UCG Is Planning Early For It's Annual Christmas Family Gathering

Bah, Humbug! 

Now listen boys and girls, when you enter the hotel make sure to NOT look at all the pretty Christmas decorations and the beautiful Christmas tree. Do not even think about having a Christmas cookie! Also, please remember to wear earplugs at all times so that you are NOT tainted by the evil satanic Christmas music playing around the hotel. 

Remember to bring lots of the Holidays or Holy Days booklets to scatter around the hotel and conference center complex to do your part in spreading the gospel! Always carry a couple with you in case anyone wishes you a Merry Christmas, then you can hand them the booklet. What a great opportunity you have to share the gospel and thwart Satan!

Winter Family Weekend - New Location! 

 

Although we’ve just entered summer, plans for Winter Family Weekend have begun! WFW this year will be held at a new facility—Champion Mill Conference Center in Hamilton, Ohio. Everything is conveniently all at one location. 

 

We’ll stay at the new Warehouse Hotel at Champion Mill and use the brand-new huge sports facility featuring 14 beautiful hardwood courts and 14 sport courts. 

 

You won’t want to miss this unique opportunity to gather together for Sabbath services, seminars, sports, dances and activities for all ages. 

 

Plan now to attend Winter Family Weekend. It will begin Friday evening, Dec. 22, and end Tuesday, Dec. 26, 2023. 

 

Watch for further updates on wfw.ucg.org and a special video preview!

Crackpot Prophet Pops His Cork Over The Lost Tribes of Israel

 

The Great Bwana Mzungu to Africa and 100 Caucasians, the greatest Church of God prophet to ever exist in human history popped his homeo-pathetic cork today over British Israelism and its racist principles that have been used to slaughter and abuse millions around the world (i.e. King Leopold of Belgium).

After some of his usual blabbering, The Great Bwana Mzungu to Africa and 100 Caucasians had to lash out at us:

On June 4, 2020, the anti-COG site Banned by HWA posted the following:

Kubik and the entire United Church of God need to IMMEDIATELY discard their belief in British Israelism. … 

 

Will Victor Kubik do what is right and set the example for all the other Churches of God and publicly denounce the racist myth of British Israelism? 

 

British Israelism is neither racist nor is it a myth.

Oh, dear! Someone is NOT happy in Grover Beach! One of his pet doctrines has been disparaged! Without it, his little lacking-in-personality cult would have no need to exist.

He then goes on to blabber about the so-called "lost tribes" of Israel. Armstrongism has milked this concept for decades as one of its foundational doctrines, which incidentally is 100% irrelevant to ANYONE'S salvation. 

“The ten lost tribes” is not a Biblical phrase, nor is there any similar expression implying the loss of any of the tribes. The phrase has been invented to support a theory, as a little Biblical history will show. 

 

The twelve tribes formed one united kingdom under King Solomon (1 Kings 2:12), but because of the evils that ap­peared during his reign (chap. 11:6), the Lord allowed ten tribes to revolt (verses 30, 31) and form a kingdom un­ der Jeroboam with their capital in Samaria, to the north. Rehoboam, who declined the advice of seasoned counselors, became the king of Judah, or the southern kingdom of two tribes (Judah and Benjamin; 1 Kings 12:1-24; 2 Chron. 10:1-19), with his capi­tal in Jerusalem. From then on the history of Israel, the northern kingdom, was for more than two hundred years a dismal suc­cession of apostasy, rebellion, murder, usur­pation. As a result, large numbers deserted to the southern kingdom of Judah, as is clearly stated in 2 Chronicles 15:9: “And he [King Asa] gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and the strangers with them out of Ephraim and Manasseh, and out of Sim­eon: for they fell to him out of Israel in abundance, when they saw that the Lord his God was with him.”

Prior to the end of the northern king­dom, King Hezekiah of Judah attempted a revival (2 Chron. 30:1-27) by inviting them to return to the worship of God, and a multitude from the north came to Jerusa­lem. But the days of the northern kingdom were numbered, and it came to an end (2 Kings 17:6) by an Assyrian invasion of Samaria and the deportation of nearly 28,000 captives: 

 

In the ninth year of Hoshea the king of Assyria took Samaria, and carried Israel away into Assyria, and placed them in Halah and in Habor . . . , and in the cities of the Medes. (See also verses 7-9; 18-23; 18:9-12; compare 2 Chron. 30:1-18.)

The fall of Samaria marked the end of the north­ ern kingdom of Israel after a tragic history of little more than two centuries. Conceived and born in the spirit of rebellion, it had no chance of sur­vival. Twenty kings with an average rule of 10 years had sat upon the throne, 7 of them as mur­derers of their predecessors.

