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
Many years ago, the Pasadena Church Offices were located on the 1st floor of the Hall of Administration just down the hallway from the Security Department and next door to the switchboard for the college and church. Security staff said they regularly heard ministers standing in the hallway making fun of members who had come in for counseling. Mocking church members regarding their problems and issues was a regular thing with far too many in the ministry. Since none of them had ever been properly trained in REAL counseling techniques, they had no concept of what confidentiality was or the sacredness of the space.
That tradition carries on in the Living Church of God today.
This is from a reader:
I thought you might find this interesting.
I went on a tour of LCG headquarters in Charlotte, NC. The tour guide showed us around the entire building.
While I was there a woman who worked there in the office showed me this bulletin board they have for when they receive Tomorrow's World emails. She said that they get so many prayer requests and [some are] "ridiculous" so they hang them on the bulletin board and make fun of them.
One, in particular, she pointed out to me was from a man who politely asked them to pray that God sends him a wife.
They mocked him and made fun of him and hung his letter on their "wall of shame" for all to see in order to degrade him and attempt to humiliate him for bringing such a request to their attention.
They mocked and made fun of people who contacted them and asked for prayers for healing and all sorts of different issues they were facing.
The lady told me she sits at the desk and laughs at people's emails and how ridiculous and idiotic they are.
She told me a story about how a mail truck caught on fire down the street from headquarters and all the mail burned up except for one single envelope of theirs that they proudly display on their beloved bulletin board.
She told me that God protected their mail and preserved the letter lol.
Obviously, they burned it themselves with a match and hung it up there.
They are such cold-hearted people to make fun of people asking for requests like this.
David C. Pack of The Restored Church of God has reached a new depth of biblical depravity. “The Greatest Untold Story! (Part 465)” given on September 2, 2023, is far and away his most blasphemic.
After spending several days trudging through knee-high mud of his perverse logic, I reached the end of the insanity with eleven pages of notes. Refuting David C. Pack is not challenging. It just takes a lot of time.
The people remaining in The Restored Church of God after Part 465 must have fully adopted the “Because I Say So” doctrine.
“Believe me, don’t believe your Bible.”
Everything has a reasonable and natural limit. Brethren of The Restored Church of God, if you believe the words of David C. Pack and remain in that abominable pit of heresy, you are running out of excuses. May God have mercy on you.
For over fifty years, brethren have been mistakenly thinking they were reading about Jesus Christ throughout their Bible. During “The Greatest Untold Story! (Part 465),” David C. Pack corrected that error. We were actually reading about him.
In 2005, David C. Pack made himself an apostle.
In 2009, David C. Pack made himself Joshua the High Priest.
In January 2015, David C. Pack made himself Elijah the Prophet.
In December 2015, David C. Pack made himself That Prophet.
In 2023, David C. Pack has declared himself the Branch.
You would be hard-pressed to hear more blasphemy crammed into ninety-nine minutes than during Part 465.
David C. Pack is the Branch
David C. Pack is the Plant of Renown
David C. Pack is the Fig Tree
David C. Pack is the Shepherd of Israel
David C. Pack is the Stone of Israel
David C. Pack is the one named “The Lord Our Righteousness”
David C. Pack Will Sit on David’s Throne as a King
The Kingdom of Dave has returned
The Four-Kingdom structure reverted back to three
Giant mistranslations blinded him
Herbert W. Armstrong was wrong, wrong, and so wrong
Three. Four. Three. Four. No…Three.
The Feast of Trumpets on September 16 is still “on.” Unless that changed during Part 466 on Thursday or Part 467 today.
Part 465 – September 2, 2023
@ 00:19 When is it most likely that Elijah would sound a trumpet? Now, that's not really very hard, is it? The Feast of Trumpets. When is he most likely at the same time to lift up his voice like a trumpet? Feast of Trumpets. Or else, those are coincidences.
@ 01:13 Now, I’m surprised to be able to say this (to say the least), but utterly (and I do mean utterly) astonishing things now come clear. They were blinding.Without them, our ability was blinded. Anyone’s ability is blinded to get the picture straight.
So far, it sounded like a typical message. He even backpedaled from the week before, explaining there are not really four Kingdoms of God, but three.
@ 01:57 I went back and forth from three to four. You’re gonna understand the greatest reasons why and why anyone else would’ve done the same thing. So, I will repeat. Utterly astonishing things now come clear in Part 465.
@ 02:29 When is Christ’s Kingdom? When is it? I wannaremove some doubt about this because of some unbelievable mistranslations and, misunderstandings, and teachings from the past.
Wow. The Worldwide Church of God really hamstrung Dave. He could have figured this out sooner if not for the misguided Herbert W. Armstrong albatross hanging on his neck. False doctrinal biases prevented the Packian Triad of Fraud from getting the timing correct. Until now.
