During the Passover Season, some arbitrary male member would always rise to the occasion and speak the phrase: Next year in Jerusalem! 

It happened every year.

This arbitrary man would stand behind some arbitrary Sabbath lectern set up in an arbitrary over-lit school gymnasium or Jewish Community Center. Or, he’d stand at the head of a candlelit table on The Night To Be Much Observed. He’d stand in someone else’s home or maybe his own. He’d hold a glass of red wine up over his head, over a white tablecloth set with silver and crystal, roasted lamb and unleavened bread, vegetables and bitter herbs. He’d make a toast.

He might be a minister or a deacon or maybe our father or any lay member desperate to be all those things: minister, deacon, or father (authority figure of some kind or other). Most often he’d be that goofy accordion player with the very old, Old Testament name – the one named Enoch or Jedediah or Amos or Obediah who annoys everyone with Fiddler on the Roof songs at Church Socials. Every local congregation had an Enoch or two, but not all could play the accordion. Our Enoch played the accordion.

Whatever the case, this arbitrary Enoch would speak with artificial authority as if his words had power to conjure deep traditions that bound us to something other than a manufactured and imaginary past.

The Enochs, they trafficked in nostalgia.

Fundamentalists traffic in nostalgia.

They trace imaginary lineages to pasts that never were and to places they don’t know. They tout deep roots dug-in to a pure and more perfect historical period that contains All The Truth undefiled by modernity or interlopers or dissent.

They claim tradition where they have none. 

“Next Year in Jerusalem!” meant (in the longer version): Next year, the tribulation! Our enemies will be destroyed! In 3½ years, we will be revealed as God’s Chosen! We will be transformed into God Beings! We will sit on God’s Throne in Jerusalem! We will rule The World with a rod of iron for a thousand years! 

I attach my Last Great Day message delivered in Ocho Rios Jamaica  to approximately 400 brethren gathered at the largest Feast site in the Caribbean and one of the largest in the world. Our Kingston congregation is one of  the  fastest growing of all COG groups in the world and is by far the  largest of all  Armstrongite groups in the  Caribbean, averaging over 200 on any given Sabbath. On Atonement we had  250 in attendance. Among those who heard this Last Great  Day message were American  brethren on a CEM cruise who had traveled over an hour to  join  us  for worship. It was a most delightful experience! The Americans stayed back after services to have a meal with their local brethren. We had a wonderful song by Karen Clarke of Eugene, Oregon, daughter of one of HWA's  earliest ordained ministers, Bryce Clark, a former district superintendent.   

I spoke relevantly to the crisis which faces Armstrongism today: widespread knowledge online about our history of massive corruption, abuse of power, religiosity with little spirituality, atrophied growth, profound disillusionment etc.  

I had been keeping up with my usual daily reading of your site, Gary, and had noted what was said  about the boring, repetitive and lifeless sermons at the Feast.  I myself can, sadly, confirm that, as every day after services I surveyed at least eight different Feast sites, which shall remain nameless. 

I spoke on the nook of Jeremiah and noted that Jeremiah faced our exact crisis, with a leadership that had become corrupt, deeply sinful and arrogant about it. But I said  the answer for Jeremiah was not to reject Torah or the religion of those who had become corrupt.  It was not to then accept the religion of the Assyrians or the Babylonians or the Egyptians.  

It was to be true to the faith.Similarly, I encouraged the brethren that today we should not reject Armstrongism because of the corruption of the Armstrongs (of course I did not use that offensive term. That's only for the "strong meat" people on this site!)  

I even mentioned Byker Bob's comment that after he left in 1975 he went out and partied. I mentioned others who had become atheists.  I spoke about those well-known ministers like Albert Portune, David Jon Hill, Al Carrozzo, Gary Arvidson and Robert Kuhn and Lester Grabbe who had left because of our corruption. The sermon received an amazingly positive reaction from the independent COG members from that CEM cruise. Many of them could relate  to the disillusionment and deep hurt I spoke about. One man said it was the best Last Great  Day sermon he had  heard  (which probably says more about the quality of those sermons rather than mine!)  

