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Israel365News posted the following:

‘We are in the time of the Messiah now.’ – The Ancestry of the Messiah in Jewish Sources

April 30, 2023

n a recent blog post, a rabbi explained the ancestry of the Messiah in great detail according to Jewish sources. According to the sources, King David was precisely the mid-point of human history which means that the culmination of human history and the Messianic era is expected at any moment.

Rabbi Efraim Palvanov, a teacher and author, writes …

“We can really begin the ancestry of the Messiah with Abraham, God’s chosen one,” Rabbi Palvanov began. “The Messiah necessarily comes out of Israel. As the progenitor of Israel, he set the stage by rejecting idolatry and rectifying the world, moving it back towards Eden.” …

The genealogy of Messiah also implies a specific timeframe.

“Adam is an acronym for ‘Adam, David, Messiah,” Rabbi Pavlanov explained. “These three personalities encapsulate all of human history. The soul of Moshiach was contained within Adam, who foresaw that David, the progenitor of Messiah, would be stillborn. So he gave 70 years of his life to David, who lived exactly 70 years while Adam lived 930, though he should have lived precisely 1,000 years.”

“According to Kabbalah, King David was precisely the middle point of human history,” Rabbi Pavlanov said. “From Adam to David is precisely the same amount of time as it has been since King David until now. So we are literally in the time of Moshiach right now.” https://www.israel365news.com/370451/we-are-in-the-time-of-the-messiah-now-the-ancestry-of-the-messiah-in-jewish-sources/

No, Adam is not an acronym for Adam, David, and Messiah–that makes no biblical sense nor do I think ancient Hebrew would support that. No, David was not the midpoint between Adam and the 21st century. David rose up about 3000 years after Adam and Eve were made.

David was king over 4000 years ago. Rabbi Pavlanov’s math does not work.

Hence, King David could NOT be the midpoint between Adam and the 21st century. More on dates and where we are in God’s 6000/7000 year plan, check out the detailed article: Does God Have a 6,000 Year Plan? What Year Does the 6,000 Years End?

That said, Jesus, of course, already came–but He will come again.

As far as the time of the Messiah goes, consider the following Jewish writing:

The Tanna debe Eliyyahu teaches: The world is to exist six thousand years. In the first two thousand there was desolation;  two thousand years the Torah flourished;  and the next two thousand years is the Messianic era (Babylonian Talmud: Tractate Sanhedrin Folio 97a).

The above is saying that 4000 years after Adam and Eve were created that the Messianic era would begin. And that is basically correct in the sense that Jesus came about 4000 years after Adam and Eve were put out of the Garden of Eden. But that is not what Rabbi Pavlanov is teaching–but he should!

Here is some information about the Jews, why they do not accept Jesus, and some reasons why their own accepted writings show that they should from our free online book Proof Jesus is the Messiah :

[Y]ou may be asking yourself, “If Jesus filled/fulfilled over 200 Hebrew scriptures, then why don’t all the religious Jews believe?”

Basically, for a combination of reasons.

Here is a summary of six of the main arguments against Jesus’ messiahship from some Jewish leaders:

1. They do not believe that all the prophecies Jesus fulfilled were messianic.
2. They do not believe that the Gospel accounts are accurate.
3. They believe that there were key messianic prophecies that Jesus did not fulfill.
4. They believe that Christians misunderstand timing and Daniel 9.
5. They rely on post-biblical traditions.
6. They see many errors in what is considered to be Christianity.

As far as that first item goes, the Jews (and others) need to consider that humans do not always understand how God works.

Consider the following about God to humankind, including the Jews:

⁸ For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Neither are your ways My ways, saith the LORD. ⁹ For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8-9, JPS of 1917)

Although many Jews (and others) do not believe that a lot of prophesies Jesus fulfilled were messianic, that does not mean that they were not. The fact that God’s thoughts and ways are higher than ours hopefully will give all (Jews and non-Jews) reasons to consider that perhaps they should give further consideration to the prophesies they had not considered as messianic.

Jews do acknowledge that Jesus lived and was executed. The Jewish Encyclopedia states:

Founder of Christianity; born at Nazareth about 2 B.C. (according to Luke iii. 23); executed at Jerusalem 14th of Nisan, (Jacobs J, et al. Jesus of Nazareth. The Jewish Encyclopedia: A Descriptive Record of the History, Volume 7. 1906, p. 160)

And while 4 or 5 B.C. is probably the year of His birth, Jesus was executed on the 14^th of Nisan as The Jewish Encyclopedia states—which is the date of the biblical Passover (Leviticus 23:5).

Claims that Certain Prophecies Were Not Messianic

On the surface, various prophecies that New Testament writers pointed to that Jesus fulfilled do not clearly appear to be prophetic or messianic.

Although many of those do not bother the Jews, one of the biggest Jewish arguments against Jesus’ messiahship is a view that the Messiah was not supposed to suffer and die. Yet, Christians (correctly) assert that those were truly messianic ones that Jesus fulfilled.

The Jewish Encyclopedia goes so far as to assert (bolding mine):

Yet it would almost appear that in one sense of the word Jesus regarded himself as fulfilling some of the prophecies which were taken among contemporary Jews as applying to the Messiah. It is doubtful whether it was later tradition or his own statements that identified him with the servant of Yhwh represented in Isa. liii.; but there appears to be no evidence of any Jewish conception of a Messiah suffering through and for his people, though there possibly was a conception of one suffering together with his people. (Jacobs, p. 163)

Notice that the Jewish position is not based on any scriptures that state the Messiah would not suffer and die, but essentially on what is claimed to be Jewish tradition. Jesus, Himself, warned against relying on Jewish tradition when it was in conflict with scripture (e.g. Matthew 15:3-9). Isaiah foretold:

¹⁴ And He shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. (Isaiah 8:14, JPS)

The Apostle Paul wrote that the execution of Jesus was a stumbling block to the Jews (1 Corinthians 1:23), and it has been.

Now, the Jews are correct that the suffering idea was not a Jewish conception — but that is because it was conceived by GOD as the FIRST and INDISPENSABLE PART of the plan of salvation for humankind before the foundation of the world (cf. Revelation 13:8)! The idea of a suffering Messiah is clearly biblical as can be shown in the Hebrew scriptures.

As far as any Jewish traditions go, the assertion “there appears to be no evidence of any Jewish conception of a Messiah suffering through and for his people” is false.

Various Jewish scholars have concluded that there was a Messiah who would suffer and die and one who would reign.

Notice the following from the Hungarian-Jewish author Raphael Patai:

Messiah ben Joseph, also called Messiah ben Ephraim, referring to his ancestor Ephraim, the son of Joseph, is imagined as the first commander of the army of Israel in the Messianic wars. He will achieve many signal victories, but his fate is to die at the hands of Armilus in a great battle in which Israel is defeated by Gog and Magog. His corpse is left unburied in the streets of Jerusalem for forty days, but neither beast nor bird of prey dares to touch it. Then, Messiah ben David comes, and his first act is to bring about the resurrection of his tragic forerunner.

Scholars have repeatedly speculated about the origin of the Messiah ben Joseph legend and the curious fact that the Messiah figure has thus been split in two. It would seem that in the early legend, the death of the Messiah was envisaged, perhaps as a development of the Suffering Servant motif. A prophecy of Daniel, … is the earliest source speaking of the death of a Mashiah (“Anointed”) sixty-two (prophetic) weeks after his coming and after the return and the rebuilding of Jerusalem (Dan. 9:24-26). While it appears that Daniel had a temporal ruler in mind, whom he calls Mashiah Nagid (“Anointed Prince”), … later, the author of 4 Ezra unmistakably refers to the Messiah, belief in whom had developed in the meantime, when he puts words in the mouth of God to the effect that after four hundred years (counted from when?), MY son the Messiah shall die (4 Ezra 7:27-30).

When the death of the Messiah became an established tenet in Talmudic times, this was felt to be irreconcilable with the belief in the Messiah as the Redeemer who would usher in the blissful millennium of the Messianic age. The dilemma was solved by splitting the person of the Messiah in two: one of them, called Messiah ben Joseph, was to raise the armies of Israel against their enemies, and, after many victories and miracles, would fall victim to Gog and Magog. The other, Messiah ben David, will come after him (in some legends will bring him back to life, which psychologically hints at the identity of the two), and will lead Israel to the ultimate victory, the triumph, and the Messianic era of bliss.

This splitting of the Messiah in two persons, which took place in the Talmudic period, achieved another purpose besides resolving the dilemma of the slain Messiah. According to an old tradition, the Messiah was perfectly prefigured in Moses. But Moses died before he could lead the Children of Israel into the Land of Promise. Consequently, for the parallel to be complete, the Messiah, too, had to die before accomplishing his great task of ultimate Redemption. Since however, the Messiah would not be the True Redeemer of God if he did not fulfill that ultimate task, the only solution was to let one Messiah, like Moses, die, and then assign the completion of the work of Redemption to a second Messiah. (Patai R. The Messiah Texts: Jewish Legends of Three Thousand Years. Wayne State University Press, 2015, pp. 165-166)

Thus, to suggest that no Jewish scholars felt the Messiah could suffer or die is false. Furthermore, though the above comes up with two Messiahs, the Bible shows that Jesus came once—and fulfilled over 200 prophecies—and that Jesus will come a second time to fulfill others.

Notice also, there is a hint, associated with the Dead Sea Scrolls, that God’s Anointed was going to suffer related to Isaiah 52:14:

Isaiah … 52:14 includes an obscure hapax legomena מִשְׁחַת that appears in 1QIsa^a as משׁחתי which pointed would be מְשַׁחְתִּי məšaḥtî, “I anointed”. This, in conjunction with the added definite article on ʾadam, results in a text which Hengel translates: “I have anointed his appearance beyond that of any (other) man, and his form beyond that of the sons of humanity [the human]”. This has other textual overtones bringing the passage into an explicit connection with “anointing”.

Portion of Isaiah 52:14

(Source: Is there evidence that Isaiah 53 was viewed as a Messianic prophecy within Judaism, or is it an exclusively Christian interpretation? Christianity Stack Exchange. See also Janowski B, Stuhlmacher Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2004, pp. 103-104)

The Dead Sea Scrolls were from Jewish, not Christian, sources. Most of the Dead Sea Scrolls are believed to have been written before Jesus was born. The portion above comes from the “Great Isaiah Scroll”, 1QIsa^a., believed to have been written over a century before Jesus’ birth.

Furthermore, consider something from the Targum Jonathan, in the portion known as the Targum Isaiah. (The targums were—mainly in Aramaic—spoken paraphrases, explanations and expansions of scripture that began to be developed by the Jews shortly before the time of Jesus. The targums probably received the bulk of their editing in written form during the second century and were considered to be completed by the fourth century.)

Notice how the Targum Jonathan renders Isaiah 52:13:

Behold my servant Messiah shall prosper, He shall be exalted and extolled, and He shall be very strong: (Uzziel JB. The Chaldee Paraphrase on the Prophet Isaiah. London Society’s House, 1871, p. 181)

While the Targum Jonathan has various issues, the above passage shows that at least one Jew thought Isaiah 52 had messianic implications. Consider that when you tie that in with the following verse:

¹⁴ According as many were appalled at thee— So marred was his visage unlike that of a man, And his form unlike that of the sons of men— (Isaiah 52:14, JPS)

Clearly, some ancient Jewish writers did believe that the Messiah was prophesied to suffer.

And then there is this in the Talmud which cites Isaiah 53:4:

1. Giddal said in Rab’s name: The Jews are destined to eat [their fill] in the days of the Messiah. R. Joseph demurred: is this not obvious; who else then should eat — Hilek and Bilek? … Rab said: The world was created only on David’s account. Samuel said: On Moses account; R. Johanan said: For the sake of the Messiah. What is his [the Messiah’s] name? — The School of R. Shila said: His name is Shiloh, for it is written, until Shiloh come. The School of R. Yannai said: His name is Yinnon, for it is written, His name shall endure for ever: e”er the sun was, his name is Yinnon. The School of R. Haninah maintained: His name is Haninah, as it is written, Where I will not give you Haninah. Others say: His name is Menahem the son of Hezekiah, for it is written, Because Menahem [“the comforter”], that would relieve my soul, is far. The Rabbis said: His name is “the leper scholar,” as it is written, Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him a leper, smitten of God, and afflicted. R. Nahman said: if he [the Messiah] is of those living [today], it might be one like myself, as it is written, And their nobles shall be of themselves, and their governors shall proceed from the midst of them. Rab said: if he is of the living, it would be our holy Master; (Sanhedrin 93b)

Rabbi Yehoshua said to Rabbi Eliezer: But isn’t it already stated: “So says the Lord, Redeemer of Israel, his Holy One, to him who is despised of man, to him who is abhorred of the nation, to a servant of rulers: (Sanhedrin 97b, v. 17)

The Zohar tradition, which is one of the comparatively less censored Rabbinic sources, offers its own material on the Messianic interpretation of Isaiah 53. … One of the Zohar’s thoughts on Isaiah 53 speaks about the Messiah as follows:

“The departed souls will arrive and tell the Messiah (about their lives), and when they describe to him the sufferings which Israel is undergoing in her dispersion, that they are guilty because they do not wish to know their Lord, he will raise up his voice and weep on behalf of those who are guilty of this, as it is written: “He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities. “ And then those souls will rise and stand up in their posts. There is a castle in the Garden which is called the “house of the sick”. In that day the Messiah will enter into that castle and will shout, May all the sickness and pains of Israel come upon me!” and they will come. If he did not relieve Israel’s pains and take them upon himself no-one would be able to suffer on behalf of Israel’s oppression, of which it is written in the Torah: And it is written: “In truth he did bear our sicknesses”.”

As we can see, both the Zohar as well as the Talmud are depicting the Messiah as a pre-existent figure who shares and carries the sufferings and even the sins of Israel in her dispersion. Santala R. THE MIDRASH OF THE MESSIAH. 2002, pp. 108-109).

On the Great Day of Atonement the Jew feels that his sins must be forgiven before God. On that day even Isaiah 53 is sometimes mentioned. Although Isaiah 53 has been omitted from the annual reading of the prophets, so called haphtaroth, it appears in a remarkable prayer which is read in the Synagogue. The separate prayerbook for the feast days, the Mahzor Rabbah, contains a literary prayer by Rabbi Eleazar Qalir which may be from the ninth or even from the sixth century AD. … The main body of the prayer reads as follows:

“Then, before the creation, he already set up the Temple and the Messiah (the Rabbis” interpretation) – the Messiah our Righteousness has turned away from us, we are shaken, and can find no-one who can justify us. The yoke of our sins and our transgressions is a burden to us; and he was wounded for our transgressions, he suffered on his shoulders our iniquities-, there is forgiveness for our sins. In his wounds we are healed; it is time to create for ever a new creation. Send him back from the circles, bring him back from Seir, so that we might hear him in Lebanon a second time through Yinnon. He is our God, our Father, our King, he is our Saviour and he will liberate and redeem us for a second time and let us hear of his grace a second time in everyone’s sight, as it is said: “I will save you at the end as at the beginning so that I will be your God.” (Santala, pp. 111-112)

Thus, there are several reasons to conclude that some early Jews did believe that some of the passages of the servant in Isaiah 52/53 were messianic. Denying that in the 20^th and 21^st centuries does not change historical facts. The fact that the old Atonement prayer supports the idea of a second coming of a messiah from a Jewish perspective is also interesting.

Perhaps it should be pointed out that Risto Santala translated a portion of the Ruth Rabbah V,8,1 as follows:

the kingdom taken from him for a time … he was restored to his kingdom (Santala, p. 126)

The above is consistent with a second coming of the messiah, like Christians teach.

Jews should also consider that scriptures, from Genesis 4:4 on, show that sacrifices were carried out. The powerful story of Abraham’s sacrificing his son should have shown to all those who claim to be Abraham’s descendants the fact that there must be a sacrifice for the sins of humankind. And that it is logical that God would consider sacrificing His own son.

The 22^nd Psalm, as well as the 53^rd chapter of Isaiah, shows the agonizing suffering the Messiah would go through.

Consider also that a man was prophesied to be killed for a guilt offering and suffer FOR the sins of others:

⁹ He was given a grave among the wicked; in his death he was with a rich man. Although he had done no violence and had said nothing deceptive, ¹⁰ yet it pleased ADONAI to crush him with illness, to see if he would present himself as a guilt offering. If he does, he will see his offspring; and he will prolong his days; and at his hand ADONAI’s desire will be accomplished. ¹¹ After this ordeal, he will see satisfaction. “By his knowing [pain and sacrifice], my righteous servant makes many righteous; it is for their sins that he suffers. (Isaiah 53:9-11, Complete Jewish Bible)

The idea of a human sacrifice for sins of others was not something that Christians made up—the Hebrew scriptures taught it and some Jewish scholars have long realize that.

Furthermore, in the Talmud it is actually claimed that the Messiah, son of Joseph, would be killed (bolding and scriptures in the source: sefaria.org):

It is stated: “The land will eulogize, each family separately; the family of the house of David separately, and their women separately, the family of the house of Nathan separately, and their women separately” (Zechariah 12:12). …

Apropos the eulogy at the end of days, the Gemara asks: For what is the nature of this eulogy? The Gemara answers: Rabbi Dosa and the Rabbis disagree concerning this matter. One said that this eulogy is for Messiah ben Yosef who was killed in the war of Gog from the land of Magog prior to the ultimate redemption with the coming of Messiah ben David. And one said that this eulogy is for the evil inclination that was killed.

The Gemara asks: Granted, according to the one who said that the lament is for Messiah ben Yosef who was killed, this would be the meaning of that which is written in that context: “And they shall look unto Me because they have thrust him through; and they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for his only son” (Zechariah 12:10). (Sukkah 52a)

While the timing in the Gemara is not right, this IS PROOF that the claim that the death of the Messiah was something only Christians saw in the Old Testament is not true. By the way “ben Josef” means “son of Joseph”—which Jesus was considered to be (Luke 3:23; John 1:45).

So, in essence, Sukkah 52a is saying that the Messiah would be considered the son of Joseph and that He would be killed. That was the case with Jesus.

The fact that the Gemara ties Zechariah 12:10 in with the Messiah, should give Jews pause to consider that it is correct for Christians to also tie Zechariah 12:10 in with Jesus (which they do with John 19:34-37; Matthew 27:3).

In addition, because it is tied in with Zechariah, this view of the Messiah being considered as a son of Joseph may well have been the Jewish understanding BEFORE Jesus was born. Perhaps God revealed that to someone, similar to how God’s Spirit revealed to Simeon that he would not die until he saw the Christ (Luke 2:25-26).

Consider also the following from Jewish writer Israel Knohl:

According to the seventh-century apocalyptic text known as Sefer Zerubabel, the “Messiah son of Joseph” was killed by the wicked “Armilus” and was further resurrected by the Messiah son of David and the Prophet Elijah. … Some evidence, however, indicates that the figure of “Messiah son of Joseph” is much older. In some texts from around the turn of the era, we encounter Joseph as a son of God who atones for the sins of others with his suffering. For example, in Joseph and Aseneth, written between 100 B.C.E. and 115 C.E. Joseph is described as “son of God” (6:3, 5, 13:13). Joseph is also called “God’s firstborn son” (18:11, 21:4, 23:10).

In another book from the Second Temple period, The Testament of the Twelve Patriarchs, the Testament of Benjamin connects Joseph and the figure of the Suffering Servant in Isaiah 52–53. In this testament, Jacob says to Joseph:

“ ‘In you will be fulfilled the heavenly prophecy, which says that the spotless one will be defiled by lawless men and the sinless one will die for the sake of impious men’ “ (emphasis supplied).

These citations suggest that the designation of the suffering Messiah as the “son of Joseph” goes back to sources from the Second Temple period. (Knohl I. The Messiah Son of Joseph “Gabriel’s Revelation” and the birth of a new messianic model. Biblical Archaeology Review 34:5, September/October 2008)

The “Second Temple period” ran from c. 530 BCE to 70 CE/A.D. Thus, the idea of a suffering messiah, as God’s son, is NOT simply a Christian invention. …

Daniel 9

The ninth chapter of the Book of Daniel has been used by various ones claiming Christianity as a type of numeric proof that Jesus was the Messiah.

