Church of God News

First Baptist Church, Charleston (photo by Warren LeMay)

COGwriter

Should women be able to preach sermons in church services?

Well, biblically, the answer is no.

Yet, mainly in Protestant churches, many do.

This is concerning to many and the Southern Baptist Convention may finally take stronger actions to prevent churches to be part of it that go against the  biblical teachings on that.

Here are a couple of reports:

Southern Baptists expected to reaffirm ban of women in pastoral roles

June 7, 2024

Southern Baptists attending the denomination’s annual meeting in Indianapolis next week will consider a variety of resolutions, such as affirming support for Israel, reproductive technologies, religious liberty and integrity in leadership.

The nation’s largest Protestant denomination will also elect a new president from a field of six candidates.

The issue drawing the most attention, though, is the continuing debate over the role of women in ministry in the denomination’s network of more than 40,000 affiliated churches. Women are not allowed to hold the title of pastor in Southern Baptist-affiliated churches. https://www.ajc.com/news/southern-baptists-will-likely-reaffirm-ban-of-women-in-pastoral-roles/YWU26QEJU5BUXKELEQODYHA7PE/

Southern Baptists poised to ban congregations with women pastors

June 6, 2024

From its towering white steeple and red-brick facade, to its Sunday services filled with rousing gospel hymns and evangelistic sermons, First Baptist Church of Alexandria, Virginia, bears many of the classic hallmarks of a Southern Baptist church.

On a recent Sunday, its pastor for women and children, Kim Eskridge, urged members to invite friends and neighbors to an upcoming vacation Bible school — a perennial Baptist activity — to help “reach families in the community with the gospel.”

But because that pastor is a woman, First Baptist’s days in the Southern Baptist Convention may be numbered.

At the SBC’s annual meeting June 11-12 in Indianapolis, representatives will vote on whether to amend the denomination’s constitution to essentially ban churches with any women pastors — and not just in the top job. That measure received overwhelming approval in a preliminary vote last year.

Leaders of First Baptist — which has given millions to Southern Baptist causes and has been involved with the convention since its 19th century founding — are bracing for a possible expulsion. …

Many predominantly Black churches have men as lead pastors but assign pastor titles to women in other areas, such as worship and children’s ministries.

“To disfellowship like-minded churches…based on a local-church governance decision dishonors the spirit of cooperation and the guiding tenets of our denomination,” wrote Pastor Gregory Perkins, president of the SBC’s National African American Fellowship, to denominational officials. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/southern-baptists-poised-to-ban-congregations-with-women-pastors/

How like-minded they are can be debated. But as far as the New Testament goes, consider the following admonitions:

34 Let your women keep silent in the churches, for they are not permitted to speak; but they are to be submissive, as the law also says. 35 And if they want to learn something, let them ask their own husbands at home; for it is shameful for women to speak in church. (1 Corinthians 14:34-35).

11 Let a woman learn in silence with all submission. 12 And I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence. (1 Timothy 2:11-12).

The above does not mean that women can never talk. What the Apostle Paul is teaching is that women are not supposed to be the ones giving sermons.

The New Testament also shows:

3:1 This is a faithful saying: If a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work. 2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach (1 Timothy 3:1-2).

5 For this reason I left you in Crete, that you should set in order the things that are lacking, and appoint elders in every city as I commanded you– 6 if a man is blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of dissipation or insubordination (Titus 1:5-6).

Thus, the New Testament does not support the concept of women being pastors/elders/bishops over a church as only males are shown to be in those specific roles.

Despite that, many Protestants have a different, and anti-biblical, view.

Furthermore, at least one associated with the Churches of God had her own publicly opposing view.

Years ago, the old The Journal: News of the Churches of God had the following as part of its paid advertising by Tina Engelbart:

Corinthians 14:34-35. Here are the two verses in the King James Version. “Let your women keep silence in the churches; for it is not permitted unto them to speak, but they are commanded to be under obedience [Gr. hupotasso], as also saith the law. And if they will learn anything, let them ask their husbands at home; for it is a shame [Gr. aischros] for women to speak in church” (Emphasis added).

First, some observations: The italicized phrase “they are commanded” was an addition by the translators; it is not in the original Greek. Further, hupotasso is more correctly translated “submission” rather than “obedience.” And the word translated as “shame” in verse 35 is the Greek word aischros— the same word translated as “ filthy” elsewhere, as in “ filthy lucre” (1 Timothy 3:8).

Most churches, and most Churches of God, and Mr. Mokarow say this means women must be silent in the church. UCG specifically said in their paper The Biblical Role of Women: “Women should not speak,” that is, preach or teach before the congregation (emphasis added). It is interesting that women are allowed to sing before the congregation, which is not exactly being silent. …

There is only one law that specifically forbids women to speak in the assembly — and that is the Oral Law of the Jews, later written down and known as the Talmud.

What a shame that our churches, in imposing the silence injunction on our women, are actually following the dictates of the Talmud instead of the Apostle Paul!

Let me make a few points.

First, while Tina Engelbart is entitled to her opinion about what she thinks the Greek means, the reality is that there is no record of Christian women preaching in either the New Testament nor in early Christian writings. While it is possible that the apostate Simon Magus may have had a female preach, and maybe some of the other apostates did, people who understood koine Greek at the time apparently did not feel that the Apostle Paul was allowing women to preach.

Second, UCG is correct that women should not be preaching. This is confirmed by the following passage that is in the Bible (hence, even allowing for a different translation of 1 Corinthians 14:34-35, this is not something only to be derived from the Talmud as Tina Engelbart indicates):

11 Let a woman learn in silence with all submission. 12 And I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence. (1 Timothy 2:11-12).

It is also a historically accurate position as the early COG did not have women preaching in services.

Third, as far as the Talmud goes, Tina Engelbart needs to consider that the Jews DID allow women to sing and hence the prohibition they had related to women speaking before the assembly did not include singing. That is the same in the Christian church as well.

Fourth, I would add that instead of focusing on what women should not be doing, it is important to understand what they should be doing. For some details, here is a link to a written article titled: Women and the New Testament Church.

Women can serve the Church in many capacities and many do. From being deaconesses to assisting others in or interested in the Church of God to being fellow laborers of the gospel.

Here is something related to former head of the Church of God, Seventh Day, A.N. Dugger, in the 1925:

…in the “Question Corner” section of the Advocate, Dugger said that women were not to be in religious authority over men, but they could be used as workers and have a part in evangelistic work (I Corinthians 14:34-35, I Timothy 2:12 and Romans 16). (Nickels R.C. History of the Seventh Day Church of God. 1988, p. 94)

As one who had assisted the church in some of those capacities for decades in an unordained capacity, I will simply add that just because someone is not an ordained deacon, elder, or deaconess, does not mean that one cannot serve the Church of God in many ways.

And I believe that when Jesus taught:

37 The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. 38 Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest (Matthew 9:37-38).

That this was not limited to men only, but includes women.

Notice something related to a 19th century leader who may have been COG:

Asa Bee … He was a strong advocate of co-education, having no sympathy, whatever, with the idea that was so prevalent at that period “that woman was amply equipped for the battle of life if she could only spell and read.” He taught that woman’s influence was the potent factor in shaping the mind of the child, and that, thus, she was in need of the better education; (Lowther MK. History of Ritchie County. Wheeling News Litho. Co., Wheeling W.Va., 1911, pp. 572-577)

Yes, women should be properly educated. When the Old Testament talks about teaching children God’s ways, it says the following:

6 And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. (Deuteronomy 6:6-9)

Notice that this teaching was not for boys only.

Sometimes, there are also special roles that women may have–like Deborah the prophetess (Judges 4).

In the early 20th century, prior to the start of the Radio Church of God, Loma Armstrong had a dream that RCG/WCG said came from God as the first part of the dream was later confirmed (see Dreams, the Bible, the Radio Church of God, and the Continuing Church of God).

Furthermore, Loma Armstrong assisted her husband, Herbert W. Armstrong, in many aspects of the work and the start of the Philadelphia Church Era. Some believe more apostasy hit the Worldwide Church of God after her death, as she reportedly assisted her husband in understanding some character traits of various church leaders.

By the way, in the 21st century, a woman was granted a dream prior to the start of the Continuing Church of God, part of which also was confirmed by later events (see also Dreams, the Bible, the Radio Church of God, and the Continuing Church of God).

In the Continuing Church of God women assist with videoing and other aspects of church services, editing publications and letters, online radio production, translating, managing Facebook pages, host groups where we have no males, and in various other activities that support the final phase of the work, including with websites. They also sing, provide music, help put together items related to the Study the Bible Course, and do some writing.

I also believe that as we approach the end of the church age, that God will use many men and women, who have not been used as much in the past, to truly be laborers for the Lord’s harvest.

Which ones?

Well biblically it would appear to be those that:

18… grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18).

15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15).

Women need to be instructed so that they can instruct others. Some will be persecuted for that as Bible prophecy teaches:

32 Those who do wickedly against the covenant he shall corrupt with flattery; but the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits. 33 And those of the people who understand shall instruct many; yet for many days they shall fall by sword and flame, by captivity and plundering. 34 Now when they fall, they shall be aided with a little help; but many shall join with them by intrigue. 35 And some of those of understanding shall fall, to refine them, purify them, and make them white, until the time of the end; because it is still for the appointed time. (Daniel 11:32-35)

Despite views of certain ones, even though they often have different roles, women have the same spiritual potential as men:

7 Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered. (1 Peter 3:7)

Husbands should give honour to their wives. But also notice that wives are to be HEIRS TOGETHER–not that one’s inheritance is less because of gender.

Notice also what Paul wrote:

26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. (Galatians 3:26-29)

Women have the same potential to be deified in the God family as men (Deification: Did the Early Church Teach That Christians Would Become God?). And that is the position not only of the Bible, but also the Church of God throughout history.

Furthermore, consider:

10 And have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth. (Revelation 5:10)

Yes, women are heirs to the above promise to be kings and priests in the coming Kingdom of God.

Here is something from the old Radio Church of God:

To be truly happy, a real woman should bear in mind the purpose of which she was created – and set herself definite GOALS to fulfill in the accomplishment of that purpose.

First of all, she should remember that she was called to help and supplement her husband. She should learn to be responsive to him and to his direction of the home, entertainment and way of life.

She should realize that her husband’s success is her success also – and fully SHARE and delight in the triumphs and achievements of her husband, knowing that htey are partly her own. Also, she should equally share in his sorrow and disappointments – trying always to give the right kind of balanced and positive sympathy and encouragement so that he will rebound to other successes in the future.

A second area in which a woman should cultivate success and service is that of bearing and TRAINING her children. Certainly, young mothers exert a powerful influence on the leaders of tomorrow. And women should realize the overwhelming IMPORTANCE of zealously and joyously dedicating themselves to this as their highest physical calling. FAR MORE IMPORTANT it is than that of an office worker or secretary on any level.

In His Word, God instructs older women: “That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, KEEPERS AT HOME, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed” (Titus 2:4-5). …

The ULTIMATE Goal

Then, for the woman who reads and understands the Bible, another goal presents itself. That is the goal of preparing to help RULE and reconstruct this entire society in the World Tomorrow (Rev. 2:26; 5:10). Some Christian women wonder how they are being prepare for this. If they, themselves, are not leading and directing businesses, families and public activities today, how are they learning and preparing for tomorrow’s world?

The ANSWER is that a woman, with the physiological and psychological nature given her by God has magnificent opportunities – too often untapped – for preparing toward this goal. She needs to set herself to be a really successful wife, mother and contributor today. (True Womanhood: A Lost Cause?)

Women have no less potential than men.

We also have the following sermon on women’s roles at our ContinuingCOG channel:

Women’s Roles in the Church

What roles, rights, and responsibilities do Christian women have? Did Jesus break Jewish traditions related to women? What did various women do in the New Testament? Can women be prophetesses or deaconesses? What about pastors and preachers? Do women have the same spiritual potential as men? Are women listed in the Book of Life? Will women be subject to persecution prior to the start of the Great Tribulation? Will women be wives or kings and priests in the coming kingdom of God? What are some of the roles women have in supporting the work in the Continuing Church of God? Dr. Thiel provides answers to those and other questions.

Here is a link to the sermon: Women’s Roles in the Church.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

Women and the New Testament Church What roles did women play in the ministry of Jesus and the apostles? Did Jesus and the Apostle Paul violate Jewish traditions regarding their dealings with women? Do women have any biblical limitations on their role in the Church? Were there female prophets? Do women have any special responsibilities in terms of how they dress? What does the New Testament really teach about women? Here are links to two related sermons: Women’s Roles in the Church and New Testament Women.
True Womanhood: A Lost Cause? Is there still a place for being feminine? Here is an article from Herbert Armstrong about his thoughts relating to women and womanhood.
What was the Liturgy of the Early Church? Were early church services mainly scriptural, emotional, or sacramental? Who follows the basic original liturgy today? A related video is also available: What were early Christian church services like?
Veils and Other Head Coverings Do women need to wear veils or similar coverings while praying or attending church services? What does the Bible teach about hair length? What about going around bald? Here are some scriptures on that subject.
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?
Hope of Salvation: How the Continuing Church of God Differs from Protestantism The CCOG is NOT Protestant. This free online book explains how the real Church of God differs from mainstream/traditional Protestants. Several sermons related to the free book are also available: Protestant, Baptist, and CCOG History; The First Protestant, God’s Command, Grace, & Character; The New Testament, Martin Luther, and the Canon; Eucharist, Passover, and Easter; Views of Jews, Lost Tribes, Warfare, & Baptism; Scripture vs. Tradition, Sabbath vs. Sunday; Church Services, Sunday, Heaven, and God’s Plan; Seventh Day Baptists/Adventists/Messianics: Protestant or COG?; Millennial Kingdom of God and God’s Plan of Salvation; Crosses, Trees, Tithes, and Unclean Meats; The Godhead and the Trinity; Fleeing or Rapture?; and Ecumenism, Rome, and CCOG Differences.

The Sea Monster and the Beast with the Lamb’s Horn.
15th century woodcut by Albrecht Dürer

COGwriter

This Spring the United Church of God posted an article that pointed to the man of sin being a pope.

Years ago (in its 3/8/19 newsletter), after making attacks against me (but without mentioning my name) CEG (Church of the Eternal God), a group whose leaders were once part of the old Global Church of God, then published the following:

the fact that the man of sin is not the beast, but the false prophet,

Fact?

A fact is something that is supposed to be true. CEG’s ‘fact’ about the ‘man of sin’ does not square with scripture.

This ‘man of sin’ identity is a doctrine that most groups whose leaders were once part of the old GCG as well as the old WCG have wrong.

For those of you who understand prophecy, it becomes obvious that this great “man of sin,” or “man of lawlessness,” ties in directly with the “second beast” of Revelation 13. For obviously describing the coming military/political leader of the final revival of the Roman Empire in Revelation 13:1-10, the Apostle John goes on to describe another “beast” who comes out of the earth and “he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon” (v. 11). So this man looks like the “lamb,” Jesus Christ. Yet His message is that of the “dragon” identified in Revelation 12:9 as Satan the Devil! This coming powerful religious leader “exercises” all of the authority of the first “beast” and causes the revived Roman Empire to persecute the true saints … the great false religious leader—the “ false prophet” (Meredith RC. LCG co-worker letter, April 17, 2013)

On multiple occasions from 2008-2012, I sent Dr. Meredith detailed biblical information explaining why the man of sin was not the second beast of Revelation 13, and until I saw the above I never really received a negative response from him (though he had previously published older information with a similar position). Instead, two leading LCG ministers (including at least one LCG evangelist) told me I was right about this.

It is absurd that Dr. Meredith’s April 17, 2013 letter suggested that if one does not agree with the conclusion that the false prophet is the “man of sin” of 2 Thessalonians 2, then one does not understand prophecy. Dr. Meredith also called knowledge of this chapter VITAL. But is the man of sin the false prophet, the second beast of Revelation 13, or not?

No, it is not, thus those who follow LCG or CEG (or RCG or COG-ff or UCG) are not following leaders that understand this element of biblical prophecy.

The man of sin is the ‘beast of the sea” (also known as the King of the North) and not the false prophet.

Those in CEG, LCG, RCG, etc. really need to pay more attention to the scriptures related to that.

Furthermore, groups such as COGWA, PCG, and UCG also have the identity wrong.

For details on each of those groups errors on this, check out the article: Who is the Man of Sin of 2 Thessalonians 2?

Now let’s examine scriptures which demonstrate the biblical truth about the identity of the ‘man of sin.’

Let’s start out by quoting what the Apostle Paul wrote about the man of sin, the son of perdition, in 2 Thessalonians 2:

1 Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, 2 not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. 3 Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, 4 who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.

5 Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? 6 And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. 7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. 8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. 9 The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, 10 and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, 12 that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. (2 Thessalonians 2:1-12)

This end time ‘man of sin’ will be a major end time player that exalts HIMSELF above all that is called God.

Is the description in 2 Thessalonians 2 describing the false prophet (also known as the two-horned beast and final Antichrist)?

While various ones have various opinions, true doctrine is to come from the Bible:

16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

So what does scripture teach?

To answer that, first let’s look at the verses in the New Testament that use the term “false prophet,” which are below:

13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. 14 For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty (Revelation 16:13-14).

20 Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone (Revelation 19:20).

10 The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever (Revelation 20:10).

The above verses do show the similarities as both will have unclean spirits coming out of their mouths which perform signs. Yet, those do not really distinguish much between the ten-horned beast and false prophet (the two-horned beast).

Nor have I seen a scripture-based explanation in any Radio Church of God/WCG literature that truly explains why this would apply more to the two-horned beast than the ten-horned beast (though there may be one I have not located).

However, it is the description of the King of the North in Daniel that closely fits the description of that man of perdition:

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

What Daniel 11:36-38 and 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 say about this man is essentially the same.

Notice also that the King of the North exalts himself above all the gods. The fact is that the Bible never says that about the false prophet.

