Church of God News

Muammar al-Gaddafi

COGwriter

In a move that was not unexpected, Libya’s Muammar al-Gaddafi (spelling varies in the West) was made king of the African Union.  But some of the following was unexpected:

Qaddafi will seek single state as African Union head

International Herald Tribune – Feb 3, 2009

DAKAR, Senegal: President Muammar el-Qaddafi of Libya was named chairman of the African Union on Monday, wresting control of a body he helped found and has long wanted to remake in his pan-African image.

His installation as the new head of the 53-member body resembled more of a coronation than a democratic transfer of power. Qaddafi was dressed in flowing gold robes and surrounded by traditional African leaders who hailed him as the “king of kings.”

The choice of Qaddafi was not a surprise — he was the leading candidate — but the prospect of his election to lead the African Union caused some unease among some of the group’s member nations, who were meeting in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, as well as among diplomats and analysts. Qaddafi, who has ruled Libya with an iron hand for decades, is a stark change from the succession of recent leaders from democratic countries like Tanzania, Ghana and Nigeria.

Qaddafi is an ardent supporter of a long-held dream of transforming Africa, a collection of post-colonial fragments divided by borders that were drawn arbitrarily by Western powers, into a vast, unified state that could play a powerful role in global affairs. He has repeatedly proposed immediate unity and the establishment of a single currency, army and passport for the entire continent…

While a few African leaders share his passion and his timetable for this pan-African vision, most prefer a go-slow approach, given the political realities that have emerged in the half-century since most of Africa became independent.

“In principle, we said the ultimate is the United States of Africa,” said Tanzania’s president, Jakaya Kikwete, the previous African Union chairman, according to the BBC. “How we proceed to that ultimate — there are building blocks.”

Qaddafi’s new role comes alongside a changing of the guard in Africa. A set of leaders once hailed as new visionaries or cursed as dictators have left the continent’s stage, and a jumbled array of new leaders have emerged. But few match the global or continental influence and heft of those who have departed. http://www.iht.com/articles/2009/02/03/africa/03africa.php

The Bible shows that one (Jesus) will be considered the “King of Kings” in the future:

14…our Lord Jesus Christ’s appearing, 15 which He will manifest in His own time, He who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords (1 Timothy 6:14-15).

And, while there may be some unity in Africa, I would prefer that the term “king of kings” not be used for Muammar al-Gaddafi.

While it is possible that the head of the African Union may become what the Bible refers to as the King of the South, it seems a bit more likely at this stage that the co-president for the south of the Mediterranean Union would be a more likely match (see Deal Leading to Psalm 83?).

But either way, structures are getting in place to fulfill biblical prophecy.

Some articles of possibly related interest may include:

Is There A Future King of the South? Some no longer believe there needs to be. Might Egypt, Islam, Iran, Arabs, or Ethiopia be involved? What does the Bible say?
The Arab World In the Bible, History, and Prophecy The Bible discusses the origins of the Arab world and discusses the Middle East in prophecy. What is ahead for the Middle East and those who follow Islam?
Africa: Its Biblical Past and Prophesied Future What does the Bible teach about Africa and its future? Did the early Church reach Africa? Will God call all the Africans?

Chinese Soldiers

COGwriter

Europe (see Civil Unrest in Europe) is not the only area where civil unrest is becoming a concern.  Notice what was in the news today about China:

Many publications have suggested that the 21st century will be “China’s century.” Even though the Chinese are fiercely moving forward, and their progress in developing their industries is obvious, these publications are dead wrong for two reasons.

First, the inspired word of God describes specifically how a coming European Union will be the dominant force in this world—obviously within the next several years. Therefore, brethren, I would like to focus your mind on this matter so you can more intelligently “watch” world events along this line as they unfold before your very eyes.

In the coming years, you will perhaps even see a revolt of the peasants in the outlying Chinese cities, who have lagged far behind the standard of living afforded those who have moved to Beijing and Shanghai. Plus, the tremendous pollution of the water, air and foodstuffs may bring about massive disease epidemics and other problems for the Chinese. (Meredith R.C. An Inspiring and Successful Trip. Living Church News. May-June 2007, p. 21)

It now seems that the Chinese government is suspecting revolts may happen as well.

