¹³ (For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.

~ Ro 2:13

There are days in which I long for normal.  It doesn’t usually last very long, though.  It leads to the question, “What is normal?”

It strikes me that every definition of normal has inherent within it that it is what everybody else is doing.  If you excel in what everyone does (or wishes they could do), then you’re a superstar.  If you perform less than normal, then you’re a loser.  If it cannot be quantified, you are just odd, eccentric, strange, different or weird.

However, even that can be relative to other things.  You’re neighbor is weird.  Lady Gaga is artistic.  Your brother is odd.  The rich widow is eccentric.  The guy across the street is a pervert.  Michael Jackson was troubled.

Yet again, society changes over time, and culture shifts as morals change.  What was considered normal today would have been shocking years ago, and what was normal then would seem quaint or odd today.

The idea of basing our notions of right and wrong upon the shifting sands of human opinion means that there is no real basis of right and wrong, but isn’t that what our western culture, molded and shaped by unreligious psychologists and pseudo-philosophers promulgate?

²⁴ Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:

²⁵ And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.

²⁶ And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:

²⁷ And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

~ Mt 7:24-27

Likewise, Paul warned us of comparing ourselves to others.

¹² For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.

~ 2Co 10:12

We are called “peculiar” in a couple of passages in Ye Olde English, but that really is like being called “precious” today.   In either case, it requires us to be different.  We are told to come out of Babylon.  We are told to not be part of this world.  Even the word “ekklesia”, from which we derive the word “church”, means, in part, to be called out.  We are to be different!

How does the world know we are different?  By what we do!  They cannot read our minds.  It is our actions that set us apart!

It’s not easy being different, right?  Perhaps it is time to rethink that a bit.  Everyone to one degree or another is different.  The deal is not whether or not people are different, but how and why we are different.  People of the world try hard to fit in to the culture around them.  We try to fit into God’s culture.

We also tend to complain about how hard life is.  People of the world have it hard too!  I have come to the conclusion that life is meant to be hard, but God in His grace sprinkles our lives with times of enjoyment so that we do not completely crack.  To whom much is given, much is required, and sometimes that means, like Job, we are given great trials.  However, the world suffers without understanding and often without hope!  In this, we should be different, too!

Yet, we keep on moving on, doing His will.  Will we, as Satan claimed about Job, falter when we see no reward for doing God’s will?  Will we do the work of God even in pain and illness?  The world, like Job’s wife, will tell us there is no reward in keeping our integrity.  Will we heed and fold, or will we realize the foolishness in abandoning God?

The scary part is that others have done so seemingly with less incentive.  Are we going to believe we are “Super Christian” wearing a capital ‘S’ on our chest and immune?  Or, will we wake up and realize that only the vigilant, the ones who watch their own attitudes, survive?  Will we maintain our close relationship with God, from Whom comes the antibodies that fights the disease of carnality?

You cannot think your way out if drowning.  You cannot wish yourself out of a fire.  You must do something.  Life requires action.  If it isn’t action based on faith, then the goal will not be met.  Both are required.

Why?  Because in the Kingdom, you will be required to do something!  However, those will be huge tasks built upon a faith that has been stretched and exercised over a lifetime.

Right actions when given the power and easier circumstances will be carried out because right actions were carried out in this life with little power and under extremely difficult circumstances.  Using God’s power now to do the right thing teaches us to do the same under much more favorable conditions.

But, just reading, studying and talking about it won’t get you much.  You must live it!

[Note: There is a delay in getting the Internet set up here, so I'm routing this through a 3G network.]

²²  The Lord said, I will bring again from Bashan, I will bring my people again from the depths of the sea:
²³  That thy foot may be dipped in the blood of thine enemies, and the tongue of thy dogs in the same.
…

²⁹  Because of thy temple at Jerusalem shall kings bring presents unto thee.
³⁰  Rebuke the company of spearmen, the multitude of the bulls, with the calves of the people, till every one submit himself with pieces of silver: scatter thou the people that delight in war.
³¹  Princes shall come out of Egypt; Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God.
³²  Sing unto God, ye kingdoms of the earth; O sing praises unto the Lord; Selah:

~ Ps 68:22-23, 29-32

Q: Is God the God of the entire earth or of one nation only?

