Ch ch ch changes

It would appear control of the ABC has passed into the hands of these four men. 

  • Kenton Miller
  • Mark Davison
  • Daniel Robertson
  • Richard Oslund 

Kenton Miller and Richard Oslund previously played a legal role in the church, but Mark Davison and Daniel Robertson are now new to that list. 

There is no longer any reference to Gilbert Larson, the "apostle", in the legal record of the ABC and the previous treasurer, James Shierman, passed away last September. It can be assumed this likely prompted these changes.

Mark Davison, in Vancouver Washington, has now taken control of the treasury and one hopes this change will bring about an era of greater protection, and transparency, for all members of the ABC. 

 

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Someone asked me, not long ago, how much income the ABC receives in tithe each year. I was aware, at one point, the income exceeded one million dollars per year. When I was "eternally judged" to be a "blasphemer", and phone calls were made to everyone I knew to tell them I was  "evil", and they should not speak to me unless someone "trusted" was present, that ended most of my direct contact with persons in the ABC. I have no direct reference to an exact answer to that question of church income. Many more have left the ABC, or passed away, and this has likely reduced that income level. I could only make a wild supposition. 

This new document on file with the State of Washington indicates, by the highlighted "no" statement, the income is still currently in excess of at least one-half million dollars per year and it may, in fact, still exceed that one-million dollar mark but I have no direct evidence of that. (Note: the most recent corporate "Annual Report", acknowledged by the State of Washington on 2/6/23, shows the income level has now declined below the $500,000 mark.)  

I understand, from what I have been told, there is a significant investment portfolio that generates additional income on top of what is received in tithe and offering but of this I have no proof since management of the tithe has always been held secret.

Most non-profits must give an accounting of their monies to anyone who requests it. There are state and federal loopholes which allow religious non-profits to hide their accounting, and maintain zero transparency.  This may be correct legally, but morally and ethically, I am not so sure. It opens up the potential for abuses without any chance for audit.

I requested a transparent accounting of the monies several times before I was "eternally judged for all of eternity". The only  response I ever received back to my requests is I must trust God it is used correctly. This, in effect, keeps the money a mystery. Hidden.

After I was ambushed I sent a certified letter to the ABC requesting this information again. This letter was ignored, as expected. The ABC pays a salary to certain select men and makes a payment of sorts to Yvonne, my father's second widow, who previously attempted, unsuccessfully, to take control of the church. As a concession, the church agreed to pay her a monthly "retirement", but the specific information is not disclosed. This secrecy indicates to me there is something to hide. I know, from past experience, the tithe and offerings have, at times, been grossly mishandled so some transparency seems in order. 

There is a word in Greek, kekaustēriasmenōn, (κεκαυστηριασμενος), which means "to be burnt with a branding iron".  This word is found in Paul's first letter to Timothy.

Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron...

Recently there was a television program depicting life on a large cattle ranch in Montana. In this show, if one showed a special dedication to the ranch, that person could choose to be branded with a hot iron. Just like cattle. Once branded, this person was expected to remain loyal to the ranch for life. Even if that meant witnessing the death and destruction of others. In the show, as atrocities mounted, those branded were expected to "just go along", even if it could later subject them to legal peril. Those branded could never leave the ranch and those who did try were killed to prevent them from disclosing the atrocities they had witnessed. There are some parallels here.

These persons in the letter to Timothy, the Ephesians, had been "branded" in their conscience. These Ephesians, completely unaware of their own lies and hypocrisy, had begun to teach contradictory laws and created rules for men to follow that were out of step with truth. They had lost their first love and had, in their midst, false apostles who demanded their loyalty. The Ephesians had once again became enslaved to the law and welcomed these false apostles and prophets for a time. For this reason Paul requested Timothy to stay and try to correct things in Ephesus. 

When one is branded with a hot iron, the nerves  become dead and the area becomes numb. In this writing, in Timothy, Paul refers to this branding being of their entire conscience. The effect was a numbing of their conscience to the point they no longer registered the atrocities being committed right before their eyes. They became willfully ignorant and blind to them and no longer cared about the trail of damaged souls left in their wake. They lost all ability to show empathy or care.There is a great deal of similarity between the ABC and Ephesus.

In Exodus 13:9, just before the escape from Egypt and slavery, it speaks about the law being imprinted, or "branded", on the hand or between the eyes (on the forehead) of those enslaved who were fleeing Egypt. This was to be a memorial to them. 

This was before the curse of the law of Moses was given. It was before even the ten commandments were known. The only law that existed at that time was an unwritten law passed down through the generations from Abraham's time. The Lord's law.

And it shall be for a sign unto thee upon thine hand, and for a memorial between thine eyes, that the LORD'S law may be in thy mouth: for with a strong hand hath the LORD brought thee out of Egypt. Thou shalt therefore keep this ordinance in his season from year to year.

Juxtapose this with a similar "brand", at the end of days, when men will once again become enslaved, just like the Israelites. The Israelites escaped this bondage in Egypt, became enslaved to the law then once again became enslaved, this time in  Babylon, drawn in by its beauty. 

