News of Those Once Affiliated with the Global Church of God

Since the takeover of GCG by the board in the U.S., those once with GCG went to many places. Nearly 80% went with the Living Church of God (LCG), 8-15% went with the Church of God, a Christian Fellowship (CGCF) and smaller percentages went with David Pack's Restored Church of God (RCG), Harold Smith's Church of God Fellowship, Northwest (CGFnw), 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 still with it ended up in the United Church of God (UCG). One former GCG minister became pastor of the Wholeworld Church of God. One group that split from UCG (and never was part of GCG or LCG), then COGaic, called Church of God, Established in Modesto (COG-eim) has some former GCG members and maintains a relationship with the GCG Belgians (who had supported the original GCG takeover); in 2002, COG-eim split, and its leading minister formed a new group called COG-Faithful Flock (COG-ff). In 2004, Raymond McNair, having been in GCG, CGCF, LCG, then went on his own and formed Church of God, 21st Century (COG21).

09/08/06 a.m. CEG had this unusual item in its newsletter today:

Turkey Gets Involved--and Fulfills Prophecy

09/07/06 a.m. At its home page, Ron Laughlin's WWCG has the following Statement of Beliefs:

1. We believe the Bible to be the inspired Word of God. (2 TIM. 3:16)

2. We believe that we must live by every word of God. (MATT. 4:4)

3. We believe at this end time that we must follow the teachings shown
to us in The Bible by the apostle of the Worldwide Church of God as
the Philadelphia Era of the church. (REV. 3:7-13)

4. We believe that we must preach the gospel as a witness for those God may be CALLING as they seek His word. (Romans 10:13-15)

5. We believe that we must help all truly converted Christians that are to be the sons of God (ROM. 8 14) to prepare themselves for the Kingdom of God. (MATT. 6:33)

6. We believe we are to love our brothers and sisters, not judge them. (MATT. 7:1)

7. We believe we must glorify God the Father and Jesus Christ and to never glorify any leader in the church. (1 PET. 2:12)

8. We believe we must feed the sheep. (JOHN 21:18)

9. We believe that the key to understanding prophecy is the identity of modern Israel at the end time and that the promises of both race and grace have come through the line of Israel. (GEN. 49:1-28)

10. We believe that the true Church of God is a hospital for sinners, and a home for saints. (MATT. 11:28-30)

09/04/06 a.m. I received the following single, but unconfirmed, report:

"Mr. McNair is doing some better. His skin color seems to be better."

I still believe that he is quite ill, but if he is doing better, then he should be suffering less.

09/02/06 a.m. Here is an older writing, revised in June 2005, from CG21's Raymond McNair I found to be of interest:

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).

On the subject of the King of the South, Raymond McNair's position is about the same as LCG's position. Yet these positions are different than those apparently held by CEG, PCG, RCG, CGFnw, and many others. This is documented in the updated article Is There a Future King of the South?

I perhaps should add that have not received any significantly different reports on the health of Raymond McNair other than what I posted previously. It is my understanding that he is still quite ill.

09/01/06 a.m. RCG reported that David Pack was interviewed on a South African radio station:

In the half-hour segment, Mr. Pack discussed the true gospel, the purpose of human existence, true Christianity, the Work of The Restored Church of God and the “last days,” in addition to the main subject of the interview, “The Beast of Revelation.” According to the program’s producer, this segment generated an unusually large listener response.

RCG can generate interest, but it is sad that it has modified the message away from the Bible in many areas. An article of related interest may be Why Not the Restored Church of God?

CEG reported this news item this morning:

The Guardian Unlimited reported on August 28 about a remarkable development within the Catholic Church, which is apparently willing to review its stance regarding creation and evolution. For decades, the Catholic Church followed the influence of intellectual science to postulate that the concept of evolution was more than a hypothesis. But this erroneous position might perhaps be revised. The article stated:

"Philosophers, scientists and other intellectuals close to Pope Benedict will gather at his summer palace outside Rome this week for intensive discussions that could herald a fundamental shift in the Vatican's view of evolution. There have been growing signs the Pope is considering aligning his church more closely with the theory of 'intelligent design' taught in some US states. Advocates of the theory argue that some features of the universe and nature are so complex that they must have been designed by a higher intelligence.

The accepting of most of evolutionary theory was one of the points of Catholic school that helped turn me away from Roman Catholicism. Evolution simply CANNOT explain the beginnings of life. An article of related interest may be Is Evolution Probable or Impossible or Is God's Existence Logical?

Speaking of the Vatican, LCG reported the following news item this morning:

Pope meets German Chancellor. German Chancellor Angela Merkel recently had a private audience with Pope Benedict XVI to discuss the Middle East and Iran. According to Merkel, “We had a very intense exchange on world politics, especially on the Middle East, but also on how the international community should deal with Iran” (Deutche Welle, August 28, 2006). The Pope made several appeals for a truce in the recent war between the Hezbollah and Israel in Lebanon. Observers noted the chemistry is “just right” between Merkel, who is the daughter of a Protestant pastor, and the Pope—who is looking forward to visiting Germany in September. Merkel also commented, “The Pope is a great leader of Christianity to which my protestant faith also belongs” (Ibid). Bible prophecy indicates there will be a close relationship between a powerful religious leader based in Rome who is actively involved in the politics of this world and who promotes an ecumenical movement, and a German-led beast power that will emerge in Europe at the end of the age (see Revelation 17:1-5; Isaiah 10:5-14).

An article of related interest may be Europa, the Beast, and Revelation.

08/26/06 a.m. CEG reported this news item:

On a related note, LCG reported:

LEGAL DEPARTMENT—for USA only 

Conscientious Objector Status. As world events worsen, the U.S. military will be hard-pressed to provide the personnel needed to deal with additional military commitments. The National Guard and Reserves are falling behind in recruitment goals because of long deployments. This week, the U.S. Marine Corps received authorization to recall thousands of inactive Marines to active duty, primarily because of a shortage of volunteers for duty in Iraq and Afghanistan. A widening of the Middle East conflict may require America to return to the practice of drafting its younger citizens to fill the ranks of the military. This time, women may be included in the draft.

For several years, the Church has been encouraging its older teens and young men and women to register their conscientious objection to war and military service. Pastors and elders should be counseling the youth in their areas about the need to consider their commitment to God, His laws and His Church. It is much more difficult to prove a conscientious objection claim after a draft has been instituted, if an individual has not previously gone on record as holding a religious belief against serving in the armed forces.

To request an information packet and forms, an interested young person should contact Legal Affairs here at Headquarters by e-mail at legal@lcg.org or by phone at 704-844-1960, ext. 228. Time is of the essence; delaying may cause untold grief later to those who do not take action now.

An article of related interest may be Military Service and the COGs.

08/22/06 a.m. In a two-page ad in the Journal, Don Billingsley's headline states:

A Shepherd’s Warning Cry
To the True and faithful members of God’s Little Flock Scattered Worldwide

While I personally like Don Billingsley, it is sad that he, like PCG, SCG, and RCG have changed the gospel message to mainly one to warn COG members. And while COG members should be warned against being Laodicean (see article Laodicean Warning for God's People) this is NOT the top priority of the Philadelphia portion of the Church of God.

An article of related interest may be the recently updated one titled Should the Church Still Try to Place its Top Priority on Proclaiming the Gospel or Did Herbert Armstrong Change that Priority for the Work?

08/20/06 a.m. CEG reported the following:

08/13/06 a.m. Having thought about me previous information on RCG, I decided to add more to my Why Not the Restored Church of God? article:

In part 2 of David Pack's sermon, 21st Century Apostle, he stated: 

08/11/06 a.m. This morning, CEG reported:

A King of Germany?

This is not the first time in recent years that prominent Europeans have suggested a return to the monarchy for individual countries (and the Netherlands, as one example, still has a queen). And while a literal monarchy is not required for prophetic fulfillment, it is certainly within the biblical possibilities.

08/06/06 a.m. This morning, I added the following to my article titled Why Not the Restored Church of God?:

RCG's position is clearly that Ethiopia is the King of the South, as David Pack specifically wrote:

The King of the South is Ethiopia Once again, only Ethiopia continued and remained independent in East Africa from the time of the Roman Empire. Therefore, no other country or government could fit as the king of the south—i.e., by having been a part of the ancient land controlled by the “king of the south.” Remember, verse 40 explains that the setting is the time of the end. Once again, only Ethiopia continued and remained independent in East Africa from the time of the Roman Empire. Therefore, no other country or government could fit as the king of the south—i.e., by having been a part of the ancient land controlled by the “king of the south.”

And although HWA once felt that Ethiopia was the king of the South, HWA changed his position on that, but RCG has not. The following is from an article that was produced under HWA's leadership,

Bible prophecy reveals the coming emergence of an Arab-Moslem confederation in the Middle East. It is referred to in prophecy as "the king of the south" (Dan. 11:40). This confederation will play a crucial role in end-time events. (Seeing the World Through Islamic Eyes. Plain Truth, June 1983).

Thus HWA was no longer convinced that Ethiopia must be the king of the South.

Yet because RCG now teaches that the King of the South must be Ethiopia, unless David Pack CHANGES his position, those associated with RCG will certainly be deceived by the development of the actual king of the south, and hence not understand prophetic fulfillment. Thus, RCG will clearly turn out NOT to be the group to be part of in order to be protected in the place of safety.

