The End of All Things is At Hand: A Personal Journey from Apocalyptic Fears to Historical Reality

 

A former Worldwide Church of God member and later minister has written a book about escaping from the dreaded apocalyptic fears that the church drummed into all of us, and continues to do in far too many of the splinter groups.

From the Pulpit: No to fundamentalism; yes to spirituality

"A middle-aged couple who recently showed up at a progressive local church said, “We want to get away from doctrine.” Apparently they had decided they could no longer put up with the Bible-literalist teachings of the church they had been attending.

To all who may fit into that category and want to get help in rejecting a narrow-minded and mistaken literalism, I strongly recommend that you read “The End of All Things is At Hand: A Personal Journey from Apocalyptic Fears to Historical Reality” by Jack Pyle. That book reveals how Pyle, once a convinced pastor in Herbert W. Armstrong’s fundamentalist cult, was slowly forced by informed historical biblical scholarship, coupled with his own integrity, to confront and reject the misleading and erroneous literalism to which he had been subjected."

Amazon Review:

One hundred twenty-six million American citizens have stated they believe Jesus will return to this earth by 2050. Most of them await his arrival with mental pictures and images obtained from the blockbuster Left Behind series of books of LaHaye and Jenkins, or Hal Lindsey's portrayals in his book The Late Great Planet Earth. Both books are fictional images of the end of the world created from the nightmarish and ghoulish descriptions of the author of the book of Revelation who wrote of events he believed were to occur in the Roman world before the return of Jesus. It was to be a time of unimaginable horrors to come upon the world. We read daily of alleged apocalyptic signs occurring now which individuals believe point to the end of the age of which Jesus spoke.

When one reads in detail the book of Revelation, before the Prince of Peace sets a foot on planet earth, it will be a smoking mess resulting from plague after plague that Jesus heaps upon earth's citizenry before his arrival. Jesus is shown to arrive on earth much like that of the Dragon Lady in the Game of Thrones, heaping fire and brimstone upon the ecology of the earth and its inhabitants. He wears a garment dipped in blood.

This book is a bold walk through the Bible from beginning to end asserting that occupants of our planet are never going to ever see, the arrival of the characters portrayed in the prophetic books of the Old Testament nor John's already outdated visions on the isle of Patmos.

World renowned bible scholars and theologians now tell us that Jesus believed the kingdom of God was to arrive on earth in his day and that the kingdom of God would be ushered into the world through his work and ministry to the nation of Israel.

You will be introduced throughout to the Jesus of the Third Quest""a Jesus who is only understood by understanding the Judaic world in which he lived. He would have been potty trained like any normal Jewish child of his day. Jesus, it will be shown, obtained all his beliefs from his family, his synagogue, his community, and his society. This book will open your eyes to Jesus of the third quest. He was very human, capable of mistakes, and badly mistaken about the arrival of the kingdom of God.

Christians generally think of Jesus being incapable of error, possessing omniscience and omnipotence, and having prior existence as God""wholly man and wholly God, as did the author. Third quest scholars and theologians tell us Jesus didn't see beyond the world in which he lived. Jesus expected to rule on earth in his day along with the twelve apostles.

Most likely Jesus died feeling he was forsaken by God in what he set out to do. Of Jesus disputed last words on the cross, the most reasonable choice may well be those of Matthew's gospel"""Eli Eli lama sabachthani""(My God, my God! Why have you forsaken me?")

James Boswell II writes (Author of The Dead Sea Gospel): 

This book is especially intriguing because it was written by a man, Jack Pyle, who was once both a member and later a pastor in The Worldwide Church of God, a cult founded by Herbert W. Armstrong. As such, Pyle was a Bible fundamentalist who believed everything in the Bible to be literally true until the prediction that Jesus would return in 1975 and the deaths of two children who were denied medical aid because of church teaching caused him to begin reexamining everything. While studying some excellent scholars of "the historical Jesus," including Dale C. Allison. Pyle became convinced that their views were irrefutable, and that not only Jesus, but also John the Baptist, the Apostle Paul and all the authors of the New Testament were expecting the coming of the Kingdom of God to all the earth within their own generation, an expectation that went unfulfilled. Pyle thus challenges everyone to do the kind of honest thinking that he himself was forced to do and not be misled by predictions of apocalyptic horrors "soon" to come. (I find myself in nearly complete agreement with Allison and Pyle in my own views, which can be examined at Jesus Laid Bare Honest truths about Jesus.)

James Tabor (Former WCG member and prominent Biblical historian) writes: 

When I speak of God, that word means to me the unseen force of all forces that drives this universe and cosmos of which we are cognizant and makes you and me the creatures we are with all the mystical existence we know and enjoy upon this earth.

Jack Pyle, Author of The End of All Things Is at Hand

In Hebrew "God" is 'EL which roughly translates as "Force" or "Power," and the plural, with a singular verb 'ELOHIM--could be understood as "that Force of all Forces," akin then to 'EL 'ELYON--traditionally translated The Most High, but again, quite literally, "the highest Force." All of this was well expressed by my friend Jack Pyle, former minister and author of a fine semi-autobiographical book, The End of All Things Is at Hand: A Personal Journey from Apocalyptic Fears to Historical Reality--about how biblical apocalypticism, both ancient and modern, is a flawed and failed enterprise. I highly recommend his book.

 

Headline Theology: The Modus Operandi of the Church of God Movement

 

A reader here sent me this comment about Jeff Reed's recent article on Church of God International's website, The Dangers of Headline Theology.

Jeff Reed is really asking for it now by debunking headline theology. Not only are the Bill Watson minions within CGI going to be mad. But so are all the other Armstrong COGs who rely on headline theology to scare people into sending money.

