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This newsletter comes to you with considerable delay, not because I was secretly "raptured" away (as someone suggested), but because I devoted the past three weeks to complete the powerpoint lecture entitled CRACKING THE DA VINCI CODE. This has been a major project on which I have worked on and off for the past 5 months...
I am looking forward with eager anticipation to see the edited version of the lecture...
You may be wondering, why would a Church Historian like me, invest much time and money in examining a novel? The answer is simple. The DVC is much more than a novel. It is a social phenomenon that is shattering the faith of millions of Christians by blatantly attacking the fundamental beliefs of the Christian faith. In many ways this is a blasphemious and sacrelegious novel that insults God, Christ, the Gospels, the Bible, and fundamental Christian teachings.
The problem with the DVC is that it is fiction presented as fact.
Instead of waiting for his video, some may find the article The Da Vinci Code: Some Good, Most Bad of interest.
Last night ICG's Mark Armstrong reported:
Here in Tyler we’re looking forward to the onset of the Sabbath day, and the day of Atonement on Monday. And the following Sabbath marks the beginning of the Feast of Tabernacles.
Yes, we are in the Fall Holy Day season!
Articles of related interest may include:
Did Early Christians Observe the Fall Holy Days? Did they? Did Jesus?
The Book of Life and the Feast of Trumpets? Are they related? Is so how? If not, where not?
The Day of Atonement--Its Christian Significance The Jews call it Yom Kippur, Christians "The Day of Atonement". Does it have any relevance for Christians today?
The Feast of Tabernacles: A Time for Christians? Is this pilgrimage holy day still valid? Does it teach anything relevant for today's Christians?
Last Great Day study paper Was Jesus speaking about the 7th or 8th day of the Feast in John 7:37? UCG says the 7th, but what does the Bible teach? This extensive paper reviews UCG's LGD study paper and includes comments as to where it erred.
Holy Days This is a listing of the biblical holy days through 2012, with their Roman calendar dates.
COGaic is announcing:
Go on location to the picturesque Greek island of Patmos. Visit Western Turkey and see the ancient cities of the seven churches addressed in Revelation. Along the way, your host, Dr. David Hulme, will explore this much misunderstood book and its original time and place.
The book of Revelation paints a detailed picture of a time of unparalleled destruction and catastrophe coming upon the earth. Its terrifying images have haunted every generation in western society for almost two thousand years. But Revelation also contains a powerful message of hope. It is well known that the story ends with worldwide peace, as ultimate good conquers ultimate evil and a new age of global peace and prosperity begins. And for the time between now and then, John’s words offer hope and invaluable insight. Within his letters to the seven churches the way to peace of mind in an uncertain and fearful age is laid out. Here is the source of strength and encouragement to overcome the greatest of all challenges.
To learn more about the Message to the Seven Churches, click here and fill out the order form.
Actually, since COGaic does not clearly teach church eras, more pertinent information would be found in the following articles:
The Churches of Revelation 2 & 3 from 31 A.D. to present: information on all of the seven churches of Revelation 2 & 3
1. The Ephesus Church Era was predominant from 31 A.D. to circa 135 A.D.
2. The Smyrna Church Era was predominant circa 135 A.D. to circa 450 A.D.
3. The Pergamos Church Era was predominant circa 450 A.D. to circa 1050 A.D.
4. The Thyatira Church Era was predominant circa 1050 A.D. to circa 1585 A.D.
5. The Sardis Church Era was predominant circa 1585 A.D. to circa 1933 A.D.
6. The Philadelphia Church Era was predominant circa 1933 A.D. to 1986 A.D.
7. The Laodicean Church Era was predominant circa 1986 A.D. to present
09/29/06 a.m. The Euro Observer reported:
Berlin takes over the EU presidency in January and supports a revival of the EU constitution but has so far been lukewarm about the proposals being touted in some capitals.
Last week, chancellor Angela Merkel indicated that she did not want to pick out parts of the document, appearing to reject ideas by French centre-right presidential contender Nicolas Sarkozy and Italian prime minister Romano Prodi.
The 'mini-treaty' idea had found favour in some quarters because it could get around a major political stumbling bloc in that it may only need to be approved by national parliaments, sidestepping unpredictable French voters.
However, Mrs Merkel also re-opened a can of political worms by resurrecting the idea that there should be a reference to God in the constitution.
The 'God debate' during original negotiations on the EU charter was long and bitter with the document eventually emerging without a reference to Christianity.
