Church of God News

COGwriter

The Vatican was come out against gender changing treatments:

The Vatican … declared gender-affirming surgery and surrogacy as grave violations of human dignity, putting them on par with abortion and euthanasia as practices that reject God’s plan for human life.

The Vatican’s doctrine office issued “Infinite Dignity,” a 20-page declaration that has been in the works for five years. After substantial revision in recent months, it was approved March 25 by Pope Francis, who ordered its publication.

In its most eagerly anticipated section, the Vatican repeated its rejection of “gender theory,” or the idea that one’s gender can be changed. It said God created man and woman as biologically different, separate beings, and said people must not tinker with that plan or try to “make oneself God.”

“It follows that any sex-change intervention, as a rule, risks threatening the unique dignity the person has received from the moment of conception,” the document said. 04/08/24 https://apnews.com/article/vatican-gender-surrogacy-abortion-pope-3f84d8eb97f045b0cfb0ec1efa4e614e

Such surgeries are against human dignity, but they are also against science and scripture.

The Continuing Church of God (CCOG) is pleased to suggest the following video on our Bible News Prophecy YouTube channel which deals with the science, reality, and scriptures related to that topic:

14:49

Gender Confusion, Science, and Scripture

The British Medical Journal reports that there is an increase in “gender dysphoria in young people.” According to the Mayo Clinic, what is gender dysphoria? Is gender confusion physical or is there a psychological component associated with it? Does research suggest that most young people with it will grow out of it? Is what are called “gender-affirming treatments” the right answer? Has it been reported that Sweden’s National Board of Health and Welfare determined that the risks of puberty blockers and treatment with hormones “currently outweigh the possible benefits” for minors? Did researchers at the University of Florida find that 81% of those who had undergone sex change surgeries in the past five years reported experiencing pain simply from normal movement in the weeks and months that followed? What about the effects of gender altering surgeries on fertility and libido? Have researchers concluded that there are often psychological comorbidities strongly associated with gender confusion? Do studies show that “gender-reassignment” treatments reduces suicides? Do males who undergo surgerical genitalia removal have a highly increased suicide rate according to a peer-reviewed study published in The Journal of Urology? What are some of the side effect associated with “gender-reassignment” treatments? Does the Bible condone or condemn cross dressing? What did Jesus say about God making males and females? Can gender be determined by looking at XX and XY chromosomes? Are there 6500 genetic differences between males and females? Are there also differences between male and female brains that surgical and hormonal treatments do not change? Dr. Thiel and Steve Dupuie address these points.

Here is a link to our video: Gender Confusion, Science, and Scripture.

The transgender movement opposes both science and scripture.

We should pray for those who have gender confusion.

Most will grow out of it if they do not allow themselves to be drugged or mutilated.

Some items of related interest may include the following:

The Bible Condemns Homosexuality “Same-sex marriage” for “gays” and lesbians is becoming more acceptable to many. What does the Bible teach about homosexuality and the LGBTQ agenda? Can homosexuals change? A related video sermon is titled: What Does the Bible Really Teach about Homosexuality? A short video is available titled: Gay Gene? Born That Way?
Cross-dressing and other assaults against your children. What should you do? Is there an agenda to turn your children and/or grandchildren away from biblical morality and towards practices promoted by homosexuals? What does the Bible teach about cross-dressing? What should parents do? If there is an agenda, what has been going on? There are also three YouTube videos related to this, titled Transgender ‘Woe to those who call evil good’ and Cross dressing and Other Assaults Against Your Children and USA pushing gender confusion.
Christian Repentance Do you know what repentance is? Is it really necessary for salvation? A related sermon is also available titled: Real Christian Repentance.

(IASP logo)

COGwriter

The BBC reported the following:

Suicide is on the rise for young Americans, with no clear answers

12 April 2024

Twenty-one-year-old Ben Salas took his own life last April. He was a promising criminology student at North Carolina State University and an aspiring Olympic athlete. He had many friends, a stable relationship and a loving family.

His death was one of 50,000 suicides registered in the US last year – the largest number ever recorded. In second place: 2022, which saw 49,449 suicides. …

Ben’s parents say their son briefly received treatment for mild depression in 2020, but subsequently reassured them that he had fully recovered.

“There weren’t any of the typical indicators that you would expect in a kid that was continuing to struggle mentally. He wasn’t withdrawn,” says Tony. …

The high number of suicides has been very difficult on staff and students alike, says Assistant Vice-Chancellor Justine Hollingshead, who is based at NC State’s sprawling campus in the centre of Raleigh, North Carolina. She says suicide is a “national epidemic” in the United States that isn’t limited to just college campuses.

“If we knew the reason, we would solve the problem. It’s not something that we’re trying to avoid or not figure out. But there may be no warning signs: individuals don’t tell their family or friends, they don’t reach out to resources and they make that decision. And we’ll likely never know why.”

NC State has increased the number of counsellors and drop-in spaces, and introduced a system called “QPR: Question, Persuade, Refer” so that students can recognise the signs that friends or classmates are struggling and get them help. …

In December 2021, the US surgeon general issued a rare public health advisory on the rising number of youth attempting suicide, singling out social media and the pandemic, which had “exacerbated the unprecedented stresses young people already faced”.

Calls to 988, a national suicide helpline with more than 200 centres across the US, increased by 100,000 per month in the last year alone.

It was on December 12, 2019, that the FCC approved a proposal for a nationwide suicide prevention hotline in the USA using the number ‘988’. But, instead of the numbers dropping, suicides are increasing.

While BBC is suggesting no clear answers, there certainly are known factors.

Suicide happens when people feel that they have no real reason for living and/or believe that they will suffer less (usually less mental suffering) if they ceased living.

Suicidal people are often lonely and depressed. Mental health issues play a role. And many lost faith or have sufficient connection to their religion. Many despair as they have lost hope. Social media also is playing a role.

Related to loneliness, note the following statistic and report:

52% of Americans report feeling lonely. 47% report their relationships with others aren’t meaningful. …

Statistics show that people who attend religious services regularly often report feeling less lonely than people who only attend intermittently throughout the year or do not attend church at all. Still, church attendance continues to decline throughout many countries, which may explain why loneliness continues to be a persistent challenge among many demographics.

For example, a majority of people in the U.S. report only going to religious services a few times a year. The number of people who attend monthly or weekly is under 50 percent. The larger share of people who attend are those older than Millennials, which themselves report feeling lonelier than older generations. https://www.crossrivertherapy.com/research/loneliness-statistics accessed 04/12/24

As the rate of commitment to one’s faith diminishes, one is more likely to be lonely, a well as being more willing to kill oneself.

As far as depression goes, notice something from a Gallup poll from last Spring:

U.S. Depression Rates Reach New Highs

The percentage of U.S. adults who report having been diagnosed with depression at some point in their lifetime has reached 29.0%, nearly 10 percentage points higher than in 2015. The percentage of Americans who currently have or are being treated for depression has also increased, to 17.8%, up about seven points over the same period. Both rates are the highest recorded by Gallup since it began measuring depression using the current form of data collection in 2015. 05/17/23 https://news.gallup.com/poll/505745/depression-rates-reach-new-highs.aspx

Notice a study related to despair and suicide:

Deaths of Despair: A Scoping Review on the Social Determinants of Drug Overdose, Alcohol-Related Liver Disease and Suicide

There is a lack of consensus on the social determinants of Deaths of Despair (DoD), i.e., an increase in mortality attributed to drug overdose, alcohol-related liver disease, and suicide in the United States (USA) during recent years. The objective of this study was to review the scientific literature on DoD with the purpose of identifying relevant social determinants and inequalities related to these mortality trends. …

Overall, findings identify a progressive increase in deaths attributable to suicide, drug overdose, and alcohol-related liver disease in the USA in the last two decades. The literature concerning DoD and social determinants is relatively scarce and some determinants have been barely studied. (Beresan E, et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Oct; 19(19): 12395. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9566538/ )

What the study basically concluded was that the deaths of despair are increasing, but they are not sure why. But one conclusion is that despairing of hope increases suicides.

Regarding hope, we have a video on that:

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How to Be More Hopeful

The New Testament teaches that Christians are to have hope. What are ways to be more hopeful? Pocket, a secular source, recommended an article about that. In this video, Dr. Thiel goes over many points of that article and ties them into numerous scriptures that teach about hope. Dr. Thiel also notes that multiple times, the Apostle Paul taught about faith, love, and hope together. Dr. Thiel also quotes Jesus related to not worrying and seeking first the Kingdom of God. Furthermore, he refers to mysteries of God’s plan that most do not understand. He also reads what the Bible promises will occur in the new earth.

Here is a link to our sermonette video: How to Be More Hopeful.

Michael Snyder posted the following related to problems in American society:

Americans Are Lonely, Miserable And Depressed …

What in the world has happened to us? Once upon a time, America was made up of tightly-knit communities that were united by family, faith and patriotism, but now we are more isolated than ever before. …

For the past couple of generations, we have de-emphasized family, faith and patriotism as a nation, and instead we have become an extremely “me-centered” society that is primarily focused on doing whatever makes ourselves happy in the moment. But this single-minded pursuit of individual happiness has resulted in much of the country being perpetually mired in loneliness, depression and/or addiction.

As a society, we decided that marriage wasn’t important. So now we have one of the lowest marriage rates and one of the highest divorce rates in the entire world.

As a society, we decided that children weren’t important. So now our birth rate has dropped below replacement level and a third of all U.S. children live in a home without a father. …

As a society, we decided that God wasn’t important. So now just about every form of evil that you can possibly imagine is exploding in our society, and we are literally on a path that leads to national suicide.  …

Society would have us believe that those that have the most money are the most “successful”. But that is not true at all. In reality, those that love the most are really the most “successful”, and so let us endeavor to be people of great love.  12/10/19 http://themostimportantnews.com/archives/americans-are-lonely-miserable-and-depressed-the-legacy-of-a-society-that-has-rejected-family-faith-and-patriotism

Lack of faith in God, trying to redefine families, killing babies via abortion, etc. are leading to a type of national suicide–as well as increases in individual suicide.

The rise in the use of social media has played a role. Notice the following:

Social media use by minors has significantly increased and has been linked to depression and suicidality. Simultaneously, age-adjusted suicide rates have steadily increased over the past decade in the United States with suicide being the second most common cause of death in youth. Hence, the increase in suicide rate parallels the simultaneous increase in social media use. (Meman AM, et al. The role of online social networking on deliberate self-harm and suicidality in adolescents: A systematized review of literature. …

Self-Injurious Thoughts and Behavior … It was found that the overall prevalence of SITB was twice as higher in females than males in all areas except for suicidal gestures. Higher web communication scores led to increased risk of all forms of SITB in males, Indian J Psychiatry. 2018 Oct-Dec; 60(4): 384–392. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6278213/)

The first factor that has caused an increase in suicide prevalence rates among teens on social media is overuse.  A 10-year longitudinal study at BYU discovered that teenage girls who spent two to three hours daily on social media at age 13 were at a higher risk for suicide as young adults. … studies have tied social media use to an increased risk of anxiety disorders, depression, and suicidal ideas. https://socialmediavictims.org/mental-health/suicide/#:~:text=The%20first%20factor%20that%20has,for%20suicide%20as%20young%20adults. accessed 04/12/24

Social media tends to depress young females more than males by presenting impossible beauty standards, while also pushing unnatural female sexual response. But males spending a lot of time on social media looks to increase suicides for those with other mental health issues–females with other mental health issues are also more affected.

Another major thing really has been the rise is the LGBTQ agenda–and perhaps it should be pointed out that there is greatly increased suicide for males who have “gender reassignment surgeries”:

April 2, 2024

Rates of attempted suicide who identified as transgender more than doubled after receiving a vaginoplasty (surgically turning one’s dick into a vagina), according to a peer-reviewed study published in The Journal of Urology.

In an interview with The Epoch Times, Dr. Alfonso Oliva, a board-certified plastic and reconstructive surgeon, said research into the psychiatric outcomes and long-term follow-up of those who have sex-reassignment surgery is lacking, but an important paper is worth mentioning. In a 2011 paper published in PLOS ONE, researchers found that people who underwent sex reassignment surgery had substantially higher rates of overall mortality, suicidal behavior, and psychiatric morbidity compared with the general population.

“It’s hard to refute this paper because it’s a longitudinal study,” Dr. Oliva said. “In Sweden, everyone is in a database, and through diagnosis codes, they’re able to follow what happens to every citizen in terms of their medical history. They waited more than 10 years after people had surgery and found that death by suicide had an adjusted hazard ratio of 19.1.” https://www.zerohedge.com/medical/attempted-suicide-rates-more-double-after-gender-reassignment-surgery-study

So, no, becoming LGBTQ+ does not reduce suicides.

What about having money?

The late Herbert W. Armstrong noted that some who seemed successful in this age, truly were not successful. Here is some of what he wrote many decades ago:

Every two minutes someone in the United States attempts suicide. Each day nearly 70 persons succeed—but is that success? The World Health Organization estimates that some one thousand people commit suicide in the world—every day!

Suicides now outnumber murders. Now various organizations for the prevention of suicide are a reality! But the cause is individual failure!

Only a minority, of course, go to this extreme, but the overwhelming majority do end their lives in failure…

People will ignore all their lives any idea of divine guidance and help—yet if one should find himself on a foodless and waterless raft after a shipwreck in mid-ocean, it is remarkable how quickly he would begin to believe there really is a living God! In last-resort desperation most people will cry out to Him whom they have ignored, disobeyed, and set at naught all their lives.

Wouldn’t it seem axiomatic that, if there is a compassionate beneficent Creator standing ready and willing to give us emergency help as a last resort, it would have been more sensible to have sought His guidance and help all along? Yet some have acquired wealth, lived luxuriously, and then, suddenly losing all, turned finally to God in their economic distress. Others have committed suicide…

Is it possible that the living GOD might be a factor in determining the success or failure of one’s life? Few have thought so.

