Crackpot Self-Appointed COG Prophet: Alaska To Be Returned To Russia

Alaska Must Be Returned To Russia – Political Scientist

Our favorite crackpot Church of God prophet is back trying to whip up a frenzy about Alaska and Russia. This time the Great Bwana outpaces any of the idiocy he has said in the past and jumps to an outlandish conclusion.

Apparently when God preordained the Great Bwana Bob to be the end-time Church of God leader, Satan in all of his craftiness and wickedry must have jiggled the spoon when God was pouring common sense into the little brain that would end up being Bob.

Russia has been running off at the mouth lately in another chest-thumping boast that they want Alaska back, even though they sold it to the United States on March 30, 1867, for $7.2 million dollars.

The littlest prophet ever to bumble around in the Church of God had this to say:

The idea that Russia will regain Alaska is probably highly likely. 

 

Since 2009, I have reported that Russia wants Alaska back and that I believe it will end up with at least part of it, and perhaps also parts of Canada. 

 

Furthermore, I have also long warned that there are costs and “unintended consequences” for USA sanctions against Russia.

The foolish prophet continues on with this:

Although Russia does not know how it will happen, I think I do. It is certainly possible that if Russia makes a deal with the rising European Beast power that it may end up with Alaska. 

 

Consider the following prophecy:

39 Thus he shall act against the strongest fortresses with a foreign god, which he shall acknowledge, and advance its glory; and he shall cause them to rule over many, and divide the land for gain (Daniel 11:39). 

 

The “he” is the European King of the North (cf. Daniel 11:40). The strongest fortresses in the 21st century belong to the USA, and to a lessor degree its British-descended allies. 

 

Since Bible prophecy points to Anglo-lands being divided in various scriptures Russia may well end up with some of all of Alaska and maybe even parts of Canada. 

 

Despite what many think, Germany and Russia will one day make a deal.

He also says this:

As regular readers of this COGwriter Church of God News page are aware, I have long expected that Russia would make a deal with the Europeans. 

 

Russia and Europe will make some type of a deal that will not work out well for the USA or the UK.

Bob has been a liar from the very first day he started his little cult and no one should be paying this fraud any credibility.

Knowing the kind of people who live in Alaska and how well armed they are, if Russia ever tried to pull such a stunt there would be real-life "Red Dawn" happening with Alaska and Canadians making minced meat of the Russians. Besides, now that Russia has depleted its military resources and slaughtered over 199,000 of its own men in the failed conquest of Ukraine, Russia is in no position to try and take Alaska.

 

UCG: Trying to be "united in purpose, mission, vision, understanding, message, speech and commitment to do His will."

 

For some reason, those fun boys in Cincinnati believe they are teaching "the Way". When an Armstrongite COG claims to do this they tack onto that journey law keeping, following church government and tithing. Christians for centuries have understood that as followers of "the Way" they are on a journey with Jesus. Knowing and trusting in him daily in their lives and walking in faith that he is the way. No amount of Sabbath keeping, kosher eating, or holy day keeping will ever help someone on that faith journey. Christians have understood this for centuries, yet those boys in Cincinnati have to reinterpret it into what they want it to be, further enslaving their members to a works-based belief system that is an exclusive belief of the United Church of God and its members. 

Rick Shabi writes:

Teaching the Way 

It is also a time for us to be teaching very clearly the truth of God—“the Way”—as the early New Testament Church described it. We must be dedicated to deepen our knowledge of the truth, and we must be committed to living that truth every day—in every aspect of our lives. We give witness to God’s way of life by the words we speak and by the example we set in our daily lives. Each day as we draw closer to God, He promises to lead us and prepare us individually and collectively.
The world around us is crumbling fast and every day the forces of evil deepen their grip, united in their goal of destroying mankind. Much of it occurs “behind the scenes” but we can have eyes to see if we are paying attention and staying awake. 

 

Now is the time for God’s Church and His people—us—to focus even more deeply on His will and truth, becoming “one” with Him and each other—united in purpose, mission, vision, understanding, message, speech and commitment to do His will. 

