News of Those Once Affiliated with the Global Church of God
Since the November 1998 takeover of the old GCG by the board in the
U.S., those once with GCG went to many places. Most of the members
and ministers ultimately went with the Living
Church of God (LCG),
8-15% went with the Church of God, a Christian Fellowship (CGCF) and
smaller percentages ended up with David Pack's Restored Church of God (RCG), Harold Smith's
Church of God Fellowship, Northwest (CGFnw), the Continuing Church of God (CCOG), and other groups (at least
one which is outside the U.S. uses the term Global Church of God). On
July 1, 2001, eight ministers resigned from CGCF and formed the Church
of the Eternal God (CEG), similar in name, but not related, to the
Eternal Church of God (ECG--founded by a minister removed from the
original GCG ministry for impropriety). About a month later CGCF (USA)
dissolved and most then with it ended up in the United Church of God (UCG).
One former GCG minister (Ronald Laughland) became pastor of the
Wholeworld Church of God. In 2004, Raymond McNair, having been in GCG,
CGCF, LCG, then went on his own and formed Church of God, 21st Century
(COG21); later he died and that group disbanded. Don Haney, once in GCG/LCG,
formed the Church of God In Peace and Truth. In 2005, Ben Faulkner, who
was in GCG/LCG, formed the Church of the Sovereign God (CotSG). In
2006, Charles Bryce who was in GCG/LCG left, and formed the Enduring
Church of God (En COG). In 2010, several of the main leaders who went
to UCG from CGCF left it and went to a group called COGWA. A couple of people, like Norman Edwards (Servants' News/Shepherd's Voice),
left GCG well before the 1998 takeover (he has 'Nashville Christian Media'). In 2013, Rod Reynolds left LCG and formed COG Messenger. On
12/15/11, a minister in good-standing with LCG anointed Bob Thiel with
oil and prayed that God would grant him a double-portion of His Spirit
(see also How To Determine If Someone is a True Prophet of God):
and things have not been the same since (Bob Thiel still, of course,
supports the goals and biblical beliefs of Philadelphia era of the
Church of God). Website links for most of those who were once part of
GCG and that have websites can be found at the COGlinks
page. In 2012, certain heresies were officially introduced,
accepted, and/or promoted by LCG. After concluding that insufficient value was placed on
the truth (and keeing their word) by certain leaders of LCG and that
they no longer held to biblical church governance and could not as is be
used to lead the final phase of the work (see also Why Bob Thiel Left the Living Church of God), on 12/28/12 Bob Thiel was led to form, and then announced, the beginning of the Continuing Church of God (CCOG). CCOG is the second largest group, in terms of members, of those groups whose leaders were once part of GCG (LCG is largest). This page reports on those groups that somehow once had ties to the old GCG.
12/28/18 a.m. Today marks the 6th anniversary of the declaration of the Continuing Church of God (CCOG). We started with 4 members, plus 2 prospective members. A year later, we had a few dozen. Notice the following which includes information received today from CCOG Evangelist Evans Ochieng:
Pastor Dr Bob,
Greetings from kenya. Since I joined CCOG. I have experience a rapid growth in CCOG. ... I am getting so many contacts from those who visited CCOG WEBSITE. New congregations are added in Kenya and Malawi. Now we have new congregations like Gribe, Muhuru etc Our members have increased upto 4250. ...I am talking about Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Ethiopia, Tanzania and Zambia.
In total, the CCOG now has between 4500-5000 congregants.
The earlier estimate of 3800 was based on a June 2018 report from Evangelist Ochieng, as well as other information. After he saw the 3,800 figure, he sent the above information related to the areas he oversees.
In terms of congregants, the Continuing Church of God (CCOG) is the second largest group who top leadership was once part of the old GCG. CCOG is also the fourth largest xWCG church.
12/24/18 p.m. Spoke with former GCG board member Norman Edwards this afternoon. He mentioned that he sold the Port Austin, Michigan property that was used for his ministry there. A while back, he and his wife moved to Tennesee and he is in the process of getting something going that he calls Nashville Christian Media.
12/21/18 a.m. In its TW News & Prophecy ezine today, LCG had the following:
For years, temple activists in Jerusalem have been preparing implements for use in the hoped-for future temple on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. The purpose of the dedication of this portable altar is to be able to move onto the Temple Mount and begin sacrificing on short notice, should permission to sacrifice there be granted. Current political conditions in Jerusalem and the Middle East preclude such an event taking place in the immediate future because the Temple Mount is also holy to Muslims.
Bible prophecy reveals that in the future an altar will be erected and daily sacrifices will resume (possibly on the Temple Mount) before they are suddenly stopped (Daniel 9:26–27; 12:11). These events will occur prior to the return of Jesus Christ. The resumption of daily sacrifices by the Jews is just one of the signs that will mark His impending return. Whether the portable altar recently dedicated will be the altar upon which these end-time sacrifices occur remains to be seen. However, Jesus specifically told His disciples to watch for these events (Matthew 24:15, 42).
LCG is correct that Bible prophecy supports the view that there will be an altar for daily sacrifices (cf. Daniel 9:27, 11:31; Ezra 3:6). LCG is also correct that it may or may not be the one that the Sanhedrin just used.
The reason I posted this from LCG is that at least this time, LCG did not try to insist that an actual massive temple needed to be built for sacrifices to resume, plus it has finally allowed that the Temple Mount does not have to be the place. In the past, LCG has made other statements to the contrary.
Anyway, the following may be of assistance:
Why is a Jewish Temple in Jerusalem Not Required? Although people like Timothy LaHaye teach a third Jewish temple is required, who is 'the temple of God" in the New Testament? Does the Bible require a rebuilt Jewish Temple? Here is a related item in the Spanish language ¿Por qué no se requiere un templo judío en Jerusalén? Here is a link to a sermon titled The Temple, Prophecy, and the Work.
Nascent Sanhedrin and Prophecy The reconstituted Sanhedrin wants the reimplementation of animal sacrifices. A related video is titled Sanhedrin pushing animal sacrifices. And a newer one is: Sanhedrin makes burnt offering to dedicate altar!
Why Bob Thiel Left the Living Church of God Several have speculated reasons, but here is the truth. (En el idioma español: ¿Por qué Bob Thiel dejó la Iglesia del Dios Viviente?)
What About the Living Church of God? Are there Doctrinal Differences with the Continuing Church of God? This article explains some information and doctrines of the Living Church of God, now led by Gerald Westin, and some concerns about them. (En el idioma español: ¿Qué hay acerca de la Iglesia de Dios Viviente? ¿Hay diferencias doctrinales con la Continuación de la Iglesia de Dios?)
12/13/18 p.m. A video featuring former RCG minister Michael Venish was uploaded today.
Basically he says that David Pack is a liar, is arrogant, and is delusional. He also calls him a false prophet and false apostle. Michael Venish further says David Pack is a selfish, money-focused, deceiver. It seems like the video consists of pieces that came out years ago.
Here is a link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVW5sVTL5gw
If you keep it up when it is done, then a video featuring former RCG leader Jeff Ambrose comes up and plays. Then another comes up focused on money.
David Pack, himself, has long been overly, and wrongly, focused on money. I have written for years that I have doubted his conversion. I do not believe he is a real Christian. Hopefully, he will repent, and those in RCG will come to see the truth.
More on RCG can be found in the article: Why Not the Restored Church of God?
12/05/18 p.m. Today, after posting what was posted on this GCG News page, the 7th Day Sabbath Church of God News website had the following on its news page today:
The figures reported by the churches are:
United Church of God: 12,360 according to Peter Eddington on 26th February 2018.
Church of God a Worldwide Association: approx.11,000 (5,500 in the USA), according to Jim Franks on 29th November 2018.
Continuing Church of God: 3,800 according to Robert Thiel. (Over 3600 are in Africa.)
The LCG, PCG and RCG do not give out numbers, but attendances for all three have been declining significantly.
Living Church of God: 6,000? 9,000 was presumably the attendance when Robert Thiel left LCG to form his own church, and it surely hasn’t sunk to 3,000 today. The only membership loss announced publicly was the transfer of the Geneva, Switzerland, congregation to COGWA.
Philadelphia Church of God: 3,500? Stephen Flurry commented a couple of years ago that PCG had levelled out at around 5,000. In 2017 The Philadelphian magazine listed 143 congregations, indicating that 2,000 must be on the low side.
Restored Church of God: 1,000? If it isn’t down to this figure (or lower) now, it surely will be soon – David Pack is continually losing members and ministers – even his second-in-command left recently.
As far as LCG goes, I believed that the 6,000 estimate was low, so I called its Charlotte HQ today and the one I spoke with said that they have at least 10,000. Their total has not had a significant drop.
While size is not an indicator of truth, the truth is that the CCOG has been the fastest growing COG in the 21st century. The three groups with more congregants than CCOG (UCG, COGWA, LCG) have essentially been slow growing and the other two shown on the post (PCG and RCG) have had substantial losses of congregants in the past 6 or so years.
Unlike UCG, COGWA, and LCG who got the bulk of their members because of a split from another organization (as PCG also somewhat also did–but not as quickly directly as the others did), CCOG did not do that.
12/02/18 a.m. A reader sent me a post from former WCG member James Tabor (who consulted with Dixon Cartwright and others) that contained the following information:
Re: Membership numbers for major WCG remannt {sic} groups...
United Church of God An International Association (12K)
The Church of God a Worldwide Association (9K)
The Living Church of God (3K)*
The Continuing Church of God (Around 3.8K)
The Philadelphia Church of God (2K)
The Restored Church of God (2K)
*Note: James Tabor made a typo or had a misunderstanding regarding LCG as it has more like 9K than 3K--so I placed it before CCOG above. RCG probably has less than 2K and PCG may have more than 2K based on information I have seen.
Anyway, the only group in the above list to add over 3,000 congregants in the past six years in the Continuing Church of God which began with 5 people on December 28, 2012. The three groups with more congregants than CCOG above (UCG, COGWA, LCG) have basically been stagnant as far as congregant growth goes in the past 1/2 dozen years (they have had relatively little) and the two groups with less congregants than CCOG in that list have siginficantly lost congregants during that period.
11/23/18 a.m. LCG sent out the following today:
The United States, like many other nations, is facing an ever-growing mountain of national debt. The interest paid on the U.S. national debt is on pace to even exceed military spending in the years ahead (Wall Street Journal, November 11, 2018). According to the Congressional Budget Office, America “will spend more on interest than it spends on Medicaid in 2020; more in 2023 than it spends on national defense; and more in 2025 than it spends on all nondefense discretionary programs combined, from funding for national parks to scientific research, to health care and education, to the court system and infrastructure.” Interest on the national debt is now the fastest growing area of the U.S. national budget as the country continues to spend more than it earns.
When individuals or nations continue to live beyond their means, it is only a matter of time until serious consequences arise. The Bible has long warned that “the borrower is servant to the lender” (Proverbs 22:7). The covenant that God made with the ancient Israelites stated that turning away from God and rejecting His laws would lead to growing debt that would impact national freedoms and national sovereignty: “The alien who is among you shall rise higher and higher above you, and you shall come down lower and lower. He shall lend to you, but you shall not lend to him; he shall be the head, and you shall be the tail” (Deuteronomy 28:43–44). As the U.S. and other Israelite-descended nations move away from biblical morality and pile up national debts as a result of greed, it would be wise to remember these ancient warnings.
While LCG is correct that the USA has a major problem with debt, years ago LCG stopped teaching that Habbakuk 2:2-8 has end time prophetic ramifications. But the Bible shows that it does.
This intentional omission is one of many prophetic doctrinal issues/mistakes LCG has. A listing of those are in the article: What About the Living Church of God? Are there Doctrinal Differences with the Continuing Church of God? Hopefully, one day LCG will correct its numerous misunderstandings--without changing several of them (and the Habakkuk debt matter is not in this category), those in LCG will not know when the Great Tribulation will begin until it is too late.
As far as Habakkuk goes, he was inspired to write:
2 Then the Lord answered me and said: “Write the vision And make it plain on tablets, That he may run who reads it. 3 For the vision is yet for an appointed time; But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; Because it will surely come, It will not tarry. 4 “Behold the proud, His soul is not upright in him; But the just shall live by his faith.( Habakkuk 2:2-4)
Notice that the prophecy that is being discussed is for the appointed time of the end. It is a prophecy for our time–and will affect the proud. What will happen is so bad “That he may run who reads it.”
Yet, most do not take it seriously enough, and that includes most Christians:
5 “Indeed, because he transgresses by wine, He is a proud man,And he does not stay at home. Because he enlarges his desire as hell, And he is like death, and cannot be satisfied, He gathers to himself all nations And heaps up for himself all peoples. 6 “Will not all these take up a proverb against him, And a taunting riddle against him, and say, ‘Woe to him who increases What is not his — how long? And to him who loads himself with many pledges’? 7 Will not your creditors rise up suddenly? Will they not awaken who oppress you? And you will become their booty. 8 Because you have plundered many nations, All the remnant of the people shall plunder you, Because of men’s blood And the violence of the land and the city, And of all who dwell in it. (Habakkuk 2:5-8)
With an admitted debt of nearly $22 trillion dollars and plans to increase that much further, the USA has increased pledges more than any nation in the history of the planet. And on a per capita basis, the United Kingdom is one of the most indebted nations on the earth itself.
The above prophecy in Habakkuk will be fulfilled at the time of the end (cf. “The message was true, but the appointed time was long…in the latter days, for the vision refers to many days yet to come”, Daniel 10:1,14). Daniel 8:19, 11:27,29,35 uses the same Hebrew term for “appointed time” as Habakkuk 2:3, while Daniel 10, using a different term, ties the latter days to the time in Daniel 8:19. Habakkuk 2 is clearly an endtime prophecy.
Habakkuk 2 was not fulfilled in its entirety anciently as some top leaders in LCG erroneously believe. As far as “violence of the land” as a contributing factor, this would seem to include crime, military missions, and perhaps riots/civil unrest, but might it also include promotion of violent sports?
Do you believe the words that God inspired Habakkuk to write? If so, do you really understand what is going to happen to the USA, UK, and their Anglo-descended allies relatively soon?
There is also a YouTube video related to this: Was USA debt and destruction predicted 2,600 years ago?
11/16/18 a.m. CEG had the following in its newsletter today:
How important or influential is the nascent Sanhedrin?
According to Wikipedia, “The 2004 attempt to re-establish the Sanhedrin was an attempt to set up a revived national rabbinical court of Jewish law in Israel… The attempt has been met with the most acceptance and the least opposition among Gedolim and Rosh Yeshivas of all previous attempts in history since the disbandment of the original Sanhedrin in the 4th century. The organization heading this attempt refers to itself as the nascent Sanhedrin or developing Sanhedrin, and regards itself as a provisional body awaiting integration into the Israeli government as both a supreme court and an upper house of the Knesset, while the Israeli secular press regards it as an illegitimate fundamentalist organization of rabbis. The organization, which is composed of over 70 rabbis (similar to the composition of the original Sanhedrin), claims to enjoy recognition and support from the entire religious Jewish community in Israel, and has stirred debate in both religious and secularist circles.”
