Since the November 1998 takeover of the old GCG by the board in the U.S., those once with GCG went to many places. Nearly 80% ultimately went with the Living Church of God (LCG), 8-15% went with the Church of God, a Christian Fellowship (CGCF) and smaller percentages went with David Pack's Restored Church of God (RCG), Harold Smith's Church of God Fellowship, Northwest (CGFnw), and other groups (at least one which is outside the U.S. uses the term Global Church of God). On July 1, 2001, eight ministers resigned from CGCF and formed the Church of the Eternal God (CEG), similar in name, but not related, to the Eternal Church of God (ECG--founded by a minister removed from the original GCG ministry for impropriety) about a month later CGCF (USA) dissolved and most still with it ended up in the United Church of God (UCG). One former GCG minister (Ronald Laughland) became pastor of the Wholeworld Church of God. One group that split from UCG (and never was part of GCG or LCG), then COGaic, called Church of God, Established in Modesto (COG-eim, Steve LeBlanc) has some former GCG members and maintains a relationship with the GCG Belgians (who had supported the original GCG takeover); in 2002, COG-eim split, and its leading minister (Don Billingsley) formed a new group called COG-Faithful Flock (COG-ff). In 2004, Raymond McNair, having been in GCG, CGCF, LCG, then went on his own and formed Church of God, 21st Century (COG21). Don Haney, once in GCG/LCG, formed the Church of God In Peace and Truth. In 2005, Ben Faulkner, who was in GCG and LCG, formed the Church of the Sovereign God (CotSG). In 2006, Charles Bryce who was in GCG and LCG left, and formed the Enduring Church of God (En COG). (More news specifically on LCG is at the News of the Living Church of God page.) A couple of people, like Norman Edwards (Servants' News), left GCG well before the 1998 takeover. As in this writer's opinion none of these non-LCG groups are part of the remnant of the Philadelphia Church era (though a few of their members might be), history has shown that they have accomplished relatively little of value and hence this page mainly is intended for those who went with the non-LCG groups (or who may be thinking about going to them) to realize that those groups are not part of the remnant of the Philadelphia Church era. Website links can be found (for most of those that have websites) at the COGlinks page.
12/27/07 p.m. Interestingly, today RCG reported:
New Sermon: The sermon “Clarion Call—The Time Is NOW!” has been posted.
Thus, those who want to hear David Pack's request for assets themselves can go to RCG's website.
12/21/07 a.m. CEG posted:
Christmas--Secular or Christian?
by Norbert LinkRecently, a minister of one of the Sabbath-keeping Church of God organizations was quoted in the press as saying that Christmas was a "secular holiday." Subsequently, the Catholic News Agency (CNA) reported that, according to the Pope, Christmas was "a Christian feast." To explain its "Christian nature," the Pope stated that Christmas "symbols, especially the Nativity scene and the tree hung with gifts, are important references to the great mystery of the Incarnation and the Birth of Jesus." He added that the "ancient fir" or Christmas tree "is an important symbol of Christ's Nativity because with its evergreen leaves it recalls the life that does not die."
So who is right--newscasters and commentators who refer to Christmas as a "secular" or "national holiday," or religious leaders who emphasize the "Christian nature" of Christmas? Surprising to many, perhaps, the answer is, neither is correct.
Christmas is not a secular holiday. It is clearly religious--even though in our modern civilized Western world, commercialism and other mundane secular activities may have, in many cases, covered or hidden the religious nature and character of Christmas. But to say that the second-most important feast of orthodox Christianity (Easter being regarded as the most important feast) is merely a secular observance, misunderstands the roots and origins of Christmas--and plays into the hands of advocates who want to keep Christmas celebrations alive even amongst those who object to them on religious grounds.
Christmas is not a Christian Holy Day either--at least not in the way in which the Bible defines true Christianity.
Christmas is clearly a pagan holiday with Christ's name added to obscure its pagan origins--please see the article What Does the Catholic Church Teach About Christmas and the Holy Days?
12/19/07 a.m. A one-time RCG member sent me the following:
There's a sermon on RCG's public sermons page called " #17–Event 12: 1st 7 Times Plagues—Coming Great Drought and Other Events ". You can pretty much tell from the title what kind of sermon it is. Anyway, after describing all kinds of terrible things to come, and after reading a bunch of news items, and after describing some disasters which have already happened over the last couple of centuries, he launches into the following:
Quote:
These are real events. And yet what I'm describing, not in prophesied times, they're just sprinkled through history and we can read them for our learning. Things so terrible you cannot comprehend them, nor can I, are coming.
Now some will say, "Oh, you're being extreme Mr. Pack!" Trust me; my words cannot picture the extreme that's WAY beyond what I'm saying, not the other way around. The picture is worth ten thousand of my words, never mind a thousand.
What a horrible fate, brethren, awaits a disobedient and unrepentant modern Israel.
Now, I don't like to preach about these things. I'd rather talk about the love of God.
I will leave you with this question: Will you at this time get totally behind this warning work? While there IS time? God's work is ready NOW, to thunder a warning. I won't speak like those prophets, and neither will the rest of our staff and writers.
My most fervent prayer brethren, is that those of faith among us; those who trust their future to God's hands will turn and reach for something of their assets and put it in God's work.
I repeat, God's work is ready to powerfully warn NOW, of these TERRIBLE things that SURELY WILL COME.
The above quote is at the end of the sermon, starting at 1:24:58
While the one who sent me the above has been reliable in the past, I did not listen to the above, so readers may wish to check it out for themselves (apparently it was given in July 2005). But it certainly does not surprise me as I have been warning about RCG for years, plus what I personally heard in his 11/03/07 sermon.
12/15/05 a.m. Last night, Mark Armstrong put out comments related to David Pack's 11/3/07 sermon. To see them, please click on the following ICG's Mark Armstrong: David Pack and the Misuse of Herbert Armstrong's Name
12/14/07 a.m. A couple who stated that they had listened to the 11/03/07 sermon tapes from RCG's David Pack commented in an email:
We have listened to the tapes and we are appalled at the fact that DP is
dishonest with the Word of God. Especially in relation to the verses in Acts
4: 34-35, where the brethren sold lands and houses and gave the proceeds to
the apostles, for: .. "and distribution was made unto every man according as
he had need". This was for the brethren that had need! not for the disciples
to do the Work. Also the passage in II Cor. 9:1, 5 and 12 ... the want of
the SAINTS ... Again, this was for the brethren. God always provides for the
Work.People in RCG should heed Mr. Armstrong's words in a sermon tape of December
6, 1980 given in Tucson, Arizona: ..." Now, if you ever find me dishonest
with the Word of God, you reject me as God's Apostle".. Of course DP took
that office upon himself, but I think it's a very good point to consider.
I have long pointed out differences between the Bible/HWA teachings and RCG's teachings (please see the article Why Not the Restored Church of God?)
12/07/07 p.m. David Pack has finally let his group know that he wants them to a liquidate a lot of their assets and send them in. And his statements are very bold and direct.
The following are approximate quotes (I tried to type verbatim and the following is fairly close) from what purports to be a 11/03/07 sermon by David C. Pack to his followers in the Restored Church of God titled Clarion Call -- The Time is NOW!:
"Yeah, I know, one or two can leave and say, 'Hey, you stopped preaching and started meddling, now you're messing with my goods here on earth' "
"First Timothy 6 verse 17...'Charge them that are rich in this world'...If you were born in the United States, Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, then you're rich"
"If you hold those riches, I'm telling you, you trust in them"
"Go get a big chunk out of your home. And put your money where your mouth is and send it here. And I'm not talking about one, two, three thousand either. How about ten, twenty, thirty, fifty, or one hundred thousand dollars? Go do it"
"Wives, you can be independent in this. You have 1/2 the worth of whatever you have in your house. I'm officially telling you this...Wives, legally you have the 1/2 the funds. What are you going to do about it?...Husbands...'well, my wife is not in the church'...tell her...'you don't have a voice woman' "
"Go get those assets and get them here"
"Don't sit on vast resources that we can use now"
"We are not a splinter"
"I do not covet your silver or gold...the gold and silver is God's and He will get it someway"
"We do not have the funds...plans...bookstores...We need to redesign our website...We need many hundreds of thousands of dollars to arrive at God's headquarters soon...the timing is now"
"This is different...ask Him for the faith to liquidate certain assets and give it to the work"
"I'll say it again, we are talking about liquidating existing assets...it all belongs to God and the brethren"
"We have a lot of plans so big going on in this office it would cause just this room to to rock and gyrate if you knew what was going on. We just need a lot of money and we need it post haste...I would give more if I had it"
"Herbert Armstrong wrote an article...'Prepare to greatly reduce your standard of living'...What he wrote by far, is more for us now than it was then...its all going to be taken away from us anyway brethren"
"There will be follow-up sermons. Time to bring in related points"
"Let us know how much you plan to send and when you plan to send it...You must be willing to communicate...If you do need to counsel, please do that...If you are not ready to distribute what you have...you don't believe the flow of prophecy"
"This is announcing the last blast, the clarion call as it were, to finish the work...Whether it is 4,5,7, 9 years to go, God knows...This is liquidating assets...I have the authority to tell you to do it...I have the moral and spiritual, and ecclesiastical authority to tell you to do what I have also done"
"Get it now when it requires faith...when you are dead you don't need it...if you named us in your wills, it can take us months or years to get it"
"The wives in the faith will say give everything you can...We don't have the luxury of waiting years...today, leaving everything in your will simply doesn't work"
"Now you just have a second mortgage...and frankly we flee before most of it ever becomes due"
"...some may think that they want to tap their 401k--maybe you want to let us know that...why would you want to tell us? We are starting to prepare a budget now, the needs are now...it would be nice to know now"
"Think big...Pull big triggers"
"There is only two positions you can take regarding all that I have mentioned, only two, there is no middle ground. You're either going to yield, to submit and to follow, the clarion call that the time is now or you're not. And postponing a decision is deciding not to do it...It's saying I'm going to wait until it gets closer because it is not there yet...Don't say that I'm going to wait until it gets closer, when I can see...The decision is that my treasure stays on earth or I goes to heaven. Period. I will not lay up for times to come or I will. And this is the real test of Laodicea...either hold on to your assets...or give it...God is in this decision, no question. Testing the church's faith"
"We live in the most materialistic age in the history of the world. People trust in physical things. They trust in bank accounts...If you have excess and don't need it, those verses mean you...That's the Laodicean attitude...Put your money where your mouth is...Empty your assets"
"There is only one place He works...Where the...work is...that's where God is working...one elder commented here at headquarters, if people can't be motivated by a clarion call to finish the work such as this, why will those same people somehow believe the internal signal given to the church of the 1335? Why would they believe it?"
