{"id":40903,"date":"2017-02-25T08:30:29","date_gmt":"2017-02-25T16:30:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cogwriter.com\/news\/?p=40903"},"modified":"2017-02-25T13:09:42","modified_gmt":"2017-02-25T21:09:42","slug":"lcgs-roderick-meredith-apostles-prophets-and-the-truth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cogwriter.com\/news\/cog-news\/lcgs-roderick-meredith-apostles-prophets-and-the-truth\/","title":{"rendered":"LCG’s Roderick Meredith, Apostles, Prophets, and the Truth"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"
\nRoderick C. Meredith
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

COGwriter<\/a><\/p>\n

Dr. Roderick C. Meredith of the Living Church of God<\/a> (LCG) published the following:<\/p>\n

\n

“It is coming<\/em>. It is coming soon<\/strong>. Your Bible clearly indicates that a wave <\/strong>of false prophets <\/em>will rise up at the end of this age!<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

These self-willed, vain men may even affect the lives of thousands of you Tomorrow\u2019s World <\/em>subscribers, if <\/strong>you allow them to. We in this Work have repeatedly taught you the very \u201cway\u201d of life that Jesus Christ taught His own disciples. …<\/p>\n

Examine Their Fruits!<\/strong><\/h2>\n

But, as time goes on, many false teachers will rise up and try to turn sincere people away from the true Work of God. It has always <\/em>been so. The Apostle Paul had to warn the Corinthian elders: \u201cFor I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves\u201d (Acts 20:29\u201330<\/a>). Jesus Himself warned us: \u201cBeware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep\u2019s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles?… Therefore by their fruits you will know them\u201d (Matthew 7:15\u201316<\/a>, 20<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Think!<\/em><\/p>\n

What is the \u201cfruit\u201d\u2014the result<\/strong>\u2014of sincere people being taught to follow the example of Christ and the original apostles? It is a people who genuinely try to love and to serve one another. It is a people who love <\/strong>the Creator God and joyously observe His weekly Sabbaths and His annual Holy Days and\u2014through Christ living within them\u2014walk in the way <\/em>of the Ten Commandments.<\/p>\n

By contrast, when a spirit of doubt and discouragement is sown among God\u2019s people, often over minor and disputed \u201ctechnical points\u201d of prophecy or chronology, the \u201cfruit\u201d is not <\/strong>good. Paul warned Timothy to emphasize \u201csound doctrine,\u201d telling him to \u201cremain in Ephesus that you may charge some that they teach no other doctrine, nor give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which cause disputes rather than godly edification which is in faith. Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith\u201d (1 Timothy 1:3\u20135<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Love and Humility Versus Self-Will and Pride<\/strong><\/h2>\n

All true doctrines come back to God\u2019s commandments being based on love (v. 5) and service. …<\/p>\n

None <\/em>of us in this Work, which brings you the Tomorrow\u2019s World <\/em>television program and this magazine, has ever tried to proclaim himself a \u201cprophet,\u201d or an \u201capostle.\u201d For the word of God describes the \u201csigns\u201d of an apostle as, \u201csigns <\/em>and wonders <\/em>and mighty deeds<\/em>\u201d (2 Corinthians 12:12<\/a>). No one <\/em>living today has produced those types of \u201csigns\u201d to indicate true apostleship\u2014or prophethood! (Meredith RC. False Prophets are Coming! Tomorrow’s World, January -February 2017)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The TRUTH is that the above is misleading and inaccurate.<\/p>\n

While the Bible does warn about false prophets, the Bible also teaches that there will be prophets in the last days and that God will grant them dreams:<\/p>\n

17 ‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God,
\nThat I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh;
\nYour sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
\nYour young men shall see visions,
\nYour old men shall dream dreams.
\n18 And on My menservants and on My maidservants
\nI will pour out My Spirit in those days;
\nAnd they shall prophesy. (Acts 2:17-18)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I, and others affiliated with the Continuing<\/em> Church of God<\/a> have had prophetic dreams that have come to pass (see Dreams, the Bible, the Radio Church of God, and the Continuing<\/em> Church of God<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Despite the fact that the Bible shows that God uses dreams (Genesis 20:3-7, 28:10-17, 31:10-13, 31:24, 37:5-10, 40:5-18, 41:1-32; Numbers 12:6; Judges 7:13-15; 1 Kings 3:5-15; Daniel 2:3-45, 4:4-27, 7:1-28; Matthew 1:20-25, 2:12, 2:13, 2:19, 2:22; Acts 16:9), and the members of the old Radio and Worldwide Church of God used to accept that the dream from Loma Armstrong was from God, most today do not wish to believe God still uses dreams.<\/p>\n

Non-believers and Laodiceans<\/a> often will not accept how God works.<\/p>\n

In the Continuing<\/em> Church of God<\/a>, we also do teach AND practice the Ten Commandments–which is not something I can say that Dr. Meredith fully does. He should realize that God\u2019s people keep their word, even when it is not popular:<\/p>\n

1 Who may worship in your sanctuary, Lord? Who may enter your presence on your holy hill? 2 Those who lead blameless lives and do what is right, speaking the truth from sincere hearts.<\/p>\n

