Just a quick note from a Restored Church of God source:
Not many at services today because they were in close contact with an infected church member at Wadsworth feast site.
If Dave's "christ" had only returned when Dave said "it" would no one in Wadsworth would have ever needed to worry about catching COVID-19. Dave's invisibility shield he has put up around himself and the church is quickly falling apart.
Those wild and crazy boys in Edmond Oklahoma have been solving the mysteries of the Bible for many years now. As acolytes of God's one and only true prophet Gerald Flurry, these special men have access to Biblical mysteries that is theirs and theirs alone.
For many years there have been all kinds of speculation about the large fossilized bones that have been discovered in the Egyptian desert. From being giant whales to giant catfish, the speculation swirls around. Thanks to the Philadelphia Church of God this mystery has been solved and it is straight out of the Bible.
In the latest issue of Watch Jersualem, an online rag for the PCG, they have an article up about these bones, written by Christopher Eames:
Are These the Bones of Leviathan? What was the fearsome biblical ‘leviathan’? Could it be a terrifying sea creature discovered in the sands of the Near East—a beast whose scientific name aptly translates to ‘King Lizard’?
What kind of incredible beast was the biblical leviathan? Speculation as to the identity of this sea creature has gone on for millennia. Leviathan is mentioned in a handful of passages throughout the Bible, but is most well known for its description in the book of Job.
At weather-worn sites across the Middle East, and in Egypt in particular, erosion has been revealing a terrifying creature that may well fit the biblical description.
Some years ago, we published an article examining the identity of Job’s behemoth (you can read that article here). While both creatures are enigmatic, the leviathan surely takes the cake as most peculiar—or, shall we say, the most fantastic. Some say it is an allegorical myth. Some claim it simply represents a crocodile. Then there is Wadi Al-Hitan.
Why is it that Armstrongism has felt the need to solve every mystery of the Bible? Sadly our history of these needless speculations has been of one idiotic speculation after another. Much of this speculation lies at the feet of Herman Hoeh and his entirely disproved Compendium of World History. Even he admitted later in life that his book was a load of bunk, yet there are still so many in the church that look at his idiotic nonsense as gospel truth. Sadly, the PCG carries on that tradition of junk science and junk Biblical interpretation.
One particular species, whose remains are common throughout this area (and is also notable from other Middle Eastern sites), stands out: Basilosaurus, a creature whose scientific name means “King Lizard.”
Could this be the creature described by the Bible?
One peculiar scripture in the Psalms illustrates not only the beast but also a Wadi Al-Hitan-type setting. “Thou didst crush the heads of Leviathan, thou didst give him as food for the creatures of the wilderness” (Psalm 74:14; Revised Standard Version). Perhaps this psalm was written by an author who had seen such a startling sight as the image to the right: The “crushed,” once-fearsome skull of a sea creature now strewn out in the wilderness.
Eames go on with this:
The original meaning of the Hebrew word leviathan denotes something “wreathed, twisted in folds” (Gesenius’ Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon)—again, of a serpentine nature. Yet the biblical leviathan was not merely a serpent. Job 41:12 describes limbs and “comely proportion”—something that would match the limbed, yet extremely long and serpentine Basilosaurus. Verse 22 describes this creature having a powerful neck (snakes, squid and whales in general are not distinguished for their “necks”). Basilosaurus did have a sturdy neck.
Verse 14 mentions “terrible” teeth. Verse 20 describes nostrils, indicating an air-breathing creature: “Out of his nostrils goeth smoke, as out of a seething pot or caldron.” This paints a picture matching that of a whale blowhole (something that Basilosaurus likewise had), blowing water like steam out of a “seething pot.” Verses 31-32 describe leviathan in a deep sea environment (as does Psalm 104:25-26), befitting this creature.
Eames goes on to believe it was actually a different kind of animal than the Basilosaurus. Of course, this leads us to the leviathan. Even more, this creature still may be alive...somewhere.
Still Alive?
It would appear that God would describe a creature to Job that he would be familiar with—one that he, as a leader in a “wilderness” territory, would have either seen or heard described. Such would be the case with the scattered, ancient remains of Basilosaurus around the Middle East, including Jordan, Pakistan, Egypt and particularly at Egypt’s Wadi Al-Hitan—a location that Job may well have been familiar with, given the textual setting around the time of the patriarchal migration to Egypt.
Likewise, some form of “leviathan myth” is known throughout the ancient Near East. Are they related to these gigantic remains? Ugaritic texts (from modern-day Syria and fitting roughly with the timeframe of Job) mention a serpentine monster called Lotan—a word directly connected to the Hebrew leviathan. Mesopotamian myths describe a parallel beast.
