Church of God News

COGwriter

The President of the United States was named the ‘Ally of the Year’ and referred to as a hero by a pro-homosexual magazine:

Logo of Republican Party

COGwriter

Republican party 2016 US presidential candidates had another official debate on television last night.

Here is a report about it.

November 11, 2015

Republican presidential candidates expressed support for strengthening U.S. borders as they debated Tuesday night on immigration, the economy and the country’s place in the world, but had different opinions about what to do with the millions of illegal immigrants already living in the country.

Billionaire Donald Trump, who was virtually tied with neurosurgeon Ben Carson in a new poll released before the debate, said the U.S. has no choice but to deport them.

“We are a country of laws,” Trump said. “We need borders. We will have a wall. The wall will be built. The wall will be successful, and if you think walls don’t work, ask Israel.”

Texas Senator Ted Cruz said it is possible for the U.S. to embrace legal immigration while also enforcing the rule of law, and that “every sovereign nation secures its borders.”

But others in the field disagreed, led by Ohio Governor John Kasich, who said any plan to deport the 11 million illegal immigrants currently in the U.S. is “silly.” He advocated a system in which those who are law abiding can pay a penalty to stay.

Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush said deporting illegal immigrants would “tear families apart,” advocated allowing people to earn legal status over time.

‘World’s police’

Trump expressed support for Russia’s military actions in Syria while questioning the aid being sent to moderate rebels. He said the U.S. cannot be the world’s policeman.

Bush, who along with Kasich and businesswoman Carly Fiorina called for a no-fly zone in Syria, said America needs to be a leader and that it is “tragic” Iraq and others are talking to Russia.

“We are not going to be the world’s police, but we sure as heck better be the world’s leader,” Bush said.

Fiorina called for rebuilding missile defense systems in Poland, carrying out military exercises in the Baltic, and adding thousands more troops in Germany to send a message to Russian President Vladimir Putin that the U.S. stands with its allies.

Kasich endorsed providing arms for people in Ukraine to “fight for themselves.”

On China, Kasich said he would respond to cyberattacks by destroying the mechanisms used to break into computer systems. He also praised President Barack Obama for sending a U.S. ship to sail in the waters near the Spratly islands in the South China Sea, an area he said China does not own.

David Canon, a political science professor at the University of Wisconsin, said Kasich’s answer on foreign policy was the best among the candidates.

“As someone with extensive experience in Washington, Kasich I think distinguished himself as quite knowledgeable on foreign policy, something he had not really talked about that much in previous debates,” Canon said.

Spending plans

One of the most heated exchanges in the debate came as Kentucky Senator Rand Paul questioned Florida Senator Marco Rubio on the defense budget, saying it is not possible to be a conservative while being liberal on military spending.

“I know the world is a safer and better place when America is the strongest military power in the world,” Rubio shot back.

Canon said the debate featured more “ganging up” on Obama and Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton than in prior events, but that the discussion between Rubio and Paul pointed out the differences among the Republicans as the field begins to thin.

“That was the most pointed exchange of the night that gets to [the] point that someone has to stand out now as who the Republican is we’re supposed to back here, not just ‘we have to beat Hillary Clinton,’ ” he said.

Trump said the U.S. needs to make its military “bigger, better and stronger” than ever before. He also supported all of the Republican tax plans over what he called “the mess” in place now.

A new McClatchy/Marist poll, released just before the debates, showed Carson leading with 24 percent and Trump just behind at 23 percent. Rubio was a distant third with 12 percent, while Cruz and Bush were tied for fourth at 8 percent.

But Canon said the front-runners Trump and Carson were the flattest performers who hurt themselves the most Tuesday night.

“Trump said virtually nothing in his closing statement at all and Ben Carson talking about drug addicts dying and abortions, you don’t want a downer message like that for your closing statement,” he said. “You want to have something more uplifting and looking to the future, more like Rubio’s statement or Ted Cruz or Carly Fiorina.”

‘Undercard’ debate

Two other candidates — New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee — were demoted after the first three debates to the so-called “undercard debate” held earlier in the evening.

It also featured former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum and Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal.

All four took the opportunity early in their session to promote plans they claim will make the U.S. tax code fairer. Huckabee proposed getting rid of the Internal Revenue Service, which is responsible for tax collection and tax law enforcement.

Christie and Santorum shared their distaste for the Federal Reserve — the nation’s central bank. The two claimed that the Fed has kept interest rates artificially low to support President Obama.

Trump made similar claims recently.

At the time, White House spokesman Josh Earnest insisted the Fed acts independently, saying the administration “goes to great lengths” to ensure that the Fed can make decisions solely on the economy’s interests and to prevent those decisions from being influenced by politics.

Christie, trying to have a breakout night after being taken off the main stage following the first three debates, focused much of his attention during the evening on Democratic front-runner Clinton, whom he called “the real enemy. [She’s] coming for your wallet, everybody. Don’t worry about Huckabee or Jindal, worry about her.”

Christie’s jab at Clinton followed a back-and-forth argument between Jindal and Huckabee over their records as governors.

Looking straight into the camera, Christie said, “If you think Mike Huckabee won’t be the kind of president who will cut back spending, or Chris Christie, or John Kasich, wait till you see what Hillary Clinton will do to this country. She will drown us in debt. She is the real adversary tonight.” http://www.voanews.com/content/republican-candidates-spar-on-immigration-us-international-role/3052888.html

There is no question in my mind that if Hillary Clinton is elected that debt will rise as many of her proposals are expected to increase debt (though some of her onerous wealth confiscation proposals could temporarily affect that).  But I should add that if past history is any indication, debt is almost certain to rise if a Republican becomes the next President of the United States–despite what many of the Republican candidates have indicated.  Spoken intentions and promises during campaigns often are not fulfilled, by candidates of both parties.

That being said, I will not endorse any candidate for the presidency of the USA. It is not that some policies of candidates are not necessarily better than others, but none are the solution to the real problems in the USA.

I should perhaps add that I did watch parts of the debate last night, and will state that most of the candidates had ‘moments’ (that were likely rehearsed) where they attempted to come across as bold and ‘presidential.’

There are many divisions in the USA.  The secularists and those who claim more belief in the Bible are very divided.  That is even the case within the Republican party (the few remaining Democratic candidates, in my view, are secularists).  Jesus said:

25 “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand. (Matthew 12:25)

Since the focus of the debate was financial, not too many issues of morality were raised last night (even though I do believe that massive debt is the result of certain sins).  But last night, Ben Carson, who has been accused of misstating aspects of his personal history, called Hillary Clinton a liar:

It hasn’t been the easiest of weeks for retired neurosurgeon Dr. Ben Carson. A political novice who’s vaulted into a virtual tie for the Republican presidential primary polling lead, he’s been dogged recently by some pretty worrying accusations — inconsistencies and apparent falsehoods in his otherwise rich personal biography. …

Here’s how Carson played off moderator Neil Cavuto’s question about the controversy, accusing Clinton of lying to the American public about the cause of the Benghazi attacks.

First of all, thanks for not asking me what I said in the tenth grade. … I have no problem with being vetted. What I do have a problem with is being lied about, and then putting that out there as truth. I don’t even mind that so much if they do it with everybody, like people on the other side. But when I look at somebody like Hillary Clinton, who sits there and tells her daughter and a government official that this was a terrorist attack, and then tells everybody else that it was a video, where I come from I call that a lie. I think that’s very different from somebody misinterpreting when I said that I was offered a scholarship from West Point. … people who know me know I’m an honest person. http://www.bustle.com/articles/122984-ben-carson-calls-hillary-clinton-a-liar-over-benghazi-in-spite-of-his-own-rough-week

And yes, as my book about her points out (Hillary Clinton, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States), Hillary Clinton has integrity problems–but that has not stopped her from being the front-runner for the Democratic nominee for US President.

There is no question in my mind, that morally, the USA is going in the wrong direction. A direction that is leading to its destruction according to Bible prophecy (e,g, Habakkuk 2:6-8; Romans 1:22-32).

All that being said and reported, the biblical reality is that the USA needs national repentance, otherwise it is doomed. The USA needs the return of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God, which is not anything that any Republican nor Democratic candidate has clearly promoted as the solution.

It is not that some of the policies some candidates advocate cannot help, but without national repentance they will not be enough to stop the destruction that will come to the USA according to biblical prophecies (such as those found in Habakkuk 2:6-8, 2 Peter 2:6, and Daniel 11:39).

Several items of possibly related interest may include:

Anglo – America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel Are the Americans, Canadians, English, Scottish, Welsh, Australians, Anglo-Saxon (non-Dutch) Southern Africans, and New Zealanders descendants of Joseph? Where are the lost ten-tribes of Israel? Who are the lost tribes of Israel? What will happen to Jerusalem and the Jews in Israel? Will God punish the U.S.A., Canada, United Kingdom, and other Anglo-Saxon nations? Why might God allow them to be punished first? Here is a link to the Spanish version of this article: Anglo-América & las Tribus Perdidas de Israel. Information is also in the YouTube sermons titled Where are the Ten Lost Tribes? Why does it matter? and British are the Covenant People. A short YouTube of prophetic interest may be Barack Obama and the State of the Apocalypse.
Can you see the ‘Handwriting on the Wall’? Thousands of years ago, King Belshazzar saw a hand appear at a big party he was hosting. The hand wrote Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin. Shortly after the Prophet Daniel explained it, his empire was taken over and King Belshazzar died. Is this applicable today? Are there signs right before our eyes that show that the end is coming to the United States and its Anglo-descended allies. Do abortions, sexual immorality, celebrity pornography, and increased debt mean anything? What does the Bible show?
Hillary Clinton in Prophecy Prophecy, Hillary Clinton? Are there prophecies that Hillary Clinton may fulfill? Are there any prophecies that she has already helped fulfill? Could Hillary Clinton be apocalyptic? Could Hillary Clinton be the final Antichrist? A video of related interest is titled Hillary Clinton and Bible Prophecy.
Should a Christian Vote? This article gives some of the Biblical rationale on this subject. Would Jesus vote for president/prime minister? Is voting in the Bible? This is a subject Christians need to understand.
When Will the Great Tribulation Begin? 2015, 2016, or 2017? Can the Great Tribulation begin today? What happens before the Great Tribulation in the “beginning of sorrows”? What happens in the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord? Is this the time of the Gentiles? When is the earliest that the Great Tribulation can begin? What is the Day of the Lord? Who are the 144,000? Here is a version of the article in the Spanish language: ¿Puede comenzar la Gran Tribulación en 2015? ¿Es el Tiempo de los Gentiles? You can also see the English language sermon video: The Great Tribulation from the Mount of Olives.
Just What Do You Mean — Repentance? Do you know what repentance is? Have you truly repented? Repented of what? Herbert W. Armstrong wrote this as a booklet on this important subject.
The Gospel of the Kingdom of God was the Emphasis of Jesus and the Early Church Did you know that? Do you even know what the gospel of the kingdom is all about? You can also see a YouTube video sermon The Gospel of the Kingdom.
Just What Do You Mean the Kingdom of God? A booklet that was written by Herbert Armstrong answers questions about the Kingdom.
Barack Obama, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States-Second Edition for Second Obama Term This is a 160 page book for people truly interested in prophecies related to Barack Obama and the United States, including learning about many that have already been fulfilled (which the book documents in detail) and those that will be fulfilled in the future. It also has a chapter about a Republican choice. This book is available to order at www.barackobamaprophecy.com. The physical book can also be purchased at Amazon from the following link: Barack Obama, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States: Is Barack Obama Fulfilling Biblical, Islamic Catholic, Kenyan, and other America-Related Prophecies? What About Republican Leaders? Second Edition for Second Obama Term.
Barack Obama, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States-Second Term-Amazon Kindle edition. This electronic version is available for only US$2.99. And you do not need an actual Kindle device to read it. Why? Amazon will allow you to download it to almost any device: Please click HERE to download one of Amazon s Free Reader Apps. After you go to for your free Kindle reader and then go to Barack Obama, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States-Second Term-Amazon Kindle edition.
nited States, including learning about many that have already been fulfilled and those that will be fulfilled in the future. It also discusses Republicans. The physical book can be purchased at Amazon from the following link: Hillary Clinton, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States: Is Hillary Clinton Fulfilling Biblical, Islamic Catholic, Hopi, and other America-Related Prophecies? $11.99.
Hillary Clinton, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States This is a 188 page book for people truly interested in prophecies related to Hillary Clinton and the United States, including learning about many that have already been fulfilled and those that will be fulfilled in the future. It also discusses Republicans. The physical book can be purchased at Amazon from the following link: Hillary Clinton, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States: Is Hillary Clinton Fulfilling Biblical, Islamic Catholic, Hopi, and other America-Related Prophecies? $11.99.
Hillary Clinton, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States-Amazon Kindle edition. This electronic version of the 188 page print edition is available for only US$3.99. And you do not need an actual Kindle device to read it. Why? Amazon will allow you to download it to almost any device: Please click HERE to download one of Amazon s Free Reader Apps. After you go to for your free Kindle reader and then go to Hillary Clinton, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States-Amazon Kindle edition.

