Greg Albrecht on Evil and Satan

The comments below by Greg Albrecht on Satan and evil will certainly set off one doubly blessed prophet of god into a naturopathic fit of self-righteous frenzy. I can't wait! 😈

QUESTION:

Some time ago you gave a sermon and talked about Satan, and asked how “real” is he and how “symbolic” is he. I think he is real, and I have many Scriptures that support my conclusion. Of course, I know that there are many references in the Bible which are true but not literally so. Can you elaborate?

 

ANSWER:

 

Some brief thoughts, perhaps if I enumerate them they might be a bit more logical! 

• The question of the devil, and how “literal” biblical references to his existence are, and how symbolic, is an ongoing discussion – has been for many centuries. 

• Excuse the double negative:  I do not believe that the devil/Satan does not exist.  I believe that would be an uncalled for (biblically speaking) conclusion.  I have no idea how real and literal Satan is, and that fact does not bother me because my believe in the reality of God, who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit completely transcends any worries I might have about Satan.  

In COGland, Satan is the most powerful entity on earth today. Far more powerful than Jesus who is sitting in some faraway place pouring over all the details of COGleaders who have determined when he is to return. Satan is constantly on the prowl for the minds of COG members and apparently, according to most COG leaders, he is quite successful in leading church members astray - not the ministry of course, but the members.

• I also believe that it is possible to have an unhealthy interest in the things that constitute evil and darkness.  Thus, I suggest the more literal one tends to take Satan and his demons, and how much power one attributes to them, the “weaker” and more “vulnerable” one’s faith is.  This is the spirit of 1 John 4:4 –“… the one who is in you [Jesus] is greater than the one who is in the world [Satan].”  Trust God, focus on him, know that he alone is on the throne of the universe.  That we know.  That we believe.  There is our faith.

The emphasis on Satan in the COG is unhealthy and has led to mental health issues with members who think they are under his control. Every single week Satan is brought up in a sermon and members are warned to be on guard for his wiley ways. Jesus is seldom discussed, but Satan certainly dominates the airwaves in the COG.

• Whatever and whomever the devil and his henchmen are, and whatever they may do (Paul calls him “the prince of the power of the air”) the Bible clearly teaches they are limited in their scope of influence.  At times a fallen spirit world (whatever such a spiritual dimension is, and I do not pretend to know specifically and doubt anyone who dogmatically claims they know) they often have power and influence in someone’s life because an individual allows and gives them such powers. 

In COGland, Satan controls everything is craftily planning on how to get COG leaders kicked off the airwaves so their messages can't be preached. Since no COG leader has ever had a real theological education (and this particularly means Bob Thiel)  and spent time examining the subject of Satan in church history and fictional accounts that have entered the church belief system, they are totally oblivious to the many traditions and false understandings that infect COG leaders today.

• The greater question regarding how Satan may or may not literally exist, and the biblical passages that speak of him (or is “he” a “she” – just kidding, but the question is fair given the tone of our politically correct world today) is the matter of evil.  There is no doubt whatsoever that evil exists, that it thrives and that it causes enormous grief and heartache.  Satan may be in some way responsible for much of the evil we see in the world, and in some ways he may stand for and symbolize evil in some biblical references.   But evil does exist without him. Humans cannot blame Satan for all the evil in this world and specifically, the evil to which they contribute.  The totality of evil in our world is greater than the sum of its parts.  Evil is the greater enemy I believe, and thus it deserves more of our attention.

Evil is only discussed COGland when it can be connected to Satan and never is much discussed on how humans contribute to it all by themselves. Just look at the evil that transpired when numerous COG leaders took it upon themselves to set up COG splinter groups, diverting money into their pockets and separating families from loved ones. Did Satan cause that or just vile evil men who were consumed with their own greatness and lusts for power?

• Christ-centered, biblical faith does not offer any perfect solution to the problem of evil and why it exists (called a theodicy).  In brief, 1) God is all powerful.  2) God is good.  3) Appalling evil happens, all the time.  Why? How do we reconcile those three statements?  Some propose that we blame the devil, and when we are particularly involved in evil, conclude “the devil made me do it.”  This is overly simplistic and does not fit within the love, mercy and grace of God.  Do we propose that evil exists because of a mutual attack on goodness by our inherently evil human nature and by Satan and his demonic world?   Some do – again, I don’t think the Bible speaks authoritatively on this topic. But of course 1) God is all powerful  2) God is good and  3) Appalling evil happens, all the time.  These three truths are not perfectly resolved, to our satisfaction, by the love, mercy and grace of God either.  We are left with the problem of evil, where it comes from, how it happens, who is responsible and what can be done about it.

