Monday, May 10, 2021

God's Tone Deaf Prophet Wants You To Be More Hopeful

 


Never has the Church of God had a more tone-deaf prophet than we have in Bob Thiel. From being the Chief Overseer (slave owner connotations) of his African followers to publishing as many miserable things he can find, he tells us to be more hopeful. His god has to be the most miserable creature a COG minister has ever created. His god is always pissed off about something and ready for gleeful vengeance. Yet, with all of his doom and gloom, he expects his followers to have hope. 

How to Be More Hopeful
The New Testament teaches that Christians are to have hope. What are ways to be more hopeful? Pocket, a secular source, recommended an article about that. In this video, Dr. Thiel goes over many points of that article and ties them into numerous scriptures that teach about hope. Dr. Thiel also notes that multiple times, the Apostle Paul taught about faith, love, and hope together. Dr. Thiel also quotes Jesus related to not worrying and seeking first the Kingdom of God. Furthermore, he refers to mysteries of God’s plan that most do not understand. He also reads what the Bible promises will occur in the new earth.

While ignoring Jesus in their ministries, COG leaders expect members to look forward to 3 1/2 years of hell in Petra with all of the leaders fighting over who is in charge. Has the COG ever offered its members any real hope?


Commercial Break: Dave! ...

 ... Snap out of it! Gyrate us!  What are we suppose to believe this week?  



Sunday, May 9, 2021

Dipping Into Your Second Tithe Is Now Embezzling



The myths and legends that abound in the Church of God are endless and many of the leadership in various COG's use that to their advantage. It's never used for anything good but as a tool to instill fear into their followers and keep them in line. It can be anything from the myth of British Israelism, make-up, clothing and hair styles, technology, to tithing.

After British Israelism, tithing is the biggest tool used to instill fear into members. Ignoring the fact that it is not a New Covenant expectation, tithing is used as a way to control members. Instilling fear in members that if they do not tithe they will be severely punished by the god of whichever leader is bellowing about it, to even worse consequences if they dip their hands in the second tithe jar to pay for an emergency expense.

When ancient Israel tithed it never went to one leader so he could build up his personal surroundings with new palaces, flocks of animals, gold and silver, employ the best craftsmen at the time or have a stable full of the latest model of double hump-backed camels ready to use to help spread the word to faraway places. It went to a centralized place where it was used for the Temple or dispersed as needed when things were done right. But, like today, some of it went into the pockets of some of the high and mighty Pharisees that made life miserable for their followers.

Today's COG leaders use tithe money for whatever they want, even lining their own pockets with it and enriching their lives and their families. From building beautiful homes, filling them with beautiful decorations, having the latest technology at their fingertips, having the best vehicles, buying personal jets, and building huge elaborate buildings on campuses as their legacies. None of that is spreading the gospel.

Gerald Flurry is the king of enforcing tithing by using fear. Not only is tithing used as a weapon but demanding members give special funds for buildings, jets, and other "important" things is also used. They don't care that their devotees are triple tithing as they demand special contributions for their vanity campuses or pet projects, demanding that they tithe on their tithes, give offerings on holy days, and harangue members with fundraising co-worker letters while they themselves are above it all because they have labeled themselves as Levites.

GF’s fear tactics are getting stronger. If members dare to get into their 2nd tithe, it’s considered not only “stealing” (as HWA used to say) but now is “embezzling“! He says it “does not work” to do that and if they refuse to set aside their 2nd tithe, or get into it, they will “surely suffer financial and spiritual penalties for disobeying God!” To strengthen this fear tactic, he says, “Quite a number have learned the hard way that ‘this borrowing’ does not work.

First of all, tithes are not commanded under the New Covenant and neither is keeping the O. T. festivals, but all HWA cult leaders (con-artists) must enforce tithing by twisting Scripture, or they themselves fear they won’t be rolling in the dough anymore. –[name withheld] Exit and Support Network

Flurry and the PCG recently bragged through Andrew Locher that the PCG was now debt-free and owed money to no one. I am sure members breathed a sigh of relief that they could ease up on sending in their last dime for Flurry's latest demand. But that relief did not last but a few days when Andrew Locher opened his mouth and told members that they were expected to continue to fund the Flurry family's private jet and to continue to give for big projects Flurry's "god" has in mind for the PCG.

