According to the Church of God, a sure sign of the end times is when Satan rises up and attacks the Philadelphian church and the Laodiceans. The Philadelphians are lucky though, they et to flee to Petra where they will live in millenial bliss for 3 1/2 years, making the deseret bloom like a rose. Satan is angry that the true church will possibly be taking shelter in Petra and somewhere else in Jordan that he will do all he can to thwart their journey there.
The BBC had this story today about how 4,000 tourists had to be evacuated from Petra and several Jordanians had died in flash floods:
Jordan flash floods: Eleven killed and tourists evacuated from Petra
Rescue teams and helicopters are searching for five people whose car was swept away in Madaba, south-west of the capital, Amman.
Downpours also triggered a state of emergency in the port city of Aqaba.It comes two weeks after 21 people, mostly children, drowned in a flash flood in the Dead Sea area.A civil defence spokeswoman told AFP news agency on Friday that a child was among those killed by floods in the Dabaa region, south of Amman.A main road connecting the capital with the south of the country was also cut off, she added.
In Petra, floodwaters in some areas rose up to 4m (13ft), state TV reported. Footage showed people on the city's main road trying to stay clear of the water.
Evacuated tourists were taken to safe areas, government spokeswoman Jumana Ghunaimat said.
She said more heavy rain was expected on Saturday and residents in affected areas were being urged to evacuate their homes.
Jordan has suffered weeks of heavy rain. There was a public outcry last month after 18 children on a school trip were swept away, leading to the resignation of the country's education and tourism ministers.
This immediately set the official false prophet of the Church of God into meltdown. Bob Thiel writes today:
Petra is considered by many in and out of the Church of God as being the place or near the place that God will provide protection during the Great Tribulation/Day of the Lord.
The late Pastor General of the old Worldwide Church of God, Herbert W. Armstrong thought it may be, but he was not definitive, as he wrote:Petra may very well be the site for God’s protection of HIS PEOPLE—those who are counted WORTHY TO ESCAPE the terrifying GREAT TRIBULATION that is soon to strike an unsuspecting Israel! PETRA, an ancient Arab stronghold deep in the rugged mountains, is accessible only by traveling through narrow, twisting gorges on horseback! (Letter, April 15, 1956).
Apparently many are carelessly supposing they are now SURE of being protected through the Great Tribulation (now ALMOST READY TO STRIKE!). Whether it will be Petra or another place, many feel carelessly secure, and, after that, entering God’s Kingdom with ETERNAL LIFE! But YOU DON’T HAVE IT “MADE.” You are still being TRIED — to determine whether you shall have this protection — whether you shall enter the Kingdom of God! It is those who are LED BY the Spirit of God — NOT those who are led by desire for more and more physical and material things!…SO, hundreds of you are SLACKING OFF in your RESPONSIBILITIES in GOD’S WORK!…SO, hundreds of you are SLACKING OFF in your RESPONSIBILITIES in GOD’S WORK! (Letter, September 1, 1968).
Philadelphian Bob loves to trot out Herbert's nonsense on this as PROOF that Philadelphian COG members will be the only ones going to Petra while the Laodiceans get left behind to serve as servants of the Germans or killed in concentration camps, which is what Thiel believes will happen to all LCG members for not following him into the one final true church.Incidentally, I know many of you seem to have your hearts set on going very soon to Petra as “the place of safety” during the soon-coming Great Tribulation. Well, GET YOUR MINDS OFF PETRA. Brethren, I HAVE NEVER said that Petra definitely is the place of protection where God will take us. I HOPE IT IS NOT! One reason it could be the place is that it is a place NOBODY ELSE WOULD WANT TO GO. It would be the most UNpleasant, UNcomfortable, miserable place you could go! There is nothing to be desired there. But, just in case, God HAS miraculously given me very gracious favor in the eyes of King Hussein and also his brother, the Crown Prince. They are very friendly to me personally (Letter, July 16, 1982).
(all hyperlinks have been removed to prevent exposure to further heresy)
Thus, Herbert Armstrong thought Petra could be the place, but felt that those who slacked off in their responsibilities in doing God’s work, would probably not go.
Here is a prophecy concerning some Christians being protected and others not so being protected:13 Now when the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male Child. 14 But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent. 15 So the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood. 16 But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. 17 And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. (Revelation 12:13-17)
Notice that there are two groups of end-time Christians according to Revelation 12:14-17–one group that is protected, and the other that is not.
It is to the Philadelphian Christians Jesus promised protection from the hour of trial:7 “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write, ‘These things says He who is holy, He who is true, “He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens”: 8 “I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name. 9 Indeed I will make those of the synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews and are not, but lie — indeed I will make them come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you. 10 Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. (Revelation 3:7-10)
I will give you one guess as to who the true Philadelphians are. It is doubly cursed Bob's improperly named "continuing" Church of God. No shocker there. The prophet of paganism goes on to claim that the recent flood in Petra has already been written about in one of his previous articles. It is all in Jeremiah...