¹⁰  The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents: the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts.
¹¹  Yea, all kings shall fall down before him: all nations shall serve him.

~ Ps 72:10-11

Q: What is Christ’s title when He returns?

¹³  And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.
¹⁴  And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.
¹⁵  And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
¹⁶  And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.

~ Rev 19:13-16

Have you ever considered the fallacy of God working only through one man in relationship to Christ’s title of “King of Kings and Lord of Lords”?  He is “King”, singular, ruling over “kings” plural.

If God only works through one man, then why all these rulers after Christ returns?

Even in ancient Israel, there was a split after King Solomon’s death into two kingdoms: The House (or Kingdom) of Judah to the south and The House (or Kingdom) of Israel to the north.  Two kings, two men, ruling over different groups considered God’s people.

Hardly the “one man in charge” of a single organization that too many claim.  For some of you, it is time to break free from tyrannical leaders and find an organization that isn’t out to abuse you.  If your organizational is putting too much emphasis upon “government”, then you best keep your eyes open.  As we have already seen, even a more democratic style can twist laws and bylaws to excuse abuse in the name of “governance”.

I messed up by not ordering Internet before moving. It’s sort of like air — it’s easy to take for granted until you need it. I should have service tomorrow, and I hope to be able to post on Thursday.

It is becoming more and more obvious that James Malm’s delusions of grandeur know no end.  He thinks a “certain blogger” is “dedicated” to attacking his site, when in reality, Church of God Perspective is dedicated to the truth, which is something that he cannot fathom because he is a liar and the truth is not in him.  He is not the only liar I have exposed on this site, although I try to concentrate on promoting the truth rather than correct the hundreds of errors that false teachers promulgate.  If it seems that he gets more mention on here than others when it comes to exposing deceit, then the reason is obviously because his teachings are more error-ridden than most others.

Besides misquoting me, Dr Robert Thiel, Herbert W Armstrong and numerous others, he now is making up “facts” wanting you to believe, in article “Prophecy marches on: Early elections for Israel”, that his news site is the “Number One COG site for the news that counts and its prophetic implications.”

Really?  Where does he get his “facts”?  As of today, what do the real ranking sites show?

Quantcast has this for his Tomorrow’s News: Today! site:

And The ShiningLight Blog!?

This site, in comparison, needs to be quantified as well.  OK, I’m a slacker, but I’m now rectifying that situation, although it isn’t a news site and wouldn’t be a comparison to begin with.  How about a real COG news site?

Dr Bob hasn’t done too bad for himself!  True, you can argue that he started by riding on the coattails of In Transition, but that argument would ignore that he continues to draw in readers years after it folded.

There are pluses and minuses of using Quantcast, so what about Complete?  Arguably, it is more accurate than either Quantcast or Alexa.

Really?  No data for a “number one site”?  Even this humble little site ranks 3,756,784!  The ShiningLight Blog! by contrast is 473,283.  However, COG Writer is:

Not looking like the Tomorrow’s News: Today! site is faring so well for a “number one COG site for the news”!

Well, OK, what about Alexa?  Personally, I think their ratings are skewed, but some people put stock into what they publish.

Tomorrow’s News:

Ouch!  At least The ShiningLight ranks 789,041.  And, COGWriter?

Not only is Malm playing a silly game, but he is arrogant enough to lie about it.

In contrast, I could care less about anything but the truth.  That’s one reason this blog ranks so low, to be honest about it.  Between that and the hackers, it has been a rocky road.  It ranked a lot higher during the UCG-COGWA split.  Why?  There may be lots of reasons, but a sizable minority loved to read about the in-fighting, the gossip and the slander.

