Church of God News

COGwriter

Two studies made the news:

Prenuptial Cohabiting Can Spoil Marriage

Live Science – July 14, 2009  by Jeanna Bryner, Senior Writer

Couples who shack up before tying the knot are more likely to get divorced than their counterparts who don’t move in together until marriage, a new study suggests.

Upwards of 70 percent of U.S. couples are cohabiting these days before marrying, the researchers estimate. The study, published in the February issue of the Journal of Family Psychology, indicates that such move-ins might not be wise.

And it’s not because you start to get on one another’s nerves. Rather, the researchers figure the shared abode could lead to marriage for all the wrong reasons.

“We think that some couples who move in together without a clear commitment to marriage may wind up sliding into marriage partly because they are already cohabiting,” said lead researcher Galena Rhoades of the University of Denver…

Overall, about 40 percent of participants reported they didn’t live together before marriage, 43 percent did so before engagement, and about 16 percent cohabited only after getting engaged.

Those who moved in with a mate before engagement or marriage reported significantly lower quality marriages and a greater potential for split-ups than other couples. For instance, about 19 percent of those who cohabited before getting engaged had ever suggested divorce compared with just 12 percent of those who only moved in together after getting engaged and 10 percent of participants who did not cohabit prior to the wedding bells…

In another study led by Rhoades published in the February issue of the Journal of Family Issues, cohabiting couples ranked a list of reasons for cohabitation. More than 60 percent of participants ranked spending more time together as the number-one reason for moving in, followed by nearly 19 percent who put “it made most sense financially” at the top of their list, and 14 percent ranking “I wanted to test out our relationship before marriage” highest.

Those who listed “testing” as the primary move-in reason were more likely than others to score high on measures of negative communication, such as, “My partner criticizes or belittles my opinions, feelings, or desires.” Such testers also had lower confidence in the quality and stability of their relationships.

Overall, those who want to test the commitment might want to think again…

“Cohabiting to test a relationship turns out to be associated with the most problems in relationships,” Rhoades said. “Perhaps if a person is feeling a need to test the relationship, he or she already knows some important information about how a relationship may go over time.” http://www.livescience.com/culture/090714-cohabit-couples.html

Those of us who take the Bible’s commands seriously always knew that cohabitation was the wrong thing to do.  It is nice that some researchers are starting to understand this.

Some articles of possibly related interest may include:

The Ten Commandments Reflect Love, Breaking them is Evil Some feel that the ten commandments are a burden. Is that what Jesus, Paul, Peter, James, and John taught?
Was the Commandment to Love the Only Command? Some have stated that John’s writings teach this, but is that what the Bible really says?
The Ten Commandments and the Early Church Did Jesus and the Early Church keep the ten commandments? What order were they in? Here are quotes from the Bible and early writings.

Saturn V Launch of Apollo 11 Mission on July 16, 1969

COGwriter

Forty years ago, the USA launched its Apollo 11 moon mission.  COGaIC’s Dan Cloer wrote the following:

On July 16, 1969, Apollo 11 set off on its monumental mission to put a man on the moon. 40 years later we still wonder about the vast universe that stretches out for billions of light-years in all directions…

On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin made the first extraterrestrial steps for mankind. When the lunar module Eagle landed, its touchdown represented the decade-long collective efforts of thousands of laborers in dozens of industries…

Before the advent of rocketry, 20th century astronomy revealed a much larger and complex universe than was previously known…

Is reality not objective? Is it fluid, subject to the molding of observation into what we imagine reality to be in a sort of collective human consciousness?

Does consciousness in fact create the universe? The argument for such an intertwining of mind, perception, and what we believe is real is gaining scientific weight beyond mere fringe popularity. Such strange concepts, once the realm of science fiction, have undulated among the sciences forming an odd metaphysical feedback loop.

