Jesus told His disciples to stay alert and watch for the fulfillment of specific prophecies that will mark the approaching end of this age (Matthew 24). Jesus also warned in the parable of the foolish virgins that many will be caught napping by the surge of events that will precede His return to this earth (Matthew 25:1-13). God has given His Church a “more sure word of prophecy” (2 Peter 1:19, KJV) so His Church can act as a watchman to warn about the prophetic significance of both current and impending world events (Ezekiel 3 and 33; Proverbs 24:11-12). Yet over the years, misguided teachers and preachers have ridiculed the Church’s understanding of prophecy and accused anyone watching Bible prophecy of suffering from “prediction addiction.” However, as we see world events fitting into the end-time scenario that is outlined in Scripture, we need to make sure we are building a closer relationship with God and that we are learning to live by every word of God—as we continue to pay attention to prophecy.

Have a profitable Sabbath,

Douglas S. Winnail

Here is what happens. You conclude from your study of prophecy and its chronological calculations that we are in the “end times,” and that a catastrophe of “biblical proportions” is going to befall us in “just a few short years” (they are always “short” years, it seems). You then “watch and pray,” anxiously (or perhaps eagerly), fitting the events and news of the day into your predetermined framework. You watch with growing anticipation as the evidence piles up.

The problem is that the pile of evidence starts to get very shaky, and the “short years” stretch into decades. Although the pattern of major world events may not fit neatly into your prophetic scenarios, you can still find enough catastrophes to stay in the game, while you hastily recalibrate your prophetic timetable.GCI UPDATE: Prediction Addiction

Our Roots of Prediction Addiction 

Some of us have learnt over the years to view "Bible Prophecy" with a jaundiced eye. The attempt to turn the complex texts of the Old and New Testaments into a coherent road map for the near future is doomed to failure from the outset. Ancient writings simply can't be read that way with any integrity. It's not just bad theology and rotten exegesis, it's a display of dull and incompetent basic reading skills. 

Where did we pick up the bad habit? When did the peculiar blend of Bible-quoting, fear-saturated fantasies we are familiar with first take recognizable shape? Doomsdayers have of course been with us from the earliest days of Christianity - with deep roots in Jewish apocalyptic. If we are honest about it, we can probably trace the trail even further back to the influence of dualistic religions like Zoroastrianism. 

But the version we're most familiar with owes a great deal to the Adventist "Midnight Cry." Stepping back into the nineteenth century we find the seeds of our particular prediction addiction. The various churches that have historic ties to William Miller (and, on the other side of the Atlantic, the equally disturbed John Nelson Darby) are still largely in thrall to bizarre and naive biblical misinterpretations, and the delusion that they have some kind of special "inside knowledge" about the future.  Our Roots Of Prediction Addiction

Do You Have “Prediction Addiction”?

This addiction is a particularly bad one. Not only are our brains hard-wired to believe we can predict the future and make sense out of random acts, it rewards us for doing so. The brain of someone engaged in this activity experiences the same kind of pleasure that drug addicts get from cocaine or gamblers experience when they enter a casino.

When predicting the unpredictable goes south, as it inevitably will, the neurons in the brain start misfiring, causing panic and anxiety.

Anything less than total confidence in our predictions implies that we have lost control. The brain resists this conclusion. Random events are perceived as the enemy.

Allegedly, Jesus Himself set His followers up for "prediction addiction" in Matthew 24:3-7 when He warned of religious deception in His name, "wars and rumors of wars," famines, pestilences and earthquakes. "These things have always been around since Jesus' day," scoffers say (cf. 2 Peter 3:3–4). But they overlook the real significance of Matthew 23:8: "All these are the beginning of birth pangs" (literal Greek). When a woman is in labor, her birth pangs come in cycles, but they come more quickly and more strongly over time—leading to the "crisis" of childbirth itself. So it would be in the "latter days." During the space of a generation (Matthew 24:32–35), first broadly relevant events would occur with increasing frequency and intensity. Then, very specific events would occur with little or no warning in a very short time (cf. vv. 4–31). And all that is what students of biblical prophecy need to be watching for! No need to try to predict the day or the hour of Christ's return; that cannot be done (vv. 36–44). It is enough to be ready, no matter when all these events take place (vv. 45–51).  Tomorrow's World: Prediction Addiction 

Matthew 11:28-30The Message (MSG)

28-30 “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

As I have previously explained, Christ did raise up the Global Church of God in early 1993, through me—just a very few months after the blasphemous, “God Is...” booklet came out, along with other heretical changes in doctrine. But many were not aware of Christ raising up this Church—or had been poisoned against us by vicious rumors and accusations. So, instead of zealously searching out and proving to themselves where Christ was continuing His Work, many just stayed put or even dropped away from the Truth altogether.

