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"For there must also be factions among you, that those who are approved may be recognized among you" (I Corinthians 11:19).

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04/30/07 a.m. CGG asked me to post the following prayer request for one of its ministers:

Schindler, Mark

Tinley Park, Illinois 29-Apr-07

Mark is back in the Intensive Care Unit. He has a blood clot in both lungs, and one in his right leg. The doctors are starting him back on Heparin (anti-clotting medication), but they are concerned about how this will affect his recent surgery to remove a brain tumor. Please pray for Mark and Nancy.

PCG reported:

World food costs surged 10 percent last year, hurting where it counts for many around the globe. Looking ahead, there is no relief in sight.

Food prices rose 10 percent last year. That finding appeared in the “World Economic Outlook” report released by the International Monetary Fund (imf) this month. The imf stated the increase was “driven mainly by surging prices of corn, wheat and soybean oil in the second part of the year”—some of the main crops used in developing biofuels, most notably ethanol.

The 10 percent increase in the checkout line reflects only the first leap in the rise of biofuel crop prices. As there has been a corresponding record-breaking rise of corn prices over recent months, we can expect delayed increases in food prices to take effect once wholesale prices are passed on to the consumer. The Wall Street Journal reported April 9, “If the trend continues, U.S. consumers are likely to see higher prices at the supermarket for everything from milk to cereal to soda pop, since corn is used to feed livestock and make high-fructose corn syrup, a key ingredient in many soft drinks.”

Normally, food price increases are swiftly followed by a decrease; this time, by contrast, food prices are likely to stay high. In fact, given the current high demand for corn and other biofuel crops, it is likely prices will continue to rise. In this crisis, the shortage is caused not by the usual natural disaster or bad season, but by over-demand, induced by a longer-lasting stimulus. These crops are not only being used for bodily consumption, but, more particularly, fuel consumption. In essence, there is a war over supply of corn driving the price of crops up, and with it the price of food.

The Bible predicts more famines, and I do expect major increases in the price of food.

Are Christians the persecuters or the persecuted? Notice what Paul taught:

Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of (2 Timothy 3:12-14).

Sadly, the above prophecy has been fulfilled many times. Notice:

The Catholic Encyclopedia teaches for instance,

Leo V, though an Iconoclast, tried to refute the accusation that he was a Paulician by persecuting them furiously. A great number of them at this time rebelled and fled to the Saracens. Sergius was killed in 835. Theodora, regent for her son Michael III, continued the persecution...We hear continually of wars against the Saracens, Armenians, and Paulicians...This eliminated the sect as a military power. Meanwhile other Paulicians, heretics but not rebels, lived in groups throughout the empire (Fortesque A. Transcribed by Richard L. George. Paulicians. The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume XI. Copyright © 1911 by Robert Appleton Company. Online Edition Copyright © 2003 by K. Knight. Nihil Obstat, February 1, 1911. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York).

How can one who claims to be in Christ's place ("Vicar of Christ") furiously persecute anyone?

It should be noted that the reason that some of the Paulicians did not fight back was because some of them were in the true Church of God (please see the article The Churches of Revelation 2 & 3).

The Paulicians were followed by the Bogomils and Albigenses.

Harvard scholar H. Brown wrote:

...in Slavoni, the name "Bomomil" means "beloved of God"...The specific predecessors of the Bogomils are the Paulicians...Many Bogomils, and especially their leaders, exhibited a zeal and a purity of life that contrasted with the indifference and frivolity of all too many orthodox ecclestiastics in both East and West (Brown HOJ. Heresies: Heresy and Orthodoxy in the History of the Church. Hendrickson Publishers, Peabody (MA), 1988, pp. 247,252).

Dr. Brown also noted that the Bogomils were pacifists (Ibid p.260). So have other scholars:

Bogomils and Cathars were communities of non-violence (Vassilev, Georgi. DUALISTIC IDEAS IN THE WORKS OF WILLIAM TYNDALE. ACADEMIE BULGARE DES SCIENCES. INSTITUT D'ETUDES BALKANIQUES. ETUDES BALKANIQUES, n° 1, 2003: 124-142).

The pacifist Bogomils were condemned by Catholics as heretics. Notice this from The Catholic Encyclopedia:

The heresy of the Bogomili was started in the tenth century...followers called themselves Christians and considered their faith the only true one. In Bosnia they were named Paterines. The Paterines, or Bogomili...forbade intercourse with those of other faiths, disbelieved in war (Klaar K. Transcribed by Joseph E. O'Connor. Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume II. Published 1907. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Nihil Obstat, 1907. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor. Imprimatur. +John M. Farley, Archbishop of New York).

The Albigenses were pacifists, but they and those who sometimes failed to not turn them in to Catholic authorities were often killed. Notice what a former Roman Catholic priest reported:

It has been reckoned that in the last and most savage persecution under Emperor Diocletian about two thousand Christians perished, worldwide. In the first incident of Pope Innocent's Crusade ten times that number of people were slaughtered. Not all were Albigensians. It comes as a shock to discover that, at a stroke, a pope killed far more Christians than Diocletian (De Rosa, Peter. Vicars of Christ. Poolberg Press, Dublin, 2000, pp. 160-161).

(The entire persecution that Roman Emperor Diocletian unleashed lasted from 303-313 A.D; the inquisition-persecution that Innocent III unleashed lasted hundreds of years.)

Into the early middle ages, some in the true church were called Waldenses (though most called that name were not in the Church of God) were pacifists. Notice this description of them :

Their opposition to bearing arms, and to war in all its operations, was unanimous and unequivocal. Whoever commanded them to the field they refused to obey, alleging that they could not conscientiously comply (Quoted from Davis, Tamar. A General History of the Sabbatarian Churches. 1851; Reprinted 1995 by Commonwealth Publishing, Salt Lake City, p. 78).

Notice this account in the thirteenth century:

After this, the Crusaders moved to Lavaur...Afterwards, 400 perfecti were led out of town and burned in a vast funeral pyre. Vaux de Cernay put on record for the pope's benefit: 'Cum ingenti gaudio combusserunt', 'They set them alight with immense joy'. They were relaxed knowing they had his Holiness's blessing.

Only one of the perfecti renounced his faith. They were pacifists. They died with dignity (De Rosa, Peter. Vicars of Christ. Poolberg Press, Dublin, 2000, p. 161).