Though there are various theories, we in the Living Church of God believe:

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (Genesis 1:1)

Some articles of possibly related interest may include:

Is God’s Existence Logical? Some say it is not logical to believe in God. Is that true?
Is Evolution Probable or Impossible or Is God’s Existence Logical? Part II This short article clearly answers what ‘pseudo-scientists’ refuse to acknowledge.
Where Did God Come From? Any ideas? And how has God been able to exist? Who is God?
How is God Omnipotent, Omnipresent, and Omniscient? Here is a biblical article by Wallace Smith which answers what many really wonder about it.
What is the Meaning of Life? Who does God say is happy? What is your ultimate destiny? Do you really know? Does God actually have a plan for YOU personally?

“Orthodox” 16th Century Representation of the “Apocalypse”

COGwriter

The New York Times reported the following:

Iraq Suffers as the Euphrates River Dwindles

The New York Times – July 13, 2009  by CAMPBELL ROBERTSON

The Book of Revelation teaches:

12 Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, so that the way of the kings from the east might be prepared. 13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. 14 For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty (Revelation 16:12-14).

And while it is true that the ultimate drying up of the Euphrates will come to pass.  It cannot happen for at least seven years from now in the way that it would be needed to fulfill the prophecy in Revelation 16.

Those who want to know more about “when” may wish to read the following articles:

Does God Have a 6,000 Year Plan? What Year Does the 6,000 Years End? Was a 6000 year time allowed for humans to rule followed by a literal thousand year reign of Christ on Earth taught by the early Christians? When does the six thousand years of human rule end?
Can the Great Tribulation Begin in 2009, 2010, or 2011? Can the Great Tribulation begin today? What happens before in the “beginning of sorrows”? What happens in the Gerat Tribulation and the Day of the Lord? When is the earliest that the Great Tribulation can begin? What is the Day of the Lord?
End of Mayan Calendar 2012–Might 2012 Mean Something?Are there Mayan calendar predictions for change in 2012? Changes were centuries ago predicted by the Hopi Native Americans. Do Mayan/Hindu/Hopi/Buddhist/New Age/Nostradamus prophecies have any value here? Why might Satan have inspired this date? Does the Dresden codex show destruction of the earth by flood? Can the great tribulation start before 2012? How might Barack Obama be involved in 2012?

Rice (Oryza sativa)

COGwriter

The World Bank, Philippinos, and LCG are providing aid to the Philippines:

World Bank raises annual aid to Philippines by 31 per cent

Wed, Jul 15, 2009 AFP

MANILA, PHILLIPINES – The World Bank Wednesday said it had increased development aid to the Philippines by almost a third, with an eye on easing the burden of high food costs on the country’s poor.

The Bank will lend 320 million dollars for fiscal year 2009, an increase of 31 percent from the previous year.

It said 200 million dollars of that will support the national budget in stabilising over the short- and medium-term the price of rice, the staple food, a year after export prices surged to near 30-year highs.

“Fiscal year 2009 was particularly challenging as the Philippines and the rest of the world were hit by shocks coming from the global food crisis and the global financial meltdown,” World Bank country director Bert Hofman said.  http://news.asiaone.com/News/Latest%2BNews/Business/Story/A1Story20090715-155002.html

Filipinos overseas sent record $1.48B home in May

Associated Press, 07.15.09

MANILA, Philippines — Money sent home by Filipino workers overseas grew 3.7 percent in May to a record high of $1.48 billion, defying the World Bank’s forecast of a drop in remittances this year because of the global economic crunch.  http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2009/07/15/ap6656312.html  http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2009/07/15/ap6656312.html

Disaster Relief Fund

As announced in last week’s The World Ahead, the Tungro Disease has destroyed this year’s rice crops in Maranding, Philippines. This has affected several Church families by taking away their sustenance. They are in desperate need of emergency assistance for survival. The Church is in the process of transferring money from the Disaster Relief Fund to provide support to these families for the next four months. We are also reviewing a request for assistance from our African brethren in Kenya because of food and water shortages there… If you want to contribute to the Disaster Relief Fund, please send your donations payable to the Living Church of God, to the Headquarters Office in Charlotte, and clearly label them on the memo line for the “Disaster Relief Fund.”

There are serious problems now, but some areas not doing well now (like the Philippines) will likely improve.  However, areas with plenty of food like the U.S.A., Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand will find more extreme food shortages in the not too distant future.

