Opportunistic Non-Ordained False Prophet Cashes In On New Pope

Never one to let a good news story go to waste, the non-ordained self appointed prophet Bob Thiel has written another book released yesterday to coincide with the election of the new Pope in Rome.

Thiel has been cashing on on all kinds of wild and weird prophecies from the Mayans down to the Catholics.  He pays more homage to these nutty predictions than he does the Bible he claims to follow.

Everything coming out of the non-ordained prophet is fear based.  His teachings are fear based, his books are fear based and his absurd video sermons are fear based.  From Daniel to Revelation, from the Mayans to Fatima and  Malachy, it s all about gloom, despair, and death. Thiel is one little scared man!  It's no wonder in all of his bumbling videos that he offers no hope for anyone.

He writes:

According to some interpretations of the prophecies of the popes by the Catholic saint and Bishop Malachy, Pope Francis I is in the position of “Peter the Roman,” the pontiff who reigns during tribulations until around the time of the destruction of Rome. Do biblical prophecies warn of someone that sounds like Peter the Roman? Could Francis I be the heretical antipope of Catholic private prophecies and the final Antichrist of Bible prophecy?

While Catholic private prophecies cannot be trusted, and I assert that Satan influenced this past papal election, Bible prophecy shows that we are in the last days.  If so, it is possible, but by no means certain, that Pope Francis I will be the one that the Bible warns about.

Christ Was An Apostle Just Like Herbert Armstrong

Did you know that Jesus Christ was an apostle just like HWA was?  Did you know that Jesus Christ can change HWA's teachings to suit new revelation? Did you know that Jesus Christ is using Rod Meridith's mouth and pen to add new doctrine to the church?  Apparently though, Jesus Christ made a few mistakes in what he revealed to HWA over the years and now has to correct those mistakes.  That's ok, he's an apostle just like HWA! 

Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong, as an apostle, never had more authority to put doctrine into the Church, using men like Mr. Meredith to write articles to explain doctrine, than Christ, as an apostle, has today. As Mr. Armstrong had authority to put doctrine into the Church and have Mr. Meredith explain that doctrine in sermons and articles, so Christ today has authority to put doctrine into the Church and have Mr. Meredith (or any man God may choose) explain it in sermons and articles, because Christ is every bit as much an apostle as Mr. Armstrong was, even more.

As Mr. Armstrong, as apostle, had the authority to correct his own mistakes in doctrine or change his own judgments, so Jesus Christ today, as the chief apostle, has the authority to correct Mr. Armstrong's doctrines or change his judgments. And just as Mr. Armstrong was able to teach new doctrines or judgments to the Church through evangelists, so Christ is able to teach new doctrines or judgments to the Church through the evangelists who lead organizations and Church of God fellowships.

An apostle can correct an apostle's doctrines. We know an apostle can correct an apostle's doctrine because Mr. Armstrong (an apostle) corrected Mr. Armstrong (an apostle). He corrected and changed his own doctrines, on Pentecost being a Sunday or Monday, on divorce and remarriage, and other things. If he can correct his own doctrines, then another apostle, an apostle living today, can correct Mr. Armstrong's doctrines.

Jesus Christ is our living apostle today, as always. Jesus Christ has the authority to correct Mr. Armstrong's doctrines.

How does Christ communicate such correction in doctrine to the Church? There is one difference between Mr. Armstrong's apostleship and Christ's apostleship as far as the way they communicate. Mr. Armstrong spoke (and wrote) to the Church verbally. We could hear his voice when he spoke to the Church in person or on recorded audio or video tape.

Jesus Christ does not communicate to the Church in words we can hear with the ear directly from Christ's mouth. But Christ communicates to the Church, in writing, through the Bible. He also communicates with us, as Mr. Armstrong did with the Church, through evangelists and pastors. Mr. Armstrong, for example, taught evangelists and pastors at Ambassador College so they would have the true doctrines to communicate to the Church. Likewise, Christ is able to teach evangelists and pastors today to give true doctrine to the Church. How? The same way He communicates with the membership, through the Bible and through the Holy Spirit which helps us understand the Bible.

So if Mr. Armstrong was wrong about a doctrine, Christ, as an apostle, has the authority to correct Mr. Armstrong's doctrine by communicating that correction to evangelists in the Church today by inspiring those evangelists to understand the Bible where the Bible shows that Mr. Armstrong was wrong.