It is sad that those killing pacifists believed that the pope's approval meant that persecution and murder was appropriate. Nowhere in my Bible do I see any verse suggesting that real Christians were ever to become murderous persecutors. Actually, the 30 times in the New Testament the NKJV translators used the terms persecute, persecuted, persecution, those terms refer to something happening to Christians--not the other way around (have they not read "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you", in Matthew 5:11?).

Of course, the true Christians (and some who were not Christian) did not accept papal views on violence--they remembered what the Bible taught.

Notice what the Apostle Paul wrote:

Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of (2 Timothy 3:12-14).

Compare Paul's writing to the following:

In 1520, Leo X condemned Martin Luther for daring to say that burning heretics is against the will of God De Rosa, Peter. Vicars of Christ. Poolberg Press, Dublin, 2000, p. 145).

Martin Luther apparently considered killing Jews and others as just. Notice what Martin Luther specifically advised his followers:

...to burn down Jewish schools and synagogues, and to throw pitch and sulphur into the flames; to destroy their homes; to confiscate their ready money in gold and silver; to take from them their sacred books, even the whole Bible; and if that did not help matters, to hunt them of the country like mad dogs" (Luther’s Works, vol. Xx, pp. 2230-2632 as quoted in Stoddard JL. Rebuilding a Lost Faith, 1922, p.99).

He also stated:

I, Martin Luther, slew all the peasants in the rebellion, for I said that they should be slain; all their blood is upon my head. But I cast it on the Lord God, who commanded me to speak this way (Werke, Erl. Edition, lix, p. 284 ‘Table Talk’ as quoted in Stoddard JL. Rebuilding a Lost Faith, 1922, p.96).

It is reported that 100,000 perished at that time.

Do Protestants realize that Martin Luther was a mass murderer?

Yet nearly all Protestant faiths have followed Martin Luther's lead, as sadly they, like the Romans, endorse carnal warfare.

The above was taken from the article Military Service and the Churches of God: Do Real Christians Participate in Carnal Warfare?

Another article of possible interest may be Persecutions by Church and State.

04/29/07 a.m. A 21st century scaled-down intended replica of "Noah's Ark" was unveiled yesterday:

Working Replica of Noah's Ark Opens

By TOBY STERLING -- AP

SCHAGEN, Netherlands (April 28) - The massive central door in the side of Noah's Ark was thrown open Saturday - you could say it was the first time in 4,000 years - drawing a crowd of curious pilgrims and townsfolk to behold the wonder.

Of course, it's only a replica of the biblical Ark, built by Dutch creationist Johan Huibers as a testament to his faith in the literal truth of the Bible.

Reckoning by the old biblical measurements, Johan's fully functional ark is 150 cubits long, 30 cubits high and 20 cubits wide. That's two-thirds the length of a football field and as high as a three-story house.

Life-size models of giraffes, elephants, lions, crocodiles, zebras, bison and other animals greet visitors as they arrive in the main hold.
"I knew the story of Noah, but I had no idea the boat would have been so big."

In fact, Noah's Ark as described in the Bible was five times larger than Johan's Ark...

Huibers said he hopes the project will renew interest in Christianity in the Netherlands, where churchgoing has fallen dramatically in the past 50 years. He also plans to visit major cities in Belgium and Germany.

God did have Noah build an ark. And it was big enough to hold two of each "kind" of animal. It did interest me that the ark was rebuilt in the Netherlands as the Dutch are probably the least religious of the peoples of Europe.

The following was reported yesterday:

Did Brigham Young Order a Massacre?

Washington Post - April 28, 2007

One hundred fifty years ago, a glorious September morning in the Utah mountains morphed into Mormonism's darkest hour when a militia opened fire on a wagon train, leaving more than 120 men, women and children dead in a flowery field.

Now the "Mountain Meadows Massacre" is becoming more than a subject of somber reflection within tight-knit Mormon circles. Two new films and a forthcoming book aim to tell the nation what happened, why and -- perhaps most important -- whether the revered Mormon prophet Brigham Young ordered the killing.

At stake are not just the details of a tragic moment in pioneer history. For the 5.8 million Americans who belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as the Mormon church is officially known, the integrity of one of their most important heroes hangs in the balance. For others, the depictions stand to forge new impressions of a controversial religious minority that has known both violent persecution and substantial influence across its tumultuous 180-year history.

"As a society, we are definitely at a crossroads" in terms of rethinking Mormonism, says Alan Wolfe, director of the Boisi Center for Religion and American Public Life at Boston College. "This is a huge moment, because it's a very important religion."

Throwing down the gauntlet June 22 is Christopher Cain's movie "September Dawn," which opens that day in more than 1,000 theaters nationwide. Although the romantic storyline is fictional, the film claims to be accurate in tracing the massacre to Young and portraying 19th-century Mormons as obedient, bloodthirsty fundamentalists. In one scene, for instance, an angry mob ignores a report that the wagon train's "gentiles" are friendly and chants for "blood atonement" in the form of death.

Other renderings, however, convey a more complex picture. The PBS documentary "The Mormons," which airs Monday and Tuesday, explains that Mormons had suffered bloody persecutions, which prompted their westward trek in the mid-1840s to settle in the Salt Lake Basin. By 1857, federal troops were marching on the Utah territory to depose the theocratic governorship of Young, and his followers were gearing up to defend their turf from yet another assault. In that touchy environment, bullets flew and travelers died. The ensuing massacre ensured that no adult witnesses would survive.

"The important thing is to place the massacre in context," Helen Whitney, director of the PBS documentary, said in an interview. "They believed they were at war. The president was arriving with his troops. . . . All of this was swirling around -- years of persecution, a kind of paranoia -- it really was sort of an explosive mixture in which the brakes just didn't hold."

