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Click Here for the COGwriter Home Page which has articles on various sabbatarian Churches of God (COGs) and articles supporting beliefs of the Philadelphia portion of the Church of God.

05/06/06 a.m. Last night, ICG's Mark Armstrong reported:

The Garner Ted Armstrong program did a tremendous job this week, both in the U.S., and in Australia, as did the GTA web site.  We’ve counted 418 responses for the week, nearly half of which will turn out to be new once they’ve all been entered into our data base.  We thank God for His blessings upon this work, and they are evident.  Income has been better than good, and response from the latest monthly letter is just beginning to arrive. 

Also I received the latest coworker letter from LCG's RC Meredith who reported:

One additional bit of very good news is that ten out of eleven of our recent television programs brought in more than 3,000 responses!

Also I that same latest coworker letter, LCG's Wayne Pyle reported:

In just the past three months more than 55,000 TV responses...from around the world have poured in our offices requesting the Church's free literature.

Considering that LCG only has a total worldwide attendance of 7,000, these results are quite encouraging.

05/05/06 a.m. UCG released a Home Office Update. In it, UCG's President Clyde Killough reported:

We are now hard at work preparing for the 2006 Annual Meeting of the General Conference of Elders taking place this weekend. The official business meeting occurs on Sunday, May 7, but we have a full schedule for several days before and after.

On a related note, UCG's Charles Melear reported:

About 210 elders and 160 wives have registered to attend the General Conference of Elders Annual Meeting this weekend in Cincinnati. If you will be attending in Cincinnati (even if not staying at the hotel) and haven't registered, please contact Charles Melear as soon as possible.

UCG's Peter Eddington reported:

Beyond Today is scheduled to air on more than 160 cable access channels at present. During our program start-up during the last week of December 2005, we received 63 responses to Beyond Today, and then for January 2006 we received 262, 306 for February, 461 for March—a very encouraging 51 percent increase—and now 567 for April—another 23 percent increase.

UCG's Gerald Seelig reported the following financial information:

First Day of Unleavened Bread
2006 Offering Information (reported)
Attendance: 13,248
Offering: $764,048.09 *
Average per person: $57.67

2005 Offering Information (reported)
Attendance: 13,092
Offering: $743,162.46
Average per person: $56.76

This represents a 1.2 percent increase in attendance over 2005, and a 2.8 percent increase in the offering amount over 2005.

*Once all offerings that were individually mailed to home office are processed, this figure should reach $780,000.

Last Day of Unleavened Bread
2006 Information (reported)
Attendance: 12,026
Offering: $738,648.30 *
Average per person: $61.42

2005 Information (reported)
Attendance: 11,922
Offering: $715,708.94
Average per person: $60.03

This represents a 0.9 percent increase in attendance over 2005, and a 3.2 percent increase in the offering amount over 2005.

*Once all offerings that were individually mailed to the home office are processed, this figure may reach around $760,000.

The above represents a minor difference between how UCG and LCG report matters. LCG does not report average offerings per person. Although the above is not that signficant, and not in the following, many may wish to read the article Differences between the Living Church of God and United Church of God

05/04/06 a.m. CBCG's Fred Coulter's May letter reports:

The National Geographic Society (NGS) has exclusive worldwide rights for the “Gospel of Judas”—including translation rights, media rights, book rights, etc. You may have already seen presentations on the subject on the NGS television channel. In addition, the May 2006 issue of the NGS magazine features a long article on this false gospel with a headline that reads, “An ancient text lost for 1,700 years says Christ’s betrayer was his truest disciple.” When one considers this latest assault against Christianity and against Jesus Christ personally—combined with the numerous additional attacks going back for more than a century and a half—it is evident that Satan is preparing the way for the coming Anti-Christ.

Think about it: If the Judas of the New Testament—described as the lost “son of perdition,” a “traitor” and “betrayer” possessed of the devil—can be rehabilitated and portrayed anew as one of Jesus’ “truest disciples,” then cannot Satan the devil also rehabilitate himself, to once again appear as an “angel of light” to this world and be worshiped as God?

CBCG is relying on the bible over traditions of anti-biblical scholars. All who truly believe in Christ need to do that.

A reader suggested that I look at the web site of that discussed the Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano (St. John Lateran). It states the following about it:

This basilica was the first church to be dedicated to the Holy Redeemer; it symbolized the triumph of Christianity over paganism and thus deserved the title of “Mother and Head of all the churches in the City and the world”. It is the cathedral of Rome, and seat of the bishopric. The dedication to St. John came later.