• Whether we take all biblical references to Satan being “literal” and “real” or not is a bit of a snipe hunt, I believe.  For example, one can say that people put on too much weight because they eat hamburgers and fries, while another person may say that people put on too much weight because they eat too much pasta and drink too much alcohol.  While there are folks who say they know dogmatic answers to weight gain, retention and loss (and they stand ready to sell you their book of course!)  the issue is a bit more complex than some of the simplistic solutions offered.  What can we say and know, and where should be place our attention?  In my opinion, Christ centered faith offers no intellectual solution to the problem of evil, or of Satan…. or for that matter, many other topics, including weight gain and loss.  But here’s the ultimate solution, here’s where our focus must be — the Cross of Christ stands forever as absolute testimony to the fact that there is no evil so vile and reprehensible that God cannot transform it to his goodness and grace, and that ultimately, he will.  Christ-followers have, by God’s grace, a cruciform faith, not a fearful of the devil faith.THE DEVIL AND THE PROBLEM OF EVIL – GREG ALBRECHT

This is the standard belief of traditional Christianity, but not the COG version. Jesus gets little lip service in the COG while the law, Satan, and obedience do. People live in a state of fear in the church, constantly worrying if they are going to make it or if they have kept all of the laws properly. Any quick review of exCOG boards on Facebook makes that appallingly obvious on how people struggled when in the church to do everything right and how it helped destroy their mental health, so much so, that many are still dealing with the after-effects decades later.

Crackpot COG Prophet Now Claiming Satan Is Entering Your Brain Through Zoom, 5G, Laptops, TV Signals And More

 

Just when you think self-appointed COG prophets can't get any more desperate finding things wrong in the world, we find our favorite self-appointed deluded prophet getting all hot under his sacred holistic knickers about Zoom, Twitter, Radio, and TV waves, and much more.

COG deluded prophets are never content in proclaiming the good things of God's creation and the capacity that God gave to humans to create beautiful and useful things that contribute to society. Since they deny most things that God has done they instead turn to the god that they feel is really in charge and much more powerful than the God they claim to follow.

Today our resident crackpot here in California is hyperventilating over Zoom, Twitter, radio and TV sound/signal waves, GPS devices, cellphones, satellites, and other amazing inventions that are in use today. Because all of these things use the air surrounding us to work effectively, our crackpot prophet claims these are devices under the control of the "Prince of the power of the air". Yep, you heard that right, good old Satan, the powerful god of the COG is behind all of this.

The disappointing "son" of Rod Meredith has long been a regular subscriber to far-right newsgroups and conspiracy sites that are his "go-to" sources for "news" that fits the weird and conspiracy-laden COG belief system.

We can talk to people anywhere in the world live, on facetime or Zoom and it costs nothing and this remarkable device is only a little bigger than the palm of your hand and fits easily in our pocket 

 

The atmosphere around our planet is covered by thousands of satellites that monitor us and help us constantly with GPS tracking devices. Millions of messages are being beamed around the world every second in the blink of an eve. We are being monitored in our cars, on the street, shopping, eating or at work. Back home we have flat screen high definition televisions in most rooms, (which also watches us). Even more gadgets, laptops, tablets and PC’s allow us to stream or download anything we may desire. Radio waves, TV signals, communication, entertainment networks. Every day, billions of invisible messages, images and videos are being transmitted all around us. The air and atmosphere is the highway of our wonderful technological world but, who owns it?

Our resident fear monger continues on with this quote:

The following is an excerpt from Ephesians 2. 

 

And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, (the devil) of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. 

 

And again in Ephesians 6. 

 

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. 

 

“The Prince Of The Air” 

 

Satan controls that highway. Satan, known in the Bible as “The Prince Of The Air,” he is in control of our airways. He is the Prince of tech and has established the foundation of his empire here on Earth through airwaves, radio waves, TV signals, communication, entertainment networks, streaming. From two black and white TV stations and an analogue radio back in 1957 to a sophisticated interconnected communication network capable of getting into the heads of almost 8 billion people today and talk about deception, we didn’t even realise, brilliant!

