UCG: Trying to be "united in purpose, mission, vision, understanding, message, speech and commitment to do His will."

 

For some reason, those fun boys in Cincinnati believe they are teaching "the Way". When an Armstrongite COG claims to do this they tack onto that journey law keeping, following church government and tithing. Christians for centuries have understood that as followers of "the Way" they are on a journey with Jesus. Knowing and trusting in him daily in their lives and walking in faith that he is the way. No amount of Sabbath keeping, kosher eating, or holy day keeping will ever help someone on that faith journey. Christians have understood this for centuries, yet those boys in Cincinnati have to reinterpret it into what they want it to be, further enslaving their members to a works-based belief system that is an exclusive belief of the United Church of God and its members. 

Rick Shabi writes:

Teaching the Way 

It is also a time for us to be teaching very clearly the truth of God—“the Way”—as the early New Testament Church described it. We must be dedicated to deepen our knowledge of the truth, and we must be committed to living that truth every day—in every aspect of our lives. We give witness to God’s way of life by the words we speak and by the example we set in our daily lives. Each day as we draw closer to God, He promises to lead us and prepare us individually and collectively.
The world around us is crumbling fast and every day the forces of evil deepen their grip, united in their goal of destroying mankind. Much of it occurs “behind the scenes” but we can have eyes to see if we are paying attention and staying awake. 

 

Now is the time for God’s Church and His people—us—to focus even more deeply on His will and truth, becoming “one” with Him and each other—united in purpose, mission, vision, understanding, message, speech and commitment to do His will. 

 

Be prepared for what lies ahead 

 

Interestingly, a notable event in the history of the world will occur this weekend as the throne in Britain is passed to a new king. This ceremony should remind us of the time just ahead when that crown will be passed to its rightful owner—Jesus Christ. 

 

The time of Christ’s return is growing nearer. Every day we must be allowing God to prepare us and get us ready for what lies ahead. That He will do, as we yield more and more to him—a united people under Him—called out of this world to do His will. 

 

The time is now. 

 

I ask everyone around the world to pray for God’s will to be done, His direction to be provided, and His Spirit to lead and guide everything done in these important meetings that will occur next week, and for His will to be done in all our lives every day.

COG members have been so conditioned to be constantly working for some goal that is constantly outside their reach instead of resting in the One they claim to follow. It is no wonder that so many COG members are exhausted by trying to keep up with the demands of the church. The way that they think they are following is not the way they should be following. 

"However, Jesus makes it clear that they (or we) won’t know the defined way we are supposed to travel in life. We are instead tasked with simply knowing and trusting in Jesus daily, and walking in faith that HE is the way. When we abide in him, we will not know a defined course, but we can rest in the comfort of faith – that he will lead us exactly where we need to go as we walk in him. 

This leads to the second meaning. In John 10, Jesus compared himself to a good shepherd:

"When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” Jesus used this figure of speech, but the Pharisees did not understand what he was telling them. Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture." (emphasis added) 

 

Jesus is comparing himself to a shepherd and us to his sheep. Sheep don’t choose their own path to safety and protection, but rely on the shepherd to guard and care for them. In order to be safe, we have to trust the shepherd, and not wander off on our own adventures and try to find out own way. That will lead us to danger and pain. But when we follow Jesus, he leads us to exactly where we need to be. 

 

Finally, he is making clear that he is the way to the Father, and by extension, to heaven. He says that he goes to prepare a place for us, and this suggests that after we have completed the journey of this life, we will find ourselves in a place of rest where the Father is."

"Jesus is teaching us that what we are to really be concerned with is not this life, but with eternal life. The Scriptures speak often of the life to come after our life on this earth, and as we follow the voice of our shepherd, we can grasp what that eternal life is in the here and now. We can live this life in such a way that we are not chasing things that don’t last but chasing the things that do last and have eternal significance. This type of life has eternal impact not only for us but for untold others around us. 

 

When Jesus refers to himself as the way, the truth, and the life, he is giving us a better way to live our lives through him. He is showing us that through following him daily in faith, he will lead us to a better, richer, more meaningful life than we could ever find on our own." I Am the Way, the Truth, and the Life" - What Jesus Really Meant

 

LCG: Lebanese Olive Oil Situation A Sure Sign Of End Times!

 

The length Armstrongism goes to in order to justify their wacky teachings has no boundaries of integrity. This current financial situation in Lebanon has been long going in the country and is nothing new. It was exacerbated when the explosion at the port happened a few years ago and by the political corruption that has wrecked the country.

