In one of the Bible Expositions conducted by Bro. Eli Soriano, award-winning evangelist and host of the religious program Ang Dating Daan (The Old Path), an inquirer asked about their group’s logo; specifically, the meaning of the anchor at the bottom of the logo. Bro. Eli answered, “The anchor is Christ.”

He explained that the meaning of the anchor is hope, which symbolizes Christ. He read Hebrews 6:18-19 –

“That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;”

The soul has an anchor. And our anchor, the hope of our soul, is the Word of God, because God cannot lie. This was the evangelist’s biblical explanation. And because God cannot lie, Bro. Eli said, we can trust in His words. We can count on His Word in times of trouble. Just like when sailors out in the sea encounter a storm, they would drop an anchor into the sea so that they may have hope that their ship would not capsize or sink, because it is anchored to the rocks at the bottom of the sea.

This explanation was cited by a minister of the Iglesia Ni Cristo (Church of Christ) in their television program Ang Tamang Daan (The Right Path) broadcasted in their station Net 25. Iglesia Ni Cristo or INC is a religious sect based in the Philippines, founded by the late Felix Y. Manalo. After citing Bro. Eli’s explanation, out of nowhere, one of the ministers in the panel attacked Bro. Eli’s person. The following are excerpts of that episode:

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Rene Panoncillo: Naalala ko kapatid na Jun, may nagtanong po kasi tungkol sa logo nung samahan ni Mr. Soriano.

Ramil Parba: Ah, yung angkla? Yung angkla?

Rene Panoncillo: Oo, may ipinaliwanag siya: yung angkla si Kristo yan; sinipete ng pananampalataya.

Ramil Parba: Parang logo ng seaman, ano?

Rene Panoncillo: Seaman? Ba’t seaman naman yan?

Ramil Parba: Eh, talagang seaman naman ‘tong si Mr. Soriano eh. Si-manloloko, si-mandarambong…

Maximo Bularan, Jr.: Si-mangongotong.

Ramil Parba: Si-mangongotong. Talagang seaman yan.

TRANSLATION:

Rene Panoncillo: I remember Bro. Jun, someone asked about the logo of the congregation of Mr. Soriano.

Ramil Parba: Ah, the anchor? The anchor?

Rene Panoncillo: Yes, he has an explanation: the anchor is Christ; the anchor of faith.

Ramil Parba: Like the logo of seaman, isn’t it?

Rene Panoncillo: Seaman? Why is that seaman?

Ramil Parba: Mr. Soriano is really a seaman. A deceiver, plunderer…

Maximo Bularan, Jr.: Extortionist.

Ramil Parba: Extortionist. He is really a seaman.

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These are the ministers of Manalo. They attack without basis. Bro. Eli’s explanation was clear that the anchor is Christ, but the ministers of Manalo did not mind it; rather, they put a negative connotation to it. They associated the anchor with seaman, and seaman with Bro. Eli, and then they attacked Bro. Eli saying that he is a deceiver, a plunderer, and an extortionist because “he is really a seaman.” What is their basis that a seaman is a deceiver, a plunderer, and an extortionist? They did not only vilify Bro. Eli but the Lord Jesus Christ as well, because Christ is the anchor with which they associated their idea of “seaman.”

These ministers of Manalo are out of their minds. They speak evil of what they understand not. Even though it is written in the Bible, they refute it. The anchor is Christ. The Word of God is our hope because God cannot lie. When ministers of Manalo heard this — that Bro. Eli believes that God cannot lie — they again contradicted it. The following are excerpts of their arguments from the same program:

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Leopoldo Guevarra: Nangangatuwiran kasi si Eliseo Soriano eh, imposible ika sa Dios ang magsinungaling, hindi ang ibig sabihin non, eh hindi kayang gawin ng Dios yun!

Jose Ventilacion: Ang pinag-uusapan dun katangian ng Dios.

Leopoldo Guevarra: Oo.

Jose Ventilacion: Hindi Siya sinungaling.

Leopoldo Guevarra: Kung gusto niyang gawin yun, aba, kaya niya. Ang lahat ng bagay kaya niyang gawin eh.

Jose Ventilacion: Makapangyarin po sa lahat ang Dios eh.

TRANSLATION:

Leopoldo Guevarra: Eliseo Soriano is reasoning out that it is impossible for God to lie. That doesn’t mean that he cannot do that!

Jose Ventilacion: What’s being considered there is the character of god.

Leopoldo Guevarra: Yes.

Jose Ventilacion: He is not a liar.

Leopoldo Guevarra: If he wants to do that, why, he can! He can do all things.

Jose Ventilacion: God is Almighty.

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That is the kind of god the church of Manalo has; a god capable of lying. You can just imagine what will happen if that kind of god decides to take back his words when he wishes to.