Breaking Israel News reported on August 29, 2016, that a “significant step was recently taken towards reinstating the Temple service when the nascent Sanhedrin selected Rabbi Baruch Kahane as the next Kohen Gadol (high priest).”
The movement for the building of the Third Temple is growing, and the Bible prophesies that a Third Temple will be built before Christ’s return.
While the Sanhedrin will apparently have a role associated with the prophesied animal sacrifices which will be temporarily reinstituted and then stopped (cf. Daniel 9:27; 11:31; 12:11), CEG has again insisted that a third Jewish temple must be built before Jesus returns--and based on its other writings, CEG is teaching that will be before the start of the Great Tribulation..
Unless CEG changes its position it will not know when the Great Tribulation will begin.
Regarding a massive third Jewsih Temple in Jerusalem, the late Herbert W. Armstrong wrote:
God made a prophecy in the third chapter of Malachy...Continuing, "...shall suddenly come to His temple..." What kind of temple is He coming to? Are the Jews going to tear down the Dome of the Rock and build a new temple? Oh, no!... A holy temple! Christ is coming to His church! Christ is coming to His temple! Do we see that? The church is the temple. "...in whom ye are also builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit." (Armstrong, Herbert W. Congress of Leading Ministers Hears Defined and Reemphasized Spiritual Organization of Church. Worldwide News, March 6, 1981, p. 10)
The Sanhedrin and the Temple Institute already have a portable altar and essentially a portable 'temple' that they can use for sacrifices. Thus, do not expect them to build a massive temple such as Solomon built or that Herod rebuilt.
We in the Continuing Church of God clearly do not believe that a massive physical Jewish temple must be rebuilt for sacrifices and the fulfillment of prophecies prior to the return of Jesus. This belief is based upon the Bible.
For more detailed information on the temple, sacrifices, and the Great Tribulation, check out the following:
Why is a Jewish Temple in Jerusalem Not Required? Although people like Timothy LaHaye teach a third Jewish temple is required, who is 'the temple of God" in the New Testament? Does the Bible require a rebuilt Jewish Temple? Here is a related item in the Spanish language ¿Por qué no se requiere un templo judío en Jerusalén? Here is a link to a sermon titled The Temple, Prophecy, and the Work.
Nascent Sanhedrin structure and high priest: The plan is to start animal sacrifices this would fulfill prophecy! The reconstituted Sanhedrin wants the reimplementation of animal sacrifices. A related video is titled Sanhedrin pushing animal sacrifices.
The Red Heifer, Jewish Beliefs, and the End of the World The Temple Institute is watching a 'red heifer.' Why might this be important in the sequence of end time events? Here is a related link in the Spanish language Novilla roja descubierta en EE.UU. e Instituto del Templo está interesado en ella. Here are links to two related videos in English: Red Heifers and the Fate of the World and The Red Heifer and the End of the World.
When Will the Great Tribulation Begin? 2018, 2019, or 2020? Can the Great Tribulation begin today? What happens before the Great Tribulation in the "beginning of sorrows"? What happens in the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord? Is this the time of the Gentiles? When is the earliest that the Great Tribulation can begin? What is the Day of the Lord? Who are the 144,000? Here is a version of the article in the Spanish language: ¿Puede comenzar la Gran Tribulación en 2018 o 2019? ¿Es el Tiempo de los Gentiles? You can also see the English language sermon videos: The Great Tribulation from the Mount of Olives and Can the Great Tribulation begin before 2020? A shorter video is: Can the Great Tribulation begin in 2018?
11/10/18 a.m. 7th day COG news page reported the following:
Restored Church of God
David Pack has promoted Brad Schliefer to the status of Evangelist to replace Jeff Ambrose. ... The significance this time is that Jeff Ambrose was his second in command.
David Pack has lost other high level leaders in the par\st, I do not know Brad Schliefer. We will see what happens with him.
11/03/18 p.m. Banned by HWA posted the following purportedly from RCG about why Jeffrey Ambrose is no longer with RCG:
Dear brethren,
Greetings from a cool and breezy Headquarters. We hope this finds all of you doing well and enjoying a profitable week.
As would be expected, trials continue to come upon God’s people to build up their faith and patience so characterized by the “poor of the flock” (Jam. 1:3;
Zech. 11:11
). Coming off of a most joyous and uplifting Feast, it should be no surprise that Satan would try to rob us of “our days of prosperity” (see Ecc. 7:14). In the remaining time we have until Christ returns to Earth, it is not strange that God would allow these final tests to prepare His people. Sometimes this comes upon the whole Church when a senior leader departs.
We regret to inform you that Mr. Jeff Ambrose and his family have decided to leave the Church. They bear no ill will and expressed their personal gratitude to Mr. Pack for having lived in such a beautiful place for the last couple of years.
He offered an open explanation as to why they felt they could no longer continue. In his resignation letter, Mr. Ambrose expressed that they had “a fundamental difference in belief.” He has very carefully assured us that he has no plans to attack anyone but rather desires to leave quietly and in peace. He also clearly stated that he has no intentions of starting his own group or joining any other religious organization. It appears that after a lifetime in God’s Church, he wants to leave the ministry and organized religion altogether! (Keep this in mind when you listen to Part 145 this Sabbath.)
Additionally, Mr. Ambrose stated that “fairly serious, and permanent, health problems” caused by stress as the other driver compelling him to take action. This is never a reason to leave God’s Church! No one knew the full extent of his difficulties and he never sought advice from any us—even the medical doctor who was in the office next to him.
Obviously, this is not easy news for any of us to receive. The Ambroses have been in the Church for many years and served in various facets of the Work. As we did here, we are sure you are battling the same shock of this announcement. Rest assured that everyone on our Headquarters staff, Mr. Pack and all the ministry, including all our field ministers, are doing well. Everyone understands that this has happened before and is the pattern of centuries in God’s Church. No one is shaken.
The apostle Paul—whom God used to record the identity of the Man of Sin and warn the Church for three years during his time—knew himself that we only understand prophetic events “darkly,” meaning obscure or enigma (
I Cor. 13:12). In the context of this is where God explains the most important thing for all of us to build is godly love, that is keeping His commandments in order to build His character and qualify to become part of His Family (
I John 5:3; Ecc. 12:13;
Eph. 3:15-20). It is vital that we do not lose sight of this—the Big Picture and ultimately the end goal. Time is short and this age is growing very thin!
Remember, our “adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he
may devour” (
I Pet. 5:8). Do not give him an opportunity. We should all take this announcement as an admonition to pray for one another, fellow brethren in Christ, as we near the end. We hope that we will one day see the Ambroses again in God’s Church and pray that it will be much sooner than later.
Your steadfastness and faithful service are greatly appreciated, and we are praying for you daily. Stay fervent, stand firm, be sober and watch unto prayer—our salvation is sooner than we thought.
Mr. Pack will add additional comments and context throughout the sermon given at Headquarters this Sabbath (heard on November 3). In the meantime, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact your local minister.
In Christ’s service,
Brad Schleifer and Greg Kaidannek
I am glad Jeffrey Ambrose has realized that he should no longer be with RCG. Hopefully, he will prayfully search the scriptures to realize that he needs to make at least one other change.
10/31/18 p.m. CCOG has a new animation: Which Church would Jesus Choose?
10/29/18 p.m. I have seen two unverified reports today that Jeffrey Ambrose is no longer with RCG.
The reason I am willing to post this unverified information here is because as "Communications Director" at RCG, Jeff Ambrose basically said he and RCG would no longer communicate with me. So, proper verification is not really an option--and I have made some other efforts.
Anyway, presuming Jeffrey Ambrose left, that is not a surprise. In time, David Pack has tended to lose his top people. Some of which, in the past, did directly communicated their departures with me.
I have prayed for Jeffrey Ambrose over the years, and most recently this past weekend. Hopefully, he will now be willing to see the truth.
10/24/18 p.m. The CCOG and COGwriter websites may be done sometime tomorrow, because of maintenance scheduled by the hosting server. The sites should go right back up once that is over.
10/19/18 p.m. In its newsletter today, CEG had the following:
Christianity Today reported the following on October 16:
“A majority of US adults (59%) say that the Holy Spirit is a force, not a personal being.”
This is good news, as the Holy Spirit is NOT a Being, but indeed God’s power emanating from the Father and the Son.
A few additional concepts are also understood correctly by a majority of evangelicals, such as:
“… salvation is found in Christ alone (62%, up from 53% in 2016) and… Jesus Christ will return to judge the world (64%, up from 55% in 2016).”
“On abortion… a ‘slim majority’ of Americans believe that the procedure is a sin (52% vs. 38%), including 57 percent of those ages 18 to 34.”
However, other concepts in which most American evangelicals believe, are clearly wrong and also quite inconsistent, such as: ...
“97 percent of evangelicals do believe that ‘there is one true God in three persons’…
“… more Americans agree than disagree that ‘the Bible’s condemnation of homosexual behavior doesn’t apply today’ (44% vs. 41%)…”
If evangelicals actually believed the Bible, they would accept the admonitions against homosexuality. Furthermore, perhaps they would see their contradiction that most correctly say that the Holy Spirit is a force and not personal being, while most are also thinking the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Greco-Roman trinity.
For more on the Godhead, check out the following:
Did Early Christians Think the Holy Spirit Was A Separate Person in a Trinity? Or did they have a different view? A related sermon is available: Truth about the Holy Spirit: What THEY do not want you to know!
Did the True Church Ever Teach a Trinity? Most act like this is so, but is it? Here is an old, by somewhat related, article in the Spanish language LA DOCTRINA DE LA TRINIDAD. A related sermon is available: Trinity: Fundamental to Christianity or Something Else? A brief video is also available: Three trinitarian scriptures?
Was Unitarianism the Teaching of the Bible or Early Church? Many, including Jehovah's Witnesses, claim it was, but was it?
Did the Archangel Michael become Jesus? The Jehovah's Witnesses teach this, and SDA Ellen White did, but does the Bible allow for this?
How Many Creators? Did the ancient Mayans know the truth about the Godhead at creation? This is an article from the old Worldwide Church of God.
Binitarianism: One God, Two Beings Before the Beginning This is a longer article than the Binitarian View article, and has a little more information on binitarianism, and less about unitarianism. A related sermon is also available: Binitarian view of the Godhead.
09/14/18 p.m. David Pack's RCG is pushing another heretical doctrine. At the Question and Answers' section of its website was the following:
Can people still be saved during the coming Great Tribulation?
This world’s churches universally teach a false concept of what it means to be saved. ...
Concerning the Great Tribulation, Christ stated, “Watch you therefore, and pray always, that you may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass…” (Luke 21:36). World conditions will be so horrible (Matt. 24:22) that no one would want to stay behind.
Before the time known as the Great Tribulation, God’s true Church will have fled to a place of safety (Rev. 12:14; 3:10). ... Only those who come out of the Tribulation will have the chance for salvation in this lifetime. Those who die in the Tribulation (without ever having known God’s Way) will receive their opportunity for salvation during the Great White Throne Judgment (Rev. 20:11-12).
The Laodiceans (Rev. 3:14-22) will have to lose their lives in order to be in the First Resurrection, and will be in captivity before that time. They will not likely be in a position to baptize anyone. The Bible plainly shows that true conversion must be preceded by repentance, baptism (by immersion) and the receiving of the Holy Spirit. ...
The only true servants of God ministering to the world during the Tribulation will be the two witnesses (Rev. 11:3-12). There is no indication that they will baptize anyone. https://rcg.org/questions/p100.a.html accessed 09/07/18
Apparently RCG believes that the angels' messages, that of the two witnesses, the witness of martyrs and other actions from the Laodiceans and Philadelphians during the Great Tribulation will not result in any conversions and baptisms.
There is NO scriptural reason to teach that.
Herbert W. Armstrong took a different position than RCG has. Here is what he taught in a sermon:
The Great Tribulation is really caused by Satan's wrath, but the Day of the Lord will come upon us as a result of God's wrath on Satan and the people that are following his way. Now, I'd like to go on just to mention a little bit about the seventh chapter of Revelation here, while I'm on it.
Revelation 7:1 ...After these things there were four angels holding up the four winds of the earth that they should not blow [on the earth and the seas and the trees and so on] ...
Then appeared the hundred and forty four thousand and another great innumerable multitude of all nations. Now when they ask, "Who are they?" They are people that come to Christ out of the Great Tribulation. A great...not revival; but a great conversion of people is going to happen as a result or during the Great Tribulation. (Armstrong HW. Revelation 12. Sermon given April 18, 1981)
Would God plan so many witnesses knowing that no one would respond and be baptized as RCG teaches?
Well, the Bible does not teach that.
Instead, consider the following that it does teach:
9 After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, saying, "Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!" 11 All the angels stood around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures, and fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying: "Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom, Thanksgiving and honor and power and might, Be to our God forever and ever. Amen." 13 Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, "Who are these arrayed in white robes, and where did they come from?" 14 And I said to him, "Sir, you know." So he said to me, "These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15 Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple. And He who sits on the throne will dwell among them. 16 They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat; 17 for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes." (Revelation 7:9-17)
While many are called and few chosen (Matthew 20:16), some will respond to God during the Great Tribulation.
Furthermore, the New Testament does not say that the two witnesses will not baptize anyone.
RCG does NOT understand The Final Phase of the Work.
08/31/18 a.m. Read the August-October 2018 'Pastors Comments' from COG-ff's Don Billingsley today. Essentially, he is trying to say that no other group is faithful.
He denounced the idea that adding Jesus should be part of the Gospel, while he claimed to cling to Herbert Armstrong:
PCG, Global, then LCG, UCG, UCGWA, RCG, COGAIC, etc. ...
The deceived ministers from amoung those groups ...
A few of their changes: such as a two fold gospel (meaning the teaching of the Gospel but adding to it the inclusion of Jesus Christ as part the Gospel to be preached) ...
Mr. Armstrong has said, when you find fault with one doctrine, then you will find fault with another ...
There are many churches being pastored by these deceived men ...
(At least one of the listed groups, RCG, actually agrees with COG-ff on this point, so both are in error--see also Why Not the Restored Church of God?)
But as far as Jesus and the Gospel goes, Herbert Armstrong wrote:
Just TWO things we do—REPENT, and BELIEVE. We must BELIEVE the Gospel, and that means also believing on JESUS CHRIST, the KING of the Kingdom of God, and coming KING of kings over all the families of the earth. It means believing in Him as personal SAVIOUR, as High Priest now, and as coming KING (Armstrong HW. What is the True Gospel? WCG booklet, 1972, p.6).
