• America’s all-time champion evangelist was Garner Ted Armstrong, whose national broadcasts drew $75 million a year to the Worldwide Church of God run by Garner and his father, Herbert W. Armstrong. (That’s double the amount collected by Billy Graham.) Money poured in from followers, many of whom met in secret groups and donated 30 percent of their incomes. Garner lived like a maharaja in a California mansion with his own private jet, elegant sports cars — and, allegedly, female believers in bed. Trouble hit in 1976 when some members published a protest. They accused Garner of sex and Herbert of self-enrichment. Chess champion Bobby Fischer said the elder Armstrong had used “mind control” to take nearly $100,000 from him. In 1978 the father fired the son, who started a new television religion.
In 1979 the California attorney general filed a receivership suit accusing Herbert and treasurer Stanley Rader of “pilfering” at least $1 million a year for themselves. Gold bullion owned by the sect was reported missing. Financial records indicated that Herbert and Rader each got salaries of $200,000 plus fabulous expense accounts. Garner accused Rader of taking $700,000 from the church in one year. Garner’s sister said Rader had three homes, a horse stable, a Maserati, a Mercedes and a limousine. On June 2 the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the attorney general’s right to investigate the church. Meanwhile, little is left of perhaps $1 billion of believers’ money that was squandered over the years.
From The God Biz, Part 1
And today, in 2020, "men" like Bob Thiel, Gerald Flurry, Dave Pack, Ron Weinland, and many other COG leaders continue to squander money in order to fund their lifestyles. It's not about any gospel message but the gathering in of money. How can they preach a gospel message when they all deny the one about who the gospel is about?
32 comments:
SOME OF SATAN'S PEOPLE TO BEWARE OF IN 2020
(AND IN EVERY OTHER YEAR TOO)
They all want you to listen to their endless noise and to financially support them.
Using modern 2020 HINDSIGHT, here is the real scoop.
SATAN'S FUCKING HYPOCRITE
Garner Ted Armstrong: Left the US Navy to join the WCG for the higher rank, much better pay, and for more sex with co-eds, stewardesses, secretaries, masseuses, etc. Finally had to be put out of the WCG openly and permanently by his own father HWA in 1978. Then started a small CGI cult. Got kicked out of it too. Started another even smaller ICG cult. Dead Ted's old flapping mouth still babbles on the Internet while his body moulders in the grave since 2003.
SATAN'S LOSER
Ronald L. Dart: Born to lose. Joined GTA's rebellion against HWA. Later, left GTA too. Tried to win and live. Lost and died.
SATAN'S APOSTATES
Joseph W. Tkach, Sr.: Took over leading the WCG after HWA died on January 16, 1986. Rejected all the laws of God in a December 17, 1994 sermon. What a fool. Died exactly forty weeks later (some say to the minute) on September 23, 1995. Destroyed the old WCG. Supposedly, someone has to do these sort of things to fulfill prophecy.
Joseph Tkach, Jr.: The so-called “brains” behind JWT, Sr.'s great folly. Sunday-keeping guy who orchestrated the Great Apostasy of 1995 but who still wants people to tithe to him. Got rid of all the meek people and inherited all of the WCG's assets for himself. Changed the name of what was left of the WCG to GCI.
Continued below...
...continued from above.
SATAN'S UNQUALIFIED, COMPETITIVE TYPE
Roderick C. Meredith: Got fired from the WCG. Started the GCG splinter group. Others in the GCG plotted to “sideline” him, so he showed them “how to play hardball” by then starting the LCG splinter group and letting the GCG group go bankrupt. Came up with “doctrinal upgrade” nonsense to compete against HWA. Unable to grow his group. Unable to “shake the nations.” Unable to get over HWA having once exiled him to Hawaii for a number of months. Finally, unable to live any longer, he took a dirtnap in 2017.
SATAN'S UNREPENTANT GOON
Victor Kubik: Former Tkach goon who, “of course,” saw no need to apologize to the people he kicked out of the WCG for not going along with the doctrinal changes since he was “just doing his job” for the apostate Tkaches. He would have made a “good” Nazi. He is now his own goon in the splintering UCGaIA splinter group. Trying to do a slower apostasy this time. Letting all the godless people in the UCGaIA go bad in their own way and at their own pace. Keeps the stalkers and kicks out their victims. Foolishly calling it “United” seems to have doomed it to split and splinter even more ironically and embarrassingly than if it had been given a different name.
