Exposing the underbelly of Armstrongism in all of its wacky glory! Nothing you read here is made up. What you read here is the up to date face of Herbert W Armstrong's legacy. It's the gritty and dirty behind the scenes look at Armstrongism as you have never seen it before!
With all the new crazy self-appointed Chief Overseers, Apostles, Prophets, Pharisees, legalists, and outright liars leading various Churches of God today, it is important to hold these agents of deception accountable.
Herbert Armstrong's Tangled Web of Corrupt Leaders
This is the Great Bwana to Africa Bob Mzungu Thiel, the highest of all Church of God leaders in human history. The biggest and best "profit" the Church of God has had walking in its midst. This is the same dude that proclaims he is the one and only COG leader preaching the truth originally restored by Herbert Armstrong. Not by Jesus, mind you, but Herb.
Here he is pitching the overpriced supplements that he calls "food", plus he has covered up all of his books of the crap theology he preaches. Instead of a big fat Bible thrust in our faces, it's a bottle of "food".
From a reader.
PS: In case you thought his religious videos were bad, he is not any better at selling his products. This is rather pathetic. Hat tip, Ronco
We have all seen the blustering and chest-thumping that the Great Bwana Bob Mzungu Thiel does regarding Africa. As his so-called ministry grows more ineffectual day by day, due to witchcraft practices and adultery, other COG-related ministries in Africa are making a difference.
Here is the latest from Bill Goff posted on COGNews:
Nehemiah Sibwoga has begun an outreach ministry of bringing Bible studies to the youth, both inside and outside the Church of God. It’s called “Nehemiah’s Daily Bread”. He has been moving around to our various church groups, and giving the studies, and also serving a simple nutritional meal (can’t learn with an empty belly). The study is open to all youths, and the project is being funded by other youths in the United States.
Compare that to Bob Thiel's so-called evangelist who sits in fancy restaurants eating while those with him have no food and have to watch him eat as he sits in silence. Imagine feeding the brethren instead of the ministry first!
But before I elaborate on that, the Principal at Nehemiah’s old High School liked his Bible studies so much that he called the entire school to assembly numerous times and had him give the study to all students and staff. Those Bible studies were going on great, there were so many having their first love, learning Truth direct from the Scriptures … until the Monsignor was informed, who immediately stepped in and put a stop to it. (The High School is a Catholic establishment.)
Bob Thiel and none of his so-called evangelists would ever dare to do such a thing.
Nehemiah was quite worried that the Principal (who loved what he was learning from the studies) would lose his position, his job. But I assured the Principal at that time that our Creator would only bless him for not only his love for Truth, but also for allowing the Truth to be shared with the entire school. (And they all knew it was Truth that they were learning, because Nehemiah gave the Principal [as he did to all of the teachers, and some students] their very own Bible so they could read and study and prove for themselves what the Word of God actually says. I reassured the Principal at that time that this trial would turn out quite positive, because I knew that God was involved in these important studies right from the start. But the Principal feared, because the Monsignor had opened up a full investigation into the matter. When this all started, with God’s hand in it, the students, teachers, and Principal loved the teachings and were on fire for the Truth they were learning.
It is interesting that you never see Bwana Bob posting comments from his followers that they LOVE his ministry. Even his Caucasians don't respond to him.
Well the verdict is in, and God’s hand is clearly seen, the Principal was blessed. The investigating committee just finished their probe, and in their conclusion they stated that: “the Principal did nothing wrong by allowing Nehemiah to give those Bible studies. After all, they said, Nehemiah graduated High School here, and he has even been giving teachers and students their very own Bibles.” They commended the Principal for allowing the Bible Studies. And they went on to say that Nehemiah is welcome to continue coming and giving the studies any time, that the door is open. The only stipulation is that he doesn’t try to draw people away, into his own group.
Bob Thiel has gone out of his way to poach African members from other COG/Sbbatarian groups. Claiming he has the only truth and that salvation is not available outside his group leads to all kinds o problems.
Well no problem there, because the “True” Church of God would never try to draw followers to themselves, but only to point them upstairs, to our Creator. We have been against that kind of behavior ever since we first came in to Kenya in 2005; and we addressed it quite boldly, we called it “turning that tide”. Here is a quote from our “Why support this ministry” page published back in 2007:
“Common Problem Plaguing the Church of God World Wide”
“Aside from a lack of mosquito nets, and Bibles, I also found another problem among many of our brethren in Kenya, a “huge” problem, and one that has been plaguing the church of God all around the world. Many of the brethren were confused about whom they need to pledge their allegiance to. You see, all the big groups are there in Kenya, and many are confusing the brethren by competing for control over them. Many of those groups pressure the brethren to be part of their particular “man-made” organization. (Some even preach that one’s salvation depends on it.) So our work was cut out for us. It was time to turn the tide; by pointing the brethren to God and teaching them that He (God) is the one that we all need to be pledging our allegiance to. There is only one “Head” in the church. There is only one Body, one Spirit, and one Vine that we all need to be directly connected to.”