Our service ran nearly three hours with much praise and worship music. I had warned the Americans about this before which is probably why not everybody left the cruise to join us, including its only minister. Those who came knew what to expect. I only spoke for about forty five minutes though. I didn't want to push my luck! 

I wanted every American to get the message. Listen to it and tear it apart here. I am eager to hear  the response of my favourite and favoured participant on this blog, Byker Bob who is usually so insightful. 

Contact Made with Members and Prospective Members on St. Martin

I was able to go to St. Martin yesterday, Wednesday, September 27, on an early flight which arrived at 9:00 a.m. The trip went very smoothly and I even rented a car at the airport. Because of a lot of garbage (roofs, electric or telephone poles, cables, fences, broken cars, etc.) on the roads, driving was not always easy.

I was pleased to be able to visit our members and prospective members; they have not suffered physical injury and have no specific needs. Given the general state of the country (desolation), it can no doubt be said that God protected them. I was able to visit most people in person and made contact with one by phone. They are doing well, without any major problems but without electricity and telephone. They were repairing their generator and I hope they will then be able to use the DVD of the Feast messages that I carried to them. I also visited a couple of French-speaking prospective members who also are well and have very little damage at home. 

We can thank God for having protected them and we also appreciate having been spared both in Guadeloupe and Martinique, because in my life, despite the many hurricanes that I have known, I have never seen such devastation, such desolation! I returned to Martinique last night. It was a safe trip, many thanks for your prayers and support.—Etienne Duval

16:15 into this church service (at Church of God International Tyler Texas last Saturday) Mr. Larry Watkins announces he is going back to work for Christian Education Ministries!  Allie Dart fired him from CEM shortly after Mr. Dart's accident several years ago.  She claimed he had stabbed Mr. Dart in the back by trying to get himself set up as president of CEM. 

The CEM board of directors has now rehired Mr. Watkins in spite of Mrs. Dart's insistence that Mr. Watkins never be brought back to CEM after her death. 

Mr. Watkins also says in his announcement that he has talked to Charles Groce and Vance Stinson of CGI.  He says that CEM and CGI will now work together more closely.  Will we see some kind of unification of the two groups some time in the future?  With Mrs. Dart gone, there is no one to stop it now.  You can count on it happening.  This has been predicted by insiders for several years now.

What is Satan’s nature? It is vanity—exalting the self. 

God pins Satan to the wall in Ezekiel 28:17: “Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness.” This is actually where sin started (verse 15)—when Lucifer, whom God had created perfect, changed his attitude. He went from loving God to loving the self. He got absorbed in his own brightness, obsessed with his own beauty. He became self-centered. Self-impressed. Vain. 

That is Satan’s nature! 

“Lucifer was like a speck in all of God’s creation, but he selfishly focused on himself,” Gerald Flurry explained about this passage. “In his own eyes, he became more important than God and all His creation. Can we become that vain about beauty? Or about things? Can vanity corrupt our wisdom? Certainly. Oftentimes, human beings become self-absorbed—wrapped up in our own beauty or looks or things” (John’s Gospel: The Love of God). 

That is our human nature! Do you really see how much you love your self? How much self-love you have? 

As Mr. Armstrong said in a sermon in 1982, “Self-love is the very essence of sin.” God’s way of life is always outflowing—it is give. Anything other than that is sin—it is a result of loving our self more than God, or more than the other guy. 

“God’s law is, simply, love!” Mr. Armstrong wrote. “It is the perfect way of life. Every particle of human suffering, unhappiness, misery and death has come solely from its transgression!” (The Plain Truth About Healing). Whenever there is a problem—conflict, discouragement, unhappiness—sin is the cause, which means that self-love is in there somewhere! Every particle of unhappiness is caused by sin, and self-love is the essence of sin. 

Are you unhappy as a single? Then examine yourself for self-love. You are trying to satiate that gnawing inner hunger with something other than God. To some degree, most probably, you are combating your inferiority complex with conceit, self and vanity! 