Some articles of possibly related interest may include:

China, Its Biblical Past and Future, Part 1: Genesis and Chinese Characters This article provides information showing that the Chinese peoples must have known about various accounts in the Book of Genesis up until their dispersion after the Tower of Babel.
China, Its Biblical Past and Future, Part 2: The Sabbath and Some of God’s Witness in China When did Christianity first come to China? And is there early evidence that they observed the seventh day sabbath?
Asia in Prophecy What is Ahead for China? Is it a “King of the East”? What will happen to nearly all the Chinese, Russians, and others of Asia? China in prophecy, where?
The Dramatic Story of Chinese Sabbathkeepers This reformatted Good News article from 1955 discusses Sabbath-keeping in China in the 1800s.

COGwriter

In it latest email, WCG announced the following:

Mike Feazell talks with Elmer Colyer, professor of theology at the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary. Dr. Colyer talks about the weaknesses of the concordance method of theology, that the Bible is not an end in itself, our knowledge of God is participatory, and the promise of Trinitarian theology to transform our vision of what it means to be a Christian and what it means to be the church as the antidote to the church’s current consumerism, individualism and never-ending programs to get members.

Trinitarian theology means that one accepts the decisions of a Greco-Roman council in the late 4th century that was enforced with Imperial edicts and persecution.

Trinitarian theology means that one rejects the fact that the early true Church always held a Binitarian View of the Godhead.

Even compromisers, like the Bishops of Rome and Constantinople, endorsed some type of a Binitarian View as late as the middle of the fourth century.  Some type of Binitarian View was the majority position of those who professed Christ, even among many of the Greco-Romans in most of the fourth century.

Accepting Trinitarian theology means that one has rejected what Jude referred to as “the faith that was once for all delivered for the saints“.

Those interested in understanding the truth on these matters, should study the following with their Bibles open:

Binitarian View: One God, Two Beings Before the Beginning Is binitarianism the correct position? What about unitarianism or trinitarianism?
Is The Father God? What is the view of the Bible? What was the view of the early church?
Jesus is God, But Was Made Man Was Jesus fully human and fully God or what?
Virgin Birth: Does the Bible Teach It? What does the Bible teach? What is claimed in The Da Vinci Code?
Did Early Christians Think the Holy Spirit Was A Separate Person in a Trinity? Or did they have a different view?
Did the True Church Ever Teach a Trinity? Most act like this is so, but is it?
Was Unitarianism the Teaching of the Bible or Early Church? Many, including Jehovah’s Witnesses, claim it was, but was it?
Binitarianism: One God, Two Beings Before the Beginning This is a shorter article than the Binitarian View article, but has a little more information on binitarianism.

On other matters, a couple of years ago WCG proposed the possible name “Grace International Communion” (GIC) for itself (Together, November-December 2006).  It is still trying to determine if now is the time to change its name:

FAQs About Changing the Church’s Name

We haven’t heard anything about changing the church’s name for a while. Have we dropped the idea?

No, not at all. But we are not rushing into adopting a new name just to make a change. This is a serious and important decision, and we must make it carefully…The next most desirable name, Grace International Communion, was met with mixed reactions when we announced it as a possibility.

Such as?

Many people told us they did not like the sound of the name. That is to be expected. Any new name will take some getting used to. Some people who initially did not like it have told us that they eventually warmed up to it.

Since, WCG is no longer a Church of God (and has not been one since probably the late 1980s/early 1990s), any name change that removes the expression “Church of God” as a descriptor is likely to be an improvement as far as I am concerned.

The Acropolis of Athens

COGwriter

In the lead article in the February 2009 edition of PCG’s Philadelphia Trumpet magazine, its Gerald Flurry wrote the following:

Did the Holy Roman Empire Plan the Greek Crisis?

Greece is in trouble. Thousands of rioters rampaged through Athens. Angry youths attacked the Athens courthouse with petrol bombs. Broken glass and burned-out wreckage lay in the streets.

These riots are a sign of a far greater upheaval that is threatening to engulf much of Europe…

Many of the people rioting are angry about the government’s handling of the economic crisis…

The Greek government can do little to fix the nation’s economy though. Greece’s fate was, in many ways, sealed seven years ago.

In 2001, Greece adopted the euro, as a member of the European Union. At that point, Greece’s succeeding economic boom and following bust became inevitable…

When the current European economic union was formalized, it became inevitable that countries like Greece would eventually face economic crises. Through the inclusion of Germany, the economic union allowed for European-wide interest rates that were much lower in countries like Greece than would normally have been possible. Low interest rates encouraged massive borrowing and artificially stimulated a boom. But as with all bubbles, eventually it popped. What Greece and other countries in southern Europe in particular are dealing with now is the aftermath.

