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COGwriter

A Canadian that I met twice, sent me the following email:

LCG wades deeper into the Laodicean mire…

I think they’re getting even more confused about end-time events, stating that when we see the 1^st and 2^nd seal opened that Christ’s return is about 3.5 years away.  I thought the Great Tribulation marked 3.5 years from Christ’s return and this is reflected in the 5^th seal?  What about the 3^rd and 4^th seals? (I say this tongue-in-cheek.)  Aside from their confusion on the identity of the man of sin, they’re REALLY not going to know when things are coming to a head…

This video is only about 6 minutes long, so not a huge waste of time but I thought I would let you know some of what they’ve been up to.

How to Know When Christ Will Return – First 2 Major Events | Tomorrow’s World (tomorrowsworld.org)

While I rarely watch videos people suggest, I did watch this one.

The video, itself, is well produced and seems designed to keep modern audiences interested enough to watch it.

The problem is that it makes statements and assertions that are in biblical error as well as in contradiction to previous LCG teachings.

The video perpetuates LCG’s error that the False Prophet is the ‘man of sin’ (to learn more about who the Bible identifies as the  ‘man of sin’ check out the article Who is the Man of Sin of 2 Thessalonians 2?). It also somewhat hints that its ‘falling away’ error is valid (to learn more about that check out the article The Falling Away: The Bible and WCG Teachings).

While the whiteboard video cites Jesus’ statement about wars and rumors of wars, related to the beginning of sorrows, it teaches that neither the first nor second seal of Revelation 6 is open yet.

That contradicts what LCG has been publishing for years.

Before proving that, let me state that during the Feast of Tabernacles in October 2009, an odd feeling came over me that pointed to looking to see if the beginning of sorrows may have began. After researching and finding that events consistent with the ride of the 1^st horseman occurred, in November of 2009 I telephoned Dr. Roderick C. Meredith and told him. While his church had taught that the beginning of sorrows had not begun prior to that, it taught shortly after that telephone call that the beginning of sorrws had begun.

For example, in January of 2010, LCG’s J. Davy Crockett III proclaimed:

Peace and plenty for all mankind will be achieved only when the Kingdom of God is established on the earth. Until then, you can expect greater disasters and you will see that what we are experiencing now is but, “…the beginning of sorrows.” (Crockett D. The beginning of Sorrows. LCG Commentary, January 28, 2010. https://www.tomorrowsworld.org/commentary/the-beginning-of-sorrows)

Dr. Douglas Winnail of the Living Church of God wrote:

Now another powerful and “deadly” quake has struck in Turkey. As we move closer to the end of the age, Jesus Christ’s admonition about “earthquakes in diverse places,” as a sign of His impending return, should ring in our ears (Matthew 24:7). Yet, Jesus said these events are just the “beginning of sorrows” (verse 8). For those who are truly watching for the signs of the end of the age, there will be no doubt that the Time of Jacob’s Trouble is not far off. However, for those who are caught up with the cares of this life and the deceitfulness of riches (Matthew 13:22), these events that Christ said would occur may catch them unaware—while they are not looking or expecting (Matthew 24:50). We must all make time to “watch and pray” so that we are counted worthy to escape the things that will shortly come to pass (Luke 21:36). (Winnail D. World Ahead Weekly Update, March 11, 2010)

Dr. Roderick C. Meredith of the Living Church of God wrote:

So it seems that the “beginning of sorrows” has certainly been escalating in Ephraim and Manasseh! Maybe it will help some few people to actually “wake up”! (Meredith RC. LCG Co-worker letter, August 15, 2011)

How can the beginning of sorrows escalate if they had not already began?

Obviously, they could not.

LCG also published:

If, in the plan of God for mankind, we are truly at that point where, “All these are the beginning of sorrows” (Matthew 24:8), then we need to acknowledge that things are going to get worse. The earthquake tragedies in Japan, in New Zealand, and in Haiti are just the beginning. The political upheavals in the Middle East and the religious radicalism that is gripping the entire world will continue. Economic turmoil that seems to be spreading from nation to nation is not going to go away. (Wilson R. Redeem the Time. LCG Commentary, April 14, 2011)

LCG’s Richard Ames taught:

The Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth, described dangerous conditions that would prevail in the end-time. He said, “For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows” (Matthew 24:7–8). …

In Revelation 5, we read about a scroll sealed with seven seals. Jesus, the Revelator, opens the seals to the book. We read the description of those seals in Revelation 6. The first four seals are known as the four horsemen of the Apocalypse. The first horse—the white horse—and its rider represent false religions, false Christs. Jesus Himself points out the sequence of these end-time events in Matthew 24, also known as the Olivet prophecy because Jesus spoke it on the Mount of Olives. (Ames R. What is the Day of the Lord. Tomorrow’s World magazine, March-April 2007).

Christ comes with many crowns (19:12), not just one crown. And He comes with a sword (v. 15), not a bow as in Revelation 6.

Christ is the Revelator. He reveals the meaning of this white horse in Matthew 24. Jesus describes the signs of His Second Coming, and the sequence of events, that coincide with the seals of Revelation. “And Jesus answered and said to them: ‘Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, “I am the Christ,” and will deceive many'” (Matthew 24:4–5).

This white horse, and its rider, represent false religions—”false christs” (v. 24). In Matthew 24, Jesus continues describing the sequence of events: war, famine, pestilence and tribulation. Jesus is the One who interprets the seals of Revelation. He tells us: “And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake” (vv. 6–9).

The second seal reveals a horseman riding a red horse, having the power to take peace from the earth. The third seal presents a rider on a black horse, representing a scarcity of food and resulting famine. The fourth seal shows a rider on a pale horse with the power over one fourth of the earth to kill “with sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth” (Revelation 6:8). Jesus also spoke of the pestilence that normally follows a famine.

Thus we see that in Matthew, Jesus confirmed the meaning of these seals when He spoke of:

• Deceptive religion (Matthew 24:4)—the first seal, or the first of the four horsemen [of the Apocalypse, or Revelation];
• Wars (Matthew 24:6–7)—the second seal, or the second of the four horsemen;
• Famines (Matthew 24:7)—the third seal, or the third of the four horsemen;
• Pestilences (Matthew 24:7)—the fourth seal, or the fourth of the four horsemen;
• Tribulation, religious persecution and martyrdom (Matthew 24:9–10)—the fifth seal. (Ames R. The Seven Seals of Revelation. Tomorrow’s World magazine, March-April 2003)

Why is that relevant?

Because LCG taught that the four horsemen represented aspects of the beginning of sorrows Jesus spoke of–basically that you do not have one without the other. Furthermore, I did discuss this with Richard Ames and he concurred with that understanding.

Yet, in its whiteboard video, LCG is teaching that none of the horsemen have began their rides, thus, that points to the conclusion that LCG is now teaching that the sorrows have not begun, in contradiction to its earlier teachings.

Furthermore, LCG’s whiteboard video says that Jesus will come 42 months after the first two horsemen begin their ride, and then says He will come a little more than 3 1/2 years after they arise.

The Beast of Revelation 13:1-10 arises after the fourth seal is opened, not the second seal (though he certainly can have lower level roles prior to the opening of the fourth seal).

That sequence gives almost no time for the third, fourth, and fifth seal to be opened. LCG needs to change on many points or it will not realize when the Great Tribulation will begin, until it is too late for most to flee to the wilderness (Revelation 12:14-17)

Various ones have asked me for a list of doctrinal differences between LCG and the Continuing Church of God. As far as doctrines, unlike the Charlotte-based Living Church of God, the CCOG believes:

1. That the word of God and not Protestant commentaries should be the basis for changing doctrine (it remains my view that LCG’s “falling away” logic was primarily based upon Protestant interpretations, overlooked a lot of what HWA’s church actually taught about it, and was not consistent with many scriptures in the Bible).  See also The Falling Away: The Bible and WCG Teachings.
2. The Falling Away on 2 Thessalonians 2:3 mainly has to do with those affiliated with the COG (see also The Falling Away: The Bible and WCG Teachings).
3. That the leader of CCOG keep his word, as should the leader(s) of LCG–really (see Why Bob Thiel Left the Living Church of God and Response to a Letter from Dr. Roderick C. Meredith Dated December 28, 2012).
4. God’s word says He will use dreams and have prophets in the last days in Acts 2 (see also Does the CCOG have the confirmed signs of Acts 2:17-18?). While LCG agrees we are in the last days, and from 2008-2012 its evangelists stated that they believed the COG may have a prophet, LCG no longer accepts that (Wakefield D. Living Church News, July-August 2015, p. 26).
5. That since a prophet is higher in “spiritual authority” than an evangelist, that those who believe in hierarchical governance would support a prophet of God over an evangelist, irrespective of how long he has been an evangelist (see also The Bible, Peter, Paul, John, Polycarp, Herbert W. Armstrong, Roderick C. Meredith, and Bob Thiel on Church Government and How To Determine If Someone is a True Prophet of God).
6. “If a trumpet is blown in a city, will not the people be afraid? If there is calamity in a city, will not the Lord have done it? Surely the Lord God does nothing, unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets. A lion has roared! Who will not fear? The Lord God has spoken! Who can but prophesy?” (Amos 3:6–8). While LCG has repeatedly published that, it also claims to not have any prophets, whereas CCOG does (see Church of God Leaders on Prophets).
   