Articles of related interest may include:

Asia in Prophecy What is Ahead for Asia? Who are the “Kings of the East”? What will happen to nearly all the Chinese, Russians, Indians, and others of Asia?  Who has the 200,000,000 man army related to Armageddon?
Islands and Bible Prophecy What’s ahead for islands? What does the Bible prophesy about them?
Anglo – America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel Are the Americans, Canadians, British, Scottish, Welsh, Australians, Anglo-Southern Africans, and New Zealanders descendants of Joseph? Where are the lost ten-tribes of Israel? Who are the lost tribes of Israel? Will God punish the U.S.A., Canada, United Kingdom, and other Anglo nations? Why might God allow them to be punished first?
Physical Preparation Scriptures for Christians. We all know the Bible prophecies famines. Should we do something?
Can the Great Tribulation Begin in 2009, 2010, or 2011? Can the Great Tribulation begin today? When is the earliest that the Great Tribulation can begin? What is the Day of the Lord?

Jerzy Buzek

COGwriter

The former Prime Minister of Poland, Jerzy Buzek, was elected as the head of the EU’s parliment:

JULY 14, 2009

EU Parliament Elects Ex-Polish PM Buzek As Pres

-By Carolyn Henson

BRUSSELS (Dow Jones)–The European Union’s 736 members of parliament Tuesday elected former Polish prime minister Jerzy Buzek to be the new president of the European Parliament.

Buzek, a member of the conservative European People’s Party received a resounding endorsement with 555 votes, compared with 89 vote for Eva-Britt Svensson from Sweden from the communist left.

The new president is the first from the former Communist eastern Europe. His election was “a tribute to the millions of people who didn’t bow to a hostile system,” he told MEPs in Strasbourg. “There is now no ‘you’ and ‘us’: we live in a shared Europe.”

Buzek will serve a two-and-a-half year term – half of the new parliament’s five-year mandate – before handing over to socialist bloc leader, Germany’s Martin Schulz under a deal sealed between the parliament’s two biggest factions.

The European Parliament is the only elected institution of the European Union, serving alongside the executive European Commission and the European Council of national governments, and it has joint decision-making with the European Council on key legislative proposals made by the European Commission.

The new Treaty of Lisbon, if voted through in a second Irish vote on Oct. 2, will increase parliament’s powers by extending co-decision to virtually all areas of E.U. policy.

The Irish stalled the introduction of the new treaty by voting against it in a referendum last year. The Lisbon Treaty aims to streamline decision-making in the 27-nation E.U. and give Europe a longer-term president, ending a six-monthly nation-by-nation rotation. It would also create stronger E.U. foreign policy chief. http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20090714-705912.html

The EU is trying for stability, growth, a stronger military, and the appearance of broad representation.  Having a Polish leader who agrees appears helpful for that goal.

Of course, those in the EU generally do not know where all of this is heading.  But those who understand Bible prophecy can.

Two articles of possibly related interest 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?
Who is the King of the North? Is there one? Do biblical and Roman Catholic prophecies point to the same leader? Should he be followed? Who will be the King of the North discussed in Daniel 11? Is a nuclear attack prophesied to happen to the English-speaking peoples of the United States, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand? When do the 1335 days, 1290 days, and 1260 days (the time, times, and half a time) of Daniel 12 begin?

French President Sarkozy

COGwriter

The President of France caused some unrest when he suggested that more stores be  opened on Sunday:

President Sarkozy’s move to ‘abolish Sunday’ sparks hostility

The Times – July 13, 2009  Charles Bremner

Street markets, long family lunches, strolls in the park . . . For the French, Sunday is a great tradition, a time to enjoy the finer things in life while other silly countries such as Britain keep working. So President Sarkozy’s plan to “abolish Sunday” and let the shops open is running into a hail of criticism. Parliament is due to pass a Bill tomorrow to ease France’s strict trading laws, but hostility to it is so widespread that some MPs in Mr Sarkozy’s own centre-right camp predict that it could unravel before becoming law.

