It is another sunny day in COGland and the whackiness continues on unabated. Numerology has always been an important part of the church. Numbers matter. No COG is more guilty of this than the Philadelphia Church of God. Every imaginable thing turns into something sacred from the god they claim to follow.
HWA has been dead 40 years.Gerald Flurry was fired by the Worldwide Church of God 40 years ago.
Jesus fasted for 40 days
40 is emphasized in the lives of Moses, David and the end-time Elijah—Herbert W. Armstrong.
It has been 40 years since Herbert W. Armstrong died. Also, there are 40 days between December 7, the date I was fired from the Worldwide Church of God in 1989, and January 16, the date Mr. Armstrong died in 1986.
The number 40 occurs often in the Bible. Have you ever wondered why? It is significant in the lives of the biblical prophets, kings and judges. It occurs repeatedly in the lives of spiritual giants. The significance of this number helps us understand why the Israelites spent 40 years wandering in the wilderness; why Moses, Elijah and even Jesus Christ fasted for 40 days; and why this number is a sign for us today.
Study the number 40 in the Bible and you see that only God could have inspired the use of this number throughout the millenniums. This number is an important sign that brings God into events to show His presence. This should be very encouraging for us—especially when you consider that 40 is emphasized in the lives of Moses, David and the end-time Elijah—Herbert W. Armstrong.
The lunacy keeps on going:
When John Amos and I were fired from the wcg on Dec. 7, 1989, it was just 40 days before the anniversary of Mr. Armstrong’s death on January 16. We found that significant, and I believe it showed God’s presence was with us because we were obeying God when we got fired. In fact, that is why we were fired! The wcg leaders were forsaking God and what Mr. Armstrong taught them.
The number 40 is tied to God. These 40s are not the work of man but of God! It shows that God is involved here. What could be more important than that?
The proofs just keep piling up - or maybe the crap is, it's hard to tell when it involves PCG and Gerald Flurry.
We started our campus in Edmond, Oklahoma, with 40 acres—just like the Pasadena campus under Mr. Armstrong. Both campuses were associated with the number 40.
Then he ends with this heresy:
Just think about all those 40s, and think about God’s presence. He does sometimes curse or correct us if we get away from Him and forsake Him; He must do that! But God is re-creating Himself in man—that is His goal. We are going to be sons of God—not adopted sons but real sons of God!
While the Bible doesn't mention "numerology" by name, it classifies such predictive or occult uses of numbers as a form of divination (fortune-telling or seeking supernatural knowledge through means other than God). The Scriptures repeatedly and severely prohibit divination and related occult practices.The clearest and most frequently cited passage is from the Old Testament law:
Let no one be found among you who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable (an abomination) to the Lord...This passage lists several forbidden practices, and modern predictive numerology typically falls under "divination,""interpreting omens," or related categories because it seeks to uncover hidden knowledge or future events through numerical patterns.Deuteronomy 18:10-12 (NIV)
While PCG and the COG do not use numerology as divination, they have elevated the use of numbers to a sacred status, especially when they can use it to promote their own group as the only true and correct COG.