Church of God News

Anna Maria Gesualda Antonia Taigi at San Crisogono in Rome
(photo by Waerfelu)

COGwriter

Someone sent me a link to a YouTube video which is falsely claimed to be based on a visitation from Jesus. The video starts off by saying when someone named Anna Marie was in “eucharistic devotion” in February 2023, she received a visit from Jesus.

The narrating woman then basically recited the Our Father and Hail Mary prayers.

The woman then reports that Jesus was giving an important message to prepare for three days of darkness. She said that people needed to have a green scapular as well as holy beeswax candles to use during those coming days of darkness. She said that during that time you were not allowed to let anyone else in your house, not even your children, even if they sound like your children, because what you would be allowing in would be evil. She then basically said all should prepare and be grateful for this “beatific message.”

As it turns out, an employee of mine told me that she has a neighbor who has been into planning for this for a long while. He has his scapular and beeswax candles as he awaits the three days of darkness.

Imagined Depiction of Zephaniah (center) Speaking

COGwriter

A reader sent me the following which was part of the ‘Church of the Great God’s Daily Verse and Comment: for March 24, 2024:

 Zephaniah 2:1-3

(1) Gather yourselves together, yes, gather together,
O undesirable nation,
(2) Before the decree is issued,
Or the day passes like chaff,
Before the LORD’s fierce anger comes upon you,
Before the day of the LORD’s anger comes upon you!
(3) Seek the LORD, all you meek of the earth,
Who have upheld His justice.
Seek righteousness, seek humility.
It may be that you will be hidden
In the day of the LORD’s anger.
New King James Version   Change your email Bible version

Some in the church of God today teach that just because a person is part of a certain group, he will escape this wrath. However, the mention of fleeing implies a generality rather than a promise given as an absolute certainty. According to traditions retained from history, all of the apostles except for John suffered violent deaths from persecution.

Are we more deserving of safety than they were? Paul writes in Romans 14:12, “So then, each of us shall give account of himself to God.” Revelation 2:23 confirms individual judgment during Christ’s evaluation of the Thyatira church, without a doubt part of His church: “I will kill her children with death, and all the church shall know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts. And I will give to each one of you according to your works.”

We must not allow ourselves to think presumptuously that we deserve to be hidden. God is the Master, and we are slaves bought at a price with Christ’s blood. He is the Master Potter, forming and shaping us into the character image of Jesus Christ. If He determines that we need the shaping that Tribulation will bring, then He will not hesitate to set that path before us. If He believes we need to glorify Him before men, He will do the same. …

— John W. Ritenbaugh

Since it is the Continuing Church of God that most directly teaches about Zephaniah 2:1-3, this, CGG’s improper and misworded comments are mainly directed towards the CCOG. Yet, CGG is misunderstanding the Bible here.

First of all, the fact that God told Zephaniah to write to “gather together,” this shows some grouping is involved.

What group?

According to Jesus, it is the Philadelphian Christians who are promised protection Revelation 3:7-13, not other Christians.

We do NOT teach that claiming membership in CCOG means one will be protected. CGG’s denouncement was improper and overly broad.

Yes, CGG is right that this protection is based on individual factors, yet the FACT is that a gathering together is prophesied, which means in the end their will be a particular group.

Second, there will be a an absolute fleeing per Revelation 12:14-16, and not all Christians will per Revelation 12:17.

Thirdly, the correct understanding of Zephaniah 2:1-3 is that in the end times, Christians must gather together with the group that God will have a decree issued in, and that if people heed that and other scriptures, they can be hidden/protected from what is coming.

Additionally, in the CCOG we tell people to heed the words of Jesus when He stated:

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

So, all individuals should strive to be counted worthy, as not all Christians are promised protection above.

Notice further that Jesus said to watch and pray ALWAYS. He was referring to prophetic matters. THIS CAME FROM JESUS, BUT MANY SCOFF AT PROPHECY for differing reasons (cf. 2 Peter 3:1-7)–yet being a scoffer of prophecy is a mistake (cf. 2 Peter 3:8-9).

Jesus realized that if people did not pay attention to prophecy and pray always, they would not properly take the steps to “be counted worthy to escape all these things.”

Yes, God uses prophecy as a motivator for people. Remember that God used Jonah to warn Nineveh (Jonah 3:1-4) and they repented (Jonah 3:5-9), and God relented of the punishment they were going to get at that time (Jonah 3:10).

Jesus specifically told the Laodiceans, in a prophecy, that they needed to repent (Revelation 3:19) or face consequences (Revelation 3:14-19), and that they would be rewarded for doing so (Revelation 3:20). The Laodiceans are Church of God Christians “who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ” (Revelation 12:17).

Hence, the late John Ritenbaugh looks to be misleading in what he was implying and writing.

In the CCOG, we do not teach being a member of CCOG assures one will be protected, and we also teach that there are Philadelphian Christians in other organizations. But we also teach that the CCOG best represents the Philadelphian remnant of the Church of God and that we do not believe any other organization is Philadelphian.

Now, let’s again see what God inspired the Prophet Zephaniah to write:

1 Gather yourselves together, yes, gather together, O undesirable nation, (Zephaniah 2:1)

Although it has certain misunderstandings, the Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary correctly realized that the gathering together was intended for a religious group or assembly:

Zephaniah 2:1

Gather yourselves together – to a religious assembly, to avert the judgment by prayers, (Joel 2:16, “Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders,” etc.) (from Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary, Electronic Database. Copyright © 1997, 2003, 2005, 2006 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)

When are they to gather together?

2 Before the decree is issued, Or the day passes like chaff, Before the Lord’s fierce anger comes upon you, Before the day of the Lord’s anger comes upon you! (Zephaniah 2:2)

The gathering is to take place well before the day of the Lord (which happens about 2 1/2 years after the Great Tribulation of Matthew 24:21 begins) and before some type of decree is issued.

Who does God want to gather together in some type of group?

The end time Christians. Notice what Jesus stated and something the Apostle Peter wrote:

19 If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. (John 15:19, NKJV)

9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: 10 Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. (1 Peter 2:9-10, KJV)

This is a peculiar people. These are people who the world does not desire. These are Philadelphian Christians.

How do we know that Zephaniah 2:1-3 is related to Christians?

Because the decree is for the end time and because of what else God inspired Zephaniah to write:

3 Seek the Lord, all you meek of the earth, Who have upheld His justice. Seek righteousness, seek humility. (Zephaniah 2:3a)

The above is a reference to Christians as they are to be the “meek of the earth” (Matthew 5:5) and to Philadelphians who “have upheld His justice. Seek righteousness, seek humility.” These are Philadelphian Christians who understand that church leaders need to have integrity and are willing to be humble enough to accept the authority of a church led by a low-level prophet in the absence of a clear apostle (cf. 1 Corinthians 12:28; Ephesians 4:11-15). They are humble enough to not think that they should remain ‘independent,’ as many who once were part of the old Worldwide Church of God, during this Laodicean time, have done.

Laodicea basically means “people decide” and most Christians in the end time have sadly decided not to follow true church governance for many reasons that they feel are justified, but that goes against what they biblically should do (see also The Bible, Peter, Paul, John, Polycarp, Herbert W. Armstrong, Roderick C. Meredith, and Bob Thiel on Church Government).

Why does God tell them they may wish to be gathered together? So:

3…It may be that you will be hidden In the day of the Lord’s anger. (Zephaniah 2:3b)

Interestingly, the Hebrew words translated as Zephaniah means “Yahweh Hides” or “Yahweh Has Hidden” (Holy Bible: Vine’s Expository Reference Edition, p. 826).

Why have I written that Zephaniah 2:1-3 has to do with Philadelphian Christians?

For they are the only ones who will actually ‘gather together’ as they should.

Why?

Because it is they who will lead the final phase of the work and it is only to the Philadelphians that Jesus promises to protect from the coming hour of trial, also referred to as the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord:

7 “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write,

‘These things says He who is holy, He who is true, “He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens”: 8 “I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name. 9 Indeed I will make those of the synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews and are not, but lie — indeed I will make them come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you. 10 Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. 11 Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown. 12 He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name.

13 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”‘ (Revelation 3:7-13)

Notice that the Philadelphians are doing the work of God, have kept God’s word, have not denied Christ’s name/authority, and are persevering in the truth.

Yet, other churches around at the end, such as the remnants of Thyatira (Revelation 2:18-29) and Sardis (Revelation 3:1-6) are not promised that protection. Nor are the many Laodiceans (Revelation 3:14-22)–even if they are somehow gathered together–as they have gathered together in places that Jesus did not wish them to.

Are not all real Christians going to be protected?

No. The Book of Revelation is clear that after the Philadelphians are persecuted (cf. Daniel 7:25a; 11:29-36), that group will flee to a place of protection, while the rest of the true Christians will not flee and then be subject to severe persecution:

13 Now when the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male Child. 14 But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent. 15 So the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood. 16 But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. 17 And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. (Revelation 12:13-17)

What kind of decree will be issued?

A decree that may allow those who are gathered together and who listen to it an opportunity to be protected (Zephaniah 2:1-3). A decree that the Philadelphians will listen to and flee.

When is a decree to be issued? After an event that Jesus told of that He tied to the writings of the Prophet Daniel:

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), (Matthew 24:15)

14 “So when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not” (let the reader understand), (Mark 13:14a)

What did Jesus say happens next?

16 “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. 18 And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. 19 But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! 20 And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. (Matthew 24:16-21)

Notice also:

5 Declare in Judah and proclaim in Jerusalem, and say:

“Blow the trumpet in the land;
Cry, ‘Gather together,’
And say, ‘Assemble yourselves,
And let us go into the fortified cities.’
6 Set up the standard toward Zion.
Take refuge! Do not delay!
For I will bring disaster from the north,
And great destruction.” (Jeremiah 4:5-6)

The decree to ‘gather together’ will be repeated in the area of Judah just before the time of great destruction.

Why a decree?

Apparently, to make it easier for people who read what Jesus said, to better understand that Matthew 24:15 and Mark 13:14 and Daniel 9:27b and Daniel 11:31 had been fulfilled.

By whom will the decree be made?

The Bible says:

7 Surely the Lord God does nothing,
Unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets.
8 A lion has roared!
Who will not fear?
The Lord God has spoken!
Who can but prophesy? (Amos 3:7-8)

The prophet may make the decree personally and/or pass it on to another authority in the church to make.

Who is the only Church of God in the 21st century to teach all of this?

