Bouncing Crackpot Prophet Speaks On Hierarchical Governance and Corruption...Hilarity Ensues!

Hi Folks, I think all of you in CCOG Land could USE a Refresher Course in Pastoral Coverup Propaganda. This sermon is the one in which Bob Thiel defends his African Ministry with smoke and mirror tactics. Especially laughable is his holding up the now proven forged Malawian Registration Document, for a split second, saying here it is.  I think he knew deep down it was a forged document but didn't think anyone would catch on. All we said is True. Bob Thiel can't deny Facts, no matter how much spin he puts on it. At least we have him on tape denying the now-known truths of the corruption of his African Ministry Minions. Review this sermon folks and realize all the allegations are true, Thiel will go down in COG History as the most tolerant leader of Church corruption, idiocy, and propaganda manipulation and downright financer of EVIL the Church of God has ever seen.

Terry Nelson

This is truly one of the most pathetic sermons you will ever witness. 

It is like watching a petulant grade schooler justifying to the principal why he got caught cheating on a test. 

The excuses are childish and really beneath the dignity of a church leader. 

You can see why the Worldwide Church of God, Raymond McNair, Dibar Apartian, Gaylyn Bonjour, and Rod Meredith REFUSED to ordain the guy.

Plan B: The Ultimate Lèse-majesté Argument of Armstrongism

Terraforming Unfinished Planets.  Credit: Dalein Ballard

Plan B

The Ultimate Lèse-majesté Argument of Armstrongism

By Scout

“Known from eternity are to God all the works of him” (Bible Hub literal translation of Acts 15:18)

 

I do not believe that Herbert W. Armstrong ever set out to depreciate God.  I believe he felt that certain ideas had been revealed to him and on the strength of that supposition he published those ideas as the solutions to the mysteries of the Bible.  Since he ran an autocratic organization, his ideas were never subject to review.  This scenario is a cliché in the history of religion.  But that is my best explanation for what I am about to relate. 

There is a theme that runs through Armstrongism of characterizing God as much less powerful than he actually is.  The theme originates in a pre-occupation with the Old Testament description of God.  In the Old Testament, God is often characterized as an anthropomorph with the inherent limitations.  This was a rhetorical means of communicating with ancient peoples.  It was not intended to be a realistic portrayal of the essential ontology of God.  Those who believe it is a realistic portrayal eventually run into logical dilemmas.  

And to shore up this errant doctrine of God, the frequent reaction is to form a redoubt comprised of many Lèse-majesté Arguments, made directly or by implication: God in his essence is reliant on a functional body, God is in spacetime, God has race, God has gender, God is not absolute but relative, God is contingent and not necessary, the image of God mentioned in Genesis 1 is physical (See end note 1), God does not know the future and, finally, we, too, can become just like God.   In short, God is like a super-human and has human-like successes and setbacks just like us.  He is of our category; he is just more powerful.  He is just the biggest kid on the block.  Such Lèse-majesté Arguments are a blatant mischaracterization of the uncreated and absolute God. 

The Theatrical Script

In the pages of the Mystery of the Ages (MOA), Herbert W. Armstrong’s magnum opus, there is described a great drama.  I will summarize it here.  God created an unfinished Cosmos.  It is full of planets in disarray.  The planets needed to be terraformed. (This is an interesting conjecture on HWA’s part since the MOA was published in 1985 but the first exoplanet was discovered in 1992.  The existence of exoplanets may be the only “prophecy” HWA was right about. It was probably inadvertent.  It is a conclusion that probably stems from a lack of knowledge about astronomy.)  God intended the angels to go throughout the Cosmos and finish the creation.  HWA wrote, “So the angel potential was to take over the entire universe – to improve and finish the billions of physical planets surrounding the uncountable stars, many of which are suns (MOA, p. 90)”.  But the angels rebelled and God then realized when this happened that he needed a better solution.  So, he decided to create man, a reproduction of himself, and train him to do the work where the angels failed.  HWA wrote, “God THEN purposed to reproduce himself, through humans, made in his image and likeness…” (MOA, p. 94, caps mine).  HWA’s statement does not invoke the issue of God’s antecedent and permissive will but is a matter purely of God’s state of knowledge and foreknowledge.  God took a risk and lost because he did not know what was going to happen. 

