Why I Do Not Believe in an End-Time Tribulation - Or the Pitfalls of Designer Prophecy

Why I Do Not Believe in an End-Time Tribulation

Or the Pitfalls of Designer Prophecy

By NeoDromos 

 

I came to the Worldwide Church of God (WCG) not to be a spiritual titan but for safety.  I was a teenager and impressionable and Basil Wolverton’s drawings put the fear in me.  The theme of escape from disaster continued to be present with varying degrees of intensity in my thirty-year WCG experience. The idea of a prophesied end-time frenzy of destruction called The Great Tribulation seemed plausible.  The world was a bad place and the trends did not look good.  Comeuppance was way overdue.  But now I do not believe in the idea of a second, end-time Great Tribulation.  Let me tell you why.

It Already Happened

In spite of the apocalyptic Millerite hype, Jesus made a very clear statement in Matthew 24:21 about the time setting of the tribulation.   Jesus said, here in two translations:

“For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.” (KJV)

“For at that time there will be great tribulation, unmatched from the beginning of the world until now, and never to be seen again.” (Berean Study Bible)

It is obvious that Jesus stated that this time of great distress was a one-time event.  That's what "nor ever shall be" or “never to be seen again” means.  This means that ideas such as the former rain and the latter rain or type and anti-type or any other odd hermeneutics that one might concoct to render up two occurrences of this singular event are just not sufficient to overpower the words of Jesus.  

The surrounding context of this verse indicates that Jesus was talking about the 70 AD events, soon to happen.  If there can be only one nonpareil event, when does that one event happen?  Does it happen in 70 AD as Jesus stated?  Or does it happen in the 21^st Century as many of the apocalyptic Millerite prophets would like us to believe?  In fact, Jesus used the language of imminency in Matthew and his description of events surrounding verse 21 aligns with the Fall of Jerusalem and the Destruction of the Temple in 70 AD.   Further, Jesus said it would all happen in one generation.  Also, it is anchored chronologically in 70 AD by Jesus’ reference to the Destruction of the Temple. Occam’s razor says Jesus’ direct language trumps more complicated and dubious hermeneutics such as type/anti-type.  It happened once in 70 AD – never to happen again.  

Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs) and No Flesh Should be Saved Alive

Armstrongists, I suspect, realize that this one-time event was a one-time event.  But they have developed an exegesis that grabs the time of great distress, clones it, and transports a clone into the future. This then creates a dual fulfillment for an obviously non-dual prophecy.  It also makes for an exciting ride where all church requirements can become urgent due to the shortness of time.  This violates Jesus’ characterization of the time of great distress but Jesus seems to have only a bit part in this Millerite theater. The necessary exegesis for the duality is devised by providing a novel interpretation for the next verse.  Jesus states in verse 22:

“And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.”

This is the WMD Theory.  This idea from the Armstrongist legendarium has been used to situate the tribulation at the end of days, whenever that might be. The reasoning is that only in our time do the necessary WMDs exist to accomplish the complete extermination of every living thing.  What is overlooked is that the tribulation does not have to occur as soon as WMDs are invented – it could occur centuries later.   WMDs are just a pre-condition not a precipitating event. 

There are problems with the WMD Theory. If we follow the Armstrongist line of reasoning, we have this effect: Jesus is speaking in Matthew 24 about local events connected with Jerusalem. Then suddenly out of context in verse 22, he makes a statement that relates to the entire planet at a future time when technology makes WMDs possible. Clearly, this would be puzzling to the listeners at that time because they know of no way that life can be totally and globally exterminated or why there would be a sudden context shift from their time to the distant future  (if we apply the Armstrongist line of reasoning) - so they are confused and Jesus sounds like he doesn't know what he is talking about. And apparently from the account, none of the disciples say "what did you mean by that odd statement?" Then Jesus immediately goes back to local Jerusalem-related events and continues.

That is a flawed exegesis. It is concocted, to the point of being painful, to pluck the great tribulation out of context.  It simply does not work. But when read in a simple context, it makes sense: Jesus is making the point that if this train of events were not interdicted every Jew in Jerusalem and its environs would be killed. Obviously, the people doing the killing, the Romans, would still be alive. But the Bible is about the Jews, not the Romans.  Only the Jews are important to the prophetic narrative.  They are the “all flesh.”

And, as Jesus prophesied, this happened.  In 70 AD, Titus built a wall around Jerusalem with the intent of starving its population to death.   Jews caught trying to escape by the surrounding Roman soldiers were crucified.  And the Valley of Hinnom (Gehenna) was filled with corpses (something Jesus also prophesied).  Had the entire siege not been overtaken by events at the last, all the inhabitants of Jerusalem would have been killed. 

