Church of God News

COGwriter

CNN reported the following:

Heavy clashes erupt between Taliban and anti-Taliban group in Afghanistan’s Panjshir province

Updated September 3, 2021

Heavy clashes erupted Thursday night around Afghanistan’s northern Panjshir Valley between Taliban fighters and an anti-Taliban group, according to a source within the group.

Panjshir Valley, a mountainous, inaccessible region north of Kabul, is the last major holdout against Taliban rule, and has a long history of resisting the insurgent group. Sporadic fighting between the Taliban and the National Resistance Front (NRF) has continued for two weeks now. The Taliban have been massing forces in and around Panjshir province in recent weeks, and said on Monday they had captured three districts in the valley. The overnight clashes between the Taliban and the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan (NRF) started late Thursday, and were very intense, said the NRF source. https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/02/asia/afghanistan-taliban-national-resistance-clash-intl-hnk/index.html

The USA is no longer interested in arming the opposition to the Taliban. Instead, its withdrawal and fast retreat resulted in the Taliban getting billions of dollars worth of USA military equipment.

Notice the following from Europe:

The situation in #Afghanistan is not a success story for the international community.

We have to analyse how the EU can further deploy capabilities & positively influence international relations to defend its interests

Our EU strategic autonomy remains at the top of our agenda. pic.twitter.com/Z3WYptIeOU

— Charles Michel (@eucopresident) August 21, 2021

The fall of Kabul to the Taliban and the chaotic international evacuation effort shows that Europe needs to develop its own military capacity independent of the United States, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell argues. …

Strategic autonomy

“I regret greatly the way in which things have gone, but no-one asked for the opinion of the Europeans,” he said.

“Some countries are going to have to ask themselves questions about an American ally which, as Joe Biden said, doesn’t want to fight other people’s wars for them.

“The Europeans don’t have a choice. We must organise ourselves to deal with the world as it is and not the world that we dream of.”

The European Union is already developing what it calls its new “strategic compass”, a framework to provide the 27 member states, acting together, to wield more diplomatic and military muscle and develop more of what France’s President Emmanuel Macron calls “strategic autonomy”. …

For Borrell, this must include a deployable joint military reaction force. …

“Europe only responds in a crisis. Afghanistan could wake it up. The moment has come to give it a military force capable of fighting if necessary.” 08/22/21 https://www.euractiv.com/section/global-europe/news/borrell-eu-should-prepare-for-the-next-crises-iraq-sahel/?utm_source=piano&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=9707&pnespid=0Lhj9OUBGAWNbLGcFcI3rzr3dcMyeX8fB2zAjXKB

Notice something in my book Biden-Harris: Prophecies and Destruction:

As far as foreign policy goes, former Defense Secretary Robert Gates wrote that Joe Biden “had been wrong on nearly every major foreign policy and national security issues over the past four decades” (Traub J. Joe Biden Is Actually Listening. ForeignPolicy.com, September 14, 2020). If that has much truth to it, then a Joe Biden foreign policy will be disastrous.

What we have seen in Afghanistan has been disastrous.

And the fallout is not just in Afghanistan or refugees from Afghanistan.

Late last night, the BBC reported:

Afghanistan crisis: How Europe’s relationship with Joe Biden turned sour

2 September 2021

A series of disagreements, most notably over Afghanistan, have some European leaders revising their expectations about President Joe Biden, and thinking more about a future untethered to the US. …

In capitals across Europe, from London to Berlin, Afghanistan has soured the sweetness of Joe Biden’s honeymoon. It’s not the fact of the withdrawal itself that has rankled but the US’s lack of coordination with allies, particularly since the Nato mission at the time of the drawdown comprised troops from 36 countries, three-quarters of whom were non-American, leading to an international scramble to evacuate.

The German deployment in Afghanistan was its first major combat mission since World War II, so the frustration at how it ended runs deep. Armin Laschet, Germany’s conservative candidate for chancellor ahead of elections later this month, called the US withdrawal “the greatest debacle that Nato has experienced since its foundation”

Czech President Milos Zeman labelled it “cowardice”, adding that “the Americans have lost the prestige of a global leader”.

“Expectations were very high when Joe Biden came in – probably too high, they were unrealistic,” Carl Bildt, Sweden’s former Prime Minister, told the BBC. “His ‘America is back’ suggested a golden age in our relations. But it didn’t happen and there’s been a shift in a fairly short period of time. The complete lack of consultations over the withdrawal has left a scar.” …

For Europe’s leaders, the manner of the American withdrawal – and Joe Biden’s comments that the US would no longer send troops to “remake other countries” – has echoes of Donald Trump’s “America First” policy. … What has changed is the growing preoccupation in Europe that as the US withdraws from the world, it may be very committed to protecting values in America – but what about elsewhere? …

“Some other countries, such as the UK and Germany, always thought they could rely mostly on the US for security,” says Mrs Loiseau, the former French minister. “So of course they’re fearing times have changed. But we’ve often said we should rethink how Nato works. We should not remain in a state of denial.” https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-58416848

Notice also the following from a German source:

Is the fall of Kabul the kick European defense needs?

Laments and lessons learned: Afghanistan has provided another stark assessment of EU military autonomy.

2 September 2021

“Afghanistan has shown that the deficiencies in our strategic autonomy comes with a price,” European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said after an informal meeting of defense ministers on Thursday. “And that the only way forward is to combine our forces and strengthen not only our capacity, but also our will to act.”

A day earlier, Borrell used sharper words in an editorial in The New York Times, calling the recent developments in Afghanistan a “debacle” which should serve as “wake-up call” for Europe and “catalyze history.” …

European Council President Charles Michel has weighed in as well, speaking Wednesday at the Bled Strategic Forum in Slovenia. “As a global economic and democratic power, can Europe be content with a situation where we are unable to ensure unassisted the evacuation of our citizens and those under threat because they have helped us?”

New force, same as the old force?

Until now, EU governments’ differences have outweighed their discontent about this status quo, but the feeling of shame and frustration over Afghanistan has reignited the desire for more self-sufficiency. …

Analysts call for EU to take responsibility for defense

Ulrike Franke, a senior policy fellow with the European Council on Foreign Relations … suggested the EU would have to decide that some joint defense decisions can be taken without unanimity of member states, perhaps by the European Commission or European Parliament.

German EU lawmaker Hannah Neumann seconded that idea. “As long as member states are not willing to really transfer sovereignty and decision-making authority to the EU level, also in defense, we will only move ahead in baby steps, if at all,” warned Neumann, who serves on the European Parliament’s subcommittee on security and defense. …

Germany is pushing an option which advocates acting with less consensus, not more. Following Thursday’s meeting, German Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer said Berlin will be proposing a way the EU could create “coalitions of the willing” when swift action is needed. https://www.dw.com/en/is-the-fall-of-kabul-the-kick-european-defense-needs/a-59067399

So, various ones in Europe are pointing to the recent USA actions in Afghanistan as a reason to:

1) increase Europe’s independent military power
2) decrease Europe’s dependence on the military of the USA
3) reduce the bureaucracy so that Europe can act faster militarily

Notice something in my book Biden-Harris: Prophecies and Destruction:

One of the “unintended consequences” of Donald Trump becoming president in 2017 was that the Europeans developed a pan-European military organization called Permanent Structured Cooperation, generally referred to as PESCO. By December of 2017 it had 25 European nations as part of it (Stur B. The making of a European Defence Union. New Europe, December 12, 2017). While PESCO is not yet capable of eliminating the U.S.A., it is helping lay the groundwork.

The Bible shows that Europe will go through at least one or two reorganizations until it gets to the point of fully supporting the King of the North/Beast power per Revelation 17:12-13. And later, it will change to betray the Church of Rome (Revelation 17:9,15-18).

One of the ‘unintended consequences’ of recent USA actions related to Afghanistan is that it has decreased trust in military support for the USA. Another, as far as Europe is concerned, is that it feels it needs to have a stronger military.

The Bible teaches that Europe will have a “great army” (Daniel 11:25). The army will be very destructive–even though the Europeans do not think they will be (cf. Isaiah 10:5-12; see also Germany in Biblical and Catholic Prophecy).

The Bible shows that it will be a conquering empire with “many ships” (cf. Daniel 11:29-43).

And that it will become a military marvel (Revelation 13:1-4).

A while back, the Continuing Church of God (CCOG) put out the following video on our Bible News Prophecy YouTube channel:

15:25

PESCO and a Great European Army

In November 2018, French President Macron called for a “true European army” because of China, Russia, and the USA. Some others in Europe have echoed that sentiment. On November 9, 2018, US President Donald Trump called that an insult, but the next day said that the USA wanted “a very strong Europe.” Emmanuel Macron referred to Donald Trump as “my friend” and indicated a desire to strengthen Europe’s military spending. In December 2017, 25 European nations agreed to be part of a military alliance called PESCO. Europe also has NATO and IEI. Will Europe end up with “a great army”? Has Donald Trump’s announcement to withdraw from the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty gotten some to say that Europe must rebel against the USA? Is the idea of a United States of Europe and a European army a “paranoid fantasy” or a biblical reality? Will the USA regret Europe becoming a stronger military power? Will the USA be betrayed by “friends” such as its continental European allies? Does the Bible teach any or all of this? Are there connections to the Beast of Revelation or the King of the North of Daniel 11? Dr. Thiel addresses these matters in this video.

Here is a link to the sermonette video: PESCO and a Great European Army.

One of the many fallouts from the situation in Afghanistan is that it is one more example to the Europeans that they should build their military, as well as be able to quickly use it.

That will come to pass.

According to biblical prophecies, this will not end well for the USA (Daniel 11:39) or its British-descended allies (cf. Daniel 8:24-25; Isaiah 17:3a). And they are prophesied to be destroyed by ‘friends’ (in this case, European allies) in Lamentations 1:1-2.

And probably before 2028 (watch Is the USA prophesied to be destroyed by 2028?).

UPDATE 09/05/21: We just uploaded the following related video:

10:46

Afghanistan Loss: Pushing EU Army?

The USA has lost international prestige associated with its withdrawal from Afghanistan. Is an unintended consequence that Europe feels the need for its own autonomous army? What have leaders such as European Commission President Charles Michel, EU Foreign Policy chief Josep Borrell, Czech President Milos Zeman, former French Minister Mrs. Loiseau, and EU Commission for Economics and Taxation said about in reaction to USA actions and inactions? The Europeans developed its PESCO (Permanent Structured Cooperation) military within a year of Donald Trump becoming USA president. Is current President Joe Biden changing that direction? Will Europe end up with any army of any significance? What does the Bible teach? Dr. Thiel addresses these matters with quotes and comments.

Here is a link to our video: Afghanistan Loss: Pushing EU Army?

COGwriter

From time to time, I have received questions asking about some of the differences between the Seventh-day Adventist Church (SDA) and the Continuing Church of God (CCOG) from a member of the SDA church.

But before going to them, let me point out some doctrinal similarities:

1. Both claim to believe that the whole Bible, Old and New Testaments, is the Word of God (see also Read the Bible and the Statement of Beliefs of the Continuing Church of God).
2. Both believe that salvation is by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ (see also Statement of Beliefs of the Continuing Church of God).
3. Both believe that all of the Ten Commandments are standards for God’s people today and that the seventh-day Sabbath is to be observed on Saturday. See also The Ten Commandments: The Decalogue, Christianity, and the Beast and The Sabbath in the Early Church and Abroad.
4. Both believe there is no consciousness for humans between death and resurrection. Though we have some major differences in understanding the resurrections. See Did Early Christians Believe that Humans Possessed Immortality? and What Did Early Christians Understand About the Resurrections?
5. Both believe that Jesus Christ will soon return physically to the earth. Though, again, there are some major differences (see also The Gospel of the Kingdom of God).
6. Both believe that the wicked will finally be annihilated, not suffer eternal torment. See The Second Death.
7. Both believe that Christians should not eat biblically unclean meats (see The New Testament Church, History, and Unclean Meats), though, because of the teachings of Ellen White, many SDAs take this further and avoid all meat.

There are, however, more differences than similarities.

Here are some of the differences:

