Reading PCG's Article, The Mark of the Beast

Back in the January 1995 issue of PCG's recruitment magazine, The Philadelphia Trumpet, Stephen Flurry wrote an article entitled "The Mark of the Beast". It restates HWA's dogma that worshiping on Sunday in the Mark of the Beast. It is available as a reprint article. You can read this article on their website.

Let us see what Stephen Flurry has to say.

Some assume the mark is something people should definitely have since it will enable you to buy and sell; and after all, everyone wants to buy and sell, right? (p. 1.)

Who is Stephen Flurry talking about? The mark of the Beast is always portrayed as a bad thing. This is a straw man argument. This is no such argument.

Mr. Armstrong warned for many decades of the final resurrection of the Roman Empire. After World War II, he boldly proclaimed that Germany would rise again and lead a group of 10 united nations in Europe. For this to be accomplished, communism had to crumble in Eastern Europe. Mr. Armstrong also predicted this. And that is exactly what has happened! Communism has fallen in Eastern Europe and now a group of nations is very quickly pulling together to form a powerful combine economically and militarily. (p. 2.)

This is wrong. It is often asserted that the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 proved that HWA was right and he really did see the future.

This of course is nonsense. Herbert W. Armstrong said that Christ would return within twenty years in his book Mystery of the Ages. (PCG has since deleted those words so someone in there knows HWA spoke nonsense.) How convenient for them to forget this.

Also Herbert W. Armstrong never said the Soviet Union would collapse. He thought it would survive intact until a few years after Christ's return. It shows how biased some many in the COGs are that they so often omit this pertinent detail. This inconvenient truth is just tossed into the memory hole.

It is true that HWA said that some Eastern European states would break away from Moscow's orbit and join the European Empire he said would arise at any moment. But he never talked of the Soviet Union collapsing. He did not teach that. Also he portrayed the rise of the European Empire to be far quicker then what has actually happened. In Mystery of the Ages Christ was supposed to return by 2005 at the most.

So assertions that the fall of the Berlin Wall somehow prove that HWA was right is just complete nonsense spread by people who, for whatever reason, are still in denial that HWA was a false prophet who merely talked out of his own "human reasoning".

We now continue with Stephen Flurry's article.

Those familiar with Mr. Armstrong’s writings, many of which were written in the 1950s and 1960s, know he prophesied of these events! Mr. Armstrong was preaching it at a time when it looked impossible. And now it is happening—precisely as he said. We need to know WHY! (p. 2.)

It is because you want to believe that HWA was right.

The Roman Empire is the greatest war-making power this world has ever known. That proves this beast is not a great religious organization as some people believe. It refers to a great war-making nation. Verses 5-7 show that this evil beast will 1) speak great things, and 2) make war with the saints, or God’s people. (p. 2.)

The "great religious organization" Stephen Flurry here alludes to is the Roman Catholic Church.

Stephen Flurry then cites some obscure book printed in 1836 entitled History of Roman Catholicism. It was published by a publishing firm named S.L. Holbrook. Back then mutual hostility between Protestants and Catholics were far more widespread than is the case today.

Here is a quote from a book titled The History of Roman Catholicism (1836, page 524): ... (p. 4.)

It appears the book is entitled History of Roman Catholicism, not The History of Roman Catholicism as Stephen Flurry here presents it. Such failure to attend to details is merely representative of more severe factual failings in this article.

Here is the full name of this 1836 book:

History of Roman Catholicism: From the Reign of Constantine the Great, A.D. 325, Down to the Present Time Exhibiting a Full and Impartial Detail of the Superstitutions, Corruptions, and Tyranny of the Papal Church

It appears as though this book was never reprinted after 1836. So right now it is only available at a cost of about $130. Why does Stephen Flurry choose to quote from such an obscure and inaccessible book? Wouldn't it be better to quote a book easily accessible to his readers?

Stephen Flurry then proceeds to repeat once again his father's doctrine that only PCG members are "Philadelphians" and all those in the other COG groups are "Laodiceans" doomed to be executed by the future European Empire.

A little more background is necessary at this point. The Bible reveals two groups of God’s people extant during the Great Tribulation (the time of Satan’s wrath upon the whole world). Revelation 12:14-17 show that one of these groups is protected during the Tribulation while the other group must experience it. Numerous pieces of Philadelphia Church of God literature prove these two groups to be the Philadelphia and Laodicean churches (Revelation 3:7-22). The Philadelphians are protected (verse 10) while the Laodiceans are punished in the Tribulation (verse 19).

The mark of the beast will be enforced during the Tribulation (Revelation 13:5; notice “forty and two months”—or 3 1/2 years). So those who are beheaded because they reject the mark are none other than the repentant Laodiceans who go into the Tribulation. They lose their lives physically, but will be resurrected to rule with Jesus Christ a thousand years. Revelation 15:1-4 give more details concerning the reward of those repentant Laodiceans who refuse the mark. (p. 3.)

It is often asserted that in the future the Laodiceans are fated to be executed by the European Empire for refusing to observe Sunday. The fear of being killed off in this way is an induced phobia which causes PCG members to be desperate to be sure that this will not happen to them. Consequently they do what PCG's ministers tell them to do because they think they will be executed by the future European Empire if they are out of PCG.

The little horn in [Daniel 7] verse 8 refers to a great religious organization that speaks great things.

He means the Roman Catholic Church. Armstrongites tend to be evasive about this when introducing this doctrine but HWA taught that the final Pope would be able to perform miracles such as summoning fire from the sky and use such miracles to bolster the rise of the future European Empire.

Then comes this fascinating passage. So Stephen Flurry is fulminating about the Catholic Church using the Roman Empire to change Saturday to Sunday. He then makes a statement which appears to be untrue.

Is the highlighted sentence below accurate?

Changing the official day of worship to Sunday was made by Constantine during the Nicean Council of A.D. 325. Here is what he said: “At this meeting the question concerning ... Easter was discussed. ... First of all, it appeared an unworthy thing that in the celebration of this ... feast we should follow the practice of the Jews. ... Let us then have nothing in common with the Jews . ... It has been determined by the common judgment of all, that the ... feast of Easter should be kept on one and the same day.”

In other words, Easter was to be kept on Sunday and the Passover, one of God’s seven annual festivals, was expressly forbidden! (p. 4.)

That severely edited passage was talking about Easter, not Sunday, as is obliquely admitted in the last section of the quote. It is not true that "Changing the official day of worship to Sunday was made by Constantine during the Nicean Council of A.D. 325". They were talking about Easter.

Actually the Council of Nicaea did not even talk about whether or not to worship on Sunday or Saturday at all. It was concerned with two issues: 1) To make a decision concerning the doctrine of Arianism which asserted that Jesus Christ was unworthy of worship and 2) to settle the date for Passover.

There were other decisions made as well but not whether to worship on Sunday or Saturday. That was not even an issue at the Council of Nicaea.

If you don't believe me just look at the canons of the Council of Nicaea for yourself. They do not even talk about whether or not to worship on Sunday or Saturday. That was not at issue in that Council.

Since it was Constantine who enforced Sunday observance in the Roman Empire, we should expect this 1,260-year tribulation period to begin when he made his decree in A.D. 325. And that is exactly what happened. With his decree, those saints who remained faithful to God’s Sabbath command were forced to flee into hiding for fear of their lives. Persecution against these people set in almost immediately. (p. 5.)

It is funny to note that no one seems to know anything about this except Stephen Flurry. If you look at the annals of church history during the fourth and fifth centuries AD there is no mention of any major persecution of Sabbatarian Christians. Because there was no such thing.

Also when did this period of persecution end? 1260 years after A.D. 325 is A.D. 1585. What happened then? This question is always conveniently ignored by those promoting this "church history" dogma. Herman Hoeh in his 1959 booklet, A True History of the True Church, never mentioned anything happening in 1585. And neither does Stephen Flurry. This is because nothing happened in 1585. This dogma is nonsense.

In Revelation 2:16, God warned them to either repent, or be faced with the sword. Most did not repent. So they had to suffer the sword, just as God said. According to A True History of the True Church, over 100,000 of them were martyred. The Pergamos era was virtually wiped out. (p. 5.)

Herman Hoeh just made that figure up. Hoeh cited no sources in making that emotive statement. Actually the Paulicians survived for centuries until around the time of the Byzantine Emperor Alexis in the early 1100s. And Alexis did not exterminate them. Rather it seems he was somehow able to engineer some sort of merger with the Orthodox Church.

One detail that is not mentioned by Stephen Flurry about Hoeh's booklet also details some of the false reasoning behind HWA and Hoeh's assertion that the Great Tribulation would begin in 1972 and that Christ would return in 1975. 

Here is a group which observed the Sabbath and rejected the pagan trinity belief! They were severely persecuted for what they believed. A crusade against these people was instituted in Southern France. Once again, many thousands were martyred.

Around the time of A.D. 1,000, it looked as though this era of God’s Church had come to an end. This is significant, because concerning the Thyatira era, God said the last works would be more than the first (Revelation 2:19). (pp. 5-6.)

Now this time Stephen Flurry is not making stuff up. This is clearly a reference to the anti-Albigensian crusade of 1207-1227. But for some strange reason Stephen Flurry does not even bother to note when this crusade occurred. The reason why will be seen very shortly.

Also the Albigensians were not like HWA's followers at all. Rather they believed that Satan was a God, not just a perverted Angel.The word Albigensian is not even mentioned in this article at all even though Stephen Flurry is clearly alluding to them.

He also gives the impression that this mythical Thyatira era seemed to reach its end by A.D. 1000 but only after alluding to the anti-Albigensian Crusade of 1207-1227.

This is very confusing. How on Earth is anyone unacquainted with this topic support to make any sense out of this?

Stephen Flurry then immediately continues with these words:

That is exactly what happened in history. The era was revived during the last half of the 12th century by a man named Peter Waldo. (p. 6.)

And Peter Waldo began preaching in the 1160s, at least forty years before the anti-Albigensian Crusade began.

Now we see why Stephen Flurry was being so confusing about the anti-Albigensian Crusade. He wants to portray this crusade as occurring before Peter Waldo when in fact Waldo started preaching decades before the anti-Albigensian Crusade began in 1207.

Stephen Furry wanted to portray the anti-Albigensian Crusade of 1207-1227 as occurring before the rise of Peter Waldo to make his story more exciting. It is to make Peter Waldo seem even more remarkable by making it seem as though he was reviving a movement that had been ravaged by a crusade. In fact Peter Waldo began to preach back in the 1160s long before the anti-Albigensian crusade began in 1207.

It was around this time that Pope Alexander III made this stunning decree at the Council of Tours in A.D. 1163: “Whereas a damnable heresy has for some time lifted its head in the parts about Toulouse, and already spread infection through Gascony and other provinces, concealing itself like a serpent in its folds; as soon as its followers shall have been discovered, let no man afford them refuge on his estates; neither let there be any communication with them in buying and selling: so that, being deprived of the solace of human conversation, they may be compelled to return from error to wisdom.” (p. 6.)

But Pope Alexander III was not talking about the Waldensians. He was talking about the Albigensians. These words are taken out of context and inaccurately presented as though it is about the Waldensians.

Why does Stephen Flurry say untrue things here? Could it be that his teaching is just simply wrong?

Of course the real problem with this "church history" dogma is that it is complete nonsense. Armstrongism has no link with the Paulicians or the Waldensians or the Albigensians. In actual fact Armstrongism is an offshoot of the Millerite Adventists of the 1830s-1840s. 

Sunday observance, as Mr. Armstrong thoroughly proved, is the mark of the beast that will be enforced in the near future. Most of the world has willingly accepted this mark for many centuries now. But God’s people still keep the Sabbath. And those saints who have become lukewarm in these last days will be tested on this very command! (p. 7.)

What country on Earth forcibly force people to worship on Sunday? Not the United States. These are just emotive words with no facts behind them.

Sunday, Satan’s mark, goes hand in hand with the popular customs and beliefs of this world: Christmas, Good Friday, Easter, etc. (p. 7.)