This exaltation would also have to include being above the two-horned beast of Revelation 13.

Furthermore, notice that the two-horned beast (who is also the one called the ‘false prophet’) of Revelation 13 gets people to worship the first beast and that it is the first beast that Satan has given great authority to:

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 The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority….
6 Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven. 7 It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation. 8 All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world…
11 Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon. 12 And he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence, and causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. 13 He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. 14 And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived. 15 He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed (Revelation 13:1,2,6-8,11-15).

Notice clearly that the two-horned beast (who is THE false prophet, cf. Revelation 19:20) gets people to worship THE FIRST beast, the ten-horned beast (with accompanying signs–that he does so in the presence of the FIRST BEAST–cf. 2 Thessalonians 2:9-10).

Hence the FACT is that the two-horned beast is NOT putting himself above all gods as he has people worship the ten-horned beast. It is the ten-horned beast who is noted to blaspheme, and he is also the blasphemous King of the North (Daniel 11:36-40). And it is the ten-horned beast who is granted “great authority,” not the two-horned beast.

There is simply no verse that says that the second beast gets the worship that the first one does. The false prophet clearly promotes false worship, as opposed to being the primary object of it himself. While popes have long let people kneel down before them, I have found no scriptures that indicate that the false prophet himself tries to make himself the ultimate object of worship.

The Old Testament clearly concurs. Notice something that Daniel also wrote:

2 Daniel spoke, saying, “I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the Great Sea.
3 And four great beasts came up from the sea, each different from the other. (Daniel 7:2-3)

24 The ten horns are ten kings
Who shall arise from this kingdom.
And another shall rise after them;
He shall be different from the first ones,
And shall subdue three kings.
25 He shall speak pompous words against the Most High,
Shall persecute the saints of the Most High,
And shall intend to change times and law.
Then the saints shall be given into his hand
For a time and times and half a time (Daniel 7:24-25).

It is the ten-horned beast of the sea who speaks the pompous words against God, he is the one who exalts himself above all that is called God (2 Thessalonians 2:4).

This same beast is also shown as exalting himself in another chapter in Daniel:

25 “Through his cunning He shall cause deceit to prosper under his rule; And he shall exalt himself in his heart. He shall destroy many in their prosperity. He shall even rise against the Prince of princes; But he shall be broken without human means. (Daniel 8:25)

It is the Beast of the Sea that is exalting himself in his heart as is the man of sin in 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4. He is eliminated by non-human means in Revelation 17:14.

Repeatedly, we see that the Beast exalts himself. The main references we have to the False Prophet show him getting people to exalt the Beast of the Sea, not himself.

Also notice that in the Bible, people are warned against worshipping the first beast:

9 Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, 10 he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation (Revelation 14:9).

2 So the first went and poured out his bowl upon the earth, and a foul and loathsome sore came upon the men who had the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image…10 Then the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom became full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues because of the pain (Revelation 16:2,10).

Even if the image is related to the Catholic Church (which to a degree it is), notice that it is the Beast and HIS image and HIS kingdom that worship against is warned as opposed to mainly that of the false prophet. The beast is clearly above the false prophet and is the one that exalts himself above all that is called God.

If we let the Bible interpret itself, it shows, that the description in 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 fits very closely to the first beast, the King of the North, and not nearly as closely the second beast, the false prophet.

Notice that the first beast also fulfills the following:

15 Then he said to me, “The waters which you saw, where the harlot sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues. 16 And the ten horns which you saw on the beast, these will hate the harlot, make her desolate and naked, eat her flesh and burn her with fire. 17 For God has put it into their hearts to fulfill His purpose, to be of one mind, and to give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled. 18 And the woman whom you saw is that great city which reigns over the kings of the earth.” (Revelation 17:15-18)

Notice that the harlot (the ecumenical and changed Church of Rome) is devoured at this time. This is one additional way that the first beast, the ten-horned beast does not regard the desire of women as Daniel 11: 37 mentions (with the harlot church symbolized by a woman in Revelation 17) and exalts himself above all that is called God.

This destruction of the harlot also suggests that the man of sin, the son of perdition in 2 Thessalonians 2, is not the false prophet, but the ten-horned beast, and he and his supporters have the power and are taking actions on his behalf.

However, since the false prophet is still alive at this destructive stage (Revelation 19:20), it appears that he either is a captive of the ten-horned beast or that he also betrays his church. But I strongly suspect the latter (as the second beast clearly promotes the worship of the first beast per Revelation 13:12)–he is complicit in the betrayal of the Church of Rome–which is another reason that I teach that the false prophet is a type of anti-pope.

In 2 Thessalonians 2:3 the man of sin is also called the son of perdition.

Perhaps it should be noted that the only times the term “perdition” (Strong’s #684) are mentioned in the Book of Revelation are in the following passages:

7 But the angel said to me, “Why did you marvel? I will tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and the ten horns. 8 The beast that you saw was, and is not, and will ascend out of the bottomless pit and go to perdition. (Revelation 17:7-8)

11 The beast that was, and is not, is himself also the eighth, and is of the seven, and is going to perdition. (Revelation 17:11)

Revelation 17 certainly supports the position that the ten-horned beast is the son of perdition. Those verses in Revelation 17 specifically tie the Beast of the sea with perdition.

The man of sin is also called the “lawless one” in 2 Thessalonians 2:8).

Notice what sin is:

4 Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. (1 John 3:4, KJV)

4 Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness. (1 John 3:4, NKJV)

4 Whosoever committeth sin commmitteth also iniquity; and sin is iniquity. (1 John 3:4, DRB)

The man of sin will promote sin. He is involved with the ‘mystery of lawlessness’ also called the ‘mystery of iniquity’ because he will feign being religious and moral (see also Mystery of Iniquity. Two related sermons are also available: The Mystery of Iniquity and The Mystery of Lawlessness.)

In our free online book: The Ten Commandments: The Decalogue, Christianity, and the Beast, we document how the Beast will promote the violation of each of the Ten Commandments.

Perhaps it should be noted that outside of the Bible, we do not seem to have available early writings from true Church of God Christians that discuss the identity of the man of sin.

However, we do have a writing from Irenaeus, a man who claimed to know the Church of God leader, Polycarp of Smyrna. He wrote the following:

he wishes himself to be proclaimed as a king. For he being endued with all the power of the devil, shall come, not as a righteous king, nor as a legitimate king, [i.e., one] in subjection to God, but an impious, unjust, and lawless one; as an apostate, iniquitous and murderous; as a robber, concentrating in himself [all] satanic apostasy, and setting aside idols to persuade [men] that he himself is God, raising up himself as the only idol, having in himself the multifarious errors of the other idols. This he does, in order that they who do [now] worship the devil by means of many abominations, may serve himself by this one idol, of whom the apostle thus speaks in the second Epistle to the Thessalonians: “Unless there shall come a failing away first, and the man of sin shall be revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he sits in the temple of God, showing himself as if he were God.” The apostle therefore clearly points out his apostasy, and that he is lifted up above all that is called God, or that is worshipped — that is, above every idol — for these are indeed so called by men, but are not [really] gods; and that he will endeavour in a tyrannical manner to set himself forth as God. (Irenaeus. Against Heresies Book V, Chapter 25, Verse 1)

While Irenaeus had many misunderstandings, the fact that he also considered that the man of sin was a king (which would be the King of the North) is supportive of the idea that this seems to also have been the position of early true Christians.

The truth about the identity of the man of sin is one that the CCOG has restored.

In closing, let me add that leaders in both LCG and UCG told me in the past that the position that the ‘man of sin’ in 2 Thessalonians 2 is the King of the North Beast and is NOT the false prophet is correct, even though their respective organizations teach the opposite, essentially because of a misunderstood tradition.

Jesus condemned religious leaders who relied on tradition over the word of God:

8 For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men. … All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition. (Mark 7:8)

So, in summary, what are some FACTS the word of God teaches related to the identity of the man of sin?

One FACT is that he will be one to mysteriously promote sin.

Another FACT is that the New Testament teaches that the man of sin “exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped” (2 Thessalonians 2:4).

Another FACT is that the Old Testament teaches that the King of the North “shall exalt and magnify himself above every god” (Daniel 11:36).

Another FACT is that the New Testament specifically ties the beast with perdition in Revelation 17:8 & 17:11.

Another FACT is that the New Testament teaches that “All who dwell on the earth will worship” (Revelation 13:8) the first Beast, the ten-horned beast (Revelation 13:1).

This worship is not directed towards the false prophet. And the Bible teaches that the false prophet, the second beast of Revelation 13 “causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast” (Revelation 13:12).

Read it for yourself in your own Bible.

Even though people will likely worship both beasts, the descriptions in the Bible that describe the ten-horned beast/King of the North are much closer to the man of sin discussed in 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 than any descriptions of the false prophet.

The Continuing Church of God has a sermon of related interest on its ContinuingCOG channel:

1:18:15

The Man of Sin will deceive most ‘Christians’

In 2 Thessalonians 2, the Apostle Paul writes about one called the man of sin, the son of perdition, the lawless one. Is this person the beast of the sea or the beast of the earth of Revelation 13? Is he the King of the North or the False Prophet? Is he the Antichrist or the papacy? Is he someone in the Church of God? What are various Catholic, Protestant, and Church of God views? Are those views based upon tradition or scripture? Are some views at least partially right? Are the radical preterists right? What about Millenialists and Hal Lindsey? What about ties to the Great Monarch of Catholic and Eastern Orthodox prophecies? What types of signs and lying wonders might accompanying him? Will he advocate the breaking of all ten of the commandments? Why will most who profess Christianity be deceived? Will most non-Philadelphians be misled? What are the biblical facts about the man of sin? Dr. Thiel addresses these issues and more by covering numerous scriptures and other writings.

Here is a link to the sermon: The Man of Sin will deceive most ‘Christians’.

Those who truly understand prophecy and who prayfully study the word of God for doctrine should realize that many have misidentified the man of sin.

Do not be misled by traditions that are in conflict with the Bible.

The biblical fact is that the ‘man of sin’ is not the false prophet. CEG (and many others) are in error about this.

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

Yet, sadly, most end time Christians are Laodicean and do NOT accept how the Bible shows that God works (see also Does the CCOG have the confirmed signs of Acts 2:17-18?).

The Bible shows that part of the final phase of the work is being done by God’s Spirit through His people (with God and angels directly handling other parts, e.g. Revelation 14:6-11), but many will not have the faith to believe:

6 This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel:
‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’
Says the Lord of hosts. (Zechariah 4:6)

7 For we walk by faith, not by sight. (2 Corinthians 5:7)

5 Look among the nations and watch —
Be utterly astounded!
For I will work a work in your days
Which you would not believe, though it were told you. (Habakkuk 1:5)

It is God’s Spirit that provides the signs of confirmed dreams and prophecies in the last days.

Can you believe God’s word?

To learn even more, please, with your Bible, check out the following:

Who is the Man of Sin of 2 Thessalonians 2? Is this the King of the North, the ten-horned beast of Revelation 13:1-11, or the two-horned Beast of Revelation 13:12-16? Some rely on traditions, but what does the Bible teach? Here is a related link in Spanish/español: ¿Quién es el Hombre de Pecado de 2 Tesalonicenses 2? Here is a version in Mandarin: N;ÿ Œ
f/’Y’jNº’ÿ Here is a link to a related English sermon video titled: The Man of Sin will deceive most ‘Christians’.
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.
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?
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.
What About the Living Church of God? Are there Doctrinal Differences with the Continuing Church of God? This article explains some information and doctrines of the Living Church of God, now led by Gerald Westin, and some concerns about them. (En el idioma español: ¿Qué hay acerca de la Iglesia de Dios Viviente? ¿Hay diferencias doctrinales con la Continuación de la Iglesia de Dios?)
Differences between the Living Church of God and United Church of God This article provides quotes information from two of the largest groups which had their origins in WCG as well as commentary.
Concerns about Church of God, a Worldwide Association Known as COGWA, this is the largest group that came out of the United Church of God. Here is some history and concerns about it. UCG’s former president Clyde Kilough and UK CEO Peter Hawkins are part of it.
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.
Why Not the Restored Church of God? This group, led by David Pack, claims to be the most faithful. The information in this article suggests otherwise. Here is a version in the Spanish language: ¿Por qué no la Iglesia de Dios Restaurada?
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.
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 two related videos: The King of the North is Alive: What to Look Out For and The Future King of the North.
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.
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. Here is a link to a related video: 50+ Laodicean Prophetic Errors. Here is also a message translated into Spanish: Errores profecticos ensenado en las otras Igesias de Dios.

(photo from hwalibrary.com)

COGwriter

Craig White sent out the following in an email on June 6, 2024 in Australia, related to church history in the 1930s and 1940s:

I discovered on an Oregon government website that the Radio Church of God (name changed to Worldwide Church of God in 1968) was an unincorporated voluntary association until registered in March 1946. See information here.

According to the aforementioned ‘Detailed Statement of Activities, History, Operations’ document:

“In 1935 the Board of the Eugene Church purchased the present property of that Church.

Meanwhile the national Church (Stanberry, Mo.,) had split, about half its membership now affiliated with a new national headquarters at Salem, West Virginia. Most of our Oregon members affiliated with the Salem, W. Virginia branch. At the annual camp meeting of the Oregon Conference in the summer of 1935 a group of members near Jefferson, Oregon, were organized, under leadership and ministry of Herbert W. Armstrong, and with authorization of the Board and national leaders from Salem, West Virginia, into a local Church. During these years, and prior to August, 1937, under the ministry of Mr. Armstrong, churches had been raised up in Cottage Grove, and Portland, Oregon, and Vancouver, Washington. In October, 1937, the Oregon churches severed relationship with the Salem, West Virginia organization, adopting the name, CHURCHES OF GOD IN OREGON, although all business activities were carried on under the name of “RADIO CHURCH OF GOD.”

A Church also had been established in Goble, Oregon, and one at Eldreage, 12 miles north of Salem, and, in 1942, one in Everett, Washington, and one in Los Angeles. Having expanded beyond the bounds of Oregon, the name CHURCHES OF GO IN OREGON seemed no longer appropriate.” (p. 2)

“We preferred to incorporate simply as “The CHURCH OF GOD,” but were advised this was impossible due to the fact there were already many other religious bodies incorporated under that name … since many of our members had come to consider that the Church they were a member of was “THE RADIO CHURCH OF GOD,” it was decided to incorporate the Church under that name.” (pp. 2-3)

“… in 1948, one of the purposes for which THE RADIO CHURCH OF GOD was formed was stated as: “to raise up churches.” At that time we had reduced to the three churches at Eugene, and Portland, Oregon, and Pasadena, California. Previously we had other churches as listed above… (p. 3)

“Although the Church had only one fully ordained minister, beside two non-preaching elders, on November 22, 1948, when the Commissioner of Internal Revenue notified the Church of approval of our non-profit tax exempt status, with three established churches, THE RADIO CHURCH OF GOD, as of now has in its full-time service 14 fully ordained ministers, and 13 established churches.” (p. 4)

Note:

1. that the official name of the Church itself was NOT ‘Radio Church of God’ but ‘Churches of God in Oregon’;

2. they split from the Church of God (Seventh Day) based in Salem, West Virginia in Oct 1937. Although HWA’s credentials were threatened for withdrawal during 1937, it was only mid-1938 as far as I can make out, that it was withdrawn over the Holy Days (and secondarily over the ‘lost tribes of Israel’ doctrine).

So, that is an interesting piece of church history. Later, on March 3, 1946, Herbert W. Armstrong incorporated the church as the Radio Church of God. More on history is found in the articles CG7-D: Church of God, (Seventh Day): History and Teachings and The Philadelphia Church Era. A 21st century perspective on the ‘lost tribes of Israel’ doctrine can be found in the free online book: Lost Tribes and Prophecies: What will happen to Australia, the British Isles, Canada, Europe, New Zealand and the United States of America?

That said, let’s talk about radio.

Jesus said:

14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come. (Matthew 24:14)

Being on mass media, including radio, is something that COG leaders have done since no later than the 1930s to help fulfill that.

Radio was used so much to proclaim the gospel of the kingdom and other biblical messages, that after he left CG7, the late Herbert W. Armstrong initially did business as the Radio Church of God.

Regarding some radio background, Herbert Armstrong was first invited as a guest to speak on a local radio station in Oregon. The feedback was so good that the station manager encouraged him to have a regular paid program, which Herbert Armstrong then agreed to do. In time, he went on additional stations.

Let’s look at some of what he reported about that in his Autobiography:

In September {1933} … the living Christ began opening doors for the MASS-proclaiming of His Gospel. It was then that someone brought to my attention the fact that the local radio station at Eugene, KORE, then the very smallest minimum-power of 100 watts, had a morning devotional program scheduled, but that they were having difficulty getting local ministers to conduct the program. It was free time, carried by the station as a public service sustaining program of 15 minutes, 7:45 to 8:00 a.m.

Immediately I went to the radio station. A woman secretary told me she felt sure they would be glad to have me take the program for a week. I was to call back later for the exact date.

On my second call I was assigned the week of October 9th.
October 9th was surely a great big day in my life — the day of my very first experience before a microphone, ON THE AIR!

I took this opportunity very seriously. It was an opportunity to speak to several HUNDRED people at once! I had never spoken to that many before.

I spent the preceding week preparing rather extensive notes and script. I might never again have such an opportunity, so I decided to strike directly at the very heart of the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. Since the Kingdom of God is based on the promises made to Abraham, I began, on Monday morning’s program with the PROMISES made to Abraham.

Mike-Fright

I had heard a lot about everybody getting mike-fright the very first time on the air. I wondered if I would experience this. It was probably the most exciting adventure of my life.

On Monday morning, I arrived at the radio studio early. The announcer did not come into the studio until ten or fifteen seconds before 7:45.

Mike-fright? Why, I thought to myself, I’m calm and cool as a cucumber!

