Church of God News

Pio of Pietrelcina

COGwriter

Today is the Roman Catholic feast day for one called ‘Padre Pio.’

Here is a report from the Catholic World Report:

September 23, 2023

Today the Church honors the memory of Francesco Forgione, born on 25 May 1887, better known as Padre Pio. He was recognized as an extraordinary confessor, reader of souls, and worker of miracles. Like many holy men and women in the history of the Church, he had a checkered relationship with ecclesiastical authorities, both within his Capuchin Order and in Rome. In the 1920s, his faculties to celebrate the sacraments publicly were revoked due to a variety of accusations made against him. The Holy See further declared that nothing divine could be found in his experiences. Only in 1933 did he see some light at the end of the tunnel as Pope Pius XI said that his actions against Pio were not because he was “badly disposed but badly informed.” Pius XII was rather favorable to him, while John XXIII was not. It was only Paul VI who dismissed all the allegations against him. …

Padre Pio died on 23 September 1968. … Of course, Padre Pio is most famous for being a stigmatist. … Needless to say, many people questioned the reality of those “wounds” of his. https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2023/09/23/padre-pio-and-the-wounds-of-christ/

A while back, the Catholic Herald reported the following:

Don’t just admire Padre Pio, imitate him, urges Pope

March 18, 2018

Many people admire Padre Pio, but too few imitate him, especially in his care for the weak, the sick and those who modern culture treats as disposable, Pope Francis said during Mass at the saint’s shrine.

“Many are ready to ‘like’ the page of the great saints, but who does what they do?” the Pope. …

Pope Francis began his day of tribute to St Pio with an early morning visit to Pietrelcina, where the Capuchin saint was born in 1887.

Thousands waited outside the square of the Chapel of the Stigmata which houses a piece of the elm tree Padre Pio sat in front of when he first received the stigmata – wounds on his feet, hands and side corresponding to those Jesus suffered at the Crucifixion – in September 1918. …

Standing in front of an image of a young Padre Pio bearing the wounds of Christ’s crucifixion in his hands, the Pope said that it was in Pietrelcina that the future saint “strengthened his own humanity, where he learned to pray and recognise in the poor the flesh of Christ.” http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/news/2018/03/18/dont-just-admire-padre-pio-imitate-him-urges-pope/

I have been familiar with this Roman Catholic ‘saint’ Pio for years. He is not one that Christians would want to imitate.

The Apostle Paul wrote:

1 Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ. (1 Corinthians 11:1)

We should imitate Christian leaders as they imitate Jesus.

Pio did not do that.

The speaker was Father Paolo Rossi…Once more I was told that mystical experiences would play no part in determining sanctity. Though he may have wrestled with the Devil and spoken with angels, Padre Pio the stigmatic would be judged by more mundane trials…I was struck by the enormous discrepancy between the popular image of the mystic and the requirements of the saint-making process. (Woodward, KL. Making saints: how the Catholic Church determines who becomes a saint, who doesn’t, and why. Simon and Schuster, 1996, pp. 184-185, 186, 187, 189)

So, why would an accused womanizer and abuser of his ecclesiastical duties be honored by Pope Francis?

Possibly because of the following:

ROME, DEC. 7, 2012 (Zenit.org).- Padre Pio said that ”The Madonna is the shortcut to get to God.”

There is no doubt that in order to see the face of Jesus, we must turn to His Mother, and it is to Her who we look to heal our diseases, to turn our tears into prayer. http://www.zenit.org/article-36131?l=english

Pope Francis is very ‘Mary’ oriented and wants to encourage many things related to his version of Marianism, even though this is in conflict with scripture. It is by Jesus’ stripes we are to be healed (Isaiah 53:5), not Mary’s. Jesus, not His mother Mary, is the one mediator. Here is something I previously wrote related to this mediator matter:

Mark Miravalle, a professor of theology at Franciscan University of Steubenville, wrote:

Let us pray daily for the solemn definition of Our Lady’s spiritual motherhood as co-redemptrix, mediatrix of all graces, and advocate, which truly reveal the saving actions of motherly intercession which come forth from her Immaculate Heart, and thus to bring the Church and the world a giant step closer to the Fatima-prophesied “Era of Peace.”

Yet, there is nothing in scripture about Mary bringing in an era of peace or being our intercessor—the only intercessor listed in the Bible is Christ (Romans 8:34; Hebrews 7:25)—the Bible says He is the “one mediator” (1 Timothy 2:5, DRB). The Bible shows that we are only to call upon the name of the Lord/God/Jesus (2 Timothy 2:22; Romans 10:12-13; Acts 26:20)—never Mary.

Although it is proper for Christians to state that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was blessed (Luke 1:48), it is blasphemous to insist that she was sinless (cf. Romans 3:23) and that one must turn to Mary in order to see Jesus (1 Timothy 2:5).

There is nothing in the Bible, or even in early church writings, that supports the view that December 8th is to be a festival for some type of ‘immaculate conception’ of Mary. Those who are willing to believe what the Bible teaches, as well as truly connect-the-dots related to early church history, will realize that. Sadly, however, multiple millions are not willing to do so.

The Apostle Paul did not observe such a commemoration.

It has been my contention for several years, after searching the scriptures and studying history, that one or more apparitions believed to be Jesus’ mother Mary will be seen by the general public.

Will not many be deceived by this? The Bible is clear that massive deception is coming (Matthew 24:24; 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12)–and this could well include ‘stigmatists.’

Pope Francis has been encouraging Marian devotion through his words and actions. Increased acceptance of non-biblical views of Mary are affecting people.

Now, some believe that by being a stigmatic that this proves that God marked Pio as a saint. But that is not the case.

Here is more information from my book Fatima Shock!:

Possession of Stigmata is Not Proof of Sainthood

Does having the wounds that allegedly mimic the wounds of Jesus Christ prove that one is a Roman Catholic saint?

No.

As of about 1996, it was reported there had been 325 stigmatics since Catholic saint Francis (who is considered to have been the first) and only 62 canonized ( Culleton, The Prophets and Our Times, p. 216). There have been more canonized since, but the fact that many have not been, should give Catholics some pause here.

One of my shocks in researching this book came when I read the following statements from a Catholic investigator (officially called a consultor), Priest John Lozano, of possible sainthoods:

We know that mystics that have the stigmata copy the crucifixes that they see. If the wounds of the crucifix are on the wrong place, they will appear that way on the body. Similarly, if they have seen Mary dressed in red and blue, as she appears in statues in Catalonia, rather than the standard blue and white that is the way she will be dressed in their visions (Woodward KL. Making saints: how the Catholic Church determines who becomes a saint, who doesn’t, and why. Simon and Schuster, 1996, p. 164).

This is disturbing on many levels. The above investigator referred to these as “fantasies” yet seemed to think some with such “fantasies” were valid saints. But, if the stigmatics are having signs in different parts of their hands, etc. this should demonstrate to anyone who wants to consider that they simply are not actually imitating Jesus. God is not the author of confusion (1 Corinthians 14:33). And if many stigmatics are not considered to be Catholic saints, then shouldn’t Catholics consider that these manifestations either are somehow self-induced and/or from the devil when not due to chemical or natural causes?

When asked how to distinguish between valid religious/spiritual experiences and psychological trauma, Priest John Lozano responded with:

…religious ecstasy and psychological trauma are similar…behind the ecstasy there is an experience of God, whereas behind the trauma there is not. In trauma, the person cannot recall what happened during the trance state, whereas the ecstatic person is extremely active and alert although the body falls into some kind of lethargy (Woodward, p. 178).

It should also be mentioned that various Muslims have had versions of stigmata. “Cases are also known of Muslim stigmatics who bear wounds that correspond to those known to have been suffered by Muhammed (c. 570 C.E.–632 C.E.) while doing battle” (http://www.unexplainedstuff.com/Religious-Phenomena/Stigmata.html). There are also some claimed Hindu stigmatics. This is NOT a sign from God. It is also not something mentioned in the New Testament.

It perhaps should also be mentioned that Pio is considered to be somewhat of an ‘incorruptible.’ That is, his body did not decay quickly after he died. Here is more information from my book Fatima Shock!:

“Incorruptibility” has sometimes been interpreted as God’s favor on certain individuals, though the Church of Rome does not actually view it that way (Quigley C. Modern Mummies: The Preservation of the Human Body in the Twentieth Century. McFarland, 2006, p.195; Cruz JC. The Incorruptibles. Nihil Obstat: HC Bezou, November 11, 1974. Imprimatur + PM Hannan, Archbishop of New Orleans, November 19, 194. TAN Books, 1977, p. 40). …

Although on the internet it has been claimed “for each incorrupt body discovered, after research has been done to determine who the person was, it has always been determined that the person was an extremely devout Catholic”(Incorruptibles. http://overcomeproblems.com/incorruptables.htm viewed 12/03/10), that claim is in error. This type of “incorruptibility” has happened to others who were not Catholic, as well as Catholics who were not devout.

Notice the following accounts:

Inside the crypt was the body of one of these Hindu saints, completely incorrupt, completely intact…Opening the other five crypts, the remaining Hindu saints were found in similar fashion. (Hughes M. The Mysteries of the Redemption: A Treatise on Out-of- Body Travel and Mysticism. Lulu.com, 2004, p. 374)

Not all incorruptible are Roman Catholics. Some are not even Christians… Secular incorruptibles may be found worldwide. (Quigley, pp. 203, 211-215)

The Thirteenth Dalai Lama also is believed to be an “incorruptible”(Quigley, p. 205). Also, since it appears that only a fraction of Catholic “incorruptibles” have been made saints, the idea that all such incorruptibles were “devout” Catholics seems not to be the case.

Since this is not a phenomena restricted to devout members of any particular faith, and many believe that this phenomena is supernatural, then it would seem that the “supernatural power” that would make this happen would not need to be God of the Bible.

At least one who was baptized as Catholic has claimed that how such “incorruptible” have been preserved “is of Satanic origin” (Balima G. Satanic Christianity and the Creation of the Seventh Day: Controversy Surrounding Christianity and the Origins of the Human Race. Dorrance Publishing, 2008, p. 56). Others have noted that there are at least sixteen Japanese Buddhist priests that were preserved “incorruptible” by taking certain somewhat toxic substances while they were alive in order to essentially mummify them upon death (Haslam G (Oniko). Buddhist Mummies of Japan. http://sonic. net/~anomaly/japan/dbuddha.htm viewed 12/03/10). There is a Japanese, non- Catholic, non-Christian, “incorruptible” priest named Bukkai Shōnin who died in 1903 and is on display sitting up in Japan to this day (Quigley, p. 203). Some suspect he may have made himself “incorruptible” or that it was done by some type of spirit.

In the case of many of the allegedly “devout Catholic” incorruptibles, I would suspect that they did not do this to themselves prior to dying (in the case of Jacinta, for example, the idea that she could have done this is unreasonable, nor is it likely that any hospital staff would have done this to her). Yet, my reading of what seems to be the most popular Catholic book on the subject, The Incorruptibles, shows that even many of the “incorruptible saints” suffered deterioration/destruction (Cruz, pp. 68, 71, 73, 86-87, 90-91,93-94, 108, 110, 112, 116, 117, 124, 132, 148, 153, 157, 160, 162, 163, 170, 176, 181, 185, 189, 196, 203, 207, 214, 222, 229, 231, 234, 238, 241, 243, 249, 253, 260, 263, 266, 271, 297) or at least discoloration/dryness (Cruz, pp. 74-75, 144, 146, 151, 165, 183, 189, 201, 218, 289, 292). Some others were artificially preserved (Cruz, pp. 68, 193, 214, 253), while others clearly violated scripture living in a manner indicating that they were not biblically pious (e.g. Cruz, pp. 43, 49, 95, 109, 127).

And while the writer of that Incorruptibles book frequently points to the fact that many of them wore a coarse “hair shirt” as proof of their piety, the Bible teaches that the time is coming that “the prophets will all be ashamed to relate their visions when they prophesy and no longer put on their hair cloaks with intent to deceive” (Zechariah 13:4. NJB).

Notice the following claims from J. Clark on Catholic sainthood practices involving incorruptibles:

In the 20th century, the Catholic Church discontinued the practice of using incorruptibility as a prerequisite for sainthood. The Church wasn’t responding so much to the fraud of some cases, but to the cases in which incorruptible corpses didn’t extol Catholic piety. Members of other religions have been discovered in uncorrupted states. (Clark J. How can a corpse be incorruptible? http://people. howstuffworks.com/incorruptible.htm/printable viewed 12/04/10)

While I am not certain that the Church of Rome ever absolutely required incorruptibility as a prerequisite proof of sainthood, it is a fact that the piety of the incorruptibles should be called into question. Additionally, the reality is that there were many recognized second century saints who were never found as incorruptible, hence “incorruptibility” is certainly no criteria for sainthood.

To take this a step further, the New Testament is clear that all Christians, and not just those who do miracles or something like that, are saints. The Apostle Paul addressed many of his letters to “the saints” in each of the major areas he wrote to (cf. Romans 1:7; 1 Corinthians 1:2; 2 Corinthians 1:1; Ephesians 1:1; Philippians 1:1; Colossians 1:2), which suggested that there were many. And furthermore, unlike the so-called incorruptibles, all the saints the Apostle Paul wrote to were still living.

Concerning physical incorruptibility, the New Catholic Encyclopedia of 1967 stated, “Many cases could possibly have a natural explanation or be caused by diabolical power” (Aumann J. Mystical Phenomena. New Catholic Encyclopedia. 1967, p. 177).

The word diabolical comes from the word devil. The word devil, in Portuguese, for example is diabo. Hence, incorruptibility is recognized by at least some of the Catholic clergy as possibly being from the devil.

Now the Bible does discuss a concept of the dead becoming incorruptible:

42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it shall rise in incorruption… 50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot possess the kingdom of God: neither shall corruption possess incorruption… 52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall rise again incorruptible: and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption; and this mortal must put on immortality. (1 Corinthians 15:42, 50, 52-53, DRB)

Please carefully notice that the dead start off in corruptible bodies but end up with incorruptible ones after the resurrection from the dead. Since all the bodies of the so-called incorruptibles (Catholic and otherwise) are all dead, they are not “incorruptible” in the biblical sense. Although the Bible prophecies that Jesus’ flesh would not see corruption (Psalm 16:10) and that was fulfilled (Acts 2:31), there is nothing in the Bible that suggests that any other than Jesus were “incorruptible” or that God would use that as a sign of His devout servants. In fact sacred scripture seems to teach the opposite (1 Corinthians 15:42, 50).

Pope Pius X is another of the so-called “incorruptibles,” yet in 1903 he proclaimed, “the Son of Perdition of whom the Apostles speak, is already among us” (Culleton, The Prophets and Our Times, p. 216). But since that individual would likely be dead by now, it appears that the pontiff was in error.

The Bible specifically warns about a lady that uses witchcraft and spells (Isaiah 47:9 NJB)—could this be what has caused many of the “incorruptibles” and perhaps explains why most later suffered deterioration?

There are many signs and ‘proofs’ that are not from the Bible. Pio was NOT a true saint.

Throughout history signs and lying wonders have been factors in getting people to accept non-biblical religion.

Notice also the following end time prophecy:

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

It remains my position that it is very likely that apparitions that people will claim will be Mary, the mother of Jesus, will be part of the signs and lying wonders that are mentioned in 2 Thessalonians 2:9 and Matthew 24:24–and that is consistent with prophecies found in Isaiah 47; Nahum 3:4-5, and Revelation 18:7-8. Signs like stigmata and ‘incorruptibility’ may be involved as well.

The current Marian-focused Pope Francis, as well as somewhat like-minded bishops, will likely be a factor in encouraging more of this.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

What Did the Early Church Teach About Idols and Icons? Did Catholic and Orthodox “saints” endorse or condemn idols and icons for Christians? A related sermon is available: The Second Commandment, Idols, and Icons.
Mary, the Mother of Jesus and the Apparitions Do you know much about Mary? Are the apparitions real? What happened at Fatima? What might they mean for the rise of the ecumenical religion of Antichrist? Are Protestants moving towards Mary? How do the Eastern/Greek Orthodox view Mary? How might Mary view her adorers? Here is a link to two YouTube videos Marian Apparitions May Fulfill Prophecy and Another ‘Mary’ that is Contrary to the Bible.
Satan’s Plan Does Satan have a plan? What is it? Has it already been successful? Will it be successful in the future?
Mystery of Civilization Why is civilization like it is? How will it end? What will replace it?Here is a link to a related sermon titled: Mystery of Civilization and How it Will End.
Pope Francis: Could this Marian Focused Pontiff be Fulfilling Prophecy? Pope Francis has taken many steps to turn people more towards his version of ‘Mary.’ Could this be consistent with biblical and Catholic prophecies? This article documents what has been happening. There is also a video version titled Pope Francis: Could this Marian Focused Pontiff be Fulfilling Prophecy?
Feast of the Immaculate Conception? Did early Christians teach Mary had an immaculate conception and led a sinless life?
Origin of the Marian Dogmas: Where Do Catholic Scholars Say The Four Dogmas of Mary Came From?
Assumption of Mary Did Mary die? Was she taken to heaven on August 15th? What is known? What does the Bible show?
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.