Anyone who has spent even a minuscule amount of time in the Armstrong Church of God movement knows by now that headline theology is how the church operates. Headline theology is also the main method that the churches use to scare people into sending in every hard-earned dime they have.

Jeff Reed has become a rare breed in the church, kind of like Ian Boyne was. Here are some of the things he said:

“Headline theology” can be defined as searching out sensational headlines in the news upon which to base one’s biblical theology. Many supposed modern-day prophets find joy in connecting world events to their prophetic scenarios even though they continually are proven wrong and continue to move the goalposts of their predictions. 

The COG over the decades has been filled with these types of ministers and church leaders. Today in the COG the biggest adherents of this theology are Dave Pack, Gerald Flurry, Bob Thiel, Ron Weinland, and Alton Billingsley. These men use headline theology to try and pump up their self-appointed  "prophethood" status. That doesn't mean that lesser men like Gerald Weston, Victor Kubik, Jim Franks, and the leaders of other small COG groups don't do the same thing, it is just that they hide their adherence to this kind of theology undercover.

We in the Church of God International may occasionally look at world events and examine them through the lens of God’s law or prophecy. Still, we carefully avoid making dogmatic statements and identify our observations as speculation. Those who practice “headline theology” go much further. They may predict specific days or years as an absolute fulfillment of prophesied events. Or they may suggest that the end is only a few years away.

While the history of the CGI is also filled with men in the past who practiced headline theology, they currently are not setting dates like today's splinter group leaders are. CGI is not immune to do this and will skirt this issue in the days and years to come by claiming that certain events "seem" to fit certain prophecies.

Reed then goes on to say what happens to church members who are fed this twisted way of thinking on a weekly basis:

One of the dangers of this mindset is paranoia. We are told in Philippians 4:6-7 to “not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Looking at every new war, earthquake, natural disaster, social trend, or political change as a fulfillment of prophecy can cause anxiety.

Not only are the members being whipped into a constant state of frenzy with daily doses of doom and gloom, but the biggest adherents of headline theology are some of the most paranoid and narcissistic men the church has ever seen. Not confident to rest in the assurances of the One they claim to follow, they lash out and condemn anyone who disagrees with them by labeling it persecution. Persecution has rarely if ever, come upon the Armstrongite Churches of God from the outside. Only when some catastrophic event happens are COG groups brought into the limelight and the public hears about them does the world even know who they are. 

If someone were to conduct a survey of how many in the world even know about the COG the chances are billions to 1 that no one has. At least with Herbert Armstrong, he traveled the world and had his face plastered all over the news of those countries, unlike today when COG leaders sit in the "headquarters" or storefronts and bellow, bluster, and babble incoherent nonsense as if God was speaking to them. The same goes for CGI. Ask any person on the street who CGI is and what they preach and no one will have any idea. However, those in Jamaica might, as many of their leaders are active in politics and other public service areas and actively work in their communities for good. Those other COG leaders living lives of luxury in the United States and pampered with every imaginable good fortune at their fingertips do absolutely NOTHING for those in their own communities and the world around them. All any of them do is condemn.

Today's COG leaders think that the constant bombardment of doom and gloom headline theology is essential for their votaries' spiritual understanding. All of them are so arrogant and narcissistic in their views of themselves and what they preach that they can't comprehend why anyone would ignore them or ultimately abandoned their churches. Reed writes:

Another danger with “headline theology” is that it may cause some to lose their faith. Many over the years have put their hopes in a prophetic fulfillment that never comes to pass. Church leaders have unwisely predicted specific dates for the return of Christ or have implied that it would occur within a certain number of years. This date-setting has caused disillusionment in many former Christians. Faith in Christ becomes entwined with faith in their leader's predictions. Once these predictions ultimately fail, they can have a devastating effect on those who gullibly believed them.

Reed goes on to mention the ultimate example of  headline theology by mentioning the great, great, great, grandfather of the COG movement, William Miller:

William Miller predicted that Jesus would return to earth by 1844. He was so wrong in his calculations that the ensuing failure has been labeled the “Great Disappointment.” This failed prediction caused many to abandon their faith entirely and others to refer to this event as a reason to not even consider Christianity. Since then, many others have made similar predictions based on faulty calculations and their perceptions of world wars, disasters, and other dramatic events. They have all been wrong, and some of the fallout has been many people losing faith entirely. This also hurts the credibility of organizations and preachers, making their ensuing evangelistic efforts less effective.

The Church of God movement has been forever damaged by the failed prophecies of Herbert W Armstrong, Garner Ted Armstrong, Herman Hoeh, Gerald Waterhouse, and others, in addition to today's current crop of self-appointed theologically bankrupt church leaders.

In one of Reed's closing paragraphs he states:

The final danger of “headline theology” is that it can shift our focus away from what is fundamental to Christianity. Calculating dates, proof-texting, deciphering prophetic puzzles with world events, and other related activities take away our time from what is important. The Apostle Paul made this clear to the Ephesians. “For the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ” (Ephesians 4:12-15).

Headline theology takes away church members' focus upon the One they should be following and places the emphasis on that human leader, without whom no one would have any understanding, or in Bob Thiel's case, know when it was time to flee to Petra. 

Christians down through the centuries who have had a direct relationship with Jesus in their lives did not have any need to worry about the crap that COG leaders pump out on a daily basis. Their confidence and faith were in the One who assures them, is by their side no matter what. This is what those Christians in Iraq and now in Afghanistan understand as they are being hunted down and slaughtered. Christians outside the COG have understood this for millennia. Sadly not so much for COG members.

