Soriano's Asinine Denial of God's Global Flood

Here we go again. It appears denying God's words is what Soriano does to pass time. He denies God can do everything, knows everything, and is everywhere. Now he even denies God's worldwide flood. And the leading reason of his two-fold argument is the term "worldwide flood" is not in the Bible. Absolutely childish really, but his followers treat it as scripture itself. We'll tackle both folds of his argument and we'll start with the verses he cites.

(Genesis 7:17-20) “And the flood was forty days upon the earth; and the waters increased, and bore up the ark, and it was lifted up above the earth. And the waters prevailed, and were increased greatly upon the earth; and the ark went upon the face of the waters. And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high hills, that were under the whole heaven, were covered. Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail; and the mountains were covered.”

He states that "nowhere in these verses is there a hint of a worldwide flood".

No hint?

Let's go through the verses again, "all the high hills under the whole heaven", "the mountains were covered". Doesn't 'all' mean ALL? I'd agree with 'local' had the flood been described like that of Sodom and Gomorrah. Which was clearly a local destruction and the only saved were Lot and his family. But the Bible saying 'world', and 'all', and the only saved were Noah and his family, is a whole different matter.

From this alone, one thing's for sure... Soriano would make a lousy detective.

Let's help him out... How about 2 Peter 3:6 “Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: ” How's THAT for a hint Mr. Soriano?

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Now I said his argument was two-fold. The second of which is Soriano's focus on the word 'earth' or as he has extensively tried to establish as "dry land". He even pulled out the Hebrew term 'erets' to try and fix his listeners' mind to JUST DRY EARTH. Now why does he have to go to the extent of doing this? Because he believes that THE SEAS CANNOT BE FLOODED. And he wants his listeners to believe what he believes.

Mr. Soriano, you need to employ some of your claimed wisdom to work here. The whole world was flooded at the beginning, was it not? Flooding it again wouldn't be too hard for God to do. Even the limited god you preach about can do that. If the flood was local, why does God tell Noah to build a boat? What for? He could have just told Noah to pack up and go. Noah had 120 years of warning right? He could have found another place that the floods would not reach.

God could have just told the animals to take a hike. Or He may not have bothered at all because surely there were other animals in the parts that were not flooded, think about that Mr. Soriano. Moreover, why build such a huge ark for just the local fauna? Birds could have just flown elsewhere yet pairs of them were gathered into the ark.

And please, Mr. Soriano, do not bring science into your claim because you will only be nailing your argument's own coffin. Science will tell you that WATER SEEKS ITS OWN LEVEL. It could not rise to cover ALL THE MOUNTAINS while leaving the rest of the world undisturbed. That is absolutely dumb, Soriano.

Not convinced Eliseo? Get any container. Put anything that will not float in the middle, and then fill the container with water. Scripture says the flood rose 15 cubits higher than all the high hills, so fill the container until the object you placed in the middle is under. Try any shape of object that won't float, but always remember to put water that is 15 cubits (in ratio) higher than the highest peak. Then watch your asinine argument melt. Water will always seek its own level.

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What is not obvious here is Soriano's subtle attack of God's word yet again. He is denying what is crystal clear in scripture. Denying the global scope of the flood, will mean there were people living in distant lands that were not affected by it. They would have escaped God’s judgment on sin. Jesus Christ must then be mistaken when He likened the coming judgment of all men to the judgment of ‘ALL’ men in the days of Noah (Mathew 24:37-39). Jesus must be talking about a partial judgment in Noah’s day, is that right Eli? Jesus must also mean a partial judgement to come in the future, eh?

Believe Soriano and you render Jesus as mistaken.

Believe Soriano and you believe the lies of the devil himself.

*Part of graphic used with apologies to Answers In Genesis

Soriano Says No Women In Heaven

Yes, you read the title right. Here are more preposterous claims of Eliseo Soriano... "women cannot enter Heaven unless they become men first", and "there are no more women in Heaven". How in the world did he come up with such bizarre teachings? He'll point you to the Bible of course, and he'll tell you to read 1 Corinthians 16:13 "Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong" and Job 38:3 "Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me" as his primary basis for his claim. Soriano says women need to become men according to these verses.

At first I thought, "this guy could not possibly be serious". I mean anybody with enough sense will readily interpret what the Bible meant by "like men" and "like a man". It means, to render one's self as MANLY or BRAVE. NOT to be a coward, or timid, or afraid of enemies. But to be BOLD and BRAVE. Soriano could not be seriously implying "like men" to mean "become men" right? So I gave him the benefit of the doubt and delved into it a little deeper. Because his example of Job being told by God to gird his loins like a man may mean what I just described as being manly. That at least would have been acceptable teaching for women to stand strong and be brave. But sadly, it turned out that Soriano meant what he said.

