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Hebert W. Armstrong was the former Pastor General of the old Radio, then Worldwide Church of God. He died on January 16, 1986, at age 93 1/2.

But prior to the formation of the Radio Church of God, he was an elder in the Church of God, Seventh Day.

So, why was he part of it and why did he leave it?

Herbert W. Armstrong wrote about what was going on with him in the late 1920s and early 1930s (all references are from the 1973 edition–the later editions were edited after his death and removed all references to ‘Sardis’ and ‘Philadelphia’):

The only Church I had so far found which “kept the commandments of God, and the testimony of Jesus Christ,” and at the same time bore the NAME of the original true Church, was this almost unknown little Church of God with its small publishing house in Stanberry, Missouri” (Autobiography 1973 ed., page 312).

…So, as the first step in this test, I wrote up an exposition of some 16 typewritten pages proving clearly, plainly, and beyond contradiction that a certain minor point of doctrine proclaimed by this church, based on an erroneous interpretation of a certain verse of Scripture, was in error. This was mailed to the Stanberry, Missouri, headquarters to see whether their leaders would confess error and change. The answer came back from their head man, editor of their paper and president of their “General Conference.” He was forced to admit, in plain words, that their teaching on this point was false and in error. But, he explained, he feared that if any attempt was made to correct this false doctrine and publicly confess the truth, many of their members, especially those of older standing and heavy tithe payers, would be unable to accept it. He feared they would lose confidence in the Church if they found it had been in error on any point. He said he feared many would withdraw their financial support, and it might divide the Church. And therefore he felt the Church could do nothing but continue to teach and preach this doctrine which he admitted in writing to be false. Naturally, this shook my confidence considerably. This church leader, if not the church itself, was looking to people as the SOURCE of belief, instead of to God! Yet, here was the only Church holding to the one greatest basic truth of the Commandments of God and the faith of Jesus, kept in the NAME of God, and in spite of this and a few other erroneous teachings, nevertheless being closer to the whole truth than any church I had found. If this was not the true Church of God, then where was it? (pages 315-316).

… This Umapine experience was one more in which no fruit could be borne as long as I teamed with one of the ministers of this church, connected with, or springing from the Stanberry, Missouri, political center. Years later, still in my search for the one true church, still questioning whether this could be that church, still not having found it elsewhere, I asked Mrs. Runcorn (whom Mrs. Armstrong and I looked upon as our “spiritual mother”) if she could point out a single real bonafide convert, brought in from the outside, resulting from the ministry of any of the preachers affiliated with “Stanberry.” She thought seriously for quite a while. Then she slowly shook her head. She knew of none. I asked several others who had been in the church for years. Their answers were the same” (page 385).

… This was the crossroads — the final pivotal, crucial test before the living Christ began opening the doors of mass communication through which GOD’S WORK at last could come to life after centuries of sleeping, and go forth in mighty power to all the world, preparing the way before Christ’s return to earth as Ruler over all nations. I did not fully realize, then, that this was a crucial turning point in the history of the Church of God. My wife and I did not leave the Church. This was God’s Church. Of that I was not, then, completely sure. They came closer to Biblical truth than any other — but I was seriously disturbed by their lack of power and accomplishment. What actually was happening, though we did not understand it then, was that a NEW ERA was dawning in the history of the Church of God. The words of Christ are quoted in the 2nd and 3rd chapters of the Book of Revelation, foretelling the history of God’s Church in seven successive eras, or phases. Events since that time have revealed was the transition from the ‘Sardis’ (Rev. 3:1-5) into the beginning of the ‘Philadelphia era’. Mrs. Armstrong and I continued to fellowship with these brethren. I continued to work with them, and with their ministers, as far as that was possible. The lay brethren continued to look to me for the leadership for getting the Work of God going to the world. But from that “all-day wrangle” I was independent of them and their ministers, financially. From that time I was dependent, solely, on God. We did not ask or solicit financial contributions from any except those who voluntarily became financial co-workers with us. And that has been the policy ever since” (page 385).

Now the living Christ began opening DOORS! Later research into church history identified where we stood, at the moment, in the prophecy concerning the seven stages, or eras of God’s Church from the time of the original apostles, up to Christ’s return to earth and establishment of the Kingdom of God. I had been fellowshipping with, working with, the latter part of the Sardis era, as described in Christ’s own words in Revelation 3:1-5. The time had come for the Philadelphia era to begin. It did begin a week later, with the ending of the Firbutte meetings, and establishment of a new local Church of God starting out with 19 members! It is to the Philadelphia era that Christ said He would OPEN DOORS that His Gospel might be worldwide, into all nations, in power. This could not have started as long as I was being employed by MEN, ruled by MEN, not free to serve God FULLY, His way!” (page 450).

As shown in the preceding quotes, Herbert W. Armstrong left CG7 primarily because of doctrine, as well as the fact that to him the CG7 did not seem to feel that its top priority should be to proclaim the gospel of the kingdom to the world as a witness.

In a sermon given on December 17, 1983 titled Mission of the Philadelphia Church Era by Herbert W. Armstrong, he related his encounter on the third angel’s message in the Church of God 7th Day in the late 1920s/early 1930s:

I came among the true Church of God of the Sardis Era. They didn’t know what the gospel was, they thought it was what they called the third angel’s message. They didn’t know what the gospel really was. They called it a third angel’s message.

Perhaps I should add that the Denver-based group did not have any teachings online related to the three angels’ messages when I did some searches for that in January 2022–it appears those messages are not of the same importance to them as they apparently were in the 1930s (more on the angels’ messages can be found in the article Church of God on the Three Angels’ Messages and ‘Babylon‘). I also confirmed this with former CG7-Denver president Robert Coulter on January 24, 2022. who said it was not a focus and:

We do not really take any position on it.

So, that obviously is not an emphasis of that group.

What about British-Israelism?

Like Herbert W. Armstrong, Church of God related leaders such as G.G. Rupert, R.K. Walker, Frank Walker, J.W. Rich, and Merritt Dickson, had “Anglo-Israel” (also known as “British-Israelism”) beliefs and teachings in the early 20th century (Nickels R.C. History of the Seventh Day Church of God. Giving & Sharing, Neck City (MO), 1988, pp.76,142). And while versions of this view are still held by many groups with origins in the old WCG, the main CG7 group never taught it.

In his autobiography, Herbert W. Armstrong included a letter one of CG7’s top leaders wrote that CG7 would not teach British Commonwealth and United States peoples were descendants of Ephraim and Manasseh, even though that leader believed what Herbert W. Armstrong had written on that subject was true. Notice what A.N. Dugger wrote:

Dear Brother Armstrong:

I … have just finished the manuscript on the Third Angels’s Message and British Israel … You are surely right … I cannot use it … May the Lord bless you …

(A photo of the signed letter from A.N. Dugger, dated July 28, 1929 is in The Autobiography of Herbert W. Armstong, 1973 edition, p.372–note that this letter was removed from the 1986 ed. that was produced after his death–but it is shown at the following link: Herbert W. Armstrong). A.N. Dugger also admitted the truth of the Anglo-Israelism doctrine to Merritt Dickinson in 1912, but A.N. Dugger would not teach it (Nickels, p. 143). Herbert W. Armstrong considered that CG7 was the group in Revelation 3:1-10, the representatives of the Sardis era of the Church of God.

The reasons Herbert W. Armstrong gave for leaving are consistent with what CG7-D has officially stated.

For documentation, here is what CG7’s Bible Advocate Press reported about Herbert W. Armstrong’s departure:

In 1933 the Church of God (Seventh Day) suffered a severe schism, dividing right down the middle. The half that severed (both in members and ministers) established their headquarters in Salem, West Virginia. This new organization was headed by Andrew N. Dugger, who had served as president of the old conference from 1914 to 1928 and as editor of the Bible Advocate from 1914 to 1932. The two divisions reunited in 1949, eventually establishing new headquarters in Denver, Colorado. A small number of dissidents remained separate from the reorganized body, and kept a skeletal work in Salem. Mr. Armstrong gravitated toward the Salem movement. He had aligned himself with A. N. Dugger, thus following Elder Dugger in that association. By 1934, Mr. Armstrong had accepted appointment as one of “the seventy,” a group of ministers and church leaders who were charged with “the message for the last days.”… Mr. Armstrong was granted ministerial credentials at that time. It was also about this time that Mr. Armstrong began a radio broadcast ministry which he identified as “The Radio Church of God,” and which he later contended to be independent of the Salem body’s support or endorsement. Interestingly enough, the Salem body was publishing his reports and articles at the time, so apparently they did not share his understanding. He was carrying the highest documentation that the Church bestows. During the ensuing months and years, Mr. Armstrong began to take an outspoken view on his understanding of British Israelism and the Hebrew feasts. The brethren encouraged him to present to the ministerial body as a whole his views on those subjects, rather than to continue preaching and promoting most forcefully his personal position. It was at Detroit, Michigan, that Mr. Armstrong’s material on the Hebrew festivals was presented. The ministerial body gave full treatment to the positions of Mr. Armstrong and a majority rejected the doctrine as unscriptural. But Mr. Armstrong was most insistent and continued to present his viewpoints in an antagonistic manner. So, in 1938 the Salem organization revoked Mr. Armstrong’s credentials. Official records show the doctrinal dispute to be the reason for the severance” (Quoted in Transformed by Truth, Chapter 12).

An individual who was part of CG7’s publishing arm when Herbert W. Armstrong left wrote the following:

It was in the fall of 1937 when Elder Armstrong’s credentials were revoked by the Salem Church of God organization. The reason given by the Board of Twelve for this action was because he taught and kept the annual Feast days. (Kiesz J. The Worldwide Church Of God Vs. The Church Of God (7th Day). http://www.giveshare.org/churchhistory/rcogvscog7.html 6/24/06).

In addition here is a question and answer that was on CG7-Denver’s official website on Herbert W. Armstrong,

What connections did the Church of God (Seventh Day) have with Herbert Armstrong? — Herbert W. Armstrong was a licensed minister of the Church of God (Seventh Day) for several years in the 1930’s. He was personally known by many of the Church’s ministers at that time and worked in cooperation with them. In the late 1930’s, Mr. Armstrong left the Church to begin his own work, which became known as the Radio Church of God and later the Worldwide Church of God.

A.N. Dugger also had some serious personal integrity issues around this time, so this was probably another reason that Herbert W. Armstrong decided that he had to leave CG7. But oddly, despite having the Holy Days difference, sometime after Herbert W. Armstrong left, A.N. Dugger adopted the keeping of the Holy Days himself (Coutler, The Journey, p. 405). Furthermore, A.N. Dugger’s A History of the True Church book specifically lists the apostles and Nazarenes as part of the true church. The apostles and the Nazarenes kept the biblical holy days, including the Feast of Tabernacles (which the Nazarenes taught helped picture the millennium). Keeping the biblical holys was a practice of the true and original Christian faith.

Currently, CG7-Salem teaches against the biblical holy days (telecom with David DeLong 06/24/20). This is in stark contrast to the CCOG (see Should You Keep God’s Holy Days or Demonic Holidays).

It should be pointed out that the Salem group still exists.

More on the Salem group can be found in the article CG7-S: Church of God 7th Day, Salem (West Virginia).

Herbert W. Armstrong later wrote:

I continued to work with and fellowship with West Coast members of the Sardis era until 1942, when the rapidly growing work of the fledgling Philadelphia era required my full time. The present era was officially begun in October, 1933. (Armstrong H. Worldwide News, Special edition, June 24, 1985)

1933 is the year that Herbert W. Armstrong felt that the Philadelphia era began.

Herbert W. Armstrong also wrote:

At least 18 basic and essential truths have been restored to the True Church since” the year 1933 (Mystery of the Ages, Dodd & Mead, 1985, p. 251).”

These are truths he felt that the main body of CG7 lost. They included, according to Herbert W. Armstrong, knowledge of the true Gospel (“I came among the true Church of God of the Sardis era. They did not know what the gospel was, they thought it was what they called the third angel’s message”), purpose of God, God’s plan through the Holy Days, governance (“The Sardis Church even didn’t have the right form of government”), who and what God is, the what and why about humankind (“The Sardis Church didn’t know”), the human spirit in man, first-fruits, knowledge of what the Millennium is (“Now the Sardis people knew Christ would rule a thousand years. They knew it would be a Millennium. They had no idea in the world what would happen in the Millennium. They had no idea of the purpose of the Millennium”), the truth about the Holy Spirit, that Christians are begotten now, Christians will be born-again at the resurrection, the identity of Israel, understanding that identity opens up Bible prophecy, second & third tithe, identity of Babylon and her daughters, Satan is the guilty party, and that those called of God are to be separate (Mission of the Philadelphia Church Era. Sermon, December 17, 1983–please see article The 18 Restored Truths: Do You Know What the First Changes the Tkach Administration Made?).

It should be made clear that CG7 admits that it changed some of its teachings. Notice what a former president (and current member) of CG7, Robert Coulter, admitted on two of the restored truths:

…there was a point in time when some ministers in the Church of God (Seventh Day) taught that we were begotten but not born again…

But that was a temporary thing [in the CG7]. It was like going through a phase. The church finally said, no, our conversion is a completed work. When Jesus said you must be born again, He facilitates the spiritual rebirth of the convert, and it’s a completed work. We continued then to strive for sanctification, a lifelong process.

Anyway, we abandoned that position years and years ago… (Cartwright D. Former CG7 president gives his understanding of history of Church of God and Mr. Armstrong. The Journal: News of the Churches of God. Sep-Dec 2008).

Thus, CG7 admits that it changed (or in Herbert W. Armstrong words, lost) at least two of the truths that it once had.

That said, Australian and former WCG member, Craig White, sent out an email with the following today that had some additional information that shed additional light on  Herbert W. Armstrong, his departure, and Andrew Dugger:

I have written before how Herbert W Armstrong had appealed to Church of God leader, Andrew Dugger, to preach and promote the truth about the ‘lost’ tribes of Israel. Although Dugger agreed with this doctrine, he believed it should not be promoted due to perceived opposition within the Church. The Church was based in Stanberry, Missouri at that time.

Mr Armstrong wrote to Andrew Dugger again about it (Armstrong to Dugger, 1 January 1929), who responded that this new information would be welcomed (Dugger to Armstrong, 22 January 1929).

There are further correspondences that throw light on the matter.

After the split in late 1933, Dugger’s faction based themselves in Salem, West Virginia and Herbert Armstrong went along with that grouping.

In a letter dated 11 April 1937 to Church of God (the one based in Salem, West Virginia) leader, Andrew Dugger he stated:

“I know God has called me to His ministry … I know He has fitted me specially for the radio work …” (p. 1)

“Brother Dugger, SOMETHING HAS BEEN WRONG with the Church of God. It has not GONE FORWARD with the P O W E R it should. Why? There is a REASON! …

“WHY have we been declaring the Third Angel’s Message with such a pitifully weak whisper? …

“The Church of God IS AT THE CROSSROADS!” (p. 3)

“… I sent you the manuscript of a complete book I had written on the ISRAEL question then entitled “The Third Angel’s Message.” I believe (and which book, re-written, is now being published, incidentally), and I repeatedly wrote you asking “AM I RIGHT on this question … [you replied] saying I surely WAS RIGHT, and that you say a purpose in the Lord revealing this truth to me at this time. Yet nothing was ever done with this truth…

“This has become a Church stand, I believe, not merely your personal stand – – but I have become convinced from these several incidents that you have taken the stand that we must CLOSE THE DOOR to advancing light and truth, or to purging out any possible error in present teachings…

“But the Church has come to a CRISIS, and its fate will be decided in about five weeks … So I beg of you – – I plead with you, IN JESUS NAME, for the sake of the Church, for the sake of the souls, for your own person sake, will you not now COME OUT BOLDLY WITH THE STAND THAT THE CHURCH WILL KEEP THE DOORS OPEN TO ADVANCING LIGHT AND TRUTH?” (p. 3) [emphasis mine]

He then goes on to say that Dugger did not “fully accept the conclusion [due to not preaching it] that the white English speaking people are the true HOUSE OF ISRAEL, as your letter written on the train that night surely indicated you DID accept …” (p. 4)

He then makes a startling and prophetic statement that the Church was holding to a policy “of the CLOSED DOOR.” (p. 4) [emphasis mine]

For those who have read other communications of mine and the Bible study on Amazing Temple Symbolism Found in Revelation Chapter 3, I show that a door was opened to Herbert Armstrong of truth that if subsequently adopted, would have led to the doors of evangelism swinging wide open. The two major truths rejected by the Church of God in the main during the 1930s, despite the urging of Herbert Armstrong, were chiefly the Holy Days and secondarily the truth about where Israel is located today. The adoption of these two truths led Mr Armstrong into ever further truths and understandings.

It is unlikely (but I may be wrong) that Mr Armstrong knew that the “doors” he was referring to were so prophetic (Rev 3:8) – and for that time period.

In several letters he loudly asked for the doors to be kept open and not shut; but they did not listen to what the spirit was saying to the Churches, and especially the sixth phase of the Work. It therefore fell to Mr Armstrong, in faith, to proclaim those two fundamental truths.