Orthodox Church, Santorini (Photo by Joyce Thiel)

COGwriter

Some time back, I received an email that included the following information:

I saw you writing about Orthodox Church.
I don’t know if you are aware but the yearly miracles of Early Church like Holy Light, Jordan River going back, Cloud on Mount Tabor and such happen yearly in Orthodox Church until today…You may not know, but like prophets of Old Time Orthodoxs today have a way of speaking with God., namely Jesus prayer.

Anyway, there was a recommended website in the email which I visited.

The website had a photo that someone claims includes an angel. And this is supposed to be part of the proof of the validity of Eastern Orthodoxy. After discussing the “miracles” and selected abbreviated histories, the website also states:

The general idea is that Protestants and Catholics should clearly look into coming home at Orthodox Church.

Well, there are three problems with the above statement.

The first is that the Roman Catholics and Protestants claim to have a variety of signs and wonders themselves. But some “Catholics” who had visions, stigmatas, and other visible signs also made pronouncements, supposedly on God’s authority, that were clearly later shown to be false.

Notice one such example concerning Therese Neumann:

Therese Neumann (1898-1962) mystic and stigmatist of Germany. She did not eat, drink, sleep, or have body functions for 40 years–a well documented fact in light of being so contemporary. She lived solely on the Eucharist. When asked in 1945 after World War II if America would ever be destroyed or invaded by war, she responded,

“No, at the end of this century America will be destroyed economically by natural disasters.” (Flynn Ted and Mary. The Thunder of Justice. MaxKol Communications, Inc. Sterling (VA), 1993, p. A259)

The Protestants have their own problems with signs and wonders which I will not now go into here.

The second problem is that the Orthodox themselves teach that they should not be swayed by signs and wonders, even if they supposedly involve apparitions of Mary (who the Orthodox clearly venerate). Here is what one Orthodox priest wrote:

Given these Roman Catholic “evangelistic methods” of more than a century ago, it is it any wonder that contemporary “apparitions” of Mary are invariably accompanied by ecumenistic messages promoting the idea that all religions are equally valid and Orthodox Christianity is but one “path” among many?…

Today, as heterodox Christians become more and more ecumenist and work toward creating a “One World Church,” the search has begun for a Mary of universal recognition, one who will appeal not only to those who bear the name Christian, but apprently to Muslims and others as well, just as attempts are likewise being made to identify the “new Christ” with the Muslim concept of their coming Mahdi and with the Messiah still awaited by the Jews. This, of course, will be no Christ at all but the antichrist.

(Jackson P. ORTHODOX LIFE., No. I, 1997., Brotherhood of Saint Job of Pochaev at Holy Trinity Monastery, Jordanville, N.Y. pp. 18-22. http://fr-d-serfes.org/orthodox/theotokos.htm viewed 05/11/09)

The reality is that it is likely that false apparitions, claiming to be “Mary” may be among the signs and lying wonders that the Bible warns are coming:

9 The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, 10 and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, 12 that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12).

So, if the Orthodox teach that they themselves should NOT listen to seemingly clear signs from Catholic sources, then they should realize that Catholics will not be inclined to accept any signs (clear or otherwise) from the Orthodox.

But the third problem is that the Orthodox, Catholics, and Protestants all should realize that none of them hold to the teachings of the original apostles or their immediate successors. Hence the Eastern Orthodox is NOT the place to come home to.

Those who wish to look into this will realize that many of the early Christian leaders that the Orthodox, Catholics, and Protestants consider to have been saints held positions that agree with the Continuing Church of God, but contradict the current teachings of those other groups.

It isn’t that there is no place for signs and interventions from God (Acts 2:17-18; see also Dreams, the Bible, and the Continuing Church of God Does God still use dreams? Did He use any involving those in the Continuing Church of God?), but what a group teaches MUST agree with the Bible or the signs and wonders should not be relied upon.

This, as well as information related to Marian apparitions, can be determined by prayerful honest study of the following documented information:

Some Similarities and Differences Between the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Continuing 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?
Which Is Faithful: The Roman Catholic Church or the Continuing 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.
Hope of Salvation: How the Continuing Church of God differ from most Protestants How the real Church of God differs from mainstream/traditional Protestants, is perhaps the question I am asked most by those without a Church of God background. As far as some changes affecting Protestantism, watch the video Charismatic Kenneth Copeland and Anglican Tony Palmer: Protestants Beware!
Mary, the Mother of Jesus and the Apparitions Do you know much about Mary? Are the apparitions real? What might they mean for the rise of the ecumenical religion of Antichrist? Are Protestants moving towards Mary? How do the Orthodox view Mary? How might Mary view her adorers?
Dreams, the Bible, and the Continuing Church of God Does God still use dreams? Did He use any involving those in the Continuing Church of God?
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?
Apostolic Succession What really happened? Did structure and beliefs change? Are many of the widely-held current understandings of this even possible? Did you know that Catholic scholars really do not believe that several of the claimed “apostolic sees” of the Orthodox have apostolic succession–despite the fact that the current pontiff himself seems to wish to ignore this view? Is there actually a true church that has ties to any of the apostles that is not part of the Catholic or Orthodox churches? Read this article if you truly are interested in the truth on this matter!
Early Church History: Who Were the Two Major Groups that Professed Christ in the Second and Third Centuries? Did you know that many in the second and third centuries felt that there were two major, and separate, professing Christian groups in the second century, but that those in the majority churches tend to now blend the groups together and claim “saints” from both? “Saints” that condemn some of their current beliefs. Who are the two groups?
Where is the True Christian Church Today? This free online pdf booklet answers that question and includes 18 proofs, clues, and signs to identify the true vs. false Christian church. Plus 7 proofs, clues, and signs to help identify Laodicean churches. A related sermon is also available: Where is the True Christian Church? Here is a link to the booklet in the Spanish language: ¿Dónde está la verdadera Iglesia cristiana de hoy? Here is a link in the German language: WO IST DIE WAHRE CHRISTLICHE KIRCHE HEUTE? Here is a link in the French language: Où est la vraie Église Chrétienne aujourd’hui?
Continuing History of the Church of God This pdf booklet is a historical overview of the true Church of God and some of its main opponents from Acts 2 to the 21st century. Related sermon links include Continuing History of the Church of God: c. 31 to c. 300 A.D. and Continuing History of the Church of God: 4th-16th Centuries. The booklet is available in Spanish: Continuación de la Historia de la Iglesia de Dios, German: Kontinuierliche Geschichte der Kirche Gottes, and Ekegusii Omogano Bw’ekanisa Ya Nyasae Egendererete.

Boat Migrants to Europe

COGwriter

Notice the following about the migrant situation:

November 10, 2015

A convicted terrorist with ties to the Islamic State group was caught trying to enter Europe in a migrant boat with asylum seekers arriving from Libya.

Ben Nasr Mehdi, a Tunisian who was first arrested in Italy in 2007 and sentenced to seven years in prison for plotting terror attacks with an Islamic State-linked group, was caught trying to re-enter the country last month by police in Sicily, The Independent reported.

He was found among 200 migrants rescued at sea by a navy vessel on Oct. 4. Despite giving a false name and claiming that he was seeking asylum in northern Europe to escape political persecution, fingerprints revealed his true identity, The Independent reported.

He was held along with three other men, suspected of human trafficking, and interrogated by Sicilian police. Several days later, Mehdi, 38, was repatriated to Tunisia.

Authorities initially tried to hide the arrest to avoid “panic” amid growing fears that Islamic terrorists may take advantage of the European Union’s lax border controls and openness to asylum seekers fleeing conflict in the Middle East.  http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/nov/10/ben-nasr-mehdi-islamic-terrorist-caught-trying-ent/

November 10, 2015

A five-hour meeting of Bulgaria’s Consultative Council on National Security on November 10 resulted in requests to the Cabinet for various steps, including a plan on countering a large refugee and a system to neutralise cyber attacks. …

“At this stage most immediate risk for our country is the risk of continuation or increase in migration flows to and through Bulgaria. The situation would deteriorate as a result of the continuing inability of the EU to effectively protect the external borders, to develop common rules for the fair resolution of the migration issue and help permanently solve the root causes of migration crisis.”

The meeting also agreed that the risk of terrorist attacks in Europe was high, which led to the request for the preparation of legislation to counter terrorism. Plevneliev said that the meeting agreed that the danger of terrorist acts in Europe was growing and that large numbers of European citizens were taking part in hostilities on the side of the “Islamic State” and other terrorist groups. Such people brought their experience and radical ideas to their home countries, and this further increased the threat of terrorism.  http://sofiaglobe.com/2015/11/10/bulgarian-security-council-asks-cabinet-to-act-against-migration-flow-cyber-attacks-terrorism-risk/

November 9, 2015

Al-Qaida terror boss caught on migrant boat

Tunisian-born Ben Nasr Mehdi was discovered among 200 refugees in a migrant boat off the coast of Sicily on Oct. 4. He was first arrested in Italy in 2007 and sentenced to seven years imprisonment for plotting terror attacks with a group that has since been linked to ISIS. He tried to return to Italy last month in a boat that was attempting to cross the Mediterranean from Libya.

But authorities tried to hide the story, fearing their political opponents would use it to create “panic” among the population, the German channel n-tv reported. The story finally got out several weeks after Mehdi was detained last week.

“This is a totally predictable story to everyone but Angela Merkel and her supporters in Europe (which group includes most of the EU governments and media),” wrote blogger Thomas Lifson for the American Thinker.

“President Obama plans to admit tens (or hundreds) of thousands of these ‘refugees’ to the United States. It is obvious to anyone but a progressive that infiltration of terrorists is an irresistible opportunity for ISIS, al-Qaeda, and everyone else who wants to do us harm in the name of Allah.”

Obama plans to bring 10,000 Syrian refugees over the next year and 75,000 more refugees from Somalia, Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Burma, Bhutan, Iran, Iraq and other countries.

The fact is, Obama is bringing far more than 10,000 Syrian Muslims to America.

The United Nations already has 20,000 Syrians processed and in its pipeline destined for more than 180 U.S. cities and towns, according to the U.N. refugee agency’s website.

This, despite repeated warnings by the FBI that it is unable to screen the Syrian refugees for connections to terrorism. WND reported the latest warning Oct. 22 from FBI Director James Comey, who testified before the House Homeland Security Committee.

Among Syrian refugees, 97 percent are Muslim and the vast majority of those are Sunni Muslim, a religious faith shared with ISIS, al-Nusra Front, al-Qaida, al-Shabab in Somalia, Boko Haram in Nigeria, and many other jihadist groups.

Although he gave a false name, migration officers identified Mehdi through finger print records, according to the Independent. http://www.wnd.com/2015/11/al-qaida-terror-boss-caught-on-migrant-boat/#lZw4ZVAgbIhlk3Qt.99

Are all the migrants coming to Europe simply terrorists?  No, many have experienced all kinds of problems.  Some are terrorists, however, and others may be recruit-able as terrorists.

Notice something that Pat Buchanon wrote about the migrant situation yesterday:

Can Europe survive this invasion?

“A modern day mass migration is taking place … that could change the face of Europe’s civilization,” warned Hungarian President Viktor Orban.

“If that happens, that is irreversible. … There is no way back from a multicultural Europe,” said Orban. “If we make a mistake now, it will be forever.”

Orban acted on his beliefs. He erected a 110-mile fence on the Serb border, redirecting hundreds of thousands of migrants away from Hungary to Croatia, thence to Austria and Germany.

Sunday, after a third of a million had passed through, Croatia replaced a center-left with a rightist party. A fortnight ago, the right-wing eurosceptic Law and Justice Party won a landslide victory in Poland. …

Considering the crises facing Europe, the question is no longer: Will the EU survive? It is Orban’s question: Will European civilization survive the century?

If the mass migrations are not halted, the rise of nationalist regimes at the expense of Europe’s liberals and leftists is inevitable.

With birth rates in this smallest and least populated of continents below replacement levels for decades, Europe is aging, shrinking and dying, as it is being invaded and altered forever. …

Last year, the Swiss voted to cut back on immigration.

This year, with the UK Independence Party growing in popularity, Prime Minister David Cameron is demanding reforms in the EU charter, before the British vote on whether to leave the EU altogether.

With migrants in the thousands milling around Calais and the entrance to the tunnel to Dover, Brits must be wondering whether it was wise to dig that tunnel beneath the Channel to their island home.

The threats raised by the mass migration into Europe rise to the level of the existential.

Can a civilization survive the replacement of the people who created it by people of other races, religions and civilizations?

Ask the Native Americans.

Will Europe remain Europe if she is repopulated by Arabs, Muslims, Asians and Africans? What will hold Europe together? Free trade? http://www.wnd.com/2015/11/can-europe-survive-this-invasion/#CST5t6hRVdP3f80B.99

Does the migrant situation really pose a major risk?