But like the coelacanth, who’s to say that a leviathan creature such as Basilosaurus is not still alive? Much remains unknown about what lurks in the ocean depths, and new creatures are being discovered yearly.
Various allegations of sea monsters have continued to the present day (the Loch Ness monster is probably the most famous). Over the centuries, various artistic depictions have attempted to represent alleged descriptions of beasts witnessed by sailors. Several depictions actually match Basilosaurus quite well. To the right is a depiction of the “Hans Egede sea serpent,” named after a missionary who reported the creature his ship encountered in 1734. It looks suspiciously familiar.
Then as proof of this still-living sea creature Eames includes this video in this article:
The Point of Leviathan
But why the biblical account of leviathan? Why is a full chapter of Job dedicated to this creature? Why is it described in several additional biblical passages?
The context of the book of Job is clear: God was teaching Job a lesson in humility. A mortal man is no match for the mighty leviathan, monster of monsters. He neither created it nor can stand before it. Yet the beast is as nothing before the mighty God who created it. God has the capability to handle this beast. And Psalms and Isaiah describe just that—God’s destruction of the beast, in a metaphor of crushing the head of the great sea serpent—matching the prophecy made to the serpent in the Garden of Eden, a symbol of Satan: “he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel” (Genesis 3:15; New International Version). God holds power over the physical sea serpent, just as He does over the spiritual serpent.
The lesson of behemoth and leviathan, then, is a humbling of self-righteousness and self-importance. If man is as nothing before these mere physical beasts, how much less so before God? God recorded the leviathan in Scripture for a reason. He wants us to realize just how insignificant we are apart from Him—and the power that we have, with Him.
No mortal man would stand a chance against a 20-meter Basilosaurus. Yet God is capable of plucking it from the water and leaving its bones scattered across the desert.
United Church of God recently did a member survey on how effective members thought the church was doing in its ministry to them and the world.
One thing came back loud and clear. Poor speakers and unwelcoming meeting facilities were a major concern for members.
The ministry needs to improve in its speaking skills and in what they deliver. This has long been a complaint by COG members regardless of which splinter group they are in. COG ministers are NOT well trained in speaking and get their training from Spokesman Clubs where men were/are belittled and mocked about their speaking skills, appearance, and knowledge. It is the blind leading the blind. Instead of encouraging their men to join REAL organizations that teach public speaking, like Toastmaster International which Armstrongism regrettably tried to imitate.
The ministry in the COG is also NOT trained in real counseling techniques. Again, it is the blind leading the blind when it comes to counseling members. It is usually men who have been in the ministry a long time who think they know it all and bring along younger men to watch their amazing counseling skills and learn from them, thus bad techniques are passed on and on.
Besides the poor sermons, some members are embarrassed by their meeting locations and the overall experience their guests may have when visiting church.
Back to UCG's survey:
While members do have high confidence in their understanding around fundamental beliefs and
truths, they continue to be hesitant in directly promoting UCG.
Across all groups, the quality of speaking and amount of manpower remains a concern consistent with results from prior years. Many are unwilling to recommend contact with UCG because they do not believe it is their role, or they have concerns over what the guest will experience at services. Specifically, that components from the home office (website, literature, Beyond Today) are polished, but the local halls or the congregation itself are not as welcoming.
Most of all, respondents are consistently very positive about their local pastor (and wife) and the amount of work and service they provide to members. This is notably higher than in prior years.
Next Steps & Conclusion
While there were many positive comments, surveys by their nature highlight areas to explore and additional work to be done. This year, the biggest takeaways focus on five key aspects:
1. Invest in improving speaking at services. Whether sermonettes or sermons, develop programs around continuing to improve the content and delivery of messages.
“One of the greatest weaknesses of my congregation— and most congregations—is the quality and effectiveness of the weekly Sabbath messages. Training should be conducted or subsidized for all those given the responsibility to speak in order to help them develop the skills and tools to speak effectively and in line with basic princip[les] of learning and development, not just technically doctrinally correct messages. I believe this is key for the church to continue to grow and to properly feed not only those veterans in the church but the newly converted.”
2. Establish a consistent and minimum standard toward the quality of meeting halls. This is new this year, along with a desire to own meeting halls, but is perceived as being able to help local congregations thrive and grow.
3. Explore the balance of programs and resources devoted to Preaching the Gospel and Preparing a People. The respondents understand these are hard choices.
