I think all the Churches of God need to drop their silly prefixes to their name and join together under one united name. The Fear-Mongering Church of God. That moniker fits all the various 700 splinter groups. They all exist because of the fear they instill in members.
Typical Armstrongite rhetoric states: God is angry at the world and the Church of God. You are never quite good enough to be able to please God. Jesus delays his coming because it is your fault you are not ready. On and on the list could go.
Malm is instilling fear into his acolytes with threats about the law. No one on this entire earth could EVER keep the law and never has. They will not and cannot do so in Malm's group. It is an impossibility. Even Malm breaks every single law he promotes.
Flurry instills fear into his members and "college" students. They are so fearful that they turn their backs on family members and friends. They refuse to talk to children, grand children, parents, and grandparents all because Gerald told them not to. They are fearful that if they do they will be kicked out of the Church.
Pack does the same with his small flock as does Meredith and all the others out there. Fear reigns supreme in the Church of God.
However, there is one person who does not live in fear and claims he does not promote fear. That person is Bob Thiel. God's greatest theologian on earth today in regards to end-time prophecy, the Mayan calendar and all things concerning Catholicism. He has written several books now taking advantage of the fear base.
Thiel writes:
Your suggestion that I write to generate money for any organization is false. And you should know that. I also do not live in fear (cf. Luke 12:32). on Malm Asks: Can A Mad Man With A Nuclear Bomb Cause An Earthquake?Really? Really?
Get a load of just today's postings on one entry:
Some astronomers are warning that comets could cause a type of electronic Armageddon
Large sun-grazing comets could bring on the sort of global electronics meltdown usually associated with electromagnetic pulse weapons or a full-scale nuclear exchange.Thiel has hundreds of fear related blog entries up and very very little about
The results of an EMP incident would be catastrophic:
Solar Storm Warning: Researchers announced that a storm is coming—the most intense solar maximum in fifty years.
- · The U.S. power grid could be destroyed;
- · Planes would crash;
- · Water and sewerage systems would fail;
- · Banks could not access their records;
- · Transportation systems would be inoperable;
- · The internet would go down;
- · Emergency services would severely hampered.
A large comet hitting the earth would also seem to have similar effects to that of a medium-sized asteroid, but also could have electronic impact. And having something actually hit the earth and do massive damage is predicted in the Bible. But the Wormwood comet will not possibly hit the earth prior to 2018 (for some details, please see When Will the Great Tribulation Begin? 2012, 2013, or 2014?). The staging for armies in Armageddon (Revelation 16:16, and related to the sixth trumpet of Revelation 8:13-17) happens shortly after Wormwood (third trumpet) hits, hence ‘Armageddon’ will not happen in prior to 2018.
Although the biblical Wormwood does not have to be a comet, it sounds more like one than an asteroid.
In 1859 a huge solar CME called the "Carrington flare" caused an EMP in the atmosphere severe enough to take out telegraph wires around the globe. Thankfully, that's all the electronics we had at the time. The "most intense solar maximum in 50 years" doesn't mean much though, since we've gone more than 150 now without such an incident. But still, it could happen again at any time. If it did happen, scientists, prophets, apostles and astrologers would probably all fail to predict it.
ReplyDeleteThe effects of a "Carrington" type CME would likely be apocalyptic for a while in metropolitan centers, but that doesn't mean it would have anything to do with the judgment of any deity or the beginning of any prophesied "tribulation." Being prepared for unlikely yet catastrophic events is always a good idea, but living your entire life in fear of them isn't.
Thiel has hundreds of fear related blog entries up and very very little about Jesus Christ. Those that follow Jesus don't need to live in fear and don't have to worry about stray comets, EMP blasts, rampaging hordes of Chinese, Germans or Muslims. Mayan calendars are a load of bullshit. Prophetic utterances by Church of God ministers and evangelists have proven to be bullshit. No Jesus Christ but loads of bullshit.
ReplyDeleteA personal comment:
I have noticed that very little is said about Jesus Christ or taken seriously by many posting and commenting here. By the way Jesus without Christ is just another human being without any indication of being deity. I am not sure why the focus is on Jesus alone. I agree that very little is said about being a follower of Jesus Christ or gives any indication of what it means to be a follower of Jesus. I agree that overemphasizing the problems reported as being possibilities of potential destruction of the world’s social population is used as a tool drive people into churches and is grossly misapplied.
