Is Habakkuk About the WCG/PCG Court Case?

How Many Falsehoods Is Gerald Flurry Telling You?

Since PCG’s fast1 for the “Jerusalem work” didn’t receive the expected answer from God2, Brad Macdonald was compelled to give a damage control message.3 Members evidently have been having doubts about the prophecies of “King/Prophet”4 Gerald Flurry so they needed correction. He quoted extensively from GF’s Habakkuk booklet5 during this lengthy, mind-numbing, Bible study, as he tried to tie it all in with “miracles.”

BM=Brad Macdonald

GF=Gerald Flurry

MOA=Mystery of the Ages

BEGIN BIBLE STUDY:

BM tells us that GF’s booklet Habakkuk is actually about the WCG/PCG court battle and says “there are a lot of similarities.” Then he mentioned how physical Israel is “right now in a crisis.”

COMMENT BY ESN: Similarities that GF wants to see as he takes Scripture out of context.

BM said January 16th will be the 19th year anniversary of “our “court case victory.”

COMMENT BY ESN: More about the story of this court case, step by step, including links, can be found in our “GCI History” article starting with Allowing PCG’s Literature to be Republished.

BM said “Some might be a little anxious right now” and “find it difficult to believe the prophecies” of GF about Trump, how they are going to be able to get into Jerusalem, etc.

COMMENT BY ESN: Perhaps “some” might be finding it difficult to believe GF’s prophecies because so many of them have failed.

MEMBERS SHOULD BE LIKE HABAKKUK

BM: “Habakkuk shows us how to respond in those moments”; it has the answer to these fears.

He says GF said that Habakkuk had a submissive child-like attitude and went to be reproved of God and that this is what “our” attitude should be “for miracles to flow.” Then God will speak to His church through “new revelation.”

COMMENT BY ESN: Where does it say this in the Bible? Macdonald is adding to Scripture.

BM tells us that this is to be the members’ response “when they don’t understand; when they have questions.”

He brought out how Habakkuk “didn’t get depressed” and “God wants people like Habakkuk that won’t speak back to Him and that seek correction.” He said Habakkuk was “such a great example” of how we should respond…” “Remain positive; remain engaged, remain vigilant; throw yourself into prayer and Bible study.”

COMMENT BY ESN: In other words, members should not get depressed, not question God, or question anything that GF is saying and doing, or else they are speaking back to God and not being “child-like”; i.e., which is what cult members are like when their critical thinking skills are shut down and they become passive.

GERALD FLURRY WAS LIKE HABAKKUK DURING THE COURT CASE

BM bragged about how GF remained positive and waited on God for answers “all during the court case.” And how he would “go up to the tower and beseech God or an answer.”

COMMENT BY ESN: BM is trying to get members to have a glowing picture of GF as a true man of God; one that resembled Habakkuk.

“Keep moving forward” Macdonald said. “If there’s not doors He’s opening, there’s probably a reason.”

COMMENT BY ESN: Maybe the reason is because God is not answering GF.

He said “new revelation” was given to GF during the court case. He talked about how so many wonderful things happened during that time (i.e., several new booklets published, including Habakkuk, finding HWA’s prayer rock, etc.).

To bolster any sagging spirits BM said, “God is working a plan right now that in the future we will look back and say, wow, He was absolutely brilliant.” He hinted that this would be when Donald Trump gets back in, the radical left are exposed, and God “allows our work in Judah to flourish.”

COMMENT BY ESN; How long do we have to wait for this “plan”? Doesn’t it seem like we are always waiting for GF’s prophecies to be fulfilled?

BM: I’m not sure we’ve experienced the full level of wonderment yet at what happened in the court case.

COMMENT BY ESN: No, there’s probably many more tales and myths you can come up with.

CHRIST MADE A PERSONAL APPEARANCE DURING THE COURT CASE?

Then he said the most ridiculous, and even insane, words of all (which GF himself has said): “Christ was right here during the court case.”

He insisted Christ was involved in the case and even “made a personal appearance to help them.”6

BM went on to say that GF said “what is in the book of Habakkuk is the great revelation God has revealed to His church so far.”

COMMENT BY ESN: GF wants desperately to see himself and his PCG in the biblical book of Habakkuk, just as he does in other O. T. books. But all that we see is GF’s false “revelations” that he thinks God is revealing to Him alone.

GERALD FLURRY’S ROCK SOLID FAITH?

BM talked about GF’s “rock solid faith and rock solid confidence” during this court battle and how seven or eight books were published during this time (with new revelation in them) and how he kept pressing on.

COMMENT BY ESN: Did GF really have “rock solid faith and confidence” at this time or was he merely hell-bent on obtaining these works of Herbert Armstrong’s any way he could because he knew it would bring him wealth and power in the end?