1. The SDAs accept Ellen White as God’s prophetess. CCOG does not. We see her as false on many points. Hence, CCOG sees no need to heed her pronouncements from a biblical perspective as some are in conflict with scripture and reality.
2. Ellen White taught that the angel Michael became Jesus. CCOG strongly disagrees (see Did the Archangel Michael become Jesus?).
3. Ellen White falsely taught that the Day of Atonement was October 22 in 1844, whereas it in 1844, the Day of Atonement began at sunset September 22 and ran through sunset September 23rd (see http://www.hebcal.com/hebcal/?year=1844&v=1&month=x&yt=G&nh=on&nx=on&o=on&s=on&vis=on&a=on&D=on&d=on&set=on&heb=on&c=off&zip=&m=72).
4. SDAs believe 1844 has a significance that CCOG says the Bible does not support.
5. The SDAs changed to accept the Greco-Roman trinity. CCOG does not (see Did the True Church Ever Teach a Trinity?).
6. The SDAs teach a Sunday morning resurrection, whereas the CCOG teaches Jesus was resurrected on a Saturday afternoon (see also What Happened in the ‘Crucifixion Week’?).
7. The SDAs changed to accept pagan holidays like Christmas. CCOG does not (see Should You Keep God’s Holy Days or Demonic Holidays? and What Does the Catholic Church Teach About Christmas and the Holy Days?).
8. The SDAs often consider themselves Protestant and the Protestants as Christians. CCOG does not (see Hope of Salvation: How the Continuing Church of God differs from Protestantism).
9. SDAs do not keep God’s holy days. CCOG does (see Should You Observe God’s Holy Days or Demonic Holidays?).
10. CCOG keeps Passover annually in accordance with the scriptures, whereas the SDAs keep some version of it quarterly, which is not biblical. See also Passover and the Early Church.
11. SDAs do not understand God’s plan of salvation. CCOG does as we understand that God will offer salvation to all that ever lived (see Universal OFFER of Salvation, Apokatastasis: Can God save the lost in an age to come? Hundreds of scriptures reveal God’s plan of salvation).
12. Ellen White and other SDAs put forth the view that the United States of America is the two-horned beast of Revelation 13:11 (see SDA/CCOG Differences: Two Horned Beast of Revelation and 666). We in the CCOG teach Revelation 13:11 is a reference to the “false prophet” (Revelation 16:13,19:20) and final “Antichrist” (1 John 4:1-3).
13. SDAs believe swearing oaths is fine (White EG. Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing), the CCOG does not.
14. Contrary to Jesus’ statements in Matthew 5:33-37, SDAs believe in swearing oaths as Ellen White said that was acceptable, whereas the CCOG does not.
15. SDAs do not clearly teach that 666 is the European Beast of the Sea, but CCOG does (see also Who is the King of the North?).
16. SDAs do not believe that saints will be on the Earth during the millennium, CCOG does (cf. Revelation 5:10; 20:4-6; see also Did The Early Church Teach Millenarianism?).
17. SDAs use crosses a part of the symbols for their religion, whereas CCOG does not (see also What is the Origin of the Cross as a ‘Christian’ Symbol?).
18. The CCOG teaches an “age to come” (Matthew 12:32; Mark 10:30; Luke 18:30; Hebrews 6:5), whereas because of a vision from Ellen White, the SDAs do not teach that.
19. SDAs call the truth that Jesus was killed on a Wednesday “unscriptural” (Standish RR, Standish C. The General Conference Confronts Apostasy.  Hartland Publications, , 2006, p. 84), whereas the CCOG accepts that Jesus died then.
20. CCOG teaches the good news of the Kingdom of God and we do not believe the SDA church understands the full gospel or that it teaches it (see also The Gospel of the Kingdom of God).
21. CCOG’s priorities are essentially Matthew 24:14, Galatians 2:10, and Matthew 28:19-20, while the SDAs do not consider those the same way as CCOG. (see Behind the Work 2016: All Nations, Tribes, People, and Tongues and also MATTHEW Here are links to twelve sermons covering the 28 chapters of Matthew: Matthew 1-2: Greek or Aramaic, Jesus, and the Star?, Matthew 3-5: John the Baptist, Temptations, and the Beatitudes, Matthew 6-7: Charitable Deeds, the Rosary, Prayer, the Golden Rule, and Faith, Matthew 8-10: Married Clergy, Faith, Coming Persecution, and the Ecumenical Agenda, Matthew 11-12: John the Elijah, Sodom, Unpardonable Sin, & 3 Days and 3 Nights, -14: Parables, Mustard Seeds, Birthdays, and Faith, Matthew 15-16: Tradition, Signs of the Times, and The Rock & Peter, Matthew 17-18: Transfiguration, Elijah to Come, Taxes, and Forgiveness, Matthew 19-20: Transgender? Divorce? Purgatory? The first shall be last?, Matthew 21-23: ‘Palm Sunday,’ Come as You Are?, and the Greatest Commandments, Matthew 24: Temple Destruction, Sorrows, Tribulation, and the Return of Jesus, and Matthew 25-28: Midnight Cry, False Christians, Resurrection, & Teaching what Jesus Taught.
    MARK Here is a link to a sermon covering all of Jesus’ words in the Gospel of Mark: What did Jesus teach in the Book of Mark? Here is a link to six sermons covering all the verses in the Gospel of Mark: Mark 1-2: Author, Prophecy, & Miracles, Mark 3-5: Healing, Demons, and Parables, Mark 6-9: Tradition, John’s beheading, Elijah, and Restoration, Mark 10-12: Marriage, Divorce, Needle Eye, Greatest Command, & Taxes, Mark 13: Temple, Four Horsemen, Troubles, Great Tribulation, and Gospel Proclamation, and Mark 14-16: Jesus’ Priorities & Betrayal, the Resurrection, Signs, and Reaching the World.
    LUKE Here are links to eight sermons covering the entire ‘Gospel of Luke’: Luke 1-2: John the Baptist, Mary, and the Census, Luke 3-6: John the Baptist, Jesus’ genealogy, Satan’s Influence, and the Sermon on the Mount, Luke 7-9: Miracles, Purpose of Parables, Kingdom of God, and Women Supporting the Ministry, Luke 10-11: The 70, Doing the Work, the Good Samaritan, Prayer, and Signs, Luke 12-13: Priorities, Delayed Fruit Bearing, Little Flock, Prophecy, and the Narrow Way, Luke 14-16: The Lost Sheep, the Prodigal Son, the Rich Man and Lazarus, Luke 17-20: Faith, the Kingdom, Gathering, Prayer, & Rewards, and Luke 21-22: Giving, Sorrows, Persecution, Tribulation, Fig Tree, and Violence. The last sermon also covers Jesus’ words in the Book of Acts.
    JOHN Here are links to a seven-part sermon series covering the entire ‘Gospel of John’: John 1-3: Anti-unitarian, Wine, Being Born Again, & Heaven, John 4-6: Jesus and the Samaritan Woman, Miracles and the Bread of Life, John 10-12: Sheep, Hirelings, Lazarus/Soul Sleep and ‘Palm Day’, John 13-15: Footwashing and the Words of Jesus, John 16-18: Truth, Trinity, and Pontius Pilate, and John 19-21: Do not only try, do what God wants.
    REVELATION This is a link to a sermon covering words Jesus spoke as recorded in the Book of Revelation and in first and second Corinthians: Revelation: Jesus’ Final Words.)
22. CCOG traces its history from Acts 2 to present. The SDA church traces itself from the Protestant and Advent movements. See also Continuing History of the Church of God.
23. SDAs improperly teach that the Church of God came out of their church. The CCOG teaches that the early SDAs has some exposure to COG doctrines, but ended up rejecting many to follow Ellen White. The COG preceded the formation of the SDA movement by over 18 centuries (see also the free online book:Continuing History of the Church of God).
24. The SDAs remnant teaching about itself now is mistaken as the ‘remnant’ taught about in Revelation 12:17 are non-Philadelphian Christians who are not protected in a place in the wilderness during the Great Tribulation and Day of the Lord (see also There is a Place of Safety for the Philadelphians. Why it May Be Near Petra).
25. The CCOG teaches that God is calling the elect now (see God Calling You?), but will call others later (see Universal OFFER of Salvation, Apokatastasis: Can God save the lost in an age to come? Hundreds of scriptures reveal God’s plan of salvation). The SDAs do not teach that.
26. The CCOG teaches more fully the meaning of life than the SDAs (see also The MYSTERY of GOD’s PLAN Why Did God Create Anything? Why did God make you?).
27. CCOG seems to more clearly teach deification than the SDAs (see The Laodicean Church Era and also What is Your Destiny? Deification? Did the Early Church Teach That Christians Would Become God?).
28. The CCOG teaches more fully how to live as a Christian than the SDAs (see also Christians: Ambassadors for the Kingdom of God, Biblical instructions on living as a Christian).

Officially, “Seventh-day Adventists . . . stress the conviction that many Roman Catholics are brothers and sisters in Christ” (How Seventh-day Adventists View Roman Catholicism. This statement was recorded on April 15, 1997, by the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists Administrative Committee (ADCOM) and released by the Office of the President, Robert S. Folkenberg).

We in the CCOG have repeatedly warned of the dangers of the ecumenical movement (see, for example, Beware: Protestants Going Towards Ecumenical Destruction!) and the World Council of Churches (watch the video World Council of Churches Peace Plan), the SDAs have taken steps moving closer to looking to be part of it.

My prayer is for all, including the SDAs, to seek the truth, change, and hold to “the faith once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3).

Just because both groups do accept the seventh-day Sabbath does not make them very similar.

There are significant and major differences.

The Seventh-day Adventist Church is NOT part of the Church of God (though some few of their members possibly could be)–but basically a sect of Protestantism. We in the Continuing Church of God do not trace our history through that church.

Some items of related interest may include:

Hope of Salvation: How the Continuing Church of God Differs from Protestantism The CCOG is NOT Protestant. This free online book explains how the real Church of God differs from mainstream/traditional Protestants. Several sermons related to the free book are also available: Protestant, Baptist, and CCOG History; The First Protestant, God’s Command, Grace, & Character; The New Testament, Martin Luther, and the Canon; Eucharist, Passover, and Easter; Views of Jews, Lost Tribes, Warfare, & Baptism; Scripture vs. Tradition, Sabbath vs. Sunday; Church Services, Sunday, Heaven, and God’s Plan; Seventh Day Baptists/Adventists/Messianics: Protestant or COG?; Millennial Kingdom of God and God’s Plan of Salvation; Crosses, Trees, Tithes, and Unclean Meats; The Godhead and the Trinity; Fleeing or Rapture?; and Ecumenism, Rome, and CCOG Differences.
COGwriter Position on Other Churches and Religions What is the fate of those who do not know Christ? What about those who profess Christ outside the Church of God?
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 and Continuing History of the Church of God: 17th-20th Centuries. The booklet is available in Spanish: Continuación de la Historia de la Iglesia de Dios, German: Kontinuierliche Geschichte der Kirche Gottes, French: L Histoire Continue de l Église de Dieu and Ekegusii Omogano Bw’ekanisa Ya Nyasae Egendererete.
Did the Archangel Michael become Jesus? The Jehovah’s Witnesses teach this, and SDA Ellen White did, but does the Bible allow for this?
SDA/CCOG Differences: Two Horned Beast of Revelation and 666 The genuine Church of God is NOT part of the Seventh-day Adventists. This article explains two prophetic differences, the trinity, differences in approaching doctrine, including Ellen White. Did Ellen White make prophetic errors? Did Ellen White make false prophecies? Here is a version in the Spanish language: SDA/COG Diferencias: La bestia de dos cuernos de Apocalipsis y 666. Here are two sermons in the English language: Seventh Day Baptists/Adventists/Messianics: Protestant or COG?and CCOG and SDA differences and similarities. Here is a link to an article in the Spanish language: Diferencias: SDA/CCOG: La bestia de dos cuernos de Apocalipsis y 666.

Carlo Maria Viganò (Wikipedia)

COGwriter

Roman Catholic Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò continues to blast the “New World Order.” WND posted the following:

Archbishop: ‘Luciferian’ globalists exploiting COVID for ‘Great Reset’

September 1, 2021

Roman Catholic Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, a former papal ambassador to the United States, continued his criticism of the globalist “Great Reset,” warning in a new speech that corrupt civil and church authorities have joined forces to exploit the coronavirus pandemic in their quest to bolster global sovereignty.

He made it clear whose side he believes the authorities are on.

“Everything that we know, discover, and understand about the global conspiracy currently unfolding shows us a tremendous reality that is also at the same time sharp and clearly defined: there are two sides, the side of God and the side of Satan, the side of the children of Light and the side of the children of darkness,” he said …

Viganò said it must be “understood that the corrupt part of the civil authority – the deep state – and the corrupt part of ecclesiastical authority – the deep church – are two sides of the same coin, both instrumental to the establishment of the New World Order.” …

Vigano said that in the “alliance between civil and religious power,” there is a spiritual dimension that must be understood in “the context of the war that Lucifer, ever since his fall, has waged against God.” …

No denying it

In his speech Saturday, he described the Great Reset as a “criminal plan, conceived for decades and aimed at establishing a universal dictatorship in which a minority of immeasurably rich and powerful people intends to enslave and subjugate the whole of humanity to the globalist ideology.”

“The accusation of ‘conspiracy theory’ could perhaps have made sense when the conspiracy was not yet evident, but today denying what the elite has planned since the 1950s is unjustifiable,” he said. …

Vigano criticized the “suspension of citizens’ rights” through “lockdowns, curfews, closures of commercial activities (and) limitations of public services and classes” that have not achieved the results promised by health authorities.

He pointed to a recent Oxford University study published in The Lancet finding that the viral load of the delta variant in fully vaccinated people is 251 times greater than the first strains of the virus. The CDC has now conceded that the fully vaccinated can become infected and spread the virus.

Science has been turned into “scientism,” the archbishop said, arguing that the art of medicine is not a science but the application of scientific principles to various cases.

The “religion of science” that has manifested during the COVID-19 pandemic “has cloaked itself in a dogmatism bordering on superstition,” he said. https://www.wnd.com/2021/09/archbishop-luciferian-globalists-exploiting-covid-great-reset/

Carlo Maria Viganò has warned about this before as well as ties between Pope Francis’ work and the Freemasons (see Fratelli Tutti, the Beast, and Freemasonry). COVID lockdowns, etc. are helping set the stage for totalitarian changes.

Related to the Freemasons and  the Church of Rome, the Continuing Church of God put out the following sermon on its ContinuingCOG channel:

1:16:04

Freemasonry, Armageddon, and Rome

What is Freemasonry? How long has it been around? Does Freemasonry point to cataclysms, such as Armageddon in 2022? Were many US founders and presidents Freemasons? Is there a difference between the USA/UK Freemasons and those in continental Europe? Can a biblical Christian be a Freemason? Are Roman Catholics allowed to be Freemasons? Do the Freemasons have a plan that includes an ecumenical Pope? Are Rotarians Freemasons? What about the Illuminati? Are many conspiracies about the Freemasons false? Could Freemasonry play a role in the rise of Europe and the destruction of the Church of Seven Hills?

Here is a link to the sermon: Freemasonry, Armageddon, and Rome.

Notice also the following hope from a Roman Catholic priest:

Priest Paul Kramer (2011): The Church will be renewed in the spendor of her traditions…the Neo-Pagan Masonic ‘mystery of iniquity’ (2 Thes 2:7) — will be crushed under the heel of Her who is “terrible as an army set in battle array” (Canticle 6:3, 9) (Kramer P. Only She can help you! The Fatima Crusader, 99, Summer 2011, p. 35)

Actually, I expect that because of prophecies in Revelation 17, it is more likely that the Freemasons will be part of those that turn against the Church of the great city of Seven Hills (Revelation 17:9, 15-18) than Rome triumphing over Freemasonry.

Both the Bible and some Roman Catholic prophecies  seem to show that the coming King of the North Beast power will have a new religion–which is consistent with what those who want the ‘Great Reset’ also want.

First from the Bible about the coming European King of the North:

37 He shall regard neither the God of his fathers nor the desire of women, nor regard any god; for he shall exalt himself above them all. 38 But in their place he shall honor a god of fortresses; and a god which his fathers did not know he shall honor with gold and silver, with precious stones and pleasant things. 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 11:37-39).

Notice something that seems to be similar in Roman Catholic writings:

Anne Catherine Emmerich (19th century): I saw the Church inspired by the Holy Spirit , introducing various changes in her discipline when devotion and veneration towards the blessed sacrament had grown weak…Incalculable graces were thereby bestowed upon the whole Church (Emmerich AC. The Life and Revelations of Anne Catherine Emmerich. Schmöger edition, Vol. II. Approbation: Bishop of Limbourg Peter Joseph. Reprint TAN Books, Rockford (IL), 1976, pp.156,157).

The above suggests some major changes to occur within the Roman Catholic church.

This seems to be close to what an earlier Roman Catholic prophet taught:

St. Francis of Paula (15th Century)…Francis also speaks in a series of letters to Simeon de Limena, Count of Montalto in great detail of a future Great Monarch who will be a Roman Emperor. Limena was a great patron of St. Francis’ order and also a great military protector of the Church…Several potentially confusing things are now told about this future Monarch. He is described as founding a new religious order. To the reader this may sound like he also become a priest. That is not the case. What happens is that he founds a religious order, part of which contains military men who take religious vows. He will be the head of the military arm of this order. In this sense it will be like the Knights Templar of the Middle Ages.

“He shall be the founder of a new religious order different from all others. He will divide it into three strata, namely military knights, solitary priests, and most pious hospitalliers. This shall be the last religious order in the Church, and it will do more good for our holy religion than all other religious institutions.”

“…These devout men will wear on their breasts…the cross” [It becomes clear from other prophecies that it is from this that they will receive their popular name “the cross bearers.”]…

“He shall…destroy all tyrants and heresies. There will be one fold and one shepherd. He shall reign until the end of time. On the whole earth there will be twelve Kings, one Emperor and one Pope. (Birch, pp.267-270)

St. Francis de Paul (1470):…From your lordship shall be born the great leader of the holy militia…These devout men shall wear on their breasts, and much more in their hearts, the sign of the living God, namely the cross…members of this holy order…

…the Great Monarch…He shall be a great captain and prince of holy men, who shall be called ‘the holy Cross-bearers of Jesus Christ,’ with whom he will destroy the Mahometan sect and the rest of the infidels. He shall annihilate all the heresies and tyrannies of the world. He shall reform the Church of God by means of his followers, who shall be the best men upon the earth in holiness, in arms, in science, and in every virtue…They shall obtain dominion over the whole world, both temporal and spiritual…

God Almighty will exalt a very poor man of the blood of Emperor Constantine…who shall on his breast wear a sign which you have seen at the beginning of this letter (a red Cross)…He will gather a grand army, and the angels shall fight for them…

This religious order shall be the last and best in the Church: it shall proceed with arms…Woe to tyrants, to heretics, and to infidels to whom no pity will be shown…An infinite number of wicked men shall perish through the hands of the Cross-bearers…most holy Crossbearers elected by the Most High, who, not succeeding in converting heretics with science, shall make vigorous use of their arms…These holy Cross-bearers shall reign and dominate holily over the whole world until the end of time…

But when shall this take place? When crosses with the stigmas shall be seen, and the crucifix shall be carried as the standard. The time is coming when the Divine Majesty will visit the world with a new religious order of holy Cross-bearers, who will carry a crucifix, or the image of our crucified Lord, lifted up upon the principal standard in view of all. This standard will be admired by all good Catholics; but at the beginning it will be derided by bad Christians and by infidels…You shall destroy the sect of the Mahomet, and all infidels of every sect. You shall put an end to all the heresies of the world…

He shall be the great founder of a new religious order different from all the others…This shall be the last religious order in the Church and shall do more good for our holy religion than all other religious institutes. By force of arms he shall take possession of a great kingdom. He shall destroy the sect of Mahomet…There will be one fold, one shepherd. He shall reign until the end of time. On the whole earth there will be twelve kings, one emperor and one pope. (Culleton, p. 157-161).

