Will the Churches of God Unite Together For A Fast For California?

CA Deadliest Fire

I too have a dream - a dream that the COG groups will get together and have a joint fast. 

A fast for the people in California who in 1 week have suffered 2 huge wildfires and a mass shooting. A fast to beseech God for mercy, comfort, healing, and rescue for our fellow human beings. 

A fast for our divided nation that they will be more tolerant of our internal differences and stop attacking one another. 

A fast for the end of division in the COG groups. 

An immediate end to division internally and joint church services for COGWA, LCG, and UCG, plus all other groups who want to join. 

Because of the belief in servant leadership, an end to calling ministers Mr. - whoever heard of calling servants Mr. anyway?

TLA

Satan Attacks Petra In Order To Scare COG Members

According to the Church of God, a sure sign of the end times is when Satan rises up and attacks the Philadelphian church and the Laodiceans.  The Philadelphians are lucky though, they et to flee to Petra where they will live in millenial bliss for 3 1/2 years, making the deseret bloom like a rose. Satan is angry that the true church will possibly be taking shelter in Petra and somewhere else in Jordan that he will do all he can to thwart their journey there.

The BBC had this story today about how 4,000 tourists had to be evacuated from Petra and several Jordanians had died in flash floods:

Jordan flash floods: Eleven killed and tourists evacuated from Petra

Rescue teams and helicopters are searching for five people whose car was swept away in Madaba, south-west of the capital, Amman.

Downpours also triggered a state of emergency in the port city of Aqaba.

It comes two weeks after 21 people, mostly children, drowned in a flash flood in the Dead Sea area.

A civil defence spokeswoman told AFP news agency on Friday that a child was among those killed by floods in the Dabaa region, south of Amman.

A main road connecting the capital with the south of the country was also cut off, she added.

In Petra, floodwaters in some areas rose up to 4m (13ft), state TV reported. Footage showed people on the city's main road trying to stay clear of the water. 

Evacuated tourists were taken to safe areas, government spokeswoman Jumana Ghunaimat said.

She said more heavy rain was expected on Saturday and residents in affected areas were being urged to evacuate their homes. 

Jordan has suffered weeks of heavy rain. There was a public outcry last month after 18 children on a school trip were swept away, leading to the resignation of the country's education and tourism ministers. 

This immediately set the official false prophet of the Church of God into meltdown.  Bob Thiel writes today:

Petra is considered by many in and out of the Church of God as being the place or near the place that God will provide protection during the Great Tribulation/Day of the Lord. 

The late Pastor General of the old Worldwide Church of God, Herbert W. Armstrong thought it may be, but he was not definitive, as he wrote:

Petra may very well be the site for God’s protection of HIS PEOPLE—those who are counted WORTHY TO ESCAPE the terrifying GREAT TRIBULATION that is soon to strike an unsuspecting Israel! PETRA, an ancient Arab stronghold deep in the rugged mountains, is accessible only by traveling through narrow, twisting gorges on horseback! (Letter, April 15, 1956). 

Apparently many are carelessly supposing they are now SURE of being protected through the Great Tribulation (now ALMOST READY TO STRIKE!). Whether it will be Petra or another place, many feel carelessly secure, and, after that, entering God’s Kingdom with ETERNAL LIFE! But YOU DON’T HAVE IT “MADE.” You are still being TRIED — to determine whether you shall have this protection — whether you shall enter the Kingdom of God! It is those who are LED BY the Spirit of God — NOT those who are led by desire for more and more physical and material things!…SO, hundreds of you are SLACKING OFF in your RESPONSIBILITIES in GOD’S WORK!…SO, hundreds of you are SLACKING OFF in your RESPONSIBILITIES in GOD’S WORK! (Letter, September 1, 1968). 

Incidentally, I know many of you seem to have your hearts set on going very soon to Petra as “the place of safety” during the soon-coming Great Tribulation. Well, GET YOUR MINDS OFF PETRA. Brethren, I HAVE NEVER said that Petra definitely is the place of protection where God will take us. I HOPE IT IS NOT! One reason it could be the place is that it is a place NOBODY ELSE WOULD WANT TO GO. It would be the most UNpleasant, UNcomfortable, miserable place you could go! There is nothing to be desired there. But, just in case, God HAS miraculously given me very gracious favor in the eyes of King Hussein and also his brother, the Crown Prince. They are very friendly to me personally (Letter, July 16, 1982).

Philadelphian Bob loves to trot out Herbert's nonsense on this as PROOF that Philadelphian COG members will be the only ones going to Petra while the Laodiceans get left behind to serve as servants of the Germans or killed in concentration camps, which is what Thiel believes will happen to all LCG members for not following him into the one final true church.

(all hyperlinks have been removed to prevent exposure to further heresy)   

Thus, Herbert Armstrong thought Petra could be the place, but felt that those who slacked off in their responsibilities in doing God’s work, would probably not go. 

Here is a prophecy concerning some Christians being protected and others not so being protected:

13 Now when the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male Child. 14 But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent. 15 So the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood. 16 But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. 17 And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. (Revelation 12:13-17) 

Notice that there are two groups of end-time Christians according to Revelation 12:14-17–one group that is protected, and the other that is not. 

It is to the Philadelphian Christians Jesus promised protection from the hour of trial:

7 “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write, ‘These things says He who is holy, He who is true, “He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens”: 8 “I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name. 9 Indeed I will make those of the synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews and are not, but lie — indeed I will make them come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you. 10 Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. (Revelation 3:7-10)

I will give you one guess as to who the true Philadelphians are.  It is doubly cursed Bob's improperly named "continuing" Church of God.  No shocker there.  The prophet of paganism goes on to claim that the recent flood in Petra has already been written about in one of his previous articles.  It is all in Jeremiah...

Not what about the flooding? 

Does that eliminate Petra or some other Jordanian location? 

No. 

I have written about the floodplains of Jordan and the place of safety in the past. Here is something posted here over five years ago:

Interestingly, Jeremiah wrote:

You who dwell in Moab, Leave the cities and dwell in the rock, And be like the dove which makes her nest in the sides of the cave’s mouth (Jeremiah 48:28).
For thus says the LORD: “Behold, one shall fly like an eagle, And spread his wings over Moab…” (Jeremiah 48:40). 

It should also be noted that Petra is south, south-east of Jerusalem, which, as we saw earlier, is a possible direction for the place to be. Other than the aspect of caves (which does not mention the amount of caves), it should be noted, that many other areas in Jordan also are in the right direction and fit the description of the place–so it is possible that the Church may flee into Jordan and not stay in Petra, but somewhere else in Jordan or a neighboring area. 

It may be of interest to note that although Moab (somewhat associated with modern Jordan) is likely to somewhat support the upcoming King of the South (Daniel 11:40), Moab ends up escaping the punishment by the final King of the North (Daniel 11:40-43)–and possibly God allows this escape because the place of protection may be in their land (though the King of the North would likely believe that there are other reasons, including political ones). 

There is another passage of scripture that may be alluding to a Jordanian location for the place, which states,

5 If you have run with footmen, and they have wearied you, then how can you contend with horses? And if in the land of peace, in which you trusted, they have wearied you, then how will you do in the floodplain of Jordan? 6 For even you brothers, the house of your father, even they have dealt treacherously with you; Yes they have called a multitude after you. Do not believe them, even though they speak smooth words to you” (Jeremiah 12:5-6). 

The implication to God’s people is if you are having a difficult time living in a relatively peaceful land, what will happen to you when you are being pursued by ‘a multitude’ in the ‘floodplain of Jordan’? 

Remember, the serpent spews out a flood to try to destroy those who flee to the wilderness (Revelation 12:14-15). Thus it is possible that this is why Jeremiah is warning God’s people about how they will do in the ‘floodplain of Jordan’ (most any map suggests this floodplain looks like it is east of Jerusalem, God’s people would probably need to cross it if they arrive in Jerusalem and head towards Petra).  They will also have lessons to learn. (Thiel B. Philadelphian Christians may wander to get to the place of safety. COGwriter.com, September 17, 2013) 

Thus, a flood could be in Petra or on the way there, consistent with Revelation 12 and Jeremiah 12. 

Although most of the world does not consider a place in Jordan or that basic area as a place to flee to for protection, scripturally, the place in the wilderness God promised looks to be in that region.

I just can't what for Thiel to enter Petra and find Pack, Weinland, Flurry, UCG, COGWA, and the rest of the COG leaders already there arguing over who is going to be in charge.  It is not going to a pretty sight when Bobbie finds out that none of them will let him be in charge as none of them will pay him any attention.

Does receiving a "double portion" automatically make one a prophet?

There is a long-running blog (since 2008) that has been run by a COG member that has taken another hit against our resident self-appointed false prophet, Bob Thiel of the improperly named "continuing" Church of God.

Almost everyone in and out of the Church of God totally understands why Thiel's outlandish claims are without merit and ultimately a dangerous road for any Christian to follow.  Everyone that is except for the diploma-mill "dr." Thiel. Almost as soon as Rod Meredith kicked Theil to the curb because of his outlandish claims and outright lies, the self-appointed prophet began dreaming up claims that he tried to legitimize himself in the eyes of the leadership and members of LCG who have spent decades laughing at him behind his back.

That ultimate rejection by his spiritual daddy, Rod Meredith, was like a knife in his back.  He needed to come up with new ideas to prove himself worthy of being followed.  He immediately began blaming Meredith and LCG for being lax in their ways and teachings and soon resorted to "interpreting" his dreams in order to make himself look worthy to be followed.  Finally after too many bad meals that resulted in lots of restless dreams, Thiel miraculous became the ONLY true COG leader on earth today.

Anyway, back to the blog:

2 Kings 2:9-15 tells of the time when the prophet Elijah was carried by a whirlwind into heaven. At the same time, his office and responsibilities were transferred to Elisha who was to be prophet in his place (1 Kings 19:15-16).

Elisha asked Elijah for a "double portion of your spirit" (2 Kings 2:9). What did that refer to? Did it mean becoming a prophet? Was a prophetic office indicated by the term "double portion"?

No. That is impossible.

The Bible does not specify exactly what was meant by that term and everything it indicated. Perhaps it referred to the power to work signs and miracles. But it did not indicate the office of prophet.

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I bring this up because some think that if a minister anoints someone and asks God to give that person a double portion of God's Spirit, that is the same thing as ordaining that person as a prophet. Nothing could be further from the truth.

In previous posts I have made the point that making the request for a double portion does not mean God grants the request. Even Elijah did not know if God would give Elisha what he asked. Even today, when a member is anointed for healing, which is promised, God does not always heal even in this lifetime, and a double portion of God's Spirit is not even promised.

But now I am showing that the "double portion" does not even refer to being a prophet.

It can't. Elijah knew Elisha would be prophet from what God had told him in 1 Kings 19:16. He would not have answered Elisha as he did if "double portion" meant the office of prophet. The matter of Elisha being a prophet was not a question at this point. It was already settled. Not so the "double portion". That was something else. Elijah did not know if God would grant that request.

So the "double portion" Elisha requested and the office of prophet were two different things.

How do we know if a man in the Church of God is a prophet? Only God can make someone a prophet. But how do we know if He has done so?

The next part is my favorite. I can feel the butthurt all the way from Arroyo Grande when the self-appointed one read this:

God gives criteria.

One is, he must be faithful, overall, to God's way of life. He must be faithful to strive to believe and live by every word of God (Matthew 4:4). That does not mean he is perfect. But overall, he must be faithful to teach the truth. In particular, he must not try to turn the people to false gods. "If there arises among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams, and he gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder comes to pass, of which he spoke to you, saying, 'Let us go after other gods'—which you have not known—'and let us serve them,' you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams, for the Lord your God is testing you to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul" (Deuteronomy 13:1-3).

This includes not pointing the people to demon-inspired messages about the future. "For these nations which you will dispossess listened to soothsayers and diviners; but as for you, the Lord your God has not appointed such for you" (Deuteronomy 18:14).

A man who quotes and publishes and spreads pagan and demon-inspired prophecies about the future, trying to learn and teach from demons details of the future that God does not choose to reveal, disqualifies himself from being a true prophet. 

The self-appointed prophet has yet to make any prophecy concerning the future or uttered anything over the last few years that came to pass.  The problem with the doubly-deceived prophet is that he cannot differentiate between his personal ideas,  hopes, and desires from letting his god speak to him.  Thiel's visions are nothing more than wishful thinking and are not a communication from God.  Everyone sees that except for him.

But also, a true prophet of God is given prophecy by God. God gives prophecy - sure prophetic messages by direct revelation from God - to His true prophets. And a sign of a prophet is accurate predictions in those messages of future events. When a prediction in a prophetic message comes true in a way that is unlikely by chance, that is a sign that the man is a true prophet.  

"And if you say in your heart, 'How shall we know the word which the Lord has not spoken?'—when a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the thing does not happen or come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him" (Deuteronomy 18:21-22).

I find no example in the Bible of a prophet without prophecy. Any man who claims to be a prophet but who has never received a direct prophetic message from God is practicing wishful thinking.

Those are two qualifications for being a prophet - not turning the people to false gods, false doctrines, or messages from demons, and actually receiving prophetic messages from God - messages about the future that can be verified when the future event comes to pass.

Both are needed.

So what happens if,  by chance, the doubly blessed one actually does make some kind of prophecy that might come to pass?  More butthurt is to ensured:

What if someone who claims to be a prophet of God makes a prediction that comes to pass, but also turns people to demon-inspired pagan prophecies? Is that person a true prophet?

No.

God may allow a false teacher to make a true prediction as a way of testing His people to know if they will believe His word, the Bible, or not. See Deuteronomy 13:1-3 which I quoted above.

So even if a man can make true predictions about the future, if he points people to pagan and demon-inspired messages, he cannot be a true prophet of God.

How much less a man who claims to be a prophet, points people to pagan prophecies, and cannot even make his own prophetic predictions.

Check out Preaching the Gospel here.