And it is only going to get worse! 5G phones are here as are sex robots and robot truckers! Shocking! Though considering some in the COG ministry, sex-robots will be a welcome thing to utilize, then they can really claim they never committed adultery.

Prophet Thiel continues on with more of the quotes from Censored News. Gone are the good old days with black and white TV. That is when things were pure, just like the COG was pure in the glory days of the 1950/60s.

In just over 60 years the devil has cleverly outsmarted our society and replaced the innocence of black and white tv shows and radio programes with a diet of sex, hate, violence and magic. Good old, Rock n’ roll, known back in the day as music of the devil, has been replaced by foul-mouthed rappers singing about rape, murder and drugs. Sex has exploded onto our screens. Teen Vogue and other children magazines have run articles teaching young girls and boys how to enjoy anal sex. Every second of every day 30,000 Americans are watching porn. Every day, 25% of all online traffic is directed at pornography with many thousands of them in search of child porn or rape. Some sexual transmitted diseases such as Gonnharea have become so widespread in people it is now immune against even the strongest antibiotics. Almost 70% of people aged between 1-49 are living with herpes and there is no cure. Most suffer oral infection but nearly 200 million have genital infection. 

 

Satan didn’t just take over the airwaves he took over our heads…

Bob Thiel got that one thing right...Satan has taken over his mind. Never has the COG had such a crazy deluded prophet than we have in Bob. Satan scored a big one with him. Dave Pack and Gerald Flurry are in the minor leagues compared to Bob.

His post is filled with much more conspiracy-laden doom and gloom meant to scare his 299 white followers into giving more money so he can keep his African followers aware of how crazy Americans are.

All will be well though if you submit and acknowledge the one true prophet leading the one true COG. When you do that you will be saved.

 

Church of God Outreach Ministries: Prepare to worship the Devil

 

COG UK joins the fear bandwagon, not that they were ever really off it, with fears about the election of Joe Biden and his Catholocism that he supposedly will integrate into the U.S. Government. A new church-state will be formed and will immediately start attacking COG members.  They envision the world where we are all told to worship the Pope by Satan himself and then the world will swiftly come to an end. 

This has been an ongoing COG fear tactic for decades to keep members in line. Dare to question that and you will be under the bonds of Satan himself and will soon be kneeling down worshiping Satan and the Pope.

Bible readers have long understood (in a variety of scenarios) that 'all the world' will in the latter days succumb to a despotic anti-Christian fusion of religion and state. Perhaps unwittingly, Donald Trump facilitated this in a bid for evangelical votes but he restrained the imposition of a world ruled by and for the elite.

The incoming President, a life-long and devoted Roman Catholic, has made clear his intentions to entwine church and state through state aid. The call to unity and peace, however sincere, is a prel-ude to the real agenda - the universal worship of 'the god of this world.

When this long-envisaged global plan is implemented the choice for Christians will be to worship as the Devil (through his anti-Christian servants subservient to the Papacy) dictates. Or worship the one true God as and when He has prescribed since creation.

When that moment arrives we are assured that the true universal millennial Kingdom presided over by the Saviour will be at hand: '...when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your re-demption draws near' (Luke 21:28).

Living Church of God: Why is Satan Always More Powerful Than The "Jesus" They Claim To Follow?

As usual, LCG members are being told that they are incapable of discerning what is right. Satan, that all-powerful god of the COG, is entrapping LCG members with desire and emotion. Members are told that they are incapable of discerning right from wrong because of rumors, gossip, and lies that currently abound in LCG.

In a direct attack on Sheldon Monson, Winnail says Satan is using him to sow discord in LCG. Quite frankly, LCG does not need Sheldon to spread anything in LCG. They do a really good job at sowing discord in the church all by themselves.

There is nothing wrong with members of LCG having doubts and resentment over hurts dished out by LCG ministers and leaders. Church leaders and many ministers think they are immune from any criticism. That ability of members to discern things happening to them, that they know is NOT right, is an eye-opening experience into more things wrong with the church. This is a God-given ability for people to use their minds to "fact-check" church leaders and doctrine. No COG member, regardless of which COG group they are in, should EVER have second thoughts when they dare to question church leaders, policies or doctrines. A wise and thoughtful person that follows Christ does that daily.

