly special prophetic years of 360 days each. This is the same idea used in Rev 11:2-3 where 1260 days, which is exactly half of 2520 days are equal to forty two months or three and a half years. Three and a half years of these special 30 day months equals 1260 days which fit perfectly from the 10th of Nisan to the 1st of Tishri three and a half years later (or 10th of Iyar depending upon the number of intervening leap-years). Multiplying 360 days by seven results in 2520 days but prophetically those in the WCG/CGI and elsewhere took it to mean "a day for a year" (Nu 14:34, Ez 4:6) or 2520 years (360 x 7 = 2520 years) GTA's father adopted this idea and the 2520 years were applied in three ways. 1) In a radio program made in 1943 HWA said that Israel was punished for 2520 years from 721BC to AD1800. 2) In "What is the Third Angel's Message" he said it was the withholding of Judah's blessings from 604BC to AD1917 and 3) In the "Plain Truth" (June/July 1934 p5) he said the "Times of the Gentiles" were to end in 1936. In an article called "The Times of the Gentiles" written by Herman Hoeh in the September 1955 "Plain Truth" magazine, Herman follows the same idea of Israel's punishment from 721BC ending around AD1800 and of Judah's punishment being from 604BC and ending in AD1917. Herman then tries to explain that the "Times of the Gentiles" was a 2520 year period of punishment for the Gentiles that began in 539BC with the fall of Babylon and that in AD1982 this punishment would be completed but that Jesus Christ would return before then. Garner Ted believed this and preached powerfully to his audiences that it would all be over by 1980 as can be shown in his sermon  "Lamentations" (1957) there is a copy of this sermon available in our tape library. The notes in the Scofield Bible on Daniel 7 say that the "Times of the Gentiles" is the time of their "world-dominion", not of their punishment. When the prophecies for 1972 failed, his father said there would be a ten year delay. An article on p3 of the Feb 2008 "Journal" says, 7 years were added. GTA continued preaching the 2520 years idea in his radio programs saying that this 2520 year period began between 540 BC to 538 BC and said that we could expect things to happen in the early 1980's while his audience was encouraged to support the "Work of the Watchman". GTA said the blessings were denied for 2520 years ("The Law", 13-Jan-1990)  He said in his "Springfield, Missouri" tape (6-Jne-92)  God "seems to have put the job of a watchman in front of me." He says "I want to remain as a watchman" ("Change For the Worse", Nov-92)  In "The Christian Handicap" (16-Nov-96) Garner Ted said "God has commissioned me". In "My Yoke is Easy" (26-Aug-2000) he says "the commission God gives me". In his tv program "The Very Elect" he said "I am commissioned as a Watchman". In FOT 2000 PCB (14-Oct-2000) he says he inherited his fathers position. [He continued to tell his followers in other tapes that he was a Watchman as in his tv program "9/11" (12-Sept-2001) and sermons "Daniel 11", (23-Dec-00), "Feast of Trumpets", (18-Sep-01), "The Culmination of Prophecy" (13-Apr-02)] In his 1977 tape called "The Times of the Gentiles" GTA denied he had predicted "the end" in 1972, but then went on to say that it was "now shaping up" and up until around 1982 he continued to suggest the 2520 years from the supposed beginning of "The Times of the Gentiles" in 539BC would end in about 1982 and that this would be the start of the end-time events. As each of the dates he predicted failed to be correct the time was re-scheduled a short time later. In an article in the "International News" (Dec 1982, p6) and in his tape called "The Law", (3-Jan-1990) GTA goes into this 2520 years idea and uses it in his "Revelation and Prophecy" series, (Tracks 5, 15, 37 etc) starting at 718BC until the Louisiana Purchase from Napoleon in 1803. (He kept using this 2520 years idea as in "God's Timetable" (19-Oct-96) "The Red Heifer" (24-May-97), the tv program "Hong Kong" (5-July-1997) "Count Down From Heaven" (15-July-2000) and "The Real Birthday of Christ" (16-Nov-02) with the idea of the separate 2520 year period called "The Times of the Gentiles" beginning from the fall of Babylon in 539BC as you can find in "The Last Great Beast" (10-Apr-99) and the series from the early 1980's called, "The Origin of Satan and Demons" (Second program on tape 5, which is OS25 on this web site or track 25 on our CD) In the March 1983 edition of the "International News" GTA refers to these periods of 2520 years. GTA also mentions the 2520 years idea on pages 80-87 of his booklet called "Europe and America in Prophecy" where he cushions the dating by saying that as the withdrawal of Israel's blessings covered an extended period of time from 745BC to 718BC, so the end of this 2520 year period came by unspecified steps too, saying on page 83 "It is not necessary to fix exact dates." In "Men of Vision" (29-Dec-01) he continued holding this idea of 2520 years of "national deprivation" ending with the Louisiana Purchase. Some have used a 2520 year period from 745BC ending with the "Declaration of Independence" in 1776, but by ending this period at 718BC GTA obviously limited the time of the return of Israel's blessings to 1803 while he makes no mention of his overdue "Times of the Gentiles" period starting in 539BC which after 2520 years would have ended (after adding one missing year between 1BC to AD1) in 1982 as he said in "The Work of Elijah" (14-Nov-87). In his 1957 serrmon called "Lamentations" he said he expected it all to be over by 1980 but later in his 1980 appearance in Atlanta he said "Did we set dates? Absolutely not" and although there may not have been a specific date given for the end, if it was all to be over by 1980 then there must have been some date between 1957 to 1980 when it was to occur. In the booklet called "1975 in Prophecy", which was written in 1956 and which GTA said he helped to write, it says, on page 20 that "the Great Tribulation" would arrive before 1975." and that "--human life will be erased from the earth in 25 years unless God Almighty intervenes!", so the date for the end would have been before 1981. In one of his "Five Minute Capsule" broadcasts and in his 1990 tv program "Understanding Prophecy" (11-Sep) GTA said that he expected the final events to occur by the 1990's. In "Keep on Proving" (Feb 1985) "Tulsa Campaign" (11-Jly-92) "Current Events in Prophecy" (28-Nov-92) and "Last Great Day 1994" GTA expected "The Great Tribulation" to occur before the end of the twentieth century. At the end of  his tape "Russia in Prophecy" (7-Sep-91) he thought the end-time prophecies would come to pass in 8 to 10 years. In "Change For the Worse" (14-Nov-92), just 11 years before he died he said, "I don't think we have 10 or 12 years". In "Fruits of the Work" (17-Feb-90) he expected it in 15 years or less. In "Save the Children" (13-Jn-92) he said that if there is no God "by 2004 you've had it" and "he's coming in your day", "in our lifetime". In his tape called "In Your Lifetime" (13-Mar-93) GTA expected those listening would see the second coming but in his talk at the Sydney Opera House in February 1995 he extended the time saying he expected all the prophecies would be finished well within the next 18 years. In the tape called "The Last Great Beast" (10-Apr-99) and in a tv program made at about the same time, GTA said that the end of the 2520 years had not yet come, suggesting that the 2520 years did not start in 539BC but at least about 20 years later. In "The Big Picture" (24-Nov-01) he maintains this idea of 2520 years of Gentile rule still continuing. He said in his tv program (22-Aug-98) and "The Third Year in the Kingdom" (15-Jn-02) that he thought that Christ's kingdom would come in his lifetime. In "Visitors From Space" (16-Jan-99) he did not want to set dates, but in "John the Precursor" (4-Sep-99) he said "It is coming in our lifetime". In "Atlanta", (21-Apr-2000) he said, "I don't know when Christ is coming" but in "New Orleans" (23-June-01) he was back at it again saying "it may be within ten years". In "Our Common Goal" (23-Feb-02) and "Ft Wayne" (17-Aug-02)  he said "the world can't go on for twenty years." In his tape called "Church Eras and the Place of Safety" (1-Sept-2001) and by inference in other tapes like "Waiting For Messiah" (Dec-94) Garner Ted blamed Herman Hoeh for coming up with the 539BC date, although he still referred to this same "Times of the Gentiles" period that Herman peddled long after the expected events of 1972 and 1982 had failed. Like Leviticus 26, Daniel 4:16, 23-25 and 31 uses the phrase "seven times" meaning "seven years". Herman imagined this had both a literal and a prophetic application and interpreted it to mean 2520 years. This 2520 years idea mislead people into believing the time was short and that they should support those giving the warning. Some sold their homes, borrowed money and went into debt thinking Jesus would soon return and repay them, ("Plan For the Future", 14-Dec-85) but it's easy to be wise after the event. We can now see that this 2520 years theory was wrong.

The Beast whose number is 666 Tied into this idea about the "Times of the Gentiles" is that there will be a final resurrection of the "Holy Roman Empire" composed of ten "Gentile" nations who will give their power to a man called the "Beast" whose number is 666. Some disagree about whether it is the Beast or the False Prophet who is "The Antichrist." In his sermon "Who is the Antichrist?" (12-Oct-02) GTA says that the bible does not call any particular individual "The Antichrist" although previously in the sermon "The Gulf Crisis in Prophecy" (25-Aug-1990) "Beast of the Apocalypse" (4-Dec-96) the tv program "Coming Space Invasion" (4-Sept-99) and "Prophecy Now" (15-Nov-97) GTA tells us the "False Prophet" is the "Antichrist". In 1 John 2:18 it refers to both "antichrist" (singular) and to "antichrists" (plural). Irenaeus who was a disciple of Polycarp shows that the number 666 could apply to people called "Lateinos". (Against Heresies, Book 5, Ch 30) Using Greek, L=30, a=1, t=300, e=5, i=10, n=50, o=70, s=200 Total=666. Hippolytus agreed but uses "Latinus". (King Latinus was the legendary ruler of Latium before Rome was built) Some tried to fit the "666" label onto various leaders like Nero using Latin, Greek or Aramaic but Nero Caesar has to be mis-spelt to make it add up to 666 and of course none of them were right. Seventh Day Adventists think "The Beast" is America and have said 666 refers to the leader of the Roman Catholic Church using one of his official Latin titles, "Vicarius Filli Dei", (Vicar of the Son of God) and by using the Latin numbering system (Roman numerals) and  figuring the "u" as a "v" this title adds up to DCLXVI  (which results in the descending use of six numerals and adds up to 666) and in Hindu-Arabic as 666 which also has a special look to a modern English reader, but in the Greek bible the number "666" is not three digamma's or stigma's, "sss", but appears as "XEC" and in Hebrew it looks even less symmetrical. In his tapes "Iron and Clay" (5-Dec-98), "The Coming Mass Conversion" (4-Mar-2000)  and "Abomination of Desolation" (26-May-01) Garner Ted toyed with the idea of applying 666 to an end-time church leader, ("Sixtus VI") as opposed to a state leader. It seems odd that on the one hand GTA was willing to consider Sixtus VI as being possible while he dismissed the fact that "Vicarius Filii Dei" is an official Catholic title (See "Bibliotheca" by Lucii Ferraris) In "Will the Wall Come Tumbling Down" (21-Dec-02) GTA says Sixtus is not 666. Gerald Flurry ("That Prophet"?) speculated that Ratzinger would be the "False Prophet" seeing the Greek spelling and numbering system (B=2, e=5, n=50, e=5, d=4, i=10, k=20, t=300, o=70, s=200 =Total 666) while others mix the roles of both the "False Prophet" and the "Beast". The false church is referred to as the "image of the beast", (Rev 13:14-15) and is not the Beast. In his 1985 article "Who, What is the `BEAST' of Revelation" (p7), GTA speculated that German "Strongman", Franz Josef Strauss, was probably the man who would be "The Beast" of the book of Revelation. Strauss died in 1988. In his tv program (17-July-99) GTA admits he was wrong. He also denied that the "Beast" who's number is 666 only refers to a single person but that he had historical counterparts. In "The Warning" (31-Mar-1990) he says that there have been many "Beasts".

