Passover starts at sunset Monday, the 29th of March

The biblical Passover starts at sunset Monday, the 29th of March.

The Passover Memorial
When did God decree that Jesus could declare "it is finished" and die on the stake? Why at the very same time that THE JEWS were sacrificing their Passover lambs at the Temple! The Jews had always killed the Passover lambs during the final hours of the 14th. It was towards the end of the 14th, not at the beginning of the 14th, that the Passover lambs were killed.

Passover and Pentecost Differences Settled!
The correct dates to observe God's holy days should not be a Church of God issue, having been settled by God thousands of years ago and preserved throughout the ages by faithful Jews.

The Oracles of God
God's empowered the Jews - despite themselves - to preserve His Word. They are the only people on Earth that God has blessed and ordained to fulfill such a calling! God will not retract His Word or renege on this gift and responsibility that He's graciously bestowed upon Judah.

The Pharisees
Who isn't aware of the sins of the Pharisees? Especially the Accuser of the Brethren? But does that mean the truths they teach, even if they don't live them, are no longer true?


http://www.davidbenariel.org/

Any church you can "join" is NOT God's Church

Any church you can "join" is NOT God's Church
The Plain Truth
April, 1968

THE BIBLE ANSWERS Short Questions FROM OUR READERS
There are so many denominations, how does one recognize the
Church Jesus founded?
B. E., Canada

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    The Greek word "ecclesia" translated "Church" in English means "the called-out ones"! 

     On the other hand, in the WORLD the very first great event Jesus foretold would be a deceptive COUNTERFEIT Christianity.

     "Take heed," said Jesus, "that no man deceive you. For many shall come IN MY NAME, SAYING I AM CHRIST; and shall deceive many!" (Mat. 24:4-5.)

     Notice carefully! These deceivers would come in Christ's name, saying Jesus IS the Christ. They would be calling themselves "Christian," but would in fact be the devil's representatives. It was NOT THE FEW who were to be deceived by them -- but THE MANY! It was the FEW who were to become TRUE Christians! (Mat. 7:13-14.)

     That isn't what the world believes, is it? Probably that isn't what you have always heard, and come to assume.

     But it is WHAT JESUS CHRIST SAID! How deceived this world has become!

     Yes, MANY would come in Jesus' name, proclaiming that Jesus IS the Christ -- preaching about Christ to the world -- yet, actually DECEIVING THE WORLD! (Mat. 24:5.)

     Simply by preaching ABOUT the PERSON of Christ -- extolling is virtues, worshipping Him, yet DENYING HIS MESSAGE -- the GOSPEL OF HIS KINGDOM!

     What a CLEVER counterfeit! And most of those preaching in Christ's name are SINCERE -- sincerely WRONG, themselves DECEIVED!

     It is SATAN who has deceived them! Satan has deceived the WHOLE WORLD!! (Rev. 12:9) He is the author of this confusion (I Cor. 14:33).

     It is SATAN who has made himself the god of this world (II Cor. 4:4) -- and is thus worshipped as though he were God! This world DOESN'T KNOW THE TRUE GOD, strange as that may seem. This world believes that if one just "accepts Christ" -- just "makes a decision for Christ" -- just "worships Christ" -- that is all that is necessary for salvation!

     That's what MANY preach today! But what did JESUS CHRIST teach? Did He say it was possible to WORSHIP Him, and STILL BE UNSAVED? 

     Listen to His words: "In VAIN do they WORSHIP ME," said Christ, "teaching for doctrines the commandments of men ... making the word of God of none effect through your tradition" (Mark 7:7, 13).

     Hard to believe, isn't it? You've probably been so drugged, so poisoned, so deceived, by this world's deceptions -- SATAN'S COUNTERFEITS -- that even the words of Christ are difficult to believe! Well, GOD HELP YOU TO BELIEVE CHRIST! It is one thing to believe ON Christ -- that is, on His person. It is something altogether different to BELIEVE CHRIST -- to BELIEVE WHAT HE SAYS!

     Very few really understand what the true Church is. 

     Jesus purchased THE TRUE CHURCH by shedding His blood for it (Acts 20:28). The TRUE Church is not some politically organized denomination which one JOINS or becomes a member, of in order to be "saved." Jesus did not die for some one religious denomination or another -- called a church. 

     Joining a local church congregation does not put you into God's true Church! Any church you can "join" is NOT God's Church!

     You CAN'T JOIN the true Church; only God can PUT YOU INTO IT BY HIS SPIRIT (I Cor. 12:13). God alone can make you a member of His Church -- if you surrender your life to Him.

     God will give that Spirit only to those who are willing to "OBEY HIM"! (Acts 5:32.)

     When YOU receive God's Spirit -- which is the spirit of a sound, sane mind (II Tim. 1:6-7), you become at that moment a newly begotten member of the body of Christ -- which is the true Church of God!

     The receiving of God's Spirit and the MIND OF CHRIST (Phil. 2:5) upon REPENTANCE and BAPTISM PUTS YOU INTO, baptizes you into God's TRUE Church!

     "For by ONE SPIRIT are we all baptized into ONE BODY to (I Cor. 12:13).

     YOU can be part of God's true Church by earnestly repenting of your sins -- disobedience to GOD'S LAWS -- by asking God to cover your sins through the blood of Jesus Christ, by calling on God's true servants to baptize you, and by claiming God's promise of the gift of His Holy Spirit. In that way, and that way ONLY, does anyone enter into the true Church.

     Church attendance is not the most important thing! Church attendance does not, by itself, mean CHURCH MEMBERSHIP in God's sight! Some people view "church going" as an end in itself. But it most definitely IS NOT.

     God expressly forbids His people ever to join in with the worship of counterfeit church bodies -- no matter how "close" to the truth they might seem! Only the genuine worship of God with His TRUE Church is acceptable to Him!

