I believe in the resurrection from the dead, by which man's mortal and decayed body will be changed in the twinkling of an eye at the last trumpet into a new body that can never die.

I believe that the Greater Church of God is composed of all the saints, those in whom the Holy Spirit dwells, who are called according to God's purpose.   

(from his Confession of Faith)

Why is Wakefield's 3800 square foot home with an estimated worth of $712,000 (with only Wakefield and his wife living in it) acceptable but the brethren are chastised for sitting on hundreds of thousands, even millions of dollars and property?

Really AWKWARD!! How do we in COGWA, who have listened for a while now to insinuations about Rod Meredith’s “issues” given his pre-occupation with rants against homosexuals, and suggestions that he has “come unhinged” with his new teachings of a rapture (something to do with the timeline of the wedding supper) all coming from our own ministers (and I hear also from friends in the UK that these thoughts are also disseminated by the COGWA leadership there)—- how are we expected to happily ‘merge’ with a group that we are told is so way off-base?! In our immediate circles at services today we all pretty much agreed that if this merger happened, most of COGWA would flee back to UCG — a windfall for them. LCG would inherit a hefty payroll with insufficient tithe-payers to support it. For my husband and I it would confirm our worst fears since the beginning that Franks & Co. were perhaps just financial opportunists in the first split, and are doing the same again with no principles — and we would certainly be back in UCG. Certainly we never understood making merchandise of the brethren as well as we do now.  Shining Light comments

LCG COGWA can not join because it is unequally yoked, Jim Franks represents a corrupt leader, full of ambition, Walker, Langarica sacked the United Church of God in South America and Franks knows, out corrupt leaders, hopefully this is just rumor, LCG should not thieves at his side. Ali Franks and the 40 Thieves.

I would suggest that if this particular storm “Jonas” was a punishment for a recent action, it was more likely a punishment for US Vice President Biden’s promotion of the LGBT agenda at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on Wednesday ss opposed to the lifting of sanctions related to the Iranian deal. 

Why? 

Because the Bible does ties aspects of the LGBT agenda in with weather punishments (cf. Amos 4:7-12).  Plus the Bible teaches that God will remove “the protection from Judah” (the nation currently called Israel) and perhaps allow the Iranians to damage it (cf. Isaiah 22:6-8).

Scripture is clear that God controls the weather and sometimes provides extreme weather for correction. And that includes snowy weather. Notice the following: 

5 God thunders marvelously with His voice; He does great things which we cannot comprehend. 6 For He says to the snow, ‘Fall on the earth’;… 9 From the chamber of the south comes the whirlwind, And cold from the scattering winds of the north. 10 By the breath of God ice is given, And the broad waters are frozen. 11 Also with moisture He saturates the thick clouds; He scatters His bright clouds. 12 And they swirl about, being turned by His guidance, That they may do whatever He commands them On the face of the whole earth. 13 He causes it to come, Whether for correction, Or for His land, Or for mercy. (Job 37:5-6, 9-13)

22 “Have you entered the treasury of snow, Or have you seen the treasury of hail, 23 Which I have reserved for the time of trouble, For the day of battle and war? (Job 38:22-23)

Super rich hedge fund managers are buying ‘secret boltholes’ where they can hideout in the event of civil uprising against growing inequality, it has been claimed.  

Nervous financiers from across the globe have begun purchasing landing strips, homes and land in areas such as New Zealand so they can flee should people rise up.  

With growing inequality and riots such as those in London in 2011 and in Ferguson and other parts of the USA last year, many financial leaders fear they could become targets for public fury.

Jesus taught that a very rough time was going to come: 

21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. 22 And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened. (Matthew 24:21-22) Is the solution to attempt to hide in a country such as New Zealand?  

No. 

While there is a certain escape involved in this, the protected Christians are not going to their personal ‘bolthouses,’ but are going to a place that God has prepared in the wilderness. And this is NOT a wilderness in New Zealand. 