The Holy Roman Empire

Romano Prodi was recently prime minister of Italy. He was eventually pushed from power by the Roman Catholic Church because he disagreed with the church on several issues. That illustrates the kind of power the Vatican exercises in EU politics. (The Catholic Church in Europe is very different than it is in the U.S.)

So the Vatican obviously approved of the EU plan to take more power for itself. The real power of the EU revolves around Germany and the Vatican—as it has throughout the history of the Holy Roman Empire…

Europe’s Financial Crisis

“Germany entered the euro with an overvalued exchange rate,” wrote Bernard Connolly…

The United States is currently trying to solve its debt-related problems by lowering its interest rates and making borrowing easier. This is treating the symptom: It may reduce the pain temporarily, but won’t fix anything in the long term. Nations like Greece, though, do not have even this option. They cannot change the interest rate to a level that suits them—they are stuck with whatever the ecb decides. And the ecb is most heavily influenced by Germany.

Greece isn’t the only nation caught in this trap. Spain’s economy has gone through a similar process to what Connolly described, and now the International Monetary Fund is predicting that its unemployment will reach 15 percent. Ireland and Denmark are also paying the price of overheating their economies.

Does this mean that it is over for a single European currency? Not at all.

As both the Trumpet and men like Connolly have been warning, Berlin has been planning for this crisis before it even adopted the euro. European elites knew it would eventually come. And they will soon present a solution…

However it happens, Germany is prophesied to come out on top in this financial crisis. Social unrest and riots will eventually force Europeans to succumb to a strong united government of Europe, led ultimately not from Brussels, but from Berlin.

Greece is just one of the first places to have trouble. But national economies across Europe are deteriorating, and soon, if trends continue, much of the Continent will be in trouble…

Watch Germany. Watch for Germany to be at the helm in a restructuring not only of EU member nations’ economies, but of the entire European Union itself! That union will be united and then guided by the Vatican.

So who is now the real super economic power in this world? Germany.

That too was carefully planned. The Germany-Vatican combine is gaining power that this world can’t even imagine!

And while Germany and the Vatican are interested in control, I do not have enough factual information to completely conclude that “Berlin has been planning for this crisis before it even adopted the euro”.

Gerald Flurry may himself wish to re-read Isaiah 10:5-7 as part of verse 7 states:

Yet he does not mean so, Nor does his heart think so…

Isaiah 10:7 indicates that not everything that Germany will do (referred to as Assyria in certain biblical prophecies) will be because it PLANNED all of it.

But PCG is correct with its overall view that an economic superpower supported by the Vatican is rising up in Europe. And there is little doubt that Germany wants dominance as it has sought it repeatedly in the past.

Perhaps I should also remind readers that there are a variety of Catholic private prophecies that predict there will be civil unrest in Europe that will lead to one many Catholics refer to as the Great Monarch (see Civil Unrest in Europe)–an individual who seems to be described in the Bible as “the Beast”.

The events in the world are lining up to fulfill biblical prophecies and the rioting in Greece may be part of that alignment.

Some articles of possibly related interest may include:

Europa, the Beast, and Revelation Where did Europe get its name? What might Europe have to do with the Book of Revelation? What about “the Beast”? What is ahead for Europe?
Which Is Faithful: The Roman Catholic Church or the Living Church of God? Do you know that both groups shared a lot of the earliest teachings? Do you know which church changed? Do you know which group is most faithful to the teachings of the apostolic church? Which group best represents true Christianity? This documented article answers those questions. Português: Qual é fiel: A igreja católica romana ou a igreja viva do deus? Tambien Español: Cuál es fiel: ¿La iglesia católica romana o La Iglesia del Dios Viviente? Auch: Deutsch: Welches zuverlässig ist: Die Römisch-katholische Kirche oder die lebende Kirche von Gott?
Joyce’s Photos of Areopagus Rock In the Book of Acts, Paul made his famous “Men of Athens” speech on Areopagus Rock (called Mars Hill in the KJV).
Joyce’s Photos of Ancient Athens In the Book of Acts, Paul made his famous “Men of Athens” speech. Paul is believed to have visited Athens during his second missionary journey (which was with Silas) around 49-52 A.D.