The inscription at the base of the columns on either side of the central entrance door reads: "SACROS LATERAN ECCLES OMNIUM URBIS ET ORBIS ECCLESIARUM MATER ET CAPUT", which translates to "Sacred Lateran Church Mother and Head of All Churches of the City and the World".

The Bible suggests that a church of that description is not the victor over paganism, but is the persecutor of true Christian. Note what is taught in Revelation 17:4-6,9:

The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication. And on her forehead a name was written: MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And when I saw her, I marveled with great amazement...

Here is the mind which has wisdom: The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits.

I decided to include verse 9 which shows that such a church would have affiliation with seven mountains (Rome is the city of seven hills/mountains). Those who wish to see the actual Latin inscription can find a photo at http://www.gregoryferdinandsen.com/FCO2003/John_Lateran.htm

05/03/06 a.m. Apparently SDA S.Bacchiocchi is taking heat for clarifying the SDA position on 666. Here is some of what he announced yesterday:

But a few concerned fellow believers, expressed their deep disappointment over what they perceive to be a serious abandonment of a major Adventist teaching. Some evangelists are especially upset, because this study raises questions about their preaching on the Mark and Number of the Beast. Confidently they have preached for years that the number of the Beast (666) is clearly found in the pope's title Vicarius Filii Dei, inscribed in his golden tiara. Now they are learning that recent Adventist studies raise serious questions about this popular teaching...

In view of the wide circulation of some critical messages, it is imperative for me to respond to a few arguments. Failing to do so, would leave many readers confused, if not critical, of the new symbolic interpretation of the number of the Beast, presented in recent Adventist studies. For the sake of brevity, I will respond to five major sets of critical arguments. Thus, the response is divided in five parts:

Part 1
A response to the accusation that the latest newsletters reveal that Bacchiocchi is part of a Jesuit conspiracy attempting to destabilize the Adventist church.

Part 2

A response to the claim that the application of the number of the Beast (666) to the pope's title Vicarius Filii Dei is an official Adventist teaching that no scholar or church leaders has the right to change without an official vote taken at the General Conference session.

Part 3

A response to imaginative arguments used to defend the existence of Vicarius Filii Dei on the papal tiara or inside the mitre.

He explaned that the Gregorian University abandoned him and has retracted its granting of academic credentials to him: "Over a year ago I received a document issued by the Academic Dean office of the Gregoriana, which negates my academic achievements, such as the reception of the gold medal donated by Pope Paul VI for earning the summa cum laude distinction" and he stated that he has had not contact with the Jesuits for decades, thus he feels should show everyone that he is not Jesuit). He also explained that since the papal tiara does not have the inscription that many think it is supposed to have, that SDAs should not insist on something that does not exist.

He also brought up the following about Ellen White and 666:

Surprisingly, in all her voluminous writings, Ellen G. White makes only one brief statement on the number 666 of the Beast. The statement is found in her vision of 1847, which was printed on one sheet under the title "A Word to the Little Flock." The statement reads: "I saw that the number (666) of the Image Beast was made up; and that it was the beast that changed the Sabbath, and the Image Beast had followed on after, and kept the Pope's, and not God's Sabbath." (Emphasis supplied. First printed by Joseph Bates on April 7, 1847).

We do not know for sure what Ellen White meant by the phrase "I saw that the number (666) of the Image Beast was made up." Some of the pioneers, including John N. Andrews initially believed that the number 666 was made up by the number of Protestant sects influenced by the Catholic Church (Bacchiocchi S. The Saga of the Adventist Papal Tiara: Part 2.ENDTIME ISSUES NEWSLETTER No. 146, May 2, 2006).

666 is one of the areas that the SDAs and COGs officially differ. An article of related interest may be SDA/COG Differences: Two Horned Beast of Revelation and 666. The COG is NOT part of the Seventh Day Adventists. This article explains two prophetic differences, as well as a difference in approaching doctrine.

Speaking of 666, here is another news announcement about it:

Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins have made fortunes from their 14 jointly written "Left Behind" novels. To date about 63 million copies have been sold to readers anxious to know when Jesus is coming back, who the "Anti-Christ" is and what the apocalyptic number 666 really means.
    
LaHaye and Jenkins timed the release of their latest "Left Behind" book, entitled "The Rapture," for June 6, 2006, as in 06-06-06. http://www.religionandspiritualityforum.com/view.php?StoryID=20060502-114046-6293r

Those of us in the COGs do not accept the Protestant views on the "rapture". An article of related interest may be There is a Place of Safety for the Philadelphians. Why it May Be Petra .