Three months later he wrote to Church of God elder, John Kiesz, the following concerning the manuscript he sent to Dugger on the ‘lost’ tribes of Israel:

“As long as ten years ago, I had submitted some things to Dugger which he wrote and acknowledged to be TRUTH – – acknowledging he was preaching error, and year refusing to change it and accept the truth and confess the error to the brethren, on the grounds they would not all accept the truth, and the truth might split the church, and so we had better go along with a stand he admitted to be false.” (July 1937, p. 1)

It appears that Mr Dugger continued to believe this doctrine until he died, but did not preach on it. In a booklet The Ten Lost Tribes of Israel. Not Lost but Found (c.1970), he wrote:

“There is evidence, however, of the “Anglo-Saxon” people being one of the tribes of Israel which subject we have looked into very carefully, but many people carry this entirely too far, becoming extremists on the question” (p. 1)

He goes on to critique those views within British-Israelism which he disagrees with or are too extreme.

I thought that you might find this bit of historical and prophetic information of interest.

Regards to all,

Craig

(HWA’s 1937 letters regarding the truth about Israel – open doors. Email from surfer11@iprimus.com.au to COGwriter@aol.com)

So, yes, Andrew Dugger knew and admitted certain truths, but refused to teach them, and Herbert W. Armstrong felt he had to leave his affiliation with Dugger’s CG7. The same basic thing happened with me and my former affiliation (see Why Bob Thiel Left the Living Church of God).

As far as the 18 restored truths go, here is an article to check out: 18 Truths Restored to the Churches of God.

As far as prophecies related to the USA and British-descended peoples go, check out the free online book: Lost Tribes and Prophecies: What will happen to Australia, the British Isles, Canada, Europe, New Zealand and the United States of America?

Those interested in learning more about Herbert W. Armstrong, himself, should read the article Who Was Herbert W. Armstrong? How is He Viewed Today?

Several items of possibly related interest include:

Who Was Herbert W. Armstrong? How is He Viewed Today? Includes quotes from the 1973 edition of The Autobiography of Herbert W. Armstrong and explains how he is and should be viewed today.
What is Armstrongism? Did Herbert W. Armstrong raise a new faith or promote the original Christian faith? Here is a link to a related video: What is Armstrongism? Are Some Dismissive of Original Christianity?
15 Accusations and Truthful Responses About Herbert W. Armstrong He, even after his death, keeps being improperly maligned–here is the truth on these matters.
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.
CG7.ORG This is a website for those interested in the Sabbath and churches that observe the seventh day Sabbath.
CG7-D: Church of God, (Seventh Day): History and Teachings Nearly all COG’s I am aware of trace part of their history through some affiliation with this group. Loren Stacy is the president of the largest CG7 USA group (Denver). Do you know much about them?
CG7-S: Church of God 7th Day, Salem (West Virginia) This group formed by A.N. Dugger in 1933 when he split from the CG7 group he was once president of.
Does the CCOG have the confirmed signs of Acts 2:17-18? Does any church have the confirmed dream and prophetic signs of Acts 2:17-18? Should one? Here is a link in the Spanish language: ¿Tiene la CCOG confirmadas las señales de Hechos 2: 17-18? Here is a link in the French language: Est-ce que l’Église Continue de Dieu confirme les signes d’Actes 2:17-18? A related sermon in the English language is also available: 17 Last Days’ Signs of the Holy Spirit.
Church of God Leaders on Prophets Have there been prophets throughout the church age? Are any supposed to be around in the last days? What have COG leaders stated or written about prophets? Here is a link to a related sermon: Church of God Leaders on Prophets.
18 Truths Restored to the Churches of God Herbert W. Armstrong wrote that he felt he had restored at least 18 lost truths to the Church, here is Herbert W. Armstrong’s list given 12/17/83. This articles also has links to show that these truths were believed by professors of Christ in earlier times, hence they were not some invention of Herbert Armstrong.Here is a related link in Spanish/español: Lista de Herbert W. Armstrong de las 18 verdades restauradas. Here are links to a related two-part sermon: The 18 Restored Truths: 1-8 and The 18 Restored Truths: 9-18.
Do You Believe God Used Herbert W. Armstrong to Raise Up the Philadelphia Era of the Church of God? Nearly everyone while in WCG used to believe this, most do not seem to anymore.
The 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.
Why Bob Thiel Left the Living Church of God Several have speculated reasons, but here is the truth. (En el idioma español: ¿Por qué Bob Thiel dejó la Iglesia del Dios Viviente?)
Should the Church Still Try to Place its Top Priority on Proclaiming the Gospel or Did Herbert W. Armstrong Change that Priority for the Work? Some say the Church should mainly feed the flock now as that is what Herbert W. Armstrong reportedly said. Is that what he said? Is that what the Bible says? What did Paul and Herbert W. Armstrong expect from evangelists?
Here are Some Quotes from Herbert W. Armstrong on Laodicea and Holding to Doctrine.
Continuing Church of God The group striving to be most faithful amongst all real Christian groups to the word of God.
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?
Lost Tribes and Prophecies: What will happen to Australia, the British Isles, Canada, Europe, New Zealand and the United States of America? Where did those people come from? Can you totally rely on DNA? Do you really know what will happen to Europe and the English-speaking peoples? What about the peoples of Africa, Asia, South America, and the islands? This free online book provides scriptural, scientific, historical references, and commentary to address those matters. Here are links to related sermons: Lost tribes, the Bible, and DNA; Lost tribes, prophecies, and identifications; 11 Tribes, 144,000, and Multitudes; Israel, Jeremiah, Tea Tephi, and British Royalty; Gentile European Beast; Royal Succession, Samaria, and Prophecies; Asia, Islands, Latin America, Africa, and Armageddon;  When Will the End of the Age Come?;  Rise of the Prophesied King of the North; Christian Persecution from the Beast; WWIII and the Coming New World Order; and Woes, WWIV, and the Good News of the Kingdom of God.

Trump’s reaction the moment he heard the guilty verdict in hush-money case https://t.co/qrTjzLctGI

— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) May 30, 2024

COGwriter

Donald Trump was found guilty of various allegations in New York. Here are parts of several reports related to that:

Trump supporters call for riots and violent retribution after verdict

May 31, 2024

Supporters of former President Donald Trump, enraged by his conviction on 34 felony counts by a New York jury, flooded pro-Trump websites with calls for riots, revolution and violent retribution.

After Trump became the first U.S. president to be convicted of a crime, his supporters responded with dozens of violent online posts, according to a Reuters review of comments on three Trump-aligned websites: the former president’s own Truth Social platform, Patriots.Win and the Gateway Pundit.

Some called for attacks on jurors, the execution of the judge, Justice Juan Merchan, or outright civil war and armed insurrection.

“Someone in NY with nothing to lose needs to take care of Merchan,” wrote one commentator on Patriots.Win. “Hopefully he gets met with illegals with a machete,” the post said in reference to illegal immigrants.

On Gateway Pundit, one poster suggested shooting liberals after the verdict. “Time to start capping some leftys,” said the post. “This cannot be fixed by voting.” https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-supporters-call-riots-violent-retribution-after-verdict-2024-05-31/

Right-wing media figures vow revenge after Trump‘s conviction

May 31, 2024

Donald Trump’s media allies are demanding retribution in the wake of his conviction.

Following weeks of attacks targeting the historic hush money case against the former president, prominent right-wing media figures immediately flooded the public discourse Thursday with extreme and disturbing rhetoric after Trump was found guilty on 34 felony counts.

On Fox News and other right-wing outlets, pro-Trump media personalities erupted in anger, blaming everyone from Judge Juan Merchan and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg to President Joe Biden and the entire U.S. justice system for the “disgraceful” conviction. …

The toxic commentary is also enflaming desires of retribution held by Trump supporters, with popular right-wing media figures openly declaring their hope that the GOP candidate to nakedly seek revenge against his critics, should he emerge victorious in November and return to the Oval Office. https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/31/media/fox-news-trump-conviction/index.html

Tyranny is upon us: Law and juries are weaponized.

Jury Finds Trump Guilty on All 34 Felony Charges in New York Trial

Keep in mind that these are 34 made-up felonies based on how an expense was recorded by accountants and attorneys. Trump did not record the expense.The expense was recorded according to accounting standards.

Keep in mind that a single accounting reporting charge, a misdemeanor, was magically turned into 34 federal felonies of election violations, if memory serves, the argument being that Trump won the election by misreporting the expense. …

If there is any fight left in Americans, and I am unsure, a prison sentence from the totally corrupt judge should launch a civil war. Many would say it is about time or past time.

If not, the people have submitted to tyranny. https://www.paulcraigroberts.org/2024/05/30/tyranny-is-upon-us-law-and-juries-are-weaponized/

Banana Republic Is Here

May 31, 2024

A Bad Week For America

We saw two big symbols of American decline this week, first the U.S. military’s $320 million floating pier break apart off the coast of Gaza,

And then, of course, Trump’s conviction on 34 felony counts for… recording payments made to his attorney as legal expenses? Even left-leaning legal analysts, such as Richard Hasen, thought this prosecution was a stretch, to put it mildly.

Let’s look at some of the more incisive initial reactions to the Trump verdict.

Reactions To The Trump Verdict

Elon Musk noted the trivial nature of the charges, and how these sorts of manufactured paperwork errors could be used to target anyone.

Indeed, great damage was done today to the public’s faith in the American legal system.

If a former President can be criminally convicted over such a trivial matter – motivated by politics, rather than justice – then anyone is at risk of a similar fate. https://t.co/zrHCyIZazh

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 31, 2024

Liberal journalist Michael Tracey remarked that this was a particularly weak case to use to break the 235 year taboo against prosecuting a former President. …

Say you’re sceptical of the idea that America is completely unwinding. Then why are their leaders doing this? Why would an incredibly unpopular president back a shady court to indict his opponent? At a certain point you have to see what’s going on here – if you’re rational. https://t.co/tCH5NKT0al

— Philip Pilkington (@philippilk) May 30, 2024

https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2024-05-31/banana-republic

Pro America, Pro Israel Activists Rise Up After Corrupt Trump Guilty Verdict

May 31, 2024

In the wake of the unprecedented conviction of former President Donald Trump by what many see as a corrupt show trial, pro-America and pro-Israel activists are rising up against the radical left.

“This sham trial is a travesty of justice and we are seeing record numbers of donations to Israel365 Action since the unprecedented guilty verdict,” said Rabbi Pesach Wolicki, director of Israel365 Action and host of the popular new TV show, Eyes on Israel. “Donors are furious at the weaponization of the justice system against Israel and America and looking to make a difference to fight against the progressives who are ruining both our countries.” https://israel365news.com/391205/pro-america-pro-israel-activists-rise-up-after-corrupt-trump-guilty-verdict/

Biden Campaign Cheers Trump Verdict

The Biden campaign is cheering the guilty verdict of former President Donald Trump in New York today in his business records case, the merits of which have been widely questioned by legal scholars and experts.

After Trump was found guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records in deep blue Manhattan, the Biden campaign said in a statement, “In New York today, we saw that no one is above the law.”

“Donald Trump has always mistakenly believed he would never face consequences for breaking the law for his own personal gain,” the release snarked.

The snide comment comes as Trump has been adamant the “election interference” “all comes out of Washington, DC. https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2024/05/30/biden-campaign-cheers-trump-verdict/

Violence, including a type of a civil war which could happen, is not the answer to this verdict or other political matters, the Kingdom of God is. Pray for it, as Jesus said to do (Matthew 6:10).

That said, the long-running “Russia collusion” hoax against Donald Trump proved that the USA had a biased and politicized legal system. Hypocrisy in prosecutions as well as lack of prosecutions in the USA related to political figures has gotten very obvious.

While I have long considered Donald Trump as corrupt and evil (and still do), I also feel that way about Joe Biden (if not more so). Related to both of them being evil, years back I put out the following video: Biden, Trump, and the Bible.

This trial was political and was planned by various ones on ‘the left’ who had a political, not justice, agenda.

That said, the USA may well see violent riots and/or other forms of civil unrest related to the November 2024 presidential election.

Others have wonder about that as well–even before this verdict came out.

Notice the following:

What Will Happen When They Give The Green Light To Millions Of Radicals To Cause Widespread Chaos All Over America?

March 12, 2024

Violence and crime are already completely out of control all over the United States.  In fact, you definitely wouldn’t want to be caught in the streets when hordes of our lawless young people are running wild.  If things are this bad already, what is going to happen if the election in November does not go the way that leaders on the left want and they give the green light to millions of radicals to cause widespread chaos all over America? … The stage is being set for civil unrest on a scale that we have never seen before, and it certainly isn’t going to take much to push our society over the edge. …

Our migration crisis is fueling a growth explosion for criminal gangs all over the nation.

We are already experiencing a crime wave of epic proportions, but I am extremely concerned about what will happen if things go a certain way in November.

If they don’t win the election, leaders on the left may decide to make it very clear that it is time for “civil disobedience” on a massive scale.

I have been warning about civil unrest that would completely and utterly tear this country apart for many years, and I believe that we are now right on the brink of seeing that happen.

Many of our major cities have reached a point where they are literally on the verge of being ungovernable, and America is becoming a little bit more lawless with each passing day. https://endoftheamericandream.com/what-will-happen-when-they-give-the-green-light-to-millions-of-radicals-to-cause-widespread-chaos-all-over-america/

Let me state that those on the Democratic side are of the strong opinion that if Donald Trump is not declared the winner of November’s presidential election, his supporters will riot. For example, Politico posted the following:

The Threat of Civil Breakdown Is Real

We and others have written of the prospect of a new civil war in the United States …

As the 2024 election approaches, the threat of political violence and civil breakdown is only going to increase. And despite all that U.S. national security and law enforcement officials have learned since Jan. 6, the country is still not prepared for a far-right revolt.

Several discomfiting questions arise: How many right-of-center Americans believe violence will be necessary to repel a perceived racial or cultural threat? Do those who harbor that belief have genuine intent to take up arms? If so, what it would take to make them shoot? …

The 2024 election. Presidential elections are won or lost in the center, and moderates and independents — most of whom don’t want to think about politics — do seem increasingly alert to the dangers of Trump. …

Given recent trends, it is reasonable to hope that moderates and independents will have had enough in November 2024. A clear rejection of Trumpism might then deflate the MAGA movement for the time being. But if the Republican nominee loses narrowly, declares himself the winner and rallies dispersed local groups prone to violent local resistance rather than an easily repulsed assault on the Capitol, it might be too late for orderly de-escalation. https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2023/04/21/political-violence-2024-magazine-00093028

So both the left and the right fear riots, etc. from the other. Some on both sides have actually called for violence.

Jesus warned:

6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.

9 “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. 10 And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. 11 Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. 12 And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. (Matthew 24:6-12)

We are in the “beginning of sorrows” and we are more and more seeing “lawlessness” abounding as Jesus warned.

Related to violence in the land and prophecies, the old Worldwide Church of God published the following:

This world is filled with a multitude of causes, small and great, just and unjust. The prospects for success for many of these causes, however, are doubtful at best. Opposition or indifference to them is simply too overwhelming in many cases to permit the individuals and groups involved to achieve their goals. …

Bible prophecy … reveals that we are headed for a new dark age of political despotism and barbarism — on a scale unmatched in history! Rampant terrorism on the world scene will undoubtedly play its part in paving the way for prophesied end-time tyrants to assume broad “emergency” powers — as did Adolf Hitler and others through history.

Perilous times

The scourge of terrorism was predicted centuries ago in the pages of the Bible.

Jesus prophesied that conditions in the latter days would mirror the chaotic state of the earth in Noah’s time — an evil and corrupt world filled with violence (Luke 17:26, Genesis 6:5, 11). 

The apostle Paul also warned, “In the last days perilous times will come” (II Timothy 3:1). The meaning of this prophecy goes far beyond mere incidental crime.

“Make a chain,” cried the prophet Ezekiel , “for the land is filled with crimes of blood, and the city is full of violence” (Ezekiel 7:23).

Bible prophecies picture an end-time world filled with lawlessness, aggression and hate, a world split by factions and international disputes, an era of rampant, indiscriminate violence and murder inspired by Satan the devil, the original murderer (John 8:44).  (Stump K. How TERRORISM Will Be Stopped! Good News, December 1985)

We are seeing more hate and violence.

Many are concerned. USA Today posted the following:

Could 2024 election cause society to collapse? …

More Americans preparing for disaster ahead of election …

“On the left, you have people afraid (Trump) is going to declare himself dictator of the United States and people on the left are going to end up as targets in some sort of authoritarian system,” said prepping expert and author Brad Garrett. “On the right, it’s general malaise and a fear of society unraveling. They point to these smash-and-grab robberies, riots and protests.” …

U.S. Air Force Col. Drew Miller … He’s prepared for a full societal collapse caused by war, a nuclear explosion or rampaging mobs angry at election results. …

“There could easily be a civil war during a Biden-Trump election,” he said, https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2023/12/04/doomsday-preppers-and-election-2024-fears/71695426007/

The USA is deeply divided. It has politicized more and more.

Jesus warned:

25 … Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand. (Matthew 12:25)

24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.  (Mark 3:24-25)

17 … Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and a house divided against a house falls. (Luke 11:17)

Notice that God inspired this to be written three times in the Gospels.

God normally seems to repeat something in scripture for emphasis.

The division is a BIG DEAL.

The end of the USA is coming (cf. Daniel 11:39).

Instead of fighting each other, love is what is needed.

As Jesus taught:

37 … “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22:37-40)

27 “But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you. 29 To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also. And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either. 30 Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back. 31 And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.

