PCG's Six Day Tunnel Vision

PCG's other website focused on presenting their teachings in a manner catered for a Jewish audience, Watch Jerusalem, has highlighted an article of theirs describing the Six Day War of 1967. Let's see what they have to say this time. (Christopher Eames, Miracles in Six Days, June 1, 2019.)

The little nation of Israel, having only been formally reestablished in its biblical homeland in 1948, was, by 1967, facing destruction by four major Arab nations and many other supporting belligerents. The combined might of Egypt, Syria, Iraq and Jordan was about to bear down on the little nation of less than 2.5 million Jews. Israel had half as many soldiers, less than half the tanks, and only a quarter of the aircraft. Yet against the greatest of odds, a truly miraculous victory was won by Israel in what is today known as the Six-Day War.

The fact that State of Israel happens to be geographically small is largely irrelevant because it happens to have a military force better than the surrounding Arab nations as was seen in the 1947-9 war. The State of Israel has been militarily better than the surrounding Arab nations ever since.

Also in 1967 the Arab nations had on paper a common command structure with a Egyptian military officer in charge of everything. In practice there was much confusion between the different Arab nations. Unlike Israel they did not have a clear command structure uniting their efforts.

The State of Israel's military was indeed outnumbered but that would not matter once the Israeli Air Force destroyed Egypt's air force. With that decisive move the State of Israel had control of the air so there was little the Arab nations could do to stop them. 

The Arab nations surrounding Israel had never accepted the official 1948 international reinstatement of the land as a Jewish state. They fought bitterly in the 1948 Arab War to try to destroy the fledgling Jewish nation but were defeated. In 1967, they planned to try again, combining forces once more to defeat Israel in what should have been a quick and decisive victory. Yet within six days, Israel had defeated the Arab armies, tripled the area of land under Israeli control, and fully reclaimed Jerusalem as the capital city of Israel.

The author insists that the Arab nations were on the verge of "a quick and decisive victory" and suddenly they lost so much territory. The fact that Israel had such a decisive victory suggests they were in never in that much military danger in 1967.

But was President Nasser trying to attack? Could he do so? According to President Lyndon Johnson it was the assessment of US intelligence that President Nasser was not trying to attack Israel and furthermore the State of Israel was not in real danger of military defeat.

On the evening of May 26 [1967] I [President Johnson] met with Israel's Foreign Minister Abba Eban, who had just flown to Washington. Our conversation was direct and frank. Eban said according to Israeli intelligence, the United Arab Republic (UAR) was preparing an all-out attack. I asked Secretary McNarama, who was present, to give Mr. Eban a summary of our findings. Three separate intelligence groups had looked carefully into the matter, McNarama said, and it was our best judgment that a UAR attack was not imminent. "All of our intelligence people are unanimous," I added, "that if the UAR attacks, you will whip the hell out of them." (Lyndon Johnson, The Vantage Point, 1971, p. 293.)

And the Americans were right. The Egyptians were routed by the Israeli military. How can this be a miracle as Armstrongites say when people US intelligence, President Johnson and Secretary McNarama were able to accurately anticipate a decisive victory for the State of Israel?

However this information was not widely known among the public within either the United States or the State of Israel. The people of the State of Israel were genuinely afraid of total defeat even though those in power, as is seen above, knew better. The State of Israel was never in any real danger of a total defeat in 1967.

We now return to PCG's article.

Early in the morning on June 5, 1967, nearly 200 Israeli airplanes took to the sky, making their way toward Egypt. Jordan, picking up the Israeli air force movements by radar, forwarded a coded warning to Egypt. In a miraculous stroke, however, the Egyptians had changed their message-coding equipment without notifying the Jordanians. As such, the Israeli planes were able to knock out more than 300 Egyptian planes—more than half the Egyptian air force—in only three hours! Strangely, no order was given for the Egyptian anti-aircraft missile batteries to retaliate. By the end of that initial day, two-thirds of the Syrian Air Force had also been destroyed, along with most of the Royal Jordanian Air Force.

These are not signs of a miracle, as Armstrongites claim. These are the results of an unclear, badly integrated command structure on the Arab side. The Egyptians changing encryption method without telling the Jordanians is a result of unclear communications. The Israelis were fighting by themselves so they had a clear command structure. This is an organized nation fighting disorganized nations. Being outnumbered does not matter when you are more organized compared with the other side.

