INC True Church - DISPROVED!

by G. Enand Tanudtanud

Let us now go to the second major doctrine of the INC people that their Iglesia ni Cristo is the true church of Christ today. Since they have interpreted Felix Manalo as "God's Last Messenger", they have to conclude that their church is Christ's True Church. We have to investigate if this is true.

In Matthew 16:17-18, Christ revealed:

"Blessed thou art, Simon Bar-jona, because flesh and blood hath not revealed it to thee, but my Father who is in heaven.

"And I say to thee: That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church. And the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."

In Matthew 28:18-20, He commanded the Apostles:

"All power is given to me in heaven and in earth."

"Going therefore, teach ye all nations; baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost."

"Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I commanded you. And behold I am with you all days, even unto the consummation of the world."

In these words of Christ, we clearly hear Him declare that the "gates of hell" should not prevail against His Church, that in all His power given Him by the Father Almighty in heaven and on earth He would guide His people, even unto the consummation of the World.

But here is Beda H. Aboloc of the INC, writing in his "Man of God's Counsel":

"There are people who believe that the Church of Christ, founded by Christ in the first century would last up to the end of time (meaning consummation of the world). They do not know that the first-century Church of Christ was apostatized after the death of the apostles, and the Christians who remained faithful were killed (meaning that the "gates of hell" did not only kill the Church but also apostatize the ones remained alive). Hence, the first-century Church of Christ ceased to exist after the time of the Apostles."

Mr. Aboloc never told us who were the killers, how, when, where the faithful Christians were killed.

So according to him, Felix Manalo, "God's last messenger", restored Christ's Church in our present century, specifically 1914. To make our Lord Christ a Liar, the INC people found a couple of passages in Acts 20:28-29, coming from the lips of St. Paul, who warned the people of Ephesus this way:

"Take heed to yourselves and the whole flock, where in the Holy Ghost hath placed on bishops to rule the church of God, which we both purchased with his new blood.

"I know that after my departure, ravening wolves will enter among you, not sparing the flock."

The first -century Church of Christ was then killed by the "ravening wolves, who in turned out to be the Ephesians!

Here are the other reasons why INC people argue that their church is true. Their INC is expressly mentioned by Christ in the Bible by citing no other than St. Matthew 16:18 itself: "I will build my church (meaning Iglesia ni Cristo to them)......"

They also cite Romans 16:16 which mentions their INC, that is ,there INC is referred to here.

"Salute one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ salute you."

Now all these churches were killed by the "ravening wolves", according to the INC people. Exactly 1,814 years after more than 18 centuries or eighteen hundred years, Felix Manalo revived Christ Church by the order of God Almighty. Are we going to believe them, the INC people?

OUR REFUTATION

We do not mind any more the INC people on their passages ST Matthew 16:18 and Romans 16:16, because they became superficial upon stating Acts 20:28-29 that the "ravening wolves" killed the first-century Church of Christ. To expose the bogusness of the Iglesia ni Cristo, we have only to present the two St Matthew passages, St, Matthew 16:18 and St Matthew 28:19-20. We have only to make a choice between Aboloc (or the INC people) and Christ Himself, which of whom is the big LIAR. If the INC people insist that they are not lying, because St.Paul has said so, then we say it is their kind of understanding that is gone wrong. Taking for granted they are telling the truth, then we request : Prove Christ the Liar after all in His promises in St.Matthew 16:18 and St. Matthew 28:19-20.

But let is go ahead to enlighten them.

Since they reason out that those who were not killed by the devouring wolves were apostatized, then they are referring to the Roman Catholic Church, because as read in history, it is the Roman Catholic Church that promptly picked up the scepter of apostleship and continued the works of the Apostles. How did the Roman Catholic Church come to rise? Here it is.