32 “But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you? For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back. 35 But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil. 36 Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful. (Luke 6:27-36)

Instead of true love, a lot of hate and anger has been displayed and whipped up.

Troubles are prophesied (Mark 13:8).

As far as cities and nations go, notice the following from the prophet Ezekiel:

23 ‘Make a chain,
For the land is filled with crimes of blood,
And the city is full of violence.
24 Therefore I will bring the worst of the Gentiles,
And they will possess their houses;
I will cause the pomp of the strong to cease,
And their holy places shall be defiled.
25 Destruction comes;
They will seek peace, but there shall be none.
26 Disaster will come upon disaster,
And rumor will be upon rumor.
Then they will seek a vision from a prophet;
But the law will perish from the priest,
And counsel from the elders. (Ezekiel 7:23-26)

Yes, more disaster is coming.

But most, including most Christians, will not heed until after it is a bit too late (see Church of God Leaders on Prophets and Does the CCOG have the confirmed signs of Acts 2:17-18?).

Notice the violence is prophesied to get worse.

Now notice also something that Isaiah was inspired to record:

4 Alas, sinful nation,
A people laden with iniquity,
A brood of evildoers,
Children who are corrupters!
They have forsaken the Lord,
They have provoked to anger
The Holy One of Israel,
They have turned away backward.

5 Why should you be stricken again?
You will revolt more and more.
The whole head is sick,
And the whole heart faints.
6 From the sole of the foot even to the head,
There is no soundness in it,
But wounds and bruises and putrefying sores;
They have not been closed or bound up,
Or soothed with ointment.

7 Your country is desolate,
Your cities are burned with fire;
Strangers devour your land in your presence;
And it is desolate, as overthrown by strangers. (Isaiah 1:4-7)

The time of Jacob’s trouble (Jeremiah 30:7), also known as the Great Tribulation (Matthew 24:21), is coming and the USA and its Anglo-Saxon allies (including Canada) will be affected.

National repentance is the only way to prevent it, and that does not look likely. Though for the nation, the Kingdom of God is the solution, but first there will be a horrific 3 1/2 years.

Personal repentance, however, is still possible. Your personal future can still be much brighter than that of your country. Jesus, in addition to being the source of salvation, also offered physical protection to the most faithful (see Philadelphian Christian Great Tribulation Protection and/or watch Great Tribulation Protection).

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 or earlier? There is a tradition attributed to the Hebrew prophet Elijah that humanity had 6,000 years to live before being replaced by God’s Kingdom. There are scriptures, writings in the Talmud, early Christian teachings that support this. Also, even certain Hindu writings support it. Here is a link to a related video: Is the USA prophesied to be destroyed by 2028? In Spanish: Seran los Estados Unidos Destruidos en el 2028?
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.
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.
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.
24 items to prophetically watch in 2024 Much is happening. Dr. Thiel points to 24 items to watch (cf. Mark 13:37) in this article. Here is a link to a related video: 24 Items to Prophetically Watch in 2024. Here is a link to related video in the Spanish language titled 24 Cosas a tener en cuenta en 2024: https://youtu.be/6f7oqEhjhbg
The Gospel of the Kingdom of God This free online pdf booklet has answers many questions people have about the Gospel of the Kingdom of God and explains why it is the solution to the issues the world is facing. It is available inover 1,000 languages at ccog.org. Here are links to four kingdom-related sermons:  The Fantastic Gospel of the Kingdom of God!, The World’s False Gospel, The Gospel of the Kingdom: From the New and Old Testaments, and The Kingdom of God is the Solution.
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. A related sermon is titled: Do these 7 prophesies point to the end of the USA?
Who is the King of the West? Why is there no Final End-Time King of the West in Bible Prophecy? Is the United States the King of the West? Here is a version in the Spanish language: ¿Quién es el Rey del Occidente? ¿Por qué no hay un Rey del Occidente en la profecía del tiempo del fin? A related sermon is also available: The Bible, the USA, and the King of the West.
Is God Calling You? This booklet discusses topics including calling, election, and selection. If God is calling you, how will you respond? Here is are links to related sermons: Christian Election: Is God Calling YOU? and Predestination and Your Selection; here is a message in Spanish: Me Está Llamando Dios Hoy? A short animation is also available: Is God Calling You?
Christian Repentance Do you know what repentance is? Is it really necessary for salvation? Two related sermons about this are also available: Real Repentance and Real Christian Repentance.
About Baptism Should you be baptized? Could baptism be necessary for salvation? Who should baptize and how should it be done? Here is a link to a related sermon: Let’s Talk About Baptism and Baptism, Infants, Fire, & the Second Death.
Lost Tribes and Prophecies: What will happen to Australia, the British Isles, Canada, Europe, New Zealand and the United States of America? Where did those people come from? Can you totally rely on DNA? Do you really know what will happen to Europe and the English-speaking peoples? What about the peoples of Africa, Asia, South America, and the islands? This free online book provides scriptural, scientific, historical references, and commentary to address those matters. Here are links to related sermons: Lost tribes, the Bible, and DNA; Lost tribes, prophecies, and identifications; 11 Tribes, 144,000, and Multitudes; Israel, Jeremiah, Tea Tephi, and British Royalty; Gentile European Beast; Royal Succession, Samaria, and Prophecies; Asia, Islands, Latin America, Africa, and Armageddon;  When Will the End of the Age Come?;  Rise of the Prophesied King of the North; Christian Persecution from the Beast; WWIII and the Coming New World Order; and Woes, WWIV, and the Good News of the Kingdom of God.
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.

Logo of Messianic Jews

COGwriter

Although they keep the Sabbath and Holy Days, plus do not eat biblically unclean animals, Messianic Jews are NOT in the Church of God. Unlike those in the CCOG, they consider that the Protestants are real Christians.

Here is some of what one Messianic group says about their history:

Messianic Judaism as a distinct movement faded in the seventh century, there have always been individual Jewish Believers in Yeshua. Beginning in the early 1800s increasing numbers of Jewish people began believing in Yeshua. The modern Messianic Jewish movement came to fruition in the 1960s and 1970s. (What is Messianic Judaism? Congregation Shema Yisrael. viewed 09/07/14)

Furthermore, they tend to push 613 requirements:

So what relationship does the Gentile Christian have to the 613 laws of the Torah? The book of Acts records that Messiah’s Emissaries (the Apostles) and the Elders of Messiah’s Holy Community met to decide this very issue. In the Messianic Jewish community we commonly refer to this meeting, recorded in Acts 15, as “the First Jerusalem Council”. (What is Messianic Judaism. Congregation Shema Yisrael. http://shema.com/messianic-judaism/what-is-it/ viewed 12/30/19)

Let it be stated that the apostles did NOT meet to discuss the ‘613 laws of the Torah’ in Acts 15. There is no such thing biblically. Messianic Jews should not try to kid themselves that the list was the issue.

The list of 613 comes from Jewish tradition and a misnomer about pomegranates (supposedly they have 613 seeds, but they range from about 165 to over 1000). In Acts 15, we learn that the council of apostles and elders got together to decide whether or not Gentile Christians had to be physically circumcised. Many of the 613 ‘mitzvot’ are not laws of the Torah, but are Jewish traditions.

This Messianic movement considers itself to have the “same core beliefs” as professing Christian groups like Protestants (ibid).

While beliefs vary, Messianics tend to consider heaven the reward of the saved, that God is a trinity, Jesus was killed on a Friday, and that it is fine to celebrate Christmas and Easter (https://www.shema.com/frequently-asked-questions-12659/ accessed 12/20/19). Those are also positions of the SDAs (Seventh-day Adventists) and SDBs (Seventh Day Baptists)–groups which also endorse the use of crosses as a religious symbol.

The Messianics differ in that they advocate wearing things like tassels (specially knotted ritual fringes worn by observant Jews, also known as tzitzits) as well as “a Star of David, or a Star of David with a cross in it” (ibid). We in the CCOG do not. Some Messianic men wear head coverings known as kippah (also called a yarmulke) even at times they would be biblically-prohibited (cf. 1 Corinthians 11:4,7).

The New Testament demonstrates the apostles did not appear to look like Jewish rabbis or Levitical priests, though many Messianic leaders seem to try to do so. When, for one example, the Apostle Paul was arrested, the authorities did not recognize him as a Jew, but thought he was an Egyptian (Acts 21:37-38). Paul had to tell the military commander he was a Jew (Acts 27:39). Thus, Paul did not look like a Jewish rabbi, nor was he apparently wearing distinguishing phylacteries or tzitzits as the Messianic Jews do. Christians have God’s laws written on their hearts (Hebrews 10:16), hence do not need to wear visual reminders.

Many Messianics use Hebrew names for deity. For some of them, it is based on the wrong idea that the New Testament was primarily written in Hebrew or Aramaic, which it was not. Other than a very few Aramaic quotes, the New Testament was written in koine Greek. When one accepts that fact, one can see that God did not intend nor expect people to use Hebrew names for deity. Furthermore, because of the early lack of vowels in Hebrew, no one actually can be certain how those Hebrew names were originally pronounced.

Messianic Jews tend to consider themselves as at least similar to Protestants who accept Jesus, but believe that they should live somewhat like Orthodox Jews.

The Messianic Jewish movement is not part of the Church of God.

Related to the Seventh-day Baptists and Adventists, the old Worldwide CHurch of God published the following:

 By 1800, Protestant doctrines were prevalent in the Sabbath-keeping congregations. Many began to form a denomination. This group officially adopted the name “Seventh-day Baptist” in 1818.

Ten or 12 congregations — in the Pennsylvania to Rhode Island area alone — would not at first affiliate with this denomination of men. Even as late as 1828, only 16 to 20 congregations were being represented at the Seventh-day Baptist Conference meetings, while they spoke disparagingly of other “fanatical and unworthy” Sabbath keepers (The Seventh-day Baptists in Europe and America. pp. 153,175).

As always, the few had refused to go along, and had remained faithful to the name and doctrine of the Church of God!

In the middle of the century these remnants of God’s people are found in fellowship with Sabbath-keeping people who were part of a great Advent movement.

When the Adventists organized themselves as a denomination in 1860, only a few — mostly in the states of Ohio, Iowa and Missouri — did not go along. The printing plant and the magazine formerly published in the name of the Church of God were taken over by the Adventists.

But a group of the faithful in1861 began the publication of a new monthly paper called The Remnant of Israel, later changed to The Sabbath Advocate and finally to The Bible Advocate. (Armstrong HW. The Church They Couldn’t Destroy. Good News, December 1981)

The Continuing Church of God has the following sermon about some of the reasons certain Sabbath observing groups are not COG on our ContinuingCOG channel:

1:20:28

Seventh Day Baptists/ Adventists/ Messianics: Protestant or COG?

Although Seventh Day Baptists (SDBs), Seventh-day Adventist (SDAs), and Messianic Jews keep some version of the seventh day Sabbath, are they Protestant or Church of God. What do they claim? What do they teach? What do SDAs and Messianic Jews teach about their history? Do SDBs cite groups who held Church of God (COG) and not SDB doctrines? Which group teaches the original biblical Christian faith? How do the SDAs, Messianics, and SDBs agree with Protestants on issues such as salvation, history, and the Godhead, which differ greatly from the Continuing Church of God (CCOG)? Are there really 613 laws of the Torah? What are 28 ways the SDAs differ from the CCOG? Are ‘Black Israelites’ right about Jesus being a black African? Was the Day of Atonement on October 22, 1844 according to Rabbinical or Karaite Jews? Did the SDAs or COG come out of the Millerite movement? Did Ellen White make false prophecies that she insisted came from God? If so, what were some of them? Did the SDA church send out literature it knew was clearly wrong? Was Ellen G. White’s sanctuary interpretation the “complete system of truth”? Did SDAs once teach crosses were pagan, but now include them in their official logo? Which of the 4 church’s (SDB,SDA, Messianic, CCOG) doctrines have the most biblical and historical support? Dr. Thiel addresses these issues and more.

Here is a link to the sermon video: Seventh Day Baptists/Adventists/Messianics: Protestant or COG?

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

Messianic Judaism Beliefs Differ from the Continuing Church of God Both groups keep the seventh-day Sabbath, but have important differences in doctrines and practices. Here is a link to a related sermon: Messianic Jewish Beliefs.
Which Laws were Superceded? Which Remain? What about the Ten Commandments? What about the 613 regulations (called 613 Mitzvot) in the Old Testament? Which were ‘done away’?
The Sardis Church Era was predominant circa 1600 A.D. to circa 1933 A.D. Discusses early history of the Seventh Day Baptists, Seventh-day Adventists, and COG-7th Day.
Seventh Day Baptists are Protestant, not Church of God This article explains reasons why Baptists, include seventh day ones (SDBs) do not have the historical and doctrinal ties to the original church that many have claimed. Here are two related sermons in the English language: Seventh Day Baptists/Adventists/Messianics: Protestant or COG? and Protestant, Baptist, and CCOG History.
SDA/CCOG Differences: Two Horned Beast of Revelation and 666 The genuine Church of God is NOT part of the Seventh-day Adventists. This article explains two prophetic differences, the trinity, differences in approaching doctrine, including Ellen White. Did Ellen White make prophetic errors? Did Ellen White make false prophecies? Here is a version in the Spanish language: SDA/COG Diferencias: La bestia de dos cuernos de Apocalipsis y 666. Here is a sermon in the English language: CCOG and SDA differences and similarities.
The Sardis Church Era was predominant circa 1600 A.D. to circa 1933 A.D. Discusses some early history of the Seventh Day Baptists, Seventh-day Adventists, CG7-Salem, Jerusalem 7DCG, and COG-7th Day-Denver. Here are links to two historical sermons: Sardis Church Era: Beginnings, Doctrines, and Leaders and Sardis: SDBs, SDAs, & CG7s.
What is the Origin of the Cross as a ‘Christian’ Symbol? Was the cross used as a venerated symbol by the early Church? Two related YouTube videos would be Beware of the ‘Ecumenical Cross’, The Chrislam Cross and the Interfaith Movement, and Origin of the Cross.
Did Early Christians Think the Holy Spirit Was A Separate Person in a Trinity? Or did they have a different view? A related sermon is available: Truth about the Holy Spirit: What THEY do not want you to know!
Did the True Church Ever Teach a Trinity? Most act like this is so, but is it? Here is an old, by somewhat related, article in the Spanish language LA DOCTRINA DE LA TRINIDAD. A related sermon is available: Trinity: Fundamental to Christianity or Something Else? A brief video is also available: Three trinitarian scriptures?
Did the Archangel Michael become Jesus? The Jehovah’s Witnesses teach this, and SDA Ellen White did, but does the Bible allow for this?
Binitarianism: One God, Two Beings Before the Beginning This is a longer article than the Binitarian View article, and has a little more information on binitarianism, and less about unitarianism. A related sermon is also available: Binitarian view of the Godhead.
Which Laws were Superceded? Which Remain? What about the Ten Commandments? What about the 613 regulations (called 613 Mitzvot) in the Old Testament? Which were ‘done away’?
Tradition and Scripture: From the Bible and Church Writings Are traditions on equal par with scripture? Many believe that is what Peter, John, and Paul taught. But did they? A related sermon is titled Tradition and Scripture.
Hope of Salvation: How the Continuing Church of God Differs from Protestantism The CCOG is NOT Protestant. This free online book explains how the real Church of God differs from mainstream/traditional Protestants. Several sermons related to the free book are also available: Protestant, Baptist, and CCOG History; The First Protestant, God’s Command, Grace, & Character; The New Testament, Martin Luther, and the Canon; Eucharist, Passover, and Easter; Views of Jews, Lost Tribes, Warfare, & Baptism; Scripture vs. Tradition, Sabbath vs. Sunday; Church Services, Sunday, Heaven, and God’s Plan; Seventh Day Baptists/Adventists/Messianics: Protestant or COG?; Millennial Kingdom of God and God’s Plan of Salvation; Crosses, Trees, Tithes, and Unclean Meats; The Godhead and the Trinity; Fleeing or Rapture?; and Ecumenism, Rome, and CCOG Differences.

(photo from Pexels)

COGwriter

Europe is looking at ways to finance a larger military:

Europe’s rearmament: New temptation to issue Eurobonds

30 May 2024

How will Europe’s governments finance the boost in defense spending? Three options are possible: raising taxes, raising national debt or issuing joint EU securities. …

The EU’s military expenditure is certain to increase significantly … presidential candidate Donald Trump has dropped hints that the U.S. could leave NATO and let the Europeans fend for themselves. …

The reaction in Europe to the combined pressures of a war on its doorstep and threatened withdrawal of U.S. military support has been mixed. …

Europeans do not need to make intolerable sacrifices to increase their military expenditures and enhance deterrence. …

The circumstances require more spending on the military. So, how can governments fund it? Three options are possible: raising taxes, accumulating more national debt or issuing joint EU securities.

A rise in taxation is the most troublesome and painful among the instruments available, at least in the short run. Disputes would ensue on whether it should be a national or an EU tax and who decides how the revenues are spent. That could lead to tensions across the alliance. Moreover, taxing the rich would not suffice since there are not enough high-income well-to-do taxpayers; the axe would need to drop heavily on on those with lower incomes. …

Debt makes good political sense for Brussels. … The financial markets could easily absorb this – especially if the authorities refrain from dubbing this instrument a “war bond” https://www.gisreportsonline.com/r/europes-rearmament-eurobonds-taxes-ecb/

How can the EU finance its ambitious spending plans?