COGwriter

September 23rd is the day recognized by the Catholics of Rome to honor Linus of Rome. Typically he is shown second on the list of bishops that purport to show the Roman Catholic pontiffs and is the claimed successor to the Apostle Peter. For information about him in the Spanish language, check out Linus no fue obispo de Roma.

There is an individual named Linus in the Bible. He is mentioned one time. Here is the only place that mentions him:

Greet Prisca and Aquila, and the household of Onesiphorus. Erastus stayed in Corinth, but Trophimus I have left in Miletus sick. Do your utmost to come before winter. Eubulus greets you, as well as Pudens, Linus, Claudia, and all the brethren. The Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Grace be with you. Amen (2 Timothy 4:19-22).

The above was probably written, in approximately 67 A.D. – 68 A.D., by the Apostle Paul while in prison in Rome to the evangelist Timothy, who was in Ephesus.

This passage shows that Paul knew someone named Linus. Linus, therefore knew Paul, and was in Rome when Paul wrote this letter. It can probably be reasonably implied that Linus probably knew Timothy, and perhaps others in Ephesus. And based on Paul’s writings, it can be concluded that Paul, at that time, considered that particular Linus to be a Christian. It is probably logical to conclude that Linus met with Paul in prison on multiple occasions and probably, like the others, assisted him to some degree.

What it does not show is that Linus was to be the leader of those in Rome or ordained by Peter or the one to hold the leadership mantle of all Christendom. Others are listed before him, hence, at least at the time Paul wrote this letter, there is no preeminence for Linus in Rome (and it should be noted that one of the proofs that Rome often cites to prove that Peter had preeminence is that Peter was quite often listed first in various New Testament passages involving multiple people). Linus simply was one of many who knew and probably assisted the Apostle Paul. The lack of emphasis/preeminence in Paul’s writings would seem to suggest that Linus could not have been the one to become the “bishop of Rome” and the successor of Peter and Paul in 67 A.D. Especially since it is believed that the Apostle Paul probably did not die until 68 A.D.

Whether or not this is the same individual named Linus that many Roman Catholics consider to be the first pope (the first “bishop of Rome”) to succeed Peter cannot be determined from the passages in 2 Timothy. This is confirmed by Catholic scholars, such as J.P. Kirsch, who wrote:

We cannot be positive whether this identification of the pope as being the Linus mentioned in II Timothy 4:21, goes back to an ancient and reliable source, or originated later on account of the similarity of the name (Kirsch J.P. Transcribed by Gerard Haffner. Pope St. Linus. The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume IX. Copyright © 1910 by Robert Appleton Company. Online Edition Copyright © 2003 by K. Knight. Nihil Obstat, October 1, 1910. Remy Lafort, Censor. Imprimatur. +John M. Farley, Archbishop of New York).

But it seems that even if the Roman Catholics are referring to the same person, that he was not the one who was going to immediately become THE bishop of Rome–if he was, it would be logical that Paul would have given Linus some special mention. Instead, he is simply grouped in with several others in Rome at that time (nor is Linus even mentioned first).

There are several demonstrably incorrect claims made about him by some in the Church of Rome. For example, here is something from a book I purchased in Vatican City:

2. LINUS, ST. (67-76)…He was the first to take up the inheritance of St. Peter…He made disposition for women to be admitted to the holy places and attend functions with their heads covered…He was buried beside St. Peter in the first Vatican burial spot. It is certain that he did exist while some have thrown doubt on his election to the pontificate. (Lopes A. The Popes: The lives of the pontiffs through 2000 years of history. Futura Edizoni as sponsored by the Pontifical Administration, Roma, 1997, p. 1)

The main historical fact is that Linus’ name showed up on a list. Not that he was Peter’s successor.

Here is some of what the Roman Catholic scholar J.P. Kirsch wrote in The Catholic Encyclopedia about Linus:

The “Liber Pontificalis” asserts that Linus’s home was in Tuscany, and that his father’s name was Herculanus; but we cannot discover the origin of this assertion. According to the same work on the popes, Linus is supposed to have issued a decree “in conformity with the ordinance of St. Peter”, that women should have their heads covered in church. Without doubt this decree is apocryphal, and copied by the author of the “Liber Pontificalis” from the first Epistle of St. Paul to the Corinthians (11:5) and arbitrarily attributed to the first successor of the Apostle in Rome. The statement made in the same source, that Linus suffered martyrdom, cannot be proved and is improbable. (Kirsch J.P. Transcribed by Gerard Haffner. Pope St. Linus. The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume XI. Copyright © 1910 by Robert Appleton Company. Online Edition Copyright © 2003 by K. Knight. Nihil Obstat, October 1, 1910. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York)

Much about Linus is more than improbable.

Netherlands’ Priest Roderick Vonhögen is/was the Chief Executive Officer of a pro-Catholic media group (SQPN) which correctly teaches, “Pope Saint Linus…ancient documents about his papacy have proven to be inaccurate or apocryphal” (Pope Saint Linus. saints.sqpn.com/saintl23.htm, viewed 09/18/12).

Yet, Linus is claimed to have been the first successor of Peter and head of all Christendom by the Church of Rome.

Here is what John O’Malley, a Jesuit Priest and Catholic historian, published:

The earliest lists of popes begin, not with Peter, but with a man named Linus. The reason Peter’s name was not listed was because he was an apostle, which was a super-category, much superior to pope or bishop…

The Christian community at Rome well into the second century operated as a collection of separate communities without any central structure…Rome was a constellation of house churches, independent of one another, each of which was loosely governed by an elder. The communities thus basically followed the pattern of the Jewish synagogues out of which they developed. (O’Malley JW. A History of the Popes. Sheed & Ward, 2009, p. 11)

It should be pointed out that the Apostle John outlived Linus and some of the others considered to have been early “popes.” Thus, the above admission is consistent with the Church of God view that the leadership of the Christian church in the late first century was clearly in Asia Minor, and not Rome, as that is where the Apostle John was based.

The Apostle Paul noted that there were three leaders in Jerusalem during one of his visits there:

James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars (Galatians 2:9).

He likely listed James first because James was the leader who actually lived in Jerusalem (the others were mainly visiting then). But notice that Paul then listed Cephas, who is Peter, and then John. This may suggest that Paul considered that Peter, at that time, had higher authority, sometimes called primacy, than John then did. It also shows that Peter apparently conferred with John, hence Peter helped train him as a potential successor.

Now, possibly around 64-67 A.D., Peter was killed, hence he no longer held physical primacy over the remaining apostles.

As it turned out John greatly outlived Peter and is believed to have lived as late as 98-105 A.D. (he also outlived James).

John was an apostle, while the early leaders of Rome were only presbyters.

The Bible clearly teaches that apostles were first (1 Corinthians 12:28). Notice that even Roman Catholic scholars understand:

Unlike Peter, the pope is neither an apostle nor an eyewitness of the Risen Lord (McBrien, Richard P. Lives of the Popes: The Pontiffs from St. Peter to Benedict XVI. Harper, San Francisco, 2005 updated ed., p.33).

Since that is true, it makes no sense that the Apostle John would be somehow subordinate to Linus, Anacletus, Clement, and Evaristus, all of whom have been claimed to have been “bishop of Rome” and supposedly had primacy over all Christianity after Peter died and while John was still alive. John would have held the mantle of Christian leadership.

Note that Paul wrote:

And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles (1 Corinthians 12:28).

And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers (Ephesians 4:11).

And he gave some apostles, and some prophets, and other some evangelists, and other some pastors and doctors: (Ephesians 4:11, Rheims New Testament).

And since the Bible teaches that the true church is first led by apostles and other positions are lower ranked, there is no way that the Apostle John would have been below any bishop (essentially a pastor) in rank–Note that although the Bible uses the Greek term for pastor more than the one for bishop, it seems to show that the terms are interchangeable (see 1 Peter 2:25).

Hence, after Peter died (as well as the other apostles), it is clear that the one true successor–who had been appointed by Christ Himself–would be the Apostle John (the last of the original apostles to die) and that true apostolic successors would probably have had contact with him. John was the successor to Peter. This is consistent with the Bible.

It should also be mentioned that none of the Roman Bishops took the title Pope until the late 4th century, so there is no way that Linus was Pope Linus. It is also not clear that the early leaders in Rome were called ‘bishop’ prior to Anicetus in the mid-second century A.D.

Furthermore, presuming Linus was a faithful Christian leader, he would have held beliefs much more consistent with the Continuing Church of God than the Church of Rome. Those interested in the beliefs of the earliest Christians may wish to read the free documented book: Beliefs of the Original Catholic Church.

That being said, there likely was a genuine Church of God Christian leader in Rome named Linus who may have been an elder. Since there is no contemporary biblical nor other historical evidence that Rome had a bishop over it then, etc. Linus was certainly not the “Bishop of Rome” who somehow supposedly succeeded the Apostle Peter. Catholics and others might be surprised to learn that the first known “Bishop of Rome” did not take that title until the mid-second century and that title “Pope” or Pontificus Maximus was not taken by the bishops of Rome until the late fourth century.

Some items of possibly related interest may including the following:

“Pope” Linus (67-76)…He is claimed to be the first to take up the inheritance from Peter, but he is omitted from Tertullian’s list. There is a Linus mentioned in the Bible. For some information about him in the Spanish language, check out Linus no fue obispo de Roma.
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.
Was Peter the Rock Who Alone Received the Keys of the Kingdom? How should Matthew 16:18-19 be understood?
The Apostle Peter He was an original apostle and early Christian leader. Where was Peter buried? Where did Peter die?
What Do Roman Catholic Scholars Actually Teach About Early Church History? Although most believe that the Roman Catholic Church history teaches an unbroken line of succession of bishops beginning with Peter, with stories about most of them, Roman Catholic scholars know the truth of this matter. Is telling the truth about the early church citing Catholic accepted sources anti-Catholic? This eye-opening article is a must-read for any who really wants to know what Roman Catholic history actually admits about the early church.
Nazarene Christianity: Were the Original Christians Nazarenes? Should Christians be Nazarenes today? What were the practices of the Nazarenes.
Location of the Early Church: Another Look at Ephesus, Smyrna, and Rome What actually happened to the primitive Church? And did the Bible tell about this in advance?
Laying on of Hands Succession and List Does the Church of God have laying on of hands succession? Does the Continuing Church of God have a list of leaders from the time of the apostles? Here is a link to a related sermon: Apostolic Laying on of Hands Succession.
Apostolic Succession What really happened? Did structure and beliefs change? Are many of the widely-held current understandings of this even possible? Did you know that Catholic scholars really do not believe that several of the claimed “apostolic sees” of the Orthodox have apostolic succession–despite the fact that the current pontiff himself seems to wish to ignore this view? Is there actually a true church that has ties to any of the apostles that is not part of the Catholic or Orthodox churches? Read this article if you truly are interested in the truth on this matter! Here is a link to a sermon: Claims of Apostolic Succession. Here is a related articlein the Spanish language La sucesión apostólica. ¿Ocurrió en Roma, Alejandría, Constantinopla, Antioquía, Jerusalén o Asia Menor?
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.
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.
Early Church History: Who Were the Two Major Groups Professed Christ in the Second and Third Centuries? Did you know that many in the second and third centuries felt that there were two major, and separate, professing Christian groups in the second century, but that those in the Early Church History: Who Were the Two Major Groups that Professed Christ in the Second and Third Centuries? Did you know that many in the second and third centuries felt that there were two major, and separate, professing Christian groups in the second century, but that those in the majority churches tend to now blend the groups together and claim “saints” from both? “Saints” that condemn some of their current beliefs. Who are the two groups? A related sermon is also available Christianity: Two groups.
Where is the True Christian Church Today? This free online pdf booklet answers that question and includes 18 proofs, clues, and signs to identify the true vs. false Christian church. Plus 7 proofs, clues, and signs to help identify Laodicean churches. A related sermon is also available: Where is the True Christian Church? Here is a link to the booklet in the Spanish language: ¿Dónde está la verdadera Iglesia cristiana de hoy? Here is a link in the German language: WO IST DIE WAHRE CHRISTLICHE KIRCHE HEUTE? Here is a link in the French language: Où est la vraie Église Chrétienne aujourd’hui?
Continuing History of the Church of God This pdf booklet is a historical overview of the true Church of God and some of its main opponents from Acts 2 to the 21st century. Related sermon links include Continuing History of the Church of God: c. 31 to c. 300 A.D. and Continuing History of the Church of God: 4th-16th Centuries and Continuing History of the Church of God: 17th-20th Centuries. The booklet is available in Spanish: Continuación de la Historia de la Iglesia de Dios, German: Kontinuierliche Geschichte der Kirche Gottes, French: L’Histoire Continue de l’Église de Dieu and Ekegusii Omogano Bw’ekanisa Ya Nyasae Egendererete.

Overnight, the terrorist group Hezbollah fired more than 100 rockets into Israel. The attack is an apparent retaliation for the Israeli airstrike that killed two of Hezbollah’s top leaders this week. @KeirSimmons has the latest for #SundayTODAY. pic.twitter.com/iKCFYy6tkw

— TODAY (@TODAYshow) September 22, 2024

COGwriter

Notice the following:

Hezbollah fires over 100 rockets across a wider and deeper area of Israel

September 22, 2024

NAHARIYA, Israel — Hezbollah launched more than 100 rockets early Sunday across a wider and deeper area of northern Israel, with some landing near the city of Haifa, as Israel launched hundreds of strikes on Lebanon. The sides appeared to be spiraling toward all-out war following months of escalating tensions.

The rocket barrage overnight set off air raid sirens across northern Israel, sending thousands of people scrambling into shelters. The Israeli military said that rockets had been fired “toward civilian areas,” pointing to a possible escalation after previous barrages had mainly been aimed at military targets. …

The barrage came after an Israeli airstrike in Beirut on Friday killed at least 45 people, including one of Hezbollah’s top leaders as well as women and children. Hezbollah was already reeling from a sophisticated attack that caused thousands of personal devices to explode just days earlier.

The Israeli military said that it carried out a wave of strikes across southern Lebanon over the past 24 hours, hitting about 400 militant sites, including rocket launchers. Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, an Israeli military spokesman, said those strikes had thwarted an even larger attack.

“Hundreds of thousands of civilians have come under fire across a lot of northern Israel. They spent the night and now the morning in bomb shelters,” he said. “Today we saw fire that was deeper into Israel than before.”

The military also said it had intercepted multiple aerial devices fired from the direction of Iraq, after Iran-backed militant groups there claimed to have launched a drone attack on Israel. …

Until recently, neither side was believed to be seeking an all-out war, and Hezbollah has so far stopped short of targeting Tel Aviv or major civilian infrastructure. But in recent weeks, Israel has shifted its focus from Gaza to Lebanon and vowed to bring back calm to the border so that its citizens can return to their homes. Hezbollah has said that it would only halt its attacks if there is a cease-fire in Gaza, which appears increasingly elusive.

The war in Gaza began with Hamas’ October 7 attack into Israel, in which Palestinian militants killed about 1,200 people and took around 250 others hostage. They are still holding around 100 captives, a third of whom are believed to be dead. Over 41,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. It doesn’t say how many were fighters, but says women and children make up more than half of the dead.

Families of the hostages have raised fears that a war in the north would distract from their plight and further complicate the negotiations over their release.

The U.N. envoy for Lebanon called on all parties to pull back.

“With the region on the brink of an imminent catastrophe, it cannot be overstated enough: there is NO military solution that will make either side safer,” Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert said in an X post.

Israeli media reported that rockets fired from Lebanon early Sunday were intercepted in the areas of Haifa and Nazareth, which are farther south than most of the rocket fire to date. Israel canceled school across the north, deepening the sense of crisis.

Hezbollah said that it had launched dozens of Fadi 1 and Fadi 2 missiles — a new type of weapon the group hadn’t used before — at the Ramat David airbase, southeast of Haifa, “in response to the repeated Israeli attacks that targeted various Lebanese regions and led to the fall of many civilian martyrs.”  …

Hezbollah has vowed to retaliate against Israel for a wave of explosions that hit pagers and walkie-talkies belonging to Hezbollah members on Tuesday and Wednesday, killing at least 37 people — including two children — and wounding around 3,000. The attacks were widely blamed on Israel, which hasn’t confirmed or denied responsibility. https://www.voanews.com/a/over-100-rockets-fired-from-lebanon-into-israel/7793765.html

In the past several days we have seen an expanded regional war.

