Binding and Loosing

Binding and Loosing

Banned by Hwa recently generated an interesting discussion regarding the Philadelphia Church of God's views on the human authority to bind and loosen relative to the church. (Gerald Flurry Upset Not All PCG Members Worship His "New Throne of David" Stone) According to PCOG, this authority is expansive and is largely confined to the "chief apostle" of the church.

But was the authority to bind and loosen intended to cover all of the teachings and work of the church? Does a human leader (or council) have the authority to change Divine directives, rituals, callings or mission statements? In short, does this authority give a human leader (or council) the power to supersede or change what God has commanded?

First, let's notice what Jesus told Peter after he had acknowledged that Jesus was the Messiah and God's son. We read: "And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." - Matthew 16:19 For our purposes, it doesn't matter whether we interpret this passage as applying to a single man or group of men. Instead, we want to examine the parameters of this authority.

In this regard, it is interesting to note the narrow circumstances that Jesus attached to this teaching the next time he mentioned it. After pointing out how precious each one of the saints are to God, Jesus outlines the proper way to handle disagreements among them. In the eighteenth chapter of Matthew, we read: "Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican. Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." - Matthew 18:15-20

In this passage, the authority to bind and loosen is clearly limited to resolving conflicts between God's people, and it is also implied that this authority is to be shared among those people. Notice too that there isn't any suggestion within this passage that this authority was to extend to other areas or give carte blanche to any human authority within the church to amend God's edicts or set policy.

Moreover, we know that an expansive interpretation of this authority is inconsistent with what Christ is reported to have told the Scribes and Pharisees just a few chapters prior to this. These religious leaders asked Christ why his disciples violated the traditions which their predecessors had enjoined on God's people. Christ responded: "Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition? For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death. But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; And honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition. Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men." - Matthew 15:3-9 In other words, human traditions (even those instituted by authorities designated by God) cannot supersede or change God's commandments!

In this connection, it is interesting to note that the Armstrong Churches of God would be among the first to point out that no man (or group of men) has the authority to change the day of worship, Divinely mandated rituals or nullify other directives of Almighty God. And, if this understanding applies to one of the chief proponents of a broad interpretation of the authority to bind and loosen (specifically, the Roman Catholic Church), it is hard to see how one could reasonably justify such a broad interpretation of this authority within any ACOG! Likewise, the ACOGs are quick to point out that it is God who calls and places people into His Church. They love to quote John 6:44 in this connection, and then turn around and claim the authority to put that person out of the church!

In the Old Testament, it is recorded that God instructed His people to do exactly what He told them to do, and to be very careful NOT to add to those instructions or take anything away from them (see Deuteronomy 12:32). Moreover, Christ is reported to have instructed his apostles: "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world." - Matthew 28:19-20

Hence, while the authority to bind and loosen enables the Church to deal with disagreements and conflicts between people, it does not confer on that body (or any individual) the power to supersede, change or negate God's clear instructions on a whole host of topics. And, any interpretation of this authority which confers such powers clearly contradicts the spirit and intent of the Scriptures that inform us about it.

Miller Jones

Living Church of God Is the Watchman...Out of which the prophet will arise

It is comforting to know that we have the Living Church of God to rely upon for the truth as it presents a FORCEFUL message to the world. They will be soon so powerful with that message that a prophet will arrive out of them. Bob Thiel must be getting excited!

The problem with this message is that it is the same one that Meredith and others have been spouting for decades and still nothing has happened.  But lo!  It is always just a few short years away.