Actually, it has often been pointed as strong proof of Jesus’ messiahship. Since Christians did not write the Book of Daniel, many believe that Jews (and others) should accept the messiahship of Jesus because of the timing associated with prophecies in Daniel 9.

Notice some of what Daniel was inspired to write:

²⁴ Seventy weeks are decreed upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sin, and to forgive iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal vision and prophet, and to anoint the most holy place. ²⁵ Know therefore and discern, that from the going forth of the word to restore and to build Jerusalem unto one anointed, a prince, shall be seven weeks; and for threescore and two weeks, it shall be built again, with broad place and moat, but in troublous times. ²⁶ And after the threescore and two weeks shall an anointed one be cut off, and be no more; and the people of a prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; but his end shall be with a flood; and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. (Daniel 9:24-26, JPS)

How is this proof of Jesus’ messiahship?

Well, it shows that the Messiah was clearly to come before the Temple is destroyed.

²⁶ Then, after the sixty-two weeks, Mashiach will be cut off and have nothing. The people of a prince yet to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary, but his end will come with a flood, and desolations are decreed until the war is over. (Daniel 9:26, CJB)

The “anointed one” is the Messiah (rendered as the “Mashiach” in the Complete Jewish Bible).

So, the Messiah had to come before the Temple was destroyed. If not, the Bible is not true and Jews should consider the ramification of Daniel 9:26.

Furthermore, the prophecy in Daniel 9:24 ties the timing of the “anointed one/Mashiach” in verse 26, to a decree. This is the decree of Ezra 7:12-26. Daniel also mentions that Jerusalem will be rebuilt and that happened as we can see in the Book of Nehemiah.

Daniel 9:25 says that after the cutting off of the “anointed one” the city (Jerusalem) will be destroyed and the sanctuary (the Temple) will be destroyed as well. The sanctuary/temple was destroyed by General Titus in 70 A.D.

In the Continuing Church of God, we have taught that Jesus was resurrected in 31 A.D. or possibly 30 A.D. (this is also partially based upon the date on the Hebrew calendar Jesus took His last Passover, plus outside confirmation related to darkness that happened per Matthew 27:45, Mark 15:33, and Luke 23:45). Hence the Temple was destroyed after the Messiah came.

Now, let’s look at an explanation from the old Radio Church of God about the Daniel 9 prophecy:

At the time of Jesus’ life on this earth, Herod — the king in Judea — the wise men from the nations to the east, and many of the priests, scribes, and elders, as well as the common people, realized that the seventy weeks prophecy of Daniel 9 was nearing its completion. The Messiah, the Prince, was eagerly looked forward to, to free them from the yoke of Roman oppression. The Messiah was expected because of an understanding of this prophecy. But He was misunderstood when He appeared in the fulfillment of this prophecy, because they refused to recognize the first portion of the prophecy and hung their hope only on the last portion. …

Here, very plainly, is listed the exact time at which the prophesied Messiah would appear to begin to do the work mentioned in verse 24. The command to restore and rebuild Jerusalem was given by Artaxerxes in 457 B.C. Much of the book of Ezra and the entire book of Nehemiah cover this particular event. Seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks equal sixty-nine weeks. So the prophecies show that from the going forth of the command to rebuild Jerusalem in 457 B. C. it would be 483 years until the appearance of the prophesied Messiah to begin fulfilling the works of verse 24. (Hill DJ. HERE’S WHY Jews Reject Jesus and Christians Reject Christ! Plain Truth, April 1962)

Adding 483 to the year 457 B.C. brings the year 27 A.D. (there was no year “zero” between B.C. and A.D.). That brings us to the time that Jesus began His ministry (apparently in the Fall of the year). His ministry is believed to have lasted 3 ½ years, hence the veil would have been torn in the Spring of 31 A.D.

Thus, the ministry of Jesus, as well as the subsequent destruction of Jerusalem is consistent with that prophecy in Daniel 9.

Based on that timing, one would think that the Jews would accept Jesus, but that is generally not the case.

Let’s look at a Jewish argument against Daniel 9:

Christians based their understand {sic} with a belief that the starting point of the prophesy begins in 444 BCE with the decree issued by King Artaxerxex (Ezra 7:11-16). Sixty–nine weeks (483 years) would bring you to 39 CE. This is 7 years off the commonly accepted date of 32 CE being the year Jesus was put to death. …

This seven-year discrepancy is resolved by Christian theologians who redefined the definition of a “year.” They claim that prophecies like Daniel’s are to be understood in “Prophetic years” that have 360 days rather than 365 ¼ days. (Daniel 9 – A True Biblical Interpretation A brief explanation of Daniel Chapter 9. Jews for Judaism http://jewsforjudaism.org/knowledge/articles/daniel-9-a-true-biblical-interpretation/ accessed 04/24/18)

The two issues with the above are that while some Protestants may have used 444 B.C. as their starting point, the ascension year for King Artaxerxes began in 464 B.C.E., which placed his seventh year as 458-457. So, if you use 365¼ day years, you arrive at 26-27 A.D.

Let’s look at what Ezra recorded (some verses not included for space):

7 And there went up some of the children of Israel, and of the priests, and the Levites, and the singers, and the porters, and the Nethinim, unto Jerusalem, in the seventh year of Artaxerxes the king. 8 And he came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, which was in the seventh year of the king. (Ezra 7:7-8, JPS)

11 Now this is the copy of the letter that the king Artaxerxes gave unto Ezra the priest, the scribe, even the scribe of the words of the commandments of the LORD, and of His statutes to Israel:

12 “Artaxerxes, king of kings, unto Ezra the priest, the scribe of the Law of the God of heaven, and so forth. And now 13 I make a decree, that all they of the people of Israel, and their priests and the Levites, in my realm, that are minded of their own free will to go with thee to Jerusalem, go. (Ezra 7:11-13, JPS)

25 And thou, Ezra, after the wisdom of thy God that is in thy hand, appoint magistrates and judges, who may judge all the people that are beyond the River, all such as know the laws of thy God; and teach ye him that knoweth them not. 26 And whosoever will not do the law of thy God, and the law of the king, let judgment be executed upon him with all diligence, whether it be unto death, or to banishment, or to confiscation of goods, or to imprisonment.”

27 Blessed be the LORD, the God of our fathers, who hath put such a thing as this in the king’s heart, to beautify the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem; (Ezra 7:25-27, JPS)

Now, the two main Jewish arguments against the timing seem to be 1) which decree, by whom, and when and 2) the anointed one does not have to be the Messiah (Jews for Judaism; other Jewish sources were also consulted to conclude this).

Yet, if one accepts the decree in Ezra 7 and that Daniel 9 was referring to the Messiah as the Anointed One (as the Complete Jewish Bible and other sources confirm), all should accept that Jesus fulfilled the timing of that.

According to Jewish writer, Abba Hillel Silver, many Jews did expect the Messiah during the first century:

The Book of Daniel, the one canonized apocalyptic tract out of many which were widely circulated and held in high regard by the people dwelt upon the mystery of the “end of days” …

Prior to the first century, Messianic interest was not excessive …

The first century … witnessed a remarkable outburst of Messianic emotionalism. This is to be attributed … to the prevalent belief induced by the popular chronology of that day (Silver AH. The History of Messianic Speculation in Israel. Written 1927. Kessinger Publishing paperback 2010, pp. 4,5)

So, there was a lot of Messianic expectation in the first century, based upon calculations from writings such as Daniel.

Shlomo Yitzchaki, also known as Rashi (RAbbi SHlomo ben Isaac), of the 11^th century, wrote about Daniel 9:24,26:

Seventy weeks [of years] have been decreed on Jerusalem from the day of the first destruction in the days of Zedekiah until it will be [destroyed] the second time. to terminate the transgression and to end sin so that Israel should receive their complete retribution in the exile of Titus and his subjugation, in order that their transgressions should terminate, their sins should end, and their iniquities should be expiated, in order to bring upon them eternal righteousness and to anoint upon them (sic) the Holy of Holies: the Ark, the altars, and the holy vessels, which they will bring to them through the king Messiah. The number of seven weeks is four hundred and ninety years. The Babylonian exile was seventy [years] and the Second Temple stood four hundred and twenty [years]. …

And after those weeks. the anointed one will be cut off. Agrippa, the king of Judea, who was ruling at the time of the destruction, will be slain and he will be no more Heb. וְאֵין לוֹ, and he will not have. The meaning is that he will not be the anointed one Heb. מָשִׁיחַ. This is purely an expression of a prince and a dignitary and the city and the Sanctuary lit. and the city and the Holy and the people of the coming monarch will destroy [The monarch who will come] upon them. That is Titus and his armies. (Rashi. Judaica Press Complete Tanach, Daniel – Chapter 9)

So, Rashi admitted Daniel 9 was a messianic prophecy that was fulfilled about the time of Jesus.

“Herod” Marcus Julius Agrippa was king of Judah from around A.D. 27—basically the same time Jesus started His ministry. So, if the timing of Agrippa is right like Rashi wrote, then obviously the timing of Jesus was in accordance with Daniel 9:24-26.

As far as Agrippa goes, the Jews revolted against him in 66. Later, he helped the Romans and their general Titus conquer Jerusalem. Agrippa was rewarded for his efforts in helping Rome and lived and reigned decades after the fall of Jerusalem. King Agrippa II was not the anointed “King Messiah.”

As far as Rashi goes, apparently the reason for the messiahship going to Agrippa was because of Israel’s sins. Rashi also declared:

After 2000 years of Torah it was God’s decree that the Messiah would come and the wicked generation would come to an end and the subjugation of Israel would be destroyed.

But Jesus did come at the right time and the Temple was afterwards destroyed as was prophesied in Daniel 9:24-26.

Consider further that Abraham ibn Ezra (1092-1167), who is considered one of the most distinguished Jewish biblical commentators in the Middle Ages, also taught “Daniel … (chap. 9) leads up to Titus and the destruction” (Silver, pp. 212,213).

So, even Jewish authorities have agreed that Daniel 9 was pointing to the time of Jesus.

Yet, notice something related to some messianic teachings in the Talmud:

The Messiah will come not in accordance with the opinion of our Rabbis, (Sanhedrin 97b, v. 5)

Of course, the Messiah comes in accordance with scripture and God’s plan. Yet it may be that the above came out because Daniel 9 pointed to Jesus and as well as the disappointment associated trying to time Daniel 9 with Simon Bar Kokhba.

Jews should accept the “chronology” of Daniel 9 which clearly pointed to the time of Jesus and the subsequent Temple destruction.

There is no doubt the Temple was destroyed.

There should be no doubt that Jesus was the prophesied Messiah. (Thiel B. Proof Jesus is the Messiah. Nazarene Books, 2019)

For more details on Jesus, as well as why Jews (and others) should believe that Jesus is the Messiah, see our free online book: Proof Jesus is the Messiah.

Now, let’s look more into Bar Kochba, again from the free, online, Proof Jesus is the Messiah book:

According to various prophecies in the New Testament, Jesus still will fulfill various messianic prophecies that are in the Old Testament—as well as some in the New Testament.

Misunderstanding this is more than a spiritual or academic exercise.

As it turned out, when influential Jewish leaders misapplied messianic prophecies in the 2^nd century, hundreds of thousands of Jews were killed (e.g. the Bar Kokba revolt). …

“Samuel Kedar … writes that the Sages purposely stated an incorrect chronology in order to prevent people from using their chronology to accurately predict the timing of the coming of the Messiah” (First, p. 67).

Michael First also listed Jewish scholars in the 8^th through 15^th centuries (such as Pirkei De-Rabbi Eliezer, Josippon, Moses ben Samuel ka-Kohen Gikatilla, Rashi, Zerahiah ben Isaac ha-Levi Gerondi, Abraham ben David ha-Levi Ibn David, David Kimhi, Samuel ben Nissim Masnut, Isaac ben Joseph Israeli, Isaac Abravanel) who had problems and/or wrote about contradictions related to one or more parts of the Jewish chronology of the Seder Olam (pp. 183-198).

Why does this seem to have happened?

Well, in the case of the 2^nd century Rabbi Akiva, he apparently believed so much in Bar as messiah that he felt he had to make a change in chronology that many Jews now follow.

Notice something else related to him from the Talmud where he tried to tie Bar Kokhba to a passage in Numbers 24:17:

Rabbi Shimon ben Yohai taught: Rabbi Akiva would expound, A star has risen from Jacob – “Kozba [Bar Kokhba] has risen from Jacob.” When Rabbi Akiva would see bar Kozba, he would say: “This is the anointed King – the Messiah.” Rabbi Yohanan ben Tortah said to him: “Akiva, grass will sprout from your cheeks and still the Messiah will not arrive.” (Yerushalmi, Taanit 4:5)

Of course, Bar Kokhba was not the Messiah, but believing that he was (and that Jesus was not) seems to have influenced the Jewish “dating of the world.” Akiva actually changed Bar Kosiba’s name (which suggested he was a disreputable son) to Bar Kokhba, which for a time, seemed to prolong the myth he was messianic.

Notice also:

The Sages called him not Bar Kochba (the son of a star) but Bar Koziba (the son of a lie). His real name was neither; it was Bar Kosiba. (Hammer H. One triumph and two tragedies. The Jerusalem Post, November 29, 2012)

Yet, in the early second century, Simon Bar Kokhba was endorsed:

Rabbi Akiva, the greatest sage of the generation, reacted enthusiastically to BarKochba’s heroism: Rabbi Shimon bar Yohai taught: “Akiva my master expounded as follows: “A star [kochav] will go forth from Jacob” (Numbers 28:17) – “Kosiba [Bar-Kochba’s name: Shimon ben Kosiba] has come forth from Jacob.” When Rabbi Akiva would see Bar Kosiba he would say, “This is the King Messiah!’“ (Lau B. Judaism: A movement of rebellion throughout history. Jerusalem Post, March 28, 2013)

Bar Kokhba had been declared the long-awaited Messiah by the foremost Jewish scholar of that day, the highly venerated Rabbi Akiva (Akiba) ben Joseph. … Among the many accolades heaped upon Akiva, that which elevated him as a pre-eminent authority, was the acknowledging of him as “the father of the Mishnah.” Such prominence gave great weight to the messianic expectancy Akiva placed upon Bar Kokhba.

Akiva’s students became some of the most prominent sages of the following generation. Among these was Yose (Josi) ben Halafta. … By removing the 164 (or 165) years from the duration of the Persian Empire, Rabbi Halafta was able to make the 483 year Da 9:24-27 prophecy fall reasonably close to the years prior to the 132 AD revolt during which Bar Kokhba rose to prominence as Israel’s military and economic leader. Then with Akiva proclaiming, “This is the King Messiah” followed by “all the contemporary sages regarding him as the King Messiah,” the Jewish populace united around this false hope. (Jones F. Appendix G: The Seder Olam Rabbah — Why Jewish Dating is Different. In: Pierce L, Pierce M, editors. The Annals of the World. Master Books. Copyright 2003. ISBN: 089051-360-0, pp. 932-933)

So, about a century after rejecting Jesus, Jews accepted Simon Bar Kokhba as their messiah, partially based on an erroneous pronouncement and miscalculation from a rabbi.

Unlike Jesus, Simon was militaristic. Cassius Dio claimed that 580,000 Jews were slaughtered and more died from the resulting plagues and famines related to the Bar Kokhba revolt (Mor M. The Second Jewish Revolt: The Bar Kokhba War, 132-136 CE, Brill, 2016, p. 328).

Unlike with Jesus, Jews were massively slaughtered when they relied on their traditions about the Messiah.

Their highly respected rabbis were wrong.

Those who reject Jesus as the prophesied Messiah are still wrong today. (Thiel B. Proof Jesus is the Messiah. Nazarene Books, 2019)

Jesus was peaceful and is not a national hero to the Jews. But He should be.

The claim that King David was the midpoint between Adam and the Messiah is false.

Jesus was the prophesied Messiah. Those who do not fully accept that do so to their peril.

Some items of 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.
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 and Prophecy The reconstituted Sanhedrin wants the reimplementation of animal sacrifices. A related video is titled Sanhedrin pushing animal sacrifices. And a newer one is: Sanhedrin makes burnt offering to dedicate altar!
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 three related videos in English: Red Heifers and the Fate of the World and The Red Heifer and the End of the World and 5 Red Heifers and Year 5783?
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? 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?

World Economic Forum logo

COGwriter

Natural News posted the following:

Globalist 2030 agenda push by World Economic Forum set for launch as elite make final drive towards total control

Earlier this week, the corporate-led World Economic Forum (WEF) announced that world leaders would be convening later this year to “accelerate the implementation of Agenda 2030,” a plan that lacks accountability, The National Pulse reported.

Both the United Nations (UN) and the WEF seem to be dismayed by the lack of progress made towards their “Great Reset” ideology and the Agenda 2030 plan, which is a socialist successor to the failed “Millennium Development Goals,” the outlet reported.

The WEF, headed by German engineer Klaus Schwab (whose father was once involved with the Nazi Party), has acknowledged that previous attempts to implement their plans have been hindered by “unforeseen setbacks” such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the adverse effects of climate change, and the escalating costs of food and fuel worldwide due to the conflict in Ukraine.

Global leaders and their representatives have been summoned to “strategize” and accelerate the progress of what the WEF calls “arguably the greatest-ever human endeavor undertaken to create peaceful, just, equal, and sustainable societies.”

But again, do not let the flowery language fool you: They seek to bring the world under their control so that we live their visions of a ‘peaceful, just society’ — which will mean giving up on our democratic systems and turning over all power to them, the tiny minority of mega-wealthy elitists who fancy themselves as god-kings.

The UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs has argued that “[p]ractical solutions that can accelerate progress on the [Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations (SDGs)] will be urgently needed.” https://www.naturalnews.com/2023-04-28-globalist-2030-agenda-push-by-world-economic-forum-set-for-launch.html

There really is a 2030 agenda and many globalists have been pushing for it for some time.

The World Economic Forum (WEF) once had the following at its website related to the 2030 agenda:

2030Vision – partnering together to scale technologies for the global goals 

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development sets out a 17 Global Goals (SDGs) to facilitate equal, sustainable and inclusive growth across the world, while promoting peace. …

2030Vision aims to be the global public-private platform that puts the expertise and resources of the tech sector in service of accelerating the achievement of the Global Goals. The platform mobilizes technology companies, government, civil society and international organisation leaders to harness emerging technologies and at scale to accelerate action to achieve the Global Goals within the next decade.

The platform seeks to form 4IR technology partnership … https://www.weforum.org/projects/frontier-2030 accessed 12/12/20

Will that really bring equal and inclusive growth and peace?

No.

WEF mentioned 4IR. Here is some information on that (bolding in source):

The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR)—characterized by the fusion of the digital, biological, and physical worlds, as well as the growing utilization of new technologies such as artificial intelligence, cloud computing, robotics, 3D printing, the Internet of Things, and advanced wireless technologies, among others … https://www.brookings.edu/research/the-fourth-industrial-revolution-and-digitization-will-transform-africa-into-a-global-powerhouse/ accessed 12/12/20

Biblical prophecies point to the loss of privacy and personal freedom related to the rise of the Beast of Revelation 13, and strongly point to the use of end time technologies to do this–particularly in regards to controlling buying and selling (cf. Revelation 13:16-18).