This is what Bwana Bob Mzungu does in Africa. He poaches members from other COG's and then threatens them that if they do not join him their salvation is at risk. They will be too dumb to understand when it is time to flee to the hellhole he is planning to create in the Transjordan area.
CGI’s Mike James: The Sabbatarian Churches of God Are REAL Christians - everybody else, NOT so much!
Lonnie Hendrix
In the latest edition of their flagship publication, The International News, Mike James generously admits that he “can’t be sure of who God will raise from death to meet Him in the air at His Second Coming.” He went on to ask: “Could there be Christians there who were not part of the Church of God movement?” Unfortunately, while Mike acknowledges that there might indeed be a few of those so-called Christians in the mix, he makes clear that he believes sincerity isn’t that important in securing a spot in the preferred resurrection! He reminds us that “sincere people can be sincerely deceived.”
To demonstrate the truth of his assertion, James went on to quote the standard ACOG prooftexts about how everybody is deceived except them. Naturally, Herbert Armstrong’s absolute favorite was first. You remember – the one which identifies Satan as “the deceiver of the whole world.” (Revelation 12:9) Of course, it is understood by everyone within the ACOG culture that they are NOT part of the WHOLE world which has been deceived (After all, God has revealed “His” TRUTH to them). In similar fashion, they exempt themselves from the many who proclaim Christ and lead others astray (Matthew 24:5). Likewise, they also exempt themselves from all of those false messiahs and prophets which Christ mentioned in those same remarks (verse 24). This, despite the fact that the movement has produced numerous demonstrably false prophets down through the years (beginning with its founder, Herbert Armstrong)!
From there, predictably, James went on to underscore the importance of the “truths” which he and his associates claim that God has revealed to them. He asked: “Does it matter if we observe holidays or holy days? Does it matter if we keep Sunday for the Sabbath? Do we live on in a conscious state after death or not? Are people in heaven or hell right now?” Of course, for Mike and his brothers and sisters in the ACOGs, there is only ONE TRUTH (and they have it, and others don’t)!
According to Mike, belief in Christ isn’t enough. He wrote: “Many Christians today believe you are a Christian if you believe that Jesus lived and died for us and rose from the dead. Scriptures that are cited for this idea are Romans 10:9, 1 Corinthians 2:2, and John 3:16. Now let me be clear—I agree with these scriptures, but what does it mean to believe in someone or something?” In other words, you must observe the Old Covenant holy days, shun traditional “pagan” holidays, observe the Sabbath, and believe that people remain unconscious when they die and do not go to heaven or hell! They simply do NOT understand that the entire message of Scripture is ALL about Jesus Christ and salvation through him – that THAT is what we MUST believe and accept. In short, our beliefs and practices are really rather unimportant in the grand scheme of things. What you or I believe about what happens when a person dies does not alter what actually happens one iota! We could keep the Sabbath flawlessly for our entire lives and still accomplish absolutely NOTHING!
So, how does one really know whether or not someone is a real Christian? Jesus once said: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34-35) Now, Mr. James quoted an impressive list of prooftexts (a favorite device of the ACOGs), but he did NOT reference Christ’s simple statement about how to identify his disciples. Isn’t that peculiar? Instead, Mr. James focused on a long list of things that we should believe and do to demonstrate our love for God. Nevertheless, spiritual understanding is NOT listed among the fruits (or evidence) of the presence of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), and Paul said that salvation was NOT accomplished by works (Ephesians 2: 1-10).
Why? Why can’t these folks simply believe in and accept Jesus Christ? Could it be that they’re deceived? Could it have anything to do with a need to feel superior to other Christians? In his article, Mike wrote: “Now I know no one group has all the truth or understands all Scripture completely. But I think most of you would agree that on major doctrines like the state of the dead, the nature of God, the Kingdom of God, heaven and hell, the nature of man, God’s law, worship days, and much more there is a big gap between what the Church of God movement believes and what mainline Christianity believes.” Later, in this same article, he wrote: “God has always been working through a small minority of people. In the book of Genesis there are not many people who walked with God.” For Mike and his associates, it’s all about their special little package of doctrines – it’s what sets them apart from all of the rest! So, don’t look for them to give up on what they see as their advantage over everyone else anytime soon.