The President’s plan to abolir le dimanche is being resisted by an unlikely coalition of interests, including the centre and left-wing Opposition, the Roman Catholic Church, the trade unions and small shopkeepers who fear losing their existing Sunday business to supermarkets. Up to 60 per cent of the public, according to polls, are also against a scheme that will reverse the century-old right to a day of rest.

The President has made Sunday shopping a personal crusade since he promised it in his 2007 election campaign under his slogan of “work more to earn more”. He pillories France as a backward exception to the rest of Europe and has said that he was ashamed when Michelle Obama wanted to take her daughters shopping in Paris on a Sunday last month — he had to arrange a special opening for her at a Left Bank boutique.

“How are we supposed to explain to them that we are the only country where shops are closed on Sunday?” he asked. “We are a country that takes pride in having more tourists than any other, yet we believe the shops must be shut on the day there are the most visitors.”

In reality, both sides are exaggerating. Although most shopping centres and non-food shops are closed, the French already work more on Sundays than most Europeans. Limited Sunday trading has been allowed in big French cities and tourist areas since 1993. Many other EU countries restrict Sunday shopping more or as much as France. Germany and Austria are only just getting used to the novelty of Saturday afternoon shopping. Belgium, which Mr Sarkozy has cited as a model, allows Sunday trading in only limited areas.

The only EU countries that allow unlimited Sunday opening are the Czech Republic, Sweden and Romania. Britain has restrictions but its citizens still manage to put in more work than in any other EU state.

Mr Sarkozy abandoned a first attempt to pass his law last December after a rebellion against it in his Union for a Popular Movement. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article6695334.ece

The French President is taking a big chance in offending the Vatican over this.  Ultimately, it is probably more likely that the Europeans will accept more Sunday restrictions as opposed to less.

Three 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?
Sunday and Christianity Was Sunday observed by the apostolic and true post-apostolic Christians? Who clearly endorsed Sunday?
The Sabbath in the Early Church and Abroad Was the seventh-day (Saturday) Sabbath observed by the apostolic and post-apostolic Church?

Dresden Codex Picturing a Flood

COGwriter

Yesterday, I noticed that a poster for Sony Pictures’  2012 movie stated the following:

Who Will Be Left Behind?

2012

This is apparently intended to be a twist on Tim LaHaye’s and Jim Jenkins’ Left Behind series of books.  Sony’s approach appears to be that most will be destroyed by a flood and only a few will be “left behind” to live.    The Left Behind series promotes the idea that “Christians” will be gone before the Great Tribulation and that those doomed to live under the reign of Antichrist will be “left behind”

Both ideas are in scriptural error.

Sony has taken its approach a step further.  Notice what Wikipedia has written about one publicity stunt from Sony:

The studio also launched a viral marketing website operated by the fictional Institute for Human Continuity, where filmgoers could register for a lottery number to be part of a small population that would be rescued from the global destruction.

Sony Films’ registration, of course, will not save anybody.

Let me state here and now that despite a post-Columbian Mayan writing (in the Chilam Balam) and interpretations of the the Dresden Codex (a pre-Columbian Mayan document), the earth will NOT experience a world-wide flood of the level that Sony has suggested in December 2012 (specifically starting December 21, 2012; cf. Genesis 9:8-11).

Those interested in learning more about what the Bible and other writings teach on these subjects should study the following:

End of Mayan Calendar 2012–Might 2012 Mean Something? There is a Mayan calendar prediction for change in 2012. 2012 changes were also centuries ago predicted by the Hopi Native Americans (the Hindus may have some predictions for the next decade as well). Do these Mayan/Hindu/Hopi prophecies have any value? Why might Satan have inspired this date? Does the Dresden codex show destruction of the earth by flood? Can the great tribulation start before 2012?
Is There A Secret Rapture for the Church? When and Where is the Church Protected? What does the Bible really teach? Does the Church flee or is it taken up just prior to the great tribulation? Who really is left behind?
There is a Place of Safety for the Philadelphians. Why it May Be Petra This article discusses a biblical ‘place of safety’ and includes quotes from the Bible and Herbert W. Armstrong on this subject–thus, there is a biblically supported alternative to the rapture theory.
Some Doctrines of Antichrist Are there any doctrines taught outside the Churches of God which can be considered as doctrines of antichrist? This article suggests at least three. It also provides information on 666 and the identity of “the false prophet”. Plus it shows that several Catholic writers seem to warn about an ecumenical antipope that will support heresy.
Prophecies of Barack Obama? Are there biblical and non-biblical prophecies about Barack Obama. Did Nostradamus predict Barack Obama dealing with the Antichrist? This is the longest and most detailed of the articles here related to prophecy and Barack Obama–the man who should be USA President in 2012.
Can the Great Tribulation Begin in 2009, 2010, or 2011? Can the Great Tribulation begin today? When is the earliest that the Great Tribulation can begin? What is the Day of the Lord?

VS.

COGwriter

Yesterday, Ronald Weinland preached in Detroit and tried to tell people to continue to listen to him.

Last night I decided to go to his website and noticed his CGPFK‘s site states the following:

You must also quickly seek to know what you must be doing spiritually in order to best equip yourself for what will be happening in this world throughout the final three and one-half years of great physical tribulation that is now upon us.

The best way for you to equip yourself is to read and reread both books that Ronald Weinland has written. In doing so you will reinforce the truth of your conviction and build upon what you missed in any earlier reading…

Since we have now moved into the final three and one-half years of tribulation, the opportunity for people to come together as a congregation will become less and less…

The time of great physical tribulation is upon us, and soon most people will not have the freedom to pursue that relationship with God by listening to sermons from Sabbath to Sabbath.

Notice that Ronald Weinland’s advice is for people to listen to his sermons and read his books.  Instead, it should be to compare what he says to that which is written in the Bible.

Ronald Weinland has simply written and made many statements that are false.  I did listen to his sermons, radio interviews, books, and other writings.  His followers should pay attention to such gems from him like:

The proof is coming…If it doesn’t come to pass…starting in April, then I’m nothing but a false prophet…The reality is if it doesn’t happen, then you’re just false…I’ll acknowledge my error, my wrong, if I’m wrong…The primary things…for the world…actually begin after April 2008…The abomination of desolation has already happened…By January 2009, we (the United States) will be down the tubes…(Weinland, Ronald. The Edge Radio Interview, December 17, 2007).

“I wanna speak very plainly and try to speak openly about some of these things…You know, one of the things as well, what if Ron Weinland, what he says doesn’t come to pass in April, what if these things don’t happen in 2008. I think about, you know, what have I said in interviews? There’s really a simple answer. False prophet. (Weinland, Ronald.  Stay the Course, Part I, Sermon, December 2007).

If by Pentecost I’m just going to make this real clear to everyone. If by Pentecost it is not powerfully and abundantly clear that there has been a great deal of destruction that will clearly encompass a third of all plant life in the US and at least the clear results of this mingled with blood the death of very much animal life and the beginning of large numbers of human life then I will stop preaching. Just so all the critics and everyone out there will understand. I am true to my word in these things. OK? And for all the critics if by the end of July and for most likely around Pentecost if nothing has clearly caused great destruction and death I will make it very clear that I was a false prophet. I will do exactly what I said I would do on all of those interviews that I have held; to do less, aah well, would be quite insane. (Weinland R. Three More Weeks–quote from near the 1 hour 28 minute point from the CGPFK website version. Sermon given March 29, 2008).

If things do not by mid-June very clearly so, I will make it clear that I was a false prophet and I will never preach again…(Weinland R. talkSPORT radion interview, April 2008).

Yet, Ronald Weinland failed to take his own public advice.

While his current followers seem to ignore all of that, notice that one clear event the that Bible shows was supposed to have started at the beginning of the three and one-half years:

25 He shall speak pompous words against the Most High,
Shall persecute the saints of the Most High,
And shall intend to change times and law.
Then the saints shall be given into his hand
For a time and times and half a time (Daniel 7:25)

It has been about seven months since Ronald Weinland claimed the great tribulation and the final three and one-half years began (he claimed December 14, 2008, after at first claiming April 17 2008).