St. Francis de Paul (d. 1507): A new order will be founded, that of the Cruciferi, because its members will carry the cross on their banners…The Crusaders will lead the Mohammedans, the teachers of heretical doctrines and bad Christians back to Christ…the power of Islam {was} destroyed by the Great Monarch. (Culleton, The Reign of Antichrist, p. 142).

Joseph Goires (d. 1848): The people will be united under a powerful monarch who will make new laws (Culleton, p. 197; Connor, p. 38).

Would God institute a military order for Christians? This is NOT something that God would approve for true followers of Christ–this is another CHANGE that the Church of Rome has accepted (for details, see Military Service and the Churches of God: Do Real Christians Participate in Carnal Warfare?). Would God use the cross as a military symbol?

Notice also that Francis prophesied that there will be a new essentially Roman Catholic crossbearing religious order that will do more for the Roman “Catholic” Church than all other religious institutions. This is probably because the King of the North will work with a Pope to make the world nominally Catholic.

Before the order’s influence is fully accepted, there may be some jostling for position first within the Vatican:

Franciscan Friar (18th century). “All the religious orders will be suppressed, except one, the rule of which will be as rigid and severe as that of the monks of the past. During these calamities the Pope will die. As a result, the most powerful anarchy will prevail within the Church. Three Popes will vie for the pontifical throne, one German, one Italian, and another Greek. They will all be installed by the armed might of three factions” (Dupont, p. 79).

Sister Rose Asdenti of Taggai (1847): During a frightful storm against the Church, all religious orders shall be abolished, except two (Culleton, The Prophets and Our Times, p. 197).

But is the true church supposed to change? Is even the Church of Rome supposed to change?

Please pay attention to the fact that that the Bible teaches:

8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. 9 Do not be carried about with various and strange doctrines (Hebrews 13:8-9).

Furthermore, it appears that other Roman Catholic private prophecies/writings warn that it is an antipope that supports a new religious order:

Oba Prophecy: It will come when the Church authorities issue directives to support a new cult, when priests are forbidden to celebrate in any other, when the highest positions in the Church are given to perjurers and hypocrites, when only the renegades are admitted to occupy those positions (Dupont, p. 115).

Anna-Katarina Emmerick (19th century): I saw again a new and odd-looking Church which they were trying to build. There was nothing holy about it…(Dupont, p. 116).

Yves Dupont {Catholic writer interpreting A. Emmerick}: They wanted to make a new Church, a Church of human manufacture, but God had other designs…The Holy Father shall have to leave Rome, and he shall die a cruel death. An anti-pope shall be set up in Rome (Dupont, p. 116).

Yves Dupont (20th century): Civil wars rage in Western Europe…the Pope leaves Rome and dies in exile; an anti-pope is installed in Rome…The Mohammedans invade Europe and commit innumerable atrocities. In the West, however, Christians rally around an unexpected leader… (Dupont, p. 1).

Ted and Maureen Flynn (readers and reporters Catholic prophecies): Catholic prophecy warns us of severe problems facing the papacy in these end times…chaos will be within our midst.  An Antipope will seize papal authority…It will be those who hold fast to the truths of the faith who will be labeled as the perpetrators of this horrible schism, according to some visionaries (Flynn, p. 255).

Abbott Joachim (died 1202): A remarkable Pope will be seated on the pontifical throne…As the only Pastor, he shall reunite the Eastern to the Western Church…This holy Pope shall be both pastor and reformer. Through him the East and West shall be in ever lasting concord. The city of Babylon shall then be the head and guide of the world…this holy Pontiff will ask the cooperation of the generous monarch of France (Great Monarch)… A man of remarkable sanctity will be his successor in the Pontifical chair.  Through him God will work so many prodigies that all men shall revere him. (Connor, pp. 31-33)

Priest Herman Kramer (20th century): Antichrist will have a forerunner or prophet, who will prepare the way for him…This false prophet possibly at the behest of Antichrist usurps the papal supremacy…His assumed spiritual authority and supremacy over the Church would make him resemble the Bishop of Rome…He would be Pontifex Maximus, a title of pagan emperors, having spiritual and temporal authority.  Assuming authority without having it makes him the False Prophet…Though he poses as a lamb, his doctrines betray him…His principles and dogmas to be accepted…it will comprise emperor-worship…with the persecution of true believers (Kramer H.B. L. The Book of Destiny, pp. 318,319).

Priest Herman Kramer (20th century): In accord with the text this is unmistakably a PAPAL ELECTION . . . But at this time the great powers may take a menacing attitude to hinder the election of the logical and expected candidate by threats of a general apostasy, assassination or imprisonment of this candidate if elected. This would suppose an extremely hostile mind in the governments of Europe towards the Church, because an extended interregnum in the papacy is always disastrous and more so in a time of universal persecution. If Satan would contrive to hinder a papal election, the Church would suffer great travail … one…destined for the papacy at the time will institute the needed reforms. A general council may decree the reforms…The lax clergy at the time will extol the conditions then existing…The dragon is a symbolic term for the evil world powers…They will try to make the Church a “state church” everywhere. This is only possible if they can subject the pope to their wills and compel him to teach and rule as they direct. That would be literally devouring the papacy. (Kramer H.B. L. The Book of Destiny, pp. 278,285).

…Antichrist, if he ever were of or in the Church, shall be an Apostate and a renegade out of the Church, and he shall usurp upon it by tyranny, and by challenging worship, religion, and government thereof, so that himself shall be adored in all the Churches of the world which he list to leave standing for his honor. And this is to sit in the temple or against the Temple of God, as some interpret. If any Pope did ever this, or shall do, then let the Adversaries call him Antichrist (Annotations on The Second Epistle of Saint Paul to the Thessalonians. The Original and True RHEIMS NEW TESTAMENT of Anno Domini 1582 , p. 423).

La Salette Prophecy (1846): Rome will lose faith and become the seat of Antichrist (Culleton, The Reign of Antichrist, p. 168).

Thus, while some Roman Catholic prophecies praise a new religious order, others indicate that a new type of Catholicism will not be true and/or somehow reformed or changed. And in either case, whatever new order that the Great Monarch implements, it will not be faithful to the teachings of Christ or His original faithful followers. The Bible warns against the final Babylon (Revelation 18:2-4).

Archbishop Viganò seems to see that steps for this to take place are happening now.

The idea of an antipope being the Antichrist seems also to have pontifical backing:

Gregory VII’s rhetoric…his naming the “antipope” Guibert as “Antichrist and Arch-heretic”…(Hughes KL. Constructing antichrist: Paul, biblical commentary, and the development of doctrine in the early Middle Ages. CUA Press, 2005, p. 206)

Bishop of Lucca, under the title of Alexander II…was the first pontiff chosen by the cardinals, and they chose him without consulting the Emperor…German and Lombard prelates held a council at Berne and elected as Pope Cadalous, Bishop of Parma, under the name of Honorius II.; and for three years there was a scandalous contest between the two claimants, each calling the other antipope and Antichrist in the usual fashion. (Church WC. The Galaxy, Volume 14. Publisher W.C. and F.P. Church, 1872. Original from the University of Michigan, Digitized Nov 11, 2008, p. 491)

The “usual fashion” is meant to convey that in the Middle Ages it was not uncommon for a pope (and not just one of them) to suggest that an antipope is Antichrist. The term ‘antipope’ is specifically believed, of itself, to convey the concept of being an antichrist by Roman Catholics. Thus, the idea of an antipope being the final Antichrist seems consistent with certain papal pronouncements.

Here is a pronouncement from Pope “Gregory the Great” suggesting something similar:

St. Gregory says, “I confidently say that whoever doth call himself universal bishop, or desireth to be so called, doth, in his elation, forerun Antichrist, because he proudly doth set himself before the rest.”

We cannot but ask, What would Pope Gregory the Great have said to the titles now assumed by his successors, such as “the vicegerent of God,” “the vicar of Christ on earth,” whose “teachings should be received as if they were His own,” and whom the whole episcopate must be “subject to” on pain of being considered “a lawless and disorderly crowd”?

(As in AN OPEN LETTER TO HIS HOLINESS LEO XIII. Cited in McKim RH.Romanism in the light of history. G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 1914 Original from the University of California Digitized Nov 21, 2007, p. 54).

St. Gregory…”I do confidently say that whosoever called himself universal Bishop; or is desirous to be called so, in his pride, is the Forerunner of Anti-christ; because, in his pride, he prefers himself to the rest. And he is conducted to error, by a similar pride; for as the wicked One wishes to appear a god above all men; so whosoever he is, who desires to be called the only Bishop (solus sacerdos,) extols himself above all other Bishops.” Tom. ii. Regist. Epist. In. 15. Epist. 33. edit, of Paris, 1705. (Brownlee WC. Letters in the Roman Catholic controversy, 2nd edition. LETTER VIII. TO DRS. POWER AND VARELA, AND MR. LEVINS. Published by the author, 1834. Original from Harvard University, Digitized Aug 26, 2008, p. 95)

Thus, Gregory seems to be warning that if there ever is a “universal Bishop” that one with this title may become the final Antichrist.

Additionally, some Catholic writers clearly have understood that the two-horned beast in Revelation 13 is likely to be an antipope and that a negative power will be established in Jerusalem:

Priest E. Sylvester Berry (published 1920):  The two horns denote a twofold authority – spiritual and temporal.  As indicated by the resemblance to a lamb, the prophet will probably set himself up in Rome as a sort of anti-pope…Antichrist will establish himself in Jerusalem…with his ‘lying wonders’… (Berry ES.  The Apocalypse of St. John, 1920.  Quoted in Culleton RG.  The Reign of Antichrist.  Reprint 1974, TAN Books, Rockford (IL), pp. 199-200).

Much of the above teaching is consistent with certain scriptures. And although most in the Protestant world that watch prophecy, as well as perhaps most in the Greco-Roman Catholic world, have confused who the Antichrist is (many modern Protestants think he is the Beast), various Catholic sources have correctly declared that the False Prophet is (or likely is) the final Antichrist.

This was also the position of the Greco-Roman Catholic saint Augustine (Augustine. City of God, Book XX, Chapter 14. Translated by Marcus Dods. From Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, First Series, Vol. 2. Edited by Philip Schaff. (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1887.) Revised and edited for New Advent by Kevin Knight. <http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/120120.htm>.Culleton, The Reign of Antichrist, p. 117).

Anyway, a new order is being pushed on the world.

Archbishop Viganò is correct that this is happening and not just a questionable “conspiracy theory.”

More steps need to happen, but a type of “great reset” will happen.

Related to that, we put out the following video:

19:51

Will there be a “Great Reset”?

The theme of the World Economic Forum’s 2021 meeting was the “great reset.” What is the great reset that Klaus Schwab wrote about in his June 2020 book, ‘COVID-19: The Great Reset’? World leaders such as Joe Biden, Justin Trudeau, Angela Merkel, Prince Charles, and Pope Francis have pushed for it. But leaders such as Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Müller, Vladimir Putin, and Jason Kenny have opposed it? Is it a conspiracy? Could the Freemasons, Vatican, and World Council of Churches be endorsing it? Is a great reset prophesied in the Bible? Should you support the humanitarian reset world leaders and academics are pushing? Could a major reset come after the start of the ride of the four horsemen of the Apocalypse and the sorrows that Jesus spoke of? Is this related to the rise of the Beast and the Antichrist? Will a reset last 3 1/2 years, 42 months? What did Jesus say about the Kingdom of God? Dr. Thiel addresses these issues and more in this video.

Some items of related interest may include:

Freemasonry and the Destruction of Rome? What is Freemasonry? What about ties to the Illuminati? Could they be involved in the fulfillment of prophecy? Here is a link to a related sermon: Freemasonry, Armageddon, and Rome.
Will the Interfaith Movement Lead to Peace or Sudden Destruction? Is the interfaith movement going to lead to lasting peace or is it warned against? A video sermon of related interest is: Will the Interfaith Movement lead to World War III? and a video sermon is also available: Do You Know That Babylon is Forming?
Satan’s Plan Does Satan have a plan? What is it? Has it already been successful? Will it be successful in the future? Here are links to a two-part sermon series: What are Some of the Parts of Satan’s Plan? and Satan’s Plan is More Dramatic than Many Realize.
Mystery of Iniquity What is the mystery of iniquity? How did it start? How will it end? Two related sermons are also available: The Mystery of Iniquity and The Mystery of Lawlessness.
Beware: Protestants Going Towards Ecumenical Destruction! What is going on in the Protestant world? Are Protestants turning back to their ‘mother church’ in Rome? Does the Bible warn about this? What are Catholic plans and prophecies related to this? Is Protestantism doomed? See also World Council of Churches Peace Plan.
Hope of Salvation: How the Continuing Church of God Differs from Protestantism The CCOG is NOT Protestant. This free online book explains how the real Church of God differs from mainstream/traditional Protestants. Several sermons related to the free book are also available: Protestant, Baptist, and CCOG History; The First Protestant, God’s Command, Grace, & Character; The New Testament, Martin Luther, and the Canon; Eucharist, Passover, and Easter; Views of Jews, Lost Tribes, Warfare, & Baptism; Scripture vs. Tradition, Sabbath vs. Sunday; Church Services, Sunday, Heaven, and God’s Plan; Seventh Day Baptists/Adventists/Messianics: Protestant or COG?; Millennial Kingdom of God and God’s Plan of Salvation; Crosses, Trees, Tithes, and Unclean Meats; The Godhead and the Trinity; Fleeing or Rapture?; and Ecumenism, Rome, and CCOG Differences.
United Nations: Humankind’s Last Hope or New World Order? Is the UN the last hope for humanity? Or might its goals end up with sinister results? Two related videos include UN’s ‘New Universal Agenda’ is a False Gospel! and United Nations and Vatican Are Planning the New World Order.
The Gospel of the Kingdom of God This free online pdf booklet has answers many questions people have about the Gospel of the Kingdom of God and explains why it is the solution to the issues the world is facing. Here are links to three related sermons: The World’s False Gospel, The Gospel of the Kingdom: From the New and Old Testaments, and The Kingdom of God is the Solution.
Why Should American Catholics Fear Unity with the Orthodox? Are the current ecumenical meetings a good thing or will they result in disaster? Is doctrinal compromise good? Here is a link to a related video Should you be concerned about the ecumenical movement?
Orthodox Must Reject Unity with the Roman Catholics Unity between these groups will put them in position to be part of the final end time Babylon that the Bible warns against as well as require improper compromise.
Laudato Si: Pope’s Agenda or Kingdom of God? Pope Francis’ 2nd encyclical is titled ‘Laudato Si.’ In it, he goes over his views related to environmental, economic, social, moral, agricultural, and spiritual issues. He advocates international cooperation to solve various problems he believes are affecting humanity. Is that Pope’s agenda the solution? What about the Kingdom of God? does the Bible teach? Two related articles include Laudato Si: Will Pope Francis’ economic actions match his words? and Laudato Si: A call for a one-world government?
The Great Tribulation: What Happens First? What events have happened? What are some events that are now happening? And what events need to happen for the Great Tribulation to start? Here is a link to a related sermon video: Counting Down to the Great Tribulation.
The Ten Commandments: The Decalogue, Christianity, and the Beast This is a free pdf book explaining the what the Ten Commandments are, where they came from, how early professors of Christ viewed them, and how various ones, including the Beast of Revelation, will oppose them. A related sermon is titled: The Ten Commandments and the Beast of Revelation.
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 and Continuing History of the Church of God: 17th-20th 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.
Beliefs of the Original Catholic Church. Did the original “catholic church” have doctrines held by the Continuing Church of God? Did Church of God leaders uses the term “catholic church” to ever describe the church they were part of? Here are links to related sermons: Original Catholic Church of God? , Original Catholic Doctrine: Creed, Liturgy, Baptism, Passover, and What Type of Catholic was Polycarp of Smyrna?, Tradition, Holy Days, Salvation, Dress, & Celibacy, and Early Heresies and Heretics, and Doctrines: 3 Days, Abortion, Ecumenism, Meats, Tithes, Crosses, Destiny, and more, and Saturday or Sunday?
Is a Great Reset Coming? Klaus Schwab of the World Economic Forum has proposed a societal change that has been basically endorsed by the Vatican and many world leaders. Does the Bible prophesy a major reset? Here is a link to a related video: Will there be a “Great Reset”?

