Come on...you've thought it. "What if Dave IS right and he DOES have an inside track to God? What then?" First of all, not to worry, he's not and it won't but that being said, we all remember how the crowds mocked Noah, and for 120 years or so the story goes. And it worked out just terrible for those folk. (Don't worry about that story either. It is a plagiarized version of the Sumerian Tale of Gilgamesh but that's a whole other story). But we know somewhere, that story is being quoted to make the faithful say, "oh yeah...that's true."
The average Church of God member of any splinter has any number of examples burned into their minds of the bad results that can come from the common man speaking up to illogical power. The entire Exodus is one big "Moses, no one believes you and we are thirsty" story. Korah and his kin get a bit fed up with Moses, which in my mind would be natural, but that's not how the story goes. We all know the last thing Korah heard from Moses was, "Well Korah, with ideal like that one, really big things are OPENING UP for you," and the rest is history, sorta but probably not. Even Miriam and Aaron had to be taught a few lessons on picking on Moses for leading them all out into the waste howling wilderness without a map. Did you know it only actually takes 9 days to walk from Egypt to Israel. Men never read maps.
We all know naughty boys made fun of Elisha as they mocked and scoffed at him, as boys are wont to do, with "Go up, go up bald man," as his mentor Elijah did, in the story, probably not. Those bad boys got eaten by bears. Some like to sugar coat the story and say the bears just tore 'em up a bit, but knowing YHVH, I'm going to go with eaten alive. Never scoff at the Man of God.
I'm sure time would fail us and the Bible could not contain all the mockings and scoffings the prophets endured, which actually they well deserved as many of their own imaginings did not come to pass. Egypt never was vacated for 40 years and the Nile never really dried up and so on. In the New Testament, you didn't pick on the Apostles but they were less aggressive towards the brethren. They just called them names and as Paul said, he wished they'd cut off their binkies if they were going to be circumcised. Paul said he blessed when he got cursed, but then in other places he pronounces curses on his critics so with Paul it depends on the day of the week. Pharisees got rather miffed at Jesus but he did not strike them dead or turn them into lepers as far as I can tell. The gang of 12 wanted fire brought down on the scoffers, but Jesus calmed them down. Jesus was a gentle guy and not given to revenge . He did get a bit miffed at being called a bastard in John 8 however and said their father was Satan, so he was not above payback.
The Apostle Peter is said, by Luke who was Paul's buddy, to have struck down two church members who didn't pony up with the funds promised from the sale of land. I can see Dave trying this on some who have done the same with their pledges. But if you know me at all, I think that was a private joke on Peter and a not so subtle bash that the readers of Acts would get and we don't after all this time. Basically, Annanias and Sapphira get struck down for saying they would do one thing, give all, and did another, held back. This by the "Great Apostle Peter" who said he would do one thing, never leave Jesus and did another, denied him. LOL Don't follow Peter would be the message for those with ears to hear. So we can dismiss this threatening case of take that you reprobate.
At any rate, I know some of you are wondering what would happen if Dave is right? What if the Field of Dreams fills up for the opening game at the Feast? What if Three COG ministers literally die on the same day? Oh my oh my, we won't be able to explain that away. (I suggest no three COG ministers ride together until September maybe?) To be honest, I have been taking more care of myself this month than most. Taking vitamins, walking Chewie my Shih Tzu a bit more and being nice to my friends. I meditate a bit more and am getting my sleep. But to be honest, when I feel a twitter or tweek in my chest or I cough, I do wonder if I am on the list. While longevity is a trait in my family, if something happens to me, I didn't like it. I'm just saying. I willingly give up any chance I have for the big three to Dr. Bob Thiel who would probably be tickled to be chosen.
So, off to work and didn't want to not address this topic that I KNOW lurks beneath the surface of the God Haunted.
So hear we go....Oh Magic 8 Ball....Is Dave really Joshua the High Priest as spoken of by the Prophet Haggai and will this stuff he reports as being from you not him going to happen this month as he says?
Contact Dennis at DennisCDiehl@aol.com