Exposing the underbelly of Armstrongism in all of its wacky glory! Nothing you read here is made up. What you read here is the up to date face of Herbert W Armstrong's legacy. It's the gritty and dirty behind the scenes look at Armstrongism as you have never seen it before!
With all the new crazy self-appointed Chief Overseers, Apostles, Prophets, Pharisees, legalists, and outright liars leading various Churches of God today, it is important to hold these agents of deception accountable.
Herbert Armstrong's Tangled Web of Corrupt Leaders
Rick Shabi is not happy that many UCG members are either traveling to the Feast on this night or are too tired from driving to attend the opening night service. Given the track record of these services down through the history of the COG they were not a good use of time and usually were just opportunities for Feast site coordinators to preach canned sermons that we had all heard for decades.
We are all in “preparation mode” for the Feast. We’ve registered, we’ve made housing and transportation arrangements, we’ve saved our second (festival) tithe faithfully throughout the year (a key component of preparing for the Feast) and we are ready to go.
The Feast of Tabernacles is a joyous time. It pictures the time when Christ is King of kings. Satan has been deposed and the whole world will be free to learn and live by the Word of God—the very word and way of life we are striving to learn and apply today so we are ready to be teachers in the “world tomorrow” (Isaiah 30:20-21).
And then, according to COG mythology, Satan will be released from the pits of hell to come back and destroy people yet once again. What a cruel trick the god of Armstrongism plays upon the world.
As part of our proper and God-instructed way of observing the Feast, we leave our homes behind for the entire seven days of the Feast and the Eighth Day. That pictures the temporary state of our existence on this earth and our willingness to come out of the world to where God has placed His name.
These are nothing more than COG instructions laid down by Herbert Armstrong and Rod Meredith when he was over Church Ad through the decades. Just more man-made rules.
He says to be at “that place” by the time the Feast of Tabernacles begins. That’s at sunset that begins the 15th of the seventh month on the sacred calendar.
Would you dare be late to an assembly the Great God of this universe has called—the God who has offered us eternal life if we follow Him and earnestly, diligently and carefully learn and keep all His ways?
So brethren, if you dare to miss the first evening service just remember this, GOD IS WATCHING YOU!!!!!!!!
God sees our hearts by how we observe the Feast of Tabernacles.
As we prepare for the Feast, bear in mind that you are also preparing your heart for how you receive God’s Kingdom. Will you be late, asleep or unprepared like the five “foolish virgins” of Matthew 25?
Or will you be ready? Will you be at the Holy convocation of God as the Feast begins in the very first service at the site you will be attending? We know where we should be. Now is the time to be preparing to be there in that Holy convocation as the Feast begins.
There you have it! Get your ass out of work early and have your car packed so you can leave early and be at the first service! Your future salvation may depend upon it! God is not going to be happy when he opens the Book of Life and sees all of the negative check marks against you for missing services at the Feast, especially opening night!
As LCG co-workers and members struggle to survive financially, LCG does not even consider telling them to stop tithing for a while.
We have much more to do, and your support is vital to preaching the Gospel. With high inflation and the threat of a recession, our mail and online income has dropped significantly. Many of our members and co-workers are struggling to survive financially. Be sure to claim God’s promise, “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19). Brethren and co-workers, if you are able to give more than usual at this time, it would be much appreciated and give a great boost to the Work. May God bless you all as you seek His Kingdom first in your life!
Living Church of God's Richard Ames has a letter up to the faithful on the official LCG website. In that letter, he spouts the same nonsense that he has done for decades and it is the same thing Rod Meredith kept predicting to happen within 3-5 years for decades.
LCG has such an unhealthy focus on doom and destruction. It's like they want to see people die in order to be justified by their god for preaching such a warning. Rarely, if ever, do you hear Ames, Weston or many of LCG's ministers ever preach an entire sermon about Jesus and the things his death and resurrection accomplished. The focus is always on the law and rarely on the New Covenant, and when it is, it's a mixture of legalism and conditional grace. Unconditional grace irritates the hell out of COG leaders. How dare someone not of the Sabbath-keeping, clean meat eating, holy day keeping mold ever be blessed by God. How dare they! Especially when good COG leaders have made such an effort to keep the law.
Coming: An EU Army: The conflict between Russia and Ukraine has put intense pressure on European nations to build up their military capabilities far more rapidly than previously planned. European military spending has suddenly increased in many nations in just the last couple of months, and it looks as though increases will continue (EU Reporter, May 20, 2022)…. For several decades, Europe has discussed a common defense but has made little progress. However, recent events in Ukraine have pressured EU nations to finally take action—especially Germany, where the coalition government has agreed to “massively increase military spending” (Deutsche Welle, May 29, 2022). End-time prophecy reveals that the coming German-led European “beast power” will wield great military power on the world stage (Revelation 13:1–4). Actions currently underway could bring about the fulfillment of this major prophecy.
