PCG Still Watches Stoiber

Look at the latest September 20-26, 2009, Trumpet Weekly. On page 4-5 you will find an article about the German politician Edmund Stoiber. It is entitled, 'Stoiber's Work Making Waves in EU.' It is credited to The Trumpet.com, so this is something PCG itself wrote.

The article ends with these words: "The Trumpet is watching for a charismatic, organizational genius to emerge as a strongman to lead a united Europe."

Earlier back in 2002 Gerald Flurry & Co. hinted that Edmund Stoiber, then the right wing candidate for Chancellor of Germany, might become the Beast, the European dictator they expect to arise and bring the world to the verge of destruction.

As LCG apologist Bob Thiel observed: "in the May 2002 edition of the Philadelphia Trumpet, PCG's Gerald Flurry wrote that he felt that the then 60 year-old Edmund Stoiber who was then running to be Germany's chancellor was a likely candidate to be "the king of fierce countenance of Daniel 8" (vss.23-24). Although he presents some interesting reasons for his position, [Flurry tries to argue that Stoiber is Strauss' successor] I personally wrote years ago that I felt that Stoiber may be a little to old to fulfill that position."

HWA used to think this European dictator would be Mussolini, then Hitler. After World War II their suspicion focused on Franz Josef Strauss and Otto von Hapsburg. Stoiber is simply the latest figure highlighted in this so far hopelessly inaccurate prophecy game.

Personally I am amazed that PCG is still focusing on him and still hold lingering suspicions that he will still be the Beast.

Scattered Witnesses

We all know how hopelessly scattered the COGs are. Well Jehovah's Witnesses also have many splinter groups as well. Two links that may be useful to seeing what sort of Watchtower splinter groups are out and and about may be seen with these links.

• JW Schisms of the Watchtower Society from Christian Witnesses.com

• Splinter Groups, a relevant thread from Jehovah's Witnesses.net

Pack is the Angel to the Church of Laodicea?

In the last post we saw how Pack is now claiming to be Joshua the Priest. But there's more. LCG apologist Bob Theil's source now reveals the following:

He alluded to a connection between his “office” of High Priest and his last name meaning “Passover.” It seems that he believes he makes intersession for the Church in some way (I really wish I was joking or exaggerating, but he actually does make this insinuation).

He has also taught for some time that he is the “angel to the church of Laodicea” of Revelation 3 and that he is the last end time Apostle. With this latest discovery of himself in the pages of the Bible, he seems to be going more and more the way of Gerald Flurry.

So Pack now says he is the "angel to the church of Laodicea." What is he talking about? This makes reference to one doctrine HWA taught in Mystery of the Ages that is rarely brought up.
In that book he adds an unusual twist to the seven church era doctrine:

"Of the Philadelphia era of God's true Church we read: "To the angel of the church...." This word angel translated from the Greek aggelos means messenger or agent. This is not necessarily always referring to a spirit angel but can refer as well to a human agent....it may also apply to the human messenger or agent God has raised up to lead this era of his Church [HWA]." (Mystery of the Ages, Chapter 6, under the heading 'Restoration of God's Truth to Church.')

Clearly Pack has used this doctrine, assumed that HWA was right, assumed that HWA is the "angel (messenger) of the church (era) of Philadelphia," and then applied the label "angel to the church of Laodicea" to himself.

Where did HWA get this idea from?

The Watchtower.

I discussed this topic in a previous post. Here is some of what is written there.

On the grave of Charles Taze Russell, founder of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, the members of which would later be named Jehovah's Witnesses, it is declared that Russell was "The Laodicean Messenger."

While HWA was only willing to identify the Philadelphian messenger (himself), the Watchtower Society went even further than HWA and claimed to identify each of the seven messengers. They were Paul, John, Arius, Waldo, Wycliffe, Luther and Russell. Notice what is related here.

"While [Russell] implies that there were precursors to his work (who of course had a very different theology than Russell accepted [very similar to HWA's "church history" doctrine]), it was only in The Finished Mystery (Studies in the Scriptures, Vol. 7) published after his death that a direct line is sketched from Paul and John through Arius, Waldo, Wycliff, and Luther to Russell." (Gene Edson Ahlstrom, The Church in the Thought of Charles Taze Russell, under the heading 'Sectarianism and Church History.')

So we see that, just like HWA, Pack is imitating the Watchtower Society. Pack is unconsciously taking up the mantle of Charles Taze Russell.