05/01/06 a.m. In its latest commentary, UCG's Rex Sexton writes:

Botswana is reported to have the highest AIDS rate in Africa. But the students told us that this statistic is very misleading. In Botswana the government provides medical care and is actually testing for AIDS and providing medicine and drugs. So they are able to track the disease and keep records.

The surrounding nations do not provide medical care and don't know how serious the problem is. Whole families and villages are disappearing. Thousands of people are dying in droves and the problem is almost beyond comprehension.

People from neighboring nations such as Zambia and Zimbabwe steal across the border every day hoping to get medical care in Botswana, but unless they can prove citizenship they are denied treatment.

The government of Botswana is very aggressive in trying to deal with the HIV epidemic. But the problem continues to increase. Billboards, newspapers, bus stop benches, and even shirts are plastered with HIV slogans such as, "Know Your Status" and "Always Be Sex Safe"—referring to condom use. Free condoms are passed out seemingly everywhere you go in Botswana.

Though condoms could slow down the problem, they are not the complete answer. The only effective answer is for the people to hear and heed the words of our Creator.

He has made this promise: "If you will listen to …the Lord your God and …keep His commandments…I will put none of these diseases upon you" (Exodus 15:26).

His seventh commandment is "You shall not commit adultery." If just that one commandment were observed by everyone, even for only one generation, sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV could be defeated.

What does the future hold for the southern half of Africa? According to the medical volunteers, well over half of the black population will die off in the next twenty years. People from India, China, and the North African Muslims are moving in to occupy the region.

While the Bible teaches that the ultimate future for Africa is bright, the current future in many areas sadly remains bleak.

The following published statements by the speaker seem odd:

But whatever you call it, Easter is celebrated on a Sunday, and the rest of the Christian Sabbaths followed suit. Christians believe Christ rose from the dead on a Sunday, and they commemorated it by changing the way they ordered their week"..."Originally the Sabbath is Saturday," said the Rev. Bob Dunn, pastor of Most Precious Blood Catholic Church. "That's the seventh day when God rested. But for us, it's on the seventh day God rose."                                   Source:  http://www.caller.com/ccct/local_news/article/0,1641,CCCT_811_4625860,00.html

It is true that Jesus rose on the seventh day (please see article on Easter). But the seventh day of the week is never Sunday.

The following were the top ten viewed articles on the COGwriter site for April 2006:

1. Church of God, Seventh Day Nearly all COG's I am aware of trace their history through this group. Do you know much about them?
2. Teachings Unique to the Philadelphia Church of God Simply calling oneself 'Philadelphia' does not make one so (see Revelation 3:7-9). This article provides quotes from this group which claims to be faithful.
3. Location of the Early Church: Another Look at Ephesus, Smyrna, and Rome What actually happened to the primitive Church? And did the Bible tell about this in advance?
4. Polycarp of Smyrna Polycarp was the successor of the Apostle John and a major leader in Asia Minor.
5. Some Similarities and Differences Between the Orthodox Church and the Churches of God Both groups have some amazing similarities and some major differences. Do you know what they are?
6. The Churches of Revelation 2 & 3 Do they matter? Most say they must, but act like they do not. This article contains some history about the Church of God (sometimes referred to as the continuation of Primitive Christianity) over the past 2000 years.
7. Binitarian View: One God, Two Beings Before the Beginning Is binitarianism the correct position? What about unitarianism or trinitarianism?
8. 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.
9. Why Not the Restored Church of God? This group claims to be the most faithful. The information in this article suggests otherwise.
10. Europa, the Beast, and Revelation Where did Europe get its name? What might Europe have to do with the Book of Revelation?

Number 11 was the article on Passover. Number 9 was a bit interesting as RCG posted almost nothing in April (hence I barely mentioned it), yet many apparently wanted to know about it.

04/30/06 a.m. LCG's Wayne Pyle reported that last week’s program by Richard Ames, “Framework for Prophecy,” offering LCG's booklet Revelation: The Mystery Unveiled! drew 4,000-plus responses. He also added:

The second time [this year] for the 4,000-mark to be passed… Our new station in Knoxville, WVLR, brought in 22 calls, which is a cost per response of only $14.32 for the air time, digital tape, shipping and 800-number phone calls.  For this to happen in the station’s second week is simply outstanding and shows that this station is a winner...

LCG, since its inceptions, has always had the greatest television response of any COG.