SATAN'S BLIND GUIDE
David Hulme: Got voted out of the UCGaIA presidency for spending all the money. Then started his own COGaIC splinter of the UCGaIA splinter group. He lacked vision so, of course, his people failed. None of his blind followers saw the ditch coming.
Continued below...
...continued from above.
SATAN'S FALSE PROPHETS
Satan's REALLY SATANIC false prophets
Gerald R. Flurry: A “drunken runt” who got fired from the WCG so he started his own PCG cult where he could force people to worship himself. Deceitfully misused HWA's name and photograph to lure former WCG people into his trap. Plagiarist. Gospel perverter. Identity thief. Family wrecker. Changed HWA's writings. “Flooded” the PCG with much “new revelation.” Set up arrogant and malicious fake ministers. Has too many old sex maniacs, sex perverts, and predators who lie and slander. Treats his followers like mushrooms: keeps them in the dark and feeds them manure. The PCG has been in continual decline for many years now because nobody needs any more “satanic abuse passed off as the government of God.”
David C. Pack: An “unsolved problem from the beginning” who got fired from the WCG. Then also got fired from the GCG splinter group, so he started his RCG cult to fund and promote himself. Did a truly satanic doctrinal Bait & Switch scam on his followers. Promised to restore HWA's old teachings but then came up with something totally different. Endless yelling and spitting, lying and stealing. A “COMMON” THIEF who literally wants it ALL. Dave's RCG cult shows nice headquarters grounds in its promotional videos, but behind the beautiful scenery there are harsh working conditions. Everyone gets used and abused, and then fired or driven out sooner or later. The trees and grass are maintained at whatever the cost, but a “scorched earth policy” is applied to the people. People join the RCG, get relieved of all their earthly possessions, and then get booted out destitute.
Satan's really stupid false prophets
Ronald E. Weinland: Left the UCGaIA splinter group to write prophetic fantasy fiction books for his own COG-PKG cult. A real clown, but not a funny one. Wanted to get paid well for his sick prophetic jokes so his family could live the good life of driving overpriced Euro-junk to travel, shop, and dine out. Did a prophetic 3.5 years in the slammer for mishandling the loot. Was too cheap to share the ill-gotten gain with the sort of “good” accountants” and “good” lawyers who routinely make such behavior all perfectly, technically legal for the other false prophets.
Robert J. Thiel: Began to think of himself “in terms that are not realistic,” so he left the LCG splinter group to start his own CCG cult. Got fooled by demons, pagans, pagan prophecies, and FAKE NEWS on television. Easily dismissed as a relatively harmless retard, but false prophets are never harmless.
Satan's really shameful false prophet wannabe
David ben Ariel: Wanted to divide up the world with Satan's real false prophet GRF--with one being the prophet of the East and the other being the prophet of the West--but his proposal got rejected, and he died of AIDS.
Continued below...
...continued from above.
SATAN'S REBELS
Norman S. Edwards: Wanted to cause DIVISION. Hated hierarchical government in the church. Wanted the WCG to divide down to lone individuals all by themselves with each one believing differently but all “disagreeing without being disagreeable.” Left the GCG splinter group with a copy of its mailing list to start his own newsletter, but it fizzled out. As the “leader of the leaderless Independents,” he found it impossible to herd stray cats. They are not like sheep.
James D. Malm: Left the WCG in 1985 while HWA was still alive to try to “think for himself.” Caused only CONFUSION. Everyone who ever listened to him ended up confused about one thing or another. He really likes calendar confusion, but also confusion about other things too. Started a Blog to shine his thick darkness.
“...little is left of perhaps $1 billion of believers' money that was squandered over the years”
It was not all squandered. I am sure that GTA wisely invested some of it in “wine, women, and song.” The remainder might have been squandered. Or possibly worse than squandered.
It's crazy with all this information out there people still think Herb was a man of GOD.
I recall the constant song in HWAs church literature of 'give until it hurts, then give some more.' Meanwhile, the church leaders lived like kings in mansions. And they didn't just steal members money though brainwashing and coercion, they also stole members rights. Not some, but all their rights. In their church, members were, and still are, treated like ten year olds who need permission slips from ministers to do anything. Members acting by permission rather than by right is condemned in the bible, and the ministers know it. I've observed it in their tones of voice and guilty looks on their faces.