Man is clearly Plan B – an afterthought.   He was not on the agenda until after the angelic debacle.  God did not foresee the problem and changed his plan to accommodate new circumstances.  God was not in control but reactive – like a human.  God is subject to risk. 

The Theological Analysis

This scenario proposes a very different God from the Christian God.  The Christian God is absolute and transcends our small human ideas of power and control.  But in HWA’s God we have a God who can experience failure, whose plans can be wholly subverted.  This putative lesser God does not know the future in contravention to what James stated in Acts 15:18. He was caught by surprise by the angelic rebellion and had to fall back and regroup.  The result was the innovation of a new sentient creature called a human being that was not originally intended.  

So, HWA’s timeline for this scenario is non-Biblical.  Jesus was slain for us, for human sin, from the foundation of the Cosmos (Rev 13:8).  God knew at the beginning there would be humans and these humans would need forgiveness through the sacrifice of Christ.  Whereas, HWA postulates that mankind was created as a course correction much later than the foundation of the Cosmos.  Acts 15:18 tells us that God knew all of his works at the outset of the Age (See also end note 2.).  This indicates that he is absolute.  He will do what he will do.  He is what he is. And nothing in the created realm can derail or contravene that.  To argue otherwise is to engage in Lèse-majesté Argument.

Throughout this theater developed by HWA, it seems like God’s first goal is to refurbish the Cosmos. Angels did not make the cut so he created man so he could have the needed reliable workers to do this. It is not a plan about sentient creatures becoming partakers of the divine nature but about getting a remodeling job done.  The theology of human salvation is just an expedience.  This, of course, makes no sense because God can at any time refurbish the Cosmos in an instant by fiat.  If he created by fiat, he can refurbish by fiat.  If God involves sentient creatures in this refurbishing, it is to give them the “dignity of causation”, a term used by C.S. Lewis.  What Lewis means is that God could do it all himself but wants man to participate in causation and thereby accords man the dignity of meaningful involvement.  But the “dignity of causation” focuses on the developmental destiny of the sentient creatures, not the remodeling job as portrayed in the MOA.  

So, HWA’s conjectural theater has no Biblical traction.  And it is the ultimate Lèse-majesté Argument against God because if strikes at God’s ontology and his plan of salvation.  This theater denies God absoluteness for the following reasons:

1.     God does not know the future: He is not omniscient.  Prophets cannot validly predict because God doesn’t know what is going to happen himself. 

2.     God can therefore be surprised: He can suffer unforeseen reversals and setbacks. 

3.     His plans can be foiled by his creatures: Not only can his creatures surprise him but can cancel or modify his plans. 

4.     God cannot achieve what is best: His original plan involving the angels was best (it was first conceived and put into action) but he had to replace it with an inferior Plan B involving human beings.  God cannot bring about what is best but may have to pursue the sub-optimal. 

What Difference Does It Make?

Late in the last century, I got some notes from a WCG Ministerial Conference.   The notes were on file at the Roy Hammer Library at Ambassador College, Big Sandy.  I was particularly interested in explanations about pre-Adamic Man made by Herman Hoeh.  I read the notes and found them interesting but they did not add any additional archaeological information to what I already knew.  Hoeh did say something that I readily accepted at the time but is quite alarming now.  He said that God could not have created Adam without preliminary experimentation.  God worked like human engineers who must create progressively more complex models in order to finally arrive at a final design.  The fossilized remains of pre-Adamic man are the remains of these preliminary models.  Apparently, some of his efforts were not successful because some lines of development were terminated in the fossil record.  Though I was too naïve to understand it back then, this is nothing less than an assertion that God is a limited being – limited to the processes of human engineering and fabrication.  He is a trial-and-error god.  Lèse-majesté arguments like this, though supportive of HWA’s Plan B scenario, erode our belief in the greatness of the absolute God.  

A further issue is prophecy.  Millerite derived denominations in many cases have a pre-occupation with prophecy. Given this history, it is ironic that Armstrongism cancels the capability for predictive prophecy at the divine level.  If God does not know the future, such as HWA describes in the MOA, how can God inspire predictive prophecy?  Think for a moment. The Armstrongist Doctrine of God does not permit the existence of predictive prophecy.  This is a show-stopping inconsistency inherent in the theology of Armstrongism.  And the odd view that God is insufficient to sustain a prophetic capability is in accord with the general theme of Lèse-majesté in Armstrongism.  This is a form of Hyper-Arminianism where God not only does not determine the future but also does not know it.  And it further leaves dangling the various references to Godly foreknowledge and foreknowing contained in the New Testament. 