7. We warned about coronaviruses being a potential problem back in 2013 and 2014 (see Over 100 confirmed dead from coronavirus; Tonto: Why didn’t Bob Thiel warn about the coronavirus? COGwriter: I did back in 2013 and 2014, plus gave other warnings in 2018 and 2019), but LCG did not. Surely COVID was something God would have warned through His prophet and His most faithful church.
8. That faith is not the first step towards salvation, but that God calls (John 6:44) and send out His messengers to teach the word of God (Romans 10:14-17), and then comes faith (the Official Statement of Fundamental Beliefs of LCG differs; see also proposed changes to LCG’s Official Statement of Fundamental Beliefs).
9. That it is inappropriate to suggest that those that do not agree to an unscriptural doctrinal change have somehow been led by or blinded by Satan (this is related to statements in two sermons by Dr. Douglas Winnail; see also The Falling Away: The Bible and WCG Teachings).
10. That it is not necessary to rebuild a Jewish Temple in Jerusalem before Jesus returns (both a TW telecast and one or more LCG sermons have stated a view that disagrees with that; see also Why is a Jewish Temple in Jerusalem Not Required?) and that we should not insist that the “Bible clearly states” that the holy place of Matthew 24:15 is the area commonly called “the Temple Mount” (see Church of God on Jerusalem’s Western Hill).
11. That literature corrections and/or retractions should be made when known. The work of God MUST be done in truth (Psalm 33:4).
12. That the COG must be bolder in certain areas if it wants to fulfill Matthew 24:14 (see also The Final Phase of the Work).
13. Matthew 18:15-17, about going to your brother to try to resolve a matter before going public with it, applies to leaders and members.
14. The purpose of life is not just to be in the God family, but to give love in a unique way (see The MYSTERY of GOD’s PLAN Why Did God Create Anything? Why did God make you?).
15. That institutional idolatry is still wrong and that proper church governance does not include being loyal to a church or leader’s teachings which contradict scripture (see also The Bible, Peter, Paul, John, Polycarp, Herbert W. Armstrong, Roderick C. Meredith, and Bob Thiel on Church Government).
16. That it is wrong to knowingly send out tens of thousands of booklets with admitted and known errors for several years (tens of thousands of the GCA booklet have gone out, despite LCG being told that they contain known errors years ago and that they perpetuate certain Catholic myths (consider also Psalm 101:7); on 10/18/12 I was informed that over 20,000 incorrect booklets remained and were expected to be sent out; see also October 2012 Emails Related to GCA Booklet).
17. That it is wrong to continue to have one or more known errors/contradictions in an Official Statement of Fundamental Beliefs, but still keep it unchanged for years after learning what they are (one is a seeming contradiction within the Statement, and the others are covered in points 4 and 18, though point four I had not brought that up before, but wanted to when I first noticed it). (See also December 2011 Proposed changes to LCG’s Official Statement of Fundamental Beliefs.)
18. That Philadelphians should expect persecution (Daniel 11:28-35; Revelation 12:13-14; see also Persecutions by Church and State) and not excessively pull-back proclamation to avoid it (I was specifically told that some LCG leaders, who I will not mention now by name, were afraid I, Bob Thiel, could trigger end time persecution, despite the fact that they in LCG also specifically realize that the Philadelphians will be persecuted).
19. That improving literature and doctrinal errors will greatly assist in the final phase of the work. (Briefly, what this refers to is when the COG publicly identifies the King of the North and media coverage gets generated, the Catholic scholars will tear through COG literature and find many, many simple to fix errors that will hurt the COG’s credibility. LCG Evangelists agreed to fix many of them with me over the years, but often have yet not done so. My being distant from LCG assists as I will not have to apologize for why a group that supposedly has enough of the “love of the truth” kept publishing known and serious errors. And several of those errors perpetuate Catholic myths. This could greatly damage the credibility of God’s work.)
20. It has a better grasp of The Final Phase of the Work. (Briefly, a lot of this basically this begins no later than when the King of the North is identified and continues until Jesus returns–it has multiple parts including fulfilling Matthew 24:14–which may happen because of related media attention, persecution, the angels’ messages of Revelation, the two witnesses, and supporting those witnesses. If John Ogwyn was correct about the “short work” on Romans 9:28, this could possibly, temporarily swell the ranks of the COG prior to the persecution.)
21. Jesus is present at Passover (Matthew 18:20; 26:26-27; John 6:51,53; 1 Corinthians 11:24-25; LCG’s Passover DVD for 2012 stated that Jesus was not present).
22. That major preparations need to be made now for the ‘short work’–and that CCOG is doing so (see Preparing for the ‘Short Work’ and The Famine of the Word).
23. People should be more loyal to the word of God and leaders that God appoints than a corporation (see also The Bible, Peter, Paul, John, Polycarp, Herbert W. Armstrong, Roderick C. Meredith, and Bob Thiel on Church Government).
24. Ignatius’ writings did not do away with the Sabbath (see Another Look at the Didache, Ignatius, and the Sabbath) as that is a mistranslation (the God’s Church Through the Ages’ booklet has this and many other errors as does the book LCG printed and gave to all in the Fall of 2014 by Ivor Fletcher).
25. The Continuing Church of God has laying on of hands succession (see Laying on of Hands) (LCG has shied away from teaching “succession,” though when I was in LCG their leaders seemed to agree with my basic position on it, which remains–though LCG had not actually taught in its publications, when I checked).
26. Various divorce and remarriage (D&R) matters. Though since I have only been married once (we have been married for 37 plus years, and are not planning on divorcing), this was not a major personal item, but has long been a spiritual concern as LCG seemed to allow remarriage where the Bible did not.
27. That adultery, does not mean multiple adultery, as far as Jesus’ words about divorce go (Dr. Meredith has said in sermons that adultery here means multiple violations. That is not how I read this and I called Charlotte about it in 2012, with no satisfactory resolution.)
28. Marriages performed by the ministry are not to include believers to unbelievers per 2 Corinthians 6:14-18 (unless certain other biblically-sanctioned reasons are present; e.g. Deuteronomy 22:28). See also the 2015 post, NBC: ‘Exposed in Ashley Madison Hack? Here’s What to Do Now’.
29. That the Great Tribulation, the time of Jacob’s troubles, does not start at Daniel 11:40 when the King of the South pushes at the King of the North–it starts the prior verse (this is something that still needs to be corrected in the LCG Official Statement of Fundamental Beliefs; this is something many have known about for years and had promised to address; see also When Will the Great Tribulation Begin?).
30. That the “strongest fortresses” in Daniel 11:39 are a reference to the USA (see also USA in Prophecy: The Strongest Fortresses). Although the evangelists at LCG in Charlotte all agreed I was correct about this, when I checked LCG’s two major websites in 2017, there was no place where LCG teaches this–this is an improper and dangerous error of omission for LCG.
31. That the King of the North attacks the USA and its Anglo-Saxon allies (Daniel 11:39) before he attacks the King of the South (Daniel 11:40; LCG teaches both versions of this and leans towards the wrong one; LCG’s Fourteen Signs booklet, for one example, teaches that Daniel 11:31 comes AFTER Daniel 11:40-43 and that the USA and Anglo-Saxon nations are destroyed afterwards–this means LCG WILL NOT KNOW WHEN THE GREAT TRIBULATION WILL BEGIN AND THOSE THAT PREFER TO SUPPORT LCG WILL NOT FLEE TO BE PROTECTED WHEN IT IS TIME).
32. That Daniel 11:31 is fulfilled prior to Daniel 11:40-43 (LCG’s Fourteen Signs booklet teaches the opposite order).
33. That since the ten kings have not yet received their kingdoms, that the ten kings mentioned in Revelation 17:12-13 are not limited to 10-11 currently existing nations (LCG sometimes takes a different view, which will mean that they will not realize when the Beast power is at the end stage of its rising up, see also LCG and PCG insisting on 10 or 11 ‘nations’ for the Beast? What does the Bible teach?).
34. Do not believe that any in the ministry should promote the sport of American tackle football (the Bible, in Romans 13:9-10 clearly teaches “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law”). HWA also specifically warned against this violent sport (see Is American Football Evil?). There are also other “love” issue matters.
35. We do not believe that we should encourage the pagan sun-god (Shamash 888 B.C.) worship practice (cf. Deuteronomy 12:29-32) of praying with clasped hands (see our booklet Prayer: What Does the Bible Teach?), whereas LCG has published photos promoting this.
36. While the Bible seemingly allows for eating out while traveling (Matthew 12:1-8) and certain emergencies (Luke 6:3-5), that it does not condone regular eating out in restaurants on the Sabbath for those who are simply at their homes (cf. Nehemiah 10:30-31; watch also The Christian Sabbath and How and Why to Keep It).
37. That the “mark of the Beast” includes idolatry and likely a physical object, and is not limited to Sunday worship (see Mark of the Beast and The Mark of Antichrist).
38. That the “word of the law” needs to be preached as part of the Feast of Tabernacles every seven years (Deuteronomy 31:10-13; cf. Nehemiah 6:73;7:1-3,8,13-17; Joshua 8:34; see also The Feast of Tabernacles: A Time to Learn the Law). This was conveyed to those giving sermons at the CCOG Feast of Tabernacles’ Sites for 2013.
39. That Habakkuk 2 clearly is referring to these end times and thus has prophetic applicability to the Anglo-descended nations (LCG has ministers and at least one evangelist who believe Habakkuk 2 was fulfilled in its entirety and does not have end time applications, even though it clearly does–see also Habakkuk: His message is for us now).
40. Some of the prophecies in the Bible (e.g. Isaiah 10:5-11) seem to use the term ‘Samaria’ to refer to the modern United States of America (see also Anglo – America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel and Spiritual Samaritans: Old and New). Although one LCG leader/minister was open to this when told by me in early 2012, LCG does not seem to formally teach this.
41. France will support the Beast power (LCG is no longer certain; see Must the Ten Kings of Revelation 17:12 Rule over Ten Currently Existing Nations? And this disagrees with the late Dibar Apartian’s position as shown in The ‘Lost Tribe’ of Reuben: France in Prophecy?).
42. That Matthew 28:19 is part of the Bible and needs to be part of the baptismal ceremony (see also Is Matthew 28:19 in the Bible?). Evangelist Richard Ames personally expressed his doubts to me once about whether Matthew 28:19 was scripture or not–he, at that time at least, was not convinced that it was. Although the Bible teaches, “one Lord, one faith, one baptism” (Ephesians 4:5), in late June 2013 I was told by someone else who inquired that LCG has two different baptisms because some do not believe that Matthew 28:19 applies. Although it ends with an option for an appropriate ceremony, LCG’s L049 letter specifically states, “Is Matthew 28:19 the only commanded formula that must be used in a baptism ceremony? Again, we say no, it is not, based on the actual procedures the early church used in baptizing,” which seems to substantiate what I was told about more than one baptismal option.
43. That the man of sin in 2 Thessalonians 2 is the first beast, the final King of the North, and not the second beast, the false prophet (see also Who is the Man of Sin of 2 Thessalonians 2?; or, in English, see the You Tube video Who is the Man of Sin?). In his co-worker letter dated, April 17, 2013, Dr. Meredith indicated that not agreeing with his improper assertion about this individual means that one does not understand biblical prophecy–since Dr. Meredith is not correct on this, but CCOG is, those in his church should realize that LCG has major problems in understanding various parts of prophecy. This will not bode well for any who will believe LCG over CCOG in the future.
44. It is wrong to tell members that “the end” is closer than the leadership believes (LCG did this repeatedly as I tended to find out when I checked with its top leadership when I attended with LCG).
45. That 1 John 3:9 is referring to those born of God not sinning, not those begotten of God not being in a ‘state of sin’ as Dr. Meredith has stated (see also Perfection? Does God have faith in humans?).
46. That it is not necessary that a red heifer be sacrificed as part of the final end time sequence (LCG has published that “those who are watching end-time prophetic events know that the slaughter of the red heifer is one of the first major milestones in this final sequence of end-time events”; see The Red Heifer, Jewish Beliefs, and the End of the World).
47. That God is restoring “all things” (Matthew 17:11; Jude 3). While both CCOG and LCG believe that there has to be some type of an end-time Elijah, LCG has not specifically taught that it has been restoring what needs to be restored (the church history book it distributed at the Feast of Tabernacles in 2014 perpetuated Catholic and other myths and DID NOT restore ‘apostolic Christianity’.) Furthermore its Dr. Winnail has also taught that the final Elijah could be the church and not a person. Yet CCOG does teach that there is a final person coming in the spirit and power of Elijah, (see Statement of Beliefs of the Continuing Church of God and The Feast of Tabernacles: A Time to Learn the Law), that it is in the process of restoring all things, and the final Elijah will come from it (see the sermon Elijah, Herbert W. Armstrong, and CCOG).
48. That Jesus is NOT the one who will “will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers” (Malachi 4:6) as LCG taught in 2015, but that this is part of the work of the final Elijah (Malachi 4:5-6; details on LCG’s and CCOG’s positions are in the article The Elijah Heresies).
49. The European Beast confederation will NOT collapse like the old Roman Empire as LCG asserted in December 2015 as the LCG view is contrary to prophetic scriptures (some details on LCG’s and CCOG’s positions are in the article Must the Ten Kings of Revelation 17:12 Rule over Ten Currently Existing Nations?).
50. WWIII is not related to the battles between Europe and Eurasia as LCG asserted in its Tomorrow’s World telecast Four Prophecies for Germany in March 2017, but has to do with the destruction and takeover of the USA and its Anglo-Saxon allies by a European-led force who will then conquer the Middle East (see also World War III: Steps in Progress).
51. Daniel 11:42-43 does not show Ethiopia is part of the King of the South as LCG asserted in its TW News & Prophecy ezine of August 24, 2018. While some from Ethiopia could be involved, the Hebrew word in that passage means ‘Cushites.’ For details, check out the article Is the Future King of the South Rising Up?
52. The third resurrection is NOT JUST for the incorrigibly wicked (see What Did Early Christians Understand About the Resurrections? and/or Universal OFFER of Salvation, Apokatastasis: Can God save the lost in an age to come? Hundreds of scriptures reveal God’s plan of salvation).
53. Romans 11:25 will be fulfilled before Jesus returns (see What About Romans 11:25 and the Full Number of the Gentiles?).
54. The prince (who will become the King of the North) confirms the covenant for seven-years (see The ‘Peace Deal’ of Daniel 9:27)–LCG once taught that, but now its Council of Elders is no longer sure (for details, see Weston G. Why a Council of Elders. Living Church News, July-August 2019).
55. King of the North) confirms the covenant for seven-years (see The ‘Peace Deal’ of Daniel 9:27)–LCG once taught that, but now its Council of Elders is no longer sure (for details, see Weston G. Why a Council of Elders. Living Church News, July-August 2019).
56. That doctrinal and prophetic truths needed to be restored in the 21st century and that CCOG is doing that in a way that no other COG is doing (see Continuing Church of God, Elijah, and Restoring All Things ).
57. The beginning of sorrows and the opening of at least one of the seals of Revelation 6 has been opened–LCG does not (per its whiteboard video of May 19, 2022 titled How to Know When Christ Will Return – First 2 Major Events).

Anyway, while there are other issues, the above gives some reasons why those who wish to truly be part of the Philadelphia remnant would want to consider supporting the Continuing Church of God.

The Bible says:

15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. (2 Timothy 2:15, KJV)

15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.  (2 Timothy 2:15-16, NKJV)

Sadly, most in LCG will not be diligent.

Instead of checking out the teachings of differences with the Bible, they will instead prefer to listen to false and misleading information about me.

All, of course, in LCG and elsewhere, should instead value the truth.

Notice also:

16 The lazy man is wiser in his own eyes
Than seven men who can answer sensibly.  (Proverbs 26:16)

There are more than seven sensible reasons that those in LCG should realize that it does not hold to the truth as it should.

Jesus said:

31 “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. 32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:31-32)

The truth is that some time ago, LCG ceased to have the ‘Philadelphia mantle‘ (proper leadership authority for the true and faithful church).

Its latest whiteboard is additional proof that it will not know when the Great Tribulation will begin until it will be too late for most to flee and get the protection that Jesus promised the Philadelphian Christians.

Jesus told the Laodicean Christians, who thought that they were fine, to repent (Revelation 3:14-22).

