Church of God News

‘The Rapture of One in the Field’ etching

COGwriter

Are Protestants who believe in a pre-tribulation rapture wrong? They are according to another Protestant, Joel Richardson. Notice the following from him:

Is everything you know about Second Coming wrong?

Filmmaker, evangelist and renowned bible prophecy teacher Joel Richardson says it is a time of change for the church, especially when it comes to teachings about the End Times and the rapture. The author of the New York Times bestseller “The Islamic Antichrist” recently appeared with Joe Schimmel on Rick Wiles’s TruNews radio program to discuss the what he believes is the false doctrine of a pre-tribulation rapture.

Wiles himself supports the pre-tribulation position, stating, “I personally do not believe that by the year 2020, any credible person will be teaching the secret pre-trib rapture doctrine. I think the events that are coming in the next five years will utterly destroy the doctrine.”

The pre-tribulation school of thought has been an important force in American Christianity for decades, with proponents such as Hal Lindsey, Tim LaHaye and Thomas Ice. This school holds believers will be raptured before the great tribulation during the End Times, thus avoiding it. In contrast, Richardson believes the rapture will not occur until during the tribulation period. Thus, believing Christians will not be spared the persecution and calamities of the End Times. http://www.wnd.com/2015/08/is-everything-you-know-about-second-coming-wrong/#RkMvkBqFXqsI4wzt.99

COGwriter

The April 2023 edition of PCG’s Philadelphia Trumpet magazine has the following article by JOSUÉ MICHELS:

Uniting Against the Dollar

The massive United States economy has been at the center of world finance for a lifetime. But that economy, and the international system based on it, cannot last forever. Anyone willing to face the reality of America’s impossibly enormous debt can see that this is an economy that is gravely sick. Other nations recognize this and seek to protect themselves—and to take advantage. …

Its exorbitant debt has doubled since 2010 and tripled since 2008, surpassing $31 trillion last year. The American government now owes 123 percent of what the entire nation can produce in a year, and still it refuses to make any meaningful cuts to its spending.

The United States has long been warned that its reckless financial spending will have consequences, but those warnings have been ignored. …

Today, central banks around the world are again accumulating gold at a rate not seen in more than 50 years. Last year marked a 152 percent increase in acquisition of gold by governments compared to the previous year, which the World Gold Council attributed to geopolitical turmoil and high inflation.

Leading the rush for gold were Turkey, China, India, Egypt, Qatar, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates and Oman. Many of these countries have also expressed interest in joining the BRICS alliance currently linking Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. The alliance controls an increasing amount of gold and roughly a quarter of the world’s gross domestic product. And one of its goals is to abandon the dollar.

At the same time, these nations are uniting against U.S. sanctions. …

The European euro and the Chinese renminbi currencies have been nibbling at the dollar’s dominance.

The formation of the eurozone in 1999 greatly reduced the use of the U.S. dollar in Europe. 2023 is seeing a similar trend in Latin America.  …

In an end-time prophecy in Revelation 17, the Bible speaks of the rise of 10 authoritarian leaders in Europe that will unite in one moment. Such a dramatic political shift will almost certainly come in response to a major crisis—a crisis that drives Europe toward stronger unity and authoritarian rule. …

In the end, America will fall  … : “And thou shalt eat the fruit of thine own body, the flesh of thy sons and of thy daughters, which the Lord thy God hath given thee, in the siege, and in the straitness, wherewith thine enemies shall distress thee” (Deuteronomy 28:53).

The USA has pushed many against it through its sanctions–this is something warned about at the COGwriter Church of God News page for years; watch also: US Sanctions and Tariffs leading to New World Order?

Notice also something from last month:

SANCTIONS ONE TIME TOO MANY

The West, even if justified (or perhaps baited by Russia), used sanctions one time too many. No BRICS country that could afford to, would trade its own monetary sovereignty (via reserve confiscation by the West) for the convenience of free Swift ATM access.

So, the BRICS assessed the situation correctly–and having planned for this contingency with trade deals already set up going back to 2016, Gold already being accumulated as a bridge to their own international trade, local exchanges already set up and ready as turnkey solutions-– they pulled the trigger.

Also: it did not help that Iran survived and even defied US sanctions for over a decade. We also truly think the West was baited and fell for it. https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2023-03-18/weekly-commodities-killed-dollar

The massive debts of the USA will be a factor, not just in pushing its dollar aside, but also in its destruction:

6 “Will not all these take up a proverb against him, And a taunting riddle against him, and say, ‘Woe to him who increases What is not his — how long? And to him who loads himself with many pledges’? 7 Will not your creditors rise up suddenly? Will they not awaken who oppress you? And you will become their booty. 8 Because you have plundered many nations, All the remnant of the people shall plunder you, Because of men’s blood And the violence of the land and the city, And of all who dwell in it. (Habakkuk 2:6-8)

Actually, with an admitted debt of about $31.5 trillion dollars and plans to increase that much further, the USA has increased pledges more than any nation in the history of the planet. Foreign creditors will rise up.

Notice a headline from several weeks ago:

Putin To Xi: “We Support Chinese Yuan Use With Asia, Africa, Latin America”

https://www.nationandstate.com/2023/03/21/putin-to-xi-we-support-chinese-yuan-use-with-asia-africa-latin-america/

There is a cost to USA sanctions and its weaponization of the dollar.

The oil exporting nations, which includes Russia, are moving away from the USA dollar. And oil importing nations like China and India are also moving away from the US dollar.

Why could that be important?

Essentially, the fact that although the US dollar is no longer backed by gold (like it was over 50 years ago), since most oil is priced in US dollars, that gives the US dollar a type of backing in a broadly needed commodity. This has insured, internationally, that the US dollar will have value. The USA dollar has sometimes been called a petrodollar.

What most Americans do not realize is that the largest export from the USA is actually its currency–which is basically debt notes.

Here is something from my free online book Lost Tribes and Prophecies: What will happen to Australia, the British Isles, Canada, Europe, New Zealand and the United States of America?:

The Bible warns about silver becoming “dross” (Isaiah 1:22; Ezekiel 22:18-22) and says to reverse it once it happens (Proverbs 25:4a; Isaiah 1:25). But the Anglo-American nations have not done that, their old silver coins are now dross (made/filled with cheaper materials) and their massive debts have made dross out of their fiat currencies (currencies that are not tied to gold or some other hard asset).

Furthermore, the “U.S. is highly vulnerable to loss of confidence by foreign creditors.”[i] U.S. government debt is “extremely vulnerable to foreign attack because of the high percentage of foreign ownership — almost 40% of the market.”[ii]

Interestingly, in the past, one foreign creditor, China, has raised concerns about the U.S. debt that are so serious, that its potential dumping of that debt has been called China’s “nuclear option”[iii] against the U.S.A.—an option that involves no military intervention, but that could greatly harm the U.S.A.

Many have complained about the U.S.A. “weaponizing” its dollar through sanctions, bank restrictions, and other means.[iv] By doing so, the U.S.A. has inadvertently been  building up a coalition to push aside the dollar—and this will happen when the timing is considered to be better. European leaders have been working for years to establish a new reserve currency for the world, partially with the intent to remove the U.S. dollar from its position as the world’s primary reserve currency. The fact that Europe would develop its own currency, as well as for that purpose, was predicted by Church of God writers no later than 1971[v] –which is over two decades before the euro was officially agreed to.

Those in Iran and some of the Arab lands, along with nations such as Brazil, China, and India have discussed plans for the removal of the dominance of the U.S.A. in global trade as well. The former (again current) President of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, even claimed that eliminating the U.S. dollar’s reserve currency status was one of the reasons that the BRICS alliance (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) was formed in the first place. [vi] Others have noted that bypassing the USA dollar is still an object of BRICS—and officially BRICS nations “are currently working on setting up a new global reserve currency,”[vii] which may have gold-backing.[viii] The expansion of BRICS (which is in progress) may ultimately even hurt Australian trade as well as “severely weaken primacy of the US Dollar as an international currency.”[ix]

The Bible clearly warns against cheapening the money supply and encourages having money hold its value (Proverbs 25:4 Isaiah 1:25, Ezekiel 22:18-22). Debt is also warned against (Habakkuk 2:6-8). Yet policies enacted under the Obama, Trump, and Biden Administrations, following certain other administrations, have ignored these warnings.

Destruction is coming.[i] Rickards J. Axis of Gold. The Daily Reckoning, December 20, 2016

[ii] Ibid

[iii] Gertz B,  China Debt Threat.  Washington Times, March 2, 2011

[iv]  Jayakumar V. The weaponization of finance threatens the future of the dollar standard. The Hill, March 1, 2022

[v] Hogberg G. Rising World Colossus. Plain Truth magazine, May 1971

[vi] Escobar P. BRICS was created as a tool of attack: Lula. Asia Times, August 28, 2019

[vii] BRICS developing new global reserve currency – Putin. RT, June 22, 2022

[viii] Helms K. Economists Discuss Russia, China Potentially Developing Gold-Backed Currency. BRICS Information Portal, November 11, 2022

[ix] Hunter M. BRICS Is Becoming The Big Kid On The Block: Implications For Australia – Analysis. Eurasia Review, November 1, 2022

As far as the BRICS nations go, Brazil and Russia are major oil exporters and China and India are major oil importers. Hence, their efforts, combined with some from the Arabs and Iranians look to help topple away the USA dollars “petrodollar” status.

Here is something related to debt and the US dollar being the primary reserve currency from my book Biden-Harris: Prophecies and Destruction:

Joe Biden and many other American politicians have not run away from increasing U.S.A. debt—that will be to the nation’s peril.

The Bible warns about something that will happen to a heavily indebted nation. Notice what the Hebrew seer Habakkuk wrote over 2,600 years ago:

³ For the vision is yet for an appointed time; But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; Because it will surely come, It will not tarry … ⁵ Indeed, because he transgresses by wine, He is a proud man … ⁶ “Will not all these take up a proverb against him, And a taunting riddle against him, and say, ‘Woe to him who increases What is not his—how long? And to him who loads himself with many pledges’? ⁷ Will not your creditors rise up suddenly? Will they not awaken who oppress you? And you will become their booty. ⁸ Because you have plundered many nations, All the remnant of the people shall plunder you… (Habakkuk 2:2-3,6–8).

Notice that what is to happen is so bad, that people who read the prophecy should run, when it is time for it to be fulfilled. Since that prophecy is to be fulfilled at the appointed time of the end, it is still for the future, but perhaps not too far distant in the future. No nation has ever been in as much total debt as the U.S.A.

The “U.S. is highly vulnerable to loss of confidence by foreign creditors.”[i] U.S. government debt is “extremely vulnerable to foreign attack because of the high percentage of foreign ownership — almost 40% of the market.”[ii]

Interestingly, in the past, one foreign creditor, China, has raised concerns about the U.S. debt that are so serious, that its potential dumping of that debt has been called China’s “nuclear option”[iii] against the U.S.A.—an option that involves no military intervention, but that could greatly harm the U.S.A.

Others have been concerned that Russia will perhaps encourage something like this when the timing is right. European leaders have been working for years to establish a new reserve currency for the world, partially with the intent to remove the U.S. dollar from its position as the world’s primary reserve currency.

Those in Iran and some of the Arab lands, along with nations such as Brazil and India have discussed plans for the removal of the dominance of the U.S.A. in global trade as well. The former President of Brazil, Lula, even claimed that eliminating the U.S. dollar’s reserve currency status was one of the reasons that the BRICS alliance (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) was formed. [iv]

The Bible clearly warns against cheapening the money supply and encourages having money hold its value (Proverbs 25:4 Isaiah 1:25, Ezekiel 22:18-22). Yet policies enacted under the Obama and Trump Administrations, following certain other administrations, have ignored these warnings.

No nation in the history of humankind has ever accumulated as much debt as the United States of America (because the U.K. may have close to the highest amount of per capita debt,[v] its fate would be similar). Destruction is coming.

However, the relationship between debt accumulation and prophesied destruction remains unapparent to many. Because there is a time lag, many ignore that there will be real consequences (cf. Ecclesiastes 8:11; Habakkuk 2:3,6-8). Yet, these increases of debt are utterly dangerous.

When the time comes when the Federal Reserve is no longer able to keep interest rates artificially low, the U.S.A. will continue past the point of no return. That will become one of the final factors that will cause creditors to rise up and destroy the U.S.A.

The Economy

While pushing biblically immoral ideas is bad for the economy, it should be noted that economies vary. A modern reality is that being the world’s de facto reserve currency has helped prolong the U.S.A.’s dominance.

When the U.S. dollar is no longer the world’s reserve currency, this will hurt the U.S.A. financially. Increasing debt, including “quantitative easing,” is a form of dishonest profits that is not something that God approves of and will punish the U.S.A. for (cf. Ezekiel 22:13-16).

Inflation will eventually hit the U.S.A. extremely hard. As the world becomes less attached to the American dollar, many financial jobs and opportunities will be in places other than the U.S.A. Eventually, but not yet, the U.S.A. dollar will become worthless (worth no more than the scrap or sentimental value of the cotton-paper it is printed on).

Will it always be straight downhill for the economy of the U.S.A.?

No.