The Continuing Church of God.

If you are not with the group that is leading the final phase of the work will you not be able to flee if you wait until the last moment? While that may be remotely possible for some, remember that God inspired Zephaniah to admonish God’s people to ‘gather together…before the decree is issued.’

Most will discount this and many will scoff. Most COGs do not have anyone considered to be a prophet, and in those other than CCOG who claim to have prophets, those prophets have been proven to be false (e.g. PCG, CGPFKG, TPM). But the Bible says that there will be prophets in the last days and that God does communicate with them in dreams (see Dreams, the Bible, the Radio Church of God, and the Continuing Church of God and/or watch Dreams, COGs, and One Man Rule).

Furthermore, I read a post a while back from a CCOG scoffer who picked at the very idea that one should suggest that a COG is Philadelphian and those, part of such a COG, will be subject to being protected in a place of safety. He and many others do not realize how important Jesus’ teaching about paying attention to world events and prophecy is.

Let me add that like many COG groups CGG does not seem to officially teach the idea of “church eras.” Those that are unwilling to accept the idea of church eras, have tended to misunderstand Jesus’ teachings to the seven churches and will not, unless they change, accept the related truths today. Many do not realize that not teaching church eras was one of the first changes in doctrine implemented by the Tkach Administration after the death of Herbert Armstrong (see The 18 Restored Truths: Do You Know What the First Changes the Tkach Administration Made?).

Of course, the old Worldwide Church of God clearly did teach church eras. Notice one related quote from the late Herbert W. Armstrong:

“Greetings, everybody! This afternoon I want to speak on the mission of the Philadelphia Era of the Church, this Church today in comparison to the first era of the Church, the Ephesus Era of the Church. It’s been seeming more and more to me, as the years go by, that the Bible was written primarily for the Philadelphia Era of the Church…Today’s mission of the Church you will find in Matthew 24:14. And this gospel of the kingdom…that is the same gospel that Jesus preached…shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.”(Armstrong HW. Mission of the Philadelphia Church Era, December 17, 1983)

The Continuing Church of God has the same mission and the same commitment to fulfilling Matthew 24:14 that Herbert Armstrong advocated. Matthew 24:14 is a PROPHETIC MESSAGE and it does tie in with world news and the condition of the world.

Although many Laodiceans do believe in church eras and do believe they should watch events related to biblical prophecy, sadly they have compromised and accepted compromised leaders who, unless they repent, will not know when the Great Tribulation (Matthew 24:21) will begin. This is documented in the article The Laodicean Church Era. Sadly, most lack the motivation and humility to make the necessary changes.

Notice also the following from the old Worldwide Church of God:

“Seek ye the Lord, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the Lord’s anger,” cried the Prophet Zephaniah (2:3).

A sermon-on-the-mount-type character is required. If you develop such Christlike character, the chances of your escaping the great tribulation are very good.

God’s anxiety for the physical welfare of His people is recorded by the Prophet Isaiah: “Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast. For, behold [here is the reason for hiding], the Lord cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity …” (Isa. 26:20-21).

Notice that verse 21 ties right back into the Christian’s prophetic responsibility: watching significant world events individually (and warning the world as a Church) as well as praying to be worthy to escape the punishments of God on this sick and dying world.

Watch! (Schroeder JR. Christ the Revelator. Good News, 1975)

The old WCG taught that Zephaniah had to do with being protected, yet few teach that today.

Since no later than 2007 (see Will Many Not Expect The End?) I have written that Zephaniah had to do with Philadelphians being ‘gathered together’ so that they would be protected from the coming trial that will hit the earth. While I was an official advisor to the LCG evangelists on doctrine and prophecy, they started to teach this, but seem to have backed off on it a bit.

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

Should we not be “exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching” (Hebrews 10:25)?

We in the Continuing Church of God boldly teach the need for Philadelphians to be ‘gathering together’ today. Will you heed God’s instructions as the Prophet Zephaniah was inspired to write? Would you possibly like to be protected? If so, will you ‘gather together’?

Do not be misled by CGG or others who misunderstand Zephaniah 2:1-3.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

Zephaniah’s ‘Gather Together’ Prophecy Is it safe to be ‘independent’ or in a non-Philadelphian Church of God? What did God inspire Zephaniah to write? This is a short video.
CGG: Church of the Great God This group, led by John Ritenbaugh, says the bride must first be made ready (it de-emphasizes the priority of public proclamation of the gospel). Might this lead to a selfish bride? This group also seriously seems to misunderstand end-time prophecy.
There is a Place of Safety for the Philadelphians. Why it May Be Petra This article discusses a biblical ‘place of safety’ and includes quotes from the Bible and Herbert W. Armstrong on this subject–thus, there is a biblically supported alternative to the rapture theory. There is also a video on the subject: 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?
This is PETRA! This is a 1962 Good News article by the late Dr. Hoeh.
Independent Members of the COG: Herbert W. Armstrong Comments, Plus Questions and Answers What did Herbert W. Armstrong teach about being independent of the organized Church? Should independents who claim to accept Herbert W. Armstrong’s teachings support the end time Philadelphian work?
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.
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.
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?
Elijah: Past and Prophesied Information about the original Elijah and some information about the Elijah-related prophecies. A related sermon is available: 21st Century Elijah.
The Elijah Heresies Does the Bible teach that there will be a future Elijah? Must it be Herbert W. Armstrong? Two related sermons are available Elijah: Prophecies and Heresies and Elijah, Herbert W. Armstrong, and CCOG.
Does the CCOG have the confirmed signs of Acts 2:17-18? Does any church have the confirmed dream and prophetic signs of Acts 2:17-18? Should one? Here is a link in the Spanish language: ¿Tiene la CCOG confirmadas las señales de Hechos 2: 17-18? Here is a link in the French language: Est-ce que l’Église Continue de Dieu confirme les signes d’Actes 2:17-18?
Church of God Leaders on Prophets Have there been prophets throughout the church age? Are any supposed to be around in the last days? What have COG leaders stated or written about prophets? Here is a link to a related sermon: Church of God Leaders on Prophets.
How To Determine If Someone is a True Prophet of God There are many false prophets, yet many overlook what the Bible teaches about how to recognize a true one. How can Christians determine who is a true prophet? This article contains a scripture-based checklist to assist with this determination.
How to determine if someone is a true prophet of God This is a sermon on YouTube addressing a subject that most in the Church of God do not seem to have looked into very much. It discusses scriptures and dispels some improper assertions that some associated with the COG have made about prophets in this time.
Dreams, the Bible, the Radio Church of God, and the Continuing Church of God How has God used dreams in the past? Does God still use dreams? Did He use any involving those in the Continuing Church of God? A related sermon is also available: Dreams, COGs, and One Man Rule.
The Bible, Peter, Paul, John, Polycarp, Herbert W. Armstrong, Roderick C. Meredith, and Bob Thiel on Church Government What form of governance did the early church have? Was it hierarchical? Which form of governance would one expect to have in the Philadelphia remnant? The people decide and/or committee forms, odd dictatorships, or the same type that the Philadelphia era itself had? What are some of the scriptural limits on ecclesiastical authority? Do some commit organizational idolatry? Here is a Spanish language version La Biblia, Policarpo, Herbert W. Armstrong, y Roderick C. Meredith sobre el gobierno de la Iglesia. Here is a link to a sermon titled Church Governance.
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.
The Churches of Revelation 2 & 3 from 31 A.D. to present: information on all of the seven churches of Revelation 2 & 3. There is also a YouTube video: The Seven Church Eras of Revelation. There is also a version in the Spanish language: Las Siete Iglesias de Apocalipsis 2 & 3.
1. The Ephesus Church Era was predominant from 31 A.D. to circa 135 A.D. The Church of James, Peter, Paul, and John, etc. Here is a link to a related video sermon: Ephesus Church Era.
2. The Smyrna Church Era was predominant circa 135 A.D. to circa 450 A.D. The Church led by Polycarp, Melito, Polycrates, etc. Here is a link to a related video sermon: The Smyrna Church Era.
3. The Pergamos Church Era was predominant circa 450 A.D. to circa 1050 A.D. An especially persecuted Church. Here is a link to a related sermon video: Pergamos Era and the Antichrist.
4. The Thyatira Church Era was predominant circa 1050 A.D. to circa 1600 A.D. The Church during the Inquisition. It claimed succession from the apostles. Here is a link toa related sermon: Thyatira, Succession, and Jezebel.
5. The Sardis Church Era was predominant circa 1600 A.D. to circa 1933 A.D. Discusses some early history of the Seventh Day Baptists, Seventh-day Adventists, CG7-Salem, Jerusalem 7DCG, and COG-7th Day-Denver. Here are two historical sermons: Sardis Church Era: Beginnings, Doctrines, and Leaders and Sardis: SDBs, SDAs, & CG7s.
6. The Philadelphia Church Era was predominant circa 1933 A.D. to 1986 A.D. The old Radio Church of God and old Worldwide Church of God, now the remnant of that era is basically the most faithful in the Church of God, like who hold to the beliefs and practices of the Continuing Church of God.
7. The Laodicean Church Era has been predominant circa 1986 A.D. to present. The Laodiceans are non-Philadelphians who mainly descended from the old WCG or its offshoots.  They do not properly understand the work or biblical prophecies and will face the Great Tribulation if they do not repent. One video of related interest is 50+ Laodicean Prophetic Errors. See also Do You Hold to Any of These Laodicean Prophetic Errors?
The Final Phase of the Work What is the final phase of the work? Who will lead it? Do you have the courage to support it? Here is a related YouTube video titled The Final Phase of the Work. The written article has been translated into Spanish La Fase Final de la Obra.
Leading the Final Phase of the Work Matthew 24:14 teaches “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come ” will be fulfilled and RCG is not the group doing this. Who is leading the final phase of the work? What did Herbert Armstrong and the old WCG teach about that and about prophets? Does Bob Thiel meet the criteria that the Bible and the old WCG set? What is the proof? What has the Continuing Church of God been doing? This is a sermonette length video.
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.

COGwriter

Michael Snyder posted the following:

Is The Black Horse Of Famine Getting Ready To Ride Too?

A “perfect storm” of factors has created a global food crisis that just continues to intensify.  While you are enjoying a warm dinner tonight, millions of parents on the other side of the globe will have nothing to give to their children.  The world simply is not producing enough food to feed everyone, but I am entirely convinced that things are going to get dramatically worse by the end of this decade.  … I discussed the red horse of war.  I believe that we are in the early stages of World War III, and during the years ahead we will see death and destruction on an unprecedented scale.  Needless to say, conflict of that magnitude would greatly disrupt global food production and global supply chains, and as a result we would experience horrifying famines all over the planet.