Yes.

Western civilization is at risk.

The Bible warns of terrors:

25 The sword shall destroy outside; There shall be terror within (Deuteronomy 32:25)

12 “Cry and wail, son of man; For it will be against My people, Against all the princes of Israel. Terrors including the sword will be against My people; Therefore strike your thigh. (Ezekiel 21:12)

12 Behold, these are the ungodly,Who are always at ease; They increase in riches…19 Oh, how they are brought to desolation, as in a moment! They are utterly consumed with terrors. (Psalms 73:12,19)

25 Because you disdained all my counsel, And would have none of my rebuke, 26 I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your terror comes, 27 When your terror comes like a storm, And your destruction comes like a whirlwind, When distress and anguish come upon you. (Proverbs 1:25-27)

5 Also they are afraid of height, And of terrors in the way (Ecclesiastes 12:5).

Notice that terror will come from within according to Deuteronomy 32:25. Letting potential terrorists in is a major risk.

Europe, itself, will not put up with this Islamic situation forever.  It will reorganize and for a time, work with the religion of the city of seven hills (Revelation 17; see also Must the Ten Kings of Revelation 17:12 Rule over Ten Currently Existing Nations?).

Now, I will add that the Bible tells of a time that those of the lands in North Africa and the Middle East will make a deal with the Europeans to destroy in Psalm 83.

In 1966 and 1979, the old Radio/Worldwide Church of God taught that the King of the South would arise and make a deal with the King of the North as shown in Psalm 83:

But who is the “king of the south”?…in verse 40 we skip to “the time of the end”…The verse undoubtedly found partial fulfillment in the offensive of 1896…But Mussolini did not finish the prophecy…Just as there is yet to be a final “king of the north”…there may very well emerge in the same manner a final “king of the south”–an overall leader of an Arab-Moslem confederation, possibly bearing the very title Mahdi…a prophetic psalm (Psalm 83) provides additional insight into the Mideast picture. Germany (Assyria in Bible prophecy) and perhaps the rest of Europe will be in league in the future with a union of Arab nations…But in the end, this European-Arab alliance will prove short-lived…And the king of the north shall come against him [the king of the south]…Daniel 11:40-41…The Arab-Moslem Confederation will, of course, be thrown into chaotic disarray in the fact of invasion. (Stump K. The Arab World in Prophecy. Plain Truth, December 1979, pp. 11-12).

Turn to the astounding prophecy found in Psalm 83:1-8. David, inspired of God, predicted the coming time when ALL of Israel’s enemies would join together in an effort to crush out even the name “Israel” from the face of the earth! (Verse 4) “For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee…” (verse 5). Notice the nations making up this confederation. “Edom [Turkey], and the Ishmaelites [Saudi Arabia]; Moab [Jordan], and the Hagarenes [they anciently dwelt in the land known as Syria today]; Gebal {Lebanon}, and Ammon [Jordan] and Amalek; the Philistines with the inhabitants of Tyre; Assur [whose descendants migrated to Germany] is joined with them; they have helped the children of Lot” {Moab and Ammon in modern Jordan). Here we see that the Arab nations mentioned are allied with Germany (Assur) which we know from other prophecies will be the military leader — naturally so — of a United States of Europe…Egypt…will provoke the prophesied United Europe (Dan. 11:40). This European power — called the “king of the north” in Daniel 11 — shall invade and occupy the “glorious land” of Palestine (verse 41). “And the land of Egypt shall not escape”(Boraker R. SYRIA RAIDS ISRAEL – Where Is It Leading? Plain Truth. November 1966)

It should also be noted that Isaiah 9:8-12 seems to suggest that some of the peoples who are alluded to in Psalm 83, specifically the Syrians and Palestinians, will also harass Ephraim (UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand) and Manasseh (USA) after they have suffered. Isaiah 9 ties the identity of Manasseh in with prophetic Samaria (the USA) and Obadiah 17-18 seems to as well.

Europe, itself, will make a deal with the Arabs.  This is also clear from the following as it describes an evil deal between the European King of the North and the Arabic King of the South:

27 Both these kings’ hearts shall be bent on evil, and they shall speak lies at the same table; but it shall not prosper, for the end will still be at the appointed time.  (Daniel 11:27)

After this deal, the Bible shows that the USA will not fare well:

39 Thus he shall act against the strongest fortresses with a foreign god, which he shall acknowledge, and advance its glory; and he shall cause them to rule over many, and divide the land for gain. (Daniel 11:39)

Presuming the above is fulfilled in the 21st century, it should be clear that the above refers to the USA and its Anglo-Saxon descended allies as the USA has the strongest military, “strongest fortresses,” at this time.  This will be the end of the USA’s civilization.

However, this will later not turn out well for the Arabs and others who will then push against the Europeans:

40 “At the time of the end the king of the South shall attack him; and the king of the North shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter the countries, overwhelm them, and pass through. 41 He shall also enter the Glorious Land, and many countries shall be overthrown; but these shall escape from his hand: Edom, Moab, and the prominent people of Ammon. 42 He shall stretch out his hand against the countries, and the land of Egypt shall not escape. 43 He shall have power over the treasures of gold and silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt; also the Libyans and Ethiopians shall follow at his heels.  (Daniel 11:40-43)

And Europe?

Its civilization will end, but not directly from the Islamic migrants as the narrative in Daniel 11 continues:

44 But news from the east and the north shall trouble him; therefore he shall go out with great fury to destroy and annihilate many. 45 And he shall plant the tents of his palace between the seas and the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and no one will help him. (Daniel 11:44-45)

Letting thousands of potential terrorists into the USA, Europe, and elsewhere is a major risk. There are Islamists who clearly want to take advantage of this. Perilous times are upon us (cf. 2 Timothy 3:1).

David Cameron (Official UK photo)

COGwriter

UK Prime Minister David Cameron made a proposal to the European Union (EU) that he hopes it will adopt, so that UK voters will decide to vote to remain in the EU:

November 10, 2015

British Prime Minister David Cameron called Tuesday for the European Union to make a number of reforms ahead of his country’s referendum on whether to leave the 28-nation bloc.

Among the demands are protections for the one-third of EU nations that do not use the euro currency. Cameron said if the EU becomes a “single currency club” then it would not be one for Britain.

He discussed the creation of a mechanism to allow for groups of countries to jointly block EU legislation that is not in their national interest, and for the EU to make a clear and irreversible agreement that ends Britain’s obligation to “work for an ever closer union.”

“We believe in a flexible union of free member states who share treaties and institutions, working together in a spirit of cooperation to advance our shared prosperity and to protect our people from threats to our security, whether they come from home or abroad,” Cameron said.

More fair system

The prime minister said he supports the free movement of labor among EU members, but that he wants a more fair system and for governments to have more power in controlling immigration.

“As we’ve seen so spectacularly across Europe, with the questions posed by the migration crisis, countries need greater controls to manage the pressures of people coming in,” he said.

European Commission spokeswoman Margaritas Schinas said that aspect of Cameron’s demands is “highly problematic as they touch upon fundamental freedoms of our internal market.” She listed issues involving the euro as  “difficult,” while calling the prospect of finding ways to better involve national parliaments as “feasible.”

Cameron, who backs Britain remaining in the EU, has promised to hold a referendum by the end of 2017. He said Tuesday if voters choose to leave the EU, then that decision will be final and Britain will not be open to any kind of renegotiation or second referendum.  http://www.voanews.com/content/cameron-calls-for-eu-reforms-on-immigration-relationship-with-britain/3051335.html

November 10, 2015

David Cameron has outlined his four goals for reforming the UK’s membership of the EU, including restrictions on benefits for people coming to the UK.

He said Britain faced a “huge decision” in the in/out referendum promised before the end of 2017.

But he said he was confident of getting what he wanted from reform talks.

Anti-EU campaigners say the talks are a “gimmick” – and the European Commission said the UK’s benefits proposals could break free movement laws.

• Follow all the latest developments with BBC Politics Live

Mr Cameron has formally set out his demands in a letter to the president of the European Council, saying four objectives lie at the heart of the UK’s renegotiations:

• Protection of the single market for Britain and other non-euro countries
• Boosting competitiveness by setting a target for the reduction of the “burden” of red tape
• Exempting Britain from “ever-closer union” and bolstering national parliaments
• Restricting EU migrants’ access to in-work benefits such as tax credits

Mr Cameron hit back at claims by former Tory chancellor Lord Lawson that the four goals were “disappointingly unambitious”, saying they reflected what the British people wanted and would be “good for Britain and good for the European Union”.

“It is mission possible and it is going to take a lot of hard work to get there,” said the prime minister. …

Alongside publication of the PM’s letter, Chancellor George Osborne is meeting European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker in Brussels as part of the renewed diplomatic push for EU reform. …

UKIP Leader Nigel Farage said it was clear Mr Cameron “is not aiming for any substantial renegotiation”, with “no promise to regain the supremacy of Parliament, nothing on ending the free movement of people and no attempt to reduce Britain’s massive contribution to the EU budget”.    http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-34770875

Last Summer, David Cameron tried and failed to stop Jean-Claude Juncker from gaining the presidency of the European Commission (see EU Summit opens, UK’s Cameron expected to lose related to J. Juncker: a prelude to a Brixit? and Jean Claude Juncker elected President of the European Commission; He wants Europe center-stage and technologically advanced). He felt that the policies of Jean-Claude Juncker could be a factor to persuade voters in the UK to pull out of the European Union. Juncker’s election demonstrated that David Cameron’s intentions and efforts do not always get the results he wants for the UK in the EU. Of course, with the promise of a vote to possibly leave the EU, David Cameron may have more leverage with the EU, for a time, in the future.

While David Cameron wants Britain exempted from an “ever closer union,” that is precisely what many in Europe want.  Here is something I received today translated from German into English by a reader which shows that various ones believe that Europe needs to currently focus more on an association than full union:

8 November 2015

Plea for a confederate Europe

The idea of an “ever closer Union” was developed in the post-war period in a small circle of homogenous Western European countries. It is however unsuitable for a large and open Europe. Why an Association of States would be the better solution. …

It is overlooked that the European Parliament, as a democratically legitimated representative, is unsuitable. …

Given that a wide debate on the consequences of crisis management for the political organization of Europe remains missing and approaches for such a debate are discredited as “anti-European”, it is not surprising that Europe-critical and in part nationalist forces become stronger in almost all EU countries. It is almost inevitably, when nobody sees an alternative to a federalist European Central Government of questionable democratic legitimacy, to tend to stick to the nation-State as a counterpart to the European Central Government. In between the confrontation of the supporters of the Central European State and of the nation State lies the threat of heavy damage to the European idea of freedom, law and democracy in a peaceful Europe. But the form of the Central Government is not a prerequisite for a democratic Europe united in peace and freedom.

To sustain the European idea we need a confederate Europe in the form of a State group. A Europe obligated to the principles of freedom, law, democracy, and subsidiarity and which is open to all peoples of Europe who share these principles. In its case-law to the treaties of Maastricht and Lisbon, the Federal Constitutional Court has defined the European Union as connected beyond a confederation, without federal character and referred to it as “Union of States”. …

The single market for goods and services and free trade with the rest of the world are the core of the European economic Constitution. The opening of national markets to competition at the European level must go on. A common European market must be embedded in a liberal global trading order. A ‘fortress Europe’ with trade barriers regarding other countries will bring also a loss of prosperity for the citizens of Europe. …

The Confederal Europe needs a liberal monetary Constitution that does not split Europe, in relation to the single currency, in different classes. Countries that will join the EMU not foreseeable must have a place in a European Federation. Originally, the single currency should apply to all European countries. …

The European Union assures peace and freedom in Europe. However, its structures have been developed in the split and under threat from outside Europe of the 20th Century. The idea of an “ever closer Union” was developed in the post-war period in the small circle of largely homogeneous Western European countries, with France and Germany in the Centre. For a large and open Europe, it is unfit. In order that the EU can fulfil its task in a United Europe of the twenty-first century, the structures must be adapted. The model of a European federal State does not fit to a Europe of diversity and openness. That is why Europe needs a confederal structure. A broad debate about the right model for Europe needs to begin now.

—————————————————————–  The above came from the following German language article:

Plädoyer für ein konföderales Europa

Die Idee der „immer engeren Union“ wurde in der Nachkriegszeit im kleinen Kreis homogener westeuropäischer Länder entwickelt. Für ein großes und offenes Europa ist sie jedoch untauglich. Warum ein Staatenverbund die bessere Lösung wäre. Ein Gastbeitrag.  http://www.faz.net/aktuell/wirtschaft/wirtschaftspolitik/plaedoyer-fuer-ein-konfoederales-europa-13896058.html

(For CCOG information in the German language, go to the following link: http://ccog.eu/category/deutsch/)

Notice that the German article demonstrates that David Cameron is not the only one who thinks that Europe is not yet ready for ever closer union.

