Wheat or Chaff? Which one are you? Living Church of God has the answer!

Dexter Wakefield of the Living Church of God has an article up talking about The Wheat and the Chaff.  Anyone who has even limited contact with the Church of God movement, knows immediately what he is talking about.  Non-COG members and backsliding church members = chaff; diligent COG members = true Christians and are the real wheat.

Now that the Church of God has imploded into hundreds and hundreds of upstart movements, all claiming they are the "true wheat" it is pretty difficult to do anything but laugh at this silliness.

Wakefield writes:

There is a recurring theme in the Bible of God’s separating out the good fruits from the bad, and our Father has both the will and ability to do just that. The annual Holy Days and their timing within the harvest cycle of ancient Israel work together to picture elements in the plan of salvation, and it is good to remember this great harvest theme during this season of the year. 

Jesus totally upends his comment above, but that makes no difference to him or most of the other COG's.

It’s important to remember that the good and bad often grow in close proximity to each other. Referring to the Father, Jesus said, “He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matthew 5:45). In this age, the unrighteous often prosper more than the children of God living among them, but the time will come—pictured by the Feast of Trumpets—when God will separate out those who are His good fruits. 

It is interesting how the COG loves to focus upon weeding out the undesirables, but Jesus, once again, upends their nonsense by welcoming tax collectors, prostitutes, eunuchs, Samaritans, and even the thief on the cross, into the 'good fruits" of God's love.

Wakefield goes on to make a very specific claim directed to all COG members, who are the chosen ones:

At the spiritual harvest, when God’s begotten children enter His Kingdom, there is a separation involved.

The COG has always been giddy about seeing people removed from God's presence so that they, and they alone can bask in the glory of God as they are made into gods themselves.  This disgusting chaff will either be burnt to a crisp or if their god is merciful, it will give them a second chance to head the call of Herbert Armstrong's message.  It truly boils down to HWA's message instead of the message of Jesus.

Wakefield continues:

God says that we are to be patient while He works out His purpose in this age, but sometimes His children can become discouraged because they have manifold trials while the dishonest seem to prosper. During the long wait between the spring and fall Holy Day seasons, it’s good to remember that while the world loves its own, God loves His own much more. He has a desire for the work of His hands (Job 14:15) and will surely perform what He has said, separating the wheat from the chaff by making His children immortal. Our job is to be His faithful, fruitful, obedient servants until our Lord comes. He left us some good advice:

Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near—at the doors! Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place…. Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming…. Therefore you alsobe ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect” (Matthew 24:32–34, 42, 44).

How can COG members ever been encouraged when all around them abusive ministers make their lives miserable.  They watch as one group after another breaks away to start a new COG while claiming they are the only true access to God. They watch as hard-earned tithe money is blatantly wasted on the church elite and their progeny. They sit in church, week after week, getting lambasted about one thing after another that they are doing wrong.

One has to stop and wonder as to just WHO is the chaff in the church and WHO is the wheat?

Crackpot COG Leader Getting Ready To Die For the "Truth?"

It is never dull in COGland with one self-appointed apostate church leader after another trying to set himself up as a martyr for the "truth.  None is more blatant in his desire to see death and destruction than our very own Bwana Bob Thiel.  He spends several hours a day searching out one idiotic scenario after another to bolster his warped beliefs that he can use to deceive his African members into believing he is a prophet sent by God.

The Great Bawna continues to search out Catholics and ex-Catholics to bolster his nuttiness. Of course, he found one to support his desire to be seen as a martyr:

Mike Gendron’s lead article in a past newsletter was titled Telling the Truth May Get You Killed. Here is some of what it said:

Have you ever considered why religious people plotted to kill the Lord Jesus 2000 years ago? Why would devout Jews, who had a zeal for God, kill one of their prophets? It was not because He was so merciful (Luke 23:34). Nor was it because of His abundant grace and sacrificial love (John 15:13). So why did the religious leaders seek to have Jesus crucified? This may surprise you. It was because Jesus told them the truth (John 8:40). He proclaimed the truth about Himself and the truth about who they were (John 8:44). As the personification of truth, He declared His Word to be the truth (John 14:6; 17:3). He told them that He came from heaven to testify to the truth (John 18:37). He did not come to be a man-pleaser, but to do the will of God. This truth angered the Jews so much they plotted to have Him killed.  The self-righteous Jews became incensed when Jesus said, “Unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins” (John 8:24). Their religious pride, a powerful tool of the devil, had blinded them from the truth (2 Cor. 4:4). It is no wonder the proud oppose God, and God opposes the proud (Jas. 4:6). In one of the Bible’s curious paradoxes, people were put to death for telling the truth, but made alive for believing the truth (John 5:24). (August 2016)

Mike Gendron is a former Roman Catholic.