Not what about the flooding?
Does that eliminate Petra or some other Jordanian location?
No.
I have written about the floodplains of Jordan and the place of safety in the past. Here is something posted here over five years ago:Interestingly, Jeremiah wrote:
You who dwell in Moab, Leave the cities and dwell in the rock, And be like the dove which makes her nest in the sides of the cave’s mouth (Jeremiah 48:28).
For thus says the LORD: “Behold, one shall fly like an eagle, And spread his wings over Moab…” (Jeremiah 48:40).
It should also be noted that Petra is south, south-east of Jerusalem, which, as we saw earlier, is a possible direction for the place to be. Other than the aspect of caves (which does not mention the amount of caves), it should be noted, that many other areas in Jordan also are in the right direction and fit the description of the place–so it is possible that the Church may flee into Jordan and not stay in Petra, but somewhere else in Jordan or a neighboring area.
It may be of interest to note that although Moab (somewhat associated with modern Jordan) is likely to somewhat support the upcoming King of the South (Daniel 11:40), Moab ends up escaping the punishment by the final King of the North (Daniel 11:40-43)–and possibly God allows this escape because the place of protection may be in their land (though the King of the North would likely believe that there are other reasons, including political ones).
There is another passage of scripture that may be alluding to a Jordanian location for the place, which states,
5 If you have run with footmen, and they have wearied you, then how can you contend with horses? And if in the land of peace, in which you trusted, they have wearied you, then how will you do in the floodplain of Jordan? 6 For even you brothers, the house of your father, even they have dealt treacherously with you; Yes they have called a multitude after you. Do not believe them, even though they speak smooth words to you” (Jeremiah 12:5-6).
The implication to God’s people is if you are having a difficult time living in a relatively peaceful land, what will happen to you when you are being pursued by ‘a multitude’ in the ‘floodplain of Jordan’?
Remember, the serpent spews out a flood to try to destroy those who flee to the wilderness (Revelation 12:14-15). Thus it is possible that this is why Jeremiah is warning God’s people about how they will do in the ‘floodplain of Jordan’ (most any map suggests this floodplain looks like it is east of Jerusalem, God’s people would probably need to cross it if they arrive in Jerusalem and head towards Petra). They will also have lessons to learn. (Thiel B. Philadelphian Christians may wander to get to the place of safety. COGwriter.com, September 17, 2013)
Thus, a flood could be in Petra or on the way there, consistent with Revelation 12 and Jeremiah 12.
I just can't what for Thiel to enter Petra and find Pack, Weinland, Flurry, UCG, COGWA, and the rest of the COG leaders already there arguing over who is going to be in charge. It is not going to a pretty sight when Bobbie finds out that none of them will let him be in charge as none of them will pay him any attention.Although most of the world does not consider a place in Jordan or that basic area as a place to flee to for protection, scripturally, the place in the wilderness God promised looks to be in that region.
21 comments:
Thank God I live in New England and not in the middle east.
So Herbie rants against those who desire "more and more physical and material things."
This from a man who lived in a mansion and used silver and gold dinner ware. Not forgetting his personal jets and 5 star hotel accommodation. And being worshipped as a god in his private church.
Wow, what a example of eschewing physical and material things.
I noticed in the piece that Herb and his church substitutes 'God testing us' for personal growth. Personal growth limits minister power and superiority, hence it's ignored. Members are to 'overcome,' 'put sin out of our lives,' but are not to grow. Or grow only along narrow paths, such as public speaking.
Here's the truth of it.
Petra was a scare tactic used during the big financial push to increase the funds high enough for the banks to approve the financial means needed to finish the master plan of Ambassador College's big building project. It was intended to scare people - by lying to the masses using the psychological effects of fear mongering - into giving as much money as they could. This heightened up to ridiculous levels, especially in 1968 to 1970. Once the funds were secured, and the building project completed, the mode went from "you gon' FLEE" to "you weren't READY", and the backtracking began, and all the petra talk diminished.
During this time, articles were published talking about famine, the tribulation, fear, etc." - after this time, Herbert changed the psychology from fear of the tribulation to completely made up propaganda on the World Tomorrow - which he himself admitted was made up, because "there's not much in the Bible about what the World Tomorrow will be like".
All of this putrid stuff is widely and thoroughly recorded within documentation. When you piece it all together, you get the whole truth. This - PETRA - was a SCAM - a huge, SCAM to GET MONEY to build the golden calf, the auditorium. If one thinks rationally about it - you could see that there would be NO WAY that the WCG would EVER end up in Petra. Just think about it for five minutes, and the whole concept is beyond ridiculous. If there is ONE thing the WCG did was develop a completely robust and powerful imagination among it's members and ministers. They all should have been writers in Hollywood for religious Sci-Fi.
Thiel is completely deluded, in my opinion, and does not see it. He is what we all once were.
