The Laying of Hands on Mr. Felix Manalo

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Therefore, in 1918, the INC already existed for five years in the Philippines. If you will count backward, it would mean that the INC first appeared in 1913. And this is contrary to their claim that they began in 1914. Bear in mind that the year of their registration is not the year of their birth because before they registered, their group was already organized. The truth is, their church already existed since 1913.

Because of this, I am reminded by another document. You see, this is how we study religions. We examine them. In joining a religion, who wouldn’t want to join the most popular, and with the greatest number of members, and with very magnificent chapels, if they were the true religion? If in our examination we found out that the Catholic Church is the true church, why wouldn’t we submit ourselves to Catholicism? However, the number of members and the magnificence of chapels are not the basis to a true religion.

But is there, indeed, a great possibility that the INC really began in 1913? A page of a very old document said:

“Nagsimulang mangaral si Manalo sa maliit na silid sa tirahan ng mga manggagawa sa Atlantic Gulf and Pacific Company of Manila, Incorporated. Ang mga unang nakinig ay mga limang tao lamang. Nang dumami na ang mga nakikinig na karamihan ay mga dating kaibigan niya at kasamahan sa Christian and Missionary Alliance, ang mga pagpupulong sa relihiyon ay idinaos na sa labas. Ang mga unang bunga, may may labingdalawa sila at binautismuhan, isang malamig na umaga ng isa sa mga unang buwan ng 1914 …)”

(Manalo began preaching in one small room in the residence of the workers of Atlantic Gulf and Pacific Company of Manila, Incorporated. His first listeners were barely five men. When his listeners, who were mostly his former friends and companions in the Christian and Missionary Alliance, grew in number his religious meetings began to be held outside. His first converts totaled to about twelve, and they were baptized in one cold morning during one of the early months of 1914.)

In other words, their first baptism was held in one of the early months of 1914. This could be March, or January, or February. Note that in these early months, it is really cold. If Mr. Manalo held public meetings for three months, and they held indoctrination for one month, that would mean that they consumed four months. That would prove that Mr. Manalo really began preaching in 1913, and they had the first converts in the early part of 1914, as mentioned in this account.

We should recall this because, earlier, we read that, when Mr. Manalo got married, his wedding was officiated by a pastor from the Christian and Missionary Alliance. And we have also read an invitation to a Thanksgiving for the 5th year anniversary of the INC, and the anointing of Manalo as pastor and administrator of their church. Which means that, when Mr. Manalo was anointed in December 25, 1918, the INC was already five years in existence. But who are the men who laid hands on him? The 7th part of the program said:

“Ang pagpapatong ng kamay sa kapatid na Felix Manalo na tutungkulin ng mga Obispo at mga Pastor ng mga iba’t ibang iglesiang natatag sa Kapuluan, na ang mga ito’y ang mga …”

(The laying of hands on brother Felix Manalo would be performed by the Bishop and Pastors of the different churches that had been established in the Island, and they are as follows …”)

Take note, the ones who lay hands on Mr. Felix Manalo were Bishop and Pastors of the different churches in the archipelago. They were:

“Kagalanggalang na Alejandro Reyes, Victoriano Mariano, Gil Domingo, Guillermo Zarco, Nicolas Fajardo, Emiliano Quijano, at Roque Bautista.”

If Mr. Manalo was really a messenger of God, like the messengers that we have read from the Bible awhile ago, who were already being prepared by God even while they were still inside the womb of their mothers, why did this particular messenger (Manalo) agree to be wedded by somebody who was not a messenger of God? Why did he agree to be laid hands on by people who came from different churches in the Philippine islands? And among them was Emiliano Quijano, who was a pastor of the Christian and Missionary Alliance, while the rest were Protestant pastors. Do our fellowmen know this? Perhaps, others would accuse me of fabricating this matter. But I have sent this document to Hong Kong to be examined. And nobody could question the authenticity of this document. I did not get this paper from a trashcan. This was given to me by an old man who used to be a member of the INC.

The men who anointed Mr. Manalo were pastors and bishop from different churches. But do you know what the INC believes concerning those who are not one of them? In another issue of the “Pasugo”, they alleged that Catholics and the Protestant pastors are not of God but of the devil. I am just wondering. If he was really a messenger of God, why was he anointed by men, whom the say, are of the devil? I am not maligning anyone. I am just saying their allegation. Mr. Manalo said that the Catholics and the Protestants are of the devil. And those who are outside their church are of the devil. How come the ones who anointed him, to become a pastor and administrator of their church, were the people whom they consider as of the devil? P.39 of the August 1961 issue of the Pasugo said:

“Dapat din nating itakwil ang Iglesia Katolika at ang iba’t ibang iglesia Protestante sapagka’t sila’y hindi sa Dios kundi sila’y kay satanas o sa demonyo.”

(We must reject the Catholic Church and the different Protestant Churches because they are not of God, but are of Satan, or the devil.)

If the ones who laid hands on Mr. Felix Manalo were of the devil, can we now consider Mr. Manalo as a messenger of God? You be the judge. I am just trying to show you the gross errors that happened in the life of Mr. Manalo. When he married Honorata, a pastor from the Christian and Missionary Alliance, officiated their wedding, despite the fact that he was, then, a member of the Seventh Day Adventists. And now, they are claiming that those who are outside their church are of the devil! If that were true, why did he allow himself to be anointed by leaders of the different religious organizations in the Philippines?

In the Bible, the laying of hands means, the giving of an authority to be a preacher. And the very first to lay hands was the prophet Moses. Num. 27:15-20.

“And Moses spake unto the Lord saying

Let the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh; set a man over the congregation.
Which may go our before them, and which may lead them out, and which may bring them in; that the congregation of the Lord be not as sheep which have no Shepherd.

And the Lord said unto Moses, Take thee Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit, and lay thine hand upon him;

And set him before Eleazar the priest, and before all the congregation, and give him a change in their spirit.

And thou shalt put some of thine honour upon him, that all the congregation of the children of Israel may be obedient.”

What is the biblical significance of the “laying of hands”? It means, “anointing a person to a certain office”; it means, “to give authority, and to assign a certain responsibility to somebody.” Perhaps, this is the first time that you learned who the people were who anointed and gave authority to Mr. Manalo to become a pastor. He was anointed by the pastors of the different Protestant churches, who, according to the INC, were of the devil, as mentioned in the August 1961 issue of the Pasugo.

That is why, if we are going to look back, we couldn’t help but doubt Mr. Manalo’s being a messenger of God. Why? … because the ones who gave him authority to be a pastor and administrator of the INC were Protestant pastors, whom they regard as of the devil. This is one fact which they cannot deny. In other words, the authority given to Mr. Manalo did not really come from God. It only came from pastors and leaders of different Protestant churches, which according to them, are not of God.

At this particular point of our discussion, we could say that Mr. Felix Manalo is not a messenger of God, first, because the ones who laid hand on him where religious leaders, whom they said were not of God. And second, his wedding was officiated by a Protestant, whom they alleged as not of God. But we will still give them a chance to prove their other claims, like his being “the angel ascending from the east,” which was mentioned in Rev. 7:2-3. And this is what we are going to discuss next time. We will try to analyze the contents of Rev. 7:2-3 for us to determine if Mr. Manalo, was, indeed, “the angel ascending from the east.” We hope that would again join us in our next discussion.