What is Christ's Gospel? What is the message God sent to mankind by Jesus Christ? It is the GOOD NEWS of the KINGDOM OF GOD!...Of course that power-filled message INCLUDES THE KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE SAVIOR, High Priest and coming King! Of course, it INCLUDES the true way of salvation, which the churches seem to have lost! (Armstrong, HW. Good News, Jan. 1980, p. 9).
But now what about the Gospel of GRACE - the Gospel of SALVATION?...We must believe the GOSPEL, and THAT MEANS ALSO believing on JESUS CHRIST, the King OF the Kingdom of God, and coming King of kings over all the families of the earth. IT MEANS believing in Him as personal Saviour, as High Priest, now and as coming King" (Armstrong HW. What is the True Gospel? 1972 booklet, pp. 8, 10.)
Those in COG-ff should consider the words of Jesus as well as the last verses in Acts and the last verse in the Bible:
26 For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father's, and of the holy angels. (Luke 9:26)
30 Then Paul dwelt two whole years in his own rented house, and received all who came to him, 31 preaching the kingdom of God and teaching the things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence, no one forbidding him. (Acts 28:30-31)
21 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. (Revelation 22:21)
Jesus is part of the gospel to be preached.
Don Billingsley also denounced those that do not believe the Herbert Armstrong was the final Elijah to come, even though his statements and writings, plus scripture, prove that he could not have been. Details are in the article: The Elijah Heresies.
Furthermore COG-ff published:
The man of sin fits both Mr. {Joseph} Tkach and the Pope.
No, the prophecies for the man of sin do not fit either J. Tkach nor the pope. For biblical and other proof, check out the following:
Who is the Man of Sin of 2 Thessalonians 2? Is this the King of the North, the ten-horned beast of Revelation 13:1-11, or the two-horned Beast of Revelation 13:12-16? Is it the Pope or J. Tkach? Some rely on traditions, but what does the Bible teach? Here is a related link in Spanish/español: ¿Quién es el Hombre de Pecado de 2 Tesalonicenses 2? Here is a version in Mandarin: N;ÿ Œf/'Y'jNº'ÿ Here is a link to a related YouTube video, in English, titled Who is the Man of Sin?
COG-ff needs to change if it really wants to be faithful to scripture.
Furthermore, in the current edition of its Philadelphia Remnant magazine (July, August, September 2018), Don Billingsley has an article titled The Third Temple. He wrote:
The Prophecy of the third Temple will begin to be fulfilled in 2019-2020.
Astonishing as it may seem to be the third Temple will begin to be built within the timeframe of 2019 or no later than 2020.
This can only be done in the tenure of the 4-year presidency of Donald Trump ...
That is nonsense. He is wrong again. Don Billingsley has a history of making false predictions.
As far as his position on a temple, Don Billingsley had the following in an advertisement in the Connections' section of The Journal: News of the Churches of God in 2014:
The Construction of the Third Temple: Similar to King David, who stockpiled materials for the First Temple (I Chronicles 28:2), so have the Jews stockpiled materials for the building of the third Temple. However, considering the entirety of the Arab nations ready to do an all-out battle with Israel at their first move, virtually anyone would say this is ludicrous to even believe such a thing could possibly take place! And it would be– except for God being in the picture!
The Scriptures are very clear! This will indeed take place—and sooner than one might care to think! Most do not realize that Jesus Christ has a Master Plan with a Timetable in place. And, realizing that He rules in the kingdoms and nations of mankind, all these nations put together will be unable to stop His Plan from going forward—according to God’s timing. And nothing escapes His attention that would stand in the way of these prophecies taking place.
But, here Don Billingsley is finding fault with a doctrine of Herbert W. Armstrong (as well as misunderstanding the Bible). Can he not look in the mirror?
Notice what Herbert Armstrong wrote about the Temple and scripture:
There has been much perplexity and discussion as to when the temple will be built to which Christ shall come. Malachi's prophecy speaks of Christ's second coming to His temple (Malachi 3:1-6). In Haggai's prophecy it is referred to prophetically. Zerubbabel has been sent as governor of a colony to build the second temple 70 years after the destruction of Solomon's temple. He built the temple to which Jesus came, though it had been enlarged and embellished by the Roman Herod. But speaking of this temple, as a type and forerunner of the temple to which Christ shall come at His second coming , it is written, "The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the ' Lord of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the Lord of hosts" (Haggai 2:9).
It is inconceivable that the Israelis, in the present international turmoil over their possession of old Jerusalem, could ever demolish the Arab Moslem Dome of the Rock - now on the site of Solomon's temple-and build a new one there of greater splendor and glory than Solomon's! However, as the second temple Zerubbabel was building was a typical forerunner of the temple to which Christ shall come, even so Zerubbabel was the typical forerunner of one Christ would use in building the far more glorious temple to, which Christ shall come in His GLORY!
Zechariah 4:9 : "The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also finish it . . .. " And as Zerubbabel's hands did finish that second temple, so shall the one Christ uses in building the temple to which He shall come in His GLORY!
And the Church of God of the present day shall be a "building fitly framed together [and growing] unto an holy temple in the Lord" (Ephesians 2:21). (Armstrong HW. 7 Proofs of God's True Church, Part 6. Plain Truth. August, 1979, p. 38)
Many of us are being tried and tested as NEVER BEFORE--and for our own good! But, verse 11, "from the time the daily sacrifice shall be taken away ....Consider this a moment. This does NOT imply a material temple to be built in our time in Jerusalem. It does seem to imply the Israelis may restore the daily (twice daily) sacrifice--. (Armstrong HW. The Time We Are In, Now. Pastor General's Report-Vol 1, No. 15, November 20, 1979, Page 2)
God made a prophecy in the third chapter of Malachy ... Continuing, "... shall suddenly come to His temple ..." What kind of temple is He coming to? Are the Jews going to tear down the Dome of the Rock and build a new temple? Oh, no! ... A holy temple! Christ is coming to His church! Christ is coming to His temple! Do we see that? The church is the temple. "... in whom ye are also builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit." (Armstrong, Herbert W. Congress of Leading Ministers Hears Defined and Reemphasized Spiritual Organization of Church. Worldwide News, March 6, 1981, p. 10)
The Bible does not teach that a Jewish Temple must be built in Jerusalem before Jesus returns.
While it is remotely possible that a large third temple in Jerusalem could be built, the biblical reality is that all the Jews need is an altar for animal sacrifices and they have that. They also may add a tent and maybe a more permanent structure. But biblically, a third Jewish Temple, like the previous ones in Jerusalem, is NOT biblically required. Those who insist on one have not properly understood the totality of scriptures on this subject.
COG-ff is not being faithful to the Bible nor the doctrines of Herbert W. Armstrong.
More on the temple matter can be found in the article: Why is a Jewish Temple in Jerusalem Not Required?
08/24/18 a.m. In its TW News & Prophecy ezine today, LCG had the following (bolding in source):
Bible prophecy also sheds light on the future of this region. Daniel 11:42–43 prophesies of a time, shortly before the return of Christ, when a European “beast” power will be in control of the Holy Land. At some point, provoked by events in North Africa—perhaps related to trade and security—the “beast” or “king of the north” will “stretch out his hand against” several nations in North Africa. “But he will gain control over the hidden treasures of gold and silver and over all the precious things of Egypt; and Libyans and Ethiopians will follow at his heels” (NASB). While short on details, God’s word indicates that Ethiopia and its ancient territory will be involved in the fulfillment of end-time Bible prophecy.
While it is true that Bible prophecy sheds light on the future of the Middle East and North Africa, to emphasize that Ethiopia is supposedly prophesied here is in error.
While some from Ethiopia could be involved, the Hebrew word translated as "Ethiopians" in the NASB in that passage means 'Cushites.'
The late WCG evangelist Raymond McNair (who was also once part of GCG) wrote:
Daniel 11 also mentions some of the Mideast peoples who will be involved in that struggle among the nations at the close of this age. The belligerents will include the “King of the North,” the leader of the European Union (or its final outgrowth, called the “Beast”). The “King of the South” (an Islamic leader—apparently from Egypt {or} some other Muslim state) is also referred to. The following lands/peoples are specifically mentioned: Egypt, the Holy Land (Israel/Palestine), the Ethiopians (modern Cushites, south of Egypt), Libya, Edom, Moab and Ammon. Many descendants of the ancient peoples known as Edomites or Idumeans now live in the West Bank, Jordan, Iraq, Turkey, Syria, Arabia, Yemen, the Persian Gulf states, etc. (McNair R. Solving the Arab-Israeli Impasse! Copyright Raymond F. McNair 2005, Church of God—21st Century).
Notice that Raymond McNair realizes the term translated as Ethiopians really means the Cushite peoples who live in southern Egypt as well as elsewhere (others have said that the Cushites basically mean dark-skinned people, hence this could include peoples from Sudan, Somalia (sometimes called Eastern Cushites), and many of the other Islam-dominated nations in Africa). Ethiopians are neither predominantly Moslem nor are they predominantly Arabic.
The word translated as “Ethiopians” is the plural of the word Kuwshiy, which according to Biblesoft’s New Exhaustive Strong’s Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary means descendants of Cush. Or in other words, people of dark color–and it is commonly translated as Cush or Cushite in many Old Testament passages.
Barnes’ Notes on the Bible states:
Hebrew, Cushites – כשׁים kushı̂ym… The reference here, undoubtedly, is to the African Cush or Ethiopia, which bounded Egypt on the south. This country comprehended not only Ethiopia above Syene and the Cataracts, but likewise Thebais or Upper Egypt. A subjugation of Egypt would be, in fact, almost a conquest of this land.
It is not necessarily those from Ethiopia, and likely is NOT referring to the current nation of Ethiopia.
The New International Version translation of the Bible seems to get Daniel 11:43 translated correctly as follows:
He will gain control of the treasures of gold and silver and all the riches of Egypt, with the Libyans and Nubians in submission.
And while Ethiopians might possibly be indicated here, the reality is that Nubians makes a lot more sense.
Why?
Because the Nubians are Moslems and historically lived amongst the Egyptians and the other Arabs. The Nubians have been in so much contact with Arabs that Nubians speak that some of their peoples have been “Arabized” (http://www.thenubian.net/nubtoday.php 8/05/06).
Interestingly, although it uses the term “Ethiopians” while discussing Daniel 11:43, Matthew Henry’s Commentary says that these are people who anciently lived next to Egypt. Others believe that the Cushites simply refer to dark-skinned people, such as those in certain Islam-dominated nations of Africa.
Notice also the following:
The word Cushi, also spelled Kushi (Hebrew: כושי) is a Hebrew term generally used to refer to a dark-skinned person usually of African descent. (Cushi, Wikipedia, accessed 12/15/15)
Here are some other translations of the related passage in Daniel 11:
43 He will control gold and silver treasures and all Egypt’s treasuries. Libya and Sudan will surrender to him. (Daniel 11:43, GOD’S WORD Translation)
43 The gold and silver treasures and all the valuables of Egypt will lie in his power. Libyans and Cushites will be at his feet: (Daniel 11:43, New Jerusalem Bible)
43 and he hath ruled over treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the desirable things of Egypt, and Lubim and Cushim are at his steps. (Daniel 11:43, Young’s literal translation)
Well, Nubians currently live in Egypt as well as in neighboring Sudan. The Sudanese, like the Nubians, are also Cushites, and are also mainly Moslem (especially since they have killed many of the non-Moslems in the southern portion of what had also been part of their country)–plus Sudan is between Egypt and Ethiopia. Thus, even Daniel 11:43 is not teaching that those now called Ethiopians must be even be involved when the king of the North retaliates against the king of the South. This could have been one of the reasons, decades ago, that Herbert W. Armstrong changed his position on the identity of the future king of the South (see Is the Future King of the South Rising Up?).
This Ethiopia position published by LCG today is one of 46 prophetic and doctrinal differences between LCG and CCOG. To learn more about them, check out the article: What About the Living Church of God? Are there Doctrinal Differences with the Continuing Church of God?
Unless LCG changes several of their prophetic positions (many of which they agreed to when I was with them, but that they still have not changed), they will NOT know when the Great Tribulation will start until it is too late.
08/21/18 a.m. Just learned that former WCG elder of Santa Maria, California, Del Holste died this Spring. He was not part of GCG, but I thought I would mention him here as I knew him well decades ago. He was 93.
08/17/18 p.m. In its newletter today, CEG had the following:
The Temple Mount will end up in Jewish hands for a while, and animal sacrifices will be given and a third Temple will be built there. This then will lead to European military intervention in the Holy Land and the Great Tribulation.
While animal sacrifices by the Jews will be temporarily reinstituted, the above from CEG is distressing for various reasons. It is sad that they have again insisted that a third Jewish temple must be built on the Temple Mount before the Great Tribulation will begin.
But one item to point out is that unless CEG changes its position it will not know when the Great Tribulation will begin.
The late Herbert W. Armstrong wrote:
God made a prophecy in the third chapter of Malachy...Continuing, "...shall suddenly come to His temple..." What kind of temple is He coming to? Are the Jews going to tear down the Dome of the Rock and build a new temple? Oh, no!... A holy temple! Christ is coming to His church! Christ is coming to His temple! Do we see that? The church is the temple. "...in whom ye are also builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit." (Armstrong, Herbert W. Congress of Leading Ministers Hears Defined and Reemphasized Spiritual Organization of Church. Worldwide News, March 6, 1981, p. 10)
While the Jews already have a portable altar and essentially a portable 'temple' that they can use for sacrifices, do not expect them to build a massive temple such as Solomon built or that Herod rebuilt.
We in the Continuing Church of God clearly do not believe that a massive physical Jewish temple must be rebuilt for sacrifices and the fulfillment of prophecies prior to the return of Jesus. This belief is based upon the Bible.
For more detailed information on the temple, sacrifices, and the Great Tribulation, check out the following:
Why is a Jewish Temple in Jerusalem Not Required? Although people like Timothy LaHaye teach a third Jewish temple is required, who is 'the temple of God" in the New Testament? Does the Bible require a rebuilt Jewish Temple? Here is a related item in the Spanish language ¿Por qué no se requiere un templo judío en Jerusalén? Here is a link to a sermon titled The Temple, Prophecy, and the Work.
Nascent Sanhedrin structure and high priest: The plan is to start animal sacrifices this would fulfill prophecy! The reconstituted Sanhedrin wants the reimplementation of animal sacrifices. A related video is titled Sanhedrin pushing animal sacrifices.
The Red Heifer, Jewish Beliefs, and the End of the World The Temple Institute is watching a 'red heifer.' Why might this be important in the sequence of end time events? Here is a related link in the Spanish language Novilla roja descubierta en EE.UU. e Instituto del Templo está interesado en ella. Here are links to two related videos in English: Red Heifers and the Fate of the World and The Red Heifer and the End of the World.