People will ignore all their lives any idea of divine guidance and help—yet if one should find himself on a foodless and waterless raft after a shipwreck in mid-ocean, it is remarkable how quickly he would begin to believe there really is a living God! In last-resort desperation most people will cry out to Him whom they have ignored, disobeyed, and set at naught all their lives.

Wouldn’t it seem axiomatic that, if there is a compassionate beneficent Creator standing ready and willing to give us emergency help as a last resort, it would have been more sensible to have sought His guidance and help all along? Yet some have acquired wealth, lived luxuriously, and then, suddenly losing all, turned finally to God in their economic distress. Others have committed suicide. Few, it seems, will ever rely on their Maker and life-Sustainer until they feel helpless and in desperate need. Even then the motive too often is selfish.

Yet, if we are to enjoy the good things of life—freedom from fears and worries, peace of mind, security, protection, happiness, abundant well-being—the very SOURCE of their supply is the Great God! Since all comes from Him anyway, why not tap the SOURCE from the very beginning?

But in our day of modern science, sophistication and vanity, it has not been fashionable to believe in a Maker. In this deceived world, knowledge of God has found little or no place in modern education.

The ALL-IMPORTANT seventh Law of Success, nevertheless, is having contact with, and the guidance and continuous help of GOD!

And the person who does put this all-important seventh law last is very probably dooming his life to failure at the end. (Armstrong HW. The Seven Laws of Success,)

Society is going the wrong way.

But that was prophesied;

1 But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: 2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, 4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! 6 For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts, 7 always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.  (2 Timothy 3:1-8)

Where can people find the truth?

In the word of God:

¹⁷ Your word is truth. (John 17:17)

¹³ For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe. ^14. For you, brethren, became imitators of the churches of God which are in Judea in Christ Jesus. (1 Thessalonians 2:13-14a).

⁷ … the word of truth, (2 Corinthians 6:7)

¹³ In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; (Ephesians 1:13)

⁵ the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel, (Colossians 1:5)

The word “gospel” means GOOD NEWS!

Though suicides are up, for those who will believe God, hope should be up!

You do NOT have to be depressed like more and more in society are.

Notice some scriptures that show how to reduce depression and eliminate suicide:

13 Happy is the man who finds wisdom,
And the man who gains understanding;
14 For her proceeds are better than the profits of silver,
And her gain than fine gold.
15 She is more precious than rubies,
And all the things you may desire cannot compare with her.
16 Length of days is in her right hand,
In her left hand riches and honor.
17 Her ways are ways of pleasantness,
And all her paths are peace.
18 She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her,
And happy are all who retain her.  (Proverbs 3:13-18)

14 Happy is the man who is always reverent,
But he who hardens his heart will fall into calamity. (Proverbs 28:14)

19 I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; 20 that you may love the Lord your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days; (Deuteronomy 30:19-20)

Wisdom can be found in the word of God and be the tree of life for those willing to retain wisdom. Those who harden their heart to disobey fall into calamity, which can affect mood and even longevity.

Many in the world feel hopeless. But real Christians are not to have “sorrow as others who have no hope” (1 Thessalonians 4:13).

You do not have to be like others in society. You should live God’s way and let your light shine:

¹⁴ You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:14-16)

Should you know someone that is considering suicide, here are some tips from the International Association for Suicide Prevention:

• There are ways in which you can show that you care by reaching in and supporting someone in a suicidal crisis.
• When a person tells you that they are suicidal you must take them seriously.
• If you are worried that somebody is suicidal, you can ask them if you feel comfortable doing so. Research shows that talking to someone openly about suicide does not increase their risk of suicide.
• If you are comfortable speaking with them about suicide, try to use clear and direct language, for example, “I care a lot about you, do you feel suicidal?”
• People with lived experience of suicide highlight how helpful it is to have someone to talk to who listens. It is not about coming up with solutions, but about listening to the person and supporting them explore options for seeking help and safety.
• It is important to encourage helpseeking behaviour and linking to professional support. You can help the person you are supporting by being there for them when they call a helpline or make an appointment with a health professional. https://www.iasp.info/suicidalthoughts/ accessed 04/12/24

As a Christian, we know that death is not the end–all will be resurrected, including the suidiced, who will be judged and have to live another 100 years (cf. Isaiah 65:20). Now, there are times you may wish to refer a suicidal person to a professional counselor, but you should also use wisdom and you may wish to help them have hope through the teachings of the word of God.

Jesus said:

⁴ … “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’“ (Matthew 4:4)

Those who live by the word of God do not commit suicide.

God’s word teaches:

12 “And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, 13 and to keep the commandments of the Lord and His statutes which I command you today for your good? (Deuteronomy 10:12-14)

Yes, God’s commands are for OUR GOOD.

But the world does not accept that. To learn more about God’s commands check out the free book: The Ten Commandments: The Decalogue, Christianity, and the Beast.

What would make people happy?

Notice some scriptures:

¹⁸ Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint; But happy is he who keeps the law. (Proverbs 29:18)

¹⁵ Happy are the people whose God is the Lord! (Psalms 144:15)

²¹ He who despises his neighbor sins; But he who has mercy on the poor, happy is he. (Proverbs 14:21)

⁵ Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help,
Whose hope is in the Lord his God,
⁶ Who made heaven and earth,
The sea, and all that is in them;
Who keeps truth forever, (Psalms 146:5-6)

More and more in the USA do not accept the revealed word of God. They have cast aside various moral restraints and care little for others. They do not want to be the people of the real God. This has not made them happy.

Jesus came that we might have LIFE, “and have it more abundantly” (John 10:10).

As the Apostle Paul wrote to Christians:

¹² And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all … (1 Thessalonians 3:12)

Whether male or female, humans are intended to give love.

Some may wonder why God created anything.

God created what He did so that the universe would be better.

Why did God create people?

God created people so that they would be able to give love and increase the amount of love in the universe.

Why did God create YOU?

God created you so that after going through the tests and trials of this life that, if you will accept His offer of salvation, that you will be able to give love in a unique way to make eternity better for yourself and everyone else.

Why did God make everyone else?

God made everyone else, so they can help influence your life in this age to aid in your character development. But remember that God also made everyone else who will accept His offer of salvation, in order for them to be able to give love in their unique ways in order to make eternity better for you and all of them personally.

Details on why that is so is in the free booklet, online at ccog.org titled The MYSTERY of GOD’s PLAN Why Did God Create Anything? Why did God make you?

That is good news–and a fantastic hope.

God has a plan (see also The MYSTERY of GOD’s PLAN Why Did God Create Anything? Why did God make you?).

And ultimately, His Kingdom will replace this world’s societies. That, too, is good news.

But YOU do not need to wait until then.

You can strive to live according to the word of God now.

You can be happy now.

UPDATE 04/14/24: We just uploaded the following related video:

14:07

Suicides Up! Why?

A new report shows that the number of suicides in the USA broke a record in 2022 that was surpassed with a new record in 2023. Many ‘experts’ have no answers for why this is occurring. Suicides have gone up since the FCC approved 988 as the national suicide prevention telephone number. What are factors that seem to contribute to increased suicides? Do 52% of Americans report loneliness? Are more Americans depressed than before? Do more despair of death? What about the influence of religion, marriage, and family? Does money make success? What is truth? Does the Bible speak about how to be happy? What about reliance on God? What about the LGBTQ influence? Has social media increased suicide rates among young men and women? Why? Should you talk with people who say they are considering suicide? What, according to the International Association for Suicide Prevention, are tips to help you assist those who are suicidal? Does suicide end existence according to the Bible? Why did God create anything? Why did God make you? What is your purpose? What about the purpose of everyone else? Dr. Thiel and Steve Dupuie discuss these topics.

Here is a link to our video: Suicides Up! Why?

Suicide is never the answer.

You do not need to go the wrong direction that most in the world have accepted.

Some items of possibly related concerns may include:

The MYSTERY of GOD’s PLAN Why Did God Create Anything? Why did God make you? This free online book helps answers some of the biggest questions that human have, including the biblical meaning of life. Here is a link to three related sermons: Mysteries of God’s Plan, Mysteries of Truth, Sin, Rest, Suffering, and God’s Plan, and The Mystery of YOU.
Is God Calling You? This booklet discusses topics including calling, election, and selection. If God is calling you, how will you respond? Here is a link to a related sermon: Could God be Calling You? A short animation is also available: Is God Calling You?
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?
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.
Are The Wicked Tormented Forever or Burned Up? How does one explain Revelation 14:11 in light of Malachi 4:3? What happens to the incorrigibly wicked?
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’.
What is the Unpardonable Sin? What is it? Can you repent of it? Do you know what it is and how to avoid it? Here is a link to a related sermon video The Unpardonable Sin and the Prodigal Son. Here is a link to a shorter video The ‘Unpardonable Sin’ and ‘Climate Change’?
The Seven Laws of Success Herbert W. Armstrong had seven laws that he felt could help people become successful.
Is God’s Existence Logical? Is it really logical to believe in God? Yes! Would you like Christian answers to give atheists? This is a free online booklet that deal with improper theories and musings called science related to the origin of the origin of the universe, the origin of life, and evolution. Two animated videos of related interest are also available: Big Bang: Nothing or Creator? and A Lifegiver or Spontaneous Evolution?
Cross-dressing and other assaults against your children. What should you do? Is there an agenda to turn your children and/or grandchildren away from biblical morality and towards practices promoted by homosexuals? What does the Bible teach about cross-dressing? What should parents do? If there is an agenda, what has been going on? There are also three YouTube videos related to this, titled Transgender ‘Woe to those who call evil good’ and Cross dressing and Other Assaults Against Your Children and USA pushing gender confusion.
The Bible Condemns Homosexuality “Same-sex marriage” for “gays” and lesbians is becoming more acceptable to many. What does the Bible teach about homosexuality and the LGBTQ agenda? Can homosexuals change? A related video sermon is titled: What Does the Bible Really Teach about Homosexuality? A short video is available titled: Gay Gene? Born That Way?
Pornography: A scourge on society Is pornography harmless fun? Does the Bible teach anything about it? What are the views of some involved with it? A related sermons is titled: Pornography, False Comfort, and False Religion. Here a shorter YouTube video Pornography: Harmless Fun or a Scourge on Society?
How to Overcome Depression and Discouragement This is an article by Paul Krautmann & John Siston.
Is God Calling You? This booklet discusses topics including calling, election, and selection. If God is calling you, how will you respond? Here is are links to related sermons: Christian Election: Is God Calling YOU? and Predestination and Your Selection; here is a message in Spanish: Me Está Llamando Dios Hoy? A short animation is also available: Is God Calling You?
Christian Repentance Do you know what repentance is? Is it really necessary for salvation? Two related sermons about this are also available: Real Repentance and Real Christian Repentance.
About Baptism Should you be baptized? Could baptism be necessary for salvation? Who should baptize and how should it be done? Here is a link to a related sermon: Let’s Talk About Baptism and Baptism, Infants, Fire, & the Second Death.

Arizona abortion ban: State Supreme Court upholds 160-year-old law https://t.co/Di6r7v2syv

— News19 WLTX (@WLTX) April 10, 2024

COGwriter

Arizona’s Supreme Court decided to follow the law and this has incensed pro-abortion forces:

10 April 2024

Hours after Arizona’s supreme court declared on Tuesday that a 160-year-old abortion ban is now enforceable, Republicans in the state took a surprising stance for a party that has historically championed abortion restrictions – they denounced the decision.

“This decision cannot stand,” said Matt Gress, a Republican state representative. “I categorically reject rolling back the clock to a time when slavery was still legal and we could lock up women and doctors because of an abortion.”

First passed when Arizona was still a territory, the ban only permits abortions to save a patient’s life and does not have exceptions for rape or incest.

“Today’s Arizona supreme court decision reinstating an Arizona territorial-era ban on all abortions from more than 150 years ago is disappointing to say the least,” said TJ Shope, a Republican state senator.

“I oppose today’s ruling,” added Kari Lake, a Republican running to represent Arizona in the US Senate and a loyalist of Donald Trump. Lake called on the state legislature to “come up with an immediate commonsense solution that Arizonans can support”. …

As Arizona Republicans raced to distance themselves from the long-dormant law, abortion opponents cheered the decision.

“We celebrate the Arizona supreme court’s decision that allows the state’s pro-life law to again protect the lives of countless, innocent unborn children,” said Alliance Defending Freedom senior counsel Jake Warner, who argued the case before the court in favor of the ban. …

Vice-president Kamala Harris will go to Arizona later this week, in a visit that was planned ahead of the Tuesday decision. She blamed the impending state ban on Trump, whose three supreme court appointees voted to eliminate the federally guaranteed right to an abortion.

“Arizona just rolled back the clock to a time before women could vote – and, by his own admission, there’s one person responsible: Donald Trump,” Harris said in a campaign statement. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/apr/10/arizona-republicans-against-state-abortion-ban

So, notice that Republican politicians are not as anti-abortion as many hope and that, of course, Democrats like Kamala Harris remain stridently pro-abortion. Most politicians are interested in retaining their power more than holding to properly moral positions and Republicans in Arizona are publicly putting that reality on display.

As far as the number of abortions go, since the US Supreme Court overturned the Roe v. Wade abortion decision, the number of abortions has not dropped like the abortionists feared, but instead has risen according to the following report Forbes posted about:

Abortion Rates Have Been ‘Consistently Elevated’ Since Supreme Court Overturned Roe V. Wade, Study Finds

February 28, 2024

The number of abortions carried out in the U.S. each month is “similar if not higher” than the abortion rate before the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022, according to a new study by the Society of Family Planning—though abortion rights advocates say the consistent rates shouldn’t obscure ongoing challenges to accessing abortion care. …

The Supreme Court’s ruling has impacted abortion access, with the study finding that if the court hadn’t overturned Roe, 120,930 abortions would have occurred in 14 states that have banned abortion in the wake of the ruling: Alabama, Arkansas, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

Those decreases have been offset by surges in other states where abortion has remained legal, with the largest influx of patients in Illinois, Florida and California, along with other increases in New Jersey, New York and Massachusetts. https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2024/02/28/abortion-rates-have-been-consistently-elevated-since-supreme-court-overturned-roe-v-wade-study-finds/?sh=5404891063c0

Over two years ago, I wrote:

Even if Roe v. Wade is overturned, that will not stop abortions in the USA.  (Thiel B. Roe vs. Wade: Abortion still an issue and still should be made illegal. COGwriter, January 23, 2022)

Sadly, abortions not only continue, but seem to be rising.