“Listen!” I said quietly but quickly to the announcer. “I’ve never been on the air before. If you have any instructions, you’d better give them to me in a hurry. We have only 10 seconds!”

He looked at me disdainfully, and a little bored.

“Just stand up there in front of the mike, and start talking as soon as I announce you,” he replied.

About three seconds later he announced me. While he was giving this very brief announcement on the air, I thought, “Well I don’t have any mike-fright. I’m sure glad of that!”

Then, for the first time in my life, I said into the microphone:
“GREETINGS, friends!”

But suddenly something had happened! Before those two words were finished, something had hit me like a jolt!

Something had started my heart pounding like a sledge-hammer! I felt myself gasping for breath! During those opening two words, MIKE-FRIGHT had seized me!
I struggled with all my might to control my hard breathing so it would not be audible over the air. It was agony, but I concentrated my mind with all the strength I had on two things — to carefully say the words of my typed script as naturally as I could, and to control my hard breathing so it did not sound.

After two or three minutes I was making good progress in gaining control. After some five minutes my breathing had returned to normal, and I was so absorbed in getting this vital message over to the largest audience of my life — even though that audience was invisible — that I forgot all about the mike-fright.

The Surprising Response

The second morning there was no mike-fright. I was beginning to gain assurance, and able to speak a little more naturally.

It must have been about Thursday morning that the announcer told me the station owner, Mr. Frank Hill, wanted to see me in his office later in the morning.

He had received several letters and telephone calls from listeners, requesting copies of my talks. I had offered no literature of any kind. I had invited no mail response.

“This is rather surprising,” said Mr. Hill. “We never had any response of any kind, before, from this morning devotional program. They told me you had not invited any. Yet it has been coming. I listened in on you this morning to see what was causing it. You have an excellent radio voice, and a way of delivering your message that arouses interest and holds an audience.

“Now, Mr. Armstrong,” he continued, “I want to suggest that you work out a regular Sunday morning Church service, condensed into a half hour. I’d like to put that on as a regular sustaining program — free time — but I can’t do that without offering equal time to every church in town. However I will sell you the time at less than bare cost of operation, $2.50 per half hour.”

And THAT suggestion from Mr. Frank Hill is what put the idea of the WORLD TOMORROW program in my mind!
Altogether 14 letters and telephone calls came in to the radio station requesting copies of the messages I had broadcast.
I thanked him, and told him I would see what I could do.

But, $2.50 every week! WOW! That was almost as much as my entire salary had been! And I had just previously renounced even that small salary!

Today, $2.50 per half-hour broadcast seems incredibly small.

We have to pay far more than that per minute on stations today! But it seemed like an insurmountable barrier then.

Yet I knew this was GOD’S WORK, not mine. I was only an instrument. God had promised to supply every need.
God had OPENED THE DOOR OF MASS EVANGELISM! I knew He wanted us to walk through that door

Here is a photograph that my wife Joyce took in 1994 of a building in Eugene, Oregon that had been used decades before by the old Radio Church of God (I believe it was their headquarters’ building in the 1940s):

One-time Radio Church of God building, Eugene, Oregon

(To see other buildings later used by the old Radio and Worldwide Church of God, check out Joyce’s Pictures of the Pasadena Campus of Ambassador College and the former Headquarters of the old Worldwide Church of God.)

Herbert Armstrong also wrote (as shown in what is called volume 2 of his Autobiography):

 I had been used to raise up the parent church at Eugene, Oregon with nineteen members in 1933. It grew. God opened radio to me … First priority in the Work is the open door program — in which Christ is opening doors … Every effort is being made to put the programs on more and more radio stations— especially the major 50,000 watt stations …

Notice something published by the old Radio Church of God:

Revelation 3:7-13: “And to the angel of the Church in Philadelphia write these things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that OPENETH, and no man SHUTTETH; and SHUTTETH and no man openeth.” The great door that God has opened to this work is the facility to go into all the world and preach the gospel; the door of radio, the door of the printing press, plus many other such doors. God has set before us an open door and no MAN can shut it. God can shut it, and He will when the work is finished and the Philadelphia Church goes to a place of safety. “I know thy works: Behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name” (verse 8).

Notice that this Church has works. It has works of ZEAL and of REPENTANCE. This Church has only a little strength. But, by contrast, the Church of Laodicea believes that IT is increased with goods and has a great deal of strength. Philadelphia has little strength to do this great work that God has given it to do. God has opened the door, and yet look how insignificant, how weak, how little strength we as a Church have to do that work. How much we lack in every way, and yet God has opened the door and has given us certain vital, supernatural, spiritual gifts. Very often we lack enough money to pay the radio bills and other expenses. WE ARE FEW IN NUMBER, while many other eras of the Church of God numbered in the hundreds of thousands. We indeed have little strength. And yet, look at the great power that God has placed before us. (Neff L. What Is the LAODICEAN CHURCH? Good News, August 1959)

The ‘open door’ to the Philadelphians does have to do with gospel proclamation. Consider the following scriptures:

12 Furthermore, when I came to Troas to preach Christ’s gospel, and a door was opened to me by the Lord (2 Corinthians 2:12).

8 But I will tarry in Ephesus until Pentecost. 9 For a great and effective door has opened to me (1 Corinthians 16:8-9).

27 Now when they had come and gathered the church together, they reported all that God had done with them, and that He had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles (Acts 14:27).

We in the Continuing Church of God are going through the open doors in radio as well as with the printing press, the internet, travel, and personal contact. This includes to areas like Africa with Gentiles.

Consider also the following from Herbert W. Armstrong’s last letter before he died:

It may be that the Work that God has given me to do is complete, but not the Work of God’s Church, which will be faithfully doing God’s Work till Christ, the True Head of this Church, returns…Remember brethren, this is not the work of Herbert W. Armstrong…The greatest work lies ahead…Never before in the history of the Church has it been possible to reap so great a harvest. It has only been made possible through modern technology, beginning with the printing press, radio, television...Each of you must commit yourself to support God’s Work…God’s work must push ahead as never before. God is opening up new doors in television (Letter, 1/10/86).

Logo of the European Parliament

COGwriter

While many, particularly in North America, are focused on the USA Presidential election, a significant election is to take place during June in Europe–its parliamentary election. Voting has started in the Netherlands:

EU elections: Netherlands kicks off 4-day parliamentary vote

6 June 2024

The Netherlands has begun voting in the European Union parliamentary elections. Dutch voters will provide an early litmus test for the far-right. …

What you need to know

• Voters in The Netherlands are casting their ballots in the European parliamentary elections
• Ireland and the Czech Republic go to the polls on Friday while the other member states will vote over the weekend
• Polls are opening amid fear of a surge in far-right parties across the bloc  …

Geert Wilders, of the far-right PVV, was among the first senior politicians to vote on Thursday.

Six months ago, his party sent ripples across Europe by becoming the biggest party in the Dutch national parliament.

He is looking to build on that popularity and set the tone for much of the bloc, with calls to give powers back to national capitals and away from the EU so member countries have more autonomy on issues such as migration.

At the same time, Wilders wants to get more powers in the European parliament to weaken the bloc from within.

“You also need to have a strong presence in the European Parliament and make sure that, if necessary, we will be able to change the European guidelines in order to be in charge of our own immigration policy and asylum policy,” news agency AP cited Wilders as saying after voting in The Hague.

He called for a broad alliance of far-right parties to break up the traditional coalition of Christian Democrats, Socialists, pro-business Liberals and Greens.

“Making a larger group in the European Parliament,” Wilders said, “that gives us power to change all those European regulations in order to be more in charge of it ourselves — here in the national parliaments.”

Young voters expected to give boost to the far right

Young voters fueled a Green wave in 2019. Now, under-30s seem poised to boost the far right in the European Parliament.

It’s not quite a youth wave, but eurosceptic, anti-immigrant parties are no longer just for the old. https://www.dw.com/en/eu-elections-netherlands-kicks-off-4-day-parliamentary-vote/live-69285235

There is a shift going on in the European Union. Islamic and other immigrants are becoming less welcome as are politicians that welcomed them in. Young female voters do not wish to fear being raped, whereas young male voters see migrants impacting their employment prospects.

Related to the election and a shift to the right for European voters, a reader sent me a link to the following last March:

BERLIN/BRUSSELS (own report) – In next June’s European elections extreme right-wing parties threaten to become the strongest force in a third of member states and the second or third strongest force in another third. This finding comes from an analysis by the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR), a pan-European think tank. The latest polls predict a major shift in the make-up of the European Parliament. The far-right ECR parliamentary group and ID group will together be stronger than either the Social Democrats or the conservative EPP. The study indicates that the EPP parties and Social Democrats are about to face significant losses. Although they might mathematically still form a narrow majority in an alliance with the liberal Renew Europe group, such a parliamentary coalition would be unstable and unworkable in practice. This is the background to a debate in the EU on whether, under conservative EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, forces on the far right should be embraced as partners after the election. The focus is on cooperation with the ECR group, which includes the Sweden Democrats and Vox from Spain. In the European Parliament this group is led by the ultra-right Fratelli d’Italia under Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

A ‘grand coalition’ in decline

This year’s European elections will be held from 6 to 9 June. The political groupings that have traditionally backed the policies pursued by the European Commission are likely to suffer painful losses. This is the conclusion of a study by the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) based on numerous national polls. The analysis predicts that the seats taken by conservative European People’s Party (EPP) will probably fall from 178 to 173, Social Democrat MEPs from 141 to 131, and those of the liberal Renew Europe from 101 to 86. The Greens, too, are expected to see their representation shrink, taking 61 seats instead of 71. These losses add up to a shift with consequences for coalition options in the Parliament. According to the forecast, the ‘grand coalition’ of EPP and Social Democrats, which had already lost its absolute majority back in 2019, will now slip from its current 45 per cent to 42 per cent of seats. A potential ‘super grand coalition’ that includes Renew Europe would reach 54 per cent, creating a mathematical majority. But in practice it would fall short of having the numbers needed for a stable coalition in the parliament. This, as the ECFR study points out, is because parties within parts the political groups in the European Parliament frequently refuse to vote with the majority, reflecting the divergent national interests involved.[1]

The far right is gaining

The ECFR analysis predicts that parties of various shades of far right politics will make significant gains. They are likely to become the strongest force [2] in nine countries and the second or third strongest [3] in nine others. They have already claimed the leadership of the Italian government, with Giorgia Meloni of the Fratelli d’Italia party as prime minister. They have prevailed in Netherlands, although Geert Wilders of the Partij voor de Vrijheid narrowly failed to become prime minister. The hard right now hold the post of deputy prime minister of Finland (Riikka Purra of The Finns party). They have participated in a coalition government in Austria in the form of the Freiheitliche Partei Österreichs (FPÖ) and been tolerated in Denmark (Dansk Folkeparti). The radical-right spectrum also includes, according to the ECFR analysis, Hungary’s governing party Fidesz, with Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, and Poland’s only recently ousted ruling party PiS (Prawo i Sprawiedliwość) under Jarosław Kaczyński. In Germany, the far right is mainly organised within the AfD. In the European Parliament, the parties of the far right have so far been loosely united either in the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group or the Identity and Democracy (ID) group. The ECR, centred around the Fratelli d’Italia and the PiS, can hope to increase its number of seats from 67 to a predicted 85. The ID group, formed around Austria’s FPÖ, the Italian Lega and the French Rassemblement National (RN), is likely to be the big winner, growing from 58 to 98 seats. There is also a sizable number of mainly extreme right-wing MEPs who are not attached to any group. 03/26/24 https://www.german-foreign-policy.com/en/news/detail/9525

Consider also that the waves of Islamic migrants into Europe was something a pope of the last century was concerned about:

Pope John Paul II (March 1993), as reported by Monsignor Mauro Longhi on October 22, 2017: ‘Tell this to those whom you will meet in the Church of the third millennium. I see the Church afflicted by a deadly scourge. … ‘It’s called islamism. They will invade Europe. I saw the hordes coming from the West to the East’, and he described to me the countries one by one: from Morocco to Libya to Egypt, and so on to the eastern parts. The Holy Father added, ‘They will invade Europe, Europe will be like a cellar, old relics, shadowy, cobwebs. Family heirlooms. You, the Church of the third millennium, will have to contain the invasion. Not with armies, armies will not suffice, but with your faith, lived with integrity.’ ” (McLean DC. Newly revealed vision of St. Pope John Paul: Islam will invade Europe. LifeSite News, November 23, 2017. https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/newly-revealed-vision-of-st.-pope-john-paul-islam-will-invade-europe)

Europe is going to change–and will deal with Islamism as Islam is NOT the prophesied religion of the coming European Beast power–he will initially feign some version of Roman Catholicism.

UPDATE 1225: Just saw the following:

German leader hardens on deportations amid row with far right as EU election looms

Chancellor says violent, foreign-born criminals, even from Syria and Afghanistan, may be forced to leave

6 June 2024

The German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, has told parliament he backs the deportation of violent, foreign-born criminals even if they come from Syria or Afghanistan, as he signalled a more hardline stance three days before Germans vote in European elections.

In a heated debate days after an Afghan asylum seeker allegedly killed a police officer at a far-right rally, Scholz responded on Thursday to accusations by the conservative opposition and the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) that his government was lax on deportations.

He told MPs, to applause: “Let me be clear: it outrages me when someone who has sought protection here in our country commits the most serious crimes.

“Such criminals should be deported, even if they come from Syria and Afghanistan.” https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/jun/06/scholz-hardens-line-on-deportations-after-row-with-far-right-as-german-election-looms

Yes, Germany is starting to get more serious about deporting Muslims.

Consider something posted here back in 2017:

Notice a Catholic prophecy:

Old English Prophecy: In Germany begins a dance, Which passes through Italy, Spain, and France, But England shall pay the piper. (Dupont Y. Catholic Prophecy: The Coming Chastisement. TAN Books, Rockford (IL), 1973, pp. 21-22)

What kind of a dance?

One that will impact Muslims. … a European ruler will push Islam out of Europe  (Thiel B. ‘Germany sees record number of people with immigrant background’. COGwriter, August 1, 2017)

Could this be a step?

Consider also that other Roman Catholic writings also point to Islam being pushed out of Europe:

Brother Louis Rocco (19th century): Terrible wars will rage all over Europe. … In Istanbul (Constantinople) the Cross will replace the half-moon of Islamism, and Jerusalem will be the seat of a King. The southern Slavs will form a great Catholic Empire and drive out of Europe the Turks (Mohammedans), who will withdraw to North Africa and subsequently embrace the Catholic faith. (Dupont, p.76)

St. Francis de Paul (d. 1507): A new order will be founded, that of the Cruciferi, because its members will carry the cross on their banners…The Crusaders will lead the Mohammedans, the teachers of heretical doctrines and bad Christians back to Christ…the power of Islam {was} destroyed by the Great Monarch. (Culleton, The Reign of Antichrist, p. 142).

Note: Sometimes the expression “the Turks” refers to Islam and not just people from Turkey.

Power will be given to a leader, that sounds like the ‘Great Monarch,’ as Europe is prophesied to go through at least two major reorganizations in Revelation 17:

12 “The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority for one hour as kings with the beast. 13 These are of one mind, and they will give their power and authority to the beast. (Revelation 17:12-13)

Many of the migrants that Europeans are concerned about are Muslim, from Islamically dominated lands.

With that in mind, notice the following Roman Catholic prophecy:

Rudolph Gekner (died 1675): A great prince of the North with a most powerful army will traverse all Europe, uproot all republics, and exterminate all rebels. His sword … will combat on behalf of the true orthodox faith, and shall subdue to his dominion the Mahometan Empire. (Connor E. Prophecy for Today. Imprimatur + A.J. Willinger, Bishop of Monterey-Fresno; Reprint: Tan Books and Publishers, Rockford (IL), 1984, p. 36)

If the above has a lot of accuracy (and it has certain biblical consistency), it seems to also show that all (or at least some) republics in Europe are to be uprooted and a “great prince of the North” (also called the King of the North in Daniel 11:40) will rise up–he is prophesied to eliminate a power of the currently Muslim-dominated nations in Daniel 11:40-43. The Bible in Revelation 17:12-13 supports the idea of republics being replaced by a different form of governance.

Related to Islam’s future in Europe, we made the following video on our Bible News Prophecy YouTube channel:

17:19

Will Islam be Pushed Out of Europe?

On June 8, 2018, Austria’s Chancellor Sebastian Kurz announced the closing of seven Islamic mosques in an effort to reduce “political Islam.” In the past several years, at least 6 European nations have banned the wearing of a commonly used garment by Islamic females. Heinz-Christian Strache (later Vice Chancellor of Austria) has declared that Islam has no place in Europe. Did Germany’s Angela Merkel call multiculturalism a failure? Will there be deals between the Muslims and the Europeans? Will a European Beast leader rise up after a reorganization that will eliminate nationalism? Will Europe push out Islam? What does Catholic prophecy teach? What does the Bible teach in Daniel and Revelation? Is Islam prophesied to be pushed out of Europe? Dr. Thiel addresses these issues and more.

Here is a link: Will Islam be Pushed Out of Europe?

That said, the coming European leader will work with the Church of Rome (whose ‘Catherdra’ is within the borders of the ‘City of Seven Hills’) for a time (cf. Revelation 17:1-13). Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Catholic private prophecies point to him (sometimes referred to as the ‘Great Monarch’) to rule over ‘New Babylon’:

Abbott Joachim (died 1202): The city of Babylon shall then be the head and guide of the world…this holy Pontiff will ask the cooperation of the generous monarch of France (Great Monarch)… A man of remarkable sanctity will be his successor in the Pontifical chair.  Through him God will work so many prodigies that all men shall revere him. (Connor, pp. 31-33)

Monk Leontios (died 543): Rejoice, oh most unhappy one, oh New Babylon! . . . You, who are the New Babylon rejoice now on behalf of Zion! New Babylon, dance, bounce and leap greatly, make known even those in Haydes what a Grace you have received. Because that peace which was yours to enjoy in times past, and which God has deprived you of in course of battles, receive it once more from the hand of an Angel . . . oh, the City of Seven Hills the dominion will be yours. (Otto, Tzima. The Great Monarch and WWIII in Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Scriptural Prophecies. Verenika Press, Rock City (SC), 2000, pp. 82-83)

Speaking of Babylon and the Europe, it may be of interest to note that the European parliament building shows similarities to the unfinished Tower of Babel from the Old Testament:

As far as the connection between what is going on in Europe and the ancient Tower of Babel, notice the following European poster from several years ago:

The trappings and the agenda that are going on do align with the type of political power that the Bible warns about.  Notice also the following:

 

Europe has many ties to the Beast and the woman who rides it and this is reflected in official European coinage and art. The Bible warns against the woman who rides the Beast in Revelation 17.