Total nonsense. Rather Stephen Flurry is trying to exploit the reader's new found disgust with worshiping on Sunday and use this strong feeling to get the reader to shun Christmas, Easter, birthdays and other mainstream holidays. The effect on these prohibitions is to make one socially isolated from mainstream society. A person in such a position suddenly finds that he can only socially and celebrate festivals only with the group, in this PCG. The purpose of banning Christmas, Easter and birthdays is to make such persons socially dependent on the group.

But Exodus 31:13 also says God sanctifies those who obey the Sabbath. Sanctify means “to set apart for a holy use or purpose.” Just try obeying God’s Sabbath command along with His annual holy days and see if it doesn’t set you apart in this world! It was for breaking the Sabbath that both Israel and Judah went into captivity, anciently (Ezekiel 20:5, 11-13, 17-21). (p. 7.)

When one observes these things he or she becomes set apart by doing those things, not because God made him or her special. That is just a delusion used to make people think that observing such things make them special in a way different from all humanity.

Incidentally this is very similar to what HWA wrote in his booklet, The United States and Britain in Prophecy. Is this plagiarism?

We have already seen how those who refuse the mark of the beast will be martyred. When we put the scriptures together it becomes clear: By holding on to God’s Sabbath commandment you are rejecting the mark of the beast, which is Sunday observance, and all of the pagan, worldly customs that go along with it. (p. 7.)

Normally the mark of the Beast is said to be Sunday observance but here Stephen Flurry exploits this idea to taint all these other mainstream holidays as forbidden by (PCG's) God.

But in verse 14, it says the woman is taken to a safe place. This occurs at the beginning of the Great Tribulation. The Philadelphians will be protected. (p. 8.)

This is a reason why PCG members stay within PCG despite the many problems within it. They are told that if they stay within PCG they will get to go to a place of safety and escape from the troubles of the Great Tribulation. But if they are out of PCG then they will be executed by the future European Empire.

Stephen Flurry ends his article with these words.

There is not much time left to prove where you stand with God. Are you accepting this mark of the beast today? Will you accept it in the Tribulation? Those who do, will be subject to the wrath of God. But for those who reject this evil mark, the greatest possible reward you could ever imagine awaits you! (p. 8.)

Twenty years later we are still waiting for the Great Tribulation to occur. People have had plenty of time to join PCG, see all the things wrong in it and leave PCG in all these twenty years.

Roderick C. Meredith's Cruel Purge of WCG Ministers (1979)

In January 1979 during the receivership crisis HWA appointed Roderick C. Meredith as head of the ministry. Roderick Meredith was only in this role until August 1979 when he was replaced by Joseph Tkach (it seems at the behest of Stanley Rader) but even in that small space of time he proceeded to go on a rampage disfellowshiping and marking WCG ministers who he viewed as not sufficiently conforming to HWA's rule.

The previous year HWA had cast out his own son, Garner Ted Armstrong, out of WCG  as part of a bitter power struggle. HWA then proceeded to reassert his authority among WCG members. The rules became more stern. HWA's makeup ban was reimposed.

Roderick Meredith was a part of this and he was appointed head of the ministry in January 1979 and he worked towards HWA's reassertion of authority. Many WCG members and ministers did not support what was going on. Knowing this Roderick Meredith proceeded to disfellowship several WCG ministers on the pages of the Pastor's Report as part of HWA's campaign to crush any potential dissidence within WCG. The purpose of all this was to intimidate and horrify the WCG members into submit to WCG's authority regardless of their personal feelings. Only the victims truly know how terrible all this was.

The following is a compilation of several posts I had made looking at Roderick Meredith's time as head of the ministry. People deserve to know the truth about Roderick Meredith and what he did at this time. The original posts may be seen here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here.

***

While reading John Tuit's book I found the April 23, 1979, Pastor's Report, which contains Roderick Meredith announcing that he had disfellowshipped two WCG ministers.

One unhappy note was the situation in Hawaii. We had to switch our previously announced plans and send Mr. Dennis Luker to Hawaii because our minister there, John Ouvrier, had been carefully "programming" our brethren against God's Work and against His apostle, Mr. Armstrong. In spite of Dennis' best efforts, it looks like 2/3 of the Honolulu church has defected to John Ouvrier and his disloyal, heinous, back stabbing tactics.

It is my sad duty, therefore, to announce that John Ouvrier is out of God's ministry and has been officially disfellowshipped from God's church. I am here marking him as one who has caused GREAT division and confusion in the area of Christ's ministry over which he was responsible. I feel it is necessary to mark him here so that all of you ministers can warn any of your brethren going to and from Hawaii about this situation. (pp. 7-8.)

The Painful Truth has an article, The "Plain Truth" about Hawaii that describes this courageous mass liberation of WCG members in Hawaii from HWA's tyranny.

The following is Meredith's announcement of his disfellowshipping of Mr. Richard Prince.

Another sad situation that has just come up is that of Mr. Richard Prince -- former pastor of our church in St. Joseph, Missouri. Mr. Prince "vomited" on the St. Joseph church a week ago Sabbath -- spilling out to Christ's "little ones" all of his frustrations, misunderstandings, and personal animosities about Mr. Armstrong and those assisting him and his upsets over all manner of programs and policies with which he personally disagreed. The area coordinator, Mr. Ray Wooten, reports that Mr. Prince has also "programmed" the church so that we may lose quite a number of brethren from the St. Joseph church.

Therefore, it is my sad duty also to mark Mr. Richard Prince as one who has been aggressively causing DIVISION and great hurt within God's Church. I have had to ex-communicate him from the body of Christ for his reprehensible conduct and he, too, must be avoided by those who are loyal to Jesus Christ. (p. 8.)

Those two ministers are heroes for standing up against HWA's tyranny. Despite the great fear they must have had they still dared to resist HWA's tyranny.

This serves as a remainder of the terrible dictatorial abuses that Meredith unleashed upon WCG during those dark and terrible days.

 ***

Found this from pages 3-4 of the May 14, 1979 Pastor's Report.

Here Roderick C. Meredith demonizes C. Wayne Cole and Dave Antion for joining Garner Ted Armstrong's Church of God International.

One bit of sad news to report is that Garner Ted Armstrong held a publicly advertized meeting of his dissident church out here in Arcadia just east of Pasadena this Sabbath, and was joined at the podium by both Wayne Cole and Dave Antion. Hurt feelings and rebellion make strange bedfellows. As all of you know, these two men continually proclaimed that they would NEVER join Ted and told many of us privately including myself that they were appalled at Ted's wretched immorality and hypocrisy over so many many years that they did not feel he was fit to be a minister of God. Yet here there are, frisking up by his side in the hope, perhaps, that his personality and human charisma and following may somehow work to give them a following and sense of "respectability" after their dastardly attack on the Church of the Living God this last January. ...

They are directly or indirectly attacking the authority of Jesus Christ and his chosen apostle, Mr. Herbert Armstrong. They are attacking or undermining the peace and unity of the body Jesus Christ has used all these years to do His Work. ... they have decided to take matters into their own hands and REBEL against the one they have ALL acknowledged as the specially chosen leader of God's Church in this time--Herbert W. Armstrong. ...

But when reality comes, God's dedicated apostle--who has never tried to hurt or kill or unjustly humiliate anyone--was finally forced by increasing evidence of rebellion and immorality to ask his son to go on a leave of abscene. The result?

WHERE ARE all those "yes sirs" and responsive attitudes? And where are they in the lives of David Antion and Wayne Cole who honored Mr. Armstrong up until so recently, while at the same time proclaiming their disgust and distaste of Garner Ted Armstrong?          

What Meredith wrote is really disgusting and untrue.

It is disgusting the way these Armstrongite "leaders" pretend that any challenge against their rule is an attack on Christ. 

What happened to C. Wayne Cole was very tragic. As a result of the Receivership in January 1979, at first HWA decided to cooperate and appointed C. Wayne Cole as his second in command. This is how John Tuit described C. Wayne Cole's reaction to his appointment to this important position.

At this point Cole was nervous and upset to the point of being physically ill, realizing the magnitude of Armstrong's decision. He had not sought such prominence and now was finding himself thrust into the position of being temporarily in charge of the Church. He realized that this could bring conflicts between himself and Rader, such as he had not had in the past. He said, "Gentlemen, I'm not feeling too well, I'm nervous over this whole thing. I'm going to go out for some fresh air." 

 While Armstrong typed his press release, Cole took a lengthy walk around the neighborhood, as he tried to adjust to his new responsibilities. He wondered what Rader's reaction would be. He realized that while Armstrong had just only that very morning discussed with him the removal of Rader from certain positions, he was now concerned about a deteriorating relationship with Rader. Cole now found himself in the most prominent position in the Church, next to that of Armstrong's position as head of the Church.

But shortly afterwards HWA stabbed him in the back and had him fired and shunned from WCG. HWA changed his mind and decided to resist the Receivership as much as possible.

But despite all this Meredith viciously accused him of committing a "dastardly attack on the Church of the Living God" and tried to demonize him. In reality C. Wayne Cole merely tried to do what HWA said he wanted and was betrayed by him.

After reading this it is all too easy to see how Meredith could later libel Leona McNair and cause WCG to be embroiled in her lawsuit that forced them to pay her $750,000 after a thirteen year court case. As far as I am concerned the untrue accusation Meredith made against C. Wayne Cole are just as libelous as his accusations against Leona McNair.

I am under the impression that Meredith yearned to be HWA's number two man. C. Wayne Cole was a threat to his position and this explains why Meredith chose to be so vicious in demonizing him even though he was then no threat to Meredith's position of responsibility under HWA.

As it turned out C. Wayne Cole soon left the Church of God International.

Mr. Cole, with his wife, Doris, found himself sucked into the usual black hole of obscurity reserved for disfellowshipped WCG members. Known to hardly anyone but close family members was their move to Texas and their joining up with the new Church of God International ministry of Garner Ted Armstrong.

But their career with the CGI was short-lived, only about six months. Beginning in 1980 the Coles dropped out of sight even of the CGI and reemerged in the parallel universe of the non-Church of God . They began successful careers brokering real estate in the Tyler area, not returning to formal Sabbath-service attendance until 1995....

The Coles in June 1995 began attending Sabbath and feast-day services of the Church of God Big Sandy and have continued to attend with that fellowship.

It is good to know that despite the terrible betrayal he endured he was still able to rise above that terrible adversity.

***

This is from the May 21, 1979 Pastor's Report, pages 1-2.

In these words Meredith, in his "wisdom," underlined the word 'disfellowship' twice. ...

Mr. Armstrong has reminded us again that we are to disfellowship any members who attend GTA's [Garner Ted Armstrong's] campaigns, church services or other meetings. Some of our weaker members apparently do not realize that this man is in direct rebellion against God and His government! We must not allow them, or ourselves, to rationalize about this matter, to try to "help the underdog," or in any other way lend support to one whose gross immorality, whose long standing "play acting" and hypocrisy, and whose direct insubordination to the Government of God has long been and is now a source of confusion and DIVISION among God's people. So, as per Mr. Armstrong's instruction, I charge and exhort every one of you faithful ministers of the living Christ to explain this in no uncertain terms to your members, to warn them about this cause of division and then to disfellowship any who consort with GTA or any of his fellows. 

What a disgusting order! Look at these words!

We must not allow them, or ourselves, to rationalize about this matter, to try to "help the underdog," or in any other way lend support to [Garner Ted Armstrong.]

This is particularly repugnant. Let me explain why I feel this way.

As far as I understand it post-traumatic stress disorder can occur when a person does something nasty to another, for instance murder. When a person murders another it can, surprisingly, be traumatic and distressing to the perpetrator as well. This is usually because when you see something like that happen you cannot help but imagine that happening to yourself as well.

Surely being ordered to disfellowship someone must also be traumatic, at least at first. I cannot help but think that enforcing such an order must also be traumatic to the perpetrator. (I am NOT saying we should feel sorry for the disfellowshipping ministers or "blame the victim," I am simply explaining why Meredith wrote the words above.)

It seems to me that some good hearted WCG ministers were reluctant to enforce such draconian policies.

But here HWA and Meredith are laying down the law and ordering WCG ministers to disregard any natural affection and feelings of sympathy for the victim and simply cast them out.

