In the Church of God the Feast of tabernacles always attempted to portray a foretaste of the Kingdom of God where everyone dwells in harmony. Tens of thousands would gather at the larger sites with 8 days of sermons and fun. There was unity unparalleled, as false as it was.
Now let's flash forward to 2016 and you will see how broken up and divided the Church of God has now become. Look below at Branson Missouri. Look at how many DIFFERENT Church of God's that will be meeting there. Each one proclaiming that they and they alone are keeping the Feast right. Some will publicly tell their members to NOT associate with any of the other COG's present.
It truly is a sad state of affairs in the church. If they cannot get along now, how in the world will they all dwell peacefully together in Petra when the call comes out to flee there?
Missouri has the following Feast sites in its borders.
Missouri—Branson: UCG, http://feast.ucg.org.
Branson: CGWA, http://feast.cogwa.org.
Branson: ICG, http://intercontinentalcog.org.
Branson: Oct. 15-22, International Congregation of Yahweh, www. feastgoer.org/metamorph_spring/ branson16.html.
Branson: CGMI, http://thecogmi.org.
Branson: Sept. 14-21, Church of God in Truth, http://postponements.com.
Eminence: Oct. 15-22, Congregation of Yahweh (Missouri), http://yahschosen.org.
Greenville: Sept. 17-24, Yahweh’s Restoration Ministry, http://yrm. org/FOT2016.
Lake of the Ozarks: Feast of the Nations, http://sukkot- fotn.org.
Osage Beach: LCG, https://fot2016.lcg.org.
And then there is the Sunshine state, as divided as ever.Steelville: Sept. 17-24, EliYah, http://praiseyah.com.
Florida—Destin: Church of God Big Sandy, http://churchofgodbigsandy.com, David Havir III, (903) 714-3007.
Fort Myers: CGWA, http://feast.cogwa.org.
Fort Walton Beach: Common Faith Network, www.commonfaithnetwork.org, (513) 755-0040.
Fort Walton Beach: CGI, http://cgi.org/feast-of-tabernacles.
Fort Walton Beach: CGMI, http://thecogmi.org.
Lantana: Christian Church of God, Neville Gilbert, jancgil@aol.com, (561) 547- 4952.
Melrose: Community of YHVH, http://fallfeast.com.
Panama City Beach: LCG, https://fot2016.lcg.org.
Panama City Beach: UCG, http://feast.ucg.org.
Panama City Beach: ICG, http://intercontinen- talcog.org.
Panama City Beach: CGI, http://cgi.org/feast-of-tabernacles.
St. Petersburg: COG in Miami, http://godschurch.org.
Let me guess. If the COG's only practiced fair trade they would still unified. zzzzzzzzzzz
ReplyDeleteIt is terrible how HWA exploited the Feast of Tabernacles to cause his followers to revile all Christians as false and under the influence of Satan. The Feast of Tabernacles is a beautiful festival that is precious to Jews all over the world. It is terrible how HWA exploited this festival to make his followers think his organization was the only true religion on all the Earth.
ReplyDeleteHWA barely knew anything about the Feast of Tabernacles and he mangled it beyond recognition. Among the Jewish community it is a joyous festival that is spent at home or visiting relatives and friends. They build sukkot (singular sukkah), an outdoor enclosure on their property, in their homes in memory of the wandering in the wilderness and joyfully celebrate the Feast together in their homes.
But HWA did not understand any of this. Getting his followers to build sukkah in their homes and meeting with family, friends and follow believers of the Radio/Worldwide Church of God would not help HWA. The members focus and resources would be spent on each other and not HWA's leadership. So he turned it into an annual conference that inefficiently lasts for eight days. Instead of being in a tent like sukkah he got his followers to assemble together and twisted this joyous feast into an eight indoctrination session and annual conference.
Many churches and organizations have an annual conference of some kind. Usually they only last for a weekend. But HWA imposed an eight day annual conference upon his followers. What can possibly be done in eight days that cannot be done in a weekend? This is a terrible burden HWA imposed on his followers.
HWA committed a shameful act of cultural appropriation exploiting this beautiful Jewish festival for his own narrow sectarian ends. It is shameful what HWA did to this beautiful festival and twisted it into an unnecessary burden that serves to more effective control his followers. It is terrible what HWA did to this beautiful festival. We should have respected this beautiful Jewish festival and left it alone, leaving it the Jewish community.
There is no need for a Christian to observe this festival. We should leave this beautiful Jewish festival alone.
It's not only confined to being a jewish festival. Thousands of Christians outside of hwa cog groups observe the feast of tabernacles in Jerusalem each year and they are not jewish.
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ReplyDeleteAh, memories of the Feast.
ReplyDeleteThe condescending attitude, for example, of those who were traveling a long way toward those of us who couldn't take more than the week of vacation, and were "going local."
Or the awkward moments explaining to those we worked with, why we were taking so much time in October that there wouldn't be many days we could take in December. You know -- when everyone else took days off.