In addition to Rod Meredith being able to change doctrine, David Hulme can do it too.  David Hulme???????????????????  ROTFLMAO! That's about as silly as saying a non-ordained self-appointed prophet can change doctrine or bring forth new doctrine.

Church of God members don't need to worry about who is an apostle.  It's up to Jesus Christ to find the apostle and use him....women need not apply though.

Think about this: If the authority for a servant of God on earth to put new doctrine into the Church depended on that servant holding the title of "apostle", wouldn't God put more exact criteria in the Bible for defining an "apostle"? But the Bible doesn't give an exact definition of the term. We see from examples in the Bible who is called an apostle and who is not called an apostle (Luke 6:12-13, Acts 14:14), but we do not see an exact definition we can apply today to know if a Church leader is an apostle in God's sight or not. Why? Because WE DON'T NEED TO KNOW. Christ is our living apostle, and he can put doctrine into the Church through evangelists in the Church.

According to this guy anyone from an apostle down to a regular pastor can change doctrine if he sees a need to.  The membership need not worry about what the minister is teaching because Jesus Christ and God put it in his brain.

So it doesn't matter if the administrative leader of a Church of God fellowship is, in God's eyes, an apostle, a prophet, a pastor general, a presiding evangelist, or just plain "pastor". If that man sees in the Bible that a doctrinal correction needs to be made, he should make the correction, teaching the membership new knowledge, and when he does that, assuming he is teaching accurately, it is God and Christ who are putting new knowledge into that fellowship because God inspired the Bible and through the Holy Spirit opened that leader's mind to see the new truth in the Bible. (I am talking about leaders of fellowships or organizations, leaders who report directly to Christ, not pastors serving congregations under the supervision of a human leader in a larger organization.)

How can a member, such as you or I, know if the correction is right or wrong? From the Bible. There is no other way. There are no shortcuts to Bible study. If an evangelist changes Mr. Armstrong's doctrine, he should give his biblical reasons for it. Then you and I can study the issue and determine the truth according to the Bible.

A New Pope Is Elected and COG Conspiracy Nuts Have A Field Day

A pope has resigned and a new pope has been elected. The anti-Catholic crowd has been whipped into a frenzy lately with all the goings on.  From conservative Evangelicals to the far right Armstrongites, it has been one conspiracy after another.

Of course none are more fascinating or as weird as those put forth by the conspiracy whores in Armstrongism.  If they spent as much time being Good Samaritans as they do  pissing out weird conspiracy's then the world might be a better place. However, it is far more convenient for them to reveal some hidden knowledge that they can pass on as "truth" to their dwindling acolytes.

From the chief COG conspiracy whore, the non-ordained self -appointed prophet Thiel.  This by far has to be one of the worst videos Thiel has done.  It's laughable on how bad it is!  

I just cannot image that Thiel supposedly has taken between 150-200 LCG members into his group.  How can they sit there and listen to these incredibly bad videos ever Saturday in some house church.  How humiliating it must be for the kids of these adults to have been ripped away from their friends so their parents can sit and listen to a lunatic preach to them.

From apostle Malm's blog there are these gems:

"While this man is coming across as a lamb speaking the words of the dragon; he is 76 with health issues and his name does not come out to the scriptural 666; which is the number of a MAN."

 "While this man Francis could be empowered at the appointed time, and even his papal name might be changed due to that event; It is just as possible that he will be a short term leader.

I will not be convinced until a man [either this man or another man]  is empowered as the scriptures say.

Counting back 1,290 days as per Dan 12; from the closest future sixth day of ULB; the abomination COULD be empowered in early Oct:  IF IF IF this is the year."

"Very interesting, the new pope is a Jesuit ( a “black”) pope."

From Herbert Armstrong imitator Gerald Flurry

Pope Francis: What the Mainstream Media Doesn’t Know

The Internet and Twitterverse is awash with news about the new pope. Few people really understand what the papal election was really about. But Bible prophecy explains what is happening. Here is the real scoop.

In his February 28 Key of David telecast, “Why Did The Pope Resign,” Gerald Flurry said that we couldn’t understand why the pope resigned without an understanding of the history and prophecy of Europe. “There are many educators and leaders and media personalities that feel certain that they know,” he said, “but I think very few of them do because they don’t understand the history of the Holy Roman Empire, not to mention the history of the Bible or Bible prophecy.”