4. The engagement at services, whether that be rich, spiritual conversations or involving more of the membership in service. Especially beyond elements of speaking, there is a real desire for more members to reach out and check in on one another and make sure everyone feels included in fellowship and activities. Many desire an experience similar to this comment:
“We are a close-knit family. Eating a potluck meal together every week after services and prolonging the fellowshipping has truly contributed to our closeness. Some of us have formed special ‘study-buddy’ relationships which continually stirs up the spirit within us, just as it should. I am so grateful to have been called by God and to be a part of this congregation I am with!”
5. There is deep admiration for the service and work pastors and their wives do for the members. There is a need to perhaps adjust expectation on how much can be done with smaller overall membership and concern they are spread too thin.
• “Although my pastor has more on his plate than most people could handle, I think he does an excellent job. However, I do worry that he is asked to do too much.”
• “Our pastor is one of the most humble and serving people I have ever met! We are very, very blessed to have him and his wife with us!!”
The survey administration team would like to express its appreciation to all those who took the time to participate in the survey. Many of the insights and findings included actionable and helpful ideas and the data represents a statistically sound representation due to the efforts of those that contributed.
While one of the comments stated, “I feel overall that considering our budget and man-power situation, we are doing a superb job...it is an honor to be asked periodically as is the case here,” it is just as important to recognize everyone who shared their thoughts. Thank you.
While The COVID-19 pandemic has led the world to an unprecedented despair, causing economic and social disruption, HWPL, an international peace organization, held “Online Prayer to Overcome COVID-19” on Oct. 17 with religious leaders from eight countries, including Myanmar, Thailand Rwanda and Burundi.
Attended by 37 religious leaders representing Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam, the event was held with the intent of breaking down the walls of religion and denomination by praying in harmony to overcome the disaster under one common purpose for humanity.
Religious leaders took the opportunity to pray for those affected, the end of the COVID-19 along with pray for overcoming the crisis that is emerging throughout society. They also had conversations to share the difficulties in each country.
Eugene Sibomana, a pastor of Grace Communion International Burundi said, “It was a wonderful program and plan of linking religious leaders for a such prayer meeting and sharing ideas and experiences. I do encourage HWPL leaders to keep up this good vision and we pray for that your ministry be expanded around the World.”
Meanwhile, HWPL is an international peace organization founded for global peace and cessation of war. HWPL has partnered with citizens and organizations from over a hundred countries in order to advocate peace. The HWPL Interfaith Dialogue, the World Alliance of Religions’ Peace (WARP) Office Meetings, has been conducted through virtual meetings in 253 offices in 129 countries. Religious Leaders from 8 countries pray online to end COVID-19
From an anonymous source:
Covid-19 Now Infecting "Many" RCG Wadsworth Headquarters Members and Staff
Multiple sources are reporting that many HQ staff members now have Covid-19. There have been several recent confirmed cases. Internal measures have been slammed into place to send people home. However, "essential" church employees must continue to report to work. One Wadsworth observer noted almost all the lights were out mid-day at the Administration Building.Local Medina County Health Department reports indicate a spike in cases in the county. One can only wonder if RCG is playing a role in this. Further, will those who are experiencing symptoms get tested? Or are they being encouraged to not get health authorities involved? Are they becoming superspreaders in the local community?Every effort will come from the church administration to play this down.This is just a week or two after all North American RCG members attended large group gatherings in several "Feast" locations across the United States. Church brethren gathered together in close quarters with little or no reported health guidelines or social distancing protocols. In fact, the leader of the Church, David C Pack, publicly mocked from the pulpit both an RCG member who didn't attend their special commanded convention and another Church of God group that was practicing social distancing and wearing masks. (See: Dave Pack belittles and mocks brethren who choose not to attend the FOT, and mocks another COG)Such arrogant and reckless behavior is only compounded by the fact that the entire church was led by Dave to fervently believe Jesus Christ was returning a week ago. Many attended these "Feasts" expecting to never return home, and were told the same by Dave Pack.Now many are home. Sick. Sick from several failed prophecies and sick with the coronavirus.
Special News Delivery:
According to cog-assembly.org:
"October 3rd, 2020
There are a little less than 400 people in attendance for the only COGA US Feast site at Lake of the Ozarks."
Well. today is October 19 and close to the end of the day here on the West Coast of the United States. Today is the day that Dave Pack declared that his creature he calls "christ" would return on after it failed to come on the Last Great Day.
Is that creature now communing with Dave in Wadsworth or is he standing outside Dave's security gate knocking to be let in since Dave wasn't quite ready?
The fact remains that Jesus Christ has NOT returned on this day and yet once again Dave Pack has been confirmed to be a liar and a false teacher. I am not even calling him a prophet, since the Churches of God have no prophets in their midst. There are a lot of liars in the church, but no real prophets as the church does NOT need them. If they were real followers of the Christ they claim to follow they would recognize that there is no need for prophets.