Under the auspices of NATO, several member nations—including Germany—have access to nuclear options. For decades, we have been warning Israelite-descended nations that, unless they repent of their immoral and anti-God actions and ways of life, they will be taken captive and their cities destroyed. Ezekiel’s “prophecy of thirds” gives us a sober warning: “One-third of you shall die of the pestilence, and be consumed with famine in your midst; and one-third shall fall by the sword all around you; and I will scatter another third to all the winds, and I will draw out a sword after them” (Ezekiel 5:12).
Do not misunderstand! God loves human beings (John 3:16) and the end-time Israelitish nations that are rebelling against Him. After they have gone into captivity and learned their lesson, God will return them to the Promised Land in a great “second Exodus” (Isaiah 11:11-12; Jeremiah 16:14-16; 23:7-8). The King of kings will restore these nations and establish world peace. We pray every day. “Your Kingdom come!” (Matthew 6:10). As Mr. Weston concluded in his June 2022 “Personal” in Tomorrow’s World magazine: “Keep watching—and keep reading Tomorrow’s World magazine!” (“An Existential Threat,” p. 3). The August 2022 edition of Tomorrow’s World magazine will post a circulation of 587,000. That is in spite of a vigorous renewal program that unsubscribes readers who do not contact us or renew their free subscription after about two years of receiving the magazine. Be sure to read both the July and August issues!
Whenever you hear a COG minister stand in the pulpit and tell the brethren to seek guidance in their decisions, just who do you think they are referring to as the source of guidance? Sure they say "seek God's guidance" but from where does that come from? The COG has always insisted that proper Godly guidance came only to the brethren through the ministry. Given the track record of the ministry ripping the COG apart in violent acts of rebellion and self-preservation, would you dare go to a COG minister and ask for guidance? Do you actually believe they speak with the authority of God?
Seeing God’s Guidance: Today, everyone wants to “do their own thing.” However, the Bible records the tragic results of this approach (Judges 21:25; Jeremiah 9:12– 16). Instead, we are told to “Seek the LORD while He may be found” (Isaiah 55:6) and that God will look to those who are humble and teachable and “[tremble] at My word” (Isaiah 66:2). King David, a man after God’s own heart, modeled the attitude that God is looking for when he wrote, “Teach me, O LORD, the way of Your statutes... Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:33, 105). Jesus instructed His disciples to “live by... every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). Jesus also taught, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled” (Matthew 5:6). An important lesson of life is that if we desire to succeed in any endeavor—including in God’s Work— we must seek God’s guidance in all the decisions that we make—because that leads to lasting rewards. Have a profitable Sabbath, Douglas S. Winnail
While Bradford G. Schleifer remains the Enabler-in-Chief and Edward L. Winkfield secures his slot as Stepford Prime, there are other “ministers” inside the Restored Church of God who give legitimacy to the biblical illusions of David C. Pack.
In years past, any mention of Dave from the lectern was edited out before it was released to the church. That was MPS (Media Production Services) policy per Brad. It was the way things were when I joined in December of 2012 up until about 2018-2019. Then, more comments were deemed “fine” to let through. It was a troubling sign of the sea change to occur at Headquarters.
Ministers in the early days of RCG were instructed, “Do not mention Mr. Pack. Give your own message.” Unnecessary comments or giving praise were removed so that no one outside Headquarters saw “ministers flattering Mr. Pack.” This was especially true for the field ministers who spoke at the Feast.
Dave must have NEEDED the public support because those types of comments were left “as is” increasingly as time went on.
Supporting Dave and his prophetic madness now seems to be a badge of honor. A “minister” can seek to ingratiate himself to The Apostle by becoming a human shield for religious fraud and then possibly be “rewarded for loyalty” in some way. (I do not know why a raise in rank or living on the campus comes to mind. Forgive me, as this is probably just the way my tiny serpent brain works.)
There are different levels of Damage Control. In Part 2, Brad twisted numbers and misleadingly presented them. In Part 3, Ed went "whole hog" crafting a public relations stunt disguised as a sermon.
Dr. Frederik Jaco Viljoen might be in the #5 slot of RCG, but it becomes blurry after #4 since some men share similar rank and “pull” inside the organization. More and more “lesser ministers” seem encouraged to prop up Dave these days.