The greatest Church for God to exist in the entirety of Christendom is being attacked AGAIN!
Never has the Church of God movement had a church that has been attacked more than the improperly named "continuing" Church of "god".
When God and Jesus sat around their kitchen table in the 7th heaven planning the foundations of the world and how the great Bwana Bob Mzungu Thiel would fit into it, they deviously planned numerous persecutions to test the faith of the greatest prophet the church would ever see. They had to make sure the Great Bwana Bob Mzungu would be able to stand the test like Jesus would have to do, at least short the crucifixion part...though knowing the Great Bwana Bob Mzungu to come, he would dream dreams that this would eventually happen to him at some point in the future. All because he printed so many booklets in so many languages that Satan could not keep up with them all and thus would kill him to stop him.
That constant persecution of the devious Satan and his wiley minions brings us to today. It appears that the Christian radio station that had agreed to host Bwana Bob Mzungu's sermons has reneged. On July 20 the Great Bwana Bob Mzungu wrote:
Well, we are now facing some radio issues as the Protestant management of one of our radio platforms believes that it should break its contractual promises and not keep its word regarding hosting our radio broadcast. I wrote several emails to them related to their anti-CCOG plan this week.
Their improper plan brought the following words of Jesus to mind when He dealt with those who thought they were faithful to God:
18 “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 20 Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also. 21 But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me. 22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 He who hates Me hates My Father also. 24 If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would have no sin; but now they have seen and also hated both Me and My Father. 25 But this happened that the word might be fulfilled which is written in their law, ‘They hated Me without a cause.’ (John 15:18-25)
It is interesting how Bwana Bob Mzungu goes out of his way to denigrate Christians by calling them "so-called Christians" or even worse PROTESTANTS, and then gets his delicate Bwana butt hurt over them canceling his program. Bwana Bob Mzungu will use so-called Christians for his benefit and think that is ok while trashing them on the sidelines. Hypocrisy continually drips from the Great Bwana Mzungu. But, this is Bwana Bob, what more can we expect?
Still hurting from the humiliation of being canceled due to his nastiness and heretical teachings, and with a little help from people on this blog who wrote to the stations exposing Bwana Bob, he had to write some more about it in this week's letter to his 100 faithful Caucasians still screaming PERSECUTION:
As mentioned last week, a Protestant radio network we were using decided against fulfilling the contract term and we were looking at other radio platforms.
Jesus said:
20 If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you (John 15:20).
33 These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. (John 16:33)
Satan cannot stop the church (cf. Matthew 16:18).
However, Satan and his allies can certainly persecute and attack (1 Peter 5:8-9).
This whiny little turd has no idea what persecution is. Ask the Christians in India, Africa, Iraq, Iran, and China what persecution is. Hundreds of thousands of them have died for their faith while Bwana Bob pitches little hissy-fits on the internet while sitting in his air-conditioned home while claiming they are not real Christians.
In June 2023, before Bwana Bob Mzungu wrote on July 20 about the intense persecution he was facing, this article came out:
Out of the 28 countries where Christians are most persecuted in the world, 13 are African, the Religious Freedom Report 2023 shows, painting a grim picture of religious freedom on the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent.
Published on Thursday, June 22 by the Catholic pontifical and charity foundation, Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) International, the report lists the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Nigeria, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Somalia, Eritrea, Libya, as some of the African countries where Christians are persecuted the most in Africa.
The ACN report categorizes countries experiencing religious freedom restrictions into four: persecution, discrimination, under observation, and unclassified.
Other African countries in the persecution category are Mozambique, Cameroon, Chad, and Sudan.
Marcela Szymanski, the editor of the ACN report, says that during the period under review, intense persecution in all the 28 countries “became more acute and concentrated, and impunity grew.”
Toward the end of the article, there is this:
Meanwhile, the Religious Freedom Report 2023 lists other categories of religious-based restriction, including the discrimination category that includes 33 countries that together, are home to almost 853 million people.
In this category, new laws are being enforced, effectively legalizing the violation of freedom of thought, conscience, and religion of specific groups. In Africa, these countries include Ethiopia, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, and Madagascar.
Countries listed under observation in Africa include South Sudan, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Guinea Conakry, Ghana, and Togo.
Bwana Bob sits in his wonderful home in Arroyo Grande, works out of a storefront in Grover Beach that he can afford to pay the mortgage on, has freedom of religion due to the country he lives in, lives the good life due to his white privilege, and yet whines like a little school girl who doesn't get her way.