     You need to thoroughly EXAMINE YOURSELF. You NEED TO BE SURE!

(Archived as Any church you can "join" is NOT God's Church at COG Booklets and Articles

Passover and Pentecost Differences Settled!

Why do we differ on Passover and Pentecost? Is it because our Father God left us in the dark? Has the God of law and order left us in chaos and confusion? Are we unable to "prove all things" from the Scriptures - as we're commanded - because we're unable to prove beyond a reasonable doubt the correct dates to observe God's holy days? DOES THAT MAKE SENSE?

Since there are many questions on this holy subject, we must start from the premise that God's Word is true, consistent and does not contradict itself (John 10:35) We must look for those basic Scriptures that are black and white and build our biblical case upon them. Such supportive Scriptures are actually abundantly available and the biblical evidence is overwhelming! Let us shine the Light of God's Word on our prayerful study with open minds, hearts and Bibles (Isa. 8:20; John 3:19-21; Acts 17:11).

The apostle Paul was inspired to write for the record that "the oracles of God" were committed to the Jews. The sacred calendar is clearly a part of "the oracles of God" (Ex. 12:2; Lev. 23:4). The purpose of the sacred calendar is for the Jews to determine and declare when the holy days of God are to be observed.

Jesus clearly revealed which Jews were responsible for these holy matters. Jesus declared that "the scribes and the PHARISEES sit in Moses' seat" of AUTHORITY (Matt. 23:2). God has ordained that the Jews preserve His Word on the Law, Prophets and Writings - despite themselves (Rom. 3:2-3). God will not renege on giving Judah this special calling and precious gift (Gen. 49:10, Rom. 11:29).

God has also ordained that Church officials can make binding decisions based upon biblical legal precedents, affecting Church issues (such as discussed in Acts 15 at the Jerusalem council of elders), that do not undermine the foundation of the Church - the Law and the Prophets (Rom. 11;18; Eph. 2:20). God has not given Church leaders a license to "kill" the brethren by destroying them doctrinally, uprooting and overturning foundational truths, or "playing God" by stealing divine prerogatives! (Matt. 5:17, 19; 2 Thess. 2:3-4).

The correct dates to observe God's holy days should not be a Church issue, having been settled by God thousands of years ago and preserved throughout the ages by faithful Jews.

So why do we differ on Passover and Pentecost? Because some have refused, rejected, denied and attempted to dismiss the biblical testimony! (Rom. 1:18; 3 John 9-10). We don't differ because God's forgotten or neglected to properly instruct His children in His ways (Deut. 6:7). We don't differ because we're unable to prove from the Scriptures, beyond a reasonable doubt, what's right and what's wrong.

"Come now and let us reason together, saith the LORD" (Isa. 1:18), "for the LORD has a controversy with His people, and He will plead with Israel" (Micah 6:2).

We differ because some have questioned God's right to choose the Jews to preserve the Bible and doubt God's ability to see that they fulfill their serious responsibility (Ex. 4:11; Isa. 45:9).

We differ because some won't submit to the biblical fact that Jesus clearly decreed that the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat and attempt to usurp that authority by forcibly installing the Sadducees in that position instead. God destroyed the power-base of the Sadducees when the Temple was destroyed but preserved the Pharisees. The Sadducees are history! We must make sure that we support God's chosen and not find ourselves in the enemy camp. (I Kgs. 2:27,35; Acts 5:39).

God's Church, as a general rule, has stubbornly followed the blind Sadducean dates for Passover and Pentecost. That is to our shame! We must reject the rebellious traditions of men for the commandments of God, otherwise God will reject us as His Priest-King (Mark 7:7-9; 1 Sam. 15:23). It's that serious!

Some, knowing better, continue to enjoy bitter strife and envying, getting caught up in proud personality clashes rather than humbling themselves before the Word of God ( 2 Tim. 2:23-26; Jas. 3:13-18). Truth is truth. It shouldn't be a matter of "I'm right and you're wrong," but what does God's Word say? God is truth. None of us owns the truth, only God does. Any truth that we might have God's revealed it to us (1 Cor. 4:6-7). We're not to take credit for it - all credit goes to God (2 Cor. 4:7).

Thankfully, a growing number of the brethren are beginning to see that the Bible does prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, which holy dates God would have us to observe. Therefore, may we celebrate God's holy days as He would have us to - "in spirit and in truth" - and praise Him for restoring this truth to His Church!

Religious Bluster from Ron Ardis (CGF)

The Day of the Lord Came as the CGF Proclaimed
By Robert Ardis

************

Robert Ardis is dead wrong! Robert Ardis can proclaim whatever he wants but it doesn't make it right or true, does it? Many have proclaimed their foolishness before the world since the Sabbath-keeping Church of God was founded on the holy day of Shavuot/Pentecost, Sivan 6, in Jerusalem. They're simply teaching their own ideas and are warned to cease and desist:

Ezekiel 13
1 And the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who prophesy, and say to those who prophesy out of their own heart, ‘Hear the word of the LORD!’”

3 Thus says the Lord GOD: “Woe to the foolish prophets, who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing! 4 O Israel, your prophets are like foxes in the deserts. 5 You have not gone up into the gaps to build a wall for the house of Israel to stand in battle on the day of the LORD. 6 They have envisioned futility and false divination, saying, ‘Thus says the LORD!’ But the LORD has not sent them; yet they hope that the word may be confirmed. 7 Have you not seen a futile vision, and have you not spoken false divination? You say, ‘The LORD says,’ but I have not spoken.”