The Place of Safety

Ancillary to the fascination with The Great Tribulation is the idea of the Place of Safety.  Like the tribulation, it has a 70 AD context.  Also, like the tribulation, it is transported without justifiable exegesis to the end time by Armstrongists.   If we briefly unpack some scriptures, the problems emerge. 

The Woman in Rev 12:1 is not the church.  It is Israel (not the BI Israel but the real Israel).   The symbolism in Rev 12:1 associated with this Woman can be connected directly with Genesis 37:9.  She gives birth to the Child who is Jesus.   Jesus is seen as a logical outcome of the historic Judaic Polity – He came to his own.   Notice that at the time the Woman gave birth, there was no New Testament Church – just the Church in the Wilderness.  Stephen describes Israel at Sinai as the Church in the Wilderness (Acts 7:38).   So it was the Jewish nation that was the Woman who had a place prepared for her.  My guess is that this “place” referred to the flight into the Diaspora – a kind of wilderness from the Jewish perspective.  Later in the passage, the church is mentioned.  Revelation further states:

“And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.”

The church, like its leader Jesus, is also an outcome of Judaic Polity or the Woman.  It all began with the Jerusalem Church – a Christian church of Jews. So the situation is that in 70 AD disaster some Jews flee into the wilderness of the Diaspora and the church suffers horrible persecution.  Eusebius and Epiphanius recorded the belief in the Fourth Century that the Jerusalem Church evacuated to Pella, about 80 miles from Jerusalem, before the 70 AD events ensued. They stayed local.  And this Pella scenario may describe what happened to only the Jerusalem part of the church during the 70 AD time of great tribulation.   Nobody seems to know what happened to the Jerusalem Church after Pella.  So the “place prepared for her of God” does not directly align with the idea of a global tribulation and a flight by the whole scattered church to Petra or whatever place.  Wrong people. Wrong crowd size. Wrong kind of place.  Wrong aftermath.  In summary, wrong exegesis. 

Conclusion

Why is the belief in an end-time tribulation persistent within Armstrongism?  Apocalyptic Millerism, from 1844 to now, is principally about the exaltation of end-time events.  It is mesmerizing.  It is exciting.  And I believe that it is a form of liturgy.  Pentecostals do a holy dance and Armstrongists believe the Great Tribulation followed by the Parousia is just a few, quick steps into the future – both a part of a liturgy of elation.  And because Millerite end-time prophecy is liturgy, it is repeatable without embarrassment. The problem is that elation can smother out serious reflection.  This kind of liturgy is rooted in emotion rather than intellection and the fire of emotion often wins the debate unfairly – the passionate and primal dispossessing the reserved and analytical.  I used to get wound up about the tribulation back in the days when I believed a lot of ideas without serious thought.  Now, in my view, it is a liturgical crutch for people who just might be losing interest in religion.

PCG Tells Member He Is Useless To God

 

Imagine for a moment that you are a minister of God, a God that is filled with mercy and compassion. Imagine a God that is overjoyed with his children and creation and showers his blessings on all. For many ministers, this is a daily occurrence that gives them joy and a commitment to share that love with others.

Then there is the Armstrongist Church of God. That god, so much of the time, is a petty bitchy angry little god that is constantly pissed off at his creation. That god is never happy and is constantly in need of its followers groveling at its feet for mercy and acceptance, which it rarely dishes out, and if it does it is only to a select few, usually the ministers and church leadership.

If you are in the Philadelphia Church of God, this is the god that reigns supreme in the church.

Here is a story from Exit and Support Network about the PCG ministry representing that angry bitchy god.

I was in my early twenties when I ended up being kicked out of Philadelphia Church of God. I had not yet been baptized but it was something that I was strongly considering. While I did end up getting baptized, it did not happen in the PCG. Part of the problem being that I am special ed and have physical disabilities. 

 

What happened was that my father had an argument with two of the ministers (Craig Winters and Jeff Greaser11) over something that my father simply didn’t feel was right or even moral. They kept demanding that he change his views to suit their own but he kept refusing. They then turned to my mother and demanded that she basically “shun” him–and she too refused. They left our home, and then called up a few days later, and told my father that he had been kicked out; they then tried to force my mother to turn on him by threatening that “unless she turned on her husband they would kick her out as well.” She again refused and they kicked her out as well. 

 

They talked to my younger brother and tried to get him to turn on both my mother and father and he too refused and so they kicked him out of the PCG as well. They then talked to me. 

 

Interestingly enough, I was not at all approached about backstabbing anyone in my family. Instead they told me that because I was special ed and physically disabled that God didn’t have the power or ability to use me in any way. In their words, I was essentially useless to God in all regards. 

