Pentecost and Prophecies
Dr. Douglas Winnail, January 2008
Today is Pentecost.
Here is what LCG’s Douglas Winnail wrote about it in his latest weekly update:
God’s Incredible Plan: Many professing Christians assume that God’s purpose is simply to get people to believe in Jesus so they can go to heaven. However, the Scriptures reveal something very different! Isaiah refers to the plan of God (Isaiah 46:9-10). The Apostle Paul mentions that we are called to be part of God’s great plan, “being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel [purpose] of His will” (Ephesians 1:3-11). Paul also explains in Ephesians 3 that this “eternal purpose” is a mystery to the world. However, God has revealed His purpose in the Holy Days. This coming Sunday we will observe the Feast of Pentecost, which pictures the outpouring of God’s Spirit—a gift God gives to those who obey Him (Acts 5:32). We must never forget that it is God’s Spirit that has enabled His Church to understand the incredible plan of God (see Acts 1:4,8; John 14:15-17; 16:13; 1 Corinthians 2). Let’s rejoice, be thankful and nourish that Spirit—as we obey God and observe the day of Pentecost—so we can continue to be led by Him to do His Work.
Jesus had prophesied sending the Holy Spirit (John 16:7-11), and this came to pass on Pentecost c. 31 AD (Acts 2:1-4). We in the Living Church of God are observing this Holy Day today.
In addition to Pentecost marking the beginning of the New Testament Church and the coming of the Holy Spirit, Dr. Michael Germano, president of Living University, reported:
…scholars speculate that the flight of the last remaining members of the church at Jerusalem on the Feast of Pentecost in CE 69, may have been recorded by Flavius Josephus:
“Moreover, at that feast which we call Pentecost, as the priests were going by night into the inner [court of the] temple, as their custom was, to perform their sacred ministrations, they said that, in the first place, they felt a quaking, and heard a great noise, and after that they heard a sound as of a great multitude, saying,
“Let us remove hence.” ” (Josephus, Wars, bk. VI, ch. v, sec. 3; Originally written 1st century AD; Whiston 1957:825)
Essentially, it was on Pentecost that the NT Church started and apparently on Pentecost that the NT Church moved its headquarters, if you will, from Jerusalem as they apparently were warned to leave before its destruction.
The Catholic Encyclopedia reports,
When Titus took Jerusalem (April-September, A.D. 70) he ordered his soldiers to destroy the city)…Meanwhile the Christian community had fled to Pella in Paraea, east of the Jordan (southeast of Jenin), before the beginning of the siege.
According to the fourth century Catholic historian Eusebius, during the first century,
But the people of the church in Jerusalem had been commanded by a revelation, vouchsafed to approved men there before the war, to leave the city and to dwell in a certain town of Perea called Pella (Eusebius. The History of the Church History, Book III, Chapter V, Verses 2,3. Translated by A. Cushman McGiffert. Digireads.com Publishing, Stilwell (KS), 2005, p. 45).
So the real Christians who heeded God’s warnings were safe.
But not all warnings are from God.
Currently there is one self-appointed false prophet who prophesied massive destruction and doom would be clear by Pentecost of this year (which is today) or he would stop preaching. Notice what CGPFK’s Ronald Weinland stated in a sermon on March 29, 2008:
If by Pentecost I’m just going to make this real clear to everyone. If by Pentecost it is not powerfully and abundantly clear that there has been a great deal of destruction that will clearly encompass a third of all plant life in the US and at least the clear results of this mingled with blood the death of very much animal life and the beginning of large numbers of human life then I will stop preaching. Just so all the critics and everyone out there will understand. I am true to my word in these things. OK? And for all the critics if by the end of July and for most likely around Pentecost if nothing has clearly caused great destruction and death I will make it very clear that I was a false prophet. I will do exactly what I said I would do on all of those interviews that I have held; to do less, aah well, would be quite insane. (Weinland R. Three More Weeks–quote from near the 1 hour 28 minute point from the CGPFK website version. Sermon given March 29, 2008).
Although there have been some storms, there simply has not been the type of widespread destruction that Ronald Weinland has prophesied. Whether or not he will stop preaching after today is a question (it seems like he may wait until July). But if he does not now, according to what he preached in March, he is quite insane.
Is The End Of The World Coming On June 12th?
