Philadelphia Church of God Embraces Michael Flynn

 

One thing the more aberrant Churches of God revel in is finding validation for their aberrant teachings in sometimes far-right publications and personalities. The more salacious the news the more it fits into their end-of-the-world scenarios. Eager to see a world around them severely punished for their sins, because they and they alone have been the most pure practitioners of Christianity since the first century, these self-righteous peddlers of conspiracy theories and outright lies of false prophecy channel their superiority by any means possible even if it means coddling up to less than credible personalities.

The Philadelphia Church of God has an Executive Speaker Series in their Armstrong Auditorium located on the fringes of Edmond, Oklahoma. Currently, the only "executive speaker" listed is Michael Flynn. Flynn started a traveling road show last year that fed into the disillusionment of many conservative Americas shocked at the collapse of society around them through corrupt politicians, wokeism, and rampant crime. 

Regardless of where you are on either side of that fence, people know there are serious issues going on in this country and that is what excites Armstrongists like Gerald Flurry. They see these issues as a sure sign of the collapse of the nation similar to the fall of Rome. As long as these things fit into their narratives they will use worldly men and women and so-called Christians while denigrating them behind their backs,

At this moment in time, the Philadelphia Church of God has found its useful champion, Michael Flynn.

Michael Flynn, United States Army lieutenant general (ret.) and former national security adviser, will visit Oklahoma on Monday, August 21. He will deliver a public lecture at 6 p.m. at Armstrong Auditorium, on the Herbert W. Armstrong College campus in northern Edmond, a suburb of Oklahoma City.

Flynn’s lecture is sponsored by the Philadelphia Trumpet newsmagazine and its “America in Crisis” campaign, which features lectures focused on solutions to the crises facing the nation at home and abroad.

“General Flynn’s perspective is extremely relevant to Americans concerned about the direction of our nation,” said Stephen Flurry, Trumpet executive editor and host of the Trumpet Daily podcast. “We hope to raise awareness of the solutions to these many problems through educational lectures such as these.”

With more than 33 years of service in the United States military, General Flynn’s career culminated in his becoming director of the Defense Intelligence Agency and the nation’s highest-serving military intelligence officer. After retiring from the Army in 2014 and as a private citizen, General Flynn went on to serve in a variety of business, educational and non-profit roles. As an expert in national and international security, General Flynn is a prominent commentator and sought-after speaker on military and global affairs.

Flynn's Christian outlook is entirely based in evangelicalism, which to Armstrongites is anathema to their core beliefs. How quickly they overlook that as long as certain points fit their narrative.

It will be interesting to see what Flynn says in his talk Monday night, August 21, 2023, and whether or not the local press in Edmond is there to report on it.

He stirred up a huge stink this past week when he said the "Jews were willingly given to the Nazis and there were no guards" there to stop them from leaving.

The Jerusalem Post had this to say:

Former Trump adviser blames Jews for dying in Auschwitz

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF Published: AUGUST 16, 2023 18:10

Michael Flynn, a Christian nationalist who previously served as US national security advisor under Donald Trump, said that Jews were willingly given to the Nazis and said there were no guards.

Former Donald Trump adviser Michael Flynn blamed the Jews for the deaths of all the children who died in the Auschwitz concentration camp during the Holocaust.

Speaking at an event in Michigan at the beginning of August, clips of which have gone viral over social media, Flynn, recounting a trip of his to Auschwitz, said that mothers "willingly" gave their children over to the Nazis' trains to be shipped off to Auschwitz.

Flynn said that mothers would have essentially let their children be packed into the trains "like a sardine."

Later in the article:

However, his words about the Holocaust sparked backlash from the Auschwitz Memorial Museum in Poland, which described the flaws behind Flynn's accounts. 

The assertion that Jews could have easily resisted during deportations to extermination simply due to their numerical strength compared to the guards oversimplifies the dire circumstances they faced during the Holocaust. Acts of resistance did occur in various forms across… https://t.co/2pmUPU9Atp

— Auschwitz Memorial (@AuschwitzMuseum) August 13, 2023

We can be guaranteed that Gerald Flurry will report on Flynn's speech in glowing terms and as proof, the world is in serious trouble. It will also be interesting to see if there is a backlash at words spoken during this speech and if PCG will suffer any consequences. If there is, the PCG will claim it is the persecution that is spoken of in their Bible.