But—mark this!—the living Christ did give people in early 1993 a “way out”—He did raise up a Church with a trained, dedicated ministry of long standing who preached the full Truth and who quickly—within weeks—went on the radio, published literature and began to revive the Work. So Jesus Christ did not “desert” you or anyone else. He is still the living Head of the Church. He is alert, active and powerfully in charge of His Church and His Work! And in His great wisdom, He is now “testing” His people to see what is really in their hearts.

Has the splintering of God’s people been a trial? Of course it has. But God specifically reveals that He allows trials for our good and “tests” us through them. Notice these words of the Apostle Peter: “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:6–7). The Apostle James was also inspired to tell us the same thing: “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience” (James 1:2–3).

Christ is alive! He has not gone off and left His Church! He is not the author of confusion (1 Corinthians 14:33).

Additionally, remember Jesus’ powerful promise in Mark 11:23–24: “For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.” 

Brethren, if we in the Living Church of God “feed” on these and related scriptures, then we certainly will begin to build “an atmosphere of faith.” Also, obviously, we cannot just “work up faith.” Each of us must do his or her part in fervently studying the Word, meditating on the examples of faith in the Bible and on the things we see God do even in His Church and Work today. Then, we must CRY OUT to God in heartfelt prayer and fasting that our heavenly Father would give us the “gift” of faith through His Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:7–9).

Remember, God’s Word tells us, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6). Building an atmosphere of faith within God’s Church today is absolutely vital. We cannot even fully imagine the trials, tests, persecutions and difficulties that will come upon His people during the next several years. We will all need living faith in God. And to do the Work which God really wants us to do, we will have to walk with God, commune with God and wrap our minds around some of the direct statements of Jesus Christ, such as John 14:11–12: “Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves. Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.”

Matthew 11:28-30

28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 

29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 

30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

 

"The Bible teaches that a portion of the Christians will be protected in a wilderness area during the Great Tribulation. Might this place be Petra in Jordan? Which places do the Bible show can and cannot be the place of safety? Is the idea of Christians fleeing to an area with caves during the reign of the Beast and Antichrist an old one or a modern invention? Which Christians get this protection and which do not? Will those who do not go be subject to persecution? Do Catholic prophecies warn against this biblical place of protection?

As far as Petra goes there are several clues in the Bible that suggests Petra or a place similar to it. But part of this is based upon where the place of protection is not."

"In terms of its location from Jerusalem, Petra (Sela on some Bible maps) is mainly south and slightly east of Jerusalem. 

Now it is also possible that the actual place could simply be just be near Petra or perhaps the location will be far from it. 

Philadelphians and the Wilderness 

In the New Testament, while not all Christians are promised physical protection, the Philadelphians are promised to be protected from the Great Tribulation and this place is in the wilderness according the the Book of Revelation:"

"Places, such as Petra, are in the wilderness and in a biblically possible location.
Now, because of the fact that Petra is such an important tourist site for Jordan, and because of archaeological considerations, it may not be the place. But it could be or even near the place.

While Petra may not be the place, it is a place to be considered."

In deep disappointment I have wept over the laxity of the church. But be assured that my tears have been tears of love. There can be no deep disappointment where there is not deep love. Yes, I love the church. How could I do otherwise? I am in the rather unique position of being the son, the grandson and the great grandson of preachers. Yes, I see the church as the body of Christ. But, oh! How we have blemished and scarred that body through social neglect and through fear of being nonconformists. 

There was a time when the church was very powerful--in the time when the early Christians rejoiced at being deemed worthy to suffer for what they believed. In those days the church was not merely a thermometer that recorded the ideas and principles of popular opinion; it was a thermostat that transformed the mores of society. Whenever the early Christians entered a town, the people in power became disturbed and immediately sought to convict the Christians for being "disturbers of the peace" and "outside agitators."' But the Christians pressed on, in the conviction that they were "a colony of heaven," called to obey God rather than man. Small in number, they were big in commitment. They were too God-intoxicated to be "astronomically intimidated." By their effort and example they brought an end to such ancient evils as infanticide and gladiatorial contests. Things are different now. So often the contemporary church is a weak, ineffectual voice with an uncertain sound. So often it is an archdefender of the status quo. Far from being disturbed by the presence of the church, the power structure of the average community is consoled by the church's silent--and often even vocal--sanction of things as they are. 

