WMSCOG Did Not Predict a 2012 End-of-World
The World Mission Society Church of God boasts about being the only church that follows the teachings of the Bible — the Sabbath day, the Passover, women wearing veil during worship and all the feasts of God. So if we believe in the teachings of the Bible, how can we contradict the Bible by proclaiming the world would end on a certain date?!
Recently, former members of the Church of God have taken their voices to the media to express their “concern” over people who attend the Church of God because it predicted the end of the world in 2012.
The Bergen Record says:
“The ex-members — from New Jersey as well as other parts of the country — offered similar, independent accounts of being lured into the church, slowly at first, without being told all of its beliefs, then frightened into devotion and donating large portions of their savings by talk of the impending end of the world — in 2012.”
People.com said:
“For two years, Michele Colon believed with complete conviction that the end of the world was imminent…”
They go as far as to call the Church of God a “doomsday cult.”
The Church of God has NEVER made any official announcement providing a date of the end of the world. However, many other groups have done this. I vividly remember dozens of ads proclaiming a date for “the rapture.” And when that didn’t happen, they started announcing another date. But that failed too. This was not a Church of God prediction. The Mayan calendar, which a lot of people around 2012 referenced as a source for an end-of-world date, also predicted this. This was also not a Church of God prediction.
In fact, concerning an end of world date, the Bible says, no one knows the date. And this is common Christian knowledge and belief.
Acts 1:7 (NCV) Jesus said to them, “The Father is the only One who has the authority to decide dates and times. These things are not for you to know.
1 Thessalonians 5:1 (NCV) Now, brothers and sisters, we do not need to write you about times and dates. You know very well that the day the Lord comes again will be a surprise, like a thief that comes in the night.
And if the end was a teaching of the Church of God, why didn’t we proclaim it and post it on the Church website like everything else?
So where did people get the idea that the Church of God predicted the end of the world in 2012?
In the 1980’s, Christ Ahnsahnghong wrote a book entitled The Bridegroom was a Long Time in Coming and They All Became Drowsy and Fell Asleep. In this book, Christ Ahnsahnghong wrote:
Here, Christ Ahnsahnghong was not talking about the end of the world, but about a prophecy concerning the Heavenly Jerusalem Temple. But people take this and twist its meaning.
“From the next day of receiving the Ten Commandments, the construction of the temple started, and the Temple was completed in 168 days. Since fulfillment of this prophecy was to be done by Jesus, on the Day of Atonement on July 10, 1844, according to the sacred calendar, Jesus went into the Most Holy Place in heaven. From that time on, it’s shown that the construction of the Heavenly Temple started, and in 168 years, the Heavenly Temple is to be completed.
According to the prophecy, one day is to be interpreted as one year (Ezekiel 4:6, Numbers 14:34). Therefore, if we add 168 years to AD 1844 when Jesus entered the Most Holy Place in heaven, then AD 2012 becomes the last day. But we cannot help but to think of the words that for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened.”
The construction of the Heavenly Temple started in 1844 and ended in 2012. Christ Ahnsahnghong did NOT talk about 2012 being “doomsday” or the end of the world.
In the same book, Christ Ahnsahnghong also wrote:
The World Mission Society Church of God boasts about having the truth of salvation — the New Covenant Passover NOT about knowing a date of the end of the world or even proclaiming the end.
Even if the Church of God were to believe specific date of the end of the world, then why would it devote so much time to improving and protecting our planet?
And even getting news coverage for the improvements we make to better our planet:
