Wednesday, January 13, 2021

Fake COG Lunatic Prophet Now Claims Loma Armstrong's Dream Was Actually About Him!

 

Just when you think the self-appointed prophet of Grover Beach, CA can't get any crazier, he does. The Great Bwana to Africa and the savior of 299 caucasian followers, the Bobiniah is now claiming that the dream Loma Armstrong had that spurred her husband Herbert to start a church was actually a dream that pointed to Bobiniah Thiel and his self-made cult. 

Bobiniah, the Elisha for this age, has posted a HUGE article on the nightmares he and some of his crazy members have had and still are having as proof that he is the end time Elisha that will lead a select few into the Kingdom of God where they will teach the world how to wave their arms with big thick bibles in their hands and build crooked bookcases.

Elisha Bobiniah writes:

Though many discount all dreams, many also forget that Herbert W. Armstrong believed that his wife Loma D. Armstrong had a dream from God, although it took him some years to accept the validity of it:

Within 30 or 60 days after our marriage God spoke to my wife in what might have been an intense unusual dream, or a vision — but it was years later before we came to realize that this really was a message from God. (Armstrong HW. Brethren and Co-worker letter, November 28, 1956) 
 
One night my wife had a dream so vivid and impressive it overwhelmed and shook her tremendously. It was so realistic it seemed more like a vision. For two or three days afterward everything else seemed unreal — as if in a daze — and only this extraordinary dream seemed real. 
 
In her dream she and I were crossing the wide intersection, only a block or two from our apartment, where Broadway diagonally crosses Sheridan Road. Suddenly there appeared an awesome sight in the sky above. It was a dazzling spectacle — the sky filled with a gigantic solid mass of brilliant stars, shaped like a huge banner. The stars began to quiver and separate, finally vanishing. She called my attention to the vanishing stars, when another huge grouping of flashing stars appeared, then quivering, separating, and vanishing like the first. 
 
As she and I, in her dream, looked upward at the vanishing stars, three large white birds suddenly appeared in the sky between us and the vanishing stars. These great white birds flew directly toward us. As they descended nearer, she perceived that they were angels. 
 
“Then,” my wife wrote a day or two after the dream, in a letter to my mother which I have just run across among old family pictures, “it dawned on me that Christ was coming, and I was so happy I was just crying for joy. Then suddenly I thought of Herbert and was rather worried.” 
 
She knew I had evidenced very little religious interest, although we had attended a corner church two or three times. 
 
Then it seemed that, from among these angels in her dream, that, “Christ descended from among them and stood directly in front of us. 
 
At first I was a little doubtful and afraid of how He would receive us, because I remembered we had neglected our Bible study and had our minds too much on things apart from His interests. But as we went up to Him, He put His arms around both of us, and we were so happy! I thought people all over the world had seen Him come. As far as we could see, people were just swarming into the streets at this broad intersection. Some were glad and some were afraid. 
 
“Then it seemed He had changed into an angel. I was terribly disappointed at first, until he told me Christ was really coming in a very short time.” 
 
At that time, we had been going quite regularly to motion – picture theatres. She asked the angel if this were wrong. He replied Christ had important work for us to do, preparing for His coming — there would be no time for “movies .” (Those were the days of the “silent” pictures.) Then the angel and the whole spectacle seemed to vanish, and she awakened, shaken and wondering! 
 
In the morning, she told me of her dream. I was embarrassed. I didn’t want to think about it, yet I was afraid to totally dismiss it. I thought of a logical way to evade it myself, and still solve it. … 
 
Do not hastily ascribe a dream to God. True, the Bible shows that God has spoken to His own chosen servants by this means of communication — primarily in the Old Testament, and before the writing of the Bible was completed. But most dreams mean nothing. And false prophets have misled people by telling false dreams, representing their dreams to be the Word of God (Jeremiah 23, where God sa ys, “I am against prophets who recount lying dreams, leading my people astray with their lies and their empty pretensions, though I never sent them, never commissioned them” — verse 32, Moffatt translation). 
 
Certainly I did not ascribe this dream to God. It made me feel a little uncomfortable at the time, and I was anxious to forget it — which I did for some years. I was twenty – five at the time. God left me to my own ways for five more years. But when I was age thirty, He began to deal with me in no uncertain terms… (The Autobiography of Herbert W. Armstrong, 1973, pp. 187,193-194).