This intense persecution was so difficult that he found another radio station group that would play his programs. Persecution? What persecution?
So, while one door has been shut, others have opened up.
We have signed a deal with Legacy Broadcasting, Inc. to be on twice a day, five days per week at 11:45 am and 11:45 pm.
Legacy Broadcasting, Inc. currently has four radio stations and is building a fifth, with the intention of ultimately having scores of stations–we have made arrangements for being on up to nine stations with them.
Furthermore, we are scheduled to go on the 50,000 watt WEMM FM 107.9 out of West Virginia (this is not related to Legacy) starting this Sabbath.
Once again, he mocks Christians and denigrates them every time he opens his mouth, but has no problem whatsoever using them for his own interests.
Are there no men who are leaders in the Church of God movement who have integrity anymore? Or better yet, morals?
The 7th Day Churches of God site has a sub-column that highlights COG news and also lists several COG/Sabbatarian monthly publications.
It is quite interesting to browse through them occasionally. Some are more Christocentric than others. Some could be sold on newsstands as competition for NewsMax or other "far-right" publications that are constantly bemoaning the state of the world.
One would imagine that for some Church of God groups that place so much heavy emphasis on a kingdom to come that their public articles would be more focused on what a glorious world it will be and how to bring those concepts into life today as a foretaste of that kingdom. But death, disasters, human tragedy, moral decay, and every other negative thing they can find to write about are far more important than ever mentioning Jesus or putting into practice what he taught and how he acted.
God the Father is eternally pissed off and can't wait to unleash armageddon on the world. When church members are constantly confronted by this angry pissed-off god in its own publications it's no wonder so many have mental health issues or end up leaving the church.
COG7 (Denver) is the most Christocentric publication of them all. Grace, sanctification, and justification are talked about a lot.
COG7 (Salem) is far more legalistic than COG7 Denver. One can quickly see why there was a split between the two groups decades ago. Law trumps everything.
CGI's magazine could be a rebrand of NewsMax. If there is a negative story in the world this publication will be sure to highlight it. Grace-focused articles are few. Angry God and Jesus God seldom meet.
COGWA and UCG's magazines tend to be more like the old Plain Truths that took current world events, dissected them, and then had to begrudgingly mention Jesus in the last one or two paragraphs. Angry God still tends to dominate.
LCG's magazine continues the doom and gloom of Rod Meredith's era with a few angry Jesus things thrown in occasionally. Here, angry God the Father predominantly dominates.
David C. Pack of The Restored Church of God suffers from severe short-term memory loss. While this is known to be a symptom of the onset of dementia, it is more likely a side effect of the Pastor General’s natural ability to rise to his highest level of incompetence.
Regarding world-class incompetence, David C. Pack is at the top of the food chain. A false prophet with his alleged skills and so-called talents is perfectly suited for the religious fraud industry where “accountability” is a curse word, especially in the Third Floor Executive Imaginarium.
Proving at every turn just how awful he is at his most-basic duties, David C. Pack achieves an echelon of incompetence that will never be matched within the halls of The Restored Church of God.
Wait. What were we talking about?
David C. Pack is like an alcoholic who has sparse, fleeting moments of sobriety where he appears to possess a small amount of self-awareness but then forgets he said it. He ignores his own criticisms as if the words never came from his own lips.
Flashback Part 459 – July 15, 2023
@ 1:25:33 And it has struck me from time to time when the Bible seems to pull you toward a particular time…if you nail that day down, it strikes me as particularly arrogant. And I have to bite my lip…
David C. Pack forgot to bite his lip because he set a new date for the return of Jesus Christ one week later.
Jesus Christ Returns on Av 10
July 28, 2023
By his own tongue, David C. Pack judged himself to be “particularly arrogant.” That is not an attack, Brad. It is a fact-based observation. Try crying “misinformation” on social media with that one.
On July 22, 2023, David C. Pack delivered his final final message that ended the ending of the Series with "The Greatest Unending Story! (Part 460)” as we march toward the inevitable Part 500.
Part 460 – July 22, 2023
@ 1:25:54 So, Message 460 (that beats 459) is the ration that tells RCG (the house) the day. Now, it took a long time to learn a plain date where I could never come to another one. I could never come to another one. You could never. There's no way. What would I say next week? "Sorry, you know, set aside Av 10. Just blow it off. It was a mistake. Let's just keep going."
What else can he say? There is no way out of that mathematical certainty.
