For decades now the Churches of God have had men who claim they will lead true believers, who have been tested by fire and God, to a place of final training, whether it be Pella or Petra. These men have all made superfantastical claims as to how true believers would get there, what would happen to them there and how it would be the training ground for future kings, priests, gods, goddesses, and teachers who will whip the world back into shape after the tribulation has destroyed much of humanity.
How can anyone forget Gerald Waterhouse and his butt-numbing 4-hour sermons on this stupidity? Next to Bob Thiel the church has never had a bigger false teacher in its midst than this man.
Even Rod Meredith would wax eloquently on this topic, but his version of the story was always darker as his followers were going to weld rods of iron to whip and beat people into submission. Corporal punishment would be the theme of the day instead of grace and mercy in the presence of Christ. No modern penitentiary could ever compare to the brutality these people were willing to dish out at offenders of the law, most of the time with gleeful anticipation.
Church of God leaders were effective tools in making church members believe they could save their Laodicean asses from end-time trials and tribulations. That brings us today to our very own self-appointed prophet, The Great Bwana Bob Thiel, the most important Church of God leader in 2,000 years. Through him, people will be able to gather in a place of safety for 3 1/2 years of training as he bounces and flounces in the Petra amphitheater muttering gibberish.
What has set the almost arrested Great Bwana off today is a couple articles he read about doomsday preppers who are building luxurious bunkers to care for their families and a few close friends should war or natural disaster wreck this country. It infuriates his little mind that these people have the financial means to build such places while he will have nothing to offer his followers once they get to Petra. Heck, he can't even gain the cooperation of Jordanian officials because NONE of them have any idea who he is.
After quoting two different articles about preppers, he condemns their actions as ultimately ineffective (much like his ministry).
He makes the following comments:
So, Jesus said there will be wars, food shortages, and troubles–we have been seeing these this year.
Let me add that the USA, for one example, will end up much worse than even most preppers think.
Is hording gold or prepping the answer?
No.
Jesus warned:
19 Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:19-21)Now, that does NOT mean that having food or money for emergencies is not a good idea:
6 Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise, 7 Which, having no captain, Overseer or ruler, 8Provides her supplies in the summer, And gathers her food in the harvest. (Proverbs 6:6-8)22 A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children (Proverbs 13:22a).
3 A prudent man forsees evil and hides himself, But the simple pass on and are punished (Proverbs 22:3).
Of course, since gold is regarded as a disaster hedge by many investors, prudence might dictate that perhaps a small fraction of your liquid assets be in gold: (Caulkins J. WHEN MONEY FAILS. Good News, WCG, October-November 1979)
When a COG prophet has to use old Worldwide Church of God articles you immediately know the guy is ignorant about his topic. But, that doesn't stop the greatest Church of God leader in human history from saying more stupidity:
Jesus tells His followers to watch, pray, and change enough to be accounted worthy to escape these things. Physical protection from the coming hour of trial is possible to those who will properly heed the word of God (cf. Zephaniah 2:1-3). Jesus clarifies in Revelation 3 that He is specifically referring to proving protection to the Philadelphian Christians.
Furthermore the Bible is clear that NOT ALL CHRISTIANS are promised this protection:
14 But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent. 15 So the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood. 16 But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. 17 And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. (Revelation 12:14-17)
Two types of Christians are discussed above. A group that flees to a place and the rest that do not do so.
While there is a certain escape involved in this, the protected Christians are not going to their personal ‘bolthouses,’ but are going to a place that God has prepared in the wilderness.
Unless you are a follower of the almost arrested modern-day Elisha/Elijah, the greatest human Church of God leader in church history, you will have no idea when to flee or where to flee to. God will not tell you where to go, only the Great Bwana can do that. Only those that follow the one true COG leader will save their sorry asses. No prepper cave or bunker can save anyone, only Bwana Bob can.
3 and one half years in Petra with Bob Thiel will be traumatic for most.
ReplyDeleteIt will be a busy time for Bob.
Living in Petra while being one of the two Witnesses in Jerusalem, all at the same time.
A prophets time is never his own.
