These are some of the questions Living Church of God ministers are expected to know in order to be ministers in the church. Note that there is nothing about Christ, except for the city in which he is expected to return to, at some point in LCG's timeline. Also, note a question about a comment Will Durant made. Durant is considered one of America's greatest philosophers. LCG can quote him but then mock great philosophers from Greece and elsewhere as pagans.
If LCG was a Christ-centered church then its entire training process for its ministers would be centered upon that inconvenient dude they don't like to talk about. Instead, it is all about the law, government, and prophecy, while that dude that keeps knocking at their door is left standing outside in the cold.
1. What is referred to by the “deadly wound” of Revelation 13?
2. What does historian Will Durant say is “one of the most brilliant ideas in the history of
statesmanship”?
3. What do the two legs of Daniel 2 represent?
4. Why does the lamb which speaks like the dragon have two horns? What is their significance?
5. What defines the mark of the Beast in general, and which of the 10 Commandments does it refer to in particular?
6. What is the significance of the mark of the Beast being taken on the hand and on the forehead?
7. What is the first beast, and what is the second beast, of Revelation 13?
8. What is the connection between the numeral 666 and the coming European empire?
9. What is God’s admonition to His people regarding Babylon the Great (Rv. 18:4)?
10. What city will become the dwelling place of Christ, the Father, and the firstfruits for all eternity
(Revelation 21)?
Advanced Leadership Training Program
17 comments:
This is not the quote from Durant that they wanted, but a good one for sure...
"The only real revolution is in the enlightenment of the mind and the improvement of character, the only real emancipation is individual"
As far as the other questions are concerned, there is honest debate for each of those answers by theologians, and even amongst COG groups. Are they just looking for the "official LCG" pat answer or speculation?
This LCG Minister's Test is proof of the true hallmarks of LCG which are lostness, hopelessness, and foolishness.
1 Corinthians 1:30 tells us it is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God — that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.
LCG lacks Jesus and therefore, LCG lacks wisdom, righteousness, and holiness.
LCG’s wisdom is based on beasts, two legs mentioned in Daniel, and lambs with dragon's horns. However, they are not at all interested in the biblical concepts of justification or grace – thy just don’t care about the works of Jesus or the gifts of God.
LCG's lack of attention to Jesus proves they lack power and wisdom, as demonstrated by 1 Corinthians 1:24: but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
The foolish LCG is perishing due to their deficient wisdom and lack of focus on Jesus. I hope the LCG members will wake up to the truth before they perish with LCG:
1 Corinthians 1:18
For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
LCG : “Can you pass it’s rest for ministers?” No I can’t and neither can they. I left the ministry of the WCG over 25 years ago. I attended Global Church of God a few times. The self righteous and know it all attitude, plus judgmental attitude turned me off. I heard numerous sermons on Daniel and Revelation, the mark of the beast, the coming European empire. What I didn’t hear hear was how the church was helping the poor. I didn’t hear how the church was helping handicapped people. I didn’t hear about ministers who volunteered to teach and mentor school age kids who needed guidance.
For years members have sent in tithes and offerings. Where has the money gone? What have they accomplished? Oh yes, they wrote some articles on the end times. They wrote some articles on this present evil world. They preached GOD’S GOVERNMENT. They preached how GOD’S ministers were the ones who had the correct understanding on everything.
So now new ministers are going to know what the mark of the beast is. They are going to know what 666 on the hand and forehead means. Wow just what people need to know in order to cope with life’s problems.
I gave up my suit and tie. I put my wingtip shoes away. I now wear jeans and a polo shirt. I know my neighbors. I helped a blind beggar a couple days ago. Does that make me special. NO but I felt good doing it. My wife and I sent money to a young girl struggling with some problems. Does that make us special. NO but we are trying to help someone. We gave a $50 tip to a college girl trying to make it. She said, no I can’t accept that much. We said take it. You need it. I was happy for her.
The last thing I want to do right now is ask a young minister to explain the meaning of Daniel and the heads, horns and toes. I am going to stop before I get an upset stomach.
Jim-AZ
Mt 24:24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
Antichrist/Beast
1Jn 2:18a Little children ... ye have heard that antichrist [antichristos] shall come
Acts 17:7 ... and these ... saying that there is another king, one Jesus.
Heb 8:4 For if he were on earth, he should not be a priest,
"Antichrist ... opponent of Christ; that which sets itself in the place of Christ, which appears as Christ in opposition to Christ..." (E. W. Bullinger, A Critical Lexicon and Concordance to the English and Greek New Testament, p.56).
Rev 19:20 And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet... These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
"There is no doubt that the beast of the book of Revelation is the Antichrist that the apostles Paul and John describe in their epistles" (Mal Couch, "Beast", The Encylopedia of Bible Prophecy, p.44).
Rev 17:12 And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings...