Will Europe simply end up as a loose confederation?

No.

While it may make some reforms that suggest that direction, the Bible is clear that there will be several ‘reorganizations’ in Europe, and three are alluded to in the 17th chapter of Revelation (see Must the Ten Kings of Revelation 17:12 Rule over Ten Currently Existing Nations?).

After the result of two of the reorganizations, Europe will be united into a single entity under a dictatorial leader:

12 “The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority for one hour as kings with the beast. 13 These are of one mind, and they will give their power and authority to the beast.  (Revelation 17:12-13)

Various COG groups do NOT understand the above (e.g. LCG and PCG, see Must the Ten Kings of Revelation 17:12 Rule over Ten Currently Existing Nations?).

That entity that Europe will become will have weak and strong parts:

41 Whereas you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; yet the strength of the iron shall be in it, just as you saw the iron mixed with ceramic clay. 42 And as the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly fragile. 43 As you saw iron mixed with ceramic clay, they will mingle with the seed of men; but they will not adhere to one another, just as iron does not mix with clay. (Daniel 2:41-43)

Is the coming “ever closer union a good thing?

No.

The Bible, continuing what I have quoted in Revelation 17 and Daniel 2 shows that the kingdom-union formed will ultimately be destroyed by Jesus Himself:

14 These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are called, chosen, and faithful.  (Revelation 17:14)

44 And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.  (Daniel 2:44)

Therefore, the millennial kingdom of God will come after Jesus destroys the final end time European entity.

Despite what David Cameron and others seem to want, the Bible shows that the European power will ultimately reorganize and become a ‘closer union,’ but that it will not last.

But what about the UK itself?

It flat out will not remain a major power in the final European configuration. The UK will be taken over and essentially devoured by the Beast power. And it may well leave prior to its final formation.

Nigel Farage’s United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) wants the UK to leave the European Union. David Cameron wants the UK to stay in. We will see what happens when those in the UK get to vote.

Between now and then, we will see how ‘flexible’ the EU will be regarding David Cameron’s proposal.

Irrespective of that, the Bible shows that the final European King of the North (Daniel 11:27-40) will take over the UK, USA, and their Anglo-Saxon allies (cf. Daniel 11:39; Isaiah 10:5-11).

If the UK votes to leave the EU, that could be a reason some in the EU might feel force is needed to bring its territory back in.

Some items of related interest may include:

British are the Covenant People What do ‘British’ and ‘Britain’ mean in Hebrew? Are the descendants of the Anglo-Saxons people of the covenant? Does the British royal family connect to the throne of David? What does the Bible teach? What does history show us? Is there any DNA evidence related to British-Israelism? When did Christianity make it to the British Isles? Could Jeremiah have made it to the British Isles? What type of Christians made it to the British Isles? Did the last King of England believe in British Israelism?
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”? Is an emerging European power “the daughter of Babylon”? What is ahead for Europe? Here is a link to a video titled: Can You Prove that the Beast to Come is European?
European Technology and the Beast of Revelation Will the coming European Beast power would use and develop technology that will result in the taking over of the USA and its Anglo-Saxon allies? Is this possible? What does the Bible teach? Here is a related YouTube video: Military Technology and the Beast of Revelation.
Must the Ten Kings of Revelation 17:12 Rule over Ten Currently Existing Nations? Some claim that these passages refer to a gathering of 10 currently existing nations together, while one group teaches that this is referring to 11 nations getting together. Is that what Revelation 17:12-13 refers to? The ramifications of misunderstanding this are enormous. A related sermon is titled Ten Kings of Revelation and the Great Tribulation.
Jesus: The Son of God and Saviour Who was Jesus? Why did He come to earth? What message did He bring? Is there evidence outside the Bible that He existed? Here is a YouTube sermon titled Jesus: Son of God and Saviour.
The Gospel of the Kingdom of God was the Emphasis of Jesus and the Early Church Did you know that? Do you even know what the gospel of the kingdom is all about? You can also see a YouTube video sermons Why Teach the Kingdom of God? and The Gospel of the Kingdom.
Did The Early Church Teach Millenarianism? Was the millennium (sometimes called chiliasm) taught by early Christians? Who condemned it? Will Jesus literally reign for 1000 years on the earth? Is this time near? Two related sermons are available Millennial Utopia and The Millennium.
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? Does God have 7,000 year plan? What year may the six thousand years of human rule end? When will Jesus return? 2023 or 20xx? There is also a video titled The 6000 Year Plan: Is the end of humanity’s reign almost up? Here is a link to the article in Spanish: ¿Tiene Dios un plan de 6,000 años?
When Will the Great Tribulation Begin? 2015, 2016, or 2017? Can the Great Tribulation begin today? What happens before the Great Tribulation in the “beginning of sorrows”? What happens in the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord? Is this the time of the Gentiles? When is the earliest that the Great Tribulation can begin? What is the Day of the Lord? Who are the 144,000? Here is a version of the article in the Spanish language: ¿Puede comenzar la Gran Tribulación en 2015? ¿Es el Tiempo de los Gentiles? You can also see the English language sermon video: The Great Tribulation from the Mount of Olives.
Anglo – America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel Are the Americans, Canadians, English, Scottish, Welsh, Australians, Anglo-Saxon (non-Dutch) Southern Africans, and New Zealanders descendants of Joseph? Where are the lost ten-tribes of Israel? Who are the lost tribes of Israel? What will happen to Jerusalem and the Jews in Israel? Will God punish the U.S.A., Canada, United Kingdom, and other Anglo-Saxon nations? Why might God allow them to be punished first? Here is a link to the Spanish version of this article: Anglo-América & las Tribus Perdidas de Israel. Information is also in the YouTube sermons titled Where are the Ten Lost Tribes? Why does it matter? and British are the Covenant People. A short YouTube of prophetic interest may be Barack Obama and the State of the Apocalypse.
Will the Anglo-Saxon Nations be Divided and Have People Taken as Slaves? Will the lands of the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand be divided? What about Jerusalem? What does Bible prophecy teach? Are there non-biblical prophecies that support this idea? Who will divide those lands? Who will end up with the lands and the people? Here is a link to a video titled Will the USA and other Anglo-nations be Divided and Their People Made Slaves? Here is a related item in the Spanish language ¿Serán divididas las naciones anglosajonas?

Colosseum of Rome (Photo by Joyce Thiel)

COGwriter

Ran across the following on a Catholic website:

Catholic Church

Founded by Christ, propagated by His apostles, from Jerusalem through Asia Minor to Rome as its permanent world center, from which it spread throughout the world according to the mandate of its Divine Founder:

Going therefore, teach ye all nations; baptising them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost (Matthew 28). (Catholic Church. Star Quest Production Network, Priest Roderick Vonhögen – Chief Executive Officer. http://saints.sqpn.com/catholic-church/)

Now, it is absolutely certain that the Church founded by Jesus began in Jerusalem as Acts 1 and 2 show. It is also absolutely certain that the apostles went from Jerusalem via Antioch to Asia Minor. BUT while it is true that the Apostle Paul went to Rome, there was no type of mandate that Rome would be its “permanent world center.”

Notice what Jesus taught in Matthew and Paul taught in Hebrews using the Rheims New Testament and the New Jerusalem Bible (both are approved Catholic versions/translations of the Bible):

22…and you shall be odious to all men for my name, but he that shall persevere unto the end, he shall be saved. 23 And when they shall persecute you in this city, flee into another (Matthew 10:22-23, RNT).

²² You will be universally hated on account of my name; but anyone who stands firm to the end will be saved. ²³ If they persecute you in one town, take refuge in the next; and if they persecute you in that, take refuge in another. In truth I tell you, you will not have gone the round of the towns of Israel before the Son of man comes. (Matthew 10:22-23, NJB)

14 For we have not here a permanent city: but we seek that which is to come (Hebrews 13:14, RNT).

14 There is no permanent city for us here; we are looking for the one which is yet to be. (Hebrews 13:14, NJB).

Thus, to claim that a city such as Rome could possibly be the “Eternal City” for Christians is to go against scripture as even Catholic renderings of scripture effectively prove that no single city, including Rome, could have remained the headquarters of Christendom for nearly 2000 years, if people are willing to actually believe what is written in the Bible.

Furthermore, it should be mentioned if there was to be one city from the beginning to the end, it likely would have had to be Jerusalem (cf. Revelation 21:2) as the Christian church began there (Acts 2) according to Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox, and Church of God scholars.

What about the claim that the Church of God in Rome was originally founded by Peter and Paul (which is what Irenaeus falsely suggested in the late second century)? Notice this comment from a Catholic priest and scholar about Irenaeus, Peter, Paul, and Rome:

Irenaeus focuses on the church of Rome which he describes as “greatest, most ancient and known to all, founded and established by the two most glorious apostles, Peter and Paul.” Here we must acknowledge a bit of rhetoric, as the church of Rome was obviously not so ancient as those of Jerusalem or Antioch, nor was it actually founded by Peter or Paul (Sullivan F.A. From Apostles to Bishops: the development of the episcopacy in the early church. Newman Press, Mahwah (NJ), 2001, p. 147).

The Catholic Encyclopedia also agrees with F.A. Sullivan here (and not Irenaeus) as it states this about Paul’s epistle to the Romans:

Paul would have worded his Epistle otherwise, if the community addressed were even mediately indebted to his apostolate (Merk A. Transcribed by W.G. Kofron. Epistle to the Romans. The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume XIII. Copyright © 1912 by Robert Appleton Company. Online Edition Copyright © 2003 by K. Knight. Nihil Obstat, February 1, 1912. Remy Lafort, D.D., Censor Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York).

Furthermore, the Bible clearly agrees with The Catholic Encyclopedia, and F.A. Sullivan here. The Bible shows that Paul did not start the Church in Rome–thus the apostolic tradition that Irenaeus relied on is a fraudulent one–as it is not true–it is a myth. For here is what Paul wrote to the church at Rome:

20. And I have so preached this Gospel, not where Christ was named, lest I should build
upon another mans foundation:
21. But as it is written, They to whom it hath not been preached of him, shall see: and they
that have not heard, shall understand.
22. For the which cause also I was hindered very much from coming unto you (Romans 15:20-22, Rheims NT of 1582).

There is no way that Paul could have written the above if he considered that he founded or co-founded the church in Rome as in these verses he explains that he did not first come to Rome lest he build on another man’s foundation. (Note: I choose to use the Rheims New Testament of 1582 A.D. as this is considered to the Catholic standard English translation of the New Testament).

Catholic scholar F.A. Sullivan also further agrees, as he wrote:

…it doesn’t appear that Paul ever appointed any one person as “resident bishop” over any of his churches…(Sullivan F.A. From Apostles to Bishops: the development of the episcopacy in the early church. Newman Press, Mahwah (NJ), 2001, p. 35).

Admittedly the Catholic position, that bishops are the successors of the apostles by divine institution, remains far from easy to establish…The first problem has to do with the notion that Christ ordained apostles as bishops…The apostles were missionaries and founders of churches; there is no evidence, nor is it at all likely, that any one of them ever took up permanent residence in a particular church as its bishop…The letter of the Romans to the Corinthians, known as I Clement, which dates to about the year 96, provides good evidence that about 30 years after the death of St. Paul the church of Corinth was being led by a group of presbyters, with no indication of a bishop with authority over the whole local church…Most scholars are of the opinion that the church of Rome would most probably have also been led at that time by a group of presbyters…There exists a broad consensus among scholars, including most Catholic ones, that such churches as Alexandria, Philippi, Corinth and Rome most probably continued to be led for some time by a college of presbyters, and that only in the second century did the threefold structure of become generally the rule, with a bishop, assisted by presbyters, presiding over each local church (Sullivan F.A. From Apostles to Bishops: the development of the episcopacy in the early church. Newman Press, Mahwah (NJ), 2001, pp. 13,14,15).

And that is certainly correct concerning Rome. There were no “bishops of Rome” in the first century and certain Roman Catholic scholars understand this, hence the idea that there is an unbroken line of bishops in apostolic succession from Rome and Rome being the “permanent world center” for the true Church is false (more information can be found in the article Apostolic Succession).

And as far as the getting the gospel out to the world as a witness, the true church was not limited to Asia Minor. True churches were spread throughout many lands, such as northern Italy, France, Britain, Scotland, Ireland, Antioch, and elsewhere.