On the high-stakes issue of Young's role, the official view from the Mormon Church is simple: He had none. Young sent a messenger to tell militiamen to let the travelers pass without interference, said church spokesman Michael Otterson. The full case for vindicating Young will appear later this year in an Oxford University Press book written by three church historians. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/27/AR2007042701908.html?hpid=sec-religion

Now, let's get the record straight:

1. The Mormons were attacked in the 1800s by at least two state militias. These attacks caused them to move at least 2-3 times.
2. It does not matter that much at this stage whether or not their leader ordered a major retaliatory strike--the LDS Church allows military participation--but it does not target non-Mormons just for that reason (even if possibly there was a one-time exception). The larger fact is that the leaders of the Roman Church allowed about six centuries of torture, the Inquisition, etc. and have been responsible for the destruction of people simply on religious grounds.
3. Real Christians do not engage in warfare. Those the attackers in the state militias, and those LDS members who may have massacred others, are not real Christians. Nor are religions that advocate carnal warfare for "Christians".

Two articles of related interest may be:

Four Dissimilarities Between The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and the Church of God The COGs are not related to the Mormons and this article discusses four areas of differences.
Military Service and the Churches of God Here are current and historical perspectives on a matter which show the beliefs of the true church on military participation.

04/28/07 a.m. Last night, ICG's Mark Armstrong reported the following:

Eighteen months prior to the next presidential election, campaigning is well underway, complete with televised debates and constant media coverage.  It looks like the country is headed for trauma, as there simply are no prospective leaders who can be expected to turn this nation back toward the God-fearing principles that made it great.  It looks as though the war in Iraq will continue to be the focal point, and even our most virulent enemies are looking forward to the post-Bush era with eager anticipation. 

 

            Palestinian terrorist leaders responded to the anti-war rhetoric from last night’s televised Democratic debate calling it a “moment of glory” for Iraqi insurgents (terrorists) and the global “resistance movements” (more terrorists).  You can’t help wonder about our future when front-running candidates are endorsed by Middle East terrorists!

As I mentioned yesterday, we in the COGs do not vote. But I do agree, in a sense, with Mark Armstrong that there do not appear to be any people with strong enough personal and nominally biblical character who seem to have a chance (at this stage) to become the next US president. Speaking of voting, an article of related interest mentioned yesterday was Should a Christian Vote?

Zenit reported the following:

Synod outline says Bible is source of Christian unity, bond with Jews

CNS
- April 27, 2007

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The Bible is a source of Christian unity and is evidence of Christianity's special bond with the Jewish people, said the outline for the next world Synod of Bishops...

Christians cannot claim to know and love the Bible if they do not know and love the Old Testament, it said.

"The faith of the church considers the Old Testament a part of the one Christian Bible and acknowledges its permanent value and the bond between the two testaments," it said...

Catholics need to understand that the Bible must be read in harmony with the church, its tradition and teachings.

"The magisterium," the church's teaching authority, it said, "renders irreplaceable service in guaranteeing an authentic interpretation of the word of God."

"The idea of 'sola Scriptura' (Scripture alone) cannot exist in and of itself, because the Scriptures are related to the church, namely, to the one who receives and understands both tradition and Scripture," it said.

While the Bible "casts light on every person's life and indicates the road to be followed," particularly through the Ten Commandments and the beatitudes, the outline said the Bible cannot be read literally.

Understanding God's word, it said, involves combining the literal meaning with the Bible's historical meaning, its interpretation in the church's tradition and its application to life in the modern world. http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0702368.htm

I am glad that the Catholics acknowledge that the Old Testament is part of the Bible and that their members should know and love it. However, the truth is that tradition is never to contradict the word of God--and even the Catholic supporting Irenaeus taught that. Speaking of Sola scriptura, even though that was the Lutheran "battle cry", sadly he did not actually believe it. Three articles of related interest may be:

Tradition and Scripture: From the Bible and Church Writings Are traditions on equal par with scripture? Many believe that is what Peter, John, and Paul taught. But did they?
What is the Appropriate Form of Biblical Interpretation? Should the Bible be literally understood? What do the writings of the Bible, Origen, Herbert Armstrong, and Augustine show?
Sola Scriptura or Prima Luther? What Did Martin Luther Really Believe About the Bible? Though he is known for his public sola Scriptura teaching, Martin Luther's writings about the Bible suggest he felt that prima Luther was his ultimate authority.

Five other articles of possible interest may be:

Read the Bible Christians should read the Bible. This article gives some rationale for regular bible reading.
The Bible: Fact or Fiction? This is a booklet written by Douglas Winnail that answers if the Bible is just a collection of myths and legends or the inspired word of God.
Bible and Historical Resources on the Internet Electronic bibles, Two Babylons, early Christian literature, photos, and even links to old Herbert W. Armstrong materials.
The Old Testament Canon This article shows from Catholic accepted writings, that the Old Testament used by non-Roman Catholics and non-Orthodox churches is the correct version.
The New Testament Canon - From the Bible Itself This article, shows from the Bible and supporting sources, why the early Church knew which books were part of the Bible and which ones were not.

There is more Catholic news:

Concerns over Pope's Latin Mass move

BBC - April 27, 2007

Pope Benedict's plans to revive the Latin Mass, which includes prayers for the conversion of Jews, is causing concern among Catholic and Jewish groups about relations between their faiths.

Religious commentators predict that Pope Benedict will issue authorisation for wider use of the Mass - known as the Tridentine Mass - soon.

The Mass was celebrated for hundreds of years before being replaced by a liturgy celebrated in local languages, as part of reforms instigated after the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s.

The old wording has none of the Vatican Council thinking that reversed long-standing anti-Jewish views in the Church. Vatican II brought about a revolution in Catholic thinking, highlighting the ancient Jewish roots of Christianity and affirming God's love for the Jews.

Concern is now focused on traditional mass's Good Friday liturgy which contains a prayer "For the conversion of the Jews". The prayer reads:

"Let us pray also for the Jews, that the Lord our God may take the veil from their hearts and that they also may acknowledge our Lord Jesus Christ."

It refers to their "blindness" and prays for them to be "delivered from their darkness." http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6585247.stm

Now I have no problem with people praying that one group or the other be converted (I often pray that those in Russia, China, India, Africa, etc. will more fully receive the gospel message). And if the above Latin Mass does not encourage persecution of Jews, it may be of little negative consequence (though the purported purpose of it is to encourage more unity with some disenfranchised Catholics).

