Those Pesky Critics

Don't let anyone lead you away from God's truth!

The ministers of the Armstrong Churches of God put a whole lot of energy into trying to convince their members that anyone who criticizes them is trying to pull God's sheep away from God's truth. In other words, "if you accept what they're saying about us, you won't make it into God's Kingdom!" Don't think so? Here are just a few recent examples from two ministers of the Church of God International: Remaining Christian in An Evil World and Beware Lest Any Man Spoil You.

It's an old tried-and-true trick that they've employed in the battle against their critics for many years now (stretching all the way back to the Herbert Armstrong days of the movement). This way, instead of actually acknowledging and answering their critics, all they have to do is threaten their members with the fires of Gehenna! The logic goes something like this: "You've already proven the truth of our doctrines from your Bible, so anything that contradicts those teachings must be wrong (and designed to lead you away from God and his truth)." They've learned too, over the years, that the tactic is pretty damn effective! The corollary, of course, is that "you shouldn't have been listening to/reading that stuff anyway!"

Hence, the poor little lamb under their control not only sees the fires yawning before them - they also feel guilty for even entertaining criticism of God's ministers and church! It's a double whammy! And, as I've already pointed out, the church doesn't even have to address the criticism - no additional research, reasoning, no additional effort of any kind required from "God's servants!"

In this connection, they love to equate themselves with the Apostle Paul and quote extensively from his warnings about false teachers and heretical teachings. Never mind that those passages are actually much more applicable to them and what they're teaching! They also love to quote Christ's Parable of the Seeds and Soils. From their perspective, the critics are obviously represented by any of the things which keep the seed from taking root and producing fruit! "Critics are the servants of the evil one."

For these folks, "growing in grace and knowledge" means immersing themselves in ACOG doctrines - reinforcing and repeating the same things over and over again! It could NEVER mean that they might have more to learn about something, or HEAVEN FORBID - relearn something that they didn't get right the first time around! When I hear these kinds of messages from these folks, I always think about that passage from the book of Revelation: "You say, ‘I am rich. I have everything I want. I don’t need a thing!’ And you don’t realize that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked." (Revelation 3:17)

Lonnie Hendrixs/Miller Jones

Guest Article: Christ and the Saints in ‘heaven’

 

Guest article:

Christ and the Saints in ‘heaven’

 

1Co 15:50a Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God

1Co 15:51b but we shall all be changed,

1Co 15:49 And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly [epouranios].

 

The premise of this “scribble” is that a person is changed from “flesh and blood” to ‘spirit’ so that one can ‘live’ in the spiritual realm. During the Messianic Age, inaugurated when Christ’s glory [second cause] takes up residence in the Millennial Temple (Eze 43:1-7a), Christ and the Church Saints will inhabit the ‘heavenly’ realm, a realm that “flesh and blood” cannot enter.

 

Heavenly and Earthly Kings and Priests

 

Heb 8:4 For if he were on earth, he should not be a priest, seeing that there are priests that offer gifts according to the law: 

 

“It occurs to the writer that some confusion might arise in his readers’ minds over the co-existence of two orders of priesthood. He proceeds, therefore, to show that the priesthood of Jesus was not established on earth. The main point he is making is the impossibility of Jesus fulfilling the conditions in the matter of genealogy, or in the precise nature of the gifts, which are stipulated in the Mosaic Law” (Donald Guthrie, Hebrews, TNTC, pp.174-175).

 

Jer 33:20 Thus saith the LORD; if ye can break my covenant of the day, and my covenant of the night, and that there should not be day and night in their season; 

Jer 33:21 Then may also my covenant be broken ... with the Levites the priests, my ministers. 

 

The covenant with the levitical priests can only be broken when the alternation of day and night is also broken.

 

Rev 5:10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

Ex 19:6 And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation.

 

“Israel was to be kings and priests to God on behalf of the nations” (Walter C. Kaiser Jr., Exodus, EBC, p.417).

 

There may be “some confusion,” from Rev 5:10, of the co-existence of two orders of kingship on the earth. The argument below is that the ‘kingship’ of the saints is not established in the “terrestrial” realm of the earth, but in the “heavenly”.

 

The success of the Messianic Age requires two priesthoods, one in heaven and one on the earth. It also requires heavenly and earthly “kings”.