3 Those who refuse to gossip or harm their neighbors or speak evil of their friends. 4 Those who despise flagrant sinners, and honor the faithful followers of the Lord, and keep their promises even when it hurts. (Psalm 15:1-4, New Living Translation).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Dr, Meredith repeatedly broke promises to me, even when reminded. And even when he made those promises in front of other LCG evangelists. He has not ever apologized to me for doing so, but instead his pride and self-will has caused him to improperly attack me publicly. And sometimes, like in the article at the beginning of this post, more subtly.<\/p>\n

Here is something that was posted by someone at an anti-COG website related to Roderick C. Meredith (RCM):<\/p>\n

Maybe now that RCM is on his death bed he will start making some calls. …<\/p>\n

All the people Rod has slandered over the years including Bob Thiel (say what you want about him but it doesn’t negate the fact that RCM lied about him repeatedly), Charles Bryce and the Scarborough’s to name a few.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Let me state here, that although I was NOT a fan of Charles Bryce, I did personally object to LCG’s top leadership about certain items that Dr. Meredith improperly wrote about him after Charles Bryce left LCG. As far as the Scarboroughs go, while I discouraged them from filing their lawsuit, it was my hope that with their information people would realize that LCG had put out knowingly false information about them.<\/p>\n

And as far as I go, yes, Dr. Meredith put out several false and misleading statements about me and he even flat-out denied telling me that he said if he would accept the role of an apostle, he was considering ordaining me as a prophet–even though he did, in fact, do that in January 2009. Plus he broke numerous promises to me related to correcting literature and doctrinal errors that he and others at LCG had acknowledged. He also falsely libeled my character. Yet, I have stood for and told the truth. And Dr. Meredith, if he still has the mental capacity, should realize that, publicly repent, and tell the truth.<\/p>\n

As far as Dr. Meredith writing that no one at LCG ever proclaiming himself an apostle or prophet, after he told me that GOD may consider me to be a prophet when I was part of LCG, Dr. Meredith later told me he was considering calling himself an apostle. And when he said this, he certainly did not have the \u201csigns <\/em>and wonders <\/em>and mighty deeds<\/em>\u201d he is alluding to.<\/p>\n

But I did have the biblical signs of being a prophet and he knew at least some of that (see also How To Determine If Someone is a True Prophet of God<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Now, Jesus said that one would know prophets by their fruits.<\/p>\n

Dr. Meredith quoted that. I agree with Dr. Meredith that fruits should be examined and urge all who consider that they might be Philadelphian Christians<\/a> to look at the fruits.<\/p>\n

But first, what were Dr. Meredith’s criteria for the fruits of God’s blessings? According to him, it has to do with the physical growth of the church as he wrote the following:<\/p>\n

\n

Personal – Pray for Our Financial Growth!<\/h3>\n
Roderick C. Meredith<\/div>\n
January\/February 2016<\/div>\n

One special prayer that I would ask all of you to join me in praying is this: let us all together<\/em> beseech God to grant us in this Work at least half<\/strong> of the financial increase that He gave Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong for about 35 years! For, as Mr. Armstrong explained many times, God gave the Work under his direction about 30 percent increase year by year for about 35 years.<\/p>\n

Near the end of his ministry, with personal problems and sins growing throughout the Church, those blessings were taken away or cut back. …<\/p>\n

God Almighty is still alive<\/em>, He is working<\/em> through us right now, and\u2014as these terrible end-time events approach\u2014we really need to shake<\/strong> the world with the knowledge of His Kingdom far more than we have ever done. Remember, brethren, we are only \u201cbeginning to fight.\u201d We have not <\/strong>yet finished!<\/em> So again, since Jesus told us: \u201cask and you shall receive,\u201d we can with faith ask God to give us at least one-half<\/strong> of the financial increase He gave His Church all those years when Mr. and Mrs. Armstrong were still alive and doing the Work. That would be a 15 percent<\/em> financial increase<\/em> of this Work year by year. I hope all of you will sincerely and zealously do your part<\/em>. But I am not going to \u201cpress you\u201d on that. For that is up to<\/em> you<\/strong> and between you and God as you \u201cwalk with Him\u201d in the fear of God. But I feel that God would want us to cry out<\/strong> and ask Him for the blessing that I have already indicated. Then, we could go on far more<\/em> television stations, greatly <\/em>increase our impact over the Internet\u2014which is certainly the \u201cwave of the future\u201d\u2014increase our personal appearance campaigns and \u201cgrow\u201d the Work in every possible way.<\/p>\n

When I first began this present Work back in 1992, I was a little embarrassed to ask for money. …<\/p>\n

Most of you realize this. If you go around your neighborhood<\/em> you find virtually no one<\/em> who has heard of the Living Church of God or any of the other groups that are trying to do God\u2019s Work today. This needs to change!<\/em> So I hope all of us can begin to fast<\/em> and to pray <\/em>fervently <\/strong>and ask God to help us stir ourselves<\/em> to do our part far more zealously<\/em> and begin to serve our Creator with zeal and to give of our physical substance sacrificially<\/em> as we are able. Some of our brethren are already doing this. But I am fully aware that many of our brethren\u2014often fine brethren who mean well and who are already giving a little bit of their substance\u2014are nevertheless sitting on hundreds of thousands or millions<\/strong> of dollars worth of money, property and other resources they very rarely touch to help do the Work of the living God at the very end<\/strong> of this age.<\/p>\n