I guess that is why Malm’s site does so well.  He specializes in that sort of thing.

I’ll take quality over quantity, thank you very much.

There seems to be a great divide within mainstream Christian thinking upon what the Bible says about finances and economics.  On the one hand, you have those that point to Scriptures such as the early chapters of the Book of Acts where the disciples sold everything and held everything in common and declare that God desires communism, or at least some form of socialism.  However, as the late Chuck Colson pointed out during his life, the possessions would have had to have been sold by those living there in Jerusalem, and since some had traveled far to get there for Pentecost, those who lived in Jerusalem would have felt obliged to provide for those who were staying there waiting to see what God would do next.  His argument was that it was driven by hospitality rather than any sort of economic model.

However, Colson also argued that the Bible favored capitalism.  Certainly, if you are looking for verses to support that (or any other notion), you are bound to find it.  Likewise, if you are looking for verses to support a more socialistic view, you are bound to find it as well.  It is similar to the so-called government doctrine.  If you are looking for support for a one-man rule, you are certain to find verses that support it.  If you are looking for support of a rule by committee, you are bound to find those verses as well.

However, the plain truth about these and some other concepts is that the Bible doesn’t advocate any of these manmade notions.  The Bible, rather, addresses even more basic principles that are required for any system to work.

The Syndney Morning Herald, in its BusinessDay section, ran an article by Ross Gittins titled, “What Jesus said about capitalism”.  He talks about a book by Ched Myers, The Biblical Vision of Sabbath Economics.  He does not claim to be an advocate of Myers’ position by any means, but he objectively looks at the idea of the Jubilee Year and some related passages.  The Jubilee Year was the fiftieth year, and it was one in which slaves were freed, debts were cancelled and land returned to the families who had to give them up due to economic hardship.  Certainly, the entire notion of Jubilee Year is rather counter-capitalistic.

Instead of spiritualizing it all away, Myers’ argues that Jesus also upheld a rather anti-capitalistic stance, and Gittens reminds us that Jesus “was always blessing the poor, challenging the rich … and speaking of a time when the social order is overturned”.

Land, of course, was the symbol of wealth in the ancient world.  Today’s preoccupation with stuff is somewhat of a new phenomenon, as there were very few articles in the ancient world that really lasted or could easily be manufactured.  That which could was usually based upon agriculture (not that farming is necessarily “easy” but only relatively so).

Therefore, the Jubilee Year was, in effect, a redistribution of wealth.  However, most cultures did not practice anything like this, and the Jews themselves weren’t faithful in keeping either.  Therefore, wealth was often disproportionate.  Families would fall on hard times, and wealthy landowners would scoop up more land.  Eventually, taxes, tithes, debts and other expenditures weighed down the poor, sometimes permanently unless a Jubilee Year was being observed.

So, goes the argument, by the time Jesus came on the scene, anyone who was rich was most likely such a landowner who had inherited land from his predecessors.  Therefore, when Jesus told the rich young man to sell everything he owned and give it to the poor, Jesus was talking to just such a person.  Jesus was pointing to the principle of the Jubilee Year, which would have corrected an economic injustice.  Supposedly, then, Jesus was affirming “economic justice”.

The argument falls flat to me.  Yes, the Jubilee Year could be viewed as a correction for economic malignancies.  However, the real question should be: What is economic justice?  If we could answer that, then a lot of philosophers would have little to do!

However, what does Jesus point to?  Does He rail against “the system”?  Does He tell His disciples that they must all become socialists to enter the Kingdom?  No, Jesus focuses down upon the very building block of the problem with many of the rich.  We must remember that Job, Abraham and David weren’t poor.  Jesus doesn’t say it is impossible for the rich to enter the Kingdom, but He does say it is very difficult.

How does the conversation start?  What is the context?

¹⁶And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?

¹⁷And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.

¹⁸He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness,

¹⁹Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

~ Mt 19:16-19

We should stop here and reflect.  Jesus tells the rich young man to keep the commandments, then Jesus gives him a list of a few of them.  There is no argument which list this is.  Notice how the first four are assumed.  Notice, though, that the first four are not the only ones not listed!