"This is the Laodicean age...Be careful that you don't tell us how to spend your assets...It belongs to God..You don't tell God or His servants how to spend it"
"Your faith is being tested. Think about that"
"We will all fast on November 17th...I have to...ask you for a very special financial sacrifice for God's work"
"The purposes of the fast...
a. To fast for God's intervention...
b.Fast for personal faith and courage to follow what I am asking you to do...
c. Fast for personal strength...
d...Fast for faith and courage in others with more than you to give...Go get a big chunk out of your house...their assets, IRAs, and pension funds...
e. Ask God to move specific properties...that they have told us they want to sell. Pray that these properties move...that is part of what this fast is about"
I have warned people for years that David Pack is not an apostle, not the leader of the faithful portion of the COG, etc. It sounds to me like he is excessively trusting in money to do the work. While money is needed to do the work, I feel that this is excessively and irresponsible for David Pack to call for people to liquidate their assets at this time.
People who are following David Pack and who give their assets are NOT supporting the Philadelphia work of the Church of God. David Pack truly began RCG with the wrong priorities. Those who he persuades to give their assets to him and his church are NOT being led by the Spirit of God. Also, prophetically remember that David Pack incorrectly teaches that Ethiopia is the future King of the South--his followers need to ANOINT THEIR EYES and realize that Ethiopia is nowhere near powerful enough to be the biblical King of the South in the next few years.
In addition, David Pack's teaching on the 1335 days differs from what Herbert W. Armstrong taught (please see article on the King of the North). His teaching on the 144,000 also differs (see Why Not the Restored Church of God?). I believe that parts of RCG are delusional--hopefully now those with RCG will finally see the truth.
I do not believe that RCG is doing God's work. An article of related interest may be Why Not the Restored Church of God?
12/06/07 a.m. I have received two emails related to the health of EnCOG's Charles Bryce. Here is what seems to be the situation according to one email:
It appears that he did not have an anurism, but had an inner ear problem that caused him to start vomiting -- he could not stop and he went in to the hospital so they could control it. HE said he is feeling good and on his way home. The doctor did see something on the x-ray that looked like a blood clot but when they took another look Monday it was gone, so the doctors beleive that it was just a spot on the x-ray or if it was anything it is gone now and there seems to be no worrries about that now.
So there does not seem, at this time at least, to be a major health problem here.
11/28/07 a.m. As a follow-up to the 11/21/07 a.m. post, I decided to visit Ben Faulkner's Church of the Sovereign God website. It states:
We believe disciples of Jesus Christ will preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Gospel of the Kingdom of God, in all the world as Christ commanded, and will baptize new disciples, teaching them to observe all of God’s Word.
And I agree.
The problem is that I simply have not seen any of the groups once affiliated with GCG accomplish the above other than LCG (RCG seems to make the greatest attempt of the others, but sadly it does not seem to actually understand the full gospel). Hence, by their own criteria, they should consider that they should be supporting LCG.
Almost similarly, Don Haney's Church of God In Peace and Truth website states:
To share the Good News of God’s mercy and promises of the wonderful world tomorrow with each of you is our privilege and pleasure; it is the commission God has given to those in His Church (Mark 16:15). This website is our contribution to that God-given commission to preach the Gospel (Good News) of God’s glorious awesome Kingdom!
Although COGIP&T has a nice sentiments at its website, I disagree that simply having a seldom visited website like theirs qualifies as fulfilling the commission. How do I know it is seldom visited? Well, to prove it I went to Alexa.com, typed in the URL, and received the following message:
Godslawislove.org has a traffic rank of: No Data
And while Alexa has its flaws, "No Data" strongly suggests that COGIP&T simply is not having any real impact. (I also checked with quantcast.com who also had no data). Be not deceived.
My question remains, what are the fruits?
I have only seen them from LCG and not any of the groups that have gone their separate ways.
On other matters, as of a few minutes ago, RCG still has not announced Ernest Owino's death--hence I believe that they are hoping that no one will realize that I was always truthful and accurate on the Kenya matter (see also 11/16/07 a.m. post).
11/21/07 a.m. It has been about nine years since the takeover of the old GCG. Is the church better off because of it? If so, the whole church or mainly one? If so, which one? What are the criteria?
Notice what Jesus taught:
Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them (Matthew 7:15-20).
So let's look at the groups and fruits in essentially chronological order:
Thus, if the criteria for which group is doing what Jesus wanted, it would appear that with over 2,600 baptisms, that LCG clearly has been more effective than all of the former GCG groups combined. This is also true for reaching people via television and probably also radio.
Essentially the GCG takeover resulted in a separation between those who wanted to continue to proclaim the gospel (the 70-80% who went with LCG) and those who had other priorities. The non-LCG ministries have effectively slightly diluted LCG's gospel proclamation abilities by being separate, but are also no longer a drag on LCG doing the work that Jesus said that His true church would accomplish (see Matthew 24:14; 28:19-20).
Those who are not part of LCG in most cases also are now being led by people with somewhat inaccurate understandings about the gospel and prophetic events and hence I believe will be caught unexpectantly as Jesus warned (Luke 21:34).
What about RCG and the internet? Well, as I pointed out before, RCG has demonstrated that through ads it can get people to visit its website. But retaining them, teaching them, and having them make the committment to become baptized members simply does not seem to happen in any significant way. While I have never seen RCG publicize baptism information, it does publicize part of its internet results. So I thought that some additional information from quantcast.com, an independent assessor of US internet results, could be helpful to know.
Note: Quancast defines "Passers By" this way:
A term used to define a segment of a sites audience that aren't repeat visitors, but rather have a single visit over the course of a month.
So, the higher percentage of "passers by" at RCG sites, combined with no reports of significant baptisms from it, leads me to the conclusion that RCG simply does not have the type of fruits that Jesus was referring to (there are also other issues as are discussed in the article Why Not the Restored Church of God?.
Increased baptisms, however, are really not LCG's focus. Then what is? The focus is getting the full and true gospel message out so that people can understand it is (I Corinthians 9:19-22). And I do not believe that by having many people respond to a Google ad and rarely having any understand and fully accept the message indicates that the true message is not really being proclamed at RCG.
11/18/07 a.m. Regarding UCG's Council of Elders' member Larry Salyer, UCG posted:
As faithful members left the WCG, a small congregation was formed, meeting in homes. They soon found the Global Church of God and merged with that group at Pentecost. The Salyers pastored the Midwest churches until 1996, when Larry became director of editorial services in San Diego. By 1998, internal conflicts led to a split in Global. Later, a number of ministers and members formed the Church of God, a Christian Fellowship which then merged with United Church of God, AIA, in 2001. Larry has served on the Godly Leadership Task Force, the Expelled Elder Appeal Committee and the Bible Reading Program editorial team. Larry, Judy and son Jeff, now live in Salt Lake City and pastor churches in Grand Junction, Colorado, and Twin Falls, Idaho in addition to Salt Lake. The Salyers have four children: Lisa (Mrs. Andy Burnett), Jeff, Julie (Mrs. Royden Morgan) and Randy (Stephanie Millan), and four grandchildren.
Technically, CGCF did not merge into UCG. Those who were willing to compromise doctrinally went with UCG and left CGCF to dwindle into nothingness.
Also technically, Larry Salyer was part of the group that through legal maneuvers took control of GCG and led it into bankruptcy even though it had hundreds of thousands of dollars in the bank when that group took it over--that money was NOT spent to repay the outstanding debts like RC Meredith tried to do--instead it went to pay for those who went along with the takeover. There was really not a simple split per se--those who saw through what happened went with the newly formed Living Church of God--which was the overwhelming (70-80%) majority--and those who did not split into many groups, including UCG.
But apparently, UCG figures that no one will pay that close of attention to the actual history as they gained some members and thus consider this to be some type of victory. I hope to post a bit more about the takeover later this week, which will mark the 9th anniversary of the takeover.
On other matters, yesterday, COG-ff posted the following from its leader, Don Billingsley:
As bleak as the picture appears to be, it is my belief that Jesus Christ will not let us go completely under until His warning message has reached the time limit He has placed upon it. Though I cannot be completely sure, it is my thought that time limit will not be fully reached until the Feast of Tabernacles in 2009.
As I posted last week,the Great Tribulation Will Not Begin in 2008. And since the organized efforts of the work apparently stopped just prior to the great tribulation, I do not believe that 2009 is late enough (though it has a much better chance than 2008)-the European military is not likely to be ready by then. More information on 2009 can be found at today's post at the LCG News page.
11/16/07 a.m. RCG has had a rough time in 2007 with the loss of one-time evangelist Syd Hull to EnCOG, the death of Mrs. Pack in the summer, the loss of a couple of its ministers just before the Feast of Tabernacles, and now the death of Ernest Owino.
As of 0721 PST, RCG has still not publicly posted the news of Ernest Owino's death (their minister in Kenya). I would like to point out that RCG announced his arrival in RCG on their website before Ernest Owino even told his supervisor that he had quit LCG--so RCG is not normally slow in its "news and update" posts. Also, the fact that RCG posted about Mrs. Pack's illness, death, etc., shows that RCG has posted such things.
I will simply state that perhaps RCG has learned that I was right all along to pray for personal matters related to Ernest Owino. But even if RCG's leadership has learned that, I do not expect that they will post publicly that I was correct (even though they posted publicly, and erroneously in my view, that I was incorrect years ago on this matter).
On other matters, EnCOG's website is still not up and available--thus I stand by my comments I made about them and public proclamation sadly are being vindicated as time passes.
11/10/07 a.m. As of a few minutes ago, RCG has still not posted the news of Ernest Owino's death. I have received a report that suggest that RCG is unsure how to handle the situation in Kenya, so while a news post from them is possible, it may be that they will prefer to handle/dismiss this matter with a statement or two in a less public forum.
11/08/07 a.m. On the night of 11/6/07, Norman Edwards sent out the following email:
We are going to have our court trial beginning tomorrow to determine
what will happen in regard to the disagreement over this property
which we still strive to use as a Christian community to educate
Sabbatarian young people.
Your prayers will be appreciated. We are praying that our Father will
work through the court system and cause a just decision to be made.
We are prepared to accept whatever judgment we may receive. If we
cannot stay here at PABC to continue to produce Servants' News, we
will probably be able to produce it somewhere else. Spending less
time with legal cases will be good.When the suit was filed against us, I
wondered if I should simply not answer it and allow a default
judgment to occur. The likely result of that would have probably been
the loss of the property.
Now, two years later, we will have our day in court.
Regardless of what happens during the next two days of our scheduled
trial, I am certainly thankful for what I have learned. There are
times when believers could learn some of the good procedures that are
done in secular courts, and times when our secular courts could learn
from the honesty of sincere believers.
The biggest difficulty with all justice systems is dealing with
people who want to abuse them. When justice systems have the power to
force people to comply with orders at certain times, it can work a
hardship on them. Therefore, procedures are put in place to allow
people to find out more information if they need it, to reschedule if
they are sick, to rehear an issue if all of the facts were not
present, to have other judges consider the issue, etc. Unfortunately,
guilty people can use these same procedures to delay or diminish the
effect of just judgments, and create quite a burden for the other party.
Irrespective of the merits of the above case, it is sad that the US justice system often protects the more guilty and hurts those who may be innocent.