On other matters, xCG founder Gary Scott wrote:

Churning out this nonsense on a semi-regular basis can be, quite frankly, a chore. There was a time I tried to rant at least once a day. Then once every two days. Now, a couple of times a week and I’m happy. Granted, there are others who contribute, and I greatly appreciate their efforts. Still, most of it is my verbal dribbling…

I see why Gavin quit—and I don’t put in 10% of the effort he did.

Notice that nonsense is his word for his page.

He continued with:

But more backs make a load lighter, so I thought I’d conduct a little experiment and open this up to more contributors...

Who’s welcome? Everyone—even Armstrongist apologists. Bob Thiel and David ben Arial could even get accounts for all I care. I’m not sure how much of their stuff I’d actually change from “pending” status to “live” status, but I’d let ‘em have a shot anyway. (As if they’d be interested!)

Actually one difference between my relationship with Gavin and xCG is that xCG will not email me as I have asked (this is how Gavin and I communicated--hence xCG and I do not have any relationship). Now they offer to allow me to post with their editorial ability. No, this "offer" does not have much appeal.

My email address remains cogwriter@aol.com

04/29/06 a.m. Last night, ICG's Mark Armstrong reported:

Everyone is concerned about the painful upward spiral in energy prices.  Much of the blame is being placed on fear of nuclear Iran, or action that may be taken to deal with the hateful, brazen leaders there who are intent on the demolition of Israel.  Just this week Iran acquired long-range nuclear-capable missiles that are able to reach anywhere on the European continent.  Iran continues to be defiant toward the UN and its weak attempts at diplomacy.  Russia and China remain protective toward Iran due in large part to their sales of arms and nuclear equipment to the renegade nation.  It seems the longer this situation plays out, the deeper the complexities and the greater the danger to Israel, Europe and ultimately the United States and the economy of the whole world. 

I take the rising gasoline prices as an indicator that the US economy (and the US$) is shakier than most seem to realize. Higher gasoline prices often trigger higher inflation. Higher inflation often triggers higher interest rates. The US economy is in so much debt that a repeat of the high interest rates in the early 1980s (which were partially due to the increases in gasoline prices) may devastate the US economy. Jesus repeatedly told us to watch, and this is just one of the many world events to watch.

Did you know that the real reason that Sunday is observed (other than that it honors the Sun god) is that early gnostic writers (including the heretic Justin Martyr), wanted to honor the eighth day of the week? Well anyway, the current Pope Benedict confirmed this eighth day nonsense a few days ago when he stated:

This Sunday the Gospel of John recounts that the risen Jesus appeared to his disciples, gathered in the cenacle, on the evening of the "first day of the week" (John 20:19), and that he showed himself to them again in the same place "eight days later" (John 20:26).

From the beginning, therefore, the Christian community began to live a weekly rhythm, highlighted by the encounter with the risen Lord.

It is what is also emphasized by the Second Vatican Council's constitution on the sacred liturgy, which affirms: "The Church, by an apostolic tradition, which has its origin in the same day of the resurrection of Christ, celebrates the paschal mystery every eight days, on the day that is called with reason 'day of the Lord' or Sunday" ("Sacrosanctum Concilium," No. 106). (Benedict XVI. Homily of April 23, 2006, Vatican City. Copyright 2006 -- Libreria Editrice Vaticana).

Of course, the resurrection was not on Sunday. And this eighth day discussion is essentially nonsense. But the world's form of Christianity accepts this. (Apparently he is using a the same form of an illogical form of math as many gnostics did as every eighth day is not Sunday. The eighth day from each Sunday is Monday, from Monday is Tuesday, etc. The only way for something to happen on the same day of the week is if it occurs every SEVENTH day, as that is how long a week is now, and a week was in the time of Christ.)

Nothing in Christianity is original. The pre-Christian God Mithras – called the Son of God and the Light of the World – was born on December 25, died, was buried in a rock tomb, and then resurrected in three days. By the way, December 25 is also the birthday of Osiris, Adonis, and Dionysus. The newborn Krishna (of Hinduism) was presented with gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Even Christianity’s weekly holy day was stolen from the pagans....... Originally, Christianity honoured the Jewish Sabbath of Saturday, but Constantine shifted it to coincide with the pagan’s veneration day of the sun...... To this day, most churchgoers attend services on Sunday morning with no idea that they are there on account of the pagan sun god’s weekly tribute – Sunday. (Page 252).  Source:  http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2006/4/21/lifefocus/14004028&sec=lifefocus

The movie version is set for release next month.

