Heretic of the week: HWA

In today's newsfeed:

Heretic of the week: Herbert W Armstrong

Catholic Herald. UK 

Charles Coulombe 

Herbert W Armstrong (1892-1986) was an American prophet, in the mould of Joseph Smith and Mary Baker Eddy – though his doctrines were far removed from theirs.

Born in Des Moines, Iowa, to a Quaker family, he married a distant cousin, Loma Dillon, in 1917. The newlyweds moved to Chicago. Early in their marriage, Mrs Armstrong had a dream in which she was told that her husband had a divine mission. In 1924, following some business reverses, they moved to Eugene, Oregon, to live with her parents. There the intrepid couple joined a Seventh Day Adventist splinter group, and Herbert began to develop his distinctive doctrines. These combined some of the usual Adventist beliefs – adherence to the Saturday Sabbath, for example – with a refusal to observe “pagan” Christian holidays and the adoption of certain other Jewish beliefs. Added to that was a highly developed and unusual set of Bible prophecies, as well as British Israelism. This is the idea, dating back to the 19th century, that the peoples of the British Isles are the descendants of the children of Israel, and the Royal Family are the successors of the House of David – Queen Elizabeth II, in effect, being the true successor of David and Solomon, not Christ.

Using radio very judiciously, Armstrong spread his message so successfully that his Worldwide Church of God was soon supporting a four-year university in Pasadena, California, and providing millions in humanitarian aid to struggling nations – which in turn allowed him to hobnob with heads of state and gather decorations.

A very public falling out with his son damaged Armstrong’s work, and after his death his successors purged his beliefs from the denomination’s teachings. But Armstrongism continues to be held by a large number of splinter groups.

Rain, Floods, Wind, Tornados, Heat, Oh Noes! The World Is Coming To An End!

I always wonder how long it will take for Church of God false prophets to get all smug and self-righteous anytime there is a report of weather-related issues. Yesterday, the official self-appointed, know-it-all Church of God, Bawana Elijah Bob Thiel, got his homeopathic knickers all in a wad over recent heat, rain, and flooding.  He quotes several news articles and says this:

Extreme weather is hitting various parts of the world:

As it has for tens of thousands of years. Now, you just have the internet making instant news available which allows COG false prophets to take advantage of it.

He then goes on to quote out of one of his book he self-published:

The Bible repeatedly warns, especially in the Hebrew scriptures, that various sins will result in destructive weather (see Weather Blessings and Sorrows). Weather is not as random as most seem to want to believe.

Back in 2009, in a book that accurately laid out what would and would NOT happen in 2012, I mentioned the following was about to happen:

Considering all of the natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods, food shortages, and economic problems in the past few years, perhaps this would be a good time to explain that the Bible shows that these problems were expected to occur prior to the great tribulation. Those outside the Bible have sometimes referred to a time such as this as a time of transition or chaos. … 

There will be a generation that will experience end-time events, beginning with “sorrows,” including the Great Tribulation, heavenly signs, and finally the return of Jesus Christ (Matthew 24:5-34). … 

Mark recorded the same account of this time from his perspective: 

³ Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked Him privately, ⁴ “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign when all these things will be fulfilled?” ⁵ And Jesus, answering them, began to say: “Take heed that no one deceives you. ⁶ For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He,’ and will deceive many. ⁷ But when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be troubled; for such things must happen, but the end is not yet. ⁸ For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines and troubles. These are the beginnings of sorrows. ⁹ But watch out for yourselves, for they will deliver you up to councils, and you will be beaten in the synagogues. You will be brought before rulers and kings for My sake, for a testimony to them. ¹⁰ And the gospel must first be preached to all the nations. ¹¹ But when they arrest you and deliver you up, do not worry beforehand, or premeditate what you will speak. But whatever is given you in that hour, speak that; for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit…” (Mark 13:3–11). 

Thus, in both Matthew and Mark it is clear that a time called “the beginning of sorrows” precedes the Great Tribulation. 

Notice that in Mark’s account he uses the term troubles. Troubles would seem to include economic and political problems, in addition to those specifically mentioned, such as wars, famines, natural disasters, and pestilences. .. 

Odd weather patterns result in food shortages and natural disasters.	Matthew 24:7
The world is actually in a berserk transition, as the real age of peace is not yet here. It may be a period of chaos. It is the beginning of sorrows.	Matthew 24:8

(Thiel B. 2012 and the Rise of the Secret Sect. Nazarene Books, 2009)

The above was published because it was consistent with Bible prophecy. We have been seeing odd weather patterns.