I pray that those in LCG and other Laodicean groups as well as the Laodicean independents, will repent and not simply brush off truths that they do not find convenient.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

Why Bob Thiel Left the Living Church of God Several have speculated reasons, but here is the truth. (En el idioma español: ¿Por qué Bob Thiel dejó la Iglesia del Dios Viviente?)
Herbert W. Armstrong, the Philadelphia Church, & the Mantle Herbert Armstrong claims God had him raise the Philadelphia up. Are there reasons to believe that the Philadelphia mantle in now within the CCOG? Here is a link to a related sermon: Herbert W. Armstrong and the Philadelphia Mantle.
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.
Dreams, the Bible, the Radio Church of God, and the Continuing Church of God How has God used dreams in the past? Does God still use dreams? Did He use any involving those in the Continuing Church of God? A related sermon is also available: Dreams, COGs, and One Man Rule.
There is a Place of Safety for the Philadelphians. Why it May Be Near Petra This article discusses a biblical ‘place of safety,’ Zephaniah 2 to ‘gather together,’ and includes quotes from the Bible and Herbert W. Armstrong on fleeing to a place–thus, there is a biblically supported alternative to the rapture theory. Two sermon-length videos of related interest are available Physical Protection During the Great Tribulation and Might Petra be the Place of Safety?  Here is something related in the Spanish language: Hay un lugar de seguridad para los Filadelfinos. ¿Puede ser Petra?
Response to a Letter from Dr. Roderick C. Meredith Dated December 28, 2012 In violation of Matthew 18, Dr. Meredith publicly sent out a letter that forced Dr. Thiel to conclude that the Continuing Church of God must be formed. Here is that letter and some of Bob Thiel’s comments about it. Here is a version in the Spanish language Respuesta a una carta del Dr. Roderick C. Meredith fechada el 28 de diciembre, 2012.
What About the Living Church of God? Are there Doctrinal Differences with the Continuing Church of God? This article explains some information and doctrines of the Living Church of God as led by Roderick C. Meredith and some concerns about them. (En el idioma español: ¿Qué hay acerca de la Iglesia de Dios Viviente? ¿Hay diferencias doctrinales con la Continuación de la Iglesia de Dios?)
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.
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.
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.
The Falling Away: The Bible and WCG Teachings Who is 2 Thessalonians 2:3 referring to? Are there multiple falling aways? Here is a related link in Spanish/español: La Apostasía: Enseñanzas de la Biblia y de la WCG. There are also two YouTube videos on the subject that you can watch The Falling Away Part 1: From the Bible and Church History and The Falling Away Part 2: Positions Presented by Others.
Who is the Man of Sin of 2 Thessalonians 2? Is this the King of the North, the ten-horned beast of Revelation 13:1-11, or the two-horned Beast of Revelation 13:12-16? Some rely on traditions, but what does the Bible teach? Here is a related link in Spanish/español: ¿Quién es el Hombre de Pecado de 2 Tesalonicenses 2?; here here are links to videos in Spanish: ¿Quién es el Hombre de Pecado de 2 Tesalonicenses 2? and ¿Quién es el ‘hombre de pecado’? Here is a version in Mandarin: N;ÿ Œ
f/’Y’jNº’ÿHere is a link to a related English sermon video titled: The Man of Sin will deceive most ‘Christians’.
Statement of Beliefs of the Continuing Church of God “Contend earnestly for the faith once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3, NKJV),  “Let brotherly love (Philadelphia) continue” (Hebrews 13:1) ” & continuing stedfastly in the teaching of the apostles” (Acts 2:42 YLT). So, what does that really mean in terms of specific beliefs? The Statement gives answers. Here is a related link in Spanish/español: Declaración de las Doctrinas de la Continuación de la Iglesia de Dios. Here is a related link in Tagalog: Paglalahad ng Mga Paniniwala ng Patuloy na Iglesya ng Diyos. Here is a related link in Mandarin Chinese ~ç~íy^v„eYOv„OáNðXðf. Here is a related link in Kiswahili: KATIKA LUGHA YA KISWAHILI. Here is a related link in Dutch: Verklaring van geloofspunten van de Continuing Church of God. Here is a related link in Deutsche (German): Glaubenserklärung der Continuing Church of God. Here is a related link in Italiano: Dichiarazione del Credo della Continuing Church of God. Here is related link in the French language: Déclaration des croyances de L’Église Continue de Dieu. Here is a related link in the Chichewa language: ZIKHULUPIRIRO ZA MPINGO WA CONTINUING CHURCH OF GOD. Here is a link in Romanian: Declarația de credințe a continuării Bisericii lui Dumnezeu. Here is a link in Portuguese: Declaração de Crenças da Continuação da Igreja de Deus. Here is a link in Russian: Утверждение верований о продолжении Церкви Божьей. Here is a link to a related English-language sermon: Beliefs of the Continuing Church of God. Here is a link to a booklet titled: Statement of Beliefs of the Continuing Church of God.

This is a real image taken of an unborn baby at 9 weeks old.

Let’s protect her and End Abortion Forever! #prolife #abortionismurder pic.twitter.com/WEE1dthsA6

— Fr. Frank Pavone (@frfrankpavone) July 28, 2022

COGwriter

The pro-abortionists have been very active across the USA. They have been doing many things, including trying to suppress opposition as the following example helps demonstrate:

University’s student government caught censoring pro-lifers

A student organization on a university campus has been caught demanding that all recipients of the school’s funding programs come into alignment on the issue of abortion, and support it.

Only as a government operation, that’s called “viewpoint discrimination” and it’s illegal.

That’s the message that’s being delivered to officials in the student government at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

There, the president of the student government recently issued an order that cuts off funding “to any individual, business, or organization” that advocates for pro-life causes. …

One of the affected groups, Students for Life, had protested the decision.

FIRE explained, “As a public institution, UNC Chapel Hill is bound by the First Amendment, which precludes the school from discriminating against student groups based on viewpoint. The student government is therefore constitutionally required to distribute funds in a viewpoint-neutral manner.

“Additionally, UNC Chapel Hill makes strong commitments to free speech, earning FIRE’s highest, ‘green light’ rating.”

“UNC Chapel Hill’s student government cannot declare itself the arbiter of which opinions are acceptable,” said Greenberg. 07/30/22 https://www.wnd.com/2022/07/universitys-student-government-caught-censoring-pro-lifers/

Although the Constitution of the United States does not mention anything about abortions, some believe that back in 1973 it became a ‘constitutional right.’

However, the majority now on the US Supreme Court ruled that, no abortion is not a constitutional right.

Notice something from the US Declaration of Independence:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men …

The unborn are alive and are entitled to stay that way. The right to life is supposed to be unalienable.

The Constitution of the United States calls for freedom of speech and religion. One would think that the ‘educated’ at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill would realize that.

Furthermore, more efforts are out there to suppress anti-abortion speech.

Notice the following from Jonathan Turley:

It’s not enough to be pro-choice now — you must be anti-pro-life

With the Supreme Court’s overturn of Roe v. Wade, it is no longer enough to be pro-choice. Indeed, the term “pro-choice” has been declared harmful by the now ironically named “Pro-Choice Caucus.” Today, it seems you must be anti-pro-life to be truly pro-choice — and, across the country, pro-life viewpoints are being declared virtual hate speech. … after the court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, it seems, you must be anti-pro-life and stop others from voicing their views.

On Sunday, almost half of the University of Michigan’s incoming medical school class walked out of a “White Coat Ceremony” to protest keynote speaker Dr. Kristin Collier. Collier was not planning to discuss abortion, but — because she holds pro-life views — students launched an unsuccessful campaign to block her from speaking.

The cancel-campaign petition had the usual nod to free speech before calling for it to be gutted. According to the Michigan Daily, the petition — signed by hundreds of incoming, current and past students — declared that “while we support the rights of freedom of speech and religion, an anti-choice speaker as a representative of the University of Michigan undermines the University’s position on abortion and supports the non-universal, theology-rooted platform to restrict abortion access, an essential part of medical care.” In other words: We support a diversity of viewpoints so long as we don’t have to hear any opposing views.

Ironically, until four years ago, Collier was “a pro-choice atheist” who admitted that she had “great animosity towards those who held either pro-life views or deeply held religious commitments.” When she held those views, she was a celebrated professor with a long line of publications in peer-reviewed journals. She then had a conversion on the issue after speaking with a senior faculty colleague, Dr. William Chavey, a professor of family medicine who was pro-life — and she quickly became persona non grata.

She is not alone at the university. A week earlier, a campaign was launched to fire football head coach Jim Harbaugh after he declared, “I believe in having the courage to let the unborn be born.”

In addition to calls for his termination, Harbaugh was accused of being “full of deep seething hatred of women” and “publicly expressing his distaste for women’s rights.” …

There is an obvious effort to portray pro-life views as inherently threatening, making most any countermeasures justified. Recently, some pro-life centers and churches have been attacked. Even some crisis pregnancy centers, offering support to pregnant women and alternatives to abortion, have been denounced as a threat to women. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) has declared that “crisis pregnancy centers … are there to fool people who are looking for pregnancy termination help. … We need to shut them down here in Massachusetts, and we need to shut them down all around the country. You should not be able to torture a pregnant person like that.”

Sen. Warren, Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) and other Democrats in Congress have sponsored a bill that would shut such centers and hit charities with fines of $100,000 or “50 percent of the revenues earned by the ultimate parent entity” for violating the act’s “prohibition on disinformation” related to abortion. 07/27/22 https://thehill.com/opinion/judiciary/3575573-its-not-enough-to-be-pro-choice-now-you-must-be-anti-pro-life/

Yes, many want the truth suppressed about abortion.

The Bible warns of those “who suppress the truth in unrighteousness” (Romans 1:18)–and we are seeing more and more of this in academia, the major media, and Big Tech.

The Bible also teaches:

1 Cry aloud, spare not;
Lift up your voice like a trumpet;
Tell My people their transgression,
And the house of Jacob their sins.  (Isaiah 58:1)

Abortion is a sin that needs to be denounced.

How is it a sin?

The Bible teaches that sin is the transgression of the law (1 John 3:4, KJV).

Killing human beings is murder.

“Thou shalt not kill” (Exodus 20:13, KJV) is part of the Ten Commandment laws.

A human being is created at conception.

Killing the unborn human is murder.

As far as choices go, women have the choice to be married or not be married. If they are not married they should not engage in sexual intercourse. They have that choice. No one should be able to have the choice to kill babies (see also Abortion, the Bible, and a Woman’s Right to Choose).

The Bible condemns those that shed innocent blood, as that is something that God hates:

6 … do not kill the innocent … (Exodus 23:6)

19 So you shall put away the guilt of innocent blood from among you when you do what is right in the sight of the LORD (Deuteronomy 21:9).

37 They even sacrificed their sons
And their daughters to demons,
38 And shed innocent blood,
The blood of their sons and daughters,
Whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan;
And the land was polluted with blood. (Psalm 106:37-38)

16 These six things the LORD hates, Yes, seven are an abomination to Him: 17 A proud look, A lying tongue, Hands that shed innocent blood, 18 A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that are swift in running to evil, 19 A false witness who speaks lies, And one who sows discord among brethren (Proverbs 6:16-19).

7 Their feet run to evil, And they make haste to shed innocent blood; Their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; Wasting and destruction are in their paths. 8 The way of peace they have not known, And there is no justice in their ways; They have made themselves crooked paths; Whoever takes that way shall not know peace (Isaiah 59:7-8).

3 Thus says the LORD: “Execute judgment and righteousness, and deliver the plundered out of the hand of the oppressor. Do no wrong and do no violence to the stranger, the fatherless, or the widow, nor shed innocent blood in this place (Jeremiah 22:3).

17 “Yet your eyes and your heart are for nothing but your covetousness, For shedding innocent blood, And practicing oppression and violence” (Jeremiah 22:17).

Babies are innocent. Killing them is the shedding of innocent blood–making killing babies illegal is not a cause of bloodshed. Innocent blood pollutes the land. Furthermore, consider that God’s word records that a leader filled his land “with innocent blood, which the Lord would not pardon” (2 Kings 24:4). Because of that, God had the King of Babylon and others to destroy (2 Kings 24:1-4). The Bible tells of a coming end time daughter of Babylon, and its leader will destroy the USA according to Bible prophecy (Daniel 11:39; see also Anglo – America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel).

Abortion is violent and sheds innocent blood.

Related to the USA and its recent Supreme Court decision, we have the following related video:

14:44

Abortion, the US Constitution, and the Bible

On June 24, 2022, the United State Supreme Court overruled the 1973 Roe v. Wade abortion decision. Did the Court just take away a constitutional right? What does the US Declaration of Independence say about life and the purpose of government? Does human life begin at conception according to 95% of biologists surveyed? Does the Word of God teach that unborn humans are children? What does the Bible teach about the shedding of innocent blood? Are there biblical consequences for performing or condoning abortion? Dr. Thiel along with Steve Dupuie deals with the issues.