Think of it!<\/em> …<\/p>\n

God\u2019s Word tells us: \u201cNow the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common.And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all.Nor was there anyone among them who lacked; for all who were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold,and laid them at the apostles\u2019 feet; and they distributed to each as anyone had need. And Joses, who was also named Barnabas by the apostles (which is translated Son of Encouragement), a Levite of the country of Cyprus,having land, sold it, and brought the money and laid it at the apostles\u2019 feet\u201d (Acts 4:32\u201337). God does not ask us to \u201chave all things in common\u201d as did these first-century Christians, but we can still be moved and inspired today by their great zeal.<\/p>\n

Is it too much to ask that all of us<\/em> follow the pattern of the early Church and give<\/strong> of ourselves, our time, our energy and our possessions in the very service of Jesus Christ at the end<\/strong> of this age?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

So, Dr. Meredith wrote that he believes that sins cause COG groups to have less than 30% growth, so he was hoping for 15% for LCG. There are sins in LCG (see Why Bob Thiel Left the Living Church of God<\/a>). Therefore, by Dr. Meredith’s logic, there are severe problems with LCG.<\/p>\n

As I repeatedly told Dr. Meredith over the years when I was part of LCG<\/a>, even doubling the number of television stations its broadcast was on would NOT fulfill Matthew 24:14 as the reach (according to his own statistics) would still be inadequate. I explained to him that it looked like God would use media coverage just prior to the Great Tribulation to insure that Matthew 24:14 would be fulfilled. The non-Philadelphian groups seem not to realize how God’s work really will be accomplished (cf. Zechariah 4:6) and that it is a work of faith (cf. 1 Thessalonians 1:11) not money.<\/p>\n

We in the Continuing<\/a><\/em> Church of God<\/a> have been walking by faith and have had vastly more than the 30% growth that the old Radio\/Worldwide Church of God once had and the 15% growth that Dr. Meredith has asked his followers to plead for. We in\u00a0the Continuing<\/a><\/em> Church of God<\/a> do have the type of fruits that Jesus said a true prophet would have.<\/p>\n

The Continuing<\/a><\/em> Church of God<\/a> is the only Church of God with this type of growth in the 21st century. This is a fact and is the truth.<\/p>\n

Dr. Meredith and others may wish to consider the ramifications of that in lieu of what he wrote.<\/p>\n