 

Be prepared for what lies ahead 

 

Interestingly, a notable event in the history of the world will occur this weekend as the throne in Britain is passed to a new king. This ceremony should remind us of the time just ahead when that crown will be passed to its rightful owner—Jesus Christ. 

 

The time of Christ’s return is growing nearer. Every day we must be allowing God to prepare us and get us ready for what lies ahead. That He will do, as we yield more and more to him—a united people under Him—called out of this world to do His will. 

 

The time is now. 

 

I ask everyone around the world to pray for God’s will to be done, His direction to be provided, and His Spirit to lead and guide everything done in these important meetings that will occur next week, and for His will to be done in all our lives every day.

COG members have been so conditioned to be constantly working for some goal that is constantly outside their reach instead of resting in the One they claim to follow. It is no wonder that so many COG members are exhausted by trying to keep up with the demands of the church. The way that they think they are following is not the way they should be following. 

"However, Jesus makes it clear that they (or we) won’t know the defined way we are supposed to travel in life. We are instead tasked with simply knowing and trusting in Jesus daily, and walking in faith that HE is the way. When we abide in him, we will not know a defined course, but we can rest in the comfort of faith – that he will lead us exactly where we need to go as we walk in him. 

This leads to the second meaning. In John 10, Jesus compared himself to a good shepherd:

"When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” Jesus used this figure of speech, but the Pharisees did not understand what he was telling them. Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture." (emphasis added) 

 

Jesus is comparing himself to a shepherd and us to his sheep. Sheep don’t choose their own path to safety and protection, but rely on the shepherd to guard and care for them. In order to be safe, we have to trust the shepherd, and not wander off on our own adventures and try to find out own way. That will lead us to danger and pain. But when we follow Jesus, he leads us to exactly where we need to be. 

 

Finally, he is making clear that he is the way to the Father, and by extension, to heaven. He says that he goes to prepare a place for us, and this suggests that after we have completed the journey of this life, we will find ourselves in a place of rest where the Father is."

"Jesus is teaching us that what we are to really be concerned with is not this life, but with eternal life. The Scriptures speak often of the life to come after our life on this earth, and as we follow the voice of our shepherd, we can grasp what that eternal life is in the here and now. We can live this life in such a way that we are not chasing things that don’t last but chasing the things that do last and have eternal significance. This type of life has eternal impact not only for us but for untold others around us. 

 

When Jesus refers to himself as the way, the truth, and the life, he is giving us a better way to live our lives through him. He is showing us that through following him daily in faith, he will lead us to a better, richer, more meaningful life than we could ever find on our own." I Am the Way, the Truth, and the Life" - What Jesus Really Meant

 

LCG: Lebanese Olive Oil Situation A Sure Sign Of End Times!

 

The length Armstrongism goes to in order to justify their wacky teachings has no boundaries of integrity. This current financial situation in Lebanon has been long going in the country and is nothing new. It was exacerbated when the explosion at the port happened a few years ago and by the political corruption that has wrecked the country.

This is the kind of idiocy that I would expect from Bob Thiel, yet here we are.

A Taste of the Future in Lebanon: The people of Lebanon are suffering under severe inflation, turning the U.S. dollar into the preferred local currency over the Lebanese pound (Deutsche Welle, May 8, 2023). Prices for goods are doubling, including the price of olive oil, the crucial, locally produced cooking staple. For many, this once-ubiquitous household product is now beyond their financial reach. This, in a country where the national minimum wage for private employees is about $94 USD or €84 per month. 

 

Those with olive groves are keeping for themselves the olive oil they produce, yet, with the increased cost of transportation to olive oil facilities and frequent electricity cuts, even this is difficult. These barriers are affecting the entire olive oil industry, causing live oil prices to soar.
On the surface, the situation with olive oil in Lebanon appears to be a localized issue. But, for students of Bible prophecy it can be instructive. At the end of the age, as Christ’s return approaches, the Bible predicts plagues that will strike the Israelite-descended nations and touch the entire world. 