 

 

Lk 4:5 And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, showed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 

Lk 4:6 And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me...

 

Eph 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in the heavenlies[epouranios].

 

In the diagram above, the “heavenlies (6:12),” as it relates to Satan’s kingdom, is referred to as the “heavenly-earth.” Typology suggests that the lower realm of heaven is the invisible, higher realm of the earth - “the kingdom of the air” (Eph 2:2).

 

The heavenly realm comprises “heaven” and the “heavenly-earth”. In Hebrew “heaven” has a dual ending - “used to designate things that occur in pairs” - which implies that heaven is a two-part realm.

 

In this heavenly realm of the Kingdom of God, the Saints - the Israel of God (Gal 6:16) - will be kings and priests.

 

The Saints will exercise their kingship over the earth from the “heavenly-earth”. (The heavenly-earth is where Satan and the demons are now).

 

1Ch 11:5 And the inhabitants of Jebus said to David, Thou shalt not come hither. Nevertheless David took the castle of Zion, which is the city of David.

 

Rev 14:1 And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Zion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand... 

Heb 12:22 But ye are come unto mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels

 

As David cast out the Jebusites from the strong hold of Zion, which then became the city of David, so Jesus Christ, David’s greater son, will cast out the demons from the heavenly-earth - the heavenly Mount Zion - and this will become the ‘city’ of Jesus Christ. Christ’s throne (Rev 3:21), will be in the heavenly-earth.

 

Rev 7:15 Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.

 

From the heavenly-earth the Saints will ‘go-up’ to God’s throne in heaven, where they will exercise their priesthood (cp. Rev 7:14-15).

 

Eze 44:15 But the priests the Levites, the sons of Zadok ... they shall come near to me to minister unto me, and they shall stand before me to offer unto me the fat and the blood, saith the Lord GOD:

Jer 33:20 Thus saith the LORD; if ye can break my covenant of the day, and my covenant of the night, and that there should not be day and night in their season; 

Jer 33:21 Then may also my covenant be broken with David my servant, that he should not have a son to reign upon his throne;...

 

The Davidic kings and Levitical priests will exercise their roles on the earth. The Davidic kings will exercise their kingship on the throne of David in the city of Jerusalem.

 

2Sa 24:18 And Gad came that day to David, and said unto him, Go up [‘alah], rear an altar unto the LORD in the threshingfloor of Araunah the Jebusite. 

Eze 40:22b and they went up [‘alah] unto it by seven steps

 

In the Messianic Age the Temple is north of the city of Jerusalem - the Temple Mount was higher and north of the City of David - and the people will ‘go-up’ 7 steps to the north and south gatehouses through which one enters the outer court of the Temple.

 

Isa 2:3 And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up [‘alah] to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

Zec 8:13 And it shall come to pass, that as ye were a curse among the heathen, O house of Judah, and house of Israel; so will I save you, and ye shall be a blessing: 

 

“The glorified Son of man shall rule mankind by His transfigured Church in heaven, and by His people Israel on earth: Israel shall be the priestly mediator of blessings to the whole world...” (A. R. Fausset, Revelation, JFB, Vol.3, Pt.3, p.692).

 

Eph 2:6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenlies [epouranios] in Christ Jesus,

 

“By virtue of their union with Christ .... [the saints] ... have shared in his resurrection, ascension and session... For if we are seated with Christ in the heavenlies, there can be no doubt what we are seated on: thrones!...” (John R.W. Stott, The Message of Ephesians, BST, p.81).

 

Note:

 

The preface to Pt.3 - “1 Corinthians to Revelation” - of the JFB Commentary was dated November, 1869”. Andrew Fausset noted on 1 Cor 6:

 

“The mistake of the Chiliasts was, they restricted the kingdom to the terrestrial part. Besides this earthly glory, there shall be the heavenly glory of the saints reigning above” (1 Corinthians, JFB, Vol.3, p.298).

 

Some twenty years before HWA was born Andrew Fausset was pointing out the mistake of the Chiliasts, now known as Premillennialists, a mistake that HWA was also to make; and both Sabbath and Sunday keeping Premillennialists are still making today.