Such should never be.

Interestingly, the woman that the pro-abortion forces used to get the original Roe vs. Wade decision (Norma L. McCorvey, whose court case was filed under the alias of Jane Roe) that the pro-abortion forces wanted, later regretted her decision. So much so that in August 1995, she (Norma L. McCorvey) announced that she had become an advocate of Operation Rescue’s campaign to make abortion illegal.

The Bible says to:

1 Cry aloud, spare not;
Lift up your voice like a trumpet;
Tell My people their transgression,
And the house of Jacob their sins.  (Isaiah 58:1)

That is what many posts here, such as this one related to abortion, are doing.

Abortion is a sin and reckoning is coming.

The Bible makes it clear that human life begins prior to birth (Ecclesiastes 11:5; Psalm 139:13-16; Isaiah 44:24; Jeremiah 1:4-5; Luke 1:41-44). Since all fertilized human eggs are human, human life begins at the time of conception.

“Conception” means to first come into existence, so even its definition supports the idea of when a life starts.

Knowing happens at conception makes this clearer. Normally (unless there is Down syndrome or something that changes the number of chromosomes) 23 unpaired chromosomes from the egg and 23 unpaired chromosomes from the sperm come together and form a new entity with 46 chromosomes. This new entity is a new human life. It did not come into existence before conception and does not change genetically after conception. It is not a dog, a frog, or simply a pile of tissue. The unborn baby is a separate, but developing, human being.

I have seen photos of protestors with signs saying, “My body, my choice.” This has been a media tactic pro-abortionists have long used. Here is something related to that:

Arizona Supreme Court rules a century-old law banning nearly all abortions can be enforced

April 9, 2024

A protestor holds a sign reading ‘My Body My Choice’ at a Women’s March rally where Arizona Secretary of State and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Katie Hobbs spoke outside the State Capitol …

In a historic decision Tuesday, the Arizona Supreme Court ruled the state must adhere to a 123-year-old penal code provision barring all abortions except in cases when “it is necessary to save” a pregnant person’s life.

The law, which can be traced to as early as 1864, also carried a prison sentence of two to five years for abortion providers. There is a 14-day stay on the law.

The case is the latest high-profile example of the battle over abortion access that has played out across several states since Roe v. Wade was overturned by the US Supreme Court in 2022. Since that decision, nearly two dozen states have banned or limited access to the procedure. Providers have warned that restrictive policies on abortion access place patients at risk of poor health outcomes and doctors at risk of legal liability. https://ksltv.com/636396/arizona-supreme-court-rules-a-century-old-law-banning-nearly-all-abortions-can-be-enforced/

Let’s consider the “my body, my choice” line.

First of all, women who are not raped do have a choice. Women do not have to get married or have sexual intercourse, plus if they do they can use a variety of birth control methods (see also Are any types of birth control scripturally allowed?). Those options are related to their bodies and their choices. More on a woman’s right to choose is in the article: Abortion, the Bible, and a Woman’s Right to Choose.

Second of all, if a woman gets pregnant, their is another body in her womb. It is not her body, nor is killing that body a choice she has the moral right to make.

The unborn baby is innocent and does not deserve death.

Consider also that the Bible specifically condemns those that shed innocent blood, as that is something that God hates:

So you shall put away the guilt of innocent blood from among you when you do what is right in the sight of the LORD (Deuteronomy 21:9).

These six things the LORD hates, Yes, seven are an abomination to Him: A proud look, A lying tongue, Hands that shed innocent blood, A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that are swift in running to evil, A false witness who speaks lies, And one who sows discord among brethren (Proverbs 6:16-19).

Their feet run to evil, And they make haste to shed innocent blood; Their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; Wasting and destruction are in their paths. The way of peace they have not known, And there is no justice in their ways; They have made themselves crooked paths; Whoever takes that way shall not know peace (Isaiah 59:7-8).

Thus says the LORD: “Execute judgment and righteousness, and deliver the plundered out of the hand of the oppressor. Do no wrong and do no violence to the stranger, the fatherless, or the widow, nor shed innocent blood in this place (Jeremiah 22:3).

“Yet your eyes and your heart are for nothing but your covetousness, For shedding innocent blood, And practicing oppression and violence” (Jeremiah 22:17).

Babies are innocent. Killing them is the shedding of innocent blood. The baby is NOT the woman’s body, nor is killing it through an abortion a choice she should chose.

The Bible prophesied that in the last days people would be “without natural affection” (2 Timothy 3:3, KJV). Here is information on the Greek term so translated:

NT:794
astorgos (as’-tor-gos); from NT:1 (as a negative particle) and a presumed derivative of stergo (to cherish affectionately); hard-hearted towards kindred:

KJV – without natural affection.

(Biblesoft’s New Exhaustive Strong’s Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright (c) 1994, Biblesoft and International Bible Translators, Inc.)

What is interesting here is that the word astorgos seems to mean a lack of love towards those you are related to. Certainly that encompasses abortion. Thus increased abortions is consistent with the biblical prophecy in 2 Timothy.

Humans are to be kind, not kill their babies, and love each other–abortion is basically the opposite (see also: SIXTH COMMANDMENT: Anger, Murder, Abortion, Sports, Self-Control, & Kindness).

A while back, the Continuing Church of God put out the following sermon on its ContinuingCOG channel:

1:12:23

Abortion and Birth Control: History and Scriptures

What is an abortion? How have they been done throughout history? How are abortions done now? What are some of women’s biblical rights? Do women have a right to have an abortion? When does human life begin? Is birth control acceptable? Are some birth control techniques abortive? Did any Roman Catholic pontiffs allow abortion? What about the Church of God? Has the USA benefited economically from abortion as Chelsea Clinton stated or are there other economic costs? Does the Bible teach that the unborn are human children? What are things that God hates? What are some non-economic costs to abortion? What did Planned Parenthood co-founder want to do with ‘Negros’? Do blacks have a higher percentage of abortions than whites in the USA? Are there abortion lies and suppression of truth? Does the Bible warn of that? Dr. Thiel addresses these issues and more.

Here is a link to the sermon: Abortion and Birth Control: History and Scriptures.

Notice the following:

172 My tongue shall speak of Your word, For all Your commandments are righteousness (Psalm 119:172).

34 Righteousness exalts a nation, But sin is a reproach to any people (Proverbs 14:34).

Killing babies through abortion is not righteous. It is a reproach to nations around the world that allow and encourage it.

Those that consent to abortions are often proud, are normally lying to themselves that they are not doing violence to a human being, and often have abortions because of their own lusts and covetousness. Adding the sin of abortion to their other sins is simply not the answer.

They also place themselves in the same category as Judas Iscariot, for he admitted that when he betrayed Jesus Christ, he (Judas) betrayed “innocent blood” (Matthew 27:4). Jesus was betrayed by someone He considered to be a friend–no baby should be betrayed by the mother that is supposed to love it.

Related to abortion, the Continuing Church of God (CCOG) put together the following video on our Bible News Prophecy YouTube channel:

14:44

Abortion, the US Constitution, and the Bible

On June 24, 2022, the United State Supreme Court overruled the 1973 Roe v. Wade abortion decision. Did the Court just take away a constitutional right? What does the US Declaration of Independence say about life and the purpose of government? Does human life begin at conception according to 95% of biologists surveyed? Does the Word of God teach that unborn humans are children? What does the Bible teach about the shedding of innocent blood? Are there biblical consequences for performing or condoning abortion? Dr. Thiel along with Steve Dupuie deals with the issues.

Here is a link to the video: Abortion, the US Constitution, and the Bible.

A woman has a lot of rights of choice. But just like a man, she does not have the right to take an innocent life.

She, just like a man, should always choose life.

Women are struck emotionally for the rest of their lives when they consent to an abortion (the Bible even warns of curses for killing the innocent, Deuteronomy 27:25). That is not a choice they should ever make.

Judgement is coming.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

Abortion, the Bible, and a Woman’s Right to Choose Do you know what the Bible teaches on this? Has the Roman Catholic Church allowed abortions? What about the real Church of God? Here is a link to a related sermon: Abortion and Birth Control: History and Scriptures.
American Infanticide February 23, 2019 was declared a ‘day of mourning’ by some concerned about infanticide and other ramifications of the State of New York’s “Reproductive Health Act.” The American College of Pediatricians reported they were grieved by efforts by several states to allow infanticide. Statements from disgraced Virginia Governor Ralph Northam, as well as proposed laws in Illinois, Rhode Island, and Vermont have gotten more to be concerned about infanticide in the United States of America. Nebraska Senator Ben Sasse proposed S. 311 the ‘Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act failed in a voice vote–and 17 “public health organizations’ denounced S. 311 as “a dangerous government intrustion.” Is the destruction of humans wrong. Does human life begin at conception? Is there a light flash at conception? Has there been infanticide throughout human history? What does God say about the shedding of “innocent blood’? What about Judaism and Molech? This is a video.
Why sex and marriage? What are each spouse’s responsibilities regarding sex in the marriage? What is not allowed according to God’s word? Why is there sex and why is there marriage? Parental discretion is advised as to whether or not everything in this article is now appropriate for their children. Dr. Thiel goes over scriptures, The Missing Dimension in Sex, and provides answers to questions many have had. A related sermon is available: Sex and Marriage. Here is that sermon in the Spanish language: Matrimonio y sexo.
Are any types of birth control scripturally allowed? Did Jesus make a statement that might be consistent with birth control? Are there any methods that might be appropriate? What methods would be biblically prohibited? Here is a link a related video: Can Christians Use Birth Control?
Is God Calling You? This booklet discusses topics including calling, election, and selection. If God is calling you, how will you respond? Here is are links to related sermons: Christian Election: Is God Calling YOU? and Predestination and Your Selection; here is a message in Spanish: Me Está Llamando Dios Hoy? A short animation is also available: Is God Calling You?
Christian Repentance Do you know what repentance is? Is it really necessary for salvation? Two related sermons about this are also available: Real Repentance and Real Christian Repentance.
About Baptism Should you be baptized? Could baptism be necessary for salvation? Who should baptize and how should it be done? Here is a link to a related sermon: Let’s Talk About Baptism and Baptism, Infants, Fire, & the Second Death.
Armageddon Who is involved and when will this gathering happen? Here is also a video from Dr. Thiel, from Tel Megiddo in Israel: Armageddon. Other videos include: Armageddon Will it come on Trump’s watch?, Iraq, Armageddon, & Prophecy, Freemasonry, Armageddon, and Rome, Is China paving roads to Armageddon?, and Jordan, Petra, and Armageddon.
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.

COGwriter

A reader in Italy sent me the following link, https://www.marcotosatti.com/2024/04/09/bibbia-2008-cancellato-un-versetto-in-matteo-1811-perche-investigatore-biblico/ which I machine-translated into English. Here are excerpts:

Bible 2008, Deleted a Verse in Matthew 18,11. Why? Biblical Investigator.

9 April 2024 Published by Marco Tosatti

Bible CEI 2008: “Sensatory: an entire verse deleted: Matthew 18,11. Who has the right to such changes?” by BIBLICAL INVESTIGATOR

Starting from the healthy question ‘has anyone else noticed?’, I searched for bibliography on the subject, even online, but no response.

The sensational thing is another deletion of a verse of the Word of God in the CEI 2008 Bible . …

In the case in question the verse in Mt 18.11 has been magically crossed out.

We therefore present the usual comparison with the previous edition.

Cei 74 in Mt 18.11 reports:

“ For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost ” ( Mt 18:11 )

CEI 2008 , however, completely skips the v. 11, placing a footnote, where it is written:

“ the verse (…) is missing in many manuscripts; a similar phrase occurs in Luke 19:10 “.

It is not known which are the ‘many manuscripts’ in which the verse is missing, and the matter is approved without any mention.

Reading, however, the text of the Gospel of Matthew in Greek, here is what I find in verse 11:

“ Elthen gar o uios tou anthropou sosai to apolosos ” which, translated, precisely, is:

“ For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost ”.

Now, there are 2 cases:

– I am the only biblical scholar in the world to have a Greek text where verse 11 appears (therefore the new translators must demonstrate and present in which manuscripts this verse does not appear)

or

– they are doing some prank or experiment

Having said this, the verse of Matthew 18.11 appears in the Vulgate of Saint Jerome, is present in the Martini Bible (18th century) and in the Ricciotti Bible (1940s), just to give a few examples.

But, be careful!, it was also canceled in the New Vulgate. …

Do new translators claim the right to decide what is the Word of God and what is not?

Is the verse not to our liking and therefore we proceed to delete it without mincing words?

I’ll go further.

If in 2024 it is decided arbitrarily, with censorship, what is the Word of God and what is not, who will prevent, for example, that in 10 years the new edition of the Bible avoids containing Romans 1 to be more politically correct?

Other than a basic bias against the Bible, the ‘Bible Investigator’ did not give a specific reason why he feels that the CEI translators left the verse out.

But he is correct that some do not care for Romans 1. For example, we already know that governments, particularly in Canada, do not like Romans 1 (watch Canadian censoring of the Bible).

What is the CEI? Well that stands for the CONFERENZA EPISCOPALE ITALIANA (CEI). That group has been headed up by the Roman Catholic Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, Archbishop of Bologna. Their Bible is an Italian translation and according to Bible Gateway, that Bible is in the public domain in the United States.

That said, the fact that Jesus came to save the lost is an important doctrine.