11/07/07 a.m. I received an email that, that I was able to confirm through other contacts, that Ernest Owino of Kenya, once a minister in GCG/LCG and then RCG died, apparently on Sunday. As of a couple of minutes ago, RCG has posted no announcement.
Ernest Owino and I had some public disagreements a couple of years ago over the reasons he stated he left LCG for RCG as well as membership information in Kenya.
Speaking of Kenya, the last time I checked, LCG had about as many members in Kenya as it had prior to Ernest Owino's departure. I have received emails from two pastors of non-LCG sabbath-keeping groups since the Feast of Tabernacles who have expressed interest in becoming part of LCG (those inquiries were forwarded to LCG's offices in Charlotte). Unrelated to the death of Ernest Owino, it appears to me that additional growth for LCG in Kenya and other parts of Africa is likely.
11/04/07 a.m. Don Billingsley of COG-ff reported the following in today's post dated 11/2/07:
Yesterday afternoon my loving life’s companion was buried after experiencing some health problems over some time that came to be too hard to bear any longer...
She told me that she wanted to die at home. And she did. After going to sleep she had a very peaceful look on her face. Needless to say I will miss her greatly and will have my moments of sorrow and tears. I am so very thankful to God that I have a part in His work and will absorb most of my time and this will be very helpful to me.
Before the funeral yesterday morning I sent Dixon Cartright (owner and managing editor) of the Journal (Churches of God Newspaper) a note requesting he write something about her death in the newspaper. He graciously indicated he would and wanted some particulars about her. He also wrote some very encouraging words to me. (I have known Dixon and his wife for many years and consider them to be friends.)...
She was 82 years of age. The cause of her death was something like that of Mrs. Herbert W. Armstrong -- an obstruction in her stomach that made it very painful for her to have a bowel movement.
She gradually weakened to the point of going peacefully to sleep at 7 pm October 29, 07 in our home. During the last couple of days or so before her death she did not seem to be in any pain. She had a very peaceful look on her face afterwards.
10/30/07 p.m. A long-time contributor to the cogwriter site sent the following that I have not been able to yet independently confirm, but suspect to be accurate:
Hello to you all:
Passing on to you the sad announcement, that after about a year and a half of illness, Mrs. Billingsley died peacefully in her home at 7:00pm last night. She is now safely asleep awaiting the resurrection; our work must continue on Please keep Mr. Billingsley and family in your prayers at this time. Take care, all.
As of two minutes ago, nothing about this was posted at the COG-ff website. If the announcement is true, I should be able to verify it later.
I think I have only ever spoken to Mrs. Billingsley once. Her husband, Don Billingsley, heads up COG-ff. COG-ff is an internet ministry that claims to be the only Philadelphia church like RCG does, but with many of HWA's actual writings (instead of the RCG rewrites), with ads in The Journal, and without anyone claiming to be a living apostle (like D. Pack).
David Pack's (of RCG) wife died in the summer, but I am pretty sure that she would have younger than Mrs. Billingsley.
10/30/07 a.m. RCG posted the following about its "Behind the Work" video:
Brethren in every WCG splinter owe it to themselves to see this video. It is a powerful, undeniable statement of where God now works. While many have dismissed RCG as an inconsequential “Internet ministry” and “one man show,” this film thunders the truth and sets the record straight.
Those with an open mind, or those unhappy with the lack of zeal in the group or organization they attend, but who are yet to be convinced of a “better option,” will not want to miss this inspiring behind-the-scenes film!
Actually, brethren owe to themselves to read the Bible and follow Jesus' criteria for the true Church. RCG is ran by one whose ego has convinced him that he is truly God's apostle. It would be nice if some day, RCG posted its actual membership and feast attendance each year, as well as to actually admit what has happened to it in Southern Africa.
The fact is that internet hits can be manipulated and when I have reviewed RCG's internet statistics from other sources, it appears that RCG's paying for internet ads to get people to its site does work, but once people get there they do not stay and the amount that become baptized members is so exceptionally small that I doubt RCG's effectiveness.
Anyway, those interested in reading documented information concerning RCG would want to read the article Why Not the Restored Church of God? Those interested in reading about which COG to support should consider reading the article Unity: Which COG for You? and/or There are Many COGs: Why Support the Living Church of God?
10/26/07 a.m. Later yesterday, CEG announced:
This week has been extremely traumatic in the lives of our brethren in Southern California. While great danger still threatens, we are very pleased to report that members in the San Diego area have been unharmed, and no property has been lost, as far as we can ascertain at this point. Also, Margaret Adair has arrived safely back at her home in Escondido, California, following a late return from the Feast of Tabernacles in Great Britain. Also, Bill and Nancy Grams have left Arizona to return home.
Norbert and Johanna Link, as well as Michael Link and Noelle and Jenna Jacobs, have been staying at Margaret's home following evacuation from their homes in the Ramona area. IT WAS JUST ANNOUNCED THAT RAMONA RESIDENTS CAN RETURN TONIGHT, AS LONG AS THEY PROMISE NOT TO USE ANY WATER FOR ANY PURPOSE UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE. JOHANNA AND NORBERT LINK WILL CHECK THINGS OUT TOMORROW, BUT PROBABLY STAY WITH MARGARET OVER THE WEEKEND.
We are publishing the Prayer Updates we sent out during this past week as a way to inform everyone of the challenging events that overtook our members in this emergency:
Sunday, October 21, 2007
A wildfire driven by very strong winds now threatens the Ramona, California, area--among other locations in Southern California. Norbert and Johanna Link and other Church members are in the direct line of this fire. Members have taken steps to pack critical belongings and evacuation is near if this fire continues.
Please pray that God will watch over and protect our people and others--many lives and much property have already been affected by today's outbreak of uncontrollable fires.
Monday, October 22, 2007--AM
On Sunday evening, October 21, 2006, an evacuation order for the entire city of Ramona, California, was ordered due to the extreme fire danger. Norbert and Johanna Link have left their home and are staying in Escondido, California, at the present time. Other members have also moved to safety.
Due to the severe drought and fierce winds, these fires are growing stronger and stronger. Whole communities are now facing destruction. Please continue in fervent prayer for God to protect His people and for the situation all are facing in this disastrous circumstance.
Monday, October 22, 2007--PM
The situation continues to be dire with new fires springing up and forcing the evacuation of several of our church members in the area. Many sections of highway are closed and high winds are even making driving difficult at times. According to some reports these Santa Ana winds are not expected to subside until Wednesday. The local authorities have managed to get only a few planes in the air due to conditions, thus limiting the effectiveness of the fire fighting effort.
The following are some more specifics that we may use to refine our prayers before God.
Rhonda Cagle and Karen Myers (along with relatives in the area) have just been notified that their residence is now under an evacuation alert. Previously they had gone to Rhonda's mother's place after being able to see flames from their own residence, but returned home after receiving a reverse 911 call. They are not sure what they are going to be able to do as they feel they are boxed in all sides at the moment. Their electricity had been off earlier but is currently on. They have no Internet access as Cox (ISP) has had sporadic outages.
Norbert, Johanna and Michael Link, Kalon and Manuela Mitchell, and Noelle and Jenna Jacobs are all at Margaret Adair's home in Escondido after each evacuated their respective areas. Presently, they are fairly safe there though they can smell smoke. They do have minimal Internet access at the moment
Bill and Nancy Grams apparently saw their home on television and now are on their way to Phoenix to stay with Nancy's relatives until things are safe once again.
Michael and Melissa Bannen, Betty Bourland and Aaron Hooper have gone down to a Holiday Inn near Sea World (about 17 miles away). Last night and even into the early hours the threat didn't seem imminent, but as morning rolled around, the necessity to head out became apparent. Michael has said that they have been asked to minimize their use of the cell phone network so that it can be utilized for emergency needs. He is still contactable via email.
This is the latest that we know and we will endeavor to keep you updated as the situation progresses.
Your prayers and concerns are deeply appreciated by those who face this difficult episode. Please continue to seek God's help and guidance for our brethren.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
All those affected by the fire wish to express their heartfelt thanks for the continued earnest prayers. Though they are not totally in the clear, there is a sense of relief in regards to possible personal harm.
Rhonda Cagle and Karen Myers are looking forward to a good night's sleep after their vigil for the last few days. Rhonda is in the process of bringing her mother back home and is planning on going to work tomorrow. She also said that when looking at the map there appears to be a circle the fire did not encroach upon and it happens to be the area that the church members were in.
Norbert, Johanna, and Michael Link and Noelle and Jenna Jacobs are remaining at Margaret Adair's home. They are also feeling like the worst has passed for the Escondido area. The wind has died down for the time being though a faint smell of smoke is still in the air.
Ramona still has many hot spots with several surrounding areas still ablaze. Reports are that the Link's home is still OK but definitely not out of danger. Reports are now saying that they may not be able to return until Friday at the earliest. Even if that is possible there may not be any water available due to fire related damage to the pump system.
Margaret is due to arrive Wednesday evening from her extended stay in Britain after the Feast. She will still need our prayers getting all the way back home as the there could still be visibility issues and wind advisories in effect. Plans for a potential stay in Los Angeles have been made as a back up.
Kalon and Manuela Mitchell have been able to return home. They did have a small grass fire on the hill in front of their home, but a neighbor kept an eye on it and it never presented a problem.
Michael and Melissa Bannen, Betty Bourland and Aaron Hooper have also been able to return to home with a slightly messy backyard, but most importantly a house that is still intact. Michael reports that roads around him are clear and many stores are open. He still has to check on the office.
Bill and Nancy Grams arrived safely in Arizona and will remain there until the smoke from the fires has dissipated sufficiently.
Dorothy Loraas has also reported that her daughter Erica is no longer in danger either.
We can all be thankful to God for His intervention in this matter while at the same time persevering in prayer until the conclusion of this matter.
An elderly lady in the south of England has again contacted Brian Gale. She has been plagued by a wrong spirit which has caused her great distress. A previous prayer request was made for this lady some time ago and although she is not a church member, she has received some of our literature and has requested another anointed cloth, which Mr. Gale has sent to her. Your prayers for this lady to be relieved of this great distress would be much appreciated. Thank you.
On a somewhat related note, LCG's San Diego minister, Harold Way, sent me an email a couple of days ago that stated:
Do hope that you and the family are well. There are no reported losses in this area from the fires. God is merciful.
He also, similarly, reported:
Our southern California Area Pastor, Harold Way, reports: “God has been very merciful to the brethren here in Southern California, where multiple fires have been raging and mostly out of control for three days… There are no reports of damage or physical injury at this time. The winds have subsided and today (Wednesday) aircraft are able to drop repellents that are aiding considerably. Many businesses, schools and roads remain closed and the air is causing many respiratory problems to those exposed. We do appreciate everyone’s prayers and concern.”
10/26/07 a.m. CEG announced:
On October 27, 2007, Dave Harris will give the sermon, titled, "Restoration."
While I do not know what Dave Harris will say (nor will I be listening to his sermon), the subject of Restoration is an important one.
Three articles of related interest would include:
Universal Salvation? There Are Hundreds of Verses in the Bible Supporting the Doctrine of True Apocatastasis Do you believe what the Bible actually teaches on this? Will all good things be restored? Does God's plan of salvation take rebellion and spiritual blindness into account?
