WCG’s/PCG’s ‘Lost Century’ restored

Was there a lost century in early Christianity?

Some affiliated with the COGs seem to think so.

Today, I saw part of PCG’s Key of David video/telecast titled The Lost Century. In it, the announcer makes the following statements:

No one has reliable detailed accounts of God’s church after the deaths of the original apostles.

Then in that video, PCG’s Gerald Flurry said the following:

Did you know that the history of God’s true church was blotted out in the period from roughly 70 A.D. to 170 A.D.?

No, I did not know that as that is not accurate. In the video, Gerald Flurry then says that although there were extensive records, that we do not know what happened to the Church of God then. He also claimed that the truth was not proclaimed for another 1900 years.

He is wrong on those points. Especially when you consider that there was not suddenly more historical information beginning 170 A.D., as opposed to the 5-6 decades prior to that, related to the true church.

It is likely that PCG based its view, to a degree, on a misunderstanding of something published by the old WCG in an article from the late Dr. Herman Hoeh reported:

The truth was obscured by error! Historian Jesse Lyman Hurlbut gives us even more details in his book The Story of the Christian Church, page 41: “We would like to read of the later work of such helpers of St. Paul as Timothy, Apollos and Titus, but all these. ..drop out of the record at his death. For fifty years after St. Paul’s life a curtain hangs over the church through which we strive vainly to look; and when at last it rises, about 120 A.D., with the writings of the earliest church-fathers, WE FIND A CHURCH IN MANY ASPECTS VERY DIFFERENT FROM THAT IN THE DAYS OF Peter and Paul.”

Where Is the True Church?

During that “lost century,” the true Church was lost sight of by most historians. (Hoeh H. Why So Many Denominations? Tomorrow’s World magazine, April, 1972).

Dr. Hoeh, however, realized that there were certain available records, but that they were not properly understood by the Greco-Roman-Protestants. People like the Protestant Jesse Hurlbut, however, did not understand them.

Yet, if PCG and the Greco-Roman-Protestants would honestly look at the available records of the first couple of centuries since Jesus’ resurrection through the light of the Bible, they would have a different view about early history.

That being said, there was a limit to how much church history the old Radio Church of God, then called the Worldwide Church of God, was able to restore. Plus, with certain archaeology discoveries there is information available now that was not available during the time of the old Radio/Worldwide Church of God.

Church history, especially second century A.D. church history, was something that I discussed on several occasions with the late WCG/GCG/LCG evangelist Dibar Apartian. In the 21st century, he told me that various ones in the old Radio/Worldwide Church of God tried to figure out which early leaders/writers were in the Church of God and which were more likely to be with the apostate groups. He said that none in the old Radio/Worldwide Church of God had succeeded. He initially urged caution on my research along these lines.

Later, after I had put much on second century Christianity together, Dibar Apartian repeatedly encouraged me to get LCG to eliminate errors it was teaching on church history and to teach historical information that I had restored. Despite repeated promises from LCG leaders for many years, LCG made almost none of the corrections, etc. (see Why Bob Thiel Left the Living Church of God).

But I kept investigating church history and still do so to this day.

As many regular readers of this page are aware, in the Continuing Church of God we have a booklet that provides documentation of basically what happened in the early (and later) centuries of Christianity. It is available free online: Continuing History of the Church of God.

There are also numerous historical articles at the COGwriter.com website as well.

While most who profess Christianity seem to be lost about what happened in at least one of the early centuries of the Christian church, you do not have to be.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