When Will the Great Tribulation Begin? 2018, 2019, or 2020? Can the Great Tribulation begin today? What happens before the Great Tribulation in the "beginning of sorrows"? What happens in the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord? Is this the time of the Gentiles? When is the earliest that the Great Tribulation can begin? What is the Day of the Lord? Who are the 144,000? Here is a version of the article in the Spanish language: ¿Puede comenzar la Gran Tribulación en 2018 o 2019? ¿Es el Tiempo de los Gentiles? You can also see the English language sermon videos: The Great Tribulation from the Mount of Olives and Can the Great Tribulation begin before 2020? A shorter video is: Can the Great Tribulation begin in 2018?
08/10/18 a.m. Visited the websites of the Church of God In Peace and Truth, COGNEOhio,Church of the Sovereign God, and Enduring
Church of God today. They do not seem to update their websites very often and had no recent news of interest. In time, hopefully those associated with them will realize that they are not doing a Philadelphian work and then take proper steps to support that work in the 21st century.
07/27/18 a.m. Restored Church of God (RCG) now has regular news posts at its "Real Truth World News Desk." It looks like it is posting one news article on most days. But unlike COGwriter.com and other groups with biblical commentary, these posts are simply secular news posts.
07/13/18 a.m. The Church of the Eternal God (CEG), which once had two of the board members involved in the GCG takeover, wrote this in its July 30, 2004 News Update:
...the prophecy in Daniel 11:40 has ALREADY BEEN FULFILLED. And verse 40 is the LAST TIME where the king of the South is mentioned! Beginning with the second half of verse 40, we read exclusively about the king of the North and his activities, and, in verse 44, about rumors from the east and the west. This means, then, that there DOES NOT HAVE TO BE ANOTHER end-time king of the South. If there were to rise one, following the historical and Biblical records, as set forth in the 11th chapter of the book of Daniel, it would have to be -- mainly -- modern Ethiopia. But, as we said, ALL WHICH STILL NEEDS TO BE FULFILLED (and which the previous king of the North -- under Mussolini -- did NOT fulfill), is the invasion of the Glorious Land by the future and final king of the North (verse 41), including Jerusalem (verse 45), as well as the overthrow of "many countries" (verse 41), including Egypt, and the "Libyans and Ethiopians" following at his heels (verse 43).
Although CEG had referred to a 1972 article by HWA prior to reaching this conclusion, this is NOT what HWA actually concluded (see Is the Future King of the South Rising Up?).
It should also be pointed out that GCG-UK (a group with ties to CEG) posted about the same thing in August 2004. These statements are similar to those made by Harold Smith of Church of God Fellowship, Northwest (Harold Smith went along with the GCG takeover and is a former GCG member):
If the Menelek/Mussolini scenario is the fulfillment, this verse ends the historical record of the fulfillment of this prophecy; if not, this verse may yet be fulfilled a second time. (Smith H. Exploring the Bible: Daniel & Revelation. 2006, p. 69)
Thus, at least three groups that split off from the GCG takeover now have taken the position that the old WCG and the Bible do not require that there be a future King of the South.
But it perhaps should be mentioned, that although it misunderstands about 'Ethiopia, CEG's newsletter today shows what seems to be a shift in a partially positive direction on one of its prophetic views:
The united country of Ethiopia/Eritrea fulfilled an end-time prophecy in Daniel 11, when it, as the “king of the South”, pushed against the king of the North (the emperor of Italy) who then responded via an attack under Mussolini. It will have to be seen whether the prophecy was dual and will find a further fulfillment in the days ahead through a modern king of the North and a king of the South. (CEG Update 836, July 13, 2018)
It is good that CEG is now at least considering the possibility of a future King of the South. There will be a future King of the South, but it will NOT be an Ethiopian led kingdom.
For more details on this, check out the article Is the Future King of the South Rising Up?
06/29/18 a.m. CEG had the following in its newsletter today:
Back to Core Europe?
The Independent wrote on June 25:
“German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she will seek direct deals with separate EU states on migration … ‘There will be bilateral and trilateral agreements… not always wait for all 28 members,’ she said… French President Emmanuel Macron offered his backing for Ms Merkel’s proposal, saying the solution should be ‘European’ but it could just be several states together.
“Rome has started turning away ships with migrants rescued at sea… Hungary and Poland have refused to host any arrivals. Now backed by Austria, they want to end any further discussion on rules for sharing them out across the bloc…
“A poll published in Germany on Sunday showed the dispute was weakening support for Merkel’s coalition and pushed the AfD to its highest ratings…”
Euractiv wrote on June 25:
“The recent EU mini-summit on migration held on 24 June has reaffirmed more openly than ever before the fundamental dissensions and schism among member states, if not among EU institutions themselves, in the field of migration and asylum policy. A two-speed EU migration policy would be the best solution to keep EU unity…
“… What is often overlooked by most commentators today is that old-time member states such as Denmark and the United Kingdom, in particular, have consistently opted out of a range of provisions in the area of EU home affairs, the Schengen acquis and the Charter of Fundamental Rights, not to mention several other EU instruments in the fields of justice, employment and social policy, over the past two decades…”
A core Europe or a two-speed Europe is clearly prophesied to occur in the not-too-distant future.
CEG cited no scriptures in its newsletter related to that last statement. The reality is that while there was a starting core for what became the EU, nowhere does the Bible prophesy a 'core Europe.' Now, it is true that the Bible prophesies there will be unity problems with Europe in Daniel 2:41-43. However, the Bible also prophesies that Europe will reorganize and be together in Revelation 17:12-13.
'Core Europe' is also something that some in LCG have also touted. For more about that and what will really happen, check out the article: Must the Ten Kings of Revelation 17:12 Rule over Ten Currently Existing Nations?
06/26/18 a.m. I plan to visit the small group we have in Almont, Michigan for services at 2:30 pm, July 21, 2018.
Terry LaFrance said the plan is to meet at the following location:
844 Van Dyke
Almont, Michigan
If you have any questions, please feel free to email Terry LaFrance at: terrylafrance22@gmail.com
I look forward to seeing people who normally attend there as well as any visitors who may come.
06/26/18 a.m. LCG's Gerald Weston reportedly sent out the following:
June 20, 2018
Dear Brethren and Co-Workers,
The assault against religious freedom is massive throughout the so-called Western world, and too many professing Christians fail to see what is at stake. Censorship of religion is real. We at Tomorrow’s World experience this first-hand. We see our world transforming on a daily basis.
I received a letter recently from someone complaining that our message is not strong enough. Little does he understand how many Tomorrow’s World telecasts are turned down in his country for reasons that would be laughable five years ago. For example, our program mentioning the miraculous weather at Dunkirk was banned because we did not mention global warming. What global warming had to do with events in 1940 is anyone’s guess.
Another program was turned down for saying that abortion and pornography are sins. Programs on family are censored for not promoting “non-traditional” families. Apparently, upholding the traditional family and not recognizing same-sex “marriages” is no longer permissible. The list could go on.
That is outrageous censorship, but more is expected (cf. Amos 8:11-12; see also Preparing for the 'Short Work' and The Famine of the Word).
In CCOG, we have faced various forms of censorship, but have also striven to be on platforms that still allow us to proclaim the truth.
06/08/18 a.m. Church of God Messenger has the following at its website:
We do not believe that God created the universe and the earth only six to ten thousands of years ago, as some creationists claim. We do not believe that is an accurate understanding of what the Bible teaches.
Neither do we believe the Darwinian evolution concept, that the universe and life on earth is purely materialistic, the result of random changes over time without any planning, intelligence, or direction. Powerful evidence belies Darwinism.
Rather, we believe the Bible accurately portrays in outline the history of God’s creative works, and that the evidence supports that narrative.
We in the Continuing Church of God would agree with the above.
Some information of related interest would include the following:
Is God’s Existence Logical? Is it really logical to believe in God? Yes! This is a free online booklet that deal with improper theories and musings called science related to the origin of the origin of the universe, the origin of life, and evolution. An animated video of related interest is also available: Big Bang: Nothing or Creator?
Does it Make Physical Sense to believe in God? Some say it is not logical to believe in God. Is that true? Here is a link to a YouTube sermon titled Is it logical to believe in God?
Is Evolution Probable or Impossible or Is God's Existence Logical? Part II This short article clearly answers what 'pseudo-scientists' refuse to acknowledge. Here is a link to a YouTube video titled Is There Another View of Evolution? and another titled Quickly Disprove Evolution as the Origin of Life.
How Old is the Earth and How Long Were the Days of Creation? Does the Bible allow for the creation of the universe and earth billions of years ago? Why do some believe they are no older than 6,000 years old? What is the gap theory? Were the days of creation in Genesis 1:3 through 2:3 24 hours long? Here is a link to a sermon: Genesis, 'Prehistoric man,' and the Gap theory. Here is a link to a related article in Spanish: ¿Cuán vieja es la Tierra? ¿Cuán largos fueron los Días de la Creación? ¿Teoría de la brecha?
Where Did God Come From? Any ideas? And how has God been able to exist? Who is God?
How is God Omnipotent, Omnipresent, and Omniscient? Here is a biblical article which answers what many really wonder about it.
05/25/18 p.m. CEG had a Q&A in its newsletter today. The following are excerpts:
How can there be a “great falling away” in the Church of God prior to Christ’s return?
First of all, let us emphasize the biblical teaching that in the not-too-distant future, prior to Christ’s return, there WILL BE a falling away from the Truth. ...
The end-time falling away from the Truth refers to converted Christians. ...
Some have proposed that the coming falling away refers to traditional Christianity, which will exert a more powerful influence on the world. But this interpretation is erroneous. ...
When we consider the falling away from the Truth in the days of the [now defunct] Worldwide Church of God [WCG], after the death of Herbert W. Armstrong, how can there still be a “great” apostasy, when today, the numbers of members and attendees in all Church of God organizations are so much smaller than in the days of WCG, and when after Mr. Armstrong died, more than 100,000 people (an approximate estimate) forsook the teachings of the Bible? Another question is, how can the coming falling away from the Truth be GREATER than the falling away from the Truth in WCG’s days? ...
Further, the concept of a “great” or “greater” falling away is relative. It may not be a “greater” falling away than it was at the time of Paul or at the time of WCG, when referring to numbers, but it will be a GREATER falling away in terms of importance and potentially eternal consequence. If the Body of Christ were to consist of 5 million converted members, then a departure of 1000 would not necessarily qualify as a great falling away. But when there are only 30,000 members, then 10,000 members who fall away can indeed be described as a great falling away. And in comparison, if many more members fall away than those who stay, then this would be a great falling away, in any event.
The falling away refers to those falling away from biblical Christianity. CEG is correct that this is not a falling away from 'traditional' Christianity. God will call a lot more people before the end and many will fall away. It could be possible that more will fall away then than did from the old WCG, but we will see if that is the plan.
For more information on the falling away, check out the following:
The Falling Away: The Bible and WCG Teachings Who is 2 Thessalonians 2:3 referring to? Are there multiple falling aways? Here is a related link in Spanish/español: La Apostasía: Enseñanzas de la Biblia y de la WCG. There are also two YouTube videos on the subject that you can watch The Falling Away Part 1: From the Bible and Church History and The Falling Away Part 2: Positions Presented by Others.
05/20/18 a.m. The following by Gerald Weston was read in LCG services yesterday:
Living University commencement exercises were held on Monday for the last time, with the University closing after eleven years. A carved crystal award was presented to Dr. Michael Germano, who gave so much to establish L.U., including moving to Charlotte from his comfortable surroundings in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina.
It was disappointing that LU did not go the direction that it was intended to go.
05/18/18 a.m. Pentecost is this weekend. Yesterday, CCOG had the following in its weekly Letter to the Brethren:
Pentecost
Pentecost is May 20, 2018.
Most who profess Christ know something about Pentecost. Many properly consider it the start of the New Testament church. ...
Pentecost Activities
With Pentecost immediately following the weekly Sabbath, some may wonder if there are some activities that they can do on these Sabbaths.
Well, in addition to prayer, regular services, and Bible study, some may find some biblical games of interest.
Here are some links that may be of interest:
Pentecost Quiz This is a Pentecost quiz based upon the Old and New Testaments in the Bible.
Who Wants to be a Biblical Millionaire? A sophisticated quiz. Now with over 1,000 questions to help challenge and build your knowledge of the Bible. Developed by Michael Thiel.
Self Grading Bible Quiz 15 questions and a report card when you finish.
The Good Samaritan A public domain claymation for younger people.
Paul in Damascus Not a quiz, but a Lego-animation.
John 21 Not a quiz, but (other than a Lego suggesting a long-haired Jesus) a biblical story for young people.
David vs. Goliath A higher level animation for older young people.
Solomon’s Temple This is a a 5 minute animated film that shows one artist’s understanding of the details about Solomon’s temple.
Nehemiah Animation A four minute, sometimes silly, Lego-animation related to Nehemiah and rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem.
Bible Crossword Puzzle You need Java for this to work (but it is free and on most PCs).
The Antichrist Quiz Do you really know much about the Antichrist?
Michael’s Feasts and Fasts Quiz 15 questions, amusing wrong answer screens.
The Ten Commandments Quiz Developed by Michael.
Michael’s Day of Atonement Quiz Another free on-line Bible quiz by Michael.
Bible Hangman Michael’s most interactive Bible game to date. Another one of his free online Bible games.
Michael’s Sabbath Quiz Test and learn a little more about the Sabbath.
Furthermore, we have just uploaded our second animation (which we plan to put in this year’s Behind the Work video this year):
Suggested Sabbath Service
Here is a suggested Sabbath service for this week:
- 2-3 hymns (our songbook, The Bible Hymnal, contains the materials from the 1974 Bible Hymnal from the old WCG with new covers, plus ten additional hymns; there is also some Choral Accompaniment online).
- Opening prayer.
- Sermonette, which for most who receive this letter via email will be a recorded one. The one suggested for this week is: Major Kabbalist Says Messiah is Imminent. Other sermonettes are available at the Bible News Prophecy channel.
- Announcements (if any; though for many it will be this letter) and one hymn.
- Sermon, which for most who receive this letter via email will be a recorded one. The one suggested for this week is: The Most Violated Commandment and Priorities. Other sermons are also available at the ContinuingCOG channel.
- Final hymn.
- Closing prayer.
Note: If you have a slow internet connection, you can watch these by starting the video, then below it (and towards the right) look for an outline of a gear–if you click on that, it will allow the YouTube video to be played with lower video quality, but at least it will not stop often–you can select a quality as low as 144p. If your internet connection is still too slow (as my home one is) and/or you prefer audio messages to audio-visuals ones, go to the YouTube link for the message, click on SHOW MORE related to the description. You will then see something that says, “Download MP3.” Below that is a link to an MP3 file. Most computers (and even some cellular telephones) will allow MP3 files to be downloaded and played. This is an option we have made available (but we are also looking into ways to improve that as well)–and, of course, we have written article options. Some people have found that if their internet connections are not fast enough, that they can simply listen to the messages that are found at the Bible News Prophecy online radio channel.