The Beasts Kingdom: There have been several views expressed about the "Times of the Gentiles" which some believe began in 539BC following Nebuchadnezzar and the fall of ancient Babylon and about its fourth gentile-beast kingdom (Rome) and about its ten successive "heads" and "horns". Some think they were literal Babylonian kings because John said that "one is" at the time he wrote. Others think the ten horns were the first ten emperors of the Roman empire. Others think the sixth head was imperial Rome and that the Ostrogoths became the seventh head. (The Jews, Rome and Armageddon, p147-158) So when did the fourth kingdom "of iron" begin according to the bible? Did it began with Romulus, Cato, Pompey, Julius Caesar, Augustus, Nero or whoever. Hippolytus says it was Augustus who established the Roman empire but as Josephus says in Ant' 18:2:2  Augustus was the second emperor. Others think the first head or first horn of this fourth beast was Constantine because he is credited with starting the "Holy" Roman empire and that we should only regard the "resurrections" of the "holy" Roman empire from his time, another opinion is that the "holy" Roman empire began with Justinian in 554. Some disagree about who comprised the first three horns that were overthrown by the little horn of Daniel 7 and about who were the leaders and which were the nations of the last seven "resurrections" or revivals of these ten horns. In the April 1938 "Plain Truth" GTA's father said "by the time events of history progressed to Rome, we had the seven heads and ten horns." This seems to tell us that three had already fallen by the time of the ascendancy of Rome and that these first three horns were Babylon, Persia and Greece. GTA says they were the Vandals, Ostrogoths and Heruli. ("What is the Mark of the Beast", page 33) and also in his tapes "The Kingdom of God" (24-Aug-85) and "Who is the Antichrist?" (12-Oct-02). Others say the Visigoths, Lombards and (the Vandals from) Ravenna. Rome fell in AD476 after the invasion of these Barbarians which is taken by some to be the fulfillment of Rev 13:3 "And I saw one of its heads as it were wounded to death." In the GTA book "Europe and America in Prophecy" (pages 112-118) GTA tells us that the Goths were Israelites. If they were Israelites then how could they be Gentile rulers who are by definition non-Israelites? Hippolytus who wrote in about AD220 was unacquainted with any "holy" Roman empire and following the prophecy of Daniel 11:41-43 he tells us the three horns of Daniel 7:8 were Egypt, Libya and Ethiopia, the three countries predicted to be conquered by the king of the north. (Treatise on Christ and Antichrist) Then there are various views about the number of times the "Holy" Roman empire has been "resurrected". If you believe the seven heads of the "Beast" of Revelation 13:1 represent seven resurrections or revivals, you may ask, "Where are we now"? The Catholic Emperor Justinian restored Rome in AD554 which is believed to have been the fulfillment of "his deadly wound was healed" (Rev 13:3), "and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months" (v5) which was interpreted by Garner Ted's father to mean for 1260 years until the time Napoleon I abdicated in 1814, although Napoleon returned to fight at Waterloo in 1815 which would have been 1261 years. (If the French are Israelites, why would Napoleon be considered as "head" of the gentile Beast?) Some believe there have been fewer than six revivals, some believe there have been seven, others say more. Articles in the August 2004 and Sept/Oct 2005 "Journal" question who or what events to include or discount and which ones we should call a revival or "resurrection" on account of the countries, leaders and events involved. Some reckon that only those crowned by Rome are true "resurrections". In the GTA tape "Who is Doing the Work" (Sep-91) GTA said they were "always Germanic", (What would Napoleon think about that?) Later in another tv program GTA says they were "-in most places a German" (2-Jne-01) In "Iron and Clay" (5-Dec-98) he notes that Napoleon (who like Charlemagne crowned himself) was a Corsican and if he is accepted as being one of the revivals of the beast, it opens a wider range of possible non-Germans as "heads". GTA's father firstly thought King Leopold of Italy was the leader of the sixth "resurrection" he later changed this to Mussolini and then to Hitler and then subsequently held to the idea that it was jointly Mussolini and Hitler aligned together which Garner Ted and others adopted. (In lesson 11, p14 of the 1973 AC Correspondence Course it tells us it was Victor Emmanuel III.) In "Be Ye Ready" (20-Apr-96) Garner Ted admits his father "had wrong labels". If you believe that each head represents a leader then it is reasonable to conclude that it represents a single leader rather than two men, but to then claim that the Hitler-Mussolini alliance was "a weak resurrection", became the sixth head and ruled the world simply because Mussolini claimed to have restored "The Holy Roman Empire" is a bit far fetched wouldn't you think. In "Overcoming the Beast" (14-Mar-92) Garner Ted tells us that Pius put hands on Mussolini, but Hitler was not crowned by Rome. The "Third Reich" caused a lot of misery but it never ruled the world. (Garner Ted sometimes referred to Hitler as Adolf Shickelgruber, (he may have accepted this from the 1943 film "Watch Along the Rhine") but in July 1973, (tv pgm#473) he said Hitler never had this name. In a CGI tv program "Prophecy Now", GTA tells us the final resurrection of the Beast will occur where the "holy" Roman Empire used to be. As the story goes it is expected that the seventh or final revival of the "holy" Roman empire will be comprised of ten kings of Eastern and Western Europe (Possibly "five east and five west", Rapture, 19-Aug-89) who will give their rule over to the "Beast" who is referred to as the "eighth" who will control a church/state government and is both the man and the system. ("Beast of the Apocalypse", 4-Dec-96) GTA thought the king of the south would not be Iran or Iraq, (but later in "Should We Fear Iraq, Nov-97, he said it could be) but because Ptolomic Egypt had been historically the King of the South previously  ("Jerusalem" 16-July-94 & "Islam=Peace" 15-Sep-02) he said it is Egypt that is predicted to "push at" this king of the north which triggers the Vatican (the little horn) to move to Israel to bring peace. The presence of this "Man of Sin" ushers in the "Abomination of Desolation" which will be seen standing in the "holy" place in Jerusalem. (In his 1977 tape "Times of the Gentiles" GTA said the "Abomination of Desolation" was the Dome of the Rock and he also expressed this same view in a feast sermon he gave on 6-Oct-1998) In "Future of Jerusalem", (7-Jne-96) and "War in the Middle East Soon" (5-Sep-96) GTA said the final abomination would "not be an idol this time, but a human being", but later in "Abomination of Desolation" (26-May-01) he says it could be the bronze statue of "St Peter" (Simon Magus) presently in the Vatican. In "How Much Time" (21-Apr-90) he said "I say we have entered into that (time)-" and in "How Will It Begin" (17-Jly-93) he said a similar thing but later said in "Feast of Trumpets" (14-Sept-96) he would not say the "tribulation" was beginning until he saw the "Abomination", altho after 9/11 in "Business As Usual" (27-Oct-01) in "The Big Picture" (24-Nov-01) and in "St Louis Sermon" (13-Jly-02) he appears to have  forgotten saying this. In his tv program "Coming Space Invasion" (4-Sep-99) GTA says the "Abomination" is the "Man of Sin" sitting in the temple. In his tv program (10-April-99) GTA says it is a two-part "Abomination", both Religious and Military. The armies of this "end-time" Gentile European union under the rule of "The Beast" are predicted to cause the time of "Jacobs Trouble" (Jer 30:7) also called "The Great Tribulation" (Dan 12:1, Matt 24:21) when these ten kings who are allied together under the rule of "The Beast", will conquer the modern descendants of Joseph's two sons, Ephraim (Britain) and Manasseh, (USA) who's mother Asenath was a Gentile Egyptian, (Gen 41:50, 46:20) Some of these modern "Gentile" nations are the same ones that in other places are claimed to be blessed because they are descended from other sons of Israel ("Lebanon 10-May-97) such as Dan/Denmark, Reuben/France, Zebulon/Holland, Issachar/Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Belgium, Luxembourg etc. Josephus tells us that the 72 who wrote the Septuagint bible were six from every tribe (Ant 12:4) which shows that at least some had returned home and and were not "lost" and as the disciples were told to go to the "lost" sheep of Israel (Matt 10:6) then they appear to have been close by, not way off in Europe. The present kings of Europe are believed to be mostly blood related and of mixed lineage like Prince Charles whos father was Greek. Even king David was of mixed descent from Boaz an Israelite, who married Ruth, a Moabite, and perhaps showing favouritism to his "Jewish" disciples, (except perhaps Simon the Canaanite whose name could infer he was a Zealot) Jesus said his disciples, who were all considered to be Jewish, will  rule over the (other) tribes of Israel when his kingdom comes. They are claimed to be Israelite nations when it serves the purpose of fulfilling prophecies about descendants of Abraham (who is called a Gentile Syrian in Deut 26:5 although coming from Sumeria in Gen 11:31) but as so-called "Gentile" nations when it suits the fulfillment of "Beast" prophecies. ("New Covenant" tape, Oct-16-1978) GTA believed that Britain will not become a member of the 10 Beast nations as it is the "victim" (FOT PCB, 6-Oct-98) and that the "final EU will not include Britain" ("How Will You Rule, 15-Oct-89, "Gulf War, 29-Dec-1990, "The Second Vatican", 20-Aug-94, tv, 5-Dec--98 and "Abomination of Desolation" (26-May-01), otherwise it would be fighting to conquer itself. He repeats this in his commentary called "How the war in Iraq Will Help the Beast to Rise up in Europe" where he says "it will not include England!", but some of the other nations descended from Israel like Denmark (Dan) and France (Reuben) etc are thought to be included among the 10 who GTA says will be under the control of Germany (who he says are the modern day Assyrians) who "will have their own nuclear umbrella" (Beyond Desert Storm, 30-Jan-1991) and will conquer Britain and America in a nuclear war, but if this is true then some of Jacobs descendants called Israel would be fighting against other descendants of  Israel when the Beasts kingdom is a Gentile kingdom. So he claims they are Israelitish nations when it serves the purpose of fulfilling prophecies about Abrahams descendants but  includes them as being "Gentile" nations when it suits the fulfillment of "Beast" prophecies and the fulfillment of "The Times of the Gentiles" and after all GTA tells us that the identity of these nations is only essential for the "Watchman" to know. "Stone of Scone" (14-Dec-96) There seems to be no certainty about the prophecies of the ten horns of Daniel 7:7 being ten revivals of the Gentiles kingdom or of the seven heads of Revelation 13:1 being seven "resurrections" of a Gentile, "holy" Roman empire.