Rev 17:13 and [they] shall give their power and strength unto the beast.
Rev 17:14 These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings:...
The Antichrist is a 'king,' and like Jesus he will also be a king of kings. The Antichrist "as" Christ:
Rev 5:6 ... a Lamb ... having seven horns and seven eyes,
Rev 13:1 ... a beast ... having seven heads and ten horns,
"In John's description of the beast, there are numerous parallels with Jesus that should alert the reader to the fact that John is seeking to establish...a theological characterization...: Both wielded swords; both had followers on whose foreheads were inscribed their names (13:16-14:1); both had horns (5:6; 13:1); both were slain... both had arisen to new life and authority; and both were given (by different authorities) power over every nation, tribe, people, and tongue as well as over kings of the earth (1:5; 7:9; with 13:7; 17:12). The beast described here is the great theological counterpart to all that Christ represents..." (Alan F. Johnson, Revelation, EBC, Vol.12, p.527).
Rev 5:6 a Lamb standing, as [hos] having been slain [esphagmenen]
Rev 13:3 one of its heads,as [hos] having been slain [esphagmenen] to death
"As Gregory Harris observes, "In support of the view that this wound was fatal is the fact that identical language is used of Christ's death and resurrection." Revelation 5:6 describes the Lamb as if slain [hos esphagmenen], the same word used of the beast (hos esphagmenen) in Revelation 13:3. Because of this close similarity Ryrie concludes, "If Christ died actually, then it appears that this ruler will also actually die. But his wound would be healed, which can only mean resurrection to life... He apparently dies, descends to the abyss and returns to life" (Mark Hitchcock, Who is the Antichrist? Answering the Question Everyone is Asking, (Eugene: Harvest House Publishers, 2011), p.142).
Rev 2:8b ... the First and the Last, who became dead,and lived [ezesen]
Rev 13:14b ... the beast who has the wound of the sword, and lived [ezesen]
"Furthermore, "the word referring to the beast's return to life is similar to the word used of Christ's return to life. Jesus is the One 'who was dead and has come to life [ezesen]' (Revelation 2:8). And the beast will be the one 'who had the wound of the sword and has come to life [ezesen]' (13:14). Comparing the statements about Christ's death in Revelation 5:6 and the death of the beast in Revelation 13, J. B. Smith says, "Since the words in the former instance signifies the death of Christ by violence, so truly will the final Roman emperor meet a violent death..." (Mark Hitchcock, Who is the Antichrist? Answering the Question Everyone is Asking, p.142).
"The beast described here is the great theological counterpart to all that Christ represents and not the Roman Empire or any its emperors. So it is easy to understand why many in the history of the church have identified the beast with a future, personal Antichrist" (Alan F. Johnson, Revelation, Vol.12, p.527).
The end-time "beast" is the "little horn" of Dan 7:8, 20-22a; and the "king of the North" of Dan 11:36-45.
Dan 8:25 he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes
Rev 19:19 And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.
The 'beast' also appears to be 'telescoped' with Antiochus Epiphanes in Daniel 8 - the little horn is both the Greek Antichrist of the Old Testament and the Roman Antichrist of the New Testament - metaphorical, (cp. 8:11) and literal fulfillments, respectively.
Rev 17:10 And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.
Rev 17:11 And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition [apoleia].
The Antichrist/Beast is the seventh king before his death, and he is the eighth king after his resurrection.
"Antichrist is designated 'the son of perdition' in 2 Th 2:3" (F.F. Bruce, Revelation, A Bible Commentary for Today, p.1704).
Antichrist/Beast as God
2Th 2:3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition [apoleia];
2Th 2:4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.
"The leader of the great rebellion is described in two phrases... he is "the man of lawlessness" ... and "the son of perdition," i.e. he who is destined for perdition (cf. the application of the same phrase to Judas Iscariot in John 17:12). This person is characterized by his opposition to the divine law and therefore doomed to destruction" (F.F. Bruce, 1 & 2 Thessalonians, WBC, p.166).
2 Th 2:3 that man of sin be revealed [apokalyphthe],
2 Th 2:8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed [apokalupto]...
2Th 1:7b the Lord Jesus shall be revealed [apokalupsis]...
"The verb apokalyphthe ("be revealed") implies that the "man of lawlessness," like the Lord Jesus (cf. 1:7), is to have his apokalupsis (called his parousia in v 9). This suggests that he is in some sense a rival Messiah, the antichristos of 1 John 2:18 ("you have heard that Antichrist is coming")" (F.F. Bruce, 1 & 2 Thessalonians, WBC, p.166).
2Th 2:9 Even him, whose coming [parousia] is after the working of Satan...
