Almost Arrested Ambiguious COG Prophet Says LCG Is Wrong

 

Never has the COG had a self-appointed prophet in their midst that pussy-foots around so much with his predictions as does the Great Bwana to Africa and 299 Caucasians. The prophets of old spoke without fear and forcefully, but not so with today's weak little prophets. It is always "what if", "could be", "possibly be", "might be", or a big fat "IF".

In his latest Co-worker letter, Gerald Weston of the Living Church of God had the following:

 I doubt that any of us can imagine how traumatic the next one to five years will be, but as Jesus encourages us, “Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near” (Luke 21:28). https://members.lcg.org/letters/co-worker/october-12-2021

Gerald Weston and I agree that the next 1 – 5 years will be quite traumatic.

While we need to look for the signs that Jesus laid out in Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21, let’s consider timing since Gerald Weston mentioned years.

Now it has been said that “if” is the biggest two-letter word in the English language. So:

1. If as the School of Elijah taught, that God inspired Elijah to state that the world as we have known it would last 6,000 years, to be followed by a thousand year sabbatical time, which Jewish tradition (Talmud, Tractate Sanhedrin [97a]) and early Christian traditions record (e.g. Irenaeus, a hearer of Polycarp. Adversus haereses, Book V, Chapter 30:4), then we are getting close to the end of that time.
2. And if, consistent with scriptures in both the Old and New Testaments, we can apply the concept that a thousand years is as a day to God (Psalm 90:4; 2 Peter 3:8).
3. And if, as generally understood in the Church of God that Jesus was killed and resurrected no later than the Spring of 31 A.D. on Passover.
4. And if we can presume that the “last days” of a 7,000 year prophetic week began AFTER the middle day (day 4), then the last days prior to the “sabbatical” time, which some would refer to as the millennial Kingdom of God would last two thousand years.
5. And if when Peter referred to being in the last days (Acts 2:17-18) and since Hebrews 1:1-12 teaches that “God … has in these last days spoken to us by His Son.”
6. Then adding 2,000 years to a period of time leads to the end of the 6,000 years no later than 2031 (and it could be earlier than that).
7. Since the Great Tribulation is expected to start 3 1/2 years prior to that (cf. Revelation 12:14; 13:5) subtracting 3 1/2 years from the Spring of 2031 would be late in 2027.
8. Understand that the U.S.A. is prophesied to be taken over near the rise of the Beast and start of the Great Tribulation (cf. Daniel 11:39; Jeremiah 30:7; Matthew 24:21-22).
9. Therefore, while Jesus is NOT coming in the next 1 -5 years, the USA and its British-descended allies could be gone by then (though it could be later)

We appear to be in the beginning of sorrows that Jesus spoke of.

The Great Tribulation is not too many years off from now.

Satan Is Now Using Google To Thwart UCG's Message

 Never has the COG seen as much persecution as it sees today.

This is starting to sound like a broken record in certain COG circles. "We are being picked on because of our powerful message." Ask any person on the street about that powerful message that they are supposedly hearing from various COG's and NO ONE will have any idea who these groups are or what it is they have said.

UCG Google Advertising Censorship
October 21, 2021 

 

The Church has a divine commission to preach the gospel of the Kingdom of God to all people. The technology to do this continues to advance as never before. The communication systems available, like the Internet, are so powerful. 

 

But with these advancing technologies comes increased pressure for us to be censored and our message hidden by large, controlling tech companies—like Google, Facebook and YouTube.
For example, Google—who owns YouTube—is already censoring our ability to advertise online. Many of our advertising campaigns are now limited in their distribution—being labeled “religious belief in personalized advertising.” Our ads are approved to run, but to very limited audiences. Our reach and effectiveness are being censored and controlled. As a result, we are presently not fully spending our budgeted online marketing dollars for Google. 

 

We would appreciate your specific prayers for the gospel to have “free course” and be available to all those who use the Internet, not just to limited audiences whom Google selects.
—Peter Eddington, Operation Manager, Media and Communications Services

Somebody's Mad!