The Church as a Watchman: Many churches today feel their sole mission is to tell the world that God loves everybody and that Jesus came to save sinners. While essentially true, there is much more to the biblical message. Jesus came preaching the Gospel of the coming Kingdom of God (Mark 1:14–15). Jesus also told His disciples to be alert and watch for specific events that would mark the approaching end of the age and His return to this earth to establish the Kingdom (Matthew 24; Mark 13; Luke 21). These prophesied events—droughts, floods, famines, wars and spreading violence, religious confusion, and moral corruption—will be making news at the same time that we see the rise of a political power in Europe with definite links to the ancient Roman Empire. This power will be promoted by an ecumenical-minded Roman Church. This end-time European power will be confronted by a rising Arab-Islamic power in the Middle East (see Daniel 7and 11; Revelation 13). However, just as God raised up prophets to warn the ancient nations of Israel and Judah that their ungodly ways would bring serious consequences, the Church of God today has a similar mission to function as a watchman—to “Cry aloud, spare not” and warn modern Israelite nations of the coming consequences of their sinful ways (Ezekiel 2; 3; 33; Isaiah 58:1). Delivering this powerful warning message must accompany the preaching of the Gospel of the coming Kingdom of God.

Have a profitable Sabbath,

Douglas S. Winnail

Mark Armstrong: No One Has Died From "Chinese Virus" NO ONE!

The stupidity continues to reign supreme in COGland. Here you have the "plain truth" from God's mighty servant Mark Armstrong. No one has died from COVID-19. Plus, his added bonus is that he could care less about mask mandates.  Unless his god tells him to wear it, he won't.

Some of us have been highly suspicious of the media reporting about the Chinese virus.  Yes, we do know of a handful of people who are said to have tested positive.  But none of them died, and for some it was a matter of something like the common cold.  For others we know it was like a bad flu, but they survived it and are doing fine.  Nevertheless, every news report claims a new spike in cases, and proceeds to lecture that you must be afraid.

News anchors across the board read the “wire,” claiming that cases are “exploding” in state after state, county after county, city after city.  You must proceed with fear, assuming you proceed at all.   They express total exasperation at President Trump for not having issued a national mask order.  Meanwhile lawsuits are flying over mask “mandates.”  All the mandates we care about are the ones God ordained. 

Gerald Flurry Upset Not All PCG Members Worship His "New Throne of David" Stone

PCG: It all started at a rock

It is well documented here about how Gerald Flurry, in his endless quest to imitate Herbert Armstrong, traipsed off to Oregon and searched the hills of a farm for a rock where God's most perfect human leader had supposedly knelt down and prayer at. Flurry wears the same kind of clothes and pretends he is an apostle just like Herbert Armstrong, his idol. Flurry has even built his own mini-me auditorium to look like Herberts Ambassador Auditorium. His auditorium has Herbert's candelabra and grand piano from Pasadena. On top of that, he has even named his imitation "college" Herbert W Armstrong College. All of those things are just minor details compared to the rock he dug up.

Flurry's god supposedly spoke to him in a dream and told him that Herb's rock was now the new coronation stone that Jesus Christ will come back to and be crowned King of kings upon. Forget the coronation stone that was formally in Westminster Abbey that British Israelites love to claim as Jacob's stone where he dreamed upon and the stone that English Kings and queens have been crowned upon for hundreds of years. COG mythmakers love to claim that it was brought by Jeremiah to the isles when he supposedly traveled there with his daughters.

Flurry has expanded the myths about the real coronation stone and now claims his god has removed its blessing upon that stone and has now blessed the Stone of Herbert as the new stone Jesus will return to.

Flurry has now turned this myth into doctrine and wrote numerous stories for his magazines, did videos on it, and countless magazine articles. Members were expected to take this drivel as god-inspired doctrine just because Flurry claimed his god spoke to him.

The first time Flurry displayed the rock it was next to one of his buildings and made it into a meditation area where people could sit and contemplate the holy rock. Then as his myth-making elevated the stone to new heights of absurdity, it was placed in a glass case resting upon a bed of royal blue velvet where it can be adoringly gazed upon.

But, but all is not well on the cult compound or in PCG as some members have not fallen for this lie and Flurry is NOT happy!  To not fall for it is a direct slap in his face because it proves that some members question his authority to make these kinds of comments and doctrinal directives.

COGNews reports on this:

Gerald Flurry claims the authority to declare that Herbert Armstrong’s ‘prayer rock’ is the new Stone of Destiny and the Throne of David, but for a long time it was actually the Stone of Scone and the coronation stone of British monarchs. 