Mystery Babylon: Catholics claim that Christ chose Simon bar Jonah, called Peter, to be the head of the church and that he had the "primacy". In Matt 16:18 Peter declared to Jesus "You are the Christ the son of the Living God - and Jesus replied, "I tell you, you are Peter, (petros, meaning a pebble) and on this rock, (petra, meaning a large rock) I will build my church." In Greek the word "petra" is feminine gender, so it was not referring to Peter or to Christ but was referring to the confession of Peter: "You are the Christ the son of the Living God" and it is upon this belief that the Christian church is built, not upon Peter. (See Foxe's Book of Martyers, p296 and note on Matt 16 in Bullingers Companion Bible, page 1345) The "binding and loosing" mentioned in Matthew Ch 17 was not announced exclusively to Peter but was spoken to the other disciples as well in Matthew 18:1-20 before Peter came forward in verse 21. In Ephesians 2:20 we are told that the church is built upon the "apostles and prophets", not Peter. In Rev 21:14 it shows twelve equal apostles, not one greater than the others. The Catholic Church claims the bible gives the church its authority but tells us the bible does not mean what it says. At the Jerusalem Conference in Acts 15 it shows all the apostles and elders considered issues and that it was not Peter but James who delivered the sentence. Paul, Silas, Luke and Mark then delivered these decrees, not from Peter, but "ordained of the apostles and elders". (Acts 16:4) In Galatians 2 Paul shows he was not under Peter. The Catholic church claims that Peter died a martyr under Nero in AD64 or AD67. In "The Teaching of Simon Cephas" (A-N Vol 8, p675) it says Peter ruled for 25 years. If this chronology was correct it means that Peter's 25 year "rule" began in AD39 or AD42. Why then? Why not when he made his confession before Jesus or perhaps on the Day of Pentecost when the holy Spirit was given to the apostles? If no one "ruled" over the church until AD42, was a leader necessary? According to Luke's account following the Resurrection, Simon Peter lived in Jerusalem (Acts 1:13, 5:16) where he was jailed by the High Priest (Acts 5 to 8) After this he was sent to Samaria (Acts 8:14) and returned to Jerusalem, (Acts 8:25) he then went to Lydda (Acts 9:32) then Joppa (Acts 9:38) Caesarea (Acts 10:24) then back to Jerusalem (Acts 11:2) where he was jailed by Herod at the time of the Feast of Passover. (Acts 12:3) After being freed he lived with Mary (Acts 12:12) apparently in Jerusalem (Acts 15:4) then went "into another place" (Acts 12:17) apparently keeping a low profile to avoid further harassment. This happened in AD44 when Herod Agrippa 1 died of worms. (Acts 12:20-23) so Peter was not in Rome but was still in Jerusalem where he attended the Jerusalem conference held sometime around AD50. Paul's order of events after he was struck down on the road to Damascus appears different in Galatians to Luke's account in Acts. Luke and Paul both seem to be unaware of the others account. Luke says Paul was first in Damascus, went to Jerusalem and then throughout all Judea. (Acts 26:20) In Romans 15:19 Paul says he "started from Jerusalem" but in Gal 1:17-18 he says he didn't go up to Jerusalem but went to Arabia and returned to Damascus.  After three years he went to Jerusalem. He says it was fourteen years before he went back to Jerusalem (Gal 2:1) so adding this up, if Paul went to Arabia around AD33 and then visited Peter seventeen years later, then this also shows he met Peter in Jerusalem around AD50, so Peter was still living in Palestine up until at least around AD50. We are also told that Clement met Peter when Clement visited Palestine, not Rome. (Recognitions of Clement, Ch 12, A-N Vol 8 p80) If Peter had been in Rome then why didn't Clement meet him there. About 5 years later Peter goes to Antioch (Gal 2:11) Paul confronted Peter there and it was decided that Paul would go to the heathen and Peter to the circumcision. The Romans were not "the circumcision", so obviously Peter did not go to Rome. Josephus tells us Tiberius banished the Jews from Rome. (Ant 8:3:5) In Acts 18:2 and in "The Twelve Caesars" by Suetonius, (Claudius 25) we are told Claudius who ruled from AD41 to AD54 also expelled the Jews from Rome, so Peter who was a Jew and was sent to the Jews, would not have been allowed to be in Rome and would not have found any Jews there at that time. It was not until after this that Peter wrote his first letter, not from Rome, but from Babylon (1Peter 5:13) where many Jews were living, and the metaphorical use of Babylon for Rome does not appear until at least about 30 years later in the book of Revelation. The Armenian historian Moses Khorenasis says "But as for Simon who drew Persia as his lot, I can say nothing certain about what he did or where he was martyred." Clement of Rome tells us that Peter and Paul were "martyred" but he does not say where this happened or say that Peter was killed in Rome. We are told that the first mention of Peter being martyred in Rome is in the book of the Ascension of Isaiah. If Peter was the head of the church in Rome, why didn't Paul or Tertius, (Rom 16:22) acknowledge or make mention of Peter in his letter to the Romans. Paul said he did not preach where others had already preached Christ but was going to visit Rome where they had never been told about Christ. (Rom 15:16-33) Did Paul mean that Peter had been in Rome all these years but had never preached about Christ? Later when Paul writes his second letter to Timothy from his imprisonment in Rome around AD60, Paul makes no mention of Peter ever having been in Rome and says in 2 Tim 4:11 "only Luke is with me". It would seem unbelievable that such a momentous event as the relocation of the headquarters of the church being moved by Peter to Rome would not be mentioned by anyone, anywhere in the NT writings neither is there any mention of Peter ever leaving for Rome, arriving in Rome or being anywhere near Rome. So where did the story of Peter in Rome originate? In Acts 8 we are told about another Simon who was a magician from Samaria who had a conflict with Simon Peter. This Simon "Magus" was able to put it over people by his use of magic and disguises. We are told in "The Teaching of Simon Cephas" that Simon Cephas departed from Antioch and went to Rome "-in the third year of Claudius Caesar" which was AD43 but we can see from the account in Acts that the real Simon Peter lived in Palestine until at least about AD50. Justin tells us that it was Simon Magus who was active during the time of Claudius Caesar. (Apology 1:26, A-N Vol 1, Ch 25, p182) and Hippolytus of Rome tells us this about Simon Magus, "And journeying as far as Rome, he fell in with the apostles -- deceiving many by his sorceries." (Refutation, Book 6, Ch 15, A-N Vol 5 p81) So it was Simon Magus who was reported to use disguises, who went to Rome at this time and being a Samaritan he would not have been expelled by Claudius as the Jewish followers were and so was free to work there. Paul warned of "false apostles, deceitful workmen, DISGUISING themselves as apostles of Christ." (2 Cor 11:13) Under the leadership of Simon Magus a false "Christian" church arose in Rome, figuratively sitting upon its seven hills. Being a law unto themselves they adopted and nurtured pagan practices including the Babylonian mystery religion of Baal worship which has been modified and expanded with false dogmas and rites over the centuries. The story about Peter in Rome in Eusebius was an fictitious addition made by Jerome when he made his translation. See "The Discovery of Peter's Tomb in Jerusalem 1953" by F Paul Peterson. The Emperor Constantine accepted this counterfeit church around AD314 and confiscated the "heretics" meeting places (Life of Constantine 3) It received another boost in AD392 when Theodosius made this false "Christianity" the state religion and gave an edict that pagan shrines (with their phallic steeples perpetuating the worship of Ishtar or Easter, the Babylonian sex goddess) were to be dedicated as Christian churches. In AD609 the Pantheon was also consecrated as a "Christian" church. (Although "heart" symbols were banned, some "churches" still have entrances fashoned following feminine form.) Down through the ages this "virgin daughter of Babylon" persecuted and killed those who rejected "the wine of her fornication" (her false doctrines). Millions were killed during the Inquisition. Halleys Handbook tells us that 900,000 Waldenses were tortured and killed during the thirty years between 1540 and 1570. (p777) Some like Galileo in 1633 only escaped death by a whisker by denying the truth. Galileo was kept in custody by officers of the Inquisition until his death in 1642. It is this "Mystery Babylon, the mother of harlots" that is predicted to suffer utter destruction in the end-time as described in Revelation 17 and 18 where it says "come out of her my people that ye be not partakers in her sins that ye receive not of her plagues".