But, while it was taught by early Christians, and seemingly also once understood by people who became part of the Greco-Roman church alliance (see the free online book: Beliefs of the Original Catholic Church: Could a remnant group have continuing apostolic succession?), that alliance changed the meaning of that (though the Eastern Orthodox still have some conception of it). Most modern Protestants do not know what early Christians believed related to several aspects of God’s plan of salvation (see also the free online book: Hope of Salvation: How the Continuing Church of God Differs from Protestantism).

Here is some information about that verse (and a similar one in Luke 19) as well as more on the lost and God’s plan of salvation from 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:

The Bible shows that it is appointed for all to die once, and after this will come the judgment (Hebrews 9:27). Yet, the Bible also shows that those judged can attain mercy upon repentance (cf. James 2:13) and even those lost can be found (cf. Matthew 10:6-13).

Perhaps it should be pointed out that babies who die are not lost for sinning against God. Nowhere in the Bible does it state that those who never heard the truth of the gospel message will be lost.

It should be noted that Roman Catholic theology, while normally allowing for a higher percentage of people receiving salvation than what many Protestant and Baptist groups seem to teach, also tends to condemn most who ever lived to eternal torment and torturing.

Since Protestants have often claimed sola scriptura as their doctrinal source, and Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox point to scripture as a doctrinal source, it is to the Bible that Greco-Roman-Protestants should go to in order to see God’s plans for all.

Sadly, despite claiming “sola Scriptura,” Protestant scholars have tended to reason around various biblical passages regarding God’s plan of salvation. Notice one such mis-reasoning example related to Luke 3:6 (bolding in the version cited):

And all flesh shall see the salvation of God. The writer makes plain at the outset of Jesus’ ministry that He had a universal message. (from The Wycliffe Bible Commentary, Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1962 by Moody Press).

Contrary to the interpretation above, Luke 3:6 DOES NOT state that the message is universal–it teaches that all flesh SHALL SEE the salvation of God. ALL will have an opportunity for salvation. That will be now for the elect and later for the rest.

Plus the message is not universal if most in the universe never properly hear it.

Luke 2:10, states:

¹⁰ Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.

There is to be good tidings for ALL PEOPLE. All will have an opportunity for salvation (cf. Luke 3:6).

Jesus will be joy to all people who will accept Him. …

The Gospels show that Jesus came to save the lost:

⁹ And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; ¹⁰ for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” (Luke 19:9-10)

¹¹ For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost. (Matthew 18:11)

¹¹ For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost. (Matthew 18:11, DRB)

Notice that Jesus came to save the lost, not just a small amount of elect people. If the lost could not be saved, why would Jesus then have come?

Saving those who are currently lost is part of God’s plan as Ezekiel 34:11-16 shows:

¹¹ ‘For thus says the Lord God: “Indeed I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out. ¹² As a shepherd seeks out his flock on the day he is among his scattered sheep, so will I seek out My sheep and deliver them from all the places where they were scattered on a cloudy and dark day. ¹³ And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land; I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, in the valleys and in all the inhabited places of the country. ¹⁴ I will feed them in good pasture, and their fold shall be on the high mountains of Israel. There they shall lie down in a good fold and feed in rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. ¹⁵ I will feed My flock, and I will make them lie down,” says the Lord God. ¹⁶ “I will seek what was lost and bring back what was driven away, bind up the broken and strengthen what was sick; but I will destroy the fat and the strong, and feed them in judgment.”

Notice that the lost were driven away (by false teachings and their own issues) but God will bring them back and FEED THEM IN JUDGMENT. Ezekiel did not say condemning them to everlasting torment in that judgment. While Jesus sought to reach various ones who were lost (Matthew 18:11), God did not gather the people from the countries then, hence this prophecy in Ezekiel is for a future time.

Furthermore, doesn’t “feed them in judgment” sound fairly positive? …

Satan has basically held the world captive through deceit. Notice also what Revelation 12:9 teaches:

⁹ So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world;

Notice that the whole world has been allowed to be deceived. They have not intentionally chosen the wrong.

2 Corinthians 4:3 teaches:

³ But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost (KJV).

While Calvinists and others misunderstand this verse, consider that just because someone is lost does NOT mean that they cannot be found!

2 Corinthians 4:4 teaches about those:

⁴ whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.

So, right now the gospel is hid—during this age—and some now are lost as they have been blinded by Satan—the god of this age—from knowing the truth (to learn more about the gospel, check out our free book, available online at www.ccog.org, The Gospel of the Kingdom of God). Paul also calls our time “this present evil age” (Galatians 1:4), which implies a better age to come (which will happen per Revelation 21:1-7).

Would a just God who allowed Satan to blind the world so that it could not see the truth of the Gospel not have a plan to later call those who are now lost?

The Bible clearly teaches that two ages will be coming where Satan will NOT be around (Revelation 20:1-3, 10), hence people will have an opportunity for salvation without being under the sway of Satan.

Anyway, yes, the lost can be found.

The Vatican, which has strong connections to the CEI,  has declared that God does not have a plan to offer salvation later. Notice something that Joseph Ratzinger wrote in a paper titled The Theology of History in St. Bonaventure prior to becoming Pope Benedict XVI:

“…both Chiliasm [the teaching of the Millennium] and Montanism were declared heretical and were excluded from the universal church; for they both denied this vision [the “Christ is the end of the ages” vision] and awaited still another period of more definitive salvation to follow after the age of Christ” (as cited in Birch, pp. 515-516; note the comments within [] were from the Roman Catholic writer Birch).

This was an odd statement for several reasons. It was the leaders in Asia Minor who stood for the Millennium and were the first to oppose Montanism–whom the Roman Catholics originally tolerated (please see the article Location of the Early Church)–hence the belief in one is NOT necessarily related to the other.

The other reason this condemnation is odd, is that even though Origen of the 3rd century was opposed to the millennium, Origen also taught that there was definitive salvation after what then Cardinal Ratzinger calls “the age of Christ” (please see the article Hope of Salvation: How the Continuing Church of God Differs from Protestantism). Yet the late Pope Benedict XVI  publicly praised Origen as a “true teacher” (for documentation, see What is the Appropriate Form of Biblical Interpretation?).

Perhaps Satan influenced those who took Matthew 18:11 out as Satan does not want people to realize that God is love, has a broader plan of salvation than many understand, and is actually fair.

The fact is that God does have a fantastic plan, and it includes reaching those who are now lost.

Notice and consider how our free 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, starts off:

Does God have a plan of salvation that makes sense?

The Bible teaches that “God is love” (1 John 4:8), “God is the God of salvation” (Psalm 68:20), God is good (Mark 10:18), and God is all-powerful, all-knowing (Isaiah 46:9-11).

Would not such a God be wise enough to come up with a plan of salvation that works, and does not doom the overwhelming majority of humans that ever lived to punishing that never ends?

Could that be a major part of why He sent His Son (John 3:16-17; 10:10)?

Will God offer salvation to all human beings who ever lived?

Is the view that God plans to offer salvation to all human beings biblical?

Has such a view had at least a degree of historical support, even among certain religious leaders still praised by the Greco-Roman-Protestant churches?

The answer to these questions is, yes, absolutely!

God’s plan makes sense.

More on God’s loving plan of salvation can be found in our 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 related interest may include:

Universal OFFER of Salvation, Apokatastasis: Can God save the lost in an age to come? Hundreds of scriptures reveal God’s plan of salvation Will all get a fair chance at salvation? This free book is packed with scriptures showing that God does intend to offer salvation to all who ever lived–the elect in this age, and the rest in the age to come. Here is a link to a related sermon series: Universal Offer of Salvation 1: Apocatastasis, Universal Offer of Salvation 2: Jesus Desires All to be Saved, Mysteries of the Great White Throne Judgment (Universal Offer of Salvation part 3), Is God Fair?, Will God Pardon the Ignorant?, Can God Save Your Relatives?, Babies, Limbo, Purgatory and God’s Plan, and ‘By the Mouth of All His Holy Prophets’.
Hope of Salvation: How the Continuing Church of God Differs from Protestantism The CCOG is NOT Protestant. This free online book explains how the real Church of God differs from mainstream/traditional Protestants. Several sermons related to the free book are also available: Protestant, Baptist, and CCOG History; The First Protestant, God’s Command, Grace, & Character; The New Testament, Martin Luther, and the Canon; Eucharist, Passover, and Easter; Views of Jews, Lost Tribes, Warfare, & Baptism; Scripture vs. Tradition, Sabbath vs. Sunday; Church Services, Sunday, Heaven, and God’s Plan; Seventh Day Baptists/Adventists/Messianics: Protestant or COG?; Millennial Kingdom of God and God’s Plan of Salvation; Crosses, Trees, Tithes, and Unclean Meats; The Godhead and the Trinity; Fleeing or Rapture?; and Ecumenism, Rome, and CCOG Differences.
Beliefs of the Original Catholic Church: Could a remnant group have continuing apostolic succession? Did the original “catholic church” have doctrines held by the Continuing Church of God? Did Church of God leaders uses the term “catholic church” to ever describe the church they were part of? Here are links to related sermons: Original Catholic Church of God?, Original Catholic Doctrine: Creed, Liturgy, Baptism, Passover, What Type of Catholic was Polycarp of Smyrna?, Tradition, Holy Days, Salvation, Dress, & Celibacy, Early Heresies and Heretics, Doctrines: 3 Days, Abortion, Ecumenism, Meats, Tithes, Crosses, Destiny, and more, Saturday or Sunday?, The Godhead, Apostolic Laying on of Hands Succession, Church in the Wilderness Apostolic Succession List, Holy Mother Church and Heresies, and Lying Wonders and Original Beliefs. Here is a link to that book in the Spanish language: Creencias de la iglesia Católica original.
Is God Calling You? This booklet discusses topics including calling, election, and selection. If God is calling you, how will you respond? Here is are links to related sermons: Christian Election: Is God Calling YOU? and Predestination and Your Selection; here is a message in Spanish: Me Está Llamando Dios Hoy? A short animation is also available: Is God Calling You?
Christian Repentance Do you know what repentance is? Is it really necessary for salvation? Two related sermons about this are also available: Real Repentance and Real Christian Repentance.
About Baptism Should you be baptized? Could baptism be necessary for salvation? Who should baptize and how should it be done? Here is a link to a related sermon: Let’s Talk About Baptism and Baptism, Infants, Fire, & the Second Death.

Black Soldier Fly larva
(Photo public domain via Wikipedia)

COGwriter

In this era of packaged foods and labels, there is another type of ingredient some lawmakers do not seem to want consumers to see as the following suggests:

Democrats Push to Hide Insects in American Food Supply

April 8, 2024

In Minnesota, state Senate Democrats blocked an amendment that would have required foods containing insects to be labeled.

Republicans are arguing that insects should be listed in the ingredients of food products to inform consumers.

However, for reasons that are not immediately clear, Democrats are pushing to keep bugs a hidden ingredient.

Last week, the Minnesota Senate passed S.F. 4225 – an omnibus agriculture policy bill. …

However, before the bill was passed, Sen. Torrey Westrom (R-Alexandria) introduced a commonsense amendment for food labeling.

The amendment would require food to be properly labeled if it contains either insect products or artificial “cell-cultured” food like lab-grown meat. …

However, the bill’s Democrat author Sen. Aric Putnam,(D-St. Cloud) shot down the proposal.

Putnam insists that, although “consumers should know what they are consuming,” the issue of labeling insect parts in products was a “future problem.”

He falsely claimed that insect-based “foods” and lab-grown “meats” are not available yet, and therefore, do not need to be addressed. https://slaynews.com/news/democrats-push-hide-insects-american-food-supply/

Before getting to “lab-grown meat,” notice that last year, Singapore approved 16 insects for human consumption, including the black soldier fly larva shown at the beginning of this post.

America’s Future Being Tested in Singapore With Approval of 16 Insects for Human Consumption

April 29, 2023

It’s not uncommon for insect parts to accidentally make it into processed foods in plant production. However, Singapore has gone one step further and approved the packaging and sale of 16 species of insects as foodstuff.¹ In this short video, actress Nicole Kidman demonstrates her secret talent — eating fried insects and live worms. …

April 7, 2023, The Straits Times⁸ reported that 16 species of insects had received the green light from the SFA and would be released for human consumption in the last half of 2023. The companies importing the insects must provide proof that the insects are farmed under food safety controls and that the substrate used to feed the insects is not contaminated.

Additionally, the insect products will also be subjected to food safety testing and treatment to kill pathogens. Food inspections will also be done to determine if the insects were packed and stored to prevent contamination.

The 16 species of insects approved for consumption could be either eaten directly or used to make snack items. In addition to the insects, the SFA is allowing silkworm cocoons, with the explanation that they are currently consumed in Malaysia and China. Insect species without a history of human consumption, no matter how recent the history, will be considered novel and approval must then go through a different framework.

One of those insects is the black soldier fly larvae that are currently used in Singapore to process food waste. The Straits Times writes, “The larvae consume up to four times their body weight in waste and, in turn, excrete frass, which is used as fertilizer. The larvae are used as fish and shrimp feed.” …

The idea of eating insect-based foods is cloaked in “sustainable” rhetoric by globalists, which they hope to elevate to foods “the cool kids” eat as Nicole Kidman demonstrates in the video …

This is exactly what the globalists would like you to do — there are no problems, don’t worry about it, globalists will take care of your food supply. You only have to learn how to eat bugs and drink sewer water. …

Although it sounds crazy, they have already started trying to normalize cannibalism. Lab-grown human steak was introduced in December 2020¹⁸ and featured as “art” at the Design Museum in London, U.K. The creator of the “Ouroboros Steak” — a reference to the ancient symbol of a snake that devours its tail and is reborn from itself — claimed the installation was a critique against the meat industry.

Taking this one step further, a company called BiteLabs claimed to plan to sell artisanal salami made from lab-grown celebrity flesh. On their website,¹⁹ which appears to have been taken down in late 2022, they stated the intention to collect biopsy samples from celebrities, isolate the muscle cells and then grow the celebrity meat using a proprietary bioreactor. The flesh would then be cured, dried, aged and spiced according to Italian tradition.