Also those planes the Israelis had were bought from France. Many of the State of Israel's tanks were purchased from Britain. Both the British and French governments disapproved of this war but they armed Israel until the moment the Israeli government chose to attack. The military genius of Britain and France gave the State of Israel the arms to win.

For the Arab alliance, things got worse. Rank ineptitude and disorder reigned. 

To defeat an inept and disorderly enemy is not a miracle. It is the inevitable result of better planning and discipline.

Israeli desert troops made their way into the Sinai Peninsula, readying an attack on the well-armed Kusseima military outpost. Massive explosions were heard within the base, and by the time the Israelis arrived, they found the Egyptians had already destroyed their own equipment and fled. Egypt had abandoned other military bases as well.

The Egyptians had lost their air force so it made sense for them to flee to safety instead of leaving themselves vulnerable to attack from the air. After the Six Day War the Egyptians regrouped and proceeded to wage a guerrilla war against the State of Israel to regain control of the Sinai Peninsula until the death of President Nasser in 1970. When Sadat become President he prioritized negotiations (aside from the 1973 Yom Kippur War) and in 1979 made a treaty which among other things allowed Egypt to regain the Sinai Peninsula. The restoration of Egyptian rule over the Sinai was completed in 1982. If the 1967 war was a miracle, as Armstrongites claim, why did the God of Armstrongism cause the State of Israel to return the Sinai Peninsula just fifteen years later?

Surely such military successes were too much for just the little nation of Israel to accomplish. 

Balderdash. The State of Israel was better organized and disciplined compared with the Arab alliance. They had French planes and British tanks. So of course they won. 

The Israelis had been expecting a fierce and bloody land battle on the well-fortified Golan Heights, as the Arab bunkers were impervious to conventional airstrikes. However, by June 10, before many of the enemy positions had even been set upon by the Israelis, the Syrians had left their weapons and fled their positions in a state of panic!

Why would the Syrians flee? Look at what the author said four paragraphs earlier:

By the end of that initial day [June 5, 1967], two-thirds of the Syrian Air Force had also been destroyed, along with most of the Royal Jordanian Air Force.

The Syrian soldiers were left exposed to air attacks so they fled to safety. From their perspective it was rational to preserve their military force from possible air attack. That's not a miracle.

The statistics from the war are amazing. For every Israeli who perished in the conflict, 25 of the enemy died. For every Israeli prisoner of war, there were over 394 Arab POWs. For every Israeli plane that was downed, more than 11 Arab planes were lost.

It is worth noting that those unfortunate Israeli soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice or were captured or shot down while in a plane are never mentioned or discussed in this article. For those soldiers and their families and friends there was no miracle. Their pain and suffering is ignored and minimized to make the supposed miracle sound good to Armstrongites.

There are many more miracles that happened during the Six-Day War that you can read about. They certainly cannot be regarded as blind luck. 

It was not blind luck at all. The State of Israel had a better military force, a clear command structure instead of an unwieldly amalgam of different military forces, and air superiority after destroying the air forces of the Arab nations. So of course the State of Israel won. The Arab nations did not stand a chance.

After the war, on Shavuot (Pentecost), hundreds of thousands of Jews arrived in the recently recaptured city of Jerusalem, offering up prayers of thanks to God for His miraculous delivery from the jaws of the Arab armies.

After seizing East Jerusalem from the Jordanians the State of Israel quickly demolished the Moroccan neighborhood in order to have a wide open square in front of the Wailing Wall. The demolition was done so quickly that one unfortunate woman was killed in the demolition.

Also during the Six Day War an American navel ship, the U.S.S. Liberty, was attacked by Israeli forces. Thirty-five Americans were killed in the attack. The Israeli government said it was a mistake. The question needs to be asked of the Armstrongites: Was that part of the miracle? If not, why not? Questions such as these are carefully ignored in this article.

