Monday, January 13, 2025

When your identity solely rests in the world ending...

 


This is why Armstrongism has been such an epic failure for the last 30 years. 

Their identity is in the wrong place.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Armstrongism is a Adventist church. As is the SDA, the Jehovah's Witnesses and others. Advent is defined as "the arrival of a notable person or thing." They use the "end of the world" to control and strip their members of their natural rights. They learnt this from William Miller in the 1800s, though other groups have used it through out history.

Anonymous said...

I've certainly not seen any motivation in the CoG groups to labour in pursuit of making the world a better place. There is a general fatalism that the world is terrible, that it's only going to get worse, only Jesus Christ can solve humanity's problems, and so our role is to "endure to the end" while waiting for Jesus Christ to return and fix everything.

Not only that, but I see indications that various natural and political disasters get people excited that end-time events are moving along. CoG groups' reporting of "World News and Events" bad news seems constructed to support these narratives.

The parable of the sheep and the goats may be posited as an exhortation for us to care about those around us, and labour towards making the world a better place. I've heard (UCG in southern region of Australia) that interpreted as really intending spiritual ministry of needs, and not physical provision (because "if we do that, how would we be any different from mainstream Christians or atheists?"). But that interpretation seems to be somewhat niche within UCG; Victor Kubik has preached a physical assistance interpretation (he founded Lifenets after all).

Anonymous said...

Yeah, right. That's a gross misrepresentation, but, whatever. I would expect nothing less from this site.

Anonymous said...

Their hope certainly is in the world ending. Trusting that then they get to tell people what to do and rule with authority over cities and nations. Their hope is in the wrong place.

Anonymous said...

Truth is a bitter pill to swallow, isn't it?

Anonymous said...

15% to 25% of Paul’s writings are considered prophetic.
20% to 30% of Peter’s writings are considered prophecy.
10% of John’s epistles and 30% of his gospel is considered prophetic, not counting Revelation.
0% or little of Jame’s writings are considered prophetic.


They wrote in the first century. The ACOGs figure that since we are “living in the end time” they must devote much of their ministry towards that. Since they indulge heavily in OT prophecy, there are things they are going to miss, because of gradual migrations, mixing genealogies, eras, empires, and neglecting science. In reality they focus too heavily on the physical. They want to lord it over people so they can rule over other people in God's Kingdom. Christ came to serve not be served.

Can they discern the sign of the times? They sure didn’t in 1972


Tank