And where did those churches come from? Well, logically, they did not come from Rome, but from the Smyrnaeans (the prior Church era) in Asia Minor and Palestine. According to A.N. Dugger, Dr. T.V. Moore noted:

“The type of Christianity which first was favored, then raised to leadership by Constantine was that of the Roman Papacy. But this was not the type of Christianity that first penetrated Syria, northern Italy, southern France, and Great Britain. The ancient records of the first believers in Christ in those parts, disclose a Christianity which is not Roman but apostolic. These lands were first penetrated by missionaries, not from Rome, but from Palestine and Asia Minor. And the Greek New Testament, the Received Text, they brought with them, or its translation, was of the type from which the Protestant Bibles, as the King James in the English, and the Lutheran in German, were translated.” — Dr. T. V. Moore, The Culdee Church, chapters 3 and 4, and Wilkinson, Our Authorized Bible Vindicated, pp. 25, 26 (As cited in Dugger AN, Dodd CO. A History of True Religion, 3rd ed. Jerusalem, 1972 (Church of God, 7th Day). 1990 reprint, pp. 90-91).

So, it was Asia Minor, and not Rome that was the main location of the true Church of God in the first and second centuries, and even into the third century. And while a confederation involving Rome rose up in the second through fourth centuries, it ended up changing doctrines and not holding to original Christianity in many ways.

Most people, Catholic or otherwise, simply do not know enough about the real truth about early church history. But they can if they are willing to look at the truth of what really happened. Here is a link to a free online pdf booklet: Continuing History of the Church of God.

Some items documenting these and other items of possibly related interest include the following:

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.
Which Is Faithful: The Roman Catholic Church or the Continuing 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.
Nazarene Christianity: Were the Original Christians Nazarenes? Who were the Nazarene Christians? What did they believe? Should 21st century Christians be modern Nazarenes? Is there a group that exists now that traces its history through the Nazarenes and holds the same beliefs today? Here is a link to a related video sermon Nazarene Christians: Were the early Christians “Nazarenes”?
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?
The Ephesus Church Era was predominant from 31 A.D. to circa 135 A.D. The Church of James, Peter, Paul, and John, etc.
The Smyrna Church Era was predominant circa 135 A.D. to circa 450 A.D. The Church led by Polycarp, Melito, Polycrates, etc.
Was Peter the Rock Who Alone Received the Keys of the Kingdom? How should Matthew 16:18-19 be understood?
The Apostle Peter He was an original apostle and early Christian leader. Where was Peter buried? Where did Peter die?
The Apostle Paul He was a later apostle, but also an early Christian leader.
The Apostle John He was an original apostle, early Christian leader, and the last of the original apostles to die.
Apostolic Succession What really happened? Did structure and beliefs change? Are many of the widely-held current understandings of this even possible? Did you know that Catholic scholars really do not believe that several of the claimed “apostolic sees” of the Orthodox have apostolic succession–despite the fact that the current pontiff himself seems to wish to ignore this view? Is there actually a true church that has ties to any of the apostles that is not part of the Catholic or Orthodox churches? Read this article if you truly are interested in the truth on this matter!
Early Church History: Who Were the Two Major Groups Professed Christ in the Second and Third Centuries? Did you know that many in the second and third centuries felt that there were two major, and separate, professing Christian groups in the second century, but that those in the majority churches tend to now blend the groups together and claim “saints” from both? “Saints” that condemn some of their current beliefs. Who are the two groups?
Where is the True Christian Church Today? This free online pdf booklet answers that question and includes 18 proofs, clues, and signs to identify the true vs. false Christian church. Plus 7 proofs, clues, and signs to help identify Laodicean churches. A related sermon is also available: Where is the True Christian Church? Here is a link to the booklet in the Spanish language: ¿Dónde está la verdadera Iglesia cristiana de hoy? Here is a link in the German language: WO IST DIE WAHRE CHRISTLICHE KIRCHE HEUTE? Here is a link in the French language: Où est la vraie Église Chrétienne aujourd’hui?
Continuing History of the Church of God This pdf booklet is a historical overview of the true Church of God and some of its main opponents from Acts 2 to the 21st century. Related sermon links include Continuing History of the Church of God: c. 31 to c. 300 A.D. and Continuing History of the Church of God: 4th-16th Centuries. The booklet is available in Spanish: Continuación de la Historia de la Iglesia de Dios, German: Kontinuierliche Geschichte der Kirche Gottes, and Ekegusii Omogano Bw’ekanisa Ya Nyasae Egendererete.
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?

Green = Sunni; Violet: Shi’ite Muslims

COGwriter

Martin Weiss at Money & Markets reported the following:

November 9, 2015

The Global Money Tsunami

This is the term we’ve coined for the massive influx of flight capital …  mostly flowing from major trouble spots overseas and mostly going to large, high-quality, U.S.-based blue-chip stocks. …

Why are global investors so desperate to escape their local markets and rush to the United States?

One reason is the slump in their economies I just told you about. But in many countries, the most emotional and powerful reason is the war cycle.

Money is rushing out of the conflict zones for the same reason that millions of migrants and refugees are flooding to Western Europe: fear.

Most of this chaos is deeply rooted in the past and will endure for many years into the future. This is not a single episode that comes and goes quickly. It’s the culmination of centuries of escalating tensions that trace their roots to …

The death and succession of Muhammad, splitting Shias from Sunnis in the 7th century …

The fall of the Ottoman Empire, as Britain encouraged an “Arab Revolt” against the Ottomans in the early 1920s…

Cold War proxy battles between the United States and the Soviet Union — a time when the CIA provided arms to Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan, and now …

A free-for-all series of military actions by two opposing military forces:

• Western nations and their Sunni allies — most notably Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and other Gulf nations versus …
• Russia and its Shiite allies — especially Iran, the Syrian regime, Hezbollah and, surprisingly, even Iraq.

The key point: These two global alliances are split along the same fault line between Sunni and Shiite Islam that first appeared after the death of Muhammad 1,383 years ago.

It’s obviously not a new conflict.

It’s not going away any time soon.

And now, two major world powers — the U.S. and Russia — have not only taken opposing sides, but they’ve also joined the battle.

“Peace” Talks?

Yes, there were Vienna talks on Oct. 30. But they were everything but peaceful.

Instead, it was mostly a forum for Saudi Arabia (Sunni) to directly attack Iran (Shiite). And the two sides vowed never to agree about the critical issue in the war — the fate of Syria’s dictator, Bashar al-Assad.

The Saudi foreign minister restated the Saudi position that peace could not be achieved as long as Mr. Assad stayed in power: “He should leave this afternoon. The sooner the better.” The Saudi official also insisted that Iranian forces would have to be withdrawn as part of any agreement … threatened to step up support for moderate Syrian rebels … and vowed to send them more lethal weapons. Meanwhile,

The Islamic State continues to score victories.

Despite peace talks … despite thousands of air strikes by both the U.S. and Russian sides … despite the direct intervention by so many nations in the region and beyond … the Islamic State continues to hold most of its gains and even advance in some areas. …

We have no doubt the Global Money Tsunami will continue to be an important factor for months to come.  http://www.moneyandmarkets.com/new-cycles-war-74153#.VkDhHl5aYZw

Two issues: The Muslims and the divide of the Shi’ites and Russia on one side, with the Sunnis, and partially the USA, on the other side.  The second issue is the ‘global money tsunami.’

The Bible shows that there will be major cooperation between the nations in the Middle East and North Africa that are predominantly Sunni Muslim, and that a confederation will form (Daniel 11:40-43; Ezekiel 30:2-8).  The Bible also shows that Damascus, the capital of Syria will be destroyed (Isaiah 17:1), and what remains looks like it will support the ‘Sunni’ confederation to be led by one called the King of the South.

Also, contrary to the myth that many hold to, Russia is NOT about to start WWIII (for details, see World War III: Steps in Progress and/or watch Russia, Iran, Syria, & the Bible (Code)).  Nor is it about to takeover the USA as some have hinted recently (see also Russia and Ukraine: Origins and Prophesied Future).

Russia is concerned about what happened to its airliner upon which 224 died:

November 9, 2015

Moscow acknowledged on Monday for the first time a militant attack could have caused the 31 October Russian plane crash in Egypt, as thousands more tourists were evacuated from the country.

“The possibility of an act of terror is of course there as the reason for what happened,” Russia’s Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev admitted in an interview with Rossiyskaya Gazeta state newspaper.

Britain and the United States, as well as international investigators, suspect a bomb exploded on board the Metrojet A-321 plane, but Egyptian officials insist there is no evidence yet of an attack on the aircraft which the Islamic State group claim to have downed.

Russia had also refrained from blaming the crash, which killed all 224 people on board, on IS, although President Vladimir Putin on Friday suspended all flights to Egypt.

Israel, which has strong intelligence links to the neighbouring Sinai where the Airbus came down while en route from Egypt’s resort of Sharm el-Sheikh to Saint Petersburg, also sided with the attack theory.

“There is a strong probability that this is an attack,” Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon told Israeli reporters on Monday. http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/russia-sees-possible-terror-link-egypt-jet-crash-545939753#sthash.NPol07En.dpuf

This event shows that Russia is likely to have more military focus on terrorists like the Islamic State.

As I have said for some time, the Islamic State is not going to win its war.  The leader of that group is NOT going to be accepted as the caliph that the bulk of Sunni Muslims in the Middle East and North Africa will accept (see also The Prophesied ‘Islamic’ Confederation).

That being said, I have long expected a regional war in the Middle East, and it may be because of that a temporary peace deal, that the Bible tells of (see The ‘Peace Deal’ of Daniel 9:27), will come to pass.

Once the ‘peace deal’ is in place, there will be less personal and financial fear, like those that Martin Weiss referred to.

Currently, fears around the world continue to prop-up the economy of the USA, and especially its financial markets. That is one of the reasons that interest rates are lower than they normally should be (federal government manipulation is the other reason).

Despite people around the world providing financial support to the USA, some have contacted me recently concerned about what might happen this month.  Here are two items related to concerns I have heard:

Collapse Imminent! Top Analyst Says Coming in November

November 4, 2015 Jeff Berwick

This summer I stated that I expected a fall crisis to happen – mostly based on my insights on an ancient timeline called the Shemitah. I produced several videos that went viral around the world.

In fact, the crisis  came a few weeks early when 23 international stock markets crashed in and around August, and the Dow fell over 1,000 points intraday near the end of August. …

His name is Bo Polny of Gold2020Forecast and once I heard about his streak I contacted him and found that his theories were very much aligned with ours…

His latest call is for a November crash/crisis to occur and it certainly sounds possible. https://www.dollarvigilante.com/blog/2015/11/04/collapse-imminent-top-analyst-says-coming-in-november.html

International Monetary Fund staff are set to give the all-clear for China’s yuan to be included in the lender’s benchmark currency basket, laying the groundwork for a favorable decision by policymakers, people familiar with the discussions said on Sunday.

The IMF’s executive board is scheduled to decide in November on putting the yuan on a par with the dollar, yen, euro and pound sterling and a key factor will be its performance against a checklist of technical criteria, as assessed by IMF staff.

Three people briefed on the IMF discussions, who asked not to be named because of the sensitivity of the issue, said a draft report from staff reached a favorable conclusion on including the yuan, also known as the renminbi (RMB).   http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/10/25/imf-china-sdr-idUSL1N12P0JE20151025#YY8PpbDUazk4U10b.97

Before mentioning the IMF, let me again state, I have NOT accepted that the year the so-called Shemitah year ran from September 25, 2014 through September 13, 2015.  Global economic collapse was predicted to occur on September 13, 2013 according to items his site posted (see Does end of Mark Biltz’s Shemitah mean that the Tribulation starts tomorrow?).  That was wrong (see Jonathan Cahn defends ‘The Mystery of the Shemitah,’ whereas COGwriter denounces it).  Do NOT rely on the Shemitah interpreters (see also Dow Jones up in the ‘wake of the Shemitah’?).

While we may well see stock market dips this month, the ‘global tsunami’ away from the USA is not yet.

But the Bible teaches that will end.

Now it is true that the International Monetary Fund could accept the Chinese Renminbi yuan as one of its basket of currencies.   The IMF is concerned that the USA dollar has too much influence in the world and it has been open to ways to change it.  The possible addition of the Chinese currency is one step it is looking at.

The ‘global money tsunami’ will eventually turn against the USA (cf. Habakkuk 2:6-8).  The fact that so much money has come in to support USA markets will hurt when much of it goes out.

As far as the current situation in the Middle East, look for more fighting, look for Russia to try to expand its influence with difficulties, look for the Sunnis to try to cooperate more against the Shi’ites and the Islamic State.

And while the stock market could have a major drop this month, do not look for an actual financial collapse of the USA–the end is not yet.  But steps aligning with the end are happening.

COGwriter

Is the ‘Year of Jubilee’ 2017?  Could Jesus return then?  Some seem to think so:

A current theory is that Jesus will return in 2017, based on the idea that 2017 is a Jubilee year that will fulfill a medieval rabbi’s prophecy. … there is no way to be certain that 2017 is an actual year of Jubilee. And, even if it is, it would not signal the return of Christ. … In ancient times, the Jubilee year began with the Sanhedrin’s blast of the shofar (ram’s horn).  http://www.gotquestions.org/Jubilee-2017.html

The editor of World News Daily, Joseph Farah, posted the following:

November 8, 2015

JERUSALEM – Several years ago, Ludwig Schneider, a German-language scholar, discovered an amazing prophecy dating back to 1217 by a scholarly and highly respected rabbi by the name of Judah Ben Samuel.