Ask any COG member about the law, clean and unclean meats, and dress codes and they can rattle it off for you immediately. Ask any of them about Jesus or grace and they are at a loss for words. Ask them about justification and sanctification and they will stare at you blindly or accuse you of being a "graceite", "so-called Christian", or a "Christian in name only". They cannot explain any of these theological concepts because they have never been taught to them in the church by today's COG leaders. These men can not teach it because they themselves do not understand it. 

Thanks to the headline theology prophets in the COG today, today's Church of God movement is an utter disaster that is leading to its rapid decline. Their focus is on ultimately unimportant things instead of on the One who they should be following. Just take a quick cruise through Bob Thiel's websites and you will see this in action. Nothing he says is ultimately important or relevant to any Christian who is standing assured in Christ. Not one thing!  The same goes for Dave Pack and Gerald Flurry as they wait for the imminent return of their creature called "christ" while spending millions in tithe money on infrastructure at their headquarters. 

None of these men care about what Jesus teaches or the rest that comes from him. All they are concerned about is taking tithe money from their followers to build world-class buildings and campuses that immediately erect walls around them to keep the public out. Christ never left anyone outside, not so in the Churches of God.

Today's Church of God member is tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of these men, with all their cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting. Not one of these men leading COG today can bring the rest and peace that comes from the assurance of following Christ, a simple understanding Christians outside the COG have understood for centuries.

 

Crackpot COG Prophet Claims He Was RIGHT!

 

Don't you just love COG self-appointed prophets? These are the blustering do-nothing little men that stick their chests out and beat them regularly so that all will listen to them. Not a single one of them was ever appointed by god to deliver any message that has any relevance whatsoever, so all we hear is the mental shenanigans of deluded minds seeking to be relevant. 

Real prophets of God spoke with authority and never pussyfooted around with what they had to say. There was never any "could it be's?", "maybe's?", "most likely's?", "what if's?", "will it's?", and other ways of presenting their "sure facts" as questions. Never has the church had such blustering impotent little man/boy prophets in its midst than what we see today.

This brings us to our most favorite self-appointed prophet to the Church of God in human history, our Great Bwana to Africa and 299 Caucasians, the ONLY double-blessed prophet in the history of Christianity, the latter-day Elisha, Joshua, the Elijah to come, Jeremiah, the end time Amos, the prophet of all prophets, the worlds foremost sought after historian and theologian, and peddler of homeopathic remedies, Dr. Robert Thiel! Knell in amazement and wonder at his very sight! God has been most merciful to us by sending this most amazing prophet into our midst! Dave Pack and Gerald Flurry cower in his presence!

Anyway, it's time to move on before his head swells up any bigger than it already is, to more important topics like the drought in the West and wildfires in California.

With the drought in the west and fires burning California, it is the ultimate wet dream for COG prophets.

The prophesied Elijah to come says that these wildfires are all the result of a bunch of frisky homosexuals and other sinners in California and thus the West is being punished. Our prophet "predicted" these very things in 2012 in the most mind-boggling book of theological fiction ever published!

As regular readers of this page are aware, I have repeatedly warned of weather problems coming. Back in 2009, in my book, 2012 and the Rise of the Secret Sect, I wrote that the following was about to happen: 

 

Odd weather patterns result in food shortages and natural disasters. Matthew 24:7

The world is actually in a berserk transition, as the real age of peace is not yet here. It may be a period of chaos. It is the beginning of sorrows. Matthew 24:8

Since that was published, we have had record smashing heat, unprecedented fires, and odd weather problems. These weather issues should serve as a wake-up call. 

 

The above was “predicted” if you will, because of what Jesus taught:

7 … And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows. (Matthew 24:7-8).

8 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines and troubles. These are the beginnings of sorrows. (Mark 13:8) 

 

The Bible shows that God uses weather to get people’s attention. Sometimes to punish, sometimes to lead to repentance, and other times to consider that God, not humankind, is in control.

The Amos in our midst then says: 

While the above is for a future time, in a sense, it parallels what we are seeing today. Lack of repentance from sexual immorality and other sins is a factor in what the secularists tend to call climate change–but they do not see the connection. Any who claim to believe the Bible should. 

 

The Bible shows that weather problems can be a warning to people that society is going in the wrong direction (Amos 4:7-12). Notice also God’s use of fire between three thousand and four thousand years ago: 

 

24 Then the Lord rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from the Lord out of the heavens. 25 So He overthrew those cities, all the plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground. (Genesis 19:24-25)

And why did it happen?

7 as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. (Jude 7) 

 

Why mention this in the 21st century? Because God turned:

6…the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an exampleto those who afterward would live ungodly (2 Peter 2:6) 

 

Notice also the following:

11 “I overthrew some of you,

As God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah,

And you were like a firebrand plucked from the burning;

Yet you have not returned to Me,”

Says the Lord.

12 “Therefore thus will I do to you, O Israel;

Because I will do this to you,

Prepare to meet your God, O Israel!” (Amos 4:11-12) 

 

Fires should get people to consider. But will people in the USA or the other Anglo-descended areas heed? 

 

The sorrows and troubles are just beginning and will get much worse.

Like all good so-called Bible scholars in the Church of God today, Amos Elijah Thiel never goes on to tell the rest of the story. About Lot offering his two daughters to be raped by the men of Sodom, or how these horny girls went on to commit incest with Daddy. 

What Amos Elijah Thiel does not mention is what Ezekial said about Sodom which pretty much sums up the state of affairs in the current COG movement today:

Only this was the sin of your sister Sodom: arrogance! She and her daughters had plenty of bread and untroubled tranquility; yet she did not support the poor and the needy. (Ezekiel 16:49)

Never has the church been filled with such arrogant men like what we have currently leading so many COG's. Arrogant, narcissistic, proud, boastful, and blustering men who ignore the poor, the elderly, the homeless, the orphans, the mentally ill, the sick, the needy in their groups and the world that surrounds them today. 