The pope emeritus has a main goal, Mr. Flurry continued, that we can only understand by looking at the history and prophecy of the Holy Roman Empire. The pope resigned because he wants to ensure a very pro-Holy Roman Empire pope is installed.

In the same telecast, Gerald Flurry quoted a Spiegel article entitled “Exhausted in the Vatican: the final battles of Pope Benedict xvi.” The article pointed out that as of at least eight months ago the pope and the Curia were already looking for a successor to Benedict.

Both the Vatican Curia and the pope emeritus want the new pope to bring unity and peace to the warring factions within the Vatican—so it can focus on uniting Europe under the banner of the Catholic Church.

 In his February 28 Key of David telecast, Gerald Flurry said, “[I]nsiders of the Vatican, or the Catholic Church, I should say, and perhaps even in the Vatican … have spoken out, mainly a couple who are Catholics and authorities on Catholicism, and they said, one on Laura Ingram’s talk radio show, and one on Fox News, and they said that Pope Benedict wanted the time to influence who the next pope would be. They said that themselves, that he wanted to influence who the next pope was going to be. Well, now, why would he want to do that? Why would that be so important to this pope? 

“Well, now, there’s a specific reason, and that is he wants to unite the Holy Roman Empire, as many other Europeans do, and this pope has that, I believe, as his primary goal, and he feels he can have a great influence on the next pope that is chosen, who will be a man that he believes can control the Vatican and bring Europe together into what we know as the Holy Roman Empire” (emphasis added).

The final resurrection of the seventh head of the Holy Roman Empire is ready to burst onto the world scene in an amazing way. This is what this is all about. Francis i just very well may be the last pope before the return of Jesus Christ. Of course, time will tell. But in the same telecast, Gerald Flurry said the seventh head of the Holy Roman Empire is about to appear, and events in Europe and the world are about to dramatically turn for the worse.

The installation of Pope Francis is about the fulfillment of Bible prophecy and the return of Jesus Christ—the best headline a newspaper could ever have a privilege to print and proclaim.

As Gerald Flurry has explained, this pope will enact a two-pronged strategy: unite the Vatican first, and then move to unite Europe under the banner of the Holy Roman Empire.

That is the real scoop.

 "Let’s not forget the strong ties the Nazi regime has to Argentina."

"The new pope is a member of the Jesuit order. So are Eurocrats like Mario Draghi and Von Rompuy. This order is colloquially known as GOD’S MARINES! They are a militant and dedicated lot to the church."

"“His shy demeanor and humble personality, however, indicate that he may likely remain a puppet of the Pope Emeritus instead of becoming the final Vatican strongman himself”.

That, or Pope Emeritus, just may come out of “retirement” and once again take over the reins of the Vatican."

"We have another Warlord in place, this time in the Vatican!

So far we have at least the following Warlords in place:

1) Jesuit Warlord of the Catholic Church, Jorge Mario Bergoglio, now hiding as Pope Francis.
2) Jesuit Warlord of Europe, Herman Achille Van Rompuy, President of the European Council.
3) Jesuit Warlord of the European Central Bank, Mario Draghi.
4) Jesuit Warlord of Italy, Mario Monti.
5) Jesuit Warlord of Spain, Mariano Rajoy.

Do you see a pattern evolving here? My questions are, “Where will the NEXT Warlord surface? ” and “How long before they combine forces and plunge the world into another World War? “ "

" Pope Emeritus Ratzinger is the puppet master and Pope Francis Bergoglio is the puppet. Emeritus is behind/out of sight of the puppet shown to the audience. This dynamic duo of a war time pope and a pro-europe latino pope will become very colluded on the day of the blitzkrieg against Iran, Egypt, Libya, & Ethiopia. Then in sequence… , how many european catholics will shed a tear when their fellow american catholics are nuked with the pope’s blessing. Hosea 5:13."

"If the U.S. is overthrown, as the Bible prophesy clearly tells us, by the EU Holy Roman Empire, it would need a strong South American Catholic partner to accomplish it effectively. It seems to me that could be where the land invasion forces come from. Seems practical and reasonable from a military perspective?"

