Pathetic, VIle Crackpot Prophet: Persecution Of So-Called Christians Is Not As Bad As What I am Suffering Or WIll Suffer In The Years To Come

One thing you can say about the Great Bwana Bob Thiel is that he almost always engages his mouth long before his brain decides to show up to the party. Picturing himself as God's duly appointed prophet for these perilous end times—and convinced that no one else on this earth is quite as flawless a Christian as he is, or even a real one—he just keeps flapping his callous, holier-than-thou gums, mocking the persecutions and killings of Christians around the world. Sure, those so-called Christians' deaths are a tad sad to hear about, but it's nothing compared to the epic tragedy of the Great Bwana and his loyal flock suffering from his imagined shadow ban by Google over his brilliantly researched books on aberrant theology. And don't even get me started—it's going to be peanuts next to the heroic showdown when he takes on the Beast power, Baron Karl von Gutenberg, right there in the streets of Jerusalem.

God's greatest gift to the world and the church got his sacred, holistic knickers in an Arroyo Grande twist today over President Trump threatening the Islamist filth currently slaughtering Christians in Nigeria and elsewhere. How dare he! After all, those aren't real Christians; their deaths are regrettable, but hardly as catastrophic as what he and his followers might endure as the only true Christians gracing this planet today. 

He used to dismiss any Christian outside his tiny cult as "so-called" Christians or "Christians in name only," and now his genius new trick is to downgrade real Christians around the world as "Greco-Roman." Because, you know, that's totally not a desperate way to make himself feel superior. And, as usual, every news story and world event must be twisted into a thrilling tale all about him.

He starts right off the bat with people who "claim:" they are Christians:

Is persecution for people claiming Christianity over?
Sadly, no.

He then quotes some facts from a news article:

More than 380m Christians suffer high levels of persecution and discrimination for their faith
1 in 7 Christians are persecuted worldwide

And then writes this gem:

That is horrible; that is so wrong. People should not be killed, imprisoned, or otherwise persecuted for their faith.

Then he turns the story of persecution of people who "claim" to be Christians into one all about himself:

That said, as far as governments and persecution go, the Continuing Church of God put together the following video on our Bible News Prophecy YouTube channel...(hyperlinks removed)

New Religious Persecution
Are we seeing new forms of religious persecution popping up? Did Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sign a law on August 24, 2024 banning the Orthodox Church in Ukraine? Did Rwanda recently shut down over 5,100 churches, including house churches? Was this really about safety or perhaps also politics? Did Rwandan President Paul Kagame state that he is considering implementing a tax on church donations? Did the Nicaraguan government, under its President Daniel Noriega, change laws on August 22, 2024 that could allow it to impose taxes of up to 30 percent of a church’s annual income? Did the Nicaraguan government recently shut does 1,500 non-governmental organizations, including 678 religious associations? Is Burundi causing issues for the churches of God because of some of its rules? Did Jesus prophesy about persecution? Will some Christians be beheaded and others burned according to biblical, as well as Greco-Roman, prophecies? Is economic 666 persecution also prophesied? What should the faithful do? Steve Dupuie and Dr. Thiel address these matters.

Bwana Bob's putridness continues with this:

Yes, there is also persecution through suppression, shadow-banning, implied threats to careers, etc. for many who dare speak on behalf of biblical standards of morality. 

 

And, of course, it is not just those who claim to be Christians that are being persecuted. Various people around the world are being persecuted for their religious beliefs. 

 

In Western cultures, persecution is often subtle and is more directed to those who espouse biblical ideas. 

 

Big Tech and various governments have taken steps to “suppress the truth in unrighteousness” (Romans 1:18) as the Apostle Paul warned.

Cancel Culture and Christian Persecution (note: all of the stuff below is in ONE rambling sermon without a clear focus)

• What did Jesus teach about persecutions? 
• Should Christians expect name calling and being falsely taught against? 
• Did the Apostle Paul warn about this as well as evil deceivers increasing in the end times? 
• Were early Christians ever murderous persecutors? 
• Did Emperor Constantine stick to his religious tolerance ‘Edict of Milan’ in 313? What about his edict against heretics in 331? 
• What types of persecution did Emperor Theodosius implement? 
• Has there been a history of attempting to cancel Christian speech and practices, which were sometimes followed by physical persecution? 
• Have Greco-Roman Catholics been involved with persecutions against believers? 
• What about Protestants like Martin Luther or John Calvin? 
• What about Big Tech? 
• What about actions from Facebook Google, YouTube, and Twitter? 
• Is shadow banning consistent with cancel culture? 
• Is more persecution coming? 
• Do Greco-Roman prophecies about the ‘Great Monarch’ look forward to Christians being persecuted? 
• Could the European Union’s Digital Services Act and European Public Prosecutor’s Office be factors in future persecution? 
• Will faithful members of the holy covenant instruct many? 
• Will indentifying the coming King of the North trigger persecution? 
• Will there be more persecution of the Philadelphian Christians prior to the start of the Great Tribulation? 
• What will happen to the Laodiceans? 
• Which Christians will be protected from the coming hour of trial, which starts with the Great Tribulation? 
• Will the persecuting Beast, False Prophet, and those with the mark of the beast be punished? 
• Will God reward the faithful Christians who endure persecution? 
• Dr. Thiel addresses these and more in this sermon video.