There are some reasons to have some temporary optimism. The longer there is some economic stagnation in parts of the economy that governmental COVID-19 policies contributed to, the more demand tends to build up, and an increase in demand may prolong the economy. In addition, technological and other developments may temporarily support the U.S. economy—as can reductions of regulatory burdens.

Some policies of the Biden-Harris Administration may help. Others see problems. The Biden-Harris team looks to increase various regulations and impact some industries negatively (such as the fossil fuel industry). Various ones see their proposed policies and cabinet selections as a refreshing change that they hope will fuel economic growth and shared prosperity.

Notice what was told to a king whose was prophesied to lose his kingdom:

²⁷ Therefore, O king, let my advice be acceptable to you; break off your sins by being righteous, and your iniquities by showing mercy to the poor. Perhaps there may be a lengthening of your prosperity. (cf. Daniel 4:27)

Repentance can prolong prosperity, but promotion of sin leads to destruction. But, it is not expected that Joe Biden or Kamala Harris will push for scriptural national repentance.

[i] Rickards J. Axis of Gold. The Daily Reckoning, December 20, 2016

[ii] Ibid

[iii] Gertz B, China Debt Threat. Washington Times, March 2, 2011

[iv] Escobar P. BRICS was created as a tool of attack: Lula. Asia Times, August 28, 2019

[v] Conway E. Britain showing signs of heading towards 1930s-style depression, says Bank. Telegraph, March 16, 2009

A dominant world reserve currency loses its position if enough nations do not want it to be.

Historically, world reserve currencies have come and gone–remember that the British pound held that role for over a century.

The end of US dollar dominance is coming. The Russians, Chinese, Europeans, Arabs, Indians, Brazilians, and others are working to topple the US dollar.

There will be a new world order coming and it will not be one dominated by the Anglo-Americans.

If you think that the USA will continue to be number 1 and claim to believe the Bible, please consider biblical prophecies such as Daniel 11:39; Habakkuk 2:6-8; Isaiah 10:5-11 (see also USA in Prophecy: The Strongest Fortresses and/or watch Do these 7 prophesies point to the end of the USA?).

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

The Plain Truth About Gold in Prophecy. How Should a Christian View Gold? What do economists and the Bible teach about gold? Gold and silver may drop in value. Inflation/deflation? What do Christians need to know about gold and silver? Two videos of related interest may be: Germany, Gold, and the US Dollar and Silver, Science, and Scripture.
Europa, the Beast, and the Book of Revelation discusses the largest church since the second/third century, which in a real sense is the eighth church mentioned in the Book of Revelation (it also endorses “eighth day” worship). What church would support the Beast? Here is a link to a video titled: Europe and the ‘Holy Roman Empire’.
The End of US Dollar Dominance Is the USA losing its economic status? What about the petro-gold-yuan? A related video is also available: US Dollar being challenged by Gold-Petro-Yuan.
Is God Calling You? This booklet discusses topics including calling, election, and selection. If God is calling you, how will you respond? Here is are links to related sermons: Christian Election: Is God Calling YOU? and Predestination and Your Selection. A short animation is also available: Is God Calling You?
Christian Repentance Do you know what repentance is? Is it really necessary for salvation? Two related sermons about this are also available: Real Repentance and Real Christian Repentance.
The New World Order Is Leaving the US Behind Bloomberg reported that the New World Order is leaving the USA behind. Other secular news sources are also reporting the rise of a new world order and decline of the influence of the USA. What about NAFTA, the Paris Accords, TPP, TWO, and NATO? Russia, China, and Europe are all working towards reducing dominance of the USA. Is this consistent with biblical prophecy? When did the time of Anglo-American dominance begin? Will the coming world order be dominated by a European Babylonian power? What will happen to the USA, United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand after military actions by the coming order and the Great Tribulation? Are there any ties to Armageddon? Dr. Thiel addresses and more from the Bible. This is a video.
USA in Prophecy: The Strongest Fortresses Can you point to scriptures, like Daniel 11:39, that point to the USA in the 21st century? This article does. Two related sermon are available: Identifying the USA and its Destruction in Prophecy and Do these 7 prophesies point to the end of the USA?
Who is the King of the West? Why is there no Final End-Time King of the West in Bible Prophecy? Is the United States the King of the West? Here is a version in the Spanish language: ¿Quién es el Rey del Occidente? ¿Por qué no hay un Rey del Occidente en la profecía del tiempo del fin? A related sermon is also available: The Bible, the USA, and the King of the West.
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? Are there prophetic reasons to believe that the USA will not last two complete presidential terms? Yes. 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?
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.
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.
Biden-Harris: Prophecies and Destruction Can the USA survive two full presidential terms? In what ways are Joe Biden and Kamala Harris apocalyptic? This book has hundreds of prophecies and scriptures to provide details. A Kindle version is also available and you do not need an actual Kindle device to read it. Why? Amazon will allow you to download it to almost any device: Please click HERE to download one of Amazon s Free Reader Apps. After you go to your free Kindle reader app (or if you already have one or a Kindle), you can go to: Biden-Harris: Prophecies and Destruction (Kindle) to get the book in seconds.

COGwriter

The USA is facing serious issues:

April 15, 2023

An ounce of honest introspection of the heart tells us that we are losing battle after battle in the war for American sovereignty. Both domestic and foreign enemies are using fifth-generation warfare in an all-out assault against our cherished freedoms and way of life. By all measurable standards, we have greatly empowered the CCP and our globalist enemies. At the same time, we’ve weakened our own forces through censorship, psyops attrition, economic plunder, and political treason.

Our best advocates of American patriotism are still waving the Constitution banner and shouting out, Unfair! But what good has it availed us? Our weak attempts to exact justice have all failed to produce any meaningful countermeasures that truly thwart our enemy. https://www.americaoutloud.com/we-are-losing-battle-after-battle-in-the-war-for-american-sovereignty/

ZeroHedge posted the following:

Over 40% Of Americans Think WW3 Is Imminent

A new nationwide study from the Trafalgar Group and Convention of States Action (COSA) reveals that 43.4 percent of US voters believe the country is on the brink of World War III, considering the war in Ukraine, perceived threats against other European nations, and China’s aggressive posture against the US.

30.3% of those polled do not believe we’re on the brink of another world war, while 26.3% are not sure. https://www.zerohedge.com/political/over-40-americans-think-ww3-imminent

Well, those who believe the Bible can be 100% sure that World War Three is not about to begin.

Despite implications of the book cover shown at the beginning of this post (which warns of China beginning WWIII), WWIII will NOT begin in 2023.

What could be called WWIII would seem to align with what Jesus called the Great Tribulation in Matthew 24:21-22.

At this moment, it is now impossible that the Great Tribulation can begin in 2023 or 2024 or 2025. The Great Tribulation will come relatively soon, but 2027 is the earliest possible start date–and that is probably too early at this stage (you may also wish to watch a sermon video titled The Great Tribulation from the Mount of Olives, as well another sermon titled: Great Tribulation: 2026 or 2027?).

Jesus’ disciples specifically asked Him how to know when this would happen (Matthew 24:3; Mark 13:4; Luke 21:7)–and He responded with details. Several of those details are yet to be fulfilled.

But sadly, even most who claim to believe the Bible overlook what Jesus taught, but instead try to point to other things.

Consider, for example, that although some claimed that the blood moons in 2014 and 2015 may have marked the beginning of the Great Tribulation, I correctly denounced that years ago (Blood Moons, Eclipses, and Prophecy; a related YouTube video is also available: Blood Moons, Prophecy, 2014, and 2015) and was proven right. I also denounced the so-called Shemitah year and the claimed devastation that was supposed to hit the world economy, etc. in late 2015 (see also 6000 years up and Jesus to return in 2016? and September ‘convergence’: a harbinger of potential disaster?), and again was right. On January 1, 2017, I blasted the idea of the claimed “Jubilee of 2017” would mark the end (see Can the Great Tribulation Start in 2017? Furthermore, I blasted the idea that the solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 (see Solar Eclipse and the Apocalypse) or Planet Nibiru would begin the tribulation or destroy the Earth (see Doomsayers: Planet Nibiru to destroy Planet Earth in four weeks). I also denounced the view that because of the formation of the tiny nation of Israel in 1948, that the Great Tribulation needed to start 70 years later, like in 2018 (watch Can the Great Tribulation begin in 2018?). Some wrongly claimed that something from the “Sabbatical Code” as well as a shemita-decree calculation or a message from Fatima predicted 2019 (see False ‘Great Tribulation’ predictions/calculations for 2019). Some pointed to astronomy and even John 20:20 as proof for 2020 as the beginning, but this was denounced as well (watch Could the Great Tribulation Begin in 2020?). Certain ones who claimed to be COG pointed to 2020 and/or 2021 were wrong (see PCG claims Revelation 17:12 prophecy can happen this year! James Malm wrong about 2021) and some pointed to Israel’s 1948 formation and the US presidential election in 2020 as pointing to 2021 (2021: The Great Tribulation or the Great Reset?)–which I also denounced. Also denounced were centuries old predictions supposedly pointing to 2022 by Nostradamus and Paracelsus as well as some from Muslims that pointed to Jesus returning in 2022 or 2023 (watch Can the Great Tribulation start in 2022 or 2023?).

Why?

Because according to the Bible, other events needed to occur that had not yet occurred.

We must base the timing of the Great Tribulation upon what the Bible teaches.

Regarding the start of the Great Tribulation, the biblical reality is that necessary events that Jesus and Daniel mentioned, that will allow for that, have not happened.

For some scriptural proof, let’s look at the account in Matthew 24:

4 And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. 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.

9 “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. 10 And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. 11 Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. 12 And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But he who endures to the end shall be saved.

14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.

15 “Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand), 16 “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. (Matthew 24:4-16)

There is no possibility that the Great Tribulation can happen in 2023 nor 2024. Those who rely on the Bible have realized this, therefore WWIII is NOT imminent.

Consider that Jesus pointed to Daniel, who wrote of many events, such as the Kings of the North and South.

One reason that the Great Tribulation will not begin yet is that one known as the final King of the North (watch also Rise of the Prophesied King of the North) and King of the South (watch he Rise and Fall of the King of the South) need to rise up.

The Bible shows that the coming “King of the North” will make a deal of some sort with one called the King of the South just before the appointed time of the end:

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

Daniel chapter 11 tells much about the end times and it involves both a King of the South and a King of the North. And while there was a president of the South and a president of the North in the Union for the Mediterranean (see Deal Leading to Psalm 83?), these individuals have not held the type of power (nor prerogatives) of the prophesied King of the North and the King of the South. Nor will the current head of the European Union (Ursula von der Leyen) be the final King of the North, as she does not seem to fit that description and amongst other reasons.

Since the Great Tribulation will not start before there is an actual King of the South and an actual final King of the North Beast leader –it is not about to happen this year.

Now the Bible shows that a “prince” will apparently confirm a peace deal with Israel:

26 And the people of the prince who is to come
Shall destroy the city and the sanctuary.
The end of it shall be with a flood,
And till the end of the war desolations are determined.
27 Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week;
But in the middle of the week
He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering.
And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate,
Even until the consummation, which is determined,
Is poured out on the desolate (Daniel 9:26-27).

There are several reasons that this “prince” is referring to the leader of the developing European empire (see King of the North and Europa, the Beast, and the Book of Revelation). One is that it was the people of the Roman Empire of the 1st century that fulfilled the portion of Daniel 9:26 as they destroyed the city (Jerusalem) in 70 A.D. The European Union includes much of the land and peoples that were part of the ancient Roman Empire. And it is the “prince” coming from that people that verse 27 is referring to. Thus, this prophecy tells us that a lower level European leader will officially start to rise up about 3 1/2 years before the Great Tribulation (and yes, according to Jesus, some “tribulation” does happen prior to the start of the Great Tribulation). Another is the fact that the “beast of the sea” (Revelation 13:1) fits with the beasts from the “great sea” (Daniel 7:2)–and that is the Mediterranean Sea according to the Old Testament–hence this is an empire like the old Roman one (for more details, please see Europa, the Beast, and the Book of Revelation).

This portion of scripture in Daniel seems to be discussing some type of peace deal that the Europeans will either propose or at least one from Europe will endorse. Such a deal did not exist as of the early Spring of 2023, or at least was not publicly confirmed by the “prince” by then. The deal will be broken 3 1/2 years later (Daniel 9:27; 11:31).

Yet, even though the Great Tribulation is coming soon, it will not begin in 2023.

Nor is WWIII a Russian-led attack against the USA, as some think. Nor is it as war led by China against the USA.

Because of various scriptures, it appears that Russia will likely provide Germany and Europe some support when WWIII begins.

