Herbert Armstrong's Tangled Web of Corrupt Leaders
Is Caring For Others A Distinguishing Mark Of Living Church of God?
Real Philadelphia Christians: The Book of Revelation describes Philadelphia Christians as having a strong desire to carry out the mission that Jesus gave to His Church (Revelation 3:7–13). That mission involves preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom of God (Mark 1:14–15), warning the Israelite nations and the world of the consequences of sin (Matthew 10:5–6; 24), and preparing a people to reign with Jesus Christ in the Kingdom (Luke 1:17). The name “Philadelphia” means “brotherly love,” so true Philadelphians will strive to follow Jesus’ admonition to “love one another” (John 15:12–17). Real Philadelphians will show unselfish, outgoing concern for others (versus sitting in judgment of others). Demonstrating concern for others is a distinguishing mark of a real Philadelphia Christian (John 13:34–35). Let’s all look for ways to show genuine “brotherly love” to others.
Have a profitable Sabbath, Douglas S. Winnail
22 comments:
June 2011.
I will say this to Doug Winnail and the rest of LCG.
Show some brotherly love and send a group led by a church pastor to serve those devastated by the storms that hit Arkansas, Kansas, Illinois the other states. Pay for a semi load of water and food. Then we can say they are truly showing compassion, love and mercy as Jesus said a Christian should do.
Jim-AZ
I remember being a part of that church organization and was treated with racism from a couple of ministers. That’s how they teated me. I don’t know what love they speak of. They are in their own little bubble, they don’t care for others.
The theology of the cogs is that the churches mentioned in Revelation are ‘era’s’ of the cogs.
I am puzzled as to why Romans, Corinth, Galatians, Ephesians etc etc are not included in era’s as the others.
The fact is the churches in Revelation are just that, churches, from whom we as Christians can learn from.
Full of flaws and faults as the ‘church’ and we as individuals are.
Christ’s love was not conditional as we read in John 3:16 and in many other verses. It was unconditional.
If the lcog and the Armstrong movement practiced this kind of love their very survival would in danger.
For without the rules, fear, and ‘the Law’ it all starts to fall apart.
The ‘church’ we read of in Acts 15 and elsewhere is vastly different from what we have experienced as members of the cogs.
I wanna hear the "Nimrods Testicles" story again!
Open door
Rev 3:7 And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth;
“Christ is next described as having “the key of David,” a metaphorical expression indicating complete control over the royal household... The language of Isaiah is used to present Christ as the Davidic Messiah with absolute power to control entrance to the heavenly kingdom...” (Robert Mounce, The Book of Revelation, Revised, NICNT, p.100).
Rev 3:8 I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.
“Most of the discussion centers on the meaning of the open door [as opposed to the syntactical problem of the first clause]. The most common interpretation is that it denotes a great opportunity for missionary activity. Paul uses the metaphor in this way... (1 Cor 16:9; cf. 2 Cor 2:12; Col. 4:3)...
“A different interpretation, however, fits the context better. The preceding verse spoke of a messianic kingdom whose access was under the absolute control of Christ.... Now in v.8 he reminds the Christians at Philadelphia who may have been excommunicated from the local synagogue (v.9) that he has placed before them an open door into the eternal kingdom, and no one can shut it.... No matter if the door to the synagogue has been closed, the door into the messianic kingdom remains open” (Robert H. Mounce, The Book of Revelation, Revised, NICNT, p.101).
Rev 4:1 After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will show thee things which must be hereafter.
“To open or shut what? The entrance to the house of David. And for what purpose? The gates are opened, says Isaiah, ‘that the righteous nation which keeps faith may enter in’ (26:2)... The whole group of ideas thus concern entry to the house of David, the kingdom, city and temple of God...
“This would relate the ‘open door’ of 3:8 to that of 4:1, which admits John to the realm and presence of God, there it is a matter of revelation, and here one of salvation” (Michael Wilcock, The Message of Revelation, BST, p.55).
