Saturday, November 2, 2019

Fires, Earthquakes, Tornadoes, Floods, and Hurricanes...Can it get any more exciting for COG prophets?



It is like clockwork that whenever any tragedy befalls Americans the self-appointed prophets of doom in the Church of God hyperventilate and scream God is punishing Manasseh!

With the rash of fires in California, whipped about by strong winds, which incidentally happen every single year at this same time, and the fact that we had huge amounts of rain last year that took us out of the drought and covered the hillsides with green grasses that dried out over the summer, this doesn't matter to the professional liars leading various COG splinter groups. They sit in their fancy leather chairs in the offices searching the Internet for the latest tragedy to "confirm" their preconceived ideas.

Thus it was like clockwork that our resident California self-appointed propeht started screeching his theories that his god is angry at California and is punishing people.  According to the self-appointed prophet of the improperly named "continuing" Church of God, CA is being punished because people refuse to repent.

The great Bwana Thiel says:

California Battles 10 Active Blazes, Still No Signs of Repentance

Thiel goes on to list a couple of news sources and then has this:


Notice something that California Governor Newsom said about the fire situation this week: 
California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sunday declared a statewide emergency “due to the effects of unprecedented high-wind events which have resulted in fires and evacuations across the state.” … 
The National Weather Service recorded gusts of up to 93 mph near Healdsburg on Saturday night and said gusts throughout the county were clocked at 50 to 70 mph.
“It was the most fierce wind I have ever seen in the 30-plus years I’ve lived in our town,” Foppoli said. 10/27/19
Santa Ana winds are no shock to anyone who lives in California.  We get them every single year.

The great self-appointed prophet then goes on to PROVE to us all that he predicted this in 2014

Note Governor Newsom stated “unprecedented high-wind events.” 
The fact that factors related to fires in California are “unprecedented” is not a surprise, but consistent with something posted here over five years ago:
My prayers are with those affected by the fires. I also pray that those in California will repent as worse problems are ahead if it continues to go in a moral direction away from the Bible. (Thiel B. California fires devastating areas. COGwriter, May 16, 2014)
Let us kneel in amazement at the great prophet! Praise Bwana!
The Bible shows that God uses weather to get people’s attention. Sometimes to punish, sometimes to lead to repentance, and other times to consider that God, not humankind, is in control.
Fires have hit many places; Significant wildfires have hit California. Shortly after the start of the Thomas Fire, California Governor Jerry Brown warned that the US President did not have “the fear of the wrath of God.” Does God use fire to encourage people to change? What are some of the scriptures associated with fire in the Bible? What is sin? What are some of the scriptures associated with the wrath of God in the New Testament? Is Governor Brown being hypocritical here? What happened to Sodom and Gomorrah? Is this relevant now? What did Jesus teach about the time of Sodom and the coming time of troubles? Dr. Thiel addresses these issues and more. 

Not to be left out is our other favorite Church of God prophet parked in his ivory tower in Edmond Oklahoma.  This second certified liar claims that the fires are the result of the 1978 receivership when the State of California swooped in with claims of financial mismanagement by Worldwide Church God officials.
For decades, one disaster after another has slammed the Golden State, establishing this “daunting” and heartrending “new normal.” And the Trumpet has been carefully monitoring the trend. In 1993, Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry wrote: “These deadly disasters are repeatedly labeled the ‘worst ever’! … With all the disasters that have struck California the past few years, it’s as if the state is under a curse.”
In Mr. Flurry’s 2007 article, he explained that the main reason California in particular is suffering these prophesied curses is not only because of the state’s culture of extreme and prideful lawlessness, but also because of California’s history with God and His Church. The Worldwide Church of God was headquartered in Pasadena since the mid-20th century; but in 1979, the state’s attorney general launched a massive and ill-founded lawsuit against it. Mr. Flurry wrote that this made California the only U.S. state that ever directly attacked the Church. He wrote: “Actually, it attacked a lot more than that. California really attacked the living God.”
California has an astounding history with God and His Church. It began as an extraordinary blessing and opportunity for the state, but ended with California openly rejecting God. Mr. Flurry explained that this is at the heart of why California is suffering ongoing wildfires and so many other catastrophes.
Given the fact that the Church was rife with corruption and despotic leaders it was disheartening to see how they get off scot-free and then continued on mismanaging money and abusing members.  But that is a moot point now, as the church itself imploded into hundreds and hundreds of little factions all claiming they are the greatest Church of God to ever exist and that they each exclusively carry the mantle of the faith once delivered.

