A Most Dangerous and Tenacious Church Myth

Just what exactly is so safe about The Place of Safety?  Of all the motivators to remaining in your seats, The Place of Safety is always the place one will not make it to unless they abide in church, depending on which one of course. Even growing up as Presbyterian we sang "Abide in ME!" meaning Jesus but that theme seems to escape those who foolishly incorporate The Place of Safety mantra and myth into their teachings.

Why on earth anyone would believe that moving to a waste howling wilderness within striking range of...oh everyone in the Middle East,  is a safe place to await the Don't Count On It Second Coming of Jesus?  Gerald Waterhouse touted the POS as "A Place of Final Training" but that was before distance learning became are safer option.  Even as a pastor, and I hated this fairytale that always lurked in the recesses of Churchthink , "oh hid me in the grave until thy wrath is past" always seemed easier to swallow and endure.  I liked the "In a moment . In the twinkling of an eye, we shall be changed" far more and as more practical than this POS nightmare. I never had any intention to uttering the words "Herbert Armstrong has announced it is time to flee..." ever.  It was always a repulsive and dangerous teaching my mind and thought it would die with HWA.

SIQ and YE SHALL FIND

Taught as the only way in, the Siq gave the perfect impression of how safe it would be.

Still safe....single file please

Well, ok. Maybe it was just an impression .

Once you got in...oh...Hmmm.  I thought it had a cover or something over it.

Looks like easy pickings  for modern weapons of warfare and I'm not seeing why this place is so safe yet. Can we stay in America and go to Zion National Park or Bryce Canyon?

The moment you "flee"  you become what the world knows as refugees and you will live like them...waiting...waiting...waiting....

We know the Exodus stories, and they are just stories but you won't really get water from a rock. You'll wait for it like all refugees do

It may get messy so you'll be hearing much about Captains of 50's and 100's . They'll probably have yellow plastic grocery bag armbands.

Get over your clothes won't need washing or your shoes wear out

If your lucky.  "You said you'd bring the tents!"

You'll end up saying "I wish we had died back in North Carolina, Ohio or Oklahoma!

I understand all the apologetics for just how safe and how good Petra will be all taken from the Israelite's sojourn in the Wilderness.  Shoes that don't wear out, clothes that last for generations, food from heaven and firewood from...from...somewhere.   Be very careful you don't complain about anything . When the Israelites said "we thirst" which seems a natural thing in a waste howling wilderness with no water marching by day to who knows where, Moses had a fit beat a rock and ended up being told he was not going to make it into the Promised Land for his attitude.  Now if the leader mucks up and gets barred from the "It was a conditional promise land", what chance do you have?  Remember if you take the analogy too far, no one who originally left Egypt made it.  

(The Exodus never really happened as reported)

All one picture is worth a thousand words aside, the teaching of The Place of Safety is a dangerous belief that can go very very wrong quickly.  Your Apostles and Prophets are making scripture mean what it never meant and certainly never means for YOU TODAY.  

If you are bound and determined to find a place of safety and final training waiting out the last three and half years before Jesus comes back for sure because Ron Weinland, Dave Pack, Bob Thiel or Gerald Flurry have it all figured out....

May I suggest:

The Columbia River Gorge between Washington State and Oregon?  It is just outside Portland and you can tour all the HWA hotspots of Church history such as The Hinson Baptist Church where HWA was baptized or even go to the Portland Public Library and sit in the very rooms where it all started.  At least you'll have something to do. 

COG Prophet Says: Unless you gather together with my group you will not make it to the place of safety!

Did you know that Zephaniah spoke specifically about the need for COG followers today to join up with the improperly named "continuing" Church of God?  Unless you heed the call your chances of making it to Petra are slim to none. Your privilege of being able to sit fro 3 1/2 years watching the true prophet wave his hands in the air against the backdrop of a crooked cave will be revoked unless you gather together with the only true Christians on the face of the earth today.

Improperly criticized, almost-arrested but not arrested Elijah, Elisha, Amos Joshua, Ezekiel, Zephaniah Bitter Bwana Bob Thiel says so...so it HAS to be true!  COG members are also apparently too stupid to understand prophecy unless it is interpreted by Zephaniah Bob.

The old WCG taught that Zephaniah had to do with being protected, yet few teach that today.

Since no later that 2007 I have written that Zephaniah had to do with Philadelphians being ‘gathered together’ so that they would be protected from the coming trial that will hit the earth.

We in the Continuing Church of God “have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts” (2 Peter 1:19, KJV).”

Should we not be “exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching” (Hebrews 10:25)?

We in the Continuing Church of God boldly teach the need for Philadelphians to be ‘gathering together’ today. Will you heed God’s instructions as the Prophet Zephaniah was inspired to write? Would you possibly like to be protected? If so, will you ‘gather together’?

Did Richard Ames Admit The World Does Not Need LCG's Message?

