For decades now we have seen one prophet after another rise up in the Church of God spouting their "inspired" interpretations of scripture and their dates of Christ's return. Every single time they set a date, Jesus plays a game with them and delays his coming. I can see Jesus sitting on his throne with a reset button at his right hand; hitting it whenever a COG prophet runs off at the mouth.
The official Pharisee of the Church of God, who spends every waking hour bastardizing the law to support his legalistic rants, is back again letting us know that Christ will be returning in 2022. But that "...is only a general, vague, ballpark date, and is not a set in stone firm precise date" even though it WILL be 2022.
All of these buffoons in the church spout this nonsense every year and every year they end up looking like blithering idiots.
The Pharisee James Malm writes:
The Daniel 8 study on the 2,300 Day prophecy reveals that Messiah the Christ would come to cleanse the sanctuary and build the Ezekiel Temple 2,300 years [at a day for a year] after the empire of Alexander was divided into four parts. That happened in approximately 280 B.C. and counting forward 2,300 years brings the coming of Christ in early 2022.
The problem with this date is the word “approximately,” because in fact pin pointing the precise date that Alexanders empire was divided into four parts is impossible and with the start of the count not precisely known, any count could be in error by a year or more. Therefore the coming of Christ in early 2022 is only a general, vague, ball park date, and is not a set in stone firm precise date. it is an approximation only.He then proceeds to do everything he can to "prove" his calculations are correct:
We must now look for confirmation of the Daniel 8 2300 day prophecy in holy scripture and we find it in the Ezekiel 4 – 5 forty year prophecy.
God reveals to Ezekiel that in the latter days he would protect the Jewish state for forty years before giving her over to severe correction. we all know that independence came in 1948 which is much longer than forty years ago so what does this forty years of protection mean?
In October 1978 a peace treaty was agreed between Egypt and the Jewish state with the United States [the Anglo Saxon peoples of America being one of the ten tribes of Israel] guaranteeing the security of the modern Jewish state against all enemies.
The treaty was actually signed on 26 March 1979, and became effective January 1980. IF this peace treaty is what is meant by the 40 year prophecy, then the tribulation could begin in either late 2018, 2019 or 2020 depending on the date used; either the agreement, or the signing date or the effective date.
Daniel 9 tells us that this tribulation or Time of Jacob’s trouble will last for 42 months; if we add forty years plus 42 months for the tribulation to the peace treaty between the Jewish state and Egypt we arrive at 2022, 2023 or 2024 for the coming of Christ.2022, 2023, 2024......1971, 1972, 1975, 1978, 1986...one lie after another!
The Pharisee ends his article with this:
The US and the Anglo Saxon nations based on the US Dollar will quickly fall into economic collapse and escalating cascading catastrophes over the next 42 months (Dan 12:7) until they have been humbled and are ready to accept the King of kings when he comes.
We must be very careful not to get carried away when this war comes, because a peace deal still has to be made and ratified which might be very quick or it might take many more months.
As always be vigilant and also be careful to wait for all the signs.
- When a Mideast peace deal is being finalized,
- When this man of sin is set up and doing miracles in the Vatican,
- When he calls for a New Order in Europe and
- Then schedules his trip to Jerusalem and
- God’s two are set up after the abomination is set up;
When these key signs are fulfilled, we can know that the tribulation is imminent. While we wait, it is extremely important that we prepare by seriously studying doctrine of Holy Scripture and by turning away from idolizing men and corporate organizations to live by every Word of God; in the hope of being chosen for the resurrection/change.
There is never any mention of resting in Christ which results in not having to worry about this useless crap. They only part Jesus plays in these idiotic scenarios is that he is coming back really, really pissed and is going to slaughter most of humankind because, well...he's pissed! Pharisee Malm says so!
I have always avoided thinking about when Christ might return due to the fact nobody knows, but I always taught in Sunday school that we should live life to the fullest and live as though today was to be our last.