If the so-called doubly-blessed prophet really knew his Bible, which he doesn't,  he would know that many times people suffered because of the religious idiots ruling over them. Jesus clearing warned those false religious morons about what was going to happen to them if they continued to deceive people and yet they never stopped, just like today's crop of COG leaders are doing. 

It is time people stopped listening to these fools currently leading various COG's. Each and every one of them are certified false prophets. They are all liars and hypocrites.

 

Dave Pack: Caught Lying Again Has To Move The Goal Posts Further Out

 

From Dave's mind:

For many reasons, we are still not out of time! The spectacular complexity of the picture has moved many BIG things we are waiting for closer to the start - but also widen the window of our wait. The idea of counting back from the Last Great Day no longer applies as we understand it - something a brief email cannot explain. Suffice to say, we are still right where we need to be. With no reason to believe we must "wait another year"!

Have a profitable Sabbath. May God speed the arrival of His Kingdom as the world only gets worse with each passing day.

Gerald Flurry Now Sending Offering Envelopes To Children In PCG

 

Church of God leaders have always been good about how much money they can milk their members out of. Due to the tithing hoax that the Church of God has promoted for decades by having members tithe 30% of their income, tithe on their tithe, give money to building funds, fund private jets and airplane fuel funds, give special offerings, host garage sales/fundraisers, and those idiotic Member/Co-worker letter end-time push solicitations. Not satisfied with the amount of money they are currently raking in, they expect more from their members. 

Gerald Flurry and his elite boys in Edmond, who live on the cult compound in housing with free maintenance and upkeep, are now sending out offering envelopes to children of members. This is a great way to keep tabs on parents to make sure they are teaching them cult doctrines and also monitor the youth to see how engaged they are in the church. If you don't send in the money you won't be going to summer camps!

Exit and Support Network has this up:

GF Says Children Will Now Receive Offering Envelopes:
August 4, 2021
Andrew Locher sent a letter to the members which included their offering envelopes for the fall holy days. In this letter he said that GF “has requested that offering envelopes also be sent to the children of members and prospective members so they might be taught the principle of cheerfully giving back to God according according to how He has blessed us.” You can read the letter here in PDF: Offering Letter 2021 –Anonymous

While members are being milked to send their tithe money for the final end time push, Gerald and Lil'Stevie are spending money as fast as it comes in. The Edmond cult compound is on a building spree with all kinds of new buildings. The Edstone England cult compound is building and buying new farm animals. Flurry's grandkids have new modern state-of-the-art dance studios built so they dance their Dance of David. Flurry's grandkids are flown to dance competitions. Hundreds of thousands of dollars are being bankrolled into Celtic Throne dance productions in various cities and members are told to give money to buy fuel for Flurry's private jet.

 

UPDATED: Guess Who Is The Most "Sought After Expert" COG Leader To Ever Exist In The History Of Christendom...

"Find out how world events are aligning with properly understood biblical prophecy."

(Funny quote from the website)

Never had the Church of God movement had a more vain and narcissistic splinter cult leader than it has in the Great Bwana Bob Thiel. He believes he is so important that God doubly blessed him in order to be a channel for dreams and visions from the creature he calls "god".

His Bible News Propehcy Radio site has him describing himself as thus:

Dr. Bob Thiel’s writings have made him a sought-after expert in the fields of philosophy, religion, research, science, and prophecy. Dr. Thiel has received several awards for his research. He is also a regular radio guest on various AM/FM and internet radio channels and is the Pastor and Overseer for the Continuing Church of God. For more information, see COGwriter.com 

 

We in the Continuing Church of God strive to always rely on the Bible: “We have also a more sure word of prophecy; where unto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts” (2 Peter 1:19, KJV).

Expert?            Expert?             What?

Never have we had such a failure in the things he has spoken about than we have in Bwana Bob (well, maybe except for Dave Pack). Is there anything Bwana Bob says about himself that is actually true? From his so-called double blessing to his many nightmares, we are supposed to accept that he is the chosen one sent by God to redeem the Church of God back into righteousness because everyone is Laodicean except for him and his 299 Caucasians and 3,000 some African's. When he uses his lies to justify himself as a legitimate COG leader, what does that say about his prophecies? 

Dr. Bob Thiel is our primary speaker and writer, he brings his sought after expertise to internet radio. His extensive knowledge and research skills, are conveyed in our Bible News Prophecy and CCOG audio along with Prophecy News reports from his popular COGwriter/news page. See COGwriter.com for more info on Dr. Thiel. See below for some of his audio items.

AUDIO ITEMS

Trade Wars: Are COG Warnings Coming to Pass?

Donald 'Trump of God' or Apocalyptic?

Is the USA a 'better, stronger place'?

Donald Trump and Mexico's Future

Twelve Grey Swans to Watch for in 2017

13 Ways President Elect Trump is Apocalyptic

Do these 7 Prophesies point to the end of the USA?

Simon Magus and Christianity

Post Brexit Prophecy

Is There Another View of Evolution?

Where are the Ten Lost Tribes? Why Does it Matter?

Mystery of Civilization and How it Will End

Ten Kings of Revelation and Great Tribulation

CCOG Answers: The Soul, Reincarnation, Creeds and Michael the Archangel

Genesis, 'Prehistoric Man' and the Gap Theory

The Future Kingdom of God

Russia in the Bible and in Prophecy

Was USA debt and destruction predicted 2,600 years ago?

Pope Francis & the Devil's Unity

Is the USA pushing Germany to start WWIII?

As usual, not one single thing about Jesus is mentioned in his sermon list posted or on his website. Not one single thing directing people to Christ, grace, justification, or sanctification. Instead, it is just an endless mind-dump of useless speculative crap that even his African followers could care less about. 