 

Every once in a while someone's delicate nerves get pinched and we get comments like this.

Koke61 commented on "LCG: The next 1 - 5 years will be traumatic!"

You can mock all you want, but the Church of God from the hand of Mr. Weston will continue forward and the entire ministry from North America to Patagonia and each member around the world will continue as one man united until the end, one day you will give account of this just like the vile soldier who slapped our Lord Jesus Christ.

LCG is anything BUT united, especially after Gerald Weston told LCG members who visited other COG Feast sites that they had done so under the influence of Satan.

LCG: Members need to think more

 

Why is Living Church of God and the broader Church of God movement so attuned to Old Testament stories, characters, and books instead of having their readers study the life of Christ and what he said and did? If one wants to grow as a Christian then one would assume they would want to follow the dude they claim they are following. As most LCG members or most COG members what grace, justification, and sanctification mean and they would be at a loss for words, but have the explain the law and they can wax poetic on how wonderful it is. Jesus, not so much. But why worry about Jesus when your time spent thinking makes your mind more like God's (which you will be one day soon and then you won't have to worry anymore about JC because you will be just like him).

 

Take Time to Think: For many today, the pace of life is frantic and filled with distractions. Yet, Daniel warned that at the end of the age, “many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase” (Daniel 12:4). Jesus also warned, “the cares of this world” can “choke the word” and cause us to miss out on the Kingdom of God (Matthew 13:22). One of the biggest challenges Christians face is the battle that goes on in our minds with thoughts that determine our actions. Solomon wrote, as a person “thinks in his heart, so is he” (Proverbs 23:7). David observed that a wicked person does not seek God and “God is in none of his thoughts” (Psalm 10:4). Yet, David was a man after God’s own heart (Acts 13:22) because he meditated on God’s law daily (Psalm 119:97). David wrote that green pastures and still waters were restful and restorative (Psalm 23). Such places are conducive to thinking and reflecting on God’s creation and his Great Plan for human beings. If we want to grow and prepare for the coming Kingdom of God, we need to take time to think and meditate on God’s word. Read a Psalm every morning or evening and meditate on the subjects mentioned in Philippians 4:8. We can develop the mind of God if we think on these things.
Have a profitable Sabbath, 

Douglas S. Winnail

New Book: From Babylon to America: Exposing Anglo-Israelism and Nationalism in the Churches of God

From Amazon book review:

As Christianity adopted to the needs of nations and empires over the centuries, the Gospel message as originally delivered by Christ and the Apostles has become remarkably domesticated. This fact cannot be more exemplified by the influence of western nationalism and its adoption into bolstering church programs. When American Christian circles believe that the nations of the western world share in God's work, nationalist attitudes, fueled by the belief in a need to defend God's interests, are easily adopted into the teachings and language of its own culture. National security, economic and societal stability become integrated into church messaging. Christians in the west have even adopted the tenets of capitalism and democratic ideals into their belief system to the point of accepting they are precursors to the Kingdom of God. From Babylon to America is an initial examination of the problem by exposing the damaging effects of Anglo-Israelism and nationalism. Any adoption of Anglo-Israelism is one of the root belief systems that have led many to believe that America and the Anglo world has a national and genetic ordination to proliferate the Gospel. The prosperity, power and freedoms of the Anglo world is considered as evidence of this belief. When western nations become under threat from internal strife and foriegn powers, the fear of losing these privileges and securities become central to the congregational conversation, usurping the Gospel message of the of true freedom and security in Jesus Christ.

From Babylon to America: Exposing Anglo-Israelism and Nationalism in the Churches of God

You need DISCIPLINE!!!!!!!!!!!

 

This has been floating around different COG mailing lists.

Your thoughts?

LCG: The next 1 - 5 years will be traumatic!