²⁰The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?

Remember, Jesus listed the fifth, the sixth, the seventh, the eighth and the ninth commandments.  Now, the rich young man asks what is lacking.  The answer is in the commandment Jesus did not list!

²¹Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.

²²But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.

The young man loved his stuff!  He loved his riches!  Jesus was pointing out that covetousness was what the young man lacked!

However, many discard that and only focus upon the following verses.

²³Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.

²⁴And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

²⁵When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved?

²⁶But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.

Let’s start with the last and work our way back.  It is possible for a rich man to be saved!  If Myers is correct about the rich young man owing his lifestyle to owning land gained by loan defaults, then it requires a turn around of a covetous nature.  It requires keeping the commandments.  However, it takes God to call and change us (cf Jn 6:44).

And, who of us can save ourselves?  The point is that salvation can only come through God.

Why did the disciples marvel so?  In the ancient world, a rich person was seen as one whom God favored.  Job was vexed by his three friends because, according to their theology, God was required to reward the righteous and punish the wicked.  Therefore, Job’s problems had to be some sin he was hiding from them, and they viewed it as their job to make that secret sin surface.  This whole notion hadn’t changed much by Jesus’ day.  The disciples assumed that the rich were somehow closer to God than they were.  However, Jesus was telling them that they had it backwards.  The rich often were rich because they were more materialistic.

I once listened to a Baptist minister who went through great pains to explain that the “eye of a needle” was a gateway through the wall of the city so small that camels had to get on their knees to get through.  However, in recent years I have had difficulty locating this story.  Wikipedia says of “Eye of a needle”:

The “eye of a needle” has been interpreted as a gate in Jerusalem, which opened after the main gate was closed at night. A camel could only pass through this smaller gate if it was stooped and had its baggage removed. This story has been put forth since at least the 15th century, and possibly as far back as the 9th century. However, there is no evidence for the existence of such a gate.

…

Cyril of Alexandria claimed that “camel” is a Greek misprint; that kamêlos (camel) was a misprint of kamilos, meaning “rope” or “cable”. However evidence for such a Greek term is weak, there is little or no Greek manuscript support, and it goes against the standard principle of textual criticism that errors tend to happen towards the easier reading, not against it.

Earlier in the article, we see the view of Judaism:

The Babylonian Talmud applies the aphorism to unthinkable thoughts. To explain that dreams reveal the thoughts of a man’s heart, the product of reason rather than the absence of it, the rabbis say:

They do not show a man a palm tree of gold, nor an elephant going through the eye of a needle.

A Midrash on the Song of Songs uses the phrase to speak of God’s willingness and ability beyond comparison, to accomplish the salvation of a sinner:

The Holy One said, open for me a door as big as a needle’s eye and I will open for you a door through which may enter tents and [camels?].

We can see there is a cultural precedent for Jesus’ saying.  The idea of a rich man entering the Kingdom of God was an “unthinkable thought”.

Why?  Because of covetousness!  Trying to cram this whole episode into whatever preconceptions we have about economics does the passage a great disfavor.  Sinners will not stand before God!  Covetousness is sin!  Those who do not first put the Kingdom of God and His righteousness first will not make it!

When it comes right down to it, why doesn’t communism work?  Why doesn’t socialism work?  Why doesn’t capitalism work?  Isn’t it greed that corrupts the system and makes it fall apart?

²⁰ Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. ²¹ And he said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”

22  In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong.

~ Job 1:20-22 (ESV)

Births are new beginnings.  Yet, we all start out with nothing in the least to adorn us.  Job’s point is that we begin with nothing, and we end with nothing.  If this physical life were all that was, then we might as well eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we die.

¹⁹If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.

~ 1Co 15:19

As I have written before about the story of Job, some people just plain get their theology all messed up.  For one thing, Job started out being viewed as faultless before God.  God Himself states that what He allows Satan to do is not an act of punishment!

Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them to present himself before the Lord. 2 And the Lord said to Satan, “From where have you come?” Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.” 3 And the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil? He still holds fast his integrity, although you incited me against him to destroy him without reason.”

~ Job 2:1-3 (ESV)

A gardener works hard in the springtime to plant his crops.  The ground thaws, and the farmer must till it to break it up so it isn’t hard.  Hopefully, enough rain provides moisture so the seeds can sprout, but hopefully it is dry enough to plow, disc and plant.  Spring moves along, and weeds begin to sprout here and there.  They must be rooted out, else the root will take hold and the weed will return.  Spring becomes summer, and early crops like lettuce must be harvested to make room to make room for subsequent waves of crops.  Weeds continue to grow.  Insects begin attacking green leaves.  The farmer works in the hot sun to do his work because he cannot work the garden when it rains.  Hopefully, enough but not too much rain does fall from time to time to keep the garden watered.  Late summer and fall keeps the farmer busy with harvesting the later crops.  Hopefully, the rabbits, birds and insects have left enough to feed the family and make that year a success.

All summers end.  They give way to fall, and fall gives way to winter.

Not just one year, but every year.  It produces a cycle that repeats over and over again.

Every spring, the farmer starts over again.  The farmer once again re-establishes the soil, prepares the foundation for his work (hard work) of art, and he does so year after year.

And, each year, winter comes again.

6  Go to the ant, O sluggard;
    consider her ways, and be wise.
7  Without having any chief,
     officer, or ruler,
8 she prepares her bread in summer
    and gathers her food in harvest.

~ Pr 6:6-8

Lack of preparing when there is abundance leads to poverty in times when there is little.  Joseph stored up grain for seven years in Egypt in order to prepare for the seven years of famine.

BTW, Joseph could have easily viewed his being sold into slavery and later again into prison as punishment for some unknown sin.  It should be noted that if he were sold into slavery at 17 and became Prime Minister of Egypt at 30, then God was preparing him for at least thirteen years for a job that would last fourteen.

Joseph saw his bountiful summer come, but it was only after a harsh winter.  Physically, he was not prepared for what would confront him, but spiritually he was strong enough even as a young, healthy and strong youth to resist the advances of his master’s wife.

It is often said that the time to prepare for disaster is before it happens, that the way to prepare for times of want is to prepare in times of bounty, and the way to strengthen yourself for the tribulation is now when you have ample opportunity.

Outside it may be spring, but are you prepared for winter?

Jesus told us not only to be prepared but how to prepare.

³⁶ But be alert at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place and to stand before the Son of Man.”

~ Lk 21:36 (HCSB)

He also stressed that we do not know ahead of time when we will need this strength.  Sure, everyone will need it just before His return, but on a more personal level, none of us know when calamity will strike.

³³ Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is.

~ Mk 13:33 (NKJV)

And, really, what is “tribulation”, anyways?  Is it not just suffering on a larger scale?  Therefore, it is logical to prepare for both the tribulation and personal times of suffering the same way.

While I’d love to leave it at this point, I want to point out that this is not just literary license I am engaging in.  Rather, I point to the Bible itself to support the idea of seasons of life:

There is a time for everything,
    and a season for every activity under the heavens:

~ Ecc 3:1 (NIV)

How about a fresh look at Hosea?  One without words?  Well, I found the video series “The Hosea Love Story” to be interesting.  It is a twenty minute artistic video series set in modern times.  Obviously, some license was used in the story, so don’t bother if you are looking for a doctrinally correct thesis instead of a movie.  I think perhaps it brings home the main point, though.

What do you think?

⁴Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.

⁵Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.

⁶But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitanes, which I also hate.

~ Rev 2:4-6

Our “first love” is not the Church!  It is not a minister!  Our first love should be Jesus Christ!  In the above passage, we see that the truth, and the love of Our Savior, has been replaced by a warped doctrine of the Nicolaitans.  That gives a hint as to what this false doctrine is.  Jesus Christ has been replaced with something else!