Texas law SB8 will significantly impair people’s access to the health care they need—particularly for communities of color and individuals with low incomes.

We are deeply committed to the constitutional right established in Roe v. Wade and will protect and defend that right.

— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) September 1, 2021

COGwriter

ZeroHedge (ZH) reported the following:

Liberals Furious After Supreme Court Refuses To Block Texas Abortion Law In 5-4 Vote

September 2, 2021

One day after allowing Texas’s heartbeat bill – the most restrictive abortion law passed in the US since the dawn of the Roe v. Wade era – to take effect, the Supreme Court has declined to block the law, which bars abortions after a fetal heartbeat can be detected – usually around the six-week mark.

The court’s nighttime order, which arrived just before midnight in the form of a single paragraph and rejected an emergency request by clinics and abortion-rights advocates, marks a turning point in the legal battle over abortion rights. While not a final ruling on the measure’s constitutionality, the court’s action validates – at least temporarily – a novel attempt by Texas lawmakers to insulate antiabortion legislation from court challenge (the novel strategy here is Texas’ decision to charge private persons with enforcement of the law, making it more difficult for pro-choice activists to halt enforcement of the law by suing the parties responsible for enforcement). The unsigned order was approved by 5-4 vote, with most of the conservative justices in the majority (with Chief Justice John Roberts joining the court’s three liberal justices in opposition).

In the unsigned explanation, the court’s majority added that the decision was “not based on any conclusion about the constitutionality of Texas’s law” and allowed legal challenges to proceed. …

The dissenting opinions were described by WSJ as “scathing”, with each of the dissenting justices writing their own opinion. The most critical was penned by Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who accused the Texas lawmakers of cynically flouting legal precedents.

“Taken together, the Act is a breathtaking act of defiance—of the Constitution, of this Court’s precedents, and of the rights of women seeking abortions throughout Texas,” she wrote, joined by Justices Stephen Breyer and Elena Kagan. https://www.zerohedge.com/political/supreme-court-leaves-texas-abortion-bill-intact-after-5-4-vote

Yes, many judges are strident in their support of abortion.

Furthermore, the message in Joe Biden’s tweet was not surprising. Here is something about him and his vice president in my book Biden-Harris: Prophecies and Destruction:

Regarding Biden-Harris views on abortion, notice the following items:

Biden will work to codify Roe v. Wade, and his  Justice Department will do everything in its power to stop the rash of state laws that so blatantly violate Roe v. Wade. Restore federal funding for Planned Parenthood. … Restore the Affordable Care Act’s contraception mandate in place before the U.S. Supreme Court’s Hobby Lobby decision. [i]

Pro-life leaders have warned against Joe Biden’s “aggressively pro-abortion” pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. California Attorney General Xavier Becerra has a long track record in taking legal action against pro-life organizations. [ii]

Harris is so pro-abortion that serving in the Senate, she has maintained a 100% rating from the pro-abortion rights group National Association for the Repeal of Abortion Laws (NARAL). [iii] …

While this author has major theological issues with Franklin Graham (son of the late Billy Graham), notice what Franklin Graham said on January 6, 2021:

After the election of Joe Biden, who supports the killing of the unborn almost without limit, voters in Georgia apparently have given two Senate seats to Democrats who are part of a “demonic-driven abortion agenda,” says evangelist Franklin Graham.

“We are in trouble” he said. “I believe God’s judgment is coming, for the sins of our nation are great and they are a stench in the nostrils of our Creator.” [iv]

Yes, God’s judgment is coming to the U.S.A.

[i] ^{The Biden Agenda for Women. JoeBiden.com accessed 10/16/20}

[ii] ^{Pro-life leaders react to Biden’s ‘extreme’ HHS pick. Catholic News Agency, December 7, 2020}

[iii] ^{Kamala Harris Takes Extreme Stance on Abortion. NewsMax, August 12, 2020}

[iv] ^{Unrue B. Franklin Graham: U.S. sins ‘are a stench in the nostrils of our Creator’. World Net Daily, January 6, 2021}

Notice the concern to not “violate Roe v. Wade,” as opposed to any concern about violating a baby’s right to live–and the proper assertion that the abortion agenda is demonically-driven.

Furthermore, it is not just some on the US Supreme Court and US President Joe Biden who oppose this Texas law.

Groups like The Satan Temple and Planned Parenthood have opposed abortion restrictions in Texas. Notice something from March of this year:

The Satanic Temple sues Texas for regulations that ‘interfere’ with their abortion ‘destruction ritual’

March 9, 2021

March 9, 2021 (LifeSiteNews) — The Satanic Temple has sued the State of Texas, complaining that its abortion regulations, such as its sonogram-viewing requirement, interfere with the Temple’s “religious” abortion ritual and therefore violate their “religious liberty.”

A Satanic Temple attorney for plaintiff “Ann Doe” argued that “It is a substantial interference per se for the state to place a regulatory hurdle – one that costs money – in front of a religious exercise. The state might as well tax and regulate Mass.”

The lawsuit echoes The Satanic Temple’s (TST) official belief that first trimester satanic ritual abortions are “exempt” from “unnecessary regulations” such as mandatory waiting periods and required reading materials.

TST’s information sheet on “Satanic Abortion Rituals” further explains their public stance on why they consider regulations to be a hindrance to a ritual that they have claimed “sanctifies the abortion process by instilling confidence and protecting bodily rights.”

“The Satanic Abortion ritual is a destruction ritual that serves as a protective rite. Its purpose is to case off notions of shame, guilt, and mental discomfort that a patient may be experiencing due to choosing to have a legal and medically safe abortion,” the document states.

“Even the most confident and unapologetic individual can experience uncomfortable feelings and anxiety for choosing to terminate their pregnancy. Laws in many states that impose waiting periods and state-mandated counseling can exacerbate these feelings, as can social condemnation and outright harassment by those who oppose abortion,” TST continues.

Texas abortion law requires that prior to obtaining an abortion, which is legal in Texas before the 20-week milestone, a woman must “must undergo ultrasound, be shown the image [of the unborn child], and have the image described to her,” and wait at least 24 hours after the ultrasound before obtaining an abortion. https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/the-satanic-temple-sues-texas-for-regulations-that-interfere-with-their-abortion-destruction-ritual?utm_source=top_news&utm_campaign=standard

The Texas law seems to be to let women know that they are really killing someone when they get an abortion, and if they do decide to murder, the time period is shorter. The Satanic Temple does not want them to think about what they are actually doing. But pro-abortion forces are expected to push through other court challenges.

To further promote abortions, the Satanic Temple once held a raffle where the prize was free abortions (see ‘Satanic Temple Raffles Off Free Abortion to Promote Killing Babies as Religious Rituals’).

In many ways, the Satanic Temple mocks religion and despises the word of God.

Some of that is consistent with the following:

12 Therefore thus says the Holy One of Israel:

“Because you despise this word,
And trust in oppression and perversity,
And rely on them,
13 Therefore this iniquity shall be to you
Like a breach ready to fall,
A bulge in a high wall,
Whose breaking comes suddenly, in an instant. (Isaiah 30:12-13)

This group has been granted tax-exempt status:

Good news for those who worship Satan and Satan-adjacent deities (goats, I wanna say?): the Satanic Temple has officially been granted tax-exempt status by the IRS, according to a post from the religion’s official Instagram account.

Being granted tax-exempt status essentially means that the Satanic Temple has the same legal protections that other religions do, including “access to public spaces as other religious organizations; affirming its standing in court when battling religious discrimination; and enabling The Satanic Temple to apply for faith-based government grants,” according to a press release sent to Rolling Stone. 04/224/19 https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/irs-satanic-temple-church-tax-exempt-826931/?fbclid=IwAR1K10IziyPjv1sRECL5eIjSY7kwqApN6MWTOCYxb_XU_ickgZQPEL-I22w

I have reported about this group over the years.

A while back, the Satanists pushed for their statue of Baphomet if a monument related to the Ten Commandments in Arkansas was not removed (see also Satanists want Ten Commandments out or Baphomet in). According to Wikipedia, Baphomet is a Sabbatic Goat, created by Eliphas Levi in the 19th century. Sabbatic is defined as of, relating to, or appropriate to the Sabbath as a day of rest and religious observance. The Satanists want a monument that mentions the biblical Sabbath removed if they cannot promote their religion (which does not advocate actually keeping of the seventh-day Sabbath).

In 2015, the Satanic Temple performed the ‘first state sanctioned satanic ceremony in history” according to news reports (see ‘Satanic Temple’s state-sanctioned capitol ceremony’).

Here is the logo of the group:

On the home page of its website, The Satanic Temple has long sought donations to fight restrictions against abortions:

PLEASE SUPPORT OUR EFFORTS TO USE RELIGIOUS EXEMPTIONS TO PROTECT WOMEN’S REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS

The Satanic Temple is accepting donations to assist our efforts to challenge arbitrary, insulting, and outright harmful regulations imposed on women who seek abortions.

Since there are a lot of abortion supporters, this could be one reason some are promoting The Satanic Temple.

Here is some information that was at the FAQ page of The Satanic Temple’s website:

To embrace the name Satan is to embrace rational inquiry removed from supernaturalism and archaic tradition-based superstitions. The Satanist should actively work to hone critical thinking and exercise reasonable agnosticism in all things. Our beliefs must be malleable to the best current scientific understandings of the material world — never the reverse.

DO YOU PROMOTE EVIL?

The Satanic Temple holds to the basic premise that undue suffering is bad, and that which reduces suffering is good. We do not believe in symbolic “evil.” We embrace blasphemy as a legitimate expression of personal independence from counter-productive traditional norms.

Of course by promoting blasphemy and abortion, the Satanic Temple is promoting evil.

Yes, the group promotes evil. The Bible warns against ritualistic killing of children. Notice:

21 And you shall not let any of your descendants pass through the fire to Molech, nor shall you profane the name of your God: I am the Lord. (Leviticus 18:21)

The children were ritualistically put in the arms of the burning statue of Molech and were killed.

The USA is becoming more accepting of many things that go directly against the Bible. Blatantly promoting satanism is just one more. Promoting satanism is wrong (cf. Isaiah 47:13-15; John 8:44; 2 Corinthians 11:12-15).

Related to infanticide,which the Texas law is intended to reduce, the Continuing Church of God (CCOG) put out the following video on our Bible News Prophecy YouTube channel:

February 23, 2019 was declared a ‘day of mourning’ by some concerned about infanticide and other ramifications of the State of New York’s “Reproductive Health Act.” The American College of Pediatricians reported they were grieved by efforts by several states to allow infanticide. Statements from disgraced Virginia Governor Ralph Northam, as well as proposed laws in Illinois, Rhode Island, and Vermont have gotten more to be concerned about infanticide in the United States of America. Nebraska Senator Ben Sasse proposed S. 311 the ‘Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act failed in a voice vote–and 17 “public health organizations’ denounced S. 311 as “a dangerous government intrustion.” Is the destruction of humans wrong. Does human life begin at conception? Is there a light flash at conception? Has there been infanticide throughout human history? What does God say about the shedding of “innocent blood’? What about Judaism and Molech?

Here is a link to the sermonette video: American Infanticide.

Abortion is wrong, despite statements from politicians, supposedly ‘reproductive rights’ advocates, and Satanists.

Promoting satanism and brutality to the unborn is consistent with the following that the Apostle Paul prophesied:

1 But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: 2 For men will be … 3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, … 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! 6 For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts, … 13 … evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. (2 Timothy 3:1-3,5-6,13)

The abortion pushers have deceived many ‘gullible women’–do not be among them!

The Bible warns that God will send punishment “against an hypocritical nation” (Isaiah 10:6, KJV).

The promotion of abortion and satanism are only two of MANY hypocritical practices in the USA.

Related to the Satanic Temple, we put together the following related video:

10:12

Satanic Temple’s Abortion Agenda

The Satanic Temple has sued the State of Texas because it requires women to have a sonogram and view their unborn baby at least 24 hours before having an abortion. The Satanic Temple claims that abortion is a religious ritual that should not have any interference. Does the Bible condemn an earlier religious ritual that involved killing children? Does the Satanic Temple despise the word of God? Does its Baphomet statue mock the Sabbath? Does the Satanic Temple promote evil and blasphemy? What does its official website say? Did the Apostle Paul warn about gullible women being loaded with sins being deceived? Did Paul also write that deceivers and imposters would grow worse and worse in the last days? Dr. Thiel addresses these issues and more.

Here is a link to our video: Satanic Temple’s Abortion Agenda.

That being said, expect court challenges to the Texas law.

Do not expect that the courts will like many of the restrictions in the Texas bill as most judges are pro-abortion.

That will not end well for the USA.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

Abortion, the Bible, and a Woman’s Right to Choose Do you know what the Bible teaches on this? Has the Roman Catholic Church allowed abortions? What about the real Church of God? Some may wish to view the YouTube videos: Abortion and Birth Control: History and Scriptures. Abortion, the Bible, and US Debt, American Infanticide, Euthanasia: Mercy killing or murder?, and Land of ‘Free’ Abortions and Debt.
Did God Create a Devil? If not, what happened? Herbert W. Armstrong wrote this as a booklet.
What Does the Catholic Church Teach About Christmas and the Holy Days? Do you know what the Catholic Church says were the original Christian holy days? Was Christmas among them? Is December 25th Jesus’ birthday or that of the sun god? Here is a link to a related sermon: What do Catholic and other scholars teach about Christmas?
The Ten Commandments: The Decalogue, Christianity, and the Beast This is a free pdf book explaining the what the Ten Commandments are, where they came from, how early professors of Christ viewed them, and how various ones, including the Beast of Revelation, will oppose them. A related sermon is titled: The Ten Commandments and the Beast of Revelation.
Might the U.S.A. Be Gone by 2028? Could the USA be gone by the end of 2028 or earlier? There is a tradition attributed to the Hebrew prophet Elijah that humanity had 6,000 years to live before being replaced by God’s Kingdom. There are scriptures, writings in the Talmud, early Christian teachings that support this. Also, even certain Hindu writings support it. Here is a link to a related video: Is the USA prophesied to be destroyed by 2028? In Spanish: Seran los Estados Unidos Destruidos en el 2028?
Biden-Harris: Prophecies and Destruction Can the USA survive two full presidential terms? In what ways are Joe Biden and Kamala Harris apocalyptic? This book has hundreds of prophecies and scriptures to provide details.  A Kindle version is also available 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 your free Kindle reader app (or if you already have one or a Kindle),  you can go to: Biden-Harris: Prophecies and Destruction (Kindle) to get the book in seconds.

COGwriter

Since Jesus and the Apostles kept the Sabbaths and the Holy Days, why do most who profess Christ not observe them?

While social pressure, tradition, and twisted interpretation of scripture all play a role, one role that is overlooked by many is the fact that there are a few passages in the New Testament that have often been intentionally mistranslated.

But because of tradition and a lack of real love for the truth, most people who profess Christ do not care.

Colossians 2:16-17 and Galatians 4:8-10

The most common portion of the Bible that I have heard cited as “proof” that the biblical holy days are done away with is Colossian 2:16-17.

