Why is it that all of the Churches of God have to picture themselves as special and called out from all the rest of the COG's? Each splinter group is better than the other and doing a mightier work.
There is nothing unique about LCG claiming to be The Watchman. Our favorite crackpot prophet, the Great Bwana Bob Mzungu Thiel claims he is. Dave Pack and Gerald Flurry claim they are. Ron Wienland claims he and his dingy wife are. Alton Billingsley imagines himself as the guy. COGWA and UCG think they are. David Hulme is so insignificant now that no one cares what he is anymore... is he dead or still alive? And. then there is the Living Church of God...sigh.
Notice how perturbed Winnail is by the fact that most Christians promote Jesus as coming to save sinners. Ghastly Days! LCG can't have their Jesus doing such an effeminate thing! They expect to judge the world in the millennium when they are gods and goddesses, ruling with rods of iron, with Rod Meredith and Herbert Armstrong sitting at the right-hand side of Jesus Christ.
The Church as a Watchman: Many churches feel their mission is to tell the world that God loves everyone, and that Jesus came to save sinners. However, Jesus told His disciples to be alert and watch for specific events that will mark the approaching end of the age and His imminent return (Matthew 24:42–44). Those events will include religious deception and persecution, spreading violence and war, numerous catastrophes, and selfishness and personal pursuits of pleasure (Matthew 24; Mark 13; Luke 21; 2 Timothy 3:1–5). Jesus also said the last days would be like the days of Noah and the time of Sodom and Gomorrah (Matthew 24:37–39; Luke 17:26–30). As the world appears to spin out of control, Jesus said unless He returns, human beings would self-destruct (Matthew 24:21–22). Just as God sent prophets to warn the ancient nations of Israel and Judah, God has commissioned His Church to be a watchman and warn the Israelite nations and the world of the dangers ahead and to preach the good news of the coming Kingdom of God (Ezekiel 3:17–18 and 33:1–6; Mark 16:15). Let’s stay focused on this important mission.
Have a profitable Sabbath,
Douglas S. Winnail
18 comments:
LCG is NOT a Watchman to anyone. They do NOT understand prophecy. The English-speaking peoples of the earth are NOT Israel. And the passages quoted from Ezekiel were clearly intended for THAT prophet, NOT the Living Church of God (or any other ACOG). Finally, the message IS about salvation through Jesus Christ!
Why do you give personalities to the different splinter groups ? Life is far more complicated than that.
Well, so long as homosexuals aren't sexually assaulting these church members on their walk to their cars to go to work in the morning or seducing them in the supermarket, and rioting immigrants aren't burning down their houses, I guess there is no need to sound any alarms. As a mild critique, they are kind of missing the fact that the book of Revelation is pretty clear in specifying global warming as one of the signs of the end times, and 1/3 of the creatures of the seas already dying off, but what the hey?
There may be some unrealized myopia on their parts regarding prophecy. These "watchmen" tend to believe that Republican politicians have the power to slow the end times events as opposed to being part of the corrupt system and as such participating in escalating them.
Welcome to the LCG, where the only duty of "watchmen" is to fund the operation. Sshhhh. Don't tell them! They don't realize this. In fact, you might call them WINOS! (Watchmen in name only)
This is the foundation of COG evil.
It's not that they merely misunderstand points of doctrine; it's that they crave to be special and different from others -- blessed with the inside scoop on predictive prophecy, for example. And they leave the impression that the reward for which they hope is not just to become "spirit beings" ("God beings"), but to earn bragging rights -- to be able to say, "See, I told you so!" as if the mission Jesus gave to the Church is to make all kinds of predictions and warnings about world events.
Their gospel is primarily a non-religious gospel. It's mostly about which animal products are not healthful to consume, which day of the week Satan would have us worship God (instead of on Saturdays), how to track lost tribes of Israel and integrate that into prophetic formulations, etc. Even when talking about "love," it's often understood in terms of fidelity to thinkgs like sabbathkeeping. It's just weird.
They turn the gospel into a message about a political kingdom, and evangelization into a warning about sabbathbreaking -- all the while belittling those who preach the actual gospel, who is the Person of Jesus, the lover and savior of our souls.
They're wrong about the gospel. They're wrong about who and what Jesus is. They're wrong about what salvation is. Yet they can be as smug as anyone.
I don't these things as a critical grump with a chip on my shoulder, but as one who sees the seriousness of it all. I came out of it myself, and with prayer I believe others can still be delivered from the heresy of Armstrongism.
Are they saying Jesus did NOT come to save sinners?
If not, how do they explain 1 Tim. 1:15??
Sitting in a LCG sermon hearing the same stagnant sermon on repeat makes me look at my watch man.
Doug wants us to watch for religious deception.
Watching LCG fulfills that requirement.