29 May 2024

The European Union faces monumental investment needs in climate change, defense, and digitalization. …

The so-called Green New Deal is the flagship project of the current European Commission under its president Ursula von der Leyen. Aimed at making the 27-member EU climate-neutral by 2050, the initiative is estimated to require annual investments of up to €1 trillion ($1.09 trillion). …

One way to alleviate EU countries’ funding needs could be to increase private sector investment. …

Another funding source could be joint EU borrowing …

Julia Cage, an economics professor at Sciences Po in Paris, proposes a wealth tax directly levied by the EU which would make it harder for rich and super-rich EU citizens to sneak through national taxation loopholes. …

A progressive environmental tax that increases with an individual’s carbon footprint, could make the wealthy more accountable for their emissions, she argued, and distribute the financial burden of stopping climate change more equitably. https://www.dw.com/en/how-can-the-eu-finance-its-ambitious-spending-plans/a-69208765

Europe may issue bonds, have more capital investment, as well as raise taxes, as the latter seems to be suggested from scripture.

How so?

Well, first consider that the late Pastor General of the old Radio/Worldwide Church of God, Herbert W. Armstrong, wrote the following:

In Daniel 11:21, referring in original, typical fulfillment to Antiochus Epiphanes, there shall stand up a vile person…So once again before the second coming of Christ, a vile leader will stop the daily sacrifices being offered…This same prophecy spoken by Jesus is also reported by Luke…21:20-24 (Armstrong HW. Personal, Plain Truth magazine, June 1967).

Thus, Herbert W. Armstrong clearly taught that starting at least from verse 21, that Daniel 11 had a dual/future fulfillment. Presuming he was correct, we are getting very close to the fulfillment of Daniel 11:21.

20 “There shall arise in his place one who imposes taxes on the glorious kingdom; but within a few days he shall be destroyed, but not in anger or in battle. 21 And in his place shall arise a vile person, … (Daniel 11:20-21a)

So, there looks to be a connection between verse 20 and verse 21. Hence, soon, we may see this raiser of taxes rise up or perhaps if this person does not have to be male, current EU Commissioner Ursula von der Leyen will get re-elected and will raise taxes (which she has proposed) and not live out her term. Or she may be soon replaced by a male who will raise taxes and then die shortly thereafter.

Furthermore, consider that funding its military is one of the main reasons that the EU wants more revenue. Climate matters will also be touted for at least political reasons as well. And Europe’s funding of its “digitalization” plans look like a way to fulfill ‘666’ prophecies in Revelation 13:15-18.

Have no doubts about it, there is a shift going on in Europe.

Many of the leaders in Europe have decided that they will support a bigger and stronger military as well as more digital control.

The Bible teaches that the coming European King of the North will have a “great army” (Daniel 11:25) and “many ships” (Daniel 11:40).

Once the European Beast power uses his forces to fulfill prophecies, such as are in Daniel 11:39-43, the world will marvel because it thought that Europe was basically dead from a military perspective:

1 Then I stood on the sand of the sea. And I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name. 2 Now the beast which I saw was like a leopard, his feet were like the feet of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority. 3 And I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded, and his deadly wound was healed. And all the world marveled and followed the beast. 4 So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?” (Revelation 13:1-4)

Let me add that it has been my published view for 15 years that technology will be key for Europe to do this.

Consider also that Europe got more serious about taking steps, prior to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, after the first election of Donald Trump as USA President.

One step was the formation of something called Permanent Structured Cooperation, commonly called PESCO. PESCO is a multi-national European military alliance.

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

15:25

PESCO and a Great European Army

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

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

Almost all EU nations are part of PESCO.

And, PESCO has been funding a variety of technological projects and wants to fund more.

With the prospective of another Donald Trump presidency, Europe does not wish to wait to take steps–it is taking more and more now.

The basic plan is for Europe to be a strong military power independent of the USA. And one that the Bible shows will ultimately defeat the USA (Daniel 11:39; see also USA in Prophecy: The Strongest Fortresses).

Although many in the USA and elsewhere act like that is not possible, those of us who understand certain aspects of biblical prophecy realize that the Bible shows that:

39 Thus he shall act against the strongest fortresses with a foreign god, which he shall acknowledge, and advance its glory; and he shall cause them to rule over many, and divide the land for gain. (Daniel 11:39)

The “he” above is the European King of the North. In the 21st century, the “strongest fortresses” belong to the USA and its British-descended allies (cf. Daniel 8:24-25; Isaiah 17:3)–and notice that the Bible says that the power with the strongest fortresses will be defeated.

Steps to create a great European army are being taken now, with plans to do more in the future.

Many want Europe to become a major military power. The political situation in the USA is making the Europeans nervous. An unintended consequence of the Trump Administration policies was to get the Europeans to look seriously at being a military power independent of the USA.

Europe is now working to do so and is looking at multiple ways to fund this.

This will not end well for the USA (cf. Daniel 11:39) nor its British-descended allies (cf. Daniel 8:24-25; Isaiah 17:3).

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

Europa, the Beast, and Revelation Where did Europe get its name? What might Europe have to do with the Book of Revelation? What about “the Beast”? Is an emerging European power “the daughter of Babylon”? What is ahead for Europe? Here is are links to related videos: European history and the Bible, Europe In Prophecy, The End of European Babylon, and Can You Prove that the Beast to Come is European? Here is a link to a related sermon in the Spanish language: El Fin de la Babilonia Europea.
The European Union and the Seven Kings of Revelation 17 Could the European Union be the sixth king that now is, but is not? Here is a link to the related sermon video: European Union & 7 Kings of Revelation 17:10.
Must the Ten Kings of Revelation 17:12 Rule over Ten Currently Existing Nations? Some claim that these passages refer to a gathering of 10 currently existing nations together, while one group teaches that this is referring to 11 nations getting together. Is that what Revelation 17:12-13 refers to? The ramifications of misunderstanding this are enormous. Here is a link to a related sermon in the Spanish language: ¿Deben los Diez Reyes gobernar sobre diez naciones? A related sermon in the English language is titled: Ten Kings of Revelation and the Great Tribulation.
Who is the King of the North? Is there one? Do biblical and Roman Catholic prophecies for the Great Monarch point to the same leader? Should he be followed? Who will be the King of the North discussed in Daniel 11? Is a nuclear attack prophesied to happen to the English-speaking peoples of the United States, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand? When do the 1335 days, 1290 days, and 1260 days (the time, times, and half a time) of Daniel 12 begin? When does the Bible show that economic collapse will affect the United States? In the Spanish language check out ¿Quién es el Rey del Norte? Here are links to three related videos: The King of the North is Alive: What to Look Out For. The Future King of the North, and Rise of the Prophesied King of the North.
The Great Monarch: Biblical and Greco-Roman Catholic Prophecies Is the ‘Great Monarch’ of Greco-Roman Catholic prophecies endorsed or condemned by the Bible? Two sermons of related interest are also available: Great Monarch: Messiah or False Christ? and Great Monarch in 50+ Beast Prophecies.
USA in Prophecy: The Strongest Fortresses Can you point to scriptures, like Daniel 11:39, that point to the USA in the 21st century? This article does. Two related sermon are available: Identifying the USA and its Destruction in Prophecy and Do these 7 prophesies point to the end of the USA?
Who is the King of the West? Why is there no Final End-Time King of the West in Bible Prophecy? Is the United States the King of the West? Here is a version in the Spanish language: ¿Quién es el Rey del Occidente? ¿Por qué no hay un Rey del Occidente en la profecía del tiempo del fin? A related sermon is also available: The Bible, the USA, and the King of the West.
Lost Tribes and Prophecies: What will happen to Australia, the British Isles, Canada, Europe, New Zealand and the United States of America? Where did those people come from? Can you totally rely on DNA? What about other peoples? Do you really know what will happen to Europe and the English-speaking peoples? What about Africa, Asia, South America, and the Islands? This free online book provides scriptural, scientific, historical references, and commentary to address those matters. Here are links to related sermons: Lost tribes, the Bible, and DNA; Lost tribes, prophecies, and identifications; 11 Tribes, 144,000, and Multitudes; Israel, Jeremiah, Tea Tephi, and British Royalty; Gentile European Beast; Royal Succession, Samaria, and Prophecies; Asia, Islands, Latin America, Africa, and Armageddon;  When Will the End of the Age Come?;  Rise of the Prophesied King of the North; Christian Persecution from the Beast; WWIII and the Coming New World Order; and Woes, WWIV, and the Good News of the Kingdom of God.

Cascade of old Centrifuges (USDOE)

COGwriter

Since the helicopter crash death of Ebrahim Raisi, Iran is starting to look for another president:

May 30, 2024

Iran opened a five-day registration period Thursday for hopefuls wanting to run in the June 28 presidential election to replace the late Ebrahim Raisi, who was killed in a helicopter crash earlier this month with seven others. …

Who will run — and potentially be accepted — remains in question. The country’s acting president, Mohammad Mokhber, a previously behind-the-scenes bureaucrat, could be a front-runner, because he’s already been seen meeting with Khamenei. Also discussed as possible aspirants are former hard-line President Mohammad Ahmadinejad and former reformist President Mohammad Khatami — but whether they’d be allowed to run is another question.

The five-day registration period will close on Tuesday. The Guardian Council is expected to issue its final list of candidates within 10 days afterwards. That will allow for a shortened two-week campaign before the vote in late June.

The new president will take office while the country now enriches uranium at nearly weapons-grade levels and hampers international inspections. https://www.newsmax.com/world/globaltalk/iran-presidential-election/2024/05/30/id/1166728/

Related to its nuclear situation, notice the following:

IAEA: Iran’s Enriched Uranium Stockpile Is 30x Bigger than Obama Nuclear Deal Allows

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) issued a confidential report on Monday that discovered that Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium reached 30 times the limit Tehran accepted in former President Barack Obama’s 2015 nuclear deal.

The IAEA document, which has not been released to the public but was reviewed by Associated Press (AP) reporters, said Iran now has 6,201 kilograms of enriched uranium in its inventory — a dramatic increase of 675.8 pounds from the last IAEA report in February. https://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2024/05/28/iaea-irans-enriched-uranium-stockpile-is-30x-bigger-than-obama-nuclear-deal-allows/

This should not be a surprise to long-time readers of this COGwriter Church of God News page.

Notice something posted here in December 2023:

December 27, 2013

TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran is working on the development of a new generation of centrifuges, the country’s top nuclear official said, adding that tests on the new machines have not been done.

“A new generation of centrifuges is being built, but they should undergo all tests before mass production,” Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Ali Akbar Salehi said on Thursday.

He added that Iran possesses some 19,000 of different types of centrifuges.

Highlighting Iran’s impressive achievements in the field of nuclear technology, Salehi said the Islamic Republic in now among the countries with the capability to carry out “all fuel (production) stages from exploration to ore dressing and production of uranium fuel.”

In a recent development, Iran allowed the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to inspect its nuclear sites. The move is believed to be the first concrete step under a cooperation agreement signed in November between the Vienna-based UN agency and Iran to dispel concerns about Tehran’s nuclear program.  http://www.tasnimnews.com/English/Home/Single/232487

Now notice something I warned about this deal on November 24, 2013:

What this deal really does is give Iran some economic relief and time to upgrade its technology, while it agrees to get rid of some of its underdeveloped nuclear waste and centrifuges.  This, in theory at least, will give Iran more money and more time to work on its nuclear technology, (Iran makes nuclear deal that Obama praises: Israel and Saudi Arabia are not pleased)

A week later I posted:

An ‘interim’ deal is in place that apparently will allow Iran to tap into some of its foreign bank accounts and/or lift some of the economic sanctions against it.  The deal will mean that Iran will give up some of its older nuclear centrifuges and enriched uranium.  And if you believe Iran and the USA government, it also means that Iran will not be developing nuclear weapons at this time.  In my view, this agreement will allow Iran to continue to perfect its technology so that it will be better able to produce nuclear weapons over time.  (BibleNewsProphecy: Iran in Prophecy)

Yes, Iran has announced new nuclear centrifuges.

Nuclear centrifuges basically help enrich uranium to the point that it can be used to develop nuclear energy or nuclear bombs.  While Iran is publicly claiming the former, many believe that its real goal is to produce nuclear weapons, hence improved centrifuges will give it a better ability to make weapons.

When some of the Iran nuclear deal was announced, I began to produce an article titled Iran in Prophecy, and also put together a related YouTube video also titled Iran In Prophecy.

As I mentioned before, thus far the interim agreement appears to be (carnally-speaking) a good deal for Iran. However, in the long-run, Iran will likely suffer for decisions it will make, at least partially because of this deal.

That being said, parts of this deal put Israel and the USA at risk for terrorist attacks from ‘dirty bombs’ (bombs that have radioactive components) and possibly nuclear bombs in the future.

Iran’s use of such items may well result in its neutralization.  As regular readers of the COGwriter news page are aware, I have been warning for some time that a regional war involving Iran, Israel, the USA, and/or Syria seems likely.

Since Iran, however, is NOT really south of Jerusalem (though it may support such a king per certain interpretations of the peoples listed in Ezekiel 30:1-9), it will not be the final King of the South of Bible prophecy (cf. Daniel 11:40-43). Because of that, I have tended to believe that Iran may somehow get “neutralized” before this final king rises up. A serious attack by the USA and/or Israel may neutralize Iran and much of its influence–but Iran might hit hard first.

“Neutralizing” Iran would allow most of the other Islamic states (like Saudi Arabia and Egypt) to continue to exist (Syria might not do well per Isaiah 17:1) and allow for the rising of the prophesied King of the South to rise up (revolution in Iran, is also another possibility, for its “neutralization”).  Israel has stated in the past that it will stop Iranian nuclear ambitions whether or not the USA will support it doing so.

Yet, Iran may have a role in Isaiah 22:6-9 and this will not bode well for Israel (and probably ultimately not Iran). The USA, itself, may also be damaged.

The top leadership of Iran has a Shi’ite Muslim agenda, which they have concluded includes causing chaos and war. I, for one, do not believe that Iran’s leaders have given up on their goals of Islamic domination. And that includes people like former president  Mohammad Ahmadinejad who hopes to regain political power again.

The situation with Iran is much more dangerous than most realize.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

Iran in Prophecy Is Iran in Bible prophecy? If so, what does the Bible teach? What names, other than Persia, may be used to describe Iran? There is also a YouTube video titled Iran in Prophecy. Here are links to two related videos Iran In Prophecy and  Iran and Israel Conflict.
Islamic and Biblical Prophecies for the 21st Century This is a free online book which helps show where biblical and Islamic prophecies converge and diverge.
Seeing Christianity Through Islamic Eyes This article has information from the book, Islamic and Biblical Prophecies for the 21st Century, as well as from the old WCG and other sources.
The ‘Peace Deal’ of Daniel 9:27 This prophecy could give up to 3 1/2 years advance notice of the coming Great Tribulation. Will most ignore or misunderstand its fulfillment? Here is a link to a related sermon video Daniel 9:27 and the Start of the Great Tribulation.

Valley of The Dry Bones of Ezekiel 37 rendering by Gustave Doré

COGwriter

Pope Francis spoke about Ezekiel 37 several years ago:

In the Book of Ezechiel, there is a peculiar vision that is described, impressive, but capable of instilling confidence and hope in our hearts. God shows the prophet a valley of bones, detached from each other and dry. A desolate scenario. Imagine, an entire hill full of bones. God asks him, then, to invoke the Spirit upon them. At that moment, the bones begin to draw closer and unite, first the nerves grow on them and then the flesh and thus the body is formed, complete and full of life. (Ez. 37, 1-14). This is the Church! I recommend, today when you are home, to read Ezechiel, Chapter 37. October 22, 2014 http://www.zenit.org/en/articles/on-the-body-of-christ

While Pope Francis is correct that this is an impressive vision, this is a vision of those that are not now in the true Church. This is a vision for the future.

Here is a little of what Jerold Aust taught about it:

That last and great day of the annual festival days foreshadows the greatest time of salvation for the greatest number of people at one time. How wonderful it is to know the truth! The prophet Ezekiel sheds light on those incredible numbers. The setting in Ezekiel 37 is postmillennial. Remember that the first resurrection, to occur as the Millennium begins, is to spirit essence (Rev. 20:4-6). The resurrection at the beginning of the White Throne Judgment, however, is to a physical state.

Here God resurrects the whole house of Israel, which had lived and died during mankind’s first six millennia (Ezek. 37:1-2, 11). Israel may number into the billions themselves. But what of all the greater numbers of gentiles who also lived and died during that same period of time and who, too, will be awaiting their one and only opportunity to be judged and saved (I Tim. 2:4)? They will also be resurrected at that precise time.

The opportunities extended to Israel will also be offered to the gentiles (Rom. 2:9-10, Isa. 19:24-25).

Thank God this is not the only day of salvation (Isa. 49:8, Revised Standard Version). (Aust J. What the Last Great Day Means for You. Good News, October-November, 1983)

Ezekiel 37 helps show that people who were dead and not in Christ will be resurrected to the flesh and have an opportunity for salvation. Notice what it actually teaches:

1 The hand of the Lord came upon me and brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones. 2 Then He caused me to pass by them all around, and behold, there were very many in the open valley; and indeed they were very dry. 3 And He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”

So I answered, “O Lord God, You know.”