Considering how much of Herbert Armstrong's "autobiography" was made up of fantasy (that his own family claims) how can we really believe Herbert about this dream, let alone Bobiniah's upcoming claim to it?

This is how Elisha Bobiniah has tied Loma's nightmare to his nightmare:

Loma and Herbert Armstrong were married in 1917. They were specifically told that they would have a work to do. Furthermore, the bright lights in the dream may have had to do with doing a work (cf. Matthew 5:16)–a work that seemed to vanish and return (flash). Thus, there was a dream from God given to a woman in the 20th century that preceded the start of the old Radio Church of God that Herbert W. Armstrong led. The Radio Church of God represented the start of the Philadelphia era and the Philadelphian work–a work that is not finished (cf. Matthew 24:14-15)–and Herbert W. Armstrong claimed that a dream given to his wife was from God, prior to the start of the Philadelphia era. 
 
Since the Philadelphia era was raised up years after that dream, a question to ponder is, would God do anything similar to point to the continuation of the end-time COG remnant of the Philadelphians? Consider that in Loma Armstrong’s dream that there were two sets of flashing stars–there were two parts to the dream. Herbert Armstrong is now dead and there was a pause between the work God had him to do and the completion of the final phase of the work to finally fulfill Matthew 24:14 (cf. Isaiah 29:14). 
 
In the past, like in 2013 and 2014, I have called the time between his death and the formation of the Continuing Church of God the transitional phase–which is consistent with Loma Armstrong’s dream. God will cut that final work short (Romans 9:28) which results in the famine of the word (Amos 8:12) which is consistent with the vanishing stars in Loma Armstrong’s dream (though there could be other interpretations–we in CCOG are continuing the Philadelphia work and expect to be the ones God will use on earth to help finish it).

A little later Bobiniha says this: 

Notice that the dream was to go until the end of the world and the coming of Jesus–since Herbert Armstrong has been dead since January 16, 1986–if the dream was from God then, does it not make sense that the second half of the dream would be fulfilled by another in the 21st century? We in the Continuing Church of God are fulfilling that second part of stars.

And then this:

Consider that Herbert W. Armstrong considered that his wife Loma’s dream was from God. He also believed the first part of it had to do with the start of the Philadelphia era of the Church of God via the Radio Church of God. He did not discuss the fulfillment of the second part of the dream directly, however he taught another work would be done.

Bobiniah then goes on to quote Dale Schurter as a credible source about Herbert's dream. Schurter has a long track record of saying outlandish and absurd things just like Gerald Waterhouse did. Apparently, false prophets need false teachers to back up their outlandish proclamations. Typical Armstrongite methodology.

“A few months before Mr. Armstrong’s death, my wife and I had the opportunity to spend several hours with Mr. Armstrong in his home in Pasadena. He spoke freely of the mighty work God had commissioned him to accomplish, and related certain heartfelt comments: ‘I can say that I have finished the work God has given me to do, and am at peace about it. I have preached and taken the Gospel of the Kingdom of God into all the world as a witness to all nations.’ 
 
“Mr. Armstrong went on to say, ‘I have come to realize there will be an even greater work to follow—to go again, to “prophesy again” to all nations tongues and peoples (Rev. 10:11) before the work of the two witnesses—but with more power and with a stronger warning message. But that will be for others to do.’ He continued, ‘It will be a short work (Rom. 9:27-29), compared with the longer time to complete the work I was given, and it will be cut short. That’s when the Great Tribulation will begin, as will the work of the two witnesses. These will last for three and one-half years, at the end of which Christ will return in glory.’” (“The Greatest Work Lies JUST Ahead…” as stated in RCG letter of May 31, 2013) 
 
When Mr. Armstrong was age 91 — about 1984 — Mona and I had opportunity to spend several hours with him in his home in Pasadena to visit and further report on work he had commissioned us to do. We were to report directly back to him. He talked freely of the mighty work God had given him to accomplish. He went on to tell us there was yet a bigger work still to be done, to go again and repeat what has been done, but with more power and with a stronger warning, just before the work of the two witnesses would begin. He said it would be a “short work” (Rom. 9:27-29) compared with the longer time to complete the work he had been given, and that it would be “cut short.” That’s when the great tribulation would begin, as would the work of the two witnesses. These would last for three and one-half years. (January 7, 2012 Dale Schurter Speaks Out: UCG Resignation Letter)

It should be noted that these quotes were published by ANOTHER COG false prophet and another certified liar, Dave Pack, as proof that HIS church was the final true church. How many more splinter cults get to claim Loma's dream was about their church? The silliness that these guys dream up knows no end!