IN CASE YOU DO NOT RECEIVE A ‘LETTER TO THE BRETHREN’ FOR ANY WEEK, REMEMBER THAT THERE ARE MANY SERMON MESSAGES ON THE ContinuingCOG channel AND MANY SERMONETTE MESSAGES ON THE Bible News Prophecy channel. There are also some messages at the CCOGAfrica channel.
Suggested Pentecost Services
Here is our suggested format for Pentecost services this Sunday:
For those who wish two services, here is a second suggested service:
More on Pentecost can be found in the following:
Pentecost: Is it more than Acts 2? Many "Christians" somewhat observe Pentecost. Do they know what it means? It is also called the Feast of Harvest, the Feast of Weeks, and the day of firstfruits. What about "speaking in tongues" and led by the Holy Spirit? (Here is a related link in Spanish/español: Pentecostés: ¿Es más que Hechos 2? plus one by Herbert Armstrong HWA sobre Pentecostés). Here is a YouTube sermon titled Pentecost: What it Teaches and When it is.
Pentecost is Part of God's Plan. This combines a couple of articles from the 1980s, plus additional scriptures and modern comments about Pentecost. Here is a related sermon: Pentecost Plan.
Pentecost Quiz This is a Pentecost quiz based upon the Old and New Testaments in the Bible.
Should You Keep God’s Holy Days or Demonic Holidays? This is a free pdf booklet explaining what the Bible and history shows about God's Holy Days and popular holidays.
05/04/18 a.m. Today, CEG's newsletter had the following:
Even though some uninformed and ignorant biblical “scholars” deny this FACT, a third temple WILL be built on the Temple Mount prior to Christ’s return.
It would be better if CEG did not call those who rely on the Bible ignorant, nor insist that a third Jewish temple must be built in Jerusalem.
Those who insist on that may NOT realize when the Great Tribulation will begin until it is too late--as its need is not a fact.
The top leadership in CEG does not believe what the old WCG taught, even though they were part of that church:
There has been much perplexity and discussion as to when the temple will be built to which Christ shall come. Malachi's prophecy speaks of Christ's second coming to His temple (Malachi 3:1-6). In Haggai's prophecy it is referred to prophetically. Zerubbabel has been sent as governor of a colony to build the second temple 70 years after the destruction of Solomon's temple. He built the temple to which Jesus came, though it had been enlarged and embellished by the Roman Herod. But speaking of this temple, as a type and forerunner of the temple to which Christ shall come at His second coming , it is written, "The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the ' Lord of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the Lord of hosts" (Haggai 2:9).
It is inconceivable that the Israelis, in the present international turmoil over their possession of old Jerusalem, could ever demolish the Arab Moslem Dome of the Rock - now on the site of Solomon's temple-and build a new one there of greater splendor and glory than Solomon's! However, as the second temple Zerubbabel was building was a typical forerunner of the temple to which Christ shall come, even so Zerubbabel was the typical forerunner of one Christ would use in building the far more glorious temple to, which Christ shall come in His GLORY!
Zechariah 4:9 : "The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also finish it . . .. " And as Zerubbabel's hands did finish that second temple, so shall the one Christ uses in building the temple to which He shall come in His GLORY!
And the Church of God of the present day shall be a "building fitly framed together [and growing] unto an holy temple in the Lord" (Ephesians 2:21). (Armstrong HW. 7 Proofs of God's True Church, Part 6. Plain Truth. August, 1979, p. 38)
Many of us are being tried and tested as NEVER BEFORE--and for our own good! But, verse 11, "from the time the daily sacrifice shall be taken away ....Consider this a moment. This does NOT imply a material temple to be built in our time in Jerusalem. It does seem to imply the Israelis may restore the daily (twice daily) sacrifice--. (Armstrong HW. The Time We Are In, Now. Pastor General's Report-Vol 1, No. 15, November 20, 1979, Page 2)
God made a prophecy in the third chapter of Malachy...Continuing, "...shall suddenly come to His temple..." What kind of temple is He coming to? Are the Jews going to tear down the Dome of the Rock and build a new temple? Oh, no!... A holy temple! Christ is coming to His church! Christ is coming to His temple! Do we see that? The church is the temple. "...in whom ye are also builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit." (Armstrong, Herbert W. Congress of Leading Ministers Hears Defined and Reemphasized Spiritual Organization of Church. Worldwide News, March 6, 1981, p. 10)
The Bible does not teach that a Jewish Temple must be built in Jerusalem before Jesus returns.
While it is remotely possible that a large third temple in Jerusalem could be built, the biblical reality is that all the Jews need is an altar for animal sacrifices and they have that. They also may add a tent and maybe a more permanent structure. But biblically, a third Jewish Temple, like the previous ones in Jerusalem, is NOT biblically required. Those who insist on one as a FACT have not properly understood the totality of scriptures on this subject.
I continue to pray for those in groups like CEG.
More on the temple matter can be found in the article: Why is a Jewish Temple in Jerusalem Not Required?
04/28/18 p.m. LCG announced:
This week, we launched the Living Education Facebook page! You can find it at this address: https://www.facebook.com/LCGEducationProgram/. If you’d like to catch the latest news as it happens, then add our page to your favorites. For example, this week, subscribers to the page learned about the introduction of our new logo. If you’re interested in finding out what it looks like, just check out the page! We also were able to announce there Mr. Weston’s decision to update the name of the Living University Library. We need to register the Church library with local authorities, and it is currently registered under the Living University name. As we begin our new program, the library will be officially titled the “Roderick C. Meredith Memorial Library.” This will rightly honor Dr. Meredith, and would be very appropriate, as a portrait of him is installed in the library. It would also serve to emphasize the purpose of the library as a resource for the Living Church of God as a whole. For more information on Living Education, our new logo, the library, and more, our web page is www.lcgeducation.org. By the way, last week we focused on young men and our on-site Living Education program in Charlotte. We haven’t forgotten about the young women! Tune in next week!—Jonathan McNair
'Living Education' has essentially replaced Living University (LU) which is in the process of shutting down. Those who believed that LU would remain, etc. have been disappointed.
04/17/18 p.m. The late Dr. R.C. Meredith used to state that LCG was only "half a peanut shell" in the Pacific Ocean. The last time I attended LCG in San Diego (in 2003, this is before the move by LCG to Charlotte, North Carolina), I came up to him and essentially said (all the following was stated though this is not an exact quote):
You've said that LCG is like a half of peanut shell in the Pacific Ocean. So, if LCG doubles its television coverage, then it is only about 1 peanut shell. I don't believe that Matthew 24:14 will be fulfilled by buying television time. This is not second guessing your decisions to be on television stations, but your own words show that television like LCG has been doing is not enough.
How Matthew 24:14 will be fulfilled will be from one of us, like me, identifying the coming King of North, saying the Great Tribulnation is about to beging, and telling people that he is about to destroy the USA and UK, then the King of the South, and he will be in league with the Antichrist, as he puts forth a false message of peace by human means. The media will cover us, and this will get people's attention. Enough so, that this will fulfill Jesus' 'gospel of the kingdom to the world' prophecy.
Dr. Meredith essentially agreed with me then (perhaps I should add that shortly later, he asked me if I was moving to Charlotte with LCG). This media/King of the North matter was something that I also covered with the then three other LCG HQ evangelists in meetings later in Charlotte, North Carolina--all of whom (Richard Ames, Dibar Apartian, Doug Winnail) gave me their concurrence.
It was something I also covered in my '2012 book (Thiel B. 2012 and the Rise of the Secret Sect. Nazarene Books, 2009, pp. 254-255, 291).
While I am no longer part of LCG, I have been telling people for years in Continuing Church of God (CCOG) basically the same thing.
Notice something that was posted within a couple of weeks after the formation of the Continuing Church of God.
Warning the world that the King of the North is fulfilling Bible prophecy when he does this is likely to be part of the “short work” of Romans 9:28 that God will accomplish through His most faithful. (Thiel B. The King of the North will arise. January 12, 2013).
We in the CCOG are preparing for the 'short work' by establishing multiple websites in multiple languages, while researching and making available information on church history, doctrine, and prophecy, while also proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom of God to the world as a witness.
Yet, we expect media attention will amplify our reach and I believe will be a factor in fulfilling Matthew 24:14 to God's satisfaction.
And of course, not all the media coverage will be positive--actually much will be negative.
Why mention this now?
As it turns out, today I found out that the UK Express ran two articles where I was mentioned this week: World War 3 WARNING: US told 'consequences of bombing Syria' set the stage for WAR and World War 3 PROPHECY: Did 'Balkan Nostradamus' Baba Vanga predict Putin's rise to power?
In the first one, they embedded part of this week's recommended sermonette video: Syria and the start of World War 3. Now, the way it was embedded does not affect the statistics that YouTube supplies us, so we are not sure how many have seen the version the Express put together. But, as a media outlet, obviously many have now seen this.
While this is NOT the fulfillment of Matthew 24:14, it is confirmation of the view that the mainstream media can be inclined to cover prophetic matters from the CCOG.
When we are more specific about the coming start of the Great Tribulation, etc. in the future, we would be expected to get so much coverage that this will assist with the 'short-work' of Romans 9:28 as well as help lead to the fulfillment of Matthew 24:14.
Some information about that is in the article: Preparing for the 'Short Work' and The Famine of the Word.
04/13/18 a.m. In its newletter today, CEG had the following:
Preparations for the Third Temple Worship
Breaking Israel News reported on April 2:
“On the second night of Passover, this past Saturday night, dozens of men, women and children went out to the fields to harvest barley, not so much as a reenactment but a real Temple-related Passover ceremony. The following day, the harvest was brought to Jerusalem where it was turned into flour and Kohanim (Jewish men descended from Aaron the Priest) performed a full-dress rehearsal for the Wave Offering, which will take place once again in the Third Temple.
“As are most Temple related activities, the harvesting was done with musical accompaniment…
“The Kohanim wore authentic priestly garments that conformed to the Biblical requirements. Rabbi Baruch Kahane served in the role of the Kohen Gadol (High Priest). In the Temple, a male sheep was brought as a burnt offering, but this was not done at the reenactment…”
Daily Mail added on April 2:
“Ultra-Orthodox Jews congregated at the Western Wall in Jerusalem on Thursday for a mass priestly blessing on Passover – a tradition of recent decades echoing a pilgrimage from antiquity. Jewish priests wearing Talit prayer shawls took part in the Cohanim prayer in the Old City of Jerusalem…
“The Western Wall is a remnant of a supporting wall of the Second Temple complex, which was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD. It is accessible to non-Muslims via a ramp. Jews are allowed to visit but not pray at the compound to avoid provoking tensions…”
We know from Scripture that a third temple will be built prior to Christ’s return, and that temple worship services and animal sacrifices will resume, leading to violent confrontations in the Holy Land.
No, we do not know from Scripture that a third temple will be built prior to Christ’s return. There are two Greek words translated as 'temple' in the Bible, and many misunderstand. What we know from the New Testament that Christians are the naos temple of God in this age.
The Apostle Paul told the Christians in Corinth:
16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
17 If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are. (1 Corinthians 3:16-17)
19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? (1 Corinthians 6:19)
16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. (2 Corinthians 6:16)
Notice that the Apostle Paul supports the idea that the naos temple of God now has to do with Christians, not necessarily the Jewish peoples (except those who are Christians and have the Holy Spirit). Additionally, his wording “know ye not” indicates that this is something that they already should have known.
Notice further that the Apostle Paul told the Christians in Ephesus basically the same thing:
19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;
20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;
21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:
22 In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit. (Ephesians 2:19-22)
Thus, Paul’s writings regarding the naos temple have to do with Christian people and not a Jewish building.
Since CEG thinks that 'a third temple' must be built before Jesus returns, this is another prophetic error that will prevent it from knowing when the Great Tribulation will start until it is too late (see also The Laodicean Church Era).
More on the temple matter can be found in the article: Why is a Jewish Temple in Jerusalem Not Required?
04/1018 a.m. There were two very disturbing items in the news concerning governmental plans on the Internet.
A CCOG member in Canada sent me information on the following:
April 7, 2018
U.S. Homeland Security to compile database of journalists, bloggers and ‘media influencers’
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is looking to create a searchable database of hundreds of thousands of news sources, journalists, bloggers and “media influencers” for the federal government, a move a DHS spokesman called “standard practice.”
In a job request posted last week to the Federal Business Opportunities website, the main contracting website used by the federal government, DHS wrote that it is seeking a contractor that is able to monitor up to 290,000 global news sources, track media coverage in up to 100 languages and can “track online, print, broadcast, cable, radio, trade and industry publications, local sources, national/international outlets, traditional news sources, and social media.” …
Data to be collected would also include an analysis of each news source’s “sentiment,” as well as geographical spread, top posters, languages, momentum and circulation.
The database of “top media influencers” would include “present contact details and any other information that could be relevant, including publications this influencer writes for, and an overview of the previous coverage published by the media influencer.” https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2018/04/07/world/u-s-homeland-security-compile-database-journalists-bloggers-media-influencers/#.Wsj0OJch0uU
The Department of Homeland Security sparked concerns among media circles after news spread that the agency was creating an online database to monitor journalists, bloggers, social media influencers and others.
Word got out after Bloomberg Law surfaced a job posting from DHS seeking a contractor for a “media monitoring services” project. The job entails creating a searchable database that has the ability to track about 290,000 news sources, both foreign and domestic, according to the DHS’s statement of work.
The contractor will help DHS monitor “traditional news sources as well as social media, identify any and all media coverage related to the Department of Homeland Security or a particular event,” the job description reads.
“Services shall provide media comparison tools, design and rebranding tools, communication tools, and the ability to identify top media influencers.”
The online platform should also be able to instantly translate media from 100 languages, including Chinese and Russian, into English. It should also be able to analyze the coverage’s “sentiment” and “momentum.” 04/06/18 https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/homeland-security-searchable-database_us_5ac7f41de4b07a3485e4bb1d
Of course, the FBI has a long history of tracking journalists, but many questions remain: Will the journalists on the list be notified they’ve been added? Do they have any control over what data is added about them? The bid’s language, “present contact details and any other information that could be relevant,” seems to imply journalists will have profiles with a variety of information. Does that open the door to connect this info with any other data DHS can get its hands on: job histories, criminal histories, a list of phobias, etc?
President Trump has used his Twitter account to lash out at individual journalists before. The implication of a stridently anti-press administration with a database of journalists is troubling, yet, given the surveillance power of the American government, feels almost inevitable.