For those unfamiliar with Ethiopia, perhaps it should be pointed out that Ethiopia is not Arabic, is only about 40% Moslem, does not have a powerful military, and does not have economic might (it is among the poorest countries in the world), thus it is not likely to lead an Arab-Moslem dominated king of the South. It is not the type of country that would seem to be able to push at the King of the North and cause it to respond with a military whirlwind. And while this does not mean that it is not possible that one may rise from Ethiopia to lead the king of the South, it does not seem that Ethiopia itself is the likely leader (more information is included in the article Is There a Future King of the South?).

Actually, this matter of the King of the South is an area where those once affiliated with GCG have mainly split from the position of LCG and the old WCG. It really seems a stretch to teach that the end is within several years and that Ethiopia will be such a force that the EU will have to invade it. Do those associated with RCG understand that?

I also added something related to the RCG article on the Elijah matter:

RCG has this false statement at its website from Ernest Owino:

LCG’s leader has asserted that Mr. Armstrong was not the Elijah used to “restore all things” to God’s Church (“The Elijah Question” sermon, May 19, 2001).

I carefully listened to that sermon and will state that R.C. Meredith did not assert that Herbert Armstrong was not the Elijah--he said HWA could have been, but that God may raise someone else up (for true information on this subject, please read the article The Elijah Heresies).

Specifically, in that sermon R.C. Meredith stated about Herbert Armstrong, "He could have been the Elijah to come".

RCG, as far as I am concerned, does not really stand for precision of doctrine for those who actually care about the truth.

I added other items and clarifications as well to the Why Not the Restored Church of God? article.

08/04/06 a.m. In this morning's newletter, CEG had the following from an article titled The EU Must Act. In the article, it stated:

Unlike the US... the EU is still a credible broker in the region; Syria, Lebanon, Israel, and the Palestinian Authority are members of the European Neighborhood Policy (ENP)-- their relationship yields more than $45 billion in trade annually... The European Union should consider the immediate dispatch of its EU Rapid Reaction Force (RRF)... to southern Lebanon. The RRF is a European military force that can be 'triggered in situations of crisis and armed conflict'... Its development was predicated on the idea that the EU needs a force that can act independently of US-led NATO missions... The case for an EU force must also take into account Europe's refusal to list Hezbollah as a terrorist organization, which opens the door for direct negotiations with hopes for the possibility that an EU force can maintain the peace without firing a shot."

Bible prophecy certainly suggests that the EU will make a deal in the Middle East. This is partially discussed in the updated article Europa and the Beast of Revelation.

08/01/06 a.m. RCG announced:

I have been praying about Raymond McNair for many years, and intend to continue to do so.

07/27/06 a.m. I have received several reports about Raymond McNair's current state of health. And the reports I have received suggest he may be near death from his prostate cancer illness.

Some apparent supporters of Raymond McNair have suggested that he may be the most faithful of the evangelists. I believe his actions and writings suggest otherwise. Although I have pointed some of these issues about before, perhaps it should be done again here.

In an ad in The Journal dated June 30, 2004, Raymond McNair quoted Herbert Armstrong,

I’m going to say something to you now, that I would not have said five or six years ago under any circumstances. I don’t go out trying to fulfill prophecy. But Jesus said, BY THEIR FRUITS YOU KNOW. And sometimes you look back on fruits and you can tell some things you couldn’t tell in advance before the fruits had been performed…. God was going to raise up SOMEONE who is going to prepare the way for the Second Coming and calling people, preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. That’s exactly what Elijah did physically. He reminded them [Israel] that they had gotten away from the Kingdom and the GOVERNMENT OF GOD, and needed the RESTORING OF THE GOVERNMENT OF GOD (McNair, Raymond.  Was Mr. Armstrong Who He Said He Was?  Ad in the Connection's section of The Journal, June 30, 2004).

LCG has the type of governance and fruits that Herbert Armstrong was talking about--yet Raymond McNair left it (after begging to be part of it).  Raymond McNair, in his failed efforts running GCG and CGCF, never did have the proper governance or the fruits (he helped essentially bankrupt both of those groups--he also repeatedly has violated promises he made to Roderick C. Meredith and has betrayed him).  Nor have any real Philadelphian fruits been demonstrated in his current CG21. 

Perhaps the reason why is in (and related to) his paper on church government, where Raymond McNair wrote,

Jesus Christ never intended His Church to be run autocratically, and He never set one person over His Church…Christ fully realized that power corrupts and that absolutely power corrupts absolutely (McNair Raymond.  Letter to Council of Elders.  Church Government in the New Testament, April 3, 1998).

This is a totally blasphemous position to take, and I have prayed that Raymond McNair has truly repented for writing it.  God the Father has absolute power.  He granted all authority to the Son (Matthew 28:18).  Neither Father or Son are corrupt.  Jesus was the firstborn of many brethren.  The resurrected saints will have all things in subjection to them (Hebrews 2:8).  They will not be corrupted then either (e.g. Revelation 21:4).

In that same paper, Raymond McNair continued with,

How was it possible for the Worldwide Church of God…led by Herbert Armstrong for fifty years)…to be dismantled…The answer to these questions lies primarily in the fact that the WCG was run autocratically—with ONE MAN having full authority to make all major decisions.  The WCG merely had an ADVISORY COUNCIL OF ELDERS, with no power to serve as ‘checks and balances’ on any mistakes or excesses which the leaders of the corporate organization (the WCG) might wish to indulge in…the kind of Church organization government that Jesus established was never intended to function autocratically (McNair Raymond.  Letter to Council of Elders.  Church Government in the New Testament, April 3, 1998). 

In a sermon given in Southern California in December 1998, Raymond McNair also publicly stated that if HWA would have given the Council of Elders more power, he and the other Council members would have stopped HWA from doing many of the things they did not agree with.

Thus, this shows that Raymond McNair did not agree with the form of government that HWA specifically taught that God used him to restore to the Church.  (Beyond this, it demonstrates that Raymond McNair did not understand that a major part of the purpose of the dismantling of the WCG was to separate the unbelievers from the believers, and the Laodiceans and others from the Philadelphians.) 

Raymond McNair does need our prayers. While his supporters seem more concerned about his physical health, I have been focused mainly on his spiritual health (though I have prayed about his physical health as well). He still has time to repent. More of Raymond McNair's writings can be found in the article The Elijah Heresies.

Jesus' focus also is on spiritual health. Notice what Jesus said to those who no longer had the Philadelphia work:

"I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. Because you say, 'I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing'--and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked-- I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent...He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." ' " (Revelation 3:15-19, 22 NKJV).

07/22/06 a.m. Under Prayer Requests, the latest edition of The Journal lists:

Raymond McNair, prostate cancer.

I have heard that he is struggling.

In an ad in The Journal, COG-ff's Don Billingsley writes:

It is with urgent importance that I write this letter to you as true members of the Church of God to realize where we are in time and the imminent dangers confronting each of us. It is even more important that we make sure we are in a true corporate Church of God, one in which Christ will make known the time to flee and will not in any other corporate Church. We must keep in mind there is only ONE true Church and no other!

How can we know which one is the true Church? It will be remaining faithful to ALL of the true teachings that Jesus Christ restored within His true Church through His late apostle, Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong. Within that Church will be the faithful and caring shepherds placed there by Jesus Christ to care and tend to the needs of His people (John 21:15-19; I Peter 5:1-4).

In all due respect, he has made at least two errors here. First, those in Sardis and Laodicea are part of the true Church (see Revelation 3); see also The Sardis Church Era and The Laodicean Church Era.

Second, he is suggesting that simply holding to doctrine and feeding the flock, but not having the Philadelphia work, will provide protection. I do not believe either the Bible nor the teachings of HWA support this. I believe information in the following three articles (the first one mainly being quotes from HWA) demonstrate the accuracy of my statements:

Did You Know What the First Changes the Tkach Administration Made?
There is a Place of Safety for the Philadelphians. Why it May Be Petra
The Philadelphia Church Era

07/21/06 a.m. CEG had the following related articles in its current newsletter:

Der Spiegel Online wrote on July 17:

"The militant Islamist group Hezbollah fire[d] Iranian-built missiles even deeper into northern Israel after Israeli Defense Forces bombarded Hezbollah strongholds and even Lebanese army targets over the weekend. World leaders have called for diplomacy and 'international forces' to keep the peace... Attending the G-8 summit in St. Petersburg, Russia, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Israel had 'a right to defend itself,' but she and other G-8 leaders also called on Israel to stop attacking Lebanon...

Both stories point out that the Europeans hope to be in-between the US and Israel on one side and the Arabs on the other. Ultimately prophecy suggests (Daniel 9:27), Israel will decide to make a seven-year deal with the Europeans which will begin probably 3 1/2 years before it is time to flee to a place of safety.

07/14/06 a.m. This morning, I received the following email:

What's your response to RCG's official http://www.thercg.org/coverletters/lcg-changes.html article about the LCG?