People following Jesus to save their skin will never truly understand that following Jesus is recognizing and accepting Him as Lord and Savior means allowing Him to guide them in building a life that at least has the potential for an eternal existence.
I realize that this is not accepted by some, but it in a nut shell what I believe the bible teaches whether we believe it is true or not.
"I have noticed that very little is said about Jesus Christ or taken seriously by many posting and commenting here."
ReplyDeleteYou say that like it's a bad thing.
ReplyDelete"Flurry instills fear into his members and "college" students. They are so fearful that they turn their backs on family members and friends. They refuse to talk to children, grand children, parents, and grandparents all because Gerald told them not to. They are fearful that if they do they will be kicked out of the Church."
When people left the WCG under Joseph Tkach to go with Gerald Flurry and his PCG they thought of themselves as being wise and courageous for rejecting JWT's doctrinal changes and standing up for the truth.
However, over the following years, events took a strange turn that these people who went with the PCG never expected, even though Gerald Flurry quoted Adolf Hitler as saying that a clever conqueror will impose his will in installments. Gerald assured his followers that the potential dangers of a dictatorship like his would only be a problem if he did not have the Holy Spirit.
Now Gerald Flurry, who seems to have some sort of evil spirit, makes any doctrinal changes that he wants to, and edits HWA's writings to cover up the contradictions. The ignorant PCG people, who have been cut off from the outside world, don't know anything other than what Gerald tells them. And Gerald just rants and raves and says that everyone else is an evil liar.
PCG members are forbidden to search the Internet to try to find out the truth about what has happened on the Church of God scene over the years. They dare not disobey for fear that they would be kicked out of the PCG. Living in ignorance and fear is now their sad fate. They have been conditioned to this way of life.
Even PCG people who figured out how bad Gerald is often have to stay anyway for the sake of their family and friends, who would cut them off completely if they ever left or got kicked out of the PCG. In order to stay in the PCG they have to continue to hand over money to what they now know is evil.
The PCG members are now living in IGNORANCE of the truth, in HATRED of everyone outside of the PCG (including friends and family members), and in FEAR of getting expelled themselves and cut off from everyone they know in the PCG.
This is not the way the true church should be. But then, the PCG is not the true church. The PCG never was the true church. The PCG can never become the true church. The PCG always was Satan's impostor cult that was set up to lie and steal and destroy and kill. The PCG is just doing what it was designed by Satan to do.
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting how some little guy like Gerald Flurry who is so small that just about anyone could push him over--and was previously so drunk that he could just about fall over--gave himself the power to do so much evil to so many thousands of people and have them live in fear like that.
ReplyDelete"Pack does the same with his small flock as does Meredith and all the others out there. Fear reigns supreme in the Church of God."
David Pack has been writing recently about how Roderick Meredith was always trying to get him to give more money to the Global Church when he was in it. David thought it was extremely bad of Rod to treat someone like that.
Later, after starting his own Restored Church, David must have forgotten what it felt like. He started shouting at his own followers to send him their houses, retirement plans, etc. All the tithes and offerings in the RCOG are never enough and everyone has to do fundraising on top of it all.
It is amazing that David Pack would complain now about Rod Meredith's greed when David Pack's greed makes Rod look like a reasonable old softy by comparison.
"The PCG always was Satan's impostor cult that was set up to lie and steal and destroy and kill."
ReplyDeleteJust so we're clear that WCG was Satan's REAL cult, not just some wannabe imposter cult.
This post stated: "...I think all the Churches of God need to drop their silly prefixes to their name and join together under one united name. The Fear-Mongering Church of God. That moniker fits all the various 700 splinter groups. They all exist because of the fear they instill in members..."
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like a valid point. Why all the fear? Where does that fear come from?
Satan has deceived the entire world and he has his religions, his ministers, who all appear so prim, proper and "right." All of these xcogs are just following that "Daddy," who is preoccupied with death:
"Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;" Hebrews 2:14
Now, if death weren't a big enough thing for Satan to have the power of, there's more! Fear!
:15 "And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage."
So, if one were Satan, and one could control religions, thoughts, people, how would he do it to deceive the entire world? Exactly! It's just as we see it!
And the title mentioning: "... Armageddon Will Not Happen Prior to 2018..."!!!!!!!