As far as artificial intelligence goes, the Continuing Church of God (CCOG) put together the following two videos on our Bible News Prophecy YouTube channel related to it:

15:30

Artificial Intelligence and Prophecy

Billionaire Elon Musk declared he was worried that artificial intelligence (AI) may lead to the rise of an “immortal dictator,” a “godlike” entity that could take over the world. Is this accurate, or at least, close in some ways? Does Bible prophecy foretell of the rise of an immoral leader who considers himself above all gods? Will this result in great destruction? What is AI? How might it fit in with various prophecies? Was the increase in technological knowledge we now have prophesied over 2000 years ago? Will 666’s control over buying and selling involve any form of AI? Dr. Thiel goes over many scriptures, including prophetic ones, that involve human knowledge–which is the basis of AI. He also points out that when various prophesies were made, there was no technology capable of fulfilling them, but that because of computers, such ability exists now. Dr. Thiel also points out what Jesus will do about it.

Here is a link: Artificial Intelligence and Prophecy.

And what about the WEF?

It wants something it has been calling the Great Reset:

The Great Reset

There is an urgent need for global stakeholders to cooperate in simultaneously managing the direct consequences of the COVID-19 crisis. To improve the state of the world, the World Economic Forum is starting The Great Reset initiative. …

As we enter a unique window of opportunity to shape the recovery, this initiative will offer insights to help inform all those determining the future state of global relations, the direction of national economies, the priorities of societies, the nature of business models and the management of a global commons. Drawing from the vision and vast expertise of the leaders engaged across the Forum’s communities, the Great Reset initiative has a set of dimensions to build a new social contract that honours the dignity of every human being. https://www.weforum.org/great-reset/ accessed 12/12/20

Here is something from WEF’s Klaus Schwab:

There are many reasons to pursue a Great Reset, but the most urgent is COVID-19. Having already led to hundreds of thousands of deaths, the pandemic represents one of the worst public-health crises in recent history. …

The Great Reset agenda would have three main components. The first would steer the market toward fairer outcomes. To this end, governments should improve coordination (for example, in tax, regulatory, and fiscal policy), upgrade trade arrangements, and create the conditions for a “stakeholder economy.” At a time of diminishing tax bases and soaring public debt, governments have a powerful incentive to pursue such action.

Moreover, governments should implement long-overdue reforms that promote more equitable outcomes. Depending on the country, these may include changes to wealth taxes, the withdrawal of fossil-fuel subsidies, and new rules governing intellectual property, trade, and competition.

The second component of a Great Reset agenda would ensure that investments advance shared goals, such as equality and sustainability. Here, the large-scale spending programs that many governments are implementing represent a major opportunity for progress. The European Commission, for one, has unveiled plans for a €750 billion ($826 billion) recovery fund. The US, China, and Japan also have ambitious economic-stimulus plans.

Rather than using these funds, as well as investments from private entities and pension funds, to fill cracks in the old system, we should use them to create a new one that is more resilient, equitable, and sustainable in the long run. This means, for example, building “green” urban infrastructure and creating incentives for industries to improve their track record on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) metrics.

The third and final priority of a Great Reset agenda is to harness the innovations of the Fourth Industrial Revolution to support the public good, especially by addressing health and social challenges. 06/03/20 https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/06/now-is-the-time-for-a-great-reset/

Notice the following secular criticisms of the WEF’s plans:

December 12, 2020

According to state and local governments, constitutional rights are not rights at all; they’re privileges.  And they’ve been suspended in your best interest.  To keep you safe.

Moreover, if you want to work, have extended family over for dinner, worship with a congregation, or walk down the street without a mask, you’re selfish.  You’re not doing your part to stop the spread.

Klaus Schwab, a madman, and founder of the World Economic Forum (WEF) is a man of social science based totalitarian rule.  Individuals that think for themselves and pay their own way in life are not part of his master plan.  He prefers a docile public, subsisting one notch above poverty, that’s fully dependent on a global state.

In his new book, “COVID-19: The Great Reset,” Schwab and his co-author admit that COVID-19 is “one of the least deadly pandemics in the last 2000 years.”  Yet the ruling class has acted like this is the new smallpox.  What gives?

The Viral Assault On Small Businesses

COVID-19 has provided the perfect cover Schwab’s disciples to assault one of America’s remaining expressions of freedom and independence: small businesses.  With lockdowns, politicians get to pick and choose what businesses survive and what businesses don’t.  They get to decide who’s essential and who isn’t. https://www.zerohedge.com/political/viral-assault-small-businesses

What the media won’t tell you about the World Economic Forum’s ‘Great Reset’

Glenn Beck warned in August that the global Left has planned fundamental change to society and the dismantling of capitalism by the year 2030. They call it the “Great Reset,” and what seemed impossible has now been made probable thanks to COVID-19.

But any attempts to point this out are dismissed by the mainstream media and Big Tech as a “conspiracy,” despite it being out in the wide open and in their own words! From the World Economic Forum: “Welcome to the year 2030. Welcome to my city – or should I say, ‘our city’. I don’t own anything. I don’t own a car. I don’t own a house. I don’t own any appliances or any clothes.” 12/02/20 https://www.theblaze.com/glenn-beck-special/watch-what-the-media-wont-tell-you-about-the-world-economic-forums-great-reset?rebelltitem=1#rebelltitem1

No Privacy, No Property: The World in 2030 According to the WEF

The World Economic Forum (WEF) was founded fifty years ago. It has gained more and more prominence over the decades and has become one of the leading platforms of futuristic thinking and planning. …

According to the WEF’s scenario, the world will become quite a different place from now because how people work and live will undergo a profound change. The scenario for the world in 2030 is more than just a forecast. It is a plan whose implementation has accelerated drastically since with the announcement of a pandemic and the consequent lockdowns.

According to the projections of the WEF’s “Global Future Councils,” private property and privacy will be abolished during the next decade. The coming expropriation would go further than even the communist demand to abolish the property of production goods but leave space for private possessions. The WEF projection says that consumer goods, too, would be no longer private property.

If the WEF projection should come true, people would have to rent and borrow their necessities from the state, which would be the sole proprietor of all goods. The supply of goods would be rationed in line with a social credit points system. Shopping in the traditional sense would disappear along with the private purchases of goods. Every personal move would be tracked electronically, and all production would be subject to the requirements of clean energy and a sustainable environment.

In order to attain “sustainable agriculture,” the food supply will be mainly vegetarian. In the new totalitarian service economy, the government will provide basic accommodation, food, and transport, while the rest must be lent from the state. 12/08/20 https://mises.org/wire/no-privacy-no-property-world-2030-according-wef

The WEF even has a term for the non-ownership: servitistation. This is how its website defines that:

• Servitisation is where customers pay for a service – such as air conditioning – rather than buying the equipment themselves.
• This model can be a major contributor to the systemic efficiency approach to decarbonisation.
• It also has potential to assist the post-COVID-19 economic recovery. 11/20/20 https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/11/what-is-servitization-and-how-can-it-help-save-the-planet/

Anyway, no I do not believe that servitisation is the answer to economic recovery caused by governmental overreach blamed on COVID-19.

And let it be noted that it is not only the WEF, but the United Nations that has pushed for a globalist society in 2030.

I have long called the UN’s 2030 “17 Sustainable Development Goals” a “false gospel.” But that is specifically what the WEF is promoting.

Here is some information about it in our free booklet The Gospel of the Kingdom of God:

Does humanity have the solutions?

The world faces many problems.

Many people are hungry. Many people are oppressed. Many people face poverty. Many nations are in serious debt. Children, including unborn ones, face abuse. Drug-resistant diseases concern many doctors. Major industrial cities have air too polluted to be healthy. Various politicians threaten war. Terrorist attacks keep happening.

Can world leaders fix the problems facing humanity?

Many think so.

New Universal Agenda

On September 25, 2015, after a key-note speech by the Vatican’s Pope Francis, the 193 nations of the United Nations (UN) voted to implement the “17 Sustainable Development Goals” of what originally was termed the New Universal Agenda. Here are the UN’s 17 goals:

Goal 1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere

Goal 2. End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture

Goal 3. Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages

Goal 4. Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all

Goal 5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls

Goal 6. Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all

Goal 7. Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all

Goal 8. Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all

Goal 9. Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation

Goal 10. Reduce inequality within and among countries

Goal 11. Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable

Goal 12. Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns

Goal 13. Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts

Goal 14. Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development

Goal 15. Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss

Goal 16. Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels

Goal 17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development

This agenda is supposed to be fully implemented by 2030 and is also called the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It aims to solve ailments facing humanity through regulation, education, and international and interfaith cooperation. While many of its objectives are good, some of its methods and goals are evil (cf. Genesis 3:5). This agenda, also, is consistent with Pope Francis’s Laudato Si encyclical.

The “New Universal Agenda” could be called the “New Catholic Agenda” as the word “catholic” means “universal.” Pope Francis called the adoption of the New Universal Agenda “an important sign of hope.”

As a follow-up to the UN agreement, there was a meeting in Paris in December 2015 (officially titled 21st Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change). Pope Francis also praised that international agreement and advised nations “to carefully follow the road ahead, and with an ever-growing sense of solidarity.”

Nearly all the nations in the world agreed to the Paris accords, which had specific environmental goals and financial commitments. (Then US President Barack Obama signed a document to commit the USA to this in 2016, but in 2017, US President Donald Trump stated that the United States would NOT accept the agreed to Paris accords. This caused international outrage and has helped isolate the US from Europe and many other parts of the world.) Pope Francis later stated humanity “will go down” if it does not make his changes related to the climate.

While no one wants to breath polluted air, go hungry, be impoverished, be endangered, etc., will human attempts to meet the goals of the United Nations’ 2030 agenda and/or the Paris accords solve the problems facing humanity?

The Track Record of the United Nations

The United Nations was formed and established on 24 October 1945, after World War II, in order to prevent another such conflict and to try to promote peace in the world. At its founding, the UN had 51 member states; there are now 193.

There have been hundreds, if not thousands, of conflicts around the world since the United Nations formed, but we have not yet had what could be described as the third World War.

Some believe that international cooperation like the United Nations claims to promote, combined with the type of interfaith and ecumenical agenda that Pope Francis and many other religious leaders are trying to promote, will bring peace and prosperity.

However, the track record for the United Nations to do this has not been good. In addition to the numerous armed conflicts since the United Nations formed, multiple millions are hungry, refugees, and/or desperately poor.

Over a decade ago, the United Nations set forth to implement its Millennium Development Goals. It had eight “development goals,” but this did not succeed, even according to the UN itself. So, in 2015, its so-called “17 Sustainable Development Goals” were adopted. Some are optimistic. Some consider it a utopian fantasy.

As far as utopia goes, on May 6, 2016, Pope Francis said he dreamed of a humane European utopia that his church could help that continent attain. Yet, the Pope’s dream will turn out to be a nightmare (cf. Revelation 18).

There May Be Some Cooperation and Success, But …

Merriam Webster’s Dictionary states that utopia is “an imaginary place in which the government, laws, and social conditions are perfect.” The Bible teaches that humanity cannot solve its problems on its own:

²³ O Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself; It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps. (Jeremiah 10:23, NKJV throughout unless otherwise indicated)

The Bible teaches that international cooperation will fail:

¹⁶ Destruction and misery are in their ways; ¹⁷ And the way of peace they have not known. ¹⁸ There is no fear of God before their eyes. (Romans 3:16-18)

Yet, many humans are working towards their view of a utopian society and even sometimes try to involve religion. But almost none are willing to follow the ways of the one true God. It is not that there will be no progress towards any of the United Nation’s or the Vatican’s goals. There will be some, as well as some setbacks.

Actually, and probably after massive conflict, a type of international peace deal will be agreed to and confirmed (Daniel 9:27). When it is, many will falsely tend to believe that humanity will be bringing about a more peaceful and utopian society.

Many will be taken in by such international ‘utopian progress’ (cf. Ezekiel 13:10) as well as by various signs and wonders (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12). But the Bible says such peace will not last (Daniel 9:27; 11:31-44), despite what leaders may claim (1 Thessalonians 5:3; Isaiah 59:8).

The idea that, apart from Jesus, humanity can bring utopia in this ‘present evil age’ is a false gospel (Galatians 1:3-10).

Here is a link to our free online booklet The Gospel of the Kingdom of God. Note: This booklet is available in hundreds of languages at: https://www.ccog.org

While the world seems to be impressed by the UN’s agenda, what the WEF, Vatican, and the UN are seemingly trying to do is repeatedly warned against in the Bible (Revelation 13:1-18, 14:12, 18:4; Zechariah 2:6-7).

Notice a prophecy warning against such leaders:

12…Those who lead you cause you to err, And destroy the way of your paths. (Isaiah 3:12)

16 For the leaders of this people cause them to err, And those who are led by them are destroyed (Isaiah 9:16).

3 For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. 4 But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. (1 Thessalonians 5:3-4)

While promoting true peace is great, the way that the World Economic Forum seems to be going about it is not good.

Do not fall for it as it will lead to destruction and a totalitarian society.

As far as 2030 goes, yes, a totalitarian government may well be implemented by then (see also Do any prophecies point to the end of the USA and its British-descended allies by 2028 or 2030?).

The ONLY real solution for the problems facing humanity is repentance and the good news of the coming Kingdom of God.

Yet, groups like the WEF, UN, and Vatican are supporting something contrary to it–and the Bible shows that a totalitarian government will be put in place fairly soon.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

Does God Have a 6,000 Year Plan? What Year Does the 6,000 Years End? Was a 6000 year time allowed for humans to rule followed by a literal thousand year reign of Christ on Earth taught by the early Christians? Does God have 7,000 year plan? What year may the six thousand years of human rule end? When will Jesus return? 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?
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?
The Great Tribulation: What Happens First? What events have happened? What are some events that are now happening? And what events need to happen for the Great Tribulation to start? Here is a link to a related sermon video: Counting Down to the Great Tribulation. Here is a video in the Spanish language: Contando los eventos y el inicio de la Gran Tribulación.
When Will the Great Tribulation Begin? 2023, 2024, or 2025? 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? Notice also: Can Jesus return in 2023 or 2024? Here is a video in the Spanish language: Es El 2021 el año  de La Gran Tribulación o el Grande Reseteo Financiero.
Lost Tribes and Prophecies: What will happen to Australia, the British Isles, Canada, Europe, New Zealand and the United States of America? Where did those people come from? Can you totally rely on DNA? What about other peoples? Do you really know what will happen to Europe and the English-speaking peoples? What about Africa, Asia, South America, and the Islands? This free online book provides scriptural, scientific, historical references, and commentary to address those matters. Here are links to related sermons: Lost tribes, the Bible, and DNA; Lost tribes, prophecies, and identifications; 11 Tribes, 144,000, and Multitudes; Israel, Jeremiah, Tea Tephi, and British Royalty; Gentile European Beast; Royal Succession, Samaria, and Prophecies; Asia, Islands, Latin America, Africa, and Armageddon;  When Will the End of the Age Come?;  Rise of the Prophesied King of the North; Christian Persecution from the Beast; WWIII and the Coming New World Order; and Woes, WWIV, and the Good News of the Kingdom of God.
Is a Great Reset Coming? Klaus Schwab of the World Economic Forum has proposed a societal change that has been basically endorsed by the Vatican and many world leaders. Does the Bible prophesy a major reset? Here is a link to a related video: Will there be a “Great Reset”?

Witch Doctor (photo from Pexels)

COGWriter

We put together the following video on our Bible News Prophecy YouTube channel, the audio portion of which was sent also for broadcast on WRMI shortwave at 5850 kHz at 0130 UTC Monday (which is 8:30 pm Eastern Standard Time on Sunday), the European Gospel Radio station AM 1323 kHz Monday  21:30-21:45 CET (European Central Time), and a WRN network of 12 USA AM/FM stations yesterday:

14:45

Can Witch Doctors Cast Spells on Christians?

Many in Africa, Haiti, the West, and various other parts of the world believe that witch doctors are powerful. Various ones have succumbed to the point they believe Christians can be cursed by them. The Bible opposes the use of witchcraft and casting spells as Deuteronomy 18:10-12 shows. Does the Bible suggest witches, palm readers, and witch doctors could be real? Is it possible that witch doctors can cast spells on Christians to blind them to something? If not, why not? Are non-Christians subject to be blinded by Satan, his demons, and those involved with the ‘dark arts’? What does the Bible clearly teach? Could the teaching that true Christians be deceived by curses from witch doctors be a ‘doctrine of demons’ that the Apostle Paul warned about in the last days? Are Christians to fear humans? Does God limit Satan’s power and those of his henchmen? Will the False Prophet Antichrist perform real signs that many will fall for? Do you, if you are a real Christian, truly believe, “He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world?” What can we learn regarding Job as well as Balaam and Balak? Dr. Thiel and Steve Dupuie go over scriptures to show what the Bible really teaches about this matter.

Here is a link to our video: Can Witch Doctors Cast Spells on Christians?

Here are some links to items of possibly related interest:

Close Encounters of a ‘Spirit’ Kind discusses some experiences I believe were (demon) ‘spirit’ related. A video is also available titled: Poltergeists and Lying Wonders.
Aliens from Outer Space? Are there aliens from outer space? Have any visited the earth? Are they dangerous? Does the Bible teach that an alien army will come to the earth and take over? Here is a link to a related sermon: Alien Beliefs and the Return of Jesus.
The Bible and Astrology Should Christians avoid participating in astrology or did God inspire it? Does the Bible encourage astrology? What does the Bible actually teach? What is astrology? How does astrology differ from astronomy? Should Christians Be Involved In Astrology?
OMENS? DIVINATION? HOROSCOPES? THE ORIGIN OF ASTROLOGY Where did astrology come from? Should you read your horoscope?
Does Astrology Work? Many believe and follow astrology–but does it work? Here is a link to the article in Mandarin Chinese: S`fg/QÆxnTÿ .
The Occult Explosion – What Does It Mean? A booklet by Herbert W. Armstrong which also includes a challenge.
Angels, Cherubim, and Seraphim This is information about various types of angelic beings.
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.

Witches’ Sabbath

COGwriter

On April 30th, some observe something they call Walpurgis Night.

Walpurgis Night is somewhat considered to be a Roman Catholic holiday as its name comes from a Roman Catholic saint named Walpurga. It is sometimes also known as the Witches’ Sabbath. It is widely celebrated in parts of Europe on April 30th and May 1st, and is sometimes called the other “Halloween.”

Here is some of what The Catholic Encyclopedia says about Walpurga:

St. Walpurga Born in Devonshire, about 710; died at Heidenheim, 25 Feb., 777. She is the patroness of Eichstadt, Oudenarde, Furnes, Antwerp, Gronigen, Weilburg, and Zutphen, and is invoked as special patroness against hydrophobia, and in storms, and also by sailors…

At Mainz she was welcomed by her uncle, St. Boniface, and by her brother, St. Willibald. After living some time under the rule of St. Lioba at Bischofsheim, she was appointed abbess of Heidenheim, and was thus placed near her favourite brother, St. Winibald, who governed an abbey there. After his death she ruled over the monks’ monastery as well as her own…

The various translations of St. Walburga’s relics have led to a diversity of feasts in her honour. In the Roman Martyrology she is commemorated on 1 May, her name being linked with St. Asaph’s, on which day her chief festival is celebrated in Belgium and Bavaria. (Casanova, Gertrude. “St. Walburga.” The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 15. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1912. 27 Apr. 2013 <http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15526b.htm>)

Here are some modern reports about Walpurgis Night:

“Walpurgis Night was when, according to the belief of millions of people, the devil was abroad—when the graves were opened and the dead came forth and walked. When all evil things of earth and air and water held revel.” ~ Bram Stoker, “Dracula’s Guest”

The other Halloween – exactly six months from All Hallow’s Eve – is known as May Eve. April 30 is also known as Walpurgis Night. Beltane, which also corresponds to April 30/May 1, is one of eight solar Sabbats observed by pagans. The holiday incorporates traditions from the Gaelic Bealtaine, such as the bonfire, but it bears more relation to the Germanic May Day festival.

Ancient Celts recognized only two seasons of the year, summer and winter, and their pivotal dates, Beltane and Samhain, were very important for the world, both seen and unseen.