Mans 6000 Years. Although GTA often used 6000 years as the outline for mans Godless rule as in his radio program 9417, "Spirit of Man" and "Pentecost 03" tapes, and said we were near the end of 6000 years, as in "Is Wealth Ungodly", (23-Aug-1986) he also said it was already more than 6000 years since Creation. (Fayetteville, 25-Jly-99) It is evident that both Jesus and his disciples thought he, Jesus, would return in their lifetimes: "this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place" (Matt 24:34) "WE shall not all sleep, but WE shall all be changed (1Cor 15:51) "Then WE who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air-" (1Thes 4:17) The Babylonian Talmud says (Sanhedrin 92b and 97a) that the world would continue for six thousand years and in the seventh it will be "waste" and "destroyed". Other early writers also gave 6000 years as in the Epistle of Barnabas, (Ch 15.) Bardesan said it would be 6000 years. Irenaeus also thought the end would come after 6000 years. (Against Heresies, Book 5, Ch28 and 30) According to the "long" chronology of the Greek Septuagint Bible that is believed to have been written in 283BC and in the Alexandrinus codex, 6000 years from Adam ended in about AD500. Hippolytus of Rome also said "Christ was born 5,500 years from Adam." (Commentary on Daniel 4:23) This  also would have made 6000 years to end around AD500. Epiphanius bishop of Salamis said Adam was 230 years old when he had Seth, it was 2242 years to the tenth generation then 2117 years to David and 1111 years until Christ. This total would be 5700 years, so 6000 years would have ended in AD300. (Jerome: Letter 51, NW, Vol 6, p87) Numerous other early writers used "long" chronologies. Josephus had access to the temple scrolls that Titus took from Jerusalem and says in the introduction to his book  “Antiquities” that it "contains the history of 5000 years". He repeats this in "Against Apion" (1:1) and this may have contributed to the expectation of the completion of 6000 years at the turn of the year AD1000. In Antiquities 1:2:3 he refers to Adam being 230 years old at the birth of Seth. In Ant' 8:3:1 he says that from Adam to the temple was 3,107 years and in Wars 6:4:8 he says that from the foundation of Solomons temple to its destruction (in AD70) was 1,130 years. Total 4,237 would have made AD1763 the end of 6,000 years. Origin uses a long chronology telling us that from Adam to Christ was 4830 years which would result in 6000 years ending near AD1166. In the History of the Armenians (1:4 ) Moses Khorenasis who wrote around AD500 states that Adam was 230 years old when he begat Seth. Bede (8th Century AD) also follows a "long" chronology. In the fifth chapter of Genesis in the Greek Septuagint or the early Hebrew accounts revisionism has added or reduced the ages of each of the pre-flood patriarchs as to when they bore their descendants by 100 years. It has been suggested that the translators of the Septuagint "harmonised the chronology" with Manetho's Egyptian chronology which has no record of the "Flood". [The Sumerian story of  "Atra Hasis" tells us that all mankind, except Utnapishtim/Ziusudra perished in a flood. Genesis 6:10-11 tells us the mountains were covered by fifteen cubits of water and only Noah and his family survived, but the first Egyptian Dynasty started around 3,100BC with no interuption by a "flood" around 2,500 BC, neither is there a 4,500 years old layer of mud in the Wellington Caves in NSW Australia which has a continuous layer of fossils dating back for over a million years] Jerome did not think the Septuagint was correct and in Jeromes Vulgate of AD382 he has Adam as 130 years old at the birth of Seth. The Samaritan text has 130 years in Gen 5:3. The Aramaic Targum of Onkelos which is thought to have been written in Babylon somewhere between the first to fifth centuries says 130 years. (Targum Onkelos, Ch 4) The Massoretic Text written between the sixth and tenth centuries has 130 years. The Aramaic, Pseudo Jonathan says, "And Adam knew his wife again, at the end of one hundred and thirty years after Abel had been slain." (Targum Pseudo Jonathan, 4:18) It does not say how old Adam was when Cain and Abel were born or how old they were when Cain killed Abel but this supports a longer period than 130 years for Adam until the birth of Seth although in Ch 5 it also restates that Adam was 130 years old. Using the short chronology from Adam to the Flood being 1655-6 years, plus an unknown period until the birth of Mitzraim (Egypt) plus the time until the pyramid of Cheops is thought by some to have been built, around 2560BC to 2450BC, (This is not definite, some believe the pyramids were built earlier) plus 2000 years since the beginning of the AD era also makes today to be well over 6,000 years since the "creation" of Adam. Counting by either method makes today to be over 6000 years since the "creation".

Following the short chronology, the Adventist William Miller thought Jesus would return on the 22nd of October in 1844  but that became the date of "The Great Disappointment". From 1874 to 1984 Jehovah's Witnesses and others also tried setting a few dates. In the sermon "The Bible and the Newspaper" (24-Feb-01) GTA says that his father did not predict the "apocalypse" would occur in 1936, 1943 or 1972 saying "apocalypse" really means "to reveal", but to an unsuspecting person unaware of the semantics this would misleadingly appear to deny his father gave false dates for the end times when in the very first edition of the "Plain Truth" magazine it says, "we may be absolutely certain that we are in, and for about three years have been passing through, this great world-wide tribulation" (PT Feb, 1934, p3) In March 1935 it says, "THE PRESENT ORDER IS DOOMED! It's final destruction ----is now but a matter of months off." (p2) Some have compiled lists of hundreds of false predictions that were made in the pages of the "Plain Truth" magazine. Garner Ted described how his father first began putting all the bibles end-time predictions together in his attempt to get the full picture of what would take place. In the 1960's they thought they had worked out by "19 year time cycles", the 1290 and 1335 days in the book of Daniel, and other prophecies, that "The Great Tribulation" would start in 1972 and Christ would return by the Feast of Trumpets in 1975. ("Church Eras", 22-Apr-95 and in "Pentecost 2000")  In his 1982 tape called "How Not to be Deceived" (24-April) GTA says that he had been deceived into believing the 1972-75 idea. In his 1989 tape called "A Work of Faith" GTA predicted a United States of Europe before the end of the century, and later in 1989 after his return from Berlin he had a swipe at numerous preachers calling them "false prophets" but conveniently he did not mention the many times that he had made false predictions himself. In his tape "The Rapture in Prophecy" (8-May-99) GTA points out many failed prophecies by those he calls "false prophets" but does not include himself. The cause of the fall of the US went from the long held belief of a nuclear attack from the King of the North (Germany) destroying the USA (Berlin Report) or alternatively that the South Americans would invade the USA, (Downfall of USA) to a nuclear attack from Moslem terrorists and the idea that the US could fall  "from within" ("Be Ye Ready", 20-Apr-96) and without bombs falling on New York ("While He May Be Found" 19-Aug-2000) and in "View on Trumpets" (24-Aug-02) he includes from within, from Mexico and foreign enemies. Using the short chronology of the Massoretic text, James Ussher went to some effort in his book "Annals of the World" to conclude that from the creation on the 22nd of October in 4004BC that the end of 6000 years from Adam would be in AD1996. When that did not eventuate some thought they needed to wait a year because as there was no year "0", thinking it would occur in 1997. Some speculated about Y2K and others the Myan calendar ending in 2012 or a Jubilee year, concluding it must be the end of the world. Another theory says the 1290 days in Daniel 12:11 were not days but were years, that began in 601BC and ended with the building of the Dome of the Rock in AD689 which they claim is the "Abomination of Desolation" (GTA thought this too in his 1977 "Times of the Gentiles" tape and in a feast sermon on 6-Oct-1998) and then say the 1335 days will end in AD2024 when the temple will be cleansed after the return of Christ. In "Sanhedrin" in the Babylonian Talmud it says that the disciples of Elijah taught: that the world will continue for six thousand years, the first 2000 of which were a chaos, the second, of wisdom and the third are the days of the Messiah. Like Halley, some following the "short" chronology say it was 2000 years without the law, 2000 years with the law and 2000 years (40 sabbatical cycles) since the ministry of Jesus began in AD27 so that means that it all ends in AD2027 and so on and on it goes. In Matthew it says that when we see the "Abomination of Desolation" those in Judae are to flee to the mountains. Have they been fleeing since the building of the Dome of the Rock in AD689? And "then" would be "Great Tribulation". Was AD689 the start of the "Great Tribulation"? In "The Temple and the Abomination" (17-Jn-2000) GTA acknowledged that the temple may not have been on the same site as the Moslem buildings are today. The site of the temple is believed to have been about 100 meters north of the "Dome of the Rock". Josephus says that Solomon filled in the valleys between the mountains (Ant 8:3:9) and that in the days of the Asamoneans they "took off part of the height of Acra and reduced it to be of less elevation than it was before, that the temple might be superior to it." (Wars 5:4:1 and Antiquities 13:6:7) The palace of Queen Helena "was in the middle of Acra;" (Wars 6:6:3) Josephus says the temple was built on the top of the mountain and the Citadel was also on "the top of the hill". The temple was not on the top of the Acra but was on the top of the same hill as the Citadel had been before Simon leveled the Citadel leaving the temple as the highest building. (Ant 13:7:7 and Wars 5:4:1) In both Wars 1:7:1-3 and Ant 14:4:1-2, Josephus says the attack by Pompey against Jerusalem was from the north, "Pompey pitched his camp within [the wall], on the north part of the temple," and says that "Pompey himself filled up the ditch that was on the north side of the temple, and the entire valley also." (Wars 1:7:3) Why would and how could Pompey have "battered the temple with stones" (Ant' 14:4:2) from "within [the wall], on the north part of the temple, if the temple was 100 meters to the south? Josephus tells us that when Herod attacked Jerusalem he too, "-pitched his camp before the temple, for on that side it might be besieged, and there it was that Pompey took the city." and "they pitched their camp near to the north wall." (Wars 1:17:8-9) Josephus tells us the temple was at the northern wall. (Ant' 14:15:14 and 14:16:1-2) After Herod "repaired" the old Citadel on the north side of the temple and built the tower of Antonia on the site, Josephus says the temple was next to it. (Wars 1:21:1, Wars 5:5:8) He says that the whole temple could be viewed from the Citadel. (Ant' 12:5:4) Josephus says the tower of Antonia, "overlooked the temple" (Ant' 20:5:3) and said "Antonia which was a fortress that joined to the north part of the temple. (Wars 1:5:4) Herod later extended the platform "twice the size", (Wars 1:21:1) which could only have been to the south, (BA, Dec 1990) so there would be no need to demolish any buildings on the platform to rebuild the temple as the original location of the "holy place" is vacant, except for the small "Dome of the Tablets" also called the "Dome of the Spirits". Asher Kaufman showed that the only location where the ceremony of the Red Heifer with the High priest standing on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple and being "-able to look directly into the entrance of the sanctuary-" as instructed in Numbers 19 and shown in Middoth 2:4, was if the temple was on the northern part of the platform. Josephus tells us "the people- -went up to the open part of the temple, to the gate which looketh eastward,-" (Ant' 11:5:5) The front gate of the temple was on the east and was called the Nicanor Gate. It was made of Corinthian brass, bronze or copper and reflected the rising sun. (Wars 2:17:3, 5:5:3-6) In the Mishnah, Middoth 1:4, (Danby p590-2) it says the doors of the Nicanor Gate "shone like gold". The gates in the wall around the temple mount also had names. The Eastern Gate faced the Kidron Valley and had the Palace of Shushan portrayed on it. It was used by the high priest when he went out to burn the red heifer on the Mount of Olives. (Mishnah, Middoth 1:3, p590) There was a foot-way built from the Temple Mount to the mount of Olives so the High priest and the red heifer would not become unclean on their journey. (Shek 4:2, Yoma 6:4, Parah 3:6) The Mishnah also tells us the Eastern Gate was over against the enterance of the Nicanor Gate. (Sotah 1:5, p293) A chance subsidence at the site revealed the Eastern Gate is directly underneath the site of the famous blocked "Golden Gate" which is to the northof the platform. In Berakoth 9:5 it says, "A man should not behave himself unseemly while opposite the Eastern Gate [of the Temple] since it faces toward the Holy of Holies." "The Holy of Holies was visible from the high ground on the slope of the Mount of Olives" (The Mishnah, Danby, Note 5, p10) It is logical to imagine when Mark 13:3 says "as he sat upon the Mount of Olives OPPOSITE the temple." that Jesus was looking towards the temple, across the Kidron Valley from a high part of the mount of Olives, rather than being somewhere on the lower southern part of the mount of Olives where he would not have such a good view.

