Has the COG Shackled and Chained the Freedom We Have?

If there's one thing that Armstrong Apologists tend to bristle their brow about is the "protestant" concept about "Freedom In Christ". In the universe that Herbert Armstrong created, "true Christianity" is militaristic in every sense of the word - a hierarchy from top to bottom set to regulations and rules as derived in the Old Testament - from the fundamental basics as listed in the Ten Commandments to, in some cases, every jot and tittle as can possibly be made applicable in Leviticus and Deuteronomy. These rules and regulations - as critical as they are to understanding the very minimum of what Christianity is all about (Love to God and love to neighbor) - have become the chief cornerstone, on which even every command of Jesus Christ Himself hangs on. This is a highly controversial subject and the core differentiator of what causes Armstrongism to, well, be exactly what it is today. 

The view of the Father - and Jesus - in many Armstrongism circles - is one of a prosecutor. God is sitting in heaven, with the Books of the Commands spread out and opened - judging how well that his servants are doing in their obedience to the Law. In Armstrongism circles, this is primarily: Obedience to the Ten Commandments, Obedience to the Sabbath and Holy Days, Obedience to the Dietary Food Laws, Obedience to the laws of Morality, Observance of Holy Convocations, and Tithing. Anything else that is "questionable" is decided on by the Church Authorities (that is, whoever has decided to take that claim, and convinces followers of their legitimacy) on the Law of Binding and Loosing. This not only absolves the lay member of any personal responsibility (the decision is always up to the Church Authorities), but takes the "protestant" concept about "Freedom in Christ" and buries it under the rug. In Armstrongism, the only "Freedom" one has is whatever is approved by whoever's in charge. Personal responsibility and decisions always fall under the rug of the Authorities. 

The focus that made Armstrongism so appealing to so many in the 20th Century was on a "revival" of the neglected laws that a "great, false Church" buried away. The claim that many adopted so enthusiastically is that the "great, false church" traded in God's appointed times and seasons for man-made traditions and festivals, with the charge that they were not licensed or authorized to do so. The charge has been that paganism had infiltrated the Church, and those that think they are worshiping Jesus Christ in "Protestantism" have been hoodwinked into pagan and even "satanic" rituals and observances - and aren't really worshipping Christ at all. The claim that Armstrong Apologists make is that they have absolutely no freedom of worship or observance, regardless of what and how their heart is. 

In fact, "the heart" has historically in Armstrongism been the most mocked and - for lack of a better term - sissified - emotional aspect of Christianity in it's dogmatic history. "the heart" - the true intent and purpose of a person's actions and thoughts - was the one aspect of spirituality that was continuously dogged and beaten out in favor of militaristic obedience. One could even say that the "heart" was beaten out of a person in favor of chains and shackles. And those who - in protestant and in "Worldly" circles had their hearts in the "right place" - that is, worship of Jesus Christ and the obedience of the commands of Jesus Christ - were simply "Deceived", could not get it, and would not get it - they'd get their chance "later". For those in the Church who "knew better"? Everyone else in the "world" was simply uncalled, unsaved, cut-off, pagan, heathen, un-Christian charlatans with absolutely no knowledge of what Christ - and freedom in Christ - was all about. 

The reality is that the greater sin was not on those in what we termed "the world". The greater sin was that of judgment by the adherents of Armstrongism to every member and denomination of mainstream Christianity. Every catholic, every protestant, every man, woman, and child who faithfully and, with full belief in Jesus Christ, went to Church on Sunday mornings, on Easter, and on Christmas, who lived lives of love and exhibited the fruits of the Spirit in their walk of life, who lived lives according to the Code of Morality - judged as lost and deceived and "2nd Res" people because they didn't subscribe to the "Faith once delivered". Every one of these people were judged as "the world" to be avoided. Every person who loved God and loved neighbor was judged, and judged severely, while at the same time all of the carnality, deception, lies, and evils within Armstrongism were somehow not as bad because Armstrong Adherents were keeping the Sabbath, the Holy Days, and had the name "the Church of God". The stench of hypocrisy was stronger than the stench of a year-old tuna salad sandwich. Their hearts were not considered. Their hearts were judged and trampled on. 

Freedom in Christ is a level and a standard of maturity for those who have grown in wisdom, and in mind, and in actions. With the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in the mind and in the hearts of a true Christian, there is freedom. (2 Cor. 3:17). But for those in Armstrongism," for to this day, the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away." 

That freedom allows choice. That freedom allows responsibility. That freedom allows options. That freedom allows thought and thinking. That freedom allows opportunity. That freedom allows ways and methods - whatever is needed or necessary as an Ambassador of Jesus Christ to show Christ and to be the hands and the feet of Jesus Christ. It is that freedom that allows interaction with others - to show and even for many - introduce - what love is and who Christ is through the power of the Spirit. 