But the bigger point is that the Catholics, and many of the Protestants, believe the the comment by Paul that all Israel will be saved (Romans 11:26) indicates that sometime (just before or during the Great Tribulation, based upon the group) that the Jews will accept Christ. The truth is that the Bible makes it clear that Israel is not limited to physical descendants of Israel (Romans 9:6-29; 2:28-29) and that all of humankind (and not just the Jews) will be offered salvation. Two articles of related interest may include:

Hope of Salvation: How the COGs differ from most Protestants How the COGs differ from mainstream Protestants, is perhaps the question I am asked most by those without a COG background.
Universal Salvation? There Are Hundreds of Verses in the Bible Supporting the Doctrine of True Apocatastasis Do you believe what the Bible actually teaches on this?

The following news item will probably have major ramifications:

German churches to sign agreement on baptism

ENI - April 27, 2007

Magdeburg, Germany (ENI). Eleven German denominations - including Protestant, Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox and Anglican churches - are to recognise formally each other's baptism, at an ecumenical ceremony in the eastern German city of Magdeburg.        http://www.eni.ch/news/item.php?

About a month ago, the current Pope stated that fallen away Catholics are still Catholic, and now even Protestants of various sorts will have their baptisms (in Germany at least) considered as acceptable by the Catholic Church. This does help set the stage for a nominally Catholic European power to unite the peoples of Europe. Of course, the Bible warns about this occurrence (please see the article Europa and the Beast of Revelation).

04/27/07 a.m. Last night, there was a relatively cordial debate between 8 people looking to represent the Democratic Party in the US presidential election. According to the commentators I listened to last night, Hillary Clinton did the best. I have long felt that the US would end up with a female president, and we will have to see if that might be Hillary Clinton.

Of course, most in the COGs do not vote--and most of my interest in those kind of politics is to watch for prophetic fulfillments. Speaking of voting, an article of related interest may be Should a Christian Vote?

I noticed that the following no longer exists:

Ducky's Village and Pub Melissa Prohs (news of interest to former WCG/AC employees and alumni)

Melissa Prohs is/was part of COGaic. Years ago, she used to post news related to Pasadena, but has not done that in some time. Of course, COGaic is one of the few COGs that seems to wish to keep a relatively low internet profile (other than its Vision site).

UCG Canada reported:

Over the past few weeks, we also began sending renewal letters to about 2,500 subscribers to The Good News magazine. Responses to the letter are coming in already but have yet to be tabulated...

Also keeping the staff busy are the responses to the Beyond Today television program. To date we’ve received 1,548 responses in all. Almost 75% of those responses have been new additions to our file while the remaining 25% are from people already on file. We’ve added over 900 new subscribers to The Good News magazine since the program began airing in May of 2006. Last week’s program set several records. The program was entitled, “Christians Who Don’t Keep Easter” and offered our Holidays or Holy Days booklet. The total number of responses came to 88 – a record. Of those, 54 were from the program itself and the remaining 34 – also a record – were from the beyondtodaytv.ca website. The phone responses to the TV program came from 8 provinces. The average number of responses per program is steadily increasing.

Attendance at the First Day of Unleavened Bread is down very slightly from last year’s record. Figures for Passover and the Last Day of Unleavened Bread are incomplete.

Speaking of Canada, the article on the Sardis Church Era discusses what happened to the first known Sabbatarians in Canada.

04/26/07 a.m. The May-June 2007 edition of UCG's Good News magazine has an article titled The European Union: Blessing or Modern Tower of Babel?
that states:

Is the European Union a modern Tower of Babel? Most of its leaders and proponents seem to see the EU as a definite blessing for mankind. They simply do not envision what the Bible foretells in the books of Daniel and Revelation.

Excepting their leaders, probably many of those who began to build the ancient Tower of Babel did not fully understand where that enterprise would eventually lead, had not God intervened...

The motives of European leaders seem coated with aspirations for many good things that would help humankind immeasurably. But where is this powerful union really headed in the long run? Will it eventually turn out to be a modern Tower of Babel?

Original intentions and future reality

It is appropriate here to recall a prophecy of Isaiah: "Woe to the Assyrian, the rod of my anger, in whose hand is the club of my wrath! I send him against a godless nation [the house of Israel], I dispatch him against a people who anger me . . . But this is not what he intends, this is not what he has in mind, [yet] his purpose is to destroy, to put an end to many nations" (Isaiah 10:5-7, NIV).

Leaders of nations do not always understand their own minds and motives. Many can be self-deceived. So God can use one nation—or a coalition or alliance of nations—to punish others because of their transgressions and violations of His law. Will the Creator use a final union of nations or groups of nations in Europe to punish the modern nations descended from ancient Israel—even if the perpetrators don't have any intention of doing so now?

The answer to that last question is yes. More information is in the article Europa and the Beast of Revelation.

On other matters, Zenit reported the following:

On Origen of Alexandria

Zenit - April 25, 2007

"He Was a True Teacher"

VATICAN CITY - Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI delivered today at the general audience in St. Peter's Square. The reflection focused on Origen of Alexandria.

* * *

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

In our meditations on the great figures of the ancient Church, today we will get to know one of the most outstanding. Origen of Alexandria is one of the key people for the development of Christian thought. He draws on the teachings he inherited from Clement of Alexandria, whom we reflected upon last Wednesday, and brings them forward in a totally innovative way, creating an irreversible turn in Christian thought.

He was a true teacher; this is how his students nostalgically remembered him: not only as a brilliant theologian, but as an exemplary witness of the doctrine he taught...

In substance, he grounded theology in the explanations of the Scriptures; or we could also say that his theology is the perfect symbiosis between theology and exegesis. In truth, the characterizing mark of Origen's doctrine seems to reside in his incessant invitation to pass from the letter to the spirit of the Scriptures, to progress in the knowledge of God.

And this "allegoristic" approach, wrote von Balthasar, coincides precisely "with the development of Christian dogma carried out by the teachings of the doctors of the Church," who -- in one way or another -- accepted the "lesson" of Origen. In this way, Tradition and the magisterium, foundation and guarantee of theological research, reach the point of being "Scripture in act" (cf. "Origene: il mondo, Cristo e la Chiesa," tr. it., Milano 1972, p. 43). (Benedict XVI. Homily On Origen of Alexandria. Vatican City.
Zenit - April 25, 2007).

The allegorist approach coincides with the takeover of the more public leadership positions of the church in Antioch and Asia Minor by a lot of universal allegorists, which we now know as the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches (though not all their leaders were allegorists).