This Satan-inspired human nature makes us miserable. Sin makes us miserable. Self-love makes us miserable! Yet, so often, in specific situations, we put ourselves first because we think that is going to make us happier. We are certain that putting the other person first is going to make us miserable! We prioritize our own desires. We focus on how we want to be treated. Our service and sacrifice are required somewhere—someone needs us—but we are into what we’re doing, so we insist that we’re too busy, or we pretend like we don’t hear or don’t see the problem.  

We do these things all the time—and we may even feel justified in doing so. But the reality is that self-love is sin! It is not the way God thinks! It is not His nature to do that. It is not His love.

If you take any book on Catholic theology and COMPARE it with the April 1979 Good News, as well as with Mr. Armstrong's book Mystery of the Ages, you will find the doctrine of the primacy of Peter to be almost IDENTICAL -- even in form and layout! Further, in the November 20, 1978 Good News (article, "How Christ Gave the Church Its Beliefs" -- page 14, column 5) you will find the following statement: "Now notice how Jesus gave Peter PRIMACY over apostles...."

Actually, scores of articles have been published by the Churches of God that lay out, in great detail, the PRINCIPLES of government upon which these churches rest. The bottom line is -- the Worldwide Church of God, and others, DO INDEED believe and teach the doctrine of the primacy of Peter! And when Joseph Tkach took over, then his son, NOTHING CHANGED regarding this doctrine!

Men have always denied that which makes them look bad. The Worldwide Church of God is no exception. But, realize this, once you understand the heart or the CENTRAL CORE of the "Primacy" doctrine -- its motives and its purpose -- it no longer matters what name men attach to it. A ten-year-old child could spot it!

The Worldwide Church of God and the Catholic Church are by no means the only groups practicing this ancient doctrine. It is a prominent part of the so-called Philadelphia Church of God as well as Meredith's Living Church of God and Dankenbring's Triumph Prophetic Ministries. In one form or another, it holds a place of high honor within the doctrinal framework or policies of most of the churches of modern-day "Christianity." And, note well, most -- if not all -- of the great PAGAN RELIGIONS of the world also hold this doctrine close to their hearts.

This ancient doctrine is the SINGLE GREATEST TOOL ever devised by errant church leaders to preserve UNITY. All the great despots of history have used it to preserve unity amongst their peoples. It is, without a doubt, the "perfect" form of government.

No other doctrine of government can boast anything like the success enjoyed by this VILE and PERVERTED teaching.

The awesome power of this doctrine to manipulate and control the minds of men and to strike fear into their hearts, is the result of the belief that Yeshua the Messiah has empowered a man to RULE his Church for him -- IN HIS PLACE -- until he and YEHOVAH God return. 

This doctrine places a MAN in the enviable and POWERFUL position of being the SOLE SPOKESMAN for the Messiah on this earth. 

Now, the doctrine of the "Primacy of Peter," or the "Vicar of Christ," or the "Hierarchy of Order" gives a man (in simple terms) the SOLE AUTHORITY to interpret the Bible, define sin and set doctrine.

Furthermore, it gives him the authority to BIND his interpretations, definitions and doctrines upon the conscience of other men. His decisions, therefore, become binding (according to this doctrine) before Almighty God -- binding upon pain of disfellowshipment, eternal death or even eternal torture in hell-fire!

Men can only work together in peace through the SPIRIT OF YEHOVAH, otherwise they must have a government controlling their actions! When men resist YEHOVAH's spirit it departs from them, to be replaced by their own selfish desires.

To maintain peace, those groups of men (or churches) who are resisting the spirit of YEHOVAH MUST resort to one of the many forms of government patterned after the primacy of Peter. Once a church begins to resist the influence of the holy spirit, only TWO OPTIONS are available: Break up and go their separate ways, or develop government.

A study of history soon reveals that EVERY government of men inevitably becomes dissatisfied with merely directing the actions of men. Eventually they always seek to CONTROL their very consciences.

From: The Primacy of Peter and the Ecclesia of YEHOVAH God! 

Things will not remain as they have. Yellowstone could erupt. Elements will melt. Get your spiritual life in order.