But the judgment of God is upon the church as never before. If today's church does not recapture the sacrificial spirit of the early church, it will lose its authenticity, forfeit the loyalty of millions, and be dismissed as an irrelevant social club with no meaning for the twentieth century. Every day I meet young people whose disappointment with the church has turned into outright disgust.

This is an excerpt from King's "Letter from a Birmingham Jail" 

1 The burden which the prophet Habakkuk saw.
The Prophet’s Question
2 O Lord, how long shall I cry, And You will not hear? Even cry out to You, “Violence!”And You will not save. 3 Why do You show me iniquity, And cause me to see trouble? For plundering and violence are before me;There is strife, and contention arises. 4 Therefore the law is powerless, And justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous; Therefore perverse judgment proceeds.
The Lord’s Reply
5 “Look among the nations and watch — Be utterly astounded! For I will work a work in your days Which you would not believe, though it were told you. 6 For indeed I am raising up the Chaldeans, A bitter and hasty nation Which marches through the breadth of the earth, To possess dwelling places that are not theirs. 7 They are terrible and dreadful; Their judgment and their dignity proceed from themselves. 8 Their horses also are swifter than leopards,And more fierce than evening wolves. Their chargers charge ahead; Their cavalry comes from afar; They fly as the eagle that hastens to eat. 9 “They all come for violence; Their faces are set like the east wind. They gather captives like sand. 10 They scoff at kings, And princes are scorned by them. They deride every stronghold, For they heap up earthen mounds and seize it. 11 Then his mind changes, and he transgresses; He commits offense, Ascribing this power to his god.” ( Habakkuk 1:1-11)

Notice that the above states that the end time work will not believed by many even though God will reveal it through–which He does through His prophets, like Habakkuk.

Here is something that was written in 1973 for the old Ambassador College by Dean Blackwell:

Why do you think in Habakkuk, God said that He’d “revive His work in the midst of the years”? Would this be said if they were doing the work in all the time of the New Testament Church?

You might note that in Habakkuk 3:2, he says:   O Eternal, I have heard thy speech and was afraid: O Eternal, revive thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make known; in wrath remember mercy. 

   He is referring to God reviving His work in the midst of man’s last century. He said that God would make known what is happening and what’s going to happen in man’slast years, in the day of His wrath. He requested that God remember mercy and hide His people in a place of safety.  

The work needs to be done in the 21st century. Will you truly support it? 

Whether or not Habakkuk himself died on January 15th, the reality is that since much of his message is for the appointed time of the end, his writing (that God inspired) is applicable today.

Half human, half pig: What’s the difference?

BBC reported about what it called an animal that would be half-human and half-pig. Is such a thing possible? Are chimeras for real? What about a “humanzee”? Are scientists really working on these type of creatures? Is this good? Can something truly be half human and half animal? How are humans different from animals? What is the ‘spirit in man’? What is man? Dr. Thiel addresses these issues and more with biblical-based responses.

EDMOND—More than 100 Philadelphia Church of God cast and crew members are preparing for the December 29 debut of music director Ryan Malone’s newest musical, The Widow’s Might, which will show at Armstrong Auditorium. Beginning with a rehearsal on November 1, the musical’s chorus groups are focusing on the blocking and staging elements of the show. 

Based on the book of Ruth, the project began in February, with Mr. Malone and Pastor General Gerald Flurry exploring which biblical account to portray in the Church’s next musical production. 

“He thought, since he was going to be getting into some deeper understanding on this book of the Bible, that it would be timely to make this the next musical,” Mr. Malone said. 

Since August, 15 Irish dancers from the Maguire Academy have spent 21/2 hours every week rehearsing for the six dance numbers in the show. Choreographer and instructor Paris Turgeon says the group has dedicated an estimated 30 hours to the finale alone.

Gerald Flurry has commanded a mandatory Fast starting at sunset last night. He's in a mad panic because membership is down terribly and they're in bad shape financially. Edstone is a money pit and costing them a fortune, bringing in zero revenue. They can't even afford a backup generator when the power frequently goes out. 