Notice also:

Israel Unleashes… On South Lebanon With Giant Mystery Bomb As War Escalates

Massive escalation along the southern Lebanese border is very clear at this point, as Israeli jets have pounded Hezbollah positions …

Another indicator of the escalation is that Israel is apparently beginning use much bigger bombs compared to much of the past nearly year of internecine fighting. The below widely circulating footage shows a large flash and skyscraper-size fireball, resulting in some viewers speculating it was likely a heavy bunker-buster bomb, or possibly even a tactical nuke of some sort. Whatever it was, there’s never been anything like it used on Lebanon (that we know about).

BREAKING: Lebanon hit with massive bomb, one of the largest Israel has ever sent.

Developing.

Shockwave felt many many miles away..pic.twitter.com/FIDAaURdvj

— Douglas Macgregor (@DougAMacgregor) September 21, 2024

09/21/24 https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/idf-says-180-targets-eliminated-southern-lebanon-us-lauds-good-outcome-beirut-strike

Could we be seeing the prelude to the following prophecy in the Book of Isaiah?

6 Elam bore the quiver With chariots of men and horsemen, And Kir uncovered the shield. 7 It shall come to pass that your choicest valleys Shall be full of chariots, And the horsemen shall set themselves in array at the gate.

8 He removed the protection of Judah. You looked in that day to the armor of the House of the Forest; 9 You also saw the damage to the city of David, That it was great; And you gathered together the waters of the lower pool. 10 You numbered the houses of Jerusalem, And the houses you broke down To fortify the wall. 11 You also made a reservoir between the two walls For the water of the old pool. But you did not look to its Maker, Nor did you have respect for Him who fashioned it long ago.

12 And in that day the Lord God of hosts Called for weeping and for mourning, For baldness and for girding with sackcloth. 13 But instead, joy and gladness, Slaying oxen and killing sheep, Eating meat and drinking wine: “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!”

14 Then it was revealed in my hearing by the Lord of hosts,”Surely for this iniquity there will be no atonement for you, Even to your death,” says the Lord God of hosts. (Isaiah 22:6-14 NKJV)

Elam is a reference to at least some in Iran. The old Worldwide Church of God published the following:

Iranians comprise nearly 70 percent of the country. Iranians, though Islamic, are totally distinct from the neighboring Arab peoples of the Middle East. They are a mixed people of the remnants of Media and Elam and other ancestors of Semitic and Hamitic stock. (Stump K. South Asia in Prophecy. Plain Truth, July/August 1986, p. 5)

The Bible tells that after Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria took over Damascus, he moved Syrians to Kir (2 Kings 16:9-10). God’s word has the expression “the Syrians from Kir” (Amos 9:7), which is basically confirmation that Kir of Isaiah 22 would include Syrians. The Bible also tells of a time when Kir will be destroyed (Isaiah 15:1b) and also says that Syria’s capital Damascus will be destroyed (Isaiah 17:1).While this does not mean that Kir must (or must only) be a reference to Syria, the fact that Syria is an ally of Iran is interesting.

In Isaiah 22: 8, “Judah” is a reference to those in the land commonly called Israel–God will allow Israel to be attacked! In Isaiah 22:9, consider that “the damage to the city of David” is a reference to at least part of Jerusalem–and notice that the damage will be great.

The “House of the Forest” was anciently located in Lebanon (e.g. 1 Kings 7:2, 10:17,21; 2 Chronicles 9:16,20)–see also A Discourse on the House of the Forest of Lebanon, pp: 111-134 in Bunyan J. Stebbing H. The Entire Works of John Bunyan, Volume 4. Virtue and Company, 1860.

Here is the Catholic Public Domain Version translation of Isaiah 22:8:

8 And the covering of Judah will be exposed, and in that day, you will see the weaponry of the forest house. (Isaiah 22:8, CPDV)

A way for Judah to “see the weaponry of the forest house” would be a massive attack by Hezbollah. Today it showed that it can reach deep into Israel.

In Isaiah 22:1-14, the Bible shows that God will allow something that appears to be an Iranian-Syrian-Southern Lebanese confederation, to strike the nation of Israel.

Israel’s ‘Iron Dome’ and other defenses will not be able to protect Jerusalem against enough of the coming attack to prevent great damage.

The Continuing Church of God (CCOG) just uploaded the following Bible News Prophecy video on our Bible News Prophecy YouTube channel related to some of what has been happening:

14:30

Israel Intensifies the War

European Union foreign policy chief, Josep Borrel, has been brokering the nuclear negotiations involving Iran and said that he thinks the deal is “in danger.” Iran blames the United States, whereas the USA says they are not delaying it. Israeli sources stated that Israel will stop Iran from getting a nuclear bomb. Joe Biden says the USA would use its own military power to prevent Iran from getting such a bomb if need be. In 2021, Iranian lawmakers have submitted a bill seeking the government by law to commit to Israel’s destruction by the year 2040. Does the 22nd chapter of Isaiah point to damage coming to Israel from Iran and possibly Syria? Might Iran be concerned enough about limited progress with the USA to launch some type of attack? Is Iran the prophesied ‘King of the South’? Is it reasonable to think that the prophesied peace deal of Daniel 9:27 will not happen until after a military conflict. like a regional war? Should Christians watch the Middle East? Dr. Thiel and Steve Dupuie discuss these matters.

Here is a link to our video: Israel Intensifies the War.

We are in a time of wars and rumors of wars as Jesus foretold (Matthew 24:4-8).

A reader sent me the following:

September 22, 2024

Israel’s brazen attacks on Hezbollah last week, in which hundreds of pagers and two-way radios exploded and killed at least 37 people, graphically illustrated a threat that cybersecurity experts have been warning about for years: Our international supply chains for computerized equipment leave us vulnerable. And we have no good means to defend ourselves.

Though the deadly operations were stunning, none of the elements used to carry them out were particularly new. The tactics employed by Israel, which has neither confirmed nor denied any role, to hijack an international supply chain and embed plastic explosives in Hezbollah devices have been used for years. What’s new is that Israel put them together in such a devastating and extravagantly public fashion, bringing into stark relief what the future of great power competition will look like — in peacetime, wartime and the ever expanding gray zone in between.

The targets won’t just be terrorists. Our computers are vulnerable, and increasingly, so are our cars, our refrigerators, our home thermostats and many other useful things in our orbits. Targets are everywhere.

The core component of the operation — implanting plastic explosives in pagers and radios — has been a terrorist risk since Richard Reid, the so-called shoe bomber, tried to ignite some on an airplane in 2001. That’s what all of those airport scanners are designed to detect — both the ones you see at security checkpoints and the ones that later scan your luggage. Even a small amount can do an impressive degree of damage. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/22/opinion/israel-pager-attacks-supply-chain.html

Yes, we may see future terror involving things we normally consider to be fairly safe.

Future terrorism is prophesied (e.g. Deuteronomy 32:25; see also Why Terrorism? Is Terrorism Prophesied?).

Cell phones anyone?

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

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. Here are links to related sermons: Seeing Christianity Through Islamic Eyes, Imam Mahdi, women, and prophecy, and Terrorism, Iran, and Fatima, Dajjal, Antichrist, Gold, & Mark of the Beast?, and Jesus and God’s Plan for Muslims.
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. Here is a link to a related sermon: Seeing Christianity Through Islamic Eyes. Here is a related sermon in the Spanish language: El cristianismo visto a través de los ojos islámicos.
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 are also two related videos: Iran In Prophecy and Iran and Israel Conflict.
Gaza and the Palestinians in Bible Prophecy What does the Bible teach about Gaza and the fate of the Palestinians? Here is a link to two related videos: Gaza and Bible Prophecy and Gaza and Palestine in Prophecy.
Damascus and Syria in Prophecy Will Bashar Assad hold power as he has it? Does the Bible show that Damascus, the capital of Syria, will be destroyed? What will happen to Syria? Will the Syrians support the final King of the South that the Bible tells will rise up? Which scriptures discuss the rise and fall of an Arabic confederation? Does Islamic prophecy predict the destruction of Syria. This is a YouTube video.
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.
The Arab and Islamic World In the Bible, History, and Prophecy The Bible discusses the origins of the Arab world and discusses the Middle East in prophecy. What is ahead for the Middle East and those who follow Islam? What about the Imam Mahdi? What lies ahead for Turkey, Iran, and the other non-Arabic Muslims? An item of possibly related interest in the Spanish language would be: Líderes iraníes condenan la hipocresía de Occidente y declaran que ahora es tiempo para prepararse para el Armagedón, la guerra, y el Imán Mahdi.
Is the Future King of the South Rising Up? Some no longer believe there needs to be a future King of the South. Might Egypt, Islam, Iran, Arabs, or Ethiopia be involved? Might this King be called the Mahdi or Caliph? What does the Bible say? Two videos of related interest are: The Future King of the South is Rising and The Rise and Fall of the King of the South. Here is a version the Spanish language: ¿Esta Surgiendo el Rey Del Sur?
Why Terrorism? Is Terrorism Prophesied? What does the Bible teach? Which nations may be affected? Here is a link to a related sermon: Terrorism, Christianity, and Islam. Here is a shorter video: Afghanis: Potential terrorists?

(Photo from Pixabay)

COGwriter

The Continuing Church of God put together the following video on our Bible News Prophecy YouTube channel:

13:51

AI and What is Truth?

Through its European Christian Internet Conference, the World Council of Churches (WCC) opened under the theme “What is truth? Ethical and Practical Issues in the Use of Artificial Intelligence.” Truth in Jesus was discussed. What is truth? On October, 1, 2024, the WCC plans to cohost a webinar titled, “Theology & Artificial Intelligence: Systematic and Denominational Perspectives.” But does the WCC have the truth or does it require that one must accept falsehoods about the Holy Spirit to join? Is there an ‘AI Jesus’? Can AI programs like ChatGPT be helpful? Do many gloss over the actual original scriptures and believe traditions of men that are not in scriptures? Should translators rely on tradition over koine Greek grammatical rules? Did Jesus teach that people could worship God in vain? Is it biblically-acceptable to add words to the prophecies of the Book of Revelation or elsewhere in the Word of God? Is God’s word truth? Are there false ministers that many accept, despite warnings from the Bible? Dr. Thiel and Steve Dupuie go over these topics and more.

Here is a link to our video: AI and What is Truth?

Artificial intelligence is often artificial. And many who claim to be teaching the word of God are false and artificial themselves.

Real Christians believe the word of God and realize that it is truth.

Some items of related interest may include the following:

Hope of Salvation: How the Continuing Church of God Differs from Protestantism The CCOG is NOT Protestant. This free online book explains how the real Church of God differs from mainstream/traditional Protestants. Several sermons related to the free book are also available: Protestant, Baptist, and CCOG History; The First Protestant, God’s Command, Grace, & Character; The New Testament, Martin Luther, and the Canon; Eucharist, Passover, and Easter; Views of Jews, Lost Tribes, Warfare, & Baptism; Scripture vs. Tradition, Sabbath vs. Sunday; Church Services, Sunday, Heaven, and God’s Plan; Seventh Day Baptists/Adventists/Messianics: Protestant or COG?; Millennial Kingdom of God and God’s Plan of Salvation; Crosses, Trees, Tithes, and Unclean Meats; The Godhead and the Trinity; Fleeing or Rapture?; and Ecumenism, Rome, and CCOG Differences.
Beware: Protestants Going Towards Ecumenical Destruction! What is going on in the Protestant world? Are Protestants turning back to their ‘mother church’ in Rome? Does the Bible warn about this? What are Greco-Roman Catholic plans and prophecies related to this? Is Protestantism doomed? See also World Council of Churches Peace Plan.
Beliefs of the Original Catholic Church: Could a remnant group have continuing apostolic succession? Did the original “catholic church” have doctrines held by the Continuing Church of God? Did Church of God leaders uses the term “catholic church” to ever describe the church they were part of? Here are links to related sermons: Original Catholic Church of God?, Original Catholic Doctrine: Creed, Liturgy, Baptism, Passover, What Type of Catholic was Polycarp of Smyrna?, Tradition, Holy Days, Salvation, Dress, & Celibacy, Early Heresies and Heretics, Doctrines: 3 Days, Abortion, Ecumenism, Meats, Tithes, Crosses, Destiny, and more, Saturday or Sunday?, The Godhead, Apostolic Laying on of Hands Succession, Church in the Wilderness Apostolic Succession List, Holy Mother Church and Heresies, and Lying Wonders and Original Beliefs. Here is a link to that book in the Spanish language: Creencias de la iglesia Católica original.
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.
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.
Where is the True Christian Church Today? This free online pdf booklet answers that question and includes 18 proofs, clues, and signs to identify the true vs. false Christian church. Plus 7 proofs, clues, and signs to help identify Laodicean churches. A related sermon is also available: Where is the True Christian Church? Here is a link to the booklet in the Spanish language: ¿Dónde está la verdadera Iglesia cristiana de hoy? Here is a link in the German language: WO IST DIE WAHRE CHRISTLICHE KIRCHE HEUTE? Here is a link in the French language: Où est la vraie Église Chrétienne aujourd’hui?
Continuing History of the Church of God This pdf booklet is a historical overview of the true Church of God and some of its main opponents from Acts 2 to the 21st century. Related sermon links include Continuing History of the Church of God: c. 31 to c. 300 A.D. and Continuing History of the Church of God: 4th-16th Centuries and Continuing History of the Church of God: 17th-20th Centuries. The booklet is available in Spanish: Continuación de la Historia de la Iglesia de Dios, German: Kontinuierliche Geschichte der Kirche Gottes, French: L’Histoire Continue de l’Église de Dieu and Ekegusii Omogano Bw’ekanisa Ya Nyasae Egendererete.
CCOG and What is Truth? What does the Bible teach about truth? Does the CCOG teach the truth?

Andrius Kubilius
(Source: European Commission )

COGwriter

The European Union’s first-ever Defense Commissioner, Andrius Kubilius, wants more military spending:

September 21, 2024

Andrius Kubilius, a former Lithuanian prime minister and the EU’s new defense commissioner, … “Defense ministers and NATO generals agree that Vladimir Putin could be ready for confrontation with NATO and the EU in 6-8 years,” Kubilius said in his capacity as the European Union’s first-ever Defense Commissioner. …

Kubilius’ appointment is seen as an indicator that the EU is getting more serious about war-spending as a bloc, though EU leadership has no decision-making capacity when it comes to NATO. …

Kubilius described further in his statement, “The European Union won’t have defense plans or military leadership, like NATO does — but the European Union has instruments to get larger financing, which NATO doesn’t.”

He has called for a total investment of a gargantuan sum: 500 billion euros in the coming years in order to ramp-up the readiness of European militaries. https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/eu-leadership-urges-europe-be-ready-fight-russia-6-8-years

Irrespective of Russia’s military readiness at this time, the Bible shows that the coming European King of the North will have a “great army” (Daniel 11:25) and “many ships” (Daniel 11:40). I highly suspect that there will not be a NATO eight years from now. Europe wants its own, separate, military.

While the article I saw did not mention Donald Trump, he is a factor in Europe arming. Notice the following:

European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen unveiled on Tuesday, September 17, her new top team to help steward the EU through the next five years of global uncertainty. Faced with Russia’s war in Ukraine, the potential return of Donald Trump as US president and competition from China, the formation of the new commission comes at a crucial moment. “It’s about strengthening our tech sovereignty, our security and our democracy,” von der Leyen said as she announced the team at the European Parliament in Strasbourg. … The new defense brief went to former Lithuanian prime minister Andrius Kubilius, https://www.lemonde.fr/en/europe/article/2024/09/17/von-der-leyen-unveils-new-eu-leadership-team_6726355_143.html

Kubilius’ mission is to boost the continent’s arms industry, by getting EU countries to spend more on European weapons … “Europe must spend more, spend better, spend European,” von der Leyen told Kubilius in a letter outlining his role after nominating him on Tuesday as a member of her new top team. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/new-eu-defence-chief-fight-political-battles-with-military-edge-2024-09-17/

Yes, Europe wants to build the European military complex.

And Europe started taking steps, prior to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, for military cooperation across the block.

One step was the formation of something called Permanent Structured Cooperation, commonly called PESCO. PESCO is a multi-national European military alliance, basically formed within a year of Donald Trump taking office:

On 7 September 2017, an agreement was made between EU foreign affairs ministers to move forward with PESCO with 10 initial projects.^{[8][9][1][10]} The agreement was signed on 13 November by 23 of the 28 member states. Ireland and Portugal notified the High Representative and the Council of the European Union of their desire to join PESCO on 7 December 2017^[11] and PESCO was activated by the 25 states on 11 December 2017 with the approval of a Council Decision.^[12][13] (PESCO, Wikipedia, accessed 09/21/24)

Related to PESCO, 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.

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.

Yes,

The European 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.