…in the year Judah Ben Samuel died in 1217, he prophesied that the Ottoman Turks would rule over the holy city of Jerusalem for eight Jubilees. Now, keep in mind, he made this prediction 300 years before the Turks seized control of Jerusalem in 1517. In fact, the Ottoman Empire, as it would become to be known, did not even really exist yet in 1217.

According to Judah Ben Samuel, 1217 was a Jubilee Year. If he was right, that would also make 1517 a Jubilee Year. …

The rabbi also prophesied that during the ninth Jubilee, Jerusalem would be a “no-man’s land.” This is exactly what happened from 1917 to 1967, due to the fact that the Holy Land was placed under British Mandate in 1917 by the League of Nations and literally “belonged” to no nation. …

The rabbi also prophesied that during the 10th Jubilee, Jerusalem would be under the control of the Jews and the Messianic “end times” would begin. The 10th Jubilee began in 1967 and will be concluded in – 2017.

What should we expect to happen in 2017? I will leave that to your imagination.

But one thing is certain: Judah Ben Samuel made some truly remarkable prophecies that came to pass. http://www.wnd.com/2015/11/will-2017-be-a-jubilee-year/#TYEyp5EYgHULig9h.99

Before going further, I would add that WND’s editor pushed the false idea that the so-called Shemitah year ran from September 25, 2014 through September 13, 2015.  Global economic collapse was predicted to occur on September 13, 2015 according to items his site posted (see Does end of Mark Biltz’s Shemitah mean that the Tribulation starts tomorrow?).  That was wrong (see Jonathan Cahn defends ‘The Mystery of the Shemitah,’ whereas COGwriter denounces it).

Furthermore, if the Shemitah year really was from September 25, 2014 through September 13, 2015, then we should be in the Jubilee now as the Jubilee year begins ten days after the seventh Shemitah year in that cycle ends.

Here is what the Bible itself teaches about the Jubilee year:

8 ‘And you shall count seven sabbaths of years for yourself, seven times seven years; and the time of the seven sabbaths of years shall be to you forty-nine years. 9 Then you shall cause the trumpet of the Jubilee to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the Day of Atonement you shall make the trumpet to sound throughout all your land. 10 And you shall consecrate the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a Jubilee for you; and each of you shall return to his possession, and each of you shall return to his family. 11 That fiftieth year shall be a Jubilee to you; in it you shall neither sow nor reap what grows of its own accord, nor gather the grapes of your untended vine. 12 For it is the Jubilee; it shall be holy to you; you shall eat its produce from the field.

13 ‘In this Year of Jubilee, each of you shall return to his possession. 14 And if you sell anything to your neighbor or buy from your neighbor’s hand, you shall not oppress one another. 15 According to the number of years after the Jubilee you shall buy from your neighbor, and according to the number of years of crops he shall sell to you. 16 According to the multitude of years you shall increase its price, and according to the fewer number of years you shall diminish its price; for he sells to you according to the number of the years of the crops. 17 Therefore you shall not oppress one another, but you shall fear your God; for I am the Lord your God. (Leviticus 25:8-17)

25 ‘If one of your brethren becomes poor, and has sold some of his possession, and if his redeeming relative comes to redeem it, then he may redeem what his brother sold. 26 Or if the man has no one to redeem it, but he himself becomes able to redeem it, 27 then let him count the years since its sale, and restore the remainder to the man to whom he sold it, that he may return to his possession. 28 But if he is not able to have it restored to himself, then what was sold shall remain in the hand of him who bought it until the Year of Jubilee; and in the Jubilee it shall be released, and he shall return to his possession.

29 ‘If a man sells a house in a walled city, then he may redeem it within a whole year after it is sold; within a full year he may redeem it. 30 But if it is not redeemed within the space of a full year, then the house in the walled city shall belong permanently to him who bought it, throughout his generations. It shall not be released in the Jubilee. 31 However the houses of villages which have no wall around them shall be counted as the fields of the country. They may be redeemed, and they shall be released in the Jubilee. 32 Nevertheless the cities of the Levites, and the houses in the cities of their possession, the Levites may redeem at any time. 33 And if a man purchases a house from the Levites, then the house that was sold in the city of his possession shall be released in the Jubilee; for the houses in the cities of the Levites are their possession among the children of Israel. 34 But the field of the common-land of their cities may not be sold, for it is their perpetual possession. (Leviticus 25:25-34)

40 As a hired servant and a sojourner he shall be with you, and shall serve you until the Year of Jubilee. 41 And then he shall depart from you — he and his children with him — and shall return to his own family. He shall return to the possession of his fathers. (Leviticus 25:40-41)

47 ‘Now if a sojourner or stranger close to you becomes rich, and one of your brethren who dwells by him becomes poor, and sells himself to the stranger or sojourner close to you, or to a member of the stranger’s family, 48 after he is sold he may be redeemed again. One of his brothers may redeem him; 49 or his uncle or his uncle’s son may redeem him; or anyone who is near of kin to him in his family may redeem him; or if he is able he may redeem himself. 50 Thus he shall reckon with him who bought him: The price of his release shall be according to the number of years, from the year that he was sold to him until the Year of Jubilee; it shall be according to the time of a hired servant for him. 51 If there are still many years remaining, according to them he shall repay the price of his redemption from the money with which he was bought. 52 And if there remain but a few years until the Year of Jubilee, then he shall reckon with him, and according to his years he shall repay him the price of his redemption. 53 He shall be with him as a yearly hired servant, and he shall not rule with rigor over him in your sight. 54 And if he is not redeemed in these years, then he shall be released in the Year of Jubilee — he and his children with him. 55 For the children of Israel are servants to Me; they are My servants whom I brought out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God. (Leviticus 25:47-55)

2 And they said: “The Lord commanded my lord Moses to give the land as an inheritance by lot to the children of Israel, and my lord was commanded by the Lord to give the inheritance of our brother Zelophehad to his daughters. 3 Now if they are married to any of the sons of the other tribes of the children of Israel, then their inheritance will be taken from the inheritance of our fathers, and it will be added to the inheritance of the tribe into which they marry; so it will be taken from the lot of our inheritance. 4 And when the Jubilee of the children of Israel comes, then their inheritance will be added to the inheritance of the tribe into which they marry; so their inheritance will be taken away from the inheritance of the tribe of our fathers. (Numbers 36:2-4)

16 ‘If a man dedicates to the Lord part of a field of his possession, then your valuation shall be according to the seed for it. A homer of barley seed shall be valued at fifty shekels of silver. 17 If he dedicates his field from the Year of Jubilee, according to your valuation it shall stand. 18 But if he dedicates his field after the Jubilee, then the priest shall reckon to him the money due according to the years that remain till the Year of Jubilee, and it shall be deducted from your valuation. 19 And if he who dedicates the field ever wishes to redeem it, then he must add one-fifth of the money of your valuation to it, and it shall belong to him. 20 But if he does not want to redeem the field, or if he has sold the field to another man, it shall not be redeemed anymore; 21 but the field, when it is released in the Jubilee, shall be holy to the Lord, as a devoted field; it shall be the possession of the priest.

22 ‘And if a man dedicates to the Lord a field which he has bought, which is not the field of his possession, 23 then the priest shall reckon to him the worth of your valuation, up to the Year of Jubilee, and he shall give your valuation on that day as a holy offering to the Lord. 24 In the Year of Jubilee the field shall return to him from whom it was bought, to the one who owned the land as a possession. (Leviticus 27:16-24)

Essentially, the jubilee was a reset for society and a new chance for those who had not handled their finances as well as others may have. People would get their ancestral lands back, if they would have sold them. And since it was supposed to be observed once every 50 years, most people who did not die in childhood would have experienced it once or even twice in their lifetime (yes, even three times was possible).

As far as the meaning of the term translated as jubilee, notice the following:

The translation “Jubilee year” results from a mistaken application of cognates (similar words in different languages). In the original Hebrew, the year was called the “year of the horn,” or, in Hebrew, “the year of the yovel.” The Latin for yovel is iobileus, which just happens to sound like the Latin word iubileus, connected to the verb iubilare, “to celebrate.” The English “Jubilee year” comes from the Latin. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-joel-hoffman/five-mistakes-bible-translation_b_1129620.html

Some have suggested that because the jubilee is not observed, that this is perhaps why there tends to be major economic problems every 50-60 or so years. Notice the following:

“Kondratieff long wave cycle (K-wave) was originally used to explain long wave economic cycles. Its originator Nickolai Kondratieff was a Russian economist (1892-1938) in Stalin’s Agricultural Academy and Business Research Institute (“Long Waves in Economic Life” – originally published in German in 1926). Kondratieff’s major premise was that capitalist economies displayed long wave cycles of boom and bust ranging between 50-60 years in duration. Kondratieff’s study covered the period 1789 to 1926 and was centered on prices and interest rates.”

“The 50-60 year cycle of catastrophe and renewal had been observed and recorded by the ancient Mayans of Central America and by the ancient Israelites. Further studies have discovered similar long economic waves from the period of the ancient Greeks and Romans. Kondratieff identified four distinct phases the economy goes through. They are a period of inflationary growth, followed by stagflation, then deflationary growth and finally depression.” http://www.gold-eagle.com/editorials_02/chapmand062902.html See also: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kondratiev_wave

Some now point to Judah Ben Samuel’s track record as proof that his Jubilee cycle predicted many events, but there are many reasons to discount his prediction for 2017.

One of the most important is that it is NOT possible for Jesus to return in 2017.  Jesus said He returns AFTER the tribulation:

29 “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.  30 Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.  31 And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.  (Matthew 24:29-31)

The period know as the Great Tribulation (Matthew 24:21) cannot start until 3 1/2 years AFTER the deal in Daniel 9:27 has been confirmed by a prince for seven years (see The ‘Peace Deal’ of Daniel 9:27).

Let’s look more into another report about this rabbi Samuel:

A 13th century German rabbi from Regensburg wrote many books in German.  He was Judah Ben Samuel, AKA Judah he-Hasid (Judah the Pious) and he has made some astonishing and specific predictions about the future of Israel that have come true already. He made a prophecy 750 years before it has happened  So far it has been fullfilled to the letter.  This rabbi died in 1217 and was a mystic.  He devoted himself chiefly to kabbalistic studies.  …

Judah Ben Samuel was a student of Gematria and astrological observations http://www.rapturewatch.net/2017-end-of-10th-jubilee

Essentially, the above report says that Judah Ben Samuel followed kabbalistic teachings and astrology.  He was not God’s prophet (see also How To Determine If Someone is a True Prophet of God).  Even The Protestant World News Daily should realize this.

That being said, Satan does have a plan and throughout the centuries he has had false prophets make predictions that have some accuracy.  In the time of the end, many will be confused by false prophecies and other doctrines of demons.

1 Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons (1 Timothy 4:1).

Nearly everyone will be deceived in the end times.  Though not by Judah Ben Samuel.

There will be lying wonders as well:

9 The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, 10 and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, 12 that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12)

Many will be deceived.

From time to time I receive emails from some who think they know when the jubilee year is, despite the fact that history does not clearly record a particular year that the children of Israel actually observed it. There was, for one example, someone who emailed me and claimed that the 50 year biblical jubilee would begin on October 8, 2011. He was upset that I would not proclaim that as he was convinced that was the year. I told him I did not believe that the jubilee period could have began then. One of the reasons is that since God has a 6,000 plan for humankind that should be up within a decade or two and since 6,000 years is divisible by 50, I did not believe that 2011-2012 could possibly have been the year of jubilee.

I have looked at a lot of calculations for the next Jubilee year and am not absolutely certain which is correct. One that is supposedly based upon the reign of King Josiah seems to point to the 2028 or 2027 time period (see The Book of Life and the Feast of Trumpets?), but there are others that point to Hezekiah (2 Kings 19:29-34) that suggest more like a 2050 or 2051 date which seems too distant. Another from the Talmud that leaves over 200 years off, seems to point to 2038, while one related to Ezekiel 40:1 (which the Pulpit commentary says may have been 575 BC) points to 2026 , and one by the Rabbi known as Maimonides seems to point to 2025 (http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/12967-sabbatical-year-and-jubilee#anchor9).

Here is some information from what seems to be a Protestant source that suggests 2028 as the next Jubilee:

The Bible relates this information about the year of Jubilee.

“Count off seven sabbaths of years—seven times seven years—so that the seven sabbaths of years amount to a period of forty-nine years [seven ‘sevens’]. Then have the trumpet sounded everywhere on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the Day of Atonement sound the trumpet throughout your land. Consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you; each one of you is to return to his family property and each to his own clan. The fiftieth year shall be a jubilee for you; do not sow and do not reap what grows of itself or harvest the untended vines. For it is a jubilee and is to be holy for you; eat only what is taken directly from the fields.”