In Track 44 of "Revelation and Prophecy", GTA tells us the 390 days of Ezekiel 4:5 were from 975BC to 585BC but he fails to explain how the 40 days (years) of verse 6 fits into this scenario. Garner Ted also predicted that the U.S. government would never again commit troops anywhere again "for any, any, purpose", "not ever again"! ("GTA in Sydney", Dec 1977)  He said Bill Clinton would only be a one term leader. ("How Will it Begin", 17-Jly-93) George Bush too, ("Goal", Feb-02) and that "Hillary will win when she runs." ("Why Organize", 2-Nov-02) and that both Bill and Hillary will be taken into captivity ("FOT 2nd Day", 26-Sep-99) GTA said Japan would have nuclear weapons within 10 years. (10-Sept-1994) He said that "no one else" predicted the fall of the Berlin Wall, "but I knew" ("While He May Be Found" 19-Aug-00) but dissolving barriers between the eastern states has been a western aim from the end of World War II as newspaper articles and historical records from that time show. He thought Franz Joseph Strauss was the "Beast" (Honor and Respect, 10-Dec-93) He predicted the Spanish would get Gibraltar. ("The Power of God", 16-Apr-83)  He expected Y2K to strike and cause economic disaster. ("The Rapture in Prophecy", 8-May-1999, "pre LGD", 2-Oct-99) Afterwards he said he only expected it to be a "small bump". (10-Feb-01) Before the second war against Iraq in 2003 he said the US couldn't wage another war. ("Hattiesburg", 19-Jne-01) and said "Iraq will attack Israel." (United Europe and the End Time", 27-July-02) Oh! "-prophecies, they shall fail;".  (1Cor 13:8)

The Systematic Theology Project (STP) This project was begun in 1975 when GTA asked the WCG ministry to compile the teachings of the church into some orderly form. ("Root Cause of Trouble", 14-Dec-02) Robert Kuhn was given the responsibility of organizing the project which was presented at a conference in Pasadena in January 1978. In "Fayetteville Sunday" (25-Jly-99) and "Root Cause" (14-Dec-02) GTA says that some "hypocrites" who accused him of being a liberal, got to his father before the presentation and told him that the STP "had done away with tithing". GTA's father ordered all copies to be withdrawn and later claimed the STP was prepared "secretly" (GN Apr-80, p27 and "The Journal", Feb, 2010, p6) which GTA said was false. GTA explains the history of this in his 1995 booklet, "Everything You've Always Wanted to Know About the Church of God International". The ICG revised the STP so it now includes some of this history in its first section. We have copies of both editions in our library which are available on disc. Garner Ted's father wrote a few articles in early editions of the "Plain Truth" magazine on tithing. In the August 1934 edition he mentioned a Jewish millionaire called J D Rockefeller who he says began tithing when he was eight years old and asked "Has he prospered?" In his 1980 Feast film he said God demands the tithe be paid to his church, (but he overlooked that the church are the members who would be paying themselves) He also mentioned Rockefeller in a 1984-5 tv program about tithing that we have, but instead of telling his readers that they should tithe to the same ones that Rockefeller tithed to, he ends his article saying, "God's work is waiting upon YOU.", misleadingly inferring he was doing "God's work" and that people should tithe to him. He again uses this same final concluding statement in a cleverly crafted revised booklet about tithing called "Ending Your Financial Worries" which has no mention of J D Rockefeller. In the Nov/Dec 1946 edition in an article titled "Should Christians Tithe?" he states "God has always had a PRIESTHOOD -a ministry, representing HIM,- Today the Melchisedec priesthood is restored, in Christ." and that like a bill to "the electric light or telephone company" you do your part when you pay the collector representing their company, adding "you are expected to be sure the collector is the company's approved representative - not a thieving impostor PRETENDING to be the company collector." He then tells us, "Today, the Levitical priesthood is gone,". These ideas were included in lesson 35 of the Ambassador College BIBLE Correspondence Course, p6 "-there is no Levitical Priesthood today (it has been replaced by the Melchisedek Priesthood of Jesus Christ-Hebrews 7:12, 17)" but is this really true when Jeremiah 33:21 says just as the covenant with David would not be broken, so the covenant with the Levites would not be broken either. In Lesson 56 of the Correspondence Course (Page 10) they try to convince us by quoting from Matthew 23:23, where it shows that the Scribes and Pharisees paid tithes, that the church should also "be supported in exactly the same way as the Levites were." implying that the law now requires that people pay tithes, to them, but who did the Scribes and Pharisees pay their tithes to? To the Levites! The Jan/Feb 1947 edition of the "Plain Truth" continues this topic and says that during the years of the "Mosaic dispensation - a different priesthood of lower rank was in office-", it says "The Old Covenant is gone-that's true." and, "the priesthood was changed," Garner Ted's father then misquotes Hebrews 7:5 and says the Levites "had a commandment to take tithes of the people according to the LAW." Have a look at verse 5, it says "HAVE" a commandment to take tithes, it does not say "HAD", so it appears that some of those who have their sights on tithe money say that the priesthood was changed or done away and think it is alright to slide themselves in as middlemen between Abraham and Melchisedek so they can get off with the tithes. Imagine that! If the priesthood had been replaced by Christians at the time of Jesus' death then why did his followers continue to avail themselves of its services. Hebrews 8:4 confirms that if Jesus "were on earth, He would not be a priest, since there are priests who offer the gifts according to the law;" This was written long after Jesus had been killed but while the temple in Jerusalem was still standing. GTA followed much the same thinking as his father. In "God Will Not Take Care of It" (24-Nov-79) GTA said God wants 10% returned to him, previously to his priesthood, today to the ministry of the work of the Church of God. In "The Pharisees" (10-May-86) he thought the ministry of the church are Levites. In "The Jerusalem Syndrome" (25-Dec-99) GTA says "- the Levitical priesthood expired". In "Abomination of Desolation" (26-May-01) he said the Levitical priesthood ended with the ushering in of the Melchizedekian. In "False Concepts of Christ" (5-Oct-02) he says the new testament church "supplants the Levites". Wow! The book of Hebrews does not tell us that members of the church are now Melchisedek priests who have replaced the Levites and that they can now "cash in" on people who are misled. The church has been "commissioned" to preach the gospel and commandments in all the world (Matt 28) and have a ministry of "reconciliation" (2 Cor 5:18) but they do not rule as "kings and priests" until the kingdom comes. They have no right to the Levites tithes now and will not need tithes in the kingdom age. If all Christians are now "the royal priesthood" and have replaced the Levites, then who do they collect tithes from? Fellow Christians? Unbelievers? John tells us the brethren"- went forth, taking nothing of the Gentiles." (3 John v7) In the CGI article called "Is Tithing for Christians?" (p6) it is stated-, "It is true that ministers of God's church today are not "Melchizedek priests." GTA clearly states in his tape called "Corrective Spiritual Surgery" (18-Oct-1992) and in "Truth Has Fallen in the Street" (18-Nov-2000) that "God's ministry is not a priesthood", also in "Friends in High Places" (26-Aug-95) he says that the CGI are not a priesthood. In "Last Day of UB" (10-Apr-96) GTA tells us that the Scribes and Pharisees were the "legitimate successors" and "legal inheritors" of the priesthood. In "View on 1st Day UB (28-Mar-01) GTA says that Jesus eclipsed the priesthood, that we don't have a priesthood now and that now it is the responsibility of the church. In "Money and Tithing" (20-Apr-01) GTA claims that now tithes are to be give to the New Testament ministry.  Some claim that the law was changed when the temple was destroyed in AD70 but if a change was made because of the fall of the temple then what was the basis for the change? Was it bible based or was it a man-made idea? The change from the sanctification of the firstborn (Ex 13:2) to the Levites in Numbers 3:41 is made clear but the change in the days of Onias who was apparently a Levite but not of the priestly line as recorded in the book of  Maccabees and by Josephus and in 4 Maccabees where it mentions how Antiochus replaced Onias with a non-Levite called Jason as well as the later appointment of a new high priest each year by king Herod recorded by Eusebius, was non-biblical as are all the other later innovations that people have come up with. The tithe was given exclusively to the Levites. In "The Commandments" GTA agrees saying 10% went to the Levites only. The bible nowhere tells Christians that they were to set up a new system and give their tithes to other Christians but many of those who claim to be Christians incorporate churches and send out offering envelopes and in other ways manipulate the truth to take advantage of peoples ignorance and lead their followers into thinking that they have somehow been given the right to collect tithes. The writer of Hebrews explains a change in the law that made Jesus the High Priest of the Melchizedeck ministry who is passed into the heavens" (Heb 4:14) "-into heaven itself" (Heb 9:24). Have any of those disagreeing non-Levites who claim to be a part of "God's ministry", passed "into heaven" to qualify to become a part of the Melchisedec Priesthood (Heb 7:21) and even if they had it would not authorize them with any right to recieve or use Levitical tithes. This shows us nothing about the practice of tithing being changed since the death of Jesus. Instead of affirming that he was a descendant of David, Jesus questioned those who thought the messiah was of David (Mk 12:35, Luke 20:41-44, quoting from Psalm 2:7 and Ps 110:1) Jesus was a cousin of John the Baptist who was a Levite, so because Joseph was only his "legal" father. Jesus was either a half or full Levite and just as Paul was of the tribe of Benjamin (Rom 11:1, Phil 3:5) but called himself a Jew (Acts 21:39, 22:3, Gal 2:13-15) and said "to the Jews I became as a Jew" (I Cor 9:20) so Jesus being a Levite was also called a Jew, but if Jesus had no authority or right to receive tithes how much less do any non-Levites have. We are told by Josephus in Wars 6:5:3 that before the destruction of the temple in AD70 that the High Priest was warned by "the sound of a great multitude saying 'let us remove from here'", which was a strange thing for God to have caused if he had totally rejected the Levitical priesthood. We are told that some fled to Pella. (Eusebius 3:5 and Epiphanius 29, 30) If the Levites are now finished and have been replaced and no longer matter, then why does Mal 3:3 say "he shall purify the sons of Levi". The Levites were given an unbreakable covenant. (Jer 33:21)