 

Ironically enough, at the same time that I was told that I was useless to God “because I was special ed and physically disabled, that God did not have the power or ability to use me in any sort of way,” we were also continually getting sermons, sermonettes, Bible studies, and other messages at services wherein they constantly pounded people over the head with statements that “God was all-powerful and there was nothing He couldn’t do and no one He couldn’t use.” Even though I was not yet baptized, even I noticed the inconsistency of the two statements “God can do anything” and “God can’t do this.” 

 

After we were all kicked out of the PCG, we ended up getting an interesting bit of news from an insider whom we were still friends with. As soon as possible, they announced that our family had been kicked out for handing out “dissident” religious material. This of course was a lie but they could have cared less. 

 

To be honest, I have reflected on this matter quite a bit every now and then and my being booted from the PCG has turned out to be a blessing in my opinion. I am with a better church, that has better ministers who don’t claim to be “as perfect as God” such as the PCG ministers did. They also do not judge the members of the church and are quite friendly and very enjoyable to be around. My parents and my brother are also in this church and we are all much happier.

Kangaroos and the COG

 

As LCG Cuts Its Budget For Spreading Its Gospel, COGWA Makes a Big Jump Forward With Its Message

 

While the Living Church of God has had to publicly admit it had to cut back on its ability to preach its gospel message due to an income drop, Church of God a Worldwide Association has just announced they have had a substantial increase in income over the last three years so-much-so that they can now enlarge their media empire with new hires and gospel outreach.

This has to frost the butts of UCG, Gerald Weston, and Bob Thiel as they all languish trying to find money to do their pet projects and spread their so-called gospel messages. 

From a COGWA source:

April 11, 2022
Dear Brethren,

In my most recent member letter, I wrote that it was my last letter prior to the Passover. But today I have such good news to share that I have chosen to write to you once again! Because of the increase in our annual income for the past two fiscal years and now continuing into the third year, we are ready to make a major investment in preaching the gospel. 

 

Last year our increase in income made it possible for us to pay off two mortgages (one in East Texas and the second here in McKinney), thereby saving the Church approximately $230,000 per year. Our 2022 fiscal budget contained a substantial increase—some 30 percent—for Media to preach the gospel. But we weren’t ready in January to decide where those funds should go. We needed a plan, and after several weeks of meetings and many hours of discussion, Clyde Kilough, operation manager for Media, and the Media department have come forward with a series of proposals for investing these additional funds in our public proclamation efforts, beginning immediately.

My purpose for writing another letter prior to the Passover is to share the details of our updated Media plan with all of you. This plan will require some new hires in Media, and locating the right people will take time. But the other items will begin right away (some have actually already been implemented). Attached to this letter is a report from Mr. Kilough giving an overview of what we have planned. I hope you will be as excited as we are when you read the details. 

 

Matthew 24:14 and 28:19-20 describe our mission to take the gospel message, the good news of the Kingdom of God, to a troubled world. In furthering that mission, the Church of God, a Worldwide Association, has made the commitment to advance the preaching of the gospel this fiscal year (2022) by more than 30 percent when compared to last year!

Please be assured that our focus on Media will not distract us from the second part of our mission— caring for the brethren. We have created a new educational program for pastors, we’re restarting the International Leadership Program in May and through our International Fund we are taking care of the congregational needs of brethren around the world. We are committed to preaching the gospel and caring for the brethren and doing both to the best of our ability with the resources that God has provided. We now have the resources to do more in one year than we have done in a decade.

I believe you will agree with me that it is great to have some good news for a change. Trials, suffering, wars and rumors of wars surround us, but they cannot defeat us. Please have a meaningful and inspiring Passover and Days of Unleavened Bread, focusing, once again, on God’s plan of salvation—the creation of His family.

Sincerely, your brother in Christ,
Jim Franks

 

Page 2 

 

Upon learning of the financial boost to our department, a Media team met a number of times to brainstorm the needs and possibilities in three areas: video, editorial and engagement. From an initial list of about 25 projects—far more than what we could possibly do—we narrowed it down to the top 10 priority needs and what is actually manageable with our personnel and budget. 

 

Some of these projects are going to be new, major, highly visible steps for the Church—more on these in a moment. Others are projects unseen by most people, but very important to the work.

1. Engagement. One of our greatest needs is to develop ongoing relationships with our visitors, engaging and encouraging them to use Life, Hope & Truth more thoroughly and frequently. Every month we gain several thousand new leads (those who download materials or subscribe to publications). These leads are very important because they have demonstrated more than casual interest, and they’re likely more interested in receiving other material. We need to reach back to them, which we can do by implementing workflows (a series of automatically triggered emails sent at regular intervals to offer related material) and email campaigns. While cost-effective, it’s labor-intensive and dependent on having personnel dedicated to the tasks. 