Here is one popular mistranslation of it:

16 So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, 17 which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ. (Colossians 2:16-17, NKJV)

The above gives a rendering that suggests that the holy days are not important, like they have no substance. But that is not what the Apostle Paul was actually saying.

So, let’s examine two other translations of those passages:

16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: 17 Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ. (Colossians 2:16-17, KJV)

16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat or in drink, or in respect of a festival day, or of the new moon, or of the sabbaths, 17 Which are a shadow of things to come, but the body is of Christ. (Colossians 2:16-17, Douay-Rheims)

The above translations are closer than the NKJV. However, they both added a word that is not in the original Greek.

The word added is “is.” Truly literal translations leave it out as it is not in there. Notice the Strong’s words for verse 17:

3739. 2076 4639… 3588……. 3195 3588…… 1161 4983 9999 3588 5547
Which are a shadow of things to come; the…. but.. body ….is…. of… Christ.
(Interlinear Transliterated Bible. Copyright (c) 1994 by Biblesoft).

It should be noted that 9999 means that there was no word in the biblical text–so oddly, even though they knew there was no word, even the Interlinear added something that the verse in Greek did not say. It should also be noted that #3588 is most often translated as “the.”

Because the same three Strong’s words (#4983, 3588, & 5547) are used four other times in the New Testament and in those times the KJV translates it as “the body of Christ” (Romans 7:4; 1 Corinthians 10:16; 1 Corinthians 12:27; Ephesians 4:12)–as does the NKJV (The Douay-Rheims translates it that way in three of those verses; in the one that it does not, 1 Corinthians 10:16, it translates it as “blood of Christ”).

Therefore, if all the translators were simply consistent with themselves, they would have translated Colossians 2:16-17 to state:

16 Therefore let NO MAN JUDGE YOU in eating and drinking or in respect of a festival or of an observance of the new moon or of a sabbath; 17 for those things are a shadow of the things to come, BUT THE BODY OF CHRIST.

Or in other words, do not let those outside the body of Christ (the church, Colossians 1:18) judge you regarding holy days, but only the church itself. Colossians 2:16-17 is not saying that the holy days are done away.

It is sad, but most in the Protestant and Catholic worlds have misunderstood Colossians 2:16-17 because translators who know better MISTRANSLATED it.

Even the early Orthodox bishop Ambrose of Milan recognized that Colossians 2:17 was referring to the “body of Christ” as he wrote the following comment about it:

Let us, then, seek the body of Christ…where the body of Christ is, there is the truth.
(Ambrose of Milan. Book II. On the Belief in the Resurrection, section 107. A Select Library of Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church: Socrates, Sozomenus: Church histories. Schaff P, Wace H, editors. Christian literature Company, 1896 Original from the University of Virginia Digitized Nov 11, 2008, p. 192).

It is sad that modern translators of the Greek have often ignored what the expression really meant. It is poor exegesis (biblical interpretation) to rely on a mistranslation to claim that the holy days are done away with.

Furthermore, when the Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 5:8, “Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth,” this was likely properly believed to show additional scriptural support that the Holy Days were still enjoined upon Christians.

Another common objection to keeping the Holy Days is Galatians 4:8-10. Protestants, and some Catholics, tend to use this to say that no biblical dates are to be observed, so let’s look at that:

8 But then, indeed, when you did not know God, you served those which by nature are not gods. 9 But now after you have known God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements, to which you desire again to be in bondage? 10 You observe days and months and seasons and years. (Galatians 4:8-10, NKJV)

8 But then indeed, not knowing God, you served them, who, by nature, are not gods. 9 But now, after that you have known God, or rather are known by God: how turn you again to the weak and needy elements, which you desire to serve again? 10 You observe days, and months, and times, and years. (Galatians 4:8-10, Douay-Rheims)

There are two problems with using these passages as part of an anti-holy day argument.

The first is that the Galatians were Gentiles (although there were apparently some Jews addressed in later verses) and were NOT keeping the biblical Holy Days (plus, there is no way that the Bible would call biblical requirements as “beggarly elements”) .

The second is that Catholics/Protestants/Orthodox do observe various days and years (Sunday, Easter, Christmas, New Years), so they should not observe anything if they feel that no religious days are to be observed.

Galatians 4:8-10 is not doing away with the biblical Holy Days.

A Wrong Sabbath Argument

The NKJV improperly translates Hebrews 4:9 as follows:

9 There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. (Hebrews 4:9, NKJV)

Because of this (as well as similar mistranslations by others), many do not realize that the New Testament specifically enjoins keeping the Sabbath.

Decades ago, a Protestant told me that he did not keep the Sabbath because he claimed that “the ten commandments were nailed to the cross” (they weren’t, for scriptural proof please see Were the Ten Commandments Nailed to the Cross?) and that all the other commandments were repeated in the New Testament after the resurrection, except the Sabbath commandment, hence it was done away and not intended to be observed.

I informed him that the second commandment against bowing down before graven images was not explicitly so stated after the resurrection in the New Testament. So, I asked him if he should bow down before graven images, and he said no. I asked why. He said because it was wrong. And when I asked him based on what, he had nothing to say.

Since he claimed that the Sabbath commandment was not repeated in the New Testament after the resurrection, I had him read the following:

3 Now we who have believed enter that rest, just as God has said, “So I declared on oath in my anger, ‘They shall never enter my rest.'” 4 And yet his work has been finished since the creation of the world. For somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day in these words: “And on the seventh day God rested from all his work.” 5 And again in the passage above he says, “They shall never enter my rest.” 6 It still remains that some will enter that rest, and those who formerly had the gospel preached to them did not go in, because of their disobedience…9 There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; 10 for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his. 11 Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience (Hebrews 4:3-6,9-11, NIV).

This clearly shows that the command to keep the seventh day Sabbath is in the New Testament. It also shows that only those who will not observe it because of their disobedience argue otherwise. And that is why Paul observed it. Despite the fact that the New Testament stated that the Sabbath was to be kept, he who claimed to believe the Bible, would not do it.

The Greek word in Hebrews 4:9 that the KJV/NKJV/Douay Rheims translates simply as “rest” is the word sabbatismós. It means keeping of the sabbath or sabbath-rest. The Greek word commonly translated as “rest” (meaning taking a break) a dozen times throughout of the New Testament is “anapaúsasthe.” Yet, that was not the inspired word in Hebrews 4:9. And Hebrews 4:9 should mention that a sabbath-rest or observance of the sabbath is being discussed.

Even the ancient Orthodox scholar Origen understood some of what Paul wrote in Hebrews as he wrote:

But what is the feast of the Sabbath except that which the apostle speaks, “There remaineth therefore a Sabbatism,” that is, the observance of the Sabbath, by the people of God…let us see how the Sabbath ought to be observed by a Christian. On the Sabbath-day all worldly labors ought to be abstained from…give yourselves up to spiritual exercises, repairing to church, attending to sacred reading and instruction…this is the observance of the Christian Sabbath (Translated from Origen’s Opera 2, Paris, 1733, Andrews J.N. in History of the Sabbath, 3rd editon, 1887. Reprint Teach Services, Brushton (NY), 1998, pp. 324-325).

Now I should add that although certain “modern” translators put their own word in instead (usually “rest”), the reality is that Origen began writing relatively close to when the New Testament was written and lived in a time when he should have been able to understand what the Greek word sabbatismós actually meant.

Acts 13:42-44 shows what Paul did:

…the Gentiles begged that these words might be preached to them the next Sabbath. Now when the congregation had broken up, many of the Jews and devout proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God. On the next Sabbath almost the whole city came together to hear the word of God.

Also Acts 18:4 states:

And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and persuaded both Jews and Greeks.

Hence the New Testament is clear that Paul kept the Sabbath, regularly preached on the Sabbath, and that he wrote that there remains “a Sabbath-rest for the people of God.”

The Apostle Peter warned:

14 Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless; 15 and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation — as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, 16 as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures. (2 Peter 3:14-16)

Many rely on mistranslations, and thus can be considered as part of the “untaught” that Peter warned about. And many have not only twisted what the Apostle Paul wrote, several scholars have likely intentionally mistranslated what he wrote, which results in even more inaccurate twisting of scriptures. But those that are diligent can see through this if they are willing to submit to the truth of God’s word and His plan.

Another verse whose meaning has sometimes been twisted is Revelation 1:10– details on it can be found in the article Is Revelation 1:10 talking about Sunday or the Day of the Lord?

The following is normally not mistranslated, but seems to be misunderstood, especially within the Protestant world:

14 Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city. 15 But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie. (Revelation 22:14-15, NKJV)

Believing and relying on mistranslations instead of the actual word of God is consistent with loving and practicing a lie. True Christians would not want to do that.

Should you observe God’s Holy Days or demonic holidays?

That sounds like an easy question, but most who profess Christianity do not keep God’s Holy Days.

Both the seventh-day Sabbath and the biblical Holy Days were kept by Jesus and His disciples. And they should be kept by those who wish to be faithful today.

Do not let mistranslations keep you from keeping biblical holy days.

Some items of possibly related interest may include the following:

Should You Keep God’s Holy Days or Demonic Holidays? This is a free pdf booklet explaining what the Bible and history shows about God’s Holy Days and popular holidays. Two related sermon would be Which Spring Days should Christians observe? and Fall Holy Days for Christians.
The Sabbath in the Early Church and Abroad Was the seventh-day (Saturday) Sabbath observed by the apostolic and post-apostolic Church? Here is a related sermon video The Christian Sabbath and How and Why to Keep It.
The Dramatic Story of Chinese Sabbathkeepers This reformatted Good News article from 1955 discusses Sabbath-keeping in China in the 1800s.
Is God Unreasonable? Some have suggested that if God requires Sabbath-keeping He is unreasonable. Is that true?
The Feast of Tabernacles: A Time to Learn the Law The Bible teaches that every seven years that the law should be read at the Feast of Tabernacles. This is what I did at the first Feast site were I gave an actual sermon (as opposed to a sermonette) in 2006, and then a full series in 2013 and 2020.
Feast of Tabernacles’ Sites for 2021 This is information on the Feast of Tabernacles’ sites for the Continuing Church of God in 2021. Feast of Tabernacles’ services are to begin the evening of September 20th and continue until the Last Great Day which is September 28th in 2021.
Is There “An Annual Worship Calendar” In the Bible? This paper provides a biblical and historical critique of several articles, including one by the Tkach WCG which states that this should be a local decision. What do the Holy Days mean? Also you can click here for the calendar of Holy Days.
Did Early Christians Observe the Fall Holy Days? The ‘Fall’ Holy Days come every year in September and/or October on the Roman calendar. Some call them Jewish holidays, but they were kept by Jesus, the apostles, and their early faithful followers. Should you keep them? What does the Bible teach? What do records of church history teach? What does the Bible teach about the Feasts of Trumpets, Atonement, Tabernacles, and the Last Great Day? Here is a link to a related sermon: Fall Holy Days for Christians.
Is Revelation 1:10 talking about Sunday or the Day of the Lord? Most Protestant scholars say Sunday is the Lord’s Day, but is that what the Bible teaches?
Sunday and Christianity Was Sunday observed by the apostolic and true post-apostolic Christians? Who clearly endorsed Sunday?
Tradition and Scripture: From the Bible and Church Writings Are traditions on equal par with scripture? Many believe that is what Peter, John, and Paul taught. But did they? A related sermon is titled Tradition and Scripture.
Hope of Salvation: How the Continuing Church of God Differs from Protestantism The CCOG is NOT Protestant. This free online book explains how the real Church of God differs from mainstream/traditional Protestants. Several sermons related to the free book are also available: Protestant, Baptist, and CCOG History; The First Protestant, God’s Command, Grace, & Character; The New Testament, Martin Luther, and the Canon; Eucharist, Passover, and Easter; Views of Jews, Lost Tribes, Warfare, & Baptism; Scripture vs. Tradition, Sabbath vs. Sunday; Church Services, Sunday, Heaven, and God’s Plan; Seventh Day Baptists/Adventists/Messianics: Protestant or COG?; Millennial Kingdom of God and God’s Plan of Salvation; Crosses, Trees, Tithes, and Unclean Meats; The Godhead and the Trinity; Fleeing or Rapture?; and Ecumenism, Rome, and CCOG Differences.
Another Look at the Didache, Ignatius, and the Sabbath Did Ignatius write against the Sabbath and for Sunday? What about the Didache? What does the actual Greek reveal? Are mistranslations of these early writings relied on for false doctrinal positions?
Holy Day Calendar This is a listing of the biblical holy days through 2033, with their Roman calendar dates. They are really hard to observe if you do not know when they occur 🙂 In the Spanish/Español/Castellano language: Calendario de los Días Santos. In Mandarin Chinese: OUeåf/y^v„W#eåÿ Ù‘Ìf/NNýy^v„W#eåeåS†NÎ2013^tó2024^t0.

Artist portrayal of the Apostle Peter preaching

COGwriter

Former Roman Catholic Mike Gendron had the following his newsletter today:

Which Catholic Pope Do Catholics Believe?

Roman Catholics are faced with a serious dilemma. Since they have been indoctrinated to believe that their popes are infallible, they must obey their infallible teachings. “The Roman Pontiff… enjoys this infallibility… when, as supreme pastor and teacher of all the faithful…he proclaims a definitive act or doctrine pertaining to faith or morals. The definitions ‘must be adhered to with the obedience of faith'” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, para. 891). Catholics believe that the Apostle Peter was their first pope but they do not believe his definitive doctrines. Instead they choose to believe and obey the heretical teachings of Pope Francis. This should be a serious dilemma for all thinking Catholics. How can two “infallible” popes contradict each other with their infallible teachings, and how can Catholics adhere to two sets of conflicting doctrines? Consider the following examples that contrast the teachings of the Apostle Peter with Pope Francis:

• Peter was an elder who submitted to Jesus as the head of the Church (1 Pet. 5:1; Col. 1:18). He taught that Jesus was the Shepherd and Guardian of souls (1 Pet. 2:25).
• Francis believes he is the Vicar of Christ and the head of the Church, with supreme and universal power which he exercises unhindered (CCC 882).

• Peter taught salvation is by faith in Jesus Christ alone (Acts 4:12).
• Francis teaches salvation can be attained apart from Jesus Christ (CCC 841). …

• Peter knew Jesus was the rock (1 Pet. 2:7-8).
• Francis believes Peter was the rock (CCC 552).

• Peter warned of false teachers who would come into the church to teach heresies and malign the way of truth (2 Pet. 2:1-2).
• Francis is a false teacher and under divine curse for adding requirements to the Gospel and naming Mary as an intercessor and mediatrix of salvation (Gal. 1:6-9; CCC 969, 1129).

• Peter refused adoration from men (Acts 10:26).
• Francis welcomes the adoration of men.

We must warn Catholics that Peter was not the first pope and that he was not infallible. … It is our prayer that Catholics will test every man’s teaching with the inerrant, inspired, authoritative Word of God and reject any teaching that opposes it (Acts 17:11).

Let me add that there were NO catholic popes in the first century and even Roman Catholic scholars admit that calling the Bishop of Rome, Pope, did not gain traction until the late fourth century.

