Herbert Armstrong's Tangled Web of Corrupt Leaders

Sunday, July 31, 2022

COG Scattered Faithful: God Needs More Gods on Earth Before He Can Institute His Government


 


It is still amazing after all these years that so many in the COG movement are so wrapped up in "proper" church government when each and every one of them has been the most corrupt church environments in decades. Why would anyone want to be in some fantasy kingdom where it is ruled by the gods and goddesses of Armstrongism who are devoid of grace, justice, and mercy?

Christianity has always looked at the kingdom of God as a peaceful kingdom where creation and humanity dwell together in harmony and peace reigns supreme. People do what is right because they experience the blessing of grace and mercy. This vision is not part of the Church of God's millennial kingdom. That kingdom is to be ruled over by little gods and goddesses who were trained under corrupt legalistic empires of COG leaders who are hell-bent on making the lives of the members as miserable as possible in order to "test" them. If they pass that "test" then they "might" be qualified to be a mini-god or goddess in that kingdom where they will get to dish out strict rules and policies to govern people and FORCE them to obey.

Church of God Scattered Faithful's Gary Liebold, has an article up today about that kingdom to come and how today's COGFF members are being trained under "proper" church government on how to be mini-gods and goddesses. Of course, like any good follower of Armstrongism, Herbert Armstrong has to be trotted out, not Jesus, but Herbert.

Dear Brethren,
Tonight, I’ll begin by quoting from Mystery of the Ages, as written by Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong, with the chapter entitled, “Mystery of the Church.” Here are a few excerpts from page 227, under the subheading, “Once Again: Why the Church?

Never lose sight of the setting that led up to the raising up of the Church. Keep in mind WHO and WHAT God is — the divine creating family, now reproducing himself in man.

Bear in mind further: In order for Christ to RESTORE God’s government over the earth, he would need with and under him a qualified and organized personnel of GOD BEINGS all having rejected Satan’s false way and having proved their loyalty to the government and righteous ways of GOD! 
 
God’s CHURCH was designed in his supreme master plan to prepare that dedicated and organized personnel of GOD BEINGS. The Church, then, became God’s instrumentality for aiding him in bringing about the salvation to humanity.

The gods and goddesses of Armstrongism cannot be agents of bringing salvation to humanity. If you're a Christian, you know that that was accomplished already with Jesus. While that salvation's fullness is yet to reach its full potential, Christians know that salvation is already a fact. That's why when you see the horrible martyrdom of Christians in places like Iraq, India, South Africa, and other regions, while the living mourns them they know for a fact salvation is attained. They believe that so fervently that they hold fast to their beliefs in spite of endless persecution. Unlike today's whiny COG prophets, like Bob Thiel, who complain endlessly about being persecuted.

Liebold continues:

Sadly, multiple thousands of people who were once a part of the Church of God, have lost sight of the BIG picture and what God has promised His people. However, as the Bible shows us, there ARE brethren who REMAIN loyal and faithful (Revelation 3:7-13; 17:14). These dedicated members love the TRUTH of God and will refuse to let that TRUTH fall by the wayside (II John 1:4; III John 1:4). A scripture shown in the book of Malachi, reveals a people called a “special treasure” to God.

Then they that feared the ETERNAL spoke often one to another: and the ETERNAL hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him for them that feared the ETERNAL, and that thought upon His name. 
 
And they shall be mine, says the ETERNAL of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels [special treasure]; and I will spare them, as a man spares his own son that serves him” (Malachi 3:16-17).

Please tell me where in any of the COG's today that TRUTH still reigns supreme? Is it possible to name just one?  The Churches of God today are a quagmire of endless beliefs, doctrines, and interpretations. If they cannot be unified on what they teach and believe how can they be agents of God in some legalistic fantasy kingdom they imagine?

God views these loyal members as “jewels,” or as being a “special treasure.” Matthew 16:27 shows us the following… “For the Son of man shall come in the glory of His Father with His angels; and then He shall reward every man according to his works [deeds].”