Also the Six Day War led to the rise of Fatah within the Palestine Liberation Organization. After the 1947-9 war the Palestinians, about 750,000 of whom had been expelled from their homes by the newly formed State of Israel, were in no position to fight the State of Israel to go home so they placed their hope in the Arab nations hoping that they would gather up their forces and fight. Many placed their hopes on President Nasser. The PLO was originally founded in 1964 to keep the Palestinians aligned with the Arab governments. After 1967 it was clear that the Arab nations could not defeat the State of Israel in a military conflict. Consequently the Palestinians began to organize themselves under the aegis of Fatah and tried to wage an armed insurgency against the State of Israel to go home. Fatah quickly became the dominant faction of the PLO. Fatah's armed insurgency against the State of Israel escalated. The Israeli government chose not to negotiate with the PLO until 1991. Was the rise of Fatah in response to the Israeli victory in 1967 part of the miracle that these Armstrongites claim occurred?

The war lasted six days only if one chooses to view it that way. If one views it as part of a long term conflict between the State of Israel and the Arab nations then the Six Day War becomes merely a dramatic moment in a decades long struggle.

So we see the Six Day War was not as miraculous a triumph as the PCG leadership would have their followers believe.

PCG Moans About Government Spending During World Pandemic

Recently PCG published an article which tries to make people afraid of government spending to address the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. It seems odd to worry about that while the coronavirus runs rampant in the United States and in much of the world. (Christopher Eames, The Cost of Coronavirus Is Beyond Imagination, December 15, 2020.) 

It seems odd to complain that something is somehow "beyond imagination" when one could consult with someone who has a much better grasp of the topic.

Four trillion dollars—that’s how much the United States has spent on its coronavirus response this year, up through the end of October. Four trillion is one of those numbers that is hard to wrap your head around. Most people, including our leaders, simply cannot grasp how gigantic that sum is.

The author should talk to one who can grasp this matter. Unfortunately he continues with this train of thought for the rest of the article instead of consulting with anyone more knowledgeable about the topic. He throws large numbers and absurd similes at the reader focusing his attention on government spending instead of the ongoing coronavirus catastrophe.

America’s expenditure on COVID-19 equals the combined GDP of 135 nations. ... Or you could consider the price in terms of gross domestic product. U.S. coronavirus spending is greater than the GDP of any nation on Earth with the exception of the top three: America, China and Japan (barely). It’s greater than the GDP of the entire continent of South America. It’s greater than the combined continent of Africa and region of Oceania; than the GDP of the Middle East and North Africa combined. It’s equivalent to the combined GDP of the lowest 135 countries in the world. $4 trillion—aimed at alleviating the effects of less than one year of coronavirus, in just one country.

America is a wealthy and populous nation so of course it spends more money then many other nations.

If we spread it out from the first confirmed U.S. coronavirus case (January 20) to the start of October (when we hit $4 trillion), that averages to roughly $15.7 billion per day. That’s two Panama Canals, every single day. That’s an American Revolution every four hours. The Louisiana Purchase every half hour. Buying Alaska every 10 minutes—for over nine months. That is sickening.

There are many problems with such comparisons. The two former events were endeavors that required many people over years to complete and they only needed to be done once. To imagine these things happening many times is absurd. 

The latter two events cited were transfers of territories. After World War II it became the international consensus that a nation's border should not change in order to reduce the likelihood of war over border disputes. Consequently it is now very rare for a nation to change its border for money. It is a largely outdated practice.

But, alas, many of this article's readers will not be able to think critically about these matters and will not see the flaws in the logic of this article.

He then talks about the influenza pandemic of 1918.

Even during the 1918 Spanish flu, which killed some 50 million people worldwide, the healthy were allowed to work. No work meant no food. The choice for heads of households was the possibility of catching the flu and possibily dying—or starvation for themselves and their families.

But was it right that society operated that way? It is strange to see the author not contemplate that question. Furthermore much of the world was negatively affected by World War I hindering the response to it.

The havoc created by the coronavirus is undeniable.  It is now the leading cause of death in the United States. But astoundingly the author tries to minimize the severity of the global pandemic.

But coronavirus is no Spanish flu. Coronavirus is a disease in which 99.9 percent of people who get it survive. 

Don't get this disease. While it is true most people will survive the coronavirus it is so contagious it still kills a lot of people and can overwhelm the healthcare system. That is why lockdowns have been used all over the world to prevent gridlock in the hospitals.

What, then, is all this spending for? 

Many of us have had friends and family die of coronavirus. But we’ve also had friends and family die of the flu and pneumonia. Half of the entire population of the UK is projected to get cancer in their lifetimes. We don’t bankroll for these things. They are hardly mentioned. Do these deaths not matter?

The coronavirus can overwhelm the healthcare system whereas these other diseases can be managed by the healthcare system. There are vaccines for the flu. Cancer is not contagious. His objections wither under fair minded scrutiny.

It is unfortunate that some people happen to minimize the severity of the current world pandemic. Anyone looking to this article for advice will be poorly seeved. We need to take it seriously. Wear your face mask. Avoid crowds. Wash your hands. Practice social distancing. When you can get vaccinated. And don't listen to people who minimize the seriousness of this world pandemic.

Awaiting the Beast: Overview of the January 2020 Issue of PCG's Philadelphia Trumpet

The current situation in regards to the ongoing coronavirus epidemic is terrible. Practice social distancing. Limit dangerous interactions with people. Listen to the science. Wear face masks. Protect yourself and others so that all may be better able to strive to see a better tomorrow.

Now onto the post.

***

Around early December 2019, before the epidemic, PCG released the January 2020 issue of their recruitment magazine, The Philadelphia Trumpet, once again seeking more tithes paying recruits for their organization. Let's see what they had to say this time. This was written .

Since 2009 the PCG leadership has often scare mongered that Karl-Theodor zu Guttenburg "may" be the political leader fated to destroy the United States shortly before Christ's return. Armstrongites have fixated their speculations on many men over the years suspecting they would be fated conquer of the United States, such as Mussolini, Hitler, Tito, Franz Josef Strauss, Edmund Stoiber, etc.

This edition had a circulation of 249,115 issues.

The editors of this issue are Gerald Flurry, Stephen Flurry, Joel Hilliker, Brad Macdonald, Richard Palmer, Jeremiah Jacques, Dennis Leap and Philip Nice.

Gerald Flurry has an article scare mongering about Karl-Theodor zu Guttenburg after discussing some developments in Germany that were adverse for Chancellor Merkel.

At the end of the article there is the following statement in a blurb advertising a recruitment booklet.

For 10 years, the Trumpet has spotlighted Karl Theodor zu Guttenburg ... Why? We know an ominous Bible prophecy is about to be fulfilled, and we think he may be the man who will do it. (p. 5.)

Josué Michels has a side article emphasizing him as being closely connected with both Germany and the United States. The scare mongering continues.

Guttenberg says the two continents should continue their partnership. Many in America believe this message. However, evidence shows that Germany is mostly interested in exploiting the relationship to facilitate its own rise to greatness, which means this message is dangerous and deceitful. (p. 5.)

Andrew Müller has an article scare mongering about a new Civil War erupting in the United States. He denounced the Democratic Party's attempt to remove President Trump. He insisted the allegation regarding Ukraine was a hoax.

Richard Palmer has an article condemning widespread criticism and opposition towards the United Kingdom's (at the time yet to be completed) withdrawal from the European Union. Such opposition is vituperatively denounced as a "conspiracy." The possibility that these opponents are acting in good faith for the interests of the kingdom is ignored.

Joel Hilliker has an article minimizing the ongoing climate change crisis as has long been PCG's stance on this important issue.

Brent Nagtegaal has an article speculating if mass protests in Lebanon and Iraq were a sign that Iran's influence in the Middle East was declining.

The Infographic scare mongers about Iran's military assets.

Christopher Eames has an article repeating PCG's rejection of evolution for contradicting their interpretation of the Old Testament.

Gerald Flurry has an article insisting that ancient history happened the way PCG says.

Jorg Mardian has an article condemning the prevalence of junk food.

Joel Hilliker has an article about posting rumors online.

Brad Macdonald has an article condemning attempts to make society more accommodating for the transgender community. The fact that transgender people have ben a part of humanity in many different societies for thousands of years is casually ignored. He blames the left once again showing that PCG view themselves as aligned with the political right. I do not condemn them for choosing to do so but at times PCG minimizes and obscures that fact.

The letters section contains a letter from Papua New Guinea.

There is also a letter from a person who claims to have read HWA's book, Mystery of the Ages, six times. That book is greatly revered by many within the COGs. PCG got the copyright of it after paying $3 million in damages to Tkach's WCG after losing a court case. But it is a very flawed book.

And so we see PCG continuing to try to get more tithe paying converts with their recruitment magazine.

Praising Israel Before World War III: Overview of the September 2019 Issue of PCG's Philadelphia Trumpet

Let's take a look at the September 2019 issue of PCG's recruitment magazine, The Philadelphia Trumpet.

