One thing you can always count on in Armstrongism is its endless supply of theological simpletons. The various Churches of God are packed wall-to-wall with men whose “deep biblical understanding” comes exclusively from whatever Herbert Armstrong, Rod Meredith, or the latest self-appointed COG splinter guru happened to scribble down that week.
Naturally, there’s always one standout — the undisputed Chief Simpleton — and while the Great Bwana Bob Thiel is currently giving a strong performance, the crown still belongs to Wade Cox, one of New Zealand’s most delightfully unhinged Armstrongite gurus.
This guy is so gloriously off-the-wall that he makes Bwana Bob look like a model of sanity and restraint. Quite the accomplishment.
Like Bwana, Cox keeps his circus afloat thanks to a tiny band of loyal donors from New Zealand, Australia, and the United States. He, too, is strangely convinced that the overwhelming majority of his followers reside in Africa. In fact, he has the sheer audacity to claim that a large chunk of African Muslims are secretly part of his flock. At one point, this raving genius solemnly declared that nearly half the African continent had joined his little cult.
And yes — some of these wandering souls bounce between Cox’s group and Bwana Bob’s faster than a chameleon on espresso.
Cox, in classic Armstrongite fashion, is utterly convinced that he is the smartest man in the entire Churches of God movement. Everyone else, in his humble opinion, is “simple and erroneous.” That’s why we still need the Day of Atonement, you see — because the church is “composed of all grades of people, such as those that make mistakes and for those that are less intelligent…”
Oh yes, brethren. This is the glittering face of Armstrongism in 2026.
According to Cox, we dutifully observe the 7th of Abib — the sacred Sanctification for and of the Simple and the Erroneous (Ezekiel 45:20). On this day we fast. Why? Because apparently Christ’s once-for-all sacrifice wasn’t quite enough. We need to give it a little annual boost by fasting for the intellectually challenged among us. Wouldn’t want to let Jesus hog all the glory, after all.
As the great theologian Wade Cox explains, citing Ezekiel 45:20:
And so you shall do on the seventh day of the month for everyone who has sinned unintentionally or in ignorance. Thus you shall make atonement for the temple.
He then graciously breaks down the Hebrew word kaphar for the rest of us slow learners, reminding us that this day is all about reconciling the house of God — specifically “for every one that erreth and for him that is simple.”
In other words, the whole point of this extra-biblical ritual is to provide yearly spiritual cover for all the dim bulbs and blunderers who make up the bulk of the COGs.
Truly, it doesn’t get more profound than that.
This, dear friends, is what passes for advanced theology in the twilight years of Armstrongism.
We observe 7 Abib, the Sanctification for and of the Simple and the Erroneous (Ezek. 45:20). On this day we fast. Why do we do this? Was not Christ's Sacrifice enough for the process for all time? Are we trying to do something that was done by Christ and usurp Christ's prerogative?
Ezekiel 45:20 And so you shall do on the seventh day of the month for everyone who has sinned unintentionally or in ignorance. Thus you shall make atonement for the temple.
(cf. also Heb. 5:1-2.)
The text here says make atonement for and the word in the Hebrew is Atonement (SHD 3722 Kaphar ie kawfar) meaning the prime root to cover (spec. with bitumen) in the sense of to expiate, or condone, to placate or to cancel: thus it has the meanings to appease, make an atonement, cleanse, disannul, forgive, be merciful, pacify, pardon, to pitch, purge (away), put off, reconcile or make reconciliation. The word is used here in the sense ofmake reconciliation and it is in that sense that it is rendered as reconcile in the KJV both for this text and for the text in Leviticus 6:30 for the reconciliation of everything in the house of God for the acceptance of its offerings. The KJV for Ezekiel 45:20 reads: And so thou shalt do the seventh day of the month for every one that erreth and for him that is simple: so ye shall reconcile the house.
Thus the Temple of God or House of God is composed of all grades of people such as those that make mistakes and for those that are less intelligent and can’t understand many aspects of the faith. A good example is the Worldwide Church of God offshoots who are so misled by their ministry that they follow the Hillel calendar and keep the feasts and the Solemn Assemblies on the wrong days and sometimes in the wrong months; and so we must fast for their error and ignorance, and also for that of Israel and Judah and the nations that understand even less.
The major aspect of the Passover is that there must be reconciliation of the House of God such that all are reconciled to their brothers before they go to the altars of the Passover.
It is in this sense that the fast is used and commanded in the Book of Joel and then taken up in Ezekiel following on from the commands in Joel to Sanctify a Fast in relation to this period from the New Moon of Abib on Ezekiel 45:18-24 and the preparations continue to 7 Abib (45:20) and on to the 14 Abib at the Passover Preparation and Sacrifice and then on to 21 Abib for the next seven days of the Feast.
And as a special reward for all his groundbreaking theological contributions to the movement, Wade Cox has officially earned this well-deserved honor:
No comments:
Post a Comment