Don't let your conscience be your guide, HWA and Meredith are saying here to WCG ministers, do what we tell you. Don't let your body's natural warning systems trying to tell you that you shouldn't do that, or that you will feel terrible and traumatized about this. Just do what we tell you and cast them out.

One can only speculate how much misery and strife these words inflicted upon WCG members.

One can only speculate how much misery and trauma "loyal" WCG ministers inflicted upon themselves trying to fulfill HWA's and Meredith's orders here.

I find Meredith's words particularly disgusting because some good hearted WCG ministers were reluctant to enforce this draconian order because of their own consciences and HWA and Meredith are here ordering them to disregard their consciences and inflict traumatic disfellowshipping upon WCG members and to traumatize themselves as well.

Let me emphasize again, I am NOT saying we should sorry for those who disfellowshipped WCG members at this time. Rather I am explaining why I find Meredith's words above particularly disgusting and explaining how Meredith gave license to WCG ministers to be heartless and cruel towards WCG members.

Also note how vague this order is:

Mr. Armstrong has reminded us again that we are to disfellowship any members who attend GTA's [Garner Ted Armstrong's] campaigns, church services or other meetings.... disfellowship any who consort with GTA or any of his fellows. 

"GTA's [Garner Ted Armstrong's] campaigns, church services or other meetings". What "other meetings"? Here WCG members are not just forbidden from "campaigns [or] church services" but even "other meetings". This insures that WCG members will have to be able do anything that could be considered "disloyal" to HWA's WCG. They will have to viciously watch themselves in fear that they could be accused and consequently disfellowshipped.

"disfellowship any who consort with GTA or any of his fellows." "Or any of his fellows"? What does that mean? The potential for abuse of these orders is so vast. It does not appear that Meredith is worried about any innocent victim getting cast out for false reasons. He wants any challenge to HWA and his authority viciously removed. 

It is ironic that at the same time WCG was fighting the State of California's forced receivership claiming it violated their freedom of religion, HWA and Meredith were violating the freedom of religion of WCG members who attended any meeting associated with Garner Ted Armstrong or his organization, the Church of God International. What hypocrites HWA and Meredith are!

And right after the disgusting paragraph reported above Meredith reports the following:

On a more happy note, I am glad to report that Mr. Gerald Waterhouse has so far reached 68 churches on his tour across the U.S. He reports positive and encouraging response from ministers and members alike.

What a fantasyland HWA, Meredith and Co. were living in at this time! Today many people remember Gerald Waterhouse's long winded sermons with loathing. It is strange to see how Meredith at the time seems to think all is well with Gerald Waterhouse. How wrong they are. When many WCG members moved beyond Armstrongism they remembered his sermons with disgust. He is now remembered as a sign of so much that was wrong in the authoritarian Worldwide Church of God cult.

***

Here is Roderick C. Meredith once again demonizing C. Wayne Cole, this time for trying to get his side of the story told to people within WCG. Roderick C. Meredith viewed him as a rival for access to HWA and accused him of collaborating with the State of California's receivership when in fact Cole was only doing what HWA ordered and HWA changed his mind and betrayed him, casting him out of the church.

These words of Meredith may be seen in the June 11, 1979 Pastor's Report, page 2.

Of a far more ominous nature is the news -- which many of you know -- that Wayne Cole and the dissidents have been "dredging up" from the past all kinds of old reports, letters and memos which they can find which in any way make the Work look "bad," appear to be contradictory, etc. This, coupled with various reasonings and accusations based on this out-dated information, is being sent out to many of you ministers.

I am sure that most of you are intelligent and mature enough to see through the twisted fabric of various bits and pieces of truth mixed with half-truth, lies mixed with speculation which are woven together in a distorted manner to make Mr. Armstrong and God's Work look bad. If any of you have sincere questions about this material -- not only for your own sake but to be able to answer others -- please drop me a line about the specific point and I will try to see that we make a genuine answer to you and we will NOT try to judge you or hold this inquiry against you in any way.

I wonder how many ask questions of Meredith? Did he judge them for it? Of course it is impossible for me to know the answers to such questions, but based on what I know of him I would not have trusted his assurances that "we will NOT try to judge you or hold this inquiry against you in any way" if this publication was sent to me.

***

Roderick C. Meredith's words regarding WCG's legal defense against the State of California's receivership on page 5 of the June 25, 1979 Pastor's Report are fascinating in that they reveal that Stanley Rader was second in power even though he was then still just a lay member.

Note how Meredith, the head of the ministry, makes sure to flatter Rader and compliment him.

All of us ministers should be more grateful than we have been for the fine work done by Mr. Rader, Mr. Helge and the excellent legal team they have put together. Many of you out there do not realize the tremendous job they have done under adverse circumstances, and the massive amount of work and long hours they have had to put in -- often working FAR INTO THE NIGHT -- in order that we can have the kind of "peace" in God's Work now...

Meredith does this because Rader was more powerful than him. He is showing deference to his superior, who happens to be simply a lay member. 

However in truth Meredith viewed Rader as a rival he needed to overthrow so that he could become the number two man within WCG. Meredith had already tried to destroy the reputation and dignity of the betrayed C. Wayne Cole. He did this repeatedly.

He had thrown C. Wayne Cole under the bus, so to speak. Meredith tried to do the same to Rader, as John Tuit notes in Chapter 17 of The Truth Shall Make You Free.

Rodrick Meredith, however, decided to use the conference as an opportunity to undermine Rader. His purpose was not that altruistic, as he felt that he was the one who should be in charge of the Church next to Armstrong, and he was anxious to make a move. There had been a rumor regarding Rader that had not yet been too widely spread. In order to make sure everyone knew the rumor, Meredith decided to publicly deny the rumor. He then announced to the entire assembled group of ministers that all of the allegations regarding Rader's homosexual conduct with Cornwall were false. Now everyone knew the story. And while Rader remained totally silent on the subject, he would have the final word on Meredith.

A few months later, Rader was to have Meredith removed by convincing Armstrong to eliminate the position of head of the ministry and take it to himself. 

Later Meredith was even sent to paid exile in Hawai'i for six months and was given a scathing letter by HWA stating he was not qualified to succeed him as leader of "God's Church." When he tried to take on Rader he failed miserably.
  
John Tuit has more to say about Roderick C. Meredith.

***

... And now let us continue reading the June 25, 1979 Pastor's Report.

This report is notorious as, on page 6, it contains Meredith's infamous libel against Leona McNair. This libel plunged WCG into a thirteen year court case which forced it to pay her $750,000 in an out of court settlement.

Reading this Pastor's Report, at first I completely missed his vicious and false accusations against Leona McNair.

But now looking at it, and remembering the instrumental and vital role Roderick C. Meredith played in destroying families to impose HWA's divorce and remarriage doctrine I find it most fitting that Meredith should stumble into this costly and humiliating blunder by talking about WCG's policy on divorce and remarriage.

Meredith felt that WCG members and ministers were divorcing and remarrying too much and wanted to tell them that they could only divorce for "legitimate reasons," the few exceptions WCG allowed marriages to dissolve.

Now he knew WCG members and ministers could dismiss his words by saying, "But Raymond McNair got a divorce, and he did not have a "legitimate reason" to do so. Your words are hypocritical, so I will ignore them."

Meredith is trying to get around this objection by saying Raymond McNair's divorce was legitimate within "God's Church" and met his exceptions for allowing divorce.

But he did this by demonizing Leona McNair, saying untrue things about her.

These are Meredith's words on page 6.

Now, fellow ministers, I would like to discuss something that is becoming an increasingly critical problem within the ministry and within God's Church as a whole -- especially here in the United States. Increasing numbers of our church members are beginning to divorce their mates for, it seems, almost ANY conceivable reason! What's more, they then expect to "remain in the church" and probably REMARRY someone else in the Church -- perhaps their former friend's wife who has, by now, divorced him, and is also "still in the Church."

We are going to have long doctrinal and theological discussions with Mr. Herbert Armstrong to cover and thoroughly understand any legitimate reasons for divorce and remarriage. However, as of this writing, there are only THREE that God's Church has officially recognized as legitimate:...

(III) Desertion -- by the unconverted mate -- although this was accepted and taught by the Church long before his action, a classic example of this would be Mr. Raymond McNair's situation. His wife refused to be a wife to him for over two years -- to sleep with him, cook for him, or even civilly communicate with him in a decent manner. Rather, she had left God's Church and was actively FIGHTING God's Church and Mr. McNair, turning his children against him and literally cursing him to his face. Finally, upon advice of Mr. Armstrong and Ted Armstrong, he was finally forced to make legal the already existing FACT that she had deserted him and was no longer his wife in any way whatsoever.   

Of course, as it turned out, what Meredith said was very misleading and inaccurate.

And later, when Leona McNair read about Meredith's words she was very upset and traumatized that he said such untrue things to the many people who knew her and that she knew within WCG.

A $70 million libel suit against the Armstrong organization was filed in July [1979] by Leona A. McNair. ... 

contacted Mrs. McNair requesting details of the suit but was told that she has been deeply hurt by the allegedly libelous statements made against her and does not wish to give the matter further publicity. (Ambassador Report 10)

On 23 August 1984 a Pasadena jury awarded her $1,260,000 in damages for Meredith's libel. The whole topic is extensively covered in Ambassador Report 29, hosted on the Painful Truth website. This issue contains much valuable information regarding Roderick C. Meredith and Raymond McNair.

This is how the divorce really happened.

What the McNairs discovered when they arrived [at Pasadena in 1973] was a church headquarters fraught with doctrinal divisions, political infighting, and sex scandals.
To all of this, Raymond turned a blind eye, remaining faithful to his mentor, church founder Herbert W. Armstrong (HWA). Leona's patience with the church's leadership, however, rapidly waned. Her high intelligence (Dr. McKelligott would later testify that her 143 IQ is equaled by only three in a thousand) and strong religious values conflicted with the role she was expected to play. She told Raymond she could no longer continue to support him in what she viewed as the perpetration of a giant fraud. She stopped attending Worldwide Church of God (WCG) services in 1974 and occasionally attended lectures given by such ex-WCG ministers as Dr. Ernest L. Martin.

Leona's disillusionment with Herbert Armstrong and her desire for religious freedom were intolerable to Raymond, and he made his feelings known. According to testimony by Leona, in 1975 her husband told her, "I am going to crush you until you are totally dependent on me!" (In court Raymond denied ever making this threat. However, third parties have confirmed hearing Raymond say the equivalent.) Raymond cut Leona off from access to their joint bank accounts, badgered her into giving back jewelry he had given her and then sold them, refused to give her adequate money for groceries, and moved into separate sleeping quarters. Leona also soon began to notice that many WCG friends would no longer have anything to do with her.

Communication between Leona and Raymond became increasingly strained. But in spite of this, Leona - concerned for the welfare of her children - put aside all thought of divorce or separation. Raymond, on the other hand, had different ideas. According to Leona's court testimony, and corroborated by her daughter, on a number of occasions Raymond took her to the door, opened it and yelled, "You're not paying the bills here. Get out!" The reason for this behavior was inexplicable to Leona until later when she realized that, although the WCG had for four decades prohibited all divorce, around 1974 church leaders began to discuss the possibility of allowing divorce for members deserted by nonmembers. Leona's suspicions were confirmed when Mrs. Nancy Tate, one of her close friends, told her how the wife of one WCG evangelist had confided, "If we could just get Leona to leave the house, we could get her on desertion." Before long, Raymond made his intentions perfectly clear. He flat out told her he would divorce her when the time was right.

The relationship was now a traumatic one, but Leona still had no intention of deserting her family. Nor was she lingering on for (what Allan Browne would later claim in court) a "free ride." She started attending college again in 1974 to reestablish her nursing credentials. And when those were obtained in 1975 she found work at a local hospital. But then, a few weeks later in June, Raymond McNair did something no WCG evangelist had ever done. He filed for divorce. 

It is terrible to think that Meredith simply lied and claimed the divorce was all Leona McNair's fault.

The issue of Ambassador Report also note how Meredith once, in 1960, gave Leona McNair a humiliating four hour shouting session at her that adversely affected her health.