Years ago, George Orwell wrote a book called nineteen-eighty four. It warned about a totalitarian government that had electronic surveillance everywhere. One of the statements repeated in the book was “Big Brother is watching you.” Monitoring the press and classifying reporters and people who post on the internet is a dangerous and Orwellian step.
Disturbingly, the USA is doing more and more of this.
Notice the following related to a bill proposed in the State of California:
April 9, 2018
A California state senator has proposed a bill “to kill free speech” that would require state-sanctioned fact checkers to approve Web content.
The proposal doesn’t mention the First Amendment.
Gateway Pundit’s Jim Hoft explains the plan comes from Richard Pan …
The bill is the “Internet: social media: false information: strategic plan,” or SB1424.
“Existing law prohibits a person, among others, from making or disseminating in any advertising device, or in any manner or means whatever, including over the internet, any statement concerning real or personal property or services that is untrue or misleading, as specified,” Pan wrote.
“This bill would require any person who operates a social media, as defined, internet Web site with a physical presence in California to develop a strategic plan to verify news stories shared on its Web site. The bill would require the plan to include, among other things, a plan to mitigate the spread of false information through news stories, the utilization of fact-checkers to verify news stories, providing outreach to social media users, and placing a warning on a news story containing false information.”
In lawmaker-speak, the reference to “fact-checkers” means only workers approved by the state.
It provides:
(a) Any person who operates a social media Internet Web site with physical presence in California shall develop a strategic plan to verify news stories shared on its Internet Web site.
(b) The strategic plan shall include, but is not limited to, all of the following:
(1) A plan to mitigate the spread of false information through news stories.
(2) The utilization of fact-checkers to verify news stories.
(3) Providing outreach to social media users regarding news stories containing false information.
(4) Placing a warning on a news story containing false information.
(c) As used in this section, “social media” means an electronic service or account, or electronic content, including, but not limited to, videos, still photographs, blogs, video blogs, podcasts, instant and text messages, email, online services or accounts, or Internet Web site profiles or locations.
Asked Gateway Pundit: “Getting the picture? It’s a free speech killer. …” http://www.wnd.com/2018/04/bill-requires-state-fact-checkers-to-approve-news-before-its-published/#DCtjIshXvuDBrhKK.99
If the above proposed bill becomes law, it could effectively destroy the way we handle the www.COGwriter.com website as we have a physical presence in California. That site is responsible for hundreds of thousands hearing about the CCOG and the The Gospel of the Kingdom of God.
While SB1424 sounds ‘unconstitutional,’ government officials have allowed enough ‘exceptions’ to US Constitutional freedoms to suggest something like this is possible. Yet, if something like that happened, we would probably have to have COGwriter handled somewhere other than California.
Please pray that the above proposal does not become law. Though it is NOT yet time for the famine of the word, we may well be first affected by numerous restrictions, as we have been expecting them for some time.
Consider the following from the Bible:
1 Hear my voice, O God, in my meditation;
Preserve my life from fear of the enemy.
2 Hide me from the secret plots of the wicked,
From the rebellion of the workers of iniquity,
3 Who sharpen their tongue like a sword,
And bend their bows to shoot their arrows — bitter words,
4 That they may shoot in secret at the blameless;
Suddenly they shoot at him and do not fear.
5 They encourage themselves in an evil matter;
They talk of laying snares secretly;
They say, “Who will see them?”
6 They devise iniquities:
“We have perfected a shrewd scheme.”
Both the inward thought and the heart of man are deep. (Psalm 64:1-6)
With electronic media, “big brother” (the government) can watch you in ways that were not possible in the past. And, perhaps it should be mentioned that conceivably, everyone who posts on platforms such as Facebook is a blogger.
Please understand that some in the USA believe that ALL who believe in the millennial reign of Jesus are religious extremists and potential terrorists. Also, the message of the good news of the Kingdom of God is also considered to be religious extremism by many. Freedom of religious speech is threatened on many fronts. And while you might think that if you have done nothing wrong, you have nothing to fear from surveillance, consider that many in the government of the USA consider that not supporting homosexual marriages, etc. are extremist. I also saw someone once on a documentary that stated that people who believed in the millennium could not be trusted and should be considered as potential terrorists. The fact that we in the Continuing Church of God would be considered pacifists, does not change the fact that since we hold to millennial and other biblical views that we will not be improperly classified by government employees with various agendas.
Consider what is happening now with the following in mind:
13 But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived (2 Timothy 3:13, KJV)
While I fully expect technology will result in real and fake statements being attributed to me and others in the Church of God by evil people who hate the Bible.
Something similar, but worse is coming.
Jesus said:
4 … the night is coming when no one can work. (John 9:4, NKJV)
4… the night cometh, when no man can work (John 9:4 KJV)
The Prophet Amos was inspired to record the following:
11 “Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord God,
“That I will send a famine on the land,
Not a famine of bread,
Nor a thirst for water,
But of hearing the words of the Lord.
12 They shall wander from sea to sea,
And from north to east;
They shall run to and fro, seeking the word of the Lord,
But shall not find it. (Amos 8:11-12)
The Bible clearly tells of a time that will come when the word of God will not be found. And that would seem to be, at least partially, because it will be taken off the internet. In the 21st century, the internet is accessed by people in every country, and thus some type of internet restriction/suspension/site removal is coming–this will one day happen to the Continuing Church of God!
Plans to monitor those who post information on the Internet is a step in that direction.
See also: Preparing for the 'Short Work' and The Famine of the Word.
03/25/18 a.m. Announcing a New Door: Animations
In order to help get information out to a wider audience, we in the Continuing Church of God have decided to produce some short animations that we plan to initially put up on YouTube.
This may be somewhat unique to us as I personally have never been part of a church that used a lot of animations (I only remember a two-minute animation in the 1970s used once as part of a World Tomorrow telecast related to Gehenna fire). The first CCOG animation is related to dating and our forthcoming booklet on the subject.
Currently, I have written three scripts for the animations, and am working on others. Some will mainly promote booklets we already have, but we also will need additional ones.
Now, because of this animation door, this seems to be the time to produce some other booklets on subjects I had in mind to write (God’s existence, Christian living, God’s calling as Ambassadors for Kingdom of God, baptism, prophecy, etc.). So, I have been working on a couple of those as well.
We are striving to implement ways to better reach the audience in the 21st century. That is consistent with the following teachings from Jesus and the Apostle Paul:
12 Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets. (Matthew 7:12, NKJV throughout, unless otherwise noted)
19 For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win the more; 20 and to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might win those who are under the law; 21 to those who are without law, as without law (not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ), that I might win those who are without law; 22 to the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. (1 Corinthians 9:19-22)
To try to reach all, we must also consider their demographics. Younger people are looking for more short bursts of information, and people are more used to being entertained in modern times.
There is a place for ‘milk’ as well as ‘strong meat’:
12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. 13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. 14 But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. (Hebrews 5:12-14)
So, while we will continue to have sermons, long articles, etc. (stronger meat), we are looking to provide some basic information (milk, starter food) in forms that more would be comfortable to start with. Plus, everyone who has been around for a long times does not always need strong meat. God made a variety of physical foods, and in CCOG we are trying to provide a variety of spiritual foods (magazines, websites, sermonette videos, sermon videos, personal contacts, visits around the world, baptizing trips, youth camps, church and holy day services, radio appearances, and now also videos). Radio appearances, of which I have done over 100 since CCOG formed, should be considered mainly along the “milk of the word” line.
Consistent with biblical admonitions, we need to “Memorize his laws and tell them to your children over and over again” (Deuteronomy 6:6-7, CEV) as well as “turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers” (Malachi 4:6).
Since very young children tend to have their hearts turned towards their parents and vice versa, I have long believed we need to, in addition to teaching parents (which is something we have always striven to do), better reach young people in their teens and above. Animations look to be one way to do that (and yes, church youth camps, which we have each year are also another specific step we have taken).
But let it be understood that while the use of animations is mainly focused on people from age 13 to 30, animations should also be effective for people of almost all ages.
Notice something that the late Pastor General of the old Worldwide Church of God, Herbert W. Armstrong, had in the last letter sent out before his death:
It may be that the Work that God has given me to do is complete, but not the Work of God’s Church, which will be faithfully doing God’s Work till Christ, the True Head of this Church, returns … Remember brethren, this is not the work of Herbert W. Armstrong … The greatest work lies ahead … Never before in the history of the Church has it been possible to reap so great a harvest. It has only been made possible through modern technology, beginning with the printing press, radio, television ... Each of you must commit yourself to support God’s Work … God’s work must push ahead as never before. God is opening up new doors in television (Letter, 1/10/86).
The use of animations looks to be a door that we can use to reach others that we may not otherwise reach as well as those not as likely to want to read long articles and/or to watch long sermons. Hopefully, after watching animations, many will want to learn more.
The use of online television services like YouTube, and modern computer software to make animations, is a NEW DOOR IN TELEVISION.
My hope and prayer is that the short animations, combined with relevant free book offers, will help others develop more interest in true Christianity. This is another way to get the witness out to the world.
We plan to announce each of the animations shortly after they come available.
We also are expecting to make some of them available in other languages.
Now, as far as YouTube goes, yes we are aware that they censor and may one day block our content–it suspended a CCOG sermon by Steve Dupuie once and has blocked non-CCOG people (see YouTube censorship of ‘conservative’ content). However, since more and more people can watch YouTube on televisions in their homes, it is still the least expensive way to reach a broad television audience. Unless something better comes along, we plan to utilize the ‘door’ of YouTube until it closes. Which, one day, it will.
Until then, putting animations online, in addition to our sermons and sermonettes, on YouTube is an exciting development that I ask all of you to pray about. We hope to have the first one finished and available within weeks.
Anyway, the Continuing Church of God is pleased to announce the following video on our new CCOG Animations channel:
5:16
Should a first date be between two experienced pickup artists interested in fornication? Or should it be between a man and a woman who would like to actually know each other better? Does the Bible give any guidelines that Christians who date should pay attention to? If so, what are some? This brief animation shows a worldly pickup date at a bar, and an inelegant, but appropriate request for a date in a more open environment. Dating should be fun and involve communication, and not regrets. So, check out our animation on worldly vs. Christian dating. A free online book with more information on dating is available and titled: Dating: A Key to Success in Marriage
Here is a link to our video: First Date: Worldly vs. Christian.
Our second animation is in process and has to do with the musing called the “Big Bang Theory.”
03/19/18 a.m. The latest edition of Shepherd's Voice arrived today. The following excerpts are from a letter from Steve Schrock with responses by Norman Edwards was in it (bolding below mine):
Letter: For us, that was the beginning of a totally life-changing journey, a journey that we did not know before, in a totally different direction from anything in our past. This journey that led us in the direction of seeking to come to know the only true Elohim and the One whom He sent. And within this seeking, this knocking and this asking, the Master began to teach us in matters of which we had little or no understanding in the past. Even as He spoke to the Father and said, “I have revealed Your Name to the men whom You gave Me out of the world. I have made Your Name known to them, and shall make it known, so that the love with which You loved Me might be in them, and I in them ” [John 17:6, 26].
Response: The Hebrew word used for “name” in these verses is shem. It refers to both the words and sound of a name, but also its char - acter and reputation: “A good name [shem] is to be chosen rather than great riches”... (Proverbs 22:1). It is not talking about the sound of a name, but its reputation. The same in Deuteronomy 22:19: “because he has brought a bad name [shem] on a virgin of Israel.” Moses wrote about his experience having the Name pro- claimed to him. It was our Father’s character that was proclaimed: He [the Eternal] said, “I will cause all My goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim the name [Hebrew shem] Yahweh before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion” (Exodus 33:19, CSB). Then Yahweh passed before him and called out, ‘Yahweh, Yahweh, God [Hebrew El] of tenderness and com- passion, slow to anger, rich in faith- ful love and constancy maintaining his faithful love to thousands, forgiv- ing fault, crime and sin, yet letting nothing go unchecked, and punish- ing the parent’s fault in the children and in the grandchildren to the third and fourth generation!’ (Exodus 34:6-7, NJB).
Letter: This journey led us to the un- derstanding that the Father, the Most High Elohim — not “God,” because “god” is singular with roots in Baal, and Elohim is plural and is the He- brew word that is used to describe “the Ancient of Days, and One like unto the Son of Man.” — has an awe- some and esteemed Name! I am not aware of any English word that is equal to “elohim.” Elohim is not a name, and certainly is not the Name of our Creator. It is our conviction that coming to know His Name is at the very foundation of coming to know Him. Response: I understand your respect for our Heavenly Father and your desire to please Him and use His Name according to the Old Testa- ment. I hope you will understand my desire to follow the Bible’s example of using the words that are most easily understood by the people we teach. The Hebrew elohim is usually used for the Creator of the Universe, but also for false gods—dozens of times. In the Aramaic parts of the Old Testament Ezra 4:8–6:18; 7:12- 26; Jeremiah 10:11; Daniel 2:4b– 7:28), elohim is never used, but the Aramaic elahh is used instead—for both the Creator and false gods The New Testament uses the Greek theos for both the Creator and false deities. The English “god” is little different than elahh or theos—it defaults to the true God, but can be a false god. Some etymologies will trace theos and “god” to pagan roots, but others do not. The origin of a word is not as important as what it presently means. Theos is used over 1000 times in a Greek New Testament.
Letter: Norman, I have to believe that you know and understand that the One who was sent to this earth as “the Lamb of Elohim” never was named Je-Zus, is not named such now and never shall be named such! Neither was His title Christos/ Christ. This is a gentile name and a Gentile title, and these are matters of fact.
Response: There is no doubt that “Jesus” comes from the Greek Iesous, which does not sound much like the Herbrew Yeshuah or Yashuah, as some prefer. But Iesous and “Jesus” are the words massively used in the thousands of Greek manuscripts and billions of English Bible translations. Shem-Tob’s Hebrew Gospel of Matthew uses the derogatory Yeshu for the Son and never spells out the Father’s name. The Hebrew Mashiach, meaning “Anointed” appears as the Greek Messias only twice in the New Testament (John 1:41; 4:25). Every other place, the Greek word Christos is used—“Christ” in English. John 13:13 says: “You call me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am.” Our Savior accepted these Greek titles of Didaskalos (“Teacher”) and Kurios (“Lord”). If the Greek terms were acceptable, what is wrong with their English equivalents? The Apostle Paul clearly teaches us to use language that our hearers will under - stand: So likewise you, unless you utter by the tongue words easy to understand, how will it be known what is spoken? For you will be speaking into the air, .... yet in the church I would rather speak five words with my under - standing, that I may teach others also, than ten thousand words in a tongue (1Corinthians 14:9, 19).
Letter: I know many people try to justify this gentile corruption in and through various translations. That does not hold water for various reasons, and one looming reality is that you do not translate important names from one language to another lan- guage. Rather, you transliterate them. As a result of this universal law of languages, important names are rec- ognized the world over, regardless of which country and regardless of the language spoken. And what name is there in heaven or on the earth or even below the earth, greater than “this esteemed and awesome Name, YHVH (YAHUAH) your Elohim”?