The real culprit of Three v. Four is Dave’s own piss-poor reading comprehension skills. He concluded that Christ's Kingdom will not be IN this world.
John 18:36
Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world…
To David C. Pack, the word “of” means “in.” Brad should sit him down to explain the difference. You can be “of” your mother while no longer “in” her. I can be “of” California but not “in” California. The ability to grasp this rudimentary language concept escaped him.
@ 04:16 “[Christ’s Kingdom] It’s not coming from here on.It’s not gonna be in this world at all, ever.Now, that knowledge arrived late on the scene. But it’s been very confusing.
Well, not to those who grasp the difference between a location and an origin.
@ 04:57 But, His Kingdom is not of this world. Therefore, there cannot be a kingdom in front of the three. Now, that’s just one of the things that was blinding my ability to get this right because God reserved (in some ways) the greatest things for the last number of messages.
This is not the first time Dave admitted God has blinded him. This point is always worth noting, no matter what topic an article covers. The chosen vessel to disseminate the Mystery of God is repeatedly blinded by the god that commissioned him to do it.
Dave’s god is playing prophetic Peek-A-Boo. It blinds him. It reveals to him. It blinds him. It reveals to him. The god Dave proclaims is a cruel trickster who could not figure out how to fulfill his plan without lying, deceiving, and forcing ignorance. No, thank you.
The Branch
As incompetent as David C. Pack is with the comprehension of basic English, he is exceptionally adept at weaponizing words when necessary. This supports the theory that there is more than one mind at work in his head.
During all of Part 465, he never says, “I am the Branch.”
He leaves a dung trail for the audience to follow to the compost pile of his intention. This does not make for quick-n-easy YouTube content. He speaks in the third-person perspective, referring to "this man" when talking about himself.
I Am The Branch Part 1
I Am The Branch Part 2
I Am The Branch Part 3
@ 19:28Now, what I’m going to cover at this point is awkward. I actually thought about skipping this material.
There is no way under heaven David C. Pack was going to skip this material. Rest assured, if he considered it for two seconds, that was too long.
@ 19:41 But, it’s too helpful to know, and it's part of making plain what's gonna happen. Making the year plain. There is a certain mystery that God says is finished. And I can’t duck it.
What a great world we live in where you can elevate yourself above all other human beings who ever lived AND slip right into a role reserved for the Son of God WHILE also helping other people.
Dave was backed into a prophetic corner and had no choice but to become 3% more of the content in your Bible. Ah, shucks.
@ 19:53 But, about ten years ago (and I'll explain to you later what this is), I got an email from Mr. Schurter. Very, very well-written.
@ 20:33 And he only made a fraction of the case, but he really made enough of the case that I believed it could not be true…I wish I'd have listened to him, but God did not want what I'm gonna tell you known ten years ago. So, I'll just say again what I'm gonna cover is somewhat awkward. But somebody has to do it. And I’m gonna do it.
@ 21:14 Every time I read the word “David” in the Scriptures, it gets awkward. But it's my job to carry out this charge. This long eight-year charge. And so, I have to sorta wince and try to remember that the most important part is whatever you're learning about him, you're learning about yourself. Whatever happens to him happens to you because we’re all in this together.
I hope the brethren pray to God on their knees with blood, sweat, and tears that this is not the case. Nobody in The Restored Church of God should want what will happen to David C. Pack to happen inclusively to them. They should shudder in terror at this idea.
@ 21:43 If he’s a king, you’re a king. If he’s a priest, you’re a priest. If he’s a judge, you’re a judge. If he’s a counselor, you’re a counselor. If he’s a branch, you’re a branch.You see? So, we’re all branches.
And there it was. An indication of where he was heading.
@ 24:51 So then, who is the Old Testament Branch? …We know what a vine is. The church has always said it's Christ. But Christ said, "I am the vine. You are the branches."
@ 25:29 So, I’m gonna ask you, Who is the Branch? Not Christ. He’s the Vine.
@ 29:28 “Behold, I will bring forth My servant, the Branch.” Now, there’s a number of problems right here that make it impossible this is Christ. Christ is hardly just a servant of God. We’ve always assumed that He’s a servant because we assumed He was the Branch. No, no, no.He's the Vine.
@ 33:48 But, if you think Christ is the Branch (and I’m gonna destroy that and show you amazing things), you will have Christ ruling in this year [1-Year Kingdom]. If you don’t have Him properly as the Messenger of the Covenantor the Angel of the Lord or the Stone with Seven Eyes, and the Branch being brought forth in a (as all the other verses say), you will not get this right.