If it had been recognized that with the downfall of Samaria “the ten-tribed kingdom of Israel” ceased forever to exist as a separate political entity, no British-American-Israel theory would have arisen.

This and other captivities and deporta­tions did not, however, mean that all the members of the ten tribes were transported from their own land into exile. For in­ stance, about one hundred years after the Assyrian deportations of Israel, King Josiah of Judah instituted a revival and re­paired the Temple at Jerusalem (2 Chron. 34:1-9)—a revival in which the citizens of Ephraim and Manasseh and other Israelite remnants left in the land participated. In 2 Chronicles 35:17 and 18 we read of a great Passover observed by Judah and Israel.

It is estimated that not more than fifty thousand of Israel were deported to Assyria, in harmony with the custom of ancient despots to remove mainly leaders and peo­ple likely to foment revolt. This means that there were no completely lost tribes down to this time, and here the prophet Jeremiah, who prophesied to both Judah and Israel from the days of Josiah till the end of Zedekiah’s reign, the last ruler of Judah, enters the picture.

Not a word does Jeremiah utter in his prophecies to both Israel and Judah of any idea of lost tribes and their future rediscov­ery. That carries us down to the final Baby­lonian captivity of the southern kingdom

It should be noted that when the Persian King Cyrus released God’s people from Babylon to return to their homeland in 536BC they are not called Jews by Isaiah, but "Jacob" and "Israel," also "Israel mine elect," so that Isaiah was also unaquanted with the distinction made by the Anglo-Israelites between "Israelites" and "Jews" (see Isaiah 45:4, 11:25, on the use of these terms). The True Israel of God: The Anglo-American-Israel Theory Examined by Harry W. Lowe - General Conference Field Secretary

Also:

Over time, many theories, legends, and myths developed concerning these tribes. In the 19th century, literature started to appear, declaring the so-called 10 lost tribes had migrated into Western Europe, eventually settling in the British Isles. Claims were made that people within the United Kingdom descended from the “lost” tribes of Israel. This false belief became known as British-Israelism and Anglo-Israelism.

The truth is there is no such thing as the 10 lost tribes because they were never lost! For example, King Hezekiah invited the remnant of Israel to Jerusalem to keep the Passover with the tribe of Judah. Many came from the tribes of Asher, Ephraim, Manasseh, and Zebulun and identified themselves with the house of David (2 Chr. 30:1, 10–11, 25–26; 34:6–9). Most probably never left Judah.  Are the 10 Tribes of Israel Lost? 

 And this:

The mystery of the lost ten tribes of Israel endures in legend today, but the provided evidence does show that those who had a military occupation and served the Assyrian army as auxiliary units seemed to have retained their identity. As for the overall Israelite population, they too can be found, but by an individual basis, based on who held different jobs of a non-military nature.

It appears that the so-called “Lost Ten Tribes of Israel” were never lost. Instead, they served, and over a generation or two, integrated within the local Assyrian populations, eventually losing their identity. Ancient Orgins: Were the Lost Ten Tribes of Israel Ever Lost?

All of this useless claptrap is just one more tool of diversion that COG leaders use to divert attention away from the ONE they should be following and trusing in. As fascinating as the stories and myths may be, they still are irrelevant to any Chrsitan.

Is there a lack of vision in LCG leading members to lose focus on the "big picture"?

Why can't Winnail and the rest of the boys in Charlotte ever have a word of encouragement for their followers? It is alway something they are doing wrong. 

As usual, the focus is upon their "kingdom" and not on the One they should be encouraging their members to be looking towards. Focusing upon a mythical COG created kingdom where they will be kings, priests, and literal gods ruling over planets takes the focus entirely OFF of the One they claim to be following.

Big Picture or Loose Bricks? Solomon wrote, “Where there is no vision the people perish” (Proverbs 29:18, KJV and NKJV). Jesus told His disciples to “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15), to warn the world and Israelite nations of sobering events to come (Matthew 24), and to prepare a people to rule with Him in the Kingdom (Luke 1:17). This is the big picture we need to focus on. However, some can lose sight of this big picture by focusing instead on personal concerns, and issues not clearly defined in the Scriptures. By contrast, Abraham was big-minded when dealing with Lot (Genesis 13). David kept God’s overall plan in mind when he was persecuted by Saul. Esther put the welfare of her people above her own, and Jesus urged His followers to focus on the Kingdom instead of personal problems (Matthew 6:25–34). While Jesus saw the Pharisees’ zeal for details, He admonished them for their lack of vision to see the big picture (Matthew 23:23–24). Let’s keep our minds on the big picture instead of looking for loose bricks.
Have a profitable Sabbath,
Douglas S. Winnail

