PCG: "We don't have long to wait" But In The Meantime Have "Love toward God and his government"

Exit and Support Network has the following about a recent Bible Study given in the Philadelphia Church of God cult. The PCG is just like Dave Pack and Bob Thiel in that their goalposts keep getting moved because none of their prophecies ever come to fruition. You would think after all of the decades that have passed with one prophetic failure after another, starting in the 1930s with Herbert Armstrong, that COG members would wake up and tell these charlatans how far they can shove their conspiracy theories and absurd prophecies, but no, they need to be able to sit there and feel special and called out from the world as they think they are learning new secret knowledge never before revealed. The ___Church of God should call themselves the Gnostic Church of God and get it over with.

The end is supposedly coming and the focus is entirely upon Gerald Flurry, his absurd teachings, Malachi's Message, Mystery of the Ages, the New Throne and holy Stone, government, and Donald Trump. Nowhere in any of the crap below can you find Jesus. Gerald is the savior of the church.

Real Christians through the centuries know that for "love" to flourish in the church it and its people need to be following Jesus. Church of God members, however, are directed to follow their leaders and their teachings. Jesus is never mentioned and if so it is usually in the last paragraph or sentence of an article or sermon. 

Daryl Hope Tells What the Ten Directives for the End Times Are:
March 27, 2022

To show what foolishness the PCG is feeding their members, Deryle Hope, in his fast-paced, cocky voice, gave a recent tedious Bible Study (“The Ten Directives for the End Times”) where he listed what he called the “prophetic stages, phases, or milestones” they have experienced since the start of the end time. He said we are in the period of at least nine time frames and are “waiting for number ten.” Those into GF’s prophecies will lap this up.

1. The End Time or latter days which really started when HWA came on the scene in 1931 and HWA said in MOA that the Philadelphia era began at Pentecost and that signaled the time of the end, or the latter days.

2. The second one was when HWA died on January 16, 1986. He said they ended the end mentioned in Matthew 24:14 and that was the end of the Philadelphia era and the start of this Laodicean era.

3. The third one occurred on March 11, 1989 and that marked the end of the 1150 days (mentioned in Daniel 8:19) That’s when the sanctuary was cleansed and then God started to reveal to GF the content of Malachi’s Message (MM) and we entered the phase known as “the last end.”

4. The fourth was after Malachi’s Message (MM) was written. The PCG was formed and had started mailing out MM in January 1990, and then we entered “the time of no more delay.” (Revelation 10:6)

5. The fifth one occurred on May 5, 2001 when we entered “the last hour” (I John 2:18).

6. The sixth one was “the point of no return” on July 25, 2008 which was the time when the Laodicean church is collectively in 3 nations of Israel, America, Britain, and the Jewish nation, and had reached the point of no return.

7. The seventh was May 31, 2009 which was “the shaking of the nations.” (Deryle said most of these milestones are explained in “some booklets GF has written.”) This 7th one is about the construction of “God’s House” which was completed in 2010.

8. The Eighth one was January 16, 2017 and that was the beginning of the New Throne and the New Stone. He told how GF said (in The New Throne of David booklet, p 14), “We must possess the Throne of David in the Place of Safety, meaning we must also possess the stone which represents the throne. … We are ready to go to the Place of Safety and we now have the New Stone of Destiny.”

9. The ninth milestone occurred on January 20, 2017 when President Donald Trump was inaugurated and “we began the Jeroboam end.”

He said “it appears we are on the verge of milestone number ten” and that it will probably be the leader of the Holy Roman Empire (the 3rd Antiochus). Then he asked if the imperial Antiochus heading the Holy Roman Empire will be the 10th milestone?

“Well, we don’t have long to wait.” … “We are in a world that is about to explode.” … “There must be more than ten.”

Then he went over the last 6 directives he gave in the last B.S. in December: (1) watch (2) pray always; (3) occupy; (4) take heed to yourself; (5) do God’s Work; (6) hold fast.

The love he emphasized that we should have was “love toward God and His government.” We become the chosen only after we are called, repent, are baptized, and make the changes we need to. What tomfoolery. He said we must be faithful and loyal and endure to the end in order to be with Him when He returns. He said, “We can’t be quitters now.”

None of this was scriptural. AJW

LCG: Looking for Philadelphia Christians - Are They That Hard To Find?