The scenario that I just described is exactly what we see in the Book of Revelation.

In Revelation chapter 6, the black horse of famine immediately follows the red horse of war…

4 And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.

5 And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand.

6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.

Right now, we are literally teetering on the brink of such a disaster.

According to the UN’s World Food Program, we are dealing with “a hunger crisis of unprecedented proportions” right now…

Last year, more than 3 billion people could not afford to eat a healthy diet…

Worldwide, more than 3.1 billion people could not afford a healthy diet, according to the report. That’s 42% of the world’s population, and a significant increase over pre-COVID levels.

Why aren’t we hearing more about this?

Just because our families aren’t facing severe hunger yet does not mean that we shouldn’t be paying attention. …

Our world is rapidly approaching a time of unparalleled chaos, and most of the population is completely and utterly unprepared for it.

If you plan to get prepared, now is the time. … the black horse of famine … 03/14/24 https://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/is-the-black-horse-of-famine-getting-ready-to-ride-too/

With food price inflation and billions hungry, the ride of the 3rd horseman may already have begun!

In addition to many parts of Africa, Asia, Haiti and Cuba have been suffering from hunger and severe food shortages:

Almost half of Haiti’s people are struggling to feed themselves as gang violence spreads across the country, with several areas close to famine, international organizations said …

Inflation and poor harvests have also helped push Haiti to its worst levels of food insecurity on record, they said. https://www.reuters.com/world/haiti-gang-wars-push-hunger-worst-levels-record-reports-say-2024-03-22/

Hundreds of protesters have taken to the streets in Cuba in recent days, furious over the lack of food and electricity. With chants of “hunger” and “we want food,” the demonstrations have centered in Santiago de Cuba, the country’s second-biggest city, and surrounding towns in the southeastern area of the island. https://www.npr.org/2024/03/20/1239711488/cuba-protests-food-shortage-blackouts-oil

Jesus said:

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

History, as well of the words of Jesus, tends to show that food shortages come after wars, and the third horseman comes after the horseman representing war.

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

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

We already have food price inflation. And that was before the impact of the Russian- Ukrainian conflict.

The old Worldwide Church of God published the following:

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

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

And while the northern, Babylonian, European Beast power will prosper for a short while, it too will ultimately succumb to famine according to Revelation 18:2,8:

2 Babylon…8 her plagues will come in one day–death and mourning and famine…

We are starting to see more reports of food shortages and the potential for food inflation–and even Europe has concerns.

Here is something from the old Worldwide Church of God:

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

FEEDING THE BLACK HORSE OF FAMINE

Centuries ago the greatest prophet, forecaster, and newscaster who ever lived described in vivid detail the most climactic period in all of man’s existence. The prophet, Jesus Christ, was referring to events immediately preceding the end or consummation of this present era of human history.

His answer came in response to His disciples’ question: “Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the close of the age?” (Matt. 24:3.)

Jesus spoke of several major events that would signal the beginning of this troubled period. After false prophets and wars came a third significant indicator: “… and there will be famines” (Matt. 24:7).

Some 60 years later, Christ further elaborated on this description when He gave the apostle John the prophecies concerning the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse in the sixth chapter of the ‘book of Revelation. Again the same basic sequence of events is described. Following the white horse representing false Christs and the red horse of war comes the black horse of famine: “And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine” (Rev. 6:5-6, KJV).

Unprecedented Famine

There have always been famines, but there have never been famines the likes of which the world is currently experiencing. Usually famines of the past came in conjunction with droughts, wars, and other natural or man-made disturbances. They were cyclical in nature. Today worldwide famine is built into the structure of world society. Famine is now a way of life for millions of people. Weather fluctuations, wars and crop failures only serve to exacerbate existing conditions.

Today’s famines also differ in both nature and size from those of the past. Never before did multiple hundreds of millions of people suffer from hunger and malnutrition at any given period in history as they do today. As Paul and Arthur Simon wrote in The Politics of World Hunger: “The population explosion has produced stress and deprivation on a scale without precedent, as well as a momentum of growth that boggles the mind” (p. 51).

So Jesus Christ was not merely guessing about future famines. He was describing an age of human existence that was unique from all others in which widespread famine was only one of many interrelated events. In the 24th chapter of Matthew, He made this clear when He said: “For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be” (verse 21).

The prophet Jeremiah describes this tumultuous age as follows: “Alas! that day is so great there is none like it; it is a time of distress for Jacob …” (Jer. 30:7).

Daniel likewise wrote: “And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time” (Dan. 12:1).

Today, modern-day prophets have finally caught up with the patriarchs of old. Notice what Robert McNamara says about this era of world history: “We have to see the population problem as part … of a much wider social and political crisis that grows deeper with each decade and threatens to round off this century with years of unrest and turbulence, a ‘time of troubles’ [emphasis ours] during which the forces of historical change threaten our frail twentieth century society with disintegration.”

Also, Georg Borgstrom states: “As a human race we are heading for Supreme Disaster, and the great challenge to our generation is to avert this calamity. It has to be done in this crucial century, or mankind may well deprive itself of both its future and its history.”

And worldwide famine, fueled by an exploding population and future international conflicts, will undoubtedly be a key catalyst in this rapidly deteriorating chain of events.

Old Testament Warnings

Christ, who was the Logos or Spokesman of the Old Testament (see I Cor. 10:4, John 1:1), also gave national warnings concerning famine through many of the prophets of old.
In these passages, famine, along with the 2nd and 4th horsemen, war and pestilence, are shown to be the ultimate result of false religion (the first horseman) and flagrant disobedience of God’s commandments.

Notice some of the penalties for disobedience recorded in the 26th chapter of Leviticus: “If after all this you have not learnt discipline but still defy me, I in turn will defy you and scourge you seven times over for your sins. I will bring war in vengeance upon you … you shall be herded into your cities, I will send pestilence among you, and you shall be given over to the enemy. I will cut short your daily bread until ten women can bake your bread in a single oven; they shall dole it out by weight [see Revelation 6:5-6], and though you eat, you shall not be satisfied. If in spite of this you do not listen to me and still defy me, I will defy you in anger, and I myself will punish you seven times over for your sins. Instead of meat you shall eat your sons and daughters” (Lev. 26:23-28, The New English Bible).

Other passages warn of famine-producing upsets in weather (Amos 4:7, Deut. 28:24); ruined harvests (Ezek. 5:16, Deut. 28:17); blighted crops (Amos 4:9); harmful insect pests (Deut. 28:39, 42); and nonproductive soil (Deut. 28:23).

Israel of old didn’t heed these warnings and suffered the consequences. Today many of the modern nations of the world, including the United States and Britain, are following in the footsteps of the ancient Israelites and are beginning to pay the same penalties as their predecessors.

The Bitter Harvest of Disobedience

And as men continue to flagrantly disregard the laws of their Creator, such conditions will continue to be aggravated. Jesus Christ went on to warn of similar calamities in the future. In the book of Revelation, He depicts an earth whose entire food producing ecosystem will be in jeopardy. …

Perhaps lack of food or resources resulting from these global catastrophes explains why a massive army of 200 million men decides to march on the Middle East in the 16th chapter of Revelation. In any event, Jesus Christ went on to show that unless He personally intervened in the affairs of men during this tumultuous time period, all life would be erased from off the face of the earth (Matt. 24:22).

A Global Surplus of Food

Christ’s intervention will set off a chain of events that will finally bring a halt to the continuous rounds of famine and hunger the human race has experienced down through history. Satan the Devil will be put away (Rev. 20:1-2), and with him will go the centuries—old system of greed and exploitation that has left many a broken, hungry, and destitute person in its wake. The “dispossessed masses” will become a thing of the past as every individual will have a chance to own agriculturally productive real estate (Micah 4:4). Farming methods will be overhauled until lush crops are considered commonplace (Isa. 32:15), and one harvest follows hard on the heels of the previous one (Amos 9:13-14).

The earth’s arable land mass will be greatly expanded as mountains are lowered (Isa. 40:4) and the sands of the deserts begin an unprecedented retreat (Isa. 35:1, 7). Only then will the age-old problem of famine finally be put to rest. (4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse – The Black Horse – Famine. WCG booklet, 1976)

We have already seen food price inflation.

14:44

3rd Horseman of the Apocalypse and Food

There are reports about food price inflation around the world. While it is worsening in many areas, some believe it will improve in 2023. Instead, could prices continue to rise in 2023 and get much worse in 2024 and thereafter? What are the causes of food price inflation? Is there any connection between weather, government policies, fertilizer prices, energy costs, economic sanctions and food price inflation? What are we seeing in reports from the United Kingdom, Hungary, and South Africa? What about impacts from Russia’s ‘special military operation’ into Ukraine? Could EU and/or USA policies be effecting any of this? Is the ‘black horse’ the one associated with famine, food shortages, and food price inflation in the Book of Revelation? Are there any physical lessons we can learn from ants according to the Book of Proverbs? What are some spiritual steps we should take according to Jesus? Dr. Thiel and Steve Dupuie address these matters and more.

Here is a link to our video: 3rd Horseman of the Apocalypse and Food.

Remember that Jesus said:

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

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

Physical Preparation Scriptures for Christians. We all know the Bible prophecies famines. Should we do something? Here is a version in the Spanish language Escrituras sobre Preparación física para los Cristianos. Here is a link to a related sermon: Physical preparedness for Christians.
Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse What do each of the four horseman of the Apocalypse represent? Have they began their ride? Did Jesus discuss the any of this? Might their rides coincide with the “beginning of sorrows? Do they start their ride prior to the Great Tribulation? Did Nostradamus or any other ‘private prophets’ write predictions that may mislead people so that they may not understand the truth of one or more of the four horseman? There is also a related YouTube video titled Sorrows and the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.
Physical Preparation Scriptures for Christians. We all know the Bible prophecies famines. Should we do something? Here is a version in the Spanish language Escrituras sobre Preparación física para los Cristianos. Here is a link to a related sermon: Physical preparedness for Christians.
Could 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 2025 or? There is also a video titled: When Does the 6000 Years End? 2031? 2035? Here is a link to the article in Spanish: ¿Tiene Dios un plan de 6,000 años?
Philadelphian Christian Great Tribulation Protection What will the Great Tribulation be like? Does Jesus promise physical protection to some or all Christians? Where might the place of protection be? What about fleeing to the mountains? What did Ezekiel warn? Here is a link to a related sermon: Great Tribulation Protection.
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 are two related items in the Spanish language: Hay un lugar de seguridad para los Filadelfinos. ¿Puede ser Petra? and Existe un Lugar de Seguridad.
When Will the Great Tribulation Begin? 2024, 2025, or 2026? 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: Tribulation in 2024? Here is a video in the Spanish language: Es El 2021 el año  de La Gran Tribulación o el Grande Reseteo Financiero.

