LCG: Cannibal rats are here! Oh Noes!!!!!!!!

It must be tiresome to be living in such a state of fear as so many in the Churches of God are expected to be in all the time.  Anything church leaders can find to scare their members and keep them in line is useful to them.

Forget COVID-19 and the soon coming German armies that will put people in concentration camps.  That's just baby pablum! Cannibal rats are the new way to go.

Instead of the Germans killing babies in camps, rats will be eating the sinful children of the British Israelite nations alive. 

Cannibal Rats Emerging in Cities: It appears that the COVID-19 pandemic has affected more than just people and the economy. New research by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is warning of “‘unusual or aggressive’ behavior in American rats as a consequence of more than two months of human lockdown” (The Guardian, May 25, 2020). Urban rats that normally feed on food waste from restaurants and trash in the streets no longer have these food sources available to rely on.

Many rats have recently been observed feeding on each other or their own young. The Washington Post reports that unusually aggressive behaviors have been noticed in New York, New Orleans, and Chicago. The hungry rats are beginning to plague cars, as they consume engine components, tires, and wire casings, causing fires and costing car owners large sums of money in repairs or replacement (May 23, 2020). The Post also notes, “Rats can transmit food-borne illnesses such as salmonella, and their urine can also worsen allergies and asthma.” Rats can also directly transmit more deadly diseases like hantavirus, hemorrhagic fever, plague, and tularemia, as well as transmit many other diseases indirectly, through fleas and ticks.

God warned the Israelite-descended nations that, because of their sins and disobedience, He would use not only other nations to punish them, but also disease and beasts of the earth (Leviticus 26:14–16, 21–25; Jeremiah 15:3–4). So far, we are not witnessing a rat infestation of “biblical proportions.” However, we can see from what is happening how such a plague could easily arise in major cities around the globe, as a result of the removal of regular food sources of these rodents. To learn more about this important subject, see “Understanding the Coming Plagues of Prophecy.”—Scott Winnail and Francine Prater

UCG: 25+ years later and most members still uncomfortable sharing their beliefs with others

UCG's Mark Welch writes:

The recent 2020 congregational survey certainly indicated that many of you have had the very same emphasis in God’s Church for many years.

In response to the following statement, “I understand the fundamental truths of the Bible,” 99% of respondents “Agreed” or “Strongly Agreed.” As you may have already concluded, this was the highest percentage of agreement on the survey and could not have been much higher!

I am a bit surprised that the response was that high, but I suppose it is because the vast percentage of those who responded to the survey have been longtime members. We do put a great deal of emphasis on knowing and understanding our fundamental beliefs.

I was even a bit more surprised that 94% of respondents “Agreed” or “Strongly Agreed” with the statement, “I can explain the fundamental truths of the Bible.” I think it is wonderful that we have confidence that we are able to explain these fundamental beliefs, as the scripture says: “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed” (1 Peter 3:15-16).

Of course, how well one is able to explain our fundamental beliefs is important.

Sadly, one of the conclusions drawn from the survey is that most are confident in their ability to explain their beliefs, but few take the opportunity to do so.

It seems that many of us are reticent to engage in explaining our beliefs to others. It is not difficult to understand why that may be the case. I’m confident that many of us have attempted to do so, but we quickly realized that the person engaging us was not really interested in hearing why we believe what we believe. Instead, we found that they wanted to show us where we were wrong and not genuinely interested in considering the truth of the Bible. They already believed they knew the truth of the Bible. Moreover, before long the nice, casual conversation had become a heated, argumentative debate.

Because of one or two experiences like the one above, we may have concluded that it is best not to engage in a biblical conversation with anyone who isn’t already in God’s Church. But where is the balance? Granted, many people are more interested in debating their own beliefs and are not really open-minded to the real truth of the Bible.

One of the comments on the survey from one of our members indicated that they had a similar experience.

“We recently went through a series of Bible studies on the fundamental beliefs, which was very helpful. I do sometimes have trouble explaining to people outside the church what the Bible really teaches. This is especially true when the person I’m talking to is so dedicated to her own beliefs that she won’t believe me no matter how much scripture I can cite.”

Undoubtedly, many people fall into this category. Nevertheless, there are people out there genuinely interested in learning more about what the Bible says. And it is a very big world with billions of people!

It is not only the UCG members who feel uncomfortable sharing their faith but is common across the board in the Churches of God.  For being the one and only true church, most are not eager to share that with others.

LCG: Leaders who will rule with justice and mercy

I have to laugh every once in a while knowing that the boys in Charlotte read the blog here. One of my criticism is that LCG, as well as most of the other COG's do not lead with grace, justice, and mercy. Then, I had someone send me this today:

The Path to Justice: We are living in an age when lawlessness, rioting, and looting are viewed as legitimate ways to attain social justice for almost any cause (2 Timothy 3:1–5). From a human perspective, it is tempting to want to support a cause that “seems” right in our eyes (Proverbs 14:12) without fully understanding both sides of the issue (Proverbs 18:17). While it is noble to want to alleviate suffering and injustice, we need to remember that this is Satan’s world (2 Corinthians 4:4) that is permeated by his spirit of lies, envy, hatred, and violence (Ephesians 2:2; Galatians 5:19–21). The goal of modern social justice warriors is to improve the world by human efforts without the need for God or a Messiah (Isaiah 59:4–5, 14–15). However, our Creator is a God of truth and justice (Deuteronomy 32:4) who hears the cries of the poor and oppressed who look to Him and wait on Him (Job 5:8–9; Psalm 17:1–2). Christians who live by faith need to remember that Jesus Christ is coming back to establish judgment and justice on this earth (Isaiah 9:6–7), and He will need leaders who can rule with justice and mercy (Psalm 72:1–4) and point people away from the unfruitful ways of this world (Ezekiel 45:9). This is why we need to develop the mind of God (Philippians 2:5) and wait on God to change society. At that point, we will have the opportunity to show the world the true path to justice (Isaiah 26:7–9).

Have a profitable Sabbath,

Douglas S. Winnail