Once somebody hears the name Apollo C. Quiboloy, they will immediately think of a guy based on the Philippines who claims to be the “Son of God” appointed by the Father whose teachings and doctrines are continually evolving. He can be seen standing in front of their dome speaking to hundreds of his followers declaring without hesitation that, “The official coming of the Son of God was on April 13, 2005.” The Kingdom citizens, who are his followers claim that their founder is not just an ordinary church leader or head but “He is the representative of the Almighty Father here on earth. He is the body in which the Father dwells. He is the Father’s audible voice, His Appointed Son.” Such a haughty claim! So who is Apollo C. Quiboloy? What does he believe?

As a matter of fact, Apollo C. Quiboloy is not alone in this horrendous claim but there are also others from different parts of the world as well. There was Cyrus Reed Teed hailed from Florida during the late nineteenth century who claimed to be the “messiah” who will save the world. The British UK had David Icke who says he is the “Son of the Godhead” according to his testimony. Another one from the Netherlands named Lou de Palingboer who claimed to be “God” himself during the early twentieth century.

This charismatic person who has spiritually deceived a good number of Filipinos was raised in Davao after his parents left Pampanga at the end of World War 2. He became a member of a prominent “Oneness” cult namely the United Pentecostal Church International (UPCI) based in the Philippines with headquarter in Weldon Spring, Montana because of his father who got converted to this group. Quiboloy eventually assumed leadership position among the youth organization in this group during his younger years. However, he began promoting unorthodox Oneness teachings that led to his expulsion in 1979 but he was readmitted in 1980 after showing a repentant attitude. In 1985 he showed his arrogance towards the other leaders that broke the camel’s back leading him to personally leave the group along with fifteen others on September 1, 1985. It is through this event that Quiboloy started his own religious cult namely The Kingdom of Jesus Christ The Name Above Every Name.

Apollo C. Quiboloy formerly believed the “Oneness” doctrinal heretical understanding about Jesus manifesting Himself as the Son in His role of being a human. However, after a few years’ time, he later believes the Father was the one who appointed him as the “Son of God” hence the title “the appointed Son of God.” And all the red letter statements of Jesus in every version of the Scripture suddenly becomes his very words. But when a foreign investigative journalist challenges him to perform a miracle he immediately excuses himself by saying the greatest miracle is a changed life. He also announced that on June 18, 2018, he became the owner of this world or earth. He revealed as well that on June 17, 2018, a revelation was given to him by the Father when an angel visited him that night saying, “Your name now is my name, purely! My Son, you humbled yourself for thirty-three years. That’s why I will give you a name which is above every name. He gave me His name and he took my name as His new name!” He also arrogantly claim in front of his followers that “I and my Father’s name are one!” This is nothing short of delusional since a good student of the Scripture knows who the Father and His Son Jesus Christ according to the Bible. He is very subjective in his interpretation and understanding of the Scripture. He even explains John 10:30 by saying, “If we analyze what the Lord meant, He is saying that the Word and the Spirit are one. Let us substitute the word ‘Word” for ‘I’ and the words ‘my Father’ for ‘Spirit’. The phrase becomes ‘Word and Spirit are one.'” No wonder those who are biblically ignorant and uneducated are easy to sway by his wind of spiritual deception.

It is not surprising for some people to arrogantly claim they are “God,” “Jesus,” “Moses,” “the Messiah,” or even the “Gentile Son of God in the flesh.” Quiboloy does not have any qualms nor reservations anymore when he verbally claims he is “The Son of God in whom Jesus the Father dwells.” Here is what he wrote,

“Are you Jesus Christ in the Gentile body? More than 2,000 years ago, Jesus Christ came in the flesh to testify to all that God can dwell in a human body, in the life of a man. It is here now. The life that lived in Israel before is now here. He is now using a Gentile body.”