Rev 3:12 Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.
“Elsewhere in the New Testament the ‘open door’ is a picture of opportunity (1 Cor 16:9; 2 Cor 2:12);... here it means primarily their own assured entry into the New Jerusalem...” (Michael Wilcock, The Message of Revelation, BST, p.56).
Ac 14:27 And when they were come, and had gathered the church together, they rehearsed all that God had done with them, and how he had opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles.
“... the fact that missionary activity is never mentioned elsewhere in Revelation and also that such an emphasis does not fit the context makes this meaning doubtful. In Acts 14:27 the door is open to the hearers, not the proclaimers...” (David E. Aune, Revelation 1-5, WBC, p.236).
[Rev 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me
[Rev 1:18 I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death. ].
Well, II left lcg a few tears back because. I never saw them preach one sermon on any of that.
Not once did I see any philadelphia love. Just control, control/
This is the usual song that all the ACOGs sing, and it's all wrong. Yes, the bible does teach Christians to "love one another," but that's a two way rather than a one way street. All the ACOGs hide this, as well as that the expression "one another" appears over 50 times in the NT. A trait of governments through out history is that they try to force things rather than letting them organically happen.. For instance, friendships naturally happen. Churches try to force this with their incessant "outgoing concern" (the expression is non biblical) or "genuine outgoing concern/brotherly love."
Books on child development point out that if children are taught to share without being taught ownership first, they are being taught to be slaves to others. That is, proper sharing rests on a foundation of ownership. Hence when Douglas teaches "unselfish out going concern," he is effectively teaching slavery to the irresponsible in the church. It's the game of the unjust steward among other things.
Mr Douglas S. Winnal, do you think God will call people into your group so that you can decieve and brainwash them into being slaves to the irresponsible??
Btw, rational self interest and self profit are virtues with you attack with you constant railing against "selfishness." How about putting the bible before the traditions of HWAs churches?
Uh Oh! Our name-dropping mystery guest will certainly have something to say about this. Thing is, Doug Winnail and Jerry Weston are contemporary, and people here actually do or did know them. Perhaps that and the fact that it's a direct quote will help M/G to get a clue.
Doug is always dangerous and deceptive and known for mangling Holy Scripture.
Doug counts on the COGlodytes to be numb, trained in COG doctrinal error, and not notice that it is a recycled piece, tooled to keep them .
I will skip over what's wrong with Doug's rendering of the churches mentioned in Revelations, since it was covered above.
I'll start with the second verse Doug cited, Mark 1:15 - which exposes one of the fatal flaws of Armstrongism.
The COGS, including dangerous Doug, insist the Kingdom of God is not now but a soon coming earthly event.
HWA, RCM, and Doug's preaching on the matter has defined them to be false prophets because they repeatedly used failed time frames for when this earthly change would occur.
On the contrary, Christians see Jesus as a current King with a current Kingdom, while they also look forward to this Kingdom fully coming to Earth, as it is in Heaven.
Christians understand that the Kingdom is to be experienced now through life in Jesus, soon coming at one's death in Jesus, and will come to transform the Earth by Jesus.
Mark 1:15 proclaims “The kingdom of God has come near" - Christians experience that nearness as a reality.
The preachers and people of Armstrongism dismiss from the collective COG mind a very long list of their proclamations which have proven the Kingdom not to be near in the manner they have preached while, insisting they are preaching by the authority of God.
The COGs reject so much about Jesus; they don't care much for his grace, redemption, and justification - so it naturally follows that they don't understand his Kingdom.
Moving on to the third passage the dangerous and deceptive Doug cited, and mangled, Matthew 10:6 - and I will add verse 7:
Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. As you go, proclaim this message: The kingdom of heaven has come near."
Doug counts on the poor people of the LCG to be numb and dumb; he does not show love to them when he uses his recycled writings to administer another indoctrination booster to them in the errors of Armstrongism.