Irenaeus, who Pope Benedict XVI considers to be a saint, wrote this in the late second century:

For these men are not more to be depended on than the Scriptures; nor ought we to give up the declarations of the Lord, Moses, and the rest of the prophets, who have proclaimed the truth, and give credit to them, who do indeed utter nothing of a sensible nature, but rave about untenable opinions (Irenaeus. Adversus haereses, Book II, Chapter 30, Verse 6. Excerpted from Ante-Nicene Fathers, Volume 1 Edited by Alexander Roberts & James Donaldson American Edition, 1885 Online Edition Copyright © 2004 by K. Knight).

But if any one, "doting about questions," do imagine that what the apostles have declared about God should be allegorized (Irenaeus. Adversus haereses, Book III, Chapter 12, Verse 11. Excerpted from Ante-Nicene Fathers, Volume 1. Edited by Alexander Roberts & James Donaldson. American Edition, 1885. Online Edition Copyright © 2004 by K. Knight).

Hence he condemned the what Origen and the Roman Catholics now teach.

Perhaps I should add that Origen basically got a couple of doctrines somewhat right, but for one of the more important ones his followers were condemned in the sixth century (see article Hope of Salvation). One of his biggest problems was that Origen essentially taught that even though there is a literal sense to scripture, essentially its allegorical meaning, negates what it says literally. Or in other words, Origen taught that the Bible really does not mean what it says. Two articles of related interest may be:

Tradition and Scripture: From the Bible and Church Writings Are traditions on equal par with scripture? Many believe that is what Peter, John, and Paul taught. But did they?
What is the Appropriate Form of Biblical Interpretation? Should the Bible be literally understood? What do the writings of the Bible, Origen, Herbert Armstrong, and Augustine show?

Lucian of Antioch, who kept the Sabbath and was a Semi-Arian, in the third century argued against Origen's method and was not in agreement with the late third century bishops of Antioch who apparently supported Origen. Lucian is mentioned in the article The Smyrna Church Era.

04/25/07 a.m. In the April 2007 edition of its Pulse magazine CG7 recently publicly announced:

Richard Adams Wiedenheft
April 15, 1946 - March 23, 2007

As final preparations are made for a district-wide memorial service for Richard Wiedenheft, scheduled for April 28, in Summerdale, Pennsylvania, we take this opportunity to pay one more public tribute to this fine servant of our Lord, and of the Church.

I did not know Richard Wiedenheft, but CG7 reported that he was "superintendent of the Northeast District and member of the Publications and MTS staff". I also learned after posting this that he had been a minister in WCG years ago.

I noticed that the SCG website still states the following at its home page:

Brethren! It's Time to Wake UP!

We believe the Church in general has gotten off track shortly after Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong’s death and needs to repent.  A renewed commitment to get back on track is a must at this time if the Church is to effectively do God’s Work of preaching the gospel and a warning message to an evil, sick and dying world.

We must fully align ourselves with the same doctrines and judgments put into the Church by Jesus Christ through Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong, God’s late apostle and "Elijah to come". 

Then SCG has a link to the Tkach list, not HWA's list, of restored truths.

It is time for SCG and other such groups to wake up and quit perpetuating doctrinal errors. Instead of making assertions that are either inaccurate or that it itself does not follow, it and those who are interested in the truth should read the following articles:

It's Not Stedfast This group, led by Arlen Berkey, claims it is the most faithful, but like others has different priorities.
Did You Know What the First Changes the Tkach Administration Made? Some have said healing, others other subjects, but probably the first change had to do with eliminating being part of the Philadelphia era. This article documents what those changes were and compares the Tkach list of restored truths to HWA's list of restored truths. It contains many quotes from HWA.
The Elijah Heresies Does the Bible teach that there will be a future Elijah? Must it be Herbert W. Armstrong?
Should the Church Still Try to Place its Top Priority on Proclaiming the Gospel or Did Herbert Armstrong Change that Priority for the Work? Some say the Church should mainly feed the flock now as that is what Herbert Armstrong reportedly said. Is that what he said? Is that what the Bible says? What did Paul and HWA expect from evangelists?

04/24/07 a.m. AOL had the following news item this morning:

Wiccans Settle Military Grave Lawsuit

By SCOTT BAUER AP

MADISON, Wis. (April 24) - The Wiccan pentacle has been added to the list of emblems allowed in national cemeteries and on goverment-issued headstones of fallen soldiers, according to a settlement announced Monday...

Wicca is a nature-based religion based on respect for the earth, nature and the cycle of the seasons. Variations of the pentacle not accepted by Wiccans have been used in horror movies as a sign of the devil.

Speaking of signs of the devil, do you realize that the cross was not originally accepted as a physical symbol for Christianity by those who professed Christ and that it too, is of non-biblical origin?

Here is what Hislop wrote in Two Babylons:

The same sign of the cross that Rome now worships was used in the Babylonian Mysteries, was applied by Paganism to the same magic purposes, was honoured with the same honours. That which is now called the Christian cross was originally no Christian emblem at all, but was the mystic Tau of the Chaldeans and Egyptians--the true original form of the letter T--the initial of the name of Tammuz--which, in Hebrew, radically the same as ancient Chaldee, was found on coins. That mystic Tau was marked in baptism on the foreheads of those initiated in the Mysteries, and was used in every variety of way as a most sacred symbol.

Here is some historical information on the cross according to seiyaku.com:

Christians didn’t use the sign of the cross as their religious symbol for many generations after Christ was crucified. Rather than being a Christian symbol it had associations with executioners...

Then, early in the fourth century, when execution by crucifixion was abolished by Emperor Constantine and Christianity became the state religion of Rome, the cross became the emblem for Christians.

Now, it is carried by more people than any other religious talisman and is considered by many to be sacred. People sometimes go as far as to make the cross an object of adoration or an icon in its own right.

Here is what I read last night written by a Catholic theologian:

In the beginning, the cross was never represented in art or sculpture...Only when the memory of the thousands who died on crosses all over the Roman world dimmed did Christians feel free to depict the cross as the symbol of Christ's suffering love (De Rosa, Peter. Vicars of Christ, The Dark Side of the Papacy.Poolberg, Dublin, 2000, p. 3).