Then has this:

Sadly, today, most who profess Jesus fail to truly recognize important aspects of the truth. And many want to make further compromises away from the truth for the sake of an unbiblical unity.

And continues down the path, making this all about himself:

So, we see that this began under Emperor Constantine and continued with Imperial support including by Empress Theodora of the 10th and 11th century (she was born in the 10th and died in the 11th century). Emperors Constantine and Theodosius, as well as Empress Theodora, claimed to be Christians–but they were not. Those false professors of Christ persecuted true believers–and such will happen again! 

 

Now, the fact that literature was also prohibited starting with Emperor Constantine reminds me of shadow-banning by Big Tech as well as allegations of “hate speech” for holding to biblical standards of morality by governments in places like Europe, the USA, Canada, UK, Australia, and New Zealand. 

 

Sadly, in the 21st century, holding to many biblical positions is considered extremist and even dangerous by various government officials.

At least two major persecutions are prophesied to come. 

 

All the faithful will be subject to persecution and being betrayed by professing believers (Matthew 24:9-13, Mark 13:12-13; Luke 21:16-18; Daniel 11:32-35). 

 

The Book of Daniel shows a two-part persecution coming from a European leader (I added the a and b below for emphasis):

25 a 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 b For a time and times and half a time. (Daniel 7:25) 

 

First of all (a), he shall persecute certain of the saints, which is consistent with what Jesus said was coming: 

 

9 “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. 10 And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. 11 Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. 12 And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But he who endures to the end shall be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come. (Matthew 24:9-14)

Much of the above will affect the Philadelphian Christians (cf. Revelation 12:13), but they will later be protected (Revelation 3:8-10) in the wilderness for a time, times, and half a time. Part of why they will be persecuted is for proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and probably also for identifying the coming King of the North, who will not wish to be identified that way. This will likely result in internet and other restrictions on getting the truth of God out to the world (cf. Amos 8:11-12). 

Then he says all of the Armstrongite heretics in splinter groups will then be persecuted because they were too stupid to know when to go to Petra: 

Second of all (b), the remaining saints will be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time. This is the portion of the COG, the non-Philadelphians, who are NOT protected in the wilderness as Revelation 12:17 shows this separation, where as Revelation 20 points to Christians being beheaded...

Then this:

While many in the Church of God have experienced economic and social persecution in their walk with Christ, future severe persecution, beginning first with the Philadelphia remnant of Christians, is expected. 

 

Murderous persecution is prophesied (cf. Daniel 11:33; Revelation 13:15). 

 

Persecution is a fact of history. It has happened before and we should be prepared for the fact that much more of it will happen again. And during the time of the final persecutions, the Bible records:

12 Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus (Revelation 14:12). 

 

Thus, though the Philadelphian Christians will be subject to intense persecution first, before this, even the Laodiceans and other Christians will receive some praise if they endure the persecutions that will then come during the time of “the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world” (Revelation 3:10). 

 

While many seem to not wish to pay attention to this subject, the reality is that persecution has existed throughout history against those with Church of God doctrines. Jesus predicted that as well as more persecution to come. Some may be shocked by certain doctrines that Christians have been persecuted for (and often persecuted by others who profess to be Christian). 

 

Those in the true Church of God have always been on the side being persecuted and have never been on the side of the persecutors. And this will be true again in the future.

As you can see, the Great Bwana Bob, reluctantly acknowledges that, yeah, sure, hundreds of millions of "so-called" or "Greco-Roman" Christians are getting persecuted, imprisoned, or straight-up killed worldwide, which is "horrible" and "so wrong." But let's not get carried away; the real tragedy here is Bob and his tiny flock facing the horrors of Google shadow-banning his profound theological masterpieces. He twists every global news bite into a spotlight on himself, plugging his YouTube videos about "new religious persecution" (starring Ukraine, Rwanda, Nicaragua, and Burundi as mere supporting acts), and warns of Big Tech's subtle tyranny against biblical morality.

And as usual, we saw him dive into a rambling sermon on historical persecutions from Constantine to Theodosius, blaming "false professors of Christ" (everyone not in his cult) for everything, while patting his own back for being on the "persecuted" side. 