Law breakers! You would do/say anything to avoid keeping God's Law

You would do/say anything to avoid keeping God's Law

Anyone who dares to criticize Armstrongite theology is usually met with this accusation. In their worldview, most of the folks who profess to be Christians simply don't want to obey God. Of course, this is rooted in their belief that Christians are obligated to obey what they characterize as the eternal spiritual principles outlined in Torah. From their perspective, this also insulates them against the obvious criticism that they are cherry picking among the various dos and don'ts outlined therein. For the critics of their theology, however, it seems like the Armstrongite would do just about anything to justify their obsession with obeying the provisions of Torah which they cherish.

For the Armstrongite, those Catholics and Protestants are willfully disobedient to God. They don't want to keep the Sabbath. They don't want to keep God's Holy Days. They'd rather observe those pagan holidays. They'd rather have their ham and bacon than obey God's dietary laws. Likewise, the LGBTQ community simply doesn't want to obey Leviticus 18:22. They'd rather wallow in their perversity than obey God. For the Armstrongite, these folks are the latest rendition of what happened in the Garden of Eden. "They just want to decide for themselves what constitutes good and evil!"

They simply cannot fathom that those "so-called Christians" could be motivated by the same desire to obey God - to be within His will - which motivates them! They insist that their critics are trying to negate God's laws - to justify ignoring them. The notion that those folks might actually love God and want to be part of His Kingdom is completely foreign to them. And, although they insist that they too believe that their salvation is entirely dependent on Jesus Christ, they are not bashful about quickly following that up with an assertion that God will NOT accept anyone into His Kingdom who doesn't obey those "eternal spiritual principles" of Torah! "If they really loved God, they'd obey His commandments!"

For most Christians (including those of us who have successfully emerged from the delusion of Armstrongism), however, it is clear that God inaugurated a New Covenant through Jesus Christ - one with better terms and promises than were included in the OLD one. For us, Torah pointed to Jesus of Nazareth and was FULFILLED by him. For us, Jesus summarized Torah into two great principles: Love for God, and love for neighbor - eliminating the need to cherry pick among those dos and don'ts. Like Jesus, James and Paul, we see the Law as a comprehensive whole - which is NOT severable). We believe that if you commit to obeying even one of its provisions, you are obligated to observe the whole. Hence, for us, Christians are obligated to obey the intent or "spirit" of the Law as Christ summarized it. Moreover, we ONLY do that as a way of demonstrating our love for God and as a manifestation of the new entity which Christ's work has created in us - NOT as something which is necessary to gain entrance in God's Kingdom! In this way, we believe that we are among those who "keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ."

Hence, for those of you who insist on obligating yourselves to observe some or all of the provisions of Torah and claim to be disciples of Christ, you may want to take a closer look at these issues! If not, I sincerely hope your Torah observance works out for you. Even so, please don't worry about those of us who have decided to rest in what Jesus Christ has accomplished for us - we'll be fine!

Lonnie Hendrix

Sabbath and the International Dateline Problem

 

From a reader:

As a comment to your posting on the Sabbath, I tried to post this comment. But it was too long to be accepted. Nonetheless, Armstrongites in the Western Hemisphere celebrate the Sabbath on the biblical 1^st day of the week here, as I tried to explain:

 

 

Armstrongism and its requiring, for salvation, 7th-day Sabbath observance, is simply wrong; at least in the Western Hemisphere. Churches requiring strict observance of the 7th-day Sabbath in the Western Hemisphere (and in Arctic regions) have a great problem they conveniently never address or resolve, because it disqualifies all of their doctrines based on Sabbath-keeping.

 

How could Sabbath-keeping in the Western Hemisphere be wrong? The seventh day of each week, by scriptural command (at least to Israelites in ancient times), was to be diligently kept. But, among others, one big problem occurred; in 1492. Columbus found the New World, and in subsequent years it was settled and occupied by people from the Old World. That’s the problem.

 

Does the Sabbath-keeping command apply worldwide, to everyone, in all times, in all places? Or, ony to the peoples of the Middle East and the rest of the Old World? Please examine the problem.

 

The problem? The world is a globe, not a flat earth. Although it appears that the sun “rises” in the east each morning and “sets” in the west each evening (except in polar areas), the sun actually doesn’t move. The earth does; it revolves 360 degrees each day. So, to keep track of days, so that they always retain their proper names (Sunday is each week’s Day One; Saturday is Day Seven), there must be, necessarily, somewhere on the globe an “International Dateline.”