Leviticus 25:8-12

The Bible further states the Jewish year begins in the first month of Nisan, since the time of Exodus, although modern Jews actually begin the civil New Year six months later in the seventh month (Tishrei).  So using this understanding, the forty-ninth year (seventh Sabbath) would have started in the month of Nisan and ended just before the month of Nisan the following year. There would have been no planting in that year if they followed God’s laws. God also says not to sow or reap in the year of Jubilee as well, the fiftieth year, so why does He say to wait until the tenth day of the seventh month before the year is proclaimed when the Jews clearly should already be “observing” the Jubilee by not planting crops? We will examine this issue shortly. So a year of Jubilee begins on the first of Nisan, is proclaimed midway through the year on the Day of Atonement, and ends at the start of a new year in the month of Nisan.

Assuming Josephus was correct on this point, the year of Jubilee he reported would probably have been Nisan 1, 3738 A.M. to Adar 29, 3739 A.M. This corresponds to March 28, 23 B.C to March 16, 22 B.C. Projecting these dates 50 years ahead across the B.C. to A.D. threshold gives us March 14, 28 A.D. (Nisan 1, 3788 A.M.) to March 31, 29 A.D. (Adar II 29, 3789 A.M.) as the first year of Jubilee in the year of our Lord (anno domini – A.D.). This period of time partially overlaps the 15th year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, which ended in August of 29 A.D. If you aspire to do your counting from the first of Tishrei (using that as the beginning of the New Year), then the Jubilee Year would have been September 21, 23 B.C. to September 10, 22 B.C. instead, effectively moving the dates six months into the future. The next Jubilee (28/29 A.D.) using this accounting method would have lined up very close to the 15th year of Tiberius… being off by only three to four weeks longer…

So we see from using more accurate calendar math that the next year of Jubilee from Josephus’ writings was between 28 and 29 A.D. not just 28 A.D. as we originally calculated. If we project this Jubilee year 2,000 years into the future… forty (generations) fifty year periods (Jubilees), we get the first of Tishrei in the year 5789 A.M. This translates into September 21, 2028 A.D. on the Gregorian calendar and the end of that Jewish year using the same calendar is September 9, 2029 A.D. The tenth of Tishrei of this Jubilee year, the Day of Atonement, is September 30, 2028 A.D. as you already know. (Vargo RH. 2028 ~ GOD’S PLAN FOR MANKIND. Chapter 26. ASIN: B00885RJ9Y, 2007. http://webwaydrive.com/2028/Jubilee%20Year%20Revelation.htm; the same conclusion is in R.H. Vargo’s 2009 book: Tribulation: God’s Plan for the End of The Age, p. 16)

I am not certain that 2028 must be the year, but it could be the next Jubiliee. I never accepted Harbinger author Jonathan Kahn’s belief that the Shemitah year was from Trumpets 2014 to Trumpets 2015. But I would add that it is possible that the millennium could start on a year of Jubilee.

Why?

Well, since the Bible teaches “the land shall enjoy its sabbaths” (Leviticus 26:34-35), the jubilee year is considered one of them (in addition to the every seven year land Sabbath of Exodus 23:10-11), and the final Day of the Lord lasts one year (Isaiah 34:8), it is possible that the Day of the Lord or the period immediately after the return of Jesus Christ and the establishment of His kingdom will be the next jubilee year.

But that is speculation.

What is NOT speculation is for me to declare that according to what Jesus taught in Matthew 24 as well as passages in the Book of Daniel that Jesus is NOT going to return in 2017 and the ‘Messianic era,’ which some would consider to be the millennium, cannot possibly start in 2017.

As far as prophetic teachings go, we in the Continuing Church of God “have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts” (2 Peter 1:19, KJV).”

Why?

Because we really do rely on what the Bible teaches.

Jesus will NOT return in 2017.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

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? Does God have 7,000 year plan? What year may the six thousand years of human rule end? When will Jesus return? 2023 or 20xx? There is also a video titled The 6000 Year Plan: Is the end of humanity’s reign almost up? Here is a link to the article in Spanish: ¿Tiene Dios un plan de 6,000 años?
When Will the Great Tribulation Begin? 2015, 2016, or 2017? Can the Great Tribulation begin today? What happens before the Great Tribulation in the “beginning of sorrows”? What happens in the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord? Is this the time of the Gentiles? When is the earliest that the Great Tribulation can begin? What is the Day of the Lord? Who are the 144,000? Here is a version of the article in the Spanish language: ¿Puede comenzar la Gran Tribulación en 2015? ¿Es el Tiempo de los Gentiles? You can also see the English language sermon video: The Great Tribulation from the Mount of Olives.
The ‘Peace Deal’ of Daniel 9:27 This prophecy could give up to 3 1/2 years advance notice of the coming Great Tribulation. Will most ignore or misunderstand its fulfillment? Here is a link to a related sermon video Daniel 9:27 and the Start of the Great Tribulation.
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 also a YouTube video with information Did Jesus Teach a Pre-tribulation Rapture?
The Day of Atonement–Its Christian Significance The Jews call it Yom Kippur, Christians “The Day of Atonement.” Does it have any relevance for Christians today? What is the Jubilee? Is fasting healthy? Here is a link to a sermon: Day of Atonement: How Jesus fulfilled His part for the Atonement. Here is a link to a related article in the Spanish language: El Día de Expiación –Su significado cristiano.
Dreams, the Bible, the Radio Church of God, and the Continuing Church of God How has God used dreams in the past? Does God still use dreams? Did He use any involving those in the Continuing Church of God? A related sermon is also available: Dreams, COGs, and One Man Rule.
How To Determine If Someone is a True Prophet of God There are many false prophets. How can Christians determine who is a true prophet? There is also a sermon-length video titled How to determine if someone is a true prophet of God. Here is a related link in Spanish/español: ¿Cómo determinar si alguien es un verdadero profeta de Dios?
Continuing Church of God The group striving to be most faithful amongst all real Christian groups to the word of God.

Berlin Wall, 1989

COGwriter

The Berlin Wall began to be torn down 26 years ago:

November 9th marks the … anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.

We spoke with British historian Frederick Taylor, an expert on the Berlin Wall and author of the Book “The Berlin Wall – A World Divided 1961-1989” about what prompted East German authorities to build the wall in the first place.

Under the terms of the 1945 Yalta Agreement, the victorious allies of World War Two divided Germany into four sectors, or zones of occupation: the American, British, French and Soviet zones.

About 160 kilometers inside the Soviet zone lay Germany’s capital Berlin. The city was also divided into four sectors along the same lines as Germany. …

Historian Frederick Taylor …

Berlin Wall Erected

The historian said on the night of the 12th to the 13th of August 1961 tons of wood, cinder blocks and barbed wire were funneled into East Berlin.

“Basically what they did first was to run barbed wire around everything, block many cross-streets that went from East to West Berlin with concrete tank trap material and cinder blocks. There were guards every few yards watching the workers who were putting up these barriers, and basically they did the whole thing in less than 12 hours,” said Taylor.

“By Sunday morning, the morning of Sunday August the 13th, 1961, everybody woke up, East and West Berliners alike and found that essentially, a barrier had been built. It wasn’t yet a wall, it was a fence. A barbed wire fence with cinder blocks to block the streets and prevent vehicles getting through.”

Taylor said the barbed wire beginnings of the Berlin Wall divided overnight, with savage finality, neighborhoods, families and friends.

Families and Neighborhoods Divided

“Wherever you were on that night, you had to decide what to do. If you were a Westerner staying in the East, they’ll let you back, no question about that. If you were an Easterner staying in the West, say with relatives, which of course, it was a weekend, actually, a lot of people, several thousand in fact, were staying in the West and they had to decide what to do: to go back to their families or to stay in the West. Many, many of them decided to stay with considerable sacrifice. But also, simply there were neighborhoods – the new barrier ran literally down the middle of streets.”

The historian said it was about a week later that the first proper wall-like structure was constructed, south of the Brandenburg Gate. When fully built, the wall was about 43 kilometers long where it cut through the center of Berlin and more than 110 kilometers long as it divided West Berlin from East Germany. In addition, there were more than 300 watchtowers, as well as minefields, floodlights and guns that fired automatically.

Taylor described the feeling of many East Germans.

“It’s the great tragedy of this time. It was the dashed hopes, the disappointment, the claustrophobia, the ghastly feeling of this lack of freedom of movement, the freedom to breathe, the freedom to feel. I think that when I talked to people who lived through all that, that’s always the most striking thing. I think it’s very hard for us to understand,” said Taylor.

For the next several decades, East Germans tried to escape to freedom by using various methods, from climbing the wall to tunneling underneath it. Chances of making it were slim. But Taylor says people were willing to risk everything for the promise of a better life that lay just beyond the Berlin Wall. http://www.voanews.com/content/berlin-wall-anniversary-sparks-look-at-history/2512615.html

26 years after the fall, we see a more prosperous Germany. Germany is now the main engine for Europe and is becoming a major player in the world.

Many in Germany have been celebrating the fall of the Berlin Wall and are expected to do so all weekend. While the fall of the Berlin Wall was a good thing, what ultimately will happen in that part of the world will not be. But most will not heed biblical prophecy.

I remember listening to a prophetically-related sermon by the late Dr. Hoeh at the Feast of Tabernacles in Tuscon, Arizona in October 1979 where he explained that Herbert W. Armstrong believed that the two legs of the Beast in Daniel 2, with its two feet (vs. 33), represented both West and East Europe (including specifically Germany). He taught that this meant that the nations in Eastern Europe would ultimately not be under the power of the Soviet Union, but would become independent of it, and ultimately be part of a supranational European state.

About that time, I remember reading an article in TV Guide (which then had the highest circulation of any periodical in the USA) basically teaching that the prophetic positions of Herbert W. Armstrong “bordered on lunacy”. Why? Because, amongst other things, we taught that East and West Europe would unite, Europe would have its own currency, and that the USA would fall from its position in the world.

About thirty years later, supranational state was approved by the last of the European Union members, when the Czech Republic signed the Lisbon Treaty on November 2, 2009. The state formed officially on December 1, 2009. Thus, the position of Herman Hoeh on this point has been shown to have been correct. World events also show that the position about the decline of the USA is also happening.

Right after the Berlin wall fell in November 1989, I was asked to give the closing prayer at WCG church services in Fresno, California. In that prayer, I mentioned that we were witnessing prophecy being fulfilled right before our eyes. One of the reasons that I stated that was because many in that congregation seemed to be losing their zeal and belief about Bible prophecy. Many who once were believers, no longer love the law of God and became scorners (Psalm 1).

Sadly, this has afflicted many throughout history. The prophecies of the Bible are coming to pass right before our eyes today. Jesus taught:

34 But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly. 35 For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. 36 Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man. (Luke 21:34-36)

Will you be a zealous believer in them or will you let the cares of this world overtake you as Jesus warned against?

World events continue to line up with the understanding of biblical prophecy that we in the Continuing Church of God have. Will you now pay attention?

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

Germany’s Assyrian Roots Throughout History Are the Germanic peoples descended from Asshur of the Bible? Have there been real Christians in Germanic history? What about the “Holy Roman Empire”? There is also a You-Tube video sermon on this titled Germany’s Biblical Origins.
Germany in Biblical and Catholic Prophecy Does Assyria in the Bible equate to an end time power inhabiting the area of the old Roman Empire? What does prophecy say Germany will do and what does it say will happen to most of the German people? Here is a link to a video Is the USA Pushing Germany to Start WWIII?
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?
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? What will happen to the nation of Israel?
Will the Anglo-Nations be Divided and Have People Taken as Slaves? Will the lands of the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand be divided? What about Jerusalem? What does Bible prophecy teach? Are there non-biblical prophecies that support this idea? Who will divide those lands? Who will end up with the lands and the people?
Who is the King of the West? Why is there no end-time King of the West in Bible prophecy? Is the United States the King of the West?
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? Does God have 7,000 year plan? What year may the six thousand years of human rule end? When will Jesus return? 2023 or 20xx? There is also a video titled The 6000 Year Plan: Is the end of humanity’s reign almost up? Here is a link to the article in Spanish: ¿Tiene Dios un plan de 6,000 años?
When Will the Great Tribulation Begin? 2015, 2016, or 2017? Can the Great Tribulation begin today? What happens before the Great Tribulation in the “beginning of sorrows”? What happens in the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord? Is this the time of the Gentiles? When is the earliest that the Great Tribulation can begin? What is the Day of the Lord? Who are the 144,000? Here is a version of the article in the Spanish language: ¿Puede comenzar la Gran Tribulación en 2015? ¿Es el Tiempo de los Gentiles? You can also see the English language sermon video: The Great Tribulation from the Mount of Olives.

COGwriter

PCG posted the following from its leader Gerald Flurry:

The Malachi’s Message Warning

November 8, 2015

The “little book” mentioned in the book of Revelation introduces the lukewarm Laodicean era of God’s Church. While the world catapults into self-annihilation, the little book discusses a deadly spiritual falling away. God gave His people a message to deliver, but they quit prophesying.