Because Soriano would then use Philippians 3:20-21, "For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself." With this verse Soriano claims that our bodies will be transformed to become LIKE that of Christ's body. And since Christ was a man, we will all be like Christ (a man) in Heaven. With this he reiterates his claim that there will no longer be a female gender. So there are no women in heaven. Yes folks, you'd better start calling Maria as Mario, if you think Soriano is right.

Listen to him yourself here... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MN6m70X6C9I

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I wasn't a bit surprised after watching this video. Nor was I surprised when his followers started claiming that the video was either cut, manipulated, or edited when I pointed them to it. Surely they can't deny how definitive Soriano's answer was. That there will only be one (1) gender in heaven. And that the women end up with the short straw. Nor could they deny that the channel is the "official channel" for the videos from Ang Dating Daan.

It's quite predictable that Soriano's followers will come to defend their leader no matter what slip up he may commit. For them, Soriano, being a god, would not make such obvious misinterpretations. They will recite (as if reading from a prompter) that I am the one misinterpreting Soriano, and that I am of the devil, and that I being of the devil cannot understand Scripture. Only Soriano, being "the SENT" of God can interpret Scripture correctly. So unless I was Soriano himself, they would not listen. Yet another display of idolatry really.

So what does scripture really mean? What it means is when we get to heaven, we will all be given glorified bodies *like* that of our Lord Jesus Christ. Scripture does not say that we will all become men like Christ nor did Scripture say that the women will become men. Only Soriano insinuated that *dumb notion* (pardon my French). He did not even give a passage that supports his bizarre claim. He merely used ambiguous verses then inserted the idea that all will become what he says women will become. Soriano exhibited his woeful ignorance yet again with this teaching. So much so that the Pastors he arrogantly challenges for debates should give way to English teachers (preferably women). I doubt he'll come out acting like the boor he is once the teachers are through with him.

The sad part is, at the end of the day, there are still those who value Soriano's words. Not knowing they are words of heresy. And they in turn share false teachings like these to their friends and loved ones. Unaware of the fact that they are leading souls into destruction themselves because they are blinded by their adoration for this worker of evil. They raise him up on their shoulders and proclaim salvation through their sent leader. Soriano's double whammy of ignorance and deceit guarantees a disastrous fall. Making it so easy for him to trick those who don't know any better themselves.

But his victims are still our brothers and sisters. They do not see Soriano for what he truly is . A wolf in sheep's clothing let loose inside a henhouse. Spewing lie after lie with cunning deception and charisma. Leading them to their own destruction.

They need our help.

Why The MCGI Is A Cult

In this entry I will give the numerous truths that show why Eli Soriano's MCGI (Members, Church of God International) is a cult (like it was not obvious already). I guess it's only fair to explain the basis of this claim using the template that existing cults follow. This is to show that I am not doing this merely to defame or persecute Soriano, but to help open the eyes of the multitudes he has deceived into his fold. I could care less about Soriano and his defenders but the urging of the Holy Spirit is stronger than anything else. And it alone takes the fear, hate, apprehension, and bias away from pursuing this endeavor.

The first characteristic of a cult is the inclination to hold the leader's word as superior to the Bible. Cults will deny what God says in His Word as completely true especially if it goes against their doctrines. They use God's very own words to inject doubt into the minds of followers by weaving half-truths and ambiguity one after the other taken from the same Bible. The explanation and interpretation if Scripture is exclusive to the leader of the cult. Members are not permitted to do so on their own. There is no permission for self study. This is why all questions are directed to the leader. Moreover, they look at their leader as infallible.

The idea that their leader is the "sent" and therefore the "only" person qualified to interpret scripture is as unbiblical as it is cultic. Questioning the leader's word is like going against God himself. Eventually, the followers change their theological point of authority away from God's full and final written Word, the Bible, to the cult leader's own unique, self-promoting opinions about the Bible. They will still use the Bible for convenience. But everything is lip service now. They can try all they want, but Soriano's cult members will have to keep fooling their own minds to deny what this identifier says about their cult. Because it is spot on.

Cults teach that salvation depends upon something other than the Atonement for sins through faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ. For cults, Jesus' sacrifice is not enough to save them from sin and to complete this, human works is injected into their doctrine. The cult's message of salvation is clouded with obedience to requirements declared by its leader, instead of relying on the grace of God alone for salvation. Because of this, there is no guarantee of salvation for the member. The member is continually bound to obligations instead of being spiritually free. Obligations also lead to financial exploitation where the member is brainwashed that money contributed to the cause will be reciprocated substantially.