 

Words of wisdom from Doug:

Real Philadelphia Christians: The Bible describes Philadelphia Christians as having a strong desire to carry out the mission that Jesus Christ gave to His Church (Revelation 3:7–13). That mission involves preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom of God to the world (Mark 1:14–15; 16:15), warning the world and especially Israelite nations of the consequences of disobedience (Matthew 24; Mark 13; Luke 21), and preparing a people to reign with Jesus Christ in the coming Kingdom of God (Luke 1:17). However, as the name “Philadelphia” means “brotherly love,” true Philadelphians will also strive to follow Jesus’ admonition to “love one another” (John 15:12–17). Showing concern for others is one of the distinguishing marks of a real Philadelphian Christian. Let’s all look for ways to do that in our increasingly self-centered world.
Have a profitable Sabbath, Douglas S. Winnail

Is there an Armstrong COG that practices Philadelphia love? Has there ever been?

My Panic Attack behind the Pulpit – Reflections and Confessions of an Ex-Evangelist

 

My Panic Attack behind the Pulpit – Reflections and Confessions of an Ex-Evangelist (Part 1)

Kevin Denne

October 1, 2012, is a day I’ll never forget.

I was the main speaker for our morning church service. Our annual convention, the Feast of Tabernacles, was kicking off and it was the first day. For the membership, this event was a high point of our year. People had gathered from surrounding states. The mood was upbeat, and people were overjoyed to have congregated together.

Yet, as I started my sermon, I had a panic attack.

It was one of the scariest moments of my life. I was on stage in front of hundreds of people. And I was suddenly gripped in a series of feelings that I had never felt before.

Admittedly, I had no idea what I was experiencing at the time. There was an occasion or two before where I experienced some of this, but not to this level.

It was 10 years ago, and I remember it as if it was yesterday. I had no idea it was going to happen. I had spoken in front of large audiences many times before. It came on suddenly and out of the blue. 

What I Was Feeling

My heart was beating out of my chest. I felt clammy. I began to sweat.

It’s hard to describe but there was a feeling of pressing, impending doom. A suffocating tightness in my chest. It was like my world and the room were closing in.

It literally crossed my mind that I had to walk off the stage. I wanted to run. But I couldn’t. Here I was in front of 200+ people.

Could people tell? I asked myself, as I simultaneously tried to keep delivering my message. Surely, they can tell.

Ninety grueling minutes. The structure of my sermon helped. Knowing that I just had to follow the outline. Get to the next series of scriptures.

Waves would come back throughout the message. But I kept going.

An hour and a half later, I got through it. I was exhausted and defeated. Yet I survived. 

The Ripple Effects

As I walked off that stage around 12:30 pm that day, I felt relieved and scared. Relieved I made it through. Scared because I had no idea where this came from or what it was.

It shook my world. I had no idea what to do with it.

It undermined me in many ways. When would this happen again, I thought? It’s like it became some sort of lurking monster in the closet.

I never spoke to anybody about it. Not my closest friends (didn’t have many, to be honest). Not even my wife. 

No Way Out

As I look back, a fair question is: Why didn’t I address this, then or later? Why didn’t I walk off the stage and deal with this?

I am sure there are many reasons, but I was in survival mode. I did not want to be humiliated. The concept of walking off the stage in the middle of a sermon would have been catastrophic, or that’s what I believed at the time. It would have been the talk of the Feast site. Frankly, it would have been the talk of the whole church. Since I was a “senior minister,” whatever that meant in hindsight, a PR campaign of some sort would surround my wife and my family.

There was no clean way out of this. So, in the end, I concluded I had to work through it, and by work through it, I knew that meant ignore it, bury it, lock it away. Survival mode.

For years, I didn’t even feel I could speak to my wife about this. Not that she wouldn’t have been supportive. It’s that you didn’t talk about things like this because they didn’t happen to God’s people, spiritual people, normal people…so if it happened to me, then I must not be those things. 

The Ecclesiastical Climate

To provide some context, from a church culture perspective, talking about anxiety or having a panic attack or even emotional health in general, was not acceptable. It just “wasn’t done.” To be open about one’s mental health, or worse, emotional struggles, would never happen.

See, God’s spirit is one of a “sound mind.” And, if you don’t have a sound mind, well, then you are in trouble. You’re weak. You are not close enough to God.

Then there was the additional level of being in the “ministry.” There was this pressure to be perfect. Granted, we would all admit or say the words that nobody was perfect and that everyone fell short, including ministers. But, when ministers actually did fall short, or need help, it really wasn’t accepted or supported, and it was seen as weakness and shortcoming, plain and simple.

So, what did you do with any weaknesses you had? You covered them. You buried them. As deep as you could.