My response was:

The following is an update on Raymond McNair:

Norbert Link, his mother and Margaret Adair, visited Raymond and Eve McNair this week. Mr. McNair, a long-time Evangelist in God's Church, as well as Eve McNair, need our urgent prayers. Mr. McNair is suffering from prostate cancer and is bed-ridden at this time. There are, however, slight signs of improvement. Mr. Link conversed with Mr. McNair for over 1 1/2 hours and witnessed Mr. McNair's strong faith in God. We would implore all of God's people to pray for Mr. McNair's complete healing, according to God's Will. At present, Gema Salvadori is staying with the McNair's to help out in this difficult and trying situation.

This is essentially what I heard (I posted some info on this page a couple of weeks ago about it).

07/07/06 a.m. CEG reported:

...but it's the Wrong Sabbath

Articles of related interest may be:

Is Revelation 1:10 talking about Sunday or the Day of the Lord? Most Protestant scholars say Sunday is the Lord's Day, but is that what the Bible teaches?
The Sabbath was observed on Saturday by the apostolic and post-apostolic Church.
The Dramatic Story of Chinese Sabbathkeepers This reformated Good News article from 1955 discusses Sabbath-keeping in China in the 1800s.
Sunday was not observed by the apostolic and true post-apostolic Christians.

07/04/06 a.m. In an ad in the latest edition of The Journal, COG-ff's Don Billingsley states:

There is a terror film now being shown in theaters nationwide, “United 93.” It serves as a STARK WARNING regarding the tragic events and lessons that should have been learned from what took place on September 11, 2001.

This film focuses on the passenger plane that was taken over by terrorists and the subsequent deaths of all on board, when it went down in a field in Pennsylvania. It is a sad movie for the ending is known from the beginning of it. One person said after viewing it, “It was like going to a funeral.”

It has now been almost five years since that terrorist attack. As the result, virtually everyone has become complacent, believing the government will continue to keep the terrorists at bay and no harm will come to any of us. Yet we continue to hear warnings that we are vulnerable due to this being such a big country, and the various methods of destruction that can be employed by terrorists to maim and kill perhaps a million people.

There are millions of immigrants in this country. Among them are the ‘sleepers’ waiting to use an atomic suitcase bomb, smuggled across the Mexican border by a Latino gang, so the News Media report.

Sadly, thousands of church members are sleeping comfortably, as are the people of this country, to the dangers from not only terrorists, but from criminals roaming the streets along with street gangs and other potential threats!

I do not know much about other groups' sermons, but LCG mentions terror/terrorism as one of the curses predicted in the Old Testament to hit the US and British peoples on a fairly regular basis.

06/30/06 p.m. CG21's website is back up again, but I have not heard any newer updates on Raymond McNair's health.

06/30/06 a.m. CEG reported:

On June 27, the Rocky Mountain News published an article by Nicholas Kristof (The New York Times) that reported about a rapid change happening in China:

"Christianity is booming as never before in China, and some giddy followers say China could eventually have hundreds of millions of Christians--perhaps more than any other country in the world."

The article continued: "This boom in religion, particularly Christianity but also including the Bahai faith and various cults like Falun Gong, reflects a spiritual yearning among many Chinese. While China has official Catholic and Protestant churches, the fastest-growing churches are the underground ones--usually evangelical without any specific denomination--that are independent of the government. The total number of Chinese Christians today probably exceeds 40 million, and some estimates go far higher."

China is becoming a major player in many arenas, hence it is no surprise that religion is becoming more of a factor there. I am working on an article on China that I hope to finish by the end of this summer.

CEG also reported:

Matt 28:19-20

Preaching the Gospel and Feeding the Flock

This was the only item CEG listed under this section. I actually know the Mitchells and am pleased to hear the Kalon is getting married, but listing this item under the above heading seems a bit unusual.

Perhaps this would be a good time to relist here an article titled Should the Church Still Try to Place its Top Priority on Proclaiming the Gospel or Did Herbert Armstrong Change that Priority for the Work?

06/27/06 a.m. RCG's David Pack announced:

Major Milestone—All 193 Nations Reached!: Through the Internet (used by well over 1 billion people) and other means, The Restored Church of God has now officially reached every country on earth! The last three were Comoros, Nauru and, finally, on Saturday, June 17, Equatorial Guinea.

This is a milestone within an end-time prophecy to be fulfilled by the one undivided Church through which Jesus Christ works. He foretold that just before the age ends the true gospel of the kingdom of God—the coming world-ruling supergovernment He would lead with the saints—would be announced to every nation: “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come” (Matt. 24:14)...

Reaching all 193 nations (most are reached every week) is another undeniable proof that the all-powerful, living Jesus Christ heads and directs but one Church and Work—The Restored Church of God!

Huh?

LCG has reached over 200 and accomplished that years ago. Thus, by that standard, RCG should have been supporting LCG. FWIW, I know the COGwriter site has reached close to 200 nations too (but no, not most every week).

Anyway, having one or more hits from each nation has been obtained by other COGs (I suspect that both UCG and Barnabas Ministries did this years ago too--as undoubtedly several of the COG sites), hence RCG should be a bit more careful on how it tries to spin this. It is not unique in this accomplishment.

Because of the above, this morning I updated my article Why Not the Restored Church of God.

06/24/06 a.m. The following is the message from CG21's website this morning:

This page is used to test the proper operation of the Apache HTTP server after it has been installed. If you can read this page, it means that the Apache HTTP server installed at this site is working properly.

If you are a member of the general public:

The fact that you are seeing this page indicates that the website you just visited is either experiencing problems, or is undergoing routine maintenance...

If you are the website administrator:

You may now add content to the directory...

I believe these messages this means that the site needs to load something as nothing from CG21 is now there. I would suspect that Raymond McNair's illness may be a factor in this as it may be that the internet is not a particularly high priority with CG21 now.

06/21/06 a.m. Last night, a reliable source told me that CG21's Raymond McNair was quite ill and not doing well in his battle with prostate cancer. He and his wife need prayer.

06/16/06 a.m. CEG reported:

Thailand Celebrates Its King and Queen

The Associated Press reported on June 9:

"Thailand's king, the world longest-serving monarch, marked 60 years on the throne Friday, calling for unity in his politically troubled country as hundreds of thousands of adoring Thais cheered and waved yellow flags. King Bhumibol Adulyadej, 78, greeted his subjects in a glittering golden gown from the palace balcony in Bangkok, only the third such appearance of his royal career... The monarch is beloved for his projects to help the rural poor and for using his moral influence to keep the country together through political turmoil... The people cried and held hands in reverence, chanting 'long live the king,' as Bhumibol and Queen Sirikit waved goodbye from the balcony. Thailand has been mired in a political crisis for months over corruption allegations against Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and demands that he resign. The country has been without a working legislature since April 2 general elections boycotted by the opposition and invalidated by the nation's highest court...

"Although the king is a constitutional monarch with limited powers, he has used his prestige to smooth over several political crises over the years, persuading opposing parties to compromise for the sake of peace and stability. He often mingles with people in remote villages where he has started hundreds of development projects... Thailand has declared a five-day public holiday for the festivities, including fireworks, feasts and a river parade featuring dozens of gilded ceremonial boats. A royal banquet Tuesday closes the celebrations. Heads of state and royalty from 25 countries, including Japan's Emperor Akihito, Britain's Prince Andrew and Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, were expected to attend the culmination of celebrations next week. King Bhumibol was named king on June 9, 1946, after the death of his older brother. Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, who ascended to the throne in 1952, is the world's second-longest serving monarch."

We like to remember Queen Sirikit's remarkable visit to the USA in March of 1985; her stay as a guest on the grounds of the Worldwide Church of God (WCG) and Ambassador College (AC); and her close friendship with Herbert W. Armstrong, former human leader of the WCG. During her visit, Queen Sirikit made the following remarks about Mr. Armstrong (who was, by then, 93 years old, and who died less than a year later):

"I'd like to devote this event [an exhibition of valuable Thai art] to Mr. Armstrong, a good friend of Thailand, who has a far vision and who has made it possible for the Exhibition of these ancient Asian treasures... I feel I have a debt to pay to Mr. Armstrong and others who are supporting and have given us a chance to exhibit our cultures from the first recorded history of Thailand till the present time in this beautiful Ambassador College."

In a book commemorating Queen Sirikit's visit to America, titled, "Royal Moon Rising over America," the following expressions were made by the Queen about the AC students:

"There are about 600 students attending the college. They do not teach just liberal arts, but also moral values. The purpose is to help the students become people with good morality. We saw the students here dressed better than other teenagers. Men have short hair and wore neckties nicely. There were no punks with long hair--or no hair--or colored hair at all. The ladies were impressively well dressed. No tight jeans were worn. The most important fact is that every one of them had good manners and good speech. When the students saw us passing by, they smiled at us and talked with us. When we asked them questions, they were very helpful to us all... 'It is not surprising that this college has received three awards... And first of all, which may be the most important value here, is that you produce incredible people--people with good qualities,' Her Majesty expressed.... 'This Ambassador College campus is beautiful like heaven.'"

What a terrible tragedy it is that after Mr. Armstrong's death in 1986, the values and high standards, taught by the WCG and AC, were gradually eroded, until, due to the shortsightedness and lack of vision of the new leadership and their different emphasis on what is important in life, AC was closed and its campus sold.

I thought about this when I saw it covered on the news a couple of days ago.