I used to view with skepticism some of the explanations of who or what the Nicolaitans are, but Jesus does not give us this warning without cause.  When I view where most of the idolatry is in the Churches of God, however, it almost always ties back to the same explanation.

JH Allen wrote an excellent article, “The Nicolaitans”, on the subject of hierarchical government, which I will excerpt:

When our Lord Jesus Christ walked among men, He taught His disciples to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, whom He denounced as hypocrites. With them He classed the chief priests and officials of the temple, together with the recognized teachers, (scribes, or “professors” Ferrar Fenton Translation) in the Synagogues. He declared they had so corrupted the truth of God, which they were supposed to preach, with the doctrines and ordinances of men, that the truth, as originally given, was no longer with them. That which these blind leaders of the blind were given forth as truth of God was making their converts twofold more the children of hell than they were before accepting the [schi]ism by these corrupt teachers.

Therefore, as a warning to those who were joining themselves to Him, the Lord said that these non-spiritual men made long prayers for a “pretense,” a public “show” which, while having a form of humility, was for the purpose only of being seen of men. What these men really loved were the highest seats in the Synagogues; the uppermost rooms at the public feasts; the greetings they received in the market places from truly humble and sincere men, whom they hoped would esteem them as superiors, and who addressed them as Rabbi, Rabbi, my master, my master.…

Also, added to the carnal desire to be “uppermost” in the eyes of the Lord’s people, these leaders were charged with extortion and accused of devouring the homes of widows, and of excess. Jesus accused them of being hypocrites who aspired to be regarded as dignitaries of the congregations of the Most High God. Such conditions as described exist only in the assemblies across whose ethical portals, before the God of Holiness, has been written the name, “Ichabod” — the glory of the Lord has departed.

The word “excess,” as used above, means the carnal abuse of lawful things; things lawful and right carried to extremes. For it is true that there is a legal and God approved honor given to certain selected ones:

“We beseech you, brethren, to know them that labour among you; and to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. And be at peace among yourselves,” (I Timothy 5:17).

…

Proof:

1) In the book of the revelation of Jesus Christ, it is both “the deeds” and “the doctrine” of those in the two “churches” specified (Revelation 2:6, 15). The Lord demands repentance on the part of those who hold and practice these things and He threatens drastic punishment if they do not obey Him:

The evidence of this is found in all our common school dictionaries, among which we find the following definition of the term “hierarchy: the power of dominion, government by ecclesiastical rulers,” to which the following is introduced in evidence:

“If anyone shall say that there is not in the Catholic Church a hierarchy established by the divine ordination, consisting of bishops, prebyters and ministers, let him be anathema, Council of Trent (trans) XXIII 6.” (Century Dictionary.)

In other words, let anyone who will have the temerity to say there is not a hierarchy, not a collection of human beings, who have been given the power, by other men of dominion, as ecclesiastical rulers over churchmen, who are declaredly God’s heritage, let that man be accursed; i.e., let death and hell and the devil get him. Surely, the thing in which that ecclesiastical company is glorying is their shame!

…

And yet, one of the most unfortunate features of all this is that there are those in the Christian Church who do not hold to the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes, but who practice “their deeds” of dominating the laity by lording it over the Church of Jesus Christ, which should be subject only to one Divine Master. It is often true that these have assumed this lordship because they are esteemed very highly in love for their work’s sake, but have become vainly puffed up in their fleshly mind. Beloved, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees.”

Christ’s attitude toward service is to be our attitude — everyone in his fellowship: Mat 20:25-28 But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. 20:26 But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: 20:28  Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his live a ransom for many.

…

By contrast, who was the first despot? Satan the Devil. He was created to serve as the prodigy of Jehovah 2 — to serve like the pre-incarnate Christ will, see Isa 11:1+, etc. Isa 14:12-19  How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! 14:13  For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascent into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: 14:14 I will ascent above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most high….