In order to gain favor with the market they target, they will use ambiguous doctrines meant to deceive rather than enlighten. They will cater to itching ears and say what is popular or what the public wants to hear. Hidden behind these propaganda lies the doctrinal beliefs they will impart once the listener has decided to become part of the cult.

It is a fact that cults will claim at one point or another, that they are the only true church and all other churches are false. They will denounce other groups, even badmouthing specific groups (particularly those that expose their falsehoods). Regardless of the cult, they all claim this exclusivity with God as the only ones who will enter into heaven. A condition is thereafter set, that to become saved, you MUST join their cult. Moreover the leader will surely say that it will be impossible to serve God without becoming a member. That's another bull's-eye for Soriano's MCGI.

Further still, the group leader will claim to be no mere man. He will label himself as the messiah (like Apollo Quiboloy), the sent, the angel of the Lord (like Felix Manalo), a god (like Eliseo Soriano), etc. This is followed with declarations that all others are dishonest, deceitful, from the devil, all the while it is they who exhibit all manner of Satanic characters.

They will welcome blogs like this and call it persecution. Soriano in particular will claim he is being attacked for righteousness sake. He will consider this as evidence that what he teaches is the only and true body of Christ. A member then, will find the weight of the world on his shoulders should he decide to leave the cult. The poor soul will be conditioned to think that to leave the group is to leave God Himself.

There will always be a special discovery like holy literature, communion with the dead, angels, or even God. Sometimes it's a continuing revelation that only the leader is privileged to hear. Such revelations come from hallucinations, visions, dreams, private discoveries, etc.

The last and most important characteristic of a cult in which Soriano's MCGI is again spot on, is wrong understanding of Christ's nature. A cult will usually deny the true deity of Christ, His true humanity, His true origin, or the true union of the two natures in one Person. They will either demote Christ, make Him subordinate, or worse, make Him a creation and not the creator.

My interactions with members of Soriano's cult has always led me conclude that these poor people are like prisoners to the lies of Soriano. He always uses out-of-context scripture as proofs for their doctrines. They focus on one verse or passage of the Bible to the exclusion of others, then limit their understanding to the shallowness and wanton disregard for the true context of Scripture that Soriano spews out. Because of this, the ignorant remain ignorant. The prisoners in MCGI, remain prisoners in MCGI. And they are willingly allowing Soriano to fill their heads with falsehoods. Keeping them from finding the true person of Jesus Christ in the Bible. Keeping themselves from being set free.

Salvation In Two Flavors

Heresy in Soriano's doctrines reach it's peak with the false teaching that Jesus brings two kinds of salvation.

The first of the two is derived from Matthew 1:21, which says, “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.” Here Soriano claims that Jesus came and died for Israel alone.

The second of the two salvations is for the faithful Gentiles. This lot will only have their chance at redemption at the time of Jesus' return. In a twisted perversion of scripture, this means that Christ's death should mean little to the Gentiles since it was not meant for them. Would Jesus have to die all over again for the Gentiles? Because it is written in scripture that the punishment for sin is death (Romans 3:23) and the atonement for it is the blood of the innocent. The answer is no of course. Soriano's teaching is heretical to the last letter. He would have Christ doing a sequel to His last stint on earth.

Soriano teaches that on Christ's return, the Gentiles, will be saved if they remain faithful, and belong to God's "legitimate church"... which just so happens to be his church, Members Church of God International (MCGI).

With this false doctrine, Soriano injects yet another betrayal of scripture. Scripture declares in plain and simple words... there is nothing man can do to merit salvation. Joining a cult like Soriano's could not bring man any further from being saved.

Soriano continually pushes for "works-based salvation". A clear departure form Ephesians 2:8-9 which clearly teaches that there is only one plan for salvation, and that nothing man can do will be acceptable unto the Lord (Isaiah 64:6). He uses a perverse misinterpretation of 1 Timothy 3:15, "But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth." Claiming that God has NAMED His church as "Church Of The Living God, The Pillar And Ground Of The Truth". People only need to JOIN to be saved, because God has established it, and it's there already, nothing else is needed but JOIN. This is a lie Soriano says through his teeth.