Pack, not Tkach, is Joshua the Priest

You know how Gerald Flurry teaches that Joshua the priest, mentioned in Zechariah 3, is Joseph Tkach? First he said it was Sr, now he says it was Junior.

It is well known that Flurry's Malachi's Message plagiarized the ideas found in Jules Dervaes' Letter to Laodicea in 1987 before MM was first published. You can find Dervaes identifying Tkach as Joshua long before Flurry here.

Well apparently Flurry got it wrong. Dave Pack now tells us actually that prophecy is referring not to Tkach, but to himself.

LCG apologist Bob Thiel broke the news on September 15. He revealed the following from a source of his on his News of Those Once Associated with GCG page. This is what Bob Theil's source says.

This weekend he has posted a two part sermon (http://www.thercg.org/news.html) titled “Zechariah 3—Joshua Identified.” I listened to portions of the second message.

He is now teaching that he is the end time (or the third) Joshua. He reads Zechariah 3 and identifies himself as this Joshua and claims that he is the “High Priest” over this era of the Church. I didn’t listen to every word, but he seems to identify the “filthiness” of verse 3-4 as the sins of the Laodiceans that he had to bear by spending time in GCG (though he claims they are not his sins…but the sins of the era). He said he wears the spiritual miter of authority over the Church. He takes verse 7 and identifies himself having “charge of My courts,” meaning the end time Church....

And so Pack now says he is Joshua. Don't tell Flurry that.

This letter from ESN also shares this information.

And so now we see that Pack is going the way of Flurry. That's not all I am afraid. More on this later.

Zechariah 14, FOT and Second Tithe

(Update: ESN has published another email which states that Dave Pack will be on the History Channel, 14 or 15 October.)

Since it's that time of the year to bring paradise to God's people for eight days I think it would be good to highlight this previous post that was published last April. (And yes, I am imitating Ambassador Watch.)

By the way when it is called the Feast of Tabernacles and this is what one of those tabernacles look like. They are not some sort of big meeting place, which is the practice of the COGs. (Image courtesy of 'Sukkot,' Wikipedia.)

And now onto the post:

Awhile ago I ran into this Ambassador Watch post. There it was written that 'Yes it's Sukkoth (sue-coat), a.k.a. the Feast of Tabernacles or Booths. Not that anyone in the post-WCG tradition constructs booths from branches, or even sets up a bunk bed in the garden shed, but that's another issue.' These words got my mind on a track of thought which I will now detail.

Here is what I thought:

Zechariah 14: 16-19 is often used to say that the Feast of Tabernacles is to be observed by Christians today.

According to Armstrongite interpretation this shows that those living in the Millennial rule of Christ must observe the Feast of Tabernacles.

But there are actually severe problems with this interpretation for Armstrongites.

Let's be really generous and assume the Armstrongites have got most of it right in this matter of the interpretation of Zechariah 14: 16-19. Let us, for the sake of argument, assume that this scripture actually does refer to events after Christ's return and that those verses are an accurate depiction of what shall happen in the Millenium as it is interptreted by Armstrongism.

Even if we assume all those points to be true, Zechariah 14: 16-19 still cannot be legitimately used to prove that we should embrace Armstrongism or that Armstrongism is the one true religion.

Why?

Because the Armstrongite Feast of Tabernacles is all wrong.

Observe how it was observed in Nehemiah 8: 14-17:

14 And they found written in the law which the LORD had commanded by Moses, that the children of Israel should dwell in booths in the feast of the seventh month: 15 And that they should publish and proclaim in all their cities, and in Jerusalem, saying, Go forth unto the mount, and fetch olive branches, and pine branches, and myrtle branches, and palm branches, and branches of thick trees, to make booths, as it is written. 16 So the people went forth, and brought them, and made themselves booths, every one upon the roof of his house, and in their courts, and in the courts of the house of God, and in the street of the water gate, and in the street of the gate of Ephraim. 17 And all the congregation of them that were come again out of the captivity made booths, and sat under the booths: for since the days of Joshua the son of Nun unto that day had not the children of Israel done so. And there was very great gladness.

This scripture shows that the booths which the children of Israel were required to dwell in were tents which were small enough to be placed on a flat roof. These booths were placed on each individual person's roof.

When I read the recruitment writings LCG made and I learned about the Feast of Tabernacles I read about it in the Bible. I perceived then that it should be observed by being in a tent in the appointed time.