Hope of Salvation: How the COGs differ from most Protestants How the COGs differ from mainstream Protestants, is perhaps the question I am asked most by those without a COG background.
Did The Early Church Millenarianism? Was a 6,000 year time allowed for humans to rule followed by a literal thousand year reign of Christ on Earth (often called the millennium) taught by the early Christians? Is this time near?
10/15/07 a.m. The following was posted at the surfer1 blogsite regarding CG21's Raymond McNair:
Please continue to pray that the pain in my husband's back will subside so that he will have the "energy" needed to do more of the things he desires to do.
He is coming along, has a wonderful appetite, which is always good. Tuesday's visit by a nurse who comes to take his "vital signs" once a month, commented that his heart is that of a young man. All other organs are in tip top shape. She commented that my husband did not have cancer and that years ago the doctors were totally mistaken.
For one who is 77 years of age, this is good news. She told us that when the heart is in that good condition, the rest of the body lives a long time.
We know that God has kept him alive and has performed miracles along the way for some reason, when a list of many evangelists, ministers, etc., died in just a few months time (Carl McN, Dean Blackwell, John Ogywn, Garner Ted, and others, or in Dr. Hoeh's situation, just minutes.
We patiently wait for God's promise to heal my husband totally and to guide us as to what His will is.
Warm regards, and thanks,
Mrs. McNair
This is the first information on him I have seen in a while--and presume it is accurate.
10/13/07 a.m. Mel Williams, an elder associated with CGFnw, who often attended UCG, and was once part of the Global Church of God died peacefully on the Day of Atonement according to his wife Patrice.
We have known the Williams for over 26 years and were surprised and saddened to learn of his death.
10/12/07 a.m. CEG reported the following news item:
BBC News reported:
"Legal experts from the 27 countries of the European Union have agreed on a draft reform treaty. The treaty is set to replace the defunct European constitution rejected by French and Dutch voters. Portugal, which holds the EU presidency until the end of the year, hopes to get agreement on the treaty at an EU summit in Lisbon later this month. Possible domestic opposition to the treaty in Poland and Britain mean they may present the biggest hurdles. The treaty aims to streamline the workings of the EU bloc, which has almost doubled its membership in the last few years."
Some type of European Union will occur to fulfill biblical prophecies. According to private Catholic prophecies, there will be civil unrest before strong unity is attained.
On other matters, I noticed that En COG still, as of this morning, has no web presence. Nor any other effective media for publicly proclaiming its modified no-makeup gospel.
09/21/07 a.m. In its latest postest update, ECG announced:
We are currently only accepting literature requests from The U.S.A., Canada, and Mexico. This policy may change so please check back for updates.
Obviously, ECG is not set up for the fulfillment of Matthew 24:14 and 28:18-19 (both of which discuss proclaiming the gospel throughout the entire world).
Conversely, in its latest update, LCG reports:
Wayne Pyle [from the USA] reports: This weekend we re-aired program #286, “The Day of the Lord,” which offers a compact disc. From Thursday through Sunday, we received 3,150 phone calls. We are expecting the total response to reach 4,060. This is the first time in four months to pass the 4,000-mark. Mr. Kinnear Penman reported that 217 phone calls came from program #286, which is a new record for Prime-TV in New Zealand. If we have the correct information, Prime-TV’s over-the-air signal reaches 1.4 million TV households, which is 91 percent of all New Zealand households. For this size of audience, 217 calls are exceptional.
While the US and New Zealand are only two countries, LCG's telecast (via satellite) can be received in probably all countries throughout the world. It Tomorrow's World broadcast is sent out from almost 20 nations, its literature goes to over 100, it has congregations/groups in 40 or so nations, and its internet presence has been tracked into virtually all countries on the planet. An article of related interest may be There are Many COGs: Why Support the Living Church of God? .
09/18/07 a.m. Larry Salyer, one of those heavily involved in the GCG takeover, as well as one instrumental in getting probably around 1000 once in GCG to become part of UCG, is mentioned a few times in the latest edition of UCG's United News.
Specifically he is reported to be UCG's "Media and Communications Services operations manager". He is also reported to be a member of UCG's Council Committee on "Doctrine" and UCG's Council Committee on "Strategic Planning and Finance".
Two articles of related interest may include Beware, Doctrinal Compromise is in the Air! (discusses some doctrines that CGCF may have had to change in order to merge with United) and Differences between the Living Church of God and United Church of God (this article provides quotes information from the two largest groups which had their origins in WCG as well as commentary).
09/14/07 a.m. This morning, I went to RCG's news page and saw the following:
DOWNLOAD COUNTER*
(TheRCG.org & RealTruth.org)
2000 to 2005: |
5,649,898** |
2006 Total: |
+8,511,582 |
2007 to Date: |
+ 8,486,105 |
Since Launch: |
22,647,585 |
* Includes actual downloads through August 31, 2007, plus a projected September rate.
Now, what is not clear to me is what constitutes a "download" for RCG. If this is referring to what are commonly called "hits", then RCG's performance here, while good by COG standards, is certainly not the best. For example, LCG's official sites get around 3,000,000 hits per month (more in a year than RCG is claiming since its inception) and I strongly suspect that UCG gets at least as many hits as LCG does.
Perhaps this would be a good time to explain to the less technical readers of this page that although RCG has perhaps the best "Alexa" ranking of the COGs, that Alexa rankings are badly flawed and are based upon some type of incomplete sampling that also ignores visitors who use such browsers as Firefox.
To give a "personal" example, this morning Alexa showed that 58.8% of the visitors to the COGwriter site supposedly come from New Zealand and 17.6% supposedly come from the Philippines. Yet the statistics provided by my server, which actually counts them, shows that less than 0.1% of the visitors to the COGwriter site come from New Zealand and less than 0.3% come from the Philippines. This type of massive undercount explains why some websites (like RCG's) can appear to be doing better than others (like LCG's or UCG's) when this simply is not the case.
This is not to say that RCG does not get any visitors (it clearly does), but that its statistics need to be understood in context.
09/07/07 a.m. In his last posted newsletter, CG-ff's Don B. wrote:
Though virtually all of you understand and obey God’s law of tithing there are perhaps a few who do not. And among those who do understand there may be a few who have possibly forgotten some of the principles based on that law that either do or do not require one to tithe.
God’s Law of Tithing
We should also know tithe means tenth. One is to tenth his income to God, meaning the first 10 percent of our income belongs to God. And God makes clearly known that if we do not honor Him by giving that which belongs to Him we are guilty of robbing Him as made known in the following Scriptures.
God asks the question through His prophet Malachi: “Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed you?’ In tithes and offerings. [Then God adds the indictment:] You are cursed with a curse, for you have robbed Me, even this whole nation. [To avoid this curse, God further says:] Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and PROVE (Margin: Test) Me now in this,” says the LORD of hosts, “If I will not OPEN the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it” (Malachi 3:8-10).
Still Binding Today
There are those who argue that this law is not binding today. Jesus Christ made it very clear that it is indeed binding today in His conversation with the hypocritical Scribes and Pharisees:
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay TITHE of mint and anise and cumin and have NEGLECTED the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done WITHOUT leaving the others undone (Matthew 23:23; Luke 11:42; Psalm 111:10).
He is correct about that. Two articles of related interest may include Tithing Questions and Some Answers and Is Third Tithe Still Valid Today?
08/31/07 a.m. In today's newsletter, CEG reported:
EU Greater World Rule--Under France?
The EUObserver wrote on August 28:"As France prepares to assume the EU's driving seat in July next year, president Nicolas Sarkozy has indicated he wants to turn the 27-nation bloc into a decisive player in the global arena – something he says would result in a fairer and more harmonious world order... 'The European Union alone has accumulated, during the long process of building the community, the practical experience of a shared sovereignty that corresponds well to the demands of our times', Mr Sarkozy told his audience of 180 diplomats, stressing the EU bloc has at its disposal a broad palette of instruments, ranging from military force to humanitarian and financial means. While outlining new ideas, Mr Sarkozy urged the 27-nation club to boost its common security strategy – namely to improve its conduct of joint military operations, to rationalize its arms procurement as well as boost countries' contributions to Europe's defence budget..."
While I am not sure what difference that French president will have on the EU in a few months, certain Catholic prophecies describe someone as "the Great Monarch" who is expected to be a least partially French (but probably with some German ethnicity as well). An article of possible interest may be Europa, the Beast, and Revelation.
08/24/07 a.m. There does not seem to be much going on with the groups that were once part of GCG (except LCG) this past week.
CGFNW's website states this morning:
Update:
Currently There Are No Travel Plans
CG21 still shows information related to the 2005 Feast of Tabernacles as new color-changing letters--as it does on about 15 other items that are almost all probably as dated.
En COG still has not put up its promised website.
RCG has not posted one of its news updates since just prior to the funeral of Mrs. Pack.
08/17/07 a.m. This morning, I noticed that ECG had announced a sermon:
Arabs in Prophecy
Ever since 911, the Muslims and the Arab peoples have been a focus of American News. Who are these people? Why do they hate us so? And, what does the Bible say about them in prophecy? Do they play a role in end time events. If so, what is that role? You need to know.
Interestingly, I updated my article this week titled The Bible and the Arab World In History and Prophecy, which is available for those who wish to know more.
08/10/07 p.m. COG-eim's D. O'Malley recently wrote:
Recently I had to update some corporate documents for the Church of God-eim Corporation. While going through the corporate documents, I stopped for a moment to glance over the articles of incorporation as filed with the state of California. The requirements for articles of incorporation are not as lengthy as they were 20 or 30 years ago. They only require a short document containing the name, the general-purpose statement, a specific purpose statement, the Internal Revenue Code status for the church, and a signature. While we know that God’s church is a spiritual organism not limited by corporate records or documents, it is also true that to carry on the business of the church, we need to be identified as a nonprofit religious corporation exempt from government interference. When I worked in the legal department of the church in Pasadena, part of the function of the office was to keep the corporate records in proper order. This was Important in matters of insurance, banking, and media operations. The same holds true today for our much smaller organization.
Many groups these days are sensitive to the term "corporate church", but as D. O'Malley points out, in the modern USA it seems to be necessary.
08/03/07 a.m. In its latest update, CEG reported:
U.S. Jury Duty System Spinning Out of Control!
Recently, more and more pressure has been placed on jurors to serve on a jury, even though they are opposed to doing so, based on their sincere religious convictions. In some cases which came to our attention, not only the clerks and the legal departments of certain courts, but also certain judges have been acting most unreasonably when it came to dismissing jurors for their religious convictions--even though the U.S. Constitution clearly DEMANDS such dismissals.
However, a recent letter from a court in California simply stated: "California law DOES NOT INCLUDE a disqualification or an excuse/exemption from jury service due to religious convictions." The letter concluded that therefore, Jury Services cannot excuse a juror for his or her religious conviction. Legal precedence which was quoted to the court was summarily dismissed as inapplicable! This is clearly an erroneous position, which is, unfortunately, shared by other courts outside California. THIS POSITION VIOLATES THE U.S. CONSTITUTION!