The Irish dancing expenses is out of control! The fees to attend the different Feis around the country, the costumes and expensive wigs. There's even rumors of possibly selling the Auditorium.

The recent Ruth play didn't bring in the funds they thought it would, seems these clowns have no idea what they're doing.

The only Church of God group that specifically lists all of those truth, using his list, as part of their official beliefs is the Continuing Church of God. 

1. True Gospel  

2. Purpose of God 

3. God’s Plan through the Holy Days 

4. Proper Church Government  

5. Who and What is God? 

6. What and Why is Man? 

7. Spirit in Man 

8. Firstfruits In this Age 

9. Knowledge of What the Millennium Truly Is  

10. Truth About the Holy Spirit 

11. Christians are Begotten Now  

12. Born-Again at the Resurrection  

13. Identity of Physical Israel  

 14. How the Identity of Israel Opens Up Understanding of Bible Prophecy 

15. Second and Third Tithes 

16. Identity of Babylon and Her Daughters 

17. Satan has Deceived the Whole World

18. We Are to Be Separate 

We in the [improperly named] "continuing" Church of God are utilizing 21^st century methods for mass communication including the printing press, radio, YouTube television, the telephone, and of course the internet, which can even be faster than the forms of mass communication that Herbert Armstrong used. We have reached multiple millions with the gospel of the kingdom and have the type of proclamation and prophetic truths that Jesus said should be the criteria to know the true from the false in Matthew 7:15-18.

Most groups with leaders once part of the old Worldwide Church of God discount all dreams and have not placed the public proclamation of the kingdom of God to the world as their true initial priority (Matthew 24:14; 28:19), do not fully understand all of the restored truths, and have not valued the truth enough, hence they have shown that they are not the possessors of what has been called the “Philadelphia mantle” (leadership authority). The group with said mantle is also represented by the “woman” of Revelation 12:14-17.

The [improperly named] "continuing" Church of God has exceeded the 30% growth per year that the old Radio/Worldwide Church of God used to claim it had for decades. Many of those that we have with us did NOT have a WCG background as we reached people others had not. 

LCG is full of spies. They are completely unscrupulous and know no boundaries. 

They spy on members Facebook pages and feel A-Okay ordering members to remove posts that MIGHT be misconstrued (think: wearing a toga - God forbid). They will guilt-trip the member by saying something like, "we know that nothing bad was really occurring when you took those pictures, but now they are on Facebook and people out in California [who don't know you] might get the wrong impression".

Funny thing is that some people can get away with costume parties (especially in Kansas City) while others are constantly criticized and beaten down for the exact same things. The scales of justice at LCG are anything but fair and just.

I remember a minister at LCG Headquarters (Roger Bardo) telling me that he came back early from lunch one day and found other HQ's ministers in his LOCKED office searching through his desk. He 'resigned' soon after and is now pastoring a small congregation far from Charlotte. I'm sure his life is exponentially better now that he's free of the brood of vipers that is LCG headquarters.

LCG also spies on all employees who use their internet servers. The cleaver one's have gmail or Hotmail accounts for personal email because they know that Big Brother is watching.

To make matters worse, these spies rarely report just the facts. It's far more salacious to add a little spin to it. Rod Meredith is always willing to believe the worst about people and never seeks both sides of the story so he buy it hook, line and sinker.

It was one of these LCG Super Spies that ultimately ended the headquarters careers of Davey Crockett, John Robinson and Bill Bowmer just to name a few.

LCG HQs is notorious for back-biting and lies. They preach brotherly love and servant leadership but what they actually practice is despicable.

I honestly don't know how they sleep at night with all the horrible things they have done to God's people over the years.

Fourth COGwriter warning about Donald Trump confirmed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We in the [improperly named] "continuing" Church of God “have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts” (2 Peter 1:19, KJV).”

Anti-Church of God skeptics do not seem to care that world events are aligning with properly understood biblical prophecy. Hopefully you are not among them.

The hard facts are that the neither the original ministry of the Worldwide Church of God nor ANY of the resulting leadership/ministry of the splits, splinters and slivers, to this day, were properly trained in theological studies and it shows in everything from exegesis to their Christology.  Their hermeneutics aren't all that good either.  Men such as Gerald Flurry, Dave Pack, Rod Meredith and Bob Thiel are "mere Bible readers", as are the members,  and are proof texters jumping around the Bible to conjure up their beliefs like the proverbial cat on a hot tin roof.  They have no clue that their "here a little, there a little" is not the formula for how to arrive at the message of the Bible. 