ReplyDeleteWhy ANYONE gives this wanna-be know it all the time of day is absolutely beyond me.
ReplyDeleteMalm is one of MANY on the COG scene who thought they had a handle on all things prophecy. I can tell you, the conversations of the cliques before and after services were of the same level, predicting the same thing - different times, different nations, different dates - but essentially mirroring the same thing. The difference with Malm is nothing more than a computer and an audience.
It is remarkable how every one of these people cannot make and hold a definite prophecy to save their lives. They end up backtracking, editing, lying, denying, revising, recalculating, rethinking, and doing it all over again. The one who infamously DID stick to his asinine predictions right up to the day? - well, we all know how THAT turned out. He made a mockery of himself, the make-believe powers he claimed to have, and ended up "marked" himself.
The thing that astounds me is that people are still so convicted of Armstrongism's absolute nonsense, that they refuse to acknowledge what the truth of it all is - one man's fantasy turned into a belief system that was used as a financial con-job to for self-indulgence and extravagance. There is literally piles and folders of evidence to prove this without any shadow of a doubt.
But you can't tell the victims that. They live in an alternate reality, oblivious to the deception. And you can't tell the current "prophesiers" that either. They think they're right, every time - until they aren't. Which is every time.
Which leads me to the top ten excuses an Armstrong Apologist will make to defend a lying prophet:
10) "It's essentially on point, I was only off by a little bit."
9) "God changed his mind. It's not my fault."
8) "God didn't reveal it to me fully. Until now."
7) "You all didn't have enough faith."
6) "God is being merciful and giving us more time. We need to work harder."
5) "It all went according to plan...spiritually."
4) "I never, ever set a real date. Just a timeframe."
3) "Now, with this new piece of world news, it all comes together, and this is how.."
2) "You completely misinterpreted what I said. I never said ANYTHING like that."
1) "That was NOT a prophecy. I was merely speculating. That's all."
The Top Words a Not-A-Prophet Prophet LOVE to use. (These are their outs.)
ReplyDeletePerhaps. Maybe. Possibly. Could. Probably. Seems. Likely. Seemingly. Approximate. More-or-less. Indicates. Presumes. Potentially. Chance. Assume. Assuming. Imminent. No-More-Than. In-Less-Than. Not-Before. Undoubtedly. May. Possibility.
"Power" words a Not-A-Prophet Prophet LOVE to use in conjunction with the above. (These words bring a feeling of authority.)
Astounding. Incredible. Amazing. Remarkable. Absolutely. Certainly. Assuredly. Tremendous. Powerful. Great. Unthinkable. Unimaginable. Definitely. Shocking. Life-Changing. Awe-Striking. Will. With Authority.
Hooks: (These words are used to entice your financial support:)
Urgent. Rush. Help. Crisis. Problem. Situation. Serious. Need, Etc.
The Without You's.... (Used to personally appeal to your support:) (Followed by Without You)
I Cannot do this, God Cannot do this, We cannot do this, this ministry cannot do this, The Gospel Cannot Spread, This prophecy cannot get out, We would be finished, Etc....
]
The Invoking of a Deity (To bring God into it, making it stamped with God's blessing)
Christ said, God said, Jesus said, In the authority of, by the authority of, In Jesus' name, by the power AND the authority of, God told me, Jesus told me, the Holy Spirit told me, an Angel told me, the Word Spoke to me, the Bible spoke to me...
The "Self" Component
Watch for: an abundance of "I's" or "Me's" in the statement. Self-importance seems to be very prevalent in prophesies.
And Finally, the "Woe To You's"
Watch for: If you don't do this, then this will happen to YOU for not doing your part. (In many ways and forms - meant to induce fear, guilt and shame.)
In nearly every prophecy you will nearly always find most OR ALL of these words IN THE SAME PROPHECY.
Examples:
An Astounding prophecy will likely happen.
An Incredible turn of world events could happen in less than.