The funny thing is, Soriano even pursued having his church renamed with the lengthy chopped portion of scripture to make his church sound legit. But the Securities and Exchange Commission would not allow it, on account of an entity already existing with the very same name. He settles for the present MCGI yet claims this is the TRUE CHURCH that Jesus established before ascending into heaven.

Soriano teaches the heresy that a sinner must FIRST join the church (his church) before he or she can receive Christ as Savior. The Bible teaches the exact opposite. Because the very moment you trust Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, you become a member of the Body of Christ (The Church).

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The truth is, there is nothing we can do by works to earn salvation. There is no step that requires joining a church, and then this, and then that. It is true that Christians should be baptized, publicly confess Christ as Savior, turn from sin, and commit their lives to obeying God. But, these are not steps to salvation. They are RESULTS of salvation. Because of our sin, we cannot earn salvation by any means. There is no manual with 10 steps or 1000 steps to follow. That is why Jesus had to die in our place. We are totally incapable of paying our sin debt to God or cleanse ourselves from sin. Only God could accomplish our salvation. God Himself completed the necessary “steps” and thereby freely offers salvation to anyone who will receive it from Him.

We don't have to join any visible church organization to be saved. Jesus' love and sacrifice was sufficient for all, Jews and Gentiles alike. The word 'all' includes those who came before and after His death on the cross. There is no second type of salvation as Soriano teaches. Faith ALONE (Ephesians 2:8-9), in Jesus ALONE (Romans 10:13) is all that's needed to be saved. For Jesus is the ONLY WAY, He is the TRUTH, and He is the LIFE. No man cometh unto the Father, but through Jesus (John 14:6).

God Cannot Lie, Therefore God Is Not Omnipotent?

There is a predictable danger in believing Eli Soriano's lies regarding God's omnipresence. According to Soriano, not only is God NOT omnipresent, God is also NOT omnipotent. God not being omnipresent and omnipotent, surely will include the third of the trio, God's omniscience. Such a depiction of God negates all other declarations of God's infinite power. And belief in such a lie, leads one to worship not the God of the Bible, but a god made by Soriano.

Soriano assumes God has a behind because he paints a picture of God by using a man's physical being as a basis, employing a "reverse engineering" approach to Genesis 1:24 ("Let us make man after our own image"). Whereas man, having a behind, would logically mean God has one also. He completely forgets the Biblical fact that "God is a spirit" (John 4:24), and "a spirit hath not flesh and bones" (Luke 24:39). He also forgets the fact that he is comparing man's physical body with a spiritual one. His primary fault is his failure to compare God (who is an invisible spirit) (Colossians 1:15) to man's own spirit, which is the "image" that Genesis 1:24 is referring to. And he's too proud to admit his mistake. What's worse is he further builds on this one lie to preach even more lies, thereby denying God of His powers. He denies God is omnipresent, now he denies God is omnipotent.

The all powerful God who created everything from nothing is being reduced to a punk who can do this and that, but NOT everything. And what has Soriano to present as proof of his blasphemous claim? God's own words! Can you imagine the gall of this false prophet? Preaching of God's "limitations" using God's own words? This is how he easily captures his audience, by mixing truth with lies. He uses Titus 1:2 "...which God, that cannot lie..." as his evidence for his false teaching.

No God-fearing, Bible-believing person will refute scripture. Indeed, God cannot lie. That is Biblical fact. But how Soriano uses this fact IS the lie I am addressing here. Soriano argues that since God cannot lie, God cannot do everything. And because God cannot do everything, God cannot be called omnipotent!

How false can this prophet get?

In the mindset of Soriano, God has to be able to lie, to be called omnipotent. If God does lie, will Soriano call Him omnipotent then? I wouldn't hold my breath if I were Soriano, because God will never lie. It would go against His very nature which is holy and pure. Still, Soriano uses this child-like argument like a buffoon bullying kids in the backstreets to uphold his deceitful argument and wrong assumptions. Those who don't know better offer little to no resistance to the lies that Soriano spews out.

God's omnipotence is most prevalent and openly declared in the Bible.

- Genesis 18:14, “Is anything too hard for the LORD?”

- Numbers 11:23, “Is the LORD'S hand too short?”

- 1 Samuel 14:6, "...for [there is] no restraint to the LORD ..."

- Jeremiah 32:17, “Ah Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, [and] there is nothing too hard for thee:”

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Sorry Soriano, lying will not make God omnipotent. Lying will only make God a sinner. To lie is to sin. And to propose such a sin to limit God's power can only come from a lying heretic like you. Lying is a most detestable evil to God, who is a God of truth. You, Soriano resemble the devil, who is the father of lies. Your tongue speaks falsehood, knowingly and willingly, intent on deceiving others, impugning the character of the Most High.