The Bible itself warns about a religious system based out of the city of seven hills that rides the European Beast power.

That said, Europe is inching towards putting in leaders that would be more supportive of pushing Islam out of the continent.

June’s Parliamentary elections look to possibly be a step in that direction.

Ultimately, Europe will push Islam out. And that will have to involve political leaders who want that done.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

Should a Christian Vote? This article gives some of the Biblical rationale on this subject. Would Jesus vote for president/prime minister? Is voting in the Bible? This is a subject Christians need to understand. A video of related interest is available titled: Should Christians Vote? Another video is Biden, Trump, and the Bible.
Europa, the Beast, and Revelation Where did Europe get its name? What might Europe have to do with the Book of Revelation? What about “the Beast”? Is an emerging European power “the daughter of Babylon”? What is ahead for Europe? Here is are links to related videos: European history and the Bible, Europe In Prophecy, The End of European Babylon, and Can You Prove that the Beast to Come is European? Here is a link to a related sermon in the Spanish language: El Fin de la Babilonia Europea.
The European Union and the Seven Kings of Revelation 17 Could the European Union be the sixth king that now is, but is not? Here is a link to the related sermon video: European Union & 7 Kings of Revelation 17:10.
Must the Ten Kings of Revelation 17:12 Rule over Ten Currently Existing Nations? Some claim that these passages refer to a gathering of 10 currently existing nations together, while one group teaches that this is referring to 11 nations getting together. Is that what Revelation 17:12-13 refers to? The ramifications of misunderstanding this are enormous. Here is a link to a related sermon in the Spanish language: ¿Deben los Diez Reyes gobernar sobre diez naciones? A related sermon in the English language is titled: Ten Kings of Revelation and the Great Tribulation.
Who is the King of the North? Is there one? Do biblical and Roman Catholic prophecies for the Great Monarch point to the same leader? Should he be followed? Who will be the King of the North discussed in Daniel 11? Is a nuclear attack prophesied to happen to the English-speaking peoples of the United States, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand? When do the 1335 days, 1290 days, and 1260 days (the time, times, and half a time) of Daniel 12 begin? When does the Bible show that economic collapse will affect the United States? In the Spanish language check out ¿Quién es el Rey del Norte? Here are links to three related videos: The King of the North is Alive: What to Look Out For, The Future King of the North, and Rise of the Prophesied King of the North.
The Great Monarch: Biblical and Greco-Roman Catholic Prophecies Is the ‘Great Monarch’ of Greco-Roman Catholic prophecies endorsed or condemned by the Bible? Two sermons of related interest are also available: Great Monarch: Messiah or False Christ? and Great Monarch in 50+ Beast Prophecies.
Do You Know That Babylon is Forming? How is the final Babylon forming? Are Protestants such as Joel Osteen and Kenneth Copeland are endorsing something dangerous? Could Pope Francis be the ‘False Prophet’ that the Bible warns against? Is an antipope expected to endorse a one-world religion? Here is a link to a related written article In Vatican City: New Babylon more openly forming!
United Nations: Humankind’s Last Hope or New World Order? Is the UN the last hope for humanity? Or might its goals end up with sinister results? A related video would be United Nations and Vatican Are Planning the New World Order.
The Mark of Antichrist What is the mark of Antichrist? What have various ones claimed? Here is a link to a related sermon What is the ‘Mark of Antichrist’?
Mark of the Beast What is the mark of the Beast? Who is the Beast? What have various ones claimed the mark is? What is the ‘Mark of the Beast’?
Lost Tribes and Prophecies: What will happen to Australia, the British Isles, Canada, Europe, New Zealand and the United States of America? Where did those people come from? Can you totally rely on DNA? Do you really know what will happen to Europe and the English-speaking peoples? What about the peoples of Africa, Asia, South America, and the islands? This free online book provides scriptural, scientific, historical references, and commentary to address those matters. Here are links to related sermons: Lost tribes, the Bible, and DNA; Lost tribes, prophecies, and identifications; 11 Tribes, 144,000, and Multitudes; Israel, Jeremiah, Tea Tephi, and British Royalty; Gentile European Beast; Royal Succession, Samaria, and Prophecies; Asia, Islands, Latin America, Africa, and Armageddon;  When Will the End of the Age Come?;  Rise of the Prophesied King of the North; Christian Persecution from the Beast; WWIII and the Coming New World Order; and Woes, WWIV, and the Good News of the Kingdom of God.
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 is a link to a related sermon: Seeing Christianity Through Islamic Eyes.

Cemetery in Estonia

COGwriter

Today is the 80th anniversary of an invasion called D-Day–thousands were killed:

June 6, 2024

COLLEVILLE-SUR-MER, France — French President Emmanuel Macron is awarding eleven U.S. WWII veterans with the Legion of Honor, France’s highest distinction, during a D-Day 80th anniversary ceremony.

The men are now 98 to 104 years old.

Macron kissed each of the veterans on both cheeks and warmly greeted them as he pinned a medal on their lapels.

”You came here to make France a free nation. You’re back here today at home, if I may say,” he told them. https://apnews.com/live/d-day-80th-anniversary-updates

It was the largest amphibious invasion in the history of warfare. On June 6, 1944, more than 150,000 brave young soldiers from the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada stormed the beaches of Normandy, France in a bold strategy to push the Nazis out of Western Europe and turn the tide of the war for good. …

John Long, director of education at the National D-Day Memorial Foundation, says that when the memorial was first being planned in the late 1990s, there were wildly different estimates for Allied D-Day fatalities ranging from 5,000 to 12,000. German casualties on D-Day, meanwhile, have been estimated to be between 4,000 and 9,000 killed, wounded or missing. 06/03/19 https://www.history.com/news/d-day-casualties-deaths-allies

Thousands dead from one battle. Millions died in WWII. Billions have died throughout history as it is appointed to humans to die (Hebrews 9:27).

What happens after you die?

Do you have an immortal soul? Did those who professed Christ, in the period shortly after the Bible was completed, teach that humans possessed immortality? Or did they teach that this was something that God would later give? What really happens after death?

Notice some of what the Apostle Paul was inspired to write:

29 For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. 30 For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep. (1 Corinthians 11:29-30)

12 Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. 14 And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. 15 Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up — if in fact the dead do not rise. 16 For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. 17 And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! 18 Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable. 20 But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. 23 But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming. (1 Corinthians 15:12-23)

51 Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed — 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” (1 Corinthians 15:51-54).

14 Therefore He says:

“Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, And Christ will give you light.” (Ephesians 5:14)

14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.

15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words. (1 Thessalonians 4:14-18)

It is proper for Christians to teach and believe that death is like sleep. Christians are to be comforted by God’s plan, which includes the dead being asleep until they are resurrected (an article of related interest would be What Happens After Death?).

How did early Christians understand these passages in the Bible?

Historical records give us many clues.

After the apostles died (John being the last around 100 A.D.), there were early church writers who continued to teach at least parts of what the apostles taught, which is what is in the Old and New Testaments.

Here is something from what is believed to be “the oldest complete Christian sermon that has survived” (Holmes M.W. Ancient Christian Sermon. The Apostolic Fathers: Greek Texts and English Translations, 2nd ed. Baker Books, Grand Rapids, 2004). This Ancient Christian Sermon contains these statements about it:

Now I do not think that I have given any mean council respecting continence, and whosoever performeth it will not repent thereof, but will save both himself and me his councilor. For it is no mean reward to convert a wondering and perishing soul, that it may be saved (15:1).

For if we have received commands, that we should make this our business, to tear men away from idols and to instruct them, how much more is it wrong that a soul which knoweth God already should perish! (17:1).

It was understood that since souls can perish, they cannot be immortal.

Notice something from the Letter to the Corinthians, often called 1 Clement:

On this account He shall inherit many, and shall divide the spoil of the strong; because His soul was delivered to death, and He was reckoned among the transgressors (Chapter 16).

Notice this from Ignatius’ Letter to the Ephesians:

For this end did the Lord suffer the ointment to be poured upon His head, that He might breathe immortality into His Church (Chapter 17).

Especially [will I do this] if the Lord make known to me that ye come together man by man in common through grace, individually, in one faith, and in Jesus Christ, who was of the seed of David according to the flesh, being both the Son of man and the Son of God, so that ye obey the bishop and the presbytery with an undivided mind, breaking one and the same bread, which is the medicine of immortality, and the antidote to prevent us from dying, but [which causes] that we should live for ever in Jesus Christ (Chapter 20).

Ignatius is essentially teaching that Christ suffered to give immortality to the Church and we in the Church, when we properly partake of Passover, can live forever in Christ–otherwise we would die.

Be sober as an athlete of God: the prize set before you is immortality and eternal life, of which you are also persuaded (Ignatius. Letter to Polycarp, Chapter 2).

Polycarp of Smyrna (mid-2nd century) taught that the body and soul were to be resurrected, hence he taught against the immortality of the soul doctrine:

I bless you for because you have considered me worthy of this day and hour, that I might receive a place among the number of martyrs in the cup of your Christ, to the resurrection to eternal life, both of soul and of body, in the incorruptibility of the Holy Spirit (The Martyrdom of Polycarp, 14:2. In Holmes M.W. The Apostolic Fathers, Greek Texts and English Translations. Baker Books, Grand Rapids (MI), 2004, p.239).

Though the Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch now lists him in their succession list, around 170 A.D., Theophilus of Antioch wrote a position that seems to differ from current Eastern Orthodox doctrine on immortality:

When thou shalt have put off the mortal, and put on incorruption, then shall thou see God worthily. For God will raise thy flesh immortal with thy soul; and then, having become immortal, thou shalt see the Immortal, if now you believe on Him; and then you shall know that you have spoken unjustly against Him (Theophilus of Antioch. To Autolycus, Book 1, Chapter VI. Translated by Marcus Dods, A.M. Excerpted from Ante-Nicene Fathers, Volume 2. Edited by Alexander Roberts & James Donaldson. American Edition, 1885. Online Edition Copyright © 2004 by K. Knight).

For if He had made him immortal from the beginning, He would have made him God…so that if he should incline to the things of immortality, keeping the commandment of God, he should receive as reward from Him immortality, and should become God…For God has given us a law and holy commandments; and every one who keeps these can be saved, and, obtaining the resurrection, can inherit incorruption (Theophilus of Antioch. To Autolycus, Book 2, Chapter XXVII. Translated by Marcus Dods, A.M. Excerpted from Ante-Nicene Fathers, Volume 2. Edited by Alexander Roberts & James Donaldson. American Edition, 1885. Online Edition Copyright © 2004 by K. Knight).

But God at least, the Father and Creator of the universe did not abandon mankind, but gave a law, and sent holy prophets to declare and teach the race of men, that each one of us might awake and understand that there is one God. And they also taught us to refrain from unlawful idolatry, and adultery, and murder, fornication, theft, avarice, false swearing, wrath, and every incontinence and uncleanness; and that whatever a man would not wish to be done to himself, he should not do to another; and thus he who acts righteously shall escape the eternal punishments, and be thought worthy of the eternal life from God (Theophilus of Antioch. To Autolycus, Book 2, Chapter XXXIV. Translated by Marcus Dods, A.M. Excerpted from Ante-Nicene Fathers, Volume 2. Edited by Alexander Roberts & James Donaldson. American Edition, 1885. Online Edition Copyright © 2004 by K. Knight).

Probably prior to 180 A.D., Melito of Sardis, a famous church leader and writer, wrote:

He killed death which had put man to death (Melito. Homily On the Passover, Verse 66. Translation from Kerux: The Journal of Online Theology, http://www.kerux.com/documents/KeruxV4N1A1.asp 09/14/05). 

And by this, Melito is teaching that Jesus could provide immortality, as humans did not possess it (he obviously is not referring to physical death, as Christians have died throughout history).

Even though he held some heretical views, Irenaeus is considered to have been an important early theologian by Catholics and Protestants (around 180 A.D.) and he wrote that:

Christ Jesus, our Lord, and God, and Saviour, and King…may, in the exercise of His grace, confer immortality on the righteous, and holy, and those who have kept His commandments (Irenaeus. Adversus haereses, Book 1, Chapter 10, Verse 1. Excerpted from Ante-Nicene Fathers, Volume 1. Edited by Alexander Roberts & James Donaldson. American Edition, 1885. Online Edition Copyright © 2004 by K. Knight).

Thus Irenaeus did understand the idea that humans do not possess immortality and that it is a gift of God. And this gift is only given to those that have kept His commandments.

He also understood that the resurrection was physical:

We therefore have formed the belief that [our] bodies also do rise again. For although they go to corruption, yet they do not perish; for the earth, receiving the remains, preserves them, even like fertile seed mixed with more fertile ground. Again, as a bare grain is sown, and, germinating by the command of God its Creator, rises again, clothed upon and glorious, but not before it has died and suffered decomposition, and become mingled with the earth (Irenaeus. Fragments of Irenaeus, Fragment VII. Translated by Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson. Excerpted from Volume I of The Ante-Nicene Fathers (Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson, editors); American Edition copyright © 1885. Electronic version copyright © 1997 by New Advent, Inc.).

And even though he was not part of the true Church of God, Justin wrote:

For let even necromancy, and the divinations you practise by immaculate children, and the evoking of departed human souls, and those who are called among the magi, Dream-senders and Assistant-spirits (Familiars), and all that is done by those who are skilled in such matters —let these persuade you that even after death souls are in a state of sensation; and those who are seized and cast about by the spirits of the dead, whom all call dæmoniacs or madmen (Justin. First Apology, Chapter 18).

The second century apologist Tatian, an associate of Justin, wrote:

The soul is not in itself immortal, O Greeks, but mortal. Yet it is possible for it not to die. If, indeed, it knows not the truth, it dies, and is dissolved with the body, but rises again at last at the end of the world with the body, receiving death by punishment in immortality (Tatian. Translated by J.E. Ryland. Tatian’s Address to the Greeks, Chapter XIII . Excerpted from Ante-Nicene Fathers, Volume 2. Edited by Alexander Roberts & James Donaldson. American Edition, 1885. Online Edition Copyright © 2004 by K. Knight).

Polycrates of Ephesus in the late second century wrote and told the Roman Bishop Victor:

Why need I mention the bishop and martyr Sagaris who fell asleep in Laodicea, or the blessed Papirius, or Melito, the Eunuch who lived altogether in the Holy Spirit, and who lies in Sardis, awaiting the episcopate from heaven, when he shall rise from the dead? (Eusebius. Church History, Book V, Chapter 24, Verse 5. Translated by Arthur Cushman McGiffert. Excerpted from Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Series Two, Volume 1. Edited by Philip Schaff and Henry Wace. American Edition, 1890. Online Edition Copyright © 2004 by K. Knight).

Thus immortality was something to be obtained, not something inherent. And the idea of man’s destiny to become God was known in the second century.

Tertullian was a second century religious leader outside the Church of God. And although he held doctrines that we in the COGs would find to be heretical, he is considered to have been an important early theologian by Roman Catholics. Tertullian wrote:

The resurrection is first, and afterwards the kingdom. We say, therefore, that the flesh rises again, but that when changed it obtains the kingdom. “For the dead shall be raised incorruptible,” even those who had been corruptible when their bodies fell into decay; “and we shall be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye. For this corruptible”–and as he spake, the apostle seemingly pointed to his own flesh–” must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.” in order, indeed, that it may be rendered a fit substance for the kingdom of God. “For we shall be like the angels.” This will be the perfect change of our flesh–only after its resurrection. Now if, on the contrary, there is to be no flesh, how then shall it put on incorruption and immortality? Having then become something else by its change, it will obtain the kingdom of God, no longer the (old) flesh and blood, but the body which God shall have given it. Rightly then does the apostle declare, “Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God;” for this (honour) does he ascribe to the changed condition which ensues on the resurrection (Tertullian. Against Marcion, Book V, Chapter 10. Excerpted from Ante-Nicene Fathers, Volume 3. Edited by Philip Schaff, D.D., LL.D. American Edition, 1885. Online Edition Copyright © 2005 by K. Knight).

Thus, he is correctly teaching that we are not now immortal and we are not now fit for the kingdom of God–this occurs after the resurrection.

Hippolytus was a third century religious leader outside the Church of God. And although he held doctrines that we in the COGs would find to be heretical, he is considered to have been one of the greatest early theologians by Roman Catholics.

Hippolytus wrote:

Let us believe then, dear brethren, according to the tradition of the apostles, that God the Word came down from heaven, (and entered) into the holy Virgin Mary, in order that, taking the flesh from her, and assuming also a human, by which I mean a rational soul, and becoming thus all that man is with the exception of sin, He might save fallen man, and confer immortality on men who believe on His name (Hippolytus. Against Noetus, Chapter 17. Excerpted from Ante-Nicene Fathers, Volume 5. Edited by Alexander Roberts & James Donaldson. American Edition, 1886. Online Edition Copyright © 2005 by K. Knight).

Notice that Hippolytus taught that Jesus needed to come in order to confer immortality on men. He would not have to do that if humans were immortal.