Here is a link to the video: Abortion, the US Constitution, and the Bible.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

COGwriter

Various leaders in German have pointed to a more unified, militaristic, and German-led Europe. After Russia’s ‘special military operation’ into Ukraine, Germany declared it would increase its military spending to the third highest level of any nation on the planet? German-Foreign-Policy.com reported that German Chancellor Olaf Scholz wants the European Union to play a powerful and more unified geopolitical role. Does what he is stating consistent with prophecies in the Book of Revelation about Europe reorganizing and turning power over to one called the Beast? Are some in Poland and Hungary (like Peter G. Feher) concerned about the domination of Europe by Germany? Is a European/German leader prophesied as the “King of the North” to make some type of a deal with a leader of nations in the Middle East and North Africa called the “King of the South”? Is that King of the North prophesied to have a great army and many ships? Could the Beast/King of the North be German? Did the old Worldwide Church of God warn back in 1980 that, in the future, the German people be concerned enough about Russia that it would call for a Bavarian strongman to lead them? Does the Bible point to such a leader rising promising peace? Steve Dupuie and Dr. Thiel address those issues.

Here is a link to our video: Germany wants to lead a united Europe.

Some items of possibly related interest may also include:

Europa, the Beast, and Revelation Where did Europe get its name? What might Europe have to do with the Book of Revelation? What about “the Beast”? Is an emerging European power “the daughter of Babylon”? What is ahead for Europe? Here is a link to a video titled: Can You Prove that the Beast to Come is European?
European Technology and the Beast of Revelation Will the coming European Beast power would use and develop technology that will result in the taking over of the USA and its Anglo-Saxon allies? Is this possible? What does the Bible teach? Here is a related YouTube video: Military Technology and the Beast of Revelation.
Must the Ten Kings of Revelation 17:12 Rule over Ten Currently Existing Nations? Some claim that these passages refer to a gathering of 10 currently existing nations together, while one group teaches that this is referring to 11 nations getting together. Is that what Revelation 17:12-13 refers to? The ramifications of misunderstanding this are enormous. A related sermon is titled Ten Kings of Revelation and the Great Tribulation.
Germany’s Assyrian Roots Throughout History Are the Germanic peoples descended from Asshur of the Bible? Have there been real Christians in Germanic history? What about the “Holy Roman Empire”? There is also a You-Tube video sermon on this titled Germany’s Biblical Origins.
Germany in Biblical Prophecy Does Assyria in the Bible equate to an end time power inhabiting the area of the old Roman Empire? What does prophecy say Germany will do and what does it say will happen to most of the German people? Here are links to two sermon videos Germany in Bible Prophecy and The Rise of the Germanic Beast Power of Prophecy.
Might German Baron Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg become the King of the North? Is the former German Defense Minister (who is also the former German Minister for Economics and Technology) one to watch? What do Catholic, Byzantine, and biblical prophecies suggest? A video of related interest would be: Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg and Europe’s Future.
Anglo – America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel Are the Americans, Canadians, English, Scottish, Welsh, Australians, Anglo-Saxon (non-Dutch) Southern Africans, and New Zealanders descendants of Joseph? Where are the lost ten-tribes of Israel? Who are the lost tribes of Israel? What will happen to Jerusalem and the Jews in Israel? Will God punish the U.S.A., Canada, United Kingdom, and other Anglo-Saxon nations? Why might God allow them to be punished first? Here is a link to the Spanish version of this article: Anglo-América & las Tribus Perdidas de Israel. Information is also in the YouTube sermons titled Where are the Ten Lost Tribes? Why does it matter? and British are the Covenant People. A short YouTube of prophetic interest may be: Are Chinese threats against Australia for real?
Will the Anglo-Saxon Nations be Divided and Have People Taken as Slaves? Will the lands of the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand be divided? What about Jerusalem? What does Bible prophecy teach? Are there non-biblical prophecies that support this idea? Who will divide those lands? Who will end up with the lands and the people? Here is a link to a video titled Will the USA and other Anglo-nations be Divided and Their People Made Slaves? Here is a related item in the Spanish language ¿Serán divididas las naciones anglosajonas?
USA in Prophecy: The Strongest Fortresses Can you point to scriptures, like Daniel 11:39, that point to the USA in the 21st century? This article does. Two related sermon are available: Identifying the USA and its Destruction in Prophecy and Do these 7 prophesies point to the end of the USA?
Who is the King of the West? Why is there no Final End-Time King of the West in Bible Prophecy? Is the United States the King of the West? Here is a version in the Spanish language: ¿Quién es el Rey del Occidente? ¿Por qué no hay un Rey del Occidente en la profecía del tiempo del fin? A related sermon is also available: The Bible, the USA, and the King of the West.
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.
The Great Monarch: Biblical and Catholic Prophecies Is the ‘Great Monarch’ of Catholic prophecies endorsed or condemned by the Bible? Two sermons of related interest are also available: Great Monarch: Messiah or False Christ? and Great Monarch in 50+ Beast Prophecies.
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? 2030 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?
The Times of the Gentiles Has there been more than one time of the Gentiles? Are we in it now or in the time of Anglo-America? What will the final time of the Gentiles be like? A related sermon is available and is titled: The Times of the Gentiles.
World War III: Steps in Progress Are there surprising actions going on now that are leading to WWIII? Might a nuclear attack be expected? Does the Bible promise protection to all or only some Christians? How can you be part of those that will be protected? A related video would be Is World War III About to Begin? Can You Escape?
Proof Jesus is the Messiah This free book has over 200 Hebrew prophecies were fulfilled by Jesus. Plus, His arrival was consistent with specific prophecies and even Jewish interpretations of prophecy. Here are links to seven related sermons: Proof Jesus is the Messiah, Prophecies of Jesus’ birth, timing, and death, Jesus’ prophesied divinity, 200+ OT prophecies Jesus filled; Plus prophecies He made, Why Don’t Jews Accept Jesus?, Daniel 9, Jews, and Jesus, and Facts and Atheists’ Delusions About Jesus. Plus the links to two sermonettes: Luke’s census: Any historical evidence? and Muslims believe Jesus is the Messiah, but … These videos cover nearly all of the book, plus have some information not in the book. We also have the book translated in the Spanish PRUEBA de que JESÚS es el MESÍAS and French PREUVES QUE JÉSUS EST LE MESSIE languages.
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.
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?
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’.
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?
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.
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.
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 four related sermons: The Fantastic Gospel of the Kingdom of God!, The World’s False Gospel, The Gospel of the Kingdom: From the New and Old Testaments, and The Kingdom of God is the Solution.
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? Here is a link to a short animation: Which Church would Jesus Choose?
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.
CCOG.ORG Continuing Church of God The group striving to be most faithful amongst all real Christian groups to the word of God.
Congregations of the Continuing Church of God This is a listing of congregations and groups of the Continuing Church of God around the world.
Continuing Church of God Facebook page This has news and prophetic information.
CCOG.AFRICA This is a website targeted towards those in Africa.
CCOG.ASIA We in the Continuing Church of God also have the url www.ccog.asia which has a focus on Asia and has various articles in Mandarin Chinese as well as some in English, plus some items in other Asian languages. 我们在继续神的教会也提供此网址 www.ccog.asia, 关注于亚洲并且有各种各样的中英文文章，其中一些用菲律宾语翻译的文章也正在进行中，准备添加到这个网站中。 Here is a link to our Statement of Beliefs in Mandarin Chinese 继续神的教会的信仰声明.
CCOG.IN This is a website targeted towards those of Indian heritage. It has a link to an edited Hindi translation of The Mystery of the Ages and is expected to have more non-English language materials in the future.
CCOG.EU This is a website targeted toward Europe. It has materials in more than one language (currently it has English, Dutch, and Serbian, with links also to Spanish) and it is intended to have additional language materials added.
CCOG.NZ This is a website targeted towards New Zealand and others with a British-descended background.
CCOGCANADA.CA This is a website targeted towards those in Canada.
CDLIDD.ES La Continuación de la Iglesia de Dios. This is the Spanish language website for the Continuing Church of God.
CG7.ORG This is a website for those interested in the Sabbath and churches that observe the seventh day Sabbath.
PNIND.PH Patuloy na Iglesya ng Diyos. This is the Philippines website Continuing Church of God. It has information in English and Tagalog.
CCOG Animations channel. The Continuing Church of God has some animations to teach aspects of Christian beliefs.
Bible News Prophecy channel. Dr. Thiel has produced many YouTube videos for the BibleNewsProphecy channel. And you can find them there.
ContinuingCOG channel. Dr. Thiel has produced YouTube video sermons for this channel. Note: Since these are sermon-length, they can take a little longer to load than other YouTube videos. Here is a link to a short intro: ContinuingCOG Channel.
BibleNewsProphecy Podcast. This has audio-visual podcasts of the Bible News Prophecy channgel. It plays on i-Phones, i-Pads, and Windows devices that can play i-Tunes.
Bible News Prophecy online radio. This is an audio version of the Bible News Prophecy videos. It is also available as a mobile app.
Statement of Beliefs of the Continuing Church of God “Contend earnestly for the faith once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3, NKJV), “Let brotherly love (Philadelphia) continue” (Hebrews 13:1) ” & continuing stedfastly in the teaching of the apostles” (Acts 2:42 YLT). So, what does that really mean in terms of specific beliefs–the Statement gives answers? Here is a related link in Spanish/español: Declaración de las Doctrinas de la Continuación de la Iglesia de Dios. Here is a related link in Tagalog: Paglalahad ng Mga Paniniwala ng Patuloy na Iglesya ng Diyos. Here is a related link in Mandarin Chinese ~ç~íy^v„eYOv„OáNðXðf. Here is a related link in Kiswahili: KATIKA LUGHA YA KISWAHILI. Here is a related link in Dutch: Verklaring van geloofspunten van de Continuing Church of God. Here is a related link in Deutsche (German): Glaubenserklärung der Continuing Church of God. Here is a related link in Italiano: Dichiarazione del Credo della Continuing Church of God. Here is related link in the French language: Déclaration des croyances de L’Église Continue de Dieu. Here is a related link in the Chichewa language: ZIKHULUPIRIRO ZA MPINGO WA CONTINUING CHURCH OF GOD. Here is a link in Romanian: Declarația de credințe a continuării Bisericii lui Dumnezeu. Here is a link in Portuguese: Declaração de Crenças da Continuação da Igreja de Deus. Here is a link in Russian: Утверждение верований о продолжении Церкви Божьей. Here is a link to a related English-language sermon: Beliefs of the Continuing Church of God.
CCOG Multimedia What are many of the ways the Continuing Church of God is reaching people around the world to fulfill the commissions from Jesus in Matthew 24:14 and 28:19-20? What about literature, personal visits, the internet, radio, and television?

China announces Taiwan Strait drills ahead of possible Pelosi trip https://t.co/71NhNIQDVM #china #taiwan #war #wargames

— DefenceTalk.com (@defencetalk) July 30, 2022

COGwriter

The Euraisn Times reported the following:

Viral In China! PLA’s Post On ‘Preparing For War’ Blows Away Social Media As US, Australia Practice ‘Dragon Hunting’

July 30, 2022

Amid tensions with China, the US and Australian militaries collaborate more closely to safeguard their interests in the Indo-Pacific region. The military forces of both countries are currently wrapping up Exercise Koolendong 22 in the Northern Territory and, for the first time, in Western Australia, at Yampi Sound and Curtin Air Base in Kimberley. …

PLA Preparing For War?

China has also ramped up its military training. It carried out a range of military drills in the region, demonstrating its might in opposition to the US presence in the Indo-Pacific, which Beijing claims would “seriously violate China’s sovereignty.”

The PLA navy recently conducted drills in the nearby Hainan Province. Currently, the PLA Navy performs routine military exercises off its southern coast near Guangdong.

Moreover, the Chinese navy had been keeping an eye on the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier’s operations in the South China Sea as tension builds over Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the US House, potentially visiting Taiwan in August.

Meanwhile, a PLA post on Chinese social media with the subject line “Preparing for war!” has gained enormous support from Chinese internet users, reported state-run Global Times.  …

Online users have also voiced their desire for the swift reunification of the two sides of the Taiwan Straits.

Ahead of the PLA’s 95th anniversary on August 1, Chinese President Xi emphasized the importance of continuing to carry out the plan for bolstering the armed forces by hiring competent individuals for the modern era. https://eurasiantimes.com/viral-in-china-plas-post-on-preparing-for-war-blows-away/

ZeroHedge reported:

The Chinese government’s English language mouthpiece Global Times has grown particularly loud and bellicose in response to Nancy Pelosi’s potential trip to the self-ruled island of Taiwan:

“Get ready for war!” read a message posted by China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) 80th Group over the US visit to Taiwan, as reported on Friday, July 29. China’s Army’s war message over the potential US visit to Taiwan reportedly generated over 300,000 thumbs-up in just 12 hours, creating “high morale among Chinese soldiers” according to Global Times.