Do us all a favor Soriano and look up at the stars in the sky. God made all of them! Can you even imagine the power in just one star? God created everything simply by speaking. That is ultimate, limitless, and infinite power. Power that is beyond our comprehension. Power that is well beyond your lies.

The Graven Image Of Soriano

Often when you engage in discussion with members of Soriano's CGI (Church of God International), they reveal (consciously and unconsciously) unbiblical doctrines like the ones presented in this blog. When you delve deeper, they are not shy in presenting Biblical reference which more often than not, do not have relevance to the doctrine they preach. It just so happens that a word or two can be found in such verses, that they use it to try and substantiate their claims. It's not hard to recognize the shallow nature in which they interpret scripture. This is mainly because their fundamentals are shaky, so everything built upon it is easily toppled.

When you refute their falsehood, be prepared to receive all manner of degrading words, cussing, and ridicule. They will no longer see you as a potential new member, but a threat. Of the numerous encounters I've had with Soriano's followers (I say Soriano's followers because they don't follow what the Bible says, just what Soriano says) I've been called everything from 'stupid' to 'demon', but that's okay. Words don't hurt anyway. It only emboldens me to try and pierce through the armor of lies Soriano has clad on them. The members' eyes are obviously blinded from the fact that they don't even bother investigating obvious flaws in Soriano's argument simply because they consider him above everyone else.

"Soriano is sent", is what you'd often hear as retort. "Soriano is the only sensible teacher", and "Only the sent should interpret scripture". If that is not a spiritual death wish, I don't know what is. The followers are brainwashed of the Biblical fact that reading and studying scripture is not exclusive to the leader of the group. Nowhere in the Bible is it said that reading scripture is for those sent alone. On the contrary, the Bible is very clear that we should all read and study God's words to live a life that is pleasing to the Lord.

- God's word is our spiritual food, because we cannot live by bread alone (Matthew 4:4);

- We can use it to answer ANY QUESTION we have about life, and we are guaranteed that the answers within are without error (2 Timothy 3:16);

- We can depend on it simply because God does not change. What holds true then is true now, and will still be true in the future no matter how advanced we get (Ecclesiastes 1:9, Malachi 3:6);

- God's word helps us identify false teachings. There so many of these damnable heresies that the word of God helps us identify them. We learn to discern between the good and evil, the true and false;

- Further, the word of God equips us to do battle for the faith. To uphold what is true, God-breathed, and holy (2 Timothy 3:17; Ephesians 6:17; Hebrews 4:12).

With the Bible openly talking like this, why is it that Soriano's followers not recognize the truth that study of scripture is for all?

There is no other answer other than "Because Soriano says so". Here lies the danger of idolatry. We know that idolatry is not limited to the worship of graven images. It comes in different forms that without the discernment scripture provides, we cannot readily identify them. In a nutshell though, idolatry happens when we replace God as the center of our lives. Anything that has a greater pull at our hearts than God has is idolatry. And there is none other than Soriano who has the greatest pull in these people's hearts. He has them catering to his every whim. So why not make them attend his concert? Or why not make them boycott a TV station? They'll follow him, so WHY NOT?  

Submission to Soriano's opinion is a form of idolatry. How they raise his words with authority is scary. The "what he says is so" attitude replaces the authority of God's word. The cultic control Soriano has over his subjects is not something to be taken lightly. They see it as defiance to go against what Soriano has said. They blindly follow Soriano to their destruction. They are convinced that they have NO RIGHT to interpret scripture because they are not "sent". That is a blatant lie of Soriano! They content themselves with what Soriano feeds them. Picking up the Bible and reading from it merely becomes lip service. They don't chew and digest God's words, they let Soriano do all the chewing! This is why they remain spiritually hungry.

They are also convinced that Soriano is sent of God, where in fact, no church ever sent him, not even his old church. He had to break away and create his own church. THEN install himself as "sent". How could he be sent then? Can you see the similarities with Satan's ambitions? And lastly, which could be the most bizarre of all, is that they are convinced Soriano himself is a god. They acknowledge Soriano introducing himself as a god. And as followers, who are they to defy a god?

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Please include them in your prayers. May God open their eyes to the truth that is before them. That they may see and understand that they are committing idolatry, and that the folly of following someone who is no more saved than they are will lead them to fall.

