PCG: Passover Not Valid Unless You Keep NTBMO Too

Why is it that Armstrongism always has to have a list of things that a person must do in order to please God?  Each decade that the Church of God survives and more ministers start personality cults, that list grows and grows.

Now we have Dennis Leap who has laid down his law on the Night to be Much Observed; one of Armstrong's made up church observances.

For us to properly keep the Days of Unleavened Bread, it’s necessary that we come to properly understand and observe what the Bible calls the Night to Be Much Observed. 

God commands that the Church keep the Passover ceremony at night (1 Corinthians 11:23). Mr Armstrong taught the Church that the Passover is the most solemn night of the entire Holy Day season. It is the night that God’s truly converted people convene to remember Jesus Christ’s death. 

God also requires that His truly converted people keep another separate night immediately following the Passover. This second night is also of great importance to all of God’s people. Keeping the Passover alone is not enough! We must observe this second, different night, to properly keep the Days of Unleavened Bread!

A persons salvation is NOT at risk for not doing the NTOBMO or any of the other requirements that Armstrongists place significance upon.

Dennis Leap's other requirements are:

The Night to be Much Observed is actually the beginning of the first Holy Day. We should dress in our sabbath best for this occasion. Men should wear coats and ties and ladies should wear nice dresses. Our children should dress in clothing that they would normally wear to Sabbath services. 

If your Night to be Much Observed gathering must take place at a restaurant, be sure it is in a private room, away from the public. Loud music, interruptions and people smoking will greatly detract from your evening.  

Mr. Armstrong always set us the example of using nice dishes, tablecloths, and nice tableware for special occasions. This is the night to do this. Candles and fresh cut flowers will also help make this occasion more special. A wonderful atmosphere goes a long way in making an occasion such as this a very memorable one. 

He sure did set the example.  His table setting was worth well over $300,000.00!  What church member could ever emulate that!  His food costs, including wine for a table of 8 guests, was over $1,500.00.  So much for the night that symbolizes the quick exodus of the Israelites out of Egypt!  As if any of them would be eating prime rib and drinking Rothschild wines.

This is a night for fine foods. Our meals should be balanced and not contain a lot of rich foods. Too many rich foods can make people ill and sluggish. Remember that the next day there will be double services. We need to be sure we are alert for the spiritual food to come at services. 

Drinking on the Night to be Much Observed should be done with great care. Alcohol can either add or detract from our fellowship. God intended for man to develop alcoholic beverages for our benefit. “And wine that maketh glad the heart of man, and oil to make his face to shine, and bread which strengtheneth man’s heart” (Psalm 104:15). Using alcohol in moderation will help make us merry on this night. A host should never force alcohol on anyone. But in the same vein, a host should never allow someone to over drink.

Its always interesting to see COG ministers lay down the law for alcohol consumption for the membership, when so many of them are alcoholics.

Leap ends with this:

God planned the sacrifice of His own Son so we could share eternal life with Him; He provided for us a great Passover. He also provided a second night for us to truly celebrate that Passover. Because of what God did for us, we owe it to Him to celebrate the Night to be Much Observed. So let us all do everything we can to make this year’s Night to be Much Observed the best celebration ever!

Thats one big cosmic joke played on humankind, to be created as GOOD though not good enough.  Deliberately created to be vile sinners so that God can kill himself.  Thats the logic that comes across.

Pharaoh's Got Bad Luck

Philadelphia Church of God On Cleansing Your "Temple"

As some Church of God members scurry about cleaning our the leavening in the homes, cars, toy boxes and businesses, those fun folk at the Flurry compound in Edmond Oklahoma have some further words of wisdom for you.

While some few in the church actually focus upon Jesus Christ during this time of year, the broad majority are focused solely upon their physical selves and on what they do.  People beat themselves up for all of their sins and promise to be good the following year; then sin right out the door the very next day, just like Rod Meredith does.

The Philadelphia Church of God takes it a step further. During this time of year your focus should be upon Gerald Flurry, God's channel for redemption.