All of what Gerald Flurry, David C Pack, Roderick Meredith and Bob Thiel believe with regards to their unique selves and their message is simply bogus theology.  They all have raised the making of the scriptures mean what they never meant or could mean to an art form and while occasionally humorous , is actually harmful to those they presume to reveal the mind of their God to and dangerous to their members. 

Christian Theological Seminary

MDiv/MACMHC Requirements

Hi I am from Benin country if west Africa. I am deeply concern about my friend who become ccg member. All my effort to bring him back is vain. I am helpless. What can I do. ? Please help me. 

You can't have a Millennium without this being set right. You cannot have the kind of Millennium that God describes, that He's going to give to this world until this is set right, that families are set right, that attitudes of men toward women and women toward men and women toward themselves and men toward themselves and how they think about things in the world, about how they think about everything, even about themselves. So often we keep ourselves prisoner, or human beings do. We're prisoners to our thinking. We're in bondage because of our thinking, and when we come into God's Church God calls us to begin a process of healing to get that thinking leveled out and to begin to be straightened out so that He can work with us. More and more we come into greater oneness and unity of mind with God and God's ways. We are so blessed because for 6,000 years people haven't known these things. 

So again, Sabbath services last week began by a woman, Beth, who had been ordained to the level of pastor in God's Church, the second such woman to be ordained to that position, who gave the opening prayer to begin Sabbath services. Momentous! Awesome! Just the fact that two in God's Church have been ordained to that level within the ministry is an awesome thing, an incredible thing. It's never happened, never happened in God's Church before, not in 2,000 years. So this is incredible for God's Church and it sets us apart farther and farther, a greater gulf between us and the Church that was scattered. They're going to have a difficult time. Can you imagine? That's why I talk about that 63,000. 63,000 people out there that God's going to be give opportunity to. That means He's going to draw them by the power of His holy spirit to give them opportunity in the mind to "see" things that they cannot otherwise see. Now, that's awesome! It's just like when God begins to call us He has to place in our mind things that give us the ability to perceive the truth; otherwise, we wouldn't be able to. We wouldn't be able to act upon it. 

January 17, 2017 at 13:25

Woman are speaking now in opening or closing Prayers as there are no men left to speak of. As to the prophecies of the 3rd great prophet – daughter Audrey, I just re-read the transcripts of her testimony from the trial. She is a blithering uneducated fool. Quite a laugh to say that one with zero Biblical knowledge is number 3 in prophetic ability. Wake up PKG to the simplest of realities – YOU ARE BEING CONNED. Your 3rd in rank and power is a biblical illiterate and not the sharpest knife in the drawer where everything else that matters is concerned. READ THE TRANSCRIPTS!

There will be NO growth externally nor internally as their teens drop out the second they reach 18, proof they are much smarter than their parents/grandparents raising them! None of their kids have stayed and I am speaking to a few SENIOR ELDERS. Please wake up!

Stephen Carl Allwine of Minnesota has been charged with killing his wife.

The local COG congregations, needless to say, are completely floored.

-------------------------------------

Daily Mail UK news had this about the UCG link:

Husband is charged with shooting dead his wife then trying to disguise her death as a suicide by staging her body with a handgun 'after failed murder-for-hire plots paid for with bitcoins on Dark Web' 

According to his LinkedIn page, Stephen Allwine works as an IT specialist at an insurance company and has long been active in ministry at the United Church of God.

His late wife was the owner of Active Dogs Sports Training located next door to the family’s home, which went out of business a short time after her death. 

When Cottage Grove police were summoned to an alleged suicide on a Sunday evening in November, it didn’t take long for them to figure out something was amiss.

The victim, Amy Louise Allwine, lay dead on the bedroom floor at her home on 110th Street S. Beside her left elbow was a 9mm handgun, opposite from where the bullet entered the right-handed victim’s head.

“Victim’s hands revealed no soot, no gunpowder stippling, no unburned gunpowder stippling, and no blood on either hand,” according to a criminal complaint filed Wednesday that charges her husband, Stephen Carl Allwine, 43, with second-degree murder.

