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How could the Iglesia ni Cristo be the true Church of Christ established by Christ, when it was Felix Manalo who pioneered
the Iglesia ni Cristo in the Philippines in 1914?

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Christ's other sheep


Letter to the Editor:
PASUGO, July 1998, p.2

I AM A member of a Bible ministry in our place. As I often watch your television program Ang Iglesia ni Cristo, I have observed that you emphasize that it is only your Church which Christ will save while the rest are subject to perdition. Isn't this selfishness?

You teach that yours is the true Church of Christ established by Christ. How could this be true when it was Felix Manalo who pioneered the Iglesia ni Cristo in the Philippines in 1914?

How sure are you in saying that the Far East mentioned in the Bible refers to the Philippines when the Far East is composed of many countries like Japan, Korea, China, etc.  Even if we accept that the fulfillment of the prophecy is the Philippines, there were already other churches or religions established in this country prior to 1914 like the Catholic Church, Aglipayan Church, and the Protestant denominations.

Amy Guadalupe
Iloilo City, Philippines


Editor's reply:

The doctrine that membership in the Church of Christ is necessary for salvation, is far from being a selfish claim, as it is a biblical truth. The Lord Jesus Christ Himself declared:

“I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved.” (Jn. 10:9, NKJV)

Man, therefore, must enter Christ to be saved. Those who have entered in Him find themselves in the fold or flock which is the Church of Christ (cf. Jn. 10:7, 9, REB; Acts 20:28, Lamsa Translation). Christ is the Savior of His Church because it is His body of which He is the head (cf. Col. 1:18; Eph. 5:23). The Bible even testifies that God will judge those outside the true Church (cf. I Cor. 5:12-13, NIV).

It was the Lord Jesus Christ—and not Brother Felix Y. Manalo—who established the Church of Christ in the Philippines as testified to by the prophecy of the Savior:

“And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.” (Jn. 10:16, NKV)

Christ prophesied about His other sheep which were not yet in the fold then. These other sheep of Christ will be made one flock or Church by listening to His voice. Thus, the time of their calling is in the distant future and not during Christ’s earthly ministry (cf. Jn. 10:16, Easy-to-Read New Testament). They comprise the third group of people yet to be called into the Church (cf. Acts 2:39). The first two groups were the Jews and the Gentiles (cf. Rom. 9:24) who became members of the first-century Church of Christ (cf. Gal. 1:22; Rom. 16:4, 16, Lamsa Translation). On the other hand, the third group will come from distant times and places (cf. Acts 2:39, Rieu Version).

The “distant times” when Christ’s other sheep were to emerge is also called by Prophet Isaiah as the ends of the earth (cf. Is. 43:5-6), the time when the end of the world is near and which would be heralded by signs, among which is the war of all nations that will be rumored all over the world (cf. Is. 34:1-2; Mt. 24:33, 6-7). This war is the First World War that broke out on July 27, 1914 (cf. The Story of the Great War, vol. 3, p. 923), the same date when the Iglesia ni Cristo was registered with the Philippine government.

The distant places where the sons and daughters of God who are the other sheep of Christ will emerge is the Far East (cf. Is. 43:5, Moffat Translation). The nation from where they would originate consists of islands (cf. Is. 42:10, NIV). The Philippines where the Iglesia ni Cristo reemerged in 1914 is a country that stands almost at the geographical center of the Far East and consists of over 7,100 islands and islets (cf. Asia and the Philippines, p. 169; Encyclopedia Britannica, vol. 25, p. 537).

The Iglesia ni Cristo did not reemerge in any other country in the Far East, like Japan, Korea, or Thailand but in the Philippines as prophesied. Religions that sprouted before the year 1914 are not themselves the fulfillment of the biblical prophecy regarding the emergence of the “sons and daughters” of God or the “other sheep” of Christ.

However, Christ did not have to descend from heaven to preach to His other sheep. Instead, he sent someone to do the function of preaching the gospel. Listening to the one whom Christ has sent, or to his messenger, is equivalent to listening to His voice (cf. Lk. 10:16; Jn 13:20).

The messenger of God in these last days who preached the gospel of Christ that resulted in the reemergence of the Iglesia ni Cristo is Brother Felix Y. Manalo. He was the Lord’s instrument responsible for the reemergence of the Church of Christ as prophesied but is never the Church’s founder as others have mistakenly thought.

 

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Bible Study Suggestion: If you have further questions, please feel free to visit the Iglesia ni Cristo congregation nearest you. A minister or an evangelical worker would be happy to answer any biblical question you have in mind. For the latest Worship Service Directory of Iglesia ni Cristo Locales and Congregations outside the Philippines, please visit www.iglesianicristoworshipservice.com or just click link at home page.

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