 

Another engagement tool we can easily implement is a regular coworker letter from the president, and these will start soon. Our growing number of coworkers are valued members of the Church’s efforts to preach the gospel, and we want them to feel involved and know that their contributions are highly appreciated. 

 

2. Editorial. We’re targeting several major projects in editorial content development. Discern is one of our highest quality products, covering a wide variety of doctrine, prophecy and Christian living subjects. People need Discern, and we want to see greater numbers accessing both the digital and the print versions, so we’re going to increase promotional efforts through investing in advertising and through email and social media campaigns. And, in order to give subscribers more frequent exposure to Discern, we sent out our first online bonus edition in early March. The bonus edition will be sent in the alternating months when we don’t have a print version, so every month subscribers will get either a print or digital Discern. 

 

Life, Hope & Truth currently offers a vast array of content—literally thousands of blogs and articles!—educating people about God’s truth. But many people face a big challenge today in that while they want to follow God, they struggle with serious issues that hold them back. We see a need to help people understand and deal with such issues from a spiritual perspective, so addressing relevant social topics, such as sexuality, addiction and emotional problems, is going to be an area of increased focus. 

 

We are also expanding and developing new blogging strategies to have more consistent writing on topics that are SEO (search engine optimization) driven. This will require a wider pool of skilled writers with different writing styles and expertise, assigning topics for new content rather than relying on volunteer submissions, and also updating and refreshing old content (both blogs and articles) 

 

All of these editorial projects require skilled personnel, and I’m very happy to announce that
we have just hired another full-time writer, which will help us immensely. 

 

Page 3 

 

3. Video. Now—in what will be the biggest steps forward in Media since Life, Hope & Truth was launched—we are going to create a regular LHT program, a regular LHT podcast, and ramp up the assembly of video “shorts.” 

 

As mentioned earlier, LHT is incredibly strong in written content—it provides excellent teaching and witnessing of the gospel through the written word. But we have lacked the same depth of preaching—ministers personally delivering the gospel through strong “evangelizing” on a regular full-length program. We need voices to give the gospel the type of power that can come only through the spoken word. Furthermore, increasing video production will not only bolster LHT’s rankings, but it can be placed on many other video outlets. YouTube, for example, is the second largest search engine in the world, and we need to be available on that— and all other venues possible—in video form. 

 

Podcasts are already extremely popular and are increasingly gathering larger audiences. They reach people on the go, and young people especially really use them. This is another avenue for preaching the gospel through social media outlets, as well as on LHT. 

 

And, while we already have several dozen video “shorts” (3- to 6-minute videos that accompany LHT articles and are posted on the Church’s YouTube channel), we could produce literally hundreds more. These offer quick explanations of various biblical topics—difficult to understand scriptures, biblical terms and definitions, etc.—specific issues people are asking about. 

 

Steadily churning out such new videos will require a lot of planning and hiring several new employees, not only in the areas of technical production but also for presentation. We can only be strong in production if we have more people dedicated to it, both as writers and presenters. Some big decisions lie ahead. How will we determine who, and how many, would be well-suited for presenting the gospel through video? What are the best formats for programs and podcasts? How can we most effectively promote and place these programs? Can the same presenters for video also do the podcasts? What about production for other video formats, such as TikTok? 

 

This is only the briefest overview of the projects at hand. Even with hiring new staff in several positions, these undertakings are ambitious, and they won’t happen overnight. For example, while we have some prospective employees in video, they may not be available immediately. And it will take a while to put the programs together and have the right presenters selected and in place. But it will come! 

 

It is exciting to be laying the groundwork for these major steps forward in preaching the gospel. And we are confident that, just as God has opened the doors financially, He will also provide the personnel and guide our plans. We have a dedicated team here at the office, and we know God’s people will be fully behind our efforts with their prayers and support.

 

Crackpot Prophet Forgives Those That Mock Him…So He Claims

The Great Bwana and Savior of Africa and the Laodiceans heretics is talking down to us about forgiveness and mercy. Imagine a COG leader doing such a thing. Its Impossible, I know! Just smoke and mirrors.

Mercy and Forgiving Someone Who is NOT Sorry
We have all been hurt or offended by someone. As Christians, we know we are supposed to forgive. But what about forgiving someone who is not sorry? In this message, Dr. Thiel goes over ideas about forgiving the unrepentant from secular writers Harriet Lerner, Robert Enright, and Laura Davis. He then quotes the Apostle Paul and some passages in the Book of Proverbs. Dr. Thiel further quotes Jesus, the Apostle Peter, the Apostle James, and more from the Apostle Paul explaining why it is good for your well being to forgive and show mercy even to those who do not apologize to you. Mercy is one of the weightier matters of the law that Christians are to have.