As far as New Zealand goes, many do not realize that the British-peoples in New Zealand are actually descendants of the biblical Joseph’s son Ephraim, the grandson of Jacob. Because of that, New Zealand will be affected by “the time of Jacob’s trouble” (Jeremiah 30:7). 

Since those in New Zealand will be greatly affected by the Great Tribulation, any wealthy who attempt to escape there will find that they trusted too much in their wealth (cf. Matthew 10:24), instead of trusting the Bible. A place of safety will be prepared for the true Philadelphians, but one cannot simply buy admission to it (Revelation 3:7-13; Luke 21:36).

A question has come about salting the unleavened bread for Passover and the sacrifices and I have added the following explanation to the  Leviticus 2:13 post. 

All Unleavened Bread for Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread and the sacrifices  is to be seasoned with salt as commanded in Lev 2:13. 

Salt is a preservative which is added to indicate the eternal everlasting nature of our Covenant with God and our faithful everlasting abiding in that Covenant (Numbers 18:19). 

While we are commanded to not even touch a dead unclean animal, many sects claim that the commandment is only concerned with eating the flesh. Using that false premise they say that any other products from dead unclean creatures may be used at will. 

Living “unclean” animals are not unclean to touch and neither is the hair or wool sheared from living animals; it is the DEAD animals that are unclean and not to by eaten or even touched. That means that the skin and furs of dead unclean animals are not to be touched.  

We may not eat, use or touch the dead body of any creature that does not BOTH chew the cud and split the hoof among animals, or any under water creature that does not have BOTH fins and scales at the time we take it. We may not eat, use or touch the dead body of any bird that does not have a crop and is not able to fly, nor can we eat any insect that does not have both legs for leaping and wings for flying.

To even touch the carcass [dead body] of an unclean creature; becomes unclean and must bathe and be unclean until the sun is set. 

To touch the dead body makes one unclean and if we wear skins and furs from unclean creatures it is as if we have eaten them; for both acts make us unclean. 

We should be zealous to be physically clean, in our overwhelmingly unclean world; and we should go forward from the physical; to be zealous to become spiritually clean, without any spot, blemish or wrinkle of spiritual uncleanness or sin. 

We should be as shocked, disgusted and appalled at the very idea of eating some scripturally unclean thing, or for some spiritual uncleanness and sin like calling the Sabbath holy and then paying others to serve us; as we would be if we were served a bowl of sewage.

If the child is female the mother’s separation shall be double that of a male child 

12:5 But if she bear a maid child, then she shall be unclean two weeks, as in her separation: and she shall continue in the blood of her purifying threescore and six [66] days.  

66 days plus two weeks is 80 days. My wife and I practiced this by mutual consent for our three sons and one daughter. 

We make these specified sacrificial offerings to day, by going to God the Father in prayer and asking that the sacrifice of Christ be applied to us and to the child, setting apart the child through our faithfulness, and asking for an understanding of these things.

A sin offering for the shed blood; which goes back to Eden where sin and bloodshed entered the world and a burden was placed on women for that sin, as a perpetual reminder of sin (Gen 3:16); the sin offering for the mother, being the application of Christ’s sacrifice for the repentant obedient woman. And a burnt offering to demonstrate the wholehearted faithful service to God the Father and Jesus Christ and those of like-mind.

I have noticed since I was first baptized in 1976 that the observing of times and horoscopes which is forbidden as an abomination by God, is commonly practiced in the Ekklesia especially by ladies. This is a grave sin which will keep you out of the resurrection to spirit

We are not to mix seed or fibers in cloth, or to mix kinds of animals. The focus on this is PURITY. The spiritual lesson is to keep ourselves PURE and unspotted by the false doctrines and prophecies of false religions. We are not to allow our white linen garments of righteousness to become mixed with the fibers of unrighteousness and error and sin, of impurity and defilement of false ways.

I have heard of many cases where women have been convinced by their men friends that oral or manual sex is not really sex, and they then do this, thinking themselves to still be virgins. 

God loves the homosexual, therefore the deeds of homosexuals are an abomination to God; and the homosexual person is to be killed so that his example does not infect others. Today there are millions who not only commit this wickedness; they loudly proclaim pride in their sin, so that their sin exceeds that of Sodom.  This is the duty of the government and no individual is to take it upon himself to attack anyone.

