Living Church of God/Doug Winnail: That Big Bad Internet

Doug Winnail is having a hard time again with the big bad meanies on the internet.  Apparently the LCG big boys have been unable to stop their members from checking out web sites, blogs and news articles about the ongoing corruption in the LCG/COG's.  Bad brethren! Bad, bad bad!

We live in an age when people say “whatever they think” in personal conversations or on the Internet—and everyone has an opinion to express! However the Bible offers very different advice. Long ago, Solomon observed that “a fool’s voice is known by his many words” (Ecclesiastes 5:3), and 

“In the multitude of words sin is not lacking, but he who restrains his lips is wise” (Proverbs 10:19). We are also told that “A prudent man conceals [is reluctant to display] knowledge, but the heart of fools proclaims foolishness” (Proverbs 12:23), and “Whoever guards his mouth and tongue keeps his soul from troubles” (Proverbs 21:23). I once had an English teacher who was fond of saying, “Make sure you engage your brain, before putting your mouth in gear”—which is the same advice we find in Proverbs 16:23, “The heart [the mind] of the wise teaches his mouth and adds learning to his lips.” In order to speak wise words and avoid troubles, we need to remember the admonition of King David who wrote, “The mouth of the righteous speaks wisdom, and his tongue talks of justice” because “the law of his God is in his heart” (Psalm 37:30-31). The book of James offers this advice: “be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God” (James 1:19-20). This is sound advice concerning wisdom with words.

Have a profitable Sabbath,

Douglas S. Winnail

Dave Pack: "...you have to disagree with the Bible to follow the truth"

Superfantabulous Dave, Lord and Overseer of the First Dominion, has this to say about the apostles and the Bible.   Dave has to say this in order to make his convoluted "new truth's" make any sense to his members.

Do you realize you have to disagree with the Bible to follow the truth? Think on that one! If you agree with the apostles, you have to believe THAT THE KINGDOM OF GOD CAME 2,000 YEARS AGO. You CANNOT GET AROUND THAT or you, literally, disagree with all the 12 apostles and with what they wrote in God’s Holy Word. Think on that one. There are those who do believe that the Kingdom did come 2,000 years ago. We call them…Catholics. They believe it did come then and that they are it.

Now, the Protestants spun that a little bit, and the apostates of 25 years ago also got a similar idea from the Protestants that the Kingdom is here, but not yet in its fullness. So when you pray “Thy Kingdom come” you are praying for it to come in its fullness. It’s here and a good Evangelical, a good Protestant spreads it. The job of a Christian is to spread an already existing Kingdom. But of course, we never believed that. We know better.

All the people that want to hold to Mr. Armstrong, who tried to interpret and understand the Bible, never think of it the way I just explained it. Peter, Paul, Jude…I mean, Peter—“The end of all things is at hand!” No it wasn’t. He says it later in this book in another couple of chapters. Did he lie? How would you put it? He spoke falsely? Oooh…no! It’s the way God wanted the Bible written. It’s absolutely what God wanted the apostles to say. Mr. Armstrong understood this much for sure—and said it—it’s as though the Bible was written to the Philadelphian era of God’s Church, to the last generation. Almost, I’m tempted to say, little did he know…but he did know, so I don’t want to say that. But if he knew all that we know, he would know he was…Let’s put it this way…more right than he knew.

But still, on its face, if you look at Peter and Paul…you know, John says “we live in the last time.” How many times did Paul say “It’s the last days?” Told Timothy to continue and be strong. Perilous times would come in the last days, and Timothy, here’s how you act during that…except Timothy died 2,000 years ago or thereabouts. You see? So I’m trying to help you understand. In order to believe the truth, you have to believe that the apostles were wrong. It just so happens though, the apostles wrote the Bible and they thought they lived in the last days. So you have to reject, not just one apostle, but 12, in that one narrow, little regard—and you have to reject what they wrote in Scripture, not in booklets. Do you see what I’m saying? I’m trying to get you to think differently.

Don’t lock into what Mr. Armstrong said. He would not want that. He said, “If I can be shown I’m wrong, please show it! Come and show me the proof—but I have to see proof.” I can’t wait to talk with him about this. I know him. Initially, he’ll say “How did I not see it?” and it will be pretty easy to say that…“You weren’t supposed to yet.” Knowledge would increase. He did not have any idea that he was…Can you imagine Mr. Armstrong coming up and finding out he was over three decades off, and the Kingdom isn’t here yet? Over three decades? He’d say “What?”