Capybara (Photo by Karelj)

COGwriter

We are currently towards the end of the Greco-Roman adopted time called Lent.

Because of this period, a rodent was once declared to be a fish by a Roman Catholic pontiff–who is supposed to be infallible when making such pronouncement. Here is something about a “Lenten Dish”:

Giant Rodents A Lenten Dish

About 400 years ago, Spanish missionaries discovered that some indigenous communities in Venezuela, Colombia and Brazil relied for much of their protein on the meat of the capybara, an animal that no European had seen before. The missionaries reported back to Rome that they had encountered an animal that was hairy and scaly and spent more of its time in the water than on land. They asked whether their new converts could continue to eat capybara at Lent, a time when Catholics traditionally avoid meat.

With no clear idea of what the capybara was or looked like and concerned a ban would lead to indigenous communities starving during Lent, the Vatican immediately ruled that the semi-aquatic mammal was in fact a fish. The tradition continues to this day, and eating capybara remains part of the Lenten tradition for many families, despite the fact that the giant rodent tastes like a cross between fish and lamb. http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2003-03-18/news/0303170443_1_rodents-lenten-capybara

“In 1784 and after several attempts at obtaining a Vatican license, a Papal Bull (decree) allowed the consumption of capybara flesh during Lent…” – Capybara: Biology, Use and Conservation of an Exceptional Neotropical Species, by José Roberto Moreira, Katia Maria P.M.B., Springer Aug 15, 2012, page 307

So, without seeing the rodent, the Vatican declared it a fish–so much for making an infallible decision. Perhaps it would have come to a different decision if it saw the capybara as it has fur and toes.

I pointed this out to my family in the past, when we actually saw cabybaras in a zoo. They were shocked that anyone could think these rodents were fish.

Despite now knowing that cabybaras are not fish, the Vatican has apparently not rescinded allowing the capybara from being eaten during its Lenten period. Here is some additional information about that rodent being a Lenten dish:

In Days Before Easter, Venezuelans Tuck Into Rodent-Related Delicacy

Though it’s hard to imagine eating a boiled, oversize rat, salted capybara is considered a delicacy in Venezuela, where thousands this week are enjoying the meat of the rodent during Holy Week. Centuries ago, the Vatican ruled that these furry cousins of rats and mice native to South America’s plains qualify as fish – paving the way for capybara feasts during Lent, when red meat is prohibited.

http://www.nysun.com/foreign/in-days-before-easter-venezuelans-tuck-into/11063/

Of course, Lent is not a biblically-enjoined period, so having unusual declarations about it should not be unexpected.

Actually, according to the Bible, rodents, like the capybara are not to be eaten at all (cf. Leviticus 11, Deuteronomy 14). Early Christians also did not eat biblically-unclean animals (see The New Testament Church and Unclean Meats). However, in Alexandria, Egypt and elsewhere, compromisers began to conclude that the biblical injunctions against unclean animals was no longer meant to be literally understood. But many did not go along with this in Europe or Asia Minor.

So, how did consumption of unclean meat become common?

Well, in addition to the writings and positions of some compromisers, the answer might lie in a Catholic document titled Liber Pontificalis.

According to the Liber Pontificalis, the position on unclean meat consumption was changed by Bishop Eleutherius in the late second century:

He also decreed that no kind of food in common use should be rejected especially by the Christian faithful, inasmuch as God created it; provided it was a rational food and fit for human kind (Book of the Pontiffs (Liber Pontificalis) 2nd edition. Translation by Raymond Davis. Liverpool University Press – Translated Texts for Historians, Liverpool, 2001, p.17).

The Catholic Encyclopedia states:

The “Liber Pontificalis” ascribes to Pope Eleutherius a decree that no kind of food should be despised by Christians (Et hoc iterum firmavit ut nulla esca a Christians repudiaretur, maxime fidelibus, quod Deus creavit, quæ tamen rationalis et humana est).

It should be noted that Roman bishops were not called Popes that early (that did not happen until the late fourth century). Anyway, according to Lopes book The Popes, Eleutherius was bishop of Rome from 175-189 AD. This book (which I purchased at the Vatican itself) states this about Eleutherius:

He dispensed with the obligations of Christians to follow dietary laws of Judaic origin (page 5).

The above book should have said the obligations of biblical origin as the dietary restrictions began with God and not Jews (the distinction between clean and unclean animals was known by at least Noah’s time, since God so declared in Genesis 7:2-3). Perhaps it needs to be stated that no one called of God in the Old Testament or New Testament is ever shown to have consumed unclean meat.

Notice that the Church of Rome claims that it was because of its Bishop in the late second century that Christians were allowed to eat biblically-unclean animals. The Protestant world, who now states other reasons, has gone along with the Roman declaration.

Yet, faithful Christians, such as those in the Continuing Church of God have continued to avoid the consumption of unclean animals as the Bible teaches (which is also consistent with the faithful Christians throughout recorded history). ‘Nazarene’ Christians faced the death penalty from followers of Emperor Constantine’s Greco-Roman faith in the fourth century when they refused to eat pork.

So, when is a rodent a fish? When compromise occurs.

Why do people keep Lent?

Because they, too, have accepted compromises that have affected those in the Greco-Roman faiths throughout history. Lent, itself, was the result of compromise.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

Is Lent a Christian Holiday? When did it originate? What about Ash Wednesday? If you observe them, do you know why? Here is an old, by somewhat related, article in the Spanish language by Dr. Hoeh: ¿Por Qué Se Observa la Cuaresma? Here is a link to a related sermon: Lent, Ash Wednesday, Carnaval, and Christianity?
Mardi Gras: The Devil’s Carnival? Is Mardi Gras Christian? Do you know that in Bolivia the carnival/Mardi Gras time is part of a celebration known as the Devil’s Carnival? Where did it come from? There is also a related YouTube video Mardi Gras & Carnaval: Are they for Christians?
The History of Early Christianity Are you aware that what most people believe is not what truly happened to the true Christian church? Do you know where the early church was based? Do you know what were the doctrines of the early church? Is your faith really based upon the truth or compromise?
The New Testament Church, History, and Unclean Meats Are foods considered to have been unclean in the Old Testament considered to be food in the New Testament? This article discusses this from the perspective of the New Testament. It also has a list of clean and unclean animals. It also answers the question, is pork healthy or is pork dangerous? There is also a sermon-length video on this: Christians and Unclean Meats; two short videos are also available: Did Jesus declare all animal flesh food? and COVID, Pandemics, and Unclean Meat.
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.
What Do Roman Catholic Scholars Actually Teach About Early Church History? Although most believe that the Roman Catholic Church history teaches an unbroken line of succession of bishops beginning with Peter, with stories about most of them, Roman Catholic scholars know the truth of this matter. Is telling the truth about the early church citing Catholic accepted sources anti-Catholic? This eye-opening article is a must-read for any who really wants to know what Roman Catholic history actually admits about the early church. There is also a YouTube sermon on the subject titled Church of God or Church of Rome: What Do Catholic Scholars Admit About Early Church History?
Nazarene Christianity: Were the Original Christians Nazarenes? Who were the Nazarene Christians? What did they believe? Should 21st century Christians be modern Nazarenes? Is there a group that exists now that traces its history through the Nazarenes and holds the same beliefs today? Here is a link to a related video sermon Nazarene Christians: Were the early Christians “Nazarenes”?
Location of the Early Church: Another Look at Ephesus, Smyrna, and Rome What actually happened to the primitive Church? And did the Bible tell about this in advance?
Apostolic Succession What really happened? Did structure and beliefs change? Are many of the widely-held current understandings of this even possible? Did you know that Catholic scholars really do not believe that several of the claimed “apostolic sees” of the Orthodox have apostolic succession–despite the fact that the current pontiff himself seems to wish to ignore this view? Is there actually a true church that has ties to any of the apostles that is not part of the Catholic or Orthodox churches? Read this article if you truly are interested in the truth on this matter! Here is a link to a sermon: Claims of Apostolic Succession. Here is a related articlein the Spanish language La sucesión apostólica. ¿Ocurrió en Roma, Alejandría, Constantinopla, Antioquía, Jerusalén o Asia Menor?
Early Church History: Who Were the Two Major Groups Professed Christ in the Second and Third Centuries? Did you know that many in the second and third centuries felt that there were two major, and separate, professing Christian groups in the second century, but that those in the majority churches tend to now blend the groups together and claim “saints” from both? “Saints” that condemn some of their current beliefs. Who are the two groups?
What Was the Original Apostles’ Creed? What is the Nicene Creed? Did the original apostles write a creed? When was the first creed written? Are the creeds commonly used by the Eastern Orthodox or Roman Catholics original?
Do You Practice Mithraism? Many practices and doctrines that mainstream so-called Christian groups have are the same or similar to those of the sun-god Mithras. December 25th was celebrated as his birthday. Do you follow Mithraism combined with the Bible or original Christianity? A sermon videoed in Vatican City is Church of Rome, Mithras, and Isis?
Continuing Church of God The group striving to be most faithful amongst all real Christian groups to the word of God.
Where is the True Christian Church Today? This free online pdf booklet answers that question and includes 18 proofs, clues, and signs to identify the true vs. false Christian church. Plus 7 proofs, clues, and signs to help identify Laodicean churches. A related sermon is also available: Where is the True Christian Church? Here is a link to the booklet in the Spanish language: ¿Dónde está la verdadera Iglesia cristiana de hoy? Here is a link in the German language: WO IST DIE WAHRE CHRISTLICHE KIRCHE HEUTE? Here is a link in the French language: Où est la vraie Église Chrétienne aujourd’hui?
Continuing History of the Church of God This pdf booklet is a historical overview of the true Church of God and some of its main opponents from Acts 2 to the 21st century. Related sermon links include Continuing History of the Church of God: c. 31 to c. 300 A.D. and Continuing History of the Church of God: 4th-16th Centuries and Continuing History of the Church of God: 17th-20th Centuries. The booklet is available in Spanish: Continuación de la Historia de la Iglesia de Dios, German: Kontinuierliche Geschichte der Kirche Gottes, French: L’Histoire Continue de l’Église de Dieu and Ekegusii Omogano Bw’ekanisa Ya Nyasae Egendererete.
Should You Observe God’s Holy Days or Demonic Holidays? This is a free pdf booklet explaining what the Bible and history shows about God’s Holy Days and popular holidays. A related sermon is Which Spring Days should Christians observe?