Elisha Bobiniah continues with another outlandish lie:

Consider that since Herbert Armstrong did not teach that the second part of his wife Loma’s dream was fulfilled and that he also taught a greater work was going to happen after his death. It is greater because it will fulfill Matthew 24:14, etc. That is the work that we in the Continuing Church of God are leading. It appears that the second part of Loma D. Armstrong’s dream was pointing to the Continuing Church of God–the group that best represents the remnant of the Philadelphian portion of the Church of God. 
 
Dreams are a sign that God has used to confirm ‘Philadelphia.’

So, does it not make sense that if God granted a dream to a woman prior to the formation of the Radio Church of God that God could have done that prior to the formation of the Continuing Church of God? 
 
The fact that there were also other dreams related to the ContinuingChurch of God that were confirmed is consistent with the fact that God has used dreams related to the Continuing Church of God. 
 
Of course, many do not want to believe that God uses dreams or will discount the ones they hear about. 
 
Yet, the Bible shows that God often chooses to work with prophets through a dream:

6 “Hear now My words:
If there is a prophet among you,
I, the Lord, make Myself known to him in a vision;
I speak to him in a dream. (Numbers 12:6)

The Bible also speaks about lairs and false prophets coming at the end of the age who's sole purpose was to deceive the brethren. The COG now is filled with so many liars and false prophets that it has no chance of the church ever recovering from the filth they pump out.

Rod Meredith also gets dragged into this steaming pile of bullshit that Bobiniah Thiel is promoting. 

Many years ago I had a dream, which while I did not understand it at first, as it became more and more fulfilled over the years, I began to understand it and believe it was from God. 
 
I was 50 at the time (which essentially makes me an ‘old man’ per Numbers 8:25; cf. John 8:57). In my dream, there seemed to be two parallel lines. Living Church of God (LCG) evangelist Roderick Meredith was on the top line and I was on the line much below. In the dream, I kept calling up to Dr. Meredith, but he never would respond. This lack of response made no sense to me during the dream. Then after what seemed to be a long time, the lines-crossed with his line dropping and my line going up. 
 
One reason that I did not understand it at the time was that I was on relatively close speaking terms with Dr. Meredith then (he repeatedly told me he considered me to be his friend, plus he had appointed me an adviser to LCG on matters of doctrine and prophecy), so that aspect of the dream made no sense. Also, since I had no intentions of leaving Living Church of God then (and certainly no plans to start a separate church), it was not clear what the dream was saying. Another reason I was unsure about the dream then was that I had not had any anointing for the Holy Spirit beyond baptism when I had that dream. 
 
But these matters changed eventually. For one, I was unexpectedly anointed for a ‘double-portion’ of God’s Spirit (cf. 2 Kings 2:9) on December 15, 2011 by an LCG minister named Gaylyn Bonjour.
Furthermore, over time, Dr. Meredith became more distant from me, would not keep various promises to me, and ultimately stopped speaking with me. And after I got a letter from him on 12/28/12, it was clear to me that there was no way that the Philadelphia mantle could be with him or any of his leaders. These subsequent events showed me that the dream was being fulfilled.

Have you ever noticed that EVERYTHING in the improperly named "continuing" Church of God is centered entirely upon Bobiniah? This has always been a "ministry" about himself. Jesus is certainly no part of it. All we ever hear about is the amazing things Bobiniah does or some esoteric belief system held by some long-gone group of people. Jesus is never discussed.  When he is not bashing Catholics or Rod Meredith for kicking him out of Living Church of God, we hear about some of the most unimportant things imaginable - maybe 20 -30 of them in one single sermon! Even his followers in Africa sit there at the end of his taped sermons and say, "WTF did I just hear?"

Bobiniah then continues on with a huge amount of backslapping mumbo-jumbo about some of his follower's dreaming dreams as proof he is the end time chosen one. 