As far as Russian involvement, the old Radio Church of God put out the following:

United within the ancient boundaries of the Holy Roman Empire; united by the common spiritual bond of universal Catholicism; united in a burgeoning and booming industrial economy that dominates today’s world; united geographically in the most productive and industrial complex of all the earth — at least TEN NATIONS OF MODERN EUROPE WILL MARCH ONTO THE SCENE OF WORLD HISTORY AS THE GREATEST SINGLE HUMAN FORCE EVER SEEN BY MAN! This United Europe will form a nonaggression pact or political alignment of some sort with the Soviet East. …

Modern Europe is counseling and making treaties and alliances and agreements to conquer this earth! … Germany, those living in Germany, even the German government, may not yet know that they are going to join in a treaty with the Russians to destroy the United States and bring it to its knees-it is not in his “heart” to think so, but on the other hand it IS in his “heart” to destroy-the very characteristic of the Assyrian, the modern German, is a harsh, cruel, iron, dedication to militarism and destruction! …

MAN’S ONLY HOPE LIES IN TURNING TO HIS CREATOR GOD!

“At what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom. to pluck up, and to pull down, and to destroy it; If that nation, against whom I have pronounced, TURN FROM THEIR EVIL, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them… Behold, I frame evil against YOU, and devise a device against YOU: return ye now EVERY ONE from his evil way and make your ways and your doings good!” (Jer. 18:7, 8, 11).

The case of America and Great Britain is hopeless! (Hill DJ,What is Germany’s Destiny? Plain Truth, March 1962, pp. 28-29)

The German people are now asking themselves: “Can we rely on the Americans and British?” … These questions lead to the logical conclusion that maybe the only people the Germans can rely on themselves. They are now thinking: “Perhaps we can strike a better bargain with the Russians ourselves.” …

Once a German-dominated Europe is fully established, Germany will be ready to negotiate and bargain with Russia- and behind the backs of the Western Allies if necessary. …

When will a Russo-German deal be made? Here is a quotation from a circular letter issued in September, 1950 by the Nazi Geo-political Center in Madrid:

“However long we may continue to milk the Americans of millions of dollars, there must come the inevitable moment when we shall have to make it crystal clear to them that we are not willing to join the fight against Russia for American interests … (Germany Plots with the Kremlin by T H. Terens, p. 15). …

Most Americans and Britons are not aware of what Germany and Europe are planning against them. This is partly due to the cunning of German. politics. …

World events are moving swiftly toward the climax when Great Britain and the United. States will be attacked, conquered and DESTROYED! (Boraker R. Are the Germans Secretly Dealing with Moscow? Plain Truth, May 1962, pp. 45-47)

Yes, I, too, expect that Russia will make a deal with the Europeans. Furthermore, I expect that the Chinese will also make some type of deal with the Europeans to help facilitate the destruction of the USA and its allies including Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.

Here is how the old Worldwide Church of God tied in the Great Tribulation and World War III, as taught by the late Herbert W. Armstrong:

The Next World War

Now, all the pieces that have divided them over there, are beginning to fall into place, and it’s very shocking news. You’ll find it prophesied in the seventeenth chapter of Revelation and many other prophecies in the Bible. And it is going to trigger World War III, the feared, the unthinkable nuclear World War III. I want to read you what the Bible says about this World War III coming on; it’s in Matthew 24 and I’m going to show you how the time is now. And it begins, I’ll just begin in verse 21, it’s a prophecy of Jesus Christ Himself when He was here on earth and speaking of this time that we are in now He says:

“For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be [that’s the time of trouble in the world, that’ll be far greater than World War I and World War II, much greater]. And except those days should be shortened [unless God Almighty Himself intervenes supernaturally to cut it short], …no flesh [should] be saved [alive]…”: (Matthew 24:21-22)

It’s talking not of spiritual salvation but saving humanity alive. In other words; every man woman, child on earth would be snuffed out. You, your children, myself, all of us. Humanity would be erased.

Matthew 24:     “…except those days should be shortened, no flesh should be be saved [alive]…That great tribulation that is the nuclear World War III, (Armstrong HW.  Tribulation. Radio Broadcast, 20th century. https://www.hwalibrary.com/cgi-bin/get/hwa.cgi?action=getbroadcast&InfoID=1567869049)

Daniel 11:31 and Matthew 24:15 … From this time (Daniel 12:11) to Christ’s coming will be 1290 days. Now, verse 12, “Blessed is he that waiteth, and comes to the 1335 days.” … We shall then be warned, and readied to be taken to a place of refuge and safety from the Great Tribulation. Forty-five days later “the beast’s armies” will surround Jerusalem. Thirty days later the Great Tribulation will probably start with a nuclear attack on London and Britain–and possibly the same day or immediately after, on the United States and Canadian cities. The GREAT TRIBULATION, we shall fully then realize, is the time of “Jacob’s Trouble,” spoken of in Jeremiah 30:7. And Jacob’s name was named on Joseph’s sons, Ephraim and Manasseh (Gen. 48:16). At that time a third of the people in our nations will die, or shall have died, by famine and disease epidemics; another third will dies of the war–our cities being destroyed (Ezek. 6:6), and the remaining third will be carried to the land of our enemies as slaves (Ezek. 5:12). Armstrong, Herbert W. The Time We Are In, Now. Pastor General’s Report-Vol 1, No. 15, November 20, 1979, Page 2).

Herbert W. Armstrong referred to “the seventeenth chapter of Revelation.” In it, Mystery Babylon is mentioned along with two reorganizations in Europe–one which turns power over to the beast. The armies of the beast are prophesied to destroy the strongest military in Daniel 11:39. So, for WWIII to happen in the next decade or less, that would point to the USA itself getting destroyed–and that is consistent with what Herbert W. Armstrong was warning would happen.

The late Herbert W. Armstrong also taught:

World War 3 brings with it THE GREAT TRIBULATION. That is now next in order. But Jesus, in foretelling this chain of world events, said the GREAT TRIBULATION would be preceded by the world-wide proclaiming of HIS Gospel. “The GOSPEL must first be published among all nations,” said Jesus (Mark 13:10), or, as recorded by Matthew (24:14): “This Gospel OF THE KINGDOM shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto ALL NATIONS; and THEN shall the END (of the world) come.” (Armstrong HW. Brethren and Co-Worker Letter, May 22, 1953)

Yes, Matthew 24:14 must first be fulfilled. And while we in the Continuing Church of God are working on that (and even have had our English-language booklet, The Gospel of the Kingdom of God, translated into over 300 languages). This is not yet fulfilled, but that is something that all true Philadelphian Christians realize that they need to support.

That said, the third world war will not begin on 23 November 2023.

World events are not quite far enough along for that to happen then.

Here is a video which just uploaded today related to Russia and WWIII (it is not related to the Alexa prediction):

15:31 

Nuclear WWIII from Russia?

Are we close to a nuclear third world war? Is Russia’s ‘special military operation’ in Ukraine the start of WWIII? what did Ukrainan Defense Minister Guido Crosetto say related to WWIII? Does Ezekiel 38 involves Russia? Are certain Protestant writers correct that it is for our day and that Russia will launch a massive nuclear attack against the USA? Did Herbert W. Armstrong say that Russia would not attack the USA? Is a direct military skirmish between the USA and Russia possible? If the Bible does discuss the destruction of the USA, is this from a power that borders the Mediterranean sea according to biblical prophecies in the books of Revelation and Daniel? Why has the military devastation in Ukraine been a “wake-up call” for Europe? Has Europe been taking military steps? Is Europe prophesied to dominate the world? Are there biblical prophecies pointing to Europe being attacked by Russia? Does the Bible describe anything that sounds like nuclear devastation? Steve Dupuie and Dr. Thiel address these matters.

Here is a link to the video: Nuclear WWIII from Russia?

Some items of possibly related interest might include:

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.
Russia and Ukraine: Their Origins and Prophesied Future Russia in prophecy. Where do the Russians come from? What about those in the Ukraine? What is prophesied for Russia and its allies? What will they do to the Europeans that supported the Beast in the end? There is also a video sermon available: Russia in the Bible and in Prophecy as are two video sermonettes Russia, Ukraine, Babylonian Europe, and Prophecy and Ukraine in Prophecy?
Should the Church Still Try to Place its Top Priority on Proclaiming the Gospel or Did Herbert W. Armstrong Change that Priority for the Work? Some say the Church should mainly feed the flock now as that is what Herbert W. Armstrong reportedly said. Is that what he said? Is that what the Bible says? What did Paul and Herbert W. Armstrong expect from lower level leaders? Two related sermons are available The Work per HWA and the Bible and Priority of the Philadelphia Work.
Preparing for the ‘Short Work’ and The Famine of the Word What is the ‘short work’ of Romans 9:28? Who is preparing for it? Will Philadelphian Christians instruct many in the end times? Here is a link to a related video sermon titled: The Short Work. Here is a link to another: Preparing to Instruct Many.
The Final Phase of the Work What is the final phase of the work? Who will lead it? Do you have the courage to support it? Here are two related YouTube videos titled Final Phase of the Work: Need and Background and The Final Phase of the Work. The written article has been translated into Spanish La Fase Final de la Obra.
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?
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, and Christian Persecution from the Beast; and WWIII and the Coming New World Order, and The Rise and Fall of the King of the South.
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.

Four non-disqualified Red Heifer candidates March 2023
Photo from Temple Institute’s Facebook page

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:

14:53

Red Heifer Sacrifice Ready April 2024?

In September 2022, five seemingly unblemished red heifers were transported from Texas to Boneh Israel in conjunction with some Protestants. In March 2023, the Temple Institute declared one of the red heifers disqualified for sacrifice. What is a red heifer? Why are certain Jews so concerned about having one? What does the Bible teach about the ashes of red heifer? Is a red heifer needed for Christians? If animal sacrifices are not needed for Christians, does the Bible prophesy future animal sacrifices? If so, will the stopping of them have anything to do with the countdown for return of Jesus and the establishment of the Kingdom of God according to the Book of Daniel? Did Moriel Barelli of Boneh Israel say he hopes a red heifer will be available for sacrifice by Passover in 2024, which is April 22? Is the sacrifice of a red heifer, like the Temple Institute and Sanhedrin want, going to usher in the Antichrist? Is there any relationship between daily animal sacrifices and the King of the North Beast power? Does the “fate of the world” rely on a red heifer as the Temple Institute has stated? Will the Messiah sacrifice the ‘tenth red heifer’? If not, might the Jews do it anyway? Dr. Thiel and Steve Dupuie address these issues.

While the fate of the world does not depend on red heifers, nor are any required for Christians, since certain Jewish attitudes of prophecy seem to require one–having an acceptable red heifer looks to have prophetic ramifications.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

The MYSTERY of GOD’s PLAN: Why Did God Create Anything? Why Did God Make You? This free online book helps answers some of the biggest questions that human have, including the biblical meaning of life. Here is a link to three related sermons: Mysteries of God’s Plan, Mysteries of Truth, Sin, Rest, Suffering, and God’s Plan, and The Mystery of YOU.
Proof Jesus is the Messiah This free book has over 200 Hebrew prophecies were fulfilled by Jesus. Plus, His arrival was consistent with specific prophecies and even Jewish interpretations of prophecy. Here are links to seven related sermons: Proof Jesus is the Messiah, Prophecies of Jesus’ birth, timing, and death, Jesus’ prophesied divinity, 200+ OT prophecies Jesus filled; Plus prophecies He made, Why Don’t Jews Accept Jesus?, Daniel 9, Jews, and Jesus, and Facts and Atheists’ Delusions About Jesus. Plus the links to two sermonettes: Luke’s census: Any historical evidence? and Muslims believe Jesus is the Messiah, but … These videos cover nearly all of the book, plus have some information not in the book. We also have the book translated in the Spanish PRUEBA de que JESÚS es el MESÍAS and French PREUVES QUE JÉSUS EST LE MESSIE languages.
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?
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.

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

COGwriter

April 15th is when some in the Church of Rome will honor one of their “saints” and bishops named Victorinus. Here is some of what The Catholic Encyclopedia reports about him:

St. Victorinus

An ecclesiastical writer who flourished about 270, and who suffered martyrdom probably in 303, under Diocletian.

He was bishop of the City of Pettau (Petabium, Poetovio), on the Drave, in Styria (Austria); hence his surname of Petravionensis or sometimes Pictaviensis, e.g. in the Roman Martyrology, where he is registered under 2 November, which long caused it to be thought that he belonged to the Diocese of Poitiers (France). Until the seventeenth century he was likewise confounded with the Latin rhetorician, Victorinus After. According to St. Jerome, who gives him an honourable place in his catalogue of ecclesiastical writers, Victorinus composed commentaries on various books of Holy Scripture, such as Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Isaias, Ezechiel, Habacuc, Ecclesiastes, the Canticle of Canticles, St. Matthew, and the Apocalypse, besides treatises against the heresies of his time…

Like many of his contemporaries he shared the errors of the Millenarians, and for this reason his works were ranked with the apocrypha by Pope Gelasius. (Clugnet, L. (1912). St. Victorinus. In The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Retrieved April 1, 2013 from New Advent: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15414a.htm)

Notice that like MANY GRECO-ROMAN LEADERS, and those they and the Protestants consider to be saints, just prior to Constantine,  taught the millennium. That was both a biblical doctrine as well as the teaching of most professing Christians prior to Emperor Constantine. The millennium was certainly part of the apostolic tradition (the Apostle John, after all, wrote about it in Revelation 20), thus any who challenge or dismiss it are not being faithful to biblical doctrine nor apostolic tradition.

Victorinus wrote the following about the Book of Revelation, in likely the late 3rd century:

FROM THE TWENTIETH CHAPTER.