   In June 2005 the 20th edition of the ICG "Correspondence Course" was added to the ICG web site in the USA dealing with this subject of tithing. Those responsible for writing the Correspondence Course built it upon the STP (Systematic Theology Project) With this background it is easier to understand the reasons why this new ICG lesson on tithing follows the same errors and is a trap for the unwary. The unit on tithing was in the section called "Law of God", or number 23 of the STP. The ICG Bible Study course is basically the same as the original STP document but is now followed by a list of sometimes misleading questions. The STP refers to 1 Corinthians 9 claiming that Paul's "right to be supported by the churches" infers he had a "right" to use Levitical tithes. This is the same logic that GTA used in his tape called "Money & Tithing" (11-Jan-03) where he infers that 1 Cor 9 gives the ministry the right to use tithes but he does not explain that Pauls "right" was not to collect and use tithes, which we are told was done under the direction of the High Priest. (Neh 10:38) The church is composed of Christians and is not a building, hierarchy or a corporation as GTA emphasised in some of his tapes. Paul's "right" in this matter was no different from any other Christians "right" derived from the analogy that the bible gives of the ox. The Miller is required by the bible to allow his ox to eat some of the corn that the ox is grinding. To restrain the ox is to deny the ox his "right". Paul applied this analogy to himself because he regarded his work of spreading his message as being similar. Another Christian serving Paul could also say he had a right to benefit from what Paul had, but just because somebody foists their false or unwanted teachings upon others does not give them any "right" or claim over others to be bound to give them anything under the false notion they have some "right" to defraud others so they can "live from the gospel," but (as Paul says) "I have used NONE of these things." So should we? There is a big difference between being given help voluntarily and those who try to deceive and mislead people into thinking God demands the payment of tithes and offerings to them or their organization headquarters. Again these verses have nothing to do with tithing or with Christians being permitted to use the Levitical tithes. If you twist these verses to mean that because you learn some "gospel truth" from someone that you are then obliged to support them with your tithes, pity help those victims who heard the Gospel from ten or more preachers. You couldn't pay them all 10% of your income and how could you determine who should not be paid? Just because the ox ate some of the Millers corn did not mean the Miller could resort to the excuse that because the ox had eaten the tithe that he had thereby paid his tithe so he didn't need to give a tithe to the Levites. They are two totally different and separate obligations, so if Paul had taken support from those he preached to, they were still bound to pay tithes to the Levites as well, although even the Levitical priest Josephus who was entitled to receive tithes, refused to take them. (Life 15) and there is no such thing as a "spiritual Levite" as some in the church have claimed to be. Some ante-Nicene writers show there were so-called "Levites" in the hierarchical structure of the early apostate church but if you are not a physical descendant of Levi you have no right to collect or use tithes in any way and those who falsely claim that they may, are fraudulent liars. According to Malachi the covenant with Levi had been corrupted and says those who don't pay tithes to the Levites are thieves who are robbing God, robbing the "whole nation" (and also robbing themselves of an honest name and honest reputation and making themselves a name as dishonest religious con-men.) In his tape called "The Kingdom of God" (24-Aug-85) GTA tells us the first tithe is the "tithe you give to the Levite." In "The Eyewitnesses" (3-Apr-99) GTA says God called some priests. In "What Are You Waiting For" (5-Feb-94) GTA shows there were blood Levites in the first century church. (Acts 6:7) In "The Truth About Halloween" (26-Oct-96) he tells us the Priesthood is of Aarons bloodline. In his tape "Pre Trumpets" (Sept-98) GTA says that not just anyone blew the trumpets, it was reserved for the priests and that only the Levites were permitted to blow them. In the tape "Blow the Trumpets" (25-Sep-95) and also the tv tape, 18-Sept-1999 he tells us the trumpets could only be blown by the priesthood. In "Fruits of the Work" (17-Feb-90) GTA recognized that the claim by Korah that although they were all priests, this did not automatically authorize them to function outside their designated roles. In "Jonesboro" (2-Dec-2000) GTA tells us that there are some Levites among the Jewish Diaspora. In "What is the Pharisee" (21-Dec-91) GTA stated the Pharisees were inheritors of what was given to the Levites. In his tape "Happy Are You" (29-Mar-1980) he points out there were those who falsely acted as priests who were not real descendants of Levi. In the tape called "Priesthood of Christ" (21-June-1986) he tells us that the "earthly priesthood is useless". In "Galatians 2" (21-Aug-99) he says the Levitical priesthood has passed. In "Goal of the Church" (5-Sep-92) he expected a quasi end-time priesthood. In his sermon "Will the Wall come Tumbling Down" (21-Dec-02) he acknowledges that Gershon Salomon and the priests are active today. In a tv program (4-Apr-98) he acknowledges that some children in Israel are presently qualifying to become priests and in his 29-Jan-2000 tv program called "Who Are the Elect" he tells us that Jews today are mostly Levites. In "Struggle With the Beast" (19-Sept-1998) he tells us that he is "a modern day Levite". In his tape called "The Covenant God" (4-Mar-95) he says that "pecking away" on my computer" on the Sabbath day is a sin. In "Co-ordinators Conference" (15-Aug-98) he prepared his sermon notes that (Sabbath) morning. In "Book of the Law" (31-Aug-96) he says he was "just doing a little touch up this morning" on a booklet. In "Deliverance" (13-Jne-98) he says he "dictated seven letters this (Sabbath) morning". In "Land For Peace" (24-Oct-98) he had been "working on an article" that morning. In "One Day at a Time", 5-Feb-2000) he said "I don't call it work, dictating on the Sabbath." In "Nailed to the Cross" (31-May-03) he tells us that his work on the Sabbath "is the lot of the Levite" which includes doing weddings, baptisms and funerals ("Priorities" 25-Oct-97) In "My Yoke is Easy" (26-Aug-2000) he says "It's more enjoyable work". In "Galatians 3" (28-Apr-99)  he says it's okay to go fishing and take the kids to the zoo on the Sabbath. Funny the very ones who point out Gods covenant with David's descendants, ignore his equally binding covenant with Levi's descendants and construct a way to appropriate the Levitical tithes and offerings to themselves by claiming to be the "Watchman" or to be doing "Gods Work" etc, money, which they have no right to. Why do you suppose people emphasize the promises about David's throne but skip the equally important promises made to the Levites. ("Shebna", 13-Sept-97) Wouldn't it be wonderful if anyone who claimed he was doing "Gods Work" had the right to get 10% from everyone else? GTA says "The Work of God is preaching to the world". ("Prophecies Being Fulfilled Now" 9-Nov-97) Pretending to be of David's line brings no financial benefit but suppose that God had promised 10% to David's descendants and you would find people struggling over themselves to show how they were one of David's descendants too. Its no wonder some who would not like their fraudulent claims to get their greedy hands on Levitical tithes from those they mislead, to be exposed and jeopardized, do not allow us to attend their meetings. In the tape called "These Things" (12-Sept-98) GTA says "we are an open arms, open doors church" (this is the same tape in which he tells us that "guest speakers" are not welcome). Both ancient Israel and also the church are called "a nation of kings and priests" (Ex 19, 1Pet 2:9) but that doesn't mean that because they are called "priests" that they somehow have been given some right or authority that permits them to over-ride their duty to the Levites and if a Christian is required to now hand his tithe over to some "church", and remember the church are fellow believers, then which ones should he pay. Is he free to choose to pay anyone he thinks or is he required to pay a particular person or group? Does he have to pay a hierarchy or can he share it with the brotherhood? As he is also a part of the "church" why can't he pay himself or better still, "preach a little gospel" and be on the take from others too. It might even pay to start your own church and be like Garner Ted's father who spent the tithes he fraudulently obtained, on jet aircraft, a Gulf Stream II and later a Gulf Stream III, ("Out of Bondage" 30-March-1991) and other luxuries or like Garner Ted when he was still in the WCG and paid himself around $900,000 per year, ($750,000 to run his Falcon jet.) (WN) and admitted on "60 Minutes" that he had been a part of the misuse of church funds. (We have copies of this "60 Minutes" interview and transcripts for any who want to hear him in his own words). If they could buy jets and whatever with tithe money then can't we do the same? No, or at least we shouldn't. The "right" of an ox does not give anyone the right to collect or use the Levitical tithes and just like building sandcastles upon the clouds, the dreamers try to build their false religious organizations on fallacies which they can then skim the cream from, instead of being honest with the truth.
     Question 7 of the "Correspondence Course" excludes the Levites when it asks, "Tithing is a matter between the one who tithes and... a) the ministry, b) God, c) the church, d) all of the above. They say the correct answer is "b".
     Question 8 Tithing was first introduced to the nation of Israel after they came out of Egypt. True or False? They tell us that this is False. How can it be false when Israel only became a nation while they were in Egypt (Deut 26:5) and did not exist until they had come out. Question 12 is loaded with false inferences and asks, "Giving of one's financial resources to do the work of God is an absolute command in the New Testament. True or False? They say, "True". A more honest question would be to ask if the giving of one's tithes to the Levites to do the work of God is an absolute command in the Old Testament and to admit that this was not changed in the New Testament. True!