But the COGs do not observe it in that manner. Instead they observe by coming together into large gatherings all over the world. They do not set up tents on their property. (Of course because we do no use flat roofs we would have to place the booth in our property.) This is not what is described 'in your own Bible' in Nehemiah 8: 14-17.

Also note how the Jews celebrate Sukkoth. Look at the Wikipedia articles on Sukkot and Sukkah. Look at the pictures. The Jews certainly do not observe this festival by gathering themselves together in some massive gathering far away to meet with like-minded people but, rather, observe it in their own homes.

Since Armstrongism observes this feast in an inaccurate manner therefore they cannot legitimately claim this as a proof that they are right. Therefore their Feasts of Tabernacles are inaccurate.

Since the Armstrongite FOT is illegitimate than Second Tithe, which is mainly used (if I understand it correctly) to allow the believer to observe this incorrectly observed festival, is thus being used for improper purposes.

As far as I understand it HWA first ordered his followers to pay Second Tithe in a October 3, 1945 co-worker letter, specifically to pay for the members' participation in the FOT.

Since Second Tithe is being used to celebrate the FOT in an inaccurate manner therefore the COGs have no right to use Second Tithe to pay for the incorrect observance of FOT. The Armstrongite practice contradict the Biblical practice as recorded in Nehemiah 8: 14-17.

So if the Armstrongite FOT is inaccurately observed then there is no legitimate reason to use Zechariah 14: 16-19 as a proof text for their observance of FOT because their practice of it is inaccurate.

However if the 'Apostle' HWA chose to observe the FOT in a more scripturally based manner, with his followers building a sukkah at home, he would have found it impossible to solidify his followers and bind them even more under his control. How do you build up an identity, a shared consciousness among fellow believers, by having everyone celebrating in tents in their own homes for eight days?

So he chose an observance style more effective for his purposes of further solidifying his control over his followers. He did this by commanding them to come together, meet many other fellow believers, make them feel part of something greater than themselves. Also HWA and his minions could make the members to listen only to what HWA and the leadership desired. Create milieu control,which is one of Lifton's Eight Criteria of Thought Reform.

And so the inaccurately observed FOT is used as convenient mind control method and used to justify the acquisition of Second Tithe.

And so one can see that there are many problems with using Zechariah 14: 16-19 as a proof that Armstrongism is the true religion because the Bible shows that they do not observe it properly. And furthermore once the Armstrongite understanding of the observance of the FOT is rejected this also removes the purpose for Second Tithe. So it is seen that error builds upon error.

Also relevant to this discussion is this testimony that argues that the FOT is a mind control trick and this article under the heading 'All Will Keep the Feast (Zechariah 14)' which argues that during the future Millenium it will be required to observe the FOT but that under the New Covenant observance of the FOT is not required.

And so that was the train of thought my Biblically-derived, non-Armstronite expectations of the FOT and that comment on Ambassador Watch led me to think concerning Zechariah 14 and the Feast of Tabernacles.

Meredith's Selective Memory of HWA

Here is how Meredith presents HWA to his followers in his September 9, 2009 Co-Worker Letter.

This is a special week to me, personally. For exactly 60 years ago this week, the Eternal God led me to Ambassador College in Pasadena, CA. There, as a “pioneer” student, I was personally instructed in the Bible and the whole purpose of life by Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong—a man many of you have heard about. This man was used by God to “restore” more biblical Truth to the Church of God than any other human being for hundreds of years! He was used by Almighty God to reach tens of millions of people all around the world with the knowledge that the very real kingdom—or government—of Almighty God would soon be set up on this earth based on the laws of God.

Decades before the events happened, Herbert W. Armstrong predicted that the nations of eastern Europe would break free from the Soviet Union and that the Berlin Wall would come down!

HWA did believe that some eastern European nations would break away from the USSR's dominance and enter a united Europe, however he also believed that the USSR would survive this and would continue to exist till several years after Christ's return in 1975 to have its military destroyed in the destruction of Gog and Magog. This is not an honest portrayal of what HWA actually believed. It carefully hides the countless false prophecies HWA produced.

Furthermore it is not true that HWA was a man "used by God." He was a false prophet and a plagiarizer from the very beginning.

He said Christ would return in 1936.

He hid the influence of other religious movements upon him, pretending God revealed these truths to him when practically every idea he taught can be traced to other sources (Seventh Day Adventists, Jehovah's Witnesses, British-Israelism, Mormonism).