Summation 

God is great.  God is absolute. He transcends all the knowledge we have of reality. He does not just know reality exhaustively, he made reality.  He “speaks” or wills and things come into existence.  He is not bound by time. He knows what we call the future.  If he did not know the future, there would be no such thing as a prophet.  The anthropomorphic language of the Old Testament, while it is rhetorically useful in conveying ideas in a way that we humans can understand, limits God in capabilities to the point that it makes untenable and illogical the proposition that God is creator of all ex nihilo.  That anthropomorphic language is poetry not ontology. Mankind is not Plan B.  There is no Plan B and never will be.  That is just a big, old Lèse-majesté Argument.  (See end note 3).

 

Note 1:  While the image of God is often cited by HWA’ followers as a reference to the shape and form of God, this is not what HWA actually stated.  He said that man was made to become, “the character image of God and also in the likeness or form and shape of God.” (Mystery of the Ages, 1985, p. 102) The term “character” is broad in its scope and can refer to many attributes.  While the idea of the image of God as form or shape conflicts with Christian belief, the idea of character may not, depending on how it is defined. 

Note 2: Though Acts 15:18 may be translated literally as, “Known from eternity are to God all the works of him”, the word for eternity in Greek is “aionos”.  This may be also translated as “age”.  David B. Hart in his New Testament translation renders this phrase as “known from an age ago”.  In any case, it is a clear statement that God has foreknowledge of all his activities no matter what timeframe is considered - activities that for us from our perspective in time would be future. 

Note 3: Many times, Armstrongists will read material like this that exalts God and will term it “atheistic”. How this illogical idea can be asserted is a “mystery of the ages”. 

 

 

Bob Thiel Bragged About Forged Registration Papers On August 3

Found this interesting Tidbit in Bob Thiel's Letter to the Brethren,  August 3rd

Despite our warnings, Bob Thiel boasts how the CCOG was officially Registered. The fact is they never were registered, which Is now a fact that the past registration that he claims here had lapsed, is the same forged document only with earlier dates. 

Big Boo Boo Pastor Dr. Bob has made and will continue to trust his Satanic Ministry Minions. Wake up, Folks! 

Bob Thiel is selling like David Pack, the greatest Prophet Bull ever told, pumping thousands into Africa, claiming the CCOG is the Philadelphia Remnant, led by a Prophet of God - Yeah Right!

Terry Nelson

Bob Thiel: More Criminal Activity In Malawi As His Highly Converted Evangelist Forged Documents Given To Malawi Government Officials

Bob Thiel's forged CCOG Malawi Registration, which Gullible Prophet Bob Thiel was given by his Criminal Minister Radson Mulozowa since 2017. The Picture of the  Forged Document was handed to a person at Bob Thiel's Feast site in Wisconsin Dells this year by none other than Bob Thiel himself, so Mr. Thiel can't deny he had this forged Malawian Registration all along. 

This is Big as we the former friends, tried to warn the Greatest Muzungu Prophet of Africa, that the Continuing Church of God in Malawi was never registered, was on Record almost a year ago. But, Dr Pastor Prophet Bob Thiel wouldn't listen or even check it out himself, he only Believes his Satanic so-called Ministers of God, so now he must suffer the wrath of the Malawian Government and be duly shut down for support of criminal activity and supporting a known abuser of women and children, a multiple adulterous scum, a witchcraft practitioner, a thief of Church property and funds, a forger of Government documents. 

The only possible way out for the Great Prophet is to fire Radson Mulozowa and admit he was wrong in trusting him. Still, personally, I don't think he can ever be humble and receive a good dose of humble pie. 

The only reason Radson Mulozowa hasn't been imprisoned is because he is housebound and is dying of massive health problems and is reported from several sources has been reduced to a skeleton of a man, searching for the most powerful Witch Doctors to cure him. 

Police are closely monitoring him. If he does improve by some miracle, they will imprison Him.