Daniel 7:25 has not been fulfilled.  It would have been clear to all by now if it had started.  The reality is that final 3 1/2 years has not began.  Despite Ronald Weinland’s claims, the Great Tribulation has not began.

Perhaps his followers will realize that they too are assisting him in spreading his biblically-inaccurate message and reconsider their situations.

Some articles that will help you, your followers, and others interested in end-time prophecy would include the following:

Concerns About Ronald Weinland’s Church of God-Preparing for the Kingdom of God Ronald Weinland falsely claims to be one of the two witnesses God is raising up and that the end will come in 2008 (first April 17th, then June 2008, now December 14, 2008). Why is he a false prophet? He also has at least one other view that suggests that he is not part of the Church of God.
Can the Great Tribulation Begin in 2009, 2010, or 2011? Can the Great Tribulation begin today? When is the earliest that the Great Tribulation can begin? What is the Day of the Lord?
Who Are The Two Witnesses? What is their job? What does the Bible reveal? What has the Church of God taught on this subject? Might even Roman Catholic prophecies give some clues here?

COGwriter

The President of Russia provided a coin to the G8 leaders as a gift yesterday:

Medvedev sees single currency dream in G8 coin gift

AFP – July 10, 2009

Even if Russia’s call for a global currency failed to gain much traction at a G8 summit, President Dmitry Medvedev took home a coin meant to symbolize that the dream may one day come true. The Russian leader proudly displayed the coin, which bears the English words “United Future World Currency”, to journalists after the summit wrapped up in the quake-hit Italian town of L’Aquila.

Medvedev said that although the coin, which resembled a euro and featured the image of five leaves, was just a gift given to leaders it showed that people were beginning to think seriously about a new global currency.

“In all likelihood something similar could appear and it could be held in your hand and used as a means of payment,” he told reporters. “This is the international currency.”

Russia, along with China, has been a vocal proponent of diversifying the global currency system away from the dollar, which has dominated global finance and commerce since the end of World War II.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy at the summit joined the band in favour of dumping the dollar as the international currency of reference, insisting that “we cannot stick with just one single currency.” [image source: http://www.futureworldcurrency.com ] http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=CNG.4eb2c06b46ea42dece225df0a3ec3799.641&show_article=1

While the particular coin is not “the international currency”, the Bible does tell of a time that a militaristic economic power will soon rise up (Revelation 13).  And it will NOT have the US dollar as its base.

Perhaps  I should also add that the expression “unity in diversity” (which is prominent on the coin) is both a Catholic and European slogan (for details see PCG, EU Unity, EU Flag, and Upcoming Treaty).

So even the coin the Russian President gave seems to be in support of European and Catholic goals.

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?
Who is the King of the North? Is there one? Do biblical and Roman Catholic prophecies point to the same leader? Should he be followed? Who will be the King of the North discussed in Daniel 11? Is a nuclear attack prophesied to happen to the English-speaking peoples of the United States, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand? When do the 1335 days, 1290 days, and 1260 days (the time, times, and half a time) of Daniel 12 begin? When does the Bible show that economic collapse will affect the United States?
Russia: Its Origins and Prophesied Future Where do the Russians come from? What is prophesied for Russia? What will it do to the Europeans that supported the Beast in the end?

“Martyrdom of Polycarp” from Ceiling of the Church of St. Polycarp, Smyrna (now called Izmir, Turkey)

COGwriter

Polycarp was a disciple of the Apostle John and was put in charge of the Church of Smyrna. Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox revere him as a saint (as do some Protestants).  We in the Living Church of God trace our early history from Peter, Paul, and John through Polycarp.

The Catholic and Orthodox saint Irenaeus wrote:

But Polycarp also was not only instructed by apostles, and conversed with many who had seen Christ, but was also, by apostles in Asia, appointed bishop of the Church in Smyrna…always taught the things which he had learned from the apostles, and which the Church has handed down, and which alone are true. To these things all the Asiatic Churches testify, as do also those men who have succeeded Polycarp down to the present time (Irenaeus. Adversus Haeres. Book III, Chapter 4, Verse 3 and Chapter 3, Verse 4).