Would Jesus want you to watch the Super Bowl? What about the Apostle Paul who warned against approving violence? The same Apostle Paul who said to imitate him as he imitated Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1). Would Jesus or the Apostle Paul watch the Superbowl as football fans rooting for one team to crush the other team?

The New Testament also warns Christians against being violent or approving of those that are (Romans 1:28-32), while history records that early Christians would not watch violent sports. Notice one such report from Theophilus of Antioch perhaps written about 180 A.D.: 

Consider, therefore, whether those who teach such things can possibly live indifferently, and be commingled in unlawful intercourse, or, most impious of all, eat human flesh, especially when we are forbidden so much as to witness shows of gladiators, lest we become partakers and abettors of murders. But neither may we see the other spectacles, lest our eyes and ears be defiled, participating in the utterances there sung. (Theophilus of Antioch. To Autolycus, Book III, Chapter XV. Translated by Marcus Dods, A.M. Excerpted from Ante-Nicene Fathers, Volume 2. Edited by Alexander Roberts & James Donaldson. American Edition, 1885. Online Edition) 

Since American football games, like the Super Bowl, intentionally inflict various hurts, the following scripture supports the idea that American football will not be allowed in the Millennium: 

9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord As the waters cover the sea. (Isaiah 11:9, NKJV)

While “love does no harm to a neighbor” (Romans 13:9), what do sports like American football do? 

If Jesus Himself did watch the Super Bowl, would He watch it and hope that one team would tackle and crash into members of the other team? Or might He watch it, if He did, so He could make social commentary against the violence and/or distorted priorities of the land? 

Would Jesus take pleasure in humans damaging other humans for entertainment?

One very important benchmark is the reach and circulation of Beyond Today magazine. As 72% of readers do not renew their subscription, we need to constantly seek new subscribers. This costs money. We use everything from card decks and print advertising, to online keyword marketing to tell people about the gospel message. The more people that subscribe, the more who will ask for other literature and become engaged–even to the point of becoming donors and coworkers. Then some of these will eventually come to repentance and be baptized.

Suely there is an editing error there.  I’m sure what he intended to say was first the reader will come to repentance, be baptized, then become a donor.  This unfortunate editing error will lead people to think  that their primary purpose is attracting donors not in bringing the plain truth about the good news to the attention of sinners.

Once in cult, student now sees importance of knowing theology

“Armstrongists have a ‘loose brick’ approach to theology,” Bell said. “They look at doctrine as a complete whole or as nothing at all. That’s why they refer to their system of belief as ‘The Truth.’ person any one doctrine falls then the whole system falls.”  

Bell had been a member of the movement for three years when he began to question its teachings. In 1995 he founded the Owensboro church but soon began to examine central Armstrongist teachings under the microscope of Scripture and history.  

For Bell, the first brick to crumble from the wall of Armstrongism was the sect’s doctrine of “Anglo-Israelism.” Influenced by a book called “Judah’s Scepter and Joseph’s Birthright” by J.H. Allen, Herbert Armstrong taught that Anglo-Saxons are direct descendants of the 10 lost tribes of Israel. Armstrongists see this teaching as the key that unlocks a true understanding of biblical prophecy.  

Bell read “Judah’s Scepter” and was incredulous at his findings. 

“When I got finished with it, I thought, ‘There are some interesting ideas here, but this is historical fantasy,’” he said. “... I began to research it in more depth and quickly tossed it out.”  

Though spooked by this revelation, Bell nevertheless dismissed the doctrinal aberration as a peculiarity of Herbert Armstrong’s system of belief. 

The next doctrine to tumble down was the Trinity -- Armstrongists are strongly anti-Trinitarian. The final Armstrongist brick that Bell dislodged was the group’s teaching on God. Armstrongists believe that man eventually accomplishes ‘god-status,’ a qualitative equality with God. 

It didn’t take a seminary education for Bell to realize that was blasphemy. 