How many decades did we hear Rod Meredith, while he was in WCG, GCG, and LCG, claim we had less than 5 years till the crap hits the fan? LCG is still on that bandwagon. In a letter to the faithful and co-workers, Gerald Weston stirs up the fear factor once again.

We will all see rough times in life—and so will this Work of God—but God will always bring us through those difficulties if we love Him, as shown by our actions in obeying Him, and put our trust in Him. I urge you, dear brethren and co-workers, to have faith in God. He will see each of us through whatever difficult times there will be, and there will be extremely difficult times going forward. I doubt that any of us can imagine how traumatic the next one to five years will be, but as Jesus encourages us, “Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near” (Luke 21:28).

Of course, there is no other Church of God on earth who is as qualified as the Living Church of God is in preparing its people for a soon coming trauma. Remember, the COG needs tragedy and trauma to happen in order to prove they are the possessors of the truth and that salvation is only available through them because they are so enlightened.

One fact is for certain—God is in control. While He is allowing mankind sufficient rope to “hang itself,” He will not forsake His Work here on earth. Nor will He forsake those of you who are His. King Solomon declared, “The Lord will not allow the righteous soul to famish, but He casts away the desire of the wicked” (Proverbs 10:3). David wrote, “I have been young, and now am old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his descendants begging bread” (Psalm 37:25). 

 

And how can we forget Paul’s reminder: “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28). The late Dr. Roderick C. Meredith reminded us to read that verse carefully. Too many quote the part that says, “all things work together for good” without noticing the qualifiers—“to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” Loving God is more than an emotion. The Apostle John explained: “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome” (1 John 5:3). And Jesus said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments” (John 14:15).

As usual, time is short and the end is nigh, thus LCG members need to stop their revelry, lust, strife, and drunkenness:

Paul also reminds us of this comforting truth, while giving us vital admonitions to go along with that truth: “And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts” (Romans 13:11-14).  Octobr 12, 2021 Coworker/Member letter

Leaders Need To Repent

 

Leaders Need To Repent

by Wes White

Colin Powell died from Covid complications yesterday. In many ways, he was a good guy. 

But let’s talk about Colin Powell in light of repentance. I am not trying to start a debate on race, Covid, vaccinations, conspiracy theories, etc. Again, the issue at the moment is repentance. 

Powell was flat-out wrong when he told the UN that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction. He admitted this error years later. 

Apologists for Powell say that he was stating the truth as he saw it. They say he genuinely believed at the time of his UN speech that Hussein did indeed possess weapons of mass destruction. Let’s assume this is correct. 

My question is this: “Why did Powell not eventually apologize for the damage done because of the promotion of this lie?” 

Sure, he admitted his error, but I can’t find that he ever apologized. There is a difference between admitting error and an apology. And if he really did apologize for all the damage he contributed to, then I will request that this post be deleted from Banned. 

This false claim that he promoted caused the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people. It mentally and physically crippled hundreds of thousands more. It impoverished untold thousands of Iraqi citizens. It cost the US trillions of dollars. It enriched thieves thru graft and corruption. It destabilized the Middle East. It reduced America’s standing in the world. It made Iran stronger. 

 
Now, this is not to say that Powell was SOLEY responsible for all the bad that came from this lie. There are others who bear more blame than he. That’s not my focus. 

The point is that Powell should have apologized for his lie, whether it was deliberate or inadvertent. 

One of the WCG blog sites has a ministerial Hall of Shame. It lists all the WCG ministers who contributed (large or small) to the damage done by WCG’s unchristian leadership. If a man wants to be removed from this wall of shame, he must apologize for his role in the hurt that was inflicted on innocent people by the WCG. And that is not too much to ask. So this Wall of Shame is a good thing. 

Armstrongites have two major problems: 

1) They are not willing to hold these ministers accountable for their past actions. They continue to follow these false teachers long after it had been made obvious that they are/were bad shepherds. 

2) They are too willing to deify imperfect men such as HWA, GTA, Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, Churchill, etc. If one is a Christian, the only person who should be held in such high esteem is Jesus — the only one who never needed repentance. 