2Th 2:8 whom the Lord shall ... destroy with the brightness [epiphaneia] of his coming [parousia]:
"... the false Christ has his solemn Parousia or, as we might call it (remembering the title of that proto-Antichrist, Antiochus Epiphanes), his "epiphany." (From the time of Gaius Caligula onwards, epiphaneia is used of an emperor's parousia, with the implication that his visit is a "manifestation" of divinity.) The use of parousia here probably suggests a parody of Christ's Parousia (v 8)" (F.F. Bruce, 1 & 2 Thessalonians, WBC, p.173).
Antiochus Epiphanes was the Old Testament Antichrist. Hadrian was the New Testament 'type' of the Beast, the Antichrist will be the NT antitype of the Beast.
Prophet
Ex 7:1 And the LORD said unto Moses, See, I have made thee a god to Pharaoh: and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet.
Ex 4:16 And he shall be thy spokesman unto the people ... he shall be to thee instead of a mouth, and thou shalt be to him instead of God.
"...Biblical usage confirms the concept of the prophet as an announcer: for example, when God sent Moses to Egypt He explained, "See, I have made thee as God to Pharaoh, and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet: thou shall speak all that I command thee, and Aaron thy brother shall speak unto Pharaoh" (Ex 7:1-2). To this, then, corresponds the basic meaning of the Greek word profetes, one who speaks forth, in behalf of another; in classic culture, one who interprets the will of some deity" (J. Barton Payne, Encyclopaedia of Biblical Prophecy, pp.4-5).
False Prophet
Rev 13:12 And he [the second beast/false prophet] exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.
Rev 19:20 ... the false prophet ... wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image...
"Revelation depicts the False Prophet as one who uses miraculous signs and wonders to lure the world into worshiping the Antichrist... this is yet a future event....
"A century ago, Samuel Andrews taught that the work of the False Prophet will be to extend his ecclesiastical administration over the whole earth by establishing the church of the Antichrist as the counterfeit of the true church..." (Ed Hindson, "The False Prophet", The Popular Encyclopedia of Bible Prophecy, p.103).
While "the church of the Antichrist" is pointing in the right direction, perhaps it would be better described as "the cult of the Antichrist" - cp. the cult of Roman Emperor worship. The false prophet sets up the cult to worship the Antichrist after his 'death and resurrection'.
Don't forget "Name the 7 Dwarfs"
, "Which Reindeer was laughed at and called names?" and (fill in the blank), "I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll ____ your______down"
Bonus Question: When, why and for whom was Revelation written?
Oh you fools... (LOL)
They are called the Living Church of God - not the Living Church of Christ or Jesus.
The name tells you quite plainly that the focus is not Christ - because... because... that would not be Biblical!
You can use select Bible verses to prove anything.
Genocide - Joshua and other books.
Mindless law keeping or else - Leviticus.
Faith only - most of Paul.
The apocalypse - Revelation and the Gospels (yes - the Son of Man was going to come back and conquer the nations and make Jesus the Messiah).
(Like WCG had to do, the early church had to retrench when the prophesied return did not take place.)
Don't forget "Name the 7 Dwarfs"
Gerald Flurry, Brian Davis, Gerald Waterhouse, Jim Franks, Carl McNair, Sheldon Monson, Wally Smith
A suggested test for LCG ministers: 1. Why is the word "feasts" in Lev 23:2 a mistranslation? 2. How many feasts are there according to scripture? (Three). 3. What feast is at the end of the Biblical year? (FOT). 4. How many apostles of Jesus Christ are there? (12). 5. When is the "14th at even" in Ex 12:18 and Joshua 5:10? (Beginning). 6. What percentage formerly (not formally) must be added to a tithe paid in money? (20%). 7. Is Revelation primarily about the spirit world? (Yes-Rev 1:10; 4:4; cf 2Kings 6:17).
Answer to LCG's 2 ??: Will Durant: "came one of the most brilliant ideas in the history of statesmanship: the transformation of Charlemagne’s realm into a Holy Roman Empire". HUH? The LCG: it gets curiouser and curiouser.
Prophecy, prophecy and more prophecy - and most of that is based on false assumptions. Nothing about Christ or shepherding a flock, but maybe their congregations will get some titillating sermons and bible studies - NOT!
I bet Bob Thiel could answer all the questions, and tell them why their answers are wrong...
Jim-AZ: thanks for practicing true religion! It's encouraging, every time, to see some one motivated to share God's love!
We also try to help those in need. I guess that when we help a drug-addicted couple, give to an unemployed family, or assist those who are begging on the street, we are being conned most of the time. However, it doesn't matter - it feels good and it is a command. Who knows how God may choose to make our gifts impact these people at some future point in their lives.
I pray for LCG ministers and members, as my service to them - they are more needy than many I give cash too.
“5. When is the "14th at even" in Ex 12:18 and Joshua 5:10? (Beginning).”
Questions:
Ex 12:6 And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it between the evenings.
Col 2:17 Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.