He writes on page 117 of his book, The New Throne of David:  

In the past, when God has given me new revelation, words flowed into my mind and entered my thought process, often leading me to certain scriptures. But with the revelation about the new stone and throne, it was different. This time, I heard a strong voice. It was more powerful. I don’t think anyone else would have heard anything, but I certainly heard it. It really startled me, as I think it would anyone. That was the first time I had ever experienced anything like that.

That voice left me somewhat shaken, but in a good way. As soon as I heard it, I started studying the Bible; I wanted to prove that revelation from God’s Word. After studying, I began to see that Jesus Christ was establishing a new throne, just like that voice had said. I began to find all the scriptures and put them together. You can do the same thing: This book goes through many scriptures that prove this truth. You don’t just have to accept my word for it: You can prove that voice came from God.

I understand why some would question this, if I just heard a voice and didn’t have any proof from the Bible. But when you put all this evidence together, it proves that I really did hear a voice from God! The proof is all laid out in the Bible. You don’t want to follow someone who has simply heard a voice – I certainly don’t! It requires study, prayer and meditation on your part. There are also voices coming from the devil.

Numbers 16 and 17 record a disagreement over who should be in charge in Israel. Without clear government, authority and leadership, you have murmuring and problems; that is human nature. So God instructed Moses to have the leaders of each tribe submit a rod, and then said, “And it shall come to pass that the man’s rod, whom I shall choose, shall blossom: and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel, whereby they murmur against you.” (Numbers 17:5)

What do you do if there is murmuring against God’s leader? Somehow you have to convince them they are wrong, or they are going to be put in the outer court …

In Moses’s day, God warned that those who didn’t stop murmuring and rebelling would die (Numbers 17:10). That is what God says to us spiritually. At some point you must stop the murmuring and rebelling, or you’re going to die! That is the opposite of the total trust God is building in His people. This is about eternal life and eternal death … Some of God’s people will soon present that throne to Jesus Christ at His Second Coming! How can someone do that if he doesn’t really understand these things? 

It is amazing to watch all of these stinking turds that lead various COG's as they make these kinds of statements in order to keep their members in line. None of these abusive men have any qualifications whatsoever to claim that God would punish members for failing to heed their directives.

COGNews has this describing how Flurry is justifying himself to his members and what will happen when they ignore him:

Gerald Flurry admits that there is dissension within the PCG over his declaration that the rock at which Herbert Armstrong prayed for a few days in the 1930s is ‘The New Throne of David’. 

Gerald Flurry has written an article for the July-August 2020 issue of the Royal Vision magazine – a foundational lesson we must learn in order to build up the throne of David. The article includes a correction box, explaining that his level of authority in the church is far above that of the other ministers.

CORRECTION: An article in the July-August 2003 Royal Vision, titled, “Was Peter the Chief Apostle?” stated: “Peter alone is given the ‘keys’ to the kingdom of heaven! Later, the authority to ‘bind’ and ‘loose’ was given to the other apostles as well (see Matthew 18:18), but only Peter was given the ‘keys’ …”

Actually, the authority to bind and loose given to the other apostles was not the same authority given to Peter to bind and loose. Peter, as chief apostle, had the sole authority to make judgments and decisions, or policies, that affected the entire Church. No one else was given that level of authority – to make judgments that amplify God’s law in particular circumstances that would apply to the entire Church.
The context of Matthew 18 shows that other ministers were given authority to bind and loose in order to make judgments, or decisions, regarding people in the Church who were not getting along as they should (see Matthew 18:15-18). These were more “localized” judgments to bind and loose regarding contentions or offenses between brethren, not at all on the same level as the authority given 

The context of Matthew 18 shows that other ministers were given authority to bind and loose in order to make judgments, or decisions, regarding people in the Church who were not getting along as they should (see Matthew 18:15-18). These were more “localized” judgments to bind and loose regarding contentions or offenses between brethren, not at all on the same level as the authority given only to the chief apostle.