An elusive group just outside of Abilene, Texas is claiming the end of the world is coming in less than a week.
The House of Yahweh recently gave ABC reporter Brian Ross access to their west Texas compound. Yahweh leader Yisrayl Hawkins says a nuclear holocaust will come June 12th and only members of his group will be saved…
Hawkins has predicted a doomsday twice before. He’s also accused of having two dozen wives, and is facing bigamy charges. You can see more of the Brian Ross interview tonight (Friday) on 20/20, airing tonight on KLTV 7 at 9:00 pm. http://www.kltv.com/Global/story.asp?S=8443405
No, the end of the USA will not be this Thursday (though if enough of these false prophets keep rising up, one will guess it right (to see a list of those I have denounced in advance for this year alone, please see the news item Another Self-Appointed Prophet?).
Jesus, on the other hand, who properly predicted the coming of the Holy Spirit, also properly predicted:
Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many (Matt 24:11).
It is sad that people like Ronald Weinland and Yisrayl Hawkins have decided to fulfill that prophesy personally.
Now I mentioned that there have been storms. Notice the following news item:
Natural Disasters Up More Than 400 Percent in Two Decades
Natural News – June 5, 2008
The number of natural disasters around the world has increased by more than four times in the last 20 years, according to a report released by the British charity Oxfam. Oxfam analyzed data from the Red Cross, United Nations and researchers at Louvain University in Belgium. It found that the earth is currently experiencing approximately 500 natural disasters per year, compared with 120 per year in the early 1980s. The number of weather-related disasters in 2006 was 240, compared with 60 in 1980. http://www.naturalnews.com/023362.html
But as I have mentioned before, Jesus Himself predicted this type of thing and only referred to them as “the beginning of sorrows” (Matthew 24:7-8)–and those sorrows were BEFORE the Great Tribulation (Matthew 24:21)–not the Great Tribulation itself. And while floods in Indiana, earthquakes in China, tornadoes in the MidWest, droughts in the West (including Australia), and cyclones in places like Myanmar are difficult trials–they of themselves simply do not show that the Great Tribulation is here.
Notice what Jesus said would happen immediately before the Great Tribulation:
15 “Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand), 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. 18 And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. 19 But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! 20 And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be (Matthew 24:15-21).
These events simply have not yet happened–the abomination was not set up–people have not fled Judea, etc. The Great Tribulation will not begin this week, next month, or even this calendar year.
I prefer to rely on the prophecies from Jesus as opposed to those “self-appointed prophets” that Jesus warned against.
There still are too many biblically required events that have not yet occurred for the Great Tribulation to start in 2008–I do not believe that it is possible for it to start before 2012, and more likely one-four years after that.
Some articles of possibly related interest may include:
Pentecost Quiz This is a Pentecost quiz based upon the Old and New Testaments in the Bible.
The History of Early Christianity Are you aware that what most people believe is not what truly happened to the true Christian church? Do you know where the early church was based? Do you know what were the doctrines of the early church? Is your faith really based upon the truth or compromise?
Is There “An Annual Worship Calendar” In the Bible? This paper provides a biblical and historical critique of several articles, including one by WCG which states that this should be a local decision. What do the Holy Days mean? Also you can click here for the calendar of Holy Days.
Concerns About Ronald Weinland’s Church of God-Preparing for the Kingdom of God Ronald Weinland falsely claims to be one of the two witnesses God is raising up and that the end will come in 2008. Is he a false prophet? He has at least one other view that suggests that he is not part of the COG.
There is a Place of Safety for the Philadelphians. Why it May Be Petra This article discusses a biblical ‘place of safety’ and includes quotes from the Bible and Herbert W. Armstrong on this subject–thus, there is a biblically supported alternative to the rapture theory.
End of Mayan Calendar 2012–Might 2012 Mean Something? There is a Mayan calendar prediction for change in 2012. 2012 changes were also centuries ago predicted by the Hopi Native Americans and the Hindu Indians (who were not even on the same continent). Do these Mayan/Hindu/Hopi prophecies have any value? Why might Satan have inspired this date? Can the great tribulation start before 2012?
Why Be Concerned About False and Heretical Leaders? There have been many false leaders–and Ronald Weinland is one of them–here is some of why you should be concerned about them.
 |
Tweet |
|