Is Satan After You? The Bible contains numerous warnings about Satan and how he operates to deceive, divide, and destroy—people, families, churches, and nations. He moves like a hunting lion, carefully stalking his unsuspecting prey (1 Peter 5:8). He is a dangerous adversary who is constantly searching for vulnerable individuals (1 Timothy 5:14–15; 2 Timothy 3:6–7). Satan does not hunt human beings using claws and bullets, but instead he appeals to our desires, emotions, and human vanity. He plants doubts and spreads gossip, rumors, and lies that hurt and confuse and discredit others (1 Timothy 5:13; John 8:44; Leviticus 19:16). Satan fosters dissention and division by stirring up fears, jealousies, and misguided ambitions (1 Corinthians 1:10–13), and he will use anyone—members, ministers, and self-proclaimed leaders—to sow discord and do his work (2 Corinthians 11:1–15). Satan will zero in on people who have doubts, hurts, and resentments or who feel wronged or overlooked because their ideas, opinions, or ambitions have not been acknowledged or accepted. He can use such individuals to criticize, undermine, or lash out at others. To avoid becoming an unsuspecting victim of negative or subversive thoughts and attitudes that Satan beams at his potential victims (Ephesians 2:2), we need to be alert, humble, and patient—and stay close to God (1 Peter 5:6–9).

Have a profitable Sabbath,

Douglas S. Winnail

Self-appointed COG Prophet Claims Demons Are Behind COVID-19 and Brexit

Only in the mind of a deluded self-appointed Church of God prophet can one come up with this kind of stuff and think it worthy of being preached about.

COVID and Brexit Driven by Demons?Could Satan or any of his demons be impacting the economy of the world and Europe through having both the coronavirus outbreak and the British Exit (Brexit) from the European Union? Did governments tend to react in a way causing ‘self-inflicted’ damage to the economy? What about actions from the European Central Bank? Has demonic involvement been asked by the German press? Does the Bible teach that Satan is the god of this age and that the world is under his sway? Will involvement from Satan and his demons lead to the rise of the Beast, False Prophet (Antichrist), and the gathering at Armageddon according to scriptures in the Book of Revelation? What event did the late Worldwide Church of God Pastor General Herbert W. Armstrong feel would trigger the prophesied unification of Europe under the Beast? What about ‘miracles,’ signs, and lying wonders? What did Jesus say that Christians should do? What about prayer and the kingdom of God? Will you fall for Satan’s lies and deception? Dr. Thiel discusses each of these matters and more.

It has always fascinated me on how much more powerful COG demons are compared to the almost nonexistent and powerless Christ they claim to follow. 

Pre Feast Trials A Foretaste of Endtime Tribulation

Michael Hanisko from COGWA comments on how Satan stirs up all kinds of trouble just before the COG has it's Feast of Tabernacles.  Of course there is a reason behind that.  It is to give the world a glimpse of what hell will be like during the tribulation when Satan is running to and fro trying to destroy the TRUE COG.

It has always been interesting to me to observe how often that major catastrophes in our country and in other parts of the world occur just before the Feast of Tabernacles. Hurricane Irene a few weeks ago, the economic crisis of 2008 and “9-11” in 2001 are a few. You may also recall the economic crisis in the 1980′s, referred to as “Black Monday,” that also occurred just before the Feast. I have often thought that Satan is hard at work just before the Feast doing all he can to discourage the people of God.

These crises also give us a glimpse of the kind of panic that the world will experience when this age and Satan’s system comes crashing down. I can’t help but think of some of the statements in Revelation 18 where we read a description of the fall of

Babylon. For example: “The kings of the earth who committed fornication and lived luxuriously with her will weep and lament for her, when they see the smoke of her burning, standing at a distance for fear of her torment, saying, ‘Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! For in one hour your judgment has come.’ And the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her, for no one buys their merchandise anymore”

(vss. 9-11). And, “For in one hour such great riches came to nothing. Every shipmaster, all who travel by ship, sailors, and as many as trade on the sea, stood at a distance and cried out when they saw the smoke of her burning saying, ‘What is like this great city?” (vss. 17-18)

I would think he would be concerned about his own church leaders who live lives of luxury at the expense of poor members.  Ministers who are narcissistic, self-important, and rebellious.  These men who had the hissy-fit to form COGWA have been men who conspired and plotted behind the backs of two church organizations, all the while remaining on a church payroll until they knew they could jump ship straight into another paycheck system,

Of course his members are special and set apart from the world.  They are special and unique because they are COG members who follow a magical god and who keep the Feast of Tabernacles:

It is good to remember that God’s people are exhorted, in Revelation 18:4, to “Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues.” The upcoming Holy Days and Feast of Tabernacles give us an excellent opportunity to do just that as we strengthen our vision of God’s coming Kingdom.