The editors of this issue are  Gerald Flurry, Stephen Flurry, Joel Hilliker, Brad Macdonald, Richard Palmer, Jeremiah Jacques, Dennis Leap and Phillip Nice.

This issue had a circulation of 251,694 issues.

Gerald Flurry has a personal article talking about Jerusalem. It is taught by PCG and the other Armstrongite groups that after Christ's return all the world will be united under one government led by Christ headquartered in Jerusalem. Flurry talks about focusing on what Jerusalem will be like after Christ returns. In the article Flurry uses the word vision 36 times. In other words he is calling upon readers and PCG members to be enthusiastic in believing PCG's dogmas.

Christopher Eames has an article discussing an recent alleged discovery of Ziglag, a city which in the Bible was associated with David before he ascended to the throne, at Khirbet al-Ra'i.

Brad Macdonald has an article insisting that the State of Israel will enjoy a temporary revival for leaning to the political right. After Trump ascended to the presidency the PCG leadership has been boasting that President Trump is leading a temporary revival. PCG's 1% are so happy that a Republican is in the White House.

Richard Palmer has an article decrying anti-Semitic bigotry against Jews. While it is certainly good to combat anti-Semitism it is worth mentioning that PCG has some troubling teachings regarding Jews. Traditionally Jews have long feared attempts to make them convert to Christianity. Most Jews consider conversion to Christianity to be a renunciation of one's Jewish identity. But buried within the intricacies of PCG's teachings it is assumed that most Jews will eventually convert to PCG's religion if they happen to live after Christ returns or after a resurrection. Or else.

It is taught in PCG and other Armstrongite groups that God is not trying to convert the vast majority of humanity today. In their teaching most people have been supernaturally blinded by God and left unable to comprehend and believe in Armstrongite teachings. God will not give them a chance to be saved until after Christ returns. After the thousand year reign of Christ on Earth those who had been blinded by God before the Second Coming will be resurrected in an event the Armstrongites call the Great White Throne Judgment. Then they will either convert to PCG's religion and worship Christ or they shall be cast into Armstrongite hell. It is assumed that the divinity of God the Father, Christ and the other God beings predicted to exist by that time will make conversion an easy and happy choice. In Armstrongism it is taught that those who are not saved will be cast into the Lake of Fire and will be annihilated. Those people will have no afterlife after that. Any Jewish person who wishes to maintain his or her religion and not worship Christ or any of the other Armstrongite God beings are doomed to the Lake of Fire in this teaching. Armstrongism pushed the issue of hell to after the Second Coming for non-members but the issue is still there.

It is worth noting that PCG has been producing writings in Hebrew seeking to preach to a predominantly Jewish audience within the Holy Land.

Palmer's article also features a graphic photo of a mass grave at Mauthausen in 1945 on page 13.

Richard Palmer and Daniel Di Santo have an article scare mongering that continental Europe is able to get the resources they need by trading with Africa and Latin America. The fact that the United States has armed forces in continental Europe in fulfillment of their duties as part of the NATO alliance is blissfully ignored in this dogma.

The Infographic props up the article above.

Brad Macdonald has an article telling Americans to be scared of Germany because, he insists, the Germans are the descendants of the ancient Assyrians who conquered the northern Kingdom of Israel. But Macdonald and the other Armstrongites are wrong. The Germans are not descended from the Assyrians. The DNA evidence proves they are not related by descent. Therefore any prophecy that assumes Germans to be descended from the Assyrians is bound to fail.

In this article Macdonald indulges in one again scare mongering about Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg. For years now the PCG leadership has often speculated that he is destined to be the military leader fated to lead a German led European Empire to conquer the United States and take Americans as slaves back to Europe.

Who is this modern Tiglath-Pileser III? We can’t say for certain, but for more than 12 years now we have considered former German Defense Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg a potential candidate. Guttenberg has all the ingredients; he is aristocratic, rich and powerful. He has charisma and communicates with conviction, candor and power. Guttenberg isn’t popular with Germany’s elites or the mainstream media, but many regular Germans adore him. Watch Guttenberg: He could be Germany’s end-time Tiglath-Pileser III! (p. 23.)