Future prophecies? The Beast power and economic 666 woes are coming, but fear not—Bob's Philadelphian elite will flee to the wilderness (Petra, anyone?), while those dumb Armstrongite splinter groups get beheaded for not joining his exclusive club. Because nothing says "true Christian" like downplaying mass murders to hype your own imagined martyrdom. Patience of the saints, indeed—enduring Bob's ego must count for something!

 

 

Dave Pack's incompetant god is unable to keep Dave's mouth shut. New date for JC to return

 

News Flash: 

Jesus Christ Will Return on December 5, 2025, Instead

The theological buffoonery continues at The Restored Church of God. David C. Pack’s head did not even touch his pillow after declaring that the Kingdom to Israel would arrive on December 19, 2025, before he seriously doubted his own teaching.

“Only an oracle from God or Gabriel or Christ could change my mind.” Well, not so much.

During “The Greatest Untold Story! (Parts 603 & 604)” on October 25, 2025, the Pastor General dissolved all of his most grandiose statements from the week prior by shifting the date of God’s plan kicking into action.

The Kingdom to Israel will now arrive on December 5, 2025.
Not on December 19 anymore.
It's Kislev 16, not 30. Stupid.

What was briefly "impossible, it's impossible, impossible, impossible that we're wrong,” became certain as a more sheepish and less “sure that we have it right” David C. Pack struggled to overly-explain his latest excusatory song-and-dance. Only a mature man can admit he was right about being wrong.

Even though I am just an unordained non-prophet/non-psychic, David C. Pack loves to shower me with validation and legitimacy after I wrote this last week:

In the coming weeks, Dave will get "suspicious" and "uncomfortable" about Kislev 30 and pivot to some other date for other reasons.

David C. Pack claims the Holy Spirit made him uncomfortable, and it deeply, deeply troubled him about Kislev 30. It is too bad his god is so incompetent that it cannot move Dave to keep his mouth shut and utter something truthful for once. In the meantime, members of The Restored Church of God endure more disappointment and embarrassment as the most gullible among them took this admonishment seriously:

“If anyone doubts Kislev 30 and December 19th, rouse yourself. Pull your focus together. I would say, you say, ‘I don't know if I believe this.’ Wake up, jump up, and stretch. Throw cold water on your face and take ownership of the facts. Shame on you if you do not take ownership of the facts… Don't just believe me, become convicted.”
David C. Pack – Part 602 – October 18, 2025

There are still foolish people attending The Restored Church of God who were more convicted than the wicked man who uttered the lies they ate with joy.

Shame on every enabler at Headquarters, including Bradford Schleifer, Edward Winkfield, Jaco Viljoen, Carl Houk, Ryan Denee, and the rest of those yellow-belly hirelings for allowing this theological madness to continue unimpeded.

David C. Pack is a blaspheming, hypocritical liar, false teacher, false apostle, and false prophet. Nothing will happen on December 5, 2025, because God has proven David C. Pack to be a biblical fraud.

Marc Cebrian

exrcg.org

Bill Watson Takes His Extreme Teachings And Breaks Off On His Own With A New And Improved COG

More schism, more rancor and bitterness - this is the legacy of the ACOGs.

 

And the splintering of COGdom continues on with another know-it-all who thinks his version of Armstrongism is better than everyone else. Another craptastic COG group.

Lonnie Hendrix reports:

Bill Watson of Medina, the Latest ACOG Schismatic!

This blogger has watched and commented on Bill Watson's journey into the fringe of the ACOG movement for years. Over those years, Bill has absorbed and embraced extreme right-wing politics in the United States and many of the conspiracy theories endemic to that group. Simultaneously, Bill has resisted any modifications/changes to the core Armstrongist theology of the old Worldwide Church of God. In other words, he has stubbornly refused to let go of teachings (like Anglo-Israelism, headline theology, ministerial authority, etc.) from which others have tried to distance themselves or repudiate altogether. 

 

We have also reported on Bill's efforts to quietly disentangle himself from the Church of God International - the very group which credentialed him as a minister. Bill quietly diverted tithes and offerings away from CGI headquarters in Tyler and began accumulating funds in Ohio in anticipation of forming his own independent ministry. During this period, he also began organizing his own independent feast site for the observance of the Feast of Tabernacles by his followers. He also quietly repaid Tyler the funds used to purchase the building where the Medina congregation meets. More recently, he also abandoned the internet platform provided for him by CGI and created his own website. Moreover, seeing the writing on the wall, Tyler has itself pulled back from Bill and quietly distanced themselves from some of his more extreme teachings. 