RCG's David Pack reported:

The statistical growth of the Work for the month of April was almost exactly 4 percent above March, but this occurred with one less day in the month. The actual daily rate of growth was about 7½ percent. And bear in mind that the website experienced some down time. (Do not get discouraged. The New York Times website recently crashed for several hours.) The good news is that we have now secured a different and much better host provider. Further, our traffic this month was up over 12 percent above a record March, but because of the shorter month, the actual daily rate was almost 16 percent higher.

Again, once he actually explains his membership and income numbers, I will take him a bit more seriously. If he keeps referring to the internet, I will simply state that I can document (in certain ways) how my impact keeps growing (more than doubled the past year per my Alexa rankings, for example). And I am only one part-time person with no staff (though my son Michael and others help frequently).

06/11/06 a.m. At CG21's Articles by Raymond McNair page, he stated:

A PERSONAL NOTE. Here is a brief note regarding my varied experiences in the Work of God during the past 55 years. Most of you will have become familiar with my articles in various Church publications (the Good News, Plain Truth, Tomorrow’s World, etc), and more recently in articles which were published in other “Church of God” publications. I have served for nearly 50 years as a writer and editor.

Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong ordained me as an Evangelist—over 51 years ago. During those 51 eventful years I served as the pastor of 14 churches in the U.S., Britain and New Zealand, and in 1954-1955, I founded the Chicago Church of God, the first WCG Church east of the Mississippi River. I also served as Director of the Work of God in Britain (1958-1973).

In 1960, Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong appointed me Deputy Chancellor of Ambassador College, near London.

Mr. Armstrong appointed me to serve under him over the Headquarters Doctrinal Team in 1974, knowing that I would not introduce “liberal” doctrines into God’s Church.

In 1978, Mr. Armstrong asked me to serve as Deputy Chancellor of Ambassador College in Pasadena, California—in order to help him put Ambassador College back on track. I continued serving God’s Work in that position for nearly ten years—until 2 years after Mr. Armstrong’s death in 1986. I was gratified to hear him say, before his decease, that he was very pleased to see Ambassador College back on track. I always counted it a great honor and a fantastic privilege to work with God’s end-time Apostle for over 36 years, from the time I entered Ambassador College in 1948, until his death in 1986—approximately 36 years.

I was privileged to conduct many baptismal tours while serving in the Worldwide Church of God. In the summer of 1949, Mr. Armstrong sent Raymond Cole and me on the first student-led, nation-wide baptismal tour, during which time we baptized about 125 brethren. In the following years, I conducted seven more baptismal tours in the U.S. and Canada before being sent to London, England in 1958 to take charge of God’s Work in Britain, where I continued to serve the Work of Jesus Christ during the next 15 years. After arriving in London, England, I conducted several baptismal tours in the British Isles, and was later sent to Southern Africa with another minister to baptize a number of people in Northern and Southern Rhodesia, and in South Africa.

After Mr. Armstrong’s decease, the Pastor General who succeeded him appointed me to be over the Doctrinal Team in Pasadena; but shortly afterward, my wife and I were sent to the South Pacific to head the Work of God in New Zealand, Fiji, Tonga, etc. Since I would not endorse the strange doctrines then being seriously considered at our Pasadena Headquarters, my continued presence would have been a big obstacle in the eyes of those who planned to make sweeping doctrinal changes in the WCG.

Once again, brethren, I would very much appreciate your continued prayers that God will restore me to full health, so I can continue to serve Him and His people. I am very grateful that God has graciously allowed me to continue serving in His work for 55 years—and continues to use me in preaching His Gospel and strengthening God’s people! I intend to continue to encourage, uplift and guide as many of God’s people as I can.

God is well-pleased when we have genuine love and respect for our brethren, never looking upon ourselves as spiritually superior, while considering others in the “Churches of God” fellowships to be spiritually inferior. May the Great God continue to give all of us a sincere, unfeigned “love of the brethren”!

Sincerely, in Christ’s name,

Raymond F. McNair

Raymond McNair left out about ten years. He failed to mention that he came to work for RC Meredith in GCG, was part of the GCG takeover, contributed to the bankrupting of GCG, formed CGCF, was president of CGCF (and essentially led it into bankruptcy), begged to come back to LCG, and after being allowed back into LCG left LCG and placed negative ads about it in The Journal: News of the Churches of God. He also left out that many on that doctrinal team appointed by HWA did, in fact, hold liberal doctrinal positions.

Regarding Raymond McNair not being liberal doctrinally, that depends upon whether one agreed with HWA and governance. I have shared some of my thoughts on his writings in the past and will repeat some of them here.

Raymond McNair, in his failed efforts running GCG and CGCF, never did have the proper governance or the fruits. Nor has this been demonstrated in his current CG21.

Perhaps the reason why is in and related to his paper on church government, were Raymond McNair wrote,

Jesus Christ never intended His Church to be run autocratically, and He never set one person over His Church…Christ fully realized that power corrupts and that absolutely power corrupts absolutely (McNair Raymond. Letter to Council of Elders. Church Government in the New Testament, April 3, 1998).

This is a totally blasphemous position to take, and I have prayed that Raymond McNair has truly repented for writing it. God the Father has absolute power. He granted all authority to the Son (Matthew 28:18). Neither Father or Son are corrupt. Jesus was the firstborn of many brethren. The resurrected saints will have all things in subjection to them (Hebrews 2:8). They will not be corrupted then either (e.g. Revelation 21:4).

In that same paper, Raymond McNair continued with,

How was it possible for the Worldwide Church of God…led by Herbert Armstrong for fifty years)…to be dismantled…The answer to these questions lies primarily in the fact that the WCG was run autocratically—with ONE MAN having full authority to make all major decisions. The WCG merely had an ADVISORY COUNCIL OF ELDERS, with no power to serve as ‘checks and balances’ on any mistakes or excesses which the leaders of the corporate organization (the WCG) might wish to indulge in…the kind of Church organization government that Jesus established was never intended to function autocratically (McNair Raymond. Letter to Council of Elders. Church Government in the New Testament, April 3, 1998).

Notice how he strongly disrespected the advisory council of elders that he now seems to brag that he was appointed by HWA to be on. Note how he really is condemning HWA for not giving him and others more authority. Note that he is directly challenging HWA and HWA's idea of church governance. Note that he is actually claiming that HWA ran a system opposed to Jesus' intentions. And while those outside the COG might agree with that, how can one claim to be faithful to the doctrines of HWA's WCG and write the above?

Furthermore, in a sermon given in Southern California in December 1998, Raymond McNair also stated that if HWA would have given the Advisory Council of Elders more power, he and the other Council members would have stopped HWA from doing many of the things they did not agree with.

Thus, this shows that Raymond McNair did not agree with the form of government that HWA specifically taught that God used him to restore to the Church. (Beyond this, it demonstrates that Raymond McNair did not understand that a major part of the purpose of the dismantling of the WCG was to separate the unbelievers from the believers, and the Laodiceans and others from the Philadelphians.)

Raymond McNair has not demonstrated the fruits that would be necessary to follow him, nor do I believe that even today, CG21 has any resemblance to being part of the Philadelphia Era of the Church of God. It simply has an internal member-oriented focus--it has no significant external efforts to proclaim Christ's gospel of the kingdom to the world as a witness that I am aware of.

This is sad because Raymond McNair has been around long enough to know better.

Two articles of related interest may the Laodicean Church Era and Should the Church Still Try to Place its Top Priority on Proclaiming the Gospel or Did Herbert Armstrong Change that Priority for the Work?

Here who has an ear to hear...

06/09/06 a.m. CGFnw reported that its leader, Harold Smith, will be travelling. He is scheduled to visit Wausau, WI and on the 17th Toledo, OH. This remains a group without much literature or media presence.

CEG reported:

"This Week in Germany" reported on June 3 about the completed restoration of the cathedral of Aachen, a German town with highly significant historic relevance. The article stated:

"The cathedral--Germany's oldest--defines the phrase 'work in progress,' featuring architectural and artistic elements from several eras of German history. Construction of the Palatine Chapel began in 786 AD at the behest of Charlemagne, who chose Aachen as the seat of his Holy Roman Empire. Thirty kings of the Holy Roman Empire were crowned in the cathedral's chambers. It continued as wings were added to the structure periodically over the course of the next millennium, while a 'glass house' for choral performances was built in 1614. In 1978, the Aachen cathedral was the first German site to be chosen as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In late 2005, the first compilation of the Seven Wonders Foundation's roster of 'New 7 Wonders' ranked the Aachen Cathedral at number 25, making it the highest ranked German site on the list."

I have been to Aachen and saw this cathedral. I wondered if anything would be done with it. Well, a German pontiff, combined with getting closer to the end, seems to be enough to get the Germans more serious about Roman Catholicism than they have been.