 

Some of these plagues are symbolized in Revelation 6 by four riders atop four different-colored horses. The third horse is the “black horse,” representing scarcity and famine (vv. 5–6). It foretells a future when the cost of a quart of wheat will be equivalent to a day’s wages. It further identifies scarcity of wine and oil, which the context suggests is cooking oil. This serious food scarcity has not yet stricken the wealthy, Israelite-descended nations, but it is prophesied to come to them in the future. The situation in Lebanon provides insight into what this future scarcity could be like, especially in regard to “oil.” For more insights into these profound end-time prophecies in the book of Revelation, be sure to read or listen to Revelation: The Mystery Unveiled.—Scott Winnail, Francine Prater, and Chris Sookdeo

LCG: Those Pesky Germans Are Now Cooperating With The Japanese…And You Know What THAT Means

 

Where would the Living Church of God be without a bogeyman to whip their members into a frenzied state of fear? Nothing occupies the minds of prophecy addicts in LCG more than the Germans. Trying to ride the wave of Herbert Armstrong's hatred of the Germans and his outright lies about Hitler being alive in South America, LCG continues to dream of Germany spanking the United States. 

Nothing excites them (and Bob Thiel) more than the possibility of Germany occupying the United States, Canada, England, Australia, and New Zealand more than this. Concentration camps, meat hooks, youth taken as slaves to Europe, parents eating children, the list can go on and on in this orgasmic quagmire of blood and misery. After all, this has to happen or they will be exposed as false prophets, and we all know that THAT cannot happen!

Now those pesky Germans have started working with the Japanese as they try and combat the aggressiveness of China in that region. LCG sees this as a sure sign of prophecy that Germand and Jalan are cooperating ice again as they did during WWII. The excitement meter is off the charts on this one!

Germany and Japan Work More Closely: China’s aggressive regional actions are seen as a threat by many of its neighbors—which, in turn, are looking to gain support from allies. As the war in Ukraine continues, Germany and Japan are working more closely. In March, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz led a high-level delegation of German cabinet ministers to Japan for talks on strategic collaboration (Deutsche Welle, March 18, 2023). Chancellor Scholz brought with him ministers of defense, economy and climate, transportation, finance, foreign policy, and interior. Each minister met with his or her Japanese counterpart and explored areas of future collaboration.

The COVID pandemic and the war in Ukraine “exposed the vulnerabilities that stem from one-sided dependencies [on China]. And so, in 2022, Germany and Japan agreed to plan bilateral inter-governmental consultations to deepen their collaboration—with a focus on economic security.” The March meeting was Chancellor Scholz’s second visit to Japan in 11 months. He expects to return for G7 meetings this month. “Collaboration is to be intensified in many areas: the fight against the climate crisis, food security, cybersecurity, telecommunications, and others.” The two nations also plan to work together to locate new sources of critical minerals as they wean themselves from their dependency on China.

Japan and Germany are no strangers to each other. They fought on the same side just 80 years ago in World War II, and they have many needs and ambitions in common. They are both highly industrialized nations with sizable economies. Revelation 18 states that the end-time European “beast” power—likely led by Germany—will be a powerful global economic force for a short time before the return of Jesus Christ. With this understanding of the future in mind, it is interesting to watch Germany make further vital connections around the globe. For greater insights on this topic, be sure to read or listen to The Beast of Revelation: Myth, Metaphor, or Soon-Coming Reality?

LCG: Did they just claim Bob Thiel is an agent of Satan?

 

Poor Bob Thiel. LCG's latest warnings about false teachers are going to be causing major butthurt for the little self-appointed guy. He is not going to appreciate being labeled as a misleading man who functions as an agent of Satan. Ouch!

Speaking though of men who use deceptive words, this is pretty rich considering that this is the Living Church of God promoting this. Their track record of misleading people covers decades starting with the spiritual abuse and false prophecies of Rod Meredith

Beware of False Teachers! Warnings about false teachers are found throughout the Bible. Jesus warned that false teachers would come in “sheep’s clothing” (smooth-talking, congenial, appearing spiritual) but are actually “ravenous wolves” who seek to divide and devour the flock of God (Matthew 7:15–19). Jesus said this would be especially evident at the end of the age (Matthew 24:5, 11, 24). The Apostle Paul warned that false teachers guided by a “different spirit” would masquerade as “apostles of Christ” as they mislead people and actually function as ministers of Satan (2 Corinthians 11:1–15). Peter warned they will use “deceptive words” to promote themselves and spread divisive heresies as they speak evil of the Truth and attack the Church and ministers of God (2 Peter 2:1–3). Let’s remember these warnings and ask God for the spiritual discernment to recognize false and misleading teachers (2 Timothy 1:6–7)—because we will all be tested in this crucial area.