I heard one east Texas minister say that he can never admit he made a mistake. He said such an admission would be taken by his enemies as a sign of weakness. This attitude encapsulates so much of what is wrong with the Armstrongite ministry — past and present. They do not understand repentance. In Christianity, repentance is vital. 

 
Without repentance, Christianity cannot exist. Without repentance, a person cannot be a Christian.

MOST RECENT UPDATE: Feast COVID Infections Rising Rapidly, Including Nine Death's

UPDATE:  

Church of God Assembly (COGNews)
Members have been fasting and praying because of the ‘unprecedented’ number of church people who have recently fallen sick due to Covid-19 and other illnesses.
Sheldon Monson’s nephew, Michael Case, died just before the festival, and there have been 4 deaths since then, including his own sister, Anne Burns.

A UCG Pastor now has died from COVID-19, in the wake of the Feast. Randy D'Allesandro, pastor in Chicago and Beloit, WI, died this past Wednesday. 

Philadelphia Church of God, Edmonton Feast site has lots of infections now as PCG tries to keep it quiet.

Every COG internet prayer request mailing list and Facebook group are now listing scores of infections.

COGNews is reporting that 1/3 of COGWA attendees at its Rapid City site have now tested positive for covid, 90 out of 270 people with 4 hospitalized.

COG Big Sandy now has 14 new confirmed cases and LCG has 3 ministers sick in addition to lots of members.

One of the three men who organized the independent Feast site at Land Between the Lakes, KY now has covid and has raved about the new film, COVIDLAND.

Numerous emails have been coming in from various COG groups with people listing names of COG members who have gotten sick with COVID while attending the Feast of Tabernacles this year. A lot of these emails include posts from various COG Facebook groups with people's names and photos who are requesting prayers.

One of Mark Armstrong's ministers was so sick he could not even make it home after the Feast and had to stay in a member's home to recover well enough to travel again.

The person who sent this one in commented:

I wonder if, during the remainder of their journey, they had the decency to mask up and social distance when they stopped for gas and bathroon breaks?

Yeah, right.  🙄.  Stupid question.   

Sadly a member from the Mid-Missouri COG has died from the virus.

The Tulsa Church of God has been hit hard by members being infected.

The Texarkana Church of God International has also been hit hard. 

Sadly, these are just the tip of the iceberg with the COG community as a whole. Far more are sick in other congregations and church groups. Many of the groups are restricting the information from getting out especially if it is tied to covid.

One Living Church of God member said that she knows of at least 4 people who got infected at the Feast.

COG leaders knew they were taking a risk in holding these Feast site locations, but went ahead and did it anyway. The almighty dollar still controls most decisions in COG's these days and the fact that they think they are immune to the disease because they are God's chosen people.

Church of God Ministries International: Tom Kerry Covid Story

 

CGI'sTony Buchert’s Civil Disobedience

 

Tony Buchert’s Civil Disobedience

The Church of God International’s Medina, Ohio congregation was treated to a discourse this past Sabbath (10/16) on the “proper” understanding and application of the thirteenth chapter of Paul’s epistle to the saints at Rome as it relates to modern Christian resistance to the Covid-19 vaccines. According to Mr. Buchert, Paul’s instructions to the saints at Rome should not be interpreted to suggest that U.S. Christians should conform to government mandates regarding Covid vaccination. Mr. Buchert insisted that those who would dare to employ Paul’s instructions to those ancient folks in their arguments in favor of Christians being vaccinated in the Twenty-First Century are twisting Scripture and attempting to force these “good” people to violate their consciences!

