One of the most effective tricks of Armstrognism was to instill fear in its members. That fear kept the membership obedient and submissive. Fear of losing ones salvation or being persecuted for ones beliefs was the favorite control mechanism of the Church of God. Rod Meredith's god has always been eternally pissed and angry at everyone. From regular church members to the pagan heathens in lost corners of the world. His god has been ready to SPANK everyone into submission.
In his January/February editorial, Rod's god is ready to wreck havoc upon an unsuspecting world, BUT before it does so the Living Church of God will face INTENSE persecution of its FORCEFUL message.
Brethren, with the entire panorama of prophetic events surging ahead more than ever, I deeply feel that I should once again give you “proper warning” about what to expect in the years ahead. We often emphasize the blessings and the opportunitieswe will surely have in God’s Work—and, later on, in Tomorrow’s World. Our reward will be awesome. However, it is very clear in the New Testament that many true Christians will be persecuted—even before the formal Tribulation begins. So it is imperative that you understand this, pray about this, and are not “shocked” or disillusioned if the world begins to savagely turn on us at some point before the end of our ministry!While LCG members are not being persecuted for their faith, fake Christians are dying around the world. Meredith and other COG ministers (Thiel) love to smear Christians as "professed" or "so-called." These people apparently are too stupid to know that they are not real Christians like LCG members are. Rod somehow thanks that the LCG will soon be restricted and banned around the world for their message. Its laughable to think that such a thing will happen to them considering the cesspool the LCG leadership is currently swimming in. They have not set any example to the world other than what NOT to do in a church. Instead of being persecuted they are being laughed at and set forth as an example as to how not to treat ones members.
Even apart from the true Church, professing Christians around the world are suffering increased persecution. News reports tell us of more and more horrifying instances of their being tortured, killed, raped or even sold into slavery in many non-Christian lands.
And now there is a movement in many European countries to crack down on virtually all religious groups that are not in the “mainstream.” These groups include Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Seventh Day Adventists and others. Clearly, as the Living Church of God gains worldwide recognition and prominence for doing the Work of God, we too will be restricted—maybe banned!—and eventually persecuted in many nations around the world.
The Living Church of God has been facing lots of criticism over the last few years as abusive ministers are placed in positions of authority where they treat members like dirt, with the full blessing of LCG HQ. (Just look at Rod McNair's track record and what he has done.) Yet, Meredith places that criticism into the category of "persecution." Members have never had the right in the Church of God to have the ability to ask for justice. Mistreatment by the minister was always turned around to be a "test" to see if the members were worthy. That's why the ministry has always gotten away with its grievous abuse of members. It was Satan the accuser at work, never sick and degenerate men who who should never have been ordained.
Truly, we all will need to “stand tall” against the storms of criticism, hatred and persecution that Satan will hurl at us, both from within and from without. For Satan will attempt to “break” us. He and his untold legions of demon spirits (Ephesians 6:11–12) will try to divide us, pitting brother against brother, even in God’s Church! He will attempt to discourage us profoundly, through repeated attacks, accusations and persecution. Eventually, after his “frontal assault” on God fails, Satan will “come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time” (Revelation 12:12).
Will you be ready? The time for us to be bickering, competing and accusing one another must quickly come to a close, brethren! For we have a far greater enemy in the “prince of darkness” than many of us may fully realize. And we will need all the love, encouragement and support of our brethren that we can possibly have during the trials ahead.
Sadly the persecution of the brethren has come from within, not from Satan or the world who is upset with their message. The persecution is coming from men who do not follow Jesus or even know anything about him. When ones own leaders cannot talk about Jesus, his message, what he accomplished, grace, justification or any other new covenant teachings, what more can one expect? When the message is about the law, death and doom, how can grace ever shine forth? Reading through any missive by Rod Meredith, particularly his editorial, you can see how graceless the man truly is and what what he preaches.