Hippolytus also wrote:

For concerning the general resurrection and the kingdom of the saints, Daniel says: “And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.” And Isaiah says: “The dead shall rise, and those in the tombs shall awake, and those in the earth shall rejoice.” And our Lord says: “Many in that day shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and they that hear shall live” (Hippolytus. On the End of the World, Chapter XXXVI. Excerpted from Ante-Nicene Fathers, Volume 5. Edited by Alexander Roberts & James Donaldson. American Edition, 1886. Online Edition Copyright © 2005 by K. Knight).

Notice that Hippolytus is showing that death is like sleep and the dead must be raised.

Victorinus (ca. late third century) wrote:

“To him that overcomes I will give the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone.” The hidden manna is immortality; the white gem is adoption to be the son of God; the new name written on the stone is “Christian.” (Victorinus. Commentary on the Apocalypse. Translated by Robert Ernest Wallis. From Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 7. Edited by Alexander Roberts, James Donaldson, and A. Cleveland Coxe. (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1886.) Revised and edited for New Advent by Kevin Knight. <http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0712.htm> viewed 12/27/08)

There would be no reason to give immortality if it was possessed upon birth.

Pertaining to peoples in the third century, Eusebius wrote about what some in Arabia thought:

They said that during the present time the human soul dies and perishes with the body, but that at the time of the resurrection they will be renewed together (Eusebius. Church History, Book VI, Chapter 37).

A spurious document apparently from the second or early third century may have been used to introduce the immortality heresy into the Alexandrian Orthodox:

Now, the proof that the soul is immortal will be put past doubt, not from what it says, or from what I hear, but from what I see: for seeing it with my eyes, I shall ever after hold the surest conviction of its immortality; and no fallacy of words or uncertainty of hearing shall ever be able to disturb the persuasion produced by sight. (The Recognitions of Clement, 1.5. In the Ante-Nicene Fathers, Rev. Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson, editors, Vol. VIII. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B Eerdmans Publishing Company, reprinted 1995. Note: This text is considered to have been spurious and probably not written by Clement of Alexandria. It seems to be a second century document and could have impacted the views of Gregory the Wonder Worker and others.)

Since it is believed that Origen referred to this work c. 231, he would have been familiar with it, though some believe passages may have been added to it in the fourth or even later centuries (Smith T. Introductory Notice to The Recognitions of Clement. ANTE-NICENE FATHERS VOLUME 8. The Twelve Patriarchs, Excerpts and Epistles, The Clementina, Apocrypha, Decretals, Memoirs of Edessa and Syriac Documents, Remains of the First Ages Edited by ALEXANDER ROBERTS, D.D., and JAMES DONALDSON, LL.D. Revised and Chronologically Arranged, with Brief Prefaces and Occasional Notes by A. CLEVELAND COXE, D.D. T&T CLARK EDINBURGH, pp. 73-74).

But it should be noted that in the mid-late third century a mystic often now referred to as Gregory the Wonder Worker, who studied under Origen in Alexandria Egypt, may have been the first of the Greco-Roman bishops to teach that the soul was immortal:

We prove, then, that the soul is simple…that what is simple is immortal…If, therefore, the soul is not corrupted by the evil proper to itself, and the evil of the soul is cowardice, intemperance, envy, and the like, and all these things do not despoil it of its powers of life and action, it follows that it is immortal. (Gregory Thaumaturgus. On the Soul, Chapters 5, 6. Translated by S.D.F. Salmond. From Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 6. Edited by Alexander Roberts, James Donaldson, and A. Cleveland Coxe. Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1886. Revised and edited for New Advent by Kevin Knight. <http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0608.htm> viewed 06/05/11)

And while this was not commonly accepted for a while, his change did get accepted (though to a significant degree because of others, but also likely some he at least indirectly affected). But it never should have been accepted. In Ezekiel 18:4 the Douay-Rheims Bible (a well known Roman Catholic rendition of scripture into the English language) teaches ” the soul that sinneth, the same shall die” and “The soul that sinneth, the same shall die” in Ezekiel 18:20.

Yet, most who profess Christ in the 21st century do not agree as most believe that humans are immortal. But the Bible teaches otherwise.

That being said, is there hope?

Yes, there is hope coming after the second resurrection.

The Bible tells of a time called the great white throne judgment, which happens after the second resurrection:

¹¹ Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. ¹² And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. (Revelation 20:11-12)

So, the Bible tells of judgment for those not judged by God in this life. And that books would be opened. Yes, people will be found guilty of sin (cf. Romans 3:23), but remember, that eternal life will be granted to repentant sinners who accept Jesus (Romans 6:23).

Now, according to David Jeremiah, a well-known evangelical minister, all who come before the white throne judgment are essentially doomed. Here is some of what he wrote:

Revelation 20. The Great White Throne Judgment is an event where those that did not know Jesus as their Savior during their life will come before the Lord and be judged by Christ. …

We see Buddhists and Muslims and Hindus and Protestants and Catholics and Baptists and Presbyterians. … What will happen to these religious people when they stand before God? … Let the Lord Jesus answer that question. “Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ (Matthew 7:21-23) …

If we come to the end of our life and we haven’t accepted Him, the Bible says our name is blotted out of the Book of Life … (Jeremiah D. What is the Great White Throne Judgment in Revelation? https://davidjeremiah.blog/what-is-the-great-white-throne-judgment-in-revelation/ accessed 06/26/19)

Despite David Jeremiah’s last claim, the Bible does NOT say those who were not called in this age are automatically “blotted out” of the Book of Life. Now it is true that many religious people practice lawlessness. To learn more about that, David Jeremiah (and others) should read our free online book: The Ten Commandments: The Decalogue, Christianity, and the Beast.

Sadly, many have been given wrong teachings about the Great White Throne Judgment. Its purpose is not to permanently doom those who had not known the true Christ.

The Bible teaches:

² … You are a gracious and merciful God (Jonah 4:2)

And that mercy “triumphs over judgment” (James 2:13).

Now let’s notice something in contrast to David Jeremiah’s view from the old Radio Church of God:

Revelation 20: 11-12 says about this RESURRECTION: “. . . and I saw a great white throne . . , and I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God . . .” these people are STANDING-A RESURRECTION–”. . . and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books.” JUDGMENT! Even the WORST of the sinners who never had a chance will be in this RESURRECTION, for even the inhabitants of SODOM will be there! “When thy daughters, Sodom and her daughters, shall return to their former estate, and Samaria and her daughters shall return to their former estate . . . then thou (Jerusalem) shall return to your former estate.” (Ezekiel 16:55.) Isaiah 65:20 indicates ALL will live to be a hundred years old in this age at this time. (When Will the TJNCONVERTED Be Resurrected? Plain Truth, February-March 1954)

We in the CCOG concur that sinners will get their opportunity during the time of the great white throne judgment.

Related to dying, the Continuing Church of God (CCOG) is pleased to suggest the following video from our Bible News Prophecy YouTube channel:

14:42

Why Do People Die?

What does the Bible teach about death? Why do people die? Do all die in Adam? Are the wages of sin death? What is sin? Why do righteous people die? Are people who are dead suffering or are they merely sleeping in their graves awaiting the resurrection? Did Jesus die so we can live again? Is there a time to die? Do people die at the time it is best for them as well as others affected by their death? Does this have biblical support? Is death one of “all things that work together for good”? Can death be a form of correction and/or and end of suffering from God? What about the second death? If we are to be resurrected, why die in the first place? Can this mortal put on immortality and this corruptible put on incorruption? What about love and John 3:16? Is there really a glorious eternity ahead? Should we be comforted by prophecies of Jesus’ return and the resurrection? Steve Dupuie and Dr. Thiel address these matters.

Here is a link to our video: Why Do People Die?

While there is sorrow, death fits as part of God’s loving plan for you and all others.

And that includes people killed during D-Day or who died any time in history (see also the free online book: Universal OFFER of Salvation, Apokatastasis: Can God save the lost in an age to come? Hundreds of scriptures reveal God’s plan of salvation).

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

Did Early Christians Believe that Humans Possessed Immortality? What does John 3:16, and other writings, tell us? Did a doctrine kept adopted from paganism? Here is a YouTube video titled Are humans immortal?
Born-Again originally meant being born at the resurrection, not at the time of conversion. A sermon that includes some of this is: John 1-3: Anti-unitarian, Wine, Being Born Again, & Heaven.
The Second Death The New Testament speaks of something called the “second death.” Who will be subject to it? How does it end? Here is a link to a related sermon: First death, Second death.
Study the Bible Course Lesson 15: What is “Hell”? What are the different words translated as “hell” in English? Does Gehenna mean something different than Hades. What happens? What about worms dying not?
What Happens After Death? Is death like sleep, or is that a cultic idea? Can you speak to the dead? Here is a link to a related sermon: What really happens after death?
What Did Early Christians Understand About the Resurrections? Is there more than one future resurrection? Did early Christians teach a physical resurrection? Did early Christians teach three resurrections? Here is a link to a related sermon: Understanding the Resurrections.
Where is the True Christian Church Today? This free online pdf booklet answers that question and includes 18 proofs, clues, and signs to identify the true vs. false Christian church. Plus 7 proofs, clues, and signs to help identify Laodicean churches. A related sermon is also available: Where is the True Christian Church? Here is a link to the booklet in the Spanish language: ¿Dónde está la verdadera Iglesia cristiana de hoy?
Continuing History of the Church of God This pdf booklet is a historical overview of the true Church of God and some of its main opponents from Acts 2 to the 21st century. Related sermon links include Continuing History of the Church of God: c. 31 to c. 300 A.D. and Continuing History of the Church of God: 4th-16th Centuries and Continuing History of the Church of God: 17th-20th Centuries. The booklet is available in Spanish: Continuación de la Historia de la Iglesia de Dios, German: Kontinuierliche Geschichte der Kirche Gottes, French: L’Histoire Continue de l’Église de Dieu and Ekegusii Omogano Bw’ekanisa Ya Nyasae Egendererete.
The History of Early Christianity Are you aware that what most people believe is not what truly happened to the true Christian church? Do you know where the early church was based? Do you know what were the doctrines of the early church? Is your faith really based upon the truth or compromise?
Beliefs of the Original Catholic Church. Did the original “catholic church” have doctrines held by the Continuing Church of God? Did Church of God leaders uses the term “catholic church” to ever describe the church they were part of? Here are links to related sermons: Original Catholic Church of God? , Original Catholic Doctrine: Creed, Liturgy, Baptism, Passover, and What Type of Catholic was Polycarp of Smyrna?, and Tradition, Holy Days, Salvation, Dress, & Celibacy.
Hope of Salvation: How the Continuing Church of God differs from Protestantism How the real Church of God differs from mainstream/traditional Protestants, is perhaps the question I am asked most by those without a Church of God background. As far as some changes affecting Protestantism, watch the video Charismatic Kenneth Copeland and Anglican Tony Palmer: Protestants Beware! [Português: Esperança do salvação: Como a igreja do deus difere da maioria de protestantes]. Several related sermon 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; and How Does the Church of God Differ from Protestantism? These sermons also cover materials not in the book.
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’.

Banknotes bearing portrait of King Charles III start to be rolled out https://t.co/XLdKgUg2bh

— Inquirer (@inquirerdotnet) June 5, 2024

COGwriter

UK banknotes featuring King Charles III were released today:

UK: King Charles banknotes enter circulation

5 June 2024

Banknotes bearing a portrait of King Charles entered circulation in Britain on Wednesday, almost two years after he succeeded the late Queen Elizabeth II as head of state.

Charles’ image will appear on the new £5, £10, £20 and £50 bills, as existing notes featuring his mother will continue to circulate.

“This approach is in line with guidance from the Royal Household, to minimize the environmental and financial impact of this change,” the Bank of England said.

“This means the public will begin to see the new King Charles III notes very gradually.”

Coins with the King’s portrait entered circulation in December 2022, a few months after the death of Elizabeth II. …

Elizabeth was the first monarch to feature on British banknotes although coins in England have carried images of kings and queens for over 1,000 years.

“We’re very pleased to be issuing the new King Charles banknotes. This is a historic moment, as it’s the first time we’ve changed the sovereign on our notes,” Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey said on Wednesday.

Aside from the new monarch, the design of the banknotes is unchanged. https://www.dw.com/en/uk-king-charles-banknotes-enter-circulation/a-69271225

The release of such banknotes is not a surprise, though it seems to have taken longer than one may have expected.

That said Charles released an odd official picture of himself last month:

(Official Royal Family photo)

Newly-Unveiled Portrait Of King Charles III Swimming In A ‘Sea Of Blood Red’ Shows The Image Of Baphomet When Placed Side By Side In Reverse

May 16, 2024

If King Charles III was looking to keep his name alive amongst end times students of prophecy, he nailed it yesterday. A direct descendant of Vlad the Impaler who waits 70 years to become king of England, and his official portrait has him swimming in a sea of blood red. Well done, old chap, and cheerio. But wait, there’s something else you should know. …

Now let’s talk about that butterfly. King Charles III attends a church that at one time was a Christian church, the Church of England, but in our day is a functional Roman Catholic institution. Charles is well-versed and steeped in New Age spirituality, so the butterfly in his portrait would signal his ‘rebirth’ as a king, a ‘new beginning’, as well as perhaps a ‘message from the spirit world’. Whatever you think of him and his portrait, people across the board are duly shocked by what they saw, and they should be. It is a shocking piece of art, and just maybe, a message of what’s to come. One last thing. In the main photo for this article, I took the liberty of showing you his portrait two times, with the one photo given a horizontal 180-degree flip. If you look in the middle of this hand-painted and intentional portrait, you see the head of Baphomet. But I’m sure that’s just another one of those crazy ‘coincidences’, right? https://www.sgtreport.com/2024/05/newly-unveiled-portrait-of-king-charles-iii-swimming-in-a-sea-of-blood-red-shows-the-image-of-baphomet-when-placed-side-by-side-in-reverse/

Charles III Unveils Creepy First Oil Portrait of Him as King – And People Are Freaking Out

May 16, 2024

They say an image is worth a thousand words. If the image turns out to be an impactful high-end oil painting of one of the world’s most influential heads of state, it is probably worth many more words. … The portrait was painted by artist Jonathan Yeo, and it depicts Charles against a background of ‘vivid red hues’ – maybe too vivid – … A butterfly flutters just above his right shoulder to complete the disturbing effect. https://www.sgtreport.com/2024/05/in-hell-charles-iii-unveils-creepy-first-oil-portrait-of-him-as-king-and-people-are-freaking-out/

If you put two photos of the painting together, yes, oddly it tends to show the image of Baphomet. Here is what the first source put out as a side-by-side:

It may be a bit of a stretch to connect Baphomet to the official portrait, but here is what Baphomet looks like:

So, yes, the official photo is odd and creepy at best, and satanic at worst.

As far a religion goes, after he was declared King, Charles declared:

I, Charles III, by the grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of my other realms and territories, King, Defender of the Faith, do faithfully promise and swear that I should inviolably maintain and preserve the settlement of the true Protestant religion as established by the laws made in Scotland in prosecution of the Claim of Right and particularly by an act intituled an act for securing the Protestant religion and Presbyterian church government and by the acts passed in the Parliament of both kingdoms for union of the two kingdoms, together with the government, worship, discipline, rights and privileges, of the Church of Scotland.

So Help me God.” https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-09-10/king-charles-full-speech-accession-council-london-ceremony/101426576

And while that is officially what he was supposed to say, before then, Charles caused some controversy:

In 1994, Charles triggered controversy when he said he would be defender of faith rather than Defender of the Faith, in a desire to reflect Britain’s religious diversity. There were suggestions that the coronation oath might be altered.

In 2015, he clarified his position in an interview with BBC Radio 2, saying his views had been misinterpreted. He said: “As I tried to describe, I mind about the inclusion of other people’s faiths and their freedom to worship in this country. And it’s always seemed to me that, while at the same time being Defender of the Faith, you can also be protector of faiths.”

He pointed out that the Queen had said her role was “not to defend Anglicanism to the exclusion of other religions. Instead, the Church [of England] has a duty to protect the free practice of all faiths in this country. I think in that sense she was confirming what I was really trying to say – perhaps not very well – all those years ago.”

Now, as he ascends the throne almost three decades after that controversy, most people would agree that Charles should champion the right to religious belief and practice of all his subjects, not just that of the dwindling number of people in the pews of Anglican churches. https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/sep/09/king-charles-to-be-defender-of-the-faith-but-also-a-defender-of-faiths#:~:text=He%20said%3A%20%E2%80%9CAs%20I%20tried,also%20be%20protector%20of%20faiths.%E2%80%9D

King Charles III … Early on, he promised to be the defender of all faiths and has followed through by regularly incorporating interreligious events into his busy diary… https://www.cnn.com/2023/12/29/uk/royal-year-in-review-intl-gbr-scli-cmd/index.html

It is his interreligious promotions and connections with groups like the World Economic Forum that have raised concerns of some. After all, even ‘satanism’ is considered to be a faith.

That said, Charles sits on the throne of David. Even in the Old Testament we read that many who sat on that throne were not faithful to the religion that they were supposed to be.

As far as the British connection to the throne of David, here  is something from my free online book, Lost Tribes and Prophecies: What will happen to Australia, the British Isles, Canada, Europe, New Zealand and the United States of America?:

The Throne of David Was to Continue

Let’s look at some prophecies related to the throne of David:

⁴⁵ … King Solomon shall be blessed, and the throne of David shall be established before the Lord forever. (1 Kings 2:45)

³ “I have made a covenant with My chosen, I have sworn to My servant David: ⁴ ‘Your seed I will establish forever, And build up your throne to all generations.’”(Psalm 89:3-4)

² … Hear the word of the Lord, O king of Judah, you who sit on the throne of David, you and your servants and your people who enter these gates! (Jeremiah 22:2)

¹⁷ “For thus says the Lord: ‘David shall never lack a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel; ¹⁸ nor shall the priests, the Levites, lack a man to offer burnt offerings before Me, to kindle grain offerings, and to sacrifice continually.’” (Jeremiah 33:17-18)

The above passages make clear that the throne of David was to last. Since scripture cannot be broken (John 10:35), then someone has to be on that throne now. Let me also state that there have been Levites ever since Jeremiah 33:17-18–the fact that they do not do their original biblical role for offerings does NOT change the fact that they still exist, which is all that scripture requires for them. It should also be noted that Young’s Literal Translation says “one” instead of “a man,” which literally allows for a woman to have the throne (the NET uses “successor” and the NLT uses “descendant”).