Soriano Limits God's Engagements

The first response you'll get from Soriano regarding God's omnipresence (present everywhere) is "you won't find the word omnipresent in the Bible". Sure enough he'll get his crowd going by stamping it in their brains that if it can't be found in the Bible, it must be rubbish. There are a lot of theological words not found in the Bible. Like 'trinity', 'polytheism', 'monotheism', etc. But Eli Soriano does not find any problem using the words 'rapture' when teaching about Christ's return, or 'atheists' when teaching about non-believers of God. This shows a double standard or utter hypocrisy on Soriano's part to pick words that support whatever he teaches and ridicule those that he does not.

A true preacher of the Bible will not negate words meant to describe context or teaching that the Bible states clearly, but does not give a name for. The Bible is crystal clear that the Lord is present everywhere. "Omni" (latin for "all") seems to fluster Soriano because of his unbiblical teaching that God has a behind (click here for the blog post on this). He is bent on his own fallacy that God having a behind, logically has eyes in his being. And it goes against human logic that God will be everywhere because His being sits His behind on a throne in heaven. The funny thing is, Soriano opens his argument (in his personal blog) that God's ways are not our ways, Isaiah 55:8 "For my thoughts [are] not your thoughts, neither [are] your ways my ways, saith the LORD." But then he immediately employs "human logic" when told of Proverbs 15:3, "The eyes of the LORD [are] in every place, beholding the evil and the good.". Arguing that God's eyes cannot be 'logically' everywhere because His being is stuck in His throne!

Here are more of Soriano's supposed Biblical support for his wayward doctrine:

• God does not dwell in temple made by man (Acts 17:24). Two points for Soriano to ponder on his use of this verse, certainly 'presence' does not automatically mean 'residence' as he implies... and not everything man builds is a temple.
• God is not the author of confusion (1 Corinthians 14:33) and... “For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work (James 3:16). With these verses, Soriano declares God would not be found in a prostitution den or a casino for these are places for demons. Anyone who suggests that God is present in these places are wicked. Another two points for Soriano to ponder here, does everybody who enters a casino gamble? What of those abducted and imprisoned in whorehouses? Does God say, "Sorry kids, Soriano says I can't go there to help you, so tough luck."

I've offered these rebuttals to his followers and sure enough they try to discredit me instead of addressing my rebuttals. I know when I've left them nothing to say whenever they start asking for my Church affiliation, or who my Pastor is. With it they will tell you "your church is not in the Bible", or "your Pastor is afraid to face Soriano". Your Pastor only wants your tithes so he can live lavishly. I mean How disinformed are these people? They are so brainwashed by Soriano that they end up hating other religions the way their leader badmouths them.

They conclude that I am from the devil because I say God is omnipresent. He is everywhere and in everything be it Heaven, Earth, or Hell. They say it is a great insult to God when I said God's presence is also in Hell where the wicked are departed and suffer the unlimited and unending fury of God because of their sin.

While it is true that hell is a place for those separated from God in Matthew 25:41, God cannot be in a place that is separated from Him. However the Bible also states, the wicked in hell endure His everlasting anger in Revelation 14:10 where it speaks of the torment of the wicked. God fills all things with His presence (Colossians 1:17) and upholds everything by the word of His power (Hebrews 1:3).

So although God is sometimes separated from His children because of sin (Isaiah 52:9), and He is far from the wicked (Proverbs 15:29) and orders the godless subjects of darkness to depart at the end of time to a place of eternal punishment, God is still there in the midst. He knows what those souls suffer who are now in hell; He knows their anguish, their cries for respite, their tears and grief for the eternal state that they find themselves in. He is there in every way as a perpetual reminder to them of their sin which has created a chasm from every blessing that might had been theirs.

He is there in every way, but He displays no attribute other than His wrath. The same wrath that awaits Soriano and those he has deceived. How arrogant of them to limit God's presence simply because it violates "human logic". Completely forgetting that God is beyond human understanding. They need our prayers to understand that God's ways are NOT our ways.

Portions of text credit to www.gotquestions.org

Eve Didn't Need Jesus' Help?

One of the more unbiblical things Soriano teaches his flock is that Eve, the wife of Adam, is already a saved soul on account of her giving birth. This bizarre lesson from Soriano is based on a couple of verses in the Bible. First, he tries to establish that Eve did not willfully sin in Eden, but was JUST deceived by the devil in 1 Timothy 2:14 "Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression." Soriano suggests that she was less of a sinner than Adam. Then he follows up with the next verse where he claims Paul declared Eve to have enjoyed salvation through childbirth in 1 Timothy 2:15, "Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety." So when Cain (the first murderer) came into the world, Eve was saved.

Wow!