I Greet you all in the Name of Jesus.

We, the Rift Valley (Transmara, Njoro, Bomet, Mau) Members held a meeting for eight days and it turned out successful. We were blessed with Spiritual Training and Teachings.

The people were filled not only Spiritually but also with the bodily satisfaction of food. They were also happy with the services and support we gave them.

I thank you all, but mostly Pastor Ochieng for the planning that took place.

The challenge moreover is the way the people were starved. They experience starvation and hardships in terms of conquering drought and availability of water. But we thank God that the last 2 days when the meeting was supposed to come to an end we were blessed with Rain. But there was no Water Tank for storage but with your prayers we believe we will get one soon.  Hint, hint!

Our Camera Man, Joseah Kipngetich, did a great job in Photo Session however he needs a better quality camera that can take great photo and video graphics whenever we have meetings in Rift Valley next year. Also, he can really come in handy in the Photos in our Church Magazine( Continue Church of God)

This is an account of what is clearly expected to occur on June 9, 2019. The long prophesied Messiah, the Christ (both words, Messiah and Christ, have the same meaning), will be sent by God to take control of this earth and to establish His government to rule over the nations. The self-rule of mankind will be brought to an end as the Messiah and his army will take control of all government over all nations. He will do so with great power—a level of power never before witnessed by mankind. 

If you haven’t left an oppressive religious community, peeking inside one may seem novel, a curious poking of your nose into a weird upside-down world where everything mainstream culture takes for granted is swapped out for some alternate reality. 

If you have left such a community, though, stories of others who’ve also found their way out induce a mix of panic and relief. Critics try to stay neutral, but I can’t pretend One of Usdidn’t sock me in the solar plexus; the documentary about three young people trying to make their way outside of Hasidic Judaism is laden with a familiar sadness and longing.

My own background is much closer to an earlier film from One of Us co-directors Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady: the 2006 documentary Jesus Camp, which looked inside a charismatic Christian summer camp for young people that trained them in spiritual warfare (and to an extent, conservative political warfare). That film is hard to watch too. 

Whereas Jesus Camp focused on the faithful, though, One of Us takes a different tack in its examination of an insular religious community (and one that’s more impenetrable to outsiders). Instead of talking to the true believers, Ewing and Grady follow the questioners. The film’s revelations are two-pronged: They uncover much about the Hasidic community, while also more broadly exposing how insular groups keep people in and everyone else out. It’s hard to leave, even when staying is impossible too.  Excerpt from : In the moving Netflix documentary One of Us, 3 ex-Hasidic Jews struggle with secular life

That Church has been small from its inception. It has been hated, maligned, persecuted, and a vast number of its leaders have been imprisoned and/or even put to death. It has been so small that most in the world have never even known of its existence. But that is all about to be changed, as it is now God’s purpose to make it a powerful Church, and the only Church on earth. 

What is the purpose of the ministry?

To instruct the brethren to grow in love and in good deeds — exactly as Heb. 10:24 mentions. Then God intends THE PASTORS to set the right example and to instruct the flock which should assemble WITH a minister. IF BRETHREN COULD ACCOMPLISH THIS BY ASSEMBLING WITHOUT A MINISTER, THEN JESUS WASTED HIS TIME TO TRAIN INDIVIDUALS TO BECOME PASTORS OR ELDERS. Then He was mistaken in training the disciples to preach and to feed the flock, if the flock could feed itself!

The very fact that the ministry is FOR the edifying of the church is PROOF POSITIVE that assembling without a shepherd will NOT lead to UNITY and perfection in knowledge. Without a pastor, disunity, contention and error will inevitably arise in a local group. EXPERIENCE PROVES IT!

Matthew 18:18-20The Message (MSG)

18-20 “Take this most seriously: A yes on earth is yes in heaven; a no on earth is no in heaven. What you say to one another is eternal. I mean this. When two of you get together on anything at all on earth and make a prayer of it, my Father in heaven goes into action. And when two or three of you are together because of me, you can be sure that I’ll be there.”