As with Halloween, the veil separating the world of the living and the dead was supposed to wear particularly thin at this time of year. In Medieval Christendom, it was not only Hallowe’en or All Souls’ Day when a spooky atmosphere was cultivated, but on May Eve, among other nights of the year, it also was believed that the world of ghosts and fairies, and witches and shapeshifters, could spill over to our own. http://blog.al.com/strange-alabama/2013/04/the_other_halloween.html

Tonight, April 30th, Germany celebrates Walpurgis Night, or Hexennacht – “witches’ night”. According to German folk tales, this is the night when witches fly to Mount Brocken in the East of Germany to hold a celebration and await the beginning of spring.

So what can you expect in this magical night? Many people dress up as witches and flock to Mount Brocken, located in the Harz region of Germany. Big bonfires are lit, and the “witches” dance around the flames. If you want to skip the dressing up but still want to go dancing, visit one of the many Tanz in den Mai (“dance into May”) events, held all over Germany. http://gogermany.about.com/b/2013/04/30/a-night-out.htm

Walpurgis Night is another pagan ritual celebrating the arrival of spring. According to Wiki, it is widely celebrated across much of central and northern Europe; I can attest to that.

Wiki also claims that Walpurgis Night is named after the English missionary Saint Walpurga (ca. 710–777/9) who was canonized on 1 May (ca. 870). Over the centuries since, Walpurgis Night has become celebrated in conjunction with the night of April 30 to May 1…

Walpurgis Night

Common perception is that WP is the night when witches from across the universe converge on to the Brocken mountain in Germany to hold their annual meeting. It’s thought to be sort of an annual meeting to review past activities and plan for the future, the like of which any society or company has.

Witches

Witches are (female) characters of super-natural powers, thought to have been the cause of much trouble in the past…modern-day celebrations of this pagan ritual abound over much of Europe. http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/54785

Walpurgis Night (Walpurgisnacht) is a traditional spring festival on 30 April or 1 May in large parts of Central and Northern Europe. It is often celebrated with dancing and with bonfires. It is exactly six months from All Hallows’ Eve…

The German term is recorded in 1668 by Johannes Praetorius (writer) (de)^[3] as S. Walpurgis Nacht or S. Walpurgis Abend. An earlier mention of Walpurgis and S. Walpurgis Abend is in the 1603 edition of the Calendarium perpetuum of Johann Coler,^[4] who also refers to the following day, 1 May, as Jacobi Philippi, feast day of the apostles James the Less and Philip in the Catholic calendar.

The 17th century German tradition of a meeting of sorcerers and witches on May Day is influenced by the descriptions of Witches’ Sabbaths in 15th and 16th century literature.

30 April is pálení čarodějnic (“burning of the witches”) or čarodějnice (“the witches”) in the Czech Republic, the day when winter is ceremonially brought to the end by the burning of rag and straw witches or just broomsticks on bonfires around the country. The festival offers Czechs the chance to eat, drink and be merry around a roaring fire.

In Estonia, Volbriöö is celebrated throughout the night of 30 April and into the early hours of 1 May, where 1 May is a public holiday called “Spring Day” (Kevadpüha). Volbriöö is an important and widespread celebration of the arrival of spring in the country. Influenced by German culture, the night originally stood for the gathering and meeting of witches. Modern people still dress up as witches to wander the streets in a carnival-like mood.

In Finland, Walpurgis day (Vappu) is one of the four biggest holidays along with Christmas Eve, New Year’s Eve, and Midsummer (Juhannus). Walpurgis witnesses the biggest carnival-style festival held in the streets of Finland’s towns and cities. The celebration, which begins on the evening of 30 April and continues to 1 May, typically centres on copious consumption of sima, sparkling wine and other alcoholic beverages…

In Germany, Walpurgisnacht, the night from 30 April to 1 May, is the night when witches are reputed to hold a large celebration on the Brocken and await the arrival of spring.

Walpurgis Night (in German folklore) the night of 30 April (May Day’s eve), when witches meet on the Brocken mountain and hold revels with their gods…”

Brocken is the highest of the Harz Mountains of north central Germany. It is noted for the phenomenon of the Brocken spectre and for witches’ revels which reputedly took place there on Walpurgis night.

The Brocken Spectre is a magnified shadow of an observer, typically surrounded by rainbow-like bands, thrown onto a bank of cloud in high mountain areas when the sun is low. The phenomenon was first reported on the Brocken.

—Oxford Phrase & Fable.

A scene in Goethe’s Faust Part One is called “Walpurgisnacht,” and one in Faust Part Two is called “Classical Walpurgisnacht.” The last chapter of book five in Thomas Mann’s The Magic Mountain is also called “Walpurgisnacht.” In Edward Albee’s 1962 play Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Act Two is entitled “Walpurgisnacht.”

In Sweden, Walpurgis Night (Swedish: Valborgsmässoafton or simply Valborg, Vappu in Finland) has more or less become a de facto half holiday… On the eve of the festival, huge bonfires, which should be lighted by striking two flints together, blaze on all the hills and knolls…(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walpurgis_Night viewed 04/28/2013)

Walpurgis Night (521-30): No other scene in Goethe’s Faust places such difficult demands on the reader for understanding its place and significance in the drama The essential meaning which Goethe wished to convey resides in the “Walpurgis Night” revels themselves, quite apart from any necessary association with Faust and his pact with Mephistopheles. Concerning the legends of the May Day Witches’ Sabbath, Goethe associated Faust with the murky spirit world of Nordic, Germanic legend. “Walpurgis Night” therefore provides a logical extension of the hocus-pocus and murky superstition established in “Witch’s Kitchen.” the sources for “Walpurgis Night” used have been traced by scholars from several books borrowed from the Ducal library in Weimar at the time when work en the scene was in progress. For the most part these consist of obscure and pseudo-scientific compendia of medieval folklore from the seventeenth century

These accounts offer a fantastic picture of medieval witches’ sabbaths, colored by a mixture of popular superstition and moralistic outrage. The annual revels involved a procession of witches which ascended in the darkness to the summit of the Brocken, where orgiastic revels were held in celebration of Satan…Goethe initially planned to follow the accounts of such satanic debauchery—even to the inclusion of Satan himself, who figures nowhere else in Faust!

Goethe’s view of the witches’ Sabbath on the Brocken gradually shifted away from the orgiastic revels at the summit, as these were conceived in response to the popular tradition, toward a kind of festival of May Day night which has much more positive and serious implications for the drama of Faust as a whole. For this view of the rites of May–just as pagan in origin as the cult of Satan and perhaps originally identical with it—Goethe’s chief source for the ”Walpurgis Night’s Dream-“eminently served his purpose the fairy-folk of Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream.

WALPURGIS NIGHT

After the cathedral scene, a violent shift of mood and locale takes us to the witches’ rendezvous on the Brocken with Faust and Mephisto as spectators and participants in the tumultuous annual convocation…

Wapurgis Night: St. Walpargis or Walburga, abbess of Heidenheim, in Franconia, was born in England and died in 779; her name appears to be derived from “Wolborg,” a “good fortress” (against evil, by her purity) and she was invoked in aid against witchcraft. Her day, l May, is also an ancient Pagan spring festival, and she is thus associated by antithesis with the witches’ sabbath which was traditionally supposed to take place on the Brocken during the previous night. (http://legacy.owensboro.kctcs.edu/crunyon/CE/03-Goethe/52130.htm viewed 04/28/2013)

Walpurgis Night combines two legends: a springtime gathering to drive away evil spirits and an eighth century nun named Saint Walpurga, who was believed to be pursued by evil spirits. http://www.newsworks.org/index.php/germantown-more-news/item/54018-hunt-for-ghosts-at-grumblethorpe-this-saturday-night?Itemid=18

Here is a report machine-translated from German about it:

Every year, countless characters in extravagant costumes in the Harz and elsewhere on Walpurgis Night…At more than 20 locations in the resin Walpurgis Night is celebrated with the colorful stage shows and loud music, the spokeswoman said the Harz Tourism Association, Eva Christin Ronkainen, in Goslar. In these cauldrons – Brown of Lower Saxony location to Schierke in Saxony-Anhalt – then dance bearded wizards, witches and tempting little devil. http://www.mz-web.de/mitteldeutschland/walpurgis-alte-mythen-und-junge-klischees,20641266,22604280.html

Walpurgis Night really has little to do with Walpurga and is not a Christian holiday. It seems to be a combination of paganism, witchcraft, popular fiction, and a party combined with the name of someone associated with demons.

Here is something related to a celebration of it in the USA:

April 27, 2017

Perfect your corpse pose at the Congressional Cemetery with Kelly Carnes, who will be leading an all-levels zombie-themed yoga class in honor of Walpurgis Night, a Halloween-like springtime holiday observed in Northern Europe. Students are encouraged to wear costumes. https://www.washingtonpost.com/express/wp/2017/04/27/5-things-to-do-in-d-c-from-april-27-to-may-2/?utm_term=.63f5a081bd9c

It seems to have a lot in common with Halloween. It is not a Christian celebration.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

Is Halloween Holy Time for Christians? Here are some historical and biblical insight on this question. There are many cultures that have celebrations and observances that are similar to some associated with Halloween. What did the Druids do? Is Halloween one of the most important holidays for Satanists? Do the Japanese, Indians, and Chinese have any practices that are similar to some associated with Halloween? Does the Bible endorse or condemn practices that are associated with Halloween? Here is a related sermonette length video: International ‘Halloween’ Should Christians observe Halloween?
Is There “An Annual Worship Calendar” In the Bible? This paper provides a biblical and historical critique of several articles, including one by the Tkach WCG which states that this should be a local decision. What do the Holy Days mean? Also you can click here for the calendar of Holy Days. (Here is a related link in Spanish/español: Calendario Anual de Adoración –Una crítica basada en la Biblia y en la Historia: ¿Hay un Calendario Anual de Adoración en la Biblia?
Should You Observe 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?
Beliefs of the Original Catholic Church: Could a remnant group have continuing apostolic succession? 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. Here is a link to that book in the Spanish language: Creencias de la iglesia Católica original.
Which Is Faithful: The Roman Catholic Church or the Continuing Church of God? Do you know that both groups shared a lot of the earliest teachings? Do you know which church changed? Do you know which group is most faithful to the teachings of the apostolic church? Which group best represents true Christianity? This documented article answers those questions.
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 History of Early Christianity Are you aware that what most people believe is not what truly happened to the true Christian church? Do you know where the early church was based? Do you know what were the doctrines of the early church? Is your faith really based upon the truth or compromise?

COGwriter

A reader send me a link to the following:

America’s Future Being Tested in Singapore With Approval of 16 Insects for Human Consumption

April 29, 2023

Singapore has … approved the packaging and sale of 16 species of insects as foodstuff.¹ In this short video, actress Nicole Kidman demonstrates her secret talent — eating fried insects and live worms. …

Insect-as-food promoters claim humans have a long history of eating insects and “If you think eating insects is gross, you may be in the cultural minority.” Yet, historical mentions of eating insects are mostly for survival and not as a delicacy. National Geographic notes, “Ten thousand years ago hunters and gatherers ate bugs to survive.”⁴

The Smithsonian⁵ notes that in Africa, where poverty is extreme, locusts are consistently eaten …

In October 2022, Yahoo! News⁶ reported the Singapore food agency (SFA) was in the process of considering approving insect imports … April 7, 2023, The Straits Times⁸ reported that 16 species of insects had received the green light from the SFA and would be released for human consumption in the last half of 2023. … In addition to the insects, the SFA is allowing silkworm cocoons …

While the idea of eating insects for food may be repulsive, it’s apparent that globalists are intent on normalizing the behavior. … Although it sounds crazy, they have already started trying to normalize cannibalism. Lab-grown human steak was introduced in December 2020¹⁸ and featured as “art” at the Design Museum in London, U.K. …

Taking this one step further, a company called BiteLabs claimed to plan to sell artisanal salami made from lab-grown celebrity flesh. On their website,¹⁹ which appears to have been taken down in late 2022, they stated the intention to collect biopsy samples from celebrities, isolate the muscle cells and then grow the celebrity meat using a proprietary bioreactor. The flesh would then be cured, dried, aged and spiced according to Italian tradition.

In January 2022, IFLScience²⁰ followed up on the story and noted that “it’s perfectly possible” to create salami from cloned celebrity meet {sic}. … Another example of an ongoing effort to normalize cannibalism is a 2018 article published in the journal Nature,²² which promoted the rejuvenating effects of drinking young people’s blood. A 2.5-liter order was said to cost about $8,000 at the time. …

In a bit of predictive programming, the 1973 film “Soylent Green” — in which the protagonist realizes the government food being handed out is made from humans — was set in the year 2022.²⁴

Another gross answer that globalists have proposed is drinking reclaimed sewage water. https://discernreport.com/americas-future-being-tested-in-singapore-with-approval-of-16-insects-for-human-consumption/

While the Bible seems to allow for the consumption of crickets and grasshoppers, black soldier flies, mealworms, and silkworms are biblically unclean–thus should not be consumed by Christians.

The Bible also warns about cannibalism and we have an article (see Cannibalism is Wrong, But it is Coming!) and video about it (watch  Cannibalism is prophesied!).

That said, a reader also sent a link to an article about some other disturbing news about the food supply:

They Are Literally Poisoning Our Food On A Massive Scale, And Most People Don’t Even Realize What Is Happening

Have you ever heard of neonicotinoids?  Most of you probably have not, and that is exactly what the giant agricultural corporations want.  They don’t want you to know that crops all over the United States are literally being “pre-poisoned” with harmful insecticides that are having a nightmarish impact on the environment. …

If you are not familiar with neonicotinoids, this is how they are defined by Texas A&M…

Neonicotinoids are a new class of insecticides chemically related to nicotine. The name literally means “new nicotine-like insecticides”. Like nicotine, the neonicotinoids act on certain kinds of receptors in the nerve synapse. They are much more toxic to invertebrates, like insects, than they are to mammals, birds and other higher organisms.

One thing that has made neonicotinoid insecticides popular in pest control is their water solubility, which allows them to be applied to soil and be taken up by plants.

Today, many seeds that our farmers use actually come pre-coated with neonicotinoids. …

After seeing the impact that neonicotinoids had on the environment, Europe banned them.

But they are still legal here in the United States even though they have been blamed for killing bees on an absolutely massive scale…

Of course it isn’t just bees that are dying.

According to an incredible article that has just been published by The Intercept, countless other species have been hit really hard as well…

Honeybees have captured almost all the attention for the dangers of neonics, but they are hardly the only species in decline because of the chemical. Studies have tied neonics to the disappearance of native bees, butterflies, mayflies, dragonflies, amphipods, and a range of waterborne insects, as well as earthworms and other insect invertebrates. Several species of bumblebees in the U.S. and Europe are approaching extinction, a die-off researchers say is tied to the use of neonics and other pesticides.

In September, a study released in the academic journal Science revealed that migrating songbirds suffered immediate weight loss following the consumption of only one or two seeds treated with neonics. Previous research had linked disappearing insect life to dwindling food sources for birds in the Netherlands, but the Science study provided the evidence that bird species were directly affected by the chemical.

Another groundbreaking study published in Nature’s Scientific Reports showed that neonics are likely causing serious birth defects in white-tailed deer, the first time research has shown that the chemical compound could endanger large mammals.

Because these insecticides are so widely used, there is literally no escaping them. 04/27/23 http://endoftheamericandream.com/they-are-literally-poisoning-our-food-on-a-massive-scale-and-most-people-dont-even-realize-what-is-happening/

As long-term readers of this COGwriter Church of God News page are aware,  I have been warning of  dangers associated with neonicotinoids for over a decade (e.g. see Bees, Pesticides, and Problems). Even though the European Union has taken steps to reduce their use (see EU further bans neonicotinoids to protect bees), notice the following tweet related to Switzerland (which is not actually in the EU):

Deeply concerning: neonicotinoid insecticides (neurotoxins) found in cerebrospinal fluid of 100% of Swiss children tested. https://t.co/frmOAnsjcJ

— Dave Goulson (@DaveGoulson) January 12, 2022

Monsanto’s Roundup and similar products look to have been the main source of glyphosates. Monsanto was also a major supplier of neonicotinoid coated GMO corn seeds. But the name Monsanto was dropped about four years ago, after Bayer bought the company, though its products are still produced.

There are still tensions between the governments of Mexico and the USA related to genetically-modified corn–which is almost always surrounded with an application of neonicotinoids and accompanied by glyphosates:

Environmental groups … accused the Biden administration of putting the profits of big agribusiness over public health and critical pollinators by attempting to obstruct the Mexican government’s ongoing push to ban genetically engineered corn.

“The U.S.’s shameful efforts to strong-arm Mexico into accepting GE corn it has rejected is nothing short of 21st-century imperialism,” Lori Ann Burd, environmental health director at the U.S.-based Center for Biological Diversity. “Our government is working tirelessly to pad the multibillion-dollar profits of domestic agribusiness corporations by pushing GE corn, even though our glyphosate-drenched GE cornfields are playing an outsized role in driving catastrophic declines in vital pollinator populations.”

The group’s statement came after Mexico issued a new decree earlier this week that scraps the country’s original January 2024 deadline to halt imports of GMO corn for livestock feed and industrial use, a move widely seen as a concession to the U.S., which has been pressuring its southern neighbor to drop the ban since Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) first announced it in 2020.

But Mexico—the largest destination for U.S. corn exports—reiterated its intention to prohibit GE corn for human consumption by 2024 in its latest decree. Mexico is also aiming to ban imports and use of glyphosate, a cancer-linked chemical that is often sprayed on genetically engineered corn.

The new decree instructs Mexican authorities to “revoke and refrain from granting permits for the release into the environment in Mexico of genetically modified corn seeds.”

Mexican officials have repeatedly argued that GE corn and the associated use of glyphosate pose threats to human health and pollinators, as well as domestic production.

“We have to put the right to life, the right to health, the right to a healthy environment ahead of economic and business [interests],” Víctor Suárez Carrera, Mexico’s undersecretary of food and competitiveness, told Reuters in 2021. 02/15/23 https://www.commondreams.org/news/mexico-gmo-corn-ban

Viridiana Lázaro, food and agriculture campaigner at Greenpeace Mexico, said Tuesday that “the ban of GE corn is the first step to transform Mexico’s agriculture system from one industrialized, based on pesticides, and dependent on transnational corporations to an agro-ecological system that offers solutions to soil fertility, local pest problems, allows crop diversification and protects biodiversity and health of farmers and consumers.”

“To carry out the gradual substitution of genetically modified corn for animal feed and industrial corn for human consumption, as is stated in the new decree, is a broad challenge and, in order to ensure that it does not remain only on paper, public policies aimed at the agroecological transition must be issued in order to achieve it,” Lázaro continued. “Also, we must ensure that glyphosate and GE corn do not improperly end up in dough and tortillas, which studies have demonstrated has happened before.”

“The United States has refused to respect Mexico’s choice, instead working tirelessly to bully the country into accepting GE corn in order to protect the short-term profits of U.S. agribusiness giants.”

The U.S. government claims that Mexico’s plans, which have also drawn fierce opposition from industry lobbying groups, would run afoul of provisions in the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) and harm American farmers. The Biden administration has threatened to take legal action under the USMCA if Mexico doesn’t reverse course.

The USMCA entered into force in 2020 and replaced the North American Free Trade Agreement, under which U.S. corn flooded the Mexican market.

In a statement on Tuesday, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said he is “disappointed” that Mexico is still pushing ahead with its proposed ban on genetically modified corn. An estimated 90% of U.S. corn production is genetically modified.

“The U.S. believes in and adheres to a science-based, rules-based trading system and remains committed to preventing disruptions to bilateral agricultural trade and economic harm to U.S. and Mexican producers,” Vilsack added. “We are carefully reviewing the details of the new decree and intend to work with [the United States Trade Representative] to ensure our science-based, rules-based commitment remains firm.”