Yet, what do we commonly see in the COGs?  We see the lording over of the flock, the beating of fellowservants (abuse, esp. mental and spiritual), the elevating of men with many titles and the worship of a dead man.

“Government” as a doctrine is flawed and demonic.  Those who adhere to the idea that there can only be one man in charge of one organization are liars because there is no Scriptural foundation for it and plenty of Scriptures refuting it (by why let facts get in the way of deceptive doctrines?).  In the COGs, it is, probably more than any other so-called “doctrine”, the bedrock of organizational abuse.

Let’s get it right: HWA was wrong about hierarchical church government.  He based it upon the Roman Catholic doctrine of the supremacy of Peter, and as much as admits it in Mystery of the Ages (although conveniently leaving the Catholics out of it).  HWA was not the head of the Church.  That place is for Jesus Christ, and for Jesus Christ alone.

David C Pack recently gave a sermon about “The ‘Synagogue of Satan’ Identified – and Marked!”  I had heard about it through the grapevine, but when I read COGWriter Dr Robert Thiel’s article “What is the Synagogue of Satan?”, I was thoroughly confused.  Apparently, Dr Bob couldn’t make up his mind what Pack was saying.  So, reluctantly, I downloaded it and listened to it, and it became evident quickly (well, thirty minutes of a two hour sermon is somewhat “quick”) why.  Pack weaved back and forth so many times I thought I would get whiplash.

I found an interesting discussion about projection in the Changing Minds article “Projection”:

Projecting thoughts or emotions onto others allows the person to consider them and how dysfunctional they are, but without feeling the attendant discomfort of knowing that these thoughts and emotions are their own. We can thus criticize the other person, distancing ourselves from our own dysfunction.

Actually, there was a small portion of what he said that I may agree with.  I say “may” because it was so confusing with all the contradictions.  For example, was he addressing what he considered “Philadelphians” or “Smyrnians”?  Whiplash.  Are Laodiceans part of the “synagogue of Satan” or not?  Whiplash.  It’s pretty bad when you cannot even get your lies straight in a single sermon!

Part of the reason was because what he gave was more of a rant than a sermon.  I was warned of this beforehand, but I still did not expect the projectile vomiting that was coming forth from the man.  I’m just glad it was a recording and not in person.  I probably would not have brought an umbrella.

Oddly enough, this fits in quite well with some recent articles I’ve posted.  Satan is the accuser.  He stands before God, acting like a prosecuting attorney, only with him it is personal.  He will not hesitate to stir up slander and lies against others to cause division.  You have seen it:  Blogs that are dedicated to setting brethren against the ministry and brother against brother, church (little ‘c’) leaders who divide families, the bilking of monies from an elderly congregation to build monstrosities of idolatry, and the presumption that those who will not idolize at their feet and pay homage to a manmade organization are Laodicean or other pejorative label.

Brethren, it takes great arrogance for how some leaders treat their membership!

⁴⁵But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken;

⁴⁶The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.

~ Lk 12:45-46

We should be clear that “his portion” is with “the unbelievers”!  The HCSB says that Jesus will “assign him a place with the unbelievers.”  This is pretty serious!

Oddly enough, these men are too arrogant to realize that those verses apply to them.  How many times during Pack’s “sermon” did I wonder, “Is he looking into a mirror when he is speaking?”

He almost got one portion right.  The “synagogue of Satan” is not just the Catholics, Protestants and what-not.  No, you are either in the Church of God or you are not.  A Laodicean is in the Church of God (so, why does Pack later go after them?  I do not know).

Satan is the accuser!  That is what his name means!  You want to look for the synagogue of Satan?  Find an organization, church leader or blog that constantly has an accusatory attitude!  You want to find the Church of God?  Look for an organization that has the mark of love that Jesus spoke about!