Doug wrote:
"... warning the Israelite nations and the world of the consequences of sin (Matthew 10:5–6; 24."
Doug is injecting into the COGlodyte mind the fallacy that the Ezekiel Warning is the Gospel.
However, the passage in Matthew 10 is about telling the people the good news that Jesus offers himself to be their Savior and free them from sin - to take care of their every need.
Then, verse 8 instructs them to take care of the people's physical needs.
Jesus never gave the commission to preach the COG's version of the Ezekiel Warning and the Bible shows that the Apostles never preached the COG version of the Ezekiel Warning - yet LCG claims to be original Christianity.
Lastly, Doug COG-oddly threw in verse 24:
“The student is not above the teacher, nor a servant above his master."
This is another indoctrination booster of the COG tenant that the people must know their place, which is below that of the ministers who teach them.
I pray that the people of the LCG will read their Bibles with a mind free from Doug's deception and seek teachers that know Jesus better than LCG teachers.
Caring and compassion for the average lay member was never a strong point for Worldwide and it is even worse in Flurry's PCOG. Just shut up, send in your tithes, rat out anyone questioning our authority and send in special offerings for the jet.
Doug Winnail wrote: "...The Book of Revelation describes Philadelphia Christians as having a strong desire to carry out the mission that Jesus gave to His Church...That mission involves preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom of God...warning the Israelite nations and the world of the consequences of sin...and preparing a people to reign with Jesus Christ in the Kingdom..."
******
But Doug, possibly a modern-day “prophet of Baal:” did you read anything in Rev 3:7-13 about any mission? You made that up! What/who inspired you to write such a thing in 2011, and want to continue to spread the same message in 2021? Is your mission short-sighted or long-range?”
And since you, by another spirit, preach another gospel about another Jesus (one who came as some "god in the flesh" mixture) very soon to arrive to reign on earth for 1,000 years, thus you are setting up a Mickey Mouse Millennium, and denying the real Jesus who told us He would still be at His Father's right hand in Heaven until beyond that 1,000 years, until all enemies are subdued.
Is Doug Winnail's idea of a mission really $profitable$ to consider and think about, especially when that Kingdom, Biblically-speaking, is a lot farther off than Doug can even imagine? Why not discuss the "10 nations/kings?" Oh, that is way off too! Why not discuss the gospel of Christ, or the gospel of your salvation? What about that "open door" of Rev 3, but you would probably twist it to be all about SELF, your organization, your work.
HWA was on a similar mission for decades. This is 2021! Doug, you basically repeated this mission message a decade ago! For how many more decades do you expect to keep repeating the same mission message? Doesn’t everyone in your organization already know about it? But, you made it up. Oh, you are 10 years closer to establishment of God’s kingdom to come. 10 years, a decade, closer to the arrival of your “another Jesus” to very soon reign on earth for 1,000 years, but where is He? What would you think if the real Jesus did not step down on earth for over a 1,000 years from today? Again, how many more decades do we need with the death of HWA, Joe Tkach senior, etc., former servants of God, before your mission is completed?
Time is telling, but to be continued…
John
Continuing...
Some comments about addressed different interpretations for that "open door," which makes more sense regarding Revelation 3:7-13 than some made-up mission of Doug Winnail (Weston?) FWIIW, here's another provided from a partial transcript of a sermon on "The Seven Churches" given in 1996:
"...Do the Philadelphians have the key of David? No! Christ has it! This is talking about Christ! He has the key of David! He’s got everything;
“…he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth;”
“Well, that has to be talking about ‘The Work!’ Do you see? No man can shut this door to ‘this Work!’ We’re going to expand and we’re going to go to the world!”
That’s not what it means, brethren! It doesn’t mean that at all.
God never set up His Plan of Salvation dependent on what work you could accomplish, or what you would say, or what you would do, or how many parts of the country you would go to. Certainly not on any of our righteousness, because we don’t have any!
You’re going to learn that this door is Jesus Christ. It’s not for “a work.”...