Furthermore, since God had Jeremiah write this during the life of the last king on the throne of David in Jerusalem (Zedekiah) this may also be suggesting that Jeremiah would be involved in the continuity of the Davidic throne.

Although some have improperly asserted that Jeremiah 33:17 does not mean that anyone actually has to be on the throne, only available to be on it, remember also the following:

¹⁰ The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor a lawgiver from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes; And to Him shall be the obedience of the people. (Genesis 49:10)

The Bible shows that scepter came to David of Judah when he became king (cf. Numbers 24:17; 2 Samuel 8:2). Some who do not accept that the British Royal family can be holding that scepter have said that, “Until Shiloh comes” means Jesus’ first coming. However, that is in error for three reasons.

The first is if that were the case, then where were the kings between Zedekiah (the last King of Judah) and Jesus? There were none.

And secondly, during His first coming, Jesus said His Kingdom was future (John 18:36), so He did not assume the throne then. Critics of what is known as British-Israelism do not seem to realize that and they wrongly rationalize away many scriptures. Jesus will sit on the throne of David in millennial the Kingdom of God.

And thirdly, note that Genesis 49:10 has to be a reference to the second coming of Jesus, as we did not see the obedience of the people given to Him during the first coming. Hence, biblically, there had to have been a royal succession from Judah’s line after Zedekiah until Jesus’ return.

Consider that through the prophet Nathan, God made a remarkable promise to King David:

¹² “When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom.  ¹³ He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. … ¹⁵ But My mercy shall not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I removed from before you. ¹⁶ And your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you. Your throne shall be established forever. (2 Samuel 7:12-13, 15-16)

The throne was to be established forever—and it has been! And this is the throne Jesus will return to.

Scripture is plainly teaching that someone has had to have been on that throne since the time of the Zedekiah (a contemporary of Jeremiah), who was the last king of Judah in the Holy Land until Jesus returns to set up the millennial kingdom.

Since someone had to fill the regal role, we can see through historical records and legends that the royalty in the British Isles fits this.

Now, some have pointed to Jeremiah 22:28-30 as proof that, because God said that Coniah (also called Jeconiah) would not have son to be on the throne of David as proof that the line would not continue, that overlooks the fact that the line continued through Coniah’s brother Zedekiah (1 Chronicles 3:16).

Through the prophet Nathan, God made a remarkable promise to King David:

¹² “When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom.  ¹³ He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. … ¹⁵ But My mercy shall not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I removed from before you. ¹⁶ And your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you. Your throne shall be established forever. (2 Samuel 7:12-13, 15-16)

The throne was to be established forever—and it has been! This is the throne Jesus will return to. …

British Royal Family

Are there other biblical connections between the British Royal Family and the line of King David?

Yes.

When the wife of King James II, Mary/Margaret, was made Queen Consort, the ceremony in the mid-15^th century tied her in with the wives of the Israeli patriarchs: Sarah (Abraham), Rebecca (Isaac), and Leah & Rachel (Jacob).[i]

In the early 17^th century, Stuart King James I claimed to be the King of Israel.[ii]

In 1860 and 1881, Frederick Glover wrote about the connection between the children of Israel and the British. Later, he shared information with Queen Victoria. This was then reported in a New Zealand newspaper in 1902:

FRA Glover … was led into an examination of the Royal pedigree, … he sent her Majesty a letter …

The Queen’s answer … acknowledged … that she was already in possession of the facts of which he had spoken to her concerning her ancestral line.  …

This communication … led him to believe that the facts were actually accepted as genuine by the Royal Family – as true and authentic.[iii]

Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone, was the last surviving granddaughter of Queen Victoria. Princess Alice was the main patron of the British-Israel-World Federation organization which formed in 1919. She attended the federation’s first Congress in July 1920, and remained a patron of the BIWF until her death in January 1981.[iv]

Furthermore, notice something that the then Duke of York, who later was King George VI of Great Britain from 11 December 1936 until his death on February 6, 1952, reportedly wrote in 1922:

… I am sure the British Israelite business is true. I have read a lot about it lately and everything no matter how large or small points to our being ‘the chosen race.’[v]

So, even a recent King of Great Britain believed in British-Israelism (though Ephraimites, per say, are not the chosen race—they are recipients of certain covenant blessings).

In ancient times, God had the prophet Samuel anoint David to be king with oil from Israel (1 Samuel 16:1,13). Notice now a part of the ceremony for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II back in 1953:

O Lord and heavenly Father, the exalter of the humble and the strength of thy chosen, who by anointing with Oil didst of old make and consecrate kings, priests, and prophets, to teach and govern thy people Israel: Bless and sanctify thy chosen servant ELIZABETH, who by our office and ministry is now to be anointed with this Oil, … And as Solomon was anointed king by Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet, so be thou anointed, blessed, and consecrated Queen over the Peoples, whom the Lord thy God hath given thee to rule and govern,[vi]

So, we see a tie in with governance, oil, Israel, David’s son Solomon and other biblical aspects. The ancient kings of Israel were anointed (1 Samuel 15:1; 1 Kings 1:34) with oil (1 Samuel 16:13). Scepters were long recognized in the Bible as a symbol for ruling (Genesis 49:10; Ezekiel 19:14) and one was given to the new Queen. Having all of these as part of a coronation ceremony may be more than a coincidence or simple imitation of what some saw in the Bible (some assert the basic ceremony originated with Bishop Dunstan of the 10^th century, but it is difficult to know what was done earlier in Scotland or Ireland and if he had access to any related information).

Here is some of what was said when King Charles III was anointed with oil as part of his coronation on May 6, 2023:

Be your head anointed with holy oil, as kings, priests, and prophets were anointed. And as Solomon was anointed king by Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet, so may you be anointed, blessed, and consecrated King over the peoples, whom the Lord your God has given you to rule and govern …[vii]

Let it be added that Jerusalem was reportedly mentioned at least three times in his coronation ceremony.[viii] And that is where Solomon would have been anointed king.

Furthermore, the olive oil mixture to be used to anoint King Charles III was consecrated on the Mount of Olives which is adjacent to Jerusalem, and according to Justin Welby (the Archbishop of Canterbury), “ancient kings through to the present day, monarchs have been anointed with oil from this sacred place.” [ix] While those “ancient kings” referred to may only go back to Crusader times, it is possible that some anointing oil was originally brought to Ireland by Jeremiah and, in time, others decided to replenish it with an olive oil mixture from Jerusalem.

Have any in the current Royal Family believed in British Israelism?

Well, as it turns out, a longtime colleague of mine (who asked not to have his name in this book because it could impact his relationship with the Royal Family), told me on April 6, 2022, that decades ago, then Prince Charles privately told him that “he believed that the British royalty was part of the line of David, but would never say this in public or print” and that Charles seemed to know a lot about the British-Israelite matter.

[i] Ashmole E. The entire ceremonies of the coronations of His Majesty King Charles II. and of her Majesty Queen Mary, Consort to James II: As published by those learned heralds Ashmole and Sandford. With the prayers at full length. To which is prefix’d, an introduction historical and critical; likewise an appendix, containing many curious particulars. MDCCLXI, pp. 33-35

[ii] Brackney, p. 61

[iii] Adams RN. The King’s Pedigree. Otaga Witness, September 24, 1902, p. 69

[iv] Stanley B. Christianity in the Twentieth Century, A World History. Princeton University Press, 2018, p. 24

[v] George, Duke of York. Letter, 1922. Facsimile printed in The Independent, April 6, 1996 as cited in Crawford H, Leo R. Scholarship, Sacrifice and Subjectivity: The Renaissance Bible Today. Taylor & Francis, 2021, p. 113

[vi] Church of England. The Form and Order of the Service that is to be Performed and the Ceremonies that are to be Observed in the Coronation of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in the Abbey Church of St. Peter Westminster on Tuesday the Second Day of June 1953. Eyre and Spottiswoode, 1953, pp. 12-13

[vii] The Coronation: King’s coronation order of service: Follow ceremony including hymns, prayers and readings. Sky News, May 6, 2023

[viii] Ibid.

[ix] Khalil h, Foster M. Holy oil to anoint King Charles III on his coronation, has been consecrated in Jerusalem. CNN, March 4, 2023

A full list of succession can be found in the free online book: Lost Tribes and Prophecies: What will happen to Australia, the British Isles, Canada, Europe, New Zealand and the United States of America?

Anyway, now the UK has King Charles III on banknotes. We may also see that in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and elsewhere, though there is some controversy about connections to the British monarch in many lands.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

Lost Tribes and Prophecies: What will happen to Australia, the British Isles, Canada, Europe, New Zealand and the United States of America? Where did those people come from? Can you totally rely on DNA? What about other peoples? Do you really know what will happen to Europe and the English-speaking peoples? What about Africa, Asia, South America, and the Islands? This free online book provides scriptural, scientific, historical references, and commentary to address those matters. Here are links to related sermons: Lost tribes, the Bible, and DNA; Lost tribes, prophecies, and identifications; 11 Tribes, 144,000, and Multitudes; Israel, Jeremiah, Tea Tephi, and British Royalty; Gentile European Beast; Royal Succession, Samaria, and Prophecies; Asia, Islands, Latin America, Africa, and Armageddon;  When Will the End of the Age Come?;  Rise of the Prophesied King of the North, and Christian Persecution from the Beast; and WWIII and the Coming New World Order; and Woes, WWIV, and the Good News of the Kingdom of God.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan

COGwriter

Turkey is looking at BRICS+ instead of the European Union:

Joining BRICS+ ‘good alternative’ to EU: Turkiye

June 4, 2024

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on 4 June during a trip to China that his country is interested in joining the BRICS+ group of emerging economies.

“Certainly, we would like to become a member of BRICS. So, we’ll see how it goes this year,” Fidan was cited as saying on Tuesday by the South China Morning Post (SCMP) newspaper.

Fidan noted that since some European nations have opposed Turkiye’s joining the EU, authorities in Ankara are considering BRICS+ as a “good alternative.”

“We cannot ignore the fact that BRICS, as an important cooperation platform, offers some other countries a good alternative. We see potential in BRICS,” the Turkish diplomat said.

SCMP also cited Fidan as saying that he hopes to attend the BRICS+ foreign ministers meeting scheduled for this month in the Russian city of Nizhny Novgorod.

“One of the topics on the agenda is expected to be the possibility of Turkey, a NATO ally, joining the BRICS grouping.” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared an intention to join the bloc at its summit in Johannesburg six years ago, yet little progress has been made since then. https://thecradle.co/articles/joining-brics-good-alternative-to-eu-turkiye

Like many of the BRICS nations, Turkey has a fairly high about of gold reserves for a nation of its size. And like BRICS+, Turkey would like to bypass the US dollar more in trade.

But the BRICS+ interest may be more do to frustration with the EU.

Last Fall, Turkey stated that it was getting frustrated with the European Union:

Turkey Could ‘Part Ways’ With The EU: Erdogan

September 17, 2023

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday that Ankara could “part ways” with the EU if necessary, following the release of a European Parliament report rejecting the possibility of Turkey joining the EU soon.

The report instead suggested the EU explore “a parallel and realistic framework,” such as a customs union, to determine its ties with Ankara. “The EU is trying to break away from Turkiye,” Erdogan told reporters. “We will make our evaluations against these developments and if necessary, we can part ways with the EU.” …

The European Parliament report follows renewed Turkish efforts to join the EU. Earlier this summer, President Erdogan sought to link Turkey’s EU accession to approving Sweden’s bid to join NATO.

However, EU officials balked at linking the two issues, citing human rights abuses and the deterioration of the rule of law in Turkiye under Erdogan. “We have recently seen a renewed interest from the Turkish government in reviving the EU accession process,” said the lead lawmaker on the file, Spanish Socialist Nacho Sánchez Amor, upon adopting the report …

Turkey’s occupation of parts of EU-member Cyprus has also led EU officials to criticize Erdogan.

In 2018, the European Council said in a statement that negotiations for Turkey to join the EU “have come to a standstill.” https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/turkey-could-part-ways-eu-erdogan

2 For behold, Your enemies make a tumult;
And those who hate You have lifted up their head.
3 They have taken crafty counsel against Your people,
And consulted together against Your sheltered ones.
4 They have said, “Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation,
That the name of Israel may be remembered no more.”
5 For they have consulted together with one consent;
They form a confederacy against You:
6 The tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites;
Moab and the Hagrites;
7 Gebal, Ammon, and Amalek;
Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre;
8 Assyria also has joined with them;
They have helped the children of Lot. (Psalms 83:2-8)

The ‘who’ that have consulted together and agreed to the conspiracy includes Turkey. “Edom” is a reference to Turkey and Assyria to Europe.

The late WCG evangelist Raymond McNair wrote:

Daniel 11 also mentions some of the Mideast peoples who will be involved in that struggle among the nations at the close of this age. The belligerents will include the “King of the North,” the leader of the European Union (or its final outgrowth, called the “Beast”). The “King of the South” (an Islamic leader—apparently from Egypt {or} some other Muslim state) is also referred to. The following lands/peoples are specifically mentioned: Egypt, the Holy Land (Israel/Palestine), the Ethiopians (modern Cushites, south of Egypt), Libya, Edom, Moab and Ammon. Many descendants of the ancient peoples known as Edomites or Idumeans now live in the West Bank, Jordan, Iraq, Turkey, Syria, Arabia, Yemen, the Persian Gulf states, etc. (McNair R. Solving the Arab-Israeli Impasse! Copyright Raymond F. McNair 2005, Church of God—21st Century).

Notice the following from the old Radio Church of God:

Turn to the astounding prophecy found in Psalm 83:1-8. David, inspired of God, predicted the coming time when ALL of Israel’s enemies would join together in an effort to crush out even the name “Israel” from the face of the earth! (Verse 4) “For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee…” (verse 5). Notice the nations making up this confederation. “Edom [Turkey], and the Ishmaelites [Saudi Arabia]; Moab [Jordan], and the Hagarenes [they anciently dwelt in the land known as Syria today]; Gebal {Lebanon}, and Ammon [Jordan] and Amalek; the Philistines with the inhabitants of Tyre; Assur [whose descendants migrated to Germany] is joined with them; they have helped the children of Lot” {Moab and Ammon in modern Jordan). Here we see that the Arab nations mentioned are allied with Germany (Assur) which we know from other prophecies will be the military leader — naturally so — of a United States of Europe…Egypt…will provoke the prophesied United Europe (Dan. 11:40). This European power — called the “king of the north” in Daniel 11 — shall invade and occupy the “glorious land” of Palestine (verse 41). “And the land of Egypt shall not escape”(Boraker R. SYRIA RAIDS ISRAEL – Where Is It Leading? Plain Truth. November 1966)

Turkey will be part of a confederacy that will conspire against the tiny nation of Israel as well as against the USA and its British-descended allies (see also Anglo – America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel) but since Assyria is involved in Psalm 83, this is also an alliance with a coming European power.

The Bible also shows that Turkey will also, temporarily and as part of a confederacy, support the prophesied King of the South:

40 “At the time of the end the king of the South shall attack him; and the king of the North shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter the countries, overwhelm them, and pass through. 41 He shall also enter the Glorious Land, and many countries shall be overthrown; but these shall escape from his hand: Edom, Moab, and the prominent people of Ammon. 42 He shall stretch out his hand against the countries, and the land of Egypt shall not escape. 43 He shall have power over the treasures of gold and silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt; also the Libyans and Ethiopians shall follow at his heels. (Daniel 11:40-43)

The King of the South is prophesied to be over lands that are currently under Islamic domination. Yet, despite being Islamic, notice that Daniel 11:41 shows that Turkey (Edom) will escape the coming destruction from the King of the North, despite being aligned for a time with the King of the South.

Interestingly, notice the following Roman Catholic prophecy about Turkey and a “Great Arab” leader:

Nostradamus: The Great Arab shall progress well forward, But betrayed shall be by the Byzantines. (Turks).

Comment on above from Catholic writer Yves Dupont: Here, we are told that Turkey will break its faith with the rest of the Arab world. (Dupont, Yves. Catholic Prophecy: The Coming Chastisement. TAN Books, Rockford (IL), 1973, p. 107).

Dionysius of Luxemberg (died 1682): a. “After the birth of Antichrist the people of the world will be very wicked and godless … The churches will be dreary and empty like deserted barns … From the midst of His Church He will raise up a Christian ruler who will perform most remarkable deeds. With divine assistance this ruler will not only lead erring souls back to the true Faith but also deal a heavy blow to the foes of the empire; the Turks, to take away their empire and restore it to Christianity (Connor p.84).

The “Great Arab” is probably supposed to represent the Mahdi/Caliph, the final King of the South. The Turks currently control Byzantium and have for many centuries. Dionysius of Luxemberg seems to be saying that the Turks will betray an Islamic empire.

Hence, Roman Catholic prophecy indicates that Turkey will betray the Islamic Arabic power. In the Bible, Daniel 11:25-26 is quite clear that an ally of the King of the South will betray the King of the South:

25 “He shall stir up his power and his courage against the king of the South with a great army. And the king of the South shall be stirred up to battle with a very great and mighty army; but he shall not stand, for they shall devise plans against him. 26 Yes, those who eat of the portion of his delicacies shall destroy him; his army shall be swept away, and many shall fall down slain. (Daniel 11:25-26)

If Daniel 11:25-26 has future fulfillment (and as it seems to parallel Daniel 11:40-43 so it looks to), it would seem that there will be close allies (like Turkey) that will betray the King of the South according to scripture as well.

So what do we make of all of this?

Well, for a time, Turkey will continue to try to have ties with Europe and with the Islamic world (cf. Psalm 83:4-8; Daniel 11:40-43). But this will not last.