But with his natural herbal supplements anything is possible.
Bob would even open up shop in the Jordanian capital Amman, which would also allow the Jordanian authorities to acquaint themselves with him. Brush up on your Arabic and Hebrew Bob.
If that pesky Flurry shows up with his adoring flock there might be trouble brewing through.
The "hook" of Armstrongism is a false promise. Petra isn't even a viable place of safety any more. It's a major tourist attraction, and is crumbling and unstable. The Armstrong prophecies and timelines keep failing. If that doesn't mean that the place of safety will fail also, I don't know what does. No man, whether with bunkers, weapons, or his church or militia can withstand or repel a major military operation. Especially one who is afraid of a little football!
ReplyDeleteThe types of people who are prey to the HWA hook should actually be reading Shakespeare. You know, the line about the brave tasting of death but once, but cowards dying a thousand times. Imagine someone who modified their whole life because of these fools, only to slip on a bar of soap in the bathtub and dying of a head injury!
Im relying on ARCHIE BUNKER to save me!
ReplyDeleteBob's black and white, in your face problem solving methodology doesn't seem to cut it. He may dismiss this as "anti-COG" but he should consider that if we view his work that way, how will his target audience view it? He can't keep "preaching to the choir" and expect them to lap it up.
ReplyDeleteThere was a particular "Plain Truth style" Bob might try, to make his articles more eff... no, make his articles less ineffective. The style was: state a problem; outline how it is being approached ("worldly solution"); soft-sell biblical analysis; happy ending (in "The World Tomorrow"). Well, when I was a PT reader, it seemed to be effective...
I always like how "take no thought", or "lay not up for yourself" is always followed with "Now that doesn't mean we don't take thought or lay up".
ReplyDeleteLet's get this prediction over with:
ReplyDeleteNow that Liz Truss is going on to be British Prime Minister, we can expect the "children shall be their oppressors and WOMEN SHALL RULE OVER THEM" nonsense from Bob.
To be clear, the text and context is calling the MALE leaders of Israel as useless as "women" and about as mature as "children". It was not a literal reference to a change in gender or age in leadership as a sure sign of the end of all things.
Right on, Dennis. Maggie Thatcher proved years ago that these folks are f.o.s., but they just keep on repeating their disproven drivel, immune to any education which would lead them away from their shibboleths and mind sets.
ReplyDeleteAnd, it's not just the COGlodytes who have discovered the power of suppository thinking! A certain subset of the gen pop was so incensed that a man of color could be elected and excell as POTUS that their over reaction was to elect Cheeto, and now they are complaining because orange turns out being the new black?
There is such mass confusion and purposeful division in the Church of God today that it is damaging the Bride. A simple yet seemingly impossible solution is to stick to the doctrines and traditions that Jesus Christ restored to His Church. That is the solution.
ReplyDeleteWell, you're not wrong, you would think these various WCG mini-mes would just want to "hold fast".
DeleteYet, due to the declining role of HWA (its been almost forty years since his death) and the fear of losing members to each other's groups, most of them felt compelled to go off on wild tangents - if they werent already predisposed to craziness).
I had to look it up: Athaliah did reign over Judah before Isaiah wrote about women ruling over them.
ReplyDeleteApostle'Six-Pak' already has the coordinates for Petra programmed into the Flight Computer on his personal luxury jet.
ReplyDeleteSadly back in the 80’s when I was a newbie I endured TWO of Waterhouse’s garbage talks at three hours each….back to back days while he was in our area…he said almost the exact same thing verbatim on the second night and when his stale joke got no laughs on the second sermon he started whining about horn no one thought it was funny…everyone there heard the same stupid joke the night before.
ReplyDeleteAs far as Dr Bob goes…he’s the most perfect example of a human can possibly be today of someone suffering from the Jerusalem Syndrome…look it up on YT…you won’t be disappointed
Gerald Waterhouse was one of the biggest morons the church ever had. A close second was Ray McNair. Both were total nutjobs.
ReplyDeleteToday, Beto Thiel, Gerald Six Pack, Felon Weinerdude Weinland, and Davey Boy Pack now carry the banner