4 Again He said to me, “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! 5 Thus says the Lord God to these bones: “Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live. 6 I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath in you; and you shall live. Then you shall know that I am the Lord.”‘”

7 So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and suddenly a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to bone. 8 Indeed, as I looked, the sinews and the flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them over; but there was no breath in them.

9 Also He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.”‘” 10 So I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army.

11 Then He said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They indeed say, ‘Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, and we ourselves are cut off!’ 12 Therefore prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Behold, O My people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up from your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. 13 Then you shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up from your graves. 14 I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken it and performed it,” says the Lord.'” (Ezekiel 37:1-14)

Now will salvation be offered to all who ever lived?

Absolutely!

Notice what the New Testament and the Old Testament plainly teach:

6 And all flesh shall see the salvation of God. (Luke 3:6)

10 And all the ends of the earth shall see The salvation of our God. (Isaiah 52:10)

Since most who claim some version of Christianity believe that what they teach is at least partially supported by scripture, here is a link to a free online book which contains a listing of hundreds of verses in the Bible supporting apocatastasis, as well as related comments, which may be helpful for those who wish to receive their doctrine from the Bible: Universal OFFER of Salvation, Apokatastasis: Can God save the lost in an age to come? Hundreds of scriptures reveal God’s plan of salvation.

Micah 7:18-19 teaches:

18 Who is a God like You,
Pardoning iniquity
And passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage?
He does not retain His anger forever,
Because He delights in mercy.
19 He will again have compassion on us,
And will subdue our iniquities.
You will cast all our sins
Into the depths of the sea.

Is your God going to pardon iniquity for a few or nearly all of the guilty? Does God retain His anger forever? No. Does He delight in mercy? Yes. Will He later give His truth to Jacob and mercy to Abraham? That is what the Bible teaches. Is this what your church teaches?

Ezekiel 11:16-20 and 36:24-38 both record that God is going to convert many sinners so that they will walk in His statutes:

16 Therefore say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Although I have cast them far off among the Gentiles, and although I have scattered them among the countries, yet I shall be a little sanctuary for them in the countries where they have gone.” ‘ 17 “Therefore say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “I will gather you from the peoples, assemble you from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.” ‘ 18 “And they will go there, and they will take away all its detestable things and all its abominations from there. 19 Then I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within them, and take the stony heart out of their flesh, and give them a heart of flesh, 20 that they may walk in My statutes and keep My judgments and do them; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God…”

24 For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land. 25 Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. 26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them. 28 Then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; you shall be My people, and I will be your God. 29 I will deliver you from all your uncleannesses. I will call for the grain and multiply it, and bring no famine upon you. 30 And I will multiply the fruit of your trees and the increase of your fields, so that you need never again bear the reproach of famine among the nations. 31 Then you will remember your evil ways and your deeds that were not good; and you will loathe yourselves in your own sight, for your iniquities and your abominations. 32 Not for your sake do I do this,” says the Lord GOD, “let it be known to you. Be ashamed and confounded for your own ways, O house of Israel!” 33’Thus says the Lord GOD: “On the day that I cleanse you from all your iniquities, I will also enable you to dwell in the cities, and the ruins shall be rebuilt. 34 The desolate land shall be tilled instead of lying desolate in the sight of all who pass by. 35 So they will say, ‘This land that was desolate has become like the garden of Eden; and the wasted, desolate, and ruined cities are now fortified and inhabited.’ 36 “Then the nations which are left all around you shall know that I, the LORD, have rebuilt the ruined places and planted what was desolate. I, the LORD, have spoken it, and I will do it.” 37’Thus says the Lord GOD: “I will also let the house of Israel inquire of Me to do this for them: I will increase their men like a flock. 38 Like a flock offered as holy sacrifices, like the flock at Jerusalem on its feast days, so shall the ruined cities be filled with flocks of men. Then they shall know that I am the LORD.” ‘ “

Notice that the above has never been fulfilled by Israelites going back to the Middle East as God has YET to give them a new heart. Surely God has a plan to offer salvation to those who many now feel are lost.

Notice Daniel 12:2-4:

And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, Some to everlasting life, Some to shame and everlasting contempt. Those who are wise shall shine Like the brightness of the firmament, And those who turn many to righteousness Like the stars forever and ever. But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase”

The above passage shows that death is like sleep. It also refers to a resurrection to everlasting life and resurrection to shame and to everlasting contempt. Notice that those who are wise will shine, and still after they shall awake, turn many to righteousness. Since they cannot turn those who are raised to everlasting contempt to life, who are they turning to life?

Obviously, those who were dead and not dead in Christ are those that are among the many that are turned to righteousness. Thus, the Bible clearly shows that there is a future offer of salvation past this current life and many will be turned to righteousness–many are then converted.

This is something that the Church of Rome does not understand.

At risk of possible gross oversimplification, there are many incomplete as well as inaccurate views of what God’s plan of salvation is that I will attempt to briefly summarize:

• Evangelicals and Certain Other Protestants: God is trying to save everyone now through the name of Jesus. But since most have not heard the message of Christ, most who ever lived will be eternally lost.
• Calvinist Protestants: God is not trying to save everyone now and never had a plan to truly offer salvation to all as all humans are sinners who deserve eternal punishment. Yet, God is so merciful He sent His son to die for a few (roughly 1-3% of the population) that were predestined to be called now and saved, and this shows that God has love. Nearly all who ever lived will be eternally lost.
• Unitarians: God does not really care what you believe or do, but if you try to lead a decent life, He will save you. Note: This is not the position of unitarian groups like the Jehovah’s Witnesses and some others, but the position of those generally known as Unitarians (like a group I once visited near where I live).
• Universalists: God loves everyone and will save everyone.
• The LDS (Mormons) teach that God will not condemn those, who for no fault of their own have not accepted Christ, that He will save many through baptism for the dead and their later, hoped-for acceptance of Jesus. Hence they try to find the names of the dead through genealogical research and have people baptized in proxy for them. A sermon of related interest is available: Mormon vs. Church of God Teachings.
• Although the Eastern Orthodox tend to consider that God’s plan of salvation is highly sacramental, they tend to teach that God’s plan is not one of terror and that somehow God may save people up through the time of the White Throne Judgment. Here is a link to a related sermon: Eastern Orthodox 40+ Similar Beliefs to the CCOG.
• Roman Catholic: God wants to save everyone, but most will not be saved. Despite not hearing the name of Christ, God has a plan and will save some from the pagan religions who strive to live right and will give salvation to Roman Catholics who have gone through the right sacraments at the right time.

The Evangelicals and many other Protestants are right that it is only through the name of Jesus that one can be saved (Acts 4:10-12). But they normally limit when God can do this and do not understand about the age to come (Matthew 12:32; Mark 10:30; Luke 18:30; Hebrews 6:5).

The Calvinists are right that all are sinners (Romans 3:23) and that God has predestined some to be called in this age. But they neglect the fact that, since God is not a respecter of persons (Acts 10:34, KJV), that others who think their hope is cut off will receive an opportunity for salvation (cf. Ezekiel 37:1-11).

The Unitarians are correct that God wants people to “live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age” (Titus 2:12). But that is not how one is saved. For it is “by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).

The Universalists are right that God loves everyone and that God wants all saved. However, since some will intentionally reject God’s offer of salvation, not all will be saved (cf. Revelation 20:13-15).

The Mormons are right that God has a plan of salvation that involves the dead who have not committed the unpardonable sin (see also What is the Unpardonable Sin?). Yet the idea that this will be helped because of ritualistic baptism for peoples names found in genealogical records is incorrect. Plus, since God is not a respecter of persons (Acts 10:34, KJV), one does not give the opportunity for salvation because one happens to have been part of a culture that maintained birth, marriage, death and/or other historical records (though the LDS believe that they will eventually get all of that information).

The Eastern Orthodox are right that God’s plan is not really intended to be one of terror. And while God actually does intend the time of the White Throne Judgment (Revelation 20:11-12) as part of His plan, since the Orthodox do not observe the Fall Holy Days they misunderstand much of the actual plan. Up until just before they adopted ‘purgatory’ (see Did the Early Church Teach Purgatory?), the Church of Rome held a similar view to the Eastern Orthodox.

The Roman Catholics are right that God does have a plan of salvation and that plan includes reaching out to those who have never known the God of the Bible. However, since every knee will bow to Jesus Christ (Philippians 2:9-11), all who will be saved will have to accept Him as savior. Plus, salvation is not mainly a sacramental process as the Roman Catholic tend to emphasize (though the Bible does state that believers need to repent and be baptized as the Apostle Peter taught in Acts 2:38).

The biblical reality is that while God wants us to repent (Acts 17:30), He knew that all would not. And so to reduce the number of humans who would commit the “unpardonable sin” (see What is the Unpardonable Sin? ) and thus not be eligible for salvation, He allowed Satan to blind and deceive most in this age (cf. 2 Thessalonians 2:9-11; Revelation 12:9; 13:14).

We in the Continuing Church of God believe that the Bible teaches that God made everything and it was “very good” (Genesis 1:31) and that “this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments” (1 John 5:3). And that God made humans upright (Ecclesiastes 7:29), but that humans felt that they could decide to disobey God’s commands (Genesis 3:6)–such disobedience is harmful to themselves as well as others and leads to death (Romans 6:23). Because of that disobedience, God stopped humans from having immediate access to the tree of life on their own (Genesis 3:22; John 6:44)–even though He had a plan of redemption from before “the foundation of the world” involving Jesus (Revelation 13:8, plus see the article Universal Offer of Salvation: There Are Hundreds of Verses in the Bible Supporting the Doctrine of True Apocatastasis).

We in the Continuing Church of God believe that God gave humans 6,000 years to live their own way (please see the article Did The Early Church Teach Millenarianism and a 6000 Year Plan?). And that humans will mess things up so bad, “unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved” (Matthew 24:22).

But because God has a plan for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 13:38) and is a God of love (1 John 4:8,16; John 3:16), He will intervene and send Jesus to establish a millennial kingdom on earth (Revelation 11:15; 20:4). During this 1000-year reign the world will become beautiful again (Isaiah 35:1-10; 58:12) (see also Did The Early Church Teach Millenarianism?).

After this thousand year reign, all who ever lived will be resurrected (Revelation 20:5). The judgment will begin (Revelation 20:12) and God will plead His case (Isaiah 3:13; Jeremiah 25:31). When humans see how they started out with a very good and beautiful earth and messed up and nearly completely destroyed it in their 6,000 years, it appears that they will realize that humankind, that distanced itself from the true God, cannot properly govern itself. However when they see how, when starting with a messed up and nearly completely destroyed earth at the end of the 6,000 years (please see the article Does God Have a 6,000 Year Plan? What Year Does the 6,000 Years End?), that it was restored to being very good again, like Eden (Isaiah 51:3), because people obeyed the King of Kings during the millennium (please see Did The Early Church Teach Millenarianism?), then apparently nearly all who ever lived will repent of their ways, accept Jesus as the Christ, and will live God’s way of life.

Since God is love (1 John 4:16), we in the Continuing Church of God believe that He has a plan that takes into account how human beings would have rebelled against Him (cf. 1 Peter 1:20-21). We also believe that God is smart enough to have developed a plan that does not result in the vast majority of humanity having to suffer endless torment. Thus we believe it is logical that His plan will result in nearly everyone who ever lived, no matter what their religion or background was, to be saved. And that there are hundreds of verses in the Bible that show this—and this is God’s will (2 Peter 3:9; John 3:16-17). This plan is also consistent with writings about Christianity throughout history—though most in modern times seem to wish to overlook that fact. And a little known fact is that there are hundreds of verses in the Bible that show this (documentation is in the article Universal Offer of Salvation: There Are Hundreds of Verses in the Bible Supporting the Doctrine of True Apocatastasis).

We believe that the biblical Holy Days reveal God’s loving plan of salvation (see article Is There “An Annual Worship Calendar” In the Bible?), yet because most who profess Christ keep non-biblical days such as Christmas and Easter, they simply do not understand that God has a plan which will result in nearly everyone who ever lived to be saved.

We believe that since God is a God of love that He wanted to reproduce Himself and share His joy to all that He could and that His plan of salvation accomplishes this. This concept of God “reproducing Himself” for us to be truly part of His family is not totally foreign to what passes for mainstream “Christianity” as even the Catholic and Orthodox “Saint” Athanasius (fourth century) taught of Jesus, “For He was made man that we might be made God” (Athanasius. On the Incarnation of the Word, Chapter 54, Verse 3) (for additional details on this doctrine, please see Deification: Did the Early Church Teach That Christians Would Become God?).

Jesus was clear that only a few will find this way in this age:

23 Then one said to Him, “Lord, are there few who are saved?” And He said to them, 24 Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able (Luke 13:23-24).

14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it (Matthew 7:14).

32 “Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. (Luke 12:32)

So only some few will be called in this age. And there is an “age to come” (Matthew 12:32) where even infamous sinners will have an opportunity (cf. Matthew 10:15;11:22).

The Bible clearly teaches:

6 …all flesh shall see the salvation of God (Luke 3:6).

Those who did not truly see and understand this plan of salvation will have it explained to them. And that is what the Last Great Day pictures.

Notice what Jesus taught:

37 On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. 38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” (John 7:37-38)

The Last Great Day helps demonstrate that all who ever lived will have an opportunity for salvation–an opportunity most will accept (John 7:37-39; Romans 11:25-26; Ezekiel 37:11-14; Hebrews 9:27-28). Those who do not observe the same Holy Days that Jesus and His disciples did, normally do not truly understand God’s plan of salvation.

A major reason that I originally became part of the Church of God is that in addition to proving all things from the Bible, I truly believe that since “God is love” (1 John 4:16) that He has a plan of salvation that will ultimately result in everyone being called and nearly every one who ever lived being saved.

That is part of what Ezekiel 37 is all about.

The Last Great Day is October 24, 2024. Pope Francis does not observe it–should you?

A related sermon is available: Last Great Day.

Some items of related interest may include:

Universal OFFER of Salvation, Apokatastasis: Can God save the lost in an age to come? Hundreds of scriptures reveal God’s plan of salvation Will all get a fair chance at salvation? This free book is packed with scriptures showing that God does intend to offer salvation to all who ever lived–the elect in this age, and the rest in the age to come. Here is a link to a related sermon series: Universal Offer of Salvation 1: Apocatastasis, Universal Offer of Salvation 2: Jesus Desires All to be Saved, Mysteries of the Great White Throne Judgment (Universal Offer of Salvation part 3), Is God Fair, Will God Pardon the Ignorant?, Can God Save Your Relatives?, Babies, Limbo, Purgatory and God’s Plan, and ‘By the Mouth of All His Holy Prophets’.
The Last Great Day: Shemini ‘Azeret What is the ‘eighth day’ of the Feast? What does it help picture? A sermon on this topic is also available: Shemini Azaret: The Last Great Day.
Beliefs of the Original Catholic Church: Could a remnant group have continuing apostolic succession? Did the original “catholic church” have doctrines held by the Continuing Church of God? Did Church of God leaders uses the term “catholic church” to ever describe the church they were part of? Here are links to related sermons: Original Catholic Church of God?, Original Catholic Doctrine: Creed, Liturgy, Baptism, Passover, What Type of Catholic was Polycarp of Smyrna?, Tradition, Holy Days, Salvation, Dress, & Celibacy, Early Heresies and Heretics, Doctrines: 3 Days, Abortion, Ecumenism, Meats, Tithes, Crosses, Destiny, and more, Saturday or Sunday?, The Godhead, Apostolic Laying on of Hands Succession, Church in the Wilderness Apostolic Succession List, Holy Mother Church and Heresies, and Lying Wonders and Original Beliefs. Here is a link to that book in the Spanish language: Creencias de la iglesia Católica original.
Hope of Salvation: How the Continuing Church of God Differs from Protestantism The CCOG is NOT Protestant. This free online book explains how the real Church of God differs from mainstream/traditional Protestants. Several sermons related to the free book are also available: Protestant, Baptist, and CCOG History; The First Protestant, God’s Command, Grace, & Character; The New Testament, Martin Luther, and the Canon; Eucharist, Passover, and Easter; Views of Jews, Lost Tribes, Warfare, & Baptism; Scripture vs. Tradition, Sabbath vs. Sunday; Church Services, Sunday, Heaven, and God’s Plan; Seventh Day Baptists/Adventists/Messianics: Protestant or COG?; Millennial Kingdom of God and God’s Plan of Salvation; Crosses, Trees, Tithes, and Unclean Meats; The Godhead and the Trinity; Fleeing or Rapture?; and Ecumenism, Rome, and CCOG Differences.
John Calvin, Calvinism, TULIP, and What is Predestination? Who was John Calvin? Did he believe in sola Scriptura or did he hold to unbiblical doctrines? TULIP analyzed. A sermonette related to this is also available: Tulip Predestination?
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?
Teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS) and the Continuing Church of God The genuine Church of God is not related to the Mormons and this article explains some differences and a couple of similarities. Also, might certain LDS prophecies apply to Mitt Romney? A sermon of related interest is available: Mormon vs. Church of God Teachings.
Similarities and Differences Between the Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Continuing Church of God Both groups claim to represent the original Christian faith.  Do you know much about them? Both groups have some interesting similarities, but many major differences. Would you like Christian answers for Jehovah’s Witnesses to give information on how to deal with Jehovah’s Witnesses? A related sermon is also available: Jehovah’s Witnesses: Right and Wrong Teachings?
Some Similarities and Differences Between the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Continuing Church of God Both groups claim to be the original church, but both groups have differing ways to claim it. Both groups have some amazing similarities and some major differences. Do you know what they are? Here is a link to a related sermon: Eastern Orthodox 40+ Similar Beliefs to the CCOG.
Did the Early Church Teach Purgatory? Is there a place called purgatory? Does God have a plan to help those who did not become saints in this life? Here is a link to a related sermon: Purgatory or Apocatastasis?
What is Limbo? Is There Such a Place as Limbo? What Happens to Babies When They Die? When did Limbo start being taught? What is the truth about dead babies? Here is a link to the video: Popes Change on Limbo and Purgatory?
Did Early Christians Observe the Fall Holy Days? The ‘Fall’ Holy Days come every year in September and/or October on the Roman calendar. Some call them Jewish holidays, but they were kept by Jesus, the apostles, and their early faithful followers. Should you keep them? What does the Bible teach? What do records of church history teach? What does the Bible teach about the Feasts of Trumpets, Atonement, Tabernacles, and the Last Great Day? Here is a link to a related sermon: Should you keep the Fall Holy Days?
What is the Unpardonable Sin? What is it? Can you repent of it? Do you know what it is and how to avoid it? Here is a link to a related sermon video The Unpardonable Sin and the Prodigal Son. Here is a link to a shorter video The ‘Unpardonable Sin’ and ‘Climate Change’?
hould You Keep God’s Holy Days or Demonic Holidays? This is a free pdf booklet explaining what the Bible and history shows about God’s Holy Days and popular holidays. Two related sermons would be Which Spring Days should Christians observe? and Fall Holy Days for Christians.