In January 2022, IFLScience²⁰ followed up on the story and noted that “it’s perfectly possible” to create salami from cloned celebrity meet. While the website has been taken down, the Facebook page²¹ remains where the company claims “We’ve never been so close to celebrities — until now.”

Another example of an ongoing effort to normalize cannibalism is a 2018 article published in the journal Nature,²² which promoted the rejuvenating effects of drinking young people’s blood.

In a bit of predictive programming, the 1973 film “Soylent Green” — in which the protagonist realizes the government food being handed out is made from humans — was set in the year 2022.²⁴

Another gross answer that globalists have proposed is drinking reclaimed sewage water. https://discernreport.com/americas-future-being-tested-in-singapore-with-approval-of-16-insects-for-human-consumption/

While the Bible seems to allow for the consumption of crickets and grasshoppers, black soldier flies, mealworms, and silkworms are biblically unclean–thus should not be consumed by Christians (see also The New Testament Church, History, and Unclean Meats). Let me also add that it is almost 100% certain that COVID became a problem because of people consuming biblically-unclean meats along with the viral research that was done in the lab at Wuhan (watch also: COVID, Pandemics, and Unclean Meat).

The Bible also warns about cannibalism and we have an article (see Cannibalism is Wrong, But it is Coming!) and video about it (watch  Cannibalism is prophesied!).

Frightening, ‘frankenstein-monsters,’ are being worked on in labs. We also made a video related to that, including the use of simian species:

Half human, half pig: What’s the difference?

Related to so-called lab-grown meat, we also put out the following video:

Last September, we put out the following sermon about the food supply:

1:07:48

Evil is Affecting the Food Supply

God gave humans food and said what He made was good. What about unclean animals? What about genetically-modified organisms (GMOs)? What about ‘bioengineered foods’? What about lab meat? What about human-cloned salami? What about ‘Piggy Sooy’? Are Christians supposed to eat what is good according to Isaiah 55:2? What should we eat? What should Christians avoid eating? Dr. Thiel addresses these matters and more.

Here is a link to the following: Evil is Affecting the Food Supply.

While the consumption of small amounts of GMO ‘foods’ does not appear to be harmful, I personally do not consider that long-term consumption of GMOs by humans is neither wise nor safe. And it most certainly is not proven to be healthy by science. And as far as insects go, most are not supposed to be eaten.

The Bible warns about the “ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness” (Romans 1:18) and not letting people know that biblically-prohibited insects are in packaged foods is wrong suppression of the truth. Hopefully, the lawmakers in Minnesota will realize that.

However, the reality is that many in the whole, overly-processed food industries continue to push for things that are not good.

Some items of possibly related interest may include the following:

Christian Health Matters Should Christians be concerned about their health? Does the Bible give any food and health guidelines? Here are links to three related sermons: Let’s Talk About Food, Evil is Affecting the Food Supply, and Let’s Talk About Health.
The New Testament Church, History, and Unclean Meats Are foods considered to have been unclean in the Old Testament considered to be food in the New Testament? This article discusses this from the perspective of the New Testament. It also has a list of clean and unclean animals. It also answers the question, is pork healthy or is pork dangerous? There is also a sermon-length video on this: Christians and Unclean Meats; two short videos are also available: Did Jesus declare all animal flesh food? and COVID, Pandemics, and Unclean Meat.
Cannibalism is Wrong, But it is Coming! Is it logical to eat human flesh? Or is it a curse that will return? Here is a link to a related video: Cannibalism is prophesied!
GMOs and Bible Prophecy What are GMOs? Since they were not in the food supply until 1994, how could they possibly relate to Bible prophecy? Do GMOs put the USA and others at risk? Here are some related videos: GMO Risks and the Bible and GMOs, Lab meat, Hydrogenation: Safe or Dangerous?
Chimeras: Has Science Crossed the Line? What are chimeras?  Has science crossed the line? Does the Bible give any clues? A video of related interest is Half human, half pig: What’s the difference?  and Human-Monkey Embryos and Death.

COGwriter

Pocket recommended the following:

How to forgive someone who isn’t sorry

Part of our series on America’s struggle for forgiveness.

Forgiveness is often viewed as the “happily ever after” ending in a story of wrongdoing or injustice. Someone enacts harm, the typical arc goes, but eventually sees the error of their ways and offers a heartfelt apology. “Can you ever forgive me?” Then you, the hurt person, are faced with a choice: Show them mercy — granting yourself peace in the process — or hold a grudge forever. …

It’s reasonable to expect an apology when you’re the one who has been hurt or betrayed. But that’s not how it works in practice. In fact, therapist Harriet Lerner writes in her book Why Won’t You Apologize?: Healing Big Betrayals and Everyday Hurts, the worse the offense, the more difficult it can be to get an apology from the person who harmed you. In those instances, Lerner writes, “Their shame leads to denial and self-deception that overrides their ability to orient toward reality.” And beyond this, there are other reasons you might be unable to get the apology you deserve. Maybe the other person isn’t aware of the harm they did to you, or they’ve disappeared, making contact impossible, or they’ve died.

Unfortunately, that puts you in a tough spot. How do you forgive someone who isn’t all that sorry, or who you can’t actually engage with?

To answer this question, Vox spoke to two experts: Robert Enright, a professor of education psychology at the University of Wisconsin Madison and a leader in the scientific study of forgiveness, and Laura Davis, the author of several books about estrangement and reconciliation, … Enright and Davis say that forgiving someone who is unrepentant is absolutely possible; here’s how to approach it.

Expand your view of what forgiveness is

In some ways, it’s easier to define forgiveness by what it isn’t. “Forgiveness is not excusing what the other did; that behavior was wrong, is wrong, and will always be wrong,” Enright says.

Both Enright and Davis say that forgiveness exists separately from reconciliation, and also from accountability — which is why forgiving someone doesn’t require an apology or even their participation. “Reconciliation is a negotiation strategy between two or more people trying to make their way back together to mutual trust,” explains Enright, whereas forgiveness is a one-way endeavor. Put another way: Forgiveness might be a step on the path to reconciliation, but you don’t have to traverse the full route if you’d prefer not to.

Enright also points out that while forgiveness is separate from accountability, it’s not at odds with seeking justice. “Many people think it’s either/or, rather than both,” he says. Forgiving someone can help you take a more clear-eyed approach to justice because you’re no longer, as he put it, “seething with rage.”

Perhaps most importantly, forgiveness doesn’t require you to pretend the hurt didn’t happen, to forgive and forget, or to ever speak to the person again. “When you forgive someone, it doesn’t mean you have to have any kind of ongoing relationship with them,” Davis says. “It’s an internal shift, where you’re no longer carrying the wound in the same way.”

Enright defines forgiveness as a moral virtue. Moral virtues (like kindness, honesty, and patience) are typically focused on how they benefit others; these are things you do primarily for another person’s sake, regardless of whether or not they have “earned” it.

“Forgiveness is a special kind of moral virtue that always and without exception occurs when the other person has been unfair to you,” Enright says. …

“Forgiveness is my safety valve against the kind of toxic anger that could kill me,” Enright says. “Waiting for the apology is to misunderstand your free will, and it’s to misunderstand the medicine that is forgiveness, that you should be able to take freely, whatever you want.” …

Enright says it’s reasonable to want to tend to your anger when someone has hurt you. “You can hang on to anger for a short time because it shows you’re a person of worth and dignity, and no one should treat you this way,” he says. “But then my question would be, if you hang on to that anger, what is it doing to you? Yes, it will empower you for a while. But characteristically over time, it brings us down with fatigue, rumination, becoming far more pessimistic in life.” 03/25/22 https://www.vox.com/22967752/how-to-forgive-someone-who-isnt-sorry-wont-apologize

Yes, it is good for us to be merciful and forgiving:

17 The merciful man does good for his own soul,
But he who is cruel troubles his own flesh.  (Proverbs 11:17)

In Matthew 18:7, Jesus said “offenses must come” so we should expect to be offended.

As far as forgiving someone who has not repented, Jesus prayed:

29 … “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” (Luke 23:29)

Remember that the Apostle Paul taught we were to imitate Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1).

Our God is most merciful:

8 The Lord is merciful and gracious,
Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.  (Psalm 103:8)

Mercy mirrors God’s very character. God is truly a forgiving Father. We have to be His merciful and forgiving children.

Perhaps it should be mentioned that the NKJV Bible has the word mercy 282 times, mercies 38 times, merciful 39 times, forgive 53 times, forgivers twice, forgiving 4 times, and forgiveness 8 times. So a total of 426 times. Mer99cy and forgiveness are important to God and He wants you to know that, which is why His word teaches about them.

Now let’s look at some scriptural quotes related to what Jesus, Paul, Peter, and James taught related to mercy and forgiveness

First from Jesus:

35 But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil. 36 Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful. (Luke 6:35-36)

The Apostle Paul wrote:

4 … God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us (Ephesians 2:4)

Notice that love and mercy are tied together. If you want to develop love towards others as the Bible teaches, you need to be merciful.

Jesus also taught:

7 Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy. (Matthew 5:7)

Notice that this promise does not teach that the unmerciful will obtain mercy.

Since, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23), we all need mercy.

Jesus also taught:

23 “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore the more important aspects of the law—justice, mercy, and faith. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things. (Matthew 23:23, New Living Translation)

Mercy is important and many people who think they are worshipping God have wrong priorities.

The Apostle Paul wrote the Colossians:

9 For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; 10 that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; 12 giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. (Colossians 1:9-12)

Being longsuffering includes being able to forgive trespasses against us.  Paul also told the Collossians:

12 Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; 13 bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. 14 But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. (Colossians 3:12-14)

Yes, love and forgive. Yet many, including Christians, do not seem to want to forgive and let go.

The Apostle Peter taught:

5 But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, 6 to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, 7 to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. (2 Peter 1:5-7)

Yes, we need self-control. The Bible says:

19 Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. 20 Therefore

“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
If he is thirsty, give him a drink;
For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.”

21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (Romans 12:19-21)

It is good for us to forgive. We need to forgive and trust God to right most wrongs.

And God will judge.

But God also is merciful. We all need to be grateful that:

13 Mercy triumphs over judgment. (James 2:13)

Christians need to exercise the fruits of the Spirit and be more like God (Matthew 5:48; 1 Corinthians 11:1). And God has much more mercy, patience, and forgiveness than most seem to realize.

The Continuing Church of God (CCOG) also put out the following video on our Bible News Prophecy YouTube channel:

19:26

Mercy and Forgiving Someone Who is NOT Sorry

We have all been hurt or offended by someone. As Christians, we know we are supposed to forgive. But what about forgiving someone who is not sorry? In this message, Dr. Thiel goes over ideas about forgiving the unrepentant from secular writers Harriet Lerner, Robert Enright, and Laura Davis. He then quotes the Apostle Paul and some passages in the Book of Proverbs. Dr. Thiel further quotes Jesus, the Apostle Peter, the Apostle James, and more from the Apostle Paul explaining why it is good for your well being to forgive and show mercy even to those who do not apologize to you. Mercy is one of the weightier matters of the law that Christians are to have.

That does not mean we should go around calling our enemies dogs or swine, but it does mean that it is often wise not to bring up matters, including even forgiveness, to those who would tend to despise that. However, we still are to show mercy and forgive.

Remember that God has a plan. And do not think that people are “getting away with” poor behavior. Notice something that the Apostle Paul was inspired to write:

7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. 8 For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. 9 And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.  (Galatians 6:7-10)

Doing good to all, including the household of faith, includes forgiving those you feel have offended you.

Consider also that all will be judged:

17 For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?

18 Now “If the righteous one is scarcely saved,
Where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?”

19 Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator.  (1 Peter 4:17-19)

All will be judged.

Don’t be puffed up:

4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

8 Love never fails. (1 Corinthians 13:4-8)

Show love and forgive.

Consider also that you have almost certainly offended people you have not apologized to. Jesus said:

14 “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. (Matthew 6:14-15)

To be a true Christian, we need to be forgiven as well as forgive.

32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.  (Ephesians 4:32)

Our God is a merciful God.

Christians are to be merciful people.

It is because our God is a merciful God that He has a plan to make eternity better for all of us, as well as those who offended us.

And in the future, all who will accept God’s ways will make our eternity better.

Do your part now by forgiving and being merciful.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

The MYSTERY of GOD’s PLAN: Why Did God Create Anything? Why Did God Make You? This free online book helps answers some of the biggest questions that human have, including the biblical meaning of life. Here is a link to three related sermons: Mysteries of God’s Plan, Mysteries of Truth, Sin, Rest, Suffering, and God’s Plan, Mystery of Race, and The Mystery of YOU. Here is a link to two videos in Spanish: El Misterio del Plan de Dios and El Misterio de Satanás, el Misterio de la Verdad, el Misterio del Reposo.
Mercy: Love Your Enemies Jesus said to love your enemies. Can you do that? This article goes more into that as well as mercy.
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’.

(Pixabay photo)

COGwriter

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

16:12

Third Resurrection

The Bible speaks of three future resurrections. One part of scripture related to the third resurrection is the following: “13 The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. 14 Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15 And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.” (Revelation 20:13-15). There is also Isaiah 65:20. Steve Dupuie goes over some aspects of this resurrection.

Here is a link to our video: Third Resurrection.