This is the kind of idiocy that I would expect from Bob Thiel, yet here we are.

A Taste of the Future in Lebanon: The people of Lebanon are suffering under severe inflation, turning the U.S. dollar into the preferred local currency over the Lebanese pound (Deutsche Welle, May 8, 2023). Prices for goods are doubling, including the price of olive oil, the crucial, locally produced cooking staple. For many, this once-ubiquitous household product is now beyond their financial reach. This, in a country where the national minimum wage for private employees is about $94 USD or €84 per month. 

 

Those with olive groves are keeping for themselves the olive oil they produce, yet, with the increased cost of transportation to olive oil facilities and frequent electricity cuts, even this is difficult. These barriers are affecting the entire olive oil industry, causing live oil prices to soar.
On the surface, the situation with olive oil in Lebanon appears to be a localized issue. But, for students of Bible prophecy it can be instructive. At the end of the age, as Christ’s return approaches, the Bible predicts plagues that will strike the Israelite-descended nations and touch the entire world. 

 

Some of these plagues are symbolized in Revelation 6 by four riders atop four different-colored horses. The third horse is the “black horse,” representing scarcity and famine (vv. 5–6). It foretells a future when the cost of a quart of wheat will be equivalent to a day’s wages. It further identifies scarcity of wine and oil, which the context suggests is cooking oil. This serious food scarcity has not yet stricken the wealthy, Israelite-descended nations, but it is prophesied to come to them in the future. The situation in Lebanon provides insight into what this future scarcity could be like, especially in regard to “oil.” For more insights into these profound end-time prophecies in the book of Revelation, be sure to read or listen to Revelation: The Mystery Unveiled.—Scott Winnail, Francine Prater, and Chris Sookdeo

LCG: Those Pesky Germans Are Now Cooperating With The Japanese…And You Know What THAT Means

 

Where would the Living Church of God be without a bogeyman to whip their members into a frenzied state of fear? Nothing occupies the minds of prophecy addicts in LCG more than the Germans. Trying to ride the wave of Herbert Armstrong's hatred of the Germans and his outright lies about Hitler being alive in South America, LCG continues to dream of Germany spanking the United States. 

Nothing excites them (and Bob Thiel) more than the possibility of Germany occupying the United States, Canada, England, Australia, and New Zealand more than this. Concentration camps, meat hooks, youth taken as slaves to Europe, parents eating children, the list can go on and on in this orgasmic quagmire of blood and misery. After all, this has to happen or they will be exposed as false prophets, and we all know that THAT cannot happen!

Now those pesky Germans have started working with the Japanese as they try and combat the aggressiveness of China in that region. LCG sees this as a sure sign of prophecy that Germand and Jalan are cooperating ice again as they did during WWII. The excitement meter is off the charts on this one!

Germany and Japan Work More Closely: China’s aggressive regional actions are seen as a threat by many of its neighbors—which, in turn, are looking to gain support from allies. As the war in Ukraine continues, Germany and Japan are working more closely. In March, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz led a high-level delegation of German cabinet ministers to Japan for talks on strategic collaboration (Deutsche Welle, March 18, 2023). Chancellor Scholz brought with him ministers of defense, economy and climate, transportation, finance, foreign policy, and interior. Each minister met with his or her Japanese counterpart and explored areas of future collaboration.

The COVID pandemic and the war in Ukraine “exposed the vulnerabilities that stem from one-sided dependencies [on China]. And so, in 2022, Germany and Japan agreed to plan bilateral inter-governmental consultations to deepen their collaboration—with a focus on economic security.” The March meeting was Chancellor Scholz’s second visit to Japan in 11 months. He expects to return for G7 meetings this month. “Collaboration is to be intensified in many areas: the fight against the climate crisis, food security, cybersecurity, telecommunications, and others.” The two nations also plan to work together to locate new sources of critical minerals as they wean themselves from their dependency on China.

Japan and Germany are no strangers to each other. They fought on the same side just 80 years ago in World War II, and they have many needs and ambitions in common. They are both highly industrialized nations with sizable economies. Revelation 18 states that the end-time European “beast” power—likely led by Germany—will be a powerful global economic force for a short time before the return of Jesus Christ. With this understanding of the future in mind, it is interesting to watch Germany make further vital connections around the globe. For greater insights on this topic, be sure to read or listen to The Beast of Revelation: Myth, Metaphor, or Soon-Coming Reality?