On February 20, 2021, Dr. Viljoen gave his, “Let the Past Go!” sermon at Headquarters. Out of the blue, he wedged in a head-scratcher of a concept that tied into the Prophecy Series.
@ 45:40 …even from failures that you and I can learn from. One thing that helps us, brethren, thinking about why should we let go, just think aboutan example of the Prophecy Seriesthat we’ve been part of…We went through sharp bends as we learned what God has in store for us in the near future. Stay with the Present Truth.Stay with the picture God has given us right now…If we go back too far back in the past with the many questions, the things that we heard in the past, those things can trip us up. It can prevent us from growing…If we dwell too much in the past, even on the past messages that we heard, those things can become difficult for you and me.
The two-minute unedited quote is worthwhile:
Forget Parts of the Series
When he said this, I sat straight up in my chair as high as I could without standing and slowly scanned the entire room. Did anyone else catch what I just heard? I wondered if I was going to make eye contact with anyone else in disbelief. Nope. Every single person had their head down, writing notes. It was a Twilight Zone moment I will never forget.
Questions immediately came to mind. I wanted to dart my hand straight up and ask things like:
Excuse, Dr. Viljoen, what Parts of the Series should I forget? Are we talking about from six months ago or from last week? What do you know that we don’t know? And what parts of the Parts do you recommend we “let go” because your statement is too broad to follow even if I wanted to? I know the first 30 Parts of the Series were removed from Member Services a long time ago, but what other messages should I also forget ever happened? I thought this Series was a gift from God granting amazing knowledge to His people. If you ask us to forget it, are you not asking us to forget God’s blessed knowledge?
I could go on for a full page. The premise was not only illogical and silly, but it begs anyone really listening to START asking questions. And if anyone heard that and did NOT have follow-up questions…well, I fear for such people.
If I took a Sharpie to my notebook per these instructions, my Bible notes would look like a Jackson Pollock. This was another message in a short space of time where I felt bad. I felt dirty. I knew my time at RCG was done.
What an utter perversion of the concept Paul was preaching about. He was talking about forgetting the sins and failures of the past so we can move on and continue to strive to live God's way. Getting weighed down with the guilt and shame of our sins can discourage us from fighting on toward the Kingdom of God. This "forgetting" is part of the repentance process. You confess your sins to God, who forgives us in the name and to the glory of His Son, Jesus Christ. Our sins are then forgotten by God, who expects us to forget them, too.
Forget questions we may have with the Prophecy Series? Forget what Mr. Pack said? Really?
Shame on you, Dr. Viljoen. Shame on you.
Also, the phrase "present truth" from 2 Peter 1 is another oft-used perversion to excuse Dave's failure. Something has to be true in the first place for it to be present truth. This is another heresy inside The Restored Church of God that deserves an entire article.
Dr. Viljoen’s sermon went from being a seemingly helpful Pre-Passover Christian-living message to corrupted propaganda throwing shade on the obvious failures of David C. Pack.
Did the Enabler-in-Chief give pointers? Did Stepford Prime have recommendations? I am not sure if pompoms were thrust into Dr. Viljoen’s hands before he was sent onto the field or if he picked them up joyfully of his own accord but nonetheless, the damage was done.
Decent man. Sinister comments. This is RCG manipulation. This is enabling fraud. This is one of the many reasons why I left.
Surely men like Dr. Viljoen and Ed Winkfield did not want to end up this way. It would be more comforting to me personally if I knew it was just those damn Pod People who got to them and that both of these men went down kicking and screaming. It would be more comforting to know that the men I liked so much were overpowered against their will by forces beyond their capacity to withstand.
However, even the Bible says, “There has no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that you may be able to bear.” (1 Corinthians 10:13)
When you read what these enablers said to the church, keep in mind that they are not the only ones. I quote from the material I have. I do not have everything from everyone. Before I left, I saw this growing trend and the infection is surely more rampant today.
If someone has a sermon they think I need to listen to because it falls in line with what is presented here, please contact me at exrcgwebsite@gmail.com. I am very interested in examining recent messages by other “ministers”, especially by Kenneth M. Orel.
When I was in RCG, Ken used to play Switzerland by keeping his head down about the nonsense and rarely mentioned Dave or the Series. However, according to a friend who has since left, that changed over the past year.
So, Brad learned at the feet of Dave. And then Ed learned at the feet of Brad. I do not know what the hell Dr. Viljoen was doing getting mixed up in all of that. And yet, he threw his hat into the ring and declared, “I am also a Dave fanatic, brethren.”
Dr. Viljoen is a very nice man with a terrific family. It is really quite sad.
Don’t worry, Brad…I have not forgotten about you. ;)