GT further reminds its audience that, possibly corresponding with a Pelosi Taiwan visit (assuming she goes through with it), the country will celebrate the 95th anniversary of China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) military…

The 80th Group Army posted a comment saying, “we must bear in mind the fundamental responsibility of preparing for war and charge on the journey of a strong army.” The comment has received 8,000 thumbs-up.

…Ahead of the 95th anniversary of the founding of the PLA on August 1, Xi, also the general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, stressed the need for further implementing the strategy of strengthening the armed forces by training competent personnel in the new era, the Xinhua News Agency reported on Friday. 

At the same time, prominent GT pundit and the publication’s former editor, Hu Xijin, has claimed the Chinese military “has the right” to block Pelosi’s plane and any US fighter jet escorts from Taiwan’s airspace (which China claims as its own).

This after he has in past days reported that Beijing considers “all options, including military ones” to be on the table:

If US fighter jets escort Pelosi’s plane into Taiwan, it is invasion. The PLA has the right to forcibly dispel Pelosi’s plane and the US fighter jets, including firing warning shots and making tactical movement of obstruction. If ineffective, then shoot them down. https://t.co/V7LhrXgXoM

— Hu Xijin 胡锡进 (@HuXijin_GT) July 29, 2022

China’s jingoistic statements echoing from government-affiliated media and commentators has gotten considerable attention of late from American observers as the West speculates on what kind of response Beijing is readying in the scenario that Pelosi actually touches down in Taipei … https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/pelosi-leading-delegation-asia-taiwan-stop-not-clear

Jesus said:

5 Take heed that no one deceives you. 6 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He,’ and will deceive many. 7 But when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be troubled; for such things must happen, but the end is not yet. 8 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines and troubles. These are the beginnings of sorrows. (Mark 13:5-8)

We look to be in the time of wars and rumors of war. Christians, according to Jesus, should not let that trouble us as the end is not yet.

But it is getting closer.

Related to China and war, the late Pastor General of the old Worldwide Church of God, Herbert W. Armstrong stated:

Well, is World War III just about to descend on us, starting over in China? Listen, let me say first, that no war at this time – either with Red China or with Russia – is mentioned specifically in the prophecies. But then, neither was the war in Korea, and it happened. The Bible prophecies do not mention every little war. They don’t mention everything that is going to happen. Bible prophecy merely mentions those events that have a direct part in fulfilling that purpose being worked out here below and you need to know what it is. But they mention all of the major things. Now for that matter, even World War I and World War II were not mentioned individually and specifically. Though they most certainly were foretold in general: the series of world wars at the close of this age. And that series of world wars is not over yet.(Armstrong HW. Prophecies For The End Time. Radio broadcast. https://www.hwalibrary.com/cgi-bin/get/hwa.cgi?action=getbroadcast&InfoID=1491662282)

Yes, there could be skirmishes and even battles between the USA and China.

What could be called WWIII is in the Bible, but that will mainly be a European power against the USA and its British-descended allies per Daniel 11:39 (see also Daniel 8:24-25). However, I suspect that after it, Australia and New Zealand, who have placed their hopes in the USA will be taken over. One or both are likely to be controlled by China (watch Australia and New Zealand: Origins and Prophecy). The European power will then go against a power in North Africa and the Middle East and conquer it per Daniel 11:40-43.

China will be involved in what could be called WWIV (see World War III: Steps in Progress).

That being said,the USA is focused on China being its biggest military threat (e,g, see ‘Milley: China more aggressive, dangerous to US, allies’).

Because of that, as well as its lack of understanding of biblical prophecies, the USA will not be focused to defend itself from what will be coming from Europe (cf. Lamentations 1:1-2; Daniel 11:39).

Biblical prophecies will be fulfilled.

But the end is not yet.

(Public Domain Pictures)

COGwriter

On many fronts we are seeing a convergence of various global efforts to reset society. The World Economic Forum, the Bilderberg Group, the Vatican, and the United Nations are all pushing towards some common objectives.

Some believe that this is affecting agriculture as well.

Notice the following:

UN, World Economic Forum Behind Global ‘War On Farmers’

July 30, 2022

The escalating regulatory attack on agricultural producers from Holland and the United States to Sri Lanka and beyond is closely tied to the United Nations’ “Agenda 2030” Sustainable Development Goals and the U.N.’s partners at the World Economic Forum (WEF), numerous experts told The Epoch Times.

Indeed, several of the U.N.’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are directly implicated in policies that are squeezing farmers, ranchers, and food supplies around the world.

High-level Chinese Communist Party (CCP) members within the U.N. system helped create the SDGs and are currently helping lead the organization’s implementation of the global plan …

If left unchecked, multiple experts said, the U.N.-backed sustainability policies on agriculture and food production would lead to economic devastation, shortages of critical goods, widespread famine, and a dramatic loss of individual freedoms. …

One of the earliest meetings defining the “sustainability” agenda was the U.N. Conference on Human Settlements known as Habitat I, which adopted the Vancouver Declaration.

The agreement stated that “land cannot be treated as an ordinary asset controlled by individuals” and that private land ownership is “a principal instrument of accumulation and concentration of wealth, therefore contributes to social injustice.”

“Public control of land use is therefore indispensable,” the U.N. declaration said, a prelude to the World Economic Forum’s now infamous “prediction” that by 2030, “you’ll own nothing.”

Numerous U.N. agencies and officials have outlined their vision of “sustainability” since then, …

The U.N. Sustainable Development Goals, often referred to as Agenda 2030, were adopted in 2015 by the organization and its member states as a guide to “transforming our world.” Hailed as a “master plan for humanity” and a global “declaration of interdependence” by top U.N. officials, the 17 goals include 169 targets involving every facet of the economy and life.

“All countries and all stakeholders, acting in collaborative partnership, will implement this plan,” declares the preamble to the document, repeatedly noting that “no one will be left behind.”

Among other elements, the U.N. plan calls for national and international wealth redistribution in Goal 10, as well as “fundamental changes in the way that our societies produce and consume goods and services.” …

The U.N. also boasts publicly about its role in imposing the SDGs in Sri Lanka and other nations suffering from food shortages and economic calamities linked to the very same global sustainability programs. …

Alongside the U.N. are various “stakeholders” that are critical to implementing sustainable development policies through “public-private partnerships.”

At the heart of that effort is the WEF, which since 2020 has been pushing a total transformation of society known as the “Great Reset.” In 2019, the WEF signed a “strategic partnership” with the U.N. to advance Agenda 2030 within the global business community. …

All over the globe, U.N. SDG-aligned government policies are squeezing farmers—especially smaller, independent producers unable to absorb the added costs of added regulation and control. https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/un-world-economic-forum-behind-global-war-farmers-experts

Artist depiction of the Apostle Paul writing his epistles

COGwriter

The Continuing Church of God is pleased to announce this sermon from its ContinuingCOG channel:

This is the second part of a multi-part series covering the Apostle Paul’s first letter to those in Corinth. In this sermon, Dr. Thiel goes over each verse of the third and fourth chapter of 1 Corinthians. The sermon includes many comments that the late Herbert W. Armstrong gave related to these two chapters. Topics covered include how humankind and God consider and use punishment, that Protestant conversion has to do with hoping to get Christ as opposed to giving oneself to Jesus, concepts related to salvation, God’s calling, repentance to be converted, receiving the Holy Spirit, believing the gospel message, judging, correction is still needed for God’s people, the need for most end-time Laodicean Christians to repent, the church being the temple, mysteries of God, and being stewards.

Hagia Sion (left) and Church of God on Jerusalem’s Western Wall (right)
Mosaic (4th century) in Church of Santa Pudenziana, Rome

COGwriter

The Temple Institute had the following in its newsletter today as well as some in a link:

Rosh Chodesh Av, 5782/July 29, 2022 …

The Bordeaux Pilgrim & The 9th Of Av In the year 333 CE a Christian pilgrim traveled from Bordeaux in France to Israel and Jerusalem. Although he remains anonymous, he left an account of his travels and observations, and is known as the Bordeaux Pilgrim. His pilgrimage took place during the reign of the Roman Emperor Constantine. In Jerusalem he ascended the Temple Mount, where among many other fascinating observations, he writes the following: “There are two status of Hadrian; not far from the statues is a pierced stone to the Jews comes every year and they anoint it and they lament with a groan and they tear their garments and then they withdraw.”

In Jerusalem he ascended the Temple Mount, where among many other fascinating observations, he writes the following:

“There are two status of Hadrian; not far from the statues is a pierced stone to the Jews comes every year and they anoint it and they lament with a groan and they tear their garments and then they withdraw.”

The statues of Hadrian remained from the 2nd century CE. Hadrian was the Roman emperor that put down the Bar Kochba rebellion (132-136 CE). After crushing the Jewish rebellion Hadrian renamed the province of Judea, Syria Palaestina and renamed Jerusalem, Aelia Capitolina. He built a pagan temple on the Temple Mount featuring statues of himself.

But what is really of interest to us is what the pilgrim of Bordeaux states next: “not far from the statues is a pierced stone to the Jews comes every year and they anoint it and they lament with a groan and they tear their garments and then they withdraw.”

The late fourth century historian Epiphanius recorded that in Jerusalem in Judea, a Christian building was mentioned existing no later than 135 A.D.–and that it was built in the first century.

Here is an account by Roman Catholic priest and scholar, the late Bellarmino Bagatti:

Precisely from the topographical aspects, the Bordeaux pilgrim in 333 wrote, “Within the wall of Sion appears to be a place where David had his place. And of the seven synagogues that were there, there remains only one, the remains of the others they plough and sow as the prophet Isaiah said” (E 729)…

As a positive fact we have it that the Bordeaux pilgrim saw on Sion only one synagogue. To explain the silence on the mother church which certainly was on Sion, we can only identify this synagogue as mentioned by the Bordeaux pilgrim with the church adapted by use by the Judeao-Christians, and therefore called, according to their usage, a synagogue. This is confirmed by St. Cyril, who some half a score of years later…calls the place “a church of the Apostles”…

(Bagatti, Bellarmino.  Translated by Eugene Hoade.  The Church from the Gentiles in Palestine. Nihil obstat: Ignatius Mancini, 1 Februari 1970. Imprimi potest: Herminius Roncari, 26 Februari 1970. Imprimatur: +Albertus Gori, die 28 Februarii 1970.  Franciscan Printing Press, Jerusalem, 1971, p. 64)

Epiphanius wrote the following (a portion of which I have bolded for clarity):

{Hadrian} found the temple of God trodden down and the whole city devastated save for a few houses and the church of God, which was small…it had been built, that is, in that portion of Zion which escaped destruction, together with blocks of houses in the neighborhood of Zion and the seven synagogues which alone remained standing in Zion, like solitary huts, one of which remained until the time of Maximona the bishop and Constantine the king. (The Epiphanius of Salamis, Weights and Measures, chapter 14. (1935), pp.11-83. English translation transcribed by Roger Pearse. www.tertullian.org viewed 01/03/13)

That building may been the first Christian building. It looked more like a rectangular synagogue than the type of rounded buildings that people in the world today consider to be a church.

The “church of God” structure Epiphanius mentioned in the fourth century is believed to have been the building which has sometimes been called the ‘Cenacle.’ It was located on a Jerusalem western hill that is often called Mt. Zion/Sion (there is some controversy associated with the actual biblical Mount Zion).

In the fourth century, the sun-god worshiping Emperor Constantine had a rounded building built next to it, which is known as the Hagia Sion. Notice something from Dr. Bagatti about the two buildings:

In 333 the Bordeaux pilgrim found there a basilica erected “by order of Constantine”. By then the holy place had passed from the hands of the Judaeo-Christians, who had held it until then, to those Gentile Christians. (Bagatti, Bellarmino. Translated by Eugene Hoade. The Church from the Gentiles in Palestine. Nihil obstat: Ignatius Mancini, 1 Februari 1970. Imprimi potest: Herminius Roncari, 26 Februari 1970. Imprimatur: +Albertus Gori, die 28 Februarii 1970. Franciscan Printing Press, Jerusalem, 1971, p. 61)

The “holy place” mentioned above had been the general location of the Church of God on Jerusalem’s Western Hill, which could have been the original worship building that Christians built. This is the place that has been called Sion and the Cenacle. The Greco-Romans eventually added a shrine and a variety of relics (Ibid, pp. 27-28,69). The basilica was a different building.

Although they did not have cameras back then, a representation of both buildings still exists. A mosaic of Jerusalem at the time was constructed and placed in a church in Rome known as Santa Pudenziana. My wife and I visited it in June 2013 and she photographed the mosaic of Jerusalem in its main apse (that photo is at the beginning of this post).