The whole deal about the Lord Jesus coming down to earth to save mankind excludes Eve then? Wasn't it the Bible that said "all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23)? How could it be 'ALL' if it excludes Eve? How could she have special favors when she's the reason Adam ate of the fruit in the first place?. Is the Bible lying, or is Soriano lying?

After a thoughtful study of Soriano's "doctrinal verses" I have come to see how SHALLOWLY Soriano interprets scripture yet again. This time around, he willfully neglects the prior verses where Paul was scolding (if that is the appropriate term) women who cause disruptions while men are praying at church. Paul goes as far as telling women how to dress and conduct themselves during worship. Such words could be considered hurtful to the point where Paul reminds women of their second-class stature even in Eden. Such a lecture would have certainly disheartened any woman and Paul was sensitive enough to offer a consolation that through their childbearing (meaning rearing, teaching, instruction, care of children) they are saved (from their second class social stature) if they are to do their duties faithfully.

I doubt if Soriano even considered trying to understand WHY Paul used Adam and Eve analogously. Because his interpretation is void of awareness as to the social standing of women in the early church. When he came across the words "Eve" and "saved" in one verse, he immediately concludes Eve is saved from God's wrath.

Here's the low down on all these. Eve sinned against God and was banished from Eden, remember that. She suffered spiritual death upon eating the forbidden fruit (because she wanted to be like God) and was punished with great pains in giving birth. It does not make sense for God to punish and banish Eve then save her just because she gave birth. The fact that she's no longer in Eden, and that she has great pains in childbirth is evidence of her separation from God.

Faith alone, [Ephesians 2:8-9 "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.] in Jesus Christ alone, [John 14:6, "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."] is the ONLY WAY to salvation.

Teaching people that Eve saved herself through childbirth is a works-based thinking of salvation. God considers as filthy rags all manner of good works that man can accomplish in Isaiah 64:6, "But we are all as an unclean [thing], and all our righteousnesses [are] as filthy rags". There is nothing Eve could have done to wash her sins away. Only the atoning blood of Christ will do it, nothing less.

The truth is, Soriano hopes this doctrine on Eve will be a foothold for his more elaborate works-based doctrine of salvation. But he chose a shaky foothold, set on shallow interpretation. His followers only need to open their eyes and see the truth in scripture and the fallacy in Soriano's words.

Soriano's Ass-umptions

I once chanced upon Eli Soriano arguing with a young man on TV while I was scanning channels for something to watch. It caught my attention mainly because they were talking about God.

Back then I had little knowledge of Mr. Soriano and his ministry (if you can call it that), aware of only minor details and ashamedly only because of the comedy show Bubble Gang where Brod Pete parodies Soriano's broadcasts. This was back in the late 90s or early 2000s. I had no inkling as to the kind of person Soriano was at that time. I never thought a preacher, one who's on TV, could be so fundamentally wrong.

I only caught the end part, but fortunately the channel (owned by Soriano) airs reruns throughout the day. So I got to see the whole thing again.

He begins by citing that God appeared as a man several times in scripture. He says God spoke to Abraham and Moses "face to face". He also mentions Jacob uttering the words "face to face".

"Face to face" in the Biblical sense means "in close communion". Moses conversed with God as if He was physically present. Abraham and Jacob saw angels. The latter even wrestling with one. Yet these instances does not show God but representations of God only. God appears to us in ways that we will be able to comprehend. This is why all appearances mentioned have the words "looked like", "appeared like", "likened to a", etc.

The same can be said when Soriano presented passages from Ezekiel and Revelations saying the images are more detailed in description. He negates the word "like" and all conjugations of it in the passages he read. Furthermore he opines that a throne is seen in Heaven, and God sat on it. Then assumes "God MUST have a behind then". My sixth grade English teacher would have picked him up by his ear for not being able to discern between literal and figurative sentences. "Ruling with an iron fist" must mean a ruler with a fist made of iron, the way Soriano inteprets scripture.

The highlight of the exchange was Soriano's call for the reader to read out Genesis 1:24, "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness". Then he looks at the crowd as if to signal that the debate was over, because the Bible has spoken. Turning to the young man he snarlingly says, "If you believe you were created in the image of God, and you have a behind, God has one too!" The crowd erupts in cheers while the poor kid was both shocked at the assertions he hears from a supposed preacher and from the adoration of the crowd who were oblivious to the unbiblical stance their prophet promotes.

Click here for the actual footage of the above assertion by Eli Soriano
More footage...