You cannot show and introduce what love is and who Christ is through the Spirit by avoidance. You miss opportunities by holding on to the obsolete writings of stone of the old Covenant. You miss opportunities to share Christ when, in self-righteous arrogance, one in great pious conviction stays away from "worldly people" in "worldly celebrations". When you are filled with the spirit, when your heart is in the right place, the spirit will transcend the physical every time. You are enacting and using the freedom of Christ in you and through God's spirit to do God's will whether you are attending The Feast, or Trumpets, or Atonement, or stretching your freedom to Christmas, to Easter, or Sunday, or any other day. Your heart - their heart - your fruits - can make a difference, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, no matter where you are or what you are doing so long as you are doing it in Christ and in the Lord - for his glory. 

Armstrongism was, and is, shackles and chains on the freedom of Christ available to a believer. It is a hindrance to the power of the Spirit. It is a quencher of the works of God, and a disabler of the heart. It is a doorstop on opportunity to serve and to honor God and love to man. God is not confined by time, nor by the calendar, nor by the cycles of the sun, moon, and stars. God's spirit transcends these things, as a servant of Christ is focused not on the physical, or on times and seasons, but on the permanence and timelessness of the spiritual. Once one looks beyond denominations and earthly religious and non-religious empires and begins to see the transcendence of the spiritual, and the omnipresence of the new Covenant, and the width and height and depth of the grace of God in all his people - then the veil is lifted, and freedom - true freedom in Christ, can set a person free - at last. 

Submitted by SHT 

Gerald Flurry: Is He the Path to Glory?

For people who think Armstrongism is some benign religion that is not harmful to people, then they need to check out Gerald Flurry.  He claims that he has "written" that "little book" mentioned in Revelation. Flurry calls that book, Malachi's Message. Thanks to lots of detective work by church members over the decades, it is well known that Flurry stole the entire book from Jules Deraves.  Dervaes compose a serious of letters that started in 1986 and continued onward till he had completed seven "scrolls" that were a witness to the church.  You can read Dervaes Letters to Laodicea here.

Flurry claims his book is essential to one's salvation and is the path to glory.

The “little book” mentioned in the book of Revelation introduces the lukewarm Laodicean era of God’s Church. While the world catapults into self-annihilation, the little book discusses a deadly spiritual falling away. God gave His people a message to deliver, but they quit prophesying. 

However, God won’t be stopped by a few rebels; He raised up the ruins through a loyal remnant. The little book explains this miracle in great detail. 

Once the little book is revealed, the Great Tribulation and the work of the two witnesses are imminent. Beyond that, the little book points to the soon-to-come return of Jesus Christ. Readers of the truth inside the little book will understand this powerful King will end mankind’s disastrous rule and set up a perfect eternal government.

“And the voice which I heard from heaven spake unto me again, and said, Go and take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel which standeth upon the sea and upon the earth. And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book. And he said unto me, Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey. And I took the little book out of the angel’s hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter” (Revelation 10:8-10). 

God wants us to eat up the little book! We must devour and digest this bittersweet message.

The stormy wind comes in the form of the little book of Rev. 10. THAT LITTLE BOOK IS MALACHI’S MESSAGE. That little book is the vanguard of the STORMY WIND. (Flurry, Gerald. The Little Book. Philadelphia Trumpet. Sept-Oct 1992). 

We also firmly believe that Malachi’s Message is the little book of Revelation 10. (Leap Dennis. As quoted in Philadelphia Official Responds. The Journal. June 30, 1998. p.8). 

The little book and our message is to measure the Church to prove that they are Laodiceans (Flurry, Gerald. Lamentations and the End-Time Laodiceans. Booklet. 1993. p.6.).  

Malachi’s Message was delivered to me and the PCG in 1989. A MIGHTY ANGEL DIRECTLY FROM GOD REVEALED IT! 

Why is it that so many of these men who self-appointed themselves as the saviors of the church are such incredible liars?  Are any of them capable of felling the truth?  Consider the fact that Flurry claims an angel revealed it to him, yet he has had to edit and correct that message at least seven times since he first plagiarized it.  

God no more sent an angel to Gerald Flurry than he doubly-blessed Bob Thiel to start a new splinter group or designated Ron and Laura Weinland to be the two witless witnesses.

Besides, if you are a Christian, the path to glory is found in only one person and that is Jesus.  It is not found in any Church of God or by any revelation from any of its leaders.

Fires, Earthquakes, Tornadoes, Floods, and Hurricanes...Can it get any more exciting for COG prophets?

It is like clockwork that whenever any tragedy befalls Americans the self-appointed prophets of doom in the Church of God hyperventilate and scream God is punishing Manasseh!

With the rash of fires in California, whipped about by strong winds, which incidentally happen every single year at this same time, and the fact that we had huge amounts of rain last year that took us out of the drought and covered the hillsides with green grasses that dried out over the summer, this doesn't matter to the professional liars leading various COG splinter groups. They sit in their fancy leather chairs in the offices searching the Internet for the latest tragedy to "confirm" their preconceived ideas.

