Felix Manalo: The Last, the Late, or the Lost Messenger?

11/30/2019 Iglesia ni Cristo 20 Comments

One of the deceptive doctrines that the Iglesia ni Cristo of Manalo teaches their members, and even unsuspecting non-members, is that Felix Manalo is the last messenger in the last day. This particular claim was even published in their official magazine, Pasugo.

With frankness, I say that such is a big lie! Why? Because Christ is the end; He is the first and He is also the last. He said, “I am the Alpha and the Omega.”

It is Christ that God will send to get His servants who will be saved. That is written in the Bible — He is going to send Christ. If Felix Manalo is the last messenger, what is Christ’s work then?

Actually, the work of Christ isn’t over yet.

JOHN 4:32 (KJV) says,


What is the food or meat that He was referring to?

JOHN 4:34 (KJV) says,


His food is to do the will of the Father who has sent Him and to finish His work. His work is not yet finished. In fact, the work will still be in progress during the reign of Christ in the thousand-year period, wherein during that time, the last enemy He shall destroy is death.

He will be sent by God on earth to get His servants who will be saved. They will rule for a thousand years and afterward, He will bring them to the kingdom of heaven. So the work of Christ is not done yet.

The phrase “last messenger in the last day,” which they ascribed to Felix Manalo, has been wrongly used by the Iglesia ni Cristo. In the January 1976 issue of the Pasugo magazine of the INC of Manalo, this is what they’ve said:




In another Pasugo magazine, Lesson number 8 of the primary doctrines believed by the INC written by Eraño Manalo, it said:



That is very wrong!

JOHN 6:44 (KJV) says,


Bear in mind that “the last day” is different from “the last days.” In the Bible, the “last day” is already the resurrection of the dead. So how can it happen that Manalo is the last messenger in the last day when the last day is already the resurrection of the dead? And since it is already the resurrection of the dead, to whom will Felix Manalo be sent? His being sent would be too late!

What the Bible tells us is that the Father will send Christ on earth to get His servants that would be saved and they will rule on earth for a thousand years. It is apparent that for the Church of Manalo, the one thousand-year reign of Christ and the saints on earth will not occur. Or perhaps, they are really ignorant of this biblical fact. That is why when they heard me say that Christ will rule on earth in the millennium, they spoke of me in their television broadcast with mockery and sarcasm.



When Christ comes, the earth will not be burned yet! Only after the millennium that the earth will be burned, but while the millennium is not yet over this earth remains. This earth will still be here.

The belief of the INC is that when Christ comes, it is already the end. But for us, the coming of Christ is not yet the end. It marks the first resurrection and the commencement of His one thousand-year reign. Those who will be resurrected when Christ comes will rule for a thousand years here on earth. Therefore this earth will still remain.

REVELATION 20:4 (KJV) says,


What will happen after the one thousand year-reign?

REVELATION 20:7-8 (KJV) says,


After the millennium, Satan will be loosed from prison. It must be understood that during that one thousand-year period, Satan is in prison.

REVELATION 20:1-3 (KJV) says,


Satan will be cast into the bottomless pit where he will be shut up, and a seal will also be set upon him. But after the one thousand-year period, he will be freed.

What I am trying to point out is that the earth will continue to exist within the one thousand-year reign of Christ as well as those whom He will resurrect in the first resurrection.

REVELATION 5:8-10 (KJV) says,


This is contrary to the belief of the INC minister, Michael Sandoval, that when Christ shall come, this earth will already be burned. No, that is not true!

To further prove that this earth will remain, the Bible tells us that when Christ will come, one will be taken and the other will be left, as it is written in Matthew 24:40-41 (KJV).


When the time that Christ will come to take His saints, some will be left. So, the earth will continue to exist because some will be left here.

Actually, one of the most wonderful things that is going to happen on earth during the one thousand-year period is the preaching of the Gospel in all nations, freely. Nowadays, we still cannot preach the Gospel to the whole world. There are nations where you cannot preach the Bible, otherwise you will be killed. here are also places on earth wherein Christ is not being acknowledged. But when the millennium begins, nothing can hinder the preaching of the Gospel to the whole world anymore. Come the one thousand-year period, “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.” (Matthew 24:14, KJV) That will be the end of the thousand-year period; the end of the world.

So the destruction of the earth will happen only after the millennium, not during the coming of Christ, as what is believed by INC ministers.

Very clearly, the belief that the earth will already be burned when Christ comes is just one of the many erroneous teachings of the INC of Manalo.

In addition, they also teach their members lies — one of which concerns the actual year when their organization really started. They were claiming that the INC of Manalo started on July 27, 1914, but in truth, their organization really started in 1913, and I have the documents to prove it.

I have a copy of an invitation which states that they were already celebrating their fifth anniversary during that year, the year 1918.


 
 
 
 

Who would lay hands on Felix Manalo? From the same pamphlet, it said:



The laying on of hands was performed by bishops and pastors from different churches. What does the laying on of hands mean? It means the giving of authority. Therefore, the ones who gave Felix Manalo authority were the bishops and pastors from different churches.

So, how can Felix Manalo be a messenger of God when the ones who laid hands on him were bishops and pastors whom he himself later referred to as ministers of the devil? In fact, Manalo even admonished his members to reject such priests and pastors because they were of the devil or Satan.

In the August 1961 issue of their Pasugo, page 39, Manalo said,



It shows Manalo’s lack of gratitude to those pastors who laid hands on him. After laying hands on him, after receiving authority from them, Manalo wanted his members to reject Catholic priests and Protestant pastors because they are of Satan.

But the thing that I want you to take note of is the laying on of hands to Manalo, which happened in 1918 and took place in the celebration of their fifth anniversary. Hence, simple arithmetic will prove that the INC actually started in 1913, and not 1914.

Another document said:



How could he have possibly baptized his first converts in 1913 if they started to exist only in 1914? If it is true that the INC started in 1914, how come the first fruits of Manalo’s preaching were baptized in 1913? Nonsense! To claim that their organization, Iglesia ni Cristo of Manalo, started to exist in 1914 is another big lie!

Aside from that, the ministers of the INC of Manalo are also making their members believe that the spirit of God dwells in their chapels or houses of worship.


Caption of the photo says, “We are summoned by the Lord God to serve Him in the Body or the Church of Christ. We have to worship Him in the house where His Spirit dwells, like the modern house of worship pictured above.”

Again, that is not true! That is against what the Apostle Paul said. Saint Paul said that God does not dwell in temples made with hands (Acts 17:24). Instead, God dwells in the heart of man.

The Apostle Paul told the brethren, “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:16, KJV) He did not say, “Don’t you know that we have a temple in Diliman and the Spirit of God dwells there?” NO! To say that the Spirit of God dwells in their chapel is against the Bible!

Perhaps I am the only preacher who has pieces of evidence of the INC’s lies and contradicting teachings. I have newspaper clippings which were collected by Bro. Nicolas Perez, and they were later entrusted to me; and I also have copies of their Pasugo magazine from 1939. I use all these references to expose their unbiblical doctrines to enlighten the minds of people so that they will not be deceived anymore. That is why they are very angry with me and they are using their resources and connections not only to discredit me, but to silence me as well.

But my battle is not a carnal battle. My battle is to uphold the truth that the Bible teaches. And with God’s help, I am willing to fight this battle until the end.