BANK OF ISRAEL LAUNCHES OWN CBDC – THE DIGITAL SHEKEL

– Against a backdrop of massive geopolitical tensions, the Bank of Israel (BoI) has announced its own central bank digital currency (CBDC) experiment in the ‘Digital Shekel’.

– The program takes inspiration from ‘Project… https://t.co/VKl7tmLYHm pic.twitter.com/MHv9VcGoPW

— BSCN (@BSCNews) May 29, 2024

COGwriter

Israel made a major digital move:

Israel launches digital shekel CBDC experiment for payments

29 May 2024

Israel intends to expedite the development of its in-house central bank digital currency (CBDC), the digital shekel.

The Bank of Israel (BoI) plans to involve various service providers in co-developing an advanced digital payments ecosystem centered on the digital shekel. A rough translation of the central bank’s announcement read:

“As part of the action plan for the possible issuance of the digital shekel, the Bank of Israel is planning the ‘Digital Shekel Challenge’ — an experiment inspired by the ‘Project Rosalind’ carried out by the BIS Innovation Hub.”

Project Rosalind is a joint experimentation between the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) and the Bank of England and aims to develop prototypes for an application programming interface (API). https://cointelegraph.com/news/israel-accelerates-digital-shekel-development

Last month, the World Economic Forum (WEF) seems pleased that most nations are intending to adopt Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs):

Cashless Society: WEF Boasts That 98% Of Central Banks Are Adopting CBDCs

April 25, 2024

The WEF recently boasted in a new white paper that 98% of all central banks are now pursuing CBDC programs.  The report, titled ‘Modernizing Financial Markets With Wholesale Central Bank Digital Currency’, notes:

“CeBM is ideal for systemically important transactions despite the emergence of alternative payment instruments…Wholesale central bank digital currency (wCBDC) is a form of CeBM that could unlock new economic models and integration points that are not possible today.”

The paper primarily focuses on the streamlining of crossborder transactions, an effort which the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) has been deeply involved in for the past few years.  It also highlights an odd concept of differentiated CBDC mechanisms, each one specifically designed to be used by different institutions for different reasons.  Wholesale CBDCs would be used only by banking institutions, governments and some global corporations, as opposed to Retail CBDCs which would be reserved for the regular population. …

By extension, the adoption of CBDCs by governments and global banks will ultimately lead to what the WEF calls “dematerialization” – The removal of physical securities and money.  The WEF states:

“As with the Bank of England’s (BOE) RTGS modernization programme, the intention is to introduce a fully digitized securities system that is future-proofed for incremental adoption of DLT (Distributed Ledger Technology). The tokenization of assets involves creating digital tokens representing underlying assets like real estate, equities, digital art, intellectual property and even cash. Tokenization is a key use case for blockchain, with some estimates pointing towards $4-5 trillion in tokenized securities on DLTa  by 2030.” 

Finally, they let the cat out of the bag:

“The BIS proposed two models for bringing tokenization into the monetary system: 1) Bring CBDCs, DTs and tokenized assets on to a common unified ledger, and 2) pursue incremental progress by creating interlinking systems.

They determined the latter option was more feasible given that the former requires a reimagination of financial systems. Experimentation with the unified ledger concept is ongoing.”

To interpret this into decoded language – The unified ledger is essentially another term for a one world digital currency system completely centralized and under the control of global banks like the BIS and IMF.  The WEF and BIS are acknowledging the difficulty of introducing such a system without opposition, so, they are recommending incremental introduction using “interlinking systems” (attaching CBDCs to paper currencies and physical contracts and then slowly but surely dematerializing those assets and making digital the new norm).  It’s the totalitarian tip-toe.

The BIS predicts there will be at least 9 major CBDCs in circulation by the year 2030; this is likely an understatement of the intended plan.  Globalists have hinted in the past that they prefer total digitization by 2030.

A cashless society would be the end game for economic anonymity and freedom in trade. https://www.zerohedge.com/economics/cashless-society-wef-boasts-98-central-banks-are-adopting-cbdcs

Yes, the WEF wants all financial transactions to be digital. Yes, a cashless society ends “economic anonymity and freedom.” Such is also basically prophesied to come to pass in the Bible in Revelation 13:15-18.

Donald Trump has pledged to stop the USA from getting a CBDC as he also pointed out some issues with them:

Trump Vows to Stop Biden Bucks

May 28, 2024

This past weekend, Donald Trump spoke at the Libertarian Party’s national convention. …

Trump was cheered when he addressed a topic I’ve been talking about for over two years — central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), or as I call them, Biden Bucks.

Trump pledged that he would block the implementation of CBDCs if elected:

To protect Americans from government tyranny, as your president, I will never allow the creation of a central bank digital currency.

He warned that CBDCs were a “dangerous threat to freedom” and that they would give the government “absolute control” over money.

Whatever you think of Trump personally, he’s absolutely correct about CBDCs. I’ve extensively documented the threats they pose to your freedom and privacy. The federal government would be able to track every purchase you made and punish you if it didn’t approve of how you spent your money.

CBDCs are direct liabilities of a central bank. That means they own the money — you don’t. With that comes control. They basically give you permission to use that money, but permission can be subject to conditions.

And in case of recession, they could impose negative interest rates on your money in order to force you to spend money, which is supposed to stimulate the economy. https://dailyreckoning.com/trump-vows-to-stop-biden-bucks-2/

Donald Trump and others are aware of some of the risks and problems associated with CBDCs.

But neither he nor other actions by politicians in the USA will stop what is coming in Europe.

According to the Bible, Europe will end up with the ability to control and monitor buying and selling (Revelation 13:16-18).

Moves in that direction were part of #13 of my list of 24 items to prophetically watch in 2024:

13. CBDCs and 666

Notice the following prophecy:

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

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

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

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

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

We are seeing a move to digital/electronic money. Notice a news item from 2023:

EU making use of large amounts of cash illegal: Yes, this is a step towards 666!

Now, now some items from 2023:

‘2023: The ABC’s of CBDC, the Great Reset(s) & MORE Centralized Control’

WEF wants to ‘master the future’–CBDCs are part of the way

World Economic Forum pushing the inevitability of CBDCs

‘We Are Working Hard On A Global CBDC’ ‘The Reset: When Will Globalists Attempt To Introduce Their Digital Currency System?’

‘CBDCs are a solution for a problem we don’t have, and they want to implant it under our skin’

WORSE THAN CBDCs: Globalists Publish Plan for Worldwide Financial ENSLAVEMENT Under “Unified Ledger”

‘Putin Signs Digital Ruble Law Making a CBDC Possible in Russia’

NEW WORLD CURRENCY ANNOUNCED? – New BRICS CBDC To Be Launched Next Year? ’10 U.S. Sectors To Be Affected If BRICS Stops Using the Dollar’

‘EU Parliament Agrees on Digital ID Introduction and Pro-Censorship Chief Suggests CBDC Integration’

Knowledge and monitoring of financial transactions is greatly increasing.

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

The Europeans will push for a CBDC.

Many within BRICS will push for a CBDC.

While 2024 will not see a cashless world, expect to see more movements towards monitorable payments.

Expect to see more steps related to Central Bank Digital Currencies in 2024.

The fall of the US dollar and the trend towards digital money will concern many.

Look for more totalitarian steps to be proposed and/or implemented in 2024.

Biblically, we know that 666 financial controls will be put in place in Europe, and likely elsewhere. While CBDCs, of themselves, are not the ‘Mark of the Beast’ they look to be involved in the type of controls the Beast and his associates will implement.

DONALD TRUMP WILL NOT STOP THIS. AND ACTUALLY, IF HE IS ELECTED, THIS MAY MOTIVATE THE EUROPEANS TO MOVE QUICKER TOWARDS THEIR PLANNED CBDC.

Related to CBDCs and prophecy, we put together the following video on our Bible News Prophecy YouTube channel:

Steps towards ‘666’ are clearly happening.

Yes, Europe will adopt some type of digital currency.

Probably by 2028.

It will take the coming Kingdom of God, not Donald Trump, to fix what is coming.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

The Mark of Antichrist What is the mark of Antichrist? What have various ones claimed? Here is a link to a related sermon What is the ‘Mark of Antichrist’?
Mark of the Beast What is the mark of the Beast? Who is the Beast? What have various ones claimed the mark is? What is the ‘Mark of the Beast’?
Europa, the Beast, and Revelation Where did Europe get its name? What might Europe have to do with the Book of Revelation? What about “the Beast”? Is an emerging European power “the daughter of Babylon”? What is ahead for Europe? Here is are links to related videos: European history and the Bible, Europe In Prophecy, The End of European Babylon, and Can You Prove that the Beast to Come is European? Here is a link to a related sermon in the Spanish language: El Fin de la Babilonia Europea.
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?
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.
Is a Great Reset Coming? Klaus Schwab of the World Economic Forum has proposed a societal change that has been basically endorsed by the Vatican and many world leaders. Does the Bible prophesy a major reset? Here is a link to a related video: Will there be a “Great Reset”?
Lost Tribes and Prophecies: What will happen to Australia, the British Isles, Canada, Europe, New Zealand and the United States of America? Where did those people come from? Can you totally rely on DNA? What about other peoples? Do you really know what will happen to Europe and the English-speaking peoples? What about Africa, Asia, South America, and the Islands? This free online book provides scriptural, scientific, historical references, and commentary to address those matters. Here are links to related sermons: Lost tribes, the Bible, and DNA; Lost tribes, prophecies, and identifications; 11 Tribes, 144,000, and Multitudes; Israel, Jeremiah, Tea Tephi, and British Royalty; Gentile European Beast; Royal Succession, Samaria, and Prophecies; Asia, Islands, Latin America, Africa, and Armageddon;  When Will the End of the Age Come?;  Rise of the Prophesied King of the North; Christian Persecution from the Beast; WWIII and the Coming New World Order; and Woes, WWIV, and the Good News of the Kingdom of God.

(Hypocrisy band album cover)

COGwriter

Financial Times posted the following:

America breaks global rules as it defends the free world

27 May 2024

As an organising principle for western foreign policy, the “rules-based international order” has long suffered from some disastrous flaws. It is a phrase that means nothing to a normal person. As a result, it is a deeply uninspiring concept. People might go to war to defend freedom or the motherland. Nobody is going to fight and die for the RBIO. Nonetheless, senior western policymakers seem to be in love with the concept. Antony Blinken, the US secretary of state, is fond of appealing to the rules-based international order when he visits China. Rishi Sunak, Britain’s prime minister, has put the RBIO at the centre of UK foreign policy. His likely successor, Sir Keir Starmer, a former lawyer, will be just as committed to the idea. In opposing Russian aggression, Blinken argues that the US is standing up for a world based on rules rather than raw power. That is an attractive idea. But rules are meant to be consistent. And America’s own actions are undermining vital parts of the rules-based order. The past fortnight has brutally exposed these contradictions. The 100 per cent tariffs that the Biden administration has imposed on Chinese electric vehicles are virtually impossible to reconcile with international rules on trade. As a paper for Bruegel, a think-tank, puts it: “The tariffs . . . quash any notion that the US intends to abide by World Trade Organization rules.” America’s response to the prospect that the International Criminal Court will bring war crimes charges against Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, was also telling. Rather than supporting the court’s effort to enforce international law, Blinken told the US Congress that the administration would consider imposing sanctions on the ICC. https://www.ft.com/content/8249cd96-bda3-48c9-bf91-005df4125f9d

USA hypocrisy is more and more evident to the world as the above and what follows suggest:

7 April 2024

Even though a growing number of Western elites are awakening to the reality that Ukraine is headed for defeat and will drag NATO along with it, the so-called intellectual cognoscenti of foreign policy, like the editorial board of the NY Times, continue to indulge fantasies and delusions. They conclude a Sunday editorial pleading for more money for Zelensky and the losing cause with this:

Mr. Trump and his followers may argue that the security of Ukraine, or even of Europe, is not America’s business. But the consequence of allowing a Russian victory in Ukraine is a world in which authoritarian strongmen feel free to crush dissent or seize territory with impunity. That is a threat to the security of America, and the world.

The Washington and New York establishments continue to insist that Vladimir Putin is an “authoritarian strongman.” I have one word of advice — look in the … mirror and pay attention to what is happening in the United States before you mount your moral high horse and gallop off to lecture other countries on democracy and human rights.

When I read penultimate sentence in the paragraph above I asked myself the question, “How many political prisoners are there in Russia?” I was not surprised by the answer.

“For political prisoners, the situation is often worse, because the state aims to additionally punish them, or additionally isolate them from the world, or do everything to break their spirit,” Vaypan said. His group counts 680 political prisoners in Russia.

Guess what? The United States has prosecuted (and persecuted) twice as many political prisoners than Russia.

In the three years since the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol, federal prosecutors have charged more than 1,265 defendants across nearly all 50 states and D.C. and secured sentences of incarceration for more than 460 people, according to newly released numbers from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in D.C.

In remarks Friday, Attorney General Merrick Garland described the Justice Department’s sprawling probe of the Capitol attack as “one of the largest and most complex and resource-intensive investigations in our history.”

None of these numbers capture the law fare assault on former President Trump and many of the people who served in key positions during his administration. The Biden Administration routinely chastises many other countries — most recently India — for prosecuting political opponents. Talk about lack of self-awareness and irony. https://sonar21.com/americas-hypocrisy-as-an-authoritarian-state-being-exposed-as-ukraine-founders/

Yes there is a lot of hypocrisy and double standards in the USA. Rioters torched various part of Southern California about 5 or so years ago, and most went unpunished.

As far as I have been able to tell, most of those arrested related to the January 6, 2020 protests were arrested mainly for political purposes. Note that I said MOST and not ALL.

Yes, there also seems to be a legal double-standard as the United States Department of Justice has been more blatantly political the past 8 years or so.

The censorship of moral positions as well as scientific ones related to LGBTQ and COVID issues has been reprehensible as well.

The media, along with big tech, are often displaying their hypocrisy as they push many improper agendas that “suppress the truth in unrighteousness” (Romans 1:18) through their censorship.

This will not end well.

The truth does matter and hypocrisy is destructive.

The Bible warns:

5 O Assyrian, the rod of mine anger, and the staff in their hand is mine indignation.

6 I will send him against an hypocritical nation, and against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge, to take the spoil, and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets. (Isaiah 10:5-6, KJV)

Yes, the USA is “an hypocritical nation” and will one day be no more (see Anglo – America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel). The hypocritical ‘journalism’ and ‘big tech’ censorship is hurting the USA.

Yes, so are many statements from Donald Trump and Joe Biden.

Consider that the press in the USA used to claim it was the “fourth branch” of the government, stemming from its claim that the media’s responsibility to inform the populace was essential to the healthy functioning of democracy.

That simply is not happening in the USA anymore–at least not in a fully truthful or unbiased way.

Did you know that the Bible warns about those who do not want to know about the truth?

Notice:

8 Now go, write it before them on a tablet, And note it on a scroll, That it may be for time to come, Forever and ever: 9 That this is a rebellious people, Lying children, Children who will not hear the law of the Lord; 10 Who say to the seers, “Do not see,”And to the prophets, “Do not prophesy to us right things; Speak to us smooth things, prophesy deceits. 11 Get out of the way, Turn aside from the path, Cause the Holy One of Israel To cease from before us.”

12 Therefore thus says the Holy One of Israel:

“Because you despise this word, And trust in oppression and perversity, And rely on them, 13 Therefore this iniquity shall be to you Like a breach ready to fall, A bulge in a high wall ,Whose breaking comes suddenly, in an instant. 14 And He shall break it like the breaking of the potter’s vessel, Which is broken in pieces; He shall not spare. So there shall not be found among its fragments A shard to take fire from the hearth, Or to take water from the cistern.” (Isaiah 30:8-14)

13 But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived. (2 Timothy 3:13, KJV)

Many who do not trust the Bible, but instead trust in oppression and perversity, want ‘smooth things.’ Many want to love and believe a lie–and that is further condemned in Revelation 22:15.