"One step closer to the return of Jesus Christ! That is the best news ever.

Just imagine reading the front page of the newspaper, Jesus Christ has returned!"

"The man is Italian… OK so he lives in South America… he is Italian He is Jesuit, a member of God’s Marines. He may look like a lamb but having studied in Germany he is well suited for the position he now holds. So, who among you know the meaning of “God’s Marines” and why their vesture is BROWN? It is not because the old potato sacks were brown."

Living Church of God debunks and takes a swipe at non-ordained self appointed prophet Thiel's absurd fascination with Malachy's prophecies.  LCG's stance is far more benign than many COG's, though they still think the Catholic Church is the great whore and is seeking to being Protestants back into the fold at the end times.  This is also what has pissed off apostle Malm and prophet Thiel.  Both think the LCG has become wishy-washy in it's message

For hundreds of years, each new Roman Catholic pontiff has been eyed against a famous document called the “Prophecy of St. Malachy.”  Malachy’s “prophecies” have often seemed so broad and vague that it has been a challenge to figure out how each might apply.  Pope Benedict XVI supposedly corresponded to “Glory of the Olive.” After him, the next man in Malachy’s list is called “Petrus Romanus.”

No doubt, speculations will seek to tie Francis I to this old prophecy. Others will point out that there may be innumerable men between “Glory of the Olive” and “Petrus Romanus.” In any case, especially when we consider that John Paul I lasted in office for just 33 days in 1978, there is no reason to assume that Francis I will be the final pope before Christ’s return.

We should also note that, although this famous list of future popes was long ago attributed to a 12th century monk, scholars now assume it was forged in 1590 by someone supporting Cardinal Girolamo Simoncelli as Pope Urban VII’s successor. Malachy gave Urban VII’s successor the motto “From the Old City”—which would fit very well with Simoncelli’s hometown of Orvieto, known widely as “the Old City” at that time. However, the pope who was in fact elected, Gregory XIV, was from Somma Lombardo, a region not even recognized as a city until the 20th century.

Dennis Luker Has Died

For the past few weeks this blog and others have been reporting the seriousness of Dennis Luker's health and his status as President of United Church of God.  UCG has tripped all over its self lately denying that Luker was as sick as he was and that Webber was the acting President.  They even had Luker write a letter that he was in not that bad of shape and was seeking ways to deal with his cancer.  Typical spin doctoring that caught them once again.

Today, Robin Weber reports that Luker has died.

Dear Members of the United Church of God,

This letter is to inform you that United Church of God president, Dennis Luker, died today, March 14. He spent his last physical days residing in his hometown of Seattle, Washington, surrounded by his loving wife, LeeAnn, and their immediate family.

Thank you for your prayers and fasting during this challenging time for them, and for God’s blessings on this transitional period for the United Church of God. Our Heavenly Father’s will for Denny has been made known at this time—even though it is not news that we humanly desire. At the same time, I am reminded of his constant encouragement to reflect on the promising words of Romans 8:28: “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”

Mr. Luker knew “that my Redeemer lives” (Job 19:25) and now awaits the trumpet call with so many other faithful saints down through the ages (1Thessalonians 4:13-18). I know that LeeAnn would ask us all to continue to pray for others who are challenged with spiritual, emotional and health issues—and that God will grant His peace to them (Philippians 4:6-7).

Dennis and LeeAnn, as a pastoral couple, have given 50 years of their lives in service to others. And yes, they truly came as a “couple.” They are loved far and wide beyond our own Church sphere, throughout the entire Church of God community. He brought an enthusiasm for speaking of the always-present love of God and the necessity of having Jesus Christ as the center of our lives.

Denny’s service to the United Church of God had a dynamic impact not just recently, but also in our formative years. He served on the original Advisory Council of Elders in 1995. Since then he has served as a member of the Council of Elders, as a church pastor, as a regional pastor, been part of the Ministerial Services team and of recent years, our Church president.

Please remember LeeAnn, the children, the grandchildren, the great-grandchildren and all their family members—in our prayers that God will grant them comfort in this most challenging of life’s chapters. More details will be forthcoming regarding pending memorial services.