He ends with this:

The Work is Being Done 
 
As mentioned earlier, I had another fulfilled dream in December 2020. God still intervenes–yet most who claim to believe Him and the Bible do not seem to really want to accept that. 
 
The work (Matthew 24:14; 28:19-20; Galatians 2:10) is being done, and CCOG is a work that God has blessed with at least 3 dreams prior to its start and several since. 
 
The CCOG has also been the fastest growing of the COG groups in the 21st century.
But many do not believe that God will work using dreams in the 21st century, despite the reality that most once part of the old WCG supposedly believed that God did in the 20th century. 
 
Of course, some will discount dreams and their confirmation as proper proof of anything they do not wish to believe. Many want more dramatic signs (Matthew 12:38; 1 Kings 19:11-12), but God does not always do it that way (Matthew 12:39-42; 1 Kings 19:12-14). 
 
Satan and his allies do not want you to believe that God has actually been using dreams–he wants you to rationalize away the prophecy in Acts 2:17-18–otherwise you might take action he opposes. 
 
Can you believe?

Satan and his allies have nothing to do with anyone acknowledging the FACT that what Bobiniah Thiel says is a pack of lies. God gave us each brain that is quite adept at discerning lairs in the COG and Bob Thiel is a liar. He is a false prophet and a deceiver of the brethren, a preacher of doctrines of demons. That is a fact that cannot be disrupted. 

Every start of a new day in the Church of God movement we watch as it sinks lower and lower into absolute stupidity. Are there any men of integrity left in it?

(If you want to be totally disgusted and want to read Bobiniah's pathetic stream of mind vomit, you can do it here.)




Tuesday, January 12, 2021

Fake COG Prophet Still Butthurt Over Tina Englebart And Role Of Women In The Church




In 2017, Tina Englebart wrote and had published in The Journal, a series of well-written articles on women in ministry and speaking in church. 

She wrote:
Corinthians 14:34-35. Here are the two verses in the King James Version. “Let your women keep silence in the churches; for it is not permitted unto them to speak, but they are commanded to be under obedience [Gr. hupotasso], as also saith the law. And if they will learn anything, let them ask their husbands at home; for it is a shame [Gr. aischros] for women to speak in church” (Emphasis added). 
First, some observations: The italicized phrase “they are commanded” was an addition by the translators; it is not in the original Greek. Further, hupotasso is more correctly translated “submission” rather than “obedience.” And the word translated as “shame” in verse 35 is the Greek word aischros— the same word translated as “ filthy” elsewhere, as in “ filthy lucre” (1 Timothy 3:8). 
Most churches, and most Churches of God, and Mr. Mokarow say this means women must be silent in the church. UCG specifically said in their paper “The Biblical Role of Women”: “‘ Women should not speak,’ ” that is, preach or teach before the congregation” (emphasis added). It is interesting that women are allowed to sing before the congregation, which is not exactly being silent. … 
There is only one law that specifically forbids women to speak in the assembly — and that is the Oral Law of the Jews, later written down and known as the Talmud. 
What a shame that our churches, in imposing the silence injunction on our women, are actually following the dictates of the Talmud instead of the Apostle Paul!

These comments sent our self-appointed prophet, Bob Thiel, into a major meltdown. Thiel likes nothing better than to mansplain to women why they are not worthy of doing anything in the church. Only masculine he-men like him are to do the work of the church.   

Let me make a few points. 
 
First, while Tina Engelbart is entitled to her opinion about what she thinks the Greek means, the reality is that there is no record of Christian women preaching in either the New Testament nor in early Christian writings. While it is possible that the apostate Simon Magus may have had a female preach, and maybe did some other apostates, people who understood koine Greek at the time apparently did not feel that the Apostle Paul was allowing women to preach. 
 
Second, UCG is correct that women should not be preaching. This is confirmed by the following passage that is in the Bible (hence, even allowing for a different translation of 1 Corinthians 14:34-35, this is not something only to be derived from the Talmud as Tina Engelbart indicates): 
 
11 Let a woman learn in silence with all submission. 12 And I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence. (1 Timothy 2:11-12). 
 
Third, as far as the Talmud goes, Tina Engelbart needs to consider that the Jews DID allow women to sing and hence the prohibition they had related to women speaking before the assembly did not include singing. That is the same in the Christian church as well. 
 
In the (improperly named) Continuing Church of God we do not believe that women are to preach.