1–3. “And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the abyss, and a chain in his hand. And he held the dragon, that old serpent, which is called the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and cast him into the abyss, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be finished: after this he must be loosed a little season.”]…

For we know not of those who seem to stand whether they shall not fall, and of those who are down it is uncertain whether they may rise. Moreover, that he says that he is bound and shut up, that he may not seduce the nations, the nations signify the Church, seeing that of them it itself is formed, and which being seduced, he previously held until, he says, the thousand years should be completed, that is, what is left of the sixth day, to wit, of the sixth age, which subsists for a thousand years; after this he must be loosed for a little season. The little season signifies three years and six months, in which with all his power the devil will avenge himself under Antichrist against the Church. Finally, he says, after that the devil shall be loosed, and will seduce the nations in the whole world, and will entice war against the Church, the number of whose foes shall be as the sand of the sea. (Victorinus. On the Apocalypse. Translated by Robert Ernest Wallis. From Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 7. Edited by Alexander Roberts, James Donaldson, and A. Cleveland Coxe. [Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1886.], p. 359. http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf07.vi.ii.xviii.html).

He also wrote:

…that true and just Sabbath should be observed in the seventh millenary of years. Wherefore to those seven days the Lord attributed to each a thousand years; for thus went the warning: “In Your eyes, O Lord, a thousand years are as one day.” Therefore in the eyes of the Lord each thousand of years is ordained, for I find that the Lord’s eyes are seven. Wherefore, as I have narrated, that true Sabbath will be in the seventh millenary of years, when Christ with His elect shall reign. (Victorinus. Commentary on the Creation. Translated by Robert Ernest Wallis. From Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 7. Edited by Alexander Roberts, James Donaldson, and A. Cleveland Coxe. (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1886.) Revised and edited for New Advent by Kevin Knight).

The Catholic Encyclopedia states:

…a large number of Christians of the post-Apostolic era, particularly in Asia Minor, yielded so far to Jewish apocalyptic as to put a literal meaning into these descriptions of St. John’s Apocalypse; the result was that millenarianism spread and gained staunch advocates not only among the heretics but among the Catholic Christians as well … Papias of Hierapolis, a disciple of St. John, appeared as an advocate of millenarianism. He claimed to have received his doctrine from contemporaries of the Apostles … A witness for the continued belief in millenarianism in the province of Asia is St. Melito, Bishop of Sardes in the second century (Kirsch J.P. Transcribed by Donald J. Boon. Millennium and Millenarianism. The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume X. Copyright © 1911 by Robert Appleton Company. Nihil Obstat, October 1, 1911. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York).

COG leader Papias is consider a saint by Greco-Romans and the CCOG. Notice the following:

These things are attested by Papias, an ancient man who was a hearer of John and a companion of Polycarp … there will be a period of some thousand years after the resurrection of the dead, and that the kingdom of Christ will be set up in material form on this very earth. (Eusebius. The History of the Church, Chapter XXXIX, Digireads, 2005, pp. 68-69)

Greco-Romans and the CCOG consider Melito of Sardis a saint. He also taught the millennium as attested by various Roman Catholic writers. Here is one example:

Melito of Sardis, a well-known bishop and his followers defended millennialism. He undoubtedly borrowed some of his theories from his compatriot, Papias and relied on the Apocalypse. It is interesting to note that Melito knew how to associate with millennialism in all confidence under the Roman Empire; the Empire raised up and grew at the same time as the new religion, in order for him to be considered her defender he (Melito) had to prevail. It was a test to bring to life (introduce) (the) millenarianism while isolating it from the theories on the final destruction of the earthly empires and this before all the other empires under the Roman Empire; theories which until then, were an integral part of that doctrine and to a certain extent served as a starting point: but in itself was a disastrous test which shook the old dogmatic foundation.(Gry L. Le millenarisme dans ses origines et son developpement. Alphonse Picard, Paris, 1904, pp. 81-82. Translated into English by Gisele Gaudet, March 2015)

Irenaeus of Lyon, who is considered to be a major saint by the Greco-Romans, wrote:

John says … : “And he will cause a mark [to be put] in the forehead and in the fight hand, that no one may be able to buy or sell, unless he who has the mark of the name of the beast or the number of his name; and the number is six hundred and sixty-six,” that is, six times a hundred, six times ten, and six units. [He gives this] as a summing up of the whole of that apostasy which has taken place during six thousand years.For in as many days as this world was made, in so many thousand years shall it be concluded. And for this reason the Scripture says: “Thus the heaven and the earth were finished, and all their adornment. And God broughtto a conclusion upon the sixth day the works that He had made; and God rested upon the seventh day from all His works.” This is an account of the things formerly created, as also it is a prophecy of what is to come. For the day of the Lord is as a thousand years; and in six days created things were completed: it is evident, therefore, that they will come to an end at the sixth thousand year…. He says, “Whosoever shall have left lands, or houses, or parents, or brethren, or children because of Me, he shall receive in this world an hundred-fold, and in that to come he shall inherit eternal life.” … These are [to take place] in the times of the kingdom, that is, upon the seventh day, which has been sanctified, in which God rested from all the works which He created, which is the true Sabbath of the righteous …If, however, any shall endeavour to allegorize [prophecies] of this kind, they shall not be found consistent with themselves in all points, and shall be confuted by the teaching of the very expressions [in question].(Irenaeus. Adversus haereses, Book V, 28:2-3,33:2, 35:1. Excerpted from Ante-Nicene Fathers, Volume 1. Edited by Alexander Roberts & James Donaldson. American Edition, 1885)

The Roman Catholic Church, in spite of the fact that it admits that many of its early saints taught the millennium, now strongly condemns this belief. Notice:

676 The Antichrist’s deception already begins to take shape in the world every time the claim is made to realize within history that messianic hope which can only be realized beyond history through the eschatological judgment. The Church has rejected even modified forms of this falsification of the kingdom to come under the name of millenarianism, especially the “intrinsically perverse” political form of a secular messianism. (Catechism of the Catholic Church. Imprimatur Potest +Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger. Doubleday, NY 1995, p. 194).

It should be noted that the millennial teaching appears to be the only doctrine associated with Antichrist that is condemned in the current official Catechism of the Catholic Church (which was the first new one in hundreds of years). The one that has the imprimatur of Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger who is now called Pope Emeritus and formerly Benedict XVI.

Notice something else that Victorinus wrote:

And when for man’s salvation He was made man to overcome death, and to set all men free, and that He offered Himself a victim to the Father on our behalf, He was called a calf. (Commentary on the Apocalypse, Chapter 4 verses 7-10)

And it is true that Jesus came for all, not just the elect.

Perhaps it should also be added that researcher and Professor Ilaria Ramelli felt that Victorinus taught Apokatastasis (Ramelli I. The Christian Doctrine of Apokatastasis: A Critical Assessment from the New Testament to Eriugena (Supplements to Vigiliae Christianae). Brill, 2013, pp. 608-614), which was something that Cardinal Ratzinger had condemned.

It tends to amaze me that some associated with the Church of Rome do not realize that many of their “saints” held positions that are so strongly condemned by the current Roman Catholic Church.

Some articles of related interest, which contain many scriptures to search to verify what I am saying, include the following:

Did The Early Church Teach Millenarianism? Was the millennium (sometimes called chiliasm) taught by early Christians? Who condemned it? Will Jesus literally reign for 1000 years on the earth? Is this time near? Two related sermons are available Millennial Utopia and The Millennium.
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.
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?
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 Sabbath in the Early Church and Abroad Was the seventh-day (Saturday) Sabbath observed by the apostolic and post-apostolic Church? Here is a related sermon video The Christian Sabbath and How and Why to Keep It.
Some Doctrines of Antichrist Are there any doctrines taught outside the Churches of God which can be considered as doctrines of antichrist? This article suggests at least three. It also provides information on 666 and the identity of “the false prophet”. Plus it shows that several Catholic writers seem to warn about an ecumenical antipope that will support heresy. You can also watch a video titled What Does the Bible teach about the Antichrist?
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.
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 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.

Thousands gather at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem this morning, for the Holy Fire ceremony pic.twitter.com/9Pnrp8cQAd

— Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) April 23, 2022

Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem today; thousands in attendance at the Holy Fire ceremony pic.twitter.com/MoHyT27Sqd

— Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) April 23, 2022

COGwriter

Tomorrow is celebrated as Pascha by the Eastern/Greek Orthodox (which is the Greek word for Passover) and is known as ‘Easter‘ to Protestants and Roman Catholics. The day before (which is today this year) they believe a miracle occurs, which they call ‘Holy Fire.’ Here is something related to it:

April 15, 2023

Christian worshippers thronged Jerusalem’s Old City and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre on Saturday to celebrate the ceremony of the “Holy Fire,” an ancient, mysterious ritual that has sparked tensions this year with the police and authorities.

In the annual ceremony that has persisted for over a millennium, a flame — kindled in some miraculous way in the heart of Jesus’ tomb — is used to light the candles of fervent believers in Greek Orthodox communities near and far.

Little by little, the darkened church is irradiated by tiny patches of light, which eventually illuminate the whole building as the resurrection of Jesus is proclaimed. Chartered planes then ferry the flickering lanterns to Russia, Greece and beyond with great fanfare. https://www.timesofisrael.com/christians-flock-to-jerusalem-holy-fire-ritual-scuffles-with-police-over-crowd-size/

This ceremony was not part of the original Christian faith.

Here is more information about the history, etc. about it:

Where and when does the miracle occur?

The ceremony … takes place in the Church of the Resurrection in Jerusalem. The date for Pascha is determined anew for every year. It must be a first Sunday after the spring equinox and Jewish Passover. Therefore, most of the time it differs from the date of Catholic and Protestant Easter, which is determined using different criteria. The Holy Fire is the most renowned miracle in the world of Eastern Orthodoxy. It has taken place at the same time, in the same manner, in the same place every single year for centuries. No other miracle is known to occur so regularly and so steadily over time. No other miracle is known to occur so regularly and so steadily over time. It happens in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, the holiest place on earth[2], where Christ was crucified, entombed, and where He finally rose from the dead. …

Typically they wait from the afternoon of Holy Friday in anticipation of the miracle on Holy Saturday. Beginning at around 11:00 in the morning the Christian Arabs chant traditional hymns in a loud voice. These chants date back to the Turkish occupation of Jerusalem in the 13th century, a period in which the Christians were not allowed to chant anywhere but in the churches. “We are the Christians, we have been Christians for centuries, and we shall be forever and ever. Amen!” – they chant at the top of their voices accompanied by the sound of drums. The drummers sit on the shoulders of others who dance vigorously around the Holy Ciborium. But at 1:00 pm the chants fade out, and then there is a silence. A tense silence, charged from the anticipation of the great demonstration of God’s power for all to witness. Shortly thereafter, a delegation from the local authorities elbows its way through the crowd. At the time of the Turkish occupation of Palestine they were Muslim Turks; today they are Israelis. Their function is to represent the Romans at the time of Jesus. The Gospels speak of the Romans that went to seal the tomb of Jesus, so that his disciples would not steal his body and claim he had risen. In the same way the Israeli authorities on this Holy Saturday come and seal the tomb with wax. Before they seal the door, they follow a custom to enter the tomb, and to check for any hidden source of fire, which would make a fraud of the miracle.(http://www.holyfire.org/eng/, viewed 04/11/15)

Irrespective of where Jesus was killed, entombed, and rose from the dead, the Bible does not endorse that the possibility that leaders of the Eastern/Greek Orthodox could be involved in regular true miracles from Him. Furthermore, according to the Bible, the Passover is to be observed at night and on the 14th day of the first month of the biblical calendar–Eastern Orthodox scholars know this, but ignore when and how the true Passover is to be observed.

Of course, real Christians do not believe that the ‘Holy Fire’ ceremony is a God-ordained miracle. The Eastern Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem should have the integrity to tell people the truth about this, but never does. The Bible itself warns about deceivers and forms of deception (2 Timothy 3:13).

Here are a couple of Wikipedia comments related to it:

Holy Fire

The Holy Fire (Greek Ἃγιον Φῶς, “Holy Light“) is described by Christians as a miracle that occurs every year at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem on Holy Saturday, the day preceding Orthodox Easter. It is considered by many to be the longest-attested annual miracle in the Christian world. (Holy Fire. Wikipedia, April 4, 2010).

Some, however, who have been associated with it question it and understand that this is not a miracle of God. Furthermore, I noticed that Wikipedia removed the statement “It is considered by many to be the longest-attested annual miracle in the Christian world” from the above article. In 2013, Wikipedia had the following statements:

Holy Fire

The Holy Fire (Greek Ἃγιον Φῶς, “Holy Light“) is described by Christians as a miracle that occurs every year at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem on Holy Saturday, the day preceding Orthodox Easter.

Description

Orthodox tradition holds that the Holy Fire is a miracle that happens annually on the day preceding Orthodox Easter, in which a blue light emanates either from the dome of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre or from the slab believed to be the “Stone of Anointing” upon which Jesus’ body was prepared for burial, which eventually forms a column containing a form of fire, from which candles are lit, which are then used to light the candles of the clergy and pilgrims in attendance. Pilgrims and clergy claim that the Holy Fire does not burn them.

