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Petra? Pella? Bozrah? Crackpot Prophet Weighs In

There are two subjects that Armstrongism has a deep fascination with. Both have become 100% factual beliefs/doctrines for many church leaders and members. These are British Israelism and the Petra/Place of Safety doctrine.

Ever since Loma whispered into Herbert's ear that Petra was the place to be, the church has placed a heavy emphasis on it. The weird thing is, there for a while, there was a concerted effort to claim that the church never taught such a thing. Embarrassed by the Peoples Temple suicides and the craziness of certain Church of God members, they tried to circle the wagons and claim that it was only speculation. That was an absolute lie that some still try and gaslight church members with.

I remember at a combined Holy Day service with the Dayton and Columbus churches around 1969/70 the minister telling those in attendance that day to make sure they returned back from the noon meal by a specific time because the doors to the auditorium were going to be locked and no one could enter after that point. He said they had important information to share from Pasadena (has had just returned from Pasadena).

Everyone was back in their seats early as a hush fell over the room. On the stage, he had a large green chalkboard similar to those used in classrooms. On it, he proceeded to draw out a calendar with dates for the specific time that would come when the church would be fleeing to Petra. Women were even encouraged to not get pregnant anytime before the date. My mother faithfully copied this crap and taped it up inside her cupboard in the kitchen. We were warned to not let this calendar be visible to unconverted neighbors and family members so that we did not stir up suspicion.

As the days went by my mother was faithful marking the days as they inched closer and closer to the time we were to flee. There were even small suitcases packed with essentials ready to grab at a moment's notice.

When you're a child and hear this disgusting shit it messes with your mind. The first thing that crosses your mind when you get home and your mother is not around is that she fled without you because you were not good enough to be chosen by God to go. This is the kind of filth the church relished controlling members within the 1960s.

The Peoples Temple suicides and the Heaven's Gate suicides came and went and the church breathed a sigh of relief because they were always on guard for guilt by association.

The 1980s hit and the church was going overboard in representing itself as a normal church doing normal things filled with normal people. AICF dumped hundreds of millions of dollars into concerts, members joined local civic organizations, charitable donations were made to local organizations, and much more. More and more ministers refused to teach the Petra doctrines and it seemed to disappear. Every once in a while the "place of safety" crapola was preached about, but those days seem to be few.

Then, the so-called great apostasy happened and the shit hit the fan. Long-held doctrines and silly beliefs that the church reveled in the 1950s-early 70s all the sudden were popular again as hundreds of splinter groups broke off claiming to restore the faith once delivered and that included the many bizarre teachings the church specifically had. Petra popped back up big time with many of these splinter groups as they saw the so-called great apostasy as a sure sign of the end times. Almost every single group resurrected the idea and has been reinforcing it to this day.

Various ones in the church who thought they knew more than Herbert, claimed that Petra just might not be that place. It could be in various spots in Jordan besides Petra. The raving legalist James Malm declared that it was Pella where everyone would end up. Wait, scratch that, not everyone, but he highly selected FEW that were adherents to his bizarre form of legalism would be there. Then our most highly respected Great Bwana to Africa Bob Mzungu Thiel started running off at the mouth about Petra and other locations he claims his followers would go to for their final indoctrination camp.

The other day the Great Bwana Mzungu declared that Petra MIGHT NOT be the place of safety but another location.

Where might the place of safety in the wilderness be? 

 

Many have wondered if Petra could be the place. 

 

What if is it not? 

 

Someone asked me about the possibility of Bozrah being the “place of safety.”

Someone is always asking him something. That is a common cop-out that COG leaders use to get their own opinions across as truth. The chances of anyone asking Bwana Bob Mzungu this is slim to none, but this is The Bob speaking and we all know what that means.

Never one to entertain an original thought in his own head, he immediately started searching for things to copy and paste that bolster his arguments.

This time he found Tim McHyde to back him up.