After the death of St. Peter in 67 A.D. his successor was Pope Linus. After Linus came Anacletus in 76 A.D. After Anacletus, came Clement I in 88 A.D. After Clement I, came Evaristus in 97 A.D. and so on and so on. But the Roman Catholic Church was not yet formally organized, since for the three hundred years the early Christians were under persecution. they had to hide in catacombs and caves, as they continued the propagation of Christ's Gospel in secret. During the first three centuries ten great persecutions took place in their lives - first during the reign of Emperor Nero of the Roman Empire, when St. Peter was crucified turned upside down, next during the reign Emperor Domitian, then those of Trajan, Marcus Aurelius, Septemus Severus, Maximian, Decius, Valerian, then at the turn of the fourth century in 303 to 311, during the time of Deocletian and Galerius.

It was in the first century during the reign of Emperor Constatine the Great having succeeded Deocletian and Galerius, that the Christians were soon to be delivered. Upon his enthronement, Constantine had many rivals to the throne, who believe they were the rightful heirs.

One great moment in his life, while he was at the battle with his greatest rival Maxentius, the great Constantine was given a miracle by Christ Himself. He was shown the sign of the Cross one high noon on 312, shining in the sky. Around which were the words "In hoc signo vinces", which means "by this sign thou shalt conquer." This message was not enough. The following night Christ appeared to him in a dream, instructing him that the Roman eagle depicted in their Roman standard, should be replace by the sign of the Cross. Why was Constantine, a pagan given this miracle? It is said that his mother, St. Helen was a secret convert to Christ and therefore she had been praying for the conversion of her son. Hence, accepting the message from Christ, the greate Constantine did what he was commanded to do. On Oct. 27, 312, the emperor defeated his rival Maxentius at Maulvian Bridge and all the rest of his rival after that.

Having conqured all his enemies and attained at last unity in the whole Roman empire, the great Constantine issued his memorable decree, the Edict of Milan, stopping the persecutions of Christians and allowing them freedom in the propagation of their own Faith. Thirtheen years later in 325 A.D. during the time of the Pope Silvestre, the Emperor called for the First Ecumenical of the Church to pronounce the formal organization of the Roman Catholic Church. Since then, thanks to the great emperor, the Roman Catholic Church has come triumphant in our time, sending Catholic Missionaries thoughout the world, baptizing pagans into Christians in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. The follwoing steps of the Apostles as commanded by Christ and at the same time promulgated doctrines as guideposts for salvation. Yes, the Roman Catholic Church has baptized individuals who later on were to become the INC people in our time. The New Israel Roman Catholic Church today is in full course of progress!

We come to these questions . After passing of the Apostles in the first century with St.John as the last to die right in the year 100, did apostasy also begin in the second century up to the time of Constantine, a period which saw the martyrdom of our first Catholic saints, St. Ignacius of Antioch, St. Clement, St. Policarp, St. Justin, St. Ireneus and others. When the Roman Catholic Church was formally organized during the time of Constantine and began issuing doctrines, were the early Christians the very ones who became apostates to the INC people? While it was God's will or Christ in particular that His people should be saved from the pagans through the conversion of Constantine, did Christ withdraw after that and give way to His Arch-rival Satan in order to apostasize His Church? Should the INC people tell us that when Satan began bending the knees of Christ's people to his kingdom in hell, Christ in all His power given by His Father in heaven and on earth was seen in His spiritual eye, ascending to heaven trembling in fear? Again, we ask the INC people, since Christ's Church existed only in the first century, was Christ simply watching His people, His Church, being devoured by the ravening wolves of Ephesus in the succeeding centuries?

Let us noe turn our attention to the devouring wolves themselves. Why do the INC people merely state that the devouring wolves killed the first-century church without ever telling us who are really these "devouring wolves" in history? Clearly they need not tell us, because deep in their conscience they know that these devouring wolves were the Ephesians themselves in Ephesus and they can never prove that these wolves went down to Corinth, to Macedonia, to Galatea, down to Jerusalem and killed all the Christians there. The more that they can never prove the devouring Ephesians crossed the Great Sea (this is the Mediterranenan Sea today) one night on sail boats and invaded the City of Rome, the great Capital of the Roman Empire. There is no record in history whatsoever that tells of the savage exploits of the "devouring" Ephesians. But if you read Acts 19, from verse 24 up to 29 the "devouring wolves", led by the silversmith Demetrius, were devouring only in the city of Epehsus.