The fact that Mr. Buchert saw fit to address this topic at all suggests that this scripture (Romans 13:1-5) has been troublesome for anti-vaxxer elements within the church. After all, Paul’s language in this instance was fairly straightforward and clear. He wrote: “Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God. So anyone who rebels against authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and they will be punished. For the authorities do not strike fear in people who are doing right but in those who are doing wrong. Would you like to live without fear of the authorities? Do what is right, and they will honor you. The authorities are God’s servants, sent for your good. But if you are doing wrong, of course, you should be afraid, for they have the power to punish you. They are God’s servants, sent for the very purpose of punishing those who do what is wrong. So you must submit to them, not only to avoid punishment but also to keep a clear conscience.” Well, that’s plain enough, right? “Not so fast!” says Tony Buchert.

Mr. Buchert begins his diatribe with a statement of the obvious: This scripture does NOT sanction blind obedience by Christians of every law and edict of the human governments we are currently living under. As he goes on to point out, when some edict/law/mandate contradicts God’s law, Christians should not obey it! Indeed, as Mr. Buchert underscores, to do so would violate that Christian’s conscience and force him/her to violate God’s law. Even so, Mr. Buchert seemed to completely ignore the Christian’s obligation to submit to whatever penalty/punishment that the human government devises for those who would disobey its will. Yes, there are numerous examples of “civil disobedience” in Scripture, but many of the saints who engaged in such behavior often ended up suffering horrendous consequences for their failure to obey. For example, John the Baptist lost his head, and Jesus Christ was crucified! In other words, Christians are still obligated to SUBMIT to the authorities which Paul says that God has placed in charge.

Unfortunately, Mr. Buchert did not confine his arguments in this regard to Scripture. He also chose to introduce things like the Mayflower Compact, Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Federalist Papers into the conversation. In addition to condescendingly implying that the proponents of Covid vaccine mandates are unfamiliar with these documents, he strongly suggests that they buttress his arguments about personal and religious freedom relative to mandates.

And, although he never actually elucidated how those documents support his own views relative to vaccine resistance, he went on to proclaim that government officials must also conform to the Scriptural foundations on which they rest. Did Mr. Buchert forget the concept of the separation of Church and State? Does he understand that many of these secular authorities do not view themselves as serving at God’s pleasure? Does Mr. Buchert understand that the Kingdom of God does not yet currently reign over this earth? And what about the powers that those charters grant to the government (federal, state, and local) to protect the LIFE, liberty, and pursuit of happiness of its’ citizens? Does Mr. Buchert realize that government must be the arbiter when one citizen’s rights conflict with the free exercise of another citizen’s rights?

Unlike his citation of those august documents of American democracy, Mr. Buchert did actually employ the material of two extreme right-wing sources to support his anti-vaxxer views. Indeed, it came as no surprise to me that Mr. Buchert used material from Culture Watch and Project Veritas to buttress his message to his mentor’s (Pastor Bill Watson) congregation. On the Culture Watch website, we find the following headlines: “Do you think Biden should officially resign?”, “Pope Francis just put a big smile on Dr. Fauci’s face with this pro-vaccine demand”, and “A judge just smacked Planned Parenthood with the worst news they’ve ever gotten.” Likewise, on the Project Veritas homepage, we find headlines like “PFIZER LEAKS: Whistleblower Goes On Record, Reveals Internal Emails from Chief Scientific Officer & Senior Director of Worldwide Research Discussing COVID Vaccine ... ‘We Want to Avoid Having the Information on the Fetal Cells Floating Out There’.”

Obviously, Mr. Buchert is comfortable with sources that deal in conspiracy theories, misinformation, lies, and overt support of extreme political ideologies. For him, these voices should be given the same “rights” in the marketplace of ideas as those of scientists and public health officials! But I guess the end justifies the means – right? After all, Mr. Buchert points out that God rewarded the Egyptian midwives for lying to Pharoah when he questioned their disobedience of his edict regarding the murder of Israel’s male babies!

This is an example of what the Church of God International is currently allowing to be preached from its pulpits? Just when I was beginning to be encouraged by the voices of Jeff Reed and Vance Stinson within that organization, we have this! I guess we should all thank Mr. Buchert for giving voice to all of those poor Christians who are being asked to receive this wicked jab in their righteous arms!

Lonnie Hendrix