Folks in CCOG, wake up !!!! 

You are supporting a Church that has known criminals and a man that is blinded to reality from his Delusions of Grandeur. 

The ride of Truth has just begun, stay tuned for the even Bigger Revelations.

Cry aloud spare not.  

Terry Nelson 

Dave Pack Has A New Revelation: RCG To Now Observe New Moons

 

Lunar-Tics

 

The documented downward trajectory of David C. Pack’s mental state has been consistent, but to what lengths he will go into biblical lunacy is sometimes unpredictable. During “The Greatest Unending Story! (Part 479)” on November 11, 2023, a tectonic shift in the Church of God landscape occurred.

 

The Restored Church of God

now observes new moons.

 

I did not see that one coming. The Pastor General of The Restored Church of God has become almost downright boring with his "This date, no…that date. No, this date…no, it really is this next date" shtick and desperately needed updated material.

 

With seemingly no more titles belonging to Jesus Christ for him to commandeer at the moment, he looked at the calendar and wondered how he could make all things new. Lo and behold, the new moon was staring him in the face all this time, and it never occurred to him how he could exploit it.

 

This monumental doctrinal change for The Restored Church of God breaks unprecedented ground, and that is pretty hard to do.

 

David C. Pack officially became a false prophet on August 30, 2013, when the Kingdom of God did not come, and Jesus Christ did not reunite the Worldwide Church of God Splinters on Elul 24.

 

David C. Pack officially became a lying blasphemer on December 26, 2015, when he declared he was That Prophet of Deuteronomy 18:18 and Acts 3:22 and 7:37 instead of Jesus Christ.

 

David C. Pack officially became an advocate of antichrist theology when he took upon himself the title of The Branch on September 2, 2023, and then also denied Jesus Christ is a man.

 

David C. Pack officially became irrelevant on November 11, 2023, when he informed RCG brethren that God always intended to inspire His end-time servant, leading His true church essential knowledge before the return of Jesus Christ, and this was an incredible gift of understanding God's Plan.

 

Since "truth can only enter the church from an apostle," this implication comes with a drum roll and the blowing of trumpets.

 

David C. Pack has revealed

the true apostle of God is actually

Wade Cox.

 

Wade Cox and his organization have been observing new moons for years.

 

God’s True Church must be

Christian Churches of God,

not The Restored Church of God.

 

 

Dave accidentally handed Wade Cox of CCG a golden crown of absolute legitimacy. Suppose the brethren of The Restored Church of God want to know more details about the proper hows and whys of observing new moons. In that case, they should consult seasoned biblical professionals and not a Davey-Come-Lately crew decades tardy to the chodesh party.

 

CCG.org has a vast array of resource materials regarding new moons available TODAY. Brethren do not have to wait for Sweaty Smiley Ed Winkfield to start gathering material to distribute to the church because all that work has already been done. A long time ago. 

 

RCG brethren are encouraged to follow this link to learn more:

God's Calendar

 

Hopefully, CCG lawyers keep a close eye on their new moon materials to see just how similar future RCG content "accidentally" is to theirs.

 

Why should God-fearing called-out ones delay learning about this exciting information from an organization that just discovered it when Wade Cox and his helpful acolytes have been doing this for years?

 

They can surely answer all your questions RIGHT NOW. Send them an email: secretary@ccg.org. Trust me, they will totally get back to you lickety-split.

 

That super duper micro-flock has been keeping the lamps burning when everyone around them thought they were kooks. This means Dave owes Wade a consolatory apology phone call. As it turns out, that obscure organization has been the real tip of the spear regarding doctrinal purity and time-keeping precision. And David C. Pack was the one who actually revealed that to the world.

 

How serious is CCG about new moons? Totally. They even have a new moon time calculator, so you will never be left to wonder when the moon is entirely invisible to the human eye.

 

I encourage all Restored Church of God brethren:

Leave RCC and join CCG without delay.

 

If new moons are a sign of God's True Church and who and where He is working, then the answer is clear: CCG.org.

 

Remember, a counterfeit imitates the original. CCG is the original new moon-keeping Church of God. RCG is the copycat. Wade Cox is the OG teacher of new moon observance. David C. Pack is the imitator.