This is similar to a declaration by Herbert Armstrong in 1980:

The title, and the keys, passed from chief apostle to chief apostle, from Peter to Peter.

Each chief apostle was the new Peter.

Now I am the chief apostle, and I am the Peter.

Whatever I bind is bound in heaven, and whatever I loose is loosed in heaven.

The Day of Pentecost is now on Sunday. But, since I had made the decision to observe Pentecost on Monday, for years the Day of Pentecost was actually on Monday.

The stuff that these men in the church pass off as truth and doctrine is nothing more than spiritual diarrhea. That includes all of the junk Bob Thiel preaches and the mindless absurdities of Dave Pack.  Never has the Church of God movement has such sick men leading groups as it does today.

Hopefully, it is true some PCG members can see through this stuff and may start to question other things. Restored Church of God members are also starting to wake up. If more people did this there would be no income for these charlatans and their churches would implode.  Great will be that day!

Did COG False Prophet Buy Web Site To Impersonate Another COG Organization?

I Sezz, I'z a real COG prophet now! Now, where wuz I?

Church of God's self-appointed prophets and wanna-be's have consistently strived over the years to make themselves appear as "legitimate" true prophets of God in the eyes of the world.  It is so important to them that they appear in a good light to the world and those they seek to impress.

Our Great Bwana Bob Thiel is crowing on his blog today about buying a web domain so he can make his followers in Africa feel more legitimate and connected to a "real" church. 

The Continuing Church of God is pleased to announce that we have have another URL: https://cg7.org  

Several weeks ago, we purchased that URL. 

Since then, we have worked on putting pages together to be at that new website. We also consulted with leaders in Ethiopia and Ghana as they came from groups using the term Church of God Seventh Day (and Ghana still does). 

The home page for the cg7.org website starts out looking as follows:

The doubly blessed dream-weaver continues with this:

This new site is intended to help people who wonder about the seventh-day Sabbath as well as those interested in learning about the different groups that claim Christ, but who also keep the seventh-day Sabbath. 

Articles from the www.cogwriter.com website on various Sabbath keeping groups have been included. And because of this project, I wrote articles on three additional Sabbath keeping groups that I previously did not have. 

To promote the site a little bit, we set up a promotional campaign with Microsoft Bing, which will cost us very little. But, hopefully, will spur some interest in the new website.

So be prepared to be Binged-out with moronic ads for those who use Bing to do a web search.  A prophet's gotta do what he's gotta do and COG prophets aren't known for making wise decisions.

Could we see a lawsuit in the works by a REAL Church of God who claims Bwana Thiel is impersonating them?

There is a real Church of God that has been doing a great job is spreading the real gospel message for decades, regardless of how many times Bwana Bob calls them "so-called" Christians.

Here is Bwana Thiel's domain name: https://cg7.org and here is the real COG domain name: https://cog7.org. Bwana Bob is trying to get as close as he can to a real COG and most likely bought the domain because it was so close and is hoping that people will make a mistake in typing in the URL and be directed to his site.

Church of God (Seventh Day) has been an active and vibrant church for decades, unlike the rapidly declining Armstrongist Church of God's.

Their web site states:

...a Vibrant 21st Century Church as a Christ-Centered, Grace-Oriented, Sabbath-Celebrating Church. ...emphasizes transcendence – the need to transcend justice into grace and the need to transcend beyond rules into a relationship with our Creator and Redeemer. In Christ, we transcend our human nature and participate in His divine giving nature. With our gratitude for Christ and His grace, our obedience transcends from a work of obligation into an act of love. As we grow in our loving relationship with Him, He brings our lives into harmony with the fullness of His grace and His truth. 

Bwana Bob's cult is NOT Christ-centered and never will be. Christ barely gets a mention in between the Mayan's, Catholic's, and every imaginable conspiracy theory floating around out there. Add to that his incessant self-boasting of his greatness and his imaginary dreams that he rolls out to try and make us all stand in awe of his magnificence and you will find little mention of Christ.  But then, that is typical of many of the Armstrongist COG's.