COGwriter

The Continuing Church of God continues to get additional materials translated into the Spanish language.

Here are the translations that we just received:

‘Islamic State’ killed at least 133 in Moscow–will Islamic terrorists kill more in the USA, UK, and Canada?

El ‘Estado Islámico’ mató al menos a 133 personas en Moscú. ¿Matarán más los terroristas islámicos en Estados Unidos, Reino Unido y Canadá?

https://www.cdlidd.es/el-estado-islamico-mato-al-menos-a-133-personas-en-moscu-mataran-mas-los-terroristas-islamicos-en-estados-unidos-reino-unido-y-canada/

Sermon: Christian Growth: Consider the Monarch

Sermón: Crecimiento cristiano: Considere al Monarca

https://www.cdlidd.es/sermon-crecimiento-cristiano-considere-al-monarca/

‘What Will Each Church Member’s Duty Be?’ by Herman Hoeh

‘¿Cuál será el deber de cada miembro de la Iglesia?’ por Herman Hoeh

https://www.cdlidd.es/cual-sera-el-deber-de-cada-miembro-de-la-iglesia-por-herman-hoeh/

ZH: European Council President Calls On Europe To Switch To A War Economy

ZH: El presidente del Consejo Europeo pide a Europa pasar a una economía de guerra

https://www.cdlidd.es/zh-el-presidente-del-consejo-europeo-pide-a-europa-pasar-a-una-economia-de-guerra/

Why Do Christian People Die?

¿Por qué mueren los cristianos?

https://www.cdlidd.es/por-que-mueren-los-cristianos/

MS: A “Massive Altar” For The Red Heifer Sacrifice Has Been Constructed In Israel

MS: Se ha construido en Israel un “enorme altar” para el sacrificio de la vaquilla alazana

https://www.cdlidd.es/ms-se-ha-construido-en-israel-un-enorme-altar-para-el-sacrificio-de-la-vaquilla-alazana/

Aleksandar ‘Sasha’ Veljic died

Murió Aleksandar ‘Sasha’ Veljic

https://www.cdlidd.es/murio-aleksandar-sasha-veljic/

PCG: Is the Red Sea Crisis About to Fulfill Bible Prophecy? COGwriter: No, it will not be the way Gerald Flurry thinks it might!

PCG: ¿Está la crisis del Mar Rojo a punto de cumplir la profecía bíblica? COGwriter: ¡No, no será como Gerald Flurry cree que sería!

https://www.cdlidd.es/pcg-esta-la-crisis-del-mar-rojo-a-punto-de-cumplir-la-profecia-biblica-cogwriter-no-no-sera-como-gerald-flurry-cree-que-seria/

Ron Paul: I believe in that theory of the Black Swan … the Republic is gone.

Ron Paul: Creo en esa teoría del Cisne Negro… la República se ha ido.

https://www.cdlidd.es/ron-paul-creo-en-esa-teoria-del-cisne-negro-la-republica-se-ha-ido/

GTA: Could Jesus have sinned? COGwriter: Yes, but He did not

GTA: ¿Podría Jesús haber pecado? COGwriter: Sí, pero no lo hizo.

https://www.cdlidd.es/gta-podria-jesus-haber-pecado-cogwriter-si-pero-no-lo-hizo/

Purim 2024 and Persia (Iran) remains a threat

Purim 2024 y Persia (Irán) sigue siendo una amenaza

https://www.cdlidd.es/purim-2024-y-persia-iran-sigue-siendo-una-amenaza/

The Continuing Church of God has a separate Spanish language website http://www.cdlidd.es. The term Continuing Church of God translates into La Continuación de la Iglesia de Dios in the Spanish language, also called Castellano or Español.

We have also additional Spanish language videos on our CDLIDDSermones channel.

Our Spanish translator normally provides translated news items once or twice per month.

So, in addition to having magazines and books in the Spanish language, we also post news items in it as well.

This is another avenue we utilize to teach all that we can in accordance with Matthew 24:14, Mark 13:28-37, and Matthew 28:19-20.

The Continuing Church of God is reaching people around the world in multiple languages via the internet, printed literature, and human church leaders.

We also reach people over the radio and through videos in the English language.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

Mexico, Central America, South America, Brazil, and the Caribbean in Prophecy [Español: México, América central, Suramérica, Brasil y el Caribe en la profecía] [Português: México, América Central, Ámérica do Sul, e Brasil na profecia] What will happen to those of Latin America? Will they have prosperity? Will they cooperate with Europe? Will they suffer in the future? What role might the various Caribbean nations/territories play? Two videos of related interest are available: Will Mexico Regain USA Territories? and Donald Trump and Mexico’s future. A sermon of related interest is available: Latin America in Prophecy.

CDLIDDSermones channel. This contains messages in the Spanish language.

CDLIDD.ES La Continuación de la Iglesia de Dios. This is the Spanish language website for the Continuing Church of God and has articles in español/castellano.

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.

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?

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.

Faith for those God has Called and Chosen What is faith? Can faith be increased? Are you saved by faith? What about works? Do Christians need to keep the Ten Commandments? What is the ‘faith chapter’? How do the just live by faith? Is faith one of the weightier matters of the law? How does faith come? Here is a link to a pdf. booklet titled Faith for Those God has Called and Chosen. Marque aquí para ver el pdf folleto: Fe para aquellos que Dios ha llamado y escogido.Here is a link to a related sermon titled: Faith for the Called and Chosen. Here is a link to shorter version of the written article in Mandarin Chinese 一篇关于信仰的小文章

CCOG.ORG Continuing Church of God The group striving to be most faithful amongst all real Christian groups to the word of God. To see how CCOG has done so far, here are links to two sermons Continuing Church of God (CCOG) first year anniversary: What has been accomplished? and The Continuing Church of God: Two Years of Proclamation. Here is a written link to a version of that sermon in the Spanish language: Aniversario del primer año de la Continuación de la Iglesia de Dios: ¿Qué se ha cumplido?

CCOG Animations channel. The Continuing Church of God has some animations to teach aspects of Christian beliefs.

Bible News Prophecy channel. Dr. Thiel has produced many YouTube videos for the BibleNewsProphecy channel. And you can find them there.

ContinuingCOG channel. Dr. Thiel has produced YouTube video sermons for this channel. Note: Since these are sermon-length, they can take a little longer to load than other YouTube videos. Here is a link to a short intro: ContinuingCOG Channel.

CCOGAfrica channel. This has messages from African pastors in African languages such as Kalenjin, Kiswahili, Embu, and Dholuo.

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 and European Gospel radio. This has an audio version of the Bible News Prophecy videos and other radio broadcasts. It is also available as a mobile app.

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

CCOGAFRICA.ORG This is a website targeted towards those in Africa.

CCOGCANADA.CA This is a website targeted towards those in Canada.

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.

PNIND.PH Patuloy na Iglesya ng Diyos. This is the Philippines website Continuing Church of God. It has information in English and Tagalog.

Study the Bible Course Want to learn more about the Bible? This new course is for you! Here is a: link to Lesson 1: Why Study the Bible? Here is a: link to Lesson 2: Here’s good news…the MESSAGE sent from Heaven. Here is a: link to Lesson 3: Christ Will Stop World Suicide! Here is a: link to Lesson 4: How to Study the Bible. Here is a link to Study the Bible Course: Test 1, for Lessons 1-4. Here is a: link to Lesson 5: The Millennium. Here is a: link to Lesson 6: Utopia! It is also available in French (Leçon 1 En francés), Kiswahili (Somo 1 Katika Kiswahili), Mandarin Chinese (™–˜u : N-Vý), Tagalog (KURSO SA PAG-ARAL NG BIBLYA), and Spanish (Lección 1 En castellano).
Youth Bible Lessons We have scores of lessons for the very young through teenage to learn about the ways of God.

COGwriter

Passover is on the 14th of Nisan and is to be observed after sunset on April 21, 2024.

The following was written around the late second/early third century:

For when we had eaten the passover on the third day of the week at even, we went forth to the Mount of Olives; and in the night they seized our Lord Jesus. And the next day, which was the fourth of the week, (Didascalia Apostolorum, Chapter 21, verse 14. R. Hugh Connolly, version Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1929).

Notice that it was understood in the second century that Jesus’ arrest occurred on the third day, which was Tuesday (with Sunday being the first day, then Monday the second day). That means that the Passover obviously was not on a Sunday–and no scholar I am aware of teaches that Jesus’ last Passover was on a Sunday.

It may be of interest to note that, even in the 21st century, some Roman Catholics seem to realize that this Passover (which they normally call the Last Supper) was kept by Jesus on a Tuesday night and that He was betrayed on a Wednesday (Zanchettin L, ed. Meditations, Tuesday, April 11, Wednesday April 12. the WORD among us–The #1 Monthly Devotional for Catholics. 2006; Volume 25, Number 4, pp. 63-64). That Tuesday, as mentioned earlier, was the 14th of Nisan.

Did the Apostles keep the 14th of Nisan or did they choose Easter Sunday, a day no one believes the last Passover could have happened?

Is it logical that some of the faithful Apostles actually kept different dates for the observance of the Christian Passover?

Some claim that Peter and Paul kept Sunday, while teaching that John and Philip kept the 14th of the month of Nisan for the Christian Passover.

But does that make any sense?

Could the date of Passover be at all important?

Many seem to believe the following written by the 5th century Eastern Catholic historian Socrates Scholasticus:

Quartodecimans affirm that the observance of the fourteenth day was delivered to them by the apostle John, while the Romans and those in the Western parts assure us that their usage originated with the apostles Peter and Paul. Neither of these parties however can produce any written testimony in confirmation of what they assert. (Socrates Scholasticus. Ecclesiastical History, Book V, Chapter XXII. Excerpted from Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, Volume 2. Edited by Philip Schaff and Henry Wace. American Edition, 1890).

Is this true?

No.