Please note the following article in the BaltimoreSun.com, dated July 28, clearly confirming the law that jurors who are opposed to jury duty based on their religious convictions, MUST be excused. It is hoped that courts and justices will look more closely into this issue, to avoid unnecessary embarrassment, a mistrial and a hung jury...
As one living in California, I too have concerns that courts often seem to minimize the relevance of religious beliefs.
07/28/07 a.m. RCG's David Pack posted the following letter:
This is a special letter written to give more detail to the passing of my wife, Shirley M. Pack. Mr. Armstrong wrote a tribute in The Plain Truth magazine to his wife’s record of conversion, and in a sense this is also written in the same spirit (I may put this in the September PILLAR so that others may have access to it in a similar way). I had intended to post this sooner, but circumstances would not permit.
By now all of you realize that my dear wife of over 36 years of marriage died in the early morning hours (3:32 a.m.) of Sunday, July 22, 2007. I should explain that Mrs. Pack was in and out of consciousness beginning Thursday and this became complete on Sabbath morning at about 5:30 a.m. I mention this because, amazingly, she awakened shortly before Sabbath services were “piped” into our home for the two caregivers attending to her, and she remained awake until about 5:30 p.m., just when our longer service this Sabbath was completed...
Because my wife’s history in God’s Way goes back to the end of 1959, and because she was known by countless thousands in the Church, condolences and notes of sympathy have been arriving from all over the world, and from people both within and outside The Restored Church of God. These have already brought a tremendous comfort to me and to our children. Two of our three children and a son-in-law serve at the Church’s Headquarters...
My wife’s health struggles actually began with fibroid tumors from about the time of the birth of our third and last child, a daughter, born in early 1980. This introduced physical challenges due to female-related health problems that made some aspects of my wife’s life difficult on a daily basis ever after. She suffered from severe anemia for years. (Also, in about 20 percent of cases, fibroid tumors become malignant, which is what happened here, and spread.) Beginning in 1971, she was truly what Mr. Armstrong referred to as “50% of her husband’s ministry.” Those who know anything about our life understand that my ministry has been one of extraordinary challenge and difficulty all through the decades...
The Church has lost much with the passing of Mrs. Pack. That loss is simply incalculable. Her training began several years before Ambassador College, and she was already eleven and a half years in the faith when we were married. Before our marriage, she had traveled the world, attended two years of her college in Bricketwood, England, learned to play four instruments and been Mr. Armstrong’s secretary for two stints totaling five years over an eight-year period...
As we might have expected, two “grievous wolves” have already arisen from within and attacked me and the Church with timing that could only be described as appalling, even for wolves. Fortunately, those close to these men apparently seemed to have known them better than we yet knew and it appears unlikely any brethren will follow them. I feel almost sorry for the large splinter upon which they now descend...
I leave you with I Thessalonians 4:13-18 to read as an assignment. As you think of Mrs. Shirley M. Pack, be sure to read verse 18 a second time.
David C. Pack
P.S. Funeral details are available upon request by contacting our Headquarters, as explained on our website.
07/27/07 a.m. COG-eim's latest update states:
Here are some quick statistics regarding the Work:
COG-eim is a small group (LCG, for example, has over 330,000 subscribers to its main magazine). Nearly all of their doctrines that I am aware of are in accordance with COG teachings. However, in addition to the fact that they do not accept the authority of any evangelist over them (hence I believe that they have rejected one the the 18 restored truths), they do something that I find a bit too much.
In addition to indicating that "the Work" is only what they are doing (and I intentionally used the term "indicating", though they must mean "their Work") their home page begins with the following statement:
We are the Church of God. Our congregations were established in California under Herbert W. Armstrong who was the Pastor General of the Worldwide Church of God until his death in 1986.
Well, they will acknowledge that they are not "the only" Church of God, but that is not what their home page implies, to me at least. I would have preferred that they stated that they were part of the COG or were a COG or something similar to that.
Also, their two initial congregations as they now exist were somewhat established by Don Billingsley, though WCG did have congregations in Fresno and Modesto when HWA was alive (my family attended in Fresno for a number of years and I do know several of the leaders in COG-eim).
07/23/07 a.m. Since I normally post events of groups like RCG on this page, I thought that I would post something here from RCG that I also posted on the Church of God News page:
We regret to inform you that after a long battle with cancer Mrs. Pack died peacefully in her sleep at her home in the early hours of Sunday morning. Her physical condition began to deteriorate rapidly on Tuesday and this continued through the end of the week.
In the weeks leading up to her death, Mrs. Pack was in the Headquarters office on a daily basis. Although she was unable to actively participate, it was of the utmost importance to her personally to support and be close to God’s Work. Struggling through intense discomfort and physical weakness, she kept the Sabbath on July 14 at Headquarters with God’s people and visiting RCG leaders from around the world. She was also present for the majority of the lectures at the Ministerial & Leadership Conference earlier this week…
The details of the funeral will be forthcoming as soon as possible, but the tentative date will be next Sunday, July 29, in Wadsworth.
Mr. Pack and his family thank all of you in advance for the prayers and support that has steadfastly continued throughout this trial. Mrs. Pack also drew continual comfort from the near endless stream of cards and letters that never stopped.
While I disagree with the part about RCG being God's work, I too have been praying for Mrs. Pack for quite some time. Mrs. Pack, I believe, is the sister of Dorothy McNair (who was married to the late Carl McNair and is in LCG) as well as the sister of Barbara Antionwho is married to Gary Antion (who is affiliated with UCG).
07/19/07 a.m. In the past few days, I received a couple of emails from the webmaster of Ronald Laughland's Wholeworld Church of God mentioning that they have a new URL. Its previous URL was simply a free AOL member page. Normally, I do not specifically mention URL changes (I just update them behind the scenes), but this time I thought I would mention this one.
Why?
Because they ended up with wwcg.org
Many of us used to abbreviate Worldwide Church of God as wwcg in the past.
07/13/07 a.m. In today's update, CEG states:
Are we Laodiceans?
by Rene MessierActually, there are two parts to the following question: Are we, as a Church, Laodiceans, and am I a Laodicean?
You might be familiar with the characterization of some foolish and ignorant people that if one does not belong to their particular organization, one is automatically brushed with the title of Laodicean and disqualified from belonging to the Philadelphian remnant of God’s Church.
At one time almost all of us belonged to one big organization--with a few exceptions of some who rebelled and started their own churches. I believe that we belonged at that time to the Philadelphia era of God’s church. I also believe--and so do many others-- that since the death of Mr. Armstrong in 1986, we have entered the Laodicean era. The question is, what is it that makes a church or person a Laodicean? What does the Bible tell us about the Laodiceans, as described in Revelation 3:14-22?
Christ's major criticism--and not the objections by some "would-be-judges" who suffer from elevated self importance--is that the Laodicea Church is lukewarm, while its members feel that they are rich and wealthy and in need of nothing. They show a self-sufficient attitude--whether one applies this physically or spiritually. Christ described them as wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked. It is evident that they perceive themselves quite differently than what they really are. Christ's advice and counsel to them is to buy gold, to obtain white garments, and to anoint their eyes to see the reality of their current disposition. He also states that as many as He loves He chastens, indicating that some corrective action is required for them to bring them around to ensure that they achieve a spiritual condition which is acceptable by Christ.
We as a church (the Church of the Eternal God in the USA; the Global Church of God in the UK; and the Church of God, a Christian Fellowship in Canada) have never claimed to be the only remnant of the Philadelphia Church, but we hope, of course, that we are part of the Philadelphia Church. We have taken the position that there are true Philadelphians in every Church of God group--or at least in most--as well as Laodiceans, and we certainly do not pass judgment on any one group or individual.
While RCG and PCG seem to claim that only their members can be Philadelphian, we in LCG teach, and the old GCG taught:
The Philadelphians accept that "Christ is head of the church" (Ephesians 5:23), and accept authority within the Church: "And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head-Christ" (Ephesians 4:11-15).
As Mr. Armstrong wrote: "The government of the kingdom of God is of necessity government from the top down. It cannot be 'government by the consent of those being governed'… Revelation 3:12 indicates that those of the 'Philadelphia era' will be pillars in the Headquarters Church… What I am showing you here is that Christ's gospel of the kingdom actually includes all this knowledge here revealed-even the whole universe will be ruled by us, who, with God the Father and Christ, become the kingdom of God" (Mystery of the Ages, pp. 49, 347, 362).
Philadelphians are given a warning: "Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown" (Revelation 3:11). Mr. Armstrong wrote that he restored to the Church of God at least 18 truths that the previous era had lost (Mystery of the Ages, p. 251). Philadelphians are the ones who hold to those truths (as well as all other biblical truths)-including governance-and will be able to have a crown and to rule!
Philadelphians have "kept My command to persevere" (Revelation 3:10). Holding fast to Truth, while putting a priority on proclaiming the Gospel, is what sets the Philadelphian Church apart.
Why Is There a Philadelphian Remnant?
The Laodicean Church is the last one mentioned in the book of Revelation (Revelation 3:14-22). As the last, it is the one that will be the most dominant at the time of the end. The word "Laodicea" can be rendered "the people rule", "judgment of the people" or the "people decide." Laodicea is characterized by a rejection of the governance accepted by the Philadelphians, and by a general lukewarm attitude. Laodicea places emphasis on self (as opposed to proclaiming the Gospel), thus it also waters down the Truth-and so is "rebuked and chastened" and counseled "to buy from Me gold refined in the fire" (Revelation 3:18-19).Because Laodicea is dominant at the end of the age, Philadelphia cannot be predominant then. However, a remnant of Philadelphia must still exist. We know this because Jesus told the Philadelphians: "Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. Behold, I am coming quickly!" (Revelation 3:10-11). The Philadelphians are the only ones promised protection! The remnant of the Philadelphians are "given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent" (Revelation 12:14).
Although Mr. Armstrong wrote that he was able to fulfill the first portion of Matthew 24:14-"And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations" (Mystery of the Ages, p. 291)-he appointed other television presenters to take over for him if he died prior to the second portion of the verse, "and then the end will come." He also wrote: "But Christ said to His Philadelphia era Church, that because we have but little strength, He would OPEN THOSE DOORS TO US (Revelation 3:8)" (Letter, Nov. 19, 1976). Philadelphians need to keep preaching to the world until the end comes, since they will be around until the end comes.
