By Bishop Oscar Pimentel, General Overseer, The Church of God
The Church is a royal diadem in the hand of God and when a man gets an idea of any sort regarding God’s divine institution, that man must beware. Remember, this is not a manmade institution, this is the Church of the living God. It is the apple of His eye! Uzzah must have thought it a “good idea” to put forth his hand and take hold of the ark of God when the oxen shook it, only to find out that in doing so he kindled the anger of the Lord against himself. It’s no wonder that true men of God have always walked softly before the Lord, and searched Him out long and hard upon their knees and faces in earnest prayer for guidance and direction before speaking of important matters or considering any actions having to do with God’s Church.
In 1933, A. J. Tomlinson, who as far as Pentecostal history is concerned, ranks among the leading figures of the early Pentecostal movement, and who was the person chosen of God to lead His Church as she arose from the Dark Ages, stated that for more than ten years he had contemplated suggesting a flag specially designed for the Church of God. This idea about a flag continued to grow in his mind, and he made little mention of it to anyone at all. As touching his prayer life, Bishop A. J. Tomlinson was widely known as one who prevailed in prayer. So, it is no stretch of the imagination to believe that he mentioned it to the Lord in prayer through those years until he got God’s answer.
As important a figure as he was—one who was tuned in with God—he advanced slowly, cautiously and only after many years of contemplating the very thought of suggesting a flag for the Church of God did he present it and its design to the Assembly for consideration. “The steps of a good man,” the Bible tells us, “are ordered by the LORD” (Psa. 37:23). This man certainly was a good man; swift to hear and slow to speak regarding a flag during that decade, as he waited to discern the Spirit because of his desire to prove what was “that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (Rom. 12:2).
Thirty years after the Church arose from the Dark Ages and ten years after the disruption of 1923, under the capable leadership of Bishop A. J. Tomlinson, the Church demonstrated great resolve to continue embracing the principles of theocratic government and to live by all of Christ’s teachings. That small remnant of 1923 held tenaciously to the truth and stood four-square upon the Word of God. God’s eyes stayed upon this faithful and steadfast remnant, and their efforts to uphold the truth did not go unnoticed, nor did it go without the great blessings of God. What had at one time looked so weak and fragile had grown 250% in membership going from about 6,000 to 21,000 during those ten years. God’s grace had strengthened and sustained them through the attacks and sore trials faced during that time.
Thousands of years prior to this time, prophecy’s voice had already declared that He would “…lift up an ensign to the nations from far, and will hiss unto them from the end of the earth: and, behold, they shall come with speed swiftly” (Isa. 5:26). It declared, “Thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I will lift up mine hand to the Gentiles, and set up my standard to the people: and they shall bring thy sons in their arms, and thy daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders” (Isa. 49:22), and “Thou hast given a banner to them that fear thee, that it may be displayed because of the truth. Selah” (Psa. 60:4). By divine providence, in 1933 the Church would fulfill prophecy, and God would give her an ensign/flag/banner that would point to Jesus Christ and help distinguish and identify His Church in the world.
In his address to the 28th Annual Assembly, after he had shared several passages of Scripture, Bishop A. J. Tomlinson said, “All of these verses together tell the story of the flag, and also tell how this last day’s movement is going to draw the people of all nations. The red of the flag represents the blood of our Saviour, the blue represents truth, and white purity. The purple, the scepter, the star and crown, represents royalty or kingship… We could not include any letters or writings, because the flag is to represent the Church of God in all nations and languages… I am herewith introducing this flag and its design for consideration by the Assembly…If a better and more appropriate design can be found it will be satisfactory to me. But I really think the time has come for the Church to have a flag with a design of its own, and which cannot be duplicated by any other institution or government. Hurrah for the flag! Three cheers for the red, white, blue and purple!”
L. A. Moxley was the clerk at the 1933 Assembly tasked with writing a report on the dedication of the Church flag. Here are his words:
“Ever since our General Overseer asked me to write a history of this dedication service, I have been wondering how I would find words to express its greatness: and there has been a kind of sacred feeling at every thought of the attempt: nevertheless, after much prayer I have decided to make the start and trust God for the inspiration. First, I wish to mention a few things leading up to the dedication referred to above. The General Overseer discussed the subject of a flag for The Church of God to be displayed in all nations of the world at some length in his Annual Address, and at the same time displayed the design, giving the Scriptures to explain the Scepter, Star, and Crown and the colors Red, White, Blue and Purple.