I was able to see the remains of these buildings in Jerusalem in October 2013, but they look different than they did in the fourth century. But Constantinine’s building still is rounded like the buildings of the sun-god he worshiped. Despite also professing Christianity, Constantine was buried in a sun-god related grave.

Here is a photo I took in October 2013 of some of the original bricks of the Church of God on Jerusalem’s Western Hill:

Here is another report about the possible original age of this building:

It was first suggested by Pixner (Pixner, Paths , 333) that the lower course of ashlars are Herodian in the style of 12 their cut and this has not been disputed so far as I am aware. However, this does not automatically mean that the ashlars were cut in the time of Herod the Great, only that the style is consistent with that originating in Jerusalem in the late 1 st century B.C.E. In 1922, L. H. Vincent noted that the lower courses of ashlars are irregular in shape suggesting that this was due to secondary usage (Vincent, Jérusalem , 435) . In other words, the stones were not cut for this building but were taken from other (demolished?) structures and used to fashion this one . This fact is consistent with the story of returning Jewish Christians arriving in Jerusalem in the mid – 70s after the city’s (partial?) destruction by the Romans and finding that they had to make do with what materials were available in order to construct their building. (Clauson DC, Department of Religious Studies University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Can the Cenacle on Mount Zion Really be the “Upper Room” of Jesus’s Last Supper? c. 2017 https://www.bibleinterp.com/PDFs/Is%20the%20Cenacle.pdf)

Here is more information from a Roman Catholic priest and scholar named Bargil Pixner:

Their adherence to Jewish customs, especially circumcision and observance of Jewish holy days, naturally alienated them from the church of the gentiles. The fissure became a gaping canyon with the strongly anti-Judaic positions taken by the Byzantine church after the Council of Nicea (325 A.D.).

Though recognizing the authenticity of the place, the gentile Christians looked with suspicion and almost contempt at the synagogue of the Judeo-Christians on Mt. Zion, considering their way of life outdated, if not heretical…This was the situation during the second half of the fourth century A.D…

To fend off gentile influence, both pagan and Byzantine (that is, gentile Christian), the Judeo-Christians of Mt. Zion built a wall around their ancient sanctuary. It was this kind of ghetto wall that the Bordeaux Pilgrim referred to when he visited Mt. Zion in 333 A.D. He entered and exited through a wall, he reported…

In 1985, while a sewage channel was being dug in front of the Dormition Abbey, I took the occasion to examine the area archaeologically and was able to locate the foundation of the facade of this Crusader church. The southwest corner of the church is in an exact alignment with the southern wall of the building of the ancient Judeo-Christian synagogue (see Crusader remains). The bases of nine Crusader pilasters and the western section of the northern wall of the Crusader church were also discovered and preserved.

Thus, it was the Crusaders who first included the walls of the ancient Judeo-Christian synagogue, which had become the Church of the Apostles, into their own basilica. As the Madaba map clearly shows, even the big rectangular Byzantine Hagia Sion was separate from the remains of the older Church of the Apostles. (Pixner B. Church of the Apostles Found on Mt. Zion, pp. 29-30,34)

The Judeo-Christians probably built their church, at that time called a synagogue, sometime in the decade after 73 A.D. For its construction, they could have used some of the magnificent ashlars from Herod’s destroyed citadel, not far away. Or perhaps they used the stones from the ruins of the Temple itself…with the intention of transferring some elements of the Holy Temple to a site becoming a new Mt. Zion (Zion III).

If that is so, the event may in fact be referred to in one of the apocryphal Odes of Solomon composed about 100 A.D. by a rival sectarian Judeo-Christian group. The fourth ode begins:

“No man can pervert your holy place, 0 God, nor can he change it, and put it in another place, because [he has] no power over it. Your sanctuary you designed before you made special places.” (Charlesworth, Old Testament Pseudepigrapha, p. 736.)

Was this passage in condemnation of the effort of the Judeo-Christians who built the synagogue on Mt. Zion to transfer some of the holiness of the destroyed Temple to their place of worship on the new Mt. Zion by constructing it in part with stones from that Temple?

From this time on, the western hill of Jerusalem was referred to by Christians as Mt. Zion (Zion III). Very few places in Jerusalem can point to such an enduring tradition as Zion’s claim to be the seat of the primitive church. No other place has raised a serious rival claim…

By this time the Judeo-Christian synagogue on Mt. Zion had become known as the Church of the Apostles. It became known as the Church of the Apostles not only because the apostles returned there after witnessing Christ’s post-resurrection ascent to heaven, but also because the building was built, as we have seen, under the leadership of Simon son of Kleophas. Kleophas was known as a brother of Joseph of Nazareth, therefore Simon was a cousin of Jesus. Simon was later considered one of the apostles, outside the circle of the 12. For this reason, the house of worship built by Simon could rightfully be called the Church of the Apostles.

(Pixner B. Church of the Apostles Found on Mt. Zion. Biblical Archaeology Review, May/June 1990: 16-35,60. Also found at http://www.centuryone.org/apostles.html –yet that site and others who seemed to have copied it have left out important statements on page 26, which are included above and italicized by me as they are left out of the that online version)

So, Dr. Pixner reported that the building was separate from the Constantinian one, but later the Crusaders decided to incorporate some of the original church/synagogue into theirs. The Muslims ended up taking it over and adding their own symbols in the building. It did not remain as the ‘headquarters’ of the faithful Christian church throughout the church age (see also Does the Church of God need to be headquartered in Jerusalem?).

A part of the wall of the COG building still remains above ground, and various foundation stones below ground (it was on the front cover of the first Bible News Prophecy magazine).

Here is a view of the side of the building, I photographed, with the additional bricks which were added by the Crusaders and others:

The original COG building may have future interest. The Church of Rome wants this building and has often taken steps to try to acquire it (see, for example, Jews claim that they have been improperly blocked from visiting the ‘tomb of David’ since the Pope’s visit to Mt. Zion).

Though some (like The Temple Insititute, various Protestants, and even some who claim to be in the COG) feel otherwise, since Christians are ‘the temple of God’ in the New Testament, there is not a biblical requirement that a massive Jewish temple must be rebuilt before the millennium begins (see Why is a Jewish Temple in Jerusalem Not Required?).

But might there be a physical building before then?

Well, for animal sacrifices, the Jews only need an altar–they have that (watch also Sanhedrin makes burnt offering to dedicate altar!). They may also put up a tent or a small building in the future.

The Church of God on Jerusalem’s Western Hill, was a Christian building constructed shortly after 70 A.D. and was composed, to a great degree, of stones/bricks from the previous Jewish temple.

It is possible that it will play a role in end time prophecy (see Does the ‘Cenacle’ deal have prophetic ramifications?) as there is a chance the man of sin (the Beast of Revelation 13 and King of the North of Daniel 11) may sit in it ( 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4; see also Who is the Man of Sin of 2 Thessalonians 2?).

Since the Church of God on Jerusalem’s Western Hill, known as Mt. Zion, was originally a Christian building, and is built on the foundation of the bricks of the last Jewish temple (cf. Ephesians 2:20), is it possible that this will be the place that the ‘son of perdition’ sits?

Perhaps the Church of Rome will end up, for a time, with the building it wants.

A building that the Bordeaux Pilgrim reported about so long ago.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

Church of God on Jerusalem’s Western Hill Could this building, often referred to as the Cenacle, possibly have been the oldest actual Christian church building?
Does the ‘Cenacle’ deal have prophetic ramifications? After a 20 year negotiation, the Church of Rome has negotiated the right to have Catholic mass in the building known as the Cenacle. It is in the area where the Church of God on Jerusalem’s Western Hill once stood. This is believed to be the location of the earliest Christian church building. How does the Bible define the ‘temple of God’ in the New Testament? Could this be the area where the ‘man of sin’ will sit in the “temple of God’ that Bible prophecy discusses in 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4? This is a YouTube video.
Why is a Jewish Temple in Jerusalem Not Required? Although people like Timothy LaHaye teach a third Jewish temple is required, who is ‘the temple of God” in the New Testament? Does the Bible require a rebuilt Jewish Temple? Here is a related item in the Spanish language ¿Por qué no se requiere un templo judío en Jerusalén? Here is a link to two sermons The Temple, Prophecy, and the Work and God’s Temple in Prophecy. And here is a version of the latter one in the Spanish: El templo de Dios en profecía.
Nascent Sanhedrin structure and high priest: The plan is to start animal sacrifices this would fulfill prophecy! The reconstituted Sanhedrin wants the reimplementation of animal sacrifices. A related video is titled Sanhedrin pushing animal sacrifices.
The Red Heifer, Jewish Beliefs, and the End of the World The Temple Institute is watching a ‘red heifer.’ Why might this be important in the sequence of end time events? Here is a related link in the Spanish language Novilla roja descubierta en EE.UU. e Instituto del Templo está interesado en ella. Here are links to two related videos in English: Red Heifers and the Fate of the World and The Red Heifer and the End of the World.
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? A sermon video from Vatican City is titled Church of Rome, Mithras, and Isis?
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, What Type of Catholic was Polycarp of Smyrna?, Tradition, Holy Days, Salvation, Dress, & Celibacy, Early Heresies and Heretics, Doctrines: 3 Days, Abortion, Ecumenism, Meats, Tithes, Crosses, Destiny, and more, Saturday or Sunday?, The Godhead, Apostolic Laying on of Hands Succession, Church in the Wilderness Apostolic Succession List, Holy Mother Church and Heresies, and Lying Wonders and Original Beliefs.
Who is the Man of Sin of 2 Thessalonians 2? Is this the King of the North, the ten-horned beast of Revelation 13:1-11, or the two-horned Beast of Revelation 13:12-16? Some rely on traditions, but what does the Bible teach? Here is a related link in Spanish/español: ¿Quién es el Hombre de Pecado de 2 Tesalonicenses 2?; here here are links to videos in Spanish: ¿Quién es el Hombre de Pecado de 2 Tesalonicenses 2? and ¿Quién es el ‘hombre de pecado’? Here is a version in Mandarin: N;ÿ Œ
f/’Y’jNº’ÿ Here is a link to a related English sermon video titled: The Man of Sin will deceive most ‘Christians’.
Jerusalem: Past, Present, and Future What does the Bible say about Jerusalem and its future? Is Jerusalem going to be divided and eliminated? Is Jesus returning to the area of Jerusalem? There are also two related YouTube videos you can watch: Jerusalem To be divided and eliminated and God’s and Satan’s Plan for Jerusalem.
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? Here is a link to a short animation: Which Church would Jesus Choose?
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.

Tell me people are better off and that we aren’t in #recession while looking at this chart

A labor market so strong that people can’t even negotiate pay raises that keep up with #inflation!

Real wages are absolutely plummeting pic.twitter.com/pH3TiVSupZ

— TheHappyHawaiian (@ThHappyHawaiian) July 29, 2022

COGwriter

The USA and Europe are reporting more inflation:

Fed’s Favorite Inflation Indicator Jumps To New 40-Year High, Savings Rate Plunges

July 29, 2022

The Fed’s favorite inflation indicator – PCE Deflator – was expected to accelerate in June and both the headline and core increased significantly (+6.8% YoY and +4.8% YoY respectively) – both higher than expected. The headline print is the highest since 1982.

With both the headline and core inflation signals re-accelerating, it appears the ‘peak inflation’ narrative has busted once again.

The ‘inflation’ indicator has supported nominal personal spending (even as incomes fail to keep pace – with soaring revolving credit signaling Americans relying on credit cards to get by). …

On the income side, both private and government wages saw growth slow in June … the fact that Americans are borrowing more and saving less is not an indication of confidence – it’s an indication of deep-seated stress – which helps explain the record low in consumer confidence. https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/feds-favorite-inflation-indicator-jumps-new-40-year-high-savings-rate-plunges

Euro-Zone Inflation Hits Record, Backing Calls for Larger Hikes

• Consumer prices jumped 8.9% in July; economists estimated 8.7%
• Latest all-time high coincides with growing recession fears

July 29, 2022

Euro-zone inflation climbed to another all-time high, supporting calls for the European Central Bank to follow up its first interest-rate hike since 2011 with another big move.

Consumer prices jumped 8.9% from a year earlier in July — up from 8.6% last month and driven once again by soaring energy and food costs. The number overshot the expectations of economists surveyed by Bloomberg, who saw a gain of 8.7%. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-07-29/euro-zone-inflation-hits-record-backing-calls-for-larger-hikes#xj4y7vzkg

Inflation and economic concerns are feared by many to possibly lead to civil unrest (see ‘2023 … Martin Armstrong Warns Of Inflation-Driven Civil-Unrest … Europe’ ‘Half of Americans anticipate a U.S. civil war soon’).