06/02/06 a.m. In an ad in the latest edition of The Journal, CG-ff's Don B. writes the following:

THE FEAST OF FIRSTFRUITS is now only a few days away! Though we usually speak of it as Pentecost (meaning “Count 50”), the name of it only makes known to us when the Feast of Firstfruits is to be observed. From God’s Sacred Calendar we learn that one begins the count from the 1st day of the week, after the weekly Sabbath, which is normally within the Days of Unleavened Bread and continues the count until arriving at the actual Day of commanded observance, which is for this year, Sunday, June 4, 2006. This Day pictures to all, who are truly of the elect, that we are to be numbered among all the other Firstfruits who are to be harvested when Jesus Christ returns to this earth (James 1:18; Revelation 14:1-5). It pictures the time when a most marvelous and wonderful change will take place with each of us being changed from a corruptible and mortal human being to that of an awesome Spirit being! Each one who is transformed will receive glory, power and immortality, while bearing the same image as that of God due to our new birth into God’s Spirit Family (I Corinthians 15:42-49; John 3:1-8)). This sank home to me perhaps more deeply than ever before when I reached the full age of 80. At this great age in life, I also came to the realization that my life as a human mortal being is close to an end. And it could come any day or in months or at the most in a few short years, unless Christ should return before that time.

He is correct that Pentecost is this Sunday and that it, amongst other things, pictures firstfruits..

CEG reported:

This Is How Much You Owe!

US debt is a curse (see Deuteronomy) that most Americans do not really understand yet. When those debts are called, the economic consequences will be much higher than almost everybody realizes.

05/21/06 a.m. CG21's Raymond McNair wrote:

IDENTIFYING THE REAL “LAODICEANS”...

I have been greatly concerned about the tendency for some leaders of the “Churches of God ” to believe their people comprise, not “a remnant,” but “the remnant of the Philadelphians in the Laodicean era,” all the while claiming that brethren in other Churches of God are lukewarm “Laodiceans.” Let us notice Christ’s own words to the “Laodiceans” to see what their problems really were...

Christ then warns the Laodiceans: “Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’ ...

While he is certainly targeting people such as D. Pack and G. Flurry, Raymond McNair may also be targeting people like me. Raymond McNair, like many who get involved in this subject, spends a lot of time explaining what he thinks Laodiceans must be, without spending the time to look at what the Bible says about who are the Philadelphians (who by definition are not Laodiceans).

I seen articles like this is the past where the implication is that those who actually do what Jesus said to the Philadelphians (hold fast to what they have) are considered by these type of critics as believing they "have need of nothing". I would simply remind Raymond McNair (as he should know this) that LCG sermons emphasize character development to a high degree and do not tell the membership that they are fine as they are (also, LCG would not have as many church-wide fasts, either, if we taught we have need of nothing).

HWA set two criteria for the Philadelphians: 1) the priority on proclaiming the gospel and 2) the teaching of the 18 truths he felt were restored to that era. These criteria are consistent with the two that Jesus set in Revelation 3 (please see article titled Did You Know What the First Changes the Tkach Administration Made?

Sadly, Raymond McNair meets neither of those criteria as he has written against at least one of the 18 truths (governance, see article on The Elijah Heresies) and was active in arguing against a high priority of public proclamation of the gospel to the world when he was part of the GCG takeover.

He who has an ear to hear, let him hear.

Two articles of related interest may be:

The Philadelphia Church Era was predominant circa 1933 A.D. to 1986 A.D.
The Laodicean Church Era was predominant circa 1986 A.D. to present

05/19/06 a.m. In today's newsletter, CEG reported the following:

Germany's Sunday Laws

Der Spiegel Online published the following article on May 14, discussing Germany's blue laws. It is interesting that the magazine makes the common mistake--which is not unheard of in the USA and Europe--to confuse the Biblical Sabbath with Sunday. Sunday is NOT--and never has been--the Biblical Sabbath. The Biblical Sabbath is the seventh day of the week--the time from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset--whereas Sunday is the first day of the week. However, many Germans. Europeans and Americans have been deceived in thinking that Sunday is the Biblical Sabbath.

The magazine, being a victim of that same deception, points out:

"Germans, of course, aren't nearly as serious about observing the Sabbath as the Maccabees were -- that ancient group of faithful Jews who allowed themselves to be slaughtered rather than fight on the day of rest. But just try picking up a frozen pizza or a carton of milk on a Sunday in most parts of Germany. Unless you live in a big city or next door to the train station, Sunday starvation is a serious risk... Sundays remain strictly off limits for shopaholics, chronic consumers and those who find it difficult to remember a pharmacy errand on Saturday before its doors slam shut at 1 p.m... After all, about the only thing you can do on Sunday here is relax, eat a lot, or head to a museum. With the streets empty of big trucks (by law) and building sites silent, a ride through the city or countryside also makes for a pleasant escape. If you get a flat though, don't count on finding a bike shop open to help you fix it....

"Torturing consumers with anemic opening hours has a long tradition in Germany. The first such law came into existence in 1900, but was soon strengthened. By 1919, it was illegal to open up shop on Sunday and stores on workdays could only be open from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m."

CEG is correct. Sunday has never been the true Sabbath. However, what the above article does show is that Germany is no opposed to having Sunday laws.

05/12/06 a.m. In his latest newsletter, RCG's D. Pack reports:

The twentieth member of the headquarters staff arrived last Friday, and the twenty-first will arrive in another 19 days, thus completing the “staff catch-up” we had long hoped for (actually God exceeded what we thought we needed). Of course, there will be many future hires for God’s Work (some of them soon), but they will be a natural result of an expanding Church and Work, commensurate with the other elements of the Work listed above, not just part of catching up to our existing size. No longer will we find that way too few are trying to do way too much way too fast. (Now it will just be the never-ending too few doing too much too fast, because this has always been the nature of God’s Work.) We sincerely believe that the previous days could soon be over. Space does not permit to tell you what this means for the Work...

The statistical growth of the Work for the month of April was almost exactly 4 percent above March, but this occurred with one less day in the month. The actual daily rate of growth was about 7½ percent. And bear in mind that the website experienced some down time.

This is the first public update from RCG in some time. I continue to await the time that RCG will post actual numbers on its "growth" instead of percentages. Specifically, number of members, number who attend their FOTs, income, and hard copy literature distribution.

05/05/06 a.m. CEG's newsletter this morning had this item:

WorldNetDaily filed the following report:

"Al-Qaida has already obtained nuclear suitcase weapons from the Russian black market, weapons tested in Afghanistan in 2000, and they may have already been forward-deployed inside the U.S., according to the only journalist to interview Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri in the wake of Sept. 11. Last week, Hamid Mir's credibility skyrocketed when he accurately predicted... the imminent release of a new recorded communiqué from bin Laden through al-Jazeera, the Arabic TV network. Two days later, bin Laden's tape was the focus of international news coverage. 'If you think that my information and analysis about bin Laden's location is correct,' said Hamid Mir, 'then please don't underestimate my analysis about his nuclear threat also.' Mir said that he met with an Egyptian engineer last week who lost an eye after one of bin Laden's nuclear tests in the Kunar province of Pakistan. The Pakistani journalist said the encounter with the engineer greatly disturbed and depressed him since it provided further assurance that a nuclear nightmare for America is about to dawn. Mir believes that an 'American Hiroshima' will occur as soon as the U.S. launches an attack on Iran's nuclear facilities. 'Al-Qaida and Iran,' he says, 'have a long, secret relationship.' 'American Hiroshima' is the name al-Qaida leaders chose for their long-planned nuclear attack on the U.S."

While I do not know when, or yet how, the next big terrorist incident against the US will be accomplished, I do believe something will happen. We need to heed Jesus' warning to watch.

05/03/06 a.m. I noticed that the homepage of Ron Laughlin's Wholeworld Church of God has two photos of Ambassador Auditorium, in Pasadena California (and no other photos).

Since this group's mailing address is in Goodlettsville, TN, and since Ambassador Auditorium is now controlled by anti-COG pentecostals, this seems to be somewhat of an unusual choice of photos to me.

04/28/06 a.m. Last night, CEG reported:

On April 21, 2006, RIA Novosti [Russian News and Information Agency] published the following article: "Russia cannot consider the dollar as a reliable reserve currency because of its instability, the {Russian] finance minister said Friday. 'This currency has devalued by 40% against the euro in recent years,' Alexei Kudrin told a news conference in Washington on the occasion of the opening spring session of the International Monetary Fund. According to the Central Bank of Russia, the dollar accounted for 70% of Russia's gold and currency reserves, euro for 25% and other assets for 5% in late 2005. As of April 14, 2006, the reserves were $212 billion."

As we predicted at the inception of the Euro, the Bible strongly indicates that the Euro would become the most powerful currency in the world.

I would simply add that it is probable that the Euro will dip many times as well--it is only up 40% because it dipped. From the time of its introduction to present, the Euro is only up about 3-4%. However, I should add that the dollar will drop tremendously--the current price of oil is a sign not only of tight oil sales, but of a weaker US dollar.

04/21/06 a.m. I visited most of the websites of the groups mentioned on this page this morning (except LCG). None of them currently seem to have very much going on.

I noticed that Harold Smith's CGFNW apparently has not updated his Q&A section since 1994. I also noticed that Ron Laughlin's Wholeworld COG home page shows that it has had 373 hits.

04/13/06 a.m. CG21's Raymond McNair reported:

It is well-known that Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong faithfully taught that “God” (the “Godhead” or “Deity”) is a Divine Family! He boldly taught that each and every true Christian, as a “child of God,” becomes a member of that DIVINE FAMILY, once they repent of their sins, are baptized and receive the Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:9; 1 Cor. 12:13).