How to Determine Who the Remnant Is (or Is Not)
By attempting to heed Jude's admonition "to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints" (Jude 3), the remnant of the Philadelphian Church will hold fast to the Truth that was restored in that era. The remnant of the Philadelphian Church will continue to attempt to go through whatever doors are open in order to proclaim the Gospel of the Kingdom as a witness. They will also proclaim the Ezekiel warning to the physical descendants of Israel, even if this remnant does not have as many "talents" as it once had (Matthew 25:15-28). It will keep the biblical form of authority within the Church-the same form of governance that will be used in the Kingdom of God. Remember, though: just calling oneself (or one's church) "Philadelphian" does not guarantee that one actually is Philadelphian. Some who claim to be Philadelphian are not.The Living Church of God cannot claim that all its members are Philadelphian, but we do believe we are a uniquely Philadelphian remnant. Can one find a larger or more effective "corporate body" which retains the Truth as taught by Mr. Armstrong, without adding non-biblical "revelations" or diverting its members from making their top priority the Great Commission of proclaiming the Gospel as established by Jesus Christ? No! One can expect that Philadelphians, who care about doing an effective Work and holding fast to the Truth, will naturally support the Living Church of God. Of course, simply attending with the Living Church of God does not make one a Philadelphian; individual members must do their part, and must not allow their lives to be cluttered by the cares of this world so that they themselves become lukewarm (Laodicean).
Note I wrote the above that was published in the Living Church News, as well as a similar article that was published in the old Global Church New.
However, I do not believe that groups like CEG or its affiliates are Philadelphian (though it is possible that they could have some few members who are). Several articles of possibly related interest may include:
Unity: Which COG for You? Why so many groups? Why is there lack of unity in the Churches of God? Has it always been this way? What can/should be done about it?
18 Truths Restored to the Churches of God Herbert W. Armstrong wrote that he felt he had restored at least 18 lost truths to the Church, here is HWA's list given 12/17/83.
Do You Believe God Used Herbert Armstrong to Raise Up the Philadelphia Era of the Church of God? Nearly everyone while in WCG used to believe this, most do not seem to anymore.
What is a True Philadelphian? Many claim to be part of the Philadelphia era of the Church, but is claiming enough? This article has biblical and historical evidence about who really are the Philadelphians.
Are the Laodiceans the Modern Sadducees and Pharisees? Discusses similarities of the Sadducees and Pharisees to various COGs in this end-time.
Samaritans: Old and New Who were the Samaritans? Do the represent true Christianity or something else?
Did You Know What the First Changes the Tkach Administration Made? Some have said healing, others other subjects, but probably the first change had to do with eliminating being part of the Philadelphia era. This article documents what those changes were and compares the Tkach list of restored truths to HWA's list of restored truths. It contains many quotes from HWA.
The Philadelphia Church Era was predominant circa 1933 A.D. to 1986 A.D.
The Laodicean Church Era was predominant circa 1986 A.D. to present
07/07/07 p.m. It appears that another has either left RCG or at least fell from its "graces". The archives for RCG's "Real Truth" site have the following:
Article – March 2, 2007
Posted/Updated: 2007-03-03 12:41:02
The Americas
Venezuela's Shift to the Left
As Hugo Chavez and other leftist leaders in Latin America rise to power, how will this impact U.S. interests in the region?
By Mark S. Mendiola
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez’s fiery rhetoric shows he intends to more aggressively...
Yet, a Google search for that site finds no match for the name "Mendiola". Yet a search at the "Real Truth" site brings one to the same article, yet the "Real Truth" site now shows the following for the same article:
Article – March 2, 2007
Posted/Updated: 2007-03-03 12:41:02
The Americas
Venezuela's Shift to the Left
As Hugo Chavez and other leftist leaders in Latin America rise to power, how will this impact U.S. interests in the region?
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez’s fiery rhetoric shows he intends to more aggressively...
So it appears that Mark Mendiola is either not with RCG or not in favor or who knows. Mark Mendiola did not make a big deal about his affiliation with RCG when he went with them last August/September.
07/04/07 a.m. In the past few days, I have received emails from two individuals concerning En COG's Charles Bryce. One, though basically true in my opinion, was a bit too "inciteful" to post here (I am more interested in pointing out errors of teaching than character flaws here). The other was from a former En COG attendee that I asked to remove some of his more "inciteful" comments and he did so, so here is what I received last night:
As you know, I am a frequent reader of things on your site, as many others are. As I was browsing your site the other day, I came across this statement:
3. En COG still is not publicly proclaiming the Gospel in power, in spite of its leader's claim that this group would "finish the work God started through the Armstrong's". Nor, as of 7:13 PDT, was its enduring.org website functional, in contrast to his earlier claims about that.
As you may recall, I sent you a letter over three months ago--which you posted for the benefit of your readers--- in the letter, I explained how I had attended there for a short time and was looking for the fruits of where this organization was going, as they claimed they were going to "get back on track" with what HWA taught.
As I stated in the letter--the fruits were not there---what I felt they needed to be, honesty and uncompromising---after conversing with a minister there and trying to get some answers on some of their teachings from Mr. Bryce himself, sending him a letter with questions and very humbly asking for his response ---for my understanding and benefit---he never even responded.
Sad to say, it is no surprise to me that his web site is not up, nor is it a surprise that he still is not proclaiming the Gospel with any kind of significance, in order to help others.
You mentioned David Pack on your site also, as not understanding prophecy, in one of your statements about him---Charles Bryce does not seem to understand what scripture explains about what the gospel is or who it is meant for or its timing---and therefore has contradicted the very one he claimed to be following after, HWA, as well as scripture. Here is an example of what I am saying. Below is a quote from C.Bryce/EnCOG, stating that Eph.1:13 was not the gospel of the kingdom, but a different "message" and that the gospel of the kingdom was for the future. (emphasis mine).
"But it is not the gospel of the Kingdom of God. These are two different messages for two different times. Salvation is for those who are called--now and later.The gospel message is for a witness of what is coming for the whole world, in the future."
So here is Mr. Bryce, saying the gospel is not for this age but for the future, while denying that Salvation is a part of the gospel, but says it is a "different" message, a direct contradiction to HWA. This may be why, 6 months after he promised to begin on his own web site to preach the gospel, it is still non-existent. God does not bless those who deny the truth or are dishonest with scripture! C. Bryce has contradicted and denied what scripture and HWA said. here is a quote from the Gospel booklet, beginning with page 7, by HWA. (emphasis mine)
"And yet there are some in this modern day of religious confusion who believe the Gospel of the Kingdom of God is not for this age — this New Testament time of grace. They reject and therefore do not believe the true Gospel as Jesus commanded and thereby reject the very conditions to salvation, saying the Gospel of the kingdom is a gospel for some future age yet to come. But as the Apostle Paul said to the Thessalonians, I would not have you to be ignorant of the very Gospel which alone can bring us eternal life! (Which is Salvation!)
There was a definite time for the beginning of the Gospel — since John. The law and the prophets were until John. Since John's special preparatory ministry,the Kingdom of God is preached. There was a definite time for this true New Testament Gospel to begin. And after John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, saying, "The time is fulfilled," and preaching the Gospel."
As anyone can see, if they are really looking for the truth, Charles Bryce has rejected the teaching of HWA as well as denying what scriptures clearly reveal, written by other Apostles. (Mark 1:14-15 and ch. 16:15-16) So it is no real wonder why Mr. Bryce has not lived up to other promises he has made. Those who continue to blindly follow him will end up in the ditch or tribulation right along with him, unless they repent and get out! we all have to repent when we see that we are wrong. I am praying for them to wake up and begin to acknowledge the truth of what is happening.
Today is called American Indepence Day. To the best of my knowledge, all of those involved in the GCG takeover and/or who later became "independent" from LCG have shown that they either do not understand what the gospel is and/or they do not understand the priority of proclaiming it to the world as a witness. I have long known that C. Bryce fell into that category (and yes, I did voice this to those who needed to know years ago). Those who are affiliated with him, as well as others not with LCG, need to realize that neither En COG nor any of the other COGs represented the Philadelphia portion of the COG other than currently LCG.
Perhaps I should also add that I have heard reports that C Bryce has apparently changed his position on Church eras. He now seems to be teaching that Laodicea does not begin until the Philadelphians go to a place of safety. And while HWA orally indicated this at times, his official "clarifying" literature actually taught what we in LCG teach. While C Bryce was in GCG and later LCG, he never objected to the writings of the late John Ogywn or me as both of us wrote about Church eras in the official literature of those groups--and I specifically wrote:
Philadelphians are given a warning: "Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown" (Revelation 3:11). Mr. Armstrong wrote that he restored to the Church of God at least 18 truths that the previous era had lost (Mystery of the Ages, p. 251). Philadelphians are the ones who hold to those truths (as well as all other biblical truths)-including governance-and will be able to have a crown and to rule!
Philadelphians have "kept My command to persevere" (Revelation 3:10). Holding fast to Truth, while putting a priority on proclaiming the Gospel, is what sets the Philadelphian Church apart.
Why Is There a Philadelphian Remnant?
The Laodicean Church is the last one mentioned in the book of Revelation (Revelation 3:14-22). As the last, it is the one that will be the most dominant at the time of the end. The word "Laodicea" can be rendered "the people rule", "judgment of the people" or the "people decide." Laodicea is characterized by a rejection of the governance accepted by the Philadelphians, and by a general lukewarm attitude. Laodicea places emphasis on self (as opposed to proclaiming the Gospel), thus it also waters down the Truth-and so is "rebuked and chastened" and counseled "to buy from Me gold refined in the fire" (Revelation 3:18-19).Because Laodicea is dominant at the end of the age, Philadelphia cannot be predominant then. However, a remnant of Philadelphia must still exist. We know this because Jesus told the Philadelphians: "Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. Behold, I am coming quickly!" (Revelation 3:10-11). The Philadelphians are the only ones promised protection! The remnant of the Philadelphians are "given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent" (Revelation 12:14).
Although Mr. Armstrong wrote that he was able to fulfill the first portion of Matthew 24:14-"And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations" (Mystery of the Ages, p. 291)-he appointed other television presenters to take over for him if he died prior to the second portion of the verse, "and then the end will come." He also wrote: "But Christ said to His Philadelphia era Church, that because we have but little strength, He would OPEN THOSE DOORS TO US (Revelation 3:8)" (Letter, Nov. 19, 1976). Philadelphians need to keep preaching to the world until the end comes, since they will be around until the end comes.
How to Determine Who the Remnant Is (or Is Not)
By attempting to heed Jude's admonition "to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints" (Jude 3), the remnant of the Philadelphian Church will hold fast to the Truth that was restored in that era. The remnant of the Philadelphian Church will continue to attempt to go through whatever doors are open in order to proclaim the Gospel of the Kingdom as a witness. They will also proclaim the Ezekiel warning to the physical descendants of Israel, even if this remnant does not have as many "talents" as it once had (Matthew 25:15-28). It will keep the biblical form of authority within the Church-the same form of governance that will be used in the Kingdom of God. Remember, though: just calling oneself (or one's church) "Philadelphian" does not guarantee that one actually is Philadelphian. Some who claim to be Philadelphian are not.The Living Church of God cannot claim that all its members are Philadelphian, but we do believe we are a uniquely Philadelphian remnant. Can one find a larger or more effective "corporate body" which retains the Truth as taught by Mr. Armstrong, without adding non-biblical "revelations" or diverting its members from making their top priority the Great Commission of proclaiming the Gospel as established by Jesus Christ? No! One can expect that Philadelphians, who care about doing an effective Work and holding fast to the Truth, will naturally support the Living Church of God. Of course, simply attending with the Living Church of God does not make one a Philadelphian; individual members must do their part, and must not allow their lives to be cluttered by the cares of this world so that they themselves become lukewarm (Laodicean).
