-Menorah Ministries-
Biblical Question:
"What is the World Mission Society Church of God,
and what do they believe?"
GOD CHRIST HOLY SPIRIT SIN REDEMPTION SALVATION RETRIBUTION
They received the WORD with all readiness of mind,
and searched the SCRIPTURES daily, whether those things were so. Acts 17:11
Answer: The World Mission Society Church of God (WMSCOG) was founded by a man named Ahn Sahng-Hong in South Korea in 1964. He was born in 1918 to Buddhist parents and spent many years with the Seventh-day Adventists. He claimed to have rebuilt the Church of God—the same Church that Jesus established and with the same truths of the Early Church. Ahn Sahng-Hong died in 1985.
The WMSCOG believes in God the Father and God the Mother, who came to earth in the flesh. Ahn Sahng-Hong’s spiritual wife, Zahng Gil-Jah, is known as “the Heavenly Mother.” According the WMSCOG, “God the Mother is the core of our faith and the figure that guides us. . . . God the Mother stands by and prays for us whenever we face hardships.” The Bible does not teach the existence of a “heavenly mother.” God is consistently referred to as our Father. Revelation 21:2 describes the New Jerusalem as a beautifully adorned bride. But verses 9–10 show that the “wife of the Lamb” and the “New Jerusalem” are synonymous terms. Obviously, the New Jerusalem is a city, not a person. In this case, the city is the church, the redeemed of the Lord living in God’s heavenly city. The Lamb’s “wife,” then, is figurative, not literal.
Another false teaching of the WMSCOG is that God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are not different Persons but simply different manifestations of one God. This teaching is a heresy called modalism. The Bible presents God as one God, but then speaks of three Persons—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
The World Mission Society Church of God believes that Jehovah is the Father, Jesus is the Son, and Ahn Sahng-Hong is the Holy Spirit. The Bible tells us that the Holy Spirit is a divine Person, a being with a mind, emotions, and a will. The fact that the Holy Spirit is God is clearly seen in many Scriptures, including Acts 5:3–4. For any man to declare he is the Holy Spirit is blasphemy.
The WMSCOG teaches that salvation is in the names of Jehovah, Jesus, and Ahn Sahng-Hong, and that baptism is required for salvation. The Bible declares that salvation is through Jesus Christ alone (Acts 4:12;John 14:6). Salvation is in the name of Jesus Christ. To claim salvation in the name of Ahn Sahng-Hong is blasphemy. Requiring anything in addition to faith in Jesus Christ for salvation is a works-based salvation. To add anything to the gospel is to say that Jesus’ death on the cross was insufficient to purchase our salvation. The Bible says that Jesus’ death alone paid for our sins (Romans 5:8; 2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus’ righteousness is appropriated to our account by faith alone (John 3:16; Acts 16:31; Ephesians 2:8-9). Therefore, baptism cannot be a requirement for salvation.
The WMSCOG claims that “Christ Ahn Sahng-Hong” came as the Savior in the age of the Holy Spirit and was truly the Second Coming of Christ. This teaching conflicts with what the Bible says about the second coming in Revelation 19:11–16: “He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God.” To claim to be the very Word of God is blasphemy.
Ahn Sahng-Hong was a false prophet. He predicted Christ would return in 1967, then changed the date to 1988. The WMSCOG believed the world would end in 1967, then 1988, and then at the end of 2012. History has proved Ahn Sahng-Hong wrong. It is noteworthy that one of the signs of the end times is the increase in false prophets and false messiahs. Ahn Sahng-Hong clearly falls into the category of false prophet and false messiah.
The beliefs of the World Mission Society Church of God are not compatible with Christianity.
Biblical Question: "Is there a heavenly mother?"
Answer: The Bible does not teach the existence of a “heavenly mother.” God is the “heavenly Father” (Luke 11:2). The church is pictured as a bride, loved by Christ (Ephesians 5:25-33).
The concept of a “heavenly mother” who is the “true” bride of Christ is taught by the World Mission Society Church of God (WMSCOG or WMSCG), a Korean cult founded by Ahn Sahng-Hong in 1964. The WMSCOG believes that Ahn Sahng-Hong was the second coming of Christ. When he died in 1985, his “spiritual wife,” Zahng Gil-Jah, took over, calling herself the “heavenly mother” and citing verses such as Revelation 21:9-10; 22:17; and Galatians 4:26.
Revelation 21:2 describes the New Jerusalem as a beautifully adorned bride. Verses 9-10 show that the “wife of the Lamb” and the New Jerusalem are synonymous terms. Obviously, the New Jerusalem is a city, not a person. A city is a group of people, not an individual; in this case, the city is the church, the redeemed of the Lord living in God’s heavenly city. The Lamb’s “wife,” then, is figurative, not literal.
