RCG keeps coming up with new ‘man of sin’ teachings and now miscontrues Habakkuk

Statue Intended to be Habakkuk by Donatello (15th century)

When he first formed the what he called the Restored Church of God, David Pack claimed that stood for “precision of doctrine,” which essentially seemed to mean he was not going to change what the old WCG under Hebert W. Armstrong taught.

In 2000, he wrote:

What are the priorities of Restored?
1. To gather and feed the flock of God and to teach them to hold fast to the exact precision of doctrines as handed down by Jesus Christ, through the apostles and prophets, including our own end-time apostle, Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong…
3. To be found doing the Work of preaching the gospel, as led by Jesus Christ, and as He gives us funds and time to do so in this age (Pack, David. Why the Restored Church of God? Booklet. 2000. pp.18-19).

His priorities were not in alignment with the Philadelphian portion of the Church of God, but he also failed to “to hold fast to the exact precision of doctrines as handed down by” by Herbert W. Armstrong.

It would take too much space in this post to go through all of them, but some of the changes are documented in the article Why Not the Restored Church of God?

In this post, I would like to go over some of his 2017 teachings on the ‘man of sin’ as well as his misunderstanding of the applicability of the writings in Habakkuk 2.

In January 2017, I noticed that David Pack posted the following in what is called Sermon Transcript The Greatest Untold Story! Part 31:

II Thessalonians 3, verse 6: “Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you withdraw yourselves from every brother that walks disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us.”

Those in the splinters…There are thousands of them, brethren, who are in the splinters, who have the Holy Spirit. They’re not going to follow this man, and they’re the ones that are going to come back to God’s Church. I’ll have a lot more to say about them, in a way that will simply stun you—stun you. They’re going to escape, but not until they go through fire.

I don’t know how long this man will last, but we ought to, at least, pause and say…The next thing we’re looking for is not Christ revealed from heaven. It’s this evil blasphemer…revealed out of the splinters—that is coming first, and God is going to vacuum away all the tares and those who lost His Spirit and who will not come—and they’re not going to come later—they’re out. You know Luke 14. There are those who are invited and they don’t come. God said they were not going to come…They will in no wise enter this supper……

Let’s be clear…(II Thessalonians 2) verse 12, those who follow him are damned. They are condemned. I didn’t say that. God does. Why? Because they “believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” You cannot be saved if you follow a Satan-possessed, blaspheming, false Christ. Who knows? Maybe he says he’s God the Father. There’s a guy in Rome that calls himself the Holy Father. It’s not shocking that a human being might say that.

Salvation is lost to the people who follow this man…It just was never clear how far they would go, and how God would vacuum them out of the Church. God said in Haggai—I called for the desolation. I raise up the Foolish Shepherd. It’s something He’s doing. He hardened pharaoh. He used Judas. He can do that. He can use man for a righteous purpose like Cyrus, and others. …

I began to realize that, after the apostates under Joe Tkach, there would actually be worse leaders that followed. ..

God raised up Joseph W. Tkach and a group of people around him to cause the apostasy. We all know that. Mr. Armstrong was not so deceived or weak a leader that he picked an evil man to follow him. He didn’t know. …

Do you think the devil would need to be coaxed to enter a man among God’s people, in a way no man has ever done in 2,000 years—that we could ever see? Do you think the devil would have to be coaxed to do that? He’d be like a dog on a chain with his front legs off the ground, straining to snap the leash to do it!

God could probably just snap His fingers, and the devil would enter this man and knock him over when he did, so to speak. This is easy for God to do. We serve the God who can change out the universe with a bang. It’s easy for God to do. He has a purpose in it. It also draws tremendous attention to His Church in a right way. He raised up Joe Tkach to cause the apostasy. Without that, this man can’t rise out of it. Surely, brethren, we believe that He can raise up a man out of it to carry out the last part of it.

