"That "Only True Church" thing has been the bane of the Churches of God"

Reposting Dennis comment from the LCG-"We Are Not Wishy Washy" post.

That "Only True Church" thing has been the bane of the Churches of God as has "Government from the top down." The New Testament is a Testament to two true churches of God. The Jewish Christian one under Peter, James and John and the Gentile Pauline Church. The Jewish Christian interpretation is what we find in the COG except they try to make Paul one of them too which he isn't and fought hard against. The Gentile Pauline version is just about everything else in all their forms. Galatians 1-2 is a Pauline rant against the Jerusalem Apostles and an authentic letter of Paul. The Book of James is a Jewish Christian rant against Paul's concept of grace with no works found in Paul's also authentic Book of Romans.

The letters to the Seven Churches in Revelation were NEVER conceived as being types of authentic Churches of God 2000 years into the future. "Behold I come quickly" and "To show things which must shortly come to pass" for them back then indicate the failure of Revelation as a prophecy. It's a Jewish Book written to encourage Jewish Christians caught in the fall of Jerusalem . It failed to deliver and the Romans won. No Jesus returned to save them and it was not meant to extend one hour past the fall of the city and destruction of the Temple. Fundamentalist churches have spent the last 200 years making Revelation mean what it never meant and does not mean. 

Without the Book of Revelation the Churches of God would have no message and certainly no motivator like it to join them. Fear sells and it's all made up. Nothing in the Book of Revelation will come to pass as speculated. It was a second Daniel which was written to encourage the Jews to hang in there in the 160's BCE and they lost in the same way.to the Romans. 

I know the pull and power of the Book of Revelation as well as anyone . It barely made the cut into the New Testament Canon. But clearly its time passed and those who read it so dearly in the details will dismiss the opening and closing verses which clearly indicate something had gone terribly wrong with it being inspired or how it all will be. LIke the Apostle Paul, who after years of "soon" had to face the final curtain and wish everyone good luck on their own journey, the Book of Revelation was the swan song of the dying Jewish Church.

On top of that, no human beings know the future . It is not all planned out and all one has to do is read Art Mokarrow's. "God's Puzzle Solved" for the solution to this puzzle. There is no puzzle that needs solving . That makes Bible God a Trickster who is more interested in playing games than informing humans of whatever one thinks their incredible human potential is. 

It doesn't matter where you go to church or even if you do. There is a seat for every butt and a style for every personality. That's why we have so many denominations and while I realize no one ever says they know they attend the false church, the fight over who is the true church is equally as ludicrous and ill informed.

The Journal News of the Churches of God Issue 198 Now Online

The latest issue of The Journal is online.

This issue covers past history of the church and college with the sale of Big Sandy to Alert Academy.  Alert Academy is the brainchild of Bill Gothard who has been accused of sexual improprieties and other things.  Many class ALERT as a cult.  See:  Owners of Big Sandy Campus (ALERT Academy) Being Sued

There is an article about Vik Kubik and UCG members helping clean up after Hurricane Harvey.

There is a couple of small announcement about Joe Tkach retiring and his replacement, Greg Williams.

The article by Brian Knowles has some interesting tidbits about Herbert Armstrong, such as:

Herbert W. Armstrong was sitting at his desk reviewing Plain Truth copy with me. It was either 1978 or 1979. I was serving as managing editor of the Worldwide Church’s flag- ship publication. 

Mr. Armstrong took a personal interest in every word that appeared in it. He then elaborated on his discovery that he could detect similarities between himself and the pontiff: “Brian, I have reserved the setting of all doctrine to myself.”

By the mid-’70s Mr. Armstrong had a limited capacity to study Scriptures and even to read. 

He was running mostly on memory and momentum. 

His short-term recollection often failed him. On one occasion he denied from the pulpit that Wayne Cole, Robert Kuhn and I had been to see him in Tucson about the “STP,” the Systematic Theology Project. We had all gone together in Mr. Armstrong’s own plane, but guess who people believed.

On another occasion he denied having attended the Feast in Florida. That people were able to produce videotapes of his preaching there didn’t seem to phase him. 

Herbert Armstrong's denial from the pulpit that he knew nothing about the STP was a blatant lie.  Many of those papers went straight to his desk and he read them.   At this same time he was so mad at GTA that he would do anything to discredit him and this was his chance

Dave Havir has an article on prophecy and it will cause major butthurt for Almost-ordained Bob Thiel and Pharisee Malm:

People who are familiar with my writing and speaking are probably familiar with my approach to prophecy. 

