Sabbath 28/4/34/120

Dear Friends,

Over the Sabbath and New Moon we will examine the concepts of the Bible and the Koran (or Qur’an) concerning a key aspect of the Nature of God. There are many people professing to be Christians, and also many Muslims, that deny the pre-existence of Jesus Christ. It is impossible for anyone that claims baptism in the Churches of God to justify on any logical or rational basis the doctrine of Radical Unitarianism. Radical Unitarianism is defined as the belief that there is one true God alone and that Christ, as son of God, did not exist before his incarnation in the womb of his human mother Mariam.

There were many people who claimed membership in the Churches of God that emerged, when the churches were under stress, as declaring their denial of the pre-existence of Jesus Christ. This doctrine is a heresy of the Churches of God and such a view has no basis or place in the Body of Christ. Most of us were amazed to find it among the Churches of God. However, then again, due to the incoherent understanding and teaching on the nature of God a great deal of heretical views emerged over the period of the doctrinal collapse of the Churches of God from the USA. The early heresy came in with Herbert Armstrong and the error of Ditheism (see the paper Ditheism (No. 076B). This error was introduced through the theological ignorance of the Churches of God in the USA. From these erroneous theological positions in the USA the error of Radical Unitarianism began to take root.

It was a matter of faith that Jesus Christ was understood in the time of the Apostles to have had pre-existence. It is a matter of fact that the church taught that Christ was the Angel of the Presence that gave the law to Moses at Sinai and the NT teaches this fact (e.g. 1Corinthians 10:1-4).  The discussions that occurred in the first centuries of the church concerned the position of Christ in that pre-existence. It was never in question as to whether Christ pre-existed or not but rather what position he held in relation to the other sons of God who were termed angels of God. These sons of God were mentioned in the OT at Genesis 6:4; 32:8 (RSV); 48:15-16; Job, 1:6; 2:1; and 38:4-7.  In the first 150 years of the churches Christ was held to have pre-existed but he was never held to be co-equal or co-eternal with the One True God who was the creator of all. The early doctrines are covered in the paper Early Theology of the Godhead (No. 127). From 170 CE the Binitarian structure of the worship of the Sun Cults entered Christianity. From this time false and pagan doctrines began to be inserted that elevated Christ above the other sons of God and attempted to make them distinct and separate and then to deny that they were indeed sons of God misusing the term “Angel” in relation to them.  This process has been covered in the paper Binitarian and Trinitarian Misrepresentation of the Early Theology of the Godhead (No. 127B).

It is beyond dispute that Christ was held by all elements of the early Christian church to have had pre-existence. The structure and history is discussed in the paper The Pre-existence of Jesus Christ (No. 243).

The matter in dispute was in what manner he was pre-existent. This was to be the major theological issue that was to preoccupy the early church and was the major cause of dispute and the source of heresy and division in the church. The pagan heresy of the sun cults and of the Antinomian Gnostics was the root cause of these errors. The origin of these problems is discussed in the paper Origins of Radical Unitarianism and Binitarianism (No. 076C).  

The heresy of Radical Unitarianism is actually a form of the worship of the god Attis and the sun cults which sought to divide the one god into two aspects and declare them father and son to fit the Christian structure of Scripture. It is in fact a serious heresy and has no place in the Churches of God and its adherents should never have been permitted entry to the Churches of God anywhere.

This error began to become entrenched from Europe. Over the last two centuries the error became entrenched in the USA and entered the Churches of God in the twentieth century and corrupted their doctrines. It has become so entrenched that many of the US churches simply don’t understand the enormity of the error and the extent of the heresy. It has corrupted the Churches of God in and from the USA.

It is important that we all understand this distinction between Radical Unitarianism and Biblical Unitarianism. Radical Unitarianism, whilst appearing to be distinct from Trinitarianism is actually very close to it, and is a clone of the Binitarianism of the worship of Attis. It is developed by Freemasonry and the satanic cults in order to undermine the Christian faith. It is supported by the Hadithic Islamic groups to undermine the Koran and the early faith of the Prophet and the Four Rightly Guided Caliphs.

It is important that we understand that the Church of God was always Biblical Unitarian and believed in the One True God, who alone is immortal (1Tim. 6:16), and in Jesus Christ whom He sent (Jn. 17:3). The Churches of God always believed in the pre-existence of Christ and never ever had anything to do with Radical Unitarianism. Do not imagine for one minute that Radical Unitarians have anything to do with the Bible structure or Biblical Unitarianism. They do not.

Their system is corrupt and heretical and they could only exist among the Churches of God through deception. Some concealed their denial of the pre-existence of Christ carefully as they would have been exposed and removed from the Churches of God. They only emerged into the open after the reformation of the offshoots in 1995 and in the other Churches of God when they declared their Binitarian/Trinitarian views in the US at the same time. Some seemed to have developed the Radical Unitarian doctrines later, not fully understanding the doctrines and being led astray by others. Most people in the Churches of God have become so theologically ignorant and corrupt that they do not understand that what they teach now is a late Ditheist or Binitarian heresy. Most fluctuate from one to the other not understanding what it is they say and teach.

The Bible is clear that these errors or heresies are allowed among us to show who has the approval of God (1Cor. 11:19). The Churches of God based in the US have shown by their errors that the Churches of God there are not approved and have been destroyed due to their error. This destruction will continue until the entire system is reduced and reorganised and the final system is restructured under the servants of God for the restoration under the Messiah. The systems in the West based from the US are corrupt and will be removed. We are told that the basis of the two systems are either dead as the Sardis system, which thinks it is living but is dead, or is lukewarm, thinking it is rich and has need of nothing, not realising it is poor pitiable blind and naked. It is spewed out of the mouth of God as the Laodicean system.

Our system must be dedicated and based on brotherly love and although we have a little strength we must be dedicated and stand firm in the faith (see the paper The Pillars of Philadelphia (No. 283)). 

We will continue in the structure on the New Moon and develop the faith and the structure of the conversion of Islam that is now under way with dedication and great enthusiasm. Over seven years Judaism and Islam will be exposed to the faith once delivered and they will be restored.

Pray that we are able to develop our people in the enormity of the work ahead of us.

Wade Cox
Coordinator General.