"When these key signs are fulfilled, we can know that..."
ReplyDeleteEventually, there will come a day when all the signs are fulfilled. And you know what will happen after that? Nothing.
I'm sure, after the Black Death killed half of Europe's population they thought, surely, Jesus must be about to return. This has to be significant. This has to mean something, right? This is simply too big to just be time and chance! But no.
Just imagine the worst apocalyptic scenario. The collapse of civilization. The population centers are evacuated. Anarchy descends upon the globe. Billions of people die. Power grids and running water are a thing of the past. Religiosity among the survivors skyrockets. Then Jesus will surely be back within 3 1/2 years, right? This has to be significant. This has to mean something. This is simply too big to just be time and chance! Nope.
Ever since Malm’s gIrlfriend left him he has been struggling to remain relevant. She was a better writer than he was. He prediction addiction is downright silly.
ReplyDeleteShouldn't we at least entertain the thought that Mr. James Malm may be correct in his prediction?
ReplyDeleteStill waiting for the fire his ex promised he'd call down on us.
DeleteWhat part of "No one knows, only the Father knows" do you not understand. I wish they would spend as much time and energy preaching on James 1:27. True religion (not the phony type) that God find acceptable (not all religions are acceptable) is to . . . . . . . and . . . . . . . .
ReplyDeleteOf course, to practice TRUE religion is much more difficult. So, churches busy themselves with administrative tasks to keep the organization functioning, prophecy and liturgy. It's easier, not as messy as practicing TRUE religion.
Grace Communion International spokeswoman Claire believes liar James Malm might be telling the truth about 2022. Too funny! This is coming from Miss Potty Mouth, Grace Communions most perfect example of Christian behaviour. Thanks for reminding us why we have left it behind.
ReplyDeleteThe impersonator who is now writing under the Claire Voighent moniker said:
ReplyDelete"Shouldn't we at least entertain the thought that Mr. James Malm may be correct in his prediction?"
Why should we?
Shouldn't we at least entertain the thought that the Ancient Alien hypothesis is correct?
Why should we do that either?
Shouldn't we at least entertain the thought that the Old Norse religion is correct?
We could go on like this ad infinitum.
James Malm needs some anti-depressants.
I will point out that I do believe in the ancient alien hypothesis.
ReplyDeleteI have found some of Malms articles on religious technical issues educational. Having Malm and others challenged the one "correct" interpretation of prophesy is a step forward compared to the "plain truth" of yesteryear.
ReplyDeleteWhat I don't like about precise date setting is that it motivates some, but discourages others. A 'solution' that harms some, is not Gods way.
It is a vetted Millerite ploy to capitalize on the Return of Christ. Every Millerite preacher who hoped to pluck a dollar from a pocket has used it.
ReplyDeleteChrist himself stated that he did not know the time of his return.
The book of Revelation speaks of Christ returning soon - whatever "soon" means to someone who is eternal My personal view is that Revelation very likely does not belong in the canon anyway. That statement is an outrage to Millerites - the ideal Millerite Bible would contain only the book of Revelation.
Armstrongism adds to this picture the untenable idea that the foundation of Biblical prophecy is British-Israelism - none of prophecy makes sense without this key doctrine. British-Israelism is blatantly false and this is scientifically demonstrable through Genetics. Anyone who wants to be honest wit themselves and is willing to do a little research can establish this - it isn't rocket science. The center of Armstrongist prophetic belief gave way long ago. Only the most stubborn hang onto these odd ideas.
while i dont subscribe to the various time calculations, which clearly have proven vain, i do note the signs of the times:
ReplyDeleteclearly the anglo saxon world is in decline, hence the threat of armies of the world surrounding jerusalem is greatly increased...
the man in the white house has way too many similarities to the man of sin described in Daniel 11:21 thru the end...
as is Written, we in the anglo saxon world are increasingly subject to terror, e.g., mass shootings, as well as "conventional" terrorism...
our planet is increasingly under the stress of climate change and is fulfilling the various prophesies found in the book of Revelation regarding the vials being poured out upon the earth and sea...
and, of course, there are the scoffers and the traitors...
c f ben yochanan
Sarah Tonin believes in the "ancient alien" theory. That has to be the most ludicrous comment on this thread.