 

Now, as is the pattern amongst ALL of the Armstrong Churches of God, Bill has finally pulled the trigger and taken the last official step toward complete independence - He has formally formed his own ministry. Bill's church is now known as Church of God Independent Ministries. Likewise, Tyler has removed Medina, Ohio as one of its United States congregations (Columbus is still listed on their website). More schism, more rancor and bitterness - this is the legacy of the ACOGs. The death spiral continues, and it isn't pretty to watch!

The Kitchen Bros: New WCG Website To Take Your Hard Earned Money

 

Bravo to the illustrious Kitchen brothers, who've heroically churned out countless websites and Facebook pages over the years, all in the noble quest to "preserve" Herbert Armstrong's timeless wisdom and the oh-so-sacred teachings of the dearly departed Worldwide Church of God. Because nothing says "eternal truth" like a barrage of outdated memes on social media.

And now, in their latest stroke of genius, they've launched a shiny new site dedicated to hoovering up your hard-earned cash (as long as it's solemnly sworn not to touch anything as important as preaching the gospel). Their grand masterplan? After indoctrinating the impressionable youth with tales of the great Herbert Armstrong, they'll all pack their bags for a quick vacay in Jerusalem, then scamper off to Petra to link arms with visionaries like Bob Thiel and Ron Weinland. There, they'll nobly train the next generation of cosmic overlords on how to boss the universe around—with a rod of iron, naturally, because subtlety is for losers. And don't forget, the legendary Aaron Dean will swoop in to resurrect those "lost truths" of the WCG, because who needs progress when you can recycle the past?

So, dear brethren, fling open those wallets and surrender every last penny to this epic "final push"—a spectacle so groundbreaking it'll make Bob Thiel's own final push look like a pathetic whimper in comparison! Aaron Dean was seen shaking his head in approval!

It is clear, spiritually speaking for the Spiritual Temple, the gold and silver are the members of the Church!

The command is to bring them for the House of God in JERUSALEM. Gather them together in JERUSALEM. And since we do not need to perform sacrifices any more, Christ dying finally and nailing sacrifices to the cross, we gather to keep the Sabbaths, the Feasts of the Lord!

Gold and silver. For what reason? So that the ministry may be RESTORED, so the Temple may be ready and finished for marriage with Jesus Christ.

So I have created “The Supportive Services of the Worldwide Church of God” and I am developing a website for it. Ultimately we will gather in Jerusalem.

I’m going to personally help with funding this. I hope many of you want to help fund it.

I want to introduce the old World Tomorrow programs to this generation, because the gospel has already gone around the world as a witness to all nations. The Worldwide Church of God is a testament to that fact. And when we stand up, and gather together, we are standing up on behalf of Jesus Christ, and God the Father, not in shame, not holding our identity in contempt, but because we trust God and we look to Christ as our deliverer.

We haven’t gone away. We faded, while others did as they pleased. God tested our hearts. He is testing our hearts now.

What is more important than anything in this world? God’s Church serves as a mother. And many of us have our mother to thank for feeding us spiritually while others have left and vacated.

Jesus Christ did not give up on us.

The more I study God’s Word, Christ still rules this Church, in spite of the ministry vacating due to tremendous persecution.

Now is the time of restoration, of coming back and out away from Babylon. To do the Work of God.

Showing up is part of our part. Setting up, is part of our part, and eventually the preacher and ministry will be there. But we cannot forsake our parts!!!! Zerubbabel was no priest, yet he was of that family line. He was used to bring up the support structure, a candlestick.(Zechariah 4) The Temple, the Church(Rev. 1:20).

We can support. As Pillars. And accept what God says. We seek not our own will but the will of God. I hope that is true. For me it is.

supportwcg.org

Crackpot Prophet Says He Is Preparing For His "Fifteen Minutes Of Fame"

God's favorite Crackpot Prophet pounding the beat in Jerusalem

The sun has been blazing like a furious inferno here in mid and southern California, with temperatures skyrocketing into the scorching upper 90s—hot enough to melt sanity itself! This blistering heatwave has clearly deep-fried the noggin of our absolute favorite Crackpot Prophet, the self-anointed God's gift to the church, the world, and probably the multiverse. I mean, who could've possibly scribbled on their apocalyptic Bingo card that the Magnificent Great Bwana Bob Mzungu Thiel would stoop to quoting Andy Warhol of all people? But alas, in this clown car of a reality, here we are, folks...