As one with a PhD in nutrition science, I agree with Mexico on this. The “science” related to GMOs and glyphosates point to dangers. Notice something from Wikipedia:

Technical grade glyphosate is a white powder which, according to FAO specification, should contain not less than 95% glyphosate. Formaldehyde, classified as a known human carcinogen, ^{[38] [39]} and N-nitrosoglyphosate, have been identified as toxicologically relevant impurities.^[40] The FAO specification limits the formaldehyde concentration to a maximum of 1.3 g/kg glyphosate. N-Nitrosoglyphosate, “belonging to a group of impurities of particular concern as they can be activated to genotoxic carcinogens”,^[41] should not exceed 1 ppm.^[40] (Glyphosate. Wikipedia, accessed 02/18/23)

GMO corn is without a doubt a threat to native species–which is something Mexico has brought up. Furthermore, the poor who plant native seeds cannot afford to pay for GMO seeds nor the associated herbicide that needs to go with it (Roundup, basically the first commercial glyphosate product, was the original herbicide for GMO-corn).

Mexico has a point, whereas the USA has greed. But the Biden-Harris Administration basically has been threatening Mexico for trying to protect itself.

Let me add that the USA has never proven that GMOs are safe, and there have been reports over the years about GMO corn impacting farmers with non-GMO corn.

Notice the following:

Are GMOs safe?
Most developed nations do not consider GMOs to be safe. In more than 60 countries around the world, including Australia, Japan, and all of the countries in the European Union, there are significant restrictions or outright bans on the production and sale of GMOs. In the U.S., the government has approved GMOs based on studies conducted by the same corporations that created them and profit from their sale. Increasingly, Americans are taking matters into their own hands and choosing to opt out of the GMO experiment…

In the U.S., GMOs are in as much as 80% of conventional processed food. Click here for a current list of GMO risk crops.

http://www.nongmoproject.org/learn-more/

GMOs were developed to increase profits. Politicians receive money from many profit-oriented corporations, and this tends to blind them to listen to opposing views.

The World Health Organization has concerns about GMOs:

What are the potential dangers of GMOs?

according to WHO, the three main issues of concern for human health that are being debated are:

(i). The potentials to provoke allergic reaction (allergenicity);

(ii). Gene transfer (Gene transfer from GM foods to cells of the body or to bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract, especially if the transferred genetic material adversely affects human health); and

(iii). Outcrossing (the migration of genes from GM plants into conventional crops or related species in the wild (referred to as “outcrossing”), as well as the mixing of crops derived from conventional seeds with GM crops, may have an indirect effect on food safety and food security. Cases have been reported where GM crops approved for animal feed or industrial use were detected at low levels in the products intended for human consumption).

Should you switch to organic food? That is a personal decision. … For many people in this day and age, it is simply impossible – too expensive, too time-consuming, too problematic – to make sure that they eat only foods that are verifiably safe in every respect. 01/09/19 https://www.vanguardngr.com/2019/01/are-genetically-modified-foodsgmos-safe/

The above source seems to be implying that GMO foods are not verifiably safe in every respect. As a published scientist, I agree.

Now, related to glyphosates, here is something I posted here a while back:

Eat at your own risk: Almost all grains in US contaminated with glyphosate herbicide

May 22, 2021

Is eating grains healthy? You might think that as long as you stick to whole grains, you have nothing to worry about from a health standpoint, but the sad truth is that America’s wheat supply is extensively contaminated by glyphosate.

Although there is no GMO wheat grown in the U.S. right now – at least, not deliberately, … – most of the country’s wheat is nevertheless contaminated with toxic glyphosate. This is largely because the herbicide is habitually sprayed on wheat crops in a process known as desiccation.

When farmers spray glyphosate, often in the form of the commercial herbicide Roundup, on their wheat, it allows them to harvest it at a time that is convenient for them, such as ahead of the first snowfall in their area. …

Bayer AG, who bought Roundup maker Monsanto, recently agreed to a $2 billion deal to resolve future legal claims against the glyphosate product brought about by individuals suffering from non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a type of cancer that has been linked to the herbicide. They had previously reached a broader $9.6 billion settlement to resolve most of the more than 100,000 lawsuits already filed over the deadly chemical in America. …

When the company Health Tradition found residues of glyphosate while testing their organic grains in 2014, they decided to test all of their foods for glyphosate. They discovered that nearly all of the wheat that is grown in the northern part of the U.S. is contaminated, even wheat that is USDA certified as not sprayed with glyphosate. That’s because the chemical is virtually everywhere these days; it’s in our air, rainwater, groundwater and soil.

The National Agricultural Statistics Service reports that 12.4 million pounds of glyphosate were applied to different varieties of wheat grown throughout the U.S. in 2017. This included 58 percent of the nation’s acreage of durum wheat, which is typically used for making pasta. …

Testing carried out by the Environmental Working Group, meanwhile, revealed that glyphosate was found in every wheat-based food tested, including different types of pasta and cereal. Tests by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency reached a similar finding, with glyphosate contamination reported by the body in 80 to 90 percent of the popular wheat-based products tested, which included crackers, pizza and pasta. Oats don’t fare much better; EWG found glyphosate in more than 95 percent of the oat-based foods they tested. Glyphosate is also commonly used as a desiccant on oat crops, so that finding should come as no surprise. …

From digestion issues to cancer links, there are lots of compelling reasons to be careful when it comes to the sources of the wheat products you buy, whether it’s flour and pasta or crackers and cereal. Organic wheat is always a safer bet than conventional varieties, but keep in mind that glyphosate residues have even been found in organic varieties. https://www.dcclothesline.com/2021/05/22/eat-at-your-own-risk-almost-all-grains-in-us-contaminated-with-glyphosate-herbicide/

Yes, organic is better.

The State of California took steps years ago to identify a key ingredient in its Roundup herbicide as a cancer-causing agent:

June 27, 2017

Glyphosate, an herbicide and the active ingredient in Monsanto Co’s popular Roundup weed killer, will be added to California’s list of chemicals known to cause cancer effective July 7, the state’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) said on Monday.

Monsanto vowed to continue its legal fight against the designation, required under a state law known as Proposition 65, and called the decision “unwarranted on the basis of science and the law.”

The listing is the latest legal setback for the seeds and chemicals company, which has faced increasing litigation over glyphosate since the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer said that it is “probably carcinogenic” in a controversial ruling in 2015.

Dicamba, a weed killer designed for use with Monsanto’s next generation of biotech crops, is under scrutiny in Arkansas after the state’s plant board voted last week to ban the chemical. …

Environmental groups cheered OEHHA’s move to list the chemical.

“California’s decision makes it the national leader in protecting people from cancer-causing pesticides,” said Nathan Donley, a senior scientist at the Center for Biological Diversity. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/california-glyphosate-cancer-causing-chemical-list_us_5951ed4ae4b05c37bb78fc20?ncid=engmodushpmg00000004

Years ago, the USA government had basically protected Monsanto from negative affects of its GMO projects (see H.R. 933 includes pro-GMO provision that some call ‘Monsanto Protection Act’ and Thousands worldwide march against Monsanto).

The Bible warns:

10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. (1 Timothy 6:10)

And that is what is happening in the chemical, GMO, and laboratory food world to a major degree. Financial and other forms of greed are driving much of this.

THE FACT IS THAT THERE IS NO WAY THAT THE PRO-GMO FORCES CAN HAVE ENOUGH DATA TO PROVE WHAT THEY ARE DOING IS NOT DANGEROUS. At minimum, in order to get the kind of data to truly demonstrate safety, studies involving at least a million humans over a period of a couple of centuries would need to be done–and this has never happened. The pro-GMO forces act like they are wise and have facts on their side, but the facts remain that what they are doing is dangerous and when it comes to using human genes, also immoral. They have not, and cannot, test for all possible complications associated with what they are doing.

The Bible warns:

20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, 21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, (Romans 1:20-22)

Thousands of years ago, God inspired one of his prophets to pen the following, which encourages people to eat what is good:

2 Why do you spend money for what is not bread, And your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, And let your soul delight itself in abundance. (Isaiah 55:2)

How the USA is treating Mexico about this is not right. It looks to be another factor to push Mexico more towards Europe and away from the USA.

While the consumption of small amounts of GMO ‘foods’ does not appear to be harmful, I personally do not consider that long-term consumption of GMOs by humans is wise nor safe. And it most certainly is not proven to be healthy by science.

The word of God warned that because of the love of money and delays in punishment humans would pursue things that they should not.

The whole overly-processed food industries continue to push for things that are not good.

Some items of possibly related interest may include the following:

Christian Health Matters Should Christians be concerned about their health? Does the Bible give any food and health guidelines? Here are links to two related sermons: Let’s Talk About Food and Let’s Talk About Health.
The New Testament Church, History, and Unclean Meats Are foods considered to have been unclean in the Old Testament considered to be food in the New Testament? This article discusses this from the perspective of the New Testament. It also has a list of clean and unclean animals. It also answers the question, is pork healthy or is pork dangerous? There is also a sermon-length video on this: Christians and Unclean Meats; two short videos are also available: Did Jesus declare all animal flesh food? and COVID, Pandemics, and Unclean Meat.
Cannibalism is Wrong, But it is Coming! Is it logical to eat human flesh? Or is it a curse that will return? Here is a link to a related video: Cannibalism is prophesied!
GMOs and Bible Prophecy What are GMOs? Since they were not in the food supply until 1994, how could they possibly relate to Bible prophecy? Do GMOs put the USA and others at risk? Here are some related videos: GMO Risks and the Bible and GMOs, Lab meat, Hydrogenation: Safe or Dangerous?
Chimeras: Has Science Crossed the Line? What are chimeras?  Has science crossed the line? Does the Bible give any clues? A video of related interest is Half human, half pig: What’s the difference?  and Human-Monkey Embryos and Death.
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? See also EU’s Global Gateway, Trade, and War?
Mexico, Central America, South America, Brazil, and the Caribbean in Prophecy [Español: México, América central, Suramérica, Brasil y el Caribe en la profecía] [Português: México, América Central, Ámérica do Sul, e Brasil na profecia] What will happen to those of Latin America? Will they have prosperity? Will they cooperate with Europe? Will they suffer in the future? What role might the various Caribbean nations/territories play? Two videos of related interest are available: Will Mexico Regain USA Territories? and Donald Trump and Mexico’s future. A sermon of related interest is available: Latin America in Prophecy.
Lost Tribes and Prophecies: What will happen to Australia, the British Isles, Canada, Europe, New Zealand and the United States of America? Where did those people come from? Can you totally rely on DNA? What about other peoples? Do you really know what will happen to Europe and the English-speaking peoples? What about Africa, Asia, South America, and the Islands? This free online book provides scriptural, scientific, historical references, and commentary to address those matters. Here are links to related sermons: Lost tribes, the Bible, and DNA; Lost tribes, prophecies, and identifications; 11 Tribes, 144,000, and Multitudes; Israel, Jeremiah, Tea Tephi, and British Royalty; Gentile European Beast; Royal Succession, Samaria, and Prophecies; Asia, Islands, Latin America, Africa, and Armageddon;  When Will the End of the Age Come?;  Rise of the Prophesied King of the North; Christian Persecution from the Beast; WWIII and the Coming New World Order; and Woes, WWIV, and the Good News of the Kingdom of God.

COGwriter

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

1:10:57

Did Early Christians Believe in Purgatory or ?

What is Purgatory? Was it a belief of the original catholic church? Does the Church of Rome teach about a place of punishment that comes after death to believers who have not truly repented of “venial sins” or who have not paid the “temporal punishment” for sins called Purgatory? The Continuing Church of God, Eastern Orthodox Church, and most Protestants do not teach the purgatorial doctrine. Is the idea of the “great news of Purgatory,” the “gospel of Purgatory” true? Does the Bible teach the idea of a place called purgatory or does it teach about a restoration (Greek: apokatastasis)? What about 1 Peter 3:19, 1 Peter 4:6, and 1 Corinthians 3:15? What did early Christians believe? Should we rely on visions purportedly given to Thecla and Perpetua in the late second century? Was Purgatory part of the original faith or was it added later after ‘Origenism’ was condemned by the Greco-Roman Council of Constantinople in 543 A.D.? What did the Roman Pope ‘Gregory the Great’ teach about Purgatory? Was Purgatory condemned by some called Cathari, Albigensian, and Waldensian? Did any Greco-Roman saints such as Gregory of Nyssa teach apocatastasis? Was Purgatory a factor in the “great schism of 1054” between the Roman and Eastern Orthodox Catholic churches? Does the Bible teach universalism? Did Anne Catherine Emmerich have a vision of Purgatory? Has Pope Francis indicated God will save all? Will God offer salvation to everyone? Can purchasing indulgences reduce the amount of “temporal punishment” people supposedly in Purgatory are to receive? Did Plato and Jesus condemn something like that? What about the Apostle Peter? Does the Bible support Purgatory or Apocatastasis?

Here is a link to the sermon: Did Early Christians Believe in Purgatory or ?

Some items of related interest may include:

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? Here are links to two related sermons: Did Early Christians Believe in Purgatory or ? and Purgatory or Apocatastasis?
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’.
All the Prophets Spoke of Apocatastasis The Apostle Peter said all the prophets spoke about “apokatastasis. Do you know what that is? Watch also ‘By the Mouth of All His Holy Prophets’.The Last Great Day: Shemini ‘Azeret What is the ‘eighth day’ of the Feast? What does it help picture? A sermon on this topic is also available: Shemini Azaret: The Last Great Day.

The Ten Commandments: The Decalogue, Christianity, and the Beast This is a free draft/unedited 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.
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 …
Is God’s Existence Logical? Is it really logical to believe in God? Yes! Would you like Christian answers to give atheists? This is a free online booklet that deal with improper theories and musings called science related to the origin of the origin of the universe, the origin of life, and evolution. Here is a link to a related sermon: Evolution is NOT the Origin of Life. Two animated videos of related interest are also available: Big Bang: Nothing or Creator? and A Lifegiver or Spontaneous Evolution?
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.
Beliefs of the Original Catholic Church: Could a remnant group have continuing apostolic succession? 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. Here is a link to that book in the Spanish language: Creencias de la iglesia Católica original.
Hope of Salvation: How the Continuing Church of God Differs from Protestantism The CCOG is NOT Protestant. This free online book explains how the real Church of God differs from mainstream/traditional Protestants. Several sermons related to the free book are also available: Protestant, Baptist, and CCOG History; The First Protestant, God’s Command, Grace, & Character; The New Testament, Martin Luther, and the Canon; Eucharist, Passover, and Easter; Views of Jews, Lost Tribes, Warfare, & Baptism; Scripture vs. Tradition, Sabbath vs. Sunday; Church Services, Sunday, Heaven, and God’s Plan; Seventh Day Baptists/Adventists/Messianics: Protestant or COG?; Millennial Kingdom of God and God’s Plan of Salvation; Crosses, Trees, Tithes, and Unclean Meats; The Godhead and the Trinity; Fleeing or Rapture?; and Ecumenism, Rome, and CCOG Differences.
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, Mystery of Race, and The Mystery of YOU. Here is a link to a video in Spanish: El Misterio del Plan de Dios.
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’.
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. It is available in hundreds of languages at ccog.org. Here are links to four kingdom-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?
Continuing History of the Church of God This pdf booklet is a historical overview of the true Church of God and some of its main opponents from Acts 2 to the 21st century. Related sermon links include Continuing History of the Church of God: c. 31 to c. 300 A.D. and Continuing History of the Church of God: 4th-16th Centuries and Continuing History of the Church of God: 17th-20th Centuries. The booklet is available in Spanish: Continuación de la Historia de la Iglesia de Dios, German: Kontinuierliche Geschichte der Kirche Gottes, and Ekegusii Omogano Bw’ekanisa Ya Nyasae Egendererete.
CCOG.ORG Continuing Church of God The group striving to be most faithful amongst all real Christian groups to the word of God. There are links to literature is about 100 different languages there.
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.
Continuing Church of God, Africa, Facebook page This has news and prophetic information.
Continuing Church of God, Canada, Facebook page This has news and prophetic information.
Continuing Church of God, Europe, Facebook page This has news and prophetic information.
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.
CCOGAFRICA.ORG This is a website targeted towards those in Africa.
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 YouTube channel. The Continuing Church of God has some animations to teach aspects of Christian beliefs. Also available at BitChute COGAnimations https://www.bitchute.com/channel/coganimations/
Bible News Prophecy channel. Dr. Thiel has produced hundreds of videos for the BibleNewsProphecy channel. You can find them at them on YouTube at BibleNewsProphecy https://www.youtube.com/user/BibleNewsProphecy, plus also on Vimeo at Bible News Prophecy https://vimeo.com/channels/biblenewsprophecy as well as on Brighteon Bible News Prophecy https://www.brighteon.com/channel/ccogbnp and Bitchute Prophecy https://www.bitchute.com/channel/prophecy/
CCOGAfrica channel. This has messages from African pastors in African languages such as Kalenjin, Kiswahili, Embu, and Dholuo. Also available at BitChute COGAfrica https://www.bitchute.com/channel/cogafrica/
CDLIDDSermones channel. This contains messages in the Spanish language
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.
ContinuingCOG channel. Dr. Thiel has produced scores of YouTube video sermons for this channel. Note: Since these are sermon-length, they can take a little longer to load than other YouTube videos. Also available at BitChute COGTube https://www.bitchute.com/channel/cogtube/
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.

Temple Institute entrance
(Photo by Bob Thiel)

COGwriter

The Temple Institute had the following in a newsletter today:

“You shall be holy, for I, HaShem, your G-d, am holy”

(Leviticus 19:2)

Iyar 7, 5783/April 28, 2023 …

“And HaShem spoke to Moshe, saying, Speak to the entire congregation of the children of Israel, and say to them, You shall be holy, for I, HaShem, your G-d, am holy.” (Leviticus 19:1-2) It sounds simple enough, but what does it mean to be holy?

The Hebrew word translated as holy, kadosh, literally means to be separate. Something which is separated and set aside from the profane, is holy. If we are to be holy, from what do we need to separate ourselves? Unlike other philosophies and ways of life, the Torah does not prescribe separating oneself from society as a path toward attaining holiness. There are no monks in Judaism, nor is asceticism or abstinence encouraged. …

So how do we become holy? Parashat Kedoshim is filled with ways to achieve holiness! “Every man shall fear his mother and his father, and you shall observe My Sabbaths. I am HaShem, your G-d. You shall not turn to the worthless idols, nor shall you make molten deities for yourselves. I am HaShem, your G-d. When you slaughter a peace offering to HaShem, you shall slaughter it for your acceptance.” (ibid 19:3-6) And this is just the start. “When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not fully reap the corner of your field, nor shall you gather the gleanings of your harvest. And you shall not glean your vineyard, nor shall you collect the fallen individual grapes of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and the stranger. I am HaShem, your G-d. You shall not steal. You shall not deny falsely. You shall not lie, one man to his fellow. You shall not swear falsely by My Name, thereby profaning the Name of your G-d. I am HaShem. You shall not oppress your fellow. You shall not rob. The hired worker’s wage shall not remain with you overnight until morning. You shall not curse a deaf person. You shall not place a stumbling block before a blind person, and you shall fear your G-d. I am HaShem.” (ibid 19:9-14) Every time we hear “I am HaShem” we are being reminded of our opening statement: “You shall be holy, for I, HaShem, your G-d, am holy.” All these various and sundry commandments are paths to holiness. …

And that way “you shall love your neighbor as yourself” becomes as easy as seeing our own reflection in a mirror. Being holy is being our self. And we are worthy of love.

Yes, God’s people are to demonstrate their holiness, their divinely-sanctioned separateness, by obeying God’s commandments as well as showing love towards their neighbor.

Furthermore, notice there were three reasons given in the Bible for avoiding unclean animals:

You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy. ‘This is the law of the animals and the birds and every living creature that moves in the waters, and of every creature that creeps on the earth, To distinguish between the unclean and the clean, and between the animal that may be eaten and the animal that may not be eaten’ (Leviticus 11:45-47).

Notice that God wanted people to be holy, to know the difference between clean and unclean, and to know which animals may and may not be eaten. Are Christians supposed to be a holy people?

Certainly (see 1 Peter 2:9).