HWA was guilty of committing gross sexual immorality in the very time in which he (supposedly) began the Philadelphia era of the church.

God could never work with a man like that.

Meredith is wrong to idealistically portray HWA in the manner that he does. This is done in order to hide the truth about HWA, that he was never used by God.

Meredith Speaks (And Wants More Money)

Before we start the main topic I wish to say here that my thoughts are with the people of Samoa during the dark time they are suffering. I also wish to highlight the suffering of the people of Guinea in which a protest has been violently suppressed with much lost of life. My thoughts are with you.

And now onto the main topic:

Meredith is at it again calling upon his followers for more money.

In the September 17, 2009 Weekly Update LCG's Roderick C. Meredith wrote some words within this Weekly Update.

Unusual prophetic fulfillments are certainly taking place on almost a daily basis as the “pieces of the puzzle” begin to come together before Christ’s return to this earth. It is certainly exciting and motivating to see this.

He has been saying these alarmist statements for fifty years. In all that time Jesus was said to return within 20-25 years, first 1975, then 2005, it just never ends.

As I said in the co-worker letter, I came to Ambassador College sixty years ago this month. So I have been in God’s Work now—counting my student days and student employment at the college—for just over sixty years.

There's some more of the inane COG numerology that is so prevalent in this movement.

God has continued to bless this Work in spite of the terrible recession our nations have undergone. We have had more calls from prospective members, more TV responses, a higher growth rate for Church membership than in many years, and many other blessings. We thank God for this!

Alas, that is perfectly predictable. In times of crisis, in which we are in, people naturally try to find answers because of the trials they are undergoing. I remember reading somewhere of how membership growth rates for the Jehovah's Witnesses' mind control cult have declined since around 1998, with the exception of a brief growth spurt in 2001-2, most likely caused by the 9/11 terrorist attacks. This page is relevant to that topic. It is no surprise to me that the financial crisis should have such an effect upon those who have taken an interest in LCG's teachings.

After that comes the begging for money. (Green emphasis is mine.)

Yet, mainly because of the recession—which is now ending—the Work of Christ is experiencing a very “tight” financial condition. Though we have budgeted 5.3 percent increase in income for this year—and deeply need this in order to sustain our current programs—our current income is only running about two percent increase year-to-date. So unless we receive truly generous Feast offerings this year we will have to make more cuts in our television stations and other parts of the Work. But, in all honesty, we have tried to run a “lean” operation and do not have any extravagance that I am aware of. So we do deeply need the prayers of all of God’s people and their sacrificial offerings in the weeks to come!

Therefore, please announce this to the brethren and tell them of the unusual need at this time. Let them know that as they come to worship God and picture Tomorrow’s World at the Feast of Tabernacles, they should think of these coming Feast offerings at Trumpets, Atonement and the Feast of Tabernacles in that context. This is worshiping our Creator and being truly thankful that most of us in the western world still have far more material wealth and “things” than the vast majority of mankind. Even though some of us, at times, think that we are “giving until it hurts” we do not even begin to commence to have the “hurt” others have in less fortunate circumstances. So encourage everyone to be generous—though we do not want any of our widows or less fortunate people to put themselves into financial hardship because of this.

Also, brethren, as Mr. Armstrong stated a number of times, we do want the brethren to know that it is all right to give any of their “excess” second tithe as Feast offerings—especially as part of the final Feast offering on the Last Great Day. A number of people have actually “enjoyed” this opportunity to give of their substance to the Work—knowing that they did not need to use it all up during the Feast of Tabernacles.

"Unusual need"? What about December last year when Meredith also made a similar appeal for money during the Christmas season in the December 18, 2008 Weekly Update. And who could forget all the times Elijah begged for money in countless 'financial crises' over fifty years. There is nothing unusual about this begging.

He tells them that this is "worshiping our Creator". His followers are told to "be generous" even though they already pay three tithes.

Furthermore he tries to make his followers feel as though they should be happy giving away money. That is simply a mind control method done to make people feel happy when they give money to LCG, who don't realize they are simply following Meredith's orders. The happiness they feel at giving away money is an implanted perception.

He calls upon members to send the excess Second Tithe to "the Work." I recall at least one blogger relating how WCG also called upon him to send the excess Second Tithe to "the Work" and he would, not but instead spent it on his family.

He makes the obligatory calls for those struggling not having to pay, as HWA did. This is done to hide the exploitative nature of this call for more money and sweeten this crass call for money.