Satan Attacks End Time Prophet/Apostle Malm's Blog

ANNONCEMENTS: Last evening the site was hacked and a Roman Catholic article in Polish was published and remained on this site for about one hour.  I thank those who brought this to my attention and as I was checking my email last evening this was caught and dealt with almost immediately.  Your prayers are needed and requested.  AS the message gets stronger and stronger, the ACCUSER will become more and more active.

 

Dennis Says: Let's Put This Story to Rest Once and For All!

Let's Put This Story to Rest Once and For All!

The Planet Venus is the Light Bringer and the Story Behind the Fall of "Satan" in Isaiah 14

If I ever heard an Old Testament story once, I have heard this one told ten thousand times. It comes from Isaiah 14.

12 "How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!

13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:

14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.

15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.

16 They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms;"

This story was THE proof that Satan used to be one of God's good guys and then all of a sudden, one day decided to be take over everything and knock God off His throne. Local boy goes bad I guess. Well Satan, which term is never mentioned here, former Light Bringer which is what Lucifer means, is now the Prince of Darkness and the rest is history.

What's really going on with this story. Did you know that you see this drama literally take place multiple mornings and evenings of the year. Did you know that even to this day, this Lucifer is mistaken for UFOs or landing lights! Jesus said he saw Satan fall as lightening from heaven as did millions then and billions today if you know where to look. It's a very old story based on a very real observation by humans who made up a story about what they did not understand at the time.

First of all, let's understand that Isaiah 14 is really not about a Satan the Devil as he has evolved into over the history of the Church. A scripture can never mean what it never meant, and this principle applies to Isaiah 14 for sure. In the original Hebrew text, the 14th chapter of Isaiah is not about a fallen angel, but about a fallen Babylonian king, who had persecuted the children of Israel. Later in the context we see he was a man, who died. Now we often hear that this was a "type" but that's slippery ground mostly. Metaphor maybe, but not a type, where we can change a man into a Lucifer and then Lucifer into Satan, never mentioned, and then the whole thing into how Satan came to be the God of this world so send in your tithes and be safe with us. "In the Hebrew text the expression used to describe the Babylonian king before his death is "Helal, son of Shahar", which can best be translated as "Day star, son of the Dawn." The name evokes the golden glitter of a proud king's dress and court (much as his personal splendor earned for King Louis XIV of France the appellation, "The Sun King").
{Craig Lyons-Bet Emet Ministries.} The King here was a man, plain and simple, and for his cocky attitude, he got to die like everyone else.

Lucifer means "Light Bringer" and is a term used by Roman astronomers to describe the planet Venus. Venus has always been the light bringer as it always precedes the early morning sun. It is very bright and very noticeable, such that it has been confused, as noted, for the landing lights of non-existent airplanes. It is bright, but not as bright as the sun of course. In mythology, humans noted this 'god" that preceeded the sun and seemed to be racing to the zenith, which in astrotheology is called the place of the "Most High" or plainly put for us today, NOON! Noon is God's throne in astrotheological terms. In Isaiah, this "Lightbringer" went before God, the Most High-The SUN. The highest point in the sky where the sun or anything that shines outside the planet can rise, from our perspective. When mythology and even the Bible speaks of God as "the most High", one can see the deeper meaning that hints at sun worship. The Bible promotes a similar yet different form of Sun/Son worship but that has been lost on most Christians today.