But many believe this and related statements, hence they do not keep Passover on the 14th day of the first month of the biblical year (Exodus 12:2), which is often known as Nisan (Esther 3:7). Instead most who claim Christianity keep Easter Sunday.

Before going further, it may be of interest to note that ‘Easter’ is claimed to be Passover, Notice what the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches:

1170 At the Council of Nicea in 325, all the Churches agreed that Easter, the Christian Passover, should be celebrated on the Sunday following the first full moon (14 Nisan) after the vernal equinox (Catechism of the Catholic Church. Imprimatur Potest +Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger. Doubleday, NY 1995, p. 332).

From this, notice that it is taught that what is now called Easter was originally observed as a change in the date of Passover. It originally was not a Christian resurrection holiday.

Easter itself is not a Christian term, and its celebration contains pagan elements. The Catholic Encyclopedia article on Easter notes:

The English term, according to the Ven. Bede (De temporum ratione, I, v), relates to Estre, a Teutonic goddess of the rising light of day and spring … Since Christ, the true Paschal Lamb, had been slain on the very day when the Jews, in celebration of their Passover, immolated the figurative lamb, the Jewish Christians in the Orient followed the Jewish method…For this observance they claimed the authority of St. John and St. Philip.

(Holweck F. G. Easter. The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume V. Copyright © 1909 by Robert Appleton Company. Online Edition Copyright © 2003 by K. Knight. Nihil Obstat, May 1, 1909. Remy Lafort, Censor. Imprimatur. +John M. Farley, Archbishop of New York).

Thus, the Romans admit that the name Easter is the name of a pagan goddess and that the churches in Asia Minor (which they call the Orient) continued to observe Passover on the date that the Jews did, Nisan 14. But it was not just Jews, but also Gentile Christians who did so.

Now, let’s consider if there is early evidence that the Apostle Paul observed Passover or Easter Sunday.

Blood moon (NASA)

COGwriter

World Net Daily and Michael Snyder posted the following two items:

Biblical expert warns of upcoming ‘blood moons’

ISRAEL – On Monday, March 25, 2024, the sun, earth and moon will perfectly align, creating a penumbral lunar eclipse two weeks after a total solar eclipse transverses the continental U.S.

WND spoke with Pastor Mark Biltz of El Shaddai Ministries about the celestial events. Biltz deeply understands the connection between eclipses and biblical holidays. …

“From a biblical point of view, an eclipse is meant to be a sign from God,” said Biltz, citing Genesis 1:14: “And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years.”

“The number one reason for an eclipse is to be a sign,” he explained. “It is a sign that is beyond man’s control, something he cannot manipulate.” …

While lunar eclipses occur on average one or two times a year, Pastor Biltz explained that when they fall on the biblical holidays, they are significant. This convergence is what Biltz refers to as a “blood moon tetrad,” a phenomenon he first identified in 2008.

His blood moons prophecy is based on a series of four consecutive total lunar eclipses coinciding with Jewish holidays with six full moons in between that have no intervening partial lunar eclipses. This series is referred to as a tetrad.

The most recent tetrad began with a total lunar eclipse on April 15, 2014, the first night of Pesach (Passover). This marked the first of four consecutive eclipses. The second lunar eclipse took place on Oct. 8, 2014, marking the second night of Sukkot. The third lunar eclipse was on April 4, 2015, the second night of Pesach, and the fourth occurred on Sept. 28, 2015, the second night of Sukkot. …

The notable exception was the blood moon tetrad that occurred in 2014-2015. No major war or significant event happened that year.

“I was trying to figure out what it was, but it was October 7 that showed me what that Tetrad meant,” Pastor Biltz said. “The 1967-1968 tetrad of blood moons was a seven-year warning of the Yom Kippur War in 1973. Yom Kippur in 1073 was the very first day of the Jubilee cycle. And then the 2014-2015 Protective Edge incursion into Gaza and the Blood Moon that accompanied it were a seven-year warning before the October 7 war which happened on Simchat Torah, the very last day of that same 50-year Jubilee cycle. So, the last Jubilee cycle was bookended with wars and blood moons.” …

He remarked that the upcoming total solar eclipse will cross the border into Canada, passing over a city called Economy in the end.

“I think this is a warning we’re going to see an economic tragedy coming to the whole world,” Biltz said. “It will begin in the United States, but it will reverberate throughout the whole world.” 03/16/24 https://www.wnd.com/2024/03/biblical-expert-warns-upcoming-blood-moons/

The “Blood Moon Purim Eclipse” Of March 25th Will Happen At About The Same Time “The Devil Comet” Becomes Visible To The Naked Eye

During the next couple of months, so many amazing things are going to be happening in the heavens.  For example, during the Great American Eclipse of 2024 on April 8th, the sun, the moon and the seven other planets in our solar system will all line up in the sky.  It is almost as if the entire solar system will be screaming that this is a once in a lifetime event.  But before we get to April 8th, there will be some other absolutely incredible things happening in the skies above our heads.  On March 25th, we will witness a penumbral lunar eclipse. …

Interestingly, this will also be a “blood moon” eclipse, and so to many people the moon will appear to have a reddish color…

In the upcoming lunar eclipse, the Earth’s shadow will block out 97% of the moon’s surface. This eclipse will be a “blood moon,” the result of atmospheric conditions that give the moon a reddish tint rather than black when it moves into the shadow. The red color comes from some of the sunlight passing through Earth’s atmosphere where it gets bent and colors like blue and green are filtered out, leaving behind longer wavelengths like the color red.

On top of everything else, this “blood moon” eclipse also coincides with Purim.

The first day of Purim goes from sundown on March 23rd to sundown on March 24th.

The second day of Purim goes from sundown on March 24th to sundown on March 25th.

So this is going to be a “blood moon Purim eclipse”, and Pastor Mark Biltz believes that it is quite appropriate that the moon will be eclipsed on Purim…

The first lunar eclipse on March 25 will coincide with the Jewish holiday of Purim. Biltz noted that it was fitting that the moon should be eclipsed on Purim, as Esther literally means “hidden.” …

Could this blood moon eclipse during Purim be a sign that the people of Israel are about to be delivered once again?

That is a good question.

We also know that in late March “the Devil Comet” will be racing through the sky as this blood moon eclipse is happening. 03/17/24 https://endoftheamericandream.com/the-blood-moon-purim-eclipse-of-march-25th-will-happen-at-about-the-same-time-the-devil-comet-becomes-visible-to-the-naked-eye/

As Jeremiah 10:2 states, we are not to be dismayed by things in the sky. And that includes the next blood moon. The USA is going to have major economic problems because of its debt (cf. Habakkuk 2:6-8), but it is not at all related to any blood moon this spring. Nor is a blood moon a sign related to Israel getting deliverance as Michael Snyder speculates.

Years ago, I denounced the view that the ‘blood moons’ of 2014 and 2015 could mean that Jesus would return or that the ‘Day of the Lord’ was about to start. This was something that Mark Biltz (who practices Messianic Judaism) started promoting back in 2008–but he was wrong then and is not a reliable “Biblical expert” when it comes to many things, including the ramifications of blood moons. I also denounced the super blood moon prophetic nonsense in 2018 and in 2019 denounced the super blood moon prophetic nonsense for 2019, plus another claim in 2022.

Mark Biltz’s explanation of how the blood moons of 2014-2025 “were a seven-year warning before the October 7 war” is totally wrong. Consider also that the 7 October 2023 was also EIGHT years after 2015, not even the seven as he seems to wish to claim.

For over a decade, I have repeatedly warned against false ‘blood moon’ interpretations, as the following articles over the past nearly nine years help demonstrate:

Do red ‘blood moons’ predict Jesus’ return in 2014 or 2015

Sunday, December 29th, 2013

Bible News Prophecy Magazine: Blood Moons: Will Jesus Return in 2014? Now also in Kiswahili!

Monday, January 20th, 2014

Wrong Protestant view about the coming ‘blood moons’

Wednesday, April 9th, 2014

Do ‘blood moons’ predict Jesus’ return in 2015?

Monday, December 22nd, 2014

Temple Institute Altar and Blood Moons

Sunday, March 15th, 2015

Might tomorrow’s blood moon have massive prophetic significance?

Friday, April 3rd, 2015

Jewish Rabbi claims blood moons mean ‘messianic advancement’

Monday, August 31st, 2015

WND, ‘Why this coming blood moon is important to watch’

Wednesday, September 16th, 2015

Knowledge of prophecy helps keep us vigilant, plus let’s us know that the world will not end with tonight’s blood moon

Sunday, September 27th, 2015

Mark Biltz, Blood Moons, Holy Days, and biblical prophecy

Sunday, September 25th, 2016

‘Blood moon’ Mark Biltz claims massive eclipse a sign of God

Tuesday, April 11th, 2017

‘Super Blood Moon’ expected next week: Mark Biltz claims prophetic ramifications

Monday, January 22nd, 2018

‘Blood Moon’ rapture or Daniel 9:27 next month?

Wednesday, June 27th, 2018

Could next week’s ‘blood moon’ be a message from God?

Thursday, July 19th, 2018

Long ‘blood moon’ tonight: Many have been prophetically wrong about blood moons

Friday, July 27, 2018

Super Blood Moon expected next month: Are prophetic concerns justified?

Sunday, December 9, 2018

‘Rabbinic Expert: First Super Blood Moon of the Year Sign of Earthquakes, Governments Will Fall’

Sunday, December 30, 2018

‘Blood Moon prophecy 2019: Is the Super Blood Moon a portent of DOOM?’

Sunday, January 13, 2019

No BIN and WND: Next blood moon is NOT a sign for Jews to return to Israel

Tuesday, January 15, 2019

The 2019 ‘Super wolf blood moon eclipse’ is NOT a biblical sign

Sunday, January 20, 2019

I365: Rare Blood Moon Lunar Eclipse on US Election Day

Sunday, October 30th, 2022

Repeatedly, those who pointed to prophetic significance of the blood moons, which have happened over the past several years including Mark Biltz, were wrong.

What is a blood moon? Here is one explanation:

A lunar eclipse occurs when the moon passes in the shadow of Earth. This is an area known as the umbra, where light from the Sun is blocked by our planet.

When the light refracts differently in the atmosphere and hits the moon, it makes it appear red. During a total eclipse, the entire moon is in shadow and it appears ‘blood red’. 07/11/18 https://www.mirror.co.uk/science/what-blood-moon-heres-moon-12801318

So, before the next blood moon occurs, I again want to inform people that this eclipse is a natural phenomenon.