 

 

Part 479 – November 11, 2023

@ 00:47 The Plan of God Series continues.

 

@ 01:04 It begins a big, big story that I will start today. A huge story that we've not understood, and it's in some ways the most astonishing part of the whole Series that you know nothing of.

 

But Wade Cox and the members of CCG have been most astonished and have known of it for a very long time.

 

If Restored Church of God members are enthused and serious about properly observing new moons, they must join the organization God revealed it to FIRST: Christian Churches of God.

 

Once David C. Pack starts preaching about the Hillel calendar, everyone will know who God really chose to lead the charge to usher in salvation-necessary practices just before Christ’s return.

 

Dear brethren of The Restored Church of God…There is only one clear choice now: Wade Cox of CCG.

Marc Cebrian

See: Lunar-Tics

 

LCG Members Learning To Rule With Justice And Mercy? Really?

Imagine if you survived a nuclear war and you had lost most of your family and friends, your home, your city was destroyed, and along comes a merry band of Living Church of God members who will be treating you with justice and mercy. Would you believe them? Can you trust them considering how they act now?

LCG mocks those who try and elevate suffering and injustice today around the world as useless, but fail to understand if they cannot bring a foretaste of that glorious kingdom they long for now, in human form and in times of peace, how in the hell do they expect to be able to do it after worldwide suffering? Oh, wait. They will be gods and goddesses. Problem solved.

Many Christians understand that their lives have been so richly blessed by their faith that they want to help break for the Kingdom of God in the world around them today, one person at a time. Armstrongism has always mocked those who do this as wasting their time. Leave them to suffer now but encourage them that better times are ahead though as long as they persevere. After all, God's going to fix it all in the end so why waste time and money on this now when the church needs it more.

The Path to Justice: We are living in an age when lawlessness, rioting, killing, and looting are viewed as legitimate ways to attain justice (2 Timothy 3:1–5). While it can be a noble desire to eliminate suffering and injustice, the goal of modern social-justice warriors is to solve these problems by human efforts alone. However, there is a God of truth and justice (Deuteronomy 32:4) who hears the cries of the poor and oppressed (Psalm 72:4). This why Jesus Christ is coming back to our troubled world to establish justice and judgment in the coming Kingdom of God (Isaiah 9:6–7). The returning Messiah will need leaders who can rule with justice and mercy and point people to the path that leads to real peace and justice (Isaiah 30:20–21; Ezekiel 45:9). Are you preparing for this vitally important role that will change the world for everyone?
Have a profitable Sabbath,
Douglas S. Winnail

Living Church of God Has Put The World On Notice!

 

One thing you can say about Richard Ames is that he is soooooooooo encouraging. As the post-Feast blues set in Ames sends out this reminder that you had been "learning the FEAR OF GOD" at the Feast!

Living Church of God brethren observed the 2023 Feast of Tabernacles and Last Great Day at 89 sites in 49 countries. From Mr. Weston’s Opening Night message, reminding us that we are learning the fear of God, to his Last Great Day message proclaiming that the masses of deceived mankind will awaken to have their first real opportunity to learn God’s way of peace, we all rejoiced at God’s “master plan” of salvation for all of humanity. An inspiring Behind the Work video gave us the blessing of learning more about our brethren in South and Southeast Asia and the Asia-Pacific region.

ANGRY GOD is so important to Armstrongism. With Angry God constantly angry, members need to be constantly on watch that they do not do anything to make IT angry at them. Of course, the church eagerly provides copious lists of all the things you can do to make ANGRY GOD really, really angry. The constant threat of losing one's salvation is a great control mechanism for church authorities.

Tied into that constant threat of losing one's salvation is the fact that you will also never become a god like the rest of the LCG elite. Then, since you're not a god you will NOT be allowed to teach people in the millennium, nor will you be King or Priest! More importantly, you will NEVER be able to judge them! Oh, the tragedy!!!!

What an amazing calling God has given us to train to be kings, priests, and judges for His coming kingdom and to assist Him now by helping to fulfill His “great commission.” I was personally moved to see, at the two Feast sites my wife and I attended—Branson and Lake of the Ozarks in the United States state of Missouri—how brethren generously served and loved one another as sons and daughters of the ever-living God, preparing to become eternal members of God’s royal family.