 “When I was first getting into the Armstrongist movement, I read a booklet that said the resurrection (of the dead at Christ’s return) would be the most momentous event in the history of the world because it would be the birth of gods,” Bell said. “When I read that, I said ... ‘that’s blasphemy.’”

Still, Bell decided to ignore the booklet because Garner Ted Armstrong had not written it. He remained in the movement. 

“I chose [to believe] that everything else I was hearing was so good, I was going to shove that aside,” he said. 

Under the leadership of Joseph Tkach, who succeeded Herbert Armstrong as leader of the Worldwide Church of God upon his death in 1986, the sect experienced a massive doctrinal shift in the mid-90s toward biblical orthodoxy.  

The group’s website trumpets this radical transformation as a “Damascus Road experience.” The Worldwide Church of God was admitted as a member of the National Association of Evangelicals in 1997.  

As an Armstrongist devotee, Bell saw the change as a great apostasy. Other true Armstrongists agreed and the Worldwide Church of God lost more than half its members and ministers because of the shift. True Armstrongists still hold fast to the teachings of Herbert Armstrong and have churches scattered about the country, Bell said.  

It wasn’t until the spring of 1998, after a series of sexual misconduct allegations were lodged against Garner Ted Armstrong, that Bell’s foray into Armstrongism came to an end.  

The allegations turned the Church of God International on its head and struck Bell with sledgehammer force. Due in large part to the accusations, Bell eventually resigned the pastorate and began the journey back to Christian orthodoxy.  

Bell enrolled at Southern in the fall of 1998. It was a revolutionary experience and within one year, his view of theology underwent a profound metamorphosis. 

That first year, Bell studied Baptist and church history, theology, and hermeneutics. Soon, he had embraced fully historic evangelical Christianity.  

“By the end of my first full year at Southern Seminary, I had my theological world rocked,” he said. “I emerged from that a convinced evangelical.”

The Bible foretells the arrival of Elijah and That Prophet just before Christ’s Return. Many Christians believe That Prophet is Christ. Jews believe he and Elijah are different men. Are they correct?

22 For Moses truly said to the fathers, 'The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear in all things, whatever He says to you. 23 And it shall be that every soul who will not hear that Prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people. 24 Yes, and all the prophets, from Samuel and those who follow, as many as have spoken, have also foretold these days. 25 You are sons of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying to Abraham, 'And in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.' 26 To you first, God, having raised up His Servant Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your iniquities." (Acts 3:22-26)

The basic problem with the way Armstrongism works on the human mind is that it conditions people to consider all possible outcomes to variable situations, and then to focus in on the worst or most negative scenario as being the probable outcome. Under such thought patterns, even the blessings for living a Christian lifestyle can’t be enjoyed in this lifetime as an example to others, you have to wait for the next life to enjoy them. Also, don’t even expect loving encouragement if you go in to counsel with your minister, expect a serious ration of crap, instead. And especially expect the worst if you need to interface with someone from “the world”! 

When they are writing articles for their recruitment magazines, this negativity is just so ingrained, that they can’t suppress it! That is what flows outward as the takeaway. Who in their right mind would want such negativity in their homes, and in their minds? The people who don’t renew are most likely the positive thinkers who realize that mankind is capable of high level problem solving. 

One of the aspects which makes churches grow today is a positive message, a message that people can influence the surrounding community or culture towards good. The example of Lot is cited, in which God promised to spare the majority for the sake of a small number of righteous, or where Israel and Judah had punishment postponed multiple times when God saw even encouraging signs of partial obedience. You just don’t walk into an ACOG sabbath service and hear a message about winning the community for Jesus Christ. Instead, the messages are about how minorities are going to start race wars for no reason, or how the homosexuals are going to convert everyone to their “lifestyle”, and then outraged and morally superior Germans are going to need to come over here and mop everything up for God. Droughts, floods, new diseases, and demon activity. They have all manner of toys or tools to use on the unsuspecting. People just do not respond positively to such negative coercion. Nobody wants to live in circumstances of entrapment. That is not what makes the human spirit thrive!

BB