Commercial Break: A Most Awful Presentation on "Let's Talk About the Bible"

"Let's Talk About The Bible"

...badly and in the most shallow of ways

Bob Thiel notes:

"In II Corinthians  3:14 -16  unconverted experts who claim to have knowledge tend to have a veil of blindness so there are just areas they just can't see.  Always learning and never able to come to knowledge of the truth...."

Dr Bob refers to but fails to actually quote...

2 Corinthians 3:12-16

"Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold. 13We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to prevent the Israelites from seeing the end of what was passing away. 14But their minds were made dull, 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. 15Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. 16But whenever anyone turns to the LORD, the veil is taken away."

Before continuing, and just for fun, I'd like to point out how Paul and now Bob Thiel in his simplistic "Because the Bible say so" preaching, turned the story of Moses and the Veil on it's head, making it mean what it never meant. 

The actual story referred to is...

"As Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the commandments in his hands, he did not know that the skin of his face had become radiant while he conversed with the LORD….the children of Israel…were afraid to come near him….He put a veil over his face. Whenever Moses entered the presence of the LORD to converse with him, he removed the veil until he came out again. On coming out, he would tell the children of Israel all that had been commanded. Then the children of Israel would see that the skin of Moses’ face was radiant; so he would again put the veil over his face until he went in to converse with the LORD (Exodus 34)."

Paul says the veil, now a blindfold,  was so the Israelites could not see the end of the law coming. They were blindfolded by the veil.  To this day they remain ignorant of the meaning of their own scriptures. Jesus took away the veil of this ignorance. Even to this day, the veil is a blindfold to the Jews , to their eyes and now to their hearts. But it's all good. Jesus can take away the blindfold.

Of course, this is not what the ACTUAL story in Exodus says or means. It actually says the opposite. The people saw and understood the Law of God very well when Moses explained it to them.  Giving the Law as presented to him by God made his face shine! The veil had NOTHING to do with being a blindfold on Moses or the people.  Paul, as is his custom, is overreaching here for a way to weave his tale in the New Testament. 

The reality of the story...

Moses is given the Law on Mt Sinai by God. Coming down the mountain to deliver the Law to the Children of Israel he did not realize his face shone having been in God's presence and it frightened the people to see it so. Moses puts on a veil to cover the glory of God's brightness, in his own face,  when he is NOT SPEAKING with God. He would not wear the veil in God's presence. 

So here, God is giving Moses and Israel the Law and the veil is not worn when Moses is with God. A veil is worn to shield the people from the "afterglow", so to speak, as it frightens them, when Moses comes down the mountain after being with God. 

The giving of the Law of God to Moses causes Moses face to shine. It does not blind him to the law. It does not foreshadow the passing away of the Law in the New Testament. The glory of the Law being given by God shines through him.  

The veil is NOT a BLINDFOLD as Paul makes it out to be in the NT.  The veil is NOT a symbol of the glory of the law passing such that it is now a blindfold on the Jews. 

 Paul turns the meaning of the story on its head to fit his Gospel tale. Paul often does this and is the master of making the OT mean what it never meant. How he was a Pharisee of the Pharisees, "above his fellows, concerning the law, blameless" etc is beyond most theologians. 

Bob, claims himself to be a Bible scholar in this presentation.  Most Church of God Apostles, Prophets and Pastors, would have claimed a similar training,  at least of some sort, if they wish to be considered credible. However,  you'd never know it from this presentation.  

Sheldon Monson, no doubt, would have to claim the same thing. After all, he is starting his own True Church. But Sheldon too is just another Bible reader needing a following after being rejected by Mom. 

Both these men are not Bible Scholars but just Bible readers and Biblical Hobbyists, wearing a blindfold to that reality.... to this day.

(Note:  I also am not a Bible Scholar. My WCG training did not qualify as actual Biblical studies. It did not actually prepare me or anyone I know for ministry. One simply got thrown into the Lion's Den of ministry and learned the hard way if they learned at all.   In WCG and now in all the splinters, Pastors are simply teaching what the leadership believes and expects to be taught. There is no discussion, no challenges to interpretation, and no wiggle room to see anything differently than taught and not be dis-membered. There is certainly no accountability or checks and balances on stupidity, egocentric beliefs, or cornball ideas.   "Come let us reason TOGETHER" is never how it worked. It can't in such a "because I say so" culture.)  

And now we return to your normally scheduled programming

New COG Birth Announcement. Gerald Weston's New Competition

 

We all knew this was coming when Sheldon Monson was kicked out of the Living Church of God and had a broadcast the following week.

Now, we have a new Church of God thanks to Sheldon who now wants your tithe money and offerings.