Meredith's testimony, less rambling than Raymond McNair's - but equally self-justifying - was particularly remarkable in its portrayal of the WCG as one big happy family. Meredith went to some length in describing the close friendship that had supposedly once existed between the McNairs and himself. But Ruth McNair-Knasin, when asked about the matter, said she didn't believe true friendship ever really existed between Meredith and her father. She described their relationship as one that would quickly evaporate were it perceived as getting in the way of "the Work." ...

The WCG may be one big happy family to Meredith, but Leona on the stand recalled how one evening in 1960 Raymond let Meredith into their home and announced, to her astonishment, that he had been invited in to "counsel" her. What followed, according to Leona, was four-and-one-half hours of railing accusation, authoritative preaching, sex-life interrogation, and high-decibel, humiliating verbal abuse from Meredith. Her problem? She was not a submissive enough wife and two ministers (unnamed) had found fault with her. She needed to obey his dictates because he (Meredith) was "God's number three man on earth" and would very likely remain in authority over her for all eternity! She needed to learn true submission! (Those who have seen Bryon Forbes' movie "The Stepford Wives" - referred to by Ruth McNair-Knasin in her testimony - will understand what Meredith was apparently aiming at.)

The 4= hours of harangue left Leona - then 2= months pregnant - in utter shock. She began shaking and hyperventilating. While Raymond slept well that night, she sobbed all night. The next morning found her still trembling. According to her court testimony, it was then that her nervous disorders began. In court Raymond claimed that Leona never had any emotional problems during their years in England. But a letter he wrote to her in 1975 specifically referred to her "emotional hangups." And Ruth testified how around 1970 her father had asked for her support in the event that he would find it necessary to have her mother committed.
On the stand, Meredith gave a very different picture of what happened. He described the 4=-hour session as nothing more than a friendly discussion lasting about an hour or so. Meredith's benevolent persona, however, stands in stark contrast to his reputation as a psychologically intimidating and harsh authoritarian in the performance of ministerial duties.  

 The Ambassador Report also notes other instances of Meredith's authoritarian behavior. Here is one.

Another former WCG minister told us that after a Meredith "counseling" session with his wife, she became so totally depressed he emphatically ordered her never to discuss anything privately with Meredith again. He explained, "Rod has the ability to somehow dig into a person's mind in such a way as to make them feel utterly guilt ridden and despondent. He seems to revel in this strange power to bring someone down psychologically." The same man also told us how once on a walk with Meredith, Roderick turned to him and said, "You may not realize it, but in all the universe, I'm number five, and you're number such and such." To us, at least, Leona's testimony was quite credible.

No wonder the jury awarded her $1,260,000 in damages for Meredith vicious libel against her.

WCG appealed and the case dragged on until 1992 when WCG paid $750,000 in an out of court settlement because of Meredith's libel. 

Mrs. Leona McNair's libel lawsuit against the Worldwide Church of God, Roderick C. Meredith, and her ex-husband Raymond McNair, was finally ended in December when the suit was settled out of court for $750,000 (Pasadena Star-News, 11/21/92). ... the WCG still refused to admit any wrongdoing, ... The victory by Leona was no small accomplishment...
 Leona McNair says she intends to get back to her career in nursing very soon. In the meantime, she is working on a book about tithing which she believes is a false doctrine that has cursed many Christians. Whether or not the book ever gets done, she has already written a short, but thought provoking, paper on the subject and she is distributing it to friends.

The best thing about her lawsuit coming to an end seems to be that, because she is no longer perceived as fighting against "God's Work," her two WCG-member sons are once again able to talk to their mother. Ironically, because Leona's ex-husband, Raymond McNair, recently left the WCG for Rod Meredith's Global Church of God, Leona's two sons are not supposed to talk to their father now because he has become "an enemy of God's Church." (Ambassador Report 52.)

Because Meredith left WCG shortly after this case was settled it is often asserted that Meredith stayed in WCG because of the libel lawsuit. Once the lawsuit was over he got out of WCG, which shielded him by paying the out of court settlement and paying to defend him and WCG from her libel suit, and started up his own COG offshoot group.

What a terrible legacy of shattered dreams and shattered lives this Roderick Meredith has left behind in his wake.  

How can anyone choose to follow a man who done such terrible things?

***

Here is Roderick C. Meredith announcing the disfellowshipment of David Robinson in the July 16, 1979 Pastor's Report, page 1:

Mr. Herbert Armstrong just returned from a very helpful and profitable trip to visit the church in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Our minister there, Mr. Don Mason, reported that Mr. Armstrong gave a very warm and loving sermon which encouraged the brethren a great deal. However, because of very serious wrong attitudes and wrong accusations he made, Mr. David Robinson, the former pastor there, has been terminated from God's ministry.

Meredith discusses David Robinson again in the July 23, 1979 Pastor's Report. These are Meredith's words on pages 1-2.

Now for the perennial BAD news. ...

So here goes.

Dennis Pyle refused to come in on sabbatical and has resigned from the ministry. Jim Redus also refused to come in for his sabbatical and has resigned. Dennis Adams has been terminated from the ministry as he wants to pursue a secular vocation.

On a much more serious note, Daryll Watson has been terminated and disfellowshipped for disloyalty to God's Work. He is already actively cooperating with the enemies of Christ's Work. Jack Martin has also been terminated and disfellowshipped. He, too, was found actively assisting the enemies of this Work. And I am very sorry to report that David Robinson whom we worked with personally for many, many hours on his problems, has had to be terminated and now disfellowshipped because of gross disloyalty to Mr. Armstrong and this Work.  

Later David Robinson wrote the book, Herbert Armstrong's Tangled Web. WCG's lawyers unsuccessfully tried to block its publication. That book also first revealed to the public that Herbert Armstrong committed incest with his daughter, Dorothy for ten years, around 1933-43.

***

In the July 30, 1979 Pastor's Report Roderick C. Meredith writes the following:

On the sad side, it is my duty to inform you that Mr. Jack Pyle and Mr. Bronson James have both been disfellowshipped from God's Church. They are to be marked in all areas of their activity, as both consorting with and helping the enemies of the Work of God.

Somehow I can't believe Meredith when he pretend that he regrets disfellowshipping people. He seems perfectly willing to hunt out and viciously cast out anyone threatening his, and HWA's, rule over WCG members. If he just fired them, maybe it would be so much of a problem, but HWA and Meredith ordered WCG members to shun and avoid contact with people disfellowshipped by WCG's leadership, tearing apart peoples' lives simply to maintain their rule and authority over WCG members in order to exploit them more effectively by getting them to pay three tithes and more to them.

***

On August 3, 1979 Herbert W. Armstrong removed Roderick C. Meredith as head of the Office of Ministerial Services.

This announcement was published in the August 6, 1979 Pastor's Report, page 3.

Worldwide Church of God

World Headquarters

Pasadena, California   91123

Herbert W. Armstrong
President and Pastor

August 3, 1979

A DIRECTIVE FROM THE OFFICE OF THE 

PASTOR GENERAL

I am hereby installing Mr. Joseph W. Tkach in charge of the Office of Ministerial Services, with Dr. William Kessler as assistant.

Mr. Ted Herlofsen is too be transferred to a ministerial post in the field. This directive is to be effective immediately.

[Signature] Herbert W. Armstrong

Pastor General

HWA talks about his decision on this matter in page 13. He seems to me quite mad at Meredith here.

In the emergency [the receivership crisis], I set Roderick C. Meredith as head of the ministry until I could decide how to eliminate this POWER BLOC by having a man as "head of the ministry"-- which is virtually the same as being head of the Church and the entire Work. Such an office simply does not belong in God's Church.

Therefore I am ABOLISHING that office entirely. Christ's Apostle is the human head over the ministry, and MUST NOT BE CUT OFF FROM THE MINISTERS! Mr. Meredith is being transferred back as Dean of the Faculty of Ambassador College. 

(My word! HWA is referring to himself in the third person.)

Tkach does not speak for himself in this issue.

In the August 21, 1979 Pastor's Report, page 7, Joseph Tkach writes his first article in the Pastor's Report. (For some reason that is upside down.) Here we get a strong indication of what really happened and why Meredith was removed.

Notice how Tkach calls for WCG ministers to pray for HWA and Stanley Rader.

Stay close to God and remember always to pray for Mr. Armstrong. As the China trip draws near, pray even more earnestly for his health, success, and protection. Pray for God's guidance and protection for Mr. Rader as he makes advance preparations for these extremely important meetings with top officials of the Chinese government.

Your servant in Christ,
Joe Tkach.

Notice how Tkach ask WCG ministers to pray for HWA and then Stanley Rader. This shows quite clearly that at this point in time it was Stanley Rader who was the number two man in WCG, even though he was then only a lay member.

Maybe that was another reason why HWA removed Meredith? In some of the previous issues of Pastor's Report Meredith announced that non-career ministers (essentially retired ministers who continued to minister part time with reduced pay) would be abolished. Meredith emphasized that any such man from now on is to regarded as only a laymember.

Perhaps Rader was suspicious of Meredith's call for ex-ministers in good standing with WCG to be regarded only as lay members and interpreted this as an attack on his position of authority within WCG.

In a previous post we also saw how Meredith attempted to undermine Rader by spreading a rumor that had not been spread that widely before he publicly denied it, thus causing everyone to know of it.

Rader lashed out at Meredith and got HWA to remove him. Leaving him as Dean of the Faculty was not enough and he was later sent to paid exile in Hawai'i for six months. It was while Meredith was in Hawai'i that HWA sent Roderick C. Meredith a letter that harshly criticized him and among other things said that Meredith had no ability to run the church after HWA's death even though Meredith viewed things differently.

Stanley Rader also proceeded to take care of the problem that he was only a lay member.

Meredith's removal was the first move in a sequence of moves to strengthen Rader's power, culminating in Rader's ordination as an Evangelist by HWA and heir apparent.

The big news was really not much of a surprise. We predicted it in 1976, in our very first issue: Stan Rader was ordained an evangelist. The well-executed sequence of events went as follows:

First Roderick C. Meredith was removed as director of the WCG's ministry. Then all WCG evangelists were stripped of their rank. The hierarchical structure of the ministry was reorganized with Joseph Tkach, a preaching elder, and Kevin Dean, formerly a steward on the church airplane, elevated to top positions under HWA. (Both Tkach and Dean are proven Rader loyalists.) The board of trustees was purged of anti-Rader trustees (Meredith and Luker). (Raymond McNair remained, as he is now in the Rader camp.)

In his September 20 co-worker letter, Herbert Armstrong hinted that his life might soon be coming to an end (an amazing admission for HWA). Within days, it was announced that Rader had been ordained an evangelist along with Joseph Tkach ...

As we go to press, we have learned that Roderick Meredith has been given a six month "leave of absence" in Hawaii. Few believe he will ever return to any significant position in the WCG. Perhaps he will not return at all. (Ambassador Report 10.) 

Meredith tried to remove Rader from power and failed miserably. That is why he got removed as head of the ministry in 1979.

***

What a shameful record of oppression and cruelty Roderick Meredith showed at this time. And LCG members tithes go to support an organization led by the person who did these oppressive things.

People deserve to know the truth about Roderick Meredith and what he did at this time.

Ron Fraser's Ugly Xenophobia

I do not know why the late Ron Fraser was like this. But this is what he is like.

So in July 2011 he writes an article talking about how thankful he is to live in Oklahoma. But even when discussing such a pleasant sounding topic he cannot help but to continue condemning people he does not like.

But, this morning I was counting my blessings for living in the heartland territory of Oklahoma, USA.

As the country of my birth [Australia] suffers under a leftist, green-dominated government, its feminist prime minister becoming the first in that country’s history to live in a cohabiting state with her unmarried “partner” in Canberra’s prime ministerial Lodge, I despair at the outcome. The more so when I see that, to survive, Australia is continuing to sell its birthright blessings to foreign nations. Add to this the social disruption that the country [Australia] is suffering due to its foolish immigration laws—allowing anti-Anglo-Saxons to flood its cities—and I’ve more than one reason to be content right now to live in Oklahoma. (Ron Fraser, "Oklahoma--You're Kidding!", July 18, 2011.)

"Anti-Anglo-Saxons"? What on Earth is Ron Fraser talking about? This is what Ron Fraser sees when he looks at other people who live in Australia who happen to have a different skin color from him?