I have never understood why Armstrongism only considers "loyal" COG members to be those jewels when two millennia of Christians before Armstrongism is filled with jewels of every imaginable kind regardless of church identity. Jewels do not have to be some member of a COG remnant down through history. No one needs an identifier such as "Church of God" to be included in their identity as a Christian to be a jewel.

Sadly, in Armstrongism, there are far more lumps of coal than there are any shining jewels.

Brethren, there are very serious problems happening in this world, the likes of which I’ve never experienced in my lifetime. Most of us did not live during the GREAT Depression, or World War II. Many hardships existed during that time, as history shows us. We have heard it said, history often repeats itself! Not only is America headed for economic disaster, but nations in Europe also face their own “economic crisis point” (and globally, as well)! 
 
Brethren, I truly feel we have a responsibility to give to, and serve the scattered faithful of God (if they want us to). I fully believe it is MY responsibility as an elder to get the Church ready, spiritually. I will continue to give my ALL, in doing just that! 

And there we go...you have the responsibility to GIVE money to him for his so-called ministry that NO ONE outside of the COG has ever heard about, and, most people in the COG know nothing about! But give your tithe money to him. He has mighty work to do.  

In closing, I’ll quote Malachi 3:17 once again…

“And they shall be mine, says the ETERNAL of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels [special treasure]; and I will spare them, as a man spares his own son that serves him.” (Malachi 3:16-17). 
 
Those words make the trials of this life truly worth it! 
 
Have a good Sabbath, everyone!! 
 
Your Brother in Christ,
Gary Liebold

13 comments:

  1. He drank the Kool Aid, and is basically attempting to farm others who also drank it.

    Isn't duality amazing? What we've observed for decades watching people attempt to win friends, influence people, and gain power or wealth through the name of Herbert W. Armstrong is now a large scale principle being replicated in the world of politics.

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  2. Another group led by a false prophet, Alton Billingsley. But I'll give Billingsley credit for making specific prophecies that failed, like Ron Weinland but unlike Butthurt Bob Thiel who makes many generic proclamations then later claims a few of them specific fulfillments.

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  3. ‘I fully believe it is MY responsibility as an elder to get the church ready, spiritually….’
    Yet the scripture tells us ‘to work out your own salvation with fear and trembling’….
    And that is why so many of us ‘sheep’ have left ‘the fold’ and embraced Jesus Christ and found true freedom away from the authoritarian control exerted by the ‘ministries’ of Armstrongism.
    His burden is light and yoke is easy compared to that which so many of us had experienced.

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  4. Where did HWA get this government of god idea from? I know he stole the idea of the "worthy" ones becoming God as God is God from the Mormons, but the govt of god notion? Who did he steal that blasphemy from? Even Adventists don't go quite that far.

    The lying pedophile must have never read large portions of Isaiah, starting with, "I am God, there is no other. Before Me was no god formed, after Me shall no god be formed" Isaiah 43:10.

    So much for him stating that the entirety of Christianity did not BELIEVE GOD. Guess who hasn't BELIEVED God, since 1934! And it's not those pagan Protestants or the evil Catholics!

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  5. Get the church ready? Hmmm, better do some rethinking first (that's called repentance):

    Three feasts (Ex 23:14-16): Nisan 14-20 (to eve of 21st); Pentecost; Tishri 15-21.
    Fixed times (Lev 23:2): 3 feasts; weekly, and annual sabbaths of Tishri 1, 10, 22.
    Last day (John 7:37): Tishri 21, not 22 (Tishri 23 never a sabbath, cf John 8:1-9:14).
    What first day was Ex 12:16? Not 13th, lamb wasn't killed yet;  not 15th-Israel left Egypt.

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  6. Gary Liebold has had his own church for a while now "Church of God Scattered Faithful"
    https://cogsf.org

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  7. Billingsley is the last of a kind, pushing nearly 100 years old now. His tragic accident with Richard Armstrong was over 65 years ago now.

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  8. Thanks 5:43...my bad. I am so used to hearing Faithful Flock that by brain registered that when I saw faithful in his name. Corrected it.