            Yet there are some that were taught by Mr. Armstrong who deny that “God” (the Godhead) comprises a DIVINE FAMILY. A recent article by a former member of the WCG contends that “The Godhead Is Not a Family.” I have known the author of this article for over forty years, and do not look upon him with disdain or contempt, but I heartily disagree with such a statement! Why? Simply because the Bible plainly teaches, that the Hebrew and Greek words for “GOD” proves that “GOD” not only “has a Family,” but in truth “GOD is the Divine Universe-ruling Family”...

The Apostle Paul was inspired to write the following: “For this cause I bow my knees unto the FATHER of our Lord Jesus Christ [who is God’s ‘SON’], of whom the WHOLE FAMILY in heaven and earth is named...” (Eph. 3:14-15). In fact, we humans ought to be able to comprehend the meaning of that DIVINE FAMILY, by considering that when God created mankind, and established the FAMILY PATTERN, He modeled it after the Divine Family of God. Who comprises that Divine Family? God’s Family has a FATHER, and many children are in that Family.

Many N. T. scriptures speak of true Christians as the “SONS OF GOD”—meaning we are members of God’s DIVINE FAMILY: “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that WE should be called the SONS OF GOD.... Beloved, now are we the SONS OF GOD...” (1 John 3:1-2). Each and every member of the spiritual Body of Jesus Christ is joined to the Divine Family when he is given God’s Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:9; 1 Cor. 12:13).   Why, then, do some contend that “God has a Family,” but “God is not a Family”? If God “has a family,” He is also the “FATHER” of that Family; it is ludicrous to say that God the Father is not a member of that Divine Family...

The GODHEAD (DEITY) is not comprised of just “one Person,” but includes the FATHER, the SON, and many other “sons” who are now being added to His Divine Family. In fact, Jesus had to “taste of death for every man” (Heb. 2:9), “For it became Him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing MANY SONS unto glory, to make the Captain of their salvation perfect through suffering” (v. 10).

The Godhaed is a family that began with two beings. This is shown in more detail in the article Binitarian View: One God, Two Beings Before the Beginning.

04/07/06 a.m. CEG reported:

The Associated Press reported on April 2, 2006, about a prognosis by mathematician and Intelligent Design proponent William Dembski to the effect that the "Evolution theory" is "on her last legs." According to Dembski,"all the debate in this country over evolution won't matter in a decade. By then, he says, the theory of evolution put forth by Charles Darwin 150 years ago will be dead... Dembski is one of the country's leading proponents of intelligent design, which asserts that certain features of living organisms are best explained by an intelligent cause. The ideas put forth by Dembski's movement have piqued the interest of some school boards, churches and politicians--including Kentucky's governor and President Bush... Dembski, who holds a Ph.D. in mathematics and philosophy, teaches a course on intelligent design at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville. He calls Darwinian evolution 'viscerally unacceptable' to most Americans... Kentucky Gov. Ernie Fletcher called design by an intelligent source a 'self-evident truth' in his annual State of the Commonwealth address in January. Fletcher has said he would encourage schools to teach the concept."...

The Evolution theory is false. This is not changed by the "fact" that some scientists discover, from time to time, fossils which they claim to be "missing links"--allegedly proving that fish developed into reptiles, reptiles into birds, birds into mammals, and mammals into humans.

Of course, evolution will not go away easily--there was a news article earlier this week claiming some fish with near legs was the "missing link". But the truth is that any real scientist understands that evolution producing life is impossible. This is documented in the article Is Evolution Probable or Impossible or Is God's Existence Logical?

04/04/04 a.m. In an ad in The Journal, COG-ff's Don B. writes:

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus, God’s Passover is now at hand! With this in mind we should have already taken a real in-depth look in the soulsearching examination process of the mind and heart as to whether we are yet in the faith, or not (II Corinthians 13:5). We should be looking deeply into our very beings—judging ourselves, and wherever we find problems, we should then with sheer determination make the necessary corrections lest God has to do it for us! And failing that, we will
then perish (I Corinthians 11:31-32)...

The end is fast approaching when you and I will have to face up to the judgment for what we did and did not do! With this in mind we need to ask ourselves as to whether we have a healthy fear of God? If we do, then should we not be standing up for Jesus Christ in belief and practice? Ask yourself—are you going to take part in a Passover service that is NOT of God? Let us examine ourselves to be very
sure we are in THE FAITH ONCE DELIVERED TO THE SAINTS for this is vitally necessary for each of us! This, and a close relationship with God, is the only way to escape the Great Tribulation and then to be able to stand before Jesus Christ upon His glorified return to this earth.

An article of related interest may be Should Christians Keep the Days of Unleavened Bread?

03/31/06 a.m. This morning, CEG reported:

Israel May Be Next al-Qaida Battleground

As if Hamas' radical stance was not enough, suspicion is mounting that al-Qaida is concentrating on Israel as their new battle field. The Associated Press reported on March 22: "Signs are mounting that al-Qaida terrorists are setting their sights on Israel and the Palestinian territories as their next jihad battleground. Israel has indicted two West Bank militants for al-Qaida membership, Egypt arrested operatives trying to cross into Israel and a Palestinian security official has acknowledged al-Qaida is 'organizing cells and gathering supporters.'... Palestinians in the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and Lebanon have established contacts with al-Qaida followers... a major concern is al-Qaida's activities in Israel's neighbors, especially Jordan... Some Israeli officials have expressed concern that al-Qaida operatives from Egypt may have entered Gaza after Israel withdrew from the coastal strip last summer."

As I posted yesterday at the main COGwriter News page, Psalm 83 shows that a confederacy against Israel is prophesied.

03/24/06 a.m. RCG has the following two back to back announcements (note that there are none posted between it, so now we know what DP has been working on):

Date: 2006-01-20

Mr. Pack Introduces Final Book: THE GOVERNMENT OF GOD – Understanding Offices and Duties has been posted. This final book to the splinters is the most important to all God’s people...

Date: 2006-03-23

New Edition: Mr. Pack’s recent and most important book, THE GOVERNMENT OF GOD – Understanding Offices and Duties, has been greatly expanded. This is being announced because so many thousands have read the first edition already—something we did not anticipate would happen so quickly.

Mr. Pack always intended to revisit the book...

The last statement does not seem to agree with the first, but there are many things about RCG that appear to be in conflict. An article of related interest may be Why Not the Restored Church of God?

This morning, CEG reported:

During a SPIEGEL Interview on March 20, Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schüssel stated the following about European unification:

"... the discussion about European identity is critical if we want to get to the bottom of discontent in Europe. What do our citizens find at fault in Europe, in its institutions? For the first time, we are now talking about issues like Europe's geographic borders and, as was discussed in the European Parliament last week, the question of the EU's capacity to accept new members. If you don't see this as progress, I can't help you.

Europe will continue to unite. Some historical and prophetic information can be found in the article Europa, the Beast, and Revelation.

03/17/06 a.m. COG-ff's Don B. somewhat correctly reported:

As we should well know God's Church for the most part is in a scattered condition and are to soon work their way back into a unified fold to make ready for the departure to a place of refuge that Jesus Christ will have provided for His true and faithful people (Revelation 3:8,10; 12:14).

It is realized that the true people of God who are yet scattered are perplexed and confused as to which of the Churches are truly of the Philadelphia Church Era.  

They are seeking the one that is clearly Philadelphian in practicing belief of all of the true doctrinal teachings as restored by Jesus Christ through His late apostle. Not perfect by any means but struggling to be used by Jesus Christ to be there for His true people in every way that He makes possible.

Those with further interest, may wish to read the article What is a True Philadelphian? Being a Philadelphia also includes love and putting the top priority on fulfilling Matthew 24:14.

COG-eim's D. O'Malley correctly reports:

Consider this:  During the Days of Unleavened Bread do we want to “put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of him who created him” EVERY DAY?  (Colossians 3:10) During the Days of Unleavened Bread do we want to be girded with the truth; and do we want to put on the whole armor of God so that we are able to stand against the leavening of the devil EVERY DAY? (Ephesians 6: 14 and 11) And do we want to be “renewed in the spirit of our mind…,” so that we can “put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness “ EVERY DAY? 

Then it stands to reason, doesn’t it, that during the Feast days we should want to eat the unleavened bread that is a symbol of putting on Jesus Christ, every day! 

UCG seems to take a different position on the above. This is documented in the article UCG and Its Unleavened Bread Study Paper and is one of the many Differences between the Living Church of God and United Church of God

03/10/06 a.m. In its latest update, CEG reported:

Even in our day, some have arisen, falsely claiming to be apostles. We must continue to judge according to the fruits we observe--regardless of what some may claim, when their statements are not supported by God's Word!

They may not have been referring to RCG's self-appointed "apostle", but that is who I first thought of when I read this. About a year ago, RCG's leader (David Pack) announced his position as an apostle (he called himself a pastor prior). Some of this is documented in the article Why Not the Restored Church of God?

03/03/06 a.m. ECG reported:

The Eternal Church of God has reorganized many pages within this website.  This will not affect the content of any of our pages, but if you have links or bookmarks to anything within the Eternal Church of God website they may be broken.  Depending on your browser or use of these pages, any links you may have to pages within our site will need to be resaved, adjusted, recaptured or reinserted.

