To show how LCG proof-texts scripture to fit it's erroneous prophetic world view, check out the following announcement from LCG dated April 26, 2013. In the typical worldview of Armstrongism it can only quote from Hebrew scriptures to reinforce its prophetic stances. In this case Rod Meredith resorts to using a verse from Leviticus. An obscure verse about highways being desolate automatically is taken into the 21st century and applied to something that has nothing to do with what is being imagined.
Highways Desolate
Bible prophecies warn of curses to come on the Israelite-descended nations because of their outright rejection of God and His laws. One of God’s punishments for disobedience will be “your highways shall be desolate” (Leviticus 26:22). Recent events in the United States and Canada reveal how this prophecy might be fulfilled. Last week in Boston, during a manhunt for a bombing suspect, the city mandated that residents remain in their homes. Businesses were closed, children could not play out of doors, and only police cars and armored vehicles were allowed on streets—the roads and highways were desolate (The New Yorker, April 19, 2013). Concurrently, a portion of the U.S.’s largest “highway”—the Mississippi River—also came to a grinding halt. “Barge shipping on the Illinois River and parts of the Mississippi River will remain impeded until at least early next week as the flood-swollen waterways slowly recede from record- or near-record-high crests” (Reuters, April 23, 2013; Reuters, April 22, 2013). This followed a partial shut-down of river traffic in both August and December of last year, due to low water levels in the river system (Reuters, August 20, 2012; Reuters, December 26, 2012). Also this week, many major U.S. airports experienced significant flight delays due to budgetary furloughs of air traffic controllers (The New York Times, April 23, 2013). In Canada, a plot targeting an international railway train—another highway—was foiled this week (National Post, April 22, 2013). These sobering events provide a glimpse of things to come if our nations fail to return to God.
13 comments:
When will those of the Living group wake up? Their comments come from the blind, who can only lead the blind.
Yes, they like that OT and use it to say things like:
"...These sobering events provide a glimpse of things to come if our nations fail to return to God..."
Well, the OT makes it abundantly clear that "our nations" WILL CONTINUE TO "fail to return to God" until when? What does the OT say. Here is just one such example:
Psalm 22:26 The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the LORD that seek him: your heart shall live for ever.
Are the meek satisfied today?
No, but they shall be someday.
Is anybody's heart today living forever?
No, but they shall be someday! And it's for a time beyond the so-called Mickey Mouse Millennium where at the end of a 1,000 years Christ apparently fails and Jerusalem is again taken over!
:27 All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the LORD: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee.
When shall all the ends of the world remember and turn unto the LORD? That's not for today, or even the millennium for that matter. It's for later after that second resurrection occurs...when the meek (remember they inherit earth?) are finally satisfied...and the heart lives forever!
Those of Living group: wake up! The lies about "our nations" returning to God is for later! God can't lie!
HWA has been dead how long? How much longer do you want to wait?
:28 For the kingdom is the LORD’S: and he is the governor among the nations.
When will that take place: that kingdom, when it is the LORD's and He is the governor?
It will be some time AFTER Satan is loosed from that bottomless pit and causes all nations to again learn war! It has to be a later time when peace really will be everlasting.
This world didn't turn to God while HWA was alive, so why should it turn because of anything the Living group says?
God has His timing! Why don't those of Living group believe God? Believing that "our nations" can somehow magically "turn" to the LORD now is like eating junk food. It just isn't very nourishing physically or spiritually, but then again they must say/write something to inspire money to continue to flow in to them to cover them paychecks and expenses....to distribute that "food" ...
John
The Living Church of God--Making the Scriptures come alive and mean what they never meant.
M.T Rhodes
Is that a picture of the highway to Charlotte of people flocking to church on Saturday?
M.T.Rhodes
Yeah, the roads are desolate during a blizzard too. Fulfilled prophecy? Divine vengeance? NOT!
The roads into the Cult of Herbert Armstrong from the outside are sure desolate!
Yeah for the fulfillment of prophecy!
The roads between sure seem busy -- but even that is diminishing -- the Armstrongists don't seem to understand what happens when you try to burn ashes.
I guess if they want growth, they will have to pick better lies.
Good Lord, John is back.
Anyway, back to the actual post: Rod quotes from Lev. 26:22, about "highways," and tries to conclude that it projects forward to today, to include Route 66, the M25, the Trans-Canada, and other like roadways.
Except, of course, the "high" part likely wasn't in the text. It's their ways that would be desolate...as indeed, they are, these many centuries later.
This is simple stuff. Proof-texting, indeed.
this is a good example of why we're told to "prove all things..."
I've run into this sort of thing several times in the past...when the pastor takes things out of context to prove something we're supposed to do, I just ignore it and keep on doing what I know to be right.
"when the pastor takes things out of context ...I just ignore it and keep on doing what I know to be right."
Which is to flee from such a clown, like the Bible says to!
This verse is actually talking about:
1. the information highway (a worm will bring down the web)
2. the financial highway (banking system collapse)
3. sex traffic (shortage of prostitutes)
4. a power outage where all the stoplights fail
5. the mountain tops (high ways) will be flattened by an asteroid shower
6. the panama canal will flood
7. pacific ocean will dry up and there will be no more ships bringing goods to Walmart
Doom and gloom...or is that gloom and doom?
Everything may be going down the toilet but it's more than likely because of that kind of negative thinking rather than the revenge of a non-existent entity 'out there', somewhere.
"Which is to flee from such a clown, like the Bible says to! "
well, they're human too, they make mistakes just like the rest of us...
there have been a couple of times where an elder has come around (hard to believe I know, but there ARE some sincere believers in the leadership)....and yes, "a couple of times" thru all the years is not a very good track record, but hey, it's better than zero!
For these people, everything that happens becomes a fulfillment of the Old Testament punishments promised under the law of Moses for national disobedience to the Old Covenant.
Jesus Himself told the disciples that the people who had been killed in a horrible structural collapse were no worse sinners than other humans. That indicates that there is also a certain quality of randomness to events, not directly linked to blessings or punishments. Had HWA, Flurry, Pack, Weinland, Meredith, King, Thiel, or others of their worldview been explaining this to followers, they would probably have branded the victims as homosexuals, fornicators, idolaters, liars, etc.
BB
Oh, and tithe cheaters and sabbath breakers. Come to think of it, ESPECIALLY tithe cheats and sabbath breakers!
BB
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