@ 1:26:23 It’s a miracle that we found there was another year there and in other places.It’s a miracle that happened.Now and the timing after seven years and eight-plus months. I could never come back to another date.
This was as miraculous as when the Pope cured a ham. Not only will David C. Pack return with another date, but he also must. Nothing will manifest on Thursday at sunset or on Friday at sunrise in Jerusalem, or all day Friday…or any time he declares it. Bank on that.
@ 1:25:59 It would be very hard to know what to believe.
That is an excellent summary of why people rightfully and wisely have been leaving The Restored Church of God since August 2013.
David C. Pack’s documented biblical failures are spectacular. For those who have not visited the ExRCG YouTube Channel, watch the playlist of Dave setting dates. Listening to them back-to-back will have you howling with laughter.
But Dave seems to forget he has said all that in the past fourteen months.
Dave got around the "no man knows the day and the hour" by saying he knows the day, not the hour. He taught for many years how well the carnal mind is capable of finding a way to reason around God's law. He is not immune from this.
The carnal mind of David C. Pack can prophesy falsely yet not be a false prophet. He can utter inspired preaching that is free from spiritual inspiration. He can receive an oracle from God, but that only means reading His words in the Bible. The carnal mind of David C. Pack is working overtime to keep ending the Series, setting dates, but still keeps going without shame.
His short-term memory loss is so bad even pot addicts ridicule him.
Flashback Part 454 – June 17, 2023
@ 56:57 If this doesn't happen Monday (unless you don't believe the Bible), write off Av.
@ 1:07:43 These metrics I'm giving you, I'm gonna use a word they are "insurmountable."They cannot be surmounted. They could be true and not happen Monday, but we're waiting 382 days, or this was all an act.
Flashback Part 455 – June 21, 2023
@ 57:51 There would be a final message. How many times have we thought there was a final message? This is the 256th final message.But, there would come a point where everything was explained.It’s impossible to get any of this wrong where everything’s plain.
@ 1:24:46 I can just tell you that unless God violates His word, two more weeks aren’t possible.And I can’t think of a single reason why you’d wait to the 12th [Tammuz – July 1].
David C. Pack Is Not A Man Of His Word
Flashback Part 457 – July 1, 2023
@ 01:34 I said last time if I speak again, it will be about the WHAT, not the WHEN. Well, little did I know how that would be opposite to true.
@ 1:24:56 But, there’s no way we’re here next week.
Flashback Part 458 – July 8, 2023
@ 1:14:30 I can’t come back with [459], and I’m telling you, I won’t.
@ 1:28:48 But, I wanna just say I if this exact timing is somehow wrong, I simply can’t tell you more. I can’t.
Flashback Part 459 – July 15, 2023
@ 1:34:30 What could be so big, so transcendent, so sweeping in power and force and knowledge to overcome all the points about timing?…It would have to be an oracle outside the Bible.Nobody else is gonna pick up the Bible and find different months and days and understanding…
David C. Pack is a blaspheming liar. That is an observation, Brad, not an accusation. You know, as well as I do, nothing will happen on Av 10 (July 28). Or any day your boss proclaims. Maybe you are waiting him out, but your continued complacency only hurts the very people you profess to help.
Only eyes-open willful fools believe David C. Pack. They ignore their Bibles and trust a man more than God. David C. Pack is in place of God within The Restored Church of Another god. That makes him a false god. He has placed himself between the church and god, which makes him a false christ. He is an antichrist. AN antichrist, not THE antichrist. That is in case anyone wants to misquote me.
The hirelings at Headquarters and in the field are no help to the brethren. Do not look to those compromised, broken men to “do something” about this. Nothing is what they have done. Nothing is what they will continue to do.
Reflect on that Sabbath morning as you sip your coffee and read your Bible. That Prophet Elijah was wrong again about the return of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God. Why would anyone expect it to turn out differently?
Dave discovers Av 10 is when God actually considers years to begin, thus bla bla bla: BINGO. The new date is plain and final. Even before he declared he would never set another date, he was pretty confident throughout Part 460.
Part 460 – July 22, 2023
@ 19:23 I couldn’t have imagined I’d find another year in the Bible that I could point to where you’d say, all of you would say, “There it is. There it is.” Obviously, it wasn’t something God wanted anybody else to ever understand. But there’s a group that understands all the other durations and seasons.
@ 53:54 It's telling you (I'm gonna say this very carefully) in several ways. It's telling you Av 10 is the day God uses to start years.