@ 34:24 Now, this gonna take on unbelievable proportion. But he is called My servant. "My servant, the Branch." David is called in at least three or four places…My servant, David. I know of no place where Christ is just simply called a servant. That reduces Him.He’s the Vine. All the branches come off. To reduce Him to a branch is we didn’t understand because of the Jew’s thinking…
Mark 10:44-45
And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all.
For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister…
@ 38:18 Isaiah 11:1."There shall come forth," or go out "a rod," a twig, a twig, "out of the stem of Jesse." Now, it's telling you that this man is descended from David. He has to be. He's gonna be associated with David's throne."And a branch," that's a netser, and it means "a chute" or“a descendant” "of Jesse shall grow out of his roots." Jesse's roots.
@ 39:16 So, who's the root of Jesse? Christ. "There shall be a root of Jesse, which will stand for an ensign of the people to which shall the Gentiles seek in his rest shall be glorious." …Christ is the root of Jesse. Christ created Jesse. Jesse didn't create Christ.
Revelation 22:16
I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you
these things in the churches.
I am the root and the offspring of David…
Matthew 1:1
The book of the generation of Jesus Christ,
the son of David, the son of Abraham.
@ 39:45 Now, this twig is a descendant of Jesse and David. And I am…But no one ever saw that, and I've read it, I don't know how many times.
@ 40:45 Brethren, that’s why I said it’s awkward to cover this. But I don't know if we can really understand the Kingdom of God and when Christ's Kingdom comes and goes on eternally unless we can understand what this kingdom is about. Who are the kings and chiefly (for the moment) we’re talking’bout who is the Lead King here? The High Priest here…you have to have somebody on David’s throne. And you hafta have somebody directing sacrifices who's a Levite. And I know for a fact I'm descended from both.
Luke 1:32
He [Jesus] shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest:
and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David.
@ 41:15 So, if somebody wants to throw stones at me, then I’d say, “Well, then, you call Christ a Branch. Be very careful doing that. [laughs] Okay? He says, “I’m the Vine. You’re the branches.” But no one ever connected this.
Jesus Christ is the Vine. Therefore, He cannot also be the Branch.
@ 41:36 But, you can kinda guess what the email from Mr. Schurter said ten years ago. He'd done some research, and he'd come to this conclusion.I just thought, “No way.” I almost thought it was blasphemous.
What was blasphemous ten years ago is now undeniable biblical truth. These mile markers show David C. Pack’s mental and spiritual decline into heretical madness. Nobody should be shocked the day he teaches Jesus Christ is already here, “Behold, He is in the secret chambers.”
@ 43:23 “…behold the man.” The man. That’s the key. “Whose name is the Branch.” You could never say Christ’s name is the Branch. You would reduce Him, practically defile him to say that…The man whose name is the Sprout. Right. God would name Jesus the Sprout.
@ 44:46 That’s impossible. It degrades Him terribly.
Dave often speaks of himself in the third person perspective to avoid causing the brethren to wince. What he is really saying is in [brackets].
@ 52:21 “[God] will raise [me]." Christ comes in Acts 3 and raises [me—Elijah]. "And I will raise unto David." Now, try to imagine that's Christ. This Branch. You're gonna raise Christ unto David? The ancient King David? What? But if there were some human being [me] who was the last king to sit in this world on David’s throne, it would make perfect sense. You would raise [me] a man. A servant. Even with the same name. It would also hide from the world what you’re doing. The last man to sit on David’s throne [is] named David, but [I am] a servant and [I am] a man.
@ 54:18 So, this man is here…I never understood why exactly. Whether you call [me] Elijah, or Joshua or David, or the Twig, or whatever you wanna call [me], [I'm] here [the 1-Year Kingdom].
David C. Pack lacked the courage to declare boldly and unequivocally that he was the Branch. Why?
Jesus Christ is the Branch.
Do not believe otherwise.
Wait…there’s more?
David C. Pack carrying the name, "The Lord Our Righteousness," is too big to squeeze in now. But yes, he went there with the help of a falsely perceived mistranslation. He was also able to “see” much more.
As he wrapped up Part 465, he swiped at the brethren who might bristle at his blasphemous deceptions. He reminded the spiritually queasy brethren that the prophetic rollercoaster is just a test to sift out the faithless from among The Restored Church of God.
@ 1:34:47 You can understand why God would allow me for years to see who’s gonna bail out. And either lose everything or buy themselves a year where way under 50% of the saints are gonna make it.
If you leave The Restored Church of God, you will suffer terribly in the coming days. That is the point.
However, nothing biblical will happen this week and absolutely cannot happen next Friday night. David C. Pack will prove himself to be a liar once again. The excuses will precede sunset. The Headquarters hirelings will hem and haw and stammer.