LCG members are encouraged to keep their army of faithful marching forward, being the militaristic church that Armstrongism is. LCG is always at war about something. All powerful big meanie Satan, the gays, the Germans, the Chinese, the Muslims, militant feminists, other Church of God groups, etc.

So what is a poor depressed LCG member to do as they combat the dreaded post-Feast blues?

READ YOUR SERMON NOTES! Good LCG note-takers will accomplish this:

When you are a student in a classroom, you know that it is important to take notes so you can study the material again and again after the class is done. You want to internalize what you’ve been taught so it becomes a part of you and changes you for the better. 

 

Your Feast notes should help to remind you that the time is soon coming when the desert will blossom like the rose (Isaiah 35:1). As Christians today, we are preparing to become the firstfruits who will play a part in fulfilling that prophecy. Reviewing your Feast notes can keep you motivated and inspired about your future.

We are training to become kings and priests in tomorrow’s world. Priests in ancient Israel had many responsibilities, including that of teaching the people. We as the resurrected firstfruits will have that responsibility in the Kingdom of God. Almost certainly you heard someone during the Feast quote these important words from the prophet Isaiah: “And though the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your teachers will not be moved into a corner anymore, but your eyes shall see your teachers. Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way, walk in it,’ whenever you turn to the right hand or whenever you turn to the left” (Isaiah 30:20–21).

These self-righteous Armstrongites think so highly of themselves that when they are glorified gods in the millennium the people they will be teaching will be taking copies amount of notes on what they teach them. I kid you not! You cannot trust a COG member to write correct information about the New Covenant in this day and age so how can you trust them in some magic millennium teaching proper doctrines?

That’s a reference to our role as teachers in the Millennium, after we have been resurrected and have become members of the Family of God. The resurrected Jesus, too, taught His followers when He appeared to them in physical form. He even ate the fish and honey they gave Him (Luke 24:42–43). We will be teaching people who literally see and hear us as we guide them. Will they take literal notes at times? Very possibly. We look forward to the time when God’s way of life will be restored all over the earth, “and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began” (Acts 3:20–21). We will be helping to restore the truth, the true way of life and government of God. At the Feast, God, through His ministers, has given us tremendous instruction to both inspire and prepare us for our coming roles.

And yet according to Armstrongite myths, there will be a great falling away at the end of the millennium when those who heard the teachings of the gods and goddesses that were Church of God members teaching them will rebel and will be destroyed. As usual, anything a COG touches ends up being a failure.

Ames continues by fondly looking back decades to when times were more innocent in COGland. Everything was always far more glorious back then, Truth ran freely from the fountain of truth that was fed by the streams of living waters utter by Herbert Armstrong. Jesus himself could never have surpassed the miraculous teachings coming out of HWA at that time.

Reviewing our notes helps us keep fresh the memory of what we learned in the past. But we must keep on learning—growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ. To prepare to teach, we must never stop learning. In one of the first Bible Studies I ever heard Mr. Herbert Armstrong give, back in the Shakespeare Club building in Pasadena, he told us that we needed to learn the following scripture: “Show me Your ways, O Lord; teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; on You I wait all the day” (Psalm 25:4–5). 

 

At the Feast, we learned much about how to walk on God’s paths, in His truth. And that learning should continue. “Wise people store up knowledge, but the mouth of the foolish is near destruction” (Proverbs 10:14). Are we continuing to store up knowledge? How well do we know our Bible? 

 

Decades ago, first-graders at the Church’s Imperial Schools were taught to memorize more than a dozen short passages of Scripture, and to recite the Old Testament and New Testament books in order. They also had to learn the names of the twelve tribes of Israel, and to recite the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1–17). It may sound almost impossible to us today, but first-graders were taught to memorize Psalms 1, 23, and 100; Matthew 6:9–14; 2 Timothy 3:15; Proverbs 3:1–35 (broken into four parts for easier recall); Matthew 5:1–20 (broken into two parts); and 1 Corinthians 13:1–13 (broken into two parts).

So, what else can a faithful LCG member do to inhibit the post-Feast blues from getting them down?

Memorize the Psalms! 