8 Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: “Because you have spoken nonsense and envisioned lies, therefore I am indeed against you,” says the Lord GOD. 9 “My hand will be against the prophets who envision futility and who divine lies; they shall not be in the assembly of My people, nor be written in the record of the house of Israel, nor shall they enter into the land of Israel. Then you shall know that I am the Lord GOD.

It's disgusting how so many of the Sabbath-keeping Church of God groups have to try to prove to their sheeple they're the "one true Church of God" and have a flood of "new truth" to sweep them all away. They all abuse the same Scriptures to build themselves up on their wrong foundation and go off on tangents, driven by their vain imaginations (like 2 Peter 3:18), whether it's Ron Ardis' error about the Day of the LORD (YHVH), Flurry's folly, Ron Weinland's stupor, David Pack's blasphemy (he blathers he'll teach the Two Witnesses and the Scripture shows they're in the spirit of Elijah who stands before the LORD (YHVH) of all the Earth and are anointed by Him - not by any man!), ad nauseum.

Philippians 1
15It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. 16The latter do so in love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. 17The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains.18But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.

At least all of them offer the basics of the gospel of the Kingdom of God, the Sabbath and holy festivals (that portray God's plan of salvation), the dietary laws and biblical doctrines. We should stick to the trunk of the tree rather than go out on the limbs!

After reading The Day of the Lord Came as the CGF Proclaimed, it's like "what's that got to do with the price of eggs in China?" Why all the bluster? A tempest in a teacup! How does it help you work out your own salvation with fearfulness and trembling? What does it add to your daily walk with God?

Here's what Herbert W. Armstrong clearly taught:
The "Day of the Lord"

Jew hatred in the Church of God

Poor Bernard with his anti-Semitic canard that the Jews didn't accept Yahshua, when if Jews hadn't recognized Yahshua and gathered on Sivan 6 for the proper observance of Shavuot there wouldn't be any Sabbath-keeping Church of God today! This Jew hatred is found among jealous Gentiles and Gentilized Israelites who are in denial and disobedience to the King of the Jews who said the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat of authority - not the Bernards or Myras or others who trespass where they don't belong.

Poor Bernard is miffed because I exposed his fuzzy thinking about the sacred calendar, his willful confusion over the holy issue, when the Bible makes it clear they're part of the oracles of God that God has entrusted to the Jews until the return of the King of the Jews, Shiloh. He must not be used to biblical cross examination of his false ideas. This same Jew-hatred and jealousy he sadly exhibits, with its diversionary tactics and strawmen arguments, is all whitewashed rebellion against the Word and Will of God and led to the demise of the early Church of God's strong Jewish/biblical foundation, when such anti-Semites did all they could to distance themselves from the Jews/Bible and increasingly turned to their own idolatrous ideas and traditions (fuzzy one and all).

Fuzzy thinking Christians

New ideas opposing "law" sprang up as early as 160-320 A.D. Marcion, 2nd century, adopted Matthew 5:17 as key theme to ending God's law and taught that the grace of God superseded it, rejecting the Old Testament.
Several Church Councils from 341 A.D. to 626 A.D. prohibited Christians from celebrating the Sabbath, festivals, and even eating with the Jews. It seemed that the greatest concern with Judaism on the part of Christians leaders was the attraction that it held for Christians. . . . These rules do not come out of bad relations between Jews and Christians (what would now be called, erroneously, antisemitism), but rather were enacted because relations were good and the authorities wanted to separate the two peoples. God has always had a remnant who has followed the Torah.

John Chrysostom, 344-407 A.D., preached: "The Jews ... are worse than wild beasts ... lower than the vilest animals. Debauchery and drunkenness had brought them to the level of the lusty goat and the pig. They know only ... to satisfy their stomachs, to get drunk, to kill and beat each other up ... I hate the Jews ... I hate the Synagogue ... it is the duty of all Christians to hate the Jews.

Origen, 185-254 A.D., was most responsible for changing the way the Church interpreted prophecy, creating the atmosphere in which Christian anti-semitism took root and spread. He developed a new teaching on "legalism" setting the stage throughout history for the term "legalism" becoming synonymous with Judaism and both being condemned. (Legalism is not the following of the Old Testament Torah as is currently defined by some present-day teachings. Webster's Dictionary defines legalism as "the doctrine of salvation by good works."
Christian Hatred and Persecution of the Jews

Romans 3
1What advantage, then, is there in being a Jew, or what value is there in circumcision? 2Much in every way! First of all, they have been entrusted with the very words of God.
3What if some did not have faith? Will their lack of faith nullify God's faithfulness? 4Not at all! Let God be true, and every man a liar. As it is written: "So that you may be proved right when you speak and prevail when you judge."

Romans 11
25I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. 26And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: "The deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob. 27And this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins."
28As far as the [spiritual] gospel is concerned, they are enemies on your account; but as far as [ethnic] election is concerned, they are loved on account of the patriarchs, 29for God's gifts and his call are irrevocable.

It's sad to see Bernard (or is it Korah?) call God a liar, in essence, and hatefull spew against the Jews and reject the authority of Christ who publicly acknowledged the authority of the Pharisees.

Matthew 23
1 Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples, 2 saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. 3 Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do.

Genesis 49:10
The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.

Has the King of the Jews returned to Jerusalem yet? Has he gathered the twelve tribes of Israel to the Promised Land of Israel? No, but He will and note He liberates Jerusalem and Judah first. How that must gall some who have hang-ups about Judah, even though it is written:

God is with the Jews!
Zechariah 8:23"Thus says the LORD of hosts: 'In those days ten men [representatives of the Lost Ten Tribes of Israel?] from every language of the nations shall grasp the sleeve of a Jewish man, saying, "Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.""

Jews to Receive Jesus as Israel's King!