In the Bible, Bro. Eli said, it is impossible for God to lie. It is written in Hebrews 6:18, “That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie…” God will not lie and He cannot lie. In Titus 1:2, it says, “In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;”

God cannot lie. But to the ministers of Manalo, it is not impossible for their god. Their god can lie. That is why from their leader down to the ministers, they have learned dreadful amount of lies. However, the God of the Bible, the true God, cannot lie even if He wants to, because He is God of Truth, Bro. Eli explained. And the God who cannot lie cannot change to become a liar in the end. That is impossible. James 1:17 says –

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

That is the character of God; He cannot change. And when He says He cannot lie, time will not come that He will lie. Unlike the doctrine of the church of Manalo, that if God wants to lie, He can. God cannot change, Bro. Eli reiterated. God is permanently good. God is permanently eternal. God permanently does not change. God permanently cannot lie. But the god of the church of Manalo can really lie. For them the meaning of Almighty, even if it is evil, their god can do it. The God of the Bible is not like that.

There many things that God cannot do, Bro. Eli furthered. The God of the Bible does not oppress, and He cannot neglect the oppressed. But for the church of Manalo, their god can do anything, including lying. These people are enemies of the Bible. Even though the Bible says it’s impossible for God to lie, they contradict it; because they are hiding their own lies. They have records of lying. This is what Manalo himself says regarding his ministers.

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Eraño Manalo: Ngayon, kung ang isang manggagawa, mga kapatid, sinungaling, hindi pwedeng manindigan. Kung ang isang manggagawa kakampi sa katiwalian, hindi pwedeng manindigan. Kung ang isang manggagawa, siya pang nagtuturo ng katiwalian, ay lalong masamang manggagawa ito. Wala ng sariling paninindigan, ay siya pang kasangkapan ng diablo. Eh sino ho yang ganyang manggagawa? Maraming manggagawa natin, halos lahat, ganyan.

TRANSLATION:

Eraño Manalo: Now, brethren, if a worker is a liar, he cannot stand firm. If a worker is an ally of corruption, he cannot stand firm. If a worker himself teaches corruption, this worker is much more evil. Having no conviction, he is even an instrument of the devil. And who are these workers? Many of our workers, almost all, are like that.

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Almost all of the workers of Manalo are liars. This is not strange; because Manalo himself is a liar. What he said one day, he will change the next day when he is cornered. He said, the Far East is the Philippines. When Bro. Eli criticized this doctrine, he changed it. In their official church magazine, Pasugo, published on November 1967, page 33, Manalo said:

It is clearly testified to by history that the Far East is the Philippines.

Another evidence about their belief that the Far East is the Philippines was published in another Pasugo on December 1970. On page 11, they drew the map of Asia, wherein they encircled the Philippines. Then in the arrow pointing towards the Philippines they wrote “Far East.”

Pasugo, December 1970, p.11

When Bro. Eli criticized and refuted this repeatedly, in Pasugo, published in July 1997, on page 5, this was Manalo’s declaration:

Let us set this clear. We have never taught that any mention of the expression “Far East” refers to the Philippines.

What a big lie! “We have never taught that any mention of the expression “Far East” refers to the Philippines”? The evidences are in their Pasugo. They said, “It is clearly testified to by history that the Far East is the Philippines.” But when Bro. Eli criticized it, they changed it. That is what happens when your god is capable of lying. You also become a liar. In the Bible, the father of lies—which is the enemy of Christ, the Word of God, the anchor of the soul—is satan. John 8:44 says –

Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

The father of lies is satan. And satan is the god of Manalo and his ministers.

Have you ever been in the company of high ranking government officials? Wouldn’t it be something to be part of a senator or a president’s entourage? Just to be with a group of lawyers and be dressed like them, though you are not a lawyer, you will surely be thought of as a lawyer yourself.

Just keep quiet.

In the past, that’s exactly how it was for Bro. Eli Soriano. He was always in the courts because of lawsuits filed against him by his enemies in faith. He was not yet that popular on television that time. Whenever he would walk in the court with lawyers, even he gets greeted: “Good morning, Attorney.” They would mistake him of being a lawyer himself. It is similar to what the Bible says in Proverbs 17:28 –

Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding.

Just keep silent; do not open your mouth. People will never know that you cannot even speak English if you are well-dressed and look confident enough. Nonetheless, when Bro. Eli does open his mouth to speak, it’s an entirely different scenario.

“The Only Sensible Preacher of our Time,” that is how Bro. Eli has come to be known globally because of the kind of mouth he has. For the last 15 years, he has been answering all questions of faith from practically every religious group through his inimitable Bible Exposition. From the Roman Catholic Church, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Seventh Day Adventists, Mormons, to the so-called freethinkers and atheists, he gives light to each query concerning religion, science, and even social and political issues. He has his own GPS installed in his brain to pinpoint where in the Bible the answers to all their questions are located.

Among those who have tried to test his wisdom, or to challenge him head-on in a one-on-one debate, none dared try again, having experienced the consequences.

A preacher of God speaks the words of God; he does not speak without wisdom. Bro. Eli has proven this for over four decades of faithfully preaching the Gospel. His international program Ang Dating Daan (The Old Path) has been awarded the “Most Informative Religious Program of the Year” in 2006 by Gawad Amerika Awards. His Bible Expositions span worldwide and continue to reach more places and people and languages.