The funny thing is, Petra was another item from the Armstrong catalogue that was time and date stamped for the seventies. For the past decades, it’s been overrun by tourists, and the buildings carved from rock are crumbling and unstable.
It is unimaginable that there are Armstrongites out there still looking to Petra as a place of safety! Imagine an octagenarian church population living there for 3-1/2 years!
BB
SHT, I never connected or would the Petra tale with a scam to scare members into funding the auditorium etc. They seem like opposites to me. While I detested the concept and never taught it, those who felt they found it in scripture seemed disturbingly convinced. Waterhouse took it to insane levels in his magical mystery tours to the churches.
I thought Petra was already destroyed after Indy discovered the holy grail there with those bad Nazis in “The Last Crusade” ;-)
Flurry believes the place of safety is the The Cave of Adullam. I SAM 22:1. He made this change a while back ago. Now, PCG members will see the flooding, and believe he is right, again! They will so glad they are with such a great leader.
Yes that is what I heard as well.
Petra was such a stupid idea. It's a desert. Water is limited except for climate change deluges that are going to become ever more frequent and destructive. Most of those who still survive and believed that nonsense Loma originally came up with are near my age of 84, and I gave up camping a long time ago. It makes about as much sense as that worldwide flood that never happened.
Allen: Growing up in the church I heard one whopper after another about Petra. This is the accumulated whoppers I grew up with.
After we were flown out of the United States on old DC-10's, Jordan would open its doors to us out of gratefulness to Herbert Armstrong and the Ambassador Foundation. Israel would reject us because we pretended to be fake Jews. Jordan would welcome because of that stance. Once we were settled into Petra, the Jordanian government would keep us fed with food and water. Supplies would be given to us to build structures and tractors and machinery would be given to us so we could make the desert bloom like a rose. During this entire time, Jordan would be protected by God from any military strikes, famines, disease and pestilences. The nation would realize that our God had blessed them for protecting us. Thus they freely gave of their spoils to us, just like the Egyptians did when Israel left Egypt. During this time, God would have placed a cloud over Petra shielding us from the heat of the desert sun and protecting us from jets flying over trying to bomb us and kill us. Satan is apparently rather pissed at this point in time. Herbert Armstrong and other top church leaders would be housed in the hotels right outside the entrance to Petra so they could strategize with the Jordanians in keeping food and water flowing in, keep abreast on world events through satellite and tv's, and provide proper church government in order so that the lives of all the members inside Petra could be lived in harmony and productiveness. And this is what I remember at this point in time!
The Cave of Adullam looks kind of small looking at it with mapping software. Maybe Flurry is only expecting to have a tiny group of followers by then.
No2, You are a lair! The church never taught any such things. In fact, if you really look at church teachings you will see the church never taught that we were going to flee to Petra. All of this Petra stuff was invented to discredit Mr. Armstrong and the Church. This was Garner Ted's and Stan Rader's lie.
I am just going to leave the above comment there. It was too good to delete. LOL
Why is it that many of the respondents on here have not said much about leaving it up to the Father and not to worry about it. I
f He calls us to go somewhere great if not bend over and kiss your something good bye.
NO2HWA - you had more inventive preachers than I did. Gerald Waterhouse was the only fun one - if you were a science fiction fan like me - with his satellites and the sun going dark cutting off power. I don't recall him getting into the accommodations at Petra though.
Time killed the 2 witnesses being HWA and GTA, and the beast being strongman Strauss - who seems to have been a pretty nice fellow, Didn't he visit Pasadena? I am sure he did not know WCG had consigned him to the lake of fire.
Apparently you don't listen to lectures because Mr. Flurry has stated that before.
I dont think Stan Rader was with HWA in 1956? And GTA had just been ordained in '55. Or you're just a "lair".
RSK:
I had to look that one up, but Rader met HWA in 1956.
"First associations with Armstrong
In 1956 Rader met Armstrong, leader of what was then called the Radio Church of God, at its headquarters offices in Pasadena, California. Under contract with the Radio Church of God, Rader worked on improving its accounting system, thereby creating a highly favorable impression with Armstrong, who then urged him to attend law school at Armstrong's expense. In 1963 Rader graduated from University of Southern California Law School.[1]
The Radio Church of God had been previously incorporated on March 3, 1946, when it was re-established in Pasadena. Prior to this event it had been an unincorporated voluntary association based in Eugene, Oregon, and named after its radio broadcast. On January 5, 1968, Armstrong, as president, together with the secretary of the corporation, amended its Articles of Incorporation to reflect the change of name to the Worldwide Church of God. (By then its radio broadcast had also been renamed The World Tomorrow). By this time Armstrong was considered to be more of a modern-day apostle by his followers, rather than merely "pastor general," his title in the church. After coming to terms regarding salary and compensation, in 1969 Rader decided to devote his full-time to the service of Armstrong.[1]"
LOL... they met over coffee, accounting and Petra, eh?
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