Berlin's position has left some analysts wondering whether it is possible to keep the whole document alive as well as reopening difficult issues like the religious heritage question. http://euobserver.com/9/22527
On a related note, CEG reported the following storyr:
The EUObserver reported on September 22, 2006:
"Angry Muslim reaction to the Pope's recent remarks on Islam has seen some centre-right MEPs make a last-minute attempt to insert a paragraph condemning the Muslim outcry into a major report on Turkey's EU accession progress... But with [the] draft version of the report already ruffling feathers in Ankara, EPP-ED deputies opted to prevent further controversy by refraining from a reference to the protests in the Muslim world on the Pope's speech. Instead, they only filed a comment that welcomes the Pope's planned November visit to Turkey."
Religion will play a role in the EU. The Pope's comments which inflammed Moslems may have been directed towards European politicians to tell them that it is time to reference the Catholic Church somehow in the constitution. Also, it may have been intended to stop Turkey from entering the EU. An article of possible interest may be Europa and the Beast.
09/28/06 a.m. CG7 reported:
Deciphering ‘The Da Vinci Code’: Fact or Fiction?
It’s the buzz at Starbucks, in carpools, around the office water cooler, and, well, practically anywhere people get together. It’s Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code, a bestselling novel that mixes the mysteries of art history with theological cover-ups. The book has all the ingredients of a good mystery: engaging characters, intriguing plot, and page-turning suspense.
But it has a strong dose of controversy as well.
The novel’s disclaimer at the front states that all its historical elements are accurate, when in reality they are not. Among other things, the book calls into question . . .
Christ’s deity. According to Brown’s “facts,” Jesus was understood to be a mere mortal by early Christians, until the Council of Nicaea convened in a.d. 325. There the Roman church adopted His divinity by a narrow vote, under heavily politicized conditions.
The arly church absolutely did teach that Jesus was God in the first and second centuries--the fact that Catholics had a debate in the fourth century has no bearing on the truth (some may be interested in learning more about the History of Early Christianity). Two articles of related interest may be Jesus is God, But Was Made Man and The Da Vinci Code?
Interestingly, Zenit, the Vatican supporting news service, posted the following yesterday:
As we know, eight days later, Jesus again appears to his disciples and on this occasion Thomas is present. And Jesus says to him: "Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side; do not be faithless, but believing" (John 20:27).
Thomas reacts with the most splendid profession of faith of the New Testament: "My Lord and my God!" (John 20:28).
Thus even the Catholics realize that Jesus was called God in the original New Testament writings. However, the Roman Catholics have a couple of different views (the public one and the true historical one) on history--this is documented in the article What Does Rome Actually Teach About Early Church History?
09/27/06 a.m. CEM's Ron Dart recently posted:
Sometimes we have to fall back on the Spirit and ask God to see and know our need. We can come into the Father’s presence in complete silence, and yet be in prayer. And then there is this, in concluding Jesus’ instructions on prayer:
For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins (Matthew 6:14-15).
There is not a word here about waiting for those men to repent. Your job is to forgive. The repentance is for God to bring about. Our job is to let it go.
On other matters, I have apparently been marked by RCG and my repentance to support RCG essentially is now publicly being asked for. I briefly discuss this "marking" at the Former GCG News page
09/26/06 a.m. The SDA's are noticing that in the area of military service, they are perhaps changing doctrine. Notice this from Adventist News Network (official news agency of the Seventh-day Adventist Church) - Sept 22, 2006:
Is the Adventist Stance on Noncombatancy Shifting?
Where have all the Desmond Dosses gone? Epitomizing the traditional position advocated by Seventh-day Adventists during wartime, Doss was a World War II United States Army medic who refused to carry a weapon, yet earned the Congressional Medal of Honor for single-handedly rescuing 75 wounded soldiers amid a blitz of enemy bullets on the island of Okinawa, Japan.
Ever since the Adventist church's beginnings, its official statements and members' behavior have generally reflected an equal commitment to nonviolence.
But today, an estimated 7,500 Adventists serve in the United States military.
And virtually all of them are enlisted as combatants...
But, he points out, "Prior to the 1970s, the thought of a practicing church member volunteering for a combat role in the military would have been inconceivable to the vast majority of Adventists." Not so anymore...
Above all, Councell says, it is unfair to single out the issue of noncombatancy. He views slackening attitudes toward active combat as a symptom of a larger issue: a general shift in the values climate of Adventism, reflecting current socio-cultural trends...
At a recent press conference in Cameroon, Pastor Jan Paulsen, president of the Adventist world church, remarked that "using weapons is an inhumane solution to situations that can be solved. There is a better way to live together and that is to co-exist rather than war."
"We must prayerfully and principally seek moral and spiritual counsel regarding this issue," advises Councell. "There is room for differences of opinion and viewpoint. We are all finite individuals and situations are often imposed upon us." But that doesn't change our core commitment to the well-being of humanity, he adds.