You didn’t address them. You sent them as far down as possible, and you piled as much stuff on top as you could, hoping they wouldn’t surface too often. 

The Chronological Context

In 2012, I had been absolutely run ragged. A campus (or, more properly, a compound) was being built.

The church had received large sums of money due to new teachings from the leader. In 2008, the infamous “Clarion Call” sermons were produced. This essentially laid out a timeline that led brethren to believe they should give all their money before Jesus returned. (Incidentally, the range of time given at that time explained that it was impossible for Jesus to return after 2021. He would most certainly arrive before 2021. That, evidently, didn’t happen.) But by 2011, the “Common” doctrine was instituted. An even more disgusting and onerous financial doctrine was yoked upon the necks of church membership. It was now doctrine for the Church’s apostle to tell people to sell all and send it to him. And many did, perhaps most did.

By 2011, the Church had bought land. By 2012, construction had begun. It was an incredibly stressful time. My youngest son was born in July of that year, and instead of looking back with joy at that time, I instead don’t remember much of his birth or first few months. It was marred by stress and constant turmoil and worry. Within that same timeframe, I was present during an instance that occurred to my brother, in a roomful of grown men, that I will never forget and for which I wish I had said something. It is and will always be one of my most vivid and awful life memories. (Perhaps that’s content for another time.)

It got even worse in the years ahead, but that, too, is a topic for another chapter.

The simple point? It was an incredibly stressful time.

The Mask

Ironically, I have pictures of this very event when I had this panic attack (included here). It’s fascinating for me now to try to look at them as an outsider and see if anything was going on. I don’t believe you can tell in the photo how close to meltdown I really was.

Like at no other point in my life, I had to keep the mask on. I had to play the part I was required to play.

See, this was all part of something I was thrust into in my 20s. I was told I was going to be a minister really early on. I had to step up. Be mature beyond my years!

I was always pushed to be somebody I wasn’t. I was too young-looking, I had to look older. I had to part and comb my hair a certain way. I had to stop wearing shorts around the lay members (mature men don’t show their legs!). I had to wear fuller dress pants, whatever that meant. I had to remove “youngish” ways of speaking. Etc. Etc.

Put on the mask, Kevin.

I did.And it almost ruined me. 

Authenticity Will Not Remain Buried

This panic attack was my mind trying to break out of the inauthentic existence it had found itself in. Cognitive dissonance was raging through my mind like an out-of-control wildfire. I just hadn’t learned to identify it yet.

It took me several more years to figure this out, but I did. On some level, as I write about this for the first time, I am still figuring it out now.

I would pay a lot of money to travel back in time to this event. I would talk to myself and explain what was happening. I would give myself permission to accept what was going on and guide myself in making steps to improve my situation. I may have even tried to convince myself to tell the brethren in that moment exactly what was going on. Despite the shock and the gasps, I’d be willing to bet that many in the room could have related. I would tell myself to open up to my wife about it afterward and receive her support, to not go it alone.

When you are in a bad place in life, your body and mind will respond.

The authenticity of you will not remain buried. And although I buried my true self so very, very deep, I am slowly uncovering each layer and getting back to the real me.

NOTE: Kevin is the son-in-law of Dave Pack 

Follow Kevin here: IF I FORGET TO TELL YOU…Lessons of Life for the Ones we Love

Worldwide The Unchosen Church: New Podcast Coming In June With People Telling Stories About Life In Armstrongism

 

Worldwide

the Unchosen Church

I am launching the social media account for my new podcast about growing up in the WCG on Instagram. @worldwidepod will debut in June. Please give us a follow if the podcast interests you for news and updates and to help us spread the word! Appreciate your support. This project means a lot to me! TJ Jenks

Once the podcasts are finished they will be on most podcast platforms. Click on the above Instagram link for further updates

Mark Armstrong Now Official Spokesman For NewsMax Instead Of God

 

It has always been fascinating to watch the Church of God movement over the decades as they fell in and out of getting wrapped up in conspiracy theories and "doom and gloom" scenarios. Sadly, without either of these in play, the church had no influence or a sustainable money stream to work with. The more they can whip the members up into a frenzy the better. Everything's wrong in the world around them and woe is me.

The Worldwide Church of God at one point realized that this scenario did not work so well and they started the Tomorrow's World Magazine. It was supposed to highlight the good in both the daily lives of church members and provide a foretaste of the kingdom they imagined would soon be coming. As most of us know, that magazine soon went by the wayside till the Living Church of God took the name and applied it to their pseudo-spiritual mess.