I think a more important question needs to be asked.

Why is it that national weather issues are happening in states where the headquarters of various splinter churches are housed?  Is God punishing the various states for allowing these frauds to reign in our midst stealing tithe money and enslaving members with idiotic graceless doctrines?

Fires in California = Bob Thiel and the improperly named "continuing" Church of God
Flooding and tornadoes in Texas = COGWA
Earthquakes and tornadoes in Oklahoma = Gerald Flurry and Philadelphia Church of God
Hurricanes and tropical storms in the Carolina's = Gerald Weston and Living Church of God
Tornadoes and flooding in Ohio = Dave Pack and the Restored Church of God

I think the leaders of each of these splinter groups need to get on their knees and beg their god to forgive them for leading their followers astray and stealing their tithe money to fund the lavish lifestyles that they were accustomed to in the Worldwide Church of God.

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

This is all from a standard page out of the Armstrongist playbook. The really puzzling aspect of this is that the various followers of the Armstrongists "prophets" continue to be influenced by this tired approach. Someone once said:

"The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."

David Koresh was the only Millerite prophet that was worth his salt. He prophesied events that actually happened, unlike the Armstrongist Millerites. But Virgil extrapolated from events he created so really he was prophesying the inevitable - or a at least the highly probable.

Be thankful that the Armstrongists cannot actually control weather. What a Twilight Zone that would be. Terror would sweep the land.

Anonymous said...

The posted end comment:
I think the leaders of each of these splinter groups need to get on their knees and beg their god to forgive them for leading their followers astray and stealing their tithe money to fund the lavish lifestyles that they were accustomed to in the Worldwide Church of God.
When I read statements like this I wonder why the poster doesn't encourage people who believe in the biblical God to be doing the praying. It is the impression that these splinter groups are congregations under the name of God. If those in leadership roles are involved in sinful behavior they should be repentant for their prayers to be answered. My personal opinion is that these groups are involved in the way of the world rather than the way of God. The way of God is to let each individual decide who they are following. If they are following God through Jesus the Christ they will learn Gods way through the choices they make through out Life. ASB

Byker Bob said...

There is a particular breed of person known as the contrarian. Such an individual takes umbrage with the conventional, proposes radical alternatives, creates or exploits fear, yanks the rugs out from under the secure, and generally thrives and prospers at the expense of the misery of others. This is a gigantic cheap shot, raw exploitation, an easy way to build wealth, one that defies the tried and true. The contrarian is narcissistic, and revels in the notariety he or she creates. After all, the fearful are present in all social layers, and are easily manipulated.

Armstrongism is contrarian, overtly and deliberately. Once individuals succumb, they are forever vulnerable to certain buzz words, words which although cliched, continue to evoke fear. It does not matter when logically thinking outsiders present coherent explanations of weather patterns, dna, long wave financial cycles, youth trends, epidemiology, psychology, history, science, or international geopolitics. Not that deep Armstrongites would even trust these outside sources. On any given topic, they have become conditioned to looking only to their own leaders for the official opinion, or straight scoop, no matter the topic or branch.

Amongst the manipulators, there are both effective operators, and those who apply all of the successful cliches and techniques, yet it does not work for them. There are the truly dangerous, and the silly. The naieve, and those who are hardened. There are the easily dismissed, and those who make people ask, "But what if he's right?"

It's good to have the silly and the impotent around. They demonstrate the weakness of the basic contrarian message, with all of its cliches, and help others to recognize the flawed nature of that message even when it's actually presented by the magnetic, the effective, and those with a harder edge.

BB



Anonymous said...

Could it possibly be due to greed and ignorance? Building housing developments in areas that have been subject to wildfires for millennia?

Carol

DennisCDiehl said...

Bob is going to wait a long time for "signs of repentance" as modern humans equate brush and forest fires with dry brush and fire seasons. Only the God haunted, Bronze/Iron Age types still believe the gods use weather to communicate their wishes or displeasure. The Bible is badly out of date and sync with the origins and causes of weather to say the least. Baal is no longer the storm god nor is YHVH who appropriated the weather god qualities of Baal back in the day to come out on top of the heap of gods.