Gerald Flurry has an article calling upon his readers to get to know God. However PCG insists that one can only know God by joining PCG. And one of the requirements for PCG members is to pay three tithes to PCG. That is how PCG managed to get an income of about $19.5 million in 2012.

Jeremiah Jacques has an article discussing the mass protest movement in Hong Kong. This anxious event is unfortunately used to indulge in some scare mongering about "Gentile rule" after the fall of the British Empire.

In Hong Kong, the effects of the transition from Israelite rule to Gentile rule are on display in microcosm. No one argues that British imperialism was perfect; it was administered by men, and all men rule deficiently. But when Hong Kongers anxiously brandish the Union Jack and insist that their colonial legacy means “Hong Kong is not China,” they are giving the world an early signal of how dark the times of the Gentiles will be. 

Hong Kong is a bellwether for what Mr. Flurry called the coming “catastrophic storm.” And as Beijing tightens its grip on the territory, it reveals how violent the tempest will be. (p. 27.)

Armstrongism often viewed British colonialism as the will of God. This is connected to PCG and Amrstrongism's teaching of British Israelism. And because they think the British Empire was the will of God they have a hard time understanding why it collapsed. Those who are conquered do not want to be ruled by conquerors.

WorldWatch discusses Bastille Day celebrations to scare monger about Europe's military power; complaining about the European Union seeking to persuade other nations to conform to EU rules regarding data protection on the Internet; a report indicating some German police officers have been aligning themselves with the Alternative for Germany party; fear mongering about the EU organizing their air defenses; four Russian warships taking a stop in Cuba; Russia placing fortifications in Crimea; fear mongering about President Putin meeting with Pope Francis; an attempt to integrate pro-government militias in Iraq into the Iraqi armed forces; and Iran choosing to retaliate against President Trump's breach of the nuclear agreement by making more enriched uranium than was agreed to under the agreement President Trump threw away.

SocietyWatch frets about homeless people and diseases in Portland (which seems quite low); condemning curricula in California that treats the LGBT community as normal people; and condemning advertising standards in the United Kingdom that seeks to discouraging limiting gender stereotypes which, with typical hyperbole, is condemned by the PCG leadership as "part of a larger attack on biblical sex roles." (p. 31.)

Alex Harrison has an article encouraging children to be close to their grandparents.

Joel Hilliker has an article discussing the horror of the illegal sex trafficking of underage persons in Portland. It is a rewrite of a December 2010 article.

Here is a passage from the September 2019 article.

The human mind can only take in so much. And in this information-saturated age, news of people mistreating their fellow human beings comes in such a torrent that we can easily grow numb to it. And—truth be told—we are helpless to do anything substantive to stop it. These blights are painfully endemic to the human condition, resilient against virtually all efforts to stop them. 

There is one, however, who has seen it all, who has never succumbed to apathy—and who absolutely will put a stop to it.

Here is the same passage from the December 2010 article. Only one word has been altered.

The human mind can only take in so much. And in this information-saturated age, news of people mistreating their fellow human beings comes in such a torrent that we can easily grow numbed to it. And—truth be told—we are helpless to do anything substantive to stop it. These blights are painfully endemic to the human condition, resilient against virtually all efforts to stop them. 

There is one, however, who has seen it all, who has never succumbed to apathy—and who absolutely will put a stop to it.

This points to a larger issue: Armstrongism keeps repeating itself over and over again. But it is still as false as it was in 1934.

PCG calls upon their followers to keep PCG's vision of the future in mind. But PCG has made many false prophecies since its establishment in 1989. There is no need to give heed to them. These false prophecies prove that they are but false prophets.

PCG Claims France is Descended from Reuben

Back on September 8 PCG's Christopher Eames hosted an episode of PCG's recruitment program, Watching Jerusalem, in which it is claimed that the French are descended from Jacob's eldest son, Reuben.

In his seminal work ... Herbert W. Armstrong established that the United States and British Commonwealth represent the tribes of Manasseh and Ephraim, respectively. While his book focused primarily on those two birthright tribes, Mr Armstrong did make passing references to the French as the modern descendants of the tribe of Reuben.

HWA was wrong about France being descended from Reuben. He was also wrong about the United States and Britain being descended from Joseph. British Israelism is wrong. Also any prophecy that assumes British Israelism to be true will also be wrong.