However, God won’t be stopped by a few rebels; He raised up the ruins through a loyal remnant. The little book explains this miracle in great detail.

Once the little book is revealed, the Great Tribulation and the work of the two witnesses are imminent. Beyond that, the little book points to the soon-to-come return of Jesus Christ. Readers of the truth inside the little book will understand this powerful King will end mankind’s disastrous rule and set up a perfect eternal government.  …

The late Herbert W. Armstrong delivered the mystery message, largely through his greatest work, Mystery of the Ages. …study Mystery of the Ages to build a spiritual foundation before you read the little book. …

“And the voice which I heard from heaven spake unto me again, and said, Go and take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel which standeth upon the sea and upon the earth. And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book. And he said unto me, Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey. And I took the little book out of the angel’s hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter” (Revelation 10:8-10).

God wants us to eat up the little book! We must devour and digest this bittersweet message.

Here is more of what the improperly-named Philadelphia Church of God (PCG) teaches about the ‘little book’:

The stormy wind comes in the form of the little book of Rev. 10. THAT LITTLE BOOK IS MALACHI’S MESSAGE. That little book is the vanguard of the STORMY WIND. (Flurry, Gerald. The Little Book. Philadelphia Trumpet. Sept-Oct 1992).

We also firmly believe that Malachi’s Message is the little book of Revelation 10. (Leap Dennis. As quoted in Philadelphia Official Responds. The Journal. June 30, 1998. p.8).

The little book and our message is to measure the Church to prove that they are Laodiceans (Flurry, Gerald. Lamentations and the End-Time Laodiceans. Booklet. 1993. p.6.).

God has commissioned the PCG to prophesy again. God has given us the LITTLE BOOK–Malachi’s Message–because we are the only Church which knows how to ‘PROPHESY AGAIN’ (Flurry, Gerald. From the Beginning. Booklet. 1996. p.34).

We now ‘prophesy AGAIN,’ after God’s message was stopped by His own people (Rev. 10:11). Revelation 10:11 actually says, “And he said to me, ‘You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings’ ” (Flurry, G. The Solution to Israel’s Problems. Philadelphia Trumpet, Dec 2002, p. 26).

PCG claims extra-human inspiration for its Malachi’s Message booklet:

The PCG does believe that Malachi’s Message is more than a human work (Leap Dennis. As quoted in Philadelphia Official Responds. The Journal. June 30, 1998. p.8).

Malachi’s Message was delivered to me and the PCG in 1989. A MIGHTY ANGEL DIRECTLY FROM GOD REVEALED IT! (Flurry, Gerald. The Little Book. Philadelphia Trumpet. Sept-Oct 1992).

Yet they changed it:

The PCG’s main publication, Malachi’s Message, was drastically improved in 1991. Much of that summer was spent on adding sections, editing, and giving it a new format like most other small books. The improvements are astounding (Flurry, Stephen. 1991: A Year to Remember. Philadelphia Trumpet. February 1992).

There have been many changes from the original booklet in 1990 (which I read) and the newest 1995 version (which I also read) which makes me wonder the same thing about revising Malachi’s Message that a former Philadelphia pastor asked:

“Why would anyone dare to change a revelation from God? (Schaeffer, Randy. In Former PCG Elders Say Church in Crisis, Moving Away from Its Founding Principles. The Journal. June 30, 1999. p.9)

Yet PCG claims the booklet was prophesied:

Malachi’s Message Prophesied!…’And ye shall know that I have sent this commandment unto you, that my covenant might be with Levi, saith the LORD of hosts’ (Mal. 2:4). This is a specific prophecy about Malachi’s Message. GOD SAID ‘I SENT’ THIS MESSAGE TO YOU, AND ‘YOU SHALL KNOW’ THAT GOD SENT IT! They will know before or during the Great Tribulation that Malachi’s Message is from God (Flurry, Gerald. Malachi’s Message to God’s Church Today. Booklet. 1995. p.30).

These prophesies in Malachi could occur only after Mr. Armstrong was dead (Flurry, Gerald. Malachi’s Message to God’s Church Today. Booklet. 1995. p.143.).

Today, people often ask, ‘Where does Mr. Flurry get his authority? Where does Mr. Flurry and the PCG get authority to rebuild the temple?’ Zerubbabel’s experience typifies the PCG today. In a similar vein, we get our authority from some original signed documents. Our are not civil, legal documents. The documents authorizing the PCG and our work are the writings of Herbert W. Armstrong. The PCG is the only Church that holds onto ALL of what Christ established through Mr. Armstrong (Flurry, Gerald and Leap, Dennis. Ezra and Nehemiah: Building God’s Temple. Booklet. 1997. p.29).

Even a casual reading of this document should reveal to any with eyes to see that PCG admits that it does not hold onto ALL of what Christ established through Herbert W. Armstrong.

Similar to some others, PCG oddly claims:

The PCG is the only Church that holds onto ALL of what Christ established through Mr. Armstrong (Flurry, Gerald and Leap, Dennis. Ezra and Nehemiah: Building God’s Temple. Booklet. 1997. p.29).

Herbert Armstrong had a completely different view of Revelation 10 and many other PCG claims:

Now notice this tenth chapter–an inset chapter, not necessarily at all occurring at the TIME sequence of the end of the ninth chapter. The actual recording of EVENTS, TIME-WISE, is not continued until chapter 11, verse 15.

This chapter 10 has been virtually OVERLOOKED. I did not comment on it in the earlier days, or expound it when I wrote the OUTLINE of the book of Revelation, or the full booklet on the revelation. There was NO WAY it could have been understood then–until after subsequent events–just as we could not have understood how Satan sways the entire WORLD, as explained in Eph. 2.1-2, until we had radio and television.

A MIGHTY ANGEL comes down from heaven, his face as the SUN, his feet as pillars of fire. His voice was as the roar of a lion. He set his right foot upon the sea, and his left upon the earth.

He had a LITTLE BOOK open.

This mighty angel in the second half of this inset prophecy, beginning verse 6, swears by the Eternal GOD there shall be “time no longer” (A.V.–marginal translation—”no more delay”. But the angel continues, “But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, (7th trumpet–which shall be the 7 last plagues–and which also is the PRECISE TIME of Christ’s coming as KING over the earth)–when He shall begin to sound the mystery of God should be finished…” (verse 6-7).

I italicized “when He shall” referring to the sounding of the last and FINAL trumpet, to show that the time setting of this brief two-part inset prophecy is NOT AT OR IMMEDIATELY AFTER the 6th trumpet of chapter 9) –but SOME TIME PRIOR TO IT! Therefore, in time setting, this is a flashback. Now continue:

The Apostle John in his vision is told to take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel, and eat it up.

HOW LIKE EZEKIEL’S PROPHECY!

It was sweet as honey in his mouth but BITTER in his stomach.

The message of that little book seems to be what the angel next said, “Thou must prophesy [proclaim–preach—foretell] again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues and KINGS!”

Now WHEN?

The message of the little book written on both sides of a rol1, to be eaten and swallowed, takes us directly back to Ezekiel’s prophecy. Ezekiel himself, as I have shown. NEVER WENT TO ISRAEL, NEVER DELIVERED THAT MESSAGE. It was not a prophecy for the Israel of his day–but for OUR DAY, NOW. Ezekiel’s prophecy was NOT a message to MANY NATIONS, speaking different languages, and to their KINGS. It was to the REBELLIOUS PEOPLE of the House of Israel and it was emphasized to Ezekiel they were NOT of strange speech–NOT foreign Gentile nations.

This WORK OF GOD did carry that message to those same people in OUR DAY, prior to January, 1972.

I felt I had reason to believe it was POSSIBLE that OUR WORK would be FINISHED by January, 1972, I wrote and printed that many times. But I also said I WAS NOT SETTING DATES–it was not CERTAIN!

It was a possibility. But being HUMAN, many of those supporting me in this Work did take it as a definite date. Up until then they sacrificed to send in tithes and offerings for God’s WORK, when the Work did NOT end in January, 1972, some FOOLISHLY said, “Now I’m through going without things I like to have–my Lord delayeth His coming!” Read what God says of those who say and do that (Matt. 24:48-51).

Now WHEN is the TIME of this prophecy in Revelation?

Read right on. Chapter 11 is merely a chapter division written by MEN. But John’s book of Revelation continues right on. The apostle, in his vision, is told now by this same angel to rise and MEASURE THE TEMPLE. But LEAVE OUT the court which is for the Gentiles, for they shall tread down the Holy City for 3 1/2 years.

So the TIME of our prophecy is at least 3 1/2 YEARS before Christ’s coming–before THE GREAT TRIBULATION before the beginning of the DAY OF THE LORD and before the seventh angel blows the last trumpet!

Then it continues on into the message of the TWO WITNESSES–also referred to and perhaps identified in Haggai and Zechariah.

And THEY SHALL PREACH A LAST WARNING TO THE WHOLE WORLD FOR 3 1/2 YEARS! And it is not until after ALL THIS, that the time element picks back up with the sounding of the 7th trumpet in chapter 11:15.

Therefore, MY CONCLUSION?

Could it be possible, after proclaiming the Gospel of THE KINGDOM OF GOD, as well as Ezekiel’s warning to the people of Israel, that, beginning January, 1972, when my PRESENT CAMPAIGN of walking through the doors God said He would open (Rev. 3:8) to KINGS, and many NATIONS of DIFFERENT LANGUAGES commenced, that it is the FULFILLMENT OF THIS PROPHECY OF REVELATION 10?

To me it comes as a STARTLING, AMAZING EYE-OPENING NEW LIGHT DIRECT FROM GOD!

THAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PHASE OF GOD’S WORK TODAY!

And THE JOB IS GETTING DONE! (Armstrong, Herbert W. Co-worker letter, November 19, 1976).

Thus, for PCG to state that it has the same teachings as HWA is again shown as incorrect. HWA gave his views, which PCG claims to accept.

Wrong Teaching on the ‘Man of Sin’

In his book, Malachi’s Message (1995 edition), in the chapter titled “Man of Sin,” Gerald Flurry wrote:

God’s Church has applied 2 Thessalonians 2:4 to the world for the most part. But it doesn’t apply to the world…

“Even him [the “son of perdition”], whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders” (2 Thessalonians 2:9). The word “signs” is rendered “pretended signs” by the Revised Standard Version. This “son of perdition” is heavily influenced by Satan…In 2 Thessalonians 2, Paul discusses signs and lying wonders of a false leader or lying apostle (Revelation 2:2)…

Mr. Tkach was an innermost disciple—more so than other Church leaders—in those last seven years of Mr. Armstrong’s life. The leadership discussed in 2 Thessalonians 2 must be in Pasadena today. (pp. 79,88,89,99)

But this false leader is not J. Tkach Sr. who Gerald Flurry originally identified in Malachi’s Message  nor anyone who was part of the Tkach Administration in Pasadena in 1995. Furthermore, the type of signs and lying wonders that the Apostle Paul referred to have been not accompanied any in the Tkach Administration.

Furthermore, while Gerald Flurry tries to ‘spiritualize’ that away, the reality is that the rest of the verses in 2 Thessalonians 2 did not happen:

9 The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, 10 and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, 12 that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12)

The emergence of the Tkach Administration did not come with ALL POWER, SIGNS, AND LYING WONDERS. Nor did it result in the world believing a strong delusion–they believed the usual delusions that they have always believed.

Also notice verse 8 in 2 Thessalonians 2:

8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming.

Joseph Tkach, Sr. died in 1995 and Jesus has not come. Nor do I believe that any around in Pasadena/Glendale in the Tkach Administration are possibly the subject of 2 Thessalonians 2:8. Gerald Flurry is in error.  Demons give false messages and Gerald Flurry’s claim that his source was angelic indicates that it was a demonic source–it is that or his own imagination.  Either way, his message contains falsehoods and errors.

To learn the truth about the identity of the ‘man of sin,’ please rely on what the Bible, not tradition or Gerald Flurry’s writings differ from. An article to assist with this would be Who is the Man of Sin of 2 Thessalonians 2?; here is a related link in Spanish/español: ¿Quién es el Hombre de Pecado de 2 Tesalonicenses 2? Here is a link to a related YouTube video, in English, titled Who is the Man of Sin?

Gerald Flurry is not God’s prophet. Those interested in learning the truth about Christian prophets should study the article How To Determine If Someone is a True Prophet of God; here is a related link in Spanish/español: ¿Cómo determinar si alguien es un verdadero profeta de Dios? There is also a sermon-length video titled How to determine if someone is a true prophet of God.

As far as Malachi goes, his four chapter book contains God’s message.  It is not the message that an apparent demon gave Gerald Flurry.

Information about some or what Malachi taught is in the articles The Elijah Heresies and Tithing Questions and Some Answers.