CEG reported:

Our annual Church Conference will be held during March 10-15. Please pray for a safe trip of all those who will attend, and for a successful conference. We will update our readers about the progress.

02/21/06 a.m. COG-ff's Don Billingsley, in his latest Journal Connections ad states:

By the time that most of you will have read this letter GOD’S PASSOVER will be at hand. More than at any other time of the year all of us must be conscientiously thinking about ALL of the Scriptures that bear witness of the horrible price Jesus Christ paid for us in a very real and personal way by our physical participation in the Passover and its symbolic meaning of the bread and wine. Passover is the very crossroads of time that we come to when we have to really look inside ourselves—REFLECTING
AND LOOKING DEEPLY into our hearts and minds—judging ourselves, and then with sheer determination make the necessary corrections in our lives, lest God has to do it for us! And failing that, we will then perish (I Corinthians 11:31-32).

And that is correct.

02/17/06 a.m. CEG reported:

On February 15, MSNBC published an article discussing democracy in certain countries. The article was titled, "Democracy is great--or maybe not." It continued:

"Democracy is a great idea. Or maybe not. The early returns are in on the Bush administration’s strategy of trying to democratize the Middle East and elsewhere. The news isn’t as the president and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice would have hoped. All around the world, countries and peoples--Iran, Lebanon, the Palestinians, Venezuela, Bolivia--keep having elections and keep electing candidates committed to terrorism or virulent anti-Americanism. The victory of Hamas, a group listed on the State Department’s terrorist roster, in last month’s Palestinian balloting is only the most recent in a run of elections leading to bad outcomes. 'Bad' from the point of view of those opposed to terrorism and anti-Americanism; 'good,' of course, from the point of view of Hamas.

Of course, we in the COGs do not advocate voting (though some more liberal groups now appear to). An article of related interest may be Should a Christian Vote?

CEG also reported:

BBC News reported on February 10:

"An atheist who sued a small-town priest for saying that Jesus Christ existed has had his case thrown out of court. The judge said Luigi Cascioli should himself face charges for slandering Father Enrico Righi. Mr Cascioli sued Father Righi in 2002 after the priest attacked him in print for casting doubt on the legitimacy of the Christian gospels... He brought his case under Italian laws that forbid conning the public. He said he was now considering taking the case to the European Court of Human Rights... The priest countered that millions around the world had long believed in the evidence that appeared in the Gospels as well as thousands of other religious and secular writings."

Of course there are a lot of secular sources to prove that Jesus existed. I plan to post something about that later.

02/12/06 a.m. The following report concerning Kenya was submitted by LCG's Douglas Winnail:

Visit to East Africa. After visiting our congregation in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania, where we baptized seven people, Mr. Muthama and I flew back to Nairobi, Kenya.  We then traveled more than 200 km to Homa Bay in western Kenya on the shores of Lake Victoria.  We met with our congregation in Ndhiwa (about 75 attending) on the Sabbath and several combined congregations (just over 50 attending) in Rongo for a Bible Study and questions on Sunday.  On Monday we drove to Kisii, where we met with about 80 new brethren for a Bible Study and for a lunch.  On Tuesday we drove back to Nairobi, and on Wednesday we drove out into the country about 80 km from Nairobi to visit and deliver food to several families affected by the drought that is currently afflicting parts of East Africa.  On Wednesday evening I caught an overnight flight back to London, and on Friday I caught another flight to the USA.  On this trip it was encouraging to see the interest and enthusiasm for God’s Truth and that a large number of the brethren in East Africa have remained stable and have grown during the doctrinal confusion that affected the area in the last year. 

LCG apparently has about as many people in Kenya as it had when Ernest Owino left to become part of RCG.

02/10/06 a.m. CEG reported:

The Associated Press reported on February 6, 2006, about President Bush's budget plan for the next year, as follows: "Bush's $2.77 trillion blueprint forecasts a record $423 billion deficit for the current year and improves upon that figure in 2007 largely by lowballing cost estimates for the war in Iraq... His proposal projects $70 billion in new funds to execute the war in Iraq through the end of September... At the same time, Bush proposes to kill or dramatically slash 141 programs for savings of almost $15 billion. Congress is likely to reject many of the cuts, such as a proposal to kill the Commodity Supplemental Food Program, which provides food aid to the very poor...

The pattern of beginning a budget with major deficits, based even then on rosy assumptions, is not a good thing. I am not being partisan here, as I believe that a Democratic president would do (and have done) the same thing. My basic point is that increasing the debt is not good for the US.

02/08/06 a.m. CG21 posted the following:

That, of course, is correct. A related article of interest may be What Did Jesus Teach About the Ten Commandments?

02/03/06 a.m. CEG reports:

Hamas in Power

An article of interest may be Should a Christian Vote?

LCG also reported about Hamas:

Powder-Keg in Gaza. Since Hamas’ election last week, the Palestinian situation has worsened. Violence has escalated against both Hamas and ex-Fatah officials. Israel voted to stop paying customs taxes to the Palestinian Authority – about US$50 million annually, which supports more than 135,000 civil government employees including police. The current president, Mahmoud Abbas, recently stated that he would not form a government with Hamas unless it stopped its violence and recognized Israel’s right to exist—a 180-degree departure from Hamas’ traditional stance. In reality Abbas cannot form a government without Hamas, which now holds the majority of seats in the government (TimesOnline.com, Feb. 1, 2006). A power vacuum appears to be forming within the Palestinian Authority, which is having a major cashflow problem with salaries for government employees, including the police. Who will step in and stabilize the situation?

Any with ears to hear, realizes that the situation over there is getting even more dangerous.

01/29/06 a.m. LCG reports:

Dr. Douglas Winnail is in the middle of a trip to the United Kingdom and East Africa. We just received the following report from him: “I spent last Sabbath with our congregation in Radlett (north of London). It was good to see everyone again.  On Sunday, I flew to Nairobi, Kenya.  On Monday, we held a Bible Study in Nairobi and had one baptism.  On Tuesday I flew to Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania with Mr. Muthama, our office manager in Nairobi.  On Wednesday, we had a Bible Study in Dar and had seven baptisms—including Mr. Jerome Chembe and his wife (Mr. Chembe currently leads our group in Dar).  Dar-es-Salaam sits on the Indian Ocean and I had the opportunity for a brief swim yesterday in the pleasantly warm emerald green water!  This morning (Thursday) we had a profitable discussion with Mr. and Mrs. Chembe about plans for the Work in East Africa, then we flew back to Nairobi.  Tomorrow, we will drive to western Kenya to visit three more congregations in Kenya.  We will certainly appreciate your prayers.” 

This is reported on this page as the issue of Kenya is specifically important to at least two groups once part of GCG.

01/28/06 a.m. CGFNW's site had this item:

Sabbath Services
Sat. January 28
Spkr: Rick Railston
Title: Keeping The Sabbath In The Laodicean Era - Part #1
1:00 PM CST

FWIW, I do not believe it is necessarily more difficult to keep the Sabbath in this portion of the Laodicean era than it was in the prior era. Not that that is necessarily their point. Perhaps the biggest difference is that many of us now need to meet in houses (we have met in ours for the past 10 years).

01/22/06 a.m. Friday, COGeim's Steven LeBlanc reported that COGeim is now on 9 radio stations in signficant markets.

01/21/06 a.m. Yesterday RCG posted the following from David Pack (from two separate web pages):

Mr. Pack Introduces Final Book: THE GOVERNMENT OF GOD – Understanding Offices and Duties...

Christ’s Church and Body are not divided, and the only place with the government of God. Christ has placed offices and assigned special duties within it. All the splinters have rejected God’s government—and Christ’s lead! Mass confusion has resulted. What is a deacon, elder, preaching elder, pastor, evangelist, prophet, apostle, “teacher”? Who are the “messengers” (Rev. 2; 3) and the “watchman” (Ezek. 33:7). Who are the Two Witnesses (Rev. 11)? Who has authority to “bind and loose”—make Church-wide judgments—ordain—supervise all congregations—bring truth and traditions?

I certainly hope this is RCG's last book, but I doubt it (it is supposed to be the last book aimed at COGs other than RCG). My guess is that the answer to these questions is that David Pack as the self-apppointed apostle has decided that he has the authority to determine most of this.

In my opinion, it is RCG that has rejected governance as the only COG with a form of governance truly patterned after what HWA had is LCG. More on RCG can be found in the article Why Not the Restored Church of God?

01/20/06 a.m. CEG reported:

Norbert Link would like to thank everyone for their prayers during his recent illness. He is feeling much better and confident that he will be able to give the sermon this Sabbath.

I missed getting one or two CEG updates and was unaware that Norbert Link had been ill. Norbert Link was one who was highly involved with the GCG takeover.

01/12/06 a.m. The Connections advertising section of the Nov-Dec 2005 edition of The Journal has at least three ads from small groups that have had sometype of GCG affilation.

The following is in an ad from CG21's Raymond McNair:

Mr. Armstrong—whom God inspired and used mightily for over 50 years in reaching an estimated 70 or 80 million people with Christ’s true Gospel?...