Shouldn't LCG have been watching Terry Ratzmann before Mar. 12 2005?
Yea right, they are a watchman?? But somehow John, Peter, Paul and James were not qualified to be watchman. Are they given that responsibility to themselves are did God Almighty give them that responsibility. Even in the NT, the Lord gave specific responsibility to it's leaders. Like John the Baptist (preparing the way), Paul (Apostle to the Gentiles) and so forth like the two witnesses. The disciples had to responsibility of the Great Commission.
I guess the LCG is getting some extra credit.
You can't be an effective watch man if you are watching everything through your Armstrongite filters. Being a watch man requires objectivity!
Your church tells you, "This is going to happen! Now watch for it!"
What if this is not what's going to happen? Then, you are going to be blinded to what is really happening!
Exactly 9:05
Where's the watchman for when 9/11 happened or the economic crash of 08, or the covid-19 scenario. I mean this is the group that had a minor split due to the mask mandate.
The previous leader of the lCG just kept saying "in the next 5 to 10 years". Sorry folks, that's not a watchman.
Reality? LCG are the walrus! (See also: Lennon, John.)
I wish this were Reddit Anon 1153
You would have my upvote! Been there done that for too many years. I would try to look outside, come late, and leave early until I finally had the strength to leave and never look back.
Hoping you don’t have to endure any more TWP’s, double services, video sermons, and Dr Winnail recycled commentaries any more.
Doug Winnail and LCG are false prophets leading the people away from Jesus to watch extra-biblical foolishness.
I often tell the story of the LCG member who scoffed at me when I told him that we should have our eyes fixed on Jesus, instead of all the "signs" LCG writes about.
The LCG member said that Jesus stuff was hollow, syrupy, Protestant misdirection, and was unmoved when I quoted Hebrews 12:2.
Apparently, Jesus is not the the Way, the Truth, and the Life for LCG , as they prefer to be the Watchman of Germany, Beasts, and the Gays.
Hebrews 12:2
Fix our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.
In my experience they are the watchman for old perverts. Meaning they cover for the creeps.
Doug Winnail, self-righteous, in his own eyes/mind is perhaps the biggest WOAT: watchman of all time; however, he still may be a blind WOAT: time is telling.
Doug tells us: "...Jesus told His disciples to be alert and watch for specific events that will mark the approaching end of the age and His imminent return...
Well, Doug still preaches about a Mickey Mouse Millennium (MMM) where "another Jesus" has a "very soon" imminent return to planet earth to reign for 1,000 years. Where is He? We've heard this message for decades and Doug, besides, God's kingdom won't be established on earth until after Satan exits the bottomless pit, messes up this earth again (yes, war will be learned again after 1,000 years b/c it is a tool widely used by the principalities (Eph 6:12); otherwise why exit that pit (Rev 20))?
So, Doug, you've been lying about that "imminent return" for years now. When will you repent? You are driven by another spirit to latch on to "another Jesus" with "another gospel." It that the important mission you focus on?
Doug further reminds us that: "...God has commissioned His Church to be a watchman and warn the Israelite nations and the world of the dangers ahead and to preach the good news of the coming Kingdom of God...Let’s stay focused on this important mission..."
What makes Doug so sure that the living group has anything to do with God's Church? And watchman? Why would God need that when He has His two witnesses with a big job to do someday yet future?
Living warn about dangers ahead? Well, the news reporters do a pretty good job doing that; however, they just don't understand the causes for all of their bad news, and the lies spewed at us, because they, like Doug, are blind to the principalities, especially that father of lies, who along with his "little helpers" infest/infect all nations, yes and religions, on earth. That father of lies lives up to his name; we hear the fruit/works of what the principalities are doing daily. You certainly don't see much evidence of the fruits/works of God in people's lives. What's new?
Doug your "good news" of the coming K/G is one where you along with others are allowed to continue to "lord it over others." What kind of a kingdom would that be.
And God isn't even imposing His law(s) on this present evil world. It's all part of a plan; we're learning to discern good and evil, and learning to hate evil.
Will Doug/Weston (& Wineland, Pack, Flurry, Franks, Coulter, Shabi, etc., et al hirelings of the former WCG) and all of his/their followers/little helpers of the living group (& other groups) "very soon" reign on earth at Jesus' "imminent return?" Is that what Doug really wants us to focus on?
Time will tell...
John
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Grandpa is our watchman, but is blinded to what's really happening because he's only watching for the fulfillment of Armstrongism! Dagnabbit! Where are those pesky Germans anyhow? What in tarnation is taking them so long??? Dang whippersnappers don"t know a danged thing!
Where are they? They are waiting to see how badly we let global warming advance, & when our debt bloats too big, & when our McDonald kids get too fat 🍟...then they will confiscate our NATO nukes & swoop in.
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