Fearing European Allies: Overview of April 2019 Issue of PCG's Philadelphia Trumpet

Let's take a look at the April 2019 issue of PCG's recruitment magazine, The Philadelphia Trumpet.

The editors of this issue are Gerald Flurry, Stephen Flurry, Joel Hilliker, Brad Macdonald, Richard Palmer, Jeremiah Jacques, Dennis Leap and Phillip Nice.

This issue had a circulation of 269,785 issues.

Gerald Flurry has a personal article hailing the "prayer rock" his organization acquired several years ago as a symbol of the throne of David.

Joel Hilliker has an article restating PCG's condemnation of abortion. Considering that many other churches hold a similar stance regarding abortion PCG's anti-abortion stance does not provide a reason for anyone to follow PCG instead of any other church that happens to promote that stance.

Jeremiah Jacques has an article scare mongering about the positive relations between Russia and China. He complains that Russia and China have military exercises together. The fact that the United States has the most powerful military force the world has ever seen is ignored. PCG dogma takes it for granted that the United States will somehow magically collapse any moment now.

Stephen Flurry has an article scare mongering that France and Germany are forging ties of cooperation closer than ever. Armstrongism has been shrilly insisting for eighty years now that some sinister, Catholic European military power will conquer the United States and yet this prediction has never been fulfilled.

Gerald Flurry also has an article insisting that Christ will soon return.

Brad MacDonald and José Michaels have an article scare mongering that the European Union is building up its military power.

The Infographic once again scare mongers about Europe's economic and military resources. The United States has military forces in Europe. How can war erupt between America and continental Europe while the US have military forces stationed in Europe? If Washington were to decide to go to war with Europe (which is very unlikely at present) the US have military forces to call upon against Europe.

Brian Davis has an article calling upon readers to repent and turn to God. But there is a catch. PCG insists that all other churches are false Christians and God will only favor you if you join their organization and no other.

Christopher Eames has an article insisting that the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha have been discovered. Sadly this topic is used to stir up hostility and anger towards the LGBT community as is so common among the COGs.

Today’s world is fast approaching—or has already surpassed, in many cases—the saturation point of sin prevalent in Sodom and Gomorrah, especially in sexual sin. ... Never in history has sodomy been so openly celebrated. 

Homosexuality does go beyond affecting those who directly engage in it. Your Bible says society’s sins are leading to another “fire and brimstone” event—this time worldwide. This coming calamity is going to be “greater than the punishment of the sin of Sodom” (Lamentations 4:6). 

Not only does the Bible present a witness of fiery judgment for sin, so too does archaeology. Perhaps these recent discoveries are actually an omen of what is soon to come upon us. (p. 27.)

WorldWatch discusses President Tump's discarding of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty; the expansion of Chinese naval forces; Iran's test launch of the Hoveizeh missile; scare mongering about the possibility of war over Taiwan; the ongoing crisis in Venezuela; scare mongering about EMPs; and peace negotiations with the Taliban.

SocietyWatch fear mongers about the Democratic Party shifting to the left; scare mongers about social media use among young people; and bewails women being appointed as CEOs of military-industrial corporations.

Women run the military-industrial complex 

Men no longer dominate the United States defense industry. As of January 1, women lead four of the nation’s five biggest defense contractors: Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics and Boeing’s defense division. The U.S. military’s top weapons buyer, the government’s top arms control negotiator, and the chief overseer of the nation’s nuclear stockpile are also women. ... 

Major news outlets are enthusing over the trend. In the past, some scholars, such as Francis Fukuyama and Steven Pinker, have argued that women filling such positions could make the world more peaceful. This hope will prove illusory. Bible prophecy reveals that female dominance in military industry will do nothing to prevent impending conflict. (p. 31.)

Stephen Flurry has a little article calling upon his readers to "serve God with passion." But PCG insists that that it is the only true church therefore they say one can only serve God with passion or otherwise within PCG. These pious seeming statements are attempts to gain tithe paying converts.

Stephen Flurry also has an article in which various unwelcome political developments are presented as "evidence" that Satan and his demons are influencing American politics. In other words Stephen Flurry favors the Republican Party and condemns the Democratic Party.

For all the words used to discuss politics and religious beliefs the main purpose of this magazine is to recruit more tithe paying converts for PCG. Also PCG have made many false prophecies since this organization was established in 1989. There is no need to fear the dire predictions of PCG or any other COG organizations.