 

That’s the problem, which negates the commonly-perceived 7th-day Sabbath in the Western Hemisphere. To accommodate the convenience of commercial interests, the International Dateline, many years ago, was established in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

 

But, Biblically, the dateline, if there is to be one, so that we can know which is the actual 7th day of each week, needs to be in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, not the Pacific. There is absolutely no Biblical justification for the dateline to transect the Pacific, for the following reasons.

 

It must be presumed that the weekdays and the Sabbaths, although not observed, followed the humans who survived The Flood and safely exited the Ark after it landed on Mt. Ararat, as they and their descendants then dispersed across the globe. Every 7th day, without interruption, was the Sabbath, for everyone, everywhere. Can anyone contest the fact that the Sabbath, even though unobserved, went with all peoples, wherever they settled, without gaining or losing even a day, anywhere?

 

Then, in 1492 Columbus landed in the New World. And there were people already living here. “Indians” he thought. Nope, Native Americans, thousands of miles distant from India — because the earth is a globe, with the Western Hemisphere having a calendar different from the one in Spain. 

 

Now none of the Native Americans had a seven-day week that they followed. They didn’t know or care about a Saturday or a Sunday. But their most distant ancestors, through hundreds of generations, after safely leaving the Ark, had the sequence of weekly days necessarily follow them; even if they didn’t know or observe them.

 

That’s the crux of the matter. Even though unknown and unobserved, the 7th-day Sabbath went with the humans from the landing of the Ark all the way to the New World. Not a day could have been gained or lost. The new day started at sundown each day; exactly as described and defined in Scripture. But, the world is a spherical globe. When humans came across from Asia to settle the Western Hemisphere, there was no International Dateline. They never changed the counting of weekly days when they landed here. The weekly Sabbath, even though unknown and unobserved, began at sundown at the end of the 6th day, each “Friday.”

 

That’s the problem. Which Friday, in, say, 1492, or even today, is the biblically correct one? Fact is, in 1492 Columbus’s Friday was the Native American’s Saturday. Because the Western Hemisphere was already settled with humans, descended from original ancestors from the Middle East, or Mt. Ararat, the Sabbath went with them, with never the gain or loss of a day. The sundown that signaled the start of the Sabbath was their “Friday” — which was Columbus’s “Saturday.”

 

It’s very clear, Biblically, as determined by the historical migrations of humans, both to the east and west of Mt. Ararat or the Garden of Eden, that the International Dateline must be placed in the mid-Atlantic Ocean, accurately dividing the Old World from the New World. In the Americas, the observance of the 7th day Sabbath starting at sundown on today’s Friday is off by a day. Biblically, people and churches trying to observe a 7th-day Sabbath starting on the calendar’s Friday evening are actually observing a Biblical 1st-day Sabbath. Biblically, historically, the dateline must be in the Atlantic, not the Pacific. 

 

When I was a member worshiping in the Worldwide Church of God, because I had training in geography and perceived the dateline problem, I asked my local pastor about it. Sure seemed that we were meeting on the wrong Biblical day. His response? “Well, we simply follow the modern calendar and accept the International Dateline where it has been placed.”

 

And, that was the problem. They followed the modern calendar and observed the International Dateline. But that’s not Biblical. Because the 7th-day Sabbath went with all peoples from their ancient origins in the Old World, people observing what they think is the 7th-day Sabbath on today’s calendars in the New World are in error. They are off by a day. If Sabbath-keeping is a pre-condition to salvation, they are condemned. In the New World they’ve been erroneously keeping it on a Biblical, historical 1st day. 

 

Then, of course, is the problem of people living above the Arctic Circle. Examples are the Inuit (“Eskimo”) peoples and the Sami, of northern Europe. Above the Arctic Circle, for varying periods of time each year the sun never sets or rises within 24-hour periods. Biblically, if a new  “day” is started by the sun’s setting, many “days” of the year in the Arctic can be several months long. If 7th-day Sabbath-keeping is a prerequisite for salvation, people living above the Arctic Circle are geographically condemned.  

 

Sorry, Armstrongists in the New World, you’ve been keeping the Sabbath in this half of the globe on the real 1st-day of each Biblical week, modern calendars and the International Dateline notwithstanding. Seems, then, that if proper 7th-day Sabbath-keeping is a pre-condition of salvation, you are condemned, doesn’t it?

 

OR, Biblically, the Sabbath commend was for a specific people, for a specific period of time; in a specific region, until Christ fulfilled the Law for all who believe.