The Holy Fire is brought to certain Orthodox countries, such as in Georgia, Greece, Russia, Belarus, Cyprus, Serbia, Montenegro, Bulgaria, Romania, Moldova, Ukraine, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Macedonia, every year by special flights, being received with honors by state leaders at the respective airports.

History

The Holy Fire is first mentioned by the pilgrim Bernard the Monk, in 870 AD.[5] A detailed description of this phenomenon is contained in the travelogue of the Russian hegumen Daniil (Daniel), who was present at the ceremony in 1106 AD…

Criticism

As with all alleged miracles, many question the validity of the Holy Fire, noting, for instance, that cold-handed pilgrims generally withstand the fire for the same very brief periods of time as can be achieved with any fire.

Criticism dates at least to the days of Islamic rule of Jerusalem, but the pilgrims were never stopped, because of the significant revenue they brought to local governments even at the end of the first millennium. When the apparently uninitiated Crusaders took over the Orthodox clergy in charge of the fire, it failed to appear, increasing the skepticism among Western Christians. But feeling the lack of pilgrim revenues, Baldwin I of Jerusalem reinstated the Orthodox priests in charge, and the fire, as well as the stream of revenues, returned.

In 1238, Pope Gregory IX denounced the Holy Fire as a fraud and forbade Franciscans from participating in the ceremony.

The Ottoman traveller, Evliya Celebi, claimed that a hidden zinc jar of naphtha was dripped down a chain by a hidden monk…

Dobrokhotov and other critics, including Russian Orthodox researcher Nikolay Uspensky,Dr. Aleksandr Musin of Sorbonne, and some Old Believers quote excerpts from the diaries of Bishop Porphyrius (Uspensky) (1804–1885) which told that the clergy in Jerusalem knew that the Holy Fire was fraudulent. (Holy Fire. Wikipedia, May 5, 2013)

So, this ‘holy fire’ event supposedly began over eight centuries after the resurrection of Jesus. Hence, it is certainly not an original Christian practice, and I (and many others) do not believe that it is a miracle from God.

Why is there any importance of this at this Church of God News page?

Because the Bible warns that someone will come with signs and lying wonders to mislead the world:

8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. 9 The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, 10 and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, 12 that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. (2 Thessalonians 2:8-12)

Furthermore, “fire from heaven” will be one of those signs:

11 Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon. 12 And he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence, and causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. 13 He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. 14 And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived. (Revelation 13:11-15)

By currently believing in “holy fire” many Orthodox are unknowingly setting themselves up to accept the signs and lying wonders that the Bible warns about. The acceptance of signs and lying wonders over the truth of the Bible is part of Satan’s Plan. All, including the non-Orthodox, need to understand that signs and wonders are NOT of themselves proof that something is of God, including the annual ritual of “holy fire.”

So, when reports come out about this, please realize that just because fire is shown, does not mean that God caused it.

I should also add that, unlike many American Roman Catholics and Protestants, the Eastern Orthodox realize that what is called ‘Easter’ is really supposed to be Passover. However, like the Roman Catholics and the Protestants, the Orthodox do not observe Passover like the early Christians did (and the faithful still do) or even when they did (Nisan 14, and the Orthodox realize that this was the original date that many that they claimed to descend from observed).

Easter was NOT celebrated by early Christians. They observed actual Passover which occurs in the evening. Notice that even the Eastern Orthodox realize this:

Pascha is the feast of universal redemption. Our earliest sources for the an­nual celebration of the Christian Pascha come to us from the second century…The feast, however, must have originated in the apostolic period…According to the earliest documents, Pascha is described as a nocturnal celebration … (Calivas, Alkiviadis C. The Origins of Pascha and Great Week – Part I. Holy Cross Orthodox Press, 1992. Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, http://www.goarch.org/ourfaith/ourfaith8504 viewed 11/04/2011)

Yet, they and others do not observe it when or how the early Christians did.

In addition, notice what a respected Protestant scholar reported about the second century:

The most important in this festival was the passover day, the 14th of Nisan … In it they ate unleavened bread, probably like the Jews, eight days through … there is no trace of a yearly festival of the resurrection among them … the Christians of Asia Minor appealed in favor of their passover solemnity on the 14th Nisan to John (Gieseler, Johann Karl Ludwig. A Text-book of Church History. Translated by Samuel Davidson, John Winstanley Hull, Mary A. Robinson. Harper & brothers, 1857, Original from the University of Michigan, Digitized Feb 17, 2006, p. 166).

Notice also:

The first Christians celebrated the death of Jesus with a Pascha meal (eucharist) on the lunar date of the Jewish Passover (note 1 Cor. 5:7-8).

At first there was no annual celebration of the resurrection. Eventually, in the gentile world, the day of resurrection was added to the Pascha festival. That day was Sunday. At the Council of Nicea (325) it was ruled that Easter Sunday would be celebrated on the Sunday immediately following that full moon which came after the vernal equinox. At the same time the Council decided that the vernal equinox would be March 21 in the Julian calendar (Eusebius, Vit. Const. 3.18). (Synder GF. Irish Jesus, Roman Jesus: the formation of early Irish Christianity. Trinity Press International, 2002, p. 183)

While some will make excuses, early Christians did not celebrate an Easter morning resurrection holiday.

Samuele Bacchiocchi noted that the change to Easter-Sunday and to a weekly Sunday was due to persecution (the new Gentile hierarchy he is referring to are Greek bishops in Jerusalem, which took over after the rebellion was crushed):

The actual introduction of Easter-Sunday appears to have occurred earlier in Palestine after Emperor Hadrian ruthlessly crushed the Barkokeba revolt (A.D. 132-135)…

The fact that the Passover controversy arose when Emperor Hadrian adopted new repressive measures against Jewish religious practices suggests that such measures influenced the new Gentile hierarchy to change the date of Passover from Nisan 14 to the following Sunday (Easter-Sunday) in order to show separation and differentiation from the Jews and the Jewish Christians…

A whole body of Against the Jews literature was produced by leading Fathers who defamed the Jews as a people and emptied their religious beliefs and practices of any historical value. Two major causalities of the anti-Jewish campaign were Sabbath and Passover. The Sabbath was changed to Sunday and Passover was transferred to Easter-Sunday.

Scholars usually recognize the anti-Judaic motivation for the repudiation of the Jewish reckoning of Passover and adoption of Easter-Sunday instead. Joachim Jeremias attributes such a development to “the inclination to break away from Judaism.” In a similar vein, J.B. Lightfoot explains that Rome and Alexandria adopted Easter-Sunday to avoid “even the semblance of Judaism” (Bacchiocchi S. God’s Festival in Scripture and History. Biblical Perspectives. Befriend Springs (MI), 1995, pp. 101,102,103).

Other compromises also occurred, which is why the date is named in English after the Babylonian fertility goddess Ishtar.

Anyway, God HAS NOT BEEN PROVIDING HOLY FIRE ON THESE ORTHODOX ANNUAL SATURDAYS. Those who believe that He did are deceived. Partially, because of that deception, they accept a compromised religion that IS NOT “the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3).

Of course, even if you are not Eastern Orthodox, you need to consider whether or not you believe and practice the original faith that is laid out in the Bible (see Continuing History of the Church of God), and even if you somewhat do, if you are supporting the truest Christian church (see Where is the True Christian Church Today?).

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

Satan’s Plan Does Satan have a plan? What is it? Has it already been successful? Will it be successful in the future? Here are links to a two-part sermon series: What are Some of the Parts of Satan’s Plan? and Satan’s Plan is More Dramatic than Many Realize.
Beliefs of the Original Catholic Church. Did the original “catholic church” have doctrines held by the Continuing Church of God? Did Church of God leaders uses the term “catholic church” to ever describe the church they were part of? Here are links to related sermons: Original Catholic Church of God?, Original Catholic Doctrine: Creed, Liturgy, Baptism, Passover, and What Type of Catholic was Polycarp of Smyrna?, Tradition, Holy Days, Salvation, Dress, & Celibacy, and Early Heresies and Heretics, and Doctrines: 3 Days, Abortion, Ecumenism, Meats, Tithes, Crosses, Destiny, and more, and Saturday or Sunday?, The Godhead, Apostolic Laying on of Hands Succession, and Church in the Wilderness Apostolic Succession List.
Passover and the Early Church Did the early Christians observe Passover? What did Jesus and Paul teach? Why did Jesus die for our sins? There is also a detailed YouTube video available titled History of the Christian Passover.
Did Early Christians Celebrate Easter? If not, when did this happen? Where did Easter come from? What do scholars and the Bible reveal? Here is a link to a video titled Why Easter?
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.
Two Horned Beast of Revelation and 666 Who is 666? This article explains how the CCOG views this, and compares this to Ellen White.
Some Similarities and Differences Between the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Continuing Church of God Both groups claim to be the original church, but both groups have differing ways to claim it. Both groups have some amazing similarities and some major differences. Do you know what they are? Here is a link to a related sermon: Eastern Orthodox 40+ Similar Beliefs to the CCOG.
Some Doctrines of Antichrist Are there any doctrines taught outside the Churches of God which can be considered as doctrines of antichrist? This article suggests at least three. It also provides information on 666 and the identity of “the false prophet.” Plus it shows that several Catholic writers seem to warn about an ecumenical antipope that will support heresy.
Why Should American Catholics Fear Unity with the Orthodox? Are the current ecumenical meetings a good thing or will they result in disaster? Is doctrinal compromise good? Here is a link to a related video Should you be concerned about the ecumenical movement?
Beware: Protestants Going Towards Ecumenical Destruction! What is going on in the Protestant world? Are Protestants turning back to their ‘mother church’ in Rome? Does the Bible warn about this? What are Catholic plans and prophecies related to this? Is Protestantism doomed? There is also a video: Charismatic Kenneth Copeland and Anglican Tony Palmer: Protestants Beware!
Orthodox Must Reject Unity with the Roman Catholics Unity between these groups will put them in position to be part of the final end time Babylon that the Bible warns against as well as require improper compromise.
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.

COGwriter

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

1:10:14

7th Commandment: Love and Faithfulness

The Seventh Commandment teaches that people are not to commit adultery. Why? What is adultery? What about fornication, masturbation, pornography, fantasy sex, sexting, and same-sex relations? Are there societal costs for violating the 7th Commandment? What about crime and disease? What did Jesus say about marriage, adultery, and divorce? Is there such a thing as spiritual adultery? Were Sodom and Gomorrah destroyed for their abominations and going after ‘strange flesh’? Was Sodom also destroyed for pride? Do those destroyed in Sodom and Gomorrah have any possible hope? Does the Bible condemn cross-dressing? Does the Bible teach the condoning of homosexual and lesbian relationships? Could marriage be a God-plane relationship teaching us about Christ and His church? Was adultery called a sin before God wrote the Ten Commandments down on Mt. Sinai? Should all that breathe be concerned about avoiding sexual immorality? Were problems with sexual immorality prophesied for the last days? Is marriage supposed to be about love and not lust? What about faithfulness?

Here is a link to the sermon: 7th Commandment: Love and Faithfulness.

Some items of possible interest may include:

FIRST COMMANDMENT: Priorities and the Most Broken Commandment Which commandment is broken the most? Which one is most involved with what should be your top priority? Here is a link to a related sermon: The Most Violated Commandment and Priorities.
SECOND COMMANDMENT: What Did the Early Church Teach About Idols and Icons? Did the early Church use icons? What was the position of Christians about such things? A related sermon is available: The Second Commandment, Idols, and Icons.
THIRD COMMANDMENT: Words Matter Are you obeying the Third Commandment? Are you sure? Could you be blaspheming with your euphemisms or life actions? Here is a link to a related sermon: Third Commandment Plus: Words Matter. Here is a link to a shorter video: Was Increased Cursing Prophesied?
FOURTH COMMANDMENT: The Sabbath in the Early Church and Abroad Was the seventh-day (Saturday) Sabbath observed by the apostolic and post-apostolic Church? Here is a link to a related sermon: Fourth Commandment: Saturday or Sunday?
FIFTH COMMANDMENT: Honor and Be Honorable The fifth commandment involves family relationships. Is it more than parents and children? What about love and ruling well your household? Here is a link to a related sermon: Honor Your Parents and Rule Honorably.
SIXTH COMMANDMENT: Anger, Murder, Abortion, Sports, Self-Control, & Kindness Is there more to the 6th commandment than not murdering? What about abortion, hate, and violent sports? What is the attitude real Christians should have? Here is a link to a related sermon:: Murder, anger, kindness, and love.
SEVENTH COMMANDMENT: Love and Faithfulness, Not Sexual Immorality The seventh commandment prohibits adultery. Jesus made it clear that it involved more than marital infiedlity. What about the LGBTQ+ movement and the Bible? Here is a link to a related video sermon: 7th Commandment: Love and Faithfulness.
The Ten Commandments in Hebrew This is a photo of a Hebrew document from the 2nd century, B.C.
Husbands Love Your Wives An article written by the late Selmer Hegvold.
Dating: A Key to Success in Marriage, a practical dating guide for Christians This is a scripture-filled dating guide. It discusses many aspects of dating, as well as who to not consider for marriage. Two related sermons are available: The Art of Christian Dating. and No One to Date? Teen Q&A? Engagement? 2nd Marriage? A short animation is also available: First Date: Worldly vs. Christian.
Love, Marriage, and Sex It is important to get them in the right order.
God Created Marriage Some falsely claim that God did not create marriage and that fornication is fine.  What does the Bible really teach? Here is a version in Mandarin Chinese y^R ZZYû.
Making Your Marriage Work Marriage is not always easy, but it pictures a divine relationship. How can you make your marriage work? Here is a link to the video sermon: You Can Make YOUR Marriage Work.
Why sex and marriage? What are each spouse’s responsibilities regarding sex in the marriage? What is not allowed according to God’s word? Why is there sex and why is there marriage? Parental discretion is advised as to whether or not everything in this article is now appropriate for their children. Dr. Thiel goes over scriptures, The Missing Dimension in Sex, and provides answers to questions many have had. A related sermon is available: Sex and Marriage. Here is that sermon in the Spanish language: Matrimonio y sexo.
Are any types of birth control scripturally allowed? Did Jesus make a statement that might be consistent with birth control? Are there any methods that might be appropriate? What methods would be biblically prohibited? Here is a link a related video: Can Christians Use Birth Control?
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. Did the original “catholic church” have doctrines held by the Continuing Church of God? Did Church of God leaders uses the term “catholic church” to ever describe the church they were part of? Here are links to related sermons: Original Catholic Church of God? , Original Catholic Doctrine: Creed, Liturgy, Baptism, Passover, and What Type of Catholic was Polycarp of Smyrna?, Tradition, Holy Days, Salvation, Dress, & Celibacy, and Early Heresies and Heretics, and Doctrines: 3 Days, Abortion, Ecumenism, Meats, Tithes, Crosses, Destiny, and more, and Saturday or Sunday?, The Godhead, Apostolic Laying on of Hands Succession, and Church in the Wilderness Apostolic Succession List.
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.

⚡️Today in #Crypto – 14th April

📰1/ Cryptic ‘$APT’ @elonmusk Tweet Pushes #Aptos Price Over $13
✔️Elon Musk is no stranger to making odd tweets that inadvertently affect the prices of major #Crypto assets and #Stock prices.
✔️His latest mentioned ‘$APT,’ the symbol used for the… pic.twitter.com/uiz1IIkKWs

— Dash 2 Trade (@dash2_trade) April 14, 2023

COGwriter

A reader sent me a link to the following:

THE IMF HAS JUST UNVEILED A NEW GLOBAL CURRENCY KNOWN AS THE “UNIVERSAL MONETARY UNIT” THAT IS SUPPOSED TO REVOLUTIONIZE THE WORLD ECONOMY

A new global currency just launched, but 99 percent of the global population has no idea what just happened.  The “Universal Monetary Unit”, also known as “Unicoin”, is an “international central bank digital currency” that has been designed to work in conjunction with all existing national currencies.  This should set off alarm bells for all of us, because the widespread adoption of a new “global currency” would be a giant step forward for the globalist agenda.  The IMF did not create this new currency, but it was unveiled at a major IMF gathering earlier this week…

The DCMA introduces Universal Monetary Unit as Crypto 2.0 because it innovates a new wave of cryptographic technologies for realizing a digital currency public monetary system with a widespread adoption framework encompassing use cases for all constituencies in a global economy.

I don’t know about you, but this sounds super shady to me.

Of course the Digital Currency Monetary Authority is not the only one that has been working on a new digital currency.

The UK has also been working on one.

The same is true for the European Union. …

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is putting together a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) handbook to assist central banks and governments throughout the world in their CBDC rollouts.

Published publicly on April 10, the “IMF Approach to Central Bank Digital Currency Capacity Development” report outlines the IMF’s multi-year strategy for aiding CBDC rollouts, including the development of a living “CBDC Handbook” for monetary authorities to follow. 04/13/23 https://www.blacklistednews.com/article/84540/the-imf-has-just-unveiled-a-new-global-currency-known-as-the-universal-monetary-unit-that-is.html

Earlier this year Klaus Schwab, the head of the World Economic Forum (WEF), called for its supporters to “master the future” (see WEF wants to ‘master the future’–CBDCs are part of the way).

The WEF is also basically stating that CBDCs are inevitable:

As digital currencies become more popular, could we be seeing the end of cash?

High-interest rates, as we are seeing today, incentivize consumers to deposit or save money. … high central bank interest rates certainly play a role in decreasing the amount of cash in circulation. … In turn, a decline in cash is already starting to occur in some economies. For example, currency in circulation fell from 10.4% of the GDP in the United States in 2021 to 8.6% in 2022; for the Eurozone, it fell from 10.1% of GDP in 2021 to 9.8% in 2022. …

Towards cashless society

The question is no longer if digital cash will arrive but when and how. Today, 90% of central banks are developing a central bank digital currency (CBDC) and 62% are experimenting at the proof-of-concept stage – the share of countries developing a CBDC or running a pilot doubled from 14% to 26% between 2020 and 2021.

Interestingly, 76% of nations working on a retail CBDC are exploring interoperability with existing payment systems. This move would encourage the coexistence of central and commercial bank money and speed up the widespread adoption of CBDCs.

Central banks in nations representing about one-fifth of the world’s population will likely issue general-purpose CBDCs in the next two years. 03/15/23 https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2023/03/could-we-be-seeing-the-end-of-cash-digital-currency/

Notice also the following related item that readers tipped me off to:

While Most Are Distracted, the IMF Just Rolled Out a One-World Currency

The IMF said in a statement that UMU functions like a CBDC and is a legal and global money commodity. The purpose of this particular iteration of a CBDCs is to make sure banking regulations are enforced, as well as to protect “the financial integrity of the international banking system.”

This currency will be used by banks via SWIFT codes and bank accounts linked to a UMU digital wallet.

The scheme is supposed to allow for digital cross-border payments modeled after SWIFT, and promises best wholesale exchange rates of settlement currencies and real-time settlement, “while bypassing the correspondent banking system.” 04/13/23 https://discern.tv/imf-unveils-unicoin-a-global-cbdc/

The Orwellian nature of CBDCs cannot be overstated. In a cashless society most people would be dependent on digital products for exchanging goods and labor, and this would of course mean the end of all privacy in trade. Everything you buy or sell or work for in your life would be recorded, and this lack of anonymity could be used to stifle your freedoms in the future. …

In the worst case scenario, though, economic access is the greatest oppressive tool. With CBDCs in place and no physical cash in existence, your savings will never be truly yours and you’ll never be able to hold your purchasing power in your hands. The means of exchange would be bottle-necked by the banks, and governments would have the option to freeze your ability to transact. If one day you get angry about a particular government policy and openly call the system corrupt on social media, they can simply shut off your option to transfer your digital money to others until you submit, or die.

CBDCs give establishment officials the leverage to starve their political opponents with algorithmic precision. It would be a new world of technocratic oppression. 04/11/23 https://discernreport.com/project-icebreaker-the-beginning-of-a-one-world-digital-currency-system/

The Bible says that a coming totalitarian European Beast power will control buying and selling–reduction of cash use and some type of electronic currency seems to be required for this.

The move in that direction was #13 of my list of 23 items to prophetically watch in 2023:

13. CBDC and 666

Notice the following prophecy:

16 He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, 17 and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

18 Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666. (Revelation 13:16-18)

This type of financial surveillance could not have happened during the time of the Apostle John as there was no real way to monitor many financial transactions then (despite the fact that ‘preterists’ believe this was fulfilled almost 2000 years ago, see also The Dangerous Rise of Preterists). The same was true for all the centuries that followed until the late 20th and now the 21st century. But now not only does the technology exist to monitor most financial transactions, the political will is there as well.

It will be a European power that will fulfill the above prophecy of 666 (watch Can You Prove that the Beast to Come is European?).

It will likely take computers aided with artificial intelligence to aid in the fulfillment of the scriptures in Revelation 13:15-18, as well as cyber-spying/monitoring. I do believe that cyber monitoring will be used by the European Beast, King of the North, 666 power. …

Knowledge and monitoring of financial transactions is greatly increasing.

Europe has claimed that it will be the dominant force in cryptocurrency.

While 2023 will not see a cashless world, expect to see more movements towards monitorable payments.

Expect to see more steps related to Central Bank Digital Currencies in 2023.

Biblically, we know that 666 financial controls will be put in place in Europe, and likely elsewhere.

The move towards Central Bank Digital Currencies looks to make that easier.

Control and elimination of cash are goals associated with CBDCs, the IMF. and the WEF.

According to the Bible (cf. Revelation 13:1-18), a coming European beast power will control buying and selling:

16 He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, 17 and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

18 Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666. (Revelation 13:16-18)

The coming 666 European Beast power will take steps to shoot for eliminating 100% of cash if possible. As far as when, probably by 2028. And that currency could be in place BEFORE the European Beast power rises up.

As far as Europe’s digital plans go, back in January 2022, the Continuing Church of God (CCOG) put out the following video on our Bible News Prophecy YouTube channel:

9:03

EU to be ‘Sheriff’ of BitCoin & Digital Currencies

Will Bitcoin remain unregulated? The European Union does not think it should be and it released a paper titled “Proposal for EU Regulation on Markets in Crypto-Assets.” Christine Lagarde, president of the European Central Bank, earlier endorsed EU regulation of crypto and digital currencies. A Belgian declared that the EU was the “new Sheriff in town” to deal with the “wild west” of Bitcoin, blockchain, and other cryptocurrencies. The European Union now also has the European Public Prosecutor’s Office in operation, mainly to deal with financial matters? Will the Europeans end up controlling buying and selling associated with 666 in Revelation 13:16-18? Is Europe taking preliminary steps to do so now? Dr. Thiel address these issues.

Here is a link to our video: EU to be ‘Sheriff’ of BitCoin & Digital Currencies.

The European Public Prosecutor’s Office officially started operations on 1 June 2021 (https://www.eppo.europa.eu/en/background).

So, yes, there is an enforcer for 666.

The world in general, as well as Europe in particular, is moving more towards a cashless society with digital controls.

Yes, more digital currency use is coming.

The surveilling time of controlling buying and selling-666-is coming.

The Continuing Church of God (CCOG) also put together the following video related to digital currencies on our Bible News Prophecy YouTube channel:

14:17

Cashlessness and 1984

The government of Belgium is in the process of ordering small businesses to accept credit cards. In Sweden more and more cashless transactions are occurring. The European Central Bank as well as the government of the United States is working on developing Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs). Could this be used for ‘1984’ type monitoring? Is something like this needed for ‘666’ control of buying and selling as warned in the Book of Revelation? Does the European Union now have a unit that could do ‘666’ monitoring? What about the use of gold? Steve Dupuie asks Dr. Thiel various questions related to these topics.

Here is a link to our video: Cashlessness and 1984.

Are you paying attention to what is going on in the world?

Steps towards ‘666’ are clearly happening.

Yes, Europe will adopt some type of digital currency.

For a time it will “master the future” under a totalitarian dictator.

Probably by 2028.

The WEF and many are working towards that.

But the good news is that it will one day be replaced by the coming Kingdom of God.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

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”?
United Nations: Humankind’s Last Hope or New World Order? Is the UN the last hope for humanity? Or might its goals end up with sinister results? A related video would be United Nations and Vatican Are Planning the New World Order.
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.
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

SWIFT stands for the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication, legally S.W.I.F.T. SC. It is a Belgian cooperative society providing services related to the execution of financial transactions and payments between banks worldwide. Its system is used for many cross-border financial transactions.

As the tweet at the beginning of this post shows, the SWIFT international payment system ran tests to see how well Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) would handle cross-border transactions. Here is information from the link in that tweet:

Central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) are clearly gaining momentum. But as central banks around the world continue to explore the potential use of central bank-backed digital money in their local markets, how can we ensure that the evolving global payments landscape can continue to seamlessly interoperate, regardless of the form value takes?

Enabling interoperability alongside emerging innovations is a key focus for us at Swift, and a key challenge for the financial industry as digital currencies develop. According to the Atlantic Council, more than 110 countries are currently exploring a CBDC; and a recent survey by the OMFIF Digital Monetary Institute found that almost a quarter are expecting to launch within the next one or two years.   …

We’ve now tested that solution in a sandbox environment with 18 central and commercial banks. Participants expressed strong support for the solution’s continued development, noting that it enabled seamless exchange of CBDCs, even those built on different platforms.

“Our experiments have shown the critical role that Swift can play in a financial ecosystem in which digital and traditional currencies co-exist,” says Tom Zschach, Chief Innovation Officer at Swift.

“Our solution has been successfully tested across almost 5,000 transactions between two different blockchain networks and a traditional fiat currency, and we’re delighted to have the support of our community in developing it further. Many participants have made clear their desire for continued collaboration on interoperability, and this is particularly pleasing,” he says. 03/09/23 https://www.swift.com/news-events/news/successful-testing-paves-way-cbdc-use-cross-border

Earlier this year Klaus Schwab, the head of the World Economic Forum (WEF), called for its supporters to “master the future” (see WEF wants to ‘master the future’–CBDCs are part of the way).