Bernard, it's horribly sad you've refused to notice that it's written in the Book what I testify about, the future of God's Church is in JERUSALEM. Don't you know that's where the Two Witnesses will be and Yahshua will return? Will you oppose His return to Jerusalem and the Jews first because of the hateful spirit that has moved you against our Jewish brethren? Hopefully not.

The Great Mideast Commission: Reaching the Cities of Judah

So there is a physical preparing, as well as a spiritual, in preparing the way for Messiah's Coming! Further, God says we are to SHOUT, with amplified power, to the CITIES OF JUDAH the glad message that the Messiah is soon coming" - Autobiography of Herbert W Armstrong, Volume II, pages 469-470

Israel and Judah Must Get House in Order Before King Messiah Arrives

For Zion's sake,
David Ben-Ariel

http://www.davidbenariel.org/---

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From: bernard b carman To: forwardfuture@yahoogroups.comSubject: [forwardfuture] Fuzzy "Jew" Worship ALERT!Date: Thu, 15 Oct 2009 14:50:25 -0400
FACTS:
• FUZZY thinking "Jews" still believe they are somehow superior to the gentiles in Christ -- boy are they wrong!
• the "Jews" have not been faithful to Christ Messiah -- they rejected Him and the veil was torn in two, therefore, Christ is our only intercessor to the Father.
• 1Jo 4:3 and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.
• the "Jews" have no authority whatsoever -- Christ Messiah YHWH has ALL authority!
• everyone in Christ has the authority to be ministers of Christ.
• God's people are to follow Christ, not any man or manmade religion.
• Genesis 49:10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor a lawgiver from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes.
WAKE UP -- Shiloh came in the flesh and Judah rejected Him!!!
———
note to owner/moderator of ForwardFuture:
what is the purpose of this group again? how is "Jew"/Judaism worship good for the future of the Church of Christ?
i thought this was a Christian group... is this no longer the case? it seems obvious that since David Ben-Airel arrived here, the group has gone into a very different direction, promoting the worship of a group of people and their manmade religion called "Judaism" who rejected Christ Messiah YHWH and is there for of the spirit of antichrist.
of course, we are all freed in Christ to have different personal understandings of scripture as we are babes growing in Christ, but this is getting a little ridiculous, no?
what posts from David Ben-Airel have contributed in the least toward the future of the Church of God? every time anyone posts something worthy of reading -- like my recent article, God's "Fuzzy" Clock, he comes back with a bunch of posts, twisting scriptures to advance his own agenda of "Jew"/Judaism worship.
if this is the new direction of the Forward Future forum, please confirm this so i can simply leave.
thank you...
8-)
bernard baruch carman

Kingdom of God

How Adam and Eve Reflect the Kingdom of God
"For we are members of his Body, of his flesh, and of his bones. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined to his wife, and they TWO shall be ONE FLESH. This is a GREAT MYSTERY: but I speak concerning Christ and the Church" (Ephes. 5:30-32).

Overcome in Christ Daily
GOOD NEWS: Yeshua is able to break the bonds of sin and set free those who are slaves, saving us from both sin's eternal death penalty and delivering us from the sin. Some deny this POWER and only want the pardon but the Throne of Grace offers both.

Man Questions Whether We'll Be Angelic Or Divine
Even as we have been fully mortal and human like Adam, we shall be fully divine and holy Spirit like Christ the Second Adam, being born again into the literal Kingdom-Family of God. How Satan is insanely jealous of this fact!

Born Again and Heaven and Hell
Yeshua said that which is born of the flesh is flesh (like we are now in this life), but that which is born of the Spirit IS SPIRIT. He also said you can't even see or enter into that Kingdom of God unless you're born again...

Sneak Preview of the Kingdom of God
If I may, as God is my Witness and Judge, when I was only 17 years young, God UNEXPECTEDLY gave me a VISION while I was in prayer. I was within that vision as a glorified Spirit-Being, whiter than glistening snow and like a brilliant white cloud with the sun shining on it, appearing smooth, dressed in a white robe - even my hair was that brilliant white - holding a Book in my hands and teaching two flesh and blood mortals who were sitting on the ground, in an outdoor setting like a park or meadow.)

Born Again: The Kingdom of God!
GOD IS REPRODUCING HIMSELF! That's the glorious Good News that Jesus boldly proclaimed! The Gospel of the KINGDOM OF GOD announces the GOD KINGDOM: a Spirit-Born Kingdom of God-Beings! A Royal Family that we can enter (Rev. 3:21). A Divine Family that will administer God's Government throughout the universe and eternity (Isa. 9:7; Dan. 7:18).

A Higher Calling: Quest for the Kingdom of God
Jesus clearly said, "No man can come to Me, except the Father who has sent me draw him..."(John 6:44). Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. The Christian calling includes recognizing Jesus is the only way to the Father, learning all about Him as the Incarnate Word of God and walking in that light as a way of life, following Jesus by the lead of the Holy Spirit, the power and influence of God (Romans 8:14, 1 John 2:6).

Kingdom of God-Beings to Rule Earth from Jerusalem!
Yeshua has gone to Heaven and is preparing for the coming Kingdom of God, making room for us (converted Christians then transformed) in His Administration, preparing our positions and government seats in the Kingdom-Family of God, and will then return and receive us to Himself, sharing His glory and power and honor with us from Jerusalem, the seat of God's government, the Throne of David, the Throne of the LORD.

The Great Mideast Commission: Reaching the Cities of Judah
So there is a physical preparing, as well as a spiritual, in preparing the way for Messiah's Coming! Further, God says we are to SHOUT, with amplified power, to the CITIES OF JUDAH the glad message that the Messiah is soon coming" - Autobiography of Herbert W Armstrong, Volume II, pages 469-470

Church of God

The Covenant: God's relationship with Jews, Israelites and Gentiles
Art Braidic (a minister of the Sabbath keeping Church of God) and I have enjoyed a biblical discussion about whether or not God's covenant with Judah is still active. I trust others may glean something profitable from our fellowship.