And he believes that commitment sometimes demands action. "We have a moral obligation to defend the innocent and helpless, and if you neglect that I think you have shirked your Christian duty. However, [chaplains] are not advocating killing or the use of weapons and force. Killing during wartime may be necessary in some instances, but that doesn't mean it doesn't leave scars. It does." source: http://news.adventist.org/data/2006/08/1158929606/index.html.en
The SDAs continue to distance themselves from COG doctrines and are more and more a Protestant sect (the COGs are NOT Protestant).
Two articles of related interest may be Military Service and the COGs and SDA/COG Differences: Two Horned Beast of Revelation and 666
09/25/06 a.m. I recently have been re-reading the book History of the Seventh Day Church of God by the late Richard Nickels and found the following statements to be of interest:
Where are the evangelists, the religious writers, the hard working dedicated people who care enough about the Truth of God they know to share it with others? They are watching television or engaging in other frivolous pursuits, while continuing to show up for Sabbath services or annual religious meetings. These Sabbath-keepers today are doing little to spread the gospel to the world. I am glad many people cared enough to help me come along the road to Truth with literature, fellowship and prayers. But so many today frankly don't care any more!
If the Church only realized the sad shape it is in, it might do something about it. But we are like a frog in a pan of lukewarm water. The frog doesn't notice as the temperature is gradually increased, degree by degree, until finally he is cooked to death.
I would answer the above by saying that the answer to the first question is that they are either in the group that places its top priority on proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom to the world as a witness, which is LCG (two articles of related interest may be There are Many COGs, Why Support the Living Church of God and Should the Church Still Try to Place its Top Priority on Proclaiming the Gospel or Did Herbert Armstrong Change that Priority for the Work?) or they have a different work: The Laodicean Church Era was predominant circa 1986 A.D. to present.
09/24/06 a.m.
Anyway here is some of the summary (for brevity's sake, I left out those that do not really claim HWA is Elijah--but have tried to address G. Neilson's strongest supporting statements):
The first two entime characteristics were not possible before the unprecedented 20th Century. Therefore, the endtime Elijah could not restore all things until the 20th Century endtime of hugely increased knowledge and travel had begun.
And since he restores all things, only the final Elijah could be the cause of the huge increase in spiritual knowledge necessary for spiritual purification, which therefore, could only have started when the endtime began in the 20th Century.
The third fulfillment began precisely during this period, when the greatest known number of genuine members--other than in the Bible--were purified spiritually and inducted into the true Church. This happened under the leadership of Herbert W Armstrong, who restored all the doctrines in the Worldwide Church of God.
For decades Herbert W Armstrong proclaimed that he was the first person in 18-and-a-half centuries to comprehensively restore all the doctrines of the true Church of God. That was a discreet way of claiming to be the endtime Elijah.
The final Elijah is specifically called a prophet in Scripture (Malachi 4:4-6). Mr Armstrong repeated his claim to be Elijah in his final and most important book, Mystery of the Ages. Either that claim was correct, or Mr Armstrong was a false prophet. And if so, then so were and are the ministers who walk in his footsteps. That proposition is ludicrous. Mr Armstrong prophesied of the coming Kingdom of God to a wider audience than all the Bible prophets combined. And proclaimed the very same message all of the other prophets did, as Acts 3:19-21 shows...
No-one else in the 20th Century (which alone can be regarded as the start of the endtime as prophesied in Daniel), can legitimately claim to have preceded Herbert W Armstrong in restoring as many truths in the Church.
Therefore no-one else can legitimately claim to be Elijah...
Mr Armstrong started Ambassador College in 1947 to train a ministry. The first five Evangelists in the Radio (later renamed Worldwide) Church of God, were ordained in 1952, some 21 years after Mr Armstrong's ordination--and 26 years after he first began to understand God's truth in 1926. Therefore, all of them--and everyone else--is too late to be the final Elijah.
The great endtime Falling Away from God's truth cannot occur, until after Elijah's greater Restoration of All Things, from which so much truth can fall.
To claim Herbert W Armstrong wasn't the final Elijah, is to claim that someone else is yet to restore ALL things.
That scenario would mean NOTHING restored or taught by Herbert W Armstrong and the Worldwide Church of God ministry in his day was of lasting value, because before Elijah's restoration everything must be in a comparative state of disrepair, until Elijah comes.
What else could any supposed still-to-come Elijah restore, that would give anyone a better salvation than the one Herbert W Armstrong (under Christ's direction) already led the Church to?...
The Plain Truth is, no-one else but Herbert W Armstrong is, was, or can be, the endtime Elijah.
Can Elijah be one of the Two Winesses?
Since they come on the scene too late to be the first to restore all things in the endtime, the only way that Elijah can be one of them is if God brings him back.
With God all things are possible.
Anyway, those interested in this subject may wish to read the article, "The Elijah Heresies".