We learn so much from obeying the biblical command to deleaven our homes, cars, offices and personal spaces (Exodus 13:6-10). Physical deleavening certainly helps us in looking at our own lives spiritually—searching out every corner, nook and cranny in order to truly remove any spiritual dirt, filth or sin. 

This process harkens back to a wonderful example of restoration found in 2 Chronicles: “Hezekiah began to reign when he was five and twenty years old, and he reigned nine and twenty years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah. And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that David his father had done. He in the first year of his reign, in the first month, opened the doors of the house of the Lord, and repaired them” (2 Chronicles 29:1-3). 

The richly ornate and costly temple God had built by King Solomon in Jerusalem had fallen into disuse and disrepair. We witnessed the same tragedy in recent times: After Herbert W. Armstrong’s death, perversion of God’s truth began. The Church had become a church within a church—the synagogue of Satan (Revelation 3:9). God then used one man to begin restoring the truth and the faith once delivered to the saints (Jude 3). 

Malachi’s Message was given to God’s Church. The opening sentence of the preface of that book reads, “This is a story about God’s Church gone off track, and what God did to correct the tragedy.”

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Just as the Levites anciently began the task of cleansing, repairing and restoring, so our current commission to “raise up the ruins” must begin with a cleansing of the spiritual temple. The Philadelphia Church of God started small, but it has grown large and raised up the ruins of Mr. Armstrong’s work. 

One would assume that PCG staff would weave Jesus Christ into the picture, but no.  Hebrew Scriptures are more important.

King Hezekiah wrote letters to those who had drifted from God. He asked them to turn again to God (2 Chronicles 30:6). But, like the Laodiceans today, not everyone was responsive (although ancient Israel did not have God’s Holy Spirit).

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For those who responded, this was a great cleansing and it brought great joy. Read verses 13-27. Notice verse 21 in particular: “And the children of Israel that were present at Jerusalem kept the feast of unleavened bread seven days with great gladness: and the Levites and the priests praised the Lordday by day, singing with loud instruments unto the Lord.” Of the word singing, Moffat says, “sang praise to the Eternal day by day with all their might.” This all is happening during the feast of Unleavened Bread. 

Look at verse 26 now: “So there was great joy in Jerusalem: for since the time of Solomon the son of David king of Israel there was not the like in Jerusalem.” When we get back to God’s ways, what is produced is “great joy.” Joy and rejoicing—the Israelites held the Feast with great delight. This must be our goal every day—to rejoice with great delight, especially during the Days of Unleavened Bread. 

When the king commanded the people to get back to tithing, they responded beautifully. “And thus did Hezekiah throughout all Judah, and wrought that which was good and right and truth before the Lord his God. And in every work that he began in the service of the house of God, and in the law, and in the commandments, to seek his God, he did it with all his heart, and prospered” (2 Chronicles 31:20-21). 

God truly will bless His Church as we seek to truly obey Him in every way and cleanse our personal temple—getting rid of any filth or uncleanness in every area. 

Its typical for a Church of God to claim that its members are filled with filth and uncleanness in every area of their lives.  When you like under the law that is what is expected.  Vile filthy sinners that have so pissed off God that there is scant hope for making into the kingdom, unless of course you re one of the privileged elite.

At this time of year the focus need to be entirely upon the Philadelphia Church of God and its "witness" to the world.  Otherwise you  temple is NOT clean.  Filthy heathen Laodiceans!

We must ensure that we truly are up to our task of cleansing ourselves and responding to God—His government, His law and His love. We must be dedicated to the spiritual commission before us—prophesying again (Revelation 10:11). The last hour is closing in—time is of the essence to finish this Work, but also for each of us to be ready to marry the Son of God!

Salvation is only accessible through worshipping the government of the PCG.  Salvation only rests upon believing and reading the words of God's only true prophet and of his son Stevie.   Salvation will come when your full financial resources are given over to the church.  At that time Jesus Christ will be pleased and just MIGHT let you into the kingdom of Petra where peace will reign with Flurry, Pack, Theil and Malm in all fighting to see who is in charge.