That's true! Armageddon, part of the 7 Vials, will not be poured out until Satan exists that bottomless pit. But that messes up all of their theories, as they continue to teach Armageddon must occur on this side of the coming "Mickey Mouse Millennium," but time will tell. Until then, expect the FEAR to continue on in numerous lives...
John
Anon said: The PCG always was Satan's impostor cult that was set up to lie and steal and destroy and kill."
ReplyDeleteJust so we're clear that WCG was Satan's REAL cult, not just some wannabe imposter cult.
December 9, 2012 8:40 PM
If WCG is Satan’s real cult what, where, and how is the REAL God of religion active. If we have a Satan at work we need a real God for this to make sense.
A. Boocher
Now wait just one darn minute:
ReplyDeleteIf the WCG was Satan's one true REAL church, where is it today?
Pack? Flurry? Weinland? Rittenbaugh? Meredith?
UCG, CoGWA?
I guess if we follow the Armstrongist mentality, you should look for a church with plenty of money, loose morals and rock music.
Or the best two out of three.
There are some in the COG movement who seem reasonable:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.vision.org/visionmedia/philosophy/2012-end-of-world.aspx
"The Time Is At Hand"
ReplyDelete(still)
In addition to the gospel evidence, there are numerous verses in the New Testament epistles which convey a sense of imminence and urgency, as well as a clear expectation that the end would come within the authors' lifetimes. For examples, witness the following passages:
"What I mean, brothers, is that the time is short. From now on those who have wives should live as if they had none; those who mourn, as if they did not; those who are happy, as if they were not; those who buy something, as if it were not theirs to keep; those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them. For this world in its present form is passing away." --1 Corinthians 7:29-31 (NIV)
"According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, we who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep." --1 Thessalonians 4:15 (NIV)
"For in just a very little while, he who is coming will come and will not delay." --Hebrews 10:37 (NIV)
"You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord's coming is near. Don't grumble against each other, brothers, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!" --James 5:8-9 (NIV)
"But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer." --1 Peter 4:7 (KJV)
"Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time." --1 John 2:18 (KJV)
"The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass.... Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand." --Revelation 1:1,3 (KJV)
Not just the urgency, but the specificity of these verses merits comment. In the 1 Corinthians passage, for example, Paul states that married Christians should refrain from having sex from that point on so that they may be as pure as possible when Jesus comes. He also states not just that the end of the world is coming in the near future, but that it seemingly has already begun - the world is "passing away", he claims, even as he writes those words. The 1 Thessalonians passage states that the believers still living will witness the second coming, while the 1 John passage claims that it must be the last time because the Antichrist is already on earth. And Revelation further reinforces the cited verse by having Jesus promise on multiple occasions that he will "come quickly" (3:11, 22:7, 22:12, 22:20).
Ebon Musings
DB said: If the WCG was Satan's one true REAL church, where is it today?
ReplyDeletePack? Flurry? Weinland? Rittenbaugh? Meredith?
UCG, CoGWA?
That is easy to answer. If the whole is Satan’s Real cult all the parts of the whole are equal to the whole. This is the reasoning I have seen exhibited here. If this is true then the person making such a statement must know the what, where, and how of the REAL God of religion and should define it so we can prove whether they are right or wrong. It would obviously be outside those that came into existence via HWA.
A. Boocher
Yep, the soon coming son of man in the first century generation appears to be a failed prophecy based on misrepresenting Hebrew scripture by using a false method of interpreting the Septuagint.
ReplyDeleteJesus said he didn't know the day or hour but that 1st century "chosen generation" would not pass away until all was fulfilled. That's reasonable for a prophecy too, according to the law of Moses.
David Hulme is a voice if reason??????? ROTFLMAO!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteRe Anon 10:56
ReplyDeleteThere actually is a lot of reasonable and down-to-earth people in the few independent groups that I've mingled with who are sick and tired by the politics, fear-mongering, HWA worship and intolerance for different viewpoints. Like Hulme points out in the article you linked Y2K came and went in 2000 and the world didn't end then. So it'll be the same with 2012. It'll pass like yesterday did and today will with nothing major to report. What I wonder about though is that the global media seem to latch on a single "prediction" like 2000 or 2012, which passes without event and it's like misdirection IMO since it was 9/11/2001 that then came on us without warning and even 7 years later the GFC in 9/2008. And this demonstrates to me that 2012 is another distraction and if "something" is going to happen it'll take us all by surprise like the terrorist attacks and financial crisis did probably when we've returned back to the normal hum of everyday life and least expect it.