One person said that if people will not believe Quiboloy is “Jesus in the flesh” then he is the antichrist. Is this really what the 2 John 1:7 means? The apostle John is refuting the Gnostics of his time who teaches that matter (flesh) and spirit (divine) cannot be together. Therefore, if a person during that time will not believe Jesus did not take the bodily form then he is an antichrist. This is also one reason why the apostle Paul had to emphasize in his letter to the Colossians that “in Christ all the fullness of Deity lives in bodily form” (Col. 2:9). Today, there are modern-day Gnostics like the Iglesia Ni Cristo (1914), The Way International, Unitarians, Christian Educational Services, and others who denied the deity of Christ. However, Quiboloy went s far to claim he is the Son of God in the flesh because of his “Oneness” belief that Jesus is the Father and the Spirit. He believes the role of Jesus as the Son has already ended and that today Jesus has already assumed as the Father in heaven while he took that position or role of Jesus on earth as the Son. This type of interpretation is common among cultists according to Dr. James Sire who calls this error as ignoring the immediate context and collapsing the context.

The term Son of God in the Scripture is very much different from Quiboloy’s claim and understanding. Jesus’ claim as the Son of God gave Him the right to call God as His own Father making Himself equal with God (Father) Himself. No wonder John himself witness and said,

This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God. – John 5:18, ESV

The Father Himself called Jesus the unique Son because He alone has the same nature as He was which is different from His creation. The word begotten (Gk. “monogenes”) in John 3:16 is a compound word which means “one race, stock, family.” As New Testament Greek scholar Dr. Spiros Zodhiates explains, “Here we are told that He who came to reveal God–Jesus Christ–is of the same family, of the same stock, of the same race as God. He is in no way less God than His Father.” (see Spiros Zodhiates, “Was Christ God?, 1970) Do you really want to believe that Quiboloy is the “Creator” and “God” equal to the Father? If yes, then you will surely be guilty of idolatry and creature worship which is an abomination in the eyes of God. Quiboloy’s claim is purely subjective and wrestling of the Scripture passages leading to his and your spiritual destruction (cf. 2 Pet. 3:16).

Quiboloy’s “Oneness” mindset slowly led him to come up with a claim that he is the “Son of God” appointed by the Father. He must be quick to include the term “appointed” so no one could question his claim. And to question this claim is to question the Father who “appointed” him. According to his unorthodox “Oneness” theology, Jesus is now the Father so the title and position of being the “Son of God” have been left open which he quickly grab. In this way, he could now say he is the “appointed Son of God” by the Father.

This is very easy for the believers to disprove because they could quickly run to the Bible with red-letters then prove that these are Jesus’ words. Since this is too difficult for Quiboloy to refute a reason why he again came up with a new “revelation” that the Father’s name is now his and his name is the Father’s name. He may not say it boldly and outright but it is an indirect claim that you can now call him “Jesus” so all red-letter statements in the Bible which are the very words of Jesus Himself can now be attributed to him.

The importance of the Apostles Creed, the Athanasian Creed, the Chalcedonian Creed, the Nicene Creed, and the other creeds of Christianity laid down by the followers of the disciples themselves is for the church to easily detect the false doctrines and not to be easily swayed by the evolving doctrines of those who claim to be teachers of the Bible. We just need to compare the major doctrinal teachings of Quiboloy to the teachings of the early Christians who are nearest to the apostles. In this way, we will be spiritually guided. This is why many cult founders would want to dismiss the teachings of the early church believers by saying they “apostatize” so they could deceitfully slip their false doctrines and start with new teachings that are very foreign to the Bible.

If we will not be familiar with the Scripture then anybody can be an easy target. Let us beware of false messiahs, they are wolves that clothe themselves in sheep clothing.               

“For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.” – Matthew 24:24

References:

www.kingdomofjesuschrist.org/pastor-apollo-c-quiboloy/ (Access July 15, 2020)

www.kingdomofJESUSCHRIST.org (Access 2005)

The New Name of the Father by Pastor Apollo C. Quiboloy (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjyJw5b3Zwk Access July 15, 2020)