Part 465 is a study in damnable heresies.
David C. Pack is a blaspheming liar.
The ultimate "Put your pencils down. The test of over" moment will be when David C. Pack declares that he is "a type of Christ" to the brethren of The Restored Church of God. When you connect the dots, the path in that direction glows in the darkness.
If people choose not to leave before that point, they may not be allowed to after. By then, it will be too late.
David C. Pack is a dry branch that will break…or be broken.
Mercy. Why has the Church of God struggled so hard with this? Its track record is one of being merciless to its members. Far too many of its leaders treat their members as second-class citizens and see them only as cash cows to keep their lifestyles enriched.
Sadly, most COGs tend to control their member's lives as much as possible. Look at Dave Pack and Gerald Flurry. Both men extend huge heavy extra-biblical burdens upon their members as they spiritually destroy them with lies and false teachings.
Gersld has restricted church members from associating with non-PCG members within their own families. Mothers and fathers can't see their children and grandchildren. Children have been ignored by their parents. Church members are expected to fund the Irish dance classes and traveling road shows for the elite children of HQ ministers and leaders, while many of those members are living near poverty levels.
Dave expects his followers to give all they have to him so that they can be found worthy to meet Jesus at any moment, though that day keeps getting extended further and further out.
Remember the mercy Cal Culpepper showed for a disabled child in his church? He is the one who told the parents to take it to the mall and abandon it so that the state could take care of it. Without having to spend money on the child they would have more to give to the church.
Others, like Bob Thiel protect his ministers at the expense of the members and allow them to wallow in all kinds of unChristian activities. Where is the mercy extended to the ex-wife and children of one of his top evangelists/ministers when her husband committed adultery with another woman and then cast his wife and kids aside to marry his mistress? Not to mention the witchcraft and other nefarious activities going on in his churches. Numbers are more important than mercy.
Where is the mercy Rod Meredith extended members when he ruled Church Administration with an iron fist? I can remember him coming to our church screaming and pounding the pulpit with his red face with veins popping on his forehead about something the stupid, ignorant, blind sheep were unable to get right.
Very few are shepherds that tend their flock with kindness, mercy, and compassion. There are a few who do that, but they tend to be more independent congregations than the larger larger corporate ones.
Church brethren can only expect mercy in the kingdom to come if they make it. That threat is constantly looming over their heads as they tiptoe around their ministers fearing eternal punishment from on high. Cross your mister and find out what that damnation will be! It sure won't be love and mercy.
"Mercy involves patience, understanding, compassion, and a willingness to forgive."
How has the church ever practiced patience with members? When has it had a compassionate understanding? More importantly, when has the COG leadership ever learned to forgive? Church leaders have always kept track of members' questions, problems, or indiscretions. These are logged and kept in member files. Forgiveness is not something the leadership practices or has traditionally practiced, even under Herbert Armstrong where they all learned to be merciless and graceless.
The Importance of Mercy: One fundamental quality that Christians must develop to become like God and reign with Jesus Christ is mercy. Mercy involves patience, understanding, compassion, and a willingness to forgive. The Scriptures reveal that God is full of mercy and compassion (Exodus 34:6–7) and He requires us to develop these same qualities (Hosea 6:6; Micah 6:8). Solomon states that those who show mercy honor God (Proverbs 14:31). Jesus taught that the merciful will obtain mercy (Matthew 5;7), but those who show no mercy to others will face serious consequences (Matthew 18:21–35). While it is easy to sit in judgment of others, the Bible informs us that for Christians, “mercy triumphs over judgment” (James 2:13). As we strive to develop the mind of God, we will come to understand the importance of showing mercy to everyone we meet.
Hosted by Mattie Lasiter and Ashleigh Teeter, siblings who were separated for more than 25 years due to the shadow of their shared past. Their father, a charismatic but enigmatic figure, led a cult that consumed the lives of its members, leaving their family torn apart and forbidden from contact.
They have reunited to share their journey with you while unravelling the haunting tales of cults from around the world, shedding light on the warning signs that can help
prevent others from falling into their grasp.
This is their shared story in Worldwide Church of God and Crusade Church
Another day, and more things LCG members can't get right.
Doug Winnail continues to expect LCG members to continue to look backwards instead of forwards. What can we expect when the leadership of the LCG lives in the past. Its emphasis is always looking backwards instead of forwards into reality of rest in Christ. The New Covenant emphasizes how its followers are no longer of this world and have been released from it. Legalists and backwards looking people can't grasp that point. Even today in the COG it continues to look back to the glory days of the church. None of them can shut up about it. Those leeks and onions still look so good.