Harvard scholar H. Brown wrote:

...in Slavoni, the name "Bomomil" means "beloved of God"...The specific predecessors of the Bogomils are the Paulicians...Many Bogomils, and especially their leaders, exhibited a zeal and a purity of life that contrasted with the indifference and frivolity of all too many orthodox ecclestiastics in both East and West...Like the Paulicians, the Bogomils detested the cross, for it was the symbol of the Saviour's apparent murder (Brown HOJ. Heresies: Heresy and Orthodoxy in the History of the Church. Hendrickson Publishers, Peabody (MA), 1988, pp. 247,252).

Those associated with the Smyrna era and Pergamos era of the Church were among the first to challenge the use of crosses by those who claimed Christianity.

On other matters, this morning I noticed that the following, from the COGlinks page no longer worked:

Seventh Day Christian Assembly of the Church of God Ken Seiger? (CEM supporting)

So I removed it this morning. Many of the smaller groups have come and gone. This one might still exist and maybe it will end up with a web page again, but most that leave do not seem to come back.

04/23/07 a.m. This morning, UCG announced the following:

4/23/2007
This Week: Good News Online Radio Program -- When God Doesn't Make Sense

Actually, of course, God always makes sense. It is simply that we do not always understand everything. Four articles of possibly related interest may include:

Is God Unreasonable?
Is God's Existence Logical?
Is Evolution Probable or Impossible or Is God's Existence Logical? Part II
What is the Meaning of Life?

The following was in the news yesterday:

April 22, 2007

Al-Qaeda ‘planning big British attack’

Psalm 83 discusses an essentially Arabic plan to destroy those who are of Israel (which includes the British). An article of related interest may be Is There A Future King of the South?

I noticed that the Catechism of the Catholic Church #553 teaches:

Everyone is called to enter the kingdom.

While God will call all, He is not doing that now. Notice:

Mark 4:33-34 shows that Jesus only explained what He meant to a few:

33 And with many such parables He spoke the word to them as they were able to hear it. 34 But without a parable He did not speak to them. And when they were alone, He explained all things to His disciples.

Luke 8:9-10 shows that He only wanted few to understand now:

9 Then His disciples asked Him, saying, "What does this parable mean?" 10 And He said, "To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables, that

'Seeing they may not see,
And hearing they may not understand.'

Is that fair?

Well, the God I worship is fair and does have a plan for those who are not called in this age.

Matthew 13:10-17, Jesus explains that parables were spoken so that only some will understand now, and that this is to prevent some from understanding and being spiritually healed now:

10 And the disciples came and said to Him, "Why do You speak to them in parables?" 11 He answered and said to them, "Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. 12 For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. 13 Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. 14 And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says:

'Hearing you will hear and shall not understand,
And seeing you will see and not perceive;
15 For the hearts of this people have grown dull.
Their ears are hard of hearing,
And their eyes they have closed,
Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears,
Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn,
So that I should heal them.'

16 "But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear; 17 for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.

Notice that Jesus said many wanted to know, but were not allowed to know. Because God is a God of love, this is probably because they many if they truly understood would be unfaithful in this age. This is apparently why only a relative few are being called now.

1 Corinthians 1:26-29 Paul explains part of why some are not being called now:

26 For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. 27 But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; 28 and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, 29 that no flesh should glory in His presence.

Since God is intentionally not calling certain ones now, do you believe He intentionally has doomed them to eternal torment?

Matthew 19:23-26 shows that humans on their own cannot enter the kingdom of God:

23 Then Jesus said to His disciples, "Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." 25 When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, "Who then can be saved?" 26 But Jesus looked at them and said to them, "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

At this stage Peter did not fully understand how God would save most, but also clearly felt that God had to have some type of plan (which Peter knew no later than shortly after the resurrection, Acts 3:19-21).

1 Peter 2:9-10 Peter teaches:

But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light".

Ephesians 1:4-6 Paul teaches:

...just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will.

While some are predestined to be called in this age, most of humanity has NOT been predestined to be lost.

God Does Not Hold People Accountable for What They Have Not Been Able to See

John 9:41, Jesus taught:

41 Jesus said to them, "If you were blind, you would have no sin...

Notice that Jesus specifically teaches that those that are blinded to the truth have not in some way permanently sinned.

Isaiah 6:9-11, God teaches,

"Go, and tell this people: 'Keep on hearing, but do not understand; Keep on seeing, but do not perceive.' Make the heart of this people dull, And their ears heavy, And shut their eyes; Lest they see with their eyes, And hear with their ears, And understand with their heart, And return and be healed." Then I said, "Lord, how long?" And He answered: "Until the cities are laid waste and without inhabitant, The houses are without a man, The land is utterly desolate".

In other words, the bulk of the people are not to understand until after a time of utter desolation.

Isaiah 44:17-18 reveals that God has prohibited idolaters to have proper understanding:

And the rest of it he makes into a god, His carved image. He falls down before it and worships it, Prays to it and says, "Deliver me, for you are my god!" They do not know nor understand; For He has shut their eyes, so that they cannot see, And their hearts, so that they cannot understand.

Thus, is God going to permanently condemn those who worship idols for what He has not let them understand?

Protestant theology tends to say yes.

Those in the Church of God say no. Unless the idolater has committed the unpardonable sin (which is unlikely) they will be judged as other uncalled people are.

Isaiah 45:20 teaches:

They have no knowledge, Who carry the wood of their carved image, And pray to a god that cannot save.

Notice that the Bible is clearly teaching that idolaters do not have knowledge. They are blind.

Hence, the billions throughout history in Asia and Africa (and elsewhere) are not condemned to suffer forever for following practices they really do not understand.

The above is in the article Universal Salvation? There Are Hundreds of Verses in the Bible Supporting the Doctrine of True Apocatastasis

04/22/07 a.m. Today is Sunday. A day honored by many as the eighth day of the week. Notice the following that explains where it came from:

The Eighth Day

The alleged Epistle of Barnabas (c. 135 A.D.) from Alexandria is sometimes also cited by Sunday supporters, but scholars do not believe that Barnabas wrote it, and it essentially claims God wanted the ‘eighth day’ instead of the seventh-day Sabbath in the Book of Isaiah (even though terms for eight or eighth are never mentioned in Isaiah).  It should be understood that the "eighth day" was popular with those involved with Greek philosophy at that time (which included most of the "educated" classes).