Anyway, Mike Gendron also had the following in one of his earlier newsletters:

The apostle Peter played a prominent role in the early church. Soon after he abandoned his career as a fisherman to follow Christ, he became a fisher of men. Several of his sermons were recorded in the Book of Acts, and his two epistles are included in the divinely inspired Scriptures. Since Catholics have been taught that Peter was their first pope, I have developed some questions to shed some light on his theology, ecclesiology, and soteriology. All of the answers come directly from his writings and sermons…>

Peter, were you the first pope and the supreme head of the first century church?
“As a fellow elder, I exhort the elders among you… to shepherd the flock of God.” (1 Pet. 5:1-3)

Are you the rock upon which Jesus would build His church?
Jesus is “a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God, chosen and precious… The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone and a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense. They stumble because they disobey the word.” (1 Pet. 2:4,7-8)

Were you infallible?
Paul opposed me to my face because I was not in step with the truth of the Gospel.(Gal. 2:11,14)

Should we confess our sins to priests?
Repent of your wickedness and pray to God that your sins may be forgiven. (Acts 8:22)

Should we pray to Mary and the saints?
Pray to God. (Acts 8:22)

Can anyone be saved apart from the Lord Jesus Christ?
“There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)

What would you say to Pope Francis who teaches that atheists can follow their conscience into heaven?
“There will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction.” “The ignorant and unstable twist Paul’s letters to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures.” (2 Peter 2:1; 3:16)…

Is it possible for God’s grace or indulgences to be purchased for the remission of sins?
God ransoms us “not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ.” (1 Pet. 1:18-19)…

Should Jesus Christ be made a sin offering during the sacrifice of the Mass?
Christ suffered “once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit” (1 Pet. 3:18)…

Should Jesus continue to be pictured as a dead man hanging on a cross or as a baby in Mary’s arms?
The resurrected Christ has “gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.” (1 Pet. 3:21-22)

What should we do in these days of great deception? Take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. (2 Pet 3:17-18)

There is a profound contrast between the divinely inspired teachings of Peter and the fallible, ungodly opinions of Pope Francis. The enormous disparity between the instruction of these two men Catholics call “pope” shows how far the Roman Catholic Church has departed from the faith of the apostles. May God give us all a greater compassion for the many victims of religious deception.

Most who claim some tie to Roman Catholicism do not realize how much that church has changed. A free online book that documents this in great detail is available: Beliefs of the Original Catholic Church.

The Apostle Peter actually held to Church of God doctrines, and not various ones now embraced by the Church of Rome.

Peter, like the Apostle John, kept biblical holidays.

Peter, also, did not observe Christmas or Easter.

Peter did not wear a cross.

As far as ‘apostolic succession’ goes, notice the following definition from a Roman Catholic priest and scholar:

Apostolic Succession...In its strict sense, apostolic succession refers to the doctrine by which the validity and authority of the Christian ministry is derived from the Apostles…In its broader sense, apostolic succession refers to the relationship between the Christian church today and the apostolic church of New Testament times. Thus, apostolic succession refers to the whole church insofar as it is faithful to the word, the witness, and the service of the apostolic communities. Understood in this way, the church is not simply a collectivity of individual churches; instead, it is a communion of churches whose validity is derived from the apostolic message that it professes and from the apostolic witness that it lives (McBrien R.P. Apostolic Succession. http://mb-soft.com/believe/txo/apossucc.htm 12/09/06).

In other words, according to the above priest, apostolic succession is actually related to the acceptance of the succession of biblical truth, as taught by the original apostles–spiritual apostolic succession is the most important factor to consider when it comes to the subject of apostolic succession (though the ‘laying on of hands’ is also a factor).

Jesus said:

23 But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. 24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth. (John 4:23-24)

True successors of Jesus’ disciples would worship God in spirit and truth–“the faith once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3). Yet, the Church of Rome has made many changes, including many that disagree with positions held by many it considers to be early ‘saints.’

I would add that it is not just Roman Catholics that made changes that disagree with the views of the original apostles.

Some details are in the free online booklets Continuing History of the Church of God and Where is the True Christian Church Today?

Now Church of God Christians probably think that they believe what Peter taught.

But sadly, in the end times, most do not.

How so?

Notice what Peter preached in Acts 2:

17 ‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams. 18 And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; And they shall prophesy. (Acts 2:14b-18)

We are in the last days (see also Does God Have a 6,000 Year Plan? What Year Does the 6,000 Years End?).

Therefore, dreams and prophesy were expected for our day!

Has this happened in the 21st century?

Yes.

While Philadelphian Christians accept that, others do not or they discount all dreams, despite them being prophesied by Peter for the last days.

Does any Church of God (COG) have the confirmed signs of Acts 2:17-18?

Should any?

The late Pastor General of the old Worldwide Church of God (WCG), Herbert W. Armstrong, basically said so in a 1981 sermon:

Joel 2:28-29 And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: (29) And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.

So there is a time coming when God will start pouring out His spirit on human beings. … Day of Pentecost, 3000 were baptized. Peter preached a sermon. They were pricked in their hearts. God began to draw them. God was now… Remember He said, “I will pour out of my spirit on all flesh.” All right, there’s a duality of that. (Armstrong HW. Building The Temple. Sermon, February 14, 1981)

Herbert W. Armstrong was correct about the time coming when God would pour out His Spirit as well as the duality. There was a duality to what Peter preached in Acts 2–and that duality is for our current time!

While Herbert W. Armstrong was alive, the Personal Correspondence Department in the old WCG sent out a letter on dreams and stated the Bible showed that future dreams from God to His people were expected. It then had a date change added to it and here is a quote from that one:

Thank you for your question concerning visions or dreams. The Bible reveals that in times past servants of God were given visions and dreams for specific reasons and/or to convey special messages. …God has used this means of communication in the past and will do so again (Acts 2:17; Joel 2:28) (L052 Worldwide Church of God, 1989)

As the WCG did not publicly acknowledge any such dreams after that letter was sent, the interpretation must be that God would later use dreams (it should be mentioned that the original date of L052 was prior to 1986–hence it was not a change by the Tkach Administration).

Yet, despite what the Acts 2:17-18 supports, most Church of God groups (and scattered ‘independents’) do not seemingly accept that there are any prophets today, nor do they seem to accept that God actually sometimes speaks in dreams in the 21st century.

The Bible records that God often has used dreams to give messages, mainly to men (Genesis 20:3-7, 28:10-17, 31:10-13, 31:24, 37:5-10, 40:5-18, 41:1-32; Numbers 12:6; Judges 7:13-15; 1 Kings 3:5-15; Daniel 2:3-45, 4:4-27, 7:1-28; Matthew 1:20-25, 2:12, 2:13, 2:19, 2:22; Acts 16:9), and possibly at least once to a woman (cf. Numbers 12:6; Judges 4:4-16).

Yes, most dreams are not from God (Deuteronomy 18:22), but consider that confirmed dreams related to the Christian church would be in a different (and biblically prophesied) category (Matthew 10:41; Acts 2:17-18). Some seemingly despise prophecies (cf. 1 Thessalonians 5:20) and appear indignant/dismissive of the very idea that God would use dreams or prophets. Many do not understand what the Bible or what certain leaders have taught about prophets (for some details, see Church of God Leaders on Prophets). Part of the reason for this is pride, but also that the self-proclaimed ‘prophets’ outside of the Continuing Church of God have tended to have proven to be false (see also Why Be Concerned About False and Heretical Leaders?).

But that does not mean God doesn’t ever use dreams or have any in the office of prophet or ever pour out a ‘double-portion’ of His Spirit (cf. 2 Kings 2:9-15) as happened when an ordained minister so prayed and anointed me (Bob Thiel) on December 15, 2011. In the Old Testament, God gave a sign people could see that showed the mantle of leadership passed to Elisha (2 Kings 2:14-15). And for the last days, the Philadelphian Christians are those who kept God’s word (“kept My word” Revelation 3:7-8), and hence are willing to believe the confirmation signs that were at least partially prophesied in the New Testament in Acts 2:17-18. This was not said of the non-Philadelphians and the mantle does not pass to any of them (for more on the mantle, check out the article: Herbert W. Armstrong, the Philadelphia Church, & the Mantle).

The Apostle Peter and the prophet Joel (Joel 2:28-29) taught that there would be some with prophetic dreams in the end times.

Since a dream from a woman (Loma Armstrong) preceded the start of the Philadelphian era of the Church of God (for details, see Dreams, the Bible, the Radio Church of God, and the Continuing Church of God), does it not make sense that God would give a dream to another woman (in this case Fesilafai Fiso Leaana) prior to the formation of the most faithful Philadelphian remnant church, which is the Continuing Church of God?

Yet, many non-Philadelphians have concluded that there are not, cannot be, and/or that no stock should be placed on dreams.

But since Peter said that was a last days prophecy, then THE WORD OF GOD IS CLEAR THAT SOME OF GOD’S MOST FAITHFUL WOULD HAVE TO HAVE DIVINELY-INSPIRED DREAMS and/or prophetic abilities at this time. WILL YOU NOT BELIEVE THAT GOD WOULD BE DOING WHAT HIS WORD SAID HE WOULD BE DOING IN THE LAST DAYS?

At least seven people associated with the Continuing Church of God have had confirmed prophetic dreams (for details, see Dreams, the Bible, the Radio Church of God, and the Continuing Church of God). Is this happening anywhere else in the COGs?

Isn’t it supposed to be happening with at least one?

Does the CCOG have the confirmed signs of Acts 2:17-18?

Yes.

Do you believe what Peter prophesied?

If so, do not be lukewarm about it.

Some items to assist in your studies may include:

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! Here is a link to a sermon: Claims of Apostolic Succession. Here is a related articlein the Spanish language La sucesión apostólica. ¿Ocurrió en Roma, Alejandría, Constantinopla, Antioquía, Jerusalén o Asia Menor?
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? A related sermon is also available Christianity: Two groups.
Laying on of Hands This is an elementary principle of Hebrews 6. Have you properly had hands laid upon you? Here is a link to a related sermon: Laying on of Hands and Succession.
Laying on of Hands Succession and List Does the Church of God have laying on of hands succession? Does the Continuing Church of God have a list of leaders from the time of the apostles?
Was Peter the Rock Who Alone Received the Keys of the Kingdom? How should Matthew 16:18-19 be understood? Here is a link to a related sermon: Peter, the Rock, and the Keys.
The Apostle Peter He was an original apostle and early Christian leader. Where was Peter buried? Where did Peter die?
Should You Keep God’s Holy Days or Demonic Holidays? This is a free pdf booklet explaining what the Bible and history shows about God’s Holy Days and popular holidays. A related sermon is Which Spring Days should Christians observe?
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. Is telling the truth about the early church citing Catholic accepted sources anti-Catholic? 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. There is also a YouTube sermon on the subject titled Church of God or Church of Rome: What Do Catholic Scholars Admit About Early Church History?
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?
Laying on of Hands This is an elementary principle of Hebrews 6. Have you properly had hands laid upon you? Here is a link to a related sermon: Laying on of Hands and Succession.
What Was the Original Apostles’ Creed? What is the Nicene Creed? Did the original apostles write a creed? When was the first creed written? Are the creeds commonly used by the Eastern Orthodox or Roman Catholics original?
What is the Origin of the Cross as a ‘Christian’ Symbol? Was the cross used as a venerated symbol by the early Church? A related YouTube video would be Origin of the Cross.
Do You Practice Mithraism? Many practices and doctrines that mainstream so-called Christian groups have are the same or similar to those of the sun-god Mithras. December 25th was celebrated as his birthday. Do you follow Mithraism combined with the Bible or original Christianity?
Pope Francis: Could this Marian Focused Pontiff be Fulfilling Prophecy? Pope Francis has taken many steps to turn people more towards his version of ‘Mary.’ Could this be consistent with biblical and Catholic prophecies? This article documents what has been happening. There is also a video version titled Pope Francis: Could this Marian Focused Pontiff be Fulfilling Prophecy?
Feast of the Immaculate Conception? Did early Christians teach Mary had an immaculate conception and led a sinless life?
Origin of the Marian Dogmas: Where Do Catholic Scholars Say The Four Dogmas of Mary Came From?
Beliefs of the Original Catholic Church. Did the original “catholic church” have doctrines held by the Continuing Church of God? Did Church of God leaders uses the term “catholic church” to ever describe the church they were part of? Here are links to related sermons: Original Catholic Church of God? , Original Catholic Doctrine: Creed, Liturgy, Baptism, Passover, and What Type of Catholic was Polycarp of Smyrna?, Tradition, Holy Days, Salvation, Dress, & Celibacy, and Early Heresies and Heretics, and Doctrines: 3 Days, Abortion, Ecumenism, Meats, Tithes, Crosses, Destiny, and more, and Saturday or Sunday?
Continuing Church of God The group striving to be most faithful amongst all real Christian groups to the word of God.
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?
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 and Continuing History of the Church of God: 17th-20th Centuries. The booklet is available in Spanish: Continuación de la Historia de la Iglesia de Dios, German: Kontinuierliche Geschichte der Kirche Gottes, French: L Histoire Continue de l Église de Dieu 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?
5. The Sardis Church Era was predominant circa 1600 A.D. to circa 1933 A.D. Discusses some early history of the Seventh Day Baptists, Seventh-day Adventists, CG7-Salem, Jerusalem 7DCG, and COG-7th Day-Denver. Here are links to two historical sermons: Sardis Church Era: Beginnings, Doctrines, and Leaders and Sardis: SDBs, SDAs, & CG7s.
6. The Philadelphia Church Era was predominant circa 1933 A.D. to 1986 A.D. The old Radio Church of God and old Worldwide Church of God, now the remnant of that era is basically the most faithful in the Church of God, like who hold to the beliefs and practices of the Continuing Church of God.
7. The Laodicean Church Era has been predominant circa 1986 A.D. to present. The Laodiceans are non-Philadelphians who mainly descended from the old WCG or its offshoots.  They do not properly understand the work or biblical prophecies and will face the Great Tribulation if they do not repent. One video of related interest is 17 Laodicean Errors in Prophecy. See also Do You Hold to Any of These Laodicean Prophetic Errors?
Does the CCOG have the confirmed signs of Acts 2:17-18? Does any church have the confirmed dream and prophetic signs of Acts 2:17-18? Should one? Here is a link in the Spanish language: ¿Tiene la CCOG confirmadas las señales de Hechos 2: 17-18? Here is a link in the French language: Est-ce que l’Église Continue de Dieu confirme les signes d’Actes 2:17-18?
Church of God Leaders on Prophets Have there been prophets throughout the church age? Are any supposed to be around in the last days? What have COG leaders stated or written about prophets? Here is a link to a related sermon: Church of God Leaders on Prophets.
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? Here is a link in Spanish: Sueños, la Biblia, la Iglesia de Dios de la Radio, y la Continuación de la Iglesia de Dios. A related sermon is also available: Dreams, COGs, and One Man Rule.
Does the CCOG have the confirmed signs of Acts 2:17-18? Does any church have the confirmed dream and prophetic signs of Acts 2:17-18? Should one? Here is a link in the Spanish language: ¿Tiene la CCOG confirmadas las señales de Hechos 2: 17-18? Here is a link in the French language: Est-ce que l’Église Continue de Dieu confirme les signes d’Actes 2:17-18? A related sermon in the English language is also available: 17 Last Days’ Signs of the Holy Spirit.

A reader tipped me off to the above book from the World Health Organization. Here is a little about what it says about its new book:

Overview

This is a guidance document for countries and implementing partners on the technical requirements for developing digital information systems for issuing standards-based interoperable digital certificates for COVID-19 vaccination status, and considerations for implementation of such systems, for the purposes of continuity of care, and proof of vaccination. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/WHO-2019-nCoV-Digital_certificates-vaccination-2021.1 accessed 09/01/21

The reader who brought this up had the following comments:

It’s … essentially a guide for every nation on how to implement a vaccine status system for every human being on the planet. A world standard, so to speak.  Here, we see the WHO (based out of the EU) setting world policy.  I know this is not the mark of the beast, but the system that this will put in place could very easily be extended to control all aspects of life as we know it and usher in the ability to globally control buying and selling.  They’re already using vaccine passports to control access to “non-essential” services/goods in places and even access to grocery stores in some places.

Steps are being taken.

Here is something from the WHO about this plan:

The vaccination certificate is presented as proof that the
bearer has received vaccine for COVID 19, and this claim
can be checked and validated by an interested party.

Establishes the vaccination status of individuals in
coverage monitoring surveys

Establishes vaccination status after a positive COVID 19
test, to understand vaccine effectiveness

For work

For university education

For international travel

So, if you need it to work, attend university, and travel, this certainly affects aspects of buying and selling. The WHO is trying to call this a “vaccination certificate,” but this is basically what people have warned about calling this type of thing a “vaccine passport.”