In my role as chairman during this transitional time, I have maintained frequent contact with the Council and the home office operation managers to ensure stability. Now, in accordance with our governing documents (Bylaw 9.5, Vacancies in Offices), the chairman of the Council of Elders becomes the acting president of the United Church of God, an International Association, until a new president is selected by the Council and assumes office.

I look forward to working with the Council of Elders in the presidential nomination process currently underway. As Council members, we appreciate your prayers for God’s guidance for all in the weeks to come.

May the God of peace and comfort be with all of you at this time,

Robin Webber—Chairman and Acting President

Apostle Malm: Deleaven Your Windows and Tub Last...Oh, and Matzo's Are White Poison...

You never know whats going to come out of apostle Malm anymore.  He seems to hate everything. Everything in the world has some evil connotation.

Even matzo's symbolize evil in his sight.  I bet you never knew that matzo's were "white poison."

Oh, and when you deleaven your house from the attic to the basement, make sure to deleaven your windows and tub last......

An acolyte asks:

Leavening can be anywhere. That’s why I deleaven everywhere.
But would not a “white bread” matzoh be a symbol of purity – as Jesus was the pure spotless lamb of God?

 The apostle responds

The matzoth is a symbol of False purity, as it is a white poison devoid of nutrients. Yes deleaven everywhere and leave cleaning windows bathtubs etc till last. James

Non-Ordained Thiel Calls Meredith A Liar

Things are still testy between Rod Meredith and the non-ordained self-appointed prophet Thiel.  The non-ordained self appointed prophet is still filled with anger and resentment towards Meredith.

Meredith posted on LCG's web site recently this:

And we certainly do not encourage “yes men” in any way...

Brethren, I have never tried to “appoint myself” as an apostle or to any other high office. But many of you realize that even throughout the extended Church of God fellowships around the world—there is no one who has had the depth of experience I have had as one who has spoken the word of God to you. In spite of my human weaknesses, Christ has used me to teach more Bible classes than any other human being in this age. I am the only one who has been Deputy Chancellor of all three colleges, and was Second Vice President of the Worldwide Church of God and Ambassador College for many years. I have written literally hundreds of articles and conducted hundreds of evangelistic campaigns all over the world.

Prompting the non-ordained self-appointed prophet to claim that Rod is lying:

That first statement is simply not true and I repeatedly tried to tell Dr. Meredith that in the past. I should also comment that Dr. Meredith did tell me a few years ago (January 2009) that he was somewhat thinking of taking on the apostle title and that if he did that perhaps he would appoint me, Bob Thiel, as a prophet. So the above, presuming he actually wrote all it himself, is strange.

Once again we get to see how ticked off the non-ordained self-appointed prophet is.  Meredith had supposedly promised him the title of prophet and Meredith reneged on it.

The non-ordained self-appointed prophet is also not impressed with Meredith claiming that he has written countless articles.  The non-ordained prophet says he has written over 4,000 articles.  A number higher than Rod's.

While Dr. Meredith certainly did do evangelical campaigns and taught Bible classes, I would suggest that writing "hundreds of articles" is not that unique of an accomplishment. I have written well over 4,000 articles/newsposts at COGwriter since changing to the WordPress format in June 2007. There were at least hundreds of articles and newsposts prior to then that I personally wrote. Perhaps I should mention that I have had affiliation with the Church of God for forty years myself and am not without a depth of experience myself.

The non-ordained self appointed prophet gets in another dig at Meredith claiming he and LCG are not the one to carry out the final phase of the work.  That person is none other than the non-ordained self appointed prophet.

Anyway, while Dr. Meredith apparently hopes people will believe that God will use him and LCG to finish what I have called "the final phase of the work," it would require repentance and significant change in LCG for that to be possible. Even one Charlotte-based LCG minister told me recently that he believed such change could not happen without a least one major death in LCG's top leadership. And I believe it would take more than that as I have found insufficient "love of the truth" there, and unnecessary hesitation which often prevents bolder proclamation of the truth by the media outlets LCG uses.

For some asinine reason the non-ordained self -appointed prophet feels that the disillusion legions of COG members will be soon flocking to his door step.

We in the Continuing Church of God are boldly going forward with the work. We are leading the final phase of the work. Hopefully, more who were once part of various COGs, as well as those who are newer seekers of the truth, will be like the Bereans and search to see that these things are so (Acts 17:10-12).