For reasons that defy all logic, reason, and probably basic physics, the Great Bwana hallucinates himself being dramatically catapulted onto the global stage, duking it out with the Beast Power, the dastardly Baron Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg (cue ominous thunder), and the entire Catholic Church. Picture this: he and his sidekick Ron Weinland prancing around Jerusalem like a pair of bumbling vaudeville acts, dubbing themselves the Two Witless Witnesses. His so-called "work"—oh, what a masterpiece of delusion!—will be so earth-shatteringly powerful that it'll get axed prematurely, just like a bad reality TV show. And get this: he hilariously cherry-picks quotes from Daniel as irrefutable proof of his own cosmic magnificence. Because nothing says "divine prophet" like a side of biblical fanfic!

The Great Bwana, in his infinite humility, views his utterances as so utterly superfantabulous—nay, galactically sublime—that they'll enrage the Baron faster than a bad tweetstorm, and boom! The crap will hit the fan with the force of a meteor strike! Our villainous Baron will lash out like a scorned soap opera star, launching a full-frontal assault on the hilariously misnamed "Continuing Church of God." He'll round up ex-COG members like they're Pokémon, coaching them to spill the beans, badmouth the Great Bwana, and betray his so-called "true church" in the most dramatic fashion imaginable. See? I warned you—the sun has turned his brain into overcooked scrambled eggs!

And when this glorious crapocalypse finally erupts, the Great Bwana will ascend his pulpit (or whatever rickety soapbox he uses) and bellow to the bewildered world that the Baron is poised to invade the United States, slaughter one-third of its citizens in a plot twist straight out of a B-movie, and then haul the survivors off as prisoners. Meanwhile, billions—yes, billions!—will somehow tune into the Great Bwana's message, infuriating the Baron so profoundly that he'll fling open the gates of hell itself, unleashing chaos upon the church, the world, and probably your grandma's knitting circle.

Isn't it just utterly divine how Armstrongism radiates such serene, peaceful, grace-filled vibes? Truly, a beacon of tranquility in a world gone mad—said no one ever!

We are preparing for something like the “fifteen minutes of fame” that late Andy Warhol indicated individuals or phenomena would be able to experience, as having a short-period of more influence is consistent with scripture. 

At risk of repeat, notice the following from the Book of Daniel: 

25 “He shall stir up his power and his courage against the king of the South with a great army. And the king of the South shall be stirred up to battle with a very great and mighty army; but he shall not stand, for they shall devise plans against him. 26 Yes, those who eat of the portion of his delicacies shall destroy him; his army shall be swept away, and many shall fall down slain. 27 Both these kings’ hearts shall be bent on evil, and they shall speak lies at the same table; but it shall not prosper, for the end will still be at the appointed time. 28 While returning to his land with great riches, his heart shall be moved against the holy covenant; so he shall do damage and return to his own land. (Daniel 11:25-28, NKJV)

28 Then the king of the north will return to his country with great treasures. But on the way, he will attack the religion of God’s people and do whatever else he pleases. (Daniel 11:28, CEV)

Partially because of the warning message we (the people of the holy covenant) are preaching, this will upset the upcoming prince/King of the North (Daniel 11:28). One or more associated with the Continuing Church of God will already have been identifying that the European “prince” (Daniel 9:26-27) who is rising up to become a king, is not able to truly bring peace, but instead teach that he will bring war and will be in league with the final Antichrist. Our presence on the internet, as well as commercial radio (including into Europe) will help many hear the message. 

 

Consider the following: 

29 At the appointed time he shall return and go toward the south; but it shall not be like the former or the latter. 30 For ships from Cyprus shall come against him; therefore he shall be grieved, and return in rage against the holy covenant, and do damage. So he shall return and show regard for those who forsake the holy covenant (Daniel 11:29-30).

30 For warships from western coastlands will scare him off, and he will withdraw and return home. But he will vent his anger against the people of the holy covenant and reward those who forsake the covenant. (Daniel 11:30 New Living Translation 1996 Greg Laurie).

Note: the Hebrew term translated as “Cyprus” in the NKJV is a mistranslation. The KJV uses the term Chittim which means “Western lands.” Hence the King of the North will be stopped by a western naval power (likely the USA and/or its British-descended allies) and the not nation of Cyprus. More details are in the article Who is the King of the North? 

Yet, instead consider also that the King of the North is more enraged by the people of the “holy covenant” than the naval power who stopped him!Why? 

Because he wants to try to stop the supporters of “the holy covenant” from proclaiming the truth about his intentions and truth about the gospel of the kingdom (c.f. Matthew 24:14). The King of the North will attempt to learn more about how to eliminate us and any who follow us by trying to be nice to various apostates (those who “forsake the holy covenant”) he tries to get some of them to betray true Christians (Matthew 24:10). 

Why would this be? 

Most likely this occurs because the people of the holy covenant are proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom (Matthew 24:14, as that immediately precedes “the end”) and teaching that the King of the North is fulfilling prophecies in Daniel 11 and he wants them stopped. 