“Thanks to your sacrifice in the aircraft fund and other fundraisers,” Mr. Locher said, “the purchase price as well as a new paint job, avionics and safety upgrades, and planned (and unplanned) maintenance has all been paid. … Already this year, we have made several trips, with additional flights already planned. Thank you so much for your sacrifice! We still average nearly $80,000 per month in operating expense.This figure fluctuates quite a bit depending on our flight activity, but we can still really use any contributions you can make toward the aircraft fund.” (Excepted from PN, 5-7-21) 
 
“There is no doubt that God has big projects in mind, so let’s keep pace with God and continue to give as we are able.” (Ibid, Andrew Locher) Exit and Support Network

"Keeping pace with God" is helping the homeless, feeding the poor, helping refugees, caring for their neighbors, and not lining the pockets of Flurry, Pack, Weston, Kubik, Thiel, or the rest of the leaders of the COG's. They above all should be giving the most to their churches to the point they have nothing. They are all like HWA though. They have huge homes filled with fine art, gold, silver, fancy offices, fancy campuses, and more. Even while demanding members tithe and give all they could HWA never tithed 10% on his income. The COG is filled with hypocritical leaders who make demands upon their followers that they themselves never keep.

The only embezzlers the Church of God has right now are its leaders.

 

Saturday, May 8, 2021

Crackpot Pretending To Be A "Prophet" Looks to 2028 As Beginning Of "Sorrows"



Our resident self-appointed prophet of tomfoolery is back today with dire predictions for 2028. Did you know you are that last generation spoken of in the Bible?

In his blog entry, We are “that last generation” spoken of in the Bible he writes:

Remember, the Bible warns:

11 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord: 12 And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, and shall not find it. (Amos 8:11-12, KJV) 
 
With all the limits on so-called “hate speech,” which in more and more Western lands includes quoting the Bible and/or teaching against sin, we are getting close to that time. 
 
Now, the final time Jesus referred to as “the beginning of sorrows” technically may not be considered officially to have begun until the first of the seven seals is opened. While it seems likely that this has occurred (as the False Prophet is undoubtedly alive now), it may not actually officially begin until the False Prophet gets more prominence (cf. Alexander G. Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. WCG booklet, 1973, p. 17)–but is not certain. 
 
But it makes more sense that the beginning of sorrows and that final generation began in the 21st century as opposed to the first half of the 20th century. 
 
That being said, the end is coming soon. 
 
Perhaps by 2028.

Considering that Bob Thiel has wrongly interpreted scripture to fit his doomy scenarios there is no way anyone should take this fool seriously. 

Are there prophetic reasons to believe that the USA will not last two complete presidential terms? Yes. There is a tradition attributed to the Hebrew prophet Elijah that humanity had 6,000 years to live before being replaced by God’s Kingdom. There are scriptures, writings in the Talmud, early Christian teachings that support this. Also, even certain Hindu writings support it.

Hindu's...Muslims...Catholics...Mayans...Nostradamus... Search long enough in any religious belief system and you will find something to support your whacky views.

In 2028 most of us will be watching the Olympics here in Los Angeles while Bob extends his prediction out a few more years.





Is Crackpot COG Prophet The New Indiana Jones Of The Church of God?

 


Just when you think the idiocy of Church of God leaders cannot get any more absurd, one of them has to step up to the plate and make a complete jackass of himself. Sadly, or fortunate for this blog, this seems to be a daily occurrence these days.

For many years now a certain delusional fool in Edmond Oklahoma has been making bold claims that he and his group was going to discover the ark of the covenant buried in Hill Tara in Ireland. That was one of the reasons they bought the Edstone estate in England to give them closer proximity to their upcoming archeological dig. Though no one in the Philadelphia Church of God was smart enough to realize that Ireland was not going to let a bunch of wacko cultists from America dig around on Hill Tara. But, this is a Church of God, after all, and some COG's always feel they are above the law and reality. Their god is always ready to work miracles.

The PCG has also been actively involved in archeological digs in Jerusalem around the Temple Mount and has actually helped discover items unique to ancient Israel's history. The reason PCG does this is only that the old Worldwide Church of God/Ambassador College did so. Imitation is the name of the game in the PCG and the broader COG movement. 