Mormon Book of the Dead
The Book of Mormon, a false gospel and spurious scripture, amounts to a mishmash of stories, like a confused child or schizophrenic person would tell, mixing truth with error; The Book of Mormon is a spoof from Satan - a demonic comedy - an abomination.

Apostate Christians
Despite warnings about another Jesus, different gospels and spirits, the rise of a counterfeit Christianity has deceived the whole world

A Nation of Drunks and Whores
We’ve been living a lie and have loved to indulge in deception. “Don’t confuse me with the facts” has been our shameful attitude, and truth has been treated like some social outcast. Therefore, God threatens to use Europe to wake us up...
Rome rules the world - not NYC!
The Israelite United States is not Babylon! New York City is not Babylon! Yes, we are in spiritual Babylon (as is the whole world, Catholics and Protestants); yes, we are in economic Babylon (as is the whole world enslaved by globalist banksters), but the biblical Babylon yet to fall has been clearly identified by Alexander Hislop in The Two Babylons as ROME and the ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH.

The Watchmen
"I have set Watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem"
God has called us to do a Work! Anyone can and should do good works in private, but God has called us collectively to COME OUT OF THE CLOSET and deliver His Message! We're to help save individuals and nations from the coming Holocaust!

Worldwide Church Of God All Over Again?
Let’s see to it that Philadelphia Church of God (Judah) doesn’t go the way of the Worldwide Church of God (Israel). These biblical principles still apply: don’t put undue trust in men; work out your own salvation, it’s not a group affair; beware the scholarly approach that demands you rely on men - not God’s Spirit or personal Bible study.

Jesus GAVE His Life To Give Us LIFE!
The passionate anti-Semites/anti-Zionists would do well to note Jesus' words of life and forgiveness: "FATHER, FORGIVE THEM, for they know not what they do...". Who are puny men to continue a blood libel against every Jew for the actions of a relative few?

Plea to Diehard Catholics & Protestants to Repent
Having clearly seen how the practice of homosexuality is a sin (as I testify in God and the Gays), I can now see clearly how SPIRITUAL HOMOSEXUALS, the bloody Roman Catholic whore and her Protestant prostitute daughters (Rev. 17:5), prefer tradition over truth.

The Plain Truth About Ron Weinland
Ron Weinland is drunk on his delusions...
Ron Weinland is a FALSE PROPHET and illegitimately claims to be one of the Two Witnesses.

The Suffering Servant
"For I am the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Savior: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee. Since thou wast precious in my sight, thou hast been honorable, and I have loved thee: therefore will I give men for thee (individuals), and people (nations) for thy life" (Isaiah 43:3-4). And, again, "For I am with thee, says the LORD, to save thee: though I will make a full end of all nations whither I have scattered thee, yet will I not make a full end of thee..." (Jeremiah 30:11).

Yeshua is the Suffering Servant
He is despised and rejected by men, A Man (not a nation, a man) of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we (collective Israel, especially Judah) hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He (one man) was despised, and we (Israel/Judah) did not esteem Him.

The Plain Truth About Race And Responsibility
Why leave others with distorted views of what the Bible says? Why not present our God-given understanding of cause and effect for today's increasing racial divides? Precisely because it is a BOMBSHELL to those who have been lulled to sleep, drugged by PC poison and who, once awakened would be enraged and shoot the messenger!

The Passover Memorial
When did God decree that Jesus could declare "it is finished" and die on the stake? Why at the very same time that THE JEWS were sacrificing their Passover lambs at the Temple! The Jews had always killed the Passover lambs during the final hours of the 14th. It was towards the end of the 14th, not at the beginning of the 14th, that the Passover lambs were killed.

Passover and Pentecost Differences Settled!
The correct dates to observe God's holy days should not be a Church of God issue, having been settled by God thousands of years ago and preserved throughout the ages by faithful Jews.

The Oracles of God
God's empowered the Jews - despite themselves - to preserve His Word. They are the only people on Earth that God has blessed and ordained to fulfill such a calling! God will not retract His Word or renege on this gift and responsibility that He's graciously bestowed upon Judah.

Don't Fall for the Rapture!
We meet the returning Christ in the air and RETURN TO EARTH - to the Mount of Olives - and reign with but under Him, composing the Kingdom of God: just like the Bible clearly says once we remove traditional blinders.

Politics in the Church of God Hinders Progress
Gerald Flurry refused to go forward with Beyond Babylon and fell backwards, treading old ground and is now going in circles, business as usual, as Europe rises and Judah and Israel have yet to be warned.

Unclean Christianity vs. Peter's Vision
Unclean traditional Christianity teaches the religious lie that Jesus "did away with" the dietary laws, sinning against both God and man (1 John 2:4; Matt 5:17-20).

Synagogue of Satan?
"And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive; I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, but thou art rich and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan." (Rev. 2:8-9)

God Doesn't Ordain Women Preachers!
I just read an abominable article written by a proud and stubborn woman attempting to justify rebellious women doing what only God has ordained men to do: preach from the pulpit as ordained ministers.

Did Jesus Call Jews the Children of the Devil?
Jesus acknowledged that Abraham is the father of the Jews physically, but not always spiritually (John 8:37, 39, 42, 44). The same can be said and is true about all Twelve Tribes of Israel. In fact, the commission of the Two Witnesses - in the spirit of Elijah - is to restore our relationship with our Fathers (Abraham, Isaac and Jacob) and thereby through their true religion reconcile us to our Heavenly Father (Malachi 4:6; Isa. 49:5-6).