Of course some believe, that despite WWI, WWII, and previous massive wars, that Europe would never start WWIII. Yet, this overlooks a biblical prophecy related to a people that now dominate central Europe (see Germany’s Assyrian Roots Throughout History):

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.

7 Howbeit he meaneth not so, neither doth his heart think so; but it is in his heart to destroy and cut off nations not a few.

8 For he saith, Are not my princes altogether kings? 9 Is not Calno as Carchemish? is not Hamath as Arpad? is not Samaria as Damascus? 10 As my hand hath found the kingdoms of the idols, and whose graven images did excel them of Jerusalem and of Samaria; 11 Shall I not, as I have done unto Samaria and her idols, so do to Jerusalem and her idols? (Isaiah 10:5-11, KJV)

The USA is sometimes prophetically referred to as Samaria (and sometimes as Manasseh) in biblical prophecy (for details, watch USA in Prophecy: Samaria). So, even though Germanic-led Europe (referred to as Assyria above) does not seem to wish to do this (Isaiah 10:7), according to biblical prophecy it will come to pass. The USA will be defeated (cf. Daniel 11:39; see also USA in Prophecy: The Strongest Fortresses) as will the UK (which is often referred to as Ephraim in biblical prophecies such as Isaiah 17:3). Notice also:

9 The children of Ephraim, being armed and carrying bows,
Turned back in the day of battle.
10 They did not keep the covenant of God;
They refused to walk in His law,
11 And forgot His works
And His wonders that He had shown them. (Psalm 78:9-11)

9 All the people will know —
Ephraim and the inhabitant of Samaria —
Who say in pride and arrogance of heart:
10 ‘The bricks have fallen down,
But we will rebuild with hewn stones;
The sycamores are cut down,
But we will replace them with cedars.”
11 Therefore the Lord shall set up
The adversaries of Rezin against him,
And spur his enemies on,
12 The Syrians before and the Philistines behind;
And they shall devour Israel with an open mouth.

For all this His anger is not turned away,
But His hand is stretched out still.

13 For the people do not turn to Him who strikes them,
Nor do they seek the Lord of hosts.
14 Therefore the Lord will cut off head and tail from Israel,
Palm branch and bulrush in one day. (Isaiah 9:9-14)

The European Beast army will be very destructive.

The Bible tells of a coming time of massive devastation:

23 ‘The whole land is brimstone, salt, and burning; it is not sown, nor does it bear, nor does any grass grow there, like the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, which the Lord overthrew in His anger and His wrath.’ (Deuteronomy 29:23-24)

19 Through the wrath of the LORD of hosts
The land is burned up,
And the people shall be as fuel for the fire; No man shall spare his brother.
20 And he shall snatch on the right hand
And be hungry;
He shall devour on the left hand
And not be satisfied; Every man shall eat the flesh of his own arm. 21 Manasseh shall devour Ephraim, and Ephraim Manasseh; Together they shall be against Judah (Isaiah 9:19-21).

The above descriptions are consistent with a nuclear or similar attack. Manasseh represents the USA and Ephraim its British-descended allies (see Anglo – America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel). THIS HAS NOT YET HAPPENED IN HISTORY AND IS A PROPHECY FOR OUR TIME.

It is my view that Europe will likely attack the USA and/or the UK under the guise of a NATO (or some other defense treaty) exercise and use nuclear bombers. And yes, German-dominated Europe would be willing to use USA nuclear bombs against the USA, UK, and Canada!

While now is not the time–“the end it not yet” (Matthew 24:6; see also When Will the Great Tribulation Begin?)–the Germans and others in Europe have access to nuclear weaponry and other technology, to make this come to pass.

We have video related to this:

15:27

Nuclear bombers for the Beast?

It is reported that the Germans are looking for a new bomber to be able to be used to deliver US B61-12 atomic bombs. Does Germany already have access to American nuclear weapons it can now use? What about Belgium, Italy, and the Netherlands? Has there been increased interest in more independent European nuclear capacity since the election of US President Donald Trump? What has Berthold Kohler, Herbert W. Armstrong, Nigel Farage, Jean-Claude Juncker, and Maximilian Terhalle said about Europe’s militaristic ambitions? What about Bible prophecy? Could the Great Tribulation begin with a thermonuclear strike? What has Time, NTI, and Global Research reported about European nuclear weapons available to European nations? Is a nuclear attack consistent with prophecies? Might the coming Beast use nuclear weapons against the USA? Dr. Thiel addresses these issues and more.

Here is a link to the sermonette video: Nuclear bombers for the Beast?

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

Europe is now seriously looking to do so. Calling to spend “a gargantuan sum” on its military shows some of its intentions.

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:

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.
Europa, the Beast, and Revelation Where did Europe get its name? What might Europe have to do with the Book of Revelation? What about “the Beast”? Is an emerging European power “the daughter of Babylon”? What is ahead for Europe? Here is a link to a video titled: Can You Prove that the Beast to Come is European?
European Technology and the Beast of Revelation Will the coming European Beast power would use and develop technology that will result in the taking over of the USA and its Anglo-Saxon allies? Is this possible? What does the Bible teach? Here is a related YouTube video: Military Technology and the Beast of Revelation.
World War III: Steps in Progress Are there surprising actions going on now that are leading to WWIII? Might a nuclear attack be expected? Does the Bible promise protection to all or only some Christians? How can you be part of those that will be protected? A related video would be Is World War III About to Begin? Can You Escape?
Might German Baron Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg become the King of the North? Is the former German Defense Minister (who is also the former German Minister for Economics and Technology) one to watch? What do Greco-Roman Catholic, Byzantine, and biblical prophecies suggest? A video of related interest would be: Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg and Europe’s Future. A shorter video is also available: The Middle East, Prophecy, and Karl Theodor zu Guttenberg.
Germany’s Assyrian Roots Throughout History Are the Germanic peoples descended from Asshur of the Bible? Have there been real Christians in Germanic history? What about the “Holy Roman Empire”? There is also a You-Tube video sermon on this titled Germany’s Biblical Origins.
Germany in Biblical and Roman Catholic Prophecy Does Assyria in the Bible equate to an end time power inhabiting the area of the old Roman Empire? What does prophecy say Germany will do and what does it say will happen to most of the German people? Here is a version of the article in the Spanish language: Alemania en la profecía bíblic. Here are links to two English language sermon videos Germany in Bible Prophecy and The Rise of the Germanic Beast Power of Prophecy. Here is one in the Spanish language: Alemania en profecía Biblica.
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.

Artist portrayal of Elisha receiving mantle
(Gustave Doré, 19th century, Public Domain)

COGwriter

PCG’s Gerald Flurry cautiously doubled down on his insistence that he is “that prophet” of John 1 in a video post yesterday. Here is a passage of scripture he referred to:

19 And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou?

20 And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ.

21 And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No. (John 1:19-21, KJV)

Gerald Flurry also referred to passages in the Old Testament related to “that prophet.” The reason I said “cautiously” is that he did not make a direct statement it was him, but that is what he meant.

In that video, Gerald Flurry also claimed he has the “new throne of David” and he would “give it to Jesus Christ Himself.”

Gerald Flurry stated that him being “that prophet” was revealed to him in 2001–though other PCG items point to 1999:

[At PCG’s ministerial conference in June, 1999] God gave his end-time prophet the clearest understanding of his office and commission that he has ever had…. The conference instruction revolved around Pastor General Gerald Flurry’s five lectures, collectively titled, ‘That Prophet.’ Mr. Flurry’s starting point, John 1:19-25, shows that Jews in Christ’s time who knew the Bible not only expected the ‘Elijah’ prophesied to return right before Christ’s Second Coming, but also an unnamed prophet. After revealing that he fulfills the office of ‘that prophet,’ over nine hours Mr. Flurry expounded the Old Testament scriptures defining that office, in Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Malachi, Hosea, Micah and other books–even Genesis (Ministers learn to support prophet. Philadelphia News, July/August 1999).

It probably should be mentioned that most in the real Church of God consider that the term “that Prophet” which PCG refers to is an Old Testament prediction of Christ, not a self-appointed human leader such as Gerald Flurry.

Gerald Flurry is not God’s prophet. Those interested in learning the truth about Christian prophets should study the article 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? There is also a sermon-length video titled How to determine if someone is a true prophet of God.

In the July/August 2000 edition of Royal Vision, Gerald Flurry specifically calls or refers to himself the following variety of titles (listed in the order they occur in that issue): that prophet, the last voice, a third voice, the physical head of God’s work, the last and final voice, a prophet, God’s man, one that was prophesied by Jeremiah and Ezekiel, this watchman, end-time watchman, a prophet to the nations, Christ’s man, a breaker, a modern type of Micah, this king, this counselor, the breaker whom God has chosen, God’s watchman, prophesied by Habakkuk, a lawgiver, His lawgiver, God’s leader, an end-time Malachi-type prophet, the one who fulfills Zechariah’s role in the end-time, ruler over His household, a type of Elisha, the conduit, God’s true prophet, the voice, that voice, type of Joel, a preacher of righteousness, this man (of God), an end-time Obadiah, a warrior for God, the one God actually wants us to focus on, and only a messenger–at least one of those titles he is taking refers to Jesus. The titles of the articles, all of which were written by Gerald Flurry were (in order of appearance, all CAPS from G. Flurry), THAT PROPHET PART ONE: WHO IS ‘THAT PROPHET’?, THAT PROPHET PART TWO: A NEW THING, THAT PROPHET PART THREE: GOD’S WATCHMAN, THAT PROPHET PART FOUR: THE THRONE AND LAWGIVER, GOD’S COMMAND, ZECHARIAH’S FLYING SCROLL, THAT PROPHET PART FIVE: THE ELISHA WORK, and THAT PROPHET PART SIX: THE VOICE OF THE DAY OF THE LORD. He also calls PCG “God’s greatest gift” (p.12).

Gerald Flurry also considers himself to be a king who may sit on the ‘stone of destiny’:

“THE THRONE.” This says that THE THRONE will be established in addition to the tabernacle. What THRONE is this talking about? David’s throne! The same throne that Jeremiah 33:17 says will always be occupied!
This is the only throne on Earth that will last forever!

As we cover in our booklet the Key of David, the throne of David is in Britain today. For millennia, the kings and queens who have been crowned on that throne have done so over Jacob’s pillar stone, also called “the stone of destiny.”

How could that throne be ESTABLISHED in the context of Isaiah 16? ONLY THE STONE OF DESTINY COULD FIRMLY ESTABLISH THE THRONE OF DAVID!

IS ISAIAH 16 TELLING US THAT GOD WILL SOMEHOW GIVE US THAT STONE WHEN GOD’S PEOPLE GO TO THE PLACE OF SAFETY? After all, we are going to be sharing that throne with Christ in a matter of just a few years!

THE STONE OF DESTINY IS REALLY THE SYMBOL OF DAVID’S THRONE…There is much here we don’t know, but the context seems to imply that the “he” who “shall sit upon” that throne is a man from this Church.

As I point out in Who Is “That Prophet”?, Micah 2:13 refers to the office Christ has given me as that of “their king.” That couldn’t be referring to Christ, because the same verse separately mentions “the LORD.” The word king in that verse means the leader, or one in charge—but the word king is appropriate. (Flurry G. A multimillion-dollar house for God in Edmond? Royal Vision, March-April 2009)

Furthermore, Gerald Flurry wrote:

And I have been the conduit for revelation from all the major and minor prophets, Colossians, Lamentations, Daniel, Revelation, the former prophets and other books. All this prophetic revelation has come from God through THAT PROPHET (p.33).

Gerald Flurry has been a conduit of teaching false predictions.

Since 2020, Gerald Flurry was proven wrong about his speculation that the European Union would be pared down to 10 nations by June 2021 (notice his statements in PCG claims Revelation 17:12 prophecy can happen this year! James Malm wrong about 2021).

He was proven wrong when he insisted that Donald Trump would remain in office (see also PCG’s Gerald Flurry partially admits his mistake, but again asserts Donald Trump will be back; ‘Office of the Former President’).

Regarding Donald Trump, while I was proven right on at least 20 warnings related to him, Gerald Flurry was shown to be false (see PCG changes Donald Trump position, but without admitting that it’s leader was CLEARLY IN ERROR AND PROVEN TO BE FALSE).

He was proven wrong when he proclaimed Joe Biden would not serve as US President (see Biden-Harris Inaugurated: Gerald Flurry and Don Billingsley again proven wrong).

He was proven wrong when he claimed 1/2 of the Laodiceans would be killed by April 30, 2021 (see PCG’s Gerald Flurry AGAIN being proven wrong on his alleged Amos 7 predictions).

There have been other wrong ‘prophecies’ from Gerald Flurry (see also Longtime PCG congregant brings out some false predictions by Gerald Flurry).

Gerald Flurry has NOT been a conduit for revelations from God!

Gerald Flurry is a false prophet. He is not a prophet of God:

21 And if you say in your heart, ‘How shall we know the word which the Lord has not spoken?’ — 22 when a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the thing does not happen or come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him. (Deuteronomy 18:21-22)

However, just because Gerald Flurry is a false prophet, that does not mean that God has no true prophets, as such are foretold in scripture to exist now (cf. Acts 2:17-18; see also Does the CCOG have the confirmed signs of Acts 2:17-18?).

Gerald Flurry also stated in Royal Vision:

THERE IS A SPIRITUAL THRONE OF DAVID IN GOD’S CHURCH TODAY”(p.5)

And then he essentially implies he sits on it; he also said,

I have to make ‘kingly’ decisions at times (p.12).

When commenting about other COGs, Gerald Flurry wrote:

Almost every book or booklet which I have written is filled with prophecy…Do they even have a smattering of the abundance of new revelation which God has rained down on His people through me? (p.15).

I have the authority of of God’s watchman–THAT PROPHET…God sets ONE WATCHMAN at a time (p.17).

While the Bible and Herbert W. Armstrong support the idea that God has one top leader at a time (see The Bible, Peter, Paul, John, Polycarp, Herbert W. Armstrong, Roderick C. Meredith, and Bob Thiel on Church Government), no it is not Gerald Flurry.

Gerald Flurry also wrote:

This verse indicates a NEW COMMISSION for the PCG…This trumpet-blowing commission is directed towards me personally (p.18).

The Sept-Oct 2003 edition of the Philadelphia News lists these titles under Gerald Flurry’s name:

Pastor General of the Philadelphia Church of God; Imperial College Chancellor; Philadelphia Foundation Founder and Chairman.

But apparently all of those titles were not enough, so in November 2010 he decided he also needed to be an apostle, so he added yet another title. For part of his justification he wrote wrote “the office of apostle is a sign that God wants us to do still a GREATER WORK than what we have done” (Flurry G. Member and Co-worker letter. Philadelphia Church of God, November 8, 2010, p. 10)–he also mentioned the “Greater Work” in the 2024 video. I think that repentance would be the greater work that PCG should consider. PCG, in my view, is guilty of spiritual, and sometimes also physical, idolatry (see also The Bible, Peter, Paul, John, Polycarp, Herbert W. Armstrong, Roderick C. Meredith, and Bob Thiel on Church Government).

Let me add that in the May-June 2014 edition of the Philadelphia Trumpet, Gerald Flurry added the titles “son of man” and “type of Ezekiel” to the titles he and his church claim.

I consider Gerald Flurry to be both a false prophet and a false apostle (nor do not agree with many of the other titles he has claimed for himself). Gerald Flurry is not God’s prophet. Those interested in learning the truth about Christian prophets should study the article 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? There is also a sermon-length video titled How to determine if someone is a true prophet of God.

In the 2024 video, Gerald Flurry said “that prophet” was “the last one before Messiah returns in power.” Yet, the Bible tells of two witnesses, who are prophets, and since Gerald Flurry is not one of them, they will be the last prophets mentioned in the scriptures before Jesus returns (more on the two witnesses can be found in the article: Who Are The Two Witnesses?

Gerald Flurry also asserted that “Herbert W. Armstrong was the prophesied Elijah and you can prove it.” Well, actually, according to what Herbert W. Armstrong taught, he could NOT have been the final Elijah–for details check out the article: The Elijah Heresies.