Those interested in early Christianity may wish to check out the following to learn more:

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.
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?
Are The Wicked Tormented Forever or Burned Up? How does one explain Revelation 14:11 in light of Malachi 4:3? What happens to the incorrigibly wicked?
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?
A Better Resurrection Is it better to be called now? Is it better to be Philadelphian? Here is a link to a related sermon: The Better Resurrection.
Did Early Christians Teach They Were Going to Heaven? What do the Bible and scholars teach? What about ‘near-death experiences’? Here is a link to a related sermon: Heaven and Christianity. A shorter video is Dante Aligheri’s Inferno, Heaven, and The Real Hope.
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?
Beliefs of the Original Catholic Church: Could a remnant group have continuing apostolic succession? Did the original “catholic church” have doctrines held by the Continuing Church of God? Did Church of God leaders uses the term “catholic church” to ever describe the church they were part of? Here are links to related sermons: Original Catholic Church of God?, Original Catholic Doctrine: Creed, Liturgy, Baptism, Passover, What Type of Catholic was Polycarp of Smyrna?, Tradition, Holy Days, Salvation, Dress, & Celibacy, Early Heresies and Heretics, Doctrines: 3 Days, Abortion, Ecumenism, Meats, Tithes, Crosses, Destiny, and more, Saturday or Sunday?, The Godhead, Apostolic Laying on of Hands Succession, Church in the Wilderness Apostolic Succession List, Holy Mother Church and Heresies, and Lying Wonders and Original Beliefs. Here is a link to that book in the Spanish language: Creencias de la iglesia Católica original.
Hope of Salvation: How the Continuing Church of God Differs from Protestantism The CCOG is NOT Protestant. This free online book explains how the real Church of God differs from mainstream/traditional Protestants. Several sermons related to the free book are also available: Protestant, Baptist, and CCOG History; The First Protestant, God’s Command, Grace, & Character; The New Testament, Martin Luther, and the Canon; Eucharist, Passover, and Easter; Views of Jews, Lost Tribes, Warfare, & Baptism; Scripture vs. Tradition, Sabbath vs. Sunday; Church Services, Sunday, Heaven, and God’s Plan; Seventh Day Baptists/Adventists/Messianics: Protestant or COG?; Millennial Kingdom of God and God’s Plan of Salvation; Crosses, Trees, Tithes, and Unclean Meats; The Godhead and the Trinity; Fleeing or Rapture?; and Ecumenism, Rome, and CCOG Differences.
Is God Calling You? This booklet discusses topics including calling, election, and selection. If God is calling you, how will you respond? Here is are links to related sermons: Christian Election: Is God Calling YOU? and Predestination and Your Selection; here is a message in Spanish: Me Está Llamando Dios Hoy? A short animation is also available: Is God Calling You?
Universal OFFER of Salvation, Apokatastasis: Can God save the lost in an age to come? Hundreds of scriptures reveal God’s plan of salvation Will all get a fair chance at salvation? This free book is packed with scriptures showing that God does intend to offer salvation to all who ever lived–the elect in this age, and the rest in the age to come. Here is a link to a related sermon series: Universal Offer of Salvation 1: Apocatastasis, Universal Offer of Salvation 2: Jesus Desires All to be Saved, Mysteries of the Great White Throne Judgment (Universal Offer of Salvation part 3), Is God Fair?, Will God Pardon the Ignorant?, Can God Save Your Relatives?, Babies, Limbo, Purgatory and God’s Plan, and ‘By the Mouth of All His Holy Prophets’.
The MYSTERY of GOD’s PLAN: Why Did God Create Anything? Why Did God Make You? This free online book helps answers some of the biggest questions that human have, including the biblical meaning of life. Here is a link to three related sermons: Mysteries of God’s Plan, Mysteries of Truth, Sin, Rest, Suffering, and God’s Plan, Mystery of Race, and The Mystery of YOU. Here is a link to two videos in Spanish: El Misterio del Plan de Dios and El Misterio de Satanás, el Misterio de la Verdad, el Misterio del Reposo.

COGwriter

The Continuing Church of God put together this sermon on its ContinuingCOG channel:

Some items of possibly related interest may include the following:

Leaven, Sin, and Why to Not Sin What is leaven? What is sin? Why is sin so bad? Can sin effect your eternity? Here is a link to a related sermon: Leaven, Sin, and Purpose.
Christians: Ambassadors for the Kingdom of God, Biblical instructions on living as a Christian This is a scripture-filled booklet for those wishing to live as a real Christian. A related sermon is also available: Christians are Ambassadors for the Kingdom of God. Here is a video in Spanish: ¿Qué es un verdadero cristiano?
Living as a Christian: How and Why? In what ways do Christians live differently than others. What about praying, fasting, tithing, holy days, and the world? There are also two YouTube video related to this: Living as a Christian: How and Why? and Living as a Christian: Pure Milk of the Word.
Should You Keep God’s Holy Days or Demonic Holidays? This is a free pdf booklet explaining what the Bible and history shows about God’s Holy Days and popular holidays. Two related sermons would be Which Spring Days should Christians observe? and Fall Holy Days for Christians.
Unleavened Bread, Jesus, and the New Testament? What happened to Jesus during the Days of Unleavened Bread? Do the Days of Unleavened Bread have any Christian meaning? Are there passages in the New Testament supporting not only keeping the Days of Unleavened Bread, but the meaning behind them? Here is a link to a related sermon: Unleavened Bread, Jesus, and the Apostles.
Holy Day Calendar This is a listing of the biblical holy days through 2033, with their Roman calendar dates. They are really hard to observe if you do not know when they occur ? In the Spanish/Español/Castellano language: Calendario de los Días Santos. In Mandarin Chinese: 何日是神的圣日？ 这里是一份神的圣日日历从2013年至2024年。.
Faith for Those God has Called and Chosen What is faith? Can faith be increased? Are you saved by faith? What about works? Do Christians need to keep the Ten Commandments? What is the ‘faith chapter’? How do the just live by faith? Is faith one of the weightier matters of the law? How does faith come? Marque aquí para ver el pdf folleto: Fe para aquellos que Dios ha llamado y escogido. In German: Glaube für die von GottBerufenen und Auserwählten. In French: La Foi pour ceux que Dieu a Appelés et Choisis. Here is a link to a related sermon titled: Faith for the Called and Chosen.and here is a link to another sermon Faith and Courage. Here is a link to shorter version of the written article in Mandarin Chinese 一篇关于信仰的小文章. Here are links to the sermons Christian Faith and Increasing Faith.
Prayer: What Does the Bible Teach? This free booklet contains 28 biblically-based tips on improving the effectiveness of your prayers. This is a pdf. A related two part sermon is available: What Does the Bible Teach About Prayer? and What does the Bible Teach About Prayer (& Healing)?
Is God Calling You? This booklet discusses topics including calling, election, and selection. If God is calling you, how will you respond? Here is a link to a related sermon: Could God be Calling You? A short animation is also available: Is God Calling You?
Proof Jesus is the Messiah This free book has over 200 Hebrew prophecies were fulfilled by Jesus. Plus, His arrival was consistent with specific prophecies and even Jewish interpretations of prophecy. Here are links to seven related sermons: Proof Jesus is the Messiah, Prophecies of Jesus’ birth, timing, and death, Jesus’ prophesied divinity, 200+ OT prophecies Jesus filled; Plus prophecies He made, Why Don’t Jews Accept Jesus?, Daniel 9, Jews, and Jesus, and Facts and Atheists’ Delusions About Jesus
Is God’s Existence Logical? Is it really logical to believe in God? Yes! Would you like Christian answers to give atheists? This is a free online booklet that deal with improper theories and musings called science related to the origin of the origin of the universe, the origin of life, and evolution. Two animated videos of related interest are also available: Big Bang: Nothing or Creator?and A Lifegiver or Spontaneous Evolution?
The MYSTERY of GOD’s PLAN: Why Did God Create Anything? Why did God make you? This free online book helps answers some of the biggest questions that human have, including the biblical meaning of life. Here is a link to three related sermons: Mysteries of God’s Plan, Mysteries of Truth, Sin, Rest, Suffering, and God’s Plan, and The Mystery of YOU.
Universal OFFER of Salvation, Apokatastasis: Can God save the lost in an age to come? Hundreds of scriptures reveal God’s plan of salvation Will all get a fair chance at salvation? This free book is packed with scriptures showing that God does intend to offer salvation to all who ever lived–the elect in this age, and the rest in the age to come. Here is a link to a related sermon series: Universal Offer of Salvation 1: Apocatastasis, Universal Offer of Salvation 2: Jesus Desires All to be Saved, Mysteries of the Great White Throne Judgment (Universal Offer of Salvation part 3), Is God Fair, Will God Pardon the Ignorant?, Can God Save Your Relatives?, Babies, Limbo, Purgatory and God’s Plan, and ‘By the Mouth of All His Holy Prophets’.
Christians: Ambassadors for the Kingdom of God, Biblical instructions on living as a Christian This is a scripture-filled booklet for those wishing to live as a real Christian. A related sermon is also available: Christians are Ambassadors for the Kingdom of God.
Is God Calling You? This booklet discusses topics including calling, election, and selection. If God is calling you, how will you respond? Here is a link to a related sermon: Could God be Calling You? A short animation is also available: Is God Calling You?Christians: Ambassadors for the Kingdom of God, Biblical instructions on living as a Christian This is a scripture-filled booklet for those wishing to live as a real Christian. A related sermon is also available: Christians are Ambassadors for the Kingdom of God.
The Ten Commandments: The Decalogue, Christianity, and the Beast This is a free pdf book explaining the what the Ten Commandments are, where they came from, how early professors of Christ viewed them, and how various ones, including the Beast of Revelation, will oppose them. A related sermon is titled: The Ten Commandments and the Beast of Revelation.
The Gospel of the Kingdom of God This free online pdf booklet has answers many questions people have about the Gospel of the Kingdom of God and explains why it is the solution to the issues the world is facing. Here are links to three related sermons: The World’s False Gospel, The Gospel of the Kingdom: From the New and Old Testaments, and The Kingdom of God is the Solution.
Where is the True Christian Church Today? This free online pdf booklet answers that question and includes 18 proofs, clues, and signs to identify the true vs. false Christian church. Plus 7 proofs, clues, and signs to help identify Laodicean churches. A related sermon is also available: Where is the True Christian Church? Here is a link to the booklet in the Spanish language: ¿Dónde está la verdadera Iglesia cristiana de hoy? Here is a link in the German language: WO IST DIE WAHRE CHRISTLICHE KIRCHE HEUTE? Here is a link in the French language: Où est la vraie Église Chrétienne aujourd’hui?
Continuing History of the Church of God This pdf booklet is a historical overview of the true Church of God and some of its main opponents from Acts 2 to the 21st century. Related sermon links include Continuing History of the Church of God: c. 31 to c. 300 A.D. and Continuing History of the Church of God: 4th-16th Centuries and Continuing History of the Church of God: 17th-20th Centuries. The booklet is available in Spanish: Continuación de la Historia de la Iglesia de Dios, German: Kontinuierliche Geschichte der Kirche Gottes, and Ekegusii Omogano Bw’ekanisa Ya Nyasae Egendererete.
CCOG.ORG Continuing Church of God The group striving to be most faithful amongst all real Christian groups to the word of God. There are links to literature is about 100 different languages there.
Congregations of the Continuing Church of God This is a listing of congregations and groups of the Continuing Church of God around the world.
Continuing Church of God Facebook page This has news and prophetic information.
Continuing Church of God, Africa, Facebook page This has news and prophetic information.
Continuing Church of God, Canada, Facebook page This has news and prophetic information.
Continuing Church of God, Europe, Facebook page This has news and prophetic information.
CCOG.AFRICA This is a website targeted towards those in Africa.
CCOG.ASIA We in the Continuing Church of God also have the url www.ccog.asia which has a focus on Asia and has various articles in Mandarin Chinese as well as some in English, plus some items in other Asian languages. 我们在继续神的教会也提供此网址 www.ccog.asia, 关注于亚洲并且有各种各样的中英文文章，其中一些用菲律宾语翻译的文章也正在进行中，准备添加到这个网站中。 Here is a link to our Statement of Beliefs in Mandarin Chinese 继续神的教会的信仰声明.
CCOG.IN This is a website targeted towards those of Indian heritage. It has a link to an edited Hindi translation of The Mystery of the Ages and is expected to have more non-English language materials in the future.
CCOG.EU This is a website targeted toward Europe. It has materials in more than one language (currently it has English, Dutch, and Serbian, with links also to Spanish) and it is intended to have additional language materials added.
CCOG.NZ This is a website targeted towards New Zealand and others with a British-descended background.
CCOGCANADA.CA This is a website targeted towards those in Canada.
CDLIDD.ES La Continuación de la Iglesia de Dios. This is the Spanish language website for the Continuing Church of God.
CG7.ORG This is a website for those interested in the Sabbath and churches that observe the seventh day Sabbath.
PNIND.PH Patuloy na Iglesya ng Diyos. This is the Philippines website Continuing Church of God. It has information in English and Tagalog.
CCOG Animations YouTube channel. The Continuing Church of God has some animations to teach aspects of Christian beliefs. Also available at BitChute COGAnimations https://www.bitchute.com/channel/coganimations/
Bible News Prophecy channel. Dr. Thiel has produced hundreds of videos for the BibleNewsProphecy channel. You can find them at them on YouTube at BibleNewsProphecy https://www.youtube.com/user/BibleNewsProphecy, plus also on Vimeo at Bible News Prophecy https://vimeo.com/channels/biblenewsprophecy as well as on Brighteon Bible News Prophecy https://www.brighteon.com/channel/ccogbnp and Bitchute Prophecy https://www.bitchute.com/channel/prophecy/
CCOGAfrica channel. This has messages from African pastors in African languages such as Kalenjin, Kiswahili, Embu, and Dholuo. Also available at BitChute COGAfrica https://www.bitchute.com/channel/cogafrica/
CDLIDDSermones channel. This contains messages in the Spanish language
BibleNewsProphecy Podcast. This has audio-visual podcasts of the Bible News Prophecy channgel. It plays on i-Phones, i-Pads, and Windows devices that can play i-Tunes.
Bible News Prophecy online radio. This is an audio version of the Bible News Prophecy videos. It is also available as a mobile app.
ContinuingCOG channel. Dr. Thiel has produced scores of YouTube video sermons for this channel. Note: Since these are sermon-length, they can take a little longer to load than other YouTube videos. Also available at BitChute COGTube https://www.bitchute.com/channel/cogtube/
Study the Bible Course A free online course to help you learn and study the word of God.
Statement of Beliefs of the Continuing Church of God “Contend earnestly for the faith once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3, NKJV), “Let brotherly love (Philadelphia) continue” (Hebrews 13:1) ” & continuing stedfastly in the teaching of the apostles” (Acts 2:42 YLT). So, what does that really mean in terms of specific beliefs–the Statement gives answers? Here is a related link in Spanish/español: Declaración de las Doctrinas de la Continuación de la Iglesia de Dios. Here is a related link in Tagalog: Paglalahad ng Mga Paniniwala ng Patuloy na Iglesya ng Diyos. Here is a related link in Mandarin Chinese ~ç~íy^v„eYOv„OáNðXðf. Here is a related link in Kiswahili: KATIKA LUGHA YA KISWAHILI. Here is a related link in Dutch: Verklaring van geloofspunten van de Continuing Church of God. Here is a related link in Deutsche (German): Glaubenserklärung der Continuing Church of God. Here is a related link in Italiano: Dichiarazione del Credo della Continuing Church of God. Here is related link in the French language: Déclaration des croyances de L’Église Continue de Dieu. Here is a related link in the Chichewa language: ZIKHULUPIRIRO ZA MPINGO WA CONTINUING CHURCH OF GOD. Here is a link in Romanian: Declarația de credințe a continuării Bisericii lui Dumnezeu. Here is a link in Portuguese: Declaração de Crenças da Continuação da Igreja de Deus. Here is a link in Russian: Утверждение верований о продолжении Церкви Божьей. Here is a link to a related English-language sermon: Beliefs of the Continuing Church of God.