Revelation speaks about the antichrist causing those who follow to have an imprint, a "brand", placed on their hand or on their forehead. This is a "brand" of enslavement to a "hidden Babylon" and is the polar opposite to the memorial "brand" of freedom which ended the captivity in Egypt.  

And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.

While some will disagree, not all things written in Revelation are to be taken literal. The Israelite people did not receive a literal "brand" or tattoo on their hand and forehead, it was a figurative "brand"  as a memorial. In Revelation, this too, is a figurative "brand" placed on the conscience, or soul, of an individual. It depicts an enslavement to "Hidden Babylon".

Mankind has been watching and waiting for "the antichrist" to show for centuries but the spirit of the antichrist is already here. It has been for centuries. The common theme among most Christian sects is the antichrist will be a person in the flesh that will rise up to take over every government in the world,  they will then control the entire globe through physical branding and a physical enslavement. Having worked in three levels of government, over a period of thirty years, I can tell you this; governments are not that efficient. Nations do not work together well when not allied during war. There are too many hurdles for this to happen in a literal sense

This scripture is a parable of sorts and the "mark" is  a figurative mark, not a literal "branding" or mark. It is the "brand" given to those who have enslaved themselves to the spirit of the antichrist rather than having a memorial of becoming free "branded" on their hands and mind. 

When concepts are spoken in parables there are  words attached such as, "If any man have an ear, let him hear." These words are attached to this story of the "mark" in Revelation.

This mark in Revelation is just like the figurative mark given to the Israelite people when they fled bondage, but is instead a mark of entering bondage rather than a memorial to freedom. This mark, placed on the hand or the forehead, symbolizes dead works or false teaching and prophesy. This is the anti-mark to the memorial of freedom given to the Israelites. 

We are given a huge clue about the substance of this mark in the wording that directly follows. Not all are able to hear this and understand.

Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.

There are two other places we find this exact same number. It is in the book of First Kings and Second Chronicles. Both of these places read nearly identical and both refer directly to the riches of Solomon that caused him to turn away from God, become an idolator and an oppressor of his own people.

The weight of gold that came to Solomon yearly was six hundred and sixty-six talents of gold...

It is not a coincidence the number of the "mark of the beast" correlates with the number associated with Solomon's wealth building when he, in a degraded and idol worshiping state, sought his own devices, rather than God's mercy and truth. This is the part we must hear and understand. It is a compact statement that must be extensively unpacked.

Solomon became the builder of the temple when David failed the test and was rejected by God. After building the temple, Solomon gave himself privilege and status and took control of the treasury to enrich himself with money, wives, horses... Solomon then fell into a steep decline and, during this period of decline, began to tax the people he ruled in such a manner that his income would equate to exactly 666 talents of gold yearly. This is the number of mankind spoken about in Revelation. This numbering system of words was common in ancient languages. 

In today's currency Solomon's income would be about one billion dollars per year. More than a person would ever need for personal sustenance. This was all about power and control. Ego. Enslavement. Solomon enslaved his own people to build the temple then used the temple for his own worldly gain. Solomon received money from outsiders, but this was not included in the sum of talents that equaled to six-hundred and sixty-six yearly. This number was deliberate and symbolic.

Deuteronomy laid down some of the rules for a king. Solomon broke them all.

"The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself or make the people return to Egypt to get more of them, for the Lord has told you, “You are not to go back that way again." He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold.

Juxtapose this now with Revelation, which uses a great deal of figurative language regarding horses, the bride replaced by a harlot, and gold. These were the root of Solomon's sins. Horses, wives and gold led him astray. That takes some deep analysis to understand, and most of the verbiage is figurative and not literal.

Money is often associated with decline. Money is the root of all evil. Think of how Jesus whipped the money changers at the temple who were selling doves used as a sacrifice of forgiveness. A lamb was required as a sacrifice for sin but, if one were poor, a cheap dove could be sacrificed instead. These money changers, buying and selling sacrifices, were actually preying on the poor,  denying them forgiveness without them first paying tribute.

...he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables.  To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!” His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for your house will consume me.”

"and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name."

If we are of God, we have a foundation which contains a seal; "The Lord knows those who are his..." It is a memorial just like the Israelite people received on their hand and forehead.  If we are of the spirit of the antichrist, we are instead "branded" with the mark of a man. We are told we must rely on an outside money changer to worship God properly or find forgiveness. We are taken captive then led to believe, just like Solomon, we have special privilege. That didn't work for the Jews that sought out John the Baptist, feeling their association with the lineage of Abraham gave them special privilege. It didn't.

The physical Babylon seemed a beautiful place to the Israelites, but it was really a place of bondage, enslavement. So, too, is Hidden Babylon. It appears attractive, feels right, but it is a trap that enslaves.

God is not a brand. God set the Israelites free and set a memorial of that freedom. He set us free but man often seeks out bondage again, once freed. The Israelites ended up enslaved again in a visible Babylon. We, too can become enslaved again by a Mystery, or a Hidden Babylon.

The buying and selling referred to in Revelation is not the purchase of lettuce and toilet paper for our homes. It is the  erecting of a false external temple, real or virtual. It is the belief we must worship at a certain place and time and must find our forgiveness there. It is the establishing of false prophets and apostles to rule over our false temple, real or virtual. It is allowing these false apostles to seek earthly gain from a tax on the people.