Here is something that the old Worldwide Church of God published:

But what does inflation mean for the future? What should Church members know — and do — about this economic ill?

Few of us realize the kind of disruption, the social breakdown, the Sodom and Gomorrah-like conditions that can happen during periods of hyperinflation.

Many of you have heard or read about what happened to Germany in 1923. In order to meet reparations payments for World War I, the government literally cranked up its printing presses and flooded the country with worthless paper money.

It was perhaps the greatest inflation of all time and a harbinger of what may be in store just before the beginning of the Great Tribulation.

In Germany delirium reigned. Workers got paid every day at noon, and would then run to the nearest store with literally sackfuls of money in order to buy anything, at any price. Otto Friedrich, in his book Before the Deluge, described the chaos of the time:

“In their frenzy, people paid millions and even billions of marks for cuckoo clocks, shoes. that didn’t fit, anything that could be traded for something else.

“The celebrated conductor, Bruno Walter, had to break up his rehearsals in mid-symphony for the regular midday rush, and after a typical scramble, he recalled, one of his musicians triumphantly displayed his reward for a day’s work — a bag of salt. ”

And there were worse incidents. “The old were equally helpless. One elderly writer named Maximilian Bern withdrew all his savings, more than 100,000 marks, and spent them on one subway ticket. He took a ride around Berlin and then locked himself in his apartment and starved to death. “

Prophesied for our day

The Bible foretells that inflation at least in the sense of oppressively rising prices — will be a plague of the end times. Notice Haggai 1:6, “and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put into a bag with holes.” Every person who has seen the buying power of his money be continually eroded because of rising prices can well understand that that prophecy has already come to pass.

The book of Revelation also foretells inflation: “A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine” (Rev. 6:6).

A measure of wheat for a penny sounds like a bargain these days. But consider, a measure of wheat at the time John penned the book of Revelation was two-or three pints. A penny was the day’s wages of a laborer. In North America today, a factory worker’s pay is conservatively around $40 a day. So consider: three pints of wheat for $40!

That is inflation. Moreover, as we would expect from the time sequence, the prophecy bears a striking resemblance to our own pre-tribulation times: While food is scarce, it still has a market price. …

When money fails

Biblical descriptions of money and prices bring out several important lessons about high prices:

Scarcity can make your money worthless. In Joseph’s time, when “famine [crop shortage] was over all the face of the earth” (Gen. 41:56), the fact was reflected in the price of food. Thus, when Jacob sent his sons to buy food in Egypt, he told them to take “double money” (Gen. 43:12).

Another example of scarcity-induced price increases was the siege in Samaria in the time of Elisha: “And there was a great famine in Samaria: and, behold, they [the Syrians] besieged it, until an ass’s head was sold for fourscore pieces of silver, and the fourth part of a cab of dove’s dung for five pieces of silver” (II Kings 6:25). …

Inflation: a result of sin

Inflation is the bad result of human government’s failure to restrain its own covetousness and ambition. There are two ways in which this happens.

Sometimes, in order to stimulate the economy, the government will (through a complicated series of banking transactions) cause more money to come into circulation. Credit becomes easier. Businesses expand and hire more people. Wages go up and people buy more.

But while there’s more money floating around, there aren’t as many things to buy with that money. Sellers find they have to (and they want to anyway, of course) raise their prices just to make sure they don’t run out of products.

And, almost always at the same time, the government itself spends more money than it takes in. Its workers get pay raises, more people are put on the government payroll, more programs are started. Tax revenues don’t cover it all.

The government has to either a) raise taxes, b) cut back or c) in effect, print the money to cover its deficit.

Human nature being what it is, c is the most painless alternative in the short run, and so the government chooses it. The extra money circulates through the country, but again, there aren’t as many extra things to buy with that money. So prices go up.

Viewed this way, inflation is a kind of hidden tax that the government imposes on its citizens. …

What can we do?

Knowing that inflation favors those who possess the tangible necessities of life, and also knowing that famine is prophesied, your first thought may be to begin to store large quantities of food. However, Herbert W. Armstrong has warned of the dangers of such a practice. In The Good News, June-July, 1966, Mr. Armstrong points out that Church members would make themselves vulnerable to attack in times of famine if word got out that they were storing food.

On the other hand, without getting fanatical or anxious about material things (see Matt. 6:31) there are some things we can do to stave off the ravages of inflation. The principle is, “A prudent man forseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished” (Prov. 22:3).

1. Despite what you may have heard, gold and silver may not be all that good as inflation hedges. In times of economic turmoil, governments often confiscate their citizens’ gold.

Also, while it is not the province of the GN to give specific investment advice, gold and silver are two investments that are mentioned in Bible prophecy. The forecast, however, is not bullish:

“They shall cast their silver in the streets, and their gold shall be removed: their silver and their gold shall not be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the Lord: they shall not satisfy their souls, neither fill their bowels: because it is a stumbling-block of their iniquity” (Ezek. 7:19).

You cannot eat gold. You must buy it retail and sell it back wholesale. You may have to pay assay charges. You can’t buy in quantities of less than an ounce, and so, in times of social breakdown, how would you pay for a loaf of bread? By clipping off a piece of your Krugerrand?

Of course, since gold is regarded as a disaster hedge by many investors, prudence might dictate that perhaps a small fraction of your liquid assets be in gold: and for almost all of us, that wouldn’t be enough to buy much more than one gold coin at today’s prices.

2. Other investments: Use your spare cash as a down payment to buy your own home, acquire marketable skills and keep your house and car insurance up to date. These ideas follow from the great principle laid down by Solomon in the Bible:

“Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, and look well to thy herds” (Prov. 27:23).

3. Cut expenses: Substitute your own labor for expensive purchased labor whenever possible by doing your own repair work. This depends on how you value your own time and whether you like to do your own repair work. (A lawyer who types faster than his secretary should still allow his secretary to do his typing because any given hour of his time is far more profitably spent using his legal abilities than typing.)

Substitute vegetables for some of your meat. (Many Americans eat too much meat.)

Prepare your food and eat at home if you have the time. If you don’t (time is money) some ethnic restaurants are cheaper than steakhouses. Remember, “He that loveth pleasure shall be a poor’ man: he that loveth wine and oil shall not be rich” (Prov. 21:17).(Calkin J. When Money Fails. Good News, October-November 1979)

And still is sound advice today.

That being said, notice something from former US President Donald Trump;

Trump Warns Something Worse Than Recession Is Coming

July 29, 2022

Former President Donald Trump has warned that America’s economy is on track for a bigger disaster than a recession, with his remarks coming shortly before government statistics showed GDP printing negative for the second consecutive quarter, which is a rule-of-thumb definition for a recession.

“Where we’re going now could be a very bad place,” Trump said at a rally in Arizona last week. “We got to get this act in order, we have to get this country going, or we’re going to have a serious problem.”

The former president singled out the collapse in Americans’ real wages, a historically depressed labor force participation rate, and the Democrat push for the Green New Deal that he said would crush economic growth.

“Not recession. Recession’s a nice word. We’re going to have a much bigger problem than recession. We’ll have a depression,” the former president said.

Actually, as far as the USA goes, something worse than a depression will hit it as one day is dollar will be worth no more than its scrap, collectible, or sentimental value.

The Bible warns that a highly indebted nation will be taken over in the time of the end in Habakkuk 2:1-8, and the USA is the most indebted nation in the history of humanity.

That being said,

Jesus warned:

7 But when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be troubled; for such things must happen, but the end is not yet. 8 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines and troubles. These are the beginnings of sorrows.  (Mark 13:7-8)

It is not just famines that are prophesied, food price inflation is as well.

Notice that the ride of third horseman of the Apocalypse results in scarcity, inflation, and famine. Revelation 6:5-6 indicates that there will be food, but that it will be quite expensive (food-price inflation).

5 When He opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come and see.” So I looked, and behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. 6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not harm the oil and the wine.” (Revelation 6:5-6)

Some will thus die as they will not be able to afford it, while others will survive but struggle.

Also, notice that wheat, barley, and edible oil is listed as shortages associated with the ride of the third horseman. Ukraine is a significant exporter of all of those–or at least is was.

Related to some of this, the Continuing Church of God put together the following video on our Bible News Prophecy YouTube channel:

16:00

Russia, Ukraine, Food, & the Ride of the 3rd Horseman of the Apocalypse

Did you know that the sanctioned lands of Russia and Belarus are dominant suppliers of ingredients used in modern fertilizers? Are you aware that the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates that 33% of the farmland in Ukraine may not be planted and/or harvested because of Russia’s ‘special military operation’ in Ukraine? Are parts of the world like Sudan, Lebanon, and the USA experiencing food price inflation? What about impact on the Palestinians in Gaza? Could any of this help lead to the rise of the King of the South? What are some factors that look to increase rice prices? Did Jesus warn of wars and troubles? What are three foods that Ukraine exports that are associated with the shortages and food price inflation of the ride of the third horseman of the Apocalypse? What does Jesus say His followers should do? Dr. Thiel addresses these matters in this video.

Here is a link to the video: Russia, Ukraine, Food, & the Ride of the 3rd Horseman of the Apocalypse.

The old Worldwide Church of God published the following pointing to Caucasians being impacted:

The black horseman’s future ride will reduce the proud faces of white America, Europe, and the British Common wealth into the blackened skin of starvation such as now afflicts the vast majority of mankind. (Alexander G. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Ambassador College Press, Pasadena (CA), 1973, p. 31)

Notice some of the penalties for disobedience recorded in the 26th chapter of Leviticus: “If after all this you have not learnt discipline but still defy me, I in turn will defy you and scourge you seven times over for your sins. I will bring war in vengeance upon you … you shall be herded into your cities, I will send pestilence among you, and you shall be given over to the enemy. I will cut short your daily bread until ten women can bake your bread in a single oven; they shall dole it out by weight [see Revelation 6:5-6], and though you eat, you shall not be satisfied. If in spite of this you do not listen to me and still defy me, I will defy you in anger, and I myself will punish you seven times over for your sins. Instead of meat you shall eat your sons and daughters” (Lev. 26:23-28, The New English Bible). Other passages warn of famine-producing upsets in weather (Amos 4:7, Deut. 28:24); ruined harvests (Ezek. 5:16, Deut. 28:17); blighted crops (Amos 4:9); harmful insect pests (Deut. 28:39, 42); and nonproductive soil (Deut. 28:23). (4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse – The Black Horse – Famine. WCG booklet, 1976)

We are starting to see more reports of food shortages and the potential for more food price inflation.

As far as the USA itself goes, notice something from my book Biden-Harris: Prophecies and Destruction:

 Make no mistake about it — massive inflation is coming.

The U.S.A. dollar will ultimately crash and be worthless. That “pride” of American power will be broken (cf. Leviticus 26:19). …

Inflation will eventually hit the U.S.A. extremely hard.

Inflation did hit the U.S.A.

Europe and much of the world has also been affected by inflation.

And more food price inflation is prophesied.

Though the rate will likely dip for a time, do not be deceived, expect more food inflation. And yes, there will be famines as well.

What should God’s people do?

The old Worldwide Church of God taught:

The most important inflation hedge …

Be righteous. God has the supernatural power to insure that His people do not suffer privation. God always has the power to hedge you from the ravages of inflation (see Job 1:10).

King David made this principle plain: “The Lord knoweth the days of the upright: and their inheritance shall be forever. They shall not be ashamed in the evil time: and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied … I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread” (Ps. 37:18-19, 25).

So, even though we do have a responsibility to provide for our children and our grandchildren through all the know-how and skills we can muster, in the end it is God in whom we must place all our trust, never wavering. That is the most sound investment anyone can make. (Prov. 21:17).(Calkin J. When Money Fails. Good News, October-November 1979)

And Jesus taught:

25 “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?

28 “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; 29 and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

31 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. (Matthew 6:25-34)

Keep your priorities in order. Trust God and seek first His kingdom.

UPDATE 07/31/22: We just uploaded the following related video:

15:26

Inflation: When Money Fails

Inflation has been higher in 2022 than it has been for decades in the USA, Europe, and many other lands. What are some of the disruptions that inflation can cause? What about hyperinflation affecting places like Venezuela? Did the Book of Haggai predict inflation? Is food price inflation associated with the ride of the third horseman of the Apocalypse? Does sin and government mismanagement cause inflation? Are there physical things one can do about inflation? What about storing food or buying gold? Will gold outlast the USA dollar? Why might some throw their gold in the street as Ezekiel prophesied? What should God’s people do about inflation? What did Jesus teach about food worries? What about seeking the Kingdom of God? Steve Dupuie and Dr. Thiel cover these matters.