UPDATE:

Right on cue, Butthurt Bob did not appreciate this post and is whining about persecution again. It's all lies! Lies I tell you! Lies!

The Butthurt Bwana has now joined the worldwide celebration of Gay Pride with his new logo:

In the Letter to the Brethren: July 15, 2021, we had the following:

Online Radio

As many of you are aware, we have an online as well as mobile radio presence.

He then goes on to add:

Well, apparently posting something positive about this did not go over well with an anti-Church of God blogger who posted a lie about that radio site yesterday. His post was then followed by lies from others who commented at his site about it.

While endorsing commandment-keepers, which would include all true Christians, the Bible also warns about those who believe and love lies:

14 Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city. 15 But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie. (Revelation 22:12-15)

Loving and practicing lies looks to be a feature of many during this time.

Consider also that the Bible warns:

12 There is a generation that is pure in its own eyes,

Yet is not washed from its filthiness.

13 There is a generation — oh, how lofty are their eyes!

And their eyelids are lifted up. (Proverbs 30:12-13)

We are in that generation.

Truly, as the Apostle Paul wrote, “evil men and impostors” have grown “worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived” (2 Timothy 3:13).

Amen, brother! Preach it from the mountain tops! Evil men and imposters claiming double blessings and preaching lies have grown worse in the Church of God. Bwana Bob sadly continues the tradition of imposters infiltrating the church and deceiving many! Pure in his own eyes and unwashed in his filthiness!

Why Is The COG Always Trying To Provide Easy Answers?

 Why is there no room in the Churches of God for mystery and wonder?

What we all got stuck with was hundreds and hundreds of books, booklets, pamphlets, and letters from the Personal Correspondance Department that sought to answer every single question imaginable. Instead of relying upon church members to engage their brains and develop a personal theology for themselves, the church treated them like toddlers and spoon-fed them bad baby pablum.

Look at Bob Thiel today with the thousands of topics he thinks he has an answer for and of which hardly any of his 3,000 African members and his 299 Caucasians could care less about. Yet, he thinks his followers are too stupid to think for themselves so he provides his own take on things, not God's, but his.

Gerald Flurry and Dave Pack do the exact same thing. They feed their members putrid baby pablum that is so far off base and so far removed from the Gospel message that their members now are just as brain dead as they are.

Followers of The Way were meant to live in the mystery so that they would always be in awe, so much so that they yearned for more.

Does A COG Minister Have The Right To Determine Who Will Be A Church Member?

 

A comment was made on a previous thread about how the church has always claimed that no one could join the church unless God had called them. The problem then arose, did a minister ever have the right to determine who was in and who was left out? Potential members had to jump through all kinds of hoops in order to impress ministers that they were "called." From reading Mystery of the Ages, countless booklets, and a grand litany of does and don'ts, potential members needed to jump through a myriad of man-made and totally useless things to do. 

The COG loved to mock the Mason's for all steps they needed to climb in order to reach the top, while the church required the same amount of nonsense for members to become enlightened and part of God's privileged "called-out" ones. Then at that point, the church began to instill the fear into members that they could never leave the church and if they did they would lose their salvation. What utter nonsense! 

LCG Expositor has left a new comment on "Doug Winnail: God Is Watching You!":

LCG's practice of secret meetings stems from the old practice of WCG, where they tried to position themselves as an elite, sacred group. "We are the only ones who know the truth. The only ones God is working with on this entire planet. You can't just make yourself a member; God has to put you in. And we determine whether He is doing that. And once you are in this secret, elite group, it is so special you'll never want to leave, even if there is some abusive leadership. There's nowhere else to go. If you leave us, you're turning your back on God and on His selected leaders, and headed for the lake of fire. 

 

As far as I know, Flurry and LCG still engage in this detestable behavior, although LCG has toned it down. 

 

This practice started with the idea that "church" comes from "ecclesia" and means called-out ones. And we in the ministry get to determine whether you are called out or not. The problem is that while the word ecclesia is derived from "call" and "out-of", that is NOT what it means. Look it up in any Bible dictionary. Ecclesia means "assembly". Often an assembly of Christians, but not always. And nowhere in the Bible do we see any inkling of this arrogant exclusivity.

Living Church of God: "He called me “Satan,” told me to stay away from him and even threatened to divorce me."

 

We have all heard horror stories over the years of marriages being ruined or broken up by the church. Whether it be in Dave Pack's cult or in Gerald Flurry's the abuse has been horrific. They are not the only destroyers of marriages and relationships, as the Worldwide Church of God reigned supreme in that department, particularly when heavy-handed Rod Meredith was over Church Administration. 

One would think that when all of the current splinter groups split off to preserve the "one truth" that they would have reinvented themselves and stopped the many cases of abuse they saw prevailing in the WCG. Instead, all any of them did was carry on exactly like they did in the WCG. They were so used to the power they had that they felt unstoppable and in no need to change anything. Living Church of God, despite being part of two different splinter groups, never has cleaned up their act and still is an abusive church.

Check out the latest post on Exit and Support Network from a woman in LCG:

Why I’m Leaving Living Church of God:
July 10, 2021 

 

I’ve been a member of LCG from 2012 but I always had doubts and tried to convince myself that it was the “true church.” Many things preached by LCG never added up. For example, the promise that Jesus would return within the next 5 years. 

 

LCG is a dangerous cult leading to many divorces for members who did marital counseling with the ministers. I ended up with serious anxiety issues and suffered financially when my husband forced me to pay the third tithe. I have never seen a verse in the Bible that says the Levites should be in charge of the third tithe and that the excess 2nd tithe should be given to the church on the Last Great Day. My question was always around why LCG never does any charitable deeds like helping the poor? 

