Sunday, October 21, 2012

Why Would Anyone Want to be Part of the COG Millennium?


Preaching the Gospel (COG) has an entry up about the great white throne judgment and the Church of God's part in it.  This guy is a little more gentle in the roll he thinks church members will play.  This is in sharp contrast to the other spiritual deviates out there in COGland  who are looking with relish at the thought of ruling with rods of iron and whipping people into submission.  However, the things he claims COG members will be doing in the millennium is in sharp contrast in how they do these things today.

The billions who will come up in the white throne judgement will need to be fed, clothed, and housed. They will need a multitude of supplies and equipment. There may even be more people raised up than the earth can feed with the farming produce that is produced during the white throne judgement period.

Growing needed food, manufacturing the clothing and other needed items, and building the housing that will be needed can be the work of the people during the millennium, and by so laboring, they will be learning the give way of life, not just by our instruction, but by putting the lesson into action.

It's interesting how they claim to want to help feed, cloth and house people in their "millennium" yet won't lift a finger in this present age to help the hungry, homeless and the downtrodden.

God has given the Church a great work of love that goes beyond the Church itself - a labor of love of warning Israel about the tribulation to come if they do not repent of their sins and of preaching the gospel to the world as a witness. 

A "work" of "love?"  LOVE?????  Really??????  When so many of the splinter groups rage and spit about the Germans, Chinese, Holy Roman Empire, concentration camps, being sold as sex slaves and being hung up on meat hooks, just WHERE is the love in that?  Trying to scare people shitless is NOT showing love.  Armstrongism's love is totally directed inwards instead of outwards.  Jesus love and concern was directed outwards and upwards, drawing in the rejects of society, while the ministers, evangelists and splinter group leaders of that time were left outside either pissed or wanting in.

Likewise, in the millennium, we will preach to the people of the world the way of love and of give, but also, they will learn that way of life by putting it into practice - by contributing to the buildup of food, clothing, supplies, and physical needs of the billions who will come up in the white throne judgement. They will all be poor - there is no indication their possessions will be resurrected with them, just their bodies (Ezekiel chapter 37).

Does anyone in the world want the "love" that most all of the splinter groups exhibit in 2012?  We have seen that love in action with hundreds of splinter groups formed by angry men who wanted to form their own empire because they, and they alone were right.  Other than Victor Kubik and GCI, none of the larger splinter groups do anything for those around them in the world. They do not care for the hungry, the poor, the homeless, or the stranger at their gates.  If they can't and won't do it now they certainly will not do it in the future.

But the giving will not necessarily all be by compulsion as it was when Joseph ruled Egypt. Rather, we will teach the people to give willingly of their time, labor, and material possessions as their are able, and they will know that by contributing they are helping those who will come up in the white throne judgement, who will need all these things. 

True leaders set the example.  If these people really think they are going to teach people to "...willingly give of their time, labor, and material possessions..." then they need to be setting the example today in the 21st century!  To do otherwise is to do nothing more than blow hot air.

We will be able to teach the people this way of life because that is the way we are learning ourselves when we give to the work of preaching the gospel to the world. We are not just helping our own Church of God group. We are extending ourselves outside of the group we are part of to serve the world - the millions we don't even personally know, people who are sinners and have not yet repented. Yet, just as God loved the world, which was sinning against Him, enough to sacrifice His Son for the world, likewise we are to love the world and give them what they need to repent, that is, the truth.

What a load of bullshit!  What are they learning NOW? Their focus in this day and age is inwards.  They care ONLY for their respective Church of God community.  There is no cooperation between COG's, there is no extending themselves to care for those around them, there is no concern for neighbors, etc.  As for those who have not "repented yet" if you are really a follower of Jesus (who was not mentioned in there article except for one word "son") then you would realize that at that point in time those sins are 100% forgiven.

So just as God has us learn the give way of live by giving to the work of preaching the gospel to the world and the Ezekiel warning to Israel, so also we will teach the people in the millennium the give way of life by leading them and teaching them to contribute what they are able to the physical preparations for the white throne judgement, cheerfully and with a willing heart.

Right now, in this day and age, the "give way" that the Churches of God claim to proclaim is totally worthless and hypocritical.  Most COG's today are all about stealing members from other groups, claiming exclusive leadership that they think are Apostles, claiming right doctrine over all the other groups, damning others for so called "sabbath breaking," etc., etc., etc.

They cannot wake up to the fact that none of them have anything to offer any more.  Look at the hundreds of thousands who have left Armstrongism over the years.  Look at the 700+ splinter groups that are more divided today than Christianity is.  Sadly, their kingdom, their millennium, their world tomorrow, leaves us and the rest of humanity with a bitter taste in our mouths.  Why would we ever want to be part of that again?

6 comments:

DennisCDiehl said...

Nice analysis NO2...COGs are like anti abortionists fundamentalists in reverse.

Anti abortionists move heaven and earth to get a child from conception to birth out of love and respect for all life no matter. However, once actually born, all bets are off. They can be abused, used, loaded up into military vehicles , armed and blown to bits for both Government and Jesus.

The COGs can't wait for the the carnage to begin and mass death and upheaval so we can get on with the Wonderful world tomorrow. Birth pangs I believe they call it.

The musings and speculation are simply ridiculous 'as if they know' as we say....

