From Double Blessing to Double Delusion: Why Independents Are All Wrong

One of the biggest hypocrites leading a Church of God splinter today is Crackpot Bob Thiel. His little group has been focused entirely upon himself. Every single thing he posts points directly back to himself and none of them toward Jesus. 

In 2012, when he split off from the Living Church of God in a fit of rage over Rod Meredith and the church ignoring his admonitions and veiled threats to change their teachings, the focus has been entirely on himself. From using the imbecilic so-called “double blessing” that Gaylyn Bonjour supposedly gave him, he took it as a sign that God was now on his side and that the entire church needed to recognize just how important he was. He broke off as yet another independent COG group. The problem he faced was that the folks in LCG ignored him, as did 99.8% of the broader COG community. Only around a hundred fringe outliers bothered to join him.

Friday, the self-serving and self-appointed prophet sent out his weekly update from the mind-boggling world headquarters in Grover Beach, where he admonished his followers (and anyone unlucky enough to read his sophomoric-level theology) that it is a SIN to be an independent Church of God—or even a member following God at home.

Because of this “sinful nature,” you will NOT know when it is time to flee to Petra, where you will be held prisoner for 3½ years listening to Crackpot Bob elaborate on just how he thinks the world should be as civilization collapses around Petra.

Oh, and he tells you to seek humility—because he has never had a humble bone in his body. Taking on the names of numerous Old Testament prophets does not make Crackpot Bob a prophet. Heck, even his own adult son says the reason he is not part of his dad’s church is that he does not believe he is a prophet. And neither should you!

Here’s the latest installment of Bob’s greatest hits, straight from the man who never met a Bible verse he couldn’t twist into a recruitment ad for himself:

The prophecy Zephaniah was inspired to write: 

 

Gather yourselves together, yes, gather together,

O undesirable nation,

2 Before the decree is issued,

Or the day passes like chaff,

Before the Lord’s fierce anger comes upon you,

Before the day of the Lord’s anger comes upon you!

3 Seek the Lord, all you meek of the earth,

Who have upheld His justice.

Seek righteousness, seek humility.

It may be that you will be hidden

In the day of the Lord’s anger. (Zephaniah 2:1-3) 

 

Brethren, this is a prophetic warning to end time Christians that we are not to be independent at this time. It is telling us that those non-Philadelphians who think that they will be protected/hidden at the last minute from “the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth” (Revelation 3:10) are deceiving themselves. 

 

Support this end time Philadelphian work, uphold God’s justice, seek righteousness, and seek humility, then it “may be that you will be hidden in the day of the Lord’s anger.”

Sincerely,
Bob Thiel
Pastor and Overseer

Notice the classic move: quote a verse about seeking the Lord, righteousness, and humility… then immediately pivot to “Support this end time Philadelphian work” (translation: send your tithes and loyalty to Bob in Grover Beach). The entire “warning” is just another commercial for the Bob Thiel Protection Plan™. Stay independent? You’re doomed. Stay home and follow God? Doomed. Fail to recognize Bob as the exclusive Philadelphia franchise holder? Doomed. Only by gathering under the one true prophet (spoiler: it’s Bob) might you—just might—get hidden. How convenient.

This is more of the same old lies. The “double blessing” was never a divine endorsement of a new denomination; it was one minister’s prayer that Bob twisted into a personal coronation. The claim that independents are automatically “non-Philadelphian” and therefore unprotected is pure invention designed to keep the tiny flock from wandering off. And the Petra fantasy? Bob has been selling tickets to the Jordanian rock city for years as the exclusive safe house run by… wait for it… Bob. You’ll get 3½ years of lectures on how right he was while the world burns. What a deal.

New Covenant Christians have zero reason to worry about this kind of slop. Under the New Covenant, Jesus is the Mediator, the High Priest, the Head of the Church, and the only One whose protection actually matters (Hebrews 8–10; Colossians 1:18). We are not saved or protected by aligning with the correct 21st-century American splinter group or by fleeing to a tourist site in Jordan under the supervision of a self-appointed overseer who still can’t get his own son to buy the prophet act. The “hour of trial” is handled by the One who already overcame the world (John 16:33; Revelation 3:21), not by a guy in a suit quoting Zephaniah while building a personality cult. True humility looks like following Christ, not demanding everyone gather under your personal brand. Bob’s entire message places the focus entirely upon himself and his cult, as usual. The rest of us can safely file it under “entertainment for people who enjoy watching someone argue with their own reflection.”