It is this "branding" that leads us down a destructive path and enslaves us to an entity, rather than to righteousness and to God. It is this "brand" that stipulates where we must worship God. There is nowhere in this universe where God isn't. We can worship God from the deepest hell, although I don't recommend it.

The kingdom of God is within us. We are the temple of the Holy Spirit. We are created in God's image. If someone says, go here, go there, don't believe it. Walk the other way since they speak by the spirit of the antichrist. The number 666 in Revelation is a clue for us to look back at Solomon's degraded state, his abuses of power, his taking of wealth from the people, his enslavement of people to build the temple of God then using it to enrich himself. It is a warning not to follow in the same path. Juxtapose that to the memorial of freedom given to God's people when God freed them from Egypt. He gave them just ten commandments but they demanded to be enslaved under a law because ten was just too nebulous. This mark of six-hundred and sixty-six spoken about in Revelation is upon our soul, upon our conscience and not upon our flesh. The Ephesians failed this test miserably, so has the ABC.

The ABC regards itself as being "outside of Mystery Babylon", denies Christ came in the flesh and  condemns as a blasphemer those who speak such things. These are the marks of the spirit of the antichrist working in their midst.This is evidence they are deceivers with mysteries and things hidden.

And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it. For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward.

Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.

Mystery Babylon is  alleged to be the Catholic Church which sits on  seven hills in Rome, her daughters being the mainstream denominational churches born from her. This is convenient, but not necessarily true. It doesn't account for the many non-Christian religions not born from the Catholic church. It is a ruse intended to avoid the truth that the avoidance of Mystery Babylon is pointed directly at us as individuals, not at "them somewhere out there". 

If this concept were true, the ABC is a daughter of Mystery Babylon as the lineage can be directly traced back to Broadway Tabernacle in Seattle, an Assembly of God affiliate. Nearly all of the study materials used in the ABC were developed by James A Watt, pastor of Broadway Tabernacle in Seattle. 

The ABC is an incorporated denomination just like all other denominations. This is an unavoidable fact. If this Mystery Babylon teaching is then correct, as taught, the ABC is just as much a daughter of Babylon as all the rest of those denominations they look down on and declare to be evil. 

When Paul wrote to the Corinthians; "And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you. And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty." that's exactly what he meant.  Come out. Be separate. 

We are all individually a temple of the Holy Spirit and our very life is a worship of God. We can fellowship where we will but should not enslave ourselves again to false temples, apostles or prophets.

The ABC seeks to build large phylacteries of Greek knowledge, institute rules that are burdensome, reverts to old laws that were done away with at Jesus death, builds wealth through a tax, passes eternal judgments without looking in the mirror first, and some even try to stand in place of the Chief Shepherd and rob, maim and kill parts of the flock.  These false shepherds enslave sheep with the intent to "brand"  with a hidden "brand" that demands absolute loyalty to them rather than to God. We belong to God. They require their followers to look the other way when atrocities are committed and to stay silent under threat of similar treatment. Those who choose to leave the ABC are considered as dead and no longer worth their time. Unless it is to try to woo the person back in. If you are not within the walls of the ABC, it is assumed you are no longer seen by God as righteous. Those who speak of these abuses are defamed. 

This does not hold up in the light of the fact there is a number that cannot be counted before the throne at the end of time. Compare that with the few hundred of the ABC. Their numbers are not even close to innumerable.

I hope with these recent changes perhaps the culture of the ABC will change. But it has been more than fifty years of a few ingrained false abusive doctrines so it is not likely. Time will tell.

TO MAIN SITE


2 comments:

  1. Hi Scott. Hope you are well. Out of the whole post, I have one question to ask - you stated that the ABC "denies Christ came in the flesh". Is this true?

    A little background - I responded to a few of your posts years ago when I was new in the faith. Back then I heard Gilbert on the radio and was intrigued by his program. I met two of his friends as a result. I ended up meeting Gilbert later and purchased a Panin NT from him. I attended a 3 or 4 bible studies and Gilbert taught in one of them.

    Although I considered being baptized by a friend I made there, I never
    was. At the time I had been baptized in the church I was attending just a few months prior. So as you can imagine my access to the group is limited and I don't have knowledge of all their teachings.

    I am still friends with one of them and we still meet for coffee or food once in a while. Although most of our conversations about the Lord end up at baptism, we haven't spoken with him about the question I had in response to this post. Side note - I believe the friend mentioned above is my brother in Christ. I love him and have learned a lot from him in our conversations. I don't think he believes I am his brother in the Lord because I have not been baptized into the ABC. I am ok with that - and although I struggle with it a bit, it is what it is.

    I have read all your posts but I can't remember any mention of ABC denying Christ came in the flesh, at least in an outright way. Forgive me if it has been said. I read the majority of your writing years back and my memory may be betraying me.

    Thank you for your time. Blessings.

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    1. Reply was too lengthy for the comment box so has been placed as a post at

      https://abc-history.blogspot.com/2022/06/response-to-anonymous-62922-comment-on.html

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