Don't memorize any verses in the New Covenant about grace, redemption, sanctification, justification, and how to be at rest in Christ. Instead memorize the Psalms where you will be going to war killing people, committing adultery,  fornicating, smashing baby heads against the rocks, and other delightful delicacies. Armstrognites take great comfort in reading about the sins of David because they too will be able to use the David Defense to justify their sins. If Dave can do it and still be blessed by God so can I!

You may want to set a goal of learning one of the psalms before next year’s fall Festivals. We have our small and manageable goals, and they all should serve to help us attain our greatest goals. What is the greatest goal? The Feast of Tabernacles pictures the coming Kingdom of God, and our focus should be on preparing to serve in that Kingdom. How do we do that? “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Matthew 6:33). 

Oh, and let's bring those gays in. They are always useful fall guys. Never mind the fact that LCG hierarchy and some of the members are a cesspool of power-hungry men where alcoholism, adultery, and other sins run rampant. When your own leaders wallow in the world there is no room to condemn others.

We should reject goals that would draw us away from God, and set goals that draw us closer to Him. How do we seek God’s righteousness? All of God’s commandments are righteousness (Psalm 119:172). As Mr. Weston has reminded us on many occasions, our world is sliding further and further toward a modern Sodom and Gomorrah. Yet we must live in that world, without being of that world.

And, here are some more things to keep your Laodicean mind occupied:

You may want to set a goal of pursuing a career, or of learning how to manage a household. Some of our brethren earn technical certificates, or two- or four-year college degrees, or even advanced degrees in specialized fields. But be sure that you are seeking a godly goal; before you commit to engaging with the world’s ideas of truth, be sure you are deeply grounded in God’s truth. You may want to seek the advice of others with more experience before you set your educational goals. 

 

Other goals, too, may be worthwhile, even if they seem difficult to achieve. You might want to make a plan to pay off a credit card debt in a year’s time. You might want to get a certification in first aid, or CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation), or as a lifeguard. There are even babysitting certifications available for teenagers who want to increase their knowledge and skill in that helpful service. 

 

Other goals can be more personal. Perhaps you have a habit or a weakness you are trying to overcome. Set a goal of overcoming that problem within a realistic but challenging period of time. Use all the tools available to help you overcome. Those tools may involve specific actions appropriate to your problem, but do not neglect the fundamental spiritual tools of prayer, Bible study, meditation, and fasting. Beseech God, call on Him for help, and resolve to accept the help that only He can provide. And do not hesitate to call on God’s ministers for their spiritual help. Resolve to overcome your problem, or at least make tangible progress, by next year’s Feast of Tabernacles.

Never once are they encouraged to study the words of Jesus or dig deeper into salvational insights. Nope, just keep looking backward at the law as they take CPR courses and pay off their credit cards.

While they are studying the Psalms they also need to be lights to the world, just like a lighthouse, shining forth.

Some of you may know that lighthouses have long been a special interest of mine. In my office I have a tapestry of a Thomas Kincade painting of a lighthouse, on which there is a scripture: “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life” (John 8:12).

Christ expects each of us, like lighthouses, to radiate His light to others. We read, “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:14–16).

How can LCG be a light on the hill when no one has heard of them? Here in Los Angeles, no one knows who they are. There is no presence in their local communities where members do good work and let their lights shine. 

Ames even admits they do not go out of their way to do this! They however do practice God's way within their small church community, embarrassed to share it with the world.

It’s not that we go out of our way to show off to the world. We simply practice God’s way of life, which shows the world an example they just don’t see elsewhere. Every year, our Church Administration Department receives reports from hotels and convention facilities telling us that our brethren have been some of the kindest and most helpful, cooperative guests they’ve ever had—and we should keep up that example through the rest of the year. “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith” (Galatians 6:9–10). We should not grow weary practicing God’s way, as God’s commandments are not burdensome (1 John 5:3). So, between now and next year’s Passover, be sure to keep your light shining toward your brethren and all those around you.

Next, they're encouraged to look towards Passover next year when they once again can renew their commitment and be washed from eh stain of this year's sins. Not being taught the New Covenant and its significance, they fail to understand that they do not need to be recommitting themselves every single year. Real Christians know that "committing" was done by Christ himself and is not something that they get to do. There is no need for the constant flagelation over seen and unseen sins as legalism requires. Sadly, LCG leaders need to keep members in prison to their warped theological stances.