Best of all: the note I got from a person I respected (once), from a site during the first Feast AFTER I escaped from Armstrongland. It asked, "Don't you think you should be here with us?"
Answer, in a word: "Noooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Didn't think I should be there, and didn't miss it AT ALL. Not even that first year.
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ReplyDeleteSadly for the C of G's, none of the holy days can be kept 'right' since they are all based on the old sacrificial system. The Levitical system is over."There being a change in the priesthood there is of necessity a change also in the law".
ReplyDeleteBut that does not mean that the church has a right to do as they please.
Where is the sukkah,the lulav and esrog at the Feast of Tabernacles? Where is the reading of the law? It is commanded but the church tailors the feasts to fit their own ideas.
Ask the sons of Eli about that. Ask Uzzah how tailoring the law worked out for him!
You can't do it.
The holy days were fulfilled in Christ.
The widows and orphans will eat alone, sit alone. The ministry will sit in their privileged seating section and stay in their expensive rooms.
Many without the big paychecks will not be able to go at all and receive cheap postcards from those who 'transfer' to expensive sites.
In a decent church no one should be able to transfer unless everyone can afford to go to the assigned site.
Some families have enough 2nd tithe to take another family along!
But then tithing was part of the Levitical system which was ended as well.
No, the ministry are not somehow magically turned into Levites no matter what and even if they were the levitical system is over!
The church really has to alter scripture to fix these problems and they do.
The excuse is always "Oh that translation is wrong".
Sad.
Anon at 12:47 AM,
ReplyDeletePick ye not on TradingGuy. Verily I say unto you, thanks be unto TradingGuy!
The Holy Spirit told him when Jesus would be returning, and he has graciously let us know without asking for anything in return, except our belief in the veracity of the information.
I do wonder about various trade issues, though, such as: 1) Wife swapping among COG ministers, and 2) Lunch swapping in gradeschool, when one lunch consists of a Philadelphia cheese-steak hoagie with curly fries on the side, and the other lunch only consists of jelly on wonderbread and a potato chip.
But, I digress. Getting back to the subject of this posting, I'll offer the following true FOT vignette-
A friend was attending services in a hotel.
She went to the bathroom.
She walked back from the bathroom, and entered the room, seeing longtime friends of hers near the door in the hall and within the room.
She offered pleasantries to those she saw, but most everyone gave her cold stares or outright ignored her.
Then she realized she had WALKED INTO THE WRONG ROOM, which was occupied by a different splinter group.
So much for the "enduring godly love" friendship bonds from people with whom she had spent so many past years with- through happy times, trials and tribulations.
Wow, what happened to Rcg in both of these areas? Did they get kicked out for not paying their bills? Or do they not have enough members left anymore?
ReplyDeleteWell, at least we don't have to watch those sappy , pathetic "Young Amabassador" films anymore! You know, the ones where they personally sing to HWA with wide eyes and adoring wonderment songs like "You'll Never Walk Alone" etc.
ReplyDeleteThe Rest of the Story??... 30 years later, nary a one of the "Young Ambassadors" is involved with any COG in the least. Everyone I know that knew any of them personally, hated that special class of elites, wannabe stars and snobs in the day.
Ha! Well, yes, Ive gone back in the past year and watched some of those clips, and I'm always struck by how silly they look and how bad the presentations are. Technically, the shots and editing aren't all bad, but their talent was really not handled well.
DeleteBut I guess that's typical for a cultish group, a presentation handled so badly and yet extolled by the group as a good thing.
The time when all the booze in the community disappears for the conference of alcoholics.
ReplyDeleteConnie, re. 'The Rest of the Story'--I don't know many of the YAs, but I know for certain that one is a minister in UCG (unless he's jumped to COGWA), and another is a member of a different splinter. So that's two, anyway.
ReplyDeleteDuane Abler is with Hulme's cult. Creepy Joel Meeker is with Meredith. UCG also has some of the brown nosing elitists in their employ. All of those in the YA's thought they were God's gift to the church and expected people to be in awe of them. Most of them were and still are Class A assholes.
ReplyDeleteLast I knew, Joel Meeker jumped ship from UCG to COGWA. Has he ditched COGWA for LCG?
ReplyDeleteNo
DeleteWe are not divided...*cough*...All one body we...*cough cough cough*
ReplyDeleteOne in hope and doctrine......*cough cough*...One in chariteee...*cough cough cough cough cough cough*
Slimy Meeker could be in COGWA, its so confusing anymore since they all jump ship so often.
ReplyDeletePeople, its a church group choral group and they did a nice job. It needn't be professional or Hollywood, that isn't what it was for.
ReplyDeleteStick to doctrine and cultish junk but do you have to jump on stupidity like mocking the Young Ambassadors etc?
This is too Junior High
Yes, I would. Projects like that, according to HWA, should be "QUALITY", and that one definitely was lacking it on multiple levels. But Connies remark about the self-exaltation of those guys is entertaining nonetheless.