Sobering Signs of the Times: The Bible contains numerous warnings to help alert Christians avoid terrible trials that are coming at the end of the age. In Genesis 18 and 19, God sent two angels to warn Lot and his family that Sodom and Gomorrah would be destroyed because of their wicked and perverted ways—including homosexuality (Ezekiel 16:48–50). These citizens, including Lot and his family, had forgotten that God destroyed nearly the entire human race only 400 years before (Genesis 6–7). However, Lot’s family enjoyed the abundance of the region and were reluctant to leave (Genesis 13:10–13). Lot’s wife lost her life because she looked back longingly instead of following God’s instruction to leave this sinful region. As we see the world moving down the same dangerous path, we need to remember these examples are recorded for our admonition today (1 Corinthians 10:1–13) and come out of this world and its evil and perverted ways (2 Corinthians 6:17–18). We cannot afford to ignore these sobering warnings.
Those easily deceived folk at LCG had better shape-up! They have been warned!
Why Study God’s Word: The prophet Isaiah records that God is looking for individuals who “tremble” at His word (Isaiah 66:2). Jesus taught that we are to live “by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). He also warned that misguided leaders would set aside the commandments of God and teach “as doctrines the commandments [traditions] of men” (Mark 7:5–13). This is why the Apostle Paul stressed that we must diligently study the Scriptures so we can rightly divide (correctly understand) the word of God and avoid being misled and confused by false teachers and misguided ideas (2 Timothy 2:15). In a world filled with conflicting ideas, we need to know and prove what the Bible says so we can avoid being deceived (1 Thessalonians 5:21). Jesus plainly stated, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:31–32). Let’s make time to study God’s Word!
It’s September, and the ACOGs are all busily preparing to celebrate the fall Holy Days. Never mind that most Christians will NOT be celebrating them, they will wear their uniqueness in this regard as a badge of honor – as proof that they are the REAL Christians, and all of those other folks are just pretending! Never mind that those festivals were clearly part of the terms of the covenant between God and Israel, they will tell anyone who will listen that Christ and his apostles observed them. Never mind that festival observance undermines the ACOG contention that the “moral” commandments of Torah were carried forward into the terms of the New Covenant and obligates them to explain why these clearly ritualistic commandments should not be ignored by Christians.
HWA and most of the groups who follow his teachings regularly quote the twenty-third chapter of Leviticus to bolster their case for Christian observance of God's festivals. They point out that these events are referred to as “the feasts of the Lord” – that God calls them “my feasts." They are quick to point out that these festivals are God’s appointed times. They also like to point out that the phraseology of "a statute forever" and "throughout your generations" is employed over and over again in this chapter. The implication is clear: These are God's festivals, and they are to be observed forever.
However, when one digs a little deeper into these passages from Torah, such dogmatic assertions do not hold up under scrutiny. In fact, an independent study of what Scripture has to say on the subject reveals that HWA and his followers have either left out and/or twisted a great deal of what is revealed there. For instance, in the opening verses of this chapter (Leviticus 23), we read: "And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them..." Doesn't that indicate that this message was clearly for the children of Israel? Likewise, in the final verse of this same chapter, we read: “Thus Moses declared to the people of Israel the appointed feasts of the Lord.” (Verse 44, ESV) So, yes, they are the Lord’s festivals or appointed times which he gave to the children of Israel as part of his covenant with them!
Another item which they typically gloss over or ignore is found in the sixteenth chapter of Deuteronomy and is referred to as the "Law of the Central Sanctuary" by many theologians. Simply put, it is made clear here that there would only be one acceptable place for the Israelites to observe these festivals. Notice the phraseology which is repeated over and over again in this chapter concerning them observing the festival in the place "which the Lord shall choose." Indeed, in the summary of these festivals, we read: "Three times (or seasons) in a year shall all thy males appear before the Lord thy God in the place which he shall choose..." (verse 16).
This concept is made even clearer in the twelfth chapter of Deuteronomy. After instructing the Israelites to destroy all of the places of worship which the previous inhabitants of the Promised Land used (verses 1-4), we read: "But unto the place which the Lord your God shall choose out of all your tribes to put his name there, even unto his habitation shall ye seek, and thither thou shalt come" (verse 5). The following verses make plain that this encompassed all of their religious observances, including the feasts (verses 6-7). And then, just so there wouldn't be any room for misunderstanding, we read: "Ye shall not do after all the things that we do here this day, every man whatsoever is right in his own eyes. For ye are not as yet come to the rest and to the inheritance, which the Lord your God giveth you. But when ye go over Jordan, and dwell in the land which the Lord your God giveth you to inherit...Then there shall be a place which the Lord your God shall choose to cause his name to dwell there...Take heed to thyself that thou offer not thy burnt offerings in every place that thou seest: But in the place which the Lord shall choose in one of thy tribes, there thou shalt offer thy burnt offerings, and there thou shalt do all that I command thee" (verses 8-14).