Sadly, what we can expect from Dave is more waffling about the date his creature is to return on. The truth of the matter that should be apparent to all of the ministers at the Wadsworth compound is that Dave does not know what he is talking about. Deep down most of these guys know this but do not have the testicular strength to openly confess that. They should be openly be warning members to turn their backs on Dave and leave the church while they still can. Dark days are ahead for the Restored Church of God and its members. It most likely will not be a pretty scene.
From a reader:
UCG reported positive cases in St. George, Daytona and Big Sandy. They cancelled services this last Sabbath. I personally know of 2 that fell ill when they got home and are now hospitalized.
The only thing about COVID-19 in their Feast brochure that listed sites was this:
Goals for the Coming Year: Solomon advised in the book of Proverbs, “Ponder the path of your feet, and let all your ways be established. Do not turn to the right or the left; remove your foot from evil” (Proverbs 4:26–27). As we return from the Feast, inspired by the sermons and fellowship, it is a good time to think about setting goals for the coming year. What changes would you like to make, or do you need to make, to improve your relationship with God or your family or other individuals? What can you do to improve your physical or spiritual health? What can you do to serve God and others more effectively? How can you prepare now for the Kingdom of God? The Apostle Paul urged Christians to “walk circumspectly [carefully, diligently]” and make the most of the time at your disposal (Ephesians 5:15–16). The Apostle Peter exhorted his audience to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18). What books can you read, what classes can you take, what topics can you study in the Bible, and what experiences can you arrange that will help you and your family grow and prepare for the Kingdom of God? Set some worthwhile goals for the coming year so that you can grow to be a truly profitable servant of God.
Have a profitable Sabbath,
Douglas S. Winnail
The other day we reported some things that came to us by a person that had information about Thiel's African evangelist who apparently is converting half of the continent into the amazing "continuing" Church of God. This whipped the doubly blessed Elijah Amos Habbakuk Thiel into a prophetic frenzy. How dare we criticize his ministry or any of the things he does. How dare we! Oh wait, I know...we are tools of Satan himself who are deliberately trying to destroy the one true church which is doing the biggest worldwide work the Church of God has seen in human history.
First, before going further, let it be pointed out that I have NEVER said, written, nor posted that CCOG is the only church doing a work. I have written that we of the CCOG are the only Philadelphian organization, other COGs do various types of works, there are Philadelphians in other COGs, and just being in CCOG does not, of itself, make one a Philadelphian. Yet, Banned cannot seem to even get that right.
Notice his "Philadelphia" keyword that sets him apart as the one true church doing the one true work. He is Philadelphian and all of the others are either Sardis or Laodicean groups who don't know the true timeline of prophecy so that they will know when to flee. Never has the COG had a name player like Thiel. Duplicity and waffling are his favorite methods of play-acting as the greatest leader the church has ever seen.
Bwana then goes on to take great umbrage at the fact his African followers do not consider him a prophet. Notice how he waffles his answer and never denies that they do not think he is a prophet. It's all about how he is so much better than the Living Church of God and how many magazines he is publishing in different languages.
That is another lie–it is not that no one may have told Banned that lie, but the statement just is not true. Consider that groups such as LCG spend more money in Kenya than CCOG does. Yet, we have probably over 10 x the number of congregants in Africa Kenya than they do. If people wanted money there are other groups who spend more money in Africa than CCOG does. One thing that CCOG does that most other COG groups have not done is produce literature in local languages, such as Luo, Kiswahili, and Ekegusii. People in places like Kenya appreciate having the truth available in languages other than English–yes it is helpful for the the Gospel of the Kingdom of God to be preached throughout the world (Matthew 24:14) in numerous languages. But the idea that people in Kenya could have interest in the truths that the CCOG teaches is something that then anti-COG types do not wish to accept–instead they prefer to promote lies.
The Great Bwana then quotes Jesus as if he actually follows the guy:
Jesus prophesied:
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. 12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you (Matthew 5:10-12)
And here we go again...PERSECUTION!
Brethren, we are being persecuted!
It is a sign of the end times.
Satan is angry and Christ warned us this would be happening to us.
It's not only those of us here at Banned and its readers who are persecuting the Great Bwana, but The Painful Truth website is doing Satan's work too! Ghastly days!
Those at Banned, the Painful Truth, and various other places have regularly been fulfilling that prophecy and saying all kinds of things falsely against me and CCOG.