But notice something that the Apostle Peter wrote:

15 …not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; 15 but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:14-15).

Now where is that first written in the Bible to be holy because God is holy?

It is Leviticus 11:44 & 45 where God is talking about avoiding unclean meat! The statement Peter quoted about being Holy as God is holy is repeated only three more times in the Hebrew Bible, the first in Leviticus 19:2 where it then discusses the Sabbath and the second in Leviticus 20:7 where it teaches about not being involved with witchcraft and then keeping God’s statutes. Does your church teach that you are to be holy as God? Does it also teach that a sign of being unholy would be eating biblically unclean meats or violating the Sabbath?

The final time is in Leviticus 20:25-26 where God explains about avoiding unclean animals and being holy. So what could Peter have been talking about? The only subjects from the Old Testament could have unclean meat, the seventh-day Sabbath, or the statutes in the Law, including witchcraft. However, the context says to avoid lusts. Lust is unlawful desire. Apparently Peter is including desires such as eating that which is unlawful.

Paul emphasized that Christians were not to be unclean nor be mislead by those who did not teach that:

7 For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness. 8 Therefore he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who has also given us His Holy Spirit. (1 Thessalonians 4:7-8)

Notice that God says that eating unclean animals makes one abominable and that God’s people are to be separate:

You shall therefore distinguish between clean animals and unclean, between unclean birds and clean, and you shall not make yourselves abominable by beast or by bird, or by any kind of living thing that creeps on the ground, which I have separated from you as unclean. And you shall be holy to Me, for I the LORD am holy, and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be Mine (Leviticus 20:25-26).

Notice what the Apostles’ Paul and John wrote:

17 Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you (2 Corinthians 6:17).

4 And I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues (Revelation 18:4).

Also notice what John was inspired to write:

11 He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; he who is righteous, let him be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be holy still (Revelation 22:11).

Notice that the holy are distinguished from the filthy (the unclean). Notice also that the Bible warns about those who love and believe a lie:

15 But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie. (Revelation 22:15)

And, in my view, those who believe that God’s people are to eat biblically unclean animals are accepting a lie. Consider also that dogs are biblically-unclean animals that eat any type of animal and that they are not to be emulated in the last chapter of the last book of the Bible.

That said, real Christians separated from compromisers calling themselves Christians over issues such as the Sabbath and unclean meats in 2nd century Jerusalem (for details, check out the article The Ephesus Church Era). This also has occurred throughout the church age, though many in Sardis seemed to forget that.

According to the late pastor general of the old Worldwide Church of God Herbert W. Armstrong, the original Church kept some of the truth but eventually lost many parts of it. He wrote, “At least 18 basic and essential truths have been restored to the True Church since” the year 1933 (Mystery of the Ages, Dodd & Mead, 1985, p. 251).

So what were the restored truths? Although there are several other lists floating around alleging that they contain these truths, there was one sermon in which Herbert W. Armstrong specifically listed many, but not all, of the truths he said that God used him to restore to the Philadelphia era of the Church of God. Herbert W. Armstrong‘s sermon was titled Mission of the Philadelphia Church Era and was given on December 17, 1983, which seems shortly before he wrote the aforementioned comment in Mystery of the Ages. This sermon may have been the first place this amount of identified restored truths were listed in one place. Here is a link that goes into that: 18 Truths Restored to the Churches of God: Mission of the Philadelphia Church Era.

Why bring that up here?

Well, because #18 was, “We Are to Be Separate.”

Herbert Armstrong stated in that sermon, “And how in Revelation 18:4 that God has called us out from among them, to be separate.” (Three articles of related interest may include Early Church History: Who Were the Two Major Groups that Professed Christ in the Second and Third Centuries?, Polycarp of Smyrna: The Heretic Fighter, and Overview: How Does the Church of God Agree and Disagree with Other Faiths Professing Christ?)

This, combined with his initial statement about the Bible being written primarily for the Philadelphia era, suggests that he is also stating that PHILADELPHIANS ARE NOT TO BE UNIFIED WITH THOSE WHO DO NOT HOLD THESE RESTORED TRUTHS.

Although Herbert Armstrong maintained cordial relations with those in Sardis, he separated himself from the Sardis era of the Church and refused to be part of any Church of God he considered to be of the Laodicean era. He warned about being an ‘independent’ Christian as well (Mystery of the Ages. p. 270), but wanted Philadelphians to be “A TEAM TOGETHER” to “carry out the work of God” (pp.266).

But we are also warned against trying to consider that false Christians are Christian:

14 Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? 15 And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? 16 And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will dwell in them And walk among them. I will be their God, And they shall be My people.” 17 Therefore “Come out from among them And be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, And I will receive you.” 18 ‘I will be a Father to you, And you shall be My sons and daughters, Says the Lord Almighty.” (2 Corinthians 6:14-18)

After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illuminated with his glory. 2 And he cried mightily with a loud voice, saying, “Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird! 3 For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury.” 4 And I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues. 5 For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities. 6 Render to her just as she rendered to you, and repay her double according to her works; in the cup which she has mixed, mix double for her. 7 In the measure that she glorified herself and lived luxuriously, in the same measure give her torment and sorrow; for she says in her heart, ‘I sit as queen, and am no widow, and will not see sorrow.’ 8 Therefore her plagues will come in one day — death and mourning and famine. And she will be utterly burned with fire, for strong is the Lord God who judges her. (Revelation 18:1-8)

Hence we are NOT part of the ecumenical movement.

In the third century, Serapion ran into the unfaithful:

4. When I visited you I supposed that all of you held the true faith, and as I had not read the Gospel which they put forward under the name of Peter, I said, If this is the only thing which occasions dispute among you, let it be read. But now having learned, from what has been told me, that their mind was involved in some heresy, I will hasten to come to you again. Therefore, brethren, expect me shortly.

5. But you will learn, brethren, from what has been written to you, that we perceived the nature of the heresy of Marcianus, and that, not understanding what he was saying, he contradicted himself. (Serapion of Antioch. Translated by Arthur Cushman McGiffert. From Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, Vol. 1. Edited by Philip Schaff and Henry Wace. (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1890).

In the second century, Polycarp of Smyrna also knew that the majority where not faithful:

Wherefore, forsaking the vanity of many, and their false doctrines, let us return to the word which has been handed down to us from the beginning (Polycarp’s Letter to the Philippians, Chapter VII. Ante-Nicene Fathers, Volume 1 as edited by Alexander Roberts & James Donaldson; American Edition, 1885; Reprint Hendrickson Publishers, 1999, pp. 33-36).

As far as the ecumenical and interfaith movements go, check out Beware: Protestants Going Towards Ecumenical Destruction!, Why Should American Catholics Fear Unity with the Orthodox? (And the Protestants) and Will the Interfaith Movement Lead to Peace or Sudden Destruction?

Items of related interest could include the following:

Hope of Salvation: How the Continuing Church of God Differs from Protestantism The CCOG is NOT Protestant. This free online book explains how the real Church of God differs from mainstream/traditional Protestants. Several sermons related to the free book are also available: Protestant, Baptist, and CCOG History; The First Protestant, God’s Command, Grace, & Character; The New Testament, Martin Luther, and the Canon; Eucharist, Passover, and Easter; Views of Jews, Lost Tribes, Warfare, & Baptism; Scripture vs. Tradition, Sabbath vs. Sunday; Church Services, Sunday, Heaven, and God’s Plan; Seventh Day Baptists/Adventists/Messianics: Protestant or COG?; Millennial Kingdom of God and God’s Plan of Salvation; Crosses, Trees, Tithes, and Unclean Meats; The Godhead and the Trinity; Fleeing or Rapture?; and Ecumenism, Rome, and CCOG Differences. These sermons also cover materials not in the book. As far as some changes affecting Protestantism, watch the video Charismatic Kenneth Copeland and Anglican Tony Palmer: Protestants Beware! [Português: Esperança do salvação: Como a igreja do deus difere da maioria de protestantes].
Beware: Protestants Going Towards Ecumenical Destruction! What is going on in the Protestant world? Are Protestants turning back to their ‘mother church’ in Rome? Does the Bible warn about this? What are Greco-Roman Catholic plans and prophecies related to this? Is Protestantism doomed? See also World Council of Churches Peace Plan.
Beliefs of the Original Catholic Church: Could a remnant group have continuing apostolic succession? 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. Here is a link to that book in the Spanish language: Creencias de la iglesia Católica original.
1. The Ephesus Church Era was predominant from 31 A.D. to circa 135 A.D. The Church of James, Peter, Paul, and John, etc. Here is a link to a related video sermon: Ephesus Church Era.
2. The Smyrna Church Era was predominant circa 135 A.D. to circa 450 A.D. The Church led by Polycarp, Melito, Polycrates, etc. Here is a link to a related video sermon: The Smyrna Church Era.
3. The Pergamos Church Era was predominant circa 450 A.D. to circa 1050 A.D. An especially persecuted Church. Here is a link to a related sermon video: Pergamos Era and the Antichrist.
4. The Thyatira Church Era was predominant circa 1050 A.D. to circa 1600 A.D. The Church during the Inquisition. It claimed succession from the apostles. Here is a link toa related sermon: Thyatira, Succession, and Jezebel.
5. The Sardis Church Era was predominant circa 1600 A.D. to circa 1933 A.D. Discusses some early history of the Seventh Day Baptists, Seventh-day Adventists, CG7-Salem, Jerusalem 7DCG, and COG-7th Day-Denver. Here are two historical sermons: Sardis Church Era: Beginnings, Doctrines, and Leaders and Sardis: SDBs, SDAs, & CG7s.
6. The Philadelphia Church Era was predominant circa 1933 A.D. to 1986 A.D. The old Radio Church of God and old Worldwide Church of God, now the remnant of that era is basically the most faithful in the Church of God, like who hold to the beliefs and practices of the Continuing Church of God.
7. The Laodicean Church Era has been predominant circa 1986 A.D. to present. The Laodiceans are non-Philadelphians who mainly descended from the old WCG or its offshoots.  They do not properly understand the work or biblical prophecies and will face the Great Tribulation if they do not repent. One video of related interest is 50+ Laodicean Prophetic Errors. See also Do You Hold to Any of These Laodicean Prophetic Errors?

Anyway, the truth about being separate was something that was NOT included in the Tkach list of 18 truths. And that makes a certain sense as the Tkach Administration, shortly after the death of Herbert W. Armstrong did almost everything in its power to become part of the world’s churches and to NOT be separate.

As far as being separate and holy, Herbert W. Armstrong also stated:

Brethren, we are not like other people. We are not like those in the more than 250 Protestant “Christian” denominations. We are not of this world. We are CALLED OUT to be a separate and a holy people. (Armstrong HW. Worldwide News, July 9, 1979)

Scripture is clear that true Christians are separate from those in the world. Including those who call themselves Christians, but do not truly obey God.

That is why the Continuing Church of God is not part of the interfaith and ecumenical movements.

We are to remain holy and separate.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

18 Truths Restored to the Churches of God: Mission of the Philadelphia Church Era Herbert W. Armstrong wrote that he felt he had restored at least 18 lost truths to the Church, here is Herbert W. Armstrong’s list given 12/17/83. This article also has the 19th and 20th truths that Herbert Armstrong later added–so he claimed at least “20 restored truths.” This articles also has links to show that these truths were believed by professors of Christ in earlier times, hence they were not some invention of Herbert Armstrong.. Here is a related link in Spanish/español: Lista de Herbert W. Armstrong de las 18 verdades restauradas. As far as the mission goes, here is a link to a sermon: Mission of the Remnant of the Philadelphia Church Era. Here are links to a related two-part sermon: The 18 Restored Truths: 1-8 and The 18 Restored Truths: 9-18.
Do You Believe God Used Herbert W. Armstrong to Raise Up the Philadelphia Era of the Church of God? Nearly everyone while in WCG used to believe this, most do not seem to anymore.
The Elijah Heresies Does the Bible teach that there will be a future Elijah? Must it be Herbert W. Armstrong? Three related sermons are available Elijah: Prophecies and Heresies, Elijah, Herbert W. Armstrong, and CCOG, and 21st Century Elijah.
Continuing Church of God, Elijah, and Restoring All Things Have all things been restored? Is there restoration going on? Is there supposed to be a 21st century Elijah? Here is are links to two related sermons: 21st Century Elijah and CCOG: Restoring All Things. Here is a link to a related sermon in the Spanish language: La restauracion de todas las cosas.
The Bible, Peter, Paul, John, Polycarp, Herbert W. Armstrong, Roderick C. Meredith, and Bob Thiel on Church Government What form of governance did the early church have? Was it hierarchical? Which form of governance would one expect to have in the Philadelphia remnant? The people decide and/or committee forms, odd dictatorships, or the same type that the Philadelphia era itself had? What are some of the scriptural limits on ecclesiastical authority? Do some commit organizational idolatry? Here is a Spanish language version La Biblia, Policarpo, Herbert W. Armstrong, y Roderick C. Meredith sobre el gobierno de la Iglesia. Here is a link to a sermon titled Church Governance.
The Philadelphia Remnant: It’s All About Love This is what CCOG teaches. It is important to remember.Two elated videos are available: Nairobi Conference: All About Love and CCOG: It’s All About Love.
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.

The virulent H5N1 bird flu strain now sweeping across the world is adapting to its mammalian hosts in northern North America https://t.co/6Jkb3ITMbv

— nature (@Nature) March 20, 2023

COGwriter

There have been various reports about what is consider to be the “avian flu” H5N1, spreading to mammals. The Jerusalem Post reported the following:

Bird flu now appears to be able to spread ‘efficiently’ among ferrets – study

April 27, 2023

A strain of the H5N1 subtype of avian influenza has been found to effectively transmit between ferrets, causing deadly illness in the mammals, according to a new pre-print study by Canadian researchers. …

In the past two years, large outbreaks of the H5N1 subtype have spread across Europe and the Americas, with additional outbreaks reported across the world. In recent months, increasing numbers of mammals have been found to be infected with the virus, with mass die-offs of seals and sea lions reported in Russia and the Americas and dozens of foxes, skunks, dolphins, raccoons and cats found to be infected as well. https://www.jpost.com/health-and-wellness/article-741346

The H5N1 virus has devastated poultry production in many lands–and that is affecting the food supply (see ‘World’s poultry supply threatened as bird flu spreads’ ‘Will bird flu spark the next pandemic?’).

While the US Centers for Disease Control still considers human infection to be rare (https://www.cdc.gov/flu/avianflu/avian-in-humans.htm accessed 04/28/23), others think that this could spark massive deaths.

Michael Snyder posted the following:

A Plague That Could Kill A Billion People Has Been Found To Spread “Efficiently” Among Ferrets

April 26, 2023

If you thought that what we have been through the past few years was bad, just wait until you see what happens when a truly deadly virus starts spreading like wildfire all over the planet.  For example, scientists have been warning for years that the H5N1 strain of the bird flu has the potential to rapidly kill vast numbers of people.  The good news is that H5N1 does not naturally spread easily among mammals, but more than a decade ago scientists in the United States and the Netherlands were conducting “gain of function” research on H5N1 in order to create a version that could spread easily among mammals.  …

Even though millions upon millions of chickens, turkeys and other birds are now dead, most people in the general population have not been too alarmed by this outbreak.

But in recent months, H5N1 has started killing mammals such as foxes, minks, raccoons and bears.

And now researchers in Canada have proven that one strain of H5N1 that is currently circulating can spread “efficiently” among ferrets…

Ferrets were used in this research because they have “a similar respiratory makeup to humans”…

Ferrets were chosen for the study as they a similar respiratory makeup to humans, providing experts with an idea of how a virus would interact in people.

They found that ‘direct contact’ with one strain of H5N1 isolated from an infected bird, resulted ‘in lethal outcomes’, the paper added.

So where did this strain of H5N1 come from?

More specifically, did it occur naturally, or was it created in a lab? …

If a version of H5N1 that can spread very easily among humans were to get loose, the consequences could be “100 times worse than Covid”…

Nobody knows for sure how many would die if a full-blown H5N1 pandemic were to erupt among humans, but it has been projected that the death toll could reach as high as 1.5 billion people.

Since 2003, the death rate for humans that have become infected with H5N1 has been 53 percent.

So we better hope that a version of H5N1 that transmits from one person to another easily does not start spreading any time soon.

Unfortunately, there are signs that time is running out. …  we have now entered an era of great pestilences. https://endoftheamericandream.com/a-plague-that-could-kill-a-billion-people-has-been-found-to-spread-efficiently-among-ferrets/

Well, biblically we know a worse pandemic than COVID-19 is coming. The avian flu has been contributing to food price inflation. In addition to the price of poultry, the price of eggs has been rising–and quite a lot.

Jesus warned:

6 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. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows. (Matthew 24:6-8)

The H5N1 flu looks to be consistent with Jesus’ words.

And yes, humans may have helped engineer it or otherwise took steps to increase its risk.

Over 50 years ago, the old Worldwide Church of God published the following by the late Raymond McNair:

THE DOOMSDAY BUG

There is — this very instant — a feverish international search for the ultimate “dooms-day bug.” The purpose? — to wipe out whole nations overnight by disease germs and chemicals. Will man’s unrestrained scientific search for more horrifying weapons of mass destruction prove to be his undoing?

WHAT I have seen here at Porton Down has convinced me of the awful potential of modern Chemical and Biological Warfare (called CBW for short). Few realize its frightening possibilities! Sensational news headlines from time to time reveal details of CBW development world-wide. …

History of CBW

Chemical and Biological Warfare is not new to mankind. For thousands of years man has used various CBW agents to overcome his enemies. But… it is only recently that he has seriously considered the idea of using CBW on a grand scale — to erase whole populations! Thousands of years ago man discovered the diabolical use of poison. He learned to use poison to dispose of rulers, dignitaries, or large numbers of his enemies by poisoning their food or water supply. Poisoned arrows were also used in warfare. Millenniums ago man learned that he could throw the corpses of plague-infected humans over the walls of besieged cities which he sought to overthrow — thereby causing terrible plague to ravage the entire city. Early American settlers traded plague-infected blankets to American Indians in times of frontier hostilities. There have been virtually no limits to man’s diabolical, inventive genius in the realm of destructive weapons of war.

CBW’s Awful Potential

We can see the awful potential of rampant disease organisms by observing what did happen during the Dark Ages. The BLACK DEATH of 1348-50 was the worst natural disaster to befall man in the last 4000 years. This terrible plague swept over all Europe — killing at least one third of the population! In certain areas nearly three fourths of the population was killed by plague! Three fifths of all Britons succumbed to the Black Death — reducing Britain’s population from 5.1 million in 1348 to 2.1 million in 1374.

Many, believing they would certainly fall victims of the Black Death, gave themselves over to reckless abandon — drunkenness, sexual orgies, violence, crime and general lawlessness. “Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die of plague,” they reasoned. But biological warfare is potentially much worse than plague.

Colonel Adam Mikovich of Moscow Institute understands the full potential of Biological Warfare. He said: “It is believed today that Biological War would have the greatest effect of all” (Post, Jan. 30, 1965). …

An Ounce of Doom!

Many scientists right now are searching for new plagues with which to decimate the human population. And they are diligently seeking deadlier strains of old viruses with which to destroy whole populations. Of course, these scientists justify their CBW research by saying it is done for defensive reasons. Just how lethal are these viruses? Do you grasp the deadly potential? “In theory one gram of chicken embryo tissue inoculated with the Q-fever organism would be sufficient to infect more than one million people” (We All Fall Down, Robin Clarke). It has been estimated that one fourth of an ounce would be sufficient to infect every man, woman and child living in the British Isles! That’s about 55 million! Britain is especially vulnerable to chemical or germ warfare. She is thickly crowded and normal weather conditions in Britain are favorable to that type of warfare!

Botulinus, which was developed during World War II, is so deadly that it could wipe out all human life in a given area within six hours — yet leaving the target area habitable immediately after the attack. But some diseases would have a more lingering effect. …

Few realize that far more people have died from pestilence — from sickness and various plagues — through the course of human history, than have died in actual warfare.