Perhaps I should add that the Pope does know that the Bible teaches that the seventh day is the sabbath, as he said this last month:

"Remember to keep holy the sabbath day. Six days you may labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord, your God" (Exodus 20:8-9). The sabbath is a holy day, that is, a day consecrated to God on which man understands better the meaning of his life and his work. It can therefore be said that the biblical teaching on work is crowned by the commandment of rest. (Benedict XVI. Homily of March 19, 2006, Vatican City. Copyright 2006 -- Libreria Editrice Vaticana).

Notice that he called this the biblical teaching. And the biblical teaching is that the seventh day is the sabbath.

04/28/06 p.m. A reader asked me yesterday to announce the date of second Passover. The second passover date this year is Friday, May 12, to be taken the previous evening of May 11, after sunset. The "second passover" is in accordance with the biblical instructions in Numbers 9:1-14. It is a Passover service is for those baptized members of the Church who would have taken the first Passover, but because of circumstances beyond their control, could not do so.

04/28/06 a.m. In his latest Prez-perspective CG7's Whaid Rose writes:

If you had to be a tree or plant, which would you rather be — an oak, or a zucchini? The contrasts between the two are fascinating.
The average lifespan of an oak tree is 200 years, though some live twice that long. Plant a zucchini seed in late spring and its
entire life cycle will be completed by summer’s end. It takes 20 to 30 years for an oak tree to begin reproduction, and when it does, it
produces thousands of acorns, year after year. To the contrary, the zucchini plant is good for one season only.
So, perhaps the question should be, What kind of tree would God rather we would be? Describing the spiritual man, David
wrote: “He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither,
and whatever he does shall prosper” (Psalm 1:3, NKJV). Firmly planted, deep roots, flourishing leaves, and an abundance of fruit.
Such is the description of the believer who walks with God and delights in His Word. And it sounds a lot more like an oak, than a
zucchini!

To be an oak, we must spend ourselves, not on things that last only for a season, but rather, on things eternal.

On the above, CG7 is correct.

On other matters, CG7 has once again changed the appearance of its home page (it seems better than the version that I noticed about a month ago). More on that group can be found in the article Church of God, Seventh Day.

04/27/06 a.m. CEM's Ron Dart posted:

But then the scene changes. Since the Feast of Tabernacles follows the Feast of Trumpets with the return of Christ, and the Day of Atonement, with the Last Judgement, what would naturally follow in the course of events?

Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while (Revelation 20:1-3) .

            This is that time that some people call “The Millennium.” If you read much about prophecy, you have probably heard people speak of premillennial, amillennial, or post millennial approaches to the interpretation of these events. A millennium is simply a thousand years. During this thousand year epoch, Satan is bound. In Revelation, It appears that Christ returns before that thousand years begins. The work that has to be done starts with the binding of Satan, an event that some compare to the second goat of the ceremony on the Day of Atonement. That goat is not killed as a sacrifice, but is led away and left in the desert, alive.

And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection (vv. 4-5).

            Since this follows the Feast of Trumpets and the return of Christ, and it follows the Day of Atonement when according to one belief, Satan is bound, it is only natural to think that the Feast of Tabernacles may picture the Millennium, the time when the Kingdom of God is established...

Now there is a curious thing about the Feast of Tabernacles. It is said to be a seven day festival, and then there is an eighth day. Although no one knows for sure what the chronology of the world from Adam to this day is, as it is presented to us in the Bible, it forms what appears to be a seven thousand year plan. We have just about finished six thousand years of human thrashing around trying to find our own way. The seventh thousand year period is the rule of Christ, and not only his rule, but that rule shared with those who have trusted him and served him in this life.

Interestingly, I noticed that the lcg.org site posted:

Question:
"Where do you get the idea that mankind has been appointed 6,000 years of self-rule to be followed by a 1,000-year reign of Christ?"

Answer:
As Genesis shows, God reformed the earth and creat­ed the progenitors of all pres­ent life upon it in a six-day period, then rested on the sev­enth-day Sabbath. This began a weekly cycle in which man is to work for six days and rest every Sabbath (Ex. 20:9–11). In Hebrews 4:5–11, the Apostle Paul explained how the seventh-day Sabbath pictures the wonderful era of peace and rest that will follow the current age of man’s activity. In the book of Revelation, John was inspired to write that this coming era, beginning with Christ’s return to set up His Kingdom, will last 1,000 years (20:1–4)—often referred to as simply the “Millennium?