“It was on Saturday, September the 16th, that the Questions and Subjects committee brought the subject before the Assembly in regular order in their report, after which the General Overseer was asked to give the Scriptures bearing upon the subject, to which he readily and gladly responded and the following passages were read: Genesis 49:10; Numbers 24:17; Psalms 45:6; Matthew 2:2, 9, 10; Isaiah 62:10; 1 Peter 1:19; Revelation 22:16; Isaiah 49:2; and Hebrews 2:9.
Immediately following this the Holy Ghost fell upon S. R. Ferguson and he came to the platform speaking in tongues, took the General Overseer and led him back and forth across the platform two or three times, with the flag in his hand, holding up both of his hands. C. H. Randall and V. R. Sherrill were then led to him under the power of the Spirit. Then came a message and the interpretation, a few words of which were as follows: ‘Listen, My people O! Listen, I will teach this man how to control. Come to the place of obedience. Don’t rebel.’ At this juncture all stood, raised their hands and cried out to God.
“The next scene in this great dedication service was: The General Overseer with flag in hand was stood upon the speakers stand, with uplifted hands, while the congregation of approximately two thousand waved their handkerchiefs to the glory of God, and O! What a scene as the people leaped, screamed and shouted the praises of God.
“Another message flashed down over God’s wireless a few words of which were: ‘I am inviting you to be of one mind. United we stand. Divided we fall. I am calling thee to oneness. I am calling now as never before. Children, hearken. O! O! O! The world will know that I am with thee. I have been guiding this man and will be with him, as long as he leans upon Me. Wilt thou hope in Me and go in wisdom? I am begging you to step out upon My Word. Again I will ask you to humble yourselves.’ All then kneeled and prayed in concert. The volume of prayer sounded as the falling of many waters. As the sound of this prayer died away at the request of the General Overseer all stood in prayer, and asked God to saturate every flag that is made like it with the power of God, after which he said: ‘I had intended to have a formal dedication of the flag, but since the Lord has so wonderfully taken control of this service we will just consider it dedicated by the Holy Ghost.’
“Thus closed the most wonderful dedication service that I have ever had the pleasure of witnessing. Surely the Angels of Heaven were rejoicing, and many will remember it for years to come.”
What a powerful manifestation of the Spirit of God that made known to all present that this was God’s doing! Scripture was read, tongues and interpretations came “down over God’s wireless,” His presence was felt! All things gave evidence that God was in it! Undoubtedly, this was a magnificent occasion! After ten years, and having prayed the thing through, Bishop Tomlinson must have felt great anticipation. He had been inspired by God, and God did not fail to lead the Church. This inspiration did not come from man; A. J. Tomlinson did not borrow it from another religion; it was not copied from some other movement. This fresh divine inspiration came down from heaven from the Holy Ghost and the Word of God! With God’s approval on the banner, this bolstered their courage to proclaim with boldness the message of one Church for all, and it served to advance the work.
“Thou hast given a banner to them that fear thee, that it may be displayed because of the truth. Selah” (Psa. 60:4). Who can doubt that it was, and is, Scripturally sound that the Church should have a banner or flag. The banner given in 1933 was a means of strength to the Church, it was distinctive and flew in many nations of the world. For over sixty years, everywhere it was hoisted and found it stood as an indicator of a holy nation biblically designated as the “pillar and ground of the truth.” It represented a nation determined to proclaim and uphold God’s Word without
compromise, without apology, no “watering down,” no warping in the interest of immediate relevance, no altering to suit the spirit of the time, no disguising to “get it over” on someone—simply the Truth in love.
Something worth noting is the veracity that the Church upheld its form of government as one under the immediate direction of God. It upheld the Bible as its rule of faith. It considered itself a judicial body only. It consistently advocated unanimous agreement in its decision-making bodies, and all its 29 Prominent Teachings were decided upon before 1933. What does this mean but that the truth was already being upheld and taught before the flag was introduced. As a matter of fact, it was because of this that the flag was given. The Church of God was The Church of God before the flag because the truth was already there! The adoption of the flag and its display was an act after the fact. Do I mean to say that the flag is of little importance? God forbid!
The flag is a God given provisional symbol whose need was revealed to the Church, as God impressed it upon Bishop A. J. Tomlinson, to aid in distinguishing and identifying His Church in the 20th century among the many thousands of organizations, denominations, and individuals who had arisen supporting some of the same principles, practices and doctrines of the Church Christ established. Scripture does not tell us that God gave a banner to the Church when Christ established her. Was she the Church then? Yes, of course. At the time of Christ, you did not have the labyrinth of denominationalism that was present when the Church arose out of darkness on June 13th 1903, nor today in the 21st century, but when prophecy’s time came to be fulfilled, God revealed the need of a Church flag.