     Question 13 asks "After the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD and the discontinuance of the Levitical priesthood, tithing continues to the Church of God. True or False? They say "True". Firstly, the Levitical Priesthood did not discontinue. This was not "a new situation" as claimed. Just as when the first temple was destroyed in 587BC and the priests were taken to Babylon and later returned, so in AD 70 the priests did not discontinue to exist just because the temple had been destroyed. In "pre Last Great Day" (2-Oct-1999) GTA says the Levites were and still are today "the intelligentsia", and in a talk discussing Gershon Salomons efforts to start rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem, GTA expected the Levites in Israel to again resume functioning in their priestly roles when it is rebuilt. Secondly, the bible does not authorize any tithing to the Church of God and even if it did, no procedures have been given as to which Christians (who are the church of God!) should or should not receive it. Any criminal can start a church. Buyer beware!
     Question 15 tells us that withholding tithes is a sin. Does that mean we should rush out in fear of punishment and give tithes to the first person or group we come across who tells us they have a right to them. People should not offer their tithes to non-Levites and any honest non-Levites would not accept what has been ordained soley for the use of Levites. Unlike todays religious con-men, the Levites not only served as butchers and chefs at the temple but provided other services and received no inheritance. (Nu 18:20) The Levites were required to blow on the trumpets before going to war (Num 10:9) They were the only ones authorized to blow the trumpets to announce the new moons, they had the job of carrying the ark and only the high priest was permitted to enter the "Holy of Holies".
    Question 23 implies that the ICG is also permitted to collect the holy day offerings as well. It tells us that the "Feast of Tabernacles is held at a few central locations and require being away from home for eight days." Nehemiah 8:16 says "Then the people went out and brought them and made themselves booths, each one on the roof of his house-" This is still the practice of Jews today and the practice of the ICG and other COG's of going to feast sites other than Jerusalem has no biblical basis, but many do it anyhow to be with other brethren. Some who have Feast sites even claim the sites they have chosen are "where God has placed his name". Some think Matt 18:20 provides the answer, "-where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.", sometimes with seperate meeting places in the same town and some refusing to admit non-members. GTA says in "Galatians I" (7-Aug-00) that it is not necessary to have a service every day of the Feast. Leviticus 23:35-36 only mentions the first and eighth days as solemn assemblies. Using Deuteronomy 16:16-17 some fraudulently encourage their followers to hand over holy day feast offerings. These were not offerings of money but were offerings "of the herd and of the flock." (Lev 1:2) They were received by the Levites at the temple in Jerusalem and were never transferred to the use of the church. (Heb 8:4) In "The Last Great Day" (2-Oct-1999) GTA tells us offerings were "only in the Levitical context". People were not permitted to eat the tithes within their gates (Deut 12:17) but were required to go to Jerusalem.
    Question 24 infers that you should send any excess second tithe to their "headquarters", if you believe this don't say you were not warned about wolves in sheep's clothing.
    Question 28 "Everyone should be careful in giving specific advice in matters of tithing to others. True or False?
While GTA exposed many false religious teachings, he created a few myths of his own and failed to correct the false teachings about tithing. How can anyone who knows the truth honestly give 10% of their income or in any way help support those who teach false religious beliefs and spread false doctrines. "Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel's who shall not receive an hundred fold NOW, in this time - houses and brothers and sisters, and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions - and in the age to come, eternal life." (Mark 10: 29-30) NOW ask, is this really true? Do Christians really receive an hundred fold "NOW" as Mark 10 states?

The Date of Jesus Birth. Garner Ted often said that Jesus was born in September as he does in "Xmas Customs" (tv 19-Dec- 98) and he relied heavily for this upon Appendix 179 of Bullinger's Companion Bible. Ethelbert Bullinger (1837-1913) lived before we had  modern computer programmes to give us accurate ancient dating. Appendix 179 has a chart that includes the year "0" which does not exist and is an error, (1BC should be immediately followed by AD1) also Bullinger's calendar dates are inaccurate. Bullinger believed that Jesus was conceived on the 25th of December in 5BC and was born 280 days later on the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles in 4BC which was the 15th of Tishri according to the Hebrew calendar which Bullinger says was the evening of the 29th of September in 4BC (O/S). Checking this shows that the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles in 4BC was not the day of the 29/30th of September (O/S) but according to the book "Babylonian Chronology 626BC to AD45" by Parker and Dubberstein it was on Saturday the 6th of October (O/S) This was changed to Sunday the 7th of October (O/S) in their later edition, "Babylonian Chronology 626BC to AD75". Due to lunar observation the Babylon calendar was sometimes a day behind the Hebrew calendar. This also fits accurately with the ancient belief noted by Epiphanius of the engendering of the Aeon on the Epiphany which was celebrated on the 5/6th of January and would result in the birth nine months later on Friday eve the 5/6th of October (O/S)

The Roman Calendar: GTA claimed the Emperor Augustus was "jealous" that July, named after Julius Caesar, had 31 days and  said that Augustus "stole" a day from February to add to August, (Radio Pgm 9419, "Halloween", 4-Oct-89 & "The Year 2000", 25-Jly-98) but Italian archaeologists have found calendars with 31 days in Sextilus before it was renamed August

The Time of the Passover: Like the Samaritans, Garner Ted's father taught that the Passover in Egypt was at the START of the 14th of Nisan with the Exodus in the night of the 15th which is called "The Night to be Much Observed" and that Jesus "changed" the symbols. GTA said the Passover was at the END of the 14th of Nisan with the eating of the Passover and the Exodus from Egypt in the night of the 15th which is the generally accepted Jewish belief. (Lev 23, Nu 33:3) Garner Ted tells us the "Lord's Supper" is a completely new and different memorial held 24 hours or a full day before the Passover meal. (It is eaten in the evening of the Hebrew 14 of Nisan, otherwise if it was eaten in the evening of the 15th of Nisan there would be no observance on the Passover day, which is the 14th.)  Some, including the UCG (United Church of God) disagree with Garner Ted on this point and still claim that the original Passover took place in the evening at the start of the 14th of Nisan. Generally those who are under this impression will allow those who are not members to share in the footwashing but they will not permit those who are not baptized, who they regard as spiritually uncircumcised, to partake of the "Lord's Supper" which they equate with the Passover meal. Only male Israelites were killed by the Egyptians and only firstborn male Egyptians were killed by the death angel on the Passover night and only males were required to observe the ceremony (Ex 23:17, Deut 16:16) just as at the "Last Supper". Because those who were uncircumcised were prohibited from eating the Passover lamb, some people, going by analogy, think that the same requirements applying to the Passover lamb should in some way also apply to the "Lord's Supper" held 24 hours earlier but strangely they do not inspect the unleavened bread and wine they intend to use on the 10th of Nisan and put it aside as the lamb was put aside or roast the bread in a fire on the evening of the Passover as required for the Passover lamb. They doggedly deny outsiders (the spiritually uncircumcised) from partaking of the broken bread and wine as instructed in Luke 22:19 and I Cor 11:24-25. Paul said that circumcision was nothing and we have nothing about Christ telling his disciples to make sure they burn up any left-over bread and wine before morning or warning them not to allow outsiders or mice, to sneak in to get a nibble. (Foxe's Book of Martyrs p331) Like Protestants they claim to reject the fable of "transubstantiation" but somehow think that after giving thanks and blessing the bread and wine it miraculously inherits some fictitious mystical, magical state of holiness. Garner Ted emphasized that we are not to "deny anyone" who is not baptized to partake of the Lord's Supper. "Last Day of Unleavened Bread" (7-April-1999) and also in his tape called "The Exodus" (23-Mar-2002) There are also some people who think we should not use the "Jewish" calendar. GTA said the chief reason the new year should begin was when the barley crops are ripe in the land of Israel. ("Christ Our Passover", 18-Feb-99) All lunar calendars require some human determination and this job was given to the Levites who alone were authorized to blow the trumpets to announce the months. Their majority decisions either by observation or calculation stood. In practice, like his father, GTA simply used the Hebrew calculated calendar. Some say the year begins after the March equinox and that the new year can sometimes begin late in April, then adding 14 days until the Passover it sometimes results in making their Passover fall in May. They tell us that the Feast of Tabernacles should be kept at the September equinox but they never seem to explain how anyone can fit six months between the beginning of May and the equinox on about the 23rd of September? It just won't fit!