Migrants go to Australia because they are trying to build a better life for themselves and their families. They are not trying to take other people down. They are not trying to overthrow society.

Ron Fraser seems to be projecting his own hostility and contempt for non-white people onto them.

What he seems to really mean is to say that he strongly dislikes having people he views as not white migrating to Australia.

Why is it that the rest of PCG's leaders think such biased and bigotry is perfectly fine and acceptable to them? They seem to think this sort of bigoted, white supremacist nonsense is worthy of being published.

That bigoted nonsense like this is published says a lot about what sort of people PCG's leaders are. And it does not look good.

And as for the "feminist prime minister" Fraser speaks of with such disdain, her name is Julia Gillard. She resigned as Prime Minister in June 2013 and her party was voted out of power later that year.

PCG's Continuing Demonization of Japan

PCG has a long history of demonizing Japan.

This shameful habit is continued once again with Jeremiah Jacques' article, "Why the Trumpet Monitors Japan’s March Away From Pacifism Toward Militarism" (April 22, 2015).

The real reason why they do so is because Gerald Flurry has dogmatically decided that in the future Japan will turn against the United States and go to war against the USA. And it is often insinuated that Japan will make or acquire nuclear weapons. (Although since Russia and China already have such things why would Japan need any if they were to ally with them?)

Observe what Gerald Flurry wrote back in 1993.

Tactical nuclear weapons have been stolen form the Soviet arsenal and sold to nations in the Middle East. Soon Germany and Japan will also have nuclear weapons. (Gerald Flurry, Jeremiah: Prophet of Doom -- or Hope?, 1993, Chapter 4, p. 31.)

What on Earth is Flurry talking about? None of the Arab states or Iran have nuclear weapons.

Twenty-two years later we are still waiting for Japan (and Germany) to get nuclear weapons.

We now return to Jacques' article.

Now in this article Jacques brings up the truly atrocious history of what happened during the days of militarism pursued by the Japanese government until 1945. It is true that many vile and horrifying acts were committed in pursuit of enacting the Japanese government's policies of militarism. It was because of such deeds that the United States went to war with Japan during World War II.

Even today we are still struggling with managing the fallout from the many terrible and shameful deeds that were committed because of Japanese government's policies of militarism during that era. Who knows? If Japan had not occupied Korea in the 1890s there may have been no North Korea.

There is nothing wrong with condemning evil in the hope that similar acts will never happen again and in order to pursue justice. But that is not what Jeremiah Jacques does here. Rather Jacques brings up these issues in order to lure more people into joining Jacques' group, the Philadelphia Church of God, thus getting more people to pay the three tithes to PCG which is how Jacques makes his living. These facts are being brought up for self interested reasons.

Jacques vilifies the Japanese people as somehow prone to indulge in warfare.

Nanjing was not an isolated case of savagery. Japanese troops were similarly cruel in other Chinese cities, and also in Korea, the Philippines, Singapore and other countries. A look further back into history shows that World War II was not an anomalously aggressive epoch for the Japanese. There were also the invasions of Korea in the 1590s, the Battle of Ganghwa, the First Sino-Japanese War, the invasion of Taiwan, the Russo-Japanese War and the list goes on.

So Jacques brings up everything. He is so desperate to make readers fearful and hateful towards the Japanese nation he even brings up "the invasions of Korea in the 1590s", an event which occurred even before the establishment of Jamestown in 1607. Somehow that little bit about how Japan isolated itself from the outside world for over 200 years is not even acknowledged here. The United States did not even exist back then and still Jacques tries to use that four centuries event to stir up hatred and fear of the Japanese nation.

By the end of World War II, Japan had been fighting for 14 years. Almost 3 million Japanese were dead, with many more injured or gravely ill. Most of the population was starving, and the nation lay in ruins. But even then, soldiers and civilians generally would not surrender. Nothing short of two atomic bombs was able to bring a halt to Japan’s perverse military fanaticism.

But even knowing of facts like these Jacques nevertheless tries his best to stir up fear and hatred of Japan.

Jacques then talks about how after Japan's defeat in World War II Japan decided to renounce war. And then Jacques complains about how Japan has eroded away this commitment.

The first of these came as early as 1950, when a National Police Reserve was established as a replacement for American troops sent into the Korean War. Then in 1954, with Washington’s full support, Japan transformed this police reserve into the Japan Self-Defense Force (SDF).

Is this plagiarism? This looks very similar to what Ryan Malone wrote in a similar article in 2001.

Though utterly defeated at the end of World War II, Japan’s military began to be resurrected as early as 1950, when a National Police Reserve was established as a replacement for American troops who were sent into the Korean War. This police force was transformed into the SDF by the Japanese government in 1954, with the full support of the U.S. (Ryan Malone, "Japan’s Long History of Militarism", The Philadelphia Trumpet, December 2001.)

We now continue with Jacques' article.

But during the 70 years that have passed since the end of World War II, Japan has made some significant strides away from pacifism.

What were some of these strides?

Japan’s march toward militarization sped up from 2004 to 2010. During those years, Tokyo sent noncombat troops to Iraq, Indonesia, Nepal, Israel, Djibouti, Somalia and Haiti. During the same time frame, Japan made more moves away from being a purely “self-defense” force. It began looking to use its space program for military purposes. Its Defense Agency was upgraded to become a full-fledged ministry, giving it a greatly amplified voice in the cabinet. It gained the capacity to fly F-2s more than 1,700 miles without refueling. It dropped 500-pound live bombs as part of training exercises. 

But these occurred long after PCG started to vilify and demonize Japan. So PCG is watching Japan's moves not because Japan did these things from 2004 to 2010 but because PCG had already decided that Japan was fated to help destroy America with nuclear weapons. These details are just misleading window dressing made to appear as though this ridiculous induced phobia is based on facts instead of this vicious dogma PCG adopted as early as 1993. 

Take for instance these words from PCG's Ryan Malone from a 2001 article.

Will Japan ignore its Constitution, revive its imperialist routes and seek a great Asian empire? The answer from history is YES! And that is also what the Holy Bible prophesies. (Ryan Malone, "Made in Japan", The Philadelphia Trumpet, December 2001.)

Why does Jacques cite such events between 2004 and 2010 when in fact PCG had already decided to insist that Japan would betray America long before then? How is this not misleading?

We now continue with Jacques' article.

On March 11, 2011, the magnitude-9.0 Tohoku earthquake struck Japan, spawning a tsunami and causing a severe nuclear crisis. The SDF [Self Defense Force] leaped to action, carrying out rescue operations with more than 100,000 soldiers—an utterly unprecedented number in the postwar era.

Why on Earth is Jacques moaning about soldiers helping their own fellow citizens during that unimaginable catastrophe? Why is it that Jacques has no sense of compassion towards these people caught in that catastrophe? In stead he moans that this is a sign that Japan is getting ready to help destroy America.

It is sickening that such tragic events in which so many people died is exploited to vilify and demonize the Japanese nation (and get more tithes paying members into PCG). How mean spirited this is. How utterly lacking in compassion.

Jacques then mentions other events that occurred in 2014 but PCG had long ago decided to fear monger that Japan would help destroy America way back in the early 1990s so those events do not prove PCG to be right.

In light of Japan’s wartime history, all of these steps toward nationalism and militarism are worthy of attention and concern.

They are but Jacques is just trying to get people to join PCG. PCG's leaders have been constantly scare mongering about Japan since at least 1993 so how on Earth can we trust PCG's assessment of the situation?

Jacques then points out the well known and shameful phenomenon of some Japanese persons choosing to minimize or even deny the terrible things that were done to enact the Japanese government's militarist policies up to 1945. Unfortunately this is a well known and shameful phenomenon.

For example, postwar Japan has officially apologized to China for the Massacre of Nanjing, but the apologies have been regularly undercut by revisionist statements from leading voices.

“The Nanjing Massacre is a lie made up by the Chinese,” Japanese Cabinet Minister Shintaro Ishihara said in 1990. “The Nanjing Massacre is a fabrication,” Japanese Justice Minister Nagano Shigeto said in 1994. “The Americans brainwashed the postwar Japanese into believing they had committed terrible war crimes,” said Tokyo University Prof. Nobukatsu Fujioka in 1997.

It is strange that here Jacques chooses to be sympathetic towards the Chinese for the monstrous things that happened up to 1945 considering how PCG so often vilifies and fear mongers about China today.

Now at the end Jacques gets to the point. He says Japan is going to help plunge the world into war again.

Some specific details of how this Eastern superpower will form in the end time are still unknown, but prophecy is unmistakably clear about the fact that it will happen. And, though it will be led by Russia and China, it will almost certainly include Japan.

The Trumpet reports on Japanese efforts toward remilitarization because each is one small step closer to that 200-million man army. Each is a step nearer to that unprecedentedly violent conflict. Numerous Bible passages show that it will be the bloodiest and most destructive conflict the world has ever seen. Japan’s march toward militarization points to a dark future.

This is total nonsense. HWA was wrong and made many false prophecies. So has Gerald Flurry and his PCG.

It is disgusting how these terrible events are exploited by Jeremiah Jacques to simply lure more people into joining PCG and then convincing them to pay three tithes to PCG for the rest of their lives. He even brought up an invasion from the 1590s.

He even vilified the Self Defense Forces' response to the earthquake of March 2011 when they were trying to save lives as something we should be afraid of. How can one do something like that?

PCG's Demonization of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

If any Iranians are reading this please be aware that the Philadelphia Church of God is only a small group that only has about 5000 members. Within America they are not important. In fact most Americans have no idea they even exist. 

The leaders of the Philadelphia Church of God loved using Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, President of Iran from 2005 till 2013, as a boogeyman to frighten PCG members and co-workers into thinking that World War III would soon occur.

PCG's leaders had a great time having a belligerent leader ruling over Iran. And they miss him as well.

August 2005 issue.

For the record I never liked President Ahmadinejad. From the moment I saw his face on a newspaper reporting on his election as President I was under the impression that he would be trouble. Alas, this initial assessment some people gave of him proved to be right. I think he was a bad influence for the world situation. And considering the turbulent situation in Iran in 2009 it is clear many Iranians also chafed at his rule.

While people of conscience all over the world despaired at his influence a bunch of people from their perch in Edmond who led a group called the Philadelphia Church of God proceeded to make as much as they could of Ahmadinejad to make (primarily American) people panic and fearful that some sort of cataclysm would soon occur. PCG's leaders constantly exploited the heightened tensions surrounding Ahmadinejad in order to scare their viewers and readers senseless.

Instead of responsibly discussing the situation regarding Iran PCG's leaders constantly made extravagant accusations against him. This also serves to minimize and take attention away from actual issues concerning his rule.

Demonizing Ahmadinejad also served to distract PCG members from the problems within PCG.

***

In August 2005 Joel Hilliker fearfully insisted that Iran will get nuclear weapons.

That’s not to say that all the charades are over. There will likely be more talk. We may even witness military strikes on Iranian nuclear sites. But Bible prophecy strongly indicates that talks will fail and any action will not be tough enough to deter Iran in the long run.
Iran will get its nukes. (Joel Hilliker, "A Man With a Dangerous Mission", August 2005.)

Nearly ten years later we are still waiting for Iran to get nukes. How long do we have to wait? Could it be that Iran doesn't actually want one?

According to Gareth Porter in Chapter 3 of his book about the politics surrounding the Iranian nuclear program, Manufactured Crisis, Iran's Supreme Leader Khamenei issued a fatwa forbidding the possession of nuclear weapons as un-Islamic in 2003 thus banning Iran from even making a nuclear weapon anyway.

***

PCG has long had a habit of condemning people they do not like as being possessed by Satan the Devil and his demons. I can well recall how shortly after 9/11 Gerald Flurry insinuated that Mullah Omar, leader of the Taliban, was possessed by demons and had fits. In 2013 Gerald Flurry even proclaimed President Obama to be "another Antiochus", an Antichrist like figure of his own devising. So it is little surprise that PCG's leaders would make the same accusation against President Ahmadinejad.

In January 2006 Brad MacDonald, as part of this bad habit, insinuated that President Ahmadinejad was possessed by Satan the Devil.