BM went through the whole story of the court battle (6 years of it) and referred to an info-gram he had with dates on it of what transpired during the court case. He said WCG on Oct 14, 2002 “offered to sell us MOA for $4 million and we felt like we finally wore them down. They knew they were going to be exposed when it went to court.”

COMMENT BY ESN: Read Ralph Helge’s August 13, 2002 letter to Robert Ardis which gave the status of the case at this time and says PCG “filed a counteraction in which he claimed the right to publish 18 other works of Mr. Armstrong, based on the argument that they were central to his religion.” He also says that GF violated the law and deceived the public into believing that the work was that of PCG. [emp. ESN. Note: Robert Ardis died 3-17-18.]

MACDONALD BECOMES GIDDY WITH EXCITEMENT

As different incidences were gone over (i.e., “miracles” during the court case leading up to their paying for the copyrights), Macdonald became absolutely giddy with excitement. (It seems this excitement level is common with many of these PCG top ministers.)

[voice gets loud] “No matter how bleak, how strong the enemy looks or sounds, etc., God is in control [buzzword] and He will always intervene to make sure His will is done!”

COMMENT BY ESN: Robert S. Kuhne (ex-PCG member) has a very revealing section about the court case on his site under “Forced Settlement.” Part of it reads:

What has actually happened is that Gerald Flurry lost the court case and, facing an impending damages trial, had no choice but to offer settlement and pay for what he tried to get for free. Gerald Flurry has been forced to offer payment rather than endure the humiliation of having damages assessed against him. He didn’t win any war, rather the WCG has forced him to “say uncle” and pay for what they said he stole. His choice was a simple one: pay damages decided by a jury and receive nothing but humiliation, or pay a settlement (probably more than the damages would have been) and receive the right to print MA [sic] and be able to boast of a miraculous fulfilled prophecy.

… there is no divine intervention required to explain what the WCG did. They simply agreed to sell MA [sic], which they do not value anyway, for a sure $3 million, rather than take their chances on what a jury might award them (probably less than that). Even though the WCG won the court case, it appears they were going to have difficulty proving much in the way of damages, so they opted to try to recover court costs by accepting the PCG settlement offer. The WCG was not successful in keeping Mr. Armstrong’s material out of print, but they did succeed in forcing Gerald Flurry to pay a high price for it. [all emp. by ESN]

The full article may be read here on his site under “Court Case.”

COMMENT BY ESN: So much for a January 16 “miracle.”

“REMIND YOURSELF THAT GOD IS IN CHARGE”

[voice gets loud] “Donald Trump will come! At some point that prophecy is going to happen! Our work in Jerusalem is going to happen! Those prophecies in Amos 7 about Mr. Flurry warning Jeroboam is going to happen! Wait for it! Wait for it! It will surely come! It will not tarry! It may not feel like it at times, but it will come! And we need to be ready.”

COMMENT BY ESN: BM has been thoroughly hypnotized by GF to believe all that he does and desires to do the same with the members. How many more false prophecies will it take for people to wake up? How long will GF (and BM) keep holding the carrot out on a stick?

BM: “Follow the example of Habakkuk. Go up to the watchtower. Beseech God for answers. Stay positive! Stay faithful! Stay vigilant! Maintain an attitude of humility and optimism and vigilance. … Never, never, never, never give in. Remember God is in charge [same buzzword as God is in control]. He has this totally under control. … Immerse your mind in Malachi’s Message and maybe then the Habakkuk booklet. Dig out Raising the Ruins. Get into God’s Truth. [buzzword] ”

COMMENT BY ESN: God’s truth is in his Word and is found in Jesus Christ who is the Truth. Nothing was mentioned about Him or His salvation in this Bible Study. There was nothing said about getting into God’s Word or immersing oneself in the Scriptures to learn more about Him. It was all about getting into GF’s and SF’s heretical books that can never save anyone but only lead to disappointment and even death. Yes, “God has it totally under control” and the next time one of GF’s prophecies fails, or he tells you God is going to answer, and to wait for the “miracle,” are you going to remember what BM has said and fail to think or question? Does God want us to be robots? Or does He want us to use the mind we were born with?

Bible study critiqued by D. M. Williams
Exit & Support Network™
December 12, 2021

Places on our site covering the so-called January 16 “miracle court case”:

“PCG Did NOT Win a Victory in the WCG vs. PCG Court Case” (February 23, 2007 letter to ESN from Attorney at Law)

“Flurry Believes Christ Will Make a Personal Appearance in the Court Case” (December 8, 2002 letter which quotes GF’s words from his Habakkuk booklet)

What Has Happened to Gerald Flurry?? (search for words “court case”)

“I Found Out the Truth About Philadelphia Church of God” (Ex PCG testimony; mentions how PCG has been deceitful about the court case)

“Can You Honestly Prove Any of What Gerald Flurry Says?” (July 1, 2021 letter) (See the P.S. at the end of this letter.)