As the seventh day of the week, then, represents a thousand-year period in God’s plan it follows that the previous six days of the week represent thou­sand-year periods as well. In explaining what some would perceive as a delay in Christ’s return, Peter brought up this principle as something the Church should not be ignorant of: “But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day” (2 Peter 3:8 KJV).

The idea of each day of the week rep­resenting a thousand years of God’s plan was well-known to the Jews of Peter’s day. About 200 years before Christ, Rabbi Elias wrote, “The world endures six thou­sand years: two thousand before the law, two thousand under the law, and two thousand under Messiah.” The famed his­torian, Edward Gibbon, wrote that “the tradition was attributed to the prophet Elijah” (Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, p. 403). The Encyclopedia of the Jewish Religion (art. “Millennium,” Adama Books, 1986, p.263) reports that the tan­naim—rabbis of Christ’s day—based such an interpretation on Psalm 90, writ­ten by Moses: “For a thousand years in Your sight are like yesterday when it is past, and like a watch in the night” (v. 4). The tannaim said that, as there were six days of creation, the world would last for 6,000 years. The seventh “world day” would be 1,000 years of the Messiah (Sanhedrin 97a; Avodah Zarah Sa)...

As a final scriptural point, God told Adam that in the “day” he ate of the for­bidden fruit, he would die (Genesis 2:17). Yet Adam lived to be 930 years old (Genesis 5:5)! How is that possible? One way is just as Methodius and other early church com­mentators explained: since a day with God was a thousand years, Adam had to die before the first 1,000-year day was completed—and he did.

I would simply add that even the Roman Church believed in this until after it accepted the allegorical interpretations of Origen of Alexandria. And although Origen was later denounced as a heretic, even today the Roman Church has agreed with Origen on this. This and more is documented in the article on Millenarianism.

04/26/06 a.m. The latest issue of PCG's Philadelphia Trumpet states:

The life of Vladimir Bukovsky has the makings of a bestselling political thriller. He is regarded by some as one of the heroes of the 20th century alongside other Soviet dissidents such as Alexander Solzhenitsyn. In 1971, he was the first to expose psychiatric abuse against political prisoners in the ussr. He spent 12 years of his early adulthood in and out of Soviet jails, labor camps and psychiatric institutions. Bukovsky was expelled in 1976 by Soviet authorities to the West in exchange for Chilean communist leader Luis Corvalán, and he has lived in England ever since...

Bukovsky discovered that a handful of politicians had structured the European Union to become the totalitarian regime...

The EU is only a milder version of the ussr, says Bukovsky. There’s no Gulag, no kgb yet—but he’s watching Europol. “That really worries me a lot because this organization will probably have powers bigger than those of the kgb. They will have diplomatic immunity. Can you imagine a kgb with diplomatic immunity? They will have to police us on 32 kinds of crimes—two of which are particularly worrying: one is called racism, another is called xenophobia” (ibid.).

The Trumpet notes a key difference, however, between the two empires, which Bukovsky does not point out: The EU’s Soviet-style structure will not be run by atheistic communism, but staunch Roman Catholicism, in a resurrection of the Holy Roman Empire.

PCG's conclusion is correct. Please read the article Europa and the Beast.

A CGG member sent me the following news article:

In the United States, Answers in Genesis maintains a mailing list of 500,000 names and a monthly newsletter that goes out to as many as 120,000 readers, according to Mark Looy, chief communications officer.

Many of them have laid the financial foundation for the 50,000-square-foot, $25 million Creation Museum that Ham is building with donated money on a near-50-acre campus in the northern Kentucky countryside. As of March 31, almost $21 million had been raised, according to the Web site.

Minutes from the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, the location is no accident, as underscored by the airport's slogan, "Half the U.S. population within an hour's flight."

While mainstream scientists shake their heads, marketing research indicates Answers in Genesis may be welcoming up to 250,000 visitors a year after the museum's scheduled debt-free opening next spring, according to Michael Zovath, vice president of the Creation Museum. Admission fees remain to be determined.

"The 250,000 people going to it will go back to their legislators and pressure them to vote for Jesus," said Volney Gay, director of the Center for Religion and Culture at Vanderbilt University in Nashville. "There's a suspicion of science and a suspicion of intellectuals in general."

Said Ham: "What we see is if you can get information to people, their worldview will be changed, and the way they vote on issues, on a school board or whatever, will reflect that change."

It is not likely that this museum will have a major impact on this debate. The truth, of course, is the evolutionary premise that life began on its own is scientifically false. Proof can be found in the article Is Evolution Probable or Impossible or Is God's Existence Logical?

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