ReplyDeleteSarah Tonin believes in the "ancient alien" theory. That has to be the most ludicrous comment on this thread.
ReplyDeleteThough your comment reeks of judgement and mocking, "Potty", Sarah has an open mind, is not afraid to state a controversial viewpoint, is making a point that is actually a method scientists use called "Leave No Stone Unturned." If you can't disprove a thing, don't throw out a thing. If scientists constantly threw out every controversial viewpoint that existed and never explored it, we would never be where we are today in our quest for knowledge. Remember Galileo.
There's something to be said about those who search and thirst for understanding. There's something else to be said about those who just mock. Though many may sneer that Sarah may entertain a controversial theory, I actually applaud the fact she's willing to think, explore, and pontificate. Something people in legalism don't have the guts, the mind, or frankly, the intelligence, in many cases, to do.
Correction: I used incorrect verbiage. Pontificate was incorrect. I should have used the correct verbiage: "wonder". That's more of an appropriate. Sorry, Sarah. :)
ReplyDeleteIs British-Israelism true or false? God sits on a throne and answers sincere prayer requests. So ask?
ReplyDeleteThere is a book called "Libtard-Savant: The Strange Paradox of the High IQ Liberal" by M.S. King. He ought to write another one about the WCG and its offshoots.
ReplyDeleteNapolean wasn't short, he just had tall bodyguards. The British used the lie that he was short to invent the idea that he started wars to make up for his insecurities. They did that so they could blame him for starting the wars, but it was actually the bankers and the governments that they controlled (like the British) that started the wars. So Napolean wasn't some evil head-of-the-beast type character after all; he was fighting the evil bankers and their puppet governments. Armstrongism fails again by misinterpreting history yet again. The end is not near because Armstrong miscounted the number of heads of the beast.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous @ 9:28 says, ". . .Sarah has an open mind, is not afraid to state a controversial viewpoint, is making a point that is actually a method scientists use called "Leave No Stone Unturned."
ReplyDeleteSarah spoils the illusion that she has an open mind by saying she "believes" in the ancient alien hypothesis. A hypothesis is a guess worth testing. Her belief turns it into an article of faith instead. If she said she believes scientists should devise a test for the hypothesis and carry it out, that would fall in line with the principle "Leave No Stone Unturned."
One other principle scientist follow is to avoid wasting time by repeatedly turning over the same stone once it has been established there is nothing under it--that is, that no one can point to any objectively verifiable evidence for it. A classic example is Anon 10:25's "sincere prayer requests," from which believers often get deep subjective satisfaction. Prayer requests may also have important placebo/nocebo effects on subjects who know the prayers are being made, but they have never been observed to affect those unaware that someone is praying to bless or curse them.
This is not to say we should all ditch every reference to metaphysical propositions. They afford us endless opportunity for discussion, in part because they can never be objectively verified or debunked. One of my favorite speculations is that dark matter, which scientists have hypothesized on the basis of gravitational effects but cannot detect directly, is undetectable precisely because it is the substance of god, who does not want to be directly observed. It's no article of faith. I don't believe it for a minute. I like it merely because it's entertaining as a starting point for speculation.
Calling James Malm a Pharisee gives Pharisees like Nicodemus, Joseph of Arimathea, and of course the Apostle Paul a bad name!
ReplyDeleteAnalysis of the Gospels and teachings of the two Pharisaic schools (ultraconservative Shammai, and the more liberal Hillel) show that Jesus was usually at odds with the Shammaites, while Jesus' teachings, with a few exceptions, appeared to favor the Hillel school.
Is British-Israelism true or false? God sits on a throne and answers sincere prayer requests. So ask?