The WEF is now basically stating that CBDCs are inevitable:

As digital currencies become more popular, could we be seeing the end of cash?

High-interest rates, as we are seeing today, incentivize consumers to deposit or save money. … high central bank interest rates certainly play a role in decreasing the amount of cash in circulation. … In turn, a decline in cash is already starting to occur in some economies. For example, currency in circulation fell from 10.4% of the GDP in the United States in 2021 to 8.6% in 2022; for the Eurozone, it fell from 10.1% of GDP in 2021 to 9.8% in 2022. …

Towards cashless society

The question is no longer if digital cash will arrive but when and how. Today, 90% of central banks are developing a central bank digital currency (CBDC) and 62% are experimenting at the proof-of-concept stage – the share of countries developing a CBDC or running a pilot doubled from 14% to 26% between 2020 and 2021.

Interestingly, 76% of nations working on a retail CBDC are exploring interoperability with existing payment systems. This move would encourage the coexistence of central and commercial bank money and speed up the widespread adoption of CBDCs.

Central banks in nations representing about one-fifth of the world’s population will likely issue general-purpose CBDCs in the next two years. 03/15/23 https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2023/03/could-we-be-seeing-the-end-of-cash-digital-currency/

Notice also the following:

WEF Admits CBDC Is Inevitable

The World Economic Forum has admitted that central bank digital currency (CBDC) is inevitable. That means the ruling class is going to make sure the slaves stay enslaved forever, and they want you to know they have all the power, and you have none.

We have known for a long time that those who want power need to ultimately control and see every single transaction made by every single human being alive. For that, they need a CBDC, and that is the endgame. …

With the banks collapsing, the rulers could very well turn around and “save” the public by introducing the new permanent slave system, or their CBDC scheme. 03/17/23 https://www.sgtreport.com/2023/03/wef-admits-cbdc-is-inevitable/

The Bible says that a coming totalitarian European Beast power will control buying and selling–reduction of cash use and some type of electronic currency seems to be required for this.

The move in that direction was #13 of my list of 23 items to prophetically watch in 2023:

13. CBDC and 666

Notice the following prophecy:

16 He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, 17 and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

18 Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666. (Revelation 13:16-18)

This type of financial surveillance could not have happened during the time of the Apostle John as there was no real way to monitor many financial transactions then (despite the fact that ‘preterists’ believe this was fulfilled almost 2000 years ago, see also The Dangerous Rise of Preterists). The same was true for all the centuries that followed until the late 20th and now the 21st century. But now not only does the technology exist to monitor most financial transactions, the political will is there as well.

It will be a European power that will fulfill the above prophecy of 666 (watch Can You Prove that the Beast to Come is European?).

It will likely take computers aided with artificial intelligence to aid in the fulfillment of the scriptures in Revelation 13:15-18, as well as cyber-spying/monitoring. I do believe that cyber monitoring will be used by the European Beast, King of the North, 666 power. …

Knowledge and monitoring of financial transactions is greatly increasing.

Europe has claimed that it will be the dominant force in cryptocurrency.

While 2023 will not see a cashless world, expect to see more movements towards monitorable payments.

Expect to see more steps related to Central Bank Digital Currencies in 2023.

Biblically, we know that 666 financial controls will be put in place in Europe, and likely elsewhere.

The move towards Central Bank Digital Currencies looks to make that easier.

Notice the following related to that:

January 17, 2023

The game-changing development could have a profound impact on the banking system. But few people still understand it.

“Central-bank digital currency” doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue. But you might want to get used to saying it. These so-called CBDCs, or digital versions of dollars, yuan, euros, yen or any other currency, are coming, say those who study them. And depending on how they are designed and rolled out, their impact on the banking system could be profound.

One hundred and fourteen countries are exploring digital currencies, and their collective economies represent more than 95% of the world’s GDP, …

Generally, however, CBDCs can be roughly divided into two types: those designed for use by financial institutions and those designed for use by the general public. …

The first type is just a new way for central banks to transfer money to commercial banks. …

The second type of CBDC is a digital version of fiat money made available to the general public through accounts held by a central bank or a commercial bank. From the perspective of a regular person or business, this kind of CBDC isn’t any different from the electronic money in their bank accounts today—it’s just a digital dollar. What makes these kinds of CBDCs special is that they are created, and held, in accounts that a central bank has direct access to. If another pandemic happened, for example, the Fed could just deposit stimulus “checks” into every U.S. citizen’s digital-currency account.

This type of CBDC represents a departure from the way money is created and distributed today, in that everyday people would now have accounts, or “wallets” that contain money created by their country’s central bank itself, instead of by their commercial bank. It represents a profound shift for central banks, from their traditional role as providers of money to a country’s banking and financial system, to connecting directly with everyday people. https://www.technocracy.news/wsj-central-bank-digital-currencies-are-coming-ready-or-not/

Notice also the following

When broken, debt-soaked “developed economies” suffering from years of fantasy money printing to “solve” fatally rising debt levels collide with history-blind and economically-ignorant policy makers, the end result is always the same: Liberty sinks, currencies die and control rises. …

Nowhere is such will-to-power opportunism and fantasy (i.e., centralized) solutions more exemplified than in the so-called “Great Reset” authored by the head of the World Economic Forum, Klaus Schwab.

Like all opportunists and historical as well as current “types,” Schwab (like the IMF, the BIS, the Fed, the White House, the European or British Parliament etc.) is exploiting a crisis to enhance control while appearing humanitarian and visionary.

We’ve seen this demagogue movie before in Italy, France, Germany, Spain, Yugoslavia, Cuba, China, Russia etc. …

Klaus Schwab, along with just about every other global leader, was taking a more dramatic and opportunistic approach, declaring that, “the Corona Virus pandemic has no parallel in history. It is our defining moment.”

Huh?

What he really meant in this classic Freudian slip was that Covid was his defining moment. Namely, the perfect crisis to exploit global fear and promote his new “Great Reset” vision as the leader of a better tomorrow, akin to Lenin’s losing-war promise/bribe of simple “bread and peace” in 1917…

And what is Schwab’s (and others like him) vision of a better tomorrow?

What is the “Great Reset”?

Like most politically and financially bad ideas (from Quantitative Easing to the Patriot Act), the Great Reset envisioned by Schwab has a seductive title and facade—namely “Stakeholder Capitalism.”

Unlike current shareholder capitalism, his concept of stakeholder capitalism aims to infuse global corporate board seats with a higher percentage of special interest representation (i.e., labor, environmental, social justice etc.). …

Enter CBDC …

It seems that in 2022 and now 2023, everyone is suddenly asking about CBDC. And they should be.

But what is it?

To begin with, CBDC is not a new currency, it’s a new payment system—one that is digital and encrypted rather than paper-based. Instead of dollars, yen, lira and euros, we’ll soon have e-dollars, e-yen, e-liras and e-euros etc. …

CBDC systems allow indebted nations to better control, and hence steal from, their citizens.

When currencies are “reset” (like Germany in 48), the government can “convert” your old money to the new money while simultaneously (due to a “crisis”) keeping a percentage for themselves as a clever way to pay their debts via digital hold-backs (i.e., theft). …

But that’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to controlling citizen money and freedoms.

• A Cashless Control State

… the longer-term aim and practice of a forced digital currency system is to take cash out of the system.

Under a CBDC regime, citizen money can be digitally monitored, withheld, frozen, taxed, penalized or otherwise controlled should such a citizen (or collection of citizens) challenge or threaten the state—rightfully or wrongly. 01/04/23 https://goldswitzerland.com/2023-the-abcs-of-cbdc-the-great-resets-more-centralized-control/

Yes, a totalitarian “reset” will occur (cf. Revelation 17:12-13).

Yes, control and elimination of cash are goals associated with CBDCs and the WEF.

According to the Bible (cf. Revelation 13:1-18), a coming European beast power will control buying and selling:

16 He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, 17 and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

18 Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666. (Revelation 13:16-18)

The coming 666 European Beast power will take steps to shoot for eliminating 100% of cash if possible. As far as when, probably by 2028. And that currency could be in place BEFORE the European Beast power rises up.

As far as Europe’s digital plans go, back in January 2022, the Continuing Church of God (CCOG) put out the following video on our Bible News Prophecy YouTube channel:

9:03

EU to be ‘Sheriff’ of BitCoin & Digital Currencies

Will Bitcoin remain unregulated? The European Union does not think it should be and it released a paper titled “Proposal for EU Regulation on Markets in Crypto-Assets.” Christine Lagarde, president of the European Central Bank, earlier endorsed EU regulation of crypto and digital currencies. A Belgian declared that the EU was the “new Sheriff in town” to deal with the “wild west” of Bitcoin, blockchain, and other cryptocurrencies. The European Union now also has the European Public Prosecutor’s Office in operation, mainly to deal with financial matters? Will the Europeans end up controlling buying and selling associated with 666 in Revelation 13:16-18? Is Europe taking preliminary steps to do so now? Dr. Thiel address these issues.

Here is a link to our video: EU to be ‘Sheriff’ of BitCoin & Digital Currencies.

The European Public Prosecutor’s Office officially started operations on 1 June 2021 (https://www.eppo.europa.eu/en/background).

So, yes, there is an enforcer for 666.

The world in general, as well as Europe in particular, is moving more towards a cashless society with digital controls.

Yes, more digital currency use is coming.

The surveilling time of controlling buying and selling-666-is coming.

The Continuing Church of God (CCOG) also put together the following video related to digital currencies on our Bible News Prophecy YouTube channel:

14:17

Cashlessness and 1984

The government of Belgium is in the process of ordering small businesses to accept credit cards. In Sweden more and more cashless transactions are occurring. The European Central Bank as well as the government of the United States is working on developing Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs). Could this be used for ‘1984’ type monitoring? Is something like this needed for ‘666’ control of buying and selling as warned in the Book of Revelation? Does the European Union now have a unit that could do ‘666’ monitoring? What about the use of gold? Steve Dupuie asks Dr. Thiel various questions related to these topics.

Here is a link to our video: Cashlessness and 1984.

Are you paying attention to what is going on in the world?

Steps towards ‘666’ are clearly happening.

Yes, Europe will adopt some type of digital currency.

For a time it will “master the future” under a totalitarian dictator.

Probably by 2028.

The WEF and many are working towards that.

But the good news is that it will one day be replaced by the coming Kingdom of God.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

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”?
United Nations: Humankind’s Last Hope or New World Order? Is the UN the last hope for humanity? Or might its goals end up with sinister results? A related video would be United Nations and Vatican Are Planning the New World Order.
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.
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.

Locusts on the Move (CSIRO)

COGwriter

Israel365News reported the following:

Mecca hit by “plague of locusts” during Ramadan rainfall

For if you refuse to let My people go, tomorrow I will bring locusts on your territory.

(Exodus 10:3 THE ISRAEL BIBLE)

April 14, 2023

Social media was abuzz with videos showing an infestation of unidentified bugs at the Great Mosque, the holiest mosque in all of Islam. It is the focus of the hajj, the pilgrimage, which draws millions of Muslims a year to Saudi Arabia. The swarm went unreported on Al Arabiya and other Arab media. The bugs appeared after an unseasonal rain that fell four days ago during Umrah, a lesser pilgrimage festival.

A video shared by the Mecca region’s official Twitter page, showed pilgrims performing the tawaf, when Muslims circumambulate the Kaaba, while others seized the moment to stand in the rain and pray in front of the Kaaba. https://www.israel365news.com/369556/mecca-hit-by-plague-of-locusts-during-ramadan-rainfall/

Kosher Locusts

Despite human consumption of insects being strictly forbidden by the Torah, locusts are the notable exception and are kosher.

Of these you may eat the following: locusts of every variety; all varieties of bald locust; crickets of every variety; and all varieties of grasshopper. But all other winged swarming things that have four legs shall be an abomination for you. Leviticus 11:22-23

An Israeli startup called Hargol is now marketing the bug as “Biblical protein.”

Locusts Preceding the Final Redemption

It is interesting to note that last week, Jews in synagogues all around the world were reading Parsha Bo, the section of the Torah describing the plague of locusts that struck Egypt before the Exodus. This current incarnation very much resembles the Biblical plague, coming as part of a wave of catastrophes that left the land of Egypt bereft of any food.

Locusts invaded all the land of Egypt and settled within all the territory of Egypt in a thick mass; never before had there been so many, nor will there ever be so many again. They covered the face of the whole land, so that the land was darkened, and they ate all the plants in the land and all the fruit of the trees that the hail had left. Not a green thing remained, neither tree nor plant of the field, through all the land of Egypt. Exodus 10:14-15 

According to Jewish tradition and based on a verse in Micah, the ten-plagues will reappear before the Messiah.

I will show him wondrous deeds As in the days when You sallied forth from the land of Egypt. Micah 7:15

Jewish sources predict that all of the plagues will reappear in the final Redemption but in even more powerful forms. 01/27/21 https://www.israel365news.com/164600/plague-of-locusts-hits-saudi-arabia-yemen-right-after-israel-recites-passage-in-bible/

There was also a major swarm of locusts in that area in 2021.