Of course, most students of the Bible know that there was only one place which God chose to place his name - one place for the central sanctuary: The Temple at Jerusalem. This is made clear in the books which cover the kingdom period. After Solomon completed the temple in Jerusalem and prayed that God would recognize it as his house (I Kings 8), we read of God's response in the following chapter: "And the Lord said unto him, I have heard thy prayer and thy supplication, that thou hast made before me: I have hallowed this house, which thou hast built, to put my name there forever; and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually" (verse 3). Compare this scripture to II Chronicles 7:12-16.That the temple at Jerusalem was the place which God had chosen is made plain throughout these histories of the kingdom period. It is evident in Jeroboam's decision to create two places of worship at Bethel and Dan to prevent the people from returning to Jerusalem to worship after the ten tribes abandoned David's dynasty and kingdom (see I Kings 12:25-33). It is also clear from these accounts that festival observance as outlined in the Torah was a rare occurrence during this period. This is demonstrated by the fact that Hezekiah and Josiah were reported to have held festival observances in accordance with God's instructions (see II Chronicles 30 and 35).
Notice too, that ALL of the festivals required a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, not just the Feast of Tabernacles (as practiced by most Armstrongites). This understanding is critical to a proper comprehension of the entire subject going forward.
Now, as all good students of the Bible are also aware, the Israelites and the Jews (Judah) were carried into captivity. Moreover, when King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon defeated and dethroned the last king of Judah, we are told that he destroyed Jerusalem and the temple (see II Kings 25 and II Chronicles 36). What happened to festival observance when that happened?
We read in the book of Lamentations: "The ways of Zion do mourn, because none come to the solemn feasts: all her gates are desolate: her priests sigh, her virgins are afflicted, and she is in bitterness" (Lamentations 1:4). In the following chapter, we read: "And he (God) hath violently taken away his tabernacle, as if it were of a garden: he hath destroyed his places of the assembly: the Lord hath caused the solemn feasts and sabbaths to be forgotten in Zion, and hath despised in the indignation of his anger the king and the priest. The Lord hath cast off his altar, he hath abhorred his sanctuary..." (Lamentations 2:6-7). Without the temple in Jerusalem, festival observance as specified by God came to an end! To be sure, festival observance was later re-established - after some of the Jewish exiles were allowed to return to the Promised Land and rebuild the temple; but there is no escaping the fact that festival observance ended for a time.
What about the fact that festival observance is prophesied for the future - in God's Kingdom? (See Zechariah 14:16-19) Notice that this is speaking of the FUTURE. This passage clearly refers to the time when the Lord of Hosts shall be headquartered in Jerusalem. And, once again, everyone will be required to attend the Feast of Tabernacles at JERUSALEM (verses 16-17) - NO Mt. Pocono, Wisconsin Dells or Jekyll Island!
Didn't Jesus and his disciples continue to observe the festivals? Yes, Christ continued to observe the festivals. Remember, he had to fulfill all of the particulars of the Law in order to rescue us from the penalty of breaking its provisions. Notice, however, that Christ always attended the festivals at Jerusalem! In the Gospel according to Luke, we read: "Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the Passover. And when he was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast" (Luke 2:42-42). Likewise, we read in the Gospel according to John that he attended the Feast of Tabernacles (Chapter 7) and Feast of the Dedication (Hanukkah) at Jerusalem (10:22-23). Of course, we all know that Christ celebrated his final Passover with his disciples in Jerusalem (Matthew 26, Mark 14, Luke 22 and John 13). There is also scriptural evidence that his followers continued to observe these rituals after his death, burial and resurrection (see the book of Acts).
Doesn't this demonstrate that Christians are still obligated to observe these days? NO! Remember, the early church was Jewish. The apostles had failed to follow Christ's instructions to "teach all nations" (Matthew 28:19) and had focused instead on Palestine. Hence, it is quite natural that Jewish Christians would have continued to observe these Jewish festivals. However, when the church finally began to expand into Gentile countries where there was no tradition of keeping the Mosaic Law (including festival observance), festival observance was practiced by a smaller and smaller portion of the Church (as the number of Gentile converts grew).
Finally, when the Romans captured Jerusalem and destroyed the reconstructed temple in the year 70 A.D., ALL festival observance ceased (just as it had when the first temple was destroyed by the Babylonians). Yes, history informs us that new traditions eventually developed regarding these festivals, and that the Jews began observing them in their homes and synagogues around the world. In similar fashion, many Christians eventually began observing them again after a fashion in later years. Nevertheless, it is apparent in both the Jewish and Christian observances of these days that they are following man-made traditions with regard to their celebrations and do not observe the scriptural formula for keeping them (indeed, it is currently impossible to do so)!