ReplyDeleteHebrews 4:16 says: "Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need."
Who is us? Galatians 3:8 says: "There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus."
What is the key in Galatians 3:28? "In Christ Jesus". If you are in Christ, and a part of Christ's Body, it's clear it does not matter what nationality you are, what class you are, or what gender you are - you belong to Christ - so ask away.
The whole construct of BI is a slap in the face and a kick in the butt to the words of Paul and the teachings of Jesus. Period. By the way. The whole construct of BI was the foundation of HWA's teachings and movement. Does that mean the whole movement of HWA was a slap in the face to the words of Paul and the teachings of Jesus? EMPHATICALLY YES. When you begin to look at things through physical eyes, you are blind to the spiritual and most important matters. Which is a huge part of why Armstrongism causes and still causes so much misery, suffering, confusion, bewilderment, and even sends many down the road of atheism.
ReplyDeleteJames Malm has a serious case of CALENDAR CONFUSION. He has so badly garbled everything related to the calendar that he cannot even correctly figure out when anything will be in the coming year, much less when the end of the age will be.
Retired Prof says
ReplyDelete"Prayer requests ...have never been observed to affect those unaware that someone is praying to bless or curse them."
His scientific is that statement? Observed by whom? Which scientific experiment? What was the control? How very convenient for God to participate and co operate in this experiment. And this in a post about the scientific method. Ha ha ha ha. Very funny Prof. Ha ha ha.
My take:
ReplyDeleteGod is Spirit. Spirit lives outside of the physical world. I.E. Time/Space. Time is not relevant to God in the spiritual realm.
We now have access to God. Our access to God is not dependent on the constraints of time and space. The OT Israelites, according to scripture - did NOT have access to God. They were required to be dependent on specific times, dates, and seasons to participate in established ceremony and ritual as shadows of the spiritual they could not comprehend. To do so, they were required and obligated to use precise lunar time cycles and representative sacrifices.
NT Scripture says God is Spirit, and his worshipers must worship in Spirit and in Truth. Since we have access to God, whereas in the OT they did not. it is ludicrous to think we need to revert to methods of the physical when we can access God in the spiritual (i.e. outside of the boundaries of time and space). Furthermore, since Jesus took upon Himself everything that was required to pay for our sins that the OT rituals and ceremonies could not, the need for such ritual and ceremony isn't even needed. Armstrongism futilely attempts to go back in time and pretend Jesus didn't really do anything at all in the first place. And here we sit, watching Malm act an idiot, and others think they know it all and end up making asses of themselves, trying to go back in time to figure out things he does not in the least need to do - and neither do we.
You would think they would knock the screw loose in their heads out and reason that something doesn't add up with the way they are doing things. But that never happens. There was an old saying in the 90s.
"If it doesn't fit, you must acquit."
Which is exactly what Jesus did. The OT laws no longer fit because Jesus fulfilled them. They no longer were required to do what they were intended to do. Armstrongism turns around and says:
"He never acquitted, so we'll make them fit."
Anonymous @ 1:49 PM showers me with derision, apparently because I did not provide a full-blown review-of-the-literature article on the topic of prayer and healing studies.
ReplyDeleteEven if I were qualified to write such a paper (I was not a professor of either physiology or metaphysics), it would be too long to include on this blog. However, even a smartass like you is capable of Googling "prayer and healing experiments." When I did that, I came up with more than two million hits. At the top of that list is a report from the *New York Times* on a major experiment carried out by qualified medical personnel: "Long-Awaited Medical Study Questions the Power of Prayer."
It begins this way: "Prayers offered by strangers had no effect on the recovery of people who were undergoing heart surgery, a large and long-awaited study has found." If you browse further down through that list, you can select articles to study that report results from universities, medical centers, non-profit health agencies, and other reliable sources. Then you yourself can write the review article you hunger for.