Continuing History of the Church of God This pdf booklet is a historical overview of the true Church of God and some of its main opponents from Acts 2 to the 21st century. Related sermon links include Continuing History of the Church of God: c. 31 to c. 300 A.D. and Continuing History of the Church of God: 4th-16th Centuries and Continuing History of the Church of God: 17th-20th Centuries. The booklet is available in Spanish: Continuación de la Historia de la Iglesia de Dios, German: Kontinuierliche Geschichte der Kirche Gottes, and Ekegusii Omogano Bw’ekanisa Ya Nyasae Egendererete.
Early Church History: Who Were the Two Major Groups that Professed Christ in the Second and Third Centuries? Did you know that many in the second and third centuries felt that there were two major, and separate, professing Christian groups in the second century, but that those in the majority churches tend to now blend the groups together and claim “saints” from both? “Saints” that condemn some of their current beliefs. Who are the two groups? A related sermon is also available Christianity: Two groups.
The Churches of Revelation 2 & 3 Do they matter? Most say they must, but act like they do not. This article contains some history about the Church of God (sometimes referred to as the continuation of Primitive Christianity) over the past 2000 years. It also discusses the concept of church eras. There is also a YouTube video: The Seven Church Eras of Revelation.
1. The Ephesus Church Era was predominant from 31 A.D. to circa 135 A.D. The Church of James, Peter, Paul, and John, etc. Here is a link to a related video sermon: Ephesus Church Era.
2. The Smyrna Church Era was predominant circa 135 A.D. to circa 450 A.D. The Church led by Polycarp, Melito, Polycrates, etc.
3. The Pergamos Church Era was predominant circa 450 A.D. to circa 1050 A.D. An especially persecuted Church.
4. The Thyatira Church Era was predominant circa 1050 A.D. to circa 1600 A.D. The Church during the Inquisition.
5. The Sardis Church Era was predominant circa 1600 A.D. to circa 1933 A.D. Discusses early history of the Seventh Day Baptists, Seventh-day Adventists, and COG-7th Day.
6. 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.
7. 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.
What Do Roman Catholic Scholars Actually Teach About Early Church History? Although most believe that the Roman Catholic Church history teaches an unbroken line of succession of bishops beginning with Peter, with stories about most of them, Roman Catholic scholars know the truth of this matter. Is telling the truth about the early church citing Catholic accepted sources anti-Catholic? This eye-opening article is a must-read for any who really wants to know what Roman Catholic history actually admits about the early church. There is also a YouTube sermon on the subject titled Church of God or Church of Rome: What Do Catholic Scholars Admit About Early Church History?
Nazarene Christianity: Were the Original Christians Nazarenes? Who were the Nazarene Christians? What did they believe? Should 21st century Christians be modern Nazarenes? Is there a group that exists now that traces its history through the Nazarenes and holds the same beliefs today? Here is a link to a related video sermon Nazarene Christians: Were the early Christians “Nazarenes”?
Location of the Early Church: Another Look at Ephesus, Smyrna, and Rome What actually happened to the primitive Church? And did the Bible tell about this in advance?
Apostolic Succession What really happened? Did structure and beliefs change? Are many of the widely-held current understandings of this even possible? Did you know that Catholic scholars really do not believe that several of the claimed “apostolic sees” of the Orthodox have apostolic succession–despite the fact that the current pontiff himself seems to wish to ignore this view? Is there actually a true church that has ties to any of the apostles that is not part of the Catholic or Orthodox churches? Read this article if you truly are interested in the truth on this matter! Here is a link to a sermon: Claims of Apostolic Succession. Here is a related articlein the Spanish language La sucesión apostólica. ¿Ocurrió en Roma, Alejandría, Constantinopla, Antioquía, Jerusalén o Asia Menor?
Do You Practice Mithraism? Many practices and doctrines that mainstream so-called Christian groups have are the same or similar to those of the sun-god Mithras. December 25th was celebrated as his birthday. Do you follow Mithraism combined with the Bible or original Christianity? A sermon video from Vatican City is titled Church of Rome, Mithras, and Isis?
The Elijah Heresies Does the Bible teach that there will be a future Elijah? Must it be Herbert W. Armstrong? Two related sermons are available Elijah: Prophecies and Heresies and Elijah, Herbert W. Armstrong, and CCOG.
Where is the True Christian Church Today? This free online pdf booklet answers that question and includes 18 proofs, clues, and signs to identify the true vs. false Christian church. Plus 7 proofs, clues, and signs to help identify Laodicean churches. A related sermon is also available: Where is the True Christian Church? Here is a link to the booklet in the Spanish language: ¿Dónde está la verdadera Iglesia cristiana de hoy? Here is a link in the German language: WO IST DIE WAHRE CHRISTLICHE KIRCHE HEUTE? Here is a link in the French language: Où est la vraie Église Chrétienne aujourd’hui?
CCOG.ORG Continuing Church of God The group striving to be most faithful amongst all real Christian groups to the word of God. To see how CCOG has done so far, here are links to two sermons Continuing Church of God (CCOG) first year anniversary: What has been accomplished? and The Continuing Church of God: Two Years of Proclamation. Here is a written link to a version of that sermon in the Spanish language: Aniversario del primer año de la Continuación de la Iglesia de Dios: ¿Qué se ha cumplido?