So this is another area that C Bryce changed. En COG is not part of the Philadelphia portion of the Church of God. Its leader simply does not properly understand doctrine nor have the correct priorities. Those with him need to think. Since today is a holiday for most of those affiliated with him, this would be an excellent time to do so. Also notice the following written and/or authorized for publication by Herbert W. Armstrong:
...the final generation of the Church shall be LUKEWARM -- not less emotional, but more 'liberal,' more secular and less spiritual -- less strictly biblical --" "Speaking of the present 'Philadelphia' era, it says...because we have kept God's Word faithfully, not liberalizing nor watering down, God will keep us from the 'hour of temptation, which shall come upon all them that dwell on the earth' to try and test them. (Armstrong HW. Personal from Herbert W. Armstrong. Plain Truth, August 1980).
But, the BAD NEWS, as it appears today, my dear brethren, is that we, undoubtedly of the Philadelphian era...are in serious danger of BECOMING also the Laodicean era. I am personally much concerned about that. If YOU are NOT concerned, then indeed we are in mortal DANGER. (Armstrong HW. Personal from Herbert W. Armstrong. Good News, August 1979).
It is the Church of Laodicea who had no vital part in the work of God today even though they live today and are part of the generation which will see Christ return (What is the Laodicean Church? Good News, August 1959, p.12).
The final generation suggests a group that is around for at least twenty years (a generation is normally considered to last 20 to 40 years). HWA died 21 years ago. And Laodicea was arisen! Now in spite the the quotes from HWA and the old Good News, C Bryce apparently believes that HWA only taught that Laodicea could not arise until after the Philadelphians go to a place of safety. He simply does not understand HWA's written clarifications of this, nor the scriptures.
The scriptures teach that Jesus chastised the Laodicean Church for a lukewarm work. If the existence of the the Laodicean Church only comes at the beginning of the great tribulation and their main work is to be persecuted and killed, it does not seem that this would be considered to be lukewarm. Hence, the Laodiceans MUST be around prior to the great tribulation. Think on this!
Several articles of possible interest may include:
Should the Church Still Try to Place its Top Priority on Proclaiming the Gospel or Did Herbert Armstrong Change that Priority for the Work? Some say the Church should mainly feed the flock now as that is what Herbert Armstrong reportedly said. Is that what he said? Is that what the Bible says? What did Paul and HWA expect from evangelists?
Are the Laodiceans the Modern Sadducees and Pharisees? Discusses similarities of the Sadducees and Pharisees to various COGs in this end-time.
The Philadelphia Church Era was predominant circa 1933 A.D. to 1986 A.D.
The Laodicean Church Era was predominant circa 1986 A.D. to present
There are Many COGs: Why Support the Living Church of God? This is an article for those who wish to easily sort out the different COGs. It really should be a MUST READ for current and former WCG members or any interested in supporting the faithful church.
07/02/07 a.m. I noticed that RCG once again has its so-called "download counter" on its site. And while RCG does have a lot of hits, its so-called "download counter" is simply changes with estimates of the amount of hits it expects.
Anyway, I finally looked over some of David Pack's book THE WORK OF GOD Its Final Chapter! Sadly, David Pack simply does not understand prophecy correctly as he really does not discuss the final chapter of the work of God. Instead, he is mainly explaining why RCG is doing the work, that he writes a lot is a big part of the work, and why the internet is the vehicle RCG uses.
Some day, if David Pack is interested, I would be happy to explain to him more about the truth about THE WORK OF GOD Its Final Chapter! But I do not believe he believes that he can be wrong.
A relatively popular article at the COGwriter site remains Why Not the Restored Church of God?
06/29/07 a.m. In today's update, CEG reported:
European Unification Unstoppable?
Der Spiegel Online wrote on June 23:
"Europe can breathe a sigh of relief after a marathon night of negotiations ended in a deal. After German Chancellor Angela Merkel raised the stakes by threatening to go ahead without Poland, Warsaw was finally placated with a number of concessions and all 27 countries agreed to move forward with a new draft treaty to replace the defunct constitution... EU Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said the deal was vital: 'I think now we have made a great step forward.' He praised Merkel for a success that many had thought impossible, and presenting her with a bunch of flowers, thanked her for all she had done for Europe... British Prime Minister Tony Blair said 'I don't think there is anything that can derail the process now.'...
"The agreement is crucial for the EU... Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel had been determined to revive the plans to streamline the EU when Berlin took over the presidency in January... And she finally succeeded. The member states have agreed to an intergovernmental conference which will give the deal a legal framework. The treaty will then be ratified by the member states and should come into force by 2009..."
... But Many Serious Problems Remain for Europe...
Something will eventually occur in Europe for the Beast of Revelation to be revealed. The above are just related to the ultimate formation.
Items in brief:
06/21/07 a.m. Earlier, CGFnw's Harold Smith announced:
I would like to take this opportunity to let everyone know that Mr. Sal Cimino, who has been pastoring the Bernardsville, NJ congregation from the beginning of the Church of God Fellowship, has relocated to the Charlotte, NC area and is now devoting himself to full-time service for the Church. His primary focus will be serving the large number of brethren in the Southeast region of the U.S. and Caribbean who are connected with Church of God Fellowship who desire personal contact with an elder of the Church.
It is unclear how many are associated with CGFnw in those areas.
06/19/07 a.m. In an ad in The Journal, COG-ff states:
“Where is the one and only true Church of God in this end-time?”
To answer this question it is necessary we not only look at the Scriptures, but also look back on the history of God’s Church in our time and compare it to where we are now. It is sad that most members assume they have the right answer to this question when in reality virtually all of them do not know the truth. This is obvious by seeing where they are today in belief and in practice. Mr. Armstrong often wrote of the True Church and the need to know where it really is and, even more importantly, to be an active member in it while doing the Work.Please note a quote from his booklet Where is the True Church?, page 26:
“Many have appropriated God’s name, but are not proclaiming the Kingdom of God, as the GOVERNMENT of God which we must OBEY. . . . That true Church is preaching the imminency of the coming of Christ as KING of kings and LORD of lords, to RULE all nations for a thousand years on earth. . . . There is only ONE such Church! It is doing the WORK of God. It is as Jesus said it would be, a ‘little flock,’ persecuted, despised by the world.”....our new magazine, The Philadelphia Remnant,
The above ad attempts to indicate that COG-ff is the true remnant of the Philadelphia church.
COG-ff earlier announced:
The Door was Closed
It was at the time of Mr. Armstrong’s death that Jesus Christ began CLOSING THE DOOR to the Work He had given him to do at the endtime for a space of time (Revelation 3:7).
This interim of time would make possible the fulfilling of prophecies, such as the falling away of the tares (over 50,000 of them, Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43; II Thessalonians 2:1-3, 10-12), and also the scattering of the true members of the Church of God (Daniel 12:7; Ezekiel 34; Jeremiah 23).
Those prophecies would NOT have been fulfilled had he lived! He had to be taken out of the way by his death to make the fulfillment of them possible (II Thessalonians 2:7).
The Door Opened Once Again
Since these prophecies have for the most part been fulfilled, Jesus Christ has begun REACTIVATING those same Works -- the very Works of the Endtime Elijah just shortly before the beginning of the famine and disease epidemics begin having a vice-like deadly grip on the lives of the people of the House of Joseph!...
No Other Elijah to Come
In view of the Scriptures, it only makes sense that Christ would use the same man’s recorded works to finish the Work He had raised him up to do in human life (Revelation 10:11; Zechariah 4:9, in type).
Though the Two Witnesses will be in type of both the original Elijah and Moses, neither one is to be the Elijah of the endtime...
Who Are We?
Please know this little flock is insignificant!...
Don Billingsley
While COG-ff is probably part of the Laodicea Church, and it does have some proper understandings, it is not the Philadelphian remnant. Here are several reasons:
COG-ff has members who have potential to be Philadelphian if they will wake up and change. But COG-ff is not the Philadelphia remnant.
A few articles of possibly related interest may include:
Unity: Which COG for You? Why so many groups? Why is there lack of unity in the Churches of God? Has it always been this way? What can/should be done about it?
Do You Believe God Used Herbert Armstrong to Raise Up the Philadelphia Era of the Church of God? Nearly everyone while in WCG used to believe this, most do not seem to anymore.
The Elijah Heresies Does the Bible teach that there will be a future Elijah? Must it be Herbert W. Armstrong?
What is a True Philadelphian? Many claim to be part of the Philadelphia era of the Church, but is claiming enough? This article has biblical and historical evidence about who really are the Philadelphians.
Are the Laodiceans the Modern Sadducees and Pharisees? Discusses similarities of the Sadducees and Pharisees to various COGs in this end-time.
There are Many COGs: Why Support the Living Church of God? This is an article for those who wish to easily sort out the different COGs. It really should be a MUST READ for current and former WCG members or any interested in supporting the faithful church.
06/17/07 a.m. In its weekly update, LCG reported:
Church Administration
Mr. Rod King’s report: I returned yesterday from a ten-day trip to Africa. The first visit was to Mauritius where the population speaks Hindi, French and English. A young couple had requested baptism and after three counseling sessions, I baptised them in the Indian Ocean at Point de Sable. I conducted five visits and held several phone conversations. Mr. Pieter van der Byl from South Africa will now take care of them and we will send them literature. We hope that once again God will have His Church in Mauritius. These people are in one of the most remote areas of the planet, east of Madagascar and several thousand miles from Western Australia.
The next port of call was Johannesburg, capital of South Africa, where the bulk of the members are located. We had two days of meetings, Bible Study and Services. Our Office Manager, Mr. Christoffel Botha, gave an excellent report on the growth and stabilization of the Church since the disruption of last September.
On Sunday, I travelled to Nairobi, Kenya, where our deacon, Mr. Simon Muthama and our man in Tanzania, Mr. Jerome Chembe, met with me for two days of meetings and pastoral training. It was good to see the readiness of these men to learn God’s way of servant leadership. We also had a Bible Study with the local members and others who travelled from Sultan Hamud and Embu. One sobering reality was brought home when Mr. Chembe was about to leave his hotel to attend our meetings. A bomb blast a few hundred yards away shook the area. One innocent shoe-shine man was killed and thirty-seven people were injured, four critically. The sound of sirens lasted all morning as we conducted our meetings.
On my return to England, I found that the responses to the semi-annual letter continue to arrive, with 731 requests so far. On the letter, Mr Meredith approved a “P.S.”, announcing Bible Lectures in London, Cardiff, Manchester and Glasgow. We expected about 40 or 50 would want to attend, but as of today, 400 people have told us they will be there. Several have said that they will bring friends and relatives. In London alone, we will need at least two venues to accommodate the 252 who plan to come.