(Old WCG booklet cover)

COGwriter

In one of his newsletters, Mike Gendron led with the following:

Discerning Truth in a World of Deception

We are living in a world where truth is being twisted, manipulated and suppressed by hypocritical politicians, government agencies, religious leaders, corrupt scientists and the liberal media. Our debased culture is redefining truth and reality. No one knows who to trust or how to avoid being misled or deceived. The only way we can be victorious is to fight the good fight of faith against worldly ideologies. We can never let a lie of the devil go unabated and we must be discerning. This means we must examine everything and hold onto what is good (1 Thes. 5:21).

What Is Discernment?

Discernment distinguishes truth from error in order to prevent false teaching from infiltrating the church. The Hebrew word “bin” and the Greek word “diakrino” are used hundreds of times in Scripture to make distinctions, to separate things at their points of difference. It calls for black and white thinking and a refusal to color issues gray. Those who apply discernment consistently in every area of life are sure to walk in the wisdom of our Lord (Prov. 2:1-6).

Why Is Discernment Necessary?

Satan is the god of this world and the father of lies (John 8:44). We need to be aware of his schemes to deceive, corrupt, falsify, blind, destroy, devour and kill. We need to discern good from evil and expose those who call evil good and good evil. The apostle John exhorted Christians to make judgments concerning doctrinal and spiritual issues: “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1). All Christians are called to judge righteously by using the Word of God as the plumb line for discerning truth from error. And judge we must because the Father of Lies deals in half-truths, and his fatal lies are often coated with a thin veneer of truth to deceive the unsuspecting.

Why Do We Need Discernment?

Christians need discernment to know and prove the will of God so that we will not be conformed to this world (Rom.12:2). We also need to test the veracity of every teaching of man (Acts 17:11). Without discernment we could not identify the counterfeits from the genuine. Paul warned us that “Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. Therefore, it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness.” (2 Cor. 11:13-15). We also need discernment to avoid being “tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine by the trickery of people, by craftiness in deceitful scheming” (Eph. 4:14).

Censored News recommended the following article:

We can talk to people anywhere in the world live, on facetime or Zoom and it costs nothing and this remarkable device is only a little bigger than the palm of your hand and fits easily in our pocket.

The atmosphere around our planet is covered by thousands of satellites that monitor us and help us constantly with GPS tracking devices. Millions of messages are being beamed around the world every second in the blink of an eye. We are being monitored in our cars, on the street, shopping, eating or at work. Back home we have flat screen high definition televisions in most rooms, (which also watches us). Even more gadgets, laptops, tablets and PC’s allow us to stream or download anything we may desire. Radio waves, TV signals, communication, entertainment networks. Every day, billions of invisible messages, images and videos are being transmitted all around us. The air and atmosphere is the highway of our wonderful technological world but, who owns it?

The following is an excerpt from Ephesians 2.

And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, (the devil) of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.

And again in Ephesians 6.

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.

“The Prince Of The Air”

Satan controls that highway. Satan, known in the Bible as “The Prince Of The Air,” he is in control of our airways. He is the Prince of tech and has established the foundation of his empire here on Earth through airwaves, radio waves, TV signals, communication, entertainment networks, streaming. From two black and white TV stations and an analogue radio back in 1957 to a sophisticated interconnected communication network capable of getting into the heads of almost 8 billion people today and talk about deception, we didn’t even realise, brilliant!

1 Peter 5:8, NIV: “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”

Worse is yet to come, 5G is now in place along with RFID Chip technology and Artificial Intelligence which will replace everything from sex-workers to truck drivers, factory workers to soldiers, causing mass unemployment and at the same time developing a “usless society,” which will of course need a chip to enable them to receive unemployment benefits, medical checks and “proof of vaccination” against anything our government demands.

Yet, how could this have happened in such a short time?

Matthew 24: 24. For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you ahead of time.

We have been deceived of that there is no doubt!

In just over 60 years the devil has cleverly outsmarted our society and replaced the innocence of black and white tv shows and radio programes with a diet of sex, hate, violence and magic. Good old, Rock n’ roll, known back in the day as music of the devil, has been replaced by foul-mouthed rappers singing about rape, murder and drugs. Sex has exploded onto our screens. Teen Vogue and other children magazines have run articles teaching young girls and boys how to enjoy anal sex. Every second of every day 30,000 Americans are watching porn. Every day, 25% of all online traffic is directed at pornography with many thousands of them in search of child porn or rape. Some sexual transmitted diseases such as Gonnharea have become so widespread in people it is now immune against even the strongest antibiotics. Almost 70% of people aged between 1-49 are living with herpes and there is no cure. Most suffer oral infection but nearly 200 million have genital infection.

Satan didn’t just take over the airwaves he took over our heads…

Since the Covid virus was announced on New Year’s Eve, 2019 the world has quickly spiralled into a Hollywood Esque zombie movie filled with anarchy, hate, spite, ugliness and violence which has exploded into unprecedented levels. Just ten minutes on your Facebook timeline or Twitter will shock you into believing the world has actually lost its mind. Evil is out there but in the form of indifference, a lack of empathy or genuine feeling for our neighbour has taken root and it appears to be mutating at a similar speed as the Covid-19 virus infecting people with hate and anger. 03/26/21 https://www.thebigwobble.org/2021/03/the-prince-of-air-and-you-were-dead-in.html

Satan’s broadcast has deceived the whole world:

2 … the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience (Ephesians 2:2)

9 … that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan … deceives the whole world (Revelation 12:9)

Speaking of deception, notice the following from Michael Snyder:

The Vast Majority Of The Global Population Has Eagerly Embraced A Giant Deception

March 30, 2021

We were promised that 2021 would be the year when things would turn around because the vaccines would bring the COVID pandemic to an end. Hundreds of millions of doses have already been administered all over the globe, and millions more are being administered with each passing day. But the pandemic is not ending. The number of confirmed cases is now escalating dramatically, and the head of the CDC says that she is “scared” of what is ahead. …

Well, if the vaccines were going to save us from the pandemic, why hasn’t it happened already? …

Some would have us believe that cases are rising because not enough people have been vaccinated yet.

But we keep getting more and more reports of people that have been “fully vaccinated” but are still catching COVID and testing positive…

This isn’t what we were promised.

We were told that if we took the experimental shots that we would be fully protected.

But it turns out that isn’t true after all. …

Sadly, those that were expecting the vaccines to end this pandemic have been living in a fantasy world.

Lots of people have still been getting infected even after being “fully vaccinated”, and most experts believe that the new variants will soon make the existing vaccines pointless. …

But the truth is that this pandemic is not going to end any time soon. …

Is COVID the end of the world?

Of course not.

The vast majority of those that get it end up recovering.

But it is not a “fake pandemic” either, and those that were expecting the vaccines to save us were just being delusional.

Ultimately, COVID should be a major wake up call for all of us. Because if a relatively minor pandemic can cause this much global chaos, what is going to happen when a true killer pandemic finally hits us?

If the number of confirmed cases continues to rise, life will not be “getting back to normal” this summer.

Instead, there will be more lockdowns, more mask mandates, more social distancing measures and more pressure put on people to get shots.

This is the “new normal”, and it isn’t pleasant at all.

So many prominent voices have told us so many things about this pandemic, but almost all of those voices were completely wrong. https://endoftheamericandream.com/the-vast-majority-of-the-global-population-has-eagerly-embraced-a-giant-deception/

Jesus said:

44 … the devil …. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. (John 8:44)

The idea that humans are to be non-binary is a lie that Satan has gotten many to accept in the past couple of years.

For more on the science about that, see my previous post: Gender Dysphoria, Science, and the Bible.

Related to Satan as the head deceiver, in a World Tomorrow telecast, the late Herbert W. Armstrong stated:

Now in Ephesians the second chapter and the first two verses where it says:

“And you [that is the people in the Church, the Christians, converted people in the Church at Ephesus;] And you hath he quickened [that is, made alive, not immortal, but spiritually alive], who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world [what is the course of this world? They were all in it before they were converted;] the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit [Satan the devil is a spirit;] the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:” (Ephesians 2:1-2)

He is working IN people. And Satan has deceived all nations, all people and all religions, believe it or not; and that’s a hard thing to believe. Some day the world’s going to wake up to the truth and it’s going to be absolutely dumbfounded and astounded when it sees the truth because it has been deceived. YOU have been deceived. I was deceived until God opened my eyes and made me willing to accept the truth. Some people hear the truth but they’re not willing to accept it.

I want you to notice, the sixth chapter of Ephesians and verses 11 and 12: “Put on the whole armour of God…” (Ephesians 6:11)

This is a message to real Christians who really are converted, who have repented and who have believed Christ and believed what He said and His message:

“Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of [Satan] the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood [that is, our problems and our troubles and our controversies are not with other human beings as we think], but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness [or wicked spirits] in high places.” (Ephesians 6:11-12)

Wicked spirits in high places that are really ruling the world, Satan and his demons. And the world doesn’t know it because it can’t see them, it can’t hear them. And Satan has been — he’s the prince of the power of the air. He surcharges the air with his attitude of vanity, of coveting and of jealousy and envy, of competition and strife, of wanting to destroy, of wanting to take away from others, that leads to controversy and to war and to death and to every wrong thing, every ill, every evil that is besetting this world today.

My friends, you need to know something about the devil instead of just forgetting and just saying, well, I don’t know anything about him. I have a booklet about him, just coming off the press now; Did God Create a Devil?

Yes, Satan’s broadcast is promoting wickedness around the world.

And that includes his influence over governments and “Big Tech” to promote wickedness and to call evil good.

Isaiah, however, warned against doing that:

20 Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil;
Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness;
Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

21 Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes,
And prudent in their own sight! (Isaiah 5:20-21)

Isaiah’s writing aligns with those of the Apostle Paul in his letter to the Romans:

18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, 21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man — and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.

24 Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, 25 who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

26 For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. 27 Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.

28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; 29 being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, 30 backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; 32 who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them. (Romans 1:18-32)

Those pushing for a great reset, the UN 2030 goals, the LGBTQ+ agenda, interfaith movements etc. do “not like to retain God in their knowledge,” therefore “God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting.”

Is this a conspiracy?

Isaiah wrote:

12 Do not say, ‘A conspiracy,’
Concerning all that this people call a conspiracy,
Nor be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled. (Isaiah 8:12)

What is going on with the ‘great reset,’ UN, LGBTQ+, and interfaith movements is not so much a hidden conspiracy–as it is out in the open–but essentially the result of humanism that is influenced by Satan for those who do not truly believe the Bible.

Understand that the Bible even shows that Satan works through religious leaders:

14 … For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. 15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works. (2 Corinthians 11:14-15)

The Apostle Paul warned about more than only religious leaders as well:

13 But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. (2 Timothy 3:13)

COGwriter

According to the BMJ (British Medical Journal), “Gender dysphoria in young people is rising” (https://www.bmj.com/company/newsroom/gender-dysphoria-in-young-people-is-rising-and-so-is-professional-disagreement/ accessed 04/04/24).

What is it?

According to the Mayo Clinic:

Gender dysphoria is the feeling of discomfort or distress that might occur in people whose gender identity differs from their sex assigned at birth or sex-related physical characteristics. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/gender-dysphoria/symptoms-causes/syc-20475255 accessed 04/04/24

Yet, historically, a major view was not to provide physical treatment but to give the young person time to finish puberty and grow into adulthood to see if the gender dysphoria would self-correct.

Yet, many now claim that the way to deal with this is to give hormone blockers and/or genitalia mutilating surgeries, which they call “gender affirming treatment,” is the answer.

But is it?

ZeroHedge reported the following:

15 Year Study: Vast Majority Of Children Grow Out Of Gender Confusion

April 4, 2024

A landmark study conducted over the past 15 years has concluded that most children who experience confusion regarding their gender identity grow out of it and go on to feel content with their lives as men and women.

The study, carried out in the Netherlands by researchers from the University of Groningen, involved more than 2,700 children, tracking them from age 11 to their mid-twenties.

The Daily Mail reports that every three years, the individuals were asked how they felt about their gender.

At the beginning of the study, around 11 percent, or one in ten of the children, expressed ‘gender non-contentedness’.

However, by the age of 25, just 4 percent, or one in 25, said they ‘often’ or ‘sometimes’ felt discontent with their gender.

The study comes as the controversy over allowing children to be given puberty blocking hormones, or even gender reassignment surgery, rages on.

The researchers noted, “The results of the current study might help adolescents to realise that it is normal to have some doubts about one’s identity and one’s gender identity during this age period and that this is also relatively common.”