For a short while, Turkey will will align with the King of the South–which will also have one or more ties with Europe (cf. Daniel 11:27; Psalm 83:4-8)–until the King of the South and the European King of the North turn against each other (Daniel 11:40-43), but Turkey will switch by then to support the European King of the North.

My experience with the Turks (my wife and I have been to Turkey 3 or 4 times) is that they are a pragmatic people. In time, they will see problems with the ambitions of the King of the South. This will lead to one or more leaders in Turkey betraying the King of the South to the European King of the North, consistent with scripture.

Before Jesus returns, Turkey ultimately will align with Europe, despite some distancing that will also occur.

Biblical prophecies concerning Turkey will come to pass.

(Unsplash photo)

COGwriter

Satan does not want people to be in the Kingdom of God.

The late evangelist Dibar Apartian wrote the following that was originally published old the Good News magazine in May 1983 of the old Worldwide Church of God:

How to Escape Satan’s Three Major Snares

What causes a seemingly solid, balanced, deeply converted Christian to turn from God’s way of life? Could it ever happen to you?

From time to time, sad to say, we all hear of cases in which true Christians burn out, sour on God’s Work or are caught up in some problem or movement that takes them out of God’s true Church.

Many of us probably even know people — perhaps former close friends — to whom it has happened.

When it occurs, we are shocked and disheartened. In disbelief, we ask ourselves, Why?

But it would, perhaps, be more appropriate if we asked ourselves, Can this ever happen to me?

Can it, really? Is there any possibility that you, too, would one day turn away from the Christian way of life — reject the calling God has given you? What assurance do you have that you are firmly rooted in God’s true Church? How can you be sure — absolutely sure — that you are immune to such tragedy?

Can’t serve two masters

No matter how converted we are, it is possible for everyone of us to become preoccupied with the cares of the world. Then, we are easy prey for Satan’s snares. We overlook Satan’s relentless efforts to tempt us and attack us on our weakest points. Without realizing it — and certainly without wanting to — we are actually trying to serve two masters.

Christ said: “No one can serve two masters [that’s a dogmatic statement!]; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon” (Matt. 6:24).

The more deeply you are involved in God’s Work and in the aims and activities of God’s true Church, the less likely you are to fall to Satan’s snares. It’s a matter of setting your priorities right.

Strangely enough, those who leave often spend more time thinking about the Church than some of us who are still in the Church! But the concern of dissidents is destructive; they seem to want to fill their minds only with what they imagine is wrong with the Church. They want to find ways to hurt and destroy the Church.

Our focus must be the exact opposite. We must constantly look for ways to build up God’s Church and God’s people — constantly work toward unity, harmony and peace.

Have you taken time to find out what other master you may actually be trying to serve? Could it be your ego, perhaps? Your vanity? Your ambitions? Your job? A close friend or one of the other members of your own family? When you are facing trials and tribulations, do you begin to doubt your calling? Do you want to turn away from God’s Church? Do you start to seek other ways to satisfy your desires or solve your problems?

Let’s look at three broad areas through which Satan works to trap and destroy God’s people — cause them to lose out on their chance at salvation!

The spirit of rebellion

Satan, the accuser of the brethren (Rev. 12:10), is rebellious toward authority. He wants you to be like him and to follow his example. He will set all kinds of stumbling blocks before you to make you fall.

Swayed by his own ambition, he turned against God, fought and lost (Isa. 14:12-14). He also wants you to turn against God, fight and lose!

He will, therefore, do anything in his power to make you rebel against authority — whether at home, at work or in God’s Church. He will do everything he can to work on your emotions and put all kinds of doubts in your mind.

In the name of freedom, people all through history have turned against authority — chosen rebellion. Mankind has not understood that there is no place for rebellion in true freedom. Only God’s way leads to true freedom — to peace, joy and happiness. The apostle Paul wrote: “Because the carnal mind [a mind set on worldly things] is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God” (Rom. 8:7-8).

Is your mind set on worldly things? What preoccupies you most, day after day? Physical things or spiritual things?

Pride will befriend you with Satan, but will put a wall of separation between God and you. Is your pride worth that tragic price? Will you turn your back to God because of your own vanity?

Of course, you need to take care of yourself, as well as the needs of your family. That has nothing to do with serving two masters. What Christ meant is something totally different — you cannot have other gods before the true God. You cannot be slave both to God and to the ways of the world.

Actually, in a world where Satan is still god (II Cor. 4:4), you don’t need too much encouragement to set your mind on rebellion. Satan knows this better than anyone else. He is always available to give you the push you need. He will help you to be more carnal — to become enslaved to the works of the flesh.

In Numbers 16, God tells us the story of Korah as an example of rebellion. Korah and his men, 250 strong, turned against Moses and rose up before him in protest, saying, “You take too much upon yourselves, for all the congregation is holy” (verses 1-3).

Is this the way you sometimes reason? Whenever you wonder whether you should submit to authority, remember the fate of Korah and his group: “And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, ‘Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment'” (verses 20-21).

God was truly angry with the people. It was only because of the fervent intervention of Moses and Aaron that the whole congregation didn’t perish.

Moses strongly pleaded with God, saying: “‘O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and You be angry with all the congregation?’ So the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Speak to the congregation, saying, “Get away from the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram”‘” (verses 22-24).

Notice what happened: “And a fire came out from the Lord and consumed the two hundred and fifty men who were offering incense” (verse 35).

There is a great lesson for all of us to learn. We too, stirred up by Satan, can sometimes nurture similar thoughts. We judge and criticize. “Why should I obey that order?” we may say. “I don’t agree with it.”

When you look at the world today, you can see how hard Satan is at work. Everything he does, in one way or another, is directed toward rebellion. Satan’s attacks are primarily directed toward God’s Church, however — that’s where he wants to do the most damage.

In a society based on Satan’s principles of selfishness and vanity, obedience doesn’t always seem pleasant or easy, but with God’s help we can overcome Satan’s snares: “Submit to God,” wrote the apostle James. “Resist the devil and he will flee from you” (Jas. 4:7).

This is a strong commandment. But what should you do in order to resist the devil? And how can you submit yourself to God?

James gives the answer: “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you” (verse 8). In other words, you can draw closer to God by submitting yourself more and more to Him, by hungering and thirsting for His Word and His way of life. If you always put God first in your life, you will not be serving two masters.

The snare of pride

Another of Satan’s snares, one that affects us all, is pride. Satan will tempt you by working on your pride and vanity.

You don’t always realize it, but pride is potentially one of your biggest pitfalls. It makes you unable to recognize your faults — unwilling to apologize when you are wrong. You want to maintain your own ways because of pride. And Satan loves that, because he himself maintains his own ways and does not recognize his sins.

The apostle James, in the course of telling us to get closer to God in order to resist Satan, states that “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (Jas. 4:6).

Do you grasp the meaning of this verse? Pride will befriend you with Satan, but will put a wall of separation between God and you. Is your pride worth that tragic price? Will you turn your back to God because of your own vanity?

One of the most important lessons God gave to His people through Moses was to command them to remain humble: “So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord. … Beware that you [all of us] do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping His commandments, His judgments, and His statutes which I command you today, lest — when you have eaten and are full, and have built beautiful houses… your heart is lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage … then you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gained me this wealth'” (Deut. 8:3-17).

This warning applies to us today as much as it did to our forefathers. It is only by the grace of God that we have whatever we possess.

Pride will also incite you to judge and criticize; it will make you think you know better and that your opinions are wiser. Christ said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 18:3).

Think of it — there is no place for the carnally proud in the Kingdom of Heaven!

Don’t {wrongly} judge. Don’t {unnecessarily} criticize. “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up” (Jas. 4:10).

The more you know God and study His Word, the more you will realize just how little you actually are.

Always be ready to admit your faults. Correct them and forgive those of your neighbors. When you return good for an evil deed, you will have God for your partner. He will be your friend, and will help you solve your problems the right way.

Continuing in James: “Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law” (verse 11).

Covetousness

The third major snare of Satan is covetousness. Satan wants you to covet — to go after something that is not yours, or to which you are not entitled. Humanly speaking, covetousness appeals to our nature. We want to get rather than give, to have and keep for ourselves rather than share.

God actually spelled out, in the Tenth Commandment, a whole list of items after which we should not covet (Ex. 20:17). Be sure to read the article entitled “Beware of Covetousness!” beginning on page 17 for a full explanation of this Tenth Commandment of God.

In Satan’s world, everything is geared toward lust — false publicity, sex, material wealth. The media encourage you to covet: You are given many vain but appealing reasons to buy things you don’t really need, or to lust after things that are neither right nor good for you.

Are you guilty of breaking the Tenth Commandment? Are you deceived by Satan’s snare of encouraging you to covet?

There is danger in much wealth, just as there is danger in much poverty. In both instances Satan can effectively use this tool of covetousness.

God has promised to never forsake you. If you let Him fight your battles… you will never have to fear Satan’s snares. They will have no power over you. Satan will be powerless…

Agur said, under God’s inspiration: “Two things I request of You (deprive me not before I die): Remove falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches — feed me with the food You prescribe for me; lest I be full and deny You, and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ or lest I be poor and steal, and profane the name of my God” (Prov. 30:7- 9).

Do you pray this way when you are asking God to supply your needs? If you have everything you want, you may deny God and turn away from Him, claiming you don’t need Him anymore! And if you have too little, you may allow Satan to make you judge and condemn, and you may even end up stealing.

Christ taught us to ask God for our daily bread — just what we need from day to day (Matt. 6:11 ).

This will help us not to fall into temptation. It will teach us to trust God — and not to set our hearts on material things, which are temporary (Eccl. 5:10).

Remember Christ’s warning: You cannot have two masters. If you lust after wealth or anything else, you will actually be trying to serve two masters.

The apostle Paul wrote, “Keep your life free from love of money [covetousness], and be content with what you have; for he has said, ‘I will never fail you nor forsake you'” (Heb. 13:5, Revised Standard Version).

Be courageous

God has promised to never forsake you. If you let Him fight your battles, and if you resist evil with His Spirit, you will never have to fear Satan’s snares. They will have no power over you. Satan will be powerless — totally disarmed.

Perhaps you had not thought of it before, but those who leave God’s Church let themselves fall victim to these three major snares of Satan: They rebel against God’s authority; they are too proud to admit they are wrong; and they covet power, material possessions or personal glory.

Be courageous! Act and live as a true Christian. Ask God daily to help you, and do your part in fighting against Satan’s three major snares: the spirits of rebellion, pride and lust.

Your victory over them will put you on the way to the Kingdom of God!

Yes, you can, with Jesus’ help overcome the snares of Satan and become part of the coming Kingdom of God.

Dibar Apartian and I (Bob Thiel) knew each other for many years and he gave me his permission to use his writings before his death in December 2010.

Replica of Ark of the Covenant
(photo from Pixabay)

COGwriter

Protestant writer Michael Snyder posted the following:

Finally Revealed To The World, It Will Be The Greatest Archaeological Bombshell In History

June 3, 2024

When the entire planet finally gets to see the Ark of the Covenant, it is going to change everything.  The Ark of the Covenant disappeared from history more than 2,500 years ago, and many historians are convinced that it no longer exists.  So when it is finally unveiled, it will be the greatest archaeological bombshell in human history.  Over the years, there have been a lot of truly outlandish theories about the location of the Ark of the Covenant, and those that have pursued such theories have always come up empty.  That is because the true location of the Ark is not a mystery.  As you will see below, the Temple Institute says that it knows “exactly” where it is, and I believe them. …

In fact, when the Israelis finally unveil the Ark they may not even admit where it was hidden all this time due to conflicting claims of jurisdiction over the  Temple Mount.  If the Israelis openly admit that they took the Ark from under the Temple Mount it could potentially set off riots all over the Islamic world.  This is such a sensitive topic, and it really will be a miracle when the discovery of the Ark is finally revealed. …

The Temple Institute isn’t saying that they have a vague idea that it is under the city of Jerusalem somewhere.

They are telling us that they know precisely where it is hidden.

And I believe them. …

At some point the Ark will once again see the light of day, and then everything will change.

There is actually an ancient Jewish document entitled “Treatise of the Vessels” that says that the Ark of the Covenant will not be revealed “until the day of the coming of the Messiah”…

One text called the “Treatise of the Vessels” says that the ark “shall not be revealed until the day of the coming of the Messiah son of David….”

We are certainly living in the days just before the return of the Lord Jesus Christ, and as I discussed in my latest book, I believe that it won’t be too long before the Ark is finally revealed.

One of the reasons why the Ark has been on my heart lately is because the day of Pentecost if coming up.

On the day of Pentecost, we remember the covenant that God made with His people at Mt. Sinai, and we also remember how the Holy Spirit visited the apostles in the Book of Acts.

When the Ark of the Covenant is finally revealed, it will confirm that the covenant that God made with His people at Mt. Sinai really does exist. https://endoftheamericandream.com/when-the-ark-of-the-covenant-is-finally-revealed-to-the-world-it-will-be-the-greatest-archaeological-bombshell-in-history/

Last year, he posted something similar:

Will The Discovery Of The Ark Of The Covenant Soon Be Publicly Revealed To The Entire World?

April 2, 2023

When the discovery of the Ark of the Covenant is finally announced by the Israeli government, it will be the greatest archaeological bombshell in the history of the world. Authorities in Israel have known where it is located for a long time, but trying to remove an object of such immense importance from deep under the Temple Mount was always going to be complicated. In fact, when the Israelis finally unveil the Ark they may not even admit where it was hidden all this time due to conflicting claims of jurisdiction over the Temple Mount. If the Israelis openly admit that they took the Ark from under the Temple Mount it could potentially set off riots all over the Islamic world. This is such a sensitive topic, and it really will be a miracle when the discovery of the Ark is finally revealed.

But it will happen.In fact, I believe that the announcement of the discovery of the Ark is most likely to happen on or near a major Jewish holiday.So every time another Biblical festival rolls around, we need to be on high alert. …In the western world, our “scholars” have come up with all sorts of weird theories about the location of the Ark, but the truth is that over in Israel they have known where it is resting for many years.In fact, on their official website the Temple Institute actually admits that they know precisely where it is located…The area under the Temple Mount is riddled with at least 45 major tunnels, and not all of them are stable.

Any effort to do more digging could cause one or more of those tunnels to collapse, and if any of the structures sitting on top of the Temple Mount were damaged that could cause an international incident.

And as investigative archaeologist Harry Moskoff has pointed out, getting approval from all of the necessary authorities would be exceedingly complex…

Personally, I believe that God will keep the Ark hidden until the perfect moment.

And so it will continue to rest under the Temple Mount until the proper time.

Moskoff is entirely convinced that the Ark is located directly behind a colossal 570 ton stone that was specifically placed there to protect it…

Moskoff took CBN News to the spot where he believes the Ark really lies.

He believes a key clue lies behind a 570-ton rock and says high-tech search tools give credence to his theory.

“Two years ago, there were tests done by the University of Nebraska, sonar tests…using electromagnetic waves. They actually found what’s called a storage space across from here,” said Moskoff.

“So actually, there was a purpose for putting this giant stone, this massive slab here. One of the reasons, in my opinion, is to protect whatever it is on the other side. And according to my theory of where the Ark was actually buried by King Josiah, I think it was 568 BC – in back of these boulders, these massive stones,” he said.

Time will tell if Moskoff is correct.

Decades ago, there were multiple attempts to get to the chamber where the Ark is.

In fact, it has been reported that Rabbi Yehuda Getz was actually “within 40 feet” of the chamber…

the revelation of the Ark of the Covenant will be a critically important prophetic sign.

And once it happens, nothing will ever be the same from that point forward.

I know that literally nobody else is talking about this right now. https://endoftheamericandream.com/will-the-discovery-of-the-ark-of-the-covenant-soon-be-publicly-revealed-to-the-entire-world/

Michael Snyder has various views about the ark, some of which may be right, others of which are entirely wrong (such as his personal translation of Daniel 9:27; see MS: I Told You That They Know EXACTLY Where The Ark Of The Covenant Is Located…).As far as no one else literally talking about this now, that is exaggeration on his part.

For example, in a recent newsletter, the Temple Institute had the following:

“Make for Me a sanctuary!”

(Exodus 25:8)

Adar 3, 5783/February 24, 2023 …

Terumah. “Speak to the children of Israel, and have them take for Me an offering; from every person whose heart inspires him to generosity, you shall take My offering.” (Exodus 25:2) … “And they shall make for Me a sanctuary and I will dwell in their midst.” (ibid 25:8) … Moshe receives the instructions for making the Ark of the Covenant..

The above then linked a Facebook page with the following

The Temple Institute has faithfully recreated all of the sacred Temple vessels, according to the very same instructions that Moshe received directly from G-d, fit and ready for use in the rebuilt Holy Temple, with the exception of one, single vessel: The Ark of the Covenant!

The Ark of the Covenant that you see in the photos is a model of the true Ark. It is not the Ark itself. Why has the Temple Institute refrained from recreating the actual Ark of the Covenant?

According to Jewish tradition the original Ark was hidden away thousands of years ago, some time before the Babylonian invasion, by order of King Josiah. The hiding place had been prepared by King Solomon himself, who knew, by virtue of prophetic vision, that the Temple would ultimately be destroyed. It was hidden away in a subterranean chamber beneath the Holy Temple. Some sages believe it was hidden directly beneath the Holy of Holies, and other sages believe it was hidden away beneath the Women’s Court.

It is important to note that in the lists of Temple vessels taken by the Babylonians from the first Holy Temple, the Ark does not appear, suggesting that it was, indeed, hidden away to protect it and keep if for the future rebuilding of the Holy Temple. The Ark, however, was never recovered and did not appear in the second Holy Temple.

Over the millennia different legends and traditions have emerged claiming to know the real location of the Ark. The most famous of these legends site a church in Ethiopia the current resting place of the Ark, and, alternatively, in a cave near Mount Nevo, in contemporary Jordan.