" "Prayers offered by strangers had no effect on the recovery of people who were undergoing heart surgery, a large and long-awaited study has found.""
ReplyDeleteThis makes me wonder something about the prayers offered by strangers.
Obviously, the "praying people" were a part of the study. They were praying as part of a research project. I have to wonder if they were genuinely praying for a person to be healing out of love, compassion, concern, care, and their general welfare - or if it was simply a part of a research test.
If such a prayer was done as part of research, and not in genuine love, would one truly expect God, a God of love, to answer such a prayer? Would we expect God to take part in a research study when the motivation is not in love but a study?
To think emotionless, loveless prayer just to pray, and expect a result from a God of love misses the point. Just on this alone, my own personal opinion, would invalidate the study. God doesn't answer prayer to prove a study. He answers prayer out of genuine love and concern. That alone makes me see ANY study researching prayer where people are part of the project's research and control as trying to measure God on human levels. God is love. Research is not. Prayer studies will never get that figured out. Therefore, to me, the project proves nothing.
""Prayers offered by strangers had no effect on the recovery of people who were undergoing heart surgery, a large and long-awaited study has found."
ReplyDeleteTrying to research prayer is like asking Jesus for a sign.
What was Jesus' reaction?
A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign. But no sign shall be given unto them, except the sign of the prophet Jonah.
Jesus said this because of the constant need for physical assurance of the spiritual dimension and realities. God don't play that way. Jesus knows the heart of the person of prayer. If a person in prayer is not praying for the right reasons, do you really think God is going to listen? Look, if love isn't in the prayer, and people pray simply to see if it works, it isn't worth the wear on your jeans. You cannot research prayer, because the minute you try, you are praying for the wrong reasons.
Hey, some Armstrongites unknowingly pray for confirmation bias answers, and when they think they’ve received them, they attempt to inflict it on the rest of us, and to make it appear as if we do not pray, or do not receive answers. The joke is on them, as 43 years for their non-event has demonstrated.
ReplyDeleteBB
Anon @6:23 PM declares, "God is love. Research is not. Prayer studies will never get that figured out. Therefore, to me, the project proves nothing."
ReplyDeleteOkay, I've thought about this and decided you're probably right. God absolutely refuses to allow himself to be detected by objective means. To make sure, he keeps meticulous track of his miracles, both blessings and curses, and deploys them so that their distribution precisely mimics the law of averages. He makes sure that good things happen to both good and bad people in random proportions. He does the same with bad things. As a result, the pattern of events on earth that includes his miracles is indistinguishable from what it would be if he did not exist.
"our planet is increasingly under the stress of climate change"
ReplyDeleteIf you investigate that subject deeply you will see that climate change is just another fake media narrative. The goal of the fakers is to create a carbon credit system so that only the rich can afford to buy carbon credits so that a small number of inter-connected people can control the production of all manufactured goods around the whole world. This will keep the bulk of mankind poor and under-developed and unable to resist the globalists who have no allegiance to any creed or nation.
6:21
ReplyDeleteYou may be right about the few never going to give up their power.
I am a surf rider however. I do wonder about what to do. Should I blog and make people aware about by whom they are enslaved or should I like the Rockefellars or Warren Buffet, divest from oil and coal and ride the wave of "green".
How do you plan to make it the next decade and leave something (assetwise and a sustainable economy) for your offspring?
In the past it was so easy. You decolonize and give the colored peoples a sense of freedom and you enslave them by their elites who we support and our companies that control their economy. Now it is more difficult with those pesky chinese who are willing to sacrifice more to increase their living standard.
HWA made it so easy for me with his prophecies that Europe would become an economic juggernauth, while anglo saxon power would be maintained as gate keeper. My financial decisions based on that vision paid of extremely well. Now I am without a mentor. I want to survive and the current ACOG's seem to support a president who wants to revive what we in the business call "stranded assets." (meaning: there is plenty of coal, oil and steel around but people are not buying)
Please help.
nck