On the contrary, his detractors who pretend to know God’s words, even the things which they firmly believe and prove show how ignorant they truly are. The perfect examples are the ministers of the Iglesia Ni Cristo.

In an attempt to embarrass the award-winning evangelist, two Iglesia Ni Cristo ministers Ramil Parba and Michael Sandoval “exposed” in their program Ang Tamang Daan (The Right Path) the alleged erroneous teaching of Bro. Eli regarding who’s the firstborn, Cain or Abel. Following are excerpts:

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Ramil Parba: Simpleng-simple. Hindi naman hiwaga ho yan eh.

Michael Sandoval: Opo.

Ramil Parba: Hiwaga pa ba yan kung sino yung nakatatanda?

Michael Sandoval: Sino panganay?

Ramil Parba: Eh, si Cain.

Michael Sandoval: Sino bunso?

Ramil Parba: Si Abel.

Michael Sandoval: Pero sabi nung puno?

Ramil Parba: Ah, ikaw naman, simpleng-simple eh.

TRANSLATION:

Ramil Parba: Very simple. That is not a mystery.

Michael Sandoval: Yes.

Ramil Parba: Is it a mystery who is older?

Michael Sandoval: Who is the firstborn?

Ramil Parba: Cain.

Michael Sandoval: Who is the youngest?

Ramil Parba: Abel.

Michael Sandoval: But the leader said?

Ramil Parba: Ah, you, that’s very simple.

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With all conviction these Iglesia Ni Cristo ministers Parba and Sandoval attempted to refute Soriano, as though their material was hard evidence, when in fact what they were refuting was a slip of the tongue taken out of context. The following are excerpts of the original:

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Bro. Eli: Naniniwala rin ako, mga kapatid, na ang isang tao’y pwedeng maging biktima ng karahasan ng kapuwa. Ang isang tao’y pu-pwedeng maging biktima ng pang-aapi ng kapuwa. Marami na pong saksi jan. Si Abel ay pinatay ng mismong kanyang kuya. Isang kuya na nag-relinquish ng kanyang pananagutan laban sa kaniyang nakababatang kapatid. Nang tanungin siya ng Dios, “Cain, nasan ang iyong kapatid na si Abel?” Ang sagot ni Cain, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” Ako ba ika ang tagapag-ingat ng aking kapatid? Kaya niya itinatanong yon, alam niya deep within his conscience that that is really his duty as an older brother, to be his brother’s keeper. But he [had] relinquished that job, that opportunity to serve God, to be his brother’s keeper. Kaya kaawa-awa si Cain, pinatay siya ng kaniyang nakakatandang kapatid.

TRANSLATION:

Bro. Eli: I also believe, brethren, that a man may fall victim to the violence of another. A man may fall victim to the oppression of another. There are plenty of witnesses to this. Abel was killed by his own older brother; an older brother who relinquished his responsibility [and turned] against his younger brother. When God asked him, “Where is Abel thy brother?” Cain answered, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” He was asking this because he knew deep within his conscience that that was really his duty as an older brother, to be his brother’s keeper. But he had relinquished that job, that opportunity to serve God, to be his brother’s keeper. So Cain was pitiful; he was killed by his older brother.

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It is clear here that Bro. Eli’s statement at the last part wherein he said “Cain” instead of “Abel” was an honest mistake, a slip of the tongue. He already said at the beginning that “Abel was killed by his own older brother.” However, the Iglesia Ni Cristo ministers took this chance, pulled that last part and showed it in their program to make it appear that they are more knowledgeable in the Scriptures than Bro. Eli. Apparently, they saw no other error in his teachings that is why they had to use even a mere slip of the tongue out of context. They thought it would work to their advantage. When Bro. Eli answered back, their ignorance was exposed.

Bro. Eli pointed out that if Abel was the youngest child of Adam and Eve, that would mean that the couple had only two children. And with Abel dead, Cain was the only one left. How then did humans multiply? And who is Seth being mentioned in Genesis 4:25 –

And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth: For God, said she, hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew.

Seth was born of Eve after Abel was killed. Furthermore, in Genesis 5:4, it says –

And the days of Adam after he had begotten Seth were eight hundred years: and he begat sons and daughters:

Adam begot sons and daughters. Obviously, Parba and Sandoval didn’t read the Bible. Or, for the sake of fairness, could have they also committed a slip of the tongue?

No.

The program Ang Tamang Daan is pre-taped and has undergone editing. Besides, there were two of them in agreement that Abel is indeed the youngest of Adam and Eve’s children. Very simple, indeed. Very simple stupidity. This is what happens when someone who has not the God-given mouth and wisdom tries to preach the words of God. Since they are not seriously reading the Bible, it would have done them good if they have followed the saying, “It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.”

Only the wisdom coming from the mouthpiece being used by God is foolproof. It will by no means be refuted by any other mouth. As written in Luke 21:13-15 –

And it shall turn to you for a testimony. Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to meditate before what ye shall answer: For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist.

In these last days, that mouthpiece that possesses wisdom from God is none other than the unbeatable preacher, Bro. Eli Soriano, Presiding Minister of the Members Church of God, International.