...So, all of you out there in those little scattered “churches,” and they’re not churches at all! They’re just little organizations, mainly run by little hirelings, that God never asked to start a work.
It’s not for an open door for your work. It has nothing to do with it, and if you tell people that, you’re a liar and it shows that the truth is not in you!...
...Christ is that door! He is saying to this era of the Church that that door is not going to be shut, that Christ, Jesus Christ, is always going to be open for the knowledge and for the understanding...
...Jesus Christ was never going to be cut off! The knowledge of Him, the knowledge of the True Plan of Salvation was not going to be shut off from this era;...
...Brethren, all of the way through Mr. Armstrong’s time we didn’t deny His name. Now, we didn’t understand the Father! We didn’t understand Jesus Christ, and we didn’t understand the Plan of Salvation, but we were heading in the right direction.
Now that Mr. Armstrong is dead, and we’ve had ten years of history of the Laodicean era of the Church, all of us Philadelphians are still here! God opened up those doors and kept those doors opened as Mr. Armstrong died..."
How might Jesus Christ be that "door?"
"I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture." John 10:9
Now, that is some door, and linked in with salvation, too!
Recall that when the ancient Israelites killed their lambs prior to their exodus out of Egypt they put the blood where? On a window? No, around a door, picturing that future door being Jesus Christ.
Doug you are again basically repeating an old message from 2011 about some mission, but you made that up. Yes, it helps guarantee you are as a $profitable$ servant worthy to continue to pull in a hireling’s paycheck from an organization started by men, but does it have anything to do with God’s work, or any viable “mission?”
Time will tell…
John
To 4:15 & 4:58, well said about the church knowing little about the present power and existence of the kingdom of God in heaven and on the earth. They just focus on the future while they corrupt themselves in the present. Today the kingdom of God in the church is in a state of turmoil, as anyone with clear eyes can see.
But we could have avoided this if we had responded to the new understanding (sans the late change in the sabbath doctrine which was a tipping point) from JWT 30 years ago which was bringing in what you discussed above, a better understanding of Christ's sacrifice, redemption and lordship. Go back and read JWT's personals. They were outstanding.
As for the so-called "Ezekiel warning", this too is a part of the gospel that commands us to repent and change our ways. (The apostles went to the nations and heavily influenced the world with their message. If Paul was sent to kings, Acts 9:15, so were the others) Look at Ezek 3&33. It is a warning to ALL people (including the church) to repent, which is exactly what the gospel is about, that a new kingdom is about to come to the earth to overthrow the current corrupt kingdoms and install righteousness. And that righteousness comes only through faith in Christ's redemptive salvation. (Rom 3:22-on)
So you see the gospel is all these things, repentance from sin, faith in Christ's sacrifice, warning to all, entering the kingdom here and now, finishing with the violent overthrow of the kingdoms of the world and of the devil.
Of course, no consideration that Mr. Tkach might have been listening to the Holy Spirit when he discarded Herbert Armstrong’s many doctrinal errors and heresies.
Everything would have been OK if he would have kept the Sabbath. Sure. Except....
Today, in the New World (the Western Hemisphere) the seventh-day Sabbath starts on the modern calendar’s Friday sundown each week. Armstrong and the rest of the strict Sabbath-keepers never questioned the origin nor the biblical accuracy of the International Dateline in the Pacific. I have a lot of training in geography, and that was one of the first questions I asked when I (mistakenly) became a member of the Worldwide Church of God. My local pastor simply replied, “Oh, we conform to international convention and accurate maps.” I knew better, but couldn’t say a thing. He and the church “knew.” But, they didn’t.
If the International Dateline is placed between the Old World and the New, in the Atlantic (where, biblically it should be), the seventh day of each week first happens along that dateline. In the Western Hemisphere, a day earlier than today.