Richard Ames writes:

God loves every human being who has ever lived, or who ever will live. He has demonstrated His unconditional love for His creation and for every human being. We need that love to motivate us in fulfilling our calling in life (Romans 5:5). Recall how Dr. Meredith expressed his love and compassion in one very moving co-worker letter a few years ago: "Dear Brethren and Co-Workers with Christ, Greetings from Charlotte, NC! Talk about natural disasters! Even as I write, radio and television reports tell us that tens of thousands of human beings have perished in the powerful earthquake which just struck Pakistan and parts of India. Perhaps none of these people were truly acquainted with the God of the Bible, but every human being is precious in God’s sight" (October 10, 2005). Yes, every human being is precious in God’s sight. We all need God’s love to fulfill the mission He has given us.

Yes, every human being is precious in God's sight, even the unchurched in India and Pakistan who have never heard of Herbert Armstrong, Rod Meredith, the Sabbath and Holy Days, church eras, unclean meats, proper church government, prophecy or Living Church of God.  If God already loves them, as Ames says He does, they God already loves those untouched or reached by the Living Church of God. So essentially there is no need for the church to continue to demand tithe money to fund the elite's lifestyles in Charlottee.

Does the world really need LCG's message?  Is it lost without it?

It's All About The Money Even At Passover Time

In the Church of God world, Passover has always been a time of inward introspection and self-examination as to why people do the silly signs they do even though they know it is wrong. But lately, the expectation is that COG members examine themselves as to why they don't give more money or tithe more or support the "work" more diligently.

Richard Ames writes to the Living Church of God members:

TITHES AND OFFERINGS: Have you been faithful in paying your tithes to God this past year? Have you been faithful in giving offerings? Be honest with yourself. Stealing from God is a serious matter. "Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, ’In what way have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, for you have robbed Me, even this whole nation" (Malachi 3:8–9).

God owns the earth, and everyone and everything on it. He promises to provide our every need (Philippians 4:19). God provides for His children, but some have "little faith" and do not trust Him (Matthew 6:30). He gave this admonition: "’Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and try Me now in this,’ Says the Lord of hosts, ’If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it’" (Malachi 3:10). God is the Giver of every good and perfect gift, and He promises to abundantly bless the tithe payer. Those who have faithfully saved their Festival tithe know firsthand the joy God gives at His annual festivals.

Examine your degree of faithfulness this past year with God’s tithe. Have you stolen from God? Have you saved a full Festival tithe? Ask God for the ability to give. Trust and honor Him in your tithes and offerings. If you have been a thief this past year, ask God’s forgiveness, determine to trust Him this coming year, then take the Passover in faith!

One of the biggest lies used as a weapon to intimidate church members was the accusation that people were "robbing God" when they did not tithe or give lots of offerings. It was a control tactic deliberately spit out to instil fear in church members and make them compliant.

from: Tithe no more

Bwana Bob: "... bloggers mislead and improperly criticize us"

Well, we did it again.  We have ticked off God's end most holy and righteous end time leader of the one and only TRUE church incarnation.  This time I am not talking about Gerald Weston or Dave Pack who is upset, but another church leader.  As one of Banned's most avid readers, this guy gets butthurt very easily and then lashes out.

Almost-arrested, but not-arrested Elijah, Elisha, Joshua, Amos, Bwana Bob Thiel has mentioned us in his latest Letter to the Brethren.

It would be legitimate to be antagonized by us if we were actaully harassing a true church of God and not some man-made organization.

He writes:

Criticism in Advance

As many of you are aware, certain anti-Church of God often bloggers mislead and improperly criticize us.

Last week, I announced that the Continuing Church of God plans to use animation as a means to reach people that we otherwise may not be able to reach (see Letter to the Brethren: March 8, 2018).

Even though we have not yet made any animation publicly available, notice parts of something that was written and posted against that project today:

Last week, the Church of God’s most perfect end-time leader (sorry Dave Pack, it’s not you) announced he is writing a new booklet on dating.  Dreamy Bob Thiel is its author.  …

Thiel is going to present this new booklet in an awe-inspiring new way on the Internet.  He is going to have ANIMATED videos! …

The Internet will have a field day when he starts posting these.  then watch, he will start screaming PERSECUTION when they are mocked. …

Apostate Thiel believes that these animated videos have the potential to start the persecution of his improperly named “continuing” Church of God.  YouTube may pull them for being too controversial. PERSECUTION I SAY! PERSECUTION!

Satan is the accuser of the brethren (Revelation 12:10), and many unwittingly do his bidding. We tend to be criticized daily, but I rarely report about it in the Letter to the Brethren.

In this case, we are being told our animations will be mocked before we have even finished any (cf. Proverbs 18:13). Expect more negative comments on this and other doors we work to go through to as we strive to fulfill Matthew 24:14 and Matthew 28:19-20.

Apostates are those who turned against the true faith, which is not something I did, but is something that the author of that post has done (he was once part of the old Worldwide Church of God–but now is opposed to practically all COG teachings, and seemingly cannot accept that God answers our prayers).

Jesus said:

10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. 12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you (Matthew 5:10-12).

Anyway, expect that we will have to endure more improper and unfair criticism.

The day you self-appointed yourself and started telling huge whoppers about Gaylyn Bonjour, the dreams and other malarkey you use to elevate yourself into a church leadership position, is the day you opened yourself up to criticism.  Just because you are a beta-male and can't handle criticism proves you are unfit to lead a COG.  If you suffer this much butthurt over blog posts, what will happen when you really are "persecuted" as you dream you will be in the future?