Remember, Satan has these attributes:

1. He accuses the brethren night and day.
2. He wants total dominance.  God allows you to choose, but Satan will beat you into submission if allowed.  Anything that seeks input from others is demonized and called not of God, even though the Bible is silent on the type of church government to set up.
3. Those who will not submit will be ostracized, shunned and otherwise driven farther away.  Division marks the work of Satan.
4. He will supplant Christ as the head by any means possible.  Outright statues would be too obvious, so he substitutes the image of a dead man instead.  Once a man is idolized, it is a simple matter to change the focus from the idolized dead man onto the current leader.

It is all about power and ego.  It is all about building monuments to one’s self, trying to seek the power that Herbert W Armstrong had.

This is ego:

And this:

Over and over, Pack stated that those who weren’t in his group are outside of the Church of God.  Like Satan, he wants total control over God’s people and will continue to lie and slander in order to gain power by any means.

Jesus, the real Head of the Church, the One we should be listening to, had something quite different to say:

³⁸ John said to Him, “Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in Your name, and we tried to stop him because he wasn’t following us.”

³⁹ “Don’t stop him,” said Jesus, “because there is no one who will perform a miracle in My name who can soon afterward speak evil of Me. ⁴⁰ For whoever is not against us is for us. ⁴¹ And whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because of My name, since you belong to the Messiah—I assure you: He will never lose his reward.

~ Mk 9:38-41 (HCSB)

And, again, Jesus said, contradicting those who will say that there can only be one organized singular true COG:

¹⁶ But I have other sheep that are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will listen to My voice. Then there will be one flock, one shepherd.

~ Jn 10:16 (HCSB)

However, Pack and others like him will not let facts get in the way of his fanaticism.  After all, aren’t the words of a dead man more important than those of the living Christ?

I lost count of how many times Pack either referred to or quoted from Herbert W Armstrong (HWA).  If I were a betting man, I’d say he did so more than the number of times he actually quoted Scripture.  It is easy to see where he bases his theology.  How many times did he equate HWA’s words with those of God’s?

This is why we have a written Bible.  Those who will contradict it are without excuse.  Of course, there is an even greater evil that much of what has already been said.

²⁷Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

~ Jas 1:27

Depriving the elderly of future security by manipulating them to sell homes and possessions in order to build a gigantic monument to self is one of the greatest evils that Pack and Flurry have perpetrated.

If you hold those riches, I’m telling you, you trust in them! [chastising voice]…I am charged by God, reading this verse to charge all of you out there in the Work, in the church, who have assets. You have a home that’s paid off? [yelling] Go get a big chunk out of your home and put your money where your mouth is and send it here! And I’m not talking one, two, three thousand either! How about ten, twenty, thirty, fifty, a hundred thousand dollars— Go do it!! Woo hoo, Mr. Pack, you got serious! [mimicking voice] You haven’t heard anything yet— keep listening. [said with haughty attitude]

~ Pack.  “Clarion Call”.  As transcribed on Exit Support Network.

Again, what does the Bible say, Mr Pack?  You know, that book you supposedly read and preach from?

¹⁰ For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and by craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains.

~ 1Ti 6:10 (HCSB)

Notice how some have left the faith over the coveting of money!  That means they are no longer in the Body!  If you are not in the Body, then where does that leave you?

That’s right!  The only other place is the synagogue of Satan!

Next sermon, Pack, get out your mirror!  Better yet, humble yourself before God instead of blaspheming Him by what you say and do!

⁴¹Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:

⁴²For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:

⁴³I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. [I was elderly, and you took my IRA.  I was a sick person, and you made me mortgage my home without the means to pay it off.]

⁴⁴Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? [Or, when did I take your IRA, or when did I make you mortgage your home without the means to pay it off?]

⁴⁵Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.

⁴⁶And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

~ Mt 25:41-46

Someone shared this on Facebook, and now I am sharing with you.  It speaks for itself.  The question for each of us is whether or not we are doing it.

I found a botnet trying to crash into my other blog site, so I’ve installed some new security on all sites.  Please let me know if you have any difficulty with anything.

Thanks for understanding.