Brokeback Mountain Blues
I wanted to see it, but I didn't want to see it. I'm talking about the "gay cowboy" movie called Brokeback Mountain (even though I read Jake Gyllenhaal, one of the two major actors - "Jack Twist," wants it to mean much more than that to its audience).

Race Matters
It seems evident that the resurrected Noah will head a vast project of the relocation of the races and nations, within the boundaries God has set, for their own best good, happiness and richest blessings. This will be a tremendous operation. It will require great and vast organization, reinforced with power to move whole nations and races. This time, peoples and nations will move where God has planned for them, and no defiance will be tolerated.

The Pharisees
Who isn't aware of the sins of the Pharisees? Especially the Accuser of the Brethren? But does that mean the truths they teach, even if they don't live them, are no longer true?

Don't Give Up!
If you begin to cry out to God for help, even if it's only a whimper because you're so weak, He'll see and hear and respond. "The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saves such as be of a contrite spirit... none of them that trust in Him shall be desolate" (Ps. 34:18, 22).

The REAL JESUS Can't Return Until...
Prophecy clearly reveals that the REAL JESUS CHRIST will not return to Earth from Heaven (in full view of all mankind -- not from some secret EU or Vatican chamber or desert cave) until after Jerusalem has suffered under a Gentile EU occupation for three and one half years

Scarlet Letter: A Christian With AIDS
The following is a actual letter I sent to a close Christian friend in 1999, immediately after I was diagnosed with HIV. Since then the HIV has progressed on into AIDS.

Does God Heal Today?
When I was first diagnosed with the HIV virus, I read innumerable articles on it and later suffered from an information overload and depressing confusion. One article would speak in favor of taking the highly toxic HIV/AIDS medicines, and then I'd read another one that spoke against it with just as convincing of an argument.

Onward Christian Soldiers!
Why did ancient Israel have an army? Was it because they didn't have faith? Did they believe in themselves instead of trusting God? Did they insist on fighting their own battles, rather than let God wage war for them?

Separation of Church and State? Says Who?
God calls upon our Israelite family of nations to RESTORE HIS LAW AND ORDER, and we'll receive blessing to the degree we love and obey and He will bless our NATIONAL EFFORTS that reflect national repentance, learning to go by God's Word as LAW, trusting in His wisdom, rather than leaning to our own understanding with all our different political parties of men.

God's One Government Has Two Branches!
The Sabbath-keeping Church of God (that remains faithful to the plain truth of the Bible that Herbert W. Armstrong taught) has heard a lot about government, but many seem to have forgotten that God's ONE government has TWO branches: Church (Priest) and State (King).

Should Christians Judge?
All judgment must be tempered with mercy. Jesus clearly taught that we can see others imperfections (the "mote" in their eye) and help to remove it once we have first gotten the "beam" out of our own eye. The purpose is to help and not hurt: constructive criticism, not self-righteousness or sinister motivations.

Christmas is About Giving -- Says Who?
Going into debt certainly isn't biblical, so why not break free from the trance? The "Christmas" rush is a "drug" pushed by commercial pimps prostituting a supposedly Christian holiday for their ungodly profits! They hold hands around the cash register and sing, "What a friend we have in Jesus."

C.H. Spurgeon on Christmas and Roman Catholicism
First, because we do not believe in the mass at all, but abhor it, whether it be sung in Latin or in English. Secondly, because we find no Scriptural warrant whatever for observing any day as the birthday of the Savior; and consequently, its observance is a superstition

Is the Plain Truth Too Strong?
"Cry aloud, spare not; Lift up your voice like a trumpet; Tell My people their transgression [the Church and Synagogue], And the house of Jacob [the family of Israelite nations - all Twelve Tribes of Israel] their sins. 2 Yet they seek Me daily, And delight to know My ways, As a nation that did righteousness, And did not forsake the ordinance of their God. They ask of Me the ordinances of justice; They take delight in approaching God" (Isaiah 58).

When Caesar Plays God: When the State Oversteps its Bounds
I read the Book of Acts, making it much more meaningful and relevant, during my detention in Jerusalem's Russian Compound jail. If you examine the evidence surrounding Paul's frequent arrests and imprisonments, you'll see a pattern of trumped up charges, misunderstandings and misguided zeal against him. It's a miracle that Paul didn't say "enough is enough" and quit.

Jesus Upheld the Biblical Dietary Laws
Unclean traditional Christianity has misled many with their lack of understanding of the Bible as a whole. They often take Scriptures out of context and totally twist their meanings, like they do when it comes to abusing Matthew 15 and slaughtering it to teach we can now eat anything.

Do You Prefer TRADITION Over Truth?
If anybody is honestly interested in knowing whether or not this or that doctrine is actually biblical or merely traditional, all they have to do is objectively search the Scriptures like the noble Bereans did in Acts 17:11, after hearing Paul out, to see whether what he taught was true...

Remember the Sabbath
Did you ever stop to think why Christians keep Sunday? Did they get it from the Bible? Is there a clear-cut command that says, "Thou shalt keep Sunday?" Why did Jesus worship on Saturday? Was it only because He was a good Jew? Or does it go beyond that?

The Plain Truth About Easter
Has it ever occurred to those stuffing their faces with Easter ham that Jesus would puke at the thought? Neither Jesus or Peter, James or John ever ate forbidden foods. They wouldn't feel too comfortable at plenty of people's dinner tables.

Yom Kippur at Sdot Yam
Tradition - even empty, hollow, shallow - has assisted Jewry to preserve this Day, however imperfectly; yet I also couldn't help but think of God & Kahane who might dismiss such "worship" as vain and such "devotions" as void. Liberal, Hellenist, humanists who have nothing to do with God and are ignorant of or deny His Word as a general rule, as hypocritical & unacceptable as professing Christianity on the pagan days of Christmas and Easter...