Response: The New Testament writers often transliterated Hebrew words rather than translated them. Three times, when referring to our heavenly Father, New Testament has both abba (Hebrew transliterated into Greek) and the Greek word pater. “And He said, ‘Abba, Father, all things are possible for You....’” (Mark 14:36, also Romans 8:15; Galatians 4:6). New Testament writers transliterated Hebrew words into Greek whenever they so desired! (Matthew 1:23; 5:22; 27:46; Mark 5:41; 7:34; 10:51; 15:22, 34; 15:3 John 1:38, 41, 42, 49; 3:2, 26; 4:25, 31; 5:2; 9:2, 7; 11:8; 19:13, 17; 20:16; Acts 4:36; 9:36, 40; 13:8; 1 Corinthians 16:22; Hebrews 7:1-2; Revelation 9:11; 16:16). Yet the New Testament teachers never transliterated Elohim or Yahuah into Greek or other languages of the day. John wrote to people who knew little Hebrew because he explained the word rabbi twice (John 1:38; 20:16) but never mentioned Elohim or Yahuah. When Jesus was dying on the cross, He said “‘Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?’ that is, ‘My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?’” (Matthew 27:46. Eli is the possessive form of El, a short form of Elohim. Jesus was probably quoting from Psalm 22:1 which uses Eli, but it was not a sin for Him to address the Fa- ther in this manner. John wrote the meaning of these Hebrew words in Greek—and chose to use the Greek theos throughout his gospel rather than El or Elohim.
Letter: With me speaking about the Name of the Most High Elohim, one thing I want to point out to you is that we have not been and are not current - ly involved with any “sacred names” groups. It seems that most of these groups are set in a certain rut, limit - ing the Light and Word of Elohim, as well as the Set-apart Spirit.
Response: I occasionally attend “sacred name” groups and believe I have seen His Spirit at work sometimes and not others. Unfortunately, I have found the attitude of self-righteousness with their own knowledge. Everyone needs to find a congregation where they can learn and serve oth- ers.
Letter: In closing, we are enclos- ing [amount removed] to help you in your endeavors, and we wish you well. Also, I am enclosing a short quote from the book of Malachi, which I find sobering:
A WARNING TO THE PRIESTS AND TO ALL SPIRITUAL TEACHERS:
“If you do not hear, and if you do not take it to heart, to give esteem to My Name, says YHVH (YAHUAH) of Hosts, I shall send a curse upo n you, and I shall curse your blessings” (Mal 2:2).
Sincerely,
Steve Schrock
Dear Steve: Thank you for your help and willingness to write to discuss the meaning of the Scriptures. I have learned in writing this and I hope you learn reading in it. The quote from Malachi 2:2 is worth considering. Is he writing to people who use “God” and “Lord” rather than Elohim and Yahuah? We do not have to guess, but can simply back up a chapter:
“...Yet you say, ‘In what way have we despised Your name?’ You offer defiled food on My altar. But you say, ‘In what way have we defiled You?’ By saying, ‘The table of the LORD is contemptible.’ And when you offer the blind as a sacrifice, is it not evil? And when you offer the lame and sick, is it not evil? Offer it then to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you fa- vorably?” says the LORD of hosts (Malachi 1:6-8).
“You also say, ‘Oh, what a weari- ness!’ And you sneer at it,” says the LORD of hosts. “And you bring the stolen, the lame, and the sick; thus you bring an offering! Should I ac- cept this from your hand?” says the LORD. “But cursed be the de- ceiver who has in his flock a male, and takes a vow, but sacrifices to the Lord what is blemished -- for I am a great King,” says the LORD of hosts, “And My name is to be feared among the nations” (Mal 1:13-14).
The message here is not the use, lack of use, translation, transliteration or pronunciation of our Father’s name. It is about giving evil offerings which make God look bad to the world. Yashuah our Messiah was a sacrifice for all sins forever, eliminating the need for temple sacrifices (Hebrew 10:11-14). Today, the body of be- lievers is the temple (1 Corinthians 3:16), and we offer our bodies as a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1). What kind of offerings are we giving today? Sometimes we give our Father the best of our lives—our time, our talents and our resources. Sometimes we give Him what is left over after our jobs, hobbies and entertainment. Our Father is not glorified when we do that. Other nations—and other religious groups—look at us and the Creator is not glorified. ...
If we prayed for our Father to suddenly and miracu - lously change every Bible and Chris- tian publication to exclusively use Yahuah, Yashua, Elohim would the world be much different? Christians would quickly learn the new names, but would their hearts be any differ - ent? If all Christians suddenly be- gan using their resources primarily to glorify our Father, to speak more powerfully than the sin of our day, we would change and bring bless- ing upon the world
This move to a 'totally different direction' is a bad one and NOT part of the original Christian faith. Nor does insisting on pronunciations that the New Testament does not teach truly support the needed proclamation of the Gospel of the Kingdom of God (Matthew 24:14) nor teaching all that Jesus commanded (Matthew 28:19-20)--Jesus DID NOT TEACH NOR COMMAND 'SACRED NAMES.'
Sadly, it seems like many have fallen for the false arguments of the 'sacred names' movement.
For more details as to why that movement is wrong, check out the following:
The Bible, Church History, and Sacred Names What are 'sacred names'? What is Jesus' Old Testament name? Is the use of sacred names a subject of salvation or a false gospel? Must we refer to our Saviour as Yahweh or Yashua? A related sermon is available: Sacred Names: True or False Gospel? A related article in the Spanish language is La Biblia, la historia de la Iglesia, y los nombres sagrados.
Was the New Testament Written in Greek, Hebrew, or Aramaic? What language was the New Testament written in? Does it make any difference? What about sacred names? Did the Apostle Paul ever teach in Greek?
03/11/18 a.m. In announcements read at LCG services yesterday was the following by its presiding evangelist Gerald Weston:
Dr. Douglas Winnail left South Africa where he held meetings and gave a Tomorrow’s World Presentation ... Dr. Winnail then traveled to Nairobi, Kenya for a conference with Church leaders in that country.
I believe that LCG has several hundred members in Kenya. I used to refer inquiries from Kenya to Dr. Winnail when I was part of LCG. Currently, in CCOG we have over 1,500 members in Kenya. Twice, as part of CCOG, I was able to hold conferences in Nairobi, Kenya.
The following was also read at LCG services yesterday:
Living Education
Are you a young person considering college? Have you just completed college and you’re at a crossroad in your life? Would you like to build a solid foundation for the rest of your life? If you are willing to rise to the challenge of dedicating one year to immersing yourself in a study of the most important, fundamental principles for successful living, then Living Education—Charlotte is for you. The goal for our intensive program is to teach you how to live, not just how to earn a living. The principles you learn will be timeless and the friends you make will share the same values and beliefs... Jonathan McNair.
Living Education is apparently replacing Living University (LU) which is in the process of shutting down. Those who believed that LU would remain, etc. have been disappointed.
03/09/18 a.m. CEG had the following in its newsletter today:
Netanyahu Compares Trump…
The Los Angeles Times wrote on March 5:
“Netanyahu offered an enthusiastic endorsement of Trump’s decision in December to recognize the divided city of Jerusalem as capital of Israel, which previous administrations had refused to do in hopes of furthering peace negotiations.
“Netanyahu compared Trump to Cyrus the Great, an ancient Persian king who conquered a vast empire and allowed the exiled Jews in Babylonia to return to their ancestral home to rebuild their temple.
“‘The Jewish people have a long memory,’ Netanyahu said. Trump’s decision, he said, will be ‘remembered by our people through the ages.’”
Some in Israel and the USA have been pushing this Cyrus-Trump connection. The Sanhedrin even put Donald Trump's face on a coin with Cyrus the Great recently (see Sanhedrin Mints Silver Half Shekel With Images of Trump and Cyrus: Is the ‘third temple’ necessary for a successful Trump presidency?).
But no, Donald Trump is not 'Cyrus the Great,' but he is apocalyptic. Reasons about Donald Trump not being Cyrus, yet being apocalyptic are in the article Donald Trump in Prophecy.
02/22/18 a.m. CCOG had this in its Letter to the Brethren: February 22, 2018 newsletter today:
African Reports
From Malawi, CCOG host Radson Mulozowa sent the following report:
Dear Pastor. Greetings from all the three countries.let me say my
final report about floods. 329 people has been affected. 48 houses
collapsed including our church structure. 18 CCOG brethren are
affected. the villages involved are Likachale and Hamera.
MOZAMBIQUE REPORT : A CCOG host from India congregation (Mr Khagala- the chief)
together with the son are admitted in Malawi after their house fell on
them during the night when they were sleeping. They are in Malawi
since there is a problem of hospital in Mozambique. They are lacking
blood since they lost much blood during the accident. I have talked to
the doctor today and if all goes well they will be given blood
tomorrow. we thank God that no one has lost life.
THANKS : Thanks to all the brethren who prayed for Mrs Makande. She is out from hospital now. may God bless you.
Best Regards
RADSON MULOZOWA
Evangelist Ochieng is expecting to visit Malawi next month.
Deacon Koang Deng sent the following from Ethiopia on Monday:
We are happy for the arriving of Pastor Evans in Gambella last Friday.We have a nice Sabbath in a Church. Pastor Evans baptized 7 members today in Gambella and 22 children were dedicated. Evans shall leave Gambella tomorrow for Addis Ababa then to Kenya. So, the problem we see now, all roads are still blocked, so we used a flight by aeroplane which totally cost a much paid.Thank for your fund. May Almighty God bless you all.
Koang Deng
Evangelist Evans Ochieng sent in the following report:
Greetings from Ethiopia Gambela.
My trip from Kenya to Ethiopia was on 15th FEB 2018. I arrived safe in Ethiopa. The only problem was about tribalism war. The road from Addis Ababa to Gambela was closed by a certain tribe that the buses could not pass. So it forced us to go to Gambela by airplane.
We arrived Gambela safe. The Day I arrived in Gambela I found if so many were there waiting me so many questions concerning our faith and what we are teaching. Most of them were from Seventh Day church of God. The discussion went until very late. The next Day I met those who should be baptized.
On Sabbath I was asked by those who claim to be in a big hall to go and do services with them because they got influenced by our teachings. I rejected their request because I wanted to meet Koang’s congregation which they were claiming to be small because it has only 68 members.
So I met 68 members who are in Continuing Church of God. The meeting was very good and I was very happy these congregation in Ethiopia. I met very old men people who really serious about the truth. The people were asking so many questions and I was busy very busy answering questions from sabbath till today Monday.
BAPTISM
We wake very early in morning today to prepare for Baptism. We went to the river at 11 am. The ceremony was standard because the whole congregation went to the river to rejoice together with the 7 people who were going for baptism. people were singing and the children went to see how the the baptism was going on. I baptized 7 people …
These members most of them are old in age and one of them was blind. He could not see well but he was very happy he was baptized.
After Baptism, I went to to do the blessing of little children.
22 children were dedicated. …
After that big work, 4 people came from Seventh day church of God who long before were reading our articles and had so many questions to be answered. We discussed more about some are claiming that the word of God should come from Jerusalem only and why God has some people teaching from the USA and other countries. The discussion was very hot, but fruitful because it bears many fruits. And I hope so many accepted that what we are teaching is the truth. They rebuked so many teachings from them {the Jerusalem group}, because what those are teaching them are not biblical. Koang was very happy because most of the questions were answered properly.
My days in Ethiopia ended today and I will fly back to Kenya tomorrow …
Evans
Evangelist Ochieng reported that he made it back safely to Kenya, but that there were roadblock and other issues in Ethiopia–Deacon Deng also reported issues. We need to go through the doors that God has opened (Revelation 3:7-12), though we often face difficulties (John 16:33).
As far as opened doors go, Luke wrote:
27 Now when they had come and gathered the church together, they reported all that God had done with them, and that He had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles (Acts 14:27).
Thus, the Bible is quite clear that the open door is the door to proclaim the Gospel–and that Gentiles were an important part.
Bizarrely, many once associated with GCG do not seem to value fruits in Africa. But God clearly does.
02/16/18 a.m. Norbert Link had the following in CEG's newsletter today:
We continue with the short temporary shutdown of the US government; an agreed-upon budget pact of $400 billion; and President Trump’s proposed controversial $4 trillion budget for 2019; Dow Jones’ unprecedented rollercoaster ride; the sure expectation of a very bad recession within perhaps three years; the interesting perception that President Trump does not understand economics, combined with one of his proposals which seems to be dead on arrival; ...
Coming… The Next Recession, and It Will Be BAD
The Huffington Post wrote on February 10:
“It’s highly likely the next recession will occur in the coming three years, while President Donald Trump is still in office… America is ill-prepared for its next recession…
“A recession starts after economic activity has reached its peak. Right when things are better than ever is when they’re about to get worse… There have been 11 recessions since World War II. The current economic expansion began in mid-2009, making it the third longest in history, and it can’t last forever…”
“Trump Doesn’t Understand Deficits and Trade”
The National Post wrote on February 12:
“The usual story that is told about the dangers of running deficits when the economy is not in recession is that increased government borrowing increases the competition for domestic savings, pushes up interest rates and ‘crowds out’ private investment. But in an open economy, governments don’t have to depend on domestic investors to buy their bonds; they also tap into foreigners’ savings to finance their borrowing.
“Borrowing from abroad is essentially the story of how the Reagan and Bush deficits were financed: an inflow of foreign savings to the United States allowed the government to run large deficits without an increase in interest rates or a decline in private investment spending…
“But the real challenge facing the government of Canada — and the governments of all the trading partners of the United States — is that the present U.S. administration remains invincibly ignorant of balance of payments accounting. President Trump wants to increase the government deficit and reduce the trade deficit, without the pain of higher interest rates and weakened investment. It is literally impossible to meet these demands, and the challenge of explaining this point to an incurious President is only slightly less daunting.”
Let me state that ignorance of issues associated with economics, debts, and deficits is not at all limited to the current US President. The previous US President, as well as most members of the US Congress and other politicians, also do not truly seem to have proper understanding.
Furthermore, nearly all of them have shown a tremendous lack of knowledge of how various of their policies are not only opposed to biblical principles, but how they align with biblical prophecies that point to the destruction of the USA (cf. Habakkuk 2:6-8, Romans 1:18-32).
Another, and related, major threat that USA politicians seem unaware of is what will happen if the US economy has problems (like a recession/depression) while the US faces massive other problems, like weather issues, crop failure, EMP issues, and/or terroristic/military attacks.
Bible prophecy shows that the USA will one day be defeated militarily (Daniel 11:39). See: USA in Prophecy: The Strongest Fortresses. Ignorance, willful and otherwise, will be a factor:
6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.