 

I discovered the incest allegations about HWA and I found that very disturbing that someone who was supposed to be a servant of God could even be accused of such a thing. 

 

LCG preaches closet racism about interracial marriages in youth camps as being unequally yoked. I realised they were preaching nonsense and are not Christians who read the Bible. 

 

My husband is still part of the cult even after I showed him allegations about HWA and racist articles written in the Plain Truth. He called me “Satan,” told me to stay away from him and even threatened to divorce me. We were constantly fighting and my husband was trying to force me to remain with LCG which became emotionally abusive. He is determined to teach our kids about the nonsense of LCG child members being princesses when Christ returns. 

 

So many wrong things about LCG are so blatant but my husband refuses to see reason. How do I live in peace with someone like that and I’m worried about the influence on my children. Not sure what to do. I only pray that one day he sees the real truth not LCG fables. I just want to say thank you for your website as it helped me to see the true state of affairs at LCG. –[name withheld]

Dave Pack Believes Clothing And Make-Up Are More Important Than Jesus

 

Never let it be said that Church of God groups place Jesus above all else. 

In the Church of God other things are more important: keeping the law, not eating pork, the color of your car, the length of a person's hair, the color of men's dress shirts, the length of dresses, who has the best COG, who has printed the most booklets and literature, and what kind of cookies to bring to a picnic. These are the things God is apparently very concerned about.

Jesus, however, is seldom spoken of, and when he is he is portrayed as a pissed-off god just itching to return to earth and fry the butts of Laodiceans and other unbelievers while COG members stand around in righteous poses and chortle in glee.

Exit and Support Network had this question sent to them about Dave Pack's cult:

I have been invited to RCG services. I’ve spoken to the local minister and I was asked about my hair, jewelry, hosiery and other questions. I don’t feel this is of a godly nature. I’m having second thoughts. I asked if I could bring my husband and he asked about his hair.

 

 

Guess What PCG Says Is The Greatest Thing The World Needs Today?

 

When it comes to the Philadelphia Church of God and its proclamations, nothing should surprise us anymore. The focus is never on Jesus, but on sacred rocks, Irish dance, Gerald Flurry's visions, breaking up families and proclaiming Gerald Flurry as King.

Today they featured an article on their website that is from 2003 and written by the King himself.

It discusses the MOST IMPORTANT thing in the entire universe that PCG is to proclaim. Is it Jesus, his words and what he has accomplished, or something else? This is a Church of God after all, so forget about the focus being upon Jesus.

This focus is God's most supreme goal facing humanity today. Without this goal, humanity will never understand anything about salvation! 

This must be God’s supreme goal for His Philadelphian elect today. 

So what is that goal? Many of you probably already know. It is the promotion of the most god-awful book ever written. A book so bad and sooooooooo incredibly boring that most COG members have never completed it and a book that they have stuck in a box in the garage or on the top shelf of a bookcase where it will never be looked at again. Yet humanity's salvation is dependant upon this book.

The greatest single gift we can give to the world is Mystery of the Ages. Let’s think and work like God and give it to “the largest audience possible”!

Who knew that the single greatest gift to the world was a frigging book! Not Jesus. Nope! But a stupid, poorly written book. A book filled with so many doctrinal errors and outright deceptive lies that it should be dumped in the trash just like the Worldwide Church of God did in the 1990s when it hauled tens of thousands of copies of the book and other literature in the Glendale dump.

Even Bruce Lyon in Servant News panned the book.

A Mixture of Truth and Error

“All teaching came from Christ through the apostles… God’s Church today, as in the first century, receives its teachings from the living Christ, through an apostle, just as in AD 31.” (Page 350)

Considering the plain errors noted in a number of the teachings of this book and the previous book (The Incredible Human Potential), something is terribly wrong here. I’ll trust the Bible over Herbert Armstrong any day. Sure, I could go through this book and list a dozen or more good things. However, I did not come to praise this book, but to bury it.

I honestly thought we had allowed these two books, Mystery of the Ages and The Incredible Human Potential, to die natural deaths after they were both withdrawn by the WCG about 1990. They were rarely, if ever, referred to even before 1990 in my experience. I assumed that was because the numerous obvious errors were plain to many—especially to educated elders. 

When books have upwards of ten percent error, then they are as much or more trouble as they are worthwhile.

In the categories of unproven statements and opinions stated as fact (many of which I believe are easily disproved), along with information that is simply erroneous, I estimate that The Incredible Human Potential is 30% or more flawed (and not just chapters 4 and 5!). I estimate that Mystery of the Ages is at least 25% flawed. I have only shown some of the problems in this book.

As a whole, these books have way too many holes!

When truth is greatly interlaced with errors, the credibility of the whole suffers and the credibility of those who promote it. Even unconverted people can often see some of the false concepts, scriptural and historical, noted above.

The mixture of good and error in these books is strongly intertwined. Several themes and concepts Mr. Armstrong weaves throughout both books are false or unsupported by the Bible (yet stated as fact).

My desire is simple: let’s get rid of obvious biblical errors and other misinformation (1 Thessalonians 5:21), and let’s not be unbiblically cult-like in any way.

God was never dependent on Herbert Armstrong. Nor does our salvation depend on Mr. Armstrong in any way; it never did.

If grossly inaccurate books are retained as beneficial and recommended, then continual and needless controversy and confusion will result. This is already the case.

Truer words could never be spoken than what Bruce Lyon stated above (highlighted in yellow).

God did not need Herbert Armstrong. He does not need Bob Thiel, Gerald Flurry, Dave Pack, Vic Kubik, Gerald Weston, Bill Watson, or any of the other splinter group leaders out there to do His supposed "work". 