The Rapture or Place of Safety?
We know those who are accounted worthy to escape WWIII, those with a prayerful attitude and watchful spirit, growing and overcoming and sensitive to the lead of the Holy Spirit (Luke 21:34-36), will be more than provided for in "Her Place," as our gracious Lord of Hosts has promised (Revelation 12:14).

Will the Church of God Welcome the Two Witnesses?
Church of God minister Arlen Berkey, in "The Work of God in the Laodicean Era," makes a statement nobody in God's Church would disagree with: "The whole world will soon know about the two witnesses. They will not be welcome by this world."

David Pack & the Restored Church of God
When David Pack said something to the effect that the Global Church of God was not for me, I asked him why he invited me then and he then acknowledged he only invited me along with the others because he felt they were good candidates for membership. In other words, he was being deceitful.

Israel Work History (Worldwide Church of God)
Ilan Itzhayek wrote a full length article that was published in the entire Galilee region. It was about my former drug addiction, wandering in different religions looking for the truth, and how by a series of miracles God brought me into the Worldwide Church of God, mentioning some of our beliefs about Europe, and how we considered Herbert W. Armstrong in the spirit of Elijah.

Princess Diana, a Dream, and King David's Dynasty
"If you send us a copy of the information on King David and his relationship to the English Royal Family, plus a verification that such information has been validated and by whom, we will see to it that it gets to Buckingham Palace and that your name will accompany it." Immediately I wondered what to send to satisfy the newspaper. The chart seemed obvious, but I still sought counsel from my minister. He advised writing a Church official at our Headquarter's in Pasadena, California who is English and involved with our Media Coordinator. The Church official replied: "I believe the most prudent course of action would be to send the chart 'The Heritage of the Anglo-Saxon Race' to the newspaper for their further action."

Mama Evans
Erma Evans, a widow in the Church of God, served as a perfect example of what the apostle Paul called for from our senior women (Titus 2:3). She touched the lives of many and was affectionately called "Mama Evans"

The Two Witnesses of Revelation 11
The Two Witnesses of Revelation 11. Who are these two prophets? What do they have to say? Why are they called the two witnesses? How will their message be proclaimed? And is there any special significance to the fact that they're headquartered in Jerusalem?

Why I No Longer Celebrate Christmas
I was blessed to grow up in Risingsun, Ohio next door to my Grandma and Grandpa Hoover on their farm that embraced where we lived, surrounding us with its loving arms on both sides (until the age of 11) and behind, with our woods over yonder a bit, that I loved to walk through as a boy, always looking for my "brother" hawk, circling overhead, to greet me...

The Church of God Must Warn the World!
We know that certain prophecies were not to be fulfilled until these "last days." Therefore their sealed messages weren't to break their silence until the appointed time (Dan. 12:9). With the advent of the nuclear age, we've been living, for the first time in history, with the weapons of mass destruction that can erase all life from off planet Earth! (Matt. 24:21-22).

PCG: Carrying on "Business as Usual"
If you truly saw what is coming on this Earth, and had a vision of tomorrow, you would know that the Gathering Storm darkens as you sip champagne and boast that you're rich and in need of nothing, woefully ignorant that the Two Witnesses will soon be wearing sackcloth and fasting, not wining and dining at black tie dinners!

Will God Curse Our Countries for Christmas?
Abominable Christians, those who have the perverted religious preference of tradition over truth, are just like every other sinner unwilling to confess and forsake their sins and seek to whitewash or justify them. The difference is such professing Christians often pretend to be better or more righteous than those physical idolaters and immoral folks (who also refuse to repent) while they engage in spiritual idolatry (putting tradition over truth) and spiritual immorality (whoring around with other gods and foreign ways) bringing divine judgment upon our nations.

The Work of God Must Go Forward!
The Work of God must go forward. The only work that's left to do now is focus on the NATIONAL LEVEL. We must get out God's ultimatum and fast! Europe is on the rise and Jerusalem is getting international attention (Zech. 14:2). Soon God's two witnesses will rise and shine in a world of darkness (Isa. 60:1-2). God's about to restore His lamp to the Middle East! (Rev. 11:3; 1 Kgs. 11:36; Amos 9:11; Zech. 12:8).

Philadelphia Church of God Leads the Laodicean Era (Part 1)
When Gerald Flurry wasn't anything in his own sight or mind God used him and now, unfortunately, it appears to have gone to his head, all the new revelation (simply a deeper understanding of some things), and he forgets that all truth is from and belongs to GOD and that God can use a donkey to deliver it (1 Cor. 4:7). Gerald Flurry has become so swollen in his own imagination that he fails to see that he is the leader of LAODICEA! He knows what warning God is giving the Laodiceans, of which he is chief! He had better heed his own words...

Philadelphia Church of God Leads Laodicean Era (Conclusion)
"It's certainly not my place to determine if what you believe God has shown you is true or not, but would you mind presenting Mr. Flurry with an abbreviated version of what you feel is inspired... as I highly doubt that he would have time to read your whole book."

Stephen Flurry and The Philadelphia Church of God
Stephen Flurry, son of Gerald Flurry, pastor general of the Philadelphia Church of God (based in Edmond, Oklahoma), has published a book that Amazon sells, Raising the Ruins: The Fight to Revive the Legacy of Herbert W. Armstrong.

The Dead Will Rise

The Dead Will Rise
COGwriter

Did the early church understand about the resurrection of the dead?

Polycarp of Smyrna was a disciple of the Apostle John, the last of the original apostles to die.
Here is some of what Polycarp wrote:

But He who raised Him up from the dead will raise up us also, if we do His will, and walk in His commandments, and love what He loved, keeping ourselves from all unrighteousness, covetousness, love of money, evil speaking, falsewitness; “not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing,” or blow for blow, or cursing for cursing (Polycarp. Letter to the Philippians, Chapter II. From Ante-Nicene Fathers, Volume 1as edited by Alexander Roberts & James Donaldson. American Edition, 1885).