At former PCG member Robert Kuhne’s webpage, he quoted from PCG booklet, Who is That Prophet? (TP is Kuhne’s abbreviation for that booklet) written by Gerald Flurry, and then from Herbert W. Armstrong:

Elisha followed Elijah anciently. So it should be no surprise that there is an Elisha type who follows the end-time Elijah. The Elisha work has some great examples for us, because Elisha was always grounded in Elijah’s instructions, and he carried on the Elijah work. Where on earth is there someone who points you back to the end-time Elijah and continues the end-time Elijah work? [TP pg. 67p4,5]

My office must be a type of the Elisha office [TP pg. 68p6]

That is also a prophecy that the same evil will surface in this end-time — in the Elisha work. … Elisha continued God’s educational work, which indicates that our work will do the same, at least in a limited way [TP pg. 70p4,8]

Elisha promised never to leave Elijah. That is what the Elisha work is like today. … He was being prepared to carry on the Elijah work. … I was chosen to lead God’s Elisha remnant. … This is the attitude we must have in continuing Elijah’s work! [TP pg. 71p2,3,4,5]

This strikes at the heart of how we continue the Elijah work today. … God has to have a man fulfill the Elisha role today [TP pg. 74p3,4]

The above quotes make it clear that Gerald Flurry believes that he is doing the Elisha work and is that he is Elisha or a type of Elisha. However, this contradicts what Herbert W. Armstrong believed and wrote:

But I think God has called me for a job to do. If I have been someone in the power and the spirit of Elijah, remember there is no prophecy that God will have an Elisha follow Elijah. (Armstrong, Herbert W. Congress of Leading Ministers Hears Defined and Reemphasized Spiritual Organization of Church. Worldwide News, March 6, 1981, p. 12)

Gerald Flurry has made many claims about the past that are not accurate, such as:

The PCG is the only Church that holds onto ALL of what Christ established through Mr. Armstrong (Flurry, Gerald and Leap, Dennis. Ezra and Nehemiah: Building God’s Temple. Booklet. 1997. p.29).

A while back, Gerald Flurry began teaching,

The original Elijah and the end-time Elijah held extremely important “father” offices for God. The Philadelphia Church of God, like Elisha, recognizes that fact. This is the foundational issue that sets the pcg apart from any other Church of God group. If you follow the Elisha example in this respect, God will make you a king with a headquarters position forever. Why? Because this foundational truth points us to God the Father (Flurry G. From the Editor: An Open Letter to the Churches of God. Philadelphia Trumpet. February 2006).

Hence, Gerald Flurry is admitting that the Elisha matter is the foundational issue that sets PCG apart from the other groups.

In the 2024 video, he also mentioned about all things being restored.

The Bible reported that Elijah was a prophet (1 Kings 18:22). Jesus said in the last days, a coming Elijah would “restore all things” (Matthew 17:11). More things have been restored in the CCOG than other other church in the 21st century. For a list, check out the article: Continuing Church of God, Elijah, and Restoring All Things.

The New Testament (e.g. Acts 2, 1 Corinthians 14, Revelation 11) makes it clear that there would be prophets in the latter days. But it also warns about false ones (e.g. Matthew 24:11)–Gerald Flurry is a false one.

Anyway, an even more detailed article about prophets in the Church of God is How To Determine If Someone is a True Prophet of God. That article not only has scriptures, it also has historical COG writings that should help people who will believe the truth to be able to see the truth.

That said, PCG is not the Philadelphian remnant of the Church of God living into the Laodicean age. PCG does not have the Philadelphia mantle nor the throne of David.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

PCG: Teachings Unique to the Philadelphia Church of God Simply calling oneself ‘Philadelphia’ does not make one so (see Revelation 3:7-9), nor does Gerald Flurry calling himself “that prophet” make it so. This article provides many quotes from this group which tries to look faithful.
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.
21st Century Church of God Prophets Are there any true prophets in the 21st century? What about false prophets? What are scriptures and fruits to identify the true from the false? You you prove all things and test the spirits?
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.
Herbert W. Armstrong, the Philadelphia Church, & the Mantle Herbert Armstrong claims God had him raise the Philadelphia up. Are there reasons to believe that the Philadelphia mantle in now within the CCOG? Here is a link to a related sermon: Herbert W. Armstrong and the Philadelphia Mantle.
Does the CCOG have the confirmed signs of Acts 2:17-18? Does any church have the confirmed dream and prophetic signs of Acts 2:17-18? Should one? Here is a link in the Spanish language: ¿Tiene la CCOG confirmadas las señales de Hechos 2: 17-18? Here is a link in the French language: Est-ce que l’Église Continue de Dieu confirme les signes d’Actes 2:17-18? A related sermon in the English language is also available: 17 Last Days’ Signs of the Holy Spirit.
How To Determine If Someone is a True Prophet of God There are many false prophets, yet many overlook what the Bible teaches about how to recognize a true one. How can Christians determine who is a true prophet? This article contains a scripture-based checklist to assist with this determination. How to determine if someone is a true prophet of God This is a sermon on YouTube addressing a subject that most in the Church of God do not seem to have looked into very much. It discusses scriptures and dispels some improper assertions that some associated with the COG have made about prophets in this time.
Do You Hold to Any of These Laodicean Prophetic Errors? Most real Christians in the last days are Laodicean and hold to prophetic errors which, unless they repent, will prevent them from being protected from the coming Great Tribulation.
Dreams, the Bible, the Radio Church of God, and the Continuing Church of God How has God used dreams in the past? Does God still use dreams? Did He use any involving those in the Continuing Church of God? Here is a link in Spanish: Sueños, la Biblia, la Iglesia de Dios de la Radio, y la Continuación de la Iglesia de Dios. A related sermon is also available: Dreams, COGs, and One Man Rule.
Elijah: Past and Prophesied Information about the original Elijah and some information about the Elijah-related prophecies.
The Elijah Heresies Does the Bible teach that there will be a future Elijah? Must it be Herbert W. Armstrong?
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.
Where is the True Christian Church Today? This free online pdf booklet answers that question and includes 18 proofs, clues, and signs to identify the true vs. false Christian church. Plus 7 proofs, clues, and signs to help identify Laodicean churches. A related sermon is also available: Where is the True Christian Church? Here is a link to the booklet in the Spanish language: ¿Dónde está la verdadera Iglesia cristiana de hoy? Here is a link in the German language: WO IST DIE WAHRE CHRISTLICHE KIRCHE HEUTE? Here is a link in the French language: Où est la vraie Église Chrétienne aujourd’hui?
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.
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. See also Do You Hold to Any of These Laodicean Prophetic Errors?
Who Are The Two Witnesses? What is their job? What does the Bible reveal? What has the Church of God taught on this subject? Might even Roman Catholic prophecies give some clues here?
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.
The Bible, Peter, Paul, John, Polycarp, Herbert W. Armstrong, Roderick C. Meredith, and Bob Thiel on Church Government What form of governance did the early church have? Was it hierarchical? Which form of governance would one expect to have in the Philadelphia remnant? The people decide and/or committee forms, odd dictatorships, or the same type that the Philadelphia era itself had? What are some of the scriptural limits on ecclesiastical authority? Do some commit organizational idolatry? Here is a Spanish language version La Biblia, Policarpo, Herbert W. Armstrong, y Roderick C. Meredith sobre el gobierno de la Iglesia. Here is a link to a sermon titled Church Governance.
Continuing Church of God The group striving to be most faithful amongst all real Christian groups to the word of God. To see how CCOG has done so far, here is a sermon Continuing Church of God (CCOG) first year anniversary: What has been accomplished? Here is a written link to a version of that sermon in the Spanish language: Aniversario del primer año de la Continuación de la Iglesia de Dios: ¿Qué se ha cumplido?
CCOG.ORG Continuing Church of God The group striving to be most faithful amongst all real Christian groups to the word of God.

COGwriter

The Fall Holy Days are almost upon us.

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

1:16:19

Fall Holy Days or Winter Holidays for Christians?

Should you keep Fall Holy Days, or perhaps, instead keep Fall & Winter holidays? Though they partially acknowledge the holy days that come in the Spring, the Greco-Roman Catholic churches and the vast majority of Protestant churches do not keep the biblical holy days that generally occur in the Fall. Do all the biblical Holy Days portray many pivotal events in God’s plan? Are the God’s Holy Days listed in the Bible in the 23rd chapter of Leviticus? Are they only to be kept in Jerusalem as John Chrysostom asserted? Since many claim to keep parts of the Spring Holy Days (Passover, Pentecost), should they not also keep the Fall ones such as the Feast of Trumpets, Day of Atonement, Feast of Tabernacles, the Last Great Day? What do those days help picture? Did early Christians keep them or did they keep pagan-connected holidays such as Halloween and Christmas? What have Greco-Roman Catholic scholars concluded? Should human traditions be accepted over the word of God? Are Christians supposed to obey God rather than men? Dr. Thiel goes over these matters, historical reports, and numerous questions to help people understand if they should keep the Holy Days listed in the Bible or added religious holidays which are not.

Here is a link to our sermon video: Fall Holy Days or Winter Holidays for Christians?

Should You Keep God’s Holy Days or Demonic Holidays? This is a free pdf booklet explaining what the Bible and history shows about God’s Holy Days and popular holidays. Two related sermons are Which Spring Days should Christians observe? and Fall Holy Days for Christians.
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: Fall Holy Days or Winter Holidays for Christians?
Holy Day Calendar This is a listing of the biblical holy days through 2033, with their Roman calendar dates. They are really hard to observe if you do not know when they occur 🙂 In the Spanish/Español/Castellano language: Calendario de los Días Santos. In Mandarin Chinese: OUeåf/y^v„W#eåÿ Ù‘Ìf/NNýy^v„W#eåeåS†NÎ2013^tó2024^t0.
Feast of Tabernacles’ Sites for 2022 This is information on the Feast of Tabernacles’ sites for the Continuing Church of God in 2022. The Feast Services for 2022 are to begin the evening of October 9th and run (including the Last Great Day) until sunset October 17th.
The Book of Life and the Feast of Trumpets? Are they related? Is so how? If not, where not? What does the Feast of Trumpets, which the Jews call Rosh Hashanah, help teach? Related sermon videos include: The Last Trumpet and the Book of Life and The Trumpet Release. The article has links to hear shofar blasts.
Feast of Trumpets: Why Should You Keep It? What does the Bible say? What does this festival picture? A related sermon is available: Seven Trumpets: Jesus Returns.
The Day of Atonement–Its Christian Significance The Jews call it Yom Kippur, Christians “The Day of Atonement.” Does it have any relevance for Christians today? What is the Jubilee? Is fasting healthy? Here is a link to a sermon: Christians, the Day of Atonement, and Fasting; here is another sermon: Day of Atonement: How Jesus fulfilled His part for the Atonement. Here is a link to a related article in the Spanish language: El Día de Expiación Su significado cristiano.
The Atonement Plan How does the Day of Atonement tie into God’s plan of salvation? Three sermons of related interest are available: Atonement, Jesus, and Satanand God’s Atonement and Fasting Plan and God’s Atonement Plan.
The Feast of Tabernacles: A Time for Christians? Is this pilgrimage holy day still valid? Does it teach anything relevant for today’s Christians? What is the Last Great Day? What do these days teach? A related sermon video is Feast of Tabernacles from Israel.
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.
Christians are to Be Strangers and Pilgrims? Should Christians sojourn? What does the Bible and Feast of Tabernacles teach? A related video sermon is titled Christian Pilgrims.
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.
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 are two sermons in the English language: Seventh Day Baptists/Adventists/Messianics: Protestant or COG?and CCOG and SDA differences and similarities. Here is a link to an article in the Spanish language: Diferencias: SDA/CCOG: La bestia de dos cuernos de Apocalipsis y 666.
Is God Calling You? This booklet discusses topics including calling, election, and selection. If God is calling you, how will you respond? Here is a link to a related sermon: Could God be Calling You? A short animation is also available: Is God Calling You?
Proof Jesus is the Messiah This free book has over 200 Hebrew prophecies were fulfilled by Jesus. Plus, His arrival was consistent with specific prophecies and even Jewish interpretations of prophecy. Here are links to seven related sermons: Proof Jesus is the Messiah, Prophecies of Jesus’ birth, timing, and death, Jesus’ prophesied divinity, 200+ OT prophecies Jesus filled; Plus prophecies He made, Why Don’t Jews Accept Jesus?, Daniel 9, Jews, and Jesus, and Facts and Atheists’ Delusions About Jesus
Is God’s Existence Logical? Is it really logical to believe in God? Yes! Would you like Christian answers to give atheists? This is a free online booklet that deal with improper theories and musings called science related to the origin of the origin of the universe, the origin of life, and evolution. Two animated videos of related interest are also available: Big Bang: Nothing or Creator? and A Lifegiver or Spontaneous Evolution?
The MYSTERY of GOD’s PLAN: Why Did God Create Anything? Why did God make you? This free online book helps answers some of the biggest questions that human have, including the biblical meaning of life. Here is a link to three related sermons: Mysteries of God’s Plan, Mysteries of Truth, Sin, Rest, Suffering, and God’s Plan, and The Mystery of YOU.
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’.
Christians: Ambassadors for the Kingdom of God, Biblical instructions on living as a Christian This is a scripture-filled booklet for those wishing to live as a real Christian. A related sermon is also available: Christians are Ambassadors for the Kingdom of God.
Is God Calling You? This booklet discusses topics including calling, election, and selection. If God is calling you, how will you respond? Here is a link to a related sermon: Could God be Calling You? A short animation is also available: Is God Calling You?Christians: Ambassadors for the Kingdom of God, Biblical instructions on living as a Christian This is a scripture-filled booklet for those wishing to live as a real Christian. A related sermon is also available: Christians are Ambassadors for the Kingdom of God.
The Ten Commandments: The Decalogue, Christianity, and the Beast This is a free pdf book explaining the what the Ten Commandments are, where they came from, how early professors of Christ viewed them, and how various ones, including the Beast of Revelation, will oppose them. A related sermon is titled: The Ten Commandments and the Beast of Revelation.
The Gospel of the Kingdom of God This free online pdf booklet has answers many questions people have about the Gospel of the Kingdom of God and explains why it is the solution to the issues the world is facing. Here are links to three related sermons: The World’s False Gospel, The Gospel of the Kingdom: From the New and Old Testaments, and The Kingdom of God is the Solution.
Where is the True Christian Church Today? This free online pdf booklet answers that question and includes 18 proofs, clues, and signs to identify the true vs. false Christian church. Plus 7 proofs, clues, and signs to help identify Laodicean churches. A related sermon is also available: Where is the True Christian Church? Here is a link to the booklet in the Spanish language: ¿Dónde está la verdadera Iglesia cristiana de hoy? Here is a link in the German language: WO IST DIE WAHRE CHRISTLICHE KIRCHE HEUTE? Here is a link in the French language: Où est la vraie Église Chrétienne aujourd’hui?
Continuing History of the Church of God This pdf booklet is a historical overview of the true Church of God and some of its main opponents from Acts 2 to the 21st century. Related sermon links include Continuing History of the Church of God: c. 31 to c. 300 A.D. and Continuing History of the Church of God: 4th-16th Centuries and Continuing History of the Church of God: 17th-20th Centuries. The booklet is available in Spanish: Continuación de la Historia de la Iglesia de Dios, German: Kontinuierliche Geschichte der Kirche Gottes, and Ekegusii Omogano Bw’ekanisa Ya Nyasae Egendererete.
CCOG.ORG Continuing Church of God The group striving to be most faithful amongst all real Christian groups to the word of God. There are links to literature is about 100 different languages there.
Congregations of the Continuing Church of God This is a listing of congregations and groups of the Continuing Church of God around the world.
Continuing Church of God Facebook page This has news and prophetic information.
Continuing Church of God, Africa, Facebook page This has news and prophetic information.
Continuing Church of God, Canada, Facebook page This has news and prophetic information.
Continuing Church of God, Europe, Facebook page This has news and prophetic information.
CCOG.AFRICA This is a website targeted towards those in Africa.
CCOG.ASIA We in the Continuing Church of God also have the url www.ccog.asia which has a focus on Asia and has various articles in Mandarin Chinese as well as some in English, plus some items in other Asian languages. 我们在继续神的教会也提供此网址 www.ccog.asia, 关注于亚洲并且有各种各样的中英文文章，其中一些用菲律宾语翻译的文章也正在进行中，准备添加到这个网站中。 Here is a link to our Statement of Beliefs in Mandarin Chinese 继续神的教会的信仰声明.
CCOG.IN This is a website targeted towards those of Indian heritage. It has a link to an edited Hindi translation of The Mystery of the Ages and is expected to have more non-English language materials in the future.
CCOG.EU This is a website targeted toward Europe. It has materials in more than one language (currently it has English, Dutch, and Serbian, with links also to Spanish) and it is intended to have additional language materials added.
CCOG.NZ This is a website targeted towards New Zealand and others with a British-descended background.
CCOGCANADA.CA This is a website targeted towards those in Canada.
CDLIDD.ES La Continuación de la Iglesia de Dios. This is the Spanish language website for the Continuing Church of God.
CG7.ORG This is a website for those interested in the Sabbath and churches that observe the seventh day Sabbath.
PNIND.PH Patuloy na Iglesya ng Diyos. This is the Philippines website Continuing Church of God. It has information in English and Tagalog.
CCOG Animations YouTube channel. The Continuing Church of God has some animations to teach aspects of Christian beliefs. Also available at BitChute COGAnimations https://www.bitchute.com/channel/coganimations/
Bible News Prophecy channel. Dr. Thiel has produced hundreds of videos for the BibleNewsProphecy channel. You can find them at them on YouTube at BibleNewsProphecy https://www.youtube.com/user/BibleNewsProphecy, plus also on Vimeo at Bible News Prophecy https://vimeo.com/channels/biblenewsprophecy as well as on Brighteon Bible News Prophecy https://www.brighteon.com/channel/ccogbnp and Bitchute Prophecy https://www.bitchute.com/channel/prophecy/
CCOGAfrica channel. This has messages from African pastors in African languages such as Kalenjin, Kiswahili, Embu, and Dholuo. Also available at BitChute COGAfrica https://www.bitchute.com/channel/cogafrica/
CDLIDDSermones channel. This contains messages in the Spanish language
BibleNewsProphecy Podcast. This has audio-visual podcasts of the Bible News Prophecy channgel. It plays on i-Phones, i-Pads, and Windows devices that can play i-Tunes.
Bible News Prophecy online radio. This is an audio version of the Bible News Prophecy videos. It is also available as a mobile app.
ContinuingCOG channel. Dr. Thiel has produced scores of YouTube video sermons for this channel. Note: Since these are sermon-length, they can take a little longer to load than other YouTube videos. Also available at BitChute COGTube https://www.bitchute.com/channel/cogtube/
Statement of Beliefs of the Continuing Church of God “Contend earnestly for the faith once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3, NKJV), “Let brotherly love (Philadelphia) continue” (Hebrews 13:1) ” & continuing stedfastly in the teaching of the apostles” (Acts 2:42 YLT). So, what does that really mean in terms of specific beliefs–the Statement gives answers? Here is a related link in Spanish/español: Declaración de las Doctrinas de la Continuación de la Iglesia de Dios. Here is a related link in Tagalog: Paglalahad ng Mga Paniniwala ng Patuloy na Iglesya ng Diyos. Here is a related link in Mandarin Chinese ~ç~íy^v„eYOv„OáNðXðf. Here is a related link in Kiswahili: KATIKA LUGHA YA KISWAHILI. Here is a related link in Dutch: Verklaring van geloofspunten van de Continuing Church of God. Here is a related link in Deutsche (German): Glaubenserklärung der Continuing Church of God. Here is a related link in Italiano: Dichiarazione del Credo della Continuing Church of God. Here is related link in the French language: Déclaration des croyances de L’Église Continue de Dieu. Here is a related link in the Chichewa language: ZIKHULUPIRIRO ZA MPINGO WA CONTINUING CHURCH OF GOD. Here is a link in Romanian: Declarația de credințe a continuării Bisericii lui Dumnezeu. Here is a link in Portuguese: Declaração de Crenças da Continuação da Igreja de Deus. Here is a link in Russian: Утверждение верований о продолжении Церкви Божьей. Here is a link to a related English-language sermon: Beliefs of the Continuing Church of God.