Objections and Questions Answered

Now you probably have the following questions:

• Q. What about Bozrah?
• A. Like Petra, Bozrah is part of Jordan, so what I’m saying here does not negate those theories completely, just expands them to the whole truth).
• Q. Isn’t Jordan a Muslim country? What about the Jordanians there?
• A. Jordan will be evacuated after the country is laid waste in the attack against Israel.
• Q. Will we need passports?
• A. Things will be normal when we leave, pre-Wormwood and therefore passports will be needed.
• Q. How do we know when it’s time to go?
• A. God must send some prophet since no man knows the day or hour.
• Q. How much time do we have?
• A. I think we won’t see the prophet until the 2020s at the earliest. https://escapeallthesethings.com/petra-bible-prophecy/

The Great Bwana Mzungu adds: 

While I do agree, based upon many scriptures, that Jordan seems to be the place and God will likely use a prophet to say when (and where), I disagree with the author’s view on many points–Jordan, to cite one example, will NOT be evacuated. But I do agree that Revelation 12:14-16 is talking about protection for faithful Christians and NOT physical Israel. As far as the old Worldwide Church of God goes, it speculated, but did not insist, on Petra being the place. 

 

Petra is large enough for the Philadelphian Christians to be protected–and they are the ONLY Christians promised protection from the Beast (cf. Revelation 3:7-10)–most Christians will NOT be protected (cf. Revelation 12:14-17).

Who are the "Philadelphia" Christians? Only those who are part of the one true church, the improperly named "continuing" Church of "god", of course. 

God forbid if any heathen Sunday worshiping Christians might show up at these places and interfere with  Bwana Bob Mzungu's teachings!

It is the eagles wings (cf. Revelation 12:14) and the idea the the most faithful are God’s sheep (cf. Psalm 95:7; 100:3; John 10) that get some to wonder about Bozrah. 

 

Anyway, Bozrah is in the right general direction. But, since this seems to mainly be a prophecy for Edom, it is not clear it is related to the place of protection for the Philadelphians in the wilderness. However, if the Turks were to turn against God’s protected people, then this could be the place where the Turks (Edom in various prophecies) and/or Jordanians (as some Edomites are likely there) are destroyed (cf. also Obadiah). The Philadelphians are the most faithful remnant of spiritual Israel (cf. Romans 2:28-29; Revelation 3:9)–so we will see about Bozrah. Now, because of how the Turks are expected to betray the physical nation of Israel (and perhaps also the faithful Christians), God has a special punishment.

The Great Bwana Mzungu then drags in dead Herbert to justify the claim that Herbert and he might have different thoughts about Petra. Though the quote by HWA is a gaslighting lie because he spoke about Petra from the stage of the Auditorium countless times as fact...until Jim Jones came on the scene. 

Now, I have long wondered if Petra would be the actual place. 

 

The late Pastor General of the old Worldwide Church of God, Herbert W. Armstrong, wrote:

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). 

It was widely spoken about in Pasadena that because of this direct relationship with King Hussein that the church would be able to gain special favor with the King as we attempted to enter the country en masse. 

Bwana Mzungu continues:

There are local reasons to consider that carved part of Petra may not the be place. 

 

Realize that Petra is one of the leading, if not THE leading, tourist destination in Jordan, hence there could be economic and other factors against that precise location itself (though if only a small amount of Christians flee, that might be tolerable, and even helpful to, the tourist industry possibly as a ‘side-show’ or to be of cultural or prophetic interest). 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 is also possible that the true Philadelphian Christians will stay in Petra for a time and then go elsewhere–and that is something I have written about before.

None of these dimwitted church leaders ever considered the impact of tens of thousands of Church of God members arriving in Jordan/Petra might me. The hundreds of commercial flights into the country. rental cars and busses to transport the people. Food, clothing, shelter for everyone, etc. It is a logistical nightmare that COPG folk imagine will happen on the spur of the moment. In reality, it would take many years to get all of this organized and go through proper diplomatic channels with passports, etc to get people into the country. But of course, there is always the magical god that will rapture everyone on eagle wings to Petra. Instantaneously shelter, food, water, clothing, and all the basic necessities of life will appear in the caves so that church leaders can pass them out to members of the diaspora as they enter the region.

While the battle of Armageddon is taking place in Israel, thousands of Church of God members will be able to fly into Petra or drive in unnoticed by the Beast power and the legions of armies encompassing the area. Of course, as one minister claimed, that magical god was going to place a cloud cover over Petra so that enemy planes could not see what was taking place below. 

When I came to Pasadena in 1975 the joke around campus that fall was about a student who earlier that summer had prophesied that the 5 egrets on the David Wynn sculpture in front of the auditorium would come alive. Four of the egrets would grab each corner of the auditorium, pick it up and the fifth egret would lead the way as they flew it to Petra. He actually had several church members believe this crap.

When you read Bwana Bob Mzungu's crap and compare it to this guy's bizarre belief, the chances are far greater for the four egrets to come alive than anything Bwana Bob says will actually happen.