Verses from Isaiah Misused by the Church of Felix Manalo to Justify Their Origins

Isaiah 24:15- "Wherefore glorify ye the LORD in the fires, even the name of the LORD God of Israel in the isles of the sea."

Isaiah 43:5- "Fear not: for I Am with thee: I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west;"

Well at first glance, it seems that it really fits in the model of the cult of Felix Manalo to justify the Philippines as the chosen nation. However taking both verses in context, one must realize these verses are taken out of context.

First, Isaiah 24 talks about the devastation of the Earth, that declares that even the islands (this is ALL Gentile nations not just the Philippines) rejoice. One must notice that the whole Isaiah 24 refers to all the Gentile nations, though not listed. It talks about judgment, not church building.

Second, Isaiah 43:1 says, "But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine." Going back to Genesis, Jacob was renamed as ISRAEL and his descendants are the ISRAELITES. And yes, it does it with Isaiah 43:5 when it comes to the East (the seed) and the gathering from the West because that's how the church started. Israel being an Asian nation is well, East.

If one diligently studies the Book of Acts, the Gospel was first spread in Israel then it reached more than just Israel, it reached the West (European nations) especially Greece and Rome. Majority of Paul's letters were written to the Western world and Paul being a Jew by origin (at the same time a Roman citizen) was from the East and was brought forth to the west. The Gospel was then gathered from the West to propagate it to other areas of the East that have not yet been saturated like how the Gospel has reached other Asian nations via Western nations.

This is simply another case of bad hermeneutics. Many of our resource websites' pastors have commented on how people make silly interpretations of Scripture because they do not really study it.