“...little is left of perhaps $1 billion of believers' money that was squandered over the years”
If you think that what happened in the WCG under HWA was squandering, check out what the numerous splinter groups have done with another perhaps $1 billion over the years. Now that is squandering.
At least HWA and his WCG were well known in their time. The splinter leaders and their cults are unknown.
Ted wasn't just into womanizing, he had a boyfriend as well. Herb was aware of this and criticized him for it. Ted was AC/DC.
I don't believe either will be in the kingdom.
Yes, 7:47, but HWA/WCG were well known in their time under false pretenses. None of it was real. Thousands of people were trapped in a crappy legalistic unChristian religion because they believed the false prophecies of HWA and GTA. The originals, the WWII generation, in larger percentages remained trapped their entire lives. Many of the baby boomers eventually saw through it and got out, at least salvaging parts of their lives. And here we are, hearing about a grey demographic, the younger ones having left it in droves.
As for the billions? Better to have had it dissipated and squandered as opposed to having witnessed it fueling continuing growth of the scam. Pretty soon, it will all be as if it had never happened, a sad and bizarre footnote to the mid to late twentieth century, perhaps right next to the tales of Harold Camping and other religious grifters.
BB
Soy hispano. Quizás uno de los pocos hispanos que lee este blog. Sin embargo la experiencia es la misma. Engaño, ministros abusivos, extorsión financiera, control mental etc. Durante 35 años permanecí "embelesado" por las doctrinas de estos supuestos "pastores" comenzando por HWA. James Malm fue el ultimo de ellos, que me atrajo por el supuesto inicio de la gran tribulación desde el año 2012, han pasado ocho años y no ha sucedido absolutamente nada. Ni creo que suceda durante los años que me quedan de vida. Hoy lo único que creo es que Jesús Cristo fue resucitado de entre los muertos por una acción de Dios, y que nuestra única esperanza de poder vivir después de la muerte es nuestra fe en El, Jesús de Nazareth.
Ron Dart in his latter years, before his accident, remarked he thought WCG had gone through 7 billion dollars.
like Bob Thiel, Gerald Flurry, ...
In defense of my favorite COGleader to critique, I don't think Bob Thiel notoriously squanders his congregations' money; he just wastes a lot of their time.
The post's concluding paragraph said:
******
"...And today, in 2020, "men" like Bob Thiel, Gerald Flurry, Dave Pack, Ron Weinland, and many other COG leaders continue to squander money in order to fund their lifestyles. It's not about any gospel message but the gathering in of money. How can they preach a gospel message when they all deny the one about who the gospel is about?..."
******
Excellent question! If they deny Jesus Christ, then they would also have to deny the following knowledge He gave His followers:
Matthew 6:24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
Luke 16:13 No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
But deny Jesus Christ? So long as they continue to preach/believe their works will give them their salvation, they deny Jesus Christ's sacrifice (Christ our Passover sacrificed for us) and His Father, who worked out the Plan of Salvation by the power of God's Spirit.
But, 2020 vision? Will the hirelings serve God or $$$$$$$$$mammon$$$$$$$$$$$$$$?
Time will tell...as it has been telling as Jesus told us.
John
Great rundown of the primary scamsters, but the list is incomplete without the top dog HWA
Without him none of the others would have been in the same line of business
Who knows- maybe they would have been honest people? At least some of them.
Gold bullion owned by the sect was reported missing.
Insiders are aware that Rod Meredith had a stash of gold bullion that didn't mesh with his apparent salary. Could Rod have stashed some in his gym bag and walked away, having convinced himself that as the #4 being in the universe (#5 before GTA was exiled) he somehow deserved or was owed it?
Inflation adjusted, the WCG and the splinters have blown over $8 Billion dollars!
At $2 Million dollars a piece, over FOUR THOUSAND first class church buildings, with excellent high visibility places and locations could have been built for the local brethren with that amount of money.
Those churches, schools, facilities etc, could have stood out as beacons for the local communities, being witnesses in their own right.
The lowly COG church members have been left with jack squat. Other churches that tithe, like the SDAs or the Mormons have wonderful facilities , colleges, hospitals etc. It can be easily argued that the SDAs and Mormons are more well known to the entire world than the collective COGs are . You could ask 1000 people about the COG before you are likely to run into even one person who knows about them. Same cannot be said about Adventists or Mormons, who are commonly very well known.