Recent reports reveal that men within Ahmadinejad’s own government believe there is an unseen “force” behind this man. The Iranian president himself has acknowledged the presence of a hidden hand motivating and governing his actions.
Whether one believes there is a “spirit” guiding President Ahmadinejad or not, it is hard not to see that religious beliefs are directly influencing his actions. ...

President Ahmadinejad obviously believes he is being guided by an unseen spirit power. While he would argue that it is an angelic being, perhaps Allah himself, others would argue that a demon, or even Satan himself, is inspiring this man. ...

The Iranian president and many of the men who surround him believe that a mystical force is influencing the mind of this man. Truth be told, these observations are not far-fetched—a spirit being does indeed have influence over Mr. Ahmadinejad’s mind.
Most people would be shocked to learn just how much Satan and his cohorts influence the minds of all men—not just the Iranian president. (Brad MacDonald, "The Force Motivating Mahmoud Ahmadinejad", January 2006.)

***

In May 2006 an anonymously written article asserted that Ahmadinejad sought "to start World War III" and effect "the total destruction of Israel and the demolition [?] of America".

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran wants to start World War III. Together with the total destruction of Israel and the demolition of America, this is one of the primary goals of his presidency.  ("Ignoring the Iranian Threat", May 2006.)

(Considering that the United States of America is not a building I fail to imagine how anyone could demolish America. That is a meaningless phrase.)

***

August 2006 issue.

In August 2006 PCG's leader, Gerald Flurry, proclaimed that President Ahmadinejad would provoke catastrophe (of some kind).

Ahmadinejad is looking for a clash of civilizations—and biblical prophecy shows that he is going to get it! But Iran and its allies are not going to win, and they will not wipe Jerusalem off the map. (Gerald Flurry, "A Clash of Civilizations Is Imminent", August 2006.)

Of course Ahmadinejad got no such thing. He was simply replaced by Hasan Rouhani in August 2013.

***

In February 2007 Gerald Flurry wrote an article comparing Ahmadinejad to Hitler saying that the world did not take Hitler seriously until it was too late and the world is about to do the same in regards to Ahmadinejad.

President Ahmadinejad is in the process of doing exactly what he says he will do, but few people believe him—perhaps some are even laughing. That laughter will soon be silenced, just as the scoffing at Hitler stopped before and during World War II.  ...

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is a strong dictator, much like Hitler. He is moving events along at a dizzy pace in the Middle East. Oil profits have made his country incredibly wealthy. He is going to cause a global crisis in only a few years—perhaps even months. (Gerald Flurry, "Can Suicide Bombers Be Stopped?", February 2007.)

Of course Flurry did not foresee that Ahmadinejad would simply reach the limit of his term and be replaced by Hasan Rouhani in 2013. This is a false prophecy.

***

In September 2008 an anonymously written article asserted that Ahmadinejad was more dangerous than Hitler because he might have access to nuclear weapons.

His [Ahmadinejad's] visions of global dominance and his hatred of the Jews make him very similar to Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler. Yet, in some ways he is more dangerous. Once Iran’s uranium enrichment program is complete, it will be a relatively simple matter to weaponize the resulting uranium stockpiles. ("World Overlooks Ahmadinejad Rant", September 2008.)

Of course they failed to foresee that he would simply be replaced by Hasan Rouhani in August 2013.

***

In February 2009 Brad MacDonald accused Ahmadinejad of plotting to unleash nuclear warfare for the express purpose of hastening the return of the twelfth imam. This portrays Ahmadinejad as beyond reason and a man impossible to reason with.

Iran’s leader doesn’t just believe the Mahdi is about to return—he considers it his responsibility to cause the apocalyptic conditions that he believes will surround his return!  ...

Meanwhile, the supreme goal and current policies of the Iranian government are designed to create Armageddon in preparation for the return of the 12th imam! (Brad MacDonald, "Ahmadinejad’s Apocalyptic Ambitions", February 2009.)

***

In August 2010 Robert Morley wrote that Iran may just be days away from making nuclear weapons.

Iran may be days away from going nuclear—in the full sense of the word. Russia is complicit, Israel is handcuffed, America’s will is broken, and Europe appears impotent. The countdown to a nuclear Iran is nearing its end. Will anyone stop Iran from unleashing a Muslim-inspired Armageddon?  (Robert Morley, "The Return of the Mahdi is Nigh", August 2010.)

We are still waiting for Iran to do this. Considering that there is a fatwa by Iran's Supreme Leader Khamenei banning nuclear weapons in the way it looks like PCG's leaders will have to wait a long time for that.

***

In April 2010 Gerald Flurry wrote an article in which he insinuated that some sort of catastrophe might occur within ten years or less. He also calls Ahmadinejad "the mad leader of Iran".

Man is facing total annihilation of all human life, perhaps in a decade or less. That is especially true when you consider the mad leader of Iran, who is about to get nuclear weapons and is eager to use them. (Gerald Flurry, "Man Does Not Know His Greatest Enemy", April 2010.)

Today that "mad leader" is no longer in power and we are halfway through this decade.

***

In May-June 2011 Gareth Fraser wrote an article accusing Iran's leaders of plotting to unleash "global destruction."

It doesn’t matter who leads Iran, its end goal is the same: global destruction. ... Even if Iran’s leadership does change, its belligerent, provocative nature will not. (Gareth Fraser, "Ahmadinejad vs. Khamenei", May 2011.)

***

Thus we see the horribly crude way that PCG's leaders demonized those who ruled Iran.

October-November 2012 issue.

(Less than a year later both of these men would be out of power and replaced by others.)

But in the course of time Ahmadinejad's second term came to an end and on August 6, 2013 he was replaced by Hasan Rouhani.

PCG was not happy they couldn't use Ahmadinejad as a boogeyman anymore. This attitude may be seen in Anthony Chibarirwe's 2013 article, "Iran’s New President: Is Hasan Rowhani the Moderate the West Hopes For?"

No longer is the Iranian presidency headed by a bombastic, loose-lipped anti-Semite who is openly committed to the demise of the West. According to much of the Western media, President-elect Hasan Rowhani, unlike his predecessor Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, is a “moderate” and a “reformist” who will alter the defiant course of the Islamic Republic.

Chibarirwe then proceeds to proclaim that Iran is still just as dangerous -- even more so -- now that Ahmadinejad, a man PCG had spent so much time demonizing, was no longer in power.

The truth about Iran’s new president informs us that the world still has a dangerous Iran to contend with. Indeed, Iran may even be more deadly because of the “moderate” label its president now has. Whatever the nature of his leadership, it will be subservient to that of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, who alone controls nuclear and foreign policy.  

In other words, Do not relax now that Ahmadinejad is gone. Be even more scared. Clearly PCG's leaders missed no longer using Ahmadinejad as a prop of fear to scare people.

***

As a further example just take a look at this April 2015 article by Anthony Chibarirwe which near the end is illustrated with a picture of Ahmadinejad. He has now been out of power for nearly two years but PCG's leaders are still using his image to scare people into thinking Iran will lead the world into catastrophe. PCG's leaders clearly miss him.

I don't miss him. I am glad he is now gone from power. The Iranian people removed him from power. Peacefully. I think it is good that another man is now President of Iran.

***

Here is a list of articles in which PCG's leaders demonized Ahmadinejad in order to frighten their followers into thinking that World War III would soon occur. Some illustrative quotes from them are included as well.

2005

June

New Iranian President Is a Man With a Mission 

With the mullahs smiling down on their new president, the Trumpet expects the country to move significantly in this direction under his leadership. Our booklet The King of the South explains where this most crucial Islamic country fits within the prophetic context of end-time events.

July

Iran’s President-Elect Incites Islamic Revolution

When Ahmadinejad settles into his presidency later on this year, watch for him to work in conjunction with the religious establishment in Iran to accelerate Tehran’s drive to become the “king” nation among the Islamic world. 

August

A Man With a Dangerous Mission by Joel Hilliker 

That’s not to say that all the charades are over. There will likely be more talk. We may even witness military strikes on Iranian nuclear sites. But Bible prophecy strongly indicates that talks will fail and any action will not be tough enough to deter Iran in the long run.
Iran will get its nukes.
One can easily see how gaining nuclear capability will increase the nation’s political standing and national sense of stature and destiny.
But even in the short term, thanks to Ahmadinejad’s presidency, the world is about to get to know a more radical and determined Iran. ...

Remove the blinders and the truth is plain: The more the U.S. pushes for democracy in the Mideast and proclaims its willingness to accept whatever that may produce, the more frightening the region becomes. In the Palestinian territories, the terrorist group Hamas is sweeping elections. In Lebanon, it’s Hezbollah. In several countries, similar results would follow should the political process be opened to the will of the people.
Even in Iraq, Shiite Muslims are the dominant power, many of whose hearts resonate with the spirit of the Iranian Revolution. Iraqi Shiite political and religious officials congratulated Ahmadinejad and voiced their desire for stronger mutual ties between their countries.

October

Iran’s President Confirms Frightening Foreign Policy Objective

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad wants Israel “wiped off the map.” It shouldn’t come as a shock—his country has worked toward this goal for years. ...

While Ahmadinejad’s comments prompted shock and indignation from nations worldwide, the truth is that they represent nothing new.
Intelligence continually emerges on how the mullahs in Tehran have plotted to take over Israel for many years. To lay the groundwork, they have drawn from their standard arsenal of espionage, arms smuggling and terrorism—feverishly, furtively working to subvert the Jewish government and position themselves to assume control.

November

Iran’s True Colors

His resume is impressive: A child of the Iranian Revolution, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad took part in the takeover of the U.S. Embassy in 1979, served as an instructor of militia groups and as a commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and volunteered in the basiji (Iran’s state-sponsored militia). And, from the time he took office almost four months ago, this virulently anti-Western hardliner has served as president of the Islamic Republic. 

Iranian President Purges Reformers

Complete domination of the oil-rich, strategically situated Middle East is the goal of the Iranian government.
Not since the heady days of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini has Iran’s foreign policy been so bold. A few years ago Iran barely made international news; nowadays, the nation publicly declares that it wants to control the entire Middle East, Central Asia and the Caucasus.

December

Ahmadinejad: The World’s Most Controversial Man by Brad MacDonald

It’s hard to find a more tactless and undiplomatic politician than the Iranian president. Every time he speaks, he confirms that Iran is the greatest firebrand in the Middle East, and perhaps the world.

In his latest rant, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad questioned the occurrence of the Jewish Holocaust and—perhaps to provide a practical means of implementing his recent suggestion to wipe Israel “off the map”—called for the Jewish State to be relocated to Europe.

Iran Increases Support of Palestinians

Germany Reacts to Iran’s Push by Ron Fraser

2006

January

The Force Motivating Mahmoud Ahmadinejad by Brad MacDonald

Recent reports reveal that men within Ahmadinejad’s own government believe there is an unseen “force” behind this man. The Iranian president himself has acknowledged the presence of a hidden hand motivating and governing his actions.
Whether one believes there is a “spirit” guiding President Ahmadinejad or not, it is hard not to see that religious beliefs are directly influencing his actions. ...

Few things are more mysterious to humans than the question of an unseen spirit world. One of the hardest things for humans to do is believe in something they can’t see, feel or touch. President Ahmadinejad obviously believes he is being guided by an unseen spirit power. While he would argue that it is an angelic being, perhaps Allah himself, others would argue that a demon, or even Satan himself, is inspiring this man. ...

The Iranian president and many of the men who surround him believe that a mystical force is influencing the mind of this man. Truth be told, these observations are not far-fetched—a spirit being does indeed have influence over Mr. Ahmadinejad’s mind.
Most people would be shocked to learn just how much Satan and his cohorts influence the minds of all men—not just the Iranian president.

February

United Against Israel

March

Why Iran Can Afford to Be Insane by Brad MacDonald 

Is the Iranian president crazy, or canny?

Iran has guts, there’s no doubt about it—what with its pressing forward with nuclear development while threatening to wipe Israel off the map. But these moves aren’t as careless as some people assume, considering the ace Tehran has up its sleeve. ...

As Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad swaggers, endorsing dangerous ideologies, flippantly throwing around offensive remarks that he remains arrogantly unapologetic for, many wonder if this politician isn’t slightly loco—if there aren’t some screws loose in his mind. What else would give him the gall to push around some of the most powerful nations and groups of nations in the world?
But is he crazy, or canny?

What Is Guiding This Man? by Brad MacDonald

Jerusalem Is About to Be Cut in Half by Gerald Flurry 

You need to watch Jerusalem as never before. We are going to see half of that city fall very soon. It could happen this year—2006! 

Iran has surrounded and infiltrated Israel. Now the city of Jerusalem is on the verge of destruction! 

April

Cartoon Jihad by Joel Hilliker

How Europe Will Unite! by Gerald Flurry

May

Ignoring the Iranian Threat

Iran freely declares its evil and violent intentions. What will it take for America and the West to take Tehran seriously?

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran wants to start World War III. Together with the total destruction of Israel and the demolition of America, this is one of the primary goals of his presidency.
The Trumpet didn’t receive this intelligence from a covert source in Tehran, or an undisclosed contact in the CIA or Mossad. We, like millions of other people, learned this from the overworked mouth of President Ahmadinejad himself. Since his election in 2005, the Iranian president has virtually laid out a step-by-step plan by which he will thrust the world into World War III!

Exposing Iran’s Lies by Timothy Oostendarp

June-July

The Death of Churchillian Leadership by Brad MacDonald

July

The Only Solution to the Middle East Crisis by Gerald Flurry

August

A Clash of Civilizations Is Imminent by Gerald Flurry

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad believes the Mahdi will return in two to three years—or even sooner if somehow he can create an international crisis. He believes he was given his presidency to provoke a clash between civilizations!
This should alarm all of us. Imagine: Iran is the world’s top terrorist-sponsoring nation. It is about to get nuclear bombs, and its leaders believe a nuclear war will speed the return of their version of the Messiah. That means they are eager for a nuclear war. And once you start a nuclear war, how do you stop it?  ...

The Bible shows that Iran, “the king of the south,” before achieving its ambition, will be attacked by another “king” in a spectacular clash! (Daniel 11:40-41). Ahmadinejad is looking for a clash of civilizations—and biblical prophecy shows that he is going to get it! But Iran and its allies are not going to win, and they will not wipe Jerusalem off the map.

Shrugging at Evil 

Iran’s president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, wants to start World War III. Together with the total destruction of Israel and the demolition of America, this is one of the primary goals of his presidency.

September

Venezuela Allies With America’s Enemies by Robert Morley

Germany—Behind the Scenes by Ron Fraser

November

Imperial Iran

December

Ultra-Conservatives Seek to Cement Power in Iran

As true as this may be, a confrontation with the West is bound to occur, whatever the results of the election (which are especially hard to predict, taking into account Iran’s record of electoral rigging). It’s only a matter of how transparently Tehran will work to overthrow Western society and the timing of it. If the ultra-conservatives get a boost, Islamist terrorism will likely become a more formidable foe as Iran throws its weight behind Hezbollah, Hamas and terrorists in Iraq as never before.
On the other hand, if the more pragmatic conservatives make gains, the pretense of diplomacy with the West may continue a little longer. Either way, Islamism, led by Iran, is waging war against the West: The method or degree of subtlety may vary, but the end result will be the same. The king of Islamist terrorism will continue to push against the West until a confrontation occurs

A Titanic Battle for Control of Lebanon by Brad MacDonald

2007

January

Rafsanjani on the Rise in Iran

February

Can Suicide Bombers Be Stopped? by Gerald Flurry

Former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that suicide bombers are “not deterrable” and are on the verge of getting nuclear weapons! ...

Mr. Netanyahu said, “Iran is [Nazi] Germany, and this is 1938″—which was one year before World War II. He is saying we are dangerously close to World War III! Only a few years or even months away. ...

No current nuclear power in the world is suicidal, but the Iranian leaders are. That is why you can’t stop their terrorism unless you stop their “messianic cult of death”—which would probably mean destroying Iran.  ...

In another interview, Mr. Netanyahu quoted a Holocaust survivor who was asked what lesson she learned from that experience. Her answer was, when a powerful leader says he is going to annihilate you, believe him!
Are we going to believe Ahmadinejad now, before it’s too late? ...

President Ahmadinejad is in the process of doing exactly what he says he will do, but few people believe him—perhaps some are even laughing. That laughter will soon be silenced, just as the scoffing at Hitler stopped before and during World War II.  ...

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is a strong dictator, much like Hitler. He is moving events along at a dizzy pace in the Middle East. Oil profits have made his country incredibly wealthy. He is going to cause a global crisis in only a few years—perhaps even months. 

March

The Return of Rafsanjani

June

Ahmadinejad: Israel Is on Countdown to Destruction 

Still, if history is any indication, the Iranian leader’s provocations Sunday will do nothing to change the trend among Western nations, including the United States, of ignoring Iranian support for terrorism against Israel, and even looking to Iran for help in stabilizing what is currently the biggest hotspot in the region, Iraq. 

July

Ahmadinejad Holds “Council of War” 

Iran is already driving Syria, Hezbollah, Hamas and other regional terrorist groups; an outbreak of war—commanded by Iran—could be here before summer is out.

Iranian President Visits Syria, Threatens War by Joel Hilliker

Ahmadinejad reminded Assad that Tehran had spent almost a year on detailed preparations for a summer war and would not tolerate the Syrian ruler sabotaging this effort. Assad was reminded of his huge debt to the Islamic Republic. In the last few months alone, Iran put up hundreds of millions of dollars for Syria’s arms purchases from Russia; Syria gets its oil gratis and raw materials and finished goods at subsidized prices.  ...

Iran is driving the region on multiple fronts toward a major war. At the same time, Israel is reportedly bracing itself. Readers should closely watch the Middle East in the coming weeks for the possibility of a massive explosion...

Iran Cracks Down on Dissenters by Mark Jenkins

August

Ahmadinejad Visits Afghanistan

Iran Executes and Muzzles Dissenters Under Sharia Law by Robert Morley

September

Ahmadinejad Hosts Palestinian Summit

While results of the meeting yesterday are yet to emerge, the fact that Iran hosted the Palestinian terror leaders shows both that Tehran is indeed the nucleus of Palestinian terrorism and that it desires to be the king of the Middle East. 

Egypt and Iran Ally Against Potential U.S. Military Action by Andrew Müller

December

Ahmadinejad: U.S. Report a “Victory” for Iran

Ahmadinejad: U.S. Intelligence Report a “Declaration of Surrender”

Enriched Confidence: Post-NIE Iran by Philip Nice

Tehran is prowling the streets of the Middle East with a new swagger to its step. Following December 3’s National Intelligence Estimate (NIE), which claimed Iran had a clandestine nuclear weapons program but abandoned it four years ago, Tehran has been getting all the political and strategic leverage it can out of the situation, which is quite a bit.
In response to the report, the man who wants Israel wiped off the map in “one storm” and looks forward to “a world without America” claimed “victory” for Iran and said, “It was in fact a declaration of surrender.”

2008

January

Iran and Latin America Developing “Narco-Terrorism”

Islamist extremism developing ties with a region that has easy access to America’s southern border poses a strategic threat to the nation, particularly when backed by the world’s primary terrorist-sponsoring nation. 

February

Iran Inaugurates New Space Center, Launches Rocket 

Don’t expect Europe to take such threats lying down. The pushy foreign policy of a militaristic, terrorist-sponsoring Iran will prove to be an effective catalyst for a united Europe to take action. 

America Is Copying Chamberlain’s Mistakes by Gerald Flurry

We should be thinking in terms of months, not years! However, major media outlets are picturing this as another intelligence blunder by the Bush administration. They are helping their political party win elections. They are also causing far-reaching damage to America.
Politics are being placed above the welfare of our nation. That portends a black, foreboding future for America. These are the most dangerous times in our history. We can’t afford such terrifying blunders if we are to survive as a nation.

March

Ahmadinejad Meets the Iraqi President—in Baghdad

As Shiite-Sunni sectarian violence continues in Iraq, America is actually looking to Iran as a partner for Iraqi security.

Iran-Egypt Alliance Prophesied by Gerald Flurry

April

Iran Looks East

May

Is Germany Conquering Latin America? by Andrew Müller

June

Ahmadinejad: Israel Will Soon Disappear

August

Iran Conquered Lebanon … Now What? by Joel Hilliker and Gerald Flurry

September

World Overlooks Ahmadinejad Rant

Ahmadinejad’s goal is to overthrow the current world order and create a world dominated by Iran’s version of Islam. His visions of global dominance and his hatred of the Jews make him very similar to Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler. Yet, in some ways he is more dangerous. Once Iran’s uranium enrichment program is complete, it will be a relatively simple matter to weaponize the resulting uranium stockpiles. It is time that world leaders started taking this threat a little more seriously. 

December

“Merry Christmas, Infidels” 

This year, the Iranian leader, an avowed Holocaust denier and hater of Jews par excellence, will deliver a message of “peace and goodwill” to the British public. 

2009

January

Baghdad Upgrades Relations With Iran

February

Ahmadinejad’s Apocalyptic Ambitions by Brad MacDonald

Iran’s leader doesn’t just believe the Mahdi is about to return—he considers it his responsibility to cause the apocalyptic conditions that he believes will surround his return!  ...

Meanwhile, the supreme goal and current policies of the Iranian government are designed to create Armageddon in preparation for the return of the 12th imam! ...

Nobody believes Iran when it says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes. Yet despite seeing through that lie, few recognize the fundamental purpose and full ramifications of Iran’s quest for nukes. Most dismiss the reality that Iran’s thriving nuclear program is meant to cement its dominance within the region and to hasten the realization of its supreme goal of creating an apocalypse in order to usher in the Mahdi! 

March

Iran Slaps America’s Friendly Hand 

That’s all appeasement ever does. It tells the aggressive nation that what it is doing is working, and it gives it more time to do it.
Iranian elections will take place in June. Many in the West hope that a more moderate president will take the place of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. This type of appeasement, though, just helps Ahmadinejad. If the Iranian people see that their hard-line leader is forcing America to capitulate, they will be less likely to vote in a more moderate candidate.

Israel: Iran Has Crossed Nuclear Threshold

Iran is a bellicose nation driven by an apocalyptic ideology. Its president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, believes he is in power in order to set off World War III and, literally, the Apocalypse and the return of the Islamic mahdi. Allowing Iran to attain nuclear capability will have devastating consequences. 

April

Durban II and the Walk of Shame by Brad MacDonald 

On Monday, the British delegation had barely settled in when Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad strolled to the lectern. You may be shocked by what he spoke about in the first session of the conference—on the eve of Israel’s Holocaust Remembrance Day, no less. Ahmadinejad delivered an anti-Semitic rant in which he downplayed the Holocaust and Jewish suffering during World War II, attacked Israel as the “most cruel and repressive racist regime” and reprimanded Europe and America for supporting the violent and repressive Jewish state. 

Hezbollah Agents Flood Into America by Andrew Müller

June

The Truth Behind Iran’s Election Protests by Joel Hilliker 

Don’t take what you see on the evening news at face value. ...

But don’t take what you see on the evening news at face value. If you hope this is the Iranian Anti-Revolution, you shouldn’t hold your breath.
This is not the herald of a new age of moderation in Iran. In the end, the protests will flame out. Nothing will change. The Islamic Republic will roll on toward its goal of regional dominance and general mayhem in the name of Allah. It will keep supporting terror and pursuing nuclear weapons. There are several reasons this is true.
Perhaps the most interesting—but also least significant—is the fact that President Obama has firmly cast his vote for Ahmadinejad. ...

Truly, this election powerfully refuted the notion that engagement and appeasement is the way to eliminate the Iranian nuclear threat. Yet the White House seems not to have learned that lesson—and is making the damage worse as a result.