Brethren, I have sincerely striven to “bring peace among various Churches of God,” but, unfortunately, it appears that I am one of the very few who are addressing these important issues as mentioned in the above comment: “. . . You are the only living Evangelist that believes that HWA was the end-time Elijah.” Sadly, so far as I know, it is true that I am the only Evangelist (among the seven original evangelists ordained by HWA) who still believes that Mr. Armstrong was—as he said—the endtime Elijah! Furthermore, few, if any, of the evangelists—who were later ordained under Mr. Armstrong’s oversight in the WCG— still believe that he was, as he repeatedly claimed to be, the “endtime ELIJAH”!

Jesus taught Luke in 6:46 "But why do you call Me 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do the things which I say?" And this is precisely what I believe about CG21's Raymond McNair. He has specifically gone on record to be in opposition to the type of governance that HWA said God had him restore to the Philadelphia era of the COG. He has also failed to effectively proclaim the gospel of the kingdom to the world as a witness as HWA taught that the Philadelphia portion of the COG would do until it went to a place of safety.

Two articles of related interest would be:

Should the Church Still Try to Place its Top Priority on Proclaiming the Gospel or Did Herbert Armstrong Change that Priority for the Work? This article proves that the Philadelphia portion of the COG still needs to place its top priority on proclaiming the gospel to the world as a witness.

The Elijah Heresies This article specifically documents a few statements from Raymond McNair.

The Connections advertising section of The Journal has this in an ad from COG-ff's Don Billingsley:

The primary aid we have to offer to you is to know that we continue to believe and teach ALL of the truths that God RESTORED through His late apostle. These include the teachings regarding birthdays, physical sin, and also upholding the ruling he made concerning the use of MAKEUP! In addition, we believe and practice the Government of God that Jesus Christ restored within His Church through Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong.

Many of you are yet in the corporate churches whose leaders have their membership deceived into believing the changes they themselves have made, within the doctrinal teachings, are correct! At the same time liberalism is now extant within the various churches!

The real difficulty for many of you is that most of these leaders are well known from past years, and because of that familiarity many of you are placing your trust in men instead of the Holy Scriptures.

God’s Government has been rejected by most in favor of some other type that may at first sound good on the surface but nevertheless is in error!

There also exists the leadership who do have God’s Government in place.

Unlike LCG, COG-ff does not have the governance system in place like HWA's WCG once did. What COG-ff and many other quite small groups have done is to place a twig issue above proclaiming the gospel. And while governance and proclaiming the gospel were part of the 18 truths that HWA taught that God had him restore to the Philadelphia era of the COG, makeup was not as it was only a twig issue.

An article of related interest may be Makeup and the Philadelphia Era of the COG Some consider makeup to be a doctrine more significant than proclaiming the gospel and this article attempts to explain this issue.

The Connections advertising section of The Journal has this in an ad from ECG:

Every week thousands of true believers assemble on God’s Sabbath to honor the King of the Universe. By observing this day, they demonstrate their belief that a time is coming in which God will rescue this world from the misery man has inficted upon it, replacing the suffering with unimaginable peace, beauty and prosperity. But is it possible that many of God’s children have lost sight of the sanctity of this day? Has the Sabbath simply become a time for personal comfort and convenience? Has it become a day to enjoy our own pleasures disguised as spiritual activities to such a degree that we have transformed God’s Holy Day into OUR day? Does the Almighty approve of our Sabbath keeping when we go out into the world and conduct business by frequenting restaurants on this day? Perhaps you have already heard this question and think you know the answer. You may be familiar with people in your congregation who refuse to do any business on
the Sabbath, and you may have wondered, “Just how important is this matter?” But have you actually proven the truth for yourself directly from the Bible? It is time to take an honest look at this question and be sure you know the truth. A Sabbath Test presents seven reasons why we are not to do any business on the Sabbath. It also provides answers to the seven most common arguments advanced by those who defend going to restaurants on the Sabbath.

Like many small COGs, ECG has come up with something it determines is more important than being part of the major effort to proclaim the Gospel.

For those who claim to be faithful to the teachings of the COG when HWA was alive, I cannot believe that they would use this restaurant issue as a major test for this age, as HWA did condone this practice. It may be of interest to note that ECG's main leader believes, like I do, that God used HWA to raise up the Philadelphia portion of the COG., thus I do not see how in that light, this portion could be considered a major test for this age.

Anyway, while I believe that the idea of eating out on the Sabbath has been abused and many do not keep the Sabbath properly, I would like to address what I believe is one of several technical errors in The Sabbath Test argument. And that is that the error that the Sabbath command specifically indicates that people such as restaurant workers are servants, thus they cannot work for you:

Aren't Those in Restaurants Working?

Yes, those employed in restaurants are working. But even though, "The Sabbath was made for man" (Mark 2:27). God specifically gave certain restrictions regarding the Sabbath to the children of Israel (Exodus 31:13-17). Paul shows that true Israel is not those who happen to be physical Israelites, "And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise" (Galatians 3:29) and "For they are not all Israel who are of Israel, Nor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham; but, "In Isaac your seed shall be called." That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted as the seed" (Romans 9:6-8). Thus, those who are spiritual Israelites keep the Sabbath, but those that are not do not.

Nor are those that work in restaurants technically the servants of spiritual Israelites in the same way they would be if they were directly employed by them (e.g. as a Christian employer, I have not allowed any of my employees to conduct company business on the Sabbaths). In ancient Israel, the law applied to foreigners in their midst (Exodus 12:49) (as those who are employed by Christians, in some respects, could be considered), but not to those who were outside their midst (as those employed by non-Christians would be considered).

Furthermore, there is a major biblical distinction made between bond servants and hired individuals in the Old Testament. For example, Exodus 12:43-45 states, "43 And the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "This is the ordinance of the Passover: No foreigner shall eat it. 44 But every man's servant who is bought for money, when you have circumcised him, then he may eat it. 45 A sojourner and a hired servant shall not eat it."

The word translated male servant in both Exodus 12:44 & Exodus 20: is the same Hebrew word: "OT:5650 `ebed (eh'-bed); from OT:5647; a servant: KJV - X bondage, bondman, [bond-] servant, (man-) servant. (Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright (c) 1994, Biblesoft and International Bible Translators, Inc.)".

It is specifically one's bondservant that cannot work on the Sabbath. This is not the same as other non-Christians (foreigners).  (Note: The term for female servant in Exodus 20:11 MTS4 'amah means a maid-servant or female slave. Ibid.)This is different from the word in Exodus 12:45 translated as hired servant.  OT:7916 sakiyr (saw-keer'); from OT:7936; a man at wages by the day or year:KJV - hired (man, servant), hireling.(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright (c) 1994, Biblesoft and International Bible Translators, Inc.).

Thus, in Exodus we have a distinction between the different types of servants.  A restaurant employee at most, is indirectly a hired servant not a bondservant.Many other distinctions are made in the Bible between believers and unbelievers such as "But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, Whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them" (II Corinthians 4:3-4) (and Deuteronomy 14:21; I Corinthians 5:9-11; II Corinthians 6:14) and even Luke 9:60, "Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God"."

Unbelievers will work on the Sabbath whether Christians ever eat in restaurants. Christians are those that must be diligent because, "There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His. Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience" (Hebrews 4:9-11).

Although it has been correctly argued that in the Millennium, that there will be no open restaurants on the Sabbath, it is likely that some other system to provide food for travelers will be in place which is not practical in this age (several scenarios come to mind, but we will learn not truly learn what they are until later).

FWIW, I have previously shared the above with the two leaders in ECG that seem to be the most behind this Sabbath Test issue. Since they are now publicly advertising their position, I thought some might be interested in the Hebrew, as the argument made is based on translations of the Hebrew texts. Of course, no one must eat out on the Sabbath, and no one should violate their beliefs in this or an other area.

One can support LCG and not eat out on the Sabbath, yet one cannot be part of ECG and the main portion of the Philadelphia era of the COG that proclaims the gospel of the kingdom to the world as a witness.

01/06/06 p.m. Earlier today, RCG posted the following:

New Book: Mr. Pack’s tenth and final book to the splinters, new testament OFFICES AND DUTIES – Understanding God’s Government, will be posted Friday, January 20th.

Throughout the splinters and slivers—every one of them—God’s pattern of government has been rejected, lampooned, impugned, botched, butchered, trampled, scoffed and sneered at, undermined, misrepresented and terribly misunderstood—all by people who once professed to understand, believe, submit to, follow and practice this great doctrine of the Bible.

To the best of my knowledge, only LCG has the same type of governance structure that the old WCG did. The fact that David Pack refers to himself as an apostle does not make it so, nor is that a piece that HWA thought was essential for church government.

Hopefully, we can take RCG at its word that this is the final book that David Pack intends to make against the other COGs (which he refers to as the splinters).

More information on RCG can be found in the article Why Not the Restored Church of God?

01/06/06 a.m. This morning's CEG newsletter contained the following:

It’s Time to Flee!
by Dave Harris

Here is an article regarding sin that may be of interest The Ten Commandments Reflect Love, Breaking them is Evil.

Regarding fleeing, here is an article of interest to end-time Christians about where to flee There is a Place of Safety for the Philadelphians. Why it May Be Petra.

01/04/06 p.m. I noticed that CG21 now has a statement of beliefs at its site. It is shorter than LCG's and does not include several of the truths that HWA said God had him restore to the Philadelphia portion of the COG.

Click here for the previous news of those once affiliated with GCG

COGwriter, 2006