Not an endorsement for those other groups, but if you are paying "country club dues" you should at least have country club facilities, and at least have some sort of "buzz" for that money expended over the last 86 years.
Yes, no one can serve two masters …
Ex 20:2-3 “I am YHVH your Elohim, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
“You shall have no other elohim before My face." (You can check the interlinear here)
Deu 6:4 “Hear, O Israel: YHVH our Elohim, YHVH is one!" (You can check the interlinear here)
1 Sam 2:2 “No one is holy like YHVH, For there is none besides You, Nor is there any rock like our Elohim." (You can check the interlinear here)
Isa 42:8 "I am YHVH, that is My name; And My glory I will not give to another, Nor My praise to carved images." (You can check the interlinear here)
Isa 43:10-11 “You are My witnesses,” says YHVH, “And My servant whom I have chosen, That you may know and believe Me, And understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, Nor shall there be after Me. I, even I, am YHVH, And besides Me there is no savior." (You can check the interlinear here)
Isa 44:6 “Thus says YHVH, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer YHVH of hosts: I am the First and I am the Last; Besides Me there is no Elohim." (You can check the interlinear here)
Isa 44:24 Thus says YHVH, your Redeemer, And He who formed you from the womb: “I am YHVH, who makes all things, Who stretches out the heavens all alone, Who spreads abroad the earth by Myself;" (You can check the interlinear here)
Isa 40:28-31 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting Elohim, YHVH, The Creator of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall, But those who wait on YHVH Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint. (You can check the interlinear here)
Isa 45:21-25 "Tell and bring forth your case; Yes, let them take counsel together. Who has declared this from ancient time? Who has told it from that time? Have not I, YHVH? And there is no other elohim besides Me, A just God and a Savior; There is none besides Me. Look to Me, and be saved, All you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other. I have sworn by Myself; The word has gone out of My mouth in righteousness, And shall not return, That to Me every knee shall bow, Every tongue shall take an oath. He shall say, ‘Surely in YHVH I have righteousness and strength. To Him men shall come, And all shall be ashamed Who are incensed against Him. In YHVH all the descendants of Israel Shall be justified, and shall glory.' ” (You can check the interlinear here)
8.42 AM
Rod having a secret stash of gold doesn't make sense. There's the legal risks, plus there was no need since he was secure in the saddle in his own church.
Anon 8:42AM
Over the years I've heard all kinds of rumors about WCG property going missing.
Well dang, it! I went and pissed of delicate Bob Thiel again! When will I ever learn! ROTFLMAO!
The mere fact that Thiel accepts tithes and offerings from gullible people is wrong considering the fact that God has had ZERO part in him setting up his little personality cult. God does not command tithes in the new covenant and the fact that he tells his followers they must tithe to him is another of his lies.
This is all just soooooo entertaining!
Anon January 3 at 6:31 PM,
Satan is more obedient to YHVH than those shepherds. Nowhere in Tanakh is Satan mentioned as rebellious or disobedient to YHVH. There are only 4 passages in Tanakh where Satan can be found - Job 1:6-12; Job 2:1-7; 1 Chr 21:1 and Zech 3:1-2. None of these portrays Satan as going against God. He could not do anything without God's permission. Angels, including Satan, are agents of YHVH who carry out His divine will. The word satan can also be an adjective that is translated adversary when referring to a man or an angel opposing someone (Num 22:22, 1 Kings 5:4, 11:14, 23, 25).
Any action of a malak (messenger - angel or man) on behalf of YHVH is as if YHVH Himself did it:
2 Samuel 24:1 Again the anger of YHVH was aroused against Israel, and He moved David against them to say, “Go, number Israel and Judah.”
1 Chronicles 21:1 Now Satan stood up against Israel, and moved David to number Israel.
Any words spoken by a malak, whether angel or man, on behalf of YHVH is as if YHVH Himself said it:
Moses heard the voice of the angel who was speaking on behalf of YHVH. The angel is referred YHVH in v4.
Ex 3:2 And the angel of YHVH appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed.
Ex 3:4 So when YHVH saw that he turned aside to look, Elohim called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.”