COGwriter

LifeSiteNews, a Roman Catholic site, posted the following from priest Joachim Heimerl:

Heimerl: Pope Francis is a ‘dark pope’ preaching a ‘watered-down faith’ to please the left

Pope Francis is destroying the Church at its core. He wants a new church, a ‘synodal church,’ in short, the church that German mystic Anne Catherine Emmerich calls the ‘dark church.’

The letters from my readers say far too often that Francis is not the rightful pope. …

One thing is certain: Francis is not a guarantor of Church unity but a pope who polarizes and divides, and that is much worse than if he had been elected invalidly. An invalid election could at least be “healed” as long as the elected pope does not meet an opposing pope with a more solid claim.

With Francis, however, things are different: he may be Pope, but he is also the pope who is destroying the church at its core. He wants a new church, a “synodal” church, in short, the church that I called a “dark church” in my last column.

It is obvious that this church also has a “dark pope,” and Francis himself is demonstrating this everywhere. His pontificate is at odds with all other pontificates and thus with the Church of Christ; Francis does not let the Catholic faith shine but has made it the antithesis of his dark pontificate. …

Incidentally, the same applies to a Pope who fervently kisses the hand of a Muslim cleric, as happened recently in Jakarta. But it was only when Francis then also announced that all religions lead equally to God that the bottom fell out of the barrel.

American Bishop Joseph Strickland immediately accused Francis of heresy and was right to do so. Let us remember, Jesus Himself proclaimed the absolute opposite of what Francis dared to claim: “No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). Francis cannot get past this either, making him the first pope to deny the redemptive work of Christ! Yes, he really is a dark pope! https://www.lifesitenews.com/opinion/fr-heimerl-pope-francis-is-a-dark-pope-preaching-a-watered-down-faith-to-please-the-left/?utm_source=most_recent&utm_campaign=usa

Now, I have a four volume set of books on that German mystic Anne Catherine Emmerich. I did not recall the term “dark pope,” so I conducted searches in two different AI search engines and they basically say that the expression “dark pope” was not used by her but is a “modern interpretation.”

One AI search did, however, point to something in volume 2, which I have quoted before. Here is what it states:

Anne Catherine Emmerich (October 1, 1822) “The Church,” she groaned, “is in great danger. I must ask every one who comes to see me to say an Our Father for that intention. We must pray that the Pope may not leave Rome, for unheard-of evils would result from such a step. We must pray the Holy Ghost to enlighten him, for they are even now trying to exact something of him. The Protestant doctrine, as also that of the Greeks, is spreading everywhere. Two men live at this time who long to ruin the Church, but they have lost one who used to help them with his pen. He was killed by a young man about a year ago, and one of the two men of whom I speak left Germany at the same time. They have their employees everywhere. The little black man in Rome, whom I see so often, has many working for him without their clearly knowing for what end. He has his agents in the new black church also. If the Pope leaves Rome, the enemies of the Church will get the upper hand. I see the little black man in his own country committing many thefts and falsifying things generally. Religion is there so skillfully undermined and stifled that there are scarcely one hundred faithful priests. I cannot say how it is, but I see fog and darkness increasing. There are however, three churches that they cannot seize: St. Peter’s, St. Mary-Major’s and St. Michael’s. Although they are constantly trying to undermine them, they will not succeed. I help not. All must be rebuilt soon for every one, even ecclesiastics are laboring to destroy–ruin is at hand. The two enemies of the Church who have lost their accomplice are firmly resolved to destroy the pious and learned men that stand in their way.” (Schmöger Carl E. The Life and Revelations of Anne Catherine Emmerich, Volume 2. Approbation: Bishop of Limbourgh Peter Joseph. TAN Books, reprint 1976, p.298).

A dark pontiff is not mentioned there. As I have written before, I do not believe that the “little black man in Rome” (which is not “his own country”) is actually Negroid in race (nor were the one or two Roman Catholic commentators I have read who discussed this matter–they indicated some type of Caucasian). This is because a dark/black church is spoken about there and in other places (i.e. Schmöger, pp.279-280,283-284,292), and in Roman Catholic writings, the term black (as shown in some other Roman Catholic writings, i.e. Hildegard of Bingen. Scivias. Paulist Press, Mahwah (NJ), pp. 173-174,299) appears to mean one contrary to or outside of the Roman Church.  Furthermore since the two witnesses seem to wear some black cloth and many Roman Catholic prophecies are warning against biblical prophecies (a related article of interest may include Do Greco-Roman Catholic Prophecies Warn Against Jesus or Antichrist?), this warning may be directed against the actual two witnesses.

Anne Catherine Emmerich was also known as Anna-Katarina Emmerick. She was a nun who was a stigmatic (an Roman Catholic term for someone with some of “the wounds of Jesus” on them, she also allegedly had a cross on her chest). She made a series of predictions that may involve the Philadelphia remnant of the Church of God and/or separated COGs as “the secret sect”:

Anna-Katarina Emmerick…Blessed Sister Emmerick was an Augustinian nun. She was born in Germany in 1774…

“Once more I saw that the Church of Peter was undermined by a plan evolved by the secret sect, while storms were damaging it. But I saw also that help was coming when distress had reached its peak. I saw again the Blessed Virgin ascend on the Church and spread her mantle [over it]. I saw a Pope who was at once gentle, and very firm…I saw a great renewal, and the Church rose high in the sky.” (Dupont, p.60)

Anne Catherine Emmerich: May 13, 1820…I saw again the present Pope and the dark church of his time in Rome. It seemed to be a large, old house like a town-hall with columns in front. I saw no altar in it, but only benches, and in the middle of it something like a pulpit. They had preaching and singing, but nothing else, and only very few attended it…The whole church was draped in black, and all that took place in it was shrouded in gloom…I saw the fatal consequences of this counterfeit church ; I saw it increase ; I saw heretics of all kinds flocking to the city. I saw the ever-increasing trepidity of the clergy , the circle of darkness ever widening…Again I saw in vision St. Peter’s undermined according to a plan devised by the secret sect whilst, at the same time, it was damaged by storms; but it was delivered at the moment of greatest distress. (Emmerich AC. The Life and Revelations of Anne Catherine Emmerich. Schmöger edition, Vol. II. Approbation: Bishop of Limbourg Peter Joseph. Reprint TAN Books, Rockford (IL), 1976, pp. 277,279-281).

October, 1820. Sister Emmerich’s labors at this time were constantly directed to the welfare of the Church which, as usual, she beheld typified by St. Peter’s, at Rome. The secret society, with its world-wide ramifications engaged against ceaseless war against the Bride of Christ, was shown to her as the empire of Antichrist symbolized by the beast in the Apocalypse rising out of the sea and fomenting attacks upon the flock of Christ.

In relating this vision, the Pilgrim makes the following remarks: “It is, indeed, full of breaks, for the invalid saw it under allegorical representations difficult for her to describe. What is most astonishing, is that it touches upon many points of the Apocalypse of St. John, of which humanly speaking she must have been wholly ignorant, as she has very little knowledge of the Holy Scriptures or of any other book. If, at times, she seems to read, it is with a mind deeply absorbed in contemplation and she sees very different things from those discussed in the volume before her. The vision is, as follows:

‘I see new martyrs, not of the present but of the future, though even now they are oppressed. I saw the secret society undermining the great church (St. Peter’s) and near them a horrible beast that arose out of the sea. It had a tail like a fish, claws like a lion, and numberless heads that lay like a crown around one large head; its jaws were large and red, its body spotted like a tiger. It was very familiar with the demolishers, lying near them whilst they worked, and, again, concealing itself in a cave. Here and there throughout the whole world I saw many good, pious people, especially ecclesiastics, harassed, imprisoned, and oppressed, and I felt that at some future day, they would be martyred. When the church was well-nigh overturned, the choir and altar alone remaining untouched, I saw the demolishers thronging into it accompanied by the beast. But they encountered a tall, majestic female who seemed to be with child for she walked very slowly. The wretches were filled with affright on seeing her and the beast lay paralyzed, furiously darting its head toward her, as if to devour her; but she turned and fell prostrate on her face. Then I saw the beast fleeing to the sea, the enemy hurrying off in disorder, and immense circles of combatants surrounding the church, some on the earth, others high in the air. The first circle was composed of youths and maidens; the second, of married persons of all classes from royalty down; the third, of religious; the fourth, of warriors, led by a rider on a white horse; and the fifth, and last was made up of citizens and peasants, many of whom were marked on the forehead with a red cross. As this army drew near, the captives and oppressed were delivered and swelled the ranks whilst the demolishers and conspirators were put to flight on all sides. They were, without knowing how, gathered together into one confused mass in the midst of a dense fog; they knew neither what they did nor what they ought to do; and they ran pell-mell against one another, as I so often see them. Then I saw the church speedily rebuilt and more magnificent than before, for its defenders brought stones from all parts of the earth. When the most distant circles drew near, the nearest withdrew to make way for them. The former appeared to represent the various labors of prayer; the latter, the soldiers, the deeds of war. I saw among these last friends and enemies of all nations, simply soldiers like our own and dressed like them. They did not form a perfect circle, but a crescent opening toward the north into an immense dark abyss like a chasm, a precipice, like a descent into darkness, like that to which Adam was driven from Paradise. I felt that a region of darkness lay beyond. I saw that some out of these circles remained behind. They would not advance, but stood gloomily huddled together. I saw some also who would one day be martyred for Jesus; but there were many wicked people among them, and another separation was to take place.–The church was completely restored. Above it on a mountain, was the Lamb of God surrounded by a troop of virgins with palm-branches, and five circles of celestial cohorts corresponding to the five circles below. They all arrived together, and all acted in concert. Around the Lamb stood the four mysterious beasts of the Apocalypse” (Emmerich AC. The Life and Revelations of Anne Catherine Emmerich. Schmöger edition, Vol. II. Approbation: Bishop of Limbourg Peter Joseph. Reprint TAN Books, Rockford (IL), 1976, pp. 290-291).

Sept. 12, 1820. “I saw a strange church being built against every rule … No angels were supervising the building operations. In that church, nothing came from high above … There was only division and chaos. (Dupont, p.61)

But there (in the strange big church) all the work was being done mechanically (i.e. according to set rules and formulae). Everything was being done according to human reason … (Dupont, p.61)

“I saw all sorts of people, things, doctrines, and opinions. There was something proud, presumptuous, and violent about it, and they seemed to be very successful. I did not see a single Angel nor a single saint helping in the work. (Dupont, p.61)

August to October 1820. “I see more martyrs, not now but in the future…I saw the secret sect relentlessly undermining the great Church. (Dupont, p.62)

August to October 1820. “When the Church had been for the most part destroyed (By the secret sect), and when only the sanctuary and altar were still standing. (Dupont, p.62)

June 1, 1821. “Then, I saw the everything that pertained to Protestantism was gradually gaining the upper hand, and the Catholic religion fell into complete decadence. (Dupont, p.68)

October 22, 1822. “Very bad times will come when non-Catholics will lead many people astray. (Dupont, p.71)

I believe that some of the above apply to Philadelphians in particular (e.g. it will flee per Revelation 12:14 & Matthew 24:20; see There is a Place of Safety for the Philadelphians), and others include the COGs in general. I specifically believe that the works and plans of a leader of the Philadelphia remnant in the Continuing Church of God will be considered as undermining the revising/changing Roman Catholic Church: specifically “restoring all things” that were part of “Apostolic” or “original “Christianity”(I bolded the expression red cross above because this seems to be a symbol associated with the Great Monarch, cf. Culleton, p. 159).

That said, in my book, The Last Pope: Do Biblical and Catholic Prophecies Point to Pope Francis?, I have the following:

Pope Francis I was born in Argentina, is a Jesuit, …

Historically, there seems to have been a mistrust of electing a Jesuit as pope, and sometimes that order has been considered to be a bit militaristic: “it’s common even today for Italian Catholics to refer to the Jesuit General as ‘il papa nero,’ the black pope.”[i]

It should be noted that Jesuits normally do not use that expression themselves, and the term “black” is believed to connotate being hidden.  A variety of “conspiracy theorist-types” have implicated the “black pope” as being responsible for many illicit activities.[ii]  Without trying to address them here, let me state that it is the secretiveness, as well as some known past activities of the Jesuits, that have caused some concerns.[iii]

[i]^{Riva A. Pope Francis I: First Jesuit Pope Shatters Centuries Of Mistrust.  International Business Times, March 13, 2013}

[ii]^{Martin R. The Most Powerful Man in the World? The “Black” Pope Count Hans Kolvenbach — The Jesuit’s General. The SPECTRUM Newspaper, May 2000, per http://www.biblebelievers.org.au/blackpope.htmviewed March 13, 2013}

[iii]^{Riva A. Pope Francis I: First Jesuit Pope Shatters Centuries Of Mistrust.  International Business Times, March 13, 2013}

Regarding some of that, we put out the following video which has had over 73,000 views:

Here is a link to the video: Could Pope Francis I be the Last Pope and Antichrist?

At the beginning of this year, a priest was excommunicated from the Church of Rome for referring to Francis as an antipope:

An Italian Catholic priest has been excommunicated for having publicly committed “an act of a schismatic nature” while celebrating Mass at his parish near Livorno.

The priest, Father Ramon Guidetti, dedicated his homily Dec. 31 to marking the anniversary of the death of Pope Benedict XVI, whom he named as being “the true pope” who “never fled the barque of Peter.”

In his 20-minute homily, the 48-year-old priest detailed the qualities of “real priests” and cardinals versus those who side with “Bergoglio (Pope Francis) and his mercenaries.” He said the See of Peter is occupied by a “masonic Jesuit tied to a group of globalists, an antipope usurper.”

Bishop Simone Giusti of Livorno issued the decree declaring the priest’s excommunication Jan. 1 and posted it on the diocese’s website. https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2024/01/03/italian-priest-excommunicated-pope-francis-246813

Francis’ positions on homosexual unions are one reason some Roman Catholics consider him to be a type of antipope:

“Pope Francis’ Christmas gift to the church was finally confirming that he is a heretic and quite likely an antipope,” another Catholic X user, @n3liason, wrote. “He must be opposed completely now, and any bishop who doesn’t is complicit.”