A splinter group of the PCG, The Rembrancers, out of the Philipines, did the same for short while and now they seem to have disappeared. That has left room for yet another small insignificant personality cult to step up to the plate and start sending devotees to help dig up Israel in the hope of finding something significant that will make their creature they call "christ" return.

Next to step up to the plate is our very own, the end time Elisha, Elijah, Amos, Joshua, the most amazing, superfantabulous, the dreamer of dreams, the Great Bwana to Africa and 299 Caucasians, Bob Thiel. Like I said, the idiocy of the COG continues on!

In one of his recent postings he had this:

The Bible is clear that the Ark of the Covenant is or will be in heaven:

19 Then the temple of God was opened in heaven, and the ark of His covenant was seen in His temple. And there were lightnings, noises, thunderings, an earthquake, and great hail. (Revelation 11:19) 
 
It has been suggested that the physical ark of the covenant that the children of Israel had was patterned on one in heaven, thus it could still be on earth. If it will be found, there is a small chance that the Continuing Church of God may have some involvement with it as we are considering involvement in an archeological project in Jerusalem in the area known as Mt. Zion. On October 24, 2013, while attempting to take some photos and to video some of the remains of the Church of God on Jerusalem’s Western Hill, I was approached by a Jewish rabbi named Avraham Goldstein of the Diaspora Yeshiva who claims that the Ark of the Covenant is below that building on Mt. Zion of the Western Hill.

Another reason the self-appointed and self-ordained prophet to the church is that if the ark is found then the two witless witnesses will arise...according to Catholic prophecy, his go-to source for his biblical understanding.

I perhaps should add that certain Catholic prophecies indicate that the two witnesses (which they often consider will be Enoch and Elijah) will rise up after the Ark is found:

Bl. Dionysus of Luetzenberg…prophecies:

“After the discovery of the Ark of the Covenant, Enoch and Elias will restore the Holy Sacrament of the Altar; Because of the fact that the Ark of the Covenant will be in the possession of the two holy prophets and not in Antichrist’s hands, the Jews will recognize that Jesus is the true Messias…”

As more "proof" that the ark may be in Jerusalem under the Temple Mount, the great Bwana to Africa is also relying upon the dreams of a crazy female follower of his in New Zealand. 

If the ark of the covenant is now below the Church of God on Jerusalem’s Western Hill, known as Mt. Zion, that would have ramifications for the world as well as the Continuing Church of God. It possibly could be related to a dream by a lady named Fesilafai Fiso Leaana of New Zealand, She had a dream after going to bed on December 8, 2012 that included a comment about the Ark...

If you have time to waste and want to be entertained with some of the craziest lunacy you can hear in a sermon then check the bouncing and flouncing prophet to the Church of God in the link below. 


See: Exodus 25: Ark of the Covenant and the Mercy Seat
Exodus 25 introduces instructions for the Ark of the Covenant and Mercy Seat. What do they represent? What about the tabernacle and showbread? Might the Ark of the Covenant exist? Could the Ark be in Ethiopia? What about Hitler’s SS troops? Could Jeremiah the prophet have brought it to Ireland? Was there a fulfilled dream related to the Ark of the Covenant? Do Jews, Catholics, or Musims have traditions about finding the Ark? What might Josiah have done with it? Could the Ark of the Covenant be in Israel? Might the Ark be below Mount Moriah or Mount Zion? What about Ron Wyatt’s claims from 1982? What are some spiritual ramifications of the Ark of the Covenant? Is mercy only for Christians? Will mercy be offered to others? This is the ninth sermon in a multi-part series intended to cover the entire Book of Exodus. In this part, Dr. Thiel covers every verse in Exodus 25 and addresses many questions and concerns.

All of this useless speculation is all the Great Bwana can do because he has no relationship with the "christ" he claims to follow. Not knowing that inconvenient dude leaves Bob Thiel open to all kinds of asinine absurdities that he has to employ to take the minds of his followers off the fact he has rejected the "christ" he claims to follow. Never will you see Thiel preach a sermon about Jesus, what his salvational works accomplished, and the rest that those followers have in following Him so that they don't need to worry about this kind of crap.