The old Worldwide Church of God published the following warning in 1969, related to locusts and destruction:

The Prophet Joel was inspired to write:

“Alas for the day! for the day of the Lord is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come” (Joel 1:15).

This “Day of the Lord” refers to God’s intervention in mankind’s affairs — His return to restore peace and order to a world full of sick societies. Joel’s first chapter describes some of the events which will lead up to the grand climax of the Day of the Lord as described in Chapter 2. Here in the modern language of the Living Prophecies translation is what chapter 1 says:

“Listen, you aged men of Israel [the leaders of modern-day Great Britain and the United States of America]! Everyone, listen! In all your lifetime, yes, in all your history, have you ever heard of such a thing as I am going to tell you? In years to come, tell your children about it; pass the awful story down from generation to generation” (verses 2-3).

Yes, an event utterly unprecedented in history is about to be described! Here is what that event is:

“For after the cutter-locusts finish eating your crops, the swarmer-locusts will take what’s left! After them will come the hopper-locusts! And then the stripper-locusts, too!… A vast army of locusts covers the land. It is a terrible army too numerous to count, with teeth as sharp as those of lions!

They have ruined My vines and stripped the bark from the fig trees, leaving trunks and branches white and bare” (verses 4-7).

As man uses stronger and stronger insecticides, the insect pests adapt and become ever more difficult to kill. At least in part, God will probably use this very condition to bring famine upon us.

The prophecy continues:

“The fields are bare of crops. Sorrow and sadness are everywhere. The grain, the grapes, the olive oil are gone. Well may you farmers stand so shocked and stricken; well may you vinedressers weep. Weep for the wheat and the barley too, for they are gone. The grapevines are dead; the fig trees are dying; the pomegranates wither; the apples shrivel on the trees; all joy has withered with them. Our food will disappear before our eyes… the seed rots in the ground; the barns and granaries are empty; the grain has dried up in the fields (verses 10-17).

Notice it! Our vaunted grain surpluses will be gone!

“The cattle groan with hunger; the herds stand perplexed for there is no pasture for them; the sheep bleat in misery. Lord help us! For the heat has withered the pastures and burned up all the trees. Even the wild animals cry to You for help, for there is no water for them. The creeks are dry and the pastures are scorched” (verses 18-20).

What horrible conditions! When these things begin to come about, people will start to go hungry:

“And when I have broken the staff of your bread, ten women shall bake your bread in one oven, and they shall deliver you your bread again by weight: and ye shall eat, and not be satisfied” (Lev. 26:26).

(Walter EM. Famine in Prophecy. Tomorrows World, November 1969).

Yes, locusts, even when they are not fulfilling prophecies such as in the Book of Joel, can cause many problems.

That being said, Jesus Himself warned that the “signs” of the end of the age would include pestilences and famines:

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

11 And there will be great earthquakes in various places, and famines and pestilences; and there will be fearful sights and great signs from heaven. (Luke 21:11)

Reducing food supplies can lead to famines.

In the sixth chapter of the Book of Revelation, the ride of four horsemen are described. The passages about the third and fourth horseman are as follows:

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

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 6:5-8)

So, the opening of the fourth seal is the time that the pale horse of death is apparently increasing death by war, hunger, and pestilences (the beasts of the earth).

We are not there yet, but we do seem to be in the “beginning of sorrows” that Jesus foretold.

Now, is it possible that something like the ten plagues that hit Egypt before the Exodus will occur before the Messiah (Jesus) comes again?

Yes.

A related two-part sermon is available: Egypt and the Plagues (Part 1) and Exodus Plagues and Prophecy (Part 2)

Recently, the Continuing Church of God (CCOG) put together the following video sermon on one of our  YouTube channels:

Yes, we believe that a version of the ten plagues that affected Egypt will come again–‘locusts’ of some sort are part of that–though what is currently happening is not that.

Some items of related interest may include:

Reasons, Proofs, and Ramifications of the Ten Plagues of Exodus What do you know about these plagues? What happened to the ‘gods of Egypt’? Is there any confirmation outside the Bible? Might something worse be coming? A related two-part sermon is available: Egypt and the Plagues (Part 1) and Exodus Plagues and Prophecy (Part 2).
EXODUS Exodus sermons, which it total cover each and every verse of that book, include Exodus 1-4: Jewish Myths or Lessons for Christians Today?, Exodus 5-7: Serpents, Blood, and Revelation, Exodus 8-9: Plagues and Prophecy, Exodus 10-12: The Last Plagues & 21st Century Prophecies, and Exodus 13-15: Passover Protection and Armageddon. Another article is Exodus 16-19 which covers all of those verses–here is a link to a related sermon: Exodus 16-19: Manna, Governance, and End Time Protection. Another article is Exodus 20 which covers all of the verses in that chapter–here is a link to a related sermon: Exodus 20: The Ten Commandments. Another article covers the verses in those chapters Exodus 21-24: These are the Judgments–here is a link to a related sermon: Exodus 21-24: Judgments. Here is a link to the article Exodus 25: Ark of the Covenant and Mercy Seat–here is a link to a related sermon: Exodus 25: Ark of the Covenant and the Mercy Seat. Here is a link to the article Exodus 26-32 Tabernacle, Sacrifices, & the Book of Life–here is a link to a related sermon:Exodus 26-32: Tabernacle, Golden Calf, and Book of Life. A final article is: Exodus 33-40, The Final Chapters.Here are links to two related video sermons: Exodus 33-36: Moses Shown and You Should Too and Exodus 37-40: Finishing the Work.
When was the Exodus? Did it Happen? Some deny the biblical account of the Exodus. Was Ramses II the pharaoh then? When did the Exodus occur?  Is there proof outside of the Bible that there was an Exodus? Here is a related article in the Spanish language: ¿Cuándo fue el Éxodo? ¿Ocurrió realmente?
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.

(PCG logo)

COGwriter

PCG’s had the following at its thetrumpet.com website related to its booklet Daniel –Unsealed at Last!:

DANIEL- UNSEALED AT LAST!

What happens when God gives His Church new revelation? Satan always directs his most ferocious attack against God’s people. The Prophet Daniel battled mightily to receive God’s revelation and recorded the struggle, yet, in his lifetime he never understood what God gave him.

The above booklet being promoted has many errors. For example, it and its leader Gerald Flurry do not agree that the Book of Daniel is discussing daily sacrifices at the time of the end:

“And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days” (Daniel 12:11).

The word “sacrifice” is in italics in the King James Version of the Bible. That means the translators added it. The only word that Daniel used is daily. That word is used about 100 times in the Old Testament. And 80 percent of the time it is translated continual or continually.

… Our focus needs to be on the daily, or continual—not on a word (sacrifice) that is not even in the original Hebrew text. … There is only one Hebrew word for “daily sacrifice” in verse 11. So we will emphasize the word continual. The con- tinual is far more than just a word. It is a vision of God’s Work from the beginning! …

The daily is God’s Work. It must continue because Christ prophesied that it would. (Flurry G. Daniel –Unsealed at Last! PCG booklet, 2016, pp. 6-7)

The above is misleading and wrong.

Daniel 9:27 says:

27 Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week;
But in the middle of the week
He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering.
And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate,
Even until the consummation, which is determined,
Is poured out on the desolate.

The Hebrew word for sacrifice is in the above. Daniel 11:31 says:

31 And forces shall be mustered by him, and they shall defile the sanctuary fortress; then they shall take away the daily sacrifices, and place there the abomination of desolation.

While the Hebrew word for sacrifice is not in the above, the word for daily is–this is just like Daniel 12:11. And since Daniel 9:27 and 11:31 are discussing the same thing, it should be obvious that the DAILY is tied in with SACRIFICE. It is not the continuing church, that the COG continues.

Gerald Flurry also wrote the following in his Daniel –Unsealed at Last! booklet:

THE GREAT TRIBULATION
The verses preceding Daniel 11:40 discuss what happens in the Church prior to the Tribulation. (Flurry G. Daniel –Unsealed at Last! PCG booklet, 2016, p 82)

No, while some verses in Daniel 11 do discuss the Church, the verses in Daniel 11 immediately preceding verse 40 are NOT describing what happens to the Church prior to the start of the Great Tribulation. Notice what Daniel specifically wrote there:

36 “Then the king shall do according to his own will: he shall exalt and magnify himself above every god, shall speak blasphemies against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the wrath has been accomplished; for what has been determined shall be done. 37 He shall regard neither the God of his fathers nor the desire of women, nor regard any god; for he shall exalt himself above them all. 38 But in their place he shall honor a god of fortresses; and a god which his fathers did not know he shall honor with gold and silver, with precious stones and pleasant things. 39 Thus he shall act against the strongest fortresses with a foreign god, which he shall acknowledge, and advance its glory; and he shall cause them to rule over many, and divide the land for gain. (Daniel 11:36-39)

The Great Tribulation starts no later than Daniel 11:39 (see also When Will the Great Tribulation Begin?).

PCG, just like LCG, has the Great Tribulation starting too late.

Here is a statement from LCG’s Official Statement of Fundamental Beliefs:

THE “GREAT TRIBULATION”

The Bible speaks of a time of great catastrophe, called the “Great Tribulation” (Matthew 24:21–22; Daniel 11:40–45; 12:1; Luke 21:19–36)—also called “Jacob’s trouble” (Jeremiah 30:3–7).

That “Fundamental Belief” is scripturally in error. And when I was in LCG, its evangelists Dr. Roderick C. Meredith, Dr. Doug Winnail, and Richard Ames all agreed that it was in error. And Dr. Meredith promised in a meeting with them and myself that LCG’s Official Statement of Fundamental Beliefs would be changed before the end of January 2012 to correct it.

But, that did not happen.

So, now, since PCG and LCG still officially teach that the Great Tribulation does not begin until Daniel 11:40 (which discusses the battle between the King of the North and the King of the South), they are looking for the wrong event, while overlooking the event in verse 39.

Unless PCG and LCG change on this, and other significant prophetic errors they hold, they will NOT know when the Great Tribulation will begin until after it is too late for nearly all of their members to possibly flee to the place of protection that the true Philadelphian Christians will be protected at.

There are serious theological and prophetic differences between various groups calling themselves Church of God.

Jesus warned that most endtime Christians would be Laodicean and NOT take the proper spiritual steps to be protected from the coming “hour of trial” (Revelation 3:10).

Some items of possibly related interest may include the following:

There is a Place of Safety for the Philadelphians. Why it May Be Near Petra This article discusses a biblical ‘place of safety,’ Zephaniah 2 to ‘gather together,’ and includes quotes from the Bible and Herbert W. Armstrong on fleeing to a place–thus, there is a biblically supported alternative to the rapture theory. Two sermon-length videos of related interest are available Physical Protection During the Great Tribulation and Might Petra be the Place of Safety?  Here is something related in the Spanish language: Hay un lugar de seguridad para los Filadelfinos. ¿Puede ser Petra?
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.
Why Be Concerned About False and Heretical Leaders? There have been many false leaders–here is some of why you should be concerned about them. Here is a related article in the Spanish language ¿Por qué estar preocupado acerca de falsos y heréticos líderes?
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.
Church of God Leaders on Prophets Have there been prophets throughout the church age? Are any supposed to be around in the last days? What have COG leaders stated or written about prophets? Here is a link to a related sermon: Church of God Leaders on Prophets.
How To Determine If Someone is a True Prophet of God There are many false prophets. How can Christians determine who is a true prophet? There is also a sermon-length video titled How to determine if someone is a true prophet of God. Here is a related link in Spanish/español: ¿Cómo determinar si alguien es un verdadero profeta de Dios?
Herbert W. Armstrong, the Philadelphia Church, & the Mantle Herbert Armstrong claims God had him raise the Philadelphia up. Are there reasons to believe that the Philadelphia mantle in now within the CCOG? Here is a link to a related sermon: Herbert W. Armstrong and the Philadelphia Mantle.
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?
Who is the Man of Sin of 2 Thessalonians 2? Is this the King of the North, the ten-horned beast of Revelation 13:1-11, or the two-horned Beast of Revelation 13:12-16? Some rely on traditions, but what does the Bible teach? Here is a related link in Spanish/español: ¿Quién es el Hombre de Pecado de 2 Tesalonicenses 2?; here is a link to a video in Spanish: ¿Quién es el ‘hombre de pecado’? Here is a version in Mandarin: N;ÿ Œ
f/’Y’jNº’ÿ Here is a link to a related English sermon video titled: The Man of Sin will deceive most ‘Christians’.
LCG: What About the Living Church of God? Are there Doctrinal Differences with the Continuing Church of God? This article explains some information and doctrines of the Living Church of God, now led by Gerald Westin, and some concerns about them. (En el idioma español: ¿Qué hay acerca de la Iglesia de Dios Viviente? ¿Hay diferencias doctrinales con la Continuación de la Iglesia de Dios?) See also Why Bob Thiel Left the Living Church of God.
PCG: Teachings Unique to the Philadelphia Church of God Simply calling oneself ‘Philadelphia’ does not make one so (see Revelation 3:7-9), nor does Gerald Flurry calling himself “that prophet” make it so. This article provides many quotes from this group which tries to look faithful.