Hence, while we can all cheerfully wish our ACOG brethren happiness and blessings as they attempt to celebrate festivals which foreshadowed the work of Jesus Christ, we must NOT let them judge our decision to NOT participate in their celebrations. The PLAIN TRUTH is that New Testament Christians are NOT obligated to observe these provisions of the Old Covenant.
In Philadelphia Church of God's recent rag, they are bemoaning the fact that their blasphemous messages have been "censored", this time by the government of Canada. Like Bob Thiel, PCG sees this as a sure sign of persecution, when it may actually be God working to stop more people from being deceived by PCG's so-called gospel.
Canada is not the only place where government censorship is targeting the Trumpet. In the United States, Facebook and Twitter have blocked the Trumpet from advertising. There is also ample evidence that both platforms are shadow banning our content. The Trumpet Daily has been censored several times on YouTube, and threatened with worse—maybe even a full ban.
In the European Union, the Digital Services Act is starting to be enforced. This draconian legislation empowers a new EU agency to police social media for disinformation on any platform of more than 45 million European users.
No matter which continent you live on, you cannot escape government censorship. This is a worldwide trend.
For decades, the Trumpet has pointed to a prophecy in Amos 8:11 about the truth becoming inaccessible—scarce like water during a famine. In our information age, it may have seemed impossible for this prophecy to come to pass. Yet across the planet it is inching closer to reality.
Well, it's close to fall time, and football is in the air. This of course has pulled a major wedgie on our most illustrious propeht to ever grace the Church of God movement. Ever since that wily old Satan jiggled the spoon as God was pouring wisdom into the Great Bwna's mind, the world has never been the same.
As the Church of God has come to expect, when craziness abounds in the church it starts with the Great Bwana and his cohorts, Dave Pack, Gerald Flurry, and Ron Weinland. Not known as men of good character or of wisdom, these guys run off at the mouth nonstop.
By now we all know how much delicate Bwana Bob hates football and how he melts down every year the second football hits his TV and his eyes are drawn to the nearly naked cheerleaders he someone sees.
This year he has added to his loopy ideas more craziness:
Those Laodicean Christians who are fans of American tackle football are NOT Philadelphians and will be subject to violence themselves as they will have to go through the Great Tribulation if they do not repent...
Of course, everyone OUTSIDE his little cult are Laodicean because 99.9999999999999% of the COG movement finds him offensive and blasphemous. Armstrongism has always been quick to lob the word Laodicean towards anyone who disagrees with them. After all, wisdom is from the top down, and lay members are too stupid to understand such things.
According to the Great Bwana, Isaiah was written specifically for him to say the junk that he does:
Many non-Philadelphian Christians do not wish to seriously consider that American tackle football is harmful, despite the facts, and would prefer that I not post about it.
The Bible suggests otherwise:
1 Cry aloud, spare not;
Lift up your voice like a trumpet;
Tell My people their transgression,
And the house of Jacob their sins. (Isaiah 58:1)
Before Bwana soils his holistic knickers any worse I suggest he start first with his own church and lift up his voice about the transgressions of his followers. Start with the witchcraft/voodoo, adultery of his so-called evangelists, money embezzlement for personal use and political campaigns, and so much more! Set eh example for since, O Great Bwana Mzungu!
Also, as usual, the church has had no bigger martyr for the truth in its midst than the Great Bwana Mzungu Thiel himself. He speaks out all the time and no one and I repeat NO ONE listens to him:
Over the years, I have seemingly stood alone among Church of God leaders in the 21st century warning against American tackle football. I first spoke against it at the old Spokesman’s Club in the Worldwide Church of God last century. And, when I brought the subject up in the Living Church of God, it made many uncomfortable enough to take steps leading to my departure from that group.
Nothing irritates the Great Bwana Mzungu Thiel more than the continual dismissal by the Living Church of God on anything he has to say. It's hilarious at this point how much bitterness he harbors in his narcissistic heart.
Because 99.9999999999999% of the church ignores him when he speaks it means they ignore him when he whines about football and thus are not Philaldphian Christians like he and his little band of misfits are.
The TRUTH is that the fruits of American tackle football are not good. But many do not care. Let me state that there is a human tendency to try to justify sin. Many think if something feels right to them, it must be. According to the Bible, that is a wrong attitude:
9 “The heart is deceitful above all things,
And desperately wicked;
Who can know it?