Galatians 4:26 says, “The Jerusalem that is above is free, and she is our mother.” Taken by itself, this is indeed a perplexing verse. However, the context makes the meaning plain. Paul is contrasting the Old and New Covenants. As an illustration, he contrasts Hagar (Abraham’s slave) with Sarah (Abraham’s wife). Hagar represents the bondage to the law, and her son, Ishmael, was a son of law and of bondage. Sarah represents freedom, and her son, Isaac, was a son of promise and of freedom. Paul’s point is that those “born” of Sinai (under the Old Covenant of law) are in bondage, whereas those “born” of the heavenly Jerusalem (under the New Covenant of grace) are free. To paraphrase verse 26, “We, like Isaac, are children of promise; we are not under the law; we are freeborn citizens of the heavenly city of Christ.”
So, the “mother” in Galatians 4:26 is not a literal female personage. Rather, it is a symbolic representation of the kingdom of Christ. Another passage that pictures the city of God and its inhabitants as a mother and children is Isaiah 49:17-21. Anyone who proclaims herself the “heavenly mother” or who claims to be the literal “bride of Christ” is practicing deceit.
The World Mission Society Church of God is absolutely a cult. Its “heavenly mother”
heresy is just one of its many false teachings.
Biblical Question: "What does it mean that the church is the bride of Christ?"
Answer: The imagery and symbolism of marriage is applied to Christ and the body of believers known as the church. These are those who have trusted in Jesus Christ as their personal savior and have received eternal life. In the New Testament, Christ, the Bridegroom, has sacrificially and lovingly chosen the church to be His bride (Ephesians 5:25-27). Just as there was a betrothal period in biblical times during which the bride and groom were separated until the wedding, so is the bride of Christ separate from her Bridegroom during the church age. Her responsibility during the betrothal period is to be faithful to Him (2 Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 5:24). At the Second Coming of Christ, the church will be united with the Bridegroom, the official "wedding ceremony" will take place and, with it, the eternal union of Christ and His bride will be actualized (Revelation 19:7-9; 21:1-2).
At that time, all believers will inhabit the heavenly city known as New Jerusalem, also called “the holy city” in Revelation 11:2 and 10. The New Jerusalem is not the church, but it takes on the church’s characteristics. In his vision of the end of the age, the Apostle John sees the city coming down from heaven adorned “as a bride,” meaning that the inhabitants of the city, the redeemed of the Lord, will be holy and pure, wearing white garments of holiness and righteousness. Some have misinterpreted verse 9 to mean the holy city is the bride of Christ, but that cannot be because Christ died for His people, not for a city. The city is called the bride because it encompasses all who are the bride, just as all the students of a school are sometimes called “the school.”
As believers in Jesus Christ, we who are the bride of Christ wait with great anticipation for the day when we will be united with our Bridegroom. Until then, we remain faithful to Him and say with all the redeemed of the Lord, “Come, Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 22:20).
All of the above is reprinted for
educational purposes from www.gotquestions.org
Summary and Other Information:
Alternate name (s): The Church of God, WMSCOG, COGWMS, The Church of Ahn Sahng Hong, Elohists
Leader (s): Zang Gil-Jah aka "the Heavenly Mother," or "Mother Jerusalem" and Rev. Kim Joo-Cheol, "Chief Pastor"
Founder (s): Ahn Sahng Hong aka"our heavenly Father Christ Ahn Sahng Hong" (1918 -1985)
Established: 1964, Korea
Related Organizations: Church of God History Museum, Messiah Orchestra
Membership: The World Mission Society of God is present in many countries. One official site states that "the Church of God has grown into a world-class church just within half a century with 400 and 120 churches in Korea and abroad respectively and more than 820,000 followers worldwide."
Biblical Analysis:
Jesus WMSCOG: The Church claims a man called Ahn Sahng Hong is the Second Coming of Christ. According to this church, Ahn Sahng Hong is Jesus.
Bible: The Bible teaches clearly that Jesus Christ will return as a Jew visibly, not in a secret coming. "For false Christ's and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect. Behold, I have told you in advance. So if they say to you, 'Behold, He is in the wilderness,' do not go out, or, 'Behold, He is in the inner rooms,' do not believe them. For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be (Mt. 24:23-27).
Ahn Sahng Hong made false prophecies by predicting the end of the world in 1967 and 1988. This is a sin. Since Jesus never sinned or ever make a mistake, He and Ahn Sahng Hong are not the same person.