You are not ordained Bud, so why do you expect the COG to flock to you?  For a church that places high importance on church governance, having a non-ordained self-appointed person in charge is a deal breaker.

Will Non-Ordained Prophet Thiel Be Joining Forces With This Church of God?

I do think that the non-ordained self-appointed prophet of the Continuing Ed Church of God needs to partake of the sacraments of this Church of God.  If he did so he might loosen up that tight ass holier-than-thou attitude he has.  It would also certainly liven up those incredibly BAD videos he produces.

This group is in Arizona, a state that seems to attract the crazies from the other Churches of God too.  This is the wonderful state that gave sanctuary to Daryl Henson's splinter cult so they could build a commune close to the FLDS compound Colorado City. 

They certainly sound more refreshing than the dead COG that prophet Thiel dreamed up.

The Peyote Way Church of God is a non-sectarian, multicultural, experiential, Peyotist organization located in southeastern Arizona, in the remote Aravaipa wilderness. It is not affiliated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, the Native American Church, or any other religious organizations, though we do accept people from all faiths. Church membership is open to all races. We encourage individuals to create their own rituals as they become acquainted with the great mystery. We believe that the Holy Sacrament Peyote, when taken according to our sacramental procedure and combined with a holistic lifestyle (see Word of Wisdom), can lead an individual toward a more spiritual life.

Peyote is currently listed as a controlled substance and its religious use is protected by Federal law only for Native American members of the Native American Church. Non-Indian Peyote use is protected in five states : AZ, NM, CO, NV, and OR. We do not have access to Peyote where it grows in South Texas and Mexico. As it is an endangered species, we believe an essential and inseparable part of our religious practice is the growing and stewardship of the Holy Sacrament Peyote.

Doctrines:

People often want to know what we believe, but our purpose in designing the Peyote Way Church was not to create more dogma. Our purpose was to make the Holy Sacrament Peyote available to seekers in a safe environment. So, when you ask what we believe, our answer may be a bit vague. 

What we believe is personal, and we are not interested in forcing our beliefs on anyone else. We also believe that the government has no place inside your conscience.

We focus more on conduct and being present. The mural on the Congregation House depicts symbols of five major religions: Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism and Hinduism. Peyote is available to the communicant regardless of his/her religious preference.

Rod Meredith Says To Be Wary of Non-Ordained Self-Appointed Wannabe's Who Have No Experience

The Living Church of God has an article up accompanying a photo of the current Council of Elders.  It also contains a letter from the Presiding Evangelist (i.e. ordained) Roderick C Meredith.  In the article he talks about the on the current Council of Elders and the qualities they bring to it.

 
Here are a few highlights.


Rod Meredith talks about the current men on the council and how they all get along so fabulously unlike the grumbling cry babies that jumped ship to Dave Packs cult or started their own splinter group.

The atmosphere of the Council is, consistently, extremely warm, loving and dedicated. Council members have commented that they can virtually “feel” the love and warmth among the members of the Council, and their dedication to the Work of God.

I can just feel the sunshine and lollipops right now!  I am so warm and fuzzy that I need some pink cotton candy right now!


No other Church of God on earth, including that non-ordained self appointed prophet, has as many dedicated and loyal men who trained at the feet of Herbert Armstrong than LCG has. Even the church raiding apostle in Wadsworth doesn't have as many loyal men in it.  Meredith also wants the membership to know that he has no "yes men" on the Council.  Not a single man on the Council ever expresses a dissenting voice in any decisions. They are united as one, unlike the non-ordained self-appointed upstart, who brought dissension and division into the Body of Christ.

The main purpose of the Council of Elders is to advise the Presiding Evangelist on doctrines, practices and important programs of the Church and Work of God. We have much hearty discussion on all of these issues. And we certainly do not encourage “yes men” in any way. Although we do have open and frank discussions, the underlying dedication and obvious guidance of God’s Spirit gives us an unusual unity of mind—for which we are very thankful. We want to fulfill the inspired comments of the Apostle Paul about God’s purpose for the entire ministry: “And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ” (Ephesians 4:11–15).

Meredith wants the membership to know that the LCG is far better equipped for the ministry of God than Dave Pack or the non-ordained self-appointed prophet's mini group.  LCG's men are men of distinction who trained with or worked with Herbert Armstrong, unlike the non-ordained self-appointed prophet Thiel.  LCG's men have thousands of hours of experience of sitting at the feet of Herbert Armstrong and learning from him while the non-ordained self-appointed prophet never even attended God's College!

Unlike the non-ordained prophet who is interpreting things along his own line of mythology, the LCG is not changing anything that HWA instituted, despite the warnings of the non-ordained self-appointed critic/prophet Thiel.

In the Living Church of God, we are doing all we can to strengthen our brethren, and help them understand “the whole counsel of God” (Acts 20:27). Frankly, we are far better equipped to do this because most of the older ministers and those who worked directly with Mr. Herbert Armstrong came with us near the beginning of this Work! Men like Messrs. Dibar Apartian, Raymond McNair, Syd Hegvold, Carl McNair, Richard Ames—and others—were older, experienced ministers who worked with Mr. Armstrong or, as in Mr. Ames’ case, were even placed on the World Tomorrow telecast directly by Mr. Armstrong. We have had, collectively, thousands of hours of experience in meetings with Mr. Armstrong and the other leaders in God’s Work over a period of decades. We knew Mr. Armstrong, and we knew what he wanted for the Work. We deeply respect what Christ did through Mr. Armstrong and do not in any way intend to change—and will not change—any of the basic truths Christ revealed through him, such as the Sabbath, Holy Days, etc. Sadly, there are some former Worldwide members and ministers who, in order to advance their own particular agendas, have tried to portray a “different” Mr. Armstrong than the real one. We are grateful to have had a Council that has included a significant number of men who directly knew better than these self-appointed critics!

Then Meredith gets to the meat of his article. It is he, and only he, who is qualified to be leading such a ministry.  Unlike the non-ordained and self-appointed prophet Thiel, he never appointed himself to a higher office.  

No one has more experience in teaching Bible classes as he has.  Something that the non-ordained prophet has never accomplished.  

Meredith wants Thiel and others to know that he is the ONLY ONE in the entire COG that had been a Deputy Chancellor of all three colleges, a second Vice President of the WCG and Ambassador College for many years.  He has written hundreds and hundreds of articles over the years, unlike the non-ordained Thiel.  Because Jesus Christ has used him over  the decades he as the ability to bring stability to the church, instead of running to-and-fro like the non-ordained prophet is doing. 

 

Then best of all, the ORDAINED leader of the LCG wants the non-ordained prophet of the Continuing Ed Church of God  to remember that he is NOT ordained.  Since Meredith is ordained he carries on a mantle that the non-ordained prophet cannot carry.  In other words, the non-ordained self-appointed prophet is an impotent little man compared to this mighty, masculine, ordained man.

God’s inspired word tells us: “Remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow, considering the outcome of their conduct. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:7–8). Brethren, I have never tried to “appoint myself” as an apostle or to any other high office. But many of you realize that even throughout the extended Church of God fellowships around the world—there is no one who has had the depth of experience I have had as one who has spoken the word of God to you. In spite of my human weaknesses, Christ has used me to teach more Bible classes than any other human being in this age. I am the only one who has been Deputy Chancellor of all three colleges, and was Second Vice President of the Worldwide Church of God and Ambassador College for many years. I have written literally hundreds of articles and conducted hundreds of evangelistic campaigns all over the world. The living Christ has used me as a human instrument to do these things. Although I seldom mention this in such detail, I do want you to realize that Christ is in charge of our lives and has guided me—as He has guided all of us—in this way, so that I can bring this kind of experience of stability to the Church, which I have sincerely tried to do now for more than 20 years of the Global/Living Church of God Work. As most of you know, my entire ministry goes back more than 60 years—as I was ordained an evangelist by Mr. Armstrong on December 20, 1952.

Then in another direct slam against the non-ordained self-appointed prophet Thiel, Meredith says this:

 God’s word also tells us, “Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you” (Hebrews 13:17). Certainly, this inspired warning should give pause to any of those who are tempted to become “self-appointed critics” and constantly look for the “loose brick” as they eagerly seek to find any, any fault they can criticize.  We must not let ourselves become confused or distracted by those who try to position themselves as “superior” to the ones Christ is actually using to do His Work.

There you have it LCG members!  Do not let yourselves be confused by non-ordained self-appointed upstarts who do not have any experience!