I never cease to be amazed at the magical "god" that works behind the scenes for COG members. In their eyes everything that happens around them is either controlled by their "god" or by satan.
We are now close to the Feast of Tabernacles, the yearly COG extravaganza for worldwide vacations and festivals of gluttony and excess. God's Apostle always said that as future Kings and Priests we are to have the best that the world has to offer. We deserve to travel to exotic locations!
So in order for that to happen God has personally had a hand in lowering the gas prices so that LCGers can have more money to spend at the Feast or to turn in for excess second tither. I can only imagine that if gas prices had went up it would have been satan''s attempt at preventing the True Church of God from attending the Feast.
Thiel's magical "god" has done the following for him and the Living Church of God.
For the last several years, oil prices have dropped right around the time of the fall Holy Days (fall in the northern hemisphere, that is). This year appears to be the same. Gasoline (petrol) prices have been dropping for the last several weeks now. Monday, oil reached its lowest price since September 2010. It ended trading in New York at $78 per barrel. Experts believe it will stay low to year’s end (Associated Press, October 3, 2011).Thousands of years ago, God gave His people the command to keep His annual festivals, including the Feast of Tabernacles (see Leviticus 23). These days were to be statutes “forever” and blessings were promised to those who keep them, and the rest of God’s laws (Deuteronomy 14:29).
It is both interesting and encouraging to see a trend in dropping gasoline prices (which some would call “chance”) just prior to the “pilgrim” Feast of Tabernacles–a time when God’s people are commanded to travel to locations where He has chosen to place His name (Deuteronomy 14:22-26). In allowing fuel prices to drop, God is blessing the obedience of His people who are willing to travel to worship Him at this very important time of year.
So in the other years when gas was costly or the weather made conditions unfavorable, was God punishing someone or just perhaps in a bad mood?
ReplyDeletePerhaps God isn't really doing a whole lot either way, and is just letting the chips fall. You can avoid many pitfalls by taking that approach.
The entire ACoG scene is so "Church Corporate" complete with "seminars" and "Corporate Meetings" in luxury hotels, motels in the mountains, on the beaches with sterling accommodations, in some cases 5 star. It's all about the Corporate Model. That should make perfect sense because Herbert Armstrong came from that venue and that is what he knew.
ReplyDeleteThe non Armstrongist churches of God meet in Bible Camps in the wilderness and devote whole days to prayer, worship, study, sermons. There are no carnival rides, water slines, theme parks, mall shopping.
The contrast makes it tempting to suggest that the Armstrongists are Laodoceans: the yearly COG extravaganza for worldwide vacations and festivals of gluttony and excess. Don't forget the booze (the non Armstrongists keeping the Feast of Tabernacles don't consume alcohol).
So God intervenes in a special way to lower gasoline prices by manipulating the world market (which according to New Testament Scriptures is controlled by Satan the Devil) to prices near last year's for the sake of these cult members with bloated wallets needing nothing so they can listen to the eschatology of a dead false prophet based on a phoney invented church history?
Possible? Not likely. Overstating the case?
But what sort of God would that be to encourage excesses and abuses, including debauchery and drunkenness?
Well, maybe it is a trial to see if the Armstrongists can behave themselves this year.
He may be very disappointed in you, but might try again next year.
PS: No, lie -- the Word Verification for this post is "sining"! Not Divine intervention, but luck of the draw.
sadly and of course, the average member will blow any savings on the first holyday meal out...
ReplyDeleteM.T.Wallets
Oh, so the global recession and the corresponding reduced demand had nothing to do with the falling price of a barrel of oil?
ReplyDeleteRichard
Satan and Bob want them to attend the pagan feast based on agriculture events that were based on ancient Canaanite festival days.
ReplyDeleteI found that tidbit in a book just before I joined that miserable cult. However as it was, I shut my mind off to that little fact and became one of the "People of the Lie."
Thiel is a disgruntled, closeted homosexual who can't stand anyone thinking outside the confines of his box. The entire LCG management team, because it's a business not a church, not a ministry, hide their activities behind a veil of self proclaimed truth based on misinterpretation of scripture. Celebrating fall festivals is not pagan in origin? Get a life, or with the ample tithes they bilked their followers of get two lives. These idiots, not the followers they've brain washed, need to realize that HWA and RCM were and are antichrists.
ReplyDelete