@ 1:13:51 They [Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Isaiah, Zechariah] were similitudes of another prophet. So, this day, Av 10, is tied to [me] Elijah.
@ 1:17:31 Tell me why I figured out this date now.I’ve tried everything but this date. I saw that verse, and I thought, "Is that January 1st? Or is it the 10th of January? What in the world?” I had no idea how to read it. Now I do. And so do you.
@ 1:18:48 It has to start when a year begins. And we were never gonna figure that out. We were never ever ever gonna figure that out until we were shown by God Av 10, which is the biggest moed in the mind of God.
@ 1:19:49 The only date you can use as the year is the one God is working off of: Av 10. I call it “The Iron Date” ‘cause it’s this day that, apparently, God raises all of us and raises Elijah.
@ 1:31:12 So, here we are with what looks like five days to go. I’ll never move Av 10. If I had to wait five more years, I’m not gonna move Av 10. I just wouldn't understand how the Mystery is cleared up. It's been made plain, and we have even one more year. Godspeed that date. Goodnight.
David C. Pack suffers from chronic short-term memory loss. He will forget his pledge to not move Av 10. Just as he has forgotten all the other things he said he would never do but did anyway.
He will find a way to spin it, but consider this a preview of Part 461:
David C. Pack may forget what he said, but the real danger has been when the brethren also forget.
There are two subjects that Armstrongism has a deep fascination with. Both have become 100% factual beliefs/doctrines for many church leaders and members. These are British Israelism and the Petra/Place of Safety doctrine.
Ever since Loma whispered into Herbert's ear that Petra was the place to be, the church has placed a heavy emphasis on it. The weird thing is, there for a while, there was a concerted effort to claim that the church never taught such a thing. Embarrassed by the Peoples Temple suicides and the craziness of certain Church of God members, they tried to circle the wagons and claim that it was only speculation. That was an absolute lie that some still try and gaslight church members with.
I remember at a combined Holy Day service with the Dayton and Columbus churches around 1969/70 the minister telling those in attendance that day to make sure they returned back from the noon meal by a specific time because the doors to the auditorium were going to be locked and no one could enter after that point. He said they had important information to share from Pasadena (has had just returned from Pasadena).
Everyone was back in their seats early as a hush fell over the room. On the stage, he had a large green chalkboard similar to those used in classrooms. On it, he proceeded to draw out a calendar with dates for the specific time that would come when the church would be fleeing to Petra. Women were even encouraged to not get pregnant anytime before the date. My mother faithfully copied this crap and taped it up inside her cupboard in the kitchen. We were warned to not let this calendar be visible to unconverted neighbors and family members so that we did not stir up suspicion.
As the days went by my mother was faithful marking the days as they inched closer and closer to the time we were to flee. There were even small suitcases packed with essentials ready to grab at a moment's notice.
When you're a child and hear this disgusting shit it messes with your mind. The first thing that crosses your mind when you get home and your mother is not around is that she fled without you because you were not good enough to be chosen by God to go. This is the kind of filth the church relished controlling members within the 1960s.
The Peoples Temple suicides and the Heaven's Gate suicides came and went and the church breathed a sigh of relief because they were always on guard for guilt by association.
The 1980s hit and the church was going overboard in representing itself as a normal church doing normal things filled with normal people. AICF dumped hundreds of millions of dollars into concerts, members joined local civic organizations, charitable donations were made to local organizations, and much more. More and more ministers refused to teach the Petra doctrines and it seemed to disappear. Every once in a while the "place of safety" crapola was preached about, but those days seem to be few.
Then, the so-called great apostasy happened and the shit hit the fan. Long-held doctrines and silly beliefs that the church reveled in the 1950s-early 70s all the sudden were popular again as hundreds of splinter groups broke off claiming to restore the faith once delivered and that included the many bizarre teachings the church specifically had. Petra popped back up big time with many of these splinter groups as they saw the so-called great apostasy as a sure sign of the end times. Almost every single group resurrected the idea and has been reinforcing it to this day.
Various ones in the church who thought they knew more than Herbert, claimed that Petra just might not be that place. It could be in various spots in Jordan besides Petra. The raving legalist James Malm declared that it was Pella where everyone would end up. Wait, scratch that, not everyone, but he highly selected FEW that were adherents to his bizarre form of legalism would be there. Then our most highly respected Great Bwana to Africa Bob Mzungu Thiel started running off at the mouth about Petra and other locations he claims his followers would go to for their final indoctrination camp.
The other day the Great Bwana Mzungu declared that Petra MIGHT NOT be the place of safety but another location.
Where might the place of safety in the wilderness be?