Extreme weather should be a wake-up call to repent.

The warnings from the Bible are going out, but many will ignore them. Will you?

The people who need to repent first are all of the false leaders, teachers, and defenders of Armstrongism.  How can any sane person believe the crap that flows from Thiel, Malm, Pack and all the other professional COG liars out there?  

"Walking the walk" In The Church of God

True and honest worship of God is in the daily lives of your reflection of the One who lives and loves in you. How do you bring God glory? How do you bring God praise? You live as He lives. You walk as He walked.

In the Churches of God what they will tell you is that walking as He walked - “walking the walk”, you might say – involves a rigid and legalistic ritual life of days, seasons, times, and years. And though observing such things can have a benefit, it falls fall short of what walking the walk genuinely requires an honest and God-fearing Christian.

Being a Christian is a 24 hour a day, seven day a week experience. It is observing this world and the things of this world through the mind of Jesus Christ. It is being and becoming a breathing, living, and responsive reflection of who Christ is. It is showing the grace of God in everyday life.

It is laughing with the widow, helping the lame, grieving with the lonely, uplifting the heavy-hearted. It is laughter with the joyful and crying with the hurt. It is worship in attitude and worship in action, clothed and radiant with thanksgiving and praise of Jesus Christ who came from and was sent by God the Father.

It is reflecting and radiating the entire spectrum of love from wavelength to wavelength – being mindful and observant to prayerfully never miss an opportunity to show the hungry and spiritually starving who Jesus Christ is. Regardless of the date, the moment, or the occasion, you reflect Christ. You show Christ. You live Christ. You breathe Christ.

Here's what Christianity is not. Christianity is not avoiding your relatives and family because the only time you can see them is on Christmas. Christianity is not refusing to open the door to talk to little children on October 31st. Christianity is not refusing to go to a son's or daughter's or family member's birthday party. Christianity is not believing you are more than a Christian than another because you go to Church on Saturday and they go to Church on Sunday. Christianity is not skipping a funeral or a wedding because it's more important to be at a church service than to show love to your family. Christianity is not spending every moment trying to convince people you are a prophet, or a minister, or a pastor, or endlessly typing on your keyboard thinking you know more about every subject on this great earth than anyone else does about religion or Christianity. This isn't living Christianity, this is making a farce out of Christianity and making one's self look like a blind, arrogant and conceited idiot. And more than this - Christianity is not thanking God that one is more of a Christian than anyone else - or condemning other Christians as "falsely so-called" because they aren't submitting to one person's religious dogmas. Herbert Armstrong and his doctrines did far more to damage the essential elements of real Christianity than one can ever imagine, and the rotten fruit's stench keeps on coming from certain ones to this day who wallow in the muck of putrid vomit that supposedly passes as "Christianity".  

Days and seasons and times of years do not act as an on and off switch to reflecting and radiating the very Christ who lives in you. There is never an excuse to say that you are “called” and others are “not called”. The very nature of humility is the shedding of pompous arrogance, prideful self-centered thoughts and actions. Those who call themselves ministers and servants of God will not be exalting who they are or their title or their position. They will not need to say who they are or what they do. Christ will be what others will see when they minister – no one else, not themselves. There will never have to be a convincing argument needed. People will know. People will acknowledge, people will see that the living Christ is the one working, and no title or position or rank, whether it's minister or pastor, or evangelist or prophet, or apostle or bishop will need to be said. Those who resort to the need of proving to others who they think that they are simply showing others what they are not and never have been, and never have been called to be, for their actions out their inner selves filly displayed for all to see and for the entirety of the Church to rebuke and chasten, and run from.

The Church is the people of God. It is a spiritual organism that transcends physical time and physical space. It is a people who have Jesus Christ living in and through them. It is a people who don't only say Christ but live Christ in every action. To restrict these actions to a calendar day is the strongest quenching of God's spirit in action. The Sabbath Rest is an outpouring from God inwards to you and outwards to others – the Kingdom of God at hand and in action. The Sabbath rest is in Him, and in You, and for all. Days – and seasons – have benefit – but are inferior and physical. Life in Christ and living in Christ is beyond the calendar – and intrinsically spiritual. And God's Rest – His Sabbath Rest – is a spiritual life of love, humility, grace, respect, truth, compassion, kindness, joy, and peace from the very God who gave His Son for all. This is the freedom of Christ in action. For those who live this way, there is only grace and freedom through Him. And this is why Paul stated that you are not under Law – but under Grace. For those who live Christ – sin shall not be your master, only overflowing and outgoing love in Him through the Spirit of God.

Submitted by SHT