The Temple Institute remains faithful to the Jewish tradition that the Ark of the Covenant is no farther away from the future Temple, than the Temple Mount, itself. May we soon merit to recover the Ark and place it in its rightful place – the Holy of Holies in the rebuilt Holy Temple! https://www.facebook.com/templeinstitute/posts/10151796941424969

So, the Temple Institute believes that the Ark is somewhere under the area called the Temple Mount and seems to suspect it will be found for it to be able to construct a Jewish temple.

In its newsletter of Elul 5, 5781/August 13, 2021, the Temple Institute had the following photo and a link to the following:

(Photo in Temple Mount newsletter)

DOES THIS MARK THE SPOT OF THE ARK OF THE COVENANT?

The square structure seen in the middle of the photo from the Temple Mount is a cap closing off an open passage which leads to a large underground chamber, which was excavated in Temple times. It was forty years today (Elul 4) that Rabbi Yehudah Getz, who for 27 years was the Rabbi of the Western Wall, attempted with the assistance of a number of his students and others, to break through an underground wall which sealed off the chamber in the hope of finding there the Ark of the Covenant. Ancient Jewish tradition maintains that the Ark was hidden away in a specially prepared subterranean chamber by King Josiah in order to keep it safe from the approaching Babylonian army.08/12/21 https://www.facebook.com/templeinstitute/photos/a.86889944968/10151591160214969

Previously, the Temple Institute asked if Vendyl Jones found it in April 1992 (see ‘DID VENDYL JONES DISCOVER THE TEMPLE KETORET INCENSE COMPOUND?’ What about ‘Indiana Jones’ and the Ark of the Covenant?).

Since Vendyl Jones’ death, some are still looking for it:

Archaeologists shed new light on Biblical site linked to the Ark of the Covenant

Archaeologists believe they have shed new light on Biblical site linked to the Ark of the Covenant in the heart of Israel.

Excavations in Israel are shedding new light on the history of a Biblical site linked to the Ark of the Covenant.

Specifically, archaeologists are focusing their attention on the ancient site of Kiriath-Jearim, which is mentioned in the Bible as one of the places where the Ark of the Covenant stood.

According to Israeli news site Haaretz, experts are convinced that the site of Kiriath-Jearim is a hill on the outskirts of Abu Ghosh, a village near Jerusalem. Excavations in 2017 offered a fascinating glimpse into the history of the hill, where the church of Our Lady of the Ark of the Covenant now stands. …

The Ark of the Covenant continues to be a source of fascination. The Ark was eventually brought from Kiriath-Jearim to Jerusalem by King David but disappeared when the city was destroyed by the Babylonians in 587BC, prompting multiple theories about its fate. While some people believe that the Ark’s gold was melted down, there have also been claims that it was taken to cave on Mount Nebo, Jordan, or to Ethiopia. 12/20/18 https://www.news.com.au/technology/science/archaeology/archaeologists-shed-new-light-on-biblical-site-linked-to-the-ark-of-the-covenant/news-story/54d6e1199f6805869ef21ea9da968e32

There have been several places speculated as the final earthly resting place of the Ark of the Covenant.

As far Kiriath-Jearim/Kirjath-jearim goes, the Ark was there for a time, and then it went to Jerusalem.

Notice something from The Bible Story, Volume IV from the old Worldwide Church of God related to that:

David Brings the Ark to Jerusalem

With the Philistines again defeated through God’s help, David was for a time free to apply himself to matters other than war. For one thing, he wanted to bring the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem from the hill town of Kirjath-jearim. There it had been left many years before, after the Philistines had fearfully sent it back following their miserable experiences with it. (I Samuel 6.)

Traveling with many Israelite leaders and musicians, and with a magnificent procession of thousands of soldiers to put down any possible trouble from the Philistines, David went to the home of a man named Abinadab in Kirjath-jearim, about eight miles west of Jerusalem. (II Samuel 6:1-2.) The ark had been in that home for several decades, where it was watched over by a priest named Eleazar, one of Abinadab’s sons. (I Samuel 7:1-2).

The ark was loaded on a cart that had been built especially for the purpose of transporting it, although that was not the means by which God meant it to be carried. (Exodus 25:10-16; Exodus 37:1-5.) Uzzah and Ahio, two of Abinadab’s sons, drove the ox team that pulled the cart. (II Samuel 6:3.) To give an air of celebration to the bringing of the ark to Jerusalem, David’s musicians walked before the cart and played their harps, tambourines, cymbals, drums and psalteries. David marched behind the cart, and behind him came the thousands who had accompanied him to obtain the ark.

As the colorful procession neared Jerusalem, one of the oxen stumbled in a rut. The cart was jerked so severely that it appeared that the ark might tumble over. Without giving a thought to what the result would be, Uzzah reached out to steady the ark with one hand. That was the last act of his life. (II Samuel 6:4-7.)

The ark was to be handled only by the poles that were extended through its rings, and touching it was strictly forbidden. (Numbers 4:15.) God made no exception with Uzzah, even though that man’s intentions may not have been consciously wrong. Uzzah should have known the consequences, for the Levites had copies of God’s Word. They were required to know what they were doing and to keep the Scriptures always before them. (Deuteronomy 17:18-20.)

When David saw that Uzzah was dead, he was very grieved. The happy temperament of the whole procession sank. Thinking that God may have been displeased because of the moving of the ark, David decided not to try to take it any farther. He directed that it should be left at the nearby home of an acquaintance named Obed-edom, who lived on the western outskirts of Jerusalem. (II Samuel 6:8-10.)

As the weeks went by, David became more concerned about the ark. He feared he might be responsible for bringing some kind of curse on Obed-edom by leaving the ark with him. Three months after Uzzah’s death, upon inquiring about Obed-edom, David was pleasantly relieved to learn that the man had recently come into a state of prosperity and that everything was going well for all his family. Some members of his family who had been ill were enjoying the best of health because they had been suddenly and miraculously healed. David could only conclude that God had blessed the people in Obed-edom’s home because of the presence of the ark there. (II Samuel 6:11.) This caused him to decide to go at once to bring it to Jerusalem.

The Right Way to Rejoice

Having planned and prepared more carefully this time, David and the high priest instructed Levites in how to handle the ark. (I Chronicles 15:2.) They carried it on foot as they should, holding the poles on their shoulders. Musicians and singers went ahead of the ark, and there was constant music and happy shouting. As before, a great throng followed. Occasionally the ark bearers would stop with their load and burnt offerings would be made nearby on temporary altars that had been built along the route into Jerusalem.

As the procession entered the city, David felt constrained to express his gay and thankful emotions by dancing. Tossing aside his royal tunic, he broke into a very strenuous series of surprisingly graceful leaps and gyrations to the accompaniment of the musicians. The crowd was pleased. (II Samuel 6:12-15.) Probably God was pleased, too, because the Bible says that we should praise the Creator by song, instrumental music and proper dancing. (Psalm 33:1-3).

Since the Ark of the Covenant was removed from Kirjath-jearim, it would seem that it would not have been taken back there for safe-keeping, but perhaps that was a possibility.

Related to reporting about the Ark, we uploaded the following video a few weeks ago:

14:28

Where is the Ark of the Covenant?

Protestant writer Michael Snyder says that the Ark of the Covenant from the Bible is about to be found and that he knows exactly where it is. The Temple Institute believes it will be found soon and that it knows where it is. Why, supposedly, has no one uncovered it? Is Daniel 9:27 proof that the Ark of the Covenant is about to be found? What about Vendyl Jones? Is this Ark in Jerusalem in a cave or passage under what is called the Temple Mount? Does the Bible state that Jeremiah the prophet hid it just before the Babylonians took over? What about the Hill of Tara or Cairn T in Ireland? Does a comparison of a 1710 document and scriptures in 2 Chronicles 35:1-3 related to King Josiah eliminate the common view about a possible Ethiopia location? Do Muslim and Roman Catholic prophecies point to it being found? Are there any scriptures that support rabbi Avraham Goldstein’s contention that it is under or in Mt. Zion? How might the Continuing Church of God be involved? Any connection to a dream from someone in New Zealand? Does the Book of Revelation show the Ark of the Covenant being in heaven? Could there be an actual physical Ark that can be found? Dr. Thiel and Steve Dupuie discuss these matters.

Here is a link to our video: Where is the Ark of the Covenant?

Whether or not the Temple Institute knowns the location of the the Ark, developments related to the Ark of the Covenant may well have prophetic ramifications.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

Church of God on Jerusalem’s Western Hill Could this building, often referred to as the Cenacle, which is located on a Mount Zion, possibly have been the oldest actual Christian church building? There is also a video titled Might the oldest church building have prophetic ramifications?
Why is a Jewish Temple in Jerusalem Not Required? Although people like Timothy LaHaye teach a third Jewish temple is required, who is ‘the temple of God” in the New Testament? Does the Bible require a rebuilt Jewish Temple? Here is a related item in the Spanish language ¿Por qué no se requiere un templo judío en Jerusalén? Here is a link to a sermon titled The Temple, Prophecy, and the Work.
Nascent Sanhedrin and Prophecy The reconstituted Sanhedrin wants the reimplementation of animal sacrifices. A related video is titled Sanhedrin pushing animal sacrifices. And a newer one is: Sanhedrin makes burnt offering to dedicate altar!
The Red Heifer, Jewish Beliefs, and the End of the World The Temple Institute is watching a ‘red heifer.’ Why might this be important in the sequence of end time events? Here is a related link in the Spanish language Novilla roja descubierta en EE.UU. e Instituto del Templo está interesado en ella. Here are links to three related videos in English: Red Heifers and the Fate of the World and The Red Heifer and the End of the World and 5 Red Heifers and Year 5783?
Location of the Prophesied Physical Temple Leroy Neff gives his rationalse for the location of the coming temple.
Solomon’s Temple This is a a 5 minute animated film that shows one artist’s understanding of the details about Solomon’s temple.
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.
Gr3eco-Roman Catholic Prophecies: Do They Mirror, Highlight, or Contradict Biblical Prophecies? People of all faiths may be surprised to see what various Roman and Orthodox Catholic prophets have been predicting as many of their predictions will be looked to in the 21st century.
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? A related sermon is available: Prophecy and the Two Witnesses. Here is a related link in Spanish/español:¿Quiénes son los dos testigos? Here is a sermon in Spanish: ¿Quienes son los Dos Testigos?

 

Gold bullion

COGwriter

Gold is in the news. Forbes posted the following:

The Fed Quietly ‘Admits’ Gold Is Replacing The Dollar As Collapse ‘Fear’ Predicted To Trigger A $15.7 Trillion ETF Bitcoin Price Flip

Updated 06/04/24

Now, after U.S. Treasury secretary Janet Yellen issued a serious warning over the swelling $34 trillion U.S. debt pile, former billionaire and All In podcast “bestie” Chamath Palihapitiya has predicted bitcoin could “completely replace gold” as countries adopt it—potentially pushing it’s market capitalization toward gold’s $15.7 trillion. https://www.forbes.com/sites/digital-assets/2024/06/03/sudden-us-dollar-collapse-fear-predicted-to-trigger-a-157-trillion-etf-bitcoin-price-gold-flip-as-countries-go-dual-currency/?sh=254f150b522d

While the USA dollar will collapse and gold will rise, do not believe that Bitcoin will replace gold. Bitcoin exists only as software, whereas gold is an actual element.

There is a limited amount of available gold and it differs from cash and cyrpto currencies:

Crypto has made its own place in the world by making an amazing leap forward as a medium of exchange, with thus far unrivaled capabilities. But crypto is not gold, and can never be gold. I suggest that BTC and Crypto are better as a medium of exchange, while gold is a better medium for storing value.

This is not because of some dogma I have for the metal. Some will trot out “you are just talking your book” when I mention this.

The simple fact is, out of the near 185,000 tons of estimated above ground gold, someone owns, all of it. Every fine gram of gold above ground belongs to someone already, whether that be in the form of bars, coins, jewelry, the thin layer on astronauts helmets that protect them from solar radiation, or the gold plated contacts in the mining rigs used to mine crypto. New gold mined from the ground is usually spoken for before it ever hits a refinery. My job as a physical gold fund manager is not to convince people to buy gold, that job has already been done.

The reason crypto can never replace gold lies in physics: Gold cannot be destroyed

Everything else can. Computers. Exchanges. Mining Pools. Wallets. Powergrids. Internets. Nations. You name it. If you blew up the planet earth, the gold atoms would still be there.

Unlike anything else you can invest or store money in, gold doesn’t rely on any external force for this to continue to be true over time. It is sort of like a battery with no expiration date.

Gold exists as atomic number 79 on the periodic table. It is chemically inert and does not interact with oxygen. It is the only element with properties that make it completely immune to the forces of entropy. The only way to destroy it would be to fire it into the sun, or somehow put it in the middle of an equivalent fusion reaction that took the atoms apart at a subatomic level. (Stanczyk A. A Gold Guys View of Crypto, Bitcoin, and Blockchain. Medium.com, December 10, 2017 https://medium.com/@alex.stanczyk/a-gold-guys-view-of-crypto-bitcoin-and-blockchain-26e42eeab6b7)

185,000 tons equates to less than one ounce of gold for every person on earth.

Gold can be viewed as a “universally accepted” form of currency with a limited supply.

The same cannot always be said of paper currency. There was a time when vendors in South America refused to accept dollars from tourists. Some also view gold simply as portfolio “insurance”. The price of gold has 2 elements: the current value of the currency used to purchase it, and the current demand for the gold. Because of problems with paper currencies, like the US dollar:

“Gold has become, for all intents, the world’s second reserve currency,” Dennis Gartman, an economist and the editor of the Suffolk, Virginia-based Gartman Letter, said in a Bloomberg Television interview today.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601082&sid=acerPa4tlqXg&refer=canada

James Hickman sent out the following:

Gold will soon displace the US dollar, and Americans are missing out …

June 3, 2024

… the US has been the world’s #1 economy for the past five decades. But the cracks are obvious.

The US federal debt is a national embarrassment. At $35 trillion, the debt is far larger than the entire US economy… and it gets worse every year.

The US government is also completely dysfunctional. The vitriol and enmity, among the parties and within the parties, is so extreme that virtually nothing productive or beneficial ever takes place. The business of government now is merely two sides screaming that the other is a threat to democracy.

The President barely knows where he is half the time, and the other half he spends shredding the Constitution to engage in some anti-capitalist, inflationary, fanatical woke climate agenda.

Sadly, this isn’t a one-time blip. …

Frankly it is exceedingly difficult to believe that, in light of America’s declining power and prestige, the rest of the world will continue accepting the US dollar as the global reserve currency for much longer.

We’re already seeing signs of this change; plenty of countries are starting to trade with one another in different currencies, including Chinese renminbi and Indian rupee, and this trend will likely accelerate over the next several years.

I think it’s even possible there could be an event of some sort– perhaps the US government defaults on its debt, or there’s even a shooting war or cyberattack– which triggers a new Bretton Woods style conference.

The key difference between now and 1944 is that there was only one option back then– the US. And pretty much everyone had confidence in America.

That’s not the case today. Few rational people have the same level of confidence in the US government. Yet almost no one trusts the Chinese either.

But just like 1944, there is an obvious solution… and one that everyone already trusts: gold.

Nearly every country already holds gold as a reserve asset, so there would be very little change to the way they currently do business.

I’ve written about this before– I believe this is why so many central banks around the world have been on a gold-buying spree. In fact, this is THE reason why gold is near its all-time high: central banks have been buying it by the metric ton.

As many of you are aware, I have the following statement on 293 of the print edition and page 317 of online version of free book from 2023, Lost Tribes and Prophecies: What will happen to Australia, the British Isles, Canada, Europe, New Zealand and the United States of America?:

Gold will set records in U.S. dollar terms.

The USA dollar will one day collapse and be worth no more than the scrap or novelty value of the cotton-paper it is printed on.

That day is getting closer.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

The Plain Truth About Gold in Prophecy. How Should a Christian View Gold? What do economists and the Bible teach about gold? Gold and silver may drop in value. Inflation/deflation? What do Christians need to know about gold? Two videos of related interest are Beast Prophecies and European Gold and Germany, Gold, and the US Dollar.
The End of US Dollar Dominance Is the USA losing its economic status? What about the petro-gold-yuan? A related video is also available: US Dollar being challenged by Gold-Petro-Yuan.
When Will the Great Tribulation Begin? 2024, 2025, or 2026? Can the Great Tribulation begin today? What happens before the Great Tribulation in the “beginning of sorrows”? What happens in the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord? Is this the time of the Gentiles? When is the earliest that the Great Tribulation can begin? What is the Day of the Lord? Who are the 144,000? Here is a version of the article in the Spanish language: ¿Puede la Gran Tribulación comenzar en el 2020 o 2021? ¿Es el Tiempo de los Gentiles? A related video is: Great Tribulation: 2026 or 2027? A shorter video is: Tribulation in 2024? Here is a video in the Spanish language: Es El 2021 el año  de La Gran Tribulación o el Grande Reseteo Financiero.
Lost Tribes and Prophecies: What will happen to Australia, the British Isles, Canada, Europe, New Zealand and the United States of America? Where did those people come from? Can you totally rely on DNA? Do you really know what will happen to Europe and the English-speaking peoples? What about the peoples of Africa, Asia, South America, and the islands? This free online book provides scriptural, scientific, historical references, and commentary to address those matters. Here are links to related sermons: Lost tribes, the Bible, and DNA; Lost tribes, prophecies, and identifications; 11 Tribes, 144,000, and Multitudes; Israel, Jeremiah, Tea Tephi, and British Royalty; Gentile European Beast; Royal Succession, Samaria, and Prophecies; Asia, Islands, Latin America, Africa, and Armageddon;  When Will the End of the Age Come?;  Rise of the Prophesied King of the North; Christian Persecution from the Beast; WWIII and the Coming New World Order; and Woes, WWIV, and the Good News of the Kingdom of God.