In the CCOG, we continue to proclaim what the Bible teaches (e.g., watch our latest uploaded video: Gender Confusion, Science, and Scripture).

COGwriter

In a past (March-April 2017) edition of its Bible Advocate magazine, CG7-Denver’s David Ross wrote:

A defense

Defending the Christian world – view has biblical basis. First Peter 3:15 says, “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear.” The word defense in this passage is translated from the Greek apologia, which basically means “to give a rational defense of an opinion or belief” — that is, to provide reasons for how one thinks or believes. Christian apologetics , then, is the rational defense of Christianity as an accurate truth claim. Several other scriptures corroborate the biblical mandate to defend Christianity (Acts 17:2; Philippians 1:17; Titus 1:9; Jude 3).

Christianity’s legitimacy depends on the integrity of the Bible — specifically, the New Testament, the record of Jesus Christ’s miraculous birth, life, death, and resurrection. The New Testament assumes the reliability of the Old by referencing it often. In fact, Jesus quoted the Old Testament verbatim. If the New Testament is not historically reliable, our religion — contained in both Testaments — crumbles because Jesus Christ is the central figure of our faith. Therefore, one of the best ways to defend the Christian faith is to defend the reliability of the New Testament.

Manuscript accuracy

The primary lines of evidence supporting the trustworthiness of the New Testament are the accuracy of its surviving manuscripts and the reliability of it authors. To support this evidence, we must assert two facts: 1) The New Testament has earlier, more numerous, and more reliable surviving manuscripts than any other book from antiquity; 2) The people recording the events and teachings in these manu – scripts were reliable. This claim is validated by the number of concurring writers 1 ; the historical and archaeological confirmation of the people, culture, and places listed in the New Testament; and the critical examination of legal experts regarding its acceptability and credibility. …

Manuscript quantity, dating

The number of New Testament manuscripts is overwhelming compared with other books from antiquity, which typically range from ten to twenty copies. By contrast, the New Testament has approximately 5,800 surviving Greek manuscripts. The most for any other ancient book is Homer’s Iliad , with 643, according to Norman L. Geisler in Christian Apologetics 2nd ed. (Baker Academic, 2013).

In addition, the lapse of time between the composition and the earliest copy of a book from the ancient world is roughly a thousand years. Contrast this with the earliest manuscript of a writing from the New Testament, the John Ryland Papyri ( ad 117- 138). This manuscript survived within a generation of the time scholars believe it was written (c. ad 95). Entire books (the Bodmer Papyri) are available from ad 200, only a little over a century after the New Testament was completed. The entire New Testament is actually available in the Codex Vaticanus, which dates from ad 325 to ad 350. Geisler says it was completed within 250 years of the original writing, still much less of a time lapse than any other book from antiquity.

No other book from the ancient world has as small a time gap between composition and earliest manuscript copies as the New Testament.

There are other ways to prove that the Bible has integrity, but the fact that no other ancient manuscript has as much proof is one that Christians should keep in mind when dealing with skeptics.

Let me also add that as far as ‘canonization’ goes, it is the position of the Continuing Church of God that all the books of the New Testament were known to the Apostle John and that he passed that knowledge on to people, like his successor, Polycarp of Smyrna.

Here is some information related to that from our free online book Who Gave the World the Bible? The Canon: Why do we have the books we now do in the Bible? Is the Bible complete?:

While some believe that because the Church of Rome, along with the Eastern Orthodox, held meetings to determine the canon for itself (and that to a major degree the Protestants followed many of the decisions), that they came up with the canon. Yet, the reality is that the Church of God had the books, and thus the canon, from the beginning (meaning once the Book of Revelation was finished). Early Christians would not have considered the canon to be fluid (Kruger, p. 31).

This is confirmed in many sources (some of which have already been cited).

Notice also the following related to the New Testament:

To whom then was the New Testament given for preservation and transmission?

Greeks Preserve New Testament

Romans 1:16 reveals the answer. “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ . . . to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.’’

God raised up the Apostle Paul to go to the Greeks. They received the New Testament oracles — and became responsible for their preservation and transmission.

We saw the principle in Romans 1:16 that God was going to use the Greek-speaking world to preserve and copy the New Testament Canon. The leading Apostles and officials of His New Testament Church WROTE and under divine inspiration were led to COMPILE THE CANON. The Greeks had nothing to do with these two great functions. The apostolic era of the Church of God completed these two great acts.

But the Greeks were given the responsibility to copy and transmit the New Testament Canon.

The truth of Romans 1:16 dovetails with many interesting historical developments that took place in the first century A.D.

Where was the Apostle John when he wrote the book of Revelation? He was on the island of Patmos (Rev. 1 :9). Where was this island? In the Greek-speaking world!

Where were the churches to which the Apostle Paul wrote most of his epistles? In Asia Minor-the Greek-speaking world! (I Pet. 1:1). …

The point is that the original copies of the manuscripts were in the Greek-speaking world to begin with. They were NOT in Latin-speaking Italy! They were originally written in Greek. … around 150 A.D. Polycarp of Greek Asia Minor was still preserving the Truth! He was a disciple of the Apostle John. (Kroll, p. 18)

We in the Continuing Church of God assert that the Apostle John, believed to have died in Asia Minor and to have lived past the deaths of the other original twelve apostles, had the entire canon from the time Jesus had him pen the last book of the Bible.

Another reason it is logical to conclude that the Church in Asia Minor would have the entire New Testament is because most of the New Testament was written to or from church leaders in Asia Minor (none were written to or from Alexandria, Egypt).

There are a total of 27 books in the New Testament.  At least 9 books of the New Testament were directly written to the church leaders in Asia Minor. The ones clearly written to those in Asia Minor include Galatians, Ephesians, Colossians, 1 & 2 Timothy (Timothy was in Ephesus), Philemon, 1 Peter, 3 John, and Revelation. According to The Ryrie Study Bible John’s Gospel, 1 Corinthians, 1 & 2 John, and possibly Philippians, were written from Ephesus. In addition to these, 2 Peter, and possibly Jude may have also been mainly directed to one or more of the churches in Asia Minor.

The Book of James was written to “the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad” (James 1:1). Some of them were in Asia Minor. Others according to the historian Josephus were “beyond Euphrates.” It is also likely that some other books were written at least partially from Asia Minor. For example, the Book of Acts mentions “Ephesus” and “Ephesians” a dozen times and “Asia” 15 times (NKJV).

So probably 14 to 20 New Testament books were written to or from Asia Minor. Plus it has been claimed by one or more that all four gospel accounts were as well, though this is less certain (though one or more other than John may have been).

There is only one book written to those in Rome (it never mentions any of the so-called Roman bishops), with 2 to Corinth, 2 to Thessalonica, and 1 to Crete (Titus), – a total of 7 letters neither sent from nor addressed to those in Asia Minor.

What this clearly shows, is that although there were Christians in various areas, the focus for the New Testament writers was the churches in Asia Minor. And interestingly, the last book of the Bible is specifically addressed to the churches of Asia Minor (Revelation 1:4,11). It was in Asia Minor that the NT canon was originally formed. There is no other place that could have had it earlier. And the Apostle John did have the full canon before his death.

Historical Confirmation from the Didache and Irenaeus

A writing from the late 1^st or early 2^nd century, called the Didache, contains the following:

Forsake in no way the commandments of the Lord; but you shall keep what you have received, neither adding thereto nor taking away therefrom. (Didache, 4)

The above writing supports the view that by the end of the first century, some understood that Christians had a closed canon (cf. Kruger, p. 203).

Furthermore, Irenaeus, a Roman supporter, around 180, wrote:

After this fashion also did a presbyter, a disciple of the apostles, reason with respect to the two testaments, proving that both were truly from one and the same God …

For all the apostles taught that there were indeed two testaments among the two peoples; but that it was one and the same God who appointed both for the advantage of those men (for whose sakes the testaments were given) who were to believe in God. (Irenaeus. Adversus haereses, Book IV, Chapter 32, Verse 1,2. Excerpted from Ante-Nicene Fathers, Volume 1. Edited by Alexander Roberts & James Donaldson. American Edition, 1885)

Hence, Irenaeus is claiming that one or more of the apostles knew the books of the Old and New Testaments. Thus, he seemingly believed that the early church did have the entire canon of the Bible. It may be that the presbyter, a disciple of the apostles, Irenaeus is referring to was Polycarp of Smyrna (whom he claimed to have known) or Melito of Sardis. And if so, this is additional evidence that the church in Asia Minor had the complete biblical canon very early on. Furthermore, Irenaeus’ strong insistence elsewhere that there were four and only four gospels (Irenaeus. Adversus Haereses, Book III, Chapter XI, verse 8) points to the view that at least their part of the canon was clearly known by Irenaeus. It should also be noted that in fragments ascribed to Polycarp or perhaps pseudo-Polycarp, each of the four Gospels are correctly named (Polycarp/pseudo-Polycarp. Fragments from Victor of Capua. Translated by Stephen C. Carlson. 2006).

An anonymous Letter to the Corinthians commonly called 1 Clement,  states:

For you know the Holy Scriptures right well, beloved, and you studied the words (logia) of God. (Chapter 53 as translated in Dehandschutter B. Polycarpiana, Selected Essays. Leuven University Press, 2007, p. 286)

So, the authors claimed that the Corinthians knew the Holy Scriptures.

Furthermore, its 36^th chapter quotes Hebrews 1:3-4 whereas its 56^th chapter quotes Hebrews 12:6, demonstrating it was written after the Book of Hebrews was. Research suggests that this letter was written in the late first century by the faithful in Rome shortly after the Apostle John was exiled from Rome to Patmos. These people perhaps had at least distant, temporal, contact with John, and thus, likely knew the proper books.

Furthermore, in his Letter to the Philippians, Polycarp quotes Hebrews 12:18; 1 Peter 1:8, 2:11,21,22,24, 3:9, 4:47; and 1 John 4:3. He also refers to 2 Peter 2:1-2, while alluding to passages in James 2:8-9, 5:10; 2 Peter 1:3, 3:15; 1 John 2:15, 4:9; 2 John 6, and 3 John 4 (Thiel, Trinity Journal). …

 Polycarp Was a Disciple of John and Originally Knew the Books

Historians understand that: “A direct link to the apostles themselves can be seen in the work of Polycarp from the early second century A.D. Polycarp was actually a disciple of the Apostle John. Significantly, he wrote his own ‘Epistle to the Philippians,’ where he referenced and cited Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments” (Holden, p. 125).

Furthermore, this author’s published research pointed out that all the New Testament books are quoted from or alluded to in Polycarp’s letter (Thiel B. Polycarp’s Letter to the Philippians with New Testament Scriptural Annotations. Trinity Journal of Apologetics and Theology, June 2008).

Polycarp of Smyrna, himself, made it clear that those he wrote to in Philippi had the correct canon, otherwise he would not have written:

For I trust that ye are well versed in the Sacred Scriptures. (Polycarp. Letter to the Philippians. Ante-Nicene Fathers, Volume 1. Alexander Roberts & James Donaldson. American Edition, 1885)

One could not be ‘well versed in the Sacred Scriptures’ without knowing what they were. Notice this observation from The Catholic Encyclopedia:

St. Ignatius, Bishop of Antioch, and St. Polycarp, of Smyrna, had been disciples of Apostles; they wrote their epistles in the first decade of the second century (100-110). They employ Matthew, Luke, and John. In St. Ignatius we find the first instance of the consecrated term “it is written” applied to a Gospel (Ad Philad., viii, 2). Both these Fathers show not only a personal acquaintance with “the Gospel” and the thirteen Pauline Epistles, but they suppose that their readers are so familiar with them that it would be superfluous to name them. (Reid, Canon of the New Testament).

Irenaeus of Lyon (c. 170) wrote in his letter to Florinus:

Polycarp related all things in harmony with the Scriptures. (Eusebius. The History of the Church. Book V, Chapter XX, verses 5-8, p. 112)

It would be difficult to relate all things in harmony with the Scriptures if Polycarp did not know them.

This may be part of why Ignatius of Antioch wrote:

Ignatius, who is also called Theophorus, to Polycarp, Bishop of the Church of the Smyrnæans …  For I trust that, through grace, you are prepared for every good work pertaining to God. Knowing, therefore, your energetic love of the truth, I have exhorted you by this brief Epistle. (Letter to Polycarp, Chapters 0, 7)

Polycarp was energetic for the truth — God’s word is truth (Psalm 119:160; John 17:17). Ignatius, himself, quoted sixteen or so New Testament scriptures in the letters we have from him in a manner that suggests that he and those in Asia Minor recognized their scriptural authority (cf. Kruger, pp. 189-193). That Polycarp was “prepared for every good work” also implies that he must have “known the Holy Scriptures” (cf. 2 Timothy 3:15-17).

Now, let’s look at the following written about Polycarp:

And on the following sabbath he said; “Hear ye my exhortation, beloved children of God. I adjured you when the bishops were present, and now again I exhort you all to walk decorously and worthily in the way of the Lord … Watch ye, and again Be ye ready, Let not your hearts be weighed down, the new commandment concerning love one towards another, His advent suddenly manifest as of rapid lightning, the great judgment by fire, the eternal life, His immortal kingdom. And all things whatsoever being taught of God ye know, when ye search the inspired Scriptures, engrave with the pen of the Holy Spirit on your hearts, that the commandments may abide in you indelible.” (Life of Polycarp, Chapter 24. In: J. B. Lightfoot, The Apostolic Fathers, vol. 3.2, 1889, pp. 488-506)

Polycarp advanced greatly in the faith that is in Christ and that pursues a virtuous life. And in his untiring diligence, he from his Eastern stock bore (if one may so say) blossom as a token of good fruit hereafter to come. For the men who dwell in the East are distinguished before all others for their love of learning and their attachment to the divine Scriptures … Thus reflecting on this with a godly delight he offered himself day and night wholly and entirely as a consecrated sacrifice to God, exercising himself in the oracles contained in the divine Scriptures and in continual services of prayer and in devotion to all those who needed either attention or relief and in contentment of living. (Ibid, Chapter 6)

Such was his behaviour towards those from whom no benefit could be got. But bad men he avoided as mad dogs or wild beasts or venomous serpents; for he remembered the Scripture. (Ibid, Chapter 7)

… proving this from all the Scriptures. (Ibid, Chapter 13)

For he would extend his discourse to great length on diverse subjects, and from the actual Scripture which was read he would furnish edification with all demonstration and conviction. (Ibid, Chapter 18)

So also he pursued the reading of the Scriptures from childhood to old age, himself reading in church; and he recommended it to others, saying that the reading of the law and the prophets was the forerunner of grace, preparing and making straight the ways of the Lord, that is the hearts, which are like tablets whereon certain harsh beliefs and conceptions that were written before perfect knowledge came, are through the inculcation of the Old Testament, and the correct interpretation following thereupon, first smoothed and levelled, that, when the Holy Spirit comes as a pen, the grace and joy of the voice of the Gospel and of the doctrine of the immortal and heavenly Christ may be inscribed on them. (Ibid, Chapter 19)

The wealth of the grace given by Christ to Polycarp has led us on, while recording his course of life, to explain in turn the character of his teaching likewise. How he used to interpret the Scriptures, we will defer relating till another time, setting it forth in order and showing our successors also how to minister correct instruction in the holy and inspired Scriptures. (Ibid, Chapter 19)

And all things whatsoever being taught of God ye know, when ye search the inspired Scriptures, engrave with the pen of the Holy Spirit on your hearts, that the commandments may abide in you indelible.’ Thus speaking in this way from time to time, and being persistent in his teaching, he edified and saved both himself and his hearers. (Ibid, Chapters 24-25)

Polycarp is clearly communicating with people he felt were familiar with the true canon when he said they knew all things taught by God through searching the inspired scriptures. The original writer of the Life of Polycarp understood that Polycarp had all the scriptures.

Polycarp, himself, seems to quote directly from a Byzantium (like now part of the Textus Receptus) manuscript of the Bible, when, for example, he was quoting from Matthew’s gospel.

Related to Matthew 26:41, he wrote (c. 135) in his Letter to the Philippians (7:2):

το μεν πνύεμα προθυμον η δε ϲαρξ αϲθενηϲ

The Textus Receptus has:

το μεν πνύεμα προθυμον η δε ϲαρξ αϲθενηϲ

Yet, the Alexandrian Codex Sinaiticus has:

το μεν πνα προθυμον η δε ϲαρξ αϲθενηϲ

While the meaning of all three is basically the same, the wording that Polycarp used was identical to the Byzantine text as Polycarp used the same Greek word for spirit (πνύεμα), which differed from the Alexandrian text (πνα) — which may have been an abbreviation.

Other quotations that Polycarp made, that this author checked, also were identical or essentially identical to the Textus Receptus (by ‘essentially identical’ meaning that the Greek words were the same, but that their endings may have varied for grammatical reasons — yet it should be pointed out that often the quote is also the same as in the Codex Sinaiticus).

Polycarp was quoting from a Greek source and not from a Hebrew version of Matthew (some have claimed that Matthew was originally written in Hebrew).