This was interesting for at least four reasons:

This is a change from his earlier positions, which had been based upon improper tradition.
In my view, the Bible makes David Pack and his covetous out as a blasphemer (2 Peter 2:1-3).
David Pack originally claimed to stand for ‘precision of doctrine’ has totally flipped to a view closer to PCG on the man of sin (see also Who is the Man of Sin of 2 Thessalonians 2?).
David Pack is warning that thousands will follow someone in another COG group. Thousands have came to the Continuing Church of God over the past 4 years (see CCOG reports 1900 attended its festival sites and has a total membership of over 2200).

David Pack is now claiming that someone who was in the Church of God will have Satan enter him to become the man of sin. David Pack once claimed that COGwriter (me) was part of the ‘synagogue of Satan’ (see RCG’s David Pack Says COGwriter, Dr. Meredith, COGs, etc. ‘Part of Synagogue of Satan’). So, it should not come as a surprise that presuming thousands more will come into the Continuing Church of God that he could falsely also call me the ‘man of sin.’ Especially if some day I get over some illness.

However, David Pack later stated in his sermon “The Greatest Untold Story! Part 45” that the ‘man of sin’ would likely not be married–so that would tend to rule me out (I have been married over three decades)–but maybe he will call me a “wizard.” Here is what he stated:

The Man of Sin comes with some unique problems, in a way, that I want to clear up. Think of what could be called the “effective counterfeit” principle. The more effective he is as a counterfeit, the more people can be sucked into following him. There’s no excuse to follow him, because what he teaches is against God’s Law. But claiming to be Christ, as a man, of and by itself, is not wrong. It’s what he says. He’s lawless and his power is Satanic, but think of the “effective counterfeit” principle for a moment.

When Christ walked the earth, he was 33-and-a-half years old–some old leader in the splinters isn’t going to fit the bill.

The older the man is, the more likely–I mean, God could use anybody to be the first two wizards that introduce him. They can be older men. The wizards can have one resume, if you will. The Man of Sin has to have another–younger, cleaner–Ready? Single. You probably can’t have him stand up as a married Christ. I’ll bet none of you ever thought about that–is the Man of Sin married? How could a married man, brethren, ever claim to be Jesus Christ–never mind if he had children who would thus be half-gods. You know, Hercules, and they’d be Mercury, whatever else. Do you see my point?

There seems to be no way this man can be married, or probably have ever been married, and claim to be Jesus Christ. Never mind have children who, forever after, would sort of be … you know, come from the messianic line when he was Christ. That would have been a problem in the first century. We’ve talked about that many a time. It was more than Christ didn’t want to just leave a widow. That would have been one problem. Or He would have left orphans. That would have been another, but they would have been born of God! Theoretically, we could say His kids would have been one-quarter God, half from Him and none from whoever had been His wife.

The fact that he is a single man, perhaps in his early 30s, introduces another possibility about why is he single. There is quite a powerful case behind that that would take longer to explain. I don’t want to get into it, but some of you may guess what it is. I’d like to do that in its own time and place, so we’ll just leave it at that. But he is going to have to be a single man, who got there into his thirties. Why he’s single is a different discussion, but that’s all we’re going to cover now. There’s probably more to the story, maybe much more to that story, but no time for it now.

So, the Man of Sin has to be a younger man. The older he is, the more he comes with a resume that could be suspect–that’s subject to fact checking. You see my point? I’m trying to illustrate something here, because some more things have come clear. Young, single, clean–Does he have brothers and sisters? People can check up on him? Is this really Christ? This guy has to look like the real deal, and he does to such an extent that even the absolute perversions that come out of his mouth are not sufficient to keep some people, with God’s Spirit, from being fooled.

It may be that the idea that the ‘man of sin’ could be unmarried could be consider possibly consistent with Daniel 11:37 and the King of the North, but David Pack did not cite that verse. His rationale is off. He keeps deviating more and more. He has made so many odd teachings and has such covetousness, that I personally doubt David Pack is actually part of the Church of God, despite his claims to the contrary (see also Why Not the Restored Church of God?).