July

The Real Power Struggle in Iran

August

Why China Won’t Stop North Korea by Brad MacDonald

September

The Truth Behind Iran’s Election Protests by Joel Hilliker

Israel “will not last long,” says Ahmadinejad by Richard Palmer

This reveals how “pushy” and combative Tehran really is. Iran is under immense pressure, internally and externally, and Ahmadinejad is out there shouting controversial remarks confirming his true character and intentions. Most alarmingly, Ahmadinejad’s blunt remarks reveal his clear lack of fear and respect for America’s foreign policy. He knows he can say anything and get away with it. How condemning of the Obama administration: This radical Islamic tyrant refuses point blank to negotiate on the nuclear issue, then tells the world that he wants to destroy Israel, right before he is set to meet with the United Nations, and America continues its preparations to sit down and talk with Tehran.

China and Russia Undermining U.S. Power

October

Ahmadinejad's Apocalyptic Ambitions by Brad MacDonald

November-December

Surrendering to Iran by Stephen Flurry

2010

January

Doomsday Clock Scientists Lose Credibility by Jeremiah Jacques

Can America Reverse Its Decline? by Stephen Flurry

9/11 and the Head of the Terrorist Snake by Joel Hilliker

February

Ten Fulfilled Prophecies

In July 1992, before the rise of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, before the toppling of Saddam Hussein, before Iran’s apocalyptic nuclear ambitions became widely known, the Trumpet began prophesying that Iran would become the most dangerous and dominant power in the Middle East. Nearly two decades later, it’s indisputable that Iran has fulfilled this forecast: Tehran fervently pursues nuclear weapons, is the world’s top state sponsor of Islamic terrorism, and operates as the greatest force for instability, not just in the Middle East, but in the world. 

The Holy Roman Empire Is Back! by Gerald Flurry

April

Iran offers to help U.S.

The ironic thing is, Iran has also been a major cause of America’s difficulties and casualties in the Middle East and South Asia. Tehran is the greatest state sponsor of terrorism in the world and can activate Islamist terrorists including Hezbollah, Hamas, and Shiite insurgents in Iraq and Afghanistan. Ahmadinejad in fact indicated in his television address that if America does not allow Iran to develop nuclear technology, Iran could activate these “resistance” groups across the region. 

Man Does Not Know His Greatest Enemy by Gerald Flurry

Man is facing total annihilation of all human life, perhaps in a decade or less. That is especially true when you consider the mad leader of Iran, who is about to get nuclear weapons and is eager to use them. Iran is by far the greatest terrorist-sponsoring nation in this nuclear world—madness that no nation or group of nations has been willing to take a stand against—yet. The country’s leader, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, believes a nuclear war would hasten the return of his version of the Messiah. 

May

Ahmadinejad outmaneuvers Obama

Iranian Hezbollah Leader Calls for ‘Islamic United States’

July

Is Washington After Israel’s Nukes? by Brad MacDonald

It appears the next phase in the standoff over Iran’s apocalypse-inducing nuclear weapons program is beginning to come into focus. 

August

Stepping Toward Nuclear Armageddon by Brad MacDonald

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is a step closer to his goal of setting off a nuclear apocalypse. ...

Ultimately, the advancement of the Iranian nuclear program thrusts Mahmoud Ahmadinejad one step closer to achieving his goal of setting off nuclear Armageddon!
Under the circumstances, it’s worth considering the primary motivation behind Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s quest for nukes. Inside Iran, the belief of a returning Mahdi, or Twelfth Imam, is a defining doctrine within the most populous group of Shiites (known as Ithna Ashari, or “Twelvers”), the Iranian president included. Moreover, as a staunch adherent to the mahdaviat, Ahmadinejad doesn’t merely believe the Mahdi is about to return—he considers it his responsibility to bring about the apocalyptic conditions that will surround his return!...

Reality is, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad pursues nukes as a means of laying the foundation for the Mahdi’s return.
He considers the acquisition of nuclear weapons a religious mandate—one he must not compromise!

The Return of the Mahdi is Nigh by Robert Morley

Iran may be days away from going nuclear—in the full sense of the word. Russia is complicit, Israel is handcuffed, America’s will is broken, and Europe appears impotent. The countdown to a nuclear Iran is nearing its end. Will anyone stop Iran from unleashing a Muslim-inspired Armageddon?

September

‘Easily the smartest guy in the room’

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad may be a blustery madman with ambitions to humiliate and destroy America and to annihilate Israel in a nuclear holocaust—but he is no dummy. ...

Tracking Ahmadinejad’s provocative—and canny and embarrassingly successful—movements confirms what the Trumpet has been saying since his election in 2005: that this man could well preside over a dramatic foreign-policy push that is specifically prophesied to trigger the next world war. 

October

Ahmadinejad: A Man Condemned by History by Brad MacDonald

Despite periodically fawning over King Cyrus, Iran’s president values the history of Persia’s greatest king about as much as he values human rights, or Israel’s right to exist, or the opinion of Barack Obama. Fact is, if Mahmoud Ahmadinejad grasped the full depth of the history of Cyrus the Great, he would banish the name from his vocabulary.
The reason for this is simple: The magnificent legacy of King Cyrus of Persia condemns Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his band of radical brothers!

2011

January

The History Iran Forgot by Brad MacDonald 

Politically and ideologically, Iran’s president and King Cyrus are polar opposites. So why would Ahmadinejad invoke the history of ancient Persia and a king whose accomplishments, if he understood them, he would find repulsive? It’s simple. Millions of Iranians today continue to cherish the history of King Cyrus: Ahmadinejad is identifying himself with the upright character and accomplishments of Cyrus the Great in an attempt to cover his own hate-filled fanaticism.
It won’t work—it can’t. The life and accomplishments of Cyrus the Great are bright and radiant, while those of Ahmadinejad are dark and black. Invoking the awesome works of King Cyrus only exposes the evil in his own works all the more.

The Last Crusade by Gerald Flurry

February

Deluged by Stephen Flurry

Hosni Mubarak Sealed His Fate in 1981 by Stephen Flurry

China Blocks UN Report on North Korea

March

Iranian Propaganda Film Claims Jerusalem Is About to Be Conquered

April

Prophecy Comes Alive in Egypt!

May-June

A Mysterious Prophecy by Gerald Flurry

May

Ahmadinejad vs. Khamenei by Gareth Fraser 

It doesn’t matter who leads Iran, its end goal is the same: global destruction. ...

Even if Iran’s leadership does change, its belligerent, provocative nature will not. In the end, biblical prophecy shows that Iran will get the fight it desires. In his August 2006 article “A Clash of Civilizations Is Imminent,” our editor in chief wrote, “The Bible shows that Iran, ‘the king of the south,’ before achieving its ambition [of conquering Jerusalem], will be attacked by another ‘king’ in a spectacular clash! (Daniel 11:40-41).”
President Ahmadinejad knows his time is fast running out. His second constitutional term is up in 2013. He has repeatedly declared that the Twelfth Imam would appear at a time of worldwide turmoil. It’s worthy of note that many clerics also support this viewpoint, though clearly the ayatollah is keen to make sure he—as supreme religious, political and military overlord—calls the shots from above. Watch Iran closely: Iran’s leaders are looking for a clash of civilizations, and biblical prophecy shows they are going to get it!

July

Pakistan Draws Closer to Iran

August

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Commander Becomes OPEC President

Qasemi’s appointment speaks most loudly perhaps to Ahmadinejad’s power in Iran. Despite the bickering in recent months between Ahmadinejad and Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, and despite Western hopes for a green revolution in Iran, Ahmadinejad’s grip on power remains secure. The parliament’s support of his nomination is a victory for the president, and represents a tightening of his control over Iran’s economy. Ahmadinejad is a former Revolutionary Guard member, and is highly regarded by the organization. His agenda is overtly inspired by extremist religious views, and, by placing a Guard member at the helm of Iran’s economy, he will be able to further it. If Ahmadinejad has a hold on Iran’s oil—and Qasemi’s appointment as Iran’s oil minister is a clear sign that he does—then it means he has a grip over Iran’s economy as a whole. Ahmadinejad would like nothing more than to destabilize the region in order to drive up oil prices. With Qasemi in a position of power, we can expect the already high gas prices to continue to increase, and for Iran’s defiance toward the West to accelerate.

The Man Who Rules Iraq

November

North Korea Helping Iran With Nuclear Program 

Iran will continue to push toward nuclear power until it is confronted.

2012

February

Iran’s Ahmadinejad Oversees Historic Day for Nuclear Program

The Trumpet has forecast that Iran will never halt its nuclear program until it is forcefully stopped—not by the United States, but by Europe. The Trumpet continues to stand by its prediction. Continue to watch Iran’s nuclear program closely.

April

The Unholy Union of ALBA and Hezbollah

May

Jerusalem: The Bells of War Are Ringing by Brad MacDonald

You wouldn’t know it, listening to all his tough talk and warmongering, but the regime of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is weaker and more vulnerable than most realize. Ahmadinejad faces a growing list of potentially debilitating problems—domestically, within the region and from far abroad. And for Iran’s Holocaust-denying, Jew-hating, apocalypse-inducing president, the window of opportunity to act on his deadly ambitions is closing. 

July

Iran and the ‘End of Days’ by Brad MacDonald 

Here in the West, most people mistakenly ignore this theology and the depth of commitment Khamenei, Ahmadinejad and their followers have to it. This is to our own peril. Twelvers don’t just believe the Mahdi will soon return: They consider it a personal responsibility to create the apocalyptic conditions that will surround his return.
Frankly, ushering in the Mahdi is the guiding principle of Iran’s foreign policy!...

The Bible clearly reveals that Christ will have to intervene to prevent the full-scale annihilation of mankind that Ayatollah Khamenei dreams about.

Iran Pursues Closer Ties With Egypt

Since the fall of Mubarak, Egypt and Iran have taken momentous steps toward rapprochement. In February, Iranian warships received permission from Egypt to travel through the Suez Canal into the Mediterranean. Even a phone conversation between the two leaders is a huge step forward in Egypt-Iranian relations.
Israeli’s ambassador to Egypt is being harassed and Egypt’s parliament has even called on him to leave. It won’t be long before the Israeli ambassador is gone and the Iranian ambassador is welcomed.
Continue to watch this historic shift in alignment. An Iranian-Egyptian alignment is a grave threat—not just to Israel but to Europe as well. Together, the two would have the potential to destroy Europe’s economy by disrupting shipping and oil supplies.
The budding relationship between the two countries is something the Trumpet has warned about for a long time.

August

Morsi to Attend Tehran Conference

Iran Withdraws Troops From Syria

The Root Cause of Anti-Semitism by Stephen Flurry

September

Iran: Israel Has ‘No Roots’ in Middle Eastern History

Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry has pointed to Iran’s belligerence as one indication of a rapidly approaching clash of civilizations. In 2006, he explained that Ahmadinejad believes he was given his presidency in order to provoke a seismic clash that will hasten the return of Shia Islam’s messianic figure. Ahmadinejad’s anti-Israel statements on Tuesday provide fresh evidence of Iran’s obstinate hatred for the Jewish nation.

How the Syrian Crisis Will End by Gerald Flurry

Why Would the Muslim Brotherhood Want to Ally With Shiite Iran? by Andrew Müller

2013

March

A Middle East ‘Peace Pipe’ by Callum Wood

May

The Ayatollah’s Presidential Election by Callum Wood

This prospect is backed up by Bible prophecy. Iran is the head of the prophesied king of the south (Daniel 11:40). With Iran at the head, this bloc will “push” at the king of the north, a unified Europe. One way that Iran may push is through its attempt to gain nuclear weapons. The longer Iran works to obtain the bomb, the more of a threat it becomes to Europe and the world. With the situation remaining the way it is in Iran, that time could be on us very soon. The election of another puppet president, one even more in line with the radical ayatollah, will be one more step toward that eventuality. 

Iran Chairs the UN Conference on Disarmament

June

Iran’s New President: Is Hasan Rowhani the Moderate the West Hopes For? by Anthony Chibarirwe

July

Prophecy—the Proof of God!

August

Iranian President Rowhani’s Extremist ‘Path of Moderation’ by Anthony Chibarirwe

October

The Beirut Bomber in Rouhani’s Cabinet by Callum Wood

2014

October

Netanyahu and the Islamic State … of Iran? by Christopher Eames

Can We Trust Iran to Fix the Middle East? by Callum Wood

2015

April 

America's 'Bad Deal' With Iran by Anthony Chibarirwe