The planet Venus proved to be an enigma for mankind. It's job seemed to be to go before the morning sun and announce, if you would, it's coming forth. But then, bright as it was and still is, it falls from the sky and descends into the ground, or in mythology, seems to be thrown down. Strange! Not knowing that Venus was an inner planet and all inner planets that rotate with the earth around the sun can never pass over us, east to west as do the outer planets and stars, they had to explain it. Thus we have the the "fact" that this lightbringer, this Lucifer soon be called Satan, MUST have become discontend with just announcing the Sun God, so MUST have said in his heart, "I will become the MOST HIGH." Well that was it for him! The Most High, not willing to give up his throne to this usurper, simply threw him back down to the earth, or apparently so at least as we look on the horizon. After that rather unsuccessful endeavor the dethrone God Most High, we get stuck with him as Satan compliments of the Church, who embellished the story and ta ta!...The mess the world in is explained and it isn't the fault of mankind for the most part. Forever more, we can say, "Satan made me do it." You know, the bright and morning star that tried to become God but lost.

It was mostly the Catholic St. Jerome in the fourth century who mistranslated the Hebraic metaphor, "Day star, son of the Dawn," as "Lucifer," and over the centuries an evolution of ideas took place. Lucifer the morning star became a disobedient angel, cast out of heaven to rule eternally in hell mostly waiting for all Non-Catholics, but later all Non-Protestants too. Now the Church had it's Prince of the Power of the Air, the Prince of Darkness, the God of this world, The Roaring Lion, the Fallen Angel, the former Day star (because if you know where to look, Venus can even be seen in the daytime)...gone bad.

Interesting enough, even Jesus, well the Jesus of Revelation who bears no likeness to the Jesus of the Gospels, identifies himself as the morning star, a term used as a central theme in many Christian sermons. Jesus refers to himself as the morning star in Revelation 22:16: "I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star."

So here we have it. Humans could never quite explain why this bright "star" we know as the planet Venus, preceeded the morning Sun as if to announce it's arrival, but then crashed back to earth. Very strange! Let's make up a story! This bright light, an Angel, the Lightbringer and minor deity compared to the SUN, really went bad and decided to knock the SUN GOD, and later the SON of GOD, off the throne, which is where the SUN rises to when it becomes the MOST HIGH at NOON. God, not putting up with that, simply threw Lucifer, now Satan or the Destroyer, back down to earth where he belongs and humans can get stuck with him until the SON of the SUN God comes back to destroy the works of the Light Bringer now gone dark. Great story! In Isaiah 14, this haughty king was acting just like that in thinking he could knock Israel out of the picture, he lost, was thrown down and died, just like that planet Venus every morning. So don't mess with God's chosen ones!19 But thou art cast out of thy grave like an abominable branch, and as the raiment of those that are slain, thrust through with a sword, that go down to the stones of the pit; as a carcase trodden under feet.

In the real story of the real human king of Isaiah 14, we see he dies like all mortal men and is not well thought of for thinking he could challenge Israel. In verse 19 we read, "But thou art cast out of thy grave like an abominable branch, and as the raiment of those that are slain, thrust through with a sword, that go down to the stones of the pit; as a carcass trodden under feet. 20 Thou shalt not be joined with them in burial, because thou hast destroyed thy land, and slain thy people: the seed of evildoers shall never be renowned." Graves, carcasses, pits, burials and oblivion are all features of what happens to humans, not Angels or mini-gods.

It's interesting, Venus also rises evenings wonderfully bright after the sun sets, and then falls back to earth too. Perhaps Satan just coming out from the underworld of darkness for a peak and to let us know he still rules it before going back an hour or so later after "Sun Set" where even the Most High Sun goes every night, in Eqyptian history to challenge "SET" God of the Underworld. Makes you wonder about stories about Sons of the Sun preaching to spirits in "prison." But that's another story.

 

So when you see Venus early in the morning when you drive to work and think either a train if low enough or a plane looking for place to land is coming right at YOU, know that's only the Light Bringer, Lucifer, later your arch nemesis Satan, announcing "But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall" Malachi 4:2. Notice it doesn't say "Son". Think of wings more like rays and you'll get the picture. That planet Vensus, so beautiful is explaining a phenomenon that we take for granted to human beings long ago who feared such things and simply had to come up with a theology to explain it. Now you can say you saw Satan fall as lightening from heaven too...how cool is that!

DenniscDiehl@aol.com   

Demons: Armstrongism's Greatest Friend

Who is discussed the most in your church area?  Who does your church leaders talk about the most?  Jesus or Satan/demons? Who gets the most airplay?  How many articles have appeared in your church magazines and on it's web sites?

After having spent over 40 years in Armstrongism, I have to say that I have heard demons and Satan discussed far more than Jesus ever was.  We always had to be on guard because they were lurking around every corner ready to devour us.