Now, let’s get to him and Habakkuk 2.

David Pack posted the following as part of his newest booklet “How God’s Kingdom Will Come The Untold Story!”:

The prophet Habakkuk, whom Paul quoted in Hebrews 10 regarding the man of sin, adds to this man’s profile: “Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith. Yes also, because he transgresses by wine, he is a proud man, neither keeps at home, who enlarges his desire as hell, and is as death, and cannot be satisfied, but gathers unto him all nations, and heaps unto him all people” (Hab. 2:4-5). Here is a man who is of the devil, but who holds such awesome power that all nations of the world buckle to his will. No one is talking about this man because no one understands him or could believe the enormous reach and power that he will bring. A number of verses make plain that this counterfeit will be very short-lived. (Other helpful related verses to read include II Corinthians 11:4; all of Habakkuk 2; all of II Timothy 3; Zechariah 11:15-17; James 5:1-6; Matthew 7:15-23 and Luke 21:8, 35-36.)

Like many, David Pack does not understand the prophecy of Habakkuk 2 which has to do with the USA that will be destroyed for greed and indebtedness (David Pack should have realized what Habakkuk 2:6-8 states as he recommended that his readers would read the entire chapter–those that do will realize that David Pack misunderstands it.

So, let’s look at Habakkuk 2:

2:1 I will stand my watch And set myself on the rampart, And watch to see what He will say to me, And what I will answer when I am corrected.

2 Then the Lord answered me and said: “Write the vision And make it plain on tablets, That he may run who reads it. 3 For the vision is yet for an appointed time; But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; Because it will surely come, It will not tarry. (Habakkuk 2:1-3)

Notice that the prophecy that is being discussed is for the appointed time of the end. It is a prophecy for our time–and will affect the proud. What will happen is so bad “That he may run who reads it.” So, David Pack is correct that it has an end time application (some groups, notably LCG, stopped teaching that).

David Pack quoted the passages of Habakkuk 2:4-5, so I will here, plus the three verses that follow those passages:

4 “Behold the proud, His soul is not upright in him; But the just shall live by his faith.

5 “Indeed, because he transgresses by wine, He is a proud man, And he does not stay at home. Because he enlarges his desire as hell, And he is like death, and cannot be satisfied, He gathers to himself all nations And heaps up for himself all peoples.

6 “Will not all these take up a proverb against him, And a taunting riddle against him, and say, ‘Woe to him who increases What is not his — how long? And to him who loads himself with many pledges’? 7 Will not your creditors rise up suddenly? Will they not awaken who oppress you? And you will become their booty. 8 Because you have plundered many nations, All the remnant of the people shall plunder you, Because of men’s blood And the violence of the land and the city, And of all who dwell in it. (Habakkuk 2:5-8)

Notice that verse 6 is clearly the same man as mentioned in Habakkuk 2:4-5. David Pack did not try to explain this in what I have seen–and even if he tries, he again will get this wrong if he identifies the indebted as the man of sin.

David Pack has sorely misunderstood these passages in Habakkuk and improperly assigned them to HIS false version of the ‘man of sin.’

The second chapter of Habakkuk is NOT a prophecy about the man of sin (see also Do you take seriously the warnings God had the prophet Habakkuk record?).

This is one more area that RCG has wrong.

To learn even more, please, with your Bible, check out the following:

Why Not the Restored Church of God? This group, led by David Pack, claims to be the most faithful. The information in this article suggests otherwise. Here is a version in the Spanish language: ¿Por qué no la Iglesia de Dios Restaurada?
USA in Prophecy: The Strongest Fortresses Can you point to scriptures, like Daniel 11:39, that point to the USA in the 21st century? This article does. A related sermon is titled: Do these 7 prophesies point to the end of the USA?
Anglo – America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel Are the Americans, Canadians, English, Scottish, Welsh, Australians, Anglo (non-Dutch) Southern Africans, and New Zealanders descendants of Joseph? Where are the lost ten-tribes of Israel? Who are the lost tribes of Israel? What will happen to Jerusalem and the Jews in Israel? Will God punish the U.S.A., Canada, United Kingdom, and other Anglo nations? Why might God allow them to be punished first? Here is a link to the Spanish version of this article: Anglo-América & las Tribus Perdidas de Israel. A video of possible interest may be Will Will USA Spying Help the Beast Power?
Will the Anglo-Nations be Divided and Have People Taken as Slaves? Will the lands of the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand be divided? What about Jerusalem? What does Bible prophecy teach? Are there non-biblical prophecies that support this idea? Who will divide those lands? Who will end up with the lands and the people? Here is a link to a video titled Will the USA and other Anglo-nations be Divided and Their People Made Slaves? Here is a related item in the Spanish language ¿Serán divididas las naciones anglosajonas?
Protestant and Church of God views of the United States in Bible Prophecy Is the USA mentioned in Bible prophecy? Some Protestants say yes, while others say no. What does the Bible really teach? Learn the truth about this. There is also a video available: Is The United States Mentioned In Bible Prophecy?
Who is the King of the West? Why is there no Final End-Time King of the West in Bible Prophecy? Is the United States the King of the West? Here is a version in the Spanish language: ¿Quién es el Rey del Occidente? ¿Por qué no hay un Rey del Occidente en la profecía del tiempo del fin?
Should the Church Still Try to Place its Top Priority on Proclaiming the Gospel or Did Herbert W. Armstrong Change that Priority for the Work? Some say the Church should mainly feed the flock now as that is what Herbert W. Armstrong reportedly said. Is that what he said? Is that what the Bible says? What did Paul and Herbert W. Armstrong expect from lower level leaders? A related sermon is available titled Priority of the Philadelphia Work.
Preparing for the ‘Short Work’ and The Famine of the Word What is the ‘short work’ of Romans 9:28? Who is preparing for it? Here is a link to a related video sermon titled: The Short Work.
The Final Phase of the Work What is the final phase of the work? Who will lead it? Do you have the courage to support it? Here is a related YouTube video titled The Final Phase of the Work. The written article has been translated into Spanish La Fase Final de la Obra.
Leading the Final Phase of the Work Matthew 24:14 teaches “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come ” will be fulfilled and RCG is not the group doing this. Who is leading the final phase of the work? What did Herbert Armstrong and the old WCG teach about that and about prophets? Does Bob Thiel meet the criteria that the Bible and the old WCG set? What is the proof? What has the Continuing Church of God been doing? This is a sermonette length video.
CCOG’s Four Years and God Revealing Philadelphia? Has God been revealing Philadelphia since CCOG formed? What has been happening? Can you see the hand of God in this? A related sermon is titled CCOG: Four Years Revealing Philadelphia?
Who is the King of the North? Is there one? Do biblical and Roman Catholic prophecies for the Great Monarch point to the same leader? Should he be followed? Who will be the King of the North discussed in Daniel 11? Is a nuclear attack prophesied to happen to the English-speaking peoples of the United States, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand? When do the 1335 days, 1290 days, and 1260 days (the time, times, and half a time) of Daniel 12 begin? When does the Bible show that economic collapse will affect the United States? In the Spanish language check out ¿Quién es el Rey del Norte? Here is a link to a video titled: The Future King of the North.
The Philadelphia Church Era was predominant circa 1933 A.D. to 1986 A.D. The old Radio Church of God and old Worldwide Church of God, now the remnant of that era is basically the most faithful in the Church of God, like who hold to the beliefs and practices of the Continuing Church of God.
The Laodicean Church Era has been predominant circa 1986 A.D. to present. The Laodiceans are non-Philadelphians who mainly descended from the old WCG or its offshoots. They do not properly understand the work or biblical prophecies and will face the Great Tribulation if they do not repent. One video of related interest is 17 Laodicean Errors in Prophecy.