Isaiah, acting as malak, was called YHVH when speaking to Ahaz the words of YHVH:
Isa 7:3-4 Then YHVH said to Isaiah, “Go out now to meet Ahaz, you and Shear-Jashub your son, at the end of the aqueduct from the upper pool, on the highway to the Fuller’s Field, and say to him: ‘Take heed, and be quiet; do not fear or be fainthearted for these two stubs of smoking firebrands, for the fierce anger of Rezin and Syria, and the son of Remaliah."
Isa 7:10 Moreover YHVH spoke again to Ahaz, saying, …
I hope that the above concept can be illustrated by a scene from a Chinese TV show, Ming Dynasty episode 13. Spokesman treated as Emperor. The scene starts at 41:10 mark and ends at 42:42.
The nephew (future Xuande, 5th emperor of Ming dynasty) met his uncle at the gate of the palace and spoke the words of the Emperor (his grandfather Zhu Di, the one who built the Forbidden City). When the nephew mentions 'holy mouth', the uncle immediately kowtows and listens to his nephew as if the Emperor is speaking!
Anon, January 4, 2020 at 12:36 PM, said:
******
"...Yes, no one can serve two masters …
Ex 20:2-3 “I am YHVH your Elohim, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
“You shall have no other elohim before My face." (You can check the interlinear here)
Deu 6:4...
Isa 42:8...
Isa 43:10-11...
Isa 44:6 ...
Isa 44:24...
Isa 40:28-31...
Isa 45:21-25 "Tell and bring forth your case; Yes, let them take counsel together. Who has declared this from ancient time? Who has told it from that time? Have not I, YHVH? And there is no other elohim besides Me, A just God and a Savior; There is none besides Me. Look to Me, and be saved, All you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other. I have sworn by Myself; The word has gone out of My mouth in righteousness, And shall not return, That to Me every knee shall bow, Every tongue shall take an oath. He shall say, ‘Surely in YHVH I have righteousness and strength. To Him men shall come, And all shall be ashamed Who are incensed against Him. In YHVH all the descendants of Israel Shall be justified, and shall glory.' ” (You can check the interlinear here)…"
******
Just curious: what would Tanahk say about Deut 32:40?
I assume it is a reference to what you reference to as one particular Being called YHVH.
The KJV context leading to :40, beginning at verse 35, follows:
:35 "To me [belongeth] vengeance, and recompence; their foot shall slide in [due] time: for the day of their calamity [is] at hand, and the things that shall come upon them make haste.
36 For the LORD shall judge his people, and repent himself for his servants, when he seeth that [their] power is gone, and [there is] none shut up, or left. [{power: Heb. hand }
]37 And he shall say, Where [are] their gods, [their] rock in whom they trusted,
38 Which did eat the fat of their sacrifices, [and] drank the wine of their drink offerings? let them rise up and help you, [and] be your protection. [{your … : Heb. an hiding for you }
]39 ¶ See now that I, [even] I, [am] he, and [there is] no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither [is there any] that can deliver out of my hand.
40 For I lift up my hand to heaven, and say, I live for ever."
Thanks, in advance,
John
John,
There is nothing I can see different in the KJV vs the Interlinear (Tanakh) of Deu 32:40.
What Rashi said regarding the verse.
The verse looks like a scene in a courtroom or an oath-taking ceremony where one raises his (right) hand and utter an oath, or swear. The phrase 'I live forever' is also rendered 'as I live forever'. This is just an expression of oath (cf Ezek 17:19), similar to saying 'by my life, I swear …'.
YHVH is swearing that He is going to render vengeance to His enemies (Deu 32:35-43, cf Isa 63:1-6). There is NO elohim with Him (Deu 32:39). There is NO one with him (Isa 63:3. NO one to help Him except His own arm/strength (Isa 63:5.
Ex 15:3 YHVH is a man of war: YHVH is his name.
The Torah was read every 7 years during FOT (Deu 31:10-11). The Israelites were familiar with the imagery conveyed in Deu 32:40, that of making an oath. It is not a prayer to a higher deity.
According to Strong's concordance, YHVH appears 6828 times (6220 in H3068 + 608 in H3069). This count does not include Yah (see Ex 15:2), the poetic form of YHVH, which Strong's H3050 lists 48 occurrences.
My KJV bible has 970 pages of OT. On average, there are 7 YHVH entries per page!
This shows the importance of the name YHVH. We are to love (Isa 56:6), praise (Ps 135:1), proclaim (Deu 32:3), swear by (Jer 12:14-17, Lev 19:12), and call on (Joel 2:32) the name of YHVH!