When Garner Ted Armstrong was at his height he used to brag that he had the bible in one hand and the news in the other when he spoke, not so with his son Mark Armstrong. Mark never wanted to be a church leader but was forced into it by his mother as they both knew they would have no income coming in if he didn't do it.

The Good News of Jesus, which Christians have embraced for centuries apparently has no meaning to him, propaganda and doom and gloom do though.

So this brings us to today and the message he believes his followers need to hear, ripped straight from the pages of NewsMax.

Greetings from Tyler,

Analysts are starting to wonder aloud whether Putin is winning the war in Ukraine. We see that some territory has been reclaimed, and a Russian ship blown up near Odessa. But the refugees are streaming out, and the radio tells us we’ll get 100,000 of them here in the U. S. It’s hard to know what or who to believe with the news coming constantly. It’s hard to see Vladimir calling the whole thing off and declaring victory. But everybody is nervous. By everybody, we’re talking about all the current and former politicians who were using the country as a corrupt piggy bank.

Justin Trudeau got told off to his face in the Canadian parliament. It looked like he might have been crying. Hard to tell with his mask covering most of his face, but he didn’t look happy. He got told off again, called a dictator and asked, politely, to “spare us your presence” at the meetings in Brussels where world leaders have convened to talk about the war in Ukraine. Too bad Gavin Newsome wasn’t there.

All the airline execs have signed a letter saying the mask mandate on airplanes is a burden upon employees who were never trained as enforcement agents. Airlines have hospital-grade filtered air on their airplanes, and many of the contentious episodes resulting in passengers being removed from flights and charged with crimes is because stewardesses, uglier than ever, are now barking orders instead of serving drinks. It’s not about a disease, it’s all about control.

Gas prices are near record levels. There’s little debate as to why, although we’ve been programmed to blame everything on Putin’s invasion. The government response has been, not to release the oil companies to drill proven reserves, but to try and buy oil from the likes of Venezuela and producers in the Middle East. Not to mention drawing down our national reserves. But they’ve got another idea. Why not issue government sponsored credit cards that people can use to buy gas? Inflation? Anybody? We certainly wouldn’t want to irritate the squad!

We hope you’ve seen the woman at the swim meet. About the large guy in a girl’s swimsuit she said, “I’m a woman, and that’s not a woman.” Some idiot from a couple rows below says, “What are you, a biologist?” She says, “No, and I’m not a vet, but I know a dog when I see one.” Maybe you’ve already seen the exchange, but it’s still funny. They asked the Supreme Court nominee, Judge Ketanji if she could define what a woman is, and she said she couldn’t, she’s not a biologist. We don’t need to see how she’ll vote on every issue before the High Court, everything will be totally predictable.

Wouldn’t it be something if the world is plunged into war, and U. S. leadership is utterly compromised from the outset. You wonder when the information we Americans are finding out will ever be recognized by the mainstream. They’re supposed to be telling us what is going on, but it looks like they’re the last to know. Even when nearly everybody (who’s paying attention) knows the answer, the mainstream has never heard the question.

Nobody could write a novel containing all that is afoot in high places. Who’d believe it? If somebody wrote a true rendition about what’s transpiring in our daily news, it would seem too fictional. But it’s our reality in 2022. Maybe some of this nightmare can be turned around, we surely hope so. On the other hand, it could get worse. With the U. S. fighting for the Western “values,” and the corruption that has taken place in high places it’s difficult to say who the good guys are. All this is certainly not the fault of Ukrainian civilians. It’s not our fault either. We don’t believe that a man can put on women’s clothes, and presto! Everyone is at pains to call it a girl, or suffer the wrath of social media, the corporations and the mainstream. That’s one of the “values” that’s being fought over. One thing we know for sure, you can’t imbibe too much tribulation without an emotional reaction. We just don’t know who all we should be mad at. None of this is going without notice. May God’s Will be done in His time. Propaganda means nothing to Him. 

 

Mark

Imagine what the Churches of God could be if they decided to preach a message of hope and joy, even in the face of troubling times? That's what Christians have done for centuries and what sustains Christians in countries where they are being martyred. They don't dwell on the present evils but realize that peace is already in them and an even greater joy awaits them. 

Imagine what a COG would be like if they actually believed in the kingdom they so long for and lived it in their present-day lives and preached it. 

Imagine no more doom and gloom sermons. 

Imagine happy, joyful, and peaceful members, who trust in something greater than they can imagine and have confidence in that, even in the face of troubles that may be coming. 

Imagine what the Church of God would be like if they actually followed that Jesus they claim to and actually had confidence in his message.