It has been estimated that over 20,000,000 perished from influenza in just a few months at the close of World War I — and 50 times that number became ill. In the autumn of 1918, over 12,500,000 died in the flu epidemic which swept the undernourished nation of India. And over one-half million died in the United States. …

Destroying the Economy

Another terrifying aspect of CBW is that an enemy nation could destroy the economy of a nation — before actually attacking its civilians. This could be done by first attacking some of the main crops of the intended victim nation.

In 1942, 90 percent of India’s rice crop was destroyed by a natural strain of rice fungus.

And the highest award ever given to a U.S. civilian was awarded to a woman for developing another very deadly type of rice-blast fungus — which could, of course, be used against rice-eating nations like China or North Vietnam.

A Russian scientist has reportedly discovered a very deadly wheat rust — a type to which America’s wheat would be especially susceptible.

Thus, one can see how an enemy could greatly undermine the economy of a nation by first destroying the main crops through bacteriological warfare.

As a further example of the effects of this type of warfare, consider the terrible economic effects which the Irish potato famine of the mid-1800’s had on Ireland. That particular potato famine was caused by a peculiar potato blight or fungus which completely wiped out Ireland’s potato crop!

Previous to the famine, Ireland was one of the most densely populated countries in Europe. Yet it was a country stricken with the most unbelievable poverty. “There never was,” said the Duke of Wellington, a native of County Meath, “a country in which poverty existed to the extent that exists in Ireland.” “Nearly half of the families of the rural population,” reported the 1841 census, “are living in houses of the lowest state” — windowless mud cabins of a single room. …

CBW weapons are cheap to manufacture, and are comparatively inexpensive to deliver to enemy targets. A small nation could develop a whole arsenal of CBW agents and deliver them with very little strain on its budget. …

Scientists must bear their full share of responsibility for their part in developing more deadly and virulent microbes which could unleash horrifying disease epidemics upon this world.

But where does this leave us? Will scientists cease their horrifying work? Hardly.

It leaves us precisely where the world’s most noted newscaster — Jesus Christ — said it would leave us! Speaking of our very day, he warned: “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved [alive]: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened” (Matt. 24:21, 22).

But how?

The Only Solution

Make no mistake about it — man does not have the solution to his ever-accelerating arms-race problem. But God does!

We can be very thankful that the God of the universe is about to put an end to man’s hellish insanity toward his fellowman. His government will “rebuke strong nations afar off: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they LEARN WAR any more” (Micah 4:3).

Mercifully, God Almighty will not let man destroy himself! If God didn’t keep His hand firmly on the controls, man would annihilate himself.

We can rejoice that total disarmament is very near. The day is soon coming when the nations will close down all of their chemical and biological establishments — and their munitions factories!

Then all of man’s scientific efforts will be directed toward construction — not Destruction. Toward saving lives — not destroying them! (McNair R. The Doomsday Bug. Plain Truth, August 1969)

Since the above was published, scientists can now also produce genetically-modified pestilential organisms. And COVID, may well have been one of them.

As far as pestilences go, more and more people are dying from antibiotic resistant bacteria.

Back on November 16, 2019, before the coronavirus was considered an issue outside of China, we put up a video on YouTube with the following description:

The US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) released a report in November 2019 that stated that an American died every 15 minutes from an antibiotic-resistant infection. It reported that an additional one dies about every 45 minutes from Clostridioides difficile. Another CDC report warned of the superbug Candida auris. In China, two recently died of the pneumonic plague, whereas in May 2019, to Mongolians died from the bubonic plague after eating a rodent kidney. Dr. Thiel explained that the flu is often associated with pigs and the Ebola virus from eating fruit bats. He also cited scriptures about which animals God said could be eaten and some of which should be avoided. Dr. Thiel also went over an NPR report which stated that more who get the live polio vaccine are paralyzed from that type of polio than the ‘wild’ kind. Dr. Thiel explains some scriptures about preventing disease as well as those that show that humans will not sufficiently repent and solve infectious disease problems before Jesus returns.

Even though I cited appropriate sources, it was unceremoniously removed by YouTube sometime in 2022.

However, because we do not trust Big Tech in general, nor Youtube in particular, we already had it up on other platforms, so it is still available. Here is a link to it from our BitChute platform: Superbugs, antibiotics, and vaccines. Many do not want people to hear the truth.

In January 2020, the Continuing Church of God (CCOG) put together the following video for our Bible News Prophecy program:

17:01

Biological Warfare and Prophecy

Is biological warfare possible? Was it prophesied? Scientists have long warned that pathogenic organisms like the coronavirus could be weaponized. Furthermore, back in 2017, there were concerns that the biological research facility being constructed in Wuhan, China was risky and that a coronavirus from it could be released. On January 25, 2020, China’s President Xi Jinping publicly stated that the situation with the Wuhan-related strain of the coronavirus was grave. Did Church of God writers like the late evangelist Raymond McNair warn that engineered viruses (the “Doomsday bug”) were consistent with prophecies from Jesus? Did a warning from CCOG leader Bob Thiel warn about risks of genetically-modified (GMO) mosquitoes come to pass? Could human research and/or the consumption of biblically-unclean animals such as bats and snakes be a factor in current outbreaks or coming future pestilences? What about famines? How devastating have pestilences been? How devastating are the prophesied ones going to be? Dr. Thiel addresses these issues and more.

Here is a link to our video: Biological Warfare and Prophecy.

As regular readers of this COGwriter Church of God News page are aware, a much worse pandemic than COVID-19 is coming.

More deaths from pestilences are prophesied.

7 When He opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come and see.” 8 So I looked, and behold, a pale horse. And the name of him who sat on it was Death, and Hades followed with him. And power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth. (Revelation 6:7-8)

Notice that the “beasts of the earth” will be responsible for massive amounts of deaths related to the ride of the Fourth Horseman of the Apocalypse (here is a link to our sermon: Fourth Horseman, COVID, and the Rise of the Beast of Revelation).

And this looks to be not the claimed 6.9 million deaths the WHO blamed on COVID-19 but hundreds of millions and perhaps 1-2 billion (which is closer to a quarter of humans now on the planet).

Yes, worse pandemics than COVID-19 are coming.

That said, the New Testament warns of a time of food shortages, food price inflation, and and increased deaths from diseases (Revelation 6:5-8) and we continue to see events consistent with that.

But the good news is, that later, God’s Kingdom will come.

But we will see massive deaths around the world before then.

So, remember to heed Jesus’ words:

36 Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man. (Luke 21:36)

Update 04/30/23: We just uploaded the following video:

14:33

H5N1 and the 4th Horseman of the Apocalypse?

The avian flu, H5N1, has killed tens of millions of birds. It has also caused the price of poultry and eggs to rise. A decade ago, the United States and the Netherlands did “gain of function” research on the avian flu virus. It has now been found that strains of H5N1 have also infected mammals in North America and Europe, including ferrets. Although the US Centers for Disease Control does not yet see this as a major threat to humans, 53% of humans who get it die. Some have reported that strains of H5N1 have the potential to kill up to 1.5 billion human beings! Does the Book of Revelation prophesy that one-quarter of humans will be killed by matters including pestilences during the ride of the fourth horseman of the Apocalypse? Are pandemic pestilences a risk to human mortality? Did Jesus prophesy disease pestilences? Can humans create deadlier pathogens than found in nature? Will a plague deadlier that COVID-19 happen? Could gain of function and biological warfare research end up unleashing anything consistent with the ride of the fourth horseman of the Apocalypse? Is there any hope? Jesus warned about humans causing massive annihilation. Will God’s kingdom come? What is the solution? Steve Dupuie and Dr. Thiel go over these and other matters.

Here is a link to our video: H5N1 and the 4th Horseman of the Apocalypse?

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

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. Here is a version of that sermon in Spanish: El Cuarto Caballo, El COVID y El Surgimiento de la Bestia del Apocalipsis. 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.
COVID 19 is NOT the End, but could it be TEOTWAWKI? The novel coronavirus called COVID-19 is wreaking havoc around the world. Many states of the USA as well as countries in Europe are on lockdown with shelter in place /shelter in residence requirements. In France, a form is required when you are not at your house. In Spain, drones are being used to warn people who are outside to got back to their homes–does that bring up feelings of ‘Big Brother’? Italy, France, and other areas are using police and/or military force to encourage people to stay inside. According to the Bible could this be the end? If not, what has to happen first? Have the second and third of the four horsemen of the Apocalypse started their ride? Could COVID-19 be the fourth horseman? Why or why not? Could we be seeing The End of the World as We Know It (TEOTWAWKI) like the R.E.M.’s 1987 single song discussed? Do Christians need to fear? What did Jesus teach? What did the Psalmist teach? This is a video. Here is a link to a version in the Spanish language: Corona 19 no es el final PERO es el TEOTWAWKI.
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? 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? 2023, 2024, or 2025? 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? Notice also: Can Jesus return in 2023 or 2024? 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. It is available in hundreds of languages at ccog.org. Here are links to four kingdom-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.

COGwriter

Some may wonder why relatively little is reported here about David Hulme’s COGaIC. Basically, since it had a split several years ago, there has not been much to report about that group as they have had less impact, and written less about church history.

Currently it’s magazine, Vision, tends to be a collection of short articles on societal matters with scriptures (I just looked at a few). Its cogaic.org website still is basically ‘password protected’ so it does not want to share much information about itself.

However there is something related to church history to cover. Many years back, David Hulme of COGaIC interviewed John Garr about church history. Here is how that interview began:

Reexamining the roots of Christianity has become a major endeavor among New Testament scholars. In an attempt to better understand and relate to Judaism in the wake of the Holocaust/Shoah, their studies have yielded some surprising admissions and necessary corrections to the way Jesus of Nazareth, Paul of Tarsus and the early Church are regarded. A general conclusion is that first-century Christianity was far more Jewish or Hebraic in its beliefs and practices than has been accepted for almost 2,000 years.

One scholar who has pondered the implications of these rediscovered roots is John Garr, president of Restoration Foundation, which specializes in making known the Hebrew heritage of what came to be called Christianity. Vision publisher David Hulme interviewed him…

DH You have written: “In the middle of the second century, the Hebrew foundations of Christian faith were attacked by the first great heresy that challenged the church.” You also note that “some of the ideas of this heresy so permeated the church’s corporate psyche that it has not yet fully recovered its spiritual and scriptural equilibrium.” What was the heresy and what has been its specific effect?

JG The heresy was called Marcionism after Marcion, a very wealthy man who was strongly influenced by Hellenic culture, the ideas of Plato, and much of Gnosticism. Marcion wanted to separate Christianity from any connection with Judaism and the law. He said that the Old Testament was a record of a failed religion that should be destroyed, and actually had been destroyed by Jesus Himself. He even went so far as to rewrite Matthew 5:17, where Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, “Think not that I have come to destroy the Law or the Prophets: I have not come to destroy them but to fulfill them.” Marcion turned it around and said that Jesus’ actual words were “Think not that I have come to fulfill the Law or the Prophets: I have not come to fulfill them but to destroy them.” Further, he took some of Paul’s epistles and some sections of the book of Luke and edited them to eliminate any connection with Judaism or the Old Testament. As a result of his actions, church leaders finally branded him a heretic and excommunicated him.

With this background one would think Marcion would have faded into history, but the residue of his influence has continued to permeate the Christian church even to the present time. It is probably best characterized as antinomianism—the position of being against the law—which is very much a part of many denominations. Many antinomians would say that they are preaching the gospel of the grace of God, and that grace and law are violently opposed to each other and cannot exist in one another’s presence. So the idea that the law has been completely abrogated, that the Old Testament is no more of any effect, that Jesus came to destroy the law, and that believers today are only under the grace of God, is fundamentally neo-Marcionism…Von Harnack’s thinking in this regard was really a pure form of neo-Marcionism. He went so far as to say that if the church had had the courage to do so, it would have recognized that Marcion was right, that Judaism had been abolished and the law destroyed. He was very adamant about that view.

The above interview did not go into much more detail about Marcion and his heresies, but there is an article at the COGwriter.com website that does: Marcion: The First Protestant?

Irenaeus in the second century noted that the faithful Polycarp opposed Marcion:

But Polycarp also was not only instructed by apostles, and conversed with many who had seen Christ, but was also, by apostles in Asia, appointed bishop of the Church in Smyrna, whom I also saw in my early youth, for he tarried [on earth] a very long time, and, when a very old man, gloriously and most nobly suffering martyrdom, departed this life, having always taught the things which he had learned from the apostles, and which the Church has handed down, and which alone are true. To these things all the Asiatic Churches testify, as do also those men who have succeeded Polycarp down to the present time — a man who was of much greater weight, and a more stedfast witness of truth, than Valentinus, and Marcion, and the rest of the heretics. He it was who, coming to Rome in the time of Anicetus caused many to turn away from the aforesaid heretics to the Church of God, proclaiming that he had received this one and sole truth from the apostles — that, namely, which is handed down by the Church. There are also those who heard from him that John, the disciple of the Lord, going to bathe at Ephesus, and perceiving Cerinthus within, rushed out of the bath-house without bathing, exclaiming, “Let us fly, lest even the bath-house fall down, because Cerinthus, the enemy of the truth, is within.” And Polycarp himself replied to Marcion, who met him on one occasion, and said, “Dost thou know me?” “I do know thee, the first-born of Satan.”(Irenaeus. Adversus Haereses. Book III, Chapter 3, Verse 4. Excerpted from Ante-Nicene Fathers, Volume 1. Edited by Alexander Roberts & James Donaldson. American Edition, 1885. Online Edition Copyright © 2004 by K. Knight).

Polycarp, and other true early Christian writers, kept all the ten commandments that were first mentioned in the Old Testament (an article of related interest may be The Ten Commandments and the Early Church). This is how Polycarp (and others) differed from many of the early heretics like Marcion.

Another to specifically oppose Marcion was Theophilus of Antioch (late 2nd century). The Syriatic version of Eusebius’ Church History notes:

BUT as to Theophilus, concerning whom we have said that he was Bishop of Antioch, there are three treatises by him against Antolycus, and another which is inscribed “Against the heresy of Hermogenes,” in which he uses testimonies from the Revelation of John; and there are other books by him which are suitable for teaching. But those, who pertained to heretical doctrine, even at that time like tares were corrupting the pure seed of the doctrine of the Apostles; but the Pastors which were in the churches in every country, were driving them like beasts of the wilderness away from the flock of Christ; at one time by teaching and exhortation to the Brethren, but at another time openly before their faces they contended with them in discussion, and put them to shame; and again, also, by writing treatises they diligently refuted and exposed their opinions. But Theophilus, together with others, contended against them; and he is celebrated for one treatise, which was ably composed by him against Marcion, which, together with the others that I have already mentioned, is still preserved. And after him Maximinus received the Bishoprick of the Church of Antioch, who was the seventh after the Apostles.

But Philip, respecting whom we have learned from the words of Dionysius, Bishop of Corinth,2 that he was Bishop of the church of the city of Gortyna, he also composed with accuracy a treatise against Marcion (Eusebius of Caesarea, Ecclesiastical History, Syriac version, Book 4 (Extract), Chapter 24. Spicilegium Syriacum (1855). This text was transcribed by Roger Pearse, Ipswich, UK, 2003. Greek text is rendered using the Scholars Press SPIonic font/Polytonic Greek).

This is of interest because it shows that both Philip and Theophilus also wrote against the heretic Marcion (though the document, while apparently available to Eusebius, is currently unavailable).

Notice what the Protestant historian Kenneth Latourette stated:

Marcion insisted that the Church had obscured the Gospel by seeking to combine it with Judaism (Latourette KS. A History of Christianity, Volume 1: to A.D. 1500. HarperCollins, San Francisco, 1975, p. 126).

In other words, the original true Church of God truly did combine faith in Christ with practices that Marcion considered to be too Jewish. And Marcion was denounced by leaders from Asia Minor for rejecting the true faith.

Most know very little about early church history or where their doctrines came from–and what many think they know is clouded by misinformation and misconceptions.

But those willing to be called and led by God can find the truth in the Bible and the scattered records of early church history (e.g. the free booklet Continuing History of the Church of God).

COGaIC used to post more related to its understandings of early Church History in a blog called “First Followers.” However, after 2011, this reduced to only one or two posts per year there, and since the departure of Peter Nathan from COGaIC, that blog seems to have been removed.

Those interested in early Christianity may wish to read the following documented articles to learn more:

Marcion: The First Protestant? Considered to have been an organized heretic, he taught against the Old Testament, the law, and the Sabbath. Some have considered him to be the first Protestant reformer. But was he? Here is a link to a related sermon: Marcion: The first Protestant reformer?
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.
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?
Hope of Salvation: How the Continuing Church of God Differs from Protestantism The CCOG is NOT Protestant. This free online book explains how the real Church of God differs from mainstream/traditional Protestants. Several sermons related to the free book are also available: Protestant, Baptist, and CCOG History; The First Protestant, God’s Command, Grace, & Character; The New Testament, Martin Luther, and the Canon; Eucharist, Passover, and Easter; Views of Jews, Lost Tribes, Warfare, & Baptism; Scripture vs. Tradition, Sabbath vs. Sunday; Church Services, Sunday, Heaven, and God’s Plan; Seventh Day Baptists/Adventists/Messianics: Protestant or COG?; Millennial Kingdom of God and God’s Plan of Salvation; Crosses, Trees, Tithes, and Unclean Meats; The Godhead and the Trinity; Fleeing or Rapture?; and Ecumenism, Rome, and CCOG Differences.
Beliefs of the Original Catholic Church: Could a remnant group have continuing apostolic succession? 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. Here is a link to that book in the Spanish language: Creencias de la iglesia Católica original.
The Similarities and Dissimilarities between Martin Luther and Herbert W. Armstrong This article clearly shows some of the doctrinal differences between in the two. At this time of doctrinal variety and a tendency by many to accept certain aspects of Protestantism, the article should help clarify why the genuine Church of God is NOT Protestant. Do you really know what the Protestant Reformer Martin Luther taught and should you follow his doctrinal example? Here is a related sermon video: Martin Luther and Herbert Armstrong: Reformers with Differences.
The History of Early Christianity Are you aware that what most people believe is not what truly happened to the true Christian church? Do you know where the early church was based? Do you know what were the doctrines of the early church? Is your faith really based upon the truth or compromise?
Polycarp of Smyrna: The Heretic Fighter Polycarp was the successor of the Apostle John and a major leader in Asia Minor. Do you know much about what he taught? A YouTube video or related interesy may be: Polycarp of Smyrna: Why Christians should know more about him.
Nazarene Christianity: Were the Original Christians Nazarenes? Who were the Nazarene Christians? What did they believe? Should 21st century Christians be modern Nazarenes? Is there a group that exists now that traces its history through the Nazarenes and holds the same beliefs today? Here is a link to a related video sermon Nazarene Christians: Were the early Christians “Nazarenes”?
Location of the Early Church: Another Look at Ephesus, Smyrna, and Rome What actually happened to the primitive Church? And did the Bible tell about this in advance?
Church of God, an International Community (COG aic) This is the group led by David Hulme. It seems to minimize parts of biblical prophecy.

REM song cover

COGwriter

The Protestant Harbinger Daily site posted the following:

Survey Finds Less Than Half of Professing ‘Born-Again Christians’ Believe Jesus Was Sinless

In a recent survey of born-again Christians, less than half claimed to believe that Jesus lived a sinless life while on Earth, or that human life is sacred.

The American Worldview Inventory (AWVI) 2023— a national representative survey of 2,000 adults, including 650 born-again Christians, was conducted in January by the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University. … among born-again Christians, those who believe the Bible is unambiguous in its teaching about abortion dropped from 58% in 2020 to 44% in 2023.

The survey revealed another 14-point decline among the same group who think that Jesus Christ lived a sinless life during His time on Earth, dropping from 58% three years ago to 44% this year.