These comments made by Tina were rehashed by the discredited prophet yesterday due to the Pope's recent announcement that women could perform liturgical duties in the church, i.e. serve in positions of service and read scriptures. That disgusted apostate Thiel to no end. How dare women read bible verses to men!  How dare they!

Women have a certain place in the improperly named "continuing" Church of God and that mainly is in the kitchen, performing secretarial duties, singing occasionally, and do a little writing. The Bobster writes these because this is what his wife is doing for him now. Since he only has 99 caucasian members in the entire North American Continent, his wife has to step up to the plate and do Bobster's dirty work as he is too busy waving his hands and bouncing in his chair and/or posting to his countless blog and news sites where he spreads his disjointed message across on.

In the Continuing Church of God we do not believe that women are to preach nor to read services (although if there are no men available, they can read announcements, etc.). 
 
Women have other roles. Some are deaconesses. Some, for the CCOG, edit, manage websites, manage Facebook pages, do translations, assist with festival planning and coordination, maintain our online radio presence, and/or host groups where we have no males. They also sing, provide music, help put together items related to the Study the Bible Course, and do some writing.

It should come as no shock to those of us on this blog that there are women in the church, and some who post here, that are more Biblically literate about scriptures that the Great Bwana is. They put him to shame.

Perhaps it is time for Bobiniah to repent of his mansplaining and let women preach in his church. They would do a FAR better job and might actually be more interesting than Bobiniah leading them to draw in new members for him. But no, women have a certain place in the improperly named "continuing" Church of God and they need to acknowledge that.






Monday, January 11, 2021

United Church of God Members Living In Fear?


 


Victor Kubik writes in his January 7, Personal From The President:

Let me speak plainly. I know that many in our assembly preferred the current U.S. President and hoped that he would be re-elected. I know that there exist many theories and concerns regarding the veracity of the election process. I personally even warned in previous columns of turbulent times before and after the Nov. 3 election. 
 
Many have been anxious, even fearful, of the outcome of a complete switch of political power at the federal level in the United States. People living in the United States generally enjoy what others in the world regard as a prosperous, even luxurious life. We living in America have been the recipients of multiple and sustained blessings—both physical and spiritual—from God. The unparalleled religious freedom in America serves as an extraordinary platform to preach the gospel of the Kingdom of God. Humanly, we don’t want this to change. 
 
Now we have just come through a trying and difficult year of pandemic and economic upheaval. Many hoped for a return to the economic growth and stability of prior years. With the outcome of the election, many feel threatened. 
 
To compound all of this, today’s violence followed news that a runoff election in Georgia had flipped two Senate seats, effectively handing control of the U.S. Senate to the Democratic Party, who already controlled the House of Representatives. For those anxious about the future of the United States, this only heightened their fears. Nothing appears to stand in the way of a godless progressive agenda, further blurring, even eroding, cherished biblical values. 
 
As of Jan. 20, the world will have the uncertainty of a new American president and a dramatic shift in political power that has not occurred since the 19th century. For some, this has further frayed confidence in the national fabric. 
 
But I want to emphasize that we who are humbly privileged to be part of the spiritual assembly of the living God must set aside fear. Regardless of who is president of the United States, president of the People’s Republic of China or president of the Russian Federation, God is still in control!

Not only is it UCG members who are afraid, but even more are also afraid in the Philadelphia Church of God, Restored Church of God, and those 299 caucasian members of the improperly named "continuing" Church of God. Many other OCG groups also whip their members into a frenzy thanks to the conservative leading church leaders. 

COG members have always traditionally dwelled in the conservative areas of politics and if they were allowed to vote would overwhelming would have voted Republican. Several groups openly brag about how they get their news off NewsMax and other right-leaning sites. These are also the same media organizations that they put their advertising on.

The sad thing is that we have professional fear-mongers leading so many of the COG's today that capitalize upon every negative thing they can find. Take away their negativity and they will be whimpering in the corner not knowing what to do as their members might finally be able to enjoy life.

Fear has always been a great motivator in the Church of God. Herbert Armstrong knew how to capitalize upon fear to keep the money flowing in and members compliant. From Ron Weinland, to Dave Pack, to theological bankrupt Bob Thiel, fear is the only thing they can use to keep themselves ever so slightly relevant in the COG movement.