1Co 5:7a For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:
Are you implying that Christ was not killed “between the evenings”? Are you implying that Christ can still be a Passover ‘sacrifice’ without being killed “between the evenings”?
Is the morning sacrifice on the 14th a passover sacrifice?
The Revelation of Jesus Christ
Rev 1:1 The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to show unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass;...
“Is Revelation primarily about the spirit world? (Yes-Rev 1:10; 4:4; cf 2Kings 6:17).”
Revelation presents the cosmic realities that underlie events on the earth in the future.
Ezekiel, Daniel and Zechariah, three Apocalyptic books of the Old Testament help in understand the NT book of the Apokalypsis of Jesus Christ.
Eze 9:2 And, behold, six men came from the way of the higher gate, which lieth toward the north, and every man a slaughter weapon in his hand; and one man among them was clothed with linen, with a writer's inkhorn by his side: and they went in, and stood beside the brasen altar.
Eze 9:6 Slay utterly old and young, both maids, and little children, and women: but come not near any man upon whom is the mark; and begin at my sanctuary. Then they began at the ancient men which were before the house.
Eze 10:2 And he spake unto the man clothed with linen, and said, Go in between the wheels, even under the cherub, and fill thine hand with coals of fire from between the cherubims, and scatter them over the city. And he went in in my sight.
"These figures are normally interpreted as angelic beings because of their superhuman role in the vision and the symbolic nature of their total number (seven). However, it is worth noting that if 9:1-2 existed as a fragment, without the surrounding context, we would naturally understand it as speaking of normal human figures obeying the summons of the king. This helps us to remember the dual nature of the these figures. On the one hand, in the vision they are the angelic servants of the Most High, wreaking his judgments on the earth; on the other hand, those same judgments are carried out in history through human agency, so the six destroyers may equally aptly be seen to represent the Babylonian invaders...
"When interpreting these chapters, it is essential to remember that what is recorded here is a vision. That does not mean that the events recounted here are unrelated to reality. For instance, the destruction of Jerusalem that Ezekiel witnessed was the foreshadowing of the very real destruction of that city by the Babylonians in 586 B.C. But it does mean that are not directly related to historical events. The six armed guards represent the Babylonian forces, but they are not the same as them..." (Iain M. Duguid, Ezekiel, NIVAC, pp.133-35).
“Ezekiel is here simply giving us a glimpse behind the scenes at the cosmic realities that underlie history...” (Iain M. Duguid, Ezekiel, NIVAC, p.147).
A quote:
"So the dream of the Holy Roman Empire has remained. It has bemused every generation of Germans since Charlemagne. It has beckoned and bewitched every German leader worth or not worth his salt, ranging in terms of merit and ability all the way from Barbarossa to "Kaiser Bill." The dream has proved to be an irresistible attraction and by no means only to Germans and their far-flung relatives. It has also appealed to Swedes, Spaniards, and Corsicans among others. Those captains and commanders who had no original conscious desire to travel the road to empire sooner or later discovered themselves moving along the railbed of historic progression that had been laid in the time of Charlemagne. Napoleon realized this early in his career and accepted it. Indeed, the empire was virtually thrust upon Napoleon as a matter of course by German princes...
"Even when institutions are disintegrating and decaying, their leading ideas sometimes live on. And remerge, often in distorted and even horrendous forms. So it was the Berlin-Rome axis came into being; the link was the Church. So it was that the Concordat between the Vatican and the Third Reich was signed. There was perhaps no basic differences between the attitudes of Pius XII to Hitler and Leo III to Charlemagne. "Heresies," as Sir Thomas Browne wrote,
do not perish with their Authors, but like the river Arethusa, though they lose their currents in one place, they rise up again in another... Opinions do find, after certain Revolutions, men and minds like those that first begat them. To see ourselves again, we need not look for Plato's year: every man is not only himself; there have been many Diogenes, and as many Timons, though but few of that name; men are lived over again, the world is now as it was in Ages past, there was none then, but there hath been someone since that parallels him, and is, as it were, his revived self.
"If this is true then can we be sure that history has written finis to what was perhaps the grandest design ever conceived by man: the Holy Roman Empire? (George Bailey, Germans: Biography of an Obsession, pp.363 & 360).
Time will tell.
Given his height, David Pack could never be one of the dwarfs.
Therefore he is ..... Snow White!
Questions they should ask:
1. Are you a self-absorbed douche?
2. Are you an abuser?
3. Are you a bully?
4. Are you an intellectual elitist?
5. Do you wake up in the morning feeling superior, special and telling yourself you're one hell of a guy?
If you answered yes to any of the above.....well then, welcome to the club! Here's your free pass to get out of anything cause I'm a minister card, and your badge to snoop around and spy on your members! Sorry we ran out of mandatory respect, you'll have to beat that of your congregation but we know you can do it!
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