u/Accomplished_Gain521

Question #1:

How do you know Felix Manalo is a messenger from God?

INC answer:

“Because he was prophesied in the Bible.”

Question #2:

Whose interpretation says those prophecies refer to Felix Manalo?

INC answer:

Felix Manalo himself.

“He was given the knowledge by God to understand the hidden truth.”

Question #3:

So the proof that he is from God comes from his own interpretation about himself?

That is circular reasoning.

It becomes:

“Felix Manalo is God’s messenger because his interpretation says so.”

And why trust his interpretation?

“Because he is God’s messenger.”

That is not independent evidence.

That is self-validation.

The burden of proof is still on the claimant.

For almost 2,000 years, no Christians, historians, theologians, or early believers were expecting a last messenger to arise from the Philippines.

No one interpreted those verses that way before Felix Manalo claimed it himself.

The interpretation only appeared after the claim.

And if a prophecy were truly meant to announce a future messenger, then at the very least, other readers of the Bible throughout history should have been able to recognize that someone was expected to come.

A prophecy should not require the claimant himself to invent the interpretation first before anyone can “see” it.

Biblical prophecies about major figures were recognizable and understandable to others even before their fulfillment.

People were already expecting the Messiah before Jesus came because the prophecies clearly pointed toward an expected figure.

But in Felix Manalo’s case, no one for nearly 2,000 years was teaching:

“A messenger from the Philippines will appear.”

The interpretation only became known after Felix Manalo applied the verses to himself.

This is no different from many other religious leaders throughout history who also claimed they were prophesied in Scripture.

And if someone says:

“But INC is true because it spread around the world,”

that still does not prove divine authority.

Many religions expanded globally and became even larger in membership and influence:

Catholic Church

Islam

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Jehovah's Witnesses

Growth alone is not proof that a messenger was sent by God.

Biblically, true prophets were confirmed through clear signs, fulfilled prophecy, miracles, and public witness — not merely by claiming:

“Believe my interpretation because I am the chosen one.”

A claim is not automatically true simply because the claimant says it is.

How can we know if Felix Manalo was truly a messenger from God?

INC minister says:

“Because he is the messenger prophesied in the Bible — the one from the Far East.”

But whose interpretation says that the “Far East” refers to the Philippines and Felix Manalo?

INC minister says:

Felix Manalo’s own interpretation.

So again, how do we know he is truly from God?

INC minister says:

“You need to accept his interpretation because God gave him the authority and knowledge to understand the Bible.”

But notice the circular reasoning:

Why should we believe Felix Manalo?

Because he correctly interpreted the Bible.

How do we know his interpretation is correct?

Because he is God’s messenger.

How do we know he is God’s messenger?

Because of his interpretation.

That is circular logic.

It’s like a person saying:

“I’m telling the truth because I said so.”

Or:

“This book is true because the book itself says it is true.”

Anyone can claim authority for themselves. Even false prophets can say:

“God revealed this to me.”

The real question is:

What objective evidence proves the claim outside of the claimant’s own interpretation?

The Bible itself warns against self-authentication:

“If I bear witness of Myself, My witness is not true.” — Bible John 5:31

Even Jesus did not expect people to blindly accept His claims without evidence. He pointed to His works, fulfilled prophecy, witnesses, and the Scriptures.

The apostles also taught:

“Do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits whether they are of God...” — 1 John 4:1

Another important question is this:

For almost 2,000 years after Christ and the apostles, no Christian community, theologian, historian, or believer was expecting a final messenger to appear from the Philippines.

There was no known prophecy understood that way before Felix Manalo himself claimed it.

The interpretation only appeared after he declared himself to be the fulfillment.

Compare that with biblical prophets and apostles who were confirmed through signs, miracles, fulfilled prophecies, or direct acts recognized publicly by many witnesses.

Where are the miracles that proved Felix Manalo was sent by God?

Moses parted the sea.

Elijah called down fire from heaven.

Jesus healed the sick, raised the dead, and fulfilled prophecy openly before witnesses.

The apostles performed miracles recorded and witnessed by many.

But Felix Manalo’s claim mainly rests on his own interpretation of verses that he himself explained.

A true messenger of God should withstand examination, context, history, and Scripture — not rely on circular reasoning and self-interpretation alone.

At the end of the day, claiming:

“Believe me because I said I’m the one prophesied”

is not proof.

That is self-validation.