Investigators also uncovered evidence that he wanted out of his marriage. He was having at least two extramarital affairs with metro-area women, arranged through the Ashley Madison website. 

Several law enforcement agencies were involved in the investigation, including Cottage Grove and Woodbury police, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and other state and federal agencies, said Capt. Peter Koerner of Cottage Grove police. 

“I’ve never seen a case this complicated,” said Fred Fink, who manages the criminal division for the Washington County attorney’s office. “Most of the time we’re dealing with human witnesses, but this one required a significant amount of electronic and scientific evidence.” 

Stephen Allwine, arrested Tuesday, remains in the Washington County jail.
Bail was set Wednesday at $1 million with no conditions or $500,000 that would require GPS monitoring, no travel outside Minnesota, and no unsupervised visits with the couple’s 9-year-old son. 

Allwine’s next court appearance is scheduled for Feb. 13.

“United Church of God officials expressed profound shock and sadness in learning of the January 17 arrest of Stephen Allwine on the charges of second-degree murder of his wife Amy Louise Allwine. Two months earlier on November 13, Amy Allwine had been found dead at her St. Paul area suburban home by police and paramedics following an emergency call from her husband. 

Church officials and members were first stunned and grieved when they learned of the tragic death of Amy in November. After hearing of the tragedy, Church President Victor Kubik and his wife Beverly immediately traveled from Ohio to Minnesota to be with family members and show support during a heart-rending time for the congregation. Allwine had served as a lay elder for several years.
President Kubik has called for renewed prayers for the families involved as details of the charges emerge. He said that the whole situation was “tragic and singularly devastating.” 

Area police noted in their initial public comments that Amy’s death appeared “suspicious” and promised that an expanded investigation would take place. Allwine was not arrested nor named as a suspect at that time. During the investigation local church officials positively cooperated with police and law enforcement officials. 

Church teachings based on the Bible condemn murder, and the United Church of God follows the teachings of Jesus Christ about the sanctity of marriage and the importance of loving family environments. “Given our biblical commitment and our love for our members, this situation deeply hurts and grieves all of us,” Kubik said. The Church president asked for prayers of comfort, healing and understanding for all.”

Charge: Cottage Grove man killed wife after Dark Web murder plot

Fred Fink, criminal division chief for the Washington County Attorney’s Office, had requested a $2 million bail because he said circumstances suggest Allwine is a flight risk. Fink said Allwine has the funds to flee and recently liquidated silver coins for cash.

Fink also referenced the sophistication involved in Allwine’s alleged actions, saying it “appears to be an absolute determination to kill this woman.”

The criminal complaint’s eight-page narrative details a complex investigation led by Cottage Grove police, who had assistance from the FBI and the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension as they conducted deep digital forensic testing and dug into the dark side of the internet where murder-for-hire jobs are paid for in virtual currency.

“I think the big difference between this and a more common murder is the Dark Web,” Cottage Grove detective Sgt. Randy McAlister said. “It’s the internet connection. That’s what’s really been taking a lot of time.”

As many as five Cottage Grove detectives have worked the case for over two months, setting aside much of the rest of the caseload because of the Allwine investigation’s complexity. They were full-time on the case for the first month, McAlister said.

“This is the first case involving death threats on a purported Dark Web website that we’ve ever dealt with,” McAlister said. “This is definitely the most in-depth.”

Man charged with killing wife and trying to disguise death as suicide

New York Daily News reports that Steve Allwine, 43, of Cottage Grove, accused of having numerous affairs behind his wife’s back, was allegedly devising a plan to get out of his marriage. He reportedly thought killing her would be easier than divorce. He’s accused of shooting Amy Allwine in the head on November 13, 2016, at their home off of 110th Street.

According to court documents, the suspect shot his wife in their bedroom, then left a 9MM Springfield handgun lying next to her. He reportedly contacted hitmen online, looking for someone who would do the deed for him and make it look like a suicide. Investigators indicated that apparently he decided to kill Amy Allwine himself, and used Bitcoin as a currency to illegally purchase a gun.

Amy Allwine was found with the handgun next her right elbow, although she’s left-handed. She also had no gunpowder residue on her hands, while the suspect did. A toxicology report determined that the victim had a high amount of scopolamine in her system, a medication used to treat nausea, known as “the devil’s breath” because it causes memory impairment and loss of inhibition.