As far as “technical points” are concerned that Dr. Meredith mentioned, LCG has many, many errors that apparently Dr. Meredith does not think his members should care about. Unlike the Charlotte-based Living Church of God, the Continuing<\/em> Church of God<\/a> believes:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. That the word of God and not Protestant commentaries should be the basis for changing doctrine (it remains my view that LCG’s \u201cfalling away\u201d logic was primarily based upon Protestant interpretations, overlooked a lot of what the Worldwide Church of God , headed by Herbert W. Armstrong actually taught about it, and was not consistent with many scriptures in the Bible).\u00a0 See also The Falling Away: The Bible and WCG Teachings<\/a>.<\/li>\n
  2. The Falling Away on 2 Thessalonians 2:3 mainly has to do with those affiliated with the COG (see also The Falling Away: The Bible and WCG Teachings<\/a>).<\/li>\n
  3. That the leader of CCOG keep his word, as should the leader of LCG\u2013really (see Why Bob Thiel Left the Living Church of God<\/a> and Response to a Letter from Dr. Roderick C. Meredith Dated December 28, 2012<\/a>).<\/li>\n
  4. That since a prophet is higher in \u201cspiritual authority\u201d than an evangelist, that those who believe in hierarchical governance would support a prophet of God over an evangelist, irrespective of how long he has been an evangelist (see also The Bible, Peter, Paul, John, Polycarp, Herbert W. Armstrong, Roderick C. Meredith, and Bob Thiel on Church Government<\/a> and How To Determine If Someone is a True Prophet of God<\/a>).<\/li>\n
  5. That faith is not the first step towards salvation, but that God calls and send out His messengers to teach the word of God (Romans 10:14-17), and then comes faith (the Official Statement of Fundamental Beliefs of LCG differs; see also proposed changes to LCG\u2019s Official Statement of Fundamental Beliefs<\/a>).<\/li>\n
  6. That it is inappropriate to suggest that those that do not agree to an unscriptural doctrinal change have somehow been led by or blinded by Satan (this is related to statements in two sermons by Dr. Douglas Winnail; see also The Falling Away: The Bible and WCG Teachings<\/a>).<\/li>\n
  7. That it is not necessary to rebuild a Jewish Temple in Jerusalem before Jesus returns (both a TW telecast and one or more LCG sermons have stated a view that disagrees with that; see also Why is a Jewish Temple in Jerusalem Not Required?<\/a>) and that we should not insist that the “Bible clearly states” that the holy place of Matthew 24:15 is the area commonly called “the Temple Mount” (see Church of God on Jerusalem’s Western Hill<\/a>).<\/li>\n
  8. That literature corrections and\/or retractions should be made when known. The work of God MUST be done in truth (Psalm 33:4).<\/li>\n
  9. That the COG must be bolder in certain areas if it wants to fulfill Matthew 24:14 (see also The Final Phase of the Work<\/a>).<\/li>\n
  10. Matthew 18:15-17, about going to your brother to try to resolve a matter before going public with it, applies to leaders and members.<\/li>\n
  11. That institutional idolatry is still wrong and that proper church governance does not include being loyal to a church or leader\u2019s teachings which contradict scripture (see also The Bible, Peter, Paul, John, Polycarp, Herbert W. Armstrong, Roderick C. Meredith, and Bob Thiel on Church Government<\/a>).<\/li>\n
  12. That it is wrong to knowingly send out tens of thousands of booklets with admitted and known errors for several years (tens of thousands of the GCA booklet have gone out, despite LCG being told that they contain known errors years ago and that they perpetuate certain Catholic myths (consider also Psalm 101:7); on 10\/18\/12 I was informed that over 20,000 incorrect booklets remained and were expected to be sent out; see also October 2012 Emails Related to GCA Booklet<\/a>).<\/li>\n
  13. That it is wrong to continue to have one or more known errors\/contradictions in an Official Statement of Fundamental Beliefs, but still keep it unchanged for years after learning what they are (one is a seeming contradiction within the Statement, and the others are covered in points 4 and 18, though point four I had not brought that up before, but wanted to when I first noticed it). (See also December 2011 Proposed changes to LCG\u2019s Official Statement of Fundamental Beliefs<\/a>.)<\/li>\n
  14. That Philadelphians should expect persecution (Daniel 11:28-35; Revelation 12:13-14; see also Persecutions by Church and State<\/a>) and not excessively pull-back proclamation to avoid it (I was specifically told that some, who I will not mention now by name, were afraid I, Bob Thiel, could trigger end time persecution, despite the fact that they in LCG also specifically realize that the Philadelphians will be persecuted).<\/li>\n
  15. That improving literature and doctrinal errors will greatly assist in the final phase of the work. (Briefly, what this refers to is when the COG publicly identifies the King of the North and media coverage gets generated, the Catholic scholars will tear through COG literature and find many, many simple to fix errors that will hurt the COG\u2019s credibility. LCG Evangelists agreed to fix many of them with me over the years, but often have yet not done so. My being distant from LCG assists in the sense that I do not have to apologize for why a group that supposedly has enough of the \u201clove of the truth\u201d kept publishing known and serious errors. And several of those errors perpetuate Catholic myths. This could greatly damage the credibility of God\u2019s work.<\/li>\n
  16. It has a better grasp of The Final Phase of the Work<\/a>. (Briefly, basically this begins no later than when the King of the North is identified and continues until Jesus returns\u2013it has multiple parts including fulfilling Matthew 24:14\u2013which may happen because of related media attention, persecution, the angels\u2019 messages of Revelation, the two witnesses, and supporting those witnesses. If John Ogwyn was correct about the \u201cshort work\u201d on Romans 9:28, this could possibly, temporarily swell the ranks of the COG prior to the persecution.)<\/li>\n
  17. Jesus is present at Passover (Matthew 18:20; 26:26-27; John 6:51,53; 1 Corinthians 11:24-25; LCG\u2019s Passover DVD for 2012 stated that Jesus was not present).<\/li>\n
  18. People should be more loyal to the word of God and leaders that God appoints<\/em> than a corporation (see also The Bible, Peter, Paul, John, Polycarp, Herbert W. Armstrong, Roderick C. Meredith, and Bob Thiel on Church Government<\/a>).<\/li>\n
  19. Ignatius\u2019 writings did not do away with the Sabbath (see Another Look at the Didache, Ignatius, and the Sabbath<\/a>) as that is a mistranslation (the God\u2019s Church Through the Ages\u2019<\/em> booklet has this and many other errors as does the book LCG printed and gave to all in the Fall of 2014 by Ivor Fletcher).<\/li>\n
  20. The Continuing<\/em> Church of God has laying on of hands succession (see Laying on of Hands<\/a>) (LCG has shied away from teaching “succession,” though when I was in LCG their leaders seemed to agree with my basic position on it, which remains–though LCG had not actually taught in its publications, when I checked).<\/li>\n
  21. Various divorce and remarriage (D&R) matters. Though since I have only been married once (we have been married for 35 plus years, and are not planning on divorcing), this was not a major personal item, but has long been a spiritual concern as LCG seemed to allow remarriage where the Bible did not.<\/li>\n
  22. That adultery, does not mean multiple adultery, as far as Jesus\u2019 words about divorce go (Dr. Meredith has said in sermons that adultery here means multiple violations. That is not how I read this and I called Charlotte about it in 2012, with no satisfactory resolution.)<\/li>\n
  23. Marriages performed by the ministry are not to include believers to unbelievers per 2 Corinthians 6:14-18 (unless certain other biblically-sanctioned reasons are present; e.g. Deuteronomy 22:28). See also the 2015 post, NBC: \u2018Exposed in Ashley Madison Hack? Here\u2019s What to Do Now\u2019<\/a>.<\/li>\n
  24. That the Great Tribulation, the time of Jacob\u2019s troubles, does not start at Daniel 11:40 when the King of the South pushes at the King of the North\u2013it starts the prior verse (this is something that still needs to be corrected in the LCG Official Statement of Fundamental Beliefs<\/em>; this is something many have known about for years and had promised to address; see also When Will the Great Tribulation Begin?<\/a>).<\/li>\n
  25. That the “strongest fortresses” in Daniel 11:39 are a reference to the USA (see also USA in Prophecy: The Strongest Fortresses<\/a>). Although the evangelists at LCG all agreed I was correct about this, when I checked LCG’s two major websites in 2017, there was no place where LCG teaches this–this is an improper and dangerous error of omission for LCG.<\/li>\n
  26. That the King of the North<\/a> attacks the USA and its Anglo-Saxon allies (Daniel 11:39) before he attacks the King of the South<\/a> (Daniel 11:40; LCG teaches both versions of this and leans towards the wrong one; LCG\u2019s Fourteen Signs<\/em> booklet, for one example, teaches that Daniel 11:31 comes AFTER Daniel 11:40-43 and that the USA and Anglo-Saxon nations are destroyed afterwards\u2013this means LCG WILL NOT KNOW WHEN THE GREAT TRIBULATION WILL BEGIN AND THOSE THAT PREFER TO SUPPORT LCG WILL NOT FLEE TO BE PROTECTED WHEN IT IS TIME).<\/li>\n
  27. That Daniel 11:31 is fulfilled prior to Daniel 11:40-43 (LCG\u2019s Fourteen Signs<\/em> booklet teaches the opposite order).<\/li>\n
  28. That since the ten kings have not yet received their kingdoms, that the ten kings mentioned in Revelation 17:16 are not limited to 10-11 currently existing nations (LCG sometimes takes a different view, which will mean that they will not realize when the Beast power is at the end stage of its rising up, see also LCG and PCG insisting on 10 or 11 \u2018nations\u2019 for the Beast? What does the Bible teach?<\/a>).<\/li>\n
  29. Do not believe that any in the ministry should promote the sport of American tackle football (the Bible, in Romans 13:9-10 clearly teaches \u201cYou shall love your neighbor as yourself.\u201d 10 Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law\u201d). HWA also specifically warned against this violent sport (see Is American Football Evil?<\/a>). There are also other \u201clove\u201d issue matters.<\/li>\n
  30. We do not believe that we should encourage the pagan sun-god (Shamash 888 B.C.) worship practice (cf. Deuteronomy 12:29-32) of praying with clasped hands (see our booklet Prayer: What Does the Bible Teach?<\/a>), whereas LCG has published photos promoting this.<\/li>\n
  31. While the Bible seemingly allows for eating out while traveling (Matthew 12:1-8) and certain emergencies (Luke 6:3-5), that it does not condone regular eating out in restaurants on the Sabbath for those who are simply at their homes (cf. Nehemiah 10:30-31; watch also The Christian Sabbath and How and Why to Keep It<\/a>).<\/li>\n
  32. That the \u201cmark of the Beast\u201d includes idolatry and likely a physical object, and is not limited to Sunday worship (see\u00a0Mark of the Beast<\/a> and The Mark of Antichrist<\/a>).<\/li>\n
  33. That the \u201cword of the law\u201d needs to be preached as part of the Feast of Tabernacles every seven years (Deuteronomy 31:10-13; cf. Nehemiah 6:73;7:1-3,8,13-17; Joshua 8:34; see also The Feast of Tabernacles: A Time to Learn the Law<\/a>). This was conveyed to those giving sermons at the CCOG Feast of Tabernacles\u2019 Sites for 2013<\/a>.<\/li>\n
  34. That Habakkuk 2 clearly is referring to these end times and thus has prophetic applicability to the Anglo-descended nations (LCG has ministers and at least one evangelist who believe Habakkuk 2 was fulfilled in its entirety and does not have end time applications, even though it clearly does\u2013see also Habakkuk: His message is for us now<\/a>).<\/li>\n
  35. Some of the prophecies in the Bible (e.g. Isaiah 10:5-11) seem to use the term \u2018Samaria\u2019 to refer to the modern United States of America (see also Anglo \u2013 America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel<\/a>). Although one LCG leader seemed open to this when told in 2012, LCG does not seem to formally teach this.<\/li>\n
  36. France will support the Beast power (LCG is no longer certain; see Must the Ten Kings of Revelation 17:12 Rule over Ten Currently Existing Nations?<\/a> And this disagrees with the late Dibar Apartian\u2019s position as shown in The \u2018Lost Tribe\u2019 of Reuben: France in Prophecy?<\/a>).<\/li>\n
  37. That Matthew 28:19 is part of the Bible and needs to be part of the baptismal ceremony (see also Is Matthew 28:19 in the Bible?<\/a>). Evangelist Richard Ames personally expressed his doubts to me once about whether Matthew 28:19 was scripture or not\u2013he, at that time at least, was not convinced that it was. Although the Bible teaches, \u201cone Lord, one faith, one baptism\u201d (Ephesians 4:5), in late June 2013 I was told by someone else who inquired that LCG has two different baptisms because some do not believe that Matthew 28:19 applies. Although it ends with an option for an appropriate ceremony, LCG\u2019s L049 letter specifically states, \u201cIs Matthew 28:19 the only commanded formula that must be used in a baptism ceremony? Again, we say no, it is not, based on the actual procedures the early church used in baptizing,\u201d which seems to substantiate what I was told about more than one baptismal option.<\/li>\n
  38. That the man of sin in 2 Thessalonians 2 is the first beast, the final King of the North, and not the second beast, the false prophet (see also Who is the Man of Sin of 2 Thessalonians 2?<\/a>; or, in English, see the You Tube video Who is the Man of Sin?<\/a>). In his co-worker letter dated, April 17, 2013, Dr. Meredith indicated that not agreeing with his improper assertion about this individual means that one does not understand biblical prophecy\u2013since Dr. Meredith is not correct on this, but CCOG is, those in his church should realize that LCG has major problems in understanding various parts of prophecy. This will not bode well for any who will believe LCG over CCOG in the future.<\/li>\n
  39. It is wrong to tell members that \u201cthe end\u201d is closer than the leadership believes (LCG has done this repeatedly as I tended to find out when I checked with its top leadership).<\/li>\n
  40. That 1 John 3:9 is referring to those born of God not sinning, not those begotten of God not being in a ‘state of sin’ as Dr. Meredith has stated (see also Perfection? Does God have faith in humans?<\/a>).<\/li>\n
  41. That it is not necessary that a red heifer be sacrificed as part of the final end time sequence (LCG has published that \u201cthose who are watching end-time prophetic events know that the slaughter of the red heifer is one of the first major milestones in this final sequence of end-time events\u201d; see The Red Heifer, Jewish Beliefs, and the End of the World<\/a>).<\/li>\n
  42. That God is restoring \u201call things\u201d (Matthew 17:11; Jude 3). While both CCOG and LCG believe that there has to be some type of an end-time Elijah, LCG has not specifically taught that it has been restoring what needs to be restored (the church history book it distributed at the Feast of Tabernacles in 2014 perpetuated Catholic and other myths and DID NOT restore \u2018apostolic Christianity.\u2019 Furthermore its Dr. Winnail has also taught that the final Elijah could be the church and not a person. Yet CCOG does teach that there is a final person coming in the spirit and power of Elijah, (see Statement of Beliefs of the Continuing<\/em> Church of God<\/a> and The Feast of Tabernacles: A Time to Learn the Law<\/a>), that it is in the process of restoring all things, and the final Elijah will come from it (see the sermon Elijah, Herbert W. Armstrong, and CCOG<\/a>).<\/li>\n
  43. That Jesus is NOT the one who will \u201cwill turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers\u201d (Malachi 4:6) as LCG taught in 2015, but that this is part of the work of the final Elijah (Malachi 4:5-6; details on LCG\u2019s and CCOG\u2019s positions are in the article The Elijah Heresies<\/a>).<\/li>\n
  44. The EU will NOT collapse like the old Roman Empire as LCG asserted in December 2015 as the LCG view is contrary to prophetic scriptures (some details on LCG\u2019s and CCOG\u2019s positions are in the article Must the Ten Kings of Revelation 17:12 Rule over Ten Currently Existing Nations?<\/a>).<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Anyway, while there are others, the above gives some reasons why those who wish to truly be part of the Philadelphia remnant would want to consider supporting the Continuing<\/em> Church of God<\/a>.<\/p>\n

    (More information can also be found in the Statement of Beliefs of the Continuing<\/em> Church of God<\/a>. Here is a related link in Spanish\/espa\u00c3\u00b1ol: Declaraci\u00c3\u00b3n de las Doctrinas de la Continuaci\u00c3\u00b3n de la Iglesia de Dios<\/a>. Here is a related link in Tagalog: Paglalahad ng Mga Paniniwala ng Patuloy na Iglesya ng Diyos<\/a>. Here is a related link in Mandarin Chinese \u7ee7\u7eed\u795e\u7684\u6559\u4f1a\u7684\u4fe1\u4ef0\u58f0\u660e<\/a>. Here is a related link in Kiswahili: KATIKA LUGHA YA KISWAHILI<\/a>. Here is a related link in Dutch: Verklaring van geloofspunten van de Continuing<\/em> Church of God<\/a>. Here is a related link in Deutsche (German): Glaubenserkl\u00e4rung der Continuing<\/em> Church of God<\/a>. Here is a related link in Italiano: Dichiarazione del Credo della Continuing<\/em> Church of God<\/a>. Here is related link in the French language: D\u00e9claration des croyances de L\u2019\u00c9glise Continue<\/em> de Dieu<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

    Many years ago, Roderick Meredith wrote:<\/p>\n

    In II Kings 2:8-15, we find the account where the great prophet Elijah was taken up into heaven \u2014 turning his office and mantle over to Elisha. Read this account carefully. Notice that Elisha expected to carryon in the power of God as had Elijah. For he asked for a “double portion” of Elijah’s spirit to be upon him. As Elijah ascended up to heaven, his mantle fell on Elisha. …<\/p>\n

    Today, you should personally awake to the fact that the mantle and power of Elijah will be manifested among God’s true servants in this age.<\/p>\n

    For as John the Baptist came in the spirit and power of Elijah (Luke 1:17), so God says of our day: “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and. dreadful day of the Lord: and he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse” (Malachi 4:5-6). (Meredith RC. Tapping Your INNER POWERS Is Not Enough. Plain Truth, October-November 1979)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    Unlike Herbert Armstrong who restored truths to the Philadelphia era, and Bob Thiel who added more details to those truths, Dr. Meredith has not done that. Nor has he fulfilled the prophetic office. And it was Bob Thiel, and not Dr. Meredith, who was anointed to receive a ‘double-portion’ of God’s Spirit (see also How To Determine If Someone is a True Prophet of God<\/a>).<\/p>\n

    In many areas, LCG is not “rightly dividing the word of truth” (Timothy 2:15).<\/p>\n

    I have prayed for Dr. Meredith and prayed that he would publicly repent of his false statements. The Bible teaches that the Lord “is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). Yes, Dr. Meredith is getting old and will die someday–but God may have kept him alive these past four plus years for him to see that the CCOG is the only COG this century that has had the type of growth he claimed showed God’s blessing (see also CCOG’s Four Years and God Revealing Philadelphia?<\/a>). <\/em><\/p>\n

    He and others are getting a witness, but sadly the Bible shows that the bulk of the Laodiceans will not repent as they should (Revelation 3:14-18 ). It is time for Dr. Meredith to repent and it may be that his time to do so is getting very short.<\/em><\/p>\n

    Some items of possibly related interest may include:<\/em><\/p>\n

    CCOG’s Four Years and God Revealing Philadelphia?<\/a> Has God been revealing Philadelphia since CCOG formed? What has been happening? Can you see the hand of God in this? A related sermon is titled CCOG: Four Years Revealing Philadelphia?<\/a>
    \n    The Final Phase of the Work<\/a> What is the final phase of the work? Who will lead it? Do you have the courage to support it? Here is a related YouTube video titled The Final Phase of the Work. <\/a>
    \n    Should the Church Still Try to Place its Top Priority on Proclaiming the Gospel or Did Herbert W. Armstrong Change that Priority for the Work?<\/a> Some say the Church should mainly feed the flock now as that is what Herbert W. Armstrong reportedly said. Is that what he said? Is that what the Bible says? What did Paul<\/a> and Herbert W. Armstrong<\/a> expect from lower level leaders?
    \n    Continuing History of the Church of God<\/a> 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<\/span><\/a>. and Continuing History of the Church of God: 4th-16th Centuries<\/a> and Continuing History of the Church of God: 17th-20th Centuries<\/a>. The booklet is available in Spanish: Continuaci\u00f3n de la Historia de la Iglesia de Dios<\/a>, German: Kontinuierliche Geschichte der Kirche Gottes<\/a>, French: L\u2019Histoire Continue<\/em> de l\u2019\u00c9glise de Dieu<\/a> and Ekegusii Omogano Bw\u2019ekanisa Ya Nyasae Egendererete<\/a>.
    \n    The Gospel of the Kingdom of God<\/a> 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 three related sermons: The World\u2019s False Gospel<\/a>, The Gospel of the Kingdom: From the New and Old Testaments<\/a>, and The Kingdom of God is the Solution<\/a>.
    \n    Congregations of the Continuing<\/em> Church of God<\/a> This is a listing of congregations and groups of the Continuing<\/em> Church of God around the world.
    \n    Dreams, the Bible, the Radio Church of God, and the Continuing<\/em> Church of God<\/a> How has God used dreams in the past? Does God still use dreams? Did He use any involving those in the Continuing<\/em> Church of God? Here is a link in Spanish: Sue\u00f1os, la Biblia, la Iglesia de Dios de la Radio, y la Continuaci\u00f3n de la Iglesia de Dios<\/a>. A related sermon is also available: Dreams, COGs, and One Man Rule<\/a>.
    \n    The Bible, Peter, Paul, John, Polycarp, Herbert W. Armstrong, Roderick C. Meredith, and Bob Thiel on Church Government<\/a> What form of governance did the early church have? Was it hierarchical? Which form of governance would one expect to have in the Philadelphia remnant? The people decide and\/or committee forms, odd dictatorships, or the same type that the Philadelphia era itself had? What are some of the scriptural limits on ecclesiastical authority? Do some commit organizational idolatry? Here is a Spanish language version La Biblia, Policarpo, Herbert W. Armstrong, y Roderick C. Meredith sobre el gobierno de la Iglesia<\/a>. Here is a link to a sermon titled Church Governance<\/a>.
    \n    501(c)(3)? Why the Continuing<\/em> Church of God chose a better option<\/a> Churches in the USA do NOT have to register as 501(c)(3). Why would they? Why is what CCOG did better? A sermon of related interest is titled: CCOG, a corporation sole, not a 501(c)(3)<\/a>.
    \n    Why is the Continuing<\/em> Church of God a corporation sole?<\/a> What is a ‘corporation sole’ and why is this a better organizational choice?
    \n    How To Determine If Someone is a True Prophet of God<\/a> There are many false prophets. How can Christians determine who is a true prophet? There is also a sermon-length video titled How to determine if someone is a true prophet of God<\/a>. Here is a related link in Spanish\/espa\u00f1ol: \u00bfC\u00f3mo determinar si alguien es un verdadero profeta de Dios?<\/a>
    The Philadelphia Church Era<\/a> 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 most faithful in the Church of God, like the beliefs held of the Continuing<\/a><\/em> Church of God<\/a>.
    \n    The Laodicean Church Era <\/a>has been predominant circa 1986 A.D. to present. These are non-Philadelphians who mainly descended from the old WCG.
    \n    The Falling Away: The Bible and WCG Teachings<\/a> Who is 2 Thessalonians 2:3 referring to? Are there multiple falling aways? Here is a related link in Spanish\/espa\u00f1ol: La Apostas\u00eda: Ense\u00f1anzas de la Biblia y de la WCG<\/a>. <\/span><\/span>There are also two YouTube videos on the subject that you can watch The Falling Away Part 1: From the Bible and Church History<\/a> and The Falling Away Part 2: Positions Presented by Others<\/a>.
    \n<\/em>    Why Bob Thiel Left the Living Church of God<\/a> Several have speculated reasons, but here is the truth. (En el idioma espa\u00f1ol: \u00bfPor qu\u00e9 Bob Thiel dej\u00f3 la Iglesia del Dios Viviente?<\/a>)
    \n    Journal Report on Continuing Church of God Leader Bob Thiel<\/a> Bob Thiel was interviewed by The Journal News of the Churches of God related to him being a prophet, the proclamation goals of the Continuing Church of God, and why he left LCG.
    \n    What About the Living Church of God? Are there Doctrinal Differences with the Continuing Church of God? <\/a> This article explains some information and doctrines of the Living Church of God as led by Roderick C. Meredith and some concerns about them. (En el idioma espa\u00f1ol: \u00bfQu\u00e9 hay acerca de la Iglesia de Dios Viviente? \u00bfHay diferencias doctrinales con la Continuaci\u00f3n de la Iglesia de Dios?<\/a>)
    \n<\/em>    Church History Book <\/a>This is a URL with some information on Church History.
    \n<\/em>    Bible News Prophecy<\/a> channel. Dr. Thiel has produced several YouTube videos for the BibleNewsProphecy<\/a> channel.
    \n    Bible News Prophecy magazine<\/a> This is the official magazine of the Continuing<\/em> Church of God and it has articles on a wide variety of subjects of Christian interest. It is produced in multiple languages including English<\/a>, Spanish,<\/a> Tagalog<\/a>, Kiswahili<\/a>, and Mandarin Chinese<\/a>. The language of Telugu is in-process.
    \n    ContinuingCOG<\/a> channel. Dr. Thiel has produced YouTube video sermons for this channel. Note: Since these are sermon-length, they can take a little longer to load than other YouTube videos.
    \n<\/em>    Continuing Church of God (CCOG) first year anniversary: What has been accomplished?<\/a> Here is a written link to a version of that sermon in the Spanish language: Aniversario del primer a\u00f1o de la Continuaci\u00f3n de la Iglesia de Dios: \u00bfQu\u00e9 se ha cumplido?<\/a>
    \n    CCOG.ASIA<\/a> We in the Continuing Church of God also have the url www.ccog.asia which has a focus on Asia and has various articles in Mandarin Chinese as well as some in English, plus some items in other Asian languages. \u6211\u4eec\u5728\u7ee7\u7eed\u795e\u7684\u6559\u4f1a\u4e5f\u63d0\u4f9b\u6b64\u7f51\u5740 www.ccog.asia<\/a>, \u5173\u6ce8\u4e8e\u4e9a\u6d32\u5e76\u4e14\u6709\u5404\u79cd\u5404\u6837\u7684\u4e2d\u82f1\u6587\u6587\u7ae0\uff0c\u5176\u4e2d\u4e00\u4e9b\u7528\u83f2\u5f8b\u5bbe\u8bed\u7ffb\u8bd1\u7684\u6587\u7ae0\u4e5f\u6b63\u5728\u8fdb\u884c\u4e2d\uff0c\u51c6\u5907\u6dfb\u52a0\u5230\u8fd9\u4e2a\u7f51\u7ad9\u4e2d\u3002
    \n    CCOG.IN<\/a> This is a website targeted towards those of Indian heritage. It has a link to an edited Hindi translation of The Mystery of the Ages <\/a>and is expected to have more non-English language materials in the future.
    \n    CCOG.EU<\/a> This is a website targeted toward Europe. It has materials in more than one language (currently it has English, Dutch, and Serbian, with links also to Spanish) and it is intended to have additional language materials added.
    \n    CDLIDD.ES La Continuaci\u00f3n de la Iglesia de Dios.<\/a> This is the Spanish language website for the Continuing Church of God.
    \n    PNIND.PH Patuloy na Iglesya ng Diyos<\/a>. This is the Philippines website Continuing Church of God. It has information in English and Tagalog.
    \n<\/em>    CCOG.NZ<\/a> This is a website targeted towards New Zealand and others with a British-descended background.
    \n    CCOGAFRICA.ORG<\/a> This is a website targeted towards those in Africa.
    \n    CCOGCANADA.CA<\/a> This is a website targeted towards those in Canada.
    \n    Continuing<\/a><\/em><\/em> Church of God<\/a> The group striving to be most faithful amongst all real Christian groups to the word of God.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Roderick C. Meredith COGwriter Dr. Roderick C. Meredith of the Living Church of God (LCG) published the following: “It is coming. It is coming soon. Your Bible clearly indicates that a wave of false prophets will rise up at the end of this age! These self-willed, vain men may even affect the lives of thousands […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-40903","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-cog-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t