While there are prophecies related to the moon looking like blood, they are NOT related to the USA election next week.

As far as 2024 goes, consider the following:

24 items to prophetically watch in 2024

 Donald Trump                  Joe Biden
(Official White House Photos)

COGwriter

As a business owner, while I do feel that Donald Trump and Joe Biden each would have a different effect on the economy of the USA, a reader sent me an article from The Economist which pointed to problems from both. Here are some excerpts (bolding mine):

America’s extraordinary economy keeps defying the pessimists

Both Donald Trump and Joe Biden have ideas that endanger it

You have to marvel at America’s economy. Not long ago it was widely thought to be on the brink of recession. Instead it ended 2023 nearly 3% larger than 12 months earlier, having enjoyed one of the boomier years of the century so far. And it continues to defy expectations. …

It may be tempting for politicians to extrapolate from America’s recent success and juice the economy with further stimulus. But that is becoming unsustainable. Official forecasts show that America will this year spend more on debt interest than national defence. More borrowing risks building up financial perils in the future.

At the same time, both Mr Trump and Mr Biden harbour populist and protectionist instincts that will only harm America’s growth potential. The sugar-rush of stimulus helped mask the damaging effects of such policies during each president’s first term. This time, however, the damage will not be disguised.

Mr Trump … has entertained a blanket 10% tariff on imports, which some of his advisers see as a mere starting-point. That would triple America’s existing levies on goods imports, worsen inflation and raise the cost of imported parts for manufacturers. At the same time, Mr Trump has promised the mass deportation of illegal immigrants. This goes well beyond trying to secure the border against new unauthorised entrants—a reasonable goal—and poses a risk to the labour supply: in 2021 America’s 10.5m irregular migrants made up an estimated 5% of its workforce. …

A second Biden term promises nothing as potentially catastrophic. Mr Biden has let the Fed get on with fighting inflation, and wants to raise taxes to reduce deficits. Yet he is also an economic nationalist. His State of the Union address on March 7th was littered with protectionist promises that the government would “Buy American”, and statist ideas about controlling the price of everything from housing to Snickers bars. …

Mr Trump thinks trade and immigration have made the country poorer; Mr Biden is deeply distrustful of big business. And where they do acknowledge America’s strengths, both men attribute it to their own misguided interventionism. In fact, they are chipping away at the free markets which are the ultimate source of the country’s wealth. https://www.economist.com/leaders/2024/03/14/americas-extraordinary-economy-keeps-defying-the-pessimists

Now, I strongly disagree that a “second Biden term promises nothing as potentially catastrophic.”

The amount of debt increase that the USA has incurred under the Biden Administration is potentially catastrophic, and more debt is even more potentially catastrophic.

Yet, more debt was approved by the USA House of Representatives on Friday and Senate yesterday:

Congress passes $1.2 trillion spending package, averting shutdown at last minute

March 23, 2024

Congress narrowly averted a partial shutdown early Saturday, passing a massive spending package mere hours after a midnight deadline passed. The package fully funds the government through September and ends a monthslong fight over spending that persisted six months into the fiscal year.

The Senate approved the $1.2 trillion package, which was unveiled early Thursday in a vote of 74 to 24. Hours earlier, it advanced out of the House in a 286 to 134 vote. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/government-shutdown-funding-package-vote-house-senate/

According to the following prophecy, written over 2600 years ago, while it will take time, the USA’s debt will end with the USA being conquered:

2 Then the Lord answered me and said: “Write the vision And make it plain on tablets, That he may run who reads it. 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. 4 “Behold the proud, His soul is not upright in him; But the just shall live by his faith.

5 “Indeed, because he transgresses by wine, He is a proud man, And he does not stay at home. Because he enlarges his desire as hell, And he is like death, and cannot be satisfied, He gathers to himself all nations And heaps up for himself all peoples. 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 2:2-8)

US Treasury notes are “many pledges.” Now, with an admitted debt of over $34 trillion dollars and plans to increase that much further, the USA has increased pledges more than any nation in the history of the planet.

The above prophecy in Habakkuk will be fulfilled at the time of the end (cf. “The message was true, but the appointed time was long…in the latter days, for the vision refers to many days yet to come”, Daniel 10:1,14). Daniel 8:19, 11:27, 29,35 use the same Hebrew term for “appointed time” as Habakkuk 2:3, while Daniel 10, using a different term, ties the latter days to the time in Daniel 8:19. Habakkuk 2 was not fulfilled in its entirety anciently. Also, it makes little sense that Habakkuk would be directed towards the modern nation of Israel as it does not have enemy creditors. It must be a nation or group of nations with some prominence at the appointed time of the end. As far as “violence of the land” as a contributing factor, this would seem to include crime, military missions, and perhaps riots/civil unrest, but might it also include promotion of violent sports? Is the USA government not giving shameful counsel regarding matters such as homosexuality and abortion?

Before the USA is conquered, more inflation is coming–and with potentially devastating consequences.

Here is something from my 2021 book, Biden-Harris: Prophecies and Destruction:

Joe Biden will have to deal with the fact that the U.S.A. is the most indebted nation in the history of humanity. Plus, he has pledged increasing it further [^{The Biden Emergency Action Plan to Save the Economy. JoeBiden.com, accessed 12/16/20}].

Debt is a prophesied problem (cf. Habakkuk 2:6-8). But many in the media as well as politically-inclined economists do not see it that way—but that is too short sighted (cf. Ecclesiastes 8:11).

The time will come when the U.S.A. government will no longer be able to borrow at low interest rates and/or it will create more money electronically and/or via the printing press to try to continue.

Make no mistake about it — massive inflation is coming.

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

A Biden-Harris Administration has asserted it will take debt raising steps. …

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. (Thiel B. Biden-Harris: Prophecies and Destruction. Nazarene Books, 2021)

Related to USA debt, we put out the following video:

14:44

And the Debt Goes On …

On June 3, 2023, US President Joe Biden signed a bill to increase the official debt-ceiling of the United States. According to the US Treasury the “ceiling” has been changed, increased, or delayed 78 other times. The official debt has nearly tripled since the Obama-Biden Administration. The official debt increased about $2 trillion per year under Donald Trump’s Administration and has done close to that in the Joe Biden Administration. While the USA has been able to increase debt with limited consequences (like inflation) so far, does the Bible show this can end in destruction? What did God warn about debt through the prophet Habakkuk? Is getting into high amounts of debt a blessing or curse according to the Bible? Do Democrats or Republicans currently have a plan that will now be implemented to pay off the debt? Has the USA been functioning as an international “leech” consistent with statements in the Book of Proverbs? Does the Bible say it is wicked to borrow money you do really intend to repay? Steve Dupuie and Dr. Thiel cover these matters.

Here is a link to our video: And the Debt Goes On …

There are disastrous changes that will come to the USA (Daniel 11:39; see also USA in Prophecy: The Strongest Fortresses)–and its debt and other monetary practices–which one day will cause massive hyperinflation–will be a cause (cf. Habakkuk 2:6-8; see also USA in Prophecy: The Strongest Fortresses).

But since many leading, so-called ‘economists’ are political hacks and/or have a political agenda, do not expect too many prominent ones to have sufficient influence to resolve the problems in the USA.

The truth is that the USA is setting itself up for massive inflation and destruction.

What will hit the USA will be worse than almost anyone realizes.

Neither Donald Trump no Joe Biden will be able to stop what is coming.

While national repentance could delay what will come (cf. Daniel 4:27), that is NOT expected.

Do not put your economic confidence in Joe Biden nor Donald Trump.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

Could 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 2025 or? There is also a video titled: When Does the 6000 Years End? 2031? 2035? Here is a link to the article in Spanish: ¿Tiene Dios un plan de 6,000 años?
Might the U.S.A. Be Gone in 2028? Could the USA be gone by the end of 2028? 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?
Should a Christian Vote? This article gives some of the Biblical rationale on this subject. Would Jesus vote for president/prime minister? Is voting in the Bible? This is a subject Christians need to understand. A video of related interest is available titled: Should Christians Vote? Another video is Biden, Trump, and the Bible.
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 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.
Physical Preparation Scriptures for Christians. We all know the Bible prophecies famines. Should we do something? Here is a version in the Spanish language Escrituras sobre Preparación física para los Cristianos. Here is a link to a related sermon: Physical preparedness for Christians.
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.
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.
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?
The Gospel of the Kingdom of God This free online pdf booklet has answers many questions people have about the Gospel of the Kingdom of God and explains why it is the solution to the issues the world is facing. Here are links to four related sermons:  The Fantastic Gospel of the Kingdom of God!, The World’s False Gospel, The Gospel of the Kingdom: From the New and Old Testaments, and The Kingdom of God is the Solution.
Donald Trump in Prophecy Prophecy, Donald Trump? Are there prophecies that Donald Trump may fulfill?  Are there any prophecies that he has already helped fulfill?  Is a Donald Trump presidency proving to be apocalyptic?  Two related videos are available: Donald: ‘Trump of God’ or Apocalyptic? and Donald Trump’s Prophetic Presidency.
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.

Model of the ancient tabernacle with a tent in Timna Valley Park, Israel
(Photo by Ruk7, Wikipedia)

COGwriter

The Continuing Church of God (CCOG) is pleased to suggest the following video on our Bible News Prophecy YouTube channel:

14:58

Temple Institute, Heifers, Hamas, and a Tent

In March 2024, the Temple Institute recently pointed out that how God blessed the Sabbath, He also blessed the construction of a tent tabernacle. They pointed out progress from the ancient Israelites. Should Christians be making spiritual progress each year before Passover? The Temple institute has stated that the area called ‘the Temple Mount’ needs to be cleared of Muslim mosques, etc. so that a ‘third temple’ can be built. It also claims that it has four thriving red heifers, one of which it wants to sacrifice before the implementation of regular animal sacrifices. Has Hamas claimed that the existence and possible use of a red heifer was a factor in its attack in Israel on October 7, 2023? Does the Temple Institute believe it must have a massive temple in order for sacrifices to resume? Or is having a priesthood, an altar, and a tent enough? What does the Sanhedrin say about that? Did Ezra write that animal sacrifices were made after the first temple was destroyed, but before the second temple was started? Is that believed by numerous modern Jewish rabbis and scholars? Does the Bible teach that regular animal sacrifices will be resumed? Could there be any relationship to the stopping of them and the return of Jesus? Is the day of Jesus’ coming getting much closer? Dr. Thiel and Steve Dupuie address these issues.