So if Polycarp was a faithful saint who was appointed by the apostles, then perhaps real Christians would follow his practices as he followed the Bible.

Here are some of his beliefs and practices:

A Binitarian view, that acknowledged the Holy Spirit, was held by the apostolic and post-apostolic true Christian leaders, like Polycarp.
Hierarchical  church governance was advocated by Polycarp.
Christmas was not observed by Polycarp nor any professing Christ prior to the third century, or ever by those holding to early teachings.
Deification of Christians was taught by the early leaders of the Church, including Polycarp.
Easter per se was not observed by the apostolic church, and Polycarp fought against it.
The Fall Holy Days were observed by true early Christians, including Polycarp.
The Father was considered to be God by all early professing Christians, including Polycarp.
Polycarp taught against idols (and that would include icons).
Polycarp taught against the immortality of the soul.
Jesus was considered to be God by the true Christians, including Polycarp.
The Kingdom of God was taught by Polycarp.
Leavened Bread was removed from the homes of early Christians like Polycarp.
Lent was not observed by Polycarp.
Limbo was not taught by Polycarp.
Military Service was not allowed for true early Christians like Polycarp.
Millenarianism (a literal thousand year reign of Christ on Earth, often called the millennium) was taught by the early Christians who succeeded Polycarp.
Passover was kept on the 14th of Nisan Polycarp.
Purgatory was not taught by Polycarp.
The Resurrection of the dead was taught Polycarp.
The Sabbath was observed on Saturday by Polycarp.
The Ten Commandments were observed by the apostolic and true post-apostolic Christians, including Polycarp–and in the order that the Living Church of God claims they are in.

We in the Living Church of God have the same beliefs and practices.

If Polycarp really was a saint that was placed in charge by Christ’s apostles, shouldn’t you?

Several articles of possibly related interest may include:

Location of the Early Church: Another Look at Ephesus, Smyrna, and Rome What actually happened to the primitive Church? And did the Bible tell about this in advance?
Polycarp’s Letter to the Philippians Did Polycarp refer to all the books in the New Testament? This is Roberts and Donaldson’s translation, corrected by me in one place, where they made a small error in translating Latin by omitting one word.
Polycarp of Smyrna: The Heretic Fighter Polycarp was the successor of the Apostle John and a major leader in Asia Minor. Do you know much about what he taught?  Does the Living Church of God or the Church of Rome more faithfully follow his teachings and practices?
The History of Early Christianity Are you aware that what most people believe is not what truly happened to the true Christian church? Do you know where the early church was based? Do you know what were the doctrines of the early church? Is your faith really based upon the truth or compromise?
What Do Roman Catholic Scholars Actually Teach About Early Church History? Although most believe that the Roman Catholic Church history teaches an unbroken line of succession of bishops beginning with Peter, with stories about most of them, Roman Catholic scholars know the truth of this matter. This eye-opening article is a must-read for any who really wants to know what Roman Catholic history actually admits about the early church.
Hope of Salvation: How the Living Church of God differ from most Protestants How the Living Church of God differs from mainstream/traditional Protestants, is perhaps the question I am asked most by those without a Church of God background.
The Similarities and Dissimilarities between Martin Luther and Herbert W. Armstrong This article clearly shows some of the doctrinal differences between in the two. At this time of doctrinal variety and a tendency by many to accept certain aspects of Protestantism, the article should help clarify why the Living Church of God is NOT Protestant. Do you really know what the Protestant Reformer Martin Luther taught and should you follow his doctrinal example?
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?
Some Similarities and Differences Between the Orthodox Church and the Living Church of God Both groups claim to be the original church, but both groups have differing ways to claim it. Both groups have some amazing similarities and some major differences. Do you know what they are?
Similarities and Differences Between the Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Living Church of God Both groups claim to represent the original Christian faith.  Do you know much about them? Both groups have some interesting similarities, but many major differences. Would you like information on how to deal with Jehovah’s Witnesses?