One thing the Church of God has been an abject failure at is its prophecy addiction. The church has vomited out so many self-appointed prophets and false prophecies over the decades that you would think they would have learned to keep their mouths shut. But they cannot. In their self-righteous narcissism, they go on spouting endless streams of illogical and baseless nonsense. So far, the track record of every single COG leader and self-appointed prophet of doom in the church has a batting average of ZERO. All except for one church of God. The Living Church of God has the SURE WORD of prophecy. They know it all and exactly how it will happen.
LCG is so sure of its self that they have a warning for us all. BEWARE! There are self-proclaimed teachers and nasty people with blogs that ridicule the lies and false prophecies of the church and its various leaders.
How dare anyone accuse them of "prophecy addiction"!
Seriously!
How can they ever be wrong? Rod Meredith never told any false prophecies. Nor does Bob Thiel, Dave Pack, Gerald Flurry, Ron Weinland, Don Billingsley, and James Malm. Nope, every single word they have ever said is 100% true. As the end-time prophets to the church and to the world, God is secretly speaking to each and every one of them with the exact timeline on how things will soon be happening. It is impossible for them to make a mistake and say something wrong with god on their side.
The problem with false prophets in the church is that they usually tell partial truths. There's a Yiddish proverb that says, "A half-truth is a whole lie." These predictions sound good to naive church members and they quickly fall for these guys. Don't expect anything less from these fools. Outwardly they look as innocent as sheep, but inwardly, they are ravenous wolves ready to devour the gullible ones.
Because the bastardizers of the law have taken the focus off the one they are supposed to be following, the members are not well-grounded in the new covenant and therefore become easy targets when they hear these fools say things that sound "right" but are actually statements filled with error.
Pay Attention to Prophecy: Jesus told His disciples to stay alert and watch for the fulfillment of specific Bible prophecies that will mark the approaching end of this age (Matthew 24). He also warned in the parable of the foolish virgins that many will be caught napping and unprepared by the surge of events that will precede His return to this earth (Matthew 25:1–13). It is truly amazing how God has given His Church a “more sure word of prophecy” (2 Peter 1:19, KJV) so we can warn this world about the prophetic significance of both current and impending world events (Ezekiel 3 and 33). Yet, misguided, self-proclaimed teachers have ridiculed the Church’s understanding of prophecy and accused members of suffering from “prediction addiction,” or promoted the idea that end-time Bible prophecies are not really for us today, but for some time off in the future. As we see world events building to a prophetic crescendo, let’s make sure that we are building a closer relationship with God and His word, and that we are learning to study and live by that word every day (Matthew 4:4; 2 Timothy 2:15).
Have a profitable Sabbath,
Douglas S. Winnail
25 comments:
I have recovered from being an APOCAHOLIC thanks to a 12 step "deculting" program.
(Apocalypse and Alcoholic as a combined word meaning "addicted to endtime prophecy")
Well, sooner or later, there will be some very scary black swan events.
It seems hard to imagine that we can go on for 100s of more years without a nuclear conflict, or the release of some really deadly lab made biological agent that can roam the Earth. The Corona Virus is not it, but I can imagine germ warfare being released at some time in the future , within a 100 year time span.
EMP event, or solar flare event, taking down the power grid. It would reduce mankind to a very primitive Gilligans Island type thing. Whether or not one is a believer, it makes mighty good sense to be prepared and ready for disaster. The concept of the modern city, with multiple millions of inhabitants, dependent on supplies from 1000s of miles away is a very new , and not stress tested construct.
Hopefully the second coming is soon, but beyond that, the future is unknown, but cycles do repeat, and human behavior is not real trustworthy in managing itself. It was bad enough with swords and arrows. The modern age is downright frightful!
"Prediction addiction" is a term first used by the Tkach crew nearly 30 years ago, but WCG/GCI has moved on and it has been a long time since I've heard anyone in that group use the term. Get over the butt-hurt, Doug!
Doug Winnail and Gerald Weston can kiss my ass if they think I won't call them out on their prophecy addiction. I sat through too many years of listening to the garbage preached at us like we were too stupid to understand them. All I have heard over the years is one lie after another from their lips when it comes to prophecy. That is why we left several years ago. Enough is enough!
It's crazy how the churches say people have a bad attitude if they call them out on things like this but they have no problem criticizing other groups
"Prediction addiction"
Not long after HWA started pushing up the daisies Dean Blackwell gave a sermon with this title. After that, the WCG was headed down the slippery slope to its demise.
The false prophets have seriously “seared their consciences” until they no longer realize what a great sin it is to tell their own prophetic lies in God's name.
“The 'Sure Word of Prophecy' and Prophecy Addiction”
The prophetic guessers are pretty sure of themselves for people who have been so wrong for so many decades.
Prophecy as a process is pretty much burned for our era. So much is made, deliberately scaring people to manipulate and control them, and then nothing, I mean absolutely nothing, ever happens. How many of us, had it not been for HWA's Pavlov routine in us, would even give prophecy a second glance, based on logical expectation of any of it being fulfilled? Trust is built slowly and tediously. If we saw one prophecy fulfilled, and then another, and then another, perhaps people who heard it would gradually stop regarding it as someone's fake crap. It never reaches that stage, so the only intelligent way to treat it all is with a knowing sneer.
Forget prophecy! The events foretold are way too big and horrible to apply your skill set to anyway.
BB
Unfortunately, quite a bit of the membership that is left in some of the larger COG organizations are prophesy nuts! I know, I was one of them. Even the older couples are.
The widows usually have a more balanced approach.
Some groups like UCG and COGWA don't spend as much time on prophesy (unless, it is very basic). Many Protestant churches have a better understand of prophesy that a lot of the COG organizations. And they aren't afraid to talk about it!
The church's preoccupation with headline prophecy is part of what has driven the young people either completely away or has caused the ministry to lose much of their credibility in the eyes of those who still attend. You can only cry wolf so many times before no one will take you seriously anymore. For those screaming that "we have the sure word of prophecy", all one needs to do is look at all of the false predictions in our own history to call this into question.
For those groups still constantly reaffirming their ties to WCG or HWA, it actually acts as a deterrent for anyone new who might do a little digging on the internet. Most thinking people won't view the facts of the receivership, 1975 in Prophecy, and various other issues that are readily uncovered with an online search the same way that most in the church would portray these things. Newcomers who have no previous ties with HWA or WCG also have no bias or emotional ties to the history and are less likely to excuse discrepancies and overlook gross misrepresentation of the facts. If you want to know why most of our groups aren't growing much, you need look no further. All someone has to do is sample some of the headline prophecies in our old church literature for our groups today to lose credibilty, much like the Millerites of the 1800s lost theirs when their own predictions of Christ's return failed in their time.
Concerned Sister
By contrast, some non ACOG church groups have done well for themselves. The reason? They spiritually feed their members to some extent.
The ACOGs obviously have a policy of keeping their sheep ignorant and dumbed down for the sake of minister control. Didn't Christ say 'feed my sheep?'
Doug Winnail (DW) reminds us that: "...Yet, misguided, self-proclaimed teachers have ridiculed the Church’s understanding of prophecy and accused members of suffering from “prediction addiction,” or promoted the idea that end-time Bible prophecies are not really for us today, but for some time off in the future..."
How does Doug know that those teachers are misguided? After all, the living group teachers still teach a "second coming" to be followed by a Mickey Mouse Millennium of reigning on planet earth for 1,000 years, and thus really fulfill Christ's words in the following way:
Matthew 15:13 But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up.
:14 Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.
Christ already had a second coming! We know Christ fulfilled a first coming.
If DW wasn't so blind he his fellow co-hirelings would instead be preaching perhaps about a 3rd, 4th, 5th coming?
When was a second coming? DW, and all those who still swallow DW's words hook, line and stinker don't believe the following words of Jesus Christ:
John 20:17 "Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God."
Christ did fulfill what the Wave Sheaf of Leviticus 23 was all about. He did ascend to His Father, was accepted by the Father; however after doing so He returned to earth. After Christ's murder and resurrection He did do all of that, but didn't stay with His Father. By returning to earth it was a second coming and lasted about 40 days. A second coming is history.
Now DW, sincere or not, and his fellow co-hirelings are calling Christ a liar with their prediction addiction to some "second coming" and so many today still believe that lie of some "second coming," a phrase nowhere found in the Bible. DW and his living group are addicted to the "second coming" prediction. DW points his finger at others, but does not see where the remaining fingers on his hand are pointing when he accuses others of prediction addiction.
Anyway, a bottom line for me is that DW provides us with a lot of entertainment to one degree or another and it's about time he was exposed for what he is...perhaps very sincere, but still a misguided entertainer who points fingers at others, but is guilty of what he is accusing others of. Many xcogs leaders today in their blindness continue to walk in DW's footsteps...and the people continue to follow too.
And it appears that Doug's believes in a salvation by works of SELF with his gospel of: "...Let’s make sure that WE are building a closer relationship with God and His word, and that WE are learning to study and live by that word every day..."
Now, Christ is scheduled to come again, and life still goes on...
John
God’s people have the sure word of prophecy very ironically proves WCG and its splinters are not the true church because a 1% success rate proves they do not have the sure word of prophecy- they are not even good at guessing.
I just ate a nice big bowl of Swiss Birchermeusli for breakfast! Based on the fact that I also took my vitamins, including garlic oil, at the same time, I can make some very accurate prophecy about certain reactions which will be transpiring in my intestines right about the time that ACOG sabbath services would be taking place. In a way, it almost makes me wish I could be sitting amongst the prophecy Pharisees as the reactions kick in. But, oh well! Jesus taught us a better way. Gotta love 'em instead!
BB
I wonder if Dean Blackwell's sermon was 2+ hours long? I remember at the FOT back in the 70's he slathered on for 2+ hours and then he was called to give the closing prayer after the final hymn& he proceeded to starting preaching again for another 15-20 minutes. He gave Waterhouse a run for his money.
In my splinter group, we actually are pretty much up on science. We want the end to come, in fact that's what we live for, but we also try to be socially conscientious. A bunch of us long termers who have been friends for years used to get together after sabbath services for beer and tacos. But we stopped drinking Coronas as soon as we became aware of the virus, because can you imagine if we all got it? We'd be part of the problem, taking it back from the large city we meet in to our own communities where we work, shop, and our kids go to school. We could inadvertently spread it, and might even die ourselves. Honestly, our whole splinter could end up dying off because of our habbit patterns and how disbursed we are. The way the ACOGs are set up right makes us likely spreaders of the disease. I know brethren who wouldn't accept that God would allow them to get the virus even though they were sick with it, they wouldn't even go in to get checked out. And they sure wouldn't quarantine themselves from sabbath services because our minister calls it a commanded assembly and doesn't accept excuses for missing.
It's hard to know you are living in the end times, and to know how to make the best decisions. I don't trust the ministers because this is stuff they know nothing about. I hope you guys don't think I've made myself into a strawman. It's serious stuff and someone had to say something about it. it needs to be disgussed.
1130 AM .. High quality trolling!! XD
When I was at summer camp in LCG years ago and even before that in GCG I heard Mr. Meredith talk about 5-10 years until the end times may begin. The prediction addiction starts at HQ. But, if it weren't for The Great Dissapointment, we may never have been part of any COG because HWA wouldn't have had a COG7 church to go to.
2:13 PM, your story sounds like mine, perhaps with one difference. In 1995, I heard Rod Meredith state that Christ would certainly return in 5-15 years. I also heard him state that God would remove him from his Presiding Evangelist office if he didn't preach the truth.
In late 2010 I left LCG with a clear conscience.
I've always regarded the churches as being not unlike academia, 2:13. Those who have put the work in, met the requirements, and are acceptable by the normal standards of academia generally find themselves floating to the top, working at or for the best. Those who don't, and say spend maybe six months studying on their own in a library, would be forced into working at an institute with either no standards, or standards that they had made up in their own. This is why HWA, unacceptable to the churches with higher qualifying standards, ended up employed by a church whose standards fell below the traditional bar, and even then, he resigned to set up his own church, and successfully rationalized this to his followers. He had no oversight. His accountability was totally imaginary, and his managerial style was purely based on his temper.
BB
Don’t forget about LCG’s Super Mario. He is the prince of prophecy.
Don’t forget about LCG’s Super Mario. He is the prince of prophecy.
But, then, who is the end-time Luigi?
This right here reveals just how intelligent most people are.
Is ignorance really bliss?
Blackwell was infamous for that. He used to tell a dumb story about the one time he managed to finish on time and someone complimented him on it.
Corona Virus “La cerveza mas fina” ;-)
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