Another ACOG False Prophet Revealed

I was recently reminded that Church of God International Pastor Bill Watson has been promoting conspiracy theories about a pedophilia-ring operating in elite circles of government and entertainment since QAnon introduced the notion almost five years ago. For those who may not be familiar with this phenomenon, The Daily Beast reported that: “QAnon launched in 2017 with a series of anonymous message board clues from an anonymous figure called ‘Q,’ who claimed that Donald Trump is secretly at war with a global cabal of Democratic Party pedophiles and cannibals.” They went on to explain that “one of QAnon’s most explosive, and successful, allegations has been that Hollywood celebrities and top Democrats sexually abuse and torture children, often to drain ‘adrenochrome,’ a substance QAnon believers claim keeps the powerful alive. An echo of the Pizzagate conspiracy theory, which inspired a shooting and an attempted arson attack at a Washington pizzeria, the claim has gotten considerable traction. Earlier this month, hundreds of people walked in a Los Angeles rally to ‘Save the Children,’ a usefully vague slogan that QAnon believers have adopted as a more respectable way to inject their ideas about global pedophile cults into the mainstream.” (See QAnon Promotes Pedo-Ring Conspiracy Theories. Now They’re Stealing Kids.)

As part of CGI’s “Biblical News Updates and Commentary” series, Bill hosted a program titled “Pedophilia – A Growing Pandemic” in November of 2017. In that program, he implied that high government officials were involved in child sex-trafficking, and that more than seventy thousand people were involved in multiple nations across the globe. He also suggested that all of this was connected to Satan worship and even involved human sacrifice!

Then, in July of 2018, Bill did another program titled “Pedophilia Revisited: Still Growing.” In this episode, he suggested that highly educated and successful people were involved in the child sex ring. He said that there had been 1500 arrests in connection with this under the Trump Administration and hinted that there would be more to come. Even so, according to Bill, the mainstream media was totally ignoring the story and “turning a blind eye” to what was happening. And, once again, he linked the conspiracy to Devil worship and child sacrifice!

Likewise, in the Summer Edition of The International News (Volume 39, No. 2), Bill’s article titled “Is America Waking Up?” took up the narrative about the pedo-ring. In the piece, Watson predicted that 28,000 sealed indictments related to the phenomenon were about to be unsealed by the Trump Administration. And, once again, he claimed that “the mainstream media is M.I.A.!”

He continued: “Sources close to the FBI and DOJ claim many of those under secret indictments are judges, current and former politicians, and business executives, all in line to be revealed, as the courts begin processing these indictments for prosecution and bring these charges forward, incrementally, over the coming months and years! It’s no wonder as to why approximately 50 senators and congressman have resigned or will not be seeking re-election. It’s fair to say some may not want to endure the public embarrassment, or maybe made deals to stand down.”

He went on to advise his readers to “stay tuned,” because he predicted that the revelation of who all was involved would be shocking. Watson prophesied: “The names that have been leaked and the charges they will face will be shocking for some to comprehend, while others will probably not believe the magnitude, scope, and degree of subterfuge, treason, and sexual misconduct that has taken place by both elected and appointed officials of trust, at some of the highest levels of leadership, from both sides of the aisle!”

Then, just for good measure, Bill delivered one final “Pedophilia Update” in August of 2020. In this final installment in the series, Watson insisted that the child sex trafficking pandemic continued to grow around the world. He went on to reiterate that many prominent men and women had already been arrested in this connection and hinted that more shocking revelations were on the way (including a suggestion that the contents of Anthony Weiner’s laptop would expose some famous folks as perverted pedophiles). Notice too, the date for this final installment – just prior to the 2020 election. Since then, NOTHING!

Now, we could chalk this up to a nice guy being duped by QAnon, or we could simply attribute it all to a vivid imagination. However, Bill Watson claims to be a minister of Jesus Christ, and he was acting in his capacity as a representative of the Church of God International. As such, we must remember what Scripture has to say about people in this circumstance. In the book of Deuteronomy, we read: “If the prophet speaks in the Lord’s name but his prediction does not happen or come true, you will know that the Lord did not give that message. That prophet has spoken without my authority and need not be feared.” (18:22) Unless I missed the headlines, the predictions about the pedo-ring and indictments didn’t happen. Also, doesn’t this amount to bearing false witness? And, if he was only repeating what others said, doesn’t that qualify as gossip? So, what does all of that suggest about Pastor Bill Watson?