The idea of Christianity being tied to an "eighth" comes from a concept held by Gnostic heretics that the Logos (Jesus) was related to the Ogdoad (a word signifying eight). Irenaeus condemned that as a heresy in the second century and noted the following:

By the conjunction of Logos and Zoo were brought forth Anthropos and Ecclesia; and thus was formed the first-begotten Ogdoad, the root and substance of all things, called among them by four names, viz., Bythus, and Nous, and Logos, and Anthropos. For each of these is masculo-feminine, as follows: Propator was united by a conjunction with his Ennoea; then Monogenes, that is Nous, with Aletheia; Logos with Zoe, and Anthropos with Ecclesia.

These Aeons having been produced for the glory of the Father, and wishing, by their own efforts, to effect this object, sent forth emanations by means of conjunction...Moreover, they declare that this invisible and spiritual Pleroma of theirs is tripartite, being divided into an Ogdoad, a Decad, and a Duodecad. And for this reason they affirm it was that the "Saviour" -- for they do not please to call Him "Lord" -- did no work in public during the space of thirty years, thus setting forth the mystery of these Aeons (Irenaeus. Adversus Haeres. Book 1, Chapter 1, Verses 1-3).

1...Valentinus, who adapted the principles of the heresy called "Gnostic" to the peculiar character of his own school, taught as follows: He maintained that there is a certain Dyad (twofold being), who is inexpressible by any name, of whom one part should be called Arrhetus (unspeakable), and the other Sige (silence). But of this Dyad a second was produced, one part of whom he names Pater, and the other Aletheia. From this Tetrad, again, arose Logos and Zoe, Anthropos and Ecclesia. These constitute the primary Ogdoad. He next states that from Logos and Zoe ten powers were produced (Book 1, Chapter 11, Verse 1).

There are several important concepts above. The first is that this is clearly not biblical. The second involves the Ogdoad, that is, the eighth--this eighth quickly develops into an eighth day of the week belief, which is now the day we call Sunday (Sunday is considered to be both the first and eighth day of the week by Roman heretics such as Justin Martyr). The third is that Irenaeus was condemning people such as Valentinus and his followers for holding such views. And while Valentinus was condemned by Polycarp around 155 A.D., the Roman Catholics allowed him and his people to fellowship with them for another two decades before finally putting them out forever. However, by tolerating these heretical ideas, the Romans and their followers sadly adopted these unbiblical practices.

Perhaps it should be mentioned that it has been claimed that the Gnostics got the idea of Sunday from the sun-god called Mithra (whose "birthday" is celebrated on December 25th).

Now the first clear reference to those professing Christ meeting on Sunday (as opposed to simply "the eighth day") was from the philosopher Justin Martyr around 150 A.D.

His statement is often translated as,

...on the day called Sunday (Justin Martyr.  The First Apology.  Chapter LXVII. Text edited by Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson and first published in Edinburgh, 1867. Additional introductionary material and notes provided for the American edition by A. Cleveland Coxe 1886. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, reprint 2001).

The actual Greek expression Justin used was, τῇ τοῦ ῾Ηλίου λεγομένη ἡμέρᾳThe terms he used were ἡμέρᾳ which means day, Ηλίου is considered to mean Sun (although it is the term for the sun god Helios), and λεγομένη currently means said. Thus Justin literally stated "on the day said {of} Helios" or more awkwardly"on the Helios said day".

Justin's Greek comment demonstrates that the term Κυριακήν was not then the common Greek word for Sunday. If any of you reading this article are Sunday supporters and believe that you should rely on the teachings of Justin Martyr, you may wish to read the article Justin Martyr: Saint or Heretic and Apostate?

But why Sunday?

In one place, Justin gives two reasons:

We hold our common assembly on the day of the sun, because it is the first day, on which God put to flight darkness and chaos and made the world, and on the same day Jesus Christ our saviour rose from the dead (Justin Martyr.  The First Apology.  Chapter LXVII. Text edited by H. Betteson and C. Maunder. Documents of the Early Church, 3rd ed. Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1999, p.73).

This poses two problems as the Bible disagrees with both of those positions.

Regarding the first, notice that the seventh day Sabbath is observed because of the entire creation, not Sunday, as the Bible shows:

For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it (Exodus 20:11).

Furthermore, as odd as this will sound, Justin claimed that Sunday worship was ordained because circumcision was on the eighth day after the birth of Hebrew males in the Old Testament:

Now, sirs," I said, "it is possible for us to show how the eighth day possessed a certain mysterious import, which the seventh day did not possess, and which was promulgated by God through these rites...there is now another covenant, and another law has gone forth from Zion. Jesus Christ circumcises all who will--as was declared above--with knives of stone; that they may be a righteous nation, a people keeping faith, holding to the truth, and maintaining peace (Dialogue with Trypho. Chapter XXIV).

The average person who worships on Sunday probably does not wish to believe that this is what Sunday is based on, but this eighth day logic is what the first Sunday references base its superiority on (and this was apparently done so that the obvious connection to Mithra and the Ogdoad would not be considered as the true causes).

Hence, both the heretical Epistle of Barnabas and the heretic Justin Martyr actually teach that Sunday worship for Christians is wrapped up in a theology involving the eighth day, which they claim is the still the first day, but preferred as it comes after the seventh day. As mentioned earlier, the idea of the eighth day being of value originated with the Greek philosophers and was later adopted by Gnostic heretics.

But that is where a lot of early support for Sunday worship originated.

By the time of Augustine, he explained this explanation about the "eighth day":

The Sabbath is the seventh day, but the Lord's Day, coming after the seventh, must needs be the eighth, and is also to be reckoned the first. For it is called the first day of the week, and so from it are reckoned the second, third, fourth, and so on to the seventh day of the week, which is the Sabbath. But from Lord's Day to Lord's Day is eight days...Further too, the number fifty in itself also contains a great mystery. For it consists of a week of weeks, with the addition of one as an eighth to complete the number of fifty...In like manner, therefore, the circumcision on the eighth day, which was given to the patriarchs, foretold our justification, to the putting away of carnal lusts through the resurrection of our Lord, which took place after the seventh day, which is the Sabbath-day, on the eighth, that is, the Lord's day, which fell on the third day after His burial (Augustine. Exposition on Psalm 150, Chapter 1).