Have a profitable Sabbath,

Douglas S. Winnail

The Hierarchy – Part 2: Armstrongism and the Theology of Autocratic Hierarchy

 

Should human worth be evaluated in this way? If so, which dot is you? Maybe your tier is not even shown. 

                                                            

The Hierarchy – Part 2 

Armstrongism and the Theology of Autocratic Hierarchy

By Krischan

The revolution in my thinking happened at the Feast of Tabernacles in Tucson years ago. My family and I were eating breakfast in large hotel and I looked up and on the mezzanine above us were Worldwide Church of God ministers and their families dining separately from church members. They had better accommodations than we had, better hotel service than we had and better food than we had. And the financing for this had come out of my pocket. My son and I were at the hotel swimming pool one evening and a minister and his wife were sitting next to the pool. They did not in any way greet us or acknowledge our presence. At another time my wife and I boarded the elevator and this same minister and his wife were already onboard. Though they knew us from Ambassador College, they did not acknowledge us. Their body language said “go away.” To them we were nothing but church trash. That was how our human worth was defined by The Hierarchy. My radicalization began.

Jesus in Prison

An important theological means of preserving The Hierarchy is the subordination of Jesus. If God is hierarchical and Jesus is a lesser being then then there is a philosophical precedent for sorting people into greater and lesser categories as to human worth. “Church trash” is then a valid concept underpinned by the very Doctrine of the Hierarchical God.

Dixon Cartwright interviewed Robert Coulter who had been one of the past Presidents of the General Conference of the Church of God (Seventh Day). And Coulter made a breath-taking statement: “When I grew up in the church (CoG7), it was Arian. It taught the preexistence of Christ, but Christ was not God… Arianism tends to degrade the position of Christ.” At one point, Cartwright seeks clarification on what Coulter meant precisely by Arianism and Coulter stated, in part, “…Jesus existed as a spirit being before His conception in Mary but was a creation of God the Father at some distant time toward past eternity.” The Word who became Jesus was not God but was a created being. This was the theological environment in which HWA’s beliefs were incubated.

In order to maintain the doctrine of the Subordination of Jesus, adherents use a collection of scriptures that pertain to Jesus’ Kenotic state. Jesus did empty himself of his glory to come to earth and become incarnate (Philippians 2:6-7). During that Kenotic interlude such statements as “…my Father is greater than I” in John 14:28 are perfectly valid. But these statements have validity only within a certain transient context. The adherents of the Subordination of Jesus keep Jesus, ideologically, imprisoned in his Kenotic state in order to exalt The Hierarchy.

Jesus the Defender of Church Trash

There is a difference between a hierarchical church government and the hierarchical valuation of human beings. A hierarchical government may have some value but sorting people into a hierarchy based on their perceived human worth is never moral. Yet when there is a strong autocratic hierarchical government, there is a temptation to use the hierarchical principle suited to a physical process in valuing human lives. Jesus knew that such things would happen in human governance, so he issued a New Covenant Law to oppose bad governance.

Imagine someone gets disfellowshipped. This is, in effect, a death sentence. A disfellowshipped person can expect to burn in Gehenna to ashes. The minister may feel confident about the disfellowshipping because he knows that God backs him up. Whatever he binds is bound and whatever he loosens is loosened. So, the minister can’t be wrong. If he made an error in judgment in the disfellowshipping, God will back his decision rather than the reality. This is why The Hierarchy is so powerful. God will back the people at the top of the hierarchy even if they issue a wrong judgement – even if it contradicts what God is in his essence. Fallible humans could in principle overrule God simply by making a mistake. I don’t know that this bizarre scenario depicts, in every point, real circumstances for any denomination. If someone were to have this belief, they would be theologically, morally and intellectually deficient. But it serves here as an example of abusive governing.