Promoting Bronze age fantasy or NT delusions about how it's all going to be without even wondering how or if is just human wishful thinking and is fear based on what is going to happen to ME.

Some churches, most, are so bound up in heaven and the millellinium thought to be just over the hill, they are of no earthly value.

That we as humans, as with all life past and present has evolved over billions of years is too much to grasp. It's reality undoes all Bible literalism and would force the COG mind to give up being special and join the rest of us as all amazing parts of the one incredible process and thing.

The day may come , not in my lifetime, where most will come to see that they put way too much confidence in the printed word and in things they never saw, heard or experienced themselves They were told they had to believe it in faith, which seems to be required before we get the facts. They may come to see that the writers had an abundance of personal fears, psychosis and mental disorders to make the story interesting but it was still just a coping story.

Bible fundamentalists live in a very small small world...

DennisCDiehl said...

In reality, just chaos. A "god" that implies one must come up to Jerusalem to keep the feast..like there would be room for everyone..or I'll starve you to death over the next year, is just nuts.

What happens today when religionists are offended at the insults of other religionists? Chaos, murder and destruction. Will it be different in such fantasy scenerios just because Angels and demons are thrown into the mix?

Everyone is, of course, where they are in their lives. Everyone needs what they need to cope and have hope. But fairy tales are not ultimately encouraging. They keep one sedated until the end I suppose. The World Tomorrow is a sedative for the stress we feel in The World Today. It always has been and probably always will be.

Get some perspective.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_IVqMXPFYwI&feature=related

"When the Son of Man comes, (and Jesus at this point was probably speaking of another and not himself,:) will he find the earth?




Anonymous said...

Now, now, as sociopaths, the conscience of the Armstrongists is quite adaptable: Today, they are obsessed, selfish, inward, but in the World Tomorrow, with just the right Mafia Don (Jesus Christ, instead of Herbert Armstrong), they can be faithful, loyal members of the new regime!

Yes, they may not know love, mercy, kindness, and they may not have a normal conscience like other people, but their conditional "group" conscience will serve them well to do absolutely anything the Leader wants them to do.

It's all good.

Assistant Deacon said...

Yep. It's like promising roles as kings and priests, as if that's what we all aspire to.

"I wanna be a king."

"I wanna be a priest."

They just can't get past the Old Testament mindset to make anything relevant to today (let alone tomorrow).

It's like that other attractive guarantee, that we'll be out there ruling planets.

The whole mindset is all about ruling, being in charge, having a position, blah, blah, blah.

Nobody cares about that. Nobody really wants it. The folks running the COGs can't seem to grasp it.

Anonymous said...

"There may even be more people raised up than the earth can feed with the farming produce that is produced during the white throne judgement period."

Is he speculating that his god will resurrect people, only to have them die of starvation?

"Growing needed food, manufacturing the clothing and other needed items, and building the housing that will be needed can be the work of the people during the millennium, and by so laboring, they will be learning the give way of life, not just by our instruction, but by putting the lesson into action."

Lemme guess, you figure that all those who are "lucky enough" to be ministurds today, (already having been trained in how to administer the "government of god on earth") will (once again) get to sit in the luxury of their mansions and palaces, while those who are freshly resurrected will be forced carry out their "instructions," laboring in squalor and starving literally to death in some cases. This is how you figure you'll "teach them" to live the "give way of life." We "give" (the orders), and you "get" (it in the a$$). If you're a regular member, maybe you'll get to be lowly messengers or taskmasters. Great plan!

"Likewise, in the millennium, we will preach to the people of the world the way of love and of give, but also, they will learn that way of life by putting it into practice..."

Once again "we" will be preaching "the way of love and of give" (while once again not having to practice what we preach) and "they" will be having to practice it. Pay close attention to the "we" and "they" approach to the situation. "We" will not stoop to mingle with them, and "they" will certainly not be allowed into our presence. Thank god he did not make "us" like "other men."

"But the giving will not necessarily all be by compulsion as it was when Joseph ruled Egypt."

It won't necessarily all be by compulsion. It might be all by compulsion, but not perhaps not quite all of it. See how loving we are? By the way, what's the difference between "giving by compulsion" and "being stolen from"? One word: spin.

"We will be able to teach the people this way of life because that is the way we are learning ourselves when we give to the work of preaching the gospel to the world."

Media purchases = "Be warmed and filled." Mission accomplished! (Nice!)

"...likewise we are to love the world and give them what they need to repent, that is, the truth."

There is nothing I enjoy more than giving others what they need to repent: unwanted advice. If I think you need to repent, it's always my job to tell you about it. No, I don't have any friends. Why do you ask?

Byker Bob said...

Isn't it one of the missions of a church community to mentor to members in ways that help them develop kingdom skills?

What would folks such as those whom you so accurately describe do if they found out that at physical, human death, a Christian's character is largely "frozen" based on what was developed during their human walk?
They must think God is going to take a huge spiritual funnel and pour kingdom skills into them at the rez.

Recently, I've pondered upon the parable of the talents. The risk takers, who became profitable servants and demonstrated good stewardship were the ones who reaped the Father's reward. The fool who buried his talent appears to have been the legalistic one amongst them, doesn't he? Listen to what he says to justify himself.
Sure sounds awfully familiar, doesn't it?

BB