Here is a link to our video: Inflation: When Money Fails.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

Physical Preparation Scriptures for Christians. We all know the Bible prophecies famines. Should we do something? Here is a version in the Spanish language Escrituras sobre Preparación física para los Cristianos. Here is a link to a related sermon: Physical preparedness for Christians.
Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse What do each of the four horseman of the Apocalypse represent? Have they began their ride? Did Jesus discuss the any of this? Might their rides coincide with the “beginning of sorrows? Do they start their ride prior to the Great Tribulation? Did Nostradamus or any other ‘private prophets’ write predictions that may mislead people so that they may not understand the truth of one or more of the four horseman? There is also a related YouTube video titled Sorrows and the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.
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.
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? 2029 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? 2022, 2023, or 2024? 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? A shorter video is: Can the Great Tribulation start in 2022 or 2023? Here is a video in the Spanish language: Es El 2021 el año de La Gran Tribulación o el Grande Reseteo Financiero.
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 four related sermons:  The Fantastic Gospel of the Kingdom of God!, The World’s False Gospel, The Gospel of the Kingdom: From the New and Old Testaments, and The Kingdom of God is the Solution.
Europa, the Beast, and the Book of Revelation discusses the largest church since the second/third century, which in a real sense is the eighth church mentioned in the Book of Revelation (it also endorses “eighth day” worship). What church would support the Beast? Here is a link to a video titled: Europe and the ‘Holy Roman Empire’.
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

The following article was put out by the Church of God, a Worldwide Association (COGWA):

Five Damaging Beliefs About Jesus Christ

Could sincerely held but inaccurate beliefs and theological dogmas really be damaging to our understanding and relationship with our Lord and Savior?

Damaging Belief 1: Jesus wasn’t sinless.

According to research by Barna, more than half of Americans (52 percent) agree that Jesus “committed sins like other people.”

But if they are right, the Bible is not true and Jesus could not be our Savior. Without a Savior, all hope would be lost.

The Bible says it many times, but let’s look at one. Speaking of Jesus, Hebrews 4:15 says, “For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin” (emphasis added throughout). …

Damaging Belief 2: Jesus loves us so much, He doesn’t care if we sin.

Americans were asked to respond to this statement: “Even the slightest sin deserves eternal damnation,” and a startling 61 percent strongly disagreed (Ligonier Ministries and LifeWay Research).

Lots of people either think sin isn’t so bad, or that Jesus doesn’t really care about it that much.

Jesus does love us, but the Bible also shows that He does care if we sin! Sin is what killed Him—our sins!

Why does He care about sin so much?

Consider what sin is. It is breaking the laws that God designed for our good (1 John 3:4; Deuteronomy 10:13). When we break His laws, we bring evil results. Sin is the ultimate cause of all evil and suffering.

In addition to all of the suffering sin causes throughout life, the way of sin ends in death. “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). Every sin is the opposite of love, the opposite of God’s nature. God hates it!

But God the Father and Jesus Christ loved us so much that Jesus died in our place to give us a fresh start. That certainly doesn’t mean He doesn’t care if we continue to sin (Romans 6:1-2)! Jesus’ message to the woman taken in adultery is a message for us all: “Go and sin no more” (John 8:11).

Jesus loves us so much, He wants us to repent of sin (Mark 1:15) and to strive to keep His commandments (Matthew 19:17; John 15:10).

Damaging Belief 3: Satan is winning.

If you look at the number of people, past and present, who have claimed to be Christians compared to the whole population of the world, then it would seem Satan is winning. But will Satan really win in the long run, and are most people really lost forever?

God says He “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4). But is that just a pointless wish from a Being who seems to be losing the majority of people to Satan?

The Bible shows there is a battle (Luke 4:1-13; Revelation 12:7-12), but God controls every part of it, including the eventual outcome. For example, in the book of Job, the devil had to get permission for the trials and tests he wanted to bring on Job (Job 1:11-12; 2:4-6). …

Damaging Belief 4: People who have never heard Jesus’ name will suffer in hell forever.

Related to damaging belief 3, we must consider: What about the billions of people who never heard the name of Jesus Christ—the only name by which we must be saved? As the apostle Peter said about the name of Jesus Christ: “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

Some churchgoers answer this by disagreeing with Peter. In a LifeWay Research survey, 26 percent agreed, “If a person is sincerely seeking God, he/she can obtain eternal life through religions other than Christianity.” …

Damaging Belief 5: Jesus is only figuratively a King.

Many churches teach that the millennial reign of Jesus Christ is only figurative. Amillennialists don’t believe Jesus will be King on the earth for 1,000 years as promised in Revelation 20:4.

But Jesus told the Roman governor Pilate that He was born to be a king (John 18:37). His Kingdom is not “of this world” (verse 36)—not “of earthly origin or nature” (Thayer’s Greek Lexicon). It will be of heavenly origin, but the Bible clearly says He will literally come to earth again (Zechariah 14:4; Acts 1:11; Revelation 1:7; 11:15; 19:11-21). Then His disciples will also sit on thrones judging the 12 tribes of Israel (Luke 22:29-30).

Jesus said the meek would inherit the earth (Matthew 5:5), and they literally will as the Kingdom of God envelopes the world. In fact, Jesus said we should regularly pray, “Your kingdom come” (Matthew 6:10).

If we don’t believe Jesus is returning as King of Kings to rule on earth, we won’t be preparing to assist Him. Jesus warned us to watch, be ready, be faithful, be wise, be serving, be giving, be prepared (Matthew 24:42-47; 25:34-36; Luke 21:34-36). The Millennium and the Kingdom of God are essential parts of God’s plan—and followers of Christ must embrace them.

The above article was written by Mike Bennett. My wife Joyce and I met him and his wife several decades ago.

Anyway, he is right that there are many misconceptions of Jesus and God’s plan of salvation (which is also revealed by God’s Holy Days), plus a major disconnect as to the message of the Kingdom of God among most–but you can know the truth if you are willing to live and believe it.

There are also other ‘damaging beliefs’ about Jesus.

Some falsely claim that belief is all you need and not obedience.

Notice, though, that God’s Spirit is only given to those who will obey Him:

29 But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: “We ought to obey God rather than men. 30 The God of our fathers raised up Jesus whom you murdered by hanging on a tree. 31 Him God has exalted to His right hand to be Prince and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. 32 And we are His witnesses to these things, and so also is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him.” (Acts 5:29-32)

So, part of any proper relationship with God is obeying Him.

Christianity is more than a feeling or a one-time claimed acceptance.

Feelings without obedience is not what the Bible teaches for Christians.

Notice that salvation itself is tied in with obedience:

9 And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him, (Hebrews 5:9)

Jesus kept the commandments and was perfected–and those who wish to be saved need to obey Him! Watch: Believe Jesus: Obey and Build Character.

Some people falsely claim Jesus did not exist.

Others insist He was not the prophesied Messiah.

But those willing to accept the truth will recognize that Jesus was the prophesied Messiah.

Details on that are in our free online book: Proof Jesus is the Messiah.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

Proof Jesus is the Messiah This free book has over 200 Hebrew prophecies were fulfilled by Jesus. Plus, His arrival was consistent with specific prophecies and even Jewish interpretations of prophecy. Here are links to seven related sermons: Proof Jesus is the Messiah, Prophecies of Jesus’ birth, timing, and death, Jesus’ prophesied divinity, 200+ OT prophecies Jesus filled; Plus prophecies He made, Why Don’t Jews Accept Jesus?, Daniel 9, Jews, and Jesus, and Facts and Atheists’ Delusions About Jesus. Plus the links to two sermonettes: Luke’s census: Any historical evidence? and Muslims believe Jesus is the Messiah, but … These videos cover nearly all of the book, plus have some information not in the book.
Building Character: Going on to Perfection Once you have accepted Jesus, do you need to strive for perfection and build character? Two related videos sermon are available: Believe Jesus: Obey and Build Character and Going on to perfection and building character.
Concerns about Church of God, a Worldwide Association This seems to be the largest group that came out of the United Church of God. Here is some history and concerns about it.
Jesus: The Son of God and Saviour Who was Jesus? Why did He come to earth? What message did He bring? Is there evidence outside the Bible that He existed? Here is a YouTube sermon titled Jesus: Son of God and Saviour.
Is God Calling You? This booklet discusses topics including calling, election, and selection. If God is calling you, how will you respond? Here is a link to a related sermon: Could God be Calling You? A short animation is also available: Is God Calling You?
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?
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.
Universal Offer of Salvation: There Are Hundreds of Verses in the Bible Supporting the Doctrine of True Apocatastasis Do you believe what the Bible actually teaches on this? Will all good things be restored? Will God call everyone? Will everyone have an opportunity for salvation? Does God’s plan of salvation take rebellion and spiritual blindness into account? Related sermon videos include Universal Offer of Salvation I: God is love and Universal Offer of Salvation II: The Age to Come and the ‘Little Flock’ and Universal Offer of Salvation III: All Are to Know Jesus, But When? and Universal Offer of Salvation IV: Will the Guilty be Pardoned? and Universal Offer of Salvation V: All Israel Will be Saved? A version of the main article was also translated in the Spanish language: Oferta universal de salvación: Hay cientos de versículos en la Biblia que apoyan la verdadera doctrina de la Apocatastasis.
Did the Early Church Teach Purgatory? Is there a place called purgatory? Does God have a plan to help those who did not become saints in this life?
What is Limbo? Is There Such a Place as Limbo? What Happens to Babies When They Die? When did Limbo start being taught? What is the truth about dead babies?
What Happens After Death? Is death like sleep, or is that a cultic idea? Can you speak to the dead? Here is a link to a related sermon: What really happens after death?
Are The Wicked Tormented Forever or Burned Up? How does one explain Revelation 14:11 in light of Malachi 4:3? What happens to the incorrigibly wicked?
The Final Phase of the Work What is the final phase of the work? Who will lead it? Do you have the courage to support it? Here is a related YouTube video titled The Final Phase of the Work. The written article has been translated into Spanish La Fase Final de la Obra.
Leading the Final Phase of the Work Matthew 24:14 teaches “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come ” will be fulfilled and RCG is not the group doing this. Who is leading the final phase of the work? What did Herbert Armstrong and the old WCG teach about that and about prophets? Does Bob Thiel meet the criteria that the Bible and the old WCG set? What is the proof? What has the Continuing Church of God been doing? This is a sermonette length video.
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?

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COGwriter

The USA looks to be in a recession:

US Economy Shrinks 0.9 Percent in 2Q, Signaling Recession

July 28, 2022

The U.S. economy shrank from April through June for a second straight quarter, contracting at a 0.9% annual pace and signaling that the nation may be in a recession.

The decline that the Commerce Department reported Thursday in the gross domestic product — the broadest gauge of the economy — followed a 1.6% annual drop from January through March. Consecutive quarters of falling GDP constitute one informal, though not definitive, indicator of a recession. https://www.newsmax.com/finance/streettalk/economy-gdp-shrinks-by-0-9-percent-recession-inflation/2022/07/28/id/1080713/

Biden economy is now in a technical recession: the first estimate of Q2 GDP came in at -0.9% (technically -0.930%) far below the 0.5% consensus forecast (but right on top of the Atlanta Fed -1.2% tracker), and while an improvement from Q1’s -1.6%, this was still the second consecutive quarter of declining GDP which as far as the markets are concerned at least, is the definition of a recession.

Digging into the data, after a big drop in Q1 GDP, the second quarter decrease in real GDP reflected decreases in inventory investment, housing investment, federal government spending, state and local government spending, and business investment. Exports and consumer spending increased. Imports, which are a subtraction in the calculation of GDP, increased. …

So we have a recession…. which means the political push back is about to go into overdrive, starting with Biden’s speech … where he desperately tries to convince Americans that according to the new and improved definition of a recession, the US economy is actually growing tremendously. https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/welcome-biden-recession-q2-gdp-unexpectedly-shrinks-09-2nd-consecutive-decline

July 28, 2022

Fox News’ White House corespondent Peter Doocy made Joe Biden’s Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre look like a total fool Wednesday by expertly exposing how she and other Biden minions are attempting to redefine what a recession is in order to claim America isn’t in one.

As we have highlighted throughout this week, Biden Administration officials are using semantics to avoid admitting how bad the economy is, with some suggesting ‘its not a recession, it’s a transition’.

Doocy outright asked Jean-Pierre “If things are going so great, then why is it that WH officials are trying to redefine recession?”

When Jean-Pierre denied that the White House is trying to redefine a recession, Doocy said “If we all understand a recession to be two consecutive quarters of negative GPD growth in a row and you have the White House officials come up here to say no, no, no that’s not what a recession is…how is that not redefining recession?”

“Because that’s not the definition,” the Press Secretary bizarrely replied.

Doocy then read the same definition of a recession as stated by Biden’s own economic advisor Brian Deese and asked “What changed?” https://www.infowars.com/posts/video-reporter-exposes-white-houses-blatant-redefining-of-recession/

Note: I saw a report online yesterday that if the US government used the same system of calculating inflation as it did in the 1980s, the rate would have exceeded 17% in the past year.