Many have wondered if Petra could be the place.
What if is it not?
Someone asked me about the possibility of Bozrah being the “place of safety.”
Someone is always asking him something. That is a common cop-out that COG leaders use to get their own opinions across as truth. The chances of anyone asking Bwana Bob Mzungu this is slim to none, but this is The Bob speaking and we all know what that means.
Never one to entertain an original thought in his own head, he immediately started searching for things to copy and paste that bolster his arguments.
A. Like Petra, Bozrah is part of Jordan, so what I’m saying here does not negate those theories completely, just expands them to the whole truth).
Q. Isn’t Jordan a Muslim country? What about the Jordanians there?
A. Jordan will be evacuated after the country is laid waste in the attack against Israel.
Q. Will we need passports?
A. Things will be normal when we leave, pre-Wormwood and therefore passports will be needed.
Q. How do we know when it’s time to go?
A. God must send some prophet since no man knows the day or hour.
Q. How much time do we have?
A. I think we won’t see the prophet until the 2020s at the earliest. https://escapeallthesethings.com/petra-bible-prophecy/
The Great Bwana Mzungu adds:
While I do agree, based upon many scriptures, that Jordan seems to be the place and God will likely use a prophet to say when (and where), I disagree with the author’s view on many points–Jordan, to cite one example, will NOT be evacuated. But I do agree that Revelation 12:14-16 is talking about protection for faithful Christians and NOT physical Israel. As far as the old Worldwide Church of God goes, it speculated, but did not insist, on Petra being the place.
Petra is large enough for the Philadelphian Christians to be protected–and they are the ONLY Christians promised protection from the Beast (cf. Revelation 3:7-10)–most Christians will NOT be protected (cf. Revelation 12:14-17).
Who are the "Philadelphia" Christians? Only those who are part of the one true church, the improperly named "continuing" Church of "god", of course.
God forbid if any heathen Sunday worshiping Christians might show up at these places and interfere with Bwana Bob Mzungu's teachings!
It is the eagles wings (cf. Revelation 12:14) and the idea the the most faithful are God’s sheep (cf. Psalm 95:7; 100:3; John 10) that get some to wonder about Bozrah.
Anyway, Bozrah is in the right general direction. But, since this seems to mainly be a prophecy for Edom, it is not clear it is related to the place of protection for the Philadelphians in the wilderness. However, if the Turks were to turn against God’s protected people, then this could be the place where the Turks (Edom in various prophecies) and/or Jordanians (as some Edomites are likely there) are destroyed (cf. also Obadiah). The Philadelphians are the most faithful remnant of spiritual Israel (cf. Romans 2:28-29; Revelation 3:9)–so we will see about Bozrah. Now, because of how the Turks are expected to betray the physical nation of Israel (and perhaps also the faithful Christians), God has a special punishment.
The Great Bwana Mzungu then drags in dead Herbert to justify the claim that Herbert and he might have different thoughts about Petra. Though the quote by HWA is a gaslighting lie because he spoke about Petra from the stage of the Auditorium countless times as fact...until Jim Jones came on the scene.
Now, I have long wondered if Petra would be the actual place.
The late Pastor General of the old Worldwide Church of God, Herbert W. Armstrong, wrote:
Incidentally, I know many of you seem to have your hearts set on going very soon to Petra as “the place of safety” during the soon-coming Great Tribulation. Well, GET YOUR MINDS OFF PETRA. Brethren, I HAVE NEVER said that Petra definitely is the place of protection where God will take us. I HOPE IT IS NOT! One reason it could be the place is that it is a place NOBODY ELSE WOULD WANT TO GO. It would be the most UNpleasant, UNcomfortable, miserable place you could go! There is nothing to be desired there. But, just in case, God HAS miraculously given me very gracious favor in the eyes of King Hussein and also his brother, the Crown Prince. They are very friendly to me personally (Letter, July 16, 1982).
It was widely spoken about in Pasadena that because of this direct relationship with King Hussein that the church would be able to gain special favor with the King as we attempted to enter the country en masse.
Bwana Mzungu continues:
There are local reasons to consider that carved part of Petra may not the be place.
Realize that Petra is one of the leading, if not THE leading, tourist destination in Jordan, hence there could be economic and other factors against that precise location itself (though if only a small amount of Christians flee, that might be tolerable, and even helpful to, the tourist industry possibly as a ‘side-show’ or to be of cultural or prophetic interest). Other than the aspect of caves (which does not mention the amount of caves), it should be noted, that many other areas in Jordan also are in the right direction and fit the description of the place–so it is possible that the Church may flee into Jordan and not stay in Petra, but somewhere else in Jordan or a neighboring area.