Here is a link to our video: Temple Institute, Heifers, Hamas, and a Tent.

We all need to watch and pray as Jesus said in Luke 21:36 and grow in grace and knowledge and as the Apostle Paul wrote:

25  … exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.  (Hebrews 10:25)

That day is approaching more and more.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

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?
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.
Examine Yourself before Passover This article goes into some of why real Christians are to do this. Three related sermons are Really examine yourself before Passover, Passover Examination, and Passover Preparation. Here is a link to this article in the Spanish language: Examínese antes de la Pascua.
Preparing for Passover The Apostle Paul taught that Christians should examine themselves prior to taking Passover. This YouTube video sermon gives suggestions on how to prepare.
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.

(Public Domain Pictures)

COGwriter

The old Radio Church of God published the following by Dr. Herman Hoeh:

What Will Each Church Member’s Duty Be?

HAVE you ever thought about what YOUR JOB will be in the Kingdom? About what Christ will have you  do in the millennium? About how you qualify for that responsibility?

What Christ Expects of Every Church Member

Salvation is a gift from God. It is absolutely free. But you can lose it!

Since salvation is something you can lose, then God must have set terms or conditions upon which He grants it.

It’s time you understood what those terms or conditions are.

First, notice how one may lose salvation – why some are thrust out of the Kingdom of God, while others are saved.

Jesus said of those who perish:

“Cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matt. 25:30).

What made this man unprofitable?

Why did Christ refuse him admission into the Kingdom of God ? Wherein had he failed?

The answer is found in verses 21 and 23. To those who are to receive salvation, who will inherit the Kingdom of God, Jesus said: “Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.”

Do you grasp it? Do you see the difference? The unprofitable servant was not faithful in carrying out the few duties given him in this life! He had not learned to master his time, he had not learned to master his human nature, he had not learned to rule his family -or, if a woman – to rule her children. He hadn’t improved his mind or put his income to work-even though he knew better! All he could say to his Lord was – “I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: and I was afraid, and went and hid my talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine” (verses 24 – 25).

He buried his talent. He was careless about life’s responsibilities. He didn’t call upon God for the help he needed. He lacked faith, which is a gift of the Spirit of God. He had not overcome. His Judge condemned him: “Thou wicked and slothful servant , . . ” (v. 26) .

Too many members in God’s Church today are like the unprofitable servant. An AWFUL fate awaits them unless they wake up! They are failing the ONE CONDITION Jesus Christ set for every church member: “To him that OVERCOMETH.”

But what does it mean to overcome?

The dictionary defines it as: “to master, prevail over, surmount, overwhelm, be victorious over, to win, to get the better of, to conquer.”

How many of you are mastering your job, your children, your human nature with God’s help? Are you surmounting obstacles? Gaining the victory over bad habits? Conquering your weaknesses?

In short – are you overcoming like Jacob, whose name was changed to Israel? Israel means, in Hebrew, “prevailer with God” – or, “ruler with God.”

Do you know what Jacob will be doing in the Kingdom of God? What this Philadelphia Era of the Church will be doing? What your individual responsibility will be? Everyone of us will be ruling under Christ – IF we have first, in this life, here and now, surrendered our wills to Him, and have let Him rule in and through us. No one will be there who has not come under Christ’s authority, or who has not learned to rule with Christ in the little duties and jobs we have in this life.

Different Degrees of Authority

But just as we do not all exercise the same kind of rule and authority now, so there are different kinds of responsibility in the Kingdom of God. Not all will have the same office. Not all will face the same duties. …

We are the Church that has been used to restore the truth and the pattern of God’s Government.  …

Notice that at the end of each of the seven stages in the history of God’s Church there is a definite promise for the Church which carries on God’s WORK during that particular period. You will find these seven promises recorded in Rev. 2:7, 10 and 11, 17, 26 to 28; 3:4 and 5, 12, 21. …

To each Church epoch DIFFERENT PROMISES are granted! … Some Churches are promised a special duty. …

All who overcome are to inherit the Kingdom of God-they will constitute the Kingdom. But they will not all occupy the same position in the Kingdom.

Jesus Christ does not occupy the same position as the Father. Yet both of them have eternally constituted the Kingdom of God.

The “saints shall judge the world” (I Corinthians 6:2), but some will be qualified to judge greater matters than others. “We shall reign on the earth” (Revelation  5: 10), but we shall not all reign over the same territory or people.

We shall all be priests – Peter calls us even now “a royal priesthood” (I Peter  2:9) – but some will minister in greater capacity than others.

It all depends on how we’ve overcome – how we strive against the attractions of the world and the pull of human nature.

When Christ comes to judge us, He will “give reward unto  .  .  .   small and great” (Rev. 11: I8). Some of us are smaller than others in God’s sight. Some have not  yielded to the law of God as much as others.  Some have not worked as hard on uprooting the power of human nature as others-they have not let God’s law govern their lives to the same degree as others.

In the Kingdom or Family of God there will be individuals of different degree. But for each individual there will be a responsibility, a job. Not the same job, of course! – for we are not all called to the same office. But every office is needed. An entire CIVILIZATION. God’s kind of civilization, God’s way and not man’s way. It will take literally millions of different jobs to create civilization as it ought to be.

YOUR JOB will be what you will find the most pleasure in doing.

We do not all get the same pleasure out of the same thing. That is why God has not called us all to the same office.

Notice, now, what the Church today is promised-and this includes you if you continue as an overcomer and resist temptation and end up as victor in your trials.

What This Church Is Promised

Open your Bible to Revelation 3:10-12.  Here is what it says: “Because  thou [this Church] hast kept the word of My patience” -we have patiently kept God’s word in a gainsaying world- “I,” responds Jesus,  “also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come  upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.”

If we hold fast to the end, notice what the reward of this Church will be in the  Kingdom of God: “Him that overcometh [this includes anyone, not just the ministry] will I make a pillar [or main support] in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, New Jerusalem: and  .  .  .  my new  name.”

In  Galatians 2:9 you will read that James and Peter and John seemed to be “pillar” in the early Church. They were leaders! That responsibility is what God promises to us in God’s Church today. We are to qualify – not for David’s office, not for the apostles’ offices – but as spiritual pillars or leaders – the main supports in God’s House [symbolically called “temple” in Rev. 3: 12) for all eternity. A pillar is the main support in a temple!

Think of it! Being able to judge at Headquarters in Jerusalem, all the varied problems of the whole world! No human court could begin to do what God promises we shall be qualified to perform.

Notice, too, the Scripture: “He shall go out no more.” We are never to be removed from that reward and responsibility. Think of that! We are to be at Headquarters – setting policies – determining those decisions that need to come to Headquarters. (Compare  Acts 15 with this.) …

But more than that, this Church – the Philadelphia era – is to have the name of the capital city of the universe – the Headquarters of the world. That is where we are to be centered. The pillars of the Church ought always to be at Headquarters so that all may appeal to it for decisions. All of you are being trained for this job now – even if it is only by learning to pray for the work at Headquarters and by sending to Headquarters your tithes for the conduct of the work of this Church. …

So let us all hold fast to the responsibility given us and do it the very best we can. We are all to be judged according to what we have. Many who seem to be small now will become great spiritual pillars tomorrow-and for all eternity. And some who seem to be greater today may not appear to be so great tomorrow. God is no respecter of persons. …

God will not make of you what you are not willing to become!

What wonderful truth about the Government of God which lies hidden within these seven small letters! What wonderful promises are open to us – undreamed-of powers to remake the world and to be happy doing it! And to think that God extends to this Church as a body the positions of “PILLARS” in His Work.

Not everyone called to be an apostle was an overcomer – Judas departed from the faith. And not every one of you will succeed. But God’s promise stands firm. We CAN – if we overcome ourselves – STAND TOGETHER AS PILLARS IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD.

Yes, life has a purpose and God really has a plan for you.

For more on God’s plan for you, check out our free online book titled The MYSTERY of GOD’s PLAN Why Did God Create Anything? Why did God make you?

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.
Why Were You Born? Why did God make you? Herbert W. Armstrong wrote this as a booklet on this important subject. You may also wish to read the article What is Your Destiny? or watch the video, also titled What is Your Destiny?
Building Character: Going on to Perfection Once you have accepted Jesus, do you need to strive for perfection and build character? A related video sermon is available: Going on to perfection and building character.
What is the Meaning of Life? Who does God say is happy? What is your ultimate destiny? Do you really know? Does God actually have a plan for YOU personally? If you would like to watch videos covering subjects of this article, you can click on the following links: Why YOU? Why Do YOU Suffer? and What is the meaning of your life?
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. Two animated videos of related interest are also available: Big Bang: Nothing or Creator? and A Lifegiver or Spontaneous Evolution?
Is God Calling You? This booklet discusses topics including calling, election, and selection. If God is calling you, how will you respond? Here is are links to related sermons: Christian Election: Is God Calling YOU? and Predestination and Your Selection. A short animation is also available: Is God Calling You?
5. The Sardis Church Era was predominant circa 1600 A.D. to circa 1933 A.D. Discusses some early history of the Seventh Day Baptists, Seventh-day Adventists, CG7-Salem, Jerusalem 7DCG, and COG-7th Day-Denver. Here are two historical sermons: Sardis Church Era: Beginnings, Doctrines, and Leaders and Sardis: SDBs, SDAs, & CG7s.
6. The Philadelphia Church Era was predominant circa 1933 A.D. to 1986 A.D. The old Radio Church of God and old Worldwide Church of God, now the remnant of that era is basically the most faithful in the Church of God, like who hold to the beliefs and practices of the Continuing Church of God.
7. The Laodicean Church Era has been predominant circa 1986 A.D. to present. The Laodiceans are non-Philadelphians who mainly descended from the old WCG or its offshoots.  They do not properly understand the work or biblical prophecies and will face the Great Tribulation if they do not repent. One video of related interest is 17 Laodicean Errors in Prophecy. See also Do You Hold to Any of These Laodicean Prophetic Errors?
The Gospel of the Kingdom of God This free online pdf booklet has answers many questions people have about the Gospel of the Kingdom of God and explains why it is the solution to the issues the world is facing. Here are links to four related sermons:  The Fantastic Gospel of the Kingdom of God!, The World’s False Gospel, The Gospel of the Kingdom: From the New and Old Testaments, and The Kingdom of God is the Solution.