Welcome to Church of God Assembly, Gerald Weston's new nemesis.

Special News Delivery: During the live streaming of services, September 5th at 2:00pm EDT, for the "COG Broadcast YouTube Channel." Sheldon Monson officially announced the formation of the newest Church of God group to hit the world scene. After some time of discussion and because of their origin, they decided the best title for their new group should be "Church of God Assembly." This was quite predictable considering the hint dropping every week during Sheldon's personal services on YouTube. Or at least that's what it seemed like. Personally, In a way I'm kind of glad he formed his own group. In a way though, I can't make that more abundantly clear. Why am I sort of glad? Well.. because honestly I'd like to see LCG's reaction. A competitor has arisen in their mist. I wonder what their next action will be? Something typical.. probably.. sigh. I wonder if LCG's membership is dropping? I'm sure Sheldon can take away quite a few more. I mean he already has. Best regards, NDA

Gerald Weston: We Have Been Transformed To Think And Act Like Jesus (At least those of us in Charlotte have been)

 

I never realized that the purpose of Jesus being on earth was for him to preach the gospel of the kingdom of God, be crucified for our sins, then resurrected so that he could come back and work with one little group (like, in Charlotte)! Who knew???????????????? This "Jesus" sure has to be one busy dude since he has to be in so many different COG headqurters working. How can he be in Charlotte when he is in Gover Beach? Or, Edmond, OK? Or, Wadsworth, OH? But then, COG leaders need to make their followers feel special in order for them to give more money. The more special and set apart you are with "hidden knowledge" the more special people will feel and think they need to support this so-called truth.

Weston also reminds his faithful few that their goal is to be rulers of cities and worlds. Everyone gets a new planet! Woo Hoo!

What are those “many things” that we are to rule over? The Parable of the Minas reveals that those who are called, chosen, and faithful during this life, are given the opportunity to rule over cities when Jesus comes back to straighten out the mess that we humans have gotten ourselves into (Luke 19:16-19). Yes, the message Jesus brought was a message about righteous government—something sorely missing today. 

 

That may surprise some of you who are newer, but that is what the Gospel of the Kingdom of God is all about (Mark 1:14-15). That is the message Jesus taught for three-and-a-half years prior to the time when He paid the penalty for our sins by shedding His blood and dying on our behalf (1 John 1:5-7). He was resurrected and now works in a small group of people through the power of His Spirit, transforming us to think and act as He thinks and acts (Romans 8:6-9; Galatians 2:20). This same Jesus will return in power and glory to rule over the earth (Zechariah 14:9), and at that time, He will resurrect His servants to rule with Him on the earth for one thousand years (Revelation 20:4).

Let me get this straight...LCG leaders, ministers, and some privileged members have been transformed into thinking and acting like Jesus acted? Lord have mercy! If that's the case then Jesus PLEASE save us from your followers! 

If Weston and LCG leadership are the "transformed life" we have to look forward to, then the licking flames of the lake of fire would be a better alternative.

This is the same message given to the prophet Daniel. Notice what is revealed regarding this Kingdom to come: “The kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey Him” (Daniel 7:27). The term saint has been greatly corrupted over the centuries and merely refers to faithful followers of God, not someone set up on a pedestal in the way many mistakenly believe. See 2 Corinthians 1:1 and Ephesians 1:1. Few Christians realize how far removed their denominational teachings are from original Christianity.

Few LCG members realize how far removed LCG is from the original Christianity.

This is precious knowledge you are being given. It is knowledge not generally understood in the professing Christian world. It may be knowledge that some of you who are newer have not yet fully realized, but our booklet Do You Believe the True Gospel? explains this truth in greater detail and will unlock the scriptures that have been right there in the Bible all this time, ever since they were first written millennia ago. They are not difficult to understand and if God is opening your mind, all you need to do is read and believe what the Bible clearly says.

No silly!  All you need to do is read OUR literature and THEN you will understand things. According to COG ministers, Christians down through the centuries have been too stupid or blinded to understand what Jesus taught. Only those in the COG know that truth. That bullshit meter in the Church of God is constantly peaked off the end of the chart when they say this!

Hundreds of millions of Christians through the centuries have understood what Jesus did and accomplished. Many of them have died for that, something none of the wimpy-ass COG leaders in the last 80 some years have ever had to do, regardless of how loud they screech PERSECUTION these days.

The Christian faith has always evolved with each generation as it applied those truths to their own lives and living circumstances. Thank goodness no one in 2020 is like those "original" Christians!  Our calling demands us NOT to be! 

Any COG minister that claims they are practicing original Christianity is a liar.