Demonic folktales have circulated around Armstrongite churches for generations.  Almost everyone knows a story involving demons.

One that was in Dayton church in the early late 60's was about a church woman who was visiting her neighbor (a Catholic).  While they were talking a horrible stench started filling the kitchen.  All of a sudden this huge gorilla was sitting on the bar-stool over in the corner and it started talking to them.  The Catholic woman had some 'holy water' on hand and threw it on the gorilla/demon and rebuked it. The true Church of God   member also rebuked it. Confident knowing that only she had the power to rebuke demons.  And lo and behold it disappeared.  The stench remained, but evil was gone......  Of course the moral of the story was that the WCG woman was the one who actually rebuked it instead of the false Christian Catholic woman.

Another involved Ambassador students in Pasadena.  Right before I cam to the holiest place on earth, there were some students who started having toothbrushes levitating in the bathrooms.  These demons loved to play with tooth brushes and shaving cream. For some reason these demons like to hang out in the bathrooms.

The house on the corner of Del Mar and Orange Grove was considered haunted by many students.  It particularly had a bad reputation in the late 80's when a couple of women from the dorm were assaulted and raped on campus.  Bad things seemed to constantly be happening to those who lived there.  Later residents who were evangelists and department heads, had family issues with mental health.  One had a foster daughter that they locked in her room with padlocks on the outside of the door, another had a child who tried to stab his mother.  Of course these were all attributed to the demonic forces prevalent in the house.  Even Tkach Sr. did not escape the problems with his wife's mental issues.  The fundie church members all attributed these issues with demonic influences.

But interestingly enough, the Israelite people never were that much into demons.  Since we loved to imitate Judaism as much as possible you would have thought church 'scholars' would have done their research and found out that Satan and his demons were never major players in Judaism, especially in pre-exilic Israelite religion.

So where did these little buggers come from?  Blame the Persian Zoroastrian's.  

Somethings to consider and a few excerpts from   

Cognitive Discopants: Did Demons Fall or Just Get Traded?

What’s interesting to me is the difference between pre-exilic Judaism and post-exilic Judaism. Many of the ideas that show up for the first time in 2nd Temple literature bear resemblance to aspects of Zoroastrian thought (eg. the resurrection of the dead, the apocalyptic destruction of evil, etc.). One has to be cautious about jumping to the conclusion that Judaism simply borrowed from Zoroastrianism. Our Zoroastrian sources are relatively late, so it’s not entirely clear what the religion looked like at the time of Persian rule. And of course one shouldn’t overlook the influence of Greek thought following years of Judean Hellenization. Nonetheless, there does appear to be a relationship of some sort between Zoroastrian thinking and some novel aspects of 2nd Temple Jewish thought.

Pre-exilic Israelite religion, like its near eastern neighbors, was monistic in the sense that it “viewed the universe as a unified system in which each member, divine and human, had its proper domain and function above, upon, or below the earth.” There was no band of demons, led by Satan, fighting against God and seeking to undermine his purposes. Rather, God had at his disposal both benevolent spirits and spirits of calamity. The significant point is that the malevolent spirits were not fighting against God; they were doing God’s bidding.

 This viewpoint is quite foreign to us, because we’re far more familiar with the dualistic worldview that emerged post-exile in which Satan and his demons are thought to be rebellious angels battling against God. But recognizing that this was not the way pre-exilic Israel thought helps to explain a number of passages that tend to bother us moderns.

 In other words, once dualistic notions of a cosmic conflict between good and evil emerged, some within Judaism began to read their holy texts in this light. Satan, competing deities and other dark powers were reassigned to the evil camp. The notion of a “fall from heaven” emerged to explain (I assume) how this competing camp arose. Verses such as Isaiah 14:12, “How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn!”, which was originally a prophecy against the king of Babylonian, were co-opted in support of the new narrative. By the time we get to the New Testament – take the book of Revelation, for example – the dualism is fully developed and Satan is “that ancient serpent” whom God will finally destroy.

Fundamentalist/dispensationalist Christians say that demons are active all around us and are in everything. Other Christians say that Satan and his demons have been vanquished and have no power over us since the resurrection.

So what do think about it?