ReplyDelete"The PCG always was Satan's impostor cult that was set up to lie and steal and destroy and kill."
The PCG just pretends to have the truth of God and to carry on in HWA's footsteps.
In actual practice, Gerald Flurry has somehow managed to edit, change, warp, pervert, misunderstand, misapply, and bugger up virtually everything that was ever really taught by HWA.
You can be absolutely certain that there is no way that HWA would have ever gone along with Gerald and his perversions.
There was actually a rational basis for suspecting that things could have gone south with Y2K. It didn't involve any boogeymen or superstition. Same goes for the financial crisis. Despite news reports and government officials claiming otherwise, there were plenty of finance professionals that saw that collapse coming. Some of them protected themselves, some capitalized on it, while others got greedy and made it worse in the process of doubling-down on their bet (check out Magnetar Capital's involvement in the CDO market in the run-up to the collapse.) Many people were not taken by surprise.
ReplyDeleteBut assuming the ending of a Mayan calender cycle is a prediction of a future event is crazy though, just like assuming the bible, Nostradamus, the palm-reader down the street, or a grilled cheese sandwich have secret information from supernatural sources about future doomsday events.
You should disbelieve Mayan Calendar fearmongering not because the financial crisis surprised people who weren't looking, but because it isn't reasonable to believe that ancient people received information from supernatural sources. That's the same reason why you should know that biblically based fearmongering is just another load of crap.
Some media outlets and churches are each equally guilty of the same fearmongering. There's a lot of latent fear in people, and tapping into it goes a long way towards paying the bills.
I don't think there are down-to-earth people in the splinter groups, because they put up with so much garbage. They can stand the stench. I don't think they're sick and tired of the fearmongering. I think they're immune to it. Immunity comes from agreement. Whether that agreement happens to be weak or strong, it's still conformity to an irrational set of beliefs.
Extended past 1975, eh?
ReplyDeleteI don't care if you say that Armageddon will not happen prior to 22918, you still can't help but miss the mark.
If God didn't reveal it to you, you do not know.
God didn't reveal it to you.
You do not know.
Can't be anything but a false prophet.
That's a death sentence, if the Bible is true.
What? You don't feel a bit threatened?
You should be terrified.
What is so inspiring about all these possible disasters is that they can happen...and yet....and yet.....NO JESUS!
ReplyDeleteThere is no direct connection between an asteroid hitting earth and Jesus returning. He'd not have to then.
You might get a HUGE sanitation problem, but alas...NO JESUS
Yep, seems like they forgot all about poor Peter. The wind came up, he focussed on that, lost sight of Jesus, and could no longer walk on the water. Jesus ended up rescuing him.
ReplyDeleteIf these ACOG people would just get out more often, and open their eyes, they would have a completely different picture. All they'd need to do is stop blinding themselves to all of the wonderful activities being promoted by people who are on fire for Jesus. Of course, they'd need to stop referring to them as "Christians falsely so-called", but that should be a relatively small adjustment.
Today, I had to make a run to New Mexico and back. Part of the time, I was travelling through the Navajo Nation. The clients I was calling on today are a branch of the Navajo Nation's government. While travelling through the rez, I was fiddling with my radio, and to my surprise, ran across the new Navajo FM station, KYAT. They a mixture of classic rock and Country Western music, and the DJ's alternate between the Navajo language and English. I was quite surprised to hear a commercial spot for a Christian revival meeting on the rez, timed with the Christmas season. I caught just enough words to realize what it was. This was followed by what sounded like a quartet of Navajo ladies, backed up by acoustic guitar, singing "Oh Holy Night" in their own language. It was very, very moving, to say the least. I've always loved Native Americans. It was just awesome to hear their voices celebrating Jesus Christ! I wish ACOG members could hear this and have the same reaction, but we all know how they've been programmed to feel about these things!
BB
BB.....
ReplyDelete"Sunkmanitu Tanka Ob Waci"
M.T. Teepees
No, MT. I prefer to dance with foxes!
ReplyDeleteBB
"Verily I say unto you, {the same} [genealogy] shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled."
ReplyDelete