The Bible nowhere states that God has a behind. All of Soriano's supposed proofs rested on his ASSUMPTIONS, nothing more. Unknowingly, he openly displays his ignorance of scripture! The Bible has spoken indeed, but Soriano's interpretation is NOT what the Bible meant.

I'll explain.

The Bible tells us in John 4:24 that "God is a spirit". So to worship God, we should worship IN spirit. What is a spirit then? According to Luke 24:39, "a spirit hath not flesh and bones". Our physical bodies have flesh and bones but our spirit (which we cannot see) has none of these. The Bible further clarifies in Colossians 1:15 that God (who is a spirit) is invisible. These are back-to-back passages telling us the Biblical FACT that God is an invisible spirit having no flesh nor bone.

It is true that God made us into His own image (spirit). Our spirit is what identifies us with God. We are LIKE God because of our spirit. This is why the Devil is so angry with us. Every time he sees us, he sees God!

Soriano uses scripture to excite his listeners. They are in awe everytime Soriano pulls half-truths left and right. All are shallow, face value interpretations a gradeschooler may forgivably commit. But for such assertions to come from a so called leader, is no laughing matter. Especially with people's souls at stake.

In the end God Himself declares the answer to this with finality in Exodus 33:20, "And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live."

Eli Soriano And Satan Use The Same Words

In the Garden of Eden, man fell from grace and was separated from God after disobeying the only prohibition ever given in paradise. That he was not to eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. He can eat of any tree except from this particular tree. We all know the story of how the serpent beguiled (tricked) Eve into eating the fruit from the said tree, and then made her husband Adam do the same.

It can be said that the fruit itself did not contain any knowledge, and that it was placed in the Garden to test man. Moreover, Adam came pre-programmed straight from the highest intelligence there is. There was nothing in the fruit that would have improved his already stellar intellect. I think Adam may have had an IQ of 1000 or more. Can you name anybody who can walk, talk, and get married all in one day? I'm just trying to paint a picture of Adam and Eve that will make you agree to the fact that they were perfect, they were in paradise, and they were with God.

What is it then that could have trumped their dreamy situation? How about, becoming like God themselves? That would have certainly had their minds picturing things far better than what they already possessed. Enter the serpent (Satan), the father of lies. He whispered THAT very notion into Eve's ear. First by making her doubt God "hath God said...?", then by denying God's very words. "ye shall not surely die", and the rest is Biblical history. Adam and Eve ate of the fruit because they listened to their desires of becoming like God. One bite, and they lost their innocence, they lost paradise, and most of all their communion with God. Sin entered into the world, and by sin came death (separation from God). Satan's words messed up everything for man.

Guess who is using the same words nowadays. Yes, Eli Soriano in his program, Ang Dating Daan (The Old Path). He's telling listeners the same thing Satan told Eve back in the Garden of Eden. "Ye shall be as gods". He cites verses from the Bible that in a very shallow way, supports his perverse doctrine. He argues that in John 10:34-35 where Jesus himself referred to men as "gods". We know that Jesus meant "men of higher stature" but for Eli Soriano, the word 'god' is 'God'. Then he'll point you to Webster's definition for confirmation of the word. A secular dictionary, imagine that! Doesn't Soriano have access to any concordance?Another passage he cites is Psalms 82:1, "God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; he judgeth among the gods." Here David refers to the same people Jesus meant. Men of high stature such as priests, prophets, kings, and rulers. But as with the first, 'god' is 'God' in Soriano's interpretation.

He further builds on these passages and even starts introducing himself as a god. Moreover, he goes on to convince his followers that they can attain godship themselves by citing yet another verse Ephesians 5:17 "Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord [is]", interpreting it as God wishes for them TO BECOME like God. This goes back to his principal doctrine that there are MANY gods, and NOT just one God. An example of which he says is Exodus 7:1 "And the LORD said unto Moses, See, I have made thee a god to Pharaoh..." without taking into account that God was using an analogy of Himself and Moses, as Moses and Aaron.

How shallow can Soriano get? He actually doesn't need to go any deeper because he's catering to people who don't know better. People who cannot tell between right and wrong interpretations. People who are innocent. It's Adam and Eve all over again! I would give anything to have been in the Garden of Eden to stop the serpent from whispering in Eve's ear. I would have dashed in, took the serpent by the tail, spun all subtilness from his head, and flung him to a bunch of cacti. What's done is done and we can't do anything about it. But we can help prevent it from happening again. We can help save people from Hellfire by exposing Soriano's heresies. Let's not keep to ourselves and do nothing. By doing nothing, we are helping evil triumph. Let's shut this serpent up.