Becoming God Dilemma In Armstrongism...When Does It Happen?

At a first glance, Armstrong seems to have an orthodox concept of God. However, he declares the doctrine of the trinity to be pagan and teaches instead that “God is a family, a kingdom, NOT a limited trinity”. This family consists currently only of God the Father and the God of Abraham, who later became Jesus Christ, the son of God. But God’s intent, Armstrong teaches, is to reproduce himself. All children of God will eventually become God as well, who “will counsel and advise our Creator”. This is very close to what the eternal progression in Mormonism expresses but it goes to an even greater extreme. Herbert Armstrong's Worldwide Church of God

One of the semi-unique myths of Armstrongism is that it teaches that humans will become God as God is (Mormons teach the same thing). It was hounded into us by Herbert Armstrong, Rod Meredith, and that king of buffoonery and deception, Gerald Waterhouse.

What a glorious time it will be when the Kingdom of God gets here! Only true Church of God members will instantly become God by some magic event that never really gets thought through by most in the church, let alone its leadership.

The scenario goes like this. Endlessly being persecuted, the true church members will flee to Petra to receive final training for 3 1/2 years so that when they become God so they can rule with rods of iron while dishing out a little mercy here and there along the way.  

When that magical kingdom arrives, the greatest of the church leaders will sit at Jesus' right hand (like Herbert Armstrong, Garner Ted, Bob Thiel, Dave Pack, Rod Meredith, and Gerald Flurry). 

Lesser COG members will be part of the hierarchical God structure ruling over galaxies, worlds, planets, cities, and nations while under the control of men like Abraham, David, Jeremiah, Isaiah, Ezekiel, and others. 

Of course, none of these will be women as it is an established fact in Armstrongism that women cannot rule. Even though they will become God just like the manly men, their womanly god parts will not allow them to be in charge unless it is overseeing things like bakeries, restaurants, and home interior decorating ministries, as all real COG women know their place was in the kitchen and keeping their home looking nice for their soon to be God husbands.

That all sounds glorious to church members who have always been the lesser than's of society where they have lived on the fringes. Becoming greater than their enemies, high school rivals, bitter relatives, and nasty neighbors were going to be the ultimate reward!

But the niggling question remains, WHEN will all of those chosen humans in Petra become God? Will they receive power as humans when the 3 1/2 years are up?  

Will they be instantly transformed into God at the snap of God the Father's fingers or Jesus's? 

Will they instantly die and be resurrected as God's in "the twinkling of an eye"? If that is what happens then what is the point in having God the Father around anymore since the likes of Bob Thiel, Gerald Flurry, Ron Weinland, and James Malm would be on equal footing? What is the point of Jesus and the Holy Spirit?

Or, will they be translated into some kind of superhuman because they did not die? Herbert Armstrong said, "No human will be given any government office." They must be a divine being or God as God is.

Armstrongism makes no sense when you really get into it. But, I am sure many will say otherwise...

Butthurt False Prophet Has His Delicate Sensibilities Hurt By This Blog...Again

 

It's another sunny day in California and the tubes of butthurt ointment are flying off the shelves in the Grover Beach/Arroyo Grande area.

The Great Bwana Bob Mzungu does not like the fact that we mock his narcissistic arrogance when he claims that most COG folk are too stupid to know when they are to flee to Petra/Pella or where ever Bob's highly esteemed group will be heading for 3 1/2 years of abject misery.

He writes:

Most Christians Will Not Flee 

For posting about matters related to the Maui fires and fleeing–and in which I warned that many would scoff (see AP: At least 55 people died on Maui. Residents had little warning before wildfires overtook a town)–we were mocked by an anti-Church of God website. 

 

Now, mocking from scoffers there happens frequently, but is consistent with the following warning from the Apostle Peter:

3 knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, 4 and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.” 5 For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, 6 by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. 7 But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. 

 

8 But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:3-9)

Anyway, not to be deterred by critics, after we were mocked for teachings, in another Maui related post (see VOA: Questions Remain About Maui’s Warning System; COGwriter: Discounted Scriptures Give Clues Why Most Christians Will Not Heed the Coming Decree to Flee), I had the following:

 

Why weren't Maui residents warned about the fire sooner? https://t.co/7DjgomnAIG

— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) August 11, 2023