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  9. DW @ 2:59,

    "I am God, there is no other. Before Me was no god formed, after Me shall no god be formed" Isaiah 43:10.

    My understanding is that this verse means there is no other God kind besides the God kind as in no other mankind besides mankind or animal kind, fish kind, etc. All these can reproduce after his or its kind. So why cant God produce God kind by changing mankind to God as God Is God? First the physical image, then the spiritual. Jesus was God, became human and then back to God.

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  10. "I am God, there is no other. Before Me was no god formed, after Me shall no god be formed" Isaiah 43:10.

    In Exodus 12:12, God promises to bring judgement on all the gods of Egypt. If no other gods exist, God was either lying or badly confused. If I tell you that I am going to smite all the world's invisible pink unicorns, but I don't believe that they exist, I'm either trying to manipulate or deceive you. That's not how God works.

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  11. Anon @ 1:16 Thanks for that! I really appreciate it. Never having been in Armstrongism, I am trying to understand where some of their doctrines come from.

    This one, though...yikes!! This clearly takes Scripture so far out of context and stretches it all the way to outright, crystal clear blasphemy.

    Man, I would not want to be any of these self-appointed, false prophets/apostles, false gods come judgment day. Thank God Christians will not be judged, but these guys?!? Hell is going to expand when Flurry, Pack, little, tiny Thiel, et al., take their last breaths. Although, miracles do happen and it is never too late to repent (even you, self appointed, false prophlet Bob)!

    Anon @ 6:47. Thank you as well. I agree God is not the author of confusion or deception. Any other so called god will not be judged, since no others exist (IMHO). But those who falsely teach that they do, not to mention, you can become one? Again, would not want to be them on that day.

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  12. "And there we go...you have the responsibility to GIVE money to him for his so-called ministry that NO ONE outside of the COG has ever heard about, and, most people in the COG know nothing about! But give your tithe money to him. He has mighty work to do."

    In all of the quoted material in this post, exactly where did Mr. Liebold mention sending money? Please point it out to us, so that we can see that this isn't yet another case of putting words into someone's mouth. Or, at least, include the part of the article that does mention sending money. Please give us a reason to believe your words.

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  13. Anon, Monday, August 1, 2022 at 1:16:00 AM PDT, wrote:

    "...DW @ 2:59,

    "I am God, there is no other. Before Me was no god formed, after Me shall no god be formed" Isaiah 43:10.



    My understanding is that this verse means there is no other God kind besides the God kind as in no other mankind besides mankind or animal kind, fish kind, etc. All these can reproduce after his or its kind. So why cant God produce God kind by changing mankind to God as God Is God? First the physical image, then the spiritual. Jesus was God, became human and then back to God..."
    ******
    Jesus may be considered to be God now, but He was not, and is not, The God, The God of the Old Testament: the Father.

    As a human being, Jesus acknowledged who His God was:

    "Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and [to] my God, and your God." John 20:17

    And Isaiah 43:10 says: "Ye [are] my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I [am] he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me." AKJV

    Forming a God? "No God formed?" What means it?

    My Bible reference for "no God formed" says the phrase would best be rendered as: "nothing formed of God."

    God the Father has no beginning and no end. The Word was created and had a beginning, and had an end when the Word was MADE flesh. Jesus Christ also had a beginning, and an end when He was murdered and remained dead and placed in a grace for 3 days and 3 nights.

    Only God, The God has no beginning/ending:

    "For I lift up my hand to heaven, and say, I live for ever." Deut 32:40

    Neither the Word, nor Jesus Christ, could have said such words.

    So, what means it? Nothing formed of God?

    Well, then, there must have been a lot of things formed then after Him, right? The God worked through the Word, and The God worked through Jesus Christ.

    "But to us [there is but] one God, the Father, of whom [are] all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom [are] all things, and we by him." I Cor 8:6

    Apparently, there must have been a lot of things formed/created after that Word, but

    Time will tell...


    John

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