Notice that Augustine recognize that the Sabbath is the seventh day, but that he apparently felt sometimes using an eighth-day week helped justify an eighth day Sunday observance.

Even the Catechism of the Catholic Church acknowledges that the seventh day is the Sabbath, but that it keep the eighth:

The sabbath...The sacred text says that "on the seventh day God finished his work which he had done"...

The eighth day. But for us a new day has dawned: the Day of Christ's resurrection (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 345,349. Imprimi Potest + Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger. Doubleday, New York, 1994, p. 100).

Since the resurrection was not on Sunday and the eighth day came from pagans and Gnostic heretics, should you observe it?

The Eighth Day Foretold?

However, as an apparent effort to look for justification for "eighth day" worship, notice what the following Calvinist "catechism" states:

Q. 11. Under what name or designation is the Christian Sabbath foretold in the Old Testament?

A. Under the name of the EIGHTH DAY, Ezek. 43:27 -- "And when these days are expired, it shall be that upon the EIGHTH DAY, and so forward, the priests shall make your burnt offerings upon the altar, and your peace offerings: and I will accept you, Saith the Lord."

Q. 12. Why called the eighth day?

A. Because the first day of the week now, is the eighth in order from the creation. (THE SHORTER CATECHISM EXPLAINED. The Center for Reformed Theology and Apologetics. http://www.reformed.org/master/index.html?mainframe=/documents/fisher/q059.html 01/02/07).

Is Ezekiel prophesying Sunday, or is he talking about something else? Notice the context of what Ezekiel wrote:

18 And He said to me, "Son of man, thus says the Lord GOD: 'These are the ordinances for the altar on the day when it is made, for sacrificing burnt offerings on it, and for sprinkling blood on it. 19 You shall give a young bull for a sin offering to the priests, the Levites, who are of the seed of Zadok, who approach Me to minister to Me,' says the Lord GOD. 20 You shall take some of its blood and put it on the four horns of the altar, on the four corners of the ledge, and on the rim around it; thus you shall cleanse it and make atonement for it. 21 Then you shall also take the bull of the sin offering, and burn it in the appointed place of the temple, outside the sanctuary. 22 On the second day you shall offer a kid of the goats without blemish for a sin offering; and they shall cleanse the altar, as they cleansed it with the bull. 23 When you have finished cleansing it, you shall offer a young bull without blemish, and a ram from the flock without blemish. 24 When you offer them before the LORD, the priests shall throw salt on them, and they will offer them up as a burnt offering to the LORD. 25 Every day for seven days you shall prepare a goat for a sin offering; they shall also prepare a young bull and a ram from the flock, both without blemish. 26 Seven days they shall make atonement for the altar and purify it, and so consecrate it. 27 When these days are over it shall be, on the eighth day and thereafter, that the priests shall offer your burnt offerings and your peace offerings on the altar; and I will accept you,' says the Lord GOD." (Ezekiel 43:18-27).

Even a cursory reading of the above should make it clear to normal people that Ezekiel was not prophesying that the Seventh-day Sabbath would be changed to Sunday. But this is the type of argument that Sunday is actually based upon.

The above is in the article Sunday and Christianity. That article and more is available at the History of Early Christianity page.

Today is also called "Earth Day". AOL had the following story this morning:

Scientists Offer Frightening Forecast

By Ker Than and Andrea Thompson

(April 22) -- Our planet's prospects for environmental stability are bleaker than ever as the world celebrates Earth Day on Sunday. Global warming is widely accepted as a reality by scientists and even by previously doubtful government and industrial leaders. And according to a recent report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), there is a 90 percent likelihood that humans are contributing to the change.

The international panel of scientists predicts the global average temperature could increase by 2 to 11 degrees Fahrenheit by 2100 and that sea levels could rise by up to 2 feet...

Global oil production peaks sometime between 2008 and 2018, according to a model by one Swedish physicist. Others say this turning point, known as “Hubbert’s Peak,” won’t occur until after 2020. Once Hubbert’s Peak is reached, global oil production will begin an irreversible decline, possibly triggering a global recession, food shortages and conflict between nations over dwindling oil supplies.

Whether or not humans have been a major cause of global warming or when "Hubbert's Peak" is reached, the Bible makes the following statements:

...should destroy those who destroy the earth (Revelation 11:18).

And men were scorched with great heat, and they blasphemed the name of God who has power over these plagues; and they did not repent and give Him glory (Revelation 16:9).

Then every island fled away (Revelation 16:20).

At the time of the end the king of the South shall attack him (Daniel 11:40).

The Bible makes it clear that those that who have helped destroy the earth will be scorched with high heat, that islands will be gone, and the king of the South will attack (perhaps related to realizing that the Arab oil will run out). Some scientists are now coming to supportive conclusions.

Two readers of this page (one in CGG, the other in LCG), sent me the following news item:

Germany Rebuilds its Imperial Palaces

Spiegel - April 20, 2007

German cities are experiencing a retro boom. Braunschweig has rebuilt its old city palace and Berlin, Potsdam and Hanover plan to follow suit. The new monumental structures require a combination of high-tech skills and a traditional craftsmanship...

The German capital isn't alone in its enthusiasm for the architecture of the past. http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,478279,00.html

The Bible prophecies a leader, the Beast, coming from Europe, and that Europe apparently will have kings again (Revelation 17:10-12). Catholic prophets spoke of a "Great Monarch" to come in the future who would reunite Europe and make most of the world Catholic--and that their would be kings again in Europe. Rebuilding palaces may help the common people become more willing to accept kings once more. An article of possible interest may be Europa and the Beast.

On other matters, a few items related to Virginia Tech were posted at the LCG News page this morning.

Click here for previous COG news. Includes news on the new Catholic Position Discrediting Limbo, US and China, the "Rapture", CBCG, India, Virginia Tech, CGG and Proclaiming the Gospel, COGaic and Happiness, the Meaning of Life, UCG's Prophetic views and Islam, CGI and Easter, WCG and Augustine, Unity with the Orthodox, Second Passover, etc.

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Volume 11, issue 5 COG writer B. Thiel (c) 2007