10 I, the Lord, search the heart,
I test the mind,
Even to give every man according to his ways,
According to the fruit of his doings. (Jeremiah 17:9-10)
Those who claim that encouraging American tackle football is fine are NOT Philadelphian Christians–they are deceiving themselves since American tackle football causes real damage. Damage that should not be encouraged.
Those near-naked cheerleaders really push his buttons too:
From the violence on the field, to the under-clothed cheerleaders, to some of the half-time antics, there is a lot wrong with American football.
I do not watch American football. I consider that it is evil (also, no Christian can really defend how professional football cheerleading females are often publicly dressed and displayed). Others want to falsely act like there is nothing wrong with watching it.
More wisdom for the Great Bwana Mzungu Thiel:
I could not reconcile loving my neighbor as myself and cherishing my flesh and not doing violence to any man by watching others do it in a football game. Consider also the following:
9…You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. (Romans 13:9-10)
And another swipe at Living Church of God. Damn boy! get down off your cross. Someone else needs the wood!
Is not taking a stand against encouraging sports violence consistent with the gospel of peace and love? Or should ministers tell people that violent sports like American tackle football are not “inherently evil” as at least one minister from LCG has done?
Who's football team would you want to be drafted on? Jesus's team or Bwana Bob's?
The one group that best represents the remnant of the Philadelphia portion of
the Church of God (Revelation 3:7-13) in the 21st century is the Continuing
Church of God.
The Continuing Church of God is the only organized church that we are aware
of who officially does all the above.
The compelling reason to want to be part
of us is not that we are perfect, but that we do teach in accordance with the
Bible and the beliefs and practices of Jesus’ early followers. Most churches
have some truth, but none other appears to be the “pillar and ground of the
truth” ...
We are not just one of scores of Church of God groups, but we are the only
international Philadelphian organization. We are also the leader of the
Philadelphian remnant that God is using to go through doors He opens
(Revelation 3:7-8) for the fulfillment of Matthew 24:14, Romans 11:25, etc. in
the final phase of the work.
In the 20th century, the old Radio Church of God grew at an annualized rate of
30% per year for decades. Not only has the Continuing Church of God exceeded
that, it has been the fastest growing xWCG COG in the 21st century
Will you do what biblically you realize you should do and support the Continuing Church of God or be a hearer only, deceiving yourself? Can you believe the work that God is doing (Acts 13:41)? Do you not wish to support the Continuing Church of God as we continue to preach the gospel of the kingdom to the world as a witness (Matthew 24:14) as well as teach all Jesus commanded (Matthew 28:19-20)? Are you ready to be really part of the true, and most faithful, Christian church?
The Roman Catholic Church teaches that Christ founded only "one true Church", and that this one true Church is the Catholic Church with the bishop of Rome (the pope) as its supreme, infallible head and locus of communion.[8] From this follows that it regards itself as "the universal sacrament of salvation for the human race"[9] and the "only true religion".
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The Lutheran Church views itself as the "main trunk of the historical Christian Tree" founded by Christ and the Apostles, holding that during the Reformation, the Church of Rome fell away.[1] The Augsburg Confession found within the Book of Concord, a compendium of belief of the Lutheran Churches, teaches that "the faith as confessed by Luther and his followers is nothing new, but the true Catholic faith, and that their churches represent the true catholic or universal church"
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Many Baptists, who uphold the doctrine of Baptist successionism (also known as Landmarkism), "argue that their history can be traced across the centuries to New Testament times" and "claim that Baptists have represented the true church" that "has been, present in every period of history".
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The Amish, as with other Anabaptist Christians, believe that "the established church became corrupt, ineffectual, and displeasing to God."[35] The Amish believe that the true church is pure and separate from the world:
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Methodists affirm belief in "the one true Church, Apostolic and Universal", viewing their Churches as constituting a "privileged branch of this true church".[43][44] With regard to the position of Methodism within Christendom, the founder of the movement "John Wesley once noted that what God had achieved in the development of Methodism was no mere human endeavor but the work of God. As such it would be preserved by God so long as history remained
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The Seventh-Day Adventist Church (SDA Church) holds itself to be the one true church.[49] It specifically teaches that "it is the 'final remnant' of His true church [spanning] the centuries".[50]Seventh-day Adventist eschatology promulgates the idea that in the end times, there will be a "growing opposition between the 'true' church and the 'apostate' church."[51] ... The SDA Church, in their view, "has drawn substantially on the biblical text, especially the books of Daniel and Revelation, to argue for its own status as the true remnant church which has a divine commission both to exist and to preach its apocalyptic message to the world at large."[
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In 1830, Joseph Smith established the Church of Christ in the belief that it was a restoration of original Christianity. In 1831 he declared it to be "the only true and living church upon the face of the whole earth".
