Church of God News

COGwriter

Some are starting to understand what is happening:

WASHINGTON, April 8, 2010

American Debt Threatens Status as World Power

Can America Still be the World’s Greatest Power, as the World’s Greatest Borrower?

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/04/08/eveningnews/main6377088.shtml?tag=dis

And the short answer to “Can America Still be the World’s Greatest Power, as the World’s Greatest Borrower?” is no, not for too much longer.  Economists should understand that.

And without national repentance, the USA and its Anglo-allies are doomed according to the Bible.

Two articles of possibly related interest may include:

Anglo – America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel Are the Americans, Canadians, British, Scottish, Welsh, Australians, Anglo-Southern Africans, and New Zealanders descendants of Joseph? Where are the lost ten-tribes of Israel? Who are the lost tribes of Israel? Will God punish the U.S.A., Canada, United Kingdom, and other Anglo nations? Why might God allow them to be punished first?
Prophecies of Barack Obama? Eight reasons why Barack Obama is apocalyptic and eight reasons why Barack Obama is not the Antichrist. This article includes many biblical and non-biblical prophecies, from around the world, that seem to discuss Barack Obama. Did Nostradamus predict Barack Obama dealing with the Antichrist?  Might Barack Obama set the stage for the kings of the North and South as at least one Shiite prophecy suggests?  This is the longest and most complete article on this page on Barack Obama prophecies. Read it and decide for yourself if President Obama seems to be fulfilling various prophecies.

COGwriter

Dixon Cartwright sent me the following about CEM’s Ronald Dart:

Posted by Skip Martin:
Ron tripped and fell last night.  He hit his head on their bookshelves, and bled a lot.  (He is on a blood thinner.)  They were at the ER until about 2:00 AM this morning.
This afternoon, Allie told me that he was less lucid this afternoon than this morning, so she took him to the hospital.  I talked to Larry around 9:30, and they were about to transfer him to the East Texas Neuro-ICU.  The neurosurgeon will make a decision about brain bleeding, pressure, etc, and determine whether there is pressure that needs to be relieved.  I will let you know more as I find out.
Please pray for his health, and for Allie.
I talked to Allie about 9:45, and they had just wheeled him back for tests.

He was also injured in last year or so if my memory serves me correctly.

Rebuilt Gymnasium in Sardis

COGwriter

At the home page of its recently changed website, CG7-Denver’s Whaid Rose reported:

…we are—the General Conference of the Church of God (Seventh Day), and it is with joy in the Lord Jesus that I welcome you to our official website.The General Conference is a family of more than 200 local congregations scattered across the United States and Canada. Through the relationship between the General Conference and the International Ministerial Congress, we are a global church, connecting well over 200,000 brethren in Christ around the world.

But are they connecting 200,000 brethren to error?

In the past several months, CG7 has been making it clearer and clearer that it does not understand end time prophecy.  And it is teaching this in such a manner as to likely mislead most of its claimed 200,000 brethren.

Here are five fairly recent items that demonstrate this:

1. CG7 Says Judgment of Harlot of Revelation is NOT a Future Event

2. What CG7 Needs

3. CG7 Does Not Understand the Book of Revelation

4. CG7 Minimizes Prophecy, Again and Now Claims That Christian Persecution is Past

5. CG7: Israel in Bible Prophecy

For another example of this, in the March-April edition of CG7-Denver’s Bible Advocate was also  the following:

Q What do you understand to be the mark of the beast?
A The mark of the beast was infl icted upon people by the two-horned beast described in Revelation 13:11: “He had two horns like a lamb, but he spoke like a dragon” (NIV). This description reveals the beast’s dual nature: its lamb-like characteristic represents its ecclesiastical nature, while its dragon-like speech confi rms that it also had secular authority.

The church of Rome and its clerics became the undisputed religious authority of the Latin world by A.D. 600. It sought to exercise dominion not only over religious affairs in the former Roman Empire but also among its political powers…the Holy Roman Empire, the two-horned beast.

We believe that this union between the Roman church and the states of Western Europe enabled the church to infl ict all manner of cruelties upon her subjects who refused to bow to her ideologies. The church became so powerful that she forced her subjects to accept her dogmas and rituals in order to carry out the normal pursuits of life (v. 17). If they refused this mark of the beast (vv. 15-17), they were ostracized from society or, in many cases, martyred.

Thus, the mark of the beast on the forehead or hand symbolized belief and participation in the idolatrous, heretical mode of worship of the state church that prevailed in Europe for more than one thousand years.  — Elder Robert Coulter

If you teach people that there is no “mark of the Beast” and most of the book of Revelation is past, they will be among those that the Apostle Paul warns will not understand end time prophecy and be overtaken as by a thief in darkness (1 Thessalonians 5:2-6).

Some that once were part of the old WCG that ended up in/associating with CG7 thinking it was a safer place than WCG was when it was apostasizing.  And while that may have been true from a relative perspective, CG7 is no “place of safety” and those in it need to realize that Jesus warned that the Sardis Church “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 3:3).  The losing of prophetic knowledge by CG7 is a fulfillment of that prophecy.

For more information about CG7 and other subjects in this post, please prayerfully study the following:

Church of God, Seventh Day: History and Teachings Nearly all COG’s I am aware of trace their history through this group. Whaid Rose is the president of the largest CG7 group (Denver). Do you know much about them?
The Sardis Church Era was predominant circa 1600 A.D. to circa 1933 A.D. Discusses early history of the Seventh Day Baptists, Seventh-day Adventists, and COG-7th Day.
The Philadelphia Church Era was predominant circa 1933 A.D. to 1986 A.D. The old Radio Church of God and old Worldwide Church of God, now basically the Living Church of God.
The Laodicean Church Era has been predominant circa 1986 A.D. to present. These are non-Philadelphians who mainly descended from the old WCG.
Europa, the Beast, and the Book of Revelation discusses the largest church since the second/third century, which in a real sense is the eighth church mentioned in the Book of Revelation (it also endorses “eighth day” worship). What church would support the Beast?
SDA/LCG Differences: Two Horned Beast of Revelation and 666 The Living Church of God is NOT part of the Seventh-day Adventists. This article explains two prophetic differences, the trinity, differences in approaching doctrine, including Ellen White.
There is a Place of Safety for the Philadelphians. Why it May Be Petra This article discusses a biblical ‘place of safety’ and includes quotes from the Bible and Herbert W. Armstrong on this subject–thus, there is a biblically supported alternative to the rapture theory.
Persecutions by Church and State This article documents some that have occurred against those associated with the COGs and some prophesied to occur. Will those with the cross be the persecutors or the persecuted–this article has the shocking answer.
Why Be Concerned About False and Heretical Leaders? There have been many false leaders–here is some of why you should be concerned about them.

Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev

COGwriter

In his latest commentary, LCG’s Wyatt Ciesielka writes:

On April 5, 1902, Stalin was arrested for the first time and exiled to Siberia.  He soon escaped to return to revolutionary politics.  He would be arrested six times, escaping almost every time.  He became very active with the radical Bolsheviks, and by April 11, 1917, he was elected to their main committee.  On April 3, 1922, Stalin would be elected General Secretary of the Communist Party, effectively beginning his reign over the Soviet Union.  Historians recount Stalin’s reign as one of cruelty, privation, lies and terror.  He would rule until his death in 1953.

When Solzhenitsyn referred to Stalin as “the plowman,” he conveyed the extreme detachment from reality between the image Stalin intended to portray, and the reality that he had brought to his country.

Historians estimate more than 50,000,000 deaths, under Stalin’s regime.  Countless historians and eyewitnesses tell of systematic arrests, beatings, property confiscation, ethnic cleansing, deportation of entire nationalities, and illegal executions.  Even a major Soviet-era magazine (Argumenti i Fakti) published a detailed accounting of Stalin’s atrocities, “indicating that about 20 million died in labor camps, forced collectivization, famine and executions” (The New York Times, February 4, 1989).  In 1956, Stalin’s successor – Nikita Khrushchev – delivered a very critical speech to the 20th Party Congress largely condemning Stalin’s reign of terror and the “personality cult” he fostered.

Recently, Russian president, Dmitry Medvedev, sternly warned those who would attempt to “rehabilitate” the image of Joseph Stalin, saying “it was impossible to imagine the scale of repression under Stalin when whole groups of people were eliminated and even stripped of their right to be buried” (BBCNews.com, “Medvedev blasts Stalin defenders,” October 30, 2009).

Stalin claimed to be creating a communist utopia, but it was a lie.  Instead, the plowman created a reign of terror.  And the “facts” that he presented to the world to support his lie were only those facts that supported his selfish ambitions.

But, the truth is that a real utopia is coming, when a noble and all-powerful King of kings will return to establish His perfect government on this earth (Revelation 11:15).  His righteous, resurrected saints will then rule with Him (Daniel 7:27)!  Read more

Stalin was a mass murderer.  And while he may have felt he had good intentions, true peace will only come about after Jesus Christ returns and establishes His millennial Kingdom.

Some articles of possibly related interest may include:

Did The Early Church Teach Millenarianism? Was the millennium (sometimes called chiliasm) taught by early Christians? Who condemned it. Will Jesus literally reign for 1000 years on the earth? Is this time near?
The Gospel of the Kingdom of God was the Emphasis of Jesus and the Early Church Did you know that? Do you even know what the gospel of the kingdom is all about? True religion should be based upon the true gospel.
Russia: Its Origins and Prophesied Future Where do the Russians come from? What is prophesied for Russia? What will it do to the Europeans that supported the Beast in the end?
Is Russia the King of the North? Some claim it is. But what does the Bible teach?
Does God Have a 6,000 Year Plan? What Year Does the 6,000 Years End? Was a 6000 year time allowed for humans to rule followed by a literal thousand year reign of Christ on Earth taught by the early Christians? When does the six thousand years of human rule end?

Young Grasshopper

COGwriter

About two weeks ago I reported about locusts in NSW, Australia and grasshoppers in the western USA (see Locusts in Australia, Grasshoppers in USA).  Now Queensland is having a major infestation:

Locusts invade Queensland

ITN, UK – April 8, 2010

…The plague is said to be the biggest to hit the region in three decades.   http://itn.co.uk/71150137850ba956fd7d19207992daa6.html

There is also a problem with bats dying on the East Coast of the USA.  This will likely lead to increased insect populations.

Increases in insect populations tend to result in less food being available to humans:

Grasshopper invasion: just what Western states don’t want

The grasshopper is expected to swarm Western states this summer in record numbers, gobbling up grasslands and costing ranchers millions of dollars.

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2010/0406/Grasshopper-invasion-just-what-Western-states-don-t-want

According to Jesus, food shortages are expected:

6 See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.  7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places.  8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.  (Matthew 24:6-8)

We may be very near that time.  But the end (meaning the Great Tribulation) is not yet.

The Great Tribulation is coming, but not for a few years.  But many difficulties, including famines (Matthew 24:7) and persecutions (Matthew 24:9-20)  are expected BEFORE the Great Tribulation begins (Matthew 24:21).

Some articles of related interest may include:

Persecutions by Church and State This article documents some that have occurred against those associated with the COGs and some prophesied to occur. Will those with the cross be the persecutors or the persecuted–this article has the shocking answer.
Anglo – America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel Are the Americans, Canadians, British, Scottish, Welsh, Australians, Anglo-Southern Africans, and New Zealanders descendants of Joseph? Where are the lost ten-tribes of Israel? Who are the lost tribes of Israel? Will God punish the U.S.A., Canada, United Kingdom, and other Anglo nations? Why might God allow them to be punished first?
Can the Great Tribulation Begin in 2010, 2011, or 2012? Can the Great Tribulation begin today? When is the earliest that the Great Tribulation can begin? What happens in the “beginning of sorrows”? What is the Day of the Lord?

Palace of Westminster in London

COGwriter

The debt situation of many nations is becoming a problem:

Sovereign debt crisis at ‘boiling point’, warns Bank for International Settlements

The Bank for International Settlements does not mince words. Sovereign debt is already starting to cross the danger threshold in the United States, Japan, Britain, and most of Western Europe, threatening to set off a bond crisis at the heart of the global economy

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/economics/7564748/Sovereign-debt-crisis-at-boiling-point-warns-Bank-for-International-Settlements.html

The above scenario is too optimistic.  If interest rates rise to levels seen in the early 1980s or higher, this will cause massive problems within the next ten years.  It will not take decades.

Since the USA has the highest total debt, it actually has the biggest problem.  The USA is not too big to fail, the United States will ultimately be too big to bail.  Also notice this report:

US faces ‘difficult’ tax choices: Bernanke

AFP – April 8, 2010

WASHINGTON (AFP) – Facing unsustainable budget deficits, the United States will have to make difficult choices between higher taxes and social spending, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said.

The US government registered a record budget deficit in February of 220.909 billion dollars despite rising revenues, setting a record 17th consecutive month in the red.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100408/ts_alt_afp/useconomybankdeficit_20100408091746

Furthermore, recall what God inspired the Prophet Habakkuk to write 2600 years ago:

3 For the vision is yet for an appointed time; But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; Because it will surely come, It will not tarry…
6 “Will not all these take up a proverb against him, And a taunting riddle against him, and say, ‘Woe to him who increases
What is not his–how long? And to him who loads himself with many pledges’?
7 Will not your creditors rise up suddenly? Will they not awaken who oppress you? And you will become their booty. 8 .., All the remnant of the people shall plunder you (Habakkuk 2:3,6-8).

We are near the end, the USA and UK are the biggest debtors.  They will likely cease to exist as they now do within ten years or so.

Some articles of possibly related interest may include:

Anglo – America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel Are the Americans, Canadians, British, Scottish, Welsh, Australians, Anglo-Southern Africans, and New Zealanders descendants of Joseph? Where are the lost ten-tribes of Israel? Who are the lost tribes of Israel? Will God punish the U.S.A., Canada, United Kingdom, and other Anglo nations? Why might God allow them to be punished first?
Prophecies of Barack Obama? Are there biblical and non-biblical prophecies about Barack Obama. Did Nostradamus predict Barack Obama dealing with the Antichrist?  This is a lengthy article with many prophecies that Barack Obama may end up fulfilling.
Barack Obama, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States Some claim that Barack Obama is the prophesied “son of Kenya”. Might Bible prophecy be fulfilled by him?
2012 and the Rise of the Secret Sect This is a link related to a book by Bob Thiel (COGwriter). This also has YouTube videos related to 2012.  What will happen to the USA, UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand?  When is their end expected?
2012 y el surgimiento de la secta secreta Nuevo libro del Dr. Thiel en Español.
2012 und das Auftreten der geheimen Sekte (German Edition) 2012 Buch von Dr. Thiel in deutscher Sprache.

Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev

COGwriter

The two largest nuclear powers signed an agreement to reduce nuclear stockpiles:

Obama, Medvedev Sign Treaty Cutting Nuclear Stockpiles

08 April 2010

U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitri Medvedev have signed a treaty to reduce their countries’ nuclear stockpiles by 25 to 30 percent over seven years.

http://www1.voanews.com/english/news/usa/Obama-Medvedev-Sign-Arms-Reduction-Treaty-90201912.html

This will likely mean that the USA will spend less on weapons’ systems (this is one of the reasons that my book 2012 and the Rise of the Secret Sect says that USA President Obama is apocalyptic).  This will also mean that other powers will be relatively stronger vs. the USA.

Make no mistake about it, even though we in the Living Church of God are pacifists, we understand that moves like this treaty mean that unless the USA sees national repentance soon and relies on God, it is setting itself up to be taken over by the power emerging right now in Europe.

Peace is good.  “Blessed are the peacemakers” (Matthew 5:9).  But attempting peace by relying on man and not God will result in disaster for the USA.  The USA President needs to look more into prophecy as some that seem to include him suggest the end of the USA (see Prophecies of Barack Obama).

Some articles of possibly related interest may include:

Prophecies of Barack Obama? Are there biblical and non-biblical prophecies about Barack Obama. Did Nostradamus predict Barack Obama dealing with the Antichrist?  This is a lengthy article with many prophecies that Barack Obama may end up fulfilling.
Barack Obama, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States Some claim that Barack Obama is the prophesied “son of Kenya”. Might Bible prophecy be fulfilled by him?
Anglo – America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel Are the Americans, Canadians, British, Scottish, Welsh, Australians, Anglo-Southern Africans, and New Zealanders descendants of Joseph? Where are the lost ten-tribes of Israel? Who are the lost tribes of Israel? Will God punish the U.S.A., Canada, United Kingdom, and other Anglo nations? Why might God allow them to be punished first?
Russia: Its Origins and Prophesied Future Where do the Russians come from? What is prophesied for Russia? What will it do to the Europeans that supported the Beast in the end?
Is Russia the King of the North? Some claim it is. But what does the Bible teach?

COGwriter

A strong supporter of Opus Dei just got a promotion:

Cardinal Mahony’s successor is a risky choice

Los Angeles Times – April 6, 2010   by Tim Rutten

The Vatican’s appointment of Archbishop Jose Gomez, a staunch member of the strange and secretive Opus Dei, could bring wrenching changes for area Roman Catholics.

Tuesday’s announcement that the Vatican has appointed Archbishop Jose Gomez of San Antonio as coadjutor and successor to Cardinal Roger M. Mahony is a significant event both for America’s largest Roman Catholic diocese and for California. http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-rutten7-2010apr07,0,156407.column?track=rss

This is an interesting choice.  While a Latino bishop was expected, one with such ties to Opus Dei was less expected.  This may energize many Roman Catholics in the Southland.

Of course, not all consider that Opus Dei is a problem:

Opus Dei seeks to make everyday life holier

Los Angeles Times – April 6, 2010    By Carla Hall

…Members attend daily Mass and set aside prayer time. Not all engage in corporal mortification, and those who do say it’s nothing like in ‘The Da Vinci Code.’

There are no monks. And only 2% of the organization’s nearly 90,000 members worldwide are priests, one of whom was Jose Gomez, the newly named successor as archbishop to Cardinal Roger Mahony. Gomez is the only priest to come up through Opus Dei who has been made a U.S. bishop.Yet, even ignoring the distortions of “The Da Vinci Code,” critics have pointed to the group’s historic connection to right-leaning governments and its secretiveness. Brian Finnerty, spokesman for Opus Dei in the U.S., said the group takes no political positions.  http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-opus-dei7-2010apr07,0,7321603.story

Despite the claim by Brian Finnerty, the fact that Gomez is a strong supporter of Opus Dei means that he may take political positions different than many will expect.

But I do not believe, like The Da Vinci Code portrays, that Opus Dei is heavily involved with assassinations, etc.

An article of only indirect possible interest may be:

The Da Vinci Code: Some Good, Most Bad Does The Da Vinci Code properly discuss Christianity? What does it have right and what does it have wrong about early Christianity and other gospel accounts?

COGwriter

Rain killed at least 96 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil:

Rio tries to restore order amid more rain, 96 dead

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/07/AR2010040701562.html

While Latin America will have certain disasters (including the recent earthquakes in Mexico and Chile), biblical prophecies indicate that perhaps sometime next decade, it will do much better than the U.S.A., Canada, and their Anglo-descended allies.

Two articles of possibly related interest may include:

Mexico, Central America, South America, and Brazil in Prophecy [Español: México, America Central, Suramérica, y el Brasil en profecíal] [Português: México, América Central, Ámérica do Sul, e Brasil na profecia] What will happen to those of Latin America? Will they have prosperity? Will they cooperate with Europe? Will they suffer in the future? What rule might the various Caribbean nations/territories play?
Anglo – America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel Are the Americans, Canadians, British, Scottish, Welsh, Australians, Anglo-Southern Africans, and New Zealanders descendants of Joseph? Where are the lost ten-tribes of Israel? Who are the lost tribes of Israel? Will God punish the U.S.A., Canada, United Kingdom, and other Anglo nations? Why might God allow them to be punished first?

Depiction of solar particles interacting with Earth’s magnetosphere

COGwriter

The earth was hit by its largest geomagnetic storm in three years yesterday:

Earth struck by most powerful space storm in three years

New Scientist – April 6, 2010 http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn18735-earth-struck-by-most-powerful-space-storm-in-three-years.html

Some scientists believe that the a geomagnetic storm could possibly knock out the power grids of places like the USA for several years.

Here is something on that from my book, 2012 and the Rise of the Secret Sect:

Notice a scenario that is based on a report from the U.S. National Academy of Scientists (although the precise date seems to be speculative):

IT IS midnight on 22 September 2012 and the skies above Manhattan are filled with a flickering curtain of colourful light…Within 90 seconds, the entire eastern half of the US is without power.

A year later and millions of Americans are dead and the nation’s infrastructure lies in tatters. The World Bank declares America a developing nation. Europe, Scandinavia, China and Japan are also struggling to recover from the same fateful event – a violent storm, 150 million kilometres away on the surface of the sun…

According to the NAS report, a severe space weather event in the US could induce ground currents that would knock out 300 key transformers within about 90 seconds, cutting off the power for more than 130 million people…

First to go – immediately for some people – is drinkable water…With no electricity to pump water from reservoirs, there is no more…

There is simply no electrically powered transport: no trains, underground or overground…For hospitals, that would mean about 72 hours of running a bare-bones, essential care only, service. After that, no more modern healthcare.

The truly shocking finding is that this whole situation would not improve for months, maybe years…[i]

A N.A.S.A./N.O.A.A. report indicated that the next solar cycle peak may be later, like May 2013.[ii]

---

[i] Brooks, Michael. Space storm alert: 90 seconds from catastrophe. New Scientist Monday, March 23, 2009. http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20127001.300-space-storm-alert-90-seconds-from-catastrophe.html?full=true viewed 03/23/09
[ii] New Solar Cycle Prediction.  Red Orbit, May 29, 2009 www.redorbit.com/news/space/1697053/new_solar_cycle-predictor/ viewed 06/09/09

The most recent storm was mild in that respect, but it certainly is true that modern societies are at risk to geomagnetic storms.

Some articles that might be of assistance in understanding end-time events may include:

End of Mayan Calendar 2012–Might 2012 Mean Something?There is a Mayan calendar prediction for change in 2012. 2012 changes were also centuries ago predicted by the Hopi Native Americans. Do Mayan/Hindu/Hopi/Buddhist/New Age/Nostradamus prophecies have any value here? Why might Satan have inspired this date? Does the Dresden codex show destruction of the earth by flood? Can the great tribulation start before 2012?
Does God Have a 6,000 Year Plan? What Year Does the 6,000 Years End? Was a 6000 year time allowed for humans to rule followed by a literal thousand year reign of Christ on Earth taught by the early Christians? When does the six thousand years of human rule end?
Can the Great Tribulation Begin in 2010, 2011, or 2012? Can the Great Tribulation begin today? When is the earliest that the Great Tribulation can begin? What is the Day of the Lord?