DeleteThe sites listed here are primarily those COG groups who will allow anyone (who comes in peace) to attend. Organizations such as; PCG and RCG will not be listed here, because they are "closed" groups, that only their members and coworkers can attend.
ReplyDeleteWe should all show our love for the one that matters Most!
ReplyDeleteGet over your Highs for the Guy!
Indeed, HWA didn't really understand how the whole system held together, only what he gleaned from Rupert, with a few changes.
ReplyDeleteHolding the feast "at the place where I put My Name" did not mean where HWA (or other COG leader) chose to hold it; it meant the Tabernacle, and later the Temple. So today Jews will celebrate the High Holy Days in their local synagogue. And since it will get a bit crowded, unless you want to stand, you need to book a seat. Next year, Jerusalem!
You are correct, Hoss. It didn't strike me until I was an adult how oddly we had interpreted an ancient call for centralized worship. It would be interesting if we knew exactly how, or if the Hebrews in the time of, say, Jair were handling Sukkot.
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ReplyDeleteLook at the fruit. The feast of tabernacles is supposed to forshadow a time when all the earth is at one, undivided and at peace. Then how come those that keep the feast are divided into so many factions? The simple answer to me is that the feast doesn't forshadow anything. It was kept in days past for other reasons. As I believe I stated in another post, I am an ex-member of the UCG,I attend the local 7th day advantist church. Although I believe it is important to keep the Sabbath I don't believe that the Hebrew holy days are for us today.
ReplyDelete8.51AM on the contrary, Sinatra and Elvis (a Jew) both do a beautiful rendition of the song. I would be begging for mercy if forced to listen to Rod or Herbie sing the song. Did you know that both Captain Kirk and Spock are Jewish.
ReplyDeleteCheers Trading Guy
Well, there was Sid Vicious' version, but that was more of an overthought piece of humor.
ReplyDeleteTake the mask off!
ReplyDelete"HWA's Powermad Legacy Anthem" in it's true, proper, unpolished, tone.
DBP
Every single post that mentions TRADE from here on out will be deleted. I am sick of every conversation being hijacked. If you don't like that then you don't need to be posting here. I am no about the numbers game for readers. Its getting pathetic at the idiotic posts lately. Grow up or leave.
ReplyDeleteComment was made saying: "...In the Church of God the Feast of tabernacles always attempted to portray a foretaste of the Kingdom of God where everyone dwells in harmony. Tens of thousands would gather at the larger sites with 8 days of sermons and fun. There was unity unparalleled, as false as it was..."
ReplyDeleteWhere did those 8 days of sermons/fun come from? Yes, all 8 days were treated like each day was a holy convocation, when God only asked that a holy convocation occur on the 1st day of the Feast of TabernacleS and on the Eighth Day and, of course, on a weekly Sabbath if it occurred in between those 2 convocations.
Oh, God made another mistake......some have perhaps thought.
And "foretaste of the Kingdom of God?" Where did that "Kingdom of God" come from?
No wonder anon 3:34 AM spoke of the confusion with writing: "...Look at the fruit. The feast of tabernacles is supposed to forshadow a time when all the earth is at one, undivided and at peace. Then how come those that keep the feast are divided into so many factions? The simple answer to me is that the feast doesn't forshadow anything. It was kept in days past for other reasons. As I believe I stated in another post, I am an ex-member of the UCG,I attend the local 7th day advantist church. Although I believe it is important to keep the Sabbath I don't believe that the Hebrew holy days are for us today..."
The 8th day is a separate, unique, Feast and shadows something different from the Feast of TabernacleS.
And the Feast of TabernacleS is 7 days with emphasize on that 1st day. Obviously, that Feast has something to do with tabernacles, plural, more than one tabernacle! And fruit? That Feast has something to do with being a shadow for something dealing with tabernacles and fruit:
Leviticus 23:39 Also in the FIFTEENTH DAY of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the FRUIT of the land, ye shall keep a feast unto the LORD seven days: on the first day shall be a sabbath, and on the eighth day shall be a sabbath.
:40 And ye shall take you on THE FIRST DAY the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and ye shall REJOICE before the LORD your God SEVEN DAYS.
Satan is supposedly going to have a "pit-stop" for a 1,000 years in some pit.
The title of this post is: "The Feast of Tabernacles In The Church of God...A Time of Disunity or Millennial Harmony?"
Jesus Christ won't be reigning on earth so, perhaps, there will be some sort of a human utopia for a change, for a 1,000 years......at least until Satan is released out of that pit to then go forth to deceive the world again, cause worldwide war and peace is again a "thing of the past" and Jerusalem again becomes a huge mess.
Meanwhile, there currently still is much confusion amongst us, and it does have an author:
"For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints." 1 Corinthians 14:33
11 coglets are listed as attending the Feast in Branson and 12 in Florida! Wow, that is confusion! That sure does highlight disunity and confusion, and lies will continue to be spread around.
I'm going to weigh in on the time of millennial harmony with a human utopia.
And time will tell...
John