“It doesn’t matter how orthodox the documents are, simply by allowing blessings, Pope Francis has given an inch,” @JadeAtrophis posted. “And they will take a mile with it. The only way to prevent this at all is to not give an inch in the first place.”

“The Vatican has fallen!” @LarryDJonesJr wrote, echoing language used in the past in reaction to businesses or institutions adopting LGBTQ-friendly practices. “Pope Francis has approved priests blessing same-sex couples. Did you see that coming?” 12/18/23 https://www.newsweek.com/pope-francis-same-sex-marriage-blessing-backlash-1853397

Notice also something else I had published in 2013, within 24 hours of Jorge Mario Bergoglio being declared Pope Francis, in my book: The Last Pope: Do Biblical and Catholic Prophecies Point to Pope Francis?:

3. Do Catholic Prophecies Warn About an Antipope?

Could Pope Francis I be an “antipope”?

Is an “antipope” coming? …

Technically, the final Antichrist could also be construed as an “antipope” in that he will accept changes to the current Roman Catholic religion that the “King of the North” (Daniel 11:37-40) prefers and promote emperor worship (Revelation 13:14). …

Although some Roman Catholic scholars seem to ignore or discount the idea of a future King of the North in Daniel 11 (Kurz, p. 68), quite a few Catholic writers expect that an ecumenical pope and a conquering emperor will come on the scene.

What is an antipope/anti-pope? Here is a short definition from The Catholic Encyclopedia:

Antipope

A false claimant of the Holy See in  opposition to a pontiff canonically elected. (“Antipope.” The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 1. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1907. Nihil Obstat. March 1, 1907. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York. 25 Feb. 2013 <http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01582a.htm> )

While historically most have considered that antipopes falsely claimed the Roman Bishopric when others had it, I would contend that it is reasonable to conclude that one who was elected under false pretenses would also be a false claimant and hence antipope. Or if a pope changed and became demonically-possessed, such as the situation involving the False Prophet of Revelation 16:13, would that not make him an antipope? Most Catholics, at least now, would tend to agree that such a one would be a false claimant to the papal role. If so, that would seem to make him an antipope.

Although there have not been any recognized antipopes for several centuries, The Catholic Encyclopedia shows a list of thirty individuals that have been considered antipopes (Ibid) .This is roughly one for every ten claimed “Bishops of Rome.” …

Is the Pope Catholic or Will He Betray Rome?

In some households, the expression, “Is the Pope Catholic?,” is asked with the intent of suggesting a “yes” or “obviously yes” response to a question. Since the fourth century, the popes have all claimed to be Catholic (they were not called “pontifex maximus” prior to then) and the vast majority have been Roman Catholic in their faith. Some were more hypocritical, etc. and thus this author would be hesitant to claim that all the Bishops of Rome have truly held to the faith of that church.

But is it possible that the last pope, who could be Pope Francis I, will not be Roman Catholic? On the surface this seems absurd.

As discussed in chapter 2, prior to becoming Pope Francis I, Jorge Mario Bergoglio went to Catholic seminary, became a Catholic priest, then a bishop, then a cardinal, and then on March 13, 2013, the Bishop of Rome. So, to most he clearly is a Catholic. And Pope Francis I may well truly be.

But if he is the last and final pope, then the Bible shows that he will allow compromise mightily and allow the Catholic Church of Rome to be betrayed, hence suggesting that he would not then be true to the Catholic faith.

Connecting the Dots

As cited earlier, the Bible tells of a religious leader who will rise up and support the final European Beast power to the point of attempting to force people to worship that Beast (Revelation 13:11-17).

Although some have suggested that the ten-horned Beast of the Sea (Revelation 13:1-4) will turn against and burn the two-horned Beast of the Earth (Revelation 13:11), based upon the teachings of Revelation 17:16-17, since this two-horned Beast is the False Prophet of Revelation 16:13 and he gets burnt by Jesus and His angels (Revelation 19:15-21, someone or something else must get destroyed in Revelation 17.

The Bible specifies that the someone/something is a city that rules over the world. Since the time of Jesus, what are the only organizations that ruled over much of the old Roman Empire from a seven-hilled city?

They would include the old Roman Empire, the Church of Rome, and to a lessor degree, the Eastern Orthodox Church (Constantinople/ Istanbul is on seven-hills, similar to Rome and had a certain prominence for about 1,000 years). They have had relations with world rulers that have not always lived up to New Testament ideals and actually are the only ones that could possibly fit the historical record.

Now since parts of both Roman and Orthodox Catholic prophecy show that Rome wins out between the two in the end in terms of final top leader, this is consistent with the historical understanding within the Church of God that Rome is the unfaithful woman in Revelation 17. Presuming that is the case, then if one connects-the-dots, it is the Church of Rome that gets betrayed by supporters of the ten-horned Beast in Revelation 17. And since the two-horned Beast is a major supporter of the ten-horned Beast, he then has at least some responsibility in this end time destruction of the Church of Rome (for more dots to connect, see also chapters 5 and 12).

Since it should be almost inconceivable that a pope that was truly Roman Catholic in the sense of the Catechism of the Catholic Church would totally betray his church, this is why I am suggesting that the last pope will not truly be Catholic.

This destruction of Rome is consistent with various Catholic private prophecies that suggest that a top Roman clergy member (like a pope) would betray their church and oversee the destruction of Rome…

For years I have believed that the last pope would not truly be Catholic. He would be a different type of “antipope” (most antipopes occurred because of disputed elections, but I have suggested that a pontiff who does not hold too many of the core beliefs of the Church of Rome would also seem to fit the definition of an antipope).

Will Pope Francis I end up being that pontiff?

(Thiel B. The Last Pope: Do Biblical and Catholic Prophecies Point to Pope Francis? Nazarene Books, 2013, pp. 22-24, 86-89)

Pope Francis has taken steps that many Roman Catholics do not believe are appropriate for the Bishop of Rome.

Related to some of that, the Continuing Church of God put out the following video on our Bible New Prophecy YouTube channel:

Francis’ pushing of the ecumenical and interfaith agendas, while watering down certain aspects of Roman Catholicism, will make it that much easier for an antipope, who according to various Roman Catholic writings would be the final Antichrist, to rise up.

An antipope who will help target the Church of God.

Some items of related interest may include:

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.
Laudato Si: Pope’s Agenda or Kingdom of God? Pope Francis’ 2nd encyclical is titled ‘Laudato Si.’ In it, he goes over his views related to environmental, economic, social, moral, agricultural, and spiritual issues. He advocates international cooperation to solve various problems he
Persecutions by Church and State This article documents some that have occurred against those associated with the COGs and some prophesied to occur. Will those with the cross be the persecutors or the persecuted–this article has the shocking answer. There are also three video sermons you can watch: Cancel Culture and Christian Persecution, The Coming Persecution of the Church, and Christian Persecution from the Beast. Here is information in the Spanish language: Persecuciones de la Iglesia y el Estado.
Freemasonry and the Destruction of Rome? What is Freemasonry? What about ties to the Illuminati? Could they be involved in the fulfillment of prophecy? Here is a link to a related sermon: Freemasonry, Armageddon, and Rome.
What Do Roman Catholic Scholars Actually Teach About Early Church History? Although most believe that the Roman Catholic Church history teaches an unbroken line of succession of bishops beginning with Peter, with stories about most of them, Roman Catholic scholars know the truth of this matter. Is telling the truth about the early church citing Catholic accepted sources anti-Catholic? This eye-opening article is a must-read for any who really wants to know what Roman Catholic history actually admits about the early church. There is also a YouTube sermon on the subject titled Church of God or Church of Rome: What Do Catholic Scholars Admit About Early Church History?
Pope Francis: Could this Marian Focused Pontiff be Fulfilling Prophecy? Pope Francis has taken many steps to turn people more towards his version of ‘Mary.’ Could this be consistent with biblical and Catholic prophecies? This article documents what has been happening. There is also a video version titled Pope Francis: Could this Marian Focused Pontiff be Fulfilling Prophecy?
The Gospel of the Kingdom of God This free online pdf booklet has answers many questions people have about the Gospel of the Kingdom of God and explains why it is the solution to the issues the world is facing. Here are links to four related sermons:  The Fantastic Gospel of the Kingdom of God!, The World’s False Gospel, The Gospel of the Kingdom: From the New and Old Testaments, and The Kingdom of God is the Solution.
Christ or Antichrist? 1961 article by David Jon Hill, originally published in the old Good News magazine.
Will You Be Deceived by Antichrist? 1964 article by David Jon Hill, originally published in the old Good News magazine.
Satan’s Plan Does Satan have a plan? What is it? Has it already been successful? Will it be successful in the future? Here are links to a two-part sermon series: What are Some of the Parts of Satan’s Plan? and Satan’s Plan is More Dramatic than Many Realize.
Do Certain Greco-Roman Catholic Prophecies About Antichrist Warn Against Jesus? Will the final “Anti-Christ” be Jewish, insist on Saturday, be opposed to the trinity, and bring in the millennium? Certain Catholic writings indicate this, while others take a different view, but what does the Bible show? A related sermon is Will Jesus Christ be called the Antichrist?
Some Doctrines of Antichrist Are there any doctrines taught outside the Churches of God which can be considered as doctrines of antichrist? This article suggests at least three. It also provides information on 666 and the identity of “the false prophet.” Plus it shows that several Catholic writers seem to warn about an ecumenical antipope that will support heresy. You can also watch a video titled What Does the Bible teach about the Antichrist?
Could Pope Francis be the Last Pope and Antichrist? According to some interpretations of the prophecies of the popes by the Catholic saint and Bishop Malachy, Pope Francis I is in the position of “Peter the Roman,” the pontiff who reigns during tribulations until around the time of the destruction of Rome. Do biblical prophecies warn of someone that sounds like Peter the Roman? Could Francis I be the heretical antipope of Catholic private prophecies and the final Antichrist of Bible prophecy? This is a YouTube video.
The Malachy Prophecies and “Peter the Roman” An Irish bishop allegedly predicted something about 112 popes in the 12th century. Pope Benedict XVI was number 111. Francis would seem to be number 112–if he is that one–and if so, he is to reign until Rome is destroyed. May he be an antipope/final Antichrist?
The Last Pope Do Biblical and Catholic Prophecies Point to Pope Francis? Why might Pope Francis be the last pope? What happens if he is? Biblical and other prophecies help explain what to expect.
The Last Pope: Do Biblical and Catholic Prophecies Point to Pope Francis? Amazon Book What does the Bible say about a pope near this time? Is the final pope to be an antipope and antichrist? Does Catholic prophecy point to Pope Francis as being the dreaded “Peter the Roman”? This 186 page book provides information and answers.
The Last Pope: Do Biblical and Catholic Prophecies Point to Pope Francis? Kindle This electronic version of the printed book which is available for only US$2.99. 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 for your free Kindle reader and then go to The Last Pope: Do Biblical and Catholic Prophecies Point to Pope Francis? Kindle.

#BREAKING: Hezbollah’s Internal Military Intelligence Document claims 879 Hezbollah members were killed as a result of explosion of its internal communication network devices such as pagers and walkie-talkies. 131 Iranians, 79 Yemenis, of which 291 senior officials were killed. pic.twitter.com/bJADRz8Y9T

— Aditya Raj Kaul (@AdityaRajKaul) September 20, 2024

COGwriter

Notice the following:

Israel Widens Strikes Against Hezbollah in ‘New Phase’ of War

September 20, 2024

Military says 100 sites were hit across southern Lebanon …

Israel carried out extensive air strikes across southern Lebanon on Thursday, stepping up hostilities after it declared a “new phase” of war against militant group Hezbollah in the area. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-09-20/israel-widens-strikes-against-hezbollah-in-new-phase-of-war

War may not as of yet have been formally declared, but make no mistake about it, Israel is absolutely at war and in a state of war with Hezbollah in Lebanon. Events playing out over the past 24 hours brings you to that inescapable conclusion immediately. Israel has launched not one but two surprise attacks, and Hezbollah sits on a massive cache of rockets and missiles. … The Middle East is literally reeling from these highly unexpected and unprecedented events. Over in New York City, The United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution today demanding that Israel entirely pull out of Palestinian areas within a year, and called for an embargo on arms that Israel might use in those areas. The clock is ticking, Christian, 09/18/24 https://www.nowtheendbegins.com/is-it-war-as-second-wave-of-device-explosions-rock-lebanon-un-general-assembly-demands-israel-pull-out-from-all-palestinian-areas-within-12-months/

Israel and Hezbollah have both been preparing for a final showdown for many years, and now here we are.  I have a feeling that both sides have more surprises up their sleeves, and in the months ahead we are going to witness things that we have never seen before.  Of course we have never seen thousands of pagers and walkie-talkies suddenly explode before either.  During a speech that was delivered on Thursday, Hezbollah’s leader Hassan Nasrallah publicly declared that “all red lines have been crossed by the enemy”…

Hezbollah’s leader has condemned Israel after thousands of pagers and walkie talkies exploded over two days, saying ‘all red lines have been crossed by the enemy’ and that the deadly attacks ‘deserve a response’.

Nasrallah also said that what we witnessed this week was a “declaration of war” by Israel…

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah declared Israel’s surprise pager and handheld radio attacks a “declaration of war” and dared the Jewish state to invade Lebanon. As he spoke, Israeli forces carpet bombed the terror group’s strongholds.

In a televised address Thursday, Nasrallah acknowledged that Hezbollah “received a heavy, painful blow,” saying that Israel’s decision to detonate scores of pagers and other electronic devices earlier this week amounted to “a major aggression” that will not go unanswered.

“These massacres amount to war crimes or a declaration of war,” Nasrallah said, promising “a crushing response from the axis of resistance.”

It sounds like he is saying that Israel and Hezbollah are now officially at war. 09/19/24 https://endoftheamericandream.com/hezbollah-says-all-red-lines-have-been-crossed-and-there-will-be-a-devastating-response-to-israels-declaration-of-war/

Yes, the last few days have been a new phase of the war, an expanded regional war.

I warned earlier this Summer that there are timing reasons as to why we might see an escalation of the regional war sometime during the Summer (e.g. June 23, 2024 post: Guardian: Israel’s Iron Dome risks being overwhelmed in all-out war with Hezbollah, says US). Since Summer does not end until tomorrow, that looks, to a degree, to have happened–a new phase of the war sounds like a larger regional war. While Israel believes it is winning, it has also triggered concerns around the world and likely Hezbollah’s allies to plan violent responses.

Now regarding the tweet at the beginning of this post, other sources say that only 37 people were killed and that Hezbollah is exaggerating–even Iran has denied it lost that many. Yet, the fact is that thousands were injured and it may take time to know how many were actually killed–and even in time, it may not be clear.

That said, the war has escalated. Notice the following:

IDF confirms 140 rockets launched from Lebanon

20 September 2024

13:19 BST

The Israel Defense Forces has just confirmed that around 140 rockets have been launched at northern Israel so far today.

Air defences intercepted “some” of the 120 launches, the IDF says, which were fired at the occupied Golan Heights, Safed and the Upper Galilee areas.

Fire and rescue services in several areas are extinguishing blazes caused by fallen rockets, the IDF says.

Around 20 more rockets were fired at Meiron and Netua, it adds. …

Fourteen Palestinians killed in latest Israeli attacks on Gazapublished at 13:32 British Summer Time

13:32 BST

Meanwhile in Gaza, Israeli forces have killed at least 14 Palestinians in the latest tank and air strikes on north and central areas, according to medics.

Reuters news agency reports that officials said Israeli tanks shelled the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, and an air strike hit a house in Gaza City in the north. https://www.bbc.com/news/live/cwyl9048gx8t

Israel and Hezbollah keep up attacks despite U.S. warning against escalation after pagers explode

September 20, 2024

Beirut, Lebanon — The White House has warned both Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah group against “escalation of any kind” following this week’s synchronized pager and walkie talkie explosions targeting Hezbollah members, but overnight, Israeli warplanes carried out dozens of strikes across southern Lebanon, and Hezbollah has continued firing back.

There were loud explosions and fires ignited by what the Israel Defense Forces said were strikes targeting hundreds of active Hezbollah rocket launchers in Lebanon early Friday.

It appeared to be one of the most extensive Israeli attacks on Hezbollah’s stronghold in southern Lebanon since the two sides started trading fire 11 months ago, with Hezbollah claiming its rocket attacks on northern Israel as support for its allies Hamas and the Palestinian people.

September 20, 2024

The Israel Defense Forces has entered a new stage in the conflict against Iran’s regional terrorist proxies, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said on Wednesday, speaking shortly before a second wave of explosions hit Hezbollah communications devices across Beirut and Southern Lebanon.

“I estimate that we are at the beginning of a new period in this war,” he declared, speaking at the Ramat David Airbase near Haifa.