End of the World WMSCOG: Expected the world to end at the end of 2012, before which they hoped to recruit 144,000 members.
Bible: The Bible nowhere teaches that the world would end in 2012. Jesus stated that no one knows the day nor the hour of his return. The 144,000 individuals in the book of Revelation literally refer to Jewish males from each tribe of Israel. It is not referring to a select number of Christians who are Asian or of any other ethnic background.
The New Jerusalem WMSCOG: Considers Korea to be Zion (the new spiritual Jerusalem)
Bible: The Old Testament clearly teaches that Zion is in Israel, not anywhere else. For example: "The Lord doth build up Jerusalem: he gathered together the outcast of Israel. Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem; praise thy God, O Zion." (Psalms 147:2, 12 KJV). "But ye are come unto Mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect," (Hebrews 12:22-23). The disciples clearly understood Jesus teaching to refer to the restoration of the nation of Israel in Acts 1:6-7, “So when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, "Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?" He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority.”
Incarnation WMSCOG: Believe Mother Jerusalem to be the female incarnation of God.
Bible: This is definitely unbiblical since the Bible clearly teaches that Jesus is the unique incarnation of God as the one and only begotten Son of God who is God and man. Since Jesus is the unique incarnation of God, there are not other incarnations of God who are female. Jesus is God: John 1:1, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being…. And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” Jesus also created all things (Col. 1:16-17), is called God (Rom. 9:5; Heb. 1:8), and is worshipped (Mt. 2:2; 14:33), and prayed to (1 Cor. 1:2; Acts 7:55-60).
Jesus is Man: Jesus rose from the dead as a physical man (Lk. 24:39; Jn. 20:19-20), ascended into heaven as that same man (Acts 1:11) and is still a man right now since He is our Mediator as man (1 Tim. 2:5) and eternal High Priest as a man after the order of Melchizedek (Heb. 6:20; 7:25). Scripture also speaks of Him presently dwelling in bodily form (Col. 2:9).
There is only one God: There is only one God in all existence (Is. 43:10; 44:6, 8). Therefore, there are not other gods who incarnate. Jesus is the only one.
Prophecy WMSCOG: Ahn Sahng Hong predicted Christ would return in 1967 and 1988.
Bible: The Bible is clear that prophets who make false prophecies are not of God. Deut. 18:22: "When a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the thing does not come about or come true, that is the thing which the LORD has not spoken The prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him.
Trinity: WMSCOG: The concept of "Trinity" means that God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are not different entities, but are one God. The Trinity-God the Father [Jehovah], God the Son [Jesus], and God the Holy Spirit [Ahn Sahng Hong]-are one. So Ahn Sahng Hong is the Holy Spirit!
Bible: In one God, eternal, existing, and manifested in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Salvation: WMSCOG: Only God the Father, Christ, Ahn Sahng Hong and God the Mother (Heavenly Mother) can give people salvation. For six thousand years God has carried out His salvation work in the names of Jehovah, Jesus, & Ahn Sahng Hong, each according to its age.
Bible: Salvation is by grace only, through faith in Jesus Christ, apart from human merit, works, or Ceremonies.
Deity of Christ: WMSCOG: One blogger states, “Through the prophecy of the Bible, let’s confirm that Christ Ahn Sahng Hong, who came as the Savior in the age of the Holy Spirit, is truly the Second Coming Christ. Jesus is in His very nature God (Phil. 2:5), the very God Jehovah who granted salvation during the age of the Father. Since Jesus is, in fact, Jehovah, there is no contradiction between "There is no savior apart from Jehovah," and, "There is no other name given to men by whom we must be saved (apart from the name of Jesus.)"
Bible: See section on the Incarnation
Distinctive beliefs and practices As one of the group’s sites states, "The World Mission Society Church of God is a religion spread to the West from Korea." Elsewhere it explains that "God the Mother is the core of our faith and the figure that guides us. A human, by nature, is susceptible to committing a sin. God the Mother, who understands human vulnerability, steers us in the right direction just as our mother takes care of children. God the Mother stands by and prays for us whenever we face hardships." It also notes that "The overseas members are continually visiting the New Jerusalem Temple (in Bundang-gu, Seongnam City, Gyeonggi Province)....It’s because the members of the Church of God all around the world believe that Korea is the blessed country at the ends of the earth according to the prophecy of the Bible, that is, the last holy land of the gospel."
Used for educational purposes from Christian Apologetics & Research Ministry http://carm.org
For Extensive Biblical
Answers to the World
Mission Society Church of God
see: www.examiningthewmscog.com
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