Because you have rejected knowledge,
I also will reject you from being priest for Me;
Because you have forgotten the law of your God,
I also will forget your children.
7 "The more they increased,
The more they sinned against Me;
I will change their glory into shame.
8 They eat up the sin of My people;
They set their heart on their iniquity. (Hosea 4:6-8).
02/02/18 a.m. Port Austin Bible
Campus (PABC) reported the following:
PABC Staff
Norman Edwards has done most of the work in founding the ministry, obtaining the buildings, writing the community policies and authoring this web site. He was born in 1956, the youngest of three sons. He completed a degree in business administration and worked as a computer analyst/programmer for 17 years. Afterward, he worked in independent Christian ministries involving much Bible study and writing and speaking to a variety of groups. Norman and his wife, Marleen, have been married for 35 years and plan to move to Tennessee for a new ministry opportunity and to be with their four sons and seven grand children there.
Jeff & Judy Kramer and family moved to PABC on October 2, 2017. They had been praying a homeless ministry opportunity for some time, then someone read an a brief article in their church service about the Edwards' desire for a replacement ministry director. They have since well-demonstrated their ability to run the homeless ministry when the Edwards move to Tennessee. We have all witnessed their love for the people, plans to bring Christ to them in a much more powerful way, their desire to involve many Christians from many local congregations and their ability to manage and improve the facilities. They also have several friends who want to move to Port Austin to help with the ministry.
PABC is in the State of Michigan. As it turns out, I spoke to Norman Edwards about the situation with him on January 31, 2018. He said that he and his wife, along with former LCG member Thomas Baca, will be relocating to Tennessee and that the Kramers would takeover at PABC. Norman Edwards was once on the Board of Directors of the old GCG.
01/26/18 a.m. RCG went on a new television station a week ago:
We are pleased to announce that The World to Come™ will begin airing weekly on The Word Network beginning Friday, January 19—8:30 AM London time, 9:30 AM Lagos time, 7:30 PM Canberra time and 4:30 PM Manila time.
It is my hope and prayer that any who might watch that will check out the teachings and believe the Bible above various assertions of David Pack.
More on what David Pack and RCG teach is in the article Why Not the Restored Church of God?
01/21/18 a.m. Continuing Church of God Evangelist Evans Ochieng sent in the following report today related to his trip to Malawi and Mozambique:
Pastor Dr Bob,
Greetings from Malawi.
I am very happy to inform you that I had a nice trip to Malawi. I was picked at the airport by our representative in Malawi Radson Mulozowa. We arrived in Migowi at 4pm on Thursday. Since the work was too big I held a meeting with our brethren in Malawi who were wanted to be baptized that evening. We had a discussion for 2 hours in Mulozowa’s home. Those who met me for baptism were-
1 Radson Mulozowa
2 Jones Wasi
3 Philip Misanjo
4 Justen Leto
5 Moses Chiphangwi
6 Lizzy Khutupa
7 Blessings Thomas (a primary teacher)
8 ZenzaniKotokwa
9 Piason Mapila
10 Edward Sayenda
11 Milonde Libungwa
12 Tingwilizane Ng’ong’olwa
13 Anne Jelemani
14 Estery Maida
15 Linnly Gremu
16 Estery Libungwa
17 Mary Matabwa
18 Margret Alan
I was very happy when counseling these people. Among them were some old ladies and men whom I thought have learned nothing. But this people were deep in truth and they new the reason why they are need of baptism. I appreciated the work we have been doing in Malawi and the work which our brother Grantone Otieno did during the Feast Of Tabernacles 2017. Grantone did a wonderful work to put all the teachings in place. He touched all the subjects during his days in the Feast of Tabernacles.
I want to appreciate the great work our brother Mulozowa has done in both Malawi and Mozambique with in few years that we choose him to our representative in Malawi. This man has done a wonderful work with a good plan of work. May God bless him for his work.
With the 2 hours of our meeting in Mulozowa’s home, I touched Many subjects and true repentance. One of the attendees decided the next Day not to go for her baptism. Plus another girl was still young but she wanted to be baptized. I did counseling to her and she noticed the real meaning of baptism and its importance. Since she was still school girl, she decided to wait and not to be baptized at this moment. This girl is a wonderful girl. Her parents did not want her to keep sabbath while the whole family are keeping Sunday. So they chased her out of their home if she has decided to join Continuing Church of God. But the girl accepted our teachings and moved out of their home simply because she wanted to follow the truth. So this girl is now in Mulozowa’s home. I am still thinking how we can assist this girl and if there is a way how we can assist her to continue with her school will be great.
On Friday we took a bus to Mozambique very early in the morning. When we reached at the border I found Mulozowa had already made things good I was not disturbed to go in Mozambique. we went early because I wanted to meet the brethren in Mozambique who wanted the baptism. I took two hours counseling them.
MOZAMBIQUE
I met very many people from Mozambique who wanted to be baptized. I took almost three hours when I was counseling them. Among them was a man who divorced his wife. I took time to talk with him about marriage and the reason why God hates divorce (Malachi 2:15-16) After a long discussion the man decided himself not be baptized till he go back to his wife and talk with her. He said that he is going to take Mulozowa and Matiya to the lady’s home so that they can talk with her deeply about the word of God.
These are the members from Mozambique who were baptized.
1 Wedison Matiya (church representative in Mozambique)
2 James Chilsaya
3 Eneles Matiya (Matiya’s wife)
4 Khahangala Majalende ( chief of Mozambique)
5 Maxwel Banda
6 Estery Chisaya
7 Boston Yonna
8 Patson Mutithe
9 Wilson Alamuson
10 Alamuson Mphinji
11 Margret Chimusoni
12 Regna Khangala
13 Agnes Wisikesi
14 James Rabson
!5 Justen Mphinji
16 Charles Matiya
17 Mary Elliot
18 Gloria Mutithe
"The total number of members who were baptized were 34. 16 members from Malawi and 18 members from Mozambique. Since I became a pastor, this is the largest work of baptism that I have done in my life. Even though it was a big work and tough, it was done perfectly and I thank those who prayed for me during my trip to Malawi. The Baptism was done in a river called Chirewe in Mozambique. it is a big river with plenty of water.I appropriate the joint hands of Mulozowa and Matiya. The rest of members were not baptized because the were still learning. And I want to inform you pastor that the doors are open in Malawi and Mozambique. I did not expect the extent of the work I have seen in Malawi. Let us pray for the work in Africa.
On the Sabbath we met in Malawi. Our brethren from Mozambique came to Malawi. Even though I was but one person, I touched many subjects. The importance of Christian calling and our major work, true repentance, divorce and remarriage, tithing, and the Sabbath.
The Sabbath was wonderful. The number was 86. Also I met our representative in Zambia, Mr Justine Gonnakomoto who came all along from Zambia by bus. We discussed so many things with him concerning the work in Zambia. He told me that they are not safe if the church is not registered in Zambia. Also he told me that our Magazines are needed to be translated into Chechewa and Bemba languages so that the people can understand. This is also another problem in Malawi and Mozambique. They need the magazines to be translated in Chechewa so that all people can understand. I talked with both Mulozowa and Justine if they can do that work. They agree that they can do it perfectly. So Mulozowa want the current magazine so that he can start the translation. So please send it to Mulozowa. Since this work in these three countries is big and they are speaking the same language, I beg you pastor to assist so that they can print the magazines in Malawi. This will be safe and cheap. It will be so helpful to these countries.
MEETING
After services I hold a meeting with all our hosts in Mozambique to discuss about the work in Mozambique. I wanted all of them to learn all the truths, I negotiated with Mulozowa that they with meet every month for three days to get teachings from our website and books because i took laptop to Mulozowa and they can use it. Next time when I will be going back I will carry laptop to Matiya and Justine.. Another Pentecostal pastor came from northern part of Mozambique 300 miles away. He has been visiting our website frequently. So when he heard that I am in Mozambique, he came to meet me. we talked much and I told him that I will be back in Malawi in February or march And I will go to his place.
I have so many pictures for baptism and meeting. I will send them later and other in formations.
Evans
As requested, the magazine file was sent to Radson Mulozowa to get to of Zambia for translation. We have already produced a small amount of literature in Chichewa, but have never printed materials in Malawi before. Last February, I was able to personally meet Radson Mulozowa, Wedison Matiya, plus Hosea Baulen of Malawi.
Anyway, I told Evans Ochieng that we would support the printing of our magazine and other literature in Malawi (perhaps I should mention that Malawi is the second poorest nation on Earth according to a report that came out this month). Printing literature in Malawi should also help us better teach those in Mozambique and Zambia in accordance with Jesus’ commission in Matthew 28:19-20.
Nearly all of those in Malawi, Mozambique, and Zambia who have been affiliating (or starting to affiliate) with us did NOT have a prior Church of God background. So, it is taking time to “the way of God more accurately” (Acts 18:26).
We must, of course, go through those doors that Jesus opens for us.
Jesus taught:
7 “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write,’These things says He who is holy, He who is true, “He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens”: 8 I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name. (Revelation 3:7-8)
37 “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. 38 Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” (Matthew 28:19-20)
Brethren, please continue to pray that we will continue to go through the doors that Jesus opens and to have more faithful laborers for the harvest.
Jesus also said:
16 You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? 17 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them.(Matthew 7:16-20)
Reaching others and having repentance and baptisms do demonstrate those fruits in the Continuing Church of God.
01/05/18 a.m. In its newsletter today, CEG had the following:
The American Empire Is Crumbling
The Week wrote on December 29:
“America’s power and global influence have plummeted like a stone during the Trump presidency… In the years after the Second World War, America constructed what amounted to a globe-spanning empire… Western Europe in particular, which was a smoking crater after the war, was rebuilt quickly under the astoundingly generous Marshall Plan…
“The American imperial framework consisted of the overwhelming strength of the U.S. military… the U.S. dollar as global reserve currency and U.S. Treasury bonds as key global asset; and most importantly, the mostly-accurate perception among Western powers that sheltering under the American security umbrella was a good deal…
“Now… Western powers are dealing with the shocking possibility that America is best considered an enemy. In his first foreign policy tour, while cozying up to the brutal Saudi monarchy, Trump offended Western European leaders for no reason, especially Angela Merkel, who said afterwards that ‘[t]he era in which we could rely completely on others are gone, at least partially.’ Trump also badly cracked the U.K. alliance simply by impulsively retweeting a British fascist, stoking fury across the country…
“The likeliest… nations to fill some of the power vacuum are Germany and France…”
The downfall of America has long been prophesied in the Bible. Please read our free booklet, “The Fall and Rise of Britain and America.”
Trump On Track to Exceed 2,000 False or Misleading Claims
National Post wrote on January 3:
“With just 18 days before President Donald Trump completes his first year as president, he is now on track to exceed 2,000 false or misleading claims, according to our database that analyzes, categorizes and tracks every suspect statement uttered by the president. As of Monday, the total stood at 1,950 claims in 347 days, or an average of 5.6 claims a day.
“… There are now more than 60 claims that he has repeated three or more times. The president’s impromptu 30-minute interview with the New York Times over the holidays, in which he made at least 24 false or misleading claims, included many statements that we have previously fact-checked…
“Trump… repeatedly takes credit for events or business decisions that happened before he took the oath of office — or had even been elected. Sixty-one times, he has touted that he secured business investments and job announcements that had been previously announced and could easily be found with a Google search. With the successful push in Congress to pass a tax plan, two of Trump’s favourite talking points about taxes — that the tax plan will be the biggest tax cut in U.S. history and that the United States is one of the highest—taxed nations — have rapidly moved up the list. Trump repeated the falsehood about having the biggest tax cut 53 times, even though Treasury Department data shows it would rank eighth. And 58 times Trump has claimed that the United States pays the highest corporate taxes (25 times) or that it is one of the highest-taxed nations (33 times). The latter is false; the former is misleading, as the effective U.S. corporate tax rate (what companies end up paying after deductions and benefits) ends up being lower than the statutory tax rate.
“We also track the president’s flip-flops on our list, as they are so glaring. He spent the 2016 campaign telling supporters that the unemployment rate was really 42 percent and the official statistics were phony; now, on 46 occasions he has hailed the lowest unemployment rate in 17 years. It was already very low when he was elected — 4.6 percent, the lowest in a decade — so his failure to acknowledge that is misleading…”
While Donald Trump is not the only factor in the downfall of prestige of the USA around the world, he certainly is a factor. Another factor is lack of truth, not just from him, but from past Administrations as well as the mainstream press.
As far as Donald Trump goes, the following may be of interest:
Jerusalem, Donald Trump, and Prophecy On December 6, 2017, US President Donald Trump fulfilled a campaign promise related to the recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. This brought anger, protests, and rockets from some Palestinians. It also brought condemnation from European allies--it has been claimed to be disruptive and even catastrophic. The Palestinian President (Mahmoud Abbas) said that this pronouncement eliminated the USA as being a fair mediator for a peace deal. Others have claimed that Donald Trump is an end time Cyrus and his pronouncement will lead to a Third Temple in Jerusalem. Is there ever going to be a peace deal? If so, will Europeans be part of it? Is Donald Trump a 'Cyrus.' Do the Jews require a Third Temple for sacrifices? Dr. Thiel answer those questions and more. This is a video.
Donald Trump in Prophecy Prophecy, Donald Trump? Are there prophecies that Donald Trump may fulfill? Are there any prophecies that he has already helped fulfill? Could a Donald Trump presidency be apocalyptic? A related video is titled: Donald: 'Trump of God' or Apocalyptic?
Trump Presidency Magic 8 Ball or Bible Prophecy? BBC reported that one might as well use a 'Magic Eight-Ball' to try to predict what will happen in the remaining time of Donald Trump's presidency. What is a 'Magic Eight-Ball'? Dr. Thiel not only explains that, but also briefly goes over 10 biblically-based warnings he wrote would happen if Donald Trump were elected that have already began to come to pass. He also goes over something he wrote back in 2008 that the Trump presidency is also helping lead to fulfillment. Should you trust Bible prophecy or not? Dr. Thiel says that Bible prophecy can be trusted, despite the view of skeptics and others that either overlook or despise the Bible. This is a video.
Donald Trump and America’s Apocalypse This 188 page book is for people truly interested in prophecies related to Donald Trump and the United States, including learning about several that have already been fulfilled and those that will be fulfilled in the future. The physical book can be purchased at Amazon for $12.99 from the following link: Donald Trump and America’s Apocalypse.
Donald Trump and America’s Apocalypse-Kindle Edition This electronic version of the 188 page print edition is available for only US$3.99. And you do not need an actual Kindle device to read it. Why? Amazon will allow you to download it to almost any device: Please click HERE to download one of Amazon s Free Reader Apps. After you go to for your free Kindle reader and then go to Donald Trump and America’s Apocalypse-Kindle Edition.
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