The Iglesia Ni Cristo and The Bible: A Handling Example.
By: Chris Anna
It is important to note how the Word of God is handled by the INC. The INC claims to believe in the Word of God as
the Truth.
?The Word of God is written in the Bible and since all scripture is inspired by God (cf. II Tim. 3:15-16) then
the Iglesia Ni Cristo has faith in the Bible as the truth and thus, the Bible contains no falsehoods.? (1)
This sounds very good. Of course, God?s Word is Truth (Jn. 17:17). But let us look at another Scripture, wherein Paul
exhorted Timothy, a young leader in the Church, ?Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman
who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately the word of Truth. (2 Timothy 2:15 emphasis added)? We
see that it is important to not only believe that the Bible is the truth, but that it must be handled accurately!
Otherwise, Paul would not have mentioned this to Timothy. Because he was a leader in the Church, Timothy had
much responsibility as well as influence. If he did not handle (study, interpret) the Word of God correctly, he
would have taught false doctrines and theology to the Church. The correct handling of God?s Holy Word is not an
instruction for Timothy only. Anyone who studies The Bible must learn to interpret it correctly, or else false
doctrine will result. This is especially true of those who teach others in the Church.
With this in mind, then, does the INC correctly handle the Word of God? No it does not! Let us see an example (it may
be a little long, so bear with me). The following quote is talking about Felix Manalo, the so-called ?last
messenger? of God, in an attempt to prove that the INC is the True Church by virtue of the ?prophecy? about him.
Now for the quote. I feel it necessary to quote numerous paragraphs here, to get the context.
?The Prophet Isaiah himself recorded the prophecy of God that the Almighty will choose His servant,
a messenger from the ends of the earth whom He will uphold with His righteousness.
?Thou whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called thee from the chief men thereof, and said unto
thee, Thou art my servant; I have chosen thee, and not cast thee away.
Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee;
yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of My righteousness.? (Is. 41:9-10, Ibid. [KJV].)
The righteousness that God will use in upholding His messenger is actually the Gospel of Christ
which, according to Apostle Paul in his letter to the Christians in Rome, is also the power of God unto
salvation (cf. Rom. 1:16-17)
This messenger, therefore, is armed with the Gospel of Christ, the message of truth that will sanctify
man and lead him to salvation.
This same messenger will be instrumental in the bringing and gathering of God?s sons and daughters
from the Far East and the Far west. Again, this is proven by the prophecies of God as written in the book
of prophet Isaiah, thus,
?From the far east will I bring your offspring, and from the far west I will gather you, I will bid the north lands
give them up, and bid the south let go, bringing my sons from afar, and my daughters from the end of the earth.? (Is.
43:5-6, Moffatt)
The work of this messenger (that is, to preach the Gospel of Christ so that man could attain salvation)
was likened by God to that of a ravenous bird for He will snatch God?s people from the clutches of false
religions. Another prophecy supports this Biblical truth:
?Calling a ravenous bird from the east, the man that executeth my counsel from a far country: yea, I have spoken
it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it.
Hearken unto me, ye stouthearted, that are far from righteousness:
I bring near my righteousness: it shall not be far off, and my salvation shall not tarry: and I will place
salvation in Zion for Israel my glory.? (Is. 46:11-13, KJV)
These prophecies were fulfilled in Brother Felix Y. Manalo who preached about the Iglesia Ni Cristo
in the Philippines, a Country in the Far East (Asia and the Philippines, p. 169) in 1914 as the First World
War was breaking out in Europe. This period of time scripturally is referred to as the ends of the earth (cf
Is 41:9-10; 43:5-6) the time when the end of the world is near, even at the doors (cf. Mt. 24:3, 33), which
began with the outbreak of a war of global proportions (cf. Mt. 24:6-7).?(2)
Right off the bat, we can see that there are numerous problems with this text. When I first read this text the
first problem I noticed was the difference in meaning between the ?ends of the earth? in the Bible and the
definition given for it by the author of the quote. If you simply read the verse in context (Isaiah 43:5-6, above), or
even the verses by themselves, you will see that ?end of the earth? is not a time period as mentioned by the author
in the last paragraph of my quote, but rather, it is talking about physical dimensions or directions. It means from
all over the earth; from the west, the east, the south, and the north. This has nothing to do with time period. This is
an obvious and simple mis-interpretation of Scripture, but if taken the way it is meant by the INC, it has much
bearing on their view of Felix Manalo as the ?fulfillment? of these scriptures. Their doctrine of the fulfillment of
these passages by Felix Manalo cannot stand if the ?ends of the earth? does not refer to the last days here in these
passages. This is because, according to the INC writers, the last days started with WWI, when Felix Manalo also
began the INC! Look at the other quoted verse (Is. 41:9-10) which mentions ?ends of the earth?, and which is also
supposedly speaking of Felix Manalo as ?Thou whom I have taken from?and called thee?? So, Felix Manalo is
called in the last days, seeing as how the last days started with WWI, and the ?ministry? of Mr. Manalo also started
at the same time? It?s really a coincidence that was made to fit the Scriptures like a square peg being pounded into
a round hole by a hammer! If you pound the square peg (the INC doctrines) long enough, the round hole
(Scriptures) will eventually appear to resemble the square. (See also, ?The Felix Manalo Prophecy? for more
information on this topic.) Anyone can teach what they believe and then take a Scripture passage and try to make
it fit their beliefs.
1. Placio, Pedrito B. ?History, The Truth, And Faith.? God?s Message, October ? December
1991, pg. 19.
2. Bocobo, Antonio E., JR. ?On Choosing The True Religion.? October ? December 1991,
pp. 14,15.