Polycarp taught that the body and soul were to be resurrected, hence he taught against the immortality of the soul doctrine:

I bless you for because you have considered me worthy of this day and hour, that I might receive a place among the number of martyrs in the cup of your Christ, to the resurrection to eternal life, both of soul and of body, in the incorruptibility of the Holy Spirit (The Martyrdom of Polycarp, 14:2. In Holmes M.W. The Apostolic Fathers, Greek Texts and English Translations. Baker Books, Grand Rapids (MI), 2004, p.239).

Theophilus of Antioch in the mid-late second century wrote:

But you do not believe that the dead are raised. When the resurrection shall take place, then you will believe, whether you will or no; and your faith shall be reckoned for unbelief, unless you believe now…Moreover, you believe that the images made by men are gods, and do great things; and can you not believe that the God who made you is able also to make you afterwards? (Theophilus of Antioch. To Autolycus, Book 1, Chapter VII. Translated by Marcus Dods, A.M. Excerpted from Ante-Nicene Fathers, Volume 2. Edited by Alexander Roberts & James Donaldson. American Edition, 1885. Online Edition Copyright © 2004 by K. Knight).

But the moon wanes monthly, and in a manner dies, being a type of man; then it is born again, and is crescent, for a pattern of the future resurrection (Theophilus of Antioch. To Autolycus, Book II, 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 Copyright © 2004 by K. Knight).

Notice that Theophilus is teaching that there will be those born again at the resurrection. And that he taught that unbelievers would be raised whether they believed him or not–which is a different resurrection.

Polycrates of Ephesus in the late second century wrote and told the Roman Bishop Victor:
For in Asia also great lights have fallen asleep, which shall rise again on the last day, at the coming of the Lord, when he shall come with glory from heaven and shall seek out all the saints. Among these are Philip, one of the twelve apostles, who sleeps in Hierapolis, and his two aged virgin daughters, and another daughter who lived in the Holy Spirit and now rests at Ephesus; and moreover John, who was both a witness and a teacher, who reclined upon the bosom of the Lord, and being a priest wore the sacerdotal plate. He also sleeps at Ephesus (Eusebius. Church History, Book III, Chapter 31. Translated by Arthur Cushman McGiffert. Excerpted from Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Series Two, Volume 1. Edited by Philip Schaff and Henry Wace. American Edition, 1890. Online Edition Copyright © 2004 by K. Knight).

Why need I mention the bishop and martyr Sagaris who fell asleep in Laodicea, or the blessed Papirius, or Melito, the Eunuch who lived altogether in the Holy Spirit, and who lies in Sardis, awaiting the episcopate from heaven, when he shall rise from the dead? (Eusebius. Church History, Book V, Chapter 24).

Hence, second century Christian writers understood that death is like sleep and that there would be actual resurrections.

Do Modern Scholars Know This?
Notice that even in the 21st century, non-COG scholars acknowlege that the early church taught the resurrection and that the Bible supports the idea that death is like sleep:

Malcolm Jeeves, an honorary professor of psychology at the University of St. Andrews, is one of many believing scientists…Jeeves says. “Furthermore, the original Christian view was not the immortality of the soul but the resurrection of the body.” (Tolson J. Is There Room for the Soul? New challenges to our most cherished beliefs about self and the human spirit. US NEWS AND WORLD REPORT, October 23, 2006).

The following is from an interview with N.T. Wright, a high-ranking bishop in the Church of England:

Wright: …St. Paul is very clear that Jesus Christ has been raised from the dead already, but that nobody else has yet. Secondly, our physical state. The New Testament says that when Christ does return, the dead will experience a whole new life: not just our soul, but our bodies. And finally, the location. At no point do the resurrection narratives in the four Gospels say, “Jesus has been raised, therefore we are all going to heaven.” It says that Christ is coming here, to join together the heavens and the Earth in an act of new creation.

TIME: Is there anything more in the Bible about the period between death and the resurrection of the dead?

Wright: … Paul writes that …it will be like being asleep. The Wisdom of Solomon, a Jewish text from about the same time as Jesus, says “the souls of the righteous are in the hand of God,” and that seems like a poetic way to put the Christian understanding, as well (Van Biema D. Christians Wrong About Heaven, Says Bishop (N.T. Wright). Time, February 7, 2008. http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1710844,00.html viewed 02/08/08).

It is nice when prominent theologians sometimes come and speak out in favor of biblical, Living Church of God, doctrines.

But early Christians taught more than that, they taught three resurrections according to other scholars.

The above and more is in the article What Did Early Christians Understand About the Resurrection?

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Man Questions Whether We'll Be Angelic Or Divine
Even as we have been fully mortal and human like Adam, we shall be fully divine and holy Spirit like Christ the Second Adam, being born again into the literal Kingdom-Family of God. How Satan is insanely jealous of this fact!

Born Again and Heaven and Hell
Yeshua said that which is born of the flesh is flesh (like we are now in this life), but that which is born of the Spirit IS SPIRIT. He also said you can't even see or enter into that Kingdom of God unless you're born again...

Born Again: The Kingdom of God!
GOD IS REPRODUCING HIMSELF! That's the glorious Good News that Jesus boldly proclaimed! The Gospel of the KINGDOM OF GOD announces the GOD KINGDOM: a Spirit-Born Kingdom of God-Beings! A Royal Family that we can enter (Rev. 3:21). A Divine Family that will administer God's Government throughout the universe and eternity (Isa. 9:7; Dan. 7:18).