It is my belief that after the peace deal in Daniel 9:27/11:23 has been made and/or confirmed by “the prince to come,” that the group that best represents the remnant of the Philadelphia era of the church per Revelation 3:7:11, the Continuing Church of God), will be publicly identifying the person who confirmed the deal (“the prince”) as the one who fulfilled Daniel 9:27/11:23-24. This enrages the King of the North so much that he initially tries to eliminate these people through political pressure and selected persecution (cf. Daniel 7:25a). 

Once we clearly identify him, we plan to specifically teach that he is about to destroy the USA (Daniel 11:39) and its British-descended allies (cf. Daniel 8:24-25), and that later he will conquer a confederation of nations in North Africa and the Middle East which will be under the control of someone that the Bible refers to as the King of the South (Daniel 11:40-43). 

We will also be warning that the idea of a human-led utopia is false and that it is only through Jesus’ return and the gospel of the kingdom that such a utopian condition will happen (see also Did The Early Church Teach Millenarianism?). 

This would be expected to trigger major media coverage. Scrutiny of real, as well as claimed, Church of God literature will likely happen and various aspects of real and incorrect COG doctrines will likely be ridiculed. Media coverage would then be expected to cover more of the message we are proclaiming (cf. The Gospel of the Kingdom of God) and this would be associated with the “short work” of Romans 9:28. Media coverage will also encourage people around the globe to check out more of our teachings, which is one of the reasons that we have multiple websites, video platforms, and materials in numerous languages. 

Back to the Book of Daniel: 

33 Those with insight will instruct many, though for a time they will fall by sword or flame, or be captured or plundered. 34 Now when they fall, they will be granted a little help, but many will join them insincerely. 35 Some of the wise will fall, so that they may be refined, purified, and made spotless until the time of the end, for it will still come at the appointed time.

36 Then the king will do as he pleases and will exalt and magnify himself above every god, and he will speak monstrous things against the God of gods. He will be successful until the time of wrath is completed, for what has been decreed must be accomplished. (Daniel 11:33-36, BSB)

“Those with insight” are Philadelphian Christians (and likely some other supporters) who will be instructing many. This is during the time of the short work and this will lead to the fulfillment of Matthew 24:14 and then the ‘famine of the word’ (Amos 8:11-12). 

Some of the Philadelphia remnant will be explaining that it is Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God and not the rise of a militaristic leader that the world needs. According to Daniel 11:32 it is “the people who know their God [that] shall be strong, and carry out great exploits.” Hundreds of millions, if not billions, will receive at least a partial witness. All of that will likely trigger the King of the North to take actions that lead to the end–this includes the persecutions, pre- (Daniel 7:25a, 11:29-36) and post-tribulation (Daniel 7:25b; Revelation 13:5-7). 

Much of what the volunteers of the Continuing Church of God are now doing is involved with preparing and/or translating materials in multiple languages for multiple websites to provide a witness to those who will later look. As well as the volunteer efforts to support online radio, various internet platforms, combined with commercial radio will garner temporal proclamation success to support the short-work of Romans 9:28 as well as giving the world a witness related to the good news of the coming kingdom of God (Matthew 24:14).

Halloween and the Annual Church of God Meltdown

"Objection to Halloween is a reflection of something much broader: an obsession with trivialities, a confusion of priorities, a primitive fear of the unknown, an arrogance that finds “righteousness” in being odd-ball and out-of-step. Fundamentalists can find something offensive or objectionable in almost anything. They have a world view in which virtually everything is “anti-Christian”. They have lost the ability to filter the important from the inconsequential. The traditional COG prohibition against Halloween ignores the facts of history, misrepresents the modern holiday, and demonstrates a woeful lack of spiritual discernment."

HALLOWEEN HYSTERIA

by Keith Stump

October is quickly flying by, meaning it’s time for the traditional Christian hand-wringing over that most “demonic” of holidays, Halloween! In anticipation of the usual anti-Halloween propaganda, I offer the following observations about this alleged “satanic festival of evil”:

First, there’s no need to point out that Halloween is not found in Leviticus 23. (Duh.) Leviticus 23 is obsolete and irrelevant anyway. Second, forget the lengthy dissertation about how the papacy (the alleged “image of the beast” and “great whore”) instituted the Roman Catholic celebrations of “All Hallows Eve” and “All Saints Day”. That, too, is irrelevant. Today’s Halloween has nothing to do with honoring Christian saints. For most, Halloween long ago ceased being viewed as a religious observance—and never was, by Americans.

The Halloween that many of us know today is largely an American phenomenon. And it’s a purely secular observance.