The day is coming when Christ will come back for the Church He set in order, and that will be the only Church in heaven. Would it be wrong then to assume that there will be no need for an identifying symbol there? I don’t think so; the Church will still be the Church. A person can make it to heaven without the banner of truth, but if the truth is not found in him or her they cannot enter there. A person can make it to heaven without the banner of love, but if the love of God is not found in them they cannot enter there. A person can wrap himself in the flag, but if they are not wrapped in the doctrine and theocratic government it represents, it is of little use. What am I trying to say here? That the Church flag carries great biblical value, but what it represents is what is important—faithfulness to God and His Word. It is what it stands for—THE TRUTH—that is important.
From 1933 until the year 2000 the flag and its design would be hoisted by the Church worldwide as the “Banner of Truth” and the “All Nations Flag,” but due to the letting down of divine standards and values that were incumbent upon God’s Church, and a disregard for the principle and practice of unanimous agreement that demonstrated a clear departure from theocratic government, the General Assembly of The Church of God would officially retire this flag that same year. The record shows that the Church went without a flag that subsequent Assembly year, but she was still the Church of the living God searching out the perfect will of God!
Regarding the 1933 flag, former General Overseer Bishop Robert J. Pruitt said: “I know there is still much feeling about the former flag. About that flag, we retired it last year, but the thing is, the Scripture says, ‘Thou hast given a banner to them that fear thee, that it may be displayed because of the truth.’ As wonderful as that flag was to us, it became flawed because it no longer represented the truth and the fear of God that it was intended for” (Excerpts of General Overseer, 96th AM, 2001, p. 56).
Did the Church give up what God had approved? No! I reiterate, what makes her the true Church is the doctrine, her commitment to theocracy, and the fulfillment of prophecy on her part as the Spirit gives direction. So long as The Church of God continues in the doctrine of the apostles and operates according to the theocratic principles we have embraced in the Word of God, she remains God’s true Church.
The sentiments of faithful men of yesteryear, who understood the significance of the Church flag, and of today’s faithful, who salute and pledge their allegiance to our present flag, were and are conveyed quite adequately by the words of Bishop M. A. Tomlinson in one of his addresses:
“No flag is more beautiful to us today than this banner of truth. Its very colors stir deep emotions within us. The red, symbolizing the blood of Jesus, fills us with deep gratitude as we consider the price paid by our Saviour. The white represents the purity and righteousness we can exhibit because of His precious blood. The purple denotes royalty, reminding us that we are a royal priesthood. The blue signifies truth, and it serves as a constant reminder of the reason the flag was given to us in the first place—that it might be displayed because of the truth. The emblems on
the flag are also highly significant. The sceptre denotes authority; the star in the center stands for Jesus Christ who must be kept central, being given preeminence in all our activities; and the crown may well represent not only His kingship but also the reward for faithfulness which we all anticipate when this earthly life is ended. We may observe that the blue stripes do not come together at the top and bottom of the flag. We are hereby reminded that all the children of God are not yet united in one body. The Church’s doors are open so that all believers may flow together. Jesus said, ‘and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd’(75th AM, Annual Address, 1980, pp. 43, 44).
Seven years after the 1993 reorganization of the Church, the 1933 flag that served faithfully through all those years was officially retired, but not without some experiencing heavy hearts and tear-filled eyes. Such a serious decision was not made overnight or “on the fly.” This was a somber matter that could hardly be taken lightly. It was only after diligently searching out the will of God through a year of constant prayer, fasting and work that God gave the Church a new banner. Though that year, according to Bishop Pruitt, was “uncomfortable and unsettling,” they dared not get ahead of God but worked with him upon their knees, allowing the Holy Ghost to be in charge. It was by the direction and help of God that the Church came to the place where the Holy Ghost would prepare the hearts of the people to lay down the old flag and take up a new flag. This was not man’s doing but God’s work during the previous years and He gave the Church the inspiration and courage to make that change.
In 2001, The Church of God went on to approve and accept a new design presented by the Questions and Subjects Committee for consideration. The General Overseer’s editorials in the October 2001 Evening Light publication stated the following:
“The Holy Ghost has spoken. The Church flag controversy is over. We now have a Church flag approved and accepted by the 96th General Assembly and the Holy Ghost. Just as we were about to get bogged down in rhetoric, discussion, and confusion during the discussion of the Questions and Subjects Committee’s report and presentation of the flag design, the Holy Ghost spoke: ‘Yea, I say, listen to My Spirit. Yea, I have spoken. Listen to Me. Yea, I’ve been pleading. Yea, many are self-willed, self-centered. Yea, I say I have dealt with My Spirit. Yea, I have melted thee together, yea, in unity. Yea, I have delivered this to you. Yea I say, humble thyself before Me, follow Me on thy face and worship Me, for I am God. I know what thou needest. I know what the Church needs this hour. Be humble, be submissive, search thy heart, look unto Me. Yea I say worship Me and Honor Me. Yea, and I will bless thee.