Thus it was like clockwork that our resident California self-appointed propeht started screeching his theories that his god is angry at California and is punishing people.  According to the self-appointed prophet of the improperly named "continuing" Church of God, CA is being punished because people refuse to repent.

The great Bwana Thiel says:

California Battles 10 Active Blazes, Still No Signs of Repentance

Thiel goes on to list a couple of news sources and then has this:

Notice something that California Governor Newsom said about the fire situation this week: 

California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sunday declared a statewide emergency “due to the effects of unprecedented high-wind events which have resulted in fires and evacuations across the state.” … 

The National Weather Service recorded gusts of up to 93 mph near Healdsburg on Saturday night and said gusts throughout the county were clocked at 50 to 70 mph.
“It was the most fierce wind I have ever seen in the 30-plus years I’ve lived in our town,” Foppoli said. 10/27/19

Santa Ana winds are no shock to anyone who lives in California.  We get them every single year.

The great self-appointed prophet then goes on to PROVE to us all that he predicted this in 2014

Note Governor Newsom stated “unprecedented high-wind events.” 

The fact that factors related to fires in California are “unprecedented” is not a surprise, but consistent with something posted here over five years ago:

My prayers are with those affected by the fires. I also pray that those in California will repent as worse problems are ahead if it continues to go in a moral direction away from the Bible. (Thiel B. California fires devastating areas. COGwriter, May 16, 2014)

Let us kneel in amazement at the great prophet! Praise Bwana!

The Bible shows that God uses weather to get people’s attention. Sometimes to punish, sometimes to lead to repentance, and other times to consider that God, not humankind, is in control.

Fires and the Wrath of God 

Fires have hit many places; Significant wildfires have hit California. Shortly after the start of the Thomas Fire, California Governor Jerry Brown warned that the US President did not have “the fear of the wrath of God.” Does God use fire to encourage people to change? What are some of the scriptures associated with fire in the Bible? What is sin? What are some of the scriptures associated with the wrath of God in the New Testament? Is Governor Brown being hypocritical here? What happened to Sodom and Gomorrah? Is this relevant now? What did Jesus teach about the time of Sodom and the coming time of troubles? Dr. Thiel addresses these issues and more. 

Not to be left out is our other favorite Church of God prophet parked in his ivory tower in Edmond Oklahoma.  This second certified liar claims that the fires are the result of the 1978 receivership when the State of California swooped in with claims of financial mismanagement by Worldwide Church God officials.

For decades, one disaster after another has slammed the Golden State, establishing this “daunting” and heartrending “new normal.” And the Trumpet has been carefully monitoring the trend. In 1993, Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry wrote: “These deadly disasters are repeatedly labeled the ‘worst ever’! … With all the disasters that have struck California the past few years, it’s as if the state is under a curse.”

In Mr. Flurry’s 2007 article, he explained that the main reason California in particular is suffering these prophesied curses is not only because of the state’s culture of extreme and prideful lawlessness, but also because of California’s history with God and His Church. The Worldwide Church of God was headquartered in Pasadena since the mid-20th century; but in 1979, the state’s attorney general launched a massive and ill-founded lawsuit against it. Mr. Flurry wrote that this made California the only U.S. state that ever directly attacked the Church. He wrote: “Actually, it attacked a lot more than that. California really attacked the living God.”

California has an astounding history with God and His Church. It began as an extraordinary blessing and opportunity for the state, but ended with California openly rejecting God. Mr. Flurry explained that this is at the heart of why California is suffering ongoing wildfires and so many other catastrophes.

Given the fact that the Church was rife with corruption and despotic leaders it was disheartening to see how they get off scot-free and then continued on mismanaging money and abusing members.  But that is a moot point now, as the church itself imploded into hundreds and hundreds of little factions all claiming they are the greatest Church of God to ever exist and that they each exclusively carry the mantle of the faith once delivered.

I think a more important question needs to be asked.

Why is it that national weather issues are happening in states where the headquarters of various splinter churches are housed?  Is God punishing the various states for allowing these frauds to reign in our midst stealing tithe money and enslaving members with idiotic graceless doctrines?

Fires in California = Bob Thiel and the improperly named "continuing" Church of God
Flooding and tornadoes in Texas = COGWA
Earthquakes and tornadoes in Oklahoma = Gerald Flurry and Philadelphia Church of God
Hurricanes and tropical storms in the Carolina's = Gerald Weston and Living Church of God
Tornadoes and flooding in Ohio = Dave Pack and the Restored Church of God

I think the leaders of each of these splinter groups need to get on their knees and beg their god to forgive them for leading their followers astray and stealing their tithe money to fund the lavish lifestyles that they were accustomed to in the Worldwide Church of God.