It is also possible that the true Philadelphian Christians will stay in Petra for a time and then go elsewhere–and that is something I have written about before.
None of these dimwitted church leaders ever considered the impact of tens of thousands of Church of God members arriving in Jordan/Petra might me. The hundreds of commercial flights into the country. rental cars and busses to transport the people. Food, clothing, shelter for everyone, etc. It is a logistical nightmare that COPG folk imagine will happen on the spur of the moment. In reality, it would take many years to get all of this organized and go through proper diplomatic channels with passports, etc to get people into the country. But of course, there is always the magical god that will rapture everyone on eagle wings to Petra. Instantaneously shelter, food, water, clothing, and all the basic necessities of life will appear in the caves so that church leaders can pass them out to members of the diaspora as they enter the region.
While the battle of Armageddon is taking place in Israel, thousands of Church of God members will be able to fly into Petra or drive in unnoticed by the Beast power and the legions of armies encompassing the area. Of course, as one minister claimed, that magical god was going to place a cloud cover over Petra so that enemy planes could not see what was taking place below.
When I came to Pasadena in 1975 the joke around campus that fall was about a student who earlier that summer had prophesied that the 5 egrets on the David Wynn sculpture in front of the auditorium would come alive. Four of the egrets would grab each corner of the auditorium, pick it up and the fifth egret would lead the way as they flew it to Petra. He actually had several church members believe this crap.
When you read Bwana Bob Mzungu's crap and compare it to this guy's bizarre belief, the chances are far greater for the four egrets to come alive than anything Bwana Bob says will actually happen.
It's your last chance to unite before it's all over!
Why is it that the current Church of God movement has so many mentally ill men leading it? We are infected with deluded narcissistic men who make bold and outlandish claims that never have and never will come to pass.
This is one of the latest posts from that other crackpot prophet leading the so-called "christian" Churches of "god", Wade Cox, the bitter competition in Africa with Bob Thiel's fake ministry.
If you thought spending three and half years with Bob Thiel in charge in Petra would be hell on earth, it will be even worse under this looney tune.
God has dealt with the Measuring of the Temple and we are now at the final phase of dealing with the nations and the removal of the sinful societies. The Churches of God have been judged and they have been scattered. Their ministries have been warned for the last time and their people also warned for the final sequence before the Witnesses Enoch and Elijah arrive for the commencement of the Final Empire of the Beast after the War of the Sixth Trumpet and they then begin to deal with the Empire of the Beast. We have said that Messiah will destroy the systems of this world. There will be no false religion left on the planet under Messiah and the Host. There will be no second chances with the arrival of the Witnesses. If you have not repented and got rid of Hillel and those other false doctrines by the end of the Second Year of the Witnesses, then you will not be in the First Resurrection. If you do not repent of Hillel and your false doctrines by the Messiah and the Jubilee then you will die by the commencement of the Millennium. Everyone then goes to the Second Resurrection of the Dead after the Millennium. If you want to take those risks, then you are a true gambler betting against the word of God.
The COG has no major or minor prophets, just a bunch of self-appointed nincompoops.
There appears to be a significant increase and access to the Open Letter to the Churches of God of this month. The brethren seem to be completely disinterested in the truth of anything. Many are repenting but the reality is that the majority are brainwashed and unable to see through the errors taught them. They have only this last opportunity and responsibility to unify the Churches of God under the correct doctrines of the Original Churches of God and if they do not do that they will then suffer under the Witnesses, as we said Last Sabbath. We dealt with the issue of what Bible to choose and how to use it this New Moon of the Fifth Month. This of itself is an important topic and task. The Churches of God have been seriously misled from the issue of the KJV in 1611 based on the seriously flawed and forged Textus Receptus and the many forgeries incorporated into the Receptus and also from the Post Temple Masoretic Text forged by the Jews in the Dispersion. It is not a joke. Messiah and the Host will destroy you and send you to the Second Resurrection if you do not repent by the arrival of the Messiah. The Ministry has nowhere to go, and nor do you, if you follow them. It is your own personal responsibility to get the doctrines correct. Your ministers are no doubt teaching you false doctrines if they are pushing Hillel and the false God of Ditheism or Binitarianism/Trinitarianism. They will be judged severely (Jas 3:1), but you are also responsible, and you cannot blame anyone else but yourself. If they do not speak according to the Law and the Testimony, there is no light in them. (Isa. 8:20)