A few minutes from the first message another interpreter gave this message: “Yea, I say unto My people, listen to My voice. I speak clearly to thee. I say, take this, take this design that I have given you and present it unto this General Assembly for general acceptance. I say take this; I, the Holy Ghost, give it unto thee. I say unto My people, listen. I say take this design that I have given. I say I submit to it. I accept this design.” God had spoken and we responded by yielding to His Word. All objections were silenced and the General Assembly gave its unanimous acceptance of the design displayed.
On Sunday afternoon there was a celebration of thanks and appreciation to God for helping resolve the flag issue. There was shouting, dancing, running, and waving of the cards imprinted with the accepted design.
As soon as possible and when we have made arrangements with a flag maker we will make them available in various sizes for our people. Your prayers for this endeavor will be much appreciated. God bless you! God bless The Church of God! God bless the banner of truth!”
It is God’s prerogative, if He should so desire, to have the design changed and give a new flag to the Church, but one cannot overlook what history reveals that only after over sixty years did God set the stage for the Church to need a new flag design, and that stage was set according to prophecy’s time and all was carried out according to God’s will.
I’m astonished by what I’ve observed around the Church during the last twelve or so years. Notice, I said “around the Church,” not “in” the Church. It appears to be a kind of a phenomenon, call it a fad if you will, amongst some groups of people. A phenomenon perhaps produced because men of supposed high repute ventured out to do it during those years and they gave the example, so to speak, to others—some their followers and some their challengers—who also have found it easy to conceive the same idea and follow in their footsteps.
Their actions give the impression that there is no fear and no regard for the importance and significance of the matter. It conveys the message that if one just doesn’t like what those over them have advised or if one simply doesn’t agree with something decided upon or decided against, even though that advice or decision adheres to biblical principles, a person can wake up tomorrow, declare himself to be so and so in charge of such and such, gather up some like-minded folks, produce something visible and tangible and shout, “We’re the Church of God!”
Still yet, there is seemingly another phenomenon that takes hold of individuals, or groups of individuals, that causes them to “make-off” with items or intellectual property not their own. Of course, I’m talking about The Church of God flag and its design. In my mind, I equate this action to someone stealing my wife’s dress and placing it on another woman, and then they try to tell me, and others, that this woman is my spouse simply because she is wearing my wife’s stolen dress. Not so! Merely putting on my wife’s dress, doesn’t make that other woman my wife. Merely hoisting a Church of God flag or its similitude, doesn’t make you the Bride of Christ!
Besides those who have “made-off” with the Church flag design, to my knowledge there are presently four other flag designs out there being used by different groups. Said flag designs look almost like the real thing, but they are unlike the Banner of Truth. It’s so easy to alter and modify most everything at the “click of a button” using the latest software and printers and, since computers are effortlessly accessible, it’s so easy to “copy and paste” just about anything now-a-days. What was not easy was fulfilling prophesy through the years by Divine Providence—that was God’s business. What was not easy was waiting patiently on the Lord—He made the Church stand still. What was not easy was spending time in quality prayer to know the mind of God—the Church acknowledged Him in all her ways, and He directed her path. What was not easy was preparing the circumstances of the times to when God would be able to move the Church forward in its journey to perfection—that was God’s doing.
What I have up to this point referred to as a “phenomenon” and “fad” is, in fact, the spirit of anarchy that has been at work to lure people away from the Truth. Allow me to share a tidbit of advice, the same advice given to individuals who handle money so they know how to “weed out” counterfeit currency; it is not so important that you take to studying the phony but that you know the real thing so that you will not be duped by “knock-offs.” As citizens of God’s holy nation, we all ought to recognize the Church flag when we see it, and when we don’t.
God does not author confusion, He never has and He never will. Has He really called for a change in its design at least four times in the last 12 years? Have things really gotten out of hand for God, has He lost control, that on an average of every three years He has had to reorganize His Church every time and give them a new flag? Maybe He has no foresight and there is no longer safety in the multitude of counselors so that He has made just as many mistakes choosing one leader after another? I don’t believe that to be true at all, nor accurate whatsoever, but by the actions and decisions of some of those who have left the Church, who are outside and around the Church, they apparently believe that to be the case.
I write unto you, little children, because I would not have you be ignorant of the devil’s devices. I write unto you, young men, because you walk not in darkness. I write unto you, fathers, that we henceforth be no more children tossed around, and carried about by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive. I write unto him who hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith.