I saw nothing at the RCM Crimes site that needed to be posted here (basically it covers three legal matters involving Roderick C. Meredith--one each related to WCG, GCG, and LCG), so am not linking to it at this time (I asked the one who informed me for his/her name and I have not yet gotten a response). Those who want to see false accusations from Dr. Meredith may wish to read the article Roderick C. Meredith's Accusatory Letter to Bob Thiel.

Before getting to that letter, some background may be helpful.  I was baptized by a Worldwide Church of God minister in 1977 and stayed with that church until 1995.  I first met Dr. Meredith at the Feast of Tabernacles in Fiji in 1989.  We met a few times after this, but he really began to remember me at the Feast of Tabernacles in Branson, Missouri in 1998, just prior to the Global Church of God (GCG) split that he suspected was coming at that time (he gave me his home telephone number then and we discussed issues that the GCG editorial department had about him and something they said when they published an article that I wrote for the old Global Church News). 

When the GCG split happened, we discussed it over the telephone and Dr. Meredith encouraged my internet support of what he was then doing via my website cogwriter.com—and I provided it.  For a very short time, cogwriter.com was from a functional perspective LCG's only website (though LCG never owned it or paid for any of it).  After the crisis subsided, the late evangelist Carl McNair had me promise to keep the site going—and it still is.

Throughout the years, I had been an unpaid adviser to Dr. Meredith on various matters.  Sometime in late 1999 (it could have been another year), Dr. Meredith made me promise, over my objections, that I had to tell him when I thought he was 'pulling punches' doctrinally.  I tried to diligently carry that out, and that, for the first most obvious example, led to a major revision of LCG's Official Statement of Fundamental Beliefs in November 2002 (the main point of which was to include more of the 18 restored truths to it).

In the late Summer of 2005, Dr. Meredith formally asked if I would be a volunteer advisor to the 'doctrinal committee' (basically meaning an advisor on these matters to the Charlotte-based evangelists) in the areas of doctrine and prophecy.  I agreed. 

However, there were many disturbing issues that crept up over time.  Perhaps the five biggest were: 

1) The realization that LCG would not publish corrections in its Tomorrow's World magazine or other publications when it made doctrinal errors.2) That LCG was too willing to send out literature with known errors that its leadership knew about. 3) That the leadership did not seem to keep all of its promises.4) That the falling away matter change was not condemned strongly enough. 5) The leadership did not seem to practice various portions of the Bible, such as Matthew 18:15-17, the way that it seemed that they should.

On October 23, 2012, I also sent a version of my falling away paper to Richard Ames, who did not respond to it.

I will simply flat out state that he did not follow what Jesus said to do in Matthew 18:15-17, and that he seemed to be fine with that.

Bob, I have personally liked you, wanted to encourage you and have tried to work with you for years. However, I have seen that you have had great difficulty in learning the lessons of deep humility that God wants all of us to learn. With very few exceptions, nearly everyone who knows you has clearly seen that—although you have a quick mind and great energy—you have nearly always thought very highly of yourself and of your own opinions. 

 

Sadly, it seems clear that Dr. Meredith wishes to blame me for many of the same things that Herbert Armstrong said he was guilty of. While there is little point rehashing those here, let me simply state that I do know what I personally had been thinking and I am severely disappointed that Dr. Meredith did what he did on 12/28/12.

Dr. Meredith continued with:

You have offended or at least “bugged” dozens of Church members with this very self-important, pushy and “know-it-all” attitude and approach. So if I, as a minister of Christ for over 60 years and one old enough to be your father—can help you, I would certainly like to do this. For I love you as a fellow human being and one I have known and shared a number of hours with in talking over matters related to the Bible and our entire purpose here on this earth.

Continuing with Dr. Meredith’s letter:

However, Bob, your own remarkable vanity and “dreams of greatness” have greatly affected your ability to think clearly many times.

Over the last few years, many of us have noted that you have begun to think of yourself in terms that are not realistic.

Did God speak to Dr. Meredith to tell him this?  Since he did not make that claim, how does he know what I dream or my dreams are since we never discussed them? How can he be so certain in his accusations?  And why would he spread this type of accusation without speaking with me?  What did I say that was not realistic, as this never was mentioned to me before? Was it the idea that more people need to be reached to fulfill Matthew 24:14 as mentioned in the email dated 12/14/12?

The Bible warns against spreading improper accusations, for "whoever spreads slander is a fool" (Proverbs 10:18).  Certainly Dr. Meredith is aware that one who appeared to be a leader, but was rejected by God (1 Samuel 16:6-7) accused David of a type of vanity (1 Samuel 17:28)—which David essentially denied (1 Samuel 17:29).  And while I am not perfect, I do deny the type of accusations that Dr. Meredith made in this 12/28/12 letter. 

Furthermore, while I did mention to Dr. Meredith and others in LCG about a dream from God, they never asked the details and did not know what was in it, and they were never given any hint of its content (until it was publicly released on November 8, 2013).  He and others should not be like Joseph’s brothers were when they condemned Joseph for having dreams from God (Genesis 37:5-11).  Like Joseph’s, over time, it was clear that one dream I had was coming to pass.  

Additionally, a woman in New Zealand had a dream after going to bed on 12/08/12 that was later at least partially fulfilled and included matters related to me (and it is a dream I did not learn about until the Feast of Tabernacles in 2013, and after I had unknowingly helped fulfill the dream she related to me.  God sometimes works in spiritual ways and apparently just because He may not have done so as directly through Dr. Meredith, that does not mean He does not do so with others 

Dr. Meredith continued with:

Recently, I had a meeting with Messrs. Ames, Winnail, Wakefield and my son, Jim, to discuss this paper you sent to Mr. Wakefield (and now I see you have also sent it to Messrs. Tyler and Weston). All of us in the meeting except Mr. Wakefield have gotten to know you somewhat and have heard many others express concern about your egotistical ideas that you believe you are a prophet or one of the two witnesses. I will not take the time to argue about every single point you bring up in your paper; that is not the important matter. I will just say that over and over you subtly twist, enlarge upon or exaggerate many of the things you think you heard—some of which you may have “partially heard” but enlarged upon in your own mind and received in a way that was not intended by the one doing the speaking.

A little piece I wrote about the Armstrong line, from Siward Bjourne Armstrong to Herbert W Armstrong. 
What God has started He will finish. And God's plan is moving forward through Herbert Armstrong. All things shall be restored through him, so says your Bible.(Matt. 17:11) That includes the restoration of this earth, and the entire UNIVERSE! And Satan would like you to believe what Christ has been doing and IS doing through Herbert Armstrong is not important, but the Word of God stands sure and unbreakable. The Work of God is GREAT!(John 6:29) While men tell you that Herbert Armstrong died, in order to gain disciples for their movement, in order to get you to let loose and no longer hold true to the teachings of God that Herbert Armstrong taught(from the Word of God), but to commit treason and whoredom against God to accept and lift up those who moved away from the path of righteousness. It is up to every single one of us to preserve the truth, and the history, to be the pillars we have been called to be, un-movable from the task at hand. Because God is fulfilling His plan right before our eyes. We have been called to be apart of it under Herbert Armstrong. So let's finish our part.

Armstrong
by Samuel W Kitchen 

Siward was his name
a child of royal sons 

From the family line of hen
to Scotland doors where he calls home 

In glorious array, one day, the battle rages on
Bjourn came back and he lifted, the King with his arm. 

And his heritage stays with the name of Armstrong.
Lifting up the King, and his country, securing the throne. 

In the future time that's near
Armstrong's name will be clear
UN-removed as pillars stand
Lifting up the KING OF KINGS AGAIN. 

And his heritage stays with the name of Armstrong.
Lifting up the King, and his country, securing the throne. 

May the light of truth remain.
May the light of truth remain.

They think they are in control but they are merely pawns of Satan and they will be destroyed over the period we will term the Last Olympiad. The Games of the 33^rd Olympiad will not be held as in 2024 the Vials of the Wrath of God will be in full force and will have commenced sometime from the end of the 32^nd Olympiad in 2020 and hopefully by Trumpets of that year. 

The Tokyo Olympics are highly unlikely to occur as the Sabbath year of 2019 will see the Witnesses deal with the world prior to the Advent of the Messiah.  We know that the Messiah will arrive to cut the rule of Satan short and his rule ends in 2027 at the Jubilee in any case. From the example of the entry to the Promised Land we deduce it can be some seven years before that year that Satan is imprisoned .

We know that the Two Witnesses will be here 1264 days before the Messiah and so we can assume that the Tokyo Olympics are unlikely as the Trumpets will reduce world travel and at the end of their time world commerce is severely disrupted.  The Empire of the Beast will last for one prophetic hour and rule from Jerusalem for 42 months over the time of the Witnesses. The world will be dealt with and driven mad by the curses of Deuteronomy 28 (and esp. 28:34). The priests of the pagan system will be incapacitated as will the leaders of this evil system and much of it will be in captivity to the Beast and the nations it chooses to rule the administration of the Ten Toes. 

No nation will be independently surviving for the Olympics under the Beast system. Tokyo will be under the Kings of the East over those last days. Thus they know that their time is short and Satan and the Demons must realise that this is the Last Olympiad of their rule. More importantly the Games of the 31^st Olympiad in Rio must also be the last of the national teams to compete in the games.  Similarly the wars of the Sixth Trumpet will have killed a third of mankind and the wars will desecrate the nations on an ongoing basis. What evidence do we have for the awareness of Satan and the demons that this is the end of their rule? The Last Olympiad

All of us desire to know the future so we can be prepared for it. We want to be in control of our destinies and not at the mercy of events. However, some have this desire so strongly that they set themselves up as channels through which the future is revealed. 

Such people have misled many. Deuteronomy 18, along with chapter 13, warns against such people. Whether they are called diviners, charmers, spiritists, or channelers, using methods like reading tea leaves, casting lots, or conducting séances, they are to be seriously and carefully avoided because there is no godly reality to their prognostications. Those seeking to know are being misguided, putting themselves at the mercy of lying demons, or at the very least, imaginative men and women. 

At other times, simply following a church tradition regarding a prophecy can also mislead a person. This occurs because someone in the past, sincerely believing he understood a particular prophecy, began preaching his belief, and many in his audience then believed without the resources to prove the interpretation wrong. Due to frequent repetition, it came to be accepted as truth.

While I am not about to analyze all of John Ritenbaugh’s points, the reality is that most real Christians will NOT accept biblical criteria for prophets in this age.

Sadly, many people in the Church of God (COG) have trouble believing that God actually uses prophets or how He would use them today.

But first, it should be noted certain leaders of other COGs  have disqualified themselves on certain matters of prophecy, especially when they insist on matters that are wrong, or at best questionable.

Prophet is an office and prophets are to prophesy. Although the position of groups like LCG is that it has NO prophets (which is likely the case as I stopped attending late on 12/28/12), it should be noted that its top leader had repeatedly taught in the past that God may consider Bob Thiel to be a prophet 

Contrary to scripture, most end time Christians do not heed the following from the Apostle Paul:

     Despise not prophesyings. (1 Thessalonians 5:20, KJV)

     Do not despise prophecies. (1 Thessalonians 5:20, NKJV) 

The fact is that Laodiceans believe that they do not have need to listen to any of God’s end time prophets (Revelation 13:14-18), even if some believe that God uses prophets.

Some will come up with their preferred rational as why not to agree with the position of the Continuing Church of God (CCOG) on these matters. Yet not only are they biblical, on most of those points, the old WCG taught what I believe that the Bible teaches on them (on the few that it did not, one is consistent with a November 1979 HWA writing and on the others, a former adviser to HWA told me that HWA would have agreed with me on those as well, as one he had not investigated and some others were not issues when he was alive.

It should be noted that leaders in the Living Church of God and/or the United Church of God confirmed to me personally that I was biblically correct on all the above points, despite the fact that their respective churches hold to several of the errors pointed out above. (emphasis his)

Bob Thiel is nothing more than an astrologer, palm reader, fortune teller, or other sort of cold reader.

His "prophecies" are generalized statements about often mundane things that it's not hard to forecast based upon the past or upon current trends, couched in metrics so vague you'd be hard pressed to say if many of them had come true or not. He carpet bombs with a couple dozen of these so-called "prophecies" and then waits for 6 months, a year, two years or more, until he can arguably say this one or that on "came true." Of course, it's so vague there's little basis to say so one way or the other for sure. But as long as he can crow victory eventually over 10 or 15 of them, that's all that matters to Bob. The rest he'll keep quiet about, and hopefully those who notice the failures won't be enough to notice. You'll certainly never find Bob admitting to having uttered any "prophecies" that turned out to be false. It's kind of like prophesying that the price of an ounce of gold or a barrel of oil will hit $x. Sure, given enough time, it's bound to happen sooner or later. And when it does, does that make you a "prophet"? Of course not!

If Bob really were a prophet, that is to say, receiving information from "beyond" about the future, he wouldn't need to resort to these well-known cold reading techniques. No, he'd be making highly specific predictions about things that matter, that shift the balance of power in the world. And he wouldn't need to carpet bomb. He could pronounce them one at a time, and he could predict the timing as well. And he could nail every single major event without missed opportunities or missteps. Instead his "prophecies" have the grubby fingerprints of a hoax all over them.

But not Bob. No, Bob is a "prophet" in the same sense that a "magician" is one who works "magic." He's not breaking the laws of physics, there's nothing supernatural about it, just sleight of hand. The only difference is that a magician deceives people honestly, for entertainment purposes. Bob deceives people dishonestly, to enrich himself at other's expense. Bob has to know there's nothing supernatural about his deliberately vague and often inconsequential prognostications.

From the Ritenbaugh posting.

Back in the late 1940s and early 50s, I saw how Mr. Armstrong—on the radio and in person—described how Germany would rise again and become the leading nation of a coming European Empire. How the United States and Britain would be brought down from our pride and prestige if we did not deeply repent of breaking God’s laws. How we would soon begin to lose control of the vital “sea gates” which God has promised the descendants of Abraham (Genesis 22:17). Later, Mr. Armstrong predicted again and again that the hundreds of thousands of Russian troops, tanks and guns would be withdrawn from the eastern European nations and that the Berlin Wall would come crashing down! I tell you sincerely that all of these specific prophecies Mr. Armstrong proclaimed have come about or are in the process of coming about right now.

Herbert W. Armstrong had the faith and the courage to “stand alone” and proclaim these powerful events in a way that no one else was able to do! 

In the early years of this Work, I had the opportunity to assist Mr. Armstrong for thousands of hours, to have hundreds of meals with him, and to get to know him as a “second father” as God used him to help build the Work of God. Now, at age 86, I am trying to carry on that Work with all my heart and with all my strength.

Dear brethren and co-workers, are you personally “stirred to action” by the total collapse of nominal Christianity in our nations, and of the increasing downgrading of decency and human dignity in our present society under the sway of Satan the Devil? Are you, personally, willing to go “all out” to help build the final Work of God which will eventually SHAKE this world before His Son returns?

  Certainly, all of our lives will eventually come to an end. We will return to the dust. In the sight of God, what will be your legacy and your level of commitment to reach this world with His message at the time of the end? Let all of us do all we can with our time, our talents and our resources to help get Christ’s message to this terribly mixed-up world while we can!

The tithe is God’s money and it should be sent to those who are teachers of godliness and of living by every Word of God, not to some corporate church organization which does not keep God’s Word.  

Jesus said that we should render to God what is God’s Mark 12:17; He also said that we would know who is of God by their fruits of building on the sure foundation of the Word of God Mat 7.  

Look around you: Who is teaching the whole Word of God and studying through the entire Bible, feeding everyone with the solid meat of God’s Word day by day and chapter by chapter? and who is restoring those things that have been forgotten? Who is growing in understanding of God’s Word and is willing to speak the truth to all people?  

Who is covering and explaining world events of prophetic significance in detail as they happen, warning the people and presenting in depth studies in BOTH Prophecy and Sound Doctrine?  

Discern BETWEEN who is working to turn as many as possible to an enthusiastic Christ-like zeal to live by every Word of God; from those who say “obey us” regardless of the scriptures. 

This is the criteria to discern who is of God and who is not. The credentials of a godly work are not ordination by some man or bowing to some corporate entity, but the godliness of the work being done. 

Once you have discerned who is of God, then support that person; because God’s money is to do God’s work, which in the New Covenant is to teach every person to live by every Word of God as Jesus did(Mat 4:4, Mat 28). This work gratefully accepts tithes and offerings for the furtherance of the Gospel. Tax deductible in the USA. James

Accompanying the picture this morning was this comment:

The entire Ambassador University for LCG, Freshman, Sophomores, Jr's and Seniors, plus the football team, the basketball team, the debate club,  biology, chemistry, humanities, history, paleontology, theology, archaeology departments, and home economics for girls, plus the entire faculty, all in one wide angle shot!   :)  I can imagine they all feel that it is reminiscent of the founding days of that Great University...Ambassador College Pasadena which has now grown into Harvest Crock Church and Condos I believe. 

Even the Bricket Wood, England campus was bigger that LCG's University!

Here is United Church of God's amazing college:

With no Festival of Tabernacles in Hawaii this year, the LCG’s Meeting Planner, Jim Meredith, is left with organizing the Charlotte Family Weekend, which again will take place at the Renaissance Charlotte Suites Hotel, December 22-25. 

The festivities will begin with a dance on Thursday evening, the 22nd, and finish with a sports day and games night on Sunday the 25th. The Sabbath service will be ‘live-streamed’ over the Internet.  

The family weekend is, as Jim Meredith puts it, “a weekend of spiritual rejuvenation, fun, food, and fellowship!” - so different then from the festival that the world celebrates at this time of year.

December 14, 2008: The first trumpet blew (silently).  Ron and Laura “began their jobs” while in Jerusalem after a jaunt to Cairo to tour the pyramids. 

September 19, 2009: Feast of Trumpets: The end of the zeroeth “time” or 280 days into the not-so-Great Tribulation.  With 280 days being a sign of judgment, and Ron being too sick to speak that day.

February 6, 2010: Half-a-time or 140 days after Trumpets, 2009.  The PKG members are to fast, but only for one day.  Ron promises another barn-burner borer of a sermon this day.

June 26, 2011: Time.  Earliest that the European beast power will become active.

November 13, 2011: Time and half-a-time 

April 2, 2011: Times 

August 20, 2011: Times and half-a-time.  Latest that the European beast power becomes active. 

January 7, 2012: Time and Times.  The 200-million-man Asiatic horde army might not become active until this time.  Yet somehow they will be able to assemble, arm, and mobilize this army of unprecedented size in less than 140 days and have it in place in the valley of Megiddo for the last few days of the Great Tribulation 

May 22, 2012 at sunrise in Jerusalem: Ron and Laura are killed in the streets of Jerusalem 

May 26, 2012: End of Time, Times, and Half-a-Time: Day before Pentecost.  Jesus Christ to return at sundown which ends this day and begins Pentecost. 

May 27, 2012: Ron and Laura having been resurrected from the streets of Jerusalem begin their new jobs as rulers in God’s Kingdom. False Prophet Ron Weinland

The Two WitnessesThe 7th and last end-time prophetic period of 1,260 days will be the period when God gives His two end-time witnesses the primary work that they have been prophesied to fulfill. Throughout the entirety of the 5th and 6th prophetic end-time periods, these two individuals have been the focus of much ridicule, hatred, mockery and scorn, and during each of these prophetic periods, these two will have fulfilled a specific kind of witness, yet their major witness is during the final 1,260 day period.  

“And I [Almighty God] will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth” (Rev. 11:3).  

Wearing sackcloth is used to symbolize the practice of walking humbly before God. This verse is describing how God’s two end-time witnesses are clothed in humility as they carry out the commission God has given them. Humility is the opposite of pride, and God has prepared both of these individuals to be able to accomplish the work that is before them in a manner that reflects true justice, mercy, and active living faith. The purpose for the power God gives to these two is to humble others who are filled with pride and who are refusing to listen to God. 

These two witnesses will exercise that power they are given according to their own will, according to what they themselves determine to use against others for the purpose of stripping them of their pride, just like what was done against Egypt and Pharaoh in the days of Moses. 

Although these two are given such great power to use as they will, as they choose, they will not be lifted up in pride because of it. Instead, the use of that power will be reflected in humility because they fully understand that it is from God as a matter of His purpose being worked out, and that it is by His great power such things are accomplished, and no one else’s. These two witnesses understand, mightily so, that all that is taking place is about what God is doing to humble this earth in order to establish His Son as King of kings.  

This matter of them wearing sackcloth—of being clothed in humility—is simply the result of God molding and fashioning them into such a state through all that they have had to experience in the previous seven years of those two end-time prophetic periods before this (the 5th and 6th 1,260 days). It is within those periods of time that these two have been ridiculed, mocked, hated, and later trampled upon that they have learned humility on a strong spiritual plane.

“If anyone will hurt them, fire will proceed out of their mouth and devour their enemies, and if anyone will hurt them, they must in this manner be killed” (Rev. 11:5).  

God reveals that some will so hate these two witnesses that they will try to do them harm and even attempt to kill them. However, God makes it clear that these two will not die until God allows it. The fire that is described as proceeding out of their mouth is symbolic of the power they are given to pronounce any consuming judgment upon any who would desire or attempt to harm them.  

“They have power to shut the heavens so that it does not rain in the days of their prophecy, and they have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to strike the earth with all plagues, as often as they will” (Rev. 11:6).  

God will give His two witnesses power to cause devastating destruction from whatever plagues they determine, according to their own judgment. This means they will decide when, where, what kind, and how long specific plagues will strike and when plagues should be repeated. Some of these plagues that are pronounced will be coupled with events outlined within some of the Seven Thunders.

On Monday, our Beyond Today Live team returned from North Carolina where we made the America: The Time is Now presentation in Raleigh, Greensboro and Charlotte. We reached a total of 76 people; however, more than 300 people registered to come. We had a few obstacles to our presentations. First, there was a gasoline shortage in the entire state. A gasoline pipeline had broken and gasoline stations did not have adequate fuel. As we traveled, we made certain that our fuel was always above a half tank. Also, there was stormy weather on the first part of the trip and, finally, street protests and unrest in Charlotte (after a black man was killed by police) affected attendance. One person called our pastor, Scott Hoefker, and told him that they really wanted to come, but they were fearful of getting out, not knowing how safe things were in the city. 

The three Beyond Today presentations, ‘America: The Time Is Now’ in North Carolina, drew only 27 new guests in Raleigh, 26 in Greensboro, and 23 in Charlotte (where several who registered did not attend owing to local unrest).

It is becoming more apparent to us that local congregational involvement and engagement will be needed and expected to help increase our attendance. From the home office, we can do only so much to promote these events. Further publicity and encouragement will need to come from local pastors and their congregations. 

The personal appearance campaigns are making us more aware of the need to proclaim not only the gospel message, but also to “make disciples.” It is important to teach about the Kingdom of God from the Bible and to expound the scriptures that authoritatively explain God’s vision for the world. 

A disciple develops a deep and secure understanding about the nature and authority of the Word of God. In any discussion with those outside of us you must speak up to establish the basis of your beliefs, which is the Bible. Are you able not only to defend your beliefs, but also defend the authenticity, genuineness and reliability of the Bible?

One or more associated with the Continuing Church of God will be identifying that the European “prince” (Daniel 9:26-27) who is rising up to become a king, as not being able to truly bring peace, but instead will bring war and will be in league with the final Antichrist.

We will also be warning that the idea of a human-led utopia that the UN and others are pushing is false and that it is only through Jesus’ return and the gospel of the kingdom that such a utopian condition will happen.

This will likely trigger major media coverage.

Scrutiny of real, as well as claimed, COG literature will likely happen towards the end and various aspects of real and incorrect COG doctrines will likely be ridiculed. Media coverage would then be expected to cover more of the COG message (cf. The Gospel of the Kingdom of God) and this may be associated with the “short work” of Romans 9:28.

We in the Continuing Church of God (CCOG) are preparing for the ‘short work’ by establishing multiple websites in multiple languages, while researching and making available information on church history, doctrine, and prophecy, while also proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom of God to the world as a witness.

Since the true Church of God is so small, it is highly likely that it getting significant media coverage will help fulfill Matthew 24:14. Some of the Philadelphia remnant will be explaining that it is Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God and not the rise of a militaristic leader that the world needs. According to Daniel 11:32 it is “the people who know their God [that] shall be strong, and carry out great exploits.” Hundreds of millions, if not billions, will receive at least a partial witness. All of that will likely trigger the King of the North to take actions that lead to the end–this includes the persecutions, pre- (Daniel 7:25a, 11:29-36) and post-tribulation (Daniel 7:25b).

We Philadelphian Christians know there will be persecution and the work will be stopped and then the end will come, because of what Jesus taught:

9 “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake.  10 And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another.  11 Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many.  12 And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.  13 But he who endures to the end shall be saved.  14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come. (Matthew 24:9-14).

Notice the following which this ICANN move might impact:

11 “Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord God,

“That I will send a famine on the land,
Not a famine of bread,
Nor a thirst for water,
But of hearing the words of the Lord.
12 They shall wander from sea to sea,
And from north to east;
They shall run to and fro, seeking the word of the Lord,
But shall not find it. (Amos 8:11-12)

The above could only happen in the 21st century if the internet was down and/or internet content related to the truth of God was no longer permitted. Governments are taking steps which look to be able to bring this about–turning over the control of ICANN possibly may affect this.

ICANN is to be an international body starting tomorrow. This will tend to make its decisions out of the jurisdiction of American courts. This will allow it to be able to censor basically at will. Instead of first amendment protections, Americans will be subject to international whims and things like ‘community standards’–standards that already have been shown to be in conflict with scripture. If ICANN is pressured to pull some or all of our proclaiming Christ’s Gospel of the Kingdom of God message off the internet, this will cause a famine of the word, and perhaps the one prophesied in Amos 8. 

This third point, then, is we must learn to keep our eyes on headquarters. Is Jesus Christ divided? Of course not (1 Corinthians 1:13). We have many proofs that He is only working through the small remnant of the Philadelphia Church of God; but even if we only had one proof, the Work would be enough. Christ said, “Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works’ sake. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father” (John 14:11-12). 

A greater work was done through God’s Elijah, Herbert W. Armstrong. That great Work continues today through God’s prophet, Gerald Flurry. We must focus our attention on the Work and where it is being done. We must keep our eyes on headquarters—Edmond, Oklahoma. Losing sight of whom God has placed in charge of His Work will cause us to become battle casualties. The Soldiers of the King

Hannah knew about the prophecy later recorded in Luke 1: “He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest [the Father]: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end” (verses 32-33). This is about an eternal family, and it has to do with David’s royal family throne. It is about a family forever—a royal God Family vision. 

Again, Samuel actually helped to originate this throne. That throne is still on this Earth as Hannah’s prophecy continues to be fulfilled—and you can see it with your own eyes! It is located in Westminster Abbey in London, England. It is the very throne which Jesus Christ, the Son of the Highest, will sit on at His return. He will rule with His bride to expand God’s Family over all this Earth, and He will restore all things. 

This is about you! God will exalt your horn in that day. We shall be His kings! He will give strength to His kings and priests! Jesus Christ soon will thunder out of the heavens to usher in His Kingdom to restore all things to the Earth! Hanna Explains: Why the Feast of Trumpets

Irish annals show that when Jeremiah migrated to Ireland, he brought with him more than just the princess of Judah who carried on David’s throne. “Besides the royal family, Jeremiah brought with them some remarkable things,” Mr. Armstrong continued, “including a harp, AN ARK, and a wonderful stone called ‘lia-fail,’ or ‘stone of destiny’” (op. cit., emphasis mine).

The “stone of destiny” is also called “Jacob’s pillar stone.” It is the stone the patriarch Jacob set up to memorialize the promise God made to him in Genesis 28—that his descendants would become as numerous as “the dust of the earth.” This stone remained with the nation of Israel throughout its history. And when Jeremiah fled Jerusalem, he took this stone with him.

We know where this stone is today: It is in Scotland, in Edinburgh Castle. In recent years, faithless critics have tried to discredit the origins of this stone—but for hundreds of years its true origins were widely accepted and understood. Queen Elizabeth was crowned over it, as was Tea-Tephi’s royal son anciently.

Notice that along with that stone, Jeremiah brought the ark of the covenant on his journey to Ireland! 

This knowledge, too, was not uncommon until relatively recently. F. R. A. Glover, who ascertained that the British monarchy was aware of its linkage to King David, wrote extensively about these objects having made their way to Ireland with Jeremiah. His book England the Remnant of Judah and the Israel of Ephraim records this history.

Glover stated that the grave of Queen Tea-Tephi lies in the Hill of Tara, the origin of Irish history. In his research, he found that she had been buried with the two stone tablets of the Ten Commandments, along with the ark of the covenant. Finding the Ark of the Covenant 

Note that! Tara comes from torah—God’s law! There is a well-known connection between the famous Tara Hill and the law of God! 

According to these archaeologists and historians, these tablets were buried with Tea-Tephi in Tara Hill! Why don’t we hear more about this history? It is clearly recorded in Ireland’s history books. This simply cannot be chalked up as a “legend” or “myth” of Irish history!

Don’t you think it might galvanize a lot of people if the ark were found, and the Ten Commandments on those two tables of stone were inside? Finding the Ark of the Covenant

Prophecy shows that God is going to do some dramatic things to warn this world of the Great Tribulation and Day of the Lord just before His Second Coming. The period leading up to Christ’s return is going to be the worst suffering in human history. That is the horrifying end result of mankind’s vile sins! God wants to warn people in advance to help as many as possible to repent before that time comes so they don’t have to experience it.

If the ark were discovered, wouldn’t that be a powerful witness to the world? I believe it would be. Proof that the biblical chronicle is accurate could help lead some to repentance. The ark’s discovery would even point people to where God’s message was being proclaimed, and help them to realize that even though they heard it and didn’t act on it, that message was right and was from God. Finding the Ark of the Covenant