I am interested in hearing the prophecy interpretations of people. 

I have no interest in hearing the prophecy interpretations of people who claim to speak for God with their dogmatic proclamations. 

At times I am willing to share my interpretations of prophecy, but I have learned to avoid the mistake of being a dogmatic proclaimer. Every dogmatic proclaimer I have heard (including those among the Church of God) has proven to earn the classification of a false prophet 

Alton Billingsley is back with another of his bat-shit crazy articles.   Apparently, the eclipse of 1918 was a sign of when Jesus started using  Herbert Armstrong. Also, the name Eugene, OR was prophetically significant for Herbert's rise to power.

The 1918 eclipse began in Bend, Oregon, very close to Eugene, Oregon, where Jesus Christ began using Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong in 1933 (Eugene = Good Birth). History reveals that year was the turning point in World War I, for Germany began losing the war against France, Britain and America. 

According to Billingsley, Hillary Clinton is still going to be elected and the eclipse of 2017 was a sign of the end times.

President Hillary Clinton (?)—She will be the 45th president (cf. Isaiah 3:12; Nahum 3:13). This adds up to the number NINE and has the meaning of divine judgment; the final president before being conquered by the Holy Roman Empire.
Foreboding of Doom
—As already noted, the recent total solar eclipse has the dreaded and terrible meaning of doom for Manasseh (Ezekiel 5:12; 7:5-9). It is truly a time of fasting and prayer. 

You can read Issue 198 here:  The Journal

Church of God False Prophet Excited By Biblically Prophecied Belgian Dainties

Biblically prophecied chocolates...who knew...who cares!

Church of God false prophets have made a living out of using every imaginable piece of history as proof to prop up their idiotic fantasies that the think prove British Israelism.

Almost-arrested and jailed Elisha, Elijah, Joshua, Amos, Habakkuk, doubly blessed and self-appointed  Bob Thiel is all excited right now by the writings of a former WCG member, Bert Otten,  on his belief that Belgium and Luxembourg are of the tribe of Asher.  Even though none of this is relevant to a New Covenant Christian, those who worship at the altar of Moses still think it is important.

This is what the non-ordained and self-appointed false prophet of the improperly named "continuing" Church of God is excited about:

2^nd Clue: Asher – his bread shall be fat

As for Asher, his BREAD [lechem] shall be FAT [shamen] … (Gen 49:20a, KJV). 

Asher’s FOOD will be RICH … (Gen 49:20a, NIV).

Literally it says that Asher’s bread will be fat. It is noteworthy that bread in England and Holland has the form of a big brick, a loaf. In France they sell the typical French bread, long thin pieces of bread. In Belgium they sell bread in big, round, ‘fat’, loaves.

However, lechem also means food in general, and not just bread. Asher’s food would be rich in content, and it would be plenteous… 

3^rd Clue: Asher – royal dainties

Out of Asher his bread shall be fat, and he shall yield royal DAINTIES (Gen 49:20b).

[Asher] will provide DELICACIES fit for a king (Gen 49:20b, NIV).

This is up to a point a repeat of the fact that Asher’s food would be fat or rich. We think of all the delicacies – fries, mussels, oysters, fish, venison, etc. – served in the Belgian cuisine, but ‘delicacies’ contains much more… 

Belgian Beers

Wikipedia: For a comparatively small country, Belgium produces a very large number of beers in a range of different styles – in fact, it has more distinct types of beer per capita than anywhere else in the world. In 2011, there were 1,132 different varieties of beer being produced in the country… 

Belgian Chocolate

Wikipedia about Belgian chocolate: Belgium is famed for its high quality chocolate and over 2,000 chocolatiers, both small and large…  

Waffles and sweets

There are also Belgian waffles (Brussels, Liège), speculoos, vlaaien (Limburg), sweets, etc. Asher’s food would be rich and he would yield royal dainties. 

Tapestries, lace, comic books

Delicacies or dainties is a translation from ma’adan:

Ma’adan – or (feminine) ma’adannah {mah-ad-an-naw’}; from ‘`adan’ (Strong, 5727); a delicacy or (abstractly) pleasure (adverbially, cheerfully):–dainty, delicately, delight. 

Some writers about the tribes link this with the typical Belgian delicate tapestries (made for royalty!) and with Belgian lace…

See the rest of this absurdity here:  Former WCG member tying clues of the biblical tribe of Asher to Belgium and Luxembourg