The other double-digit decline among born-again Christians was a 12-point downturn in people saying human life is sacred, down from 60% in 2020 to 48% in 2023. …

Other declines among born-again Christians in 2023 compared to 2020 are:

• Those who believe that they have a unique, God-given calling or purpose for their life was sliced nearly in half, from 88% to 46%.
• Those claiming that they are deeply committed to practicing their religious faith dropped from a very robust 85% in 2020 to 50%.
• Adults attending an evangelical church is down from 28% pre-pandemic to 21% post-pandemic.
• Those who believe that God is the basis of all truth declined from 69% in 2020 to 63% this year.

Barna said the significant changes found in the study are highly unusual.

“Most religious beliefs change over the course of generations, not a few years,” he said in a press release “However, we know that major life crises have the capacity to introduce substantial change quickly in the foundations of people’s faith. 04/26/23 https://harbingersdaily.com/survey-finds-less-than-half-of-born-again-christians-believe-jesus-was-sinless/

This is not a surprise. As the US becomes more secular, its Protestant population has been heading that way.

As far as the decline in the view about the Bible, the reality is that ‘born-again’ Protestantism is NOT truly based on the Bible. It has accepted many non-biblical traditions, hence it is little wonder that its adherents see a lot of ambiguity in scripture. Protestants often claim sola Scriptura, but do not actually believe it or practice “the faith once for all given to the saints” (Jude 3; see also Hope of Salvation: How the Continuing Church of God Differs from Protestantism).

As far as God’s purpose for people, that is something that Protestants (and most others, including in the Churches of God) do not know. For scripture-backed details, check out the free online book: The MYSTERY of GOD’s PLAN: Why Did God Create Anything? Why Did God Make You?

We have also seen over the years, prominent Protestants publicly rejecting their faith.

The Guardian posted the following this past December:

‘I couldn’t pretend any more’: readers on why they left the Christian faith

Diana, 44, a retail worker from Yorkshire, was raised in a Christian fundamentalist home and always struggled with her faith; concepts such as predestination and creationism “never made sense” to her.

“Losing my faith was a process of gradual disengagement,” she says. “At some point, … I finally admitted to myself that I didn’t believe in a supernatural being, and couldn’t pretend any more.”

Today, Diana is an atheist … Various people cited similar experiences.  …

For James, a programme manager from Birmingham, it was more of a creeping realisation as he got older that certain aspects of Christian dogma were incompatible with critical thinking.

“At some point in my late teens the stuff that provided comfort, such as the idea of an omnipotent, omniscient god, suddenly started to feel more like a fairytale you tell kids to help them sleep, and posed questions. And then I thought: ‘If God knows exactly what I’m going to do, and lets it happen, then I no longer have a free will’,” the 44-year-old says. …

James describes himself as an atheist now …

Pauline, 54, who is retired and lives in Bristol, says certain Christian teachings became irreconcilable with her values over time.

“I probably stopped calling myself a Christian in my 30s. I was brought up as a strict Roman Catholic with Irish parents. We always went to church on Sunday, and for most of my childhood it was a ritual that was nice and comforting,” she says.

But as she got older she began to have doubts. …

During the Covid lockdowns, Stephen Hunsaker, 28, hatime to step back and found he felt “so much better” when no longer practising his religion. Raised in the Church of Latter Day Saints in the US, the London-based researcher says he realised it was no longer something he identified with.

“I had been very devout my entire life, but when lockdown happened and I just stepped back, … Religion is meant to help you be a better person, but I felt like it was holding me back.” https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/dec/02/i-couldnt-pretend-any-more-readers-on-why-they-left-the-christian-faith?utm_source=wnd&utm_medium=wnd&utm_campaign=syndicated

The Protestant, Roman Catholic, and LDS explanations of creation, free will, predestination, and God’s plan are wrong, and that can be proven biblically. For documented details with scriptural support of true doctrines on those matters, consider checking out the following:

Is God’s Existence Logical? Is it really logical to believe in God? Yes! Would you like Christian answers to give atheists? This is a free online booklet that deal with improper theories and musings called science related to the origin of the origin of the universe, the origin of life, and evolution. Here is a link to a related sermon: Evolution is NOT the Origin of Life. Two animated videos of related interest are also available: Big Bang: Nothing or Creator? and A Lifegiver or Spontaneous Evolution?

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; here is a message in Spanish: Me Está Llamando Dios Hoy? A short animation is also available: Is God Calling You?

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’.

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, Mystery of Race, and The Mystery of YOU. Here is a link to two videos in Spanish: El Misterio del Plan de Dios and El Misterio de Satanás, el Misterio de la Verdad, el Misterio del Reposo.

The world’s faiths, that are not truly biblical, have caused the following to be fulfilled:

1 But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. 2 And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. (2 Peter 2:1-2)

Yes, “the way of truth” has been “blasphemed” by false leaders claiming to teach Christianity. This has turned many off.

As far as the Protestant, Roman Catholic, and LDS faiths go, we have documented information on those, which explain that they have many areas that are biblical untrue. You may wish to check out some of the following:

Hope of Salvation: How the Continuing Church of God Differs from Protestantism The CCOG is NOT Protestant. This free online book explains how the real Church of God differs from mainstream/traditional Protestants. Several sermons related to the free book are also available: Protestant, Baptist, and CCOG History; The First Protestant, God’s Command, Grace, & Character; The New Testament, Martin Luther, and the Canon; Eucharist, Passover, and Easter; Views of Jews, Lost Tribes, Warfare, & Baptism; Scripture vs. Tradition, Sabbath vs. Sunday; Church Services, Sunday, Heaven, and God’s Plan; Seventh Day Baptists/Adventists/Messianics: Protestant or COG?; Millennial Kingdom of God and God’s Plan of Salvation; Crosses, Trees, Tithes, and Unclean Meats; The Godhead and the Trinity; Fleeing or Rapture?; and Ecumenism, Rome, and CCOG Differences.

Beliefs of the Original Catholic Church: Could a remnant group have continuing apostolic succession? 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. Here is a link to that book in the Spanish language: Creencias de la iglesia Católica original.

Teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS) and the Continuing Church of God The genuine Church of God is not related to the Mormons and this article explains some differences and a couple of similarities. Also, might certain LDS prophecies apply to Mitt Romney? A sermon of related interest is available: Mormon vs. Church of God Teachings.

Scholars have issues with the world’s version of ‘Christianity’ as well. Dr. Bart Ehrman was some type of fundamentalist Protestant until he looked into matters like church history and realized that nothing like Protestant fundamentalism was practiced by early Christians. As it turns out, according to Dr. James Tabor, nearly all heads of theology departments at most universities in the USA are atheists or agnostics.

Many have ‘lost their religion”–here is a link with information about the loss of faith in the UK: Non-religious grow in the UK and official has proclaimed that parts of the Bible are ‘no longer appropriate for modern society’.

R.E.M. had a hit with a song in 1991 titled Losing My Religion. It reached number 4 on the Billboard charts. Throughout the years, I have thought about that when various ones fell away from the truth (see The Falling Away: The Bible and WCG Teachings).

However, the song also came to mind several years ago when I read about a Protestant leader named Marty Sampson who then lost his religion. He was then being praised by atheists.

His announcement came after a well-known Protestant dating-marriage author, Joshua Harris, renounced his beliefs, announced he was getting divorced, and offered apologies to the LGBTQ crowd.

Neither of these men had the biblical faith. And both have also moved away from Protestantism.

Here is some information related to Joshua Harris:

A former pastor who stunned the evangelical movement last month by announcing he was “falling away” from Christianity and recanting his teachings on sexuality marched in the Vancouver Pride Parade over the weekend. … on July 26, Harris posted on Instagram that he had undergone “a massive shift in regard to my faith in Jesus.”

“The popular phrase for this is ‘deconstruction,’ the biblical phrase is ‘falling away,” he added. “By all the measurements that I have for defining a Christian, I am not a Christian.”

In the same post, he specifically apologized for his previous opposition to same-sex marriage and LGBT rights.

“To the LGBTQ+ community, I want to say that I am sorry for the views that I taught in my books and as a pastor regarding sexuality. I regret standing against marriage equality, for not affirming you and your place in the church, and for any ways that my writing and speaking contributed to a culture of exclusion and bigotry. I hope you can forgive me.⁣⁣” 08/08/19 https://www.newsweek.com/joshua-harris-gay-pride-parade-evangelical-1453273

The Bible not only strongly condemns that LGBTQ agenda, and states that those who remain part of it will not be in God’s kingdom (1 Corinthians 6:9-10), it also says it is wrong to approve people being part of such sexually immoral lifestyles (Romans 1:18-32). This was also clearly taught by second century Christian leaders such as Polycarp of Smyrna and Melito of Sardis. Apparently Joshua Harris now considers biblical morality and early Christianity a form of bigotry. He needs to be asking God, not the LGBTQ crowd, for forgiveness.

Here is some information related to Marty Sampson:

‘I’m Genuinely Losing My Faith’: Hillsong Worship Leader Rejects Christian Beliefs

August 13, 2019

Marty Sampson, a worship music writer, singer, and active member of Hillsong has publicly denounced his faith on social media.

His announcement comes just weeks after well-known Christian author Joshua Harris announced his departure from Christianity, both sharing their news over Instagram.

The following is a transcript of the post from Relevant Magazine:

Time for some real talk. I’m genuinely losing my faith, and it doesn’t bother me. Like, what bothers me now is nothing. I am so happy now, so at peace with the world. It’s crazy.

This is a soapbox moment so here I go … How many preachers fall? Many. No one talks about it. How many miracles happen. Not many. No one talks about it. Why is the Bible full of contradictions? No one talks about it. How can God be love yet send four billion people to a place, all ‘coz they don’t believe? No one talks about it. Christians can be the most judgmental people on the planet—they can also be some of the most beautiful and loving people. But it’s not for me.

I am not in any more. I want genuine truth. Not the “I just believe it” kind of truth. Science keeps piercing the truth of every religion. …

All I know is what’s true to me right now, and Christianity just seems to me like another religion at this point. I could go on, but I won’t. https://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/entertainment/2019/august/im-genuinely-losing-my-faith-hillsong-worship-leader-rejects-christian-beliefs

Let’s deal with several issues related to him and what he brought up.

First of all, I have warned about Hillsong and its ecumenical-interfaith agenda. Essentially according to it all religions are about the same. So, it is no great surprise that in the mind of people like Marty Sampson, his perception is that his type of Christianity was just another of the world’s religions.

Before going further, let me mention that the Continuing Church of God put out the following sermon related to Hillsong its ContinuingCOG channel:

1:21:54

Music, Hillsong, and the False Gospel

Musical instruments were mentioned in the Book of Genesis. Music is present all over in the 21st century. How does music affect the mind and body? Is it okay to listen to music? Should lyrics matter? Are there biblical principles to consider related to music? Can Christians listen to secular music? Is harp music always good? Is “Contemporary Christian Music” biblically appropriate? Has money overly influenced the “Christian music industry”? What is the Pentecostal ‘latter rain’? What about songs about heaven? Do groups like Hillsong promote the gospel of the kingdom or a false gospel message? Has there been an ongoing attempt to promote an ecumenical message in what has been called “gospel” or “Christian” music? How can you tell a real Christian from a false one? What type of songs did early Christians sing? Did the old Worldwide Church of God fall because of its 1974 hymnal? Are psalms and songs in “The Bible Hymnal” of the Continuing Church of God consistent with the practices of original Christians? Dr. Thiel addresses these and more!

Here is a link to the sermon: Music, Hillsong, and the False Gospel.

Now, let’s deal with his other points.

Do ministers fail?

Yes.

And this was prophesied:

2 Therefore thus says the Lord God of Israel against the shepherds who feed My people: “You have scattered My flock, driven them away, and not attended to them. Behold, I will attend to you for the evil of your doings,” says the Lord. (Jeremiah 23:2)

34 “Wail, shepherds, and cry!
Roll about in the ashes,
You leaders of the flock!
For the days of your slaughter and your dispersions are fulfilled;
You shall fall like a precious vessel.  (Jeremiah 25:34)

1 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God to the shepherds: “Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks? 3 You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool; you slaughter the fatlings, but you do not feed the flock. 4 The weak you have not strengthened, nor have you healed those who were sick, nor bound up the broken, nor brought back what was driven away, nor sought what was lost; but with force and cruelty you have ruled them. (Ezekiel 34:1-4)

Jesus, Himself, condemned the religious leaders of His day as “Hypocrites” (Matthew 15:7, 23:13-15), so having false pastors now should not be a surprise.

The Apostle Paul also warned about them:

13 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. 15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works. (2 Corinthians 11:13-15)

If he would have practiced the true biblical faith, Marty Sampson should have understood that.

To his other point, how many miracles happen?

As many as God feels are needed for His plan–and sometimes what we consider to be miracles are rare (cf. 1 Samuel 3:1).

In addition to miraculous healings, the Bible shows God also sometimes intervenes with prophetic dreams (Numbers 12:6; watch also Dreams, COGs, and One Man Rule)–which were prophesied for the last days (Acts 2:17). And we in the Continuing Church of God do talk about them (for details see Dreams, the Bible, the Radio Church of God, and the Continuing Church of God).

Now as to his point about contradictions, no, the original biblical text had no contradictions–but various translations do. Yet, much in the Bible does contradict what passes for ‘Christianity’ in the 21st century. Sadly, Marty Sampson seems to have been influenced by theologians that do not accept the original Christian faith.

Let’s take another look at something Marty Sampson wrote:

How can God be love yet send four billion people to a place, all ‘coz they don’t believe? No one talks about it.

Actually, that is NOT His plan, but a distortion that many Protestants, starting with Martin Luther and John Calvin, had. The biblical God “is love” (1 John 4:8-16) and unlike the Protestant deity:

20 Our God is the God of salvation (Psalms 68:20).

As to his claim no one talks about it, we have put out eight sermons as well as promoting the reading of a book that deals with the errors in misunderstanding God’s plan, for those not called to be true Christian believers in this age:

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’.

As far as genuine truth goes, sadly Marty Sampson and Joshua Harris have not understood it. Jesus said:

17 Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. (John 17:17)

The Apostle Paul wrote:

13 For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe. 14. For you, brethren, became imitators of the churches of God which are in Judea in Christ Jesus. (1 Thessalonians 2:13-14a).

7… the word of truth, (2 Corinthians 6:7)

13 In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; (Ephesians 1:13)

5 the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel, (Colossians 1:5)

So, whatever God says is the truth.

But many do not believe that.

The Bible also teaches:

18 it is impossible for God to lie, (Hebrews 6:18).

2 God, who cannot lie (Titus 1:2)

As far as science goes, to claim modern science is the source of genuine truth is provably wrong.

The Bible also teaches:

4 … Indeed, let God be true but every man a liar. (Romans 3:4)

Related to some well known Protestants losing their faith, the Continuing Church of God (CCOG) put together the following video on our Bible News Prophecy YouTube channel:

17:47

Losing Religion (and HOW NOT TO!)

In the Summer of 2019, two well known Protestants announced that they had lost their religion. One, Joshua Harris, who was known for his books on dating and marriage, also announced he was getting a divorce and then he endorsed homosexual marriage and other aspects of the LGBTQ agenda. The other, Martin Sampson, who was known for his writings and connections to the Hillsong church, laid out his criticisms of his Protestant faith–he said he wanted genuine truth? Is science or the word of God the source of truth? Were either of these Protestant men “true Christians”? Have they overlooked various proofs? Were there scriptures that they overlooked? If you wish to be a true and faithful Christian, are there instructions in God’s word that if you follow you will never stumble or lose the true religion? Dr. Thiel addresses these issues and more.

Here is a link to the sermonette: Losing Religion (and HOW NOT TO!).

Don’t put your trust in unreliable humans:

8 It is better to trust in the Lord
Than to put confidence in man.
9 It is better to trust in the Lord
Than to put confidence in princes.  (Psalm 118:8-9)

3 Do not put your trust in princes,
Nor in a son of man, in whom there is no help. (Psalm 146:3)

Getting back to Marty Sampson, after he lost his religion, he was praised by atheists. The term “Friendly Atheist” of Satan’s supporters who try to look like ministers of righteousness:

Another prominent Christian is now publicly saying he’s no longer a believer. (For once, Joshua Harris started a positive trend!)

This time, it’s Australian songwriter Marty Sampson, well-known in the contemporary Christian music scene …

It’s not clear when Sampson began this road to reality. I wonder if he had doubts when he was still writing Christian music or whether something specific led him to question religion more recently.

Either way, it would be completely unfair to say he wasn’t a True Christian™. Yes he was. He just woke up. https://friendlyatheist.patheos.com/2019/08/12/famed-christian-songwriter-renounces-religion-im-genuinely-losing-my-faith/

By no biblical standard was Marty Sampson a true Christian. He never understood, “the faith once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3). Basically, he practiced a modified form of the sun god religion called Mithraism.

And if atheists were really into true science, they would renounce atheism. Instead they tend to cling to the false theory of evolution as a their religion (for detailed proofs, check out the free online book: Is God’s Existence Logical? ) and some in academia see this (e.g. ‘Famed Yale computer science professor quits believing Darwin’s theories’).

As far as atheism goes, it is not the way of truth. Related to it and Christianity, here is information and a link to a recent sermon:

Here is a link to the sermon: Should Atheists Accept Jesus?

Atheism is a denial of science. It is also illogical. For more on that, see our free online booklet: Is God’s Existence Logical?

As far as people go who were reported here but left their faith, they never were practicing the original Christian faith, so whatever religion they lost, it was like one in the world.

Perhaps in time, if they are disappointed with science, immorality, etc. they will look for the true faith. A religion that Jesus referred to as the “pearl of great price” (Matthew 13:45-46).

A religion that no one should ever want to lose.

A religion that ‘born-again’ Protestants still do not accept.

Some items of related interest may include the following:

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, Mystery of Race, and The Mystery of YOU. Here is a link to two videos in Spanish: El Misterio del Plan de Dios and El Misterio de Satanás, el Misterio de la Verdad, el Misterio del Reposo.
Music and the False Gospel of Ecumenical Music Has popular ‘Christian’ music been promoting a false ecumenical gospel? Shouldn’t Christian unity be promoted? Here is a link to a related sermon: Music, Hillsong, and the False Gospel.
Hope of Salvation: How the Continuing Church of God Differs from Protestantism The CCOG is NOT Protestant. This free online book explains how the real Church of God differs from mainstream/traditional Protestants. Several sermons related to the free book are also available: Protestant, Baptist, and CCOG History; The First Protestant, God’s Command, Grace, & Character; The New Testament, Martin Luther, and the Canon; Eucharist, Passover, and Easter; Views of Jews, Lost Tribes, Warfare, & Baptism; Scripture vs. Tradition, Sabbath vs. Sunday; Church Services, Sunday, Heaven, and God’s Plan; Seventh Day Baptists/Adventists/Messianics: Protestant or COG?; Millennial Kingdom of God and God’s Plan of Salvation; Crosses, Trees, Tithes, and Unclean Meats; The Godhead and the Trinity; Fleeing or Rapture?; and Ecumenism, Rome, and CCOG Differences.
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’.
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?
Is God’s Existence Logical? Is it really logical to believe in God? Yes! Would you like Christian answers to give atheists? This is a free online booklet that deal with improper theories and musings called science related to the origin of the origin of the universe, the origin of life, and evolution. Here is a link to a related sermon: Evolution is NOT the Origin of Life. Two animated videos of related interest are also available: Big Bang: Nothing or Creator? and A Lifegiver or Spontaneous Evolution?
Beliefs of the Original Catholic Church: Could a remnant group have continuing apostolic succession? 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. Here is a link to that book in the Spanish language: Creencias de la iglesia Católica original.
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; here is a message in Spanish: Me Está Llamando Dios Hoy? A short animation is also available: Is God Calling You?
Christian Repentance Do you know what repentance is? Is it really necessary for salvation? Two related sermons about this are also available: Real Repentance and Real Christian Repentance.
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.
CCOG and What is Truth? What does the Bible teach about truth? Does the CCOG teach the truth?