Here they are:

"For a cetain man name Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver temples for Diana (This Diana is the goddess of the moon among the Romans), who brought no small gain to the craftsmen.

"Who he coming together with the workmen of like occupation, said : 'Sir's, you know that our gain is by this trade.

"And you see and hear this Paul by persuasion hath drawn a great multitude, not only in Ephesus, but almost of all Asia, saying : They are not gods which are made by hands.

"'So that not only this our craft is in danger to be at naught, but also the temple of the great Diana shall be reputed for nothing! Yes, and her majesty shall bedin to be destroyed, whom all Asia and the world worshipped!

" Having heard these things, they were full of anger and cried out saying : 'Great is Diana of the Ephesians!'

"And the whole city was filled with confusion. And having caught Gaius and Aristarchus, men of Mecedonia, Paul's companions, they rushed with one accord in the theatre ( the place where St.Paul met the converts)."

To the innocent INC believers, the "devouring wolves", the INC evangelists and ministers are mouthing about, were the Ephesians themselves who did not believe St. Paul warned his converts to Christ to be aware of the coming "wolves", as read in Acts 20:28-29.

If the devouring wolves were witnessed only in Ephesus, how in the world the INC people could preach that the "devouring" Ephesians killed the first-century Church of Christ when in the other regions the converts were now prevailing, especially in Rome that was soon to be destined as the seat of Catholicism in our time. If the Ephesian converts were "devoured" fully by the wolves back to their paganism under Diana, should you believe Christ as Protector and Guardian of His Church could allow the Ephesian wolves to go beyond their borders and kill His faithful all about in the other countries? If the Ephesian wolves could have crossed the Great Sea and invaded Rome, should Christ in all His power watch only these intruments the "gates of hell", released by Christ's Arch-rival and Enemy Satan, prevail upon His Church in Rome to belie His own promise in St.Matthew 16:17? It is a pity the INC people have to argue this way with St.Paul's passages as their pretext.

But not by God's will, the INC people have gone on with this kind of conviction. The faithful Christians who preferred to be martyrs to the devouring wolves constituted the true Church to the INC people, but those who were spared were apostatized to become Satan's church in the world. This way of reasoning has been pronounced by the INC people in order to justify the establishment of Felix Manalo's church, the Iglesia ni Cristo.To believe the INC this way definitely lead us to another great lie that for more than eighteen centuries the whole world had witnessed no other church than that of Satan, since Christ has no more church at all.Where is the promise of our Lord Jesus Christ that He would guide His people, His Church, even unto the consumation of the world?

My bretheren, the INC people have done a sacrilege to Christ, because they have made Christ a LIAR in their kind of contention! Should you believe them? The INC people must be reminded again that if they preach Felix Manalo as "God's Last Messenger" in the last days, which is a horrible lie, their insistence that the "devouring " Ephesians killed Christ's first-century Church, their lie is even more horrible.

So, to determine whether the INC people are telling the truth you have only to decide who is the actual liar - THE INC PEOPLE or our Lord Jesus Christ Himself.

There can be no other way. Let them prove Christ was a Liar in His promises by simply proving that the "devouring" Ephesians did cross their borders of Ephesus and kill all the Christian converts in their neighboring countries and finally cross the Great Sea and kill all the Christians in Rome. Again only the innocent and the ignorant, the unenlighthened one , will be seduced by the INC people, indeed...

Since we never recognize the Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) as Christ true church, we have to DISMISS WHAT THEY HAVE BEEN MAKING PEOPLE TO BELIEVE THAT THERE IS "no salvation outside their church." Read Leticial L. Gabriel "No Salvation Outside the Church of Christ?", January-February issue, 1980, PASUGO. Their INC so-called "body of Christ" by them, is only a gathering of Felix Manalo's converts of believers. NOT OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST. According to Bro. Marcelo Bacalso, a noted Catholic Faith Defender lecturer and leading debater, their church is simply signed as 'Iglecia Ni Cristo' (Church of Christ) by these people. The INC people, therefore, definitely neither have any authority from our Lord Jesus Christ to preach His Gospel nor have any right to announce " there is no salvation outside" Christ's Church.