At the Passover next year, we will in a formal way renew our commitment to our Savior. Notice that we don’t renew the covenant that we’ve already established, but we do—and must—renew our commitment, our desire, our energy to persevere, and our acceptance of His sacrifice to pay for our sins. True perseverance is an active process, not just passive tolerance of what befalls us. Paul urged the young evangelist Timothy, “Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:6–7).

LCG members also need to be stirring up the Holy Spirit, but not to stir it up so bad that it decides to bring the end times more rapidly than the church desires. Gerry expects it to happen within here next 15 years or so. At least he is 15 years out instead of Rod's 5-year stints.

Are you stirring up the Holy Spirit that God gave to you when hands were laid on you at baptism? Are you living each day with a spirit of “Thy Kingdom come”? As Mr. Weston has reminded us, we don’t want to make the mistake of “setting dates” of when we believe Christ will return. I personally don’t believe we will have to wait any more than 15 years or so, but that’s just my belief.

Of course, the final thing that LCG members need to be doing is sending in their money! God can't work without money clanging on the offering plate.

Ames also wants LCG members to never forget that the church has put the world on notice!

The Work of God’s Church today is helping to prepare our world for that glorious time pictured by the Feast of Tabernacles. We know our mission, as Christ described it: “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:14). Though they won’t be converted in large numbers in this age, the nations and their peoples will be put on notice, receiving a powerful witness. And we should seek to have the sense of purpose Jesus exemplified when He said, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work” (John 4:34).

LCG brethren need to start imulating Gerry Weston and all LCG leadership as they and they alone follow Christ the proper way. Not in the ways of Bob Thiel, Dave Pack, and Gerald Flurry, but in LCG leader's ways!

We are called to be future leaders. But, to be good leaders, we must first be good followers who both know God’s truth and willingly follow Jesus Christ. Paul told the brethren to follow, or imitate, him as he followed Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1). Christ is the Head of the body, and the Church is that body (1 Corinthians 12:12; Ephesians 4:4). The head knows the body, and the body knows the head. “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me” (John 10:27). If we are following our Savior, we know that He knows us intimately, and we hear Him through the inspired words of Scripture, as well as through the leadership He has placed in His Church. Some in and around God’s Church have “itching ears” (2 Timothy 4:3). But God’s people know their Shepherd, who told us:

Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers (John 10:1–5).

Beware though LCG members, Satan and his crafty band of thieves and robbers are out to deceive and distract you.  Rebuke Bob Thiel and the rest of Satan's minions who claim to imitate and follow Christ as the Good Shepherd. Salvation only rests within the confines of the Living Church of God! It is vitally important that all LCG members read Gerry's "Personal" and "Dear Brethren" messages. By doing so you acknowledge that God is actively inspiring Gerry to send you those messages.

There are thieves and robbers who seek to deceive and distract God’s people, but those who persevere in the truth will recognize them and stay faithful to their Shepherd, and they will imitate and follow His human servants as they follow that Shepherd. When Mr. Herbert Armstrong was the human leader of the Church, the first item I read in every Plain Truth issue was his Editorial. I hope that when you receive each Tomorrow’s World magazine and Living Church News you are reading not just Mr. Weston’s articles but also his “Personal” and “Dear Brethren” messages. As Christians, we are developing in ourselves the character and mind of God, and we should want to know the “mind of the Church” in what God is inspiring Mr. Weston to share with us.

Ames ends with this, never once mentioning finding peace with Christ in this present age. It is more important to look backward and at a day that is not required.

What will you remember most about the 2023 Feast of Tabernacles? What inspiring vision of the coming Kingdom will motivate you to grow spiritually in the next few months? This year was my sixty-third Feast of Tabernacles and was my wife Kathryn’s sixty-sixth—and every year we have found something new to appreciate about God’s ways and how He is working in our lives and the lives of our brethren. Whatever may be the standout lessons and memories of your Feast, I pray that you will remain mindful of the messages you heard at the Feast—that you retain the vision that was shared, heed the warnings that were given, and put into practice the teachings that were imparted. 

 

We are preparing for a great day, not that far off, when, the kingdoms of this world will “become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever” (Revelation 11:15). So, let’s look forward in faith as we move onward from the Feast!