Grumpy Apostle Upset At Satan and His Meanie World

Poor Apostle James Malm.  The world is just one big evil meanie!  Satan runs and rules everything resulting in him and the few remaining authentic Armstrongites of being persecuted all the time.  Whoa is me!  Evil, evil evil!

How sad it must still be to the COGgers who live such depressing lives.  No joy, no beauty around them, no fun, no delight, just pure unadulterated evil at every turn. Of course, they see them selves as the logical recipients.

This is Satan’s world; everywhere you go you are smothered with temptations and buffeted by opposition.  Often the converted are denied the best jobs, often being denied most of the available jobs; virtually everything is polluted and unclean,  the beef you buy in restaurants and stores has been cut in the same facilities as the pork and is NOT biblically clean. In this world we sometimes have to endure opposition from spouses and neighbours, friends get suddenly hostile an families are divided by the faith.  I needn’t continue further; we have all experienced our trials.

He then goes on to spread another of his lies:

God’s law and way engenders love, harmony and peace; it brings happiness, contentment and fulfillment.  Very few converted people enjoy the fruits of God’s way’s in this world. We are not of the world, yet IN the world; this world is simply not a godly environment.

Actually the grace filled Christians I know are delightful people, happy as clams, take care of the downtrodden and disenfranchised and go out of their way to make all that come into their presence welcome whether you are a believer or not.  Since they are not burdened down by the heavy yoke of Malm's laws they live lives fully.  So once again, Apostle Malm is proven to be a liar.

Why do Armstrongites lives their lives filled with the desire to find everything in life as wrong and evil or satanic?  Because of that it is no wonder they lead such miserable, grumpy lives.  Who would want to join any of their irrelevant splinter cults now?  There is no hope, no joy, no fund.  Nothing but evil and disgust at everything around them.

Another Sad Legacy of Armstrongism: Flurry Cult (Philadelphia Church of God) Members Abandoning Their Children

The Painful Truth has a letter about a young teenager who was kicked out of her home because of Flurry's filthy teachings.  This is not an isolated case in Flurrydumb. This has happened to others.  If the child is older and does not believe in Flurry's filthy message then they are kicked out.  Flurry teaches parents to do this to their kids. He teaches them to cut  off all ties to family members who are not part of PCG.  Families have been destroyed, grandparents have been cut off from grandchildren, young adults from parents, and the list could go on and on.

Satan's Human Face

Philadelphia Church of God Parents

Abandon Minor-Aged Daughter

When my 17 year-old niece told her parents she no longer wanted to participate in the Philadelphia Church of God, her cult-member parents abandoned her to the streets. "God's Will," her mother said. For some time, my niece has been disillusioned by the Philadelphia Church of God. Her first awakening occurred when she asked her parents if she could stay with a non-cult-member relative who lives on the East Coast, (that would be my wife and me), for two weeks, as part of her summer vacation. A boy her age, (a non cult-member), who was enrolled in an accelerated program at school studying to become a doctor, was staying with us. My niece particularly wanted to meet this boy because she is also interested in studying medicine. The relative, that would be me and my wife, planned on taking the boy and my niece to see NYC and the NJ shore. My niece's parents adamantly refused to let her visit with us. My niece's "God ordained head of the household father," who had been barred from practicing nursing in several States for violations (I believe he showed up at the care facility in which he was employed, intoxicated. First, he was suspended for 2 years, then he had his license revoked permanently), especially wouldn't even hear of the idea. My niece became distraught. Instead of letting their daughter enjoy her summer vacation with a like-minded teenager pursuing a career in medicine, her parents forced her to stay at home in the company of another girl from the Philadelphia Church of God. My niece says this cult-member spent most of the time on her cell phone, bragging about having a three-way with two Mexican boys.

When my niece continued to press her parents to be released from the abuse of the Philadelphia Church of God, her mother said she was "dead to her," and turned her photo face down on her bureau top. Her parents told her to leave the house, as they wanted to concentrate their love and affection on their other daughters, who wanted to remain in the cult. My niece said her parents told her she was infecting the household with her "evil." While kicking her out of the house, they refused to drive her anywhere, and threatened anyone who helped her with legal action for harboring a minor. My niece was forced to walk a busy highway for over an hour alone, until a classmate saw her and gave her a ride.

 Read the rest of the story here:  PCG Parents Abandon Minor Daughter

Hat tip to Felix....Why We Don't Get Over It