Published in the journal Archives of Sexual Behavior, the study found that around 19 percent became more content with their gender over 15 years, while just 2 percent became less comfortable. https://www.zerohedge.com/medical/15-year-study-vast-majority-children-grow-out-gender-confusion

As far as the study itself, here is the abstract of the study from the journal Archives of Sexual Behavior:

Adolescence is an important period for the development of gender identity. We studied the development of gender non-contentedness, i.e., unhappiness with being the gender aligned with one’s sex, from early adolescence to young adulthood, and its association with self-concept, behavioral and emotional problems, and adult sexual orientation. Participants were 2772 adolescents (53% male) from the Tracking Adolescents’ Individual Lives Survey population and clinical cohort. Data from six waves were included (ages 11–26). Gender non-contentedness was assessed with the item “I wish to be of the opposite sex” from the Youth and Adult Self-Report at all six waves. Behavioral and emotional problems were measured by total scores of these scales at all six waves. Self-concept was assessed at age 11 using the Global Self-Worth and Physical Appearance subscales of the Self-Perception Profile for Children. Sexual orientation was assessed at age 22 by self-report. In early adolescence, 11% of participants reported gender non-contentedness. The prevalence decreased with age and was 4% at the last follow-up (around age 26). Three developmental trajectories of gender non-contentedness were identified: no gender non-contentedness (78%), decreasing gender non-contentedness (19%), and increasing gender non-contentedness (2%). Individuals with an increasing gender non-contentedness more often were female and both an increasing and decreasing trajectory were associated with a lower global self-worth, more behavioral and emotional problems, and a non-heterosexual sexual orientation. Gender non-contentedness, while being relatively common during early adolescence, in general decreases with age and appears to be associated with a poorer self-concept and mental health throughout development. (Rawnee P, et al. Development of Gender Non-Contentedness During Adolescence and Early Adulthood. Archives of Sexual Behavior, Published: 27 February 2024)

So, most with what is called gender dysphoria will tend to grow out of it.

That points to gender dysphoria basically being a psychological or mental health issue.

That has long been known. A scientific study in Iran found mental issues with the transgendered:

Abstract

Background: Co-morbid psychiatric disorders affect prognosis, psychosocial adjustment and post-surgery satisfaction in patients with gender identity disorder. In this paper, we assessed the frequency of personality disorders in Iranian GID patients.

Methods: Seventy- three patients requesting sex reassignment surgery (SRS) were recruited for this crosssectional study. Of the participants, 57.5% were biologically male and 42.5% were biologically female. They were assessed through the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory II (MCMI- II).

Results: The frequency of personality disorders was 81.4%. The most frequent personality disorder was narcissistic personality disorder (57.1%) and the least was borderline personality disorder. The average number of diagnoses was 3.00 per patient.

Conclusion: The findings of this study revealed that the prevalence of personality disorders was higher among the participants, and the most frequent personality disorder was narcissistic personality disorder (57.1%), and borderline personality disorder was less common among the studied patients. … Personality disorders are common in patients with Gender Identity Disorder who are candidates for sex reassignment. As a result, the assessment of Personality disorders before sex reassignment surgery and offering psychological and medical intervention care, if needed, is strongly suggested. The results of this study also indicated that Borderline personality disorder is not necessarily the most comorbid personality disorder in patients with Gender Identity Disorder. (Meybodi AM, et al. Med J Islam Repub Iran. 2014; 28: 90.Published online 2014 Sep 10. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4301205/

So, there is concern that there is lack of real evidence transgender medical treatments are helpful.

But what about those who actually got sex change operations? Aren’t they better off?

No.

LifeSite News posted the following:

New transgender study shows painful, long-lasting side effects of sex-change surgeries

July 28, 2023

A new study on the side effects of transgender sex change surgeries has revealed, once again, that we are currently in the midst of the greatest medical scandal of the past several centuries. Conducted by researchers at the University of Florida and the health non-profit Brooks Rehabilitation, the study found that 81% of those who had undergone sex change surgeries in the past five years reported experiencing pain simply from normal movement in the weeks and months that followed — and that many other side effects are manifesting themselves as well.

This comes as no surprise to those of us who have been listening to the testimony of both de-transitioners such as Chloe Cole as well as others who have gone under the knife such as Scott Newgent (who described horrifying post-op experiences on my podcast recently). Dr. Meryl Alappattu, a physiotherapy professor at the University of Florida, spoke about her provisional findings in a private online workshop reported on by the Daily Mail. The full report will be released later in 2023, and the reported findings are horrifying. The study found that those who got sex change surgeries experienced bladder problems, pain during intercourse, and other significant issues. …

That those who go on cross-sex hormones and puberty blockers at a young age are likely to be incapable of experiencing “any sort of sexual pleasure as an adult,” as well as eliminating natural fertility. https://www.lifesitenews.com/blogs/new-transgender-study-shows-painful-long-lasting-side-effects-of-sex-change-surgeries/?utm_source=top_news&utm_campaign=usa

Let me add that I read reports of males who had their genitals removed and replaced with constructed vaginas and were surprised and disappointed that their libido was basically gone. Well, history has shown that castration does that, so that is something all should have known for a very long time.

But what about reducing suicides of those claiming gender dysphoria?

Notice also the following:

New Study Debunks “Trans” Theory: “Transitioning” Kids Does NOT Save Lives

February 24, 2024

“Would you rather have a living son or dead daughter?” This question, often asked marketing-style of parents whose child desires so-called gender reassignment procedures, is not just unethical, says the leader of a groundbreaking new study on sexually confused youths.

It is also, says psychiatrist Dr. Riittakerttu Kaltiala, “not based on facts.”

For in reality, administering sexual-distortion treatments (SDTs, aka “gender-reassignment” treatments) does not lower sexually confused youths’ suicide rate.

This is not just because you can’t actually changes sexes, but only become a simulacrum of the opposite one. It’s also because any tendency toward suicide — and sexually confused youths’ suicide rate is only marginally higher than that of average-age mates — is caused by their having psychiatric issues, and not necessarily their sexual confusion, per se.

Making these findings even more compelling is that Dr. Kaltiala actually helped pioneer Made-up Sexual Status (MUSS, aka “transgender”) “medicine” in Finland, but looked at its results and finally concluded that such treatments were not beneficial.

Website Gender Clinic News reports on new study:

The landmark research from Finland, an international leader in the shift away from medicalised gender change, found that suicide risk in a large group of adolescents was predicted by the psychiatric problems that often accompany gender distress, not by the gender distress itself.

Dramatic claims of the risk of attempted suicide among trans-identifying youth are typically based on low-quality anonymous online self-report surveys with no follow-up checks, potential exaggeration driven by a constant “transition or suicide” narrative, and “convenience samples” unlikely to be representative.

The new Finnish study vindicates that country’s 2020 adoption of a more cautious treatment policy which first targets psychiatric, social and educational problems among gender-distressed youth before any assumption of a stable trans identity justifying “experimental” affirmation with hormones or surgery.

“It is of utmost importance to identify and appropriately treat mental disorders in adolescents experiencing gender dysphoria to prevent suicide; in addition, health policies need to ensure that accurate information is provided to professionals along these lines,” the researchers say in their BMJ Mental Health paper.

As for the underlying “psychiatric problems” factor with MUSS youths, alarms about it have been sounded before. Consider ex-MUSS clinic worker and whistleblower Jamie Reed, who describes herself as a “queer” woman married to a “transman” and “politically to the left of Bernie Sanders.”

“The girls who came to us [at the clinic] had many comorbidities: depression, anxiety, ADHD, eating disorders, obesity,” she wrote last year at The Free Press. “Many were diagnosed with autism, or had autism-like symptoms. A report last year on a British pediatric transgender center found that about one-third of the patients referred there were on the autism spectrum.” https://thenewamerican.com/us/culture/new-study-debunks-trans-theory-transitioning-kids-does-not-save-lives/

Mutilating children and adults is not good. Notice also:

April 2, 2024

Rates of attempted suicide who identified as transgender more than doubled after receiving a vaginoplasty (surgically turning one’s dick into a vagina), according to a peer-reviewed study published in The Journal of Urology.

The study looked at rates of psychiatric emergencies both before and after gender-altering surgery among 869 males who went under the knife, and 357 females who underwent phalloplasty (turning one’s vagina into a dick) in California between 2012 and 2018. …

According to the study, 33.9% of biological males undergoing vaginopasty would experience a post-surgery psychiatric encounter vs. 26.5% for biological women who underwent phalloplasty, if an episode had occurred before surgery.

That’s a lot. …

Suicide Rate 19-Fold Higher

In an interview with The Epoch Times, Dr. Alfonso Oliva, a board-certified plastic and reconstructive surgeon, said research into the psychiatric outcomes and long-term follow-up of those who have sex-reassignment surgery is lacking, but an important paper is worth mentioning. In a 2011 paper published in PLOS ONE, researchers found that people who underwent sex reassignment surgery had substantially higher rates of overall mortality, suicidal behavior, and psychiatric morbidity compared with the general population.

“It’s hard to refute this paper because it’s a longitudinal study,” Dr. Oliva said. “In Sweden, everyone is in a database, and through diagnosis codes, they’re able to follow what happens to every citizen in terms of their medical history. They waited more than 10 years after people had surgery and found that death by suicide had an adjusted hazard ratio of 19.1.” …

The recovery process is extensive and vaginal dilation must be performed at varying intervals throughout the patient’s life.

Vaginoplasty Associated With Serious Risks

In addition to an increased risk of suicide, vaginoplasty is associated with numerous physical complications, including wound separation, vaginal stenosis, hematoma, rectovaginal fistulas, granulation tissue, bleeding, infection, skin or clitoral necrosis, suture line dehiscence (when the surgical incision opens), urinary retention or vaginal prolapse.

According to a 2021 paper in the International Brazilian Journal of Urology, a rectovaginal fistula is the “most devastating complication” of a vaginoplasty that can occur “despite careful technique” and without obvious injury to the rectum.

A rectovaginal fistula is an abnormal connection between the rectum and vagina that can cause fecal incontinence, hygiene issues, vaginal or anal irritation, and potentially life-threatening abscesses and fistula recurrence.

A 2021 review in Andrology found that rates of complications following penile inversion vaginoplasty ranged from 20 to 70 percent, with most of the complications occurring during the first four months following the procedure. …

Dr. Oliva said complications with these surgical procedures are very high and he thinks this is why suicide rates are so high.

“People think this is going to solve the problem and it doesn’t,” he said. https://www.zerohedge.com/medical/attempted-suicide-rates-more-double-after-gender-reassignment-surgery-study

Science and the Bible oppose this type of mutilating surgery.

YouTube temporarily suspended our account after we put together the following video on our Bible News Prophecy YouTube channel related to transgender surgeries:

The Bible also condemns males acting effeminate:

9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, 10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. (1 Corinthians 6:9-10, KJV)

Transgenderism is against scripture.

As far as biology goes, Jesus taught the truth about biological sex:

4 And He answered and said to them, “Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’ 5 and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? 6 So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.” (Matthew 19:4-6)

Of course, many ‘moderns’ want to act like there is no difference, but the Bible is clear that men and women are different. God warned that there would be those “who suppress the truth in unrighteousness” (Romans 1:18). But the truth is still the truth.

The Bible warns against the rise of despisers of good in the last days:

20 Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil;
Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness;
Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

21 Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes,
And prudent in their own sight! (Isaiah 5:20-21)

Woe to those that do such things.

UPDATE 04/07/24: We just uploaded the following related video:

14:49

 

Gender Confusion, Science, and Scripture

The British Medical Journal reports that there is an increase in “gender dysphoria” “in young people.” According to the Mayo Clinic, what is gender dysphoria? Is gender confusion physical or is there a psychological component associated with it? Does research suggest that most young people with it will to grow out of it? Is what are called “gender-affirming treatments” the right answer? Has it been reported that Sweden’s National Board of Health and Welfare determined that the risks of puberty blockers and treatment with hormones “currently outweigh the possible benefits” for minors? Did researchers at the University of Florida find that 81% of those who had undergone sex change surgeries in the past five years reported experiencing pain simply from normal movement in the weeks and months that followed? What about the effects of gender altering surgeries on fertility and libido? Have researchers concluded that there are often psychological comorbidities strongly associated with gender confusion? Do studies show that “gender-reassignment” treatments reduces suicides? Do males who undergo surgerical genitalia removal have a highly increased suicide rate according to a peer-reviewed study published in The Journal of Urology? What are some of the side effect associated with “gender-reassignment” treatments? Does the Bible condone or condemn cross dressing? What did Jesus say about God making males and females? Can gender be determined by looking at XX and XY chromosomes? Are there 6500 genetic differences between males and females? Are there also differences between male and female brains that surgical and hormonal treatments do not change? Dr. Thiel and Steve Dupuie address these points.

Here is a link to our video: Gender Confusion, Science, and Scripture.

The transgender movement opposes both science and scripture.

We should pray for those who have gender confusion.

Most will grow out of it if they do not allow themselves to be drugged or mutilated.

Some items of related interest may include the following:

The Bible Condemns Homosexuality “Same-sex marriage” for “gays” and lesbians is becoming more acceptable to many. What does the Bible teach about homosexuality and the LGBTQ agenda? Can homosexuals change? A related video sermon is titled: What Does the Bible Really Teach about Homosexuality? A short video is available titled: Gay Gene? Born That Way?
Cross-dressing and other assaults against your children. What should you do? Is there an agenda to turn your children and/or grandchildren away from biblical morality and towards practices promoted by homosexuals? What does the Bible teach about cross-dressing? What should parents do? If there is an agenda, what has been going on? There are also three YouTube videos related to this, titled Transgender ‘Woe to those who call evil good’ and Cross dressing and Other Assaults Against Your Children and USA pushing gender confusion.
Christian Repentance Do you know what repentance is? Is it really necessary for salvation? A related sermon is also available titled: Real Christian Repentance.