The controlling question is this. Can anyone, a person, a church, or a government, change when the seventh-day Sabbath actually occurs? Or, is that determined by scripture? Where, perchance (well, per Scripture), should the International Dateline actually be, in conformance with Holy Scripture, not by some arbitrary decision made two or three centuries ago for commercial convenience?
The Sabbath in both the New World and Old World, started at Creation. Adam’s progeny then dispersed in all directions across the globe. So did those who survived the Flood with Noah. In both cases, the Sabbath each week went with the migrating people into all new areas, even to the east, even to the New World. Could there ever have been a lost day in all of that time, thereby forcing the International Dateline into the Pacific? Of course not. The Sabbath has continued from Creation and Noah without interruption across the globe, following people as they settled into new areas, including the New World. Therefore, Christopher Columbus notwithstanding, the dateline, biblically, must be in the Atlantic, which keeps the Sabbath in force without interruption for everyone in the New World before Columbus “found” it.
Of course, note that Christ never mentioned the keeping of the Sabbath Command. By his Grace, under the New Covenant, it was no longer mandated. In the New World, in all of history, it has never been on today’s Saturday. Biblically, in the New World the seventh-day Sabbath always started on today’s Thursday sundown. Armstrong, et al., had it all wrong. Tkach had it right. People (or churches) trying to keep a Saturday Sabbath in the Western Hemisphere have the date wrong. Here, biblically it starts at Sundown on each Thursday.
And, of course, if the Sabbath is still in force Inuits, Lapps, and others living above the Arctic Circle have no possible way to keep the Sabbath. They are condemned. For half the year the sun never sets up there. Either they are condemned for failing to keep the Sabbath which has no definition in their localities; or the Sabbath was intended for a specific group of people, in a specific region of the world, for a specific period of time.
On your next Sabbath, ponder all of that.
Actually, 4:34, I've thought of the Inuits and Lapps as being symbolic of New Covenant Christians. For half of the year, every day is the sabbath for those living above the Arctic Circle, just as is true of the way in which the sabbath has been expanded into the Christian's sabbath rest, in which we rest every day from our old sinful ways.
Ha ha anon 4:34 reads as if the same author of the notorious UCG White Paper 2011 had written it.
It was a notorious farce then 4:34 and more of a farce now.
Said by Saturday, December 18, 2021 at 11:41:00 AM:
"As for the so-called "Ezekiel warning", this too is a part of the gospel that commands us to repent and change our ways."
This is a huge mistake. In fact, passing the Ezekiel Warning off as part of the Gospel is one way to prove HWA was a false prophet, as are all those who carry on the heresy of HWA, such as Winnail.
You can find several COG-odd Ezekiel Warning quotes from HWA in an article on this site, at:
https://armstrongismlibrary.blogspot.com/p/herbert-armstrongs-documented.html
Here is just one of Herbie's documented false claims about the Ezekiel Warning:
Plain Truth, July 1956, pp.3-4 "To understand the time, the place, and all the facts of the prophecy of Ezekiel 38, we need to begin at the 1st chapter of Ezekiel’s prophecy and read the book clear through. ... Ezekiel’s Message is for our day - and it is, therefore, a message for America and Britain, NOW! ... No such destruction and captivity has ever yet come to the House of Israel since this was written! Therefore it is still in the future - IN OUR TIME! It is a warning to Britain and America - NOW!"
Doug Winnail specifically states that this exact Ezekiel Warning is a proof that LCG is the true church.
Yes, repent and turn from sin is part of the Gospel - but the COGs don't know Jesus, so they cannot preach how repenting, turning from sin, and being completely righteous is only possible through Jesus (who is 99% of the Gospel message).
Acts 13:39
Through him everyone who believes is set free from every sin, a justification you were not able to obtain under the law of Moses.
Romans 3:24
and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
Romans 3:26
he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.
Does anybody actually read the posts with the machine-gunned scriptures, or do y'all's eyes glaze over like mine?
Bahahahahaha...This note is such a joke!!!
Doug Winnail wouldn’t know a real Christian if he met one!! LOL
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