 

The Good News of the Kingdom of God, as it relates to the kingship of the Saints, is that Christ and the Saints are going to replace Satan and the demons in the heavenlies [epouranios] - Andrew Fausset understood this over 150 years ago.

John

Little Self-appointed Crackpot Prophet Weighs in on New Years, Christ returning in 2023/24 and the Doomsday Clock

 

Our favorite self-appointed illegitimate Church of  God leader has been in a whirlwind of activity over the last 24 hours. From melting down over how evil New Year's is, Jesus not returning 2023/24 and worrying about the idiotic "doomsday" clock, it has been a productive weekend of writing about topics NO ONE gives a rats ass about.

First off, he has a typical Thielistic meltdown over how pagan New Year's is.

Does God begin His new year on January 1st? If not, what is the origin of January 1st and New Year’s?

Back in 46 B.C., Julius Caesar declared that January 1st would mark the beginning of the new year. January was named after Janus, the god of gates and doors in Roman mythology. People prayed to Janus when they wanted something new in their lives (such as resolutions). Janus is normally represented with two faces, one looking to the past and the other looking to the future (the two faces also signified change that Janus would supposedly bring in, see Burchett B, Janus in Roman life and cult: a study in Roman religions, p. 15). The first day of the month of January was sacred to him.

January first is Julius Caesar’s and Janus’ New year.

It did not come from the Bible.

No one cares. Saturnalia, Janus, ho-hum.

It is also appalling to the delicate self-appointed prophet that people actually have more fun-filled lives than he does. Some people eat special foods on New Year's. Oh, the humanity!!!!!!!!!

So, how is New Year’s celebrated? Well customs do vary around the world. Various cultures believe that meeting with people, eating certain foods, or consuming certain drinks will help insure good luck for the year.

Like any good Armstrongite booklet educated prophet, he writes that the real calendar begins in the spring, though since he is not talking about Easter, spring is ok in this instance. If it was Easter then spring is pagan.

January 1st is not the beginning of the year for the true God, but only of certain false gods. The last biblical new year actually began at sunset April 1, 2022 (and yes, being called an ‘April fool’ is related to those who stuck with a Spring-time beginning of the new year). In 2023, it begins at sunset on March 22.

Now perhaps it should be mentioned that other cultures also accept that the new year begins in the Spring. And while those cultures have various non-biblical practices, it is certainly possible that because God’s year begins in the Spring that perhaps anciently these people were aware of it, and retained the correct season, but not the practices. 

Then, the illegitimate prophet gets his knickers in a real homeopathic twist over the possibility that Christ may return in 2023 or 2024.  Of course, he is not in a twist of Dave Pack's predictions but is offended by people in the world making such claims. People that NO ONE cares about or even listens to.

Someone referring to himself as ‘Enoch the Witness’ falsely put out a video with the following title:

Jesus is coming soon, 2023 is Rapture

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/762726886871391189/ accessed 11/27/22

A place called Christian Video Magazine, put out a video with the following false title:

5 SIGNS that CHRIST WILL RETURN IN 2023 l The Second Coming of Jesus Christ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tz6VAu-H5eY accessed 11/27/22

No, not related to 2023 it was not. Jesus is not coming in 2023. Nor did the wrongly titled video actually state Jesus would return in 2023–thus the title and premise was wrong.

Next, he discusses the Doomsday Clock and the obsession some have over it.

Many events in the world are worrying scientists in the world–and for many of them, it is worse than it was decades ago. Of course, most scientists and leaders do not know that God has a plan. And that is s problem with the ‘Doomsday Clock’ people.

Now it should be conveyed that, to a degree, like Boris Johnson’s statement, changes to the ‘doomsday clock’ have mainly been meant to send a political message.

But are we closer to the end?

Certainly.

Notice what the Apostle Paul wrote:

11 And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. 12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. (Romans 13:11-12)

Everyday we are closer to the return of Jesus Christ and the establishment of the millennial kingdom of God, which will be preceded by a time called ‘the end.’

Are we at the end now?

Well, as Jesus stated in Matthew 24:6, “the end is not yet.” 

But, since they are NOT the Bob, none of them know the correct time Jesus Christ will return.  Only The Great Bwana to Africa and 150 Caucasians know that time. Even his brother Dave Pack can't figure that one out, but the Bob can.