Joel 2:32a And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of YHVH shall be delivered:…
In case you missed this and would like to read more about YHVH. My comments: Nov22@12:27pm, Nov23@2:38pm-2:39pm and Nov27@5pm.
Well dang, it! I went and pissed of delicate Bob Thiel again! When will I ever learn! ROTFLMAO!
Bitter Butt-Hurt Bwana Bob is such a delicate and sensitive soul, it will be interesting seeing how he reacts to genuine persecution when it comes.
Poor Bob hasn't figured out that his church provides constant evidence that, whatever it may be, it is NOT "Philadelphian." The Laodicean church is called out in Revelation 3 as the church that judges other brethren. That's right, Bobby! Every time you say, "My church is Philadelphian and theirs is Laodicean" you are providing absolute proof that whatever your church may be, it is NOT "Philadelphian" since you are judging your brother instead of loving and serving him!
@12:48, your comment doesn't make sense to me. Rod had the gold bullion sometime before 1986, but wasn't secure in his own church until 1998. What are you trying to say?
Heh Heh! That gold bullion should probably have gone to Leona McNair!
We take many things for granted these days, but private ownership of gold was illegal in the USA from April 5, 1933 under executive order 6102 until President Gerald Ford signed a bill legalizing the private ownership of gold coins, bars, and certificates effective Dec. 31,1974.
Of course, for those adept at skirting this law, there were Krugerrands, starting in 1967. Can't imagine how complicated it would have been for the working man to buy and sell them in the days before the internet. International travelers like HWA and Stan Rader would have had no problem.
BB
The story was that Rod Meredith used third tithe money to buy gold coins for himself around 1977 or 1978. I was told that by a person who worked in the Business Office that the amount was around $10,000. I don't know what eventually happened to the gold.
I'm no fan of Uncle Roddie, but, jeez, from the original statement, I thought we were talking about maybe $1/4 mil in gold. $10,000 is a good start as an investment, but it would certainly not get most of us through a typical emergency, not even a 1977 level emergency.
BB
Meredith could have stored them abroad in a safety deposit box.
Anon, January 5, 2020 at 11:38 AM, said:
******
"...John,
There is nothing I can see different in the KJV vs the Interlinear (Tanakh) of Deu 32:40.
What Rashi said regarding the verse.
The verse looks like a scene in a courtroom or an oath-taking ceremony where one raises his (right) hand and utter an oath, or swear. The phrase 'I live forever' is also rendered 'as I live forever'. This is just an expression of oath (cf Ezek 17:19), similar to saying 'by my life, I swear …'.
YHVH is swearing that He is going to render vengeance to His enemies (Deu 32:35-43, cf Isa 63:1-6). There is NO elohim with Him (Deu 32:39). There is NO one with him (Isa 63:3. NO one to help Him except His own arm/strength (Isa 63:5.
Ex 15:3 YHVH is a man of war: YHVH is his name..."
******
Thanks, I was looking at Deut 32:40 as an illustration of someone, a single Being, saying "I live for ever." That means it could not be the reference to the Word speaking, as the Word, which had a beginning, ceased existence when it was made flesh, and therefore could not have said: "I live for ever."
And Jesus, who also had a beginning, later ceased existence for 3 days and 3 nights, so Jesus could not have said: "I live for ever," either.
Also, it's interesting that you cited Exodus 15:3, which said "YHVH is a man...", and we know that The God, YHVH, is not a man: a human being. However, we know that the word "man" may be either a reference to a human being or to a spirit being. In this case, the context enables us to know that "man" is a reference to a spirit being.
Again, thanks.
John
John,
You're welcome :)
Just an additional thought regarding Ex 15:3. This is part of the song of Moses. My understanding of the verse is YHVH's image as a man of war (warrior) or one who fights battles.
Also, YHVH is father (Isa 64:8), husband (Isa 54:5), consuming fire (Deu 4:24, rock (1 Sam 2:2, 2 Sam 22:2, Ps 18:2), strong tower (Pro 18:10), 'sun and shield' (Ps 84:11), 'first and last' (Isa 41:4, Isa 44:6), redeemer (Isa 44:6), savior (Hos 13:4, Isa 43:11, Isa 60:16), healer (Ex 15:26).
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