The Mythical Tartarus In the 1970's tv programs "Read the Book" and "The Real Jesus" (pgm 5023) GTA exposes the confused thinking of some Christians who tell us on the one hand that after Jesus died he preached to spirits in hell (supposedly in outer darkness or in some deep or lower darkness but simultaneously in the light of the flames of hell) while on the other hand he was with the repentant thief in heaven to whom he said "today you shall be with me in Paradise". GTA says Jesus was neither in heaven or in hell but was dead (Rev 1:18) The original word for "hell" in 2 Pet 2:4 is translated from the Greek "tartarosas" which refers to the dark abode where Satan and his demons are destined to spend eternity. In Greek mythology Tartarus was the son of Ge (mother earth) and Aether. Tartarus became the father of Typhon who had eyes of fire and was buried under Mount Aetna, "which still breathes fire". Tartarus had a brother called Hades who was given the underworld. Homer who lived around 800BC referred to tartarus as an underground prison where Uranus threw his rebellious sons, the Cyclops. The twelve Titans freed the Cyclops but then Chronus put them back into tartarus along with the giants who had a hundred hands and fifty heads. Later after the birth of Zeus the Titans led by Atlas fought Zeus but lost the battle and the Titans were then confined to tartarus too and Atlas had to carry the heavens on his shoulders. In Book 8 of Homers Iliad, Zeus threatens to hurl his enemies "into murky tartarus, far, far away, where is the deepest gulf beneath the earth, where the gates are of iron and the threshold of bronze, as far beneath Hades as heaven is above earth:". Hesiod also wrote his "Theogony" around 800BC and said the Titans were bound in bitter chains and hurled into tartarus "as far beneath the earth as heaven is above the earth". Pindar who wrote Pythian around 450BC referred to Tartarus as "enemy of the gods". Tartarus was regarded in Greek mythology as the regions of the damned opposed to the Elysian fields. Not to be left out the book of 1 Enoch tells us that Azazel was cast into darkness. (10:4) that the Archangel Uriel was over Tartarus. (20:2) and that iron chains were being made for the hosts of Azazel. (54:3-5) It appears that Peter (or an editor) believed that Tartarus was a literal place where Satan and the demons are being held. In Peter's view tartarus is the prison of disobedient spirits who are held there in "chains of darkness" and Jude 6 tells us "the angels which kept not there first estate - he has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day." Arnobius refers to "the darkness of tartarus", the "Institutes" refers to "Tartarean chaos" and some thought that men would, "come up from Tartarus". In the tape "Most Precious Possession" (28-Sep-91) referring to tartarus GTA says Satan is "fastened to this earth". In "Avoiding False Prophets" (14-Dec-91) instead of the underground location in mythology GTA viewed tartarus as a "condition of restraint". In "Satan's Fate" (27-May-2000) GTA tells us the demons are "chained to the earth" and in the tape "Is Noah's Flood A Myth?" (7-Jly-01) he tells us they are "chained spiritually" to this world. This raises "hell" (tartarus) somewhat and if this world is tartarus then is mankind also in "hell" with Satan and his demons? In his "pre Atonement" tape (30-Sep-98) GTA tells us that Satan is "up there" (in heaven) "accusing the brethren night and day" (Rev 12:10). In 2000 GTA said "I believe Satan has come down" as also in "pre LGD Study" (21-Oct-00), "The Spirit Factor" (15-Dec-01) and in his 6-Apr-02 tape. It seems those who are in a quandary about where Jesus was during the three days and nights after his death have company with those trying to figure out where Satan is today. In the tv program "Did Christ Die" (2-Mar-02) GTA tells the story of Satan and the fallen angels by connecting Isaiah 14, Ezekiel 28, Luke 10:18, I Peter 3:18-20, II Peter 2:4-5 and Jude 6. Following Satan's journey he firstly seems to have lived on earth but wanted to ascend above "the clouds". (Isa 14:13-14, Ez 28:13-14) he tried to get control of heaven but was cast back down  (Isa 14:13-15, Luke 10:18) Here in Isaiah 14 the translators have mis-named him "Lucifer" when in Hebrew he is "Haylel" son of the morning, meaning the light bringer. (In 2 Peter 1:19 it is Jesus who is referred to as "Phosphoros" or "Lucifer" the "Day Star") In the "Garden of Eden" Satan was made to slither around (Gen 3:14) (Were worms cursed too?) but by the time of Job he was able to walk about and to appear in God's presence (Job 1:7-11) In the time of Jesus, Satan is featured flying into the "holy city" and then to a high mountain. (Matt 4:5-8) In Luke 22:3 Satan is said to have entered into Judas and later Paul said he had delivered Hymenaus and Alexander to Satan. (1 Tim 1:20) John says Satan is in heaven "accusing the brethren" while Peter and Jude both conveyed the idea that Satan is being held in chains until "the Great day", but if this is true then how can Satan and his angels somehow find a way to escape from the "everlasting chains" of tartarus (this world?) before "the Great day" and enter heaven again. (Rev 12:7-12 ) Following a war in heaven. (Rev 12:7) he is then "cast out" again, engaging in battle with the Archangel Michael, which GTA says is "a battle of minds" ("The Good Fight", 8-Dec-01) and with "great wrath" (Rev 12:12) he lets fly against the inhabitants of the earth. Shortly after all this Satan is bound again (was he really bound in the chains of darkness as Jude says previously) and cast into a bottomless pit for 1000 years (Rev 20:1-2) perhaps like a prisoner being put into solitary confinement. In "Why Fast" (30-Sep-95) GTA says Satan will be "cast into an abyss" but also "banished from the earth." In "God's Timetable" (19-Oct-96) describing this, Garner Ted says that Satan "will be hurled away from the Earth" while in "Mystery Babylon" (25-Mar-2000) GTA says that after Rome is destroyed (Rev 18:2) it will become Satan's prison but in "All About Angels" Part 2, 6-Jly-02 and "Debunking Religiosity" (10-Aug-02) he again tells us the bottomless pit is "a black hole in the universe" and "so far away from this earth". After the thousand years has ended Satan is released "for a short time" (Rev 20:3-7) In Matt 25:41 the Devil is cast into "everlasting fire" also called "the lake of fire and brimstone - and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever" (Rev 20:10) According to Heb 2:14 the devil has the power of death although Matt 10:28, Lk 12:5 and Jn 10:18 show it is God who can destroy both soul and body. In "Last Great Day" (12-Oct-98) GTA refers to certain people who are called "dreamers" and "wandering stars" (Jude 13) GTA says these "stars" are angels "to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever". It makes you wonder if some who appear to be lost in metaphors are trying to replace one muddled pagan myth with yet another contradictory explanation.

Bible Contradictions In his tv broadcast (10-Feb-01) and in other places GTA tells us, "the bible does not contradict itself", also in his booklet "The Bible: Fact or Fiction" and in his two part sermon of the same name (July-2001) GTA uses a few bits from Halley's Handbook and other books to make out that the bible does not have any contradictions. GTA tells us, "the average person is unequipped" to counter those who deny the bible is true, but it can also be said that neither are most people sufficiently equipped enough to be able to see through the cleverly crafted deceptions of religious fraudsters and disprove those who pretend that the bible does not have any contradictions as it takes time to study and properly understand the truth, meanwhile some sincere people are led up the garden path and get ripped-off or as GTA said in his tv program "All About Angels" (Aug-02) the reason charlatans get away with it is because nobody can prove them wrong. It is easy to laugh at deliberate misunderstandings of verses such as 2 Kings 19:35 that says "-the Lord went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold they were all dead corpses." but in II Kings 22:20 it tells us king Josiah would die in peace while in II Kings 23:29 king Josiah is killed by Pharaoh-nechoh king of Egypt in a battle at Megiddo but then in II Chron 35:23-24 it tells us king Josiah was shot by archers and died in Jerusalem. In Antiquities 10:5:1 Josephus tells us Josiah was wounded at Megiddo and later died in Jerusalem. In Ezra chapter 2 is a list of the men who returned from the captivity in Babylon. In the next book, Nehemiah chapter 7, we are told “I found a register of the genealogy of those who came at the first and found written in it.” Comparing the two lists, a lot of the numbers do not agree with each other. Starting with Ezra 2:5 the sons of Arah are 775 but Nehemiah 7:10 it says they were 652 and there are about a dozen more figures in these two lists that do not agree with each other. In Mark 6:8 Jesus allows his disciples to take a staff but in Matt 10:10 and Luke 9:3 it says they were not to take a staff. In Acts 7 Luke tells us about Stephen's speech to the Sanhedrin where he makes a number of contradictions. Luke tells us that Stephen was full of the holy Spirit and inspired to speak. (Acts 6:10 and 7:55) In Acts 7:4 Stephen says that it was after Abram’s father died that Abram came into Canaan, but in Genesis we are told that Abram was born when Terah was 70 years old and left Haran and arrived in Canaan when he was 75 years old. (Gen 12:4) so Terah was not yet dead but would have been 145 years old when Abram moved to Canaan as Terah lived to 205 years of age (Gen 11:32) Terah lived for another 60 years after Abram moved to Canaan. Can anyone explain why the holy Spirit would inspire Stephen to say this especially after Ananias and Sapphira had been killed for lying to the holy Spirit in Acts 5. In Gen 11:31 we are told that Sarai was Terah's "daughter in law" but in Gen 20:12 it says she was his "daughter". Even Halley did not explain the contradiction about the "430 years" of slavery in Exodus 12:40-42 (Halley's p33) which contradicts what Paul wrote in Galatians 3:17 that tells us that the entire period from the covenant with Abraham to the covenant at Sinai was 430 years. The prophecy in Genesis 15:13 says that Abrahams seed would be enslaved for 400 years. Exodus 12:40-42 tells us that the time they spent in Egypt was exactly 430 years, "even the selfsame day". In Acts 7:6 Stephen says they were in bondage four hundred years but Paul says in Galatians 3:17 that the entire time between the covenant with Abraham to the covenant at Sinai was 430 years. As Israel did not go down into Egypt until Jacob was 130 years old (Genesis 47:9) which was over 200 years after the covenant with Abraham then the bible can clearly be seen to be contradictory as they could not have been slaves in Egypt for 400 years if they were only there for about 200 years, but don't believe me, just believe the bible. Jewish historians admit this is contradictory. The JPS Commentary on Exodus thinks the figures should be taken rhetorically. Just as the Hebrew account is contradictory so the Christian writings are contradictory as Acts 7:6 says the Israelites were enslaved for 400 years while Gal 3:17 shows the Israelites were only in Egypt for about 200 years, and Garner Ted never explained this either. In his tape ("For the Searchers" 11-Mar-95) GTA encourages those who read the bible to "admit what it says". This should alert us to consider the fact of other bible contradictions and some have written books full of them. Josephus tells us the scriptures "have been transcribed more carelessly than they ought to have been" (Ant 12:2:4) and his quote from Nahum is quite different to what we have today. (Ant' 9:11:3) Of all people on earth, the church should be the most willing to be honest and tell the truth, to come clean on tithing, failed prophecies etc and at least make some attempt to break the cycle of repeating the errors of the past rather than allowing them to go on uncorrected. Perhaps to have been honest up-front and faced the fact that the bible does have contradictions would have brought things undone. How can anyone expect to get anywhere in the mire of religious beliefs until they abandon the myths and put the pretensions aside. We can see how some religions still live in the dark ages and yet often we readily accept on faith other equally superstitious myths. Many facts are available for those who honestly want to search for the real truth. Papias tells us that John told him that the actual words of Jesus were, "A time is coming when - a grain of wheat will grow ten thousand heads, and every head will contain ten thousand grains, and every grain will yield ten pounds of clear, pure flour; - and all animals - will become peaceable and friendly to each other, and be completely subject to man." If this is what Jesus originally said, then who was responsible for editing it to make it appear more plausible in the bible. With all the resources and brainpower of the many sincere and dedicated Church of God followers who spent years attending Ambassador College examining the bible, time has proved that much of what they were taught to believe was in error and some who do not admit they got it wrong still continue on with more speculation. Either sincerely or otherwise it is a lie to say the bible does not have any contradictions, it is a lie to claim that God commands we pay 10% to the church and a lie when any non-Levites claim they have a right to those tithes. Paul warned about those who "lie in wait to deceive" (Eph 4:14) We need to carefully check the facts and think for ourselves. Matthew 24 gives us some good advice, "Take heed that no man deceive you! More  

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