Yet some of Halloween’s customs do have roots in pre-Christian (“pagan”) practices. “Pagan” has long been a popular buzz word among Christians, especially among the COGs. As a Plain Truth and World Tomorrow writer, and occasional GHOSTwriter (how occult!) for the Armstrongs, I used the word liberally for decades. If it’s “pagan” in origin, it MUST be evil (like, I suppose, playing cards, wedding rings, dominoes, medicine, beer, the theater, the names of the days of the week and months of the year, and so on—all of which are scrupulously avoided in the COGs, aren’t they?).

Some of Halloween’s customs can be traced to practices of the Celtic New Year, particularly among the Druids of ancient Britain. The Celts worshipped nature deities and practiced a relatively benign type of witchcraft. (Shame on them for living before the birth of Christ! Why, they must have been as evil as Cyrus the Great, who worshipped Ishtar, the pagan goddess of love and war, and Ahura Mazda, god of light and wisdom. [Oh, wait a minute—God still called Cyrus "that righteous man from the East." Never mind.])

The Celtic festival of Samhain (which means “summer’s end” and marked the Celtic New Year, and is properly pronounced SOW-in, not “Sam Hain”) was considered to be a magical time, when the thin veil between the worlds was lifted, and the dead walked among the living. It was a night of ghosts and fairies, in which bonfires were lit and fortunes were told, and the thoughts of all turned to the afterlife. For some odd reason, the Celts didn’t think that exposing their children to contemplation of death and the afterlife was a problem. And, of course, the “witches” of the time were primarily herbalists and midwives. Witches as evil, devil-worshiping crones were an invention of the medieval Church, perpetuated by modern fundamentalists.

Despite fundamentalist assertions, there were no orgies or human sacrifices or cannibalism or devil-worshipping during Samhain. Anyone who claims otherwise is an incompetent researcher or an outright liar. And—despite all those sermonettes you’ve heard—there was never a Celtic “god of death” named “Samhain”.

The ancient Samhain festival in no way “glorified” the demonic world, nor—except for a relatively few “Satanists”—does Samhain today. Modern pagans who celebrate Samhain regard it as a time to look back on the past year and reflect on how they can become better people, and a time to honor departed loved ones and welcome them into their presence. Modern Halloween is even less focused on “making contact” with the spirit world.

Stop for a moment and consider rationally: Is a six-year-old girl trick-or-treating in a Cinderella costume “fellowshipping with demons”? Is a child covered in a sheet with eye-holes “associating with spirits”? Are employees attending a company costume party “consorting with the devil”? Is hanging a plastic skeleton in your window “paying homage to Satan”? Is carving a jack-o’-lantern “fashioning an idol”? Is bobbing for apples a “wicked revel”? Some who are reading this would reply with a resounding “yes”. And that’s because of the spiritual myopia that warps their thinking, as I’ll discuss in a moment. Goofball notions are de rigueur for the fundamentalist.

Others who are reading this have heartwarming memories of Halloween. It’s a slice of genuine Americana. It was one of the highlights of their childhood calendar—a time of family crafts and costume-making, a time to celebrate creativity and imagination. It was a time for children to dress up and solicit candy from their neighbors. (We were even taught to say “thank you”, which I’m sure irked Satan no end.) Trick-or-treating allowed the entire community to share in the Halloween festivities, as costumes were admired and rewarded with goodies. Halloween reaffirmed social bonds with friends and neighbors. These are hardly the “unfruitful works of darkness” (Eph. 5:11), unless one is a fanatic who interprets that phrase like, well, a fanatic.

(A parenthetical note to hypocrites: Anyone who condemns Halloween, yet enjoys an occasional Bela Lugosi or Boris Karloff film, or reads a Stephen King or Anne Rice thriller, or a Harry Potter novel, or who watches “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” or “The Wizard of Oz” or Disney’s “Snow White” or “Sleeping Beauty” or the “Lord of the Rings” films or who plays fantasy-based video games or visits Disneyland’s “Haunted Mansion” or watches a stage magician is a hypocrite, pure and simple. It’s like a conscientious objector being a fan of war movies. But hypocrisy is nothing new to the COGs, is it? And, for that matter, is “glorifying violence” any less “sinful” than “glorifying the occult”? (Hmm. I must have been imagining those LCG members sitting in the theater when I saw “Terminator 3″.))

To all COG members out there: Is your children’s Christianity so feeble as to be endangered by a plastic mask and a few candy bars? Are your children so inadequately grounded in their religion as to be tempted into a life of witchcraft by attending a costume party? Are you yourself so poorly rooted in your faith that you fear your children will ask questions to which you have no satisfactory answers?

I have seen no evidence of children being psychologically warped or seduced into a life of witchcraft and perversion as a result of innocent Halloween activities. I HAVE, however, seen many fearful and superstitious COG children who have been conditioned to be abnormally hypersensitive to anything blackened with the feared label “occult”. One child in particular comes to mind, whom I witnessed shrieking in stark terror at the mere sight of a jack-o-lantern. Are you raising fearful children who, like medieval peasants, see Satan lurking behind every tree and demons skulking in every dark corner? Are you raising children who fear they will “open themselves up” to “demonic control” at any moment by the slightest misstep? What a tenuous, precarious and paranoid spirituality! Satan is a defeated enemy! We need not shrink inanimate mortal remains. Explain that fear of black cats is an ancient superstition of the ignorant. Talk to them about the fanciful creations of horror fiction, like werewolves and vampires. It’s healthy to examine the things that frighten us. Tell them about “ghosts” or disembodied spirits. (The dead are relatively safe; it’s the living you need to watch out for!) And talk to them about the subject of life after physical death. Tell them about the Lord of Life who overcame death. Assuage their fears about those who can kill the body but not the soul.

Halloween is also a good time to reconsider our own views about death and the afterlife. The unbiblical doctrine of “soul sleep” would be a good place to start. The Bible clearly teaches (and centuries of experience demonstrate) that death does not interrupt self-awareness; personal identity survives death! By contrast, Herbert Armstrong’s so-called “restored truth” about “What is Man?” is totally without biblical foundation, though his followers blindly accept it. Measuring truth by the teachings of a morally unprincipled deviate who was indisputably unqualified for ministry by biblical standards (i Tim. 3:2-7; Titus 1:6-7) is far scarier than any aspect of Halloween! (A rule of thumb, which I’ll throw in free of charge: The farther an individual or group moves away from the teachings of the so-called Philadelphia era of the Church of God, the closer he moves toward genuine truth and balanced spirituality.)

So here’s my point: Objection to Halloween is a reflection of something much broader: an obsession with trivialities, a confusion of priorities, a primitive fear of the unknown, an arrogance that finds “righteousness” in being odd-ball and out-of-step. Fundamentalists can find something offensive or objectionable in almost anything. They have a world view in which virtually everything is “anti-Christian”. They have lost the ability to filter the important from the inconsequential. The traditional COG prohibition against Halloween ignores the facts of history, misrepresents the modern holiday, and demonstrates a woeful lack of spiritual discernment.

So, in a nutshell, my message to Christians about Halloween is: Lighten up! There is nothing spiritually harmful about this tradition. Sensibly observed, Halloween can be a day of wholesome fun and merriment. Believe it or not, not everything in life has to have some deep spiritual connotation. Halloween is “Satan’s Holiday” only to those who concede it to him or arbitrarily label it as such. Christians have been redeemed from the forces of evil. We don’t have to give credence to Satan’s claimed authority in any area of life. Don’t surrender to the fear, superstition and hypocrisy of the fundamentalist, who wouldn’t recognize a little harmless fun if he tripped over it, who is oblivious to the value of fantasy, who has no idea what “magic” and “witchcraft” really are, to whom everything paranormal is “demonic” and who trembles before the power of Satan and his demons (whether he admits it or not). Don’t fall prey to shady “scholarship” and flawed arguments about this holiday. Don’t let anyone judge you in respect of this or any other occasion. Safe, fun Halloween activities are NOT “of the “devil”.

To believe other wise is just plain silly!

Richard Ames: Keeping Halloween Makes You Think About Evil for the Rest of the Year

It is close to Halloween and the COG's are churning or should I say, regurgitating, out their annual paganism articles.  In their eyes Christan are one step away from sacrificing the children on the altar of Satan.  Oh wait, according to LCG some parents are already doing that!

Pithy sayings of Richard Ames of the Living Church of God:

Should we follow our neighbors, like proverbial lemmings, off the dangerous cliff of pagan practices?

By observing Halloween, we teach our children to make light of Satan the Devil—or even to think like him! Should we then be surprised when our children remain curious about evil—or even invite it—for the rest of the year?

Do we teach our children to attract and cultivate evil spirits at Halloween? Certainly, dressing up like a demon or a witch invites evil rather than opposes it!

Some parents encourage their children to participate in the world of demons. Are some of you parents sacrificing your children to Satan and to wicked spirits

It’s time for such so-called Christians to repent of supporting the Devil and rebelling against Christ!

False prophet Bwana Bob Mzungu Thiel, an apostate LCG member, loved to say this:

Jesus and Paul did not observe Halloween.

Perhaps Richard Ames should ask himself why the LCG has followed the teachings of Herbert Armstrong like proverbial lemmings?  With it's hundreds of failed prophecies, proven false doctrines, and extra non-biblical laws, why does he continue to keep it all and force it upon others?