So we see that Meredith and Co. continue to follow HWA's exploitation of their devotees. They have not changed or repented of this exploitative behaviour.

Last Year's Day of Atonement

As it is that time of the year again I wish to share with you all my last Day of Atonement as a COG believer.

It was habit during holy time to read spiritually uplifting material. Therefore on the Day of Atonement 2008 I went to the library and read a book there that had caught my attention. The Bamboo Cross by Homer E. Dowdy (1968).

It is an account of Evangelical Degar (Montagnard) missionaries among their people in Vietnam back in the 1950s and 1960s. It is a fascinating account of life among these peoples.

I was not evangelical at all but I was already familiar with most of COG doctrine and their stories so I read other religious works.

In this book a shaman incites a drunken horde to destroy anything white, including white people. The harassment from Communist Viet Cong guerrillas who tried to lure them to join them in their war.

It also relates how among one tribe it was the custom to demolish a house once a person died in that house.

Also it related how there was this tribe that lived in an inaccessible place that could only be accessed by climbing a treacherous stone.

Since this book was written before the Communist North Vietnam conquered South Vietnam I wonder what happened to them. This book is definitely worth a read if you can get your hands on it.

Dave Pack on TV: September 30 and Other Links

According to a September 24 letter to ESN Dave Pack will appear on the Nostradamus Effect on September 30.

Also ESN has released another testimony of life under WCG. I wish her and her family all the best.

Also J has just published a post, 'Think,' that I feel perfectly encapsulates the situation of many COGers and how HWA took them into that situation.

The COGs' Selective Amnesia -- Part 2: GTA, LCG and PCG

In the last post we saw how HWA carefully hid the facts about his false prophecies from potential recruits. He started the COGs' selective amnesia concerning the false prophecies.

This habit has been well learned throughout the COG movement. We now turn our attention to COG offshoots that continue this habit.

In 50 Years of Warning from the Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Organization we are treated to quotes dating as far back as 1952 from GTA about how he has been warning the world about the coming of a European superpower. Yet it never mentions that this was supposed to happen by 1975. That from 1953 onwards GTA expected this to occur by 1975.

LCG's "church history" booklet contains a positive portrait of HWA's work and again makes absolutely no mention about 1936, that HWA taught that Mussolini (then Hitler) was the Beast, or 1975. These hard facts are simply erased from their history and hidden from potential recruits.

PCG produced a "special report" of their Philadelphia Trumpet magazine in which we are assured that they have scoured the writings of HWA to show us his "Decades of accurate forecasting" in predicting events years before they happened.

"To begin this project, a team of Trumpet staffers divided up all the Plain Truths on hand and began scouring every article, looking for bold predictions....Our News Bureau then helped us match the prophetic statements we found in the Plain Truth with what actually happened, or is now happening." (Remember)

They probably have Don Tiger to thank for that. A man who sought to preserve HWA's writings with PCG, only to be sued by Flurry and kicked out of PCG.

Clearly they have been reading old Plain Truth issues. One of the articles in this publication is entitled 'Is a World Dictator about to Appear?' which plays on the fact that the first article in the first Plain Truth (February, 1934) has the very same title, 'Is a World Dictator about to Appear?'

Observe this extract from the article cited above:

But the forecast in Revelation 17:10 referred to one revival of the Roman Empire being extant at the very time that the mysterious vision of the book of Revelation would first come to be understood: “and one is ….” Thus it was that Herbert Armstrong came to see that the dictator Benito Mussolini was that one that is, at that time, in the 1930s, prior to and during the onset of World War II.

Notice how the article carefully skirts around the fact that Mussolini was taught by HWA to be the beast who would fight Christ at His return. So while PCG took note of what the title of the first article was they do not tell us there about what HWA actually preached at that time, that Christ would return in 1936, that Mussolini is the beast who will fight Christ at His return, etc.

One will look in vain for any acknowledgment that 1975 happened. That the various 'prescient' quotes cited from the 1950s and 1960s were actually in expectation that these events would be fulfilled by 1975, that the Soviet Union would actually outlast the USA is never discussed here.

This behavior has also been internalized within many COG members as this Weinland Watch post, The 1975 That Never Was, show. Many who entered WCG after the 1975 disappointment had no idea that these things occurred at all.

So we see that the systematic forgetting of the false prophecies and the suppression of these facts are endemic behaviors within the COGs.