It doesn't take much to get Prophet Thiel stirred up anymore. Everything seems to point to some end time disaster or scenario. It's doomsday and Armageddon all the time! Prophecy, prophecy, prophecy. Death, destruction, famine, wars, are all eagerly anticipated for some short time in the future.
Prophet Thiel wants you to know he is disturbed! Prophet Thiel is particularly disturbed by Benjamin Grant Mitchell's book, "
The Last Great Day". He take great umbrage with the
Melbourne Weekly describing the old Worldwide Church of God as a "doomsday cult."
WHEN Benjamin Grant Mitchell decided to write a novel based on his life, he had plenty of material to work with. The former Neighbours actor, singer-songwriter and new father was born into an American doomsday cult. To top it off, his father was one of the ministers. Mitchell, who now lives in Warrandyte, started penning his story three years ago and next week will unveil the debut novel, The Last Great Day, at the Melbourne Writers Festival.
The 42-year-old, who played Neighbours character Cameron Hudson in the 1990s, spent his early childhood moving around Australia, then settled at the Worldwide Church of God headquarters in Los Angeles.
The Prophet says:
There are a lot of misunderstandings about the old Worldwide Church of God (WCG).
But it was not a “doomsday cult.”
Those of us who were part of the old WCG and in the current Living Church of God (LCG) are not like the Jim Jones’ followers–we do not plan on drinking poisoned flavor-aid to end our lives. Although some are expected to die in persecutions, LCG church members mainly hope to live until the return of Jesus Christ and the establishment of His kingdom, and hope to proclaim the truths of the Bible to the world as a witness until the end (Matthew 24:14).
Armstrongism has always been about the end times. It's focus has always been on end time prophecy. Just take a look at HWA's sermons and articles from the 1930's and 40's. They were filled with one end time doomsday scenario after another. Hitler, Germany, Japan, China, Italy and little green martians were all eagerly waiting for the right moment to bomb and destroy much of the America. Those who would be left alive would be rounded up in concentration camps and then be transported to Europe where they would be slaves for European Catholics.
Then moving on into the 60's and 70's you will find the church switching doomsday gear from Germany to environmental doomsday scenarios. Floods, famines, earthquakes, hurricanes, tornado's, etc. were all talked about with gleeful anticipation. The more death and destruction predicted, the more special church members were to be called apart from it all.
Now with a black man as president, the COG's are back into their doomsday modes once again. The US allowed a gentile to rule over them. There is the corrupt government filled with rotten politicians on both sides of the aisle. There are horrific stories about tornado's, hurricanes and earthquakes. There is the rise of Germany as a financial giant and as a uniter in Europe. There is China rising up as a world power. There is the weakening dollar and a failed economy. All purported to be signs of the Armageddon (doomsday) ahead of us.
Prophet Thiel claims the church was never a doomsday cult. Yet, when you look at the definition of the word "doomsday" in a Thesaurus, you will see that the Melbourne Weekly was 100% correct in it's descriiption of the WCG/COG/LCG:
| Main Entry: | Day of Judgment |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | day of God's judgment of the human race |
| Synonyms: | Doomsday , Judgment Day, Last Day, Last Judgment, day of reckoning, the Judgment |
| Main Entry: | day of reckoning |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | day of God's judgment of the human race |
| Synonyms: | Day of Judgment, Doomsday , Judgment Day, Last Judgment, crack of doom, day of doom, doom, end of the world, trumpet of doom |
| Main Entry: | Judgment Day |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | day of reckoning |
| Synonyms: | Day of Judgment, Last Day, Last Judgment, court of conscience, crack of doom, doomsday , end of the world, the Judgment, tribunal of penance |
Prophet Thiel goes on to write:
As far as preaching prophecies in the Bible that show that the Anglo-descended nations will be chastised if they do not repent, yes the old WCG and current LCG taught that (see Anglo – America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel and Will the Anglo-Nations be Divided and Have People Taken as Slaves?). But urging repentance is not a sign of being a doomsday cult. It is a sign of trying to follow what Jesus said to do. Notice, the following, that Jesus taught:
Armstrongism and LCG may pretend to preaching about following a "Jesus' but, their actions prove other wise. It's all about death and destruction in a few short years to come. Armstrongites needs to see death and destruction rain down around them. They need to see the world spanked in order for them all to see that what the COG preached was true. Without these chastised people bowing down before them they would not be seen as real world leaders and teachers in the world tomorrow. They need to have their lives legitimized for being followers of Armstrongism.
Prophet Thiel fails to realize that preaching a false teaching of British Israelism is not a warning message to the world. The world does not care what Rod Meredith or LCG's preaches. It has no message that is any meaning to the world at large, so people are not interested in it. When it's preaching is filled with so many leis and false teachings it is a good thing that no one cares!
Prophet Thiel concludes:
People should read and study the Bible. Promoting misunderstandings about the Church of God is not good.
What about the hundreds of documented FAILED prophecies that HWA, Meredith, Flurry, Waterhouse, et all have uttered over the last seven decades? Talk about promoting misunderstanding! Meredith has lied to the church when he claimed to never have committee a major sin since baptism. He has lied so many times about prophecy. His false teaching lead to the mental breakdown of a church member who then murdered several LCG members. His heavy handed and ruthless treatment of ministers and members when he was Director of Church Administration is a black mark upon the church. Lives were literally destroyed by this man! His obscene obsession with sex, particularity gay sex has made him out to be rather creepy dude!
Prophet Thiel and the LCG promote so many thigns as "truth" that they cause much misunderstanding about the Bible and Christianity that it is NOT good! There is NO GOOD in the Living Church of God!