The WHO also stated:

A centrally-deployed DDCC:VS generation service may
be leveraged by the entire ecosystem.

PKI requirements are significantly simplified.

In other words, this set of suggestions is intended to make it easier for centralized control.

Now many saw this type of thing coming in conjunction with vaccine passports. Notice two examples:

Vaccine May Be Needed to Buy or Sell

September 1, 2021

National Institutes of Health director Dr. Francis Collins said that he supports businesses requiring proof of vaccination for customers. Collins, who is also on the Vatican’s Pontifical Academy of Sciences, affirmed that “it would be good for more businesses to require vaccine credentials in order to have vaccinated customers.” We can only wonder if this potential mandate is a precursor to what will take place in the Tribulation. God’s prophetic word tells us the false prophet will cause “all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand or on their forehead, and he provides that no one will be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name” (Rev. 13:16-17). (Gendron September 2021 Newsletter)

Digital Health Passports Are Trojan Horse For Cashless Society

Several new technologies that appear separate and unrelated will soon converge, creating a giant digital trap that will easily entice the uninformed masses.

The digital trap has already been set and globalist elites are using COVID to speed up the process of convergence. Most people will sleep-walk right into the trap, which will ultimately reduce them to a human QR code – trackable, traceable, and 100 percent dependent on Big Tech and big government for their existence. …

The most imminent agenda item needed to jumpstart this system is a successful launch of digital health passports.

France, Italy, Ireland, Germany, Greece and many other nations have started mandating these passports on their citizens, many of whom are flooding into the streets to protest.

The movement toward digital health passports in the U.S. is happening more gradually but it’s picking up steam.

In a briefing Monday, Aug. 2, Biden’s Coronavirus Response Coordinator Jeffrey Zients announced “it’s time to impose some requirements” where COVID vaccines are concerned.

When asked for clarification on exactly what COVID rules might be implemented, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said nothing is off the table.

Remember that phrase: Nothing is off the table.

This could involve rounding up the unvaccinated and placing them in isolation and quarantine camps. …

In February 2021, ID2020 launched the Good Health Pass Collaborative to encourage a seamless convergence of all the COVID-19 vaccine credentialing apps being developed by many different organizations.

“Paper vaccine certificates can be easily forged,” the ID2020 Alliance warns in a press release. “The purpose of health credentials is to securely prove that a person has received a vaccine or PCR test. The new alliance is particularly targeting travel to ensure credentials work cross-border, cross-industry and are frictionless.”

The alliance has published a white paper on the topic for those seeking more details.

Yet another piece to the evolving techno-fascist puzzle is the new digital currency. …

So the health passports, currently being rolled out worldwide, will block you from in-person shopping for food and necessities while the coming Internet passport will block you from ordering your necessities online. You will essentially be left with the black market, assuming one will spring up for those deemed “unclean” and “unfit” for the modern world because of their dissident views.

All of these technologies will merge at the intersection of Big Data, big banks, Big Tech and big government. Your social credit score will now be tied in not only to your Internet activity but to your bank account and your vaccine status. Welcome to the Great Reset, a/k/a New World Order.

Add in advances in AI and facial recognition and millions of surveillance cameras and you are talking about a lockdown slave state that makes George Orwell’s 1984 look like a picnic in the park.

But don’t complain. It’s all “for our safety.” 08/04/21 https://www.activistpost.com/2021/08/digital-health-passports-are-trojan-horse-for-cashless-society.html

The Covid vaccination is not the “Mark Of The Beast,” mentioned in Revelation 13, well not yet anyway. It’s more like a trial run because we can all still buy and sell, however, recent indications show we may be leading toward this. For instance, most people in the UK now have an app called a vaccine passport that shows whether the owner has been vaccinated or not. Without the app, showing the owner has been fully vaccinated, (or in the future, has not recieved a “top-up”) they will not be allowed to enter pubs, restaurants or sports events or movie theatres etc. Other parts of the UK are offering free Pizzas or discounts on other goods if they can show they have been vaccinated. In some US States, authorities are offering 100 dollars to become vaccinatated. (What single mum, poor person, drug addict or alchaholic is going to turn down a 100 dollars?) Other countries and governments are coming up with similar ideas to get the people vaccinated.

Eventually, when the global vaccination and top-ups are finished … a global database will be in the hands of “The New World Order, 08/03/21 https://www.thebigwobble.org/2021/08/its-all-beginning-to-fit-george-orwells.html

COVID-19 has greatly affected the world and is setting the stage for more governmental controls. The push for “vaccine passports” or something similar is consistent with that, and is a totalitarian step.

The WHO document will further encourage other governments around the world to implement some type of digital system. Europe already is implementing one.

The Bible shows that totalitarian controls, including related to religion, are coming to Europe:

1 And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, with ten horns and seven heads, with ten diadems on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads. 2 And the beast that I saw was like a leopard; its feet were like a bear’s, and its mouth was like a lion’s mouth. And to it the dragon gave his power and his throne and great authority. (Revelation 13:1-2, ESV)

11 Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon. 12 And he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence, and causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. 13 He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. 14 And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived. 15 He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed. 16 He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, 17 and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

18 Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666. (Revelation 13:11-18)

3 Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, 4 who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4)

The type of controls prophesied in Revelation 13:16-18 were not possible when Jesus had the Apostle John pen the above. But it is possible now with digital technology.

Digital passports and/or some type of national identity card may well be tools of the Beast of the Sea (the man of sin) and the Beast from the Earth (the final Antichrist).

The time of 666 control of nearly all aspects of buying and selling is coming.

Related to COVID-19 and 666, in early 2020 the Continuing Church of God (CCOG) put together the following video for our Bible News Prophecy program:

13:55

COVID-19 Leading to 666?

The novel coronavirus of Wuhan, China fame, is now called COVID-19. It has also been called the ‘Coronapocalypse.’ Does COVID-19 have any prophetic ramifications? What did Jesus teach about pestilences and sorrows in the Olivet prophecy in Matthew 24? Could COVID-19 be the ride of the fourth horseman of the Apocalypse? Why was this type of disease expected according to the Old Testament prophecies in Deuteronomy and Leviticus? What has the US Centers for Disease Control warned about? What has the CDC reported about the flu? Were there lessons about fear and infections in the 2011 movie ‘Contagion’? Because of COVID-19, the World Health Organization (WHO), nation of Iran, and certain French locations are telling people not to use cash, but instead electronic forms of payment. The US Federal Reserve is now quarantining money repatriated from Asia to reduce the potential spread of the coronavirus on US currency bills. Is COVID-19 worse than we have been told or could this all be a ‘false flag’ event to encourage people to move towards a cashless society? If the thousands of deaths associated with COVID-19 are pushing parts of the world towards cashlessness, how much more likely will the ride of the fourth horseman and over a billion human deaths motivate people to move to making electronic payments that can be monitored? The Bible tells of a soon coming society that controls buying and selling to force allegiance to a coming European Beast power, known as 666 (Revelation 13:16-18). Does the ‘great tribulation’ begin before ride of the fourth horseman or with the opening of the fifth seal of Revelation 6? Do the words of Jesus helps us better understand the sequence of the four horsemen of the Apocalypse and the start of the Great Tribulation? Will the ride of the fourth horseman help lead to the rise of 666? Is that ride very close? Dr. Thiel addresses these issues and more.

Yes, COVID-19 policies and steps are helping lead to 666. Here is a link to our video: COVID-19 Leading to 666?

(Note: Vimeo blocked the above video via its censorship, but it is still available on the YouTube links provided.)

We also have a Spanish-dubbed version:

13:57

El COVID-19 ¿Conduce al 666?

El Nuevo coronavirus de Wuhan, famoso en China, ahora se llama COVID-19. También se le ha llamado “Coronapocalipsis” ¿Tiene el Covid-19 alguna ramificación profética? ¿Qué enseñó Jesús sobre las pestes y aflicción en la profecía del monte de los Olivos en Mateo 24? ¿Podría el Covid-19 ser el galopar del cuarto jinete del apocalipsis? ¿Por qué se esperaba este tipo de enfermedad según las profecías del Antiguo Testamento en Deuteronomio y Levítico? ¿Sobre que han advertido el Centro de Control de Enfermedades de Estados Unidos? ¿Qué ha informado el CDC sobre la gripe? ¿Hubo lecciones sobre el miedo y las infecciones en la pelicula de 2011 :Contagio”? Debido al Covid-19, la Organización Mundial de la salud (OMS) la nación de Irán y ciertos lugares culturales y los Franceses están pidiendo a las personas que no usen dinero en efectivo, sino formas de pagos electrónicos, La Reserva Federal de los Estados Unidos ahora está poniendo en cuarentena el dinero repatriado de Asia para reducir la posible propagación del coronavirus en los billetes en moneda estadounidense. El Covid-19 es peor de 1o que se nos ha dicho o ¿podría ser todo un evento de “falsa bandera” para alentar a las personas a avanzar hacia una sociedad sin dinero en efectivo? Si las miles de muertes asociadas con el Covid-19 están empujando a partes del mundo hacia la falta de dinero en efectivo, ¿Cuánto más probable será el galopar del cuarto jinete y mas de mil millones de muertes humanas motive a las personas a realizar pagos electrónicos que pueden ser monitoreados? La biblia habla de una sociedad que vendrá pronto y que control a las compras y las ventas para forzar la lealtad al poder de una bestia Europea, conocido como 666 (Apocalipsis 13: 16-18) ¿Comienza la “Gran Tribulación antes del galopar del cuarto jinete o con la aperture del quinto sello de Apocalipsis 6? ¿Las palabras de Jesús nos ayudan a comprender major la secuencia de los cuatro jinetes del Apocalipsis y el comienzo de la Gran Tribulación? ¿El galopar del cuarto jinete ayudará al ascenso del 666? ¿Está esa cabalgata muy cerca? El Dr. Thiel aborda estos asuntos y más. Aquí hay un enlace para nuestro video: El COVID-19 ¿Conduce al 666? Creo que esto afectará a Europa, por lo que en el future estará más dispuesto apoyar a un hombre fuerte (Ver también mi última publicación: Pat Buchannan: El coronavirus matará al Nuevo Orden Mundial?

Here is a link to the video with dubbing into Spanish: El COVID-19 ¿Conduce al 666?

Are you paying attention to what is going on in the world BECAUSE of steps claimed to be related to COVID-19?

Requiring documents to travel, attend events, shop, work, etc. are a step towards the totalitarian controls the Bible warns are coming.

The WHO and others are openly promoting this!

Those who have eyes to see should be able to tell that we in the CCOG have been correct about our understanding of biblical prophecies and how they relate to world events.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

Preparing for the ‘Short Work’ and The Famine of the Word What is the ‘short work’ of Romans 9:28? Who is preparing for it? Here is a link to a related video sermon titled: The Short Work.
The Mark of Antichrist What is the mark of Antichrist? What have various ones claimed? Here is a link to a related sermon What is the ‘Mark of Antichrist’?
Mark of the Beast What is the mark of the Beast? Who is the Beast? What have various ones claimed the mark is? What is the ‘Mark of the Beast’?
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.
Some Doctrines of Antichrist Are there any doctrines taught outside the Churches of God which can be considered as doctrines of antichrist? This article suggests at least three. It also provides information on 666 and the identity of “the false prophet.” Plus it shows that several Catholic writers seem to warn about an ecumenical antipope that will support heresy. You can also watch a video titled What Does the Bible teach about the Antichrist?
Two Horned Beast of Revelation and 666 Who is 666? This article explains how the COG views this, and compares this to Ellen White. Here is a link to a prophetic video Six Financial Steps Leading to 666?
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.
COVID 19 is NOT the End, but could it be TEOTWAWKI? The novel coronavirus called COVID-19 is wreaking havoc around the world. Many states of the USA as well as countries in Europe are on lockdown with shelter in place /shelter in residence requirements. In France, a form is required when you are not at your house. In Spain, drones are being used to warn people who are outside to got back to their homes–does that bring up feelings of ‘Big Brother’? Italy, France, and other areas are using police and/or military force to encourage people to stay inside. According to the Bible could this be the end? If not, what has to happen first? Have the second and third of the four horsemen of the Apocalypse started their ride? Could COVID-19 be the fourth horseman? Why or why not? Could we be seeing The End of the World as We Know It (TEOTWAWKI) like the R.E.M.’s 1987 single song discussed? Do Christians need to fear? What did Jesus teach? What did the Psalmist teach? This is a video. Here is a link to a version in the Spanish language: Corona 19 no es el final PERO es el TEOTWAWKI.
COVID-19 Leading to 666? The novel coronavirus of Wuhan, China fame, is now called COVID-19. It has also been called the ‘Coronapocalypse.’ Does COVID-19 have any prophetic ramifications? What did Jesus teach about pestilences and sorrows in the Olivet prophecy in Matthew 24? Could COVID-19 be the ride of the fourth horseman of the Apocalypse? Why was this type of disease expected according to the O. Here is a link to a version in the Spanish language: ld Testament prophecies in Deuteronomy and Leviticus? What has the US Centers for Disease Control warned about? What has the CDC reported about the flu? Were there lessons about fear and infections in the 2011 movie ‘Contagion’? Because of COVID-19, the World Health Organization (WHO), nation of Iran, and certain French locations are telling people not to use cash, but instead electronic forms of payment. The US Federal Reserve is now quarantining money repatriated from Asia to reduce the potential spread of the coronavirus on US currency bills. Is COVID-19 worse than we have been told or could this all be a ‘false flag’ event to encourage people to move towards a cashless society? If the thousands of deaths associated with COVID-19 are pushing parts of the world towards cashlessness, how much more likely will the ride of the fourth horseman and over a billion human deaths motivate people to move to making electronic payments that can be monitored? The Bible tells of a soon coming society that controls buying and selling to force allegiance to a coming European Beast power, known as 666 (Revelation 13:16-18). Does the ‘great tribulation’ begin before ride of the fourth horseman or with the opening of the fifth seal of Revelation 6? Do the words of Jesus helps us better understand the sequence of the four horsemen of the Apocalypse and the start of the Great Tribulation? Will the ride of the fourth horseman help lead to the rise of 666? Is that ride very close? Dr. Thiel addresses these issues and more in this video. Here is a link to a version in the Spanish language: El COVID-19 ¿Conduce al 666?
Two Horned Beast of Revelation and 666 Who is 666? This article explains how the COG views this, and compares this to Ellen White. Here is a link to a prophetic video Six Financial Steps Leading to 666?
Biological Warfare and Prophecy. Is biological warfare possible? Was it prophesied? Scientists have long warned that pathogenic organisms like the coronavirus could be weaponized. Furthermore, back in 2017, there were concerns that the biological research facility being constructed in Wuhan, China was risky and that a coronavirus from it could be released. On January 25, 2020, China’s President Xi Jinping publicly stated that the situation with the Wuhan-related strain of the coronavirus was grave. Did Church of God writers like the late evangelist Raymond McNair warn that engineered viruses (the “Doomsday bug”) were consistent with prophecies from Jesus? Did a warning from CCOG leader Bob Thiel warn about risks of genetically-modified (GMO) mosquitoes come to pass? Could human research and/or the consumption of biblically-unclean animals such as bats and snakes be a factor in current outbreaks or coming future pestilences? What about famines? How devastating have pestilences been? How devastating are the prophesied ones going to be? Dr. Thiel addresses these issues and more in this video.
Fourth Horseman of the Apocalypse What is the pale horse of death and pestilences? What will it bring and when? Here is a link to a related sermon: Fourth Horseman, COVID, and the Rise of the Beast of Revelation. Some shorter related videos may include Amphibian Apocalypse: Threat to Humans? and Zombie Deer Disease is Here! Are the 10 Plagues on Egypt Coming? Here is a version of the article in Spanish: El cuarto jinete de Apocalipsis, el caballo pálido de muerte y pestilencia.
Who is the King of the North? Is there one? Do biblical and Roman Catholic prophecies for the Great Monarch 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? In the Spanish language check out ¿Quién es el Rey del Norte? Here are links to two related videos: The King of the North is Alive: What to Look Out For and The Future King of the North.
Satan’s Plan Does Satan have a plan? What is it? Has it already been successful? Will it be successful in the future? Here are links to a two-part sermon series: What are Some of the Parts of Satan’s Plan? and Satan’s Plan is More Dramatic than Many Realize.
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? 2028 or or 2031 or 20xx? There is also a video titled 6000 Years: When will God’s Kingdom Come? Here is a link to the article in Spanish: ¿Tiene Dios un plan de 6,000 años?
When Will the Great Tribulation Begin? 2021, 2022, or 2023? 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 la Gran Tribulación comenzar en el 2020 o 2021? ¿Es el Tiempo de los Gentiles? A related video is: Great Tribulation: 2026 or 2027? Here is a video in the Spanish language: Es El 2021 el año de La Gran Tribulación o el Grande Reseteo Financiero.