Of course, this is all the Great Bawna needs to prove from scripture that "true" Christians will be killed.

Let me add that Jesus made it clear that His true followers would face persecution:

12… they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons. You will be brought before kings and rulers for My name’s sake (Luke 21:12).
20 If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you(John 15:20).
2… yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service. 3 And these things they will do to you because they have not known the Father nor Me. 4 But these things I have told you, that when the time comes, you may remember that I told you of them. And these things I did not say to you at the beginning, because I was with you (John 16:2-4).

The Great Bawna then goes on to mock real Christians claiming that they will not be killed because they are "so-called" and deceived, while he is his little band of merry Africans are the true believers.

Now, does this mean that in the end times, all who claim to be Christian will be killed? 

No. 

But all who are real Christians will be subject to persecution. And telling the truth can get you killed. 

Notice the following prophecy:

25 He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, Shall persecute the saints of the Most High, And shall intend to change times and law. Then the saints shall be given into his hand For a time and times and half a time. (Daniel 7:25)

The Great Bawna then rattles off a list of things what may be what get him and his followers killed:

In the past, Christians were persecuted because they:

• Taught the truth about Jesus

Well, the Great Bawna will not need to worry about this one, since he denies Jesus and anything he accomplished.

• Kept Passover on the 14th

Nor this one since it is not required in the New Covenant

• Refused to eat unclean meat

Nor this one as it also is not required in the New Covenant

• Would work on Sunday

Especially this one since this is not an issue either

• Had false accusations railed against them

What false accusations have been railed against Bwana Bob?  The fact that he lied claiming God worked through a cult member of the Living Church of God to "double anoint" him as a prophet?  Or that his dreams validate his self-appointment?  Nope, those aren't going to get him killed but may be locked up in the looney bin.

• Were binitarian

Not an issue either.

• Kept the Sabbath

Not a New Covenant command.

• Kept the Fall Holy Days

Certainly not a New Covenant command, either.

• Were not trinitarian

Not an issue either

• Taught that the pope was an Antichrist and precursor of the final Antichrist

If that is true, then what does that make Herbert Armstrong?  He lied and told so many false prophecies that he too is an antichrist.

• Having and teaching from the Bible

Since when has a COG minister ever done this properly?

The Great Bwana continues on with his nuttiness:

• Rejected papal authority
• Did not accept idols
• Had different teachings than the Church of Rome
• Had writings Rome did not like
• Rejected Roman sacraments
• Objected to the dress of the Roman ministry
• Considered Rome to be the prophesied Babylon
• Taught that in the time of the final Antichrist that some would fall away
• Had practices that Rome considered Jewish
• Refused to baptize infants
• Did not participate in carnal warfare
• Teaching the millennium
• Taught the Kingdom of God
• Baptized adults

Total nonsense.

The Tithe of the Tithe Con Game

It is Feast of Tabernacles time, did you send in your tithe of the tithe so your respective church could finance its Feast sites?  At least that is the con game they told you they would use it for. 

After Herbert Armstrong dreamed up this 4th tithe, the hundreds of splinter groups continue this nonbiblical tradition to this day.

While many COG families struggle to get to the Feast and stay in the cheapest hotels as possible, or even camp, those above them are staying in the finest hotels and eating extravagant dinners while downing the best alcohol they can afford.

Some of that 4th tithe money goes to pay for these ministers and Feast coordinators hotel rooms and food during the feast.  Or it goes to people like Lil'Jimmy Meredith who was paid to travel cost-free to Hawaii and other areas to check out feast sites.

Many COG members through the decades refused to send it in.  With their churches bragging incessantly on how much money they took in on Holy Days, why would they continue to fund the privileged elite?

Like the old Worldwide Church of God, ministers in many COG groups get Feast bonuses of thousands of dollars for them to spend at the Feast. Add to that the travel vouchers for rental cars and food allowances, and these people are sitting pretty while you send in your hard-earned money to keep them all happy.

Next year, take that tithe of the tithe and take your family out to a nice dinner, take an excursion at feast site,  or overindulge your wife and children, but don't fund these crooks!  They have the money to pay for these sites so don't fall for their lies.