“The center of gravity is moving to the north. This means that we are moving forces, resources and energy to the north,” the defense minister said. …

Hezbollah, a proxy of Iran, “is not Hamas … and we need to take this into account. We need consistency over time. This war requires courage, determination and perseverance,” according to the defense minister. https://israel365news.com/396410/gallant-northern-border-is-becoming-the-main-front-of-war/

In Isaiah 22:1-14, the Bible shows that God will allow something that appears to be an Iranian-Syrian-Southern Lebanese confederation, to strike the nation of Israel.

UPDATE 1230PDT/1530 EDT: Israel bombed a target in Beirut today as CNN reports:

September 20. 2024

At least 14 people have died in Israel’s airstrike Friday in Beirut, according to the Lebanese health ministry.

The strike hit a multistorey residential building in the southern part of the city.

Top Hezbollah military figure Ibrahim Aqil and other senior Hezbollah elite force members were killed, according to the Israeli military. https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/lebanon-explosions-hezbollah-israel-09-20-24-intl-hnk/index.html

Israel’s actions this week look to be a factor that will provoke that.

I believe that Iran, Hezbollah, and Syria are most likely consulting with each other to determine how and when to launch a major attack against Israel.

UPDATE 09/22/24: The Continuing Church of God (CCOG) just uploaded the following Bible News Prophecy video on our Bible News Prophecy YouTube channel related to some of what has been happening:

14:30

 

Israel Intensifies the War

European Union foreign policy chief, Josep Borrel, has been brokering the nuclear negotiations involving Iran and said that he thinks the deal is “in danger.” Iran blames the United States, whereas the USA says they are not delaying it. Israeli sources stated that Israel will stop Iran from getting a nuclear bomb. Joe Biden says the USA would use its own military power to prevent Iran from getting such a bomb if need be. In 2021, Iranian lawmakers have submitted a bill seeking the government by law to commit to Israel’s destruction by the year 2040. Does the 22nd chapter of Isaiah point to damage coming to Israel from Iran and possibly Syria? Might Iran be concerned enough about limited progress with the USA to launch some type of attack? Is Iran the prophesied ‘King of the South’? Is it reasonable to think that the prophesied peace deal of Daniel 9:27 will not happen until after a military conflict. like a regional war? Should Christians watch the Middle East? Dr. Thiel and Steve Dupuie discuss these matters.

Here is a link to our video: Israel Intensifies the War.

We are in a time of wars and rumors of wars as Jesus foretold (Matthew 24:4-8).

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

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. Here are links to related sermons: Seeing Christianity Through Islamic Eyes, Imam Mahdi, women, and prophecy, and Terrorism, Iran, and Fatima, Dajjal, Antichrist, Gold, & Mark of the Beast?, and Jesus and God’s Plan for Muslims.
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. Here is a link to a related sermon: Seeing Christianity Through Islamic Eyes. Here is a related sermon in the Spanish language: El cristianismo visto a través de los ojos islámicos.
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 are also two related videos: Iran In Prophecy and Iran and Israel Conflict.
Gaza and the Palestinians in Bible Prophecy What does the Bible teach about Gaza and the fate of the Palestinians? Here is a link to two related videos: Gaza and Bible Prophecy and Gaza and Palestine in Prophecy.
Damascus and Syria in Prophecy Will Bashar Assad hold power as he has it? Does the Bible show that Damascus, the capital of Syria, will be destroyed? What will happen to Syria? Will the Syrians support the final King of the South that the Bible tells will rise up? Which scriptures discuss the rise and fall of an Arabic confederation? Does Islamic prophecy predict the destruction of Syria. This is a YouTube video.
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.
The Arab and Islamic World In the Bible, History, and Prophecy The Bible discusses the origins of the Arab world and discusses the Middle East in prophecy. What is ahead for the Middle East and those who follow Islam? What about the Imam Mahdi? What lies ahead for Turkey, Iran, and the other non-Arabic Muslims? An item of possibly related interest in the Spanish language would be: Líderes iraníes condenan la hipocresía de Occidente y declaran que ahora es tiempo para prepararse para el Armagedón, la guerra, y el Imán Mahdi.
Is the Future King of the South Rising Up? Some no longer believe there needs to be a future King of the South. Might Egypt, Islam, Iran, Arabs, or Ethiopia be involved? Might this King be called the Mahdi or Caliph? What does the Bible say? Two videos of related interest are: The Future King of the South is Rising and The Rise and Fall of the King of the South. Here is a version the Spanish language: ¿Esta Surgiendo el Rey Del Sur?

COGwriter

Since Jesus and the Apostles kept the Sabbaths and the Holy Days, why do most who profess Christ not observe them?

While social pressure, tradition, and twisted interpretation of scripture all play a role, one role that is overlooked by many is the fact that there are a few passages in the New Testament that have often been intentionally mistranslated.

YES, INTENTIONALLY MISTRANSLATED!

Sadly, because of tradition and a lack of real love for the truth, most people who profess Christ do not care.

Colossians 2:16-17 and Galatians 4:8-10

The most common portion of the Bible that I have heard cited as “proof” that the biblical holy days are done away with is Colossian 2:16-17.

Here is one popular mistranslation of it:

16 So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, 17 which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ. (Colossians 2:16-17, NKJV)

The above gives a rendering that suggests that the holy days are not important, like they have no substance. But that is not what the Apostle Paul was actually saying.

So, let’s examine two other translations of those passages:

16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: 17 Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ. (Colossians 2:16-17, KJV)

16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat or in drink, or in respect of a festival day, or of the new moon, or of the sabbaths, 17 Which are a shadow of things to come, but the body is of Christ. (Colossians 2:16-17, Douay-Rheims)

The above translations are closer than the NKJV. However, they both added a word that is not in the original Greek.

The word added is “is.” Truly literal translations leave it out as it is not in there. Notice the Strong’s words for verse 17:

3739. 2076 4639… 3588……. 3195 3588…… 1161 4983 9999 3588 5547
Which are a shadow of things to come; the…. but.. body ….is…. of… Christ.
(Interlinear Transliterated Bible. Copyright (c) 1994 by Biblesoft).

It should be noted that 9999 means that there was no word in the biblical text–so oddly, even though they knew there was no word, even the Interlinear added something that the verse in Greek did not say. It should also be noted that #3588 is most often translated as “the.”

Because the same three Strong’s words (#4983, 3588, & 5547) are used four other times in the New Testament and in those times the KJV translates it as “the body of Christ” (Romans 7:4; 1 Corinthians 10:16; 1 Corinthians 12:27; Ephesians 4:12)–as does the NKJV (The Douay-Rheims translates it that way in three of those verses; in the one that it does not, 1 Corinthians 10:16, it translates it as “blood of Christ”).

Therefore, if all the translators were simply consistent with themselves, they would have translated Colossians 2:16-17 to state:

16 Therefore let NO MAN JUDGE YOU in eating and drinking or in respect of a festival or of an observance of the new moon or of a sabbath; 17 for those things are a shadow of the things to come, BUT THE BODY OF CHRIST.

Or in other words, do not let those outside the body of Christ (the church, Colossians 1:18) judge you regarding holy days, but only the church itself. Colossians 2:16-17 is not saying that the holy days are done away.

It is sad, but most in the Protestant and Catholic worlds have misunderstood Colossians 2:16-17 because translators who know better MISTRANSLATED it.

Even the early Orthodox bishop Ambrose of Milan recognized that Colossians 2:17 was referring to the “body of Christ” as he wrote the following comment about it:

Let us, then, seek the body of Christ…where the body of Christ is, there is the truth.
(Ambrose of Milan. Book II. On the Belief in the Resurrection, section 107. A Select Library of Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church: Socrates, Sozomenus: Church histories. Schaff P, Wace H, editors. Christian literature Company, 1896 Original from the University of Virginia Digitized Nov 11, 2008, p. 192).

It is sad that modern translators of the Greek have often ignored what the expression really meant. It is poor exegesis (biblical interpretation) to rely on a mistranslation to claim that the holy days are done away with.

Furthermore, when the Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 5:8, “Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth,” this was likely properly believed to show additional scriptural support that the Holy Days were still enjoined upon Christians.

Another common objection to keeping the Holy Days is Galatians 4:8-10. Protestants, and some Catholics, tend to use this to say that no biblical dates are to be observed, so let’s look at that:

8 But then, indeed, when you did not know God, you served those which by nature are not gods. 9 But now after you have known God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements, to which you desire again to be in bondage? 10 You observe days and months and seasons and years. (Galatians 4:8-10, NKJV)

8 But then indeed, not knowing God, you served them, who, by nature, are not gods. 9 But now, after that you have known God, or rather are known by God: how turn you again to the weak and needy elements, which you desire to serve again? 10 You observe days, and months, and times, and years. (Galatians 4:8-10, Douay-Rheims)

There are two problems with using these passages as part of an anti-holy day argument.

The first is that the Galatians were Gentiles (although there were apparently some Jews addressed in later verses) and were NOT keeping the biblical Holy Days (plus, there is no way that the Bible would call biblical requirements as “beggarly elements”) .

The second is that Catholics/Protestants/Orthodox do observe various days and years (Sunday, Easter, Christmas, New Years), so they should not observe anything if they feel that no religious days are to be observed.

Galatians 4:8-10 is not doing away with the biblical Holy Days.

A Wrong Sabbath Argument

The NKJV improperly translates Hebrews 4:9 as follows:

9 There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. (Hebrews 4:9, NKJV)

Because of this (as well as similar mistranslations by others), many do not realize that the New Testament specifically enjoins keeping the Sabbath.

Decades ago, a Protestant told me that he did not keep the Sabbath because he claimed that “the ten commandments were nailed to the cross” (they weren’t, for scriptural proof please see Were the Ten Commandments Nailed to the Cross?) and that all the other commandments were repeated in the New Testament after the resurrection, except the Sabbath commandment, hence it was done away and not intended to be observed.

I informed him that the second commandment against bowing down before graven images was not explicitly so stated after the resurrection in the New Testament. So, I asked him if he should bow down before graven images, and he said no. I asked why. He said because it was wrong. And when I asked him based on what, he had nothing to say.

Since he claimed that the Sabbath commandment was not repeated in the New Testament after the resurrection, I had him read the following:

3 Now we who have believed enter that rest, just as God has said, “So I declared on oath in my anger, ‘They shall never enter my rest.'” 4 And yet his work has been finished since the creation of the world. For somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day in these words: “And on the seventh day God rested from all his work.” 5 And again in the passage above he says, “They shall never enter my rest.” 6 It still remains that some will enter that rest, and those who formerly had the gospel preached to them did not go in, because of their disobedience…9 There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; 10 for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his. 11 Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience (Hebrews 4:3-6,9-11, NIV).

This clearly shows that the command to keep the seventh day Sabbath is in the New Testament. It also shows that only those who will not observe it because of their disobedience argue otherwise. And that is why Paul observed it. Despite the fact that the New Testament stated that the Sabbath was to be kept, he who claimed to believe the Bible, would not do it.

The Greek word in Hebrews 4:9 that the KJV/NKJV/Douay Rheims translates simply as “rest” is the word sabbatismós. It means keeping of the sabbath or sabbath-rest. The Greek word commonly translated as “rest” (meaning taking a break) a dozen times throughout of the New Testament is “anapaúsasthe.” Yet, that was not the inspired word in Hebrews 4:9. And Hebrews 4:9 should mention that a sabbath-rest or observance of the sabbath is being discussed.

Even the ancient Orthodox scholar Origen understood some of what Paul wrote in Hebrews as he wrote:

But what is the feast of the Sabbath except that which the apostle speaks, “There remaineth therefore a Sabbatism,” that is, the observance of the Sabbath, by the people of God…let us see how the Sabbath ought to be observed by a Christian. On the Sabbath-day all worldly labors ought to be abstained from…give yourselves up to spiritual exercises, repairing to church, attending to sacred reading and instruction…this is the observance of the Christian Sabbath (Translated from Origen’s Opera 2, Paris, 1733, Andrews J.N. in History of the Sabbath, 3rd editon, 1887. Reprint Teach Services, Brushton (NY), 1998, pp. 324-325).

Now I should add that although certain “modern” translators put their own word in instead (usually “rest”), the reality is that Origen began writing relatively close to when the New Testament was written and lived in a time when he should have been able to understand what the Greek word sabbatismós actually meant.

Acts 13:42-44 shows what Paul did:

…the Gentiles begged that these words might be preached to them the next Sabbath. Now when the congregation had broken up, many of the Jews and devout proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God. On the next Sabbath almost the whole city came together to hear the word of God.

Also Acts 18:4 states:

And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and persuaded both Jews and Greeks.

Hence the New Testament is clear that Paul kept the Sabbath, regularly preached on the Sabbath, and that he wrote that there remains “a Sabbath-rest for the people of God.”

The Apostle Peter warned:

14 Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless; 15 and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation — as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, 16 as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures. (2 Peter 3:14-16)

Many rely on mistranslations, and thus can be considered as part of the “untaught” that Peter warned about. And many have not only twisted what the Apostle Paul wrote, several scholars have likely intentionally mistranslated what he wrote, which results in even more inaccurate twisting of scriptures. But those that are diligent can see through this if they are willing to submit to the truth of God’s word and His plan.

Another verse whose meaning has sometimes been twisted is Revelation 1:10– details on it can be found in the article Is Revelation 1:10 talking about Sunday or the Day of the Lord?

The following is normally not mistranslated, but seems to be misunderstood, especially within the Protestant world:

14 Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city. 15 But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie. (Revelation 22:14-15, NKJV)

Believing and relying on mistranslations instead of the actual word of God is consistent with loving and practicing a lie. True Christians would not want to do that.

Should you observe God’s Holy Days or demonic holidays?

That sounds like an easy question, but most who profess Christianity do not keep God’s Holy Days.

Both the seventh-day Sabbath and the biblical Holy Days were kept by Jesus and His disciples. And they should be kept by those who wish to be faithful today.

Do not let mistranslations keep you from keeping biblical holy days.

Some items of possibly related interest may include the following:

Should You Keep God’s Holy Days or Demonic Holidays? This is a free pdf booklet explaining what the Bible and history shows about God’s Holy Days and popular holidays. Two related sermon would be Which Spring Days should Christians observe? and Fall Holy Days for Christians.
The Sabbath in the Early Church and Abroad Was the seventh-day (Saturday) Sabbath observed by the apostolic and post-apostolic Church? Here is a related sermon video The Christian Sabbath and How and Why to Keep It.
The Dramatic Story of Chinese Sabbathkeepers This reformatted Good News article from 1955 discusses Sabbath-keeping in China in the 1800s.
Is God Unreasonable? Some have suggested that if God requires Sabbath-keeping He is unreasonable. Is that true?
Feast of Tabernacles’ Sites for 2022 This is information on the Feast of Tabernacles’ sites for the Continuing Church of God in 2022. The Feast Services for 2022 are to begin the evening of October 9th and run (including the Last Great Day) until sunset October 17th.
Is There “An Annual Worship Calendar” In the Bible? This paper provides a biblical and historical critique of several articles, including one by the Tkach WCG which states that this should be a local decision. What do the Holy Days mean? Also you can click here for the calendar of Holy Days.
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: Fall Holy Days for Christians.
Is Revelation 1:10 talking about Sunday or the Day of the Lord? Most Protestant scholars say Sunday is the Lord’s Day, but is that what the Bible teaches?
Sunday and Christianity Was Sunday observed by the apostolic and true post-apostolic Christians? Who clearly endorsed Sunday?
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.
Beliefs of the Original Catholic Church. Did the original “catholic church” have doctrines held by the Continuing Church of God? Did Church of God leaders uses the term “catholic church” to ever describe the church they were part of? Here are links to related sermons: Original Catholic Church of God?, Original Catholic Doctrine: Creed, Liturgy, Baptism, Passover, What Type of Catholic was Polycarp of Smyrna?, Tradition, Holy Days, Salvation, Dress, & Celibacy, Early Heresies and Heretics, Doctrines: 3 Days, Abortion, Ecumenism, Meats, Tithes, Crosses, Destiny, and more, Saturday or Sunday?, The Godhead, Apostolic Laying on of Hands Succession, Church in the Wilderness Apostolic Succession List, Holy Mother Church and Heresies, and Lying Wonders and Original Beliefs.
Another Look at the Didache, Ignatius, and the Sabbath Did Ignatius write against the Sabbath and for Sunday? What about the Didache? What does the actual Greek reveal? Are mistranslations of these early writings relied on for false doctrinal positions?
Holy Day Calendar This is a listing of the biblical holy days through 2033, with their Roman calendar dates. They are really hard to observe if you do not know when they occur 🙂 In the Spanish/Español/Castellano language: Calendario de los Días Santos. In Mandarin Chinese: OUeåf/y^v„W#eåÿ Ù‘Ìf/NNýy^v„W#eåeåS†NÎ2013^tó2024^t0.