COG groups need to stop focusing upon "grossly inaccurate books" and grossly inaccurate teachings of people like Thiel, Pack, and Flurry. Their words are nothing more than stinking dung on a steaming pile of manure.

 

Stephen Flurry: You have the right to choose (unless you choose to go against anything we say)

 

One thing the Church of God has always preached, though never truly believed, was that we are all free moral agents who have the ability to choose right from wrong. That sounds logical to anyone outside of Armstrongism, but not to members. To choose to reject utterances from a leader, or understand that certain teachings are piles of crap, or even discern when church leaders are liars, carries a weaponized reaction. To choose differently than the established order was a direct pipeline to the lake of fire and being screamed at by a minister or some ordained flunky, or worse, being tortured by the Germans and placed into concentration camps. No one wanted to see their children hung up on meathooks because of disregarding the words of a minister or church leader.

It also always seems that the most abusive and aberrant COG's out there are the ones who claim members have the right to choose, and that is what Stephen Flurry is doing in the Philadelphia Church of God. PCG is considered by most in the COG movement to be a disgusting legalistic church that is damaging its member's lives (and wallets). 

Lil'Stevie writes:

When you hear the word power in the context of the Bible or God, you probably think of seas parting, dark clouds rolling, lightning striking, the universe—God’s power. But there is another power talked about in the Bible—that God gives to each of us. In fact, it’s a power we’ve had since birth. Though it is not God’s spiritual power, it is a tool that God uses to help us grow, overcome and build righteous character.

This gift is the power to choose. Not even God controls this power (except in Himself, of course). Wow! Could there even be such a thing as that? 

 

This power of choice is so significant that it determines whether you are blessed or cursed. We can choose the way that will result in much happiness, joy and abundance. Or we can choose the way that inevitably leads to heartache, struggle and frustration. 

Right off the bat, Stevie has to subtly threaten PCG members. If they choose differently than him or his daddy, then they are cursed. If they are cursed and leave the church then they will live miserable lives filled with frustration and struggle. Anyone who has left PCG or any other COG group and is totally free from Armstrongism knows that this is a lie.  

There is cause for every effect. That is a law! God says that whatever we sow, we will eventually reap. Whatever the effect, there was an original cause. We must truly realize the power we have in choosing! 

To choose to go against the PCG and its leaders is to go against God himself. Members need to be constantly told that their lives will be miserable and worthless because God has totally abandoned them. God is just waiting for people to choose wrongly so he can make them all miserable.

What are you doing with this power? Is the way you use it setting you up for a productive and fruitful career in God’s Family? 

Here is the just of the matter. To be loyal to the PCG is guaranteeing you a place in the godhead as a future god or goddess where you will be able to pass out judgment and rule over people and possibly even be given a world where you will be its god. 

The Bible shows clearly that without God’s Holy Spirit working in and leading our lives, we will never attain true happiness and success. We need God’s power—no doubt about it! But this article is not about God’s power. It’s about your power—and what you are doing with it!

Stevie then goes on to quote from two books, one from 1930 and the other from 1906. God forbid if anyone in the PCG  ever quoted from a book that was published within the last 5 years or so. But, because Herbert quoted it, it just to be considered scripture, worthy to be added to the continuing book of Acts. These books are about right "thinking" and setting goals.

Lil'Stevie then adds:

Herbert W. Armstrong said in his autobiography that he “often wondered if it is not really better for a young upstart to be conceited, self-confident, cocky—and with it, ambitious, energetic in trying to accomplish something—than to be an ambitionless, spineless, lazy, shiftless fellow utterly lacking in spark, drive, and the zeal to try to accomplish something worthwhile.

Now we know why PCG and so many of the other COG's are filled with such bombastic self-righteous cocky leaders. Herbert said it was ok! And, when you are in the PCG and read something that Herbert said then it is as if God himself put it into his mouth.

PCG's Hilliker: "God made man in His own image and likeness because He wanted more God beings"

Joel Hilliker has an article up for the youth of PCG concerning Pentecost. He says this:

5. With this re-creation, was God doing something quite different? Genesis 1:26-27.  

This time, God was re-creating Himself. God made man in His own image and likeness because He wanted more God beings who could exhibit His own righteous character in His Family. He wanted children who could be trusted with that same universe-creating power of the Holy Spirit, never to misuse it—who could expand the joy of His God Family life throughout the universe. 

 

To complete such a mighty job requires the mighty power of God! 

 

However, power in the wrong hands corrupts. Thus, right use of absolute power requires absolute righteousness! Mankind needed the same character that God Himself has.

6. With this in mind, how did God create man? Genesis 2:7. 

 

God made man mortal. He knew we would have to be put through a training period before we could be trusted with eternal life and supernatural power. This way, if a person chose to rebel, God could just allow him to die and return to the dust of the ground. 

 

But make no mistake: God wanted man to become a full-fledged God being! He wanted to give His children all the power He possesses! That is why He created man.

This obsession by some COG leaders to become gods is weird. They look gleefully forward to a time when they can wield their power unencumbered by the laws of society around them. They look forward to whipping into shape the "pagan" world they think will be in charge of. Stoning disobedient children would please them to no end.  Imagine their glee in "training" Catholics to do their bidding, or Buddhists or Muslims. The trials of the so-called tribulation will be minor compared to this.

There is no end to the silliness of Armstrongism. 

Gerald Flurry: Premaritial salvation?

Gerald Flurry is on a roll lately in finding new ways to intimidate and make his dwindling flock of followers fearful of their standing with Flurry's creature god. 

The most urgent prophecies in the Bible are directed at God’s Spirit-begotten people. Why? Because eternal life is on the line. If they rebel and fail to repent of their sin, they will lose the opportunity to live forever in God’s Family. 