South Africa Update
According to South Africa Regional Office Manager, Mr. Christoffel Botha, our Tomorrow’s World magazine mailing list in South Africa stands at 5,859 subscribers as of June 6. They hope to reach the 6,000-level by the July-August issue. In addition, 330 people have responded to Mr. Meredith’s semi-annual letter offering the booklet Successful Parenting: God’s Way—and requests continue to be received. Approximately 670 students are following the Bible Study Course in English or Afrikaans in that country—in addition to 22 students who have already completed the course. The Tomorrow’s World telecast in South Africa received 757 responses in the past seven months, an average of 25 responses per program; about 65 percent of all those responses were from first-time responders. From October 2006 through May 2007, a total of 15,618 literature items were downloaded, read or printed from the Afrikaans Web site, www.wvm.co.za. The Work in South Africa currently has 157 co-workers and 22 donors. Mr. Botha commented in his report, “The Work is going well here in South Africa and we are very happy with the progress at the moment. There is an obvious increase of interest on all areas, the telephone calls, the Internet, the ‘go-tos’ and the income,” for which we are very grateful to God.
I posted the above here because from time to time, RCG has indicated on more than one occasion that LCG has almost no presence in this area of the world. While the truth is that LCG's presence is, as far as I have been able to tell, greater than any who once were in or affiliated with GCG.
06/15/07 a.m. In latest member letter, CEG reported:
By July 5, 2007, the Church of the Eternal God will have reached its seventh year of corporate existence. Even though much has been accomplished during these past six years, much more work lies ahead for all of us.
While there is still time, WE must intensify our efforts to fulfill our part in lifting voices of alarm in the nations! And while there is still time, WE must make our own “call and election sure” (Compare 2 Peter 1:10-11)!
Although CEG puts out a weekly update and a few booklets, I am unaware of it having any noticeable impact to proclaim the gospel. Since the death of Edwin Pope, I believe it has become even less effective.
It remains my opinion that those who were affiliated with GCG, but not LCG, have diluted efforts to proclaim the gospel. An article of possible interest may be There are Many COGs: Why Support the Living Church of God?
06/11/07 a.m. Two comments about websites.
1) RCG still keeps improving its Alexa ranking (it was around 43,000 this morning).
2) As of this morning, En COG still does not have a functional website.
Of course, RCG does not understand the Gospel (this is documented in the article Why Not the Restored Church of God?). And, thus far, sadly as I originally indicated, En COG is not getting the Gospel out to the world as a witness.
06/02/07 p.m. From time to time I have received an occasional email somewhat critical of me for pointing out beliefs of current COG leaders when I believe that the Bible disagrees with.
Normally the email says something to the effect, "X is a decent man, you should not report negative things about his teachings, instead you should focus on the positive". My normal response is to mention how Jesus dealt with religious leaders.
Anyway, here is something from an article I recently put together when someone objected to comments I made about the teachings of one or more of the groups that used to part of GCG/LCG:
But What About Actual Christian Leaders?
Some might conclude that the warnings about false leaders are mainly directed towards those religious leaders who are not clearly part of the Church of God. And while that is true to a degree, it is not completely true.
Why?
Here are two reasons.
First of all, most false leaders that the apostles warned against actually pretended to originally be part of the Christian Church. Some are discussed in the articles on Simon Magus, Marcion, Valentinus, and Irenaeus. And while they spawned the mainstream churches of that exist today (the trinity, lawlessness, Easter, etc. came into the mainstream churches from the previously listed heretics), this does not mean that other false leaders will not (or have not) arose within the Churches of God in recent times.
Specifically, I believe that there are one or two false apostles and two or three false prophets within the COG movement (these tend to be men who have appointed themselves to those positions). And even though they probably have some actual Christians in their fellowships, these false leaders are clearly a problem today.
Secondly, there are the more subtle types of less than totally faithful religious leaders. They are not clearly false leaders, and many probably are truly within the Church of God movement.
So why would they be a problem?
Well, Jesus had the Apostle John repeatedly warn about people within the Churches of God that simply will not live up to the standards that Jesus set. This was essentially the problem with Irenaeus (he claimed to fight heretics, but I think Irenaeus was the most dangerous heretic as much of his heresy was more subtle than many others during his time).
In the messages to the seven churches of Revelation 2 & 3, only two of the seven churches do not receive condemnation. And even to one of them, Jesus gives the following warning:
Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown (Revelation 3:11).
There are heretical leaders who have misled true Christians what they are to hold fast to. I feel that true COG leaders that are not supporting the Living Church of God (the group that meets the two criteria that I believe the Bible, as well as clearly Herbert W. Armstrong, set for the Philadelphia portion of the Church) are men whose actions are contributing to the taking of crowns of those that could be Philadelphian. They contribute to diluting the efforts to get the gospel to the world as a witness. And that is part of the reason why the COGwriter website has articles on two dozen Church of God of the scores of such groups (those articles can be found at the COGwriter home page).
The Book of Revelation shows that there will remnants of four Churches of God at the time of the end (Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea) and I believe that those that are actually part of the Church of God, but are not actually Philadelphian are almost all in the Thyatira, Sardis, and/or Laodicea churches.
Notice what happens to many those that follow them in the end:
Thyatira...I will kill her children with death, and all the churches shall know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts (Revelation 2:18,23).
Sardis...Therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you (Revelation 3:1,3).
Laodiceans... As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent (Revelation 3:14,19).
Yet notice that there is a difference for the Philadelphians who were not deceived into following false or heretical teachings:
Philadelphia...Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth (Revelation 3:7,10).
While it is possible that some in the Thyatira, Sardis, and/or Laodicea churches may repent, only the Philadelphians are promised protection from the great tribulation, "the hour of trial" (an article of related interest may include There is a Place of Safety for the Philadelphians. Why it May Be Petra).
Don't you think that perhaps the part of the reason to tell Philadelphians that they can be protected is to save them from following false or heretical leaders?
The above, and more, is in the article Why Be Concerned About False and Heretical Leaders?
05/28/07 a.m. The identity, and even the necessity in some cases, of a future king of the South is one of the prophetic differences between many of those that were once part of the old GCG.
For example, CEG wrote this in its July 30, 2004 News Update:
...the prophecy in Daniel 11:40 has ALREADY BEEN FULFILLED. And verse 40 is the LAST TIME where the king of the South is mentioned! Beginning with the second half of verse 40, we read exclusively about the king of the North and his activities, and, in verse 44, about rumors from the east and the west. This means, then, that there DOES NOT HAVE TO BE ANOTHER end-time king of the South. If there were to rise one, following the historical and Biblical records, as set forth in the 11th chapter of the book of Daniel, it would have to be -- mainly -- modern Ethiopia. But, as we said, ALL WHICH STILL NEEDS TO BE FULFILLED (and which the previous king of the North -- under Mussolini -- did NOT fulfill), is the invasion of the Glorious Land by the future and final king of the North (verse 41), including Jerusalem (verse 45), as well as the overthrow of "many countries" (verse 41), including Egypt, and the "Libyans and Ethiopians" following at his heels (verse 43).
Although CEG had referred to an article by HWA prior to reaching this conclusion, this is NOT what HWA actually concluded. These statements are similar to those made by Harold Smith of Church of God Fellowship, Northwest (Harold Smith went along with the GCG takeover and is a former GCG member). Thus at least three groups that split off from the GCG takeover now have taken the position that the old WCG and the Bible do not require that there be a future King of the South.
Furthermore, David Pack, another who went along with the GCG takeover (now the head of his Restored Church of God, RCG), and who claims to stand for "precision of doctrine", essentially re-wrote HWA's Middle East in Prophecy booklet. But there is at least one editorial change that stands out. HWA's version states
Verse 43 says the Libyans and Ethiopians (observe that after its conquest by Mussolini, Ethiopia is not again referred to as the king of the south) shall be at his steps" (Armstrong, HW. Middle East in Prophecy (1972 version). RCG's David Pack seems to have eliminated that insert from his version, "Then, verse 43 says, “the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps.” shall be at his steps.” (Pack, David. The Mid-East in Prophecy. Copyright © 2001, 2002, 2004 by David C. Pack).
RCG's position is clearly that Ethiopia is the King of the South, as David Pack specifically wrote:
The King of the South is Ethiopia
Once again, only Ethiopia continued and remained independent in East Africa from the time of the Roman Empire. Therefore, no other country or government could fit as the king of the south—i.e., by having been a part of the ancient land controlled by the “king of the south.” Remember, verse 40 explains that the setting is the time of the end. Once again, only Ethiopia continued and remained independent in East Africa from the time of the Roman Empire. Therefore, no other country or government could fit as the king of the south—i.e., by having been a part of the ancient land controlled by the “king of the south.”
David Pack also wrote:
The King of the South is Ethiopia
Once again, only Ethiopia continued and remained independent in East Africa from the time of the Roman Empire. Therefore, no other country or government could fit as the king of the south—i.e., by having been a part of the ancient land controlled by the “king of the south.” Remember, verse 40 explains that the setting is the time of the end (Pack, David. The MID-EAST in Bible Prophecy. RCG Booklet, online 12/17/06).
And although HWA once felt that Ethiopia was a king of the South, HWA changed his position on the future king of the South by 1963, but RCG has not.
Therefore, while many once part of the GCG takeover no longer believe that there will be a future King of the South, those that do seem to feel that if there is, it would seem to be Ethiopia. For those unfamiliar with Ethiopia, perhaps it should be pointed out that Ethiopia is not Arabic, is only about 40% Moslem, does not have a powerful military (its recent fighting in Somalia suggested it only has a small amount of force), and does not have economic might (it is one of the poorer countries of the world), thus it is not likely to lead an Arab-Moslem dominated king of the South. It is not the type of country that would seem to be able to push at the King of the North and cause it to respond with a military whirlwind. And while this does not mean that it is not possible that one may rise from Ethiopia to lead the king of the South, it does not seem that Ethiopia itself is the likely leader.
Yet, those with evangelists ordained under the old WCG agree with the old WCG position that there would be a future king of the South and that it involves nations of Arabs and Cushites.
Here, for example is what CG21's Raymond McNair has written:
The longest prophecy of the Bible, the eleventh chapter of Daniel, specifically concerns the Middle East...verses 40-45 are yet to be fulfilled. They reveal that startling events are yet to take place in the Middle East... (McNair R. Watch the Middle East. Good News August 1974, p.12).
Daniel 11 also mentions some of the Mideast peoples who will be involved in that struggle among the nations at the close of this age. The belligerents will include the “King of the North,” the leader of the European Union (or its final outgrowth, called the “Beast”). The “King of the South” (an Islamic leader—apparently from Egypt {or} some other Muslim state) is also referred to. The following lands/peoples are specifically mentioned: Egypt, the Holy Land (Israel/Palestine), the Ethiopians (modern Cushites, south of Egypt), Libya, Edom, Moab and Ammon. Many descendants of the ancient peoples known as Edomites or Idumeans now live in the West Bank, Jordan, Iraq, Turkey, Syria, Arabia, Yemen, the Persian Gulf states, etc. (McNair R. Solving the Arab-Israeli Impasse! Copyright Raymond F. McNair 2005, Church of God—21st Century).
Similarly, LCG takes a like position: