Archive for June, 2025

Jews were terrorized on Pentecost, and one Holocaust survivor was hospitalized

Monday, June 2nd, 2025


(Above from Run for Their Lives)

COGwriter

Terror hit in Boulder, Colorado against Jews who were walking in support of getting the hostages released in Gaza:

Stephen Miller: Biden’s Suicidal Migration Must Be Reversed

June 2, 2025

White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller blamed the Biden administration’s immigration policies for the Boulder, Colorado, terror attack that left eight people wounded over the weekend.

In a post on X, Miller pointed out that Sunday’s flamethrower attack was committed by “an illegal alien” who remained in the United States after initially being granted a visa by the previous Democrat administration.

“He was granted a tourist visa by the Biden Administration and then he illegally overstayed that visa,” Miller wrote late Sunday. “In response, the Biden Administration gave him a work permit.

“Suicidal migration must be fully reversed,” he added.

Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, was booked into the Boulder County jail north of Denver after allegedly hurling an incendiary device into a crowd that had gathered to raise awareness for Israeli hostages in Gaza. …

“This act of terror is being investigated as an act of ideologically motivated violence based on the early information, the evidence, and witness accounts,” FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino said in a post on X. “We will speak clearly on these incidents when the facts warrant it.”

The flare of violence happened on the beginning of the Jewish holiday of Shavuot, which is marked by a reading of the Torah, and as the conflict between Israel and Hamas continues to unfold in the Gaza Strip.

It also comes barely a week after a man who also yelled “Free Palestine” was charged with fatally shooting two Israeli embassy staffers outside of a Washington, D.C., Jewish museum. https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/stephen-miller-biden-administration-immigration/2025/06/02/id/1213222/

Suspect shouting ‘Free Palestine!’ carried out ‘targeted terror attack,’ FBI says

A man has been charged with two counts of murder after eight people were injured in an attack on a “Run For Their Lives” event in Boulder, Colorado, on Sunday afternoon, a gathering for activists demanding the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas.

Eyewitnesses reported that the attacker shouted “Free Palestine!” before firing incendiary devices, including a “makeshift flamethrower” and Molotov cocktails, at the demonstrators, according to the FBI, which is investigating what it has called “a targeted terror attack.” …

The injured are understood to be aged between 52 and 88 and were rushed to hospitals in the Denver metro area.

The eldest among them is also a Holocaust survivor, according to Rabbi Israel Wilhelm, the Chabad director at the University of Colorado Boulder.

Soliman, 45, was detained at the scene and is reportedly an Egyptian national who entered the United States on a visa that expired two years ago but was then granted work authorization lasting until March 2025. https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/crime/boulder-terror-attack-live-updates-colorado-mohamed-soliman-b2761887.html

Presumably, those walking in the Run for Their Lives event were not anticipating having to run for their own lives yesterday.

It may be of interest to note that in 2017, Boulder declared itself a sanctuary city. Its formal policy includes prohibiting city officials from cooperating with federal immigration authorities and restricting the use of city funds for immigration enforcement. While that likely was not a factor in this incident, it very well could have been.

According to the news reports, a 45 year old man, who was in the USA illegally, was the allegedly the one that caused terror and injured older people. That is terrible.

Let me add that what modern Jews call Shavuot is referred to as Pentecost in the New Testament per Acts 2:1. Pentecost is something we in the Continuing Church of God observed yesterday.

On Kenyon R. Dudley’s Global Leader’s Podcast, which was streamed live last night, I cited the following related to this terrorizing incident:

5 …  A perverse and crooked generation.  (Deuteronomy 32:5)

25 … There shall be terror within (Deuteronomy 32:25)

There is a lot of hate and anti-Semitism around the world, and this includes the USA which has long called itself, “The land of the free and the home of the brave.”

Yes, Jews are being targeted.

Many want Jews gone and many (particularly in the US media and academia) also want Christians gone.

There was a poem many years ago by Martin Niemöller:

First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Socialist.

Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.

It is not just physical, ethnic Jews that are at risk–spiritual ones are as well (cf. Romans 2:28-29; John 15:20; see also The Spanish Inquisition and Early Protestant Persecutions).

Throughout history, true Christians have sometimes been called “Jews” and have been subject to persecution supposedly directed towards Jews. True Christians also had to suffer through the so-called Inquisition (see The Spanish Inquisition), which utilized torture against those that had Church of God beliefs–and more is expected in the future (see Persecutions by Church and State). Protestant leaders, including Martin Luther, have also promoted antisemitism and Church of God persecution (see The Similarities and Dissimilarities between Martin Luther and Herbert W. Armstrong) as have various ones who were Eastern Orthodox (see John Chrysostom, Bishop of Constantinople and Antisemite).

Real Christians have always been on the side of being persecuted and have never been on the side of the persecutors. And this will be true again in the future.

People should not be antisemitic. People should not hate others.

Sadly, we will see persecution greatly increase before Jesus returns (cf. Daniel 7:25; 11:30-35; see also Persecutions by Church and State)–this will affect Philadelphian Christians.

All the faithful will be subject to persecution and being betrayed by professing believers (Matthew 24:9-13, Mark 13:12-13; Luke 21:16-18; Daniel 11:32-35).

The underlying antisemitism throughout the world will allow for this, especially when the time comes when the Beast’s government mandates it (Revelation 13:15-17).

Some items of related interest may include:

Why Terrorism? Is Terrorism Prophesied? What does the Bible teach? Which nations may be affected? Here is a link to a related sermon: Terrorism, Christianity, and Islam. Here is a shorter video: Afghanis: Potential terrorists?
God’s Grace is For All Is being Jewish a hindrance to salvation? What about not being a descendant of Israel? What does the Bible really teach? Here is a link to a related sermon titled Race and Grace; Do you view race as God does? Watch also Mystery of Race.
Persecutions by Church and State This article documents some persecutions that have occurred against those associated with the COGs and some prophesied persecutions to occur. Will those with the cross be the persecutors or the persecuted–this article has the shocking answer. There are also two video sermons you can watch: Cancel Culture and Christian Persecution and The Coming Persecution of the Church. Here is information in the Spanish language: Persecuciones de la Iglesia y el Estado.
The Spanish Inquisition and Early Protestant Persecutions Was the Church of Rome really responsible for this? What happened? A video of related interest is titled: The Past and Future Inquisition.
John Chrysostom, Bishop of Constantinople and Anti-Semite This late fourth/early fifth century Bishop of Constantinople is considered to be a ‘saint’ and ‘doctor’ by the Church of Rome, Church of England, and the Eastern Orthodox, but he did not teach Christ’s love.
The Similarities and Dissimilarities between Martin Luther and Herbert W. Armstrong This article clearly shows some of the doctrinal differences between in the two. At this time of doctrinal variety and a tendency by many to accept certain aspects of Protestantism, the article should help clarify why the genuine Church of God is NOT Protestant. Do you really know what the Protestant Reformer Martin Luther taught and should you follow his doctrinal example? Here is a related sermon video: Martin Luther and Herbert Armstrong: Reformers with Differences.

Posted in Prophecy | Comments Off on Jews were terrorized on Pentecost, and one Holocaust survivor was hospitalized

Can you be more hopeful?

Monday, June 2nd, 2025


(Pixabay photo)

COGwriter

The Apostle Paul wrote:

1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through Whom we also have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we ourselves boast in the hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only this, but we also boast in tribulations, realizing that tribulation brings forth endurance, 4 And endurance brings forth character, and character brings forth hope. 5 And the hope of God never makes us ashamed because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, which has been given to us. (Romans 5:1-5, AFV)

5 For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love. (Galatians 5:5-6, NKJV throughout unless otherwise specified)

13 And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love. (1 Corinthians 13:13)

8 But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation. (1 Thessalonians 5:8)

So, the Apostle Paul frequently tied faith and love in with hope.

Sometime back, Pocket recommended the following:

How to Be More Hopeful

We all go through times when we see the world through cloudy-colored glasses. …

Shift your expectations.

At times, it can seem impossible to stay optimistic in the face of the day’s headlines. However, you can gradually start to change your brain by leaning into what cognitive neuroscientist Tali Sharot calls our “optimism bias.”

As she explains, “Optimism changes subjective reality. The way we expect the world to be changes the way we see it. But it also changes objective reality. It acts as a self-fulfilling prophecy.”

What this means: when you wake up and think it’s going to be a blah day, you’re helping set yourself up to have just such a day. So the next time you catch yourself making a gloomy prediction, first congratulate yourself for noticing. …

Recognize that you can change your life at any point.

Do you feel like it’s hard to be look forward to the future because it seems all too predictable? Choice #1: resign yourself to the inevitable (and while you’re at it, why not pick out the inscription for your tombstone?). Choice #2: open yourself up to the possibilities that exist for everyone, at every age. https://getpocket.com/explore/item/how-to-be-more-hopeful?utm_source=pocket-newtab accessed 04/18/21

Yes, you can change.

Related to that, we put together the following video:

16:02

‘How to Change Your Life in 5 Seconds’

Inc. magazine posted an article online titled ‘How to Change Your Life in 5 Seconds.’ In it, Mel Robbins explains how she developed a technique to be more productive. She observed that 95% of decision are based on emotion instead of logic, and how and why adding a five second countdown helped her life. She mentions that fear, anger, and other factors often interfere with our ability to be better people. In this video, Dr. Thiel quotes a lot from that article, including some of the science behind the technique. He also quotes Jesus as well as many passages from the Bible. He also teaches a 5 second statement to say and pray to use as a five second spiritual statement to help Christians change.

Here is a link to the video: ‘How to Change Your Life in 5 Seconds’.

Christians are supposed to have hope. The NKJV has the word “hope” 68 times in the New Testament. The Apostle Paul mentioned hope 6 times in the following:

18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. 19 For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; 21 because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. 23 Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. 24 For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance. (Romans 8:18-25)

Getting back to the Pocket recommended article, it also had the following:

Look for meaning in the most challenging moments.

For some, pessimism is not a passing inclination but a near-constant outlook shaped by difficult, maybe brutal times. Even negative events can end up having positive effects, according to writer Andrew Solomon.

“Avoidance and endurance can be the entryway to forging meaning,” he says. Solomon transformed a childhood marked by bullying and emotional torment into a life of helping others communicate their own stories of growth.

Christians most certainly are to endure. As Jesus said:

22 And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved. (Matthew 10:22)

Yes, we should expect difficulties. But Christians are to endure and have hope.

Getting back to the Pocket recommended article, it also had the following:

Return to your home base.

Does your discouragement stem from being knocked down one too many times. …

How can you find your own center amid life’s sturm und drang ? Identify the thing or things in this world that you love more than you love yourself, says Gilbert.

For Christians, that should be the love of God and seeking His Kingdom.

As Jesus taught:

37 ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ (Matthew 22:37-39)

Jesus also taught not to worry:

25 “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?

28 “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; 29 and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

31 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. (Matthew 6:25-34)

The great hope for humanity is the good news of the coming Kingdom of God.

Getting back to the Pocket recommended article, it also had the following:

Think about your death (yes, really).

This doesn’t need to be a morbid activity;

For a Christian, facing the reality that this life is temporal and that we have the hope of the resurrection and Jesus’ return should comfort us:

13 But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.

15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words. (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)

The time coming will be fantastic. We can have hope and comfort other believers.

How fantastic will the time coming be?

The Apostle John was inspired to record:

1 Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. 2 Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. 4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” (Revelation 21:1-4)

The Apostle Paul reported that it was so fantastic, it was somewhat indescribable:

7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, 8 which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

9 But as it is written:

“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,
Nor have entered into the heart of man
The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”

10 But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. 11 For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. (1 Corinthians 2:7-12)

Yes, it will be beyond normal comprehension.

Now, perhaps it should be pointed out that God’s plan is actually a mystery to almost everyone–irrespective of the religions they do or do not follow.

We produced a book on that.


Here is a link to our free online book: The MYSTERY of GOD’s PLAN: Why Did God Create Anything? Why did God make you?

Yes, Christians have, and should realize that they have, real hope. This also works with faith and helps us share the love of God.

Related to this, the Continuing Church of God (CCOG) put together the following related video on our Bible News Prophecy YouTube channel:

14:37

The New Testament teaches that Christians are to have hope. What are ways to be more hopeful? Pocket, a secular source, recommended an article about that. In this video, Dr. Thiel goes over many points of that article and ties them into numerous scriptures that teach about hope. Dr. Thiel also notes that multiple times, the Apostle Paul taught about faith, love, and hope together. Dr. Thiel also quotes Jesus related to not worrying and seeking first the Kingdom of God. Furthermore, he refers to mysteries of God’s plan that most do not understand. He also reads what the Bible promises will occur in the new earth.

Here is a link to our sermonette video: How to Be More Hopeful.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

The Gospel of the Kingdom of God This free online pdf booklet has answers many questions people have about the Gospel of the Kingdom of God and explains why it is the solution to the issues the world is facing. Here are links to four related sermons:  The Fantastic Gospel of the Kingdom of God!, The World’s False Gospel, The Gospel of the Kingdom: From the New and Old Testaments, and The Kingdom of God is the Solution.
Hope of Salvation: How the Continuing Church of God differs from most Protestants How the real Church of God differs from mainstream/traditional Protestants, is perhaps the question I am asked most by those without a Church of God background. As far as some changes affecting Protestantism, watch the video Charismatic Kenneth Copeland and Anglican Tony Palmer: Protestants Beware! [Português: Esperança do salvação: Como a igreja do deus difere da maioria de protestantes]. Several related sermon are also available: Protestant, Baptist, and CCOG History, The First Protestant, God’s Command, Grace, & Character, and How Does the Church of God Differ from Protestantism?
Is God Calling You? This booklet discusses topics including calling, election, and selection. If God is calling you, how will you respond? Here is a link to a related sermon: Could God be Calling You? A short animation is also available: Is God Calling You?
What is the Origin of the Cross as a ‘Christian’ Symbol? Was the cross used as a venerated symbol by the early Church? Two related YouTube videos would be Beware of the ‘Ecumenical Cross’, The Chrislam Cross and the Interfaith Movement, and Origin of the Cross.
Where is the True Christian Church Today? This free online pdf booklet answers that question and includes 18 proofs, clues, and signs to identify the true vs. false Christian church. Plus 7 proofs, clues, and signs to help identify Laodicean churches. A related sermon is also available: Where is the True Christian Church? Here is a link to the booklet in the Spanish language: ¿Dónde está la verdadera Iglesia cristiana de hoy? Here is a link in the German language: WO IST DIE WAHRE CHRISTLICHE KIRCHE HEUTE? Here is a link in the French language: Où est la vraie Église Chrétienne aujourd’hui? Here is a link to a short animation: Which Church would Jesus Choose?
Continuing History of the Church of God This pdf booklet is a historical overview of the true Church of God and some of its main opponents from Acts 2 to the 21st century. Related sermon links include Continuing History of the Church of God: c. 31 to c. 300 A.D. and Continuing History of the Church of God: 4th-16th Centuries and Continuing History of the Church of God: 17th-20th Centuries. The booklet is available in Spanish: Continuación de la Historia de la Iglesia de Dios, German: Kontinuierliche Geschichte der Kirche Gottes, French: L Histoire Continue de l Église de Dieu and Ekegusii Omogano Bw’ekanisa Ya Nyasae Egendererete.
The MYSTERY of GOD’s PLAN Why Did God Create Anything? Why did God make you? This free online book helps answers some of the biggest questions that human have. Here is a link to two related sermons: Mysteries of God’s Plan and Mysteries of Truth, Sin, Rest, Suffering, and God’s Plan.
Universal OFFER of Salvation, Apokatastasis: Can God save the lost in an age to come? Hundreds of scriptures reveal God’s plan of salvation Will all get a fair chance at salvation? This free book is packed with scriptures showing that God does intend to offer salvation to all who ever lived–the elect in this age, and the rest in the age to come. Here is a link to a related sermon series: Universal Offer of Salvation 1: Apocatastasis, Universal Offer of Salvation 2: Jesus Desires All to be Saved, Mysteries of the Great White Throne Judgment (Universal Offer of Salvation part 3), Is God Fair, Will God Pardon the Ignorant?, Can God Save Your Relatives?, Babies, Limbo, Purgatory and God’s Plan, and ‘By the Mouth of All His Holy Prophets’.

Posted in Doctrine | Comments Off on Can you be more hopeful?

Australia wants China to explain its military buildup, after the US pressures Australia to spend more on defense

Sunday, June 1st, 2025


COGwriter

The BBC reported the following:

Australia asks China to explain ‘extraordinary’ military build-up

1 June 2025

Australia’s defence minister Richard Marles has called on China to explain why it needs to have “such an extraordinary military build-up”.

He said Beijing needs to provide greater transparency and reassurance as it is the “fundamental issue” for the region. …

On Sunday morning, Marles asserted that “what we have seen from China is the single biggest increase in military capability and build up in conventional sense, by any country since the end of the Second World War”.

It is not just the size of the military build-up that concerns other countries, he told reporters.

“It’s the fact that it is happening without strategic reassurance. It’s happening without a clear strategic intent on the part of China… what we want to see is strategic transparency and strategic reassurance be provided by China, and an understanding of why it is needed to have such an extraordinary military build-up.”

He cited Australia as an example of such transparency, noting that Canberra makes public its national defence strategy and defence reviews, and makes it “utterly clear” that when they build up their defences it is for Australia and Asia’s security.

“So there is total strategic clarity and assurance that is being provided by Australia to our neighbours, to the region, to the world. That’s what we would like to see,” he said.

Answering a question on a highly-scrutinised Chinese military exercise conducted near Australia and New Zealand’s waters in February, Marles said that while it was “disruptive, and we believe that it could have been done in a better way”, ultimately “China was acting in accordance with international law”. …

Marles was also asked about Hegseth’s call for Indo-Pacific partners to increase defence spending as a bulwark against the threat of China.

Marles said “we actually are taking steps down this path… we understand it, we’re up for it.” US President Donald Trump has called on Australia to increase its spending to 3%, but Canberra has yet to publicly commit to that number.

Marles added that part of that spending would come under Aukus, a pact among Australia, the UK and the US to build up a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines.

He said projects under the pact were “on track” and he was “very optimistic” about the progress, including more visits of American submarines to Australia and rotations through a Perth-based navy base. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clygvl01y5ro

Notice also:

1 June 2025

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is pushing back against US calls for countries in the Asia-Pacific to increase defence spending to five per cent of GDP.

“Ah, no, what we’ll do is we’ll determine our defence policy, and we’ve invested, just across the forwards, an additional ten billion dollars in defence. What we’ll do is continue to provide for investing in our capability, but also investing in our relationships in the region.”

It follows controversial comments from US Secretary of State Pete Hegseth at the Shangri-la defence forum in Singapore.

He says it’s credible China is potentially preparing to use military force to alter the balance of power in the Asia-Pacific.

Speaking at the same forum defence minister Richard Marles defended Australia’s defence spending.

“I mean, the Americans have been very clear about wanting to see more from their friends and allies around the world. It’s a sentiment that we understand, and as I’ve repeatedly said, that’s a conversation we are totally up for in terms of the way in which we engage with the United States. And as I said, I think on Friday, in our bilateral meeting Secretary Hegseth did raise the question of increased defence expenditure on the Australian side. Of course we have already engaged in the last couple of years in the single biggest peacetime increase in defence expenditure in Australia’s history, so we are beginning this journey.”

Australia currently spends roughly 2 per cent of its GDP, or $56 billion dollars, on defence, and the government says this will grow to 2.35 per cent by 2034.

Coalition finance spokesperson James Paterson told Sky News that’s not enough.

“They don’t plan to increase defence spending until the end of the decade, and that doesn’t meet the challenge of the moment. One of the policies I was most proud of that we took to the last election was to increase defence spending to two and a half percent of GDP within five years and to three percent of GDP within a decade. That reckons with the environment that we are dealing with in our own region, it takes it seriously, and it responds to it to make sure that we can safeguard our own sovereignty and our own freedom.”

Despite Australia considering the USA a vital ally, there are issues.

Plus, this alliance will not last as long as Australia seems to hope.

China has lashed out at Australia for its positions as well as ties to the USA over the past decade or so.

Years ago, China’s Global Times actually wrote:

‘Paper cat’ Australia will learn its lesson …

2016/7/30

Australia is a unique country with an inglorious history. It was at first an offshore prison of the UK and then became its colony, a source of raw materials, overseas market and land of investment. This country was established through uncivilized means, in a process filled with the tears of the aboriginals. …

Analysts say that besides trying to please the US, it also intends to suppress China …

Australia is not even a “paper tiger,” it’s only a “paper cat” at best. … Australia has unexpectedly made itself a pioneer of hurting China’s interest with a fiercer attitude than countries directly involved in the South China Sea dispute. But this paper cat won’t last. http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/997320.shtml

So, China is indicating that Australia is basically illegitimate (established through uncivilized means) and that its power basically means nothing to China. Furthermore,  China must take revenge and let it know it’s wrong.

Back in 2009 when Hillary Clinton was US Secretary of State, … I wrote that China may take over Australia. Since I wrote that, my belief in that outcome has increased.

On June 24, 2010, the day it was announced that she became Prime Minister of Australia, I warned that I felt that Julia Gillard would take steps to fulfill prophecies that also could get the Chinese interested in taking over Australia (see Australia Now Has a Female Prime Minister: Prophetic Ramifications?).

And that happened.

On November 10, 2011, I posted the following:

The USA is getting concerned about China enough to station troops in Australia …

Relying more on a declining military power is not the answer for Australia.  And even if the presence is not huge, just having US troops ‘permanently’ stationed in Australia shows more reliance by Australia on the USA’s military. …

The Australians themselves have had various concerns about China, but while they seem to feel that allowing the USA in the country in a bigger way will protect them, I have a different view.  The presence of US troops in China may be used as part of its possible future justification for taking the land of Australia.  The Chinese may claim something to the effect that Australia is really a military pawn/representative of the USA and thus, since the USA owes them money, taking over Australia will help settle that debt.

China is rising up and the USA is declining militarily relative to it and Europe right now. This does not bode well for the USA nor its allies like Australia.  The implication for Australia is more than profound–the implications are disastrous.

The Bible suggests that the land of the Anglo-descended peoples will be conquered and divided (Daniel 11:39; Lamentations 4:16; Joel 3:2-3; Amos 7:17; Ezekiel 5:1-2,12; 6:8; Ezekiel 22:13-15; )

Without national repentance, the Australia is doomed. Period. (Thiel B. Obama Putting ‘Permanent’ Troops in Australia Because of China, But… November 10, 2011)

About a week later, the Chinese fulfilled the prediction I made on June 24, 2010:

November 17, 2011

A Marine Base for Australia Irritates China

DARWIN, Australia — Fresh from announcing an expanded American military presence in Australia, a plan that has angered China, President Obama came to this remote northern town that will be the base of operations…

The Global Times, a state-run news organization known for its nationalist and bellicose commentaries, issued a stronger reaction in an editorial, saying that Australia should be cautious about allowing the United States to use bases there to “harm China” and that it risked getting “caught in the cross-fire.”  http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/18/world/asia/obama-addresses-troops-at-final-stop-in-australia.html

Related to the above, on November 11, 2011, I posted the following:

China is rising up and the USA is declining militarily relative to it and Europe right now. This does not bode well for the USA nor its allies like Australia. The implication for Australia is more than profound–the implications are disastrous.  …

Without national repentance, the Australia is doomed. Period. So is the USA. …

Many do not wish to accept that, either here in the USA, over in New Zealand, or in Australia, but it is the truth. These nations will be taken over, and it may be that China will control part of the land. (Thiel B. Australia accepts US troops, China not pleased. November 11, 2011)

I basically wrote the warnings about Australia, because Global Times was correct that it was originally established by the United Kingdom and became a British colony. Because of biblical prophecies to the B’rit ish, the ‘covenant people’ (for some details, watch British are the Covenant People ), I was aware that certain prophecies that show blessings and cursings to the the descendants of Joseph’s son Ephraim would impact Australia (see also Anglo – America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel).

Although I personally was unaware of it until July 14, 2016, in February 1963, the old Radio Church of God earlier warned of a threat from Asia in general, and China in particular, to Australia:

Simply because of her geographical situation, Australia is a land of opportunity. Yes, OPPORTUNITY- opportunity for the teeming masses of Asia! …

lndonesia is only ONE of Australia’s worries!

Still further to the north lies the sprawling mainland of Red China. Standing on the Baok of China, like a sentinel on the alert, is the booming, highly industrialized nation of Japan with its progressive millions!

Australia is in trouble-and doesn’t know it! (Armstrong GT. Australia’s Deadly Peril! Plain Truth, February 1963, p. 9)

What if Britain Enters the Common Market? …

Faced with this potential effect of the Common Market-Australia has been FORCED to look hopefully toward ASIA for new and expanded outlets for its produce! …

Australia, like all of Israel, is headed toward captivity! …

Just as ancient Israel made the mistake of seeking to the Gentile nations for her protection, making pacts and treaties, instead of trusting in God-so is modern-day Israel guilty of the same sin! Australia at the present time is linked with Gentile nations as a member of SEATO, the Southeast Asian Treaty Organization. She like other nations of Israel, is looking to Gentile nations for protection from her potential enemies.

This practice God condemns. …

While the United States and Great Britain are faced with the prophesied revival of the “beast,” a union of ten powerful nations in Europe, forming the rebuilding of the ancient Roman Empire, Australia may well be taken over by an entirely different enemy! Australia, trying to populate and industrialize to stave off Communism, may become the SLAVES OF COMMUNISTS! And -make no mistake about it-aggression is actually BEING PLANNED against Australia! (Armstrong GT. Australia’s Deadly Peril! Plain Truth, February 1963, pp. 42-44)

Well, Britain did enter the old Common Market and as the 1963 article indicated, Australia has become more and more dependent upon Asian markets. Furthermore, as the 1963 article suggested, Australia is becoming vulnerable for captivity from China.’

The USA, UK, and Australia formed a military alliance called AUKUS back in September of 2021. Related to that, we put out the following video: AUKUS sparking European military.

Although I personally was unaware of it until July 23, 2023, back in 1960, the late Garner Ted Armstrong also wrote:

The Australian people have seen the way the United States has FAILED to stand up to the Communists in IndoChina, the Mideast, Hungary, and, in many instances, in acts of aggression against unarmed American airplanes or even civilian personnel. …

The United States … may become totally unable to protect Australia! While the United States and Great Britain are faced with the prophesied revival of the “beast,” … in Europe, forming the rebuilding of the ancient Roman Empire, Australia may well be taken over by an entirely different enemy! Australia, trying to populate and industrialize to stave off Communism, may become the SLAVES OF COMMUNISTS! (Armstrong GT. Populate or Perish! Plain Truth, January 1960)

Consider also the following:

14 All your lovers have forgotten you;
They do not seek you;
For I have wounded you with the wound of an enemy,
With the chastisement of a cruel one,
For the multitude of your iniquities,
Because your sins have increased. (Jeremiah 30:14)

Yes, Australia’s sins have been increasing. Its allies will forsake her–and partially because the USA and UK, themselves, will not be in a position to do so.

Australia hopes to defend itself, but realizes that it cannot defeat China on its own.

While carnally speaking, reliance on the military of the USA would seem to make sense, Bible prophecy shows that will not succeed, not too many years from now. The prophetic reality is that the US military will NOT be able to protect Australia, the UK, and other parts of the world in the future.

Events are aligning for various curses, like Australia losing its sovereignty and land (cf. Daniel 11:39; Lamentations 4:16; Joel 3:2-3; Amos 7:17; Ezekiel 5:1-2,12; 6:8; Ezekiel 22:13-15). And the Chinese threats are proof of that.

Back in 2016, the Continuing Church of God put out the following video on our Bible News Prophecy YouTube channel:


14:41
The Chinese paper ‘Global Times’ has carried threats in 2011 and 2016 suggesting the China would militarily intervene against Australia. It has declared that Australia is a ‘paper cat,’ that China will get revenge against it, and that Australia would be no more. Is this possible? Are there biblical and other reasons to think that this threat is real? Dr. Thiel answers these questions and brings up the fact that he has been warning about this threat since last decade.

Here is a link to our video: Are Chinese threats against Australia for real?

The Continuing Church of God, later, also put together this sermon on our ContinuingCOG channel:

1:19:37

Australia and New Zealand: Origins and Prophecy

Who are the ancestors of the British peoples who went to Australia and New Zealand? Are there biblical and even non-biblical prophecies that point to the nations of Australia and New Zealand? If so, what do they teach? Have any been fulfilled? What are some of the blessings and cursings the Bible tells of? Does prophecy help explain the wealth of Australia and New Zealand? Will future prophecies still be fulfilled? Does Isaiah 49:12 refer to Australia or New Zealand? What about the Five Eyes? Are there any Catholic or Chinese prophecies that point to Australia and New Zealand? What about the Cook Islands and Australia’s external territories? How will the Great Tribulation affect Australia and New Zealand? Will military alliances fail? Are Australians and New Zealanders prophesied to be slaves? Is China a real threat? What about Japan?

Here is a link to the sermon: Australia and New Zealand: Origins and Prophecy.

Australia is looking towards military alliances and NOT to God. Despite its military hopes, this will not end well for Australia.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

Lost Tribes and Prophecies: What will happen to Australia, the British Isles, Canada, Europe, New Zealand and the United States of America? Where did those people come from? Can you totally rely on DNA? What about other peoples? Do you really know what will happen to Europe and the English-speaking peoples? What about Africa, Asia, South America, and the Islands? This free online book provides scriptural, scientific, historical references, and commentary to address those matters. Here are links to related sermons: Lost tribes, the Bible, and DNA; Lost tribes, prophecies, and identifications; 11 Tribes, 144,000, and Multitudes; Israel, Jeremiah, Tea Tephi, and British Royalty; Gentile European Beast; Royal Succession, Samaria, and Prophecies; Asia, Islands, Latin America, Africa, and Armageddon;  When Will the End of the Age Come?;  Rise of the Prophesied King of the North; Christian Persecution from the Beast; WWIII and the Coming New World Order; and Woes, WWIV, and the Good News of the Kingdom of God.
British are the Covenant People What do ‘British’ and ‘Britain’ mean in Hebrew? Are the descendants of the Anglo-Saxons people of the covenant? Does the British royal family connect to the throne of David? What does the Bible teach? What does history show us? Is there any DNA evidence related to British-Israelism? When did Christianity make it to the British Isles? Could Jeremiah have made it to the British Isles? What type of Christians made it to the British Isles? Did the last King of England believe in British Israelism?
Canada in Prophecy: What Does Bible Prophecy, Catholic Prophecy, and other Predictions Suggest About the Future of Canada? There are prophecies that suggest involvement with Canada. And many are not positive about its future. A sermon of related interest is also available: Canada in Prophecy.
Australia and New Zealand in Prophecy Do biblical prophecies help explain the wealth blessings for Australia and New Zealand? Might cursings from disobedience come in the 21st century? Here is a link to a related sermon: Australia and New Zealand: Origins and Prophecy.
USA in Prophecy: The Strongest Fortresses Can you point to scriptures, like Daniel 11:39, that point to the USA in the 21st century? This article does. Two related sermon are available: Identifying the USA and its Destruction in Prophecy and Do these 7 prophesies point to the end of the USA?
Who is the King of the West? Why is there no Final End-Time King of the West in Bible Prophecy? Is the United States the King of the West? Here is a version in the Spanish language: ¿Quién es el Rey del Occidente? ¿Por qué no hay un Rey del Occidente en la profecía del tiempo del fin? A related sermon is also available: The Bible, the USA, and the King of the West.
Who is the King of the North? Is there one? Do biblical and Roman Catholic prophecies for the Great Monarch point to the same leader? Should he be followed? Who will be the King of the North discussed in Daniel 11? Is a nuclear attack prophesied to happen to the English-speaking peoples of the United States, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand? When do the 1335 days, 1290 days, and 1260 days (the time, times, and half a time) of Daniel 12 begin? When does the Bible show that economic collapse will affect the United States? In the Spanish language check out ¿Quién es el Rey del Norte? Here are links to two related videos: The King of the North is Alive: What to Look Out For and The Future King of the North.
The Great Monarch: Biblical and Greco-Roman Catholic Prophecies Is the ‘Great Monarch’ of Catholic prophecies endorsed or condemned by the Bible? Two sermons of related interest are also available: Great Monarch: Messiah or False Christ? and Great Monarch in 50+ Beast Prophecies.
Asia in Prophecy What is Ahead for Asia? Who are the “Kings of the East”? What will happen to nearly all the Chinese, Russians, Indians, and others of Asia? China in prophecy, where? Who has the 200,000,000 man army related to Armageddon? Here is a link to a related sermon: Asia in Prophecy. Two YouTube video are Is China THE Threat to the United States of America? and China: A King of the East.

Posted in Prophecy | Comments Off on Australia wants China to explain its military buildup, after the US pressures Australia to spend more on defense

Vatican confused about God’s plan of salvation and how Pentecost is part of the plan

Sunday, June 1st, 2025

COGwriter

The pro-Vatican news organization, Zenit.org posted the following from a Roman Catholic priest Marcelo Brav:

Is There Salvation Outside the Catholic Church?

Thirty years ago, on Wednesday, May 31, 1995, John Paul II gave a catechesis that seems to have had little impact, but … in 1997, … John Paul II presented a reflection rooted in the missionary realism of the Church, noting that, after more than two thousand years of evangelization, the Gospel has not yet reached all peoples and not all have been converted to Christ.

«As far as human capacities for foresight and knowledge are concerned,» the Pope acknowledged, “for so many people it has been impossible to access the Christian message, and this practical impossibility seems destined to last for a long time yet, perhaps until the final consummation of the work of evangelization.»

Now, this fact cannot be explained simply as a failure of Christians, as a consequence of their divisions or inconsistencies. Rather, it seems to be part of a broader, mysterious, and wise salvific plan, known only to God. «

Even for those who, through no fault of their own, neither know Christ nor recognize themselves as Christians,» the Pope teaches, «the divine plan has provided a path of salvation.» This is the great theme of the «viae extraordinariae,» already present at the Second Vatican Council and taken up by «Redemptoris Missio,» according to which the salvation of Christians is part of a divine plan that can never be conceived as parallel, much less alternative, to that of Christ and of the Church. There is, therefore, a path of salvation arranged by God for non-Christians.

This conviction of John Paul II would seem to go against «extra Ecclesiam,» according to its most radical interpretation. However, as early as 1949, in a Letter to the Archbishop of Boston, the Holy Office warned that «this dogma must be understood in the sense in which the Church herself understands it.» She remains firm that there is no salvation outside of Christ (extra Christum nulla salus). …

From here arises the fundamental task of evangelization. The fact that God can also save those outside the visible Church in no way diminishes the missionary urgency. … Saint Peter says in Acts 4:12, «there is no other name under Heaven given among men by which we must be saved.» … Only God knows the ways of salvation, but all pass through Christ and reach their fullness in the mystery of the Church, gently touching the hearts of all. https://zenit.org/2025/05/30/is-there-salvation-outside-the-catholic-church/

While God does a plan to save those who were not called to be true Christians during the church age, because the Church of Rome does not keep all the biblical holy days, it does not understand it.

Furthermore, consider that The Catholic Encyclopedia of 1912 teaches the following about Pentecost:

Pentecost A feast of the universal Church which commemorates the Descent of the Holy Ghost upon the Apostles, fifty days after the Resurrection of Christ, on the ancient Jewish festival called the “feast of weeks” or Pentecost (Exodus 34:22; Deuteronomy 16:10).

The above article explains nothing about firstfruits which are tied to this date. The Church of Rome does not understand how the Day of Pentecost helps reveal part of God’s firstfruit plan.

Notice the following scriptures:

16 …the Feast of Harvest, the firstfruits of your labors which you have sown in the field; 17 and the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you have gathered in the fruit of your labors from the field (Exodus 23:16-17).

22 And you shall observe the Feast of Weeks, of the firstfruits of wheat harvest, and the Feast of Ingathering at the year’s end (Exodus 34:22).

26 Also on the day of the firstfruits, when you bring a new grain offering to the LORD at your Feast of Weeks, you shall have a holy convocation (Numbers 28:26).

How does the idea of firstfruits help us understand this day?

The Feast of Pentecost or Feast of Firstfruits (Exodus 34:22) reminds us that God is now calling only a small “firstfruits” spiritual harvest, with the Last Great Day coming which pictures a greater harvest later. The Spring harvest, in most areas, is much smaller than the greater Fall harvest, and this is consistent with God’s plan of salvation for humanity.

But what about Jesus? Wasn’t He a type of firstfruits?

Yes, He certainly was. Paul notes:

20 But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. 23 But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming. (1 Corinthians 15:20-23).

Christ is the fulfillment of the wave sheaf offering in Leviticus 23:10-11. He is the sheaf of firstfruits. He also fulfilled that role when He ascended into heaven on the Sunday (the wave sheaf offering was on a Sunday) after He was resurrected (John 20:1,17). But neither He nor His true followers observed what is now called Easter.

Also, James notes that Jesus brought us forth to also be a type of firstfruit:

18 Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures (James 1:18).

So while Jesus was the original firstfruit to represent the wave sheaf offering, true Christians are a kind of firstfruits, represented by the Day of Pentecost. “Firstfruits” mean that only a few will be part of the harvest in this age (cf. Luke 12:32; Romans 9:27; 11:5)–but they also imply that there will be a greater harvest–a time where all who never had an opportunity for salvation will later have a true and real opportunity.

Consider also that the idea of Christians being firstfruits is confirmed in the New Testament (James 1:18). In ancient Israel, there was a smaller harvest in the Spring and a larger harvest in the Fall. The Spring Holy Day Pentecost, when properly understood, helps picture that God is only calling some now for salvation (John 6:44; 1 Corinthians 1:26; Romans 11:15) with a larger harvest coming later (John 7:37-38).

Many Greco-Roman Catholic and Protestant churches observe some version of Pentecost. Yet, partially because they do not observe certain other biblical holy days, they fail to understand why God is only calling some now, and that He does have a plan to offer all salvation (Luke 3:6; Isaiah 52:10). “Mercy triumphs over judgment” (James 2:13).

That said, the Eastern Orthodox, similar to the Roman Catholic Church, do understand that God has a plan to save those not called in this age, yet like the Roman Catholics, they are not sure how.

Orthodox Bishop Timothy Ware (who is now called Bishop Kallistos) wrote:

“What exactly is the condition of souls in the period between death and the Resurrection of the Body at the Last Day? Here Orthodox teaching is not entirely clear…The majority would be inclined to say that the faithful departed do not suffer at all. Another school holds that perhaps they suffer, but if so, their suffering is of a purificatory but not an expiratory character. Yet a third group would prefer to leave the whole question entirely open: let us avoid detailed formulation about the life after death” (Ware, p.255).

“There is no terrorism in the Orthodox doctrine of God … several of the Fathers have none the less believed that in the end all will be reconciled to God. It is heretical to say that all must be saved, for this is to deny free will; but it is a legitimate hope that all may be saved. Until the Last Day come, we must not despair of anyone’s salvation, but must long and pray for the reconciliation of all without exception” (Ware, p. 262).

Andreas Andreopoulos wrote:

Gregory does not accept the restoration of all and the subsequent forgiveness of all as an inescapable necessity. Nobody will be saved without going through repentance, cleansing and forgiveness, and his view of the apokatastasis is merely the belief that everyone will be able to see truth as it is at the end, and everyone will be given the chance to repent…The restoration of all however, a valid possibility according to the Church, although not a doctrine, has a special place in the hopes of saints who pray for the redemption of their enemies, and it expresses our hope for the charity of God. Possibly the honorable silence expresses this hope, which in spite of the danger of determinism, becomes almost a certainty in this light: If even one human being is able to forgive and pray for the salvation of the entire cosmos, wouldn’t God’s providence find a way to make it happen? (Andreopoulos A. Eschatology and final restoration (apokatastasis) in Origen, Gregory of Nyssa and Maximos the Confessor. Theandros an Online Journal of Orthodox Christian Theology and Practice, Volume 1, number 3, Spring 2004. http://www.theandros.com/restoration.html viewed 06/08/09)

Archpriest George Florovsky observed:

St. Gregory of Nyssa anticipated a kind of universal conversion of souls in the afterlife, when the Truth of God will be revealed and manifested with compelling evidence…

God respects human freedom, as St. Irenaeus once said…The Last Judgment remains a mystery.

(Florovsky G. The last things and the last events. Originally written no later than 1979. Missionary Leaflet # E95h Holy Protection Russian Orthodox Church. Los Angeles. Editor: Bishop Alexander (Mileant) http://www.fatheralexander.org/booklets/english/last_events_florovsky_e.htm#n3 viewed 06/07/09).

Orthodox eschatology remains a mystery to the Orthodox as they tend to admit that they do not understand much of it.

But if they and others would keep the biblical holy days, they would understand that God does have a plan and that on the LAST DAY, which the New Testament refers to as “the last great day” (John 7:37, Catholic Public Domain Version, Godbey New Testament) all who did not have a real opportunity for salvation in this age, will have that opportunity.

This is something that the Continuing Church of God understands, but the bulk of the Greco-Roman Catholics and Protestants do not.

But you can know about this–see the free e-book: Universal OFFER of Salvation, Apokatastasis: Can God save the lost in an age to come? Hundreds of scriptures reveal God’s plan of salvation.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

Universal OFFER of Salvation, Apokatastasis: Can God save the lost in an age to come? Hundreds of scriptures reveal God’s plan of salvation Will all get a fair chance at salvation? This free book is packed with scriptures showing that God does intend to offer salvation to all who ever lived–the elect in this age, and the rest in the age to come. Here is a link to a related sermon series: Universal Offer of Salvation 1: Apocatastasis, Universal Offer of Salvation 2: Jesus Desires All to be Saved, Mysteries of the Great White Throne Judgment (Universal Offer of Salvation part 3), Is God Fair?, Will God Pardon the Ignorant?, Can God Save Your Relatives?, Babies, Limbo, Purgatory and God’s Plan, and ‘By the Mouth of All His Holy Prophets’.

Pentecost: Is it more than Acts 2? Many “Christians” somewhat observe Pentecost. Do they know what it means? It is also called the Feast of Harvest, the Feast of Weeks, and the day of firstfruits. What about “speaking in tongues” and led by the Holy Spirit? (Here is a related link in Spanish/español: Pentecostés: ¿Es más que Hechos 2? plus one by Herbert Armstrong HWA sobre Pentecostés). Here is a YouTube sermon titled Pentecost: What it Teaches and When it is.

Pentecost is Part of God’s Plan. This combines a couple of articles from the 1980s, plus additional scriptures and modern comments about Pentecost. Here is a related sermon: Pentecost Plan.

Does the CCOG have the confirmed signs of Acts 2:17-18? Does any church have the confirmed dream and prophetic signs of Acts 2:17-18? Should one? Here is a link in the Spanish language: ¿Tiene la CCOG confirmadas las señales de Hechos 2: 17-18? Here is a link in the French language: Est-ce que l’Église Continue de Dieu confirme les signes d’Actes 2:17-18? A related sermon in the English language is also available: 17 Last Days’ Signs of the Holy Spirit.

Is God Calling You? This booklet discusses topics including calling, election, and selection. If God is calling you, how will you respond? Here is are links to related sermons: Christian Election: Is God Calling YOU? and Predestination and Your Selection; here is a message in Spanish: Me Está Llamando Dios Hoy? A short animation is also available: Is God Calling You?

Christian Repentance Do you know what repentance is? Is it really necessary for salvation? Two related sermons about this are also available: Real Repentance and Real Christian Repentance.
About Baptism Should you be baptized? Could baptism be necessary for salvation? Who should baptize and how should it be done? Here are links to two related sermons: Let’s Talk About Baptism and Baptism, Infants, Fire, & the Second Death. 

Should You Keep God’s Holy Days or Demonic Holidays? This is a free pdf booklet explaining what the Bible and history shows about God’s Holy Days and popular holidays. Two related sermons would be Which Spring Days should Christians observe? and Fall Holy Days for Christians.

Beliefs of the Original Catholic Church: Could a remnant group have continuing apostolic succession? Did the original “catholic church” have doctrines held by the Continuing Church of God? Did Church of God leaders uses the term “catholic church” to ever describe the church they were part of? Here are links to related sermons: Original Catholic Church of God?, Original Catholic Doctrine: Creed, Liturgy, Baptism, Passover, What Type of Catholic was Polycarp of Smyrna?, Tradition, Holy Days, Salvation, Dress, & Celibacy, Early Heresies and Heretics, Doctrines: 3 Days, Abortion, Ecumenism, Meats, Tithes, Crosses, Destiny, and more, Saturday or Sunday?, The Godhead, Apostolic Laying on of Hands Succession, Church in the Wilderness Apostolic Succession List, Holy Mother Church and Heresies, and Lying Wonders and Original Beliefs. Here is a link to that book in the Spanish language: Creencias de la iglesia Católica original.

Hope of Salvation: How the Continuing Church of God Differs from Protestantism The CCOG is NOT Protestant. This free online book explains how the real Church of God differs from mainstream/traditional Protestants. Several sermons related to the free book are also available: Protestant, Baptist, and CCOG History; The First Protestant, God’s Command, Grace, & Character; The New Testament, Martin Luther, and the Canon; Eucharist, Passover, and Easter; Views of Jews, Lost Tribes, Warfare, & Baptism; Scripture vs. Tradition, Sabbath vs. Sunday; Church Services, Sunday, Heaven, and God’s Plan; Seventh Day Baptists/Adventists/Messianics: Protestant or COG?; Millennial Kingdom of God and God’s Plan of Salvation; Crosses, Trees, Tithes, and Unclean Meats; The Godhead and the Trinity; Fleeing or Rapture?; and Ecumenism, Rome, and CCOG Differences.

Posted in Doctrine | Comments Off on Vatican confused about God’s plan of salvation and how Pentecost is part of the plan

Pentecost 2025 y Sermón Fiesta de Pentecostés

Sunday, June 1st, 2025


(Photo from PublicDomainPhotos)

COGwriter

From sunset May 31st through sunset June 1st is the Day of Pentecost for 2025.

While the Roman Catholics and Protestants, in the past, have tended to observe their version of Pentecost on the correct date, because of changes in the 4th and possibly 5th centuries, they will observe it a week late this year.

While many of the world’s churches acknowledge Pentecost, they tend to miss various aspects of its meaning (see also the article Pentecost: Is it more than Acts 2?).

For those who cannot attend live services, here is our suggested format for Pentecost services this year:

For those who wish two services in English, here is a second suggested service:

For those who listen in Spanish we have translated some messages:

English title: Pentecost Offertory: Reach Others
Spanish title: Ofertorio Pentecostes
Spanish YouTube link: https://youtu.be/rs_C5HjYN3U
English title: Feast of Pentecost Sermon

Spanish title: Sermón Fiesta de Pentecostés

Spanish youtube link: https://youtu.be/87_S4awV1Vg
English title: 17 Last Days’ Signs of the Holy Spirit
Spanish title: 17 señales del Espíritu Santo en los últimos Días
Spanish YouTube link: https://youtu.be/Sn_6DXZHwss

The sermon by Steve Dupuie titled God’s Holy Day of Pentecost was translated into the Spanish language and uploaded: El dia santo de Dios de Pentecostes. So, for those wishing two services in Spanish, here is a second:

English title: God’s Holy Day of Pentecost
Spanish title: El dia santo de Dios de Pentecostes
Spanish link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49LfTZryNvo&feature=youtu.be

English title: Offering Message Feast of Pentecost
Spanish title: Mensaje de Ofrenda Fiesta de Pentecostes
Spanish youtube link: https://youtu.be/pInIzdd7EVA

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

Pentecost: Is it more than Acts 2? Many “Christians” somewhat observe Pentecost. Do they know what it means? It is also called the Feast of Harvest, the Feast of Weeks, and the day of firstfruits. What about “speaking in tongues” and led by the Holy Spirit? (Here is a related link in Spanish/español: Pentecostés: ¿Es más que Hechos 2? plus one by Herbert Armstrong HWA sobre Pentecostés). Here is a YouTube sermon titled Pentecost: What it Teaches and When it is.
Pentecost is Part of God’s Plan. This combines a couple of articles from the 1980s, plus additional scriptures and modern comments about Pentecost. Here is a related sermon: Pentecost Plan.
Does the CCOG have the confirmed signs of Acts 2:17-18? Does any church have the confirmed dream and prophetic signs of Acts 2:17-18? Should one? Here is a link in the Spanish language: ¿Tiene la CCOG confirmadas las señales de Hechos 2: 17-18? Here is a link in the French language: Est-ce que l’Église Continue de Dieu confirme les signes d’Actes 2:17-18? A related sermon in the English language is also available: 17 Last Days’ Signs of the Holy Spirit.
Church of God Leaders on Prophets Have there been prophets throughout the church age? Are any supposed to be around in the last days? What have COG leaders stated or written about prophets? Here is a link to a related sermon: Church of God Leaders on Prophets.
Predestination: Did God really call You? Why? Predestination? Is your ultimate fate decided for you in advance? Here is a link to a related video sermon: Predestination: What it is and what it is not. Another related video is Predestination and Pentecost.
Is God Calling You? This booklet discusses topics including calling, election, and selection. If God is calling you, how will you respond? Here is a link to a related sermon: Could God be Calling You? A short animation is also available: Is God Calling You?
Universal OFFER of Salvation, Apokatastasis: Can God save the lost in an age to come? Hundreds of scriptures reveal God’s plan of salvation Will all people get a fair chance at salvation? This free book is packed with scriptures showing that God does intend to offer salvation to all who ever lived–the elect in this age, and the rest in the age to come. Here is a link to a related sermon series: Universal Offer of Salvation 1: Apocatastasis, Universal Offer of Salvation 2: Jesus Desires All to be Saved, Mysteries of the Great White Throne Judgment (Universal Offer of Salvation part 3), Is God Fair, Will God Pardon the Ignorant?, Can God Save Your Relatives?, Babies, Limbo, Purgatory and God’s Plan, and ‘By the Mouth of All His Holy Prophets’.
Hope of Salvation: How the Continuing Church of God differs from Protestantism How the real Church of God differs from mainstream/traditional Protestants, is perhaps the question I am asked most by those without a Church of God background. As far as some changes affecting Protestantism, watch the video Charismatic Kenneth Copeland and Anglican Tony Palmer: Protestants Beware! [Português: Esperança do salvação: Como a igreja do deus difere da maioria de protestantes]. Several related sermon are also available: Protestant, Baptist, and CCOG History, The First Protestant, God’s Command, Grace, & Character, The New Testament, Martin Luther, and the Canon, Eucharist, Passover, and Easter, and How Does the Church of God Differ from Protestantism?
Pentecost Quiz This is a Pentecost quiz based upon the Old and New Testaments in the Bible.
Should You Keep God’s Holy Days or Demonic Holidays? This is a free pdf booklet explaining what the Bible and history shows about God’s Holy Days and popular holidays.
Is There “An Annual Worship Calendar” In the Bible? This paper provides a biblical and historical critique of several articles, including one by WCG which states that this should be a local decision.
What do the Holy Days mean? Also you can click here for the Holy Day Calendar. This is a listing of the biblical holy days through 2033, with their Roman calendar dates. They are really hard to observe if you do not know when they occur 🙂 In the Spanish/Español/Castellano language: Calendario de los Días Santos. In Mandarin Chinese: 何日是神的圣日？ 这里是一份神的圣日日历从2013年至2024年。. Where is the True Christian Church Today? This free online pdf booklet answers that question and includes 18 proofs, clues, and signs to identify the true vs. false Christian church. Plus 7 proofs, clues, and signs to help identify Laodicean churches. A related sermon is also available: Where is the True Christian Church? Here is a link to the booklet in the Spanish language: ¿Dónde está la verdadera Iglesia cristiana de hoy?
Continuing History of the Church of God This pdf booklet is a historical overview of the true Church of God and some of its main opponents from Acts 2 to the 21st century. Related sermon links include Continuing History of the Church of God: c. 31 to c. 300 A.D. and Continuing History of the Church of God: 4th-16th Centuries and Continuing History of the Church of God: 17th-20th Centuries. The booklet is available in Spanish: Continuación de la Historia de la Iglesia de Dios, German: Kontinuierliche Geschichte der Kirche Gottes, French: L Histoire Continue de l Église de Dieu and Ekegusii Omogano Bw’ekanisa Ya Nyasae Egendererete.
The History of Early Christianity Are you aware that what most people believe is not what truly happened to the true Christian church? Do you know where the early church was based? Do you know what were the doctrines of the early church? Is your faith really based upon the truth, or compromise?

Posted in COG News | Comments Off on Pentecost 2025 y Sermón Fiesta de Pentecostés