What people at Banned and the other anti-COG sites cannot stand is the idea that the true ministry is having success and is not in it for the money. The fact that my wife and I do not take a salary from CCOG grates on them as it is opposed to the lying narrative they wish to believe. While commandment keepers are to be rewarded, scripture warns about those who believe and love lies:
14 Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city. 15 But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie. (Revelation 22:14-15)
Here is a short version for what happened: In November 2011, both LCG minister Dr. Jeff Fall and LCG minister Gary Ehman told me that I did NOT need to have hands laid upon me in order to be a true prophet of God. Yet, I told them that something like that needed to happen for me to accept it. And in November/December 2011, I prayed that if I truly had a prophetic role from God that He would have something happen during a planned mid-December 2011 trip to Charlotte, North Carolina to confirm it or deny it if that were His will. As it turned out, on 12/15/2011 hands were laid upon me in Charlotte by LCG minister Gaylyn Bonjour, who I had not even intended to see then (I had asked to see Gary Ehman, but as it turned out, he was not in the Charlotte office due to an unexpected illness). After seeing Gaylyn Bonjour mentioning some health issues and wisdom, he laid hands on me, and specifically prayed that I would be granted a “double-portion” of God’s Holy Spirit, and he anointed me with oil. Afterwards, Gaylyn told me that he had not ever requested a “double portion’ of God’s Spirit before on anyone, but he felt that it was reminiscent of the time that the prophetic and ecclesiastical leadership mantle passed from the Prophet Elijah to Elisha (2 Kings 2:9-13). Gaylyn Bonjour had been unaware that I had prayed that God would have me anointed or somehow identified for a prophetic role on that mid-December 2011 trip if that were His plan for me and I had never discussed my possible prophetic role with him prior to this anointing. On 12/18/12, I asked Gaylyn Bonjour if he knew what he may have unintentionally done and he said yes. This 12/15/11 anointing appears to be the first biblically-appropriate prophetic anointing in the Church of God in many decades, if not many, many multiple centuries. And the legitimacy of this anointing has been proven by subsequent events–though many do not seem to understand how God works at times.
He then goes on to state that his place as a prophet in the church came about because he had visions about Rod Meredith's wife and how this is proof he is a prophet.
As it also turned out, I tried to meet with Dr. Meredith on December 19, 2011 to tell him that it seemed God was telling me that his wife was about to be struck with something serious. A few weeks later (per Dr. Meredith’s letter dated 1/12/12), Dr. Meredith reported that his wife (who was much younger than he) was stricken with stage four cancer (she later died on November 29, 2013). That prediction was not the result of analytical skills on my behalf, but I believe were insights from God’s Spirit.
In my view, the unexpected ‘double-portion anointing, Gaylyn Bonjour’s comments about the mantle passing, and my feeling led to tell of something about to hit Sheryl Meredith, were the result of God answering my prayers in November/December 2011 that the prophet matter would be confirmed or denied in Charlotte with my December 2011 trip. Essentially, this was THREE confirmations.
Let this be clear, I was absolutely anointed, had hands laid over me, and the LCG minister who did so prayed that I would receive a ‘double-portion’ of God’s Holy Spirit, and afterwards that same minister (Gaylyn Bonjour) stated that this was reminiscent of the mantle passing from Elijah to Elisha (Gaylyn Bonjour also brought up the passing of the mantle related to this when we spoke on March 23, 2012). The fact that he did not originally intend to pray that I receive a ‘double-portion’ of God’s Holy Spirit is of no consequence, as the Bible shows that although Isaac had not intended to provide certain blessings to Jacob, once Isaac laid hands upon Jacob and gave the prayer, the anointed blessing would remain according to the Bible (Genesis 27)–and Gaylyn Bonjour concurs with this. Let it be noted that unlike Jacob, I did not employ any deceit in the anointing.
Furthermore, understand that I believe that I do have the appropriate prophetic fruits that Jesus discussed (Matthew 7:15-20) and that those truly interested in the truth can see this if they truly wish to prayfully look into this. Perhaps it should be mentioned that while some question my ordination, others have also had concerns about God’s anointing and ordinations (2 Kings 9:1-11; Jeremiah 43:2; Genesis 27:26-37). God does not always do things the way humans think He does (cf. Isaiah 55:8-9).
The Bwana Bob finally makes a truthful statement:
Gary Leonard does not want to accept that I have the fruits of a prophet and meet the biblical and COG criteria for that.
Absolutely! There is no way on God's green earth that Theil is a prophet of God. That I can state as a fact. Pigs will be flying and rats dancing when I ever believe that nonsense. Plus, the so-called COG criteria for prophet is as pathetic as Bob's claims. The Church of God has never produced a real prophet in the last 80 some years of the church and Thiel is NOT one for the end times. That I can state as a fact again.