Also, a similar situation occurs with Ignatius of Antioch who knew Polycarp. When he quotes part of Matthew 19:31 in chapter 6 of his Letter to the Smyrnaeans, the Greek he used is essentially identical to the Textus Receptus, but differs a bit from of the Alexandrian Codex Sinaiticus.

Polycarp received the texts from the apostles, like John. Consider the following from Irenaeus:

But Polycarp also was not only instructed by apostles, and conversed with many who had seen Christ, but was also, by apostles in Asia, appointed bishop of the Church in Smyrna … always taught the things which he had learned from the apostles, and which the Church has handed down, and which alone are true. To these things all the Asiatic Churches testify, as do also those men who have succeeded Polycarp down to the present time. (Adversus Haeres. Book III, Chapter 3, Verse 4)

Polycarp was appointed by the apostles and taught what was received (“handed down”). He respected and highly quoted scripture.

Furthermore, it also should be mentioned that there is an ancient historical document known as the Harris Fragments (ca. 2^nd or 3^rd century) that also discusses Polycarp. The University of Notre Dame Press states that it is “an important, if little known, text on Polycarp of Smyrna, Bishop and martyr, and his association with the apostle John.”

Basically, the Harris Fragments stress Polycarp’s connection with the Apostle John, teach he was appointed bishop of Smyrna by John, and that he died a martyr’s death at age 104. Here are some translated quotes from the Harris Fragments ([ ] in source):

There remained [—]ter him a disciple[e —] name was Polycar[p and] he made him bishop over Smyrna … He was … old man, being one hundred and f[our] of age. He continued to walk [i]n the canons which he had learned from his youth from John the a[p]ostle. (Weidman, Frederick W. Polycarp and John: The Harris Fragments and Their Challenge to Literary Traditions. University of Notre Dame Press, Notre Dame (IL), 1999, pp. 43-44)

By mentioning the term “canons” the Harris Fragments could possibly be suggesting that John passed the knowledge of the proper books of the Bible to Polycarp — and that would seem to be the case. But even if canon(s) meant only the measure of the right way to be a Christian that early, that strongly supports the view that the Apostle John would have passed on his knowledge of the books of the Bible to Polycarp—plus he likely would have passed on the parchments of the actual New Testament books. The canon was known by the Church of God in Asia Minor in the 2^nd century. All should realize that to be faithful to apostolic Christianity that one should imitate Polycarp and John as they themselves did Christ (cf. 1 Corinthians 11:1).

There was a chain of custody of the New Testament scriptures from the apostles to Polycarp and others in the 2^nd century.

The true Church of God has had confidence in the New Testament scriptures as soon as they were available.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

Who Gave the World the Bible? The Canon: Why do we have the books we now do in the Bible? Is the Bible complete? Are there lost gospels? What about the Apocrypha? Is the Septuagint better than the Masoretic text? What about the Textus Receptus vs. Nestle Alland? Was the New Testament written in Greek, Aramaic, or Hebrew? Which translations are based upon the best ancient text? Did the true Church of God have the canon from the beginning? Here are links to related sermons: Let’s Talk About the Bible, The Books of the Old Testament, The Septuagint and its Apocrypha, Masoretic Text of the Old Testament, and Lost Books of the Bible, and Let’s Talk About the New Testament, The New Testament Canon From the Beginning, English Versions of the Bible and How Did We Get Them?, What was the Original Language of the New Testament?, Original Order of the Books of the Bible, and Who Gave the World the Bible? Who Had the Chain of Custody?
Read the Bible Christians should read and study the Bible. This article gives some rationale for regular bible reading. Here is a link in Mandarin Chinese: 读圣经 Here is a link in the Spanish language: Lea la Biblia.
CG7.ORG This is a website for those interested in the Sabbath and churches that observe the seventh day Sabbath.
CG7-D: Church of God, (Seventh Day): History and Teachings Nearly all COG’s I am aware of trace part of their history through some affiliation with this group. Loren Stacy is the president of the largest CG7 USA group (Denver). Do you know much about them?
CG7-S: Church of God 7th Day, Salem (West Virginia) This group formed by A.N. Dugger in 1933 when he split from the CG7 group he was once president of.
The Sardis Church Era was predominant circa 1600 A.D. to circa 1933 A.D. Discusses some early history of the Seventh Day Baptists, Seventh-day Adventists, CG7-Salem, Jerusalem 7DCG, and COG-7th Day-Denver. Here are links to two historical sermons: Sardis Church Era: Beginnings, Doctrines, and Leaders and Sardis: SDBs, SDAs, & CG7s.
Bible: Superstition or Authority? Should you rely on the Bible? Is it reliable? Herbert W. Armstrong wrote this as a booklet on this important subject.
How to Study the Bible David Jon Hill wrote this initially and Dr. Thiel added scriptures, tips, and suggestions to it. A 2015 sermon is available and is also titled How to Study the Bible.
The Old Testament Canon This article shows from Catholic accepted writings, that the Old Testament used by non-Roman Catholics and non-Orthodox churches is the correct version.
The New Testament Canon – From the Bible and History This article, shows from the Bible and supporting historical sources, why the early Church knew which books were part of the Bible and which ones were not.
Is Matthew 28:19 in the Bible? Some have claimed that Matthew 28:19 has added words as part of a trinitarian plot. Is that true?
What is the Appropriate Form of Biblical Interpretation? Should the Bible be literally understood? What do the writings of the Bible, Origen, Herbert W. Armstrong, and Augustine show?
Bible and Historical Resources on the Internet Electronic bibles, Two Babylons, early Christian literature, photos, and even links to old Herbert W. Armstrong materials.
Polycarp of Smyrna: The Heretic Fighter Polycarp was the successor of the Apostle John and a major leader in Asia Minor. Do you know much about what he taught? A YouTube video or related interesy may be: Polycarp of Smyrna: Why Christians should know more about him.
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?
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. 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.
Nazarene Christianity: Were the Original Christians Nazarenes? Should Christians be Nazarenes today? What were the practices of the Nazarenes.
Which Is Faithful: The Roman Catholic Church or the Continuing Church of God? Do you know that both groups shared a lot of the earliest teachings? Do you know which church changed? Do you know which group is most faithful to the teachings of the apostolic church? Which group best represents true Christianity? This documented article answers those questions.
Where is the True Christian Church Today? This free online pdf booklet answers that question and includes 18 proofs, clues, and signs to identify the true vs. false Christian church. Plus 7 proofs, clues, and signs to help identify Laodicean churches. A related sermon is also available: Where is the True Christian Church? Here is a link to the booklet in the Spanish language: ¿Dónde está la verdadera Iglesia cristiana de hoy?
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.

17th Century Depiction of Michael and Satan

COGwriter

A while back, I watched the Key of David program by PCG’s Gerald Flurry (I have probably only watched three since it began decades ago). Anyway, here is some of what he taught:

Satan cast down…It has happened…He had a war with God.

Revelation 12:13:
Now when the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male Child.

He did in this end time…

Revelation 12:12… because he knows that he has a short time…Why does Satan have a short time?

About 5% of God’s people are doing the work in this end time…

There are two men…

The man of sin… there is no truth in him… He attacks God’s church…The son of perdition here is second Thessalonians 2…in all likelihood is possessed by the devil…That is why he shows himself that he is God. …

There is another man {2 Thessalonians 2:7} the mystery of lawlessness … only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way…

He was taken out of the way…The very day he was taken away, Satan was cast down. (Flurry G. Satan Cast Down (2014). November 16, 2014)

I know the above is a bit cryptic–yet Gerald Flurry did not lay out the specifics of the identity of the two men in that video. But based upon other items from Gerald Flurry, it is clear that he believes that Satan was (or probably was) cast down to the earth on January 16, 1986.

Why?

Two basic reasons.

First, Gerald Flurry taught the following:

Remember that Malachi is about an end-time messenger, like John the Baptist, who prepares the way for Christ’s Second Coming (Malachi 3:1-2). It all occurs just before “the great and dreadful Day of the Lord.” Common sense would tell us the events Malachi prophesied about couldn’t happen while Mr. Armstrong was alive. There was a type of it in the 1970s—but he stopped it, and as one pcg member said, that was the only time in recorded secular and biblical history that it ever happened! The only time! Mr. Armstrong restrained it (2 Thessalonians 2:6-7). (Flurry G. Malachi’s Message, Chapter 9. Copyright © 1990, 1995, 1999, 2004, 2008 Philadelphia Church of God)

Second, because Herbert W. Armstrong died on January 16, 1986, and that is the event that Gerald Flurry seemed to be alluding to in his video program.

Now, I do NOT believe that Herbert W. Armstrong could possibly be the restrainer in 2 Thessalonians 2:7–the restrainer would need to exist from the time of the Apostle Paul to now. While a change from the Philadelphia to Laodicean church era may have happened on January 16, 1986, I do not believe that Satan was cast down on that date.

Notice what the old Radio Church of God taught about the restrainer:

One prominent writer attempts to prove that II Thessalonians 2:7-8…has not yet begun to be fulfilled…But notice the first part of verse 7:, “For the mystery of iniquity DOTH ALREADY WORK”–even in Paul’s day. (Hoeh H. The Secret Rapture: Fact or Fiction. Plain Truth, July, 1959, p. 30)

Read the rest of this alarming prophecy! “… sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God… for the mystery of iniquity (a babylonish MYSTERY religion!) doth ALREADY work (yes, Paul said it had its insidious beginnings even then!) only he who now letteth (an old word meaning “restrains”) will let, until HE BECOME TO BE!” (The original Greek verb, “ginomai” has this sense, rather than “taken out of the way,” as it appears in the King James translation) “And then shall that WICKED (A WICKED ONE — ONE EVIL PERSON IN HIGH OFFICE — is the whole subject and content of this passage of scripture!) be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming” (II Thess. 4:8). (Armstrong GT. And when you see the ABOMINATION… Plain Truth, July 1963)

The above is teaching that the restrainer was restraining nearly two thousand years ago. That understanding agrees with that of the Apostle Paul, the late Herbert W. Armstrong, and me (see also What is Restrained and Who is Restraining in 2 Thessalonians 2:7?).

Don Billingsley, of Church of God, Faithful Flock (CGFF), also has improperly taught that Herbert Armstrong was the restrainer:

Mr. Armstrong … He had to be taken out of the way by his death to make the fulfillment of them possible (II Thessalonians 2:7). (Billingsley D. Philadelphia Remnant, written January 16, 2007. http://philadelphiaremnant.com/).

As I wrote earlier, the restrainer was at work during the Apostle Paul’s day–it was NOT Herbert W. Armstrong. See also What is Restrained and Who is Restraining in 2 Thessalonians 2:7?

Perhaps, I should mention that Gerald Flurry also teaches that Joseph Tkach was the man of sin. He originally taught that it was Joseph Tkach Sr., who became in charge of the old Worldwide Church of God at the time of Herbert W. Armstrong’s death; Gerald Flurry later changed that to Joseph Tkach, Jr. But neither of those are correct. Other COG groups also misunderstand the identity of the “man of sin/son of perdition.”

To understand who that is, please check out Who is the Man of Sin of 2 Thessalonians 2? and/or watch a related YouTube video titled Who is the Man of Sin?

The position that PCG is publicly proclaiming, though cryptically in its Key of David program, is in error. Hopefully those that are part of PCG will realize this soon. Gerald Flurry is NOT God’s prophet nor apostle as he falsely claims to be.

Nor is Don Billingley’s CGFF the ‘faithful flock’ as its name implies. His claim that God told him that Hillary Clinton would be the next president of the USA and then get re-elected in 2020 were proven false (see also How Will President-Elect Trump be Apocalyptic? Two false prophets exposed!).

Both PCG and CGFF also insisted that Donald Trump would remain president of the USA and that Joe Biden would not take office (see Biden-Harris Inaugurated: Gerald Flurry and Don Billingsley again proven wrong). They were wrong on that as well.

That being said, many are afraid to believe that God uses any prophets in the 21st century. That is also NOT biblical (see How To Determine If Someone is a True Prophet of God), but instead is a dangerous and lukewarm position to hold (cf. Revelation 3:14-22; see also Laodicean Church Era).

Getting back to the restrainer, part of the understanding of what is happening in 2 Thessalonians 2:7 is more affected by the translation than many other scriptures.

Here is how the NKJV translates 2 Thessalonians 2:7:

7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. (2 Thessalonians 2:7, NKJV)

Without going into excessive detail, this verse has many possible translations, and part of the most relevant (as the capitalized “He” is a completely forced translation) has to do with the Greek expressions translated as “He is taken” above. The Greek term is γένηται, transliterated as géneetai.

Based upon my review of the possible translations of related terms, the NKJV suggesting forcibly being “taken” does not seem to be the best translation. Here are several translations of 2 Thessalonians 2:7 that may be more applicable:

7 for the secret of the lawlessness doth already work, only he who is keeping down now [will hinder] — till he may be out of the way,
(2 Thessalonians 2:7, Young’s Literal Translation)

7 For the mystery of lawlessness already is working, only he (is) holding back now, until it comes out of (the) midst (2 Thessalonians 2:7, Jay Green’s Literal Translation)

7 For this lawlessness is already at work secretly, and it will remain secret until the one who is holding it back steps out of the way (2 Thessalonians 2:7, New Living Translation)

7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. (2 Thessalonians 2:7, English Standard Version)

7 For the mystery of lawlessness already works; only [there is] he who restrains now until he be gone. (2 Thessalonians 2:7, Darby)

The point I am trying to emphasize here is that the “he” leaves and is not necessarily taken out by anyone like the above translations indicate.

Now some of the rapturists like to emphasize the “being taken” translation. To cite one example, I have heard Hal Lindsey state that the Holy Spirit is taken out of the way when all the Christians who possess it are raptured. That is how he and some others view the above. It may be of interest to note that the marginal reference in the Vine’s, Ryrie, and Nelson Study editions of the NKJV indicate that “he” is not needed to be capitalized (it seemingly has been placed in the actual NKJV to support the trinitarian view of the Holy Spirit being part of this text–even though grammatists acknowledge that the term for the Holy Spirit in the New Testament is neuter NOT masculine–see Did Early Christians Think the Holy Spirit Was A Separate Person in a Trinity?).

Furthermore, some others who claim a pre-tribulation rapture believe the “he is taken” is a reference to the Christian church being raptured away. However, it should be pointed out that references to churches in the New Testament with respect to some gender being associated with it are feminine (e.g. Ephesians 5:25-31; 2 John 1-2; 4-6; Revelation 12:14-17; 19:7-9). Thus, this is not a reference to the church being taken away. See also Is There A Secret Rapture for the Church? When and Where is the Church Protected?

More about the restrainer is found in the article: What is Restrained and Who is Restraining in 2 Thessalonians 2:7?

Some items of related interest may include the following:

What is Restrained and Who is Restraining in 2 Thessalonians 2:7? Are sorceries, signs, and lying wonders being restrained until the future? What is the mystery of lawlessness? Could the archangel Michael be the restrainer? Here is a related article in Spanish: ¿Qué es lo que se restringe y quién lo está restringiendo en 2 Tesalonicenses 2:7?
Who is the Man of Sin of 2 Thessalonians 2? Is this the King of the North, the ten-horned beast of Revelation 13:1-11, or the two-horned Beast of Revelation 13:12-16? Some rely on traditions, but what does the Bible teach? Here is a related link in Spanish/español: ¿Quién es el Hombre de Pecado de 2 Tesalonicenses 2? Here is a version in Mandarin: 主编： 谁是’大罪人’？Here is a link to a related YouTube video, in English, titled Who is the Man of Sin?
Why Be Concerned About False and Heretical Leaders? There have been many false leaders–here is some of why you should be concerned about them. Here is a related article in the Spanish language ¿Por qué estar preocupado acerca de falsos y heréticos líderes?.
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.
How To Determine If Someone is a True Prophet of God There are many false prophets. How can Christians determine who is a true prophet? There is also a sermon-length video titled How to determine if someone is a true prophet of God. Here is a related link in Spanish/español: ¿Cómo determinar si alguien es un verdadero profeta de Dios?
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.
Teachings Unique to the Philadelphia Church of God Simply calling oneself ‘Philadelphia’ does not make one so (see Revelation 3:7-9), nor does Gerald Flurry calling himself “that prophet” make it so. This article provides many quotes from this group which tries to look faithful.
Did the True Church Ever Teach a Trinity? Most act like this is so, but is it? Here is an old, by somewhat related, article in the Spanish language LA DOCTRINA DE LA TRINIDAD. A related sermon is available: Trinity: Fundamental to Christianity or Something Else? A brief video is also available: Three trinitarian scriptures?
Is There A Secret Rapture for the Church? When and Where is the Church Protected? What does the Bible really teach? Does the Church flee or is it taken up just prior to the great tribulation? Who really is left behind? There is also a YouTube video with information Did Jesus Teach a Pre-tribulation Rapture?
There is a Place of Safety for the Philadelphians. Why it May Be Near 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?
The Philadelphia Church Era was predominant circa 1933 A.D. to 1986 A.D. The old Radio Church of God and old Worldwide Church of God, now the remnant of that era is basically the most faithful in the Church of God, like who hold to the beliefs and practices of the Continuing Church of God.
The Laodicean Church Era has been predominant circa 1986 A.D. to present. The Laodiceans are non-Philadelphians who mainly descended from the old WCG or its offshoots. They do not properly understand the work or biblical prophecies and will face the Great Tribulation if they do not repent. One video of related interest is 17 Laodicean Errors in Prophecy.