COGwriter

Last year, Pope Francis spoke on the Roman Catholic view of why God made the world:

‘The World Was Made to Communicate the Glory of God,’ Says Pope Francis

September 1, 2020

“The world was made to communicate the glory of God.”

Pope Francis gave this reminder in his message for the 6th World Day of Prayer for Creation …

In the message, Francis called for long term action to help the planet, and underlined specific initiatives and areas where he believes steps must be taken.

“Today we hear the voice of creation admonishing us to return to our rightful place in the natural created order,” he said, saying, “to remember that we are part of this interconnected web of life, not its masters. The disintegration of biodiversity, spiralling climate disasters, and unjust impact of the current pandemic on the poor and vulnerable: all these are a wakeup call in the face of our rampant greed and consumption.”

“Particularly during this Season of Creation,” he prayed, “may we be attentive to the rhythms of this created world. For the world was made to communicate the glory of God, to help us to discover in its beauty the Lord of all, and to return to him. The earth from which we were made is thus a place of prayer and meditation.” https://zenit.org/2020/09/01/the-world-was-made-to-communicate-the-glory-of-god-pope-francis-message-for-world-day-of-prayer-for-care-of-creation/

By calling the message a “reminder,” this supports the view that this has long been the Roman Catholic view.

It is consistent with something called the “beatific vision” that the Church of Rome and many others hold to, but that the Church of God does not.

Here is information on that and related matters from my free online book The MYSTERY of GOD’s PLAN Why Did God Create Anything? Why did God make you?:

Notice one Protestant view of why God made humans:

Why Did God Create Humans?

He did so to give himself glory. God created us to live and enjoy relationships as he did. Jesus said, “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete” (John 15:11). …

To bring glory to God—that is, to exalt him, lift him up, give him praise, to reflect upon him honorable—is in fact our purpose in life. (Bell S. Josh McDowell Ministry. posted April 11, 2016)

We in the CCOG would disagree. God did not create us because He is some ego-driven spiritual entity that needed people to give Him glory. Nor is giving glory to God the purpose of human life. But it is true that God wanted to increase joy. …

The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches:

293 Scripture and Tradition never cease to teach and celebrate this fundamental truth: “The world was made for the glory of God.”¹³⁴ St. Bonaventure explains that God created all things “not to increase his glory, but to show it forth and to communicate it”,¹³⁵ for God has no other reason for creating than his love and goodness: “Creatures came into existence when the key of love opened his hand.” ^…

Some feel that eternity will be spent primarily gazing upon the face of God. This is known as the ‘Beatific Vision.’

While the Bible teaches we can see God’s face forever (Psalm 41:12), the Beatific Vision is taught by some as the Christian reward and purpose of the creation.

Here is how the New World Encyclopedia describes it:

The Beatific Vision is a term in Catholic theology describing the direct perception of God enjoyed by those who are in Heaven, imparting supreme happiness or blessedness. In this view, humans’ understanding of God while alive is necessarily indirect (mediated), while the Beatific Vision is direct (immediate). …

Thomas Aquinas explained the Beatific Vision as the ultimate goal of human existence after physical death. Aquinas’ formulation of beholding God in Heaven parallels Plato’s description of beholding the Good in the world of the Forms, which is not possible while still in the physical body. …

The philosophy of Plato hints at the concept of the Beatific Vision in the Allegory of the cave, which appears in the Republic Book 7 (514a-520a), speaking through the character of Socrates:

My opinion is that in the world of knowledge the idea of good (the Good) appears last of all, and is seen only with an effort; and, when seen, is also inferred to be the universal author of all things beautiful and right, parent of light and of the lord of light in this visible world, and the immediate source of reason and truth in the intellectual (517b,c).

For Plato, the Good appears to correspond to God in Christian theology. …

St. Cyprian of Carthage (third century) wrote of the saved seeing God in the Kingdom of Heaven:

How great will your glory and happiness be, to be allowed to see God, to be honored with sharing the joy of salvation and eternal light with Christ your Lord and God… to delight in the joy of immortality in the Kingdom of Heaven with the righteous and God’s friends. …

In the thirteenth century, philosopher-theologian Thomas Aquinas, following his teacher Albertus Magnus, described the ultimate goal of a human life as consisting in the intellectual Beatific Vision of God’s essence after death. According to Aquinas, the Beatific Vision surpasses both faith and reason. …

Hindu and Buddhist thought have long spoken of the experience of samadhi, in which the soul finds union with the divine while still in the body. The mystical tradition in Islam speaks of literally seeing with God’s eyes: “When I love him, I am his hearing by which he hears; and his sight by which he sees; his hand by which he strikes; and his foot by which he walks” (Hadith of An-Nawawi 38).

George Fox and the other early Quakers believed that direct experience of God was available to all people, without mediation. (Beatific Vision. New World Encyclopedia, 2013. http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Beatific_Vision accessed 04/16/19)

Note: The Bible is clear that God will come down to the earth (Revelation 21:1-3), hence scripture negates the view of a beatific vision in heaven.

The editor of the Lutheran Journal of Ethics wrote:

But the end goal of God’s purpose for the human creature shines through an eschatological understanding of sanctification, where we are promised the beatific vision of holiness and full communion with God in eternity. (Santos C. Editor’s Introduction: Lutherans and Sanctification. © September/October 2017. Journal of Lutheran Ethics, Volume 17, Issue 5)

Many Protestants that believe in the Beatific Vision lean toward the view that this vision is a spiritual, not physical sight (e.g. Ortlund G. Why We Misunderstand the Beatific Vision. First Baptist Church of Ojai, September 26, 2018).

Those who accept versions of the Beatific Vision as the end goal tend to think that seeing God will fill them with His or their own happiness.

Here is an opposing view of that vision from a onetime Church of God writer:

If eternity is to be spent gazing blissfully up into God’s face, or having our every wish immediately fulfilled — as many religions teach — after a few months (or after a few octillion years, it doesn’t really matter), life would get boring. And once life got boring, it would be sickeningly and fiendishly terrifying. Because there would remain nothing but an unending eternity of boredom to come — with death a wonderful but impossible way of escape (see Luke 20:35-38). This would indeed be the ultimate torture.

But our Eternal Father has a better idea. He has designed a plan in which eternity will not grow progressively more boring. But, as unbelievable as it seems, eternity will grow progressively more exciting, more scintillating, and more enjoyable as each eon follows eon. (Kuhn RL. The God Family – Part Three: To Inhabit Eternity. Good News, July 1974)

Yes, God made what He did so that eternity could be better. Notice something from a deceased Church of God writer:

The God who put this world together did so with a plan in mind. That plan was not the hopeless Nirvana of one major religion of the world which promises you will become an unconscious part of the great whole of nothing with no worries forever — because you have no individual consciousness forever. It is not the bliss of slumbering in a hammock slung between two date palms in an oasis, being fed by voluptuous maidens forever, the promise of which the followers of Allah are assured. It is not walking the golden streets with golden slippers, strumming on a harp with your only worry being how to keep your halo straight, as seems to be the promise of the majority of Protestant groups. It is most certainly not the promise of finally being able to look into the face of God and appreciate the beatific vision (whatever that is), as is the promise to those who follow the Catholic faith: What the God who created everything proposes is to bring you into His very family. To be God as God is God! Not just to be a God in the euphemistic sense of us all being brothers and sisters with God as our figurehead Father, but to share His divine nature completely. …

God’s real plan is practical. He says of His family Kingdom that there will never be an end to its expansion. His plan is to continue adding sons and daughters who look, feel, act like Him and who are composed of the same self-regenerating eternal spirit life as He is, forever! That is why the goal God has set before Himself is a hope that not even He will ever fulfill. Endless, eternal, forever creating an ever-expanding family to enjoy and rule the great creation He has already made — and to have you and me share in future creations without end. A busy, practical, interesting, challenging, ongoing plan that gives an eternal reason to live.

There is no boredom in that plan. Never a time when your interest will run out. No mythical, religious-sounding folderol about some spiritual never-never land where you do nothing forever — but an eternal job of creating, governing! problem-solving with visible benefit. … He has the power to resurrect you … (Hill DJ. What the World Needs Now Is…HOPE. Plain Truth, February 1979)

Notice something from a late Church of God leader:

“If a man die, shall he live again?” (Job 14:14). This should be a time of HOPE, because even if THIS WORLD dies — and it shall — there will follow a RESURRECTION of a new and better world — a world at PEACE — a world of contentment, happiness, abundance, JOY! God help us to comprehend! Not merely continuous existence — but the full, happy, interesting, ABUNDANT life! Yes — and that for ALL ETERNITY! (Armstrong HW. What Is the Purpose of the Resurrection? Good News, March 1982)

Because many do not fully understand scripture, they have promoted views, like how they teach the beatific vision, which are not fully consistent with God’s plan.

Us looking at God does not, of itself, make eternity better. Though Him blessing us forever certainly will do that (cf. Psalm 72:17-19).

All Things Created for Jesus

The New Testament teaches this related to Jesus and the creation:

¹⁵ He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. ¹⁶ For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. Colossians 1:15-16)

² … His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; ³ who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, (Hebrews 1:2-3)

Now, were we simply created to look at Jesus for eternity?

No.

Notice why Jesus said He came:

¹⁰ … I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. (John 10:10)

By have “life” and having it “more abundantly,” Jesus is teaching that He came so that we could have a better eternity and that we could help make eternity better.

God did not create humans for the purpose of humans staring at Him for all eternity.

God is not an egotist as He made the world so eternity would be better. Here is a link to a related sermon: Mysteries of God’s Plan,

Sadly, most do NOT know why God created anything or God’s purpose for making humans.

Now, you may want to know why did God make you?

Related to that, the Continuing Church of God put together the following sermon on its ContinuingCOG channel:

1:14:43

The Mystery of YOU

Why did God make YOU? What is the biblical meaning pf life? Are you supposed to do good? Is there a place for works? What will you be rewarded for? What about love and the commandments? Does God have a specific role for you personally? Do you really trust God? Will you be able to give love in a unique manner in order to make eternity better for yourself and others? What about character and deification? Why did God create anything? This is third part of a three-part sermon series by Dr. Thiel.

This sermon series is based on the following free online book: The MYSTERY of GOD’s PLAN Why Did God Create Anything? Why did God make you?

Here is a link to the sermon: The Mystery of YOU.

We in Continuing Church of God put together the booklet The MYSTERY of GOD’s PLAN Why Did God Create Anything? Why did God make you? so, for those interested in the truth, “that they may have all the riches that assurance brings in their understanding of the knowledge of the mystery of God” (Colossians 2:2, NET).

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

The MYSTERY of GOD’s PLAN Why Did God Create Anything? Why did God make you? This free online book helps answers some of the biggest questions that human have, including the biblical meaning of life. Here is a link to three related sermons: Mysteries of God’s Plan, Mysteries of Truth, Sin, Rest, Suffering, and God’s Plan, and The Mystery of YOU.
Beliefs of the Original Catholic Church. Did the original “catholic church” have doctrines held by the Continuing Church of God? Did Church of God leaders uses the term “catholic church” to ever describe the church they were part of? Here are links to related sermons: Original Catholic Church of God? , Original Catholic Doctrine: Creed, Liturgy, Baptism, Passover, and What Type of Catholic was Polycarp of Smyrna?, Tradition, Holy Days, Salvation, Dress, & Celibacy, and Early Heresies and Heretics, and Doctrines: 3 Days, Abortion, Ecumenism, Meats, Tithes, Crosses, Destiny, and more, and Saturday or Sunday?
Why Were You Born? Why did God make you? Herbert W. Armstrong wrote this as a booklet on this important subject. You may also wish to read the article What is Your Destiny? or watch the video, also titled What is Your Destiny?
What is Your Destiny? Deification? Did the Early Church Teach That Christians Would Become God? What is your ultimate destiny? What does the Bible teach? Is deification only a weird or cultic idea? Are you to rule the universe? Here is a link to the video sermon What is Your Destiny?
Christians are to Rule Are Christians really to rule? If so, how will that turn out? A related sermon is titled A sermon of related interest is titled Are Christians really supposed to rule?
Building Character: Going on to Perfection Once you have accepted Jesus, do you need to strive for perfection and build character? A related video sermon is available: Going on to perfection and building character.
What is the Meaning of Life? Who does God say is happy? What is your ultimate destiny? Do you really know? Does God actually have a plan for YOU personally? If you would like to watch videos covering subjects of this article, you can click on the following links: Why YOU? Why Do YOU Suffer? and What is the meaning of your life?
Biblical Keys to Happiness This is an article for those interested in biblical teachings about being happy. A related sermon is available and is titled: 14 Biblical Keys to Happiness.
COGwriter Position on Other Churches and Religions What is the fate of those who do not know Christ? What about those who profess Christ outside the Church of God?
Universal OFFER of Salvation, Apokatastasis: Can God save the lost in an age to come? Hundreds of scriptures reveal God’s plan of salvation Will all get a fair chance at salvation? This free book is packed with scriptures showing that God does intend to offer salvation to all who ever lived–the elect in this age, and the rest in the age to come. Here is a link to a related sermon series: Universal Offer of Salvation 1: Apocatastasis, Universal Offer of Salvation 2: Jesus Desires All to be Saved, Mysteries of the Great White Throne Judgment (Universal Offer of Salvation part 3), Is God Fair, Will God Pardon the Ignorant?, Can God Save Your Relatives?, Babies, Limbo, Purgatory and God’s Plan, and ‘By the Mouth of All His Holy Prophets’.
Hope of Salvation: How the Continuing Church of God Differs from Protestantism The CCOG is NOT Protestant. This free online book explains how the real Church of God differs from mainstream/traditional Protestants. Several sermons related to the free book are also available: Protestant, Baptist, and CCOG History; The First Protestant, God’s Command, Grace, & Character; The New Testament, Martin Luther, and the Canon; Eucharist, Passover, and Easter; Views of Jews, Lost Tribes, Warfare, & Baptism; Scripture vs. Tradition, Sabbath vs. Sunday; Church Services, Sunday, Heaven, and God’s Plan; Seventh Day Baptists/Adventists/Messianics: Protestant or COG?; Millennial Kingdom of God and God’s Plan of Salvation; Crosses, Trees, Tithes, and Unclean Meats; The Godhead and the Trinity; Fleeing or Rapture?; and Ecumenism, Rome, and CCOG Differences.
Is God Calling You? This booklet discusses topics including calling, election, and selection. If God is calling you, how will you respond? Here is are links to related sermons: Christian Election: Is God Calling YOU? and Predestination and Your Selection. A short animation is also available: Is God Calling You?
Christian Repentance Do you know what repentance is? Is it really necessary for salvation? A related sermon is also available titled: Real Christian Repentance.
Christians: Ambassadors for the Kingdom of God, Biblical instructions on living as a Christian This is a scripture-filled booklet for those wishing to live as a real Christian. A related sermon is also available: Christians are Ambassadors for the Kingdom of God.