Bob could not comprehend that on this topic, as with others, it does not matter what the Bible says about it. The Bible is mistaken and was written by those stuck in both their ignorance of the facts they could not have then known but had to come up with an explanation which was all too often, "God does it." You know, "I don't know so.....Aliens!"

I suppose I'd pay more attention if the brush and forests burst into flames during the rainy season in California where it pours, man it pours. That would be more Elijah and Prophets of Baal like and perhaps more convincing. Alas.....

Again Bob and for the tenth time, no God uses weather, no matter what the Bible says, to"try and get our attention." If a real god wants to get our attention, just show up and take questions.

Anonymous said...

DD said: " If a real god wants to get our attention, just show up and take questions.
I would like to know how you would know a real god if something showed up claiming to be a real god. ASB

TLA said...

ASB - If a being showed up and started doing the miracles the gospels claimed and recorded Jesus doing, then that would be proof enough for me.
I believe it would have been proof enough to the Jewish leaders of the day too.
This is one of the reasons for doubting the accuracy of the gospels.

DennisCDiehl said...

Anonymous said...
DD said: " If a real god wants to get our attention, just show up and take questions.
I would like to know how you would know a real god if something showed up claiming to be a real god. ASB

I wouldn't. I'd have to see some I.D. from the DMV or a Passport. Otherwise it just might be a hologram or a mass hallucination. Or.....Satan. :)

At best, since Art Mokarrow wrote "God's Puzzle Solved" I'd ask it what the solution to the puzzle was and see if it matched the conclusions in the book. Can't be too careful.

Hoss said...

Again it's Bob with imperfect hindsight and reference to an earlier generalized comment.
Apart from dreams and claims to have made some predictive diagnoses in the LCG, has Bob ever given a specific prophetic warning that has come to pass or been averted by repentance? Isn't that what "true prophets" are supposed to do?

Anonymous said...

Hoss—if you get this msg—can you please share the link re the blogpost you once linked to in another Banned blogpost that calculated the percentage of HWA’s predictions? I can’t recall the source—neither the Painful Truth post (if it was from such in the first place) nor the Banned post that you referred to it. Thanks in advance!

Hoss said...

The original Painful Truth article was He Was Right!. The title was taken from PCG, who were promoting HWA's prophetic abilities.

Anonymous said...

The book-
He was right! 10 pages.
He was wrong! 100 pages.

Anonymous said...

while you all are on here scoffing, Daniel 11:21-45 is steadily being fulfilled...oh, and so too are the prophesies about former believers...

king of the north preparing yet again to war with the king of the south:

https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/us-military-sending-thousands-troops-and-even-b-1-bombers-saudi-arabia-counter-iran-93136

laying the foundation for the vile man of Daniel 11:21 to turn on they what claim to follow Christ:

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2019/11/03/donald-trump-mike-pence-face-criticism-evangelicals-over-syria/4112885002/

"Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning:

Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping.

And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch." Mark 13:35-37

c f ben yochanan

please stop censoring me...

Anonymous said...

where is the promise of His coming?

all things continue as they have from the beginning.......

Anonymous said...

c f ben yochanan
The fulfilment of bible prophesy does not justify or trivialise the abuse that members suffer in all these ACOGs. The end justifying the means is not a bible concept.
It's Gods laws, not bully morality that's perfect.

BTW, 'watching' as in being aware, is what this blog does to a good degree.

Anonymous said...

the abuse members suffer is the fulfilling of propbesy...

not sure of the logic of my commentary being interpreted as trivializing or justifying the abuse, though...

and Mark 13:35-37 (as is 2 Thessalonians 2:3) is about watching the signs of the times that indicate Christs Return...

c f ben yochanan

Anonymous said...

c f ben yochanan
I am not aware of any bible prophesy about Christians at the end time being treated like dog crap by their ministers. Yes, scriptures support Christian persecution by the world, but not great abuse by their supposed sherperds.

The word watching does not appear in 2Thess2:3. My understanding of Mark 13 35-37 is to be aware of ones spiritual state because one could die tomorrow, and hence Christ has 'returned' for that person. This differs from being obsessed with the timing of Christs return, though one should keep a close eye on this.

Anonymous said...

"But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken;

The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.note

And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes."

Luke 12:45-47

like Daniel 11:21-45, that scripture is very much a relection of our times...

c f ben yochanan