The New Covenant Law that Jesus announced in Matthew 18:6 addresses any situation where bad church governance occurs including the practice of disfellowshipping. Jesus said in each of the Synoptic Gospels:

“But whoso (speaking to the disciples, future leaders of the church) shall offend one of these little ones (children symbolizing believers) which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea (Matthew 18:6).”

This is a New Covenant Law focused on the ministry that serves to regulate any process where church governance may be abused or, in our example above, the process of disfellowshipping. The disfellowshipper (a minister) must be profoundly certain, to the point of refraining if there is the least doubt, that there is not even the slightest bias or ethical shortfall to a disfellowshipping decision – anything that would cause offense. The Law Jesus stated has frightening consequences. It should always be cited in conjunction with the exercise of church governance or the process of disfellowshipping. Unless it is cited, this leaves the minister thinking he has a free hand to operate, to loosen, and to bind, but he does not and the consequences will have a dire effect on his life. Having a disfellowshipping policy without this New Covenant Law being prominently featured is like giving someone a loaded gun to play with and providing no warning.

Matthew 18:18 on loosing and binding does not cancel Matthew 18:6. Christ issued both in the same passage. In fact, Jesus, leads off with Matthew 18:6 in this passage. But Matthew 18:6 operates in conjunction with church governance in general. Therefore, Matthew 18:6 and 18:18 both operate together. This means that if a minister binds an action on a church member, the minister also simultaneously binds himself to be judged by God on the integrity of his decision.

Why is a Hierarchy of Human Worth so Important to Some People?

Why would someone decide to value people as if they were livestock on a farm? I can conjecture. It may convince people to yield to autocratic control. It may reduce people to the level of an anonymous resource. It may be a ploy to exalt a leader or create cult celebrities. Because people relate to each other through The Hierarchy, inconvenient Christian love is displaced. Perhaps, The Hierarchy provides the environment for little tyrants to masquerade as leaders. Whatever, The Hierarchy shifts the focus from God to man. Another person is going to tell you what you are worth instead of God – tell you where you fit in The Hierarchy. Someone might even have the temerity to tell you that the only reason you are in the church is to support The Work financially.

Summary Statement

This is very difficult idea for people who are trapped inside The Hierarchy to understand. To some, the idea may even seem dangerous. It is the idea that hierarchy can work well for some secular processes but it should not be applied to the valuation of human beings. It is an easy idea to understand unless you have been indoctrinated to believe that some humans are intrinsically more valuable than others. Then you will writhe in frustration trying to understand this idea and then finally fall back on the belief that hierarchies are a necessity in nature and, therefore, define how we must value human beings. Just try to get a grip by remembering certain facts from your pre-cult days. Every human being is in the image of God. Jesus is God. Jesus died for everyone. Jesus loves everyone. “For God so loved the world…”.

Continuing Church of God: Where fantasy and reality do not match up.

 

A perfect description of why Bob Thiel is such a failure as a Church of God Leader:

DW commented on "How Big Is Big? How Small Is Small? Crackpot Prophet Pretends To Solve That Problem"

Only Bob sees himself as a "big man", when in reality, everyone else sees him as the smallest man in the room. He is soooo desperate to be seen as a prophet and God's guy doing a great work, that he has imagined himself just like that. The fantasy and the realty do not match up. He has imagined himself a church leader, imagined himself a prophet, imagined his dreams have biblical/prophetic implications, imagined he understands the entirety of Scripture and imagined people would flock to his church. If he genuinely had a double portion of the Holy Spirit, he would, in fact, be leading the biggest mega church the world over, teaching orthodox Christian doctrines. The churches would be bursting at the seams, he would have millions of members and be a household name. Instead, the reality is that Bob has <150 members, nobody outside of his family and friends know who he is, he teaches heretical doctrines and nobody is beating his door down to get in.

The bottom line is that Bob sees himself and the world through the lens of Armstrongism, not reality. He doesn't even see the incredible irony that his worldview comes from another little man, who desperately wanted to be a big man, HWA. Reality will never match his fantasy, whether he admits it or not.