This is the very first paragraph in Flurry's article. PCG members are immediately threatened with not being a "spirit-begotten people", that their eternal life is on the line and that they will lose out on being a god in Flurry's god family. What a cheerful start!

A few have asked, “What is so bad about being dead for all eternity?” Looking at it physically, it isn’t that bad at all. But if you look at it spiritually, it’s catastrophic! It’s like turning away from a pile of precious jewels to a pile of dung. But even that comparison is inadequate to explain the firstfruits being called to marry Christ and then obscenely rejecting that invitation!

How can they "marry" someone they know nothing about? 

Then to scare people further and to further alienate his followers from family members no longer a part of the PCG, Flurry says this:

God’s loyal people who are in this marriage relationship are protected by Christ from the Great Tribulation—in His “skirts”! Remember Ezekiel 5, where, in the midst of the threefold destruction of Israel, God will take a few and bind them in His skirts (verses 1-3). God will protect His loyal Philadelphians. Those who aren’t protected (verse 4) will be cast into the fire. The Laodiceans are not bound in God’s skirts. They have rebelled against God and must also be punished in the Great Tribulation to get them to repent.

Everyone who has left PCG, refused to follow him into the PCG, or refused to heed his message is now Laodicean and MUST be punished by his angry god.

Only if PCG members heed the call of Flurry will they be protected.

To be bound in God’s skirts is God’s coded way of saying the Philadelphians grasp the marriage covenant with God and the Laodiceans don’t! The Laodicean Church has lost sight of this mind-staggering future as Christ’s wife.

Then the creep factor of Flurry's demented mind really kicks into action. Apparently, his creature called "christ" has already consummated his marriage to PCG members though they aren't married to him yet. Is this premarital salvation?

“Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready” (Revelation 19:7). Christ’s wife must be ready when He returns. We are now to be preparing for that fabulous marriage—which Christ looks upon as already being consummated! That’s why we are called His “wife”—not His fiancée. We must think about this marriage as our Husband does!It is extremely urgent that we get ready to be Christ’s wife for all eternity! This is the most exalted reward ever offered to any human being at any time! 

 

At baptism, the firstfruits make a marriage covenant to obey God and be born again as Christ’s wife. This far transcends the marriage covenant He made with the physical nation of Israel! Ours is a special marriage covenant available only to the firstfruits.

In order to whip his few followers into a premarital frenzy, Flurry states:

The highest level of priests for God in the World Tomorrow will be Christ’s wife! His wife has the responsibility to be king-priests forever—for all eternity! That is our calling today. This is why we must be tried and tested. This is the highest calling God has to offer! We can’t stumble into this responsibility. “Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. …” (Revelation 19:7-9).

Nothing excites legalists in the COG more than thinking they will be gods in some future kingdom where they will wield rods of iron as kings and priests. What a miserable thought!

Did you know that COG members in other COG's are committing spiritual fornication? Flurry claims the god they follow is not the same as his god. Thus, they are engaged in fornication with that god.

Some Laodiceans think God will give them this mind-splitting reward if they just stay in a church! A church is not our husband—Christ is! We must learn to follow Him wherever He goes.

Why is there such a preoccupation with COG with sex and sexual innuendo?

“But thou didst trust in thine own beauty, and playedst the harlot because of thy renown, and pouredst out thy fornications on every one that passed by …” (Ezekiel 16:15). The word fornications should be translated adultery! This is a higher level of sin. Ancient Israel was married to God. True Christians are married to Christ today. If we turn away from God to another god—as the end-time Laodiceans have done—it is adultery!

Flurry's god does not even exist so he has no foothold in lecturing the COG's about the god they follow. 

Remember, this is prophecy for today. Only God’s firstfruits can commit adultery in this end time, because only they are married to Christ.

Bible translators don’t understand about God’s marriage and God’s Family. That’s why they use the word fornications instead of adultery. 

 

Revelation 19:7 and Ezekiel 16:15 reveal how God views our calling now. This is why we can view this marriage as already consummated and yet to be consummated. All too often, we view this marriage humanly. We need to view it through God’s Holy Spirit. God views the marriage through perfect character. God made a covenant. It is as good as done. By labeling His people as His wife, God is teaching us to build His character and think as He does. When God says He will do something, it is always done. He never breaks a covenant. So when we are engaged to Christ, it’s the same as a marriage. A covenant to be married is the same as a marriage—the way God views it. With God’s Spirit we should view it the same way. 

 

However, there is the human element. We can fail and never be a part of that wedding. The lesson God is trying to teach is that a covenant is a promise to keep your word. And our word should be fulfilled, if we manifest the character of God. Our word should never be broken. So God judges us on the basis of our promise, or our covenant. At baptism we said we would marry Christ and meet all the covenant conditions. So God judges us on the basis of our word, or covenant, to become His wife. Once we actually become His wife, we cannot commit adultery, because we’ll be God—members of the God Family—and God cannot sin. Viewing it spiritually, we can commit adultery only during the engagement period.

Carnal-minded men can’t grasp the magnitude of our reward. It takes the Holy Spirit of God to grasp what God is offering His firstfruits! The Laodiceans have lost this marriage and Family of God concept because they are spiritually blind. This is the greatest mistake they or anyone on Earth can make today! God says this adulterous sin is no “small matter” (Ezekiel 16:20). We know that many of them will wake up before or during the Tribulation. But why must they be so rebellious that they allow Satan to turn them away from their most noble, majestic crown? On Pentecost: Remember the Marriage Covenant

I guess when you ignore everything about Jesus and his salvational works one is left with this kind of malarkey. Basic Christianity understands the works of salvation, why can't these perverted purveyors of Armstrongism do the same?